Chapter 8
Eleven Cats Plus One
“And so it was that The First Age came to an end. A time of peace, where the four races lived separately, was over when the demons made their move. The long theorised God of Death was real and had been captured!
It took the deities only a day to rescue their brother but it did mark the turning of the age. The sacking and pillaging of the demon armies soon became commonplace - as did the heroes who rose to fight them. Times were difficult and it was the gods who finally managed to get the peoples of this world to cooperate.” – The Book of the Divines 2:34
Makir was having a nap on his little island paradise. The golden sun and beaches made it one of his favourite spots. A mosquito buzzed about his head. His ears tried to flick it away, but it kept coming back. A paw swatted against the wooden walls of his hut and that was that.
“Buzzzz,” it said, buzzing out from under his slap to float once more around his head. Finally roused from his decades long slumber, The Khati shot to his feet with determination. He tried to open his eyes to find this pest but they were wired shut by sleep.
No matter, he could face this foe blindfolded… or so he thought. There proceeded a scene in which Makir leapt and dove about his tiny abode, smashing into walls and furniture alike - desperate to stop this little critter.
After some time, his eyes worked their way open and he saw what he had been missing. Makir was beginning to feel he had lost his edge - his instincts told him that the mosquito should have been dead a hundred times by now. When he saw one of his attacks land and squish the annoyance to paste, and blow out his wall, he saw the truth.
The mosquito did die, or at least it looked like it did, blood and organs splattered everywhere. But not even a second passed and the thing was drawn back together.
Makir tried feeling for his connection with Dem to ask him what was happening but there was no connection - it was as if the god of death, as his people had taken to calling him, had simply disappeared.
Makirs skin, covered by fur, went white when he realised - this was bad, really bad.
Within a matter of hours, all the gods were gathered at the mountain which people had taken to calling, The Pillar of Heaven. All the gods that was, save three. Both Visok and Helka had sent envoys in their place. Visok was represented by a raven which he could speak and see through and Helka used a stone golem that could do much the same. And of course Dem was absent.
Almost immediately, an argument broke out between the pair, Homos tried to break it up but only seemed to make matters worse. Makir tried to roar to gain their attention but all of them had seen and experienced much in the past two thousand years and a simple loud sound was no longer enough to even phase them.
The other gods chose to start the discussion without them. They each tried to find their connection with Dem and none succeeded - they couldn’t even tell if he was dead or alive. That was until Le? spoke up.
As it transpired, she had a closer connection to the god - a bond similar to Vasti and Tempi’s - though she had never told any of them. Before, Makir had never cared what the other gods had been doing whilst he was on his own continent but seeing the blush on Le?’s face he was beginning to get curious.
She revealed that she was able to tell that he was still alive but couldn’t gather any more information, save a general direction. Soon after, the other three gods managed to stop their fight long enough to chip in.
Helka noted that this situation reminded her of an enchanted item she had made. A shackle that could suppress the powers of a god which she had misplaced some time ago. When asked why she made it her only reason was curiosity. Just as it looked like Homos and Visok’s avatar would team up to make it a two vs one, Helka threw a shocked Magus under the bus and revealed he had been the one to actually enchant the item - evening the odds.
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After a short scrap, in which the width of the Pillar of Heaven was reduced significantly, they finally agreed to follow Le?’s extra strong connection to Dem to try and find him.
By this point, nearly a whole day and night had passed and they were all shocked to learn that people had started dying again, though it did not stop them - Tempi alone was sent to investigate.
When it was revealed, by a wave of power that spread throughout the universe, that a new god had been created all hell broke loose. Whatever small amount of cohesion their group could have managed was dissolved, much to Ath?’s joy.
Makir just hoped that the mortals would be better able to face whatever this threat was than they were, as he tried in vain to unify the gods once more.
?
In the void, nothing survives. This was well known throughout the old universe. Empires of a multitude of different people and things banded together to try and stop the end from coming, but all of them died.
Matriarch Droconia knew this, as matronly mother to all Dragons she knew that this was the end. But she also knew something that none other in the universe did: With every end, there was a new beginning.
Dragons grew with each year they lived, and since Draconia was as old as the very universe itself she was, perhaps the biggest life form in existence, taking up a galaxy all by herself. Because of this, it was easy for her to summon all the dragons throughout the universe with one word.
While other races panicked, tried to fight, or merely prayed, the Dragons had a plan. Pooling their power together they began a chant, with their matriarch at the centre. Within her there formed a new egg - one unlike the millions of others she had created.
The chant grew louder and louder and more and more power was required. The youngest and weakest of the dragons began to die but still they gave till their last. Some gave to their new queen, their knowledge of hunting, of fighting, of flying, of the different magics, and whatever they had to offer.
Soon it wasn’t just the smallest of the dragons but those the size of hills, then mountains, then entire planets died, until dragons dropped like flies.
By the time the chant ended only the matriarch remained and she gave the last of her life to create the egg of the next matriarch. An egg that could travel through the end of time to the other side… hopefully.
With her final breath, Draconia ended the chant with the name of her newest and only remaining daughter.
“Draiga,” and with that last word, a hole was punched in reality and in fell the smallest dragon egg Draconia had ever seen - no bigger than a thimble - and with her last breath the matriarch gave unto her child, her love.
Unbeknownst to any of the Dragons at the end of the old universe, their plan was successful, only, they over shot. They had expected a new universe to form naturally which would have taken billions of years but they did not expect what ended up happening.
A tiny egg popped into existence in an existence that had been existing for quite some time. It appeared in the atmosphere of a giant planet with a great blue sun.
Its appearance didn’t go unnoticed. Not too far away, a cat sat upon empty space and watched the interesting pebble that had achieved the impossible. He watched as it began to fall to the planet's surface like a meteor but only noted it as something to report later before curling up by a flame that somehow burned in space, with no fuel and no air, and soon after, he fell asleep.
?
Although I had constructed a soul to house my consciousness in my best imitation of a fit of pride, I had ensured that all my “t”s were crossed and all my “i”s were dotted, so to speak.
The soul would be robust enough to withstand any attacks directly to it, though that would count as a death. I ensured it had a decent aptitude for magic, in case I should ever live a life where that is an option.
As soon as my soul found its first host, I would temporarily lose any knowledge I presently had until the end of the test, to ensure that this “heart”, the old woman spoke of, wouldn't stop from growing because I was too much like my present self.
That just left my psyche, my consciousness, my personality to undergo this trial. If nothing else, I should better learn who I was - more than just the kludged together thought patterns of a billion, billion people crystalised around the remains of one person’s mind. A person, who I might assume I am someone similar to.
Whatever the case, the soul ball had found its first host and was zooming into a body, and I was who I had been no longer.
A baby awoke, cried, and then there was blackness.
You Died
The Second Age" which you can read NOW. I seperated this into diffrent fictions because anyone who wants a more narative story can start from that point. The Second Age will follow the universe as it lives through several lives on Gaius - they will spend time as someone from each of the races and their will be a mix of genders. I hope you enjoy!
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