Chapter 22: Cosmic God
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
— J. R. R. Tolkien
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Hypnos aimed the cosmic bolt at Saturn, then shook his head, changing his aim and shooting it into infinity.
Immediately, the lightning slashed through the darkness of the cosmos like the brilliant sword of Saint Michael, zapping straight into the space above Saturn at a speed that defied all the material laws of creation, and then there was a scorching flash that illuminated the entire solar system in blinding brilliance.
For a moment, it seemed as though a second sun had risen within the solar system.
KA-BOOM!
Under the earth-shattering thunder, an immense splintering of space began, spreading outwards into the solar system. It started as a crack in space at the very centre of the impact point, then a spark of residual cosmic lightning flashed on it—that was the final straw that broke the camel's back—completely destabilising the fabric of space.
Immediately, that cracked facet collapsed on itself, dragging the space around it down with it into the embrace of chaos, and the collapsing continued to unroll out into the solar system like a blazing storm.
Above Saturn, within just a fraction of a second since the cosmic lightning graced the solar system, a swirling abyss of chaos emerged, devouring space itself in its all-expanding path outward into the solar system, and if nothing was done to stop this, then the solar system would very well face a threat of annihilation.
Hypnos gazed at the chaotic abyss, snapping his fingers. It was immediately erased by a shimmer and thrum of reality, restoring everything up there to its mundane state. And then he let his senses expand in search of any prying or intrusion, even though his mother had completely concealed them; he figured it was better to check for himself once. Thankfully, there was none, and even his cosmic attack should have gone mostly unnoticed—he says it again, the concealment authority was overpowered, far too overpowered.
He then turned to face his student. Zeus was fixated on the spot where the abyss had been a moment before, standing rooted in his place, like an ancient tree, in an utter stupor.
To say Zeus was taken aback would be an understatement—he had no idea that lightning could be so powerful that it could shatter space like a fragile piece of glass.
This power...he desired it; how could he not? And he had a gut feeling that this was not the end of this overwhelming power; there was so much...potential that he had never realised until now. His teacher was right yet again, as much as he hates admitting it.
Truthfully, Zeus was terrified of Hypnos, though he would never admit that out loud. The Primordial made him feel the same sense of mortality and dread that he only felt when he faced his father; even Gaea didn't make him feel that way. But, unlike his crooked father, whom he could see through, Hypnos was shrouded in mystery, the greatest of which was his true power.
Hades had been musing on it vaguely to them, referring to the dream and reality, but Zeus didn't really understand it until he personally witnessed it for himself now—from the white lightning to total erasure. He was certain of his assertion: the true power of his teacher was reality manipulation.
Ignoring his growing apprehension, Zeus concentrated on another shocking revelation about his teacher that was actually related to him: they might end up as family in the future—he had seen how Hera looked at Hypnos in the previous banquet, and that was enough to tell him everything—and he honestly didn't know how to feel about this shocking turn of events…..
"Zeus," Hypnos said, yanking him out of his thoughts.
"Teacher," Zeus said, turning away from his flying thoughts. "What was that lightning? What distinguishes it from mine? How can I control it? …" He immediately began enthusiastically bombarding Hypnos.
Hypnos raised his hand in demand for silence. "It was a cosmic lightning—a force of creation and a power of concept," he replied to the most pressing question. "It is something that is all around us in an invisible state, and in order to access it, you must first comprehend the true nature of divinity."
"Does this have anything to do with my potential?" Zeus inquired knowingly.
"Yes," Hypnos acknowledged, and then he began expounding on divinity. "You see, divinity allows you to manipulate not only the forces of the world but also the forces of the cosmos to a limited extent. This is the cosmic path, as I call it." he paused, staring at Zeus, who was paying rapt attention to him. "To pursue this path as a god is a gamble in and of itself. There is a vast chasm between the world and the cosmos, and only a few may have the potential to traipse the cosmic path; even then, success is not guaranteed, but if a god manages to plough through, they will ascend to cosmic status, surpassing all other gods in every category..."
The enlightening words of Hypnos slashed through his mind like cosmic lightning, shattering many of his long-held doubts. "My father, teacher?" Zeus inquired, his face solemn. "He is already a cosmic god"—he liked that title—"isn't he? This was why he was so powerful, to the point of outclassing everyone... " he trailed off in thought.
