Arophile, struck by Apollo's presence, confided in him without hesitation:
"Hmm... You are a singular god, as if nothing could impress you. You laugh at every situation, even when Mao is now out of reach, and it hardly seems to affect you!"
Apollo replied in a tone imbued with majesty:
"Hahaha... We, primordial gods, surpass all things. Nothing constitutes an obstacle for us, nothing remains inaccessible. The impossible turns into possible, the unthinkable becomes reality. You misunderstand our nature, and that is a grave mistake, little demons."
Arophile, mesmerized, looked at Apollo with admiration.
The god then extended his spear, from which a yellowish gleam burst forth, violently tearing the space before him. Arophile was thrown to the ground, shaken by this violence.
Raising his eyes, he was stunned to see that Mao had been pierced by Apollo's spear.
"No... I thought he was no longer real here... but now, everything becomes clear!" he exclaimed.
Apollo retorted, relentless:
"Flee? Impossible! If you annoy me further, I might even imprison you in a seal, hahahaha!"
Mao, in his pitiful state, could not get up.
"But... I was in the Dhama, how could he reach me?" he murmured, spitting blood.
Apollo declared gravely:
"Do not worry, you will leave again. My war spear pierced you... It is the same one I used against the other demons, the jewel of my primordial possession, oh arrogant demon!"
Mao now seemed devoid of any knowledge, even ignorant of his identity. Deprived of his powers and memory, he dissipated into smoke, carried away by the wind.
Apollo transformed his source and consciousness into smoke.
Then, in a solemn tone, he addressed Arophile:
"Tell me, Arophile, were they the ones who insulted Zeus?"
"No, it was a demon king who took care of that," replied Arophile.
Apollo continued, relentless:
"Hmm... Where is he now?"
"I really don't know, he is too mobile," admitted Arophile.
Apollo concluded:
"Very well. You may disappear. I return your powers."
Arophile felt his body regain vigor, his powers restored, but his heart remained troubled.
"Lord Apollo... I wish to serve you, become your disciple, your humble servant."
Apollo stared at him intensely, then burst into a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! What do you want then? Do you think I need a servant?"
Arophile remained silent for a moment, then answered sincerely:
"I know you possess everything, but I need you. I admire you and wish to resemble you, to serve you."
Apollo contemplated him for a moment, then his laughter intensified.
"Hahaha... What a naive demon, just like your kind."
Without another word, he turned away and walked off.
Arophile lowered his head, sadness marking his face.
Apollo, raising his hand as he walked away, called out:
"Hey! Don't stay like that. Let's go, oh extraordinary primordial demon!"
Arophile raised his head and smiled.
"Right away, Lord Apollo, I follow you."
He appeared to Apollo's left, and together they walked away.
In the realm of the gods, Mü Thanatos continued her reign over humans, who now occupied much of her time.
Wamy, sitting on his throne, was reading a book to pass the time, but his mind remained preoccupied with Mü Thanatos, who, since she had governed humans, spoke sparingly.
He interrupted his reading and addressed her:
"Hmm, goddess!"
Mü Thanatos jumped and looked at him.
"Hmm... Wamy."
"Forgive my interruption, but shouldn't you take a rest? One of our children could replace you for a while, just like me."
A smile lit up Mü Thanatos's face.
"No, thank you. I prefer to accomplish this alone. Your concern touches me, Wamy, my divine advisor."
Wamy stood and replied:
"It's natural. I sometimes miss your company when we used to play together. Those moments awakened my senses, making me more mature and devoted to you."
Mü Thanatos smiled gently.
"Well, wait a few more years, I will beat you again in all your favorite games."
Wamy forced a smile.
"Hahaha! That's all I ask, goddess."
Suddenly, a light knock was heard at the castle door.
"Hmm! Who could that be?" wondered Wamy.
He opened the door, scanning the surroundings.
"No one..."
Closing the door, he thought:
"I must have hallucinated."
But a chilling presence was felt behind him, that of an intruder who made his blood shiver.
The intruder exclaimed:
"Wamy! What a joy to see you again!"
Surprised, Wamy did not understand how this intruder had entered despite his vigilance.
"Oh no, not her!" he murmured, annoyed.
The intruder was none other than the great goddess who came for an unexpected visit.
"Wamyyyy! Hahaha!"
She hugged him tightly, making him blush, while he choked under the embrace.
"You can't even say hello normally, huh? Cough... cough..."
The great goddess released him.
"Oh, it's nothing! I'm simply delighted to see you again after the thrashing I gave you long ago, hahaha!"
