POV: Yueya Oshun (The Elf)

I was practically vibrating from where I stood, looking around excitedly at the surrounding origin deities. I mean, here were people I could actually talk to! Well, that skeleton guy looked too scary to talk to, and the big bird next to me was already moving off to talk to the butterfly...it seems like everyone was already chatting with someone. I frowned and looked around again, trying to see who I would want to go talk to and feeling incredibly nervous. 

"Should we join in on the festivities, My Lady?" Hajime, the elven deity that stood behind me asked. I glanced at the table that was covered with food, and the "plus-ones" that had started to congregate around it while the origin deities began talking with one another. 

"Go ahead, Hajime." I said with a smile, nodding to him. The elf smiled back and moved off, seamlessly integrating into the group of six beings that had begun talking to each other. I could sense the underlying tension between all of them as they interacted, no doubt attempting to glean information from one another. This was a meeting with a bunch of foreigners, while the universe was still young and so were they, so of course they were going to be much warier than their respective origin deities might be. Speaking of...as I looked around wondering who to go talk to, a black-haired deity wearing flowing purple robes caught my eyes. 

The moment our eyes met I felt as if I had been struck by lightning. My soul trembled as we stared at each other for a moment, and for the first time since my rebirth I truly felt as if I was vulnerable. It was the same one that waved back at me when I first entered the room...though I hadn't met the deity's eyes then. Now, its eyes peered into me and I actually had to consciously defend against his piercing gaze to defend against it. And the aura he, for I saw the deity as a he despite his effeminate features, radiated...it was so calming that I found it even affected me. 

I smiled again, putting a bit of my own power into my expression as I moved over to join the deity, who was chatting with the silver-winged deity and a beggar-looking dude. 

"Hello." I said, my smile coming off as a little shy as I extended my hand forwards for a handshake. The green-eyed deity blinked at me uncomprehendingly before smiling and gently taking my hand, shaking it. "I am Yueya Oshun. You are...?" I inquired. 

"My name is Statera Luotian." He said with a smile, releasing my hand and winking. "And this is how two equals tend to greet each other in my universe." He slapped his right fist into his left palm and bowed slightly, his eyes never leaving my own. I returned the gesture and he blinked, realization dawning on his face. "Ah! I never realized, but this would actually make the first time I have bowed to anyone as an equal since becoming an origin deity." He laughed and I joined him. I too had that problem.

"Anyways! These two," Statera continued, gesturing towards the silver-winged deity and the beggar, "are Pyrah and Reilly. Pyrah is the one with silver wings, while Reilly is the beggar-looking dude." I greeted the two of them, shaking each of their hands and returning their slight bows. Reilly glanced at Statera and myself before taking a long draught from a flask. He made an appreciative groan, and I raised my eyebrows. 

"What are you drinking?" I asked. 

"Booze." Reilly answered with a wink, juggling the dice in his hand. 

"A special type of liquor distilled from the power within the Abyss. I'm still working on the taste." Statera said calmly, shooting Reilly a look. "Reilly asked me if I had any alcohol earlier, so I gave him some. Would you like anything?" He asked, folding his hands inside the sleeves of his robes. I pondered that a bit. Since becoming an origin deity I hadn't touched any alcohol...for that matter, I hadn't touched alcohol for a few million years even when I was but a minor goddess in my old realm. 

"I - well, do you have any wine?" I asked, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. Statera waved one hand, and five gourds appeared in midair.

"Take your pick. I have, like, twenty different kinds, but these five are my favorites. Especially the middle one." Statera deadpanned. Before I could even think Reilly had made a move, lunging forwards and snagging the left-most gourd and taking a long draught. I stared at him, horrified by how rude he was being, and by how Pyrah seemed more amused than anything else at her "plus-one" acting this way. 

"Oh for the love of all that is holy, you know how to make good wine." Reilly moaned in satisfaction. "Pyrah, you can go play." He said, waving one hand dismissively. The silver winged deity snorted in amusement. 

"How did I know you'd get bored of this little charade?" She muttered to herself, flapping her wings once and flying off. I blinked in surprise, now scrutinizing the beggar-deity. 

