POV: Reilly (Origin Deity of Luck)
Stepping into Statera's universe was like having a sun shoved directly in your face after spending a lifetime knowing nothing but darkness. It practically seared my eyes, sent my scalp to tingling, and blasted every cell that made up my divine body with energy so goddamn powerful and dense that even I was wholly and utterly stunned. The sheer amount of energy and power Statera's realm held was jaw-dropping to say the least, being at minimum three times higher and denser than my Nine Heavens - at only one third the size. Honestly, Statera's realm was small even in comparison to Shin's universe, but it more than made up for it in the sheer amount of power it emanated.
"Damnation, Statera. What in the world is with this place?" Shin blurted out. "I was second in terms of density, but this...this is just...your stupid realms are far denser in power than mine!"
"Uh...it's cause of magic. Er, well, immortal magic. But magic nonetheless." Statera mumbled incoherently.
"You're not making any sense." I told her, getting a good view of Statera's universe after adjusting to the insane amount of energy within it. It was...well, it looked like a painting. A giant tree sat in the center of the universe, glistening and glowing with ethereal lights. To its left and a situated a little higher than the tree a mountain stood, proudly radiating divine power that turned the skies gold, while to the right and a little lower than the tree was a deep valley, filled to the brim with souls and a very...strange and ephemeral energy (it felt similar, yet different, to my Luck) and surrounded by an ocean. Flowing through all of that, twining through all things, flowed a River of souls, glittering as streams merged with the main body to flow through the valley, down the mountain, and around the tree.
"Well...this is the Four Realms. Impressive?" Statera asked with a childish smile.
"Are the sun and moon...alive?" Shin asked, staring at said objects.
"Technically they are the Realm Sun and Lunar Star, but...yes, technically. It was...a trying time." Statera said a little somberly and a little fondly. A loud, obnoxious roar echoed out from behind me, cutting off whatever Statera was going to say next.
"Oh, I like this place!" Sehuyun exclaimed as she crawled out of the portal, her massive, draconic form just barely squeezing through. Her two wings stretched as she reared up on her hind legs, stretching her long neck and letting out another challenging roar, spewing fire out of her fang-filled maw. She was a truly impressive, and vicious-looking, specimen, with horns and spikes of black bone jutting out of her joints and great, branching horns sticking out of her head. "Feels wonderful! Yes, I will have such fun here." She chuckled, flapping her wings and shooting off across the sky, towards the large mountain.
"Sehuyun -" Yueya's cry of protest was cut off by a smug looking Statera, who simply held her hand out and glanced at Yueya with an amused glitter in her eyes.
"Just watch," Statera said cryptically, "she's about to learn a very important lesson; you don't go barging into someone else's neighborhood issuing challenges." Statera said. I raised my eyebrows and turned back towards the form of Sehuyun, who had stopped dead in front of a being of...strange power. He had white hair and two broken horns on his head, and was dressed in white robes not unlike Statera's. In one hand was held a spear, and the towering aura of battle-intent radiating off of the man was enough to give even the great dragon pause.
The man's next words almost caused me to burst out laughing. "Who the fuck do you think you are? I will straight up kill your ass if you don't pipe down." So simple! So brazen! So...so...so manly! I LIKE IT! But, that didn't distract from the fact that I had no idea what this man was. He wasn't a god or deity, he wasn't an angel or a conventional ascended being...so what was he? Energy radiated from him in waves, not unlike that of a deity, but clearly different.
"That one's name is Tian." Statera supplied helpfully, talking about the white-robed man. "He's sort of like the village guard dog. Not the biggest threat, but always the first one to come running."
"What did you say to me, runt?" Sehuyun grumbled. "I am a dragon, not something the likes of you could even come close to comparing to." Ha. Such posturing. She may be arrogant, but Sehuyun isn't stupid, and thus was attempting to size up the competition by spending a bit of time talking.
"Dragon my ass. I've seen real dragons, and you look more like an overgrown lizard in comparison. Now because I despise politics I'm going to be straight with you." Tian hissed, leaning forwards and narrowing his eyes. "Are you going to be a problem? Or am I going to have to teach you manners?" He asked, his eyes flicking towards us. Statera shrugged helplessly, and Tian's eyes narrowed, turning back towards Sehuyun.
