Sankow City, the City of Flowing Fortune.
This relatively small yet bustling city located at the base of the Eastern Mountain watching over the Kingdom of Rumdon. It was incomparable to the capital of Copius, but had its unique and cozy charm and was nearly as successful regardless. Being right in the spot that meant one had to go through it to reach the capital and other places on the mountain, they had a thriving commerce industry.
Also, it was effectively ruled by Lord Canum Qumisson, the charismatic noble who nearly became a king and possessed many loyal followers. Sankow could almost be said to be a second kingdom all on its own.
Of course, this didn’t mean that everyone in the city liked him.
“Father! Why was Annli fired?!”
Completely unannounced, a young man barged into Qumisson’s study. The older man raised an indignant look toward the invader.
It was almost like looking into a mirror—if not for the color of his eyes and the fact that he was much younger. Callun Qumisson had piercing blue eyes and light brown hair which he wore slightly long in some silly youngster fashion. He was always dressed smartly, even now when he obviously came to do nothing other than harass his father for no reason.
Qumisson’s youngest son. Almost the spitting image of himself in his youth, as well as his biggest shame.
“Because you were seducing her, obviously,” Qumisson replied matter-of-factly, returning his eyes to the papers he was currently perusing. The country being in the state that it was, even nobles had a lot of things to take care of. Right now, he was viewing some data related to various of the enterprises under his control.
Callun clicked his tongue. “I was just having some fun! Don’t be such a dolt, Father.”
Unfortunately, it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to concentrate now. The mere sound of his son’s stupid voice grated on his nerves. Did that impudent youth really think his father would allow him to play with the maid like that?
“No. She deserves better than a cesspool of vanity like you.” Qumisson put the papers aside, grabbed the cane lying next to his seat and rose from it. His son didn’t quite inherit his height, so Qumisson still towered half a head over him. “I’d sent her out for own good. She is a good servant.”
“Why you…” Callun looked about to snap.
Qumisson knew that his son had been having a fling with one of the maids for quite some time now, so he finally nipped it in the bud. Never mind how unprofessional it was, he knew this would only end up badly for her. He’d given her glowing recommendations and sent her to another noblewoman’s house, where she wouldn’t be harassed by Callun any longer. The girl had a sickly mother, so she had enough troubles as is.
“Why are you always like this?” Callun shouted. “I’m your actual son and yet you always treat the damn servants like they’re your children instead!”
Qumisson’s frown set even deeper. Right, his imbecile son wouldn’t be able to understand anything as complicated as that. Had he truly never thought of it? Had he never thought of the common people and their struggles? It wasn’t like they actually aspired to be servants, like it was the job they really desired.
All it took was one mistake for a servant to be blamed or else take the fall of their master. They were always liable to abuse and mishandling. Serving someone of a higher station was no easy task—so they needed all the support they could get.
And what did Callun even know? He was a good-for-nothing boy who thought only of nothing but pleasure his entire life. Any responsibility or serious thought were beyond him. And that was why Qumisson wouldn’t even explain his reasoning. If his son couldn’t even understand something so simple like why his father was such a well-liked man among the populace, he would never succeed in life.
Qumisson hated most nobles, even those who were on his side, and most of all he hated the Queen. Even so, there was no actual hatred for his son. Anger and trepidation, obviously; but only that. If nothing else, Qumisson had to be this harsh for him—otherwise, how would he be able to improve?
“I’m sick of this,” Callun spat after not receiving any reply other than his father’s stern gaze. He really lacked patience, that boy. “Fine! It’s not like there aren’t any other maids.” He stormed out of the room, closing the door behind him with a slam.
Qumisson took a deep breath. That was a complete waste of time for all parties involved.
What could he do to make that son understand? He was his only hope, yet also his biggest despair. His youngest son, when all others managed to grow beyond the haughtiness induced by the noble way of life.
Perhaps giving Callun an actual role would help set him straight.
Indeed… it is probably about time to set off my plans, Qumisson thought darkly.
After standing for a few more moments his legs began to shake. How absurd. He had been using the very same fashionable stick for more than a decade, but only now he was starting to actually require it. Age was finally catching up to him.
He would not be king anymore. That much was for certain, and he had accepted this fact for some years already. Young Callun, however, still had a chance. Qumisson wanted to give him that opportunity, if at all possible, and to see him finally fulfill his potential.
Yes, the time was probably ripe to finally set his plan in motion. Especially now when the situation was so volatile and tense, when the kingdom faced a plethora of issues, it might actually succeed.
