Chapter 1.11 Sun and Shadow
Reincarnation was a tricky thing to manage, in Alexander's opinion. He was eternally grateful for the chance to test his system with the various flora and fauna of the Four Realms before the Fae were introduced, because, simple as those souls might be in comparison, they still accrued karma through their actions and reincarnated all the same. Things felt easier with them because of their simplicity. Not so much with the Fae.
"This soul doesn't even want to go to the Heaven Realm," he muttered, observing the soul of one particular Fae with enough good karma accrued to reincarnate into the Heaven Realm as it reentered the Spirit River and flowed toward the Karmic Realm. Father had spread a few tribes of Fae in the Heaven Realm, to start filling it with people. They didn't exclusively have good karma but were also those willing to put in the work to be good – or needing heavy exposure to that kind of energy. It was meant to be a reward and a goalpost, after all.
So why didn't many souls want to go there?
As Father would say, he supposed, mortals would be mortals. The one he'd been watching in particular was likely to refuse reincarnation to the Heaven Realm despite the offer, instead opting to stay in the physical. It was an…odd choice, in Alexander's opinion, but one he nonetheless understood. The soul was a protective sort, and would like to continue to build itself and others up. And while mortals often believed that reincarnation was random or they had no say in it, that was entirely untrue. Reincarnation was a mechanism to lift souls up through repeating cycles. As such, a soul's personal goals and opinions were taken into account.
"Those karmic kings of Keilan's should listen to their request…" he mused aloud, letting the current of the spiritual river, the flow of souls that passed through the Spirit Realm, carry him along. It was an enjoyable experience, to just…observe. So he followed the soul all the way to the Karmic Realm, where the spirit river spilled out into the karmic valley and Keilan's karmic kings – spirits, highly attuned to karma and given great authority when it comes to such matters – started to issue changes.
It was at this point that Alexander stopped paying attention to the individual soul, and instead focused on the Karmic Realm. Of all the Realms, the appearance of Fae had changed this one the most; and no Fae even lived here!
The Karmic Valley now had a few dozen temples built into the sides, stone things where karmic kings resided when they weren't assisting in matters of karma. Along the valley floor souls of all sorts filed along, heading to the great black palace at the far end. As far as he was aware, Keilan rarely presided over the actual processes, preferring to oversee the entirety of the operation and make sure it was running smoothly. We haven't chatted in a while. Alexander thought. I wonder what he is up to?
As if sensing his thoughts, said Karmic Deity floated up from his palace and flew over to where Alexander sat with lazy flaps of his great, leathery wings.
"What do you think?" his brother asked.
"Seems to be running smoothly." Alexander replied, nodding his head.
"Mother helped me with most of it," he admitted freely. "We'll need to separate some of the lines out between mortal souls and beast or plant souls eventually, but for now it can be done in one lump."
"What do you do with the memories?" Alexander asked suddenly, the question having bugged him for a while now. He knew Father requested that the memories of souls be scrubbed from their conscious mind and saved somewhere else, but wasn't sure of the exact details.
"We have an archive beneath my palace. Although something curious is happening in the ocean outside the valley," he said, pointing away from the valley, and to the great black ocean that surrounded it, kept at bay by a wall of bare, rocky mountains ringing the valley proper. "Memories of the entire universe have started to appear there. Ruins on the ocean floor, flashes of the past visible in the depths. I've come to start calling it the Sea of Memories. Some souls, while waiting for the right time to reincarnate, have taken to boating across the ocean."
"Fascinating," Alexander rumbled, soaking it all in. Keilan let him enjoy the silence, though he could tell his brother was itching to say something by the way his wings and tail fidgeted. He shot his normally composed brother a sidelong glance, and sighed, knowing what he wanted to ask. "Go ahead. You, Elvira, and Reika should go show Father what you made. Mine will still take some time."
"Are you sure? We're willing to wait for you." Keilan asked. Alexander chuckled.
"I am sure. Father will understand. Go, please, your fidgeting is annoying me," he said humorously. Keilan cracked a smile and patted Alexander on the head, earning himself a good-natured scowl from the dragon as he floated off into the sky. "Oh, and take the two new gods with you! They should be born by the time you gather the others!"
"Will do! Thank you, brother!" Keilan called back, and promptly vanished from sight. Alexander chuckled to himself and went back to observing the Karmic Realm, and how souls grew. If he wanted his own People to be what they were meant to be, what he knew they could be, their souls had to grow to fit their bodies first. The question was how to inspire such growth?
I woke with a start, the various incarnations I had running around the Four Realms while my main body amassed power vanishing in an instant. With a groan I stretched and yawned, back popping in multiple places as I stood from my mediation chamber. The memories and experiences of my divine incarnations – of which I could only keep ten running at any sufficient capacity without losing control – were still fresh in my mind. Some weren't much fun. Some were quite entertaining – I'd gone boating with Keilan in the Karmic Realm! The Sea of Memories was very cool.
"Marm," Randus said, standing before me the moment I opened my eyes.
"Yes? Wait – I feel something." I muttered. I hadn't amassed even close to the amount of power I needed to for my next project, so what had woken me up? Still a little groggy as I was, I couldn't quite place it. That was irritating. I scowled. There was still another century to go before I planned to wake up again.
"Reika, Keilan, and Elvira are here to see you. They brought some newborn deities." Randus said simply. I nodded absently, pinching the bridge of my nose. Something was fogging my mind. I needed tea. Almost as soon as I thought that Randus produced a small cup of tea for me, still steaming hot, and I flashed him a smile as I took it.
"Send them in," I said, taking a sip and smoothing out my robes, sitting back down in my spot. Randus bowed and promptly disappeared. It took a monumental effort of will to keep my divine sense in check. Whatever this was felt like a surprise, and I didn't want to spoil it by seeing what was coming first. Instead, I focused on my surroundings.
The meditation chamber hadn't changed much since I'd last gone to sleep. Randus sometimes liked to mess with me and move things around, so I always checked. The stone beneath me glowed with white power, reacting to the small core of energy I was amassing within myself. Intricate ritual designs marked the grey stone floors around the stone slab I sat on, while tapestries and other artworks hung from the walls. Many had been made for me by spirits and even some of the gods, and now hung proudly for me and everyone else to enjoy.
With a groan the wooden doors to my meditation chamber opened, revealing my children and two newcomers – the sight of whom immediately made me light up in joy.
"Well, well, well, it seems you've been busy while I've been mediating!" I said, clapping my hands and standing.
"Father," Elvira said, bowing.
"Mother," Reika and Keilan echoed, bowing and nodding respectively.
"We've brought two new deities to be named by you, as well as…something else," Reika said, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. I raised an eyebrow at her and stepped forward, focusing entirely on the two new gods.
One was a dark-looking man with sunken cheeks and pale skin. Black robes were draped about his form as he kneeled before me, his midnight-black hair radiating mist that pooled on the floor around him. It was fairly easy to guess what his domain was. The other, however, needed no guess.
"Sol, it's about time you made a body for yourself. You've been ready for centuries! It's good to finally see you out here, joining your fellow gods!" I said, wrapping the freshly-born sun god in a hug. I'd already decided on his name eons ago. The golden-haired man, clad in robes of red and orange, fluctuating like the sun he presided over, laughed and hugged me back. I pulled away from him, looking him up and down. He was positively radiant. Heh. Puns.
