Sophia's Memories

Chapter 4: The First Deal

"You come to me again, God?" Khaos, the formless, the unknown, spoke. God had summoned Khaos through a black hole, and was now speaking to the Being through it. Khaos had no face, no voice, but was simply perceived. It was only roughly classified as a Being, for Khaos is not something that can be delineated in space and time. It was the fabric that permeated all the universes and through which material creation existed. It was the force that produced the primordial essences that the Archangels and Anti-Archs were made of, and both God and Amara had to make a bargain for those essences. Khaos was that from which balancing forces of Light and Darkness, Masculine and Feminine, Good and Bad, Life and Death, War and Peace, etc. were emanated. Such a being was neither singular nor plural, neither male nor female, hence the pronoun 'It'. God had come to Khaos before, when He decided that He did not want to create anything with the interference of Amara. He asked It to grant Him the barrier that separated the matter and anti-matter universes, to which It was agreeable simply because the barrier allowed for the final balance – order and chaos.

"Yes, I have another favour to ask." God approached It with the pure intention of compassion, His wish fuelled by the encounter with Amara. "I want to bring a being over from the anti-matter universe into my home."

Khaos laughed, spewing photons and mass through the black hole. "You must be joking!" God remained silent, beginning to get disheartened by Its response. "Why can't you be satisfied with your own creations, God?"

"It's not about me!" God pointed a firm finger towards Himself, His form taut with tension. "Amara doesn't deserve a child like Adhya. She can't take care of her. I need to save her."

"God, it isn't your job to intervene in the affairs of Amara and Her children."

God crossed His arms. "Well I can't just stand by! Now can you help me bring her over or not?"

A dead silence from the black hole. "Of course, We govern the passing and going over the veil. But there are consequences to such an action. No beings other than yourself or Amara may pass through the veil without disturbing the balance within each universe and between them. For Adhya to disturb the sanctity of the veil, another must be returned to Us to maintain it."

"You want me to trade one of my own for her?" God looked away, suddenly realising He may not be able to fulfil such an ultimatum. Worry for Adhya gnawed at Him, yet He could not forfeit one of His children for her.

"No, your sons will not be suitable for the exchange." God was relieved. "When Adhya crosses over, you will have to stabilise her to exist in your universe. When you do so, her essence will not be pure Darkness anymore – it will be a mixture of Light and Darkness. Therefore, we require a being produced from her own new essence to restore the balance lost from her crossing."

"Like a child made by her?" God inquired. This was a difficult decision. He had admired Sophia for her femininity and ability to inspire life. He had even given her hope of creating someday. It would be cruel to take something like that away from her. Perhaps He would leave her be; she'll be upset, but ultimately fine. Yet He couldn't bear the thought of Amara keeping her in misery for eons upon eons. "Fine, I'll make sure you get your dividend." And it was done. The First Deal was made.

"Mother of miracles

Save me from slavery

Worse than my Death itself

Try to understand"

Sophia's melancholic melody echoed through the lands, as she sat, despaired in her cell. Conversation stopped everywhere, as this tune for release was carried through walls and mountains afar to reach even the furthest citizens of the kingdom.

"Believe me

Forgive me

Don't leave me

Being a slave

Living in pain

Alone and crying

Open wide gates of dark sun"

Her begging voice made the villagers weep. Even though they respected the Great Mother, The Darkness, they simply fell in love with the future Archon as soon as they laid eyes on her. Word had spread everywhere about Sophia's beauty, grace and wisdom, as did news of her imprisonment. 'The Dark Sun' was what the lower creatures called the wall that separated the two universes. They heard her prayers, and they all wanted to express their support for their beloved Archon, who in their eyes should have been free to do as she pleased in the first place. Political will turned against Amara as the masses gathered before the palace in protest.

The Anti-Archs looked at them from a balcony. "This is out of control," Therin voiced. "What do we do?"

"It seems perfectly in control to me," Athreya rebutted. "They all want the same thing. So do we."

