Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

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"If that's what you think it is, the guidance of fate... after all, I can't defy you, can I?"

She spoke indifferently, without any further reaction, and Pandora gently closed her eyes.

Unlike Epimetheus, she had no interest in watching this so-called debate, for with the passing years, the faith that lingered around her yet remained unabsorbed had only increased.

Even without direct contact, but with the accumulation of numbers, the countless pleas, curses, hatred, and fear continually tormented her.

Whenever a calamity or disease struck the Mortal Realm, she was invoked by humans as the embodiment of disaster. Even if her received faith for an individual catastrophe didn't match that dedicated to the governing deity, the total was overwhelming.

In such circumstances, even though the blessings of all gods had never been withdrawn, Pandora still felt pain and weariness from the depths of her spirit.

For a moment, she felt a pang of regret.

Not for opening the Magic Jar, because she had realized that perhaps her very purpose was to open it. Her regret was that, a thousand years prior, during the first great snow that blanketed the world, she had let her name slip unintentionally on her journey.

The woman who had brought calamity had thought that the name 'Pandora' would attract the attention of the gods and they would find her and Epimetheus. She wanted to plead for the gods' mercy for her sin, to end her aimless wandering on the earth, but the outcome had sorely disappointed her.

No god paid her any heed, as if she had really done nothing at all, on the contrary, the God of Hindsight seemed to take inspiration and established a so-called church in her name.

Of course, this church, labeled a cult, was equally useless.

"Once a tool has served its purpose, it can be destroyed. If its whereabouts are unknown, then it might as well be considered lost."

"Perhaps the gods have not withdrawn their blessings from me, not only because it would be troublesome but more so because they have forgotten me."

"In Olympus, there is scarcely anyone who remembers the existence of 'Pandora'."

Whether in a dream or in reality, Pandora couldn't remember the last time she had slept. With her eyes closed, the sounds of the ongoing debate and the occasional applause seemed increasingly distant.

She didn't know how much time had passed, it could have been a very long while or just a brief moment. At some point, Pandora, mired in a daze, seemed to hear a low call from Epimetheus, after which silence suddenly fell around her.

Even the disturbance brought by the clamor of faith seemed to be cut off, and she hadn't felt such peace in a long time.

"Are you Pandora?"

A woman's voice sounded in front of her, and Pandora opened her eyes.

There stood a woman who appeared to be in her forties, with various patterns embroidered on her brown robe. Her long hair was gathered on top of her head, with a clear and sparkling wooden hairpin passing through the middle. Pandora did not recognize this woman, but she knew that the other party was no ordinary person.

Because Epimetheus was silently standing aside, just as the first time they had met.

"I am."

Nodding, Pandora acknowledged her identity, for she bore the unmistakable mark of the gods' blessings on her.

"Good, I have been searching for you for a long time."

It was neither illusion nor accident, just as Iapetus had seen, Gaia had indeed come to Athens, not for this assembly, and not for the God of Speech.

After another up and down glance at Pandora, Gaia smiled satisfactorily.

"Indeed, once a tool has been used, it is often destroyed, but even as a tool, I suppose no one wishes to vanish without a trace."

"... What do you want me to do?"

After a moment of silence, Pandora seemed resigned as she spoke.

"I don't know."

Shaking her head slightly, Gaia motioned with her hand, and a sphere flickering with specks of 'starlight', each internal point of differing sizes, appeared in her hand.

At a glance, Pandora seemed to witness the collapse of all things, the end of materiality, and some form of a twisted, despairing cry.

It felt familiar, this unique state... was it somewhat like what Epimetheus had described, those Divine Fragments of the Ancient Sun God scattered across the earth?

In that moment, numerous speculations flashed through Pandora's mind. Could this be the delayed fate of the Magic Jar? But this did not align with her own prayers.

She had seen many beasts that had merged with Divine Fragments, but not only did they have to constantly endure the mental pollution from within the fragments, they also hadn't become deities as a result.

Even after the disaster of Typhon had ended, when the three rounds of 'Man-Made Suns', each embodying authority, took turns rising into The Sky, Pandora had discussed this matter with Epimetheus. He had assured her that even if someone could withstand the mental shock of those three suns and took hold of their respective authorities, they still wouldn't be considered True Gods.

