Chapter 168: 42 Universes

My first order of business was to go stand menacingly behind Morgan, the Shadow watching with a very smug expression as the [Word] it had used worked its magic. Invisible strands helped connect all the universes together, working with them, for once, to create a more cohesive whole. Despite it appearing to help, however, there was only so much I could take at one time. Whatever plan it had, I would not sit idly by and let it do whatever it wanted. It bared its teeth in a foul grin, not looking at me quite yet. "Do you see -"

"Silence," I snapped, arms crossed, this body little more than a projection of my intent. Somewhere deep in the heart of the Four Realms my true avatar was being reconstructed even as -

My consciousness shifted for just a moment, from this internal view of myself, looking inward at the universe, to a sudden awareness of 'being' all the universes at once. Looking outward at the Void, not just in. I could...see. Paradoxes were still forming in the Void, rippling outward, while various incarnations of mine ran about smashing them before they could become something bigger. But more than that, I looked out into the Void and saw...things.

The other universes, nine, now, excluding those around the Four Realms, arrayed in a U shape before me. A singular point of light existed at the very center, a string of blue connecting it to something vast far, far above, and I knew it to be where the shard of Mr. Boxes watched us from.

The moment passed, and I returned to standing just before Morgan, the frown on my face deepening. It had not said a word while my mind had been elsewhere, but the smug smile on its face told me everything I needed to know about what it thought of the situation.

"You knew I would disapprove. You are interfering with the growth of your siblings' universes," I snapped, crossing my arms. Even if it was helping in other ways, it was shifting the way their universes were growing and that, as far as I was concerned, was a step too far.

"I am aiding in your evolution." Morgan countered, a thing I did not deny because we both knew it was correct. That one word had helped speed up my evolution, but it had been unnecessary. Just because they had not said the word, did not mean the universes of my children were not connected.

In fact, they had pretty clearly been connected even before this, even if looser in nature.

"As punishment, you are to finish what you started." I told it firmly, after but a moment's deliberation. Punishing Morgan was a tricky thing. One, it expected punishment. Wanted it, in many ways, as proof that it was "proving me wrong" or some such silly notion. Two, things that would normally be considered punishment for an unruly child, Morgan would probably enjoy. Grounding it, that sort of thing.

So, instead, I was going to put it to work.

Morgan's brows furrowed, eight eyes blinking rapidly. "What?" It demanded.

"You have six more [Words] to say before your creation is complete. Finish the job." I repeated. "I do not care how long it takes, so long as you follow the spirit of the task before you, and you do not sabotage your siblings."

"You - I, that's...!" Morgan spluttered, hackles raising, fur puffing up, eight eyes narrowing. I let this avatar begin to fade, leaning in close to the spider-wolf.

"Don't start something you can't finish, Morgan. Finish. Your. Creation. And don't think I won't be watching." And with that, I faded away, letting it grumble and stew in the darkness.

The little shit. I knew what it was doing, but it didn't have to be all sneaky and secretive about it. God above, it could have just asked. Morgan’s insistence on doing everything behind my back was half of my frustration with the Shadow.

***

The Oshun wanted to greet me with a full-body tackle, I could see the intent coursing through her body, but refrained with visible effort.

"You're ok," she breathed, wringing her hands and looking me up and down. "When Sehuyun burned you, I feared the worst." I smiled wryly, allowing the avatar facing her to turn a touch transparent just as a show. "Well, mostly ok," she amended with a small smile.

"It is over. I will want Astraea and Randus to accompany me to face Sehuyun's universe, but otherwise it is done." I said firmly. "There will be no more collisions, from this catastrophe at least."

"Good. that's good." She said, breathing a sigh of relief. Beside her Atreum, the god of war, silently tended to a forest like it was a garden. Cracks had formed in the surface of the universe below the trees, and he was using the roots to bind it all back together and promote healing. Combined with everything happening below, which was creating structure for the One World to build its shape off of, and the healing process was going well.

"Are you..." she started, then bit back the question. "The [System] is almost done." She amended, looking down. I nodded.

"Good." The [System] was just another step in completing the…whatever it was we were creating.

"What are you going to do with that?" She asked abruptly, gesturing skyward, to where Sehuyun's body still floated in the Void. Incarnations of mine protected it from the Void itself, not that the baby paradoxes could actually do anything to her scales, dead or no. I bit my bottom lip, worrying it between my teeth.

"Lungs," I said softly, and the Oshun's brow furrowed. "She fought tooth and claw against what her destiny was, what she believed her destiny was, and in many ways succeeded. But the truth remains that karma, fate, destiny, even her own desire demand that her corpse be used. If not by me, then the powers that lay within her will create something else. Much like that mysterious twelfth universe we have not seen yet, Sehuyun's body will produce a new universe. Most likely it will collapse on itself without the Nest or a guiding hand, but..." I trailed off.

