Learning of Hearth and Home

POV: Inesa (Goddess of Hearth and Home)

I love mortals. Sure, all deities love mortals in their own way, but I really love mortals. They're the ones who feel the closest connection to a single 'home,' somewhere to return to and feel at ease. Deities, for the most part, find themselves thinking that the entirety of the Four Realms is their home, making it very hard for me to explain my domain to them. My domain is...tricky, yet incredibly simple, a deadly combination.

Which is why I love mortals. They understand the meaning of home better than anyone. Coming home after a long day's work to their family, relaxing in their presence and sitting by the fire to just unwind; sitting by the fire in the comfort of someone's home; finding a home in another person...these were all wondrous things that went unnoticed and underrated by far too many. It's why I was currently down in the mortal realm, living a standard life amongst them as Inesa, a standard village girl.

I hummed a song to myself as I tended the field I had acquired, feeling odd at the idea of "owning" a piece of land. It wasn't mine. It wasn't anyone's. If anything it belonged to the Creator, Her Highness (though I should really stop calling Her that, after Her speech, but I can't because She's just so intimidating) but even then I figured that She'd vehemently reject that idea. Shaking my head again I continued to hum, looking up and sighing contentedly at the sight of my temporary house -home, until I could find a place to really make my own, personal, Deity home. Funny, how I did not have one yet. It's almost hypocritical.

The house itself wasn't very big, only a three-room shack with a fireplace and a large hearth, but it was perfect for me. Cozy was the word I was looking for.

"Inesa, dear!" A sudden call caught my attention, causing me to look and smile at the kindly old woman approaching. She was the village elder, and was always cooking something in that old home of hers. It was a wonderful home, full of memories of her late husband, her loving children, and rambunctious grandchildren. The small one-story building always smelt of apple pie and good times, and never failed to bring a smile to my face.

"Hello, Obaa-san. Is there something I can help you with?" I asked politely, using the proper honorifics this region of Pangea seemed so fond of. The old lady -though she could hardly be considered old when compared to even I -flushed a little and swatted my shoulder in annoyance at the title, making me giggle.

"I'm not an old lady yet! I'm still a spring chicken." She said defiantly. I giggled again at her joke and shook my head, looking down at the rice paddy I was tending. "Haru-san needs your help. A foreigner's in town, and we can't understand him." She explained. The villagers here know me as a foreigner as well, due to my intentional accent and features not prominently found in this region, and thus deferred most travelers (the few that actually came through the small mountain village) to me.

"Tell Haru-san that I'll be right there." I said, wiping my hands on my plain brown dress and moving up towards my house. Once inside I formally changed my clothes and cleaned up my hair a bit, fully immersed into the mortal way of life. Then I turned and traipsed down to the village, where I could already hear the angry shouts from the center of town. Town is a very...broad term, as in fact it was merely five one-story houses all built together around the well -one for the blacksmith, one for the elders, and the other three houses for the village merchants. They didn't stay here too often, but we still kept their houses open for them.

"What's going on here?" I asked in a quiet, yet firm, voice, startling the two men in front of me. One was Haru-san, a middle-aged man with a slowly blackening soul, something I had been trying and failing to fix. He tried to be nice, but he was far too mean for his own good. He was a first-stage cultivator too, which didn't help his already inflated ego. Some things you just couldn't force. The other was the traveler, one who came from over the mountain range judging by his looks, with both of his horns broken off. One was near the base, while the other was broken off at about the halfway point. He had fine features and hair that was swiftly greying, even though he was only sixteen years old. A crude spear was strapped to his back, and he wore clothes made of the hide of mystic beasts.

I was stunned instantly. Wasn't that...wasn't that the old man from the fishing village...?

Obviously it wasn't him, but it was his soul that now sat in this young man's body, almost five hundred years after his death. I had always wondered about the old man that had left such an impression on me back then, because souls don't normally take that long to reincarnate. Only special ones do. And, judging by the two angels that were floating above him and looking at me curiously, he obviously was one of those souls.

I bit back the nostalgia that came with remembering the grumpy old fisherman that taught me, a deity, a thing or two about what it means to have (or not have) a home, instead focusing on this topic at hand.

"Oh thank God, someone I can understand. I am Tian." The boy, Tian, said as he turned to me. I could feel something rolling off of him in waves, a strange sort of power that I instinctively knew was power. It was soulpower and heartpower, things I had learned about not but five years ago during one of Lord Gilles' lectures. "And this fucker here is being an absolute asshat." He said, jerking his thumb towards Haru-san. Aaaand, there's the grouchy old man I remember. Good to see he hasn't changed.

