A New Part of the Three Firsts
The first time I truly felt frightened by the world’s new reality was just ten weeks after the Black Sun.
Up to that point the return of the gods, the upheaval of the world, and all the supernatural, both good and bad, had also been mostly distant. Even the mess with the angel and demon fighting near me had seemed like a one-off, an annomily that wasn’t likely to repeat itself. I lived in one of the safest countries in the world, what with King Arthur and all.
It all started with Doug urgently calling me down to the lounge.
“Hey Adam, get down here! Now!”
If it’d been Chris calling me I might have taken my time. I’d been reading on Divine Versus at the time and wasn’t too keen to stop. Still, this was Doug, he wouldn’t call me like that unless it was something important.
When I got to the lounge he didn’t say anything, he just pointed at the TV.
“. . . shocking turn of events the blackout of the official media in China has finally ended, only for unbelievable news to be released. The Chinese government has been overthrown. The Celestial Court, the main pantheon of the Chinese Legends, has assumed control of the country.”
I could only stare at the television, seeing the small headline play across the bottom of the screen as the news presenter spoke.
‘China Conquered By Gods!’
I’d known something was going on over there. Even in a world where the daily headlines were things like ‘Apollo Becomes A Movie Star’, ‘Rainforest Resurges To Reclaim Lost Land’ or ‘Angel Sighted Fighting Demon in the Skies Of Rome’, a nation as large as China going silent had drawn attention. It had been one of the largest media blackouts in history, and speculation had run rampant. I had followed it as much as the next person, but the whole thing had seemed so far away. Not something I needed to concern myself with too much.
I suppose that some part of me just expected things to go back to normal. That’d happened here in the UK, Arthur had arrived and made things safe. Sure, there’d been some disruptions, but nothing too major as far as I was concerned. The same happened in the USA. They’d adapted, got some gods on their side to act as a deterrent to those that might act out. Sure, they’d had to allow Olympus to set up a corporation and establish a monopoly in all but name on magitech, but even that seemed to be working out for them. I was expecting the same for China, for things to blow over and settled down into the status quo more or less the same as it had been before. China had been this vaguely hostile country that wasn’t crazy enough to kick off a war.
Now though . . .
I watched as the news brought on some expert to talk about what was happening, but I didn’t hear it as Doug muted the sound before turning to me.
“This could be bad, Adam,” He said, his voice oddly dead. “Very, very bad.”
I think that his tone rattled me almost as much as the news had. Doug wasn’t one of those guys that could never get serious, but he preferred to laugh at the world more than not. He always had a joke or story to lighten the mood, so seeing him like this only fed into the void I could feel growing in my stomach.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you get it?” He asked. “Gods have actually taken over a superpower. They haven’t just integrated or climbed the ladder, I mean they’ve flat-out conquered the whole thing! Do you know what that’s going to do to the world?”
Sure, I could think of a few ways it was going to screw things up. People were going to be scared, businesses were going to be scared. Hell, entire nations would be scared by this, wondering if they’d be the next ones facing conquest by some ambitious deity.
“Hey, we’ve got the King here,” I offered. “America’s got their bounty hunters and some demigods, everywhere is coming up with some trump cards they can use to keep things from going totally off the rails. China . . . I don’t know what happened there, but I don’t think it’ll happen here, okay?”
The look he gave me was almost pitying, and I felt my stomach start to sink. Doug had always been more of a political animal than me since I was rather lazy when it came to politics. He was always the one to explain things to me, and often saw things that I’d missed. I was guessing that he’d spotted something I was sure I wouldn’t like.
“Adam, there’ve already been places taken over by gods. Egypt and most of northeastern Africa belong to some of the Egyptian pantheon in all but name. There’s Skadi up in Russia, though she’s not getting too much attention because the areas she’s claimed are ones that no one really cares about. Then there’re all the places in Brazil where the rainforest has come back. Chunks of Canada, lots of the Australian interior, islands in the Mediterranean, there’re so many places where gods, demigods or some kind of Legend are taking over. You know why this is different?”
I shook my head, surprised to hear of so many places where gods had just set up their own kingdoms. I knew that large chunks of Africa were in massive flux, dictatorships or banana republics being brought down and replaced by gods or ambitious demigods. Hearing it was happening elsewhere though, came as a real surprise, though maybe it shouldn’t have.
“This time it’s a major nation, one of the big ones,” Doug explained. “They’re not someplace out in the sticks or someplace no one cares about. This is a place with mass manufacturing capability, a real military, and a massive population. I mean, do you know how many people actually live in China?”
