Infamous Goose
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3:32 Dragons, Suns, and Stars
🕑 Added 2025-11-06 10:44:57 +0000 UTCI remember this chapter being one of my favorites in the old version.
***
Time passed so quickly for one of my station. One year was less than the blink of an eye; ten was less than heartbeat, it felt. Things happened on a larger timescale the bigger you got, and that was as true of immortals as it was mortals. Even a simple business owner understood this; a five-year plan to them was nothing, while to a child it was almost their entire life.
The time it took the Rival and Solana to traverse the regions was not little; thousands of years just to travel between each one. That did include cultivation breaks, where Solana would stop to absorb sunlight in a spot of false void, or the Rival would sit in a meadow to watch the Sun and Lunar Star cross the sky, listening to Aeriel on the wind. It shouldn’t have surprised me that the Rival could listen to the wind better than any other in the entirety of the Realms – he parsed secrets from the gentlest of breezes, and truths from roaring gales. Twice more did he contact me, speaking through distant messages we exchanged. His flirtyness was toned back a bit, as it had been ever since he met Alala, no longer quite so…forthcoming.
It was not a bad change. Just different. He was quieter, too, after the Immortality bridge. Sometimes I would catch him staring off into the distance, eyes fixed upon something even I could not see. In moments like those, I would sit with him. Not physically, but spiritually, sitting beside him and watching the world turn.
I think he appreciated it. I think he knew I was there.
Just as I was there for all people in the Realms. It may not always have been shown, and most the time not in ways people recognized. I was present for the gentle kisses between parents and their children. I was there to hold them when they cried, to celebrate their joy, and listen to their anger. Most people, almost all people, didn’t notice my presence. Only a rare few who could open their eyes and listen to the world, allowing the Heavenly Dao to flow through them rather than fight against it or demand lessons from it – but even they sometimes shut their eyes.
The Rival was the only non-god and non-angel who could sense me all the time. And for that, I thanked him.
Morgan spread its roots. It built its minions up, letting its People, the Arachaeons, meld into the larger Four Realms without a care in the world. The Devil Cultivators and their Demonic Sects grew in the Hidden Realm. Slowly at first; and they would always remain smaller. It was only when they were ready that Morgan would let them sneak out of the Hidden Realm, and take over one of the new Regions.
I don’t think Morgan genuinely cared what they did, only that they provided a new kind of balance, a place for negative energy to gather rather than spreading freely across the Realms. Morgan itself had taken what would be known as the Original Sin, and twisted it to its own ends. The Mad Scientist hadn’t even allowed the gods to get involved; but it was all for the better, in my opinion. The Celestial Empire would never be able to cover the entirety of the Four Realms, once it started really growing. Eventually, it would have had to fracture, just as the Original Sin had originally designed. Morgan simply expedited the process of creating more than one nation, and focused the budding Demonic Sects into a different direction.
Ironic, how the Shadow was actively working to help me...had I not shared my intentions with Morgan, how I was separating myself from the Realms as much as I could, I could have seen this going a very different way.
Then there was the destruction snake. I scratched under its chin as it clung to my arm, the fires that comprised it burning away my robe so it lay against my bare skin, like some sort of crazy tattoo. It flicked its tongue out at me in retaliation, then turned its gaze to the portal that was slowly opening.
It had grown, during its time here. Not once had it spoken, but through this little being alone, I grasped Sehuyun’s realm and how it would take shape. This was the closest thing to a child Sehuyun had ever made, and would likely ever make. All it had taken was a bit of firm guidance for it to start to understand manners and kindness – Sehuyun was many things, but tactful was not one of them.
Something else would have to give the rest of the realm shape, if it every happened at all.
“Are you ready to return home?” I asked the snake. It looked up at me, then at the portal with obvious interest. “Go on then.” I extended my arm, and the snake slithered off, floating through the sky to reach the portal. Alexander’s white head poked through just as the snake reached it. The two eyed each other for a brief moment, before the snake bowed its head and slithered to the side, allowing Alexander through first then slithering through itself, returning home.
On the other side, I only briefly caught a glimpse of Sehuyun watching Alexander leave, orange eyes gleaming, before the portal snapped shut.
A breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding escaped me as Alexander curled up on himself, lifting his head to peer down at the gods who had assembled to welcome him back, his siblings greeting him formally. A certain fire and water deity duo were the first to his side, climbing up his serpentine form like they had when they were far, far younger. I, for one, watched the entire exchange from afar, smiling to myself the whole time. Reika told him his scales looked brighter. Elvira made him promise to show her his Dragon’s Breath, after he claimed Sehuyun helped him refine it more. Keilan told him he looked more relaxed. Even Randus was there, offering him a cup of tea fit for a dragon.
Only when he had properly regaled those gathered with his adventures in Sehuyun’s Realm, mostly telling them about the numerous battles they had fought against each other, and the scant few godlings forming within, did he find my eyes.
He gently disengaged from the group, even dropping his two favorites from his horns to swim over to me, serpentine body twisting this way and that as he flew. He wanted a private conversation, then.
“Welcome home, son,” I told him, wrapping him in a hug. Big as he was right now my arms couldn’t reach all the way around his thick torso, but all the same he bent his head and rest his chin upon my back, returning the gesture. We stayed like that for a moment, then I pulled away, beaming up at him. His expression was fond, but…strained. Something weighed upon him and, in traditional Alexander fashion, he was likely to hold it in until he was absolutely certain of what he wanted to say, or would never say it at all. This was not the time for such foolishness. Sometimes you had to let it go, and speak from the heart. I laid a hand up on his cheek, patting him fondly as I began to move. “Walk with me.”
We wandered a short ways away, out of earshot of the dispersing gods, circling around the Realm Sun as it rotated.
“Speak, Alexander.” I urged him, sensing his stiffness. For a brief moment I was afraid he would not answer, tensing beside me as he stared into the fiery depths of the Sun.
“What is a Dragon?” he asked softly.
“If you are worried that a Dragon is simply being what Sehuyun is, all that anger, arrogance, and pride, then you needn’t worry at all.” I said dryly, picking at my fingernail. “A Dragon is simply the mastery of the self. It is your purest expression; Sehuyun is beautiful because she is everything, pain and rage and protectiveness all wrapped into one. You are something else entirely.”
Alexander rumbled, shaking his head in disagreement – something that surprised me, truly. He never questioned my wisdom. Is this…pride, I feel? I think it is! He was starting to come to his own conclusions - I'm so proud! “No, it is more than that, I fear.” He said slowly. “I have not come to the conclusion of what a Dragon is. But I do know this; Sehuyun is going to be destroyed by it if she does not learn to control herself. Her rage and anger will get her killed one day…and I fear – well.” Alexander trailed off, shaking his great head again as he looked at me sadly. My brows furrowed, but I didn’t read further into his words; they were clearly meant for something only he knew, and had not wished to share with me. “Her own creations will rise up and kill her. That is the fate I read in her universe. They will gather power and slay her, if she does not surrender pieces of herself.”
Ah, now I understood part of where this was coming from. Alexander was not only worried about himself – which he needn’t be, he was my child and more than just a Dragon – but also Sehuyun. But he was still wrong.
“You misunderstand her.” I told him, pressing my hands together, feeling the power of Balance swirl between my palms. Within it, I felt my own Dragon, the truest expression of my inner self, beyond my divine domain, rear its head. Had I let this part of myself rule me, I do not think I would have survived my Shadow, either. “Sehuyun will not die because of her rage or anger. She will not be slain because she arrogantly believes herself to be stronger than those who rise against her; there is no force in her universe that will be able to match her strength once she exerts herself. Even I am weaker than her. No mere godling will be able to match her.”
“Then how?” Alexander pressed, meeting my eyes, his rainbow irises thick with desperation.
“Because she is a Dragon. And a Dragon will not harm her own treasure.” Those simple words stunned my son, his brows furrowing in confusion first, then understanding dawning across his features. “You see it now. Everything within that realm is hers, including the godlings. She has hoarded everything she has found in her home. What do you see as your treasure, Alexander? Your horde? Is it not the souls beneath you that you protect? For myself, is it not the entirety of the Realms? Her shadow is herself because she will not be able to bring herself to fully confront those who came from within. And she will not torch her own treasure.” Alexander’s silence was deafening, and he slowly closed his eyes.
