The Void...
'Hey, my sweet sadistic Senior Sister, Multiverse ahead, wake up!' Aragorn said like a parent waking their kid up for school.
'I wasn't asleep, I was exploring your mindscape,' Phoenix said. 'Did you notice that a part of your mindscape touches what I believe is your soulscape?'
'It does?' Aragorn said in a doubtful tone.
'... It's your mindscape and soulscape,' Phoenix sounded done with life. 'How can you not know?'
'My mindscape is a representation of my mind, while my mind is a proxy of my soul,' Aragorn explained. 'I basically see my mindscape as a convenient feature used to share information, grant Jean a playground, and channel my psionic nexus. I don't pay it much attention.'
'There are many things wrong with what you said, but never mind,' Phoenix gave up on the incomprehensible. 'What about the new Multiverse?'
'This one wasn't on our route, but Void-chan guided me to it. I don't know why, so I'm curious about it,' Aragorn gestured with a cognitohazard tentacle at 'Void-chan.'
Phoenix looked around the futility, passed the hills of vacuity, and located nothingness.
'... Is this Void-chan in this emptiness with us?' Phoenix asked.
'What?!' Aragorn exclaimed. 'You can't even see Void-chan? She is here.' Aragorn moved a portion of his amorphous body to flow around Void-chan.
'I see an emptiness shaped like your female form. Is that it?' This time, Phoenix could see the contour of Void-chan inside Aragorn's form.
'Yes, but it's weird that you can't see her,' Aragorn said. 'Void-chan, can you try talking to Phoenix?'
'... I don't think that's a goo—' she stopped speaking midsentence and then stood unmoving, unresponsive, and only then did Aragorn realize it might not have been a good idea.
Phoenix fell silent for so long that Aragorn created several universes around them out of boredom.
'Terrible idea.'
>Should have seen this coming.<
[Totally expected.]
-Oversight in judgment.-
}@&#^(6)h)~`){
'Exactly as Void-chan said.'
>Void-chan is always so wise.<
Phoenix woke up to the spectacle of Aragorn and multiple of his forms resting above universes, with Void-chan being pampered—at least, that's how she interpreted it—by his multiple selves.
'Don't do that again,' Phoenix said, very humanly rubbing her forehead.
'Sorry about that,' Aragorn apologized without a single ounce of remorse. 'What happened?'
'She said 'Hi,' and I was forced to interpret the message,' Phoenix eyed Void-chan with wariness—at least where she could make out her form's contour.
'Oh? That's interesting. I assign one Self to interpret Void-chan's messages, so I never noticed that there was some form of compelling force behind them.' One of Aragorn's Selves whispered something to Void-chan, and she whispered back.
The Selves and Phoenix watched closely as the Self in question was forced to accept the message but managed to delay the interpretation.
'There's indeed some compelling force behind it, but nothing as overbearing as you said,' Aragorn informed Phoenix.
'With my full self, it might play out differently, but the moment I heard her, I was forced to understand and couldn't stop,' Phoenix said.
'Noted. Void-chan said she will keep to herselves,' Aragorn informed. By 'herselves,' she meant Aragorn, since The Void sees Aragorn as part of it.
'What about these universes?' Phoenix pointed around her. 'Do you want me to breathe life into them?'
'Mmmmm...' Aragorn's Selves and Void-chan made a thinking pose. 'Sure, let's see what happens if you do.'
Phoenix did as suggested and used her concepts to bless the universes Aragorn had created as a pastime with life.
As she did, one by one, the universes were absorbed into her.
Aragorn and Phoenix observed the phenomenon silently, unsure of what it meant.
'... They appeared in the Mystery, around the White Hot Room,' Phoenix said, perplexed.
'That makes sense,' Aragorn's Selves nodded. 'Although I created them, you breathed life into them, and given their lack of multiversal barriers, they were pulled to the cluster of universes connected to you, which purposely has one.'
With the universes gone, Phoenix easily spotted the Multiverse they were originally approaching.
'Was there something interesting about this one? It's even tinier than the first we found,' Phoenix asked.
'Yep, yep!' Aragorn said enthusiastically after absorbing his Selves and bidding Void-chan farewell. 'Among other things, there are dragons!'
Phoenix and Aragorn approached the Multiverse and, once more, loomed over it like children appreciating fish in a fishbowl.
'... These are fire-spitting flying lizards, not dragons,' Phoenix pointed out.
'I call these biological dragons or natural dragons,' Aragorn said, not denying Phoenix's claim.
'Is there a story you recognized in here?' Phoenix asked.
'No, but I did find a story worth telling about,' Aragorn pointed at a particular timeline and directed Phoenix to pay attention to it.
In the timeline Aragorn had selected, a young boy in London accompanies his mother to an underground construction site. He stumbles upon a massive cave system, and within it, the apex predator awakens.
The boy survives the apocalypse brought upon by these dragons, and about twenty years later, he leads a small group of survivors who brave life with despair and struggle after the planet was half burned to ashes by the fire-breathing lizards.
'These dragons, or wyverns, are quite the interesting biological creatures,' Aragorn commented, his fascination belying the despair for survival the humans experienced. 'Apparently, they predate the dinosaurs. Their biological cycle consists of consuming a planet's resources to depletion, then hibernating for millions of years until life replenishes.'
'Disgusting creatures,' Phoenix spat.
'Ah, right. From your perspective, these guys don't advance or evolve. They've remained the same for millions of years and stunt the growth of life,' Aragorn noted. Phoenix, as an entity of life, death, and rebirth, hated stagnation.
'... You're thinking of bringing them to our Multiverse, aren't you?' she narrowed her eyes.
'I considered collecting some samples and then raising my own wyverns,' Aragorn admitted.
'It won't be a problem as long as you fix them,' Phoenix relented.
'Oh, for sure. These dragons are the pests of pests. They eat meat or ashes, and since they can turn pretty much anything biological into ashes with enough fire, they even burn plant life. That's how the ice ages in this world occurred,' Aragorn readily agreed. 'Undoubtedly, they need heavy modification.'
'Good to hear,' Phoenix nodded. 'Are you going to interfere and alter the story?'
'No, not this time,' Aragorn denied. 'Besides, while you slept, I had enough time to collect my samples. I was just waiting to see if you wanted to experience the laws of this Multiverse.'
'Can we step in without destroying it or dying to the high mortality rate of this Multiverse?' Phoenix asked.
Evidently, this was a weak Universe, devoid of supernaturality. Given that the strongest beings in that world were mortal dragons, she feared they would either die upon insertion or outright break reality.
'Actually, this Multiverse is quite different,' Aragorn led Phoenix to observe another section of it.
'This... It's different,' she said, puzzled.
