I'm really struggling to give these four gods a physical form. I could do it if I had enough time, but the current humans will die out before that. I just wish they lived for longer… Oh, they do now. Huh? They're going crazy and asking weird questions to themselves about the meaning of life. That's not great… I'll just revert them and try to remember to keep their lifespan finite. Back on track with these gods I'm making! I think I could create their human-like forms faster if I tied them to the humans, and to things that already exist around their planet. What should I do first?... Water ! I like water. Let's make a god of water. I'll pick that one female human and… hmmm. How do I do this?... I wish I knew… Oh I do now. There, one goddess of water! Welcome to my creation!
The cloud of light and cosmic dust targeted by Nyx congregates, and all of its mass converges into a single point. When the light fades, a confused woman now finds herself floating in the vast expanse of space. The millions of stars she could see wherever she looked were blinding her, and loud, unfamiliar sounds were periodically assailing her ears. The blue planet she originated from was silently drifting in the distance, and her senses were working overtime trying to understand what was happening. Nyx floats towards her and grabs both her hands excitedly.
- "Hi!" Nyx joyfully exclaims.
- "I'm back to normal?..." The newly created goddess looks at her hands before looking up to face Nyx, and screams in fear as she recoils "Eek!". As if reacting to her emotions, a wave of water the size of a planet forms from nowhere and crashes on Nyx. Unfazed, the latter keeps floating after the goddess. "What are you?! Someone, help!"
- "I'm…" Nyx pauses for a few seconds. "I think your kind calls me Nyx?"
- "What?..." The goddess seems to calm down. "As in, our goddess of Night?"
- "Probably? According to all these different people saying different things, I'm basically the goddess of everything."
- "What would a being such as you want from a farm girl like me?..."
- "Help managing the humans!"
- "Help?... How would you need help for anything?..."
- "I tend to space out for long periods of time, so I miss out on a lot of the stuff that your kind does. So I picked a few humans at random and extended their lifespans so that they could recount everything that happened to me in person! Going through their brains myself isn't very efficient, and on top of that I think it makes them go crazy."
The goddess raises her eyebrows in surprise, and a slight smile forms on her lips for an unknown reason. She then performs an awkward bow.
- "Well, if I can be of any use to our goddess, I will gladly help you lady Nyx." She says.
- "Thank you!" Nyx exclaims before hugging her. The stars in the distance shake, as if the universe itself was trembling. She hears a few cracking noises coming from the goddess, and when she looks down she notices that both of the goddess' arms were bent out of shape and that she had tears in her eyes due to the pain. "Oh I'm sorry!" She exclaims as she wills the goddess' arms back to health. "I just saw humans do this as a gesture of affection for their cherished peers."
- "It's… fine…" The goddess says through gritted teeth. "My name is Calypso."
- "That's definitely a name! You're Calypso, goddess of water now. I noticed you humans like long winded titles like that."
- "Goddess of water?..." Calypso looks around at the remnants of water floating in the empty space around them, the light of the faraway stars reflecting on them. She could also see her reflection, and while her face was the same, her hair was now entirely made of flowing water. All the scars she gathered from farm work were gone, and her skin was smooth as silk. She quickly realizes she's completely naked, and as soon as the embarrassment sets in, a white dress appears on her body out of nowhere. Her eyes were a piercing, bright blue with a white glow shining in their center. "Oh. Does that mean I'm the one who created that giant wave?"
- "Yes! Granted, while my will takes any form, I'm seeing yours manifests as water. That's a good thing, I've always liked water."
- "I'm still trying to make sense of all of this, but I'll do my best!" Calypso says with determination shining in her eyes.
- "That's great to hear! Now onto the other three."
Nyx waves her hands once more, and starts thinking to herself before realizing she actually had someone to talk to this time.
- "Which god should I make next?" She asks Calypso.
- "You're… asking me?" Calypso replies, her brows furrowing in confusion.
- "Yes!"
