TGS - Chapter 26
Chapter 26: An Obscure Past
Regarding the meaning of a god "awakening," Lotus had considered many possibilities, but never this one.
In Solancian mythology, the origin of the world was depicted as the chaotic Primordial Water, from which the first four deities were born.
First was 【En】, the God of Sky and Wind. He was the King of the Gods, master of the endless firmament and the air. After him, the Goddess of the Earth, the God of Life and Death, and the Goddess of Love and Desire were born in succession. The Primordial Water gave birth to them, and to the world.
The God of the Sky joined with the snow mountains to birth the sun and moon twins and the rivers. Love and Desire united with Life and Death, giving rise to the God of Wisdom.
In short, setting aside all the messy family ties and incomprehensible divine entanglements, the first four gods and the four second-generation gods they produced together formed the eight principal deities of the Solancian pantheon.
Now, the Moon Goddess had told her that the Goddess of the Yilu River, one of the eight principal deities, had actually ascended from a human. This truly surprised and confused Lotus.
The Moon Goddess was still diligently explaining, "Deified humans belong to the same category as us—gods of faith. There is no difference in power or divinity. The only distinction lies in the foundation of our existence. We are founded on faith, while your foundation is your self. This is the difference between being born and awakening."
Lotus said, "In other words, I was once human."
"That's right."
"But I don't remember..."
"Memories from your time as a human are not retained, perhaps?"
Hearing the uncertainty in his sister's tone, the Sun God casually took over the conversation. "Indeed. I asked Askle, and he said he doesn't remember a thing."
Askle was the ancient Solancian God of Medicine. His mythological prototype was a famous physician from history. The Solancians had built several temples for him, revering him as the God of Medicine. Lotus knew this much.
But she had never imagined that a figure deified by later generations could truly become a god.
But if that was the case—if the river goddess named Lotus was a deity who had been deified from a mortal, then what about her?
After a moment of silence, Lotus said, "Pardon my asking, but how much do you all know about my past?"
The sun and moon twins exchanged a glance. The Moon Goddess shook her head. "The myths related to you originated at the founding of Solancia. We had only just been born then, so we don't know. Adia was born earlier than us; perhaps she knows something."
But Adia, the Goddess of Love, chuckled lightly. "Regrettably, the situation was chaotic back then. By the time we realized we were about to have a new member, your first temple had already been built. We know nothing of the events prior to that."
The Sun God sighed. "It's all in the past anyway, so it doesn't matter if you don't remember. Take Anmila—she can forget things from a hundred years ago, and it doesn't seem to affect her at all... Hiss!"
The Moon Goddess calmly withdrew her hand, her expression unchanging, as if she wasn't the one who had just swung her divine staff and made her brother cry out in pain.
"So it is. Do you have any other questions?"
Lotus's gaze uncontrollably rested on the staff for a moment. She lamented the dangerous weapon for a second before smiling. "No."
In truth, she had far too many questions.
For example, it was perfectly normal for gods derived from human civilization, like those of medicine or the performing arts, to be deified humans. But Lotus's title was "Goddess of the Yilu River, incarnation of all clear waters."
Lotus had a deep understanding of what the river meant to the Solancians. How could such an extremely important position as a principal deity, one belonging to a natural creation, be bestowed upon a mortal, with faith remaining unchanged for thousands of years to forge a true god?
But Lotus didn't ask. Not only out of caution, but also because asking would yield no answers.
Just then, the Moon Goddess's eyes shifted. "Considering the time, the Yilu River festival is approaching. I will take you to your temple."
The River Goddess's temple was located in the northwest of the floating island. Its exterior was solemn and holy, similar in structure to a mortal temple. Apart from the blue, flowing water patterns carved at the base of the pillars supporting the entrance, the entire building was as pure as snow, without a single speck of other color.
The Moon Goddess escorted Lotus to the entrance and stopped. "Each god's temple is their own exclusive domain. Whether born or awakened, a god arriving here for the first time must use the mortal festival to activate their divinity and gradually solidify their divine position."
"I need not explain the specific process; you will know what to do on your own."
Lotus said solemnly, "Thank you."
"There is no need. Guiding a new god is our responsibility."
The Moon Goddess spoke, her lips twitching slightly as if trying to form a smile, but failing. Her ice-cold, stern face softened a little. "We have always been eagerly awaiting your return. Welcome, Lotus."
"Yes, now the family is finally complete," the Goddess of Love said, clapping her hands with a hint of regret. "It's a pity the others are still sleeping in their own temples, otherwise it would be much livelier."
Family...
Lotus recalled the kinship between the principal Solancian deities and felt a headache coming on. "Speaking of which, according to the myths, how should I address you all?" She turned to the Moon Goddess and hesitated. "Should I call you... sister?"
The other two gods' eyes lit up, but the Moon Goddess was straightforward. "There's no need. Gods are independent individuals. The kinship imagined by mortals in myths is not imposed upon us; it is merely a nominal relationship."
The two gods failed to stop her from speaking, their disappointment palpable.
"There's nothing wrong with calling me brother."
"Sigh, why is it so hard to get a junior to call me aunt?"
Lotus: "..."
I refuse, thank you.
Lotus walked up the stone steps of the temple one by one. As if sensing its master's return, the great, white, carved door behind several straight pillars boomed open.
