Chapter 1.3 The Importance of Names
What was the weight of a name?
That question echoed in my mind as I descended to my children, the warmth of the Realm Sun still lingering on my back, plastering a smile on my face despite my roiling emotions. Was a name just a name, or was it something more? To some degree it was probably just a name, however, when spoken by someone like me, or at least the being I had become, I was inclined to believe there was more to it.
It could be nothing, meaningless, mere words in the aether. It could be defining.
The thought alone was almost nauseatingly philosophical.
So I shelved it, resolving myself to be careful in naming my children and creations, while also deciding to trust myself and my new deific instincts.
Time to get to naming.
To continue to [Stage 2], please name your creations.
Don't sass me, you.
"Mother," my oldest, black-haired son chimed as I neared.
"Father," the blonde-haired girl said at the same time. I chuckled to myself as the two siblings turned to each other, glaring. Almost as if it was a competition to see who was right.
"Siblings will always be siblings, I suppose," I said, reaching out to ruffle their hair. They accepted it with a smile, relaxing into my touch before I pulled away, the other two watching with a hint of jealousy in their eyes. A 'come hither' gesture had the two rushing forward, allowing me to ruffle their hair as well – or, in the case of the dragon, rub the base of his horns. After a few moments I pulled away from them, intent on pushing forward.
"You may call me whatever you wish, for I am both Mother and Father. I am -" Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end. Those words almost spilled from my mouth, but I stopped them before the thought could come full circle. "I am who I am. But! It is time to name you all. Anyone have any preferences? Thoughts, comments, concerns?"
"Um," my youngest daughter said hesitantly, absently toying with a strand of green hair. I smiled at her encouragingly, and she continued. "I think whatever you want to name us will be best." She continued, earning nods of agreement from her siblings.
"Mm. The parent should name the child." I agreed, scratching my chin. For a moment I observed them, mind drifting as my eyes settled on my blonde-haired daughter. Her wings were spread proudly, shoulders squared and chin held up in a regal pose, despite the childish grin on her face. A hundred strong names flittered through my mind, but I wanted something more neutral. Nothing leading. "Elvira." I said, pointing at her, and that naturally led to the next. "Keilan." I pointed at her brother, the black-haired one.
The two siblings furrowed their brows and tasted the name on their tongues, all while I lamented my naming sense. The hell did those names even mean, again? For some reason I'm thinking of them as "white" and "black," respectively, but I don't think that's actually right.
"I love it," Elvira said proudly, nodding to herself and beaming at me.
"Thank you," Keilan said, tail thrashing happily. I gave them both a quick hug, then turned to my other children.
"As for you, my dear, how about Reika?" I asked my green-haired daughter. She bowed silently, blushing and nodding softly in silent thanks. Finally, I turned to my draconic son, who twisted and writhed in place as he awaited my name. I chewed my lip a bit, then settled on a name I just liked the sound of. "Alexander." I announced. He grinned, rushing forward and wrapping himself around me in a giant, full-bodied hug. I laughed, letting him put his head on my shoulder – big though his head was – and found myself laughing harder when the other three rushed forward to join him.
We stood there for one blissful moment, Elvira and Keilan wrapping their wings around us to make us look like a giant ball of feathers and scales, until I started to gently extract myself. Cute as it was, there was more naming to get done, and another notification urged me to continue.
"Alright, alright, let's go. We still have to name your realms, hmm?" I said, trying to get them moving.
"What's that?" Elvira asked, pointing at the sun.
"The sun." I said. "Though this one would be the Sun, as opposed to a sun."
"What's it do?" Reika asked.
"What's it do? Gives light and warmth to the whole universe. It will be very helpful when life starts to spread." I explained.
"Why's it so hot?" Alexander asked.
"And bright?" Keilan complained.
"Because that is its nature. We're getting off track. Anyone want to take first dibs on whose realm I name first?" I said, clapping my hands together to get everyone's attention, even as I slowly drifted toward the budding four realms, gently leading them along. All four began clamoring to get my attention, begging to show me what they'd been making while I was making the sun. I just listened patiently, continuing to back up, away from the Realm Sun, until we were at the very edge of the Four Realms.
"Since we're already here," I said, interrupting them the moment my foot hit the edge of Elvira's white realm, having accidentally headed that way. "Let's start with Elvira. What do you have for me, kiddo?"
"Right! So, Father, look at what I made!" she chirped happily, tails thrashing and wings fluttering as she darted forward. Wisps of white energy trailed after her as she flew to the great Mountain in the center of her realm, flashes of gold and silver light forming in the soft, cloud-like structures. I followed after at a much more sedate pace, content to listen to her chatter as she showed me how she could twist and shape the energy of her realm, taking in all I could.
The energy that made up the core of her realm was very energetic, practically buzzing with how dense and active it was. Yet it was still mostly…positive. Strong, but in a good way. And even as I watched, it was trying to form solid shapes from the undirected matter of the Realm. Hills and mountains, vast plains and riverbeds, valleys and canyons – a skeleton of a skeleton for such natural wonders trying to stitch itself together. The odd thing was that it was being guided by something, a guide without much direction of its own. With a slight frown I bent and dug one hand into the cloudy Realm, letting its matter run through my fingers like grains of sand.
"Huh," I muttered, feeling something else flowing through the realm, working silently, yet visibly…then it hit me, and I felt very silly for not noticing earlier. With a snort I stood, gazing out over the entirety of Elvira's Realm to see that little something flowing throughout everything, almost like an invisible secondary layer. It, just like all the other realms, was bare-bones to an almost frightening degree, yet I still understood what it was on a fundamental level. "I was wondering where all those other souls went." I said with a small laugh.
"Father?" Elvira asked, flying back towards us.
"Sorry, sweetie, I got a little distracted. Look at this!" I exclaimed, holding up what could only be described as ectoplasmic goo. All my children gathered around, though they all made weird faces at what I was holding. Except Alexander, who had his brows furrowed and muzzle twisted into a frown, his head cocked to the side cutely. "They're spirits! Or, well, the basis of them."
"Spirits?" Alexander echoed. "What are spirits?"
"They're…well, they're a different kind of existence. A variation of souls, like yours or mine, but more confined to the spirit world. You can think of them like the builders and maintainers of existence, but moreso than that title would imply – without spirits to manage the 'unseen world,' as it were, many things would just…fall apart. Many of the mysterious forces rely on them to keep things from getting tangled, or to use built-up energy to create something new." I explained, not sure how much of it they were getting. Only Alexander seemed to understand, nodding his head as he stared at the small spirits in my hands.
The tiny souls still trembled in my presence, but it was bearable now that I had used much of my power, and could restrain my aura. Satisfied, I let the spirits drop and observed the four realms as a whole. Though I called it the 'unseen world,' the realm the spirits inhabited was very much visible to me. They flowed through all things, an invisible layer of reality built atop that which was already there – a river of souls and spirits, connecting all realms like a lake might connect to the sea. It made naming the realm laughably easy.