'Yes, that's what I meant when I said it was quite different,' Aragorn agreed. 'Instead of being a Multiverse composed of multiple variations of a single universe, this one consists of multiple variations of multiple apocalyptic universes, all distinct from each other.'
'I can see that,' Phoenix murmured absentmindedly. 'How can a Multiverse like this exist?'
'I actually recognized some of the stories in these universes,' Aragorn established a psionic link with her, transferring memories as he spoke. 'The Book of Eli, The Postman, I Am Legend, 28 Days Later, World War Z, Threads, Mad Max, War of the Worlds, Annihilation... A multitude of apocalypses brought about by warfare, aliens, viruses, and other unexplainable disasters. This Multiverse revolves around endings.'
'It's not exactly appealing,' Phoenix remarked. 'If we step in, we'd need mortal vessels, but these worlds are so apocalyptic that we might die instantly.'
'How did you collect your samples?' she asked.
'I inhabited a male dragon I created, the strongest vessel, and went on a rampage fighting the females while collecting samples. Then, I faced off in a one-on-one death battle with the only other male dragon,' Aragorn said.
'What happened to not interfering with the story?' Phoenix asked after reviewing his memories.
'I waited until the final scenes, so technically, I didn't interfere,' Aragorn said sheepishly.
'... Whatever. Let me try it and see what happens,' Phoenix said.
And so, they did. Aragorn and Phoenix broke off a shard of themselves and sent them into the mortal worlds.
Not even a moment later, both were back.
'I died to a nuclear strike,' Aragorn said with a deadpan expression. 'And you?'
'Cannibalism got me,' Phoenix replied with the same deadpan tone.
'Another try?' Aragorn asked, a childish excitement in his voice.
Phoenix nodded, and once more, a shard broke off... A moment later, they returned.
'An airborne virus got me,' Phoenix said.
'A death ray from an alien ship for me.' There was unmistakable joy in his words.
'Another?' Phoenix asked, now finding the experience somewhat amusing.
They went and came back once more.
'I tried reincarnating into a fetus this time,' Aragorn said with half a chuckle. 'My mother ate me at birth.'
'...' Phoenix stared silently at the wriggling mass of Aragorn's body.
'...' Aragorn stared back with a billion eyes.
'HAHAHAHAHA!' They both burst out laughing.
'A meteor got me,' Phoenix shared between fits of laughter.
And so, Phoenix and Aragorn remained outside the apocalyptic Multiverse for a while, trying and failing to enter it safely. By the third attempt, it became clear that Aragorn had been incredibly lucky when he collected his dragon samples, but neither of them paid much attention to it.
They were having too much fun experiencing mortality in such a raw form.
——————————————
Earth-199999.
~5,524 BE (Before Emergence) ~ 3,500 BCE (Before Current Era).
Mesopotamia.
"Aragorn," Steve brought Aragorn out of his contemplative mood as they observed the locals from above, hidden from their sight. "How are we doing this?"
"The deluge is the simple part. I'll do it," Aragorn stated.
"No, our Captain meant the corruption part," Kitty said.
"I planned to disguise our inhuman traits," Aragorn paused, looking at Steve. "Well, not you, but the rest of us. In your case, maybe try to look less Aryan and more Persian, or maybe not," he clarified, "and then join some of the groups around here." He pointed at the settlements within their view.
"Cause a few wars and the sort?" Natalia asked.
"Not only that. We need societal corruption, moral depravity, and all other evils—capital sins and manners of soul-muddying, bad karma-aggravating practices," he stated.
"...I don't feel quite comfortable with that," Steve confessed.
"It's not that different from some of my tasks when I was working with the Red Room. It's basically governmental sabotage," Natalia said.
"I have no issues with it. I have enough good karma to spare," Kitty shrugged.
"What about you?" Steve asked Aragorn. "Won't you abhor marring souls and turning them into 'scum'?"
"Have you ever wondered if you would kill a baby for the good of the masses?" Aragorn didn't directly reply.
"...If the masses require the sacrifice of a baby, maybe they are not worth salvation," Steve said.
His hundreds of thousands of years of experience had granted him a different worldview than his initial altruistic one. He still harbored the heart of a hero, as evidenced by his apparent inner conflict, but it couldn't be denied that he had changed.
"What about killing a baby for the sake of other babies?" Aragorn asked, unfazed by Steve's assertion. "How many babies is a baby's life worth?"
"That's a paradox. Are you doing it on purpose?" Kitty asked with a chuckle.
"No, no, totally accidental," he waved his hands in negation. "But the question stands."
"...The greater good, huh?" Steve muttered while staring at the humans going about their lives.
"I believe in my greater good," Aragorn said. "But, as you know, I care about not having you meddle in things that could stain your souls."
"And this won't stain our souls?" Steve asked.
"Karma doesn't care about subjective morality. Take a look at that guy," Aragorn pointed at a human and made a window in space to zoom in. "He is raping that girl. That's bad, right?" Aragorn questioned.
Steve nodded, Kitty made a so-so gesture with her hand, and Natalia shrugged.
"As you have seen, the morality of these underdeveloped eras tends to bend for males, reproduction, and strength. So, while in the era we are from—and in the Imperium—this would be morality black, in the current era, not so much.
"When that girl returns home with blood and semen dripping down her thighs, her mother will be happy, her father will seek the guy and force him to take responsibility by formalizing the union with the girl, and the girl herself will find initial joy in finally achieving the purpose of females according to her upbringing.
"In our moral purview, that guy is scum. In the current era's moral purview, that guy is doing as men do, and that girl should be happy to have found her man. But what about karma? If morality changes from person to person, era to era, planet to planet, circumstance to circumstance, then how would the karmic scale determine what's karmically good and bad?
"Is there something like the equivalent of the Ten Commandments to guide the karmic scale? Or maybe an Abstract of karma in charge of defining what's good and bad? But even if circumstances are infinite and too varied to work with, the karmic scale should consider them to some extent. So where is the line drawn?
"Hence, the karmic scale accounts for the intentions, objectives, and actions of all parties involved. Let's use this guy as an example. Was he raping the girl with the intention of taking responsibility for her? Was he simply looking for sexual relief? Was he previously engaged? Was he violent? Or just forceful?
"And what about the girl? Was she previously spoken for? Was she scared, sad, and/or angry about the rape? Did she like it? Did she incite it to lock him in marriage? Did she accept it and roll with it as her upbringing dictated? How much suffering did she experience? Did she suffer at all? Was she left resentful or grateful?
"Then things turn a bit more metaphysical. Was she meant to turn into a great evil if she wasn't raped? Was he meant to turn into a great evil if she didn't lock him in marriage? Was she meant to incite a great evil if she wasn't raped? Was she meant to turn into a great blessing if she were not raped? Was he meant to be turned into a great blessing if she had not seduced him?
