— Hades —
"Oaf!"
"Pruddish scholar!"
"You without a thought in your head but waves and shaking earth!"
"And you with too many meaningless thoughts, so you might never see the truth!"
"Relinquish your titles and take only the name 'Horse-Fucker'!"
"Relinquish yours and take only 'Bird-Shit for Brains'!"
"Whoreuncle!"
"Niecevirgin!"
Hades could only sigh from the sidelines. No matter the current and lingering upheaval, some things would always stay the same. He wished they wouldn't…
His brother and niece were constantly at each other's throats. Poseidon and Athena, Sea and Thought, bickering over old grudges that they could never resolve. They freely threw out insults and name-calling. And after millennia, all of it had grown somewhat old.
Their feud was only made worse by Zeus still lying comatose and twitching on his Olympian throne. Struck by his own Master Bolt, all but completely Dead, and Hades couldn't say it was undeserved. Sean Caine, Death's Hand and Prince Consort, had been well within his rights to retaliate against such a blatant attack on his person, on his domain. The Olympians had been the first to give insult. Now, they only reaped everything they'd sown.
Usually, Zeus would've brought his brother and daughter to task. Somewhat… His presence kept them from openly bickering, at least. But now, he was out for the count, with no indication that he would ever wake up. Death's Hand had dealt a portion of his domain in a not-so-simple counter, a return-to-sender, a Death to a King. And Hades knew better than almost any that even gods had to yield to Death's sovereignty.
The No-Longer-King of the Gods was far from the only one to suffer Sean Caine's rather justified but extreme revenge. Hera, his former Queen of the Gods, bore a new title now, given to her by one of the primary Avatars of Magic. Hecate, poor forgotten and arrogantly, unduly claimed Hecate… had named her 'Queen Bitch'. Now, Hera answered to nothing else. She couldn't answer to anything else.
Likewise, Ares was still traumatized. The War God was a shell of himself, now bearing the mortal PTSD he so liked to laugh at and mock his warriors for (and with…). Hermes was down a divine domain. And the Greek Fates were Dead as Dead could be. The Greek Pantheon no longer had the grip on fate, the influence over a small sliver of Destiny, that gave them so much power and leeway.
Technically, none of them could claim to be Olympians any longer. They were divines adrift, divines at Death's Door, divines with barely a foot in the Sphere of Gods, now. Not mortals, but certainly not ruling gods, either. They were fettered by Death, and the best of the Greeks, Diana of Themyscira, was assigned as their warden.
Only the force of habit had them clinging to divinity that was now a Deathly shadow of itself. But it wasn't so bad. Some things could still Live in Death, Hades knew. Mostly, it was the worst offending 'Olympians' who bore the brunt of the punishment.
Hestia still kept the hearth of Olympus burning, and she was allowed to shelter her punished kin to an extent. Hades and his dear Persephone still did their duties to Death Herself. Dionysus was Mad enough that he hardly noticed — carrying on, living on, so long as Delirium Endlessly reigned. Aphrodite and Hephaestus managed to negotiate similar situations with Endless Desire and Destruction (more accurately, the other half of Destruction's dichotomy). And Demeter… Demeter was her usual grain-obsessed self, not even realizing anything had happened outside her harvests.
Truly, the punishment only applied to the peak of Olympus. Almost all of the rest of the Greek Pantheon escaped unaffected (the less Hades thought of Diana's righteous justice against Hercules, the better). Without the Fates, a similar loss of control in the ruling Olympians would've happened anyway. Death's Hand just expedited and controlled the process so that those responsible for the attack on him and his were held so.
It was a time of terrible uncertainty, a new order for Olympus, but in all, Hades couldn't bring himself to feel too bad for his kin. He was mostly just relieved that none of them were crowding up his actual home. Still, his occasional visits to check up on Hestia were… exhausting. They left him feeling in need of a good drink…
"Persephone?" Hades began.
He didn't get far before being interrupted, and not by his dear wife and queen. The No-Longer-Olympians were arranged in the usual circle, even if the thrones that would usually seat them had melted the first time they tried to sit back upon them. All except for Zeus's, which now stood as an example and neat way of displaying the Death of a King.
Regardless, Aphrodite perked up as soon as Hades got the idea in his mind, "Oh~? We'll join you!"
"I haven't even said anything yet," Hades deadpanned.
Aphrodite waved away his retort, "Bah, I can always smell the opportunity for a double date."
"Date, dear?" Persephone asked, amused and still humoring him.
"Yes, I was going to ask if you wanted to go out for a drink," Hades sighed. "A deathcap."
