The conference of Rem, Wayward and their host, Vivian, took place on a tea table over a bowl of fruits and a blue grape juice.
Let us say, it was the host who broke the emotional wall after Rem finished his explanation. The method the graceful Vivian used to express her opinion?
A massive wailing.
“I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!!!”
Vivian sobbed facedown on the table. Wayward sighed, pouring himself more grape juice and chugging it down his throat like an alcoholic. Rem tried to be sympathetic. He really wanted to sympathize with the melodramatic breakdown of Vivian, but he couldn’t. His brain simply didn’t allow him a margin of understanding toward the curious collapse being present before him. Vivian reminded him of Cytortia before she grew some spine. It was a nostalgically annoying feeling.
Alas, the time had come for Rem to move the conversation along, “Lady Vivian, I want to let you vent your tears further, but I am on a time-table. Can you please start explaining?”
“Can we wait tomorrow?” the muffled voice of Vivian echoed from behind the barrier of arms.
“Vivian,” Rem's voice hardened. “I know I am a guest here, but I am about to put my neck out in a guerrilla war that will decide the fate of this continent. Every minute waste means an increase in casualties count.”
Vivian shuddered at the raw mental pressure from Rem.
Wayward gave Rem a look of respect, “Seriously, where are you when the royal mages are recruiting? The amount of work your presence might reduce would wonder for my previous job.”
Rem gave Wayward a stink-eye, “I will ally with Lucifer before I swear royalty to the red tapes.”
“To each of their own,” Wayward nodded. “Lady Vivian, seriously, let bite the bullet and get this over with for everyone's sake.”
Vivian looked up for her arm cushion in hopeless attempts to buy allies with her puppy-eyes. She found exactly zero comfort, “You two are demons.”
“Yes, we are. Please tell us the story,” Rem said.
Vivian let a long deep exhaled of air and happiness, “Okay, how do I begin?”
Rem took time to contemplate such a question. Humanity was telling stories ever since the Neandertal learnt how to paint on cave walls. But he wanted the story to be short and to the point. Thus, the best option was condensing into the abridged version, but did the concept of abridging even exist for the gods? Well, no harm in trying.
“Okay, what condensing everything you know about the fairies and the fairy realm in the shortest term possible.”
Wayward perked his ears. He always wanted to know why the seal in the North existed. For all his life, the opaque screen blocking the fairies was a part of his scenery. The opportunity to understand what behind it was enticing.
Vivian took sometime to thank and listed her story in the shortest possible format.
“The Fairy Realm is a country and a magical workshop of my creation to house the Fair Folks. They are the creations of my sister — Titania; made by using the inheritance from our father to fuse her blood and various essences of magical beast, creating a diverse, magically rich race which she ruled as a queen. At least until, a World Enemy’s attacks and the resulting disturbance forced me to seal away the country before…” Vivian bit back tears and raw trauma as she said in shaky voice. “Before my sister shattered my [Divine Core] and stole my part of the inheritance.”
Silence.
“This is a plot of over-the-top Korean drama,” Rem voiced his opinion.
“We lack context,” Wayward pointed out. “What is the inheritance? Who is your father? How is a World Enemy got into this?”
Vivian looked dead inside. Yep, it appeared this story-telling session would be long and painful.
“Okay,” the former goddess managed. “Let start with my family.”
…
“You know I am far more ancient than even Zeus and Ra. That is because I am the creation of one of the primordial divinities; Hades, the King of the Spirit Realm. You could call me the Princess of the spirit.”
Rem was curious, “I am new to divinity, but isn’t Hades one of the Olympian.”
Wayward chuckled, “A myth for your world isn’t actually a reality in Phantasia. The gods in Phantasia used to access the rest of the multiverse until a millennial ago, when something cut the connection between Phantasia and the lower multiverse. I believe the mythology of your world which described the gods got distorted through time, fan-fiction and word of mouth.”
“So, in reality, Hades is one of the elder gods,” Rem reaffirmed.
“Yes, the five Primordial YHVH, Dharma, Gaia, Ouranos and Hades. They are the eldest [Divine Core] birthed directly from the Multiverse and have been alive since the time of the Ancient. Although, father and the rest of his colleagues never become truly active until the Ancient vanished. To fill in the hole left behind by the Ancient, the original [Divine Core] expanded their species, each using different method. Gaia and Ouranos merged their divinity to create the original Titan, elder Cyclops, Hecatonchires and the 6 grand giants.”
Rem sipped his juice. Yep, he needed to ask Cytortia about those. It seemed like the enemies he was up against just multiplied.
“Brahma dissolved himself to create three grand divinity and became the whirlpool in which countless gods from his line emerged from the essence of his [Divine Core]. YHVH, being amongst the mightiest among them, created a divinity model after his own. And my father, well, he imbued his own power into blueprint to supplement natural affinity in the atmosphere to create me and my sister.”
“You and Titania?” Wayward asked.
Vivian nodded nostalgically, “Then Morrigan and Artio, the four Ladies of the Spirit Realm.”