"As you can see, the karmic scale is raw and uncensored. Having good karma often means goodness, but that's not always the case—same as having bad karma. So, what do we learn from this?" he asked, eyeing his uncomfortable and perplexed audience.
They didn't expect the victim to be equally scrutinized as the perpetrator, and that left them unsettled.
"That there's a relationship between objectives, intentions, and results, and that morality doesn't matter much in the equation?" Kitty asked, doubtful of her conclusion and equally afraid of its implications.
"You're right." Aragorn petted the downcast ears of Kitty. "Morality is not as important as the objectives, intentions, and results of both the 'victims' and perpetrators."
"It's bad to kill, but if you kill a guy who wanted to kill while you knew of his intentions, then it turns into good karma," Natalia said, almost in questioning.
"Yes, and if you apply that concept to most actions, then morality at some point turns into a tertiary concern. You could do unspeakable horrors, so long as you knowingly target scum, or you could show immeasurable kindness to scum and accrue bad karma," Aragorn said before turning to Steve. "Regardless, morality turns subjective and not that important in the grand scheme of things."
"...There must be more to this, right?" Steve asked, his eyes locked on Aragorn's. "If we are all the good guys of our story, then how does the karmic scale determine who is the best and who's the worst? There has to be a neutral line, right?"
"Just a blurry, thin, and wavering line," Aragorn said. "Usually, the karmic scale favors life, because without it, there can't be karma. It also favors nature, because without it, there can't be life. And knowledge, because with it, life can be fostered. But, like I said, the line meanders, is thin, and blurry."
"..." Steve remained silent after hearing this.
"Steve," Natalia placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "basically, Aragorn is saying that so long as you act with the goodness of your heart in mind, you won't lose your way. You're a good-hearted man. Trust your heart, and if you believe that our following actions will benefit humanity, then carry them out with a light heart."
"You're also not being forced to do this," Aragorn added. "It will happen with or without you, whether by my hands or Yahweh's."
After some time of hesitation, he succumbed to peer pressure.
Existential crises aside, time passed, and Aragorn and the Therions began to interfere with the locals to foster a growing settlement.
Seraph joined them after her business was taken care of, and soon after, the settlement grew into a town, then a city, which was later named Hamoukar.
Within the city-state, a ruling family was established—the Kish family. They became the earliest concept of royalty in history and were locally famous for being sponsored by Angels.
These Angels were five beings of unnatural beauty, almost as breathtaking as some accounts of A'Heelah. Their beauty surpassed even that of the Duskari, the renowned custodians of the Obelisks—which were currently hidden.
With feathery wings of immaculate darkness, skin of unnatural lightness—unusual for the era and location, though they were simply Caucasian—eyes of light colors (green for Natalia, blue for Steve and Seraph, gray for Aragorn, and purple for Kitty), and as eternal as A'Heelah, they stood as celestial figures among mortals.
Hamoukar grew into one of the most important city-states in the region, with the Kish family becoming synonymous with the celestial-given power of rulership.
''Father, have you found your Noah?'' Seraph whispered into Aragorn's ear from the comfort of his back, lying atop him.
''No, but I believe I will groom a Noah,'' Aragorn said.
''I think you should do so soon,'' Seraph advised. ''Given that the corruption phase will soon begin, it will be hard to find a pure-hearted human once this turns into a cesspool.''
''I guess I should,'' Aragorn reluctantly agreed.
He was reluctant because grooming a human to be Noah meant staying close to a particular human for a long time, and he didn't want that.
But it was necessary to prevent future problems, so he swallowed his complaints.
10 years later...
Grooming a Noah isn't as straightforward an operation as I initially thought.
No, the real problem is the ark-building enterprise. The ark is meant to house a breeding pair of all species on Earth—at least if we follow the scripture, that is the case. But housing a breeding pair of all species is a fool's dream when the most advanced ships I've seen are made from bundled reeds and maybe some wood.
Even by modern-age standards, humanity would need the minds of Richards, Playboy, and Doom working together to find a solution to this problem.
Without interfering with space, I believe you would need something the size of my Halo to fit all land-locked animals—along with their feed for over a year—and by that point, the vessel wouldn't float on water. Maybe on mercury, but definitely not on water.
... Well, if it were made of vibranium with a skeleton of adamantium, maybe it could float on water while maintaining structural integrity. But I don't believe there's enough vibranium for that on Earth.
The point is, while I don't plan to have my future Noah build an ark to house a breeding pair of all animals on Earth, I do intend to have him build an ark of myths.
Building such a thing demands resources that the average shepherd can't afford. This is why I always had my doubts when I was human—you never knew where the metaphor stopped being one and turned into a fact you were supposed to believe in. But well, that was the thing with my generation—we doubted everything.
I digress. Assuming material resources are not a problem because Cosmo's pack will take care of it, Noah would still need manpower to build the Ark within his lifetime. Otherwise, he would be following in Moses's footsteps with his promised land that he never got to see. Or maybe the whole thing about Noah being over 500 years old was accurate.
The only people with the power to command enough hands for this gargantuan task are the Kish, but they are to be corrupted, so they are not an option.
'This is requiring more miracles than I first expected.'
[Like how many miracles are too many?]
>Maybe we (I) could make Noah a mutant?<
'...'
[...]
-Maybe...-
Assuming I turn Noah into a Hashirama—or more accurately, a Yamato—and grant him Wood Release, then things would proceed swimmingly... but... is that okay?
How much did Yahweh intervene? Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, and it was all a metaphor. Maybe the Great Flood was just a seasonal flood of the Tigris and Euphrates, or maybe the Black Sea deluge was the source of inspiration. Maybe the breeding pairs were only farm animals.
If the whole planet was flooded, then there should have been traces—evidence of such a calamity. Then again, when divinity is involved, truth turns subjective.
'What about the animals part?'
[Some mutation to control animals?]
>Maybe not for Noah, but for one of his offspring.<
-We (I) disguise the mutations as blessings.-
Alright, so I will mutate Noah and his people.
In that case, the family I've had my eye on should do the trick.
More accurately, two families—farmers and carpenters—who, by current standards, are affluent.
The main wife of the carpenter family is infertile, so most of the offspring came from the second and third wives. Sadly—for the family, that is—last winter, they passed away, leaving the main wife, the father, and two children behind.
The main wife can't get pregnant, but let's just say it's not due to a lack of trying...
I spiritualized myself and sank my hand into her womb just before my future father released his payload.
A blessing—biokinesis—later, I selected the best zoosperm, created an ovum of my design, and the impregnation was completed.
'Doesn't that make me my own mother?'
[Mate to your (my) father?]
>Stepmother and half-sister to your (my) siblings?<
-Let's not talk about it.-
I separated a fraction of my soul and left it for my future mortal avatar. Then I exited my surrogate mother's womb—not in a dirty way—and remained around this family and the other in spirit form for the next nine months.
