7 MP/5 FP
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Phystene
Orvus walked for an age and as he meandered aimlessly, the murky blackness gave way to lighter waters. The crushing weight of the depths lessened with each slow step, not that he could even feel such a difference anyways. So too did the cold water turn warmer, and with such warmth, came creation. He noticed first the microscopic plankton, and was intrigued by such small beings. What purpose did it they have? Then he came upon fish, colorful creatures that swam up to him with curiosity, only to flee as he tried to reach out for them. This game continued on as he walked through rocks bursting with life in the clear waters. He cocked his head, having not a clue what any of it actually was. It was all so alien to him.
Then Orvus felt a presence, one he had not felt since Seihdhara had come after him. This one was not Seihdhara, but another of his kin. He knew her name, for that had been one of the only gifts the architect had decreed they should be given in this miserable existence. She was Phystene.
Just as Orvus had felt Phystene, she too had detected him. She started to make her way towards him, not rushing but definitely with purpose. The sealife flocked towards her and, unlike with Orvus, seemed contented to remain in her presence, some even touching her as they swam by. The goddess enjoyed their presence for a few moments before telling them to disperse. She didn’t know Orvus’ temperament and didn’t want to put her creations in unnecessary danger. Narzhak, probably without even realizing it, had crushed numerous plants just a few hours ago.
“Orvus?” Phystene called out as she neared the other deity. “What brings you to this area?”
He heard her voice before he gazed upon the form of his sister goddess. He had never seen such green before, for her body was ripe with it. It was her eyes that intrigued him most, glowing as they were, just like his own. He stopped a far distance away, motionless in the water. Orvus digested her words, and after a long, tense moment, he spoke.
”You are Phystene?” he asked quietly before continuing without waiting for an answer. ”What is… all this?” he asked again with a hint of curiosity in his voice. He avoided answering the second question, there was no point in reminding himself of failure.
“I am.” Phystene answered, tilting her head to the side slightly at his second question. She slowly looked around in an effort to find something that felt out of place, something that Orvus would have cause to question, and found nothing. After a moment she answered “Water?”
Orvus stared at his sister, his eyes empty of expression as he listened to her three words. He tilted his head, then looked around again. He knew what water was, had he not been specific? What had he done wrong?
”No. This.” Orvus said before gesturing to the coral, and the fish. ”Do you know not what these are?” he asked.
“Ah.” Phystene’s eyes widened slightly as Orvus pointed at her latest creations. “I’m sorry. They felt so natural to me that it didn’t even occur to me that they were what you were asking about.” She looked at the new coral reef, a warm smile spreading across her face. “They are plants and animals. My gifts to this otherwise barren world.” She shifted her gaze back to Orvus as she asked “Are they not beautiful?”
Orvus listened to Phystene intently, taking away all that he could from her answer. Plants. Animals. Nature. So Orvus looked upon the fish and coral again, suddenly having the urge to know them. He saw that they existed as they were, as they always would be and unsatisfied, Orvus delved deeper. For a time there was a long silence as he focused. A flicker of light here and there caught his attention, with more and more popping on all around him and at last, his entire vision became one of light. Thus he perceived their very souls. Orvus took a step back as he took in the raw information. The fish pulsed with vibrancy, like blips of light swimming all around. The coral were but a mass of lights, flickering with color and humming with existence. Even the plankton housed a soul of their own, dainty as they were.
It was all blinding to Orvus and he closed his eyes. His thoughts were a jumbled mess of information and his own opinions. As he went over everything, he realized that he would never be able to feel such creations, or the life they carried with them. The warmth, the blissful ignorance of the world all around them. It was not for him, and he grew jealous of this fact. Of this life. What made them so special? And at last, it clicked. It was the soul.
Their souls. His own was not… was not like theirs, if he even possess such a thing anymore. He was a being of ichor and essence, they were not. Even Seihdhara, she must have had a soul. It would only explain...Yes...that meant...all of his siblings had souls. He could not feel any of them unless it was of pain.
His eyes snapped open as he spoke in but a whisper, ”No…Why is it all so wrong?” He turned his head to look at Phystene directly. His eyes now expressing anger, ”What have you done?” he demand.