Persephone glanced at the still-bickering Poseidon and Athena, the fiercely frowning Queen Bitch Hera, and the silently weeping, twitching, fracturing Ares, "… That sounds like a comparatively pleasant way to spend the night."
In turn, Aphrodite grinned at Hephaestus, who grumbled, "… I could be convinced."
"Oh, my love~… my beautiful, brilliant mind~… I will gladly convince you~," Aphrodite purred.
Hestia saw them off with a smile and a wave, "Have fun. I'll hold down what's left of the fort. Say hello to Sean and Didi for me. And do be sure to bring back an interesting story when you return?"
"Knowing the Dead End, I don't think that will be an issue," Hades snorted.
And who knew, maybe a Dead End story would help him to better find his place in the new Order of Things…
IIIII
— Destruction —
He sat. He breathed in and out. He created and destroyed, trying to find peace in the cycle. It came slowly, a steadily reestablished connection with both of his aspects. Disillusionment had led him to wandering, to leaving his Endless duties by the wayside. Now, bringing himself back to center and balance between the two extremes was certainly a process.
But it was a necessary one. He couldn't continue to ignore himself. Not his Endlessness, nor his most essential aspects of Destruction and Creation. This new resolve wasn't merely for the state of Endless existence, though. It was for Family.
Didi had made it quite clear that he couldn't disappear into the distance again. She wouldn't let him. And Destruction could admit to missing his other siblings as well. None more than Didi, and Delirium a close second, but still…
He didn't want to wander aimlessly anymore. He didn't want to continue being so alone, so adrift. He didn't want to ignore himself, his very Endless core… and that return to form had started with a small pink cat-thing. Even now, Mew kept him company.
"Mew. Mew Mew Mew!"
"Indeed, my friend," Destruction chuckled in reply. "Thank you."
"Meeewww…"
"Of course. You've been a great help, I cannot understate that," Destruction nodded. "Your surge of Creation had been grounding, a counterweight against modern Destruction. Without you and the introduction of your Pokémon descendants to this reality, I would've remained lost for a good while longer still. How are they faring?"
"Mew!" The adorable creature shapeshifted between a plethora of unique forms, all the same pink as its original.
Destruction saw Legends in each shapeshifted form. There were elemental birds and noble four-legged beasts, powerful dragons and earth-shaking golems, tiny fairies and cosmic entities. On and on, the Legends went, leading the charge into this new world. Their mundane descendants would follow. Destruction was just happy Mew no longer had to be alone, just like him.
"You're still keeping yourself busy there, then, I see," Destruction noted. "I aim to do the same, but it is… exhausting at times, trying to wrestle opposites so similar to each other."
Mew floated closer, patting him on the shoulder, "Mew…"
Destruction chuckled, "Yes, you would understand to a degree, my friend."
In his deepest meditation these days, Destruction was glad for Mew's company. The little creature heralded change for the better. Destruction just had to seize it. Its master and partner did the same for Didi, dear Didi. She was always the most… balanced of them. But these days, she'd settled, stabilized, even further. Much, if not all, of that was due to Sean Caine.
Destruction hoped to follow in her recent footsteps. Settling. Stabilizing… Again, it was a process. An exhausting process. He needed to see it through. But, perhaps, a night's break wouldn't be remiss…
Deep in the ebbs and flows of nature, the constant, slow creation and destruction of the natural order of the world, Destruction sighed. Then, he was interrupted by his second most favored sibling.
"Heee~llllooo~!" Delirium's timing was as perfect as ever. "Are you bored, brother~? I'M BORED, BROTHER~! So is Cousin Luci~… We've come to rescue you from tedium~!"
Delirium's tone swung, manic and unpredictable, through the whole spectrum of emotion. She peeked up at Destruction from the ground before him through a rendered crack in space. On the other side, mortal madness lay. And Delirium was right at home within it all.
Lucifer casually waved from her side, with Mazikeen at his, "'Lo, Destruction. Up for a night on the town?"
Destruction hesitated, just a touch, "I… suppose…?"
Mew, however, exclaimed in excitement at the offer, "Mew!"
Lucifer took the hesitation and the excitement in stride, "Wonderful! Come along now, then. We've got a certain Didi and her Mr. Barkeep to visit."
"'Bout fucking time I get to see our rival bar," Mazikeen grumbled flatly. "I've met the pretty goth bastard, but I haven't seen him in action yet."
"I'm sure he'll give you plenty to see," Lucifer chuckled. "He tends to make even Endless beings blink twice. We'll be in good hands, my dear Maz~…"
"I should really keep working through some things…" Destruction mumbled. "But… a single night couldn't hurt, could it?"
