Chapter 90: Mother

"Ma~ Ma~"

Trias’s eyes widened when she heard Scintilla’s voice. The little girl had been reaching toward her with both hands, her tiny fingers opening and closing as she tried to get her mother’s attention.

"Trias, she just called you mama... How cute!"

Olium placed both hands against his cheeks, completely overwhelmed by how adorable he found the young child. His usual calm expression had completely disappeared as he stared at Scintilla with sparkling eyes.

"Cute," Calean said nonchalantly.

"Young Eazi cute."

Moleius smiled as he watched Scintilla sitting comfortably in Trias’s arms. He glanced toward the other pantheons before looking back at the young girl.

"I can’t believe it’s already been two years since she arrived here. Being immortal really does make your perception of time strange."

"Indeed," Trias replied while gently holding Scintilla. "It feels like she only arrived yesterday."

Two years had already passed since the child first entered their lives. To the pantheons, it was merely a short period of time, but watching Scintilla grow had made those years feel strangely meaningful.

"Now, only one more year before she can walk, and another year before she starts learning something," Olium said, placing a hand beneath his chin as he thought about her future.

"How about young human learns the art of insects?"

"No. Her white skin and hair would suit the path of frost magic much better."

"She is a smart girl, so I believe becoming a scholar would suit her more."

"Clearly not. How about we turn her into some sort of muscle lady?"

"Absolutely not!" Trias shouted.

Trias hugged Scintilla closer, glaring at the other pantheons as though they had just suggested something outrageous. Scintilla, however, seemed completely unaware of their argument and simply played with a strand of Trias’s hair.

"How about we let Scintilla learn whatever she wants? Then we can support whatever decision she makes."

"I’m fine with that."

"Sure."

The pantheons returned their attention to Scintilla, who simply stared at them with innocent eyes. None of them knew what path she would eventually choose, but they all agreed that the decision should ultimately belong to her.

For the first time since they had gathered together, the Council of Pantheons had something that did not involve wars, civilizations, artifacts, or the endless observation of the world below. They had a child who had become the center of their small community, bringing a strange warmth to a place that had once been almost completely silent.

"Trias, did your artifact gain some additional ability?" Olium asked curiously after a while.

"I think so. I was able to use Consciousness Override with it being able to use my abilities on the young boy named Akuma, who had found my artifact, and I helped him win the battle."

"That’s great. To think our artifacts can evolve and gain new abilities."

"I think it might have something to do with when I met the Entity long ago."

"The Entity, huh? It may take a while before the Entity visits us again."

The pantheons eventually finished their dinner and returned to their respective spaces. One by one, the lively conversations disappeared from the dining area, leaving the vast hall quiet once again.

Trias also returned to her own room, carrying Scintilla in her arms. She gently placed the little girl inside her cradle before beginning to swing it back and forth.

The soft movement gradually calmed Scintilla, whose eyes slowly began to close. Trias remained beside the cradle, watching her quietly while remembering the lonely existence she had once lived before becoming a pantheon.

The room that had once been dark, cold, and lifeless had completely changed. Flowers decorated the surroundings, soft grass covered the ground, and an artificial blue sky stretched across the ceiling, creating a peaceful environment for the child.

The little girl slowly drifted to sleep as Trias continued rocking the cradle. She reached down and gently touched Scintilla’s white hair, a faint smile appearing across her face.

"Little child... You changed my life."

Far away in deep space, Liam floated within the darkness through Astral Projection. His consciousness remained detached from his planet as he observed the events unfolding across the universe, watching countless civilizations continue their development beneath him.

"I’ve spent most of my recent years watching the others through my Astral Projection."

Liam’s attention shifted toward another distant world. Through the connection between his consciousness and the ability, he could observe the actions of other players without physically appearing anywhere near them.

"Dr. Diagnosis has already sent out his army against X_X, and I think they’re doing pretty well."

He continued watching the battle for a while, studying the forces of both players. The monster that had appeared during their conflict was certainly unusual, but compared to the stronger beings that existed on his own planet, it was not particularly impressive.

"That monster wasn’t particularly strong. It was an entity of darkness with powers similar to the demons on my planet, so I think they might defeat it much faster than I expected."

Liam crossed his arms as he continued thinking. The battle between the players was interesting, but it was not something that required his immediate attention.

"How about I speed up time for another year? I think they’ll probably reach the conclusion of the world war against the demons within that time."

He paused before remembering the situation on his own planet. The war had already escalated far beyond what he had initially expected, with kingdoms and organizations finally putting aside their differences to fight against the demonic forces.

"The pantheons will probably interfere if things become extremely deadly anyway."

Liam’s expression became slightly thoughtful as another memory came to mind.

"Now that I think about it, the miracle child... How is she doing these days?"

He wondered about Scintilla for a moment before smiling slightly.

"I hope she’ll become strong."

His thoughts then shifted toward the System. There were still countless abilities and mechanics he did not completely understand, especially concerning the relationship between himself, his planet, and the pantheons.

"I really want to ask the System whether the pantheons can enter the world themselves."

Liam sighed. "But I can’t ask anything until I get that skill."

Suddenly, a System window appeared before him.

[Planet has become dynamic and unpredictable.]

[Milestone Reached: The First World War.]

[Reward: ????]

Liam’s eyes widened as he stared at the final line. The question marks immediately caught his attention, especially since the System had never displayed a reward like this before.

"Why is it displaying question marks? What does that mean?"

He stared at the System window for several seconds, trying to understand the strange reward. He considered several possibilities before eventually reaching a simple conclusion.

"Maybe it’s an early reward, and it’ll be shown later."

There was no reason to waste time thinking about something the System itself had not yet revealed. Liam had learned that the System often contained information he could only understand after reaching certain conditions.

With that thought, Liam deactivated Astral Projection. His consciousness immediately returned to the Council of Pantheons, where the familiar surroundings of the divine realm appeared around him.

The other pantheons were nowhere nearby, and the entire place was unusually quiet. Liam looked around for a moment before remembering that he had come here specifically because he wanted to accelerate the flow of time.

He opened the System interface once again and focused on the time manipulation function. If his calculations were correct, one year should be enough for the civilizations below to reach the next stage of their conflict.

"System, speed up time until one year has passed."