Village Head's Debauchery

Was it a backup realm?

A failsafe crafted in anticipation of a catastrophe like the current age, an age where even rebirth could no longer solve the crisis? And in order to prevent an escalating collapse, had the Spirit Realm come into being, just as the Divine Mysteries emerged from the heavens?

'Does that mean the Spirit Realm was destined to replace the Material Realm?' Orion thought in disbelief.

With the power of the Spirit Beasts, even the races protected by their creators would think twice before taking reckless actions that could lead to unnecessary destruction.

In that way, the Spirit Realm might serve as a safeguard.

It was a far-fetched idea, but based on the information he had, it was the most plausible explanation.

"Why are the Omnithriallians buried within the Spirit Realm? Why were only a few entombed in our dimension?" Orion asked, his tone brimming with curiosity.

"That is a question I am unable to answer," Iyraith Zi'ria replied.

"There is a Will of the Divine Mysteries within this realm. Something in your possession has allowed it to freely enter and act as it pleases. Do you want me to help you take care of it?" she asked.

Orion sighed, realising she had dodged his earlier question.

From her words, he deduced she was referring to the strange Will of the Divine Mysteries, and the Divine Medallion of Sovereign Accord, which it had given him, allowing him to summon it whenever he needed to meet it.

Still, Orion didn't summon the item. He was cautious.

The blazing White Flame surrounding them might harm it.

Even though he wasn't sure it would be destroyed, he decided not to risk it.

"Can you eliminate it?" Orion asked.

"The strength of the Will of the Divine Mysteries is limited to its assigned task. Though always connected to the Divine Mysteries, if a Will fails its task, it will naturally dissipate, and another will replace it. This one, however, is strange. It doesn't seem fully connected. It's acting as if it has chosen to exist on its own terms," Iyraith Zi'ria replied.

"Unfortunately, I cannot eliminate it in my current form. I would need to recover my physical body to do so. At best, I can expel it and, through the cosmic trees' connection with the Mysteries of the Twelve-Step Stairs, limit its omnipresence within this realm, restricting its entry."

"However, once this cosmic tree is complete, the Mysteries of the Twelve-Step Stairs will gain another boost in strength, and eliminating any future Will that tries to enter its cosmic structure won't be difficult."

Orion frowned. He wasn't surprised by her inability to handle the Will, after all, even the Divine Beings had struggled against it. But for her to casually talk about limiting its omnipresence was astonishing.

"The Will of the Divine Mysteries—though omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent—is still bound to its cosmic structure," Iyraith Zi'ria said.

"It's only due to its connection to the Material Realm that it can manifest its Will there, not in the Spirit Realm. It's only manifesting here because this Mysteries of the Twelve-Step Stairs is relatively young."

"The true gods also embody the tri-omni qualities within their cosmic structure. But when stepping into another, their power is limited, and over time, diminished. This happens because the rules of a foreign cosmic structure are influenced by a different Mysteries. That's why Mysteries can overstep their boundaries."

"If we had understood this back then, our battle with the ancient gods in the heavens would have played out very differently. That's why I'm telling you this. Now that you've become a divine being, and even when you ascend to the level of a true god, do not attempt to cross into another cosmic structure recklessly."

"Even wandering into the Spirit Realm is reckless. Learn from your companions who did so only through their clones."

"However, because of your unique connection with the Will of the Divine Mysteries, the Mysteries of the Twelve-Step Stairs tolerate its presence. It seems to favour you greatly. If it attempts to do anything to this realm or its residents, it would remove it."

As Iyraith Zi'ria spoke, Orion's mind raced. As he absorbed her words, many pieces began to fall into place.

"Does that mean the Spirit Realm—the Lower, Middle, and Upper Layers—is a single cosmic structure?" Orion asked, his heart thumping as he grasped the magnitude of the revelation.

"Yes."

"Then… does that mean there is a third Mysteries?"

"I'm sorry, child. I cannot answer that."

"Answer only if you can; otherwise, remain silent. But if you think the question itself is foolish, then convince me not to ask further," Orion said calmly.

If she chose the first option, it would mean that yes, there was a third Mysteries. If she chose the second, then there likely wasn't.

Iyraith remained silent.

Orion's heart paused.

He believed they were the first to create a Mysteries that could rival the Divine Mysteries; that they had accomplished an incomprehensible feat.

But unknown to them, something else had already done so, long before the emergence of the Omnithriallians and the creation of the races in the Material Realm.

Now it all made sense why other Divine Mandates didn't work within the Spirit Realm. He had believed the Spirit Realm was a distorted byproduct of destruction in the Material Realm, a backup realm born from chaos.

But he now realised how wrong he was.

It wasn't even connected to the Material Realm.

It was an entirely different cosmic structure.

Was that why the laws of the Spirit Realm had stabilised and solidified into its own structure -Spirit Laws - even though they bore some resemblance to the other cosmic structures?

Yet, what baffled Orion most was how interconnected the Spirit Realm remained with other cosmic structures.

Even the Paradise Realm had Spiritual Link Points tied to theirs, and the only way to block them was for the Mysteries of the Twelve Step Stairs to act on suppressing them.

"Are there any other Mysteries?" Orion asked, steadying his breathing as he stared at the blazing white bark of the forming cosmic tree before him.

Iyraith remained silent.

Orion closed his eyes.

Though his expression was calm, his heart pounded and his thoughts surged like a tempest.

The mere possibility of a second Mysteries had already shaken his worldview, a rare feat, since as a complete divine being, few things could. But now, there was the implication of another... he was disconcerted.

And the most terrifying truth of all: their growing numbers did not lessen their power.

Mysteries beyond Mysteries.

Those words carried new and terrifying weight now.

Though Orion longed to ask more, he held back. Iyraith Zi'ria was unwilling to give direct answers, and pressing further would only deepen his anxiety with half-truths and silence.

He also didn't want to put his ancestor, who had given him all of this, in a difficult situation. So he changed the subject.

"I realised something: was it only from the cosmic tree we created that you drew inspiration to form this one?" He asked

Iyraith finally spoke. "No. I drew inspiration from both heaven and the Material Realm—one serves as the home of mortals, the other as the domain of divines," she replied with certainty.

"Does… that mean this cosmic tree will share similarities with heaven?"

"I caught a glimpse," she said slowly, "from the memories shared by others of my race, before we lost the war at heaven's gates. So, in a way, yes. However, it will bear no further resemblance to it."

"I would not risk recreating the home where our race fell, not for our children. And I doubt the rest of my kin would overlook such impiety. Even I would not forgive myself."

"Why are you asking such questions, child? Isn't that cosmic structure where you also drew inspiration for this cosmic tree?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

"It was," Orion responded with a nod.

He didn't say anything more. Those were the only words he could manage in that moment. He steadied his emotions and shifted the conversation once again.

"The Paradise Realm is connected to a location within the Material Realm, which served as its foundation. From that gateway, another Will of the Divine Mysteries is trying to break in and destroy the Paradise Realm. So far, the Mysteries of the Twelve Step Stairs has managed to halt its progress and protect us," Orion said.

"Will it be able to continue holding it back?" he asked.

A Will of the Divine Mysteries sent to destroy an entire realm and a newly-formed Mysteries would surely be far more powerful than one sent to eliminate an ancient god, utilising a powerful curse. He needed to calculate their odds before making any further moves.

"There is no need to act. Once the cosmic tree is complete, the Mysteries of the Twelve Step Stairs will no longer cling to the Material Realm. It will become a complete cosmic structure of its own. This will make it extremely difficult for anyone outside of Paradise to enter."