Prologue Arc 1.3 – Meeting in the Void
Ra was walking through a gigantic staircase that rose towards the star lit sky. It's steps were transparent and probably would have made him afraid of falling into oblivion, had he not taken this stair many times already. All around him the space filled the horizon, stars the size of gigantic planets and others miniaturized like pins, galaxies wandering without nothing to put them still, worlds being torn and destroyed and others being newly formed. It was a chaotic requiem, and one beautiful to witness.
When he finally reached the final step, there stood a door, also transparent. Ra stood there and raised his hand in front of the door knob. Uttering a few words and harnessing his power into the door, his eyes and many of his blood veins gleaming with blue light, he touched the knob. The door shone with the same blue light that spread through it's carvings. And with a *click, it opened. Ra stepped into the room.
There were no walls. There was no roof. There was no floor. There was nothing inside the room, and when the door closed, it vanished into nothingness as well. With a single step from Ra, there came to be a round table, and with it four chairs, and on the side of each chair, a smaller one, that is except for one. Ra put his hand on the frame of the chair in front of him, the lonely one that stood alone. (A.N.: Now, to prevent you to be confused, let's take the smaller chairs as 'small chair' and the four main ones, as 'greater chair')
“Took you long enough!”, an old-man voice, no not old, it was quite young, but it was a voice filled with eerie and a deathly tune, as if a dead corpse tried to talk. Ra turned left to face the voice, he met the gaze of a young king, a pharaoh, he had golden jewelry adorning almost every inch of his body, his eyes were firm and decisive. He was a bright and beautiful young man, that is, if not for the sickly green skin tone he had. “You dare to make me wait, Astral God? I have an empire, built on the sands of desert, to reign and thousands of dead souls to overseer and judge! I do not have time to spar-!!”
“Now, now, husband, be at rest”, a soothing and gentle voice came from the greater chair at the left side of the pharaoh, her hair was darkish brown, almost black, her eyes were mesmerizing and if looked for quite a share of time, they would be seen changing from one color to the other, as if one was looking into a rainbow. Her figure was slender, but plentiful, her skin tone was next to Ra's, but because it was untarnished, it seemed cleaner and brighter. “We are only what we are, because of him, and he never summoned us before, isn't that so, husband...?”
“Hmph...”, the man snorted and crossed his arms, clearly annoyed from the demeanor of the woman next to him.
“It is very good to see you again, Great Ra of the Morning Sun.”, the woman nodded at Ra while motioning her hand for him to take the seat.
“Isis.”, Ra nodded to her, “Osiris”, then to the man, as well. He sat down and took a more through view of the room. On the side of Osiris, he saw a young man with bronze skin, his chest was bare and at the side of his chair there stood an axe-halberd, his face was that of a jackal.
“Anubis, you've grown quite a bit.”, Ra spoken in a gentle and caring tune, he taught Anubis many things
“Y-yes! Thank you! It is an honor, Primal God Ra!”, the boy gasped for a moment and almost shouted in an excited manner, Ra couldn't help, but chuckle at the scene, especially when Osiris reddened his cheeks in anger and started rebuking the young warrior. Ra then gazed to the side of Isis.
A young warrior with the same darkish brown hair and fair skin. On his head a helmet that resembled a desert hawk, on the side of his belt, lied a sheathed khopesh. Neither of the young boys were as adorned in jewelry as the pharaoh and his betrothed, but they had enough on them to make them look like royalty. “Horus!”, Ra called with a thundering voice.
“Primal God Ra!”, the boy stood and bowed to Ra, in a calm and measured manner. He always behaved like this. Calculated and cool thinking, measuring the best ways to act and the swiftest moves to win, but under such a cool mind there was hidden a gentle and warm heart, just like his mother taught him to be, and just like Ra hoped him to be.
“Anubis!”, with the same commanding voice. The scene repeated itself in the jackal boy.
“Come to my side, both of you.”. Both Isis and Osiris witnessed the scene with puzzled expressions, but the boys hurriedly walked to the sides of where Ra sat, it was one of the greatest honors to be called by the one that blessed and care for the rising of their Pantheon. As the boys came closer, Ra also stood up.
