RE: Deity - The Breath of Creation

4:14 Thank You

He was just a little being, compared to the forces at play here. Amongst his people, the magicians and the warriors, he had once been considered great. Mighty, even. An archmagi of grand proportions. But here, now, in a world he had never known existed and had never been able to even contemplate the secrets of, in the face of something greater than he had ever been able to imagine, in the service of a god he was now seeing had been as blind as he, he trembled. His magics failed him. The divine energy he had been building up to fuel his ascendance shattered.And for the first time in his life, he considered the word Heaven, but could not behold their height.

The skies opened before him, pure and clear. Everything he had been and everything he ever would be was laid bare before the splitting of the heavens, glory made manifest burning the fog that had been blurring his mind, fading as if it had never been.

The worse was that Heaven was disappointed in him. Not the burning, or the knowledge that he’d killed and attacked innocents. The disappointment, that reminded him too much of his own parents. He could feel the anger, the raw fury this divinity as it looked down upon him, the entire universe seeming both infinitely small and large at the same time, the skies heavy with clouds yet clear. Yet the anger was directed not at him but at something else entirely for within him was only disappointment and -

Suddenly, he was no longer where he had been. The archmagi found himself lying on his back, staring at familiar sky with a clarity that had eluded him for years and years. Tears formed in his eyes as he watched the sun cross the fracturing skies of the One World - for he had forgotten what it was like to be free of his obsessive pursuit of godhood. And, worst of all, he knew that in this life, he would never again see or feel light of the heavens, harsh though it may have been.

***

Banishing those who remained in the Four Realms had been an easy task. None of them had resisted, especially when I appeared before them and cleansed the rot from their souls in my holy balance.

But the damage had been done.

Spores of rot were spread across the Four Realms, and though I rooted them out maliciously and with intent to eradicate, it would simply take time to do. Time I did not have to spare, as my other children closed in on the Capital of Art. That was not even to mention I had to worry about what to do with Alala. For now, until proper measures could be taken, I had to let my children in the Four Realms deal with the Rot, and deal with what required my immediate attention. As such, I turned my attention fully to the prone form of Alala, who had been placed in the bed I had had once been sleeping in, deep in the heart of the Hidden Realm.

The Rival studied her closely, as, despite his inexperience with things like Origin Deities, he was more than likely the one with the greatest amount of experience with things like the Rot.

"You already extracted the Authority?" he asked, peering into her mouth. Alala's breathing was steady, but her mind was still healing. Even I didn't know whether she would be able to wake up - no, she would wake up, I simply did not know if it would be the same Alala I had once known.

"Yes," I said, looking down at where the Authority lay in the palm of my hand. I hadn’t been awake to properly look at it when Curie had surrendered hers, but somehow it still felt and looked familiar. To any eye but my own, it would appear as if I was holding nothing. To my own eyes, I could see that little touch of that marked it as a power different than natural divinity.

It reminded me of Mr. Boxes, honestly. Something that pulsed and flowed invisibly, like a nerve ending, or a soul.

"What are you going to do with that?" The Rival asked, then immediately launched into his final examination notes. "Look, she's no longer infected with the Rot stuff, but she's always going to be susceptible. Your initial assessment was correct; she's pretty badly damaged. The thing ravaged her like a disease of the body and mind; it will take time to heal her, though the real question is do you want to?"

The question surprised me. I stared at him blankly. "Why wouldn't I?" I asked.

"Think of what she's done. You don’t feel the need to -"

"Stop," I silenced him, eyes narrowing, feeling myself stiffen as indignation rose within my chest like an unwelcome guest. My shoulders squared as I looked down at Alala and the Rival, the latter of whom met my eyes challengingly. "Of course I feel angry. Of course I am furious and want to lash out and hurt people. Of course I feel that, and think about being petty - more than that, I am disgusted." I sneered down at the Authority in my hand. "I want nothing to do with this world or them anymore. Because of the Rot, I cannot fully blame them for what happened, but neither are they blameless. They pushed things this far with their ignorance. I could blame myself all day, but they are still to blame. But I am not the person to lash out."

"No?"

"I am the Heavens, Rival." I snapped. "I feel all the emotions, all the desires, everything warring within me that beg me to debase myself and allow them to win, but I cannot choose to do so. That is the point that I make to my children, and that is the example I must set; just because I can, doesn't mean I should. I am not an example, I am example." The Rival met my eyes, smiling slightly.

"Bit arrogant to call yourself that, but I guess you've earned the right many times over," he allowed with a wink. I huffed at him. "What are you going to do with the Authority, then?"

"Probably give it to Amari Ren, when they're old enough." I admitted, sitting down beside Alala, staring at her face and doing my best to ignore the swirling cocktail of emotions in my chest. "It is the little one's birthright."

