Kei had found a new toy. His na was sothing like Rival – and he was just a goofy little guy with a crush on Gramps. Which was really icky to think about. Though she did wonder why he called Gramps Sylvia…she was fairly certain it had sothing to do with their little connection through karma and Gramps’ past lives, but she wasn’t certain. She’d have to ask Him about that, and about the big ball in the sky she could barely see that was sohow connected to the Rival…soti later.
Right now she had soone to bug.
“So question; who are you, exactly?” he asked as they landed in the Physical Realm, sowhere on Pangaea. The leaves of the Life-Giving Tree waved in the sky above, angels and other powerful spirits flying about. Fu Hao, one of Gramps’ old angels, flew toward them at a sedate pace, the brilliant energy of one of the most powerful angels in all existence impossible to miss.
Gramps must've sent her to keep an eye on the Rival. Maybe. She'd been busy doing other things, so that'd be kinda funny.
“?” Kei asked, letting Solana go, setting the Rival down and examining him with far deeper precision than she had before. He had black-ish hair, and small curling horns atop his head. His face was nothing to sneeze at looks-wise, but he wasn’t an absolute beauty either. His cultivation was probably the most interesting thing about him, and only because it was so ticulously crafted – everything from his dantian to the energy pathways throughout the rest of his body were nearly perfect, only slightly flawed compared to Gramps’ ‘perfect example.’
If only he hadn’t kept that Treant’s soul in him for as long as he had, his body might even be in peak condition. How had he done that, anyway?
“Yes, you.” The Rival, grumbled, sitting on the loamy ground with a groan, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. It ca away bloody, and he just shook his head. “Is this universe just small? How am I running into so many Immortals already?” he muttered. Perceptive.
“I am Kei!” she said proudly, puffing out her chest and flaring her tails. The Rival looked up at her, cocked an eyebrow, then looked down at his feet, unimpressed.
“That doesn’t tell anything.” He deadpanned. She pouted. Had he not gone to any of the churches at all? Or learned any of the lore? Not even her lore? There was only one nine-tailed fox in the entirety of the Four Realms! Oh well, at least now she got to give her own proper introduction.
“Well then, allow to properly introduce myself! I am Kei, daughter of Reika, the Goddess of Change, She who stood against the shadow, the bringer of pranks and herald of mischief, the Greatest, Unrivalled beneath the Heavens!” she boasted, striking a little pose and pointing her bronze staff heavenward. She could practically feel Gramps amusent from way up there.
Solana chirped at her, no words, just a chirp full of intent as the little immortal bird settled in a nearby tree. She frowned at her. She still didn’t forgive Sol for what he did to mother and the Tree…but was this really Sol anymore? She didn’t know. She had mixed feelings about it. It wasn’t like her to hold a grudge.
“Unrivalled? That’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think? And greatest under the heavens? I knew a monkey that said that. Now he was unrivaled.” the Rival asked. Kei just smirked at him, shaking her head that he couldn’t see her greatness while filing that monkey note away for later.
…although greatness was, of course, a bit of an exaggeration. She was unrivalled under the Heavens, sure, but what about those who lived in Heaven? Gramps, Mom, her aunts and uncles, so of the older gods…she was powerful, sure, but not the strongest being in the Realms. Morgan included.
Though that might change soon because of the power she’d just gained. It felt like…a pillar, if she had to put it into words, but less binding than that. Free. She was a Pillar of Freedom, uncontainable and unchain-able.
No. She was a Pillar of the Tree. She was just free, like those who lived in the Realms.
“Right. Ok. Well, thanks for the save, I was really just about dead there. But why?”
“I find you interesting! What’s with the big ball outside the Realms? How’s it connected to you? Why are you looking for…you call her Sylvia? And why do you use the na Sylvia?” Kei babbled, bouncing on the balls of her feet. The Rival stared at her blankly.
“What is with all the super-perceptive people in this place? You’re the third person to see through my existence in the first few monts of eting . What the hells, man?” He complained. Kei grinned and winked at him, one tail thrashing and leaving a stream of fire in the air that ford the word ‘unrivaled.’ He rolled his eyes. “You’re almost as bad as when it cos to showboating. Yes, I am looking for Sylvia. Do you know her?”
“Do I know her? Silly question, or course I do! Also, her na is –“
“No! Wait!” The Rival stared at her for a mont, eyes narrowed and pinching his chin in thought. Kei froze in place, not moving a single muscle. “You. Did you co to find after learning about my connection between and her?” Kei nodded. That was close enough. No one had told her, of course, but she absolutely had co chasing after what had made Gramps so giggly. “Is that cheating? Does this count as cheating? She told to find her myself…and I get bonus points if I figure out her past lives…does that an I get a date? Don’t tell who she is. I’ll figure it out by myself.” He said, pouting. Kei giggled at the way he phrased it; it sounded like he was a toddler trying to prove he could do it himself.
