It had been a while since I spent some quality time with my children. Even as I had incarnations running about, doing their tinkering with the Four Realms – one even watching Xing Wu as he struggled to maneuver the Dao Stars, not realizing he couldn't fight them but had to convince them to move on their own – my true body was in Reika's garden, enjoying some time with her and Alexander.

Her garden was, as usual, absolutely fantastic, rivalling even my own. Trees unseen in the Realms for hundreds of thousands of years grew in massive groves, some of them Treants, others simply ancient trees. Flowers of a million varieties lined the winding stone walkways, plants and herbs of such power and variety any cultivator who saw them might go mad with greed growing in carefree abundance. And my children relaxed amidst it all, Alexander simply watching the world go by, while Reika worked on a personal project.

She still hadn't grown out of the habit of sticking her tongue out when she was really focused, so it was quite adorable.

"You're getting quite good at that," I noted, sipping at a cup of steaming tea. Reika looked up from where she'd been casually manipulating a few elements, weaving a complex tapestry she intended to hang in the grand hall of her palace. The tapestry itself wasn't what was impressive to me, though it was quite lovely, but rather the way she integrated her domain into the elements.

Lightning flashed into fire, which spun into water, the energy that made up the elements creating the matter it needed for the transformation, to be woven into an ever-changing tapestry of the Life-Giving Tree. She could have done such a thing before, but by adding her domain of change it would never be the same picture while still retaining the original premise. Far different was it from just painting a picture of the Tree that mirrored it at any given moment, this tapestry would take on a life all its own and reflect not only what had changed, but what would or could.

"Thank you, but this is just a silly little project of mine," Reika said, fingers working with blinding speed as she continued to weave, working on the leaves of the Tree as she was. Her auburn hair – transformed into the fall colors as it was, for now – was done up in a tasteful bun, and she plucked a single strand to add to her project.

"Do not sell yourself short, Reika," Alexander said, the great dragon craning his neck up over her shoulder to peer down at the tapestry. "Father is right. It is quite good." Reika blushed a little, a little bolt of lightning dancing between her fingers as she added yet another element.

"I've actually been thinking about working a concept similar to this into the reincarnation cycle." She said softly, shooting me a little glance. "The 'oppression of heaven' is what is riling up the mortals, but how that manifests is in stagnation, right? Souls feel like they're not going anywhere, running in place, but if I work in some change that shifts things without actually changing them, it could help mitigate those feelings. Like…putting the Realms into a winter state, without it actually being winter." I nodded along, looking out at the Physical Realm to watch its currents. We still intended to put the Realms into a winter state, but a little bit more growth needed to happen first.

Reika's plan had merit, though, and could even be beneficial for the entirety of the reincarnation cycle once things could start moving again. I had considered telling her about it, but wanted to wait until the major event in the Physical Realm wrapped up.

"It is an excellent idea, and one worth discussing more in-depth with Keilan, but I would advise against doing anything too drastic until the war is over." Alexander said, my gaze snapping to him as he said what I was going to, before I could. He did not seem to notice, though, attention fixated on his sister as he was.

"Oh no, of course not. They need to get that out of their systems first; but we could start building blueprints now. Plus, a more robust and flexible reincarnation cycle means it will have a lower chance of it collapsing if there's a big impact on the Realms." Reika reasoned, Alexander nodding along. I smiled at their conversation, noting, for perhaps the first time in a long, long time, that they truly weren't kids anymore. They hadn't been for a while, but they really were growing, weren't they?

It was a bittersweet thought, and I tapped my finger against the side of my cup agitatedly.

"Mother? Thoughts?" Reika pressed, and I turned my sad little smile to her,

"I think we're talking about work," I complained, sticking my bottom lip out in a pout, teleporting beside her and draping a heavy arm across her shoulders. She giggled and Alexander chuckled, the dragon leaning his head down so I could lay my other arm across the top of his head, behind his horns.

"Sorry, sorry, I know, now is family time not work time." He chuckled. I gave them both a little squeeze, then let them go, taking a step back. "For all you are keeping your eyes on the future, you are awfully serious about taking breaks and spending time together."

"Rest is important." I said sagely, nodding my head. "So is reminding you that I am still your parent, and no matter how smart you get, I am still meaner than you." Reika narrowed her eyes, tensing up as I tightened my grip on both my children. Alexander started to pull away but I held him in place, admittedly with more effort than I was used to, not that I let it show.

"What –" Reika was cut off by a ball of water to the face, drenching her and her dress. Alexander tried to yank away from me, but a quick douse of water from the heavens – none of the droplets landing upon me, of course – had him spluttering as well. I cackled and teleported away as Reika whipped up a little rainstorm, trying to catch me off guard by aiming the droplets at me like a machine gun.

