“God of Energy? Engraut?” Venezuela asked in a surprised voice.
Engraut nodded and said, “That’s right.”
“I don’t believe you-nyaa!” Cantia said angrily. “You hurt Ondine and now you call yourself a god-nyaa? You must’ve hit your head pretty hard by something solid-nyaa!”
Appearing to be surprised, Engraut said, “I’m sorry to hear that, but you are blaming me unnecessarily. I did not hurt the young Water Spirit, but she was attacking me at that time. So, I simply disturbed her energy to cause her some pain and stop her from attacking me.”
“Ugh… How did you do that?” Ondine asked wearily as she sat down on a chair.
To this, Engraut waved his finger and said, “I’m sorry, but I cannot reveal godly secrets to mere mortals.”
Ondine sighed and said, “Really… After all this, you’re going to say that weird line?”
“There is nothing weird about it because it’s a fact,” Engraut told her firmly. “What I used is a godly technique and if I were to explain it, I would be giving away the secrets of the gods.”
“Stop saying you’re a god-nyaa! I don’t believe it-nyaa!” Cantia said repeatedly.
“I don’t know… He’s pretty convincing with the way he speaks and that pressure we felt moments earlier,” Erza said nervously and Silvera nodded with an apprehensive look on her face.
“Nyaa! If he really is a god, let him prove it-nyaa!” Cantia said firmly. “We can’t believe every numbskull that calls himself a god!”
The girls looked at her and together, they said, “Huh?!”
Engraut was momentarily surprised by her words and he shook his head before sighing.
“Mortals… Always demanding one to prove themselves god,” he said in a weary voice. “Very well. I suppose you have the right to know whether I am truly a god or not.”
The girls turned to face him; some were wearing apprehensive expressions on their faces while others looked nervous. Cantia, on the other hand, smiled confidently as if she was prepared for an expected result. Lakshman was the only one among them that felt Engraut proving himself as god was a bad idea.
“Very well… So be it,” Engraut said as he got off the chair and rose to his feet.
For a moment, he had his eyes shut and remained standing without doing anything. Then, in a flash, his eyes opened and in that instant, an intense pressure filled the room. Wild energy began to surge from Engraut’s body and flowed everywhere within the room. It was a strange dark energy that was slightly different from the killing intent that usually creates this pressure. His yellow eyes with red and orange shapes glowed and it gave him a menacing look as dark energy surged wildly around.
The girls widened their eyes from sensing the intense pressure coming from him and the tension suddenly rise into the air. Even Cantia’s eyes wide with fear and her mouth hung open in shock. None of them had ever sensed this power before in their lives and the intensity. All of them slowly raised their hands together and clapped them together in a sort of prayer.
For Lakshman, it was a different kind of feeling than what the girls felt. Unlike the kind of pressure that threatened to destroy them, he had a sense of Déjà vu as if he knew this pressure, but he could not remember exactly. However, he quickly looked around and saw the house beginning to crack under the intense pressure and it will not be long before the whole house came crashing down.
“God of Energy! Please…! Stop it!” he bellowed at the top of his voice.
Hearing his plea, Engraut deactivated his pressure and it slowly dissipated. The pressure was gone with the dark energy vanished into thin air with Engraut returning to look normal. Everything began to settle down and Lakshman had a good look around to see the damage done. There were great large cracks inside the house and he saw the same kind of damage appear outside the room as well.
“Phew… Now, will you believe me that I truly am a god?” Engraut asked in an exasperated voice.
The girls, who had their hands together in prayer with wide eyes, slowly lowered themselves to the ground and knelt. It was the first time they had god in person and at knowing who he actually was made them bowed down deeply. He looked at them bowing towards him and a small smile appeared on his face.
“Good. You girls are humble to honour a god like me,” he said in a satisfied voice.
Lakshman, on the other hand, looked at Engraut through narrowed eyes. He did feel devotion surging with him, but this strange sense of familiarity caused him to now bow down before the God of Energy. Engraut looked towards him and blinked in surprise at the serious expression on his face. He smiled when he realised his godly pressure made Lakshman feel a sense of familiarity with him.
“So then... Shall we get started on talking Lakshman Reddy or should I call you Ashura Rangavardan?” Engraut asked him curiously.
