[center][h3]What was, what will be[/h3][/center]

The sky above Vallora had the tones of afterglow with the sun high but locked in a state of eclipse. The city was buzzing with life, the sound of forges, of accounting magistrates, and the marching of soldiers to the camp set by Theodoro. A wave of orichalk lances standing high as the men marched down, flowing from Vallora to there like a river of metal, yet the world was silent, the cannons had quieted, the twacks of bows and crossbows, all gone, the time for drilling had passed, it was time to take position and stand ready.

It was impressive to some, imposing to others, but to Dzallitsunya it was just melancholic. She was sitting in a nearby hill, under a tree of purple blooms, Eclipse had been planted on the ground, the goddess resting her hands and chin against its hilt.

Even in the afterglow, as modest of light it may give in an otherwise dusky atmosphere, something cast a shadow over Eclipse. Whoever owned the shadow was creeping ever closer, throwing their shade over Tsunya herself.

“Benea.” The shadow goddess said with a coy tone, killing any chance for a fun surprise. “I was wondering when you would arrive.” 

“Shortly,” Jermane answered, “she is just cresting the hill now.”

The goddess turned her head to acknowledge the shadow. “Ah, Jermane. I had not seen you there.” she stood up, taking full hold of the sword. “To be fully honest, you spooked me.”

“I told him to do it, dear!” Benea called out as she finally overcame the slope to stand atop the hill with the others. She held her hands high in a stretch before resting them on her hips. Jermane simply bowed his head to Dzallitsunya and then Benea before backing away to give the two of them space. 

“Good technique, I was very distracted by your presence.” she said, then looked to the side for a moment, her lips moving in a hesitating manner. “The news arrived here already.” she added, focusing again on Benea with a side-glance. 

“Hmmmm?” Benea gave a playful hum as she went to sit down, a curly-framed chair of birch and flowers knitting underneath to catch her. As she sank into the chair she tapped her cheek. “So much has been going on, my sweet Tsunya, which news?”

Tsunya closed her eyes for a moment, when she opened them again she had fully turned to Benea. “I cannot deny that. I could be talking about the fall of coldshanks, of the, now somewhat old, news of a floating spirit of winter, I could be talking about the embassy coming to me with the most dire news, the death of a god… Did it happen in the past too? That tint of red in the sky when a god dies?” 

“Yes.” Benea folded a leg over her knee and crossed her arms — a serious look taking her face. “Every single time. It lingers longer the closer you are.”

“How terrible. That light was truly repugnant.” she stared up at the sky when remembering it. “Sigh… Benea. I do not care much if once you ran by another name. But I cannot deny it… hmm. Stings a bit, to know you knew certain things. This world is full of things beyond my reach, things I can never understand or even change, the sky, the past, the future, death and our fellow gods. Your existence however turns a few of those more tangible to me.”

Benea tucked a slant into her cheek. “Don’t take it personally, darling, it had nothing to do with you and our relationship. Originally it was for my own safety — though I suppose I chose the wrong name for that, it just popped in my head first. Then it was so I wouldn’t accidentally interfere with you or the other’s developing will in an effort to sort of recreate the peace of the past crucible.” She waved her hand and an identical chair appeared facing her. “Do you want to sit and talk about it? It’s far too late for my original plans, or Peninal’s.”

“We both love peace, and in a great irony, I believe we both took actions because of that that only gave room for violence to rise.” Dzallitsunya said, before nodding, sitting down, letting Eclipse fall against the grass and crossing her legs. “I am sorry… I do not have tea today. I could make some but I grew too accustomed to the real deal, summoned tea feels notably… hmm, faux.” 

“Oh don’t worry about it.” Benea waved a hand. “I’m sure our time with questions will fill any time for sipping tea. Where would you like to start?”

She stopped, pondered and then let out a somewhat nervous grim. “It will be a charged question, I try to find lesser ones to make the stage for it, but my mind just goes back to one thing.” She took a deep breath. “From where do you think Peninal or the Crucible or… the Node system the… whatever made us, from where do you think they took that? The assumption that we just came from nothing never felt full to me… I know this might be beyond you, but…  The end of the last crucible and the start of this one, you had an experience on both sides. I do not. Even your most raw and shallow speculation would be more than what I have.”