"Yes," Hypnos raised his brows at Zeus. "Your father has already walked the first steps of the cosmic path. Time is a total cosmic force, and it provided him with an enormous advantage over other gods."
"Only the Beginning?" Zeus keenly noticed that information in the words of his teacher.
Hypnos looked up at the infinite space above them. "Time, Zeus," he heavily sighed, "is more terrifying and mighty than you could fathom. Your father has merely scratched the surface of the cosmic power that is time."
Zeus was incensed by the truth. "Impossible," he said, strangely trying to defend his crooked father. "Kronos is..."
"What was my first lesson to you?" Hypnos said, tilting his head at Zeus.
"Truths more often than not," Zeus grumbled. "is always harsh..."
"You must learn to accept it and live with it," Hypnos said, his tone sharp as a tack. "Don't forget it again, Zeus."
Under Hypnos' severe gaze, Zeus immediately nodded, his back soaked in sweat, though he didn't really understand the abrupt change in his laungid teacher. Was it because he tried to defend his father? Now that he thinks about it, that was indeed so unbecoming of him.
"Anyway," Hypnos continued, his countenance settling back into indolence after ensuring Zeus took his words to heart. "To answer your question, Zeus, a cosmic god of time, can theoretically manipulate causality and probability at will. They don't need to look into the future and make time-consuming plans to ensure their advantage; instead, they can turn all probabilities in their favour with a single thought, making themselves unbeatable."
"Now, tell me, is your father powerful?"
"No," Zeus finally admitted without any grievances.
Hypnos nodded approvingly at Zeus; he was truly impressed by the progress of his student. "I can see how much you want to defeat your father. And since time is a cosmic concept, it can only be countered by another cosmic concept, which in your case is... "
"Lightning," Zeus finished for him, firmly clutching his hand. "Teach me," he requested, with firmness and enthusiasm marring his countenance.
"First and foremost," hummed Hypnos. "You lack control over your power, Zeus," he said, pointing to Saturn. "So your cosmic journey begins with Saturn—storms within its gaseous ocean produce lightning 10000 times more powerful than natural lightning on Earth." he peered at his disciple, who looked at him in incredulity. "First, try to control all the lightning in Saturn, and then we can talk about the basis of cosmic lightning,"
"But, teacher," Zeus argued, staring at Saturn. "My bolt already—"
"Your most powerful lightning bolt hardly scratched the surface of Saturn. It was merely a stone thrown into a lake. It only caused some measly waves, and that was it."
"It's nothing to be proud of, Zeus." Hypnos retorted, ruthlessly destroying his pride. "Now, you see, my patience is very limited. If you keep arguing with me about your stupid questions, instead of shooting towards Saturn, I'll throw you into..." he trailed off, his head titling towards the colossal sun.
Zeus decided that today was not the day to witness the true magnificence of the cosmic sun, and so he shot towards Saturn, his form dissolving into a bolt of lightning and zapping into the brown planet.
Hypnos, as well, floated towards Saturn, following his disciple for their first practical lesson. He finally turned to face the solar system, reflecting on his time with Zeus.
That went a lot better and smoother than he initially assumed; maybe it was because he was just a great teacher…
The Lord of Dream hummed contentedly, delving into the gaseous ocean of Saturn under the golden rays of the sun.
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Later that evening, Mount Olympus.
Hypnos strode under the twilight of the sun after sending the battered disciple away with his worried mother. The first practical class went exactly as he expected: Zeus initially failed to control Saturn's lightnings, instead being ping-ponged around the planet by them.
But, with his guidance, his disciple gradually stopped being bossed around by his own powers and began to beat them into submission. Zeus was very talented, he found out; his student just needed some guidance to actualize his potential.
Hypnos ended their first class right after Zeus finally managed to restrain one of the lightning bolts in Saturn and thoroughly analyse it. His disciple was already worn out at this point; mind you, tanking those thousands upon thousands of terrifying lightnings for a god was no easy feat—each had enough power to make the Tsar bomb look like crackers.
Anyway, the facets of his class were just afterthoughts in his mind as he strolled eagerly towards a colourful room in concealment, hidden from bustling immortals.
Knock!
