The Sage and the Shadow | Irilys

The God would think a moment quietly to Himself. The atmosphere's absolute silence making every small action noticeable. The baby owl nestled in the mortal's hoodie pocket with a content coo. A coo that Irilys actually answered with a soft acknowledgement within the apparent language this class of bird communicated in. It was a soothing comforting tone that could even be recognized by another species all together. The equivalent of an uncle assuring a toddler that they in fact did see their crayon drawing on the fridge.

With a small fluffing of the wings the Deity would take a step forward, the claw comfortably traversing the roof top. "Of all of my questions that is the one you did not prepare for answering." Irilys would observe. His head lowered to witness a claw move to pick up a silvery gear from one of the opened gadgets strewn about the area. "Every time I've asked you it, the answer has differentiated in one way or another. The others," The Great Owl glanced up with an owl's closest correlation to a grin, the amusement expressed in His tone, "you practiced well for."

A lengthy inhale would follow as the God casually spun the gear around a single talon. Thoughts were evident in the slight furrow of the feathers above those black eyes. The grin would have faded as He took His time in the process. If there was anything the God had, it was time. "This is My predicament, Maevia the human." Irilys would eventually decide upon, using the woman's name that she had not yet shared with Him in this time line. "With this information you have the potential of making ... distantly reaching consequences."

Those black eyes would raise again to meet the half natural, half mechanical gaze. "This is not a story that you will do nothing with. And your decisions will cause massive implications that will be felt for centuries to come in the least, easily millenia though most likely." A sigh would sound as He continued to stare at the mortal, almost as if searching for something. "So you understand my hesitation and wariness."

Another exchange of soft coos would be shared between the two owl like beings. Seemed the little one had discovered the joys of lint inside the pocket. A moment would pass as the Owl would appear suddenly just in front of Maevia. Any other deity would noticeably disappear from their previous standing to then emerge in their next preferred location. But there was no split second in between appearances here. Maevia would even swear the further away Irilys was still standing His distance when the next would appear but a foot away from her.

"Give me your hand, Maevia the human." The Great Owl would state as He would offer a stretched out claw as if a gentleman assisting a lady from their seat. The distanced Irilys would exist a few moments longer before dissipating into nothingness, leaving the current God alone once again.

The talons wrapped around the metal, acting as a rung on a ladder as the Great Owl pulled Himself up. Irilys seemed very comfortable perching on the mortal's arm. Truth would prove accurate that this would not be the first time a mortal held His weight. It was normal position taking into account the form He took on. "Make sure the little one does not leave you during please. I'm trusting you." Upon both seeing and hearing a confirmation of his very serious request the God would exhale, the act apparently causing the world about them to ripple.

"This is not the first time we have spoken." Irilys would speak, His powerful voice sending further ripples through out the world about them as if they stood amidst a still pond now set to life by a million tossed pebbles. "We have gone through these motions before, you and I." Turning His head a full 180 as was common admidst the type of bird He had chosen for Himself, the mortal would witness that those black eyes were glowing.

If she were to turn around herself to see what was being looked at she would witness a hazy familiar sight. That was the outfit she had worn last week. But in this scene Irilys was seemingly playing chess with her as they chuckled lightly at the baby owl hopped onto the board, tired of not getting as much attention as it believed it deserved.

And yet a ways to the right of that display would be another. That was the outfit from, what? Two and a half weeks ago? Here Irilys stood upon her arm, actively exploring it with His beak as Maevia watched on with a smile as she spoke of her reasons of summoning.

And another would occur overlapping the first. There this past version of Maevia was holding the baby bird as it slept quietly in the palms of her hand. And another would overlap even that one. The baby owl was playing in the bun Maevia had put her hair up into as she and Irilys spoke very solemnly. "I have heard your well practiced words many many times." The God would say as His head turned yet again, further showcasing that there were indeed many many other hazy scenes surrounding them now. They surely covered near every square foot of the roof by now.

Amidst these scenes the God would look upwards from His perch, those glowing blackened eyes staring straight into Maevia's eyes regardless if she were to return the gaze or not. "The reason you do not remember is because I was forced to "rewind". They did not end ... favorably." There a Maevia was scratching the Deity's head. There she was instead showing the God her head scratching machine, an item that seemed to most please Him. And there a t-shirted Maevia was sitting indian style as she nodded, seriously focused on the words the Deity was sharing with her. "Your decisions and actions have not shown the results that I was hoping for up to this point ...."

