POV: Inesa

I smiled and waved at Tian as he moved off, having spent the night in the village before heading deeper into the wilds to hunt down that rogue beast. I of course knew that it was merely an ancient beast in its death throes, and was dealing with any that would hasten its demise rather than actively seeking an opponent. But, nonetheless, it was causing a lot of damage to the surroundings...

I shook those thoughts out of my head and turned my attention back to my house, staring at the small wooden structure with a hint of regret. It was time for me to move on. I'd already done all I could in this little village, and now that Tian had come and gone I felt compelled to leave and search for a new place to settle in. It was a process I repeated every five or so years, which seems at odds with my domain, but in truth isn't. Home is where the heart is, as they say, and my heart often leads me to many, many new and different places. Only three times have I live in one spot to live out a full "mortal" life, changing my appearance from young to old via divine energy. 

Besides, these people could no longer benefit from my presence. Haru was too stubborn to change, the elderly lady had a wonderful home, and all the other villagers had slowly become more content over the course of my stay. Even if I don't change their souls to the point where they eventually become angels (something all other deities seem obsessed with) if I make them a little bit happier and content, that's ok too, right? 

Turning on my heel I moved down into the village, informing Haru of my decision to leave. He knew it was coming, after all I had told the entire village I would only be staying for a few years at most, but despite that we still had a good hour-long argument before he relented and purchased my house and land from me. (Seeing as how money is useless to me, the gold coins he gave me vanished as soon as I put them away, reappearing in the houses of the villagers themselves.) Then, without so much as a whisper, I dissappeared from the town forever. 

As for where I headed...well, I simply picked a direction and started to go there. My journey, however, was stopped by a deity suddenly appearing in front of me, scaring me half to death. I don't like being snuck up upon! The deity himself wasn't one I was familiar with, which is surprising in and of itself. I'd at least seen most of the deities in the Four Realms at this point...in fact, there is only one I can think of that I don't know if I've ever met. 

The ever elusive Deity of Dreams and servant to the Creator Herself, Randus. 

Comparing the deity before me with what I've heard about Randus, it immediately clicks that this is he. With grey hair, a serious expression, clothes that are the standard for many high-class butlers in the Mortal Realm, and an indescirnable aura surrounding him, the man before me could be none other than Randus. My blood immediately ran cold. Why would he be here? 

"The Lady wishes to speak with you." Randus said formally, extending a hand towards me. I forcefully suppressed my shaking, reaching out and touching Randus' hand. For a moment it felt as if I had lost conciousness, the world around me becoming disorienting and black, but just as suddenly as it had happened the feeling vanished and I found myself standing before the great, white, sunstone double-doors of the Creator's Grand Palace. All blood drained from my face as I looked up at the magnificent structure, the sheer intimidation factor that this was the home of the being who created the entire Four Realms preventing me from really admiring it. 

"Follow me." Randus said, waving one hand. The massive doors swung open without a sound, and I silently followed Randus into the well-lit corridor. The walls were made of a light grey stone, and were adorned with various treasures made of every material imaginable -including both Mystic Gold (gold that had absorbed a massive quantity of Qi) and rotted wood (preserved solely because of the Creator's influence.) Fancy red carpets covered the floor, while chandeliers hung from the ceiling two hundred feet in the air, illuminating the building with magic light. The hallway itself was fairly long, about a hundred feet in length, and there were a number of doors lining it. 

At the very end of the hallway, two massive oak trees grew from the floor, their vibrant green leaves rustling as elemental essences danced around the trunk in streams. They were obviously not ordinary trees, though I couldn't sense much more than a normal tree's aura.  

Passing through the threshold made by the two trees, I found myself slack-jawed at the awe-inspiring reception room. It was utterly massive, with a ceiling at least twice as tall as the hallway's, and was at least five hundred yards from corner to corner. Braziers filled with etherial golden fire floated about in the air, acting like miniature suns, while many great artworks were displayed on the walls. In the very center an archaic fountain gurgled, spewing crystal-clear water. Above it hung an enormous metal sculpture of the Four Realms, rotating in tune with the rotation of the actual Four Realms. But in all truth, the fountain was what caught my attention the most. The sentiment that radiated from it...