"You sure they can even accept it? I imagine not every soul can, otherwise there would be a far easier Origin Deity selection process. Not that I know what that process even is," he admitted. I got the feeling he was thinking of a single person in particular that should have been an Origin Deity, but didn't pry.

"I'll have to check," I admitted. "I'm still learning what this means, but...I get the feeling the Big Four have the potential."

"Oh?"

"Call it a hunch, but when I first created them, I recalled my thoughts being specifically; beings who can stand beside me." I told him slowly. A heavy sigh escaped me, considering all the potential that entailed. I wanted my children to leave the nest and make their own homes, eventually, but hated that it had come to this first. The thought of them leaving was bittersweet, too. The Rival leaned over Alala and placed on hand over mine, smiling that sad, soft smile of his that told me he was remembering something from a time long past. I smiled back, gently clasping his hand and sharing this silent moment of comfort.

A moment he ruined almost immediately. "Oh, Syl, you absolute perv. Hand holding? You filthy degenerate. There's someone here! Your ex is in a coma right there, and -" I slapped him upside the head, space and positioning irrelevant to one such as I as I yanked my other hand out of his grasp.

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"That was in very bad taste," I told him, but despite myself, I was smiling. He cackled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yes, but you have to admit it's a little weird to be having a tender moment in front of -"

"It was a nice moment between friends until you ruined it. Nothing romantic about it," I complained, shaking my head at him and extending my hand. "Now come on. You’re going to help me go test Amari Ren, and then I have to go. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am. Anything you say, ma'am. Should I bark, too? Anything you want, I’m good at following orders," he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

" degeneracy." I rolled my eyes, while he cackled again. But still he took my hand, space warping around us as, once again, I looked back to see Alala. And in my heart I wished her well. Wished her a safe recovery. The wonderful woman I had known, so full of life and love and living in the moment, didn't deserve a fate like this.

The healing field activated as I layered wards around the room, and she vanished from view.

Instead, I was greeted to both a welcome and unwelcome sight. The welcome part was Inesa, and the two little ones. Inesa sat in her little garden outside her house, or her true body did, at least. She had over a hundred incarnations running about the Realms helping with healing and fixing the damage caused by the war while her true body stayed put and guarded what truly mattered.

Sequoia and Amari Ren, and the star dangling on a necklace around her neck. Xing Wu's dao Star. The key to the star formation, controlled by her.

"Old Hag!" Sequoia cheered, the green-haired girl charging across the garden, little legs pumping a mile a minute as she launched herself at my midsection. I let go of the Rival's hand to catch her with an 'oof,' stumbling back a few steps dramatically and twirling her around while she laughed.

"I'm not old. Do I look old?" I protested, lifting her up. She nodded emphatically, giggling to herself and kicking her feet. I gasped in mock offense, looking toward Inesa, who said nothing, then the Rival, who was smiling.

"Well, you know what they say about fine wine," he hinted, winking at me.

"Traitor."

"What can I say? I like mature women," he said.

"No flirting in front of the children," I told him, bouncing Sequoia on my hip while she giggled.

"Lotta heart," she muttered, burying her face in my shoulder and squirming to be let down at the same time. Despite the conflicting orders of her body language I set her down, ruffling her hair and filing away her comment. Like all my children, she was perceptive in the oddest of ways.

"Inesa, dear, come here." I told her, opening my arms for a hug. She smiled and shook her head, but I saw past the facade she put up. I had come here for another reason entirely, but... "Rival, would you be a dear and take Sequoia to play somewhere?" I asked

He needn't have been told, having already taken the little girl's hand and led her away, promising to tell her all the embarrassing stories he could remember about the "pretty old hag" back when she was young. I shook my head at the two, and turned my full attention to Inesa.

She had picked up Amari Ren from where they had been crawling happily in the dirt of the garden, terrorizing the tomato plants, cradling them to her chest like a shield. The brown-haired woman gently rocked my child, who looked up at her with trusting, green-and-blue eyes, their pointed ears twitching as they reached up to pat Inesa's face with chubby hands.

"Inesa, dear," I whispered sadly, seeing the dark emotions swirling in her chest like a thundercloud, and the pride as a warm person, as a maker of homes, as the one people returned to, to feel 'better,' forcing the mask onto her face. "You should know better." I told her, closing the distance and wrapping her in a tight hug. "You don’t have to be strong for me."

"I- I'm not, I don't..." she trailed off, the mask slowly cracking, her shoulder shaking as I pulled her against my chest. I channeled every inch of my inner Parent, the Mother and the Father both, as I gently rocked her back and forth.

"You were so strong," I whispered, kissing the top of her head. "You did so well."

