Whereas Allasaria’s loveliness and empathy are fantastic to behold. I have merely one qualm to raise, she herself defines the atrocity as something intolerable. She concedes that it is nothing but a moral descriptor. In this regard, she is correct. An atrocity is not merely defined by scale: extermination of disease, executions of bandits and bloody insurrections are not called atrocities, yet the brutal murder of a child is. It is about the pain inflicted to the population’s morality as a whole, the subject is irrelevant: case-in-point: A death by Olephia is instant and painless, yet we have a new atrocity every time my sister opens her mouth.

Allasaria’s definition is correct. An atrocity is intolerable. Populations simply will not stand for them. However whereas her foundation is correct, her conclusion is wrong. There is another way to prevent atrocities:

Raise the population’s pain tolerance.

Excerpt from ‘Rulership’, written by Malam, Goddess of Hatred.

Iniri coughed and groaned as she slowly stirred and awoke. Her entire body was pressed against something cold, she stretched and yawned, her hands sliding along the smooth material. Her stomach felt cold, her bosom did too, and she realised she was naked. The shock woke her up immediately as she pulled on her magic to grow a dress of leaves for herself.

Nothing came. Her energies simply rebounded back into her. Iniri opened her eyes and saw a pair of black heels popping out from the edge of a dress. She scurried backwards immediately to avoid whatever blow or attack was coming as she tried to call upon all the flora of Arda again. And again nothing came. Iniri’s back slammed into a corner as she reached the edge of the room. It was cold again, and she flinched forwards when she felt the cool…

It was metal. Iniri’s eyes readjusted to the cold light. It was a pale glow-stone crystal, not the brightest, looking as if it was running out of energy, hung from the ceiling on a chain of pure metal. Iniri tested the area around herself again, her powers sniffed like hungry wolves throughout the entire room, there was not a single piece of wood or dirt, no furniture, even the door-handle was pure steel. And Iniri finally looked at the person in the middle of the room, who was standing in a black dress with a silver chain of a belt around her waist. Daggers lined it, she was holding a cloth in one hand, but none of those details really mattered. And the woman was taller than the Goddess of Nature, Iniri had to look up to see the face.

Eyes as black as pitch and hair as white as snow.

Malam, Goddess of Hatred.

Of course it would be Malam. Who else would know how to contain the Goddess of Nature? It would have to be one of the old breed Divines. Iniri groaned as she felt her energies crash back into her, they were unable to disperse past this little steel box of a room, so they needed to be absorbed by something. “Hello Iniri, did you sleep well?” Malam spoke in that voice of hers that just radiated happiness. There was no other Divine who could pull it off, Maisara and Fortia would have had the tone tinged with smug satisfaction when talking to a prisoner. Helenna would have gone harder, and added some worry for her prisoner in there too. Kavaa and Kassandora would have simply treated it like a business meeting, but Malam? Malam sounded as if she was stroking a kitten, as if she was enjoying a sweet treat on a sunny day. How the woman could be happy with such earnestness made Iniri’s gut turn.

“I’m not your enemy.” Iniri said quickly as she stood up.

“Mmh.” Malam said. “That is rather lovely.” Iniri stood up, uncaring of her own nakedness in front of a Divine. Or at least, she tried to be uncaring. She covered herself with her arms and tried not to look at the cloth in Malam’s arm. “At least you’ve not become as degenerate as Kavaa.” Malam said.

Iniri blinked. Excuse me? Kavaa? Degenerate? Kavaa was the most prudish woman Iniri had ever met. Even Maisara and Fortia would show off more than Kavaa! Her brows furrowed at the comment towards the Goddess of Health. “Who are you to talk Malam?” Malam squinted at the sudden burst of anger, and tilted her head to see Iniri from a different angle, as if analysing her. Iniri stood there in the cold silence of the metal box.

“Who am I to talk indeed?” Malam said. “So have you two become each other’s bedwarmers in the past thousand years?” Iniri knew Malam, who in the Pantheon did not know Malam? Arascus’ chief propagandist, if Kassandora was the flood that had washed over the world during the Great War, then Malam could only be the rivers and rains that created the flood. She knew the woman was only trying to rile her up and throw her off.