“Anubis, may you be the fairest of the Underworld, may your heart always be true, for you are the one who will judge the souls of those who have lived. Grow and fight. Live and die. I bless you, Jackal of the Dark Sands, to become the greatest warrior and protector of all.”, Ra slit his thumb finger with the other hand's nail, and with the drops of blood drew the ankh(life) symbol in the forehead of the jackal boy. The boy almost lost his ability to breathe for a few seconds, and his eyes were tearing with the joy in his heart, Ra was his mentor in the ways of war, he taught him everything he knew and taught him to be just and always listen to his instincts. And he also never diminished him for being an adulterous son, if not enough Ra was also the one responsible for diminishing Isis anger towards the boy and make her more gentle and caring with him, although that also caused Isis to soothe her anger by giving a cold shoulder to her cheating husband. In other words, his mentor was the main reason of the joys the boy has lived, to harness his blessing meant the world...
“Horus.”, Ra turned to the eagle boy, that was clearly tensed up as he slightly fidgeted in anticipation. Ra placed his hand hovering the boy's forehead. “Under your rule the Empire will soar the skies and rise with the hope of the Morning Sun, may you be forthright and righteous, may you listen to the words of those who wish you better and may you bring down those that mean you harm. Trust your brother and be worthy of his trust.”, Ra motioned his hand to Anubis, “I bless you, Eagle of the Golden Sands, to become the greatest king of the Deserts.”
“As brothers...”, Ra put each of his hand the nape of each young boy's neck, “Rule the living and the dead. Now, go! Let us grown ups to our tiresome affairs...”. The boys rushed to the corner of the rooms, brimming with excitement and grins on their faces. Anubis stopped and turned to face Ra one last time, fear tensing him for a slight second, but Horus soon pulled his hand and they left the room, into the dark.
“It was about time you blessed the boy! Although I don't exactly see the point in blessing the successor of the Underworld, despite everything...”, Osiris stated, still crossing his arms, he had a satisfied smile, although he still frowned at the situation.
“...”, Ra stood silent while he sat down.
“It finally has come to that point so...”, Isis uttered her words with a grieving and disheartened tune, her gaze turned downwards as her face slowly shifted to a sad semblance.
“Hm? Wait what? What happened? The boy's have been blessed, why are you-”, Osiris tried to inquire his wife, unknowingly and not perceiving, at all, the situation.
“*Sigh... You always perceive the underlines, don't you, Isis...”, Ra sighed and muttered the words almost to himself, but Isis heard them just as well.
“Well, of course. How would you want me to be the Great Queen of the Deserts, after all!”, Isis shouted and slammed the table with her hands, then she pointed a finger towards Ra, “Now spit it out, Ra! What happened!?”
“Nothing, yet... The problem is my gut feelings. They're telling me I'm about to descend, Isis.”
“What!?”, Osiris froze at the statement.
“W-what!?”, Isis gasped, the mere thought of a Primal God, one of the most ancient deities, to simply die and be forgotten in Oblivion is simply outlandish, “Ra... What nonsense is this, it's merely a feeling, after all... It's not bound to happen! Don't frighten me like that, for the burning sands! Arf...”, Isis gasped for air as she let herself fell in the chair, relaxing.
“Isis. Tell me one time, my gut feelings failed when I advised you and Osiris?”
“Hngh-!”, Isis tensed up, again, “There's gotta be a one time, right? I mean there are always exceptions!! Right...?”, even though she didn't want to there was reason behind Ra's words, and so her voice fell in desbelief.
“What will you have of us, Primal God?”, Osiris simply asked, after recollecting himself.
“Osiris!”, Isis tried to rebuke her husband.
“There is nothing to do, woman! You heard the man!”, Osiris shouted out, grief filled his words, even though he didn't enjoy the fact that Ra was responsible for his ascendancy, he deemed it proper to relate him as a friend and a steadfast ally, and in so he would honor the favor he owes to Ra. “Let him do as he intends, so he can go at peace...”
“Thank you, my friend...”, Ra said, simply, with a sincere but sad smile.
“I can't believe this...”, Isis was crumbled, but she mustered her strength, took a deep breath and swept away her tears, “Okay... What will you have us do, Ra?”
“I need a safe harbor for my kin and my beloved, Nox.”
“We assure you. They will be well treated in our Pantheon, no harm will ever come to them as long as we sta-”
“I need one in another Legacy, Osiris.”
“...”, Osiris gasped for words, but he simply could not find. What that man was implying was a deed unmeasurable and never tried before. Yet, he was the First. That man in front of him was the embodiment of impossibility.
