(Here is pt 2, thank you for all the requests for it I was very surprised!)
Adra had learned many things since then, though she knew it was only a portion of what was to come. The trials had taken many months to complete, testing her mind and her body as she could never be sure of what the tests were trying to prove. She knew her strengths but also her weaknesses, and she had only hoped that the latter wouldnāt outweigh the former too much. She had answered their questions, she had worked out their puzzles and learned about the universe, and now she sat in the empty room, as she had all though months ago, waiting for the final assessment from the two Beings behind it all. She had learned about the couple as well during her trials, and now as she sits in wait, she ponders just who it was who had chosen her.
It is Life who bursts into her mind first, naturally. He is as lively as his title suggests, constantly bouncing around and experiencing the wonders of the world. He was always excited to see something new, and his laughter was a constant sound in the halls of the facility, often matched with a grin that seemed to hold no sorrow. He had laughed quite hard when he had learned her name, though he said he couldnāt explain it yet. His dark skin glowed from within with a light completely his own, and his eyes were filled with the stars and galaxies as they slowly went about their long lifespans.
But life was not only happiness, and he would feel every other emotion just as strongly. He would rage at the state of the world and his anger shook the very ground as he screamed in fury. When his anger lessened it would be replaced with sorrow, the world becoming less colorful with it as his tears flooded the skies and caused rain to fall in torrents. For while life was a gift to many that brought joy to those alive, it could also be a prison, forcing those who suffered to keep going even as they cried out for their pain to end. He could see everything that was felt by those who had given life, and Adra simply supported him whether his mood was bright or dark.
After him Death seemed to creep in like a shadow to her husband, though she was a force all her own. She was quiet in her emotions, faint smiles or frowns usually all that betrayed her inner thoughts. She moved with a grace unlike any other, without hesitation and smooth as silk. She wondered at her husbandās creations and was always ready to greet them at the other end. Her pale skin was that of bleached bone, smooth and without flaws, her features shifting constantly as death came in countless forms. It was a great contrast to her eyes, black voids that not even light could penetrate, the only part of her that never changed.
She could be gentle or cruel depending on the person who she greeted, for not all creatures her love had made used his gift for good. Some used their lives to hurt those around them, and those people were greeted with harsh words and swift action to the next life, where they would feel all the pain they had caused in life before they could move on. In those times she was terrifying, cruel and angry, often drawing out their suffering before she welcomed them into her realm. She was most gentle with those for whom death was a mercy, whose suffering was finally at an end after the misery of life. She greeted them with soothing words and a warm embrace as she smoothly escorted them into the beyond. She would cry when children were her charges, holding them tightly in her arms as she whispered quiet apologies and sweet songs that followed them when they passed on. Death often came to Adra after such times, soothed by the presence of someone so young still living. She said nothing, for nothing needed to be said, and simply stayed as long as she had to.
She had learned that each of them was kind and cruel and she cared for them deeply as they shared their hardships and their victories with her and with each other. It had only been the three of them during her trials, and she had questioned Life why they were spending so much time on her. He had laughed, and told her how the role they felt she would fill was of terrible importance, and thus the time was well spent. She canāt imagine what the role would be, but as she listens to the footsteps coming towards her, she can only hope that she had proven worthy. Her heart races as the door is thrown open, unsurprisingly with Life standing behind it as he all but throws himself forward, Death smoothly gliding in behind. Both are smiling and hope fills her chest.
āAdra! It has come to our attention that you have completed your trials. First, I must say congratulations! Not many would have gotten this far, let alone passed. So truly, well done! Second, I believe that it is time that we tell you the role you shall fill going into this new Age. The others have been waiting for you to join them. My love?ā He turns, still beaming, to his wife, who had been rolling her eyes at his antics. At his prompt she smiles, wider than any she had seen on her before.
āAdra, it has truly been a wonderful time teaching you of the forces that run our universe, and I am quite honored to say that you will be working with us to keep it running smoothly.ā She brushes a pale hand against her cheek, filling her with warmth, before continuing. āIt was clear from when we first chose you that you are a levelheaded girl, never one to think rashly or act without thought. You have seen good and bad in your time here, short though it may seem, and you proved wise in your choices when faced with them. Not many can remain objective when faced with the wonders of life but you have done your best, and it is that which drew us to you.ā She glances at Life and he nods. āMy dear, it is time to begin if you are ready.ā She looks to Adra, who nods. The two each clasp one of her hands in each of theirs. Life speaks, his voice lined with age and strength as he seems to direct a glowing light in his palms.