"He's just a little angry, there's no need to be calling him names." I said pleasantly, and Haru-san looked at me as I conversed in a tongue different than the one they use in the village. The angels above Tian watched me, making me very uncomfortable because they're basically beings under the direct command of our Creator, but seeing as how they didn't interfere I could breathe a mental sigh of relief. "Besides, you're getting angry too and it's not helping."

"I just brought one mystic beast into the village and he flipped out! He's just a harmless puppy." Tian protested.

"He brought a vicious beast into the village, Inesa-chan! It tried to eat me! Tell him to leave, and leave now!" Haru-san yelled hysterically.

"Don't call me Inesa-chan." I said firmly. Haru-san didn't really seem to care all that much, but in no way were we friendly enough to warrant that honorific. "And Haru-san, there are people out there who have the ability to tame mystic beasts. It's highly offensive to them and their partners to call the beasts vicious or evil in any way." I explained, then turned to Tian. He was just looking at me with one eyebrow raised.

"I take it you're the real boss then." He said, and I giggled.

"I suppose so. Would you mind showing me your mystic beast? Just to make sure he's not as evil as Haru says." I asked, and Tian shrugged.

"Sure. He doesn't like strangers though, so don't be too alarmed if he growls at you." Tian warned. "That's probably why butt-munch here is being so snippy." I just sighed and shook my head at Tian, motioning for him to lead the way. It's probably just a low-level mystic beast anyways. Haru-san truly enjoys blowing things out of proportion. With a grunt Tian nodded and whistled loudly, rather than walking out of the village. After a few moments a yipping sound caught my attention, and I paled.

The small grey wolf bounding towards us with a happy expression, its tongue lolling out and tiny wings flapping uselessly, was anything but a mystic beast. That was a divine beast, one that the Creator had unleashed upon the Mortal and Heaven Realms not but two years ago -the Skyshatter Wolf.

How in the world did Tian tame something like that?!?

"This is Wolfy. Wolfy this is..." Tian trailed off, looking at me even as I mentally collected myself. I knew he had a good soul...if not a lonely one. A Skyshatter Wolf was supposedly naturally very attuned to souls, and rejected most any with evil souls, so just the fact that Tian could approach one proved what I already knew...just on a different level. He truly was good. The only problem was that he appeared to have a terrible naming sense.

"Inesa." I answered automatically, looking at Haru-san. "This is a harmless creature, Haru-san. You should go back to tending your fields, I'll handle this." Haru gave me a look of trepidation, but backed off anyways, all but fleeing from the village. None of the other villagers had gathered yet, all having been out in the fields while this was going on, so thankfully I didn't have to smooth over any of their anxiousness. "Tian, if you would follow me." I said with a smile, and Tian nodded, looking down at Wolfy.

"Is he ok?" He asked hesitantly.

"Of course. He's perfectly fine. Just a harmless little puppy." I said with a smile, said smile widening when the little wolf ran up to me and gently nuzzled my leg. I bent down and scratched him behind the ears, earning myself a happy yip. Another giggle escaped me, and Tian made an impressed noise.

"He seems to like you." Tian said, eyeing me curiously. I made a noise in the back of my throat, unconsciously flicking my eyes up towards the angels, who now seemed to be watching me with even more intensity. Though Tian noticed the action he didn't seem to think anything of it.

"So he does. Follow me, please." I repeated, smiling lightly and working my way towards my home. Tian followed behind, Wolfy (I had to convince Tian to come up with a different name for the poor being) running forwards and leaping through the rice paddies, playing in the water. I wasn't too worried about the little wolf harming anything, it seemed to be consciously avoiding crushing any of the plants...though he was getting dangerously close.

Halfway to my house my thoughts were interrupted by mild cursing from Tian, and the sound of something hitting the ground...hard. I glanced over my shoulder to look at him, raising my eyebrows at the angel that had just tripped Tian, a nonplussed look on his face.

"He was doing something stupid." The angel said with a shrug, standing over Tian and looking down at him. "Are you done yet?"

"Stupid...one of these days I swear I will beat the crap out of you, whatever you are." Tian grumbled, rolling over and struggling to his feet. With another sigh the angel sent another burst of power out, sweeping Tian's feet out from under him.

"I can do this all day." The angel said, crossing his arms. "Quit being so stubborn." Tian couldn't hear the angel however, and sighing in my heart I moved over and helped Tian to his feet.

"There we go...watch your step, it's awful muddy around here." I helpfully supplied. Tian flushed in embarrassment, nodding.

"So it seems." He murmured, straightening up. "So...why are we going to your house anyways?" He asked.

"Oh. I was just going to make tea, and then inquire about what brings you this far out?" I answered with a smile. Tian muttered an 'oh,' scratching the back of his head.

