After the Fight with Erasa
Wamy was silently returning to the Realm of the Gods, his mind still absorbed by the echoes of the duel he had just fought.
His steps were slow, his thoughts deep.
Wamy (to himself, meditative):
"Erasa... She flirts with meta-concepts. Interesting. For now, she only brushes their outlines: she remains anchored in the depths of the conceptual, certainly superior to ordinary notions... but still too distant to inspire my fear."
At the same time, high in the Pantheon
Mü Thanatos had just concluded an important audience. As she was about to leave the hall bathed in cosmic light, an imposing figure stood before her.
It was Zeus.
His voice, deep and commanding, resounded like a celestial drum.
Zeus:
"Mü Thanatos... You, the goddess drawn from the Origins, what will you do the day when, in the erosion of eras, you reign over the world forged by the hand of the Most High?
When the Realm of His children is entrusted to you, when the Crowns of Heaven rest upon your brow... will you still seek my hand to guide your reign?"
The goddess lowered her eyes, her gaze filled with ancient reserve.
Mü Thanatos:
"I don't think I'll need it.
As for the divinity I wish to become... I will discover her in due time. But I have no desire to cause suffering. I will do everything to prevent horror.
And Wamy... Wamy would be an excellent adviser. He could support me when uncertainty prevails."
Zeus, whose stature exceeded two meters, contemplated her at length. A faint worry crossed his eternal gaze.
Zeus:
"I have faith in you, Mü Thanatos. But hear this: if ever you disappoint me... I will be forced to strike you down myself.
Betray neither my commandments nor those of the One who is the origin.
You are from the Garbhadonkasay. Act according to the height of your nature."
Mü Thanatos:
"So be it."
And in a flash of pure light, she disappeared.
Back at the Celestial Castle
No sooner had she crossed the threshold than she met Wamy's attentive gaze.
Wamy:
"At last you're back, my goddess. I was worried... even if, knowing you, that was probably absurd," he said, a warm smile on his lips.
She looked at him coldly, almost distant.
Mü Thanatos:
"I don't know what you're talking about. Don't attribute to me more greatness than necessary, Wamy."
He observed her at length, thoughtful.
(Does she ignore the extent of what she truly is? Perhaps she refuses to see it... or perhaps that is a form of wisdom.)
Seated on her onyx throne set with dead stars, Mü Thanatos suddenly declared:
Mü Thanatos:
"I want a child. Like humans do."
Wamy started, petrified.
Wamy:
"Wh... What?!
But my goddess, it is strictly forbidden for gods to procreate like mortals! You would break one of the sacred Laws of the commandments! This is utter madness!"
Without a word, Mü Thanatos shaped a sphere of violet energy between her hands, drawn from her own divine essence.
She then reached out to Wamy, extracted a red glow from him, fragile but burning, and fused it with hers.
From this union, a child was born, radiating celestial light.
Mü Thanatos:
"Here is my first son."
Wamy sighed deeply. The worst... had been averted.
Mü Thanatos:
"His name will be... Validus."
The child did not cry. He remained silent, wrapped in a dazzling aura, motionless like a newborn star.
Wamy:
"Perhaps, in time, he will feel lonely... What do you think, goddess?"
She meditated briefly, then nodded.
Mü Thanatos:
"That is possible. He will need brothers and sisters."
Again, she shaped the energy. Two spheres were born, fusion of their mingled essences, then divided into three perfect parts.
Thus were born:
Saiko
Carnaticum
Mortuus
The divine children were gathered under the eternal vault.
Wamy:
"Why do you desire offspring, my goddess?"
Mü Thanatos:
"To understand... if it is possible to forge a bond.
A bond similar to the one that links me to you.
Perhaps from this bond is born love... or hatred. Perhaps in another world, under other circumstances, I would have loved you.
Or perhaps... hated you."
Wamy was left speechless, overwhelmed by the enigma. But he simply replied:
Wamy:
"Oh... yes, my goddess. I quite agree."
Millions of Years Later
The divine children had reached the age of sixteen million years.
Wamy went to meet Validus, who had built his own dimension for meditation. A vast world, populated by titanic beasts and mountains of mist.
