Chapter 4

Of Gods, Or Men

I SENSE A BEING LIKE UNTO MYSELF IN THIS ESTABLISHMENT. COME FORWARD, LITTLE DEITY, AND MEET YOUR FUTURE!

I continued to stare from a third person view, too shocked to do much else. I was about to step forward and say something when I realized, If he is like me, why can't he see me? Or, if he can, why doesn't he know that I am the being? And another thing! Why can't he hear my thoughts? These thoughts ran through my head and, as though confirming my last question, he completely ignored me.

I stepped forward, pulling enough heat from the surrounding air to make a fire. I expanded the glowing ball, shedding enough light to see normally throughout the entire garage-like area. AH, SO YOU ARE THE BEING THAT CALLED TO US WITH YOUR PRESENCE. MY NAME IS THERIEL-KANDROFTIK. He said as three more glowing bodies flew through the ceiling, landing next to him. They all took human figures too, one of them that of a woman.

They were all insanely beautiful, but not in the 'oh they're so hot I just want to ogle them forever' kind of beauty. It was more of the 'they are so different and perfect that you could watch them all day and not be bored' kind of beauty. The four of them were dressed in simple flowing robes of no color, merely the same light emanating from within, giving it the appearance of a soft, flowing light-bulb.

The woman had perfect curves, with long hair flowing down to the bottom of her back. Her face was perfectly smooth, not as much as a wrinkle marring her face. She was nearly as tall as the men, but where they had perfectly defined muscles, she had flawlessly flowing skin.

All three men looked as though they were close brothers, possibly triplets. Their hair reached the nape of their necks, framing faces just as flawless as the woman's, but more masculine. Their overall appearance looked like a perfect blend of the flawlessness of a vampire, with the gorgeous humanity of the wolves. That was all I had to compare it to.

THERIEL-KANDROFTIK, started the woman, WHY ARE YOU MERELY STANDING HERE? LET US RETRIEVE THE NOVICE AND DEPART. Her voice was that of gently running water, mesmerizing any who heard it, its beauty not at all lessened by the overpowering fullness of it. When they spoke, no other thoughts existed besides their voices.

I WOULD HAVE, SERELA-ZELNIAZ, BUT FOR SOME REASON, I WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE CHILD BEFORE YOU ARRIVED. SHE JUST NOW REVEALED HERSELF.

THERIEL-KANDROFTIK, SERELA-ZELNIAZ, BOTH OF YOU. IF YOU DON'T MIND, WE HAVE SOME IMPORTANT MATTERS TO ATTEND TO, ASIDE FROM ARGUING ABOUT AN INFANT THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AWAKENED TO HER FULL POWERS. This voice came from one of the other two men, the ones who had not introduced themselves.

Excuse me, I am right here. If I may ask, what are your names? I asked, indicating with my mind the two nameless men. SHE HAS LEARNED TELEPATHY QUITE QUICKLY. Serela said, turning back to speak to Theriel. It annoyed me that she was blowing me off so quickly, even though I was apparently the reason they were here.

MY NAME IS CLARDITIF-ELGERÉ. THIS IS WARDIENT-SLANSOKOS. The second male spoke. I was noticing a pattern with all of their names, but I did not care enough to mention it, or ask any questions regarding them. Clarditif continued without pausing. WHAT IS YOUR NAME, LITTLE CHILD? HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN ABOUT YOUR ABILITY OF TELEPATHY, AND YOUR PYROKENESIS? An image of me holding fire was sent to my mind, as though I did not know what pyrokenesis was.

I replied as politely as I could, sending the knowledge that I knew about words as well. I have known of my powers for…a long time. If I were to guess, I would say nearly twelve years on my planet, and I am…sixteen of those years. So what if I lied? They would not be able to tell. They couldn't read my mind unbidden.

CLARDITIF-ELGERÉ, WE HAVE NO TIME FOR PLEASANTRIES. The woman turned to face him, drawing his attention away from me. What is with these people and saying the entire six-syllable name? It is so annoying! I thought, wondering again about how the names worked.

If I may interrupt, what is the big hurry? If you are indeed what I will become, then do you not have infinite time on your hands? Are you not unable to die? All four of them turned to me then, silence falling from them like leaves from trees. The silence was oppressive, as though they were intentionally making the entire situation uncomfortable.

