There is no greater evil than men, unless a God decides to be.
"A little child has lost her way~."
Under the pale moonlight, thousands of corpses were piled up on one empty grassland near a forest.
"With a god, guiding her astray~."
Tall barriers of Ferlon's residual energy still stood greatly, as blood almost flooded with nowhere to seep out. Even the ground had long been quenched to fullness, that if it had a mouth, it would've already vomited due to stench.
"... a smile she wore, bears flesh on teeth~."
A proud corpse of a carefully nurtured and crafted vessel was slowly and gently dragged on the ground. Its decapitated head lay on my father's lap, as he combed its white hair, humming a tune I taught him earlier.
"Beauty, beauty, that she is."
I halted and dropped Ferlon's leg, stopping from dragging him to his people's corpses.
"She is not a beauty, Father. Hush now before you even anger that God." I hissed, pouting my lips, and then looked around the whole land.
To think that this was done by a momentary lapse of Ferlon's temper. We really couldn't judge one by their gentle smiles.
I sighed and then combed my hair, a black pendant slowly formed along my strands, letting it fall on my palm. I picked it up and then moved towards my father.
"Hand over the head," I mumbled and then snatched it away. He simply looked at me and then nodded foolishly, laughing and crying at the same time.
"Alright, son. Play with your Father's friend." He mumbled and then patted his lap, asking me to sit down.
"My friend." I sat down. His warmth was beautiful. So living. His body slowly eroded against me, but my smile remained, his fingers combing my long hair lovingly. His nails and fingers were slowly eaten out by my essence.
I took a strand of Ferlon's hair and gently attached a black pendant. Smoke quickly surrounds his head, a string of soul flickering and reinforcing a masked fate.
A smile appeared on my lips, and then I leaned on my father's body before looking up.
"Father, do not dare forget this son." After those words left my lips, the residual energy of Ferlon dissipated entirely, awakening the wrathful realm that was forced to pay no mind.
A giggle escaped my lips as I started hopping, chains chased after me as my father called for his son deliriously.
I turned my back to him and then grinned. Crafting my scythe once again and unapologetically beheading myself.
Finally, freed from such a troublesome body.
Click. Click. Click.
Black hair beads clashed with one another as they all dangled loudly, as my steps calmly met the realm. Golden pendants adorned my pitch-black hair; the contrast made a striking picture as they flowed against my movements.
A long, simple robe draped on my tall stature, its dark hue complements my orbs that hold a playful glint of satisfaction. Each step I take was enough to cause a rupture to the fragile boundary separating my land from the land of those who live.
A makeshift, weary dark land appeared before me.
"Grr... " A soft growl echoed as the thick, concentrated shadow took form.
A soft smile formed on my tightly closed lips before I patted his growling mouth.
"I've returned."
His blue eyes were staring at me intently, as if angered that I absorbed him in the middle of our play.
"It is unavoidable. My adult vessel was ruined, and even with absorbing you back... I could only settle for a weak childish vessel. " I murmured seriously, even leaving a bitter taste on my mouth.
Vessels are truly troublesome. If not for the war and the joys of playing in the mortal realm, I would not waste my time nurturing one.
Osiris growled at me strongly, letting out a huge breath straight onto my cold face, as if mocking me for the unfortunate fate I had encountered.
"Hm, I avenged myself at least," I muttered and then snapped my fingers once, displaying my young vessel's decapitated corpse to him.
Osiris growled as if laughing at me, his usual piercing eyes were looking at me as if I had gone crazy, while his paws were on his huge mouth, trying to hide his degrading grin. I just arched my eyebrow at him, "Do you wish to be next?"
He just shook his head as if disappointed and walked away, licking the vessel that bears an uncanny resemblance to me.
"That's still my face... " I murmured to myself, but I couldn't care less, and simply tilted my head, stretching and moving freely in my true form.
No bones, no flesh, just a soul with no need of unnecessary vessels.
However, a short amount of peace and silence has already started to become dull. My mind drifted away, reminiscing about the sight I was enjoying not even a long time ago...
I was about to make a move and maybe play once more, but Osiris's silhouette playing with the familiar head immediately made me halt.
No... at least not until I nurture an adult vessel.