"The Spirit Realm." I said simply, smiling as a soft shudder flowed through the Four Realms. "Sorry, Elvira, but I have to name your brother's realm first. Alexander, your Realm is the Spirit Realm. Connecting, feeding, and flowing through all things." Alexander perked up as he listened to me speak, his entire body shivering as my words fell upon him. The change was subtle, but I caught it; his scales took on an almost ethereal hue, glimmering with invisible colors. Naming them didn't cause changes, but naming the Realms did. I realized, patting his head as the great dragon butted into my chest, a content rumble echoing through him. Careful with what you name them.
My attention turned to the Mountain in the center of Elvira's realm, an idea forming in the back of my mind. If the Spirit Realm was a river, then her realm…
"Elvira," I said, turning to her. She was pouting a bit, wings drooping sadly, though chin held high. Obviously she was a bit jealous her realm hadn't been named first. "Your realm will be the Heaven Realm. A goal, a lofty peak for souls – be they spirits, gods, or mortals – to aim for. Not just an ideal, but a journey. Not just a goal, but enlightenment. Not just a place to stay, but to yearn for." I said, recalling a journey I had made in my previous lives. I had traveled to gurus and seers, hidden temples and the dwellings of wise-men hidden in mountains or out-of-reach places.
Oftentimes I found that the journey, and desire to make said journey, was just as important as the destination, if not moreso. The Heaven Realm could embody that ideal, and then some. It, by itself, was not perfect. But the idea that it was, that it could be, could inspire more.
Elvira shuddered, a smile stretching across her face as a halo of gold and silver light formed above her head. Her Realm underwent a bigger change than Alexander's, the cloud-like energy solidifying beneath my feet. Mountains and valleys shifted, the energy within the realm becoming that much denser and purer in response to the name and purpose it had been given. Bigger change. I noted, wrapping her in a hug and kissing the top of her head.
"Let's go to the others, now," she said after a moment, pushing away from me and skipping toward Keilan's Realm.
"Who's next then?" I asked, instead of following. Honestly I was worried about naming Keilan's realm; if Elvira's was Heaven, then common logic stated that his should be the opposite. I rejected that idea fundamentally, not only because it was inherently wrong, but because I wanted to avoid the Inferno or Hell Realms at all cost. A Realm dedicated solely to evil and punishment was stupid.
"Reika's Realm is on the way to mine. Let us do hers, next," Keilan said graciously, earning himself a small smile from his sister. The green-haired girl skipped off without another word, all but sprinting through the Heaven Realm to get to the grey Realm she had grown. White and black clashed and mixed together here, forming something so achingly familiar that I couldn't help but sigh in relief the moment I stepped into it.
"I almost forgot what the elements felt like," I said wistfully, reaching out and grabbing a bit of the grey. Lightning sparked through my fingers, twisting and curling around my hand like a snake until I let it go to shoot off back into the grey mass. Reika gaped at me, looked around her Realm, then promptly tried to do the same. With a yelp she leapt back, frost curling from her fingers as the Realm created a wholly different element for her. "Careful, kiddo. They're a bit chaotic."
"How did you…?" she asked, trailing off with a frown.
"You're going to just have to practice." I said with a shake of my head. The truth was closer to the fact that my ability to manipulate the elements and matter was so inherent, so instinctual, a literal part of my being, that I had no real clue how to explain it. Which was wholly unacceptable; understanding myself and my capabilities inside and out was something I prided myself in. "But this does tell me what your Realm will be. The Physical Realm. Where life will grow and flourish. It will be chaotic and wild, in constant change, but such is the nature of the physical." I said, nodding. Just like Earth in my past lives; the flesh was impermanent. Intentionally so.
The moment I finished Reika shuddered, the flowers in her hair twisting and reshaping themselves from mere flowers into something more. The elements themselves flowed into her, crystallizing into colorful flowerbuds dotting the entirety of her long, green hair. And her eyes – well. They burned with all the colors of the rainbow, all bright and shiny.
"Finally, we have Keilan's Realm." I said, clapping my hands together, feeling pleased with the changes I was seeing. Landmasses were forming in the chaotic grey, and in time I knew planets, perhaps even solar systems and galaxies would form. The Physical Realm was the cradle of life, the forest to the mountains and rivers. And last, would be Keilan.
He led the way silently, tail thrashing and wings flapping as we pushed through the Physical Realm and into his own. The hole, more like a trench, really, that he had dug into the black energy was clearly apparent. Other structures, on the other hand, were far more subtle than they had been in Reika or Elvira's Realms. This one was closer to Alexander's in its subtlety, albeit less…immaterial.
I listened as he showed me around, taking my time and nodding where appropriate as he pushed the black energy about, creating another, smaller trench, then watching it fill in. It was no Hell. No Infernal or Inferno realm or other such stupid thing. The energy was subtle but not malicious, but neither was it benign or helpful, even. Keilan played with it like a child, acting as if he was an adult, while his siblings looked on in awe. He showed them the things he'd found in the depths of the black; the mental energy that condensed here, as well as the simplest of whorls and eddies marking the surface.
Yet there was something else, threading through it all. Something even Keilan hadn't noticed yet, twisting and churning, threads of it carried along by the Spirit Realm to be deposited here. I observed it for a while, long enough all my children stopped to look at me, a smile slowly growing on my face.
"Karma." I said softly. Perhaps the single most complex, yet ironically simple, universal law I had ever studied. And also the most fundamental. Keilan's realm was filled with karmic threads – untested, unused, barely linking tiny spirits together only to be shattered moments later. "This will be the Karmic Realm, Keilan. A place of memories and connections; be it from past lives or current ones. A place of subtlety, of finding good in bad and bad in good – no less of an ideal than the Heaven Realm, just with more give and less glow." I said. The shift was immediate. Karmic power flooded through the entire realm, mental energy exploding from the depths like a volcano to spread throughout the entirety of the Four Realms.
Unlike his siblings, Keilan did not physically change upon naming his realm. But his smile grew wider, his eyes glittering with a new light, and tail thrashing as he stared out over his demesne.
And that was it. The river, the mountain, the forest, and the valley and sea. The Four Realms were finally named.
DING! DING! DING!
Naming completed! The synergy of the Four Realms' natures and imagery has increased growth by twenty percent.
Analysis available!
Spirit Realm
Used as the glue between realms, and now housing spirits and base souls of all kinds that will help manage the Four Realms. While spirits can exist in all other realms except for the Physical, this Realm will be the most comfortable for them.
Heaven Realm
In many universes, the term "Heaven" is viewed as a goalpost for souls and spirits to reach. This Realm is no different – a hub of powerful energy, it will likely be home to many powerful beings. They will include, but are not limited to, angels, divinities, immortals, and other ascended beings.
Physical Realm
Physical realms are fickle things. Ever-changing and typically finite, these kinds of realms are unique in that certain names do not have pre-determined templates, such as Spirit or Heaven. As such, descriptions become more important than names, and typically include words such as finite or mortal. You did not include any such word, leaving open a path to Immortality for physical beings. Immortal Mortals. Have fun with those, freewill's a bitch.
Karmic Realm
A much more unique name than most Three Realms templates, to name something the Karmic Realm requires a vast understanding of the inner workings of said force, and a further understanding of your own intentions and desires for the functions of the realm. You chose a guide. Physical as the home, Spirit as the road, Heaven as the goal, and Karmic as the guide and past.
