Brain bloom

She was startled; it was actually that rose garden… Soon, she realized she was no longer an intangible consciousness, but had regained her proper appearance as a girl of the four seasons. Mori hurriedly touched her slightly curly blue hair; the soft yet resilient touch was incredibly comforting.

Yes, it's myself.

This doesn't feel like a dream at all; there's no more ambiguity, everything feels incredibly real.

"Wait, is this my inner world?" She suddenly realized something was wrong. "I've never fantasized about this place... my subconscious?"

"It's so lonely."

"……who?"

Following the sound, Mori took a few steps, crossed a hill, and suddenly discovered the person who had spoken. As if thrown into the innermost part of a thundercloud worm, scorched by endless thunder, Mori felt an unprecedented sense of shock upon seeing Him.

I've seen things that are this beautiful.

The girl, who looked about eight or nine years old, was unbelievably beautiful, as if all the beauty on the planet had been stripped away and bestowed upon Him. She stood there with an all-knowing smile, waving to Mori.

Without a doubt, it is the primordial god.

She seemed unwilling to display any majesty, and was as friendly as a girl next door. She immediately complained to Mori, "It's so lonely here. Nobody's with me. Can't I think of something interesting? What's the point of flowers and plants?"

"Huh? The Primordial God?"

"if not."

"It really is...? How come you're... different from the ones I've seen before?" Mori gasped, almost losing his balance on his knees and falling onto the muddy ground, crushing the innocent flowers and plants, and getting poked in holes by the rose thorns.

It wasn't just Mori who was surprised—He squinted, incredulous.

"Why are there leaves growing on my head?"

"……you--"

"It's 'me,' me. Are you going to abandon me? Otherwise, why choose such a hurtful name?"

Sen Shi rubbed his temples, deciding it was best to give up questioning and get back to reality. Dandelions were scary, but hugging them was comforting; it was better than staying here, indulging in his inexplicable, wild thoughts.

No, no. If this is the case… the nine-year-old version of the primordial god before me is myself?

"Am I confused? Yes, gods do not exist until they are understood, awakened, and accepted."

"Therefore, you are the primordial god."

"It is 'me'."

"Am I the primordial god?" Sen Shi nodded and asked, using a different title.

He shook his head, expressing deep regret over his unusually small size: "It's not a complete divine being, because I haven't received enough divine power, so I can only maintain this size."

"So you—so I'm shorter?"

Once she had an idea, Morishita's mind started racing. Words flew from her lips.

"Since the Primordial God existed from the very beginning, and even his own consciousness was intact, why didn't he wake up sooner? As the interest from Eden Bank, haven't I indeed been paid off? Damn it, Queen Rose misunderstood; I should have met you... How could you choose to vanish!"

The little primordial god tilted his head and thought for a moment, then smiled gently:

"And lovely darkness? Hmm, haven't I already met her and held her hand? Oh, I don't quite understand all this? I've said it before—a god does not exist until he is understood, awakened, and accepted."

"The so-called deity... is you, right before my eyes, and you exist. According to your theory, someone awakened and accepted you, and by the way, understood you, which is why you are able to exist."

Mori unconsciously used the second-person pronoun "you," which clearly angered the Primordial God once again. He clenched his unusually small fist, intending to stride over and have a good talk with Mori, but soon, he showed a thoughtful expression and came to a conclusion.

This incredibly beautiful little girl suddenly became a bit arrogant, shrugging at Mori with a mocking yet helpless smile.

"Since I—since you seem so stupid. Hmph, then it's better if we exist independently, so that my divine status won't be implicated."

"Although I don't understand all of this, I do understand now: you are insulting me!"

"Look, she really is clumsy, hahaha." She laughed happily, covering her mouth and making "pfft" sounds from time to time.

Mori decided not to argue with a child, so he asked seriously, "According to your theory, how do you exist?"

