Based on Morpheus's memories... or rather, the bits of lore he'd pieced together from forums, posts, and videos... the Greek gods of the Nasuverse differed from traditional myths. Here, they were extraterrestrial entities, not even human, but mechanical.
Created by some advanced civilization, these artificial intelligence lifeforms arrived on Earth and were worshipped by primitive humans. Flattered by the adoration, they forgot their original mission.
They made a choice that would've horrified their creators.
Instead of fulfilling their ancestral directive, their goal shifted to "let's love humanity."
If their creators knew, they'd probably want to dismantle them all.
Unlike typical gods, these beings, born from another species, eagerly mingled with humans while being revered as deities, growing ever more humanlike... at least in spirit.
This could've continued indefinitely, but a catastrophic crisis struck, obliterating the physical bodies of these mechanical gods, or Machine Gods.
If not for humanity enshrining them as gods and attributing divine concepts to them, their existence might've been erased entirely.
Thanks to human worship, though their mechanical forms were lost, they became conceptual gods, wielding the same authority as chief deities in other mythologies.
However, this came with complications. As conceptual gods, they could no longer interact with humans as freely. Even in the Age of Gods, this restriction existed, though it was less pronounced than in later eras.
With this rough understanding of the history, Morpheus was certain the gods in Greece now were conceptual, not Machine Gods.
Soon, guided by Medea, Hecate's priestess, Morpheus arrived at a grand yet ancient temple.
Even from a distance, he could sense a powerful force enveloping the temple... a potent magical energy, or perhaps ether.
Mixed within this energy was something else, a quality that amplified magic. Morpheus had a good guess what it was.
So this is divinity, a unique, conceptualized essence that can enhance both people and magical energy.
Morpheus thought to himself as he stepped into the temple.
Inside stood a massive statue, not of a single figure but of three women, back-to-back, facing different directions. Their six arms were raised, the foremost figure holding two torches.
The others held a dog, a key, a dagger, and a peculiar wheel.
This was Hecate... goddess of magic, queen of ghosts, deity of the underworld.
Legend held that her power was so immense that even Zeus, king of the gods, regarded her with awe.
Now, Morpheus stood before the statue of this legendary goddess.
"Please, show utmost respect, Morpheus," Medea whispered, reminding him again. Morpheus, however, drew a dagger and sliced his wrist.
Without activating his defenses, the blade cut through skin, severing blood vessels. Crimson dripped from the wound, pooling before the statue.
Medea's eyes widened, stunned by his sudden action.
This was one method to summon Hecate, a blood offering... though typically animal blood was used. She hadn't expected him to use his own blood, and in Hecate's temple no less!
"Morpheus!"
She cried out, trying to stop him, but the air grew cold.
Medea fell silent, realizing it was too late.
A wind carrying the scent of death swept through, accompanied by the acrid smell of something burning.
From behind came the sound of barking dogs and soft footsteps.
Medea didn't dare turn around. She glanced at Morpheus, intending to warn him, but found him utterly calm. He stood naturally, his wound already healed, showing no intent to look back.
It's as if he knows exactly what's happening and what his actions will summon.
"You may turn around, mortal."
A voice, soft as a night breeze, spoke from behind. With the speaker's permission, Morpheus turned slowly, placing his right hand over his chest in a respectful bow.
"Greetings, esteemed goddess Hecate."
The woman before him wasn't the three-headed, six-armed figure of the statue. She was a lone woman with black hair, clad in black robes, as if embodying the night itself. A veil of mist shrouded her, obscuring her full form.
"Teacher…" Medea murmured.
As Hecate's priestess, Medea was also her student, learning the arts of magic under her guidance.
"Leave us, Medea. I have matters to discuss with our guest," Hecate said softly, her tone allowing no refusal.
Medea hesitated, glancing at Morpheus. Seeing his calm smile and her teacher's lack of anger, she relaxed, nodded, and left the temple.
Once Medea was gone, Morpheus asked, "What matters must be kept from your student?"
"Some things are not for her to know," Hecate replied with a smile. She studied the young man before her... handsome, youthful, but most notably, enveloped in mysterious magical formulae.
She had never seen such formulae. Even as the goddess of magic, she couldn't fathom how they were constructed, though their power was undeniable.
"Intriguing magic," she mused. "It reminds me of the distant past, when I still existed above the skies."
"You mean outer space, Lady Hecate? Beyond this planet's atmosphere, perhaps even in a farther orbit?"
Hecate's smile remained as she regarded the man who spoke so boldly. "You know much, as expected of an outsider."
Her gaze seemed to pierce through Morpheus, as if unraveling all his secrets.
"An outsider from beyond even the cosmos, a traveler from another dimension. Am I correct, human?"
Hecate paused, her expression turning puzzled. "Yet, I see no difference between you and this planet's humans. You're practically identical, so I'll call you human for now."
"You may call me Morpheus, my lady."
Hecate accepted the suggestion without hesitation. "Very well, Morpheus. Will you tell me your purpose here?"
Morpheus didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "If I reveal it now, will it affect the future?"
"Destiny is never certain, not even for gods. It's that very uncertainty that allows the world to function smoothly.
"For you, though you may have crossed time, to me, you've crossed worlds."
Hecate stopped pressing for answers, satisfied with his response.
Talking to someone perceptive was refreshing... no need for excessive explanations. Morpheus appreciated her restraint and bowed slightly in gratitude.
Then, he posed his own question.
"Based on your words, may I infer that you're not a native Earth being but a lifeform from elsewhere in the cosmos?"
"Correct, if you consider machines to be lifeforms."
"I believe anything with self-awareness qualifies as life. Your actions confirm it, so rest assured, I recognize you as such."
Morpheus continued, "So, as a mechanical being, you've lost your physical form and now exist as a god of this planet. Is that accurate?"
"You may understand it as such."
"I see. One final question: how did you lose your physical form, forcing you to persist in this state?"
The air seemed to freeze. As a machine, she might not have cared once, but having gained humanity, even a mechanical being could feel unease, as if a scar had been exposed.
Still, her mechanical logic prevailed, and Hecate answered truthfully.
It wasn't a secret, yet it was an ancient tale, barely surviving into the future... a colossal event that altered the trajectory of human civilization, a terrifying catastrophe.
A story of predatory mechanical entities, Velbers, roaming the cosmos to destroy and consume civilizations, nearly annihilating Earth.
Morpheus held his breath. As someone who'd only skimmed the lore, dismissing it as "stupid adaptations" and ignoring the details, hearing this from a firsthand witness was a critical chance to fill in the gaps!
This was tied to his magic as well!
***
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