āFrom the Living comes power, great and terrible, given to the one who knows its weight. It is to her I grant it with my blessing until the end of days comes for us all.ā As he speaks the light seeps into her skin, causing her veins to glow through her arm and spreading through her body, curling deep into her heart and mind. As the glow briefly blinds her, Death grips her hand tighter, her own words almost a whisper yet still ringing out in the small room.
āFrom the Dead comes power, awful and kind, given to the one who will carry it knowing its touch. I give it freely with my blessing to her that knows its meaning, until the endless night comes for us all.ā A darkness fills her hands, an endless void that seems to envelop them in its shadows, as they glide to her and steal into her veins, hiding in the darkness opposite from the light as it settles itself deep into her very soul.
āBy the Old Laws we grant it, and so it is so.ā
The last part is said together as they pull their hands away and she is left to simply feelā¦ everything. She is filled with blistering heat and biting cold, chaos and order, joy and sorrow, calm and panic. There seems to be a bit of everything that made up the universe and for a moment she is overwhelmed by it all, falling to her knees and barely stopping the scream rising in her throat. For a time it is all she knows, until everything seemed to settle slightly, enough so that she could focus once more on her surroundings, pushing herself to her feet as she faces the two worried expressions above her. As she does the worry changes to relief, and Life lets out a whooping cheer. She smiles at him, before pushing her words out with her harsh breathing.
āCare to explain what the hell that was?ā While she no longer was overwhelmed, she could still feel the forces raging within her, constantly growing and lessening with each passing breath. Her words caused both Beings to smile as they take her arms and lead her through the halls of the facility. As they walk, Life begins to explain.
āYou see Adra, we have chosen those who will fill the role for every deity we need. Light, Darkness, War, Peace, Earth and her sisters, and so on and so forth. But with deities come problems, and we cannot always be there to help settle them. The universe is balanced in a sense, and with too much power one can quickly throw that balance off. Or something might randomly shift and it would need to be dealt with before imbalance occurs.ā He gestures to his wife and she continues, as they walk deeper into the center of the building than she had ever gone before.
āBalance is what allows the universe to keep going, it is the force that ensures that everything works as it should and nothing goes awry more than it should. There have been instances in the past that resulted in imbalance, and even when only momentary the results were not pleasant.ā Her face grew pinched as she seemed to remember such instances. āTherefore, since we canāt always be trusted to watch over this balance, we have chosen to delegate. That is where you come in.ā
āYou can sense the shifts in our universe, feeling how everything is in relation to each other. You will be our top advisor in these matters, our eyes and ears in the places that we cannot be. More than that, you will be able to shift the balances themselves, which is why we spent so long with you. This power is incredibly dangerous, and though you are young you have proven that you are worthy of it.ā Life smiles as he speaks, opening a door to a great hall she had never seen before. It stretches long and wide, filled with warm light and loud voices. It is filled with people, all speaking to each other as they ate, though they fell silent at the opening of the door. She could recognize Earth and War, and realizes that these must be the rest of the New Gods.
Before they join the group, she is led to one of the walls that are lined with mirrors. She stops suddenly as her reflection meets her gaze, stunned by the changes that greet her. Her skin is filled with shadows and lights that seem to swarm each other, though as she watches she sees that neither are ever truly winning. Her left hand is filled more with the glow, her right swarmed more with shadow, but each are equal as they dance beneath her dusky skin.
But what most shocks her are her eyes, no longer the deep brown she knew. The left is filled with the galaxies like Life, seeming to be filled with all the glowing lives of the universe. Even when closed her eye shines brightly, as though laughing at her attempt to stop its glow. However the right is the eye of Death, a deep void which traps all light within and extinguishes it. It seems to sink into her socket, though she knows it is only the effect of the darkness it holds. They are horribly different than before, but they are the eyes of those she had come to care for and it is that thought that keeps her fear at bay, for all that they were the last sign of her fleeting mortality. She stares at her face for a few seconds more, and smiles. Life and Death step up behind her, each once again clasping the hand filled with their gifts. Death speaks once more, her voice filled with pride as Life simply grins.
āWelcome to our interesting New Era, Balance.ā
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