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—
/Fwoosh!/
/Shaa…/
/Land!/
'Silver gently led them down the shaft, landing just before a massive gate that led deeper into the temple.'
/Growl.../
'Before them, Antares rested quietly in the middle of the abyss, the hustle of its humongous body shaking the very foundation of this temple.'
/Twitch… Twitch…/
'The vines connected to its body continuously pumped essence into its body, the slushing liquid within reverberating with their skin.'
'Like a powerful drum, it suppressed even their heartbeats.'
(Image)
"... Artemis… I hope whatever you want to do… Doesn't take too long…"
'Hestia was fearful of the beast, hugging tightly onto Silver as she sneakily looked around from behind him.'
'Silver did not deny her emotions, feeling something similar to her, but he couldn't help but think about it more.'
'Just what exactly could a God even fear? What was she feeling, exactly?... Was her love for him the same as he had for her?'
'Unnecessary thoughts, the kind Silver had and cast aside soon after.'
"I won't take too long."
"... What do you need? Can I help?"
"... Just time. That's all I'll need."
"Very well."
'Silver supported her actions, standing behind her as she clasped her hands together.'
'She knelt on the ground, ignoring the dirt and grime as it stained her dress, focused solely on her task.'
/Shua!!/
'Being the caring mortal he was, he did not let her be tainted, sending a powerful blast of air around her, cleaning the ground of its ancient accumulation, revealing enigmatic symbols and carvings that told a long lost story.'
'It made Silver think about how this temple looked in the past... When its colors were still vibrant; when thousands inhabited these halls...'
/Shine…/
'Immediately after, Artemis' body began to sparkle as blue wisps of light gathered at her fingertips.'
'Mystical energy rose from the ground as the carved symbols came to life, lighting up the whole temple underneath the fleshy mass.'
"A-Artemis!..."
"..."
This isn't the first time I've seen it… But this would be my first time seeing a God use their Arcanum directly.
'Her hair turned bright as the ethereal energy surrounded her, causing the surrounding rocks and pebbles to defy gravity and rise into the air…'
'She closed her eyes and lightly tilted her head, performing a praying gesture as she looked at Antares…'
'The runes grew brighter, releasing a strong, yet soothing heat...'
/Crack…/
'And then… Silence.'
'The whole temple suddenly stopped moving, as if time had stopped.'
/OPEN!/
'However, it wasn't that time had stopped revolving but rather… Antares.'
/SCREEEEECH!/
'After thousands of years, the slumbering beast opened its vengeful gaze, peering into the world it was meant to annihilate, but failed.'
'Feeling the intense presence of its greatest enemy, Antares was sent into a rage as it trashed around.'
/TREMBLE!/
"C-Can we go home?!"
'Silver held Hestia by the shoulder, looking around sharply, "It can wait... Stay close to me." he proclaimed as he clenched his fists, ready to defend himself.'
'The whole temple began to quake as Antares felt the goddess' aura.'
"I-I thought it was sleeping!!!"
"... Even I would wake up if someone barged into my room like this… Oh yeah, it happens every time…"
"Now's not the time for jokes!!" Hestia exclaimed as she shook his arms
/SCREEEEECH!!/
"KYAA!"
/CRACK!/
'Antares attempted to move its body, but the invisible chains binding it kept it in place.'
'The ground cracked open as intense magical energies burst from its depths.'
'The pulsating vines contracted and trembled as they supplied power to the restless beast. He didn't know what it was trying to do, but regardless of its intentions, Antares' actions would only result in this Temple crumbling onto itself!'
"ROOOOAAAARRR!!!"
/CRACK!/
'As he feared, the entire temple began to collapse, unable to contain the ancient beast's wrath...'
/SHAAAA… boooom…/
'Before them, pieces of the precipice surrounding the beast cracked, falling into the abyss below. Only after half a minute did the echoes of its fall reach their ears.'
"That hole… It is quite deep. Over a kilometer…"
"Should we be focusing on that now?!"
