Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1376 Awakening
Grisha Adam, the "True Creator," is looking for me? And Klein too?

Seeing Audrey suddenly become dazed and lose focus after entering the gray fog, Angel had already guessed that she had been affected by "suggestion" and "hypnosis" and that the gray fog attached to the Source Castle had caused her to fall into memory confusion. However, he did not expect that the one who did this was the most powerful "spectator" in the world.

If He needed anything, He could simply recite my or "The Fool's" name directly, or use an avatar or virtual personality to do so. Why use Audrey to communicate indirectly...? Angel pondered, seeing Audrey still somewhat bewildered, and offered a comforting smile:

"It's alright, He probably won't do anything to you, He just left a few hints in your memory."

The captivating smile immediately charmed Miss "Justice," calming her down, and she nodded, saying:
"Yes, I believe you, and Mr. Fool... The 'True Creator' placed two sentences in my mind when I entered the Garden of Eden and met with the council members of the other Psychological Alchemy Society. He did not actually appear, but did so by manipulating the subconscious... Afterwards, He instructed me to report to you the whereabouts of the mental dragon 'Erdfana' after the meeting, so that I could come above the gray fog and tell you these two sentences in person."

“They are ‘Everything is ready’ and ‘Lilith has agreed’.”

After saying these two sentences of "information," Audrey seemed to finally break free from that feeling of panic. She frowned and searched her subconscious to make sure she hadn't been further affected.

Of course, if a deity through the "spectator" pathway, a true "dreamer," were to use her subconscious to influence her, she would have no way of detecting it. In such cases, Audrey could only trust the Queen's judgment.

After figuring this out, she forced a smile and asked, puzzled:

"Does Lilith refer to the current 'Earth Mother Goddess'?"

—What does His agreement mean? And what is being prepared?

Audrey's mind was full of questions.

Moreover, she noticed that after hearing these two sentences, Miss "Queen" showed a certain degree of relaxation in her expression and movements, as if she had heard long-awaited good news.

This is good news that even a god cannot hide his excitement and anticipation for. Does it mean an alliance between true gods, or the outbreak of another divine war?

Unfortunately, the Queen did not grant her wish, but instead abruptly changed the subject:

"The 'True Creator' providing clues about that mind dragon means you've finished digesting the Sequence 3 potion and are ready for the corresponding ritual?"

Receiving no answer, Audrey lowered her gaze in disappointment, then quickly rallied, shook her head, and said:
"The 'Dreamweaver' potion is not difficult to digest. In Backlund, I have ample time to weave shared dreams for a large number of people and soothe their pain from the war. However, the ritual to advance to Sequence 2 'Insightful One' is progressing very slowly."

After obtaining the "Justice" card from the blasphemous card deck, which represents the dreamer's path, Audrey learned from it the recipe for the potion to become an angel, and the most important ascension ritual:
Delve into the subconscious of at least ten thousand people, find their truest fears, most instinctive desires, and the root of all psychological problems, and leave your own imprint.

While this could be accomplished conveniently during Audrey's role as the "Dream Weaver," saving some time, it wasn't simple; on the contrary, it was extremely dangerous and tedious. Because everyone possesses spirituality, a divinity originating from the primordial creator, delving into the ocean of the subconscious to search for instinctive fears and desires could very likely lead to encountering projections of ancient, mad, and terrifying beings hidden deep within the subconscious. A slight misstep could result in contamination and descent into madness.

Of course, like most rituals that require a certain number of participants, the presence of a high-ranking individual can replace quantity with quality. One saint is worth a thousand people. As a member of the Audrey Tarot Society and a member of the Psychological Alchemy Council, it is not difficult to come into contact with saints or even angels who are willing to cooperate. However, this means greater risks.

Because the divinity within saints and angels overwhelms humanity, the shadows of ancient and great beings in their subconscious are more active. If Audrey were to try to understand the mind of Fors, the "magician" who has just become an angel, she might encounter the spiritual imprint left by the "Celestial Venerable" who once contained extraordinary characteristics, or she might confront some terrifying beings in the starry sky.

Therefore, in the past year or so, she has only completed the "insight" into the dreams of a thousand people, and it is still a long way from meeting the requirements of the ritual and having the opportunity to take the magic potion and become an angel.

