The Life Vase was within reach, but Moanda now had no thoughts about it. If it had been not long ago, as an oak nymph, she would have been completely unaware of the terror of the person before her, but now, she could sense the terrible power contained within this figure.
Probably not wanting to disturb Gaia, the newcomer was standing just outside the barrier Gaia set for the Golden Apple Tree, as seen by Moanda's 'eyes.' But she could also 'see' that some insidious force had already enveloped the orchard, cutting off any connection between the inside and the outside.
Next to the consciousness of Moanda, that hazy Thought that had just acquired Wisdom curled into a small ball, as if scared by this terrifying presence. However, facing such a situation, the Elf was only startled for a moment, then immediately asked calmly,
"Are you the one who guided me to take this step?"
"I thought it was the Divine King of Mount Olympus before, but now it seems to be someone else."
Indeed, for this moment, Moanda had anticipated it. That mysterious Ancient Serpent couldn't have appeared out of nowhere; it must have had its own agenda. Either it was an enemy of Mother Earth, seeking to target Gaia through her existence, or it had other schemes and would surely appear before her when everything was over.
Now it seemed to be the latter, of course, one couldn't rule out the former possibility... Moanda speculated thus, yet under her 'gaze,' the figure before her simply shook its head.
"You are overthinking, Elf. Perhaps your existence is not as important as you think, and today's events have even less to do with me. This feeling of the cycle of life and death... is undoubtedly Laine's doing, he must have been responding to Gaia's creation of life to match the trick I played. And you, are just a lucky one who happened to be there."
"Now, answer my question. If I hadn't come, where were you planning to go before?"
Asking again, the tone of Erebus became slightly more severe. Even though his voice wasn't loud, Moanda could still detect the undeniable determination in it. Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-novelhall.net
"I was planning to go to Mount Olympus to meet the Divine King. He had been here, and it was on that day that I received this rare opportunity."
Without concealing anything, Moanda chose to tell the truth.
"Before, I always thought he orchestrated all this, and then he locked up the God of Meteorology in the Abyss, just like with the Titans. So I planned to see if he has the power to stand against Mother Earth. If he does, then I am willing to stay on Mount of the Gods, serving the Divine King as do the other gods."
"Heh, you probably overestimate him. Although Gaia has weakened beyond recognition, and her authority does not excel in combat, it is still not something he can deal with."
With a scoff, although at the beginning of the new era, Erebus too had entertained the idea of 'making friends' with Zeus, but that was predicated on him at least showing the power and abilities that Cronus had. However, at least from the new king's performance in the last century, the Lord of Darkness saw no such potential in him.
Of course, maybe it was too soon; Cronus took a long time to change his fortunes, so for now, Erebus chose to wait and see.
"Come with me. Since you are now the owner of the Life Vase, indeed there is a place I could use you."