Although…he clearly hadn't listened to me when I talked to him about focusing too much on one thing. His divine domain, his energy, felt far too focused on the radiance and heat of the Sun. I was already pretty much convinced that a Lunar Star was needed to balance out the Realm Sun, but Sol's stubbornness only sealed the deal.
"It is a pleasure to actually meet you, Your Majesty," Sol replied, bowing deferentially. "I thought it would be a good time to get out and walk around, see things up close for once."
"I am glad." I said, clapping him on the shoulder with a smile. Though I didn't know how to feel about him calling me "Your Majesty." That felt wrong. With a mental shrug I turned toward the other god, who was an equal in power to Sol just in a different way. My smile grew as I looked at him. "You can't have light without dark, huh?" I mused, squatting next to the kneeling man. He looked up at me as I did so, clearly a little confused.
"Rise, little one, there is no need to bow to me. Let me have a look at you." I urged. The man nodded, his pitch-black eyes meeting my own as he followed me to my feet. This was a deity of darkness and shadows – that did not mean evil, but just…hidden. Perhaps, without a moon or Lunar Star to balance out the Sun it was only a matter of time before a deity of shadows appeared. Or perhaps it was predestined from the moment I created light. Either way, I spent my time studying him.
To his credit, not once did he flinch under my gaze. But he was not the thing I was looking for, that niggled my thoughts and danced about in the corners of my vision. He was just of shadows, not the Shadow –
"Gilles." I decided, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Your name will be Gilles." He silently bowed his head, taking a step back to stand behind Elvira, who nodded to him encouragingly. I raised a mental eyebrow at that little exchange, but let it slide as I spread my arms grandly. "Welcome to the Four Realms, you two! Many great changes are coming our way, and you arrived just in time to help! But before I put you to work, please, go explore a bit. Get to know your fellow gods, observe some mortals, get used to life. And if you have any questions or just want to talk, please, drop by any time." I said. Gilles took that as the dismissal it was and promptly faded back into the shadows, vanishing entirely, while Sol just nodded his head and stretched.
"I should go take a look," he agreed. "I've spent too long observing from a distance. Your Majesty." And with that he, too, shot off through my palace on a ray of light. I watched him go then turned curiously to the other three.
"Ok, that is usually Alexander's thing, to bring newborn deities to be named. What's going on here? What are you up to?" I all but demanded. Reika's smile widened, that mischievous look in her eye only increasing in intensity.
"Alexander isn't quite done yet, and my other two siblings couldn't bear to wait any longer so we decided to show you something we've been working on. Right?" She said, drawing out the words slowly as if to increase the anticipation. I wasn't really in the mood for games, wanting and needing to get back to work – the Four Realms being unbalanced was starting to feel like an itch I just couldn't scratch – but playing along anyways. I raised an eyebrow at her.
"We made a People!" Elvira blurted out, unable to bear the suspense any longer. I absorbed that for a moment, blinking in surprise.
"We wanted your approval before we introduced them to the Four Realms," Keilan added, shooting a glare at his sister for her outburst. She had the decency to look a little sheepish, but I wasn't paying attention all that much, practically vibrating in anticipation as I was.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let me see them!" I cried happily, now well and truly excited. Keilan and Elvira both stepped back, letting Reika take center stage. She smirked at me and waved one hand, two bodies appearing before me. One was male, one was female, and they were clearly modelled after herself. With skin as dark as rich soil, hair like green grass, and the faint smell of dirt wafting forward, they represented all that was life in the world. They slowly spun in place, letting me get a good look at them – and I gasped in surprise as I let my divine sense touch their bodies.
It wasn't just that these people were bursting with life energy, as I had initially suspected. No, all the elements had gone into their creation; unlike the Fae, who were balanced with all the different energies of the universe, these beings were focused almost exclusively on the elements. Sure, there were bits and pieces of the other Realms' energies comprising them, but the elements were front and center. I expected it to be more unbalanced than it was. I was wrong.
"Beautiful…" I breathed, nodding appreciatively. "What do you call them?"
"Elementals." She said simply. "The gods of the elements will likely want to create their own races, after we have made our own, but my People are comprised of all the elements and aspects of life. Hence, Elementals."
"An excellent name. You have my approval, dear," I said. Reika blushed and bowed her head, pushing her People to the side to allow Keilan and Elvira their own stage.
"We're going to present ours together." Keilan said. "Our domains are two halves of the same whole, as are our People."
"Here they are!" Elvira cried, waving her hand and wings fluttering proudly. Four new beings appeared in my mediation chamber, mimicking Reika's in the way they were presented. Immediately I could tell whose was whose because, like Reika and like myself, they had created their People in their own image, albeit with a few changes.
Elvira's people had feathered wings, albeit with only a single pair compared to her six, and with mottled feathers. They had single, feather-tipped tails sprouting from their tailbones to aid in natural flight, and pointy ears tipped in feathers as well. The male was far brighter colored than the woman, with glossy feathers and an almost bluish tint to his hair. I peered closer at them, letting my sight examine the power that coursed through their veins, and was almost visually assaulted by a flash of white light. Blinking away the spots in my eyes I smiled at Elvira.
"Lots of power in their physical bodies, but with a hint of mental in the mind and nervous system. And did you craft the cultivation passages from pure spiritual energy, from Alexander's realm? Untainted energy, capable of absorbing elements if necessary. Very interesting, Elvira," I praised. She beamed at me, setting her hands on her hips proudly as I turned to Keilan's creations.
For a split-second I blanched upon seeing them, mostly because they reminded me far too much of demons from Earth media in the later centuries. Ash-grey or black skin, hair as black as the night and eyes that were all one color. Small horns sprouted from their skulls, not nearly as long as the Fae's, but tipped with a touch of white. Thick, prehensile tails covered in dark scales stretched from their rears, leathery bat-wings sprouting from their shoulder-blades. But they were not malevolent, not crafted by or for negative energy. And speaking of their energy…
"Bodies of your black Yin energy, Keilan, with a touch of Elvira's Yang to bind it all together. Meridians of the same sort Elvira made, however…did you line them with karmic energy? So they will react more intensely to whatever karma they accrue…fascinating. Truly fascinating, Keilan," I said. He managed to remain mostly stoic at my praise, keeping it contained to a small smile on his face and a nod of his head, but the twitching of his wings and tail betrayed how happy he was.
"What do you call them?" I asked, circling the two Peoples.
"Avians!" Elvira said. "I wanted to call them angels, but figured that would cause some confusion when they actually start to appear." I nodded in approval. Angels were another matter entirely than mortal races…though that did make me wonder what they would look like in the Four Realms. Hm. I should add that to my to-do list, creating some.
"Karae," Keilan said, turning away slightly. I narrowed my eyes at him. Was he…embarrassed? Wait – Karae?
"Karmic Fae?" I asked. A blush crept up on Keilan's face as he nodded. I had to resist the urge to laugh. He was so proud of these People, and to get embarrassed by the name? It wasn't like it was a bad name by any stretch of the imagination, I found it more cute than anything!
"I like it." I assured him, carefully keeping the amusement out of my tone. Judging by the way Reika smirked at me and Elvira shot Keilan a sidelong glance I didn't do a very good job. "Karae it is. On this day, three new Peoples have appeared in the Four Realms! The Avians, the Karae, and the Elementals!"
Ding!
Creation!
Your children have toiled for millennia to create sapient beings worthy of walking alongside the Fae. And now, as a result of their hard work, three new species have appeared in the Four Realms.
