RE: Deity - The Breath of Creation

The skies trembled as I returned to the Four Realms, the very Primordial Chaos itself welcoming my return with a feeling not unlike an embrace. It had been a little over six hundred thousand years – a good chunk of change for how old the Realms really were – and they had missed me.

"Yes, yes, hello to you too!" I laughed, fingers dusting through the Chaos as it moved to encircle me. A small smile danced upon my lips as I pushed my aura outward, reconnecting with the Realms and cataloguing its changes. Randus immediately appeared by my side, the butler god of dreams bowing to me as he presented a small cup of tea – one I took gratefully, savoring the taste and thanking him for his diligence. Randus simply bowed and vanished as I left the Chaos, beholding the Realms in all their glory.

Fall had come.

The original Life-Giving Tree sat in the center of what now amounted to a small grove, nearly thirty of the little Trees growing in a circle around it. Their leaves had turned orange and red, heralding the coming of winter, as life energy was stored beneath the roots to promote another wave of growth when spring came. The Holy Mountain was now surrounded by foothills, the lesser Mountains themselves growing steadily, and little streams fed into the Spirit River, spirits buzzing as they worked to explore and expand the area in which they could work.

That wasn't even to mention the Karmic Valley. Much like the Life-Giving Tree, it had undergone intense changes. Visually it was much the same as before, a dark-walled valley with mountainous edges holding back the black waters of the ocean of memories – the lesser Valleys mimicking the original's appearance even if the number of souls flowing through them was far, far fewer. But energetically it represented something…different.

Connections were being made with the other Realms, souls flowing in and out of the Valley not only as a central hub of reincarnation, but as a directory for souls to experience the afterlife that was the Spirit Realm. That bit was still being worked on, I could tell, and I would likely step in to help smooth out the edges, but it was a wonderful first attempt.

Then the Realm Sun rotated in front of me, momentarily blocking my view. I blinked as the soul within, Fang Xu, waved at me, kicking and squirming in activity, before rotating away to reveal the Lunar Star opposite it. The blue Star flashed, a solar flare shooting from the surface as Celene waved at me as well. They weren't ready to emerge yet, but clearly the souls within were growing stronger.

"Father!" Elvira's shout was loud and clear as my daughter rocketed up from the peak of her original Mountain, hurtling toward me with wings flapping madly, trailing the cloudy-white substance of the Heaven Realm's edges. I stepped forward to meet her, arms spread wide to catch her as she crashed into my middle in a giant bear-hug. My breath escaped me and I stumbled back a step, chuckling as I spun her around, examining her aura.

"I missed you too, kid." I told her. "Now, you need to step back and let me have a look at you. That is quite the change you're flaunting!" Elvira grinned as she pulled away, setting her hands on her hips as her aura flared, golden light radiating from her. She had changed, in more ways than one. I wouldn't call her domain more profound now, but it was certainly far, far stronger.

"My Domain changed." She announced proudly.

"The Goddess of Heaven and Divinity itself. A goddess of Gods." I set my hand on her shoulder. She still had quite a bit of yang-aligned energy, and could be considered a goddess of yang as well, but I considered that more of part of who she was rather than a godly domain. "You should be proud of yourself, Elvira."

"I'm just happy you approve. The others will want to meet you soon as well," she said, feathers ruffling as she took pride in my words. As if they had been waiting for that very moment, my other children all shot up from their respective domains, flying toward me with varying degrees of urgency. Keilan and Reika were more sedate in their approach, while Alexander came crashing out of the Spirit River with a roar of glee. My eyebrows raised as my son rocketed toward me, scales gleaming, the goddess of water and god of fire clinging to his horns like they loved to do.

He was…no longer what could be defined as a god. I had sensed this coming for some time now, ever since he'd "swallowed his divinity" back when fighting Sehuyun, but it was a fascinating change – that wasn't to say Alexander was no longer divine in nature, simply that he had assimilated whatever made him a god to become a true Dragon.

The Spirit Dragon, a being stronger than almost all the gods. There would be benefits and drawbacks to this change, just as there was to all things. In truth there was very little difference between gods and a true dragon, only a difference in limitations.

Alexander did not crash into me as Elvira did, surprisingly, instead coming to a halt just before me and rising up to his full, impressive height, smiling like a mad dragon as he met my eyes. His rainbow eyes flashed a million different colors as he floated before me, radiating a holy light.

"Got inspired by Sehuyun, did you?" I asked, amused, and Alexander rumbled out a chuckle, the gods on his horns waving happily to me. I waved back, pleased to see they were growing well, as well – having nearly completed their own individual Daos.