Lakshman raised his eyebrows in surprise and he asked, “T-That name… How do you…?”
With a grinning face, Engruat said, “Well… I did say I came to speak to you about your past and the future.”
A few seconds later, the girls recovered and Lakshman asked Venezuela, Emilia and Erza to go around repairing the house. In the meantime, Ondine, Cantia, Tetra and Silvera remained with him as they took seats facing the God of Energy. The earlier malicious pressure was gone and Engraut was smiling easily at him, which surprised the girls a little bit. Emilia brought them a tray with glasses of water
“Um… How did you enter the house?” Ondine asked curiously. “Because, I believe the door was locked last night.”
“Yes. It was locked, so I let myself in through the window,” Engraut said with a smiling face.
“Huh?” Tetra asked in a surprised voice. “Why did a god, such as yourself, come through the window like a burglar?”
“Yeah. Wouldn’t it have been easier to ring the Magic Bell attached to our front door-nyaa?” Cantia asked curiously.
Engraut shook his head and said, “You’re fundamentally mistaken there, Sacred Spirit. I’m a god and because I am god, I do not require permission to let myself into a building. As a god, I can go anywhere I want at my leisure. However, there are certain things I refrain from doing such as entering a premise where the occupants are supposedly changing clothes.”
Lakshman, who had been drinking water, suddenly spewed water out of his mouth in shock. After spluttering and receiving helpful pats on the back by the girls sitting around him, he looked at Engraut with a shocked expression on his face.
“You… You were a peeping tom?!” he exclaimed in a shocked voice.
Engraut quickly raised his hand and said, “Please… Before you unfairly accuse me of anything, let me tell you that I do not participate in such an activity. If I were to, my wife will certainly beat the hell out of me.”
“You’re wife? Gods have wives?” Silvera asked in an amazed voice. “I thought the Mythological Gods only lived in their domains and represent something to control.”
Engraut nodded and said, “We certainly do, but it was never recorded within your mythological records. The records kept by the ancients were destroyed a very long time ago. Anyway… We, the male gods, do each have female gods as our wives, although some choose to remain bachelors throughout their existence.”
“Oh…” Silvera said in a wondering voice.
“Um…” Ondine began hesitantly. “Please don’t think I’m being rude, but do gods have babies?”
There was a pause in which all of them turned their heads to look at Ondine in surprise. Then, they turned to look at Engraut and wondered what his reply would be. To them, gods are divine beings with infinite life span and they are unreachable by the mortals that exist on the Physical Plane. However, this new knowledge of gods having wives brought that question onto Ondine’s curious mind.
He smiled at her and said, “No. The Creator, he who created all worlds, gods and life, allowed us to become couples with other gods or goddesses. However, there are still some gods that chose to lead a bachelor life for existence.”
“Oh… Is there a, you know, concept of deception like the stuff down here?” Ondine asked curiously.
Engraut looked surprised and he asked, “By deception, are you referring to failure of love and divorce?” When Ondine nodded, he shook his head lightly before saying, “No. We do not possess the concept of divorce because we truly wish to be with each other, unlike the mortals with your many mixture of feelings, emotions and desires.”
“Oh… You’re right I guess on that one,” Ondine said and the other girls nodded in agreement.
Lakshman looked at her for a moment before turning his attention to Engraut and asked, “Anyway, you said you came here to tell me about my past and the future. Does that mean you know my past and what might happen in the future?”
“I am aware of your past and as for the future, think of it as what I guess will happen,” Engraut said and Lakshman nodded in understanding.
“Then, please proceed,” Lakshman said eagerly.
“I will, but I wish for your wives to be present to hear this. You and they are family and in essence, it makes them and you very connected to each other.”
At his request, Silvera rose to her feet and she quickly hurried away. A minute later, she returned with Venezuela, Emilia and Erza with curious expressions on their faces. After they dragged chairs over and seated themselves around Lakshman, Engraut finally smiled before he began to speak.
“In the ancient times, when the magic was used by those specially gifted, you ruled that time as the first Phoenix Titan, Ashura Rangavardan. At that time, the ranks did not exist and people that carried the title of ‘Titan’ were considered those with power equalling the gods. You were the strongest at that time among all the mortals and with that power, you bravely or foolishly challenged the gods.
That was when you defeated Whamana, the God of Wisdom of that time. After his defeat, you proceeded to challenge the God of Justice, Sangrahan. Ultimately, Sangrahan defeated you, but he and the other gods were highly impressed and they granted you Divine Protection of all sorts that you have yet to unlock. It was also then that you received the blessing of reincarnation and after many cycles, you have finally returned.”
“I returned?” Lakshman asked and he looked surprised. “Why do you say that, God of Energy? Aren’t all of my reincarnations me just grown up differently?”
“In essence yes, but they all lacked the kind of spirit that made you who you were as Ashura Rangavardan. However, this time the path you took was very similar to Ashura’s with the watchful guidance and protection from Whamana that existed within you.”
“By Whamana, do you mean the Decisive Player?”
“Decisive Player? Is that what he made you call him?” Engraut asked before chuckling. “That guy really doesn’t deserve to be called the Decisive Player because of who he was originally.”
“What do you mean?”
“Being the God of Wisdom, he lacks basic human emotions and feelings the other gods are able to experience. Sadly, the current God of Wisdom is also the same, but Whamana got lucky when Ashura took his spirit into himself when the God of Destruction, Druesion, destroyed his godly body. Ever since then, Whamana received the feelings and emotions that Ashura shared with him and soon acquired the same kind of principles as Ashura himself.
After his death, Whamana held onto those feelings and emotions as his spirit continued to go through the cycle of reincarnation. However, his attempts at making the Phoenix Titans of each cycle similar to Ashura failed because of a dark presence that Ashura was cursed with because of a battle against a dark evil of the past. That curse developed a conscious of its own and soon began taking control over the Phoenix Titan, feeding them with great negative thoughts and ambitions.”
“That’s the Voice of the Phoenix,” Lakshman said and the girls looked at him in surprise. “I realised that during my two years of training to supress that dark evil lurking within me. However, the Voice of the Phoenix was misdirected because it technically meant the Decisive Player. I’m now calling it the Voice of the Phoenix because I don’t want to link that name with someone like Decisive Player, who sacrificed his life to save me.”
Engraut nodded and said, “That’s right and 8000 years ago, a great racial war started because of that great evil lurking within you. It used the Phoenix Titan of that time to start a war by deceiving each side and it ultimately led them to fight each other. However, Whamana managed to use forceful means to supress this… uh… Voice of the Phoenix and brought the Phoenix Titan back to his senses.
After that, I think you should know what happened with him stopping the war by sacrificing his life to summon the World Guardians.”
“Yeah! The Phoenix Titan gallantly sacrificed his life to summon the World Guardians to put an end to the racial war. Due to his sacrifice, the people commemorated their foolishness to fight and thus, the era of the Phoenix began,” Venezuela said before frowning and asking, “Are you suggesting the Phoenix Titan 8000 years ago was a bad person regardless of his sacrifice to bring peace?”
Engraut shook his head and as he gestured Lakshman, he said, “I’m not saying that at all. I am merely pointing out how dangerous that Voice of the Phoenix was as it corrupted the Phoenix Titans after Ashura’s death. However, the Decisive Player pleaded with the God of Life to wait 8000 years to let the accumulated darkness from committing evil acts slowly dissipate. Finally, after being reborn, he completely suppressed the Voice of the Phoenix and allowed you to be raised like a sheltered kid to keep you innocent.”
“Huh?!” Lakshman exclaimed in shock as the girls widened their eyes in astonishment. “How do you know that?”
“Oh… From time to time, I dropped in while you were asleep to converse with that guy,” Engraut said before smiling widely at him.
Lakshman looked startled by those words and he slowly said, “He never told me…”
“Ah, young man… He’s been keeping you in the dark for a long time!” Engraut said with a shake of his head. He sudden looked at him intently and asked, “By the way, have you told your wives about the Destiny Queens?”
“Uh…!” Lakshman replied shortly with an uncomfortable expression on his face.
“The Destiny what?” Tetra asked while looking puzzled.
“Destiny Queens,” Engraut said clearly. “There are a total of nine Destiny Queens, but so far only seven have been gathered.”
