Chapter 266: Beyond understanding

Chapter 266: Beyond understanding

In the center of the room throned an imposing mechanical pillar of gold and steel which held at its top a glass ball the size of a small hut, covered in golden tracks. The emissary of the Deep had been covering it with its body until now.

Inside was a presence that Sofia recognized. As the rune rebuilt her body, she observed the being through Pareths eyes.

An Archangel.

The blurry humanoid figure made of blue electricity floated inside of the sphere. Its appearance, riddled with bright points of light like pulsing stars, was shaking and twisting. It existed in many forms at once, as parts of its silhouette appeared and disappeared, not following any logic or reason.

The pressure and aura of power she felt from the being of light was one that she was familiar with, the exact same she had witnessed in the first tower of trials, upon its Archangels descent.

But this was a being supposedly older than the system, and it was made of pure electricity, not mana. Like a living bolt of lightning, staring back at Pareth.

The first thought going through Sofias mind as her brain reconstructed was to try [Identify]ing the thing. She half-expected not to get an answer, as the Scribe often gave no result from identifying the mechanical constructs of the temple, but contrary to her expectation, something appeared.

[False God]

Mr scribe Are you saying that all Archangels are actually Gods and this is a fake one, or that all Archangels are fake Gods? Because this is undoubtedly an Archangel, no matter how you look at it!

Truth. I am artificial. The elven voice from before resonated in Sofias head. If more like me, all artificial. No essence. No God.

The way it talked was a bit clunky, Sofia wasnt sure if that was the result of prolonged isolation, a general lack of knowledge from them, or just her own translation from Elvish to Common being lackluster.

Can I move? Oh I can, for once. Great!

Hi? She tried hesitantly. Not that she felt shy but her pronunciation of elvish was still pretty much all random guesswork as this False God was the first person she ever heard use it.

I greet you. Freed me. Heartfelt thanks.

I had my own reasons, but youre welcome. Care to explain how you ended how you did?

My Birth, taboo. My domain, forbidden. After creation, imprisonment.

So the Deep sent this thing to stop you? Did I make a mistake releasing you? And if you were imprisoned right after birth, how do you know these things?

Born with understanding. Artificial essence, in temple everywhere, ripe with knowledge and energy of star.

Only you know what is mistake.

Deep? Mean jailer? Intercept my birth. Stopped me. Forbidden domain.

What are you the god of for your domain to be forbidden?

Connection. Link. Bridge.

The blue shine of the fake god was visibly fading as it resisted the unending assault of the whale.

Didnt it say that its artificial essence was everywhere in the temple? With the temple getting destroyed

It was in moments like these that Sofia found herself the calmest.

The bubble protected her, Pareth, and the small chunk of floor they stood up, but the entirety of the temple was disappearing. Already, Sofia could see the sun shining below, ready to swallow her whole if the whale didnt manage it first.

Her mind was going through all the possibilities she had to maybe survive this. She even took out the Scroll of assisted inspiration she had gotten from her gachapon boxes and quickly wrote on it her query How do I survive my current situation. The scroll had no answer.

Sofia could only watch, defeated, as the last remnants of the temple fell into the abyss of the whales maw. Even the side pyramids were swallowed whole, nothing was left now, except for Sofias bubble, the fake god, and the titan of the Deep.

Sofia sighed.

So much effort for it all to end like that?

I havent even found Saria yet

Sitting on her little bit of floor she stopped paying attention to the invisible struggle of the fake god and the whale. She took out the midenicite tablet Aphenoreth had gifted her.

If you ever wanted to help, nows a good time

I couldnt do it, sorry. This is just too much.

Please

Her prayers were answered by another entity.

Be fine. May we meet again.

The fake gods silhouette expanded. Sofia saw the ethereal form of its many arms come together in a point. Its blue shine, its form of lightning which had been constantly weakening, suddenly flared up. It grew bright. Brighter and brighter, until it outshone the very sun above which it fought.

Sofias senses were numb, all she could see was white light, all she could feel was Pareths protective embrace.

When the light faded there was no more fake god, no more sun, no more whale.

Sofia and Pareth were in a small room of the temple. One full of familiar-looking machinery, yet somehow in an unfamiliar arrangement.

She spotted a glass case in the middle of the chaos of tubes and gears, engraved with the elvish words for do not open without permission , it contained the an unassuming book:

Defense system module models.

The southern pyramid!