Olga Marie and Jeanne Alter engaged in a lively discussion, sharing insights about Morpheus's past seen in their dreams.
Beyond learning more about him, they reached a consensus on another matter.
"Somehow, Morpheus's old world feels… terrifying," Olga Marie said softly.
"Though I'm newly born, I have the Holy Grail's common knowledge and fragments of Jeanne's and Gilles's memories. I know what the outside world is like, but it's incomparable to Morpheus's world," Jeanne Alter replied.
In that world, magic was omnipresent, mana ubiquitous. Simple tools and actions could unleash mystical forces!
Olga Marie recalled the magus she'd met as a child... arrogant, yet clinging to survival. Even the Clock Tower, dedicated to new magecraft, was merely staving off decline.
"These magus descend into madness, chasing the Root, seeking true mysteries. But who's truly succeeded? Most just perpetuate their family's magecraft, becoming less humane," She mused.
"It feels ironic…" Olga Marie murmured.
"What's that?" Jeanne Alter asked, feeling some fondness for this woman, a fellow contractor of Morpheus.
"Human civilization advances toward perfecting human rights, but magus seem stagnant. They learn these ideals in education, but many families take extreme paths to preserve their magecraft.
"Some claim they pursue truth, no matter the cost in lives. Others say it's for humanity's future, justifying any sacrifice."
Jeanne Alter watched Olga Marie, her face a mix of helplessness and self-mockery.
"In reality, there's little difference. Both judge others' lives without consent."
Jeanne Alter wondered why Olga Marie suddenly thought this, finding no trigger in their discussion of Morpheus's past.
"Sorry, it's just Morpheus's past, that peculiar world, sparking these thoughts. In a world where mysteries thrive, magus wouldn't face our struggles or become the lunatics I encounter," Olga Marie said.
"If they didn't, how'd I end up here?" A voice interrupted as the door opened, revealing Morpheus.
Olga Marie's eyes widened. "How'd you get in?!"
"Came to see you about something and overheard. What, discussing dreams about me, and I can't know?" Morpheus teased, approaching casually. "But you missed something."
"What's that?" Olga Marie asked, calming her nerves, curious.
Morpheus grinned. "Faith. Not the pursuit of truth... my goal... but what you believe and practice, like saints following their path."
Olga Marie looked puzzled, unsure why he brought this up.
"Let me put it this way. I've lived in two worlds, both in London.
"In my original world, Puritan priests truly believed in God, practicing asceticism. Some were hypocrites, but they were the minority.
"Here, most priests I've seen are power-driven, wielding authority. A few truly follow their faith's rules, but they're rare.
"I can't say which is better. Power-driven ones are fine within bounds, but those with true faith can do terrifying things for it.
"They're fearless because of their beliefs."
Olga Marie recalled the evil magic cabal Morpheus faced, filled with ghouls.
"That wasn't faith... just longevity-obsessed fools with no morals, easy to handle. I mean…
"Imagine an idealist who believes the world should be a paradise, ending all tragedy, making everyone happy. He gains a Holy Grail to achieve this."
Morpheus smiled faintly.
"What happens to the world?"
Olga Marie frowned. "It becomes happy?"
Morpheus asked, "What's happiness?"
A simple question, yet hard to answer.
"Everyone defines happiness differently. Your happiness might be another's pain. You love someone, marry them, but another who loves them suffers. Happiness isn't simple.
"Like those summoning ghouls for immortality. Some sever the concept of death entirely... hard. Others become ghouls, feeding on corpses or people, also a form of immortality.
"Different interpretations yield different outcomes. My old world had plenty pursuing such beliefs."
Morpheus sighed. "Even demons followed their faith, their path…"
Olga Marie and Jeanne Alter froze. "Demons?!"
Olga Marie asked, "Compared to Solomon's Demon Pillars?"
"If you mean those impostors posing as Solomon, no contest. The demon I'm talking about could crush them with a finger. But compared to the true 72 Demon God Pillars, Baal's rank is similar.
"From an occult perspective, that demon's significance surpasses Baal, especially for a Golden Dawn magician like me. Facing Him is… inevitable.
"This demon isn't from hell but lurks within the Tree of Life's hidden source. To achieve true immortality, you must cross His domain."
Instantly, Morpheus turned teacher, explaining demons and the Tree of Life. Olga Marie sighed, shrugging, unsure what to say.
A teacher willing to teach was great, but she didn't want to study this now!
She wanted to know more about Morpheus himself!
Jeanne Alter, however, was intrigued. "True immortality?"
"Crossing the Abyss, leaving the human realm for the upper three Crowns, becoming a non-human Temple Master. Words from this world, or humanity, can't describe it."
Jeanne Alter asked, "So, you could call yourself a god?"
"Exactly."
"But compared to God?"
Morpheus fell silent, then said helplessly, "Fine, call it an angel. To meet God's standard, you'd need the highest rank, maybe beyond, to the hidden Crown to claim godhood."
As Morpheus and Jeanne Alter dove deeper, Olga Marie interrupted, "Enough! What did you come for?"
"Oh, right, almost forgot!" Morpheus snapped back. "I'm planning a new summoning, so I'm checking with you."
"Servant summoning? You don't need my approval for that."
"Not a Servant…" Morpheus hesitated. "It's my own summoning array. I need a clear area, protective barriers, and to isolate it as a temple. This summoning isn't simple."
Olga Marie's eyes widened, her mind racing through possibilities. "Who are you summoning?!"
"I'm trying to summon a god's true form. Mana's weakened, not ideal for Phantasmal Species, but with a contract and special magecraft, I can sustain their presence."
Olga Marie's mind fixated on one phrase. "Wait, a god's true form?!"
Summoning a god as a Servant requires their degradation, heavily suppressed, unable to use full power, especially post-Age of Gods.
Now Morpheus aimed to summon a god's true form!
He nodded. "Yes, I need a dedicated temple to summon a god."
"To prevent their power from destroying the area?"
"Just in case. I'm confident I can control the power and that they won't be reckless, but better safe than sorry."
Not Artemis, is it? His girlfriend... he must miss her… Olga Marie thought, pouting. "Who are you summoning?"
Morpheus sighed. "First, I'll try Shiva."
"Oh, Artemis... " Olga Marie stopped, realizing what she heard. Her face changed, and she leapt up. "Wait, Shiva?!"
"Yeah, Shiva. What's wrong?"
"Why summon Shiva?! The Indian god of destruction?!"
"Because… Shiva and Parvati are a perfect match. If that's an issue, I could try summoning the Scarlet Woman, then use her to call the Beast of 666. Also a good fit."
Olga Marie frowned. Shiva and Parvati she could grasp, but Scarlet Woman and Beast of 666 sounded ominous!
"What are you planning?!"
"It's time to prepare for rank ascension and pave the way. Contacting supreme masculine and feminime now will aid my path. This mission gave me Shiva's power, so I'll use it to summon him."
Olga Marie hesitated. "It won't spiral out of control?"
"No. Shiva's the Lord of Innocence. Unless truly irredeemable, he won't destroy the world. I'm just summoning him for a favor. If I can't get his true form, an avatar's fine.
"Plus, I'm prepared. Using Father and Mother concepts, I can keep him calm. If I can harness some of Shiva's power, mastering destruction-related magecraft, it'll help against Goetia."
Using destruction to face Goetia made Olga Marie ponder. They had a plan, but more trump cards were welcome.
After a moment, she nodded. "Try it, but prepare thoroughly. Build the strongest temple you can!"
Morpheus smiled. "Don't worry, it'll be the strongest temple I can create!"
***
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