It was time to get rid of Queen Levia-O.
Gen was shocked at this urgent news. Well, everyone was, for obvious reasons.
The message that an unidentified being was found near the town of Somalir came that morning. As a result of Kalden’s exchanges with Rumdon, they also manufactured some of the communication equipment, that their side had named Talismans; if not for that, this news would have taken longer to reach them.
At first Gen shuddered, thinking that another wave snuck up on them. However, that was apparently not the case. They were checking the skies regularly, after all, and according to Niu, Rumdon could find no signs of any incoming attack either.
Also, whatever it was, it wasn’t one of the black beasts. If anything, according to the scarce descriptions given from the hasty reports, it resembled a “faerie”. Meaning, an inhabitant of Plainland.
“And that is why I, have gathered all, of you here,” said a soft voice emanating from Niu’s lap.
Lately, Niu had been using this strange kind of laborer apparently called NiU to communicate, as it allowed her to directly cast her voice to the surroundings. Gen was understandably still unused to it; after all, he knew Niu as a mute girl for some years now. Even when she spoke into his mind, following the discovery of her ability, there was no actual voice.
It was still a bit weird, but not entirely unpleasant. He wasn’t sure what Niu herself felt about this, but he thought that this might be like a dream come true for her.
Anyway, it was an unusual assortment of individuals to have come in the throne room—not the people themselves, but the fact that they hadn’t been there all together for a long time now. After receiving the news, Niu hurriedly gathered her three friends and Aisbroom and Seele as well to inform them of it.
Half of them had apparently already been made aware of the circumstances, but the other half that included Gen was shocked.
“A God, here? No way,” muttered Shaya.
“That is the most logical explanation for this,” said Roah.
Legends spoke of Gods as higher beings who possessed powerful and inexplicable abilities. They could rend the heavens and tear the ground asunder with a mere flick of their fingers. They were supposedly even stronger than someone like Molton. Luckily, all of them had long ago migrated to create Blissland, the chaotic land always ablaze and glowing with many different channeling effects. Some were said to have stayed behind, but there was no sign of their presence in recent times.
Two years ago, it was presumed that these Gods took a drastic step with an unknown motive and sent armies of black, chimeric beasts to hunt on both Plainland and Fairland. These, however, vanished just as readily as they appeared, leading to this temporary peace. A peace which was now apparently over.
“But a God couldn’t—I mean, why would they even…” Gen tried speaking, but couldn’t form his sentences very well. It was a habit he had while overloaded with thoughts and information, and he disliked it.
“They’re trying to finally finish the job… perhaps?” suggested Roah, an unfitting smile on his lips.
“Also,” said NiU, “this isn’t the first, time the Gods have, descended.”
“Really?” asked Aisbroom, raising a brow. They were the one looking surprised at something for once.
Roah nodded and began explaining. “According to our history, about a century ago—this should be a little more than a millennium by your reckoning—there was a God that landed in the mountain and led to a war between Rumdon and Sacrona. We have then slain that God, a fact which led to Sacrona being our mortal enemies up to this very day.”
“Oh, right… now that you mention it, I remember something of the sort from our lessons,” Gen said while scratching his small beard.
“How have they killed it?” Aisbroom asked.
Niu shook her head. “We’d have to ask, the Queen, I suppose,” she said through the small laborer. “But we have to, do something in, the meanwhile.”
“Then again, according to our reports, that God or whatever that thing is doesn’t move at all. It is violent and seemingly hostile to any approach, but immobile,” noted Roah. “We should be in no rush.”
“Perhaps we are in no, rush but we have to, ascertain the situation. There is also another, matter—it might serve as, a clue to finally, find out how to, connect the worlds.” Niu’s face turned fiercer while she broadcast her voice. “Aisbroom. Gen. I would like for you, to head to Somalir.”
Gen raised his brows. “And what will we do there?”
“Whatever you can. Try and neutralize, or pacify it, so we can study it. If you can’t, then kill it.”
Gen found himself exchanging glances with Shaya. He also saw Roah smile to himself and Seele looking confused. Niu was apparently distraught by this, as she frowned and her next words came directly into Gen’s mind rather than through the laborer.
What is it?
“I believe, Queen,” said Roah, barely suppressing a grin, “that they are merely surprised to see you acting so assertively and decisively.”
This only deepened her frown, but Gen had to agree. He didn’t exactly like what became of Niu, but he was also somewhat glad to see her become more proactive like this. Judging from Roah’s response, this wasn’t something that he pushed her toward, so that was also good.
