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Meanwhile.
Within the Asdana Star System, in the boundless starry void filled with Memoria.
Stars shimmered—vast and mysterious.
This place should have been endlessly empty, containing nothing but cold vacuum.
And yet, several vast and awe-inspiring wills descended.
Nous, Aeon of Erudition; Nanook, Aeon of Destruction; Xipe, Aeon of Harmony; Qlipoth, Aeon of Preservation; Lan, Aeon of The Hunt; Yaoshi, Aeon of Abundance…
These Aeons who stand at the pinnacle of the universe, these highly abstract embodiments of philosophy, their Pathstriders busy walking their respective Paths.
THEY unexpectedly direct a sliver of their attention toward the Asdana Star System, revealing THEIR presence and lowering their gaze in perfect unison.
The mere brushing of such immense wills causes violent fluctuations in unknown space.
Yet THEY deliberately restrain themselves, leaving no massive impact upon the Asdana Star System.
Even Lan of The Hunt does not strike at Yaoshi beside THEM at this moment—at least until the instant THEY fully understand what had occurred, THEY maintained THEIR silence.
From an Aeon's perspective, time can flow—or it can stand still.
A single second can fracture into countless fragments, and a fleeting instant can itself be eternity.
THEY watch as hope is born within human hearts, merging with light to form a radiant, towering giant.
The giant possessed a power unlike any known Path; light and hope alone are enough to utterly shatter The Harmonious Choir: Dominicus.
The power of light is secondary—the key lied in hope, which caused light to undergo a qualitative transformation.
This power's attributes came from an outsider; one that's already a highly matured system.
Yet within this universe, it is a pioneer—a force that has never been manifested or sublimated. Once it appears, it will trigger a chemical reaction with everything in this cosmos.
Hope remains hope, but it begins to condense the very concept of hope within this universe.
Another abstract concept manifests, already taking shape.
This is the foundation of an Aeon—build upward from here, and a new destiny can be opened, a Path named Hope.
"Hope is about to be born."
The Amber Lord speaks with a voice like rolling thunder, carrying faint joy.
Preservation is innately close to hope; THEY love that power.
If an Aeon of Hope is born, THEY would be natural allies.
"The world is changing."
The precise, cold stellar mechanical brain's compound eyes flash red as countless future possibilities are recalculated and overturned.
When that being—so unlike a human, yet human—descended into this world, many once-fixed events were already overturned.
The lifeform named Sol Mercer is an unknown chaotic factor, actively disturbing this world.
Shattering lifeless asteroid belts had little impact on the universe; boarding the Astral Express made the world's evolution more intense. And when the Giant of Hope manifested, this disturbance rapidly surged to its peak.
A fascinating discovery—the being called Sol Mercer is continuously releasing negative entropy, delaying the universe's entropic march toward destruction. If he possessed infinite energy, this universe might even escape the fate of heat death.
At the same time, massive variables emerge, increasing the unknown within the universe.
THEY seek to exhaust all knowledge—not a stagnant exhaustion, but one where knowledge continuously grows while all of it is grasped.
"May hope endure forever!"
The beautiful goddess clasps THEIR hands before THEIR chest; THEIR brows filled with boundless compassion.
As though gazing upon a junior spreading glad tidings, bestowing Abundance upon those who seek—just as THEY do.
Hope will be granted equally to all. The divine loves the world; the divine loves all.
What a benevolent successor. Perhaps THEY should weave a laurel crown to celebrate THEIR coronation.
Unfortunately, there is one ill-timed presence here.
"Destruction will not tolerate this."
Within THEIR golden divine pupils' churn flames that could end worlds, declaring THEIR will to THEIR other equals.
THEY will still annihilate all things—the so-called hope must also be utterly destroyed.
Yet THEY know this is also a promising future powerhouse, a natural opposing nemesis.
Before the other ascends to godhood, THEY will not act personally. As kings face kings; and generals face generals.
When the other successfully ascends, the destruction that annihilates hope will become even deeper and more despairing.
"Understood."
Lan has already grasped everything—but THEY had nothing to do with THEM.
All THEY must do is Hunt: to slay Yaoshi, who spreads the calamity of Abundance.
After that, THEY will hunt Destruction, a foe even more heinous than Yaoshi. But Yaoshi bears a grudge with THEM—so Yaoshi comes first.
THEY draw THEIR bow and nock an arrow, a light-forged bolt aimed at Abundance.
A meteor of ultimate brilliance tears through the void, bearing the might to exterminate stars.
Boom!
One arm of the Aeon of Abundance is torn apart.
Flesh and blood scatter, instantly transforming into boundless nourishment.
The surging power of Abundance causes wondrous flowers and grasses to sprout from the void, swaying beautifully—another miracle of Abundance.
Yet the gentle, maternal face of Yaoshi still bears a smile, as if THEY felt nothing at all.
THEIR severed arm regenerates instantly, supple and flawless as before.
With light, graceful steps, TEHY continue to scatter the power of Abundance throughout the cosmos.
Lan fires another light arrow, erasing the proliferating flora, and gives chase immediately after.
"This is far too amusing—aha!"
A vermilion mask trembles within the void, as though clutching its belly in laughter.
THEIR form splits into two—one follows The Hunt to watch the spectacle between two Aeons, the other descends upon Penacony to watch Sol Mercer's spectacle.
This little thing truly delights THEM!
One by one, the Aeons withdraw.
THEY had seen all THEY wished to see.
Now THEY await the birth of the next Aeon—one who will open a brand-new Path that never existed before.
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