Chapter 4: This Chapter is Absolutely a Filler
Astral World
Divine Kingdom, Tenebrous Heaven
-Evernight Goddess (Amanises)-
Within a field of boundless darkness—where the only hues that dared to exist were those of moonflowers and night vanillas—a solitary figure sat amidst the expanse. She wore a layered black classical gown, its surface adorned with countless points of faint radiance, glittering like distant stars scattered across the void.
What drew the eye most, however, was Her face; hazy, obscured by a strange and ineffable power. And yet, even beneath such concealment, one would instinctively know that hidden behind it was a woman of peerless beauty.
She was The Mother of Concealment, The Empress of Misfortune and Horror, Mistress of Repose and Silence—
The Evernight Goddess.
At present, Amanises was deep in contemplation, pondering everything that had transpired in Tingen after receiving Arianna's report.
"Amadeus," She murmured softly, voicing the name of one who, under normal circumstances, should not exist at all. "Is he part of Your arrangement? Did You foresee this?"
The image of a man with black hair tinged blond at the roots and eyes of pure gold surfaced in Her mind, followed by the appearance of Amadeus as described by Arianna.
"Or is this, too, a part of Your resurrection plan?"
Her thoughts drifted to the mention of that ocular purification ability—one capable of cleansing the corruption of a True God—and the even more troubling power to suppress an Angel's Authority altogether.
These traits aligned disturbingly well with the Authorities and Symbolisms traditionally associated with God Almighty.
The Authority of the Sun.
The symbolism of Omniscience and Omnipotence.
Chaos Sea?
The thought flickered briefly as She recalled Adam's presence in Tingen, as well as Ouroboros' statement that the True Creator had appointed Amadeus as the leader of the Aurora Order.
"Morningstar… Lord and Savior."
Beneath the veil of concealment, Her eyes narrowed.
"The only one fit to become God Almighty, yet also an arrangement planted by God Almighty…"
The more She pondered the matter, the more Amadeus resembled that being: the Ancient Sun God. The sole reason Amanises could not reach a definitive conclusion was because She knew full well that Adam represented His Divinity, while the True Creator embodied His Humanity.
If the two halves of the Ancient Sun God—the former God Almighty—already existed in the world, then what exactly did that make Amadeus?
The Mother of Concealment carefully examined every possible angle.
A Transmigrator who had emerged from the Chaos Sea like the Ancient Sun God? Impossible. If that were the case, he would have appeared during the Second Epoch, when the Sefirot's influence was at its peak, or at one of the existing Chaos Sea entrances within the Physical World.
A soul that had descended from Sefirah Castle at the same time as Klein Moretti? That, too, was implausible. The Aurora Order's plan to create the Spawn of the True Creator had not even begun at that point. Such a soul would have lacked a vessel, and more importantly, could not have survived exposure to the True Creator's influence, its inevitable fate would have been to become a descent vessel.
A Sealed Artefact?
The image of a certain mirror connected to the Chaos Sea surfaced briefly in the Goddess' thoughts, and for a fleeting moment, She was tempted to entertain the idea, particularly in light of Arianna's account of how Amadeus had referred to Her. Both beings were undeniably strange. Yet Amadeus could not be a Sealed Artefact, given the circumstances of his conception.
In the end, Her thoughts circled back to the most plausible explanation.
Amadeus was likely a personality of the Ancient Sun God.
More specifically, a personality born of His humanity, judging by what She could discern.
…Perhaps even from His teenage years, a period when emotion and humanity were at their most vivid and volatile.
While the conclusion was not entirely certain, it was the most reasonable one available, especially when considering that the first words spoken upon that person's emergence from the Chaos Sea had been:
Let there be Light.
Wolf lady… Big Sis Evernight…
She recalled the manner in which he had addressed Her caused Her lips to twitch, amusement and interest intertwining in equal measure.
Perhaps She should share this information with Lilith.
With the weightier considerations set aside for the moment, Amanises turned Her attention toward formulating a response to Arianna regarding how the Morningstar Order should be handled.
….
September 10th, 1349
Divine Kingdom, Corpse Cathedral
-Amadeus Beaumont-
Amadeus blearily opened his eyes, his vision unfocused as thoughts sluggishly drifted through his mind.
I fell asleep?
Before he could fully process that, he became aware of another sensation, his head resting on something warm and soft, steady and unmoving beneath him. A gentle pressure cradled the back of his head, accompanied by a faint vibration and a quiet sound that slowly filtered into his awareness.
Soft humming.
The drowsiness vanished instantly. His squinting eyes snapped open wide.
Gold met green.
Megose was looking down at him, a gentle smile on her lips, her expression soft and warm.
For a brief moment, his brain simply… stopped working.