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After all, the authority of a True God cannot be stripped away by beings outside of the world, but if those divine fragments were to be taken by others, the power that originally belonged to you would also be lost.

All the while, Pandora was certain that what she had once prayed to become was indeed a True God, one with unstrippable authority, eternally undying within this world—could it be that this was a destiny the Magic Jar could not manifest, leading her to settle for less?

Or perhaps, this actually suggested something, such as the key role these divine fragments might play in becoming a true deity…

For a moment, a thousand thoughts whirled in Pandora's heart, yet Gaia clearly perceived none of them.

It was entirely normal for mortals to be shocked and dumbfounded by such a sight; after all, they were not very knowledgeable to begin with.

"I do not know if you understand what this thing is, nor if you are aware of the kind of power required to create such a result, but it does not matter, I can tell you—it is Perseus, the God of Material Destruction, a True God who is arrogantly disrespectful towards his own parents and elders, and shows no mercy to his own children!"

"But all that is in the past, now he is what you see before you."

Gaia's narration was impassive, and Pandora listened quietly, while at that moment, Epimetheus didn't even know what to say.

It was the first time he had let Pandora follow 'destiny,' and then she had immediately run into the long-lost Mother Earth… Whatever Pandora could think of, he naturally could too, and it seemed that this meeting did indeed play a role in fulfilling a 'wish,' but it was definitely not the kind of effect he desired.

'Huff—At least I've drawn two lessons.'

'Making a wish to the Magic Jar is indeed effective, it's just that it probably only works for the wish itself, for the people around, such as me, it probably does not take into account at all.'

'Furthermore, water always flows where the resistance is least, and perhaps destiny, after confirming its destination, will also only flow along the most direct trajectory, as for whether this aligns with the initial intention of the wisher, that remains unknown.'

The name of Perseus, the God of Material Destruction, was known to Epimetheus, but how Pandora's wish was to be realized through him, the God of Hindsight could not determine.

He too had once fantasized about the power of a shattered sun, and thus had researched those divine fragments; he was roughly aware of their pros and cons… Intuition told Epimetheus that whether Pandora could become a True God or not, he was unsure, but even if she did, it would likely not be what she anticipated.

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In the palace of the Primordial Sea God within the Pontus Euxinus,

The arrival of Gaia or the presence of Iapetus, these 'unexpected' participants in the convention had not drawn the attention of the gods observing the phantom.

Only Zeus, acting as the caster, seemed to sense some slight traces of the God of Speech, but he said nothing, acting as if he did not exist.

However, the lack of reaction from Zeus didn't mean the other gods watching the event felt the same. As Andrea's increasingly sharp speeches were conveyed through the phantom in front of all gods, some deities were growing impatient.

"Your Majesty, I was unaware until now that such blasphemous beings existed among the mortals, and she is capable of standing at a grand event in Athens, spreading her ideology to even more mortals."

With a somewhat excited expression, Ares stepped forward, looking towards Zeus who sat upon the Golden Throne.

"I think such a person has no right to keep living on earth; she should receive eternal punishment like Tantalus. Please permit me to go to the mortal realm myself and bestow upon her the fate she deserves!"

Even without explicit words, the gods could tell that Ares was so eager to try, simply because it was Athens.

As he spoke, he even glances towards where Athena was, yet regrettably, she did not even spare him a glance.

"Ares, this is merely a debate, and the positions held in a debate do not represent the speaker's own views. If you were to act on it, it would only tarnish the reputation of the gods." Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Speaking softly, it was Hestia who addressed Zeus.

The opinion of Ares was not important; what mattered was what the Divine King thought. And based on past experience, Zeus, while not likely to directly express his view, would certainly hint at something.

The Goddess of Hearthfire did not know if her plea would make a difference, but she spoke up nonetheless. To her surprise, this time, Zeus did not seem angry at all.

"That's right, Ares, it's only a human debate. Since I have already promised not to punish them for their speeches, I will certainly keep my word."

Zeus spoke calmly, his mood seemingly oddly positive.

"Moreover, if she wins the final victory, she will come here to become the judge who decides the fate of the Golden Apple—Zephyrus, it's getting late, why don't you set off in advance?"

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Zephyrus too was unclear about what Zeus was planning, but the God of the West Wind never pondered over things he couldn't understand.

He simply stood up, bowed, and then transformed into a gust of wind, disappearing from sight.

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