Wait. Waitwaitwait. Hold up. What did it say about the physical realm? What, exactly, does that mean, letting mortals become immortal? Isn't that kind of the point of being an origin deity, as described by these boxes?
You have made what is known as, in your home universe, a Xianxia world. Completely by accident.
Nonononono. A Xianxia world?! I demand a refund! Where's the undo button! The name is Mortal Realm, not Physical, I swear! Xianxia sounds awful to manage as a god, I had enough difficulties with regular mortals, let alone super-powered ones!
What is done is done.
This is part of why I chose you to become an origin deity, kid. If nothing else, your blundering through being a god will be amusing!
I SWEAR TO ME, IF WE EVER MEET, BOXES, I'M GOING TO PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE!
Keilan watched with concern as their Parent, the great Mother of all things, stood staring into the distance, Her face contorting with unspoken emotion. He shifted uncomfortably, wringing his hands and glancing at his siblings. Did She not like the changes She made to his realm? He liked them, even if he didn't understand what the changes were yet. Fundamentally he knew what karma was, but how did it work? What were the rules, as ordained by their Mother?
A wave of anger burst out from Mother in that instant, making Keilan jump in surprise and snap his gaze back to his Parent. Her black hair whipped in an unseen wind, purple robes billowing, and the spheres of primordial chaos floating behind her back writhing like serpents. It seemed, for a moment, that She would burst into rage, and Keilan felt sweat drip down his forehead from the sheer pressure. Framed in the intense light of the Realm Sun, She looked half-ready to destroy something, or someone.
"Damn it!" She finally shouted, swiping at the air in front of Her.
"Damn?" Alexander repeated, confused. Keilan nodded in agreement. Damn what? If there was something bothering Mother, he was certain he and his siblings could band together to make it not.
"Ah, forgot there were kids here. Sorry, don't repeat that, I'm just a bit frustrated." Mother said tiredly, all anger bleeding out of Her as She folded Her hands behind Her back.
"We're not kids," sister Reika complained, earning herself a smile from Mother.
"Of course not, you're only…" Mother trailed off, green eyes drifting over Her children. Keilan straightened his back and shoulders when Her gaze landed upon him, seeming to peer through his very being and rooting him in place. It was as if there was nothing to hide from that gaze, nothing that could be hidden or needed to be hidden. "You're already a thousand years old. How did all that take a thousand years, it felt like hours at most! What even is time?!"
Keilan furrowed his brows again as Mother turned Her gaze away from him, seeming to stare at something unseen. Her expression contorted into a frown.
"Don't you sass me. Relative my ass," She snapped, continuing to mutter to Herself afterwards. "Right, well, we've got a lot to do kiddos. Work to be done setting up the Realms and forming your domains…we'll get started in a bit. First I need to go curse into the Void." She said, drifting skyward.
"Wait, Mother," Keilan said suddenly, a question burning in his chest. She paused, turning to look at him. "You have given us our names, but…what is yours?" At this Mother blinked, as if taken aback, and rubbed Her chin in thought.
"I've had many names, but…" She said, trailing off. Her eyes once again locked onto something unseen in front of Her, the corners of Her mouth tugging into a frown. She shuddered briefly, entire form flickering and shifting in shape and size before resettling back into Her true form. "As much as I don't want to accept anything you've given me, boxes, I hate that I like the name."
"Who is He talking to?" Elvira whispered to Keilan. He shrugged and shook his head. She was strange and mysterious, that was certain.
"Statera." Mother said suddenly, smiling brilliantly. "My name is Statera Luotian." Keilan bowed his head alongside his siblings, and by the time he lifted his head She was gone, hurtling toward the Realm Sun and shell of Primordial Chaos that protected the Four Realms from the Void at a speed Keilan could only ever dream of reaching.
"Father is a mysterious being. In time, we may come to understand Him and His actions, but as of yet we are too young. Compared to Him, we are but children." Alexander said, the words rumbling out of the great dragon's throat as he watched Mother go.
"Your words are wise, brother Alexander," Reika said softly, patting down the green dress she wore. "But I'm not sure I want to understand Mother."
At that, Keilan could only nod in agreement.
Chapter 1.4 Art of Creation
Spending time with Mother was always a treat, in Reika's opinion. The green-haired girl hummed as she sat in the boughs of her Tree, kicking her legs as they dangled off the side of the large branch and looking far below, at Mother, who tended to the roots. She wasn't sure why Mother felt the need to tend to the Life-Giving Tree, it would grow plenty fine on its own, but wasn't going to question Her if it meant spending more time together. While She was very busy managing the Four Realms and helping them grow, She still always made time to spend with Her children.
Reika was just greedy, and wanted more.
But for now, she could just enjoy her Mother's presence.
With a contented sigh, Reika lay back on the branch and looked up through the massive canopy of her tree, watching the great-big leaves – each as big as twenty mountains – rustle and wave, and feeling the warm light of the Realm Sun as it poured down upon her. Unlike her siblings, who were still wary of the great creation even after all these years, she could see and understand its beauty. With her connection to the Tree, she could feel the way its light and warmth soaked into the leaves and land, nourishing the trunk and fueling its growth…oh!
Reika's eyes flew open as something beneath her Tree shifted, a swell of relief flowing up through its trunk and making the branches shudder.
"There we go," Mother said from far below.
With barely a thought Reika pushed herself from the branch, the wind both catching her and accelerating her fall. She landed softly in front of Mother, toes digging into the soft soil that surrounded her tree and smoothing out her dress with both hands. She watched her with a seemingly amused expression, green eyes boring into her with their usual intensity.
"What was that?" Reika asked. Her Tree felt…relieved, as if a weight had been lifted, or metaphorical spine had been popped. "What did you do?"
"That is why we tend to things, my dear," Mother said lightly, stepping forward and gently spinning Reika around, pointing to where the roots of the Tree met the soil. "And you tell me what I did. Look, what has changed?" She asked. Reika frowned. Mother always did this – never giving a straight answer, always encouraging her to find the answer on her own, but gently guiding her in that direction nonetheless.
With a small shake of her head, Reika focused on where Mother was pointing, allowing her senses to open to the world around her. Elements fluttered about madly, the wind still swirling around her, happy to follow her requests. The earth beneath her feet was strong, but ever-changing, the roots of her Tree digging through the soil in search of nutrients…oh! That's what had changed!
"You untangled the elements beneath the tree!" She exclaimed. "I didn't even notice it until now." Elemental energy was different from the basic elements that physically existed – they could produce said elements, but didn't necessarily have to be them. Fire energy could exist without the presence of fire, and that had been building up beneath the Tree; a tangled knot of fire and earth energy, pressing against the Tree's roots painfully.
"The physical world is constantly changing, so we have to be vigilant. There is a natural flow of energy throughout the land here, with the Life-Giving Tree as a locus. Eventually these changes may slow, but with how rapidly things are changing now, and how the energy can react to everything from weight to the movement of the Realm Sun, there are bound to be times when it becomes tangled." Mother said with a nod. "Even now, the land around the Tree is continuing to expand, elements combining to create a place for life to thrive. Soon we'll be able to plant more plants and create true life here, but not yet." She said a little wistfully.
Reika nodded. She had noticed that about her Realm, especially when comparing to Keilan's or Elvira's Realms. Here, the earth changed, the Tree changed, everything was much more chaotic than in the Heaven or Karmic Realms.