“You sure? I could tell you right here and now. It’s…”
“Lalala! I can’t hear you!” The Rival clapped his hands over his ears and Kei laughed, fluffing her tails and setting her hands on her hips.
“You’ve already walked by the answer like five tis. I think you could be forgiven for a little cheating.” Kei argued. He just shook his head harder, trying and failing, to stand on shaking limbs, nearly falling over in the process. Kei hesitated, healing magic pooling in one of her tails – the one made of condensed life energy – ready to heal him if it looked like his condition would worsen. Slowly she leaned forward, only for him to shove one hand out with surprising quickness – no, that wasn’t what had caught her off guard, it was the total lack of intent or forewarning in his aura that he was going to move – a finger pressed nearly to her lips.
“I know you’re gorgeous, but alas, Sylvia is the only one for . Begone, foul temptress! Seduce not!” he shouted dramatically, startling a number of spirit beasts in the vicinity. Kei furrowed her brows. Processed what he said. Then turned bright red and leapt backward, ears laid back.
Gorgeous?! He called her gorgeous – and no! She hadn’t been trying to seduce him! Yuck! He was so…so…old.
She stuck her tongue out at him.
He stuck his tongue out at her.
And she teleported away, but not without sending a quick little burst of healing energy at the man. Mom did teach her manners, after all.
But she would be back!
Now, she wondered how Gramps little love interest of an Origin Deity would react to a - heh - Rival. And that brought her right back around to what she had tried to tell Curie in the One World about her Shadow. She wondered how she was handling the rot, and the obsession it may cause?
***
“Gilles, you’re with .” I told the deity of shadows. He turned to with one eyebrow raised, setting down whatever little project he’d been working on. Sothing inspired him to try and create a container that could hold Void Shards, a little pet project he’d been working on for quite a while in his off ti.
“Is it ti?” he asked, putting away the container. He hadn’t gotten around to actually testing it on full-on Void shards yet, so there was very little clean up for him to do – I nodded, folding my hands into the sleeves of my robes.
“It is ti. Co. Keilan and Elvira will et us at my ho, where we will depart from.” It was ti for the eting, now. Things had not advanced as much as I had wanted them to between last eting and now, but it was still within the margin of error I had calculated. The Mad Scientist’s boost, and the Rival’s as well, was doing us a great favor here. This ti, though, instead of my angels I would be bringing Keilan and Gilles; hopefully Mr. Boxes would allow us to send people into the other universe.
Gilles stood and dusted his hands off, moving to stand just beside before I teleported us both into the grand hall of my palace. We appeared just before my central fountain; the first fountain ever made by the Fae, my mortal children. It still burbled with water, and I found myself staring at it for a brief mont, nostalgia swirling in my heart...Gilles moved off imdiately to go give Elvira a hug, and say his potential goodbyes; we had no idea if he’d be able to stay in the One World for a ti or not.
“Mother.” Keilan greeted from the side. I could feel both his and Randus’ gaze upon , and I turned to them with a smile. Keilan’s dark eyes were narrowed, focused on my aura, suspicion swirling about his soul. “You feel different.” He accused softly. I shrugged, now feeling Gilles’ own gaze upon . This was the first ti any of them had seen since I’d been ditating and severing so of my karma, so that made sense.
“Shall we?” I asked, sticking out my hands as Mr. Boxes’ representative ca flying in from outside the Realms. It pulsed once like a nerve ending and a portal appeared behind , swirling black and purple. At the sa ti he spoke, though his words did not ring in my ears but appeared in the boxes that were becoming less and less frequent the further I progressed as an Origin Deity.
Ding!
{[Assuming the Oshun Trio agrees, it is entirely possible for you to have a short exchange between a few deities.]}
I nodded to myself. Good.
Keilan’s eyes flicked to the portal, back to , then he stepped forward and took my hand. Together, with Gilles trailing behind, we slipped into the little eting room to find Yueya, Alala, Curie, and the Prival Dragon, Sehuyun, already there. It seed like Shin wouldn’t be showing up this ti. My eyes were mostly drawn, however, to the new occupants to the room. Two new gods stood behind the Oshun Trio; one an elf with purple hair, bright, shining eyes, and the aura of a deity of space, and another a dwarf with a big, bushy beard, heavy armor, and the aura of a deity of war.