Anyway, Niu continued, get going. I want you ready by sunset.
Gen wasn’t sure about the whole business, but he felt that Niu left no room to argue, and everyone was leaving, so he did as well. He went directly to his room to start packing for the imminent trip—it would take a couple of days to reach Somalir, from what he understood—and almost finished when a figure peeked inside and spoke to him.
“Are you sure about this…?”
Putting a small bundle of clothes on his bed, Gen turned toward Shaya. She was standing at the door while wearing a complex expression he couldn’t quite decipher. There was worry for sure, but also something else.
“You know how important this is,” he told her.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to personally go there,” she said in an almost pleading tone. “You might get hurt. It’s too dangerous.”
Gen shook his head. “The same goes for anyone we’d sent. Or do you just want others to get hurt instead of me?” he hurriedly interjected as she opened her mouth to reply, “no, I know what you meant, don’t worry. Still, it’s important.”
Shaya puckered her lips, then spoke after a brief pause. “Then I’ll come as well.”
“W-what? No!”
“Why not?” Her response was immediate, as if she’d been expecting it all along.
“Because it’s too—“ Gen started saying, and then realized he was about to repeat Shaya’s word nearly verbatim. He sighed and frowned. “Look, Shaya. You’re not a fighter. You’re not trained. I understand your point, but I’ll be very careful. I promise you.”
She bit her lips and opened her mouth again. And then closed it. And opened it again, finally to speak. “Do you have to go?”
“No,” he answered directly, “but I want to. Not because Niu ordered me or whatever. Shaya, there might really be some clue there. There might be some meaning in me specifically going there—we’ve been speaking about this as some sort of threat, but they say that the Gods used to help humans, right? I want to go back. I want us to go back to Plainland and have our old lives back.”
Even while saying this, he knew this wish of his would never come true. Not getting back—that should be possible, and he believed it—but their lives would never return being how they were. Things changed too much for that. Even so, he could never throw away that hope that he harbored these two long years.
“Got it.” Shaya smiled. It was a sad and somewhat resigned expression, but she smiled. “So, since we’re talking about Gods, then…”
It was then that Shaya did something strange. She intertwined her fingers, clenched them tightly and held them in front of her mouth.
“I pray for your safety,” she said, hiding most of her expression.
While many people were getting prepared for the excursion to Somalir, others had different business to take care of. Roah used this opportunity to go along with Seele and TriX to the tree called Jenlab. It was a tree both wide and tall and contained one of the most unique facilities of Kalden.
Namely, the space used for child-raising.
“Rowa! Seele!” said a high-shrilled and excited voice as its owner ran toward them.
Roah wasn’t sure how Seele felt about it, but he was pretty sure that, had Aisbroom been the one to accompany him, they would have felt a wave of disgust upon seeing Orin’s face. Then again, Aisbroom was more used to this concept, so perhaps not. He’d have to ask them sometime.
Anyway, the point was that Orin looked identical to Acrus.
There were obviously some differences, and these included not just the fact that one was a child and the other an adult. Acrus’s hair was much longer and they usually wore it in braids held by colorful rings, unlike Orin, though now that Acrus was locked the dungeon, that no longer applied anyway. In general, though, Orin was exactly what Roah would have expected Acrus to look like as a child. Pudgier features, innocent eyes, but still Acrus in miniature.
“You did not say anything to TriX,” Seele reproached them, finger raised.
The child’s eyes darted to the figure looming behind the pair. “But it’s a robo.”
“So? It’s my partner, you know! You shouldn’t be rude.”
“…Hello, TriX,” Orin said timidly.
“Hello, Orin,” TriX greeted back, bowing slightly.
Seele broke into a smile and approached the child after this, squatting to meet their eyes. “Anyway, how’s it going?” they asked while petting Orin’s head.
“M’fine,” they replied.
“Do the other kids give you any trouble?” Roah asked. After all, they only very recently started understanding the circumstances of their lineage, and he knew firsthand how cruel kids could be.
Having been asked that, Orin lowered their head slightly. “Dunno,” they mumbled.
“Come on, answer properly,” Seele asked.
“Don’t wanna.”
“Orin… if anything troubles you, you have to tell us,” Seele pressured them, wagging a finger. “You know we worry about you.”
Roah mostly worried about avoiding any troubles with Acrus, but he had realized long ago that Seele genuinely liked Orin. Since he knew Seele disliked Acrus like most of the populace, it came as a surprise for him. If not for Seele’s lack of gender, he might have even thought of them as “motherly”. They just seemed to have a natural affinity with children.