Elementals
Children of all the elements, bound together in a physical form, the Elementals are beings of change. They are the eldest of their kind, but as time flows many variants will begin to appear, each following their own style of elemental evolution, making them one of the most adaptable races in the Four Realms.
Avians
Crafted from the white energy of the Heaven Realm, and given subtly by the black of the Karmic, the Avians are the spitting image of their divine parent, Elvira. With innately strong fleshly bodies, they will show an increased propensity toward physical cultivation, though that does not mean their talent in magic will be lacking.
Karae
Known as 'Karmic Fae,' the karae were born from the blackness of the Karmic Realm, and tied together by the white of the Heaven. Tied tightly to karma as they are, they are far more sensitive to the ethereal force than any of their fellows, and will show a greatly increased affinity for psionic abilities.
Total Number of Sapient Races:
4
…you timed that just to annoy me, didn't you? We're having a moment here.
"Good, good. You have my approval! Now go, spread them already! What are you waiting for?!" I barked, clapping my hands together.
Ding!
YES I DID.
Prick.
"Go, go, go! I wanna see what they do!" I continued, all but throwing a tantrum at my children. Reika giggled and Elvira outright laughed at my childish whining, even Keilan cracking a smile as they collected their Peoples. I chased them out of my meditation chamber, laughing the whole way, and only stopped when they vanished out of my home. My smile faded slightly, and I turned back to my stone slab.
There was still much work to be done, but it was important to celebrate. Maybe I'll have one of my incarnations throw a party for my kids, in celebration of their creations? Yes, that sounded nice. But only after they finished getting things settled, which would take at least another hundred years. So in the meantime I settled back down cross-legged, breathing in and out as I prepared myself to start amassing power once more. Creating the Lunar Star would be no easy feat – I didn't have the endless power that came with creating the Four Realms anymore, not to mention everything had grown so much since then.
Nine divine avatars formed elsewhere in the Four Realms as my consciousness started to fall into a trance, most interacting with gods, or karmic kings, or performing basic maintenance. As for the tenth…I hummed. Why not go see how the Fae are doing, in person? I think I had the technique to tamp my aura down mastered enough that it won't be an issue…
Just as my consciousness faded, I felt it. A little blip in the Abyss, from the Void – but then it was gone, and I fell asleep.
Chapter 1.12 Mortals
"Where are all these dark spirits coming from?" I groused, running a hand through my hair as I stared at the dark thing weaving between the trees. It wasn't a small spirit, either. Unmatured spirits didn't have cohesive shapes, often appearing as little more than malformed blobs of color, while matured ones often selected a form. This one appeared as a demented squirrel, racing through the trees and dense undergrowth as it navigated the spirit realm.
More floated in the sky above, dancing above the leafy treetops, vastly outnumbering the benign or good spirits. The leaves of the Life-Giving Tree waved and rustled overhead, giving the entire sky a greenish tint, bits of blue peeking out from between the branches. Honestly, the leaves were so big most mortals couldn't even recognize them as such, the raw amount of life energy they exuded almost blinding to me.
In the past thousand years since I'd introduced the Fae to the Four Realms the number of dark spirits had quintupled, and that number had only increased when my children introduced their Peoples a year or two ago. Whether they were regular spirits that got themselves entangled in some negative karma or were born of negative karma, it didn't matter. There were more than I wanted. More than there should be. Almost as if something was fueling their growth.
I frowned hard, watching the forest, both in the physical and spiritual sense. Regular animals darted about, tree spirits watching me curiously as I examined them. There was a niggling feeling in the back of my mind, a thought that refused to be grasped. Whatever it was, it didn't want to be seen, heard, or found – I could almost touch it, when I really focused on it, almost push through the veil to see the Shadow –
"State your business here," the guard said gruffly, breaking me out of my thoughts. The feeling slipped away as I turned my attention to the city guard, a young woman with sandy blonde hair and short horns, glaring at me as she was. I blushed a little at my distraction and cleared my throat, adjusting my robes awkwardly. Behind me a line of Fae stretched, waiting to enter the city.
"Just visiting," I said with a shrug. This was only a sliver of my being, my powers suppressed enough that mortals wouldn't cower at the mere sight of me. It had taken me a long time to get it right, and now I was able to send little incarnations to visit my People in a more physical form. More specifically, I was visiting the first true city my people had ever built, on Pangaea.
Cradle was comfortable, they were still mostly tribes even if the people had proliferated quite a bit. Pangea was different. The powerful spiritual beasts and more dangerous environment made it harder for the Fae to live, so they adapted quicker, grew quicker, and found greater riches. Alchemy had already been discovered here, metal was being forged, and cultivation techniques were advancing by leaps and bounds. It was high-risk, high-reward. The fruits of which lay before me.
Walls at least a hundred feet tall, made of a tan stone and lined with torches. Crude formations lined them, guiding the natural qi of the land to strengthen the walls and cleanse the qi itself. Tall wooden gates of a dark wood stood slightly open at the entrance, marred only slightly by the attacks of beasts the Fae pissed off – or that just thought they saw an easy meal.
"Just visiting, eh?" The guard said suspiciously, tapping the but of her spear on the ground and adjusting her leather armor.
"Don't mind her," the other gate guard said, a green haired man with thick muscles and a kind smile. His cultivation was clearly higher than his companion's, and I saw little earth spirits floating about his head happily. His eyes glowed with the light of magic, the spirits helping him truly see rather than just look. It was a fascinating technique, and though I wondered what he saw when he looked at me, I restrained my curiosity. "She's just suspicious with all the illusion beasts that've been hanging 'bout recently. Head on in, welcome to the city." I nodded my thanks to the young man and sauntered my way inside, mentally frowning.
Illusion beasts. That would be Reika's fault. Whatever she was doing in her tree, that secret project of hers, was prompting spirit beasts all over Pangea to start picking up illusion magic – she had an innate connection with them, but for whatever reason didn't really pursue it. I smacked my lips a little. Illusion magic was fine and dandy, I just thought it tasted weird.
"Oh," I said suddenly, remembering something and turning back to the guards. The man shot me a curious look, his companion carefully looking through a merchant's wares – for dangerous objects, I could tell by the way her emotions fluctuated. "Don't rely too much on those eyes of yours. You may be in the second stage of cultivation already, but the trickier illusion beasts will find a way to slip by nonetheless."
"I…will keep that in mind, Senior," he said respectfully, bowing his head hesitantly. I smiled and nodded, good deed done for the day as I wandered deeper into the city.
The sights and smells were something to behold. It stank of refuse, as it always tended to in cities, though hints of spices from food stalls cut the stench. Tall buildings of the same tan stone as the wall rose high into the sky, streamers of colorful cloth hanging between buildings. Cultivators of all different stages wandered the streets, some carrying weapons, others daily objects. I had yet to really name the stages of cultivation myself, partly because I saw no need and partly because no one had traversed the path far enough to really make a difference yet. And the Fae's thoughts…
It reminded me of why I hated the city. Proud as I was that my People were able to accomplish this, it was a mess for me to see through, especially with my powers limited as they were.
Thousands of emotions roiled all over the place, visible to me as every spectrum of light imaginable, and some unimaginable. They blurred into a sort of haze that fell over the city like smog, effecting everyone that walked through them as residual auras. Karmic strands stretched everywhere like a spiderweb, and spirits darted about through it all. Dark spirits feasted on the negative energy created by negative emotion. Benign or good spirits tried to guide people, and enjoyed the positive energy created by positive emotion. Though most of the benign spirits were starting to gather around me, enjoying the reprieve my aura provided from the chaos of the city while only clouding my vision further.