I shook my head, knowing it was a lot, but not sure of the exact figure.
“If you took the entire population of the USA and Europe combined they’d still be beating us by more than three hundred million. And that’s what’s got me worried.” Doug explained.
“What d’you mean?”
“Look, you know that gods get power from worship, right?” At my nod, he continued. “Well, we’ve just had a pantheon take over one of the largest and most populated nations in the world. How long do you think it’ll be before they have all those people worshipping them? And how much power do you think they’ll get from them?
“And then there’s the other side of it, the mortal side,” He ploughed on, waving his arms as he got into it. “It’s not just worshippers that they’re going to get, it's everything. Soldiers, spies, satellites, research facilities . . .”
He paused and levelled a stare at me.
“Nukes.”
Okay, that was enough to bring me up short. Honestly, the thought of gods with nuclear weapons didn’t really cross my mind. Compared to gods being able to call down lightning or make trees get up and fight for them modern weapons seemed unnecessary. Nukes, though, were on a completely different level.
“You really think they’d use them?” I asked.
“No,” His reply started to ease my tension, only for his next words to ratchet it up. “I think someone else will use nukes on them, then they’ll retaliate.”
“Huh?”
“Look, a large and powerful pantheon has taken over a large and powerful nation,” Doug said, trying to explain his reasoning. “And on top of that, this isn’t some splintered or chaotic pantheon, this is the Jade Court. In Chinese myths, they’re always depicted as being ordered and structured. Hell, one of the literal translations of their name is ‘the Celestial Bureaucracy’. Sure, they had their chaotic elements, like the Monkey King, rivalries and stuff like that, but for the most part, they were all loyal to their head honcho.
“That all means that they can probably actually make conquering a nation work for them. And that’s going to net them massive benefits. Loads of worshipers, international recognition, massive resources, the works. What’s got me worried is that other gods are going to see that, see all those benefits and then get greedy or scared.”
Doug paused for a moment, his eyes flicking from the muted tv to me, to the longue window, then back to me.
“Look, gods are nothing if not proud, and demons are flat out evil, even angels can be . . . overenthusiastic. What do you think they’ll do if they see one pantheon getting so much power? Do you think they’ll accept being inferior? No, my money’s on them wondering if they can do the same thing. If they can conquer a nation and get so much power. What’s got me really worried is what’ll happen after a few of them try and find out it’s not as easy as they think.
“Adam, you know what people are like. If some god tried to take over France, Germany or even the US do you think it would go well for them?”
“No way.” I didn’t even have to give it much thought. “They’d be looking at insurrection and rebellion all over the place. Loads of passive resistance too, lack of cooperation, everything anyone can get away with. It’d be a nightmare.”
“Yeah,” Doug agreed. “The Jade Court . . . I think they’re not going to have too hard a time of it in China. It’s their native country, it’s a nation used to . . . forceful governments, and like I said, they’re a pantheon used to governance and rule. Other places though, any gods trying the same there are going to find it a mess. So what I’m thinking is . . . what’d a god do if they find they can’t keep a major country? Not some minor place in the junge, but a major first world country? What would a proud and powerful being like that do when they find they can’t win?”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
He paused again, and the look he gave me left me feeling unbareably naive.
“Gods don’t like to lose, not to other gods, and even less to mortals. If a god that’s conquered a country finds they can’t hold it . . . it’ll be like those assholes that flip a gameboard over because they’re losing, only these poor losers will be using nukes and missiles while they’ve still got control of them.
“Maybe they’ll blow up the country that they can’t hold. Going for the whole ‘if I can't have it no one can’ thing. Or, and this is the one that’s got me scared, they’ll launch on China, maybe out of spite, or maybe it’ll be tactical, trying to weaken the Jade Court. Either way, there’s a good chance that could kick off a retaliatory nuke strike, and before you know it we’re looking at a good-old nuclear war.”
That was it! That was the moment when genuine fear hit me. As someone growing up in the modern world, I was well aware of the dangers of a nuclear war. There had been enough films, tv shows and books about it, stuff ranging from the realistic to the absurd. Still, it was enough that I knew the basics. How massive the death toll would be, how poisoned the land would end up, how a nuclear winter would screw the whole world over.
Oh God, it might really happen, a doomsday not of horsemen and demons, but of mankind’s own creation, set off by uncaring and spiteful gods.