“Th-that... Is that even possible!?”, Isis inquired, raising her voice a bit, and gazing her husband in search for a light amongst the sea of doubt in her mind.
“It is, but it demands sacrifice.”, Ra gazed them when their went wide in those words, they feared what would happen to them, “Be at ease, I do not ask you to sacrifice anything from yourselves nor from anyone of your Pantheon. My request is as it follows.”
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“Osiris, I need the Desert Empire to become such a force in this world so that even if it falls, it will never be forgotten and never be conquered by another one. You and your kin must be strong enough to survive and thrive even when you all fall.”, the pharaoh simply breathed in and nodded at the words from the ancient God.
“Isis, I need you to lend me your clairvoyance so that we can request a meeting with Raoni, he is the current ruler of the Legacy I intend to bargain with.”
“Okay... But to accomplish such a thing... I-i can't do it on my own. It would take too much of me I could be cast into oblivion...”, Isis shriveled at that last word, the thought of vanishing and simply fell into non-existence was simply too much. She was losing herself in the storm of her thoughts until she felt a familiar touch in her hand, she turned to face and saw the gentle expression in her husband's face.
“You won't be alone, my dear. We can do this, let's show the Primal God the power that the rulers of the Desert harness! Together...”, Osiris reassured her with iron-willed words, tightly holding her hand, he started surging his power to her.
The room shook with the powerful transition that was happening. Isis chanted incomprehensible words and her eyes and body markings started shining in white light. Moments later a white-light appeared on the ground. A single spot, and then it started moving around until that one spot became a door frame. And with a surge of light, Isis stopped and gasped for air, exhausted, Osiris was also sweating and seemed just as tired.
Click. The door opened. Noticing their roles were already fulfilled, the god couple simply nodded at Ra without uttering a single word, stood up, and left the room, into the dark, just like their children did before. Their chairs also vanished and now there only stood two chairs, one in front of the other. Ra gazed the vacant seat, as the door slowly opened and the figure stepped in.
It was a young man, he had a wavy brown hair and clear green-eyes, that in different angles could be seen as blue-eyes. His smile was broad and he had big and white teeth. His figure was taller and bigger than Ra's, but his gentle expression and movements shook off any impression of threat. He had a beaded necklace, in two colors, white and red, and also many bracelets and wristbands, all of them made out of seeds or wood.
“I almost couldn't believe that someone would be bold enough or foolish enough to summon me.”, the man slowly stepped towards the chair and sat down, “That is, until I remembered one foolish thing I did upon causing my world to be encased in Mana Ley-lines just before the Council of Void Legacies, and had said it aloud during the Council. It caused an uproar, all of the other Rulers were simply mad at my behavior, especially when the count of Mana-worlds was steadily decreasing due to hardships in their maintenance. I was about to be kicked out and have my word be cast into nothingness, until one person stood up.”, the man gathered his breath and recollected his thoughts, choosing his words.
“I mean, that guy was shorter than me. I could even say that I could clearly see him as my little brother. Imagine it with me. He stood up, walked around the room, ignoring the shouts and glares, he simply walked. In time everyone began shutting up and started gazing him. He didn't mind it and simply walked. Chair by chair, he drew closer to me. When he finally reached to the side of my chair, he puts his hand on my shoulder, lean in to face my eyes and says 'I commend you for doing what I was afraid to do.', all of the rest of the rulers simply wide-eyed at that sight and others even fainted!”, Ra did nothing as the young man continued to talk.
“After the Council, I get to know that that little guy, that fella whom I thought that could be my little brother, was the most ancient god-like deity to ever exist and he was the one who created the Council of Void Legacies, so that every world and every universe would not fall in disgrace because of lack of help or assistance...”, the young man finally met the eyes of Ra and smiled, sincerely, “Then I thought to myself... 'It's gotta be him. He will finally let me return the favor he lent me.'”
“Hmph... Heavens, Raoni, you sound just as haughty as you were in that Council three centuries ago.”
“Hey! I am what I am! Now, tell me what's up, little brother?”
“Tell me, how fares your world? Did any sentient being resurged ever since they were wiped during the Manastorm?”
“Well... Not yet, although there are some very promising ones this time. Not just the average 'humankind' ones, there are some more unique ones whom I've been naming 'elven'. Well, actually there is already one sentient being!”
“Hoh... Is that so?”