Nine months later, thanks to my intervention, both families became closer—almost like sibling families—and Noah and Naamah were born.
Noah was born to the farmer family, and I had a part in his name... I might have also spiced things up for the farmer couple to get Ms. Farmer impregnated at the same time as my surrogate mother.
Naamah was my avatar—similar to how a video game character supposedly has its own will and story, but you're 'driving' it. That's what Naamah was.
She had her own soul, but since the fragment of my soul I left behind had been influencing her soul since she was a fetus, her soul was very similar to my fragment. Hence, you could call Naamah my mortal female version.
Time flew by, and the Therions' efforts in corrupting the Kish—and subsequently Hamoukar—were already showing. Hamoukar had turned into a very accurate representation of Sodom and Gomorrah, or in this case, the corrupted humanity the Old Testament would speak of.
On their fifth birthday, Naamah and Noah were promised in marriage, and by their 13th, they consummated the union—as was the tradition—and merged the two families. This was the reason for Naamah's existence; the carpenter and farmer families only had sons.
After the two families merged, I began pulling strings to favor them and allow them to grow their acquisitive power.
By their 14th birthday, Naamah was pregnant. By their 19th, they had one daughter and three sons. Shem, the ancestor of the Semitic peoples; Ham, later associated with the Canaanites and other groups; and Japheth, traditionally linked to European and some Asian peoples, were the sons. Maoahm was the daughter.
Once I was sure the biblically accurate sons of Noah were born, I used Agatha's summoning spell.
"[Evoco, Te.]"
Following my words, a dozen very showy pillars of light descended from Heaven—literally—and a small pack of dire wolves with angel wings landed before me, wagging their tails eagerly.
"Oh, who are good boys?"
At my question, I was immediately avalanched by fluffy, feathery angels.
'Head! I am!'
'Me! Pet me!'
'Head! Let me smell you!'
'Pats, pats, pats!'
My mind was spammed by the doggo angels as I grew extra limbs to pet everyone at once.
Now, all that was left was to introduce the doggo angels as the representatives of God to Noah.
What better way to do that than with a burning talking bush?
'I don't know...'
[Feels lacking, doesn't it?]
>It's strange.<
-At some point, we have Yahweh burning cities and turning people into salt sculptures.-
'Flooding the planet.'
[Using biological warfare against ancient Egypt.]
-Let's not forget about the baby-killing.-
>Or making a woman out of a man's rib.<
-Then we have him talking through a burning bush...-
'It lacks the impact of his usual flamboyant self.'
[It lacks... aura.]
>If I were Yahweh and wanted to tell Noah and Naamah that the doggo angels were my messengers, how would I do it?<
-It's got to be flashy.-
'And shiny.'
[Mythical.]
>Biblical.<
One cold night in autumn, Noah had to exit the comfort of Naamah's embrace due to the incessant bleating of his goats and sheep. Aided by the starlight and moonlight, Noah grabbed his trusty staff—proof of the millenary relationship between men and sticks—and walked cautiously to his herd.
Initially, aside from the bleating, he found nothing amiss. Then he noticed how the herd was surrounding something. He approached with the caution of someone who lived near lions, wolves, and a city of corrupted humans. Yet, all his caution proved unneeded when he found the twelve largest wolves he had ever seen in his life... winged wolves. He knew at a glance that, should they wish to kill him, his only choice would be to align his neck with their maws to end his suffering faster.
However, as unnatural as it was, Noah felt no threat. What's more, the pack of winged wolves was peacefully surrounded by sheep and goats, with no unmistakable ferrous scent of blood present.
Suddenly, the night sky was illuminated by something other than moonlight and starlight. An aurora of red, green, and gold painted the heavens. Cloud formations gathered in the previously clear sky. Iridescent lightning flashed, yet no sound followed. The cloud sea, colored by the aurora, churned and slowly took the unmistakable shape of a majestic lion... a Lion King.
Noah.
The lion-shaped cloud, its golden-hued eyes gleaming, spoke. Yet there was no sound—Noah simply felt the words as if they had always existed in his mind.
"Oh, my lord!" He fell to his knees, laying his staff horizontally before him, lowering himself in reverence.
Technically, around this time, maybe due to my interference, there was no religious following worshipping Yahweh. For the sake of my future leisure, I had to change that. So, a while back, I introduced Yahweh to the humans.
Noah, mine own creations hast strayed.
I made the iridescent lightning flash for dramatic effect, accentuating the red hues of the aurora.
I did desire to wash away all filth from mine own creation. I did desire to restart all. To forget the joy that mankind once did bring unto me... I did desire to wash thee away.
I made the clouds surrounding Mufasa—or should this one more accurately be called Aslan?—twist into shadowy depictions of the sins we had incited in the humans of Hamoukar.
And I wast about to do so, as is mine own right as Creator...
Noah trembled like a newborn fawn.
Yet these children hath stayed mine own hand.
I made pillars of light descend upon the doggo angels—like spotlights, but heavenly.
They did swear to find virtue amid corruption. I granted them a chance... and they hath delivered. They hath found thee and thine own house.
The swirling storm of sinful depictions dispersed, replaced by clouds showing Noah's family living righteously.
Make no mistake... I shall wash away the filth. Yet, through thee and thine house, I shall grant them one final chance.
This time, I made the clouds show the biblical flood I was planning to conjure.
Water shall cleanse all that is impure... Be thou prepared, Noah.
I carefully flooded Noah's mind with the blueprints of the ark Seraph designed, along with my plan and expectations for him and his family.
He blanked out for a moment as his mind was purposely overwhelmed with information. In that moment, I modified his DNA, mutating him into a Yamato of Wood Release.
Disappoint me not, Noah... I leave these children, who did stand in thy favor, in thy care.
And then, I slowly let the grand performance come to an end. The doggo angels wagged their tails and howled in unison, and the vision faded.
"Excellent," I stated.
"I must confess, I liked it," Steve added.
"It was beautiful, Father," Seraph, perched around my shoulders as usual, said.
"As the princess said, it was breathtaking," Natalia commented.
"Yep, yep," Kitty nodded. "I liked The Lion King vibes the most."
"How long would it take them to build the ark?" Steve asked.
"I estimated about 30 years," Seraph replied in my stead.
"That's more than enough to finish fully dirtying Hamoukar," Kitty said after some quick mental calculus.
"Perfect," I said, ignoring the now perpetual discomfort of Steve at every mention of the topic.
Weird child. When I was creating challenges for the Duskari, he said nothing, even when I instructed them to let the Duskari handle their crimes mostly on their own. There have been serial killers in the Imperium whose identities only we knew, yet he said nothing when I instructed them to keep their silence.