Delirium giggled maniacally, "What's a single night in the Endless expanse of maddening Time~?"
Destruction winced, "I'm coming, Del. There's no need to bring Father into this."
"His would be a much less pleasant familial reunion," Lucifer waved lazily. "As is always the case with cosmic fathers. Thankfully, only Sean and Didi and their found family await us. No Father Time or the Presence. I checked thrice, just to be sure. We don't need them ruining a perfectly good night of stories and good times."
"Deadbeat son," Mazikeen snorted.
"And proud," Lucifer retorted without hesitation.
"That's… That's good," Destruction slowly nodded. "Family… but not all of it. 'Family, for all of its comsic complications', of course, but it's still nice to not worry about those where we can."
"Hop in, then~! We'll be there in a SNAP~! And a crackle and a pop and a splurple and a b~OOO~p~!" Delirium chimed. "Didi won't mind us dropping in… She won't… SHE BETTER NOT! 'Cause I forgot to ask or warn her~!"
Destruction nodded, well-used to his sister's swings of mood and being and concept, "Well, who knows? Perhaps Sean's story for the night will remind us all of the 'Family, for all of its cosmic complications' we so crave."
IIIII
— Su Chen —
It was the evening right before so much truly began. Tomorrow, Su Chen and her Senior Brother Xing would host a great gathering of Xitalia's tribes and ruling clans. There, they would consolidate support, make concessions, and forge Dao-sworn alliances with Su Xing's conquering hand in marriage as the mortar.
The Six Grand City-States of Xitalia were nonethewiser, not aware at all that their collective downfall was lurking just over the horizon. Su Xing's conquest was a storm gathering power and momentum. Soon, it would shake this land to its very foundations.
In Su Chen's mind, vindication and validation undeniably waited for her brother to seize them. He would establish himself on his own merits, conquer in his own right, and live up to his Royal Phoenix Mother's blood in his veins.
Su Xing still had many moments of doubt, though. They were preparing as best they could — setting the stage, conquering from outside and within — but he still saw how every little preparation could go so very wrong.
Su Chen knew it was an essential aspect of her Senior Brother's character. Su Xing could never stop his mind from thinking, and at times, that intelligence would lead to overthinking.
So while Su Xing might doubt himself, Su Chen held her faith wholeheartedly. She knew her brother and his potential for greatness. She knew the Heavenly blood that ran through their veins — from their shared Father and both of their Mothers. She knew how hard he worked, how much he cared, and how he would never let himself give up. When he doubted himself, she believed even more. And when he couldn't bring himself to take some necessary actions, she was there to do so in his stead.
That evening, she slid folded paper daggers into the mortal hearts of the spies who had 'successfully' infiltrated their camp. The spies wouldn't get the chance to send their first reports. The City-States wouldn't learn of their gathering support until it was already much too late.
If he knew, her brother might've faltered and tried to negotiate. Su Chen was not so merciful. She readily granted Stepmother Didi's Death. Father ironically nicknamed her 'Mercy'. She strove to live up to that fond irony, both for herself and on her Senior Brother's behalf.
She didn't mind being her brother's deadly shadow. He was of the Phoenix via his mother. She was of the Dusk and Dawn via hers. While he burned brightly for all to see and follow, she ensured that the things best left in shadows stayed there.
He knew some of the 'mercies' she granted, of course, and didn't quite approve. But Su Xing could never deny his 'dear Junior Sister' much, if anything at all. He would pluck peaches from immortal trees in the Heavens if she asked. And she would descend to the deepest, coldest Hells to make cream for those peaches that they both might share.
Familial loyalty had never been in short supply between them. They came from different mothers, true, but Su Xing's mother had carried Su Chen in her womb and birthed her, even if she hadn't conceived her. Su Chen's mother had helped raise Su Xing in turn. And neither could forget the legendary father who seeded them both.
Likewise, Su Chen was content with her place in the order of things. Su Xing was destined to conquer, to hold, to rule. She didn't have the same ambitions, didn't yearn for the same greatness. She would be there when he needed her, but otherwise, she was happy with her origami, her art, and her Dao.
What concerned her most lately… was legacy. Su Xing's legacy. He would conquer something great, create something greater, and be remembered as the greatest. Because then, Su Chen would be free to fade into the shadows of Dusk and Dawn. His success would lift the weight of legacy from her shoulders. But at the same time, it would place it squarely on his. At times, Su Chen did worry that she was being selfish, even if Su Xing assured her that legacy was what he desired most…
Fortunately, a new pillar of support had emerged for her Senior Brother. Someone who might take her place in maintaining the shadows of her brother's rule. A woman whose love for her brother would take a very different form. Senior Brother Xing was now engaged to be married.