Rem sat straighter. Artio was basically Cytortia’s honorary aunt. The family tree looked twister by the minute.
“Being his eldest two offspring, father gifted me and Titania with his treasure. A fragment from the beginning of the multiverse. I receive the piece from which father first came into being; a spiral of Mana he took from the void far removed from our reality,” said Vivian.
“[CHAOS],” Wayward recalled the name. Like the Dawn, he had time to look into the past via the looking glass of the Astral Realm and Mana. He witnessed the creation of the multiverse and the ageless power which formed the bastion of Arcane. Wayward was like the Dawn in his reverence and respect to the might of Primal Arcane.
Rem nodded in agreement.
“What?” This time it was Vivian who got caught in the curve bomb.
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“Your father gave you an artifact originating from the beginning of the multiverse, predating even the formation of Phantasia. Some of these treasures are natural one of the kind artifacts. Some are conceptual phenomenons or Bonafede eldritch beings capable of turning the entire solar system into molecular soup. [CHAOS] in particular could be called a top grade amongst these Imaginary Heritage. It is the cosmic spiral. A galactic foundry that annihilates and recreates matters both mundane and magical. You could call it the multiverse black hole. It is the Imaginary Heritage which gave birth to the gods. But given the fact you are still alive after being exposed to it, I believe that should only be a fragment of [CHAOS] — a leftover piece.”
“Exactly as he said,” Wayward nodded.
Vivian looked at Rem in disbelief, “Who are you?”
“A random good Samaritan.”
“Impossible,” Vivian flatly shot that down. “We have no have no clue about what it is for millennia. My father. My sisters. Everyone who knew about it didn’t even know what it does, much less its name. We only know it can create [Divine Core], but nothing else. Even Athena is clueless.”
“You speak like Athena knows everything,” Wayward mused.
“This is ridiculous,” Vivian were still hanging on the revelation. “Wayward, don’t tell me you actually know this too.”
Wayward shrugged, “I recently learned it too from the same source he did. Turn out if you channel your consciousness into the Mana and follow its energy, you can decipher the knowledge from its memory. Trace far back enough and you will learn a lot of new and powerful knowledge.”
Vivian’s jaw dropped, stunned by the revelation her minds try to process. It was then Rem went back to the rail.
“Anyway, go back to the story. You got [CHAOS], but what did Titania received.”
“A petal of flowers that seemed to create a nectar that could create new life-form. Holding it gives her such a healing power it essentially makes her immortal. She used it in a combination with her blood and essence of the other species to create the fairies. I originally believe she was creating a race of servant to rule over. I was wrong.”
Rem took a depressive sip, “[Necta Floral]”
“You know that too,” Vivian said with resignation. She settled on believing her conversation partner is an eldritch tome surpassing the gods instead of an opportunistic puny human.
“Imaginary Heritage which creates the bio-soup which all life originate from,” Rem explained stalely. “It possess unparallel ability to heal, provide life-force and supplement biological performance. You could trace every healing and life-manipulation ability back to it. It is no surprise even a petal from the flower can create an entire race.”
Vivian’s eyes widened like a flying saucer, “So that is why it can do that.”
“Do what?” Rem had a bad feeling about this.
“You remember I help Titania created the Fairy Realm, right?” Vivian answered that with a leading question.
Wayward could help but noticing something strange, “Didn’t she stabbed you in the core and reduced you to this state? I would have believed you get along poorly.”
Vivian sank into nostalgic reminiscence, “Back then, we were pretty close. Artio, our youngest sister, is aloof. Morrigan never contacts us. That left me and Titania to be each other neighbor. I and the founders of Tengen support her as an ally. We believed it was the right decision then. Titania’s creations are created using the foundation of other powerful magical beings to be diverse and powerful; pixie, dryad, nymph, werewolf, gnome, Satyr and the leprechaun. She told me we could reach the height of our father together. I trusted her and sent the founder to her aid immediately when a World Enemy entered her territory.”
“That incident was a disaster. The subjugation failed, and the fairies attacked the border. Luckily, they are sealed away before a full invasion started,” Wayward listed of the history lesson.
He turned toward Vivian, “And you disappeared.”
“I must,” Vivian replied, down-cast. “I don’t know exactly what happen during the subjugation, but whatever it was turned the Fairy Realm mad. After losing contact with Titania, I am forced to use my inheritance — what you called [CHAOS] — to erect the wall separating our two nations.”
“Let me guess,” Rem spoke. “Titania used that opportunity to stab you behind the back, blow-up your [Divine Core] before taking [CHAOS] away.”
Vivian nodded.
“Did she give you any clues about where she is heading?” Rem probed deeper.
“Aside from gloating about the fact the fairy and me outlived our purpose, not much.”
Rem squinted at the newly arrived point, “What is her end game? She needs [Chaos] for a reason.”
“You are Phantasia greatest detective,” Wayward spoke. “I believe you already have a hunch.”
