"Don't be so blunt about it. Some of us aren't keen on meeting you, Mr. Primordial One. Since you've played dumb this long, why not keep it up?" Alaric said with a chuckle, fully aware of who he'd been debating with.
It was the ancient god Ankewelt... and the Primordial One.
Of course, this didn't mean Ankewelt was the Primordial One. The sealed persona of Ankewelt, tainted by the Chaos Sea, had long merged with the Primordial One's essence, somewhat like the situation with the Eternal Blazing Sun before.
"Are you talking about yourself or… this little kitty?" The voice behind the door seemed to laugh, clearly aware of the situation outside. It mused, "I'm surprised you chose Him. I thought the Demoness was more your type, or perhaps that destined child."
The words were clearly aimed at the Will of the City of Calamity.
You think I wanted this? Did I have a choice? The Will of the City of Calamity grumbled internally but didn't dare voice it. Instead, it shook its fur and said, "Who I choose is none of your business. But you…"
It seemed to recall something amusing. "You claim to be omniscient and omnipotent, always peering into the future, laying plans far in advance. Even the Celestial Worthy, with the same origins and equal strength, couldn't outplay you, in my view."
"So, great Primordial God Almighty, did you foresee today? Did you see this moment?" The Will of the City of Calamity's voice dripped with undisguised glee, a true Hunter's jab.
As the saying goes, "Your misfortune is my sunshine." The Will of the City of Calamity clearly held no fondness for the Primordial One, who'd once forcibly contained it. Seeing the Primordial One seemingly outmaneuvered by Alaric, the Will of the City of Calamity reveled in schadenfreude, its mood balancing out.
Guess I'm not the only unlucky one!
The entity behind the door fell silent for a few seconds before sighing. "Sometimes, I don't understand. You, or the Lord of Mysteries, you know your words offend, yet you revel in it."
"Heh, a social butterfly like you, chatting up everyone, wouldn't get it," The Will of the City of Calamity shot back, utterly unashamed and quite proud.
"I don't," The voice admitted candidly, then seemed to chuckle. "City of Calamity, why are you a little kitty now?"
The Will of the City of Calamity froze, its fur bristling the next second. It hissed through gritted teeth, "None of your business!"
"Heh!" The entity laughed again.
"After all these years, you're still so infuriating," The Will of the City of Calamity growled, turning away as if done with the entity.
The entity didn't mind, shifting its focus to Alaric. "I look forward to you truly reviving Grisha."
Alaric chuckled. "What, planning a 2.0 of 'the Primordial One had awoken in my body' ahh situation in Grisha?"
"Why not?" The entity drawled. "Doesn't that suit your goals, our bet? If He suppresses me, you win."
"It's your only shot at coming back," Alaric said, unsurprised by the Primordial One's choice. The closer one was to the Primordial One, the more likely He'd awaken within them. With Alaric around, the Primordial One had no chance of reviving through the Eternal Blazing Sun or others. The Ancient Sun God was the best vessel.
The Ancient Sun God, closest to the Primordial One, was His ideal container... surpassing even Adam.
And besides…
"Even if you lose, you'd have contributed to The Ancient Sun God's revival. That'd make it hard for me to be too harsh on you," Alaric said with a smile, musing, "Is always having a backup plan a Spectator trait?"
"Isn't that good?" The voice countered. "It's the best choice for everyone... you and me."
"Heh!" Alaric laughed. "You're much politer this time. Sensing more of my essence?"
The voice didn't deny it, saying only, "Alaric, everyone in this world gets to live. Why not me?"
"I just want to live."
"You can live," Alaric replied, smiling. "Like Ankewelt's second revival plan, as a Sequence 2. No one would care. But you don't just want to live... you want to live as the Primordial One."
"I won't allow a God Almighty beyond my control. That's the answer."
He allowed The Ancient Sun God to become the God Almighty because they were friends, and Alaric understood him well enough to know how to keep him in check. The world was The Ancient Sun God's weakness; to protect it, he'd never betray Alaric first.
But the Primordial One?
The Primordial One had no such weakness. The only thing that could restrain Him was perhaps the Oldest One, and even the Celestial Worthy fell short.
But the Oldest One's awakening would bring destruction.
Thus, Alaric wouldn't permit the Primordial One to revive as Himself.
"…A blunt and domineering answer," The voice said after a pause. "So you proposed the bet."
The bet ensured Alaric wouldn't allow the Primordial One's revival, but it also guaranteed the Primordial One's "revival" as the Shadow of Time... under Alaric's control.
"Exactly!" Alaric nodded candidly, smiling. "It's your chance, isn't it? Or are you saying the Omnipotent and Omniscient Primordial God Almighty had no inkling of his original future, his original fate?"
The Primordial One chuckled. "Foresaw it or not, what's the difference? Fate is the most unpredictable thing. Even the so-called omniscient and omnipotent are just struggling against it."
"Your presence might actually be a boon for me."
Alaric laughed. "Then you should thank me, though I don't care for it."
Turning to leave, he added, "Thanks for the revival plan. I don't trust you, but it's useful. If The Ancient Sun God revives because of it, I'll send you a special flower."
The voice seemed to laugh... or perhaps it didn't.
***
The story has officially concluded with Chapter 491 on Patron, so if you want to read the ending early, feel free to check it out on Patron.
Every 100 Power Stones and 5 Reviews will earn you a Bonus Chapter.
And if you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)