The Beast That was Promised ✔

TWENTY-SEVEN: The Creation Stone

Isiah hadn't known what Teremtys would look like. Ishin was a figure of flames, Askarune one of smoke. He'd never been able to find out what Nyat and Belganine looked like, but it was safe to assume they took on personifications of their powers. But what kind of personification would the God of Creation take on?

He had never expected to be staring at the Mother, someone he hadn't seen since he left the fake Sanctum of Ishin, someone who was long dead at the hands of Harudan. She looked as elegant as the last time he saw her, the wind didn't touch her and her grey robes drifted across the grass as she walked towards them.

But it wasn't really her. He knew that in the back of his mind. The Mother was dead, along with the Father and everyone else at the Sanctum. Whatever stood in front of him was a fake, something that took her form for a reason he couldn't figure out. It was disrespectful of the dead, but his voice was trapped in his throat and he couldn't protest against it.

Next to him, Emrick made a noise in the back of his throat. "No," he whispered and there was so much pain in his voice that Isiah faltered.

It took all of his effort to look away from the Mother, because even though he knew she wasn't real, seeing her hurt. "What's wrong, Emrick?" he asked, squeezing his hand.

"It's Turian," he said, choked. But when Isiah looked back, he still saw the Mother's wise face smiling at him.

"That's now who I see," he told him. It was some kind of trick. Was it Teremtys' trial? He couldn't see what kind of trial it was, but that was the only explanation he could think. Perhaps there was some link between who they were seeing. "Rina, who do you see?"

She shook her head, her lips parted in shock. "You," she said, but didn't look away from the figure in the doorway. He couldn't see what the connection was, it had to be something subtle, something that required a long time to think about.

The Mother took another step towards them, fully out from the void. "Please, don't be scared," she said. The voice was the same, exactly the same, but the words were completely different, as if the thing taking on her face had no idea how she would speak. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Who are you?" Emrick barked, stepping forward only to be stopped by the hand linked with Isiah's.

The Mother smiled again, but it wasn't her smile, it was someone else's. "I am Teremtys," she said and a lump formed in Isiah's throat. "My children, I am so glad you made it here. I've been waiting for so long." Her arms stretched out wide as if she wanted to embrace them, but none of them moved any closer.

"Why do you look like... That?" Rina asked, gesturing towards Teremtys.

"I take on the form of your mentor, of someone you love and admire," they said and it all made sense. The Mother and Turian were his and Emrick's mentors. "Did I get it wrong, Princess?"

She had said she'd seen him. He was her mentor? Someone she loved and admired? Maybe Teremtys had gotten it wrong. But then she shook her head and whispered "No" and Isiah allowed the confusion to wash over him. There wasn't time to address it, not when they'd finally found Teremtys. It would have to wait until everything was over.

Dropped Emrick's hand, he stepped forward, his jaw clenched tightly. Teremtys was the first God, the oldest, the one who had created everything he had ever seen and he had taken the form of one of the many people he had never been given a chance to save. Standing before them was surreal and it made him feel like he was the wrong person to be the Beast, like nobody, insignificant in comparison to the God before.

"Are you here to give me a trial?" he asked, dreading the answer he knew was coming. They didn't have time for a trial. The sun was starting its descent towards the horizon, it would be completely dark soon and come daybreak, Ziya would be under attack. If he wasn't ready for the creation stone, then everything was lost.