Chapter 20: Teatime with a Goddess.
Omni POV
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"Welcome," she said softly.
"Avatar of Origin."
Hearing the woman's words, Leon felt an indescribable amount of confusion.
Then suddenly, the overwhelming aura suffocating the entire realm vanished completely.
The woman's gentle motherly smile instantly disappeared as she leaned forward slightly and asked, "So? How was it?"
"…Huh?" Leon blinked.
"My introduction," she clarified immediately. "How was it? I was aiming for the mysterious mother-figure vibe."
Before Leon could properly process her words, the woman suddenly appeared directly in front of him, her six wings fluttering excitedly behind her. "So?" she asked again with sparkling eyes. "How was it?"
Perplexed, all Leon could manage was a, "…It was good."
The moment those words left his mouth, the woman practically exploded with excitement.
"TAKE THAT, PYRAXIS!" she shouted while jumping around happily through the endless white void. "I can look serious if I want to!"
Leon stared blankly at the scene unfolding before him. "…Ugh." "What's going on?"
The woman immediately froze midair before awkwardly clearing her throat. "Ahem. Right." "Sorry about that. I got a little excited."
Then she floated back down gracefully before placing a hand against her chest with a warm smile.
"My name is Lumiel." "One of the Seven Celestials."
Her six radiant wings spread slightly behind her as golden light illuminated the endless white world around them. "Angel of Hope. Mother of Holy Light, and all that."
For about three whole seconds, she actually managed to maintain a dignified atmosphere. Then her posture completely collapsed. "But honestly, all those titles are a pain," she admitted casually. "So you can just call me Big Sister Lumiel."
Leon blinked. "…Big Sister?"
"Big Sister, Big Sis, Sis— whatever works." she waved her hand casually.
Suddenly, furniture appeared out of nowhere.
A table. Two chairs. And an entire tea set.
"Come on, sit."
Still trying to process everything happening around him, Leon slowly sat down across from her. "…Okay. Sis." Judging from his expression, he still had absolutely no idea what was going on.
After sitting down, Leon finally asked the obvious question. "…Is this how the ceremony normally works?"
"What?" Lumiel tilted her head while casually brewing tea. "No."
She poured hot water into two cups before continuing. "Normally, after touching the spirit stone, your soul temporarily connects to the source of whichever Celestial you possess the highest affinity with."
She handed Leon a cup. "And that's it."
Leon carefully accepted the tea while listening silently. "But your situation is different," Lumiel continued. "You already possessed a Grace before entering the ceremony."
"…What?"
"So I pulled you in here for a chat."
"A chat?" Leon repeated slowly.
"Yes, a chat." Lumiel nodded happily before taking a sip of tea. "I've been watching you ever since you were born, so I really wanted to talk to you properly."
Leon nearly choked. "Hold on." "Ignoring how horrifying it is that you've apparently been spying on me my entire life—" "When exactly was I supposed to get a Grace?"
Lumiel smiled calmly. "The Celestial you're connected to is the strongest among us all." "My Father."
Her expression softened slightly. "One of his titles is The Unshackled Light."
"It means that not even time itself can bind him."
Leon frowned slightly while listening.
"So if you become his Blessed in the future," Lumiel explained casually, "then you also become his Blessed in the past."
She smiled brightly. "Simple, right?"
Leon stared at her in disbelief. "…No." "No, that's not simple at all."
He immediately leaned forward. "That's literally a paradox." "If I become his Blessed in the future and the past simultaneously, then when did I actually receive the Grace in the first place?"
Leon had fully entered rant mode now. "If I always possessed it, then the event that caused me to gain it technically never happened because the effect existed before the cause." "That's basically the Grandfather Paradox mixed with a bootstrap paradox—"
Then suddenly, Leon realized who exactly he was talking to.
His entire body stiffened instantly. "…I-I apologize, My Lady." "This whole situation just caught me off guard."
Lumiel smiled. "Big Sis." The atmosphere instantly became several degrees colder.
Leon felt cold sweat run down his back. "…I apologize, Big Sis."
"Much better." Lumiel immediately returned to smiling happily before taking another sip of tea.
Then she tilted her head slightly. "Also, you don't need to act so stiff around me." "It feels weird."
Leon blinked. "…What do you mean?"
Lumiel looked at him strangely."You already forgot what I said?" "I've been watching you your entire life."
Then she pointed directly at him. "You hardly act this formal normally."
She leaned back into her chair lazily.
"So stop acting so nervous and speak normally." "Like you do with your family." "Or your little floating ball friend."
Leon immediately froze slightly. "…You can see Luxion?"
"Of course I can," Lumiel replied casually. "He's adorable."
Knowing Luxion would probably feel deeply offended by that statement Leon rubbed his forehead tiredly. "…I'll try."
"Leon."
"…Okay, okay. I yield."
"That's better." Lumiel smiled proudly.
Still trying to calm his nerves, Leon took a large sip from his tea, and immediately froze.
"…Wait." Leon slowly looked down at the cup in shock. "This is actually really good."
Lumiel puffed her chest proudly. "Of course it is, I made it myself" before adding "If you want, I can give you some of the leaves."
