The sudden voice of a woman rang out, shaking the heavens and the earth, instantly drawing the attention of Hermes and the gods gathered upon the clouds.
But the moment they heard the words spoken by that voice, their expressions immediately changed.
At the same time, that voice began to echo across the entire world.
From distant Mount Olympus to the dark underworld, from the vast ocean to the terrifying abyss, every god, every human, even every ghost, this solemn and sacred voice resounded in the ears of every being within the Greek divine realm:
"My name is Hecate, and today I step upon the path from mortal to god."
Beneath the Mooncell, the woman's figure was wrapped in boundless magical power, appearing incomparably grand.
"All the mana of the world flows from me. All the ley lines of the world are mine to command!"
Across all of Greece, the ley lines seemed to respond to her words, their currents converging toward Colchis Island in an even greater torrent of magical energy.
"I am the weaver of the magical net, the protector of mages, the source of magic itself."
With her will, the ley lines appeared to interconnect in a strange way, mana flowing swiftly. Soon, with the ley lines as nodes, the whole of Greece was bound together into a vast magical network.
At that same moment, every mage in Greece instinctively sensed the presence of this great web. They began to realize that their magic itself now seemed to require drawing upon its power to be cast.
"All the spells of the world are but manifestations of me. All who wield magic are my followers!"
The bond between magic and the web grew ever stronger. The mages' connection to it deepened, and within it they could feel a vast will.
That grand, mysterious will was tied directly to the magic they were so proud of, and so, instinctively, they revered it.
The gods finally understood: this was a declaration of apotheosis. A mage was attempting to use magic to raise herself to the status of a god.
Though none of them knew how such a thing could be possible, how a mortal could seize godhood after birth, most of the gods were unwilling to see it happen.
Especially Zeus.
As the ruler of the pantheon, the one who had overthrown the former generation of gods, he could not allow such a precedent.
To him, divinity was the power that belonged solely to his family.
He might bestow a divine office upon another at his whim, but if mortals could seize such authority for themselves, his monopoly would be broken.
Even if it was only one mortal today, once a precedent was set, there would be more tomorrow. And if so, how could the gods hope to keep mortals in awe?
Mortals feared gods only because of the unbridgeable gulf between them.
But once it was proven that gulf could be crossed, reverence would fade.
Zeus and the gods were furious. They wanted to strike with all their might and end this apotheosis immediately.
But it was already too late.
The final words of divinization had already been spoken.
"Mana flows at my will. All spells manifest through my thought. I am the magical net. I am mana itself. I am the God of Magic!"
Above Colchis Island, the ocean of gathered mana surged like a whale drawing in water, pouring into the woman's body.
With its aid, her soul began to ascend, and her mortal body was exalted higher and higher.
At last, her form rose gradually into the sky. Overhead, the colossal blue crystal shattered like glass.
The projection of the Mooncell finally vanished.
The last of the power sustaining it had been drawn into the woman's body.
That projection had existed to temporarily allow a mortal to fulfill the role of the God of Magic, to sustain the computations.
Once it disappeared, the mortal woman should have instantly collapsed into idiocy, overwhelmed by the enormous information and calculations required to maintain the magic net.
Yet when it vanished, she no longer needed it.
Everyone in the Greek divine realm could feel it: a great being had been born.
Her name was the God of Magic, guardian of mages, goddess of the magical net, Hecate.
At that moment, a dazzling brilliance of magic burst forth from Hecate.
It was a rainbow-colored radiance, yet it carried the scorching intensity of the sun.
Within that brilliance appeared a towering figure of Hecate herself, more than a thousand meters tall, looming above Colchis Island.
She was robed in wizardly vestments, holding a magnificent staff, her beauty so radiant that even gods could not help but be captivated.
She had once been Pandora, no, she could no longer be called that. Even as a mortal, her beauty could rival the goddesses.
Now, as a true deity, her allure had risen to the highest ranks, rivaling Aphrodite and Artemis themselves.
All mages were spellbound by her beauty, subdued by her might.
In every heart welled an unshakable joy, the feeling of a great will descending with magic into their bodies, their circuits, their souls, their hearts.
Their goddess had been born.
With the exception of Alaric and a few others, nearly every mage fell to one knee in that instant, silently intoning Hecate's divine name.
But high above, the gods instantly recognized the identity of the new deity before them.
The name slipped from their lips:
"Pandora?"
"No. I am Hecate." The goddess shook her head with a faint smile.
"As one who has become divine, I cast aside my old name.
I am no longer Pandora, no longer that creation of yours, no longer the first woman, the opener of the box, the bringer of misfortune.
Now, I am the God of Magic, the god of all mages, the goddess of the magical net."
Her resolute words darkened the faces of Zeus and the other gods.
They understood perfectly well what she meant: she was drawing a line between herself and them.
But the overwhelming might she now wielded left them no room to respond with scorn.
It was a divine power vast enough to rival, even to surpass, Zeus himself.
They could hardly believe it, how could a newborn god, a mortal raised to godhood, possess such might from the very beginning?
Yet there it was before their eyes.
They had no choice but to believe.
And gods were the most pragmatic of all, the ones who worshiped strength above everything else.
For the sake of power, even brothers would betray each other.
And with power came rank among the gods.
So Zeus smiled warmly at Hecate, stepping forward with an invitation.
"Congratulations, Lady Hecate, on achieving apotheosis and becoming such a mighty deity.
Since you are now the God of Magic, you are fully qualified to join the Olympian pantheon.
What say you? Why not join us? After all, there is a bond between us, and the seat of chief god within Olympus is yours for the taking."
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