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Most surprising, however, was Sehuyun’s addition. A little wyvern with ash-grey scales sat before her, watching the table curiously. It had no domain, no aura, and in fact appeared no stronger than the dragons Alexander had made. But it was still a form of life in Sehuyun’s previously barren universe; I t her eyes, and she bared her teeth in a smile.
“Statera,” Yueya greeted warmly. I nodded to her with a smile as I approached the round table, sitting in one of the chairs and folding my hands on the table, my gaze drifting between all the occupants. The room felt more serious this ti. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I t Yueya's eyes, her beauty radiating and nearly blinding in a way it hadn't been before - she'd grown stronger. “How are things progressing on your end?” she asked.
And I told her. I explained to her where we were at, how things had changed, and what I expected from the future. Honestly, the only thing I was worried about not finishing in ti, unless sothing terrible occurred like our tifra being shortened, was the Pillars. Fang Xu and Celene were getting close to hatching, I felt, but Solana could take quite so ti to beco a Pillar, and she was far and above the most likely candidate for it. Sticking next to the Rival may help her grow…but it may hinder her just as much.
And I highly doubted – in fact it was an impossibility to my eyes – that the Rival would beco a Pillar, even if temporarily. That just didn’t seem like his speed.
“That is good news. We are progressing fine; the number of gods we’ve been able to raise has increased exponentially. With the new hands, our own defensive capabilities are rising rapidly. Stations are being built on key ley-lines across the entirety of the One World – that should help us aim the Four Realms to any designated area, thereby making the tunnel option more viable. Our surface is still fragile, however. Impact will do a lot of damage, and that is an issue I do not see us solving before the catastrophe happens.” Curie said, tossing a little tal cube out onto the table. It twitched and shone with a peaceful blue light, floating into the air and spinning rapidly. A series of holographic projections shone off of it, detailing the entirety of the One World and their current projects.
It was all standard. All within expectations.
When Curie was done I thanked her for the explanation; only for Alala to step up next, grinning like a madwoman. The tanned goddess of sport flexed her muscles and rolled her shoulders, winking at .
“I can see Fate now. You’re right, it does look like steel thread.” She said proudly. I stood sharply, a smile blooming on my face, my concern washed away by potential excitent. It wouldn’t do to get my hopes up, but another solid plan, like grabbing ahold of the fate thread and using it as an anchor to spin the Four Realms away from the One World, would greatly benefit us.
“Can you grab it?” I all but demanded. Her grin faded a little, and she shook her head.
“Not yet. Was hoping you might have so advice on that.” She admitted with a shrug.
“This plan again?” Curie complained. “Alala, we talked about this.”
“We talked about this, but we didn’t.” Alala countered, pointing between herself and Curie first, then and herself after.
“Statera,” Yueya interjected, silencing her other halves. I took a ntal note of that; Yueya seems to have co out as the genuine leader of the trio, whereas before they were all relatively even. “Do you truly think it could work?”
“It has potential, but we’d need to work on a few things. Grabbing the Fate thread is imperative; I can manipulate it and almost touch it, but we’d need to dedicate a bit of ti and effort to it.” I told her. Yueya nodded slowly, playing with a strand of her red hair. It seed deeper than before, but no less beautiful; neither was her smile, which she flashed at . “I had an idea, however…I do not know if it would work.”
“How so?” Alala asked, cocking her head to the side.
“Well, Gilles here is one of the Pillars I was telling you about. He expressed desire to visit the One World to help you with so of your projects and to foster good karma between our two Realms which will, I believe, make manipulating the fate strands easier. I was about to suggest we do a trade, with Alala coming to the Four Realms to work directly with , but I do not know how you would fare with her gone.” I admitted, shaking my head. Missing an entire third of their Origin Deity was bound to cause so issues, assuming the Overgod even allowed it. Not to ntion there was the whole “Will” problem I ran into in Sehuyun’s universe…but having Alala visit may help with my severing, as well, specifically because of that.
“It’s not a bad idea,” Yueya said, making eye contact with Curie, then Alala. Gilles stepped forward as well, bowing slightly, while Keilan laid a hand on my shoulder.
“We’d need more than just your shadow-god to balance it out.” Curie mused slowly, shooting Yueya a curious look. “The other one here, Keilan, could greatly help with our reincarnation cycle. Would he be missed?” I hesitated. That was…
“I’ll go,” Keilan said firmly, interrupting my thoughts and calculations. “Mother can handle the Karmic Realm in my absence, and I have plenty of capable subordinates. I would need to inform so of my people first, however.” I turned my head to et his eyes over my shoulder; his expression was tight and inscrutable. But I could see deeper than that. Keilan was feeling…fear? Curiosity? An odd mix of emotions.
