Gods are not quite different from mortals. They are two sides of the same coin. One might mistake them for power itself, when that is hardly the truth. They are not power incarnate, but beings that are blessed with the characteristics of power.

Take away their strength, and all that is left is long-lived mortal who will have experienced far more than anyone has the right to.

They are just as fallible as you or I.

Gods can laugh. Gods can cry. They experience hatred and love, pain and pleasure, fear and triumph; none of it different from the emotions that mortals deal with.

But most importantly, Gods can die.

If experience is what gives meaning to a mortals life, how different can a god be?

But Gods scoff at that notion, and mortals laugh at that naivety.

There is a saying that with great powers come great responsibility.

But that is only true in an ideal world.

Most people don't have great power, and the few that do are almost never responsible for it. People with power rarely deserve it, and the people who have the greatest responsibility are the ones who have no powers, because they are the ones who have to keep everyone else in check.

But let us not compare gods with mortals.

How do Gods act when faced with an equal?

Let us turn to a temple long ago; One which might hold the answer.

-0-

Inside the alter, deep within sanctums, one could only wonder what the two gods were discussing about.

What enlightenment could be gained just by listening to the pair? What long forgotten secrets could be brought forth without a single thought? The secrets of the universe were nothing but idle chatter between them; wisdom beyond the wildest of imaginations meant nothing for the two gods sitting in the room.

The goddess of dust and patience would be here until time itself ran dry. Even gods themselves could not stand against the depth of her wisdom. And what about Rex Lapis, the warrior god? Debated to be the strongest god alive, what could the two discuss as equals in strength, if not in spirit?

What was the true nature of these Gods in the presence of an equal?

"We can-"

"No."

"I promise-"

"Definitely not."

"But-"

"No."

Guizhong stopped pacing and turns to Rex Lapis, sitting languidly on her table. She pouts and puts her hands on her hips. "You haven't even let me finish explaining."

"I don't have to," He grumbled. "I already know it's an awful idea."

"It's actually quite good. All you have to do-"

"No."

She frowned at him. "Why am I even asking you? You're actually the worst person I know at planning."

He bristled. "My plans are brilliant."

"They mostly consist of, 'We go inside and start beating people to a pulp.'"

Rex hesitated, then nodded. "They are simple yet brilliant."

Guizhong pins him with an unimpressed eyebrow, then turns back to the map. "But you're going to love this one. It'll be fun."

Rex Lapis, upon hearing these words, takes a hasty sip of wine, making a face when it goes down wrong. "Oh no..."

"Oi! What do you mean by, 'oh no…'? Do you not trust me?"

"Guizhong, you only tell me about how much fun I'm going to have when you're about to force me to do something that leaves me cursing your name."

The Goddess of Dust rolls her eyes at his whining. "Blockhead, you know I love and support your opinions. Unless they're wrong. Like what you just said. So no."

Rex fixes her with the blandest stare he's ever given anyone in his life.

It's not his usual stare when he's chronically disinterested of what was going on, but the bland stare of someone who didn't want to entertain the thoughts of a clearly insane person. He's undoubtedly been learning from her.

Guizhong feels something like pride bubbling up in her chest. Ew.

She looked at him. "You and your brutality is an increasing source of disappointment," She mutters with a sigh. Rex just calmly sipped his wine and didn't bother to acknowledge her words at all.

-0-

On another occasion, Rex Lapis questions her choices in company.

How could gods ever co-exist with these life forms so beneath them? He asks her one day. With her knowledge and technological prowess, she could conquer other gods with ease. Why stand with mortals? Why not instead stand above them all?

When Guizhong narrows her eyes at the slight, Rex Lapis backtracks quickly. "It's just hard to handle mortals," he says. "They're irrational. One minute they're bright and optimistic, and the next, they're balls of suffering."

"But I'm bright and optimistic and you seem to manage me just fine," Guizhong points out.

"And I've been ingesting your presence for decades," Lapis says gravely. "I've built up an immunity. Your brightness is benign."

"Maybe you'll get used mortals like this!" she replies. "My faux mortal brightness can inoculate you to real mortal brightness!"

"You're dodging the question."

Guizhong made a noise, not quite disagreement, nor agreement, but more like a verbal shrug. She pauses for a moment, and the ground rumbles as a stone chair climbs out of the dirt. They stay like that for a while, watching the sun set below the horizon. When she finally turns to respond, her face is oddly blank.

It's not sadness that clouds her face. Its… something else.

"Do you know where gods come from, Rex? Do you know where we go after we pass on?"

Lapis blinks in surprise. Weren't they Gods themselves?

"I've been alone for as long as I can remember. There are others where I'm from, but most aren't nice. They're cruel, horrible things that only know how to destroy. They make these fights between gods look like petty squabbles. I had to learn to keep my head down to stay alive."

"The human conscious is a dark place, dear friend."

Rex widens his eyes in surprise.

"Hate is not something humans are born with, Lapis. That is something they learn as they grow. But rarely does manifest in their actions. They are surrounded in a world of gods, demons and monsters, outmatched by powers uncomprehendable to them. They are weak."

Rex Lapis starts turning to her, about to question her further-

"-and yet, they still survive."

"Instead of letting their hate envelope them, they wield it like a weapon, honing their strengths and enduring life for a chance of a better day. They have no powers, and yet their hands can grab destiny itself and wrench it for their own."

"Mortal potential is limitless. They've achieved so much with nothing, and yet the gods with limitless power have done nothing but fight for the last century. Why wouldn't I stand with them?"

-0-

After that, Rex Lapis decided to occasionally sit in her meetings. Perhaps... there could be something to learn from them.

Bleugh. This chapter really did not want to write itself. I actually had alot more to put in, but my mind couldn't get over the writers block. If the chapter seems weird edited and much more philosophical than ususal, thats why. One or two more chapters left in the Guizhong and Zhongli relationship.

Again, leave a comment if you want to see a idea written!

They are the fuel to this angst ridden mess of a fic.