58 - The Primordial 10

Universe -The Star Rings
Ring - 4th
Reality - Mortal Plane
Solar system - Origin
World - Vaustaris
Continent - Subcontinent (Zephyr Isles)
Main Continent Western edge - Zephyrwood Outpost Territory - Oakheart Valley Village


OZAI'S POV


'I was too slow'.

Standing at the center of the bloodbath, I had a front view of the madness and blood that was the Argonne rage. I watched the Arg'marn of the Oakheart Valley Village descend on their enemies. Watched as the survivors of Mistvale raced for the village doors. The Arg'baln rain arrows on their enemies. The Aegon watch with clenched fists.

"I was meant to guide. All I did was watch". My eyes went to the Argeon and Argalorn that had fallen. The Aegon and the Arg'marn who fought to let their family run, only to be swarmed and fallen by tiny Yotkn.

I felt this little sensation swell in my chest as I caught sight of a tiny thing. Precious and little. Broken and caught between the breasts of her Argalor. Both, dead.

'Where did I go wrong?'. The question was like a Yotk slash in my head. 'Where did I fail?'. I went on my knees the madness around me forgotten as I placed a palm on the child. My hand went through her.

'I should have come. I should have'. My choice to guide the ones I had blessed in their paths to learn more about Akasha had been wrong. I should have been here. I should have saved more lives.

A roar caught my attention. Turning I spotted the Arg'gar'sil of the Wind Haven village descend on the rear of the raid band. The two whom I had chosen appeared. One descending into the fray like a furious personification of war. The other stayed in the skies. His Ra'tik thrummed with power as he unleashed arrows down into the band.

My attention went back to the corpse.

"Should I have guided the villagers here first, Mother? If I had..." I turned back to see the fighting. Aeris dropped down with a roar and used Tempest Strike to cleave a group apart. "...the two would not be this powerful. This good. Their actions will save their people now Mother".

It was clear that while the Arg'marn of the Oakheart Valley were ferocious and skilled, they were outnumbered.

"Why give me choices when I could have done everything?". The feeling in my chest was deep. Very deep. Like a raw and painful wound constantly getting deeper.

"The call you Sek'Tu'Itan. The Creator. Why doesn't it feel that way?". Behind me, the fight went on.

The goblins while plentiful and ruthless could not do anything against two Argonne blessed. With one blessing the others and the other finding the injured ones and healing them.

Seraphina was a whirlwind of blade and Argannen. Talon didn't back down either. The Aegon I had healed in their Aego'arg'ha'nar also present.

"I told you all decisions had consequences". Akasha appeared in a larger form.

"Yes you did. But you also hindered me with quests and options. I could have done it all".
I shouted in anger.

"True". The white and gray blueish mist that was Akasha dissolved. From the swirling mist stepped out mother. Her true self. "But then what would have been the result?". Her gold eyes locked on me.

I felt silence grip me. A tight chokehold on my throat.

"Come with me". She motioned for me yet I barely moved as we both vanished appearing in the Versant Veil forest.

"You wonder why you chose to train them and not go after the villagers. Think deeply Ozai. Why would you, my boy, a decisive and pragmatic brat choose this?".

I frowned at her use of words but did think. While I didn't fear mother, she was still mother. She would not lead me astray, would she? So I thought deeply about it. Tried to think of what I had been thinking when I made such a decision.

"Curiosity. I wanted to know".

She smiled at me. "It's not wrong to be curious. Your curiosity stemmed from a quest to help and save. But you son didn't want to help or care. You simply sought excitement. So, why now do you care for them? They are mortals. You know their physical flesh is nothing but temporary. Their souls will return to your sister and then back here for a new life".

I was silent. 'She's right. They'll be reincarnated. So why do their deaths disturb me'. I didn't realize the scenery had changed and we were back at the battle till I looked up. My eyes found the opened horrified one of the child's corpse. Frozen permanently.

'It's cruel'.

"It's cruel".

"Life is. The day your brother was born. Primordial Chaos from beyond sought to steal him". I frowned at this. Mum had never told us this.

Thinking back I remembered the jagged scar on Haero's chest. 'Was that how he got that mark?'.

"I fought back. For him. Because he was mine. Just as you and your siblings are. All mine to protect'" She was next to me.

"And real or not I will end any who dares to touch a hair on your heads". I frowned at the wording but looked away flustered as she patted my cheeks.

