RE: Deity - The Breath of Creation

"I fully expected you to survive until the end," Shin said the moment we all got back to the meeting room. I laughed and rubbed the back of my neck, shrugging helplessly.

"Yes, well, we were in a controlled environment struggling against a far more powerful beast than I had ever encountered. If there was ever a time to make mistakes or try something new, it was then. I almost made it, but my desperation to win got the better of me, and I put more power into protecting those who were ensuring victory over myself. One of my self-sacrificial tendencies, I assume." I folded my hands into the sleeves of my robe, bowing to him ever so slightly. Of the things I had learned in this meeting, it was that while amongst peers of equal power, my own deficiencies became even more apparent. "It is just pleasing that we still managed to pass the test, despite losing so many of us."

"That is true, I would hate to fight another one of those." Reilly agreed, taking a big swig of his alcohol. "That said, I will be off, my fellows. It was a pleasure getting to know you all over the past century, and I look forward to our next meeting. However, it is now time to get back to work." I waved to the beggar god as he vanished into his portal, followed swiftly by a few of the others, who muttered their own farewells.

"I can't say I share his sentiment when it comes to the Void. I would like to redeem myself," The Emperor grumbled with a shake of his head. "But he is correct in that it is time to bid you all farewell. I hope our next encounter can be a fruitful one, this time as a meeting between nations." And he, too, vanished into his own portal. Sehuyun growled out a goodbye as she slid back to her own domain, flashing me a savage grin as she vanished – leaving only myself, Shin, and Yueya for the moment. Shin linked his boney fingers together, shaking his head.

"This is the most direct guidance from the Great One we have ever received." He muttered. "I wonder what caused them to make us fight the Void? I get the feeling it is not standard, and was tacked on at the end."

"That is a question for a later date." Yueya adjusted her dress as she spoke, her hair fixing itself into a different style completely. "Though it is something to consider. Perhaps it was its way of warning us not to play too much in the Void, despite encouraging us to experiment? It seems contradictory."

"Indeed." I agreed, bobbing my head. Shin sighed, drifting back toward his own portal.

"I will miss our conversations, I do admit. Though I know myself to be taciturn at best, it was a pleasure to have discussions with equals. Goodbye for now." He said, and stepped through his own portal. Yueya and I shared a look, now only the two of us left in the meeting room. She quirked an eyebrow, a playful smile dancing on her lips.

I smiled back, but made no move. She pouted a little and huffed, stalking over to me to plant a little kiss on my lips – one I gently returned.

"Make a lady do all the work. How dull," she complained, patting my arm. I chuckled and winked at her, giving her a quick, warm hug.

"Don't be a stranger, Yueya. I am certain we will see each other again soon enough." I promised. Our meeting had been fun and, honestly? I truly hoped our relationship could deepen. She laughed and nodded, giving my arm another quick squeeze before she danced back over to her own portal. I watched her go, the red-haired goddess giving me one last look before she, too, disappeared.

Silence echoed in my ears now that the room was empty. Blissful silence. Ironic that I had been the first to arrive, and last to leave. Somberly I looked around the room, its walls already starting to vanish, dissolving into nothingness as it was returned to the Void. Mr. Boxes was working quickly, it seemed.

Ding!

{[Void Beast Repelled!]

[Attached is a memory containing an outside observer's viewpoint of the fight. Peruse at your leisure.]}

I blinked, once again having missed Mr. Boxes' announcement coming. That was interesting, of course, and I would be taking a look at it. But I would save the video for while I meditated. Not now. Instead I stepped through my own portal, reappearing in the Four Realms with a smile and a sigh of…stress, I suppose.

The Realms welcomed me with open arms. The very energies of the universe itself embraced my return, wrapping around me in an almost playful manner. Karmic strings bound and unbound themselves from my fate, many simply fading away, only to return as others continually tapped into my Dao for guidance. That was something I would never be able to avoid. Not here, not now.

And I swept my gaze over everything.

It all appeared to be running smoothly. My children were doing an excellent job of keeping things going despite my absence and despite the changes they themselves were undergoing. It was reassuring, and meant that I could truly leave the Realms for a time and focus on healing myself in the very near future. With the Shadow dealt with and reparations well in hand, as well as the growth of the Realms picking up steam, I finally had time to focus on myself a bit. There was just a bit of housekeeping to do, first, a few final blueprints to make and guidance to give before I could leave.

***

A short few years later, I gathered my children in my palace. Alexander, Keilan, Elvira, and Reika all stood before me as I talked, putting away a few things and generally just keeping my own nervous energy busy. They were relatively quiet as I worked and chattered, listening intently.

"…and as such I will truly be leaving the Four Realms for some time. I feel confident that you all can handle things in my absence." I finalized, finishing my mutterings.

"Why must you leave the Four Realms entirely? Why not just meditate in your chambers, as you usually do?" Reika asked. I smiled at my daughter, adjusting the sleeves of my robes as I tried to find a satisfactory answer her question.

