CHAPTER 470: DIVINE LANGUAGE

Without needing human ears as a medium, an ethereal voice passed through the memory fragment, directly reaching the observer’s mind.

Astrid stared at the purple-haired woman within the first king’s memories. Her red narrow eyes slightly as she suddenly realized a fact that Amalia had not noticed, or rather, anyone who didn’t understand English would easily overlook.

Gemini wasn’t looking at the dying king when speaking. Instead, her calm gaze rested upon the Imperial Scepter beside the bed, as if she wasn’t answering the monarch’s question at all, but instead using the memory fragment to speak directly to anyone, thousands of years later, would come to probe these very memories.

"How could this be..."

Amalia’s voice rang out appropriately, conveyed to Astrid through soul-to-soul contact.

"When I sorted through this memory just now, I didn’t see anything more."

After Lady Gemini finished speaking, this memory fragment should have ended. Yet perhaps because another observer had joined, the iceberg hidden beneath the sea’s surface gradually began to reveal its true form.

Dressed in an elegant purple gown, Lady Gemini gazed at the gemstone, seemingly peering into the future at the mage thousands of years later who would hold the Imperial Scepter, and spoke slowly.

"Whoever you are who has deciphered what I refer to as ’Elders Speech,’ you must have broken free from the supreme shackles left behind by the gods, and learned at least part of the world’s truth."

"Just as you once suspected, before the Cataclysm occurred, humans had already mastered this special language capable of communicating with the laws of reality. But back then, humans did not call it Common Tongue as they do now. It had another, more fitting name deeply connected to its nature."

"Divine Language."

The woman gently touched the gem. On the bed, the first king, who was about to die of old age, ceased all movement, his breath stilled. The wind blew outside the window halted, and the water fell from treetops suspended midair, hovering over half a meter above the floor tiles yet unable to descend even an inch.

In that instant, time stood completely still. The only one capable of moving was the purple-haired woman holding the Imperial Scepter, her breath as faint as orchid mist.

"Perhaps you’ve grown accustomed to the name Lady Gemini, but a basic self-introduction is still necessary upon our first meeting."

Lady Gemini stroked the gemstone atop the scepter as she softly spoke.

"My name is Aurilline. I am the flowing wind and the unpredictable fate."

"Chosen one favored by the Mother Goddess of Creation, when you hold this memory, the countdown to the Cataclysm has already begun."

"The gods who have slumbered for ten thousand years are about to awaken. The Forerunner, Brennild, has regained her divine power, cast off her divinity, and broken her seal; she has become the first god to step out from behind the curtain."

At this, Gemini’s petal-shaped pupils flickered slightly. Faint purple magic silently spread across her irises, like dark ripples staining the lotus flowers floating on a lake.

"Death, Pestilence, Darkness, these are the domains she takes greatest pride in."

"All things related to her lie buried at the border between the Kingdom of Velys and the Valeria Empire, within that abyssal fissure stretching for thousands of miles."

As the woman’s voice faded, the entire memory fragment ended. Astrid’s vision returned to darkness, able only to feel the intimate, water-like presence of Amalia’s soul pressed closely against her own.

"It seems... there’s no more memory..."

Coming back to herself, the little girl squeezed her legs together, her voice soft and gentle. Hearing her, Astrid disconnected from the mental link. The previously comfortable, entwined sensation rapidly dissipated, like receding tide.

She had no time to dwell on the lingering exquisite sensation at the soul level. The volume of information contained within this memory fragment was overwhelming for Astrid.

The Valeria Empire referred to English as Elders Speech because they believed this language, closest to the essence of magic, was the script and tongue studied and used by ancient humans before the Cataclysm.

Yet now Lady Gemini had explicitly given it another name: Divine Language. As someone who had lived through the Cataclysm and was also the founder of modern magical theory, her words carried at least eighty percent credibility.

Coupled with her earlier response to the first king regarding whether she was an ancient human,

Lady Gemini said she was, and she wasn’t.

From Astrid’s perspective, there were two possible interpretations. First, from a contemporary standpoint, she truly did live before the Cataclysm, could read Elders Speech, and use ancient linguistic magic, perfectly fitting the first king’s understanding of "ancient human."

