Panting and stopping when he saw Ethan and Luanne standing in front of a carriage, Theo asked curiously:
"Are you leaving already, godmother?"
Looking at Theo, sweaty and exhausted, Luanne crouched down and stroked her godson's head.
"Yes, yes, dear. Godmother has some things to take care of on the coast, so I'll hurry up and go home soon."
"Hmm…" Theo replied, dissatisfied.
Trying to fix the boy's dirty and dry hair, Luanne combed it with her hand and looked into his amber eyes. A hidden and upset lip tried to hide itself at all costs.
Getting upset, Luanne clicked her tongue and looked at Ethan.
"Can you leave us alone?" she asked in a pleading tone.
Ethan nodded.
"Ed… Give me a report on what you found."
"Okay…" he replied suspiciously, being taken away by Ethan.
Standing up, Luanne walked to the fountain while leading Theo by the hand. Stopping in front of the serpent statue, the moon priestess rested her hand on her godson's blond hair.
"Tê, do you know who this snake is?"
The boy replied no.
But Luanne was already expecting that answer.
"This is the representation of one of the first sea dragons, belonging to the mythical species of Leviathans. His name is Aegiron, the guardian of the Old Lands. You know the tale of Neptune, right?"
"Yes. That is, if you're talking about the tale where Neptune curses the world for forty days and forty nights after the gods decimate his kingdom…"
"Yes, exactly. After the sun illuminated the forty-first day, Neptune exiled himself from all the gods into the depths of the sea, maintaining contact only with his older brother, Hades. However, according to the ancients, Neptune's trident is still out there, stuck in a cave protected by Aegiron, strengthening the curse of the world…"
"Curse of the world?" Theo asked curiously.
"Uh-huh. The curse that creates a storm cloud capable of dividing the world… No ship that we have created will be strong enough to survive the calamities beneath the dark cloud… It is impossible to cross…"
Theo looked at the statue of Aegiron and thought… To him, it was something silly, but he had to ask.
"And how do you know that there are some things on the other side?"
"Because it's impossible not to, my dear. We know that our world is spherical, but we can't make a full circle… Think of a ball; we can start from a point, turn around the ball, and get to that same point, right? However, we can't do that… Think of the ball being torn in half, preventing our finger from turning around it."
"Hmm… Is this cloud the same as Snegriya's wall?"
"Correct! A wall of ice that surpasses the clouds. Not even deviants capable of flight can reach the top, only catch a glimpse. Chance always prevents us from achieving such feats… It's as if the gods wanted to hide a drawer…"
Theo was thoughtful about that. Of course, as a curious child, he wanted all the answers to his questions, but if Luanne didn't have them, then no one would.
He was fully aware of Luanne's experience.
"That's why I joined the Order of Vagus. There are so many things in this world… Maybe even other worlds that we don't know about. Man has never set foot in every place on the planet, and that's what moved me. From what Ethan said, that's also what's driving you…"
Luanne stared at the ethereal glow in Theo's eyes; like amber exposed to sunlight; like tiny drops of honey dripping briefly.
'That glow…' Luanne was amazed.
It was the glow of a person who would not change his mind.
"That's why… Have you heard of the son of the Moon, the hero of light?"
"It's… Lu…"
"Lumen, the Lord of Salvation, guardian of causality, the mantle of humanity… The first of the deviants…"
"Oh, I know! But what about him?"
"Vagus agents need a codename for their missions… You know, as the head priestess of the Celestial Lunar Alunne, I would like you, Theo, to adopt Lumen in his baptism as a consecrated deviant."
Luanne crossed and walked in front of Theo.
"It would be an honor, both for me and for my goddess. Do you accept?"
A deafening silence fell. It was obviously a huge responsibility to carry the name of someone legendary, even though it was a casual practice in this world.
The practice of adopting the name of someone important, a hero or a politician relevant to the world, as one's code name is common. However, among the various shelves that separate these men, there is the top of the shelf; the shelf where only the untouchables are.
Lumen, as the hero who gave his life so that the Lord of Fate could maintain the existence of humanity, was named the Savior of All.
Among the untouchables, he occupies the first place.
No one has ever considered using his name, because, in addition to the responsibility he carries, he is also protected by the Priestesses of Alunne. However, the Chief Priestess of the Moon was proposing it personally…
A high expectation with an immensely greater responsibility… Still, there was no denying it.
"Of course!" Theo replied, smiling. "It will be an honor for me to be able to use Lord Lumen's name and trace a glorious path to honor him under heaven!"
'Under the sky, Theo?' Luanne thought with a silly smile. 'Children really can't understand fate…'
"Thank you for entrusting me with such an honor!"
"You're welcome, my dear! The honor is all ours…"
Fixing her godson's hair again, Luanne smiled beneath the daylight glow.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Luanne took the carriage towards the city of Loureto, aiming to catch the return journey to finally go to her destination.
This is because the road to the Lawrence Residence is private and has a single destination (Loureto to the Residence, from the Residence to Loureto).
Halfway there, Luanne stared at the moon hidden by the clouds, as shy as it was pale. The white owl accompanied the carriage, flapping its wings without making a single sound. Finally, the bird entered the carriage, where there was only Luanne in the cabin, and positioned herself on the cushion in front of the Priestess.
'Do you think our goddess really agrees with this?'
"What are you talking about? Isn't it obvious? She's the one who asked me to do this."
'Hmm… So our goddess really is connected with this boy's transmigration?'
"Yes… But, at the same time, there is no transmigration… It is more like reincarnation. From his actions, I'm sure Theo knows who he is, but at the same time, he's pretending to be a new individual… Or just actually being one."
'This is going to be a problem… Mortals who deny their own essence and believe in lies until they become reality end up being a bigger mess than the gods.'
"I know. That's why I'll be around when it happens, because it will happen… The trials exist to show what each man is capable of; spill blood, or have your blood spilled. I truly believe that our goddess took him from the Judgment of Elysium so that he could go through these trials."
'Again… Are you absolutely sure about this, my sister?'
Luanne sighed and leaned against the carriage window, watching the moon emerge from behind the clouds.
"As long as he doesn't lose the sparkle in his eyes, Lumen will exist."