Alexander roared with glee, eyes shining as I danced between the raindrops, hands folded behind my back, six giant balls of water forming in front of me as a promise of war.

And thus began one of the greatest water balloon fights in the Realms' history.

***

Reika giggled and wiped her face, water fleeing her hair as she willed it out, watching Mother go back to her palace. Beside her, Alexander, Keilan, and Elvira were all similarly drenched, her sister grumbling good-naturedly and wringing out her robes, while Alexander sat in a puddle of water that dripped down his scales. Their little fight had traversed the entirety of the four realms as Mother roped each of the siblings into the battle – seemingly intent on proving some kind of point.

"I think I got Her once," Keilan said, convinced he had actually struck Mother with a ball of water.

"Whatever you say, brother. Father's powers of creation are as boundless as ever. I'm just glad He didn't make an entire ocean to drench us in." Elvira grumbled dismissively, standing and glaring about her throne room. Everything was covered in a fine sheen of water, the floor with at least an inch of liquid on it. She shook her head and waved one hand, all the water on the floor rising up at her will and flooding out of the massive front gates to go join the Realms elsewhere. All about, people started poking their heads back into the throne room, the Heavenly Host looking confused and downright scared.

It had been a minute since Mother had thrown around that much power openly, after all, and that was going to scare anyone. Well, besides her and her siblings.

"I'm serious. On the shoulder. It was gone in an instant, but I think I actually got Her," Keilan insisted.

"Alexander, tell Keilan how foolish he's being." Reika said. "He's just upset he got his wings wet,"

"I enjoy boating, sister. Why would I be upset about that?" Keilan deadpanned. Reika, being the mature sister she was, stuck her tongue out at him. He, being the mature sibling he was, rolled his eyes dramatically and shook his wings and tail like a wet dog, splashing Reika in the process with a dozen tiny droplets. She giggled and shielded her face. Elvira shot him a disgusted look, snapping her fingers and drying said water immediately.

"You may be right, brother," Alexander said thoughtfully, instead of backing up Elvira and Reika. "Does anyone else think He was acting strangely?"

"Stranger than usual, you mean?" Reika asked doubtfully, taking pity on her sister and drying herself off with a gust of superheated wind. That just so happened to be angled toward Elvira, and just so happened to be the perfect temperature to poof out her wing feathers. At this Elvira actually cracked a smile, shaking her head.

"Sirs, Ma'ams, is everything alright?" one of the Heavenly Host, a general in Elvira's army, asked as he cautiously approached. Elvira nodded as a few other gods appeared, descending from holes in the ceiling – made specifically for that purpose – or through the front door. Reika even felt Aeriel poking her head through one of the nearby windows with a curious expression.

"Yes, yes, of course. Father was just feeling a little ornery today," Elvira soothed the man, who bowed ever so slightly and backed up.

"I heard Pa was playing a game. Did we miss it?" one of the newly arrived gods, a young mountain deity, asked slowly, his voice a deep rumble. His name was Gon, and he'd asked Mother for some personal advice a number of times if Reika remembered right – which she always did, it was just a figure of speech.

"Yes, sorry." Reika apologized, seeing the disappointment on the young god's face. He must have really enjoyed the last wrestling match they'd all had with Mother to look so downtrodden. "Don't worry, I'm sure She would come back if you just ask." At this, Gon nodded thoughtfully.

"We will speak of this later." Alexander said in a low voice, expression one of placid joy. But Reika could see through the illusion. His eyes were dark with concern, the corners of his mouth tight, as if he was resisting a frown. It was an expression Mother liked to make. "I will need to consult Morgan –"

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"Morgan?" Reika's head snapped up at that, and Alexander blinked at her quick response. Using qi to communicate between just the two of them, fully aware of their company, she continued. "What do you need to talk to Morgan about?" she couldn't hide the heat in her tone even if she wanted – she still remembered what the wolf had done to her Tree and the Realms, what it had tried to do to her daughter, and wouldn't soon forget it.

"Calm yourself, sister. I worry for Father is all, and though we may try to deny it, it is doubtless that Morgan is the one who knows most about Him. I may be overreacting, or reading too far between the lines, but I must ensure I am not." Alexander soothed, voice as calm and smooth as ever despite being transmitted through qi. Reika huffed and crossed her arms, looking away. One foot scuffed the white-marbled floor, and she was acutely aware of her other two siblings gaze upon them. "Morgan will always be what it is, but that does not mean we cannot, at times, work together."

"Just go." She said, reigning in her temper and emotions. She'd been in such a good mood – why was she getting so riled up about this? Alexander smiled kindly and stretched, rising up into the air as, without another word, he flew off to wherever he was going. Reika sighed and shook her head, nodding to Keilan and Elvira as she, too, turned to return home.