Oh God!
Oh God, this was the world I was living in!
“Hey, Adam, are you okay?”
Then the moment was over as Doug’s question snapped me out of it, the wild panic that just wanted to dig a hole and bury myself away from the world.
“Yeah . . . Sorry, it just kinda hit me, you know?”
“Hey, being scared is the sane response,” Doug assured me. “I mean, this is all just crazy, gods taking over countries, us having to worry about nuclear war. It . . . it all belongs in a movie, right?”
“Come on,” I felt my mood lightening as we started to joke around. “A film with all these gods fighting and messing around? The special effects budget would have to be massive! Do you think it would be any good, or just get swamped in trying to be too big?”
Doug smiled back, settling into a familiar friendly banter between us.
“I’d give it a go at least. Just as long as they didn’t make the hero a Greek god, that’s just too overdone.”
“So, who’d you have?”
“Obviously the King. Make it about his fight with Balor and you’ve got an instant hit”
“I’m not so sure,” I replied, smiling as the earlier tension faded. “The videos and fan mades have done that to death on the internet, wouldn’t something more original be better?”
“Oh? Like what?”
“I don’t know, how about a Hindu got working with a Shinto one?” I suggested.
“Both are Asian,” Doug commented. “Maybe a native American spirit? It’d be original.”
“The seats would be packed!” I declared with exaggerated grandness, getting a chuckle in response.
It was a release, but even if my earlier tension was broken I wasn’t completely fine.
“So . . . what do you think comes next?” I asked.
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Doug admitted. “We’re safer than most nations, thanks to the King, but I don’t know if even he could protect the whole country if a real war kicks off. He could probably take out some of them, maybe even lots if he deploys all the Knight of the Round Table, but the UK is a big place, I don’t think he could cover it all. We’d probably do better than most major nations, but we’d still be hit.”
He paused, then gestured to the window, making me look out at our street, nice, quiet, normal as always. I couldn’t help but imagine how it would look in the wake of a nuclear explosion. Burnt grass and trees, smashed walls, collapsed roofs, blackened and melted pavement.
“Maybe we’ll start building public shelters, like during the blitz. Places people can duck into to ride out a bombardment if they have to. I don’t know. We’re just going to have to keep a watch on things and see how this whole mess develops. If we’re lucky maybe I’ll be wrong. There’re a lot of gods that like the world the way it is, maybe they’ll manage to keep things from falling apart.”
It was an optimistic view, and it was one that I really hoped would turn out true.
Still, it didn’t change the fact that I had felt the foundations of my calm and peaceful life creak. I now understood just how fragile it all was.
I paid much more attention to the news after that.
The truth of what happened in China came out over the next week, both officially and through several reputable reporters doing their own digging. It was an ironic story, in that the largest nation in the world that had been conquered by the returned deities had been conquered by the gods least eager to take over.
When the Black Sun occurred the immortals of old China had not rushed to return as many others had. Instead, they took a calm and orderly approach, intending to send scouts to confirm the best paths, and then using agents to prepare the mortals for the return of the entire pantheon.
The original plan had been for them to retake their positions as the deities of China with only minimal interference with the lives of mortals. The Celestial Court had no desire for mass chaos or bloody revolution. They wished for acknowledgement and respect, for certain old traditions to be revived and honoured, and for their words and deeds to be of relevance once more. They did not demand the submission of the government; they did not expect the nation to fall to their knees in supplication.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it, things did not go according to plan.
The Jade Emperor had elected to use a gentle touch for his first contact with the mortals and had chosen to send his daughter. Zhinü was a goddess familiar with mortals, having loved and been faithful to one in a tale that had lasted to the modern era as ‘The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl’. It had been thought that her fame, her familiarity with mortals, and her beauty would smooth the way for her, and make it easier to establish contact and communication with the modern government.
At first, things went well enough. Zhinü made her appearance in a small town only a week after the Black Sun, proved her power and developed credibility. Messages were sent and official attention was drawn. Matters had been proceeding as planned and the Weaver goddess had expressed her hope that soon her father’s plan could begin in earnest.
There was a lot of confusion about what happened next. Records had been deleted, accusations laid about, cover-ups hastily thrown about in an attempt to save face, the works. It was unknown if it was an official order from the upper echelons of the government, or if it was just some lower officer being foolish and ambitious. Maybe it was due to a simple miscommunication, a garbling of orders at just the wrong time. Whatever the case, it happened.
