Chapter 11
"So, Lian. What do you do in your spare time?" Jexus asked. He threw his arm around Lian's shoulders.
Lian jumped and looked up at his friend. Jexus was a whole head taller than him but probably had the most adorable baby face Lian had ever seen. "Uh..." He quickly looked away from his friend's face and shrugged, "I...I was a mechanic. I mostly just made stuff for my siblings though."
"How many siblings do you have?" Hailey asked curiously.
"Eight," Lian whispered.
"Holy shit," Sammy started to laugh, "That's so many."
"Guys, he's the New God of the Sea," Shanniah reminded them with an annoyed sigh, "We knew he had eight siblings. He's in the stories."
"There are stories about me?" Lian asked.
Jexus nodded, "Of course. You're the New God of the Sea." He patted Lian's head a little roughly.
Lian squeaked quietly. He shook his head, "What kind of stories?"
"Well, personally, I expected you to be taller," Sammy stated bluntly.
Lian studied Sammy nervously, "Am I...disappointing?" He glanced at Jexus and then looked at the others.
"Of course not!" Hailey insisted.
"The stories said you had a sphinx in your room," Shanniah said, "But also the guy that wrote those stories is known to over exaggerate."
"Yeah, no. Sphinxes don't exist on my world," Lian scoffed. He paused, "But I do have a pet fox."
"Really?!" Sammy exclaimed.
"That's so exciting!" Hailey grinned.
Lian blinked at them in confusion, "It is?"
Zven nodded, "Foxes are really rare here."
Jexus chuckled, "Any time a fox is seen everyone loses their minds."
The group was on their way to the library. Lian had spent most of the walk marveling at the world around him. Everything was so beautiful, despite it being so dark. They had made due with what they had and what they could do. And they could do so much more than anyone back on his own world could.
Lian cocked his head to the side suddenly, "What's the relationship between technology and magic like?"
"What do you mean?" Hailey asked.
"Well...on my world people tend to believe they're mutually exclusive. You can't work on anything technological if you have magical ability and vice versa. You can't have magic if you work on anything technological."
"That's so backwards," Shanniah muttered under her breath. She took a deep breath.
"Oh boy," Zven shook his head.
Jexus smirked, "You just set off 'Instructor' Shanniah."
Lian glanced from him to Shanniah and back again anxiously.
"There are ten guilds here on Ravnica. Each guild has it's own purposes but the one I'm specifically talking about is the Izzet," Shanniah started. She continued to explain to Lian exactly what the Izzet did. "Basically, they combine magic and technology and hope the result isn't an explosion."
Lian was grinning from ear to ear by the time she was done, "That sounds like it would be so much fun. Wow!"
"If you want to stay, I'm sure you'd be able to join the Izzet," Sammy offered, "Dude, they'd probably welcome you with wide open arms, even."
"Really?" Lian's voice cracked. He cleared his throat and chewed his lower lip.
Hailey smiled, "Of course. Anyone can join a guild."
"Are you guys joining any guilds? What are the other guilds like?" Lian's eyes sparkled with excitement.
His friends laughed.
Jexus bowed a little bit to Shanniah, "Shanniah. This is your territory, Sister."
Lian glanced from him to Shanniah, "But I thought-"
"It's an expression," Zven explained.
"Oh." Lian nodded, "Okay. Nevermind."
Shanniah explained to him all of the guilds and all of their roles as they continued to the library.
The library was a humongous rectangular room. The far wall opposite the door was rounded and composed entirely of broad floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the ocean. Ten statues lined the walls on either side of the door, five on each wall. A banner with a unique symbol hung on the wall above each statue. In between each statue stood a marble pillar. Shelves filled to the brim with books took up the majority of the room. The space between the shelves and the window wall was filled with tables and cushioned chairs.
Lian stared around him, his mouth hanging open.
"Also, if you ever wanted to know more about the guilds, their leaders, the history of Ravnica, it's all here in this library," Hailey said.
"But right now, we're here for the story," Shanniah stated firmly.
"Yeah," Lian said distractedly. He looked around in awe. The library in the God's Palace was the largest on his world and it was maybe a tenth the size. He shook his head and looked at Shanniah, "How many stories are there?"
"Well, there's only one version of the Story of the Old Gods," Shanniah explained, "But the stories revolving around the New Gods are...numerous. And some may be embarrassing."
Lian stared at her in horror, "Embarrassing? How?!"
"The author of those stories is known for embellishing things and sometimes simply making things up," Hailey shrugged, "But everybody knows that, so those stories aren't really believed."
