RE: Deity - The Breath of Creation

4:35 More [Words]

The Second [Word] of my children was more defining than mine had been. Or maybe it had been just as defining for me, and I wasn't objective enough about it because I’d been in a haze with no memories at the time. Whereas first and second words had created souls, and made them grow, essentially creating the Big Four, my children were building their homes before filling it with souls. Probably because they already had people they loved, and hadn’t forgotten them.I sat cross-legged as the second [Words] completed their purpose as descriptors of the initial word, rather than creating something new. Firming up, creating a flow, allowing change, and for Keilan...his was strange. Everything became thinner, pulsing oddly as the Primordial Chaos began clumping up in central spots. What really intrigued me was how they were interacting with each other, however.

They were separate, that much was clear, but their mere proximity was making each influence the other. Reika's leaned the hardest on Elvira's, however gently, using it to help focus its contractions and expansions. Keilan’s pulsed rhythmically, weaving through the tiny spaces Reika's ever-expanding universe wasn’t occupying, while Alexander's wove between even smaller areas. Elvira's was a supportive core, and yet...

All of them were connected to the Four Realms, and none of them were. I almost wanted to call the Four Realms the nucleus of a cell, but that wasn't quite correct, either. It was providing information and held the loosest connection to the Big Four, but it wasn't actually holding the DNA, if you could call it that. That, itself, was coming from my children. The Four Realms was more of an anchor, allowing them to build around it like a sort-of shell, thin and patchy as it was. They weren’t connected to the Four Realms, but they were influenced by its sheer, comparative size, and metaphysical weight. I had to wonder if that wasn’t why Mr. Boxes kept us separated from each other in the beginning, and barricaded off from the Multiverse at large. So we didn’t connect to each other too much, and didn’t create cluster universes.

Mr. Boxes seemed to want individual universes over clusters, though I didn’t have all the information, either. I could be completely wrong about that.

As for the One World, it was acting like, well, like a protective barrier. The emptiness of the core was as close to the Void as we could get, and bits of the afterlife were being absorbed into my children’s creations harmlessly.

I observed for a long time. Then, the next round came. The third [Words.] They were starting to come faster, now, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.

Alexander spoke first this time, and it made me lurch in place, teeth gritting together. "[Connection]." he said, and I heard, felt the longing therein. It wasn't merely connection he wanted and desired, it was a longing for what he didn’t have. I felt his spirit rise up like the Dragon he was, lifting out of the flowing waves of his budding universe to roar at the skies above, directed at Sehuyun far off in the Void, at the world, at everything. He had always been the more solitary of my children. Always. But that hadn't meant he hadn't longed for a deeper connection, even if he was satisfied with his friends and life.

The One World reached out to him, the Oshun did, and this time I let her because I could see what she was trying to say. She presented her argument through me, the lesson she had learned about desperation and connection, and at the last second, Alexander pulled back. The desperate desire for connection faded to a dull thrum, pausing just before creating a being for him to connect to - instead setting the stage for it to happen naturally, as it should. It was a dull hum in the background, but the flowing essence of his universe started to carry something with it now, still reacting to his desire for connection. Intent, weight, not just chaos but shapes within the madness.

His thoughts turned to Sehuyun. My heart panged. I didn’t know if that crush of his could hold weight or not.

"Thank you," I whispered to the Oshun, as left her understanding of connection before Alexander, as a warning. Her Authority briefly touched mine in acknowledgement, then pulled away, to let me resume watching.

Elvira was next. She had one hand resting on her swollen stomach, eyes glazed over as she stared at the solid column of Primordial Chaos she had created. It was far denser than any Primordial Chaos I had ever seen, mostly because I hadn't ever tried to make it that way, but her lips were quirking up into a soft, motherly smile.

"[Room]." She said, and the entire thing shifted. Branches started shooting off of the column, jagged and cutting, all while it began to hollow out on the inside. Not just hollow, but fold in on itself, creating a structure within the dense column that housed a dozen, a hundred dozen tiny rooms that were swiftly being filled with . She was building room for her unborn child, and for her husband, and for whoever else she decided to bring with her. It tugged on my heartstrings, genuinely, as she called upon a very specific memory of ours to fuel this creation.

