Roy was awakened by the soft touch of something on his head and a faint fragrance in his nostrils.
He opened his eyes and looked around cautiously.
This was a world of only gray. The gray space stretched to the horizon, empty and silent, yet imbued with an eerie sense of mystery.
Then, Roy realized he was lying down somewhere. He was startled and instinctively tried to stand up.
But a pair of small hands pressed down on his shoulder, forcing him back down.
Only then did Roy raise his head and meet the eyes of the owner of those hands.
She was a girl who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old. She had long, pale purple hair styled in twin tails. The unusual color was reminiscent of Medusa, the famous monster from Greek mythology. Her delicate features were framed by a cute baby face, radiating youthful innocence and vitality. Yet, her youthful appearance also exuded a seductive aura, making one forget her actual age and instinctively think of the words "mature woman."
She wore a thin white dress, making her look slender, almost too slender.
And Roy was lying there with his knees acting as a pillow for her.
Roy felt a little awkward, but he wasn't one of those pure-hearted boys who had never even held a girl's hand and would blush at the sight of a woman. He quickly composed himself and asked cautiously, "…Who are you? Where is this place?"
Actually, Roy already knew who the woman in front of him was. She was the origin of everything in the world of Shishenzhe, the creator of the Dark Ritual of Shishen, the first woman given to humanity by the Greek gods – Pandora!
Only now did Roy understand why Aiwass had told him not to delve too deeply into the matters of the world and not to actively seek out knowledge.
Because if humans knew too much, they would naturally become arrogant and see themselves as superior to others, which is a very dangerous thing.
If Roy accidentally revealed that he knew Pandora's identity, said more, and made Pandora curious about him, or even suspicious, so that she wouldn't perform the Dark Ritual for him, Roy would be at a huge loss. The Shishen he had achieved with all his effort would be in vain.
After all, slaying the unwilling god and seizing their power was not a rule of this world itself, but Pandora's ritual. This ritual was essentially a grand magic trick, only the conditions for activating it were too demanding. One had to slay a god with their own hands and use the god as a sacrifice for it to succeed.
Therefore, Roy tried his best to appear confused and bewildered.
Pandora didn't have any doubts. She simply looked at Roy with a strong sense of curiosity, a seductive smile on her lips, "… I'm your 'mommy', oh~~~ As for where this is, well, it's not a secret. You'll forget all about it soon anyway."
"… This is the realm of life and death, the world of thought according to Greek belief, or the world of the mind according to Persian belief. You've activated the ritual by slaying the god, and you've come here to become my 'son'. Come on, call me Mommy!"
Roy looked at Pandora's expectant gaze and mischievous smile. He simply rolled his eyes, not bothering to respond.
To dare call herself his "mommy" was quite bold. After all, his father was Aleister Crowley. If that wicked man knew of her existence, poor Pandora would surely be taken to the "building without doors and windows" by him, placed in a jar filled with formaldehyde and studied. That man would definitely do that.
Roy inwardly grumbled.
Seeing that Roy was ignoring her, Pandora pouted in anger, "… As for who I am, I'm Pandora, the Pandora you're thinking of. It's too troublesome to explain why you're seeing me, so I won't. Anyway, you'll understand everything soon. By the time you come here again, you'll know everything."
Pandora was completely devoid of a goddess's dignity. She was like an ordinary junior high school girl, with a touch of impulsiveness.
But soon, she displayed an expression of sorrow, whether it was real or feigned, "… This era has already seen the appearance of the seventh Shishenzhe. The strongest steel is also about to awaken. My youngest child, you're a bit unlucky. You can't enjoy all the benefits that come with slaying gods. You have to face the end."
Pandora's words made Roy's heart skip a beat. Her words, though few, revealed a lot of information.
For instance, he was the seventh Shishenzhe. According to Roy's memory, the original protagonist of Shishenzhe should have been the seventh. In other words, the timeline of his arrival in this world was before the original Shishenzhe's story, but not too far apart because the first six Shishenzhe had already been born.
‘I have such a good connection with 7.’
Roy's expression was strange. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
Roy moved his head slightly to get into a more comfortable position. Since he knew the person in front of him was Pandora, he no longer had any fear of the unknown. He enjoyed watching Pandora, finding it very pleasing to the eye.
She was undoubtedly a beautiful woman. In Roy's thirty-plus years of life, he had never seen a woman more beautiful and alluring than Pandora, apart from his own sister, Lora. Of course, Roy also knew this was because he hadn't seen enough of the world.
“Hey? What a special child. Your rationality and wisdom aren't like a Shishenzhe. However, your choice of ‘foolishness’ when facing gods makes you a qualified ‘Son of the Fool’.
Pandora was quite helpless in the face of Roy's indifferent and passive attitude, "…Why aren't you talking? It makes me look stupid if I'm the only one singing a solo here."
“Interrupting someone’s speech is very rude, Miss Pandora. I’m just not trying to interrupt you.”
Roy finally spoke. He really didn’t want to banter with Pandora here. He just wanted her to quickly finish the ritual so he could get the power he craved.
“Calling me Miss Pandora is too formal. Call me Mommy, Mommy. I'll give you a special reward if you call me ‘Mommy’.
“…Come to think of it, my youngest child is really handsome and young. He’s much cuter than that silly boy before."
Pandora’s slender fingers gently brushed through Roy’s messy silver hair that reached his ears. Despite her youthful appearance, she exuded an aura of ‘motherly love’.
Roy raised his eyebrows slightly. He wanted Pandora to quickly end these idle words and get straight to the point. He simply satisfied her, "…Mommy."
“Hee hee~~ Time’s almost up. Here’s your special reward~~.”
With that, Pandora’s slender fingers cupped Roy’s cheeks, and she bent down.
To Roy’s surprise, a fragrant breeze swept over him.
At the same time, the grand magic ritual of Shishen, Pandora's Dark Ritual, began!