Relic stood alone in the library. He adjusted his dark green robe as he sat, removing the cowl from his head in reverence. The library was a holy place for Relic, often coming here for learning and peace of mind. He was used to feeling alone as much as he preferred not to. The gods conversed with Relic as little as possible. They did not understand him, failing to connect with him and Relic knew it was not purposeful, but he despised them for it anyways. Relic’s malcontent increased over the centuries with the other gods’ neglect and lack of caring toward one of their own, even if he was a demi-god. Relic never knew his parents. He was the only demi-god who did not. Necrasa was the only god or goddess to have passed away and another goddess was born in her place, Sessora. She acted as a mother to Relic, but after Sessora’s truth had been exposed to him, he despised her too.
Relic was relatively young for his existence, only having lived hundreds of years, and compared to the rest of the gods; he was a child. Like most demi-gods, Relic would live for a undetermined number of millennia, but also like all humans, he would pass away, not being immortal like his parents. For this reason Relic passed most of his time in the Library of the gods. Answers could always be found in books, and if not directly, there were always clues. The gods’ record-keeping was impeccable. Relic had already found many answers to his previous questions such as: “How can I travel between realms?” and “Who are the other gods?” He was still working on the latter due to the pure boredom of memorizing and putting names with faces and their titles. Relic was much more interested in the quest for answers about his current questions: “What happened to my mother?” and “Where is my father?”
Relic picked up the journal he was reading: History of gods: Procreation written by Agoroth, god of Knowledge. Most writs in the library were by his hand, or the hand of his counterpart goddess, Neiva, but Relic preferred reading from Agoroth. He figured the answers he sought after wouldn’t come in a book, but since the other gods rarely conversed with him, gathering clues would be best.
There are opposites in all things, wrote Agoroth, light and dark, sweet and sour, love and hate, good and evil. Explained here are my findings concerning the bearing of our children as gods, whether it be humans, demi-gods, or gods themselves. Everything requires balance, for if one as a strength either physically, or in an intellectual manner, quality or attribute about themselves, they must be weak or faulting in another, justifying a correct balance.
Humans are a great example of this. Humans can be infused to procreate others with our abilities as gods, and their attributes will be similar to those of their parents, unaware of our influence upon them. Although, to infuse humans with our abilities, there also must needs be an opposite. For example, if I were to desire to influence the attributes of a human, I would need to infuse the woman alone, vise versa if my counterpart, Neiva had the same desire, she would infuse her knowledge ability with only the man. It is possible for the woman to be infused by one god and the man of another. As another example, if the child awaiting birth was of my influence and that of Tui, goddess of invention, then that child would have the ability to understand more complex ideas involving depth and thought as well as being creative, to divine and devise new concepts and technologies. As gods, we must understand that we should remain hesitant to the influencing of children so as to not drastically alter the course of human life, only in allowance with what is necessary regarding the progression of the human race dictated by Elom and Ehvi. Humans are considered tier 4 beings, unholy and mortal, being able to reproduce other humans like themselves, but living short life spans, unaware of the evidences of tier 3 or higher beings.
“Beings as austere as humans can reproduce?” Relic muttered to himself. Relic did not know much of human life; he preferred reading of his own culture, whether it be godly or demi-godly. Relic returned to the journal.
Demi-gods are distinct in themselves, being that it is a very specific situation which brings them to life. The only known source of birthing a demi-god is if the counterpart god and goddess bear one together. Apart from influencing humans, the actual bearing of a physical demi-child can only come about from the physical love between both gods of the identical element. For example, in the first recorded millennia of godly life, Armnor and Melasa, god and goddess of teaching bore a son whom they named Hermaculous. He was instinctively a good son, using his ability to bring forth many centuries of advanced learning for all other living gods. For more on Hermaculous, see History of demi-gods, in the Heros chapter. There are examples of inherently malevolent demi-gods, the most infamous being Hash and Vira, demi-god twins, son and daughter of Luceos and Cio, god and goddess of Chaos. For more on Hash and Vira, see History of demi-gods, in the Infamous chapter. Demi-gods are considered tier 3 beings, unable to reproduce, but having god-like abilities and living for extended number of millennia. Because humans as tier 4 beings are not aware of godly beings, Demi-gods coexist with tier 2 and higher beings in the heavenly realm.
