"Armageddon."
Tiamat muttered each of those ten letters with a dreary expression on her face. Her frown got progressively worse the more letters she spewed out of her mouth.
There was one particular concept in this world that people could not really understand.
From where did the Avatar Name appear?
How did they even appear?
Who was the one to assign them?
What was the story behind them?
Few people outside of the goddesses and the Reincarnators could give an answer to this mystifying question. One of them being Asmodeus— the divine beast holding dominion over Lust.
But even if they could not find an answer, or hope to learn about it in this lifetime, when a Avatar Name was uttered, the people who heard it would have an innate understanding of the power and meaning behind that name.
It was a phenomenon that was particularly hard to explain, but it was common sense in this world. Even if everyone were confused as to how the answer would innately come to them, there was nothing they could do but accept it for what it was.
So what did Tiamat feel when she heard the name <<Armageddon>> – Sol's second Avatar Name.
Fear.
Pure, unadulterated fear, a primal sense of absolute terror that she thought to have forgotten long ago…
This was the greatest fear she had ever experienced in the entirety of her existence.
"Just what…"
The name was an epitaph only the harbinger of death and total destruction could have.
This simply went beyond the silly and egoistical ideological war between that of Chaos and Order.
This was something closer to the absolute end of all creation, the destruction of the providence that held reality together.
"If that was Sol's Avatar Name. Then I can sort of understand why my other self wouldn't hesitate to hunt him down even though he's my grandson."
What she felt was a primordial fear down to her very bones, penetrating her marrows.
But she could instinctively feel that what was really reacting to this name was her divinity.
Superbia's Divinity. The Sin of Pride…
"Hahaha!"
Tiamat began laughing lightheartedly, as if trying to shake off that primal fear in her heart, "I see now why Sol had become the enemy of the world. I understand now why he was able to do what he did with his dimension."
This had been a detail that always bothered her to no end. Even though she said that Sol had managed to do everything with his dimension alone….
No matter how she spun it, it still sounded forced and somewhat false even to herself.
Now she could understand that claim more easily. It became more believable to her.
"I expected a more visceral reaction to my announcement. I admit I am surprised."
"You will need more to truly surprise me, Skuld."
"Heh?" Skuld gave a small smile, mischief dancing in her eyes as she spoke the next words, "If so, what will you do if I tell you that this name was a downgrade from what he should have really obtained."
….
….
….
"You…"
"I do not know the full story. But what I do know is that Sol obtained power from a source other than the goddesses. Even after losing all his blessings."
"That...thing gave Sol power when he was at his lowest and Sol accepted the offer graciously. But he was unable to inherit the full might of that name. As such, what he got was a downgrade from what he should've really obtained."
The smile on Skuld's face stretched further, as she reached the end of her speech.
"I remember saying that one of Sol's greatest regrets was not having completed the ceremony and obtaining a more powerful Zone.
"But now I wonder. What would happen if Sol accepted that deal once again? Would he be able to inherit everything this time? *Gah*..."
Skuld held her throat as she was being lifted in the air, finger marks clearly deforming her throat as Tiamat used her telekinetic powers to choke her.
"What is your goal? Speak."
"Hahaha."
Skuld let out a gargled laugh and once Tiamat released her hold on her ever so slightly, she found the leeway to eek out the rest of her speech, the tone contained no fear whatsoever, however,
"My one and only goal is Sol's well being. Nothing more, and goddesses forbid nothing less…"
Tiamat once again realized that… She should completely forget about logic and common sense when talking with this mad woman.
Skuld was someone whose whole life and goals now revolved around Sol's existence.
She was no different from a fanatic who would happily slit her throat and spill blood if her deity wished so. She had forgotten all about reason, fully investing herself for Sol's needs and wishes.
Sol was not just her love. He was her faith and her whole world. He was the center of her whole existence, and without him her existence thus held no meaning.
Tiamat couldn't help but wonder.
Just how did Sol manage to obtain such an allegiance from a mad woman like her?
"Just why do you love him so much?"
She was so startled that she couldn't help but ask that thought out loud.
"You cannot understand."
