Shepherding Humanity

Circe shook her head. “I also wanted Medusa to restore Grantham’s soul. After all, the great Emperor of Alchemy would be a great help in solving this world-ending crisis. But she refused, saying that she did not want to desecrate the remnants of her most esteemed rival.”

Circe believed in female supremacy: men existed to be used by women. But although she was a radical “feminist”, she still cared about her nation and tribe. This was why she became one of the Three Witches, and weathered the difficulties of their tribal years together.

But her disciple, Medusa, was even more extreme than her. Medusa had her own principles, and couldn’t care less about the End of the World. She acted according to her emotions and refused to resurrect the Emperor of Alchemy. She did not care about the big picture and only wanted to break through.

But she had failed…

Leaving behind a hopeless mess.

It was just as Medusa said: They were crazy to have pinned all their hopes on the most evil Witch Empress in the history of the world.

“Then what are we supposed to do now?” Ermin solemnly looked at Circe and the others. “We are this world’s final hope.”

According to ancient legends, Circe had been a Sixth-Level Legendary Witch when she died.

But she kept training even after turning into a ghost, and was now a Seventh-Level Epic.

She had even created an entirely new “Necromancy” school so that ghosts could level up as Mages. This was no less difficult than reaching a never-before seen Level.

“Great Circe of the ancient Three Witches, since you’re already a Seventh-Level Epic, does this mean that you’ll soon reach the Demigod Level?” Ermin dared to hope.

Circe sighed at that. “That’s extremely difficult. This is an untrodden path, and it’s even more difficult for me since I’m not a living person. It’s almost impossible for me to become a Demigod, Medusa was our one and only hope.”

Ermin was silent. Although the situation was desperate, it was still better than before. After all, they now had 3 Epic Witches: Circe, Charlotte, and herself.

“Then, can you revive Medusa with the Resurrection spell?” Ermin suddenly thought of this.

Circe reluctantly replied: “I haven’t mastered this forbidden spell yet. Although Medusa has taught me all of its principles, it’s still too complex for me to cast. It’ll take me countless years to master the magic school she created. There’s no one else who can revive the dead now that she has died…”

Circe was well aware that her disciple Medusa had long surpassed her after accumulating achievements and knowledge for over 800 years. If only she wasn’t such an extremist…

“But, although I cannot revive the dead, she may, perhaps, be able to revive herself!” Circe suddenly said.

Medusa could summon herself? And reconstitute her own soul?

This was uplifting news indeed.

Circe continued: “I’ve seen such an idea mentioned in her magic notes. After she died, she planned to reconstitute her soul and return as an incorporeal Ghost Empress.”

Everyone in the room was thrilled.

But then, Charlotte spoke up from the side: “It was only an idea. If she could actually do that, then she would have already saved herself. There’s no reason for her to wait until now.”

“That’s right, if revival is possible, then she should have already been resurrected, and there is no way that she would have stayed quiet until now.” Circe sighed. “I cannot revive the dead, but with some difficulty, I might be able to connect with her scattered consciousness, and see her thoughts at the moment of her death. This will let me find out if she had tried and failed to revive herselt before dying.”

Everyone gave Circe some room after she said this.

They needed to know what had happened. If Medusa had indeed tried to revive herself and failed, they might be able to help her if they could find out the reason why.

Or perhaps, Medusa might have left them some information on the Evil God that would help them overcome their current crisis?

An eerie black ripple slowly materialized in the air.

It spread in all directions while pulsing to a certain frequency, as if waiting for something to answer.

It ebbed and flowed, in wave after wave.

And after about half an hour, a voice echoed in everyone’s mind.

It was Medusa’s voice in her final moments:

“Is this… the Truth I seek?”

“I see it! Death! So that’s how it is! Without confronting Death, you’ll never even come close to realizing Death’s Truth!”

She sounded ecstatic.

It worked!

Everyone could confirm that these were indeed Medusa’s final words. Her ecstatic voice had echoed throughout the mountain range.

Next, they heard Medusa joyfully mutter to herself: “I’ve finally broken through. Igniting my divine spark is—”

Everyone was stunned. They broke out into cold sweat as goosebumps gathered on their skin. Could it be, that Medusa hadn’t failed, and in fact…

But if she had broken into the Demigod Level, then she should have ignited her divine spark and became a Goddess. So why did she die?

“Perhaps, there’s an even more frightening truth behind Medusa’s death back then.”

The audience chamber was deathly silent. The Witch Ministers, Circe, Charlotte, Ermin, and even Pan Yusean all looked terrified.

