Chapter 756: Interlude 10: Dilemma
"This is...troublesome."
The existence floating in the space between the universes of the First Multiverse muttered those words with a heavy sigh, fingers pressed against their temple.
They were an existence that had witnessed countless things, from the rise and fall of cosmic empires to the destruction of the cosmos and the birth of existence anew.
Having lived through more Eras than they could be bothered to count, they never thought they’d find themselves asking this question again.
"What the hell is this?"
It was only a few years.
It had only been a few years.
Even with their perception of time, warped as it was, having existed long before the concept itself, they were fairly certain only a few years had passed.
And yet, in those few short years where they chose to step away from the cosmic stage and refrain from meddling, something utterly absurd had happened.
To begin with, who was this existence?
If one were to look at them, they would see only a humanoid figure draped in a long, black, hooded cloak.
Where their face was supposed to be, there was only a dark void, with two glowing, iridescent lights where eyes should have been.
They were an existence well known among a select few on the cosmic stage, specifically, the higher-ups and leaders of the Three Major Cosmic Powers.
To the Eternals, the Aggressors, and the Progenitors, they were known as the ’Judge of the End’.
But that was only one of their many titles.
Another title, known by so few that one could count them on one hand and still have fingers left, was far more significant.
The First Progenitor.
The Progenitor of Progenitors.
At this moment, they hovered in the void just outside the Hell Universe, their gaze piercing through the layers of space-time from an angle no being within Hell could even compute, fixated on a planet within the Burning Realms Galaxy Cluster.
They rubbed their eyes, looked again, and the sight hadn’t changed.
"...so, I’m not dreaming."
Their attempt to deny the reality before them was denied.
What lay in their vision was a youth conversing with his mother, and nestled within his soul were two Aspects of two of this Multiverse’s governing Concepts.
Naturally, that youth was Arthur.
But for what reason were they watching Arthur?
"The Last’s existence is a perfect receptacle for Conceptual powers, so I expected this to happen eventually, but this is far too early. He hasn’t even lived two decades."
The First Progenitor’s statement held several points of interest that needed to be tackled one at a time.
First, they referred to Arthur as ’The Last’.
Given that they were ’The First Progenitor’, the meaning behind calling Arthur ’The Last’ was pretty obvious.
Then came the revelation that Arthur was the perfect receptacle for Conceptual powers.
No reason was stated, but it explained the strange events surrounding how Arthur had obtained his Aspects after Bewússtsein’s death. That was why the Aspects had jumped at him like they had wills of their own, and why he was able to withstand the powers of two Aspects while being merely a Transcendent.
But that was also the source of the First Progenitor’s current dilemma.
"If only I could see his actual fate or destiny, I could’ve prevented this. I can’t have him leaning to one side of the spectrum."
Yet another strange statement.
By using the word ’actual’, they insinuated that there existed a false version.
And more notably, the First Progenitor expressed concern about Arthur leaning towards either side of the Cosmic Force Spectrum.
Arthur’s Aspects were rooted in Chaotic Concepts, meaning he was already skewing heavily toward the Chaotic end, and the First Progenitor clearly disapproved.
But why?
The answer lay buried within one of their lesser-known titles.
While they were the First Progenitor, they were also the First ’Envoy of Balance’.
Just like Jamie, whom Arthur had encountered in Valmone.
In fact, it was the First Progenitor who had made Jamie an Envoy of Balance and given him his ’Cosmic Privileges’.
Now, this existence tied to ’Balance’ didn’t want Arthur, who was the perfect receptacle for Conceptual powers, leaning toward either the Chaotic or Ordered side of the Cosmic Force spectrum.
For a reason known only to them.
’The Conceptual powers will assist him in getting stronger, so I suppose I shouldn’t do anything about it.
I already did too much eighteen years ago, after all.’
The thought crossed their mind, highlighting another point of interest.
They claimed to have already done too much, but what exactly had they already done?
For this answer, one would have to think back to before Arthur’s birth.
A prophecy was issued to all universes across the Cosmos. Or rather, two prophecies.
The first read:
|On the day of black sun, as the sky darkens,
All gods of all worlds shall tremble with fear,
For the one who can bring an end to them,
Shall be born.|
And the second:
|An uneventful spring night it was,
Where the paths of two beings crossed.
One a god, the other, an enemy of the gods.
Their union shall bring forth a child of destruction,
One who may cause his father’s end.|
Notably, the second prophecy was phrased in the past tense, unlike the first, which was written in future tense.
During Arthur’s conversation with Ranus, the Eternal mused that the reason the second prophecy read more like a retelling of the past than a foretelling of the future was because it was originally meant to be the first—AND ONLY—prophecy.
But someone had interfered and blocked it from being sent out.
In response, the Cosmos itself, in a rare show of stubborn persistence, issued a second prophecy.
After that second one was released, the interference preventing the first ceased, allowing it to finally be broadcast across the universes.
However, by that point, the event that the first prophecy had sought to warn the Cosmos about had already taken place. So, the Cosmos altered its wording to reflect past tense, reshaping it into what seemed like a historical recount rather than a warning.
As for who had interfered in the first place, those who had deduced the truth behind the dual prophecies had suspects.
Jamie, Ranus, Hyperion, and even his Eternal counterpart all suspected the ’Judge of the End’—one of the many titles held by the First Progenitor.
What none of them had, however, was a clear motive.
They couldn’t determine what the First Progenitor might have hoped to gain from such interference.
Jamie alone had an additional suspicion—that the First Progenitor was the one responsible for Arthur’s mysterious awareness of the elusive Cosmic Force of Balance.
But again, if they were truly behind it... the motive remained unknown.
’Besides the usual dangers that come with the pursuit of power, he’s got a number of special-class threats hanging over his head.
Getting that promise of protection from Ranus was a smart move. But unfortunately, that protection doesn’t cover the current greatest threat to his life.’
That threat, of course, was his direct opposite—the Progenitor goddess.
’Luka, huh?’
Arthur had begun exploring more of the greater Cosmos. He’d already been to Valmone, and his next stop was Draco Sirus—an older universe with a far higher likelihood of encountering significantly more powerful beings.
If he kept this up, the chances of the Ancient and Elder Breed gods currently searching for him eventually finding him would only grow.
’Belphegor dealt with the Elder Breed that found him before, so Luka still hasn’t pinpointed his location.
Then again, she wouldn’t be able to sense him unless he either got very close or entered one of her sanctuaries.
Given that he had the foresight to secure Ranus’ protection, he’s certainly not dumb enough to walk into a place radiating the Progenitor goddess’ power.’
Even if Arthur enjoyed messing around, he wasn’t reckless enough to risk his life like that.
’Luka rarely leaves the Origin Multiverse these days, and he currently has neither the means nor the reason to go there. So the probability of him getting close enough to be sensed is low.’
Leaving aside the flag-like nature of their thoughts, the First Progenitor’s musings were riddled with oddities, from calling Arthur ’The Last’, to knowing he was the perfect vessel for Conceptual Powers, and a slew of other things they may or may not have orchestrated, all for reasons known only to them.
’Oh well, I did say I wouldn’t interfere anymore. So I suppose... I’ll just let things unfold.’
"After all..."
No matter how the events played out...
"In the end..."
It was all...
||For Balance||
