Aucuses caught Alaric's eager expression, clearly itching to find another test subject. He felt a pang of sympathy for some unknown soul but said nothing to dissuade him.
After all… Aucuses really didn't want to endure another treatment.
Self-reliance seemed preferable. Worst case, he'd hand his Characteristics to the Sun God and live quietly as a Sequence 2. Not a bad deal.
Aucuses would never bow to Adam or the True Creator, but for the true Sun God, he'd willingly offer everything.
If push came to shove, even clashing with an Outer Deity wasn't out of the question… His thoughts drifted, a rare moment of avoidance. But some fears were etched into the soul, indistinguishable from instinct.
Alaric, having settled on a new test subject, glanced at Aucuses and read his mind in a second. Shaking his head, he said, "Since your treatment worked, I won't linger. Want to split off an avatar to see Sasrir?"
Aucuses snapped back to reality, nodding without hesitation. "I'd like to see Sasrir."
"Then prepare an avatar. I'm heading to visit the Evernight Goddess, which should give you enough time to sort it out," Alaric said, not wasting a moment. He left Eternal Blazing Sun's divine kingdom and set off for Amanises's.
On his way, he spotted two familiar figures: Roselle and the God of Steam and Machinery. Last time, they'd been at each other's throats; now, their mood seemed far more cordial.
"Are you two… taking a stroll?" Alaric teased, eyeing them side by side with a gossip-hungry glint.
"What's that look?" Roselle, catching Alaric's implication, rolled his eyes. "Boss, can you wash that shipping brain of yours? Stiano and I are just talking about the biological laboratory... your assignment, by the way!"
The God of Steam and Machinery stayed silent, possibly not getting the joke.
"Oh…" Alaric, unfazed, grinned. "Discussing work outside instead of in a divine kingdom?"
"We're heading to visit the God of Knowledge and Wisdom," Roselle said, exasperated. "He's not a mechanics expert, but in occult studies, he's sharper than Stiano. We're looking to fill some gaps in our data."
Specialization matters. Though both were knowledge-focused deities, the God of Steam and Machinery and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom held different authorities, leading to distinct expertise.
Roselle aimed to develop a Beyonder tech tree, so beyond mechanical knowledge, he needed comprehensive occult insights. With the Hidden Sage as an enemy, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom was the obvious choice.
"Tch!" Alaric clicked his tongue, sounding disappointed. He sighed at the pair. "Fine, off you go then!"
"Stop shipping everything. If you must, pick something with substance, not just any crumbs," Roselle grumbled, fed up.
The God of Steam and Machinery, catching on, said quietly, "Your Excellency Lucifer, were you just visiting Aucuses?"
As allies, Stiano was familiar with Aucuses.
Alaric wasn't surprised he'd noticed. During Aucuses' treatment, Alaric's power had nearly spiraled out of control multiple times. Though it caused him no harm, he'd been steeped in Sun pathway energy. He nodded. "I just treated Aucuses. If you're concerned, swing by. He's in a fragile state and could use some support."
Alaric was serious. Aucuses was indeed vulnerable now, and Stiano, being something of a friend, could offer comfort.
At the very least, a frenemy's mockery might distract Aucuses from the awful treatment memories.
Stiano's expression turned odd. He knew how proud Aucuses was.
Eternal Blazing Sun, emotionally fragile and needing support? Really?
Roselle, recalling his own ordeal, shuddered and gave a sympathetic look.
Aucuses must've had it worse.
Not lingering to chat, Alaric said a few more words, bid them farewell, and continued toward Amanises's divine kingdom.
After he left, Roselle and Stiano exchanged glances. After a few seconds, Stiano asked, "Should we check on Aucuses?"
"Go, go, go! Why not? I can't wait to rib him!" Roselle didn't hesitate for a second.
He still held a grudge over Aucuses killing him. No plans for revenge, but he wasn't above some friendly torment.
…
While Roselle rushed to Eternal Blazing Sun's kingdom to tease him, Alaric reached the vicinity of Amanises's divine kingdom.
The Evernight Goddess, clearly keeping tabs on Alaric's unique presence, was waiting when he arrived, before he could even knock.
"Should I say first meeting, Lady Amanises?" Alaric smiled at her. Though they'd met in dreams, this was their first encounter in reality.
His last Astral World visit hadn't included a stop to see her.
"First meeting, Mr. Lucifer," Amanises replied with a gentle smile, using his alias rather than his true name.
She'd noticed Alaric preferred being addressed by his alias when in this form.
He did indeed, and his smile grew more genuine.
Amanises welcomed him into her divine kingdom, leading him to the place where she typically received other gods.
***
Hi guys, Elenea here. I hope you're all doing well.
I wanted to let you know that I'm currently working on one of the best projects you might ever read. This project is set in the world of Fairy Tail with some combined elements from the Yu-Gi-Oh! series.
I'm confident you won't regret giving it a try, so don't hesitate to visit my second account's page (elenea) and start reading it.
[Fairy Tail: My Magic is a Yu Gi Oh Deck?]
Synopsis:
Getting isekai'd into the world of Fairy Tail sounds amazing with all the magic and beautiful girls in it...
But do you know what's even more fun than that?
Getting isekai'd with a Yu-Gi-Oh deck!
(No knowledge of Yu-Gi-Oh is needed, so don't worry.)
...
If you like it feel free to giving it a try.