The God of Weather tugged at the chains binding him and chuckled.
"This feels wonderful. I've never felt as free as I do now."
After a pause, he looked at the other self that had separated from his body, the one guided by his former consciousness.
"You gave up your identity, your glory, and your power."
"That may let you cling to life a little longer, but in the end, you'll still come back here and become part of me again."
"Heh... Enjoy yourself while you can, with what little time you have left."
The separated God of Weather, who looked somewhat younger, shook his head impassively.
"Perhaps the Apocalypse that destroys everything will arrive before my death."
The God of Weather scoffed with open disdain.
"The lord I serve is the embodiment of the Apocalypse, destruction itself. Even the most terrifying Apocalypse is merely a glimpse of my lord's power."
"Give up that naive, laughable idea and return here. Once we truly merge, the so-called Apocalypse the Seven Deities speak of will be nothing more than a splash beneath our feet."
"Even if we happen to die in the Catastrophe, we'll simply return to my lord and await New Life."
"As my lord's most faithful believer, you'll always have the right to choose until it's too late. After all, you are me."
At the docks of Bansy Harbor, Hermes silently appeared in a guest cabin aboard the passenger ship where Cyril had briefly stayed. He wore a gray-white robe.
His gaze swept around the room, passed lightly over Cyril asleep on the bed, then settled on Steve in the Painting Scroll before the round table fixed to the floor.
"I suddenly lost track of Randolph Carter's Island of Consciousness in the nearby Mind World. He's been taken back, hasn't