“I want to give it a try,” she said.
The other Maggie maintained the same indifference she had from the beginning, staring at her without emotion.
Maggie faced the scrutinizing, almost assessing gaze and continued, “I want to give it a try. I’ve decided to take on my mother’s responsibilities; it’s something I can’t evade. I’ve also decided to protect the world of the werewolves and my loved ones.”
The other Maggie remained motionless, as if her determination hadn’t conveyed at all. They were two completely opposing entities, not the same person.
“I think you shouldn’t act impulsively,” the other Maggie stated without expression. “Power is a double-edged sword. Perhaps you now admire this power for certain reasons, but once you can’t control it, you’ll become a slave to that power.”
Maggie felt an unusual sense of powerlessness. For the first time, she couldn’t understand the thoughts of both sides through communication. Standing before her was a god who had never entered the world, a deity with no expectations or emotions, only the first thing instilled upon arriving in this world: giving power to the right person.
According to the judgment of the deity, Maggie wasn’t that right person.
In reality, Urania struggled to grasp a distant and obscure memory: it seemed that the former Selene had done something else back then.
She had separately extracted the divine nature that originally belonged to Maggie, which meant the current Maggie didn’t possess divinity. If she wanted to continue inheriting the responsibilities of the Moon Goddess, she couldn’t separate herself from that independent divine nature. Urania rubbed her chin, unsure whether to inform Aldrich. Perhaps Maggie hadn’t told him about her lineage, and she thought about Mrs. Jenkins.
As the attendant to the previous Moon Goddess, she should be well aware of matters related to the Moon Goddess.
Before leaving, she deliberately took another look at Maggie, still trapped in the alternate dimension. Don’t lose to yourself, Maggie, she thought. She decided to pay a visit to Mrs. Jenkins.
The flower shop should have closed at this hour, but unexpectedly, it welcomed a special guest. Mrs. Jenkins smiled at the visitor, “Urania, we haven’t seen each other in a long time.”
Urania replied nonchalantly, “Since Selene’s fall, we haven’t met. But isn’t that a good thing? The frequent meetings between the Moon Goddess’s attendants and the High Priest aren’t something to be pleased about.”
“You’re still as unapproachable as ever.”
“I’ve lived for too long; being difficult to get along with is expected. Aren’t you the same? You only get close to the people you want to be close to.”
Mrs. Jenkins pretended not to understand the implication in her words. “I’m not that kind of person. I love making friends. Otherwise, I wouldn’t run this flower shop.”
Urania snorted, “Say whatever you want. I came to talk to you about something important.”
“About what?”
“Maggie. Do you know about Selene separating her wolf and original divinity from Maggie to help her escape the social divide between the divine and werewolf society?”
So, it was about this matter. Mrs. Jenkins sat down leisurely, preparing a cup of tea for herself. “I know. What’s the matter?”
“Maggie’s divinity has awakened.”
Mrs. Jenkins, surprised at the speed, said, “I thought it would take a bit more time for her personality to awaken.”
Urania knew she played a role in catalyzing Maggie’s early awakening, and that was part of her plan. However, she had overlooked the fact that Maggie’s current personality was incomplete. Awakening her power would inevitably stir the long-separated divine nature. As that divine part had been dormant for a long time, it didn’t harbor any affection for this world and had no enthusiasm for fulfilling its duty as a deity.
“I let her participate in the divination.”
Mrs. Jenkins frowned, looking at her in confusion, unable to see the inevitable connection between the two events.
Urania, feeling guilty, touched her nose. “Before that, I deliberately extracted the power belonging to the previous Moon Goddess from her body. So, for this divination, she needed to mobilize her own power completely to complete it. That’s probably why her divine nature awakened ahead of time.”
Mrs. Jenkins couldn’t stay seated; she stood up, her face filled with anger. “You’ll kill her!”
Urania, feeling a bit smug, said, “You think I don’t know what you’re thinking? You see her as Selene from the bottom of your heart, not as Maggie. Wake up; your Moon Goddess has fallen because her beloved also fell. The current Maggie is Selene’s daughter, but she can never be Selene. Let go of that hope!”
Mrs. Jenkins was so angry that the words almost choked her. She wanted to refute Urania, but nothing came out. Since Selene left, she had lived in the shadow of this world, and her mission only made sense when she was by Selene’s side. She had asked the moon countless times: why did you give my Moon Goddess such a tragic ending? Why did fate and war take away her only true love?
She didn’t blame the Moon Goddess for ultimately being disappointed with this world, but she felt heartbroken for her plight. This was the reason she had been tirelessly seeking ways to bring her Moon Goddess back to power.
As long as Selene could return, she could endure the loneliness and hardships of time, even if no one understood, even if no one saw her efforts. Just as long as Selene came back.
But now, Urania ruthlessly shattered her hopes.
“Why do you conclude that the Moon Goddess won’t wake up again?”
Urania didn’t understand why this person was so persistent about resurrecting Selene. She thought they were the only two in the world who could understand the path the deities chose to fall. But apparently, only she truly understood the deities. She had become utterly disappointed with this world and disappointed with her inability to objectively view this world. That’s why she chose to fall from the godly throne, making way for a new deity.
“Because she herself doesn’t want to wake up; she knew early on that she couldn’t continue to be a deity. Don’t you understand? She didn’t even hope for Maggie to become a deity from the beginning because this path is too difficult. She didn’t want her daughter to embark on this challenging journey.”
Mrs. Jenkins remained silent. She had seen the tears and sorrow in the Moon Goddess’s eyes before she left. However, now that the Moon Goddess was gone, what value did she have? She was just an immortal old lady, unable to do anything without the assistance of the Moon Goddess’s power. She didn’t know where to go or what to do after the sun rose tomorrow. She had nowhere to go and was utterly useless.