“Pardon?” She asked, her momentary confusion evident. “There is nothing wr-” A look of steel entered her eyes as she gazed into his. “What have I done?” She quietly echoed, her voice belying none of the anger she felt. “I have granted them” She gestured towards the fish, coral, and seaweed, “the greatest gift of all. Life. I have helped turn this barren ball of rock and water into a vibrant place. Look around you. And I mean really look. Can you truthfully say that this world would be better without my creations?”
”This universe would be better without anything. Without anyone. Without even me.” Orvus said sadly, beginning to tremble slightly. “You have… You have diluted them with this… life of yours. You have created them so that I cannot feel them. Do you have any idea how cruel that is?” he said with a mix of anger and sorrow in his voice.
The steel in Phystene’s eyes faded away, only to be replaced by pity. “How much… less this universe would be without us. Without you. I know not why you you cannot feel my creations, but it was not because of any desire or malice on my part. Come here,” She held a green hand out towards him, “and let’s see if I can show you the universe from my point of view.”
Orvus looked at her outstretched hand, and for a split second his eyes expressed longing but they flashed back to hatred. He began to shake his head, he did not believe her. He couldn’t. His siblings were everything he was not, and that made their existence a lie.
His trembling increased, and the stars on his body began to grow with intensity.
”No…” he whispered. ”Don’t you understand? You would never be able to show me your view. Intentional or not, your creations are wrong. They always will be. But I am fortunate sister. For I can show you my world. I can show you what it’s like not able to feel. To be touched.”
His aura then erupted around his body as he began to walk towards Phystene, instantly vaporising the sea life in close proximity to him. That which his aura it did not destroy outright, lost all of its color, turning grey and lifeless. Even the water itself began to turn foul. The coral became brittle, the fish… the fish withered. He paused, an idea springing to his mind, but Phystene’s voice caught his attention.
“Enough!” Phystene demanded, her voice taking on the austere tone of a mother about to severely punish a misbehaving child. The hand she had offered Orvus now clenched in a fist. “You will cease this madness now or,” She took a step towards him, “I will make a point of filling every square inch of this universe with life. Not just Galbar, not just what lays beyond it. I will follow you to your own demain and fill that with life if I must. Cease and leave my presence before I decide that’s necessary.”
His eyes expressed malice as Orvus listened to Phystene speak. When she finally finished, Orvus replied in kind, his voice having taking a spiteful tone, ”You do not understand, sister” he stated as he began walking towards her, ”This is not madness. I shall not leave. You can create your life as you please, but know this- Desolation will never be far behind. Go to Veradax, see what you might create there and watch it wither and die.” He paused, his voice full of hate. ”Don’t you see? We are opposites you and I. You create and I destroy. This...This is the only way.” he finished with a hint of sorrow echoing in his words.
“I suppose we are” Phystene agreed, her voice almost a whisper. “But you forget how resilient life is.” She was an embodiment of life. Where she willed it plants grew and she now focused on her will in the area around Orvus. Seaweed appeared around Orvus, only to disintegrate a moment later as his aura overtook them. Phystene’s eyes narrowed for a moment, but then her face took on a serene expression. “Life is… more resilient than you believe.” If her natural powers were not enough, she would simply have to adapt. The space around her began to crackle with energy as she gathered some of the power the architect had loaned her, intent on making its power her own. The plants of the ocean began to grow quicker, becoming more resistant to the desolation around Orvus, although none could come close to his person. The other sea life seemed to be doing better as well, although this really only allowed the fish to survive long enough to swim away to safety.
As the cycle of life and death continued without end between them, Phystene asked “So… are we simply going to stand here and continue this till the end of time?”
Orvus was intrigued as the aura around Phystene grew. The seaweed attacked him with ferocity only to turn to die in the black waters. He was impressed, for truly she was his opposite in power and ideology. He said nothing however as he walked closer. He cared not for the resiliency for life, for no matter how much it could fight, it would still die.
Then their aura’s met and their was a great struggle as plant and desolation fought for dominion over the other. Life grew and died and then grew again in the blink of an eye, becoming warped with both conflicting powers. The very water became virile with divine energy, giving life to desolation. The coral erupted with cancerous growths, as seaweed was murdered over and over again, only to come back as ghostly reminders of what they once were.