"You want to be the one to shape her." The Oshun finished for me.

"Yes. Such is my right as the victor, but more importantly, such is respectful to her spirit. She is a Dragon. Her den is a treasure, but so is her entire body. As the one who slew her, it is both my right and duty to oversee how that treasure is used. So, with the Heavens as my growing body, I figure turning her into lungs would be...fitting." I explained, as best I could.

"So be it, then," the Oshun said, without judgement. "And of the others?"

"That depends on them," I said, gesturing to Sehuyun's universe, that mass of chaos that it was. "But my mind keeps seeing them as a gut, assuming they agree to join us."

"Do they have a choice?" The Oshun asked.

"They have the same choice Sehuyun had," I said softly, tilting my head back to bask in the light of one of the One World's suns. A spirit, so young and weak, darted between my legs, playing with the hem of my robes before shooting off into the sky with a giggle. Spirits...they were so different here, than in the Four Realms.

"Join us," the Oshun said slowly, "Or die as their own universe, Sehuyun’s own creation, collapses around them. That is the choice they have."

"As much as I would like to force them to join us, the fact remains that I will honor their right to choose either way." I told the Oshun. "That is non-negotiable." She didn't reply, folding her hands into the sleeves of her crimson shirt to stare out at the two things hanging in the sky above the One World. The body of the Primordial Dragon, and the nest she left behind.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

***

[I cannot express how proud of you I am.]

Keilan blinked and stared at the message that appeared out of thin air in front of him.

[Oh, this is how Mr. Boxes feels when talking to me. Weird.]

"Mother?"

[Yes! Sorry, it's not wise for me to come down to you directly right now, for a number of reasons. You need to help your universe get settled more first before you can start looking outside again. But! I can talk to you this way. Congratulations! It's beautiful, Keilan.]

"Thank you," Keilan said, warming at the praise, and looking out at his universe. The Mirror Realm reflected back upon Reality, echoing what was. There was little in the Mirror Realm, at the moment, but that was largely because Reality was nothing more than a swirling mass of Primordial Chaos int eh shape of a ball and flowing nodes that branched out from it. "Reality is where everything will happen. That is my...Physical, if you will. The Mirror Realm will reflect and reveal the depths of Reality, just like a mirror. It will be the insubstantial, to the substantial."

He was explaining it as much to himself as he was to Mother, and as he talked he felt the Realms shifting beneath his metaphorical feet, settling into place as their purposes were designed. There had already been a reflection of Reality in the Mirror Realms before, but now it was far more pronounced. Little echoes swirled in the Mirror Realm, filled as it was with mental energy, fading away as the natural chaos of his universe continued to shift.

It reminded him of Randus' land of dreams, but was far more of a true Realm than that.

Keilan turned and wondered about the rest of his universe. The light that shone upon it came from a number of miniature suns, nothing like the great Realm Sun Mother had created. Information pulsed along the connectors between nodes, almost like commands from the central hub. He could name them. He could go along and name every inch of his new domain, to prepare it for the souls that were inevitably going to start appearing - he could already feel a few, trying to form in the chaos.

But instead, he figured he'd let it be what it was. Just as Mother had done, there was no need to micromanage every little aspect - no, the biggest parts of his universe were Reality and the Mirror Realms.

Something shifted.

[Your domain is changing, Keilan. You are becoming a god of the Mind.]

Keilan could feel it. Little things, shifting in his aura, moving to accommodate this change even while still accepting the oddness that was Authority. He rolled his shoulders, wings flaring slightly as he flexed his aura.

It was time to get to work, then.

***

Alexander was content to sit back and watch, for now. He'd named his Universe parts already, going with his gut on what to call them. The Heart, the Flow, the Tributaries. The center, the movement of raw energy flowing within the narrow channels, and the narrow channels that raced around the Heart, respectively. He had not changed and he would not change. He was the Spirit Dragon, and that would remain -

[You have changed. You are the Dragon God, now.]

Alexander stared at the box blankly. "Father?" he asked.

[Indeed! Sorry, can't come talk face to face at the moment, it would be detrimental to your health.]

"What was the shaking I felt? I felt a change. And what do you mean I have changed?" Alexander asked. There was a pause. It was only for a few moments, but between beings like them, that was an eternity.

[Sehuyun arrived while you were in your trance. I had to kill her. I...well, some things have changed, kiddo. I'm sorry.]

Alexander closed his eyes, feeling the way his heart clenched in pain, and accepting it. He had known this was coming. Sehuyun would have accepted nothing less. "In the end, she was unable to change," he said, the Heart contracting around him and sending another pulse of Flow around through he Tributaries, even as it grew slowly, attempting to encompass the Four Realms. He would let it do its thing for a time, let creation settle a bit, before preparing it for life.

[In the end, she had not wanted to. She wanted to do things her way, or no way at all. There is something to be said for such a mentality, but it is inflexible.]