"Indeed I did, but this feels right. I feel more complete now." He said, shaking his body slightly. The power that radiated from him was deep and strong, as relentless and forceful as a river.

"I thought you said that the consumption of Morgan's fate would take millions of years, Father?" Reika said as she neared, the goddess of change smiling sweetly. "We evolved our domains in less than one million." Her godly domain was deeper now, better understood, and I could see that she was the reason for the changing seasons in the Realms. Her hair had changed from green to a reddish-yellow color, the flowers in her hair dimming as winter approached. Her dress appeared made of fall leaves rather than the deep green I was used to seeing – it looked good on her.

"Until you develop your personal Dao and hang it in the skies with all the others, the process of assimilating that fate will never be complete." I told her seriously, then shrugged. "But this is a good first step, and far quicker than I originally thought. You all have done well."

"Travelling to other universes and the lack of your pressure on our souls was a great aid to our…evolutions. Call it good fortune if you must." Keilan said, the dark god shaking his head and folding his hands into the sleeves of his robes. My gaze shifted to him, and my smile widened. Karma twisted about him in waves and strings, connections flowing to and from everything he had touched – but his godly domain was more than just karma now.

Fate danced along his fingertips, not quite at his beck and call, but in a manner that displayed a mastery of the ephemeral force second only to me. Yet his domain was not just fate, either.

"The God of Connections, Keilan? You have broadened your domain greatly." My eyebrows raised as he nodded his head, dark, bat like wings twitching. It was truly an impressive change; while Karma sounded more profound, connection was the base of the force. If I recalled, from what I had accidentally overheard, hadn't Rising Wind, Crashing Waves directly mentioned this fact to Keilan while in his universe? I'd have to find a gift or something for the great stag as a thank you, next time we met.

"It seemed a natural evolution." Keilan said.

"Natural, indeed. I am proud of you all. Now show me what great works you have wrought in the Realms."

***

While everyone was gathering, I sent an incarnation down to the Physical Realm to visit someone I had half expected to be dead and gone. The Mad Scientist lived alone in a small cottage beneath one of the new Life-Giving Trees, tending to a little herb garden on her lonesome. She was starting to look old, wrinkles showing on her face and grey in her hair and feathers. When I'd left she had been struggling to cross the threshold of immortality. Now that I was back I could see she had crossed that bridge, literally in this case, but the march of time still affected her.

No matter what foreign methods she had used to extend her lifespan, she was beginning to fade away, immortality be damned.

"You've returned." She said softly as I appeared behind her, making sure to announce my presence by making the plants grow just a little taller. She hardly even flinched, pruning a few dying leaves with small scissors. "I was starting to think you wouldn't return before I passed."

"I was afraid of that, too." I admitted, looking closer at the Avian Monkey Wrench. I'd had plenty of time to analyze what I knew of the strange reincarnators, as well as observe more of them during my trip to the Void from afar. And I had figured out what their purpose was, what they could do to realms and universes they visited beyond just causing massive, sweeping changes if they chose to. Said purpose started, and ended, with the ball of memories and energy that floated outside the Realms right now.

"I achieved immortality, as you can see. Xing Wu assured me that it would fix my problem, that I would be able to stay here, but as you can see that is not the case. Such is the curse of being a Monkey Wrench; even immortality is not truly immortality. Our disconnect from the universes we inhabit continuously erodes no matter how long we extend our lifespans, and no matter how deeply we delve into that universe's mysteries. Eventually we die and continue on with the relentless cycle. I have been to a few universes where immortality is achievable…and the end result is always the same." She stated this information as if it was a clear fact, as if that was the undeniable truth. I severely doubted it, mostly because I could physically see evidence to the contrary.

I hadn't understood what I was looking at before. Now I did.

"Do you want to stay here?" I asked, crouching beside her to touch at the little plant she tended. It was magical in nature, a cross-breed of some kind of fire-aligned bell pepper and a water-aligned jalapeno she herself had bred. Its leaves were the color of ice and coals, mixing together in a delicate harmony. The Mad Scientist sighed as the plant grew beneath my touch, trying her best to hide her true feelings. But I saw it. The longing. The desire. The loneliness.

"It does not matter what I want." She said.

"Untrue. I do believe I have you lot figured out." I said simply, and the Mad Scientist stiffened, narrowing her eyes as she glanced at me. Her wrinkled face was pulled into a frown, the yellow curiosity that burned her soul surging forth out of the black apathy. My smile grew kind as I met her eyes. "You are not destined to wander forever – I saw younger and older, though mostly the former, of your kind in my meditations, and I am confident in my assessment. You are honeybees, collecting pollen from flowers and spreading it across the multiverse, each life adding more and spreading more. The pollen just so happens to be your memories, and the energy you collect in living a new life. You are free to distribute it as you wish." I pointed skyward, to the collection of energy and memories outside the Realms.