'Hestia jumped onto Silver's shoulders as she held onto his hair as the ground underneath them cracked.'
'Silver exhaled in distress, trying to calm her down while closely monitoring the chaotic situation.'
/BAM!!/
'Behind them, the ancient structures buried in flesh began to fall like comets, striking the earth with tremendous force!'
'Silver rose his arms, blocking the falling and splintering debris from interrupting her prayer.'
/Sheen…/
"...!"
'Soothing white light shone from above, casting the pillar and the abyss in splendor.'
"Moonlight?"
But it's pretty early…!
'Silver tilted his head to look at the ceiling, only learning now that it was open, leading directly into the blue skies above.'
It feels weird… Soothing, like sunlight, but different… Not weaker, but something else…
'A round moon covered the sky. Perfectly fitting inside the circular ceiling, like an eclipse, it cast a bright veil on the temple.'
/Sheeen!/
"ROAAAAARRR!!"
'Light flashed in the room, blinding Silver and Hestia.'
"Urg…"
"What happened?"
'When they opened their eyes again, a strange scene appeared before them:'
"Antares… It turned to stone?!"
"... Only momentarily."
'Artemis turned around, approaching them as she cleaned the sweat off her face.'
"..."
"It's done. I've sealed him."
"... Won't there be consequences for using your Arcanum?" Silver asked with a deep frown
A God's use of their Arcanum usually signifies a direct trip to Heaven. No questions asked…
If that's done out of their own volition or not, it doesn't matter. Either way, I don't want to see her being dragged away. Much less by an angry God in Heaven.
"I didn't do anything outside the rules… You see, this temple is dedicated to me, a place of respite for my followers and children..."
"It's filled with my Divinity and Ichor, which lets me do things I wouldn't be often allowed or able to outside."
"Many Gods cast down Artifacts and Spirits to aid their followers through time... Sometimes they were stolen and sent down in the eternal struggle between the Gods. I was no different."
"My Arcanum was invoked eras ago... I only modified it a little. So there won't be significant repercussions... To help guide and protect the innocent, I cast down a droplet of my blood, and while it has long dried, this land still carries the aura of Heaven."
'Looking at Hestia, she added: "Hestia can also do the same. Although she rarely interacted with the lower world from what I remember.".'
"H-HEY! That's like… A super secret!"
"... Oh? Is that true?" Silver teased as he lightly pinched her cheeks
"Ouch! No fair! I… Erm… Can we talk about that later?"
"Heh, I'm just playing around. Then? What now?"
"We've done everything we could. Let's leave…"
/Crack…/
""!""
'Breaking the silence, the stone skin covering Antares… Began to crack.'
"A-Artemis…"
"Don't worry, it won't be moving anytime soon."
"... You don't sound too confident…"
"..."
'Silver looked down at the creature before him. His experience told him now was the best time to end it all, but he knew things wouldn't be easy. Otherwise, Artemis would've told him to do so already.'
"Let's go."
We've spent enough time in this depressing place.
… I thought things would end like this, but I'll have to cut this adventure… Short, it seems.
It's time to go back home.
/Shua…/
'Silver held both of their hands, and with the faint swirl of wind, they all vanished.'
…
/Step.../
"... Hm?... Silver? Silver! What are you doing?!"
'Back at the entrance, Hestia stopped with a frown as she turned back to look at Silver.'
"Give me a minute... I just need to fetch one of these... Two... Five..."
'Standing on his tiptoes, Silver reached out for the egg sacks in the ceiling, pulling some down and putting them on the ground.'
"Why... Why are you grabbing those disgusting things?!"
"For research..."
If I can understand how Antares adapts to its surroundings... The principle behind its mutation... It wouldn't be too difficult for me to replicate it.
I've tried researching how some monsters utilize magical particles before, but never had the time to go too in-depth. But if there's one worth putting my time on, it's this one.
Besides, Antares' adaptation can help me understand what a God's Arcanum is, even if at an extremely rudimentary level.
