Goddess of the Moon (3)

'One hour...' Luanne thought, observing Theo in the same condition. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, holding only the wind vortex in his hands.

The vortex in Theo's right hand began to oscillate rapidly. The spell unraveled from the bottom up, but soon reformed, falling into a loop until it dissipated again.

Luanne clapped her hands. "Great, that's your limit."

Taking deep breaths to recover his lost energy, Theo asked his godmother: "Will you tell me more about that 'essence'?"

"Good!" Luanne exclaimed. "It won't be necessary. At least not for you. It turns out essence varies among deviants. However, we follow some stereotypes, such as: elemental essence, which massively boosts our attributes; familial essence, like your father's, which comes from a family bond. And there's spiritual essence, an essence that personifies our power, our soul. There are other types, but... disposable ones. They'll be useless to you."

"Okay, if they're useless to me, where do I fit in?"

"In this last hour, I understood your essence. And it's a spiritual essence. But... it's already so advanced that you won't need to train this foundation anymore."

"What do you mean 'advanced'?"

She scratched her head, searching for words. "Well... apparently, you have so much ki that your own soul had to manifest beyond your body, taking on the role of essence. That shouldn't happen, as it's only possible for those who master their essence for centuries... You'd need to live a long time to accumulate this much vital energy..."

'At least Liam Mason left me something useful. This is definitely his accumulated energy.'

"So... Next step: your entry into the Alunne sect."

"Huh? Sect?"

Luanne spread her arms and spun, looking at the sky.

"The three coastal ones on this mountain represent the three great celestials. The first begins to possess the gift of life, hence they guide humans to the top. Alunne is the celestial of the moon, representing strategy, spiritual strength, and calmness..."

"They're religions," Theo interrupted disdainfully.

"Practically. We follow them, and they grant us blessings. I didn't bring you here to follow her, but to train you. What you do afterward is up to you."

"If anyone tries preaching some god's word to me here, I'll blame you."

"Very well, very well."

Luanne took a step toward Theo, and suddenly, both appeared before a massive gate. Scanning the surroundings, Theo noticed they'd moved over a hundred meters in a second.

"This is the 'Luna Matrix.' A lunar rock collected from a meteor. It resonates with your energy and indicates which moon you belong to: full moon, supermoon, etc. We're divided into groups, so the resonance you gain here will determine which group you'll join inside. Just rest your hand on the moon symbol and channel energy..."

Before his godmother finished explaining, Theo completed the action. On a polished sphere symbolizing a moon, he placed his hand and applied energy. The stone was engulfed by a translucent energy—ether—yet crimson illusions bathed the oracle.

A shock of energy surged, directly affecting Theo's mind.

"Hmm... so there are already plans for him?" inquired a haughty voice.

Liam stood in a desert of fine sand and turquoise sky, like a paradise. Looking ahead, Liam faced an enormous throne, so colossal it made the general seem like a grain of sand compared to the figure seated upon it.

A creature that, by its very existence, distorted reality. It was impossible to rationalize or even comprehend whether it truly existed. Even Liam couldn't.

"What a pity. Yet, a man like you cannot exist in the same plane again."

A snap of fingers echoed through the environment.

Theo released the sphere and rubbed his eyes. He tried to process the vision he'd had. As he approached, Luanne stepped toward the lunar sphere and murmured:

"Blood moon? What does this mean?"

"You don't know?"

"No. This group doesn't exist..."

"I was born during a blood moon—maybe there's a connection?" he commented, still rubbing his eyes.

"Perhaps? Maybe. I don't know. What matters is you can now open the temple gates," she said, smiling. Stepping back, the priestess made way.

Confused and with teary eyes—from irritation—Theo lightly pressed the gate. A light flooded his vision, followed by a terrifying pressure that nearly pushed him back.

His half-open eyes widened at the sight: a woman veiled, seated on an ivory throne, extending her hand toward the sky. Theo's eyes shone with admiration.

"This is Alunne. The great lunar deity," Luanne said, falling silent afterward and offering a prayer.

