Only God

Thinking of this, the uneasy Hiris wanted to say something, but he felt as if he could say nothing.

At that moment, the blank room suddenly fell back into silence.

This had happened many times before; in this place where no lies could be told and no falsehoods made, silence always seemed the best response.

The recent quarrel had vanished, and the three of them lapsed into silence once more, the moment quiet as ever, swaying water grass sending ripples through the water, the delicate waves spreading outward.

From above, no matter how loud their voices or fierce their fights, the shallow lake remained extremely calm.

Laren sat down; he no longer hesitated, striving to maintain his angry state of mind, allowing himself to make a decision in the final moments.

Utus knelt on the ground, his gaze lost in the quiet fervor.

And Hiris, he sat silently, enduring the wait for the final moment.

The shallow lake was still calm,

as if God had accepted their decision.

Nobody knew how long passed…

Suddenly, Utus said,

"There's a future not yet revealed…"

At his words, the other two looked towards him.

"What?"

Hearing the question, Utus further explained,

"Xilan once told us,

he would show us the past and the future, but it seems all we have seen so far were scenes of the past."

This statement appeared to suddenly awaken the other two from the chaos, and they both picked up their spirits.

"Why are you excited? Do you think I will change my decision?"

Laren said coldly, looking at Hiris,

"Here, I would rather be a man, not a god."

Hiris looked at him and suddenly said,

"Don't you yearn for it?

Don't you really want to be someone unworthy of being called Divine?"

Laren was suddenly at a loss, Hiris's words piercing his weakest spot.

He certainly yearned.

Otherwise, he wouldn't hold dignity so dear, wouldn't be enraged by mere mortal offenses, and he wouldn't struggle so much.

"But even if I yearn, what can I do?"

Laren muttered to himself.

As soon as his words fell,

as if to respond to Laren, a sweeping whiteness suddenly rose in the eyes of all three.

The familiar sensation came again, the world spinning around.

This time, however, the spinning seemed longer than any previous occurrence.

When their consciousness slowly cleared, they had arrived at a desolate land.

"Where is this?"

Hiris looked around in astonishment and said,

"A wasteland…"

The distant sky was dark and gloomy, the vault of heaven as if wounded had a large fissure, the surrounding land cracked, trees covered with a thick grey-white layer, a corrupt scent pervaded the air, collapsed marble buildings, charred wooden houses, the darkness revealing signs of destruction.

Hiris felt that it was not just this place that had turned into ruins.

It was the whole world that had turned into ruins!

"What happened here?"

Laren said, panic-stricken.

Everything before them was a sea of dead beings, everywhere scenes of destruction, darkness covering the entire land, they could neither see the sun nor the moon, the stars of the Celestial Kingdom all missing.

Apart from the apocalypse, Laren found no other words to describe it.

Looking at the scene before him, he was instantly filled with dread. The sight was of the future, everything destroyed, the world faced with the apocalypse, the temples of the Gods were ruined in an instant, and there were few mortals left; at such a time, who was there to worship him? Who was there to sing praises of the beautiful Dream God?

The canopy of the sky had darkened completely, and standing on the ground, it was impossible to see the heavenly stars. This apocalypse seemed to have scattered the power-filled Divine Gods. If one did not witness this spectacle firsthand, no one would dare believe that such catastrophe could befall the world.

Utus and Hiris were also equally panicked. They watched incredulously everything before them, unable to imagine that they would witness the apocalypse again.

Darkness almost blanketed everything.

In that mysterious distance, it seemed as if evil and filthy cries flourished, submerging everything in pale heavy rain pouring down relentlessly.

"Is this another apocalypse?" Hiris said with a trembling voice.

Laren looked extremely pale.

The three of them moved forward on the crumbling earth, along the fragmented road that stretched toward the distant mountains. Looking up, they saw a scene of utter despair.

The light on the mountains was no longer present.

All three turned deathly pale, having grown accustomed to the presence of their father. They could not imagine what days without that light would be like.

Everywhere creatures suffered, with wails of woe blanketing the fields. Darkness, after thousands of failures, finally triumphed at this moment; it had expelled the light, and the immense Ancient Chaos spread forth from the sea, about to engulf the whole world.

The three stood stunned like chickens, clueless and leaderless.

Suddenly, Hiris seemed to see something and shouted,

"Look there!"

Laren and Utus also looked up. In the distant sky, through the thick darkness, emerged a hallucination-like brilliance, like a candle flame piercing through the veil of the sky. The golden light seemed to traverse the seas, returning to its throne upon the mountains.

"Do you see it?!" Hiris said excitedly.

The world was utterly silent; the darkened world seemed not yet ready to welcome the light. The three watched as the brilliance returned to its throne, the darkness began to burn, to struggle in agony, as the magnificent light enveloped the entire land.

The three were struck as if by lightning, then began trembling, the miracle before them grander than any legend, any epic, any myth, anything ever recorded or transmitted orally.

Hiris knelt down, unable to hold back his tears. Utus also knelt, issuing fervent cries. Laren involuntarily bent his knees, his knees touching the ground, and he knelt there, staring dazedly at the miracle.

"Father, what are you doing?" Laren murmured tremulously.

At that moment,

A mournful voice filled the entire canopy of the sky,

It seemed He was answering the three of them, as well as the whole world.

"You have destroyed my miracle…

For you,

I will weep once more, sacrifice once more."

As these words faded, the earth shook, the heavens shifted, the distant stars returned to their places. The ground whipped up nine mighty winds, the sea thrusted up thirty-three great waves, darkness receded like the tides, and the light stood firm once again on the summit.

The land so devastated began to regain vitality; dead trees sprouted new leaves, dried wells burst forth with springs, soil scattered with salt and char grew wheat and various grains. The kings, servants, people, slaves, wicked, and righteous on the land—all awoke to a new life from their deep slumber; darkness had retreated, and the sun rose as usual.

The three stood on the reborn land.

Songs echoed from the mountains, resembling a beautiful and lofty chorus composed of countless angels, filled with the joy of surviving calamity and the melody of impending victory.

The rebirth of all things on the land seemed to be coated with Spirit Light, the darkness splitting open. Groups of angels sang hymns, swooping through the skies, pairs of wings blessing the land.

Laren trembled.

To destroy a miracle was as easy as blowing out a candle.

Hadn't people from Logos easily slaughtered angels in the past?

And now, the choice, after eons of time, laid in their hands.

In a single thought, they could decide the fate of Xilan.

That magnificent miracle seemed to finally enlighten Laren—

They could blow out a candle, but the sun would still rise as usual.

It was at that moment, the three looked up at the sky.

Laren knelt on the ground, crying out,

"How immense is our pain!"

"Yet the sky is so clear…"

High mountains stood on the earth, and the vast canopy unveiled a brilliant golden radiant glow.