--- Amaranthine, the year 720 (Quite a while ago)---

The sun flickered again. She'd stopped counting how many times that had happened; all she could conceive to feel in her soul was simply resignation.

Every time it happened, Amaranthine wanted to go around and smite some particularly annoying mortals. Everyone who'd done this should die, everyone who knew how to do this should die, everyone they'd ever loved and every piece of their souls should be torn apart in the depths of the void to fester in the stomachs of the demonic hordes.

But then the sun would stabilize again and Amaranthine could feel herself relax slightly as she prodded at it.

She was far from all powerful, so there was nothing she could do about the shell they'd somehow affixed around most of the sun, there was nothing she could do about the way it pulled energy forcibly into it, there was nothing she could do about the deaths and famine and disease of her people—there was nothing she could do about the destabilization of everything, as it fell apart right in front of her very eyes.

So, Amaranthine didn't let herself feel that pain anymore. This time she'd had enough. The goddess drew her presence away from her world and into a place between worlds and realms, she wasn't thinking straight but to her it didn't really matter.

When she arrived in the realm of order, it was just as proper as the last time she'd popped in for a chat, the four gods that were present noticed her immediately. Kalteii, The snow mother and the most ancient of them, mostly ignored Amaranthine; she was resting as usual, probably thinking again of ways to wrestle control of the world back from Gium. Naltest seemed happy to see Amaranthine, but he was far away, focused on something that seemed important. Alner didn't even glance her way, but she knew he would be listening to every word that was spoken as was his habit ever since Gium started being a salty prick about the wording of contracts.

The last deity examined her thoughtfully, knowing that she was after his assistance.

"Gium." She said the word bitterly.

"Amaranthine. To what do I owe this visit?"

She watched him for a long moment, contemplating if she should change her mind, but... no, no. She'd waited too long already."I am giving up my arguments. You won the bet."

He laughed, bringing the god of protectors into the conversation "Alner, some of your traitors went to Wreyn, didn't they? It seems they finally broke our dear sister's conviction."

The god in question didn't at Gium when he responded, "They went a little bit of everywhere; of course Wreyn is on that list."

Amaranthine glanced towards her world, the invaders happily reaping the benefits of their total annihilation of culture and peace. "They were so peaceful at first... but they're just toxic now. I'm here to concede that Gium has won our bet, mortals cannot be left to their own devices, they must be controlled if there is to be anything good that remains."

Alner followed her gaze toward Wreyn and finally glanced at Gium, "I'm sure he's happy about that."

"Not necessarily." Gium intoned, examining the world Amaranthine had helped shape with a critical, orderly eye. She could almost see his judgment about the way the continents were shaped, the way the core of the world had been tied to the magic of her people in what felt like an afterthought. "I might need these traitors in a thousand years."

Amaranthine felt her aura sharpen in annoyance, she'd come here, ready to submit to him just like Naltest and Alner had done. She'd come here ready for scorn and embarrassment, she hadn't come ready to be denied even that, "So the moment I've decided I lost, you aren't willing to help me? Aren't you the god of Order? Can you possibly see this happening and still refuse to act?"

"I will act. By bringing the traitors here once they've burned themselves out, that should line up nicely with my next reset."

She bristled at that, remembering his obsession with destroying every culture after about two thousand years of letting it fester. To 'keep the mortals from rising too far' apparently. Amaranthine noticed the huge gap in time though, she saw the whole unfairness of the prospect and the many futures in which this could go wrong. Gium knew it was there, he knew that Justice herself would demand some kind of favor to Amaranthine for the delay, but he was hoping she wouldn't act on it. "That gives me the leeway to change something in your world."

Gium was silent for a bit too long before responding, "Yes, it does."

"I agree then."

"What are you going to do?"

She smiled cruelly, "Something that will make you regret not letting this happen immediately."

Alner nodded, "The deal is made."

Gium sighed, "Then let my power run rampant if this contract is broken." He was really dedicated toward having a gap in time then, Amaranthine didn't understand why.

The gods dispersed and Amaranthine was left alone in the realm of order. Gium was still watching her, as was his right if she was going to change something in his realm, but he could not interfere with the decision of what to change. It had to be minor though—for a goddess, having to wait an extra thousand years was simply an annoyance that could spiral out of control if things went badly. So it had to be something that would be 'simply an annoyance' for Gium, hopefully the kind that would spiral out of control.

In the mortal realm, on Gium's continent there was a city filled with some of Alner's people, they'd gone everywhere—as he'd said—but this variety was calmer than the destroyers on her own world.

Amaranthine examined their souls, seeing the ways Gium had woven his 'imprint' into their very beings. It was an intriguing method, but ultimately useless to her. Amaranthine was preoccupied trying to understand the workings of it anyway when she sensed a new soul being born into the world, all the way in Naltest's domain.

Turning toward that soul, she frowned as it caught Gium's attention. He quickly affixed magic to it, shaping a random ability into the new soul with a careful hand that Amaranthine would have refused to admit her jealousy of.

Afterward he retreated again and continued watching her. That's when she had the idea, the amazing, terrible, awful, idea.

Time passed and soon another new soul appeared into the world from the beyond; the soul was female, attached to one of those people she'd been watching earlier. Gium moved to do the same process for this soul but Amaranthine sent out her aura.

"This is my act in your world, I will give this child powers as I see fit."

Gium paused and pulled away his presence; not commenting or arguing. He was probably hoping she would go easy on him if he didn't provoke her right before she did something.

Too bad for him that Amaranthine was not going to go easy on him in the least.

You will be my little project.

She listened as the parents named the child and smiled at the irony. Foralen dei Imal, The only one blessed.

------

From the Author: 

If you haven't read Runesight, I suggest you do so before continuing reading here. This is book 2 of a series. I'll be posting one chapter every week (Saturday at 6am MDT) the same schedule I used for the first book. 

If you just came from there, then welcome back ^^ there's a lot more on it's way!

Please remember to vote on any chapters you particularly like, it's possible to vote on every chapter and it helps this to reach more people!