I rubbed my face, resisting the headache that threatened to bloom in the back of my skull. What a mess.
Bad thought. This is good, this is progress. I chided myself, heading toward the central palace. I hadn't found who I was looking for yet, but…
Hm. That's interesting. I turned my attention to a gathering of people, near the very center of the city, my feet absently wandering that way. Buildings opened up to a massive central square, backing up to a large palatial building in the background. A few people stood on a wooden stage addressing the crowd, one of whom I recognized as the current City Lord.
She was a grey old woman, practically more wrinkle than woman, with horns whittled down to nubs and wearing fine gold robes. Her karma told me she had lived a fairly righteous life, managing to stay on the straight and narrow for the most part; though she was nearing the end of her lifespan now. When she was reborn, she'd likely make it to the Heaven Realm. Maybe she'd even choose to be one of Elvira's People? The younger Peoples could use guides with strong karma.
Beside her stood a much younger man, whose cultivation base was like a light in the dark compared to all the others present. His hair was dark as the night, his horns long and thick, and he stood with shoulders squared and a serious expression on his already stern-looking face. A spear was held tightly in one hand, and his gaze scanned the crowd impassively before landing on me and stalling. We held eye contact for a moment, and I smiled.
"…I hereby formally announce my successor as Dei. Although he will not officially assume the mantle of City Lord until my passing, treat him as such until that time." The woman rasped out, sending a ripple of murmurs through the crowd. A cheer went up from the crowd and I clapped alongside the others, breaking eye contact with Dei as I resumed my search. I knew they were around here somewhere…why did I insist on doing this the hard way again? Right, because I wanted to "experience the city for myself."
Stupid main body. Even though I agreed, it was still stupid and dumb and all the energy and emotions were giving me a headache.
With a grumble I stepped away from the crowd, acutely aware of Dei's eyes still on me as I slipped down an alley. Red string, red string, oh where art thou? Ah, there it is!
"I see you," a raspy voice said, from between a stack of crates in the alley. I paused, keeping my mind on where I'd seen the red karmic string floating in the sky, and turned toward the beggar that knelt there. The old man was snaggle-toothed and dirty, dressed in rags, but stared at me as if he knew who I was. He certainly thought he did. "Pretty lady, descend from the stars, here to keep an eye on us little 'uns."
…ok, maybe he did know me. Man, almost I forgot what it was like to not be able to see a mortal's thoughts at a glance. Or maybe I was just unfocused. And what did he mean by 'pretty lady?' I glanced down at myself.
Huh. This incarnation was a female. The more you know.
"Is that so? Keep on your path, young one, you're doing fine," I praised, kneeling next to him and laying a hand on the beggar's knees. My energy soaked into him and he let out a sigh of relief, aches and pains vanishing in an instant. He wasn't as destitute as he appeared, his karma better than it looked at first glance. In fact, if I were to hazard a guess, his soul had willingly chosen this sort of life to burn off some bad karma…and only kept up the lifestyle once it was gone as some sort of ill-perceived penance. Not all souls were strong enough to do that, and not make a mistake. Good for him. Good for him.
He grinned at me as I stood back up, winking and tossing him a loaf of bread – created from nothing – as I continued on my way. Following the red string to its source took longer than I would have liked, weaving between buildings and through crowds, following it through a busy marketplace that nearly distracted me with all the pretty jewelry and delicious-smelling food, but I was all too pleased to see where it was when I got there.
A little café, or what passed for one here, with sweet-smelling pastries and delicious smelling tea. Not that the tea would be able to hold a candle to the stuff Randus made, but still. And there, sitting at a table just outside the main restaurant, were two star-crossed lovers.
The first two Fae I had ever created, bound by a red string of fate. They had chased each other across lifetimes, across planets, to stay together, and had chosen to be bound this way. I couldn't help but find the whole thing adorable, sucker for romance as I was. Quietly I slipped into the café, ordering a tea and one of their pastries as I observed the couple. The woman was a touch older, with a stronger cultivation base and a serious air about her. But she melted every time the man, younger and wire-thin, yet still pretty in his own way, told a corny joke or fed her bits of his food.
I couldn't do anything for them. Not personally, and not that I even needed to. Direct intervention could do more harm than good, but…I still wanted to watch them. This was the first red string of fate to have ever appeared in my Realms! Of course I wanted to pay attention to them.
But in the meantime, I mused, leaning back in my chair and letting the sounds of the city wash over me. I should deal with my little stalker.
His name was Dei, and he was meant to be the next city lord. Which meant he had a responsibility to his people to protect them from threats both foreign and domestic, even if he was the strongest being for leagues around. No spirit beast could challenge his might, no cultivator could match the depth of his understanding. Or so he had thought, until he'd seen that woman in the square.
Her hair was black as night and touched with grey, her eyes an emerald green that pierced through him so cleanly it was like he didn't even exist. There had been no evidence of the woman's cultivation, no evidence of her power, but he knew strength when he saw it. Especially casual strength, like hers, the kind that didn't need to be proven. He'd spent his entire life honing his sense for such things, from when he was a boy in a tribe, surviving in the thick of spirit beast territory, to making his way to the City and clawing his way to where he was now. He knew power.
Which was why he feared the woman. Which was also what pissed him off. He hated feeling small.
"That's her?" he asked the guard beside him, a muscular man with green hair. They currently stood together in an alley just outside one of the main streets, looking at a café the woman currently sat at. This late at night, with the sun having set and the leaves of the Life-Giving Tree glittering in the dark night sky above, still reflecting the light of the sun, few people were still out and about. But the woman clearly paid well if the café owners were willing to let her sit at an empty table for as long as she had, staring off into his city.
It had taken far too long to find her for his taste.
"Yes, sir, Dei, sir," the guardsman stammered. "Just – I don't think she's a threat. The earth spirits love her in a way I've never seen before. They weren't just happy to see her, they were overjoyed. That's why I let her in without much fuss."
"You're not in trouble." Dei assured the man. In fact, he'd made the objectively correct decision. Had that woman decided to make a scene about some perceived slight, and if she was as powerful as he suspected, then the guard might've been dead before anyone realized. "I'm just going to make sure everything's…alright."
And with that, he marched right across the empty street, weaponless and shoulders squared, drawing glances from bystanders left and right.
"That's twice now in one day someone saw something in me when I didn't want them to. I'm out of practice," the woman said as he sat down across from her, meeting her eyes. She wore a wry smile on her admittedly pretty face, projecting an aura of calm and peace. Touches of grey danced through her hair tastefully, reminding Dei less of age, and more of stars in the night sky. "Can I help you?"
Dei couldn't explain it, but he had the inexplicable urge to punch her in the face. Something about her just pissed him off.
"I'm wondering if I can help you," he countered, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair. One of the café owners glanced at him from behind the wooden counter of his shop, but Dei waved him off before he could come over. The woman nodded as if that explained anything, taking another sip of her still steaming-hot tea.
She'd been working on that same cup for nearly forty minutes now, ever since Dei found her again. Not once had he seen her refill it. So why was it still full and steaming hot?
"No, I don't believe you can. I found what I was looking for, but…well, there's not much I can do for them. You, on the other hand, come to me looking like a little lost puppy. I just have to wonder if you even understood what you were doing when you approached me?" she drawled slowly, tone without judgement despite her mocking words. Dei scowled and leaned forward, clasping his hands on the table.
