Enjoy!
Chapter 32: Chaos
In a realm where everything met its beginning, it could also meet its end. In an endless void of bright ivory, there were summoned seven beings that, by severing the bonds that held them together as one, created the world as it is now. It was in this realm where everything that had been lost was restored; but there is often a reason for forgetting things which could alter the good that has been done.
Seven beings, each robed in a different color, stood in a circle; their faces were of indescribable beauty that shone with ethereal radiance as they looked around at one another, memories flooding back to them once they crossed the threshold into this realm.
"Which one of us is responsible for this summons?" the being robed in daylight white inquired calmly.
The others exchanged puzzled glances and hushed murmurs, unaware of what just happened before one of them spoke. "I'm afraid I may have had something to do with this, Hyperion," said the being in a night-sky blue cloak with a sash of glittering stars around the waist.
Hyperion eyed the deity who spoke, sun bright irises glowing with confusion. "How can that be, Asteria? You are not bonded with any one of us."
"I'm afraid that in our previous state of ignorance, I mistook the power of my Realm Seed and gave it to a human in a desperate attempt to keep the Realms separate," Asteria replied.
"It seems as though the path you took to avoid our destiny was the very one that led to it," the one robed in blood and fire chuckled.
"Indeed, fair Eris," Asteria replied with a sorrowful nod.
"Wait just a moment. You mean to tell me you gave one of my subjects your Realm Seed?" Pluto waved exaggeratedly which caused his billowing robe of purple mist to swirl around the bodily form.
"You must understand. You all know that the knowledge of the seeds was lost to us when we separated. For a time, there was a creature who originated in your Realm, Pluto, and then became trapped in mine," Asteria explained, gesturing to the other deity. "At first, his presence was not a problem, but he was very curious and cunning in nature. My son, Hecatus, in his naivety, taught him how to travel among the Realms as we do."
"What kind of fool would do such a thing for a mortal?" the being cloaked in night and shadow hissed.
"Cool your fire, Erebus. I think it's quite entertaining! Who would have guessed that mortals could acquire the abilities of gods?" Eris chuckled, waving a hand lazily. The robe Eris wore was the red of blood and fury.
Erebus scoffed through clenched teeth. "Of course, you would think so, Chaos lover."
"I resent that designation! I take far too much delight aiding our subjects in controlling their destructive capabilities for Him to take control of everything again!" the deity spat. "Besides, none of us even remembered the name Chaos until we were brought here." The blood-robed being waved a hand and then sent the offending god a scornful glare.
"Eris has a point, Erebus; it is not fair to throw around such insults," stated the being in the green of serenity.
"I never thought I'd see you, Phanes, defending your destructive counterpart; perhaps Chaos is closer at hand than we think," Hyperion hummed.
"Even closer, now that the gods of Light and Dark are in agreement," Pluto pointed out with a chuckle.
The daylight deity couldn't help but smirk in response. "Indeed."
"This is no laughing matter," interjected Theia, robes glittering bright gold. "It is of no use to us to be divided in this dire time. We all sensed our Realms were in danger of colliding again, and Asteria just took action; now it is time for us to try and understand why we have been summoned here. Asteria, please, is there any way you can explain what is going on?"
"I will do my best, Theia." Asteria nodded and then breathed deeply. "Because my son taught the former mortal to walk among the Realms as we do, he was somehow able to put a part of himself in each one, so that if he was killed in any one realm, he could live on elsewhere."
"Oh, my dear Asteria! A mortal not only honed the ability of the gods, but also found a way to transcend his mortality!" Eris mused, crimson lips curling into a devilish smile. "You sly fox! How in all of our Realms did you keep this a secret?"
"It's fairly easy to keep a secret from someone you don't remember, isn't it?" Asteria quipped, raising an eyebrow.
"Ha! Cheeky as always! It's nice to know there's someone I can count on for a good laugh." Eris threw their head back and laughed raucously, the sound grating, harsh, and metallic.
"Eris, please, do try and focus," Phanes requested, rubbing their head beneath a headdress of vines and flowers.
"Ugh, and I see you're as dull as the day we separated," mumbled Eris, irritated fire flashing in their eyes.
"Please, Asteria. Continue." The serene deity motioned with a nod.