"I see." She said.
"Now that's done, how about we go get some ice cream?" Mother asked suddenly. Reika giggled at the sudden change in tone, turning to face Her with an amused shake of her head. Mother had the strangest of cravings sometimes – the past few decades had been about ice cream. Where did She even come up with that idea? "Don't give me that look. We both know you're all too happy to go get ice cream."
"I wasn't complaining. But I'll come only if we eat in the garden." She said, setting her hands on her hips. Mother snorted and ruffled her hair, already drifting off toward Her house, floating as it was in the empty space between the Four Realms and the Realm Sun.
"Where else would we eat?" She asked. "C'mon, maybe we'll get there before Alexander eats it all again." Reika hesitated for just a moment, but the lure of ice cream and spending more time with Mother was just too great. She licked her lips as she chased after Her, flying through the skies with barely a thought.
At times the treat was too sweet for her, but…it was so deliciously indulgent. She was starting to understand what Mother meant when She said to enjoy the little things. Besides, while Alexander loved ice cream more than anyone else, he shouldn't be too upset if they ate some without him. After all, Mother could always just create more.
In my completely unbiased opinion, Reika might just be the cutest thing ever. All my children were cute, but she was just...adorable. She was currently sitting in my garden, a little thing growing just behind the house I had created for myself and my children, whenever they left their realms to visit, her hands digging into the dirt beneath flowers comprised of pure golden light. An empty bowl of chocolate ice cream sat forgotten beside her, the remnants of its contents smeared around the corners of her mouth, her tongue sticking out as she worked.
Her brows furrowed in concentration, a strand of green hair falling into her face as her fingers traced the flowers' roots. Then, all of a sudden she smiled brilliantly, the lightflowers (or were they sunflowers…? Nah, lightflowers.) collectively shuddering as the harsh gold light they shed from their petals softened.
"I did it!" she said happily, the flowers in her hair taking on a more vibrant hue in her excitement.
"You did," I agreed, setting down my tea and clapping appreciatively. I'd traded my ice cream for hot black tea not too long ago – my craving for sweet things was fading, apparently.
With bouncing steps Reika ran over and wrapped me in a massive hug, nearly knocking me out of my chair in the process. I chuckled and hugged her back, breaking away after a brief moment.
"Do you mind if I take some of those flowers and spread them over the Physical Realm?" she asked, looking at me with big, earnest eyes. Gah. How dare she weaponize her cuteness like this! It's unfair! Not that I would have denied her anyway, though. "I guess what I'm really asking is if you can make more for me?" I nodded slowly.
"I mean, sure, but you do know that you can make some yourself too, right?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. "Wait, that came out a little too aggressively. What I meant to say was of course I will make more for you, but I figured you'd like to make some of your own." I amended. Reika frowned at me as I stood, crossing her arms.
"I would love to. I'd love to grow my own garden, like you do. But I don't know how. I can't create things like you do," she grumbled. At this, I smiled. Time to reveal my master plan with everything I'd been teaching her – call me Mister Miyagi!
"Sure you can," I said, unable to hide the amusement in my voice. "Maybe you can't create something from nothing, but the powers of creation are not beyond you. What do you think you were doing in the garden just now?"
"That's different. I was just twisting energy." She said.
"It's the same concept. When I made those flowers all I did was take a bit of this," I said, plucking a ray of light out of the air, "and this," I gently booped my finger against Reika's nose, making her giggle and taking a bit of the life energy that perpetually swirled around her, "and combined them together like this." With that I tangled two forms of energy together, using a bit of matter from the balls of primordial chaos that floated behind me to give it a physical form. What popped out was a perfect lightflower, gleaming as it was.
Reika was silent for a moment as I gently planted the flower beside the others. When I turned back around her eyes were closed, hands held together almost as if in prayer.
"Clear your mind. You must first set your intent – what is it you wish to create?" I said, keeping my tone as smooth and neutral as possible. "Feel the energies within yourself and around you. They want to become something. Guide them." Reika nodded her head, furrowing her brows.
And I opened my Eyes.
The world expanded before me. Naturally I could see energies and information far beyond what any mortal – and most gods – could. But when I really focused and opened myself to all of creation it was almost…overwhelming. Karma took on its own life, colors impossible to describe with mere words danced before my eyes, a Shadow – I focused through it, forcibly snapping out of the reverie my action involuntarily caused to focus on Reika and her alone. Like this I could observe the energies within her, the intent in her actions, even, visible to my eyes. Like this, I could potentially see what she was going to do before she did it, I could even read her thoughts themselves.
I purposefully avoided looking at those, allowing her privacy and instead focusing on the energies within her.
Nine threads of elemental energies swirled within her, flowing toward her hands, where they swirled together in her palms. A trickle of life energy flowed down from the crown of her head, flying out of her forehead to make a small ball in-between her hands. I smiled as I watched her begin to weave, carefully binding the nine elemental energies together as if she was weaving a tapestry.
She had it, and on her first try, too. Still, I watched until the end, observing the process and noting where she could improve if she ever asked me. Only when she was finished did I close my Eyes, allowing the world to fall away so I could enjoy her creation in a simpler way.
Reika had made a flower. A flower with nine delicate petals, each made of a different element; fire, water, lightning, wind, earth, wood, metal, light, and dark. And yet the stamen…my smile widened as I observed the flowing energy within, swirling in a manner that indicated chaos, but actually showed an inherent truth to the elements. None were in true opposition. Each fueled the other in their own way, giving way to life.
"Beautiful," I said honestly. Reika twitched, looking up as if she had forgotten I was even there. Sweat beaded her brow, her eyes wide and unfocused, yet grinning widely.
"I did it!" she exclaimed. I nodded and ruffled her hair fondly, noting some of those same flowers growing there.
"You did," I agreed. "Great job." For a moment we were silent, merely observing the flower, until, with a smile, Reika handed it to me. I gently took it, feeling the delicate power that flowed within, brushing my fingers against the petals. The life within wiggled happily at my touch, the small plant-spirit forming within humming a small tune.
"Keep that one." She said softly.
"Are you sure?" I asked, already clutching the flower to my chest like a child given a toy. Reika giggled, hiding her mouth behind her hand even as she wove on the spot.
"Yes. Thank you, Mother. I think…I think I need to go think about what you taught me…" she said, voice distant. Her feet lifted off of the ground as she drifted off, clearly still dazed as she headed back to her realm. I watched her go for a time, flying through the empty skies, and only turned back to the flower once she was a fair distance away.
"If I had a fridge, I would pin you up there. This is like my god-children giving me their first finger painting," I mused, very acutely aware of another set of eyes upon me. I had known they were there for a while, just hadn't acted upon it yet. "You can come out now, Keilan." I said.
My son pulled himself out of the shadows of my house, materializing in a way I was sure he thought was stealthy, but was painfully clear to my eyes. I hadn't spent literal millennia examining my own powers and the nature of creation for nothing, after all. Plus I had been watching for him – I'd called him here, after all.
