TBATE - Gods intervention

A new home

Arthur stared at Life; the seemingly beautiful woman plagued with eternal sadness. What must it be like to see each and every moment of life, whether it was beautiful, filled with happiness, or tormented with grief.

"It is truly odd." Life spoke, her voice brimming with warmth. "You are a god, yet you are not. You still reign your mortal body while your true self is hidden within an unimpregnable realm."

"How do you know where my other body is?" He asked, eyes narrowed at the thought of others knowing his aether body's location.

"Every god can sense where other like them are. Even if they could not get to it."

Arthur was clearly missing something; some piece in a puzzle. He didn't sense any of the gods, only time he could was if they were near him physically. "Then how come-"

"You are still in your mortal body." Life answered without hearing his question completely.

It made sense, how could it not? A mortal can only sense those who are still physically alive, and to his knowledge, gods weren't truly alive. Well, Marlye was with his mortal body. Though he doubted if he could truly be killed if that body was destroyed.

There was a soft glow of golden light around Life. It swirled and slowly seeped to surround him. "I know Marlye is listening to everything we say, so I thought some privacy would be apt for now." Life smiled, her lips curling up and down at the same time, like she was not sure which to truly feel.

"You don't trust Marlye?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"I don't. Us gods don't get along too well, always trying to peer into knowledge best left unknown." Life answered rather cryptically.

So even gods have secrets they don't wish to share with others.

"As Marlye informed before, we are of the same. Life and death. Although you are not truly my counterpart, we are still within the same domain. And that is the very reason your realm is infinitely more difficult to intrude upon."

Now that was something Arthur didn't know. His realm being within hers. Wouldn't that mean she can come and go as she pleases? He thought to himself. He was considering how to ask Life if that was true in a manner that would hide the questions true intention, but he didn't have to.

"And no, I cannot enter it without your permission." Life chuckled. "Not even I could withstand the consequences of such an action."

Was aether truly this powerful? To be able to deny entry to his realm, even if the intruder was a god... Arthur's eyes widened, realising something that he probably should've considered before.

"The aether god before me was killed..." Arthur spoke under his breath, not realising he spoke aloud.

"Yes." Life affirmed his words. "The same happened to mana god as well."

It wasn't hard to know who the next mana god was going to be. The legacy was a natural human of mana manipulation. Was it not her path to become a god all this time?

"Do you know when the next mana god will arise?" He silently hoped it wouldn't be in a long time.

"She has already ascended." Life's words brought him to shock, disbelief.

She's already awoken as a god... The upcoming war was indeed going to much more different than it had before. Arthur only hoped that things would go differently this time. No. He was going to make sure the war ended differently.

"But fret not, Arthur. She has yet to take over the elf's mortal body. Though, it wouldn't take long."

Arthur nodded, only now realising the question he should've asked first. "Who was behind their deaths? Which God?"