CHAPTER 40: THE DECISION THAT MARKED THE BEGINNING

Before Hermes had any time to contemplate Arthur's words, the old woman with curly-bobbed, silver hair rushed toward his direction and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Young man! Quick, tell us what the cosmic force you are seeing looks like! Why are you able to see it and not us?! What are you doing differently?!" She began to violently shake Hermes as if trying to dust the answers off his body.

"I d-don't know!" Flustered, Hermes answered her swiftly. Arthur saw this and decided it was best to try to de-escalate the situation.

"Catherine, calm down. We need to understand what is happening first…" He then looked over at Hermes and spoke in a husky voice.

"Hermes, describe what the cosmic force looks like, so we know what domain she is being chosen for."

Hermes nodded his head in agreement. "Strings of light made from different colors. They are rushing into her body like large strands as they intertwine with each other…"

Everyone in the room looked at each other with confused looks. Arthur decided to press on for confirmation.

"Are you sure?..."

"Yes, I am positive. That is what I am seeing…"

"That does not match any of the known descriptions of cosmic force from the six known domains." A tall man wearing an expensive robe stepped out and entered the conversation. It was the man who was standing next to Charles and had a striking resemblance to him with his combed blonde hair.

His blue eyes, however, did not have a hint of arrogance in them; they were instead filled with a calculative presence, as if he was assessing the worth of everyone in the room simultaneously.

Arthur nodded in his direction. "Indeed. However, our records themselves are not entirely accurate. We do not have a firm grasp on the other domains except for Knowledge, Technology, and Dreams, which our battles with the Xulu have given us first-hand accounts of."

The blonde-haired man nodded in agreement. "What confuses me more than what the cosmic force looks like, however, is how you can see it and we can't?" All eyes shifted toward Hermes. Some were filled with curiosity, others filled with suspicion and disdain.

Hermes looked back into the man's eyes without a hint of fear. "I have no idea. Maybe my [Sensory-Boost] is more sensitive?"

The man threw out Hermes' hypothesis before it even gained any legitimacy. "Are you telling me that you, a stage 1 Celestial, are better than me when it comes to sensing cosmic force?"

Hermes tried to answer him back. "No, I was just throwing out an idea. If you have a better hypothesis, I'm all open to hearing it."

"You bastard! How dare you challenge my father like that!"

Anger began to cloud Charles' expression as he interrupted the conversation. Seeing this, Parviz shifted his attention back to his son and gave him a sinister glare that sent his body shivering.

Before Parviz and the others could return to their debate, Hermes' attention shifted in Elizabeth's direction.

"What… What the hell is happening?!"

The strands of luminescent light became dimmer and dimmer, turning into a pitch-black color.

It was as if colossal black hair was being combed incorrectly; the previously harmonic oscillations of the strings became erratic and filled with chaos.

Seeing the panic in his eyes, Catherine rushed for an answer. "Young man! What is happening now?!"

With a slight hesitation in his voice, Hermes' declaration resounded in all their ears.

"I think she may be failing… The strands of cosmic force have all turned black…"

…

In the vastness of space, a singular celestial body shined like a white marble from the rays of the sun as it revolved around a dead planet. A planet that was once the home to millions of species, a planet that was once known as 'The Blue Marble'.

On the Moon, beneath its vast dunes and craters, was a palace supported by 4 titanic pillars. The timeworn cathedra which stood on a large stone platform looked down upon the rest of the dark expanse, marking the seating of a deity.

Across the hall, filled with dazzling crystals of all colors and shapes, was a large stone doorway with an arch. It stood proudly as it declared itself as the guardian of a god's lair.

Suddenly, a flash of light emitted from within the crack of the doorway, signaling its prophesied awakening. The mottled stone entrance shifted open, revealing the darkness hidden inside, now illuminated by a blinding wave of light.

Within the Mausoleum that Hermes had toiled away in for millennia was an ancient stone coffin, now glowing in white brilliance.

