Philip's eyes slowly regained light and color as he returned from his mind being invaded by the God of Darkness. He left the World of Imagination and let Tenebris go and let his negative emotions consume him
"Man, my imagination became so bland... A blank, white world? It's so empty! I could have experimented more before going, but I was consumed by my anger"
He slowly regained control of his body and his vision sees the empty white space where the darkness of Tenebris is used to be with Tenshi's sleeping body
He then looked around only to find nothing but Tenshi's sleeping body. He also noticed that he no longer have his hoodie and a hard object can be felt on his forehead. He went ahead and touched the object and felt it was a horn
"The One and Only Blood Horn? But why?"
Philip never learned why he manifested a Pureblood ability but he became excited that he could finally use one ability and a special one at that
He then found out that his jeans are frozen in place when he tried to float forwards towards Tenshi. The jeans became hard and brittle and it easily shattered the moment he moved his legs. Though, miraculously, the part that covers his butt cheeks anf manhood is left intact
"Damn, I went overboard, didn't I?"
The temperature of his body went back to normal but his forehead is throbbing from the Blood Horn. It felt okay for him though, he's a masochist after all. His black-golden hair is back to normal and the Sword Aura and negative aura has subsided. The glow on his eyes has lessened
He then went on and got closer to Tenshi. After he reached her, he grabbed her and carried her in a princess carry
"Let's go home, Tenshi"
Philip voiced out with a sweet tone, assuming that Tenshi could hear him while sleeping
Philip didn't know anymore if this moment is in the past or in the present. He was sure that Origin Seeker let's him go back into the past and see where the target came from, but this situation is too peculiar for it being in the past
It was because it's too coincidental that the God of Darkness took her in the past, which made her appearance change in the present, when Tenshi was shot by the Harp. If the Tenshi's appearance changed in the present into a more evil version of herself, then she was under the influence of the God of Darkness in the present
Which means, Philip killed the God of Darkness in the present, not in the past. Philip would want to believe that because if he killed the God of Darkness in the past, he would meet a lot of trouble from the Divine Realm of the Gods in the present
Nonetheless, like always, he will cross the bridge when he gets there and he will deal with all the threats on his own. He also have powerful companions such as a World Goddess, a Swirlonic Agent, a Pureblooded Vampire, an Alchemist King, a Flower Spirit, a Sword Saint, the Old Man, and four strong residents of Saykrandae
Although, Philip would like to know what the God of Darkness meant when he was calling Tenshi as a Totality Catalyst
Philip then looked forwards and deactivated his Origin Seeker ability to go back to the present. Instead of seeing a hyperdrive through space in his vision, he saw rays of white and yellow light passing through his vision
~~~
In an instant, he found himself in a palace of white and yellow colors. The floor was made of white quartz and several intricately sculpted towers and pillars lined up the room. At the middle of the room, next to a wall, there was a grandiose throne that Philip couldn't describe the elegance and beauty of the design and patterns, fitting for someone who has a high authority to sit on it
Philip was still carrying Tenshi on his arms while he's half-naked when a voice rang through the room. When the voice rang, a melodic music played out and voices were following the melody through acapella
"Welcome to my Palace of Light, Fate Controller, or should I say, Philip"
A figure appeared sitting on the throne when Philip didn't see anything earlier. From the introductions alone, he figured who the voice was, which is also the one sitting on the throne
"It's nice to meet you, God of Light"
The God of Light had a simple outfit. He wore white garments wrapped around his body, yellow bracers, bands, rings, and bracelets, and five pairs of wings folded behind him. His face is covered by a bright yellow light and Philip couldn't see through it
"You can call me Lux"
"Alright then... Maybe I should be asking why I'm here?"
"Yes. I want to thank you for saving Tenshi. She is an important figure in the universe and I happen to find her first and bestow my power unto her to keep herself safe and for her to have the ability to protect herself"
"It's no problem, she's a part of the squadron after all and I took a liking to her as a person. So, I had to save her"
"I'm glad to hear that. Unfortunately, the God of Darkness took a hold of her after she lost consciousness from the Harp. So, I have to thank you once again"
"Yeah..."