"You're confused. Unsure. Lost. You, a god who knew nothing but being decisive and active now have something different". A palm was set on my chest.

"Emotions. The desire to protect".

"But I couldn't protect them. I failed".

"So did I". I was shocked to hear this from her.

"Your brother bears the mark of my failure up to now. Yes he lives but still he carries the brunt of my weakness. Does that make me a bad mother Ozai?".

I was shaking my head so fast that my neck should have snapped off.

"You made mistakes in your first attempts at doing things".

"Costly ones mother. Lives lost. Argeon dead. Argalorn gone. Argn, Argo, Aegon. All dead". I missed the furrow of her brow as I mentioned each word.

"Then fix it".

I looked up sharply at her.

"But the consequences".

"Every action has consequences. I made your brother and his very being brought an attack on him. What you think should be a reaction to an action. Is usually just the beginning ".

I sighed. Mother's words as usual made little to no sense. "What do I do?".

Her eyes glitched and the gold flickered with blue for but a minute and her gaze spaced out. "Oh we can do that too. Nice. Saves the journey to Rack". Her eyes focused back on me. "I like those terms. Arg'pheyso. Amazing how the Argonne gave themselves such a language to showcase their superiority. The Sunforged might dislike it". She tapped her jaw with an amused smile.

Seemed to catch herself she turned back to me. "You're a god". She slapped me lightly. Turned me to face the fight around me. "A Primordial Deity. This is not something beyond you".

"But I don't know what to do?".

"Mother does". She raised a palm. "A secret. When the dead die, there's a little loophole that can be manipulated. Spirits are the energy of souls that serves as both protection and power. They are not physical. As such they instinctively seek to return to Freyja".

She squatted and touched the ground. "To do that, they must flow through the paths forged". A spurt of water rose from the ground. Like a switch was turned humanoid forms rose from the dead bodies and raced for the spurts. Argonne spirits and goblin spirits alike.

Mother waved a palm and the water vanished. The spirits halted in their positions and just wandered about.

"But when there is no body of water they do that. Naturally they move in directions of waters soon enough. But for the meantime, they remain".

"A chance. But..."

"But if spirits could return to their bodies they would. Why not?. What gives a body life?". I eyed her with a mental thought of why she thought I'd know. "The body is made of aether, crafted into what I desire. There is the soul and spirit energy. Finally we have the Flame of Life".

A ball of bright and potent fire appeared in front of us. "Thank you Akasha".

"The Flame of Life. This particular ball has around ten petals. Each petal gives life to one body". She looked up at me.

I in turn looked around at the bodies and those that were littered far off. "It won't be enough ". Worse was the fact that I didn't know if the souls had wandered off already.

"For this. It won't". She nodded. "But you, Ozai, are smart. You're my boy. You'll figure it out. Think. What do you need?".

I shook my head. The thinking was too much. I'd been thinking since I got here. Thinking of saving them, thinking of watching over them in case they couldn't do it themselves. Where did that get me? I'd focused on two and let a greater number die. Mother had it better she could watch over everything from anywhere. I couldn't. If only I could.

I froze. "I need to be able to watch over everything, but it doesn't count now." I faced my mother. "I failed them. And I need to bring them back".

Mother stared at me for a moment before taking my right hand and setting the ball of fire onto it.

"Your answer lies in this. Save them all with 10 petals of the Flame of Life". She smiled at me.

"I'm proud of you son. You've found emotion. You know what it means to lose and feel pain. Even more to feel it for others. Whatever happens, I'm proud of this very moment you reached".

Mother took a step back her body floating up. "A gift for my boy. Make them in your image". She disappeared with the last word.

'Use it'.My mind screamed. "But it's not enough". I clenched my fist. It was clear Mother was pushing me in another direction. If not why give just ten petals?

The fight was coming to an end. It made sense that this fight was easier to win with more Argonne numbers and skilled fighters. I could see Aeris and Skyhorn moving from one end to the other of the battleground. One wrecking and healing, the other killing and protecting.

The fight had calmed down with the Argonne taking out the goblin stragglers. I stood and watched till there was none left. While holding on to the petal I thought over Mother's words.

What she had aimed for with cutting my chances shut with options. It was aggravating and annoying in a way. Still, I thought deeply about all my actions. Thought about how I would've handled the situation on my own.

Thinking of it from another angle I wondered what the result would have been. I could see it now. Slaughtering the goblins. Ending their raid and saving the Argonnen. There would be no need for blessings. I could have just been a wrecking ball.

