Chapter 41 - Meeting With Her Majesty

Chapter 41: Chapter 41 - Meeting With Her Majesty

"We are the All-Supreme Goddess of the Divine Realm, Lazarus," her voice resounded, carrying a harmonic echo that vibrated deep within Vincent’s very soul. "You may address us as Your Majesty."

Not knowing how to properly react in the presence of such absolute divine supremacy, Vincent quickly dropped to one knee and bowed his head deeply until his forehead nearly touched the mirrored marble floor.

"I-It is a most spectacular honor to meet you, Your Majesty!"

A soft, melodic chuckle escaped Lazarus’s lips. She raised her delicate, giant hand, waving her fingers dismissively.

"Arise, child. There is no need to force such rigid formality before us. While we certainly appreciate your display of respect, sounding so terribly strained will only make this meeting uncomfortable for the both of us. Please... relax."

"I-Is that so? Thank you, Your Majesty. I appreciate that."

"Hm. Much better. You know, Vincent Winters... It has been over half a million years since we last laid eyes upon you when you were merely a tiny babe. We are genuinely pleased to see that you have grown into such a fine young man, and that you have successfully awakened your divine blood. We imagine Maribelle must have been overjoyed."

"She was. Overwhelmingly so, in fact."

"We would imagine, yes," Lazarus murmured softly as the gentle touch of nostalgia entered her glowing eyes.

"That bright, energetic troublemaker lost so much of her light when she lost you and her other child all those thousands of millennia ago. We are deeply happy that she has found it again... though, please, do not tell her we said that."

Vincent couldn’t help but smile a little at the Goddess’s surprisingly shy, endearing side. "My lips are sealed."

"And your father? How fares Dustin?"

"Dada– *Ahem!* my.. father is doing alright. At least, from what I can remember. And so is my sister, Katherine."

"Ah, young Katherine. We remember her babe-self well. We are glad to hear she is thriving, and we look forward to meeting her in the distant future."

Her majestic aura subtly shifted, taking on a more focused, authoritative air as her double halo glowed a bit brighter.

"Now then... it is time to get down to business. Let us discuss the matter for which you sought our presence."

Vincent’s expression turned serious. He took a step forward, addressing the primary concern lingering on his mind.

"Your Majesty, as you know, I came here about the mistake regarding my summoning to Pristina, and the complications that came alongside it."

Lazarus leaned her cheek against her palm, resting her elbow on the arm of her crystal throne. "Speak, child. What is it you wish to know? We’d much rather hear it from you than by request form."

"R-Right. So, when I was summoned to Pristina," Vincent began, explaining clearly.

"I became a Familiar to a young woman named Maelle Ebony. The ritual bound my soul to hers, and because of that link, I am currently unable to return to Earth and be with my family.

"I wish to know if there is a way you can remove this link between us – perhaps replace it with this Familiar she was originally supposed to summon, which is a dragon." He lifted the egg up from his arm and showed it to her.

A tense silence descended upon the vast room. It almost felt as if the entirety of the Divine Realm froze in place as Lazarus gazed down at him in unreadable quiet.

Finally, she answered.

"No."

Vincent blinked in confusion, taken aback by the abrupt answer. "N-No... what? What do you mean ’no’?"

"No," Lazarus repeated. "There is no way to undo the link that binds the two of you together."

A wave of crushing devastation hit Vincent square in the chest.

"Again, w-what do you mean by that, Your Majesty? You’re the All-Supreme Goddess, aren’t you? Surely you can–"

"We mean precisely what we said, Vincent Winters. Listen carefully, for we shall repeat ourselves only once. Once you were summoned by Maelle Ebony, your fate became forever tied to hers.

"In technical terms, do we possess the raw power to sever the link between you? Yes. But we will not bend the laws of Pristina and break that tie."

Vincent felt the room spinning slightly. "But... Why?! Why won’t you?!"

"Because doing so would shatter the cosmic equilibrium of that world," Lazarus explained coldly.

"If we were to forcibly tear that link apart, not only would both you and Maelle Ebony instantly die from the spiritual backlash, but we would incur the wrath of the ancient Gods that reside over Pristina and its heavenly plane.

"An inter-dimensional war would break out – a war in which we would be forced to destroy Pristina entirely, for they have dared to step into an existence in which they do not belong. And we are no destroyer of worlds."

"B-But–!"

