72 Competition

POV: Statera Luotian

The primordial chaos trembled between our divine might, the swirling chaos constantly making and unmaking innumerable creations. Entire worlds were born in the clashing of our divine wills, only to be snuffed out in the next moment, nothing ever, ever remaining still for too long. Except for within the sphere of influence I held, and the places Sylphina consistently retained. These areas held masses of creation, swirling about and spinning around us, acting as our swords and shields. The game was one of conquest - whosever domain would occupy 51-60% or more of the surroundings, truly making it 'ours,' would win.

As it were, I held a temporary advantage.

Seventeen balls of creation swirled around me as I sat in the lotus position, my legs crossed and hands pressed together as if in prayer. Each ball represented a different aspect of creation, some physical, some spiritual, and all coming together to form a perfect balance. These seventeen balls were not the core of my impenetrable defenses that allowed me to maintain a steady control over a larger area than Sylphina, no, that role fell upon the six balls of Void and Primordial Chaos that always accompanied me, now merged with the surroundings, making my sphere of influence impenetrable and slowly expanding.

It was slow and steady, each inch earned would never be lost again. The expansion of my 'domain' was far stronger than Sylphina's, and the great butterfly's ever-changing and viscious domain crashed upon my borders like waves upon a beach.

But it was too slow. Sylphina was expanding at a far greater rate, even though my own was far stronger and denser, eventually hers would overpower mine simply through sheer quantity and brutality, effectively halting my own expansion. With a sigh I shook my head. It seemed everything was coming together to try and teach me the same lesson. A burst of power pulsed out from me, destroying parts of Sylphina's domain and setting her back quite a bit. However, it wasn't enough to halt her rapid expansion rate.

"Statera, this is enough sitting around. Let us truly begin," Sylphina stated, her aura changing drastically. I nodded in agreement, closing my eyes and willing my power to be made manifest. An enormous, glowing golden image of a ten-thousand armed monk appeared around me, taking up the entirety of my domain as it sat in the lotus position. The seventeen balls of creation stopped their relentless spinning and came to rest in front of me.

"Then let us," I said simply, pushing my palms outwards and twirling my hands in a circle. A giant yin-yang symbol appeared in midair, the seventeen balls of creation spinning around the edges in a hypnotic manner. An invisible pressure began to spread out from my creation as it solidified, growing to the same size as the monk behind me, and connecting to me and my power.

Sylphina simply beat her wings viciously, raw, untamed power rushing forth and smashing against my creation with unbridled fury. Entire suns were birthed from this power, forming an endless barrage that threatened to overtake the stability of my creation and send it stuttering back into nothingness. With a derisive snort I sent out another surge of power, and the ten-thousand armed monk began to move.

Chaos spread throughout my domain, disrupting it and causing all that was focused on stability to solely focus on offense. Sylphina was visibly shocked by the abrupt change, my domain launching itself outwards at astounding speed. With no defense, however, it would do next to nothing except be a waste of power, mitigated by Sylphina's large domain.

I twisted my palms, and the thousand armed monk moved as well, acting as an extension of myself. Its ten thousand arms lanced forward in ten thousand palm strikes, each palm landing on the yin-yang circle and sending bolts of creation hurtling towards Sylphina's domain. Panicking, the giant butterfly beat her wings fiercly, raw power far stronger than anything I had conjured so far blasting forth to meet my attacks.

But that is all it was, raw, untamed power. Constantly shifting and changing in accordance with Sylphina's domain, but far less controlled and focused than my own. However, for a long, heartstopping moment the two powers cancelled each other out. The sheer ferocity of her power was enough to halt the advance of my powerful bolts. Then, they began to beat her back, the ten thousand bolts decimating her domain, shattering a good portion of it and allowing my domain to fill that 'void.' Immediately I restabilized my domain, keeping it offensive enough that its spread would be stronger than before.

The game was officially over. I had won by conquering enough 'area,' that my 'rule' would be all but uncontensted.

"That was a good match," Sylphina allowed begrudgingly. She was still a little sore that I had won the past five games in a row. But she had done the same to me in the beginning, so it evened out.

Sort of. In the end, my win/loss ratio was 43 to 37. And I was really enjoying our games.

"It was," I agreed, stroking my chin in thought.

