Aio

Gestarin’s eyes flew open.. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, the harsh light of a sunrise piercing his eyes. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was a forest.

“Well.” Vixin’s familiar voice said slowly. “That was all very interesting.”

Gestarin finally managed to see through his bleary eyes and began to take stock of his surroundings. A few feet to his left lay Vixin in much the same state, sitting with his palms on the dusty plain with a look of contemplation on his face. He and Gestarin had both returned to the Plains of Matrikai, right outside the city. Indeed, only a few hundred yards away lay the sandstone gates.

What in Aia’s name had just happened?

“Are you alright, my lord?” A quiet, earnest voice said from behind Gestarin. Efstany.

“Yes, Efstany.” Gestarin replied slowly, prodding himself in several places to assure his health. “Where are we?” He turned his head and saw Efstany right behind him, a gentle smile on his face. Behind him stood the Void.

And it was changing.

As Gestarin watched, the normally solid blackness began to move. The walls of the Void began to slowly undulate back and forth like the waves of the sea. The waves began to come more frequently, until the surface of the Void looked like a large handful of pebbles had been thrown into still water.

Strange.

Intense sobbing tore Gestarin’s attention away from his contemplation of the entity. He looked to his left and saw Jiriinii kneeling in the dust, crying a flood of tears. Kiinrin sat just beyond, a look of intense mourning on his face. It chilled Gestarin to see them suffer so, and he rose to go and comfort his children.

“Do not go to them.” Efstany said firmly. “What they experienced is theirs, and theirs only.” He looked at Gestarin and raised an eyebrow. “As is yours.”

“Efstany.” Gestarin said quietly, turning toward the man. Aia’s blood, why did he feel so uncertain? He trembled like a horse left out in the cold. “What happened in there?”

Efstany shook his head. “I cannot speak of it.” He broke into a large grin. “But you shall reap the benefits of it in a moment.”

“Benefits?” Vixin said, walking lazily over to them. He seemed to be in a good humor, for some reason. “I’d certainly like some sort of compensation for what I went through in there.”

“Fear not, Lord Vixin.” Efstany said with a nod. “All will be well.” He looked at the Void, almost wistfully. “There is but one more task before this tale is done.”

“Well, get on with it.” Gestarin said impatiently. The encounter with Jandox had left him irritable. “Don’t keep us waiting.”

Efstany nodded and inhaled deeply, spreading his arms to the sky. He turned and walked toward the Void, stopping right at its edge.

“I am ready.” He said. It was loud enough to be heard, but not booming or bellowing. The word Gestarin thought of when he heard it was “humble”. “Bestow what you will.”

At his words, the ripples on the Void instantly ceased, and the surface reverted to its former glassy state. But not for long. Barely a second later, a bright white point appeared on the Void, striking against the cold, black deaths. As the moments passed, it began to widen and extend, becoming a pure white circle that continued to grow. Light started to pour out of it, making it seem more like a breach in the Void. With the sound of rushing water, an enormous white plume burst from the breach and exploded into the air. At the same exact instance, a black pillar of smoke punctured the surface at the same time, and the two plumes of smoke stood erect one next to the other. Efstany looked at them and  bowed.

“I am ready.” He said, and knelt on one knee. “Begin.”

The plumes bobbed up and down a single time, almost like a nod of agreement. They dove out of the air toward Efstany’s body. Gestarin gave a shout, but he could do nothing to help his friend. Whatever the intent of the smoke, Efstany was now at their mercy. As the plumes reached Efstany, they began to spin around him, gaining speed with every revolution. White and Black became two whirling rings around the man, mixing together until they were almost grey. At the point when Gestarin thought they could go no faster, they split into four different tendrils that rose into the air before falling back to the earth. The tendrils latched onto the Bloodblade hilts on his wrists and shoulders and wrenched them out of his body. Strangely, no blood pooled forth. The tendrils tossed the hilts to the  ground negligently and rushed into Efstany’s body through the remaining gashes.

Gestarin felt Vixin sidle up next to him. “What’s going on?”

Gestarin shrugged. “I have no idea.” He sighed. “But I think it’s going to change everything.”

Vixin chuckled. “Seems like a fair assumption.” He looked around. ‘There wouldn’t happen to be any roasted Junarian tree nuts anywhere near, would there? I always liked to have a snack when I’m being entertained.”

Gestarin laughed. “Just watch, Viceroy.”

The spectacle seemed to be coming to an end. The grey tendrils were slowly dissipating, being drawn into Efstany’s body. He continued to kneel, motionless, until the last of the strange smoke had gone. He stood, then, and walked back to the group. Gestarin and Vixin, joined now by Kiinrin and a still sniffling Jiriinii, looked at him expectantly.

“Well?” Gestarin asked pointedly, raising an eyebrow.

Efstany shrugged. “Well what?” He laughed, a booming sound that seemed unlike him. “What differences can you see, great king of Glausiania? I am not who you think I am.”

Gestarin tried to observe his friend, notice any differences, but it was to no avail. The man was Efstany, through and through. Except…

There.

Efstany smiled as Gestarin’s eyes went wide. Gestarin almost began to babble as he slowly raised a hand to Efstany’s face, pointing at his eyes. One was a pure white, the other a glossy black. The dichotomy was striking, but they both managed to convey a kind expression.

“What are you?” Gestarin whispered.

