RE: Deity - The Breath of Creation

"…so as you can see, overall preparations are going well." I explained, laying out the changes we were implementing and plans I had devised to Yueya and the others. This time around it was just those three, one of their advisors, Shin, myself, and the two I had chosen to bring along; my first and only angels, Fu Hao and Stilicho. Sehuyun had not attended this meeting, for one reason or another. The meeting room itself was as plain as it had been last time – a little round table in the center, with dark, shadowy walls that were constantly shifting, like water behind a glass pane. "I would say we've risen from a zero percent chance of survival to half a percent; and that number is only increasing. I expect a twenty percent chance of survival, once the initial defenses are set up."

Curie and Alala, Yueya's other selves, muttered as they went over a few of the documents and reports I had brought, Yueya herself seeming to simply be listening.

"That is good news." Shin agreed, the skeleton's hands steepled before his face. "It would be best for everyone if neither of your worlds were overly damaged, as it would make the next bit easier to avoid or survive. Now, miss Curie, would you please explain what the One World has been doing in preparation?" I nodded to Shin, grateful once again that he was taking command of the meeting, as Curie stepped up, the dark-haired goddess fiddling with a little mechanical contraption as she started to explain things.

"Expansion of the One World continues at a steady pace." Curie said monotone, the item she'd been messing with floating out of her hands and projecting a 3d image of the One World in the air. "We've determined that the easiest place for the Four Realms to strike would be the band in the middle, where more land is being created. This central ring here," at this she pointed to the middle band around the One World, a red line similar to the equator of a planet, where Primordial Chaos clashed against itself and bits of Void to create more land, so the One World can keep expanding. "Is highly mobile and volatile, and because of that making a hole for the Four Realms to pass through is easiest there. Assuming that is still a viable plan, and we can aim the Four Realms. And the bigger we are, the easier it will be to aim there."

"It's also the most fragile piece of our universe." Yueya interrupted, earning herself a glance from Curie. I furrowed my brows at the interaction as the red-headed elf leaned forward, expression serious. "It will be more difficult for the Four Realms to pass through if it misses the hole because it is volatile, and if the Four Realms were to detonate I fear the entirety of the One World would collapse."

"…yes. It is a design flaw I am working on mitigating." Curie allowed slowly, gaze lingering on Yueya for just a moment before turning back to us. "It should help that we're raising plenty of new gods and divinely-powered beings. The additional aid will prove incredibly useful in creating the failsafes. As it is, we've had to put other projects on hold so we can start building the defenses and fortifications; it's quite the laborious process, and as always we need more hands. Any suggestions you might have to boost the appearance of godly beings would be greatly appreciated."

"Of course," I said. "Just show me what you've done, and I'll give you any advice I may have."

"That said," This time it was Alala's turn to interject, crossing her muscular arms and frowning. "I did have an idea for how to avoid a collision all together. What if we just slingshot the Four Realms around the One World? Like the sun around the One World – so you either fall into orbit, or get shot off in another direction, bleeding off momentum the whole way."

"We talked about this, Alala, it's a crazy idea. We'd need anchors, we'd need something more tangible to actively bind the two universes together, and we'd need a way to actually slingshot the Four Realms." Yueya said gently, shaking her head. Alala huffed and rolled her eyes while I sat back, considering the idea. It had some merit – I'd used the concept back when I was a starship captain to slingshot around a sun a few times. But gravity didn't work right in the Void, not to mention the One World, which, as a singular massive world, should have collapsed under its own weight if we went by the rules of gravity from said old universe.

But the concept should still be the same. And if we needed engines to direct the Four Realms, we were already starting to build up an excess of negative energy. Waste though it may be, actively venting and burning said energy may be able to act as "thrusters"…I'd have to play with the idea, to ensure that one was viable. But as for the binding agent and the anchor, we may already have that.

"Alala, how strong are you?" I asked, interrupting the brewing argument as Alala snapped back at Yueya. The tanned, muscular woman snapped her gaze to me, eyes narrowed at the question.

"Very. I am physically stronger than you." She said, and I detected no lie in her words. Nor did I doubt it – as Alala represented extreme physicality, just as Curie represented extreme mentality, she likely was stronger than me in body alone.

"Statera," Yueya started.