Skuld continued to smile. How could anyone understand what it feels like to fuse the feelings of hundreds of thousands of Skulds into one?
She didn't just glance at those possible futures. She felt them each and every one of them through her other selves.
Skuld herself knew more than anyone else how sick and distorted her love was.
But in all itineraries of her future selves, in all the timelines, there was only one constant that never changed.
"I will never harm Sol intentionally."
"I want Sol to have enough power so that no one ever dares to even think of harming him."
She would make sure that the current Sol would never feel the bitterness his other self had to face. Not again, not ever…
Tiamat sighed, "I really want to kill you right now."
"..."
"You are obnoxious. You are taunting me constantly and you are filled with innumerable secrets. Dangerous ones that could threaten all the realms…"
"..."
"I feel like I am at a crossroads and later down the road, I will look back on this instance with either regret or joy at the choice I made."
Tiamat did not even bother trying to read the future. Doing so was a waste of time.
Time was simply too volatile nowadays. The future so ever changing that even a chameleon would pale in comparison…
"Will you make me regret it?"
Skuld was still held in the air, but the light in her eyes was unwavering till the very end.
"Sol's happiness is my only wish."
"And what will make him happy, if I may ask?"
The answer was simple, "Keeping those who are close to his heart alive is the first way. Giving him the power to face everything is the second way."
"What if bringing him happiness mean destroying this world."
"We already erased everything once for his happiness. I will be willing to do it a few more times, no problem…"
Having the reset button to nuke everything and begin anew was the best insurance possible.
"You are crazy."
"Always have been."
The standoff lasted for a while before Tiamat completely released her hold on Skuld.
Once she landed, she could see that Tiamat was once again sitting aloofly on her throne with none of her earlier agitation left to be seen… It was clear that she had calmed herself down in a split second, one of the few necessities of a true monarch.
"You should warn Sol that his lover and his mother-in-law, who, as amusing as it is, also happens to be his sister-in-law, will come either tomorrow or the next night. Heh, that kid has no limits, if I say so myself…"
Skuld looked up at Tiamat, "You are really going to let me go?"
Skuld was genuinely surprised. She was sure that she was going to die today. In fact, she had been unable to read the future as it involved Tiamat but she had managed to deduce that her chances of walking out of this place alive and kicking were minimal at best.
Why then was she still alive and well even now?
"What is Sol's happiness, again?"
"Protecting his loved ones."
Tiamat shrugged, "I am part of his loved ones and will perhaps be even closer to him in the future if everything works out well. As such, there is no reason for us to be enemies, right?"
"That… Works?"
Tiamat flashed an impish smile seeing Skuld's bewildered face, "Don't mind the small details."
Her expression then switched to a more serious one in a split second.
"The entity that gave such a power to Sol… What is it?"
"I do not know."
"You do not know…or are you unable to remember?"
"I am sure of this one. Sol had many little secrets he never shared with anyone and it was one of those.
“Though I do remember one thing. Two sentences that Sol once said offhandedly."
Tiamat leaned back, curiosity evident in her eyes.
The Sol of that timeline was a powerhouse of the like she had never seen, neither did she think she'll see in this timeline, other than perhaps him of course. Anything he said, any words he uttered were sure to be of great importance.
"Once that 'End' comes, 'They' will awaken from their timeless slumber and bring forth a new Era.
“'They' have always been present. 'Their' messengers walking amongst mortals, simply waiting and observing for the opportune moment to arise..."
"That's all you remember?"
"That's all."
Tiamat sighed and pinched her eyebrows in frustration.
"I hate cryptic messages like this the most. Did I ever say that?"
"Being a seer means giving cryptic messages and watching people be filled with frustrations as they try to decipher the meaning. Those are the few perks of the job."
Skuld wasn't worried, once she walked out of this room, it would be Tiamat's job to worry about the meaning of the words.
She would simply have fun playing around with Sol.
Was it irresponsible?
Yeah, pretty much.
Did she care though?
Not in the slightest.
This would be a problem for the future her.
Now she was living in the present.
A pretty ironic way of thinking for a seer.
(AN: Enough talk about the annihilation of the universe. Time for fluff.)
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