“I was Efstany, my lord.” Efstany replied with a gentle smile. “But now, I am so much more. The combination of Void and Aether has healed the sundering of Aia.”

“I don’t understand.” Kiinrin said slowly. His brow was furrowed in deep thought. “Do you mean the difference between Oio and Aia? Has their feud finally ended?”

Efstany laughed again. “Oh my sweet child. You truly do not understand, do you?” He held out his hands. A cloud of Aether appeared in his left and a pool of Void materialized in his right. “There was no feud between Aia and Oio, not in the way anyone thought. It is impossible for a God to be at war with himself.”

Jiriinii gasped, the tears almost dry from her face. “What are you saying?”

“Exactly what you are thinking, Seat of Jod.” Efstany nodded. “Oio and Aia are two sides of the same coin. They are two different aspects of the same deity.”

“How is that possible?” Gestarin interrupted. This was almost too much to bear. “How can a god be split like that?”

Efstany sighed. “Early in his power, Aia sought to do good in every way. What he failed to understand, however, was that there can never be only good in a world, nor can there only be malice. In his search for perfection, he inevitably broke himself as his desires conflicted with his nature.”

“So,” Kiinrin said slowly. “Aia split himself as he sought for only good? Like pulling a rope in two different directions will eventually break it?”

Efstany nodded. “The remaining two portions of Aia sought mercy and benevolence, while the two parts of Oio sought out justice and realism. In his search, however, Oio began to wish for more power. A man who seeks to bend the world to the will of the law will inevitably wish for more laws and more power to provide the pull.”

“Is that why the Void was expanding?” Jiriinii blurted. “Because it was Oio, and Oio wanted more?”

“A perfect understanding, my lady.” Efstany nodded. “But through the efforts of both the merciful and the just, two sides of the same coin, their division has healed. You each held a portion of Aia, friends, and you each needed to reconcile it with the others. And you have.” He bowed to them. “Your efforts inside the Void have created a new world, my friends.” He smiled deeply. “And I am its new God.” He held out his hands in a gesture of salutation. “My name is now Aio.”

Gestarin, Vixin, Kiinrin, and Jiriinii began to ask questions all at once, and Aio had to hold up his hand to stop them. “I cannot answer your questions, little ones. You must move forward without my knowledge.” He smiled. “Now return to your homes. I have unfinished business to take care of, but your part in this legend is over.”

With a wave of his hands and the sound of intense wind, the group of four suddenly found themselves standing in the throne room of Gestarin’s palace, with Vilkanai, Riina, Nyrin, and Ilyira all staring at them with their mouths open.

* * *

“Aia’s blood.” Riina swore, and Gestarin nearly jumped at her vehemence. “What happened?”

“I am inclined to agree with the queen.” Nyrin said with a chuckle. “What has occurred, my friends?” His brow furrowed in confusion. “But where is Lord Valanal? Lord Vilkanai has been unable to speak since he returned.”

With a wail, Jiriinii rushed forward and threw herself into Nyrin’s arms. “He’s gone, Nyrin. Gone forever!”

The gravity of the situation hit Nyrin like a chunk of stone, and he wrapped his arms tighter around Jiriinii. “There there, little one.” He pulled her face up to look at his, and he smiled gently. “If we remember him, then he is not gone. He will live on in our memory.”

Riina looked sadly at her daughter, and she walked over to Gestarin before wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head on his shoulder. “It seems we have a little parental counseling ahead of us.”

“We all may need it.” Gestarin said sadly. The death of the Seat of Jod had hurt them all. “He was a good man, one of the best I have ever seen.”

“At least you’re safe.” She whispered. “I couldn’t bear it if you were the one Jiriinii was wailing about.”

“I should hope so.” Gestarin replied, running his hands through her hair and sighing.  

“So what did happen out there?” Riina asked, looking up at her husband. “Nobody has told us anything, and I’m anxious to know just how close to death you came this time.”  Before Gestarin could reply, a ferocious rumbling shook the building, and everyone in the room fell to the floor. A wrenching sound tore the air as everyone shook, sounding as though rock itself was splintering into pieces. Just as Gestarin was about to shout for help, everything stopped, and the world was still.

“What in the bloody name of Aia was that?” Vixin growled, leaping to his feet. “Or, sorry, Aio.” He shook his head. “I’m going to have to get used to that.”

“We all are” Gestarin agreed, clasping his wife’s hand and helping her to her feet. “As for that strange occurrence, I have no idea.” He looked around at the groaning people getting to their feet. “Is everyone alright?”

Jiriinii gasped, her eyes widening. She pointed at the window. “The Void! It’s retreated!”

A mad bustle for the window ensued, and Gestarin felt his toes get stomped on more than once. He didn’t care. All he cared about was seeing Efstany’s handiwork. Sure enough, as he looked out the window, all he could see was the last twinklings of the stars as the sun rose, heralding forth the night.

“Bloody hell.” He swore, using a common curse that one didn’t often hear from noble tongues. “He did it. He actually did it.”

Riina looked at her husband with a strange look. “Who? Who did what?”

Gestarin looked at his wife. For the first time in a long time, a genuine smile was forming on his lips.

“Why don’t we retire to our chambers, my love?” He said, wrapping his arm around her waist and squeezing. “I have many tales for you.”

They left the rest of the group staring at the now vacant expanse of the sky, the first symbol of a new age to come.