Infamous Goose
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3:33 Seven Down, One to Go
🕑 Added 2025-11-09 10:03:53 +0000 UTC“This is her?” Celene asked, circling Inesa and looking her up and down with a critical eye. Despite her inner strength the light goddess wilted beneath her gaze, fidgeting and placing her hands over her stomach protectively. Celene’s heart warmed a little at her innocent response, Xing Wu practically buzzing with protective intent not too far away. She could feel his gaze on her, sharp as his spear, as if demanding her to back off and give the poor girl some breathing room.
She reached forward and grabbed Inesa’s hands, the girl’s gaze snapping up to look into her eyes in surprise. She searched them for something, anything that might give away her reasoning for this…this…inexplicable thing that has happened here!
“He’s not forcing you, right? Like, he doesn’t have blackmail? There’s no way he could pull someone as cute as you. I mean, look at him!” She pulled Inesa into her chest protectively, pointing dramatically as she whipped her head to glare at Xing Wu. He spluttered, pointing back at her with a hand still holding the whiskey bottle, mouth working in an attempted, failed, retort. Fang Xu, her beloved husband, strode forward past her oldest friend to approach her and Inesa, laying one huge hand on Celene’s shoulder. She had to crane her neck to look up at him.
He had always been big, but now? He towered a solid two heads over her, his hand warm and massive, dwarfing her shoulder and filling her insides with warmth. Celene bit her lip to control herself – all these years, and her feelings for him had only intensified. And when he spoke? The deep, bassy rumble sent shudders down her spine.
“My lovely wife is right. Inesa, if you’re in trouble, just tell us. We’ll beat up Xing Wu for you.” He said, each syllable as warm and gentle as the Realm Sun’s rays itself. Celene nodded seriously, Inesa giggling as she pried herself out of her grip, eyes shining with joy. It was very, very hard to keep a straight face at this point, Celene’s entire face twitching with unspoken mirth as Inesa shot them a mock glare, even her ‘disappointed parent’ face looking more adorable than intimidating.
Celene had to resist the urge to pinch her cheeks. She really, really did.
“If anything, he’s stuck with me.” Inesa insisted, sliding over to Xing Wu and slipping her arm into his. The man in question nodded rapidly and firmly, shooting them a look that clearly said “ha! See?!”
And Celene couldn’t take it anymore.
She broke down cackling once again, leaning against Fang Xu for support, his own laugh rumbling through his chest as he squeezed her tight, massive arm wrapping around her shoulders. She flushed, beaming up at her husband, his fire-red hair flickering with flames and orange eyes glowing with warmth.
“Get a room, stars above.” Xing Wu’s voice was colored with nothing less than absolute disgust, despite the way his arm snaked around Inesa’s shoulder. Celene laughed at him, turning her gaze back to her old friend. And for the first time in a long time, she really looked at him.
His body was different now, of course, no longer the stern-looking Dei, but a far kinder, softer man with delicate features. His soul burned bright with silver light, lighter in color than she had ever felt. She’d known he had been burdened by building the foundation of the Celestial Empire, by leading, but hadn’t realized how much it had weighed upon him until now.
He was freer than she had ever seen him.
“We have a lot of catching up to do.” Celene said, catching Xing Wu’s gaze to examine his eyes. They shone with a simple light that was filled with nothing but quiet determination and joy – a far cry from the heavy, death seeking look she was used to, so filled with pain and rage at the world, yet defiantly refusing it all the same. “I heard some of it, but not all.” Inesa squeezed Xing Wu’s arm, looking up at him with a small smile, then pulling away.
“Come. This is no place for a conversation,” she gestured broadly, and Celene actually took a moment to look around. She had already known what surrounded her, the light of the Lunar Star touched all, but seeing it again with her real eyes was different. For the first time in a long, long time, she looked out over the Four Realms. The Heaven Realm stretched before her, all light and bright and fluffy. Mountains rose and fell. Valleys and canyons stretched endlessly. A playful breeze ruffled her hair – she turned and raised an admonishing eyebrow at the wind goddess, Aeriel, for disturbing this peaceful moment.
She couldn’t see the goddess, of course, but she could certainly feel her.
“Are we heading to your home?” Fang Xu asked. Inesa smiled brilliantly, Xing Wu taking another swig of alcohol as if anticipating another round of teasing from Celene.
“Yes. Follow me.” She urged. In a flash of light, Inesa vanished, arcing across the horizon. Xing Wu followed a heartbeat later; Celene waited a bit longer, and only for one reason.
She whirled, grabbed Fang Xu’s robes, and pulled him down into a deep, loving kiss.
