Death of a Guardian

Chapter 19

Emryk found himself sitting up on his bed mat. A stick propped open a square section of wood two feet wide halfway up the wall. Soft moonlight shone through against the inside of his door wall.

Arms outstretched, he held the book up, allowing him to read about Terrianis and her siblings. While he read books about Iseron during the day, he spent the nights reading The Land, the Sea, and the Sky. He didn't want Etieniel to see him reading it. Not because of her magical abilities, or the lack of her abilities to use them on him. But because she wouldn't trust him.

He made it to the end of the page but couldn't remember what he read. His mind kept betraying him by drifting off to that night in the cave when he met the two goddesses. His heart reminded him of the way he felt when looking into Terrianis' eyes.

Even as he finished reading the page for the third time, he still couldn't recall anything he read. His middle finger was still holding his mark a few pages ago. Flipping back, he found the part that spoke about how the nature gods were not bound by the rules of the higher gods. That meant neither Vitalis nor Mortius could command them to do anything.

They would have to battle to stop each other if they didn't approve of something. But all five are equally powerful and none could ever win. The triplets had an unknown number of forms, many living at the same time across the world. Even if Vitalis or Mortius removed one of those forms, not even they knew them all.

If the triplets killed Vitalis' or Mortius' earthly forms, Vitalis could just make them a new one. It all became a pointless endeavor for them. Because of this, their territories were well defined.

Vitalis gave birth to all forms in the beginning. She also introduces new species and triggers evolution in existing creatures. The triplets oversee all life after their born and maintain the existence of all species. Last, but most importantly, Mortius ensures all souls are returned to the Supreme.

It was all fascinating to him. Especially reading that Vitalis doesn't care which species survive. She will just create new ones. All of humanity could die and our souls would just go into different vessels.

The triplets, however, care about each species. They accept that during the natural order of the world, not all creatures will survive. Only the best suited to the world will thrive.

But when one creature, with its own freewill and intent, causes an extinction, she takes that personally. Emryk knew the plan was to help unseat the king. According to the book, she's done far worse to punish a human government's actions against other beings of her domain.

Emryk went back to another paragraph he read to describe the different between Vitalis and Terrianis.

"Vitalis, the Higher Goddess of Life, cherishes the eternal nature of souls, tirelessly guiding them through cycles of birth and rebirth. When a new soul arrives, she perceives pure personality untethered from consciousness. The brain is the programming that reveals the soul's individuality to the world. It also allows for memory creation and storage back into the soul.

She often enjoys speaking to departing souls and seeing the life they lived before her husband sends them on. Once a soul is gone, it's gone. It will never return to this world or any of the worlds that came before.

In contrast, Terrianis prioritizes the preservation of species and ecosystems rather than the individual. Billions and trillions of creatures die before she ever has the chance to meet them. Sometimes she's perceived as being uncaring, but it's far from the truth.

She loves all life with a burning passion, regardless of the soul. The preservation of ecosystems doesn't always align with what's best for a single human or other intelligent creature's existence. Likewise, good and evil may not always be enough to drive her intercessions.