"This mortal of which I speak cannot accurately be described as such anymore. He goes by the name of Kashchey and other mortals have come to know him as The Deathless One. When he first came to my Realm, he was weak, and my son took pity on him. I instructed him not to teach Kashchey our ways of traversing the Realms, but children do not always follow the wishes of their parents… I felt a strange shift of power when Kashchey first put a part of himself in another Realm. It was not entirely like my power was being taken away, more like eclipsed—even if it was just the tiniest bit. Each time he put a piece of himself in another Realm, I felt the same sensation; it was then I started trying to find a solution to the problem. Eventually he succeeded in putting a piece of himself in each Realm and I knew that I did not have much time before my power was completely eclipsed. As you well know, if that should happen, the Realm of Transformation would be obliterated and the natural order we designed would be severely crippled; he would then have the ability do the same thing to all the other Realms one by one. I regret that it was my realm that he found himself. I fear the transformative magic allowed him to become so powerful."
"Let me get this straight," Erebus interjected, waving an irritated hand. "This Deathless man somehow found his way into your Realm and your kid taught him how to travel through each one. Because of the magic in your Realm he was somehow able to hide a piece of his soul in each of our Realms, and if he stayed like that long enough, he'd eventually eclipse all of us, thus destroying our Realms and our entire creation. Did I leave anything out?"
Asteria sighed. "What you say is the truth."
"Would it be right to say that Chaos would have reigned again if this Kashchey succeeded?" inquired Phanes.
"I did not know it at the time, but that seems to be the most likely possibility," Asteria responded.
"Great! So, even if we didn't all bond together, that crazed being can still reign! What was the purpose of separating in the first place?!" Erebus fumed.
"Calm yourself, Erebus. If Chaos had indeed been able to form, we would not be here now," Theia stated, her golden form pulsing such a soft, warm hue it caused the black-cloaked deity to settle down, though not without letting out an indignant huff. "I sense there is more for you to tell, Asteria."
The being in stars nodded. "As you know, the Seeds allowed us to bond together, but they also created the Realms we reside in now. I wanted it to give my seed to the humans to plant so that they could have a new realm in which to survive: one that Kashchey, or rather Chaos, wouldn't be able to access. The human to plant the seed would have had to have come from my bloodline so they could use my magic, so I sought out all of my descendants. One of my distant daughters had the magic within her, but I had to wait for it to truly surface. When she was ready, I gave her my Realm Seed in the hopes that she would be able to save the humans… What I did not foresee was the Amulet."
"Do not be discouraged, Asteria," Hyperion said, voice warm and comforting. "We all agreed that it was best to erase the Amulet from our memories after we forged it. It was the best way to keep us, and all the other Realms, from colliding again and reawakening Chaos. None of us could have predicted its involvement."
"Hyperion is right. If the humans were successful in planting the seed, you would be responsible for saving the entire Realm," Phanes encouraged.
"Yeah, after we were all destroyed," Erebus mumbled.
"It would be a small price to pay if Chaos wouldn't be allowed to reign again," Theia reminded the dark god.
"Wait just a moment. If the Infernal Realm didn't die along with me, couldn't I still exist as well?" Pluto asked.
"No, if the humans planted a seed themselves, a new Realm would be born, likely making the one who planted it the new ruler," Phanes explained.
"And we'd be destroyed because our Realms no longer existed," Eris continued, lolling a hand in the air. "It's a balance, Pluto, and I'd think you would have realized that by now."
Pluto's brow turned down. "Well, don't blame me; it's easy to get lost in the details when your memories have been erased," the being snipped indignantly.
Eris laughed again, a popping, discordant motif. "Oh, yes! I seem to be forgetting the fact that I've forgotten the things that I previously forgot!"
"That doesn't even make sense," Erebus scoffed.
"Sure it does! It's easy to forget you've forgotten something once you forget the fact you forgot about it!" Eris teased.
"Stop using the same word over and over again; it's infuriating!" the dark deity exclaimed.
"All of you, calm your spirits." Theia declared, holding out her arms as if to embrace the world. "As I have said before, it is no use for us to bicker when the Realms are at stake. We must be at peace with each other if we are to wage war upon Chaos."
"But don't we make up Chaos when we all bond together using the Amulet and our Seeds?" Pluto asked.
"Not if this Kashchey is the new Chaos," Hyperion replied.
"But wouldn't that make two Chaoses?" inquired Pluto, raising a quizzical hand, the purple mist around them swirling anxiously.
"No, once Chaos took over Kashchey, he would reign again. If we were to bond as well, we'd just become a part of the whole," the daylight being clarified.
"Oh."
Eris stifled a laugh earning a disapproving glance from Theia. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."
"So, the question that still remains is: what of the Amulet? If none of us possesses it, how were we summoned here?" asked the being in yellow, turning to Asteria.
"The Amulet was broken by another mortal who transcended their mortality: Vasilia. By doing so, she split the barrier between all of the Realms," Asteria explained.
"There's another mortal who attained that power?" Eris laughed. "Pluto, I thought you were supposed to keep this kind of thing from happening! Isn't it your job to watch over the natural life span of the humans? What have you been doing?" the deity teased.