Her and I, eating ice cream in a room I had built just for her, way back at the dawn of the Four realm's time. Back when she was still a child. Elvira's spirit sang with that joyous memory, filling the entire structure of Primordial Chaos with that humming, singing happiness. Her image started small, a single room with a cradle, a mobile, some toys for the little one to grow up in, then it expanded.

She wanted a small room for the little one. But she also desired room for them to grow. Room for the family she was building to grow. That was what she was most thankful for - she loved that I had given her and her siblings all the room to grow I could.

I wiped away a tear from the corner of my eye, sniffling loudly.

Keilan spoke next. "[Think]." Think? What the hell was Keilan building? First he did Home, then he did Control, now Think? That was just -

Then it hit me, like a shockwave against the brainstem. Not my brain, the literal brain stem. My entire spine rattled, each nerve independently firing lighting up and alerting me to their presence; Keilan's search for Thoughts starting with the tips of my fingers.

"What the fu-" The words died in my throat as it travelled up me, my own understanding searching through my body as it mapped how each thought reacted within my self, going backwards from the nerves to the perceived starting point; the brain.

But I knew better. Reactions did not start in the brain, thoughts didn't start in the brain. They began in the Soul, in the aura, a flicker of intent before the brain caught up and interpreted it. That was the trap, it always had been the trap. The Heart says something, and the brain misinterprets it, or it listens to the wrong source, then blames the heart for giving false instructions. That was how people disconnected to the Dao. They misunderstood. Keilan knew this too; the brain thought, the heart understood. And that was what he wanted to see in his universe.

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He wanted to see intelligence, thought, action, all that stemmed from the heart. Those beautiful souls who could hear and listen and think all at the same time - his universe pulsed once, twice, then settled into something thinner, but stronger. The nodes that it had been forming turned into denser spheres, connected by long thin strands of Primordial chaos that pulsed with intention. Already I could sense mental energy radiating from it, a split forming between what was physical and what was thought.

I pressed a hand to my forehead and breathed. In, then out, In, then out. I hadn’t had an experience like that, in quite a while. A moment where I was forced to look at my own body and really determine who and what I was made of, even if it was only a piece of myself and not my full form. Doing it myself was one thing. Having it forced upon me, unexpected, was quite another.

"Ok, you little punk. Can't blindside me like that," I grumbled, but I was grinning. Keilan, of course, didn't hear me as he continued to work, drifting along his creation as it slowly grew to encircle the Four Realms, fingers dusting along the outer edges. The true shapes of their universes were beginning to form, now, visible like silhouettes through fog. I could sense it. Feel it.

"[Flux.]" Reika said, waving one hand airily. Everything about her universe shifted just a bit. It filled out more, pulsing and writhing, shapes forming and disappearing as it all twisted and began to move about chaotically - Reika frowned, clearly not liking the way it went. It made sense to me, though, from an outside perspective. She'd been looking more for Life than she had for Movement and Action, but her universe wasn't ready for either.

Her next [Word] came immediately after, as a result. Frustration built within her chest at the darkness of the interior, and she thrust her hand forward. "[Light.]" she commanded, and suddenly, there was light within the universe. I tugged on my Understanding of the word, drawing me deeper and making my true body grip my thighs painfully, fingernails digging deep into my flesh. That was - that was too quick, child. Slow down.

Still, I had to admit that her choice was wise. Her entire universe lit up like a city; not the singular source of the Realm Sun, but closer to a full, encompassing light source more akin to what a photographer or artist might want. She hadn’t wanted mere light. She wanted illumination, to see what she was doing, to see it all laid out before her plain as day. This, of course, sent a cascade through her siblings as they all called upon their own [Words.]

[Words] which simultaneously happened to be [Light.] I cursed as my understanding was stretched to its limit, four completely different needs dragging me deeper into the depths of my own lack of knowledge, Mr. Boxes' grace granting me the pillar to lean on I needed to give my kids the proper guidance.