“…They say my pro-gee is bad,” Orin finally mumbled, eyes lowered. Yes, it was exactly as Roah thought.
Seele’s smile turned somewhat sadder. “They did some bad things, yeah,” they admitted. “But that doesn’t mean anything about you, you know?” Orin just shrugged.
“Orin,” Roah interjected, “would you like to meet your progenitor?”
The child’s eyes immediately lit up as he said this and they looked up at him. Until now they interacted rather awkwardly with Roah—even someone this young probably realized the difference between themselves and the “faeries”, to say nothing of Roah’s gloomy nature and possibly scary visage—but now they seemed truly excited.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“Can I…?” Orin asked. Even Seele pointed a questioning gaze at him. He thought it was fine to let at least Seele know about this.
“I might be able to arrange something like that,” he said. “And then you could judge your progenitor for yourself.” As long as they don’t put any strange ideas in your mind and they keep giving me advice, that’s all I need, he added in his heart.
“Yay! Thanks, Rowa!” Orin ran over to him and, surprisingly, hugged him.
Roah twitched. It was an unfamiliar sensation that left him somewhat disturbed. Especially when Seele giggled and he gave them a bitter smile while exhaling from his nose.
“Can it be today? Or tomorrow? Or—“
“Slow down, Orin,” Seele admonished them. “That would take a bit longer than that. Sorry, but it’s not that easy.” She glanced at Roah, who nodded as well.
“Sorry, that’s how it is. It might take a while.”
Orin obviously looked disappointed. Seele again approached to ruffle their soft hair, adding, “Be a good kid and wait. Now you can tell the other children you’re going to see the previous Ruler! Isn’t that cool?”
It was actually a bad suggestion, Roah felt, but that seemed to do the trick. After a few more minutes of some idle talk and making sure that Orin was fine, the child was sent back to the caretakers and so Roah, Seele and TriX were on their way out. Now this entire place was going to know what he was planning? He couldn’t be angry at Seele, but still.
“Aren’t they the cutest thing?” they asked him conversationally, a big smile on their face.
“I guess,” Roah gave a half-hearted response.
“You sound just like Orin did before! But oh, I know you like them. No need to be shy.”
Roah made no response to that. Now that he took care of some minor inconveniencies, his mind was drawn back to the real problem at hand—waiting for the dispatched unit to reach Somalir and get in contact with the mysterious being that was possibly a God.
“A God…?” Even Levia couldn’t help but be shocked.
Proper emotions like happiness or sadness were beyond her, but when a preposterous declaration like that hit her, she was still dazzled. Behind her, Salom and Stard were confused as well, but only about the Queen’s response, because they couldn’t hear Niu.
It is still unconfirmed. Or rather, I wanted to confirm it with you. After all, according to history, your ancestors have had contact with at least one God.
“Ah, yes,” said Levia, nodding, “the old story about King Samlee-S during the Great Invasion. I am sorry to say that no proper records remain of that day.”
…No records at all, Your Majesty? Queen Niu asked back.
“They say that the God had directly landed inside the castle. It caused some terrible mayhem until our knights slew it… and then, after hearing about the deed, Sacrona declared us as blasphemous killers, of course. Led by their Saints, they reached all the way here—I mean the castle—and razed it to the ground… meaning, almost everyone involved in what happened back then died there.” She sighed. “What a terrible tragedy that was.”
She didn’t even need to glance back to know how the pair behind her were still utterly confused that she would talk at length about something like that. They really have no patience, she ruminated.
I… see. That is very disappointing to hear, Your Majesty. We would still appreciate it if you could try asking some of your historians or archivists to scour for even the slightest shred of information about the matter; this might prove essential. I will keep you updated about the situation as it unfolds here, of course, Your Majesty.
Levia found herself smiling out of force of habit. It simply felt like the right time for a smile in this conversation, despite not actually facing the other girl. The so-called Queen of Kalden… how innocuous she was. And yet, at the same time, perhaps that innocence also hid something else underneath. It was impossible for her to tell, when the two only spoke from afar.
Anyway, the news that Queen Niu brought her was astounding. However, she knew very well that it was not impossible, and in fact quite likely probable.
“Of course, Queen of Kalden. This entire incident sounds like an important development in current affairs. I will have my men work to squeeze out even the smallest of potentially relevant information for you,” said Levia. “We will also keep our surveillance on the skies as always. Good luck to us both.”