“I missed you, you oaf.” She whispered as their lips separated, their foreheads resting together. Orange light radiated from him as he wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her tighter, possessive in their intensity.
“I missed you more. Now come. We have a Star God to harass. Then we can rebuild our homes.” He whispered back. Celene giggled, a girlish sound only he was allowed to hear, and together the two vanished in twin rays of gold and blue light.
***
Fang Xu watched Celene squeal in delight as they entered Xing Wu and Inesa’s home. It was very…homey. Small. A little two-room cottage filled with the scent of herbs and various other knick-knacks the two had picked up in their travels. A fireplace crackled in one corner, filled with a fire that never dimmed and always felt comfortable. The main room was covered with cabinets and pictures, while the small second room was the bedroom.
Celene rushed forward the moment they entered, picking up paintings of the two, including one of that fateful night Xing Wu had presented his Dao Star to Inesa in the form of a necklace and overall being overly excited to examine their cozy living quarters. Inesa moved about with purpose, setting out tea and preparing some food the old-fashioned way – actually cooking it, instead of making it with divine power. Fang Xu crossed his arms over his chest, feeling the thrumming power surging beneath his skin as he watched it all.
Even here in the Heaven Realm he felt he couldn’t stay for too long. He was a god now. To top it off, he was still coming to terms with his power, despite having spent so much time forming his divinity – the burning, raging might of the Realm Sun was at his fingertips, and the last thing he wanted to do was accidentally burn anyone or the surroundings. Least of all the couple who were now expecting their first child.
“Relax.” Xing Wu said, slapping him on the shoulder as the man slipped past, into the cottage. “Inesa and I are here. You won’t hurt anyone.” Fang Xu grumbled a little at having been seen through so clearly, but that much was to be expected from the man in question.
“You have a lovely place.” He said instead, gesturing broadly not only to the cottage, but the tract of land the two had picked out. Cities of mortals rose far off in the distance, gleaming with power and fine metals, but they were far, far away. The Heavenly Host maintained those places. Wide, golden plains stretched all around, tall mountains looming like stone giants to the west, while a little stream babbled in the front yard. Herbs grew in a tiny herb garden, while a small orchard had been planted out back. It was peaceful. Quiet. Away from everyone in all the ways that mattered, if not proximity.
“It will need some expanding, when the little one comes.” Xing Wu said, glancing about, satisfaction written all over his face. Fang Xu laid a hand on the man’s shoulder, marveling briefly at the sheer strength he exuded despite Fang Xu’s hand dwarfing his frame.
Dei had always been strong. Xing Wu was a whole other level, and that wasn’t purely due to power, either.
“I am happy for you. Truly.” Xing Wu beamed at the words, but quickly hid his expression in favor of elbowing Fang Xu with a wink.
“Now you’ll have to find a place to make your own.” He said. “Think about that, building another home with Celene.”
Fang Xu grunted in agreement, eyes already alight with all the formations he could put in place – but there was so much to do already. He wanted to go see how his children were doing in the Physical Realm. Or at least their descendants; none of his direct children had managed to rise to immortality, but as far as he could tell from his limited perspective as a nascent god, the Xu clan had risen to prominence and produced nearly a dozen full-fledged immortals.
He also got the nagging feeling that the Creator wanted to talk to them. That was highly likely, but he wasn’t quite certain he was ready for that yet. The last thing he remembered seeing before he became the Sun was Statera Luotian’s furious, scared face, her green eye seeing right through him, sword raised to sever parts of his soul.
He shuddered in remembrance, phantom pain echoing through his limbs, radiating outward from the core of his being in pulsing, echoing waves. That pain had long since passed, but the memory would forever remain. There was no pain like having part of his soul cut away – it was equal only to the fear of losing Celene eternally, which was essentially the same thing. She was his other half, after all.
Xing Wu offered him some whiskey silently, clearly noticing his distraction. He drank deeply and gratefully.
“So how have you been?” he asked. From there, the conversation drifted. Celene and Inesa bonded over making socks for children, using actual needles instead of just creating the socks. Xing Wu and Fang Xu indulged their impromptu competition, Xing Wu losing horribly and Fang Xu showing everyone up with perfectly made baby socks. They talked about their lives, about how the process of becoming a god felt, and at which point they actually started being able to remember and notice things.
It was a good time. Relaxing. Comfortable. But it couldn’t last forever. Already Fang Xu could feel his power surging, desperate to be released some and threatening this part of the Heaven Realm. Celene was much the same, little flares of blue Star Fire popping up on her forearms, only to be snuffed out a moment later. It was time to leave, and they had an appointment with the Heavens themselves. Statera Luotian would want to greet them again.