Dai Wei, Princess of the ā-Dams Coven. She was a dark cultivator, steeped in Yin. A witch, but not demonic. Su Chen had high hopes for her brother and the Princess. They fit well together, reminding her of Father and Stepmother Didi. Burning Phoenix and Icy Witch.
Senior Brother Xing was clearly smitten at first sight, but Su Chen could see that Dai Wei was also intrigued and not far behind reciprocating that attraction in her own way. Her gift of a twisted, disgusting potion-brew — the smell of which made both Su siblings gag — said as much when it helped cure an old venom Su Xing suffered from his encounter with Xitalia's Chimera.
Most importantly, however, the marriage would give them a foothold into the tribes and clans of Xitalia. The ā-Dams Coven was a powerful first stepping stone. And with their vowed support to Su Xing's conquest, the other tribes and clans would follow. Thus, ensuring everything went well tomorrow, when the betrothal would be announced and offers to the other tribes would be made, was of utmost importance. Su Xing and his overthinking seemed determined to make that task a difficult one.
It was getting ridiculous, in Su Chen's opinion. Senior Brother Xing needed to relax. But he didn't get many chances to do so in these essential preparatory stages. Undeniably, conquest was… exhausting. If he couldn't find them for himself, though, Su Chen would find them for him.
That evening, she returned from her 'mercies' to find Su Xing and Dai Wei sitting together. Bonding. Watching them for a moment, it was clear that Senior Brother Xing would give his future wife the world. And that she would help him conquer it, quite literally.
"Anything you desire, my Silver-Tongued Darkness~…" Su Xing whispered, openly bearing his smitten love through a promise.
"Hm." Dai Wei just hummed. "And if I desire to break you?"
She didn't. Su Chen could see that much. She wouldn't have allowed the Witch Princess to get so close if she endangered Su Xing. It was a probing question, a proof of affection in Dai Wei's unique way of showing it.
And Su Xing answered correctly, "Then, I shall shatter."
Su Chen rolled her eyes at how sweet and twisted their blooming love was. Before they could get into promising each other blood and gory trophies and shared power to win it all, she interrupted them.
"Brother…"
Dai Wei was the one to recover and greet her first, "Future sister. Have you seen success tonight?"
She nodded, "I have. But not completely. Not yet. Brother…"
Su Xing blinked himself out of his dark-beauty-smitten trance, "… Yes? Do you have a request, dear Junior Sister?"
"Tomorrow is important," Su Chen said. "And you need to stop thinking about it until then. So do I. We need… a distraction. I would like to visit Father."
Dai Wei gave a slow blink of palpable interest, "My Heavenly future father?"
Su Xing perked up at the idea as well, "Oh, oh, how right, how true! Even if he's not of this world, Father must hear of our betrothal before we announce it officially!"
"And… story. I want one of Father's stories," Su Chen reminded.
Her Senior Brother just about breathed a sigh of relief, "On this eve of greatness, his wisdom would certainly be welcome. Yes, he will put my concerns to rest before they can become minor heart demons."
"And I will meet the man who sired you, my Phoenix," Dai Wei added.
"Who knows?" Su Chen's lips twitched into a smile as she sealed the deal. "Perhaps Father's tales of legacy will help you settle and take the first step into yours."
IIIII
— Sean —
"Well, isn't this a proper party~?" I grinned widely at my guests for the night, some expected and some very much not. All, however, were welcome in the Dead End.
Expectedly, there were some of the bar's regulars: Riddler, Penguin, Two-Face, Catwoman, and Jason from Gotham. Savage and Diana from beyond. And my 'staff' with Hecate, Harley, Ivy, Simmy, Ophis, and Alice. Didi was, of course, always at my side.
Then, not so expectedly, a few of the Greek Gods had arrived alongside Diana: Hades and Persephone, Hephaestus and Aphrodite.
"Double date night~!" Aphrodite had excitedly exclaimed to explain their presence.
"And I'll endeavor to make it a good one," I had replied with amusement.
Extended family came next: Didi's with Destruction, Delirium, Lucifer, and Lucifer's right-hand woman, Mazikeen. Mew returned with Destruction, keeping the Endless being company, even as it was excited to see me again.
"Brother-IN-law~!" Delirium immediately chimed, putting strange singsong stress on her words. "We've come to pass the night most pleasantly~! Don't disappoint… But I'M SURE you won't~!"