Hypnos knocked on the door to the colourful room, and it immediately opened; a blemishless hand extended out, grabbing him by the chiton and pulling him into the extravagant room. And immediately, the hand moved to his eyes, blocking his vision.
"Um.." Hypnos drawled. "Hera.."
"Don't open your eyes," Hera whispered into his ears.
Hypnos indulged Hera, and she led him into her room, making him sit in a chair, before removing her hand, revealing an unexpected scene.
He was on a large balcony, sitting in front of a table spread with a variety of sumptuous foods, the aroma of which filled his nose. And Hera was taking her seat in front of him, her ethereal face illuminated by the final rays of the sun.
All of this caused Hypnos to gulp unconsciously. "You know cooking?"
"I am also the Goddess of Family," Hera replied proudly at his reaction. "One of my strong suits is cooking," she waved her hand at the foods. "I prepared all of my best dishes—particularly for our date night."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Hypnos grinned. "Let's get started."
Hera served the foods to him, elaborating on each and gauging his reactions to determine his tastes, and then Hypnos did the same for Hera, serving her despite her objections, but he insisted, and she relented, stating her favourite from her own dishes; they have very different tastes.
As the twilight sun set into the horizon, heralding a night filled with glittering stars, Hypnos and Hera began their date, savouring each bite of the delectable food.
"How is it?" Hera inquired expectantly in-between bites.
Hypnos simply held out his empty plate to her. "More."
Hera smiled brilliantly, her heart warming. She began to serve Hypnos his favourites again. "So, where were you today?" she inquired tentatively. "I looked everywhere in Olympus for you, but I couldn't find you."
"I was in Saturn, teaching your brother, Zeus, how to defeat your father," Hypnos said.
"Teaching Zeus?" Hera raised her brows in surprise and returned the full plate to him. Then she frowned in realisation and stared at him. "Why just him...?" she asked quietly, and Hypnos could almost hear the hurt in her voice.
Hypnos shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Do you really want the truth…?" he asked, to which Hera nodded vehemently. "Your brother is truly the fated one. He is destined to be the one to defeat your crooked father. That's why, Hera."
Hera was deafeningly silent—Hypnos could somewhat tell she didn't like his words—and then she said neutrally, "I understand," with a hopeful gleam in her eyes, "But can you also teach me?"
Hypnos took her hand in his. "You didn't need to ask, Hera; I was already planning to teach you," he said gently, widening her eyes. "How come you're surprised? You're my girlfriend, and I obviously want you to be strong," he continued, realising her glazed eyes. "Now, Hera, don't get all emotional on me. My training will be rigorous; I will not take it easy just because you are my..."
Hera squeezed his hand. "Thank you so much, Hypnos," she exhaled. "This means a lot to me,"
"I know, Hera," Hypnos raised her hands to his lips and kissing her fingers. "I know,"
"How do you know?" Hera inquired, her brow furrowed.
"Well.." Hypnos spoke tentatively. "I may or may not have watched your Titanomachy battles."
"Oh, Gaea." Hera grimaced. "All of it?"
"Don't be like that; you were as beautiful as ever in all of them." Hypnos soothed.
"Hypnos—" Hera scowled, seeing right through his sweet talk.
"Fine." Hypnos lifted his hand into the air. "If you want the truth that badly—you were honestly terrifying in some of them, especially that bloodthirsty smile you have while pounding your foes to the ground and then tearing them apart with your bare hands, bathing in their golden ichor." He looked her in the eyes and continued forthrightly. "And you know, when I saw you like that, deep down in my heart, I thought..."
"Wow, she is so beautiful…"
"Enough, Hypnos." Hera didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his strange confession; she wasn't really proud of those crazy times. "Let's continue our date for now, shall we?" She finally suggested, attempting to change the subject.
"Yes," Hypnos smiled gleefully at her reaction, but Hera managed to keep her cool, and they began to eat their favourite foods again under the moonlight.
"Hera," Hypnos said, sipping his wine. "Tell me a story."
"Any story?" Hera asked back.
"Your stories." Hypnos corrected himself.
"My story, ah…" Hera fell into a moment of thought, and then she began telling about the time she and her siblings travelled to the Underworld enthusiastically.
The stars lit a glow on them, between the stories and tales, between their talks and smiles.
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