“But the world of werewolves cannot lack the guidance of a deity,” Mrs. Jenkins tried to defend her selfish desires one last time, “Maggie is not of divine origin herself. She cannot become a qualified deity. I believe she lacks the qualities for it.”
Urania expressed great disdain for these hypocritical words, “There is no rule in this world that dictates only those of divine origin can become deities. Admit it, you are also of divine origin. So, for centuries, you have not died or aged. You know deep down that being of divine origin is not the sole criterion for judging a deity, not even a standard. How many non-divine beings have become better deities than the divine? You’re only pursuing your own selfish desires.”
People tend to subconsciously compare their worth as they grow. Deities are no exception. Mrs. Jenkins didn’t think Maggie couldn’t become a qualified deity. Instead, it was beyond her comprehension to teach a child more akin to humans to be a deity. This was something she hadn’t prepared for, and she wasn’t sure if she was capable.
Clearly, Mrs. Jenkins had more room to maneuver when Selene was around.
The old woman lowered her head. The tea had cooled; the fragrance had dissipated. This was a reflection of her life. When freshly brewed, it was hot and fragrant, representing her most valuable moments. Gradually, as the tea cooled and Selene fell, she became cold tea, ignored and discarded, no longer possessing the value she once had. Just like pouring it down the drain alongside wastewater.
Urania had never liked Mrs. Jenkins since their first meeting. She disliked those who harbored too many thoughts, as they could crush not only others but also themselves. Mrs. Jenkins clearly fell into this category. Despite her whitening hair, which seemed to age her, according to divine standards, she was quite young. Urania suspected that she enjoyed hiding her true self, pretending to be harmless.
She despised such people.
“Have you ever thought,” Urania also sat down, and as the tea had cooled, it carried a slightly bitter scent, still flavorful. She took a sip, “that you are the only one who could have prevented Selene’s fall back then? I am not the one closest to her, so I have no right to inquire about her reasons for giving up her deity status, nor can I demand that she stay and continue her duties as the Moon Goddess. But you can.”
“When she was chosen to be the Moon Goddess, you were already by her side. Every bite of food she tasted, every sip of water, every step she took in the mortal realm had your involvement. You could have stopped her, yet you felt insignificant, unable to persuade her. In the end, you remained silent, watching her wither away. You were initially a gardener, meant to make this flower more vibrant. But when she faced setbacks, what were you doing? Nothing. So, what’s the point of doing all this now?”
Urania delivered her verdict, “Accept reality. Selene won’t come back. Your task now is to stay by Maggie’s side and guide her to become the new Moon Goddess.”
Mrs. Jenkins finally raised her head, “What do you want me to do?”
“When the Moon Goddess separated Maggie’s divine essence, did she not tell you how to safely reintegrate her essence with her self?”
“This, I think even Selene may not know. She separated Maggie’s soul with the idea of permanently removing the deity status from the werewolves. At the same time, she didn’t want the werewolves to find Maggie again and disturb her peaceful life. So, she heartlessly placed her in human society rather than entrusting her to me.”
“I don’t agree with you,” Urania found this logic invalid, “She left her powers to Maggie.”
“That’s just because of a mother’s desire to protect her daughter, and the hope to see her again someday. Her original intention was not for Maggie to come back.”
Selene’s methods were indeed hard for ordinary people to understand. Urania furrowed her brows, “Then what about the deal with Aldrich? She clearly fused the Silver Wolf and Aldrich.”
“That’s also because she didn’t anticipate that, in twists and turns, Maggie would still be drawn into the werewolves’ struggle and, under unforeseen circumstances, be bestowed with a wolf cub by fate. She had to do something for Maggie, and that’s how the deal was made.”
Urania felt being the High Priestess was not easy. People were difficult to deal with, and deities played by their own rules. She was originally happily giving occasional directions to lost people in her cabin, going hunting on other mountains, basically staying home comfortably writing her book. Then Aldrich barged in, bringing a deity’s daughter with him.
Acting on impulse, she took on a task that wasn’t originally hers, so now the situation was deadlocked. No one could move forward. Perhaps taking a step forward meant falling into the abyss.
“Why not try the method she used to merge the Silver Wolf and Aldrich? If the Silver Wolf can merge with Aldrich, it shouldn’t be that difficult to integrate Maggie and her deity,” she asked with an expectant tone.
Mrs. Jenkins shrugged, “But are you the Moon Goddess? Only Selene can do that.”
Urania instantly deflated.
Her original idea was that as long as she could unleash Maggie’s inherent abilities, coupled with the blessing of the Moon Goddess’s bloodline, the path to becoming the Moon Goddess would be relatively less challenging. However, who would have expected a deity separated for over twenty years to suddenly appear? This deity was much more powerful than the Silver Wolf, making it impossible for Maggie to overcome her and forcefully merge.
But convincing the deity to willingly merge with Maggie and relinquish control of the power to her seemed equally impossible. Even human personalities existing together in one body would fight; not to mention a deity who had never coexisted with Maggie.
“So, what do we do now?” she looked at Mrs. Jenkins helplessly, “She is the only child of the Moon Goddess. Are you going to watch her get trapped in another dimension, possibly consumed by the power?”
Mrs. Jenkins wanted to say, it’s clearly your poorly planned scheme that pushed us into this terrible situation. How can you now shift the moral dilemma onto me?
But she couldn’t truly watch Maggie end up like that. Selene had entrusted Maggie to her, asking her to take care of her as much as possible if Maggie ever needed her. She agreed without much thought at that time.
But she ended up betraying Selene’s trust.
She had to witness the moment Maggie transformed. Before that, even if she couldn’t do anything, she had to be present. At least when she also faced the day of her fall, she could give an explanation to the fallen Selene.
“Let’s go. I’ll go back with you. Even if I may not be able to help much, having one more person is always having one more source of power,” Mrs. Jenkins said resignedly.