"So where has my dear sister gone?" a man with flowing golden hair and a physique carved as if from marble mused, gazing down at the mortal world.
His eyes followed the light, seeing wherever it touched.
Then, he spotted three figures walking along a forest path.
"So she's gone to find that strange human," The handsome man murmured to himself, gently plucking the strings of his lyre, producing a cascade of melodious notes.
He was Apollo, the god of the sun, music, and prophecy.
His eyes shimmered with radiance, as if piercing through time to glimpse the future.
After peering into countless moments, Apollo reached a conclusion.
"The future is already set, at least in the songs of history. Your deeds, however, will leave no record," he whispered, as if delivering an oracle to no one but himself.
He continued playing his gentle music, speaking softly, "The terminator of the past will raise the banner of destruction once more, and humanity will tread the path of resistance. The age of gods' retreat is near…"
…
"There really is a Gaia!" Morpheus exclaimed, surprised, looking at Artemis. Though she concealed her identity, she was willing to share some truths about the past.
"Of course! For example, the primordial dragon Typhon was created by Gaia," Artemis said earnestly. "It's a terrifying monster! All the creatures we know today, even the eight-headed serpent from the Takamagahara, were born from Typhon!"
Morpheus fell silent, frowning, resisting the urge to scratch his head.
Yamata-no-Orochi came from Typhon?! Why not say Izanami is Hades, and her eight thunder gods are Zeus?!
His mind reeled with retorts, but he only smiled and nodded. "So that's how it is."
He wasn't sure how dismissive his tone sounded, but he'd clarified one thing: in the Nasuverse, there were two Gaias. One was the planetary consciousness, the Counter Force Gaia.
The other was the Titan Fleet Gaia, who, dissatisfied with Cronos, created Typhon to destroy all Titan Fleets, including the Olympian gods.
Born in the cosmos, the Machine God Typhon took the form of a dragon upon arriving on Earth. After losing its physical body, it became a true draconic beast, spawning a host of monsters.
These creatures still wreaked havoc across the world.
As for Typhon itself, Zeus had sealed it beneath Mount Etna.
Legend had it Zeus barely won that battle, nearly losing his lightning to Typhon. Only through trickery... including the Moirai deceiving Typhon into eating a fruit of weakness... did the Greek gods avoid annihilation.
"Typhon definitely has an 'Anti-Machine God' trait," Morpheus muttered under his breath.
Artemis glanced at him curiously. "What did you say, Morpheus?"
He smiled. "Just that it's a great story!"
"I don't think that's what I heard," Artemis said, smiling back.
Morpheus's grin didn't waver. "You must've misheard!"
Artemis kept smiling. "My ears are sharp. I don't mishear. I'm an archer, after all!"
"Then it was a hallucination!" Morpheus replied, his face unflushed by the lie.
Seeing his shameless confidence, with no hint of embarrassment, Artemis gave up pressing him.
She quickly shifted her attention elsewhere.
Glancing at Medea, who lay quietly "sleeping" in the tent, Artemis's face lit up with gossip. "Aren't you two going to get married? Or, if not marriage, maybe something else? I've seen lots of people... and animals... engage in mating. They seem to enjoy it."
Morpheus was at a loss for how to respond to the moon goddess's brazen curiosity.
But her innocent expression and genuine curiosity reminded him she was a Machine God, still naive in many ways.
Not just Artemis... he suspected even Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, might not fully grasp the concept of love.
"I'm not thinking about that right now," Morpheus said.
Artemis grew more puzzled. "Is it because Medea isn't pretty? But by my understanding, she should be quite appealing to men!"
Medea's ears twitched. She'd overheard their conversation, her heart racing like a deer bounding in her chest.
Calm down, calm down. You just happened to wake up and hear this. You're not eavesdropping! she told herself, trying not to make a sound.
Oblivious to her wakefulness, the two continued their exchange.
"Medea's adorable. Not just cute... she's beautiful. Her figure isn't exactly voluptuous, but I find it charming. Honestly, I like both petite girls and alluring women!" Morpheus said without a trace of shame, as if stating a simple preference.
Artemis saw no issue with his words, nodding eagerly. "So, you really like Medea?"
"Yeah, quite a lot."
"Then why not make a move? I've seen plenty of men who can't resist. Not just Medea... I think I'm pretty great too, but you haven't made a move on me either."
Are all AIs this blunt?!
Morpheus's mind raced with retorts, but having traveled with Artemis for a few days, he understood her. She was genuinely naive, true to her Machine God programming. So, he just smiled faintly and gave his reason.
"Because I don't want the responsibility!"
Medea was stunned. She hadn't expected that answer.
Artemis froze, equally shocked by his response.
As a Machine God, she didn't fully understand human romance, but she'd seen enough to expect a softer excuse or a tragic backstory, not this blunt honesty!
Wasn't that a bit too straightforward?
"I'm serious, Diana. I'm not hiding it. I'm not from this world... or this time. I don't know how long I'll stay here. I have my own goals, and I have to leave this world eventually," Morpheus said with rare seriousness.
His earnestness left Artemis staring. Under the campfire's glow, his handsome face seemed resolute, tinged with a faint golden light, almost divine.
"I'm not a good man. I'd say I'm the type to love and leave. But if I were to act, I should at least offer commitment, right?
"So, the simplest solution is to avoid it. If nothing happens, there's no problem."
Artemis watched Morpheus fall silent after his speech. She blinked, then laughed. "What a strange human."
Morpheus smiled back. "And you're not exactly human."
Artemis didn't flinch at her slip. Instead, she asked with interest, "What do you think I am?"
"The moon goddess, Artemis."
"How did you know?"
"Because I'm not from this world. Where I come from, Diana is the moon goddess," Morpheus said, openly sharing how he'd figured it out.
Medea, still pretending to sleep, reeled from one shock to another.
What? Diana is the moon goddess? Artemis?! The one who's been traveling and chatting with us is the goddess Artemis?!
But that revelation paled compared to Morpheus's earlier words.
So, Morpheus is planning to leave this world. I thought I could follow him, but he means leaving for another world entirely. I'd have to abandon my home, my family... and I can't even be sure his magic can take others with him…
If he could, he wouldn't leave me behind, right? But he never mentions it. Does that mean he's not sure he can take anyone? Or has he already decided he can't?
What… what should I do?
That night, Medea couldn't sleep, lost in endless thoughts with no answers.
***
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