HOW IS IT THAT YOU KNOW OF YOUR IMMORTALITY, YOUNG ONE? WAIT, BEFORE ANSWER THAT, WHAT IS YOUR NAME? The first man, Theriel, asked these questions. I felt more comfortable with Clarditif, but Theriel seemed to be in charge of them. I am Virgo. I was…taught of my immortality not too long ago, and my mentor shared memories of being unable to die.

VIRGO…WHAT? WHAT IS YOUR COMPLETE NAME, CHILD? BE QUICK, WE HAVE NO TIME FOR THIS NONSENSE.

I was thoroughly confused. First, Serela tells me that 'Virgo' is not a proper name, and then she tells me that a group of immortals has no time? I am afraid I do not know what you mean by 'complete name'. I only have my name, and my family's surname, which is Cullen. Virgo Cullen, not any strange six-syllable name with a weird theme to it. Secondly, why is there no time? You are immortal! You have all the time in the universe! Heck, you control the time in the universe! I was getting fed up with these 'Deities', and I was ready for them to get on with their annoying task of getting me out of here.

I dropped the fire, letting it sizzle out of existence, as my arm was growing tired. I returned to third-person view, enjoying being able to see them clearly with no light. They own light had dimmed to a faint glow, enabling one to directly gaze upon them with unprotected eyes.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, VIRGO, THAT WE CONTROL THE TIME IN THE UNIVERSE? Theriel had spoken, speaking my name with obvious distaste. Well, excuse me for being simple. I thought, but did not project. I did, however, question his question. What are you saying? That you cannot control time? That was the first thing I learned to do. All four of them stepped backwards at this, shocked by my revelation.

Clarditif spoke now, stepping forward again to speak to me. VIRGO, YOU CAN CONTROL TIME? WE HAVE BEEN IN POWER FOR OVER…FIVE-THOUSAND DECACYCLES OF THE UNIVERSE, AND NO MATTER HOW WE HAVE TRIED, WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO MOVE BACKWARDS OR FORWARDS THROUGH TIME. He sent me information about teracycles of the universe, and I found that one could be related to roughly four-thousand Earth years. Five-thousand teracycles…wow. That's a long time. I thought silently, thinking.

Yes, I can control time. I can move through any distance of space instantly as well, along with reading minds, instead of just communicating. I told all of this to them, allowing them to relive some of my memories of space and time travel. All of them, except for Wardient, recoiled from my mind at the news that I could read minds. WHAT IS THIS CHILD? HER WITCHERY IS FAR DIFFERENT TO OURS. SHE PEERS INTO HEARTS AS EASILY AS SHE SPEAKS INTO MINDS! Serela was clearly angry at this. She turned to face me and began to march forward threateningly.

THIS ABOMINATION SHOULD BE DESTROYED. IT SHOULD NOT BE PERMITTED TO WANDER THROUGH TIME AND SPACE UNRESTRICTED, AND IT SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO READ THE DEEPEST, MOST PRIVATE THOUGHTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL, OR COLLECTIVE MIND. A deep red glow had begun to emanate from her right hand, swamping the dim golden one that came from the rest of her.

I probed her mind for blocks, but found it entirely unguarded. I slipped in neatly, and found exactly what this red glow would do; it would crush the life from any being, plant or creature, that it touched. Including immortal deities such as themselves. I had no idea how it would affect me, but I was not willing to find out. I allowed myself to fill her mind, penetrating every part of her insubstantial body.

Once in control, I pushed her silent screaming to the back of my mind, repressing it far more easily than any other creature I had taken control of. I made the violent red fade out, leaving only the dim gold behind. I turned to the other three, who were now staring at me. At Serela. I then spoke, with Serela's mind, to the three deities.

I WILL NOT ALLOW MYSELF TO BE TORMENTED, EXPLOITED, OR LOOKED DOWN UPON. I AM NOT OF YOUR SPECIES, AND I HAVE FAR MORE POTENTIAL THAN BODILESS BEINGS, SUCH AS YOURSELVES. I APOLOGIZE FOR BEING RUDE, BUT I HAVE BEEN FORCED TO TAKE DRASTIC MEASURES. All but Wardient flew far away from me as I spoke. I could sense the terror filling their minds, leaking out into the minds of all the people in the facility.

