Maggie found herself in a confrontation with another version of herself.
“I don’t understand under what conditions you would accept me. I came here thinking you responded to my call, so you brought me to this place. Doesn’t that indicate you’ve accepted me and are willing to transfer the power to me?”
Indeed, that was Maggie’s initial thought-her divine essence sensed Maggie’s call and brought her to this place. However, when face to face, the other Maggie seemed dissatisfied.
Is this the original me? she wondered. So ordinary, without any power or notable features. She felt disappointed. For years, she had been sleeping in isolation, with no one to talk to, no one to accompany her through the lonely times. She was left in this space with the sole purpose of waiting for her original self to find her, return the power to her, and merge with her once again, just like when they were first born.
She waited for a long time, but the person who was supposed to come never showed up. Gradually, she stopped expecting to see her original self, and stopped thinking about what the meeting would be like.
She only thought that if, when they met, the other Maggie asked for the power, she would unequivocally refuse her. Or perhaps, she would give her the power and then take control of the body herself.
But not like this.
The other Maggie thought, I shouldn’t have told her that the power comes with consequences. I should have said nothing and watched her get consumed by the power, screaming in pain. Yet, this Maggie, despite being seemingly ordinary, had overcome various challenges to come here.
Without relying on the power of their shared mother, Selene.
She arrived here solely based on her determination.
“I haven’t accepted you. As I said at the beginning, I just feel that you’re not suitable for the position of a deity and offered you a relatively reasonable suggestion.”
Maggie stared blankly. “But we are the same person.”
“We are not the same person,” the other Maggie coldly interrupted. “We have been separated since birth. You don’t have my power, and I don’t have your memories. We can’t be the same person.”
That seemed reasonable to her. So, Maggie changed her approach and continued, “But, in the end, we have to become one person.”
The other Maggie did not answer. She seemed to be looking at herself in a mirror, reflecting an extremely indifferent version of herself. More indifferent than the Aldrich she saw in her visions.
“If I don’t want to, we won’t become one person.”
Maggie couldn’t comprehend how things had turned out this way. She believed that the root of everything must be Urania. If Urania hadn’t insisted on assigning this prophecy task to her, things wouldn’t have developed like this.
Alright, she was just venting her frustration. She felt useless, unable to solve the current dilemma, and it had nothing to do with Urania. She was the one who insisted on learning from Urania, and she could tell that Urania wasn’t interested in this matter. She used her identity as the daughter of the Moon Goddess to tie Urania down.
In reality, everything was her own problem. Maggie lamented, how can I convince the other me?
“If possible, I’d like to negotiate with you.” She audited her sister Alisa’s game theory course in college, but she didn’t absorb much. The subject was profound, and she only grasped the superficial idea that in a relatively equal situation, one could adjust their pace based on the opponent’s strategy. If one found themselves at a disadvantage, they shouldn’t passively defend but should instead take the initiative to attack. Whether the game theory class specifically covered these concepts, she couldn’t remember. This was her own interpretation, and she couldn’t let herself stay at a disadvantage continuously. “Let’s talk about it. What do you want? Or, what do you wish for me to give you?”
This was a negotiation, not a command as before.
The other Maggie thought quietly for a moment. “I don’t want anything. The time I’ve existed here and the time your world is in are different. You’ve only lived for a little over twenty years. For me, it’s far more than just that time. The space I’m in is static, without the flow of time, without life, without death, without the ebb and flow of all things, only eternal, unchanging darkness, and me.”
Maggie suddenly realized, “Do you want to see this world?”
The other Maggie couldn’t understand her meaning, so she looked at her with confusion.
She walked over. “Our consciousness is shared.” She reached out, clasping the other Maggie’s hand in her palm. Those hands had no warmth and almost no sensation. If clouds were touchable, it might feel like that. Maggie closed her eyes, trying hard to recall everything related to this world with her own eyes.
Changing patterns of mountain mists, running deer, herds of antelope, lush water grass, dense green forests, snow-covered landscapes in winter, secluded streams in summer, stepping on gravel that felt tingly underfoot, and various smiles of people. Those smiles had no other pretense-sad, tranquil, hearty-they were indispensable and the most genuine emotions of humanity. People followed those smiles to experience the emotions in the world.
It also included countless evils hidden in the darkness-an unyielding grip of a boy’s arms, the scent of alcohol and marijuana permeating Maggie’s nostrils, fear seizing her, making her unable to move. But Alisa took her away; she smashed the boy’s head with a glass bottle, dragging her hand, they ran out of the villa into the pitch-black night, escaping from one block to another until they were sure the boy or his family wouldn’t catch them.
She was betrayed but gained a new chance.
Lost a boyfriend, found new love.
Her previous residence, due to high debts, forced her to leave, but she moved into a new home.
She kept losing but also kept gaining.
“I know you’ve been lonely here, so I want to show you all of this. I didn’t smoothly come here; I always hit a wall, always fell. You see, I used to be useless, crying and seeking Alisa whenever something happened. Later, I wasn’t alone anymore, no longer lonely or helpless. There were new people willing to show kindness to me. So, it’s also my turn to show kindness to them.”
Those memories continued to replay through the shared consciousness. Maggie’s forehead rested against the other’s, “I didn’t come here to demand your power, nor do I insist that you become me. We’re inherently different, as you rightly pointed out. You don’t need to turn into me. I came here seeking your help, hoping you can assist me. Can you use your limited power to protect more people, safeguard the world’s order, and protect the things we find important?”
“I’d like to invite you to step into the human realm with me, to experience the most beautiful things in this world together-love.”