Benea tilted her head. “You want to know [i]why[/i] you were created? How the crucible decided on making you specifically?”

“Yes, something close to that... We all were born with so many preset thoughts and aspects, the humans too, it just… doesn’t make sense in my mind.”

“Hm… let me try to answer this to the best of my ability, dear.” The Calla Lily Goddess pinched her chin. “You and everyone in this crucible, including myself, is an aspect of Peninal’s will. Whether conscious or not, he wanted all of us to exist and so we do. I won’t lie to you though, it is more complicated than that — there are rules, even if you take all the nodes.” She trailed off. “With no barriers between us, darling, this is not my first crucible — nor was the last one my first either.”

The response surprisingly soothed her curiosity. “Ah! That makes… more sense. I was worried it could have been something worse.” The mention of rules however had echoed in her mind with a sense of dread, yet she also feared asking Benea about it, it was too close to confessing how much she had been thinking about the conquest of all nodes, and she did not want to appear sick to Benea.

“I imagined there was the possibility it was not your first. How many… Do you remember?”

She nodded. “I do.” Benea held out three fingers. “I was born in the sixth crucible, reigned over the seventh, and was reborn in the eighth.”

“Oh? That is… Less, haha.” she contained herself. “Sorry, I was childish for a moment, you are the only old god I know so my mind had raced to the possibility of you being… ageless.” she rubbed the side of her head. “I am sorry, it's just so much to think about. Uhm. But how did you know it was the sixth? Was there someone from a previous crucible, like you exist here?”

“In the sixth? No. I honestly didn’t know it was the sixth at the time. Garravar discovered the numbers for the crucibles, so even then I’m not entirely sure how accurate they are — but he was a very thorough man,” Benea admitted. “But there was an artifact filled with everything we needed to know to work with the nodes, back in the sixth I mean.” Her face twisted with some worry. “Back then, I was the weakest of my sisters, you know? Ha! Look how far I’ve gone since then, sweet Tsunya.”

Tsunya tilted her head. “Well, your arms are still pudgier than Mine or Eleanna’s… heh.” 

“Are you calling me fat, dear?” A stern tone laced Benea’s words.

“Closer to soft…” she smirked. “What… were they like? Your sisters I mean. The gods… the people from before.”

“There were four of us. Me, Olipha… then my identical twin, Beneha, after her was Lon and Galina as well.” Olipha answered. “You can see where I found my alias… but to answer your question, they were all fantastic. Beneha was a curious and loving creature, Lon was headstrong but filled with passion, Galina was contemplative and so smart like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Oh. Now I understand why you said that about your name… Wait. Hmm. Now that I think about it, we all saw glimpses of the end of the last crucible, but how did your first one end?”

A quiet thought shadowed Benea’s face, as if a strong pain stabbed at her. “I won and created the seventh crucible.”

Tsunya’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh…!? So… You… Had all the nodes in your control? And yet the crucible continued?”

“It was my will,” Benea said simply. “A lot had happened in the sixth crucible, but I didn’t want to give up on a peaceful existence between gods. I loved my sisters, I loved them a lot and I still miss them even after so many thousands of years. I had so many options, and I chose the seventh crucible.”

The wide eyes narrowed. “But… What was it like? You had all the nodes and then what? Did they extract your wishes without your input? Did you get whisked to a secret Node dimension to talk with whoever made the nodes? And if you were the weakest, how did you win?” by the end of her last question she was leaning almost too close, then with a sigh she enrightened herself. “I am sorry, I just have been… with a lot in my mind as of late.”

“I…” Benea furrowed her brow and put a hand on Tsunya’s knee, giving it a reassuring pat. “I’ll tell you the rest but you have to promise me that you will talk with me and Xavior so we can all decide together who should take all the nodes, okay?”

“I have been one of the first to propose that, and… despite everything, I stand by it. I cannot say I have not questioned you both before, sometimes I may have had harsh thoughts even, especially with certain acts during this war but…” she took a deep breath. “I truly trust you, you both, I think when the time comes, even if I have to step back, you two will understand my worries and concerns and bring that forth no matter what.”

It was something Theodoro had touched upon a long time ago, something she had not realized until he had put into words. “Not to say I simply stand back to all I have done, I think I am not without merit, yes? 