"What is...?" I started to ask, turning towards where Randus was supposed to be. He had, however, vanished while I was gaping at the room, leaving me alone. I involuntarily shuddered as I looked around, wondering just what in the world I was expected to do. The building was massive...and felt incredibly lonely. To my divine senses, which couldn't seem to encompass (or simply couldn't understand some of the mysteries within) the entire building, the Grand Palace of the Creator felt almost...empty. "Hello?" I called, waiting for a reply. 

When there was no response I turned my attention back to the fountian. It really was rather simple, made of stone and dotted with a green moss. The artwork carved into the side depicted the creation of the Fae, while the part spewing water was...well, I assumed it was the mortal's representation Father Luotian. I couldn't really tell, because it was so faded. Still, the aura of ancientness it held drew me towards it. 

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" A voice behind me asked. I shrieked and jumped, whirling and finding myself face-to-face with the thoroughly amused face of the Creator Herself. 

"M-my Lady...I-I apologize..." I murmured, forcibly stopping myself from bowing. Last time She got upset with me because of that, but how else am I supposed to greet the one who created the Four Realms, who gave birth to everything I've ever known, and who guided every single being into becoming what they are today? The one whose power is indiputable, even when compared to the Big Five? I unconciously averted my eyes from Her face, instead looking down at Her black cloth shoes. Her purple and silver robes gently fell about Her lower body...I forced my eyes lower, staring at the stone floor. The Creator lightly sighed. 

"The fountain, what do you think of it?" She asked. Grateful for the question, I turned and focused my undivided attention on the fountain, thoroughly studying it. Upon inspection with everything but my domain, the fountain was in every way normal, albeit very old. About twelve thousand years old. Upon feeling out the fountain with my domain, all I got was a feeling of sentiment. 

"It's...old. And sentimental." I said simply, carefully picking my words and trying my hardest not to stutter. The aura of pure majesty cowed me, and inspired so many feelings within me that I wasn't certain what to feel. I settled on nervousness and terror. 

"It's one of the first ornamental fountains the Fae built. The Elementals technically created one first, but that one's on display in a different part of the palace. This one's more sentimental. Seems kinda vain, considering it's a fountian depicting me, but hey. It's like a five-year-old finger-painting its parents. I need to display it somehow." The Creator explained, and I smiled a little at Her analogy. "Of course, this is the original. I left a duplicate in its previous spot, but...it's long since destroyed." For a moment after She stopped speaking, silence reigned. I couldn't bring myself to ask the question I was dying to, which led to another sigh from the Creator, which in turn led me to cringe slightly. 

Was I disappointing Her? I mean, I am a nervous wreck, but...

"Come with me." The Creator said, turning and walking off down a hall. I followed behind, keeping my gaze on the floor. "So...what do you think of Tian?" She ask abruptly. 

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"What do I...?" I questioned. Is this about Tian? Did...did I do something wrong? He was guarded by two angels, but I didn't think I did anything wrong! "Well, I mean, I-I...He's nice...a little angry and lonely, bu-but..." I trailed off, and the Creator sighed. 

"Let's put it a different way. Did you know that the Four Realms has a will and conciousness of its own?" She asked suddenly, and I faltered in my steps. What did she mean by that...? "I'll take that as a no. It does, in fact, though that will is tied closely to me. At this stage its only a minor will, barely even capable of making decisions and acting more on instinct, yet it can manipulate events to a fine degree so as to further the Four Realms." The Creator explained, and I frowned. 

"It..has a will?" I muttered, trying to figure out why the Creator would be telling me this. 

