The Forsaken Hero

Fate chuckled wryly, shaking her head. "I wish I could say it was out of goodness, that we wanted our children to have the freedom to choose, but the truth was that we were scared."

"Scared?" I blinked, tilting my head.

"Terrified, actually. None of us would admit it, but we all knew the truth. The only thing that separated us from the emperors was a single decision, a decision that we cared for power more than the lives and happiness of our children. What was worse was the knowledge that, unless we created the shards and mortality, we could, at any time, make the emperors’ choice. Not until we created the Divine Realm and divided ourselves from the mortals forever could we say we were different."

"But they’re not, are they?" I said, turning to look over the other three murals again. Murals that showed gods, light and dark, next to each other. "They forgot, didn’t they?"

Fate sighed, turning to look at the Father again. "They did. And now, some of the gods seek to walk the same path as the demons, choosing to enslave their own children for power. Creating new shards and developing worlds is no longer a sacrifice they are willing to make. To take is easier than to give, Xiviyah, and I’m afraid that even those who were there at the beginning, who knew the father’s realm, have strayed from the conviction that drove us to perform the Rending. And now, as demons circle the last few worlds of the Divine Realm, we near the end, becoming the very same evil we had once sacrificed everything to fight."

She brushed a strand of starlit hair from her face. Never before had I felt like giving Fate a hug for her own sake, and yet, in that moment, I couldn’t stop myself. She looked so lonesome and sad.

I threw my arms around her. Fate stiffened at first, but quickly relaxed, allowing me a clumsy attempt to comfort her. I knew it was vain, that there was nothing I could do or say that could comfort someone who’d seen the literal beginning of all things, so I just held her tightly. She smiled and patted my head, rubbing between my horns.

"Thank you, child, but I didn’t bring you here so you could mourn what once was. You needed to understand the past so you can see the future."

I looked up with wide eyes. "Does this have to do with your...plan?"

"Something like that, but I’m afraid the details of that must remain hidden. Though there are few who remember the beginning, and even fewer who knew the Father, this knowledge will not bring you harm should someone discover it from you. The time is close, but not yet at hand. I ask for your trust and patience a little longer."

"You have it," I whispered, leaning my head against her chest. I was surprised to feel a heartbeat, calm and soothing in my ear.