13 Divine Title

Apollo found himself in the midst of seemingly endless verdant pastures illuminated by the twilight. Before he could grasp the abrupt change, he noticed something flickering in the corner of his vision.

It appeared to be a tapestry with hazy murals. The other end is dangling with long threads, giving the impression that it is unfinished. It was surrounded by three vacant, crooked chairs.

This was more than enough.

'So it really is…' As heaviness gripped his heart, Apollo discerned.

The one who was after him was really fates.

He blinked, and the tapestry vanished. It was replaced by a note.

He dashed over, took up the message, and examined it.

'You can take over Delphi, my son.'

Apollo stared at the note in silence before nodding and gazing up into the twilight.

He said sincerely. "Thank you."

The moment he uttered those words, Apollo felt a connection being established with himself. A faint whooshing sound echoed in his ear, startling him.

The words on the note began to change with that, attracting his utmost attention.

'Delphi has a strong connection to fate, my son. I used all of my power to construct it. It is far more than you can fathom right now. You should have noticed a difference within yourself. You established a connection with fate by taking over Delphi. It may not help you much right now, aside from granting you; Destiny Perception, which allows you to view the fate itself; Divination, which allows you to pry into fate for revelations; and Precognitive Dreams, which allows you to perceive some future events through dreams, but Delphi will come to your aid when you eventually confront the fates themselves.'

'The power bestowed upon you is not omnipotent. Fate can be easily manipulated. So tread carefully on this path of fate. And there is much more on this path for you to discover if you choose to take it. In the end, my son, it all comes down to your choice. We will meet once the time is right.'

'You must have a lot of doubts after inheriting all of this from me.'

'But just remember, nobody likes Fate.'

Apollo read the note quietly. His emotional gaze finally settled on the final sentence. He can see expectation and hope in it.

He eventually sighed, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. "Fate…."

Apollo looked up and said, accepting the legacy. "Thank you for everything."

The note in his hands suddenly wilted away into nothingness, and everything fractured like shards of broken glasses, tumbling and disappearing. He found himself back in Delphi, standing in the same spot, with Cynthia's ardent and hopeful gaze on his back.

Apollo turned and looked at Cynthia. He immediately saw thin silver threads that swirled around her. That was her fate.

He immediately looked at himself. There was nothing around him. No threads at all. An overwhelming sense of relief folded his heart. Even though he expected this to happen, it made him feel euphoric knowing that he had broken fate.

Taking a deep breath, he finally calmed warring emotions in his heart before sighing and shaking his head.

Cynthia's violet eyes lost their shine, and her lips thinned into a line. It very much looked like she was holding back tears. She probably was very hopeful for Earth Mother's response to him.

"Let us proceed to the fountain, your excellency." She finally said, her voice raspy, gesticulating forward.

As Apollo went alongside her, they resumed their journey on the path around the Earth Mother sculpture.

"Don't lose hope, Cynthia." Apollo said, putting on a consoling expression.

Cynthia gave him a feeble smile that spoke volumes about her despair. There was no hope. Now, he can understand the ambition in her heart. It was a desperate ambition.

"My bad…" She abruptly exclaimed, clicking her tongue. "I promised to show the Delphi clearly, yet here I am.."

"It's fine." Apollo smiled. "Tell me about its history, as we go stroll to that 'fountain'."

Cynthia gave a quick nod. With her sparkling smile, she swept away all the gloom. She cleared her throat.

"When I first started training as a priestess, history was always my strong suit." She began with a short remark, as the last sheen of darkness in her eyes receded away.

"Delphi has a long history stretching back to the Elder Gods' war. The war, which had nearly destroyed reality, was still raging. Many Elder Gods were defeated and devoured by Atum. The God Slayer vanquished even the second fallen. It appeared that victory was already on our side. But," She paused, building up tension. Apollo just looked at her silently, without interfering.

She went on. "In the form of the Dark God, the true calamity finally dawned on reality..."

'Chthon...' Apollo thought, his mind already racing with speculations.

