“At the beginning of time, there were the Gods and the Zydells. While the Zydells wanted tranquility and peace–to just simply exist–the Gods craved more. They wanted power, yearning for glory. They wanted to rule. So, the Six Eternal declared themselves rulers over the cosmos, and the Zydells were left alone in their world to live in peace, forever separated from the Gods, and their rule. Neither could visit nor interfere with the other through cosmic law.”
A swift breeze wrapped around Garren, sending a chill straight down to his bones.
“The Gods traveled far and wide across the cosmos, seeking out life to rule over, to show their power to and receive their glory, but there was nothing to fulfill their unquenchable need. So, for thousands of years, the Gods ruled over the seemingly empty cosmos, sat upon their thrones in the High City of Vanriel, and began multiplying their godly race into far greater numbers, coupling with one another until there were hundreds of lesser Gods for them to rule over. There were Gods of sun, Gods of sky, of darkness, peace, and justice. Gods of all things.” Oriana stopped, looking up at him with questioning eyes. He noticed that they had faded from vibrant green to a dull, pale color as she spoke. Concern wafted over him; it was as if the light inside of her had been snuffed out, but he still nodded for her to continue.
“But there were two Gods that stood out as different from the rest. They were stronger, more powerful. Each possessing a power to rival that of the Six Eternal. One of these Gods was the god of creation and chaos. Whereas the Six Eternal could only create new life with one another, through their collective coupling, this god had the power to create entire worlds and civilizations at the snap of his fingers, all on his own.”
Garren sighed deeply, and Oriana stopped her tale, examining his stature, sagging shoulders, and the distant look he knew his eyes had taken. “Are you alright? If you have questions I can–”
“No,” he interrupted. “It’s okay. I’m following, please continue.” This was insane. Not only were there Gods, but there was an entirely different, all-powerful species of them called the Zydells? He would be lying if he said his mind fully comprehended her words, but he continued to listen, watching as the sun's rays sent shimmering ripples across the sea far below.
“The god of creation brought into being creatures of all shapes and sizes, some with great power, almost matching that of the lesser Gods and some beings with no power at all. As he created, the other lesser Gods grew curious, visiting these new worlds to see what the god of creation had built. The Gods mated with these beings, creating wholly new races of powerful half god creatures. The cosmos was growing at an alarming rate and the Six Eternal became agitated, unable to fully rule and oversee all that was going on in their cosmos.
Some of the half god creatures were good and just, but many were evil, corrupting the worlds. They became unruly, threatening the destruction of the universe. So Zanos, King of the Six Eternal, forbade the coupling of any god or goddess with a creature brought into existence by the god of creation, putting forth a decree that all halfling’s throughout the cosmos be executed. This was a task eagerly taken on by the god of war and trickery. The god of creation and chaos was locked away in a place we call the Dark World, never to create again.”
“This god of creation, he made Svakland? He made this world and me?” Garren’s ears rang, pressure pounding along behind his eyes.
“Yes.” Oriana looked down at the angry waves crashing against jagged rock far below. “That god is my twin brother, Orrick.”
Garren stiffened. “Orrick? You mean to tell me…you’re saying that Orrick is my creator?” That vile man–or god, rather–had created him? He had unknowingly come face to face with his creator; the thought made his stomach flip.
“Not only you and Svakland, Garren. The demons you have spent your life hunting–they are his, too. He has been messing with the worlds, bringing beings from other realms here to observe their destruction for his own amusement.”
The ringing in his ears shifted to an unbearable chorus of clanging bells as bile rose in his throat. “I think I might be sick,” he said just before the contents of his stomach forced themselves up his throat, and he spat them down into the ocean below.
Oriana placed a gentle hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles as his stomach settled.
“I–I don’t understand. Why? And why only in the past twenty-five years? Demons were unheard of before then. What does all of this have to do with you being here and being cursed?”
Oriana dropped her hand from Garren’s back, and a mask of sorrow fell over her features. An uneasiness overtook him at her silence and the pain he could so clearly see etched on her face. “The demons are my fault.”
Garren drew his brows together. “How are they your fault? You're not the one who brought them here.”
Oriana looked back at him, a tear rolling down her elegant cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb.
“Orrick escaped the Dark World many years ago and discovered that I was stuck here, cursed. He saw what I did when in my cursed state, what I had become. I believe he wanted to replicate that throughout Svakland and watch his creations fight one another. That was twenty-five years ago, and from what you have told me, he’s been sending new and different species here to wreak havoc ever since.”
Garren’s nostrils flared, and he let a growl echo through his chest. “The bastard,” he said, copying Oriana’s lewd gesture from earlier and aiming it up at the bright blue sky. The Gods be damned, he didn’t care anymore. His entire life had been ruined because of those demons. “I will kill him.”
“You can’t,” Oriana said in response. “He would kill you before you could even lift your blade. A god cannot be killed by mortal weapons.”
Garren’s heart raced, threatening to break free of its confines. If it were possible, steam would be billowing from his ears from the fire that had been lit within his chest. But then he looked at Oriana, at the anguish palpable through the hunch of her shoulders and the curve in her back. She looked tired. As if the weight of a hundred corpses were slung upon her back. And they probably were, he realized.
“Will you tell me about you now? About the curse?” His voice was soft, heedful.
Oriana sighed, nodding. “Even with the halflings massacred, the cosmos remained expansive, far too boundless for the Six Eternal to rule on their own. So, a hierarchy of the Gods was created. The Six Eternal would remain at the top, with each of their own children below them. The children of the Gods were each given a world to rule over, to be overseer in the Six Eternals place. I was given the mortal realm, your world.”
“So, you are our ruler? Why then do the people…why do we not know of your existence? Shouldn’t all of Svakland be praising your name?”
She breathed out a short huff of air in a weak laugh. “It is as I said. The Six Eternal are power hungry, cruel, and mirthless beings. They think us beneath them, even if some of us are just as–if not more–powerful than they are.”
Her eyes darted to him so quickly at that final comment that Garren wrinkled his brow, wondering if she was saying she was more powerful than the Six Eternal Gods. He didn’t question her further on it, only locked that bit of knowledge away for another time.
“Besides, I was more an overseer than an omnipotent ruler. Our job as lesser Gods was to make sure the worlds didn’t become threatening and unruly, remaining within the limits of the cosmic universe. I don’t wish for the people’s worship, anyway. I am not worthy of it.”
At that moment, a cloud covered the sun from view, casting the cove in darkness as the wind picked up, bringing gooseflesh climbing up Garren's arms. He couldn’t help but think it an omen for Oriana’s next words.
“I remained the overseer of this world for centuries, observing the customs and ways of the mortals. I became enthralled by their simplistic way of life. These people who were mortal, their lifetimes cut so short, loved deeply and lived to their fullest. It was breathtaking. It is breathtaking. They hold such a beautiful outlook on life.
