A Real Goddess Would Let Nobody Die

<Why are only the Sun and Night Goddesses being tickled?> Telf asked. The birds covering Love seemed to be much calmer.

"For Keekee, it's Her fuzzies!" Fabulous answered, sitting cross-legged in the sand, to the right. "Anyone that close to Her fuzzes out, birds included, so She ends up waddling around in a fuzzed-out birdsuit!"

"It's so hard to get that spot under your wing," Love hummed, under Her breath. "I knowwwww...There you go...Scritchy scritchy...Yes, right there, I know...Isn't that better?"

"Also, She's a literal bird whisperer! For Me..." Fabulous pointed to the battle for the top of Her head. "Bumper-bird tournament!"

As Telf watched, one bird hopped and unseated another.

<I see. They like the sparkles?>

"Even more than they like My glow! That's another part of it: My Mothers' glow is much brighter than Ours, so the birds get extra excited!"

Telf could still see rays of the Sun Goddess' glow slipping out here and there, through gaps in the fluff pile.

"Please!" Night wheezed.

Love waddled over to help Her elder Sisters. She simply stood nearby, and that was enough to make the birds 'fuzz out.'

Free at last, the dual-Goddess of Sun and Night rose up out of the pile.

Brightness.

All the brightness in the world, more blinding than the Sun, than a thousand Suns. Even as big as it was, that ocean was in danger of drying up.

Except, not. The Goddess of Night lived in the same body that made all that Light. So, through the bright-but-not-bright glow-without-glare, Telf could see a 'girl' wearing...calling it 'a black dress' wasn't right. It was a dress made of blackness, aside from the sunburst on Her chest. Above Her waist, the fit was snug, but the bottom hung loosely to Her knees. Of course, She was completely spotless, even after rolling in wet sand. It was strange to notice such a small detail, but as She turned toward Telf--well, toward the Red Goddess--the fact that the water and sand did not cling at all to Her feet, that She was so totally clean and dry, looked jarringly unnatural, like She must be an illusion, not really standing there.

At first glance, She seemed to be around Gwell's age, in terms of size, but Telf knew better. Even if she didn't, as the Goddess' eyes turned toward Telf...

"Ancient," Telf whispered aloud, on the floor of the sky-chapel. She couldn't figure out exactly what it was, but something about those eyes was Old.

"Yes, I was already ancient when I left this place," the Sun Goddess said--sang--and Her glow rang out through the world.

It was good that Telf couldn't move, because moving would make noise, and that would spoil the song. The opening notes hung in the air while Telf and the world held their breath, waiting for whatever would come next.

"And that was a long, long time ago. Now..."

Those ancient eyes shifted over the Red Goddess' shoulder, staring into the past beyond the horizon.

"The constellations have changed; some stars have died. I was born in the summer, but the seasons have shifted so far, over the millennia, that My birthday is now in the winter, in the place where I was born. Not even ruins remain of the era before the Age of the Goddesses, only Me, My Temples, and My memories. Undeniably, I am a Goddess of the past."

She kept staring beyond the horizon for a while, until Her eyes swung back to the present.

"But the future still needs Me, so it will have Me. Welcome, Telf. You are the second Helper to see My Island." She half-turned to hold an open hand toward the forest. "Many places on Our Garden are called sacred, but in My opinion, only this Island truly is. Its center is the most sacred place in the Universe, a Sanctuary of peace, healing, and innocence, wholly untainted by evil. The Pools in Our Temples are only imitations. It is here that I began to glow, and where death learned that it needed My permission."

Holy sky priestess. Worthy. Priestess doing priestess things. Earned privilege. Invited. Make Prosperity proud.

"The first Helper to come here was a man named Dekel, nearly nine thousand years ago. No one except My Sisters and I has seen this place, since, but like Dekel before you, you are welcome. It is fitting that the second Helper to visit should represent a second world full of people who need help."

Ma and Pa, so proud. Holy work. Holy place.

"Very dignified, Menelyn," Night said, sending shadows into the world. "I am proud of You."

"Thank You, Sister." The Sun Goddess nodded, sagely.

Somewhere far away, a piece of Telf that wasn't dazed thought, 'Whoa, watching Them speak to each Other with the same mouth is so weird!'

<Mennie, I understand that You want to live up to Telf's impression of You, and offer a formal welcome, but You don't need to go all out like that,> Prosperity told Her Sister. <You are profoundly divine, without trying, so when You do try, it's plain overwhelming. Telf isn't from the Garden, and is extremely devout; this is already a lot for her to take in. You can turn the dial like twelve notches away from melancholy primordial Goddess toward giggling bird enthusiast. You'll still be plenty dignified.>

Telf could still feel her Goddess pressing into her left shoulder. She had never doubted that Prosperity would keep Her promise, but it was still nice to see, so nice that she smiled straight through Love's fuzzies.

The Sun Goddess seemed a little...surprised? Happy?

"I understand, baby Sister." She smiled warmly. "Still, Telf will need to survive Our song, somehow. We always do Our best, and Your new Helper is such a gleaming treasure that she has Me feeling inspired. We'll need to come up with something extra special."

