SWNOVELXO Chapter 18: Chapter: The Genesis of the Spiritual World
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With the divine gift of time and the favor of the goddess who governs its passage, Soulis, a being of pure soul, temporarily preserved his divine strength. Despite the perilous circumstances, he remained resolute in his decision to confront Ouranos. The looming threat of annihilation left him with no retreat and no delay. Even the underworld, with its many secrets, was no longer within his reach.
In the Land of Eternal Night, the process of the Son of God's birth had accelerated unnaturally. What should have spanned years was now compressed into mere days, yet the gap between potential aid and immediate crisis grew more desperate. The world's silent plea for intervention reverberated through the Chain of Laws, but no divine hand answered.
For Soulis, this fleeting moment was his best and only chance. The Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother waged war with the Twelve Titans, while the Twin Gods of the Night hastened the creation of their progeny. Tartarus remained indifferent, and no one else could oppose Soulis's actions.
But the world resisted in subtle, undeniable ways. A fluctuation in fate originated from Hades, sending tremors throughout the divine planes. The gods, attuned to the shifts in destiny, felt the threads of Chaos' fate unraveling.
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Earlier: The Birth of Creation
Amid the chaos gripping the cosmos, Soulis's work in the nascent domain of [Moon] progressed unceasingly. At its core, time existed in an untamed state, a deliberate trait Soulis retained. For him, both order and chaos held purpose; when harnessed, they served as the dual pillars of creation.
The deeper one ventured into this embryonic realm, the more chaotic time became. Yet on its surface, order reigned supreme. The dichotomy reflected Soulis's intention to create a balanced world. At the heart of this burgeoning domain, his disembodied soul labored tirelessly, forging the foundations of a universe that straddled the line between stability and entropy.
Devoid of physical form, Soulis's essence hovered near the roots of his creation. Using the divine essence extracted from his soul, he combined it with the primordial power stored in the Life Bottle. From this fusion arose an otherworldly substance, both ethereal and tangible. With this, he sculpted the rudiments of existence—earth and water.
But Soulis required more. The union of these elements called for separation, definition, and purpose.
"Let there be a firmament between the waters to divide them," he proclaimed.
A vault of immeasurable breadth emerged, splitting the waters below from the waters above. He named this firmament Heaven. Evening came, then morning; thus concluded the second day.
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The Firmament's Inheritance
With light and darkness shaping his realm, and the heavens forming its canopy, Soulis turned his attention to its physical manifestation. Descending into the waters, his soul envisioned land amidst the primordial tides.
"Let the waters under heaven gather in one place, and let dry ground appear," he commanded.
The land arose, separating seas from solid earth. He named this expanse Earth, and the gathered waters, Seas. From the land, he willed vegetation to sprout. The earth bore grasses, seed-yielding herbs, and fruit-laden trees, each reproducing according to its kind. The cyclical nature of life was born.
Evening passed, followed by morning—the third day.
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Celestial Orchestration
The world now bore land, sea, and vegetation, yet its skies remained barren. Soulis gazed into the heavens, envisioning celestial order. From his memory, he molded the concepts of the Moon and constellations. Unlike the material plane, this spiritual world required no sun; the Moon governed its cycles, and the stars punctuated its seasons.
"Let there be lights in the heavens to separate day from night," he decreed. "Let them mark seasons, days, and years, and illuminate the world."
He crafted a great light, dividing it into seven phases to govern the lunar cycles. Around it, countless stars were placed, their brilliance forming constellations that governed the rhythm of existence.
Evening came, then morning—the fourth day.
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The Flourishing of Life
Soulis's creative reserves waned, yet the spiritual realm thrived under his design. Plants swayed on the land, the seas teemed with nascent vitality, and the skies awaited their inhabitants. Drawing on the remaining essence of the Life Bottle, Soulis turned to the creation of living beings.
"The waters must swarm with creatures," he declared. "And the skies must teem with winged beings."
From the ocean depths emerged great sea creatures, their forms sculpted from memory. Birds soon followed, filling the air with motion and song. Each was blessed with the ability to multiply, ensuring the perpetuation of life.
Evening passed, followed by morning—the fifth day.
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The Apex of Creation
At the pinnacle of his work, Soulis faced his greatest challenge: the creation of sentient life. To craft humanity, beings in his image, required power beyond his current reach. Instead, he forged a compromise, blending his essence with the raw potential of the Life Bottle.
"Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind," he said. "Cattle, creeping things, and wild beasts shall roam the land."
From the earth rose animals of all shapes and sizes, each endowed with the ability to reproduce and thrive. Yet Soulis reserved his most divine touch for a final creation—a spiritual counterpart to material life. He shaped divine beings in his likeness, masculine forms imbued with grace and authority, tasked to govern the world in his stead.
He blessed them with eternal life and a mandate to maintain order. Evening came, then morning—the sixth day.
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The Final Act
The cosmos resisted Soulis's actions, its primal forces straining against his imposition of order. As the twin gods of the night neared their birth, Soulis felt his task nearing completion. Sitting at the world's center, he turned to the final step.
From the remnants of his spiritual power, he crafted three artifacts: The Tablets of Prophecy, History, and Law. Each bore inscriptions drawn from divine memory and destiny's fabric. He inscribed the first with the motto: "Know thyself—and know the world." It became a record of the past.
The second tablet bore the command: "Do not overdo anything—the law is the criterion." It became the Creation Code, evolving with the world. On the third, he left no inscription, allowing it to absorb the essence of future possibilities.
Soulis imbued these artifacts into the spiritual world, establishing the foundations of time, destiny, and divine governance. As a final act, he retrieved droplets of blood shed by the Heavenly Father and infused them into his creation, solidifying its bond to the cosmos.
He declared this realm the Spiritual World.
Evening passed, followed by morning—the seventh day.
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Epilogue: The Outside World
Beyond the spiritual world's borders, chaos and divine strife reached a fever pitch. In the shadowed halls of the underworld, a figure clad in black observed the unfolding drama.
"It's too late," she murmured.
With a wave of her hand, the underworld trembled. The forces Soulis sought to escape loomed ever closer, but his creation stood as a testament to his defiance—a new world, born of chaos and order alike.
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