“Then that is why she is seeking a death from without.” He said slowly. I cocked my head to the side curiously, but Alexander, predictably, did not explain. Instead he merely dipped his head and bumped one horn against my chest fondly, making me stumble and chuckle from the light impact. “Thank you, Father, for making me speak. It has cleared up some things. Now, if you will excuse me, I wish to return to the Spirit Realm and see how it developed during my absence.”
“I’m glad?” I said, as he turned away, swimming around the Sun to head back to the Realms proper. “That was cryptic. Wait. Is this how it feels when I do that to people? Huh.” I scratched my chin.
Y’know what, fair.
Now, I turned my gaze elsewhere, content for the moment to let Alexander keep his secrets. There was something else interesting happening in the Realms that I wanted to keep an eye on.
The Sun stirred.
I smiled at him and waved.
It’s about time for them to wake up, huh?
***
Xing Wu held a bottle of whiskey as he wandered up to the Lunar Star, the great celestial object slowly rotating as he watched. He came here, occasionally, to talk to Celene, his oldest friend. He wasn't sure whether or not she could actually hear him, but it helped ground him and she had earned at least this much from him. Especially after not having been able to talk to her until after he'd ascended to godhood.
He still teased the Star about him making it official first. She beat him to immortality. He beat her to official divinity. Being stuck in a cocoon didn't count.
“It’s been a bit, huh?” he asked, pouring himself a glass of the whiskey, smelling it and sighing contentedly. This was the good stuff, left over from his and Inesa’s…elopement? They never did have a traditional wedding ceremony, neither of them feeling the need to formalize it. Their bonds were their own. Either way, the whiskey had been a direct gift from the Creator God themselves, and despite his personal misgivings with the being, he had to admit They had good taste. “Lots has happened, as I’m sure you know. I finally finished moving around the stars. I gave those stupid immortals who were giving me a headache a stern talking-to and left them in the clutches of the Shadow. I know, I know, weird for me, usually I'd crack some heads. I think I've calmed down some. It's concerning.” He chuckled, taking a long draught from his glass, feeling the liquid fire burn down his throat.
“…I have news. Bigger news, I mean. I told you about Inesa already, but…well. We made things official a while ago, but there’s something else, too. I’m really not sure how to feel about it yet.” He admitted, taking another sip, eyes growing distant as he watched the surface of the Lunar Star, its blue light rippling like dancing snowflakes. He thought he could feel Celene’s attention upon him, but with how his stomach was twisting, nerves running up and down his spine like little spiders, he couldn’t be sure if it was his imagination or not. “Karmic Realm below, I wasn’t this nervous when I jumped into a fight ever. I’ve raised nations, climbed the Life-Giving Tree, told the creator god that I was going to punch Them next time we met. Yet this is what’s making me nervous. Not even the Shadow gave me the heebie jeebies like this.”
Xing Wu shuddered a little, recalling that foul wolf spider’s gaze. Ok, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. Morgan was terrifying. He sighed, letting go of his whiskey bottle to run a hand along his horns, the bottle itself floating beside him.
“There’s no real easy way to say it. I’m worried I won’t be any good at the job, but Inesa just confirmed it a little while ago.” He said slowly, tasting each word as they came out. He raised his glass in a toast and downed the entire thing, smacking his lips. “It’s official. I’m going to be a dad. I think...I'm excited.”
The Lunar Star rumbled.
Truly rumbled, ripples echoing across its surface in a way that had Xing Wu shooting to his feet, eyes wide and concern spiking through him. The surface rippled and cracked, the being within not just stirring, but truly swimming forward, knocking against the shell that contained it. Power surged, great flares of icy cold energy shrieking off of the Star, chilling his robes, turning the glass in his hand frosty.
And Celene pulled herself from the Lunar Star.
She had changed quite a bit. Her hair was a frosty blue, her eyelashes covered in snow that made them seem impossibly full and lush. They fluttered as she opened her glowing white eyes, a dress of pure snow draped around her form. Xing Wu felt his jaw drop, but couldn’t move from the shock. She – she had…!
“Bullshit.” She accused, shattering the image of the frosty goddess of the Lunar Star she had conjured with her emergence, despite snowflakes drifting about her. Behind her, the Lunar Star stilled, the chaos that came with her fading away as if it had never existed.
“What?”
