Mairek lifted his head and scanned the night sky, he looked for the source of that voice that had reached into the depths of his soul. It felt like it had been carried by a breeze and the breeze had gone up. "Ishar." Mairek said while turning around and peering into the sky, the light from the giant bonfire partially obscured the view but he squinted and hoped he won't see anything that would heighten the unrest of his spirit.
"Ishar, did you hear that?" He asked. There was no reply. Mairek suddenly became aware of the silence all around him. He jerked his head in Ishar's direction and found him frozen, his mouth open with words unsaid and his hand stretched out in Mairek's direction. Behind Ishar, Princess Tari held a smile while staring in his direction and her hands were frozen mid clap, her father beside her had turned his head to one of the armored guards, he stood still in the fixed position of a monarch about to issue a command. All around him the Talisi resembled statues posed with different expressions while doing different things. Some had even frozen mid jump with their feet dangling off the ground.
To Mairek's shock even the fire didn't crackle neither did it wave, it was as if he were looking at a detailed painting of a flame. It had no life to it. "What the fuck!" Mairek muttered, his eyes wide. Suddenly he heard the flapping of wings and turned his head up just in time to see a brick red bird with blue tipped wings descend and land next to the bonfire. The bird was so identical to the one that had shat on Ishar to the point where Mairek believed it to be the same bird. Mairek's first instinct was to run as the bird's beady black eyes met his, he wanted to run from everything that was happening but the fact that only him and the bird were capable of motion grounded him in place.
The bird tilted its head to one side, observing. Mairek was about to open his mouth to speak, to beg the creepy bird to bring back the natural flow of time but he blinked before he spoke and when he opened his eyes a man stood in the place of the bird. His white hair floated above his head like a cloud and moved like smoke as he tilted his neck to better observe Mairek. His skin held the depths of the night sky and was just as black but was dotted with spots of white twinkling specks that resembled stars. The man held a grim expression upon his handsome chisel jawed face and a line of miniature stars upon his chin acted like a cleft. His eyes were the least remarkable feature for they were no different from Mairek's green.
The man wore a tunic that dropped to his ankles and it resembled the setting sun with its red and orange hue and when he took a step closer Mairek felt a gust of wind that carried with it the chill of a mountain top. "Fuck no!" Mairek said, he turned around and broke into a full on sprint. He had to escape, he had to put as much distance between himself and the bird man as possible. He stopped running after he realized he hadn't moved an inch from where he'd stood, he was still before the man. He'd been running on the same spot.
"There was a time when the Talisi-" The man started but Mairek screamed and raised his hand to his ears. The voice, it was too much. It would crumble his very being if he heard one more word from the man.
The man seemed to notice this for he cleared his throat and spoke in a normal tone that was only mildly rich with spirit crushing power. "There was a time when a Talisi would sacrifice his entire lineage just to get a glimpse of me." The man said. He put his hands behind his back and walked a circle around Mairek. Mairek lowered his hands from his ears and stood as still as he possibly could, he felt like he was being orbited by the sun.
"Now you don't even recognize me and you curse in my presence." The man said, coming to a stop before him. Mairek swallowed and tried not to peer into the man's deep green eyes, fixing his eyes instead on his dainty shaped nose. "Who am I?" The man asked.
Mairek knew that his entire existence depended on his answer yet he had no clue who the man was. "I don't-"
The man's eyes turned a blue so bright it fought off the orange glow of the bonfire. "WHO AM I?" He shouted.
Mairek dropped to his knees, his trembling lips moved and sound emerged but he had no control over it all. "You are Nielda, the weaver of time, the one who fought above the endless night while the other Gods fought below. The usurper of fate, He who knows the home of the North wind and the mistress of the South wind." Blood dripped from Mairek's nose and dropped onto a Centala flower as he felt a pressure squeeze his mind. Still, he pushed on. "You dwell in the expanse of space and look down upon the realm..." Mairek felt tears flow down his face. ".. I am unworthy."
