The hostility of the devil had indeed impacted Solomon Damonet's life. No matter how reckless Marduk, the Lord of Hell, might be, his inherently cunning nature as a devil was undeniable. Unlike the treacherously shrewd Mephisto, Marduk was more impulsive, but he was still a devil brazen enough to call himself Satan. Cunning was his essence.
Solomon believed that once Marduk calmed down a bit, he would resort to plotting and scheming to destroy his life—this was the modus operandi of devils.
After the initial attack, several black magic creatures appeared around the orphanage. Bayonetta and Jeanne took it upon themselves to patrol New York City and its surrounding areas at night on their Pegasus steeds, ensuring that no black magic creatures from the material plane approached their residence.
These tense days lasted for a while. It wasn't until Solomon cast an alarm spell within a hundred-meter radius of their apartment and reinforced the interior with defensive and counterattack spells that the witches ended their nightly reconnaissance missions. Only then did Bayonetta have the time to attempt cooking dinner.
However, Solomon knew this wasn't a sustainable solution (and he assured himself that this conclusion had nothing to do with the quality of her cooking). Humans are prone to negligence, and he couldn't afford the consequences of even a momentary lapse.
Perhaps Father Moru's prophetic dream truly depicted his future? With this thought in mind, Solomon devoted himself to studying the materials he had brought back from the monastery—particularly the piece of parchment inscribed with the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and Jacob's Ladder.
The latter, Jacob's Ladder, was a matter of muscle memory and the effects of long-term magical practice, which Solomon could gradually master through diligent effort. However, compared to Jacob's Ladder, the Kabbalistic Tree of Life was far more complex, being intrinsically tied to the concept of stigmata. It was an extraordinarily challenging subject to grasp. Even with the aid of the "Comprehend Languages" spell, Solomon found himself unable to understand the deeper meanings encoded beneath the Hebrew script (the spell was ineffective against ciphers and cryptic writings).
As a result, he could only rely on a brute-force method of interpreting the text—taking its literal meaning at face value and reading it repeatedly with partial comprehension. This, however, yielded no insight into the true nature of the stigmata he bore.
Unless he dedicated himself to thoroughly studying ancient Hebrew, he would never be able to fluently read through the contents of the parchment. Thus, he found himself simultaneously learning Hebrew and drawing upon the wisdom of those who had come before him, even if their interpretations represented only fragments of Kabbalistic knowledge.
During the period when he was revisiting his A-Level coursework, Solomon added another subject to his already-heavy workload: studying the writings of modern mystics. For example, he began referring to The Key to the Great Mysteries by Eliphas Lévi, a modern mystic who had combined the Kabbalistic Tree of Life with the Tarot. He also pored over The Kabbalah Unveiled and The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, two translations by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, which were important resources for understanding Kabbalah.
These books, which had gathered dust in the library of Kamar-Taj, now found a single reader in Solomon.
According to Father Moru, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn had indeed absorbed some wisdom from the Kabbalah, though not entirely. Even the Solomonic magic circles Mathers employed were not the complete system. Solomon had studied these Solomonic magic circles as a child, back when his practical abilities were limited to performing minor cantrips. Nonetheless, his lack of hands-on experience didn't hinder him from learning the theoretical foundations.
To his disappointment, however, the Golden Dawn was not an organization that studied the orthodox Kabbalistic Tree of Life, nor did it even focus on the esoteric Kabbalah commonly practiced by medieval magicians. The techniques of the Golden Dawn were overly eclectic, incorporating too many disparate elements. As such, they provided no help to Solomon in deciphering the text on the parchment.
"Do you know the exam date, Solomon?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then why are you daydreaming in class?" Jane Foster slammed a hefty physics textbook down on Solomon's desk with such force that it sent water cups, pencils, scratch paper, and other items flying, including Daisy Lewis, who had been napping at the table. Daisy, who had spent the previous night assisting her advisor with an experiment, had received special permission from Jane Foster to rest during class. Now she sat up, utterly bewildered, loudly insisting that she hadn't been deafened by the impact.
"I've got too much on my plate, Dr. Foster," Solomon said helplessly as he stuffed the parchment into his backpack. "If I don't study this particular subject, it could cost me my life."
"And studying that nonsense during my class doesn't put your life at risk?" Jane shot back.
"Ah, no, of course not—wait, hey, don't pick up the compass, woman!" Solomon yelped.
"Your teacher is quite the firebrand, isn't she, kid?" Athena remarked with amusement as she pressed an ice pack against the bump on Solomon's forehead. "This is the first time I've heard of someone using a physics textbook as a weapon."
"Nothing surprising there. I doubt she even knows the meaning of fear. Ow, ow—be gentle, that really hurts!" Solomon complained loudly. He had never expected Jane Foster to actually strike him, but his teacher was no ordinary person.
After all, this was the woman who had punched members of the Asgardian royal family and dared to shout at the All-Father himself. It was clear she had no intention of showing deference to Solomon's status as a spellcaster.
"Alright, off you go now. It's tea time, and I want to read in peace." Athena waved a dismissive hand at Solomon, signaling him to leave her alone. But the mage had no intention of leaving just yet.
"How's the orphanage doing?" he asked. "What about the kids? Were they scared?"
"Do you think those pests are capable of causing any real trouble?" the goddess of war sneered. "Don't forget who I am. As long as they're within range of my spear, those monsters won't leave alive. As for the children, they have no idea what happened. They're just a bit upset about the recent restrictions on going outside. Even rebellious little Lorna has been obedient—though she does seem to know more than the others. I even saw her firing a pistol outside! Tell me, did you give her that gun?"
"Shhh…" Solomon turned his head, whistling in an exaggerated effort to change the subject and distract Athena.
"This isn't something you should feel guilty about, child." Athena easily saw through Solomon's evasion tactics, though she let the pistol issue slide without much effort. "The minions of Hell's lords spare no one. It just so happens that you're their target this time. After all, Kamar-Taj has spent over a millennium cleansing these vermin, and they're still not exterminated. You shouldn't dwell on it. What you should be thinking about is how to deal with Marduk. That prophetic dream isn't definitive. No one can say whether it's an oracle or a prediction, and thus, its outcome remains uncertain."
"You know about that?"
"I am the Goddess of Wisdom—what don't I know?" Athena replied with a mischievous grin. "Besides, do you think Marduk hasn't provoked my wrath? That orphanage is my temple. To attack my temple is to challenge me directly. Whether it's the Turks, Lord Elgin, or a devil, whoever angers me will face my retribution!"
"The Sorcerer Supreme has already said that Kamar-Taj's war with Hell's lords has begun. Don't let the compromise with Mephisto lull you into complacency. Child, the pace of your war will be determined by me, and I'll ensure that you slay that three-headed serpent with your lance."
"What's this?" Solomon asked as he took the document Athena handed him.
"Marduk's weakness," Athena replied. The Goddess of Wisdom had precisely pinpointed her enemy's Achilles' heel even before the battle began. "It's His offspring. Mephisto revealed this information. The Sorcerer Supreme signed the contract with Mephisto to obtain it, and Mephisto is also the one who incited Marduk against you using this knowledge."
"So, the Sorcerer Supreme foresaw my conflict with Marduk all along? Is this all part of her plan?" Solomon asked, his tone tinged with disbelief.
"What do you think?" Athena replied enigmatically.
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