I thought of Mother and us. How she'd usually left us to our vices. I knew she cared. She'd fought for Haero and I knew she'd fight for any of us. So why leave us to our vices? Thinking back to everything we'd done on our own I realized.

'We grew. Independent. Strong and with minds of our own'. I looked skyward then down to the Argonnen. Did Mother leave them on their own for this same reason?

A smile grazed my lips as I came to understand Mother more than ever. At the same time, I knew what I needed to do.

"Make them in my image". I chuckled. It was silly how easy to interpret mother's words it got when you saw things from her perspective. 'I guess Mother is right. I am the smart one'.

Looking at the Flame of Life in my grasp I inhaled. "Akasha I wish to use this".

A prompt appeared in my vision.


*Welcome to the Akashic Records Administrator 2*

**Quest Title: Flame of Life

**Quest Description:
The Mother has presented you with Ten petals of the Flame of Life. A pivotal choice has been granted you to make regarding the Flame of Life. This sacred source, borne only by the 1st Administrator, holds the power to grant life to beings in need. Your divine duty calls upon you to decide the fate of this potent force**

**Objective:
- Choose one of the three options presented regarding the Flame of Life.

**Options:
- Grant Life: Use the Flame of Life to grant life to beings in need, bestowing upon them the gift of existence.
- Form New Life: Utilize the Flame of Life to create new life forms, shaping their essence with divine energy.
- Absorb: Absorb the power of the Flame of Life, incorporating its energy into your being to enhance your divine abilities.

**Choose wisely**


I quickly asked for a more in-depth explanation of the options granted.

• **Grant Life:
  
• - With this option, Ozai can utilize the Flame of Life to infuse vitality into living beings. By channeling the flame's energy, he can restore life to those in need, rejuvenating their essence and granting them renewed strength and vigor. This act of benevolence allows Ozai to fulfill his role as the Guardian of the Mortal Planes, bringing hope and healing to the inhabitants of the cosmos.
  

• **Form New Life:
  
• - Choosing to form new life empowers Ozai to shape and create beings using Divine or cosmic energy and giving them Physicality by granting them the Flame of Life. He can fashion new entities with unique characteristics and attributes, tailored to fulfill specific roles or purposes within the universe. This option grants Ozai the ability to contribute to the ongoing cycle of creation, playing a role in the emergence of new life forms across the realms.
  

• **Absorb:
  
• - Opting to absorb the power of the Flame of Life enables Ozai to merge with its essence, augmenting his divine abilities. By assimilating the flame's energy, he can enhance his strength, resilience, and connection to the cosmic forces. However, this choice comes with risks, as absorbing such potent life energy may alter Ozai's nature and bring unforeseen consequences. Additionally, while the Flame of Life's power becomes integrated into him, residual traces of its essence may linger within him granting him an option he lacks.
  

My choice was clear. While the first was what I wanted, it wasn't even a choice as choosing who lived and who died was a no-no. For some reason, I had gotten close to these people. Their plight and troubles became mine on a level I couldn't understand.

The second choice was one I thought over deeply. The ability to have a Hand in the creation of new life forms. I could see deeper into this. With my Divine and cosmic energy, I could create and generate physical forms that my other siblings couldn't.

'Well, maybe they could'. But mine was optimal. I didn't see how a walking chaos being, or literal sun or something could work.

'Wait. What would be the difference between it and the elemental life Tora made?'. I wondered. It had to be something profound. Something I'd discover sooner or later. For now, though I had a choice to make.

The Ball of fire shrunk on itself. With a burst of light, it flared up and shot like a comet into the sky. While all the activities and events that had gone down between Mother and I remained unnoticed, this time all the Argonne looked up.

The bright glare was mesmerizing, illuminating the dark sky as it ascended. I watched curiously as the ball of fire reached the zenith point. I felt myself quake as something new and magnificent struck me.

A feeling, euphoric and magnificent rushed through me. I could sense it, feel it. Something new flooded through my veins. Even if the ball had entered my original self, the effects had cascaded down to even this incarnation.

The euphoria and changes in me were so much that it pushed me out of my Null mode and into my Mortal state. My Argannen rose in the air and clapped softly sending a warm and cozy wave of wind ahead of me. I didn't even realize the wind carried so much energy that a touch of it healed and mended all injuries and fatalities.

