Author's note: Let's see how well Shem-Ha can handle herself in the kitchen. The answer may surprise you.
Shem-Ha looked at the large number of ingredients in front of her, most of which she did not recognize. And despite there being a large amount, there were very few different kinds, only allowing for simple meals, although from what she could tell, the meals would cover most of a human's nutritional needs.
"Come on, Miku," Hibiki said, and walked over to one of the many tables, "Let's start chopping these carrots first, while the others take care of other things." Shem-Ha walked over to her, and after they washed their hands, Hibiki handed her a knife, cutting board, and some carrots.
"Miku, are you there?" Shem-Ha thought, "I need your help again."
"I am, of course," Miku responded, "But I figured I'd leave you alone for this, since you're dealing with sharp objects, and need to focus on what you're doing."
"What am I even supposed to do?" Shem-Ha asked mentally.
"Cut the carrots," Miku responded, "Look what Hibiki does, and copy her."
"Well, alright," Shem-Ha said, looked at what Hibiki was doing, and started to repeat the motions. Although she felt strange at first, Shem-Ha eventually got used to the procedure, and got more fluent in her movements. However, she got careless, and stopped thinking about the task at hand, until she felt a cold sting jolt through her entire body.
"Hey, watch out," Miku scolded, and Shem-Ha looked at her right middle finger, where she saw a thin line of blood form over her self-inflicted wound.
"Miku, are you alright?" Hibiki asked when she noticed that Shem-Ha had stopped moving. Shem-Ha let go of the knife and carrot, and lifted her hand to look at her finger.
"I- I'm-" Shem-Ha stammered, starting to shake.
"God, pull yourself together," Miku said, "It's just a cut."
"I'm dying," Shem-Ha responded, "I'm a dead god walking. This is it. I will meet my end at my own hands, trying to save my creations. I never imagined it would end this way." Suddenly, her knees started shaking, and her whole body felt ten times heavier. The room started spinning, and she felt her intestines revolt. She felt a powerful impact on the right side of her body, and the world went black.
~o~
When Shem-Ha looked around, she thought she had died again, this time for good. Her host, Miku, was probably celebrating with her friends this very moment. Or they had long since passed away. There was no way to tell. She was all alone again, drifting eternally through this endless blackness.
"Wait, black?" Shem-Ha thought, and heard a familiar voice.
"If you can't see blood, why did you put it everywhere?" Miku asked and said, "And why are you surprised that it's black? You made us this way."
"It is necessary," Shem-Ha answered, "It transports nutrients. But I never intended for it to leave the body. That is a sign of distress. I thought I was… back… there."
"We'll discuss the blood thing another time, because it sounds like you need to talk about something," Miku said and asked, "Back where? And what's so bad about it?"
"Nowhere," Shem-Ha answered, "After Hibiki purged me from your body, I was banished to the void. There is nothing. Space, time, reality, none of those matter. An instant takes forever, and eternity ends before it begins. It is perfect nothingness, and I wish to never go back there."
"Oh… oh, I see," Miku said, "I'm… sorry. I didn't realize how bad death was to a god."
"So, will you finally help me avoid that fate?" Shem-Ha asked.
"I will, but not because you're my creator," Miku answered, "I will only do it because I want to help people. But if it becomes apparent helping you poses a threat to my friends, I will let Hibiki deal with you."
"This experience of almost dying taught me of the fear you live in every day," Shem-Ha said, "And yet, your friends opposed me. I could not hope to match their courage. I swear on my name that I will not harm the people of this world. Do as you wish, and I will follow."
"Alright then," Miku said and asked, "Then, tell me, what do you know of the other gods?"
"I will start with Enki, the one who activated Balal, and sealed me," Shem-Ha answered, "In our final confrontation, I turned his hand to silver, and to save himself, he cut it off. After he wounded me, he activated the curse. Though, I am quite amused at the irony that this hand would return to strike at me once more, all these years later."
"Wait, his hand?" Miku asked, and the environment changed into a sun-kissed clearing in a lush forest, with a warm breeze gently blowing. Miku and Shem-Ha stood on it, and could talk normally.
"Yes," Shem-Ha answered, "His left one."
"You mean this?" Miku asked, and conjured up an image of Airgetlám from her memories, manifesting the object in her hands.
"Yes, that is his hand," Shem-Ha answered, and Miku looked at it in awe.
"So, Maria has been using the severed hand of a dead god?" Miku asked, speaking more to herself.
"Yes," Shem-Ha answered, "And while I do not understand why his hand would accept her, I believe she is one of his descendants."
"Wait, that's possible?" Miku asked, and Airgetlám disappeared, "I mean, I knew that she was one of Finé's descendants, but for her to be related to a god, that's definitely new."
"Our priests were not allowed any relations with others," Shem-Ha answered, "They belonged to us, after all. Finé and Enki exploited a gap in those rules. However, our children do not inherit any of our abilities, if that is what you are concerned about."
"I see," Miku said, "Anyway, I think it's time for us to wake up again. And try not to worry my friends so much again." Darkness closed in on the two, and the clearing faded. Out of the darkness, a light appeared, and after Shem-Ha's eyes adjusted to it, she saw that she way laying in a bed in the school's infirmary, with Hibiki sitting on a chair next to it. Shem-Ha groaned and sat up.