"In other words, don't worry about it," Jexus reassured him, "because nobody believes those stories anyway."
Lian relaxed slightly. He looked around, "Where's Sammy?"
"He went to go get the book while you guys were talking," Zven explained.
Lian instantly felt guilty for not noticing him leave sooner.
Sammy skipped up to the group, "There's a nice table in the back where we can all sit."
"Thanks Sammy," Hailey smiled.
Lian followed them to the back of the library. He didn't think he'd ever seen this many books. The shelves were twice as tall as Jexus and he was the biggest of them. And they were overfilled with books. He read some titles as they walked by. There were books on the history of Ravnica. There were books on the history of the multiverse. And books on different magical creatures, and animal species, and plant species, and sentient beings. There was probably a book on anything. Everything, just in this one room.
The group gathered at the table and Sammy set the book down. It wasn't very thick but it was very old.
Lian reached out and touched the book. The tips of his fingers tingled. He studied it for a minute, "Is it was wrapped in a long term protective enchantment?"
Hailey nodded, "Yeah."
Shanniah studied him, "How could you tell?"
Lian studied them for a moment, "Well...um. I've, uh, studied magic. I guess. I mean, that's not quite it, since I don't have magical ability of my own, but-well-it's the best explanation."
Hailey and Sammy exchanged glances and shrugged.
"I can read it to you if you like," Jexus offered.
At first Lian was offended. He could read just fine. Then he realized that Jexus gave no sign of having intended to insult him. He shrugged and lowered his gaze, "I-I guess. That would be...nice."
Jexus opened the book and cleared his throat.
"Long ago, in a time before the one we know, there was a group of powerful gods. The goddess of fire and independence, Chandra. The god of the sea and sky, Jace. The god of order and light, Gideon. The goddess of life and peace, Nissa. And the goddess of death and the afterlife, Liliana. And finally the god of the sun, Seth'ius. Flawed though they were, they did their best to do what was right. They worked together for the benefit of the worlds. They got along seemingly fine and acted quite like a happy family. Dysfunctional but loving all the same. But soon all of that would change
Seth'ius was uptight and stubborn, but not impossible to work with. Simply difficult. Gideon was spontaneous and easy going. He could be firm when he needed to be but was chill, and usually just as deep in trouble as the others, otherwise. Chandra was happy and bubbly but explosively angry. And she was tiny. The smallest but scariest of the group. Jace was sarcastic and loved to tease the others. He liked to act grumpy and like he didn't want any company but he really did enjoy having them around. Nissa was quiet but supportive and loving. She was always willing to listen to her friends, and be a shoulder when they needed a good cry. Liliana was trouble. She liked to act like she knew it all and was worth it all.
For you see, the Living Guildpact, the God of the sea and sky, had a distinct difficulty seeming genuine. His attachments ran deep but appeared fleeting and fickle. But he loved his little misfit family more than anything. He teamed up with one of his friends, Ral Zarek, the god of lightning, thunder, and creativity, to play a series of lighthearted pranks on the sun god. It was nothing more than a few random storms, flipping the locks on some doors, and hiding things in difficult to reach places.
Seth'ius became angry. Irrationally so, since the pranks were only mild inconveniences. He confronted Jace accusing him of being a traitor and corrupted. Naturally the others came to Jace's defense. From then on Seth'ius was convinced that Jace was corrupted and was trying to corrupt the others. He placed Chandra's life in danger, nearly killing her, and was kicked out of the group.
They thought the problem was solved. But they were wrong. Seth'ius eventually returned and he locked them away, one by one. Jace first. Then Chandra. Liliana. Gideon.
He left Nissa and instead attempted to kidnap the Oracle. However the Oracle's sister beat him to a stale mate in combat, thanks to her shape-shifting abilities and pure ferocity. The Oracle agreed to guide him, as long as he didn't harm her family. He agreed but banished her, her sister, and the rest of her family from the world where he had imprisoned the others.
Nissa created four dragons. The Seal Guardians. Lady Iris, the Living Guildpact's Seal Guardian, filled his place to the best of her ability. She now looks over Ravnica. Flare, Chandra's Seal Guardian created a lair within the mountain in which she was sealed. Shimmer, Gideon's Seal Guardian, wandered the worlds, providing aid, and standing up for those who could not stand up for themselves. He periodically checks in with Gideon's seal to ensure that his charge is safe. Altair, Liliana's Seal Guardian, serves her loyally. He also guards the entrance to the land of the dead, to ensure that only the dead enter.