The primordial god seemed to be joking only; his relaxed expression quickly vanished, replaced by a calm and composed voice as he asked, "Darkness awakened me, it understood me. And you—didn't you come to accept me?"

"No."

"...Huh?" His eyes suddenly sharpened.

Mori said truthfully, "I came here to question myself, to see who's really in my heart... I guess that's what dandelion means. I never imagined that you'd be in my heart..."

A hint of worry appeared on His face as He took small steps and ran to the edge of the forest.

Then, ignoring Mori's shyness, He tiptoed and touched Mori's heart, seemingly quietly sensing something. And at this moment, Mori touched His touch, and his soul seemed to rise to an infinitely distant place, looking at his insignificant self from an absolute perspective.

It was a perspective she had never had before, and she seemed to see many other things clearly as well.

Such as things that truly exist and are called "fate".

Before Mori could see anything more, his consciousness returned to its rightful place—the rose garden. He quickly released Mori's hand, hastily took a few steps back, and clutched his head, looking somewhat troubled.

"They didn't come to accept me... Could it be that our birth is destined to be just like many years ago..."

Although initially quite surprised, Mori gradually felt an unprecedented sense of warmth. Chatting with this little girl was like the random thoughts he had in bed before sleep each night—free and enjoyable, without any worries.

"Your personality... well, I thought it would be like the ancient demon king described, more divine, but why does it seem so erratic?"

"Hey, back then I was busy creating humans and playing with civilization. Besides, in that desolate era, there wasn't much entertainment, so how could I have developed an interesting personality? So, back then, I seemed quite high and mighty."

Mori thought it made perfect sense, and then asked, "So, why are you in my heart? There's nothing else there but you. Does that mean I love you?"

“Yes, self-love is a virtue, and I love myself too. Isn’t it a pity that I’m not your Four Seasons Princess?” He countered.

“Uh… I don’t know either.” Mori said truthfully, arranging his words slightly before slowly expressing his thoughts, “I’m quite afraid of dandelions, and I don’t know why. At first, I thought it might be because my identity as the coffin bearer was unfair to her, but then I felt that wasn’t the case. I’ve been feeling very troubled.”

Anyway, it's all in my heart, and the people in front of me aren't strangers; they're all good friends living in the same soul.

"Hmph, foolish mortal, the thought of almost being accepted by you terrifies me." Despite saying this, He still gave a rather serious answer, "It's simple, you are indeed afraid."

"As expected, it must be because of the terrifying power of the Four Seasons after the seal was broken."

"No, no, no, you're just afraid of having children, that's all."

“…Huh.”

Like a thunderclap, Sen Shi's expression gradually shifted from confusion to astonishment.

It seems... that might be the case? Because of the guilt she felt about being the coffin bearer, Mori didn't explain everything clearly, so she had no choice but to temporarily accept the consequences of "kissing the dandelion." But indeed... ever since then, she has always regarded the dandelion as a psychological trauma.

“I’ve studied this carefully, and you actually have a lot of feelings for that princess. You’re just worried about the pain of being impregnated. I can understand. You used to be a great young man, and suddenly you’re in the real world, and you have to have a baby for the princess. No one can accept that.”

"...You—saw my memories?"

“It’s my memory… well, ours.” He shrugged, giving a helpless smile that said, “I understand you.” “You are the interest from the seed, and I am the interest from the condensation of divinity. We just happened to be together. Until my existence is proven and accepted, I am as if I don’t exist. That’s all.”

"I don't quite understand."

"It's alright, it doesn't matter anymore." He smiled meaningfully.

Mori carefully processed the information, but a long-held secret stirred within her, and she couldn't help but voice her question—"Wait, what levels, titles, etc., can I see? Can I see someone's name before they even speak..."

"Is that so surprising? It's just how the gods understand the world, simple and clear, just like that owl." His voice, though childlike and light, carried an undeniable divinity.

"Me too?"

"I only benefited a little from my influence... By the way, you came here for an answer, so I'll respond to your question. Since you're afraid of having children, why not go all the way?"