"M-Mother?" He hadn't accounted for her to wake up before he could think of how to tell her about certain things. Nor did he expect himself to fall asleep midway through conversation like a normal child.
Her smile lifted just a little higher as her green eyes met his. "Amadeus, dear," she said softly. "Mama only slept for a few hours, and now you're all grown up… even getting the hair you wanted."
A fleeting hint of sadness passed through her eyes, making him panic. As an orphan who had grown up in a church-sponsored orphanage in his past life, he had no experience when it came to 'cheering up' an adult, let alone a mother.
Almost without thinking, he reached out, his hand touching her cheek as if to confirm she was really there. After hesitating for a moment, he swallowed and spoke, his voice strained.
"If Mother wants…" He grit his teeth before forcing the words out. "I can turn back into a baby."
Even if he disliked the lack of mobility and hated the instinctive sense of helplessness and powerlessness that came with it—not that he would actually lose his Beyonder powers, but still—
If it was for Megose, he would do it.
A soft giggle escaped his mother's lips. The hand hand that had been gently patting his head moved to rest against his forehead, while her other hand reached down to the corner of his lips—
—and gently turned his frown upside down.
"With Amadeus making such an expression," she said with quiet amusement, "how could Mama unreasonably impose her selfish wishes?"
Selfish? Mother? He repeated incredulously in his mind.
The woman who had been deceived by a Swindler, hypnotized, manipulated into pregnancy, corrupted, almost forced to mutate, and eventually be discarded. If anyone in this world had the right to be selfish, it was her.
More so when she wasn't even getting the full experience of motherhood because of his circumstances, which, speaking of, was something he needed to tell her.
….
Huh?
Why weren't the words coming out?
He opened his mouth to speak, yet no sound came out at all.
He tried again, and once more, no sound emerged. At this point, he was fairly certain he looked like a goldfish.
Naturally, his mother noticed.
Megose looked at him kindly, green eyes gentle and patient. "Amadeus," she said softly, "if you want to tell Mama something, go ahead. Mama won't hate you."
That gentleness, that reassurance, was all the encouragement his now undeniably childish brain needed.
"This isn't my first life," he blurted out.
Megose's expression froze for a moment, surprise clearly written across her face, which, to be honest, was understandable. After all, how many people expected their child to be older than they looked?
Aside from Beyonders, obviously.
"Past life…" she murmured, her expression turning thoughtful.
Her reaction caught him off guard, but before he could ask why she seemed to accept it so calmly, she spoke again.
"How old were you when you…?" she asked, trailing off.
The question was obvious.
After staring at her for a moment, Amadeus answered quietly. "Seventeen."
A surge of rage and bitterness flared within him, memories of metal tearing and limbs flying crashing together with the deafening thud of his own heart pounding in his chest, the scene flashed unbidden—vivid, grotesque, and suffocating—until soft humming cut through it all, snapping him back to the present.
"Please forgive Mama," Megose said, her voice tinged with concern and regret. "I didn't mean to make you remember bad memories."
…Was he really that easy to read?
No.
He dismissed the thought almost immediately. It wasn't that he was easy to read; it was that he unconsciously relaxed around his mother. And now that he had finally said it out loud—now that the truth of his past life was no longer weighing on his chest—it was time to tell her the rest.
About being the True Creator's Spawn.
About having had to control her, just a little, here and there.
"Mother, about Father—"
"I'm aware."
The familiar words habitually used by Mr. Fool to enhance his air of mystery before middle-aged men and minors caused Amadeus to pause for a moment, his thoughts drifting backward as he tried to recall whether he had ever mentioned anything of the sort while bored and waiting in the womb.
When no such memory surfaced, the divine child turned his attention to her visible confusion and softly repeated her words, "You are… aware?"
Megose nodded gently, her gaze shifting forward as she did. "It's thanks to Priest Adam."
"Priest… Adam?" It was only then that Amadeus truly became aware of his surroundings. The towering dark pillars supporting the vast structure, the naturally solemn and oppressive holy atmosphere—
…And the skulls of various races: Dragons, Sanguines, Elves, Devils, Giants alike.
…He was still within the Corpse Cathedral.
The Black Knight quickly sat upright, lifting his head from his mother's lap. Following her line of sight, he saw a figure standing before the massive cross—well over a hundred meters tall—clad in pristine white priestly robes, hands clasped reverently near His heart.
Amadeus did not panic at the sight of the priest who had undoubtedly overheard everything. He hadn't made any effort to conceal his familiarity with the Bible or its verses—whether from the New or Old Testament—which no one but a modern person should reasonably know.
Besides, there were matters of far greater importance than discovering a 'fellow countryman.'
A dazzling gleam flashed within the Black Knight's eyes, radiating unmistakable sanctity. His gaze returned to Megose, and in the next instant, holy light burst forth from her being, enveloping her from head to toe.