"That would be great," Leon admitted honestly before narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Now then… why exactly were you watching me?"
Lumiel simply gave him a look that practically screamed 'You already know.'
Leon blinked. "…You Know?"
Lumiel casually took another sip of tea before answering. "A while back, several foreign souls slipped into this realm, I was tasked with keeping an eye on them."
Leon frowned slightly. "…Several?" his eyes widened. "Wait, They're more reincarnators besides me?"
Lumiel stared at him for several seconds before smirking mischievously. "You thought you were the only one?" "That's kind of conceited, don't you think?"
Leon immediately looked away awkwardly. "…When you put it like that, I sound childish."
Lumiel giggled slightly before continuing."So anyway, I was assigned to monitor all of you."
She lazily rested her chin on one hand. "But honestly? Most of them are incredibly boring, so I only checked in on them occasionally."
Then her expression became slightly thoughtful.
"And the remaining one besides you got dragged into the past and unlike Father, I can't casually ignore the laws of space-time, so there isn't much I do on that front."
Leon frowned immediately. "But wait." "If he ended up in the past, wouldn't that mean you already met him?"
Lumiel instantly raised a finger.
"Rule number one when dealing with Father's authority. Do not try to understand time, most of us have basically given up at this point."
"…That's not a real explanation."
"Well I don't know what else to tell you, that man Is a walking contradiction."
Leon opened his mouth, then immediately closed it again. Honestly, arguing about time travel with a cosmic angel probably wasn't worth the headache.
"But you," Lumiel suddenly continued with a bright smile. "Your life has been really entertaining to watch."
Leon looked concerned. "…That doesn't sound reassuring."
"But I'm telling the truth, watching you has been the highlight of this job that plus finding an avatar for myself," Lumiel added excitedly.
"Avatar?"
"She's such a sweet girl right, and I saw that you also enjoy teasing her."
Leon blinked. "…Wait." "I know her?"
Lumiel nodded happily. "You forgot? You literally just met her."
Leon immediately went silent.
Then he began mentally piecing everything together. The single orphan living directly inside one of the kingdom's largest churches, with the crazy amounts of protection.
Eventually, Leon reached the obvious conclusion."…Olivia?!"
Lumiel pointed at him dramatically."Ten points to Gryffindor!"
Leon stared at her. "…How do you even know about Harry Potter?"
Lumiel looked confused by the question. "Whats this Harry Potter? I just repeated some stuff you say all the time."
Leon suddenly felt deeply uncomfortable. "…You really ve been watching my entire life."
"Yep!"
That answer came way too quickly for
Leon's liking, but what could he do about it.
Then suddenly, Lumiel's expression softened slightly as she looked into the endless white void surrounding them."…Looks like our time here is almost over."
The table between them instantly dissolved into particles of light and before Leon could react, Lumiel suddenly appeared directly in front of him, one glowing finger pressed gently against the center of his forehead.
Leon flinched slightly. "…Uh, what are you doing?"
At this point, he had come to know that if Lumiel wanted to she to hurt him, nothing could stop her so he had developed enough trust in her power to assume she wasn't trying to kill him.
Probably.
Lumiel smiled casually. "I'm removing the seal I placed on your soul when you were born."
"…You placed a seal on me?"
"Well obviously," Lumiel replied as though it were common sense. "Nobody wanted a child running around with an unstable Grace."
Leon frowned slightly. "Would it really have been that bad?" "Aren't Graces basically just magical batteries or energy sources?"
Lumiel stared at him silently for several seconds.
Then she sighed. "Leon." "I really don't think you understand how absurd your existence actually is."
Her golden eyes glowed softly.
"You are not a normal Blessed. You are an Avatar of the Creator Himself."
The atmosphere around them shifted slightly. "Realistically speaking," Lumiel continued calmly, "until you reach at least EX Rank, controlling your own energy properly will be extremely difficult."
Leon slowly absorbed her words before asking the next obvious question. "…So what exactly is my Grace?"
"Before that," Lumiel suddenly said, her tone quieter than before. "Tell me something, Leon."
Leon blinked before nodding slowly.
Lumiel looked directly into his eyes."You just learned that you possess a Grace bestowed by the Creator Himself." Her voice remained calm and gentle. "So what will you do with it?"
"…Huh?" Leon frowned slightly.
"You could do anything," Lumiel continued softly. "With this kind of power, kingdoms become meaningless."
Then slowly, the atmosphere changed. The endless white realm trembled faintly as an overwhelming pressure descended upon Leon's body.
"You could conquer nations."
"Rule the world."
"Plunder."
"Kill."
Golden light flared behind Lumiel's six wings as her divine aura poured into the realm like an ocean threatening to crush everything beneath it. "You could indulge every selfish desire imaginable."
Her glowing eyes stared directly into Leon's soul. "So tell me, Leon. What will you do?"
The pressure was monstrous. Leon felt like his entire body was being crushed beneath the weight of a mountain. Even breathing became difficult.
And yet he answered with conviction "…Nothing," Leon answered.
Lumiel blinked slightly. "…What?"
Leon slowly clenched his fist while struggling beneath the suffocating aura. "I said nothing."
