A Prophet in Greece: Part 2

So what was going on with them being unable to give birth?

More importantly, why had they come to him because they could not give birth?

As if she had seen through Theron's confusion, Nyx spoke again in her ethereal, calm voice:

"It is because of you."

Theron was even more bewildered. Nyx said she could not give birth because of him?

What had he done? Why did he not know about it?

Under Nyx's expressionless gaze, Theron had no choice but to use his meager divine power to examine the causality behind this.

It turned out that because of his arrival, he had occupied the godhood of "Fate," and so this world no longer needed new gods of fate.

However, Nyx's children had a fixed destiny, which was itself part of fate. Among them were the famous three Fates.

The three Fates (Moirai) were:

Clotho, the spinner who wove the thread of life.

Lachesis, who determined the length of the thread of life.

Atropos, who cut the thread of life.

The three goddesses formed a complete cycle of fate. Their existence made humanity struggle within the threads of inevitability. They might stray from the path, but they would never break free.

But now, because of Theron's appearance, the three Fates, who should inevitably have been born, had lost the divine authority that should have belonged to them. By all reason, they should have simply vanished, since the world no longer needed them.

Yet they had already been conceived, resulting in this awkward incident of being "unable to give birth."

Looking at it this way, it really did seem to be his fault. Nyx had come to demand an explanation from the person responsible.

Theron felt a little awkward. After thinking it over, he tentatively said, "Lady Nyx, I deeply sympathize with your predicament. Since they cannot be born due to a lack of origin, perhaps I can give it a try."

Nyx nodded. At this point, she possessed very little personification and showed almost no emotional fluctuation.

With Nyx's consent, Theron carefully wrapped a trace of Fate's origin in his meager divine power and spread it over Nyx.

In the next instant, he sensed something. The laws hummed, as if the entire world were trembling. Invisible threads of fate intertwined in the void, and at the center of those threads, three exquisite figures appeared.

Their figures were full and voluptuous, their postures graceful and relaxed. Beneath their thin, close-fitting garments were perfect feminine curves, while their features were delicate and beautiful, seeming to radiate vigorous life.

"Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos greet Father God and Mother God."

The three sisters spoke at once, their voices light and pleasant. They showed no disrespect toward Theron because of his weakness, for they could sense the aura of destiny upon him.

Nyx felt neither joy nor surprise at their birth, displaying almost no emotion. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly sensed something and turned toward the patch of void where Theron was.

The originally formless space suddenly began to ripple. Even more intangible and mysterious threads emerged, weaving together a young figure.

It was a man, a handsome young man. His features were gentle, and he wore a white robe. His violet eyes seemed capable of seeing through everything, though they currently held a trace of surprise.

"I have a human form?"

Theron discovered with surprise that he seemed to have escaped his formless state. The reason appeared to be the birth of the three Fates. With their appearance, Theron's divine power had increased once more.

"No, not just that." Theron quickly sensed something else. Looking toward the distant Source Sea, which still rippled without end, he came to a conclusion. "The twelve Titans are about to be born."

At the same time, he realized something. Letting fate unfold on its own did not seem to grant him as much divine power as actively driving it forward.

Perhaps a prophecy only counted as prophecy when others knew of it. What he thought to himself did not count, so he had to interact with other gods.

Then if he wanted to grow stronger quickly, would he not have to personally push forward those events destined to occur?

The God King Ascends

In this world, even gods differed in strength.

By Theron's classification, they were divided into weak divine power, lesser divine power, intermediate divine power, greater divine power, and divine-above, or creation-level, divine power.

At this moment, Theron undoubtedly possessed weak divine power. Primordial gods such as Gaia and Nyx stood slightly above greater divine power, though they had not reached the power of creation.

As for Uranus, god of the sky; Pontus, god of the sea; the three Fates; and the other gods conceived by primordial gods like Gaia and Nyx, they were born with intermediate divine power. But through growth and the evolution of the world, they could eventually reach greater divine power.

The so-called power of creation belonged only to Chaos, the world itself. If a god wished to reach that level, they had to gain the world's recognition—to become the... God King!

Other than those primordial gods with very little personification, probably no one could remain indifferent to the position of God King. It represented the mighty power of creation, absolute strength and authority.

Uranus's heart burned with the same desire, especially after hearing such a prophecy, even if it had come from a weak god he did not even deem worth looking at.

But he did not know how to become God King, nor how to gain the world's recognition.

Not until his twelve children with Gaia were born.

The laws of the world hummed as new orders came into being one after another: ocean, light, memory, justice, harvest, time...

Twelve new laws in total, symbolizing twelve newborn gods. Six were male and six were female. Their birth further perfected the evolving world.

At the instant they were born, Uranus felt the will of the world. He obtained the great [Patriarchy], and his divine power instantly surged.

Only then did Uranus finally understand why the prophecy had linked the God King's rise to the birth of his twelve children. The newborn gods were all his children. Naturally, he was the king of the gods, and the world itself placed the crown upon his head.

Yet he could not understand how such a weak god had been able to glimpse fate.

But the facts lay before him, forcing him to believe. At the very least, he had lost their wager.