"I AM NO LIZARD!" Sehuyun roared. I made a noise of disapproval. Why is she so arrogant? Oh, right. She's one of the most powerful beings in her home universe. Tian just sighed and took a step forwards, power radiating off of him in waves as he moved to meet the dragon in combat, even though he was clearly weaker than Sehuyun. Tian levelled his spear at Sehuyun the moment the dragon snapped, roaring and blasting him with a gout of intense flame.
Tian teleported out of the way, appearing right next to her head and slamming downwards with his spear, striking her with the force of an entire mountain. Sehuyun roared in surprise, slapping at him with a wing and knocking him away. Sehuyun didn't let up the pressure, advancing on Tian and keeping him off-balance...right up until a constellation that hung in the sky of the Four Realms began to radiate power, bathing Tian in silver starlight. His aura rocketed upwards, and the image of a giant, celestial warrior appeared around him, twice the size of Sehuyun.
"Tian was the very first being in my Realm to have his personal Dao be approved by myself and the Four Realms, thus immortalizing it and creating the first stars in the sky and forging a pathway for mortals to ascend to the heavens. Since then, only two others have been approved by the Four Realms and myself, though Tian will always be the first. He will also be the first mortal to become a deity - he's close, but not there yet. Hmm...if I had to explain it...there are five true Guardians of the Four Realms, four in each of their realms, and a fifth who is a free spirit. Tian is more than likely going to be the sixth." Statera explained calmly, making me furrow my brows. I hoped she would go more in-depth later because that was woefully uninformative. I haven't had enough time to properly analyze the Four Realms, so that statement doesn't quite make sense yet.
"SCREW OFF!" Tian roared in defiance, batting away Sehuyun as blood oozed from the corners of his mouth, his giant trembling from the force of the blow. Sehuyun laughed, a grand roar that echoed throughout the Realm.
"You! You are the strongest I have fought in-" And suddenly, her monologue was cut short by an earth-shattering roar that caused even me to feel pressure.
"ENOUGH!" The being roared, a white serpent flying out from the center of the River, hurtling towards us as its feathery wings flapped ever so slightly. It was majestic and powerful, seeming completely white at times and at others seeming to glitter with all the colors of the Realm and more. Clearly this was one of Statera's dragons, and what a dragon it was. In sharp contrast to Sehuyun, this being was far more majestic looking than fearsome, with sleek scales, a regal 'crown' of horns that curled from its head, and eyes that radiated both kindness and an unequalled ferocity.
The fight between that dragon and Sehuyun was over even before it began. The great white dragon appeared in front of the smaller dragon in an instant, not snarling, not growling, and not even radiating any bloodthirst or will to fight. It simply coiled up its serpentine body, craned its neck into the air, and looked down at Sehuyun like a natural-born monarch.
"You are a guest in our home, a guest of my Father, and as such you shall obey the rules and be polite, as is expected of guests. Do I make myself clear?" The white dragon rumbled, its tone leaving no room for argument. Sehuyun hesitated for a brief moment, her rough, black scales scraping together eerily as she shifted, resting the hooks on the joints of her wings on the ground as she looked up at the majestic dragon. Then, she bowed her head in acquiescence, fully acknowledging the massive gap in power.
Ever since my rebirth as an origin deity I have never seen a being more powerful than this dragon, barring Origin Deities of course. It was a paragon of its species, a paragon of its realm, and the...pinnacle of power beneath the Origin Deity level.
The dragon simply watched Sehuyun for a moment before turning towards Tian, who was looking at the dragon with a shit-eating grin. "You had to ruin my fun, didn't you, Alexander?" Tian laughed, wiping away another dribble of blood that ran from the corner of his mouth. The dragon rumbled with laughter.
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"Go back to your meditations, you fool. I know you are close to an important breakthrough." The dragon rumbled in a tone that was borderline exasperated. Then it turned back to Sehuyun, jerking its head towards us in a silent command. Sehuyun seemed to debate arguing for just a moment before a single look - not even a glare - put that debate to rest. She demurely flew over to Yueya, settling behind her with a complex expression on her draconic face.
"What...is up with your Realm, Statera?" Yueya deadpanned, glaring at said deity. I nodded in agreement and Statera gave us a cheeky smile.
"Where should I start? With the fact that I accidentally left a path to immortality open for the mortals, that my Realm was attacked by a Paradox, which you already know, or that my Realm Sun was destroyed and subsequently rebuilt?" She asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. I was silent as I soaked that up, recalling that I nearly made the same mistake of leaving a path of immortality open. Luckily I didn't...or unluckily, seeing how far Statera's had progressed.
