Chapter 41: Pantheon’s daily life

Above the world stretched an endless sky with no visible horizon, where pale clouds drifted through an immeasurable expanse and winds moved without any discernible source. At the center of this impossible domain stood a colossal structure unlike anything any mortal civilization could have created.

Its walls, halls, and countless chambers seemed to have been constructed by a being who had never needed to consider the limitations of ordinary architecture. This was where the Pantheons now resided, a place that had initially felt foreign and uncomfortable to those who had been brought together from completely different corners of the world.

Yet, strangely enough, they had already begun to grow accustomed to one another.

They had been strangers when they first arrived, separated by culture, species, and centuries of history, but Liam’s decision to leave them with a small portion of omnipotency had changed the situation entirely. With even the smallest fragment of such power, they no longer needed to concern themselves with ordinary necessities.

Food could simply be imagined into existence, rooms could be reshaped according to their desires, and anything they wished to experiment with could be brought into reality through thought alone.

Only a few hours after Liam departed, Moleius discovered something peculiar about the building. After exploring its halls, he found exactly twenty-four rooms connected to the central chamber, each corresponding perfectly with one of the twenty-four chairs that surrounded their meeting table. The discovery immediately made it apparent that these rooms had not been created by accident. They had been prepared specifically for them.

Moleius opened one of the doors and looked inside.

There was nothing. No furniture, no decorations, and no indication of what the room was supposed to become. It was simply an empty space waiting for its occupant to decide what it should be.

That discovery quickly led to experimentation.

Using the omnipotency Liam had left behind, each of the Pantheons began creating their own private spaces, shaping the empty rooms according to their personalities and interests.

Odir was the first to settle into his.

He created a quiet landscape filled with trees, grass, and a clear lake stretching across the center of the room. At the far end stood a small wooden hut that he eventually decided would serve as his home.

He planted trees, vegetables, and various unfamiliar plants throughout the surrounding land, despite knowing that he could have simply imagined the finished result into existence. There was something strangely satisfying about watching them grow naturally, and the activity eventually became a hobby.

Beside the hut stood a collection of weapons. Axes, swords, spears, and several other weapons were arranged carefully against a wooden rack. Farther away, across an open patch of ground, stood a training dummy.

It was there that Odir discovered one of the first limitations of their newfound power.

He could create almost anything he imagined, but he could not simply imagine himself into becoming stronger.

No matter how many times he attempted to alter his own physical capabilities through visualization, something prevented the change from occurring. It was almost as though an invisible boundary existed within their omnipotency, allowing them to manipulate the world while denying them the ability to simply overwrite themselves without restriction.

Odir found the limitation fascinating rather than frustrating. It meant that even with the power they had been granted, there were still rules they had yet to understand.

Olium’s room was considerably stranger.

He created an enormous tree standing in the middle of an expansive forest. Its branches stretched so high that they disappeared into the artificial sky above, while its massive trunk contained enough space to construct an entire dwelling within.

Olium hollowed out portions of the trunk and filled them with various interiors, creating rooms that served different purposes. One of the most unusual additions was a seemingly endless pool situated inside the tree.

Its water flowed continuously toward an opening in the trunk before cascading outside as a magnificent waterfall, eventually disappearing into the forest below.

Like Odir, Olium also created a collection of weapons, though his arrangement was considerably less organized.

He had no practical reason to own them. He simply enjoyed having them.

Moleius, however, approached his room in an entirely different manner.

Instead of creating a peaceful landscape or an elaborate residence, he constructed a massive chamber beneath the ground. Thousands upon thousands of books filled its walls, arranged across shelves that stretched farther than the eye could see.

At first, Moleius believed they were merely objects created from his imagination.

Then he opened one.

His expression changed. The books contained knowledge.

Not merely stories or information he already possessed, but fragments of knowledge that seemed to originate from somewhere far beyond his own understanding. Every time he imagined another book, new information appeared within it, as though the omnipotency Liam had granted them was connected to some immeasurable source of knowledge.

Moleius quickly became obsessed.

During his exploration, he also discovered an unusual object he came to call a portable mirror. It displayed information before him, responded to his commands, and could seemingly communicate with other mirrors separated by enormous distances. More astonishingly, it could even produce sound and allow those on opposite ends to speak with one another.

Moleius spent hours attempting to understand its principles.

Unfortunately, the technology behind it was so far beyond anything he had ever encountered that even his imagination struggled to provide an explanation.

At the center of his underground chamber stood a large desk.

That became his favorite place. Every day, Moleius would sit there and write, recording the discoveries he made within the strange domain and attempting to organize the knowledge that continued appearing before him.

Despite their separate rooms, the Pantheons eventually reached an agreement.

Every three days, they would gather in the central chamber and eat together.

Odir had been the one to suggest it.

"If we are going to remain together, we should at least make an effort to understand one another."

The others agreed.

What began as an arrangement gradually became something resembling companionship. They talked about their civilizations, exchanged knowledge, discussed the strange powers they had received, and occasionally argued over matters that none of them would have expected to care about before meeting one another.

Then, during one of their gatherings, the conversation took a more serious turn.

Olium slowly placed his cup upon the table.

"My people are going to be attacked by a monster," he said. "I only hope the artifact I gave that boy will be enough. I intended for it to protect him, but I cannot say whether it will truly be sufficient against something of that magnitude."

Moleius remained calm as he listened.

"Do not concern yourself excessively. The droid carrying my artifact has also gone there. If both of them are present, then there is at least a chance that the situation will not become as disastrous as it appears."

His voice carried the measured confidence of someone accustomed to considering possibilities rather than surrendering to fear.

"All we can do now is hope that the preparations we made were sufficient."

Olium nodded slowly. Then, as though remembering something else, he turned his attention toward Odir.

"Now that I think about it, Odir, did you see what happens to your descendants?"

Odir’s expression became noticeably more serious.

"Yes."

He paused before continuing. "My own people are going to war with one another."

The words hung heavily in the room.

"I remembered our history with the Forestians. Despite everything that happened between us in the past, there was a period when our peoples lived together peacefully. Our relationship was not perfect, but there was harmony between them. It appears that peace was only temporary."

His gaze lowered toward the table. "Eventually, something happened."

"Their old grievances resurfaced, and now my descendants are preparing to spill one another’s blood."

Moleius remained silent for a moment before asking his next question.

"If the conflict begins, where will your loyalty lie, Odir? Will you stand behind your own people simply because they carry your blood and inherit your legacy, or will you support the people who have chosen what you believe to be right?"

Odir took a slow breath before answering.

"Neither blood nor ancestry should determine what is right. If my people are the ones causing unnecessary suffering, then I will not defend them simply because they are mine. I would rather oppose my own descendants than allow them to commit an injustice for the sake of loyalty."

Moleius studied him carefully.

"Then what, precisely, do you consider the greater good?"

"That is the problem. Choosing the greater good sounds simple until every side believes that they are the ones fighting for it. If I interfere, I could save thousands of lives, but I could also destroy something that would have eventually developed into a better future.

Moleius slowly nodded. "Then perhaps the question is not whether you should choose your people or the greater good. Perhaps the true question is whether you possess enough wisdom to determine what the greater good actually is."