Hmph…unfair, thought Relic, humans can reproduce but I cannot?
Relic went back to the journal.
As gods, we have the capability to fully comprehend our talents for which we are godly. We have the unique opportunity, able to one day be omniscient and omnipotent in our own theme. We also can grow in all other aspects, but complete godliness comes only through our own trait. For example, my counterpart Neiva or I, because we are immortal, can become omniscient in all knowledge. This is gained gradually by studying from other gods’ traits, becoming knowledgeable in their aspects for an infinite number of years, thus one day, having the capability of knowing all things. We, as gods, are tier 2 beings. We are able to affect humans but physically bear demi-gods, capable of an all-encircling quality, and being immortal.
The Gods of gods, Elom and Ehvi, bearers of gods, are the purest beings. They know all, see all, and are all powerful. Together, They are the only sources by which gods are born. Elom and Ehvi are the only tier 1 beings. Higher than gods, parents to us all, immortal, perfect all-omni beings.
Addendum: this fact of godly birth was made known to all tier 2 and 3 gods when Necrasa passed away, reason ungiven, and Elom and Ehvi bore another goddess, Sessora, to take her place.
Relic shut the pages of the journal with force. He distasted anything to do with his mother. Relic stood, satisfied with the insight gained from his studies. There was not much else for a demi-god to do in the heavenly realm when the other gods acted awkwardly around him, especially in conversation. Relic closed his eyes. His entire body let off a flash of green light. He began descending realms until reaching one of the lower levels, his home. He rested his hand on the letters etched on a stone monolith by the entrance: Here resides Morilem and Sessora, god and goddess of death. Relic never remembered when it read Morilem and Necrasa although he supposed it had at one point when his mother was the death goddess. What irony, he thought, that her title matched what became of her.
Relic did not know his father either. He was never home although he assumed his father was still alive because his name was still etched outside. Then, a sound echoed in the distance. Footsteps. “Relic! You’re home!” exclaimed Sessora, standing at the end of the long entrance hall. She didn’t get close to him. Relic looked her up and down with distaste, turned to his left, and retired to his room. He loathed being a demi-god at times. It was difficult, not being able to live with humans, but living among the gods left you with a terrible life… at least in Relic’s case.
* * *
Relic awoke from another set of footsteps. He saw the knob on the door turn and then begin to slowly open. He rolled his eyes in annoyance then closed them. As the door opened, Sessora emerged from behind it but she was too late as the remnant of the green flash faded. He ascended the various realms to the library again, trying to elevate his mood. He scanned the various books of Agoroth’s sections upon entering. Nothing peaked his curiosity.
Relic stopped.
History of Demi-gods, Relic read the title with interest. This was the book referred to when reading of Hash and Vira. Why not? Relic thought, picking up the somewhat dusty book.
The contents were listed by chapter, in no order that Relic could decipher. Relic went down the list, stopping near the bottom.
Infamous.
Relic grinned. Maybe one day he’d be written about too.
Relic eyed the words with disbelief as he soaked in the journeys of Hash and Vira. The chaos-willed demi-twins spread confusion and mischief throughout the realms. Year after year, until Elom and Ehvi created Meernahelm, a heavenly holding cell. Impenetrable, created from the highest tier. Relic read how Elom and Ehvi locked the chaos twins in Meernahelm until the end of their days. Relic’s hands clinched the sides of the book with fury. Swelling with blood, his hands grew red until he could grip the book no longer, setting it down with a thud. Pages flipped and the sound echoed throughout the otherwise empty library.
Relic’s eyes dropped to the book again, this time on its new set of pages. In a brief glance, a few select words popped from the pages. Relic started reading with new intent.
After the creation of Meernahelm, a decree was set forth from Elom and Ehvi which stated: “For the protection of all other beings, the continuation of the creation of demi-gods is hereby forbidden after the example set forth by Hash and Vira, chaos demi-god children of Luceos and Cio. Although human children influenced by gods are encouraged and their versatilities of actions between good and evil are encouraged as well, in accordance to their agency, We, as God and Goddess of gods, decree that the bearing of any further demi-god children is too precarious.”
