Metis said softly, "Rise."
"Yes!" Kelaunia's voice still trembled slightly with excessive excitement.
She had to exert great effort to control her god-body, which quivered from the surge of power, as she slowly stood.
Once she rose, the very first thing she did was, with perfect instinct, take her place behind Metis, head high, chest out, proud in bearing, looking every inch a loyal bodyguard.
Only after turning her beloved God-King's little messenger into her own little attendant as well did Metis turn her gaze back to Prometheus.
She asked gently, "Prometheus, my honored friend, you may speak now. What, specifically, do you need my help with?"
Prometheus hurried to gather himself and said very humbly, "Honored Goddess of Wisdom, please first look upon the results that Epimetheus and I have achieved of late."
Metis nodded lightly.
Prometheus and Epimetheus led Metis to inspect the new lives and explained all in detail.
Kelaunia, for her part, followed dutifully, respectfully, like a shadow.
After she had carefully learned about all the lives the two brothers had created in this time, Metis could not help but marvel inwardly.
No wonder her beloved God-King entrusted the task of creating life and flourishing the world to these two brothers.
The combination of the two sons of Iapetus was simply too fitting!
The "god of foresight and foreknowledge" and the "god of afterthought."
One was far-sighted and forward-looking, calm and rational by temperament, accustomed to deducing future consequences from the most essential level and acting only after planning.
The other was able to sum up all experience from the past and learn from it.
He dared to explore and try boldly, and would likewise draw lessons from his mistakes, correct his errors, and grow through each failure, advancing with each attempt.
One stood for "knowing," the other for "doing."
One symbolized "design" and "planning," the other "practice" and "action."
"Foreknowledge" is the envisioning and planning of the future; "afterthought" is the reflection on past experience.
Without the reflection of "afterthought," "foreknowledge" can devolve into blind risk; without the guidance of "foreknowledge," "afterthought" will, through rashness, fall into endless remorse and patchwork.
In this world there is neither infallible "foreknowledge" nor useless "afterthought."
The former gives a civilization the "courage to break through" and a "comprehensive, forward-looking cognition."
The latter provides the "assurance of steadiness" and the "experience of lessons learned."
The two seem wholly opposed, but in truth they are dialectically unified.
Only by perfectly marrying the two can a race, a civilization, through constant exploring and correcting, roll onward in an upward spiral!
Taken alone, each of the two brothers had his fatal flaws.
One bore an incurable self-conceit and arrogance, and was always prone to overconfidence.
Once his plan was decided, he did not mind risk in the least, not even the possibly disastrous consequences.
The other had an inborn rashness and naiveté that could not be rubbed out, and always rushed headlong.
When faced with what he did not understand, he would "just do it" first and talk later!
He easily saw only the present and entirely ignored the future.
Or rather, he simply could not imagine what future might be triggered by one small move of his.
But so long as the two brothers could work as one, a perfect complement would form.
Each one's flaws would be perfectly covered by the other's strengths,
thus exerting a power far beyond the mere sum of their individual strengths—a power one might call miraculous.
It was not "ten plus ten," but "ten times ten."
Of course, all this premised upon their truly working with one heart.
Otherwise, put together, they would amount to "ten minus ten"…
Fortunately, under Zeus's command, the brothers could, for now, remain united.
Though they often squabbled over minor friction and mutual annoyances, in the great direction they could still advance together in union.
Metis reviewed all the creations they had made in this time and was greatly satisfied.
Under their complementarity, the two brothers fully displayed the extraordinary abilities of the "sons of the One of the Eternal Cycle."
Now the world's living things had basically formed a positive, self-running food chain.
Before, in the world's most primitive, ignorant evolution, many beings had indeed been born—but they were all relatively low-grade lives.
Moreover, their reproduction and propagation had been in a laissez-faire, primitive state.
One could say the world was strange beyond strange, all manner of oddities, and extremely chaotic and out of balance—truly detrimental to development.
Now, however, the two brothers had optimized the world's living things, built a food chain that could cyclically evolve, and development was at last healthy.
Left to evolve steadily thus, one could be sure this world would grow ever more flourishing.
Epimetheus did indeed have many fanciful ideas and created many splendid and interesting creatures.
This world was indeed far, far better than before.
Yet Metis still did not feel that bright shock of novelty, nor that the world had been made anew.
This world had not truly reached what her beloved God-King required.
Even she herself was not very satisfied.
Metis kept feeling that something was missing.
Missing that crucial, core point that could thoroughly light all this up.
She thought to herself, No wonder Prometheus would be so humble, coming in person to ask my aid. It seems this crucial point has truly stumped them.
But what, exactly, was still missing from the world?
In silent thought, the wisdom goddess slowly sank into contemplation.
The three deities nearby, seeing the wisdom goddess contemplating, dared not disturb her in the least.
For a time, in that place, even the birds and insects of the wood seemed hushed by an unseen force, their voices pressed down.
Between heaven and earth remained only the purest sound—the breeze passing through all things.