Wrapping up the correspondence, the Queen turned to the two very confused men and proceeded to briefly explain the situation.
“Incredible, if true,” said Salom, his eyes widening behind his glasses. “This might prove valuable, but… also extremely dangerous. I do hope they are careful enough in dealing with this…”
In contrast to his excitement, Stard was much more disturbed. “This is not a good situation at all. We do not want any Gods falling on our heads as well when we aren’t even used to those beasts,” he said grimly.
“But if they do, will you defeat them?” the Queen asked sweetly.
“…Having never fought a God, I cannot say for sure.”
His doubt was clear. Even Stard Molton, known as the strongest warrior in Rumdon and perhaps beyond it, feared the power of the Gods. Naturally, perhaps. Even if Rumdon was far less religious than its neighbors and didn’t believe all of the stories, the unknown domain of the divine was still cause for enough worries.
However, the Gods were not almighty. If anything, they were like wild, unpredictable animals—depending on their nature and their usage, they could prove either very useful or lead to utter catastrophe. To both sides.
Which of the two would it be for the children playing as royalty? Only time would tell.
It was Gen’s first proper trip outside Kalden ever since he’d gotten there. Unlike their trek from Seele’s original base, when they’d needed to move very slowly and stealthily, their small group, consisting of about two dozen fairies and a few laborers, moved openly and quickly. Time was of the essence and they specifically took along with them some of the strongest warriors about, so they had no need to fear the Stroba.
Ironically, though, Gen found it a much more stressful trip than the previous one.
Perhaps it was because he was, in a sense, in charge of all these people. Technically Aisbroom was their supreme commander, and Ariboh who joined as well was also above him in rank, but still most of the accompanying soldiers looked up to him as the legendary faerie warrior. He didn’t want to disappoint them, but more than that, he didn’t want to let any of them come to harm.
More likely, however, it was because of what awaited them at their destination. If the mysterious being lying near Somalir actually was a God… well, Gen was afraid, and rightly so, he felt. These Gods were the ones who sent the horrible beasts after them, and were infinitely more powerful.
Even so he tried to stay positive. That was what kept him going through all this time in Fairland, when everything around him was new and everything old was changing slowly but surely.
He spent this trip so worried that it came as a surprise when the two-day trek suddenly ended and they reached the town of Somalir.
It was much less impressive and grandiose than Kalden, but there were still houses installed on tall, vast trees. They were simply “less” in any aspect imaginable, be it size, color or variety. It looked much more similar to the forest near Hayden than the fantastical land he’d somewhat grown used to with time; though it could simply be that his standards were raised after seeing Kalden’s splendor.
Either way, they reached their goal, where a small group of soldiers was waiting for their arrival.
“We are glad to see you have arrived safely,” greeted them a tall fairy wearing an earth-colored armor. “I am Captain Alsore, in charge of the forces stationed in Somalir. And I assume that you must be the faerie, Lieutenant Genro?” They spoke mostly to Aisbroom, but turned their head to Gen upon mentioning his name.
“Err, yes, Captain. Nice to meet you,” he replied, slightly bowing. Although he still had a lot to learn and he was currently the weakest in the language among the four, Gen could still hold proper, more than basic conversations.
“What’s the situation?” Aisbroom asked.
“Straight to business? Do you not want to rest first? As you wish, General Aisbroom,” said Alsore stiffly. “There are no changes with the Demon. Just like we were told, we simply observed it without any provocation.”
Gen furrowed his brows when he heard the unfamiliar word mixed in there; based on the context, it had to refer to the being they assumed was a God.
“Take us to see it,” Aisbroom ordered. Gen nodded as well; knowing they were so close to their objective, he wouldn’t be able to rest properly. Besides, the trip hadn’t been too physically exhausting.
“Understood,” said Alsore plainly. They signaled something with their hand and the soldiers behind them set out. “Follow us.”
The Area the so-called God inhabited became clear long before they saw the God itself; there were many collapsed trees, flattened bushes and torn flora around a perimeter of bald, gouged ground.
And there in the center of that newly-formed crater, a figure was lying. It was…
“A woman?” Gen couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.
The destruction caused by the God actually seemed to form a depression in the earth, almost a crater, so Gen and the rest were all watching from above, just near the seemingly safe range. There was no question about it: this was no beast, but it also wasn’t one of the fairies.
