“Drimini, please stop at once!” Mallea rushed after the plant-girl the moment Rathe unveiled her garden. To the floral fairy, it was as good as an all-she-could-eat buffet of exotic plants that she’d never tasted before.

“It’s quite alright,” the demigod assured them. “Many of these I planted knowing that is the girl’s preferred form of sustenance, and I wanted to be prepared.”

Laurim’s eyes dazzled at that, “Wow, you even know Drimini and thought of being ready for her. I was surprised you knew me too.”

“Of course I did, I know you all,” Rathe smiled at her. “All of my children are important to me. Though I will admit, Drimini, from my perspective, is a bit of a unique existence, because she is the one being on this planet that I had absolutely no hand in making. And she was made by none other than Drim, so of course I would be interested in her, and I’m delighted to meet her.”

“There’s a lot of pretty colors here,” Niloy interjected. “Some flowers I’ve never seen before. May I take some to use for my makeup creation.” After getting a nod of approval, the woman began stuffing her pockets.

“Now let’s add these flowers,” Rathe held out the bouquet that had been gifted by Nachi. But first to clear out her other hand, she held the bottle of booze towards her chest and it slipped away into the woman’s body, making it appear more and more that she was made of actual moveable stone.

The flowers then dissolved away, turning into green light, leaving just the wrapping behind. The gleaming particles floated over to the rest of the garden, sprinkling over blank spots in the soil that looked more like crushed dust. And then an entire bed of flowers bloomed, far more than The Trainer had brought, sprouting up and blossoming instantly.

“Hmm, it’s rather close to Drim’s power,” Xard observed, both intrigued and wary. “Though it seems even more efficient than his.”

“Well why wouldn’t it be?” Rathe asked rhetorically. “All of your ‘Curses’ do stem from me after all—a name to which I do take offense by the way. They should be called Blessings. Each one is a small piece of my power that is infused into your bodies to tailor-suit your unique circumstances. While I myself may not have all of your exact powers at my disposal, they still are based off of my own divinity.”

“I’d like to ask something,” Alk took the divine being up on her earlier offer. “As you may be aware, I have a disease that is considered a terminal illness. Had I not become a Fiend with regeneration and the ability to suppress it, I would have died many years ago. If you truly are our creator, then why did you make something so horrible and unfair?”

There was a bit of a noticeable pause after The Plague Doctor’s inquiry. Even a holy entity such as Rathe struggled to find the appropriate words when dealing with a tough question. “We demigods may not be as powerful as you think,” was her quick answer. “For any of us, other than perhaps Cosmos himself, what you ask does not have a simple solution.”

“While we shape the worlds, help guide them along their path, we do not dictate every detail, and there are some factors we can not easily oppose. You can think of us as architects that design the blueprints and build the foundations, but we ultimately don’t have total control over the final product. And disease is part of the natural order of things. Every planet has them with endless variables, at least at the start.”

“It would not surprise me if there are worlds that have eventually eradicated it entirely, but that onus would fall on the societies and lifeforms themselves to improve their conditions rather than the demigods to do so at the inception stage. That said… it’s not impossible. But at the same time, it’s not as convenient as snapping my fingers.”

“If I were to say, purge this world of disease both present and future—make all life completely immune to all known harmful bacteria with strong enough bodies to resist any future microscopic invaders, the amount of divine power it would take would far surpass my own. Odds are that I’d die in the process without having achieved anything.”

“However, there is a substitute for divine power that we can harness, a rather inefficient one at that: souls. I could harvest the souls of humans which are the most potent—don’t even ask about other creatures, it's not worth the discussion. And then I could take that power and write a rule for this world, banning the pure concept of disease from existing. That would ultimately be more efficient than trying to eradicate it and evolve all my denizens, but the cost, well. I’d have to kill almost all of those currently alive to do it.”

“But if we’re talking about your specific disease and no others, the task becomes more manageable. I still wouldn’t do it as I am, because while I have enough power, it would weaken me for some time, leaving me and the world vulnerable should a dire threat appear. However, I could again use souls. For that one single disease, I would only ask for your soul, Alkahest.”

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“If you so wish it, I would trade your life to save everyone else from your affliction. All those who currently have it would be immediately cured, and no one would ever get it again in the future. If that is a cause you would want to give your life for, then that would be rather noble.”

“But you should also understand the full details. When a soul is transmuted into divine energy, it is wholly consumed. They do not get the privilege of enjoying the afterlife, regardless of where they’d end up. Instead, just poof, gone to nothingness. And the result might not be as effective as you’d like. Only the strand of your disease would be eradicated. If a variant came along and rerooted itself into human biology, it would be like your sacrifice was worth nothing at all. So, are you interested?”