On an isolated planet, Validus, seated cross-legged, was meditating.
A cosmic griffin, as huge as a moon, burst from the void and swooped down on him.
With a fluid gesture, Validus stood, grabbed the monster's beak, and smashed it to the ground like a mere toy.
Wamy:
"Impressive, Validus."
Validus approached. His body was sculpted like that of a god of war. Long black hair fell over his shoulders. His red eyes blazed with sovereign intensity.
Validus:
"Just impressive? I can do much more, father."
Wamy (mocking):
"In that case... show me."
Validus raised his hand.
Billions of planets gathered into a single sphere. He spun it on his fingertip, like a child playing with a marble.
Wamy (clapping slowly, calmly):
"Still remarkable."
Validus immediately appeared before him, like lightning materialized in space.
Validus:
"Father, I've had enough of these games. I am the most powerful. Let's end this charade, here and now."
But before a confrontation could break out, a gentle but firm voice interrupted them.
Mortuus:
"Greetings, father."
Only daughter of Mü Thanatos, Mortuus embodied her image almost perfectly, with one difference: her hair, like the abyss, was absolute black, and her eyes shone yellow, piercing eternity.
Wamy:
"What were you doing, my child? Do you possess the same strength as your brother?"
Mortuus (even tone):
"No. I was just walking. Seeing you, I came."
Meanwhile, Mü Thanatos rested in the celestial heights, lying on ethereal clouds, beside her son Saiko.
Saiko (head turned to the infinite sky):
"Mother... why exist?"
She contemplated him for a long time, troubled by the innocence and depth mingled in this question.
Mü Thanatos (solemn):
"Because a primordial will preceded you. And this will decided that you would be. Thus you were drawn from nonexistence and bound to being."
Saiko:
"I see. If I had been born in a nonexistent world... then I wouldn't exist at all, would I?"
She remained silent. The young god rose, a crown of sparkling shadow horns encircling his brow. His red eyes glowed with the ancient light of his lineage, while his spiky hair recalled Wamy's.
Saiko:
"Mother... could you dampen my power? It consumes me. I am... let's say, naturally inclined to laziness."
Mü Thanatos barely smiled. She shaped in her hand an amulet of gold and black light-a sealed necklace. She placed it around her son's neck, limiting his power to a fifth of his divine potential.
(Have I done the same, unconsciously, with Wamy? she wondered.)
Saiko gave her a timid embrace, which Mü Thanatos accepted, then gently pushed him away.
Mü Thanatos:
"Now go find a task worthy of your rank. You are a god. Never forget it."
On Earth
Humanity was beginning to awaken, fragile and fumbling, in the shadow of post-Jurassic times. From her cosmic throne, Mü Thanatos began a telepathic exchange with a god from another throne: Isisis 4, guardian of the World of Existence.
Mü Thanatos:
"Isisis 4... Is it time for me to implant my will on Earth? May I establish my celestial hierarchy there now?"
The god replied in a calm voice, distant and vast as the primordial void.
Isisis 4:
"Of course. The former versions of Earth have disappeared. But this one is unique. It is in her that God will sow his chosen ones. The task of ruling them through the ages will fall to you."
Mü Thanatos:
"News travels fast, it seems... I know that no one understands the architecture of the World of Existence better than you. After all, you are the most powerful quaternary god, their chief above all."
Isisis 4:
"Haha... Of course. And so should you."
Mü Thanatos:
"I believe so. But some details still elude me."
Isisis 4:
"What do you wish to know?"
Mü Thanatos:
"Tell me the foundations. Enlighten me."
Isisis 4:
"So be it."
Mü Thanatos:
"I'm listening."
Isisis 4:
"The World of Existence is populated by countless forms of life. Although it evokes the myths of the ancients, its structure far surpasses their wisdom."
Mü Thanatos:
"That's why it still seems nebulous to me..."
Isisis 4:
"It extends from the first Seat, a neutral domain, situated beyond laws, beyond concepts-in infinite dimensions. The entities dwelling there are extremely sensitive. Act with the utmost caution, Mü Thanatos... for a single mistake can shatter the balance of an era."