There is no such thing as a Divine without humanity. Divines are constructed from humanity’s ideals and fears, they grow up being tainted by the stereotypical characterizations of themselves. Even Maisara writes about this in her many books. How can the Goddess of Magic, who represents those who do not need to eat, ever get along with the Goddess of Food & Bounty, who represents endless abundance?

And there is nothing more human than sins that stain the soul. Maybe Divines are originally created without any flaws. Maybe they come into existence and I am unable to work on them. But that does not matter, each little flaw, each doubt and each fear and each tiny little imperfection about themselves is another ledge for my hooks. Whether annoyance or loyalty, whether arrogance or charity, sloth or gratitude, every one of us has something we wish to do before we die. Every one of us has something in them that drags us back down to the world. I can only assume that those which lack humanity altogether get sent off to some other plane of existence where the Divines that only appear in mythology, such as Of Time, exist.

Even something so minor as wants, forget about the wanting to achieve some material objective. Is there a single soul that can honestly it does not wish to become a better person? Is there any one of us who is that confident in themselves?

There is no such Divine as an Of Perfection, but if there was, I assume that even they would have something that reveals their humanity.

– Excerpt from “Dreaming a New World”, written by Goddess Anarchia, of Anarchy.

Fer took a step back as she looked at Anarchia. Since when was that leech of a pretentious Goddess looking down on her? She pushed herself up as her eyes happened to look into a car. Since when could she make out the ceilings of vehicles from outside? Her eyes scanned the windows and her breath caught in horror as Fer wrapped her magnificent mane around herself as a protective cloak. She looked at the Arisian buildings of that yellow limestone, they were coated in grey dust, some had holes in them, others had entire walls missing. But Fer did not particularly care about the damage or the grandeur of this place. She had seen places far grander and she had seen ruins far more destroyed.

Instead, Fer found herself looking into windows. Straight into windows, as if she was right next to them. Straight into windows, as if she was leaning down. Straight into windows and not from above. “Oh no.” Fer gasped. She looked up at Anarchia, she saw the figures on top of the slate-shingle roofs, and she realised that those humans were no shorter than her. Maybe they were even taller… Impossible.

Paida’s hand on her shoulder snapped Fer back into reality. It was a lightning strike that awoke her to the sheer terror. Fer’s senses had not grown duller, or maybe they had, but if the world’s tallest mountain loses its snow-cap, does it stop being a mountain? She heard Paida’s breathing, she smelled the woman and she knew something was wrong. The slightly heated air from the Goddess’ nose shouldn’t be coming down on top of her head, the woman’s heartbeat should be situated below her, not above.

But worst of all was the woman’s forearm. If Paida was gripping her shoulder, then the entire Goddess should have clambered onto Fer’s back, because there was no way on Arda that the Goddess of Rancais was tall enough to reach Fer’s shoulder normally. But there was nothing so much as brushing against Fer’s back. Instead, the touch felt like it had gently floated onto Fer’s shoulder.

The Goddess of Beasthood tilted her head up and felt her world come crashing down around her. She saw Paida’s golden hair framing the woman’s delicate face, and she saw those two purple eyes, the same colour as her nation’s prized wines, look down on Fer with a heart-wrenching sorrow. “Fer…” Paida said. “I… I’m sorry…”

“You were nothing Fer.” Anarchia shouted from the other side of the street. And in that moment, Fer awoke again. Whereas her strength and her height and her power were gone, the mind remained. She assumed she was as sharp as ever and she tried jumping backwards away from Anarchia.

Fer could not even so much as move Paida’s arm an inch. Her mind immediately started working and she realised that the Goddess of Rancais was even more in shock about Fer’s sorry state than she herself was. She had to be woken up. Fer felt more power leave her as Anarchia extended her arm forwards. Of Beasthood’s body started moving on instinct, her tongue flicked against the fangs in her mouth. Those sharp canines were still there.

Fer twisted, her head turned around, she grabbed Paida’s wrist with her hand and her teeth pierced the Goddess’ skin. Fer meant to acquire power in order to get the two of them away, but she must have kicked Paida into action. The national-incarnation made a yelp entirely unbefitting a Divine. She immediately shot backwards as Fer pulled every inch of her strength in both her hands to hold onto Paida’s wrists. To think that just yesterday, she would be able to hold her entire body with just one finger, and now she was sliding off Paida even though she was wrapped around the woman’s forearm.

