The black sun hangs high

Chapter 422 "When I Leave"

"I love it."

When such a sentence came from within Theseus's chaotic body, a strong sense of absurdity arose deep within Hugh's heart.

"like".

Hughes never imagined that one day he would hear such a word, so full of emotion, from Theseus.

It is incredibly straightforward and incredibly simple.

There was no concealment, no rhetoric, and no annoying twists and turns.

When Theseus uttered those words, his demeanor and his voice were so natural that Hughes could not detect any trace of "acting" in Theseus.

It seems that Theseus was simply stating a fact that couldn't be simpler.

The next moment, Theseus raised his head, his face, formed of mist, turned to Hugh: "And this is the answer I wanted to give you."

You mean...?

Thus, Theseus revealed his true thoughts: "I do stand on the side of Vaan, but I am equally disgusted and disgusted by the nations, organizations and ethnic groups that are now scattered throughout Vaan."

Hughes frowned: "Such views and opinions shouldn't arise without reason. Could you tell me the specific details?"

"Ah."

Theseus gave a dull reply, and then a thick mist emerged from his body, transforming into a tentacle that swept over another bottle of "drink" placed on the table.

With a crisp click, the pull ring was pulled open.

But Theseus did not drink the beverage that contained the rich life force. Instead, just as he had done when he first introduced the "Color of Life" to Hugh, he gently tapped the surface of the can twice.

And so, the strange, mesmerizing light and shadow appeared before Hugh's eyes once again.

Theseus quietly examined the colors in the container for a few seconds before speaking: "You already know, magic, life force... these are the most important and fundamental elements of the Vaan world."

“We can say that as long as the world of Vaan does not disappear or perish, then magic and life force will flow eternally… Correspondingly, we can also say that as long as these two things exist, then the name of Vaan can be maintained for a long time.”

Theseus turned to Hugh: "And the gods we have talked about in the past are actually a combination of these two, so any god that takes these two as its foundation can leave a deep mark on Vaan."

“I remember you said before, Mel, that she has been working to erase all traces of the gods?”

"Yes, but now you should understand how difficult such a goal is, right?"

Theseus chuckled twice: "Whether it is those opponents we once defeated, or ourselves, they are all destined to leave such indelible marks in Vaan. My mentor was no exception... The gods will leave behind their own people, the magic and rituals they created, and the civilizations that worship them will leave behind countless relics bearing their mark and power."

He raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the "rest corner": "Under strong light, any entity will inevitably leave its own shadow, which is also part of the established rules."

"For a long time after the mentor began to manage Vaan, all the races in Vaan worshipped her and regarded her as the only deity, regarding the name 'Mel' as a faith that should never be changed. There were a few moments when she even wavered, because at that time she even had the foundation to become the second Lord of the Ocean, Calron."

Like the old people who talk about their past experiences, Theseus sighed and lamented: "She was afraid. She was afraid that one day she would really become a second Calron and turn Vaan into another Abyss... This is entirely possible. The calmer and more rational a person is, the more they have to face this fact. Unfortunately, she is one of the best of these people."

At this point, Theseus paused, then said, "I think you're quite familiar with these kinds of people, aren't you?"

Hugh pursed his lips, then nodded helplessly.

The more spellcasters value logic, academic principles, and magical models, the more they will move in this direction. After all, logic and rationality are their foundation. In a sense, these magical scholars are probably a perfect imitation and inheritance of the goddess of magic in their hearts.

Theseus's voice continued to come.

"Before she left, her greatest wish was that the residents of Vaan would completely forget her, or at most treat her as a simple symbol or a 'beacon' that could provide some reference value. What she resisted and feared most was that later generations would call her a deity and forget that she was originally a member of a 'humble race'."

"I still remember what she said to me last."

At this point, Theseus's voice changed slightly, and that soft, slightly androgynous voice once again reached Hugh's ears.

"The title of deity should ultimately be erased from Vaan. They should not exist, much less be above all individuals and groups... A deity, whether a tangible entity or merely a verbal concept, will have a tremendous impact on the poor people of Vaan."

Theseus repeated the words that Mel had left behind, his attitude serious and his pace slow, like a student afraid of making a mistake.

"They need to understand that every choice and decision they make is their own; they should understand that they are not merely ordinary residents of Vaan, but also the future leaders of Vaan, participants in Vaan's destiny; they must be clear that any being that demands sacrifices from Vaan or from them is an enemy that must be fought against and eliminated..."

"When I depart, the powers that were once occupied and divided by the gods will be returned to this world. They will become the close bonds connecting every individual and every corner of the world. They will spread throughout this world like a fine network of water, becoming the lifeblood that supports Vaan."

At this point, the thick mist that formed Theseus's face suddenly trembled violently twice. Not only that, the magical fluctuations emanating from Theseus's body also became somewhat strange—as a unique being born from countless negative emotions, Theseus now seemed to have become a terrifying furnace of despair. Under the pressure of these fluctuations, Hugh even had to actively restrain his senses to avoid being captured by those terrifying thoughts and ideas that flashed through his mind from time to time.

He didn't want to become an extreme madman in this place.

