Godslayer Lysette: Chapter 214

Chapter 214: Forest of Feelings

Lysette and Serrena took their leave from Serrena’s father’s workshop and made their way to the northern outskirts of Rinno.  Soon after their departure, the pair took flight toward the forest Sara Raesh had mentioned earlier, stopping only long enough for the pair to scan for any signs of clandestine pursuit.  Sensing nothing, nor any signs of trouble following its way either to Serrena’s house or her father’s workshop, the two left the trading town behind and flew off to the north.

“So, do you see anything in this forest?” Serrena asked.

“Nothing.  Nothing at all.  The entire forest is shrouded in a fog of Essence that is obstructing even my vision.  Perhaps if I had my Scrying Stone on this body, I could peer through it somehow, but I know well enough that whatever is in there definitely doesn’t want to be found.  And I suspect that’s exactly where we’re going to find who we’re looking for.”

“Agreed.”

“Have you ever been here before, Serrena?” Lysette asked.

“This forest?  No.  Even among Cultivators who sometimes head to more remote locations to train and Cultivate, this forest is heralded as particularly dangerous.”

“Sounds like fun.  Can’t wait to meet your great-grandmother, Serrena.  I bet she’s every bit as fiery and passionate as you are.  Maybe even more so!”

Serrena laughed.  “You’re scaring me, Lyse.”

“First you praise me for how I couldn’t have worded my responses to your parents any better, and now I’m scaring you?”

“Yes!  First you start dishing punishment back out at me on the flight to Rinno, and now you’ve suddenly advanced in your ability to trash talk!  What happened to the Lysette who couldn’t be witty if her life depended on it, and who are you, who replaced her?”

“Do I look like that Lysette?”

Serrena’s jaw dropped.  “I don’t mean this seriously, and I say this only between friends, but damn you, Lysette.  In any case, it looks like we’ve arrived.”

The outskirts of the forest were no different than any other temperate forest Lysette had foraged through, but as soon as the pair crossed the border from the savannah just to the south, the temperature plummeted.  The sky grew hazy and dark, the trees shimmered by some otherworldly force, and the hairs on Lysette’s forearms and neck stood up on end.  Even her trusty aurasight was blocked by the source of the tremendous power deeper within.

“I’m sure you feel it as well,” Lysette said.

“No shit, dimwit.  But nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Serrena took a long, powerful step into the forest, lighting a flame to guide their path.  But even her divine flame was being suppressed by the thick fog that shrouded the entire woods within its embrace.  On second glance, it was even more than being suppressed.  The fog could have, perhaps even should have snuffed it out just as easily as it could have snuffed out the air and possibly even the two’s lives.  But it was restraining itself by that same unseen power that Lysette could only attribute to Solanna’s presence in the very center of the woods.

But they trudged onward through the silent forest nonetheless.  The air was thick and foggy and other than the plant and fungal life that seemed to be of deific origins not unlike those she’d grown herself, there were no other signs of living creatures.  No deer or horses grazing among the trees, no rats and squirrels scurrying through the canopies.  Even the lowliest insects seemed to comprehend the message being conveyed: Stay away.

Serrena seemed only emboldened by the whispers echoing in the deific pair’s ears.  A wail of denial and indifference to the outside world, a melancholic dirge that signified that outsiders were unwelcome.  And Lysette wondered just what Solanna had gone through in centuries past to shut herself so thoroughly off from the outside world.  If it was the loss of her family or love, or perhaps the sorrow of knowing that she was ageless in a world populated by mortals.  Or maybe it was the same rage against the gods on high coupled with her inability to face them on her own.

Whatever the reason, Lysette resolved at least to find Solanna and hear her story, to accept that sorrow within her heart just the same as the sorrow and grief she still held within.  And as they progressed yet further into the forest, those lingering feelings grew stronger, strong enough that Lysette could almost taste them in the fog that permeated everything.

Grief, sorrow, longing, and hurt, yes.  Just as she had thought.  But there was more than that.  Passion, longing, love and compassion.  Pain born of compassion, of seeing too much hurt caused by too many people over far too many decades.  The longing to see friends, loved ones, and battle comrades claimed over years by war, disease, and the endless ravages of time.  And a desire above all else to remain detached to avoid feeling even more such pain in the future.

Lysette’s thoughtful musing was interrupted as the fog around the pair coalesced into a figure that looked just like Serrena.  Both demigoddess and phantasm stared at one another, each mirroring the other’s movements perfectly.  Though when Serrena attempted to conjure more flame to burn off her shadow, the ability fizzled almost immediately.

“Who are you?  What are you?” Serrena asked.

“I am you.  You are me.”  The fog phantasm didn’t speak, nor even move its mouth, but its words still projected into Lysette’s mind all the same.

“What do you mean, you are me?  I’ve never met you before.”