The wind also skimmed the wisdom goddess's smooth, violet hair, lifting a wisp of dim light.
There on that forest clearing, beneath the cool, gentle breeze,
a brilliant yet formless lightning flashed through Metis's mind like an apocalypse, lighting in an instant the boundless expanse of her divine thought!
Her heart-sea thundered; she was suddenly enlightened.
Wisdom!
What the world lacked was wisdom.
It lacked truly intelligent life!
It lacked beings who could truly understand all this world, feel all this, and ultimately bear all this—truly intelligent life!
Beings that could live in this world and, as intelligent lords, rule and guide all these mortal things!
A wholly new, truly intelligent life with infinite possibility!
If the universe were to truly flourish, relying on mortal creatures who possessed but a meager wit and obeyed only primal instinct would absolutely not suffice.
This world needed a race that truly possessed wisdom.
Metis strung all the clues together completely.
The first God-King, Uranus, had bestowed spirit upon all existence, set the universe's most basic framework, and with the Mother of All Things had engendered many great gods as the world's foundation.
The second God-King, Kronos, by his supreme authority of "Creation," made many nymphs and elemental spirits and filled this universe with all manner of life-forms.
At the same time, many primordial great gods joined and begot a new generation of gods.
Thus the world slowly grew flourishing, and the gods were no longer trapped in eternal lonely torment.
And now, what her beloved God-King, the third God-King Zeus, required was more—enough truly intelligent life to cover the entire universe!
And she herself had, only just recently, with her beloved's help, attained the perfect, flawless "Supreme Wisdom."
At this moment, Metis understood everything.
No wonder, at the convocation of all the gods, after ordering the Prometheus brothers to create life, her beloved set out at once for the Underworld.
He did not go to lust after the Lady of Night's beauty.
Er…
At least that was not the main purpose.
His chief goal was to strip away the old God-King's and those Primordial Titans' authorities over the laws, to help her attain that supreme, consummate "Wisdom."
And also to obtain the old God-King's most crucial authority of "Creation."
Only thus could the universe truly usher in an era of unprecedented prosperity!
Everything—every last thing—was within his control.
It very likely
included Prometheus now, and this "appeal for help" he made to her.
Metis stared blankly for a while before she came back to herself.
From her heart came a long, quiet sigh.
Even now, having attained that perfect "Supreme Wisdom," she still felt her beloved God-King was fathomless.
Still, such a God-King was her beloved.
He loved her deeply, and coveted her deeply.
At the thought, her heart filled with tender happiness and a small, satisfied joy.
Having understood all, Metis could also guess what the god of foresight before her meant to do.
This ever-proud, ever-astute god of foresight must be dissatisfied with all the creations in the world now.
He surely meant to create a kind of truly intelligent life!
Perhaps even life with "the wisdom of the gods."
And without her aid, this he absolutely, absolutely could not do.
Moreover, if she did not participate, if she did not, as "the God-King's first wife," put her name behind him,
this nearly "presumptuous" trespass upon divine majesty would bring utter destruction upon all his future creations,
and even he himself would pay the most terrible price.
Otherwise he would never have shown such humility.
Metis frowned inwardly and could not help but think: What a bold god!
To think of creating a race with true "wisdom."
And of "mortals," no less.
If this were not also the result her beloved desired to see, then at this very moment, Prometheus should be sent down to join his father and brothers!
Are all of Iapetus's sons so daring?
Metis looked at Prometheus, her golden, all-seeing eyes carefully examining him, yet she did not speak at once.
Prometheus kept his face calm, open, and at ease.
In truth, his heart was in a panic.
Proud as he ever was of his cleverness, he would not be so conceited as to think himself wiser than the wisdom goddess.
If the wisdom goddess truly refused to cooperate—or had truly seen through his inner designs—
then his fate might not be much better than that of his foolish second brother.
But Metis did nothing.
After fixing him for a few breaths, she at last, in a tone that revealed no joy or anger, said slowly, "Son of Iapetus, you and Epimetheus have made fine lives, and you have organized the world's mortal beings well."
"However, I, too, feel that something is missing."
"Relying only on mortal beings who remain ignorant and muddleheaded cannot truly make the world flourish, nor can it truly ease the gods' loneliness."
"What thoughts have you on this?"
Only then did Prometheus slightly set down the heart that had been stuck in his throat.
He pretended as if only just now inspired and agreed: "Honored wisdom goddess, none are more perspicacious than you—what you say is perfectly right!"
"This very thing has been our vexation. We have kept feeling that something is lacking from the world."
"Though we have created many lives, we still feel that relying on them cannot truly make the world flourish, nor meet His Majesty's hope."
"But your words just now, on the contrary, woke me up."
"To rely only on those foolish beings cannot make the world prosperous. If we would bring prosperity, we need beings of truly great wisdom!"
"Our great Majesty is generous and magnanimous, merciful and compassionate! His Majesty has brought peace and tranquillity to the whole universe!"
