"Dad!" a little girl exclaimed, running towards her father with a bright smile. "Alethea! What do you want, little one?" her father asked as she sat down beside him. "Dad, do you know how to tell a story?" she asked, looking up at him curiously. "Yes, I do," he replied. "Why do you ask?" "Because the uncle over there said that listening to stories can help me mature," she explained. Her father raised an eyebrow. "You want to be mature? Why's that?" "Because I want to understand everyone better," she said. "Everyone in this world seems older and more mature than me. I'm the only child here."
Her father smiled and pulled out a mirror. "Alethea, there's no need for you to be mature. Look at yourself." He held up the mirror, and she gazed into it. "Can you say you're mature?" he asked. She shook her head. "No." "Why not?" "I don't know." Her father chuckled. "It's because you're my child, and I'm your father. I'm the mature one, and mature people take care of those who are still growing."
"Okay, just sit here and ask me anything," he said, putting the mirror away. "Okay, Dad! Can you tell me about you? What did you do when you were young and immature? And can you tell me more about Mom?" Her father's face lit up with a smile. "Alethea, are you ready to listen to a very long and exciting story?" he asked. She nodded eagerly. "Yes! Sit down, look, listen, and smile."
He cleared his throat and began...
In the kingdom of Goret, there lived a man named Anon Xembo, a noble with an unknown background. He was a competitive and influential individual, but he harbored a secret that no one knew. One day, as the people of Goret lived in peace, Anon strolled through the town and shouted, "Oh, Goddess of Peace and Light! Will you marry me?" The people who heard him were outraged and insulted. "What are you doing, Anon?" they cried.
Anon replied nonchalantly, "Isn't it obvious? I'm in love with our goddess. It's normal to marry her, since I know she loves me too." The crowd surrounded him, calling him mad and accusing him of blasphemy. Anon stood tall, raised his head, and laughed. "I, Anon Xembo, a noble man, shall claim our goddess. I'll prove that I'm worthy and not insulting her."
The people's anger intensified, and they attacked, but in the blink of an eye, Anon vanished. The king's guards and knights searched every corner of the kingdom, but they couldn't find him. Meanwhile, Anon sat on a rock outside the kingdom, pondering, "Where could I find the goddess?" He decided to ask the townspeople for information. They shared stories about Lux Aeterna, the goddess of peace and light, who dwelled beyond the sky in her holy chamber.
Anon noted every detail and then closed his eyes. When he opened them, he smiled and said, "Found you." Anon raised his arms and shouted, "Transcend to me!" The sky darkened, and everything was shrouded in shadow. Hours later, a brilliant light appeared, and a woman-shaped entity. The people worshiped, professing it to be their goddess. They prayed for help and peace. However, Anon, who had orchestrated the scene, laughed maniacally. "Hahahaha, I'll bring you down to earth and make you mine."
The goddess retaliated with a dazzling light that formed a razor-sharp blade, which she hurled at Anon with immense force. The attack devastated mountains and emitted violent waves, but Anon caught the blade with his bare hands. "Hey, goddess, do you want to destroy this planet?" Anon pointed his finger, and both he and the goddess disappeared. They reappeared in space, far from the planet, to prevent its destruction.
Anon said, "Hey, I don't want to fight you. I just want to chat and ask some questions." However, the goddess launched a barrage of billions of razor-shaped lights, annihilating entire galaxies. Anon remained unscathed, his expression serious. "You know, if you had listened, you would be safe now. But your actions have wasted my efforts to protect that planet. You've destroyed it."
Anon raised his hand and pointed it at the goddess, saying, "I'll give you a chance! If you answer my question: Who is the root of all?" But the goddess didn't answer; instead, she created a light surrounding Anon, and it squeezed him, distorting the reality fabric, destroying multiple dimensions and realities. Everything surrounding them was blanketed in an eerie silence. The goddess spoke in human words, her voice echoing through the void, "I am the root." Anon's response was calm and measured, "Then let's find out."
The goddess was taken aback, her confidence wavering for a moment. She thought she had defeated Anon, but his words sparked a newfound determination within her. Without wasting a single second, she unleashed her true power, deleting any existing darkness and colors aside from white. The universe seemed to be drained of its vibrancy, leaving only an endless expanse of white.
But Anon remained intact, a hint of a smile on his face. "Heh," he said, his voice low and amused. The goddess's eyes widened in shock as Anon stood unscathed, his presence a defiance to her power.
The goddess's form began to dissipate, her energy waning. As she disappeared, everything she had destroyed – stars, colors, planets, dimensions, and realities – was repaired, restored to its former glory as if nothing had happened.
Anon returned to the kingdom of Goret, and the people didn't remember anything that had happened before. Anon, a mysterious power lurking in the world, lived and acted like normal. He was searching for something, not honor, power, authority, or wealth, but knowledge – an answer to an unanswered question.
Alethea's eyes widened in amazement as she listened to her father's story. "Wow, Dad, is that true?" she asked, her voice full of wonder. Her father smiled. "Yep, everything I said is true, little one." Alethea's curiosity got the better of her. "What happened to the goddess?" she asked.
Her father replied, "Anon brought her back, but she's not a goddess anymore. She's now a working maid in Anon's house, and her name is Lux Aeterna." Alethea's eyes grew even wider. "Wow, my father is so powerful!" Her father chuckled and continued the story.
"The reason behind my actions and why I did what I did in the first place was to get the goddess's attention. I wanted to meet her, but I didn't know how. So, I came up with a plan to use the connection between the worshippers and the goddess by making them suspect that I was disrespecting their goddess. That's why I shouted about marrying her – it made me seem like a mere mortal asking for the impossible, almost like comparing a goddess to an ordinary person."
Alethea listened intently, her mind racing with questions. "Dad, what is it that you want to ask her?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Anon's expression turned serious, and he said, "That's a secret..." Alethea's eyes sparkled with excitement, knowing that there was more to the story than what her father was letting on.