Not a servant under Divinity, but to serve man.
Not an empire of tyrants, but to stand as one.
Not to repeat the past, but march onwards.
Not a community of slaves, but a coalition of Epa.
- Proclamation of the Epan Coalition
Fortia watched Allasaria as the Goddess of Light took a step forwards. Of Peace felt her heart start to pound. So this was it. Frankly, she should be killed for the damage she just did to the White Pantheon. But Allasaria did not kill her. She did not kill Maisara either. She merely looked at them with disappointment. She looked at Elassa’s empty throne. At Kavaa’s and Iniri’s and Helenna’s and she sighed. She sighed and she spoke. “I have caught up with what is going.” Allasaria said in that magnanimous voice of hers.
Fortia felt her throat shut down. There was nothing to argue about frankly. Something petty, she could muster up a defence for even if she was in the wrong. But what she had done to the White Pantheon, there was no weaselling out of. Allasaria stood in the middle of that ring of marble thrones as everyone around her sheepishly turned their eyes away. “I have only one question to the two of you, how did you find guiding the White Pantheon?”
If there ever was a question Fortia could not answer. It was that. Maisara said nothing, only a low rumble emitted from her throat. That was enough to say everything. Fortia did not even bother opening her mouth, her actions were indefensible. She merely shook her head.
Allasaria grimly looked over the two, and then waved for her new cohort to come into the room. Fortia could up from the marble floor to face them. “I am reclaiming leadership of the White Pantheon. If anyone takes issue, raise your case.” Allasaria said, no one did so she continued after a moment. “Leona is dead, I saw it. Neneria killed her.” She took a sigh as she walked to her central throne. She stopped at it, then sat down slowly, smoothing her dress as she did. The group of Divines she had brought were slowly starting to filter their way into the room. “Iniri, Helenna and Kavaa helped free Kassandora. I do not know why their thrones are still here.” Fortia did not know either, her and Maisara had talked of it but their grip over the Pantheon was only a wartime emergency. It wasn’t Allasaria’s total control.
Allasaria took a sigh, and the shuffling feet were silenced. Fortia’s eyes timidly scanned that new group of Divines. The mermen of Alanktia she knew well, during the Great War, they had served as part of the Coalition, but not the White Pantheon. Arascus had tried to sail the world and strike at coastal Guguo, but Alanktia’s forces had proven undefeatable even with Anassa and Olephia supporting Arascus’ fleets. Although not instrumental in any of the major battles, they had served as a wall for a century that Arascus could not break. Emperor Tasaidien represented them, a shawl of silk around his waist and his chest bare. His hand clasped tightly around a bronze trident, only slightly shorter than Fortia’s spear. A red crown of coral sitting upon his silky dark hair. He saw Fortia and made a respectful gesture of acknowledgement. Fortia tried to return it, she thought she succeeded.
And Allasaria continued. “Tasaidien, you are known to us already. There is no need for introductions.” She looked at the White Pantheon members and sighed. “I am the Leader of the White Pantheon.” She repeated herself. “And to all of you here, I have only one thing to say.” Fortia held her breath. She felt Maisara’s warm hand wrap around hers.
But Allasaria said something none of them would expect. “I apologize.” Allasaria looked coldly at them, her voice tense. “I have failed all of you. The fact Arascus is back is my fault. I vouched for Kassandora back then, that precedent gave Elassa a reason to keep Anassa alive. We should have done more to hunt Fer down too. I became lazy and satisfied. Ultimately, if we killed Kassandora back then, we would not have this trouble now.” Allasaria stood up from her throne and she bowed to all of them.
She straightened, and sat back down. “Ultimately, we all failed ourselves. I have no intention of apologizing for your treatments, because we all suffered each other.” Fortia did not care an inch for that, frankly, Allasaria was in the right. Fortia would not apologize for her words either. “But that is long past. We do not need to love, or even like each other, but we will tolerate ourselves.” Allasaria finished. “Consider all your grievances wiped, the slate is clean.”
Fortia felt Zerus’ eyes on her and Maisara. Alkom’s and Theosius’ too. And Sceo’s. She sighed and stood up, the scales of her bronze skirt echoing in the room. It didn’t feel so empty anymore, nor so cold. The lights had not changed an inch either, but they weren’t that blinding white anymore. “I wipe the slate.” Fortia said. “What was said was said. We cannot take it back, but we can move on.” Allasaria smiled as Fortia sat back down.
And Maisara stood up. Fortia was glad she did not have to push her friend into apologizing. “The threat we face is too great to worry about our petty squabbles.” Maisara said. “Everything I said was correct, everything Fortia said was correct.” She looked at Allasaria and sighed. “And everything Allasaria said was correct. But we have ran out of time for such discussions. I wipe the slate.”
Maisara sat back down as she saw Zerus smile. It was the first time that God had smiled before her in how long? A century? Two? Something like that. Alkom even gave them all a little clap. Fortia wished he didn’t. Frankly, these Gods of Forces did not understand what went on in the mind of an abstract. They were powerful, but power was all they had. Allasaria spoke up. “The White Pantheon has shrunk, and it will grow. As the leader of the White Pantheon, Tasaidien, I welcome you to the White Pantheon, to take the seat by Maisara.” Atis’ old seat. Fortia smiled. It was a small thing and the seating order meant little in reality. But just as Leona had been by Allasaria’s right hand, Elassa on her left, just as Helenna and Kavaa and Iniri had always been next to each other, just as Fortia and Maisara never left each other’s side, it was a good gesture.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“Mur, come forwards.” Allasaria said. Another of the figures stepped forwards. This one looking almost human. Whereas Tasaidien was as tall as Fortia, Mur was taller. Yet his neck was too long, his hair seemed to ignore the breeze coming in from the open doors. His clothes rose into the air at the ends, in the same way that Neneria would use fairies to pick up the hem of her dresses. His fingers were like snakes, his arms fell half way to his thighs. His skin was just slightly hued with the blue of an ocean. His eyes were green, yet tinged with a spark of red.
