"That nameless being who briefly appeared once cast something down from the depths of the cosmos into the initial barrier. Though it was intercepted, it still managed to break through the barrier's blockade and reach the real world."
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That indescribable one again?
The Son of Chaos's mind stirred slightly, but soon relaxed.
Previously, He had suspected that the indescribable one might be related to Him, but after hearing the Mother Tree of Desire's words, He understood that the indescribable one had nothing to do with Him.
If there were a connection, then even sealed inside the Magic Wishing Lamp, He would have had a faint sense of it, there was no way He wouldn't notice at all.
Fate? The Circle of Inevitability?
If it were Him, the Mother Tree of Desire should recognize Him, since He too was eyeing this place greedily, also entrenched beyond the starry sky.
If not the Circle of Inevitability, then it must be His enemy.
The Son of Chaos felt a bit gloating, eagerly anticipating the Circle of Inevitability stumbling over this matter.
The self-proclaimed master of fate, in the end mocked by fate itself, that would be quite amusing.
"Other than those tied to destiny, no one can find where that thing is. Instead of wasting effort searching, it's better to wait for the destined moment, it will naturally appear in sight."
The Son of Chaos casually suggested, since He had no ability to seek it out.
The Mother Tree of Desire looked toward Hastur. "Do you know where that thing is?"
"Fate favors the land of hope."
Hastur thought for a moment, then decided to offer something useful, otherwise the Mother Tree of Desire and the Son of Chaos might doubt his ability.
If that object truly was a gift of fate, then even if he told them it was in Backlund, the Mother Tree of Desire and the Son of Chaos still would not be able to find it.
He himself had just confirmed from the Mother Tree of Desire that the golden box was tied to the cosmos, or even possibly to the King in Yellow, before, it had only been a suspicion.
Now it seemed that his connection with the King in Yellow was growing deeper and deeper.
This was not a good thing.
"Backlund."
The Son of Chaos, clearly more familiar with the material world, quickly reacted, realizing that the land of hope referred to the great metropolis of Backlund.
"Other than Oroboros, that serpent of mercury, who has a faint chance, almost no one else can obtain that thing."
The Son of Chaos chuckled, curious about the so-called gift of fate, but not too concerned.
He only wanted to return to the starry sky as soon as possible, unwilling to attract more trouble.
"Who can fully see through fate? Even the Circle of Inevitability remains trapped within destiny itself."
The Mother Tree of Desire sighed, showing little interest in this gift of fate.
For She knew well: with Suah's wisdom, it was impossible to win favor from fate in Backlund.
Far more likely was to be battered by fate.
Hastur laughed lightly: "The witch dies for love, the hunter falls for loyalty, and those who pry into fate are ultimately bound by fate."
"Tch. If you all had been more capable back then, perhaps you could have drawn that witch into your camp."
The Son of Chaos's lazy tone carried a trace of mockery.
The Mother Tree of Desire calmly replied: "In maintaining the original barrier, They were always united."
"Not necessarily. Chaos and madness are eternal, even gods are no exception. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to devour that Chained god, and the Mother Goddess of Depravity couldn't have corrupted Roselle."
"At that time, the power of the original barrier was still strong. Our influence was limited."
"Which still means you couldn't unite. In such matters of alignment, the Seven Gods are much firmer than you."
"Not every being can retain reason."
In the unreachable depths of the cosmos, battles between outer gods were not rare.
Few beings possessed both wisdom and clarity, calm enough to scheme for the end of days.
Chaos and madness were the true melody of this universe.
The Son of Chaos sneered: "In the end, it just means your abilities are lacking."
The Mother Tree of Desire gazed at Him silently for a moment, then said: "Back when the Lord of Mysteries rampaged through the cosmos, you too performed quite incompetently."
"…"
The Son of Chaos grunted twice, no longer provoking, this conversation truly could not go on.
Hastur smiled: "Let us end today's gathering here."
He still needed to send the Son of Chaos and the Mother Tree of Desire away. If they expected him to keep stirring up conversation, he really had little more to reveal.
The Son of Chaos and the Mother Tree of Desire raised no objections, allowing the chains of order to guide Them away from the Hall of Stars.
This time, Hastur focused mainly on the chain of order pulling the Son of Chaos.
When the Son of Chaos was placed back into the Magic Wishing Lamp, the chain of order did not vanish immediately, but instead shone with starlight, brushing against Bernadette, who stood guard nearby.
A new connection was formed.
