Storytime

The question I asked last night seemed to have awakened something in my wife, as she regaled us with tale upon tale of the deeds of the Goddesses, her ability to weave a tale surprising me.

In fact, it might not have been an awakening, but a rekindling of something she used to hold rather dear to herself, as we all would sit down in the kitchen and listen to her talk, each of us enraptured by her words.

Now, I even sometimes egged her on to reduce the time spent writhing under her when I grew tired.

It wasn't just me either; Kalia and surprisingly Aethisia asked Rhefia to tell them stories of the Goddesses, whilst Camara seemed more happy with the fact that we were all spending time together.

As for Yiksa, the Dark Elf would oftentimes suggest a story for Rhefia to tell, the woman's knowledge on legends quite vast on her own right, and when I asked the two of them, they said that legends, myths, epics, and more were all a core part of the worlds culture.

If you traveled somewhere new, the stories you grew up with would be told in that place as well, just with slight differences based on location.

For instance, Rhefia and Yiksa debated which version of the fight between Bovita, the Goddess of Herding, and Netheta, the Goddess of Hunting, was the real timeline of events.

Rhefia swore that Netheta hunted one of Bovita's domesticated deer and roasted it, which angered Bovita, while Yiksa said that Bovita was angered because Netheta didn't properly tend to her own animals.

Though, even thought they debated the stories, I found that they tended to have the same substance either way; Bovita was still angered, she still fought against Netheta, and Netheta eventually makes a mistake that results in the Hunter becoming the Prey, as Bovita tricks and traps Netheta.

Using that opportunity, Netheta was made to swear that she would never hunt amongst Bovita's herd again, which made some animals on Teran become universally untouchable.

Bovita's herd encompassed unique animals, which would be tamed and worshipped before they passed, where the people who found the animal would give it a wondrous festival before sending it to Bovita, who would then bless the people with good livestock.

Each story had real world implications, which I found both fascinating and worrying, but...

"Dama, Dama! What about Hecata? Do you know a story about her?"

Kalia leaned forwards, her eyes wide as she looked between the two women, who pursed their lips and exchanged a glance.

"Hmm... how about the original Weave? Or the first mortal to grasp the Weave?"

Rhefia nodded as she listened to Yiksa, and she leaned back in her chair, bringing a warm cup of milk to her lips.

I was in the kitchen preparing our dinner, but everyone else was sitting around the fire, looking up at Rhefia as she thought for a moment.

"Back before we knew about the Goddesses, people believed magic came from inside of us; that we, the mortals, created and influenced the world with our own power. Only a select few had this power to influence the world, and they were called Witches.

Amongst the Witches, there was a new member of the large Coven that thought differently, but she remained silent. She went along with her sisters and continued to preach about how they were superior, how they were blessed by Angels of Demons to have this special body that allowed them to wield magic.

This new Witch, Morganna, was the first recorded person to be able to see, touch, and use the Weave. She watched as her sisters played around with rudimentary magics, believing themselves better than the rest, but she practiced in secret with these threads.

Her spells were stronger, more potent, and each time she plucked a thread of the Weave, Hecata grew more and more aware of someone using her power. Morganna wasn't an arrogant woman, nor was she conceited. Morganna was a researcher, a curious, intelligent woman who wanted to know why.

Why was she able to see these threads?

Why couldn't her sisters see them?

Where were these threads coming from?

What was this Weave that created the world?

Each question only made her more and more curious, and she delved deep into her research.

Her sisters envied her power, but they were afraid of her.

For a few years she studied in solitude, ignorant of the whispers of the Coven, ignorant of the swirling, murky water around her.

Morganna studied this Weave with every fiber of her being, and she eventually, through painstaking effort, indomitable will, and countless failures, managed to understand the Weave.

She understood that what she and her sisters were using was naught their own power, nor was it given by these false Angels and Demons that we had never seen, but it was coming from the world, and from someone.

One person was creating this Weave, but Morganna didn't know who.

So, she wanted to set out to discover the person responsible, but the Coven believed her too dangerous for them to continue on.

They knocked her out and fed her countless magic depriving herbs, nullifying her ability to do magic, before tying her up and preparing to burn her alive.

When she awoke, Morganna pleaded with her sisters, asking them why they would do what they were doing, but none responded. Instead, they tossed a ball of fire onto her wooden stake and set her alight.

All this time, Hecata had been watching Morganna study. She had watched this mortal attempt to understand her own power, and she grew enraptured by the woman.

Now, I didn't say it, but Morganna was a stunning, peerless beauty, and Hecata grew smitten.

She had observed this beauty from the shadows for years, and she had fallen in love with her appearance, her acumen, and her will.

When she saw that the woman she loved was about to be burnt alive, Hecata showed herself and stunned the Witches, for she used magic far beyond their understanding.

She unraveled the Matriarch Witch, doing something they believed impossible, before she explained one thing to that Coven.

Her name was Hecata, and she WAS magic. She was what they believed themselves to be, but she was more.

That was the first time mortals encountered a Goddess, but Hecata didn't care.

She took Morganna away and nurtured the woman back to health, before falling for her all over again.

The two would discuss theory for hours on end, and eventually Morganna fell in love with Hecata as well.

But, Morganna was still mortal.

She couldn't bear being in Hecata's presence for such a long time, nor could she cope with being near the Weave itself.

Hecata was killing the thing she came to love so much, but before she could go insane and begin hating herself, Morganna found a solution.

The genius Witch discovered a way she could become apart of the Weave, giving her a level of power that would allow her to stay with Hecata, forever.

When she did, she changed the world entirely.

Before, the Weave was something only Hecata could see; Morganna was a freak accident of the world, but if she never pursued her ability, the world would be different.

Now, the Weave had become partly mortal, and people began to sense it, just around the corner of reality. Some even began to see it. To feel it. They could touch it.

With that, Morganna granted mortals the ability to influence the Weave, while Hecata gained the ability to see her lover for all of eternity.

The two women are reclusive, but sometimes, very rarely, the most dedicated and talented women with magic will be able to hear the two speak to them, giving them guidance.

After Hecata stole away Morganna, little is known about what they do, because they don't want people to find them; Morganna seems to be afraid of people, afraid of trusting them again, while Hecata is a Goddess.

That is the story of why, Kalia, Astra, you two are able to see, touch, and use the Weave. It is also a warning; it's not just an amazing, powerful tool. It is a living, breathing thing, coming from a Goddess herself. So, be careful."

Kalia and I nodded, both of us glancing at one another for a moment before we switched on {Mana Sense} and took a look at the various threads around us.

Knowing what they were now felt odd, but...

Staring down at the cluster of silky white threads, I smiled gently as I nodded, returning my vision to normal as I began to prepare the rest of our dinner.

Well, it seems like these Goddesses are more relatable than I thought they'd be...

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Yeah lol, I think I fell in love with the idea of telling these stories every once in a while too, so...

What do y'all think about a few chapters here and there that are either Rhefia telling a story or a story form the PoV of those Goddesses?

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