"No, no, listen. That's not a bad idea, because we might have an actual anchor point. Or, in this case, a rope." I said, leaning forward and placing my hands on the table. Yueya narrowed her eyes, while Curie's expression lit up in understanding. She snapped her fingers and pulled out another device, a holographic screen appearing before her that I was fairly certain was supposed to only visible to her – but me being me, of course I could see it – as she started running simulations.

"What rope?" Alala asked, uncrossing her arms to set her hands on her hips. I snapped my fingers, an untethered thread of fate appearing between them.

"This is what is binding our universes together. Or, well, a scale model of it. There's a massive steel cable of fate that's guiding our worlds to collide and is growing stronger by the second." I started.

"Why don't we just cut it then?" Alala grunted, shaking her head. I frowned at the interruption, frustration blossoming in my chest that set my fists to clenching – but a quick breath and slight effort of will shut that down quickly. That was stress talking, nothing more. "Problem solved." If I had the full two million years to attack the cord of fate, even using the Sword That Does Not Cut, which was specifically designed to sever fate, I doubt I could cut the damnable cord. But before I could say as much, Curie interjected.

"I doubt we can. Even if we did, the backlash would be damning. And even if we survived that, we would then be facing an unpredictable end – the One World hurtling uncontrollably through the Void. We don't know what else it would connect to guide it, and the Overgod may not be so kind as to give us a new timeframe next time." She shot down the idea. Alala huffed.

"So my ideas are all just stupid, I get it,"

"Better the devil we know," I started.

"Devil? I do not understand the reference," Shin cut in, and I clapped my hands, annoyance flaring once again.

"Ok! We're getting off track. Back on topic, Alala, we may not be able to sever the fate but we may be able to manipulate it. And, if you can learn to grab it and are strong enough, we may have our anchor to go with your slingshot idea." I clarified. Alala's eyes lit up at the idea, a grin stretching across her face.

"I get it! I'd just be swinging the Four Realms around like a sling!"

"Can she grab the cord of fate?" Yueya asked.

"I don't know, given the time we have. I am certain it is possible, the question is if Alala can manage it in time. Even with a sub-domain of Fate all I can do is manipulate the stuff, as well as see it clearer. Physically grabbing it is a whole other issue; but we do have some time and, in addition, it is well known that Karma can effect Fate." I reasoned.

"Now, that is an interesting suggestion." Shin added, leaning forward. The fires in his eyes flared, jaw clacking as he considered my idea. Now validated that the idea held water besides my own excitement, I stood, fully dedicating all my mental capacity to it. Curie was done with her calculations first, but she looked at me before replying, folding her hands in her lap.

"Building positive karma between our Realms could let us build a better, stronger Fate, one that may allow for a slingshot. And karma is easier to manipulate than what we call fate, as far as I am aware." I explained, folding my hands into the sleeves of my robes. "Which should make the idea of the slingshot more feasible, and give us better anchor points."

"There is one issue with this. Is the route of the two universes not immutable and immovable?" Shin asked rhetorically.

"An immoveable object is only immoveable because it has not met a sufficiently unstoppable force, and vice versa." I said, nodding my head sagely. That was a little exaggerated, because we still wouldn't be able to plan for it until we knew where and when our universes would collide, but having multiple plans wasn't a bad idea. We couldn't put all of our eggs into one basket, so to speak.

"And a foolproof plan simply hasn't encountered a sufficiently talented fool," Yueya countered, as if I had even used the term "foolproof." I raised an eyebrow at her, but nonetheless spread my hands to the side, nodding in acceptance.

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"The Creator never said it was foolproof." Stilicho said, speaking up for the first time since the meeting started. The angel narrowed his eyes, his sister Fu Hao stepping forward and rolling her shoulders. "They are merely exploring options."

"She is not wrong." I said, making a little hand motion that had both of my angels standing down. I'd have to talk with them about that later. Yueya wasn't being malicious, simply playing devil's advocate, the way I saw it. It was the other two's duty to be accommodating, and hers to challenge our ideas, make us think about it so we didn't turn this meeting into an echo chamber. "Which is why we need backup plans. We don't know what will or won't work." I glanced at Curie then, the dark-haired woman shifting in her chair uncomfortably.

"This has, based on our limited information, an equal if slightly greater chance of success when compared to our initial plans. That is with limited calculation time of course, and I'll need to run more simulations, but it very well may be possible." Curie said, nodding to Yueya, who leaned back in her chair with a little smile. "That is assuming, of course, that Alala can grab Fate."