And she knew she fell for it. “Malam!” Iniri shouted. “NO! What? Don’t…” Iniri controlled herself, she couldn’t think of a snarky reply, but she could explain before Malam made some other comment. “The Great War ended Malam, it ended a thousand years ago. Arascus lost. We’re in the era of Pantheon Peace, at least we were up until two months ago.”

Malam smiled as she took a step away from Iniri. “Has it ended Iniri? Why am I still here then?”

“I…” Iniri didn’t have an answer. What did the woman even want to hear?

“How can the Great War be over when I’m still alive? After all, when two people are in disagreement, they’re in a state of war.” Malam said haughtily. “That’s not even my line, that’s my sister’s.”

“Kassie’s.” Iniri said quickly. “I’m working with her now! I can tell you everything about her.”

Malam replied immediately, so quickly in fact that it threw Iniri off. “What is Kassie’s favourite colour?”

Iniri had to honestly think about the question. It was… it was so stupid. Had she ever asked though? Why would she ask? They weren’t little girls who talked about colours… but then what would Kassandora’s favourite colour be? Iniri blinked. Wasn’t it obvious?

“Red.” Iniri answered and Malam smiled smugly.

“Wrong.” She said.

“What is it then?”

“It’s red, but answered immediately.” Malam’s tone was downright righteous as she talked about her sister, it was a soft silken scarf, so delicate yet cold, that gently tickled Iniri’s ears. “Any idiot will be able to work that Kassie’s favourite colour is red. She’s not known for being humble now, is she? Of course it would be the colour of her eyes and her hair.” Iniri blushed at the downright scolding she just received, it was as if she was a little girl.

“That was a stupid question.” Iniri said quietly as Malam stared down at her, her teeth showing in a wicked smile.

“Yet you still got it wrong.” Malam said and just as Iniri was about to defend herself, Malam switched topics. “Here’s a cloak.” She extended her arm to Iniri, just slightly out of her reach. Iniri had to leave the corner of her room to grab it, but she retreated just as quickly as she covered herself with the fabric. It was too long yet also too narrow. She had to squeeze it tightly around herself to hide. Malam raised an eyebrow. “What do we say?”

Iniri looked at Malam, then her eyes slid down to the daggers on Malam’s belt. “Thank you.” Iniri replied and Malam smiled in satisfaction. She leaned against the door, crossed her arms and looked Iniri up and down.

“Am I honest Iniri?” Malam asked. Iniri stared at the Goddess of Hatred. What sort of question was that? Was Malam honest? What sort of answer did the woman even want?

“Are you?” Iniri asked and Malam smiled. “I mean… I don’t think so?”

“Mmh.” Malam said. “What do we think of Kavaa then?”

“We as in us?” Iniri asked.

“We as in the Royal ‘me’.” Malam answered smugly. “You’re not going to start treating me like a commoner, are you?” Iniri gawked at the explanation for a moment, whilst she did understand what Malam just said, she didn’t exactly know what Malam actually meant.

“I don’t know what you think, but I like Kavaa. Her, Helenna and me freed Kassandora from the White Pantheon prison.” Malam gave no reaction, but those dark eyes poured over Iniri as the woman was a mathematical calculation to solve.

“Out of my sisters, who do you like most?” Malam said.

“Fer.” Iniri answered immediately. It wasn’t even a hard decision, Iniri was indebted to both Kassandora and Fer, but Kassandora was much too cold for Iniri to be able to say she liked. Fer though was lovely and sweet.

“That’s a good answer.” Malam finally said. “It almost makes me believe you’ve actually met them.”

“We have.” Iniri said. “You can ask Kavaa.”

“I’ve already met the sad nurse.”

“She’s a doctor.” Iniri didn’t know why the words came out of her mouth, but she wouldn’t take them back or apologize for them. Kavaa had gone into the Jungle with Fer and Kassandora to rescue her, Iniri owed her a debt of a lifetime.

Malam tilted her head again. “Between me and Helenna, who is better?”