"The Brother of Gaia, Dark God, through 'His' millions of years of research into the mythical nature of the cosmos, 'He' managed to tap into the power of primordial chaos in the form of magic."

"'He' rose to become the God of Chaos. It was claimed that 'His' ascension nearly tipped the cosmic balance itself, and 'He' also became the second to wield the power of magic in the cosmos, right after Ominiscent One, The Mother Magic."

"With chaos at his command, the Dark God became more powerful than all of 'His' siblings and even the corrupted God Slayer. Then 'He' bared his teeth in vengeance upon the God Slayer and 'His' siblings."

"The war was immediately turned upside down. The God of Chaos ripped into the battlefield, slaughtering the majority of 'His' remaining siblings. He eventually confronted the God Slayer and defeated him, nearly killing him. The Earth Mother, on the other hand, saved the God Slayer at a high cost."

"The Dark God, now enraged, devoted all of 'His' attention to the Earth Mother. And, because 'She' was no match for the Dark God, 'She' frantically searched for a way to defeat 'Her' brother. The Earth Mother sought 'Her' answer in the River of Destiny after getting advice from a mighty being."

"And, that was how Delphi came to be. Earth Mother using all 'Her' power, created Delphi. Earth Mother sought guidance from fate through this. It was claimed that 'She' met a hooded figure holding a book who gave her advice..."

"That's a lot of secrets." Apollo cut in, his laden gaze fixated on Cynthia, who was revealing such untold secrets to him.

Cynthia glanced ahead on the route, grasping a symbol of life in her palm tightly. "The high priestess of Delphi also has another title: keeper of ancient mysteries."

Apollo still riveted his gaze on Cynthia, causing her to grip her frock tightly and her countenance to tighten slightly.

But languid, he finally said. "Continue."

Cynthia nodded, her relief evident when her head was tilted down.

"With the advice of the mysterious man, Earth Mother discovered an ultimate path, one that rivalled the Chaos path of 'Her' brother."

"It was the Path of Life: 'She' infused all living things with 'Her' life essence and will, becoming the True God of Life. As a result, 'She' was honoured as the Earth Mother."

"Earth Mother 'Herself' entered the battlefield for the final showdown with 'Her' brother, Dark God. 'They' fought. 'They' raged. The same battle is taking place in all realities at the same time. And Earth Mother triumphed, forcing 'Her' brother to escape to his dimension in defeat. And 'He' was finally sealed."

"That's the detailed history behind the Delphi. It was the cornerstone of the victory of Earth Mother."

'That is not at all like marvel history. However, this is not surprising. After all, this is reality, not a comic book anymore. Somethings are bound to be different.' Apollo analysed. 'The mysterious man who guided Earth Mother. Why does he feel so familiar?...'

His thoughts were interrupted by Cynthia.

"The end of the pathway, your excellency."

Apollo looked ahead. The seemingly endless path came to an end. There was a garden with an open dome, which empowered the golden light of the sun to bathe it in an everlasting golden glow.

There was an ethereal fountain in the centre of it all, filled with the purest water in the cosmos. The water poured down smoothly, having no trouble with the tremendous drop.

"The Fountain of Eternity." Cynthia made a quiet introduction, her expressive gaze concentrated on the flowing foundation. "The Fountain of Answers."

Apollo abruptly asked. "Do you seek?"

"No." Cynthia shook her head firmly. "We are only conveyers of fate. We don't seek it."

"A oath?" Apollo asked, his eyes curious.

"A tradition, your excellency." Cynthia stated emphatically.

Apollo smirked, his brow furrowed in mirth. Sometimes fate is unbreakable. A seer's vision can be both a blessing and a curse. And the priestess of Delphi seemed to understand it very well.

He started walking towards the fountain with Cynthia, who was gathering herself emotionally and physically, mostly in preparation for the prying into fate.

Apollo inspected the fountain while standing in front of it. He could see right through it, like a piece of glass. His golden iris turned white, as his perception of fate depended.

Through the fountain he caught a glimpse of a river, a boundless river with infinite tributaries.