"Don't act like this is all my fault. I bet you had something to do with that bit of rage Vasilia has inside of her! Besides, didn't we agree that we'd not hinder humans in their advancement?" Pluto hissed, the mist around them swirling more quickly.
"Oh, I do believe you are right for once, Pluto," Eris giggled, booping the Infernal god on the nose. "But it's not entirely my fault either. We made the humans to function on their own free will. If Vasilia had any pent-up rage inside of her, it was hers to deal with."
Theia sighed deeply. "It matters not who was responsible for what. What matters now is figuring out how to stop Chaos from reigning again." The other deities looked contritely at the golden goddess and turned focus back to business.
Phanes spoke up first. "If the Amulet is destroyed, then we cannot fuse again, correct? If that is the case, and the barrier between all Realms is broken, then all of Kashchey's separated essences would return to him."
"Correct," Hyperion nodded.
"Then what is there to worry about? If he's all one being now, he can't become Chaos anymore, right?" Pluto asked.
"There is only one problem, though; the Amulet is not destroyed. It is merely cracked. I fear that if Vasilia and Kashchey find both the Amulet and the seed, they may be able to bond and overpower us all," Asteria speculated.
"But mortals cannot bond; that's preposterous!" Erebus exclaimed, swinging a shadowy fist through the air.
"Ahh, but Erebus, you're forgetting that Kashchey and Vasilia are no longer mortal." Eris wagged a finger.
"Just because they are immortal now does not makes them gods!" the dark being spat.
"I don't think we'll have to worry about them bonding. The two are too blinded by their hatred for one another," Pluto interjected.
"That is comforting; I assume you would know your own subjects best, Pluto," Phanes offered their support.
"What do you propose we do, then?" asked Hyperion. "We must find a way to separate the Realms once again. If we don't, Chaos may, very well, find a way to take over Kashchey anyway since all the realms are together once more."
Asteria held up a finger, silencing the other deities. "Did you all feel that?"
The seven deities ceased and glanced around at one another, sensing the strange power that was appearing. Then attention turned fully on Asteria. The deity of Transformation glanced around with furrowed brows at all the others, baffled by the sensation.
"Asteria, is everything alright?" Theia asked.
The deity of Transformation touched a hand to their chest. "It—It's the strangest thing…I feel as though I am bonding with one of you…I remember what it felt like to be bonded together, but I am not the one who is activating the bond. It—It is happening outside of me."
"Have you been eating those herbs the humans grow without me, Asteria?" Eris asked, raising an eyebrow.
Asteria ignored the carnage creator. "It's… coming closer."
Suddenly, a great light flashed in the already-white realm. Another being, much shorter than the seven others, appeared in the middle of their circle. She looked to be the age of a human adolescent with round, cherubic cheeks that made her look younger. Her auburn hair gently waved down from the top and bled into blonde as it went on just past her shoulders. There was a ring of amber just around her pupils that faded into a striking yellow while a ring of bright blue encompassed her irises. She wore a beautiful dress of that covered her feet. The middle of the dress was lavender, with wispy, cream colored flowers embroidered into the luxurious fabric. The bodice was a pale, moss-like green with three-quarter length sleeves that had billowed around the young girl's arms. The pale, moss-green fabric cascaded around the outside of the purple and was adorned with white ruffles along the hem. Around her neck, there lay a gleaming kaleidoscope pendent with one small, white oval at the very top.
The girl seemed to be gazing in complete awe at a small, invisible marble held between her thumb and forefinger, completely unaware of the seven figures around her. The seven deities exchanged puzzled glances, completely speechless.
After a long moment of silence, the girl still unable to tear her gaze away from the invisible marble, Eris got tired of waiting. "E-hem!"
The young girl jumped, startled by the sudden noise. "Wh-huh?" she breathed, gaping at the seven ethereal figures surrounding her. "W-Who are you?" she asked. She quickly touched a hand to her mouth, surprised by the sound of her voice.
"I think the better question is, how did you get here?" Hyperion spoke calmly, trying not to startle the girl again.
"I, uh…I d-don't know."
"Well, would you look at that, Erebus? It seems like mortals can bond!" Eris laughed.
"Shut up!" Erebus hissed.
Asteria kneeled down and touched the girl's shoulder. "I knew you shared my magic, but I never thought you'd be able to use it like this," she laughed gently.
"W-Why… Mom? No. You look nothing like our… my… who are you?"
"I am not the immediate mother you are thinking about, but you are one of my daughters." The being smiled.
"But that's…" The girl touched her head, struggling to understand what was going on.
"Don't worry. Bonding can be a confusing experience at first." Asteria patted the young girl's head and smiled.