As for the second point, when Gemini said she wasn’t, that might refer to her identity being not merely human, but a higher-tier existence.

Thinking carefully, the Sword of Light in Lyra’s possession was, according to novel descriptions, most likely the first ray of light from the dawn of creation, which seems to share the same origin as the sacred relic stored beneath the Church of Light. And the spell "The Holy Judgment Sword of Moserria," translated by Gemini, resonated with that sword, which was already modified to provide the answer.

The Light God Moserria mentioned in scriptures was the previous wielder of the sword, someone who could read Divine Language and was a "familiar ancient human" known to Gemini.

Thus, it was nearly confirmed: Gemini, no, Aurilline, was essentially a deity.

As for the Forerunner Brennild she mentioned...

"Death, Pestilence, Darkness, these are the domains she takes greatest pride in."

Draining life as nourishment, controlling undead creatures to fight for her, constantly emitting thick deathly aura and ink-like darkness, these characteristics match perfectly what Gemini described about Brennild. Astrid found it difficult not to connect her to the lifeless land at the Wales Farm and the ink-haired girl within the Magic Beast Mountains.

If she truly was Brennild, the first god to emerge from the shadows, then everything made sense.

But... What connection did the Cataclysm have with Brennild?

The Valeria Empire’s historical records describe the Cataclysm as a disaster that swept across the entire continent. Only a handful of each intelligent race survived, their lineages severed. Struggling to survive and reproduce, they gradually formed the scattered settlements seen across the continent today, nowhere near the former glory.

The fact that Lady Gemini mentioned the Cataclysm alongside Brennild meant they couldn’t possibly be unrelated. Considering Brennild’s actions after awakening, and the likely instigation of current wars against the Kingdom of Velys, Astrid found it impossible to associate her with the word "benevolent."

Especially given her clearly arrogant and hostile attitude towards modern humans, as if she wished to exterminate them all.

Could it be... that the Cataclysm was instigated by these so-called gods?

It wasn’t a natural disaster, it was a calamity personally delivered by the gods themselves.

Once such thoughts arose, more evidence flashed through Astrid’s mind. She recalled the vision she saw when, with Linguistics Professor Evelyn’s help, she touched the deep-blue brooch stored in the Elizabeth Academy of Magic’s repository.

Several dragons besieged an ancient human in the sky, seemingly named Grace, eventually knocking the brooch she wore into the deep sea.

"The dragons soaring through the sky break their wings amid thunderstorms, the elves’ Fountain of Youth dries up and spews magma, the goblins’ city crumbles amid tremors."

If the former referred to that multi-day battle... then the latter might mean the gods of fire and earth delivered divine punishment upon them...

For a moment, Astrid fell into deep thought.

After an unknown length of time, Astrid finally completed the reconstruction of her worldview, organizing the numerous pieces of intelligence she’d gathered, previously unconnected and chaotic.

At present, understanding and using Elders Speech didn’t necessarily mean one was an ancient human. It was far more likely that these were the gods existing before the Cataclysm began. Lady Gemini’s use of the term "divinity" served as the best evidence.

The hypothesis about suppression forces blocking Elders Speech learning was also confirmed here. Indeed, some kind of shackles exist in this world, called by Gemini the "supreme shackles" left behind by the gods, which could only be broken upon reaching a certain level of power.

Then there was Fanya’s private journal left for her daughter. The Arcanist, at the peak of her power, once wrote in her diary that the modern classification of magical ranks was incomplete. Above Arcanist wasn’t immediately "Spell Creator", there remains a considerable gap in between.

Currently, the most pressing concern is the escaped god, Brennild. She was highly likely the hidden force driving the Church of Light’s war efforts, the one who had altered the true beliefs of numerous followers.

As for the Abyssal Fissure, with the new information, Astrid once again raised the difficulty rating of that dungeon. It wasn’t something she could casually explore when she had free time. She’d need to wait until her strength was sufficient before attempting it.