"Why do you teach like that?" he asked, leathery wings stretching out and tail thrashing. I hummed, looking about the garden for a good spot to plant Reika's flower. The problem was, I had filled it up with my own plants. I wanted her flower to be somewhere it wouldn't be overshadowed by my creations – no, I just didn't want it to get lost. This was the first form of life any of my children had created besides the Life-Giving Tree, which didn't count. It deserved to be a centerpiece! A showcase!
"Teach like what?" I asked, motioning for him to follow me as I headed inside my home, pushing open the wood door. The interior was plain and simple; I had a little kitchen filled with cooking supplies for when I didn't want to just create food, a living room with a plush armchair and a fireplace, and, of course, five bedrooms. One for each of my eldest children, and myself. But nowhere to put Reika's flower. Did I need to add another room? Maybe an art gallery. Come to think of it, now that the realms were getting closer to being habitable for life a workshop might be nice, too.
Hmm.
"Like that. Never giving a straight answer, or just showing us how to do something." He accused as I walked around my house, wondering where to add the new rooms.
"There's many reasons for that. First and foremost being that souls grow by overcoming challenges." I said, glancing at my liquor cabinet. Hundreds of different forms of liquor sat within the deceptively small cabinet, locked by my strongest of magics. Try as I might, I hadn't been able to replicate the whiskey that I'd made while creating the universe…and that had been good stuff. "Be it a desire to figure it out yourself, to not have me do everything for you, or even frustration at me not giving a straight answer – in the right circumstances, it can lead to growth."
"I don't understand," Keilan said.
"I know." I said. It had been incredibly frustrating for me to learn too, when I had been mortal. Conflict was the spice of life. In the right doses and measure, it could be inspiring. If there were no conflict or challenges, then many souls and beings would be…satisfied. And therefore have no desire to rise. "The other reason is…well, let me give you an example."
With a wave of my hand an entire wall of my home was blown away, simply disintegrated into nothingness and giving me a good view of the Realm Sun. Keilan flinched away from its light, and I forged ahead, ignoring his hesitation.
"How do you build a house?" I asked. Keilan hesitated, clearly having what he thought was an answer but knowing that I was looking for a different one.
"Like this," he said, raising his hands. Inky darkness rose from his palms, not moving to fill in the wall I had just destroyed but instead circling above his hands, forming a perfect replica of my house. The dark power twisted and shimmered, bringing forth colors to match, even.
"Very good." I said. "But why like that? Why not make a house that looks like this?" With a wave of my hand my powers surged, chunks of primordial chaos flying forward to create a domed house made of sandstone that connected to the walls of my old house, creating an entirely new room. Then, with but a thought, it was rearranged into a log longhouse, complete with a Viking-esque throne. A bit distasteful, in my opinion, but I was proving a point.
"I…" Keilan started.
"Each of you children has a desire within you," I started, rearranging the structure of the longhouse so it created something more to my tastes. Thinking of all the architecture I'd seen in my past life had me feeling a bit nostalgic, though. "In Reika's case, it was to create life. I could have shown her directly how to make a flower, but then she would have only been able to create one flower. It's just like this house.
"You can use wood to build the walls, but what wood? What about color – do you have wood that is purple, or do you paint it to be that way? Why not use stone? And what about paint – how does one even make paint? Or nails, to hold the wood together, and where does one find metal for nails, and forge it? For us it is as simple as creating metal, but far more goes into it for souls without that level of power. What and how do you decorate a home, what colors match and what is tasteful? How does culture affect this?"
Each question was punctuated by another addition to the new wing of my house. Walls of a rich, dark mahogany, to reach the vaulted ceiling, trimmed with gold and silver. Floors of marble, ranging from red to purple, mixing together intricate patterns while still somehow appearing natural. Shelves lined the walls, tapestries weaving together to create stylized depictions of creation – starting with the birth of my children. White-marble pillars rose up to support a dome I added as an afterthought, massive glass windows leading to a veranda and giving a good view of the Sun.
"I could show you how to build a house." I allowed. "And many times, I do. But for the level of excellence I know you wish to be at, you must know more. Dive deeper, learn the intricacies. Understand. That is the true difference between the power of one soul and another – the level of understanding. One might call such a thing enlightenment."
"I see. I think I understand." Keilan said.
"Good." I said with a nod, creating a little pot in the very center of the newly created room and planting Reika's flower within. Perfect. Though the house still needs some rearranging…especially because, knowing myself, I will want to keep all the little things my children make and give me. "Now, I didn't actually call you here to give you a lecture about teaching."
"Yes, Mother. I apologize for side-tracking you." Keilan said with a small bow.
"You and your formalities." I said fondly, reaching out and ruffling his hair, much to his annoyance. He scowled and tried to swat me away but I stayed firm, moving to wrap my arm around his shoulders and guide him to the big windows. I felt his muscles tense as we approached, the light of the Realm Sun kissing my skin gently. "It is quite alright, Keilan. I am happy to help, to explain, to spend time with you. But, the reason I called you here is to help you with something else entirely. It's high time we dealt with your fear of the Sun."
Chapter 1.5 Forming Gods
"I am not afraid," Keilan protested.
"Of course not," I agreed, leading him along by the hand as we flew towards the Realm Sun. For someone who was 'not afraid' he was fighting awful hard to not go near the Sun. That was ignoring the fact I could literally see the fear in him as little yellow motes of light, swirling about his heart.
"Mother –"
"Don't worry, it won't hurt you."
"Mother, I-"
"Not that I don't understand your hesitation,"
"It's getting too hot," he complained, and that gave me pause. A quick glance showed me he was right; sweat beaded his brow, and he was clearly uncomfortable, and not just because of his proximity to the Realm Sun. With a frown I turned back to the great ball of fire, slowing my pace a bit. Keilan was a very powerful deity. If he were sitting in the center of the Sun it might hurt him, but this far away? No. Even if he stood on the surface, he should still be comfortable. Heat was not supposed to be a major concern for him, even despite his natural power leaning opposite…
Unless…
"Now, now, behave yourself. He's just a little shy, don't be mean," I chided gently, turning back to the Sun and shooting it a small glare. A flare burst from its surface, circling around us before fading away entirely. With it the heat all but vanished. Keilan relaxed in my grasp, and I shot him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, he's still a bit instinctual."
"What…?" he asked, furrowing his brows at me. In lieu of answering I released his arm and floated toward the Sun's surface, beckoning for him to follow. He huffed in annoyance, but still chased after me. "For the record, I am not shy." He protested.
I laughed, laying a hand on the Sun's surface. "There's nothing wrong with being a private person, Keilan. And there is nothing wrong with taking your time on matters like these, either. Normally I would have been content to let you take things at your own pace, discover what is happening on your own, but this is important. Once your sister gets here I'll show you, but…well, it's quite exciting!" Keilan shot me an odd look as he came to a stop beside me. For my part, I let myself become absorbed in the feeling of the Sun; all that power, boiling beneath my hands, all hot and fiery and active. An uncountable number of nuclear fusion reactions firing off at all times, all while a strange bit of magic bound it all together, making a Sun this size possible and keeping it immortal.
This was an eternal sun, not something transient.
"Elvira's coming? I thought she was comfortable with the Sun," Keilan admitted, gesturing to it and coming to a stop right beside me. Something stirred beneath the fiery surface in response, not quite aware or awake, but clearly listening.
