The "Lord" Ouroboros referred to was, of course, the True Creator.
"Hmph!" Amon scoffed, clearly uninterested in prolonging the conversation with Ouroboros.
Ouroboros, still frowning, suddenly thought of something. "If you don't acknowledge the Lord, why stay in the Forsaken Land of the Gods?"
"Do I need your permission to stay where I please?" Amon shot him a glance.
"The Lord has always protected you." Ouroboros said earnestly, looking at Amon.
"I never asked for His... " Amon's retort was cut short as a bolt of lightning struck down, hitting him square on the head.
Before he could recover, another bolt followed. Amon reacted quickly this time, flashing to another spot, but the lightning didn't relent. Bolt after bolt chased him, striking relentlessly no matter how he dodged.
Evidently, a certain eavesdropping father had had enough of his rebellious child.
"This teaches us a lesson." Alaric said, breaking the silence after enjoying the show. "You can't have it both ways... wanting protection while denying the father. Even the most loving parent has a temper."
Ouroboros looked thoughtful. "So, I can't want the Lord as both my Lord and my father?"
Alaric blinked, choosing not to fan the flames further. With sincerity, he said, "That depends on what The Ancient Sun God thinks."
His earlier teasing was just to needle Amon... why pass up a free jab?
"Oh…" Ouroboros nodded, pondering. After a moment, he said, "If I can't have the Lord as both my Lord and my father, I'd want Him to remain my Lord."
Alaric wasn't surprised by the answer. Glancing at Amon... whose expression seemed to soften yet grow more irritated... he didn't press the topic further. Instead, he smiled and said, "Ouroboros, I'm tired and need a nap. You're in charge of travel and safety while I sleep. You know our destination, right?"
He'd summoned the Angel of Fate, Ouroboros, not just to rile up Amon but to ensure safe travel during his rest, allowing continuous progress.
Using the Ancient Sun God's precious summoning time for travel would be extravagant when others, like Ouroboros, who knew the Forsaken Land intimately, could handle it.
"I know. I'll protect you and keep us on course." Ouroboros said, nodding seriously.
Alaric handed him the medium for the alternate space, then slipped into it to sleep, securely closing the "door" To keep Amon from sneaking in and causing trouble.
When Alaric woke and opened his eyes again, it was the afternoon of the next day.
"Good afternoon, Ouroboros!" Alaric greeted as he emerged from the alternate space, noticing they were near the sealing wall of the Western Continent.
Not far off loomed a vast expanse of frozen gray-white mist, an endless barrier that seemed to cleave the world in two. It was impossible to imagine what lay beyond.
"Tch, sealing the Western Continent to force others to prop up the Lord of Mysteries for His revival… How is that not self-inflicted suffering for the Celestial Worthy?" Alaric chuckled, gloating over a certain fallen figure's predicament. With a wave of his hand, he pulled a familiar figure into existence.
The Ancient Sun God opened His eyes in the future once more. His gaze swept over Alaric, Ouroboros, and Amon before settling on the gray mist hundreds of meters away.
The gray-white mist was intangible yet a solid barrier, preventing all entry to the Western Continent until the Lord of Mysteries lifted it. Even the Ancient Sun God, a Quasi-God Almighty, was powerless against it.
Staring at the misty "wall." He spoke after a few seconds. "Compared to my era, the seal's power has weakened significantly."
"Probably because the Celestial Worthy is finally close to being truly dead... though that's a false premise in itself." Alaric said with a laugh. He approached the gray mist wall, stopping close enough to raise his hand and press it lightly against the barrier.
The once-calm mist erupted into chaos, the entire "wall" Trembling violently as if it might shatter at any moment, revealing the Western Continent within.
Even the Ancient Sun God froze at the sight, a rare flicker of tension in His heart.
Could Alaric break the Western Continent's seal?
"…Not yet." Alaric said, frowning as he withdrew his hand after a few seconds. He'd realized the Lord of Mysteries was likely tied to Nyarlathotep's existence, so he'd tested whether his Nyarlathotep fragments could fool the seal. It worked to an extent, but his current fragment power was insufficient to open it.
"Once I ascend to angel status, I might try again." Alaric estimated, gauging the power gap.
"But… if Nyarlathotep's power does share some similarity with the Lord of Mysteries, why didn't Sefirah Castle react?" Alaric mused, recalling his first visit to Sefirah Castle, where it remained eerily silent, as did his Nyarlathotep fragments. He sank into thought.
"Could the reaction have happened without me noticing?" He pondered but couldn't pin it down. Not overly concerned, he let the thought go.
The Ancient Sun God, unaware of Alaric's musings, gazed at the unopened seal with a hint of disappointment.
Amon adjusted his monocle, a glint of contemplation in his eyes.
Ouroboros stared at the now-calm gray mist, then turned to Alaric and asked, "Alaric, are you the Lord of Mysteries?"
The question hung in the air, silencing the scene for a few seconds.
The Ancient Sun God gave Ouroboros a helpless look. He knew Ouroboros's straightforward nature meant the question stemmed from pure curiosity.
But some questions were too blunt. Alaric's identity... whether a unique Outer Deity, a figure akin to the Lord of Mysteries or Primordial God Almighty, or even a true transmigrator... had sparked countless guesses among the Ancient Sun God, the True Creator, and others aware of Alaric's peculiarities. Yet none had dared ask directly, all tacitly avoiding probing his origins.
Who could say what breaking that unspoken barrier might unleash? It could be nothing... or it could trigger something catastrophic.
***
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