"It stopped being fun the when Statera saw through me with a single glance. Even though my luck was good today...oh well." Reilly said with a shrug, winking at me. It took me a few moments before my eyes widened - hidden far beneath a layer of...bleh, for lack of a better descriptor, lay the majestic aura of an origin deity. Reilly was hiding it extremely well, for it to even fool me. But, Statera saw through it with a single glance...? I looked back at Statera, gazing into his forest green eyes and shuddering internally. 

"Those eyes of yours are a dangerous weapon." I said with a small smile. Statera just cocked his head to the side uncomprehendingly, and I giggled a bit. It doesn't matter how powerful Statera may be, in the two million years we've had to create our universes, there's no way he got far enough ahead to render the rest of our defenses useless. There had to be something to those eyes of his that made him able to see. 

I reached out and grabbed one of the gourds that had apparently been forgotten about, sniffing it experimentally. I might need this, if the rest of the meeting was going to go like this. Did everyone have little tricks like Statera's eyes...?

"Ah! Right, Reilly, what is your domain anyway? I'm getting a rather chaotic vibe from you, and it's got me curious." Statera asked, rubbing his chin. Reilly blinked and grinned, spinning the pair of dice in is hands. 

"You tell me first." Reilly countered, grinning wildly. Statera nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by the small winged being behind him. (I say small because compared to the powerhouses in the room currently, her aura was miniscule.) I stared in shock at Statera's companion. He brought a mortal to the meeting?! I mean, obviously she wasn't a normal mortal because her aura was stronger than a normal mortal, but really?! What kind of lunacy does that require?!

"Sharing information like...that is not recommended." She said, fluttering her wings slightly and giving Statera an annoyed look. "It is considered....sensitive. And...personal." 

"Really? It's not like they won't find out later, though." Statera grumbled, pouting a bit and looking at his mortal friend. The image reminded me a child, and Reilly snorted. 

"The mortal has a point. Tell you what, let's make a game out of it." Reilly said, tossing his dice in the air and grinning when he caught them. He took another deep swig of wine, eyes twinkling mischeivously. I hummed, seeing all the points being made. It was undoubtedly only a matter of time until we all knew each other's domains, however it very well could be considered sensitive information to what basically amounts to a group of outsiders...so why not make it a guessing game? That would make things more interesting, and if we imposed rules, if our domain wasn't guessed correctly we wouldn't have to reveal anything. 

I voiced as much, and both Reilly and Statera seemed to agree. However, it was only then that I realized our conversation had drawn the attention of the other deities. 

"That sounds like a game I would be rather interested in." The butterfly said. 

"Indeed, it would. Plus it would serve, as a way to determine, our observational abilities." The pulsating ball of light added, earning itself a few murmurs of agreement. 

"Hmph. I suppose so. Even I did not notice that the beggar was an origin deity." The kingly deity said, stroking his chin and looking at Statera appraisingly. I nodded and smiled. This could be fun. 

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

POV CHANGE: Statera Luotian

"You get first guess." Reilly declared, taking another long draught out of my wine and looking directly at me. I stared at the ten deities arranged in a circle with a bemused expression, idly wondering how exactly it came to be this way, but accepting it nonetheless. Apparently everyone present wanted to see how well I'd be able to guess their domains, for some reason. "Start with...Big Bird." Reilly gestured wildly to the giant eight-winged bird, it's newfound nickname causing it to frown. I withheld a snicker and looked closely at the bird. 

"My name, Beggar, is Nyxteria Mahakali." The bird, Mahakali, preened, glaring at Reilly. "And it would be my pleasure to go first." I, however, was no longer paying attention, getting close to gathering what its aura fully contained.

It held a very deep aura that seemed to flow only one way...

"Your aura is deep and endless, ever expanding, and flowing ever onwards. It is both ancient and young, causing endless decay and endless rebirth." I said, frowning and nodding towards the bird. "You, my friend, possess the domain of space and time." The bird was silent for a moment before bowing its head in acknowledgement. 

"With hardly a glance, you saw past my barriers. What you said is correct. I am indeed an Origin Deity of Space and Time." The bird said. I blinked and smiled, pleased with myself until the Kingly deity spoke up. 

