NOVEL WEB Chapter 9: THE PUNISHED CHILDREN
The God-King drove away his children to allow them to fulfill their priestly duties.
In the primitive world of Chaos, time was always the least valuable thing.
Unlike the Eastern tradition of "not keeping track of years," there had since been a time sequence—the division of years, months, and days—and the passage of time was recorded.
In the blink of an eye, fifteen hundred years had passed since Soulis made his prophecy on the sacred mountain.
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On this day, yet another fierce quarrel erupted on the sacred mountain.
This was not the first time. Ever since the birth of the three grotesque children of Ouranos, such arguments frequently broke out between the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother.
"Ouranos, they are your children too!"
Gaia's voice, usually gentle, was now tinged with weakness and sorrow.
She had tried countless times to persuade the God-King to accept the three heirs, even if only as mere sentinels to guard his door. Yet, Ouranos had rejected her pleas time and time again.
"Children? No, they are not. They are abominations born of accident."
His voice was cold and unyielding. The God-King was tired of this argument.
"Please, my lord, reconsider. They are only monstrous in appearance."
"Enough!"
Fifteen hundred years had passed, and the sacred mountain had grown taller.
Standing at the place closest to the heavens, Ouranos coldly interrupted Gaia's plea.
Before him, three one-eyed monsters glared at him with defiance. Though the mighty power of the God-King pressed them to the ground, they seemed incapable of fear and continued to glare at him with their singular eyes.
"Behold, Gaia. Such twisted lives, yet they dare to face my wrath."
After studying the three giants on the ground for a while, Ouranos seemed certain of something.
"The eldest son, yet not the eldest. Haha, the eldest among monsters, isn't that still just another monster?"
"You are mad, Ouranos!"
For the first time, Gaia, who still appeared youthful despite her grief, addressed her husband by his name. She could not understand how, simply because of their lack of fear due to their limited intelligence, Ouranos could believe they had the potential to become God-Kings.
"There is no God-King who isn't even a god!"
"Am I mad? Haha, perhaps. But you should cease your absurd pleas."
Gaia's words finally enraged the God-King. He glanced at his once-beloved wife and then brusquely pushed her aside.
Standing atop the sacred mountain, Ouranos once again wielded his divine authority and pronounced judgment on the giants.
"I have tolerated you long enough—perhaps a hundred years, perhaps two hundred." He looked down at the three giants before him, their defiant eyes betraying no fear.
"But all tolerance has its limits. You dirty, ugly, despicable beings who insult my bloodline—I have had enough of your existence!"
"Cyclops? What a ridiculous title. I will no longer forgive you because of Gaia. Instead, I will send you to where you truly belong."
"You lowly trash—the bottomless abyss shall be your destination. In the name of the God-King, I declare you guilty by birth. Your sentence is eternal!"
The thunderous proclamation echoed across the horizon. In a distant cave, Soulis raised his head slightly.
The sky outside dimmed, as if the sun was trying to restrain its light.
This was caused by the wrath of the Lord of the Sky. Though Uranus was born after Soulis, he no longer embodied the sky itself. Yet, he still wielded absolute influence over it.
"It's a bit far."
Soulis's physical eyesight was not enough to see the sacred mountain from his location. He decisively switched methods, using the Moon in the sky to observe.
After fifteen hundred years of effort, the man-made celestial body had grown more complete. The priesthood of Moon, which it represented, had slowly ascended to a godhead of Level 3.
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Whoosh!
Through the perspective of the Moon, Soulis could vaguely see three streams of light shooting out from the sacred mountain at the earth's center. They fell westward, piercing through thick strata.
From within the dark cave, Soulis could sense the chaotic and powerful aura seeping out.
It was the abyss—the bottom of the world and the body of the primordial god Tartarus.
Unlike the other three primordial gods, Tartarus seemed to have given up on awakening. Instead, he remained in his chaotic and disordered state.
As a result, he alone among the ancient gods retained his immense power.
---
"Cyclops?"
Soulis whispered the name of the three streaks of light with little surprise.
Unlike the Twelve Titans, the Cyclops resembled monsters with immense strength more than divine beings.
When they were born, no corresponding changes occurred in the laws of the world, and they were unseen beyond the sacred mountain. Naturally, Ouranos refused to acknowledge their existence.
Even the future second-generation God-King would not recognize his "brothers." Zeus, who later rescued them, regarded them only as craftsmen and jailers.
For two centuries, Ouranos had tolerated their presence because of Gaia. But as a harsh and unforgiving God-King, he could not ultimately abide their existence.
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Boom!
Another deafening roar filled the air, and this time Soulis didn't need the Moon to witness it.
The heavens and the earth were once again drawn together.
Gaia's plea had enraged Uranus, and he forced the sky and earth to press tightly against one another, as they had before the Twelve Titans were born.
The sun fled in panic, the weather shifted to the ocean, and vast swathes of vegetation were destroyed. The green earth, cultivated over fifteen hundred years, returned to desolation. The God-King unleashed his primitive desires, venting his inner dissatisfaction.
From the safety of his cave, Soulis observed in silence.
For fifteen centuries, the God-King had ruled the world, and his twelve sons had performed their divine duties under his oppressive hand. But Ouranos still despised them.
He would shatter celestial bodies for amusement, delighting in the suffering of Koos. Occasionally, he would hurl the sun into the ocean, taking pleasure in the chaos it caused among his children and younger brothers. Such acts were his rare form of entertainment.
There was no music, no wine, and no living creatures on the earth.
Aside from the few remaining primordial gods, Uranus could only vent his excess energy on his children.
---
As for Soulis, his presence had always been unobtrusive. The prophecy he had delivered made the God-King wary, and while Ouranos knew of Soulis's location, he avoided confronting him.
"I wonder how much longer this will last."
"Five hundred years? Perhaps a thousand. The era of the Heavenly Father is dreadfully dull, though the reign of Cronus will prove far more interesting."
Soulis turned his gaze back to the Moon in the sky, ignoring the turmoil beyond.
The majority of lost, ownerless Memory had been assimilated, and his Spirituality priesthood had risen another level. Once Memory was fully absorbed, Spirituality would grow even further.
In addition to priestly power, Soulis's divine strength had significantly increased. The Timing priesthood now provided a substantial influx of divine energy every second.
Not all priesthoods supplied divine power at the same rate. Though Light and Sun were equally powerful, the latter accumulated energy much faster.
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Fifteen hundred years had passed. Soulis now stood at the pinnacle of Weak Divine Power. It was only a matter of time before he ascended beyond this lowest tier of divinity—likely before the birth of the hundred-handed giants.
The commotion outside continued unabated, but Soulis quietly drifted into deep sleep once more.
Priesthoods determined his limits, while divine power reflected his current strength. Until he transcended his existing level, there was no need for him to leave his sanctuary.