RE: Deity - The Breath of Creation

4:22 Heavens

I walked amongst the stars. They were ones that I had hung in the sky as my children rose up, and now, many of them were without their creators.Well. Not without their creators as their souls still resided in the Four Realms, despite their physical forms having perished. But the connection remained; everything they had been, everything they had ever done, it was all encoded in the skies in the form of the Dao Stars. A living record and reminder of everything they'd been and chosen to represent.

This connection left their souls in a state of limbo. Never before had a soul had this kind of a connection to their past lives as they did here and now; not even Xing Wu, or Fang Xu, or any of the other souls who had lived prominent past lives, only to become greater in their final one. These connections were far more physical and permanent. I wasn't going to take down their stars just because they'd died. So the question now, was what to do with them?

"Y'know, I promised that when I next saw you again, I would punch you in the face." Xing Wu said, pulling up next to me on a ray of silver light. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, smirking only a little as we stood before the Dao Star of a deceased god. He'd been a god of the tides, and had come up with the Dao of the Trident. Even now, I could feel his consciousness swirling within that star, clinging to what he'd been. Clinging to the sacrifice he'd made; a trident thrown at a fish, only for it to swim away with the weapon. The prey was dead, but the trident lost to the ocean.

"You can't see me," I told him bluntly. "But you can sense me, which is an improvement." This was true. I had hidden myself from his sight specifically because we did need to talk about this, yet neither of us were willing to lose the game we’d been playing.

"Nope. I can see you." Xing Wu told me, tapping the side of his head, near his eyes, yet never turning to fully face me. "Eyes of the Heavens. Technique I figured out from you. I can see through that pathetic little glamour you put up plain as day," I turned to him, and he met my eyes. His normally dark eyes were shining green, his horns curling over his head shining with power. My eyebrows raised. He...could see me, couldn't he?

Oh dear.

The strike was hard and furious. His knuckles crashed against my cheek with the full speed of starlight and ideas, snapping my head to the side and sending me stumbling backward. Pain bloomed in my cheek, hot and radiating, far more present than I had expected. I worked my jaw and looked back at him, words-half formed, but he was already advancing, expression dark and fist clenched.

"That was just because I could," he said, calmly, even as he slammed his fist into my gut, driving the breath from my lungs. "And that was from trying to sacrifice yourself," I could feel more than just his fist at that. He was genuinely furious at my sacrifice, even if I hadn’t died.

"Now that's hardly," I managed, before he took another swing, catching me on the chin and snapping my head to the side.

"That was for being stupid," he snapped, and I whirled, now done - only for him to grab my shoulders and pull me into a hug. I stiffened, brain freezing at the fact that Xing Wu, of all people, was hugging me. I mean - I'd known, and, but... "Thank you for protecting my family." he whispered squeezing tighter for just a moment, then pulling away.

We stood staring at each other, Xing Wu looking away awkwardly, while I struggled to catch up to what just happened.

"That never happened, and no one will believe you if you try to tell them," he said firmly, confidently. I could list a number of deities that likely already knew and had seen - Randus among them - but didn’t bother pointing that out. Instead I just nodded at him, rubbing my jaw, the pain already fading.

"Of course. Gotta keep up the image," I agreed sagely, beaming like an idiot.

"Wipe that grin off your face,"

"No,"

Xing Wu scowled but it had no real heat to it, and judging by how the corners of his mouth were twitching he was struggling to not let it turn into a smile. Then he coughed into his fist and gestured at the Dao Stars, changing the subject entirely.

"So. The Daos. What are your thoughts?" he asked.

"I have my own thoughts," I said slowly, watching the way his energy moved in his chest. I had originally wanted to give him a bit more guidance on how to handle this, but...looking at it now, he may have already come to the same conclusion I had. Or would get there with minimal nudging. Sometimes it was hard to tell specifics of what people were thinking. Especially when my mind was split in so many ways. "But I want to hear what you’re thinking first."

"I think...we bring the souls here." He admitted. "It's a gut reaction, I'll be honest, but Dao Stars are meant to be more permanent. Not only a record of everything we've done, but an admittance that it was something the Universe recognized as significant. A Dao worth standing beside your Heavenly Dao. They shouldn't be shunted back into the cycle of reincarnation just like that." He shook his head.

"And then what? Let them live as their stars?" I pressed.

"Why not?" he asked. "Fang Xu and Celene did it for millions of years, living as their respective suns. What will this turn them into?" I smiled and patted him on the shoulder, silently agreeing. What would that turn them into, indeed?