"Yes. Of course, only in the past few thousand years has it started to become active...partly in thanks to me devising the 'Karmic Punishment,' which accelerated the process. Normally it wouldn't have really started to form until the Four Realms reached a much bigger size, but because of some circumstances...actually it's quite the interesting development, see..." The Creator trailed off and looked at me before coughing and continuing to walk. "Anyways, the Four Realms has a minor will...and it was the one who orchestrated the meeting between you and Tian." She said, stopping and turning around. I trembled slightly and looked up to meet Her gaze.

Her green eyes seemed to bore straight through me, even though I am a deity. They were eyes that held countless mysteries within, as if they could answer all the questions in the universe. Upon Her lips danced a small smile that filled me with boundless love, and immediately I looked away once more. 

"I-is that why you called m-me here?" I managed to stammer out. 

"Sort of. I mean, this was the first event that the Four Realms actively influenced, so of course I was interested, but more importantly I am interested in what you did." The Creator said.

"Wha-what I did?" I asked, uncertain as to how to respond. Tian must be a very important soul for the Creator Herself to be paying so much attention to him. Wh-what do I say? I don't even know what I did! I just, I just talked to Tian, and...and...oh dear, I'm trembling. I tried my hardest to get my panicked trembles under control, but that just made them worse. What if my answer didn't please the Creator? What if She...what if She...

"Inesa, look at me." She said, placing one hand on my shoulder. All fear and panic left my body, and I found my eyes naturally move upwards to meet the Creator's. Her gaze was soft and loving and filled with parental pride. "Simply by talking to Tian, you did in a night what would've taken three decades otherwise. Thanks to you, Tian is realizing what it is he lacks far sooner than he would've before. I already know why it worked out that way, but I want to hear it from you. I want to hear your thoughts. I want to know why you choose to do what you do in the Mortal Realm, rather than follow in the footsteps of all the deities before you." She said. After a moment's pause, I began to speak. 

"I-I don't know...I just...I just saw all the other deities trying to effect as many people as they could in the shortest time possible and I thought...well, I thought that...if you only effect one person, just one, for the better, even if it's just a tiny bit, then isn't that time well spent?" I murmured, turning my gaze away from the Creator's. "So I just...I focused on doing what I was...and...then Tian came, and he looked so lost, so I..." I trailed off, waiting for a response. 

It came in the form of a hug. 

"Beautiful." She whispered, wrapping Her arms around me and giving me a hug. I was stunned by the action, my body freezing up even after She released me and held me at arms length. "Your way of thinking is simply beautiful. Sometimes the smallest of actions shine the brightest, no?" She said with a chuckle. "Not everything has to be big and grand, right?" I shook my head 'no,' and the Creator beamed at me. It radiated happiness and pride, all directed at me for...well, being me I suppose. It filled me with warmth down to my very soul. 

...maybe She wasn't so intimidating after all. 

POV CHANGE: Statera Luotian

"Point of views like hers are refreshing." I said, watching Inesa as she flew away from the Palace. We ended up talking for quite a while after I managed to coax her out of her shell, until I forced her out so she could go back to doing her thing. She really enjoyed my relaxation room, so we spent most of our time there. Then, in mid-flight, Inesa paused and turned back to the Palace, bowing ever so slightly. I frowned a bit before her words reached my ears. 

"Thank you, Cr -M-mother. You are a delightful conversationalist." She murmured, before flying off once again. I just chuckled and shook my head. She is the delightful conversationalist, not I, nor Tian. Seems she hasn't figured that out yet. Well, I won't disillusion her there. 

"They may be refreshing, but without aiming for higher goals she won't get too far." Randus said, stepping out of the dream world to stand next to me. 

"That may be so, but there's nothing wrong with being satisfied with where you are." I reasoned. "Besides, this way she is deepening her understanding of her domain. And doing what she did is no small feat, might I add." The Four Realms had never taken direct action in manipulating events before, besides providing the Immortal Tribulations. It just hadn't felt the need to, but now it did. The reason for this was partly because of me focusing so much on expanding the Four Realms and its survival instinct. It chose the swiftest path to the end goal, a path which I was immensely pleased with. Granted, the next five years were going to be absolute hell for Tian because many things still need to be beaten into him, but...well, he can handle it. He's good under pressure.