"A lost puppy? I am the most powerful cultivator for leagues around, and I've never seen anyone like you before. You are welcome in my city so long as you don't cause trouble." He ground out, doing his utmost to keep his tone neutral. Why was this woman grating on him so much? He'd dealt with far worse insults before.
"Ah, that's what it is. You have no goal anymore. You're city lord, you're stronger than most spirit beasts around here. But now you feel listless. That's what I'm seeing in you," the woman said, snapping her fingers in surprise. Dei's first, instinctual reaction was to vehemently deny the accusation, but the words caught in his throat. A feeling of resignation rose up in his chest, heart hammering as his eyes fell to the table before him, frowning. She…wasn't wrong? And he felt compelled to tell the truth – not to her, but to himself.
He'd been managing the city for years now, its lord in all but name. Now he was getting the title.
It wasn't what he expected.
"There's no shame in that. If you need a goal, though, why not aim for the realm of the gods?" she teased, a shit-eating grin on her face. Dei frowned at her.
"There's no such thing as the gods. Immortality is but a rumor. There are only cultivators, and the world we live in." he countered, and she froze in place, teacup halfway to her mouth and still steaming. Neither said anything for a long time, her face frozen in what seemed to be shock, and him more surprised by her…exaggerated reaction.
Then she started laughing.
And laughing. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes as she struggled to breathe, nearly spilling her tea in the process. She could hardly even look at him, wheezing as she huffed and puffed, every look she gave him only sending her into another fit of full-bodied laughter. The wind blew alongside her, swirling and echoing her joy, even the dying light of the sun seeming to momentarily brighten.
"Are you done?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her to hide his growing apprehension, irritation at her largely forgotten. How powerful was this cultivator to have the very wind itself react to her laughter?
"No, no, I'm sorry, I just…saying that to me! Of all people! It's just too rich! Oh my, I haven't laughed like that in a long time," she wheezed, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. Dei bit his tongue from adding anything else, even if he didn't think what he said was all that funny. She may be one of those religious nuts – a zealot, that was the word! – she might be a zealot or something, and if she was as powerful as he suspected he didn't want to say anything to piss her off.
Even if he thought, if there were gods, they were capricious and cruel. She shot him an amused smirk that moment he thought that, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. Good thing the ability to read minds was a myth…right?
"Pardon my rudeness, but why are you in my city?" he said, doing his best, and failing, to keep his tone deferential. The woman smiled, still flushed from laughing so hard, those green eyes of her looking right through him as she collected herself.
"I was looking for some people. I found them, but there's really not much I can do for them." She sighed. "So, I'll likely be leaving soon. It's nice to come visit from time to time, but there are other things to be doing. Thank you, though, for the laugh. I –" she paused then, cocking her head to the side slightly, a slight frown marring her features. Dei frowned as well, feeling the wind still, the very breath in his lungs struggling to move. Yet his next question came unbidden, something stirring in his chest that demanded an answer.
"How powerful are you? What stage do you lie in? I am only the second of my people to reach what we call the Nascent Soul, yet you are clearly more powerful." He asked. Nascent Soul was the fourth realm of cultivation, where a cultivator may first start to feel and understand their own soul. Each step he took was a path untraveled by those before him…or so he had believed. Their people had a history of over a thousand years, who was he to believe they were the only ones?
The woman, however, took far too long to answer as she stared heavenward, to the leaves of the Life-Giving Tree. He looked up as well. Was it some treasure she had found, up there, that had given her power? A fruit of the tree, perhaps? His pulse quickened at the idea of finding some hidden treasure, some ruin of a bygone peoples, that might enable him to reach the heights she had.
"Nascent Soul…you mean what I call Heart Center. Cultivation is the purification of body and spirit. The unification of understanding and power. The cleansing of your chakras and elevation of the soul to a greater realm of understanding." She said finally. "There is a gross misunderstanding…" she paused again, frowning hard, muttering to herself. Dei thought he heard her say 'something is coming,' but was distracted by what she said next. "…of what that means. Impurities exist through actions and consumption. If you only accept the purest of Qi, then there would only be one stage of cultivation, be it mental, flesh, or of the soul." Dei leaned forward, eyes gleaming, heedless of the increased intensity of the woman's presence. Her aura had gone from peaceful to heavy very, very fast. Each passing moment it felt like another boulder was placed upon his shoulders, but he had to know – his drive, no matter where it came from, demanded he ask.
"The purest of Qi? Where would that be, atop the Tree?" he pressed. The woman snorted, the weight lifting from his shoulders for the briefest of moments. Only to come crashing back down the moment she spoke again, nearly knocking him from his seat.
"Fool boy. Look inside yourself; the purest of Qi comes only from within. There is nothing outside of yourself that can enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself." Each word of hers compounded itself, layering itself upon his shoulders and soul with such a sense of finality that he could not dismiss it.
His breath was caught in his lungs.
In a split second the spell was broken and replaced by something else entirely. The woman's expression twisted into one of intense rage, a fury so dark and powerful the wind howled in response. The ground quaked, fire from the nearby torches flaring to extreme heights as she shot to her feet, dark hair flaring out behind her head.
"You dare!" she snarled, and vanished in a flash of gold. The wind howled. The ground quaked. And an explosion of fire rocked the sky.
And for only the second time in his century of life, Dei feared what might come next.
Chapter 1.13 "You DARE?!"
I lost control. The power I had been amassing exploded outward as I shot to my feet, divine incarnations vanishing as my waking mind returned, the meditation chamber and much of my palace turning to dust. Randus stood stock-still in what used to be the kitchen, a stricken expression on his face, and I spared him only a glance to ensure I had not harmed him before focusing the entirety of my attention on that which incurred my wrath. A hole had appeared in the shell of primordial chaos surrounding my Realms. Something had come through.
That thing now attacked the Life-Giving Tree.
My voice thundered.
"You DARE?!"
Space warped around me, thunder boomed, and an inhuman scream shook the heavens.
Reika hurtled from the boughs of the Tree, dress smoking, hair in disarray, and fury wrought across her face. Golden blood spilled from a wound in her side, staining her dress and raining down upon the leaves of her Tree.
I saw red. A dragon roared.
I appeared at her side in a single step, wrapping one arm around her shoulders. She flinched and lashed out, elements of all kinds lashing against my skin before she realized who I was.
I spared her a moment, to ensure her wellbeing.
Her eyes were puffy and red, filled with anger, confusion, hurt, and fear. Her injury was superficial for a being of her power – it was probably more surprising than painful – and a small wave of relief passed through me. But that moment passed, and rage returned.
"Randus, take care of her," I said with a calm I did not feel. Gently I pushed my daughter away, her cries falling on deaf ears as I looked down upon the intruder.
To my shame, my children had beaten me to the fight. Alexander snarled and snapped as he flew around it, the foreign being cackling madly as it danced about. Its four arms were a blur of motion, each clawed hand grasping a bone-white, fishhook-like weapon. Its snout was split in a mad grin, long fangs dripping venom and saliva, its snake-like lower body thrashing to and fro. Keilan and Elvira darted about, harassing the being with blows or lashes of power that struck uselessly against its golden skin, leaving only scorch-marks.
Blows it returned tenfold.
