The Elder looked at the child before him. She used to be so ordinary, easily lost in a crowd. The only reason people paid attention to her was that she carried the child of the future most noble Wolf King in her belly. But back then, when he knew she was willing to risk being shunned by the entire werewolf race to help Aldrich successfully compete, unwilling to be separated from her child, he knew that the radiance emanating from this child would one day illuminate every inch of the land and bring about significant change to werewolf society.
Power was always secondary; it was like a knife, merely an object. When aimed at an enemy, you were a hero; when aimed at yourself, you were a coward; when aimed at defenseless innocents, you were a murderer.
The most crucial factor was the wielder.
The wielder’s heart determined whether this power would ultimately become the nurturing power of the earth or the dark power that destroyed mountains and forests, turning everything into ashes.
“You and Aldrich, you are both good children. I think Urania would be delighted to have such precious beings among the descendants of werewolves. She will be proud of you both.”
Urania chimed in, “Hold on, I won’t be proud of Aldrich. That boy gives me a headache every day. Not complaining about him is already a good thing.”
Maggie smiled apologetically, “He doesn’t mean it.”
What do you mean, he absolutely means it. Boys always exhibit that mischievous nature; being naughty is always their first quality. Next is the tendency to be blinded by beauty, but since Maggie likes Aldrich so much, there’s no need to dampen her spirits.
“So, this white-haired lady, although I haven’t met her, I guess someone who came with the previous Moon Goddess’s daughter and the greatest High Priest of werewolves is no ordinary person. You were once the Moon Goddess’s attendant, right?”
Each Moon Goddess had a special attendant selected from the divine race, responsible for handling earthly affairs alongside the Moon Goddess.
Mrs. Jenkins nodded, “You are very sharp. I was the attendant to the last Moon Goddess. You can call me Mrs. Jenkins. Starting today, I’m responsible for teaching Maggie to become the next qualified Moon Goddess.”
The Elder patted Maggie’s hand, “Do you know what the Moon Goddess requires aside from having the power of the moon?”
At his question, Maggie froze again. Lately, she had been bombarded with questions she had never encountered and was impossible for her to contemplate. Her gaze sought help from the two seniors accompanying her. Mrs. Jenkins, not knowing how the Elder, a human, defined divinity, could only shake her head. Urania, on the other hand, knew.
She knew everything, but she had a perverse taste, enjoying watching people be clueless. She liked passing the time this way. So, she also shook her head.
Honesty compelled her to say, “I don’t know.”
The Elder spoke earnestly, “Being the Moon Goddess, the most important thing is for you to genuinely understand the responsibilities of divinity. You must feel from the heart the needs of the people under your care. The Moon Goddess is one of the few positions in the divine race that can be chosen independently. In werewolf history, there have been many Moon Goddesses, but not every one of them fulfilled their duties well. Most Moon Goddesses remained aloof, looking down upon humanity. Your mother, she was a very gentle goddess. Although her time in office was not very long, I believe most people respected her. She was one of the few goddesses willing to patiently listen to the prayers of supplicants.”
Maggie didn’t fully grasp the Elder’s words, but she seemed to understand some of his sentiments.
“So, you’re saying my mother earned more respect because she wasn’t arrogant due to her divine status. Instead, she respected humans of lower status than her?”
“Yes. Gods should not look down on humans weaker than them. Just as I envisioned long ago, werewolves have no right to consider humans as an inferior race. All things in the world are equal. They may have different forms due to different tasks and propagate different genes due to environmental factors. Yet, every link in the chain of life is interdependent. Losing any link, even the seemingly insignificant one, would cause a rupture in that chain.”
“I understand.”
“I know you still have some hesitation. You may wonder if so many people doubt whether I can become the Moon Goddess, is it because I truly have significant issues in my abilities? Am I genuinely unsuitable to become the Moon Goddess? What I want to tell you, child, is that as long as you have a loving heart, and you are sure that even becoming a god will not change your pure heart, then you have taken a big step towards being a qualified god.”
These words acted as a powerful tonic for Maggie, who had been somewhat wavering.
“Unexpectedly, this little guy surprisingly has high hopes for you.” Urania grinned, “I thought he wouldn’t fancy anyone except that girl Grace.”
After all, Elwin initially wanted to send either Marvin or Aldrich over. However, both the Elder and the High Priest didn’t seem very interested, so he chose a girl, Grace, who was then considered Elwin’s semi-adopted daughter.
Maggie was pleasantly surprised, “Really?”
Mrs. Jenkins also affirmed the Elder’s fondness for Maggie, “He values you highly. Perhaps he sees qualities in you that others don’t possess. You and Grace are different in his eyes. Grace is both his student and like his child. But to him, you’re just a junior companion. There must be a difference in your closeness. Even so, he highly affirms you, indicating that you have many outstanding qualities worth discovering.”
From childhood to adulthood, Maggie had never heard such affirmations. First, the apprentice who guided her said, “I believe you have the potential to be the Moon Goddess.” Then, the Elder said, “The Moon Goddess’s greatest ability is to love, and you possess that ability.” Finally, Mrs. Jenkins said, “If everyone says you can, then you definitely can.”
“I really like this place.” Her gaze fell on the shade of the distant trees. “At first, I wondered if I chose the wrong path, if I shouldn’t have come to this land that doesn’t belong to me. But as I continue to leave ties here, create memories with everyone, as I deepen my understanding of this land, I really want to stay here, to make it my own home.”
Urania, with a hint of a smile, looked in the direction she was gazing. “Haven’t you already found your family here?”
She made sense. Maggie smiled, “Yes.” She caressed her stomach, where soon there would be two adorable little ones calling her and Aldrich mom and dad. Once uncertain, she could now say that this was the crystallization of her love with Aldrich.
It had been a while since the children had made conscious contact with her. The doctor said the embryos needed rest, and fetal movement and heartbeats were normal. She just needed to patiently wait for the day of delivery.
Everything was getting better. Including Grace.