I an, I could take over for Keilan fairly easily, all things considered. It’d only take an incarnation with strength equivalent to one fifth of my power. But that was…I don’t know. It felt bad. Weird. Different.
“Alala?” I asked, turning to the tanned goddess.
“Let’s do it.” She boasted, crossing her arms. I bit my lip, hesitating once more, then nodded in acceptance.
Ding!
{[Acceptable. In one year, Keilan, God of Connections, and Gilles, Pillar of the Mountain and God of Shadows, will travel to the One World for a span of ten-thousand years. Alala, Origin Deity of Sport, will travel to the Four Realms for the sa ti fra. Any longer is ill-advised.]}
Well, that was useful information, at least. And the one year would allow Keilan to make a few preparations of his own before leaving…I laid a hand over his, which still lay on my shoulder. He was tense, his power pulled tightly against himself.
“Then that settles it. With nothing else to talk about, I suppose the eting is adjourned, unless Sehuyun has sothing to add?” I asked, turning to the great dragon. To my surprise, she actually seed to be considering it.
“Two things. One is just for Statera Luotian.” She rumbled, rising to her full, impressive height, the shadowy dragon looming over everyone present. “The other is this; I want Alexander.”
“Excuse ?” I demanded, taken aback. Sehuyun grinned at .
“When your boy gets back from his little journey, send Alexander to . We’re exchanging things, no? I can send you a few of the nascent gods that have appeared in my realm. One troubleso one, in particular. Could use so humbling that doesn’t co from .” She rumbled. I stared at her for a mont, that having co completely out of left field.
“I will talk to Alexander about it.” I said. “If that is alright with Mr. Boxes and him, fine.” I really didn’t like it, but that was just possessiveness talking. I could feel it. This was the desire to have my children in my Realms, with , where I could protect them. Gilles was different because he had asked for this, and was acting to protect the Realms. Keilan and Alexander? They had been requested.
“Good. Now we can leave.” Sehuyun said.
“What was the other thing you wanted to say?” Yueya asked. Sehuyun turned her gaze to the beautiful elf and snorted, smoke filling half the room before it was sucked away.
“Nothing to you. Show your self, Statera,” the way she said my na, in that brief second, conveyed everything she had wanted and more. I bristled. My aura was kept safely in check, but the room stilled as Sehuyun turned her gaze to . It was heavy. It felt like a threat. And I remained unmoved. Sehuyun smiled. “That’s what I thought. There you are. Now I leave. Co with .” She snapped at the little wyvern, who followed after her back into her portal.
What followed was a quick goodbye with everyone else. I hugged Yueya, and she gave a little peck on the cheek, her Beauty, so much like my Sight, sparkling in my eyes. Curie patted my arm. Alala promised to et in a year, wrapping in a big hug. And I walked back to the Four Realms in a bit of a daze, feeling like I had missed sothing important.
***
Alala would be the first to admit she wasn’t the most perceptive of people, however, it seed like she was the only one thinking Yueya was hiding sothing. The way she had turned her Beauty, which wasn't unique to her alone in their little trio, was surprising. Neither she nor Curie had felt the need to, so why had she? A quick glance at Curie showed nothing, even through their connection Alala felt like the smartest of the three didn't care about Yueya's actions.
Still...their Art-focused third had been acting a little weird lately. Well, weirder than normal.
“What do you think that final thing was about?” she asked instead of voicing her doubts, cracking her knuckles like she did when she was nervous. She and her other two halves stood just inside Yueya’s palace, where nurous artworks lay unfinished. Yueya humd and stroked her chin.
“It was nothing.” Curie said, shaking her head. "Sehuyun wanted to see Statera's reaction and determination, as if he'd been hiding it ever. She just likes dragging reactions out of people - sorry, out of Statera Luotian specifically."
“I felt it was a warning, for us, maybe.” Yueya disagreed. “You saw Statera’s reaction. They’ll protect their people, their children, even from Sehuyun.” Alala furrowed her brows. That didn’t seem right to her. She was a bit of a muscle head, but that didn’t an she was stupid, either. A healthy body was nothing without a strong mind.
“I think you’re reading too far into things.” She said, crossing her arms and already moving off. She had a lot to do if she wanted to go visit Statera in a year; and what a good opportunity it was! Maybe then she’d be able to figure out why Yueya was obsessed with the god – she liked him an awful lot. Though obsessed was a bit strong of a word. Still, it was because of that she nearly missed what was said next.
“It’s a feeling I wish I understood.”
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