Its texture and 'skin' began to shed as it turned into incorporeal orbs of light that slowly began orbiting each other. Their rotations came closer and closer to one another until they merged into a single entity.

A large transparent globe took shape, housing infinite amounts of stardust within, as they glimmered and twinkled resplendently. Their shimmering never ceased, giving brightness to what was once been a sealed abyss.

Surrounding the globe were copper-ringed gears that orbited in a serene fashion. Each one revolved around the glass globe at different diameters and angles, crafting an atmosphere of arcane proportions.

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Symbols filled with mystical significance permeated across their circumference, adding depth and meaning to the mysterious artifact; as if a hidden purpose exists within its divine qualities.

Suddenly, the arcane relic began to shine brighter until it completely disappeared from the room, leaving only the darkness behind. What stood in place of the ancient coffin was nothing but an empty space.

Suddenly, One of the walls of the small mausoleum, the one that stood opposite the doorway and held the symbols that read 'Activation' in Solari disappeared, leaving behind an arched door similar to the first one.

A symbol of a dragon biting its own tail was carved into the ancient stone as two corporeal clock fingers appeared to be ticking slowly.

One of humanity's deepest secrets has come close to being unearthed.

…

Mars, Sanctuary City.

Inside the Guardian Barracks, the dorm rooms that offered housing for the officers in Section A were in a total state of panic. With the fear of the Voidseekers being active again, many were afraid that they would use the opportunity to strike a blow against the Lysange family's only heir.

However, inside Elizabeth's room, the words that Hermes had declared out loud also held panic, but for other reasons, just as morbid as the first. Elizabeth's cosmic force was being solidified in a corrupt manner, one that may lead to her mutating into a monster on the spot.

As the black strands of energy oscillated wildly in a chaotic form, so were the guests inside the room awaiting the final result. This was especially true for Catherine Lysange, who was on the brink of losing herself.

With tears in her eyes, she shifted her attention to all those who were attending to her daughter's possible demise.

"Please! Someone save her! Let's establish an inference!"

Parviz shook his head in disappointment. "Catherine, no one can save your daughter now. It would be suicide for anyone who entered the test to assist her. When Cosmic Force turns black, it usually means that the corruption has reached its breaking point. It won't take long before she mutates…"

He continued. "Besides, we can't risk any of our other future Guardians. No one but stage 0 and stage 1 Celestials have the ability to enter inside. Us powerhouses are helpless in this circumstance…"

In desperation, her eyes gazed toward Charles, his only son. "Parviz, isn't your son basically engaged with Elizabeth?! Let him enter inside and save his future spouse! He hasn't become a Celestial yet, he can enter the dreamscape!"

Parviz lashed out in anger due to her suggestion. "You want me to kill my only son?! What will his entering entail but the deaths of both of them?!"

At the same time, Charles observed her desperation. Out of reluctance, he closed his eyes and shifted them to the left, trying his hardest to ignore her pleas. Seeing this, Catherine's heart shattered into pieces. She began to look at the other guests, hoping for a miracle, but it never arrived.

Hermes stared at Elizabeth's body, which was growing paler by the second as more and more corrupted cosmic force rushed inside. His heart began to ache uncontrollably.

Can he really just let her die? Can he really just allow her to turn into some monster with no human emotions? Although Hermes had only known her for a week or so, their friendship had grown immensely. She and Kevin were the only two people who had ever approached him and tried to become his friends within his group of cadets.

Despite her honorable lineage, immense wealth, and the disdain she holds for men, she treated Hermes like a normal human being. She never saw him as a savage from outside the city or a mutant in disguise. She saw him as a person, with emotions, with desires, and hopes for the future, just like anyone else.

Every night they met together, Elizabeth would always walk him through topics he didn't understand regarding mysticism, history, and even language. Because Hermes had only known about Luminaric through [Lesser-Lexicon], his superficial understanding of the language made him a target for ridicule. Elizabeth was the only classmate in the academy patient enough to correct his mistakes, leading him to learn more about the language entirely through himself and not from his abilities.

