Trinity RPG - Tales from Eden: Land of the Young

[Singularity]

Today was supposed to be Muirne's first trip alone on the maglev train. She'd gone to see her great aunt Regina in the big city several times with her momma, so this wasn't anything new. But now that she's ten, momma had no problem letting her go alone.

Those trips were always fun, Regina had so many neat stories from when she was Murine's age. Like about how the gods, like Cernunnos, brought Regina and everyone else to Tir Nan Og from some world called Earth. Or about how she got to personally meet Sutra, the Golden Lady, when she completed her advanced studies. Everyone gets to see the gods every now and then and the Golden Lady even took it upon herself to directly educate her people, but to stand and talk to one of them? To feel the amber glow of tattoos and hear a purring voice so distinctive that no one could forget it, even forty years later? That is a rare thing, to see a god up close and in the flesh.

Was a rare thing. There was only three other people on the early morning maglev in Muirne's car when she watched the sunrise wash golden light over the low ferro-concrete rooftops of the suburbs... and when she watched the demons, the asura, drop from the sky and lay waste to the city. They had to be demons, none of the gods looked and felt so… twisted or just wrong, like bad wrong. When the first explosions started, Muirne had looked at the others on the train, all of them adults, to figure out what to do next but a sickly green fire made the whole car glow before the windows shattered and she had to hide under her seat.

And then it felt like the ground had dropped out from under the car. Muirne felt the world toss and tumble around her as she clung onto the support post of her seat with tiny fingers, the sound of wrenching alloys and crumbling ferro-concrete mixing with flashes of that sickly green flame and rapidly expanding dust filling all of her senses. There was one more loud crash and she felt the whole car, what was left of it, shudder one last time before the dust overtook the green flame. That must've been an eternity ago... or maybe it was half an hour?

The sunlight started to filter back into the car, but Muirne hasn't moved; sounds of buildings shattering, bodies clashing, weapons firing, and other... things making so many strange roars and cries. She shouldn't be afraid, her people kept weapons and the gods have always watched over them, but she can't bring herself to even let go of the metal post. There's more sunlight now in the car, enough to push back the smoke and dust... maybe if those sounds just stopped...

Hello there.

With a shaky jerk, Muirne sticks her head out enough from under her seat to look where that... voice had come from. The walk of the car where those other people had sat is gone, torn away to reveal a haze of smoke and dust cloaking shattered buildings and what must be the broken maglev track. But what's more important is the figure crouching where the car now ends. It looks like a man, like those diagrams Muirne's seen in those old books, but the figure doesn't look like it's moving. In fact, it looks like it's never moved.

It's alright, they can't hurt you anymore. You can come out now.

It did talk! Muirne can't see if its mouth moved, there's too much dust, but that voice sounded so... warm. By the time she realizes her fingers have finally let go of metal post, she's already pulling herself to her feet and walking to the figure. Muirne is sure the figure looks like a man, even though it hasn't moved, but it looks like it's made of metal. A silvery metal. Realization starts dawn in the girl, "You're..."

It, no, he finally moves, turning his head just enough to still face her and a comforting smile slowly spreads over his placid face; Muirne doesn't know if she should give in to the urge to hide back under her seat or to just curl up to relax next to the god in front of her. His lips and mouth don't move, but she can hear his muffled voice all through the car just like he's speaking, Yes, I'm Singularity. Lover and Silver Lord to the Golden Lady Sutra, Defender of Tir Nan Og, or any of the other numerous names Regan has given me in the past century. She’s heard of him, everyone has heard of the gods; he’s seen the least despite being the mate of Sutra, the god everyone the most, at least from a distance. And now he’s standing right in front of her, talking to her! Perfectly smooth eyes watch her as the god stands up with the precise amount of motion while holding a metallic hand to her, Muirne, isn't it? Come along, there's a shelter a few blocks from here.

Enough dust has cleared away to fully reveal the god to Muirne and she's suddenly aware that his silvery body flawless, disturbingly flawless, right down to muscled hand offered to her... and that he's not wearing a stitch of clothing. "Su-sure," she stammers while taking the god's hand. It feels like smooth metal but it's warm like skin; how could that be? Finally, her mind catches up to her, "How... how did you know my name? Are you in my mind, is that why you're talking without your mouth moving?"