I flapped my Argannen again and took a step forward. From the crowd of warriors five split to head for me. A smaller contingent followed behind them. Aeris, Skyhorn, Seraphina, Talon, and Blackfeather.

I ignored the five as I focused on the sensations of power rushing through my veins and rolling over my skin. It was euphoric. 'Is this feeling what Haero feels or is this simply born from the Melding of my divinity' with the petals".

The answer was unknown.

I had used up all the petals meaning I had none for resurrection and making life. Still, I could feel the energies flowing within me. I could sense how drawing them would recreate the flames. But even better, my body would be able to recreate and regenerate the same energies.

So I did it. Drawing on the energy. Fire flowed like the star rivers across my veins and out in my palm. A petal. A single golden and yellow petal. Letting it hang there I shifted my palms and shut my eyes.

'Let's see what I can make '.

• **[Welcome to the Akashic Records Administrator 2(Avatar 3)]
  
• **Administrator 2 has been detected to possess life-creating capabilities**
  
• **Divine Energy detected-
  
• **Cosmic Energy detected -
  
• **Flame of Life Energy detected -
  

• **Template creation granted to Administrator 2**
  
• **Template limitations -
  
• - Soulless - This template will lock and never bear souls.
  
• - Spirit energy - As they lack souls they will be unable to gain spirit Energy when a kill is made.
  
• - Reproduction - Entities of this caliber, cannot and will not be able to reproduce in any basic way due to their existential state.
  

I didn't like the limitations but it was a sacrifice to be made for this power. Still ignoring the watching Argonnen I closed my eyes.

'In my image'. Several images of this image rushed through my mind. I realized I had no other conception of images that were not my siblings. And unknowingly I projected all of us into these beings I wished to make.

• **Templates received**
  
• **Templates generated**
  

• **Fury Angel -: Furians are a formidable caste of angels their presence exuding lethal danger. They possess braided white hair cascading down their back and contrasting against their black skin, eyes emitting a pure white light that reflects the boundless fury felt for all enemies of their maker.m, alongside unparalleled determination. A Fury's wings are a radiant celestial flame red, exuding an aura of power and danger.**
  

• **Gemini Angels - Geminies are golden light beings, their forms shimmering with divine energy. They have little to no facial expressions, their features embodying purity and serenity. Their bodies are composed of pure cosmic and divine energy, allowing them to mold their forms as they please. Their wings are white gold, gleaming with celestial brilliance.**
  

• **Solivert Angels - Soliverts lack the wings and traditional features their cousins have, instead bearing thick runic symbols that form large rings in various parts of their body. They have a single eye and a lean, pale white form. Their presence is eerie yet captivating, their gaze fixated on the machinations of the cosmos.**
  

• **Divina Angels - Divinas are a muscular set of angels with bands of Divinium steel adorning their arms, thighs, and legs. They wear a single circlet around their forehead, exuding an aura of power and authority. Their presence commands respect and their white flame cosmic wings radiate with divine energy.**
  

• **Bravura Angels - Bravurans are grand angels with large black horns adorning their heads, adding to their imposing stature. Their body is that of a tall, muscular humanoid, exuding strength and power. Their massive wings possess more power than dexterity, yet they carry their form with grace and purpose. Aegis is a stalwart guardian, ready to protect and defend at a moment's notice.**
  

• **Template feature: Cinder of Life -
  
• Angels possess a Flame of Life within them. This flame can be used to ignite the ashes of a life that remains within a dead mortal. This can only be done within the first 12 hours of death.
  

• **Template feature: Petal of Life -
  
• Angels possess only a single petal but can gain more across the cause of their existence by killing entities. Unlike mortals who gain power through spirit, the angels do this via petals. Each petal is essentially the life of an angel and can be bestowed unto another. Either living or dead. Once lost this petal is permanently lost and can never be regained or recovered. (That is, unless said recipient is killed by the giver).
  

• **Template feature: Absolute Command -
  
• The Angel template has been added to the Akashic Records and Rack of Life.
  
• - Creation of these angels with the flame of Life from other sources and for other purposes will be reimbursed to its maker(Ozai Ironstone).
  
• - A 10% charge of all petals from angels outside the maker's service or not made using the maker's Flame of Life will be incurred.
  
• - No matter where and no matter when all angels (Of maker's Flame of Life or not) will respond and heed the maker's words.
  

[Author's Note - Just Realized at the end of this chapter that these gods are now bloody dealing in lives like currencies. 😂]