Chapter 473: [ Forgotten Identity ]

“[Last Trial of Humanity]??”

“Ah, he is—A God chosen by the One True God to bear fate the burden of humankind. He was the final product who has flown into tens of millions of history. The True God’s final attempt to fight the Final Judgment!”

“He bears that kind of fate…!!?” Athena’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. She didn’t know of this!

“However, just like what I had told you before, my dear Athena. That man can also be the greatest nightmare the world had ever seen…!” Clotho muttered with a sigh.

“Why?! If what you said was the truth, then isn’t the True God give him the fate of survival…?!”

“That is right but also wrong…” Clotho hesitated for a moment before finally as if making a decision, showed a determined expression. She faced Athena, and said, “Athena, what you hear right now must not be spoken to anyone else or else it would cause a calamity…”

“…!!?”

“Do you understand—you must not speak it to anyone else…” Clotho said softly. "I will only tell it to you as I trust you,"

Athena frowned but she was a wise person, the Goddess of Wisdom and War. She immediately calms herself and nodded, “Yes, I understand, Clotho… please tell me, what is Solomon…”

“Solomon is the strongest Candidate of the Final Judgment.”

".......? Candidate of the Final Judgment?"

"Yes. And I'm sure he will be eligible to inherit this kind of fate. I'm not referring to his power, but his soul. The Trial of Humanity—that is why he can be a protector but also can be the destroyer that reset everything in this world…"

“What is this Candidate of the Final Judgment?”

“That is something I cannot say…”

“Clotho!!”

“Athena, I really can’t say….”

Athena kept staring at Clotho, and then finally, after carefully considering her choice of words, along with sharp eyes, she asked with a tone filled with anxiousness and vigilance. “Clotho, you said that Solomon was a God… who is he…? No, who was he...?”

“Do you remember the story about how Prometheus tricked Zeus to stole the fire and give it to the mortals?”

“Eh? Yeah… If I’m not mistaken, Prometheus was then punished because of it. He was chained to a rock and got his liver eaten by an eagle, am I right?”

“Yeah…” Clotho cast a lonely look. “Prometheus, or should I say—Loki of the Norse God, gave humanity wisdom and fire… this angered Zeus.”

“What is this got to do with Promethe—?!!!! You, don’t tell me, you mean…” Athena’s eyes widened in shock. Disbelief and horror flashed across her beautiful eyes as she couldn’t believe what she had just thought. And this realization as then confirmed.

Clotho nodded her head in confirmation to the realization that had dawned upon Athena. “His brother—Epimetheus, the ‘Fool’…”

“Epimetheus tried to change the mind of Zeus, asking for his pardon centuries after centuries but you should know about your father. Inflexible and egoistic. Angered, he throws the ‘Fool’ into the mortal world, stealing all of his memories and divinities, sealing it up for eternity as a punishment!”

“Cursing a God to be a Mortal—that was a sin that couldn’t be forgiven because that is playing with fate. And it shouldn’t have succeeded as a mortal, the divine essence of a god is just too much… it was like putting all the water from a sea into a small glass. The mortal would perish along with the soul of the God if it was done—however, it succeeded.” Clotho sighs.

“…? How? A god becoming a mortal through reincarnation? That is impossible!”

“Indeed, but the One True God was already starting his plan at that time, preparing everything. Before Zeus cooled down his mind and wanted to take back everything, the One True God noticed Epimetheus and put his plan into action-using Epimetheus as a catalyst—millions of years of preparation until he became the true—[Last Trial of Humanity]”

“…!!!?” What is this…?! isn’t this too much of a coincidence…?!

Clotho sighed. “…But also because of this, everything about Epimetheus had been forgotten, and he turned into a real mortal. He couldn’t be a God because; a mortal is needed to resist the Final Judgment.”

Then, Clotho suddenly lets out a sigh. “However, who would have expected, Pandora cried and opened the jar in revenge, causing the evil of the world to break out and affected the entire world. The thing that was now known as ‘The Fell’, a fragment of Mark of Cain, the Original Sin, washed out into the world of mortals. This is one of the cause as to why Solomon has a chance of being infected by the ‘Mark of Cain’ when this kind of thing should have never appeared in the world—”

“Furthermore, this had also led to the first awakening of the Final Judgment—in which, God gave his son as a sacrifice, leading to the event that had happened in Golgotha!”

Sacrificing his beloved son to save humanity from the Fell that Pandora had released… the One True God has no choice but to do it, as the one he had chosen has yet to be prepared. A temporary solution was necessary… to patch everything up…until the right moment comes!

"—is this really what had happened…?"

Asserted.

Her tone and eyes did not allow any denial or confirmation. She was already convinced but it was more of a disbelief still coloring her mind. It was the revelation she couldn’t take. Her eyes looked like it contained a creepy light.

But Clotho did not appear to be afraid, and easily took over without any discoloration.