- "I'm not sure I have the qualifications to-"
- "Whatever qualifications are, I'm pretty sure you don't need them since I don't think I have them either!" Nyx cuts. "So, what would humans view as good gods to talk to?"
- "Erm…" Calypso looks up, pensive. "You should probably go for concepts people are already familiar with."
- "Like?"
- "Food maybe? Everyone needs to eat. I already… embody?... water." She pauses, staring at her reflection in the bubbles surrounding her. "Sorry, it's taking a bit of time to adjust."
Calypso waves her hands around, and an ordered spiral of water expands on an incomprehensible scale around her. It reaches so far that it collides with a faraway star, completely putting it out.
- "Oh I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" Calypso panics as the light of the star slowly fades.
- "Hm?" Nyx turns to the dead star, and it suddenly reignites as if nothing happened in the first place. "That's nothing ! What were you saying?"
- "Right you… uh… are Nyx eh?" Calypso has a nervous laugh as she tries to regain her composure. "There are many things like happiness, nature…" She hesitates, her brows furrowing slightly. "There are also worse things, like war and bloodshed."
- "Oh I know these! Humans do that all the time."
- "Have you never thought about stopping them?..." Calypso replies, with an indecipherable expression on her face. "Like, at all?"
- "I did at some point! But there's no way to make them stop without getting rid of what makes them human in the first place, so I gave up!"
- "I see..." Calypso deeply sighs.
- "Is something wrong?"
- "Not at all." Calypso clears her throat. "I guess there's also emotions other than joy, like love."
- "What's that?"
- "You… You don't know?"
- "Nope!"
- "It's…" Calypso deeply blushes after a moment of silence. "Whenever you really like someone, and-"
- "Oh I understand!" Nyx cuts. "That means I love you!"
- "What?!" Calypso physically recoils. "You've got it all wrong! I meant-"
- "You and all the humans, and other living things!"
- "Oh that's what you meant." Calypso seems to settle down.
- "Is there another meaning?"
- "Not at all."
- "Alrighty then! Since we've been talking about it, let's start with a god of love!"
- "Erm… god? Not a goddess?"
- "Does gender matter?"
- "I think so. It should definitely be a goddess, if the topic is love and not things like war and other violent things."
- "Hmmm." Nyx looks up, pensive for a few seconds. "Sure, I'll trust your judgment!"
She waves her hands once more, and one of the clouds of cosmic dust congregates and distorts to form a woman. Her hair is a bright pink, with a similarly colored aura decorated with jelly-textured hearts elegantly flowing around her. One of them was a red, broken heart, lazily floating next to her head. When she opens her eyes, they are a striking red, with white glowing hearts in place of irises. While the right one was full, the second one appeared slightly cracked. She looks around, and her gaze stops on Nyx and Calypso before she flashes a bright smile. Calypso quickly manifests a dress similar to hers for the newly created goddess.
- "Didn't think the next job I'd land would be goddess of love! I'm moving up in the world, hahaha!" The goddess exclaims, her laugh turning the nearby stars a fuchsia pink.
- "You're a lot less scared than Calypso!" Nyx observes.
- "How could I not be enthusiastic? I'm speaking to the embodiment of the universe!"
- "There's no way you're just rolling with this…" Calypso comments.
- "Oh but there is! I've been listening to the both of you, and now that I'm talking to you, I've decided!"
- "Decided what?..."
- "That I love you!"
Calypso pauses for a second, her mouth agape.
- "You… what?"
- "Love you! And everything else too!" The goddess joyfully replies as she stretches her arms out as if she was trying to embrace the entirety of the cosmos.
- "She gets it." Nyx comments as she nods along.
- "I think becoming the goddess of love might have messed with her head." Calypso sighs.
- "Maybe! Since I'm sure everyone wants to know, my name is Vivianne, and I'm the goddess of Love and Affection!" The goddess replies.
- "Welcome Vivianne!" Nyx concludes. "Now…"
- "I believe I understand how this works now." An unknown voice declares. It seemingly came from one of the faraway clouds of light that used to be humans.
