Infamous Goose
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3:37 Reunion
🕑 Added 2025-11-27 10:14:03 +0000 UTCThanks to everyone who's supported the amazon release so far! This chapter brought to you by sibling love.
***
Solana’s ascension echoed through the Four Realms, her light radiating through the cosmos in a brilliant, flaming display. It was an entirely spiritual experience; the holy light of rebirth flooding through reality as Solana ascended on flaming wings. Her body flickered between that of a giant, flaming bird of golden fire and a woman cloaked in flames, feathery arms and hair of fire, wings of gold stretching behind her back. I raised a glass to the new divine being as she shrieked, the polluted qi of the region boiling beneath her might. The seven immortals who tried to contain her scrambled as she fell upon them, their techniques shattering beneath her might.
“That’s Sol?” Kei asked, tails swishing as she sauntered up beside me, laying her arms across my shoulders. I shrugged, disturbing her slightly as I leaned back in my chair, cup of steaming hot tea in one hand as I watched the events unfold before me. “She looks weird. Why doesn’t she have a domain? I thought she was going to become a god again.”
“No. That path is closed, remember? It’s not just the Sun she is cut off from, but the traditional path to godhood.” I countered, sipping and shaking my head at Solana as she chased Terra and her husband through the skies. Morgan’s blessing protected the immortal woman from instant death, but Solana was intent on putting that protection to the test. “She is more like you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. A spirit beast that ascended to divinity, not what we would call godhood. You don’t have a true divine domain, remember? I thought, once, that you would end up that way, but by now I have seen the truth. You, Solana, and other spirit beasts who eventually ascend to divinity will be more like Alexander than the elemental gods, or Xing Wu.” I explained, watching as Solana drove a spike of purifying, regenerative flame at Terra. The immortal woman ducked and weaved, dodging behind a wall of stone and diving into the Hidden Realm – only to emerge elsewhere, trying to fight back and protect what she had built.
Is this what plot armor looked like? Morgan was actively interfering to protect the Immortals now, its personal pets. Now I understood how Morgan felt when I protected Fang Xu during his Karmic Immortal ascension trial all those years ago.
…I’m the only one who should be able to cheat like this. As the universe’s creator and inventor of the game, cheating is my right.
“What’s the difference?” Kei asked, and I willingly turned away to face her, letting the situation play out as it must. My children were rapidly proving that my direct intervention was no longer constantly necessary; Gilles had just done my job for me, after all, and in a much better way than I would have. Much more touching. I’m looking forward to their official reunion.
“Well, you already know how gods are formed. They’re nexuses of elemental power given divinity – essentially, they are spirits who achieved godhood.” I told her. “Xing Wu is what I would call an Aspect Immortal, or an Ascended God. They represent the abstract parts of reality, that do not fall under natural laws; essentially, mortal-made concepts. Swords. Law. Honor, music. Xing Wu is the peak of such and existence because he represents Paths and Dao Stars; he is the trailblazer. As for you, my dear, do you have a divine domain? No.
“Your divinity rests within you, just as it does Alexander. Your ‘domain’ is much more symbolic; trickery, freedom, and mischief. That is who you are, not what you are. In this way, you are a combination of both the elemental gods and the ascended gods; pure divinity without flavor, symbolically representing what you have lived through your life. Solana, rebirth and reincarnation. You, freedom. Does that make sense?” I asked, booping Kei’s nose. She giggled and licked my face with a tail, the fur tickling my nose and making me sneeze.
“Yeah, I guess! So that means three different kinds of gods in the Four Realms – Divine Beasts, Elemental Gods, and Ascended Gods. Huh.” Kei scratched her chin and shrugged, pointing toward where Solana now perched in the Life-Giving Tree, screeching her victory cry as Terra and the other immortals fled into the Hidden Realm, where she could not follow. As a new divinity she had little control over her powers; that was the only reason they had escaped in the first place.
That was not her most impressive achievement, however.
All the mortals that had observed her ascension in the tainted region, or even just been present, her divinity washing over them, lit a little spark within their souls that directly countered the taint. It may take generations, lifetimes to fully come to bear if it did at all, but the spark was there. What Terra had tried to kill never truly died, and the light of one being ignited it once again.
Kei chattered in my ear as I smiled down at them, content to sit back. So many wonderful things were happening now, despite my supposed oppression of the Realms. Solana’s ascension. Gilles helping his sibling. Inesa’s pregnancy…which she has yet to announce to me, the fool girl. I turned my gaze to the Realms as a whole.