"His Majesty cherishes all living things, and under the new and great sacred order of justice He has established, all thrives."
"There is indeed a need for life that truly has wisdom—to understand His Majesty's greatness, to revere His Majesty, to manifest His Majesty's sanctity and mercy!"
"Honored wisdom goddess, what say you?"
At this, the corners of Metis's lips drew into a faint, elusive smile. She nodded slightly and said, "Yes, there is some sense in what you say."
"Then, Prometheus, what specific ideas do you have?"
Prometheus felt his heart pounding fiercely again.
A strange ardor flowed from his chest to his limbs, making him feel as if boundless energy and courage had sprouted within!
He forced down his excitement, chose his words with care, and said slowly, "Noble and great wisdom goddess."
"I believe the world still lacks a race that possesses true 'wisdom.'"
"They could, on behalf of the myriad mortal beings, revere our great Majesty and extol His Majesty's greatness and immortality."
"For only life that truly possesses wisdom is fit to—and able to—truly sense His Majesty's greatness!"
"Besides, mortals are now many, yet with no single head, appearing disorderly and confused. Most are foolish and clumsy, truly hard to govern."
"If we could create such intelligent life, we could set them at the head of mortals, and they would order and lead the many lives among mortals."
"Thus, we gods need only govern that one race, saving us much needless care."
As he spoke, Prometheus kept carefully watching Metis's reaction.
Only, he could see nothing.
He could only ask all the more cautiously, "Your Excellency the wisdom goddess, what do you think of my idea?"
Metis smiled faintly. "It does sound like a good idea and a reasonable one."
"Only, in this great enterprise, what do you require me to do?"
Prometheus felt his excitement rise again. He forced it down and, feigning calm and ordinariness, said, "Great and perspicacious Lady of Wisdom, my brother and I are dull and guileless gods."
"A race that possesses true 'wisdom' is not something the likes of us can create by our paltry power."
"In all the cosmos, only you, the first wife of the great God-King, you who possess that supreme wisdom, can grant mortals true 'wisdom'!"
Metis nodded and raised no objection.
She merely asked evenly, "Very well. Only—how much wisdom should we grant them? How shall we grasp this 'measure'?"
Prometheus felt his heartbeat grow faster and faster.
He swallowed secretly and, according to the plan he had long formed, said cautiously, "If we bestow too little wisdom, then such beings have no reason to exist at all."
"But if we let them possess wisdom like that of the gods, that would be even more improper. Their small and fragile souls could not bear the gods' vast mind and wisdom, nor receive the gods' ocean of knowledge."
"Of course, base as they are, they are in no way worthy to possess wisdom as supreme as the gods'."
"So… so I suggest that you grant them the 'wisdom of freedom.'"
"You need only plant within them a small seed of wisdom, so they may grow freely."
"As to how far that wisdom ultimately grows—let that be left to their own destiny."
Metis, with her golden eyes that had attained "Supreme Wisdom" and could nearly see all, regarded Prometheus gravely.
Her gaze was like a deep sea unruffled by waves; light flowed slowly within, as if it could reflect the causes and effects of all things.
At length she said softly, in a calm tone betraying no emotion, "That is, in truth, a very good idea."
Joy rose in Prometheus's heart, and he was about to follow those words and add a few fine phrases to settle the matter completely.
But before he could speak, Metis had already turned her gaze to Epimetheus at his side.
In the same even tone, she asked, "Epimetheus, what do you think?"
Called on suddenly by the wisdom goddess, Epimetheus did not hesitate in the least.
He chuckled simply and replied in a tone both very earnest and very solemn, "Honored wisdom goddess, I heed the words of our great Majesty and of you!"
"You are His Majesty's most beloved first wife; your very being represents His Majesty's will! Therefore your will is my will! I, Epimetheus, will obey absolutely!"
At that, Prometheus could not help cursing inwardly: Fool! Only that one line? Not even a few sweet words? What a block of wood!
Yet after hearing this, Metis instead showed a gentle smile and said softly, "Good."
Then her gaze returned to Prometheus.
That look seemed to have pierced through to the depths of his heart, seeing all his hidden scheming and designs.
Metis asked lightly, "Prometheus, are you truly decided?"
That simple, even question was like an unseen thunderbolt, in an instant piercing through all Prometheus's divinity!
His god-body jolted, yet he still blurted out without a moment's hesitation, "I am sure!"
At this, Metis nodded without expression and spoke no more.
She turned her gaze toward distant Mount Olympus.
She was seeking her beloved's final word.
Just then, a thin, ordinary-looking dark cloud gathered silently in the sky above this place.
Metis already knew the answer.
Prometheus, on the other hand, keenly sensed that something was amiss.
He kept feeling that this plan of his—this whole matter—was going far too smoothly.
So smoothly it was as if, in the unseen, all had already been arranged.
Smoothness is often the softest snare of fate.
The net is woven by unseen hands; its threads quiver between fingers that command the unknown.
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