POV: Statera Luotian
What greeted me when I appeared outside of the Four Realms was an area much like the previous meeting room, albeit much smaller. It was circular with flags hanging over the portals leading back to our respective universes, with a circular marble table seated in the middle and galaxies floating in the background. However this time there were only four seats at the table, and four portals. And it also appeared I was the last one to arrive, rather than the first.
Directly to my left was the great Butterfly of Change, Sylphina Luanhua. It gently hovered over its chair, flapping its wings once or twice to keep itself aloft, and looking a bit bigger and more intimidating than the last time I saw it. Directly across from me was the Elemental Stag, Chun Nihaad Teva. His great horns were now formed of innumerable elemental essences, rather than rapidly changing colors and therefore elements like the last time. His domain had stabilized further apparently.
And then there was Yueya Oshun on my right, looking incredibly worn out. Her firey red hair was frazzled and dark bags hung under her eyes, making her look as if she hadn't gotten any rest in a hundred thousand years. She was slumped over the table and looking at me with a defeated expression, her pointed elf's ears drooping sadly, and I'll be damned if she still wasn't drop-dead gorgeous. I suppose that comes with the territory of being the Deity of Beauty.
"The One World is on a collision course with the Four Realms." She deadpanned. I blinked and looked up at Teva, who nodded his head.
"A very large and very powerful Void-Being decided to play 'smash the Realms together' and punted the One World like a ball. Apparently only the shielding of the Great One prevented the One World from being utterly annihilated. As of now, it's on a collision course with your Four Realms and, if left alone, will completely annihilate it. The shields won't protect our universes from each other, we've already confirmed that. As for why me and Sylphina are here, well, that's because depending on how the One World collides with the Four Realms, its next course could lead it towards my Elemental Planes or Sylphina's Vast Expanse." Teva explained slowly, shaking his head. I sucked in a deep breath.
"How long until the collision?" I inquired, calming myself and adopting a cold, calculative attitude.
Countdown Clock Time Until Collision: 5-10 Million Years
I let out a sigh of relief, thanking Mr. Blue Boxes for that information, which appeared for everyone. 5 million years was a little under double the total time the Four Realms had been in existance. That was a lot more leeway than I first feared. Now some proper preparations can be made. However...
"Will we be able to continue talking with one another after this meeting is over?" I inquired.
I did indeed include a Chatbox that you can access upon returning to your respective Realms. There won't be any voicechat until it gets closer to the event, and towards the very end you will be able to meet face-to-face a few more times.
Oh, well thanks for that I suppose. Though Mr. Blue Boxes' decision is kind of weird. Chatbox? Voicechat? What's with all the game-like...thingies?
Because I am enjoying your predicament far too much.
Oh. Well...fuck you.
You are very welcome.
The snark levels of this conversation is through the roof. I'm glad the other three can't hear my thoughts or see the two messages Mr. Blue Boxes sent me just now, though I'm sure they have their own thoughts and private conversations with Mr. Blue Boxes.
Nope, just you.
Ignoring that, I focused on what Sylphina was saying to me.
"Statera, we need to come up with contingencies. Like, pronto. Five million years isn't that long in the grand scheme of things, and I doubt you'll be able to make the Four Realms big or sturdy enough to survive the impact with the One World. It's simply too big, too much mass hurtling through the Void for most anyone's universe to survive." She said.
"You're right," I acknowledged. "The Four Realms would be obliterated at this point in time. My first reaction is to move the Four Realms out of the way of the One World. Is that possible?"
"No," Yueya said with a sigh, "because there are no directions or distances in the Void there will be no avoiding it. In fact, it was only recently determined that the One World was aiming for the Four Realms and not another universe...it's like the One World is a train and you are the end of the tracks. I'm no expert in Void matters, but that's what the Great One, Mr. Blue Boxes as you call It, told me." With what I knew of the Void that assessment seems correct...though the only thing I know about the Void is that I know nothing. The more I learn the more questions I have...wait, I'm getting off topic.
Yes, focus on the imminent destruction of your Realms.
Hush, you.
"That's alarming. And...a Void-Being, you say? Can you explain that to me?" I pressed, tamping down my rising irritation at Mr. Blue Boxes. It was treating this like a game.