"Not as much as she lets on, or else I wouldn't be having to show her this. Alexander was the first to notice, and I'll have to show Reika later." I explained, expanding my divine sense outward so I could tell when Elvira got close. In truth my senses could cover almost the entirety of the Four Realms – and some part of me was almost always aware of what was happening within them – but I liked to keep a bit more distance. There was no need to keep a close eye on everything, all the time. Things need space, as much as guidance, to grow.
We didn't need to wait long. Elvira raced across space at-speed, wings flapping madly as she bolted to us, coming to a halt not but a few feet away, panting. She glanced at her brother, giving him a quick nod, before fixating her eyes on me.
"Father, you called?" She asked, wings spread and letting her feathers catch the light of the Sun. She seemed determined to bury the fact that she was intimidated by it underneath a mask of bravado, until the bravado was no longer a mask. In time it would likely have worked, even, as that was just the kind of girl Elvira was.
"Yes, I did. Both of you, lay your hands on the Sun with me." I said. They did as I asked, a little hesitantly, but nonetheless obeying. I closed my eyes and just felt it, letting the sensation of all that power raging beneath the Sun's fiery surface flow through me. And, at the very center, the little soul greedily absorbing the very essence of it, slowly becoming something…more.
Keilan realized it first, putting his other hand on the Sun so he could feel it better. Elvira was not long after, a little gasp escaping her.
"That's a soul!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, it is!" I agreed. "Keilan, Elvira, meet a new member of the family! They've yet to fully form, but it looks like it might be only a little while longer before they emerge a full-fledged god. A few ten thousand years, maybe?"
"What's it doing?" Keilan asked quietly, furrowing his brows. "Absorbing energy like that…I don't understand. Is that how we were born?"
"Yes and no. You made the power your own, but not in this way. That, I believe, is a glimpse of the future," I admitted, removing my hand and rubbing my forehead. As far as I was aware, most divinities were not created the way they were being created in the Four Realms. My old universe had been complex, and I still didn't understand the entirety of how gods came to be, but in this universe? I could already see and feel a dozen other spirits and souls across the Four Realms taking after the Sun, absorbing and incorporating energies into themselves. Wind, water, fire…even the more ephemeral Karma a few souls were absorbing.
Few really knew what they were doing. Fewer still would actually become what I considered a god. But all were performing the same, fundamental process.
Cultivation.
I really had accidentally made a gods-damned Xianxia world. A me-damned Xianxia world? That sounds better, because I'm only damning myself here.
Though…I will say it's a bit different than I expected, so far. Let's just hope there's not too much of that stupid "This Young Master!" stuff going around.
"By a glimpse of the future, do you mean those mortal souls you've been talking about?" Elvira asked, cocking her head to the side. I nodded, turning to her and slowly floating away from the Sun. The surface flared a little at the loss of contact, almost seeming to pout, and I flashed it an apologetic smile.
"Yes, but also no. These beings are fundamentally different than the mortal souls. They're designed to be gods, anchors for natural and spiritual laws to flow through with great command over their chosen domain, but also a duty to maintain that domain. They will be bound by these laws and essences, I believe. That makes them greatly powerful, but somewhat limited as well." I explained. "The mortal souls are more like you, and me."
"Us?" Keilan and Elvira echoed.
"Yes. Not as limited in scope of power, but with a far more difficult path to said power." I said, nodding. I had to create a whole universe, for example, and I still don't understand ninety percent of my own powers and what that entails. My power may be great, but the responsibility that comes with wielding it is even greater. I added silently, feeling that metaphorical weight lay itself across my shoulders. "You and your siblings, Alexander and Reika, have a lot of power within you. You even have the beginnings of a divine domain, like my own! But it's not fully directed. Mortal souls are…well. Just fundamentally different. Less directed in their purpose. But they will likely have the same ability to absorb energy as these other souls, to grow in power."
"I see. We have that ability as well?" Keilan asked, rubbing his chin. "That was how we formed our Realms at first, isn't it? That explains a lot. I don't feel Elvira or I absorbing energy now, however." I grinned at him, and cocked an eyebrow at Elvira, who just shrugged.
"That's because we're making energy, Brother. Like Father does." She said, crossing her arms. Keilan's eyes grew wide, and I nodded, folding my arms across my chest. It was true. Part of my nature, and by extent, Keilan, Elvira, Alexander, and Reika, was that we didn't have to cultivate. Our souls were quite literally self-sustaining engines – more than that, we produced enough energy to fuel the growth of the entirety of the Four Realms. My children specifically their domains, and myself everything.
We created something from nothing just by existing.
Except we weren't the only ones. Even though the spirits and souls of the Four Realms, as of yet aimless besides performing basic maintenance on reality itself, consumed energy, they created it as well. It wasn't nearly as much as what we created, but they still did. The issue was that the energy they created tended to be…flavored. Fire-aligned souls created more fire-aligned energy, and so forth. My first four children and I were the only ones to create pure energy – myself, moreso than my children. And that flavor the souls add could very easily become taint, negative energy. I thought with a frown.
"So we'll be getting more siblings, then?" Keilan asked, bringing me back to the present and out of my thoughts.
"Yes. Though I wouldn't call them direct siblings. They're all my children, but…adjacent to you? Distant cousins, maybe? No, not even cousins…I actually don't know how to explain it." I realized, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. With a shrug I continued on. "It will fall on you to act like older siblings, though. Help them. Teach them. Guide them. I can't do everything, especially with my work preparing the Realms, though I'll do what I can. I do love spending time with you all."
"Of course. I look forward to it," Elvira said with a genuine smile. I ruffled her hair and chuckled, waving the two off. Neither needed any more prompting, darting off back toward their respective Realms, likely keeping an eye out for more potential gods.
"Now, what was I doing before I went to go help Reika…? That's right, horses. I want to ride some horses," I muttered, rubbing my chin. But a sudden thought made me hesitate, turning back to the Sun with a considering look.
The soul in the very center was too aligned with one concept. Heat and light, one great big thing in the sky. The Sun was meant to be more than just that, and if it didn't correct itself then I'd need to find a way to balance it out. A moon. The Lunar Star. It has merit, but isn't necessary yet. With a hum I turned away, floating back toward my house with the intention to continue my expansion of it. A good workshop would be very helpful. Even still, as I let the thoughts of future gods and powerful mortal children flee my mind in favor of setting things up so they could exist, a single thought danced about in my head as I glanced back at the Sun.
…I sure hope you don't get jealous if I have to put something else up in the sky with you.
It looked out over all creation.
That was its purpose, in fire and light and heat. Parts of the Realms were always left alone, unable to see its glory until it came back around, illuminating them in full. None could monopolize its light. None save the Creator, whom always basked in its rays, whom it would always bathe in its warmth.
No other had that right. Not even the Children. And especially not the Shadow, slinking about as it was.
Something within it rumbled, twisting and groaning, heat and warmth surging within it as its awareness threatened to return to nothing more than a dim light. It wasn't ready to be awake. Not yet. But it did feel a surge of pride as the Creator turned back to face it, looking up at it like all others did, like the life they so promised to bring to the Realms would.
Yes.