"What happened?" Shem-Ha asked, catching Hibiki's attention, who immediately hugged her. However, contrary to what she expected, Shem-Ha did not flinch. Instead, she felt Hibiki shaking.
"Miku, you're alright," Hibiki said, sniffling a little. Shem-Ha hugged her back, and they remained for a moment, before Shem-Ha let go, and Hibiki followed suit.
"I'm sorry I worried you," Shem-Ha said, "I suppose I… wasn't feeling very well. But all should be better now."
"Alright," Hibiki said and wiped a tear off her cheek, "I'll let the nurse know you're awake, and come back after class."
"Thank you," Shem-Ha said, and Hibiki got up and left the room. Shem-Ha looked at her finger and saw a band-aid with Noise on them, drawn in a style resembling chalk drawings. She looked around the room, and saw numerous medical books on a small book shelf above the nurse's desk.
"So, what do we do now?" Miku asked and said, "I'd like to hear more about the other gods."
"I was thinking of reading," Shem-Ha responded, and the nurse came into the room. She was an average woman, with shoulder-long, bright red hair, and hazel eyes.
"Hello," the nurse said and asked, "How are you feeling?"
"I am feeling well, thank you," Shem-Ha answered and asked, "Can you give me some of those books so I can pass the time?" The nurse chuckled a little, and Shem-Ha felt another new emotion, this time much less pleasant than pride.
"Don't worry, you're just self-conscious," Miku explained, "It happens from time to time, and is usually nothing serious."
"Of course," the nurse answered, "But I'm afraid I only have medical books here."
"That will be no problem," Shem-Ha said, "I was planning to familiarize myself with medical terms anyway."
"Alright," the nurse said and handed Shem-Ha an introductory book on medicine, "Here you go, that should be easy enough to get into the subject."
"Thank you," Shem-Ha said, took the book and added, "You seem to be enjoying this line of work." The nurse stopped halfway back to her chair, and turned around.
"Well, yes," the nurse said, "It just felt right for me, somehow. I can't really put it into words, but it's like I was made for this."
"I wish more people would find what they were made for," Shem-Ha said, opened the book and started reading. The nurse sat down on her chair and started writing some things down on a clip board.
"What was that?" Miku asked mentally, "Why is god making conversation with a normal human all of a sudden?"
"You may mock me, but I wanted to determine how people thought," Shem-Ha answered, "And I am quite pleased with what I learned."
"About her feeling drawn to this profession?" Miku asked and said, "Everyone knows that already. It's nothing special."
"She is the first human I met who realized her calling," Shem-Ha answered, "I was simply interested in how they explain it to themselves, now that they no longer recognize my hand in making them."
"Wait, so she is literally made for this?" Miku asked, and added, "I don't know how I should feel about this."
"Human DNA holds the key to every aspect of you," Shem-Ha explained, "It decides how your brain is structured, for one. This determines what kind of information is easiest to retain, process and apply, giving each person an advantage in a different field. But this DNA also controls your external appearance, allowing one to tell what someone was made to do."
"So, you just make people for different purposes?" Miku asked.
"And you make hammers," Shem-Ha answered, "To a god, humans are mere tools, but instead of making my own, I found a way to have them multiply on their own."
"That still sounds wrong," Miku said.
"I can assure you, it is the truth," Shem-Ha said, "However, one thing still perplexes me. Humans are made to prioritize the survival of their group over the individual, yet what I have seen so far contradicts this. Without your unified language, you should have become violent and savage."
"That's not what I meant," Miku said, and Shem-Ha hissed internally, "I meant it sounds amoral, like we don't have any free will."
"That, I can assure you as well," Shem-Ha explained, "You do have free will. Just because you are made to struggle less with one specific set of tasks, does not mean you cannot take up other tasks. You will simply be miserable performing those tasks."
"I see," Miku said and asked, "By the way, what about me?" Shem-Ha paused for a moment before answering.
"What do you mean?" Shem-Ha asked.
"What is my purpose?" Miku asked, "What information am I best equipped to understand?"
"You are a leader," Shem-Ha answered, "More specifically, you lead the way, and inspire others to follow along the path you carved. You shine brightly, even in the deepest darkness, and warm people's hearts with your own strength."
"That… sounds pretty good, actually," Miku said, "Thanks."
"You are welcome," Shem-Ha said, without really thinking about it, and added, "I mean… yes, actually. You are welcome." Suddenly, Shem-Ha found herself back in the void, for what seemed like an instant.
"Hey, are you there?" Miku asked when Shem-Ha returned, and said, "You spaced out for a bit there, and I had to get your attention."
"Wha- yes, yes, I am here," Shem-Ha answered, "I… am here. In your body. Nowhere else. Thank you. For worrying, I mean. It… means a lot."
"Good to know, and you're welcome," Miku said, "Anyway, I guess I'll leave you to your books now." Shem-Ha felt her presence fade again, and continued reading the medical book before asking for another. By the time the bell rang again, she had learned all the words humans use for the different aspects of their biology. After a few small tests, and promising the nurse to be careful, Shem-Ha was released, and Hibiki came to pick her up.
Author's note: The answer is "very poorly".
But we get some insights into human biology, so that's nice.