Anarchia burst out in a mad laughter. The woman actually keeled over. “What do you think you’re doing Fer? Do you think you can escape me?”

“Go Paida!” Fer squeaked, her voice had gone up a pitch or two or a good dozen. “Run. Don’t let her get close.”

“Do you think you can run Fer? Do you think you can run from me and regenerate your power?” Fer did not really care about Anarchia’s taunting cries. She knew herself as well as all her sisters did, Arascus had taught them not to lie to each other or themselves, so Fer knew when she was in nothing but sheer shock. There was one distinctive thing that her mind went to: Others. At the end of the day, it was easier to save someone else than it was to save yourself.

At this point, all thoughts of her own survival fled her mind and instead her thoughts started singing names: Dad: safe, although he rarely needed her protection. Irinika: safe because she was Iri. Kassandora: safe, underground, doing her own thing. Neneria: safe and powerful. Olephia: safe and very powerful. Malam: safe, in Lubska, doing whatever she was. Baalka: not safe but no in immediate danger either. The Goddess of Disease was asleep in Kirinyaa.

And the seventh sister: Anassa.

Her mind flashed quickly through the possibilities.

Anassa was a human that had deluded themselves into Divinity. If she got here? Fer tested her own strength and assumed she would be able to return. She didn’t really care frankly if she did or not. If Anassa felt she was exposed as a human… Fer growled to herself as she realised just how much of a child Anassa was. Why had she never shared? Now what? Fer assumed the worst option and nothing else: Anassa had gaslighted herself that she had successfully gaslighted the world. A lie built upon a lie to seize one of the mightiest titles Divinity had ever produced. If she the first or the second lie was shattered, could Anassa ever regain her confidence?

Anarchia continued her taunting. “You are lovely Fer! One of the purest Divines I have ever sapped from! Who knew that loyalty could be a curse? Aren’t you just the sweetest! Your fear is a tiny ledge I almost slid off and yet that devotion for another is an open doorway into your soul! How utterly human!”

“Go faster.” Fer whispered to Paida as the Goddess of Rancais hopped backwards from spot to spot, her blade aimed forwards and always ready to parry. Anarchia’s chosen were starting to descend from the roofs, but they couldn’t catch up to a Goddess. They had quick bursts of strength and then they began to smell of exhaustion immediately. Frankly, Paida should turn around, Fer understand why the woman didn’t though. She would rather place herself in the line of fire rather than risk Fer. Of Beasthood would have done the same.

“Run all you want! Beasthood’s strength is not stolen, it is shared! You won’t be able to regenerate what exists elsewhere! And it is shared with me! Do you really think that a national Divine can run from me? Really?!”

“Trust yourself Paida.” Fer whispered into Paida’s ear. “You have a head start. Get me a radio so I can call Iliyal.”

“I’ll try.”

“She took too much of my strength.” Fer said. She could see it from this distance simply from the way that Anarchia was bending down. The woman was actually going to jump towards them with the full might of Fer’s strength. In a city like this, for movement, Fer would not use even a third. “You have time before she learns how to use it.”

Anarchia blasted off from the ground. She had been looking straight at them, but instead of going directly forwards, the Goddess of Anarchia shot to the side. She hadn’t pushed off with both her legs at the same time. Instead of barrelling towards them like a bowling ball about to strike the final, solitary pin, she smashed sideways into a building like a cannonball the size of a large car. An entire city block went down as Paida jumped away. Anarchia’s chosen were submerged in a cloud of dust that smeared the entire city as the Goddess of Rancais soared through the air.

It was a controlled jump careful not to go above the ceilings of the various buildings to reveal herself. Anarchia’s suddenly brought silence to the city. The gunfire and the shouts, the orders being given and frantic screams faded for a moment, silenced by that burst of rage. “She’s going to jump.” Fer said into Anarchia’s ear. “Just keep on running, she won’t be able to control it yet.”

A huge explosion came from the south of the city, as if the gas lines had exploded underneath an entire city block. Stone and cobble and glass was hurled into the air. A cloud of dust enveloped another huge part of the city but there was no flame or anything other tell-tale sign of a gas explosion. Instead, Fer saw a black smear shoot straight up. Anarchia moving at Fer’s speed. “Did you see that?”

“See what?” Paida asked. Fer had only caught because she knew what she had been looking for frankly.

“Never mind. Run away.” And so they did, Paida started to leap backwards. Fer watched Anarchia come down in another scream.

