The wondrous feeling soon vanished. Kannaas took off the oak crown and examined it closely, finding that the once vibrant branches had turned grey, almost indistinguishable from rotten wood.
"Mother, where did you find this?"
Kannaas's expression shifted repeatedly. Such a treasure was more precious to the gods than a position of supreme deity, a secret guarded with utmost care.
"This is not a product of this world. I obtained it from another world during my travels in the Sea of Chaos."
This was not a secret that could not be spoken of, Tike explained briefly. She took the wine cup from Kannaas, scooped up the dew collected at the base of the tree's roots, and drank. The dew's effect was similar to the Fountain of Wisdom in Norse mythology, but it was not long-lasting and was a renewable consumable.
The first thing Tike did after awakening was to plant the World Tree. Watered by the primordial power of the original gods at no cost, this World Tree grew to its current state overnight.
Odin's eternal spear, Gungnir, was made from the branches of the World Tree. Tike had yet to find a suitable weapon and was planning to craft a replica.
The eternal spear, which hit its target unfailingly once thrown, involved the power of fate. The cause of throwing Gungnir and the effect of hitting the target were inverted under the intervention of the power of destiny. It had already hit the target the moment it was thrown.
A section of the World Tree's main trunk was taken, and various magical runes were carved onto the nascent branches. The magical power was no weaker than the runes. Tike wielded the unfinished weapon with reluctant satisfaction. All that remained was to imbue it with the divinity of Styx, the river of fate.
Just as she was about to open a portal to the Underworld, Tike turned to see Kannaas looking on with envy. The god of disaster's eyes were fixed on the spear in his mother's hand, his desire evident.
Tike reluctantly broke off a branch and handed it to Kannaas. "The Cyclopes will craft the most exquisite bow and arrows for you. Use them well."
After sending off her eager eldest son, Tike arrived at the River Styx.
The moment she stepped through the portal, Tike had a premonition: the power of Styx had greatly weakened!
Souls unable to release their obsessions were densely packed along the riverbanks, but the river of obsessions had shrunk by nearly a third, leaving exposed banks where the waterline was faintly visible.
This was truly strange, Tike mused, pondering the reason.
It shouldn't have been an attack. The River Lethe was not far, and Nyx would not stand idly by! Furthermore, the gods of the Underworld would not allow Styx, the river representing obsessions, to perish. If Styx were truly in peril, the Furies guarding Tartarus would surely seek Zeus's help! As subordinate gods, they were well aware of the relationship between the goddesses of destiny and Tike.
Therefore, the reason for Styx's weakening must be something they considered normal, at least not life-threatening.
Although also an avatar of Tike, Styx possessed more autonomy than the avatars of temperature. The goddess of destiny was like a split personality from Tike's subconscious.
The river of obsessions was calm and undisturbed. Tike stepped onto the water and softly called out to the goddess of destiny.
Styx parted the waters and emerged, her face showing evident fatigue. The goddess of destiny's eyes lit up, and she said joyfully, "You've come at the perfect time. Come and see my children."
"!" Tike was stunned, doubting her own ears. She grabbed the goddess of destiny's hand and asked incredulously, "You said children? Whose? Yours?"
Tike had intended to leave quickly after obtaining the essence of destiny, as the half-finished eternal spear still awaited her. However, Styx's weakness made her hesitate. After deliberation, she decided it was not too late to complete the eternal spear after the goddess of destiny recovered.
It was only out of concern that she insisted on meeting Styx. She had originally intended to offer comfort to the goddess of destiny, whose power had inexplicably weakened, but instead, she was shocked by the goddess's bombshell news.
Tike stammered, "No, no, of course, the children are yours. I mean, who is their father?"
Tike's expression at that moment was beyond words. Styx couldn't help but laugh. "Don't you remember what Aphrodite did?"
A long time ago, the goddess of love had attempted to connect Tike with Pallas, the god of slaughter, through love. Tike was feeling restless due to Kannaas's departure at the time, and if it weren't for the goddess of destiny noticing the anomaly, she would have fallen prey to it.
This causal link to Pallas was received by Styx, who originated from the same source. Now, it seemed, the goddess of destiny had not severed this causal line for some reason.
Tike clearly recalled Aphrodite's farce and cautiously asked the goddess of destiny, "Were these children born from your union with Pallas?"
"Not at all." After enjoying Tike's embarrassment, Styx smiled and revealed the truth.
"As the goddess of destiny, I saw the result of conceiving four deities after becoming husband and wife with Pallas through the causal line," Styx said with a smile, her tone carrying pride and self-satisfaction.
"But I skipped the process and directly achieved the result!"
When Tike calmed down, she realized that Styx had already surpassed the limit of middle-tier divinity and become a powerful deity!
"Destiny, predetermined outcomes, and fate!"
Sensing the surging divine power of fate emanating from Styx, Tike felt a sense of relief, her worry turning to joy as she congratulated the goddess of destiny.
By connecting the outcome through causality, Styx had forged her own path! Although completing this process consumed an immeasurable amount of time and divine power for the goddess of destiny, even causing her to weaken for such a long time after becoming a powerful deity, the outcome was undoubtedly gratifying!
In the temple surrounded by the river, Styx called out to her children.
Leading the way was a goddess with golden wings, whose presence made even the dim Underworld shine. The goddess had inherited her mother's divine power of fate, and her divine power could bring victory to those favored by her. This golden-haired, golden-eyed goddess was full of confidence. She was so special that the powers of opportunity and destiny favored her.
"Nike, the goddess of victory," Tike learned the goddess's name through a faint connection. This minor deity was a rare combatant, and her combat power was extraordinary. It was likely that Demeter and Aphrodite, a supreme deity and a middle-tier deity respectively, could not defeat her even combined.
Trailing half a step behind Nike was a male deity with brown hair and brown eyes. Also a minor deity, he was not as powerful as his sister.
This was Zelos, the god of competition, who represented the essence of the survival of the fittest. This power clearly evolved from slaughter and wildness. Zelos bore a strong resemblance to Pallas in his features, but his temperament was gentler, with a subtle scholarly air.
Behind his brother and sister were Kratos, the god of strength, and Bia, the god of violence. The power of these two male deities was far inferior to that of their elder siblings. Their divine ranks were only minor deities, but their attributes of strength were equally applicable to combat.