Chapter 30 Adaela
Earth
Iwas waiting on Vada’s signal before acting.
I had the ball of conjured death, infused with my death magic, the Lus Mór, and Underhill’s magic that I didn’t quite understand interwoven between us.
I was antsy to figure out what Vada had learned, and I would use my strength for the last time in this fight.
I was done. I would be stepping down from leadership and spending more time with Vada when all was said and done.
I couldn’t wait to view the world through her eyes.
The Pax would have to figure it out. Underhill would have to figure it out.
I wasn’t meant for leadership, and I needed a break.
I watched Vada gasp as she came to. She frantically spoke with the Oneiroi, who all nodded, continuing to keep Typhon trapped in sleep.
She rushed over to where the Stag and I sat, motioning for us to follow her.
Confused, I glanced at the Stag for a moment, who made a gesture as if shrugging its shoulders, then began walking behind where Vada had just run off to.
I picked up my pace to walk beside Underhill.
“You know, young one, that I knew this was coming,” the Stag spoke in my mind. Its voice was gentle and ambiguous. It reminded me of both a rainy day and the sun shining amongst the vast waters.
“You knew what was coming?” I asked Vada as she gestured wildly at the next group she’d rounded up.
“I’ve known for quite some time that my waning energy wasn’t feeding the earth I remembered from long ago.
I’d lost contact with all the earthen Gods over the years, and it made it that much harder to confirm that the people who inhabited my planes were cared for.
I no longer had the energy to take this form, I couldn’t pass along my knowledge.
” The Stag stopped to graze on a patch of grass as we neared the lake fed by a glacier high atop the mountains in the distance.
“What changed? I’m not quite sure I’m following you, Underhill,” I said, trying to make the connections but failing.
“You’ll learn soon, I suspect,” the Stag said, and meandered off as if it was done with this conversation.
My bones were weary, and I wanted this to be over with. There was a lot on the line here, but I just wanted to change into some comfy clothes, sit by a fire with a good book, and snuggle in a hammock with my mate.
Vada was my mate. I knew that now. And now that I’d accepted it, the pull to be near her became damn near unbearable. I found Vada with the amassed crowd of armies near her, along with the Gods who had come with us. I was more determined than ever to sit by a fire with her. We’d see this through.
Having cleaned myself of all Lus Mór residue, I snuggled into her side.
She bent down to kiss the top of my head, and I closed my eyes for a moment, soaking in her love.
We both needed it, and judging how she responded after coming out of Typhon’s mind, she was about to hit us with a truth none of us were prepared for.
She left a lingering kiss on my lips before she broke away from me, the crowd growing silent as she stepped up to speak.
Hecate wove a quick spell in her direction, and once she began speaking, I realized it was an amplifying spell so the back of the crowd could hear her.
I stood behind her and to the side, my hand on the small of her back in support.
“What I’m about to tell you is of grave importance. It might be the most important thing I’ve ever uttered in my entire life, and it is not going to make me popular. I understand that now. So, please forgive my bluntness, but it’s necessary,” she started.
The crowd was so quiet that you could hear the wind rustling through the valley. It wasn’t wind, but the breath of Typhon several hundred feet away from us. Gods, that man made these mountains look small.
Vada evened out her breathing before continuing.
She told the crowd about what Cronus and Tartarus had done all those years ago.
About how our reality was a reality to us, but it really was a simulation, and none of us were the wiser.
Our lives weren’t different because of not knowing, and our experiences were still unique to us.
But the original creation, the one we were currently standing in, was the original Gaia.
Concerned features and curiosity abounded as Vada continued to tell us about how portals worked.
It was magic, yes, but the systems we lived in weren’t entirely different systems. All of them were layers to Earth itself, and not different dimensions as previously believed.
It was complicated as fuck, and I wasn’t a scientist, so I didn’t exactly understand all the intricacies.
I was sure that there would be scientists who would study this development for the next several decades.
What I didn’t understand was why this conversation needed to be had while Typhon was still alive, and I asked as much.