"You may be strong, young gods!" It laughed in a foreign tongue, striking Alexander so hard one of his scales cracked, sending the dragon hurtling away. "More powerful than I! But you fight like a god, and power without skill is a flailing hammer!" It blurred in motion again, slapping Keilan away with its tail before diving on Elvira, who stood frozen in shock, eyes gleaming and weapons poised to deliver a finishing blow.
But I was there.
Space warped as I struck, distance meaningless as I bitchslapped the being with a single thunderous blow. It flew backward like a kite with its strings cut, managing to catch itself just before it crashed back into the canopy of the Life-Giving Tree, its aura flaring outward and giving me a good look of what it was doing. Bits of Void flecked its being, corrupting its soul, while its own, foreign power tried to sink its very self into my Realms, to subvert control and make it its own. It was trying to take over the Realms.
The words of my children fell upon deaf ears as my rage heightened, every ounce of my being dedicated to two purposes; destroying the interloper, and keeping my power under control. This would be my first big fight as a god. It was already taking a vast effort of will to keep my aura in check – who knows how much damage an unrestrained me might cause.
"You dare invade my home," I boomed, stepping forth once more, appearing before it and driving an elbow into the being's gut. Its breath left it with a whoosh, blood splattering my face. "Assault my children," I snarled, avoiding its wild swings and backhanding it away from the Tree, toward the primordial chaos and the Void. "And then try to tell me this house is yours?!"
I teleported directly in front of the being, a snarl on my face and fist ready to strike. It was ready for me, however, its four fish-hook like weapons flashing down to drive themselves into my shoulders and sides, the being's face twisted into a savage snarl. The strikes did little to me, and I sneered. The kinetic energy of the blows flowed into my body, thrumming through my muscles in a pleasant way, not unlike a massage – energy I could control, and turn back against the being.
I laid a finger on its chest, shocked as it was that its attacks did nothing, and returned the energy of its strikes to it tenfold. Its sternum cracked as it was, once again, sent hurtling away from me, crashing through the primordial chaos and into the churning abyss. I followed sedately, each footstep traversing an immeasurable distance as I kept the being in sight. It righted itself just outside of my Realms, one foot in the endless empty Void, one foot in the destructive chaos of the primordial abyss; creation and destruction in an endless, perfect harmony.
"You think you can do all this, without consequence? You don't know how high the heavens truly are." I thundered, veins throbbing in my forehead, a great and terrible power surging just beneath my skin. The Void shuddered at my very presence, lightning crackling along my arms, reality warping from my rage.
"You…do not fight like a god," the being coughed, spitting blood, mad eyes locking onto my own. "You must be the Origin. I heard about you. But I won't go back. I won't go back! No matter what any of you decide!" it laughed madly, charging forward, and my frown deepened. I stepped inside the being's swing, slamming my palm into its chest. Power surged within me unbidden, reacting to my fury, flowing out and sinking into the foreign god. Cracks of white and black radiated out from where my palm touched it, racing across its body as it was sent hurtling backward into the Void, its body disintegrating before my eyes.
I clenched my hands and tamped down my shock. I…hadn't meant to do that.
The being didn't seem to care about its impending death, its arms and chest turning to dust as white and black light raced beneath its skin, laughing manically the entire time. I took a few quick breaths to calm myself, resolving to stay and watch its final moments before returning to my children, perhaps even grab the being's soul – my eyes flew wide open, and I hurled myself backwards as far and fast as I could, dread piercing my heart.
The foreign being vanished in an instant – down to its very soul, which I refused on principle to destroy – returned to nothingness alongside a truly massive swath of the primordial chaos, as if something had taken a great big bite out of it. Visually, there was nothing there. But I could sense it. A non-entity, something that should not, could not exist; the Void had awoken, and it could hurt even me. Panic surged through me as I burst through the chaos and into my Realms, imagining what this thing, this Paradox would do to my children.
Panic was quickly replaced with grim determination. I roared out my defiance, another portion of primordial chaos vanishing into nothingness as the void beast pushed into the Realms.
"FUCK OFF!" I bellowed, flinging myself forward despite all my instincts screaming at me to do the opposite. The true depths of my power surged as I let go of my control, putting everything I had into pushing this thing out of my Realms. It clashed against the void-beast with a tremendous roar, a golden Taiji symbol swirling into being and blocking its advance, shielding the Realms. But it wasn't enough to stop it, not completely. Once more I charged forth, slamming my shoulder into the Taiji symbol, pushing the paradox back with sheer force of will.
Tendrils of primordial chaos reacted to my will, lashing out and encircling the paradox, protected from annihilation by my power, dragging the beast back into the Void.
"I said," I ground out, feeling the shield start to break, my power being drained away by the paradox. Space began to shatter around me, fractures forming in the fabric of reality as the full brunt of my might, combined with the destructive nature of the Paradox, began to unravel creation. "FUCK OFF!"
The Taiji symbol detonated, a massive explosion rocking the paradox and driving it backwards – I pushed through it, punching with all my might to get it that last distance out of my Realms and back to the Void. The blow was mighty, cracks forming in reality from the sheer force, even as it knocked the paradox back into the Void. It was not without sacrifice. A pained scream tore its way out of my mouth as the paradox lashed out, severing my right arm at the shoulder. In an instant the limb was completely obliterated, golden blood pouring from the stump.
The beast was not finished yet. I could feel it. Returned to the void though it was, it now pushed back to the Realms again.
I grit my teeth through the pain and waved one hand, droplets of my blood circling together and igniting in an explosion of divine force, a part of my power being sacrificed in the process. The paradoxical void beast shattered, bits of intent-laden void, like broken glass, drifting toward me. I did not react, only watching, waiting for the next shoe to drop, expending enough effort only to stop the bleeding, pain blurring my vision.
Something had drawn that beast here. Same with the foreign…rogue god, or whatever the hell the four-armed thing was.
DING!
Defense!
You have successfully repelled a juvenile void-beast. Repairing damage caused by this beast will fall to me. The Primordial Chaos will be restored. Go tend to your children; another beast will not be forming within the barrier I erected.
"I expect an explanation. What the hells was that thing?" I said, gritting my teeth through the pain, reading and re-reading the message. The Four Realms still trembled beneath the weight of my rage and the damage caused, even as the primordial chaos swirled and condensed once more, that which had been destroyed replaced just as quickly. "…what, no restoration for the foreign god intruding upon my realms? I thought you said we would be protected from other universes and the Void."
Even as I said it, though, I knew the answer to my question. It had been lurking in the back of my mind for far too long; my anger had finally lifted part of the veil.
Ding!
An explanation will be given. But later. Tend to your Realms.
Restoration will not be provided for damage directly or indirectly caused by the actions of a universe's denizens.
I spun on my heel, floating through the primordial chaos, my rage cooling to a low simmer. When I emerged on the other side I paused, taking a moment to just observe. The Life-Giving Tree was still smoking, branches splintered and shattered, a large scar on its trunk, and a number of its planet-sized leaves falling to the land below. The mortal lands were in absolute chaos, spirit beasts gathering and fleeing the destruction in droves, driven into a frenzy by dark spirits and the chaos. Those who were light, those who were helpful, fought back. But they too were frantic, unable to deal with the chaos. With a grunt I collected the drops of my blood that had scattered about this area of space, noting, briefly, that a few drops had vanished.
