Gods' Trials (5)
“The opposite of light—something that has form yet cannot be grasped?”
Baal tilted his head, his face a picture of utter confusion at those words.
Well, of course. There was no way Baal would know about Erebos, who had scattered into oblivion ages ago.
“That’s right. Bring that guy back, and I’ll consider you passed the trial.”
“I don’t really get it, but I’ll give it a shot!”
“Oh, and Mom can’t help you anymore. You’ll have to do this with your own strength alone.”
At Shamash’s words, Baal puffed out his chest proudly.
“Got it! I’ve had plenty of help already! Time to handle this myself!”
His enthusiasm was admirable, but... yeah. Success seemed unlikely.
If it were that easy to find him, we would’ve done it ourselves long ago.
Baal, blissfully unaware of the trial’s true difficulty, dashed off as if he could snag the prize right that instant. The rest of us just stared silently at Shamash.
“Giving him an impossible trial? Isn’t that too harsh?”
“Yeah! Mine was tough too, but I went easy on him!”
Sylphid, you’re one to talk. If I hadn’t talked you down, you would’ve won outright.
Though, to be fair, Sylphid probably hadn’t put much thought into it.
“Hmph. I do have my reasons, you know. You didn’t think I’d set a trial like this on a whim, did you?”
Shamash... had reasons? Sure, she had some discernment when issuing judgments, but she always seemed so sunny and carefree otherwise.
“This trial is all because of you, Mom. I get that you think highly of that kid, but lately, you’ve been neglecting us! I just want you to share a bit of that attention with your real kids!”
Wait... my fault?
“So that’s why you gave him an impossible task?”
“Exactly. Let the little squirt struggle for a year, realize it’s hopeless, and come back humbled. In the meantime, you stay with us.”
“And... the trial?”
Shamash waved it off with a light laugh, as if it were nothing.
“The trial? Eh, I’ll pass him anyway to honor his effort, even if he fails. No need to worry.”
Ugh... Passing him regardless was nice, but had I really been neglecting them that much?
Come to think of it... yeah, pretty much. After teaching them to make avatars, I hadn’t checked in much. They were grown now, I figured—they’d handle their own duties.
Apparently, that was just my assumption.
“Anyway, Mom. Let’s make the next year fun together.”
Whoa... Was this that “obsessive seme” stuff people talked about? No idea what “seme” meant, but probably something about excessive attachment...
And so, I ended up spending about a year with my kids.
Calmly reflecting on it, my children weren’t the type to defy my wishes outright.
Sylphid? She was a bit of a ditz. Probably just got carried away in the heat of the race. Once we talked it out calmly, she understood my intent.
She hadn’t meant to go against me. The others wouldn’t either.
Knowing that, I could watch over Baal’s trial with a bit more peace of mind.
“Mom’s cooking really is one-of-a-kind. How does it taste this good?”
“Mm. Best.”
I smiled faintly as Sylphid and Sagarmatha polished off what had to be four servings of creamy pasta each.
Well, pasta was a foreign concept back then. The closest thing was a primitive cream stew made from milk.
“Glad you’re enjoying it. Where are the others, though?”
“They went to keep an eye on Baal. Looks like he found something. Sagarmatha and I are on Mom-watch to make sure you don’t go help him.”
“Mm. Watch.”
Sagarmatha, having cleanly devoured his pasta, quietly raised his index and middle fingers in a V-sign.
“‘Found something’? Did he stumble on a clue to that guy?”
“No way. How’s he gonna track down a guy shattered into bits with no form left? At best, he’d find some scraps that clumped together.”
Yeah, figures. Gathering all the countless fragments of that one was next to impossible.
Even if he found something, no point getting hopes up.
Or so I thought.
“Found it!”
About seven months into Shamash’s trial, Baal showed up dragging along a small goddess with jet-black hair.
“Found... it?”
“U-um...”
The little goddess Baal brought. Gloomy aura, face half-hidden by long black hair.
Oh. Ah. Aha!
“Shamash’s riddle answer is shadow! So I brought the goddess of shadows!!”
Ah, so that’s how he took it.
Of course. No way he’d know about Erebos.
Impossible to find Erebos anyway, split into infinite shards.
Instead, he’d fetched something that fit the riddle perfectly.
“Th-this place... I-I don’t belong here...”
“Who cares! You’re the answer to Shamash’s riddle! Chest out! Stand tall! Don’t hide behind me—come on out front!”
Baal grabbed the goddess’s arm as she kept trying to duck behind him, yanking her forward. The rest of us just clutched our heads at the sight.
“N-no, but... um...”
The little goddess fidgeted anxiously. According to Baal, goddess of shadows. From her looks, a newborn who knew nothing of the world.
“I did mean darkness and shadows when I made the riddle, but...”
Shamash could only sigh at the sight of her.
“Shamash, looks like he got one over on you.”
“But! Mom, you guys didn’t think of this little goddess either, right?”
“We all assumed the same thing, but Baal wouldn’t know about that one.”
I placed a hand on the timid goddess’s shrinking head and gently stroked it. A faint sense of relief washed over her tiny, huddled face.
Surrounded by higher gods—with the greatest of them, me, showing care—she finally relaxed a bit.
“Whatever your intent, this child is a valid answer to the trial. Can’t deny that.”
“W-well, true, but...”
I cut off Shamash before she could argue more.
“So, as the goddess of light, justice, and law—what’s your verdict?”
“Urgh... Fine. Pass.”
“I did it!”
Baal whooped and leaped for joy at Shamash’s declaration.
“W-whoa!”
“Thanks to you! Thank you!!”
Then he scooped up the little goddess and spun her around in a whirlwind hug.
Hmm. Actually... they made a pretty cute pair.
Energetic blue-haired boy and shy black-haired girl...
“Urgh... I had plans to monopolize Mom for a whole year...”
“That’s on you for not being clear with the riddle.”
“But... ugh... Why’d a shadow goddess have to show up now...”
At Shamash’s grumble, the little goddess flinched and hid behind me.
Oh dear—scared by Shamash’s tone?
“It’s okay. She’s not mad at you.”
I stroked the timid goddess’s head soothingly.
“So, what’s your name?”
I knelt to meet her eyes. Slightly tousled black hair. Pale skin. Faint divine aura.
A true newborn god.
She didn’t answer, just shook her head silently.
“Why not? You can talk... Hmm. Do you not have a name?”
She nodded slowly.
“No... name...”
“You really were just born, huh.”
“Duh! She was born from the rumors I spread among humans!”
Baal beamed proudly.
Ah, so Baal had birthed her himself through those rumors.
“Unlike with the elves, it was tough, but I spread ‘em hard—and boom, here she is! I did good, right?”
His eyes sparkled like an eager puppy’s. I couldn’t help but pat his head too.
“Um, that is...”
“Oh, right. Goddess of shadows... unnamed still. Baal, what’d you name her?”
“Uh... No clue!”
No clue...? Sigh. He really hadn’t thought this through.
“A newborn god without a name is trouble.”
For faith to flow properly to a god, people needed a clear way to recognize them. A god’s name was a vital milestone.
“Then... I’ll name you.”
The Supreme God naming her? I rarely did this. She could brag!
“Your name... yes, this fits.”
I stroked the shy shadow goddess as I spoke.
“Nyx. That’ll be your name.”
And so, the goddess of shadows and night—Nyx—was born.