Wardient turned to stare at me, completely at ease with the entire situation. YOUNG ONE, he spoke, his voice oddly gentle, despite the mind-crushingly huge presence of it. He reminded me of a grandfather of one of the humans I had witnessed, perfecting my mind-reading abilities. He continued, I HAVE INFORMATION THAT YOU WOULD PAY WILLINGLY FOR. WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO READ MINDS, AS YOU CAN, BUT I HAVE THE POWER TO PEER INTO PEOPLE'S HEARTS, READING FROM THEM THEIR MOST DEAR WISH.

YOU HAVE MANY, he went on at my silence. I was probably in shock from the way he spoke, how he seemed completely unphased by my control over Serela's body. YOU HAVE MANY, BUT I KNOW THE ANSWER TO ONE OF THEM. YOUR AUNT, BELLA? I CAN CURE HER. I HAVE WITNESSED THIS TYPE OF THING MANY TIMES, BUT ONLY IN THE LAST DECACYCLE, AND ONLY ON PLANETS WHERE IMMENSE POWERS LIE. IT IS AS THOUGH SOME BEING, POSSIBLY ONE LIKE UNTO YOURSELF, HAS BEEN VISITING THESE PLANETS, SEARCHING FOR NEW ABILITIES TO LEARN. I gasped as he told me this. My brother had been here, and he was turning everyone he saw into statues. I receded from Serela's form, wrapping myself in the safety of my own mind once again.

How do you fix her, Wardient-Slansokos? I asked him. It felt respectful to use his full name, especially since he was so old, so kind. He walked forward slightly, bending over so that his eyes were level with mine.

Serela had moved, very quickly, over to where the other two were standing, keeping a good distance between us. They obviously did not realize what 'space-time control' meant, and that any distance was completely inconsequential to me.

YOUNG VIRGO, I WOULD LOVE TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR AUNT BELLA. I UNDERSTAND THAT TIME IS ENTIRELY MALLEABLE TO YOUR SMALL HANDS, SO YOU ARE IN NO HURRY TO SAVE HER. He reached towards me with his luminescent hand and touched my forehead. THIS WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH A WAY TO CONTACT ME, IN THE FUTURE. A flood of thoughts and images swarmed into my mind. As they were buzzing like bees on caffeine, they began to order themselves somewhat.

Finally after what seemed like hours, but was really only seconds, I had one clear method of calling Wardient. I WILL BE AVAILABLE TO YOU AT ANY TIME. YOU HAVE MERELY TO CALL FOR ME, AND I WILL RELINQUISH TO YOU MY CURRENT LOCATION. FROM THERE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO COME TO ME, OR BRING ME TO YOURSELF, IMMEDIATELY.

I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT, IF YOU WOULD CONTINUE YOUR QUEST FOR NEW ABILITIES, AS IT WILL COME IN HANDY FOR THE TIMES AHEAD. He reached forward to touch my head again, sharing a thought that only I could hear; I expect Serela-Zelniaz to be quite outraged with this. If she attempts to harm you, I will not interfere, but I will expect you to fight back. It is our law that we not kill other deities, but we will not stop another from doing so, if they are attacked first. He withdrew from my mind, and stepped back.

I turned to them all, the other three having re-approached to stand near Wardient, and began to bid them farewell. As I spoke however, I felt a strange stirring in the air. I turned, and I could feel the wind picking up, even though we were in a place where wind never blew.

I turned and saw Serela shimmering, her light growing brighter. SERELA-ZELNIAZ, DON'T! Theriel cried, but he was too late in his command. She had unleashed a bright storm of light at me, just as Wardient said she might. This light would hurt, that much I could tell from Theriel's mind, but I did not know if it would do anything more.

The light seemed to approach me in slow motion. I was still breathing normally, but the light seemed to crawl, rather than lancing forward like the arrows it looked like should. I then realized, I had subconsciously slowed time, protecting myself from the light.

I had no desire to reclaim control over her body, so I just searched her mind for information to use against her. What I found, however, was entirely shocking in its entirety. I was unable to believe it when I found the biggest secret that was held dear by each deity, although the method was different to each individual.

In my grasp, I had found the secret method of removing Serela-Zelniaz's immortality. I turned and probed the other three's minds and found their secrets as well.