"I certainly try not to," I smiled with good humor and welcoming grace. "Especially not for someone's first time in the Dead End."
"Yo," Mazikeen — Maz, as Lucifer would call her — grunted. "Blow my socks off so I'm not so bored with this mortal world Lucifer insists on sticking around in."
"Better varied Earths than the same dreary, dreary Hell," Lucifer defended himself.
Mew clearly agreed, "Mew!"
"Yeah, you're having fun, little partner?" I asked it.
"Mew mew!" It flitted back and forth, circling around and around Destruction as if almost staking a claim.
"I see," I nodded, turning to Destruction. "Thank you for keeping him busy and entertained, brother-in-law."
Destruction just about blushed, "I can hardly take credit when he's doing the same for me."
After Didi's side of the family, mine came to visit and play as well: my cultivator children who could almost be considered twins, Su Xing and Su Chen. And they brought a third. I placed her as a relatively young cultivator woman of dark persuasion. She was a slender nightmare in black, with twin braids falling over her shoulders, and she seemed to be rather close to my son.
"Father!" Su Xing immediately and earnestly paid his respects, clapping as he bowed deeply from the waist.
Su Chen's greeting came slower but no less genuine, "… Father."
Then came the third… "Future father."
"Already?" I raised an eyebrow at Su Xing and his potential wife. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise~? What's your name?"
"This lowly witch is Dai Wei. I seek your son's hand in marriage, honored father," She bowed. "It is all I will ever ask of you, and if you accept, I will be a filial daughter, loyal only to your son, his causes, and our children."
Glancing at Su Xing, I saw him practically vibrating where he stood. He was excited and smitten, already. Like father, like son. He'd found himself a goth girl and wouldn't easily let her slip through his fingers. Still, he sought my approval and aimed to introduce his new wife to me, unaware that I would've accepted anyone who made him happy.
"I doubt she'll have much trouble earning our permission and affection. Do you, my Death?" I asked Didi.
My other half bore a smile that blinded the room, "No trouble at all~… I'm liking her already. Welcome to the Family, dear."
"Good luck," Alice deadpanned to Dai Wei. "You'll need it with this family, especially if you want to keep your sanity around Dad."
"Yet still," Dai Wei declared, determined and almost emotionless. "I strive, future sister."
"I think you two shall get along famously, Stepsister Alice!" Su Xing declared.
Overwhelmed by the easy familial affection, Alice glanced away and gave a prickly reply, "… We'll see."
"So who do I have to thank for tonight's colorful cast?" I asked the whole bar rhetorically.
"Yourself, Brother!" Savage laughed. "We come for you and your splendid stories!"
"I am… chaperoning my lords and ladies Olympian," Diana said, still not quite comfortable with the power I'd given her over her gods.
"You know us, Gothboy~!" Harley cackled. "We're here every night~!"
"For good or for ill," Ivy sighed.
Penguin just shrugged, "No one makes a Manhattan like you, Mr. Barkeep."
"It's all in the Thousand-Blossoming Cherries and the Temporally Threefold Whiskey," I told him with a smirk.
Penguin paused to stare at the drink the Dead End had automatically served him, "… That would do it, yeah."
Didi chortled, "Only the best in the Dead End, especially for our precious regulars."
"I'll settle for a handle of good demonwine," Maz drawled lazily, plopping herself down in a seat at the bar.
She blinked a moment later as her requested bottle appeared right in front of her with a twist of internal space. Suspiciously, she glanced at Lucifer, "You been sharing your stash, Boss?"
Lucifer just grinned, settling next to her and snatching up his own drink — a Last Resort cocktail made with Infernal Absinthe — as soon as it appeared, "No, I'm pleased to admit that that… is all Sean~…"
Still skeptical, Maz raised the bottle to her lips and took a long pull straight from the neck. She paused for a moment before swallowing it down, "… Yeah, that beats your swill several times over, Boss."
"Hey-!" Lucifer tried for offense, but it just came out with a laugh.
Meanwhile, I took the insult to Lucifer as the compliment it was, "Thank you. It's liquor distilled from a Throne-born Green Devil. The hallucinogenic effects should be kicking in about… now."
Maz suddenly grunted in time with my words. Scales rippled into existence down her arms. Her demonic pupils dilated wide and burned with a quite literal fire. Of course, she fought herself back into control in moments, to be expected from Lucifer's right-hand demon.
In the end, she let herself relax against the bar, "Daaaaammmnnnn~… Good shit. That hits the spot like nothing else I've had on Earth."