Fortunately, Theseus quickly regained his composure, tilting his head slightly and "gazing" at the empty ceiling of the dream sanctuary.

"After I leave, there should no longer be any so-called supreme deity to dictate the future of Vanne. They should learn to forget, and if possible, they should even dismantle those useless statues, hide those paintings, stop meaningless sacrifices, prayers and hymns, and devote all their energy to other more valuable matters."

“I can assert that if our successors become obsessed with reminiscing, and if this reminiscence itself is detached from the guidance of truth, then sooner or later they will find themselves in difficult circumstances again.”

After saying this, Theseus stopped, looked at Hugh, and asked, "I guess you're starting to have some new questions now, aren't you?"

"Yes."

Hugh nodded readily, then let out a soft sigh of relief. He pondered for two seconds before asking seriously, "Wouldn't that be a bit too cruel?"

Theseus didn't rush to answer Hugh's question. Instead, he tilted his head and asked in return, "Well, why don't you elaborate a bit more? Who exactly is this 'cruelty' directed at?"

"both sides."

Hughes expressed his thoughts: "I think this choice is somewhat cruel, both to the Vaan people who are used to following guidance and to the pioneers who sacrifice everything to achieve victory... The former are likely to feel pain and confusion, while the latter will be completely forgotten, without even leaving a trace."

To Hugh's surprise, Theseus did not mock his opinion in any way this time. The faceless god affirmed it and then chuckled: "I asked a similar question back then, but I only answered the second half... Do you know how she answered?"

"She told me with a smile that this was the biggest difference between them and the gods of Vaan in the past."

“Those gods and their retinues fear perish, because they will never allow authority and power to slip from their grasp. But we are different… We are meant to distribute these authorities. This is the most effective way to delay and prevent the return of those terrible threats, and it is also our most important task and mission on this journey.”

“We follow the laws of Vaan, just like any other being in Vaan, destined to grow from childhood to old age… When the Black Sun departs and the gods such as the Lord of the Ocean are destroyed or banished, the mission we bear will also be nearing its end.”

"Since the journey has come to an end, we should consciously leave and consciously perish. This is an inevitable thing to happen, and a choice we must make... It is foreseeable that in the distant future, such things will happen many, many times. Conditions and circumstances may change, but the final choice will eventually converge."

After saying this, Theseus slumped into his office chair and waved to Hugh: "That's her answer to me. I'm repeating it to you verbatim, hoping it will clear up your confusion."

Hughes nodded, hesitated for two seconds, and then asked, "But that's only the second half of the question. What about the first half?"

Theseus, slumped in his office chair, swayed listlessly and let out a sneer: “I don’t care about this, and I don’t want to care about this… Stupid, short-sighted, greedy… They’ve gotten themselves into this mess with one bad and wrong decision after another, not only missing countless opportunities to nip the dangers and threats in the bud, but some of them are even thinking about how to cooperate with the enemy.”

As he spoke, the shadow within Theseus grew thicker once more, a manifestation of the churning and brewing of his negative emotions and thoughts: "If I hadn't made those promises to her before, I would have given these 'idiots' a good push... I really want to see them crying and begging for their mothers in the terror brought by the black sun."

At this moment, Theseus finally reverted to the distorted form that Hugh was most familiar with. As he spoke these words, all sorts of abstract symbols and words, both familiar and unfamiliar to Hugh, rolled around on his misty face at an alarmingly high frequency.

This is probably the most authentic expression of Theseus's emotions and state of mind.

Theseus spun his chair and looked at the floor-to-ceiling window beside him. Beyond that thin, transparent barrier lay the ever-rolling, pitch-black waves of the Abyss.

These waves were more turbulent than before, and Hugh could even see a large number of Dark Abyss Hounds running in these shadows. Their numbers had increased, and their individual sizes had become larger. Hugh guessed that the appearance of these creatures must be related to his previous conflict and confrontation with the Invisible Wolves.

Theseus continued his tirade, but the target of his curses had changed—from the foolish inhabitants of Vaan to the "stupid dogs" right next to him.

Hearing these strange words, Hugh gave a helpless twitch of his lips.

Now, Hugh finally understands why Theseus refused to call Mel a "god" from the very beginning, because that title was not only Mel's enemy, but also a shackle she wanted to break free from until the very end.

A shackle imposed on both herself and the beings of Vaan.

At the same time, Hugh also found it inexplicably funny.

Just now, he suddenly realized that this strange being, born from the abyss of despair, who had experienced countless conspiracies and schemes and traversed a long period of time, also had an extremely simple, pure, and even naive side.

Based on the scenes he had glimpsed in his dreams, Hugh could easily guess that when Mel instilled his understanding and expectations of Vaan into that naive "Messenger of the Dark Abyss," he must have also left some extremely pure thoughts in the gaps of those distorted shadows.

It was precisely for this reason that in the turbulent world after Mel's departure, there emerged such a unique "Watchman".

Theseus.

He is the last "ancient deity" to survive the lost era of Vaan.

It is an important insurance against the recurrence of past disasters.

He was also a believer who stayed alone in this small sanctuary and steadfastly followed the ways of the past.

(End of this chapter)