"Father, may I inquire as to who your guests are?" The great white dragon asked as it appeared next to Statera, looking at us with an interested and respectful expression. "Of course, I should introduce myself first. I am Alexander, guardian of the Spirit Realm. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
I spoke up before Statera could, effectively cutting her off. "I am called Reilly, and am an Origin Deity of Luck." I said with a flourish of my hand, tossing my dice up in the air and catching it with my other hand. Alexander stared at me for a moment until he simply nodded towards me. Dang, I was hoping for some expression of surprise.
"I am Yueya Oshun, the Origin Deity of Beauty." Yueya told Alexander, to which the dragon merely smiled kindly.
"Ah. I see. Beauty...that is much like Balance, is it not?" Alexander's gaze almost imperceptibly flickered towards Statera, and I had to stifle a laugh. Yueya seemed to be pondering that question, Alexander's intentions going right over her head, but Statera understood the hidden meaning of Alexander's comment and was pinching the bridge of her nose...oh, now Statera shifted forms and is androgynous again.
"You're right! For there to be beauty there has to be a balance of that which is and is not considered beautiful, and yet beauty can also be found in all things, just like balance! I never even thought of it that way before..." Yueya murmured, earning a chuckle from Alexander and myself. Statera just sighed.
"Right, well. That's Shin. He's an Origin Deity of The Cycle, and behind him is Ze. You've already met Sehuyun, the dragon, and that shade there is Steward...he's kind of like Reilly's Morgan, but not really. It's a different situation." Statera explained casually. Alexander stiffened ever so slightly when looking at Steward, who was practically hiding behind me, an interested expression on the dragon's face. "Speaking of, how is Morgan doing?" Statera asked.
"Morgan has...done nothing these past ten years. Simply observing and travelling." Alexander said with a carefully blank expression.
I feel like we're missing out on important information here. "Statera, you had better start explaining. We've only got ten years."
"Calm thyself," Statera admonished me, "I'll bet that you'll be staying longer than ten years. There's far too much for all of you to see here, for one reason and one reason only; I have progressed farther than anyone in all the new universes." Statera explained simply, catching me off guard. "Now, back to the topic of Morgan. You say Morgan's only been observing and travelling about the Four Realms? That's...good. About what I expected when I unlocked the prison, but good nonetheless. We're making progress. All I ask is that you keep an eye on Morgan for now. Since I'm back if Morgan tries anything I can deal with it, so you four can relax a bit. I'll go visit the Shadow in a few years, after I'm done talking with my fellow Deities, alright?" Statera explained, furthering the conversation through mental messages.
Alexander sighed slightly and nodded. "As you wish, Father." The dragon said, bending down and affectionately nudging Statera with its great head. Statera laughed softly and pushed him away, a warm expression on their face. Alexander rumbled a goodbye before flying off into the distance, disappearing into the River once more.
"Now, let's start with my home, hmm? There's a few others I would like you to meet before we really get started." Statera said with a smile. I folded my hand inside the sleeves of my robes and nodded alongside Yueya and Shin. I was excited to meet the others in Statera's Realms, because that is most likely the most interesting thing about it. I had my Luck - that is what truly defines my Realm. That is the most interesting thing about it, the way Luck interacts with all beings and all creation. Among the four of us Origin Deities, it is unique.
Shin has his mystery - even now I have questions that I continue to unravel about his universe. Although he talked a lot, we never truly learned anything about his Realms...or we did, but we just aren't looking at it the right way in order to learn that information. His entire Wheel Realm is shrouded in...mists, it seems, mists that block our vision. Its mystery is what makes it unique and intriguing. Yueya's is the sheer size of the One World. While that may not seem interesting alone, it is very, very unique. More size means more living beings, and more living beings means more things can happen, there is more enlightenment to attain, there is simply more. There is so much that can be created there, so much to do...it is almost intoxicating.
Statera's Realms, in my opinion, has its people. The beings that reside within it are what make her/his/their Realm so interesting, and so unique. The Dragon, the Immortal, the Mad Scientist...they are all beings that are uniquely interesting from what we have seen so far, and if my hunches are correct, then that list will only continue to grow. Certainly, we all have our people...but Statera's Realm, much like the ambient amount of power in the air, has a plethora of people to find interesting. I smiled to myself, stretching my divine sense out a bit and feeling the air. How fun.
