The Ancient Sun God glanced at Alaric, a mix of concern and curiosity in His eyes.
Truth be told, Alaric hadn't expected Ouroboros to ask such a question either. The Angel of Fate's natural bluntness was, in a way, a perfect counter to cunning minds.
But Alaric wasn't fazed. He chuckled and looked at Ouroboros. "I'm not the Lord of Mysteries. Though, I'm not entirely unrelated to Him either."
He paused, a mischievous glint in his eye, and smiled. "In a sense, the Celestial Worthy should call me Daddy."
No mistake there. The Lord of Mysteries should be modeled as archetypes of Nyarlathotep.
The words hung in the air, silencing the group once more.
It wasn't their fault... Alaric's claim was simply too shocking.
More crucially, the Ancient Sun God could tell Alaric wasn't lying.
But…
"Are you the Oldest One?" Ouroboros voiced the question stirring in the Ancient Sun God's mind.
"Not quite." Alaric said, shaking his head with a smile. As Ouroboros opened his mouth to press further, Alaric raised a finger to his lips, gesturing for silence. "That's enough secrets for now. Continuing this topic could be dangerous. Some existences bring peril just by being known. I'm sure you understand that better than I do."
"…Oh." Ouroboros nodded, half-understanding. "I see."
The Ancient Sun God lowered his gaze, concealing the thoughts swirling in his eyes.
Amon adjusted his monocle and abruptly said, "The results of the all-Amon vote are in."
"Oh? Who's the unlucky one?" Alaric asked, instantly intrigued.
Amon's true body unceremoniously pulled a scholar-dressed Amon Avatar from the air beside him, smiling. "This one."
"Protest!" The scholar Amon shouted, clearly displeased. "I protest! The vote was rigged! The main body blatantly cheated! It's unfair! I demand a recount!"
"Protest denied!" Amon's true body flashed a ruthless smile. "There was no rigging. You, 1225, should know why you were chosen. Over the past 621 years, you stole 009's language function, rendering it mute, and pranked 996 by swapping its clothes for a lady's dress…"
Amon's true body calmly listed the scholar Amon's misdeeds.
"Good grief." Alaric said, listening with relish before chiming in. "You're the Amon among Amons, the ultimate troublemaker, the Lord of Pranks! And that number, 1225? Talk about a hellish coincidence."
December 25th might be a festive day for some, but for a certain someone, it was pure torment.
"He's the worst of my Avatars." Amon's true body said, looking at Alaric. "I think it's time he experienced life as an ordinary person and learned some manners." His tone was that of a merciless parent sending a child to reform school.
"Rest assured, I'll make sure he gets a proper taste of humanity." Alaric said, grinning at the scholar Amon like he'd found a new toy.
"So, what exactly are you all planning?" The Ancient Sun God, who'd been listening quietly, finally asked.
"Mr. Grisha, it's like this…" Alaric eagerly explained the plan for Amon to live as an ordinary person, concluding, "So, to ensure the safety of my student and those around him, I'd like you to act as a witness."
The Ancient Sun God listened, paused for a few seconds, then nodded. "I can do that. I'd be happy to help."
He looked at Amon with a hint of pride. "Amon, you're truly a good child."
Clearly, the Ancient Sun God approved of Amon's choice to experience humanity by living as a human.
Amon, caught off guard by the praise, looked momentarily awkward, though the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his good mood.
Ouroboros spoke up. "I might be able to help with this."
Alaric turned to him, curious. "How so?"
"I can reset the Amon Avatar's mind to that of a child." Ouroboros said earnestly.
"Oh, wow!" Alaric raised an eyebrow, glancing between Amon and Ouroboros before sighing reluctantly. "An Amon cub would be fun, but I'm not keen on babysitting."
Ouroboros tilted his head, thinking seriously for a moment before adding, "The reset mind could recover to a normal adult state in a few days."
Alaric's eyes lit up, and he stroked his chin. "Now that's worth a try."
Long-term childcare was a no-go, but a brief stint for the novelty? That he could handle.
"I miss Amon's childhood." The Ancient Sun God said softly, his gaze softening with memory.
"Does no one care about my opinion?" The scholar Amon cried out in despair.
Amon's true body glanced at him, smiling. "I don't think so."
"Main body, whose side are you on? We're all Amons!" The scholar Amon wailed.
"I'm on the side of what's interesting." Amon's true body said, adjusting his monocle. "And this is very interesting."
"Heartless main body! Betraying your own Avatar! I'll resist! I'll overthrow this tyranny! The world belongs to... " The scholar Amon's rant cut off as Amon's true body knocked him out.
"Sorry, he was getting a bit loud." Amon's true body said with a smile.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Classic Amon. Ruthless even to his own Avatars.
Alaric marveled at Amon's antics, then nudged the Ancient Sun God. "When it comes to handling Avatars, you two really are father and son."
The Ancient Sun God's smile turned wry.
Alaric clapped his hands. "Since Amon 1225 is already out cold, let's seal his memories now. Mr. Grisha, I'll need your help…"
No one was better suited than the Ancient Sun God, with His Spectator authority, especially as Amon's father.
And so, the hapless scholar Amon had his memories sealed in his unconscious state, his mind reset, and his body temporarily reverted to infancy, cradled by Ouroboros.
The Ancient Sun God watched, his expression growing distant, memories of Amon's birth flooding back.
Back then, it was much the same... a tiny child in Ouroboros's arms. The Ancient Sun God, gazing at the newborn life, had felt a rare moment of uncertainty.
This was… His child.
Originally intending only to strip away the Marauder pathway's characteristics, the Ancient Sun God had suddenly realized He'd become a father.
***
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