“Ah, Solomon is Epimetheus—or should it be, the empty shell of once known as Epimetheus.”

“Since then, only a few information about Epimetheus existed in the world—he had long been disappeared in the Celestial Realm.”

“Why him?” Even though it was concluded like this, Athena’s face still did not light up.

Closing her sad eyes that were gazing at the flower petals floating from outside.

“Is it just because he was discarded? Conveniently picked up like a puppy on the roadside? Is that the only thing that made him bear this burden…?” At this moment, Athena didn’t know whether she should be feeling sorry or pity at Epimetheus who, just because of her father’s mistakes done in a whim, had been driven out from his real existence. Stolen from everything and then, in the end, ended with being burdened by the fate of all living being…

Was he lucky?

Was he fortunate?

… Was he not?

“The One True God needed someone indeed. And it can be someone else… however; Epimetheus was the best candidate there is…”

“Why!!” Athena gritted her teeth. She didn’t what she was feeling… Frustration? Pity? Sympathy?

“Because he is the…‘Fool’…”

“… What?”

“Affected by his brother’s karma and destiny, he had also become someone with a strange fate.”

“You should know who was the real Prometheus—Adam, the first creation, and first son of the One True God—Fooling everyone and manifesting many personas: Such as Loki, the Norse God of Trickery, and most of all—Lucifer, the Morning Star—Angel turned, God, Fallen and Demon.”

“He had come into many reincarnations, giving him many aspects…”

“And because of that, Epimetheus as his brother was branded by his strange destiny and fate. He had become the ‘Fool’ contrary to his genius brother—!”

“So what if he is—it doesn’t justify him being the sacrificial lamb!!”

“Do you still not realize it—Athena?” Clotho frowned. “He is the [Fool]!!”

“So wha—eh? Th, th, that fool…?!!” Athena’s gaze trembled as she immediately realized what is Clotho talking about. “You mean ‘that’ meaning…?”

Clotho nodded her head. “One of the 78 Tarot Cards—or should it be called, Card of Destiny, Arcana of the Archaic Library recorded in the [Akashic Records]…”

“They are the cards that were the materialization of Destiny, Fate, and Life in the entire universe. The essences of the [Akashic Records], the one that holds all knowledge since the beginning of time—and one of the 22 Major Arcana—was the [The Fool] and Epimetheus had it.”

“… …”

“…Considered as the most powerful card: [The Fool] represented a new beginning—and, consequently, an end. There was also one other aspect of him, and that is because he was the ‘Fool’, he can be anything—fate couldn’t dictate! The ‘Fool’ possesses greater potential than any being… because of this, Epimetheus was one of the best candidates to become the [Last Trial of Humanity]—similar to his former wife; [Pandora] the Keeper of Chances,”

“Do you understand now…Athena?” She shook her head, a sigh letting out from her mouth.

“… …”

“Solomon is not just a regular being, a god or a demon—He is someone whose fate couldn’t be read or dictates. Virgil is also one of its proof—during the process, Solomon falls in love with his niece unknowingly, Hela—his brother’s daughter. Prometheus was angered and throws him to Hell, but there, the ‘Fell’ that Pandora had released had managed to corrupt him, heralding the birth of two people—now both of them became the center of these all. Not just simply being center, but the one started the war that had led to the quickening of the Final judgment’s arrival…!”

"Giving it an assumption that Fate can't be stopped...Destiny cannot be controlled..."

“One wanted to conquer all and protect himself, another was traveling to protect his loved ones…”

One was selfish and the other was sentimental…

—But both of them caused the Celestial Realm to tremble to its core and now, was heralding the birth of the Final Judgment…

“Then what should I do? Clotho…” Athena gazed abstractedly at Clotho and asked.

“Nothing Athena… Solomon’s fate is his own to bear, even us Ladies of Fate couldn’t read him clearly, what we only certain is that he can be the one who will destroy everything or the one who can protect everything.”

“This is the final test—you can’t do anything…no one can’t do anything!”

“Let nature takes its course…”

Athena gritted her teeth in frustration. “Then what about me? What should I do after hearing this all…?”

“This is what you wanted Athena… I had warned you before but you insisted…now, you can only find the path you needed to walk on starting now—but please do remember, the choice you make from now on, will affect everything… no matter how small it is.” Clotho’s gaze was gentle and her voice was soft, like the ringing of numerous bells.

“My actions will affect everything…?” Athena was confused. “Was this beyond my control?”

“…who knows, but affected or not, it all depends on your heart,” Clotho responded. “All I can tell you right now is that, just like Solomon, and all his actions up until now, Fate can be changed and altered. Then, why can’t it do the same … for the future?”

“… …”

"The gear had already started turning... the notion that it wouldn't be stopped anymore, that Fate is impossible to be changed, is already broken by several people now... Solomon is one, and you can be one as well..."

“… …”

"Broaden your mind, the future isn’t something that is irreversible… it’s not set in stone…”

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