“We must keep listening!”

Emin gripped her staff hard enough for her fingers to turn pale, then suddenly shouted:

“Continue!”

Medusa’s voice echoed in their minds:

“This world is a giant conspiracy! It’s a cage!”

“The Heavenly Gods have tricked us!”

“This barren land cannot possibly give birth to a God! Our bridge to divinity has been cut off, we weak life-forms will never be able to make that final step!”

“Oh Gods of Heaven! If you are truly compassionate and kind, then why haven’t you come to guide me to your world? I want to go to the Land of the Gods! I want to ascend to divinity in the Land of the Gods!”

***

Medusa even started crying.

Everyone felt as if they could see the tragic scene playing out before them: The Empress of Death raging against Heaven, screaming in despair and madness while pointing at the uncaring sky above.

In the audience chamber, everyone felt an incomparable chill go down their backs. The truth they had learned was far too horrifying.

“How could Medusa…”

This was the first time that Ermin and the others have heard the prideful Medusa let out such a piteous cry. She sounded just like a disheartened, helpless, and despairing child.

Even when she had lost against the Emperor of Alchemy, she had not despaired in the face of death. She was an unimaginably tenacious woman who could calmly endure over 400 years of humiliation after her defeat. But now in this place… she had finally fallen.

“We were all wrong! Perhaps, she might have been able to save herself and revive after death, but she must have seen something which caused her to lose her mind. She chose to accept her own death, and did not want to come back!”

Everyone in the room was stunned.

Medusa was a Mage who sought the Ultimate Truth. Her Level was higher than any Emperor in history, and she had even broken into the Demigod Level before death…

But, what did she see at her moment of ascension?

Circe was horrified.

She had laid down the foundations for the Age of Magic with her own hands, which made her more shocked than anyone else when she heard her disciple’s dying wails.

Circe felt as if the beautiful dream she had always held in her heart was being shattered into pieces. She couldn’t help but murmur: “Oh great Gods of Heaven! What have we mortal Mages been chasing after all this time?”

“Oh God of Wisdom, Mercury, tell us! We toil away for countless years, discovering countless truths, but once we approach the finish line, all that awaits us at the moment of our ascension is madness and death?”

She laughed loudly and miserably, completely unhinged.

Her mind drifted back to the ancient Babylonian tribal era 800 years ago.

She could still remember that sunny day by the lush poolside of Amya.

Back then, she and her two sisters were still young and naive, with hearts filled with eager dreams. They had raptly listened as the Heavenly God of Wisdom, Hermes, taught them the “Three Great Disciplines” of Magic, Meditation, and Alchemy.

She could hear the god’s soft and gentle voice in her mind even now:

“Meditation is the path of spiritual cultivation, and the foundation for you to become gods. It is the path you must take if you want to become a higher being like me, and gain authority over this world…”

At this moment, the mighty Circe felt like an abandoned child who had lost her way. “Medusa has broken down, and we have also lost our way… Oh God! Your people cannot find the great path that would lead us to you. We cannot see the Gate of Truth…”

What is Truth?

Have I been deceived all this time?

Perhaps…

Back then, I should have followed the other Two Witches. I shouldn’t have defected and tried to live a second life.

I should have died content with my life, under the God of Wisdom Mercury’s three great miracles: “The Flower Monument”, “The Divine Elegy”, and “The Crimson Rain”.

It would have been better for me to die with the two of them, while believing in a beautiful lie.

“Live a second life? Become a goddess?”

Ha ha ha…

Circe couldn’t help but chuckle.

The Evil God Cthulhu would soon revive, Medusa had died, discovering the horrifying truth about the gods right before her death… Tragic events kept piling up, and Circe’s face seemed to age by decades.

“What did Medusa see!?”

Ermin stumbled backwards onto her throne. She cast her gaze upwards into the dark yellow sky above, trying in vain to look past the Eye of Heaven, into the Land of the Gods. “The bridge to divinity has been cut off, and no one will be able to ascend? Have the Gods tricked us? What did Medusa discover? The truth about the Gods of our world?”

“I refuse to believe it!”

She looked at the despairing people around her and rallied herself:

“I would rather put my faith in the Heavenly Gods. Our arbitrary speculations about Medusa’s words are nothing but self-doubt! I will believe that we are walking down the correct path. I will find out for myself the Truth that Medusa saw…” As her conviction firmed, her teacher’s words seemed to echo in her mind:

“Mages are eternal seekers of truth. With enough knowledge, we can move the entire world!”