“I come as the Emperor of Uriamel.” Uriamel had not sat on the Great War’s side-lines like Alanktyda, instead, they served as the White Pantheon’s equivalent to what the Dwarves did for Arascus. An untouchable forge located deep in the oceans. It was an Empire in name only, instead being a collection of kingdoms and duchies and republics and free cities, all joined together under the banner of Mur’s family crest. The man wore it on his silver armour, an octopus reaching around the world. Maybe he did have Arascus’ ambition, but he did not have Of Pride’s talent. Internal strife was common in their lands, but it wasn’t surface territory, so there was no reason to worry about it.
“Take the seat next to Theosius, I welcome you to the White Pantheon.” Fortia kept her face flat. Allasaria was smart, she was separating them out. Mur and Theosius knew each other too. It was a good move to stop foreign Gods from taking over the White Pantheon. “And the third addition. Itni.” One of the figures in the air, with an orange glow around him settled on the ground.
“I come as the God of Pichqasuyu.” He said, his voice melodic. Two red settled on his back, his skin was bronze, his face hard and he wore a multitude of bracelets on both his arms, each one clicked against each other as they moved. “To represent my nation.” Fortia blinked in surprise and looked to Allasaria. A National? Into the Pantheon? Allasaria saw her and shook her head.
“Pichqasuyu is a country of five regions that share a single Divine.” She said. “He is strong.”
“I would think I am. It is an honour to join the Pantheon.” He took a knee before Allasaria. Fortia looked at him again. She could not remember the last time she had seen any God bow before her. Well, Kassandora had done a few times, but Kassandora never meant it.
“Take the seat by Alkom.” That was good too, it was on the opposite side of Fortia, but not closer to Allasaria than she was. The Goddess of Light really knew how to run the show, Fortia knew if she brought new people in, she would have just assigned them the three seats furthest from her.
Silence descended upon the new Pantheon as Fortia looked over the other Divines Allasaria had brought. These must just be allies of the three who had just joined then. Or maybe weaker beings. She recognised some of the Alanktydan ones, but that was it.
And Allasaria broke the silence, her voice as proud and forceful as the day the White Pantheon was formed. “Arascus has returned, a repeat of the Great War is going happen if we do not act quickly. We will not handicap ourselves with laws, rules and decrees.” Fortia stared at Allasaria in awe. And she realised why it was Allasaria who led the Pantheon, because Fortia would have never taken such a step. Even though she knew she should, even though everything told her it was the right thing to do. How could she break tradition like that? And Allasaria continued. “Zerus, you will go to the UNN. Sceo, you will go to Guguo. Both of you will be blunt, you will inform of the situation as it stands, and you will demand aid. Both of them have one year to militarize their industries.”
Fortia did not know why the smile was creeping onto her face, but it was. This was it, this was how Divinity should act. This was what she had been missing for a thousand years. Allasaria leaned back and turned her head to look at the Goddess of Peace. “Fortia, Maisara and Tasaidien, you will crush this Epan rebellion. This is no longer a game of words and diplomacy.” Fortia and Maisara shared a shocked look. With this sort of mentality… They would be crushed just as the Goddess of Order had crushed Anarchia’s budding rebellion a few months ago. “Great War tactics are allowed.”
And Allasaria turned once again, to the God of Forges. “Theosius, repower the smitheries. Requisition land, resources, men, whatever you need. Create a Centurion Model to counter Kassandora’s artillery. You will work with Mur.” The God of the Forge leaned back in his seat. His muscles pulsed as he smiled.
“With pleasure.” He said, his voice terribly low and content.
And Allasaria continued. “The Guardians, Seekers and Paladins also need new weaponry, the sort of guns that we see wielded by Kassandora’s armies. And armour to withstand it. I expect you will succeed at both.”
Theosius took a deep breath, his smile growing wider. “How could I fail the Pantheon?” He asked.
Mur’s smile went too far up his face. “Uriamel needs a goal to bring unity. It shall be done.” Allasaria smiled and nodded, then turned to Alkom.
“You will assist in the Epan clean-up with Itni. Arda has forgotten what Divinity is. Fortia, you know how to command. I expect you to remind them. Itni, Fortia is second only to Kassandora in command. You will see how she runs wars.” Fortia felt the smile creeping onto her face unleash itself. The first century after the Great War had been good, when people still remembered the power the White Pantheon actually wielded. Now, it was time to remind them.
“I was invited into your house, I did not expect to lead.” Itni said in his musical tone of a voice. He looked from across the room. “But I prefer to return to Pichqasuyu and build up an army first.” Fortia did not return his smile. She had nothing against the man, but politeness was expected from a newcomer. It was the bare minimum he could do.
“Of course.” Fortia said.
“I have no issue with that.” Alkom added.
And Allasaria stood up. “I am heading out now. I expect to see UNN and Guguoan forces in Arika in three months’ time.”
Fortia couldn’t let the woman leave just like that. “What for?” Allasaria’s shoes left the ground as her hair started to spiral as if it was a scarf carried in the winds. Her form started to glow as she smiled down at Fortia. There it was, that was the look Fortia remembered. The blindingly bright eyes, the air around her shimmering, her dress trailing low past her feet. This was not the Allasaria that had spent the past thousand years guiding the world, this was the Allasaria that Fortia had fought besides during the Great War, the one that had conquered the world once already.
And Allasaria spoke, her words seemingly coming from all directions and echoing around the great hall. “To inform the world that the White Pantheon will no longer abide by Pantheon Peace.”