Sakolomé had just made a staggering discovery: Mü Thanatos truly existed.
She was not a mere entity — she was the totality of all things, a dream, perhaps, woven by a god beyond gods, whom some called the God-Father.
Mü Thanatos… that name echoed within him like an infinite resonance. She was both the incarnation of the All… and the All itself.
Realizing this, Sakolomé suddenly felt how small he was — tiny, even — in the unfathomable vastness of what she represented. And how far he still was from grasping the true laws of what awaited him.
Sakolomé:
"Uh… Saiko, you say Mü Thanatos does not act? Yet… my father, Niyus, told me she once saved him…"
Saiko tilted his head, thoughtful, then replied calmly:
Saiko:
"It's not that she does not act… but her nature surpasses understanding. She is the All. In that sense, she acts… but without acting, you see? Her 'interventions' follow no perceivable logic. We don't know if she really thinks… or even if she can think. When she looks at you, it is mechanical. Unfathomable. Yet sometimes, she seems to move, act by a will… or her will, if one can still call it that. But she often restrains herself. Because to act as totality… I dare not even imagine the consequences."
Sakolomé lowered his eyes, thoughtful.
Sakolomé:
"I understand… I still hope to see her one day."
Saiko let out a small laugh, almost mocking.
Saiko:
"Are you sure about that? Chances are she is watching you right now. She knows what you're doing. She knows what you say. Maybe even what you're going to say."
Sakolomé's gaze suddenly blazed with determination.
Sakolomé:
"Is it possible… to become the apostle of a god?"
Saiko remained speechless for a moment. That question was not trivial.
An apostle… bearer of the divine word, spreader of its legend, receptacle of its will. To become the apostle of a deity was also to accept carrying a part of its essence. But with Mü Thanatos, such an absolute entity… was it even conceivable?
Saiko:
"You want to become my mother's apostle?"
He burst out laughing, a nervous, almost worried laugh.
Saiko:
"You've got guts, I'll give you that. But you have no idea the weight of what you ask. It's possible… maybe. But risky. Far more than you can imagine. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it."
Sakolomé:
"Why?"
Saiko:
"Gods… some entities, especially the oldest, are capricious, even devouring. They can absorb you, reshape you, make you lose your identity… just so their own will manifests through you. Stay who you are, Sakolomé. However… you can try to get closer to her."
Sakolomé:
"And… how could I do that?"
Saiko:
"You will have to grow. Evolve further. I don't know what drives you to want to cling so much to her… but be careful. If you try to manipulate her, reduce her to something comprehensible or distort her… she will make you pay. And in a way even the hells could not conceive."
Sakolomé smiled softly.
Sakolomé:
"I don't want to harm her. She saved my father. Without her, I wouldn't even have been born. This name, Mü Thanatos… it's etched into my existence."
Saiko squinted and sighed:
Saiko:
"You should know that mother knows everything. She already knew you would be born… even before the unconsciousness of reality even considered you."
Sakolomé sighed, then looked up at the invisible sky above him.
Sakolomé:
"I don't know when I will see her. But I will do everything for that… everything."
Saiko nodded slowly.
Saiko:
"In the meantime… you are ready."
Sakolomé looked up, surprised.
Sakolomé:
"Ready? For what?"
Saiko:
"Ready to become what I promised you. The pseudo-Divin. You can now awaken… whenever you want."
Suddenly, Saiko's body was covered with a dark, shifting tide that gradually engulfed him.
Saiko:
"See you very soon…"
Then he disappeared into the darkness.
Elsewhere.
Far from all this chaos, in the peaceful world of Existence, Amu was seated on the couch, hands folded on her knees, looking thoughtful.
Amu (murmuring):
"It's been so long since my children left… I hope they are well, wherever they are."
Suddenly, there is a knock at the door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
She frowns, surprised.
Amu:
"Oh? Who could that be?"
She slowly gets up and opens the door. Before her stands a young girl with neatly tied green hair, glasses resting on a delicate nose, and a gentle gaze.
??? :
"Hello ma'am… Is Sakolomé home, please?"
Amu (smiling but apologetic):
"Oh, I'm sorry… He's not home."
The young girl looks disappointed but keeps a polite small smile.
??? :
"Ah… Will he be here tomorrow, perhaps?"
Amu:
"I'm afraid not, he has left on a long journey. He probably won't return until next month."
The girl flinches slightly, looking troubled.
??? :
"A month…? That's so long…"
Amu (softly):
"Did you want to tell him something?"
She lowers her eyes a bit, blushing, then gently raises her head, adjusting her glasses.
Leyla:
"Well… I just wanted to invite him out for a while. We haven't seen each other for so long. I just wanted… simply to see him again."
She pauses before adding:
"My name is Leyla. We were in the same middle school class, he and I."
Amu smiles, touched.
Amu:
"Oh! A friend of my son's? Come in, I'll prepare you something to drink."
Leyla (timidly):
"Thank you very much, ma'am…"
Leyla wipes her feet before entering. She sits on a couch while Amu busies herself in the kitchen.
The living room is clean, warm. On one of the walls, a large family photo catches Leyla's eye. Sakolomé appears younger, barely twelve years old. He is surrounded by his brothers and sister.
Leyla (softly, in awe):
"Wow…"
Amu returns with two glasses of lemonade.
Amu (smiling):
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."
Leyla (also smiling):
"Oh no, not at all, ma'am."
She takes a sip, and her eyes light up.
Leyla:
"Wow! It's delicious!"
Amu (laughing softly):
"Thank you, you're sweet."
Leyla glances again at the family photo. Amu follows her gaze.
Amu (nostalgic):
"You're looking at my little troupe?"
Leyla (timid smile):
"Yes… It looks like a complete, harmonious family. Are these all your children?"
Amu gets up, takes the frame off the wall, and contemplates it.
Amu:
"Yes… Bakuzan, the eldest. Sakolomé, my second. Then Bakuran, then Salomé, my only daughter, and finally, the little one."
Leyla (curious):
"Have they all gone on a journey?"
Amu keeps her eyes on the photo, but her gaze darkens, becoming more distant.
Amu (lower voice):
"You could say that, yes…"
A silence settles. Leyla senses the strange shade of sadness in her eyes.
Leyla (softly):
"Ma'am… Are you alright?"
Amu forces a smile.
Amu:
"Don't worry, dear. It's just that… sometimes looking at this photo hurts a little. At one time, my family fit into a frame. Now… it is scattered across the four corners of a world too big for a mother."