A black shroud encircled Relic, expanding to cover the entire library. His eyes grew black with fury. He let out a low, beastly growl, back hunching, protruding with sharp, boney wings. The features of Relic’s face began to shift, his cheeks and chin growing more pointed. He had always loathed his godly elders, but this was a new form, a pure detestation. His hands looked as if they were decaying. A grey hue emerged from his chest, covering his limbs, finally encompassing his face.
* * *
A dark cloud overshadowed the library, engulfing it in a cyclone of ashy smoke. An assembly of gods began to gather outside the library from their numerous realms in an array of diverse colors, Neiva, Luceos, and Armnor being among them. They murmured to each other their guess as was to what was occurring. The cyclone expanded until the smoke caved in on itself, then, shot out sending a shockwave of darkened air in the gods’ direction. The assembly continued to cultivate until the entirety of gods were gathered in the libraries’ dimension. Ir and Ques, god and goddess of curiosity as well as Hae and Ell, god and goddess of protection moved to the front of the great congregation, closest to the library doors. They witnessed a shadowy mist roll up from underneath the threshold of the doors, as if the inside was aflame.
The doors burst open.
More smoke and mist bellowed through the doorway, the protection and curiosity gods having to wave it away in order to see around it. Ashy-tipped wings penetrated the opaque clouds. Bowed horns came next, and then, the face of a demon. No godly being could have described it as anything else. The creature’s back straightened, wings spreading until completely outstretched. Its features, juxtaposed to other god’s, were sharp and jagged. The size of his hand almost doubled the size of a normal being’s. Dark tattoo-like lines began to grow from its chest, swirling around the arms and wings. It walked with pride in the direction of Hae but he stepped forward in opposition.
“And who are you?” the beast growled.
“I am Hae, god of protection. And who might you be?”
“I am Relic, demi-god of death, and your extinction.”
Relic’s long, ashy fingers wrapped themselves with ease around Hae’s neck.
Hae’s skin began to decay, flaking off at the neck, and then moving outward. His eyes, teeth and tongue disintegrated into the air around them. The entirety of his body ceased to exist in a couple of mere seconds.
The crowd of gods backed away in fright.
Relic lifted his hand, in pure surprise of what had occurred. He absolutely meant to kill the god, but it didn’t believe he would be able to do it so quickly. He raised his head, feeling the reality of his own personal justice, and inhaled. In a flash, Relic’s wings expanded sending a surge of air behind him. He shot forward, lunging and grabbing hold of more gods, one in each hand. Their decrepit skin brushed off their lifeless bodies. The assembly scrambled in a panic after they witnessed the murder of more of their kin. Flashing of multi-colored lights streamed from the crowd, travailing the various realms and plains of the gods.
Relic’s wings spread wide once more as he prepared himself for passage. A green light emerged and swallowed him as he descended the plains, sifting through them for more prey. He found two more, god and goddess of love it seemed. “Pardon the interruption”, he grinned, grabbing the goddess from atop the startled god, covering him in her ashy ruins. Relic then proceeded to press his giant hand against the puny chest of the awestruck love god, crushing him with his immense weight before turning him to dust.
He geared up once more, maneuvering between realms, killing gods and goddesses as he came upon them. Ascending and descending the realms searching for the hypocrites who so happily and willingly gave life to humans and gods alike, but despised demi-gods so much as to keep them from existing. Once more, Relic stopped, discovering another goddess pressed against a mansion of another. He shot toward her, detaining the now automatic urge to kill, and instead to search for answers. His hand surrounded the goddess’ neck, fingers pressed against the grain of the wall, not inches from skin contact.
“Your name!” Relic shouted, flexing his hand and coming close to grazing her neck. His breathe smelled of death and rot, permeating the air around his mouth and into the face of the goddess.
She swallowed again, “Aneki.”
Relic had another puff of rancid, hot air escape his nostrils, “And your title, Aneki?”
“Goddess of truth”, she quivered.
“Just my luck”, Relic said, a laugh slipping from him. His less dominant hand pressed up against the wall beside her. “Do you know about Meernahelm?”
“Yes, but you cannot get there.”
“Why not?”
“That realm has been cut off, separated from the connection of the realms we travel to now, like Lobakai.”
“Lobakai?”
Aneki bit her lip.
Relic’s off hand pounded the wall by Aneki’s head. She flinched.
“What is Lobakai?!”