Even though he could sense that the energy expended and the strain placed upon his eyes were effectively nonexistent—indicating that no severe negative affliction lingered upon his mother—Amadeus did not sigh in relief.
Because once again, he felt it.
That oppressive affliction that not even Mythical-tier Mystical Eyes of Purity could cleanse.
…The Godhood of the Original Creator.
In the next instant a card appeared in his hand, its illustration depicting a robed figure with one finger lifted to the sky and the other toward the earth, infinity hovering above as tools of various kinds lay before him.
I-The Magician.
If Mythical tier is not enough, then what about Divine?
Amadeus flicked the card upward, watching as it dissolved into motes of red and white light. At the same time, he met the gaze that had locked onto him the very moment he had invoked his purifying ability.
The Black Knight tilted his head thoughtfully, then nodded once. In the following moment, his left eyeball popped free from its socket, rolling neatly into his palm.
"Here, Big Brother Adam," he said casually. "As thanks for helping Mother, I can give you an eye if you're curious about it, though I doubt you'd uncover anything, since the ability is deeply intertwined with my soul."
Before he could rise to offer it to the Angel of Imagination, a calm voice, filled with restrained emotions, sounded from beside him.
"Amadeus dear."
A sharp chill raced down his spine as he felt a hand pull him backward, his head settling once more onto a familiar lap. His mother's expression—angry yet equally worried—filled his vision, before swiftly shifting into bewilderment.
"You still have both eyes?" Megose leaned closer, peering intently into his face to ensure nothing was amiss. When she found nothing wrong, she lifted her head and looked toward his hand—where the eyeball had been—only to find it empty.
Phew…That was close. The Flesh and Blood manipulation inherent to the Hanged Man Pathway was truly a blessing. Turning flesh into blood—or reabsorbing it into his body—was as effortless as breathing.
And yet—
"Amadeus, did you use the same power as when you were born?" Megose's eyes narrowed, not believing she had hallucinated.
…Is this the famed female intuition? Maternal instincts?
Seeing that there was no use pretending he had not just removed his own eye, Amadeus inclined his head, the motion half a beat slow, and said, "Something like this is inconsequential to me, Mother. So long as even a single finger of me remains, I can regenerate."
As long there is other Flesh and Blood to regenerate from, and my soul is not destroyed, was what he left unsaid.
His mother frowned at his words and reached out to his cheek, her fingers closing firmly soon after, giving him a reprimand.
"Even if that is so," The anger and concern in her voice was clear to hear, "you should not treat your own body as though it were disposable."
"I know what you are," she continued. "I know you are the son of the True Creator. A divine child beyond the limits of flesh."
The grip on his cheeks softened, though Megose's hand did not withdraw.
"But you are also my son."
Amadeus fell silent, uncertain how to respond. Those words—so unfamiliar, so laden with maternal warmth—left him feeling awkward and embarrassed, yet undeniably touched. For a fleeting moment, he even wondered whether he had accidentally inflicted the Madness of Motherhood upon her once again.
Fortunately, before the moment could stretch further, footsteps echoed from a nearby pew, and the Angel of Fate appeared before them, a canvas held in His hands.
"Lord Ouroboros." Megose glanced at the silver-haired man in surprise, her tone and expression betraying recognition.
Hm? They've already met?
Amadeus sat upright once more, peering curiously at the canvas.
He didn't have to wait long for his curiosity to be satisfied, as Ouroboros promptly turned it around.
A gasp escaped Megose's lips the moment she saw the painting. "This is…"
Amadeus' lips twitched as he took in the remarkably realistic depiction of the familiar scene: him being pinched by Megose.
"It's beautiful!" Her eyes lit up with delight as she hesitantly looked up at the King of Angels. "Lord Ouroboros, may I have this painting?"
The Snake of Mercury gave a brief, indifferent nod, passing it to her before turning and walking away.
Despite his cold demeanor, Megose beamed radiantly. "Thank you, Lord Ouroboros." Turning back to Amadeus with that same smile, she held up the painting. "Look, dear. Isn't it beautiful?"
"Indeed it is, Mother," Amadeus agreed sincerely. Then, with an innocent smile, he added, "Mother, it would be unfortunate if something happened to such a memorable painting. Why not let me look after it? I can keep it safely within my Shadow."
Realization dawned on Megose's face. "Yes, it would be a shame. If Amadeus has a good way to store it, Mama will entrust it to you."
As the canvas settled into his grasp, a wave of relief washed over him.
Crisis successfully averted.
He carefully let the painting sink into his Shadow.
As long as this painting never saw the light of day, he could preserve his dignity as the leader of the Morningstar Order—formerly the Aurora Order—before the Lambs of God.
+++
A/N: So we have Amanises confused, and a mother-son bonding time, in which Amadeus tries to preserve his dignity.