"Because it was not merely during my absence that you evolved into a goddess of change, Reika, but due to it." I said softly. Reika stiffened, pulling at a lock of green hair nervously as she looked at her siblings. Elvira had her eyes closed, arms crossed and tails still, while Alexander rumbled in discontent. Only Keilan held my gaze, nodding gently to show he understood what I was getting at.

"It is due to me that you are leaving?" She asked.

"No, sister." Keilan said. "It is because of all of us. We are not young gods anymore, and Mother understands that we need to grow of our own accord. This may be Her universe, but She lets us shape it. For us to grow, and to help our growth, She feels She must leave for a time. You are not the only one changing, sister. The rest of us may be slower, but we are undergoing our own growth as well."

I nodded in agreement, meeting Reika's eyes in an attempt to show her that I truly did think that.

"You all are not the only ones who benefitted from my brief absence, of course. Even the Realm Sun and Lunar Star grew thrice as fast without my direct supervision – this is not something that can continue indefinitely, but for now, my absence is beneficial. Plus, it is high time I took care of this," I said, letting my prosthetic arm fade so I could wave my stump at them.

"As much as I wish for you to focus on healing yourself, for once, Father, I question your wisdom in this matter." Alexander rumbled. "Without you here, who will guide the mortals?" At this, I laughed. Well and truly laughed, because I had not realized that Alexander of all beings did not understand the full truth.

"My son, I am the Dao itself. Even if I tried, I could never fully leave the Four Realms. We are too closely intertwined, our fates bound for eternity. Such was one of the prices I paid to make this world as it is, to help you all become what you have. Even if I sever myself from all the karma I can, that connection will never fade. No, it would be wrong to say I will not be here – my Will shall remain, even if my body does not. If ever you need guidance or aid, you merely need to ask, and I will still be there. Just not in such a…heavy capacity." I explained. Plus, I wouldn't be venturing too far away. I had to meditate in the Void itself, but I wanted to remain close enough to come running in case there were any problems.

"It is wise, Brother." Elvira opened her eyes as she spoke, gesturing to one corner of the room, where darkness refused to fade as the light of the Lunar Star peeked through one of the windows. "That is why Father called Morgan here. You will be taking the Shadow with you, will you not?"

I nodded and gently waved Morgan forward, though the unruly spider-wolf refused to budge from its spot, remaining half-hidden in the shadows. Well, that was its decision, and I pressed a hand against my chest.

"I will. And I will not return until either my meditations are complete, or I am fully healed."

"Meditations?"

"On the Void." Right now, that felt like the biggest threat. The Four Realms were growing steadily, and for most of the plans I wanted to implement – many of which I had drafted during the meeting – the Realms needed to grow in size. Which meant a lot of waiting, which was time better spent healing than twiddling my thumbs. And, frankly, the Void was once again intriguing me. There was something I was missing about it, and whatever that was, was instrumental in my own personal power growth.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

My children glanced at each other nervously when I did not elaborate, eventually settling on cautious optimism.

"We will eagerly await your return, then." Keilan said with a bow.

"And to show you how far we can grow." Alexander rumbled, the great dragon bowing his mighty head. I stepped forward, enveloping each of them in a hug that lasted simultaneously for far too long, and far too short a time. Only once I was satisfied did I pull away, rising into the air as I prepared to leave.

"Goodbye. I will see you soon. Come along, Morgan," I said, gesturing to the wolf. This time it did obey, slinking out of the shadows to follow me into the skies of the Four Realms, the ceiling of my palace opening to allow us passage. Only once we were almost to the shell of primordial chaos that protected the Realms from the Void did I stop.

"What?" Morgan all but snapped, eyes narrowed. Its tails twitched eagerly, legs tapping against the air in anticipation. Try as they might to hide it, Morgan was clearly excited to visit the Void, to spend some time in the silence it so craved with me and me alone.

"Just going to deal with our little follower." I said absently, turning my gaze to the god that dared to try and follow. No…not follow. He had something to ask of me. Anticipation swelled within me as Gilles approached, the deity of shadows appearing before me in a swirl of darkness. The pale god bowed as Morgan growled, and I stared him down.

"Lord," he greeted.

"Gilles."

"I have come to ask your permission for something." Gilles kept his head bowed as he knelt, practically prostrating himself before me.

"Ask away." I commanded. This time, Gilles looked up. He remained in a kneeling posture but his dark eyes found mine, meeting my gaze without a hint of the hesitation and fear that had once held him back. One of his hands stayed over the burn scar his brother had given him, just over his heart.

"I ask your permission to court your daughter, Elvira." He said. I hummed and held his gaze, keeping my expression neutral.

"Granted. Make her happy, Gilles," I said finally, once I was certain his resolve was well and truly there. Gilles beamed up a smile at me, a true smile, one that I had not seen since Sol betrayed the Four Realms and tried to kill him. And he stood, and vanished with a happy thank you. My heart swelled with pride, content that I was making the right choice to leave. Gilles was finally finding his courage again. "Let's go, Morgan." I said, and together, we stepped through the primordial chaos and into the Void.

