Mutagen

Day 155 - 1:05 AM - Royal Chamber, Castle, Tamawo Ancestral Tribe, Municipality of Badian, Province of Cebu

The artifact called the [Mark of the King] flew towards Pefile.

An item that was moving on its own, it was akin to paranormal experiences involving poltergeists. Furthermore, a supposedly static object shot towards Pefile the moment they entered at fast speeds. One would usually think that it was something dangerous.

However, no matter how fast it was, none of them felt danger.

Instead, it gave the feeling of excitement. It was like the artifact was a dog that was waiting for its master to return. Or a child that saw their parents after a long time of separation.

That was why even though the artifact shot towards Pefile at a dangerous speed, none of them felt any kind of danger. It was most likely that it would stop even before it hit Pefile.

But then, as the artifact reached a close distance to Pefile, it was suddenly flung even faster towards the opposite side of the chamber. The [Mark of the King] bounced on the floor several times and on the wall once. Then, finally, it came to a stop.

"He swatted it."

"Yep, he swatted it."

Fourth and Mark respectively spoke as they saw the scene in front of him.

It was the scene of Pefile with his outstretched right arm after he swatted the artifact away like a disgusting bug.

Even Nineteenth was also speechless at the sudden unexpected scene in front of her.

It was a hilarious scene. And to say, the two Eyes actually felt satisfied seeing an artifact left by a foreign god to be blatantly rejected by a creature created by the same god.

Nonetheless, after the [Mark of the King] was flung away, it did not remain on the ground. It immediately floated. This time, however, it did not try to approach Pefile. Instead, it faced Pefile like a confused person.

"Is this an item that gained sentience?"

Mark could not help but ask. At first, when Pefile said that it could choose a king, he thought that it only followed certain conditions. Now, however, he was sure that he was mistaken. For an item to behave like this, it should be either being controlled or had gained sentience.

The artifact being sentient did not surprise Mark, however. It was not the first item he saw that had an ego. The first one was the [PsyCrystal], although its ego was next to nonexistent, and the second was [Ignis], which even formed its own spirit.

Something created by a god had more chance of being sentient in the first place.

"It did not gain sentience." Nineteenth replied to Mark's question. "Instead, its creator left her will, forming an artificial spirit inside the artifact. This spirit on its own should not be able to form its own ego. Instead, it is only capable of forming the connection between the artifact and its creator."

"Am I correct?" Nineteenth added, suddenly facing the floating artifact. "Do not try to pretend. I know you are already listening."

At Nineteenth's words, the artifact that focused only on Pefile turned to her.

And there, the room suddenly bloomed with bright light. Strangely, however, the bright light was not blinding.

Mark stared in the direction of the artifact, feeling weird. After all, it was strange to be able to stare at a bright light without hurting your eyes and feeling blinded. In fact, there was a tinge of darkness from that supposedly blinding light.

Then, a surge of energy enveloped the whole chamber as the bright light slowly vanished. It was accompanied by the sudden appearance of a figure appearing out of thin air.

It was a gorgeous woman wearing a bluish-white gown. The gown had a gradient color which turned darker as it went down to the ground. While the color of the upper part of the gown felt serene, the part that touched the ground felt ominous.

The woman was also wearing a similar gradient-colored semi-transparent veil on her face. Her head had an exquisite calcite crystal crown adorned by both white and black pearls. She also had a necklace, armbands, earrings, and bracelets, all decorated with opals and pearls.

It was an appearance different from what Mark had from illustrations. Nonetheless, without a doubt, the godly aura around the woman introduced who she was.

Magwayen, the Visayan Goddess of the Sea and the Underworld.

Nonetheless, Mark could not help but frown. Not only him but both Fourth and Nineteenth had the same expression.

It was because, despite the godly aura that enveloped the place, the woman in front of them was not the real thing.

It was nothing but a projection. And avatar that served as a means of communication created by the goddess.

"I never thought that for the first time, my blessing was rejected by the newly chosen king of Tamawos."

The projection of Magwayen stared at Pefile, who was now having a hard time breathing. Although she looked calm, she was not controlling the pressure exuded from her avatar, making anyone weak enough to feel suffocated.

It was very likely that she was angry by what Pefile did. It sure was disrespectful to swat an artifact bestowed by her like a disgusting bug, after all.

Nonetheless, Pefile was a Tamawo. A descendant of her creation and the newly chosen king. There was no way that she would make it too hard for him. The kind goddess retracted the pressure around Pefile, allowing him to breathe. However, it was clear that Pefile was severely impacted by her godly aura. He staggered backward and only managed to stand after he leaned his back on the wall.

Magwayen then turned to the other three. There was no sign of fear or contempt in her eyes as she stared at the Eyes and a Demon. All there was present was calmness.

"The two protectors of Earth and a Demon, no, a potential God. What an unexpected combination, not to mention a potential Demon God originating from a supposedly magicless world." Magwayen serenely sized the group. "Is it now time for the Tamawo's existence to cease? It would be a pity, but it could not be helped if they were already found."

"You seem unfazed by us. How strange."

Nineteenth spoke with a frown. Usually, foreign gods would show a variety of expressions and emotions after they were faced by the Eyes.

"Was it?" Magwayen replied. "Do not be mistaken. I would be afraid if we were to fight in that world. But that was it."

With those words, there was no need to ask.

"You are currently not on Earth."

Fourth, with a serene face, spoke. It was kind of uncanny to see her looking serious compared to her usual behavior. This just showed how powerful the goddess in front of them was, despite being just an avatar.

However, the strength of Magwayen was not the problem here. It was that the goddess was not on Earth any longer. It meant that it was unlikely for her to be of help on the incoming disaster.

"I had long returned to our realm when the Eyes began hunting the gods," Magwayen stated calmly. "It seemed that you, Eyes, are still unaware. It should not be surprising. Despite your unrivaled strength as Earth's protectors, the Eyes are not omnipotent. It was the same for us gods. But with how you two are here looking for me, there should be other gods still hiding in that world. How long has it been?"

There was no contempt in Magwayen's voice. However, both Fourth and Nineteenth could not help but feel insulted.

"Actually, we are not here only for you specifically," Mark interjected as the atmosphere between the goddess and the Eyes was getting sour. "The Eyes already stopped hunting the remaining gods. Instead, in exchange for their help, the Eyes and the Observer will allow them to ascend peacefully."

"Is that true?" Magwayen was surprised as she turned to the Eyes for confirmation.

"What he said is true." Nineteenth nodded. "Earth is currently facing a disaster that would need the help of the remaining gods. That is why we are gathering them for their help in exchange for a peaceful ascension."

"An ascension to a higher realm. What a tempting offer." Magwayen dejectedly shrugged. "Unfortunately, the gate from our realm to yours had long closed. Or else, I would have accepted that offer."

"A disaster that needed the help of gods. Is it connected to the overflowing stench of death in this world right now? It seems to be a very serious one." Magwayen added.

"Actually, we had another reason for searching for you," Mark spoke once more after getting Nineteenth's permission. "We want to ask about Kaptan's whereabouts."

Magwayen turned to Mark. Suddenly, the atmosphere turned dark, with a tinge of sorrow.

"Why do you seek for the Supreme Sky God?" Magwayen asked.

"It's Sinogo, or at least, his empty body," Mark replied. "You can say that the dead are coming back to life in the form of undead monsters. The dead Sinogo absorbed the magic from the seal that confined him and is currently a great threat that the Eyes can't intervene with."

"Sinogo, you say?" Magwayen was quite surprised. "If he did become an undead creature bearing the Supreme Sky God's magic, it would definitely be a disaster. So you wanted to extract the Supreme Sky God's magic from it, I presume."

It seemed that Magwayen understood the consequences of the infected Sinogo's existence. This made Fourth a bit hopeful. Even if Magwayen was not here, she might be able to give crucial information about Kaptan's whereabouts. This could lead to removing a great threat within her territory.

"Then-"

Fourth was about to speak, but Magwayen immediately interjected her.

"Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it."

"What do you mean?"

Mark asked with a frown. After all, if Sinogo continued to grow, there was no doubt that the home he created would be impacted.

"Do none of you find it strange that Sinogo, a being highly valued by the Supreme Sky God, was left to rot in his seal under the sea?" Magwayen asked. "The Supreme Sky God would definitely take him away the moment that the Observer was replaced and the Eyes started to oust the gods."

It was a good question.

The Sky God Kaptan was a ruthless God. Without hesitation, he killed his grandchildren because of the sin they committed. Even killing his granddaughter without basis because of his anger. Yet, Sinogo was just left in a seal despite stealing a valuable artifact from him and being nothing but one of his three messengers.

It was also stated in the myths that Kaptan valued Sinogo highly.

Thus, Kaptan definitely would take Sinogo away first before going into hiding or returning to their realm like what Magwayen did. 

But with how Magwayen spoke, it was unlikely that Kaptan returned with her.

Nonetheless, it was unexpected that Magwayen actually managed to return to their realm. There was no myth that stated that they had the ability to freely travel through dimensions. Or maybe, unlike Bathala that entered Earth after ascending from his realm, the Visayan Gods could enter and leave their realm like the gods in western myths.

In any case, their ability to traverse dimensions was not the problem right now.

The problem was that Sinogo was left despite being highly valued by Kaptan.

Or maybe, Kaptan never had the opportunity to retrieve Sinogo in the first place.

"Wait..." Mark spoke while he racked his brain. "You still appeared within the Visayan Myths of man's creation. There were even the myths of Tamawo's creation. But after the rebellion of Licalibutan and the myths of heavenly creations, there was no mention of Kaptan anymore."

"Don't tell me..."

Mark turned to Magwayen, only to see her nod, understanding his assumption.

"The Supreme Sky God, no, my beloved Kaptan... He had long departed the living."

Magwayen stated with a sad expression.