EPISODE 74: DEMIGODDESS OF ILLUSION 1
— Edryan Queendom, Year: 7281. Season: New Beginning.
I’ve come to understand what it means to be [ Chosen of Madris ] . It is a title that represents her in all forms. My words are taken as Her words. If I say go left, the general populace of magi-humans will not look right.
Each step I take, every word I speak is recorded and eventually, it will enter the ears of the people. The way I dress, my speaking habits, and even my style of walking… are viewed and copied. A [ Chosen of Madris ] is someone whom the Goddess has chosen to be her absolute representation within Edryan. I am higher than a pope. I am her prophet, a messenger of Her Will. What I say cannot be wrong, for that is to challenge Her. What I do cannot be wrong… for that is to challenge Her . I understand now why what I say goes without pushback. When I desired to free the slaves, it was done in a matter of months. Not completely out of my desire, but because it was considered an extension of Her desire. The Church of Madris did not hesitate to act, as did several other institutions outside just my royal family. They ensured such a task was completed in a timely manner. I’ve only learned of this later.
To go against me is to go against Her.
— Excerpt from the private journal of Lawruthian Edryani
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My eyes shined with excitement and there was a small skip in my step as I headed towards my study for my latest lesson with Eliana. Law’s Sweet Golem’s was steadily taking off and the Imper District was starting to take shape. The slaves I freed were steadily taking to their jobs with each passing year. An elf by the name of Bucca quickly became the leader of the bunch, and her unique class change into [Vice President of LSG] held skills that were far beyond what they should be.
“Today is a good day!”
Outside, my favorite type of day was present… clear skies with sparse clouds and warm weather. It was surprising for the weather to be this nice at the start of New Beginning. The cold chill of winter was usually only just receding. This year, however, winter did not have the same staying power it typically did.
I arrived at my study and surveyed the room. It was grand, around the size of a two-story house. Scattered throughout the room were dozens of bookshelves filled with all manners of subjects. From history, to combat, business, and more, I read whatever I could get my hands on. One day this knowledge will prove useful when the Codex of Earth unlocks.
I hurried to the second floor as I felt a pair of eyes on me from the balcony. Eliana smiled down and spoke as I climbed the stairs to meet her.
“Oh, aren’t we a bit lax today? My young prince isn’t running to and fro as usual?” The older woman spoke with a tease and gestured to the table that was already filled with the contents of today’s lesson.
“Good afternoon, Teacher Eliana,” I responded brightly and respectfully. Eliana taught me everything there was to know about Edryan, and I was grateful… but she also served as a barrier to me obtaining deeper knowledge.
“I’d have thought you’d be in a rush since you’ve eagerly been waiting to learn the contents of today’s lesson,” she chuckled as I sat down.
“Of course I was, that’s why I made sure everything else would be cleared. There should be no interruptions for today’s lesson!”
My eyes shined brightly, and I stared down at the thick tomes placed before my cushioned seat. Carefully, I read the name of the first book… Of Gods and Goddesses by True Elf — Jorrin. Next, I turned to the second tome, this one by the same author… To Prestige… To Become More .
Eliana lightly placed a hand on the book, and that drew my attention back to her. “Tell me Lawruthian, what do you know of the Gods?”
I thought over the question for a moment. What do I know of Gods?
I knew at a certain point, high-levelers could become Gods. This was open and taught plenty about how Goddess Madris, the Mother of Magi became a god, and how she protected the magi-humans from the darkness of the world, Calamities, and other races attempting to consume them. She became The Challenger and is regarded as the Mother of Magi… not in the physical sense of things. The term is meant to be more in a spiritual and religious sense… at least depending on whom you spoke to.
That was mainly the extent of my knowledge. High-levelers could become demigods and Gods but no more.
“I know that once you level to a certain point, you have the opportunity to achieve Godhood.”
“Yes… that is true and no, it is not.”
My head tilted to the side, the confusion plain and obvious to see. Eliana smiled at my reaction and in the next instant magic erupted from her fingertips. She showed a simple but profound application of illusion magic as she twisted and shaped her mana to become life-like. It began with a man, a magi battling and going on harrowing adventures. He fought against the elements, that of rain, that of thunder. He fought against beasts and monsters, some in the form of men. Others soon joined him and eventually, that man, magi , reached a certain point. A choice appeared before him, two options that held massive implications.
One choice appeared darker, more worn, and endless bodies littered the Path. The other was less steep and less rewarding, but plenty of others arrived safely. The man, magi , watched as his companions entered both paths. Those who chose the darker option all failed… without exception . Those who selected the lighter path held far more success and far fewer failures.
“The darker side represents the Path to Godhood and the lighter side represents the Path to Prestige. Once you reach a certain point in your leveling, around two hundred or higher, this choice becomes your ultimate goal. To Prestige, extend your lifespan, albeit you don’t gain as much Power… or pursue the Path of Godhood. Our Goddess Madris selected the latter, and no other magi-human has made it after her. Outside Edryan and the Low Kingdoms, most countries hold several gods. At minimum two, Elysium holds the record of five.
To pursue this path is to face certain Oblivion , for if you fail… your soul is surely damned for all Eternity ,” Eliana taught. She gazed at me with warm eyes, but the magic that displayed the story of the magi was anything but warm.
“Choose,” she spoke softly as I gazed at the options presented before me.
“What Path should the man take? That will be the first lesson we discuss today.”
My eyes glanced from one to another, but in my heart, the decision was already made.
I nodded my head at the darker Path. “I wish to learn what it means to walk the Path to Godhood.”
Eliana’s eyes brightened, and she controlled the magical apparition to head down the darker and more chaotic path. His remaining friends waved him goodbye, as this was a Path he walked alone .
She spoke as the man began to walk. She spoke of the Gods and Goddesses and what it meant to try to join them.
“To become a [Hero] usually requires a perilous journey beforehand…” Eliana began.
“Some [Heroes] have saved villages single-handedly from complete destruction, others have adventured for years doing countless deeds to achieve such a goal.”
I listened as she spoke, but I wondered what this ultimately led to.
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“Some have done no such thing. They have never spilled a single drop of blood. Princess Carina was one such example,” Eliana smiled sadly, but she continued as she saw the growing confusion.
“You are confused and wonder what [Heroes] and Gods have to do with one another. The answer is simple. Each walks similar paths. [Heroes] must prove themselves when none else is there to save them, and those who wish to become Gods must do the same.
The first step is comprehension. To grasp a Touch . A piece of a law that gives one limited understanding of said law. Goddess Madris has grasped the Laws’ of War, Wealth, and most recently Wisdom. Just as all other Gods of the Elrunian Continent, Goddess Madris began with a Touch,” Eliana began to teach. She opened Of Gods and Goddesses as she did so.
“A Touch can be received by comprehension of a tier ten rune, it can be stolen from a dungeon, or another who possesses the Touch. It is a Touch of divinity and the first requirement in gaining the power to walk the Path of Godhood.”
It was as Eliana paused and thanked a maid who served drinks and snacks that I asked a question. “What exactly are Laws? How can you grasp one and divinity?”
Laws on Earth were something I knew of in the sense of science, but since my birth in the Edryan Queendom that sense of what I knew as truth and false was constantly grinding against all that is magic… it was a losing battle.
Eliana’s eyes perked up as she took a sip of some LSG honey-sweetened juice. As she finished, her gaze toward me grew warmer while she smacked her lips. She’s lucky I don’t know how to make alcohol yet!
“ Laws are a divine manifestation of the realm turned somewhat real and somewhat illusory. Depending on the law, adverse powers and effects can turn from a false into a truth and truth into a false! A God can impose their law as the highest Authority within a localized region, forcing less powerful laws to obey!”
So laws are a metaphysical representation of the said law in the universe and their wielders can turn negatives into positives or reverse it. Hmmm, interesting. If someone has grasped a law, they can turn the surrounding area around them into some sort of domain where all other laws are weakened.
I held nearly eleven years under my belt of translating Eliana’s words into more manageable terms and meanings I could understand. However, as the years went by, I found myself needing to do this less and less as I began to understand this strange new world I found myself in.
“The second requirement is to convert that Touch into a Seed ,” Eliana exclaimed. The excitement was palpable, and she flipped through the book searching for a passage.
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From the textbook: Of Gods and Goddesses.
For the first step is to grasp a Touch , called as such, for it is only just a touch of divinity. It holds great power, yet it is no more than a touch. Its power is not one that can be wielded internally, neigh, only the external help of the world can you cast with a touch.
For the second step is to grasp a Seed , called as such, for you are no longer touching divinity. You have planted the seed of it within yourself and ignited your path to Godhood. To grasp a seed is to become a demigod, and it is truly the first step in leaving behind the Mortal Realm.
For the third step…
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— Edryan Queendom, Year: 7291. Season: Color Fading.
Demigoddess Kubrat stared at me in silence as I did the same. Her eyes shined with radiance and her presence covered me and more. I breathe heavily, taking the scent of lilac and lilies in. Her Intent felt like a thick illusory blanket that was present one moment, then gone the next. It left me in a state of confusion as her aura seemed strong. Far stronger than anything I’ve ever confronted before, yet in the next moment it was like a whisper of its former self… illusory through and through.
“What do you want from me?”
Abruptly, I blurted the question. If the demigoddess wanted to attack me, capture, or kill me, then little was stopping her from enacting it. Nubia stood frozen a few feet away and the only thing I could rely on for protection was [A Mother’s Gift] which kept its continuous pink glow around my neck.