"Quick question, are all those creations how you focus your power?" Sylphina asked. I paused and thought about it. Creating the ten-thousand armed monk and the yin-yang diagram was indeed a way for me to focus my power, so I nodded. "Hm, maybe that has something to do with it as well. Visualizing how you manifest your power...something I'll have to play with," she muttered. I nodded in agreement, wondering just how much the creations made a difference, myself.

I'd experimented a bit during our 'games,' but for the most part I was too wrapped up with other enlightenements to really think about something I did instinctually. This was also something I could do on my own, however. Learning more about my domain and comparing it to another Origin Deity's? Not so much.

"That was the last game, correct?" I asked, and Sylphina bobbed up and down in a nod. We only had a limited amount of time Mr. Blue Boxes had given us, after all.

"For now," she said. "I suspect we will be given opportunities to do the same with the other deities." I thought about that, and nodded. Yes, that would make sense. Playing this game with both Yueya and Teva would be beneficial. "Just a word of warning," she continued, slowly.

I looked at her and raised my eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.

"Don't...well, be more wary of Yueya Oshun. I understand your desire to not destroy the One World!" She added hastily when I opened my mouth. "But, perhaps you're not being aggressive enough. If the Four Realms falls, that will be four universes that perish. You need to consider all options, and not write them off. I guarantee that Yueya is doing the same, and she may not be as...benevolent as you." She said. I accepted the words and filed them away for persual at a later date.

"Thank you for the warning. I will consider it," I told her, and the butterfly nodded.

"See that you do. I do not wish to see the Four Realms fall - beings like you are hard enough to come by as it is," she added, turning and vanishing from our little pocket dimension. My frown deepened as I pondered over her last statement, wondering what in the world she could have meant by that. Beings like me?

I'm sure there are plenty of beings like myself out there. Even in the Four Realms there are beings with personalities that are mirrors to my own. Perhaps Sylphina is merely being too cynical.

With a light sigh I shook my head and returned to my own universe, following the portal and sensing the collapse of the pocket dimension behind me. Mr. Blue Boxes could so casually create and destroy such large spaces...I would struggle to truly create such a massive space, not just pure Primordial Chaos, but a space seperated from the Void just so, allowing for the birth of a new universe.

And yet at the beginning of all this, I had been given nigh unlimited creation potential. It was hilariously sobering, how casually Mr. Blue Boxes gifted such power and took it away. But, well, I also wasn't particularly interested in it. Power was...power. Alone, it was useless. I was far more intrigued by the natures of the universe itself, not pursuing power but rather...I don't know. Something different, something calmer, and something far more. Because power matters not, if the one who wields it is not...

Fill in the blank yourself, I thought idly, feeling a wave of calm wash over me as I returned to the Four Realms. As much fun playing with Sylphina was, it was good to be home.

POV CHANGE: The First (Female; Primula)

The last thing I expected when I woke up was to be thoroughly and utterly suppressed. I had been minding my own business, napping beneath a shady tree in the general vicinity of Manu Ti but far enough away that I didn't have to listen to Mother's calls, when suddenly everything was disrupted.

Or, should I say, I was disrupted. My surroundings were fine, perhaps calmer even with this sudden presence that appeared before me, looking just as surprised as I was that they had appeared before me. 'They' being a handsome man with slightly greying hair, wearing purple robes and sporting the finest looking pair of horns I had ever seen on any Fae. However, what really caught my attention were his eyes - the piercing, soulful eyes that looked through me as if they were looking through glass. They were the same eyes of that woman's from the cafe that my male body met, only far, far more powerful.

I had expected my first real confrontation with a Deity of the Four Realms to be different. This? This was far better.

The presence this person exuded was far greater than anything I had ever encountered, and the honestly hilarious thing about it was that their power was not much more than my own, nor any denser. But their presence...Multiverse Above, if I were anyone or anything else I would not have been able to sense the true depth of it. And what I sensed was that there was no bottom. It was depthless and possessing a depth that stretched into infinity, all at the same time. Paradoxical in nature, yet completely real.

Yet still, the presence was inexplicably calming. The entire universe calmed when this man arrived, like a newborn child upon recognizing its parent...waitaminute.

"Holy fuck," I whispered, and the man frowned in a thoughtful expression.