***

Inesa felt the moment Statera Luotian left the Four Realms. It was hard for her to explain it, but it felt like a sigh of relief. Pressure had been pushing down too hard in the home of Statera Luotian, too many people filling it, and something was bound to snap sooner or later no matter how happy the home was. At least, that was the analogy she was trying to use. In practice it was more complex than that, and her heart went out to their creator.

Leaving children home alone was never easy. But a bit of trust went a long way.

"Xing Wu, look, another star." She said absently, pointing skyward. There, in the skies above the Life-Giving Tree, another Dao Star flickered to life. This one followed the Dao of the Sword, radiating a battle-intent that towered over even Xing Wu's. It was a Dao that made Inesa nervous, desiring to avoid conflict as she was.

"I know. I could feel it. They're piggybacking off my Dao to find their own." Xing Wu replied without looking up, sweat pouring down his shirtless body, muscles gleaming in the light of the Lunar Star, as he moved through spear form after spear form, each strike filled with every ounce of his attention. Inesa watched him appreciatively, eyes roving over every little scar, every ripple of muscles as he moved. "I would like nothing more than for Alanna to be the next Dao Progenitor, but it is unlikely."

"Why not?" the voice that spoke this time caused Inesa to jump, a blush racing across her cheeks as she realized she had just been caught ogling her own boyfriend. The Mad Scientist had moved up beside her now, and rested in a little chair. Immortality still eluded the poor girl, and she watched Xing Wu without a hint of lust or interest to what he was doing. Only mild curiosity.

"She wants her Dao to hold as much weight as my own. She will accept little else, and that will delay her ascension." Xing Wu supplied after a moment, pausing his strikes to turn toward them. His breathing was steady, his hair slicked back from sweat as he met first the Mad Scientist's eyes, then Inesa's, and shot her a wink that set her to blushing all over again. "Though with the Dao's eyes gone, who knows what she will do." Inesa stiffened at the statement, eyes widening. How had Xing Wu known…?

"The Dao's eyes…you mean Statera Luotian is gone again?" the Mad Scientist asked, the little avian girl panicking slightly. Xing Wu smiled.

"The body left, yes, but the will remains. It's just…quieter, now. It will no longer actively seek you out; you must reach out and touch it on your own." He said softly, returning to his strikes. The Mad Scientist fell silent and Inesa laid a hand upon the woman's back, pity welling up inside her. But, before that, came surprise.

Xing Wu had noticed the Mad Scientist's problem, and the absence of the Creator. Yet instead of barraging her with questions, he was accepting the situation and even trying to help the Mad Scientist in his own way. Just what kind of a person was he trying to become?

It doesn't matter, I suppose. Inesa figured after a moment, smiling warmly. I love him for him. And will support him in his goals, just as he will support me in mine. With that thought, she stood and summoned a few glasses of iced tea, intent on getting Xing Wu to relax a bit more.

She was finally getting a break from making the barriers between the new Trees. What better way than to spend it with the one she loved?

***

Alexander held a meeting with his siblings. The great dragon knew what it was he wished to say, so the primary reason for this was to discover what their plans were for their…free-time.

"I will be reimagining the Karmic Realm and the cycle of reincarnation. More importantly, I want to restructure the afterlife. I feel like we could do more in conjunction with the Spirit Realm than what is currently happening. To do this, however, means drawing manpower from the other Realms as reconstruction is under way." Keilan reasoned, spreading out a blueprint on a desk he had brought with him. They were currently inside Alexander's cave, having chosen this place as a middle ground.

"My Peoples will be of little help, besides perhaps the Treants acting as a spiritual conduit for mortals to talk to souls and spirits." Reika immediately replied.

"My spirits are underworked and are growing lax. Put them to you, I will draw from where they can be spared." Alexander agreed.

"My Heavenly Host is doing little besides training and developing their own cities below the Holy Mountain. I will send a few squads to aid you. They could use some exercise." Elvira agreed. "So long as you can spare a few of your Asura and Karmic Kings. It is high time Heaven had its own set of laws drawn up, beyond what Father deigns to handle. Gilles has been aiding me with that, but I could use some more help. We will gain no favors for it, but as our population continues to increase we will have to have a better set of laws."

"I will personally aid with that." Keilan agreed.

"We cannot forget about the growth of the trees. We need to find souls to act as protectors for each of the new Mountains, Valleys, Trees, and Rivers." Alexander interjected. That brought his siblings up short, and his rose to his full height to say his next piece. "It is not time yet, but I foresee a future in which we do not preside over a single River, Mountain, Tree, or Valley each, but encompass the entirety of our Realms. In which case, Elvira has the right idea in electing delegates to handle these new areas."

"Which means finding and grooming new souls to take over the positions." Reika finished for him, earning herself a little nod from Alexander.

"Father left to aid our growth. I, for one, wish to prove that His trust and wisdom is not misplaced, doubtful though I am. Let us prove it." He said with finality. His siblings shuddered at his words, smiling each in their own way. Alexander nodded, power surging beneath his scales. Sehuyun had driven something into him, in their fight, and he would realize it.

He was a Dragon, and Dragons guarded their treasure zealously. His treasure was this world, and his family. Let it be known.