This new God introduced himself as Ghershall and slinked over to the gathering crowd of shellshocked survivors
“My reputation clearly precedes me, and as Luminere mentioned, I am the one who created the Abysseleon–”
Acrimonious shouts resounded from those gathered.
”–but I should first tell you the nature of Godhood and creation, so that you understand the scope of things. First, the obvious question on all of your minds: Why didn’t I stop the Abysseleon? The answer is complicated, but it boils down to the fact that there are expectations and… even higher powers… that oversee even the Gods themselves. For a God to destroy his or her own creation is sacrilege and is an overt admission of a God’s failure – one that is punishable by the forced removal of that God’s powers. The dethroning of a God has cascading effects that echo across the multiverse, so if you think your universe has it bad, the effects of my dethronement would have been thousands of times more catastrophic. Nevertheless, I admit my failings; I am the God of Making, and the Abysseleon reflect my nature. They possess an unparalleled drive drive to create – to craft, to shape, to remake, and to transform. However, this drive to create instead drove them to view your world as ripe with raw materials befitting their designs. As a result, they coveted your world, rich with untapped resources, and invaded in order to plunder its resources for themselves. They view Making the same way that you view Life: Making properly and respectfully is a *moral imperative* for them. Similar to the way that you would abhor someone stomping on a helpless duckling, they abhor the way that humankind clumsily shapes and makes the world around them. Therefore, they view their invasion as a liberation, and its purpose is to liberate Earth’s resources from the tyranny of humankind.”
I rubbed my temples, “but that’s ridiculous, inaminate objects have no feelings.”
“Yes, I understand that you were wired to think this way. It’s true that inaminate objects cannot feel, but it’s more accurate to say that typical inanimate objects do not make you feel. However, when you see a sentient animal being harmed for no clear purpose, do you not feel an innate drive to help it? This is your empathy at work: Observing life being harmed makes you feel a profound wrongness, and this wrongness drives you to interfere. The Abysseleon, by contrast, feel that same sense of profound wrongness when matter itself is mishandled. For example, resources in the Earth’s crust could be transformed into anything, including profound works of beauty and technological marvels that would make a human’s head spin. By contrast, the idea that humans barbarously chip away at the Earth and turn it into something like ceramic – which is in turn made into a toilet to shit in – is blasphemous to them. Morals are dictated entirely by how actions make you feel, and each God dictates what its creations will find blasphemous.”
I was exasperated, “It’s true that we, uh, don’t always do things very elegantly, but that can’t possibly justify our extinction.”
Ghershall sighed, “I agree completely, the morals of one universe should have no bearing on another, or else every universe would perpetually be at war over each other’s perceived immorality. However, my creations have become too powerful. Contrary to popular belief, Gods are not omniscient nor omnipotent, and I did not foresee how powerful the Abysseleon would become. My error is that they are too competent at Making, and the technologies that they Made grew to rival even my powers.”
Luminere chastised, “My foolish brother made his creations too smart, an error that I would never be shortsighted enough to make.”
Luke shrugged, “I’ve got my smart days, sometimes I can even remember what I’ve eaten for breakfast.”
Ignoring him, I asked Ghershall, “Can’t you just make something to compete with the Abysseleon? Something like a super-predator that could rival their strength?”
“I sincerely wish that I could”, Ghershall lamented. “Another rule that governs the multiverse is that a God’s creations cannot surpass the strength of their patron God. Furthermore, given that Gods are not omnipotent, I channeled the vast majority of my power into the creation of the Abysseleon. When a God creates anything, we channel pieces of ourselves into our creations. Accordingly, every rock, tree, and being is infused with a portion of a God’s Divine Spark, and I can’t exactly retrieve this spark while the Abysseleon still live. Concerningly, the Abysseleon have found a way to condense the majority of their Divine Spark into one being, which they have called their Hive Mind. This Hive Mind, named Abylonus, represents about 75% of my total power. With this much power, Abylonus can easily tear holes in the multiverse and invade other dimensions. Since this is Luminere’s world, I also cannot directly interfere in the world of another God in this circumstance.”
“Nor would I want you to, you bumbling boob”, Luminere laughed. “Ghershall speaks the truth, however, regarding the limitations of our Godhood. Unlike Ghershall, *I* still possess plenty of Divine Spark at my disposal, so I propose to funnel this power into Champions of my choosing. These lucky chosen ones shall become the Champions of Luminere, and we shall take the fight to these foolhardy Abysseleon and permanently evict them from our world!”
Our ragtag band of survivors, still inundated by the flood of information about Gods and the multiverse, mostly shuffled and mumbled amongst ourselves.
“Gods above!” Luminere shouted, “I made you stupid, but you weren’t supposed to be completely braindead.”
“You know what the humans say,” Ghershall teased, “Humanity was created in your image.”
Luke broke the tension between the two Gods, still glowering at each other, “Fine, we will be your champions, just tell us what we need to do.”
Luminere sneered, “It is not so simple, first I must test your resolve to ensure that you show me the proper deference before I deign to bless you with my powers. Like your fellow human August, you must be willing to put your life on the line and to throw it away when I deem it necessary. After all, sacrifice is the spirit of Life itself, for it embodies the fact that one Life can provide a greater service to all Life. Who among you are worthy to be elevated to be my Champions?”
I bowed mockingly, “Your majesty can take her blessing and deign to shove it up her ass.” I stated.
Luminere addressed me with a sidelong glance, “I may not be able to kill you, but I can make you wish you were dead.”
Immediately, I was floored by an unimaginable piercing sensation in my lungs. With every halting breath I took, I was getting only enough oxygen to stay conscious, but I felt like I was drowning. Each breath only caused more pain, but I couldn’t stop my lungs from reflexively gasping air, and I convulsed like a fish out of water. After an agonizing 30 seconds of this, Luminere waved her hand and the sensation passed. She leaned over my gasping, sobbing form.
“Life is a two-sided coin. Remember that the Goddess of Life is an expert on ensuring that you’re only just barely alive.”