Prologue: The Calm After the Storm
"I... I couldn't bear to see you suffer," Asura said, calmer than his daughter Mithra had seen in so long.
"Stupid!!" Mithra cried, her tears now finding their way out.
Asura lifted his hand to Mithra's cheek. "No more crying... Smile." As he spoke Mithra lifted her hands to hold his hand in place as she cried into it. "My wrath... is finally... gone." As Asura spoke, he looked down to his daughter, the glow of rage that had resided in his eyes finally gone, and his gaze as soft as his voice had become. His hand soon disappeared into the coalescing lights that he was slowly becoming, his body no longer supported by the mantra of his wrath. "Durga..." he said haltingly, "I'll be home... soon."
With these last words his form became brighter, breaking apart into hundreds of the lights. Momentarily blinded by the sudden increase of light, Mithra opened her eyes to see the lights that had once been her father float away from her, disappearing into the void.
(Asura's POV)
My conscience fragmented, I was vaguely aware of passing through what felt like the eye of a needle before my shattered mind came together. Looking down I saw my body, reformed with an almost spiritual glow. Bringing my hands in front of me, I clenched them, but I didn't hear the creaking of my joints that I'd become so accustomed to. Looking down at myself, I saw that my clothes, once dirty and torn in places, were now mended and as clean as the day I had received them.
"Is something the matter?" a feminine voice asked. Looking around, I saw only barren grey ground with no indication of anyone there. "Well? Is something amiss with your body?" Looking ahead once more, I noticed a plain oak chair a couple of feet away.
Still trying to find the owner of the voice, I answered, "No, It is fine. Where are you hiding, and where am I?"
"Hiding?" The voice chuckled lightly. "What makes you think I'm hiding?" Finally sensing the direction of the voice, I turned back around to face the unoccupied chair, though now a young woman occupied it. She looked to be in her mid thirties, her scarlet shoulder-length hair resting on her odd clothing. Her upper body was covered by something reminiscent of a male button up tunic, while her legs were covered in a form-hugging trouser made of a strange blue material I had never seen before. "As for your second question," she continued, "you are in limbo. A sort of in-between area for souls after they die, but before they move on."
I look at her skeptically for a bit before asking, "So what happens to me now?
"That depends," she replied. "Normally your soul would have been judged and you would be sent along your way. Your circumstances, however, require a different approach."
"What do you mean? Speak clearly!"
Her gaze turned from mildly amused to a mix of frustration and anger. "Make no mistake Asura: what happens between you and me right now will decide how pleasant your next existence will be," she said softly, her voice containing power rivaling my own. "You would be wise to be patient. I'll explain in due time."
Somewhat irritated at being chastised, I quieted. Her face once again showed a calmer expression as she gestured behind me. "If it helps, feel free to take a seat," she said. Looking back I noticed a chair not unlike that which the strange woman was seated in. Looking back at her, I noticed her smiling at me. "I suppose it would help if I introduced myself. My name is Faust." As she spoke, she extended her hand and, hesitantly, I grasped and shook it.
Letting go of her hand, I sat down in the chair while eyeing her warily. “You know me,” I said, more stating a fact than asking her.
“It would be stranger if I didn’t,” she replied giving me a wan smile. “You’re the one who killed Chakravartin; of course we would know of you.”
“Who do you mean by ‘we’?”
Her smile shrank a little. “A bit off topic, but a fair question nonetheless.” One of her eyebrows rose as she considered my question. “Chakravartin and I, as well as a few hundred others, are the only ones who can honestly claim the title of god.” Hearing this, my grip tightened on the arms of my chair as I recalled my recent encounter with ‘god’. Noticing this, she added, “Of course, Chakravartin was only one of a few gods who did that sort of thing. When we take charge of a universe, most of us simply make sure nothing goes horribly wrong in it.”
As I nodded my understanding, she continued, "Those of us who were like him, however, tended to try to force change into their worlds when they were bored, as opposed to we who simply give guidance to a few in our worlds. Situations like the former tend to lead to stuff happening on worlds like they did your own world.” She sighed unhappily. “Some of us try to intervene before things get out of hand, but Chakravartin was always adept at hiding and disguising the goings-on of his--or what would have been your world, if he had succeeded in his intentions.” Leaning forward, resting her elbows on her legs, she asked me, "Why did you refuse his offer? If nothing else, you would have been more powerful, and your daughter would have been safer, so why did you refuse him?"
