[center][img] [/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/WHpjdxO.png[/img][/center] [center][h1][b][color=f9ad81]Ashevelen & Anath Homura[/color][/b][/h1] [h3][i][color=fdc68a]Summoned[/color][/i][/h3][/center] [hr] With a loud sigh, Ashevelen looked as the shadow ball that transported the now mortal Desire disappeared in the horizon. Where? She didn’t know herself. Cutting ties fully with it and letting it land wherever. Desire’s destiny was now in her own hands. That is, if her mother won’t track her down and kill her either way. It was time for actual work now. Teleporting herself back to the Shadow Bazaar, Ashevelen transmitted a message to all of her sentient creations, everywhere. It was a simple command. [i]Shadow Bazaar. NOW.[/i] In a matter of minutes, all the Umbra, Coin Fairies, Beholders and species in between, within the world appeared in the Shadow Bazaar. One by one they appeared in a newly created room that was large enough to fit everyone. Some were hopeful, maybe it was time for them to learn something new, get a divine gift, but the others, all others, were afraid. The fear was palpable. A lesser divine might’ve drowned in the concentrated feeling of dread. “[color=aa6c39]Creations of mine. Some of you have been created by my will, others have been evolved or created by my siblings but know you are all mine. Something is coming for the world. Something that even I can't stop but I've got a plan. So, I'm giving you one command. When you leave the Bazaar, don't return home 'for it won't be there anymore. Go to the Umbral Forest. You'll know when it's clear for you to return. For now, stay here. Food, drinks and entertainment will be for now…free of charge. [/color]" said Ashevelen, her voice strong and clear. They would die if they didn't listen to her. Before anyone could say anything, tables with food, drinks and musicians appeared. In the commotion, the Lady disappeared. Appearing above the Umbral Forest, she focused her power, transmission. With a loud shout, the whole territory vanished and reappeared thousands of km up in the air and before it could start falling, a bubble appeared around it. Keeping the whole territory afloat. [b][i]“Ashevelen, I would speak with you…”[/i][/b] Familiar and foreboding - the voice of Anath Homura reached her from afar, and beckoned. Then the taste of Transmission was abruptly all around again and precisely woven through the air along the wandering winds, as a portal of another opened afore her. An almost deficient invitation for a deity, yet definitely perspicuous. At very high speeds, Ashevelen crossed the Umbra Forest, checking every square inch of the forest for imperfections or potential dangers. After doing that twice, she stopped and waved her hands once more. Buildings made of wood, stone and different already discovered metals started to construct themselves. Shelters, homes, barracks everything that a new city would require to support the massively increased population. Yet before the job was completed, Anath’s voice could be heard. The powers of Transmission flared around Ashevelen and she shook her head. Anath was wielding the powers nicely but it lacked a certain something, a charm to how they’re applied. Either way, this was the moment that Ashe knew would come sooner or later. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the portal created by Anath but not before throwing hundreds of coins around the forest. Each to be used as teleportation coins, same as the one she gave to Penumbra. Through the calling portal - a colossal chamber; circular and commanding of the attention via complex architecture, all adorned with glittering gemstones and a myriad of mosaics sculpted and set in an infinite stretch across every aspect of the edifice, silently awaited Ashevelen. The designs and artistic features almost sought to speak aloud, yet an unyielding presence administered a state of suppressed quietude. The Creatrix herself - seated upon a throne a short distance away, thematically similar to the splendor and awe-inspiring sights of the chamber the two of them stood within - stared at Ashevelen with her single ruby-red eye, solemn and salient. An aura of sorrow and isolation surrounded the scarlet goddess, as aside from Ashevelen, she seemed to be the only denizen of this ornate domain, and Anath Homura had remained reticent regarding whether she should be approached. Ashevelen looked around, fully ignoring the Creatrix, at the chamber she was in with a collector's eye. The design of the room was being written in the records of the Bazaar in real time as she gazed upon every inch of the room and the throne. With a snap of Ashevelen's fingers, music started to be heard from within her. A violin song, calm and soothing. She walked towards the Creatrix and bowed low at her presence before taking out an immaculate mirror from the shadow of her robes. A reminder of their first interaction, yet this one was even more extravagant than the other one. "[color=aa6c39]Anath. Greetings! Love what you've done with the place. It could use more pizaah and I could offer some designs if you wish to improve but nonetheless, it's a fine job. Please accept this gift. [/color]" said Ashevelen, her voice charming as she held the mirror in her hands, in the direction of the Creatix. [b][i]“Be welcome, Ashevelen, and your gift is accepted.”