"It's...well, it's like the next level up from the Paradox you talked about during our previous meeting. Or three levels up. It's the first level of Void Races that has a modicum of sentience beyond 'destroy all Creation,' meaning it can make some plans. Hence why it punted the One World, because it knew that would cause more damage and destroy more, despite the protective shields. Apparently they protect us from the Void, but not from each other." Sylphina explained, her voice echoing out. The flowers that grew on her wings shifted from being a white rose to a lavender as she spoke.
"I...see. And what caught its attention in the first place?"
"...we don't know." Teva admitted, shaking his head. "All we know is that the One World was targeted first because it is the by far the largest of all the twelve universes. Everything else regarding what led to this event has been restricted because 'it would cause more problems than it would solve,' as the Great One says." I nodded, filing that away for later and promptly moving on. As much as I would like to know what caused it so we can avoid similar incidents, if Mr. Blue Boxes says that it will cause more problems then I won't pry. For now. Mr. Blue Boxes is irritating, but also unfathomably more powerful than I. It undoubtedly knows more.
"Ok, well, what should we do?" I continued.
"We don't know. That's what the meeting is for. I would hate to write your universe off, but..." Teva began.
"But right now, it's almost certain to be destroyed. My children would survive, most definitely, but without the Four Realms we would become renegade, wandering spirits until I could drum up enough power to recreate the Four Realms. Even then, I may die in the process of protecting the Four Realms, so rebuilding may not be an option." I finished for him. The three exchanged glances and nodded.
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"Yes. After which, either Teva or Sylphina's universe will come under calamity as well. The One World is a massive universe, but even it cannot withstand running through two entire universes. It will shatter into an uncountable number of pieces." Yueya said softly. I closed my eyes and thought, wondering just what we could do to avoid this.
Dodging was out of the question because of Void bullshit. So was most everything, for that matter. It would be best to assume that the One World would become closely acquainted with the Four Realms, for however short a time. But, what if it just grazed the Four Realms? Like, ran through the Primordial Chaos and that's it. Would that work?
Wait - that might work. There might be something there that I can use....ah, that's it. Pure Void spontaneously creates mass amounts of Primordial Chaos that can then be absorbed by nearby Realms. I've only gotten it to work once, but if I can repeat the process then, theoretically speaking, I could exponentially increase the size of the Four Realms via Primordial Chaos. Meaning the Four Realms themselves wouldn't increase in size but rather would be surrounded by an incredibly large amount of Primordial Chaos. Like a planet at its atmosphere.
Then, so long as I could get the core of the Four Realms out of the path of the One World, then it would harmlessly pass through the Primordial Chaos rather than breaking the Four Realms itself. Technically the One World would still be hitting the Four Realms this way. But all of this requires that I am able to create that much Primordial Chaos, and sustain it. There could be side-effects that I am unaware of to having so much Primordial Chaos, not to mention that it would continue on to bother the other two...no, that's not acceptable. It's a topic for later perusal, but I can't just bail on everyone.
"Yeuya, how big will the One World be in five million years?" I inquired, putting my thoughts on the backburner for a moment.
"It's still growing exponentially," Yueya deadpanned. "After the time elapses, it will be far larger than before. Even I can't accurately predict it." I rubbed my face and waved my other hand, causing an image of the Four Realms to appear above the table. In it depicted the Trees, the Mountains, the Rivers and Valleys in a way that allowed the other Origin Deities to understand the basics of how the Four Realms functioned. When the need arises, I will give more. But for now this will suffice.
"Is this...?" Sylphina wondered aloud, suddenly sounding excited.
"Yes, this is my universe. If it continues to grow at the predicted rate in a million years it will look more like this." The picture began to change, more Regions forming and essentially tripling in size. What changed the most was that each Mountain began to connect to one another, creating one massive Heaven Realm that was a mountain range all its own. The Karmic Realm did much the same, forming a single, truly massive ocean in which the Karmic Valleys resided as bastions of safety. As for the Mortal Realm, various hazards filled in the spaces between the Trees. And, as always, the Spirit Realm remained as one, although it adjusted to become a proper and flourishing after-life.
"In five million years, even I don't know what will happen. Obviously I myself will continue to grow as the Four Realms does, and together we would naturally change and become more. However now we do not have that luxury. I need your help to guide the Four Realms into a form that will block or stop the One World." I continued.
"Block or stop?" Teva parroted. "I see. That is a logical conclusion. If the One World makes it past your Four Realms, then that means you have failed." I nodded. That was therefore not an option.