POV CHANGE: Inesa (Deity of Hearth and Home)
I sat beside our Parent's hearth in Her home, reading one of the millions of books in Her personal library as I reclined in Her armchair. The Creator had been gone for nearly thirty years at this point, worrying me just a bit. Where did She go? What is She doing? I asked Lady Elvira about it, but in the end she simply smiled and waved me off, telling me that it was nothing to worry about. Of course, that made me worry. Just a bit though, this is the Creator I'm talking about.
"Whatcha readin'?" Kei asked, appearing out of thin air behind me. The nine-tailed fox leaned over my shoulder and snorted in amusement. "That's boring stuff. Why don't you read anything interesting?" She asked.
"What is it that you find interesting, Lady Kei?" I inquired, only half interested in the mischievous fox's answer.
"The guests Grandpa is bringing back," Kei responded with a sly smile, "That's what I find interesting." I blinked and craned my neck to look at her inquiringly, but she just winked and tickled my chin with one of her tails, flashing me a toothy smile. "Yeah, Grandpa came back just a few minutes ago. He'll be here soon, but I suppose that it would be only fair to give you a heads up. You know how He likes to surprise people."
"What, and you think you're going to be able to get away?" A very powerful voice asked from behind Kei, startling the fox ever so slightly. The Creator, Statera as She insists I call Her, had appeared immediately behind Kei without the slightest hint of a ripple in space and time, something no one but She can do. "Haha! Gotcha." She laughed. Behind Her stood six powerful beings, each radiating ripples but none quite so friendly feeling as Statera...why is that, I wonder? They don't seem as warm...
"Fascinating...she's nearly as powerful as Alexander." One of them, a man who looked like a ragged gambler, said, stepping forwards and touching one of Kei's tails. Said fox-woman jumped back a bit and bundled up her tails in her arms, glaring suspiciously at the gambler.
"Yes...but she stepped in a different direction." A skeleton hidden beneath a dark robe spoke. Out of all of them, that skeleton appeared to "warmest," for lack of a better term, to my senses. Why was that? What is this that I'm sensing?
"Don't touch my tails." Kei snapped, breaking off any further conversation as she glared at the gambler. The Creator just chuckled and enveloped Kei in a hug, kissing the top of her head affectionately and whispering something in her ear. It sounded suspiciously like "it's ok to pester him all you want." Judging from the way Kei smiled mischievously I knew that she was going to be bugging the gambler with her...mischief until she got bored. Or got revenge on the gambler for touching her tails. One or the other.
"This is Kei, everyone, a Nine-Tailed Fox...the very first and, as of now, only one in the Four Realms. Be careful of her, she's a little troublemaker and enjoys surprising people. She's even gotten me a few times." The Creator warned. Kei looked up at Her sharply.
"When?" She demanded, not even Kei herself knowing when she managed to surprise the Creator.
"Who knows...?" The Creator said with a carefully blank expression.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kei." An absolutely gorgeous woman said, reaching out her hand for some reason. I was unfamiliar with the gesture, and the Creator helped guide Kei's hand to clasp the beautiful, pointy-eared woman's hand. Their hands shook up and down. What a strange way to greet someone.
"And this, is Inesa. She's Tian's significant other, and is the Deity of Hearth and Home." The Creator said proudly, causing my face to heat up in embarrassment as I scrambled to my feet, bowing towards the six ever so slightly.
"I-it is a pleasure to meet you." My stutter returned as I spoke. I thought I got over that after having spent some time with the Creator, but...I guess not. The three beings that greeted Kei murmured a few greetings back to me, but thankfully didn't pay me much attention. Only the skeleton kept its gaze on me for a bit longer before turning away, earning me a knowing look and kind smile from the Creator. She moved forward and hugged me as well, ruffling my hair a bit.
"How's Tian treating you?" She whispered, the comment making my face heat up even more. Does She have to be bringing that up now...? The Creator just chuckled and waved one arm around the room, turning back towards the group of beings. "This is one room in my home. Randus is in here somewhere, and I'm sure you'll meet him eventually, but...hm, for now, let us start with a small tour. I've got some very interesting things in here." The Creator said, leading the group out of the room and towards other parts of Her Grand Palace. Kei followed, shooting me a wink as she left skipping, leaving me alone once more in the Creator's favorite room.
I let out a sigh and collapsed into the Creator's chair once again, all strength having left me from that one encounter. A sudden thought, however, prevented my rest as I stood up sharply once more and disappeared, my brows furrowing in worry. I'm not sure how likely it is, since Tian's calmed down a bit in the past few hundred thousand years but...if he got into a fight with any of the Creator's guests I'm going to be pissed.