“Honey, it’s time to go,” Fang Xu urged, bending down and gently touching his wife’s shoulder, enjoying the way she flushed a little at his proximity. They had been apart for far too long. Celene bit her bottom lips with snow-white teeth, glancing at Inesa and Xing Wu, the former of whom waved them off.
“You are welcome here anytime. I know you have other duties to discover, as a newly ascended divinity.” She told them. Fang Xu bowed, thanking her, and grabbed Celene’s hand, gently pulling her away from their two friends and out of the cottage, to ascend into the sky.
“We’ll have plenty of time to visit later.” He whispered. She made a noise of acknowledgement in the back of her throat as they flew skyward on rays of light, arcing toward the One who was waiting for them, forever patient. Distance truly meant nothing to them; wherever their respective light touched, their physical forms could appear, but they chose to take it slower, enjoying each other’s close company and the relative silence.
Then the Palace came into view. It was a massive, sprawling structure that all the same seemed too small. Two long wings stretched out from a central domed structure, a marble entryway and front garden marking the main entrance. Behind the palace lay a truly massive expanse of greenery, impossibly long for how much space it actually took up. Fang Xu’s light bent and twisted around the structure, dancing not quite out of his control but clearly responding to the being within.
The power he so struggled to keep contained shrunk into naught but a whisper in the presence of the palace, an easy flow making control laughable.
“It looks different.” Celene whispered as they descended, entering the open main doors and examining the interior. Paintings, tapestries, and a million other artworks lined the walls and decorated the floors of the great hall, stories told in all corners of the universe catalogued and preserved here for all eternity. It felt ancient. Even older than the Sun. But nothing, and he truly meant nothing, could compare to the presence of the Creator.
He had felt it before, as a mortal. At least, he thought he had.
He hadn’t realized how much he missed back then, until now.
Statera Luotian approached them with soft footsteps, cloth-covered feet marking no sound against the marble floor. She – He – was relatively short, all things considered. She was shorter than even Celene by a few good inches, her black horns long and sweeping, her hair the color of the midnight sky. Purple robes dusted the floor as She walked, elegant and fine, its silver trim shining in the dim lights that filled the palace itself. Then there were Her eyes. To merely call them green and piercing would be to hold such concepts to an unfair standard.
Eternity was held in those eyes, deep and boundless, filled with a loving care that was so thick it was nearly tangible. It floored Fang Xu, his feet rooting themselves to the ground as the Heavens themselves approached, his breath catching in his throat, Celene stiffening beside him, her hand squeezing his so tight her knuckles turned white –
“It is so good to see you well.” She said, Her voice cutting through the tension like butter. It was soft and gentle, echoing in his ears not because it was loud or powerful, but simply because reality itself wanted to hear Her words. “I have work for you two to do, now that you are awake, but first, I wanted to welcome you back and congratulate you on your successful ascension.” She said, spreading her arms and wrapping the two of them in a hug.
Fang Xu remained stiff, despite knowing all the way to his bones that She would never harm them. He was nearly two and a half heads taller than Her, yet next to Her he felt like naught but a baby. Statera Luotian pulled away, patting both of their shoulders with a small, gentle smile that had his lungs working again, relieving some of the pressure.
“Thank you,” Fang Xu managed to get out, thought whether he was thanking Her for Her words or for relieving some of the pressure, he wasn’t certain.
“It is my genuine pleasure, my dear. Now come, we have a lot to talk about and I am eager to get started. And allow me to be the second – or third, I suppose – to welcome you back into the Realms as our two newest Pillars. Fang Xu. Celene. My children. You have done well, and I am proud of you.” The beaming smile She sent them was blinding, and filled Fang Xu’s chest with warm pride.
That’s right. He’d somehow almost forgotten. The Creator was not someone to fear.
It was hard to, in the face of such blatant love.
***
Fang Xu: The God of the Realm Sun. Self sacrificial idiot. Is big. Loves his wife.
Celene: Goddess of the Lunar Star. Merciless. Loves her husband.
Inesa: Goddess of Light, Hearth, and Home. Kind and loving. Far more excited about the baby than she's showing.
Xing Wu: God of Stars. Just happy to have his friends back.
Statera Luotian: Deity of Balance. Will be visiting Inesa, when she's ready for such a visit. There will be "squeeing'" involved.
Comments
Miacron
I think its beautiful that stateras love is physically tangible. I would love to see someone becoming the god of love just by witnessing her
Vorquel
Still kinda disappointed that the new sun god isnt named leo this timeline. It just felt so apt.
Midnight7411
“There will be squeeing involved” cute