Said clouds begin to form into a vortex, and its center absorbs the entirety of the light around it. When the light fades, an old man with a lengthy beard is floating in its place. His long hair was a mixture of white and gold, faintly illuminating his surroundings. He was wearing an ample black coat that featured miniature stars and galaxies, making it look like its fabric was made of a similar material Nyx's dress was, that is to say the night sky itself.
- "I should introduce myself. My name is Solomon, of the Maxia family." The old man says as he floats down towards them.
- "Did he just form himself?..." Calypso asks, dumbfounded.
- "That was awesome!" Vivianne exclaims.
- "You creatures born from the planet never fail to surprise me!" Nyx declares, smiling from ear to ear. "I always loved that ability you had of just… doing stuff without me directly wishing for it!"
- "I apologize if I offended you, O great goddess." Solomon performs a slight bow, followed by a subtle grin. "But I just had to test the extent of the abilities you graciously bestowed upon me. I am a mage first and foremost after all."
- "A mage?... Wait, are you THE Solomon Maxia?!" Calypso recoils, her eyes widened in shock.
- "Mages… Oh I know these!" Nyx adds. "You use light the same way I do, but on a waaay smaller scale!"
- "I believe that description is accurate." Solomon replies before turning to Calypso. "And to answer your question, I am. One minute, I was laying on my deathbed, and the next I was floating in the vast expanse of the cosmos, wondering if I had finally drawn my last breath."
- "Lady Nyx?!" Calypso exclaims.
- "Yes?" Nyx turns to her.
- "What actually was your selection criteria?! He's one of the inventors of magic as a concept, I'm a farmer and who even knows what Vivianne is!"
- "A slave!" Vivianne joyfully comments.
- "I picked at random." Nyx says almost at the same time as Vivianne replies.
- "Wha-" Calypso starts, but she never finishes her sentence. She just stands there, appalled.
A heavy silence falls on the scene for a few seconds, before Solomon clears his throat.
- "I believe the circumstances surrounding our respective births do not matter. We should simply assume that fate is at play here."
- "Right, fate!" Nyx exclaims. "I've never really understood that stuff, I think this might be the only thing you humans actually made up to explain why stuff happens to you."
- "Haha. You might be right." Solomon has a sly smile. "Back on topic, I respectfully ask that you appoint me as god of Magic."
- "Mmmm? Sure."
- "You are surprisingly conciliatory for an all-powerful goddess."
- "Am I? I just think you can do whatever you feel like."
- "I must thank you for your generosity nonetheless." Solomon performs another slight bow. "Now, I believe one god remains. I observed him while I was analyzing Lady Nyx's magic, and I believe he is feeling quite restless."
- "Right! What should I make him a god of? I'm really indecisive when it comes to choosing stuff for humans."
- "I suggest you let him choose then. Simply start forming him, and let him orient his essence towards the concept he feels most familiar with."
- "How do you know that much about the way I work?" Nyx asks, her eyebrows raising with genuine curiosity.
- "Studying your power has been my life's work." Solomon laughs. "There, allow me to assist you."
Solomon raises his hands, and starts executing complex motions in tandem with Nyx. Their fingers were leaving trails of starlight, drawing abstract patterns as they did. Nyx had an excited smile on her face, as she discovered more intricate ways of using her power. Meanwhile, Calypso was standing back, observing her while hovering back and forth as if she was about to say something. Vivianne notices her, and the two glowing hearts in her eyes turn full for a moment.
- "Ah, jealousy!" She dramatically shouts. "That burning feeling, now devouring you because you feel like your status as Nyx's first goddess is losing its relevance! How delightful!"
- "What?! This is just… non… uh… non…" Calypso stutters.
- "I believe the word you are looking for is nonsense." Solomon comments, his back still turned to them. Calypso could see an amused grin under his beard.
- "Nonsense!" Calypso repeats as she turns back to Vivianne. "I don't even know what you're talking about!"
- "Sure you don't!" Vivianne has a crystalline laugh, and the very void separating all of them turns a light pink color.