"But to rebel against Mother?"

"It's the right thing to do," Erin interjected. "We all agree that it's unfair what's happening to Adhya. We have no choice but to disobey Mother."

"Even if we did want to free her, there's no way we can 'open the gates of dark sun'. That's impossible," Rumi said.

"We don't have to do that," Athreya spun to face Rumi. "What if we could free her, and unite her with the people? Mother can't hurt her without significant protest from the rest of us."

"Then what?" Sova folded her arms. "The whole reason we're in this mess is because Adhya had second thoughts about becoming Archon. If you bring her back to the people, they'll want her to rule, even if they stand with her against Amara now."

"You're saying that as if it's a bad thing." Athreya's eyebrows creased. He loved Adhya, and wanted her to be happy, even if that meant she would be in touch with the Evil God. Yet, he couldn't accept the possibility of her leaving. He'd secretly hoped that she would be amenable to becoming Archon when released, taking her rightful place rather than rotting in prison for eternity for her stubbornness in supporting God.

"I think what my sister means is that Adhya may not want to become Archon and we should respect her wishes. We are more than capable of ruling by ourselves, just like we did before she was introduced. She was just a myth, a legend, a prophecy that kept us going in hopes of a better future. We can still go on without her," Zaki explained.

"No!" Athreya and Rumi exclaimed simultaneously. They exchanged glances and Rumi spoke up. "Even if that was the case, we should not be encouraging her to forfeit the throne. We shouldn't even bring it up as an option! Allowing her to fulfil her birthright is what we should all be aiming for, and if she continues to insist upon throwing it all away, then there's nothing we can do." The other Anti-Archs hesitated for a moment, then one by one, expressed their support for Rumi's position. They agreed to help her escape her prison, and work to restore the kingdom to the way it was supposed to be, with her interests at heart, of course.

Footsteps echoed in the hallways. Sophia's gaze remained fixated on the ground, unwilling to acknowledge any visitors who may have snuck into the prison just to take a look at her like she was some exhibition prop. Yes, that happened before with some curious palace guards. They were kind to her, but she hated having to meet them under these circumstances, hence the bitterness. Contrary to her expectations, the doors swung open and the loving red eyes she missed were now in front of her, whispering consoling words as her shackles were undone.

Sophia was whisked away from the prison to her room, still in a daze. Having spent a long time in a confined space, she had gotten used to resigning to the events of the moment rather than taking control of her thoughts and actions. It had taken her a while to realize that she was in the comfortable setting of her own room. Her vision and hearing focussed when she heard someone calling her name.

"Adhya?" Athreya's comforting voice kept her calm. "You're safe. You're free." He smiled, keeping his distance not as to overwhelm her.

Sophia nodded. "Thank you," she managed to say, still unused to speaking to anyone.

"I'll give you some time to get yourself cleaned up and relax. Is that alright?" Athreya left, giving her time alone.

Sophia looked around the large room, eventually settling for a seat on her large, comfortable bed. She had just wanted to spend some time alone to collect herself, but her solitude would be short-lived. She began combing her long hair, when out of the blue, the person she least wanted to see appeared before her. She dropped the comb and scurried backwards, shocked by Amara's presence. "Are you here to take me back?" Sophia couldn't help but ask. Of course this couldn't be real, she thought.

"No, my Adhya. You are here because I allowed it. The Anti-Archs want to give you a second chance, to redeem yourself by taking your place among them for everyone to see. I think you should take it," Amara's voice was cold and distant.

"You talk as if you didn't persuade them to make such a decision."

"I didn't," Amara took a few steps towards the bed, placing a hand on the bed post. "You see, it was my plan to remain detached from the affairs of my creations as soon as you became Archon and they didn't need my guidance anymore."

"Yet, I have a choice now, don't I? I have to become Archon of my own accord." Sophia had chosen to pursue that line of thought. "I don't know if I can be here anymore. This is not where I belong."