The next day, Noah awoke to the surprise that not only had he been blessed, but so had his family. Most of them received blessings of the physical type, like improved constitution, strength, vitality, reflexes, and the usual sort that a mortal at the human peak level gained.
My avatar, on the other hand, gained the ability to command and communicate with animals.
Given their apparent blessings, Noah had no difficulty convincing his family of his divine encounter and subsequent revelations.
"Aragorn," Selene called for my attention, but I didn't reply.
"Tch!" She clicked her tongue in frustration. "Master," she corrected.
"Hehe," I chuckled softly at her rebellious act. "Why do you keep fighting it? You know in no possible scenario would you win."
"...I have no problem being servile to you," she explained. "I'm no fool. I know you've been nothing but kind to me, especially given my previous actions. But that doesn't mean I will not hate this maid affair."
"What's so bad about being a maid?" I asked curiously. It wasn't even about being servile and submissive—I knew that much, given that Selene had no problem being submissive before the outfit.
"I invented maids back on our Earth," she shockingly revealed. "It was meant to be a punishment for a certain witch who betrayed me. I made her my maid for hundreds of years, until she passed away. Before dying—still in her maid attire—she predicted that, in the future, I would wear the same clothing as her, and then she laughed herself to death."
"...Leaving aside how that prediction had nothing to do with me because in no way could that witch-maid have accounted for my presence," I said, "you invented maids?!" I exclaimed with admiration.
"...Eh, yes?" She tilted her head, confused by my outburst. "I pulled some strings and manipulated some people. I created the whole servant profession, down to the attire. She was a prideful bitch, so I incriminated her, and her punishment was to become my maid for life."
"Never mind that," I shook her by her shoulders. "You invented maids?!"
"Y-Yes, yes. They were called something else back then, but the idea was based on slavery—somewhat legal and more dignified. So that the punishment could go through. That bitch had a certain status, you see."
"You have become my idol on this day, Selene," I grinned, the golden hue of my eyes reflecting in her dark orbs.
"Uhmmm... Okay, I guess?" she said, confused. I petted her head like I do my children.
"How did it go with the Council of Godheads?" I asked, bringing the conversation back to what she wanted to talk to me about first.
"Master, those guys were a pain in the ass," she grumbled. "I'm sure, had you not laden me with your and the Queen's divinity, they would have ignored me at best," she huffed.
"However, they had no choice but to take me seriously when I said you were planning to flood the planet," she grinned as if vindicated. "To say they were not happy would be an understatement. They threatened divine war, and I'm sure they would have followed through with the threat had it not been for Yahweh possessing my body momentarily."
"Oh," I arched an eyebrow. "So it came to that?"
"I don't remember what happened after," she nodded, "but when I came back to it, they were looking at me with fear. Their attitude made a 180, and they began discussing how to profit from the flood. They all agreed to make some sort of deluge myth in their legends and stay out of your way for this."
"Those guys only understand interests and power," I said. "Yahweh probably intimidated them."
"Their fear led me to believe so," Selene assented.
We observed silently as Noah and his family finalized one of the steps needed for the construction of the ark—a shipyard.
"Master," Selene called for my attention.
"Yes?"
"Why did you make her?" Selene pointed at my avatar. "Couldn't you have simply fixed the mother's infertility? Was there a need for you to create an avatar?"
"Initially, the only thing that interested me was the carpenter family," I said. "And as you surmised, I could have simply fixed the surrogate mother's problem."
It was that easy—for me, at least.
"But then I remembered some of Yahweh's regrets about the religions created by his believers," I explained. "Women in the testaments are, more often than not, simple add-ons to the men. Let's talk about Naamah. Noah's wife was never named, and Naamah became the general consensus for what to call her. The same for his sons' wives—none had names.
"Women were—are—treated as property, as mere items, secondary to their husbands, brothers, and fathers. In some cases, slave men had more rights than wives, and if it was a widow or a 'sullied' unmarried woman, then even more so. Honestly, being a woman in these eras is shit," I said.
"At least you're recognizing it now," Selene scoffed.
"Oh, please," I rolled my eyes. "Don't come at me with airs of self-righteousness. You were barely a victim in your life after you discovered your powers; you turned into the aggressor. You can identify with the plight of a woman just as much as I can."
She looked away.
"As I was saying," I continued, "the Bible was written by men who lived during times when a woman's worth was measured by her hymen, reproductive ability, and maybe her beauty—nothing more. Naturally, this mindset would be reflected in their texts.
"It's inevitable, just as someone from modern times would be biased by their upbringing. The point is, Yahweh regretted it all. He hates humanity just as much as he loves it for this. I thought I could influence future history a little by creating an important female character who still followed the paradigm of the era, yet was needed, appreciated, and respected."
"... But, Master, how much difference would that make?" Selene asked, unsure.
"Not much," I admitted, my eyes glowing green as I peered at the future. "But it's not about the change."
"It isn't?" Selene questioned.
"No, it's about my job," I said. "Yahweh is a risk—we all know it. Since my job is to prevent disasters of universal and multiversal levels, I thought he might appreciate the gesture. He will look upon this Earth's Bible and find a scripture unlike most others, and maybe that will help him with his mental instability."
"Wait, Master!" Selene exclaimed. "It was never about women's rights?"
"No. Why would I care about human rights?" I asked. "Men, women, children, animals, plants—all life has the same worth, with only children's souls being the exception, given my preference. But do you think I would care enough to fix humanity's awful side for them?"
"..." She looked at me in silence. "No, you wouldn't."
"It was only in the 21st century, and partly in the last years of the 20th, that women gained equal rights. Then things went overboard for a moment before the aliens invaded, but the point remains—humanity will take that long to fix part of its ugly side. But so what? That's not my problem," I explained. "It's not that I wouldn't act if something was happening close to me, but my interests, priorities, and objectives take precedence."
"... I understand, Master," she said after a pause. "You'll act within your perceived morality as long as it doesn't interfere with your objectives."
"Yes," I assented. "It's not like I'm a monster. I still have my guidelines, but for the moment, the past years, and the future decades, my task takes precedence."
"I hope it works as you intend, Master," she said.
"So do I," I agreed. "Yahweh is too much of a wildcard."
Time awaited no mortal. Years passed, and Noah's ark construction began to catch the attention of the humans from Hamoukar. Rumors spread and reached the ears of the Kish family.
There were several reactions to Noah's 'stupidity'—mockery and disdain predominated. The humans would gather in their free time to observe, mock, and comment on Noah's idiocy.
The fact that he was building such a massive boat was overshadowed by the sheer absurdity of constructing it inland, far from any body of water deeper than knee-depth. Then there was the drought that had plagued the region for decades—courtesy of Kitty.
On top of that, Noah claimed to be acting on a revelation from a barely known deity. To the mortals, it all looked like an affluent family wasting their resources.