“What I’m trying to get at is this—the worlds as we know them right now are directly tied to Typhon and his magic.
If we end him once and for all, the worlds you know will no longer exist. However, if we leave him alive, we run the risk of eventually running into this cycle again.
Typhon’s secret networks have been exposed this time, and we know that he’s quietly been planning to take over all worlds for centuries at least.” Vada took a breath.
“We’ve seen uprisings like his throughout history.
I can personally point to humans, Fae, Demons, Gods, and all other factions where this has been the case.
I believe that any discussions we have need to be around these facts.
I also understand this is potentially life-changing news once again, but we must decide, and unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of time on this one.
The Oneiroi are strong, but they aren’t going to be able to hold him in stasis forever,” she finished.
Curiosity and horror painted the faces of the troops surrounding us.
I checked in with myself, too. I wasn’t sure what I was feeling, but I was mostly numb to it.
I was used to change and I adapted well.
But many of these people weren’t part of the Pax.
They’d just had their lives flipped upside down.
The Gods all had their heads together, discussing something I couldn’t hear.
We needed Janus, or Neith, or even Mahakali so we could be guided toward a decision.
Ganesha called on Kali and Shiva, who came at their son’s behest. Though Ganesha was born of Parvati, Kali and Shiva were needed at this moment.
Ganesha would always protect Parvati, and therefore, the danger of this situation kept him from calling on his mother.
We needed guidance. Kali was fearsome in her love of her people, yet I was still a little concerned about her presence here when Vada was still with us, since she was known to slay Demons.
Vada assured me, with reverence, that she and Mahakali had met previously, and that if she practiced any religion, it would’ve been Mahakali she worshipped.
I felt better at that admission, though it didn’t exactly make me warm and fuzzy either.
Kali was our best bet here. Fae didn’t exactly have religion or Gods as humans did, especially based on their creations, but I obviously believed that Gods were real, and their worship was the reason any of these planes existed.
Upon Kali’s arrival, the Gods bowed in reverence, and I followed along, giving them both their due.
We told them of the situation, of our concerns, and asked for guidance about how to move forward.
Kali, known for her tremendous rage, and according to tradition, believed that the best bet would be to tear down what no longer served anyone and to rebuild from scratch.
She and Shiva both agreed to help us rebuild a more equitable world.
The final belief was that we could remove the barrier, Typhon, then stop time to rebuild the same worlds that existed now.
They were there for a reason, and the Gods all agreed.
This wouldn’t just be on Kali or Shiva’s shoulders, but the Gods would all bear the weight of responsibility. Such was the world.
It was decided that the destruction and subsequent remaking of the worlds would be done by the Gods, but since I was the one who the prophecy indicated, I would be the one to end Typhon’s life.
I had been the cog in the wheel that started this systematic making and unmaking of the world, and it laid on my shoulders to begin and end it.
Vada stood with me every step of the way.
I found the Stag standing with Poe, Baba Yaga, Loki, Daedalus, Valen, Gon, Ma’at, and Maren.
I spoke with them for a few minutes, making sure everyone agreed before I made my way toward Typhon.
My heart was beating erratically, and one wrong step here could still end everything.
No pressure. But it was almost over. The life I’d built for myself, for my friends, and for the people I didn’t even know within the Pax meant something to me.
We made our way to Typhon together. Once the Oneiroi pulled Typhon out of his sleep, we’d have seconds to enact the plan.
When Typhon gasped awake, I pulled the same maneuver that I had on Marung.
I pushed my shadows, along with the ball the Stag and I had created together, into Typhon’s throat.
He swallowed it in order to breathe air, and it took mere seconds before he was ripped to shreds.
His remains scattered across this part of the world, and where they landed, new life grew.
Such was the way of the world. His death would feed the world for us to survive another several millennia.
Kali and Shiva worked together to stop the passage of time before the worlds collapsed.
As they focused their energy on an entire world, the other Gods around us worked together to rebuild.
While it was lost in space and time, I held Vada in my arms, daydreaming about the rest of our very long lives.