"I'll work on it." Alala said, flexing her muscles and grinning. "I'm good at heavy lifting; I just need to know when and where to lift."

"Good. That's two things down, then. If you would like, Alala, I can instruct you a bit on Fate, and we can run through your programs for godly ascension while we're at it." I offered.

"Curie can look through your formations while we do that." Yueya said, standing from her chair and smoothing out her dress, flashing me a little smile that had my heart clenching. What would our relationship have been, had this not happened? What was it going to become now? "I am in charge of godly ascension, of course, so I and Alala will speak directly with you."

"I would greatly appreciate it if Curie could look into what I've done. A logical mind like hers might pick out things I did not." Much as Alala was physically stronger than me, Curie was more mentally aligned, I was certain. I was more balanced than any individual one of them, a jack of all trades if you will, but in their areas of expertise they eclipsed me. So I would defer to the experts on this. "Shin?" I asked then, turning to the skeleton.

"I am a mere observer. But I will provide advice where needed; and, if you do not mind, I would like a one-on-one with each of you when it is over." He said slowly. We all nodded in acceptance, and I let out a breath I'd been holding. It was ok. This was ok. Things were…looking up, and we had more than one plan now. We just had to continue closing the gap.

***

"Someday, I hope to see your Four Realms. Before it's horribly mangled in this crash, I mean." Alala said with a laugh as we parted. I grinned at the woman, shaking my head in fond exasperation. Her sense of humor was a little warped, but I could appreciate it and gave her a little wave as she and Yueya head back over to Curie. The incarnation that had been speaking with the Goddess of Science faded, its purpose served. There were some minor changes to do to the formations I was setting up, but they were so fiddly I'd have to do it all myself. My children wouldn't notice, and didn't yet have the control to pull off the fixes.

"And someday I hope to show it to you. Assuming your world isn't horribly mangled, either." I teased back. She laughed, a rumbling thing that echoed from deep within her chest, emotions of raw joy and enjoyment filling the room. Such was her gift. Pleasures of the moment; when it is time to laugh, laugh, and when it is time to cry, cry. She embodied that to the highest degree.

Perhaps soon we should do a little exchange of people, assuming Mr. Boxes would allow it. It might be helpful, especially in building positive karma between our Realms to help manipulate the fate cord.

"We have enough to do for the moment." Yueya said with a shake of her head, red hair rolling in waves about her shoulders. "It is time for this meeting to end. Shin? You said you wished to speak with us?" The skeleton stood from where he'd been silently listening to the conversation, his true body heading over to Yueya, while an incarnation headed my way.

"Indeed. The Overgod has been kind enough to allow me to set up a little sub-space here. If you would follow me." Shin gestured to the side, where a little black portal had opened up in the shifting black walls of the room.

"Wait here." I told my angels, who silently nodded, accepting my orders. With a little shrug I stepped inside, glancing about the little sub-space Shin had created.

It was plain. A square room with beige walls, and a simple stone floor. Likely took but a simple thought for Shin to make, but served its purpose.

"Well? What are your thoughts?" I asked, meeting the green-fire that burned in Shin's eye sockets. The dark-robed skeleton said nothing for a time, observing me with those eyes of his while I stood silently, waiting for him to speak his mind. I was a patient being – I'd been a single parent my entire life as an origin deity, this was nothing compared to the patience I had at my disposal.

"You are surprisingly trusting." Shin said slowly.

"How so?"

"Not many gods would so freely share information like you have been, let alone to what might be considered a rival – or, worse, one who might spell the end of your home and children." Shin explained slowly. I considered his words, accepting them for what they were, and shook my head.

"Playing hostile will only increase our chances of mutual destruction. We must stand united." It was completely logical and plain as day to me. What was Shin trying to get at here? The skeleton shook his head slowly.

"I understand, and I admire that thought process. I was simply concerned that you would be more…emotional, considering this involves the lives of your children. My fears have been alleviated." Shin chose his words carefully, slowly, as if testing me for what I might say or how I would react. I had nothing to say to that, though. Shin nodded as if he had found an answer he had been looking for, tapping his jawbone with one thoughtful finger. "In that case, I have something else to share with you. I have made contact with some of the other Origin Deities, specifically the Progenitor."

"You did? How?" I all but demanded, a jolt of excitement shooting through me. More advice could prove immensely beneficial, and I would take all the help I could get.

