The Past

The sky was clear and boundless. 

The glow of the sun settled on a prairie. A praire, by the name Test Site 12.

At the center of Test Site 12, stood a large tree. One of beautiful colors— leaves of green that shimmered in vitality, in contrast to the brown trunk with branches that spread a wide shadow over a table with two chairs like a canopy. 

Beneath this tree in the center, was an endless sea of blooming flowers. A sea of many colors, pink, red, yellow and other pastel colors painted the grassy prairie with the vibe of a serene dream.. Where one would never wake up from.

A youthful girl sprinted across this sea of flowers that swayed and gave way, excitedly seating onto a wooden, cushioned chair while leaning into the backrest, appreciating the prairie with a soft smile on her features.

Her gaze especially stayed on the river, crystal clear water flowing through the landscape, shimmering in a sparkling light. Its current gentle, it splashed against a wooden water wheel, which turned in a rhythmic motion. 

The youthful girl smiled, observing and reminiscing upon changes that occurred in the animals which drank from the water—healing their wounds, giving them youthful energy and accelerating their growth of development.

However, she turned her gaze back to the front, where a lone table with 8x8 grids with figures of pawns, horses and many others lay.

"Hmm, he's a bit late, isn't he?"

She mumbled to herself, with a helpless smile on her face. And with a bored gaze, rested her head on top of her hand on the table, moving the figures on what seemed like a whim, but with careful examination, was her playing chess against herself.

Yes, playing against herself.

To any human from the future, this seemed like a heretical act. Even with the existence of AI in the era, and magics or skills that specialized in chess. Deus thought to himself with a smile, as he approached.

His physique had grown, his ashen eyes gaining a clearer luster through what Miraak thought of as 'the Divine Glow' that censored his face.

Deus seated upon the chest opposite to the youthful girl, "Promethea, you should've arrived sooner! I'm happy to see you back here after a few years! You've grown so much along the way too.."

He tried to reach across the table to pat her on the head, however, she avoided it with blushing cheeks that symbolized embarrassment.

"I'm not that young anymore, I'm already twenty. Yet you still treat me like a child…"

Deus leaned back into his seat, a smile of satisfaction on his censored features, offering a hand to the table, "Well, how about we start off with a chess match to let me see how far you've grown?"

Promethea, the girl of unnatural charisma, sighed, "Sometimes it feels like I'm speaking with one of the children at our tribe.." And then nodded.

Soon, the match began.. However, the attention of Deus wasn't on the chessboard. Instead, it was onto Promethea.

Promethea, the same Protagonist who he 'saved,' more so, 'groomed…' That didn't leave a good taste in his mouth, Deus thought, cringing internally at his wording. Had grown far from the original image she presented in the tribe..

Deus moved his pawn first, but his gaze moved to the blue sky, and beyond into the past..

—

What is the most important thing for human survival?

Some might say love, others might argue friendship or dreams and honor. There were also some who mentioned work, hobbies, a personality, a mind.To some extent, they were all correct.

However, what Deus was thinking about was not these. But the most fundamental forces necessary for human survival, or the ones most necessary for the Stone-humans. 

Warmth, sustenance and power.

Without warmth, the cold would wither down their skin, making one unable to move, especially for the younger ones. Moreover, considering how the seasons outside of Test Site 12 changed drastically— Even with the sun shining, it could be as cold as winter, it was hard to survive even without being a Stone-human.

Without food, any normal creature would die out. Stone-humans could survive off rocks, but it wasn't enough to sustain them. They needed meat, protein-filled ones.

And power. Without power, the above mentioned requirements could be stolen away at any moment. 

The gaze of Deus was fixated on the tribe of stone-like people and the tragic site which was their tribe being burned down. Nonetheless, he didn't interfere to save them early on.

A canon event, a trauma, an awakening event, there were names for tragic events like this that occurred to everyone. Most of them granted power to people, from emotional strength to special traits that made them learn faster.

And It was exactly these events that made Protagonists shine. 

Without it, a person with a Protagonist Halo would meet misfortune without purpose, not feeding their growth and just taking without giving. A person who attracts misfortune, without having the power to learn from it, or protect the valuable things in their life.

It was a kind of power, that was both a curse and blessing.

Deus felt slight discomfort thinking so, but other than that, nothing much. It could be simply indifference, or the hypocritical notion that letting this happen would save many more. Or it could be that he didn't simply feel a kinship with these people.

Regardless, he was gonna commit a sin. A sin, to cultivate a lighthouse to guide people.

He walked ahead towards one of the burning huts, the one of the nameless Protagonist. One consumed by fire, emitting a thick scent of black smoke.

May it be called monstrous to watch a tribe be burned to the ground for a single girl like this—

With a wave of his hand, all the beasts in the area were knocked into a coma. And another wave of his hand, water-spitting beasts ran here in subsonic speed to extinguish the flames.

And with another wave of his hand, he presented it before a girl with stone-like skin. A single wave, that was most wondrous if it could save this person before him.

"---Who.. Who are you?"

The girl asked Deus, and he returned a smile to her.

"Do you wish to have the strength to live?"

She who was birthed from a tribe burned to dust, desired strength the most.

The strength to protect the people important to her.

The strength to take her destiny into her own hands.

Was taken by Deus to Test Site 12.