The Lesser Gods

"Hello?"

Hng...

"Can you hear me?"

My head hurts. Getting a meeting with the gods isn't usually this bad.

"I'm terribly sorry. You're not really supposed to be here, but I couldn't think of another way."

What?

An involuntary twitch tells me that my movements aren't restricted, the way that they usually are, when I talk to Gaia. If I can move... maybe I can see, too?

I open my eyes to a bright light. Is this what dying looks like?

I blink hard. With some difficulty, my eyes adjust, and I'm able to see an outline of my environment through the strong rays of light.

Large pillars with detailed engravings hold up a ceiling of something that looks like marble. Beyond the building I'm in, which reminds me of a Greek temple, is the rough outline of a landscape. Large fields line the the hills and meadows. Wheat, rye, and some other, more colorful crops. Looking at it makes my headache flare up again.

"Ugh."

"Please, have a seat, Shawl."

Shawl, huh? This must be the guy that called me here, then. I guess the young nun wasn't mistaken in the gender. I look over in the direction of the hoarse voice.

Standing in the middle of the room is a man? I think?

It's hard to tell because his head is large and flat, like a mask. A stretched, toothy grin is inset into it. This person... he's a god. I've never heard him talk before, but I've seen him during some of my reincarnations, standing beside Gaia. Why is he contacting me?

"ARGH!"

My head hurts. It's hard to think properly.

"Oh no, this must be quite awful. I'm so very, very sorry. I didn't know it'd be this bad for you."

He's talking, but the mouth on the mask isn't moving. It's rather unnerving to have such a polite voice coming out of a face like that. I can't tell if he's mocking me or being genuine.

"I'll try to be quick, then. I'll send you back as soon as I'm done, I promise."

"Done? With what?"

"I need to tell you something, and it's important, so please listen carefully. She's deceiving you. She's been lying to you - *we've* been lying to you. That woman isn't Gaia, the goddess of creation. She's just another one of us lesser gods.

I know what she promised, but she lied. That's what she does. She isn't nearly powerful enough to do what you want. Do you understand?"

Through the pounding in my head, I manage to get out a muffled response.

"Yes. I understand. Now send me back."

"Right, I'm sorry. I'll send you back now."

The bright light seems to fade away and, despite the pain, I feel myself getting tired. I collapse to the ground.

"Don't trust her."

Don't trust her.

---

"A-are you okay?"

There's a concerned voice beside me. I'm back on the cold stone tiles of the church. The pain in my head is fading, and I let out a relieved breath.

I open my eyes. That young nun is standing beside me. The one that brought me to the church.

"I'm sorry, I- uhm- I didn't know you were still... here..." she trails off at the end.

I push myself into a sitting position. My neck hurts a bit and my back feels tense.

"How long have I been here?"

"Wh- uh- I don't know. Have you been here since I left you??"

"Yeah."

"Oh- wow- that'd be..." she counts on her fingers, "about 7 hours."

"Seven *hours*?"

"I think so, yes."

Interesting. Time doesn't usually pass faster when I'm communicating with the gods. The entire exchange was just off. My head. That place. That man. And...

Don't trust her.

Right. Gaia. Or not Gaia, according to that man- or god, I suppose.

What did he say? "She's just another one of us lesser gods."

Very interesting.

"Uhm..."

Right. The girl.

"Thank you for your concern. I'm perfectly fine. I must have fallen asleep during my prayer."

Partial truths are ever so handy.

"Ah-ha-ha, yeah, that happens to me, sometimes."

It does???? What kind of nun are you???

Whatever, who am I to judge.

The girl helps me get to my feet and I leave the church behind, my mind cluttered by thoughts.

First thing's first, what that guy - let's call him "Smile" - said. I can't just take him at his word. He could be working for Gaia. He certainly seemed to be before. Or maybe I was just assuming?

What a mess.

Okay, assuming, for now, that I trust him; what does that mean? Gaia - or Not Gaia - lied to me? She and Smile are something called "lesser gods?" Well, that would imply the existence of "greater gods."

Greater gods, huh? You know, if Not Gaia can't bring me back to Sofia, they might.

"You're not really supposed to be here," Smile had said. I wonder if that was their world. Where the gods live.

It did hurt like hell, but if Smile's ability to bring me there is similar to celestial magic - possibly even the exact same thing - I should, theoretically, be able to replicate it.

Turning the corner, I trudge down the long street of traders. There, every thought of the gods and Sofia is driven out of my head, as two people half tackle me.

"There you are, Seb!" Vol says.

"Where have you been?" Elizabeth asks me, her blank expression laced with a hint of curiosity.

"Yeah, we were starting to get real worried."

As I'm dragged back to a breakfast stall by my two friends, I find myself gazing out over the ocean. The sun is rising at the edge of the water, its orange glow reflecting majestically across the shimmering surface. A lovely sight to look at when eating breakfast with friends.

What a beautiful world this is.