Naturally, the mortals who lacked 'faith' couldn't see the doggo angels, and whenever Noah showcased his wood-generation powers, they cried sorcery. His warnings fell on deaf ears.
The Kish would occasionally parade around the shipyard, their gazes calculating. I didn't need to read their thoughts to know they were measuring their future asset—the ark. They planned to use it as some sort of eccentric building—maybe the present equivalent of a whorehouse—once Noah either lost his life or his family gave up on him.
The Therions were in charge of keeping the Kish's greed at bay, so I had no concerns there.
The mortals were not the only ones drawn to the ark.
"..." "..." "..."
Three Eternals floated silently beside me, observing the gargantuan ark as it began to take shape.
"So... are you really flooding the planet?" Sprite asked.
"Yep," I nodded.
"You said you're doing this because of some entity on the level of Celestials, right?" Druig questioned.
"And life on the planet won't be negatively affected, right?" Ajak asked.
"It won't," I assured them.
"..." "..." "..." Silence again.
"Okay, I'll say it," Sprite broke the quiet. "This all seems awfully convoluted for no reason. Couldn't you just cast a planetary illusion instead of doing all this?"
"But that wouldn't be biblical, would it?" I countered.
"I don't know, Aragorn. What does biblical even mean?" Sprite asked.
"This," I said, pointing at the ark-in-progress.
"... You're making no sense!" she exclaimed, exasperated.
"... Now you're getting it," I nodded, pleased that she was grasping the essence of the word 'biblical.'
"When you're involved," Druig muttered, "everything turns incoherent."
"Why, thank you very much," I replied, taking it as the praise it was to my paradoxical nature.
"..." "..."
Sprite and Druig exchanged glances before turning back to the ark construction.
"Do we have to take any precautions?" Ajak asked.
"No, not really," I said. "I'll veil you along with the rest of the surface. It'll be an absolutely interesting sight for over a year, but that's it."
"A fucking year?!" Sprite and Druig exclaimed in unison. Even Ajak widened her eyes in shock.
It's interesting how in their language there's a similar word to 'fucking' that my logosense is translating.
"Yes. That's how the myth goes," I explained. "Forty days of constant rain, 150 for the mountain peaks to appear, several weeks of sending out ravens and doves to find dry land, and then Yahweh tells Noah to exit the ark. The surface shall remain submerged for about a year."
"..." "..." "..." Silence again.
"Aragorn, what's the purpose of this?" Druig asked, his expression defeated—but then again, that was his usual face.
"It will give birth to the Abrahamic religions, something necessary for the timeline. Sometimes a disgusting evil, sometimes a guiding hand, but regardless, these religions are innate to humanity," I explained.
"When you talk about humanity," Druig muttered absentmindedly, "they are depicted as pests."
"Totally false," I quipped. "I have a terrible image of humanity, true, but when I talk about them, I try to say equal parts slander and praise."
"... Aragorn, is that better?" Sprite asked instead of the silent Druig.
"It balances out," I said. "That has to count for something."
"I don't want to listen anymore," Druig said. "I feel like I'll soon start controlling them if you keep influencing me."
"Yes, yes," I grinned evilly while holding eye contact. "You're fulfilling your destiny, Druig. Become my apprentice. Learn to use the Dark Side of psionics."
"..." "..." "..." Silence, once more.
"Let's better get out of here, Ajak," Sprite said.
"Yes," Ajak nodded while eyeing me wearily. "Druig, you're not allowed to visit Aragorn for the next millennium or so."
"I won't fight you on this, Ajak," Druig nodded and followed after his Prime Eternal.
"Pussy!" I said to his back, barely out of his range.
While Noah and his family focused on building the ark, Naamah and the doggo angels focused on providing food, working the fields, gathering breeding pairs, and sometimes even keeping the intruders away. Naamah's role became vital for the ark's construction.
Decades passed again, and the day of the deluge was not far away.
Enlil, the supreme god of wind, storms, and the earth of the local pantheon, visited me shortly before D-Day.
According to the myth, Enlil sent a flood to destroy humanity because their noise and chaos disturbed the gods. In both the Sumerian Flood Story and Atrahasis Epic, Enlil grew tired of human overpopulation and decided to wipe them out with a great deluge. He was later persuaded to spare a single survivor (Ziusudra / Atrahasis / Utnapishtim).
Contrary to the myth, in this reality, Enlil was having a hard time figuring out what to do regarding the upcoming flood.
"... How am I supposed to explain this to my believers?" he asked, his hands pulling at his long hair.
I shared with him the myth I knew, hoping to solve his conflict, but...
"And what's the moral of the story? Don't make noise? Don't we encourage them to make noise during the festivities they throw in our name? Don't grow in numbers? Isn't that beneficial to us?" he asked me, half out of his mind, half done with the problem.
"... I was planning to make most of them forget, anyway," I said.
"What?!" he asked, doing his best to keep his fury at bay. "If you were planning to do so, why go through all this trouble? Are you perhaps poisoned by faith? Did your believers make you irrational?"
"No, no," I denied quickly. "I meant I planned to make most outsiders forget, but Noah and his family and some survivors from Hamoukar will remember."
He sighed and asked, "Can you not flood this planet?"
"I will flood this planet," I affirmed.
"... Whatever," he gave up. "I'll just go with your idea. I'll see if I can get that illusionist girl and the telepath Eternal to help me," he said before teleporting away.
As the days of the flood drew near, I had to check on the Kree and their Inhumans.
Seraph and I had timed everything out so that the deluge would be initiated shortly after the Kree researchers had been recalled to the Large Magellanic Cloud.
I directed my gaze at the Kree Moon base, Attilan, and at the same time at the several planet-bound bases and population centers, and it was all a mess.
The Inhumans were rebelling, the Kree were fighting back while also preparing to escape since their hierarchy had discovered them and pulled back their funding.
Not only that, I was already catching stray thoughts of several Inhumans and Humans who planned to banish Alveus—the current leader of the resistance—to a distant planet because he was too powerful and could control Inhumans.
(The first image is from when he is getting captured, the second is far in the future, and the last is the comic version of Hive, his villain name. This is from Agents of SHIELD, but you don't need to know more aside from what's exposed in this chapter.)
"Classic," I muttered.
"What is?" Kitty asked. She was accompanying me these days.
"An oppressed minority rebels, the oppressing force seeks to escape, and the inconvenient leader of the oppressed minority is then sacrificed," I explained.
"Oh, yeah," Kitty agreed. "That's a classic."
"Is this about that Alveus guy?" she asked.
"Mhmm," I nodded.
"Should I save him then?" Kitty asked.
"No, his existence is not needed, just his image." After all, we can't have Hydra's inspiration among our numbers, can we?
