Rumours that Cattleya was the mother of the prophesied 'child of destruction' spread like wildfire, causing a stir among all who heard them.
While some were initially skeptical, that disbelief quickly vanished once they were shown the visibly pregnant Cattleya, already five months along.
Different pantheons reacted in different ways, and naturally, some chose to act. Attempts on her life were made, but the assassins certainly hadn't anticipated chains of causality erupting from the rupturing space and dragging them into an unknown void.
A public assassination attempt ended up revealing that the law of causality itself protected her, leaving many gods frustrated and powerless.
That revelation led to a wave of speculation as to how her identity had been exposed in the first place.
Tracing the source led investigators through various channels, from intergalactic information brokers down to distant universes, where certain gods had been secretly convening to discuss the matter of the prophecy.
But the real mystery of how those gods discovered the truth to begin with remained.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, no one would ever know.
The unborn child's father had made sure of that.
Cattleya's decision not to deny the rumours before they turned into accepted fact left many gods feeling like she had manipulated them, but there was nothing they could do.
While some considered targeting her loved ones and close associates instead, they were quickly reminded that the beings surrounding Cattleya were not ones to be trifled with.
Her brother, Creusery, reminded the universal sea once again why he bore the title of 'Black Phoenix', as he demonstrated impeccable control over his flames, reducing all the assailants to ashes within seconds.
Creusery and Cattleya had different mothers, but in the Devil race, while bloodlines were valued, they were not nearly as obsessed with purity as other races.
Because of this, both siblings were accepted without issue, despite neither of them being pure blooded devils.
Cattleya's mother was the Grand Duchess of the Leviathan Devils, the Devil of Envy, Inglis.
From her, Cattleya inherited exceptional energy manipulation talents, and from her father, she gained a remarkable aptitude for the sword.
Her combined skill made her one of the most proficient swordswomen in the entire Devildom, rivalled only by the sword masters of the Duchy of Asmodeus.
Creusery's mother, on the other hand, had been one of the most powerful phoenixes Hell had ever produced. From her, he inherited immense control over all forms of fire, but his devil blood altered the nature of his flames, turning them a deep, pitch black rather than his mother's bright red.
The colour of his flames stemmed from his 'Annihilation' ability, a power possessed only by members of the Devildom's royal family.
This ability allowed his flames to burn through almost anything, disregarding magical, physical, or spiritual defences. Of course, he could also choose precisely what would be incinerated and what would remain untouched.
The attacks on Cattleya's mother ultimately ended with the assailants being repurposed as test subjects for a variety of magical and alchemical experiments. She even went as far as requesting that more be sent her way, claiming she needed additional material for her research.
While a full-scale war would have made things far more straightforward, no one was reckless enough to provoke such a conflict against the devils of Hell during such a sensitive time.
Meanwhile, the other universes under devil rule, along with their allies and fellow enemies of the gods, including giants, titans, demons, and more, waited in anticipation for the birth of a child who could finally topple the arrogance of the god race.
Another topic that arose was the identity of the child's father, but Cattleya only offered vague, noncommittal answers, keeping everyone in suspense.
Of course, behind the scenes, Cattleya and her dark-haired best friend had met more than once.
During those secret meetings, she learned how the information had been leaked in the first place and the fate of the one responsible.
By the end of that conversation, Cattleya made a silent mental note to never betray a god of Darkness who not only wields a curse-based Authority but holds it on the same rank as her own Authority of Destruction.
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The suns continued to rise and set as the days slipped by, with many counting down to the birth of the prophesied child.
Months soon dwindled into weeks, and as expected, the entirety of Hell's Devildom was placed on high alert.
Even Cattleya, despite all her usual mischief, understood better than to move about recklessly, especially now that she could clearly sense the weakening of causality's protection with each passing day.
If she could feel it, then surely others could as well, provided they were sharp enough to notice. And if that information spread, the gods would no doubt seize the opportunity to eliminate her completely, consequences be damned.
As the foretold time approached, many began to voice their questions about the unborn child.
"Would he inherit the same protection as his mother?"
"Would he truly be the only one of his kind?"
"Would he actually be strong enough to slay the gods?"