Giving Tsunya a soft smile, Benea shook her head. “I do trust you, it’s just stories of the past have a certain way of muddling thoughts. Either way, I’m ready to tell you about the sixth crucible if you’re ready to listen and be my friend throughout the story.”

The dusk goddess nodded. “Of course. I can stand and listen until the sun dawns again, and it is not dawning for as long as I am standing here.”

“Sweet Tsunya, we are sitting.”

The dusk goddess gasped. “I meant… uh…” she blew some air out of her mouth. “You totally understood what I meant, didn’t you?” she said with a pout. 

“I do, darling, I do,” Benea gave the dusk goddess a snorting laugh. “So, the sixth crucible.” Her face turned serious. “I was born with my three sisters as I said; Beneha, Lon, and Galina. When we first awoke we were surrounded by humans, same as you were, but instead of Peninal, we found a great and ancient pillar not far off. Of course we shied away from it at first, it was very intimidating but eventually Beneha decided to investigate it and I quickly followed. Following so far, dear?”

"I am" she rubbed her chin. She wondered if later she could request Benea to draw such things.

“From the pillar we learned about the triggering event and capturing the nodes as well as a brief history on a past crucible,” Olipha recounted. “Unfortunately, Beneha didn’t take it all very well and grew upset and angry to the point that she wanted to destroy the crucible. I tried to calm her down, I really did, but before I could make any progress, Galina and Lon grew upset with Beneha’s actions. Eventually, Lon took Beneha’s life to silence her rage.”

"Ah." The dusk goddess nodded solemeny "Was it… just you four back then?"

“Yes,” Benea answered. “Just us four.”

"What happened next? After the… conflict…"

Olipha let out a long sigh. “I killed Lon to avenge Beneha. She wasn’t expecting it, but neither was I. After that, it was too late. Galina and myself fell into a feud. She raised the humans into an army of paladins, so I did the same and for a little over one-hundred years we fought back and forth against each other. We captured nodes and lost them just the same, but it was never about winning the crucible, it was about our sisters… until a few years before the end at least. During our fighting, when the world was split between her and I, the triggering event started. After that, it was a maddened rush to finish the war and prevent a collapse of apocalyptic proportions. I won.”

She sighed. "I almost feel tempted to say the crucible truly is wicked… But well, humans do it too among themselves, it's far more widespread, like a blinding fire." She turned to Benea. "But then, what next? How did the end of the crucible go?"

“Hm.” Olipha chewed on her cheek. “I saw the ebb and flow of all creation and after that, my will was law. The world sundered itself to my vision and the seventh crucible was formed, and for thousands of years, my will didn’t part from reality — I was all powerful, though… I suppose not all powerful, there were rules.”

For once there was a glint in the shadow's eye. "You mentioned them before. What were they? I can imagine the nodes still stand supreme and unshakable, even as the world bends to your will?"

“Well no,” Olipha actually disagreed. “The nodes bent to my will just the same. Two rules come to mind the most, though. I inherited them by taking all the nodes, you see, and was bound to the will of a previous being named Kaksi. I don’t know anything about Kaksi, except that they left me two things I could never break. First, was that the Children of Trine shall always persist, to which I had no idea what that meant, and second was that a god could never break physical reality.”

"Children of Trine, hmm." She had a main guess, among many, of who those were. "And no breaking of reality. Ergh. Very flexible wording, to me flying fish broke that, until I saw them, so does Umbrium…"

“Wait,” Olipha held up a hand. “Where else would you see fish but the sky? You’re a silly one sometimes, Tsunya.”

"The duskland's rivers are full of fishes." 

Olipha snorted a giggle. “Silly. But go on.”

"If you don't mind me asking, in the seventh and sixth Crucibles… was the sky the same?"

“Heavens no.” Olipha waved a hand. “The sky you see now was made by Peninal.”

“Huh… Is that so? What was different from the previous crucibles then? The sky is so immense I had the impression it had to be beyond reach for all things, even a fully unified crucible.”

“Well for one, I wasn’t a constellation in the last crucible.” Olipha winked. “That boy really did have quite the crush on me, didn’t he?”

She took a deep breath and sighed. “I mean, yes, that is probably one way to say it. Truly… reaching for the stars and then just doing something so… But, well, I guess that also meant he went the full way to bring you back…” she tapped her chin. “Were they brought back from the sixth to the seventh? Your sisters…?”

