"What are the Ten Commandments?" Salomon asked, puzzled.
"Have you read the story of King Solomon?"
"I've heard a little bit…"
"It's said that King Solomon commanded seventy-two demons, and the original construction of the Temple of Israel was entirely his work. However, it's speculated that the demons likely assisted in the temple's construction. And those ten rings are proof of God's recognition of wisdom, and they are also the means by which angels and demons can be commanded," the Sorcerer Supreme said. "King Solomon performed only one miracle, and in the end, he returned the rings to heaven by his own will."
"What does this have to do with my stigmata?"
At the Ancient One's disapproving gaze, Salomon turned away… He had indeed never read an explanation of the stigmata.
"Magic originally originated from the theory of idolatry. It is through imitating the whole or part of a subject to acquire its attributes. The simplest magic is seeing and hearing." The Sorcerer Supreme tapped Salomon on the head with her folding fan, causing him to turn his head back.
She continued, "The stigmata are the marks of the Son of God's execution, but the scars on your fingers aren't the Son of God's, but rather marks similar to those of King Solomon. I don't know what to call these marks, so I call them stigmata, and I call you a saint—which is different from the saints recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. And based on the theory of idols, you must possess some of King Solomon's abilities… for example, command or servanthood."
"So, Master, you're not sure if I can tame this ring?" Salomon said resentfully. "It's not that I can't accept such an experiment, but please let me know in advance next time."
"Shhhhhhhhhhh!" The Ancient One looked away. "It wasn't a big deal, so don't mind it."
The Sorcerer Supreme also mentioned the whereabouts of the other two rings to Salomon. She always believed that Salomon was not yet strong enough to pass the test posed by the other two rings.
"Why?" Salomon asked.
"Because there is more than one magical force on Earth, Kamar-Taj, Salomon, and not all magicians on Earth get their magic power from Vishanti," the Ancient One said. "Not all secret arts come from Vishanti. Some come from the chaos magic of Chthon, some come from the dark dimension of Dormammu, or some other weird sources—even demons. And we in Kamar-Taj, which is what the outside world calls the Order of Mages, one of our main responsibilities is to clean up these dark wizards."
"Okay, then teacher, can you tell me how Chthon or Dormammu came about?"
"Well, this is also a missing link in basic education. I've always worried that after someone knows their names, they will hear their calls and turn to these dangerous old gods. But now is private teaching time, and no one will come to disturb us," the Sorcerer Supreme said. "Everything you hear next must be hidden deep in your mind."
"I swear by Vishanti… no, by the source of magic," Salomon said.
The Sorcerer Supreme nodded and began to discuss ancient gossip: "Chthon was conceived by the God of Life and is one of the earliest life forms on Earth. He is known as the Great Demon Shadow or the God of Black Magic. Other life forms conceived are called Gaia, the Mother Earth, Set, and so on.
"Billions of years ago, the natural vitality of Earth's biosphere gave birth to a group of ancient gods. Afterwards, they began to kill and devour each other, and some even became demons. Chthon was one of them.
"To end this fate, Gaia, the Mother Earth, and the God of Life gave birth to Atum. Atum continued to destroy those demonized ancient gods, and later fell, becoming the extremely powerful God Eater. Even Chthon and Set could not compete with it together.
"In the end, to avoid being devoured by the God Eater, Chthon and Set were forced to exile to other dimensions. As for Atum's whereabouts afterwards, it is said that he merged with the sun to form the Sun God, but no one can be sure whether this is true.
"Atum's remaining power gave rise to a new group of gods, including the Norse pantheon.
"The god-king Odin, possessing the immensely powerful Odinforce, conquered the Asgards, created the World Tree, and divided the universe into ten realms. Simultaneously, various gods emerged elsewhere on Earth, including the Jade Emperor and other members of the Earth pantheon.
"Then there was Gaia, the Earth Mother. Gaia and her other son, Uranus, gave birth to Chronos, whose sons included Zeus, the Greek pantheon you see in storybooks.
"I'm not entirely sure what happened, why the ten realms of the World Tree became the nine we have today, but in the distant past, the Celestials, the governing gods created by the Eternal Gods, clashed with these new gods on Earth… In short, these new gods ultimately left Earth more or less before the emergence of human civilization."
The Sorcerer Supreme paused, and Salomon quickly poured a cup of tea for the teacher and kept it warm with magic.
The Ancient One nodded with satisfaction and continued: "Next, I will talk about the Trinity of Vishanti—one of them, Agamotto, is the first Sorcerer Supreme. He specializes in foresight and truth, has insight into the mysteries of the universe, and forged the treasure of Kamar-Taj, the Eye of Agamotto, in addition to the Agamotto Amulet, Agamotto Crystal Ball, and so on.
"Hogoth is a very ancient and powerful magical entity. His true form is said to be incomprehensible to most mortals, so Hogoth usually appears in front of human magicians in the form of a tiger. Sometimes he appears in human form. His creations, the Hogoth Road and the Hogoth Mist, help travelers through the realm of nightmare, and the Hogoth spell can induce sleep and oblivion.
"The last of the Vishanti, also an Old God, was named Oshtur, another 'daughter' of the God of Life. She is associated with the sky, wisdom, and reason, and is the origin of white magic.
"When Chthon's existence threatened Earth and even the entire universe, Oshtur gave birth to Agamotto—yes, Agamotto, one of the Triune Vishanti, though she is actually genderless.
"Here's another tidbit—Hmm, not bad, Solomon, your magic is progressing rapidly." The Ancient One lifted her teacup, feeling the perfect temperature. She lowered her voice and blinked, as if speaking ill of someone behind their back. "It's said that Hogoth comes from an ancient and mysterious race, and he is the last survivor of that race, one that has existed for millions of years or more.
"One day, Hogoth encountered Oshtur, who was exploring a different universe. He taught her many things and helped her understand the value of other life. He later continued his journey with Oshtur.
"Therefore, Hogoth is very likely Agamotto's father… Of course, such things must not be told to anyone."
Salomon's mouth dropped open in surprise. While human ethics couldn't be applied to the actions of these magical entities, this was more than just a case of 'the world is truly chaotic,' but…
"Teacher, how does this relate to my test?" Salomon asked.
"Of course it does," said the Ancient One. "While enjoying the sunset, Britain plundered vast quantities of art from around the world, storing them in the British Museum—but unfortunately, these artifacts were all related to Earth's pantheons.
"Although these new gods left Earth, some power still remained within those objects… Even a tiny amount would be an immense amount of energy for mortals."
"And if you go there to get a ring, it means you will have to face those guardians of power… This is not an easy task for you now. I think it is better for you to learn the magic you can learn first," the Sorcerer Supreme's tone became serious. "Remember, even if you get another ring, you can't wear it immediately—find the remaining two, and then wear them at the same time. Your ability will allow you to fully control the magic of Vishanti."
-End Chapter-
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