These questions and countless others were raised, but no one had the answers they longed for. In time, they stopped asking altogether and simply waited in silence for the 'day of black sun' to arrive.
◇ ◇ ◇
Many solar deities speculated that the 'black sun' mentioned in the prophecy referred to an eclipse.
Specifically, a solar eclipse, which occurred when a portion of a planet is cast into shadow by its moon, partially or fully blocking sunlight. Such an event only took place when the sun, moon, and planet were perfectly aligned.
Given that this involved celestial bodies like suns and moons, the various sun and moon gods, along with nearby allies of the god-ruled pantheons responsible for the solar and lunar aspects of their respective pantheons, arranged a meeting to address the concerns stirred by the prophecy.
The 'Neutral Zone' was chosen as the ideal location for such a gathering, and one by one, the gods representing their respective pantheons arrived at the grand banquet hall prepared by the six leaders of the Neutral Zone alliance.
The hall was arranged in the style of a traditional banquet setting, with lavish spreads of food so abundant that the surfaces of the tables were barely visible. Attendees were entertained by acrobats, dancers, and vocalists, while music of all kinds filled the air, perfecting the event's ambience.
As for security, it was tighter than it had ever been since the alliance's formation, for if even one attendee were harmed in any way, it could spell catastrophe for the Neutral Zone and everything it stood for.
Solar deities such as Mawu of Dahomey, Inti of the Inca Empire, Belenos of the Gauls, Amaterasu-Ōmikami of the Shinto, Sol of Romersk, and even a Master-class god like Amun-Ra of Egito were present. On the lunar side, gods like Artemis of Olympus, Diana of Romania, Mani of Asgard, Losna of the Etruscan, and numerous others were also in attendance.
Presiding over the meeting was Apollo, who was backed by Amun-Ra, effectively silencing the protests of those who questioned his suitability for the role.
The central topic of discussion was the 'black sun' mentioned in the prophecy, which they unanimously believed to be an eclipse, an unnatural one.
As gods overseeing the solar and lunar aspects of various worlds, they knew full well that a simultaneous solar eclipse across all worlds was a cosmic impossibility under normal circumstances.
The wording of the prophecy—'all gods across all worlds'—was a clear indicator that the event would be something visible and significant across the universe, further supporting the idea of a synchronised eclipse occurring everywhere at once.
They also agreed on a likely point of origin. Based on the clues within the prophecy, they concluded that the eclipse would begin in two key locations—Hell, the home of the mother, and the universe from which the child's unknown father originated.
They had much to deliberate and spent nearly three full days addressing every issue at hand. In the end, a collective decision was reached.
First, they agreed to divide themselves into groups, organised based on the relative proximity of their universes to one another.
Each group was equipped with specially crafted artifacts that allowed for more efficient communication across the trillions of light-years separating them.
Since they had concluded that the mass eclipses would likely begin in the regions tied to the parents of the prophesied child, they resolved to maintain secret vigilance, hoping to determine which universe, and which pantheon, the child's unknown father belonged to.
Although there was a possibility that the father might be one of the sun gods present at the meeting, devising contingency plans for every possible scenario proved too time-consuming, and they ultimately chose to disregard that line of inquiry.
Finally, they unanimously agreed not to interfere with the mass eclipses, even if they had the power to do so. The law of causality, already confirmed on multiple occasions to protect the mother of the child, posed too great a risk.
Who could say whether the eclipses were a necessary condition for the child's birth? Intervening might bring consequences none of them could foresee.
Though the child's potential to bring their end was only a possibility, the certainty of the child's birth was absolute.
Following a closing feast, the gods returned to their respective pantheons, prepared to await the arrival of the day known as the 'Black Sun'.
◇ ◇ ◇
"How do you even know what the gods discussed in their meeting?"
"Obviously because your father had spies among them. What other explanation could there be?"
Cattleya answered Arthur's question with a yawn as she lay sprawled across the game room couch. On the couch opposite hers, Arthur and Layla sat listening intently as she recounted the events that took place before Arthur was born.
"So the next thing is the 'Day of Black Sun', huh?"
"Yep..."