I gasped again, as new realization poured into my brain. I could remove this immortality incredibly easily, with less thought than it would take to move through space. I could change the status of their immortality, so merely a lengthened life span. I could crush their existence from the universe, just as easily.

I could grant immortality.

With all of the information regarding their secrets, I had learned how to create Deities, granting their immortality and gifts to any normal being, human or otherwise. I nearly stumbled to the ground with this shocking knowledge, with this huge new ability that I knew I could use.

Instead of wondering further, however, I moved back to Serela. I placed my hand just above her heart, needing to support it there. Her intangibility was the only difficulty of this process. I began by reaching inside of her, and finding her soul.

I then unfroze time, wanting her to witness what I was capable of, what I would do if she tried to attack me again. She gasped in shock, freezing completely. Her form became absolutely still, as though chiseled from a glowing rock.

I held her soul in my hand, the main key to her immortality. I grasped the edge of her soul, a faint little ball coiled in the center of her body, where her heart would have been. The light from within her flickered. I grasped the outline of her soul, and pulled. I separated the glowing thread from her soul, the light within her coming out with my hand. The other deities could not do this. They still had no idea how I did what I did.

Serela fell to my feet as I drew the silver thread inside of me. Nothing happened. I felt it settle around my core, merely lying dormant, until I decided to bestow it upon someone else.

Serela was crying at my feet, her breath coming in shuddering gasps. The other three deities were staring at me in shock, even Wardient surprised by my method of finishing the fight. I bent over to speak to Serela, pushing her up with a gust of wind. I repositioned her, holding her shaking body, with wind so that she was forced to look at me. Serela, I spoke. She cringed back, but stayed put due to my air cage.

Serela, I have taken your immortality from you. I can bestow it back to you, but I will only do that on one condition:

Anything. She weakly thought, knowing that I would hear her.

Serela, you will not attack me again. If you ever feel the need to remove someone from existence, don't. I have only one other request, and you have to keep it.

If you ever meet someone like me, only a boy, run. Run as far away as you can, and do not reveal yourself. He will kill you. He has no mercy in him. He will take your immortality, then destroy your mortal body. He will then use that immortality for his own ends, granting it to someone else, someone who can help him perform evil tasks. His name is Orion, and he is the same as me. You will run away from him. I withdrew from her mind, but allowed my last warning to reach the other three as well.

Stand up. I said to her, allowing everyone to hear me. I placed my hand just above her heart, once again, and allowed the silver thread to travel back up my arm, through my fingertips, and into her body. It wrapped itself tightly around her heart, fusing with the soul that was now being made manifest, overtaking the living body.

She was immediately the glowing being once again, perfect in her beauty. THANK YOU. She thought at me, fleeing back to where the others stood.

VIRGO, WE SHALL DEPART FROM THENCE. Wardient said, bowing deeply to me. REMEMBER, ONCE YOU HAVE FINISHED YOUR EXPLORATIONS OF THE UNIVERSE, CALL FOR ME. I WILL RESTORE YOU AUNT TO HER FORMER GLORY, WITH ALL OF HER LIFE ONCE AGAIN. SHE WILL BE MADE WHOLE. I PROMISE.

UNTIL THEN, WE BID YOU, ADIEU. As he said this last part, their outlines shimmered, once again becoming shapeless masses.

Their lights flew out of the building and, using my third person vision, I witnessed them streak out through the jellyfish, flying into deep space again. They streaked past suns, planets, galaxies. I heard them speaking to each other, reflecting on all that they had learned from our meeting. The four deities sped through space, leaving behind the massive creature that still held the topic of their discussion.

I said, earlier, that there was a theme to all of the deities' names. It was pretty random, and I just thought of it on the spot, but here it is.

The first name just needs to sound odd, and be three syllables. The second name has to start and end with the letter that comes before, in the alphabet, the last letter of the first name. it also has to be three syllables.

eg. Serela-Zelniaz.

Ser-el-a Z(z is coming before a since there isn't a letter before a)el-ni-az(finishes with 'z')

good job if you caught the theme before getting down here!

oh, yeah. one more thing: there is air in the compound. The jellyfish has those sac/bulb things with all the buildings attached, and those produce all the gases required for breathing. So, yeah. just thought I might need to clarify that, just in case.

please review!