Something in Iniri snapped. She had expected to be questioned, but what was this? It was one thing for Malam to ask about the Pantheon, Iniri would have even expected those questions, but why was everything so personal with the woman? “What sort of questions are these Malam?!” Iniri shouted.

Malam smiled. “I asked a question Iniri. You’re the prisoner here, don’t make me make you answer.” The change in the woman’s tone at the end sounded disgusting. It wasn’t a threat of violence or pain, it was one of humiliation.

“Helenna.” Malam sniffed the air in humour.

“You are the only person I know who has ever said that.”

“I like Helenna Malam.” Iniri defended her friend, then trailed off. She was about to tell Malam she didn’t like her. Malam raised an eyebrow as if reading Iniri’s mind.

“That’s it?” Malam asked.

“That’s it.” Iniri replied definitely and Malam smiled, she sighed and shook her head.

“Who was it then Iniri, because it wasn’t one of my sisters, I’m sure of that.”

“Who was what?”

“Who made you into this?” Malam said as she pushed off the wall and closed the distance. Iniri retreated deeper into the corner. If she had her powers, there wouldn’t exist a reality in which Malam was a threat, but without access to anything that plants could root in, then the roles were reversed. Malam came close, pushed Iniri into a corner and grabbed one of her hands, she twisted it and pulled it above Iniri’s head. “Was it Fortia? Maisara? Helenna? Allasaria? I don’t think it was the Forces, they don’t care that much.” Malam said then pulled Iniri up, the woman wasn’t strong enough to lift Iniri, but it still hurt. “Or maybe it was, after all, Nature is one of the grandest Forces there is, no doubt that Lightning and the Sun would be jealous. Sceo definitely is, she’s the sort to seethe about things like this.”

Iniri cried out in pain as Malam squeezed her wrist. “Malam! Stop! You’re hurting me!”

Malam squeezed harder. “I didn’t believe Kavaa, but I believe you Iniri.” Yet she only pulled Iniri’s wrist higher up. “Just answer me one question.”

“What?” Iniri said through closed eyes and grit teeth. She felt the cloth fall down and her back once again press into the cold metal.

“Why do you not grab one of the daggers on my belt and open my stomach right now?” Malam asked. And something within Iniri cracked. It wasn’t any great barrier or chain that kept her controlled, it could only be described as a pillar or a foundation. Malam dropped Iniri and the Goddess of Nature collapsed onto the floor. Why did she not fight back? The Iniri of the past would have done so. Yet the Iniri of today did not. Instead, she grabbed the cloth and wrapped herself into it as Malam made some distance between the two of them again. She squatted down on the ground to bring herself to Iniri’s height.

“I don’t know.” Iniri whispered quietly, she felt her eyes start to grow wet. “I don’t know.”

“Mother Nature would never say thank you to me.” Malam said coldly. “And when she lists off names, she doesn’t care for politeness, she’s always at the front of the list. So, what changed?”

“The world moved on Malam.” Iniri said quietly. “I adapted where I could.”

“Did you?” Malam asked. “I’d say I have adapted.”

“You’ve not changed.”

“I’ve gotten better.” Malam said. “I wouldn’t be able to manhandle you like that in the past.” Iniri wiped her eyes with the cloth as she wound it further around herself. “Kavaa hasn’t changed too much, she’s more bitter than in the past, but you’re very different.”

“I’ve changed my title.” Iniri said. “To Of Food & Bounty.”

Malam made a humourless sniff as she looked flatly at Iniri. “Was Of Fertility taken?” Iniri shook her head, she didn’t even care about the connotation. Frankly, it didn’t even embarrass her.

“It was vetoed by Maisara.”

“Too grand a title?” Malam asked.

Iniri sighed as she replied. She hated that Malam was correct. “Too grand a title.” She confirmed.

“What a sad little Goddess you are.” Malam said. The Goddess of Hatred squatted there for a few minutes as Iniri tried to control her sniffling tears. Malam fiddled with that cold white hair of hers, it was like a cleaned out bone rather than the precious snow Iniri had first thought it was. “If I release you from here, what will you do?”

“You mean from the cell? I’ll dig my way out.”