“Seven?” Tetra and the girls looked at each other with a surprised expression on his face.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Lakshman Reddy needs the Destiny Queens to be strong,” Engraut said with a nod of his head. “All seven are in this room married to him for life.”
“Hold on…” Venezuela began slowly in a quiet voice. “Does that mean… You married us to be strong rather than because you loved us...?”
“Huh?!” Lakshman exclaimed in a shocked voice as the girls turned to glare at him. “Wait! You’re misunderstanding!”
“Destiny Queens, please clam down. He indeed loved you and it had nothing do with the fact that all of you were Destiny Queens,” Engraut said with a heavy sigh and surprised the girls. “To be honest, Lakshman is destiny to marry only the nine Destiny Queens of this century. The Goddess of Fate played her cards well in getting all the Destiny Queens meet each other through fated meetings.”
“Of this century?” Erza asked with a puzzled expression on her face. “Are you saying we’re the only Destiny Queens to exist in all the cycles of reincarnation that Lucky’s spirit went through?”
“That’s right,” Engraut said and he nodded in agreement before smiling at them. “It’s not just Lakshman, but while you stay together, the stronger each of you are. I don’t know how strong that is compared to powerful opponents, but strong enough to defend yourselves and fight for the right cause.”
“Oh…” the girls all said at the same time and they turned to look sadly at Lakshman.
“Why didn’t you tell us this yourself?” Venezuela asked while looking upset. “Did a god really have to come all this way to tell us this?”
“Um…” Lakshman began hesitantly.
“Please don’t blame him because he did not quite understand how to explain it to you, the girls whom he loves so dearly,” Engraut said in a reasonable voice. “He clearly didn’t want you to misunderstand his intention of marrying you with an alternative reason with self-interest.”
“That’s right!” Lakshman said quickly as he followed up after Engraut’s words. “I wanted to tell you several times, but I was worried what you might think after being told. I mean, I’m glad to love you all and am really happy to be destined to be married to, but I was nervous how you would react at knowing about the Nine Destiny Queens.”
“We understand,” the girls all said at the same time and they moved over to hug him from all around.
“You should’ve had more trust in us,” Venezuela said sternly.
“We would’ve believed you!” Ondine and Cantia said in unison. “We love you after all!”
“As I thought! We were destined!” Erza said happily with Emilia nodding silently in agreement.
“Regardless of that, I’m your weapon and I will fight alongside you,” Tetra said with Silvera nodding in agreement with a grin on her face.
“T-Thanks girls…” Lakshman said slowly as the girls squished together to hug him.
Watching this romantic scene unfold before him, the God of Energy said in exasperation, “Um… Would you please refrain from being lovey-dovey in front of a god?”
“Oh…! Sorry!” Lakshman said quickly and the girls broke away.
“It’s fine, but still… Please do remember that I am a god, no matter how friendly I may speak with you,” Engraut said drily as the girls returned to their seats. “Anyway, that’s all that I can tell you about your past that I learnt from Whamana. Really… He left such an important task to me before disappearing for good.”
“He was pretty cool though,” Lakshman said with happy smile. “He did help me through complicated training to grasp the concepts like Flight. That was really difficult to master. That reminds me…” He turned to the girls and asked, “Have you learnt Flight yet?”
“Of course!” they all said at the same time in a loud voice, startling both him and the God of Energy.
“Okay, okay… I was just asking…” Lakshman said with a chuckle. “So, what is it about the future you want to tell me, Engraut?”
“Yes, but before that, I want to highlight the key difference between you and Ashura Rangavardan,” Engraut said with a serious expression on his face.
“A key difference between the past me and the current me?” Lakshman asked curiously.
“Yes. It’s how you deal with your evil people. You show needless compassion towards your enemies and often offer them chances at redemption, but Ashura kills his enemies without the slightest bit of mercy. Compared to him, your actions are quite foolish.”
The girls were surprised by his harshness; Ondine, Cantia and Silvera got angry at calling him a fool. Lakshman narrowed his eyes slightly and said nothing for a moment as he intently looked at him.