Was Mother off today? She wondered. She'd thought they'd just been having fun, but now she was having doubts.

***

They almost got me that time. I thought proudly as I walked through the halls of my palace. Keilan had been a hairsbreadth away from actually managing to snag me with a ball of water, using his power of connection to almost force it upon me, as I was the Four Realms and why wouldn't it be connected to me? Only a quick bit of destruction had saved me – destroying the bit of water that would have splashed me, and letting the rest freely go along.

Argent, the god of metal, walked beside me, talking to me about his plans to influence one of the new regions with music and metal, to see if it would have any effect. I, of course, approved of this, having an idea already of how it would work. The other four elemental gods in his cycle; wood, water, fire, and earth, would all need to do the same to other Trees to help complete the formation, but that was beside the point. The point was that Argent had long ago come up with the idea, and now he was ready to start implementing the plans.

"That is excellent, Argent." I praised him. The bronze-skinned god beamed down at me, standing a good few inches taller than I, a silver saxophone strapped to his back. "Do not wait too long, I advise you to try it now. Tell your friends what you're doing; Inana, Aeriel, and Keegan all will appreciate it the most."

"I will. Thank you, Matriarch," he said with a bow. I patted him on the shoulder kindly. He would fail a few times; I could see it in his future and fate. But thanks to the Mad Scientist giving us an energy boost, and the Rival's presence naturally doing the same, we had some extra time for him to fail. It would strengthen him in the long run, to not get it in one go.

As well as the divine beasts forming within the key features of the Realms, the guardians of the Trees, Mountains, Rivers, and Valleys. They were almost fully formed, and I was excited to see them emerge.

With that, Argent lumbered off, each footfall ringing like a bell in my ears. Music followed him everywhere now, and he was growing so fast…they all were.

I had slowed, but I thought I knew why. I was coming to a crossroads.

Just as Gilles had evolved into a Pillar, just as my children had evolved their divine domains from what they had been, to what they are now, just as Xing Wu had evolved from mortal to a god, I too had an evolution to make. The paths were many and, despite what I had originally planned, it was not going to be delayed until the collision was resolved.

I could not wait that long.

So what would I be? The Deity of Balance, and Patriarch/Matriarch of the Four Realms, fully realized? The Heavens themselves, as I had been aiming for before, however unintentionally? Or something else? My fingers stretched out to touch those steely strands of fate and karma binding myself to the Realms, to my children, to all things I had touched. Then I looked up at the thick band of fate, colored by a bit of karma, leading off toward the One World.

"Randus, I'm going to be take a quick break to meditate and set up some failsafe's." I said quietly, already heading to my meditation chamber, hands folded in the sleeves of my robes. Meditation wouldn't fix everything, but I had just cleared my head and now was time to focus on finding an answer.

***

The Rival stood upon a table in the spaceship's cafeteria, his squad and captain sitting all around him as he regaled them with absolutely true, one hundred percent not-embellished stories from his past.

"So there I was, staring down Ratatoskr, the giant squirrel that lives in the World – er, Life-Giving Tree," he was going to get those two mixed up a lot, he just knew it, "and it was ready. So ready to eat me after what I had done to its store of candied nuts – "

"You have a wild imagination, kid," one of the soldiers, a grizzled old Draconian with greying scales and a scar above his right eyebrow, said. "Everyone knows there's no squirrel on the Life-Giving Tree. It's a nine-tailed fox that lives up there."

"Give the boy a break, man," another soldier piped up. "Maybe it's a squirrel in his culture. Not everyone follows Reika's religion."

"I don't follow Reika's religion, I'm a devout of the goddess Aeriel." "The only squirrels he 'battled' were the ones near his home while he was still a baby." Another said. "The first time he sees real battle, he'll shit his pants."

"You haven't seen real battle either, asshole. Those little skirmishes with devil cultivators don't count."

"Oh, there were definitely shit pants involved." The Rival nodded sagely, pinching his chin between his thumb and fore-finger. "You would've too, if you were facing down the craziest damn beast to ever grace the Realms. Not the most dangerous, mind you, but certainly the craziest. Of course, I had a plan. Ice cream! Ratatoskr had a terrible sweet tooth, and thanks to some handy ice magic I was prepared to distract him long enough with the tasty treat to facilitate my escape."

"Of course the whole issue was solved with ice cream." Another soldier complained, shaking his head. The Rival cackled openly as he was pulled down from the table, forced to sit on the bench like a normal Fae.

"He is possibly the goofiest bastard I've ever met," the comment came from across the table, from someone the Rival couldn't see, and he perked up.

"So long as I'm number one!" he said happily.

