Chapter 497
He remembered his mother’s words—their birthright as Origin gods: "You are not made to strive. You are made to be." They were born from raw cosmic potential, beings who required no growth, no learning, only time to ascend further into themselves. But Xerosis, with her blisters and her brilliance, her fragile need to be understood and the stubborn strength she used to shape her realm—she had become something more.
Elsewhere, Jaus had withdrawn back into his own expansive realm, where the sea moved as he wished and reality danced to his quiet hums. There, he was no longer the god of sea and storms—he was simply a father. Flowua, his daughter and newly ascended, basked in the nostalgia of being doted on again. She missed the feeling of being a cherished child, a little princess twirling in the halls. Her father’s domain had grown immensely over the past centuries, full of hidden corners and strange wonders she had yet to explore. It was a playground of infinite dreams, and she indulged herself completely, knowing she was safe, adored, and, most importantly, seen.
And in the heart of another realm, Mahu reigned with the unchecked zeal of a mother reunited with her brood. Every day, Ikem and Maul were smothered with waves of affection that teetered between divine warmth and unrelenting chaos. She fed them, hugged them, kissed their foreheads unceasingly, and, in the same breath, rattled off an endless stream of potential names for their newest sibling—who, by all accounts, had yet to be made.
"I was thinking Adannaya! Or maybe Erika! What do you think? Something soft, don’t you think? Ikem, Maul, listen to me—this is important—"
The two gods, once formidable in their own right, now found themselves humbled, desperate, and in silent prayer.
"Please, Ikenga," Maul whispered one morning, as Mahu braided glowing strands of his hair into patterns old as the stars, "come back soon. I can’t do this anymore."
Ikem, beside him, nodded solemnly, his expression hollow, his eyes red from another night of divine lullabies and ancient childhood stories that would never, ever end.
The Origin Gods, once aloof, had been pulled into the gravity of love, purpose, and quiet transformation.
Though they resided in realms far removed from the clamor of mortal lives, the Origin Gods had begun to shift in subtle, irreparable ways.