Vivian turned toward Wayward with a new sense of appreciation, “This is the first time I see you grow a respect for someone.”
Wayward sighed, “Lady Vivian, this guy is that good.”
…
Titania’s creations are created using the foundation of other powerful magical beings to be diverse and powerful; pixie, dryad, nymph, werewolf, gnome, Satyr and the leprechaun.
She told me we could reach the height of our father together.
Yes, the five Primordial YHVH, Dharma, Gaia, Ouranos and Hades. They are the eldest [Divine Core] birthed directly from the Multiverse and have been alive since the time of the Ancient.
Aside from gloating about the fact the fairy and me outlived our purpose, not much.
…
“So that is it,” Rem hit upon the realization. “That is why she needs [CHAOS]. She already exhausted every possibility of [Necta Floral]. She must have spent every waking moment ever since receiving it to run her experiment. Her obsession would just build-up.”
“Need [CHAOS] for what?” Vivian asked.
“To surpass your father.”
Vivian was more outraged than surprised, “That is impossible. Father is a Primordial. He is a magnitude above other gods. The qualitative difference between [Divine Core] is insurmountable.”
“Don’t assume things are impossible just because it have never been accomplished?” Rem paraphrased a certain Roman philosopher. “You help her build the Fairy Realm. You should already semi-realize Titania designed them for a purpose just by knowing its facilities and people. Recreation. Finance. Industry. What type of society the fairy built then?”
Vivian about to argue, but shrank back a look of horror flashed through her face.
Wayward, knowing Vivian better than Rem, realized they just came across something horrible.
“Lady Vivian,” he tried to be gentle. “What did you build there?”
Vivian’s lip quivered at the thought. At long last, she finally broke the fact, “Wayward, you know what I am infamous for before being reduced to this state, right?”
Wayward recited the answer, “You were once the most skill maker of magical workshop and Leyline Manipulator,” Wayward answered Rem’s question. “At her peak, Vivian made impenetrable mazes, legendary magical sanctum, rearrange the Leyline to produce mine constantly produce gold and palaces that existed in alternate spaces.”
Rem turned toward the goddess with newfound respect. Instead, he was greeted with a soul-crashing resignation. It was like looking at a swan with a clipped wing. A beautiful creature fated to never soared in the cloud ever again.
“I never realize what it is,” Vivian admitted in a pained voice of betrayal. “Maybe if I did, I might hesitate. My sister asked me to help create a certain foundation for her country. She wanted to speed up her ability to create that life-creating fluid needed to create new fairies. Being as close as we were, I helped her whole-heartedly.”
“What did you do?” Rem was almost too afraid to ask. Wayward thought it was strange hearing the tint of terror in Rem’s voice. That man never fears death, but the answer he was waiting for terrified him.
“I rearranged the Leyline to use it to create a magical pool to produce what you call the Bio-soup. It is beyond my ability to replicate every function of Titania’s inheritance, but making a stable source of that life-creating soup from pure Mana and innate nutrient of the land was within the realm of my best effort. I believe it is still there at the center of Fairy Realm, a lake of self-refilling sea that could endlessly create life.”
Rem looked at Wayward, and they both glanced at Vivian’s mad-scientist of an accomplishment.
““WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?””
“Good question,” Vivian make a self-derisive chuckled. “It is a challenge for the sake of my dear little sister, so I put everything to it without realizing what could go wrong. I foolishly believe everything always is under my control. I am Vivian — the eternal elder goddess. The Princess of Spirit Realm. The Fair Lady of the Lake. No challenge is beyond me. It took a shattering [Divine Core] to awaken me to the reality of how vulnerable I really am.”
Vivian was in tears at the confession, “I was wrong. I was arrogant. It took several hundred years wallowing here to realize how pathetic I really am. The sign was all there, but I ignored all of them.” Vivian let out a broken laugh. “Look at me now. You mortal must find hilarious. The mighty goddess, once out of reach even for kings of the gods, now couldn’t even resist average bandit without her [Divine Core]. I am probably the most pathetic woman alive.”
After all of that, even Rem felt sorry for her, “Okay, enough self-pitying. How do I destroy this pool?”
“The Lake of Life?” Vivian mused. “I already severed the Leyline supporting it. Without the energy to sustain itself, it should run out its lifespan 600 years ago.”
Somehow Rem doubted things would be that easy and Wayward agreed.
“That is ridiculous. If the lake dried out, how did some fairies still have enough number to escape your seal?” Wayward said.
“I don’t know!?” Vivian wailed. “Titania made them with inherent natural power. Just procreating alone requires a massive amount of abundant Mana. I already did everything I could to block those supplies when their entire species went mad 600 years ago. Without the Lake and the Leyline jammed, they should have gone extinct!”
Rem breathed slowly to regain his cool, “Vivian, never mind that. Tell me how to shore up the seal.”
Vivian told them about the seal, and Rem nearly fainted on the spot.
Vivian’s answer gave every unfortunate detail about why its failure was nearly inevitable.