"Through trial, error, and great personal strain. It's something I have been working on since before we met for the first time; that is beside the point. The technique is…difficult to maintain, and I cannot do it for long, but I did manage to gather some information that might interest you. Involving failed universes." Shin tapped his fingers together, fiery eyes flickering. "According to the Progenitor, when a universe fails and faces total annihilation from the Void, its collapse imminent, the surrounding universes tend not to just sit by. Refugees are taken in but, more importantly, they spoke of another process."

I raised my eyebrows at him as he paused again, choosing his words.

"The universe itself is absorbed by its neighbors, the energy and matter it produced mixing in with the other universes – at least, what isn't annihilated by the Void first. The Progenitor said that was a very easy way to feed power into another universe, and, like pollinating flowers, tended to boost the growth of said universe." Shin paused then while I nodded along, seeing a little of what he was getting at.

That made sense, especially after what I'd seen what the Monkey Wrench's effects could be. We were still boosted from her energy.

"What I'm getting at is that the collapse of a universe may not be a catastrophic part of the multiverse, but an actual fundamental piece of it. A natural process that strengthens the surviving universes." Shin explained.

"I see. We must be careful, then, to avoid that." I said, as if we weren't already. Shin just sighed, shaking his head.

"My point is that, if your world collapses, I will offer you and your children refuge, assuming the One World cannot. It is not a completely selfless offer – the Eternity your Realms possess may appear a counter to my more transient nature, but it may just provide an extra boost as well. I simply do not know how having two Origin Deities will affect the universe." My gaze sharpened at that one as I studied Shin closely, reading his aura and coming up with nothing but sincerity. A smile spread across my face, a tear prickling the corner of my eyes at the kind gesture.

"Thank you, Shin." I said softly. "I have faith that, together, we can all get through this. But, if the worst comes to pass, I will take you up on that offer." Even if that meant I would be forced to enter the Void alone, as two Origin Deities may cause conflict, having an offer of shelter for my children was more comforting than I thought it would be.

"It is in the cards." Shin agreed. "Now, for a few more suggestions for you…" And just like that the conversation continued, just two gods, alone in a room, discussing how to save our Realms if the worst came to pass.

***

Shin felt like the conversation with Statera had gone fairly well. His warning had not gone unheeded, even if the God of Balance hadn't had an actual reaction to the information as far as Shin could tell, and they'd discussed quite a bit in the interim. His conversation with the others had been just as informative, if a bit more tense.

Alala and Curie were talkative and animated, as their roles dictated they be, while Yueya sat back and mostly observed and listened, throwing out the odd counter argument just to spice things up. His warning had not been lost on them, either, though Curie had already figured it out. None of them wished for the destruction of the other universe, of course, but the possibility had to be taken into account, and he offered safe refuge for their people as well.

Maybe not both at the same time, assuming the absolute worst, but he was confident other deities would be amenable to the idea. Perhaps the Emperor?

It was only once they were truly leaving the meeting room, everyone heading back to their native universes after a quick goodbye from Statera – giving Yueya a little wink and kiss on the cheek as they left, a few more threads of positive karma binding the origin deities together – did Yueya pause and speak her concerns. Statera may have missed it, but Shin hadn't; the goddess of art hadn't been silent just because she was playing the "no-girl," but for concern as well.

"Shin, I have a question for you." Yueya said, as her other two selves vanished into the portal. She turned back to him, one hand through the portal to the One World. "How far would you go to protect your children?" Shin froze at the question, his very aura stilling for the first time in eons. His very nature meant that things had to constantly be moving in a Cycle, but this one question had brought him to a halt.

"I have never had something I consider my true child, even in my previous existence, so I cannot say for certain." Shin explained. "But if you are wondering and worried about Statera, I would not. They have been incredibly open about everything, as far as I can tell, and my insight into people has been praised by the Overgod itself."

"I agree. That is what I am worried about, however. Ah, I am likely overthinking it." Yueya shook her head and started pushing through the portal. "After all, Statera doesn't just want to protect their kids, but be a good example, right? I wonder what that feeling is like, to become that kind of being for love."

Shin nodded in agreement, but before he could verbally respond Yueya had vanished through the portal. He stood still for a moment longer, assessing what had just happened before stepping through his own portal and back to the Wheel Realm.

It would be best not to see monsters, where there were none.