Hastur did not immediately communicate with Bernadette, but instead withdrew the chain of order, letting everything return to normal.
…
Above the clouds, inside the house woven of pea vines, Bernadette wore a grave expression, staring at the Magic Wishing Lamp she had sealed completely.
These past days, about every fifteen days, that starry sky would appear, pulling the Son of Chaos to the gathering, and then returning Him to the Magic Wishing Lamp.
Other than that, there had been no change.
This gave her a new guess about the so-called Lord of the Stars.
This mysterious existence seemed to have no intention of helping the Son of Chaos escape.
Otherwise, with the power He had displayed, He could have already broken the seal.
But it was only a guess, she would never use words like benevolent to describe such a being.
She once more carefully inspected the seal on the Magic Wishing Lamp. Finding no problems, she finally left the little house.
Before, she still had the desire to converse with the Son of Chaos. After the incident with Suah, she understood, the Son of Chaos had already sold her out to the Mother Tree of Desire.
So, she no longer cared to listen to His lies.
Walking across the clouds, she beckoned lightly with her right hand. Several pea vines stretched forward, weaving into a gently swaying swing before her.
The word "swing" had been coined by her father, Roselle, for this chair-like contraption that could sway.
Sitting on the swing, gripping the vines at her sides, she pushed slightly, and her whole body swayed with it.
This had been one of her favorite toys as a child, her father smiling kindly as he stood behind her, pushing the swing again and again, pushing her little by little into growing up.
Now the swing remained, but the one who pushed it was long gone.
Only the little girl who sat upon it had grown into the Mystic queen, her power unfathomable.
Back and forth she swayed, as if worries drifted away with the motion.
Suddenly, she felt a shift in the swing, and before her eyes appeared a new starry sky!
A dazzling expanse, stars glittering brilliantly.
Here, there was no crimson moonlight, this was the realm of the stars.
"Lord of the Stars!"
Bernadette's heart sank, her face grave, but not panicked.
She knew her gap with such a mysterious being was far too great. Resistance would only be a dying struggle.
From the very first time the starry sky had appeared near the Magic Wishing Lamp, she had foreseen this day.
Even the Son of Chaos could not resist the summons of the Lord of the Stars, how could she?
"Become the follower of the stars, and you shall receive their protection."
A voice descended from the depths of the cosmos. Amidst brilliant starlight, a vast hall faintly emerged.
Bernadette looked upward, still seated upon the swing, making no other moves.
Before she could speak, a scene unfolded among the stars,
It was precisely the Son of Chaos speaking about how to scheme against her.
"The stars are the direction you must always pursue."
Another majestic voice fell, and suddenly all visions vanished.
Above her head, the crimson moon still shone, and the stars were dim, far less radiant than moments ago.
As if everything had been an illusion.
"To become the follower of the stars…"
Bernadette murmured softly, eyes filled with confusion, then let out a self-deprecating laugh.
The Son of Chaos and the Mother Tree of Desire had joined hands to plot against her, and now even this supremely mysterious Lord of the Stars was extending an olive branch.
She was like the protagonist of some legendary tale, belonging to this turbulent era.
"Even I myself don't know what's special about me."
Bernadette sighed, swaying the swing, her expression wistful.
She didn't think the Lord of the Stars was deceiving her. From what she knew of the Son of Chaos, his choice was entirely in character.
What puzzled her was, what did the Lord of the Stars value in her?
She hadn't even yet fully stepped into Sequence 2 as a Beyonder. Was she really worth His deliberate oracle and scheming?
A follower of the stars…
That meant becoming His favored one.
She pondered long, but still could not understand what had happened tonight.
All she could do was take one step at a time.
As for whether to become the follower of the stars, it would depend on future needs.
If the Lord of the Stars truly could grant her everything she sought, then becoming His chosen was not impossible.
But before that, she needed to understand far more about what kind of being the Lord of the Stars was.
…
Hall of Stars.
Drained of his spiritual power, Hastur had returned to his true form, eyes closed, resting upon a seat.
Just forming the connection with Bernadette had consumed much of his spirituality. The remnants were only enough for that small communication.
For now, he could not sustain long dialogues with Bernadette, let alone further interactions.
He needed to advance to Sequence 7, Briber, as soon as possible. As for Bernadette, there was time, when he could converse normally, then he would take the next step.
"Phew, lets log off and sleep."
Hastur exited the Hall of Stars, pulled up his blanket, and soon drifted into slumber.