Time passed, the Inhuman Hive was banished, and the rogue Kree departed for their home. The secret society that would become the start of Hydra was born.
"It's time," I said.
"Finally," Steve breathed a sigh of relief.
"It wasn't that bad," Natalia added.
"I had fun," Kitty beamed a smile.
"I spent quality time with Father," Seraph hugged me from behind, resting her chin on my shoulder.
"Lucky you," Selene groused. "I had to deal with deities. I'm done with those pricks. If you ever need a divine massacre, I'm in!"
"Go, stage the final performance," I said to the Therions while petting the inventor of maids.
Kitty, Seraph, Steve, Natalia, and a clone of mine assumed their fallen angel personas and rushed to the completed Ark.
Decades had passed since Noah first laid the foundations of the ark, and now the massive vessel loomed over the land like a defiant monument to faith—or folly, depending on whom one asked. The wooden giant stood complete, its hull polished by years of effort, its interior stocked with provisions and creatures gathered under Naamah's careful watch.
Then, the shift began. The doggo angels, always watchful but rarely unsettled, suddenly stiffened. Their heads turned in unison toward the horizon, ears pricked, tails rigid. Naamah, who had come to recognize their instincts as more reliable than any human's, felt her pulse quicken.
"Something is coming!" Naamah shouted.
"Board the ark!" Noah commanded from inside the shipyard.
A ripple of urgency swept through the shipyard. The once-methodical, relaxed yet confident movements of Noah's family turned frantic. Doors were slammed, ropes tightened, and animals herded up the gangway in hurried clusters.
Awoooo! The doggo angels howled, some growling.
"Woman! What did they say?" Noah asked Naamah, the only one capable of understanding them.
"They said their fallen siblings are coming," she shouted in panic. "They said they'll hold them back!"
"Trust the Lord's servants," Noah instructed. "Board the ark. I need you to keep the animals calm!"
"Father," one of Noah's children spoke up. "I'll accompany our friends. Please look after my wife and children if I don't make it," he said before jumping from the ark, waiting for no response, fueled by resolution. His peak human physique allowed him to roll and transfer the momentum.
This was Nahemon, born after Noah's youngest daughter, one of those unaccounted-for children. Noah's parents had also left behind other offspring before their passing some decades ago.
"Mother, go to Father," he said upon reaching Naamah.
Naamah hesitated for a moment, then nodded and climbed onto the back of a mammoth ascending the ramp into the ark.
Distantly, the onlookers from Hamoukar continued their jeering, oblivious to their impending doom. But Noah no longer heard them. His focus was on the sky, on the way the edges of the horizon darkened as if light were escaping from the impending wrath of 'the Creator.'
The doggo angels growled aggressively at the approaching fallen angels, and without preamble, they leaped into battle.
Clouds gathered, conjured by my power, and lightning crackled.
The end is near. Oh, so biblical!
The doggo angels and the fallen angels fought fiercely... or not. To the doggo angels, this was playtime. In fact, if one ignored the bristled fur, their wagging tails clearly gave them away. I had to use my illusions to cover it up.
The battle escalated as I darkened the skies further.
Drip, drip.
The first droplets fell, dragged down by gravity and inevitability.
"It's here!" Noah shouted. "Naamah, hurry up!"
When the last breeding pair made it onto the ark, one of the doggo angels grabbed Nahemon by the scruff of his neck with his bite and flung him across the air, straight through the open entryway of the ark.
And as he flew inside, I burst the clouds open, and the deluge began.
(Like this, obviously without the present civilization present.)
The corrupted humans, those who had mocked Noah, ran toward the shipyard, but they didn't make it far—because I had quite literally begun raining an ocean onto the planet.
I confirmed the destruction of Hamoukar within minutes, drowned to the last corrupted human, and then veiled the entire planetary surface in a form-fitting shield of psionic energy. I cast a time-halting spell, and life was paused.
The doggo angels and the fallen angels had a cinematic showdown just before Noah had to close the window serving as their vantage point.
The family cried and mourned the sacrifice of their lifelong companions... However, said companions were now floating next to me and the rest of the Therions, happily enjoying pats.
'Fun!'
'Cat, pet me! Me, pet me!'
'Cat, right there, behind the ear!'
They were particularly fond of Kitty and Natalia.
'Head, comb my fur!'
With the joy-filled voices of the doggo angels in our heads, I picked up the rhythm and opened a few portals to a dimension of water. Water cascaded from above as if the release valve of a dam had been opened.
"What do you plan to do with this much water afterward?" Natalia asked.
"I'll collect it and send it to the asteroid belt," I chuckled. "In the future, when humanity discovers it, they'll have a headache figuring out why there are frozen fish and Earthen traces in it."
"Pfft!" Kitty failed to contain her laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!" I laughed with her, her laughter setting me off.
As we laughed, the Domo approached. They gave us the equivalent of a starship headlight flash, and we moved inside.
"Aragorn, this is simply phenomenal," Phastos said, approaching me eagerly as usual. "Are these interdimensional portals? They're so similar to wormholes, but something else entirely."
While I discussed with Phastos the implications of dimensional portals in the grand equation of thermodynamics of the 'adiabatic' system known as the Universe of Earth-199999, the Therions mingled with the Eternals, and I returned the doggo angels to Cosmo.
Not long after, some deities dropped by, and Ajak allowed them entry. They were here to finalize some dealings Selene was handling in my stead—such as determining how long the deluge would last. Some oceanic deities wanted me to unfreeze their believers, while others had taken inspiration from Noah's myth and replicated something similar, so they were here to coordinate. And some—as strange as it sounds—were here to buy some of the excess water. Once their matters were settled, they returned to their realms.
"They are unusually on board with all of this," I remarked. "Besides the obvious motivation that Yahweh gave them in the form of threats, that is."
"It's not that strange when you think about it. It's like stock investing with insider trading," Selene said.
"Eh?" I voiced, her metaphor flying over me.
"If you traveled to the past and had knowledge of the future stock market, wouldn't you feel enthusiastic about taking advantage of the info you possessed?" she asked.
"Ah, I see!" I said, finally understanding her point.
"To them, this 'event' of mythical—"
"Biblical," I corrected.
"—proportions is an opportunity to use rhetoric and garner faith—for those who rely on the faith system—and believers. It's basically insider trading," Selene explained.
"How about a promotion to secretary?" I asked teasingly.
"... Do I have to wear a maid outfit?" she asked, clearly interested.
"No, but you'll need the full secretary outfit," I said with a smile. "You know which one—the glasses, a pencil skirt, black thigh-highs, high heels, a tight white button-up blouse, the whole package."
"... What's with you and outfits? Are you interested in my body? I don't think so, but you act like you are," she asked, raising a brow.