Telf had already received all the 'special' that she needed, actually.

"If you didn't want Us to spend this whole meeting thanking you, you shouldn't have been so helpful," Love teased, barely managing to get it out before She fell into yet another fit of giggles.

"Agreed. My turn, first," the Goddess of Night said. "Nine millennia ago, I thanked Dekel for helping Menelyn to understand Her value."

She made a sword of blackness in Her left hand, and bowed, clutching it to Her chest in a reverse grip.

"Thank you, Telf, for helping Suri to understand Hers."

<Told you They would love you,> Prosperity reminded Telf.

True.

'Ma, Pa, the Goddess of Justice is bowing to your Telf,' Telf thought. 'Because I was helpful. To the True Goddesses. And They're going to sing a special song! All for your Telf!'

"When I spoke to Dekel, I made the sword to help show that it was really Me, not Menelyn losing Her mind," the Black Goddess explained. "Our voices did not always make it so obvious what was going on. And also, because look at it." She held it out in front of Her, the hilt resting on one palm and the blade on the other. "Do I even need a reason?"

This was surely the right time for Telf to thank the Black Goddess.

<Holy Goddess, I am honored to be helpful,> she prayed. <I was glad to hear that You often scold Prosperity, for thinking too little of Herself. Thank You. Although it is impossible for me to compare to Your wisdom, Eldest, I know all about the struggle of being a big sister. And, Your Sword of Justice is so cool that I feel blessed to have seen it. Does its Blade of Perfect Blackness banish the wicked to Your Void?>

Justice rose from Her bow.

"Can We transfer this one to Benevin?" She asked, solemnly.

<No,> Prosperity refused. <Telf is Mine.>

Telf's heart skipped a few beats, while Night heaved a sigh.

"Our world has become derivative!" She moaned. "All seek to surpass the ancient classics, by means of ever-more-ornamental prose. Alas, they have lost sight of the beauty of simple, unvarnished, truth! Only now have I been enlightened: Talent untainted by established norms is the most beautiful. I shall reform the education system at once."

Telf had been warned about Night, too. Watching while She made a scene had raised a question for Telf.

<Holy Goddesses, You seem mostly Sun right now. Is that because it is daytime? Can You also be mostly Night? Or is the Sun Goddess stronger? Or is it because You are both in the Sun Goddess' body?>

"We have been the same strength for millennia, and it is not related to time of day," Night answered. There was no sign of Her dramatics from a moment ago. "We are careful to hold much more white power than black at all times, so Our aura heals and cleans, instead of destroying everything close to Us. That would be bad for hugs."

Telf daydreamed about Justice hugging one of the fakes.

"Is that how I should do it?" the Goddess asked, back to being fully serious. "I was planning on rays of judgment, cast from the sky. Hugs would be relatively tedious, but I am happy to do things that way, if you think it would be better."

Telf thought it over.

<As long as they know that the True Goddess of Justice has come for them, and why, and realize how fake they are, the details don't matter,> she decided.

There was a heavy pause.

"They will all know exactly Who has come, and what they did to draw My personal attention. I promise."

Telf started shuddering again.

Doomed doomed doomed doomed doomed.

"Damned," Justice finished, matter-of-factly.

The Twilight Goddess started giggling, and the Sun Goddess joined shortly after.

"Boooooooooms!" They squealed together.

Huh?

<They greatly enjoy watching Izzie smite the wicked,> Prosperity explained.

Ah. True. That must be wonderful.

The Twilight Goddess suddenly appeared next to Her Mothers. "Alright! First, nature walk! Then, We go all out! Full Light show! She deserves it!"

She started to lead the way to the forest, skipping across the sand, then stopped and turned back in surprise, for no reason Telf could see.

"Hopper duet?" the Sun Goddess proposed.

"No, sing Mine," the Night Goddess replied.

That really did look so weird.

"I think Our Daughter will find that She knows it very well," Night added.

Telf was getting the sense that this was a big deal.

<The Song of Salvation that resurrected Izena is unique,> Love explained. <All the others are broadly similar, but Izena's is entirely different. Maybe it should be called the Song of Sisters? Or maybe Salvation's Call to Her Sister? I think Izena wants you to hear it partly because She likes you, and thinks you deserve it, but also...The other reason is the original subject that We wanted to discuss with you, aside from welcoming you as a Helper. We'll get to it later.>

<They don't sing it often?> Telf didn't actually need to ask that question. This was just nervousness.

<Menelyn has never sung it aloud before, and I doubt She ever would have, if Izena didn't ask for it. I'm looking forward to listening.>

So was Telf. She had heard enough of the Sun Goddess' song-speech to be convinced that Prosperity's admiration was deserved.

With the special Song decided, the Red Goddess followed Her Sisters into the forest.

This forest was very different from the last one Telf had been in. There was no muck or danger here, and not a single tangled thicket blocking the way. These trees provided shaded walking paths, folded their roots into comfortable benches, and their branches made lofty archways overhead.