Its consciousness began to fade, falling back to its slumber as it continued to revolve around the Realms, unaware of the thoughts of its creator. It could only think of pride…
Chapter 1.6 Wind and Dreams
Alexander swam through the Spirit Realm, observing the myriad changes that had taken over the Realms in the past few eons. Thanks to the unique nature of his realm he could see both it and the realms it flowed through at the same time, as the Spirit Realm reflected the others like a mirror – and oh, what changes it reflected.
Life had finally come to the Four Realms.
It had taken a long time to get here – a few hundred thousand years, by his best estimates – and would have taken longer without Father's direct guidance. Only now was he starting to understand why He had been so insistent on life's necessity.
Alexander raised his head, breaching the surface of the Spirit Realm to better observe the Physical, without that added filter. He emerged in a river, ironically, the water splashing against his scales and fish scattering at his sudden appearance. A tall jungle grew all around, the dense greenery pushing up to the edge of the river, branches and bushes hanging low over the murky, placid waters. Colorful birds flitted about in the treetops, many mortal, though a number showing signs of magic and what Father called cultivation.
One in particular, a little red sparrow, darted in front of his face while chasing a bug. Fire flitted from each flap of its wings, leaving a long trail of red light in its wake that made it seem larger than it truly was. Alexander snorted in amusement as it turned back to chirp angrily at him in some ill-perceived notion of defending its territory.
"Easy, little one. Stay your pride," he said with a half-chuckle, slowly sinking back into the river. Though the wonders of life had not yet lost their luster, he was not here to merely observe. There was another purpose to his visit to this part of the Physical Realm. The little bird squawked at him and flitted off, drawing another rumbling laugh from the great dragon as he sunk beneath the surface again, working his way through the Spirit Realm.
Spirits of all shapes and sizes parted before him as they performed their duties, tree spirits swirling around the spiritual presence of their trees, earth spirits sitting heavily in their spots, little faerie-like creatures redirecting minor flows of energy…it was fascinating, in Alexander's opinion. Physical objects had an effect on the spirit realm, the weight of their existence creating ripples like those in a pond. Yet the opposite was also true – perhaps even moreso in reverse. A truly powerful spirit didn't need to have a physical form to affect the physical world, even if those effects weren't always seen as the work of a spirit.
This was part of the reason Alexander was heading where he was, and soon enough he reached his destination. In the Physical Realm it was the edge of a massive cliff, winds howling as they ripped through the valley below. Jagged rocks stuck out of the cliffside, a few trees hanging dangerously close to the edge, likely to fall off soon, while tornadoes roared in the depths below. The wind energy here, in the spirit realm, was just as chaotic, but far more playful in nature. Great gusts swirled and flowed, wind spirits laughing gaily as they were tossed about on the gales. The wind even tried to reach up and play with Alexander, blowing against his scales softly and making his whiskers twitch in amusement.
In the center of it all was a single soul, encased in a swirling green mass of wind-aligned energy.
Alexander waited patiently, watching with a strange mixture of pride and curiosity that came with watching a new god wake up. It reminded him of watching an egg hatch – the soul would twitch and thrash, pushing against the energetic cage it had built up around itself, in this case wind, before breaking free as a fully-grown, albeit freshly-born, god. The only thing they tended to lack compared to a true newborn was the naivety of children; having a connection to the divine gave them an edge on awareness and bolstered their consciousness.
Some were subtle in their emergence. Some were violent. Alexander had a pretty good guess of which this god would be.
Wind howled as the tempest in the heart of the canyon raged. A great sigh echoed out, tornadoes and sound alike being sucked straight to the heart of the storm, the nascent god absorbing the wind through its green eggshell. Cracks formed in the shell, falling away silently, the canyon, for the first time in its entire existence, blissfully silent from the howling winds.
A woman stood in the center, her hair a soft green color that fell about her nude form, covering most of her body. Her skin was a pale fleshy tone, and when she opened her pale, colorless eyes an explosion of wind rocked the canyon. The shockwave raced out to knock over trees, setting the canyon walls to rumbling, and creating tornadoes of force all over again. Alexander weathered it all with a slight smile, drifting down to his newborn sibling as if the explosion hadn't affected him in the slightest.
"Hello to you, too," he said, flying down so he was eye-level with her. She stared soullessly at him for a moment, then smiled warmly and giggled.
"Hello, Lord Alexander," she said, voice airy and light. Alexander blinked. How did she know his name? "The wind told me you were coming." Ah, that explained it. "Did you come to give me a name?"
"If the wind whispered my coming to you, then it should have already told you the answer to that," Alexander replied easily, smiling as the young wind goddess flitted forward, dancing upon the air currents. The smile she returned was at once hopeful and shy, her eyes shining in anticipation.
"Did you come to name me?" she asked yet again.
"No. But I will take you to the one who will," he said easily, motioning for her to follow as he turned and flew off into the sky, heading toward the edge of the Tree's continent and what Father called "space." She raced behind him on a gust of wind, dancing around his head as she chattered.
"Then will I really be named by Them? Statera Luotian? The Creator?" she asked, coming to sit between his horns, legs dangling down his snout to rest between his eyes. A carefree one, aren't you? He mused as he flew. Very few gods were brave enough to approach him, even above all the rest of his siblings. Something about his form and nature made him intimidating, he supposed, though he was ok with it. Solitude could be pleasant, and those who did approach him were amenable enough. This though? Sitting between his horns? How brazen.
He found it amusing, and as such made no effort to remove her from her perch.
"Father does enjoy naming the new gods," Alexander confirmed. The young goddess squealed in excitement, squirming in place, the winds darting about them as her powers involuntarily flexed. Once again Alexander found himself chuckling, racing through the skies to where he knew Father could be found.
He found Him sitting in the middle of space, humming to Himself. He toyed absently with the dust-like matter that filled the empty space surrounding the Life-Giving Tree's continent, the multicolored dust drifting through His fingers like sand. Alexander was honestly fascinated by the differences between the Realms – unlike the Heaven Realm, which was one continuous landmass, or the Karmic Realm, which was more like a great ocean, the Physical Realm was a small island of substance surrounded by emptiness and dust.
Or, at least, it was. Father looked to be changing that.
He floated in the center of a great cloud of stardust, matter swirling about Him in a vortex centered in front of His outstretched hands. The wind goddess on Alexander's head made a noise of interest, leaning forward even as he cocked his head to the side in curiosity. Father had talked about adding something to the Physical Realm before, but He hadn't mentioned what.
For a moment all was silent, then, with a burst of light and heat, the swirling matter ignited in a fiery maelstrom. Alexander blinked away the spots that danced in his eyes from the sudden explosion of light, furrowing his brows as he beheld the miniature sun Father held in His hands, a small smile on His face, features illuminated in the orange light. With a gentle motion He pushed the sun out into space, watching it float forward, slowly expanding in size until it floated like a behemoth of fire in the depths of space. It was no Realm Sun, but clearly modelled after it – what purpose it would serve, Alexander did not know.
Only once it was finished growing did He turn to Alexander and the young goddess, a playful grin on His face.