"So this is My last time." Irilys stated strongly, the scenes playing around them trembling under the weight of His voice. "It tires Me to have to replay a single moment in space and time like this over and over. This is the last time that I will be visiting you on this subject. If you fail this time, you will never be allowed another chance. Do you understand?"

"Very well."

The visions of times passed disappeared in a flushed moment. Akin to the snuffing out of a candle. With the world still about them frozen and utterly silent the God's blackened eyes would turn from the mortal and gaze outwards. "The events you ask of happened a long long time ago. Before the birth of Magi. And even before the Great War. A time where I was still known as the Moon." The Deity would say, turning His head up to the night sky's display. "It was an era of Gods discovering their names within Human tongues so that They might receive praise with more ease. I was Irilys. And He was Kupiec." The stating of the other God's name was said with confidence. Perhaps there was no fear of the Deity of Commerce and Dealings to interrupt their discussion as long as time stood still.

The Great Owl's eyes remained unblinking as He continued to stare up into the blanket of stars. It would be obvious as He acknowledged His memories that He was not just retelling facts but remembering them. The events playing within His mind's eye as he spoke. "It was the dawn of what mortals coined 'religion'. A collected effort in giving a God oxygen in exchange for blessings and protections. It was when the pantheon of that Age reached out in agreements with mortal kind and grew along side them." The owl would pause before lowering His gaze to the cement ceiling they stood upon. "For some Gods it was easier to gain a following because of earlier name recognition or the lot They had chosen for Themselves. And for others it was difficult at first."

"Kupiec was not an earlier name known of. But nor was it the later's, for Those ... didn't last long afterwards as all praise began to become more finely pointed and defined towards specific Heavenly Hosts." Turning His gaze back to the mortal whose arm He was perched upon. "Think of early praise to be akin to the vague scattering of seed to as many pigeons in a park at once compared to holding out one's hand with all the seeds within to a single bird. That was the evolution of prayer through 'religion'. It empowered My kind to better serve the mortals that worshiped them and so on." The God had been teaching complicated concepts to mortals for thousands of years now. If there was anything Irilys was astounding in, it was His ability to simplify to better teach.

"So understandably so there was a joy that was reached in the finding of a 'religion' or followers to refer to as Their own. The term 'Patron' is a very fond title to Us. It's the reminder of what 'religion' is supposed to be. The trading of Our lives for the betterment of yours. Not a relationship of masters and slaves, of lessers and greaters, but a partnership. This is important for you to grasp if you are to fully understand the tale I am about to share with you." The Deity would wait for a confirmation before nodding once.

Irilys would inhale once lengthily before turning His gaze back to the frozen city scenery that could be seen from atop the roof they stood upon. "She was His first. And He loved her." The tone of voice would have shifted enough for an observant ear to notice. This was a subject that weighed heavily upon Him. A single nod would occur, "He loved her." Irilys would repeat softly as memories played behind those masking pitch black eyes. "He showered her with everything she ever asked for. Was nothing but giving."

"And she betrayed Him."

The sentence would be said bluntly. "The reason as to why has even eluded Me as time has continued. I do not know if the human girl had always planned on her actions or if there was a miscommunication in their ... relations. But regardless the conclusion remains the same. She wronged Him. Harshly." The Great Owl would fluff His feathers as if to shudder the memories from Himself. Almost akin to the shaking of raindrops from His feathers. "Mortal languages were still a new concept to Us back then. Spoken language in general was a mortal's invention that We needed to adapt to. He would not have been aware of what could now be considered as 'loop holes' in His dealings with your kind."

Eyes meeting Maevia's once again the God would speak very clearly, wishing not to have to repeat Himself if possible. "When a deal was made He was obligated to adhere to it, especially when the signature was made with His blood." Irilys would seem to give the feathered equivalent of an eyebrow raise. "Of the which you are aware holds great significance to Us. It was done originally as a guarantee to those who might fear ill gains that it was literally impossible for wrong doings on the God's part. And this worked well for Him, gaining trust from mortals at a rather impressive rate. His following grew very quickly becaue of this practice. However,"

"Such written safety nets that are used through common sense today were not used back then. So when the human girl of His rose her own pen and wished to add to an already signed contract of His, whatever she wrote became contractually binding." Those eyes would sharpen as they stared into Maevia's human eye. Piercing. Maevia having personally read every single contract before signing it would most likely remember with ease the first damn sentence on each one. Once a single signature from either party has signed nothing may be added or subtracted from this document. She could probably recite it by memory. "She chained Him through her written additions, purposefully attempting to take away anything that she had witnessed give Him any sense of joy. It was an attempt to cripple Him in even the most basic of interactions. To enslave Him." For the first time Maevia would witness the Great Owl blink. "And made it impossible for Him to tell anyone about what had happened in the hope that her cruelty would never be retracted."

