Was it Destiny?
Tiamat loathed that thought. But there was nothing she could do about it.
Rather than complaining about something so abstract, she chose to spend every moment in training.
Only by becoming stronger could she control her own Destiny.
"I am indeed Tiamat. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that someone as strong as you didn't completely die."
"*Chuckle* You are too kind. Saying that I am alive would be a stretch. I am just a small part of the soul, nothing but a shard."
"I guess not even the false gods on Chaos’ side could kill you completely."
The shard simply gave a bland smile, and directly cut to the heart of the matter.
"Do you want power?"
"Why do you want to help me?"
"Because you are the only way for me to keep my sense of self.”
“So even the great Lucifer had been reduced to this.”
More than disappointment, what Tiamat showed was sadness. Lucifer was her predecessor. Her destiny was clear for all to see.
However, that sadness did not last for long.
“Well, in the end, your proposal does not interest me. I have my own aspirations.”
“What if I told you that…I know the secret to becoming a false god?”
Tiamat stopped, before turning around.
Lucifer expected to see interest in her eyes, but all he saw was disdain.
“Do you take me for an idiot?”
She sneered, “Why would I exchange my current leash for another one when my real goal is to break all restraints?”
Even as she spooks, her aura began to change. A regal atmosphere covered the entire area.
This was her <<Pride>>, the concept she was born with. Even though she had voluntarily fallen to a level below that of a Duke, the concept of Pride was a power branded in her very being, something she could never change.
“Oh? I see. Your pride is praiseworthy, but…Who the hell do you think I am, little queen?”
If the aura of Tiamat was crushing, then the one from Lucifer was devastating.
The two <<Pride>> clashed. The world screeched and cracks appeared everywhere as if this pocket dimension was about to break.
Neither of the two could use their full power, but they were already beyond all measure.
Feeling Lucifer’s power for herself, she immediately knew that if the two of them were at their peak, she would have lost. That fact was undeniable.
But, did the truth hurt her?
Not all.
In order to seek power, one had to understand that they were powerless. In order to reach the top, one had to start from the bottom.
Failure was the mother of success and defeat was the seed of victory.
“Let me witness the might of the first Divine Beast!”
With a smile filled with madness and battle thirst, Tiamat fought her greatest battle.
Golden scales covered her body like an armor as wings seemingly made out of steel appeared behind her back. Her menacing golden eyes narrowed while her curved horns shone under the calm light of stars.
<<Dimension Encroachment: Blazing Sun>>
<<Dimension Encroachement: River of stars>>
Like two forces of nature, the two clashed. The large black wings behind Lucifer seemed to cover the sky while the world changed under his will.
Tiamat was not to be undone though, after all, “No matter how bright the sun shines…It’s still nothing more than a star!”
Lucifer gave a bitter smile as he watched his dimension shrink down while Tiamat’s own covered more territory. At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a small amount of pride.
Tiamat was created by him. In a way, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that he was Tiamat’s father. How could he not feel pride at the sight of his daughter's strength?
“Your strength is really befitting of the crown. But it isn’t enough. The Sun is not just a star…It’s the source of all life.”
Like a tide, all the ground Tiamat had managed to take vanished, and the two fell back to a stalemate.
“Kuh!”
Tiamat grunted as she felt a sweet and slightly metallic taste in her mouth when she swallowed the blood that she was about to vomit. Lucifer, on the other hand, showed no particular emotion as he continued,
“Your understanding of the world is still too shallow. You still focus too much on the physical aspect when you should focus on the metaphysical. Never forget…”
“What matters the most in this world is the weight of the stories. For a short instant, let me show you what lay beyond.”
Everything seemed to come to a stop.
Tiamat felt goosebumps and her eyes opened wide. What she was about to witness was something that would be seared in the deepest part of her mind, she instinctively felt that.
Lucifer knew that what he was about to do was not wise. His existence was already faint and using his power would put him in even more danger.
However, his pride would not allow him to yield. If he had to die, it would be in a blazing glory.
He would show her, the power of his inheritance. The power of his <<Rebellion>>.
<<I am Lucifer. The Torch-Bearer.>>
<<I am the Morning Star, the Source of all Light>>
<<I hereby declare: Let there be Darkness!>>
In an instant, all the stars in Tiamat’s dimension were extinguished like candles blown out under the wind.
Watching the defeated Tiamat fight to stay standing up despite the immense pain she should be under, the faint soul of Lucifer muttered, “Never forget, little queen. My power is the power to change the world. This power shall be yours too.”
This was her first defeat.
It was also her last defeat.
—
“What’s the matter?”
Looking down at the golden-haired young man, Tiamat showed a small smile as she ruffled his hair.
“I was just reminiscing about the past.”
On the day of her first defeat, Tiamat understood that what Lucifer wanted her to inherit wasn’t just a type of power.
It was a will.
The will to stand up against the world and bring it to its knees. The will to fight against the oppression brought by this entity that was Fate.
Thanks to this will, the young queen that she once was, grew into an Empress. Even those goddesses that once seemed so all-mighty were not so anymore in her eyes.
But…Like Lucifer said, this wasn’t enough.
Lucifer’s <<Rebellion>> wasn’t enough.
Michael’s <<Servitude>> even less.
Her own <<Defiance>> did not make the cut.
Dahlia’s, or Nihil’s <<Freedom>>> was doomed to fail.
Then…Would Sol be able to overcome it? Would it be enough?
Tiamat smirked at the slight unease in her heart and simply crushed it with her will of steel.
So what if the first and second generations failed? So what even if the third generation failed? There would always be a fourth, a fifth, or even a hundredth one.
This wasn’t what she had to care about. All she had to do now was to be the umbrella that shielded them from all harm until they showed their might.
In this world, what mattered the most was the weight of the stories.
How much did Sol’s stories weigh? The answer to this question would soon be revealed.
“Sol, let me show you the power to change the world.”