As an added bonus to the will of the Four Realms finally kicking into gear was that much of my workload was decreased. Now I didn't have to split my attention managing a few of the major functions of the universe, as the Four Realms itself is starting to take over some of them. When true Dao Paths begin to form, I feel that its Will, will also grow in strength, thus allowing me to turn more of my attention elsewhere.

"Hm. Gilles is here to see you." Randus said, breaking me out of my thoughts. I grinned and nodded, reappearing within my "relaxation room." It was a small, simple room that connected to the library, had a big, comfy chair, a large fireplace, and fragrant plants growing in the corners of the room. Other than that, it was relatively ordinary. 

"Send him in." I said, knowing that Randus could hear me. With a ripple of shadow Gilles appeared in the room, standing before me and trying to hide his nervousness. "Well? What is it you wished to talk to me about?" I asked, purposefully appearing a bit more intimidating. Normally it's so hard to get a reaction out of the secretive deity, so I have to tease him when I can. 

"Th-that...I, uh..." He stammered for a moment. I raised an eyebrow as he took a deep breath, forcefully controlling his nervousness before bowing deeply towards me. "I wish for Your permission to marry Elvira." He managed to get out. The silence between us dragged on for minutes, neither one of us making a move as I stared expressionlessly at Gilles, cackling inwardly. 

"Do you realize just what it would mean to marry Elvira?" I asked once Gilles started to truly sweat from the silence, my tone heavy. 

"Y-yes. For all eternity." Was all he managed to get out. Marriage between deities was a very heavy topic, considering that for them to marry and make the typical marriage vows before my eyes means that they will have to love and stay with each other for all eternity...or until one of them perishes. The vows become far more binding than the vows typically stated by mortals, regardless of religion, and breaking those vows as deities will bring upon them severe consequences. After all, breaking a promise that I oversaw and was given in my name is bad. 

In many cultures, this is actually why sex is viewed as a sacred or taboo thing. Because if the woman or man sleeps with another while in that culture's equivalent of the bonds of matrimony (or in the stricter cultures, losing one's virginity beforehand) that almost immediately spells divorce. Which, to me, is the true bad thing. When the marriage is made before my eyes, and in my name, then that is a promise that cannot be broken lightly. I don't honestly care who sleeps with who, just don't break vows that were made in my name. 

"What if I say no?" I asked, after another tense silence. Gilles entire body went rigid and he looked up at me, his expression a mix of emotions as he looked upon my expressionless face. This was the real question. 

"Then I will marry her regardless." He responded slowly. Another tense, tense silence, and I allowed a small smile onto my face. 

"Good answer. You have my blessing, Gilles." I said, keeping up the pressure. Gilles was silent for a moment before his eyes went wide, and I laughed. "You should see your face! Of course I was going to say yes, you fool! Have you decided when and where to pop the question to Elvira yet? She's pretty dense, so I'm fairly certain she has no idea this is coming." I said, finally releasing the pressure I was exerting onto Gilles. He smiled weakly and stood upright, absently wiping his brow. 

"I have." He said simply. 

"Good. Well, don't let me keep you! I'm sure you have plans to carry out!" I laughed, slapping him on the back. Gilles, at this gesture, relaxed and smiled, obviously feeling relieved. 

"Thank you. I will take my leave." He said, and vanished in a ripple of shadows. I was still grinning a bit, watching Gilles with interest as he fretted about how to propose to Elvira. He was trying to decide on a style from many different cultures, but I had faith that in the end he'd come up with his own, unique style, solely for deities. The funny thing was, that seeing my two children marry one another didn't feel all that strange, simply because of the nature of deities. It would be strange for me to marry one of them, but not for them to marry each other. As my smile softened I sat in my chair and stared into the fire crackling into the fireplace, imagining Elvira's reaction. 

"I wonder who will catch the eyes of my other children." I muttered to myself. I cannot help but wonder.