Sitting in the beautiful garden, Aetherion raised his teacup again and took a sip, savoring the taste.
Gaia simply looked at him with a blank expression, still munching on her chocolate.
"So… are you going to tell me, or what?"
she asked, her voice sounding slightly irritated.
Aetherion noticed the shift in her tone, so he set his teacup down and began to speak.
"Yes," he said calmly. "It's quite simple, honestly. We're going to use the potion when my mother gives birth to my new sibling."
He said it so casually, as if he were just talking about the weather.
But Gaia, who had been listening intently, slowly put the chocolate down on the table.
Folding her arms, she tilted her head and fixed him with a serious expression.
"Elaborate for me,"
she said.
Aetherion nodded and began to explain the full plan.
He wanted her to create something that resembled a divine baby—something realistic enough to fool Kronos into thinking it was the real child.
Before Kronos ate it, they would place the potion in the fake baby's hand and wrap it in cloth to conceal the contents.
Once Kronos swallowed the fake child, the potion would enter his stomach and trigger the reaction—forcing him to vomit everything he had swallowed, including Aetherion's siblings.
He laid everything out clearly for her.
Then he explained the escape plan.
Thanks to Gaia—who was the Primordial of Earth—Aetherion had managed to master his Earth Domain's Divine Form, a powerful technique, in just one year.
Using it, he planned to create an island hidden from the rest of the world.
Not only that, but he would bless the earth itself.
Yes—bless it.
All deities could bless or curse places and objects, a unique ability tied to their divine essence.
But the strength and scale of that blessing depended on the power of the deity.
Aetherion believed he was strong enough now to bless an entire continent.
So that's exactly what he planned to do.
He would use his Life Domain as an anchor for the blessing to saturate the land with divine energy, making it fertile and full of life.
Then, he would use his Moon Domain as an anchor as well to weave illusions around the land, preventing it from being seen, sensed, or detected by anyone outside. A blessing of stealth in a way.
It would be a sanctuary, hidden from all.
After explaining every detail to Gaia, he casually raised his teacup again and took another sip.
"So yeah," he said. "What are your thoughts on that?"
He plucked a leaf from the nearby bush, twirling it between his fingers as he savored the tea.
Then he heard something unexpected.
A strange sound escaped Gaia's mouth.
He turned to look at her.
Her mouth was slightly open, her eyes wide—almost cartoonishly wide.
She looked like a character frozen in surprise.
It was… a humorous sight.
Then, slowly, her mouth began to close, only for her lips to stretch into a wide grin.
Even her eyes seemed to be smiling.
And then—she burst out laughing.
Louder and louder, until it became a full-blown laugh.
"Hahahaha! Aetherion, I didn't know you were this smart! Honestly, why didn't you tell me sooner?"
She continued laughing, clearly impressed.
"It's genius. Genius, you hear me!"
She raised her hand and began to slap Aetherion's shoulder repeatedly in excitement.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
A cracking sound echoed with each slap.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Aetherion's face paled.
His bones were literally starting to crack under the enthusiastic blows from this monstrously powerful Primordial.
Sometimes, he really did forget she was a Primordial.
Just a few excited slaps, and she was nearly breaking his bones.
He clenched his jaw and cursed inwardly.
'Damn it… Can you be a little more gentle with me?'
he thought bitterly.
He wanted to shout it at her—but he held back.
No way was he going to cry out in front of her.
His pride as a man wouldn't allow it.
It might be stupid… but it was who he was.
He'd rather let his bones break than ask her to go easy on him.
It was just too embarrassing.
But then something clicked inside Aetherion's head.
He had forgotten to ask a really, really important question.
Honestly, if he didn't know the answer to it, he couldn't be sure whether the plan would even work.
So, with a nervous glance at Gaia, he finally asked the question.
"Gaia… are you even allowed to help us?" he asked carefully. "You said it yourself—you're not supposed to interfere with the affairs of the deities."
He wasn't sure about the answer at all.
She had told both him and Rhea that she was not permitted to interfere—unless someone had wronged or offended her directly.
And as far as he knew… Kronos hadn't done that.
But then, he noticed Gaia starting to smile—delightfully, as if the question itself was amusing.
"Aetherion," she said lightly, "of course I can help. In a way, you've already offered yourself to me."
He blinked in confusion.
"Offered… myself?"
He didn't understand what she meant—offering himself?
Then, suddenly, it clicked.
"…Chocolate," he muttered.
Gaia nodded, clearly pleased that he'd figured it out.
"Indeed. Chocolate," she said, her eyes gleaming. "Every time you gave me chocolate—from when you were little until now—each one of those was technically an offering. And as the one who received those offerings, I am allowed to support you, at least a little."
She leaned back with a quiet smirk, looking very pleased with herself.
"So yes," she added casually, "I can help you craft something like that. Honestly, it's quite easy. I could do it in the blink of an eye."
Aetherion exhaled in relief.
That… could've gone really badly if the answer had been no.
He actually reached up and smacked himself lightly on the forehead.
"Aetherion, you idiot," he muttered. "How did you forget to ask something that important?"
Because if she hadn't been allowed to help, the entire plan would have crumbled before it even began.
He'd just been lucky.
Incredibly lucky.
Something he hadn't even realized he'd been doing—giving Gaia chocolate—had unknowingly created a bond between them.
A divine connection, through offerings.
He was deeply grateful for it.
In the beautiful garden, the two of them sat together, continuing to talk and enjoy one another's company.
Laughing, relaxing, and sharing a rare moment of peace.
Relieved, and more prepared than ever.