The Hall of Stars.
Hastur appeared as the Master of Stars, gaze fixed on the star where the Son of Chaos resided. He swung out a chain of order, drawing the Son of Chaos to him.
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The sea.
Inside the captain's cabin of the Dawn, a familiar starry sky appeared once more, only to vanish again.
Bernadette gazed at the fading starlight, her expression unreadable.
The light that had descended from above, like a star river impossible to cross or resist.
No matter what kind of seal she attempted, she could not lock that starry sky in place, much less trace it back to its source.
"This is the power of the stars. Go seek it, find Their believers. That is the easiest and safest way for you to understand It."
The Son of Chaos let out a sigh, looked at the starry sky overhead, and fell silent.
His avatar had already passed through that starry sky and reached the Hall of Stars.
Upon arriving again at this hall, He was far more composed than before. With only a glance at Hastur, He then lifted His eyes to the starry sky above.
He had suspected the truth the first time He came. This time, after studying it carefully, He became more convinced of His thoughts.
Each star in that sky represented an Outer Deity or an Old One. He too was one of them.
The Mother Goddess of Depravity, the Mother Tree of Desire, the Ruler Beyond Stars, the Circle of Inevitability, the Primordial Hunger, perhaps all were among those stars.
This Ruler of the Stars, whose true name was impossible to know, spent Its idle time staring at those stars, watching every move they made.
Overlooking other beings from a higher dimension… Was It really not the Higher-Dimensional Overseer?
The Son of Chaos again turned His gaze toward Hastur, quietly studying Him, yet thought He did not resemble one.
He had encountered Higher-Dimensional Overseers before, and more than once, so He knew them fairly well.
"Which existence are you really?" the Son of Chaos asked once more, voicing His doubt.
"Don't you want to find the answer yourself?" Hastur glanced at Him lightly.
"Not at all," the Son of Chaos replied directly.
"To admit one's own helplessness sometimes requires great courage."
"Heh, I just don't want to waste time."
"Pity, because I very much enjoy playing this game."
Hastur, of course, would not tell Him.
After all, Hastur himself was unsure what kind of identity He possessed at that moment, the only certainty was His role as the Master of the Hall of Stars.
"Hmph, the same twisted sense of humor!" The Son of Chaos sneered, reminded of the Mysteries, who also liked to play riddles.
What He hated most was those who spoke in half-truths, whenever He met such an existence, He wanted to beat them up.
"In the endless span of time, there aren't many things that can stir one's interest. To end them too early would be far too boring."
"You're deliberately dodging the question, aren't you?" The Son of Chaos's gaze sharpened.
"Instead of probing, why not use your mind and find the answer yourself?"
"Hmph, after half a month, you dragged me here just to mock me?"
Hastur only smiled in silence at the question. He lifted a finger and lightly tapped the void. A chain of Order descended, winding down in His direction.
The Son of Chaos's heart trembled slightly against His will. That chain of Order had whipped Him countless nights.
"What do you want to do?"
"No need to be so nervous, you should be quite familiar with it."
The chain of Order coiled gently around Hastur's finger, like a harmless little snake.
"Heh, are you finally planning to make a move against me?"
The Son of Chaos sneered, not the least bit flustered. After all, this was only an avatar, its destruction would not matter.
If the other side truly wanted to target His true body, they would first have to break through the seals the Mysteries had left upon the Magic Wishing Lamp.
And once He regained freedom, He might not be without the power to fight back!
"I only want to introduce you to a new friend."
With a thought from Hastur, the chain of Order reached the star of the Mother Tree of Desire, then began to enter the time and space where the Mother Tree resided.
Black light flashed, and the Mother Tree of Desire, who had long awaited the chance, immediately stirred. Several branches reached out, trying to coil around the chain, while countless human-faced fruits fell, merging into a boundless ocean that spread outward.
She tried to corrupt that starry sky!
Yet the chain of Order still shone, and the sky remained unmelted, as if separated by different dimensions, or even different realities.
When all dispersed, an avatar of the Mother Tree of Desire had already been drawn by the chain, passed through the sky, and brought into the Hall of Stars.
Everything returned to normal once again.
"A Higher-Dimensional Overseer?"
In the dark, lightless world of stars, a faint voice echoed.
...
Hall of Stars.
The Son of Chaos saw with His own eyes the chain of Order pulling an avatar from a star!
This confirmed His suspicion, that each star in the sky above represented an Outer Deity or an Old One.
The avatar of the Mother Tree of Desire descended, still a great tree in form.