[/i][/b] Anath Homura announced from her seat, and then stood. Her short stature and almost simplistic serenity contrasted with the complexity and always shifting-shapes of their surroundings, as though the Creatrix did not belong in this beautiful chamber she had carved and sculpted herself. Her voice and visage indicated no ill intent, yet something insidious suffused the sound of her speech, similar to how the sight of smoke viewed from afar was suggestive of a vehement flame. The White-Rose, which seemingly replaced her second ruby-eye sometime ago, resonated with weird energies, as though weaving a wayward tapestry together that would form upon the face of Anath Homura. Soon numerous veins of vile black, akin to ichor or oil, spread across the skin around the strange flower, resembling roots traversing the soil. There were no words of worry from the cosmic conjurer as these concerning changes occurred - she simply spoke, continuing to stay where she stood afore her throne. [b][i]“Your adherence to Honor shall suffice. However, are you aware of why we are having this appointment?”[/i][/b] "[color=aa6c39]We both know that honor is subjective, Anath and I never lie. A trader is only as good as their word after all. But to answer your question. I am assuming you've asked for me because I made a trade? Is that not what you've asked of your divine siblings when you've called to us? Come here and do what we know best. [/color]" [b][i]“Your diligence towards the acts of creation and cultivation have been beheld, Ashevelen. You shall be awarded for your achievements as well. I hereby bequeath to you, a set of sanguine dice, fashioned from your younger blood.”[/i][/b] Anath Homura held up her hand and gestured, as a set of dice appeared afore the grim goddess and then gently hovered towards Ashevelen. A reminiscent shimmer was reflected in her ruby-eye, along with an orb of golden light which changed not into a woman, but a whimsical child sharing a serendipitous smile. The subtle sight faded swifty, and the familiar form of Ashevelen appeared in the eye of Anath Homura. [b][i]“Ahh… I have never been fond of gambling, or luck, yet I am averse to the actions of Yudaiel as well - ever a source of troubles within my realm. Hmm… Perhaps my punishments were too lenient, or perhaps I could have been more persuasive. I digress, those deaths all hang in the past.”[/i][/b] Ashevelen grabbed the pair of dice and bowed low. Head hanging low in gratitude. Her merchant self was already thinking of a way to have it sold if needed. “[color=aa6c39] Luck is made by oneself by negotiating with destiny itself. Unless one is divine, and then we can make our own luck. There’s no such thing as a lenient punishment I found within my own mortals. Punish them hard, they’ll grumble and eventually end up making you destroy them. Be too lenient and they’ll abandon you. I found that it’s better to find a balance between them and of course, make them believe that they can work for your forgiveness not because they fear “the stick” but in exchange of great riches or whatever motivates them. [/color]” replied Ashevelen with another curtsy before looking directly into Anath’s eye with a determined look. Her whole stance changed on the spot. No longer a courtier playing nice but a divine meeting another. A merchant meeting a client. “[color=aa6c39]Now, I am sure you’ve got other stuff to do than exchanging pleasantries with me. Tell me, what trade do you wish to make? What information do you require? [/color]” [b][i]“You presume much, Ashevelen. Hmm… I am seeking my wayward daughter - and pleasantries aside - tell me; have you seen her, my twisted and adrift Desire?”[/i][/b] Anath Homura asked, her comportment unchanged and concealing any ultimate umbrage underneath. The dichotomy of her divine stillness and the indefinite shifting of their surroundings was a stark contrast that would shatter the senses of a more meager creature. Of course that's why she was here. It was quite surprising it took so long to be summoned. Lying to a goddess of such rank would be…detrimental for one's health. As such, Ashevelen did what she knew best. Tell her the truth. "[color=aa6c39]I only presume what I know for a fact, most of the time. The other times I'm simply following my calling. Trading is, after all, a game of presumption among other things. But, to answer your question, yes. I did see your wayward daughter a few times since you called us here. She was most recently being chaperoned by my champion. [/color]" said Ashevelen, talking fast. [b][i]“She has gone astray, fleeing from her family. I shall absolutely not allow such to persist, proliferating the profane path. You say neither leniency nor admonishment is an answer, and speak of rewards and motivation. She defies my decree, and shuns me… as though she seeks to attain my anger.”[/i][/b] The scarlet goddess spoke with a serene intonation, yet something subtle, insidious, seemed to suffuse her voice. Those vile veins of oil which spread around the roots of the White-Flower that resembled scars, akin to cracks and crevices across her skin, revealing secrets behind the boundaries of flesh, surged and receded in repetition. Wherein Keltra was whirling swiftly in a silent symphony of endless mesmerizing motion, as the Creatrix stayed completely stationary, the embodiment of equilibrium, those sinister scars seemed to embody a strange aspect of existence - abstruse and alien… [b][i]“Desire belongs to me. She is my child, my creation, my… I must bring her back home. She cannot choose to sell herself, or pay the price of freedom. I forbid such. Ashevelen, your arrangement with her; why would you act against me?”