Finally, after an extended silence that was delving into awkwardness, the demigoddess before me spoke.
“I sensed you the moment you opened my… previous work ,” she emphasized the end with a grimace.
My eyes widened in realization once I thought back to my very first encounter with the name Kubrat. “So… it really is you.”
“Yes, it is me but I am not the woman, the mortal I once was. Time… thousands of years to contemplate have a way of... leveling out your mind.
The moment I became a demigoddess,” Kubrat said with a far-off look.
“Everything changed. A lot of what I researched when becoming a Magi took on a different meaning with the passage of time. When I followed the Title of Truth Seeker…,” the far-off look began to disperse and her eyes once again settled on me. They were no longer the swirls they once were, now like a rainbow, they held all shades of the color spectrum.
I stayed silent as she talked. Minerva hadn’t stopped hovering and my perk was doing her best to minimize her presence. She’d forgo talking but we were one and the same just as we were separate. Her questions were my questions and there was only one answer I was looking for.
“What do you want from me?”
Precious time was wasted as Thraag shifted the dimension. My body stumbled as the piece of earth I stood upon began to shift. I wasn’t sure what he was doing but whatever it was couldn’t be completed otherwise I was certain we’d lose.
“Cheeky for a brat who enjoys the fruits of my labor… My honeybees have served you quite well,” Kubrat muttered so quietly I barely heard her. My thoughts flashed to Law’s Sweet Golems and its highest-earning product for a moment before Kubrat’s next words took my attention.
“Hmmm, well I can’t say nothing . After all, everyone wants something from the [Chosen of Madris],” Kubrat responded.
There was silence around us as the shifting of Starglow Valley held no sound, however, that silence seemed to grow deeper, heavier, as the presence of the Demigoddess of Illusion changed. She stood at her full height and a wand that radiated power appeared in her hand. [Eternal Love] slid silently from my back and [Limitless Love] transformed into a round circular shield with an intense sharp blade as its edge.
“Twice you’ve asked what I wanted and thus… twice I will test you. What I want from you is simple… I wish to judge the character of the final [Chosen of Madris].”
With each word Kubrat spoke her body slightly shifted. Her hair would change color and style, its only constant was the magenta-colored section in the middle. It was the same for her eyes and many other features but a surprisingly magenta-colored gaze continuously emerged.
“The first failed in her attempt to conquer the realm for her love for the [Elder Elf] proved greater than her love for her countrymen. This brought a stable peace to the continent but the Goddess held ambitions for a unified realm and a few thousand years a second [Chosen] emerged—a herald to her ambition.
The second failed in his attempt as he lacked companionship and compassion for his countrymen. This led the magi into an endless slaughter and burning of the continent. Ancient bloodlines became extinguished, heritages gone. Great libraries that once held knowledge, scholars, and history before the Jagged Crush… shattered. The aftereffects are still felt to this day. He made it to the doors of the Temple of the Sun before finally being vanquished on the cusp of his ascension into Godhood.
The third,” she started. Her gaze upon me was harsh and like that of an executioner ready to deliver judgment.
“…is unknown… but ,” she gestured around. “Today’s actions can be considered a statement within itself. The first of your test…”
I frowned at her words, but I didn’t bother to respond to her provocation instead I took a different route.
“So, this one action can judge all others I’ve done,” I questioned as I slowly sheathed my blade. I gestured and Minerva landed on my newly outstretched arm. “Will you judge Thraag and the Council of Elders in the same manner?”
Kubrat frowned. “They have nothing to do with your actions and the destruction you’ve wrought on the valley thus far.”
“They have everything to do with it. You must know just as well what I represent. I am the [Chosen] Her [Chosen]. You’ve come to judge me based on a biased assumption that I will be like my predecessor who caused massive destruction on the continent—predecessors whom I have little to no knowledge of and thus cannot avoid the same mistakes.
You claim the Council of Elders have nothing to do with my actions but I am a representation of Her Will upon the Mortal Realm. To deny me would be to deny Goddess Madris. To claim I would bring destruction based on a single assumption without looking at my previous actions thus far is to deny the greatness I’ve brought to Edryan.”
Kubrat opened her mouth to speak but I cut her off and continued.
“Yes, I will bring destruction, many will die. Already,” I gestured around, and the face of the young magi-humans I slayed flashed through my mind. “I have killed and I will kill more. I have killed my citizens, those I swore an oath to lead. Do you believe I wanted this? Months ago I extended an olive branch to the Spatial Convocation and that branch was discarded. Instead, the Convocation chose to try and summon me as if we live in times of old… times when princes had to build massive connections in vying for the throne. I represent Her . Do you believe I can be summoned by an organization within our country or elsewhere for that matter? What do you believe the Edryans would think? What the magi of this country will think?
I desire a greater Edryan… and no matter who or what is in my way… I. Will. Have. It. ”