Alexander nodded in agreement, resting his chin on his claws and noting He had not mentioned anything about him being a, ah, Dragon God, instead of the Spirit Dragon. He didn't press. This was likely something for him to figure out, himself, not for Father to tell him exactly what it was. He closed his eyes, and felt his Authority, and the way it interacted with his universe, and, more importantly, tried is best to ignore the aching in his heart when he thought of Sehuyun's fate.

They were two different dragons, and he would not share her fate. But it was still a tragedy to have lost one as unrepentantly herself, as her.

***

Elvira knew what was coming before it arrived. She stood before the Bulwark, hand resting upon the outer edge and the other on her belly.

"Is Gilles able to come here yet?" She asked, before the message even arrived.

[Dear you need to -]

[Interrupting me? Elvira, that's actually impressive! Once you finish naming the internals, I'll let Gilles visit. You've named the outer edge, but not the heart of your Realm. That's important, too.]

Elvira hummed to herself, feeling the life within her fluttering and kicking, as if sensing their new home was nearly complete.

She lifted her head, and peered into the folded, room-like areas within the Bulwark, already creating all the building blocks of life and creation. Rooms was too easy. She didn't want to name them rooms, they had to be freer to be whatever it was they were going to be.

"Folded Dimensions." She decided finally. "They look kind of like what Morgan's Dimensional Creators would make, if give more space to be. So they're going to be the Folded Dimensions." The shift here was heavy, and fundamental. The spaces that separated the different dimensions, each making something similar, but different, protected within the Bulwark as it was. But now, the separation between Rooms hardened, and the Rooms folded in on each other, Space warping to give more space in a limited area.

There. That would give the kids more room to play in, and also let those who were being formed within more room to grow as well. But she wasn't done. She turned her attention to those protective beings who wandered about inside, so simple in mind for now, but great in purpose. Their name was easy.

"Guardians." She said, because even if they were not a "realm," they were definitely features of her universe. Key features. There was no shift in reality there, because that is what they always had been. But now they were more defined.

[Congratulations! You have successfully named your Realms. I'm proud of you, dear. I'll see about sending Gilles over soon - he'll need help crossing the barrier, and I need to make sure his presence won’t disrupt the fledgling universe first. Your bones are supporting all the others, kiddo.]

"Oh, that's why Reika keeps connecting to my Realm. Just on the outside. I was wondering what that was about - and did I hear Morgan say [Connect]? Is it causing problems again?" Elvira asked, folding her arms. "And I am still the goddess of divinity, right?"

[Yes, you are, though I suspect it is stalling the change until your pregnancy is over, and yes that is why Reika is doing that. And no, I have Morgan handled. Focus on your stuff, I got it.]

Elvira shrugged, glad to have that metaphorical weight off her shoulder, but knowing she'd have to ask Father about it again soon. He was trying to handle it all Himself again, which...ok, fine, He may have a point there since all four of them were tied up with making their own universes now.

"All I ask is you keep me updated." She said softly. There was no response this time, but she did get the feeling Father bent and wrapped her in a hug. She wrapped her wings around the phantom feeling, smiling to herself, then turned back to her universe. Now. Where should the baby's room be?

***

Rieka had only chosen one name, and refused to name anything else. In her own words, she would, quite frankly, let everything have its own shape. That didn't mean, however, she wasn't arguing with her universe.

"Stop it!" she barked, hauling on a crack and sealing it shut with EHR best approximation of glue. It hadn't been a bad crack. It hadn't even been one she needed to fix. But it had ruined her experiment, and now she was pissed at it. "I just want to try making a space of all wind energy! Is that too much to ask?!" The answer was, apparently, yes, because the pockets of elements she created keep freaking popping.

She stamped her foot and cursed.

She ignored the message , completely forgetting about it in the span of two seconds as she resumed her experimenting and then resumed fighting with her constantly moving universe.

"It's fine, it's fine! It'll be much easier when it grows bigger," she tried to tell herself. It didn't work. She cursed again as wind energy blew up in her face, whipping her hair about and setting her to cursing and spluttering once again.

I paused in my attempts to contact her, watching with some amusement as she did this.

"I'll just come back later," I muttered, and pulled out. She wasn't going to listen to me at the moment, anyway.

Still. Her realm being the muscles made quite a bit of sense, considering how it functioned. Constantly moving, always shifting, the tearing and healing helping it grow...I watching with some amusement as Reika created another bubble of ice, only for it to explode in her face. She hadn't faced obstacles like this since...well, in a long time.

Good. Some adversity would be good of the Goddess of Change, the only one of my kids to not have her divinity changed by the process of creating a universe. Elvira didn’t count yet, because her domain was still settling, her pregnancy throwing it off.

I turned away, and focused on the rest of my reality. There were just a few small matters to wrap up now. And by that time, the meeting with the other origin Deities would begin, and stage three of the Deity Trials. I had to wonder how that would look?