\u201cLady Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, please come. You need to see this\u201d, Azrael called.<\/p>\n
The white bubble with the spiritual signature of Lakshmi appeared in his workplace, and just stood there.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo soon?\u201d, Lakshmi was incredulous.<\/p>\n
\u201cSanat Kumar ejected them from the system. If I am to guess, I\u2019d say they achieved apotheosis inside the protective bubble, and started frying the Jewel\u2019s inner systems, and Sanat Kumar had to renounce all claims in order to protect his world. That wouldn\u2019t work when one is incarnated, but he connected the vajra crystal to the inner system, and once the energy exceeds the creation levels of the Jewel himself, it would basically reset it\u201d, Shiva scratched his chin.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s get them out\u201d.<\/p>\n
Lakshmi touched the bubble, and its energy withdrew into her heart, revealing the God-couple inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoneymoon over\u201d, the man smiled at the woman\u2019s shocked face, and kissed her brow. \u201cWill you introduce me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh well, it had to happen eventually\u201d, she smiled, and looked at the people in the room. \u201cThis is the first time I\u2019m here in this function\u201d, she giggled. \u201cHi Boss\u201d, she waved at Azrael, who just approached and hugged her, not trusting his voice.<\/p>\n
\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you\u201d, Carol froze as he hugged Lord Shiva. \u201cYou\u2019re the one who brought us protection and information\u201d.<\/p>\n
Shiva nodded. \u201cIt was a pretty hard intervention to do. The flash of Grace\u2019s death and the tears of the Gods carved the path, and it gave me a few seconds to work with\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI owe you big time\u201d, the man nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cRepay me by telling me about the structure he connected you to, as a power source\u201d, Shiva grinned.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was something godless, of the world. It wanted to make people invest their lives in researching the illusory world he is maintaining as if it were reality, and wanted to make them think that it will reveal great secrets and provide ultimate happiness\u201d, Carol frowned, remembering. \u201cScience, technology, industry; I think it\u2019s also connected to some other concepts, adjacent to it, like accumulation of money, physical prosperity, and something geographic, I think it was called the New World, whatever that meant. It radiated the feeling of mountains of gold and silver just waiting for the brave explorer\u201d.<\/p>\n
Shiva smiled at the revelation. \u201cThat\u2019s going to be very useful. But I feel something else. As you were talking, something flashed. I think he wanted you specifically. Specifically, in a sense that he laid a trap for you. Your last life wasn\u2019t that bad by accident. It was a specific design by Satan, to make you think you are nothing, and make you vulnerable to his attack, because he wanted you as a power source for that attractor \u2013 specifically you. But why?\u201d, he wondered, passing fingers through his hair. \u201cCan I take a look at your past lives?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure. Nothing there but emptiness and work, anyway\u201d, Carol shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were the main engineer behind the Babylonian irrigation system of Nebuchadnezzar II, later popularly known as the hanging gardens of Semiramis. You were also Vitruvius, the famous Roman engineer and architect. It\u2019s all clear now\u201d, Shiva nodded. \u201cYou were meant to be something of a protector-saint of science and technology, a beacon of light that attracts souls into fruitless endeavours of studying the physics of an arbitrary, illusory world. You underestimate yourself because you see only the bad side of your lives \u2013 no deep personal connections, no significant people, no true love. You are correct to think so, but you also dismiss your significance too easily. You are one of the main minds behind the science and technology of the ancient world \u2013 an equal of Archimedes and Aristotle. That\u2019s why he wanted you\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe dug a hole for me so deep, I would lose hope of ever seeing the light again\u201d, Carol mused. \u201cBut I still fucked up. I had a strong feeling to refuse him, but I dismissed it because I lost all hope\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, you fucked up\u201d, Shiva confirmed. \u201cHowever, I see now why God did things this way. He knew it was extremely likely for you to fuck up, because of how thorough the trap was, and he connected your path with your wife just before. It was a very roundabout way of doing things, but it also served an instructional purpose for many people, in many ways. All sorts of things that were, in hindsight, necessary for it to work were set up before, such as me giving the Judges a blessing of a higher order that would repair any damage they incur due to empathy. She was a Judge, and a most beloved one at that; people just refused to accept that she\u2019s gone, and found ways to bring her back\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is much weirder than anything I expected\u201d, Carol sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re in good company, for it is weirder than anything any of us expected\u201d, Shiva smiled and clapped his back. \u201cCome, let\u2019s have coffee\u201d.<\/p>\n
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\u201cLady Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, please come. You need to see this\u201d, Azrael called. The white bubble with the spiritual signature of Lakshmi appeared in his workplace, and just stood there. \u201cSo soon?\u201d, Lakshmi was incredulous. \u201cSanat Kumar ejected them from … Continue reading