But Prometheus had no time to think further.
He stretched his great hand toward the remaining genesis substrate and grasped it all in his palm.
Then he flung that mass skyward with force!
In midair the substrate turned into millions of points of light and then showered down upon the earth.
Each point of light, the instant it touched ground, became yet another "human"!
A new race was thus born!
The lordly race of the mortal world—"humanity"—was born!
And in that very moment, within the order of Heaven, upon the supreme weave of destiny, an unprecedented brilliance dyed that pure, immaculate thread, dividing it into two distinct segments.
Before this the line had been either spotless white or uniform black; afterward, upon that thread of fate, all hues blazed—black and white intertwined, red met yellow, and in the end a myriad variegated colors appeared!
The holy, just goddess Themis, seeing the change upon the thread of fate, could not help but show a gratified smile upon her flawless, sacred face.
And the three goddesses who preside over all fate lightly ran their pale hands across this new thread that wove the destinies of every living being.
On their faces there likewise bloomed a hint of joyful expectation.
"The cosmos has at last begun a new age of wisdom!"
Metis, the wisdom goddess, looked quietly upon the tiny specks of humankind across the earth.
Even she did not know what this brand-new intelligent race—endowed with so many traits—would become in the future.
But she knew that these two brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus, had given this newborn race far, far too much.
This new race was destined to be the most complex race in the cosmos.
Softly Metis said, "Prometheus, your aim is achieved. His Majesty the God-King's commission may be counted as fulfilled."
At that she glanced sidelong at the newborn humans.
They were all stark naked, their eyes filled with bewilderment and ignorance.
Facing a world that to them was immeasurably vast and strange, their hearts were full of fear and dread.
Confronted now with three mighty deities as great as heaven and earth, they could only, by their most primal instinct, prostrate themselves upon the ground and tremble.
And among the prostrate crowd were a few bold souls.
In their bewildered, frightened eyes there gleamed an irrepressible curiosity.
Cautiously yet daringly they secretly peered, their sight far too feeble to behold any whole, unable even to catch a single true glimpse of the towering gods.
Looking upon this race whose bodies now were all but akin to the common "divine form," one might say her "children," Metis's heart could not help but fill with pity and compassion.
With a gentle sigh, she said, "Prometheus, this newborn race is the work of you brothers' labor. They, being complete only with man and woman joined, shall be called 'human.'"
"These newborn children have not yet obtained practical wisdom. Facing this vast world, they cannot survive."
"Next, you two must teach them the wisdom by which they may survive."
"When humankind can live peacefully upon this earth, then return to Olympus and report to His Majesty."
Prometheus was greatly settled by this and profoundly grateful.
He was deeply thankful that the wisdom goddess was a truly merciful and loving goddess.
"Great and merciful Goddess of Wisdom, thank you for your care for humankind! I will surely teach them well and make them forever remember your compassion and grace!"
Metis said mildly, "Prometheus, son of Iapetus, remember this. All of this stems from His Majesty's magnanimous grace and his merciful, loving heart."
"To teach these newborn children the wisdom by which they live is indeed very important."
"But equally important—indeed, even more important—is to make them abide by His Majesty the God-King's sacred, just order! To make them keep His Majesty's most exalted, sacred virtues!"
"Prometheus, engrave my words in your heart and resolutely uphold His Majesty's order and glory!"
Her words fell, and the towering Wisdom-body that had stood between heaven and earth vanished without a sound.
The wisdom goddess had returned to Olympus.
Kelaunia, who had been quietly watching all this from the side, was already shocked beyond measure.
Prometheus's deed filled her with fear, even disbelief.
She did not understand why the wisdom goddess had not punished Prometheus's presumption and had truly granted to mortals what could be called the most supreme gift.
But she could sense many anomalies.
And she had no standing to say more about what had happened.
Now that the dust had settled and Metis had returned to Olympus, she too did not delay.
She turned into her original form, spread her wings, and flew at top speed back to Olympus to report everything to His Majesty the God-King.
Whether she knew the inside story or not was unimportant; absolute loyalty! Do one's duty well!
She did not even exchange a word with the two brothers.
She had already resolved to stay far away henceforth from this reckless god Prometheus—those sons of Iapetus were entirely too outrageous!
After Metis and Kelaunia had both departed, Prometheus let out a heavy, silent breath.
The "ring" that had hung between the two brothers and tightly bound them together began to dissipate quickly now that this great work was complete.
That brief unified whole again split at speed, returning to the separate "foreknowledge" and "afterthought."
The sons of Iapetus dispersed their mighty divine bodies and resumed the common "divine form."
In stature they were not much different from the humans upon the earth.
Only the faint radiance their bodies gave off, the flawless, healthy perfection of their frames, and the noble bearing beyond the common sort marked them as more than mortal.
The world is immeasurably vast.
Humankind at this moment numbered only a little over a million.
Even gathered all together now, they were still so tiny against the boundless world as to be nearly negligible.
The three great gods' divine bodies hid away, and the grand portent had faded without trace.
The two deities stood in the midst of humankind.
But the prostrate people still dared not rise.
Instinct told them that those who stood were existences they could not comprehend, who could decide their every fate.
Only a few bold ones dared lift pure, ignorant eyes full of curiosity and fear to look upon them.
Epimetheus looked at his furrow-browed brother and then at these newborn, frail humans.
He pondered a moment, his eyes seeming to glint with wise light, and said softly, "Prometheus, my brother, 'humans' may possess wisdom that can grow freely, but they are much too weak."
"Look—they cannot soar the heavens like the eagle, nor run as swiftly as the cheetah."
"They have no hard scales, cannot change color like the chameleon to hide, and as for courage and might, they are far inferior to the lion."
"How can such fragile creatures become the lords of all mortal life upon this land?
"If they depend only upon that shallow spirit and wisdom, and upon such very brief lives, even if they can grow unceasingly—how strong can they truly become in the end?"
"I think I should grant them some powerful gifts!"
"I'll give them a pair of wings, add some scales, hm… I can also give them some fur, then some sharp claws! Changing color is possible too—add some fangs!"
"Gather all the strengths of the earth's powerful creatures and concentrate them in them!"
"In that way they can easily rule all living things upon the earth."
Prometheus stared at his brother in speechless exasperation, nearly choking on the breath he could not draw.
His lips moved; he started to speak, stopped, opened and closed his mouth several times.
At last it became a sigh of utter helplessness: "You incorrigible fool, I beg you—stop displaying that pitiful bit of 'wisdom' at random!"
"Remember this! 'Balance' and 'ceaseless cycle' are the only path to lasting development! They are the only truth by which the universe can flourish in health!"
"Just because 'humans' are to be the lords of mortal life, can we ignore that sacred 'balance'?"
"They already possess 'wisdom' that can grow freely. That alone is the greatest gift bestowed by His Majesty the God-King and the wisdom goddess! Second to none! For it is infinite possibility!"
"And moreover, the human form is fashioned according to the gods! It is already perfect! They have hands and wisdom! Don't you dare make a mess of it!"
Having given his foolish brother a thorough scolding, Prometheus drew a few heavy breaths and then went on: "Besides—can't you feel it? We no longer have the authority to create at will and randomly grant creatures their gifts."
"His Majesty the God-King has already withdrawn His authorization. Our task, at the very moment 'humans' were created, was counted as complete."
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