Wamy pouted disapprovingly.
"There was no need to remind me, I wanted to forget that story."
The great goddess brandished a book.
"Look at this!"
"Since you love world novels so much, I created one especially for you."
Wamy, delighted, exclaimed:
"That's so kind, I can't believe it!"
"It's to make up for upsetting you, hahaha!"
Wamy looked at her, doubtful.
The great goddess then addressed Mü Thanatos:
"Oh beloved Mü Thanatos, I come to visit you."
She approached Mü Thanatos.
"Ah... big sister, that's kind of you!"
Wamy asked:
"Great goddess, you didn't make those novels with fake stories, did you?"
"Who do you think I am? I created them according to your tastes, you will surely like them, because a magnificent goddess like me never makes mistakes!"
Wamy looked at her, annoyed.
"So you know my tastes?"
"Of course, I am a primordial goddess, I know everything about everything, believe me!"
Wamy smiled like a delighted child.
"All right, all right, I believe you. Now, excuse me, I have a novel to savor!"
He sat on his throne and immersed himself in his reading.
The great goddess observed Mü Thanatos.
"Is Mü Thanatos still working on her subjects?"
"Yes... It takes me time, but I'm getting used to it. Don't worry."
The great goddess thought aloud:
"We, primordial gods, also rule over humans. But how to explain that I am here, while my giant dimensions and my subjects are far away, in my castle?"
"I don't know how to explain it, but if you can advise me, I am all ears!"
The great goddess smiled with excitement.
"Of course, I will teach you some things. You can, like us, govern without constantly watching."
Mü Thanatos, perplexed, replied:
"Huh? I don't understand."
"Wait. For example, primordial gods possess nine superimposed sources, as well as a basic superexistence."
Mü Thanatos, interested, asked:
"Explain more, please."
"Very well. Superexistence is unique to primordial gods, it shapes us. It transcends being and source, even the Chōshinkū."
[Explanatory note: The Chōshinkū is the astral state where the source is immersed, a confused void where every being transcending the state of being finds its source.]
"Imagine a wounded human: healing is a physiological process. But if this human transcends his body to become spirit or soul, he transcends death and can regenerate his body from this essence. The higher the consciousness, the faster and more effective the regeneration."
"Being is the threshold of fundamental states. When an individual becomes aware of it, he can regenerate his history, his soul, his spirit, and finally his body."
"However, the gods were not satisfied with being, which they consider limited. Odin, the lord, offered them a higher fundamental state: the source, the Chōshinkū."
Mü Thanatos asked:
"So the source is not the ultimate for a god?"
The great goddess shook her head.
The great goddess tilted her head slightly, as if weighing the weight of the words to come.
"No, Mü Thanatos. The source is not the summit. What you call source is still anchored in the idea of origin. It can be broken, altered, rewritten by those who manipulate the Chōshinkū or the narrative."
She extended an open hand, palm up.
"But superexistence... it is not an origin. It is what denies the very necessity of an origin. It is prior to any concept of beginning or end."
She slowly closed her fingers.
"Superexistence does not reside in the void. The void is a theater. The Chōshinkū is a stage without actors. But it, it is the absence of the theater itself. It does not manifest. It is not. And because it is not, it escapes everything: causality, narration, perception, destruction, logic."
Mü Thanatos squinted.
"So... it is a state?"
The goddess smiled, almost with compassion.
"No. It is the refusal of all states. Superexistence is an out-of-world, an out-of-being, an out-of-narrative. It is not a power, but the perfect dispossession of all assignment. Even the laws of nothingness bow before it."
She finally added:
"Zeus is the superexistence.
Primordial gods do not live in superexistence. They are its tangent flows. When a primordial god acts, it is not a decision, nor an act-it is a silent disjunction in the order of all that is. An interruption. A flaw that even precedes the notion of flaw. Basically, we are fragments of Zeus."
Mü Thanatos smiled.
"I understand... You are therefore invincible from this angle."
The great goddess laughed.
"We were created for that. Logically, we are unbeatable, hahaha!"
Mü Thanatos replied with a mischievous smile.
"I wonder how you can believe I cannot defeat you."
The great goddess responded:
"Your system is even more robust than ours. You were created after the war, an improved version of us. You are beyond existence and non-existence, an original goddess. You certainly possess a superexistence, which you can use to govern freely. Governing will then become an easy task."
Mü Thanatos, admiring, declared:
"Big sister, you are fantastic."
The great goddess blushed slightly.
"Rooooh, that's not really what I did, haaaahahaha!"
Mü Thanatos smiled, blushing in turn.