The moment before stepping through the gate, she turned back to look at the gods seeing her off and parted her lips to ask, "One last question. How long does it usually take to stabilize one's divine position?"
The Sun God: "Five years."
The Moon Goddess: "I've forgotten."
The Goddess of Love: "Seven years."
Wait, Your Excellency the Moon Goddess, you've even forgotten that?
The Sun God quickly added, "Anmila took the exact same amount of time as I did, down to the second."
The Moon Goddess nodded with a cool, aloof expression.
The Goddess of Love and Desire said, "The time varies for each god, but deified humans are generally faster." As she spoke, the charming goddess tapped her lips, a look of realization on her face. "Why do you ask? Could it be you're worried about something in the mortal realm, or—someone?"
Lotus paused for a moment, then chuckled lightly. "Not worried."
The young princess was not someone who needed to be worried about. On the battlefield that others shunned, she would blossom with a stunning radiance.
So Lotus wasn't worried. She just... had her on her mind.
Her silver hair swayed, her silk shawl trailed behind her. The goddess in the long white dress stepped into the temple, and the great doors slowly closed.
The next time this door opened would be several years from now.
Outside the temple, Adia, the Goddess of Love, gave a lazy yawn. Without looking back, she waved at her nominal nephew and niece and went on her way.
The Sun God clasped his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky. "I wonder how long it'll take Lotus to come out. Anmila, what do you think?"
The Moon Goddess: "At least not slower than we were."
"True. In any case, the principal deities are all here now. Thinking about it that way is a real relief."
"Mm. Let's go."
The twin gods of the sun and moon turned and walked in the opposite direction from the Goddess of Love.
In early spring, the weather grew warmer. The White Yilu River flowed through the mountains and fields, symbolizing the renewal of life in all things.
In Kadera City, the new lord, who had just completed his first year in office, came to visit the temple and was speaking with the priestess.
As the successor to the previous lord who had been executed, the new lord was actually under a great deal of pressure, terrified of doing something wrong.
Seeing the date of the festival for the Goddess Lotus approaching, he grew more anxious by the day. Whenever he had a spare moment, he would rush over to check on the preparations, see if there were any oversights, and ask if financial support was needed.
The priestess said, "Our preparations are well in hand, Lord. You need not worry."
The new lord, full of concern, replied, "Your Excellency the Priestess, you don't need to consider the city's finances. If you need anything at all, please just ask."
The priestess said, "...We really don't."
Having grown accustomed to dealing with the old lord who skimmed off the top of everything, she found this overly solicitous new lord rather awkward.
Just as the priestess was thinking of an excuse to send him away, Rhea's voice suddenly came from outside the door.
The young priestess's voice was high but not weak. Like a little oriole, she pushed the door open and announced, "Mother, Her Highness has returned!"
The new lord froze. Her Highness? What Highness?
Before he could react, the priestess beside him shot to her feet, her voice rising an octave with pleasant surprise. "Your Highness the Princess!"
Following Rhea through the door was a young woman dressed in black leather armor.
A longbow was slung across her back. Her frame was slender and tall, her skin a smooth, even honey color. The leather armor outlined a figure still developing, yet one could already glimpse the power hidden within.
Her jet-black hair was tied back, and beneath her bangs, her cat-like eyes, with their upward-slanting corners, shone like molten gold. Her rose-colored lips were pressed together lightly, making it impossible to tell if she was in a good mood or bad, only adding to her inscrutable air.
This was none other than Princess Alyuin, who had rushed back to Kadera from the military camp in Digebia.
The priestess noticed that only Alyuin had returned. The excitement in her eyes subsided slightly as she bowed her head in greeting. "Your Highness. Have you returned at this time to attend the goddess's festival?"
The princess nodded. "Of course. It is a grand ceremony not to be missed."
The priestess glanced behind her again and finally couldn't help but ask, "Did you return alone?"
As soon as the words were out, the air fell silent.
Alyuin gave a slight tug at the corner of her mouth. "No need to look. She went back."
The priestess said, "...I see."
The new lord looked around blankly. He felt as if the warm room, heated by a charcoal fire, had for a moment become as cold as the outdoors.
He rubbed his arms and quickly stood to salute the princess, introducing himself. She nodded, her expression impassive.
The priestess spoke again. "You must be tired from your journey. If Your Highness would like to put down your things and rest, I have kept your old courtyard for you. Would you like to stay there, or shall I find you new accommodations?"
"No need to trouble yourself. I'll stay in my own courtyard," Alyuin said slowly. Her eyes suddenly shifted to the young priestess standing beside her mother. "I'll have to trouble Priestess Rhea to escort me. It's been over a year since we've seen each other; it's a good chance to catch up."
Rhea was a bit stunned. She had spoken with the princess a few times, but they weren't very familiar. Why would she suddenly want to catch up with her?
The priestess patted her daughter's shoulder. "Go on."
"Mm." Rhea's small, round face was solemn. "Please follow me, Your Highness."
Alyuin bid farewell to the two in the room and walked with the young priestess toward the courtyard where she used to live.
Rhea was no longer as afraid of being around others as she once was, but standing next to the princess, she still felt inexplicably nervous.
Her intuition had always been sharper than others'. What was there to be afraid of about the princess? Rhea couldn't understand it, but that didn't stop her from listening to her gut.
Halfway there, Alyuin suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"Have you seen the goddess recently?"
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
Comments
Post a Comment