With a single and deft motion, the god scoops Muirne into one arm and she could swear his smile makes her feel safe, Actually, my body is vibrating to make the sound of my old voice and I remembered your face. Quite simple, isn't it? This close, she can see there's no holes in his nose or any holes for his ears; how can he hear or smell? Do gods smell and hear like she does? Part of her feels so wrong being so close to one of the gods, like she doesn’t belong here, but his smooth skin feels so welcoming and secure.

From her new vantage point on the god’s arm, Muirne can finally see the twisted wreckage of the maglev train, the pock-marked buildings, and the collection of rubble scattered through the broken streets. There are still bits of green flame and bubbling liquid and Surta knows what else smoldering and lingering with the dust and smoke of what Muirne can only assume is the result of fighting. Gods and asuras fighting. And at the rough edge of the car she sees her first body. The demon looks so peaceful, like a sleeping person, except with green flame for hair; she’d mistake it for a god if she hadn’t seen what that green fire had done before… in fact, she remembers seeing the asura that used the flames, “Why… why does the asura look different? It looks like a person or a god with weird hair right now, but its skin was like water and its body was eating the light when I saw it come out of the sky. It is a demon, isn’t it?”

The god doesn’t follow Muirne’s gaze, he just steps out into the open air and they just start to float instead of dropping into the rubble below next to the sleeping asura, Yes, it’s a demon. Others call them aberrants. And it looks like that because aberrants and novas… Sorry, nova is what others call gods. Regardless, aberrants and novas are very similar; we both use the same kind of power. It is power that has changed our bodies and minds and it is power that can be taken away. And, long ago, we both were humans like you.

Confusion starts to grip Muirne, “Gods and demons were people?” Her small fingers weave together tightly while she keeps her arms around the god’s smooth but strong neck as they start to fly through the smoky sky, “But, you’re divine, you’re not like me or that asura…”

Everything has divinity, the god says, if it could be called talking, and Muirne thinks she can hear a chuckle in that voice that just seems to be everywhere, You, me, that tree on the median that managed to survive, and even the aberrant. Some of us are more in touch with it, but many never learn or try to learn to reach it.

“Oh,” Muirne murmurs before looking back at the wrecked buildings. The god holding her makes her feel safe, he is supposed to be the protector of Tir Nan Og, but she just can’t keep looking at him. Not without feeling so uncomfortable.

Without warning, a sudden scream rips through the air that makes the little girl reach for her ears. It feels like her mind being torn apart while her chest caves in at the same time, all the while the remaining glass in the surrounding buildings shatter and crash to the ground. Somehow, Muirne forces her eyes to open even when her head still aches, and she can see the silver god holding both of his arms over her, protecting her from the glass. My Sutra's calling card, the god smiles at her while they start to drift down towards a building, It’s been quite a long time since she’s made a Dolorous Cry. Shame, really, that it’s come to this.

Finally, the god brings Muirne back to the ground and to the front of one of the remaining buildings. She can see the symbol for safety above the open doorway, just like she was taught. Maybe the god even found the one where Regina is! When her feet hit the ground, she looks back at the god, “But why did the asuras come here? I thought they’ve never come before.”

Because it’s who they are and what they are. When you’re older, Sutra will tell you about the things that made the aberrants the way they are and how we were all once human. For a moment, the god’s face looks like how momma’s face looks when she talks about Muirne’s daddy, You’ll never have a better, more knowledgeable, or more beautiful teacher. And, if you do well in your studies, I’m sure you’ll have a chance to meet her just like how your aunt Regina met her. Now, I need to help Sutra and the others; do you promise to go right inside to the shelter?

“I promise,” Muirne nods quickly and repeatedly, “I promise I’ll study really hard too… and, um, thank you, Singularity.” Even saying the god’s name feels weird to her, like she isn’t supposed to use that kind of word.

It wasn’t a problem for me; everyone deserves a chance to live a full life. Now go inside, Muirne, I don’t want to be disappointed when I check on you later.

With a last nod, Muirne turns and dashes through the doorway to take the stairs down to the shelter at the end of the hall. The god is already gone when she looks back towards the entrance as she turns to go down the stairs, but it doesn’t matter much to her. It’s her turn to tell Regina a story about the gods, about the god who saved her.