"The you that stands before me is but a projection. The memories that exist outside my Realms is your true self. Fear and doubt hold you back from realizing what must be done. I am not the one who rejects you; I would be more than happy if you chose to stay in my home. But you must make the choice to bring your soul into the universe, not the cheap copy you have here, and properly join the Realms." I stood as I spoke, putting a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. I could see in her eyes she knew what I was talking about, the realization dawning on her face like the rising sun itself. "Whether you choose to stay here or not is your choice. Just know that you are welcome." And with that, I let this incarnation slowly fade away, leaving the Mad Scientist alone with her thoughts.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Yet I already knew what she would choose, even if she herself did not.

***

"Who are you putting in charge of the new regions?" I asked, leaning over the plans Keilan had laid out in his palace. My children had reached the same conclusion I had in that the new minor Trees were in need of people and things looking over them – yet no one had come to any conclusions as to who that should be. Mostly because only recently had the newest regions become fully operational; life was only just starting to spread there, and civilization was not nearly as advanced without me actively pushing it along.

Natural growth was far slower, but in the end, far more beneficial than artificially accelerating things. It was still happening faster than my initial projections.

Reika had likewise intentionally restrained herself from spreading life to the new planets and Pangaeas, letting it happen more naturally. Elvira had not, opting to help the spread of plants and other lifeforms to the new Heaven regions to promote the idea that it was a paradise. I believed that neither of them realized, however, the crucial role Morgan's Hidden Realm has played in spreading life into the new regions; my wayward child had connected new tunnels to those areas to allow life through…or, more accurately, Morgan's immortal People had.

Even now the Dimensional Creators were hard at work expanding bits and pieces of the Hidden Realm, connecting new portals to planets and life-filled areas as much out of curiosity as it was part of their nature. This led to a better energetic flow and a natural exchange of the stuff of life between far reaches of the Realms. Meanwhile Morgan's other People, the Arachion, stayed hidden in the Hidden Realm for now, for the most part.

They had a neat little civilization starting, with Morgan watching over them dispassionately.

"Currently, we're trying to figure out a few gods that would be willing to take up the roles. It's proving…difficult." Elvira said with a shake of her head. "The only truly qualified god to run a Heaven is Gilles, but I need him by my side as an advisor. Aeriel and Inesa were both options, but they've vehemently denied the idea that they could host their own courts." I pointedly didn't press Elvira about how her relationship with Gilles had progressed in my absence. Now was not the time…even if curiosity was eating me alive.

"Even if you impress upon them that they wouldn't have to actually have a court?" I asked instead. Elvira furrowed her brows while Alexander lifted his head, frowning at me. "And who says that they have to be only one god ruling Heaven? Let them hold a democratized election if they must. Or let two rule; like your god of fire and goddess of water companions, Alex."

"We were thinking of delegating them into groups of four to rule over each signature feature of the new regions," Keilan said slowly. "So the god of fire and the goddess of water would be the rulers of a Holy Mountain and Karmic Valley, or something like that."

"Close, but not unless you want to actively tear them apart. Too different of positions for them. It is a big role, to take on the duties of a leader, and should not be forced upon anyone." Though some of the greatest leaders do emerge in times of crisis. I mentally amended. That obviously didn't fit the current situation, though. "Instead, you should look toward some of the Immortals and Angels, perhaps even your own immortal Peoples."

"How so?" Reika asked, brows furrowed. I hummed and tapped my chin in thought, looking skyward as I sought the words to explain my reasonings. I shouldn't have to, honestly, as it was fairly self explanatory – what we needed wasn't rulers of regions to take over that were bad at the job, what we needed were interim rulers and stewards to keep the areas stable until someone was ready to take over…I could almost envision it now; Dao Progenitors and Immortals rising up to take over entire Mountains. Climbing Trees to do so…

Something…shifted, as I spoke about stewards for the regions, something so small and almost insignificant that I nearly missed it. Energy began to flow in a different direction than usual, small streams heading towards the greater icons of each region to pool in the depths…but that was it. Nothing else was there to transform it, and I frowned. This would require some investigating.

"Why not gods?" Alexander pressed. "They are the greatest amongst the beings of the Realms, would they not be the proper choices?"

"No, I see the issue with that now." Keilan said slowly, eyes shining as he started to catch my meaning. "Gods are fundamentally part of the natural laws of the Realms, nexuses through which those powers are produced and flow through. They need to remain larger overseers. We touched on the concept Mother brings us ourselves before, of potentially leaving our palaces and current places of residence to keep watch over the entirety of the Valleys or Trees, rather than a single one. Our reach, as divinities, should be greater than singular regions."