I tossed what blood I had collected out at the Realms, willing them to merge with the fabric of reality to mend it, the divine power within stabilizing things as best I could in such a short moment. But it wasn't enough. With grit teeth I tapped into that deep well I had within myself, drawing out the power I had been saving up to create the Lunar Star and sending it out into the Realms as well, soothing the cracks in reality and hastening its healing. Then I turned my attention elsewhere.
"You test my patience," I ground out, fixating my gaze on an indeterminant point in space. I could feel the Shadow's gaze, and for the first time nothing stood in the way of my sight or thoughts. Whatever filter prevented me from recognizing it was gone. I still couldn't find it, wherever it hid, but I knew it was there. The Boxes' words rang in my ears as I stepped forward. "You will not like my response."
Silence was my answer. Silence marred by the sounds of shouting from my children.
Space warped about me, my patience worn thin and in pain as I was, appearing silently above my children as they fought and argued with one another. Almost all the gods of the Realms had gathered in the space just outside my destroyed palace, where Randus had taken Reika. Said deity of dreams stood off to the side, and was the only one to notice my arrival. He took one look at me, paled, and said nothing.
"Why didn't you tell us something was coming?! Isn't that your duty, Sol?! What were you doing!" Reika shouted, red-faced and angry, tears streaming down her face. Sol, the bronze skinned god of the Sun, stood stoically before her, face a mask.
"I am sorry," he said genuinely, if a bit monotone. "I…didn't know what it was."
"Has anyone seen Mistress Statera…?" another god muttered.
"What was that thing?" the gods of water and fire said together, holding hands and hovering near Alexander.
"It is my fault too, sister," Alexander rumbled, shame-faced as he licked his wounds. One of his horns was still cracked, his scales broken in many places. "I was weak."
"At least you did something!" Reika shouted. "Sol –"
"SILENCE!" I roared, shocking all into utter quiet as I descended to them. Elvira and Keilan's gaze fixated on my missing arm and they began to surge forward, but a single glare rooted them in place. Reika was pale-faced, eyes puffy and red as she clutched a blackened thing to her chest, eyes flickering between my missing arm, my face, and everywhere else, tears still streaming, a sob half-held in her chest. "Sol is not to blame for this! What are you doing, bickering like children, why are you not –" I cut myself off as I really looked at what Reika held, my anger snuffing out like a candle in the wind.
"Oh, dear." I said sadly, softly, voice cracking with emotion. "Let me see."
With a sob Reika unfurled her arms to reveal the baby she held. She was small and not breathing, twisted by whatever power that damnable foreign spirit had unleashed. But I could still see what she was meant to be. Reika had been creating a child, her child, born of her soul and Realm, crafted using the purest of elements. It had been a fox-child. A kitsune, with eight tails. A true Queen of all the elements, as compared to Reika's mortal children, masters of only a few. That had been her secret project…her very own, true child.
I laid my hand upon the baby's head, and breathed life back into it with the last dregs of my power. It wasn't quite enough, and part of my very essence flowed out to finish the job, touching the soul Reika had nurtured and coaxing it back to wakefulness before flooding the child's body. Its skin returned to a healthy tan, hair remaining black while its furry tails turned a brilliant orange, the large fox ears on its head twitching as it wailed out with strong lungs. Nine swishing fox tails curled around Reika's arm, condensed versions of the elements – the ninth bursting into being with a flash of gold, made of the purest divine energy. My own energy flagged, eyelids drooping heavily as I stumbled back, only to be caught by Keilan and Elvira.
"Mother!" Reika cried between sobs, clutching her crying child to her chest.
"Go, tend to your realms. I'll be along shortly. And don't be too hard on Reika, Sol, the injury of a child is hard on a parent." I muttered, then repeated the command again, forcefully, pushing past the fogginess. The assembled gods did as they were bid, scattering like the winds at my command. All save for the first Four and Randus, who stayed faithfully at my side. "Your mortal children need tending. Help them."
"We need to help you." Elvira said firmly. "And you need to rest."
"I'm fine. We have work to do," I snapped back.
"We have work to do." Keilan countered, gently pulling me away from the others, back to the remains of my palace and toward one of the surviving, spare bedrooms. "You have done more than enough. Please, rest." I opened my mouth to protest, argue that there was no time, but one look at his face – filled with hurt and anger and concern – had me reconsidering.
Only for a moment, though.
"Fine." I allowed. His expression twisted in concern as I settled back into the bed he laid me in, my other children gathered around, the cries of my grandchild echoing in my ears.
Grandchild. What a strange word.
That was my last thought before unconsciousness took me.
Chapter 1.14 Rest and Recover
Sleep was just another form of work, for me. It was a time where I could do my most subtle works, allowing divine incarnations to delve through the Four Realms while my true body did other things. Like balance the karma of the Four Realms, delve into the mysteries of the divine, amass power, speak to the Overgod of the Multiverses on a more personal level, and feel ashamed of myself.
"'You don't know how high the heavens are?' Did I really say that out loud?" I groaned, hiding my face in my hands – er, well, hand, now, I suppose. Good point about being in my mind right now, I couldn't feel pain. Bad point; I could still feel all the rest of my emotions, and no matter how mad I was and still am, I cannot believe I said that.
Yes, you did. It was properly cringy, and you should feel ashamed. Now that you've calmed down a bit, would you like to continue our conversation?
"Right, right. Sorry. Just…what was that thing that attacked?" I apologized, refocusing. Currently I was in my own mind, aware of myself and the system-like boxes that kept appearing in the air before me, for me to read. We'd been talking for a little bit already, though Boxes had been giving me time and space so I could sort through my own anger. When I'd first appeared I had been practically frothing at the mouth, and the Boxes had patiently waited for me to become more reasonable and rational, even holding a small conversation to cool me down.
I was still furious, of course, but an angry mind is liable to make mistakes. And I had a lot to think about.
A paradox. A borderline-sentient something born from the Void's nothing. As origin deities are the creators, a paradox is a destroyer. They seek to return all creation to the Void, and are a part of the perpetual game of creation and destruction we play.
The paradox's creation was an accident – the foreign god your children battled disrupted my barrier by some miracle, giving it enough space and feeling to be created. The fact that the foreign god was from a recently destroyed universe, the aftershocks of which are still being felt, and had flecks of Void invading its very being only further agitated matters.
Your pushing of the foreign god into the void served as the coup de grace for the paradox's creation, not that you can be faulted for it. As I stated earlier, I will aid you in the restoration of your realms regarding the damage the paradox caused, mostly by reinforcing and healing the primordial chaos. This will not include your own injury.
Your arm will be gone for some time. The paradox severed your soul as well, causing damage that needs to be healed the natural way. I will not deny you the opportunity to learn from this – it will be beneficial in the long run.
A bit of indignation flared in my chest at that, but I quickly suppressed it, feeling far too tired to truly do anything about it. And Mr. Boxes was right, of course. It would be hypocritical of me to complain about not receiving aid for an injury, when I was going to have to do much the same to my children and the Realms. This attack was a wakeup call in many ways, and my children needed the opportunity to grow from it. Especially if we were going to be dealing with more Paradoxes, after the Overgod's protection ended. Not that I could do much more than heal some of the cracks in reality the battle caused in my current state, anyway.
That did bring up another question, however.
"So…is the fate of all universes to just be destroyed by the Void, then?" I asked bitterly.
No. Many universes grow large and powerful enough to survive even without my help, or the help of other beings. There's also the possibility of splitting off to form your own multiverse – though that typically ends in flaming disaster. But many are destroyed after enough time. The one I mentioned was a relatively recent universe, from only two [Trials] before yours, and had been unstable since its founding. The Origin Deity in charge of it was killed halfway through the [Trials], and many of their works remained unfinished, thereby dooming the unfortunate universe.
