Chapter 3: Ambition

Special thanks to LonelyParadox for wonderful editing!

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"W-What did I do?" Lydia fumbled for words. Where should she start this long story? Her usual composure crumbled under the pressure. She never thought the Divine Spark was related to the Abyss.

'He will be killed here…'

The gods might have simply imprisoned him as a human. With abyss powers, however, he had no chance to live in Celestia.

"Aunt?"

"I'm a goddess," she murmured and drew a deep sigh. "I might have turned you into a god."

The unknown strength surging through him gave credibility to her words. Orion gazed at Lydia, eyes emotionless. Out of all things in the world, he never anticipated Lydia to make him a god. Just an hour ago, he was gazing at the sea out of sheer boredom. Now, he was a god.

From a mortal to a dead man to a god.

What kind of absurd situation was this?

As Lydia searched for words to say, Orion spotted tiny black hearts around her. Despite seeing the hearts for the first time, he understood their origin, their very meaning of existence. They showed her negative feelings. Her fear and anxiety.

[Talent: Sentimental Ocean unlocked.]

It was the first talent in the Song of Crimson Heart. A talent that allowed him to see how others felt through the hearts around them.

"Orion," Lydia asked, tilting her head. "Is something wrong?"

"Why did you do it?"

Despite his best efforts, his voice held skepticism towards Lydia. He trusted his aunt more than anyone. Then why did his mind refuse to believe her? There must be a reason she turned him into a god, a reason that wasn't pure love. A cold, intangible sensation kept his head cool, filling his head with numerous possibilities. One of which was Lydia being a demon using his memories to manipulate him.

[Talent: Curse of Knowledge unlocked.]

The talent made his thoughts rational to the point he didn't seem to trust Lydia anymore.

Lydia could see Orion putting up a guard against her. The less than favorable time in the hourglass gave her no choice but to swallow down her remorse. In her ideal world, she would have explained everything in Celestia, where the gods wouldn't have disturbed them.

Lydia's shoulders slumped. "Teyvat will be crushed at the end of the cycle like every blooming bud on the branches of Imaginary Tree…"

She went straight into the core of the story.

"Teyvat is the world of Genshin Impact if I recall correctly." Orion leaned back on the table, reserving his decision. "You made me a god to save this world?"

Lydia looked up at him. Her eyes held the same hope and light she had when she told him about the magic contained in water.

"I want to save this world."

Lydia hung her head, waiting to be ridiculed. She was naive for having a wish like this. A deceiver for trying to shove her burdens on her nephew. Even so, she couldn't abandon the wish her perishing friend passed onto her. If only the Divine Spark wasn't related to the Abyss, they might have worked together on the issue.

The dark hearts around Lydia softened Orion's gaze. The cold sensation flowed through his head again, stopping him from being sentimental again. He poured his thoughts into deactivating the talent. Being able to reject grief was a blessing to many but not him. His eyes regained the emerald color as though he had regained his 'human' side.

"Being a god didn't change your optimism. I'm glad it didn't, Aunt."

Under the beautiful visage of a goddess, she was still his aunt, the woman who raised him through hardships.

Lydia smiled, thanking him in her heart for not cursing her.

"Why do you need me for that though? You mentioned other gods in Celestia. Shouldn't they stop the world from being destroyed? Where is the Unknown God who stopped the traveler?"

Even if he could help in some way, he wasn't exactly hero material. He wouldn't risk his neck for people he only saw through the cold screen of a computer. This job was more suited for someone like his aunt, who loved to see others' smiles.

Lydia gave a weak smile. "Gods and the Sustainer are nothing before the Absolute One. The day it awakens from the slumber is the day Teyvat faces a catastrophe."

"Woah."

If she was right, then the Traveler was in for a rude awakening. Even at their peak powers, they got kicked around by the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles. The Absolute One was stronger than the arrogant Sustainer if Lydia's words were to be trusted.

Lydia's lips formed a wry smile. "It's not bullshit, okay? I don't have time to tell the whole story. Ah, I'll write it down."

Lydia summoned a thick book and a pen out of thin air, which flipped open on its own. The pen moved according to Lydia's will and wrote down elegant words at a speed that seemed like a movie running at 20x speed. After the pen reached the last page, the book closed and shrunk into a pendant that slid around Orion's neck.

"The book will appear to you whenever you desire. Please read it before making your decision."

"Why are you giving me a book now?" Orion narrowed his eyes at the hourglass, which was nearing the end of its cycle. "Is it…?

Lydia nodded frantically. "We don't have much time."

"Shit," Orion cursed. He hadn't even talked to her, and they had to separate.

Lydia picked up Makoto and approached Orion. He received his beloved black cat from Lydia and scratched its head.

"I'm sorry for being so selfish," Lydia said, melancholy clear on her face, and lowered her voice. "It's time to part ways…"

"I don't want to go," Orion said, acting stubborn. "We just met after years. How do you expect me to leave like this?"

Lydia chuckled as she wrapped her arms around him. "If you can kill every god in Celestia, then you can stay here. Otherwise, go."

"Aren't you expecting too much from a half-assed god?"

He knew nothing about his powers. He'd find it hard to survive against a god much less slaying one.

"Ahaha, we're powerless fools. I'll send you to Tevyat. Just have fun there."

Perhaps it was Orion's ego or his newfound powers, something just told him he wasn't powerless. He shook off the pride for now. Could he really defeat all the gods in Celestia and the Sustainer in his current state?

'I can't.'

Even if he was bored out of his life, he couldn't risk Lydia's life.

"I saw your tragic breakup, Orion. In Teyvat, you can get some girlfriends since polygamy is legal everywhere."

Not the advice one would expect from their aunt. Speaking of girls, the first one that came to his mind was the flirty librarian. Orion shook his head, recalling his new talent that dwelt in the matters of heart and emotions. Even with such a cheat skill, he wasn't particularly hyped for getting a partner. He was more worried for his aunt in Celestia.

"What about saving the world?"

"You have a couple of decades before the calamity… Orion, I'll love you regardless of your choice…" Lydia's voice shook. She was on the verge of tearing up. "So, choose… anything."

Her struggle didn't slip past Orion, who had no idea what to do in this situation. Her dreams couldn't be achieved if he stayed weak.

'Power.'

His eyes glowed with ambitions, a feeling that he had forgotten on Earth.

Lydia hugged him with more force, burning the scent and figure of her nephew in her mind.

"Meooooow." Makoto, who was getting crushed between the two, clawed at Lydia's dress. "Meow!"

Lydia stepped back with a red face. The world suddenly lost all colors and the floor they stood on became pitch black.

"Shit." Lydia hurriedly sent Orion and Makoto out of the dimension before it crumbled.

"Aunt, I'll see you soon."

Orion made a simple promise with a determined face before he and Makoto disappeared from the crumbling world.

Lydia waved her hand. "May the wind guide you throughout your journey."

As the last grain fell into the dune, the hourglass cracked.