He looked toward Gaia, his wife who had just given birth, and saw the same complicated disbelief in her eyes.

"Perhaps we should visit that respected lord again," Gaia said first. "We should apologize for our earlier offense and admit defeat as promised."

"He truly foresaw the birth of our children, as well as your and my positions as God King and Queen of the Gods. Such an ability is astonishing."

"Let him attend our banquet," Uranus said after thinking for a moment. "We can properly thank him there."

"That would be good. Such a special day deserves a proper celebration." Gaia agreed. "I will invite him personally and have him witness this great moment."

"My beautiful queen, you are so understanding." Uranus gazed at Gaia tenderly, their intimacy unmistakable.

The newborn gods had no idea what had happened. Under the influence of [Patriarchy], they did not even dare question Uranus and merely stood there, hesitating to speak.

But that did not stop them from guessing what Father God and Mother God were discussing. It seemed that someone had foreseen their birth in advance and had even foreseen Uranus and Gaia becoming God King and Queen of the Gods.

What kind of great power was that? What sort of mighty being could possess it?

But when Gaia led Theron up the divine mountain, they realized they had overthought things and were immediately deeply disappointed.

Because this god was far too weak.

So weak that even they, newly born as they were, seemed capable of defeating him with ease. So weak that even the body formed from manifested laws did not appear particularly solid. Could such a god truly glimpse fate?

It was truly unbelievable. No wonder Father God and Mother God had not believed his words at first.

Still... [Prophecy] itself did not seem to be a particularly powerful divine office. It was understandable for its holder to be weak.

That was what the gods thought as they continued to observe in silence, not daring to speak without permission.

"I pay my respects to you, Your Majesty, noble God King."

Theron bent slightly at the waist, expressing his respect toward the male god seated upon the high platform. Gaia, meanwhile, returned to Uranus's side and stood quietly beside him.

"We meet again, honored seer, god of prophecy," Uranus said with a smile. Compared to last time, his voice was now filled with majesty, symbolizing supreme divine power.

"Forgive our earlier presumption. Fate is truly something unfathomable. Before it happens, no one can imagine it will happen. Even I could not judge it."

Compared to their previous meeting, Uranus was far more polite this time. Though he was much stronger than before, he had also witnessed the power of prophecy.

Theron smiled indifferently. He was in an excellent mood now, both because his divine power had grown and because he had gained a physical form. This only strengthened his determination to push fate forward.

He had not yet been completely accepted by this world. Perhaps Chaos rejected an outsider's soul, leaving his body somewhat illusory. However...

In a sense, the God King represented the will of the world. If this world would not acknowledge him, then he would make the God King acknowledge him.

"Your Majesty need not concern yourself with it. It is my honor to witness the birth of Chaos's first God King with my own eyes." Theron spoke sincerely. "Your appearance is the world's choice."

"And I merely glimpsed a corner of fate."

The first God King?

Gaia, who had keenly caught the key phrase, frowned slightly. Uranus's gaze darkened as well.

The twelve newborn gods also sensed something and all became somewhat uneasy.

Yet as if he had not noticed their reactions, Theron continued praising him earnestly. "You are so great. The world has become more prosperous because of your existence."

"Lord Theron." Uranus interrupted his praise. "As for our previous wager, we are willing to admit defeat. Therefore, I will grant you one condition."

"Have you decided what you want?"

Seeing Theron reveal a thoughtful expression, Uranus spoke as if casually. "If you have not yet decided, perhaps you can wait for now."

"I would like to ask you for another prophecy. If you are willing, you may make your request afterward. In that case, I will grant you the greatest leniency and agree to any condition within my power."

The corners of Theron's lips rose slightly. He knew the other party had taken the bait, but he still put on a troubled expression and thought carefully. Only after a long while did he nod.

"It is my honor, Your Majesty. What do you wish to know?"

"Wise prophet, I hope you can tell me whether I will remain the eternal God King in this world's future."

Uranus stared at Theron and asked each word distinctly, "Will I rule this world forever?"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire divine hall fell silent. Worry appeared on Gaia's face, while the newborn gods all turned their eyes toward Theron, each wearing a different expression.

Because this was a deadly question.

A New Prophecy

On the towering divine mountain, pair after pair of eyes watched Theron, their expressions varied.

Each of them had heard Theron mention the "first" God King earlier, and all of them had been stirred by it.

If there was a first, then there would be a second. Did that mean the noble lord of the gods, Uranus, king of the sky, was not an eternal ruler?

It was also because of that remark that Uranus had chosen to directly ask for a prophecy.

Even though he still considered Theron pitifully weak, as long as he cared about the position of God King, he could not possibly avoid asking.

And this was exactly what Theron had hoped to see.

A prophecy only counted as a prophecy when others knew it.

A destiny only became destined when others knew it.

As though he had not noticed the gods' complicated gazes, Theron looked at Uranus with a humble and courteous tone.

"Your Majesty, there is truly no need for you to concern yourself with such things. You are so great. This world has flourished because of you. You are the undisputed God King."

Theron first praised Uranus sincerely. Seeing that the other party remained unmoved, he changed his tone and said in a low voice: