A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 632 Lord of Light and Order

"You've been influenced by the Mother Goddess." The voice calling to Rorschach sounded again; it was Dryaz: "What did you see?"

"The game is over."

"What?"

In a daze, Rorschach suddenly found it a little funny. He didn't know why he blurted out "game." Dryaz's question, filled with confusion, surprise, and a little annoyance, reminded Rorschach of his mother.

"Gaia is corrupting you, Rorschach. Fortunately, because of your unique nature, she cannot assimilate you. So the Mother Goddess chose another method, influencing your mind, hoping you would leave this world voluntarily. If it weren't for the Heart of Thoth and my backup plan, you would have been banished by her." These words, spoken with extreme age, seemed to echo in his mind from an ancient time:

"As for you, Dryuyaz, because of your dedication to Rorschach, you will be banished by Him, but instead be freed from this world that is about to be destroyed, and gain freedom in a new universe, just as the mythical epic foretold."

"Watch your words," the goddess retorted to the old man.

The golden light that had filled Rorschach's eyes dissipated, and his vision returned. He was now atop the canopy, not his own Tree of Law, but the High Heaven. The identity of the god who had spoken with him and Druyaz was now obvious.

"It's you." Rorschach's two short syllables contained a complex mix of emotions.

"It was I." The old man understood Rorschach's meaning: "It was I who brought you to Istani. It was the past me, the me who died as a mortal, who destroyed the Shadowlands with you. It was I who brought you into this world."

"Even though my time is running out, it is enough for me to explain the past and give you the truth."

Rorschach saw the image of the "ancient sage" again, but this time he was incomparably majestic and transcendent, without the mad old man's humor, only a sacred and unapproachable aura remained.

His pronouncements were like the resounding tones of a great bell, though written in modern language and phrasing, they were occasionally mixed with archaic Arabic, but fortunately, Rorschach found them no obstacle: "Many believers think I am a male supreme being, like the Mother Goddess, existing since the Creator. But I was originally a sorcerer who scorned the gods. And that is why I accomplished a feat that the devout could never achieve, a feat for them that is the most serious blasphemy to even entertain the thought of it—ascension to Godhood."

Rorschach already knew about the ancient mage's past and his many histories, but there was nothing left until he appeared in the deepest part of the Shadowlands, the sacred ruins of the elves.

Now that the void has been filled, the answer is right in front of him. Rorschach suddenly realized that if he had agreed to the deal with the "clone," would he have become a "human form" like the ancient sage?

"When I have exhausted all magical knowledge and all spells, becoming a god is nothing more than studying a novel magic trick for me, but there is no need to go into the details." Although His words were calm, Rorschach seemed to sense a faint arrogance: "But after I stood on a new perspective, I finally saw the truth of the world and realized that all myths and the most ancient epics were not the pathetic ramblings of priests and poets."

As He spoke, He guided Rorschach and Druyats's gaze—at the end of the Tree of Truth's roots, a black tide surged, their world reduced to a desolate island, beyond which lay nothingness. Above them, two celestial bodies, one black and one white, spun violently toward each other, burning the last life of this universe.

One of them represents the Mother Goddess, while the other transforms into the old man before me, recounting His past: "In order to prepare for the approaching end times, I quickly launched the second divine war after the first."

"When I was still a mage, I witnessed the gods' punishments and how they regarded living beings as insignificant costs. After ascending to the divine position, I realized that these gods were fully aware of Gaia's resurrection and, filled with rage, slaughtered her one by one."

"In the material world, mobilize my followers, the Empire, the Church of Order, and the people of the desert, to sweep away other faiths. Unite intelligent beings, especially my former kin—humanity—hoping they will no longer fight amongst themselves. I have also not forgotten my identity as a spellcaster. To unite the loose and hostile mages, I founded the Arcane Order and gave all mages a common enemy—the Church of Order."

"In the realm of symbols, I wage war against each of the other gods. Those who submit to me will become my angels; those who do not will have their divine kingdoms shattered and their authority seized. All that I can control is in my hands. Before ascending to godhood, I was already the master of all laws. Now, I have countless incarnations and countless powers; I am an invisible god."

"I have gathered the power of the gods, rebuilt order, and obtained the masculine position of the world below the Creator. I use light to resist the corruption of the Mother Goddess, and thus I am the Lord of Order and Light."

As he pondered this, His figure began to blur, not only the ancient sages with their aged faces, but also an incomparably handsome youth, a warrior furious as thunder, an unfathomable alien, and even Thoth's bird head appeared, before finally merging into one.

Within the black and white celestial bodies, the white sphere of light surged with power, radiating a light of redemption. Shining upon the Tree of Truth, the tumorous nodes instantly healed, the black pollution vanished, and cracks appeared in the black sun high above the earth, radiating a dazzling golden light from within.

The church bells rang on their own, and the protective barrier of the magic guild grew stronger, as if destruction was about to be reversed.

However, the Lord of Order spoke to Rorschach with increasing urgency: "The Mother Goddess's awakening is irreversible. The stars on the outer edge of the astral plane have been extinguished one after another. What we see is merely a light and shadow that arrived trillions of years ago. The prime plane, along with the half-life of the elemental planes and secondary planes, constitute the final isolated island."

"Fortunately, the main plane is the starting point of creation and the location of the singularity. As long as it is protected by me, the Mother Goddess cannot be fully awakened."

"As the world gradually falls into nothingness and annihilation, it also comes to a limit, and I have the opportunity to discover that there are worlds beyond worlds. I tried to break through to the realm beyond the universe, and in the first attempt, an Outer God named Is entered through the rift."

"His intrusion signifies my success. He carries an order different from this world. He is evil and wields the power of shadow, but his power does not belong to the Mother Goddess and is not influenced by the original feminine nature of this world."

"I am thrilled. After driving away that vicious dog, I began the second experiment. This time, I am confident and have a new direction. The result of my attempt to introduce the order of the magic-free land is you, Rorschach. I want you to grow up quickly, to gradually gain power, to acquire the authority to counterbalance the Mother Goddess and transform the world, and then to utilize the order of the magic-free world carried in your soul."

At this point, the Lord of Order suddenly stopped explaining how to use it and instead mentioned another deity: "Dryaz was also an experiment I conducted to deal with Gaia—you were originally one of His incarnations and vessels. After I killed you, I stripped away the authority, reproduction, and life belonging to the Mother Goddess, and then gave you the hope of resurrection."

"Now, the container is filled with new power and quality, and you will be independent of the Mother Goddess. What a successful attempt." The source of Dryaz's power now is the magic and faith power distributed to Him by countless collectors through the blue light barrier. Although there are no believers' prayers, these machines continuously supply pure power, which has made the forest girl who she is today.

"Baran has a different plan," the old man said, turning back to Rorschach. "In short, everything is going smoothly, which is beyond my expectations. This is all because of your presence."

"So, I'm just a pawn in your game?"

(End of this chapter)