Yes!
As little Ben pinched the golden cross and the light of the Northern Cross flickered in his eyes—
Inside Hawk's microcosmos—
The Northern Cross, which he had already slotted into place—like all the others besides Draco and Andromeda that were slotted but unlit—began to glow.
The Northern Cross has another name.
Cygnus—
Because its main stars form a great cross, it used to be called the Northern Cross.
Why the change to Cygnus? Simple.
It's easy to imagine the cross as a swan: the long vertical is the neck; the horizontal is the outstretched wings.
So—
Northern Cross equals Cygnus.
And the Cygnus Cloth stored inside this golden cross was the true gift Hawk prepared for his godson.
But—
A gift given doesn't mean the child can wear it.
If, when Ben grows up, he earns Cygnus's recognition, the Cloth within the golden cross will awaken.
It shouldn't be a problem.
Like father, like son.
And the mom is no slouch.
Most importantly, his godfather is Hawk!
Dad's a Spider, Mom's a Black Cat, Godfather's a Phoenix—this kid is destined to turn out great.
So—
Hawk very much looked forward to the day his godson dons the Cygnus Cloth.
Soon—
With the preliminaries finished and the guests arriving, the baptism formally began.
Hawk took little Ben from Aunt May's arms.
Today's stage belonged to the godfather Hawk and the godson Ben.
Put it this way—
Peter and Felicia didn't get to stand in front of him.
Once you acknowledge a godfather, the parents might not manage a child's whole life.
But the godfather must.
And to a certain extent, in Ben's later upbringing, Godfather Hawk's say outranked Peter and Felicia's.
The priest lifted the Bible and preached briefly to the seated crowd. His gaze swept the pews and finally settled on Hawk, who was holding Ben.
He looked at Hawk, voice solemn and steady. "Hawk Phoenix, are you prepared, as godfather to Ben Hawk Parker, to assist his parents, help him grow in faith, and offer guidance when needed?"
Hawk turned to glance at Peter and Felicia on either side behind him, then looked down at the laughing baby clutching the cross—clearly a promising child—and raised his head. "Yes, Father. I am."
The rite continued.
Readings.
Prayers.
They rolled up the font; the priest blessed the water, then looked again to Hawk.
His expression grew especially grave. "Do you renounce Satan, all his works, and all his empty promises?"
Knowing the liturgy inside out, Hawk set his free hand on Ben's small shoulder. Representing the baby, he answered the priest. "I do."
The priest continued.
"Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?"
"I do."
"Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord?"
"I do."
"Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church… the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?"
"I do."
Question by the priest.
Answer by Hawk.
Peter and Felicia stood quietly behind him.
The guests held their breath.
Sunlight streamed through the stained glass behind the crucifix, painting the whole church in seven colors.
For a moment—
Time and space seemed to stop.
"Do you wish to convert to Heaven and walk the earth as the archangel Samael?"
"I—"
Hawk's lips tilted. The white priest before him had become a smiling Black priest. Hawk grinned. "I do not."
No gasps.
No commotion.
Because at that instant, time and space really did freeze.
For a simple reason.
God—
Had descended.
Exactly as Mephisto had described.
God…
Not a girl, but Black.
"Yahweh."
"Phoenix."
Hawk and the Yahweh who had replaced the priest stared at one another.
"You looking for a fight?"
"Do you want one?"
"Today matters to my godson. I don't want to fight. But if you insist—we can."
Hawk said it with a smile.
The next second—
A Phoenix, wreathed in tangible crimson flame, unfurled behind him.
Phoenix fire roared, and the space Yahweh had descended into began to tremble.
The benevolent expression on the Black face shifted.
Hawk caught it and smiled wider.
"What's wrong?"
"Surprised my cosmos hasn't truly manifested, yet already presses with real presence?"
Again—
He had used the Reality Stone to fully manifest his power—
But that was power made manifest, not the cosmos itself.
A manifested cosmos takes the Eighth Sense.
Yet after he refined the Blood Dimension and fused it with the Underworld—and since that Blood Dimension truly exists—paired with the law of life and death seized from Blackheart, his cosmos could reach through the Underworld, then through the Blood Dimension, letting him project a thread—less than one percent—of true cosmic pressure without even awakening the Seventh Sense.
Less than one percent—
But enough.
Because even that sliver of truth was at the creator-god tier.
That was why Yahweh's expression changed.
He is a god—
But like Mephisto, merely a dimensional god.
And as everyone knows—
Dimensional gods wear the name of god, but are not truly gods.
"Phoenix, let us—"
"Leave."
Hawk cut him off. Phoenix fire thundered behind him. "Don't make me hit you when I'm happy. Believe me, you'll die. Your true self and your realm aren't on Earth—not even in this system—but if I kill this avatar, you'll feel it."
Yes—
Only an avatar of Yahweh had come.
The real Yahweh and his Heaven weren't anywhere near Earth—weren't even in the solar system.
When Hawk accepted the Blood Dimension, he received a portion of La Magra's memories.
Including the scents of realms.
He could even sense where Mephisto squatted now—
On the far side of Pluto.
Hawk planned to finish this baptism and then ask Mephisto to move his Hell somewhere else.
Because, Pluto?
Hawk was the proper Lord of the Underworld; what was a Hell-lord doing there?
As the thought spun—
The Black Yahweh opened his mouth.
And then—
Boom!
Phoenix fire behind Hawk flared to a blinding crescendo, sweeping outward to drown the world.
The next instant—
Like a shattering mirror, everything cracked and fell away like a dream.
Wind moved again.
The priest's voice returned.
And, under the rainbow light through the stained glass, the statue of Jesus seemed to weep.
As if mourning the Father.
But no one was watching the statue; today's protagonists were Hawk and his godson.
The priest scooped water and poured it three times over Ben's smooth brow in Hawk's arms.
Water ran down the baby's forehead.
"Ben Hawk Parker, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
He traced a cross of chrism, dressed the child in a white garment, and handed a lit candle to Hawk.
He touched Ben's ears and lips and prayed that he might hear and proclaim the truth.
Hawk held Ben in one arm and the candle in the other.
At the end of the rite—
The priest looked again to Hawk. "May his faithful godfather, Hawk Phoenix, by word and example, always guide him—guide him to believe in God…"
The candlelight gleamed in Hawk's eyes. He smiled broadly. "Of course."
The day Yahweh brings Heaven to Earth will be the day Hawk storms Heaven.
And then—
He will be God.
Of course he'll guide his godson to believe in God.
The ceremony ended.
The priest withdrew.
Hawk hugged Felicia and returned Ben to her, then embraced Peter.
Peter whispered in Hawk's ear. "What just happened?"
Hawk hugged him and answered with a smile. "God showed up, tried to make me convert. I told him not to make me kill him on a happy day. He didn't listen, kept yapping, so I ignored him—and chopped him up."
"…"
Peter's smile froze.
Wait.
What?
God showed up?
God got killed?
And then Hawk kept saying 'believe in God'?
What kind of wild talk was this?
Thoughts whirled, but when they broke the hug, Peter forced a smile back onto his face.
Only—
It looked a little stiff.
Hawk noticed, winked, and smiled.
"Kidding."
"Whew!"
Peter exhaled and laughed. "Ha—ha—"
But as he looked at Hawk's still-unchanged grin, his laughter faded.
Hawk's smile only got brighter.
…
(End of Chapter)
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