In all possible ways it looked like a beautiful woman, fast asleep. Her hair was a long, long mess the color of bronze, spread all around and beneath her body, almost as if it was a twisted aura of light, or perhaps like a pool of blood. Her eyes were closed and her hands were clenched atop her chest. She was wearing a lavish dress colored a deep brown. Her skin was dirtied with soil and crushed leaves, but this did nothing to tarnish her appearance. It even made Gen think of Shaya for a second. But there was also something rather ominous about her figure. Perhaps it was the way she looked so tranquil among the destruction she had apparently caused.
“Do you know anything about that?” asked Aisbroom from the side.
Gen shook his head after thinking briefly. “I was just surprised that Gods looks like… well, us.”
Nodding, Aisbroom then turned to Alsore. “Is it dormant right now?”
“If you’re referring to the Demon’s apparent state of sleep, it always looks like that, even when active. We still do not know what triggers it to attack… at times it simply rampages without any reason, although it always responds to our attacks and easily deflects them. We have been unable to inflict even a single cut on its body. That thing appears to attack and defend using its hair.”
The hair? Gen gazed again at the Goddess’s lush tresses spread like a fan. It was extraordinarily long, but he couldn’t imagine how it’d become a weapon. Then again, even his own abilities had some unexpected variance to them, and this was one of the Gods. Maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised.
“Oh, right,” Alsore cut off his line of thought, “I forgot to mention that this thing makes us hear and see things at times. You don’t want to get too close to it.”
“I assume communication has been attempted?” Aisbroom asked.
“Yes. Neither threats nor pleading led to any visible change in the Demon’s conduct.”
“They probably don’t understand you,” mumbled Gen and all eyes turned to him.
“Do you believe that it will understand you, then?”
Gen thought for a while. “The chances are probably low,” he finally replied. “The Gods are supposed to be very old. I doubt they’d understand modern language, and that’s if they’re even from my homeland in the first place… but maybe it’s still worth a try.”
Aisbroom nodded. “Try it.”
Having said that, Gen wasn’t quite sure what to try, exactly. He’d have to play it by ear. He peeked just slightly into the pit of destruction and raised his voice, speaking in his native tongue. “Hello! Are you a Goddess? I came here from Plainland! Do you understand me?”
His voice echoed in the tense silence. Some heavy moments passed, and there was nothing. Until a response came without any warning.
—A claw, a howl, a spray of blood, flames, a sharp blade, blood, blood, blood—
“You seize cannot threads/disaster hold you the/and extremely will.”
Gen’s eyes blared with strange visions and he had to fight the urge to vomit right here and then, holding his aching head. It was a bit like and unlike when Niu talked to him using her compensation. In a way, she could transmit intention and meaning rather than pure words, but here his mind was also flooded with strange visions imposed by the Goddess.
“Hey! Are you alright?” He suddenly noticed Alsore calling to him and came back to reality.
Taking rapid breaths and feeling cold sweat pouring from his forehead, Gen tried talking. There was still a faint buzz in his head and floaters in the edges of his vision. “It was… she spoke to me, I think… though the words sounded all mixed up,” he weakly mumbled at Aisbroom.
“He said the Demon talked to him. Would these be the visions and voices you have spoken of?” Aisbroom directed the question at Alsore.
“I… that sounds right, but none of us reacted quite so strongly to that,” the other fairy replied with visible worry. “Shit… it’s moving!”
Gen turned to the crater with a start. He could see strands of hair rising like snakes—the Goddess herself still looked like she was asleep, but her hair alone was moving. There were a few flashes of light and fierce wind assaulted the surroundings.
“What is she…!” Gen mumbled as he felt even his body shaking from the mighty force being produced.
There was a crunch as one of the surviving trees nearby split in half. The rising hairs were no longer visible, simply becoming a blur in the air. And Gen heard further voices in his head, a bit more coherent this time.
“Do you loathe the state of the world?/Can you not forgive my earnest wish?/Will you accept your desire?”
He felt like he both could and couldn’t understand what she was telling him. The more he heard her, the clearer the words themselves seemed, but the meaning continued to elude him. For some reason, he recalled his long-gone poetry lessons. Yes, this feeling of incomprehensibility was pretty much the same.
“Genro, let’s try restraining this thing!” Aisbroom called suddenly, glancing at their sleeves.
A pair of vines entwined around their sleeves burst in length and launched at the rampaging Goddess. However, just as they had been told, it was futile; the vines were almost instantly hacked to pieces.
Recovering from the first shock, Gen also materialized his invisible appendage. He had long since moved on from his thinking of it as an arm—now it could be pretty much whatever he wanted. The ethereal tentacle shot ahead.
