The Age of Heroes scarred undoubtedly scarred Divinity, it was existed as a sort of testing for those worthy of us to stay alive. Worldbreaking was another challenge to survive, then the Great War was yet another set. Whereas it is true that the Divines who have existed for longer are typically stronger, the rule is not definite. Helenna stands as one such example. The Goddess of Love could undoubtedly defeat most modern Divines in combat, although that is because of her own tactical skill in fighting, rather than the result of any powers given to her. She summons no noble beast nor can she bless.
Yet Helenna is still worthy to live. She exists as a Divine amongst Divinity. National Mascots bow before her, inventions tremble when she walks into a room. That is nothing to say of the influence she wields upon humanity. In this fashion, the role of the White Pantheon is to keep Helenna in check. Likewise, Helenna’s role is the sa. Maisara, Fortia & Leona, Zerus, Sceo, Alkom are also all ancient Divines, older even than myself. Every Divine that feels their gaze knows that they are being witnessed and weighed and judged by a being that may as well be history incarnate.
From there, Helenna is not so malicious. Her theories of Divinity are not exactly pessimistic, even if they have the traces of the callous pragmatism that was incubated within the Age of Monsters. I would not kill Helenna even if I personally dislike her, and I would say that a large amount of the reasoning used is the fact that the woman is older than . She survived the Age of Monsters, of Tyranny, she saw the signing of the Concordats. She is ancient, that is reason enough to give her value.
I would not kill any of the Divines that are older than I in fact. Nor any who have been there to witness the Great War and make it through that trial. Kavaa and Elassa, the youngest of us, have proven themselves that they deserve to exist and walk in line through their service. If there are any who would dare deny their Divinity, I would be there to put them back in their place. This logic is not unique to , it is common to Divinity in fact. Frad differently of course, Elassa is enamoured by the fact she has living sources from those tis for her Archive of Arda. Fortia says that the experiences she has survived is unique, will never be repeated, and should never be repeated in fact. Yet that experience is valuable.
But that does an I am happy about there. There are so Divines I would not wish to kill, but I do with that they had never ford in the first place. Or that they died by a hand other than mine even though I know that one would need power akin to mine to kill them. Divines that bear pessimisms and exhaustions of millennia. Who walk this world not to improve it, but fuelled entirely out of spite.
Maisara is one.
I do not think there are any but Fortia who would actually miss her if she disappeared.
- Excerpt from the private diary of Goddess Allasaria, of Light.
Irinika watched cute little Anassa peel open her apples as the pair of Goddesses as the pair of Goddesses stood in the middle of an abandoned and ruined Imperial forward base. The order to retreat had been given because they ran out of ammunition, a red alert was given. Both of them happened to be in the area.
There were a great many demons when Anassa arrived from the west and Irinika from the east. A great many indeed, it had been a whole army. No princes though, although that was standard procedure. Princes operated like Divines, they rarely attached themselves to armies. When they did, it was much in the sa role as Anassa and Irinika were attached to Esberian command right now. Supposedly, both were under the command of General nith. Supposedly, Aliana was already sowhere in the country and managing the frontline, whilst the elf was running the logistics back on the outside.
But that was all supposed. Irinika rarely picked up calls from command. If a sister rang, if it was Kassandora, that was different. She simply got coordinates, directions and routes to travel along. Targets were geographic entirely, there was no such thing giving her enemies to kill. Anassa and Irinika both cleared the entire local area that they passed by.
The army had been grand. It had greater demons, it had succubi, it had cavalry, it even had a pair of massive cannons that were dragged by beasts of burden which looked like overgrown bulls. The common demonspawn was countless. Small imps had fluttered in the air. The captain or general or whatever title the demons used for their military hierarch had claid the top of the hill as the army ca to rest. The red alert ca through, an Imperial Division that had run out of ammunition had to retreat. Supposedly, this camp was to be recovered.
Irinika was not so great general, she would never admit it. But she knew enough about the modern army to know it required ammunition just as the ancient army required swords. With the total and sporadic monsoon that rained of minor Tartarian parties which rained upon the Imperial army right now, there was no more ammunition. This base was to be cleared and recovered, Irinika had no damn clue when that recovery would co. “We’re reporting that they destroyed it.” Irinika said.
Anassa nodded as she swallowed her orange slice. Irinika pulled out her pipe from her pocket and stuffed it with tobacco. She would have to return to harass so soldiers for their tobacco soon. Luckily, every unit had it mandated that they be stocked with the leaf. “Of course.” Anassa said.
Irinika looked over the devastation the pair of Goddesses had ford. It had been almost like a ga between the two of them. Anassa was a worthy audience to show off before. A blade of darkness had cut a ravine into the ground north of the camp. Anassa’s red beam of sorcery made a smoother excavation south of it. Demons were removed from existence by Anassa’s erasing beam, or ripped into nothingness.
The clean kills did not last long. Irinika stared at the chunks ground flesh and tal that had been torn apart here. Soon enough, Anassa had tried to impress with her butterflies and her snakes, her animals of crimson that ford into bouncing rainbows, which shattered into snakes that then ascended into snowflakes, that cascaded back down to the ground like the sa swords that their father used to attack with. And Irinika could not let such a challenge stand. She started swallowing the demons in darkness and spitting out bone cleaned to spotlessness. Both of the ravines that their Goddesses had declared their presence with sat as red pools of red. “We made a ss.” Irinika said.