[/i][/b] An inquisitive look rested on Ashevelen’s face. Maybe she acted in Desire's favor but it was not against Anath. Though it made sense for her to see it that way. "[Color=aa6c39]She was your child. She had a path. She isn't that anymore. As such, her path is her own. As much as you push your child, that's how much the child will push against you. Desire had enough free will to make a trade for me. It wasn't against you. It was just business from my perspective. [/color]" replied Ashevelen before making a pause, letting the words sink in before continuing "[color=aa6c39]You're saying she cannot pay the price. Yet she did and it was a good one. More than happy to offer you the paperwork for the trade but I can assure you, I could've pressed my point even more and earned even more but let's say I go sentimental. As such, I have not acted against you. I simply have acted as one in my position would. A deal is a deal after and what she offered, made it a bargain. [/color]" she added while a scroll would appear next to Ashe, nicely folded. [b][i]“Hmm… why does this merchant remain in my world, mentioning contracts with children and motivation. Twice you have given me a mirror as a gift, thus I should be benevolent despite the displacement of my daughter, or perhaps my perspective of events is erroneous.”[/i][/b] With a calm and composed aura, the Creatrix returned to being seated upon her jeweled throne as she contemplated. [b][i]“What do you seek, Lady of Swift Trade and Shadow? Independence seems insufficient… So what is your wish?”[/i][/b] "[Color=aa6c39]What do I wish for? Good deals, of course. What can any trader wish for? I've seen countless worlds, I've created my own, destroyed a few. I only wish for one thing. The excitement of a good trade. Maybe in a few eons I'll find a mortal able to best me in a match of wits and out trade me. But short term? I find myself wanting to say nothing but let's just say…a favor to be called by me in the next eon. Nothing major for a divine being such as yourself. [/color]" answered the divine with a smile and a laugh. Before becoming serious once more. "[Color=aa6c39]I've only given you what you asked for. A way to see your family. That was your first wish. The mirror you've received now is different from the first. Look inside it, cast your gaze and see yourself. Your true self. The one you hide from all. The one you hide to yourself. It's a mirror of self-truth. As for your daughter, your daughter is alive and well. She hasn't found her way to the Bazaar. I only gave her what she asked for. If you wish to find her, look in the mirror after I leave. See your true self then ask yourself, was she right to run? Was she right to renounce the divine gift? If you won't know for sure, then I was right and I made a very good deal and gained some divine essence in the process too. [/color]" [b][i]“A favor…”[/i][/b] Anath Homura mused aloud, and examined the exquisite mirror with another enigmatic expression, a cryptic scrutiny consorting alongside abstract confusion. Another reflection appeared in her ruby-eye; a fractal image of Anath Homura surrounded by several simulacrums with slight variations, such as the return of her second eye - one with an emerald eye was evidently Desire. Amidst the congregation was a child that shared some resemblance to the Creatrix and her clones, with a pink aesthetic instead of crimson and scarlet. The image of the Anath Homura also had a happier countenance compared to the actual being before Ashevelen, whom was much more akin to an apparition that haunted this heavenly hall. What she wanted; her wish, finding her family, and an attempt to conceal that yearning within, the craving to be whole-hearted, was futile… she silently considered whether to stare at what the mirror would show or to shatter such an artifact swiftly. As Anath uttered the word favor, a piece of paper appeared before her. “[color=aa6c39]You just need to give me your word. Nothing more, nothing less. It will appear on the paper and bind you to your promise of a favor and will bind me as well to ask for a favor that won’t cause you harm or anything that I wouldn’t be able to do myself if I would have the time. I require nothing more than what’s easily doable. [/color]” said Ashevelen in a calm tone. [b][i]“My honor is more absolute than any manifestation of our agreement you can conjure. A favor I could give freely, without you asking for a frivolous piece of paper to force me to abide by a promise. I shall see whether you have wrought my wrath, or offered an auspicious opportunity.”[/i][/b] Anath Homura announced with a hint of annoyance, her words altered when written, and agreed to the terms set by Ashevelen with a formal small signature added to complete her side of the pact. “[color=aa6c39]No offense, Creatrix but honor means nothing to me. It’s all a matter of perspective after all. What’s honorable for me, might not be honorable for you. The “piece of paper” as you call it is a contract. It is not necessarily to force you to abide by a promise but to force me as well not to ask for something that you shouldn’t give. It offers security for both sides. As for your wrath, as I said, I see no reason to have wrought it. I did, after all, what you wished me to do. [/color]” There was a wrongness to the way Anath Homura held herself, as though whatever animated her had become broken and baleful. Slowly, she shut her solitary eye and sighed, then winced and trembled. The vile veins from the White-Flower abruptly spread across her entire shape, adorning her skin, her attire, and subtly suffusing her aura. She struggled to speak, almost opening her sole eye as the words barely escaped the prison within. [b][i]“Forgive me for my mention of wrath… my weariness has worsened and allows them to affect my actions.”