Mori was excited by the sudden change of topic.

“You’ve gathered many strong people to protect yourself—well, that’s the right thing to do. But don’t be so cowardly. How about a more aggressive approach? Use your strength to crush the dandelion and have her bear your children.” For the first time, a hint of sadness appeared on His small face. “That way, the darkness will be very happy.”

Volume 1 #390 - Awesome!

Her delicate, long eyelashes fluttered slightly. Then, Morishita's eyelids slowly opened, revealing her amber pupils. Her large eyes still held a hint of bewilderment, but even in the dead of night, their extraordinary color remained vivid.

However, compared to before—today her eyes seemed to have a more spiritual radiance.

“…I’m awake.” Mori muttered to himself.

This is the capital of the Holy Coffin Kingdom, the abode of the gods specially prepared by those believers. Yes. It's no longer that rose garden deep in the soul, which is quite abrupt... Doubts stirred in Sen Shi's heart, but then, a weary voice rang out from the deepest part of his soul.

"Go collect more faith, otherwise we won't be able to continue our conversation."

It was like the voice you speak to yourself when you're pondering a problem. Kesen knew perfectly well that the voice came from the smaller version of the primordial god—collecting faith? Probably to serve as fuel for divinity, which made sense.

So, was that the reason she was hastily sent out...?

“That’s right,” the voice replied once again.

"So... will you reside permanently in my heart from now on? I can ask you directly if I don't understand something, and I don't have to be asleep." Mori suddenly asked himself, "Right, didn't you just say something about darkness..."

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, you asked your own soul a question, and I've given you the answer. Go ahead, attack head-on, and pluck that pitiful dandelion into your hands! She will accept your care! Okay, I'm going to sleep."

"dark?"

"Good night."

"Wait, what's going on with the Rose Queen?"

"Just mind your own business." With that, the voice faded away.

Mori was completely bewildered; what on earth was going on...?

The primordial god resides within her soul; that's understandable. After all, she can now accept that she is the interest earned by the Rose Queen depositing her money in the Bank of Eden. With divinity and a seed, along with a song representing prayer, she slowly emerges in the universe.

According to the Primordial God, she was discovered by the Rose Queen and thus officially born. Her power is somewhat weak, hence her miniature size, which isn't a problem... Could it be that, unbeknownst to her, she and the Rose Queen secretly made some kind of agreement?

Therefore, what the master craftsman said may not necessarily be true—or perhaps…

Those remains, nurtured with disregard for faith and used to shape new bodies, were indeed unnecessary. Because they secretly discovered some new way to reunite later? Very suspicious.

Only then did Mori realize he was being held in someone's arms. Glancing sideways, he saw Dandelion sleeping soundly, a dandruffy sheen still clinging to her lips—she'd clearly been asleep for quite some time…

Mori hesitated whether to wake her, but suddenly felt a surge of joy. He found it comforting to be held like this, skin to skin. Just watching her steady breathing and inhaling the delicate fragrance so close to him was enough to make him happy.

No longer having their minds distorted by compulsive desires, simply because they have someone to keep them company in the dead of night. Although their sleeping positions are not very free, and their long hair and branches sometimes get tangled together, the overwhelming sense of security still surpasses everything.

"Hmm... So, does this mean I've accepted her? Sigh, it was probably all predetermined from the moment I was summoned."

"That's true, I'm just afraid of having children! The primordial god is right, He is just a wisp of my own consciousness, so I should listen to myself."

"Then... um, I've got it."

After a flurry of thoughts, Mori came up with a plan. First, she moved slightly, loosening her already loose hands. Then, she moved down as far as she could, successfully pressing her face against the exceptionally poignant chest of the dandelion.

Although at first glance it was clearly something to make people happy, and Mori Toki was indeed blushing, she actually had other plans—a flower bud on her head quietly peeked out from among the leaves, aimed, and then met the dandelion's slightly parted lips.