“Bullshit. Bull. Shit! Fang Xu! Did you hear that?! Dei not only got a wife, he’s having a damn kid!” Celene shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. Xing Wu was frozen in place, mouth agape, thoughts grinding to a complete halt.
“I know!” Came the echoing reply, the Sun going through the same process as the Lunar Star as Fang Xu himself emerged on the opposite side of the Realms. “Dude! It’s about damn time! Come on, you have to introduce us! Who’s the unfortunate lady that got saddled with you?!” His voice was as loud and obnoxious as ever, his hair literal flames, a beard of fire on his chin. He remained as broad and muscular as Xing Wu remembered, visible even from this great distance, and was draped in fiery red and gold robes.
Xing Wu looked at him. Then at Celene as she clapped her hands together, fixing him with another icy glare.
“And you never brought her here to see me! I mean, I know who she is, but I expected you to at least bring her here during one of your talks. For shame, Xing Wu. For shame!”
"Seriously? This is what wakes you up?!" He demanded, throwing his whiskey glass at Celene. She caught it with a cackle and he grabbed the whiskey bottle, cocking it back like he was going to throw that too. She flinched and danced away, mocking him with cries of "oh nooooo." "If this is how you're going to be, you should've just stayed sleeping!" He snapped, deciding she wasn't worth the whiskey and taking a long, deep swig.
Fang Xu whistled at him, and he threw a spear of starlight at him, the man cackling as he ducked out of the way.
"You simply have to introduce me to the woman that finally let you into her bed! Poor thing, she must have the biggest heart in the world! I bet it was pity. Was it pity?" he teased, shooting to his side in a flash of yellow light. Xing Wu shoved him away, stalking away while they followed, throwing his hands up into the air.
"Shut up! I don't want to hear it!" he shouted.
But despite his grumbling, he couldn’t keep the smile off of his face as he led the way to the Heaven Realm, where Inesa waited.
Family.
He was finally, truly starting a family, and his friends were here to celebrate with him, troublesome though they were, and as much as they deserved a good punch in the face.
He couldn’t ask for more.
***
Alexander: The Spirit Dragon. Back from a trip to Sehuyun's universe. Likes to take his time. Perfectionist.
Sehuyun: The Primordial Dragon. Is both shadow and origin deity.
Destruction Snake: Sehuyun's version of Alexander. Learned manners.
Statera Luotian: The Deity of Balance. Is definitely cackling and making "squee" noises at these revelations.
Xing Wu: He who Once Was Dei. God of Stars. Celene called him Dei on accident. Annoyed in only the way a good friend can make you annoyed.
Celene: Goddess of the Lunar Star. Was asleep for a while. Xing Wu's old, old companion back from book 1. Woke up for this, yes.
Fang Xu: God of the Realm Sun. Was also asleep for a while. Self-sacrificial idiot. Also woke up for this, yes.
Inesa: Goddess of Light, Hearth, and Home. Watching all this happen. Very amused. Will have a literal pregnancy glow.
Comments
Matteo
Nah, flintiness is a word. Like harsh and sharp. Maybe brittle. Like flint, you know what they used to make arrowhead out of. Flint knapping.
AJ Priebe-Carter
"His flintiness was toned back a bit, as it had been ever since he met Alala, no longer quite so…forthcoming." I assume you meant flirtyness, which google insists is not a word and auto corrects to flintiness.
Infamous.Goose
Upon review, his reaction is busted. Ill go back and change it
Moon Winchester
Xing Wu’s reaction was a little muted, but I think it’s OK. I only wish for him to cry one little manly tear.
ArtTheGreat
This was one of my favorite scenes from the old version too. Hmm, the comparatively muted reaction from Xian Wu has made the scene a bit less impactful. Though the changes to the rest of the story do make the new reactions feel more fitting than the more prickly reaction Tian had. (Edit: ignore this last paragraph, upon checking the source material I found this to be false) Last time Tian was so frustrated by the teasing that he chucked the wine gourd into the distance.
Allie-Glace
Now I really really want to see Seyhun die.
DeadSlime
I loved this chapter! Just such a good mix of humour, seriousness and generally interesting events.
Midnight7411
I mean, if nothing else was gonna wake them up then this is about the best way to go about it lol
Dcs5782
Lol that's what woke them up
Dukeofchaos
Tftc