Aneki began to cry, words becoming less coherent. “Where Elom and Ehvi reside. It’s impassable.”
Relic became quiet. Thinking, searching for his next words. His voice was calm, “Impassable you say? You don’t know any way at all to get to Meernahelm?”
Aneki quieted too, “No”, she whispered.
Relic paused again. “Who would?”
Aneki looked down in a ponder.
“Who… would?”
Aneki didn’t answer, but an epiphany stuck Relic like a bolt of lightning. Just then he seized her throat, and dust she became. Agoroth, he thought. If anyone had the knowledge to cross impassable realms, it was him. This search would not interrupt him though, his streak would resume, but with a final checkpoint. The crossing of realms continued, wings beating fervently allowing him to travel with ease and with speed. A smile came across his face; he began to enjoy what he was doing. A pure ecstasy enveloped him, rushing through his limbs. He soared up, and descended in a corkscrew coming up on another helpless god, fleeing through the realm, trying to concentrate enough to travel to another, but failing.
Relic shuddered. One of his wings gave way, Relic reached for the god, now more for the idea of support than to slaughter, although it did not help. The god withered to nothing, this time, more slowly than before, and Relic slammed back to the ground in an awkward, rolling tumble. Relic rose, and twisted his neck to look behind himself. The right wing wilted, bowing over like a dying flower as his left hand tingled. Relic whipped his head around and saw his left hand. Normal.
“No!” he shouted in anger, and in a flash the wilting wing straightened. He tapped into the inner fury within him, the black, tattoo-like lines raced back to his arm and it discolored from the typical pigment. Relic’s anger escalated to a fit of rage, mostly at himself for letting his emotions slip, almost returning him to powerlessness. He took to the air once again, refocused on the objective, blocking the beauty of the flight from his mind. He searched high and low for Agoroth. As he thinned the population of the gods even more, hundreds gone, then thousands, his frustration kept him fueled. He no longer concerned himself with the conscious effort of needing to focus his thoughts to keep him in his monstrous state. There! After ascending his green beam to another realm, he finally spotted his last target. Agoroth. Quite old in age was he, although it was indistinguishable by his outside appearance. It was only known by those who cared enough to read the hundreds of books in the library he wrote with the knowledge obtained only by living and studying for multiple millennia.
“Agoroth!” he shouted more out of exuberance than of anger. “I have questions for you”. Agoroth stood erect, too proud and full of wisdom to be intimidated. He wore an elegant robe of white, contrasted by the long, sleek, black hair tumbling down to his lower back, even with it tied back at the base of his skull. He interlocked is fingers. “Yes?” he asked in return, raising an eyebrow. His hazel eyes locked onto Relic’s. The two stared at each other, searching for an advantage to exploit. Silence took hold of the conversation.
Relic broke, “I am Relic, demi-god of death, and destroyer of gods. I understand you know the way to cross over to Meerahelm?” “Ah yes, I know of you. Inciting panic throughout the realm of the gods?” He took in a deep breath and sighed. Unafraid and bare-chested, Agoroth stood before Relic, his neck at a slight angle to meet the eyes of the towering demi-being.
“You are a seeker of truth. Correct? Well, I too, am seeking a truth. A truth about myself.” Relic began to diminish in size. “I have never known my mother or father. My mother died, as you know. The only parent figure in my life was my step-in mother, Sessora. We never understood each other, me, a demi-god, and her, the first replacement goddess. I have wished that I could have known her, you know, more than the stories told of her, more than the memories…” Relic appeared to have him going. He had gradually converted back to his normal self. His tattoos disappeared, wings retreated into his back, and his face all but lost its sharp contours. He continued, “I have spent thousands of hours reading your works. I know about Meernahelm, and I know you know how to get there. I need my father, Agoroth. I need to know him.”
Agoroth took a moment. “I have two conditions.” Relic grinned inwardly, “I will oblige.” “First there is someone you need to speak to before we go to Meernahelm, and second, you will remain in this form, or I will transport you away, never again be able to have this chance. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Good. Grab my arm.”
As Relic gripped it, he could feel himself being stretched apart. Every cell of his body felt elongated. Relic felt more nauseous than in pain. The teleportation abruptly ended and Relic fell to his knees. They were on a small island, no more than one acre, the entirety of the cloud-island easily visible from where they stood. Where are we? thought Relic, where is this realm?
