"There is only one chance,"
Without the shine of the moon, the earth was steeped in utter darkness, and the stars tonight were not as bright as usual, only faint glimmers appearing now and then.
But this was not a matter of just a day or two; in recent years, the stars that were originally the brightest in the Zodiacal Star Domain had dimmed significantly compared to the past.
According to the Sun God Helios, the Heroic Spirits and God of Stars, who used to travel across the night sky, seemed to be busy with other affairs now. Even when he drove his Sun Chariot across the sky, he seldom saw their figures. Therefore, the mortals usually stayed behind closed doors at night nowadays, and the deities didn't venture out much either.
However, today was an exception for two gods. Hidden behind a layer of clouds floating midair, Epimetheus was watching over the airspace above the garden. Although nothing was visible to the eye, he was certain that there was an invisible current of air there.
It was highly likely the God of West Wind. Epimetheus had heard of him. He had gained favor with Zeus by offering a Divine Artifact and, unlike the Sun God who had also switched allegiances, received a completely different treatment.
"It seems that the god who frequently visited here before was him... Indeed, there is no one more suitable than the Wind Gods,"
The 'young man's' face bore an innocent smile as he stood alongside the invisible current, peering through the open window at his 'wife' in the room in the distance, struggling and getting lucky, unlike the latter who was oblivious to his presence.
Right from the start, Epimetheus had been aware that they might be watched, so despite not being a talker, he had deliberately spoken the warning that Prometheus gave before he left.
Then, sure enough, someone gave themselves away a little because of that and over the following decades, he gradually pinpointed their position.
It must be said, the absoluteness of Divine Authority was indeed difficult to break, and even now, Epimetheus couldn't detect any difference between that current of air and the natural elements. But oftentimes, 'no anomaly' did not equate to being reasonable.
Over the years, he had made up excuses to leave the garden not just because he was reluctant to face the Graces, but more so to map out the patterns of climate changes nearby.
And according to those patterns, there shouldn't be a current of air there now.
"There is only one chance, this is the best opportunity,"
With a sharp look in his eyes, at this moment, Epimetheus was no longer the naive younger brother before the Forethinker or the foolish Afterthinker in the eyes of the deities. He reached out his hand, and an invisible force enveloped the area ahead.
He indeed was the Afterthinker among the deities, but perhaps his lack of presence was so pronounced that few realized that, just as the God of Wisdom could bestow wisdom upon others, the Afterthinker could also make others slow to realize.
Epimetheus unleashed his power, and his authority that worked on consciousness shrouded the place where the current of air was for a moment.
Almost immediately, the backlash of the Law struck him, his complexion turning deathly pale, but his smile was bright.
His judgment was not wrong; the feedback from the authority told him that there was indeed a life form that had been affected by him.
"You were right, 'You clearly could change something, but you just don't want to.' That describes me quite well,"
Wiping away the blood that had spilled from the corner of his mouth with a wave of his hand, Epimetheus recalled an unexpected encounter in a human tribe some time ago.
One was the Goddess of the Nether Moon; not too long ago, he had seen this powerful deity once more on Mount Olympus. But for the other, he had no recollection, his presence leaving no memory in the Afterthinker's heart. Such a terrifying ability was probably just as the Goddess of the Nether Moon had said before, the gift from the Lord of the Spirit Realm.
Yet another powerful Ancient God, but he was no different from the other deities. Endowed with innate powers, they then demanded from the weak with the attitude of the strong, displaying their arrogance.
Is it wrong to be indifferent towards a future that is destined not to change? Epimetheus didn't think so; he simply made the right choice.
Meaningless defiance was unnecessary. If there was no opportunity, he would have continued to drift with the current all along. But now, seeing the possibility of change right before his eyes, he would not hesitate to act.
Just like how his brother deceived the deities, he had chosen the most foolish and meaningless way. Betting his life on insignificant things, only to fail miserably as expected—this was the fate he deserved.
In the same regard, as an adversary to the deities, his brother remained loyal to a former Divine King of whom now nothing was known, only to eternally suffer the punishment of holding up the sky, which was also a fitting recompense for his stupidity.
But he was different. Today, he too would deceive the Divine King, but that was only for himself, not any other existence. Apart from him and that foolish woman, nobody would know what happened.
A humming sound rang out, and Epimetheus knew that the jar had probably been opened.
As if given some command, at this moment, the authority of the gods of the Underworld was stirred. Even far beneath the ground, they were still aware that the 'anchor' they had given had left its rightful place.
So, in the newly built Divine Palace within the Fields of Truth, Hades signaled to his attendants, and the gathered deities quickly took their commands.