Lowering my head a bit, I actually took a moment to identify the feelings that had been at the forefront of my mind, pulsing through my body with every beat of my heart, with every wave of life-giving mantra that had, time and time again, kept me alive. "... He turned Gaia, our very world, against us, starting a war that cost the lives of trillions innocents. It drove the man who led us generals to kill the emperor, framing his death on me so that he would be justified in kidnapping my daughter and killing her parents." My anger flared to life, my voice growing louder as I continued. "But he didn't stop there. Yasha died so that I could save Mithra, even though he knew I might not make it in time to save the world. Chakravartin was going to destroy us all, yet he was going to try to pass it all to me." My voice lowered dangerously, my rage visible on every line on my body. "That is not the worst thing. The one thing he did, the one thing that I could not allow," I stood, letting my anger raise my voice to a roar as I finished, "WAS WHEN HE MADE MY DAUGHTER CRY!"
Standing there for a moment, I shook the feeling from my mind and looked at the woman. She blinked at me, her eyes wide as she felt the power of my anger point-blank. Blinking once more, she relaxed from the straight-backed posture her surprise had put her in. “I can see why, in his final moments, he feared you more than us,” she said shaking her head slowly. “Excluding his actions, is there another reason? Maybe an experience that discouraged you from accepting his offer of power and rulership?”
Again I paused, this time remembering the times since I had been killed by Yasha, only to resurrect from inside the cooled magma which had swallowed his body centuries later. "I... cannot lead. I could not even save Durga, much less all the innocent people who were killed right in front of me." My anger tried to rise, but without something to direct it at, it simply dissipated to be replaced with sadness. "I could barely stop Mithra's crying. No, I... I can't lead." I sat heavily back into the chair.
Looking at me with a pity-filled gaze, all she said was a quiet, "I see." Silence reigned for a minute before she broke it. “Which brings us to our original conversation.” She cleared her throat and continued in a louder voice, “Because of everything that happened, most of us have come to an agreement. You will be allowed to choose where you spend your next life, be it where you should have gone because of your actions, to the world where Durga is, or even to my own world." I was about to tell her to send me to my wife before she put up her finger, saying first, "I should tell you this though: even though it's the same soul that was your wife, she has long since forgotten about you. That's part of what death does, wiping a soul's memory of it's previous life to prepare it for the next life it must live. There are a few exceptions, but Durga's soul has been through the cycle a few times now. It would be highly unlikely she is the same person you know, much less that she remembers you."
Seeing my face fall, she quickly continued, "There aren't so many of us. It's likely you and her will reunite again someday. It may take a thousand, seventy thousand, or even eight hundred million years, but you will eventually meet, even if neither of you remember each other from before." I blinked at hearing this. We can still be together? I noticed her looking at me, her curiosity evident on her face. "On the other hand, you may choose to be sent to another world. Be warned though: no matter where you choose, you will always be haunted by your memories. They may fade with time, but they will never completely leave you. The best I can offer is to let you spend a life in my world. There is much less conflict there, and many of the inhabitants are quite friendly. It is a place of rest for souls that have had a particularly tough life."
As she spoke, one question kept repeating itself in my head. It took me a moment to realize the woman had stopped talking and fixed me another curious gaze. Finally I couldn’t stand it. “What? Why do you stare at me?” I all but growled at her.
The woman shook her head. “Nothing important. I was just… No, nevermind.” Her eyes focused on me once more. “So what will you choose? To live a life searching for your former wife? Perhaps you'd like to experience what life you would have had, should you not have had any choice?" She crossed her arms. "The choice is yours."
I grit my teeth, knowing the choice I had to make but hating it all the same. "I choose... to rest," I said despite my heart crying out to find my wife.
Her eyes softened a bit, her voice gently saying, “I understand.”
She rose to her feet. I rose to follow her as she walked away from the set of chairs. we continued a short distance before she stopped, half turning to me. “There’s something you should understand before you leave: when you become a part of a different world, you must take the form of the residents of that world.” Seeing my expression she added, “It’s nothing to be especially worried about, but I didn’t want you to be caught off guard.”