"I-I," she stammered out, voice cracking. "I killed them," she breathed, finally, the dam breaking and tears soaking my robes. I pulled her tighter, my own throat closing, words not forming as I continued to rock her back and forth, Amari Ren squirming between us. "I killed them. I could have - I didn't - they were going to - I thought -" she didn’t know what she thought. I could see it. But she knew how she felt, and I squeezed her tighter, letting her get it out.

There were no words I could say to comfort her as she sobbed into my chest, this kind, gentle soul in agony even over the death of those who would have slain her child. Because that wasn't what she saw. She only saw the pain she had caused, not the pain they might have caused, or that she might have prevented through her actions in activating the star array offensively.

Such was an important trait, in my honest opinion. My expression screwed itself into something pained as I pulled her tighter, whispering words of safety in her ear. It's ok. I'm here. It's ok.

She wept. I held her and let her come apart in my arms. And slowly she began to piece herself back together, sniffling but no longer sobbing, face still buried in my chest.

Incarnations of mine did other things. They spoke to Reika and Elvira, neither of whom regretted the war. They fixed cracks int eh Realms. They visited Celene and Fang Xu, who were in the middle of - no, I didn't visit them, because they were being degenerates as usual and interruptions were rude. Their duties were being performed, so I had no need to check up on them. Nope.

But my true body stayed here. with one of the souls who truly needed me, and could accept my presence. How I wished I could whisk away her pain. How I wished I could make it all feel better. But I couldn't, because this weight was hers to bear, and all I could do was be there for her until Xing Wu returned, or whenever she needed it.

"Thank you," she whispered, slowly extracting herself from my grip. I released her and gently placed both palms on her cheeks, pulling her in so I could kiss her forehead.

"Always," I told her, pulling away and beaming at her sadly. "I am so proud of you, Inesa. So, so proud. Don't you ever think otherwise."

"But,"

"No. No buts. Just silence. Thank you, Inesa, for being you." I told her, smiling sadly. Her bottom lip trembled a little, and she wiped away tears, adjusting Amari Ren on her hip.

"Thank you," she whispered. I didn't respond, just extending my hands for my child. She handed them over without comment, watching as I cooed and tickled their stomach, giggling as they squirmed in my grip.

"Hello there, little one." I breathed, rocking them back and forth in my arms. "What do you think, huh?" My eyes scanned them even as I rocked them back and forth, cooing and playing with them, letting them wrap their chubby finger around one of my own. My eyes sought the little spark that was within their soul, the same thing that my other children, the Big Four, held, that might mark them as a potential Origin Deity.

"Let's get those nasty things off of you, ok?" I muttered, plucking off a few spores of Rot that lay dormant against their skin and crushing them. "It's not good to -"

I froze, eyes narrowing as I studied the little spark within them that truly was not a spark at all. It was a raging fire. A blinding light, almost equal to -

I froze in place, eyeing them closer as they sucked on one of my fingers, eyes crinkling into a smile and giving me a happy little giggle. Panic momentarily surged through me, casting about for the Authority I had taken from Alala, searching everyone – from Inesa, to the Rival and Sequoia who were returning, to even Morgan, who still sat off to the side, watching everything with a permanent frown. Yet, the only place it could have gone was…

I looked back down at Amari Ren. The little one burbled at me, reaching up with one chubby hand to slap me in the face. “Mmm bah,” they said. I stared at them, a slow, wry smile spreading across my face. Rot spores still crawled over them. Weak and inert, completely unresponsive to Amari Ren, which was why I had missed them until I was so close in the first place. And I beheld Alala’s Authority that now rested inside the little one. The Authority that had returned to its rightful place, slipping out of my grip before I had even realized.

“What happened?” Morgan asked, snarled, really, as it approached. I had no answer to that, observing Yueya’s blessing as it flowed through Amari Ren even now. The blessing that made the little one immune to the rot, made it ignore them entirely. And I laughed, despite the righteous indignation that roared in my chest like a dragon, the fury that pounded through my veins with all the weight of power an Emperor and Warrior and Mother possessed at putting all this weight upon a single child.

A child who had yet to fully decide whether or not this was the path they wanted.

“Yueya, you clever, conniving, cunning bitch,” I muttered. Amari Ren was the perfect replacement. The perfect Origin Deity that the One World deserved. And Yueya had made them that way.

“Cunning Bitch!” Sequoia shouted, dragging the Rival by the hand as they made their way back to us. I gasped and whipped my head toward her, then to Inesa, who was glaring at me.

“I think the Old Hag needs a time out,” she warned, expression stormy. I chuckled nervously, but let her chide me anyways, while Morgan watched me sharply, not yet understanding what just happened.

I didn’t correct it. Instead, I passed Amari Ren back to Inesa, and prepared myself. The final confrontation was coming. No, it was here.

And I had to be ready for it.