Furthermore, the Sequence 2 extraordinary ability that she "pre-ordered" is still within Erdfana, and this mental dragon is still hidden in the dreams of the inhabitants of Dilis on the northern shore of the Intersea. It will probably take a long time to find it.

Angel, who also learned about the ceremony from the "Dreamer" plaque, nodded slightly and suggested with a smile:
"Tonight, you can enter my dream and 'see into' my subconscious to replace the remaining ritual needs. Of course, I will suppress the obvious dangers in the subconscious, and some hidden problems will not be fatal."

Audrey's expression froze instantly.

Miss "Queen", the current "Goddess of Calamity" actually invited me to enter Her dream? This is the subconscious of a true god. I don't even need to fully understand it. Just a shallow understanding of some of Her thoughts is enough to complete the ritual of advancing to "Insight". Even the remaining undigested "Dream Weaver" potion is no longer a problem... She was first surprised and delighted, and then somewhat puzzled.

Why would a deity be so generous? Was it because of old ties with the Tarot Society, past interactions under the identities of Eileen and Christine, or...? Her thoughts wandered for a moment, then a more realistic possibility came to mind:

Miss "Queen" is urging these Sequence 3 members of the Tarot Society to become angels as soon as possible, and this action is likely related to the two sentences just passed on by the "True Creator".

Could something big be about to happen...? At that moment, the hidden message deep within Audrey's heart began to loosen.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After seeing off the still somewhat bewildered Miss Justice, Angel looked at the empty high-backed chair at the end of the long table and said softly:

"Did you hear everything?"

"Ah."

A nasal sound came from the surrounding gray fog, and then the "Fool" Klein, with black hair and brown eyes and a not-so-tall stature, appeared on the seat belonging to the "world".

“I heard you tempting my believers and followers, saying that you would meet them in your dreams at night and open your heart to them, letting them wander in your deepest consciousness.”

He glanced at the high-backed chair where "Justice" Audrey had sat and said in a mocking tone.

"Who told you to act like Sleeping Beauty all the time? For the past year or so, the Tarot Club has only known 'The Queen' and not 'The Fool.' When they encounter danger, the first thing they recite is my name." Angel leaned back in his chair, quite satisfied with the results of his hosting the gatherings during this period.

"Are you referring to the last line, 'the eternal companion of the Lord of Mysteries'?"

With his hands clasped together in front of his chest, Klein feigned piety as he chanted, then obediently lowered his arms under Angel's watchful eye, who could find a weakness to kill a god, and coughed lightly, saying:
What are your thoughts on the two sentences Grisha Adam conveyed?

Getting down to business, Angel also withdrew his gaze from the location of the fake Klein in front of him, the "Spirit Worm," and carefully answered:
"The first sentence means that He has already seen through our plan and is thinking the same way as us; while the second sentence means that the Earth Mother Goddess Lilith is prepared to sacrifice herself."

After learning that the "Mother Nest" had fathered Omibella and Gidas with the "Primordial God," Angel and Klein had been preparing to use this information and recently recovered the latter's intact body.

Their line of thinking is as follows:

The Mother Nest is a portion of the essence that was torn into the barrier by the "Fallen Mother Goddess," and after that tear, it separately completed its own symbolism and authority. This is equivalent to having a portion of the Mother Nest within the Earth and another portion within the body of the Fallen Mother Goddess.

Furthermore, the "Mother" is the most important symbol of that pillar-level Old One, and the Mother Nest reinforces this by giving birth to a brother and sister, thus establishing a mystical connection strong enough to penetrate the barrier of the original Creator.

Based on this, Lilith, the "progenitor of the vampires," once plotted to murder Omibella and, with the help of the ancient sun god and the goddess of night, took over her fate and identity, becoming the "Mother Goddess of the Earth." This allowed her to hide as the mother of the "God of War" and deliver a fatal blow to her, helping her allies while reclaiming the uniqueness of the "Moon" pathway. However, on the other hand, it also caused her to fall into the influence of the "Fallen Mother Goddess" when the barrier was about to break.

The source of this influence lies in the extraordinary concept of "eldest daughter" in a mystical sense.

Because the "Fallen Mother Goddess" is the eldest daughter of the original creator, this identity only became important after Her birth and rule over reality. Omibella is the eldest daughter of the "Mother Nest" after it was torn apart and gained her own consciousness.

