Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Chapter 368: Chapter 97 On the Banks of the Nile River_3

"This gift from the Endless Void... If it can be consumed by them, why can't I?"

······

With a light leap, her mind fell into a haze. When Io regained her senses, she suddenly discovered that a whole new world had appeared before her.

The land was covered in green, and in the distance lay vast rolling sands she had never seen before. A wide river rippled with waves, watering the land on both banks, bringing vitality to the great desert.

The Sky seemed to have become 'narrower,' and if she had been a demigod with divinity, she might even have noticed that the laws that constructed everything were no longer the same; but this had nothing to do with Io.

She couldn't see that much, and the changes in the world didn't have such a significant impact on her as a mortal. She simply realized all at once that the gadfly which had been relentlessly pursuing her was now gone, and even her own body was inch by inch returning to its original form.

The hooves turned back into hands and feet, her dress covered her body, the power of the deities from the Foreign Realm dissipated, and Io had reverted to her former self.

"Ah, Creator of Bronze Humanity, Forethinker Prometheus, whether or not it was you who helped me, I am thankful for your blessing!"

Under the blue sky and white clouds, gone were the mooing sounds; the girl's clear voice had returned to her.

She didn't know why she had come here, nor why she had transformed back, but she credited it all to Prometheus, the kind deity who was bound beneath the eye of the sea, enduring suffering.

By chance, she had fallen into the sea's eye, where she met the deity of old. She told the Forethinker about the brief history humans of her time understood, and in return, Prometheus told her about the real world.

Finally, the Forethinker blessed Io, wishing her liberation, and sent her out from the sea's eye. Now, the princess was infinitely grateful to the ancient Titan deity; she had finally escaped the painful Abyss.

But her joy was fleeting, and as the excitement of finally regaining her freedom faded, and she looked upon this unfamiliar place, Io couldn't help but feel an onset of sadness.

She had lost her father, her homeland and was alone in this place. All that accompanied her were the Moon, Stars, and the bloodline of the brute within her womb.

Discover hidden content at m,v l'e-NovelBin.net

Loneliness and helplessness surged into Io's heart; she was all alone as far as the eye could see.

"O gods, whoever you may be, please answer me. How can I return to my homeland, to see my father again."

Falling to the ground, Io prayed to all the deities she could think of, yet she received no answer. Thus the girl sat desolately on the riverbank, gazing hopelessly at the ceaseless flow of the river.

The vast river brought both Life and Death; just as water is the source of Life, it can also bring cataclysmic disaster. For a moment, Io even entertained the thought that perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to end her Life right there.

"Perhaps my birth was a mistake... This world contains only pain. Maybe Death is the ultimate destination for everything."

Standing by the riverbank, Io softly closed her eyes, but as push came to shove, she felt fear,

"No, you cannot die."

Suddenly, she heard someone speak.

"Why not? If I can't decide my fate, can't I decide my own Life—"

She exclaimed loudly but then realized something. There was no one else here but her; who then had just spoken to her?

Io turned around sharply, and at the edge of her vision, she saw the source of the voice.

At the boundary between the yellow sand and the greenery, a girl seemed to embody all the beauty of the world, approaching her: The harsh sun did not wish to harm her and thus arranged for clouds to just block it in The Sky; the branches of trees did not want to hinder her, parting to create a path with the help of the wind.

The pure deity walked barefoot on the damp earth, and where she passed, Flowers bloomed and fragrance wafted through the air spontaneously.

"...Who are you... Are you a deity? Have you come to save me?"

She stood rooted to the spot but soon a look of joy appeared on her face. Io looked at the girl, who was about the same age as herself, and asked expectantly,

"I swear, no matter which deity you are, if you can help me return to my homeland, I am willing to spend my life spreading the tale of your greatness."

However, the figure in front of her just shook her head.

"I am Isis, the divine who governs life. I have saved many, but this time, I am not here to save you."

The ethereal voice sounded again and, in a trance, the girl in the green dress crossed the vast distance.

She looked at the princess out of this world, at first puzzled, but then, as if understanding dawned on her the next moment,

Looking at Io, Isis felt as though she were looking at herself, and also at her own future. The other was not supposed to arrive in her world at this time, so when she did, the destiny that was meant to be was disrupted.

She initially carried the mission to replace Isis, but now, all this had instead presented itself directly before the Goddess of Life.

This mission was both bestowed by Chaos and inescapable for Hemenu, because the former's power far exceeded the latter's by more than a step, making it an ending forcefully dictated under that power. Even now, Isis still found herself powerless against it.

She could kill Io now, but it would all be meaningless. Thousands of years later, when the power of a foreign realm crushes Hemenu's resistance, what awaited her was still the fated demise.

"I should thank you, even though you were arranged to replace me... I should also hate you, because you have made me see more clearly my own helplessness."

"What are you talking about?"

Io was somewhat confused; she did not understand what this strange goddess meant. Replace, whom? As a mortal, how could she possibly replace an immortal deity?

"Nothing much, just that seeing you has clarified many things for me."

With a serene smile, the whole world seemed to brighten in cheer. Isis slightly lifted her head, looking at the sky, looking at the earth,

"I was originally to marry my brother, but our future was a tragedy... I would bear the future king of Egypt, he is called Horus, is an eagle and also the storm... And you, you should have come at that time, replacing me, with your child replacing mine, but now..."

"...You have come too early, and the fate of your world has taken a different direction."

Gently shaking her head, and although she had grasped the situation, Isis became even more aware that the clash between the two worlds was not something she could partake in, and that her own world paled in comparison to that other one.

The discovery of today might allow her to avoid her own tragedy, but that was all, and all this was predicated on her not trying to oppose what was 'destined'.

"Can't defy fate, can we? Well then, since it is so, I don't wish to tread the same path. And as you carry the fate that was originally yours, let me now help you fulfill it."

Tilting her head, Isis took a gemstone from the hem of her garment and placed it on Io's chest. The gemstone emitted a lush green light, and under its glow, every trace of Io that belonged to another world seemed to be concealed.

"Carry my kindness, carry my malice, carry my strength, and also carry my fate."

"Perhaps your offspring will still become the masters of Egypt, but probably not this generation,"

Smiling, she caressed Io's cheek, yet it was as if Isis was speaking to herself:

"Remember to pray to the gods of your world, from your generation onward, let your descendants not forget."

"To change the fate of a world, or rather one more powerful than ours... If He can hear your prayers, perhaps everything might yet proceed towards a different ending."