I waved my hand, and the souls of the fallen Dao Progenitors floated out of the Spirit River to hover around Xing Wu, drifting about him like lanterns. He shot me a little glare, reaching out and touching one of them.

"I could have done that," he grumbled.

"Just helping." I said with a little smile. Xing Wu gently brushed his fingers against the souls, muttering their names one by one as he did so, his divine power spiking. Every time the name was said, their individual Dao Star glinted, twinkling and gleaming in response to their creator's souls presence.

"Go, my friends," Xing Wu whispered, and pushed them forward one by one. He personally planted the souls into their respective Dao Stars, the faith energy that surrounded said stars immediately sinking into the souls, nourishing them, fueling whatever growth was going to happen.

There were many options, in my mind. As many options as there were stars in the skies. Maybe they’d emerge as gods. Maybe they'd emerge as their old selves, their bodies reformed after millions of years. Maybe they'd become something else entirely. It all depended upon them, and Xing Wu.

With every soul that was injected into their Dao Star, I felt the balance of the Four Realms slowly righting itself. The faith energy that comprised them, that built up with every person who looked up at these stars and connected to them, in one way or another, sinking into their truesouls and strengthening them.

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"It's not better than doing it my way," Xing Wu said, after he pushed the last soul in. "My way was through life. Living and becoming a god. Forging my path. Others will follow in my footsteps, and this isn't a better path, despite some advantages." His eyes narrowed slightly, and I let him continue. "It's just different. This is more like a hybrid route. A mix between the natural, elemental gods, and the mortal god I became and Alanna became. Maybe not even that." he said, shaking his head. "You left so many paths to immortality and divinity open."

"I know. At first, it was by accident," I admitted freely. "I stumbled over my intent when I first created the universe. Accidentally left open a path to immortality. You call that path cultivation." Xing Wu huffed and refused to look at me, his eyes definitely not shining and wet with tears from having done this for the Dao Progenitors, many of whom had been his friends. "But then I started expanding it. Let it grow. Everyone is free to chase their own path, and there is never only one way to do things. It is simply my duty to make sure the paths remain paths."

Xing Wu nodded, clearing his throat and blinking away the wetness in his eyes. "That's a terrible way to put it, but sure, let's go with that."

"Oh? How would you put it?"

"You're being a parent. Never closing off paths for your children. Trying your best to discourage the self-destructive paths. Encouraging us to follow your path, or take our own, whichever fits us better. That's what you've been doing." He said simply. I felt my throat clench a little at his words, and he glanced at me, only to scowl immediately.

"You're grinning like an idiot," he grumbled.

"I am," I said proudly. "That, I am."

***

"Morgan!" Another of my incarnations called, while my true body had its moment with Xing Wu. The Shadow was sulking in its Hidden Realm, stalking about the crystallized power that formed the hidden structural supports of the Four Realms.

Power that I was now going to start reverting into its original form, and flooding the Four Realms with energy to encourage growth and healing. The Mad Scientist had outdone herself with this idea. Not only had they served as proper structural supports, they now were going to fuel the growth of the Four Realms, and whatever construction projects the Big Four were plotting. The Four Realms was still too small, the energy it produced far in excess, even with all the deaths we’d experienced.

The only one who was still sulking was Morgan, and that was because of my decision on the Authority, I knew. Unfortunately, I would like its help with cracking the pillars and flooding the Realms with energy. I had to be in two universes at once, after all.

"What do you want," Morgan growled more than asked, head resting on its paws.

"I want you to stop sulking and help me break down the energy pillars," I told it, folding my hands into the sleeves of my robes. "The Four Realms need the boost."

"No. I will not." Morgan spat, eight eyes narrowing. "Not until you reclaim your rightful place above the One World." I stared at it. It stared at me, unblinking, all eight eyes filled with vitriol and hatred. And I sighed.

"Morgan, come with me."

"No,"

"For one goddamn moment, quit being a brat and follow me." This time it was not a request. My eyes narrowed, my temper flared, and Morgan flinched. Its spidery legs tapped against the ground in a chaotic rhythm as it leapt to its feet, lips pulled back in a facsimile of a snarl to hide its confusion and wariness.

"Why?" It asked.

"I want to show you something, since you're being a sulky brat. So come with me. I'm going to grab Curie, too." With a snap of my fingers, we were suddenly floating above the One World, Curie, or at least an aspect of her, floating beside me and Morgan bristling on the other side.