"There is no but, Vincent Winters," Lazarus stated firmly, cutting him off before he could spiral.

"We understand your frustration. However, look at the reality of what you are asking. If we break the link, you and Maelle die. Your souls would then be cast into the circle of destiny. Reviving back into your old bodies or your old lives would be utterly impossible; you two would simply continue the cycle of reincarnation, reborn into completely different lives on completely different worlds.

"You would lose all your memories in the process. You would remember nothing about who you once were, nor the family ties you hold so dear. Meanwhile, a catastrophic war– of its many gods – would consume Pristina, forcing our hand to eradicate billions of innocent lives just to mend the broken law of reality. In simple terms... while we can break the link, the chain of events that follow simply isn’t worth the trouble."

Lazarus paused, letting her words sink in. "Do you understand now?"

Another suffocating silence fell over the room as Vincent stared at the marble floor beneath his feet, feeling completely hollowed out. A bitter, hopeless laugh bubbled up in his throat.

"Ha. Hahaha... So... I’m just fucked then?"

Lazarus did not answer. The quiet dignity of her silence was all the confirmation he needed.

"Well, what about Earth, then? Is there no way I can ever go back home?"

To his utter shock, she offered a gentle nod. "There is."

Vincent’s head snapped up as a sudden burst of unexpected hope flared in his chest.

"There is?! How?! Why was I rejected when I tried to go back?!"

"The reason you were rejected from entering Earth has nothing to do with your Familiar link in Pristina," Lazarus revealed calmly. "Rather... a god residing on Earth has deliberately blocked your passage."

"A god on Earth blocked my passage...? Why the hell would a god do that to me?!"

"We do not know the reason. However, by blocking a divine soul from entering their realm, that deity is actively interfering with the laws that govern the Divine Realm. That is an infraction we cannot ignore."

"Ok, ok... So some god is blocking my passage. How am I supposed to find out why if I can’t even go there?"

Lazarus raised her hand. With a gentle flick of her wrist, three shimmering, golden paper slips materialised in the air, floating smoothly down toward Vincent. He reached out, catching the glowing slips in his hands.

"What are these?"

"Those are one-time-use divine permission slips. You may hand them to three divine beings whom you trust implicitly. Under normal circumstances, divine beings are forbidden from interfering directly in foreign mortal worlds, for power corrupts.

"However, these slips bind the chosen divine beings to a strict task: they will be granted passage to Earth solely to investigate the cause of this inter-travel block and resolve the issue that breaks our laws. Once their mission is complete, they will be automatically transported back here, and we shall have our answer."

A bright, genuine smile exploded across Vincent’s face as he clutched the golden slips tight against his chest. "Yes! That’s awesome!"

However, his excitement faltered slightly as a dark thought crossed his mind.

"Wait... what about the time dilation? If I send them to Earth, days or weeks over there could end up being a millennia for me here."

"You need not worry about time dilation," Lazarus reassured him.

"Because a rogue god has interfered with our realm’s laws, it is our duty to oversee the resolution. Therefore, while your agents are on Earth, we shall temporarily sync the flow of time between the realms so we may watch over your chosen allies in real-time."

"Wha–!? Y-Your Majesty... Thank you! Thank you so much– Wait. If you can sync the times, why not just leave them merged permanently?"

"Hahaha. Oh, child. The mental strain of constantly watching over and synchronizing countless worlds is far too great, even for us. However... If you desire the time flow to be permanently synced that badly, once you eventually return to Earth, you should simply ask the god of reality residing there to merge their time with the Divine Realm instead of the other way around."

"Let them merge it instead of you. There’s someone who can do that? Woah... Your Majesty, you’re a genius!"

Lazarus raised an eyebrow when a pleased, captivating smile touched her lips. "We thank you for the compliment, child. Now... is there anything else you require of us?"

"N-No, Your Majesty! I have everything I need!"

"Then you are dismissed. We are glad to have seen you again, Vincent Winters. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you, Lazarus–I mean, Your Majesty!" Vincent caught himself with a grin. "Bye!"

He bowed one last time, turned on his heel, and flew excitedly toward the towering golden doors to break the news to his mother and Natasha.

As the grand doors slammed shut behind him, Lazarus leaned back on her crystal throne, watching the space where he had stood with an amused sparkle in her glowing eyes.

"Such a cheeky one he is... Just like his mother."