“The thing is, they are simply so over-powered that they simply don't even need to worship anyone! Hell, when I met one he almost turned me into ashes just for interrupting his nap! These 'dragons' are so problematic...”
“Raoni... You're letting yourself too leisurely, you know that beings that can threaten gods are not advisable to grow and exist... You should put them down.”
“Well... I probably should. But what would be the fun of that? I mean, why not wait for the children to do that? I am eager to see them accomplish that! I'll even descend to throw out a party on that occasion!”
“Sigh...”, Ra simply dropped his head, sighing, “How can you be so relaxed, Raoni...”
“I already said how! I am what I am! Haha!”, after a brief laughter, the man took a short breath and raised his voice, “Now, what do you need, Ra?”
“I need you to take care and protect my kin and my beloved one”, Raoni raised one of his brows, he was expecting something as big, but this surprised him, “in your world.”
“Hm... I see.”, Raoni pondered and supported his chin on his hands in a contemplative manner, “And I would this because I owe you a favor.”
“...”, Ra stood silent as Raoni gazed at him with inquisitive and predatory eyes.
“Hah...”, Raoni sighed, “Don't get me wrong, Ra. I like you, a lot. Especially when you helped me out of the blue back then, it kinda reminded me of my sister, Tainá, when she would cover my back, whether I'd asked her or not.”
“But put yourself on my shoes for a second. My Pantheon is too weak and too small, for now, there are no other Pantheon of Gods in my world who can help or even rival us. Both myself and my reigned world are still to young in the eyes of the Council of Legacies. Heck! I even lost my sentient civilization! The only one I had, and the one that created me!”
“...”, Ra stood silent.
“Now I must deal with the shortage of divine power and the uprising of powerful and fantastical creatures in my world. I even have to lay down an alliance with the Dragonkind due to their almost god-like existence... *sigh...”, Raoni sighed and closed his eyes for a second, “Ra, there is not much for me in this deal, I'm afraid I have to turn it do-!”
“Who said that it was only that, big brother?”, Ra stated while wearing a mischievous grin on his face.
“Hoh... I was wondering when you were going to make your move...”, Raoni replied with a satisfied grin. “Tell me what you've got, little brother.”
“Amongst my kin, there are nearly ten lesser god-spirits, three of them are my trusted counselors with greater god potential. Besides, my kin may be persuaded to be reincarnated, and for living during a very harsh environment, and thriving, are very sturdy and resilient kind, with special care they may even abandon part of their humanity, as long as they are able to continue with our customs. Not even to forget about Nox, who is a Primal Goddess, herself.”
“Hm...”, Raoni wondered at Ra's offer. It didn't sound bad... it could even be beneficial...
“And.”, Ra continued.
“There's more..?”, Raoni couldn't help but be surprised, he was about to accept the deal with a few conditions, yet Ra interrupted him by adding even more to the offer.
“I'll gift you my eight lives and my eight names, along with their power. They should be enough to help you maintain both your world and my people safe.”, Ra stated in a non-chalantly manner.
“...”, stupefied Raoni tried to utter any word, but none could leave his mouth, he stood there in a surprised expression, while Ra patiently waited for him to calm down and state his answer.
“I accept.”, Raoni said, while massaging his left temple.
“Good, I appreciate a lot for you to-”
“With one condition.”, Raoni quickly cut off Ra's thanking.
“Hm...”, Ra had a worried and frowned expression on his face, “Name it...”
“We, me and your kin, are allowed to come for you later in time.”, Raoni stated with a decisive voice and with shut eyes.
“...”, Ra watched the man in front of him, calculating him, judging him... Until, finally, “Very well... But only when the dust settles down.”, Ra still had a worried expression, but he knew it was better this way, he hoped that none of them would try to come to help him, but that was just out of his reach. He could do nothing but accept it, hoping that in time they would forget about him, and just leave him behind, for their sake...
“Of course. In both Legacies, right?”, Raoni had a victorious and satisfied smile. He stood up, nodded to Ra, and left the room.
Ra stood there. For quite some time. Afraid to come out, afraid to face reality. Afraid to face his Legacy, the one he ruled ever since he was first ascended... The one that would descend him, once and for all... Unless, it sends him to oblivion... 'I wonder what would be the worst... Live again, without ever knowing who I am or whom I should be... or simply disappear into nothingness, knowing who I am, and what I have done...'