Dark green branches coiled around her trunk, her limbs hung with pale green human-faced fruits.
Only, in the center of the trunk, the Shadow of the Chained God could not be seen.
With a single glance, the Son of Chaos recognized Her identity.
The Mother Tree of Desire!
She had always existed beyond the starry sky, hidden in that lightless darkness, rarely revealed in true form.
Now She studied the unfamiliar hall, and easily recognized the Son of Chaos's origin.
The time when the Child of Chaos had been plotted against by the Mysteries and sealed within the Magic Wishing Lamp was something many Outer Deities and Old Ones had witnessed.
She too was one of those witnesses.
What concerned Her was not meeting the Son of Chaos here, but the figure seated at the head, and what exactly this mysterious hall was.
She stared at Hastur for a long time without speaking, roots spreading outward like the fanned feathers of a peacock.
She wanted to claim the Hall of Stars!
The Son of Chaos chuckled to himself, sat in his seat obediently, and watched silently.
He had always considered testing the Hall, but he dared not anger Hastur, after all, he still needed His help to undo the seal.
The arrival of the Mother Tree of Desire's avatar was perfect timing. With Her nature, and being outside the sky with no scruples, She would not allow Herself to be easily manipulated.
It was the perfect chance to observe the Hall's mysteries.
As for victory or defeat, He did not believe a single avatar of the Mother Tree of Desire could overturn everything here.
Her avatar should be about Sequence 8, much like Himself. It was only Her lofty authority that allowed powers beyond that level.
But this was someone else's domain. Sequence 8 was far too insignificant.
Against Her aggression, Hastur still sat silently, without lifting a hand.
Here, the Hall of Stars would suppress any being that dared offend Him.
The Mother Tree's attempt already met the Hall's conditions for suppression.
Starlight cascaded from above, each ray like a mountain weighing down.
Every root that reached beyond its bounds was crushed, while Her body bore the weight of the sky, unable to move.
Two chains of Order crossed from left and right, pierced through Her trunk, and became shackles of starlight, subduing Her entirely.
The Mother Tree of Desire only watched calmly, without panic.
It was merely an insignificant avatar, She did not care.
She regarded Hastur and slowly spoke: "Are you a Higher-Dimensional Overseer?"
Seeing Her unable to act further, the Son of Chaos sighed in pity, then looked at Her and chuckled:
"He's no Overseer. Seems you rarely deal with that fellow."
Toward the newly arrived Mother Tree of Desire, who had immediately offended Hastur, the Son of Chaos felt a sense of superiority.
"You too are an avatar. Here… the power of the stars."
The Mother Tree of Desire quietly perceived for a while, then turned to the star that represented Herself.
Only recently had She felt watched, never before. The aura here was ancient and mysterious, existing since time immemorial.
Which meant, She had always lived under another's gaze, completely unaware.
"Choose a seat."
Hastur lifted the Hall's suppression, withdrew the chains, and let Her free.
The Mother Tree of Desire swept a glance at the long table, then walked straight to the seat beside Hastur's left, sitting close.
Hastur tried to act natural, ignoring Her gaze.
The Son of Chaos's eyes narrowed, His own seat suddenly seemed ill-chosen.
It felt isolating, judgmental.
But He had chosen it Himself, and He would not move now.
The Mother Tree of Desire asked: "What do you intend?"
"An experiment."
Hastur's voice remained calm, though under Her close scrutiny the pressure was intense.
She was far more aggressive than the Son of Chaos.
"You too want to enter the Barrier, to plunder the source essence?"
"I am only a Witness."
"Witness?" She repeated, the human-faced fruits on Her body opening mouths, releasing eerie laughter.
"Chaos and madness are eternal. Can you truly suppress the desires rooted in your soul?"
Hastur tapped a finger on the table, silencing the laughter of the fruits, and replied calmly: "All things are possible."
"Send this avatar of mine into the Barrier, and I will believe in your power."
"I have no need to prove myself."
Hastur would never send Her avatar into the Barrier, to Earth.
Even if it was only a Sequence 8 avatar, once freed from the Hall's suppression, with Her authority
She could stir monstrous chaos. At that point, even if the Seven Gods descended, they might fail to subdue Her.
Perhaps one day She would descend directly before him, exposing His true identity.
That was something He could never allow.
To be a Witness, to remain neutral, that was the stance most fitting for Him.
Thus, the Hall of Stars became a transit point between the Outer Deities and Earth.
And what kind of business is always the best? Of course, a platform.