My children ran things almost entirely on their own now. Alexander, Keilan, Reika, and Elvira all were sinking themselves deeper into their respective Realms, managing their affairs and running everything. The elemental gods were as productive as ever. The spirits grew, the mortals lived, and souls flowed. Even the defensive structures were being built without my direct supervision; I of course made sure everything was built properly and to specifications, but corrections were almost non-existent anymore. What had started with me guiding their steps every way, had now evolved into casual oversight.
It was reassuring, in more ways than one. Chuckling to myself, I stood, peeling Kei off of my shoulders and holding her by the scruff of her neck to meet her eyes. She grinned at me, like the mischievous little fox she was.
“Come. Let us go get some ice cream.”
***
Gilles had waited a long time in shadows, watching his sibling’s progress. He had waited and watched with pride as Sol became Solana, his true sibling, moving past the burning pride that prevented her from becoming what she was always meant to be – no, not moving past the pride, but no longer allowing it to consume her. Pride was just who Solana was.
And now he sat there, in the shadow of a Tree foolish devil immortals were attempting to corrupt, he saw her reach back to what had always been hers; divinity.
“I know you’re there,” her soft voice called, singing gently along with the wind. The great bird of fire’s golden eyes swept the skies, missing him entirely. “Come out.”
Gilles chuckled, shadows pooling around him as he stepped out of his little hiding spot, appearing directly before her. He said nothing as he met her eyes, her beak clacking, golden feathers ruffling as she peered down at him – her body now much larger than before; a fitting growth for her large ego. She shook herself, embers falling from her wings and cascading to the leaves of the Tree below as her body began to shrink. Feathers transformed to flesh, wings to hands, talons to feet. Fire still cloaked her, draping itself about her nude form like a cape of golden feathers, drifting down her arms like gloves, and flickering from her hair. Her skin was the color of sunlight, not quite pure, but radiant.
“Gilles,” she said, and he bowed his head in acknowledgement.
“Sister,” he replied softly. Solana’s bottom lip quivered as she took a step back, fires dimming as she searched his eyes for any hint of a lie, any hint that his claim that she was his sibling was a lie. She would find none.
“Even after what I did?” she asked weakly. Gilles smiled at her; of course the Shadow had told her what he had done.
“Even after all you did,” he promised in a soft voice. She sniffled, wiping her nose on her arm and blinking away the tears in her eyes, trying to hide how the words affected her. Gilles beamed, blinking away his own tears and doing nothing to hide them; why would he hide his joy, or the truth behind his words? Even after all she did, he still loved her. He felt nothing but joy to see her rise up again.
“I’m sorry,” she breathed out in a shaky voice, not meeting his eyes.
“I know. I forgive you. I am just glad you are back,” he told her. She snorted and scrubbed her eyes, taking a few moments to center herself and get her breathing under control before fixing him with a mock glare.
“I hope you weren’t expecting a hug or anything,” she said gruffly, though her heart clearly wasn’t in the rebuke. Gilles laughed as the tension dissipated, his heart lighter than it had been in ages.
“I was not, but thank you for telling me. It seems your sense of humor hasn’t changed,” he told her, heart swelling with the joking, sibling-like tone she used. He had been waiting far too long for this, and though his arms ached to embrace her in a hug no matter how embarrassing, he respected her need to process. She only just got some of her memories back, after all. She chuckled through her emotions, fires flaring brightly as she shook her head.
“I didn’t have a sense of humor before I met the butthead below,” she told him with a shrug. Gilles shook his head; he’d been watching her long enough to know that was untrue – she was far more sardonic and sarcastic than she had ever been as Sol, even before she met the Rival. “Speaking of whom, I should probably introduce you two. Gods, it’s weird to remember I had a brother. I’m sorry I forgot you, Gilles.” It’s not like you could have done anything about that. He noted with a small shake of his head.
“Forgot who? Solana, who is this fine young gentleman you are talking to?” The new voice almost surprised Gilles, his divine senses only registering the speaker mere seconds before he actually spoke. That alone was cause for surprise, but he’d been following Solana long enough to know to expect the unexpected from the Matriarch’s visitor. He was still suspicious of the man and his purpose here, but…that could be set aside for now.
The Rival floated in the air beside them, standing on a crackling lightning bolt and enduring the twin divine energies of Gilles and Solana both with only a single bead of sweat beading his brow. His hair was slicked back, flecked with bits of blood not his own, and in one hand he held a scrap of cloth from the man he had been beating. His shirt had torn when he fled, jumping into the Hidden Realm. The Rival had not given chase, obviously.
The Rival met Gilles’ eyes and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, utterly confusing him. Wait – did he call him a ‘fine young gentleman?’ Was he flirting?