"I didn't feel you teleport us," it said, but I ignored it to look at Curie's aspect. It was a little drone, maybe the size of my head, round and very, very mechanical looking. A little propeller spun above its top, keeping it afloat - or, more likely, simply as an aesthetic preference. That was good. It meant Curie was pulling back from the purely logical mind aspects of being a goddess of Science, and adding more personal touches to things.

"You," Morgan growled at Curie.

"We have arrived," Curie intoned through the drone, voice mechanical and dull.

"This is only the first stop,” I told her, and gestured out to the One World before us. It was the far end of the planet, Authority-wise speaking. My Authority, or the Authority that Curie had given me, was not...even. It thinned in some places and was thick in others. In grand total I had Authority over one third of the entire One World, but it wasn't spread out evenly. this was one such place that I had little Authority. The tiniest bit. "What do you feel?" I asked. "Of me, I mean."

"Your influence is thin." Morgan spat. "The heavens should be seen everywhere." I nodded, not disagreeing, and turned to Curie.

"We have discussed this. Approximately one percent of your Authority is threaded here." Curie stated.

"That is correct. But also wrong. Your Authority is already here. The percentage you kept." I corrected. "Feel it. What do you feel beneath that?"

"I do not understand," Morgan admitted, teeth clacking together. “What are you trying to show me?"

"I am showing both you and Curie something. I said I wanted to return Curie's authority, that is not a lie. She does not want this,"

"We have proven incapable of ruling," Curie interrupted bluntly, to which Morgan immediately agreed. I wanted to deny her, but in the end, even I couldn't outright state they hadn't. Not because they had failed to contain their Shadow, but because I hadn't heard the full story from Yueya yet. Her...influences on Amari Ren have been too poignant for me to completely forget.

"And neither do you, Morgan. But I have discovered something I believe you would like to see. Look deeper. What do you feel?" I pressed.

"Nothing. Your influence, and the influence of the Oshun," Morgan spat. Curie beeped once in agreement, and I snapped my fingers. This time, we were floating in the afterlife of the One World, the interior of the planet. The Four Realms floated in the center at a distance, like the core, while Keilan actively went about rebuilding the scaffolding that was the One World's afterlife. Plus adding a bit more.

"What do you feel here?" I pressed again, spreading my arms. Whereas before, we were on the planet's surface, where life and gods and everything grew, now we were in somewhere that to normal senses read as more empty. The souls of the One World were aimless without the reincarnation cycle. Otherwise? It was far less structured.

"I feel nothing of importance," Morgan growled.

"Your influence is at 15%." Curie deadpanned. Morgan rolled its eyes. I nodded, then pointed at Keilan's work, my son flying between structures, using his power over connections to rebuild the struts.

"And what about in there?" I questioned.

"I don't..." Morgan trialed off, eyes narrowing. Its spidery limbs stopped moving so fast, its domain of space and time pausing for just a moment. Hesitating. Stuttering as realization began to set it.

"I don't follow. Your influence is at one percent again." Curie droned. I grinned.

"Exactly." And once again, we moved. Into the Four Realms. Out of the Four Realms. To random spots. To the Realm Sun, which was entirely under control of Fang Xu. To the Lunar Star. To the Suns of the One World. To a piece of the rot that was being maliciously destroyed by Curie's SystemGuardians. Around and around we went, until Morgan began to laugh, and Curie was dead silent.

At the end, we stood in my palace. My abode. My home. The place tended to by Randus, and seen as the heart of my power.

A place I, personally, put no stock in. How deep did my authority run here? A place that Randus himself had put more time and effort into than I had? Ten percent. That was is. Ten measly percent. But that was all I needed.

Morgan stared at me. I smiled at it. Curie was silent, as we stood in the entry halls of the palace, surrounded by the sound of music - an original symphony centered on brass instruments, conducted by the god of metal Argent - and tapestries of the history of the Four Realms.

"I will not be able to completely separate myself from the One World after having accepted any bit of the Authority from Curie. I will only have a single percentage left between me, and them, if I removed everything I need to." I told it.

"That will be enough," Morgan said slowly, realization dawned. "The Heavens are not rulers, or kings, or queens,"

"The Heavens is a place. The place where gods build their kingdoms, and mortals, their lives." Curie finishes for it.

"I am the Heavens. I am all. I am where gods build their kingdoms, and I ensure, through my actions, that the land remains.” I informed them. “But I will not micromanage everything. You all will build your own things. Your own stuff. I will only ensure you can continue to grow.” The land was my form. My body was my mind. And my Soul? That had always been the Four Realms.

Now we were merging with the One World. Even I didn’t know what my children would make of it, when met with the difference of the One World. But I suspected someone did. And he was ignoring my questions.