“If it makes me a fool to show compassion to my enemies, then I’m fine with it,” he said in a firm voice, surprising Engraut in the process. “An assassin kills his enemies without the slightest sign of mercy or regret. I’m a hero and I am to be a hero that offers his enemies the chance at changing themselves for the good. It just makes that much of a big difference between a hero and an assassin. However, I will deliver the ultimate blow to them if they stretch my compassion. So yeah… The last time I checked, I’m a hero and not an assassin.”
For a moment, there was silence within the room as the girls nervously looked between Engraut and Lakshman. The God of Energy and Phoenix Titan stared at each other intently without saying anything for a few seconds. Finally, Engraut sighed and formed a small smile on his face.
“I’m glad to see you’re firm in your stance about your way of fighting,” he said and he sounded impressed. Then, he became serious and said, “As for the future… Make sure to be on guard… You may never know when you’ll be attacked.”
Lakshman blinked in surprise before he said, “Huh? That’s it?”
Engraut shrugged his shoulders and said, “You and the Destiny Queens must stay close. Otherwise, your increasing enemies will take an opportunity to destroy you all. That was how Ashura lost his Destiny Queens of his time and this led to his eventual defeat.”
“I see,” Lakshman said and he nodded in understanding. “So, the Destiny Queens of the current century are the reincarnations of the ones that Ashura lost. Now it makes sense, why I have these fragments memories of seeing someone surrounded by the women that surround me right now. Now, it makes perfect sense.”
“Yes and you girls, I know it might be annoying, but he will have to meet two more Destiny Queens. Which means, he will also marry them whenever their fated meeting occurs.”
“Yes, we understand,” Venezuela said and the other girls nodded. “There’s already seven of us, so I don’t see the problem of adding two more to the group.”
“You know… With nine women and one man, we’re a perfect team of ten!” Ondine said in a bright voice.
“Mmm… Is that why there are only Nine Destiny Queens and One Phoenix Titan?” Venezuela asked the God of Energy as she looked intently at him.
“As to that, I don’t really know,” Engraut said honestly. “I really don’t know much about what the term ‘Destiny Queen’ implies by the Nine Destiny Queens and why you are specifically chosen, reincarnating after a very long time. Even Whamana, with his extensive knowledge and wisdom from when he was a god, did not know anything about it or the actual reason behind the terms given to you chosen ladies.”
“Well…! It makes us special-nyaa!” Cantia said excitedly. “The most special women in the entire world-nyaa!”
“Maybe… Maybe…” Engraut said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Only time will tell and speaking of time, it’s best I go back. I’m sure my wife will be waiting for my arrival back at home.”
“Are there homes up in the Higher Plane?” Emilia asked quickly, but Engraut simply waved his finger with a small smile on his face.
“Unfortunately, that’s part of the godly secrets that mortals should not really know about,” he replied with a smiling face. He rose to his feet and once everyone else did, he nodded at them and said, “Now then, make sure to take good care of yourselves and have wonderful babies soon.”
“Huh?!” they all exclaimed in surprised voices.
“I think it’s a bit early for that…” Lakshman said and he looked embarrassed.
“Then, get on with it! You’re a man, right? We god’s don’t have that opportunity to give offspring’s, but you’re allowed to by the power of The Creator,” Engraut said and he suddenly looked strangely frustrated.
“You’ve been saying quite a bit about this The Creator-nyaa. Who is he-nyaa?” Cantia asked curiously. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that god other than the Mythological Gods-nyaa.”
“I believe he is the ultimate god of existence,” Lakshman said in a slightly uncertain voice, “I doubt knowledge about his existence is recorded within the records that the Phoenix Clan or the Dragon Clan possess.”
“We don’t know yet of The Creator’s true gender, but they have infinite amount of power in creating this world and all its properties. The reason we even exist is because of that being, but we really don’t know much about who they are or where they came from.”
After explaining to them about The Creator, he sighed and looked up at the roof. The girls did not understand why he looked blankly at the roof of that room, but Lakshman realised. He sensed the strange powers the God of Energy was using to connect to something far, far away from their reach.
“Anyway, I must leave. You remember everything I’ve said and lead your lives onwards to a future that hasn’t been written,” Engraut said and he winked at them.
“Thank you for coming, like a thief, into our house to tell us something important!” Lakshman said and together, he and the girls bowed down to thank the God of Energy.