"Alex! It is so good to see you! And who's this little one, hmm?" Father asked, setting His hands on His hips as He observed the little goddess. Gently shaking the young goddess from between his horns, Alexander urged her forward, the green haired girl leaping toward Father with playful, dancing steps in the depths of space. Dust swirled around her feet, twisting and writhing as her godly powers absently made the wind dance alongside her – Alexander chuckled. Young deities were so entertaining.
"Hello!" she chirped, looking up at Father with big eyes. She was perhaps half Father's height, and had to crane her neck to look up at Him. "I was told you were gonna give me a name!"
"Were you now? Who told you that?" Father asked, humoring the girl though He likely already knew the answer.
"The wind!" she chirped, nodding seriously.
"The wind? Does it whisper to you, too?" Father asked conspiratorially, kneeling so He was eye-level with her. She bobbed her head excitedly. "Then listen to it. You should already know your name, right?" The girl cocked her head to the side, then smiled brilliantly.
"Aeriel," she breathed. The word hung in the air, heavy with its decisive weight, Aeriel's name settling into the Realms like the wind on the plains. She giggled then, beaming up at Father.
"You know what to do now, don't you?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Give me a push?" she pleaded with the expression that was Father's one true weakness – puppy-dog eyes. He did not respond verbally, instead sucking in a deep breath and blowing gently, as if He was blowing out a candle. Aeriel giggled as a gentle breeze raced through the emptiness of space, carrying with it the dust of creation, gently picking her up and racing off to parts unknown. Alexander watched her go with a small smile. It would soon be time to get back to work; with life gracing the Realms, the Spirit Realm was working overtime to keep up with the changes. But he always made time to greet the new gods as they appeared, and bring them to Father.
"Thank you for always doing this, Alexander. I do appreciate you keeping an eye on the young ones," Father said, turning back to the miniature Sun He'd made. As Alexander watched the dust of creation continued to swirl, forming a little pearl of earth in the center of His palm.
"It is my pleasure." He said, bowing his head slightly to his Father and Creator. Surely He was powerful enough to visit each new god while not falling behind on His work – such as whatever He was creating here – but Alexander did enjoy meeting his new siblings. "What are you making?"
"Solar systems. It will help the Physical Realm grow. Outside of Pangaea, you know, the land surrounding the Life-Giving Tree, elemental and life energy is a bit…scattered and undirected. Creating solar systems with planets for this energy to congregate in will aid in growth, as well as give more spaces for life to grow and change and thrive. Though not all planets will be capable of sustaining life, some will be relegated to just acting as energy nodes." Father explained. Alexander nodded, the idea not entirely lost on him, even as he slowly started to sink back into the Spiritual Realm.
"I see. Is there anything else you require of me?" he asked, just before he shot off to continue his own work and projects.
"No, no. Go on, have fun." Father said, waving him off. Alexander nodded and vanished from the Physical Realm, swimming steadily through the Spiritual. As much as he wished to spend more time with Father and see what He was up to, there was plenty of work to keep him occupied in his own Realm right now. Especially if the impending creation of mortal races was something to be worried about.
I had a dream.
Or, more accurately, I was dreaming.
While my divine incarnations – splinters of my power and consciousness, forming avatars of divine intent – continued to create solar systems in the Physical Realm and other similar projects, my main body slumbered in my home. It was not a deep slumber, more like a doze, just light enough that I knew I was sleeping. One might even call it meditating, rather than true sleep, but I could still dream.
It was about my past lives. More specifically, my second to last one. I was sitting in my home in Scotland, staring out the window at the dreary weather with a cup of warm tea in my hand and a fire roaring in the fireplace. My family's grounds stretched out before me, all green and lush, the trimmed hedges ringing the yard. My belly was full of good food – for this life, anyway – and I had just removed my jacket from a late walk around the grounds.
It had been far too long since I'd been home, having spent more than my fair share of time further South, nearer to London, where my office was located. The life of a renowned psychologist was not necessarily a lax one – a trip home had been necessary after a particularly grueling few months. Now, normally I would have a fine merlot in my hand, rather than the fragrant tea I was currently drinking, but today felt a little different. I heaved a heavy sigh, brushing a long lock of blonde hair over my shoulder, sniffing the tea and smiling at the near-perfection of it.
Nowadays I much preferred a cup of jasmine oolong or the like, but black tea flavored with lemon did have its nostalgia.
"You know," I drawled, only the faintest hints of a Scottish accent touching my tongue. "It's not nice to tamper with someone else's dream."
"I apologize, marm, I do not know what you are talking about." A smooth, almost smokey voice said from behind me. I turned, sipping my tea and leaning one shoulder against the tall glass window, eyeing the dark butler gracing the corner of the dining room. He was dressed in a smooth black suit, with white gloves, salt-and-pepper hair, and a twirled moustache that looked better on an English villain than a butler.
"Not quite the accent I would use," I mused, sipping at my tea once more, slurping loudly. "And marm is such an antique term. My family hadn't had a butler in years by this point – I believe this is just before we turned the estate into something closer to a museum than a house. It was a brilliant try, though."
The butler stared at me for a moment, then smiled. The dream slowly fell away, my blonde hair and tight suit replaced by black hair and flowing purple robes, horns curling from the top of my head. My ancestral estate was replaced with my current home; I was sitting in front of a fireplace in my velvet armchair, taking a well-earned rest. This was my main body, and it was recuperating from pushing the creation of life so fast. Had I not rushed it, it might have taken another few eons before the first bacteria were ready to be released.
The only change was the butler still standing in the corner of the room, his head slightly bowed and a fresh pot of tea held in one hand. From the smell, it was a green tea. Perfect.
"I apologize, ma'am. I could not help but peruse your dreams a little…they are far more interesting to witness." He apologized. I stood, dusting off my robes and really looking at the man. He was a god, that much was certain, but notably different from most that had appeared so far. Perhaps it was his domain, nebulous and ethereal as it was. Undefined. Dreamlike.
"I don't think you could have helped it if you tried." I said with a smile. "Are you going to stay a butler, though? There is no need. For someone of your…domain, you could be anything you want."
"I quite like the aesthetic." He replied. "And you need someone to keep you from slacking."
"Rude," I said, though it had no heat to it.
"Your nap took two hundred years." He said. "It is time to wake up before your children become worried, Ma'am. Your incarnations can only last so long." I frowned. Two hundred years? Creating life had taken more out of me than I expected, hadn't it? With a groan I stretched, feeling my back pop in two dozen different places.
"I suppose I have been sleeping long enough, Randus. Thank you for waking me, and I guess I should get back to work." I said dramatically, heaving a sigh. Not like, even in my meditations, I didn't have divine incarnations working. There was no rest for me or the wicked it seemed.
"Randus?" He asked.
"Yes. I like that name. What do you think?" He considered it for a moment, then nodded his acceptance. I rolled my shoulders. "Glad you like it. Morpheus is overused for a deity of dreams, after all. Now, where should I start first…?"
"If you are getting back to work, I would be happy to relay the news to you." Randus said with another bow. "In the Karmic Realm, there has been only one new deity born as compared to the other Realms…" and he rattled on, giving me factoids both big and small while I listened in with a bemused, slightly annoyed smile, knowing most of what he was telling me but indulging him all the same.
It seemed I hadn't just gotten a new child in the form of Randus, but a personal butler and gossip-monger too.
I wasn't sure how I felt about that, yet.