Chapter 78: Investment or sentiment

Far above Earth, a lone figure stood in the vast silence of space, his robes drifting gently despite the absence of wind. He was a handsome man with long hair falling loosely down his back, his hands folded behind him as he regarded the planet below with a placid expression.

Beyond him, countless stars glittered against the darkness, their distant light framing a sight that should have been impossible.

Earth was expanding.

It happened slowly enough to escape notice at a glance, yet before the man’s eyes, the planet continued to grow. Continents stretched, oceans widened, and fresh expanses of land emerged between regions that had once bordered each other.

Such a violent transformation should have torn the world apart, or at least rendered its surface uninhabitable. And yet, its shape remained intact, its atmosphere undisturbed as clouds drifted over the changing landscape.

From the ground, the sight would have been even more incomprehensible. A mountain on the horizon would gradually retreat into the distance, while the valley beneath it broadened into a vast plain, its newly formed soil already stirring with life.

Forests spread across the empty land, their roots sinking into earth that had not existed moments earlier. Strange flowers unfolded beneath the sunlight, and unfamiliar creatures emerged among the trees, their bodies drawing substance from the luminous mist gathering close to the ground.

Entire species were being born.

High above the atmosphere, an immense triagram shimmered into view, its intricate inscriptions stretching across a greater expanse than the planet beneath it. Through its centre poured a torrent of divine energy, so brilliant and dense that it resembled liquid stars.

The radiant stream entered Earth without resistance, spreading through its depths before rising into its mountains, seas, and living things. Wherever it passed, the transformation continued, guided by a precision that left little room for chance.

Occasionally, the robed man lifted a hand and flicked a finger.

A smaller triagram would form before him, its lines shifting with the movement, and somewhere below, the world’s growth would change. A rising mountain range would bend away from a river, or an uneven surge of energy would settle before it could split a newly formed continent.

His movements were casual, almost absent-minded, like those of a painter making small corrections to a familiar work.

"Son," he suddenly said.

His voice carried through the vacuum.

A pale triagram unfolded in the space behind him, and a frail young man emerged from its centre. He immediately lowered himself onto one knee, his bowed head and straight back giving the impression that he knelt upon a solid floor.

"Father."

The robed man did not turn. Below them, a broad stretch of ocean was dividing around an emerging landmass, its waters flowing into the deep channels forming along either side.

"Grandfather has been requesting your presence back home," the young man continued. "I’ve managed to put him off for a few months, but he’s beginning to grow suspicious."

The man nodded lightly, seemingly more interested in the planet than the warning.

"I will be finished here soon. There is no need to worry."

He raised a finger, and a golden triagram appeared before its tip. A narrow strand of light descended towards Earth, joining the torrent still pouring through the enormous formation above its atmosphere.

"Go back and handle my affairs in my stead, as you have been doing."

"Yes, Father."

Despite answering, the young man remained where he was. His gaze shifted towards Earth, a complicated expression appearing on his thin face as he watched the divine energy disappear into its depths.

He knew how valuable that energy was.

Watching it being poured so generously into a world like this made him uncomfortable, though he was careful to keep that thought to himself. His father rarely explained his decisions, and questioning them was not something he did lightly.

Still, after coming this far, he found it difficult to leave without asking.

"What is it?" his father said.

The young man stiffened slightly before lowering his gaze. "There is something I don’t understand."

"Then ask."

He hesitated, choosing his words with care.

"Why do you insist on helping this lowly world?" he asked at last. "Even if it survives the beginning of its evolution, it will take an immense amount of time before it produces anything worthy of your attention."

His eyes returned to the planet, where another stretch of barren ground was disappearing beneath a spreading forest.

"I don’t see how we could possibly benefit from this, Father. What could a lower world offer that would justify so much effort?"

The man sighed, though a quiet chuckle followed as he glanced over his shoulder.

"Is there something wrong with helping my home?" he asked. "It has been quite a while since I last returned, after all."

The young man looked up, briefly startled. Surely his father was jesting.

He knew that his father had originated from this world, but to spend so much simply because he missed his birthplace? That was rather difficult to believe. His father was not nearly so magnanimous, and he had certainly never known him to be this sentimental.

The man’s smile widened, apparently finding his son’s expression amusing.

"I may be a Supreme, but I am still only human," he said. "And the human heart is a fickle thing. One day, you may find yourself missing something you thought you had long forgotten."

His gaze returned to Earth, and for a while, he said nothing. The young man followed his eyes towards the growing planet, though he couldn’t understand what his father found so moving about it.

The places he remembered would surely have changed beyond recognition by now. With what he was doing, even the land itself would no longer be familiar.

"You are also being rather shortsighted," his father added, interrupting his thoughts.

The young man lowered his head. Apparently, he would be receiving a lecture after all.

"You see a weak world and wonder what it can offer us today. You look at the resources being spent and compare them with what you could obtain by using them elsewhere."

"Would that not be a reasonable consideration, Father?"

"Of course. But you have already decided that the answer will remain the same in the future."

The man lifted his hand, a shimmering triagram forming before his fingers. With a gentle motion, he guided a wandering stream of divine energy towards the planet’s northern reaches, where a vast expanse of ice was beginning to fracture around newly rising mountains.

"You are still young," he continued. "Once you have lived through a few more millennia, perhaps you will learn to be a little more patient."

His son pressed his lips together. He had heard those words often enough to know that pointing out his actual age would accomplish nothing.

"We do not measure our time in years as mortals do," his father said. "A thousand years may pass before this world produces anything of interest. Perhaps ten thousand. That does not make the possibility worthless."

"And if it never does?"

The man shrugged lightly.

"Then I will have helped my home."

His son stared at him, unsure whether that answer was sincere or simply intended to frustrate him. Judging by the faint smile on his father’s face, it might well have been both.

"But if this investment bears fruit one day," the man continued, "I will be glad that I made it. There is little sense in demanding an immediate return from something that has only just begun to grow."

"I understand, Father," the young man said promptly.

His father gave him an amused look. "Do you?"

"Yes."

He had no intention of saying anything that might prolong the reprimand. Whether he agreed or not, his father had already made his decision, and there were matters back home that genuinely required his attention.

"Then go. I would prefer to finish before your grandfather decides to come looking for me himself."

The young man bowed his head once more before rising. A pale triagram unfolded behind him, and he stepped through it, disappearing as its luminous lines drew together and faded.

Left alone, the man watched the empty space for a moment before chuckling.

"Impatient brat."

He returned his attention to Earth, his hands settling behind his back once more. Below him, sunlight touched the shores of a newly formed continent, illuminating the first green shoots breaking through its soil.

For a while, he simply watched them grow.

"Ah, that’s right."

The man tilted his head slightly, as though he had suddenly remembered something he had left unattended. A curious expression appeared on his face as he looked away from Earth.

"I planted a seed here, did I not?" he murmured. "I wonder if it has sprouted yet."

His gaze wandered towards the distant stars, lingering on a particular stretch of space. For a moment, he appeared tempted to investigate, but the shifting glow from the planet below soon drew his attention back.

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"Well, one thing at a time."

He raised his hand, another shimmering triagram forming before his fingers as he returned to his work.