LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 86 — In which we meet the thrones (3)
Chapter 86 — In which we meet the thrones (3)
After Purplus, a gigantic fox and the Purple Throne, explained what happened in the last 300 years, Amara fell into thoughts for a long time.
Seeing her old friend in such state, the fox laid their head down and stayed still to not disturb him.
The moon moved about 30 degrees through the night firmament before Amara opened his mouth and spoke again.
“No matter how I think about it, it’s strange.”
“What?”
“They’re too persistent in following that futile dream.”
The fox, who closed his eyes before, blinked once at a loss what Amara was talking about, and then again in understanding.
“Ah, you mean ‘uniting’ the thrones?”
It was indeed a futile dream.
Because uniting them was impossible.
‘One Throne’ was just a fantasy born from underestimating one’s capabilities in controlling the ‘natural laws’ of the world.
“Isn’t it in the nature of mortals to dream of the impossible? Those absurd fantasies that move them towards greater and greater inventions. The hope that they may enter a better world if they just take one more step forward. The belief they will go to the paradise when they die…”
“And yet it’s strange… Different people from different eras dreaming the same dream and showing very similar thinking…”
“Isn’t it inevitable that they base their thinking on the thoughts of their predecessors?”
“It is also inevitable that ideas change to accommodate the changes in the world and the revolutions it goes through. An idea which doesn’t change is abnormal.”
“Hmm…”
The fox went silent for a moment as they thought about it, and then asked:
“It’s not just the idea that bothers you, right?”
“Right, there were also the traitors. They were… too sudden. Neither of us noticed any signs before it was too late.”
Amara didn’t think he was omnipotent in judging people, or that he could notice every current and trend that shapes the thinking of others, but no matter how he thought about it, there were no signs of dissatisfaction, unrest or hate that could lead to such a violent coup.
As someone who gained the power through the coup of their own, Amara and his older siblings were naturally wary of a similar event.
Yet, even though they kept an eye out, suddenly the people, who never showed any negative attitude towards them, moved to kill them one day.
‘Even if they were hiding, it would be natural to show it somehow… Disagree with politics, bring up our favoritism or act uncooperative… Because without it, even if your enemies don’t know your intentions, so do your allies.’
So how did they organize?
Where and when did they gather?
How did they pull it off?
No matter how Amara thought about it, he couldn’t wrap his head around it.
And there was something else.
“There is one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“’That night’, when we rushed into the throne room, ‘their’ body and soul was already destroyed.”
“Yes. They were dead, weren’t they?”
“That’s what all evidence was pointing to.”
“… But?”
Amara recalled that dreadful night when he became the ruler of the Purple Throne and Luminere was established… and when he lost his love.
“It always bothered us. ‘They’ were the person who feared and hated death so much they wouldn’t let anyone on their land to die, no matter the cost…. But when they were about to lose their crown, they chose death over humiliation? It doesn’t make sense.”
The fox’s eyes darkened, when they also recalled the person Amara was speaking about.
“Besides, there was also something else that didn’t make sense about this set up. You and gods refer to them as ‘Soulless’. Why is that?”
“… I don’t know. It just feels right.”
“Right… I always assumed that you call them that because of their cruelty and a cold-heart, but perhaps… was it because they didn’t have a soul in the first place?”
“I’m not sure… Wouldn’t we notice if they really didn’t have a soul?”
“What if the soul was fake?”
“That’s impo-…”
The fox paused, as he recalled something.
Amara nodded.
“Right. You could say that was exactly what Sidus did during the War of Last Divine Rain. So it’s not impossible, it just goes against the laws of Heaven.”
“But even if you create a soul, this soul must become a part of the being… ”
“If it hung by a thread it wouldn’t really be a part of a being, would it be? Now, what if the same applies to the body?”
“… Are you implying that they didn’t have a soul AND a body? Isn’t it even more absurd? Even if a being can live without a body or without a soul, it can’t live without both.”
“They say that even if all the crows we saw were black, it doesn’t mean the next one will be.”
The fox wrinkled her nose, as if they didn’t like the idea.
“A being existing with a mind only…… Where did you even get such an absurd idea?”
“I heard a curious rumor, and it got me thinking.”
“A rumor?”
“Apparently priests of Purplus can control minds.”
*-*-*
A few days later.
Amara entered an enormous amphitheater located in the remote part of the Universe Temple.
As it was a place that would be open for the public on certain days, it was placed far from the main buildings and security measures were especially strict.
And today even the number of guards was tripled, as the Saint himself was coming.
*There are a lot of colorful fruits here...*
*Those are people.*
As Amara sat down on the bisellium and looked down on the people in colorful clothes moving below, the gods also turned their conversation topic to them.
*Are they all here to dance for our Am?*
*They better be. Am came a long way here.*
*He went on a longer trip when visiting your temples.*
*And I had people for him to dance afterward!*
The people below all had different types and colors of clothes.
They stretched, chatted with each other and double-checked their appearances.
Amara didn’t think the last one was that important in the following event, but years of enduring hours of putting on clothes, decorations and make-up taught him that a lot of people saw great importance in that procedures.
“Can we really deal with all of them in one day…?”
Phlox, who stood at Amara’s side, looked down with a worried expression.
Today’s agenda was choosing dancers for different plays during the Harvest Festival.
At first, he should be only choosing the dancers for the Fire Play, but while steering Phlox to revise the schedule, so he could prepare to take action on the day of the Rubrun’s Lesser Lord Mage’s coming of age ceremony, he decided it would be better to deal with all other dancers on the same day.
“It’s okay. I don’t have any other schedules today.”
“Indeed, but when considering that Your Excellency will have to return to the main building for his meals, and then we also can’t disturb Your Excellency’s resting time-”
“Miss Phlox.”
“Yes?”
“This is my resting time. Now, shall we start the fun?”
“Ah… Yes.”
Phlox stepped forward and then using a blessed item of one of the sound gods, her voice echoed in the entire amphitheater.
“The blessed of Heaven and Earth, the child of Fate, the one who brightens the path to the End, His Excellency Amara shall now address you. Kneel down before his light and lean your ears to the blessing of his words.”
With the heavy thud of people getting to their knees and cheer of gods in the background, Amara took the blessed item from Phlox’s hands and said, with a clear and soft voice.
“Stand up and raise your heads.”
The dancer candidates followed his command and looked up, showing their faces.
With a small smile, Amara spoke to them:
“I’ll watch each of your performances closely to the end… and them make sure to give my sincere review. Do your best.”
What followed was an extremely intense competition.
And Amara had fun during the entire process.
The people, who tried to convince him to leave until midnight not so much.
*-*-*
Like this, the third week after the return of the three old Thrones’ rulers passed.
The following week, the siblings spent making preparations to prevent an incident that none of them had a full grasp on, but each one of them was certain that their invisible enemies would move.
And then.
The day of Vern’s coming of age ceremony came.
*~*~*