"Where is she looking?" Theo asked.

"At the moon. The skylight above her is where the moon sits at midnight. This happens in all her sanctuaries, but this is Alunne's main sanctuary."

They descended a staircase, heading straight for the statue. Glimpsing the lunar celestial, Theo spotted another statue behind her.

Theo circled a large central platform protecting the statues to decipher the figure: a man clad in armor, alternating between fabric and plates—likely gold. A sort of skirt covered his legs, also protected by plates. His hair was wavy and long enough to cover his ears. His eyes were calm, accompanied by a sincere smile.

"This is..." Theo murmured.

"Yes," Luanne nodded. "The lord of peaceful war, the one who fought to end the gods... Lumen, the hero of light."

The boy admired silently, releasing heavy sighs.

"His face resembles mine..."

"Exactly. A man who faced death and trauma. A god who, even immersed in a sea of blood, never stopped smiling while battling the God of War. This is the 'god of the blood moon.' For that genuine smile, I agreed to nickname you Lumen."

The words didn't match Theo's comment. Luanne seemed to ignore it, diverting her attention to admire Lumen again.

"Huh?"

Luanne sat on a step and smoothed her legs. She sighed before explaining.

"I never thought any man could be like him. The only one genuine in all his actions. I thought your father might, but not even Ethan handled his loved ones' deaths well. Yet, when I heard the black cataclysm hit Midian and you were there, I expected to find an empty child in Loureto, devoid of expression..."

Pausing to breathe, Luanne swallowed hard, staring at the ground.

"But no. You were happy, even feeling the weight of others' deaths. I watched you try to project strength to Agnes, even if awkwardly. You were certain of who you wanted to be. I admired that because, you know? Your godmother has lived so long, she no longer has goals like yours."

Silently, Theo walked to his godmother as she spoke. Climbing a step, he wrapped her in a comforting hug. She sighed gracefully, returning the embrace.

"So... Do I remind you of him?" Theo asked, pulling back but still holding Luanne's shoulders.

Luanne smiled.

"Yes. I hope you don't take this as a comparison..."

"Naturally, I hate expectations and comparisons. But since it's for your sake, I'll accept it." Theo interlaced his fingers and stretched his arms upward. "So, I'm the second blessed by Alunne?"

"More or less. You're the second man Alunne truly blessed. The others were allowed into the temple by the priestesses."

"I see. Who's that wolf?" Theo asked, pointing at a wolf statue beside Lumen's.

"The first of the Sirius species. We call him 'Lumen Sanguis.' Or just Blood. He was crucial in the ancient Ragnarok."

"He's imposing," Theo remarked. "So, Godmother. Why are we here?"

"Ah, right," she recalled, awakening to the purpose.

Luanne began walking through the sanctuary, climbing the steps of small reliefs. The sanctuary was a vast circular hall, with the statues at the center. Scattered throughout were arched doorways. Luanne headed for one of them.

"Behind each of these doors lies a different floor or field of the temple. However, you'll enter through this one," she said, pointing to an already open door.

Climbing the steps, Theo faced a green glow escaping the doorway.

"It's for me..." he affirmed, staring at the door.

"Yes. Go ahead—no need to fear."

First, Theo traced the energy's source. He knew that, even if just a portal, the energy emanated from some deviant. It didn't take long to conclude it was mana—a version so refined it felt like ether.

Still hesitant, Theo decided to cross the dense curtain of mana. After a wall of pure mana and having his body's cells directly touched by the energy discharge, he passed through.

Before Theo could even glimpse the place, an arrow was shot at him. By instinct and pure reflex, Theo managed to act, creating a dense air barrier that slowed the projectile's acceleration.

Instantly, a girl appeared beside Theo, holding a bow. In a sharp, forceful motion, she struck Theo in the face. Though he blocked partially, the impact sent him flying dozens of meters into rubble.

"Lady Luanne, did Goddess Alunne really choose this guy?" she asked, placing her right foot on Theo's shoulder as he lay in the debris. She glared disdainfully, the sun slightly obscuring her face.