"Ha. That was hardly a challenge. Anyone could've guessed that, I mean just look at the bird." Despite the way he said it, I actually agreed. The eight-winged bird's physical features did indeed give away the 'space' portion, what with the starry sky covering its body. "Do the pyramid next." He challenged. 

"It would be easier to go around in a circle, starting from the right of..." The pyramid intoned, its following pregnant pause apparently meant for me.

"Statera." I supplied. 

"The right of Statera and continuing in a circle until Statera gets a guess wrong. Then the 'guesser' will switch to the person to the previous guesser's right." The pyramid finished. 

"What is this...kindergarten?" The Mad Scientist asked from behind me, her intended insult going largely ignored. 

"Yes, actually. Compared to some beings out there, we are but babes." I returned with a smile. "As origin deities go, everyone present is incredibly young." Seeing as no one bothered to refute me, I nodded and looked at the being to my right, the beautiful red-headed elf. "Let's begin shall we? You, Yueya, are undoubtedly a deity of beauty. Can you change forms, by the way?" I asked, eyes twinkling as I looked at her. Reilly whistled. 

"Right out the starting gate, and you're already flirting? You lady-killer you." He teased. Yueya shot him a look and nodded to me. 

"That's correct, I am the origin deity of beauty, in all its abstractness. And yes, I can change forms." She said, swiftly changing to appear as a green-haired male elf before reverting back to her previous form. "Though I prefer this one." I smiled and nodded, moving on to the next deity and ignoring the stares I was getting. This felt suspiciously like I was the only one showing my prowess. Beside Yueya was Nyxteria, so I skipped the big bird for the next one; the stag. 

"I go by many names, but the most common is Chun Nihaad Teva. You may call me Teva." The elemental stag said with a playful lilt to its voice. I nodded, not even blinking as I recognized the aura Teva exuded. Although within Teva they were all blended together, there was no mistaking the elements. 

"You're a deity of the elements. There's no mistaking your aura." I said, looking to the next one without waiting for Teva's answer. The stag didn't so much as flinch at my assessment, chuckling to itself and muttering "That obvious, huh?" under its breath. Next up was the light ball, who merely flickered as it spoke its name. 

"My creations, have come to call me, The Progenitor. I suppose, that shall suffice, as a name." The light ball intoned. I nodded and stared at it, noticing the way it pulsated. It was as if there was a thin gauze covering The Progenitor's aura, preventing me from seeing it clearly. I blinked and the gauze vanished, a wave of...something wafting over me. I probed once more, feeling as if I was playing with building blocks, before coming up with an answer. 

"You are a deity of creation, are you not? Your aura has a hint of building something in it." I mused, rubbing my chin. The Progenitor flashed once in shock. 

"With just, a blink of your eyes you blew away, my defenses. You, are, correct." It muttered in shock. I was on a roll now, and I continued on. Next up was the skeleton dude. I had already gotten a grasp of its aura, and in the blink of an eye I finished analyzing it. It was life and death together, the same and yet different. The skeleton's aura was the same as any other cycle, one that was constantly rotating and changing, yet remaining the same. 

"That's quite the interesting domain..."

"Shin." The skeleton supplied. 

"...Shin. Very interesting. Cyclical...your domain is the Cycle." I said, nodding. 

"What cycle?" The pyramid questioned. I smiled at it. 

"The Cycle." I repeated, looking at the skeleton for confirmation. Its expression, if that was possible on a skeleton, was shocked to say the least. 

"Had you said anything other than The Cycle, you would have been wrong." Shin said, simply opening its mouth as the words poured out alongside some black smoke. "You have my profound respect for your insights." It said, inclining its head to me. I nodded and looked at the butterfly, who introduced itself without even needing prompting, excitement clear in its aura. 

"Sylphina Luanhua is what I am called, fellow deity." The butterfly, Sylphina, said. I observed its chaotic aura, almost speaking the word "Chaos" before halting myself and chuckling. 

"How devious, to hide your domain beneath your sub-domain. I like it. Your domain is Change, not chaos." I announced proudly, winking at her. "So far you got the closest to tripping me up." I looked at Reilly, who was next, a smug look plastered on his stupid face. His aura was the most vexing to try to figure out, and I had to furrow my brows as I trying to make heads or tails of Reilly's aura. Its surface layer was just so...confusing. Random almost, while deeper in it was...almost calculative. I'd be safer guessing...oh. Guessing. That might just be it.