Through this link, the "Fallen Mother Goddess" was able to influence the Earth Mother Goddess, who had become a deity, putting her in an extremely unfavorable state. Not only was she unable to fully support the barrier, but many extraordinary beings within her own church were also corrupted, essentially becoming pawns of the Fallen Mother Goddess. As a result, a system of gracious and favored individuals had to be established to maintain the operation of the church.

But now, Angel and Klein have the opportunity to use this link in reverse, to influence the powerful pillar outside the barrier, or even to cripple or banish Him!

With Earth expected to have two pillars and three to five ancient beings, and the Outer Gods lacking the most important pillar-level ancient being, the "Fallen Mother Goddess," the two sides will be completely unequal in strength, and Earth has a high probability of winning the apocalyptic war.

Of course, there are two very important prerequisites for achieving this goal.

Firstly, the "Earth Mother Goddess" must have the ability to influence the "Fallen Mother Goddess" in reverse. The former is merely a Sequence 0 deity, while the latter is the pillar that grasps the concept of "reality" and is immortal. To achieve this, there must be means to strengthen the connection and achieve a certain "similarity".

This is why Angel commissioned the Tarot Society, the Temperance Faction, and the two major churches, The Fool and The End, to search for Giddas's remains. This angel of the "Moon" pathway was born from the Mother Nest and likely possesses certain gifted powers, making him an important tool for connecting to the source matter of the Western Continent.

The "Gift of the Earth," which helped Silver City persist in the Forsaken Lands for over two thousand years, is the remains of Omibella, the eldest daughter of the Mother Nest, and also possesses significant mystical symbolism. This sealed artifact was taken by Saint Viev, the pure white angel under the "True Creator," in exchange for a Sequence 2 attribute. Although this was done with the tacit approval of Angel and Klein, it also confirmed one point for them: Grisha Adam also wanted to use Omibella to influence the "Fallen Mother Goddess" in reverse!
The very first word Audrey conveyed today signifies that He is ready.

Compared to this premise, the second condition was even harder for Angel to accept: the Earth Mother Goddess Lilith would inevitably sacrifice herself in this matter.

Because neither Angel and Klein, nor the "True Creator," could directly affect the "Fallen Mother Goddess" outside the barrier through their actions within it; they could only do so by strengthening the symbolic "Earth Mother Goddess."

After extracting the gift from Giddar and using the symbol of the "Gift of the Earth" to target Lilith, who possesses the destiny of Omibella, Angel's plan is to kill this deity, recreate the scene of "Omibella's death," and awaken the maternal instincts of the "Mother Nest," which has already developed self-awareness.

Of course, for the hatred of the lost daughter of the Mother Nest to be directed at another "Mother Goddess" rather than the god within the barrier plotting to kill Lilith, more prerequisites are needed.

Fortunately, during the "Vortex" transaction, Amon's request for the Fallen Mother Goddess to remove all the pollution from the barrier was exploited by this pillar.

He corrupted the "Phoenix Ancestor" Greta Garley as early as the ancient era, and corrupted the "Knowledge Emperor" when Emperor Roselle landed on the moon. When the opponent made the "Mother" card, He incorporated a "Ceres" blessing into this card as the most important second move.

Without Amon's knowledge of this, He deceived the other party, deliberately ignoring these two targets when extracting the pollution.

At this point, the forces remaining within the barrier became the most important symbol in Angel and Klein's plan. Through methods such as "fooling" and "grafting," and with the aid of "distorted" power, a certain true god could disguise himself as the "fallen mother goddess" and kill Lilith.

As for how to use this to severely damage the "Fallen Mother Goddess," Angel doesn't have many clues yet, but the true creator has undoubtedly already come up with a solution.

Now, Mother Earth has also come to her senses and is prepared to sacrifice herself...

Thinking of this, Angel looked at Klein, who was facing him across the long bronze table, smiled slightly, and said:
"Now that everything is ready, let's begin."

"We don't need to hide anymore."

Klein nodded, and his figure in the mist solidified almost instantly.

But in Angel's eyes, Klein, whose weakness was clearly pointed to the core "Spirit Worm," became blurred, as if he had been "fooled" and could not find the opponent's weakness at the first moment.

The true "Fool" has awakened from within the "Source Castle".

(End of this chapter)