Chapter 32: The Formation of the World's Two Great Divine Factions: Earth and the Abyss 2
Tartarus was puzzled.
Since his birth, he hadn't sensed any hostility from the Earth. He had perceived it as warm and gentle.
Now, hearing what Gaia, the Earth Mother, said, he quickly recalled the past, still unable to recall the moment when the Earth harbored murderous intent.
Gaia, the Earth Mother, looked at the Abyss's main form and said, "When I was born, I was in chaos, without a barrier separating the worlds. Therefore, I could truly sense the terror of chaos."
"When you were born, I grew up. The world began to become complete, and the barrier appeared. I could no longer sense chaos, and the terror disappeared."
"But the Abyss slowly took shape, emitting an aura similar to that of chaos, and the feeling of fear returned!"
"This aura, which could return me to nothingness, possibly true death, is too terrifying. I even considered preventing your birth, but I held back."
"Being alone... "I'm very lonely. After you were born, the Chaos world will no longer just be me, but you too."
"But after you were fully born, you possessed a body the same size as mine. While your divine power is weaker, it's close. I'm pondering how to kill you."
Tartarus said, "Because you feel I resemble Chaos and am very dangerous. Or perhaps you suspect Chaos created me to turn you into nothingness, right?"
Gaia nodded. "Yes, although the aura of the Abyss is much weaker than Chaos, this aura close to Chaos makes me feel dangerous."
"Is it the source of Chaos?" Tartarus asked.
Gaia said, "No, the Chaos Origin only destroys the gods' true forms, not their deaths. With sufficient divine power, it can be completely suppressed. I have no fear of the Chaos Origin."
"It's the aura emanating from the Abyss itself, very similar. Other gods can only sense the Abyss's chaos, violence, and instability."
"But I've sensed Chaos, so I know the most terrifying thing the Abyss emits isn't that, but the Chaos Aura that can cause gods to return to nothingness. It's very faint, but it's real."
"I understand."
Tartarus said, thinking, "It's likely that the negative origins that make up the Abyss are closer to Chaos. Greek mythology mentions Chaos as a Chaos God."
"The Chaos God gave birth to the earth, the abyss, darkness, night, and lust." The five primordial gods. The Abyss possesses an aura similar to that of Chaos. Does that mean…?
"Are the various origins that comprise the Abyss more closely related to the origins that comprise Chaos?"
"Interesting structure, as if fate had arranged it. Chaos gave birth to the world and the gods, while the Abyss, closest to Chaos, actually interfered with the world's development and integrity."
At this point, Mother Earth, Gaia, asked, "You asked just now. You should have known that if you said you would become stronger by absorbing the Chaos Origin, I would not agree to injecting the Chaos Origin into the Abyss. Why?"
Tartarus said, "I didn't know you had sensed Chaos, or that you feared me, but I know you feared my growth would surpass yours, that I would become stronger than you."
"Why?" Gaia asked.
Tartarus said, "When I was born, I sensed you were stronger than me. My first thought was that since our bodies are the same size, would you break the abyss apart, making it smaller than the Earth?"
"Then I thought, if I thought so, you might think so too. Naturally, you'd fear that I'd surpass you and shatter the Earth."
It's actually not that complicated, as Tartarus, familiar with Greek mythology, knew.
The gods of the Chaos world are emotionally rich and cunning.
The gods here are selfish.
Even more so, Mother Earth, the primordial deity that embodies maternal love, sex, chaos, and madness.
Gaia, the Earth Mother, said, "So, you told me the truth and didn't lie."
After a pause, she continued, "But you concealed the fact that you can become stronger by absorbing the essence of chaos. Do you intend to truly become stronger than me and break the Earth into a smaller area than the Abyss?"
As she spoke, the divine armor on her body grew thicker. Tartarus said, somewhat helplessly, "Gaia, this is the real you, isn't it? Beneath your gentle exterior lies caution and sensitivity."
"You don't need to be afraid of me. Neither then nor now have I ever intended to hurt you, nor have I ever truly hurt you."
"We five gods were born from Chaos. Although we may be called brothers and sisters, darkness and night share the same origin."
"The earth and the abyss share the same origin. I, the abyss, and you, the earth, are closest."
"You want to grow stronger, and I want to grow too, but the reality is that you've become much stronger than I am. That's not the outcome." Would it be more beneficial to you?"
"Since we're honest with each other, let's both tell the truth!" Gaia, the Earth Mother, shook her head slightly and said, "When it was just you and me, we were closest, but not anymore."
"Tartarus, you have your lover, Nyx, the goddess of the night, and you love each other deeply."
"I have my two sons, Uras, the god of the sky, and Pontus, the god of the sea. I will even give birth to other gods in the future."
"Perhaps Nyx will give birth to new gods too. When they clash and fight in the future, will you stand by me? Not anymore."
"Now, we are separated. The gods of the two camps, Earth and Abyss, cannot return."
Tartarus's lips curled slightly, a mysterious smile playing: "Gaia, can your children truly be trusted?"
"You took advantage of the birth of the Sky God to deliberately inject the Chaos Essence from the Earth into the sky, didn't you? Without the Chaos Essence, the Earth grows faster."
"Do you think Uranus, the Sky God, will remain unaware, or perhaps unable to anticipate, or perhaps he's feigning indifference?"
Gaia, the Earth Mother, said: "He absorbed too much of my Essence and divine power, causing the Chaos Essence to spiral out of control and fly into the sky. Lanos will understand me."
Tartarus said, "Is that so? The Chaos Sources are randomly generated throughout your bodies. How could they converge?"
"And Uranus is vying for Pontus's sea godhood. Do the brothers trust each other? Do you think you can fully control the factions you speak of?"
Gaia said firmly, "I am the Mother Goddess. I gave birth to them. I am the most powerful, so I can naturally control all of this."
"I hope so. Good luck, my dear sister. If you need me one day, come to me. You are always welcome in the Abyss." Tartarus smiled meaningfully.
"Thank you for your blessing. As the Earth, as the Mother Goddess, and as the most powerful deity in the Chaos world, I will handle this."
As he spoke, a large amount of Chaos Source surged from Gaia's body.
"What is she going to do?" Tartarus was puzzled again.