Most of the bar accepted the interaction with barely a second glance, well-used to the kinds of things that could happen in the Dead End. The visiting cultivators, however, watched with wide eyes. Dai Wei especially bore a morbid sort of fascination.
"… Father, should we…?" Su Chen slowly asked.
"Don't worry your precious head, my dear," I waved off her worries. "You're likely thinking of a different kind of demon and devil, and even then, demons can be people, too. If you can manage to interact without killing them or them trying to kill you (or much, much worse), you should treasure the chance to expand your worldview."
Just as slowly as Su Chen had asked, Su Xing nodded, "As… you say, Father. We shall take your wisdom to heart."
"This is all… awful. Blasphemous. Concerning. Depraved. Exceptional in the worst way," Dai Wei deadpanned. Despite her words and tone, it seemed she meant the exact opposite. She was visibly intrigued.
"Welcome to the Dead End," Alice deadpanned right back.
"We have high-proof alcohol to go with the blasphemies," Hecate smirked.
"And supposed sins against the natural order are just the appetizers!" Savage declared. "Now, BROTHER, what's our main course for the night?"
"Ah, story, story…" I considered aloud, making a show of it. "What shall it be?"
"Something… ordered and reassuring," Hades requested.
"Something… with Family," Destruction did, too, softly.
"Something… to pave the way for legacy," Su Chen finished the requests off.
"Hmm," I hummed. "I might have something in mind…"
"Hark verily, friends old and new…" I began, filling my voice with archaic gravitas. "And abandon all thou dost know of the cosmos, both riven firmament and eternal earth. For this tale emerged from a life most singular and a realm unrivaled. 'Tis a tale of Lands Between stars and unfathomable gods, monstrous beasts and deep magicks. But most of all, 'tis a tale of people, however varied, and power, both in its absence and abundance."
Everyone at the bar was already leaning forward, eager and curious for more. They'd come to hear a Dead End story, and I'd certainly tell an entertaining one, a thought-provoking one. They hung on my dramatically stiff words… until a flat rebuke from Alice broke the spell.
"Yeah, that's cool and all, Dad… But can't you talk normally? All the flowery, old-timey stuff makes my head hurt."
I chuckled good-naturedly, "Sorry, sorry, just trying to set the scene. This life certainly earned that kind of weight in its retelling. It was great and terrible and awesome in the most biblical senses of those words. It was a life of godhood and mortality in equal measure, a world swimming in a vast sea of history, and a story of rise and hold and fall."
"I think we can safely say you've piqued interest in tonight's story, Sean," Didi commented with some amusement, looking at my audience.
"Please, don't keep us waiting, my brother, my friend!" Savage boomed.
"I am, as always, prepared to suspend all of my disbelief when it comes to your stories, Sean," Jason drawled dryly.
"You shouldn't have to suspend too much," I considered aloud. "Most of the concepts are relatable and understandable, if more prevalent than you're used to. Gods, demigods, dragons, giants, magic, faith, civilization, order, rebellion, and so on."
"The pieces are familiar," Diana said. "The end puzzle? Perhaps not so much."
"We'll see," I shrugged. "We start at the beginning, of course. The very beginning, for first of all… there was singularity."
"Singularity, Future Father?" Dai Wei asked.
"All in one," I elaborated. "All of existence, together and never before apart. It was the One Great, and from it all sprang."
"I always love a good creation myth," Destruction nodded appreciatively.
"Creation myth or creation fact?" Lucifer asked, lazily swirling his drink.
"More the latter," I answered. "No one was there in the beginning, of course. But the memories of the gods who came soon after ran deep. Eventually, spontaneously, the One Great fractured and gave rise to everything.
"First came the Greater Will, the supreme being amongst supreme beings. Then, the Lands Between, the setting and stage for all that could now play out. And while the Greater Will was supreme, other gods still came to be. Outer Gods, named as such not for their eldritch, Lovecraftian nature (though, they certainly were, as all divines are to mortal minds…), but for their state of existence outside the Greater Will's current Order, whatever it may be. And with a Greater Will above, Outer Gods interwoven, and Lands Between to inhabit, Life, too, bloomed from the One Great's fracture."
"So, this was a dimensional plane, not a world?" Riddler asked cannily.
"Just so," I nodded. "The Lands Between were potentially infinite. I never saw all of them. But the cosmos still hung above. And from it, the Greater Will arrived on a golden shooting star."