"Oh, tricky. You were hoping for a lucky guess on my part, weren't you?" I said with a grin, glancing around and realizing that I had already finished analyzing all the others' auras. Then I looked back at Reilly, whose face was pale as he stared at me in shock. "Your domain is Luck. You're no beggar, you're a gambler." 

"That's right. Holy shit." Reilly said, laughing. 

"Yes, I do take those from time to time." I said with a carefully blank expression. Reilly stared at me for a moment, trying to comprehend what I said, before barking out another laugh. 

"Oh, I like you!" He roared. I grinned and looked at the last three remaining deities. 

"Ok you three, speed round. When I point at you give your names and I'll tell you your domain. Ready? Start with you." I said, pointing to the pyramid. 

"MR-10." It said. 

"MR-10. M...R-TEN. Mar-TEN. Martin. Your name is Martin. Oh, that is clever. Destiny and fate, that's your domain. I happen to have a bit of insight into that myself, but it's not enough to even consider it a sub-domain yet. Now you." I said moving to the kingly one. 

"I am Emperor." He puffed up. I blinked, not really sure what I expected from him, but not such a blatant portrayal of his domain. 

"Right. Ok, 'Ruler.'" I said, moving onto the next. HIs expression told me that I was right, even as he protested. 

"I am Rising Wind, Crashing Waves. Call me whatever you wish, be it Rising Wind, or Crashing Waves." The last, the Oni, said with a smile. I grinned back, basking slightly in the warm feeling the oni was projecting. 

"You are the deity of emotion." I said, and Crashing Waves' face fell. 

"That's right..." Crashing Waves' said, looking at all the other deities as they stared at me, uncomprehendingly. Then they all shared a glance and proceeded to peer at me, attempting to look into my aura and all determined to seek out my domain. I smiled, and did the exact opposite of what they did - instead of sucking it all in or attempting to cover it up, I drowned them in my domain. "Your domain is Peace!" Crashing Waves exclaimed. 

"No." I replied. 

"It is Love." MR-10 intoned. 

"No." I replied. 

"Tranquility!" That was Reilly. 

"No."  

"Damn. Unlucky guess...my luck's been awful today..." Reilly cursed.

"The Heavens." 

"No." It was a good ten minutes before the next three guesses came flying at me, being the Sun, Light, and Beginnings, respectively. All were wrong obviously, and I was beginning to show a bit of a smug smile, which only served to irk the remaining three who had to guess. 

"Chaos." Sylphina, muttered. I shook my head, and the butterfly let out a noise like a groan. 

"Is it...Energy?" Shin guessed, and I laughed, shaking my head and turning towards Yueya, who was the last one left to guess. She stared straight at me, a frown on her features as she desperately attempted to find my domain. I could...almost see how close she was to it. She wasn't attempting to analyze my aura like the others had, else she would get lost in a raging maelstrom or lose herself in eerie calm, instead flowing along with it and soaking it all in for what it is...it was then that I realized just how similar our domains really were. If one looked at it from an increasingly abstract angle. 

"It is...a scale...a beam...a circle...yin...but yang..." She sighed in frustration, looking at me in sending a silent question towards me. Then, her voice was transmitted to me and me alone. Is it...balance? And I nodded, ever so slightly, a smile gracing my lips. "It is Truth." She said aloud, smirking at me. I shot her a confused look before shaking my head. 

"No, it is not. Reilly, had you not guessed randomly you most likely would've gotten it." I chastised the Deity of Luck. The gambler just shrugged, and smile gracing his lips as all the other deities continued to scrutinize me, seeking answers but finding none. I swiftly retracted my aura, not so much as letting it move an inch as I stared at them in challenge. They had not guessed it right, so I suppose, in all fairness, they should not be able to guess what my domain is until next time. Thankfully, I was saved by the Blue Boxes, who chose that moment to inform us that it was time for the "meeting" to really begin. 

The time is up. Sit in your respective seats, and we can begin. The results of the first meeting between this generation of origin deities will be shown for the first time...now.