His breathing remained strained, but his eyes never left Lumiel's. "All I really want…" Leon said slowly, "…is a place where the people I care about can live peacefully."
His voice steadied little by little. "A home where nobody has to struggle just to survive."
"A place where my family can live without fear."
"A place where I can research, invent, train, and do whatever makes me happy."
Then he looked down at his clenched fist. "If this power can help me build something like that…" he said quietly, "…then that's enough for me."
Silence filled the white realm while Leon looked back up at Lumiel directly. "And before you say it, yeah, I know." He laughed weakly. "It's not some grand ambition."
His smile turned slightly awkward. "It's not becoming the strongest person alive."
"Or ruling the world."
"Or becoming King of the Pirates."
Then he shrugged lightly. "But after happened in my last lives…" his voice softened slightly, "…something simple like that sounds pretty good to me."
For a few moments, Lumiel simply stared at him silently. Then suddenly "Hahahaha!" The divine pressure vanished instantly.
She burst into laughter while wiping at the corner of her eye. "No, Leon," she said warmly. "It's not lacking at all."
Her smile softened. "It's actually a very 'you' kind of dream."
Then she scratched her cheek slightly in embarrassment. "And… sorry about the test." She puffed her cheeks slightly. "Pyraxis insisted it was necessary."
Leon immediately exhaled heavily now that the pressure was gone. "…Your family is terrifying."
Lumiel giggled proudly. "You just need to get to know them."
Leon rubbed his forehead tiredly before asking once more, "…So what exactly is my Grace?"
This time, Lumiel smiled softly. "Your soul is the fusion of two separate souls," she explained gently. "So naturally… your Grace became the fusion of two separate Graces with a close affinity."
She gently tapped his forehead."Sun."
Then another tap. "And Moon."
Golden light spread outward across the white void. "All to bring forth…"
Her smile widened slightly. "Eclipse."
Leon remained surprisingly calm.
Lumiel blinked. "…You don't seem very shocked."
Leon shrugged slightly.
"Honestly?" "Based on my memories I kind of already suspected that was what was up with my soul."
Then he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"so this really isn't any kind of shock"
Lumiel stared at him for a moment before pouting slightly. "Hmph." "I was expecting a way bigger reaction."
Leon looked at her strangely. "…You really don't act like a supreme divine entity."
Lumiel gasped dramatically. "That's so rude! First my family now you, why does everyone say that"
As Lumiel went on a tangent, Leon silently thought to himself, 'If I ever told the Church this was how Lumiel actually behaved, they'd execute me for blasphemy.'
"Is there anything else I should know about this Grace?" Leon asked cautiously.
Lumiel waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, don't worry too much about it." "Most things will become clear naturally after you wake up."
Then she smiled mischievously. "And I'm sure your mortal world already has schools for teaching Blessed how to use their powers properly."
Leon suddenly felt like she had skipped over several extremely important details.
But before he could ask another question—
His body slowly began fading into particles of light.
"…Looks like you're soul can't take being out of your body any longer," Lumiel said softly.
Then she smiled warmly at him.
"And remember…If you ever want to talk, or if you need help. Just pray at any altar dedicated to me."
Her expression softened slightly. "Take care, little brother."
And with that Leon's presence completely vanished from the white realm.
Silence returned to the endless white realm once more and now alone, Lumiel's cheerful expression slowly faded.
Genuine melancholy crossed her face. "…I'm sorry, Leon," she whispered softly into the empty void. "But with the destiny tied to your existence… that dream of yours may be the hardest thing to achieve."
She slowly looked down at her hands. "The irony is almost cruel," Lumiel murmured with a weak smile. "If you had wished to become the strongest, it would have been easy."
A quiet sigh escaped her lips. "If you had wanted power, conquest, glory, or even godhood… the path ahead of you would have been simple."
Then her golden eyes softened slightly. "But instead…" she laughed quietly to herself, "…you choose peace."
The endless white realm remained silent around her.
.
Lumiel slowly looked toward the place where Leon had disappeared. "But if there's anyone capable of reaching that impossible ending…"
A small warm smile appeared on her face once more."It'll be you, little brother."
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I couldn't decide which ending is better, so I decided as the author to give you the reader both.
Original and (B)
Ending B (B)
Silence returned and now alone once more, Lumiel slowly blinked. "…Huh."
A thoughtful expression crossed her face. "I never actually explained what being an Avatar means, did I?"
She tilted her head slightly. "…Eh. I'm sure he'll figure it out eventually."
Then a mischievous smile slowly spread across her face. "…Or better yet, maybe he'll call me."
Almost instantly, her mood brightened again.
"Now then…"
Lumiel leaned back happily into empty space. "Let's
go see what Olivia's up to."
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I am writing my A Levels this year so I'm already stumped and if you add the time I use writing I think I'm entitled to POWER STONES sooooooo give them to me, I mean by 6 I'm going to school, 1300hrs I'm going to extra lessons and I only get to come back home at 1900hrs, and after that I still need to study on my own, so help me stay motivated.
P.S
Let it be known that the Story is undergoing a Rewrite, hence if you read the unedited chapters its on you, they are no longer part of the story.