Philip was not used in receiving compliments, but he is used to accepting them and not feeling anything about it
"As a sign of my deep gratitude and appreciation, I will give you an important gift of my domain. This gift is also an artifact that is bound to Tenshi. With you having this artifact, Tenshi will be in the safest hands"
Philip tilted his head in confusion
"Why are you giving me the artifact? Shouldn't you keep it since you're the God of Light? You'll be able to protect Tenshi better than I can"
Lux smiled and let out an understanding chuckle
"It's because I have another individual that I have to protect"
"What?!"
Philip became irritated. Lux decided to abandon Tenshi and move on to another. It's like an unfaithful husband or boyfriend leaving their wife or girlfriend for another. Philip hated that
"Philip, you're getting the wrong idea here..."
"Yeah? Please elaborate"
"It's not what you think, the other individual that I will be protecting is you. If you will be protecting Tenshi, isn't that the same as me protecting Tenshi? If I divided my workload in protecting you and Tenshi, my power will be halved. By only focusing in one person, I can use my full power. Do you understand?"
Philip looked down with troubled eyes. After a few seconds, he lifted his head up and faced Lux
"Yeah, I understand"
"..."
Lux smiled from Philip understanding his perspective. Philip thought of all the pros and cons of him protecting Tenshi and Lux protecting him. After weighing in a lot of things, he found it very advantageous for him and having the God of Light is a good asset for him also
It was then that Lux lifted his left hand and swirled it around. Light beamed from every directions towards his palm and then an object suddenly appeared
When the light beams converged in one point, the light was solidified and formed the artifact. The solid light grew like vines and a shape of a cross was formed. The beams of light dimmed down and the solidified light cross hovered above Lux's left hand
After a few seconds, the yellow light peeled off of the cross like scales being torn apart and flew into the air as it disappeared. It revealed the appearance of the cross
The cross had curved base, arms, and head. The base is longer than the arms and head. The cross is yellow in color and it has an intricate design across the edge. On the surface, there are lines that draws across the corners of the base, arms, and head towards the center or focus of the cross. In the middle of the cross, a bright yellow orb or gem is embedded on a slot. The designs is symmetrical to the back side and the orb penetrates through the back, making it actually bigger in size than it looked
"Here you go, Philip. This is the Holy Cross"
Lux slowly waved his left hand towards Philip and the Holy Cross carefully floated down towards him
"Once you receive it, Tenshi will be yours. The Holy Cross supports her power and it's the source of her power. By empowering the cross, you are also making Tenshi stronger. Take care of her for me, alright?"
"..."
Philip didn't respond, he received the Holy Cross and the moment he held the base, the cross flashed and he was wrapped with yellow light, signifying that the Holy Cross considers him as the new possessor of the cross
"I apologize for keeping you here for so long. You can leave whenever you want"
"..."
Lux gave a warm smile to Philip but Philip didn't move or reply once more. He only looked at the cross on his right hand while still carrying Tenshi. He then looked at Tenshi's face and looked back at Lux
"Before I go, I have a few questions"
"I'll try to answer them the best that I can"
"What is the Totality Catalyst?"
"..."
Lux was silent, he was stunned when Philip asked that kind of question. He first decided if he should tell Philip the truth or not
Philip had no idea what a Totality Catalyst is, even with his knowledge and logic that defies reality. He may have known what the Peacemakers are, he may have known the different kinds and types of Mana Stones, he may have known the Universal Mastery Stages, but he has no idea what a Totality Catalyst is
If the Rule of Conception, which considers the true purpose of a single concept on other concepts, and Theory of Literallity, which considers the actual meaning of a concept within truth and reality, is applied, Totality Catalyst could only mean that it is a concept that is everything and it is a whole
Though, Philip is not sure if that's what it is and he had to ask Lux. He couldn't use Origin Seeker to find out since he's already on Tenshi's actual origin, nor he could use Fate Control to understand it because it doesn't work that way
The Eye of Sai also shows no information, meaning that neither Philip nor Sai knows what a Totality Catalyst is
"..."
After a while, Lux began to speak and explain the meaning of the Totality Catalyst
"I'm guessing ypu heard that term to the God of Darkness?"
"Yes"
"Haaah... Very well then..."
Lux let out a deep breath
"The Totality Catalyst is..."