“Uh, this is Gilles. My…brother?” Solana tasted the word slowly, as if unsure if it still held true despite his earlier assurances.
“Yes. From another lifetime, and again in this life.” Gilles agreed, meeting Solana’s eyes and not denying their connection, again.
“You never told me you had a brother, Sol. You wouldn’t be upset if I snagged him for my own, would you?” The Rival asked.
“I am married,” Gilles said dryly while Solana spluttered in confusion and disgust.
“Boo. The good ones always are. Alas, our love was brief but never meant to be and – I was interrupting a moment, wasn’t I? Shit, sorry,” The Rival suddenly realized, looking between the two of them even as he slung an arm over Solana’s shoulders, clearly not very sorry. “I’m not good at noticing things like that sometimes.”
“Yes, you were, student,” Solana snapped, shoving him off of her. “For all your gifts, you are woefully unobservant. Wait – Gilles, you’re married?!”
“That is an understatement,” Gilles agreed. “And yes. I married Elvira,” Solana gaped at him, a bit of…something warring within her that quickly devolved to a happy, yet sad, little smile that spoke more than words ever could. Pride and joy, and sorrow at not having been there. Gilles could only smile back – he did not blame her for that.
“You wound me! I know I broke your heart, but to change sides so quickly!” The Rival staggered, clutching his heart dramatically, immortal aura radiating from him.
“Why are you like this,” Solana deadpanned.
“Just wait until he meets the Matriarch again. Then you’ll really get to see him be a problem child.” Gilles told her with a chuckle. The air itself seemed to freeze at his statement, Solana’s expression souring, her entire body freezing.
“Right. Statera Luotian.” She said slowly. “I – He is not here, is He. And why would He be? Gods, how am I going to face Him again? Or Elvira?”
“Elvira will be more welcoming than you think,” Gilles said softly. “As for the Matriarch, that is something you will have to do on your own.”
At this, The Rival made a noise of surprise in the back of his throat. “What do you mean, Syl isn’t here? Can’t you feel it?” Solana turned his head to the Rival, and even Gilles furrowed his brows a little as he shook his head, shrugging in exasperation. “Sol, my friend, old buddy old pal, Statera never left your side. She’s always been right there.” He pointed to Solana’s chest, at her heart, and she stilled entirely.
It was a simple understanding, but a profound one, and one that Gilles hadn’t realized Solana didn’t know. She clutched her chest, feeling it briefly, a gentle wind blowing across the trees to ruffle her hair in a single moment, a single, perfect moment meant just for her. Solana’s eyes widened. Her breathing came in ragged huffs. She refused to meet either Gilles or the Rival’s eyes, as she hid her face in her hands, the relief of carrying doubt and fear in her heart for her entire life finally, finally being lifted from her shoulders.
She had walked alone. But never had that truly been the case.
Gilles let her work through her emotions for a bit, gently gliding forward to lay a hand on his sister’s shoulder. She did not look up.
“Come. Let us go to the Heaven Realm together, to introduce you to the gods once again. It is high time you took your place and, Rival, thank you for looking after my sister,” he met the immortal man’s eyes. The Rival bowed his head in acknowledgement, as if to say ‘of course.’
“He’s coming with me,” Solana managed out through her hands, voice surprisingly steady. Gilles patted her shoulder, and looked to the Rival to see if he was amenable – he should have been able to climb the Tree and reached Heaven ages ago, and would have, were it not for Solana. He shrugged.
“Sounds cool.”
“Then we will be off,” Gilles said, and, in a swirl of darkness, all three were teleported to the Heaven Realm.
***
Statera Luotian: Deity of Balance. Proud of her kids. Despite the impending disaster, is experiencing what it's like to have a genuine break for the first time in eons.
Kei: Nine tailed fox girl. Pillar of Freedom. Likes bugging people.
Terra: Immortal Elemental, and a minion of Morgan. Plot armor only goes so far with this one; she is outliving her usefulness.
Solana: Reincarnation of Sol. Is an Immortal Phoenix, turned divine. Experiencing emotions. Gasp.
Gilles: Deity of Shadows and a Pillar. Experiencing emotions, and is just happy Solana is here.
The Rival: Serial Reincarnator. Totally knew he was interrupting something. Can't stand watching people be awkward, even if touching, and deliberately chose to lighten the mood.
Comments
Rina
Or Existence needs an “s”, that would also make it read easier.
The Master
"Xing Wu is the peak of such and existence because he represents Paths and Dao Stars" Something about the grammar here is a bit strange, maybe 'and' should be 'an'? I'm not entirely sure. Thank you for another great chapter!
