Enjoy the chapter😁.
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As Aetherion finally teleported into his room, he was greeted by his giant king-sized bed and surroundings fully decorated in gold, with different kinds of wood woven between the gilded structures.
He walked toward the bed, letting out a quiet sigh.
"Ah, finally, some rest."
He jumped onto the bed, landing flat on his back and spreading out his arms and legs.
Above him, the ceiling reflected images of various desserts and foods, as he himself had become both the patron and guardian god of food.
A patron god was someone who had created something from scratch or had been recognized by a ancient force of the world—something significant enough to be acknowledged as a domain.
For example, in the future, Dionysus would become the patron god of wine, a domain that did not yet exist.
A patron god was, at their core, someone who had achieved something new—something that had been recognized and given divine authority.
Aetherion took a mental image of the scene as he stared at the ceiling, his thoughts shifting to who they were going to attack.
Pallas—the Titan of warcraft, combat, and Strategy.
The husband of Styx, the river Styx itself.
The reason Aetherion had chosen him was simple.
they needed Pallas on their side once he was captured.
With his wife and children already fighting alongside them, there was a risk that hesitation would arise if they were forced to fight against him later.
Because of that, Aetherion and Metis had agreed it was best to deal with him now, before he could become a future hindrance.
'It's just a matter of whether we can defeat him,'
he thought to himself.
After all, Pallas had been recognized as one of the Great Twelve Titans.
After the departures of Themis and Prometheus, and becoming one of the Twelve Titans, it was said that his power was immense.
Aetherion himself did not know the true extent of it—only that his children, Nike and Kratos, had given him insight enough to confirm the rumors:
Pallas was extraordinarily powerful.
He looked ahead to the coming battle with anticipation, but also with restraint.
As much as he might enjoy the fight, failure was not an option.
He could not allow himself to be consumed by the thrill of combat.
There was a goal to be accomplished—to capture Pallas, and if necessary… if absolutely necessary, to kill him.
Aetherion believed they would succeed.
After all, he had the Goddess of Victory, Nike, at his side, as well as Kratos—a god associated with strength and might.
Even his sister, whom he trusted to take care of their army, would surely truiump over Pallas army.
And as for himself, he needed to ensure that everything went exactly as planned.
As the commander of the unit, he could not allow mistakes.
That was his responsibility.
Aetherion realized this as he lay on the bed.
'How stressful it is'
he muttered to himself—and it truly was.
After all, the lives of those three rested in his hands now.
Their fate, and Pallas's capture, depended on him.
It was a heavy burden to bear.
Yet slowly, Aetherion's lips stretched into a faint smile.
'It's nothing I haven't experienced before,'
he muttered to himself.
He had managed to free his siblings.
He had managed to trick the King of the Cosmos.
He had hunted and captured hundreds of minor gods—and even some major ones.
Capturing one Titan, even one of the Twelve Great Titans, would be no different.
A confident smile spread across his face as a single thought echoed in his mind:
'I will win.'
And he truly believed it.
Even if only four of them were to leave, Aetherion still had his clones—his own army.
He would wreak havoc upon Pallas's forces and capture him with absolute certainty.
Finally, Aetherion began to close his eyes, wanting to rest and calm his troubled mind.
Yet his thoughts continued to wander, lingering especially on his domains.
He had mastered the divine form of four: the moon, the stars, the earth, and nature.
Each of them had bent to his will.
But the life domain was different.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not accomplish it.
It was utterly frustrating.
He had come to realize that achieving a divine form was like forming a bond—almost like lovers.
The closer the relationship between god and domain, the stronger both became.
Yet with life, he had not reached that stage, and the failure gnawed at him.
He didn't know what to do or which path to take to achieve the divine form of the life domain.
He had tried to form a deeper connection with it, just as he had with his other domains, yet he still couldn't succeed.
While he had grown better at controlling it—especially when using its power—he remained unable to reach that milestone, that single step necessary to attain its divine form.
That was what he lacked, and it was the source of his deep frustration.
He simply didn't know what to do.
Rolling on the bed in irritation, he finally stood up with a frustrated huff.
"Enough,"he told himself. "I need some fresh air."
Wrapping a cloak around his bare body, he left the room.
The palace was silent as he walked through it
—step, step, step—
no one in sight.
When he looked up, the moon appeared distant, almost dim, as though it had not been properly brought into the night sky as it once was.
After all, Selene was here.
If she were to leave this high kingdom, Kronos would capture her—and the moon along with her.
That was why the moon no longer shimmered as it used to, barely visible, like a distant star.
Lost in thought, Aetherion eventually reached the garden.
It was a beautiful place, one he had created himself using his nature and life domains.
Fields of flowers bloomed in countless colors, while small lions—his mother's recommendation—ran freely among other animals.
Different creatures mingled peacefully, unafraid.
Aetherion smiled as he walked through the garden, plucking a flower and examining it.
"Hm? Aetherion?"
He heard a voice behind him and turned around, his lips curling into a playful grin.
"Oh, Hera," he said, offering her a cheeky, mischievous smile. "What are you doing out on such a fine night?"
The woman recognized as Hera returned his smile.
"I couldn't sleep," she replied in a lofty, proud tone. "I needed some fresh air."