“I am what you once were.  What you are now.”  The fog paused.  “What you might become, depending on the actions you take.  The decisions.  The bonds you make.”  It paused again and lowered its head.  “The bonds you break.  And not just those broken by your actions.  But those lost over the countless eons for which you shall live.

“Being a goddess means accepting life without end.  Accepting the mortals who pray to you will grow old and pass away.  Even those you grow fond of.  Especially those you grow fond of.  One, maybe a small handful you might sponsor for godhood on your own.  But you will not be able to save everyone.  It is the very nature of godhood itself.”

“Rayleigh,” Serrena muttered.

“Your feelings for her are quite strong.  Warm, indeed.  But she too will succumb to time’s eternal flow.  Perhaps her remaining life is measured in centuries.  Perhaps in mere days.  Even I cannot foresee the future with enough clarity to tell.”

“I’ll–”

“You’ll what?  Make her a demigoddess herself, just as your comrade did for the one she loves?  Perhaps you could.  But your companion already knows the truth.  It is not possible to sustain as many divine beings as you will want to sponsor over the eons.”

Lysette nodded.  “According to Saffron, there are only enough humans on Aimarion to sustain sufficient worship and Divine Essence for about eighty gods and a thousand or so demigods.  I doubt, between the students we know at the Academy and the people of Ciricu, the three of us have sufficient Divine Essence reserves to elevate even one more among us to divinity.”

The fog twisted shape, appearing before Lysette as her mirror image.  Lysette in her primary body, not the avatar that stood within the forest.

“Can you, Incarnation of Reciprocity, handle the pain of loss?  Can you handle the strain of knowing that you will never truly be able to experience the same joys and sorrows as those who pray to you?”

“I don’t know.”  Lysette lowered her head.  “I know that the system of gods and mortals needs to be changed.  No longer can ageless gods, towering over humans, threaten their world with annihilation just because they aren’t satisfied with more than enough.”

Serrena scowled at Lysette, but she continued nonetheless.

“To change a world once destroyed, to ensure that it never again will be, I must grow strong enough to effect that change.  We both must.  But we must never forget who empowers us.  For whom we must fight, must serve in the end.”

The fog twisted again, this time taking the form of Karcheck, mirroring Lysette’s avatar.

“The irony of a demon speaking in such a way, embodying the concept of Reciprocity, is not lost on me.”

“That may be what I am, but it doesn’t change that my thoughts, feelings, and actions are still mine to decide.  As are my responsibilities to those who accept me as their deity.”

The fog shifted back to Serrena, again taking her form.  “And what do you think?  A mortal life is fleeting compared with the eternity you will walk Aimarion.  Even centuries will feel like mere weeks in time.  Though mortals may try with all their might and heart to achieve success, they will never be able to match your Ambition, your desire and ability for self-improvement.”

Serrena shook her head.  “That’s all I ask of my followers and disciples.  If they make the best of the time and resources they have, and never stop striving to better themself to the best of their ability, then they shall carry my blessing.”

“And how do you feel about your companion’s words?  About changing the system of gods and mortals that has governed Aimarion for five million years?”

“It is certainly a system that has given a very few the chance to reach power nigh-unrivaled.  But it has snuffed out far too many others’ dreams and Ambitions at the same time.  Perhaps it is my pact with Lyse that alters my judgement slightly, but I agree that the system that governs Aimarion ought to change.  In what exact manner, I don’t know yet.  That’s part of the reason why we’re here.  To learn more about this war of the gods, to understand better the nature of divinity, and from there decide our next course of action.”

The fog took on a new form, one that looked not dissimilar from an older, wiser, more mature Serrena.  “The way ahead is not far, but you will never make it if you do not follow me.”

“Who are you?” Serrena asked.  “Are you really–?”

“I will tell you when we meet in person.”

The fog specter parted the thick white haze that had grown even denser throughout their conversation, leaving only a narrow passageway that had already started to close back up by the time Lysette and Serrena had realized what was happening.  They frantically pursued, catching up to the spectral fog as it danced around, back and forth, weaving in and out amongst the trees all while dancing to a song Lysette couldn’t hear.

After ten minutes to Lysette’s best estimation, the two arrived at a small cabin in the middle of a small clearing deep in the heart of the forest.  As the fog didn’t seem to reach within about fifty yards of the structure, Lysette flared her aura out to survey the area.  And she immediately retracted it when a being nearly as powerful as Saffron walked toward the two from inside.

The woman was the same one who had been guiding them moments before, only physical and fleshy rather than a foggy phantasm.  But when the woman saw Serrena, a single tear shed down both of their cheeks.

“You’ve really grown, Serrena,” she said.  “I’ve not seen your face in many, many years.  Not since you were a young, young child.  Please, grant your great-grandmother the boon of a hug?”

Serrena nodded.  “It’s really you after all, Solanna.  It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Chapter 213: https://www.patreon.com/posts/112440676

Table of Contents: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101896170

Chapter 215: https://www.patreon.com/posts/112940063