Olipha shook her head. “No. I wish I had a better explanation for you on why, but… leave a survivor to grieve, dear.”

“Sorry…” she nodded in acknowledgement. “I knew it was something harsh to ask but… With Anak’Thas I thought, as a silver lining, that he could be given a second chance… well, he was already and denied it, but I mean, a second chance in a better world.”

“You mean if it would be possible or wise to renew Anak’thas in a ninth crucible?” Olipha peered at Dzallitsunya with an uncharacteristically blank yet thinking stare.

“It would be up to the judgment of the person who makes the final decision, in my own viewpoint, yes. If I am chosen to lead the final union, then it will be because most people trust that my methods and views can bring peace, and if that is the case, then Anak’Thas in such a world would not follow the same unfortunate path…” Tsunya tapped her legs and looked down. “Huh. I expected more resistance to me mentioning taking down Anak’Thas.” she thought aloud as soon as the realization came to her.

“Yes, he wouldn’t, but not because you created a world in which he wouldn’t, but because you created an Anak’thas that couldn’t.” Olipha crossed her arms. “I was reborn in the eight to fulfill a plan set by myself and Peninal, but living in it as long as I have made me realize how futile the plan was. I have given up on it as well as on an idea of me taking all the nodes once again. Instead, I plan on anointing either you or Xavior as my successor… though such a heavy decision does not come easy.”

“... Oh. I guess… I should have guessed. I started this conversation declaring the tea I can create as a god to be faux compared to the real one. And yet… You don’t seem annoyed at your own existence, and at the new chances…” Unless, this was all a set up… but then… Dzallitsunya shook her head, skipping to the next topic. “About the decision… I appreciate this, that I am one of the two you would trust, but you should not burden yourself this much, me and Xavior had a pleasant time together, we too can come to amends should the time come.”

“I’d rather you have someone to blame other than yourself if you don’t find all you’re looking for past the nodes, dear,” Olipha disagreed. “It’s the least I can do for inspiring your existence.” She shook her head. “But enough doom and gloom, I’m starting to think that this is all god’s think about… no, I will admit that there has been thousands upon thousands of years of peace and happiness in the crucible, and from what I have heard, there has been more good that has existed and more joy than there ever was misery and hate. It’s up to us to cling to that optimism, as our wills birth creation.” 

Olipha looked away for a moment, shame brushing her cheeks. 

“Those work much like light and shadow, when you look at them, you see how one amplifies the other. I cannot deny, when I heard of this cycle, of this thing that at times mimics a deranged game, the thoughts to just let it all end do pass in my head. But… There is also egotism in that, we are gods, and we should take responsibility in our positions.” In comparison, Tsunya’s demeanor was somewhat frigid, a serious look on her face.

“And yet I can also almost envy your current position, having given up on the contest, you can enjoy creation at your will, exploration at your will. I wish I could do the same, but given my position, all choices are weighted in a great intrigue…”

“Oh, sweet Tsunya, no.” Olipha shook her head. “I have conceded my place as the one to take all nodes, but I am very much still involved in the crucible. I cannot let it fall to those like Anak’thas. His will won’t create any of that joy I mentioned, and even if I am no longer the Queen of the Crucible, I won’t let it be poisoned after I’m gone.”

“Hmm. Any help at this frontline will be welcomed. I want to minimize the suffering of the humans, including Anak’s own. I know Xavior would not want his men to die either, we are too young, death is a foreigner… A Coldshanks like situation with our own… I dread to think of it.” the implication was shot without Tsunya ever realizing.

“The Paladins [i]are[/i] the frontline.” Olipha sat back. “Trained in the warrior arts of Faringdal and bestowed with my wishes of peace. They know all too well the doom that god like Anak’thas bring to the nodes and will fight to see the nodes free of his grasp.”

“With the dynamic mind of Eunomia, the wealth of the Dusklands, and the food of the Verdant Realms, we will truly be set. We don’t know what is happening in the south, but we will be ready if they are equal to Anak in will, but hopefully that is not the case.” with a tap on her chin. “That said, Faringdal, hm? The name echoes somewhere in my mind… Ah no, Yargindal is what Garravar said in Peninal’s memory.”