"I like pretty things. I also appreciate things that fall into my sense of aesthetics," I explained, dismissing her suspicions. "And you are pretty—physically, at least. Your soul is as dark as the umbra. Additionally, cosplay falls into my sense of aesthetics."
"... A cosmic entity with cosplay as a sense of aesthetics..." she muttered in disbelief.
"Hey, don't put me in a box," I reproached. "We—cosmic entities—come in various sizes and shapes."
"That's... as far as I've seen, correct. But I've only seen you, your missus, and Phoenix, which, according to Madelyne, means you're all 'eccentric,'" she said.
"... Well... yeah, I can't defend or deflect that. You win this round," I relented.
"~Fufufufu," she chuckled—a genuine chuckle.
"Your soul is less dark when you chuckle," I pointed out.
She blinked at my comment and asked, "Is that your equivalent of 'you're beautiful when you smile'?"
"Now, that's your self-esteem talking to your ego," I scoffed.
She chuckled once more, then said, "I'll take the secretary attire over the maid one."
I think this pest-like mutant is not that awful when she isn't ending the world. The fact that she invented maids may have played a part in her increase in worth in my eyes.
Forty days passed, and I stopped flooding the planet. I had increased Earth's total water by ~0.0005%, which may appear fractional, but that much was 1.4045×10^21 kg—the amount needed to cover Mount Everest's peak.
{A/N: 1.4 Zg, Zettagrams or 3.097 × 10²¹ pounds (lb).}
This much water should have ended all life on Earth, and Noah and every living being in his ark should have passed out due to oxygen deprivation, given that they now floated at the same height as the peak of Mount Everest.
The water should have created a mirror effect, reflecting a higher percentage of light back into space and the atmosphere, which, again, was not good for the delicate balance of life.
The increase in mass should have affected the planet's rotational speed, and the additional water should have melted the ice caps.
Life was so fucking delicate that the amount of 'details' I had to deal with forced me to focus my entire Selves on the task at hand. It was quite an interesting situation—just like I had promised the Eternals.
One hundred fifty days later, on the 17th day of the 7th month, as instructed by Genesis 8:3-4, the ark rested on Mount Ararat. My avatar gave birth to another daughter—poor girl, born in this era—and the waters continued to decrease until the 1st day of the 10th month, when mountain tops became visible.
Noah sent ravens and doves over several weeks to check if the land was dry. I was half-tempted to set the raven with an olive leaf, but I resisted temptation.
On the 1st day of the 1st month of the following year, the earth was drying up... or, more accurately, I was drying it up. There's no way that shitton of water would naturally dry up in just a year.
On the 27th day of the 2nd month, God—this time Yahweh and not me posing as him—told Noah to exit the ark. Noah went all psycho—probably due to staying indoors for over a year without internet—and sacrificed a poor creature to Yahweh and burned it, and then the rainbow came.
'How was it? Very biblical, right?' I asked Yahweh through my focus-by-sight telepathy.
'I liked it, especially the part where the angels were winged dire wolves,' Yahweh replied.
'Can't go wrong with fluff,' I pointed out the obvious. 'So, what's next? Do you need me to level a city and carve a few salt sculptures?'
'Babel,' he said.
'Oh, that's not so hard to stage, especially due to my missing obelisks,' I said.
'I'll leave it to you. After that, I can take care of things until the Exodus,' Yahweh informed me.
'I'm looking forward to it,' I said. Maybe I could create another plague—one that makes humans grow fur and turn fluffy?
Who knows, I might go and add my A'Heelah persona into the play. However, that's for another time. For the moment, I should go and gift Bor Burison a thick leather belt to celebrate the birth of his son, Odin. Maybe that belt will teach restraint to that future tyrant.
———————————————
OC Character Sheet #4
Daria Dracosnisfilia
Race: Homobestialis Magicae Canid
Beast: White Wolf
Tails: Eight
Ears: White
Hair: White
Eyes: Blue
Affinity: Entropy Negation
Divinity: Goddess of Wellness and Stasis
Background
Daria was part of the generation of widows that came after Yelena, belonging to the older group of widows Aragorn rescued from the Red Room. Before her evolution into a Therion, she was a blonde-haired, green-eyed human. Her eye and hair color changed due to the influence of her magical beast of selection.
Daria was abducted by a human trafficking ring affiliated with Hydra in America and was later sold to the Red Room. She entered the Widow Program at the age of five. She was part of the group rescued by James.
Personality
Daria is a deeply caring Therion, often found coddling James's direct family. She was the one Vladarion turned to when he wanted to escape the strict education imposed by his biological mother.
Her nurturing nature led her to develop an interest in medicine. Even within the inhumane environment of the Red Room, she was one of the few widows who received specialized medical training—though its primary focus was assassination rather than wellness.
Aside from Luxena, Daria is one of the few Therians who maintain a close relationship with their followers.
Traits and Quirks
Daria's divine field of wellness extends to all aspects of health, including mental health. As a result, her divinity grants her not only a higher mental fortitude but also exceptional physical resilience. Most divine poisons Aragorn has tested on her fail to do more than give her a mild fever.
Daria managed one of Aragorn's businesses related to anime and manga on Earth-5H1N3. Beyond being a divine healer, she is also one of the best mangakas in the Drachantheon Therion—second only to her sister-wife, Elara, the Goddess of Fashion and Arts.
She has a close relationship with Kaguya, which began with her interest in chakra as a healing tool. She accompanied Kaguya during the creation of Luci (Kaguya's child), and in return, Kaguya granted her a section of her Dimension of Chakra. Additionally, Daria has a direct contract with Kaguya, granting her access to a Dimension Lord's chakra.
Daria is a jealous Therion, but she has stated that she does not feel jealousy toward her sister-wives because she views them as sisters. To her, they were simply keeping it in the family when they all claimed James.
Dislikes
Demons
Bright days—her eyes were sensitive during her human years, and although her adaptability now renders brightness irrelevant, she still dislikes it.
Hydra and the Red Room
James's believers who want to bed him
Selene, whom she blames for Aragorn's first death
Believers and Territory
During the early days of the Imperium, her tribe remained isolated, serving as the go-to healers. Later, as all tribes began to integrate, hers was among the last to do so.
Most healing centers in the Imperium are dedicated to her, as medical research is primarily driven by her believers.
Her star system is named the Vladranic System in honor of her son, Vladarion.
The Vladranic System is one of the most militarized territories of the Imperium—second only to The Ark and the designated military territories. Daria's concern over external threats targeting the Imperium's heart of healing inspired her to strengthen her believers' military might.
The Vladranic System is the closest to The Ark, the center of the Imperium, at just four light-years away.
Aspirations
Conceiving a child
Becoming the greatest healer in the multiverse
Turning her star system into the most militarized territory of the Imperium
Becoming pregnant at the same time as her sister-wives
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{A/N:
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