"Well, actually, I've been hunting a mystic beast. I've heard rumors that a pretty powerful one has been causing trouble lately, so I came to check it out. None of the cultivators I've come across have wanted to mess with it." Tian replied as we crossed the threshold into my small house. There were only three rooms, a bedroom, a living and dining area, and a kitchen connecting to it. I moved into the kitchen, grabbing the tea leaves I always kept in the cupboard (I grew my own tea-plant, around back in the little spring vegetable garden I had) and boiling some water on the stove. The fire was pretty easy to re-start, seeing as how the coals were still left over from this morning, and when I re-focused on Tian I found him standing uncomfortably in the doorway.

"It's...a nice house." He said hesitantly, breathing in the aura I had imbued my temporary home with. For a moment I just stared at him, looking into his past. He had been kicked out at age ten. For four years, he wandered the forests and mountains, always on the run, never catching a break. The next two years weren't any better, as instead of suffering at the hands of nature, which he finally began to reign in at the end of his four year stint, he began to suffer at the hands of mortal cultivators. He was angry, and fighting against the world, and I could see it.

I could see into the depths of his soul. It was yearning, aching for something, for a place to call home. For a place where he could kick up his feet and say "this is where I belong..." No. It wasn't that. It was more...he yearned for a place where he could return to, where he was wanted, not just needed. Or, perhaps, it was that he desired for the want to transform into a need. In this one moment Tian had found himself stuck in a moment of weakness -one that laid bare his soul for all those who had eyes to see.

I don't know what his past lives held, that information was beyond me, hidden from my sight even as a deity. But I did see what his soul wanted, what it needed, that which he desired the most. He, just like everyone else, desired a place where he could cast aside all of his worries and feel safe. He desired a Hearth to warm his soul. A warm smile stretched across my face as I Iooked at him. This was something I could help him find.

POV CHANGE: Alexander

I watched with a smile as Inesa and Tian interacted, the young goddess of Hearth and Home affecting him in ways that even she did not imagine. His life was able to take many paths, and for him to end up choosing this one was...intriguing. Father and I always knew that he would end up meeting a deity sometime in his sixteenth year of living, but for him to meet Inesa shows just how well Tian knows himself. His soul subconsciously guided him to Inesa as she lived amongst the mortals, because he knew what he desires most.

When he was Dei, he was always on the run, before eventually settling down and building the greatest city of cultivators for the safety of his comrades. But even if his life had not ended and he continued to be Dei, he was destined to leave Manu Ti. He had merely stayed there until he was certain it was safe for his friends -his destiny did not lay there.

In his first and second lives he learned, never truly seeking anything besides strength, which he did not have, and happiness, which he never found.

Now, in his third life, it is all coming together so he can truly find his place. It is a far more simple task than mortals make it out to be, and Tian is slowly learning that. With a chuckle I split my mind, one part of me focusing on Tian, while the other turned its attention to Gilles, who had appeared in my little cave in the Spirit Realm.

"Gilles, come to chat?" I asked good-naturedly, uncoiling my serpentine form and yawning. The deity of shadows drifted over to me, a blank expression on his face as he decided on what to say. I ended up deciding for him. "Have you asked Father yet?" I asked, and Gilles stiffened.

"Wh-what are you talking about...?" He tried to deny, his already pale complexion growing even fainter (if that was possible) and I barked out a laugh.

"You're not fooling me, Gilles. And the answer is no, I will not help you on this one. Simply because I have discovered my domain to be that of the Guide, does not mean I'll help you with every little thing." I chuckled, shaking my head and peering down at the deity. Gilles scowled, the shadows in my cave flickering with his emotions.

"I know." He grumbled.

"Yet here you are." I echoed, causing his scowl to deepen. "Who do you think you're fooling, Gilles? Certainly not Father. He knows far more than He lets on, and far more than you realize." Gilles grumbled something and nodded.

"Right. I should just do it. He probably knows already anyway." Gilles said, and shuddered. "It's still a terrifying thing to ask."

"Hm. You'd be the first of the deities to ask such a thing of Father." I responded with a nod, and Gilles nodded back, his complexion still incredibly pale.

"I'll do it...soon." Gilles murmured, and vanished. I just chuckled and shook my head at Gilles' surprising cowardice, focusing my attention once more on the mortals. My spirits ran about, influencing the physical world through the spiritual, affecting the natural world in their way. Once again I focused my attention on Tian, smiling to myself.

Simply by being in Inesa's presence, for however short a time, he was being affected by her. Shown what it means to be comfortable, to have a true home in all the profoundness of the concept, just as Father showed Tian what it meant to see and touch the "Light of God," the "Divine Soul," when he was Dei -so he could strive for it with all his might. Because when one sees and touches even the tiniest glimmer of that, either through angels or any other phenomena, they subconsciously want to reach for it.

Such is the power, and the pleasure, of being a deity.