The Oracle warned Seth'ius that to destroy the Guild Masters, Seal Guardians, or Nissa would lead to disaster. So instead he forced Ravnica's population to fear him. He ravaged the world, leaving it in ruins, killing millions, and offered no aid in rebuilding. He made Nissa his wife.
The children of the Goddess of Life took up the elements that had been lost and they also took up new elements. The first child became the new god of the sky. The second child became the goddess of knowledge. The third child became the new god of the sea. The fourth child became the god of the earth. The fifth child became the goddess of protection. The sixth child became the god of animals. The seventh child became the god of the moon. The eighth child became the god of magic. The ninth child became the new goddess of fire.
It was only a handful of months before the Oracle uttered a prophecy: "When the seas rage, the earth trembles, the mountain awakens, and the storm comes True Light will shine upon all the worlds and bathe them in it's warm glow."
Ultimately there is no choice but to wait. Wait, and pray that this can all be dealt with and the worlds can be freed."
Lian sat staring blankly at the table for a long moment when Jexus finished. "It's so different," he said finally. He lifted his head and cocked his head to the side, "Did F-Seth'ius really ravage this world? Just because...he could? Or because they were loyal to Jace?"
All of his new friends nodded.
"We're all orphans because of him," Sammy admitted quietly.
Lian's eyes widened.
"He only kills adults but that leaves a lot of kids without parents," Jexus explained. He was oddly calm about it.
Lian lightly touched the side of his neck. "I'm not even sure if I'm surprised," he whispered. He had scars all over his body, except on his face, from the many times he had gotten in trouble over the course of his life.
They all jumped when a loud boisterous voice called out, "There you kids are. You missed dinner. C'mon."
Hailey grinned and skipped up to the man leaning against one of the nearby bookshelves, "We made a new friend! And he's the New God of the Sea!"
Lian studied the man through narrowed eyes, instantly wary. He had electric blue eyes and white streaks in his spiky messy black hair. His clothes were mostly blue and red and he had a tattoo of a dragon on one of his arms.
He raised an eyebrow, "I'm assuming he's the unfamiliar face that's currently studying me like I carry a plague of some sort?" He grinned and walked up to him. He held out his hand, "Ral Zarek. How ya doin' Water Boy?"
Lian leaned away from him but took his hand, "L-Lian." He studied Ral for a moment longer, "You really do look like a prankster."
"Don't worry, Dude. He's nice," Sammy promised.
"Loud," Shanniah added disdainfully, "But he's fine."
Ral rolled his eyes, "Oh good god, Girlie. I'm not that loud."
Lian looked from Jexus to Ral and back again.
Jexus shrugged, "Just roll with it."
Lian looked back to Ral. He swallowed.
"So," Ral turned back to Lian, "Water Boy, you wanna join us for dinner? I gotta take these kids out. They missed it at the house."
Lian studied Ral's face. He had a broad warm grin and friendly eyes. He lowered his gaze and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "Would it be alright?"
Ral nodded, "Of course!" He turned around and motioned for them to follow him, "Alright, Kids. We gotta make dinner quick or Arrester Vala is gonna eat us for dinner."
"Arrester?" Lian repeated, fearfully.
"It's her job in the Azorius," Shanniah explained, "We're not in trouble. She just runs the mansion we live in."
Ral took them out to their favorite place for dinner. Lian was acutely aware of the way Ral seemed to study him throughout the meal. Ral didn't seem to really want to know anything particular though. He was just oddly interested.
After dinner Lian accompanied them to the mansion. The moment the group walked in a woman in heavy plate armor with dark brown almost black hair and grey-green eyes walked up to them. She nodded to Ral, "Thank you for finding them, Zarek."
Ral nodded, "Anytime."
She turned to the group of teens in front of her and crossed her arms over her chest, "I told you to call and let someone know when you got side tracked."
Jexus nodded, "Sorry Vala."
"But we made a new friend!" Sammy declared.
Vala laid eyes on Lian. He was watching her with guarded blue-grey eyes. His black hair still had flowers braided into it. Despite the braid it was an absolute mess and fell into his face. For a moment her eyes widened but then she shook her head a little bit, "Are you going to be staying with us as well?"
Lian shrugged, "I mean if you don't want me..." He lowered his head and picked at his fingers, "I can go."
Vala relaxed and gently lifted his chin, "That's not what I said, Kid. Are you staying with us?"
"It-It's up to me?" Lian asked. She was smiling warmly at him when he finally lifted his gaze to her face.
Vala nodded, "Yes."
"Then," Lian fell silent for a long while. It dawned on him that he'd never had a choice in anything really. Except getting in trouble. "I-I guess," he said finally, "I mean, I wouldn't mind staying here."