33 It Went Horribly Awry

When Releva plunged his hands into the scrying bowl, he had unintentionally dropped the vial to the rippling waters beneath.

"Releva!" Minas shouted in horror. The vial, being fragile, sent its entire contents to the unsuspecting victim below: Mai.

His eyes widened in terror and shock, Releva looked upon his Lord. "I-I-I didn't mean to do that," he said.

Minas lunged futilely to the scrying bowl before he felt the world tip. "What?" Bewildered was the last expression on his face when everything went dark, while the last thing he heard was Qori's yell- she was addressing Releva.

"You f*cking moron!"

....

Minas feebly opened his eyes. His very being felt sore. He felt worse than he had when he'd been cursed. He didn't have the strength to even move.

"My Lord!" Releva anxiously said.

Minas could only groan. Releva's voice did not help with his pounding headache.

"Wait, m'Lord! I'll get Qori!" Leaving, Releva threw those words behind him. Minas could only sigh and concentrate on his energy. He knew that there would be repercussions, but not this bad...? What had gone wrong?

"Minas!" Qori stood before him while Releva hovered behind her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like sh*t," Minas croaked. He tried to lift his arm up but failed.

Qori chuckled, "Thank goodness." She turned to Releva and hit his head. "What were you thinking, you twit!"

Releva sheepishly raised his arm. "I was just trying to help."

"Help some other d*mn way! You almost killed them both."

"I did kill her, though," Releva quietly looked at the floor.

"What?!" Minas tried to stand, but the strength he suddenly gained quickly left him.

"Careful!" Qori helped Minas back onto the bed. She turned to Releva and once again hit his head. "What the h*ll is wrong with you? Don't tell him that!"

"It's the truth, though!"

"It doesn't matter. He's a patient, moron!"

"Um," Minas croaked, closing his eyes. "Can you just tell me what happened?"

"It was Brqi'a, Minas," Qori quickly answered him. "He tampered with the vial."

"I knew it." Minas' eyes turned pitch-black. "I knew that we shouldn't have trusted Ocis!"

"Don't be quick to judge, m'Lord." Releva shook his head. "Remember that Brqi'a has a lot more Gods on his side- even the Goddess of Fortune. As long as he poisons just a few bottles, we could have had the bad luck to pick them up."

"Or them the good luck for us to pick it up," Qori added.

"More importantly: Mai?"

Releva and Qori shared a look. Qori stood up to talk first. "You've been asleep for six human years, m'Lord."

"Six?!?"

Nodding, Releva continued. "Remember my potion? It's made the connection between you stronger. And," he hesitated. "Somehow your fates are intertwined, m'Lord."

"What do you mean?"

Qori stepped up for him. "It means that whatever happens to Mai will happen to you and vice-versa. You can no longer protect her, Minas. She'll have to go through the Gods test on her own."

Minas' face darkened, and he couldn't help the cough that shook his form. "That's not all." His eyes darted to Releva's nervous form. "You're keeping something from me."

"Mai's ingenious," Releva began. "She makes me proud as the Releva, God of Inspiration, Revelations, and Creativity. However-"

Qori spoke up, "She died before her time was up."

"So she really died," Minas closed his eyes, feeling the weight of existence on his shoulders.

"But she wasn't disqualified."

"What?" His eyes fluttered open. He bore a hole through Qori. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly that, Minas. She wasn't disqualified."

Confused, he could only stare blankly at Qori. "But all potential Gods are disqualified once they die."

"Not her," Releva shook his head. "For some reason, the Gods Test determined that her contributions to that world was greater than the demerit of her death."

Wonder filled his eyes. "So, she can still-"

"Yes, Minas," Qori's face broke out into a smile. "She can still become a God."

It was the first time he had cried tears of joy in several eons.

.......

It took several days for Minas to recover enough energy to stand, and even more days for him to finally be able to walk.

The first thing he did was watch what Mai had done these eight years.

........

He was proud. Despite her young age, she had managed to utilize everything that he had taught her. However, when he saw her face as the one she called 'Ava' died, Minas felt pain in his heart.

He shook his head. "Humans are fickle creatures, Mai." He paused, "And so are Gods."

He thought back to Brqi'a. Brqi'a was a mistake.

.....

When he was first created, he had been different from the other Gods. He was the first one to call Minas by his name instead of 'm'Lord' or 'Father' like the others.

Minas remembered a specific moment when Brqi'a had barely reached the middle of his thighs.

"What are you doing, Minas?" He spoke through the thumb that he had stuck inside his mouth. Occasionally, he made a sucking sound.

"I'm watching the flowers," Minas said. He had been sitting down cross-legged, and his fingers barely grazed a flower's petals.

"Oh," Brqi'a's devious eyes watched the dispassionate god with interest. "Why are you doing it?"

"No reason." Minas did not bother to look at the young god. Instead, he touched the flower's stem.

Brqi'a frowned. "Minas." He walked up to the sitting god, a wicked smile hiding on his lips. When he noticed that the god continued to ignore him, he crushed the flower underneath his heel.

Minas slowly looked up at the young god. His face was emotionless as he returned to look at the ground. His hands had grazed the tips of the grass instead.

Chuckling, Brqi'a left with a hop to his step.

.....

Minas shook his head and sighed. He has definitely changed. He remembered what his old friend Haerv, God of Wisdom and Patience, had told him- it would not be easy. Nothing was easy.