Despite being from a 'quantitative' perspective less powerful than even the weakest True God, by virtue of its supreme essence, it momentarily confounded the judgment of the Primordial Deities. Even with Gaia in a poor state, this was enough to leave one astonished. Yet, amidst her vigilance while observing the peculiar scene before her, she unexpectedly felt a tinge of pleasure.
"Why have you come to find me... and for what purpose?"
She spoke softly. In any case, this mysterious presence hiding behind the scenes was the only 'person' giving Gaia a response at this moment. Driven by a subtle sense of affinity, she developed a slight fondness for it.
Seemingly unable to articulate clearly, as the branches swayed slightly, no further information came through; only a play of light and shadow that slowly materialized in front of Mother Earth.
It was a somewhat unfamiliar world. Within a realm brimming with 'vibrancy,' a tree symbolizing life and eternity stood unassumingly, with All Spirits dwelling blissfully, living in harmony. But such tranquility did not last forever. One day, stability was eventually breached by some external force that probed this world.
It suppressed the tree's power and began to consume and plunder the entire realm. And soon after, a minion of Its arrived in this world, taking in its beauty and the unique nature of the tree.
The dark figure was so powerful and confident that It brazenly struck at the tree, forcing the tree into retaliation. During the clash, due to an initial oversight, a branch was thrust into the dark figure's hand and then transformed into a residing power within it.
The flicker of light and shadow, sequence after sequence, flashed by rapidly. Another figure arrived, joining forces with the previous shadow to oppose the enemy, yet the tree was not overwhelmed. Despite this, the outcome at a world level was always bound to the world itself; the tree did not lose to the Outsider but was ultimately sealed away as the world's energy collapsed.
From then on, images of It vanished, leaving only the broken branch in the rapidly changing scenes.
As light and shadow transitioned, this unexpected, unsealed force seemed to have experienced much. With time's passage and several failed attempts at expulsion, the power in the branch eventually found residence within a mass of flesh and blood. At last, the once-wounded dark figure one day extracted them together and handed them to a silhouette familiar to Gaia.
It was her former Maid, one of the leaders of the Nymphs at Mother Earth's side. Only now the figure was no longer as weak as before, instead radiating a powerful aura, with a tall Golden Apple Tree swaying gracefully behind her.
The vision ended, and everything became clear. An endless chill invaded her bones, but this time, Gaia did not rant or rave.
Having calmed down, she had regained much clarity. Gaia knew that such behavior served no purpose other than to vent emotions futilely and only provided others amusement.
However, with the closing of the light and shadow, this ancient Mother Goddess unraveled many mysteries and dispelled numerous doubts.
Fragments from beyond, Chaos exerted its power to suppress; Erebus and Laine, who arrived one after the other, and... the silhouette of her former Maid, Moanda.
Perhaps Zeus wasn't indeed the mastermind—he was just an accomplice to the Lord of Darkness, and even Laine had a part in it. It was his power that allowed Moanda to somehow occupy the Golden Apple Tree as a body. However, according to the light and shadow, that annoying Master of Spirituality wasn't the ultimate victor either; he was outplayed by Erebus and Zeus together.
So, in the end, the 'film' showed the apple tree and Divine Artifact falling into the hands of her brother hidden in the darkness, with Zeus gaining the Golden Apple and the friendship of another Primordial God, while Laine, who was also involved, gained nothing.
That also explained why a few days ago, Laine suddenly 'attacked' the Deities, with Erebus stepping in to 'protect.' Previously blinded by rage, Gaia hadn't thought it through, but now, she felt she could finally see the truth.
Just like her, Laine was also dissatisfied with the actions of the Divine King and the Dark Overlord. Only he wasn't as impulsive as she had been; instead, he chose an appropriate moment for revenge, even temporarily opting to withdraw when initially opposed. Perhaps, for a Primordial God, this was the most rational course of action.
Eternal beings should not fret over temporary victories or defeats—yet Gaia also knew, if she had remained calm, she wouldn't have ended up .
It's easy to change a kingdom but hard to change one's nature; knowing something doesn't mean you can change it. But now that she had figured everything out, Mother Earth shifted her focus.
"The underworld, huh... that should belong to me!"
She murmured, her faint voice carrying waves of hatred. Now, Gaia wanted nothing more than to go there immediately, to seize that traitorous Elf and subject her to eternal torment. Yet, just as she took half a step, as if realizing something, she couldn't help but stop.
Erebus... Even a slight calm had Gaia recalling the true gap between them. She knew that unlike Zeus, even without the suppression of the Law, facing this Lord of Darkness, she stood no chance. No matter how much she was willing to sacrifice, no matter how fiercely she struggled, in the face of absolute power, she could never surpass her brother.