A small but well-armed force of military police arrived to take Zhinü into custody. The tone they took with her had been too aggressive, too hostile, enough so that the immortal elected to resist them.
The Weaver goddess was not a warrior deity, but even so she was more than a match for mortals lacking any magic, regardless of their weapons. Unfortunately, her resistance led to common citizens getting caught in the crossfire. Seeing many wounded and dying Zhinü had called to her fellow deities for aid, and seeing an opportunity to aid, and gain goodwill with her Imperial father, a number answered. Several minor deities of healing joined her saving many lives and social media went crazy over it, the images of soldiers hurting people and the gods saving them spreading like wildfire.
Having seen what the Weaver goddess could do, and then seeing more like her appear, there was panic through the chain of command and a full military attack on Zhinü and her allies was ordered. This assault was made with tanks and attilery, but it didn’t do any better, modern technology being no match for divine power.
From there, things devolved from one mess to the next. Feeling threatened the military and the government continued to escalate the situation, trying to establish their own strength and power. Maybe there was a plan, some thought of proving themselves so they could negotiate from a position of strength, but if so it was a no-go from the start. Each time they escalated the courts of the Jade Emperor matched and defeated them, sending in more powerful gods and immortals, leaving the government constantly on the back foot.
In the face of such power, and under pressure as their efforts failed, the government turned inwards in an increasely paranoid frenzy. Unable to accept their losses scapegoats were sacrificed and excuses where thrown around in the halls of power. Those suggesting peace and dialogue were branded as traitors or disloyal. Fanatics and warmongers were seen as patriots and heroes, who in turn used violence and suspicion to silence any that spoke against them. Rationality and moderation seemed to melt away as greater and greater extremes were allowed in the name of ‘defending the republic’.
The back and forth lasted for a tense two weeks, the rest of the world locked out of the loop, as the Chinese government managed to censor and control all information. The Celestial Court took more and more territories, moving to protect them as an increasingly frayed and fractured military employed more and more destructive measures. It all came to a head when an extremist faction in the government chose to deploy nuclear weapons against a town where several deities had gathered.
The effort failed, the missile was rendered inert before it could detonate, its enriched uranium transmuted into lead by divine arts. However, it proved to be the final straw. The Celestial Court hadn’t wanted to take over China. They hadn’t wanted to replace the current government. What they wanted was an orderly rule, a stable land joined to their divine nation. They would have been content to attach to the existing structure with only a few minor changes. Instead, the current governance had descended into chaos, and the nation was on the verge of civil war.
Unwilling to give a government that would burn and poison it’s own land further chances, the Jade Emperor gave the orders, and the world saw its first example of the true dominance of divine power.
It had been barely more than a month since the Black Sun, and back then the world was still finding its feet regarding the Legends. The supernatural had been confirmed to exist, and King Arthur had returned to save Britain, but all of us were still getting used to it. At the time they still seemed to be almost like superheroes and monsters, strange and terrible, but not upending the status quo despite all their spectacle.
The conquest of China disabused the world of such notions as it showed just what a pantheon was capable of when they chose to stop holding back and acted in concert.
The Celestial Court was composed of hundreds, even thousands, of deities, but those were just the elite, the officers. The Celestial Bureaucracy was made up of tens of thousands of officials, scribes and eunuchs. But the armies of the Jade Emperor numbered in the millions, and every one of them was a minor immortal in their own right, every one of them superhumanly strong, swift, and skilled.
There was no war since war would have been messy and chaotic. The sheer speed and efficiency with which one of the greatest nations in the world was subdued and taken over left the world stunned. In a space of time that should have been impossible the Celestial Court had removed the current government, replaced it, and resumed the rule of China, the country running as smoothly as freshly spun silk.
The real win in the whole mess was that despite ruling with absolute power the Jade Emperor was surprisingly open about everything. Under his rule the citizens were almost universally happy, corruption vastly reduced and efficiency increased, so he had nothing to hide. In fact, he welcomed scrutiny, both official and otherwise, into his rule, proud to demonstrate the competence of the Celestial Beuracracy.
Even though it never went away the tension of the situation in China slowly faded. Even better, though there were a few disturbances and fights involving legends around the world, none of them seemed too eager to try their hands at major nation-conquering. Just like the tension, the looming spectre of nuclear war also shrank away.
As far as I was concerned things had shaken out about as well as they could have, but I still watched the news more carefully than I had before, always worried that the next bit of news could upend my life. That was my life now.