After all, in the original story, when Lyra touched the Imperial Scepter, she was only at the Arcanist level. Only after breaking the royal blood seal and glimpsing a fragment of the truth did she surpass that tier. Even the protagonist needed to reach such a level to access related information. As a villainess with cheats, she shouldn’t recklessly risk her life.

Returning to reality, perhaps due to unconscious physical reactions during the mental connection, Astrid suddenly realized she was intimately embracing Amalia. The latter straddled her knees, her pair of smooth, delicate white-stockinged feet locked around her thighs, in a posture even tighter than usual, one that truly resembled soul entanglement manifesting physically.

Amalia obediently nestled against Astrid’s shoulder, feeling the warmth of her sister’s hands. Whether intentional or not, she gently rubbed her cheek, simultaneously sliding the elegant arch of her white-stockinged feet against Astrid’s smooth legs, covered by sheer black stockings.

"Sister... finished thinking about things...?"

Hearing Amalia calling her "sister" while continuously making cat-like humming sounds, Astrid promptly loosened her arms and moved her hands to a more suitable position, such as the golden-haired girl’s slender willow-like waist and smooth, flat back.

"Mm." Astrid replied.

Unlike Astrid, who had received a flood of information triggering mental turmoil, Amalia hadn’t understood a single word Gemini said. She only saw the purple-gowned woman surrounded by absolute stillness, the only moving figure as her lips opened and closed before the gem.

"Even though it’s still a bit messy, I’ve sorted out most of it."

With so much information and so many implications, Astrid didn’t know where to begin. Amalia noticed the contemplation in her sister’s eyes and softly suggested,

"Why don’t we go take a bath first? Then slowly think in bed later."

Astrid pondered briefly after hearing this, then gave a slight nod.

"True. Let’s go to the bathroom first."

As for the unfinished manuscript for Empire Weekly, it could wait until tomorrow. The intelligence provided by the Imperial Scepter was clearly far more important.

Seeing Amalia continue clinging to her like a sloth without the slightest intention of getting down, Astrid, always indulgent toward her younger sister, didn’t refuse. Instead, she shifted her hand from her waist to under the girl’s left thigh, gently supporting her as they walked.

.................

After bathing and changing, the sisters lay on the soft bed wearing silk nightgowns. Astrid was still pondering Aurilline’s brief yet information-dense words, so much so that during the bath, part of the work, like washing her hair and applying body wash, had actually been done by Amalia.

"All things related to her lie buried at the border between Kingdom of Velys and Valeria Empire..."

Hearing Astrid murmuring to herself, Amalia glanced at the Imperial Scepter by the bedside and softly asked,

"Is something wrong, sister?"

During the bath, she’d heard Astrid explain some things, but perhaps worried about saying too much and distracting her sister, the Empress of the Empire, Astrid had only mentioned the key points.

Such as the confirmed existence of suppression forces, one of the reasons behind Kingdom of Velys’s war, and the magical ranks above Arcanist.

"Nothing much. I just feel more and more that important intelligence needs deeper reflection, sometimes unexpected new insights arise..."

Astrid lay on her side, a few strands of bright silver hair falling across her cheek, partially covering her delicate, well-defined nose and one vivid red eye.

"Lady Gemini used the word ’Empire’ in her speech... During the first king’s lifetime, Valeria hadn’t yet expelled the Holy Light Court or broken through to the Pan-Human Alliance corridor..."

"It would be many years before the king’s coronation and declaration of empire. Yet Lady Gemini accurately foresaw the Empire’s birth."

"She really is stronger than we imagined."

The ability to stop time and partially see into the future, Aurilline’s mastery over space and time was nearly flawless.

While feeling awe toward the Spell Creator’s power, Astrid developed a new thought.

If these ancient gods harbored intense malice toward humans, or perhaps not just humans...

Then what did Lady Gemini, no, Aurilline, think, assuming she too was likely a deity?

And... if this Spell Creator had lived across ten thousand years, survived from before the Cataclysm through the fall of the Lorrin Empire and the founding of the Valeria Kingdom...

Could it be interpreted that Gemini still exists somewhere in this world, merely not revealing herself?