"Would it not be wiser, then, to destroy the One World before it becomes too much of an issue?" Sylphina questioned. Yueya's eyes went wide and her head snapped to Sylphina, apalled at her suggestion. I narrowed my eyes at her, and the butterfly visibly paled. Color drained out of her beautiful wings, her flowers wilting slightly. "J-just making sure," she mumbled. I crossed my arms and looked at both Teva and Sylphina.
"Any more suggestions?" I questioned icily. The silence that followed was my answer. "Good. Teva, Sylphina, feel free to strengthen your universes as you see fit. Yueya, you need to focus on figuring out how to either slow down, stop altogether, or make the One World less of a flying cannonball. Now, start by showing your universes. Many of the recent changes to the Four Realms were inspired by seeing other universes, so this will help all of us." I said. The other three nodded their assent, and we got started.
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It took a long time to get the beginnings of a plan laid out, at which point all four of us were tired of standing around and talking. It was Teva who guided the conversation for the most part, the stag overtaking even Sylphina, the Deity of Change, when it came to unique ideas.
However, now it was time to return to our Realms and begin to enact some more changes. I wasn't looking forward to it, as we had just gotten out of a period of intense change...well, I'll probably let the Four Realms rest for a while longer yet. Five million years is a long time, and rushing headlong into the problem is not the answer this time around. We need to be careful. Just as I was about to step through the portal to re-enter the Four Realms, I was stopped by Yueya, however.
"Wait for just a moment, please," she said, sending me a mental message. Acquiescing, I stopped and clasped my hands behind my back, watching as Teva and Sylphina disappeared into their respective portals. When they disappeared I turned towards the red-headed elf, raising my eyebrow at her as she approached.
"Yes?" I inquired. I really didn't feel like talking much to anyone at the moment, because I had a lot of bad news to bring back to my children. They all knew a calamity was coming, but telling them there's a chance we would all be totally annihilated is...well. Not high on my list of things I want to do.
Yueya approached and hesitated for just a moment before kissing me on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, her face flushed red. "Those two never said it aloud before, but I know they were thinking of destroying the One World. So...thank you. And...I'm sorry this is happening. We'll figure it out, and come out stronger for it." And she promptly scampered off back into her portal, fleeing like a teenage schoolgirl.
I blinked. Then blinked again. Then furrowed my brows and touched my cheek, still trying to process that, yes, that had actually just happened. Millions of years of experience, and I'm reacting like...well, I'm not reacting. Stunned. I think that's the word? Yes, maybe? Uh...
Hubba, hubba. You lady-killer, you. Next time, shall I set out candles, make the atmosphere all lovey-dovey?
Shut up. You're ugly, and your momma dresses you funny. If you're not going to be helpful, Mr. Blue Boxes, then be quiet.
Teasing you is much more fun. Additionally, as this is a problem caused by the Twelve, I will not intervene overmuch in the events that follow. And for the record, I am my own mother. So dressing "funny," as you put it, is a conscious decision.
Ow. That just...ow. I don't even want to think about that.
"Y'know, I think I'm going to take a page out of Tian's book on this one. My new goal is punching you in the face." I added aloud, glaring at the blue boxes and ignoring the following taunts as I stepped through the portal. Mr. Blue Boxes was being exceptionally annoying today.
Stepping back into the Four Realms was like sucking in a breath of fresh air. Only a year had passed in the Four Realms for the twenty I spent in that meeting, and it just...felt really good. There was no way I was going to let the Four Realms be destroyed, even if I have to sacrifice myself for it. That is worst-case scenario, I would rather stay and watch my children grow and change, but...it is a sacrifice I am willing to make.
"Randus, gather the deities. I will be along shortly." I said to the air. The Deity of Dreams materialized out of thin air, bowing to me in his butler-like fashion, before vanishing once more. The most mysterious of my children was becoming almost ever-present, it seemed, with his ever-expansive dream realm. Sometimes even I wondered if I knew all that he did. Although I told him to gather the deities, there is someone else I intended to include in this discussion. However, I would not send Randus to fetch Morgan. No, that was my job.
Heaving a sigh, I turned and walked towards where I knew Morgan was hiding out. This would be the first time in a long while that all my children met with Morgan face-to-face, as they all preferred to avoid one another. It wouldn't go well initially. Of that I was more than certain. After I told them of the events to come, things would probably get even worse. But they would come around. They must, if we are to overcome this challenge.
And for the first time since I had become an Origin Deity, I prayed to a higher power. God help us all.