“No, I was just asking,” Alk quickly backpedaled on both the idea and her complaint. “I’ll get rid of it myself. Besides, I wouldn’t want diseases to vanish entirely, just the ones that I myself can’t make or control.”

“That’s the spirit!” Rathe had no problem encouraging foul behavior, just happy to see her ‘children’ showing ambition, even if it was questionable. “Now let’s move along.” The demigod dragged them all over, though it was never very far from where they started, all part of the one massive room that Rathe would reveal new parts of. Eventually, the whole endeavor began to feel like a gauntlet.

And finally, just when the group was starting to get tired of it all, she brought the tour to an end and suggested that they take a break. “Hmm, this won’t be sufficient,” the demigod realized the problem as soon as the group reached her dining-area setup. It was just a single table and a few chairs, all handcrafted from crude materials as had been the rest of her furniture.

“Ah well, something quick will do,” the godly woman held out both hands flat and then lifted them skyward, straining slightly as her fingers curled to claws. Rocky pillars protruded from the ground and then quickly shed their excess, each one forming into a crude yet oddly stylish and ergonomic chair. Then a few more poked up in a line, morphing into a long table. It was rather similar to how Kada could melt and reform things, but skipping the liquid stage.

Rathe then swung her arms behind her, and out of the floor crawled an already-crafted colossal throne. Unlike the furniture she’d just made from stone, or the hand-carved pieces made from recycled wood, the seat was something truly worthy of a demigod. Divine light surged through the various recesses, etching a marvelous pattern and highlighting the intricacies.

But the ruler didn’t treat it specially, slumping down into it without a second thought. “Please, have a seat.” She then waved her hand again and the middle of the table split and receded. Then up rose various boxes, many with faded labels, many weather worn or tarnished, but mostly intact. “I do not have much in the way of human food and refreshments. Most of what I acquire is what drifts into my caves from sunken ships, and that only happens every few months or years.”

Not to be rude, those sitting at the table prodded through the selection, eventually finding something that was supposedly edible—highly processed snack cakes that appeared dry and unmoldy. And while they were something that’d be questionable to eat even when fresh, at least they hadn’t passed their expiration date. There was also a crate of canned juice that passed similar inspections, so they were passed around as well. While certainly not at the top of anyone's favorites, all spoiled by their daily dinings and treats, they still scarfed them down to not shun their host’s hospitality.

“You there, trainer girl, erm, Nachi,” Rathe took a moment to remember the woman’s name. It had been obvious since the dolls that she held Lessers in a lesser regard, but at least she was trying to be friendly. The demigod then pulled out the bottle she’d earlier stored in her chest, and then with her other hand, spawned several small stone cups. “Won’t you pour me some?”

The woman didn’t need to be asked twice, eagerly leaping from her seat and strutting over. She grabbed the bottle from Rathe, uncorked the top, and began to fill the cups in the demigod’s waiting hand.

“Anyone else who wishes to take part is welcome to join,” the host looked back over to the table. And a few took her up on her offer: Tize, Chorus, and Ipucco. There were a few more who probably wouldn’t turn down a free drink, but remained in their seats, staring with wary eyes. “A toast, I believe that is customary in your culture.” Rathe raised her glass to those that had joined her. “To our meeting.”

Then after a good sip, “Hmm, that is rather delectable, isn’t it? Humans have come far in the art of fermentation. When you return home, I expect a case of this sent my way soon as a proper tribute.” In the meanwhile, the cup in Rathe’s hand enlarged, forming into drinkware more elegant and fitting someone of the demigod’s nation, prompting Nachi to fill it to the brim. The woman then refilled the rest of their own cups with what comparable pittance of drink remained.

“Should we begin our discussions about the project then?” Tize suggested as he returned to his seat.

This caused the demigod to take a deep swig of her goblet, and when the cup left her lips, a frown remained. “Since you have humored me, I will be honest. Such delicate and sensitive topics, it would be easy for things to get heated, especially with so many of you here with distinct personalities.”

“Truthfully, I would rather hold off until I can discuss with your leader. The words you would say carry little weight without his backing. And hearing the various opinions and perspectives from those who are not familiar with the matter would only dilute my understanding and grate against my pride. I doubt that I have the patience for it. So let’s not waste words on something that will just make us all uncomfortable. I’ll wait to debate the matter with Drim himself.”

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t keep things lively until he arrives. Perhaps it is the creeping loneliness from millenia of isolation, but I am rather enjoying your company.” ❝Go on, ask your questions, revel me in your stories. Let’s have a proper celebration! After all, this is the long awaited reunion of the divine to your world!❞