"Hold on," Hephaestus grunted, blunt but not necessarily rude. "Explain these gods for me a bit more, can ya? The Greater Will was the local equivalent of the Presence? And then, the Outer Gods were the other pantheons, like the Olympians? Or were they alien divines a la Lovecraft?"
I waved my hand so-so, "If anything, the Greater Will was the truest alien divine, but only in a semantic sense. It naturally existed outside the Lands Between and through all of its parallels. Thus, why it had to arrive on a golden shooting star. And even that was a vassal for the Greater Will to act through, not the Greater Will itself. But make no mistake, the Greater Will was still of existence itself. It was still supreme.
"Meanwhile, the Outer Gods were… more akin to Japanese kami. They were divines of concept and spirit and nature inherently tied to the Lands Between, compared to the Greater Will's overarching Order. Some were accepted by that Order, and some sought only to reforge it anew. But none could fully rival the Greater Will. Only the vassal it sent to act in its stead. The vassal — a great Elden Beast — sought Order for the Greater Will in its own way, but the Greater Will would accept any Order, so long as there was Order. It was in those cracks of supreme acceptance that the Outer Gods could attempt to rival the Elden Beast."
"Sounds like a right mess," Hephaestus snorted.
"Soooo… about what we'd expect from divine matters?" Persephone joked. "Not even I fully comprehend the intricacies of the Realm of Gods."
"Oh, good!" Harley breathed a dramatic sigh of relief. "'Cause, WHOOOSH, ya know~?"
"Mostly," I chuckled. "Just keep the Greater Will in mind as the supreme being that imposes Order in whatever form it may come, the Elden Beast as its vassal with a preferred form of Order, and the Outer Gods with their own visions of Order."
"Or," Jason deadpanned. "We can not drive ourselves mad and just enjoy the story."
Delirium enthusiastically wiggled her finger in retort, "Ah, ah~, But Order can be the most maddening of all~!"
"Can it?" Diana frowned.
"She is something of an expert on the subject," Lucifer said with wry amusement.
Diana just frowned even harder, "Yes… I suppose Delirium would be…"
I chuckled, "If you think it's a mess now, just wait for a bit. It gets worse. Or better, depending on your tastes, I suppose. Much more family drama to go with all of the existential confusion."
Destruction sighed, "I did ask for Family…"
"And we'll get there," I reassured him. "First, we just have to get through all of prehistory in the Lands Between."
"No big ask," Harley made a show of shrugging. "Just, what? Hundreds of years? Thousands?"
"Closer to the latter," I admitted. "See, Life in the Lands Between began with the fracturing of the One Great. But civilization was first the ken and domain of the Ancient Dragons. Old, old draconic beings of lightning and terrific power, their stone scales resisting time itself so they could reign immortal. They bore four limbs and four wings, too, and ushered in the original Order of the Lands Between.
"Their Lord, Placidusax, was the most powerful of the Ancient Dragons, serving and communing with a Nameless God. In turn, intelligent Beastmen served the Ancient Dragons. Worshipped them. They were granted sapience and five fingers as its sign, and developed a whole society devoted to the Ancient Dragons, steadily evolving from stone tools to iron."
My audience listened closely, but didn't interrupt. The prehistory of another world, ruled for a time by Dragons, was fascinating. I could see the hunger for much more information in quite a few eyes, both mortal and… not, alike. Jason, so invested in history of all kinds, was practically leaning forward out of his seat to hear more. Diana, Su Xing, Hecate, and Savage were similar.
"Though they still looked like bestial ancestors, the Beastmen built wonders. Temples and bridges and the old holy city of Faram Azula. All was well for a time," I continued. "But all Orders fall eventually. Placidusax's Nameless God was forced to flee for reasons now forgotten, and the Dragonlord was left as adrift as he was immortal.
"At the same time — perhaps the start of the Ancient Dragons' fall — a meteor struck holy Faram Azula. The old city began to crumble, even as gravitational magicks from beyond the stars and a storm of time raised it into the sky. The civilization of intelligent Beastmen and worshipped Ancient Dragons came to a close. But still, long after its crumbling, long after Faram Azula was engulfed by that storm of time, Placidusax remained, forever futilely awaiting the return of his Nameless God…"
There was a moment of silence to digest my exposition. Then, Maz whistled, "Damn. Not a bad start to history. Love me a good dragon."
Diana nodded in agreement, "An intriguing beginning, with Dragons and Beasts and floating ruins. Tell me, Sean, did they die there? Or linger into the ages to come?"