Christ, I needed to do something nice for the Overgod after this. Especially since I knew I was going to keep being short with everything, including him, through the process. I grit my teeth as my mind was slowly dragged down into something of a fugue state; Mr. Boxes apparently reading my mind, because his power was tinged with a bit of amusement. But he was no longer disappointed, which I took as a win, as my thoughts were consumed with the meditations of [Light.]

***

The Mad Scientist was practically salivating as they stood just outside the Four Realms, her instruments making strange noises as she observed the creation of four new universes. The Celestial Empress -though she was now embarrassed by the name, knowing how far she had yet to go to truly be someone worthy of the title Empress outside of the Physical Realm.

She had her arms crossed as she observed the Mad Scientist, the Rival sitting off to the side, pouting, while the beings responsible for them being able to stand outside the Four Realms in the first place, Randus and Astraea, floated above them. Currently a dome of glass surrounded them, a submarine of Dreams crafted by Randus keeping them both inside the Realms and outside simultaneously. Alanna didn’t pretend to understand the mechanics. Even the other gods admitted Randus’ domain was a mystery to all but himself, and Statera Luotian.

"This is amazing," the Mad Scientist gushed, checking her instruments, wings flapping about her cutely. "I have never - Rival, did you see that? [Light] in a completely different way than I had ever considered it appearing, and so different from its core universe! This just proves that [Words] respond to intent more than anything else!" she chattered, peering through what might pass for a telescope. It had way too many levers and branching lenses, and was built the opposite direction, so she was peering in the wide end to the narrow. Alanna narrowed her eyes as she observed. She didn't see it. Not quite. She could see the Primordial chaos moving, but...

"There," Astraea pointed from above. "Right there, do you see it?"

"Barely," Randus muttered, stroking his chin.

"This sucks," The Rival whined. "I was right there. Right beside Statera, and she just...kicked me out. So cruel. She knew how interested I was in this," he complained, flopping on to his back dramatically. She ignored him entirely.

"What is it you see, Lord Randus?" Alanna asked, giving the deity of dreams, one of the oldest beings in existence, his proper title.

"Authority, I believe," he replied, almost absently. "Astraea and I are trying to determine where the Authority itself is created. When the words of creation are spoken, I believe I can see a small spike of something, but..."

"It might be more gradual? I am watching for the appearance of the Shadow, too, but it is difficult. I am unable to fully see." Astraea agreed, the goddess of stars tugging her hood down a little further. "But I am likewise unable to fully focus on what is happening. Too much in the One World requires my attention."

Alanna nodded in understanding.

"If you need help with that, let me know," she said more out of polite habit than any truthful desire to help. Astraea made a small noise in the back of her throat, but didn't comment further on it.

"Authority...I cannot sense that with any of my instruments. However, I can sense shadows to some degree, so perhaps if I use that as a baseline..." The Mad Scientist muttered, hands flying at the speed of light as she built and tore down more experiments and machines, recalibrating her inventions to continue to study the budding universes.

"The problem is that, I fear something will happen before they are done." Randus admitted softly, so low Alanna was almost certain she hadn't been one of the intended listeners. Yet she heard anyway, her divine domain making it difficult to even consider turning away. She needed to know things, she needed to hear and understand secrets, in order to keep her nation running. Astraea shot her a glance, and with a wave of Randus' hand, the conversation was cut short.

"This is amazing, Rival," the Mad Scientist repeated. "Alanna, you seeing this?!"

"Yes, yes," she said, some part of her wishing Xing Wu was still here. The God of the Stars had been here for a bit with Inesa and the little ones, Inesa insisting on letting Amari Ren watch for a time, and he, at least, held a similar interest in this to her. Which was to say, it was far above her pay grade. She was still a goddess in training. He was born to punch things. This was amazing, and someday she wondered if she would be able to make a universe of her own, but then she grounded herself with the reality that she had yet to truly make her own divinity her own. Achievable goals first.

She turned away. This was too far beyond her understanding. As much as she wished to stay with the Mad Scientist and observe, her time here was running short. She had other duties to attend to and, neat as all this was, there were others that would benefit from observing more.

She had a rebellion to attend to, after all.