Four days passed.
After sharing a few intimate moments together, Aetherion and Themis had simply enjoyed each other's company by the lake. Unfortunately, their peaceful moment had eventually been interrupted by a nearby couple whose argument had somehow turned into something far more intimate.
Neither Aetherion nor Themis had any desire to remain and listen.
So, they returned to the palace and rejoined the celebration.
The party itself continued for another two days as the deities and countless other immortal beings indulged themselves in divine nectar and the many dishes Aetherion had prepared.
The celebration was filled with laughter, companionship, and more than a few embarrassing moments.
Especially for Zeus and Poseidon.
Simply remembering some of them brought a small smile to Aetherion's face.
After the celebration finally came to an end, however, one thing became immediately apparent.
Morale had never been higher.
Aetherion noticed it whenever he walked through the streets of their island. Whenever someone recognized him, they would bow respectfully, while others whispered among themselves about how he had managed to slay one of the Great Titans.
He would never admit it aloud…
But it filled him with pride.
More than he would have liked to admit, in fact.
Sometimes, his chest even puffed out slightly with satisfaction whenever he overheard someone recounting his victory.
But it wasn't merely the way people treated him that had changed.
The people themselves seemed different.
More lively.
More spirited.
More hopeful.
Aetherion saw deities training more seriously than ever before, while defensive units worked tirelessly to strengthen and protect their lands.
Everyone seemed more organized.
More determined.
For the first time, many of them appeared to genuinely believe that they could defeat Kronos and his armies of Titans and immortals.
Their first victory had given them something invaluable.
Hope.
And seeing it spread throughout their people was quite a sight.
Aetherion couldn't help but enjoy it.
He knew that many of the immortals did not truly believe in their hearts that they were capable of defeating the Titans.
Many of them joined the rebellion because they hated how the Titans and Kronos himself treated them. They wanted to be treated with respect and care, and seen as equals.
But hope, hope was never something that existed truly in the heart of Aetherion's people.
But now, looking at all the people of the island, Aetherion finally saw it.
Hope has ignited in the heart of the people, and hope has become a fuel, a power, something that will make them thrive.
And from that, they are more determined and believing in their own victory, which is crucial, especially when it comes to war.
And what was Aetherion himself doing during all of this?
Training.
Alone within a beautiful forest surrounded by trees of countless colors, Aetherion sat cross-legged upon the soft grass.
Various animals surrounded him.
Lions.
Deer.
Squirrels.
Wolves.
Foxes.
Predator and prey alike rested peacefully around him, seemingly unaffected by one another's presence.
At the center of them all sat Aetherion.
His breathing was slow.
His body completely still.
His attention was focused entirely upon one thing.
His Life Domain.
As his divine energy gradually spread outward, Aetherion began sensing the vitality of thousands upon thousands of individual life signatures.
The immense vitality of trees that he himself had created.
The powerful heartbeat of the lion resting beside him.
The tiny insects crawling beneath the soil.
The fish swimming through the lake he had formed.
And when he pushed his perception even further…
Even the countless microscopic organisms that existed all around him.
He had practiced this form of perception for years.
And when he concentrated deeply enough, the physical forest almost seemed to disappear.
Sight became meaningless.
Sound faded away.
Instead…
An ocean of life appeared before his perception.
Thousands upon thousands of living creatures surrounded him, each carrying what appeared to be a tiny green flame within them.
Some flames burned brightly.
Others were faint.
Some were enormous.
Others were barely more than sparks.
Yet every single one pulsed.
Expanded.
Contracted.
Almost like a heartbeat.
In a way…
That was precisely what they were.
Life.
The flame represented the vitality carried by every living creature. In part, Aetherion could even sense something deeper intertwined with it.
The soul.
Life and soul.
Two things deeply connected, yet somehow distinct.
Aetherion remained silent as he felt it all.
And inevitably, his thoughts returned to something else intimately connected to his Life Domain.
His eyes.
Codex Vitae.
The true name of his mysterious eyes.
The words themselves meant…
Book of Life.
Aetherion couldn't help but dwell upon that
It confused him.
When he had first discovered their true name, he had assumed the meaning was relatively straightforward.
The Book of Life.
Perhaps the name simply represented his eyes' ability to perceive living beings.
Yet somewhere deep within himself…
Aetherion knew that explanation was wrong.
Or perhaps…
Incomplete.
There was something more.
Something he couldn't quite grasp.
His eyes were strange, even by the standards of immortals.
They allowed him to perceive things ordinary eyes couldn't.
They helped him observe movements with incredible precision.
They allowed him to understand and reproduce techniques after witnessing them.
And most troublesome of all…
They allowed him to perceive the emotions of others with such overwhelming intensity that he now needed to wear a blindfold simply to suppress the constant flood of people's emotions.
That particular ability was, quite frankly…
Utterly annoying.
But all of those abilities raised the same question.
Why?
Why would eyes named Codex Vitae possess such abilities?
And what exactly did the name Book of Life truly mean?
Aetherion didn't know.
Not yet.
And trying to understand everything at once would accomplish nothing.
He needed to take things one step at a time.
Throughout the years, he had devoted considerably more attention to his other Domains. He had trained them, developed techniques from them, and eventually achieved a Divine Form associated with each.
Now…
It was time to do the same with Life.