"MAMA BOSS, did you say you and Queen Tara lost to the Abyss because it took the Cosmic Tree's form?" Neoma asked while stirring the tea that her mother brewed and served to her. "Mama Boss and the queen were young and inexperienced back then, right?"
"That's right," Mama Boss said while nodding. "Tara and I hadn't come of age yet when we tried to cleanse the Abyss. We utterly lost."
"I see~"
Her mother glared at Neoma playfully. "Baby Muffin, you want to tease me, don't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Mama Boss~"
"Trevor told me to trust you when I tried to stop your "children" from going to the Abyss," Mama Boss said. "He said you wouldn't send the kids there if you knew they couldn't handle it. Hence, it's fair to assume that you know how to beat the Abyss."
"To be honest, I sent my "children" there hoping that the Abyss would take my form."
"I don't understand, Neoma. The Abyss doesn't only take your form. It also copies the memories, feelings, and even abilities that you have."
"That's true. However, there's something that you failed to consider, Mama Boss."
"What is it?"
"It's forbidden for any force or children of nature to replicate a god," Neoma said, finally getting serious. "The Abyss is dangerous and ominous, but it's not evil. It just so happens that the Abyss absorbs all the bad energy from the Afterlife. Hence, Abyss is still considered a part of Nature. That's why it shouldn't be allowed to replicate a god. However, the Abyss doesn't have a mind of its own.
Hence, if the target thought of a god as the strongest being it has encountered, then the Abyss has no choice but to copy it."
"Will Nature punish the Abyss if it replicates a god?"
"The Nature understands the Abyss', well, nature. Hence, the Nature won't punish the Abyss."
"Then what happens if the Abyss replicates a god?"
"The replica that the Abyss creates might be "born" with a mind of its own. It happens when someone or something replicates a god."
Mama Boss frowned. "That sounds dangerous."
"It is. But I trust my "children,"" Neoma said confidently. "They earned the right to stand by my side, after all."
Much to everyone's surprise, the mirage turned to them.
Paige, the creator of the mirage, felt a shiver down her spine.
[I'm supposed the one manipulating the mirage that I created, but why do I feel like the urge to kneel and bow my head towards the illusion?]
This was probably why it was forbidden to replicate a god!
"Eomma, please help us!" Greko pleaded to Princess Neoma's mirage. He was even using the puppy-dog eyes that the real Princess Neoma couldn't resist. "Please beat the fake Commander Ruto for us!"
The fake Princess Neoma laughed softly.
And then...
"I don't want to," the mirage of Princess Neoma said in a playful tone, and then she pointed at the fake Commander Ruto. "I like that man's face."
Oh, no.
"The mirage really has a mind of its own," Jeno whispered nervously, gulping. "And it even captured the real Princess Neoma's vanity."
"What should we do?" Xion asked in a low voice. "I feel like our plan has backfired on us..."
While they were worrying about their next move, Commander Lewis scoffed at them.
"What is it?" Juri demanded while looking at their commander expectantly. "Do you have a plan, Commander Lewis?"
"I am more handsome than Commander Ruto."
Everyone fell silent while looking at their commander in disbelief.
[Lewis usually doesn't care about his appearance...]
"In Princess Neoma's eyes, I am only second to Rubin Drayton when it comes to 'visuals,'" Lewis said confidently. "And I have one more trick up my sleeve."
***
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