[/i][/b] The Creatrix swayed and sagged as she sat upon her throne, staring at Ashevelen. [b][i]“I asked why you remain in this world as well… and require your answer. Do you believe you will find what you seek?”[/i][/b] She said feebly, while her hesitant hand reached towards the immaculate mirror. “[color=aa6c39]Nothing to be apologized for, Creatrix. I’ve noticed that even beings sure as yourself are susceptible to feelings our mortals have. Seen many divines [i]trading[/i] their divinity away in exchange for death, others took the matters in their own hands and went to the Hounds as they were known by a tribe of demi-divines I lived with once. The Hounds are divine eats, they live and breathe to consume divine essence. I ask that you don’t follow into their footsteps. Take a break. I could make some [b][i]ambrosia[/i][/b] out of Desire’s divine essence if you’ve got something better to exchange it with. Secret recipe by yours truly. [/color]” said Ashe with a diplomatic smile and yet another bow of deference. “[color=aa6c39]As for your question….I don’t know. I have no reason for staying here when so many of our siblings left. Maybe I find it interesting, maybe I’m waiting for a better opportunity. If I find a reason to leave, you’ll be the first to know. [/color]” Anath Homura shifted slightly; acute attention and searing-sight turning away from Ashevelen as she contemplated again - her hand upon the mirror. Then the composition of the cosmos shivered, their surroundings seeking to subvert the tremendous cage of conventional thought, the presence of the Creatrix this close providing such potential. She simply sighed - another adjustment to herself upon her throne, and supplied a second solemn look. [b][i]“I shall shape this land, bringing beauty and art about… but could we coexist? Conflict and calamity almost certainly awaits… a choice.”[/i][/b] She proclaimed. "[color=aa6c39]I know. Your daughter provided me with some information and the rest I figured out on my own. I've taken precautions to keep my creations safe. All of them. Yet, it is not me whom you should ask if we can coexist. The Goddess, Oa. Her existence is a threat for all life. Yourself included. [/color]" said Ashe, her voice grave as she summoned a coin in her hand and gently made it float to Anath. "[color=aa6c39]All my conversations with her. All the information my spies gathered. All the interactions my creations have had with all. All is stored on that coin. Just focus on it while holding it and it'll be yours. [/color]" [b][i]“Ah, Oa’qeisskesi. I have found her acts amusing…”[/i][/b] An upheld hand; then the drifting coin danced and fluttered amidst the fingers of the focused deity, as Anath Homura mused again. [b][i]“I shall summon and speak with her as well, asking the same… whether this world could be shared between all of us.”[/i][/b] "[color=aa6c39]They are the acts of a child that received divinity far from when they should. Yet…those actions are endangering my prospects. I don't say no to wars from time to time but her way is of constant war. I've managed to trick her, for now, in signing a pact with me. Herself and her subjects may never cause harm of any type to my plans. A very vague pact which doesn't have a time limit. Alas, any pact can be broken given enough time. [/color]" Another set of arms appeared; sprouting from behind the shoulders of Anath Homura like scarlet limbs, birthed behind her body still seeping blood with newly formed flesh. Swiftly, skin materialized, and silky strands wrapped around each arm, shifting into elegant sleeves, slightly ethereal - enough to still see the slender limbs shrouded beneath. The Creatrix then held the Mirror of Self-Seeing and the Coin of Input, in her higher arms, as she lay her lower arms upon her lap and languidly folded her hands together. [b][i]“You are excused for now, Ashevelen. Continue conducting yourself as you have… and I shall care for the children.”[/i][/b] "[color=aa6c39]Very well, Creatrix. I shall take my leave. My mortals have caused troubles again. That's what I get for putting all the different types of mortals in one spot. [/color]" replied Ashe, a portal appearing behind her but before she stepped in, she turned her head and smiled at the Creatrix. "[color=aa6c39]Your new body suits you. Don't use it against our kin. You'll find that we're very resourceful if needed. [/color]" warned Ashe as she went in and disappeared. [hider=Summary] Ashevelen levitates the Umbral Forest after teleporting it into the sky, protecting all of her creations there. Anath Homura summons Ashevelen to her domain, and asks about her daughter after exchanging gifts. She has yet to decide whether she accepts the situation. The two deities talk about Oa, and the threat she poses to the world. Ashevelen leaves with a last warning to Anath Homura. [/hider]