At that second, Agoroth put his hand up, connecting with a marble pillar which was before invisible. There before them stood erect a gated mansion bigger and brighter than anything Relic had ever seen. Light shone forth from inside, radiating and blinding him. Agoroth pulled the gate open, pushing Relic inside.
They reached the top steps just outside of the pristinely white, ornamented mansion. The doors flew open. There sat Elom and Ehvi upon detailed, marble thrones. As Relic and his chaperone approached, Elom stood. He stood tall, taller than any other god. Relic came only inches above the God of gods’ naval. “You, little one, have been causing a lot of problems within the heavens.”
Relic took hold of the anger inside him, and turned. The transformation took a mere second, but in a flash, the pointed face, tattoos and wings had sprung to life. Agoroth lifted his hand to transport him away, but Relic’s long arms reached him first, grabbing him by the neck and suffocating him, transforming him in turn, to specks of gray sand.
Relic’s head spun to meet the highest tiered God. Elom still towered over him, now Relic met his shoulders. The demi-god’s long arms still had length enough to grab Elom’s neck. The pure thickness of it however only allowed him to get just over half the circumference. “You!” Relic choked with emotion, “You and your rules and your laws. You’ve always persecuted my brothers and me.” Just then, Relic looked up. His touch did not decimate Elom as it had His children. In fact, Relic’s spindly fingers shrunk to their normal size, his arm losing his strength and the tattoos retreating from that area.
“Love conquers all” Elom said in a soft voice, one of a loving grandfather. “That is why we gave you a new mother after you unintentionally killed your first parents.” He reached his burly arms out to hug the demi-god, to envelop him. Relic seized Elom’s left arm with his right, keeping the God to a half embrace with only his right hand on Relic’s back. His right arm as well as his back began to slowly diminish in size, tattoos retreating, wings drawing back between his shoulders.
Something primeval boiled deep within Relic. “What did you say?”
Elom released a sigh of unadulterated grief, “did you not know? The only one who has ever been able to kill gods has been you! Moments of only untainted emotion can bring that out of you; pure emotion right after being gifted life. Your mother and father held you so tight. Although, I am sorry for waiting this long to give you another father.”
Relic lost it, letting go of all other thoughts and feelings, gripping only onto the hate inside him. I will not lose now; he strained, not after coming so close. His anger and hatred for this Man boiled over. “Lies!” he screamed. His wings burst forth from his back with a reddish tint, the tattoos encircled his arms, protruding from his chest once more with the same coloration, and Relic’s size grew to match that of Elom’s.
Elom looked at Relic, seemingly into his soul, “you know it to be true, grandson.”
Relic knew that he could not deny it. It seemed that he knew all along, deep within himself that the truth was there, and inadvertently despising and cutting himself off from anyone who could have possibly loved him. Now, his Grandfather’s radiating purity was flushed away, being encompassed by Relic’s power. Relic’s left arm now fully encircled Elom’s neck. Relic squeezed. Elom struggled against Relic and the love for his grandson turned to sorrow. Elom’s fingers began to decay; the decrepit flesh ultimately engulfed the God completely. Relic released his grip, letting Elom’s ash-shell fall to the ground, crumbling to dust as it hit. It rejuvenated him.
Relic looked up at Ehvi, the Goddess in awe of what had occurred moments before. “Your god children are extinct and your husband gone! You are barren by my hand! You, Ehvi, are my equal in that! For the rest of eternity you will feel what I feel, helpless and alone. Look! I have ascended, a God like you, immortal. I can feel the infinite life force of your late Husband coursing through me. Now look upon your humans for eternity, unable to help them or to help yourself! This will be our eternal wrestle. You and me, good and evil, love and hate. Now, I descend to create my own domain and pit your children against you!”
Relic took flight, soaring over the mansion’s gate, and descending rapidly over the edge of the cloud island. He flew lower and lower, passing the heavenly realms until he reached the bottom. He reached into the heavenly foundation and released a portion of his immortal power, creating a separate impassible realm, opposite of Lobakai, which he named Seol. There sat Relic on his throne of flames and anger, having left only one being to hate for the rest of time. Tales of him traveled through the human plane. Although his name was unknown to them, many simply knew him as the Beast.
T. R. Tennyson 