image [https://i.im.ge/2024/06/17/KfjNzL.Eshu-the-Seeker-of-Lost-Souls.png]
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The three of them stood and stepped out from the pavilion to stand beside the lake. High above the lake, the faint forms of the wandering spirits could be seen, whirling listlessly through the air.
“This is by no means all of the wandering spirits,” Salikat said, stretching his wings before continuing. “I am sure there are plenty throughout the world. Not every god has formed an afterlife, and many will not, for their own reasons. In the meantime, many have passed on from the destruction of the previous worlds, the formation of this new one, and during the time before the new gods became known.”
“I am quite sure there are many who cling to the old ways of their worlds and faiths. Sadly, this will leave them without an afterlife to go to as well.” The asura raised one hand to trace the path of a wandering spirit. “So, there may be a large number of wandering spirits for quite some time. How would you wish to deal with those who did not follow you in life?”
Gage’kin watched the thin wisps, hardly distinguishable from the air they moved through. “It’s hard to say. From what I know of my old world and the religions I studied there then the non-believers faced various fates. For some, it didn’t matter—they were judged for their actions and placed accordingly. Others had a purgatory or limbo, a place of contentment. Then there were those who believed non-believers went to hell, varying from eternal damnation to temporary stays for purification before moving to paradise or heaven.”
He looked to Hye-jun and Salikat. “I think I want them to be judged, with the Waste serving as a purifying place. If there needs to be a waiting purgatory, the canyon can be used for that. But the end goal is here, as the final resting place, so neither the Waste nor the Canyon should be permanent.”
“And how,” Hye-jun asked, “should the Waste act as a temporary place? If it’s a form of punishment and purification?”
“Well,” Gage looked up at the sky once more, “how far out they go is determined by their actions. They won’t reach this place until they are purified—until they’ve worked through their sins, accepted their wrongdoings, and understood why they were bad. The Scouring Sands of the Waste will be their torment, their actions tearing at them. They can seek redemption and make it here, walk for eternity through the sands as punishment, or even give up and be swallowed by the sands. Does that make sense? Is that too harsh?”
“Admittedly, I do not believe it harsh enough.” Both Gage and Hye-jun turned to Asura Salikat in shock. The asura shrugged. “The living will not be keen on knowing that someday their torments will spend eternity alongside themselves in the end. It seems… too easy for them to gain their redemption.”
“I think it may have been too long since you have been alive, Salikat.” Gage shook his head slowly. “People do not tend to forgive themselves that easily. And those who do not see the wrong in their actions will never reach here. However, I do suppose that is where your job comes in. You are the decider of their fates. If they make it back to you from the Waste, then they will stand before you for Judgement once more. Though I do hope you will take into account what they worked through to get back to that point.”
With a soft sigh, Gage looked back up to the wandering spirits. “I can’t say for sure how this will go. Not much of a god in that regard, eh?”
“MY LORD!” Gage’s necklace tugged itself from his neck before reforming itself into Ma’tuk. Its light shone harsh and bright. “You are an amazing god! Do not be little!”
Gage froze as he stared at the irate ball of light. “Uh, I’m sorry?”
“You should be! Hmph!” The archon turned its ‘back’ on Gage and hovered towards the water’s edge, muttering to itself.
“I guess…” Gage sighed and walked over to Ma’tuk. “I’m just really not getting the idea of what it means to be a god. Whenever I think I have a handle on it, something new pops up. Not to mention there are now politics involved. I never really liked dealing with politics. I guess I thought it might be more intuitive. Not to mention, I don’t think I’ve felt any connection with domains or anything like that. So I don’t know how those work.”
“Oh. Uh oh. Hmm. I don’t think I explained very well at the beginning then.” Ma’tuk looked troubled as it dipped down and skated around the surface of the water for a moment. Clearly it was deep in thought, and despite his slight annoyance at the proclamation, Gage sat patiently and waited. Hye-jun took a seat a short distance away while Asura Salikat stood silently behind.
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“From your world and experiences, there are three types of gods that you have come across, my Lord.” Ma’tuk rose from the water to hover equal with Gage’s head. “The almighty, all-knowing, God of the major religions. The heretical gods of the past, who existed as really powerful immortals. Then the fantastical, imaginary gods of your games like Attics & Adventurers were more tied to their domains than those your people had actually worshipped.”
Gage could see Hye-jun raise a brow in questions, but both of them stayed quiet as Ma’tuk continued. “You are something of all three, my Lord. Closely associated with specific domains through a combination of natural talent, deep interest, and earned reputation. Kinda like I said before. Become known for hanging out with corgis, you become the God of Corgis, even if none of your powers actually have anything to do with them. While you can possess significant control and can wield considerable influence within your domains, it is not certified.”