He still had a long way to go, but he knew that Elizabeth would be there to continue teaching him. At least he did believe that until today…

Can he realistically stand here and just watch as her life fades away? Can he allow himself to let go of a friend when there is a possibility of saving them, slim as it may be? Just like how Elizabeth acknowledged his humanity, he too has acknowledged hers. All humans have desires and hopes for the future. He was sure that she as well had some. He was not going to let those ambitions go unfulfilled.

Hermes stepped out of the line from where Arthur stood and walked toward Catherine, who was prostrating on her knees and crying for the Wisdom Monarch to save her daughter.

Seeing this, Arthur nodded his head in approval. He had understood the mission Hermes had put up for himself. Looking at his figure, he sighed deeply.

'It seems you have already made up your mind…' Arthur thought with hints of melancholy.

Hermes walked over to Catherine slowly and kneeled down at her level. Her face was filled with snot and tears, and a complete disarray of emotions was flooding her entire physique. Noticing Herme's presence, her expression shifted into confusion.

Observing her reaction, Hermes' lips curved up into a smile as he pushed his glasses up.

"I'll do it. Let me enter the dreamscape trial to help her."

"..."

Silence permeated across the room. All the officers and politicians looked at Hermes' figure with extremely flabbergasted faces. How could someone who had only met her a week ago be willing to possibly forsake their own life that easily? Their bafflement extended into a slight admiration for his courage.

The most shocked one, however, had to be Charles, whose mouth formed an 'O' shape while his eyes, which were filled with arrogance before, were now filled with embarrassment. A person who was only an acquaintance was willing to forgo their life to try to save hers while he, a person who was supposedly her fiancée, stood in silence and cowardice.

His expression shifted into fury and anger. 'This bastard… Is he doing this to spite me? He is saying he is a better man than I am? Is this what it is about?! How dare he!'

His twisted thoughts continued to brew inside. Parviz, on the other hand looked coldly at Hermes' figure. He simply did not understand his decision. Was he stupid? Why would he risk his life when the chance of surviving is so low? Was he blinded by love or something else?

His brain, which ran only on calculations and benefits, did not understand the meaning behind Hermes' suicidal choice. Disappointment filled his expression. He expected more from a supposed Gifted One who ranked second in the exam placements.

Looking at the young man in front of her, Catherine wiped her tears slowly. "Y-young man… A-are you sure? Parviz is right, there is no longer any hope for my daughter… If we had discovered her state earlier, we may have been able to interfere with higher chances of succeeding…"

Hermes' smile deepened even more. "You do not need to worry. This is my choice and my life. If I fail, then that is on me. Be sure to put me down as quickly as possible; I do not want to hurt the innocent."

"Young man! Think this ov–"

"Miss Catherine, please do not try to stop me. I have already reaffirmed my resolve. Nothing you say will change that. As you know, I come from outside this city. My family is all gone. There is no one to remember my name even if I died. I have no attachments to this world whatsoever."

He continued. "Elizabeth is one of the few people I have become friends with since my arrival in the city. Her death would fill me with immense regret. Let me go and save her, for both of our sakes."

As she gazed into his eyes, a fervent understanding appeared within her mind. Those were not the eyes of a young boy, but of a soldier, a warrior, a true Guardian. Someone who would not stop until their body gives out completely to achieve their goals.

Underneath the veil of tears and snot, a smile appeared on her lips as the wrinkles on her face brightened up slightly.

"Sigh, I won't try to stop you… Those eyes of yours, they remind me of my dear husband…" She began wiping away her sorrowed expression. "Promise me… you'll come back with my daughter? Y-you must not die, or else the guilt will eat at me..."

Hermes smiled at her plea. "I promise I will try my best to bring back Elizabeth. Do not worry."

End of Chapter