"Captain, what is this thing?"
"This? This is the reason we came here—wisdom!" Solomon held up the revolting object in his hand for the crew to see. It was an apple made of flesh—perfect, smooth, and disturbingly lifelike. Its skin was formed of human dermis, its flesh from muscle and blood vessels. He could even feel its faint heartbeat beneath his fingertips. Then, right before the crew's eyes, Solomon shoved the fleshy apple into his mouth and began to chew. First Mate Alex, standing closest, could just barely hear an inhuman scream—the sharp, piercing wail of an infant, drilling deep into the brain. He shivered. Alex had no idea what the captain had gone through, but disappointment and anger were already written all over his face.
"Well then, you bunch of bastards. I'm glad to see you didn't die here," Solomon exhaled deeply as he briskly walked through the makeshift camp the crew had erected. The Merlin Circle had delivered some supplies, but it wasn't nearly enough. Solomon hadn't exchanged a single word with the Merlin Circle—he didn't see the point.
He stood on the gangway, gazing down at the shrinking world of En-Galay.
In the distance, dark magical light shimmered around the perimeter of the pitch-black castle, a nauseating violet glow lying in wait like a slumbering beast. It was the seal placed by the Earth Mother—a seal that had lasted hundreds of millions of years and yet still could not prevent Chthon's dream from poisoning the material universe. Without a second glance, Solomon turned and entered the ship, preparing to leave this star-thin, outer-dimensional world behind and return to reality. He never looked back, as if this place was unworthy of even a moment of remembrance.
A plan was forming in his mind.
"Phoenix," he said.
The golden-red bird tilted its head. Solomon asked, "Would you be willing to betray the gods with me?"
The bird spread its wings and let out a graceful cry. Solomon smiled, reaching out to stroke Phoenix's chin. Kamar-Taj rejected the gods in order to grant humanity free will. That was what the Ancient One had taught him—not the Earth Mother, nor any other deity. Regardless of whether the Earth Mother favored reptiles or mammals, the mission of Kamar-Taj would never change. Humanity's fate should not be decided by any god—no matter who they were.
The Ancient One had done it. Solomon would do the same.
"Captain, where are we headed?" asked Alex.
"The spur arm of the Orion Arm. Midgard System. Planet C-53. Don't worry, I have an Asgardian transit pass—no need for stealth. I'm going there to retrieve something my future self left for my past self." Solomon's words made no sense to Alex. As Solomon walked through the dim corridor, waiting for the crew to reach their stations, the firelight from Phoenix lit up his face. This time, they wouldn't need to travel such a long road. The Earth Mother would assist them—Gaea also wanted Solomon to see the fruits of his future self's labor sooner, to wake up to reality sooner. The heavy, rusted pneumatic steel door of the captain's chamber slowly opened, a strong whiff of ozone assaulting his nose. Behind the captain's seat were countless haphazardly retrofitted cables, looking as if a spider that shot rubber wires from its rear had made this its lair.
"I've heard of that planet. Most people haven't, but I know Ronan suffered a major defeat there…" Alex muttered.
"Inertial dampers online. When the white portal opens above us, fly straight through. Hurry—we'll appear in the Asgardian star region," Solomon said with a wave, cutting off Alex's ramblings. "I need rest now. Carry out your orders, my good First Mate."
"Yes, my lord! I'll go whip those lazy scumbags into shape!"
The fleet's command system projected layers of overlapping holograms before him. Solomon closed his eyes, uninterested in watching. He had already performed divination—now, he only hoped Lara would move a little slower.
Lara Croft was witnessing an unbelievable sight. She saw the great glaciers buried beneath the mountains—and an ancient, broken Byzantine warship stranded between them. According to scrolls preserved in brass tubes aboard the vessel, the ship was named Maria Adra, and it had once belonged to Trinity. They'd used it to hunt the Prophet. Trinity had planned to use its ballistae against him, but the ice cracked, splitting the ship's keel in two, forcing them to disembark and continue on foot. Lara knew these people never made it out—she found their corpses scattered throughout the frozen cavern as she searched for an exit. She also found many treasures Trinity had brought aboard, but she only took a single delicate enamel brooch as a keepsake.
Maybe it could be a gift? She sorely missed hot tea and sweets. She had fallen into a river earlier, and now her entire body was soaked. The ice water worsened her hypothermia symptoms, but she had no choice but to endure the piercing cold, plunging back into the water once more in search of a way out—like a pearl diver clinging to a single breath, praying the exit lay ahead. Lara prayed—and it worked. She escaped the ice cavern and reached an abandoned Soviet facility. She longed to rest, though she knew that would be difficult.
"I'm not your enemy," Lara said, lowering her bow as she spoke to the red-haired girl. Her reflexes were sluggish from hypothermia, and she wasn't sure if her trembling hands could even loose an arrow properly.
"I'm not so easily convinced. I saw you kill those men," the red-haired girl said, though she too slowly lowered her bow. She could see how exhausted the woman before her was. She had also seen how she killed the invaders.
"I killed to survive. I believe you would've done the same. How long have they been here?"
"A few days, maybe. The invaders captured many of our people. You should leave while you still can."
"I can't do that. I came here for something important."
"So did they," the redhead said as she raised her bow once more. "If I see you again, I'll put an arrow through your throat."
This abandoned Soviet facility was crawling with enemies. Trinity was using explosives to clear the ruins without a care.
Lara found a cliffside shelter and lit a fire, carefully hiding the flame to avoid detection. She needed rest—a long rest. Through Trinity's open radio channels, she overheard their commander, Konstantin, interrogating a local. Lara forced herself to close her eyes, ignoring the emptiness in her stomach. She had to conserve energy and wait until she recovered her strength. She planned to infiltrate the facility and rescue the captured locals—Trinity was obviously trying to extract information about the Prophet from them. If she wanted to find the Divine Source, she would need the locals' help. And this might also be the key to gaining the red-haired girl's trust.
According to ancient scrolls Trinity left behind, Lara learned that the people of this region had converted to the Prophet's teachings. They surely knew where the Divine Source was—and she had to find it first.
------------------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!
Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter
You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256) — $5
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336) — $5
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542) — $5
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924) — $5
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284) — $5
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289) — $5
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316) — $5
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402) — $5
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570) — $5
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660) — $5
Get access to all of them for just $15 on Patre@n!
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]