“Will she die from that?” Paida asked as the Goddess finally got to friendly ranks within the city. Tanks and troops bearing ECCLA markings. Men running around in disorderly ranks as commanders and sergeants tried to rally them. APCs were being loaded with those that still lived as the tanks started to form a perimeter, supported by teams of men split into pairs and placed odd distances from each other. Anything to stall those blessed by Anarchia.

“I’m stronger than gravity.” Fer replied. “At least I was. I assume she is too.” Paida stalled from a moment, turned and looked back at Fer.

“Should I question what stronger than gravity means?”

“No.”

“Then I won’t.” Paida began to run. It was comical to an extent. To steal so much of Fer’s strength for a body that was used to what? Kavaa’s? Kassie’s? It didn’t really matter. An Anarchia unpowered smelled something like a three or a four in terms of strength. Now though? An easy eight or nine. And Fer herself had descended down to the level of a two. She sighed as her mind once again pushed away the depressive thoughts. There was no reason to get depressed after all, that could come later.

Right now, she had a sister to save. “Do you want a radio now or later?” Paida asked.

“Now.” Fer replied. Something in her was starting to selfishly hope that Paida would smite her, just so that she wouldn’t need to live out her life so powerlessly.

“Then there’ll be one here.” Paida turned down a side street and jumped into a plaza. It could have been a great market, with a pillar in the middle and stalls all around the outside, but now it was a forward base filled with wounded lying in rows on the ground. Soldiers were running around as they madly tried to bring some semblance of order to the chaos. Trucks and APCs were being filled with men, as well as civilian cars that had been commandeered by the soldiers. Fer had seen the sight so many times during the second half of the Great War that she almost found some nostalgia in it: an army in retreat. “RADIO!” Paida shouted as soldiers moved out of her way.

“Ring Iliyal.” Fer said.

“CALL FIELD MARSHAL TREMALI NOW!” Paida shouted as she jumped to a small piece of cloth stuck up on four poles that had been hammered in between the cobbles of the plaza to provide shade for the men and equipment. Fer saw the radio operators scramble, heard the ringing through her ears and slid off Paida.

Her heart dropped, her eyes glazed over and her hearing went dull when she realised that she stood shorter than a human. Paida could pick her up in one hand. Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it. “Fer.” Paida poked her on the shoulder as Fer realised she had utterly zoned out. One of the human soldiers was looking down on her. A human was looking down on her. She was this short. Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it. “Fer, wake up.” Paida said again and Fer shook herself. Get moving and ignore it.

The tiny Goddess of Beasthood grabbed the phone from the man’s hand focused not on herself, but on saving Anassa. “Iliyal?” She said.

“This is Iliyal speaking Fer.” The elf replied.

“Have you sent Anassa over here?” Fer asked. There was a short moment before the elf replied.

“No. Should I?” And Fer’s heart sighed with relief. She immediately felt better.

“No. Don’t send Anassa anywhere close to Anarchia, she’s too dangerous.”

“Understood.” Iliyal replied. “How is the situation?”

“We’ve lost. Pull out of Rancais Iliyal. We’ve lost.” Fer said quickly so that her mind would keep moving and not focus on her height. She had to make sure that her voice wouldn’t crack too.

Iliyal took a second to respond. “Is it bad?”

“It’s bad.” Fer replied, there was nothing else to say. She realised the phone had a weight. This was the first time in her existence something this small had a weight.

“Understood.” Iliyal said. “Return to base and report on what you saw.”

“I’ll go see dad first. Paida will give you a report.” She turned to the Goddess of Rancais. Paida stood there, golden haired and purple eyed as she looked down patiently at Fer. She pulled the phone away from her mouth. “You’ll get me out of here, right?” Paida returned with an immediate and definite nod.

And once again, Iliyal took a moment to reply. It was a short reply, but frankly, Fer could marry the man for it… well, maybe not something that drastic, but a hug at least. “I understand.” The elf said. “Do you need anything else?”

“No.”

“Alright then, Iliyal out.” And the elf dropped the call. Fer passed the phone back to the radio operator as a helicopter began landing close by. Injured men were being brought to it before the rotors even stopped spinning. The Goddess of Beasthood looked at Paida, cracked a smile and maintained her composure. Her tail swishing from side to side as the national Divine returned her own nervous nod. Fer gave her a thumbs and a confident smile.

She really needed to go cry into someone’s arms right now.

– – – End of Arc 10: Good Epan Subjects – – –

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