The strangely powerful hairs moved again to intercept it, however, since it wasn’t strictly physical but more like force itself being channeled, the Goddess’s attack couldn’t break through it. It did cause Gen to nearly tumble down from the recoil, though.
Gritting his teeth, he kept pushing past the hairs that attempted to thwart him. As he did, the voice in his head got louder.
“Help me before it becomes too late/Bind me after the deed has been done/Give me life if you can still think.”
Splitting his “arm” into countless smaller tentacles of pure, unrelenting power he attempted to weave through the defense of her hairs, but to no avail. The more he split it, the less he could fine-control it, while his opponent appeared to be able to control every strand of hair individually and with the same strength. He could never win a direct competition of power.
“Fine, then how about this!”
Grunting with exertion, he instead gathered his appendage into a veil of power hovering over the crater and then attempted to cover the Goddess with it. Immediately the veil began rippling and undulating with the Goddess’s counterattack.
Even while doing this, Gen wondered if there was any point to it. The Goddess was probably unbeatable, and even if she was technically hostile, she didn’t seem to pose any immediate danger. As long as they couldn’t understand her, there was no need to even attack or restrain her. Niu thought to use her as some clue regarding the situation and a method of travelling between the worlds, but Gen thought it was unlikely to work.
So he let go. He simply dematerialized the entire ethereal construct at once. He was getting pretty tired anyway. A strong gust of wind passed around as the hairs now competed against empty air.
“So you do not reach out your hand?/So you do not feel the wave?/So you do not deny the carnage?”
The Goddess’s voice also weakened little by little. Soon, Gen was left with nothing more than a dull headache and the feeling of sweat all over his body. The Goddess’s hairs all fell down to the ground, lifeless.
Only now he noticed that all eyes were on him. Eyes full of shock and wonder. Even Aisbroom had stopped with their attempts at attack long ago.
“I don’t think we can do anything right now,” he said as it appeared that everyone was waiting for him to say something.
“…Even so, this was more of a response than everything we’ve tried this far,” said Alsore. “Interesting. I suggest we go back to town for now.”
“Yeah, I could definitely use some rest now,” Gen admitted, breathing hard.
A while later, Gen sent a message back to Kalden.
He wasn’t quite proficient with the usage of the strange rectangular device they had built based on instructions from Plainland, but he could handle this so-called Talisman with a bit of an effort just fine. He simply summarized to Niu his experience with the Goddess.
So it really is a God, then, said Niu in response. Her words were slightly muffled, due to the distance in using her ability, but still understandable enough. Or, as it turns out, a Goddess. While obviously not someone from Plainland, she also does not quite conform to our impressions of Gods… hmm.
That was true. Gods were usually depicted as featureless or androgynous beings in art, from what he recalled. This latter attribute turned out to describe the fairies instead. There were also stories about the Gods possessing human form, though, which might be the case here. Furthermore, there was also the strangeness of the Goddess not moving any part of her body other than her hair.
There were still many mysteries and they weren’t even close to solving them, unfortunately.
Anyhow, after viewing her firsthand, how dangerous would you say she is?
Gen thought for a while before he focused on the complex icons and spoke to the small tablet again. “Strictly speaking, not very much. At least for now, she doesn’t seem to move at all and only destroys things around her over a certain range. As long as nothing changes, she shouldn’t pose direct danger to anyone who doesn’t approach her.”
Due to the nature of channeling versus Niu’s compensation, he had to wait for a while as the message was sent to her.
“We will still need to keep an eye on it,” Aisbroom noted from the side after hearing Gen’s response.
“Ah, of course,” said Gen. “But don’t you agree with my assessment?”
Aisbroom narrowed their eyes. “Demons—or Gods, as you call them—are dangerous and cannot be trusted.” Before Gen could ask them to clarify their opinions on the matter, however, Niu spoke into his mind again.
If possible, she said, I would like for you to try approaching her again. Of course, you need to stay safe, but—there might be valuable information hidden in these visions and voices you spoke of. You don’t have to do it straight away, of course. But at least try. If it really is too much for you after a couple of tries, you can leave it alone.
“…Understood,” he mumbled a curt response.
To be honest, he never wanted to get near that thing again—but he himself was still curious and he knew that Niu was right; they might find out something crucially important. He only tried it once and there was a little bit of progress. As long as it was relatively risk-free, he didn’t mind attempting this communication a little more.
“She says to watch over the Goddess and that I should keep trying to approach her,” he explained to Aisbroom.
“I can’t help but feel that even this is too dangerous… but if that is the Queen’s command, so it shall be.”