“You are not omnipotent. Your powers have limits, and they can be contested by other deities, powerful mortals, or forces of nature. For example, a god of storms might be able to summon and control weather patterns with impressive precision, inspiring awe and fear among mortals. However, this deity might not be able to prevent every natural disaster or override the will of other powerful entities. They would be deeply respected for their command over storms but acknowledged as one powerful force among many in the cosmos.”
Gage blinked and stared thoughtfully upwards into the sky. “I see. It is fairly similar to what you said before, but it helped clear up a lot of the questions I had.” He smiled sincerely at the archon. “Thank you Ma’tuk. It was a bit more lecture-y then you normally are, but it is appreciated.”
The orb flushed, “Well… I… oh you!” It dropped into the water, splashing Gage. He laughed as he jumped up from the water and back away from it. “You are welcome my Lord. I want you to be the best god that you can be… and I think you are doing a great job.”
Gage gave the orb a bow before turning back to Salikat. “Well, I do feel a bit better about my role now. It’s nice to know I’m not supposed to have everything figured out, even if my worshipers may expect it of me.” He glanced up at the wandering spirits. As he watched them, shifting through ideas of what to do, he felt a familiar bump against his leg. Wrapped up in his thoughts, he reached down to pet Eshu.
“Wait, Eshu! What are you doing here?” Gage knelt down next to the dog, who was panting slightly but smiling widely. “Are you okay? Oh puppers!”
His hands traveled all over the dog, petting and running his hands all over the dog. Eshu reveled in the pets and attention. As he moved his hands around the dog, Gage checked for any sign of injury.
“My Lord,” Salikat’s voice was warm and comforting. “The animal lives. He has not passed on.”
Relief rushed through Gage. “Then why is he here? How did he get here.” He stopped himself from slumping forward. “I am reaching my limit. There has been too much today… I… I…”
A hand rested on his shoulder, firm and assuring. Gage looked up to see Hye-jun standing next to him. “Breath. Calm yourself. One step at a time.” Keeping his eyes locked with her, he did as she said. Slow steady breathes. The hummingbird racing of his heart began to slow, nice and even. “There you go. Now I can answer this one. I am honestly surprised Eshu hasn’t been here before. Even among the gods of my people, it is not uncommon for them to an animal companion.”
Gage nodded slowly, breaking his gaze with Hye-jun to look down at Eshu. “Odin had his ravens. Athena her owl.” He idly pet Eshu before something clicked in his head. “Ma’tuk! You said something about ‘immortal’. Can you explain that?”
“Of course, my Lord. You will never die of old age or disease. Most mortal means cannot kill you, or most poisons. It would mostly have to be divine, and even then, it can be difficult depending on how strong you are.”
“With Eshu being here then, being my animal companion… well, like the old gods, will he be as well?”
The orb spun in thought for a moment. “I don’t see why not. In fact it is quite likely, especially the longer he spends in your presence, magic, and realms.”
Gage scooped Eshu up in a hug, of which the dog immediately started trying to wriggle out of. Finally, Gage let him go. With a huff, Eshu looked at him, then took off running up and down the water’s edge. Gage laughed at the dog’s antics. “I’m just glad to get some sort of good news today. It’s been… heavy. As they stood there watching Eshu zoom about, Gage grinned in jest. Pointing up at the whisps of spirits above. With amused mirth, “Eshu, bring ‘em in.”
Eshu stopped his zooming to look at Gage, then up to where he was pointing. He barked a few times before walking around in a circle, growling and chuffing to himself. “Sorry, buddy.” Gage winked at the dog, then responded to Hye-jun’s questioning look. “Eshu is a corgi, a breed of dog that was originally bred to be used as working dogs to herd things like sheep and cows.” He turned back to Eshu to offer pets. “He’s never been a working dog, but as puppies they tend to have strong herding instincts. It sometimes carries into their play as adults. In fact, Eshu and I would run around the yard, and I would let him… herd… me…”
Ma’tuk gasped loudly as everyone watched Eshu take a few steps back and then run forward. As he reached the water’s edge, he leapt into the air… and didn’t come back down. Eshu continued running on the air, defying gravity with ease. The fur on his back half darkened to an odd black with pinpricks of light that shifted like the night sky. His tail erupted from a nub into a magnificent plume, almost as large as himself, its colors interwoven with cosmic flair and rippling through the air. Together, they watched in awe as Eshu began herding the wandering spirits towards the pavilion.