The God would maintain eye contact for a while before turning to the side, staring at nothingness. "The manner of how We learned of it you do not need to know in depth at this time. But it is not something I wish to see again in My life time ... When mortals fall into violence in the hopes of destroying each other it is destructive. But when Gods do it, the massacre left behind is much more impactful by all levels of lives." Feathers would furrow above those blackened eyes. "It damn near began another Great War and I lost a good friend ... All because of the whims of a child whose order a chained God could not ignore ..."

Patience was something Irilys upheld easily. He spoke with mortals enough to have gained it. There was an understanding that time was needed for registering facts, especially when He had given just so much dialogue in one sitting. So much that the mortal, whom He considered to have a higher IQ than the average mortal, still struggled with words directly following the silence. The anger upon the woman's face was once again a positive sign the God considered. Maevia had just been told a tale that caused much grievance for Deity-kind. It was nice to see the mortal was still displaying the ability to empathize with the situation in this time line as well.

"That is accurate." The God would respond in case she had been looking for reassurance. Indeed, the lesson to be taken away was that the contract was still active. It was binding. It still had immense power of the one who Lorded over Commerce and Dealings. "That is also correct." Indeed, the woman who had written her additions had long since passed on. A thought private thought seemed to halt the information broker dead in her tracks and once again, Irilys would wait. Eventually she would turn to address him with full eye contact. "Mm." The Great Owl would begin. Good, she was willing to seek out the contract this time as well.

"She has had many." Irilys would say in response, those black eyes easily maintaining that focus. "Her soul, just as any other, has been allowed to remain in the cycle. After discussion among a few within the pantheon this was agreed to be the best course of action. And so it was and has been. The soul has been reborn many many times. Each cycle being carefully plucked and placed by Tatara's cautious hand into wombs that would result in the least amount of damage." The smallest chance that the soul would become enlightened or informed of the power she held. The university had a knack of trying to find the reincarnations after all. Quite the game of battleship that one was.

"So instead of giving you names I think instead I will answer the question that was not asked." Irilys would note the baby owl enjoying its time with the mortal before continuing. "I am going to send one of my faithful to you to a location you have already told me of in a past attempt. Her name will be Surai and she will greet herself to you with the singular use, if you still wish it, of your real name. Of the which you have also shared with me in a past attempt. This way you will know with assurance who represents Me and who will assist you further in this matter that you wish to assist with ...."

Somehow with a manipulation that was impossible for an average bird, the God would display a soft smile somehow while still maintaining the appearance of an owl. The sentiment in the very least would easily come across in His tone in the very least. "Of the which I am grateful of your wishing to help right this wrong. Most in your position would," Irilys would chuckle coldly to Himself but once at His next correction, "have chosen to attempt in taking advantage of such a situation. I have been waiting so so long for someone like you to come along, Maevia the Human." Those pitch black eyes would allow pigments of color to materialize, forming slowly but surely a gentle hazel hue. "With the guidance of Myself through the filter of my follower, I believe you can do this."

The statement would be said with power. Sincerity. Determination. Hope from a version of the God who had not yet traveled forward in time to see if in fact this time line proved fruitful. "You have been close each time. The only last factor you seem to not have been successful in is reassuring that the God does not take revenge upon being released." Before them a similar form from earlier would appear. A Maevia with her hair pulled back into a ponytail as she played with the baby owl as she waited the short amount of time it took Irilys to move His chess piece. "If the process is rushed and He is released before forgiving, He will destroy the soul that wronged Him and in doing so will change Him."

The scene before them would fast forward. Seemed the two finished their talk and Irilys flew off, leaving Maevia to walk away with the baby owl cradled in her arms. But then the world about them continued to fast forward faster. Faster. Faster. Faster. The sun and moon's cycle in the sky would blur past in a continuous stream of light eventually until finally it slowed back down. How much time would have passed? The snows of winter seemed to had fallen during their transition. "He will cast aside all restraints having become high on the newly founded freedoms He will have gained. The God, Kupiec, will have contorted into something darker and crueler, leaving behind misery and sorrow." The building beneath them in the future this time line offered would experience a sudden and loud violence. A female scream would even be heard amidst the absolute destruction, one that would possibly sound familiar to the woman whose voice was the same. "I believe the combination of both you and Surai will be successful. I don't believe a God needs to remain chained. But I also don't believe His freedom has to come with such dark repercussions. There has to be a version of events where neither of these come to pass and I believe it is this one."