Rebirth and Second Chances

The Demi-fey that had just been created and were linked to one of the four new flowers buzzed with activity. They used the circular expanse my explosions had created to plant a new cycle of the flowers that had birthed them.

[Fire Tulips], [Ice Chrysanthemums], [Shadow Orchids], and [Lifelight Hydrangea] placed in the exact same position they had held in the [Fairy Ring] I had created was copied. Two new [Fairy Rings] were given birth, and the density of [Divine Fairy] energy expanded across the clearing.

The new [Fairy Rings] seemed to have an additive effect on the change in the forest's energy. It was still insignificant, but as new [Fairy Rings] were created, as more of the Demi-Fey were born and claimed the [Forest of Nightmare Plants] for [Fairy], that additive effect would snowball. An exponential rise in energies that were endemic to the Tuatha de Danann, energies that would lay claim to this area.

In time, and if not stopped, Asgard would lose a significant portion of the realm. The time that I might gain if I acted within my [Domain] to defend and hide what I had done here. Pulling a few blank enchantment talismans made of Silinium from my [Ring of Hidden Depths], some non-aspected mana stones, and an engraving stylus, I got to work.

Enchanting had always come naturally to me. There were long periods of waiting, of boredom as King and I had used those moments to practice and learn how to enchant and create formations. I hadn't reached a Grand Master class, but I was on the precipice of breaking through.

What I would create here was a series of enchantments, empowered with the Divine influence from my [Domain] of [Illusion and Glamour]. Each talisman would be engraved with an ability to mask the [Divine Fairy] energies by using the ever-growing surrounding energies to power the talismans and act as a shield. At the same time, they would obscure the [Fairy Rings] from sight, sound, smell, and scry, with a powerful look-away illusion.

The talismans could be moved, set in new positions as the Demi-fey expanded. As long as they were placed within the boundaries of one of the [Fairy Rings], one on the outer boundaries of what the Demi-fey would grow, they would protect everything within the circumference of that outer boundary.

The enchantments I created had a new weight to them, a gravitas that was directly associated with the divine energies that had come under my control. I created a series of talismans. Three that would remain as a central focus. Seven that would serve as collection foci to power the array the talismans would create. Ninety-seven that would serve to establish the boundary as the [Fairy Rings] expanded.

The amount of each circle of talismans was a prime number that wasn't accidental. There was a reason that ritual and magical numerology and symbology often relied on the numbers one, seven, or thirteen. The nature of magic was to seek a path of release, to embrace chaos.

By using prime numbers, the channels and links remained balanced, keeping spells and rituals ordered. Those prime numbers increased the potency of [Ritual] to smooth dissonance and harness harmony.

It would have been faster if I created a mold or stamp to etch the blank talismans, but that type of mass production wasn't as stable. I needed these talismans to last not only for a long time but to stand up to being handled and moved into new locations.

I would share the knowledge of how the talismans worked, how to move them, and when to move them with the Demi-Fey. Their connection with [Fairy] would allow them to understand, process, and master that knowledge easily.

The Demi-fey had a reputation for being flighty, easily distracted, and often lazy. But that was an illusion fostered by them, a reputation encouraged by their rulers. They were actually more like bees than butterflies. Industrious, regimented into defined roles, and willing to swarm to protect their leader.

And when you considered that Demi-Fey wielded the magic of [Fairy], those attacks could be devasting. Each attack could stack as the individual Demi-Fey acted as part of the collective.

After I was satisfied with what I had managed, I turned to Tia. I had felt her return some time ago. Both she and Ag had been waiting patiently. Ag had even ignored some of the more active plant life, only moving to another location when something decided she might be food and tried to attack.

Now that I had finished engraving the talismans, Tia reported. "A colony of Demi-Fey from each of the Sitherns agreed to settle here.

"Caraid sends a message, 'Gwyn ap Nudd has promised you one boon. As long as [Fairy] remains connected to Asgard, you can call in that favor.' He seems happy, more content than he was when we'd arrived."

With the birth of a new son, Caraid's bloodline would continue. My body had originally been his, but too many changes had been wrought. The System had gifted me with bloodlines so pure; I could be compared to one of the [First Children], those created or birthed by the Tuatha de Danann directly.

The changes had been done on a genetic level, and those changes had continued as I'd been gifted with the bloodlines of Cailleach and Arianrhod. The small part of the genetic material that may have remained and belonged to Caraid had been over-written.

"Thank you, Tia," I replied. The Sidhe seldom gave thanks. It too often implied a debt was owed, and we, for all our fierce powers and beauty, there was nothing more frightening than owing a Sidhe a favor.

But Tia was one of my bonded partners. The restrictions that might apply by giving thanks, the onus those words might mean if spoken to others, didn't apply between those that shared a bond. She and Ag were a part of me, just as I was a part of them. You could not enter into contracts or owe a favor to one of your appendages, and Tia and Ag were my right and left hands.

"Balfour," I said, addressing the Aziza sitting patiently on Tia's head. "Why are you here?"

"Tia said you needed some of the Azi-Fey to act as scouts and guides. I decided it was best if I came to coordinate their actions. While the Azi-Fey all share the memories and history of the Aziza, they are still barely born. They have the knowledge but not the experience of the Aziza.

"My long history and practical experience are something that should help them coordinate and act more efficiently," he explained.

"And what of the operations I have ongoing on Urt?" I asked.

"Proceeding as planned. The Azi-Fey you have deployed have been instructed to report to Morgana if they require direction. But you have left so many specific instructions and contingencies in place that they will likely never need to consult her," he reminded me.

"And I can connect with them weekly. Long enough to get updates and pass on new orders."

"You can connect with the Azi-Fey across Realms?" I asked in disbelief. "Is this a new function gifted to the Azi-Fey, or have the Aziza always had this ability?"

"We have always had this ability," he admitted sheepishly.

"Why keep it secret? And are there any limitations?" I demanded.

"The Queens and Kings of each Sidhe race used to be informed of this ability. But when factional warfare broke out. When leaders like Mab desecrated what it meant to be Sidhe, we hid that ability. We destroyed any record that existed of our real talents to keep our people from being used for war.

"There are limitations, of course," he continued. "The one most significant to your situation has to deal with how the multiverse is constructed. Within this Universe, the realms exist like layers of an onion. The Aziza can connect across those layers, but only within this Universe.

"The multiverse is not layered; it exists on a string, each Universe nestled next to each other. The string that holds and connects every Universe together is the Summerlands. A connection that allows the Summerlands to touch everywhere and everywhen.

"It holds the multiverse together. It embodies each Universe with magic and mana to keep them ordered and expanding. When a Universe dies, when it collapses, the Summerlands release enough energy to spark another explosion and create a new Universe.

"The Summerlands are as close to capturing the essence of the Alpha and the Omega as reasonably possible. That creative energy is why the other Pantheons covet our stewardship."

I'd known this, but Balfour's words reminded me of this knowledge and forced me to consider what my elevation to Godhood would mean across the Multi-verse that the Summerlands maintain.