I nodded in understanding. “When do I leave for this… world of yours?” I asked, wanting to go before I changed my mind.
The woman gave me a sly smile. “Why, when you open the door of course,” she said, as though it were the most obvious thing.
I scowled at her. “There is no door there.”
“Who said it was in front of you?”
Momentarily confused, I looked all around me for any sign of a door. Not seeing any, I turned back toward the woman, intending to say as much. The words died before they made themselves heard as I beheld a door where I had been expecting it to be. Stunned, I shook my head and directed another scowl at the woman. Giggling, she motioned me toward the door with one hand.
I stepped over the door, readying myself to open the door when I recalled one thing I had felt that was odd. “... Your name.” She tilted her head, a puzzled expression painted on her face. “I never heard your name,” I clarified.
“Names have power,” she said seriously, “especially the names of gods.” Her lips curved upwards. “Though I suppose you may call me Faust, if it makes things easier for you.”
Nodding my head, I committed the name to memory as I pushed open the door, my form once again losing definition, turning back into the multitude of lights I had been before. I felt a collective sense of being drawn over the door’s threshold before the yawning void swallowed me. I floated through space before I felt gravity take hold of me once again. I tried to look down, but possessing no eyes of my own made it impossible. Electing instead to wait, I soon found myself surrounded by warmth as my descent slowed. A momentary feeling of discomfort as I passed through something solid, and I was left swirling in the close to the source of heat..
I tentatively tried to get a feeling for the area. Casting my mind many millennia ago, I recalled one of the few lessons Deus had given before he officially took Yasha as his apprentice. I felt around the room, noticing two other heat sources not far from the one large source that I’d initially felt. A moment passed before my collective sense of self came together, taking a definite physical form. I shut my eyes as soon as they were formed, the sudden light painful to my recently shaped eyes. Lifting one of four new limbs, I managed to shield my eyes from the light that managed to penetrate my eyelids, trying to give myself time to adjust to my new body.
I heard an odd warbling. I turned my attention to the sound, feeling something on my head twitch in response. Another sound followed by a pop, and I felt as though a bit of pressure had been released from my ears.
With my limb still blocking most of the light, I opened my eyes to see… fur? Yes, my limb was covered in fur. A cursory look at the rest of my body confirmed that my whole body was now covered in russet brown fur, highlighted by black lines that traced a path over my body not unlike the power meridians that had covered my body not so long ago. My limbs, instead of ending in hands and feet, now were capped with golden hooves. Looking at my hindquarters, now seated on the ground, I saw a short, white tail splayed behind me against the marble floor. Catching a glimpse of something over my shoulder, I tossed my head a bit to see a matching white mane hanging over my lengthened neck.Still observing my new body, my attention was drawn to the side by a feminine giggle.
The only thing I knew that bore any similarities to the two guards and their charge was a gohma charger, though the only things they shared were their four legs and a horn mounted on their heads.
Unlike the chargers, the beings weren't as heavily built, nor did they seem as tall. They also had fur covering their bodies, eyes showing more than animalistic intelligence, and a sort of military bearing.
The one behind them was definitely the leader; not only was it bigger than the two, but it had a pair of wings with feathers as white as it's coat. The presence it had was hard to miss, even with my insensitivity to the flow of mantra.
My attention snapped back to the guards as their bodies readied to charge, their horns glowing ominously.
"Wait."
The guards hesitated before obeying, their aura dissipating as they settled back into a neutral stance, though their eyes never left me.
The white one rose to its hooves, the ornamental gold clicking loudly in the fresh silence. It walked toward me, ignoring how it's guards tensed at the imagined threat I posed towards the large being. "Hello. You look somewhat lost." I nodded cautiously. "And how, might I ask, did you find your way here?" she asked, her lighter voice making her gender obvious.
"Faust sent me here," I found myself saying.
She smiled, seemingly relieved. “Thank goodness. You're right on time." Her head lowered toward mine. "You must be Asura, right?" she asked. I bowed my head in acknowledgement. "I am Celesta, Avatar of the Sun and Guardian of this world. I would like to formally welcome you to this land."