Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

"According to the stars, it happened on a dusky evening after a rain, at the time when day and night alternate,"

"The Moon had not yet risen, but the Sun had not set either - that is the answer I can give you."

The words of the Goddess of the Magic Net were heavily suggestive, so, armed with this precise omen, Demeter hurried off. She stopped the God of Sun just as the Sun was about to rise, and asked him about everything he had seen. Under her questioning, Helios initially tried to hide the truth, but eventually, he had no choice but to reveal the outcome.

"I don't know why such a thing has happened... Princess Demeter, I only saw that on that day, in the secluded valley you spoke of, the earth split open, and the ruler of the Underworld took her away in his chariot."

Finally having learned of her daughter's whereabouts, the goddess couldn't help but be enraged. She immediately returned to Olympus, demanding Zeus punish the reckless Hades and bring Persephone back to the Mortal Realm.

However, to her shock and anger, the Divine King denied her request, because he had once promised Hades a condition, and now, it was time for him to fulfill that promise.

Thus, in the Divine Palace atop Mount Olympus, an infuriated Demeter removed her golden staff and placed it before the throne of the Principal God. Using the Divine Artifact as a medium, with her own authority she commanded all things to cease growing and to wither and decay.

"Bring my daughter back to Mortal Realm, Zeus, otherwise, you will lose everything you have gained now, one by one!"

Having left behind harsh words, Demeter departed from Mount of the Gods. From that moment, the earth lost its bountiful harvests, and she would not budge on this, unless Persephone returned to Olympus.

She believed that once the gods experienced the benefits of faith, they would definitely not want to lose it again, and what she was asking for was not their interests, but simply for her daughter to be returned.

This was a reasonable demand, and in the end, the gods would surely compromise.

"...For now, it's best to stay here."

The long-held and macroscopic power did not bring physical weariness to Demeter, but it left her spirit with little rest. Spending some time in this nation of humans would be good too.

With that thought, the goddess continued to maintain the guise of an elderly face, leaning back on the bed, closing her eyes to rest her spirit.

...

"Another spring has arrived..."

The cold wind swept across the land, bringing a scene different from that of spring, summer, or autumn.

Tens of miles away from Silver Moon City, alongside a man-made stream, Nuo sat in a wooden wheelchair crafted by artisans, looking at this scene with some emotion.

The dried trees on both sides of the stream bore witness to the beginning of the year; sadly, due to the influence of the intangible and formless Law, not one of them sprouted new shoots.

Such an outlandish climate surprised and confused everyone, but compared to Eryxis Kingdom miles away, Silver Moon City didn't worry about it.

On one hand, this was because Nuo had already prepared enough food. Following the Prophecy given to the Goddess of Fertility, the Goddess of the Magic Net relayed a message to the inhabitants of this city. On the other hand, it was because this 'winter'—unprecedented by Chaos—couldn't truly affect them.

When the first 'winter' arrived, the Angel by the Samsara Well was stirred by the cycle of the seasons. Thus, Eunomia, who presided over spring and rebirth, bestowed additional blessings on this realm, allowing their farmland and cities to welcome spring as expected.

It was only because they were too far away; otherwise, these trees wouldn't have become like this. Yet through them, Nuo could see even more.

"A famine, is it? The last time was a great flood, so what is it this time... or perhaps this is not another attempt to exterminate humanity, but merely a reflection of a struggle?"

He muttered a guess and then shook his head; regardless, Silver Moon City would not suffer hardships because of it.

Nuo turned to look behind his wheelchair at Cohen, the 'old fellow' he had known for a long time, who was gazing into the western sky, lost in thought.

"Whatever it is, Cohen, I probably won't be around to see the outcome, but you should be able to."

Even though his face still maintained its past appearance, a sense of life's impending end—a rotten decay—had long since permeated Nuo's body. In contrast, Cohen, whom he jokingly called an 'old fellow,' had not changed one bit, not showing any sign of aging.

The lifespan of the Golden Human King was unimaginably long, and as the divinity within him grew in strength, his life approached eternity. Aging was no longer a possibility for him; even after ten thousand years, his appearance would remain the same.

But Nuo was different; he did not belong to an immortal race, nor was he a person with exceptional talent on the path of transcendence. He wasn't even like the later-borns with naiad blood, endowed with lifespan many times that of ordinary people—he was just an ordinary Bronze Humanity individual.

Or rather, when Nuo invested all his energies into Silver Moon City, it was impossible for him to achieve any extraordinary feats in other areas. His survival to this day was already the result of various factors.

However, if he did not seek change, if he did not pursue a deeper transformation of soul or body, then this was already Nuo's limit. Perhaps this year, or the next, he would step into the end of his life, concluding a brilliant existence.