[Vol. 8] Chapter 207: What Was Hidden
Violet paused in surprise.
A fragment of the Primordial Artifact, the [Sea of Time], also known as the [Anchor of Time], represented the power of the Present within the laws of time. This rare and mysterious treasure had been entrusted to her by Hen through their unspoken understanding. Although powerful and strange, Violet herself already possessed enough strength to handle most situations. Normally, unless she had a special reason, she didn’t use it much.
Back when the unspeakable and indescribable [Darkness] had briefly gazed upon the Origin during a lunar eclipse, the [Anchor of Time] had once activated automatically. It used its power to separate her and the [Darkness] into different dimensions. Violet was aware that was most likely a backup plan Hen had left behind, so she didn’t interfere and simply let it do its work.
And now, for the second time, this artifact tied to the power of Time had shown up on its own again. Could it be…?
Just as the priestess was quietly thinking about how to deal with the situation in front of her, the [Anchor of Time] released ripples, representing the Present, that spread outward. Suddenly, the blurry and chaotic images and sounds around her began to clear!
"This is…?!"
Could the Law of Time really be used this way?
Not stopping to think too hard, Violet quickly opened her eyes wide, carefully watching the scene forming before her. Something that had started to take shape because of her strange connection with the Serpent's Heart.
Maybe too much time had passed, or maybe that unseen force trying to block things was still active, because even with the [Anchor of Time] working at full power, the images that flashed by remained broken and scattered. They passed through Violet's vision like lightning, appearing and vanishing in an instant.
Even with her sharp perception and fast eyesight, she couldn’t catch every detail in the moment, but even so…
She saw it.
She saw the hidden past, something erased and forbidden to be remembered or revealed again.
She saw a massive, majestic shadow hanging in the sky like enormous interwoven wheels. There were no stars, no sun or moon, no repeating cycles. The turning of this being was the world’s only law. Everything existed within an unchanging dusk, locked in eternal stillness.
She saw a streak of golden light descend from beyond the universe.
That was [Light].
The [Light] tore through the serpent’s spinning body, cutting off its endless cycle. The shining, blurry figure, wrapped in radiant light, fought the giant serpent. Their presence was overwhelming, their power reversed the stars, broke the heavens and earth. The wheel encircling the world shattered in the glow, breaking into fragments that scattered across the world.
The light shone upon all creation, bringing forth stars and the sun and moon. These replaced the coiled serpent that once filled the sky. And so, the world was freed from eternal dusk. Day and night began to alternate. Brightness and darkness took turns.
In the final moments, she saw the giant serpent fall to the mortal world. Its blood spilled across the heavens and earth. From its blood, countless living beings were born, yet they wailed in grief.
But their cries never reached the glowing figure high above. That being rose into the sky once more and disappeared beyond the universe, leaving behind a newly ordered world with its own cycle.
"Snap!"
Suddenly, the [Anchor of Time] dimmed, its light vanishing. Black smoke rose from it as it stopped spinning and slowly returned to Violet’s body. All the illusions vanished with it, and the surroundings once again became a void of silent darkness.
"This was..."
The girl was dazed. And yet, in that moment, she seemed to understand what the vision meant.
This was the true battle between the original World-Devouring Serpent and the Primordial Light.
This was the moment the Serpent was defeated and slain by the Light.
This… was the Serpent’s memory.
But something feels strange...
No, it really is strange, isn’t it?
By all logic, the World-Devouring Serpent should be a destructive being that swallows worlds and stands against all living things. So why were the creatures of that world, the one surrounded by the original Serpent, born from the nourishment of its blood?
According to mainstream beliefs, especially those taught by the Goddess Church, everything in the world should have been created by the Primordial Light. So… what was that memory all about?
The part where the Primordial Light defeated and killed the original World-Devouring Serpent didn’t seem to contradict the stories passed down today. After the Serpent fell, the world seemed to return to its proper path. But some of the details in that battle… left Violet with an unshakable and eerie feeling.
It almost seemed like, the Serpent was actually the guardian of the world’s order, and the light that descended from beyond the stars was the invader that changed everything. Could that really be the Primordial Light spoken of in legends?
And also...
Violet looked at the Serpent’s Heart in front of her. It was releasing gentle waves of energy, balanced and peaceful. Not only was there no trace of evil, but the more she approached, the more she felt a strange sense of familiarity.
If the memory or vision could’ve been fake, the feedback she received from probing it with her divine sense couldn’t be. That kind of connection didn’t lie.
And this crystal, said to come from the Serpent’s Heart, why did its energy feel so much like that of the [Heart of Creation], the hidden relic buried deep within the underground labyrinth of Molst?
Violet had long wondered what the [Heart of Creation] really was.
Back when she stumbled upon the labyrinth’s hidden 50th level by pure chance, she had met its administrator. Although the administrator refused to answer many key questions, Violet had to admit, the [Heart of Creation] absolutely lived up to its name. It possessed incredible power, capable of granting strength that nearly reached the very limits of the world’s rules, enough to rival a peak demi-god.
That kind of unbelievable power defied everything the world thought it knew. It was basically a real-life wish-granting machine. Even the fact that the little dragon was able to quickly ignite the Primordial Flame was thanks to its help.
Although its actions were still bound by certain “rules,” its name suggested it came from the Primordial Light, or was even a piece of its divine authority.
Violet had always wondered why the Primordial Light would divide its power and leave behind something like that.
But that belief was beginning to waver.
The resemblance was too strong. This wasn’t just a coincidence or a passing feeling.
The thing in front of her, and the [Heart of Creation], shared the same origin at their deepest level. The kind of authority used by the Heart Core to manifest power and grant wishes, called the Law of Origin, was also present inside this Serpent’s Heart.
Maybe it was because she was currently in a spiritual state that allowed her to see its true nature. Otherwise, she might not have noticed it.
"......"
Violet had a feeling… like she had just glimpsed the tip of a terrifying truth. But no matter how hard she tried to follow that thought, the outline remained unclear and blurry. Her mind instinctively threw out several guesses, but she rejected them all herself.
It still wasn’t enough. There wasn’t enough evidence to draw any real conclusions. She still knew too little about the Serpent.
But she was sure the direction was correct.
“Huu...”
For now, she told herself, focus on the task at hand.