- "We're done!" Nyx declares as the last cloud of light finally congregates into the shape of a person. "Oh, it feels so weird to say *we* instead of *I*."
A boy appears as the final light fades. He looked like he was in his early teens, was wearing a black toga and had black hair. His appearance was very plain, save for his eyes. They were as dark as the furthest reaches of space, with even the light of the stars in the distance being insufficient to illuminate them. A bang of hair was partially covering his right eye, which looked somewhat damaged. He looks around with a chilling calm, his gaze stopping on each of the four gods in front of him. Heavy bags were visible under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in days.
- "What's with him?" Nyx asks while waving her hand in front of the boy's face.
- "I've seen a kid who had a similar look when my village was attacked a few years ago." Calypso replies while clenching her fist. The water forming her hair takes a darker color, and starts to form waves like a sea at storm. "Child soldiers."
- "Right, these!"
- "Lady Nyx, with all due respect I don't think this is something to be excited about."
- "I agree with the young water goddess." Solomon adds. "They are a testament to the sordid cycle our world is trapped in."
- "Huh. If you say so! Those make for some of the most interesting stories though." Nyx nonchalantly replies. "Anyways, what do you want to be the god of?" She asks as she turns back to the boy.
Said boy opens his mouth to reply, and makes a gurgling sound. He grabs at his neck with his eyes widening in shock, as if he was surprised by the sound of his own voice. After clearing his throat, he answers a single word:
- "War."
- "Hmmm, I remember Calypso saying this was bad. Are you sure this is going to sit right with the humans?" Nyx asks.
- "..." The boy frowns, seemingly in an effort to concentrate. "War." He repeats. "Only thing me know how do well."
- "That's-" Calypso starts.
- "Absolutely dreadful!!" Vivianne cuts as she hovers towards the boy. She extends her arms to hug him, and he stays perfectly still.
The pink aura around her flares up, and every single heart present in it cracks, turning into a red, broken heart. Tears start flowing from her eyes, and float away into the cosmos. A bit of the light from her aura manages to reflect into the boy's eyes, and that's when he pushes her away. An aura of black energy starts oozing from his entire body, making him much harder to see.
- "Stop." He utters between his teeth. "Bad."
- "You've never known love in any form! That's so unfair!" Vivianne shouts as she wipes her tears.
- "Love?..." He replies, confused.
- "INACCEPTABLE!!!" Vivianne's aura expands so far it colors a faraway galaxy in a red and pink color. Solomon whistles, impressed, and Calypso stares at the scene, her furrowed brows and wrinkled forehead making her look almost as indignant as Vivianne. Nyx simply raises an eyebrow. The boy recoils in surprise.
- "Vivianne?" Nyx asks.
- "Yes?!" She whips around to face Nyx.
- "Now that all of you are created, it's time to get to work! What do humans say again? Oh I know, we don't have time for random chatter!"
Silence befalls the space around them for a moment, and Vivianne's aura slowly retracts back to a more manageable size.
- "Come again?... This is very important!..." Vivianne asks, dumbfounded. She slowly tilts her head to the side, the anger on her face being replaced with a growing confusion.
- "We need to get to work! The humans won't manage themselves, you know?" Nyx joyfully replies as she snaps her fingers.
Space warps around them, and the next second they are standing on a white, rocky surface. Above them, they could see the planet life originated from. They all look up in awe, never having witnessed a sight like this before. All, save for Nyx.
- "Don't tell me…" Solomon starts.
- "I believe you humans call these "moons"? I think this one will be a nice base of operations. It's bigger than the second moon." Nyx replies as she extends her hand towards the planet.
- "Mission?" The boy in the black toga asks.
- "Hmmmm. Record what the humans do, I guess? And also, make sure they survive as a species as long as possible." Nyx replies after taking a few seconds to think.
- "Understood." He replies.
- "This promises to be interesting." Solomon comments with a grin.
- "I'll do my best, Lady Nyx." Calypso adds.
- "...Sure, I guess we have plenty of time to make things right!" Vivianne concludes after a second of silence.