“I could be reading this wrong,” Jaid was hung up on Cosmos’ words. “But it sounds like you’re on our side. Rathe is your family, right? Wouldn’t you support her over us?”
“As I’ve said, functionally, Drim is my family as well, so that can’t be discounted,” Cosmos mentioned once more, “And I do view life across the universe as part of my responsibility, though I will admit some bias to those with whom I hold a closer connection. But that is not the main reason why I am now choosing to intervene. Rathe… she has always been, to put it in your terms, a ‘problematic child’.”
“She is The Demigod of Haste, as you’ve heard, but the title might have also been misconstrued. Many would take the word ‘haste’ to mean the physicality of speed and fast motion. While I’m sure she possesses some abilities along those lines, that is not the core aspect that comprises her very being and personality.”
“Impatience, rash thinking and action, constant expediency and urgency with a constant drive to get things done and over with. That is the essence of who she is. But do not blame her. Upon their creation, all demigods were each formed around a central tenet, either a trait or motivation, parts of me that had been copied or expunged, given form to live out their own ideals, build their own worlds, manifest their own destinies. Just like each one of them, just like all of you, Rathe… Haste… cannot control who she is.”
“But at the same time… like no other of my children, she has continued to bring me strife, ignored my words and rules time and time again—a staunch refusal to learn the lessons I try to impose on her while also blaming me when I punish her for the actions she’s taken. Truthfully, after her last act, I should have seen her disavowed, stricken and returned to me, replaced with a new demigod.”
“Yet I couldn’t bring myself to do it and allowed her one more chance. While she has yet to fully break my trust on the matter, I fear it is inevitable. This disagreement with your group, I believe it could become the spark to once again trigger calamity. If she finds herself backed into a corner, I can not guarantee that she will not once again repeat the tragedies of the past.”
“As you said, I should be on her side. Quite truthfully, I wanted to avoid the conflict between the two of you from ever occurring, hoping that you would stay apart for long enough to find another solution. But you found her anyways, and don’t think me a fool, I know who helped you, ‘Hand Guy’ as you call him. It was against my wishes for him to assist you, yet I do not fault him at the same time.”
“I’ve stated before that I generally do not like to intervene, but my hand has once again been forced, because I fear the opposite outcome is also likely. Even if Rathe wins against you, knowing her, she will take it as an excuse to mark your society as a lost cause—one turned against her—and destroy this world a second time.”
“So it’s true then,” Drim couldn’t stop himself from inquiring. “Our society, the world we know, it’s the second one of this planet, right?”
“Yes, Rathe destroyed the first,” Cosmos confirmed the bitter history. “Normally it is forbidden for gods to reshape their worlds until they have run their course. Once the concept of life is set in motion, it is not to be ended so abruptly and unnaturally. As long as there is even a single living being left on a planet, they’re not supposed to pull the plug, as you’d say. While they can decide what form life takes, and choose to get rid of individuals or even entire races, as a whole, life must go on as it should. But my daughter broke this rule, citing to me rationales she’d convinced herself of.”
“Since she could not get the humans to stop fighting over her, she chose to wipe the slate clean. The only solace I can provide is that it all ended quickly. Rathe created a massive whirlpool to suck all land down to the bottom. She then recycled it after it was scrubbed clean, forming it into the one major continent that now comprises your world.”
“But it is the worst tragedy I have witnessed in the universe. All those people killed like it was nothing… You have heard the tale from the one you call ‘Asset’. Many of their souls still wander in purgatory, waiting for their turn to be judged. But they’ve had to be put on the back burner for the sake of keeping the cycle of life and death moving, slowly being processed whenever there is a lull. I can’t stomach the thought of it ever happening again.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“That is why I placed a curse on her, an eternal punishment in the hopes that she uses it to learn from her mistakes. Listen carefully to my words, as they may help you in the fight ahead. The details of the curse are very simple. Rathe cannot undo any major action she has taken. That is the punishment I bestowed in an attempt to make her think things through before she acts. Anything she adds to the world, any edicts she writes, she does not have the power to revoke them.”
“‘The Drain’ is a prime example of this. Though I allowed its severity to be weakened, it will forever remain as a permanent reminder of the grave sin she has committed. The same could be said for the continent, since it has been formed, it cannot be unformed. Never again can she rearrange the tectonic structure for her own whims. While she could still alter it in other ways, that is something literally set in stone.”
“But I fear she has not learned much. Originally, I was hopeful. Rathe chose to imprison herself as a form of penance, until such a time that humanity would be ready to embrace her once more. But as always, she got impatient. You, Eleen, are the proof of that. To speed along her agenda, she gave untold power to a mere human, one that she had no reason to trust.”
“And obviously, like many of her choices, it… what is a good human term for this…? Bit her in the ass? Because of my curse on her, she couldn’t have rescinded your power or knowledge even if she wanted to. Then came the next rash decision, the creation of Fiends. Rathe has blindly given the strength of gods to those that now oppose her. It is a situation of her own making, and as such, I do not intend to stand at her aid.”
“Rather… It is with a heavy heart as her creator that I believe it is best for this planet Rathe’s rule comes to an end. It is time to entrust this world to new hands. However, as her father, still I must once more admit my failings, as I can’t bring myself to see to her destruction, though I know it must be what comes to pass for this world to survive. As such, yes, after that long-winded explanation, I do intend to offer you my aid in return for making you bear the burden of dealing with her.”
“What I plan to offer may not seem grand. In reality, it is not much at all. But I believe it will be the key to your success. At the very least, it should level the playing field.”
“I have full faith that you and yours would eventually be able to beat Rathe, if not today, then tomorrow, or even years in the future. Given enough time, you will surpass her. But along the way, you will lose far too much in the process, to the point that you may not deem it a fight worth continuing. And as I have said before, it is all about ensuring that Rathe continues to abide by my rules and not trigger a second end.”
“So in an effort to expedite this feud, I will accelerate your progress, Drim. You may think that I will bestow you with more of my power, but that would be far too taboo, even for I who dictates such things. There is another path, however, something in my ability without directly showing abundant favor.”
“At your current level, your divinity barely even registers amongst the rest, it would be hard to even call you an acolyte. But do not fret, many who aren’t born directly from my hand begin at this level. Breaking through the early stages is always the hardest, but there is no limit to how strong you could become. With enough training, progress, and commitment, any of the demigods could one day surpass even me, ascend, and take my position.”
“For you to reach Rathe’s level, or to even reach the same scale as her would take much longer than you have. Years, decades, centuries of focused practice. It’s impossible to say for certain. But there is a one-time shortcut.”
“When a divine being is named, their power receives an immense boost based on all those who follow or have faith in them. Normally, in my universe, naming is a reserved right of the denizens of each demigod’s planet once they come to recognize their world and respect it. As such, Rathe is the name given by your society this go round. During Asset’s time, she had a different name. And I have many names, one for each world that celebrates my existence. Though surprisingly, more than one has landed on the name ‘Cosmos’ in their language.”
“But you do not have your own planet, and as such, cannot be named. Your nation of Fiendish could be considered your domain and Fiendish King your name, but that would only apply if Rathe willingly transferred the right of that territory to you, something I can confirm now would never occur.”
“That is not the only way to get a name, though. As I’ve said, not every divine being is made by my hand, or given a planet to rule and care for. They can also be named by someone with a higher station, as an acknowledgement of their accomplishments.”
Cosmos raised his hand towards his ‘grandson’. “Prepare yourself to receive your new name. You will feel the effects immediately. It will feel like your body is being torn apart, entirely replaced, but you must endure it. Now, I will lay your true self bare.”