I frowned, absorbing that information. I had a lot more questions to ask, things I wanted answered, but first and foremost there was something I need to clarify, and I got the feeling that Boxes wasn't going to answer much more. Already I could feel my own energy starting to flag, an all-encompassing exhaustion slowly draping itself across my shoulders.
"Earlier, you claimed that you would not heal damage caused by denizens of the Four Realm's actions…hence why you're not aiding in healing the interior." I said, slowly. "My question is, what is the Shadow?"
The most I can tell you is that the foreign god was lured here from within your Realms, and only then because you yourself figured it out already. I can say no more on the matter.
Now sleep. Rest and recover your strength; you will have much work to do, but rest is just as important.
I yawned, pinching the bridge of my nose, my eyelids drooping heavily. This part of my mind was clearly running on fumes, and needed to be shut down…so with a muttered thanks to the Boxes, I dismissed all thoughts and allowed myself to sleep.
Randus hovered over their Creator, shifting from foot to foot and unsure of what to do. The Big Four stood silently in the red-painted room alongside him, observing their Parent as She lay atop a soft, luxurious bed that had been, at one point, reserved for guests. She looked absolutely awful. Her black hair was in disarray, Her robes torn and stained with golden blood, Her face pale and wan even as She slumbered. Never before had he felt Her aura so weak – even if it was still a bonfire compared to his own candle. And her arm…
It was missing from the shoulder down. Gold light shone from the wound, sparking and fluttering occasionally as Her body tried to mend itself. It had to be a grievous injury indeed for it to not be healed immediately; perhaps it was an injury of the soul, as much as the flesh? Randus did not know and neither, he felt, did the Big Four. Perhaps only the Mistress knew, and She was in no position to be answering questions.
And they had already done all they could for Her. Reika had cast her healing magic, soothing the wounds, while Alexander and Elvira flooded her with their own energy, to try to ease some of Her exhaustion. It, of course, didn't solve the issue. She needed time and rest to fully heal.
"Reika, stay with Father," Elvira said with a small smile. Her face was still marred from the battle, a bruise forming upon her cheek where the foreign being had struck her. "We'll go tend to things. You stay here, make sure He and your…child are ok." Randus noticed the way she paused at the word child, as if unsure how to respond to such an idea. He wasn't sure either, if he was honest. A child not of Mistress Statera, but still descended from Her.
Said child had since stopped wailing, cradled in her mother's embrace as she was, and was now slumbering peacefully. Her orange fox tails curled around her mother's arms softly, ears twitching as she dreamed.
"No, but…I have to go fix the Tree, and you have your own realms to heal – and I need to apologize to Sol!" Reika stammered, moving as if to stand up out of the velvety armchair she had been sat in. Elvira was there in a flash, Keilan on the other side to keep her from getting up. It was not an unkind action, and Randus was ready and waiting with a cup of tea for her, to help her calm down. She did not accept it, clutching her child as she was, so he awkwardly set the cup on a little table beside the chair.
"We'll take care of it. The worst I'll have to deal with is the karma of mortal souls, something that may yet be better handled personally." Keilan soothed. "My realm was thankfully spared from the worst of the battle." Alexander nodded his agreement, having shrunk his massive draconic body to fit better in the smaller room.
"And I will be there regardless. The Spirit Realm is a mirror, remember. When your realm is injured, so is mine, and to heal one is to heal the other. Let us take the reins for a bit, sister. Rest for now." He rumbled, the patches of scales that had been broken in the fight already healing. Reika hesitated until Elvira leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
"Ok," she said in a soft, small voice, looking down at her child, running her fingers through the black hair atop her head. The little fox-girl had stuck her thumb in her mouth as she slumbered, and Randus carefully crafted a dream just for her. One full of warmth and kindness, of tiny foxes playing in peaceful meadows and the full, loving smile of her mother. She deserved that much, rather than the terror and pain that had been the start of her existence. The little girl wriggled in her mother's arms as the dream settled into her mind, a soft smile stretching across her features.
He smiled despite himself. Cute little thing. Although, despite her divine parentage he did not feel the aura of a god from her yet. Once again his gaze drifted back to the Mistress, and he absently began wringing his hands. Her dreams were troubled, touching upon the memories of those within the Four Realms to give Her some way to see what happened within Her realms. Even unconscious, She sought to protect, when She deserved rest. If only he had some way to ease Her mind, but he was too weak to warp Her dreams unless She let him.
Even now he could only touch upon those dreams, not manipulate them in any way. Nor could he even really see them, only what She let him.
"Come, Randus, let us leave them be," Keilan said, gently grabbing him by the arm and leading him out of the room.
"But I need to -" he stammered, feeling lost.
"Your dreams will be better served in the Physical Realms. Our peoples need reassurance and guidance in this time of trouble, and I have little doubt you will be unparalleled in your aid in that regard." Keilan reasoned, his wings flaring as he closed the door behind them. Randus bobbed his head numbly, tugging upon his moustache. He wanted to be there for the Mistress, ready whenever She awoke with a nice cup of tea, or perhaps a glass of spirit qi whiskey. But he knew Keilan was right, and that She would want him out there, helping, rather than worrying over Her.
He could feel the dreams of the Four Realms. Chaotic was an apt description at the best of times for what he saw, a slurry of wants and desires and odd things, but that mere word did not have enough weight for what drifted through the land of dreams now. Chaos was their lives, and heavy were their thoughts and dreams. Randus frowned and reached out slowly, crafting a dream here, a dream there, to send to a few select mortals he had grown fond of. It was easy enough to make dreams, he didn't even have to slow his pace as he kept up with Keilan. So he made a few more peaceful templates for the spirit beasts, riled up as they were by the chaos, to soothe their minds. And a few more for the children. And -
"And besides, I think Mother would be happiest to see our Realms stable and thriving once more when She wakes up." Keilan added, breaking Randus out of his work.
"I concur," he added after a moment's hesitation, folding his hands behind his back. Dreams were not good for direct manipulations, especially since most mortals forgot them when they woke up. But they could be used for other purposes. Some might call it a "hypnotic suggestion," but such a thing had a far more negative, and direct, connotation than Randus cared for.
Mistress always called it indirect guidance.
They were silent as they walked through the halls, Alexander and Elvira taking their own paths out, and paused when they came to an abrupt ending to the hallway. What had once been the double doors of a library now opened up into space – giving a pleasant view of the Realm Sun, slightly obscured as it was by clouds of dust. Mistress Statera's power had obliterated most of Her home, and Randus glared at the dust distastefully.
"I still need to clean the palace. She left dust everywhere." he complained, and Keilan snorted out a half-laugh. That wasn't a joke. He complained mentally. It'd taken years just to get Her to finish the palace the first time, it would take even longer now to convince Her to do it again.
"That's more like you. You always know just what to say. Come. We have work to do." He said, shooting off to the Realms with a single flap of his great wings.
Do I know what to say? He wondered as he followed, slipping into the realm of dreams just to keep pace. Pink horses and strange twenty-legged beasts, illusionary dream-beings, raced alongside him as he ran invisibly beside Keilan. I hardly know what I'm even doing. Not like I was any help during that fight. All I did was take Lady Reika away.
And he hated how much that bugged him. But most importantly, he felt nothing but shame.