"Times up ladies and gents! Everyone's to report to the loading bays double time! Get suited up and loaded up!" the call was abrupt, interrupting whatever was about to be said next and their entire meal as the commander for this battalion came wandering into the ship. Her face was grim, the Karae woman already dressed in her silver chainmail armor, her sword strapped to her side.

To their credit, most of the soldiers didn't so much as grumble at the sudden orders. They'd been scheduled to take a pit stop at a nearby planet, load back up on some supplies and allow for a few battalions to take a quick break on the relatively peaceful planet, so the Rival had to wonder what was happening to prevent that as he, too, stood, casting one longing glance at the halfway decent meal they provided for the soldiers. Roast boar and grilled vegetables, with a loaf of simple bread.

Who'd'a thought that being part of the rank-and-file would still provide decent meals? For now, at least.

The Rival joined in the crowd as everyone exited the mess hall, a few of the older soldiers making sure to keep him close by as they flooded toward the armories. He appreciated the sentiment, of course, that they were protecting the new guy who also appeared pretty young, but in some ways it felt like toddlers trying to protect a grown-assed man. Even if many of them were higher in cultivation than he, his raw experience and skill let him punch up.

It wasn't until they entered the air-docks themselves, a large, open chamber near the outer hull of the ship, banners of the celestial palace hanging from the rafters, that any sort of answer was given to them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have received word from planet Costello – they have come under attack from a terrorist organization believed to be devilish in nature. Bombs were planted beneath a number of major cities so we will no be assisting with search and rescue. Your duties will be to descend to the surface of the planet and assist the locals. Further details will be given to your squad leaders." The man speaking to them wasn't visible through the throngs of soldiers, though his voice was just as loud as if he'd been standing right next to the Rival. He nodded his head slowly, weighing his options. This seems like a hassle.

He had his goal. Would he have a good chance to ditch the military here? Or…well, Sylvia had told him to go see what the Realms had to offer…and that by doing so he should be able to find her again…hmmmmmmmmmmm.

"That's a large sigh. Don't worry stick next to me and you'll be alright." A light hand laid itself on his shoulder, over the leather pauldron that was standard for the grunts of the military, and he looked over to see another of his squad mates, even if she did grossly outrank him.

She was a middle-aged Karae, with chips in her horns and a scar under one eye.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I cannot accompany you. I am already claimed by none other than Sylvia!" he flashed her a smile while she rolled her eyes, the woman used to it by now.

"Right. Your imaginary, runaway girlfriend who you promised to marry. You do realize people like you are the ones who die first, right? But that wasn't what I meant and you know it. Be serious about this, boy." She said, winking. The Rival blinked at her, then looked around at the rest of the squad as he came to a realization.

They were scared.

They were all scared.

These were professional soldiers, and they'd had a few skirmishes here and there or whatever, but they weren't veterans by any stretch of the imagination. "War" was a foreign concept to them, in fact the last war the Rival remembered hearing about was the Sun War, and a few scuffles during the unification of the galaxy and Physical Realm. Most of the people in his squad had really only gone on rescue missions for natural disasters and catastrophes. Wait…was he witnessing the first fall?

The potential destruction of the so-called utopia at the dawn of time? No, the timing wasn't quite right, but…he found himself smiling, and cracked a few jokes for the people around him, falling silent as a priest came out onto one of the rafters, spreading his hands and wings wide.

"Now, for those about to enter battle and the disaster zones, let us pray. Pray for souls lost, pray for the safety of our fellows, and pray for the future. Pray to the great gods for their benevolence, and to the lady Thyia, goddess of Catastrophe, so she may stay her hand." As one, the entire group bowed their heads, though the Rival remained standing upright, looking out over everyone.

…maybe this would be interesting. Maybe he would stick around a bit. And no, it had nothing to do with the sudden feeling of mild protectiveness for these scared kids around him.

***

War had come to the Physical Realm. The elementals had made their move, bombing key structures and sites while attempting to remain largely out of sight, sowing discord. Their timing had been perfect, too; the Aracheon, Morgan's children, had finally struck some of the outer planets of the Physical Realm as well. Already three entire planets had fallen to them, with thousands of smaller villages and cities under assault as well.

I had seen this happening. I also knew the Celestial Palace's response. Alanna would be a wise, just ruler, but she also knew when to be firm. The Aracheon would be subdued after some intense fighting, but she wouldn't outright commit genocide on them. They were vicious, predatory beings, yes, but not outright evil – as I had ordained they not be.

So, even in my meditations, I turned my gaze to another planet. A planet with the masterminds of the elemental rebellion, a little bird with the soul of a god, the one person I could not, with one hundred percent accuracy, predict the immediate future of, and Morgan's undivided attention upon it. Planet Costello.

I stilled my heart and my hands. I would just have to have faith in Solana.

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