"I see. But it is not yet time for that, because we are too small." Reika argued.

"We are," I interjected, "but we need to design the plans for growth and inspire the idea in the correct places. The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago, the second best time is now. Ambition spurs growth and change, for good or ill; and, as far as I am aware, the Celestial Empress has already made plans to go explore the outer regions alongside her troupe of Immortals and Dao Progenitors. She will likely come to the same conclusion, but giving her a bit of a push in the right direction won't be bad. And the Heavenly Host could start to inspect the Holy Mountains, perhaps even elect leaders for it under the guidance of gods. Karmic Kings could inspect the Karmic Valley, and so forth." My children muttered in agreement, glancing at each other as I straightened up.

"That said, I do believe we have spent enough time discussing this. Keilan and Alexander! Would you mind showing me what you've done to the afterlife?" My two sons stood at my question, Keilan immediately launching into an explanation of what they did and what they were going for. I simply nodded along as they walked me through what I had already seen, pointing out that where the new flows of souls went and how they worked.

The framework that I had helped Keilan design for a much larger universe was beginning to fill in nicely, the structures for the outer regions adding to the complexity and beauty of it all.

Alexander explained the new duties souls had while not experiencing a lifetime, or how they might even choose to stay as spiritual beings and help out in the Realms to a greater degree. Keilan showed off the new flows of souls through the Karmic Valley, now at least twice as efficient as before. Reika told me how more and more mediums and spiritually sensitive people were beginning to show up in the Four Realms as a result, and how the Immortals were beginning to grow more powerful now that they had room to. Fewer were appearing now, instead allowing them to deepen their already existing powers. And Elvira simply reported on how the courts of the gods were doing, the divine beings fixing energy flows to keep the new regions growing, and keeping barriers up to prevent anyone from messing with the new regions.

It was all very informative, and I was quite pleased with the results. The plans that I had developed during the meeting were now just about ready to be implemented, now that the Realms had grown to a sufficient size to start accommodating them.

I clapped my hands together once the discussion was finished.

"Excellent! I am very proud of you all. You have exceeded my expectations, and now I have two questions for you. First; can anyone tell me why I did what I did, and what, exactly, the point of me leaving was? Besides allowing room for growth." My children blinked at me in surprise, brows furrowed as the considered the question. Seems they hadn't really thought about it. "The answer is simple, and is something I figured out after the Sun War. If something were to happen to me, I want to be content in the knowledge that you all are able to stand on your own two feet."

The fight against the Void Beast had only highlighted this for me. I was a powerful origin deity, though not as great as some of the beings I had seen in my meditations. But I was likewise far from all-powerful. The Four Realms were too young to really fear imminent collapse, but…well. I had already survived enough crazy things that a freak accident should not be ruled out.

"If something were to…" Alexander trailed off, not finishing the sentence.

"A parent needs to prepare their children for their own passing. I have expressed this to you before. Immortal I may be, but nothing is for certain." I explained for them. The silence that filled the room following that statement was as thick as honey, and tense. A chuckle escaped me as I smoothed out my robes, cracking my neck. "But! Enough heavy talk. Now that brings me to my second point; I have been sitting still for far too long and wish to trade pointers with you all."

I flexed my new arm, rolling my wrist and feeling the muscles within stretch in anticipation. A bit of dragon's blood still flowed through my veins, demanding action.

"Trade pointers?" They echoed.

"Indeed. Trade pointers. Discuss the Dao. Pit your souls against mine. We have established how powerful I am, it is time to establish how strong you are now." This wouldn't be just a fight though, not really. I had no intention of actually fighting my children – it was going to be a discussion between souls, in a way, and they needed another little push to see just how high they were reaching. The sky was starting to fill up more, with more and more divinities creating their own Dao paths worthy of my personal recognition; probably every divinity who had created a Dao path, at least, yet none of my first four children had created their own Dao.

And, of course, Morgan couldn't be left out. The wolf-spider had been hiding its own changes from its siblings, but I could see right through it. At least it would be easy to get into the mix; it'd been listening the whole time from its Hidden Realm, and I could see curiosity burning in its eyes.

Honestly though, with how much the Realms were growing I should probably go ahead and rename the Four Realms as the Five, but that would defeat the purpose of the fifth realm being hidden.

My children glanced at each other. Then looked at me. Alexander grinned eagerly, Elvira cracked her knuckles, and Reika clasped her hands together with a small frown, trying to hide her own eagerness. Only Keilan held his composure, studying me with those taciturn eyes of his.

"We would be happy to show you just how much we've grown."

And I was eager to find out just how much I had grown.