"Almost everything in the Lands Between lingered," I chuckled. "Time had a hold on that realm, to be sure, but it was a generous one. The Ancient Dragons persisted until they were shadows of their immortal selves. Their eventual descendants lost much, becoming mere drakes without their immortal stone scales and forgetting their connection to the primordial lightning of their Ancients."
"What comes after dragons?" Riddler mused aloud.
"Generally? Heroes," Aphrodite answered in good humor.
"Good answer!" Savage's grin was as loud as his voice. "Yes, HEROES!"
"Possibly," Jason remarked. "At the very least, their fall must've opened the way for other civilizations."
"… Giants and other colossi, perhaps?" Su Chen suggested. "Lesser immortals and divines?"
"Mew mew!"
"Indeed," I nodded to Mew's contribution. "Life in all forms. What followed the Ancient Dragons was an era of competition, a Crucible of man and monster alike. The Crucible was deemed divine by many. It was a divinity of evolution, a melting pot to distill Life in its truest form, a chaotic Order to replace the overwhelming one of the Ancient Dragons, set in the roots and sprouting of a Great Tree.
"All competed in the Crucible as its Great Tree grew and grew. Onyx and Alabastor Lords, Deathrite Birds, mutating men of twisted horns and Storm Kings and highlander barbarians, Fire Giants and Zamor of Ice and human astrologists turning to cosmic sorcery, Numen arriving from outside the Lands Between, and uncountable beasts.
"It was a great era. It was a terrible era. It would set the stage for so much of what came after, but like all Orders, it would only last for a time…"
"Beautiful, struggling, growing, elevating madness~!" Delirium chimed.
"A tempering of life itself," Hephaestus grunted. "Fitting for a crucible."
Ivy nodded appreciatively, "I could worship a tree."
"There'd certainly be a lot of that to follow," I snorted.
"The Crucible ran its course, and the Erdtree emerged. It was a truly massive thing, with roots and branches stretching far across the Lands Between. To many, it was a threat hanging over their heads. But in the truest sense, the Erdtree had won the Crucible. It was the sprout that lived to grow great. And so, it was a great sign of the newest Order. Victorious newgrowth, fated to turn Gold…"
"Turn… gold…?" Alice asked slowly. "Why don't I like the sound of that…?"
Jason nodded in agreement, "It's weirdly ominous, isn't it?"
I just shot them both an unhelpful smile as I continued, "The emergence of the Erdtree is about where the Elden Beast comes back into play. It coopted the Erdtree into its vision of gold and sought a candidate to lead its new Order. But who could be chosen? Who had the might? The right? Who could be Empyrean, chosen for their potential to lead the next era of Order…?"
"Well, this realm was one of power, no, Father?" Su Xing posed, half-question and half-statement. "Would they not cultivate? Would they not win the right on their own merits?"
"How did this realm cultivate?" Dai Wei curiously asked.
"Through runes," I answered. "Pieces of Order made manifest. They were the measure of a being's power, and they came in many forms, Great and small. But the strongest, the one bearing the most runes, was not necessarily sovereign.
"In the end, the Elden Beast, acting for the Greater Will, would decide. And its nomination fell to a lone Numen woman. It gathered a great many runes, easily the majority in the Lands Between, and granted them to its Empyrean candidate without contest. Marika, a woman tormented by cruel Hornsent who still worshipped the Crucible, was uplifted from her sorry beginnings and 'gifted' power beyond mortal ken."
"All the better to control a poor woman," Persephone scoffed. "It sounds more like a bastard than a beast."
I didn't disagree, "Marika rose as a Goddess of Gold. She struck down and banished her Hornsent tormenters. She seized the Erdtree as her own. And there, at the start of her godhood, she placed the runes of the realm — Great and small — against the Erdtree as the anvil, and cast her newfound divinity as the hammer. The strikes of her hammer rang out, heralding Order for the Lands Between.
"Under the watchful eyes of the Elden Beast and the distant Greater Will, Marika forged the Elden Ring, symbol of her sovereignty and divinity. First came a time of conquest and plenty. Marika and her champions would fight many wars to establish the Age of the Erdtree — against Storm Kings, vowed Revengers, Fire Giants, Marika's own Numen, and even a god-slaying apostasy led by another Empyrean to rival Marika herself.
"Though victorious, it was the last struggle that shook her. Marika set about reforging the Elden Ring to fit her newly established age. But so terrible was the realization that she was utterly disposable to the Greater Will that, in doing so, she purposefully left out one Great Rune: the Rune of Destined Death, removing it from her vision of Order. Thus… Marika was dubbed Eternal and rose to reign over her reforged era… an era of Golden Order and the Elden Ring, untouched by Destined Death…"