Olipha pursed her lips, a blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "Well, you can't blame me for slipping something up after all this time now can you, dear?" Changing topics. "Was there anything else you wanted to know?"

“Given the situation I don’t blame you.” Tsunya picked up Eclipse and sheathed it, the sun was already setting so there was little reason to keep it out. “There is something, but it is not pleasant. Garravar. I have received some information from Xavior, but, I do wonder, do you know how he learned about the previous crucibles?”

"I do," Olipha admitted. "I know all there is to know about that man…" A sigh. "As for his methods, not all of them were savory, but naturally he studied the nodes and scoured the world for clues."

“But each time the world is remade, isn’t all else erased?” Dzallitsunya leaned back a bit, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm here, Peninal was here, the nodes are here, the map is here, and the pillar was there when I was first born." Olipha shrugged. "Some things stay. Others are constants, like the sun or humans."

“And tragedy. But we can always try to change that…” she glanced at the setting sun before focusing again on Benea. “The map, right… how… infuriating, I wish I could visit the central node again but that is far from simple given that creature of chaos dominating it now.” she bit her lip “Do you think Humans are the Children of Trine, that you mentioned previously? There are very few things that are both constant and yet still fit to be called children.”

"Probably, unless it is referring to all life." A pause. "Though it does make me wonder who Trine was whenever I think on it, not even Garravar could figure that out."

“It leaves me curious as well. Most of us are humans in shape and demeanor, and if humans are a creation of Trine…” she sighed. “I can’t think much about these topics right now, this war consumes so much of my thoughts, but once I am free, we should try to work together to see what else we can discover.”

“Onto one last worry, Garravar is already harming our generations of gods… Given his age and the prowess he showed in the one Peninal memory I had access to, I don’t even dream of fighting him, my concerns on that matter have been with the topics of defense, retreat, containment…” the goddess raised a finger, and in a moment, innumerous jade colored moths that were previously merely fluttering by rushed to her body, wings uniting in a distinctly divine defensive material, not only that, but a few were dedicating to forming the same plate around Benea, but in a binding fashion. She lowered the finger and both dissolved. 

“Handy, no? Very hard to perceive, very flexible.” Dzallitsunya smiled. “I will send a message to Eleanna, custom fit so that no foolish idea crosses her mind. But the south…” Dzallitsunya leaned forward. “I have a port city at the bottom of the sheep river, that being the central one of Node 13, Kiri Tzur. Canoes and barges leave Vallor daily for there, and a worthy sea vessel awaits there. I planned to use it to reach the far off island but… I am now bound to this land for as long as Anak’Thas shines. I was thinking however… what if you went South?”

"I could, to accomplish what? And while Garravar's name is handy, never engage him if you do see him and certainly don't get close." Benea wagged a finger. "Even if you do manage to hurt him or even kill him, he will only come back even stronger. Fire will slow him down, but not indefinitely."

“To scout out the stability of those gods and potentially warn them of the dangers we know.” she stopped “But it's merely a proposal. Eventually I will have enough magistrates to spare for at least the former. It's just that… you do have a way with words.” Dzallitsunya shook her head. “Sorry.”

Benea smirked at the compliment. "Very well, darling, I trust you and our sweet Xavior can handle things up here while I take a look."

[hider=summary]
Dzallitsunya is watching her soldiers march down and is somewhat melancholic.
Benea shows up, as Tsunya expected she would, given all the concerning and confusing news from Eunomia.
Tsunya asks Olipha about the previous nodes, about was, about the rules of what one can do once they have all nodes.
She learns about the 6th Crucible, the one Benea/Olipha won, about her four sisters and the tragedy that befell them.
They talk more, about Anak'Thas, about the end of this very Crucible, with Benea intending either Tsunya or Xavior to take it all.
Tsunya then proposes that Benea should travel south, as the dusk goddess does have a boat ready to deploy, and it seems other gods should be scouted and warned of incoming trouble.
[/hider]

[hider=Might Usage]
Dzallitsunya: Starting: 3

3 might used to create the Nephrite Moths. A discrete group of fantastic beasts that fly around Tsunya, when commanded they land all over her and quickly turn into an extremely durable and regenerative armour or stick to a target and create an equally durable bind/prison.

0 remains
[/hider]