“We’re Divine, aren’t we?” Anassa asked. The camp had been abandoned, supposedly it was to be recovered. There was nothing to recover here. The largest structure left behind, a scaffold of steel that was the radio tower was now strewn across the ground over a mile. The largest piece of it was no bigger than Irinika’s thumb. “Divinity gets to make a ss.”
“Did I declare it could not?” Irinika asked. “Have you gotten word from Aliana yet?” She puffed the smoke and brought out the large phone that had been given to her. It was just so device with a map and a signal that rarely worked. No updates yet, then they were to stay put and make sure the local area was cleared out.
“No.” Anassa said. “I think she’s avoiding us.”
“Should we pay her a visit then?”
“Do you want to?”
“No.”
“Sa.” Anassa answered and Irinika took another inhale from her pipe as Of Sorcery continued eating the orange. Under the black sky, on the black ground, two Goddesses stood illuminated only by the faint ambience of Anassa’s crimson dress. Two specks of colour that wasn’t the red of blood between, the orange in Anassa’s hand and the faint glow of Irinika’s pipe. “Do you think we’ll win?”
Irinika smiled to herself. It was cute to have a rabid little dog for a sister, and it was even cuter when Irinika herself was the one person that Anassa allowed herself to show nervousness around. Her and Arascus. “We’ll win.” It was exactly what their father would say.
Anassa took a deep and chewed her orange. She flicked the peel away onto the ground as Irinika smoked again. There was little to say or talk about. Fer would pester and annoy, Kassandora would command and respond to argunt. But Irinika knew that Anassa was in a club similar to hers. Neneria was in it. Goddesses who simply did their jobs, had their hobbies, scowled when they needed to scowl, laughed when they needed to laugh and acted when they needed to act in front of others. But acting in front of Anassa? Irinika took another deep breath.
It was simply nice to stand next to a Divine that was similar. It wasn’t their caring father, it was a figure that simply was. “How long do you think it’ll take?” Irinika asked.
“The war?” Anassa asked. She shrugged. “I don’t know. A year? Two? Ten?”
“I’m thinking faster.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Anassa said and then conversation died down again. Irinika tapped the side of her pipe to loosen the tobacco within. She released another cloud of smoke that was almost invisible in the darkness of Ashen Skies. Anassa threw another piece of her orange into her mouth. “What do you think of Fortia?”
“She is fine.” Irinika said. “I’ve known her in the past, it’s not the first ti we’re working together.”
“Oh? Where?”
“Here and there.” Irinika said. “It was never like this though.” She took a pause to smoke. “Where we were on the sa side, then, it was always more accidental. We just happened to run in each other whilst sharing an enemy.”
“Do you get along?”
“I assu she thought I was stupid at the start.” Irinika said. “Do we get along? She’s not terrible to work with. Kass made the right call. I assu you get along with Maisara?”
“She’s a bit like you.”
“No she’s not.”
“She says no.” Anassa said. “So she is.” Irinika chuckled. Ultimately, that was all it took to get respect from Anassa. She didn’t want to argue, she just wanted soone to tell her no and leave it at that. Divinity sullied itself when it tried to moralize or argue. Divinity simply commanded. This ti, Irinika did not respond. Sorcery ate her orange, Darkness smoked her pipe.
Breakti was ever so pleasant. “When I return.” Irinika said. “After the war, I’ll get that house built.”
“I’ve not built one.” Anassa said.
“Why not?”
“It’s dirty.” Anassa said. “I assu we’re talking about Olonia’s Land of Gods, right?”
“We are.” Irinika said and Anassa nodded.
“I’d build one in Rilia.”
“How sweet.”
“I like the land.” Irinika said. “And the weather.” She looked down at the orange peel, now devoid of fruit. Then dropped it to the ground. “And the fruit.”
“We all need a hobby.” Irinika said as she smoked. “Start an orchard.”
Anassa sniffed in humour. “Start your own.”
“You think I won’t?” Irinika asked. “My own brand of tobacco. I have a design already.”
“You’re impossible.”
“That word doesn’t exist in the Divine dictionary.” Irinika and Anassa’s lips curled upwards in a smile. There was little to say. The two of them agreed on almost everything. There had been a joke in the past, that they needed Fer or Malam to actually with each other. Although that joke was simply a cover, the fact of the matter was that Irinika enjoyed the company of a sister she could simply be silent with. She took another deep breath, the smoke was getting thinner now. “I heard Pax got killed.” Irinika said.
“I heard that too.” Anassa said. “Do you think it’s real?”
“Confird apparently.” Irinika said. “Supposedly Fer was there and they wouldn’t lie about that.” She shrugged, then dragged another thin trail of smoke through her pipe. Silence once again. The two Goddesses stood, staring at nothing in particular, the roaring of the Ashfront could be made out to the north when no one talked. It was faint, but the simple fact of the matter was that the Empire was getting pushed back. They were losing ground. Irinika didn’t think much of it. Pax was dead. Kassie would shift her attention here now and they would retake what was lost.
The pipe touched her lips again. This ti, it was just air that tasted of ash. That was that then. Break ti over. Back to work. The endless tracking back and forth.
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