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"Get up." Nielda commanded and Mairek obeyed. He struggled to stand on his feet for every part of him shook like a twig in a hurricane. Nielda's eyes had turned back to green. "I drifted above the realm, peering into the depths of the cosmos, staying vigilant for millennia lest he returned from above." Nielda said and started circling him once more, Mairek became aware of the fact that Nielda walked around him but the God's bare feet never quite touched the ground, they hovered slightly above. "I do not have the same command over fate as I once did so I am not its usurper as your soul claims, I lost a part of me as I battled the bringer of the endless night but I am luckier than Nyawe was.
"Still, Meena has played her hand against me, she's chosen a champion and has siphoned all worship to herself. She's stolen what's mine knowing that I'll become detached from everything below as I roamed further into the expanse of space with nothing to anchor me down as I guarded the realm from the bringer of the endless night." Nielda huffed and came to stand before Mairek. "I understand Meena for order resonates with time but my understanding does not negate my rage for her actions have made me forget myself."
"Forget yourself?" Mairek asked. He was aware that the God was mostly talking to himself but he felt obligated to participate lest he be wrong.
"Without mortal worship how will a God remember himself? How will he know his name? His work? His purpose? Worship strengthens a God's perception of himself, it anchors their resolve and fuels the God's power." Nielda replied.
Mairek nodded as if he understood. He was glad Nielda answered his question for it opened the window to ask more. "What have you done to them?" Mairek asked. While pointing at the frozen bodies all around him.
Nielda turned his attention to those frozen all around. "There is eternity between seconds and my domain exists between fractions of seconds and that is where I have brought you." Mairek nodded as if he understood.
"You understand that your brain cannot handle being here? With the resumption of time you will become a vegetable, your brain will die."
"Wait, what?" Mairek asked, his eyes going wide. Nielda's words did not sound good. "Why the fu-" He stopped himself. "Why did you bring me here then?"
"Because you reminded me of all that I am. The worship caught my attention, worship I hadn't heard for hundreds of years. It dragged me to the lowest I've ever fully been in over such a long time and I saw you beat upon that drum and string words that were echoed by the Talisi. You strengthened the perception of all that I am and that pleased me, it is only fair if I granted you an audience for your role in helping me fully regain myself." Nielda said and Mairek fought the urge to snap back at the narcissistic God. What good was seeing him and becoming a vegetable afterwards?
"I don't want to be a.. vegetable." Mairek's words broke at the last word. He felt powerless before Nielda's power and he regretted catching the God's attention.
"Mmph. If I choose you as my champion, you shall be free of the effects of the cost of mobility and thought between time." Nielda said and brought one hand to his chin, his green eyes were fixed on him and Mairek noticed Nielda's nails had the luminous glow of the moon to them. "Meena chose a champion, she unbalanced what was balanced but I don't blame her that much for it, Nyawe's sacrifice has after all affected each of us in various ways. If what I felt from my subconscious avian perspective is to be believed, Ovek has fixed the unbalance by choosing a champion of his own. If I am to choose you as my champion, it will bring unbalance and I do not wish that to happen."
"Please." Mairek went down on his knees with his hands clasped before him. "Please, I don't want to be in a vegetative state."
"You also have Ovek's touch to you, he has played a role in altering a part of you and that makes you unsuitable for I cannot pinpoint exactly what he's done and cannot risk playing into the hand of chaos." Nielda said, his expression changed as he smiled at Mairek. "Cheer up! You have gazed upon the God of Space and Time! Many would give their lives to experience the smallest ounce of my presence and you have had it in full."
And with that Nielda turned and started to walk away from Mairek, levitating further off the ground with each step. Mairek wept as he powerlessly watched the God ascend. Suddenly, Nielda stopped, hovering a foot off the ground. He turned his head in Ishar's direction and his eyes blazed blue. Mairek turned his head in the same direction and found Ishar's eyes glowing amber and his once frozen in time body vibrating until he became a blur. Mairek turned his attention to those around him and found them still in their statue like state. Only Ishar showed any signs of motion as he vibrated, his outstretched hand slowly started to drop and he tilted his head in Nielda's direction. Glowing amber eyes met glowing blue eyes.