novelraw Chapter 12 : Bestowal of Divine Authority
Chapter 12 : Bestowal of Divine Authority
Chapter 12: Bestowal of Divine Authority
At this moment, he transformed this understanding into concrete knowledge, condensing it into a stream of light imbued with the information of laws, and transmitted it into Apollo’s consciousness.
Apollo’s body trembled slightly as a vast and profound flow of complex information surged into his mind.
They automatically combined and arranged themselves, ultimately forming an incomparably clear “formula.”
He murmured softly.
And spoke the true name of this “divine art”:
“Bestowal of Divine Authority!”
This was the divine art personally imparted to him by God, and also the source of all divine arts in existence!
It contained no power in itself.
Yet it was a key that could divide his own Authority and grant it to others.
……
When he left the altar, the night remained unchanged.
Afterward, Apollo summoned his other five children.
Under the flickering torchlight, all five of his children wore uneasy expressions.
En had just been executed; their father’s summons at such a sensitive moment felt especially heavy.
Apollo looked at them, and a trace of deep sorrow surged in his eyes.
At some unknown point, these children—who once would throw themselves into his arms and act spoiled—had already erected an invisible wall between themselves and him.
They each had their own families, descendants, and lives to plan.
And he, this father whose appearance never aged—
Seemed to have become an eternal yet incompatible presence in their world.
In a certain sense…
He had lost his “family.”
“Father!”
The five spoke in unison, bowing in greeting, their voices restrained and distant.
Apollo said nothing, only carefully examining them.
After En’s death, he had finally realized that his children had also begun to age.
They, too, were steadily walking toward the end of their lives.
Just like their mother, they would soon fall into eternal sleep.
Seeing the white hair and the lines etched on their faces, Apollo let out a deep sigh in his heart.
But soon, his gaze regained its former authority.
“Wa, Ya…”
Apollo called out his children’s names—perhaps the last time he would ever do so.
The five stepped forward one by one, bowing respectfully.
“Father.”
Apollo’s gaze swept over them.
He did not know whether beneath these respectful appearances there also lurked something like En’s—
Resentment toward him, toward God.
But at this moment, he suddenly felt that none of it mattered anymore.
Resentment or understanding—
He only wished to do what he believed should be done, and bear the consequences of his choice.
“En is gone.”
“You will soon follow.”
“I know that perhaps, one day in the future, you will calmly accept death and return to the sea of stars.”
“Or perhaps…”
“Like En, you will be consumed by resentment, raise the banner of rebellion against me, and attempt to seize this divine grace.”
“But I tell you—divine grace cannot be taken! Because it originates from the will of God!”
The children’s expressions varied—some lowered their heads, some had flickering eyes, some showed fear.
“But you are fortunate!”
Apollo stood up.
His still tall and upright figure, combined with the imposing aura he now radiated,
Made everyone instinctively bow their heads, not daring to look directly at him.
Step by step, he descended from the position that symbolized authority.
At the same time, he revealed the true purpose of summoning them tonight:
“Just now, I prayed to God to divide the Authority within me and give it to you.”
He paused.
Looking at their suddenly raised faces, filled with disbelief, he slowly declared:
“God agreed.”
“From today onward,”
“You will, like me, bathe together in the light of God.”
As he spoke, Apollo stepped down from above and came before his children.
They saw their father’s body begin to emit visible, brilliant starlight!
The light was not blinding, yet it was incomparably pure and sacred.
Starlight flowed, illuminating everything around as if in a dream, as though this place had already become the domain of God!
However, Wa, Ya, and the others had no mind to appreciate this sacred spectacle.
At this moment, their hearts had already been completely shaken by Apollo’s words!
Father…
Was going to share the divine grace bestowed upon him by God—the unique symbol of being “chosen by God”—
With them?!
Shock, ecstasy… all kinds of complex emotions surged like tides, causing their expressions to shift under the starlight.
Apollo took in all their reactions and extended the hand wrapped in starlight.
“Now, accept this… gift from God!”
……
Morning.
As the sun rose,
A deep and prolonged horn sounded across the entire tribe, summoning all its members to the altar.
People gathered from all directions, and soon the open ground below the altar was filled with a sea of people.
They whispered among themselves, speculating about the reason for this urgent assembly.
But when their gazes turned toward the altar—
All discussion abruptly ceased, and shock and uproar spread across every face!
On the altar,
Apollo still stood as before—upright and tall, his golden hair gleaming in the morning light.
But what truly left people dumbfounded were the five figures standing behind him.
His second son Wa, his youngest daughter Ya, and his other three sons!
They… they had changed!
Just yesterday, they had appeared aged, their temples frosted with gray, their faces marked by the passage of time.
And now—
They had miraculously regained their youth!
The wrinkles on Wa’s face had vanished, restoring his youthful vigor. Ya’s skin had become smooth again, her eyes once more bright.
The other three sons were likewise full of vitality, as if time had reversed twenty or thirty years upon them!
Dressed in neat leather armor, they stood quietly behind Apollo, like five newly born servants of God.
An indescribable aura—a mixture of authority and transcendence—emanated from them.
Standing high upon the altar, they looked down upon the tribespeople below.
An unprecedented emotion surged wildly within their hearts.
It was the sense of superiority brought by holding power and transcending the level of life itself.
A feeling as though they had already detached from the mundane, standing above all, almost like gods.
At this moment, they felt themselves to be messengers of God, utterly different from the masses below.
“Heavens! Look! Wa! It’s Wa! He… he’s become young again!”
“Ya too! And the chief’s other children! They all… they’ve all returned to their youth!”
“How… how is this possible?! Could it be…”
At once, a thought appeared in everyone’s mind.
Their eyes widened, their faces filled with disbelief—and then, what followed was a volcanic eruption of fervor!
“Divine grace!”
The crowd completely erupted!
Cheers, cries, and praises intertwined, forming a surging tide of faith.
Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that within their lifetimes,
They would witness the miracle of divine grace descending with their own eyes—and no longer belonging to Apollo alone!
This meant that God was still watching over the tribe, and had bestowed even greater blessings!