Malam shrugged as she spoke, she didn’t even seem particularly cruel or joyous in her revelation, instead just resigned. “I’m inclined to believe you, but I can’t take that risk.” When those dark eyes of her rolled over Iniri

“Leona is dead.”

“Mmh.” Malam said. “I won’t believe it until I hear it from one of mine.” Iniri sighed and nodded.

“I understand.”

“I don’t think you do.” Malam said. Iniri didn’t reply, Fer had said the same, that one had to fight Leona in order to know what it was like. Iniri had never asked Kassandora on it, but she was that the woman would say something similar too. Malam sighed and looked Iniri up and down. “I feel sorry for you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“But I do.” Malam said, harder this time. Iniri merely shook her head.

“Go ahead then.”

“What a pathetic woman you are.” This time, Malam had some disgust in her tone. Iniri pulled her legs up to her and didn’t reply. “Are you just going to sit there?”

“I have nothing to say Malam. I’m not who I was.”

“How noble of you.” Malam said it as a taunt, but to Iniri, it was oddly relaxing. It wasn’t noble, but she wasn’t- “Iniri, you’re a liar.” Malam said coldly. And Iniri blinked, she wasn’t the strongest in the White Pantheon, there were plenty of stronger candidates, but not once had she been called a liar. Frankly, it did hurt her pride.

“What?” Iniri asked.

“You’re a liar. You sit here and pretend to be some pitiable creature, you’re not worthy of being Iniri. You were envied, you’re the Goddess of Nature.”

“Like I said, the worl-“

“World has moved on.” Malam interrupted. “Then get down on your knees and beg for your place in it.” Malam stood up from her squat and crossed her arms. “But you won’t, will you? Because there still is some pride left in you, because even though you pretend you’ve changed so much, there is still some of the cruel and capricious Mother Nature in there.”

“It’s gone Malam. A Mother Nature like that would have been cut down in this age.” Iniri said, it was simply self-preservation. She had to change throughout the eras, she had to grow to stay useful to the world, because she was not Allasaria who led it, nor did she have the overwhelming demesnes of Fortia and Maisara. Nature, at the end of the day, existed as long as humanity let it.

Malam’s reply was harsh and fast. “Don’t pretend you’ve changed, you’ve merely retreated from your demesne. Is it cowardice? Or just laziness? Or did the White Pantheon really break you? Is this how little you care about yourself? Kavaa at least put up a fight.”

“And?” Iniri asked. “So what, Kavaa is Kavaa, I am me.”

“No.” Malam growled. “Iniri is the Goddess of Nature, you are nothing.” Iniri pulled the cloak even tighter around herself, and buried her face in her knees. Her brown hair covered her face and she shivered against the cold metal.

“I’m just me.” Iniri whispered.

“Have you really joined us?” Malam asked flatly, a complete lack of emotion in her voice. Iniri’s large brown eyes looked up at the Goddess standing over her, all she could muster was a few rapid and tiny nods of her head. “Then it is good you met me.” Malam said.

Iniri felt her eyes start to get wet again. “I wish I didn’t.”

“Oh no Iniri, you don’t know it yet, but you are grateful you did meet me, no matter what you say.” Malam said. “Because I see the problem, the White Pantheon has cut down the Iniri I lost the war to and this creature in front of me has regrown in its place. I will cut you down, and we will regrow the Iniri that was back then.” Malam raised an eyebrow. “That is, only if you have really joined us.”

“Malam. I’m not the Mother Nature that takes children when they wander into the woods anymore.”

Malam opened her mouth, and then stopped. There was a knock on the door. Malam made a surprised face and looked at Iniri. “Well look at that, we have guests.” She said. “For your sake, let’s hope it’s not Irinika.” Malam turned and tapped on the little shutter in the door, it was close to the ground, even Iniri would have needed to bend to reach it. The metal slid open from the outside, a dwarf was on the side. “What is it?”

The dwarf was breathing heavily, his face covered in sweat, and he spoke in their old tongues. It had changed slightly over the past millennia, some of the words sounded weaker, others had been changed to be more stressed, the intonations harsher. Only a few words were new in their entirety, and Iniri caught more than of the speech to understand it. “The Madness Roots are being burned up! There’s something coming through the lost highway!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep