The birth of an Aeon has always been something profoundly strange.
No one truly knows how it happens.
But there are plenty of legends.
For example, Tayzzyronth longed for kin, so it began to propagate itself—thus giving rise to the Path of Propagation.
Nanook witnessed the repeated destruction of its homeland, realized that all things inevitably end in ruin, and thus ascended as the Aeon of Destruction.
Even Lan, the Aeon of The Hunt, was born from an overwhelming desire for vengeance.
There are countless legends surrounding the origins of Aeons.
Some of them may be false.
But that doesn't mean all of them are.
The birth of the Aeon of the Hunt, in particular, is highly credible— after all, that record comes from the Xianzhou Alliance.
And since Lan is an Aeon that places exceptional importance on its own people, the account carries significant weight.
Thus, when Su Ran proposed the idea of creating an Aeon, the others actually found it quite reasonable.
More importantly, the point wasn't whether this fabricated "Eternity" had meaning.
What truly mattered was how other Aeons would react to this invented concept of Eternity.
After logging out of the Simulated Universe's communication channel, Su Ran waved at Makoto.
"Makoto, your turn. Test it."
"Test what?"
Raiden Makoto, who had been idle in the office watching projections of various geniuses, was caught completely off guard.
She had no idea what these people had been plotting.
And frankly, she didn't understand a word of their discussion.
After all, her understanding of the universe was still extremely limited.
"The Simulated Universe! You're up!"
Herta was actually quite pleased to suddenly have an extra test subject.
As a genius, she and the others tended to analyze things through subjective lenses.
Even when loading themselves with Aeon-related identities, it didn't guarantee that other Aeons would respond.
Which was why progress had been minimal for so long.
"But… I don't understand anything."
Being given such an important role despite knowing nothing made Makoto hesitate.
She was worried that she might ruin their experiment.
"That's perfect. If you did understand, we wouldn't need to test it—we could just ask you directly."
Since neither of them seemed concerned, Makoto stopped resisting.
After all, if something went wrong, she wouldn't be held responsible.
And just like that—
Raiden Makoto became the first official test subject of the Simulated Universe.
She appeared, utterly bewildered, on a strange planet.
The land around her was in ruins.
The remnants of war twisted her heart painfully.
Although she hadn't fought on the front lines during the Archon War, she had seen scenes like this before.
When she received the background data Su Ran transmitted to her, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"This is something you should've had Ei test instead."
After all, Raiden Ei had lost her sister.
Makoto hadn't.
Her remark made the others glance at Su Ran.
The scenario felt eerily familiar— so much so that they almost suspected such events might truly have happened somewhere in the universe.
"It's fine. You're sisters anyway—close enough."
Makoto could only accept the information with resignation.
And then—
In the next instant, her consciousness felt as if it were being dragged into another dimension entirely.
"Fuli! The Aeon of Remembrance!"
Herta cried out in shock.
She had never expected this.
They had never successfully triggered the descent of an Aeon before.
Yet now, with just a single experiment based on Su Ran's idea—
An Aeon had appeared.
Was he really that much of a genius?
Herta immediately began recording the data.
At the same time, Fuli was recording as well.
After all, Fuli itself was a recorder.
Fuli arrived swiftly—and departed just as swiftly.
After directly experiencing the presence of an Aeon, Makoto felt overwhelming pressure crash down on her.
"Relax. It's all data. Not real. Just code."
The Simulated Universe recorded every reaction of the test subject.
Makoto's emotional fluctuations were detected immediately, prompting Su Ran to speak up and comfort her.
"So… that's an Aeon?"
Even though it wasn't real, the oppressive presence felt terrifyingly real to Makoto.
It was tens of thousands of times more frightening than any god she had ever faced.
Even when confronting the Heavenly Principles, she had never felt anything like this.
And this was only a simulated Aeon.
How terrifying must a real one be?
"Right now, your status is equivalent to theirs. Just think of them as colleagues."
"That's easy for you to say. Why didn't you do it?"
When Fuli appeared, Makoto genuinely felt as if her heart might stop.
She had the distinct feeling that facing an Aeon wouldn't merely mean physical death—
her mind, soul, and consciousness would be erased entirely.
Compared to this, even the Abyss and the Heavenly Principles felt tame.
"Because I've seen real Aeons."
"..."
That single sentence completely shut Makoto up.
"I've seen them too—twice."
Herta quickly raised her hand.
"The first requirement for joining the Genius Society is receiving the gaze of the Aeon of Erudition—Nous."
Screwllum added helpfully.
Ruan Mei remained silent—but that hardly mattered.
All four of them had encountered Aeons before.
"…Alright. That one's on me."
So in the end, she was the only one who hadn't.
When Makoto finally regained her composure and realized she was back on the scorched battlefield—
Her vision was once again pulled into another dimension.
"Elation? That one loves entertainment. Not surprising."
Whether it was Remembrance or Elation, it made sense that they'd be drawn here.
Still— for the very first test to attract two Aeons?
This "Baal" concept was truly something else.
Herta was already tempted to keep Makoto around permanently.
"Hahahahaha—Morax without mora!"
A shadowy figure appeared.
Circus props and theatrical equipment—like those seen in Fontaine's troupes—floated around Makoto.
Unlike Fuli—
Aha, the Aeon of Elation, spoke.
"Barbatos without his lyre, Beelzebul without Baal"
As Aha began speaking, Su Ran's expression subtly changed.
"And now—Baal without BeelZebul"
After uttering a string of words that made little sense to Herta and the others, Aha vanished.
"That was a bit too much, wasn't it?"
Makoto frowned, clearly displeased with the unhinged Aeon.
Especially the line 'Beelzebul without Baal'.
If Ei had heard that, it would've been rubbing salt directly into an open wound.
Fortunately—
She wasn't here.
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