Sighing, I raised my hand, letting a concentrated pitch-black smoke appear in thin air. I hummed gently as I formed a harp as tall as me and let it sit afloat in the air.
"Do you want me to play, Osiris?" I muttered without looking back at him, but I immediately started when I felt him nod with a silent whimper.
I inhaled deeply and then started plucking the strings with my eyes focusing on how it vibrates and creates a tune. The energy overflowing from my strings slowly resonated with the dimension.
"Like a rolling sand, Osiris rolled on the mountain of corpses~" I sang meticulously, which made the shameless beast growl in protest.
"Tumbling down like an idiotic beast of Sinrad[1]~."
Laughter filled the void accompanying my silly little song about Osiris. Fairies that I imprisoned in Devas centuries ago flocked around us, teasing Osiris, who started hiding his face with his huge paws.
A laugh escaped my mouth as I watched the fairies flick their fingers on his wide forehead as they filled the silence with their viscous laughter.
"He then fell into the ocean where mortals drown..." I hummed and started picking up the phase of my tune, "and drank the waters which made Habaek frown."
"HABAEK!" The fairies excitedly shouted Habaek's name, which made me grin and continue playing.
"You silly beast!" Habaek was enraged and pushed Osiris with his waves~"
"Sending him straight to Ares, who asked him to scram,"[2] I chuckled, which made the fairies pout their lips.
"That's not what happened, My Lord!" One complained and then sat on my harp, forcing me to stop playing. I tilted my head and simply flicked her away.
"It shall happen soon then," I muttered coldly, and was about to continue playing when a deafening sound of the bell echoed throughout my dimension, shaking the ground.
A sharp sigh escaped my lips as my vision became hazy with anger. With a simple wave of my hand, everything that I've crafted vanished into thin air, including the suspicious head rolling around.
The fairies started flapping their wings anxiously as they all flocked onto me, one even made a mistake of bumping on a strand of my hair, causing it to immediately turn into dust.
"Hush now, you little moths, you'd kill yourself." I hissed and blew a controlled breath to shoo them far away from me. Osiris was let out of the invisible force caging him and quickly ran towards me with his ears drooped down.
I immediately patted his head as I looked up, allowing the honorable guest to enter Devas. Quite a predicament, in just one day, two Gods already earned the honor to share the burden of the void with me?
The dimension opened with my permission, and the kind face of Ylora came into view. She has an unsatisfied expression on her face as she carefully treaded towards me without touching anything in my land.
"Your Highness," She greeted in a low voice before nodding at Osiris, who openly growled at her. I pursed my lips and caressed Osiris's fur before I pushed it behind me, calming its anger down.
I offered a smile to Ylora before speaking, "I trust that you have a reasonable reason to disregard the law of Devas."
An anxious smile escaped her lips before bowing her head, " I ask for your forgiveness, Your Highness. It is the Lord who sent me."
Osiris rolled his eyes and bit the hem of my clothes, pulling me away from Ylora. I chuckled and pulled my clothes back harshly, which made him whimper in protest. " Of course it is Father, there would be no reason for the Gods to reach out to me if not for his orders."
As soon as I muttered those words, Osiris growled loudly, making Ylora take a step back in slight fear. The fairies laughed at her reaction and started flying near me once again, somehow ignorant of the dangers it might bring them.
"I told you to move away...." I whispered to them and waved my hand once again to let the wind blow them away. The Fairies cried and fell onto Osiris' warm body, yet instead of gently carrying them, he shook them away, sending them so far that their cries could not be heard.
Ylora sighed as she watched us, but simply cleared her throat, "Your Highness, the Lord intends to ask you to help Sinrad."
As the slight mention of the mortal realm, Osiris wagged his tail in excitement and ran towards Ylora, circling her in glee. He growled happily as he tried to ask her why, when, and how, yet I simply glared at him.
One would not suspect that he had just come back from the realm.
"Has Father grown tired of the mortals and finally decided to end their race?" I muttered.
A sigh left Ylora's mouth before she spoke once again, "They still haven't returned..."
My ears perked up as soon as I heard those words. Surely, Ferlon won't be coming back... but they?
I stared at her intently as Osiris wagged his tail uncontrollably in the background. I licked my vicious lips and then coldly gazed back into the void.
"Oh?" It was the only response I could mutter.