Apollo immediately closed his eyes, not prying into it further. The Earth Mother's warning is still reverberating in his mind. He cannot bite more than he can chew.

He finally turned and focused on the high priestess of Delphi, who was still preparing herself, assuming that he wanted a revelation.

"Cynthia." he called.

"Your excellency." Cynthia said, taking a deep breath. "I am ready. You can ask your question. I shall convey."

"I'm assuming control of Delphi." Apollo stated bluntly as he approached her.

"What?" Cynthia was plainly startled, her eyes widening in shock.

"I'm assuming control of Delphi." Apollo repeated himself patiently.

The shock vanished, and elation took its place. Cynthia was ecstatic, so much so that her heart felt like it was in her mouth. It was too easy. She was already prepared to go through a lot, even give herself completely, but her hope and prayer were finally answered.

She didn't even think about it, just was overcome with ecstasy, kneeling in front of Apollo and declaring respectfully.

"Your Excellency, I am willing to serve you to the best of my skills forever more."

Cynthia waited and waited. But there was no response, only a dark shadow enveloping her.

When she finally looked up, she was confronted with indifferent and divine golden eyes. Under his gaze, she immediately felt too small, like a speck of dust.

A scorching hand grasped her chin, blistering her pearl white skin as she withered desperately in the grip of the hand, but the hand merely tightened with her fight. Her power was useless in front of this mighty hand.

"I just met you."

"Yet you are quickly eager to promise your loyalty to me, as if it were such a fickle thing to you," a deep divine voice thundered in her mind as she shrivelled.

"No…" Cynthia whimpered out.

She desperately wanted to deny it! She didn't have any such intentions! She was just desperate for hope!

Her cries and explanations were cut short as those burning hands gripped her neck and lifted her up in the air.

Her world was turning grey as the last rays of light were extinguished, leaving just the golden divine eyes, which were looking up at her withering figure indifferently.

"Fire of Ambition." The divine voice resounded in her broken mind, as if analysing her fate.

"Thirst for Power."

"Desire for Glory and Honour."

"I see no loyalty." As the searing hands stretched over her neck, squeezing the last of her air, the divine voice finished.

Her vision became hazy. A pair of cold, pale hands reached out of the darkness, heading for her.

Cynthia's heart became serene in the closing seconds, squeezing out the last of her strength and catching the searing hands with her. Ignoring the burning anguish, she gazed at divine golden eyes filled with anger and resolve. There was no plea in there.

As the cold and pale hands scratched her back, the brightness in her eyes dimmed.

The scorching hand, on the other hand, eased its grip on her neck. The darkness was suddenly shattered, and the pale hand with it. She was flung to the ground.

Cynthia knelt on the ground, her throat turning crimson as she quivered and whizzed. A dazzling column of light descended upon her, bathing her.

As she finally breathed correctly, the pain and suffering vanished. The radiance of light drew her out of the grasp of death.

Cynthia finally looked up, gaining confidence. The Sun God was still standing in front of her, his eyes languidly looking down on her. For a brief period, it appeared that all that had occurred was a result of her own illusions and that the divine eyes should not have belonged to the Sun God.

Apollo leaned closer, causing her to flinch instinctively. However, a soothing hand was placed on her shoulders, keeping her in position and easing her feelings.

Yes, it shouldn't be the Sun God.

Apollo whispered in her ears gently. "Never forget my mercy."

All her illusions in her heart were broken by the gentle voice, leaving only utter fear and resignation. Her bright violet eyes dimmed.

Apollo smiled as he patted her shoulders. "I'll be gone," he told her. "Bring all of the priests and priestesses back. Then declare my takeover of Delhi to them and the rest of the world. You are from now on the conveyers of the words of Phoebus Apollo, not of Fate."

"I'll try to return before the full moon and give my instructions."

Cynthia nodded immediately, assuming a steely look after wiping away her tears, as the figure of Apollo faded into light particles.

"Certainly, Milord."

The divine voice of Apollo lingered in the air.

"Do not use my name in the announcement."

"For the world, I shall go on by my divine name."

"Eternal Blazing Sun."