It was prophesied that Antares would devour the world... And it almost did.
It has the potential to consume a God and utilize their powers instinctively. It is a connection with the Divine, one of the reasons I was so adamant in exterminating it. But as Artemis pointed out, this desperation of mine made me hasty.
I'll take my time researching it. There's no telling when an opportunity like this will come by again.
"I feel like you have some other reason behind this... But as long as you keep it out of my sight, I won't mind."
/Pinch!/
'Pinching his shoulders, ' Artemis commanded in a stern voice: "Just don't cross the line".'
"... Yes, ma'am..."
...
/Shaaa!!/
'High in the skies, the trio quickly ventured into the wilderness, returning from where they came.'
"..."
"..."
'The atmosphere wasn't bright as Artemis kept her head down, lost in her thoughts.'
'Hestia would often try to talk with her, but it was evident she was in her world, barely reacting, only replying with superficial remarks…'
"... Disheartened?" Silver asked without turning to her
"..."
'Her lack of reaction made Silver roll his eyes. So he turned to Hestia, asking with a faint smile:'
"Hum… It seems like we forgot Artemis back there. Should we turn around to fetch her?"
"Eh? Ah?... Ahhh!... W-Well…"
"Sigh… I'm alright. Just thinking about something…"
"Something that happened ten thousand years ago?"
"Not that long… Jerk. At least tell it to my face."
"I don't know what you're talking about~"
'Artemis rolled her eyes, turning to Hestia and smiling.'
'The two of them looked at each other faintly, talking only with their eyes before smiling.'
"... Are we heading back home? I thought we'd be away for longer?"
"I did have plans to visit some Northern cities and see how things were over there… You know… Have an ACTUAL vacation… But it doesn't feel right to enjoy some time off now."
There was a LOT I wanted to do before returning, but the journey ended there.
I thought that visiting her shrine might sour the mood… And I was right… I should've passed by at the end instead.
There was too much I wanted to do... Be it the Black Desert or the Elven Forests... I also wanted to go after it... Forget it. I'll leave it for later, maybe when I come here to kill it once and for all.
... The Spirit Land that always draws me... I wanted to see if going there in person would give me some answer as to why my Soul is connected with the place... But I'll have to go there on my own some other time.
'Silver scoffed mentally but remained stoic on the outside.'
"We'll go back home and figure out things from there."
"... I'm sorry for ruining the mood. Regardless of what we saw, being hasty wouldn't change anything."
"You aren't to blame. If anyone is to take that, then it would be me... So far, I've done little but selfishly drag you two around the place, so…"
"Stop it now; we already had that talk. I don't want to hear those words again." She replied with a scoff as she waved her hand at him
"... How about some music then?"
"Hah! Are you going to play the flute again?"
"What of it? Was my past performance breathtaking?"
"More like ear-shaking." She refuted with a chuckle as she rested her head on the side of the boat
"Guys… Can you stop acting as if I'm not here?"
/Chuckle…/
"... That said… Silver… Are we stopping by the Village?" Hestia asked as she sat beside him
"Which one? Edas Village or my parents'?"
"Both."
"We can stop by both if you want…"
I wanted to show Orario to my parents. Although I'm on the fence given everything going on behind the scenes... Or rather, under the city.
"Hm… You still want to go somewhere, don't you?"
'Artemis smiled at him as she sat beside him, looking at the horizon.'
"... Was it obvious?"
"I can't tell if you overestimate or underestimate us… Do you think I wouldn't notice that this isn't the same direction we came in?"
"Ehhhh?"
"Hestia… When we arrived, the sun was over there, right? But now, where is it? Think about the time and give me an answer..."
"Erm… It should've been there… Ohhh! Silver!"
"... Alright, you two got me. I'm not going back home…"
"Where are we going?!"
"To a place I can't miss…"
Yeah, a place that we have to stop by at least once...
'Silver smiled, looking at the mountains on the distant horizon…'
"We're going to Olympia!"
""...""
""What?!""
…
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Notes