Telf was awed back into silence. In the Sacred Realm, every view was beautiful, animals did not know fear, and forests were living Temples.

The Goddess of Life left a trail of lushness behind Her, wherever She walked. When a tree or shrub needed a little extra help, She would run Her fingers along it as She passed by, and with just that passing touch, it would spring back to perfect health, glowing with Her blessing.

"Don't worry. I'll see to everyone who needs Me before We leave, not only those We happen to pass by," She said. "I always do."

Telf had expected no less.

That was the only thing anyone said during the walk.

Birds continued to hop in from the forest, kloo-rooing in excitement with their shiny wings and tails spread wide, only to settle down when they got close to Love. Telf saw some partially eaten fruits here and there. The flesh was glowing, much more faintly than Love did, but it was noticeable in the shade.

Eventually, deep in the forest, They reached a kind of pond of Light, partially filled, at the base of a cliff. The Sun Goddess stretched out Her hand, and a column of Her Light-Essence flowed from Her palm into the pond, steadily refilling it.

Night and the Sun, together but separate, filling the world with Light and Darkness, sole Source of True Divinity, able to grant life or death at will...Much as Telf felt like she should be silent in the most sacred place in the Universe, there was a question that needed asking.

<Holy Goddess, are You really not the Creator? Are You completely certain? Maybe since You went inside what You created, You can't remember creating it?>

The Sun Goddess stopped filling the pond, put Her left arm across Her ribs, and cupped Her chin in Her right hand, while tilting Her head.

"I can say with complete certainty that Izena and I did not create the Universe as We are now, in this body. We weren't always fused, or this powerful. Both of Us started out similar to Suri. She will be similar to what We are now in thousands of years."

Telf believed it. She could still feel Prosperity pressed against her left shoulder. The literal True Goddess of Prosperity, and Telf would always be Her first Helper. It really was incredible. All of it, from the first time the Red Goddess had answered her.

The Sun Goddess turned toward Telf.

"But I guess I can't say I'm completely certain in the way that you mean, and I do understand why you would wonder. I will tell you everything I know. I started out as mortal as anyone, born the same way as anyone, and I don't remember being anything different before then, the same way you don't remember anything before you were born. That said, I have always found some of the circumstances of My birth as puzzling as anyone does. I was born stronger than any of the false white gods of your world, yet as far as I can tell, My parents were like yours. Was I really a fluke? A white mage stronger than millennia of careful breeding can produce, born to non-mages the moment this world faced a great crisis, as close to the source of the crisis as I could be without dying immediately? It all seems so improbable and convenient that I have wondered whether My existence might be divine intervention. So, no, I cannot be completely certain that I am not a Creator Goddess Who decided that enough was enough, and that incarnating Myself like this was the best way to start fixing the mess that My stars had become."

She took a deep breath.

"My life story is certainly how I would do it. My incarnation would need to experience tragedy, early and often, to learn how intolerable it is. She would need to see the difference between what happens when people help, and when they don't, to learn the value of helping." The Sun Goddess paused to smile at Her family. "She would need to be born with the power required to do what needed to be done, but no more, in order to be weak enough to learn humility from failure, and what it's like to have no address for prayers."

The Sun Goddess turned back to the Pool and continued the filling.

Telf could feel the Red Goddess' blazing pride in Her Sister.

"I don't think that's what happened--I think I'm a fluke, and there are many, many worlds that did not get so lucky--but I'm not completely certain," She concluded. "I hope it's not what happened, since it would mean that I was forced, at some point, to make a conscious choice to be born too weak to save hundreds of millions of people."

When the filling finished, the Sun Goddess stepped onto the surface of Her Pool of Light, walked to the center, and assumed the same pose as in the statue of Her that Telf was holding, with Her Light-Essence spiraling all around Her. There, She sang a promise, Her voice ringing and shining across the Island.

"Whatever My origins, I will be an address for prayers until no one has any cause to pray anymore. I am the Goddess of Salvation. Tragedy requires My absence."

Her Daughter appeared in the cave above the Pool, sitting on the edge with Her feet hanging over the side.

"I will start," the Sun Goddess sang to Her Daughter. "I agree with Izena. If You sing what feels right, it will be perfect."

With only that warning, the Goddess of Song began truly singing.

No. She began Singing.

Maybe She was the Creator, and maybe She wasn't, but She was definitely a Creator. This was the Song that created Sacred Realms--any world it was sung on became one. The first Singing of this Song, thousands of years ago, remade the Universe into one where prayers had a chance of being answered, where the innocent weren't always victims and unhappy endings were guaranteed only for the wicked, sooner than later. Telf knew all of that with complete certainty.

The birds gathered around the shaded Pool, reflecting its Light, as silent an audience as the trees.

"Listen," the Song demanded, and there was no choice but to obey, because the demand had been made in the Language of Miracles.

Love sank to the ground unsteadily, and settled in.

Then the Twilight Goddess made it a duet from Her perch in the cave. Telf's sense of time disappeared, and thoughts left her mind.