"And you think you belong with God?" Amara scoffed. Disgust emanated from Her demeanour. She threw Her hands up. "You want to leave? Then try! I won't let you cross that veil because I wouldn't be doing you a favour if I did. But do not give up whilst on your journey and expect me to forgive you."

A rebellious pang energised Sophia, who was adamant to prove her Mother wrong. As Amara disappeared, she took one last look at her childhood room. This was her chance to run away.

The grey, sombre skies were overcast, the air electric. Winds howled, resisting Sophia's movement as she treaded through the sand. Must get to the veil, she repeated to herself. She had briefly considered what Amara said about becoming Archon again, but seeing God again seemed so natural and a decision that needed little thought. She hoped God would be able to give her insight on what she should do. This meeting held great significance – she wanted to be clearer about what she wanted, even at the cost of disappointing Mother beyond the threshold of redemption.

Thunder rumbled menacingly. There was no time to lose. Her dress enveloping her legs as the wind blew towards her, she quickened her pace. This was no weather for flying – travelling by foot was the tiresome but efficient method. She kept her eyes to the ground, watching her path. A small depression formed spontaneously before her. As she stood, intrigued by it, a bolt of lightning suddenly shot up in the air from it. Soon, the desert became a ground full of such depressions forming and disappearing, all accompanied by the powerful spikes of electricity. Sophia tried to avoid them as much as she could, though some had appeared right underneath her and she couldn't escape the strikes on her wings. Despite the pain and smell of burning wings, she carried on. Thud. A stone fell in front of her. She looked up. Soon, a rain full of hard stones fell upon the plains, ambushing her. She raised her hands to cover her head, but she still had to endure their impact on her body, which served to slow her down.

So far, she was doing fine. Just a little more to go; the ripples on the veil were within her line of sight. She focussed on getting to the light, when distinct growling sounds appeared behind her. Mother's hounds. She took off in a sprint, in an attempt to reach the veil before the hounds could catch up to her. But alas, one hound was quickly closing in on her and with a mighty pounce it leaped onto her back. Sophia struggled with the mutt, her forearm pushing against its neck. Soon, the others would arrive and she would be outmatched against the hounds.

Its teeth were in such close proximity to her, ready to tear her apart. It was strange how a creature capable of healing and friendship was also capable of utter hostility and brutality. Lucky for Sophia, her predicament was met with an arrow through the hound's head. Its blood splattered on her face as it fell limply to her side. Getting up, she came face to face with her scarlet-eyed saviour. Athreya had come with the other Anti-Archs, all taking on the dogs just to see her safe. While they were engaged in combat with the rugged mutts, Sophia glanced at the veil.

Within seconds, God appeared on the other side of the veil, gesturing for her to approach. "I can get you out of there, Adhya. Just come and take my hand." His hand extended through the veil.

She looked back at the desert again. She looked to see everything she was giving up. There were the vast mountains, forests and cities full of beings who loved and respected her. There was her home, where she grew up knowing she was safe. And then there were the Anti-Archs, who were willing to fight for her to have the chance to choose. Amidst them, Athreya stood upright, having driven a sword through a hound. He saw her from afar, looking on to see what she would do. His expression seemed to beg her to stay, to make it all right again in their world. Seeing their sacrifice, Sophia had half a mind to stay. There was so much at stake. All of them had given so much for her and it would be unwise to show nothing for it.

She gave Athreya a soft smile. He returned it, hoping to be reunited with her. But a bolt of lightning had other plans, as it ripped straight through her wings. Sophia fell to her knees, her back arched in pain. Athreya rushed forward, trying to cover the distance between them. God had other plans. He moved much faster, gathering Sophia in His arms. The inklings of her struggle were silenced by God, who put her to sleep as He carried her through the veil, Athreya's protests being drowned out by the partition that separated the two universes.

A/N:

Song credits: The Gates of Dark Sun by Scarleth