"Though I have not taken part in such proclivities since my last mortal life, I suppose I would make a 'holy fuck,' or perhaps have one," he mused, and I couldn't help the startled laughter that escaped me, even as the presence all but suppressed me. It wasn't actively supressing me, but the sheer weight of it still affected me - my very soul, even.

"No - I mean, you're an Origin Deity!" I let out, eyes wide. Did this mean that this man was also the 'parent' of the green-eyed woman, who I had yet to locate but suspected was a deity of some kind? Unbidden, millions of memory fragments rose to the forefront of my brain, driven by the pressure of the Origin Deity and guided by the word 'parent.'

My first child in all lifetimes I cradled in my arms, a pure joy bubbling in my chest that never quite lost its hold on me. I knew that I would remember this joy, and that it would carry on with me. It did, to some degree.

For the umpteenth time I watched my children and spouse die, murdered by the Rival. My Nemesis. It hurt so much...

Watching my children grow, surpassing me even, in certain aspects, their eyes twinkling with joy as they showed me the fruits of their labors. I smiled and patted their heads, feeling truly proud.

My children turned against me, corrupted and vile, come to claim the life of their parent in hatred and anger. And I - I had never raised my hand against them. That was one crime I never had commited. Still, I could feel their blades sinking into my flesh. That was not the worst pain.

Another -

"Don't get lost, now," the Deity said, calmly touching my forehead with brows slightly furrowed. My memories were abruptly suppressed, allowing met to breath oncea again. It had been a long time since I lost control like that. When I looked back at the Origin Deity he seemed to be lost in thought, though part of his attention was clearly focused on me still. "Fate seems intent on telling me something, through your presence. I have yet to figure out what that is," he said, and shook his head. "Ah, well, it will come in time. Farewell, for now," he said and vanished.

I paused for a moment, staring at the spot the Origin Deity - Purple Boxes-san, I assumed - had disappeared from. It almost felt as if he was still present, because he was the Four Realms and the Four Realms were him. Then, crashing through the brush came my brother Yamua.

"Prim, where are - there you are! Is this where you've been - wait, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," he blurted out, invading my personal space with a concerned expression. I smiled, eyes sparkling as I looked at him.

"I think I'm in love!" I swooned, falling backwards with a wide grin and staring up at the sky. "With a younger man, no less," I continued with a frown. This universe was too young for the Origin Deity to be older than me....well, I was older than many universes though so that was a safe bet either way. "No matter! The power of love knows no bounds!"

Yamua frowned at me, shook his head, and just turned and walked away, leaving me alone with my own insanity.

He has learned well.

POV CHANGE: Randus

"I don't get it," Mother muttered to Herself, stroking Her chin as She looked out towards the Primordial Chaos. She had been rather distracted ever since She came back, Her trip having only taken a thousand years and yet having profound effects on Her aura. I could no longer sense even the barest hint of the vestiges of Her power, that is how far above me She was.

"Don't get what?" Alexander asked, in his draconian form and enjoying the cup of tea Mother had provided for him.

"Well, everything," Mother admitted with a sigh. "But also...well, everything is telling me to be more aggressive in my actions, but I don't believe that is the answer. Nor do I believe that is what is truly being said, especially after watching those few memories of the First."

Alexander rumbled something, and the conversation changed from there, leading off into the abstract - abstract even for one such as myself, who presides over dreams. Eventually, however, Alexander left to go watch over his Realm and attend to his duties, leaving Mother and I alone together.

For yet a while longer, She remained quiet, alone with Her thoughts. "Alright, that's enough of that," She said, standing up and grinning brightly. "I'm done with being introspective. The answer will come to me when it is time for it to, no sooner, and no later. Fate is currently giving me a headache," She said, nodding to Herself.

"As you say," I deadpanned. Mother ignored me, however.

"Instead I'm going to go for a walk and clear my head. When I get back, I'll go see what Keilan wants. Stall him for me, would you?" She asked, and disappeared the momemnt before Keilan burst into the room. I sighed inwardly, turning to face Keilan and Reika, who had accompanied him. Of course She would leave me with the annoying tasks.

But, if I am honest with myself, I wouldn't want Her to change. She is more fun this way, and wouldn't be Mother otherwise.