I turned my back on her as Osiris ran towards me and bit off my clothes once again, but this time, he was trying to drag me towards Ylora, not away. I hissed and pulled my torn clothes away from his sharp teeth, yet Osiris refused to let go and just bit my leg instead, causing me to fall on my back.
Ylora almost flinched, "Are you alright, Your Highness?"
I sighed and glared at Osiris, who just whimpered at me like a spoiled child. He kept on pushing and urging me to go near Ylora and hear her plea.
"Must it really be me? How about Ares?" I grumbled, lying, as I sat on the ground of my land with the overbearing Osiris fighting for his dear life to push me towards her.
At the slight mention of Ares' name, Ylora pursed her lips before sighing loudly that even the fairies started to feel worried. I arched my brow and looked at her, "Has something happened to Ares?"
Ylora sighed again. I never saw a God sigh so much except I, so I couldn't help but tilt my head to the side as I shut Osiris's grumbling mouth.
"The God of War left Sidron a hundred years ago... It seems you were unaware." Ylora murmured in a low, weak voice, which made Osiris look up at her despite my hands pushing his face down.
Silence enveloped us as I remained quiet.
Ares... Ares... I was curious as to why he was not responding to prayers...
Finding things interesting, lies spewed out of my lips unhesitatingly, "I pay no mind to mortal affairs."
Ylora sighed, nodding her head. She couldn't hide the frustration painted on her usual stoic face, which made me let out a soft smile. "Besides, I dare not interfere for fear of altering fate."
"The Heavens had long given up on preserving fate, Your Highness. What we wish is for the three Gods to return— just earlier, fates of thousands were suddenly cut off, soon the realm might really perish." Her tone has a slight anger laced into it, which I couldn't help but laugh at.
Earlier... such an unfortunate occurrence did happen.
I felt Osiris try to move, but I simply used him as a means to stand on my feet again. I wiped off the nonexistent dirt on my clothes and caressed his eyes closed before his huge form slowly turned into a dark smoke, returning to my body.
"Very well, but I'd rather not go down myself..." I answered, playing my role as a good god.
A hum almost rebelling out of my lips.
I snapped my fingers to reveal a well filled with different seeds. I pulled my sleeves up to my shoulder, gently dipped my sacred hand, and took out a seed.
A black seed.
It just so happened that I found myself a worthy father. I chuckled as I caressed the fragile black seed sleeping on my perilous hands. One that had been cultivated and treasured for thousands of years under my sincerest care.
"How about I send someone else?" I whispered and smiled.
"Ylora... " I called out her name, which she immediately heed to. She walked towards me and then proceeded to receive the black seed on her hand. "Breath life into this seed, and soon you shall find your kin running back to you. "
Ylora frowned deeply and stared at the seed before opening her surprised mouth, "You do not wish to go down?"
I stared deeply in her orbs before I smiled, "I'd rather not waste my time on such a thing."
As if Father would agree.
The well vanished as I opened up my dimension, showing Ylora the way out. My fingers ran through my long hair while she remained silent and unable to make a response.
Her doubtful gaze lingered on me, but I paid no mind. Ylora is cautious, a reaction that I understand. After all the eternity of knowing me, it'd be foolish to just blindly believe my words.
"Would this seed really bring back the three Gods?" She asked and stared straight into my eyes.
I tilted my head before chuckling, gaze lazily focused on the seed rather than the cautious Goddess, "Absolutely."
She still remained silent, which made me chuckle. Even I would doubt myself.
"Ylora, you know very well that only I can bridge Sidron[3] to Sinrad," I asked her coldly, which made her flinch, almost dropping the seed on the void, which made me sigh.
"Careful, that body is alreadyas frail as it is." I hissed and waved my hand, sending her straight in front of the crack of the dimension. "Return it to me unharmed."
My words hinted at playful yet certain doubt that they would never breathe the seed into life.
Ylora's gaze was filled with questions before she was forcefully thrown out of my land. I felt my hand shiver as well as my shoulders tremble; my lips couldn't hold back a genuine laugh any longer.
"Blind fools... " I laughed.
______
[1] Mortal Realm in Gods' language
[2] No, I'm not bad with lyrics (maybe). It's yama who is bad at making songs.
[3] Heaven Realm in Gods' language.