For some reason, Gen found their comment much more disturbing than he thought.
Sitting in her throne room, Niu mulled over this new information. A sleeping Goddess in the forest. At times lying completely still, at times rampaging without any clear reason or goal. It was interesting; very much so. Although Niu had been vastly more interested in stories about fairies throughout her childhood, she still recalled plenty of stories about the Gods as well.
The Gods gave humans the ability to channel. They created the world and the sun illuminating it. They tore away the fairies and isolated them in an entirely different world. There were many, many legends, and the only historical accounts she knew of were the fragmentary, unconfirmed tale from a century ago.
The Goddess arising from Gen’s report seemed to fit some of the stories while contradicting others. Then again, the fairies did the same. They couldn’t take anything for granted.
Unfortunately, investigation on the side had yet to achieve any result. The fairies themselves had no records about Gods, which they abhorred as wretched “Demons”, and even Queen Levia-O was still reporting having trouble finding any further information. During their last correspondence, Levia had regretfully informed her that most of the real lore about the Gods could probably only be found in their enemy country of Sacrona.
In conclusion, Niu was quite pessimistic about her two sources of information. That made the need for Gen’s investigation even greater. Gaining new information about the Goddess and using her for whatever purpose could serve as an incredible benefit.
What do you think, Roah? Do you have any ideas how we can use the Goddess?
Since Aisbroom was part of the expedition, Roah was currently the only one with her in the throne room other than guards. She didn’t feel like using NiU right now, though it was still resting in her lap.
“Well, ideally, we could use it to cross the borders between the worlds, Queen. Though we’re still not sure how it arrived like this without us noticing in the first place.”
Their most likely hypothesis regarding that was that unlike the hordes of beasts riding shiny tentacles, a lone body travelling through space would be much harder than spot. Either that, or the Goddess arrived in an entirely different way. That was another mystery that they hoped to solve.
“But,” Roah continued, “perhaps it can be used as a weapon as well.”
Against what?
He smiled. “Against the beasts, for example. It’s possible that this Goddess rebelled against her brethren and came here to help us… although I find it quite unlikely, personally,” he explained, shrugging. “Other than that, it isn’t like we are lacking in enemies. The Stroba, for one. And one day, perhaps even Rumdon might turn against us. Or, if nothing else, we can deter them from making that choice.”
You really are a pessimist, Roah, said Niu, scowling.
“No, Queen, if anything I’m an optimist. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even consider using such a feral and unstable being as one of the Gods,” he countered.
Point taken. Although he’d served as her close aide for almost two years now, Niu still was unable to fully understand Roah. He still addressed her as “Queen” even when they were alone, for Gods’ sake.
There is, however, one possibility that you have either missed or ignored.
“Hmm?”
Niu smiled and continued. What if she came here to try and talk to us? Perhaps even threaten us, or else ask for our help!
Roah arched his eyebrows. “What do you mean by that?”
I am saying that the Goddess appears to be attempting some sort of communication. You will note that she didn’t seem to directly attack anyone. Almost as if she was waiting. Waiting for what, though? When she’s agitated, she defends herself. When someone approaches, they see strange visions. What if that is actually a God’s way to talk?
She saw Roah’s eyes widen with understanding. Of course it would take him a bit of time to understand—after all, he’d never been in a situation where he couldn’t convey himself. He’d never writhed with pain and guilt at lacking the ability to speak. He probably had his own share of problems, to be sure, but he wasn’t Niu.
Gods are mysterious beings, and do not seem to be able to speak properly. But, if she is trying to pass us a message, it could be something of critical importance.
“Yes, I understand now.” He nodded, smiling. “I should have thought of that myself. But how will we understand her? Just let Gen get used to her and he might grow to understand her over time?”
Niu took a long breath and replied to his question. No, I thought of something much more direct and immediate, she said, bracing herself. I want to go to Somalir and try to talk to the Goddess myself.
Until now just resting and inmoving, NiU suddenly raised its small body, tilting its head as if in wonder.
My eye sees nothing but the color black.
My future is probably just as black as my past, or perhaps even more. Even the present is obviously pitch-dark.
The world is dominated by this single color; everything is in different shades of black. There are no grays or whites whatsoever.
Even when I’m being abused, even when I’m being complimented, there is still nothing but darkness gently choking me.
This is not a complaint, by the way. If it gives that impression, then allow me to explain: that blackness doesn’t hurt me, rather it empowers me.
After all, my disgusting heart can only bleed dark blood.