“Things, worlds, creatures. Yes I start,” his voice slips into a state of anxiety. “And others seek to end.” His inhale is sharp, closing of this subject.
“If your ability is endless, why not just rid the world of evil? Why do the runes matter so much?”
“My ability is not infinite; my existence is. Do you know what happens when you over mix a batter, when you stir it too much because you love it, enjoy it? It ruins it. And ruin is what the Demise seek. I tread carefully so that they do not find my creations. “And if they were not a big enough problem, I also happened to have made an agreement with the creator of this world. I have many limitations when I visit now.”
“Who created us?” I whisper in awe.
“My children made you, but Nerina made these lands you call Panthas,” he states with pride and affection.
“You announce Nerina as a lover would,” I declare. “Is she your enemy or not?”
“Friends bicker and fight all the time. Our game makes no difference. Love and war are the same; you can’t have one without the other. Love fuels war, spurs it on.”
“And what does war do to love?”
“It tests it. Makes it stronger. If love fails, then it was never truly love.” He hums in satisfaction. “Nerina was unsettled when my children came here unannounced and poured their magic into her lands. She tried to rid Panthas of magic by creating a new creature that fed off of it,” he expels a heavy sigh. “But Nerina was never as skilled in making creatures as I was. At first, her new creatures were like vampires; they fed off magic but remained civilized. Unfortunately, during their making, Nerina left a part of them vulnerable, and that flaw was exploited, turning them feral.” I can hear him lick his lips.
He’s not telling us every detail of that story.
I choose not to interrupt him and continue to listen.
“Nerina turned to me for help. She demanded payment for my children’s crimes. They altered her world beyond repair. I gave her compensation in the form of the one thing she always wanted from me, a child from my loins.”
“That’s sexy.” Tristen gags. “Haven’t your kids done enough damage?”
“This child is different. They are of my body. My other children are of my magic,” he explains quickly. “I made the exchange to save you all. I received permission to visit Panthas as a mentor, plus two casting changes to what has been created by my children.”
“Why only two amendments?”
“Panthas teeters on an edge. If Nerina and I interfere anymore, our enemy will come and demand retribution. Panthas will be in your hands. A parent’s help can only go so far before it becomes harmful.” He deadpans, cold as stone. “First, I altered the Vitalis, and then I began to mentor those who could?—”
“You little prick!” Tristen spits. His entire body shakes with rage. “If you had the Vitalis, why not just give it to us?”
“I did not have it,” he clarifies.
“Then how did you alter it?” I ask sweetly.Let’s catch this bee with honey and not insults, Tristen!
“The same way I create or change anything. I simply do it. Your small minds can not grasp that, so just accept it.”
I elbow Tristen.Let me do the talking!“How did you alter it?”
“I made it so only a creature of my choosing could create new runes. Why the glum look? That’s a measure of comfort, is it not? Now, only those I select can draw in the book.”
“And where is the child you and Nerina had?” I probe.
“I won’t answer that.” His shoulders shift out of their hunched posture and become a square so sharp that it feels like a wall is between us.
“Why?”
“Careful, Selene. I answer out of kindness, not duty.”
“You sound like a lifeboat riddled with leaks,” Tristen sneers.
“You don’t always need a boat to save you. Sometimes a plank will keep you afloat, boy.”
“What about this feral magic-feeding monster Nerina made? Is that the second alteration? You killed it.”
“Killed?” He rolls the word on his tongue, trying to eject the sour taste. “I told you, I am a Genesis. I start, I do not end.”