He smiled and said, “May the forces be your guidance to lead peaceful lives.”
“Thank you,” Erza said gratefully for his blessing and he smiled.
“God of Energy… Is it possible to count of your help in the near future?” Lakshman asked curiously.
Engraut looked at him with raised eyebrows and she slowly shook his head.
“I’m afraid you shouldn’t expect that,” he said in a quiet voice. “While I did inform you about your past and what will have to be done in the future, I’m still a god. Like all the gods, I’m a bystander as I watch over the actions and behaviour of the people in the Physical Plane. However, remember this: Gods won’t help you if you don’t make your efforts before seeking help.”
“Well then… After my full efforts have been put in, will you help out?”
Engraut chuckled and said, “I’m just an observer or a messenger if you look at it that way. However, the other gods will most likely help you out, but only if you are willing to spend your time with them. There are an interesting bunch, even among us gods and I prefer to stay in my domain than meet with them. So, if you want help from them sometime later, you’ll have to put up with their character.”
Lakshman laughed and said, “I can’t believe a god is saying something rude about other gods.”
“Quite,” Engraut replied with a smile on his face. “Now, I best be going before my wife wonders where I disappeared to and just for your information, her name is Jena, the Goddess of Love. Make sure to remember that name if you ever meet her or she meets you in the future!”
“Yes! We will!” Lakshman said and the girls nodded beside him.
He waved farewell at them one last time before beginning to glow. A few seconds later, he exploded into light particles and these lights soon took on the forms of energy butterflies. They glowed in blue colours as they slowly flapped their wings and magically flew out of the room through the open window. Lakshman and his wives watched the butterflies exit through the window feeling a sense of determination in the air and in their hearts.
Once they were gone, Lakshman and his wives sat back down before letting out sighs of relief. In the initial contact with the God of Energy, but they eventually relaxed after realising he was a very nice and sincere god However, this still left them
“So… His wife is the Goddess of Love, Jena,” Erza said before sighing heavily. “No wonder he seems full of energy.”
“No. Even before that, he’d be full of energy being the God of Energy,” Venezuela told her.
“Yeah, but this just proves we hardly know anything about the gods. We are mortal beings and with the flow of time, we slowly grow and eventually die out. They, however are the divine beings with infinite life spans and exist in a dimension that out of our reach.”
“We’ve really learnt a lot today,” Emilia said with a small smile on her face. “We know a little more about Lucky’s past, us being these Destiny Queens with two more yet to be married and a little more about the gods than we already knew. So, I guess we didn’t waste today’s time at all in his company.”
“Still-nyaa…! I wish he uses the front door next time-nyaa!” Cantia said indignantly. “Going into someone’s house without being welcomed in-nyaa. He’s a rude god-nyaa.”
Lakshman laughed and as he patted her head, he said, “I think he lacks that basic common sense, Cantia. He’s a god and our rules don’t necessarily apply to the gods that live who knows where.”
“Even so, he is a very rude god,” Ondine said with a frown on her face. “He could’ve told me to stop instead of disturbing my energy to hurt me with the way he did.”
“I think he had no choice since you wouldn’t have listened to him when he tells you to stop with the way you recklessly attacked him,” Lakshman said with a shrewd expression on his face.
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?” Ondine said indignantly as she stared at him with an annoyed expression on her face.
He chuckled and he looked up at the ceiling. Even with the past he was told about, there was much he did not know. The memories he currents has in possession are just fragments of one big jigsaw puzzle. However, he was not interested in putting the pieces of his past memories together and instead, his desire now was to focus on the present.
“He’s informed me about my past and told me about an uncertain future,” Lakshman said and he raised his hand into the air. Then, he clenched it tightly and said, “Regardless, I will still keep moving forward like I always have because I am the Phoenix Titan!”
“Yeah!” the girls said together and they also raised their clenched fists into the air to mimic him.
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Author's Note
Here's a story I'm considering writing at a later time: "Phoenix Rising: The Creator" and I believe I'll write that one in first-person perspective. It'll be like the beginning tale into Phoenix Rising from the ultimate god's perspective. I don't know when I will write it though since this story and my life are keeping me pretty busy.