Their powers slammed against each other, hurling fragments up to miles away to explode into the ocean as Orvus and Phystene’s contest of wills continued on. The waters in the surrounding region become more turbulent as life exploded into being, only to be snuffed out a moment later. Two fragments of power, one of life and the other of desolation, landed in the same part of the ocean, twisting together. These warring powers overtook a school of fleeing fish, the animals writhing in pain as they were broken down, only to be repaired moments before death over and over again. And with each repeat of the cycle they changed. They grew larger and larger, but with each growth the light of life in their eyes dimmed just as much. They continued to grow, their bodies contorting until they were unrecognizable. The light of life fully disappeared from their eyes as a new, ghostly light appeared at the end of a rod, dangling before their monstrously large teeth. Any fish that saw that light felt compelled to swim closer, only to meet oblivion in the giant fishes’ mouth.
These new forms of life, if they could even be called that, didn’t escape Phystene’s notice. Her mouth hung open as she turned her attention towards them, a mixed look of disgust, shock, and even terror on her face. “What… are those?”
Orvus struggled against the power of Phystene but the creatures did not escape his notice either. He looked to them, and he knew them well. He focused his attention back at Phystene and spoke with each step. ”They… Are… The… Future!” He then descended upon Phystene as their Aura’s screamed.
He tackled her head on. Orvus gripped her body as they rocketed out onto dry land, crashing into the earth as rocks exploded outward. Phystene screamed in pain as Orvus’ powers tore into her, her flesh dissolving only to be immediately replaced by her own powers. She kneed him in the torso, the act likely doing more damage to her than him as the flesh there dissolved as well, only to regrow a moment later. Orvus grunted at the kick, but did not let go.
“What... are you doing?!” She demanded as she kneed him again. “How do you expect this to end?” She focused a bit of her power on a nearby tree, urging it to move to her will. To grow so quickly that its roots shattered the nearby rocks, and for its branches to bend, pick up the largest boulder, and throw it at Orvus.
Orvus felt the pain. The glorious, blessed pain but he did not let go, he couldn’t. For he knew the truth.
”Phystene...You must realize...The only way this ends… Is by one of us dying.” he whispered forlornly. He was suddenly hit be a large object, and Orvus was flung away from Phystene as the boulder crushed him into the crater’s wall. Not a second went by before the boulder exploded into a thousand pieces of gravel and dust. Orvus stood in the hole, his eyes menacing.
“Even if you kill me there will be other nature deities ready to take my place.” Phystene looked down at Orvus from the rim of the crater. “And you must know that I would be able to cause enough damage to you even in defeat that another could easily dispatch you. Then life would be free to spread uncontested, just the same as if I were to defeat you. Even in victory you will still taste defeat. Return home.” She said, a plea in her voice. “That is the only option you have that won’t result in complete defeat.”
Orvus took a step, then hesitated, coming to a standstill. He soaked up her words and came to a conclusion of his own.
”There is wisdom in your words, dear sister. You are right, neither of us would live long without the other but you lack foresight. The life you create is but a vessel. A vessel of blood and flesh. Plant and fiber. It contains the one thing that life needs most to flourish. A soul. Truly, what is life without a soul? Look at me and you shall know the answer. Thus, we shall die, together- but only after there are no more precious souls. This, I promise you.” Orvus said emotionlessly. He walked to the center of the crater and looked up to Phystene again. ”As you wish sister, I shall return home. But first… a parting gift.”
He raised a hand, and the sky grew dark. A fierce wind picked up, howling through the trees as it whipped their limbs to and fro. Twigs snapped, leaves were lost to the void and dust began to fall. A storm had come, dark and terrible to behold and unlike anything seen in Galbar before. A flash of scarlet lightning struck a tree to ash, then another and another. More trees were uprooted from the dirt, casting off into the expanse of darkness that plagued the sky. Flowers, and other plants not strong enough were simply wiped from existence. Animals fared no better as the storm continued.
As the storm’s epicenter came over the two gods, Orvus’ disappeared, but his voice could be heard on the wind all around Phystene.
”Veradax beckons.”
Then as quickly as the storm came, it vanished, leaving behind a scar of ruin and desolation.
Phystene stood still as a statue, staring at the space Orvus had disappeared from. When she was finally confident she was now alone she allowed her facade to fall away. She crumbled to the ground, her body trembling in pain has her mind succumbed to emotions she had never even conceived of.