POV: Reika

Kei came to me about ready to burst into tears. The nine-tailed fox had appeared out of thin air, looking obviously distraught as she had bags under her puffy, red eyes, her hair a mess, and again, she looked to be about ready to burst into tears. Almost immediately I stopped what I was doing, dropping the Seed I had been examining (and not staring at because I got distracted, no sir) and wrapping her up in a big hug as she launched herself at me, trying her hardest to hold back sobs.

"Shh, shhh, shh," I hummed, stroking my child's hair and attempting to soothe her. Her shaking subsided a bit and I started humming, a song that I used to hum to her back when she was just a babe, one that encompasses the trees and the forest, the wind and the waves, all that is full of life and beauty. Kei slowly calmed down, and I held her until she pulled away, still looking upset but clearly feeling better.

"Sorry," She mumbled, wiping away a tear.

"It's perfectly ok, dear," I told her softly, smiling gently at her and waiting for her to look at me. When she did, peeking out at me from behind her beautiful black hair, I continued on. "What's wrong?" I asked. Kei muttered a bit, shaking her head, but I just gave her a pointed look. "You can talk to me about anything, Kei. Remember that. Now, what's got you so worked up, hmm? I haven't seen you like this since Dei reincarnated." Kei flushed a bit at the mention of that little breakdown she had - she hadn't taken it well, even if she vehemently denies such a thing to anyone else who ever asked - and stayed silent for a moment.

"Chaos," She said finally, shaking her head slightly. I cocked an eyebrow and waited for her to continue. "My domain, it was...it was so close to becoming Chaos. I don't want it to be Chaos." Kei whispered, shaking her head.

"Why not?" I asked, having heard that before but never really finding out the reason.

"I...Chaos is bad. It's, well, it's the opposite of Balance, right?" She asked rhetorically.

"There is Chaos in Balance, dear, just as there is Peace." I observed neutrally. Kei snorted and pulled away from me, shaking her head with vehemence.

"No! I mean, there is, but...not this Chaos! The Chaos that wants to be my domain it...it scares me." Kei said with a shudder, eyes growing distant. Then she shook her head, took a deep, shuddering breath, and continued on. "It's the exact opposite of balance - it's true Chaos! Anarchy! The lack of any balance whatsoever! It's not..." She trailed off, not finding the words for a brief moment. "I don't want to be that! All the worst things happen during times of chaos."

"You were born in times of chaos," I pointed out softly. Kei shook her head and sniffled.

"'ts not the same." She murmured. "I'm talking about -"

"Absolute Chaos," I answered for her, "yes, I know." Kei nodded, and muttered something else, something I didn't manage to make out. "I had much the same problem with my domain, you know."

"It's not the same!" Kei proclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air and pacing around. "You don't understand!"

"I do understand," I said suddenly, smiling at her. "It's why you came to me for help. My domain was originally life, and as you are well aware it eventually came to be both life and death. Do you know why it is I was so obsessed with having a domain of life and death?" I inquired. Kei frowned and shook her head. "It's because a world of only life is terrifying." I said bluntly. Kei's frown deepened.

"How so?" She asked slowly. "Isn't it just about Balance? A circle of life and death?"

"Think of it this way; life is only half of the circle, yes. That means I only get half of the information - that means I can only watch and interact with half of the beings. It is the problem immortals face; all around them, the life continues to fade and differ. Entire worlds start blending together, the lives of mortals become short, and even immortals, for what a misleading name that is, start to fade into dust as time passes. And I can only see all the life that dies." I said softly, shaking my head. "It is a nightmare, and simply knowing that death is another part of life was not enough to counter it." Kei was silent as she digested that, thinking about it in the way only a deity could. I had it lucky, with Mother, Keilan, Alexander, Elvira, Kei, and all the other deities standing by my side. But even then, deities may eventually fade. Sol, for one, was all but erased after his crimes in the Sun War.

"I..." Kei started, and I shook my head.

"I do understand Kei - I lived through it. Now I want you to look out there, and tell me; what is Chaos? Is it absolute anarchy? Yes, that is part of it." I admitted. "However, Chaos is what we are all born from. Before Mother there was a Void, then there was Mother, and She created Chaos, Chaos from which we were born, and the Four Realms was made. Chaos is as much creation as it is destruction, endless, looping, and untrackable, yes, but creation all the same."

"But -" I cut Kei off, shaking my head.

"Kei, listen to me," I told her sharply, and Kei promptly closed her mouth. "Now the Four Realms are in a time of chaos, different from the Primordial Chaos I spoke of previously, but chaos all the same. There are many faces of chaos, as I'm sure you know. This chaos is a chaos of the people, a time of strife and confusion, where much happens and yet nothing seems to end. That is but an illusion, of course, as it is but one age in many. This chaos is born of creation, the creation of new systems, but there's something else I want you to pay attention to. Look down into the Mortal Realms and listen. What do you hear? What do you see?" I asked.

Kei was silent for a long moment as she did so, frowning. "War. Death, strife. Confusion and chaos." She said softly. I shook my head.

"You are listening to all the wrong things. You are focusing too much on specifics within the chaos - let it play. Let it hit your ears in all its incomprehensibility, in all its randomness. See it in all of its confusion, without any pattern to make sense of." I told her softly, putting a hand on her shoulders and gently floating into the air, so we hung above the Life-Giving Tree. "It's waiting for you Kei, just asking you to listen, hear, feel, taste, touch." We hung there for a long moment, Kei slowly relaxing and allowing the sounds of chaos - much louder to her than myself, I'm afraid - to hit her.

It took a while, but eventually Kei heard it, the thing I had been listening to my entire life. Mother had been the one to show it to me, and now I was showing it to my own child in her time of need. "It...sounds like...a...song..." Kei said slowly, and I just nodded, smiling to myself as Kei began to sway back and forth, unconsciously dancing to the tune she heard. This was what I had been aiming for - not me telling her what this grand revelation was, but allowing her to get there herself. Some well-placed guidance always helps, but simply giving someone an important piece of enlightenment can be detrimental in the long run.

This revelation that Kei had is simple, to me. There is beauty in chaos. And I mean that literally and metaphorically. "The greatest of advances are made in times of chaos." I heard Kei murmur to herself, tapping her foot and closing her eyes, lights swirling around her. "Is that what you wanted to show me?" She asked. I nodded.

"Yes," I said quietly, smiling.

"I still don't want to be a diety of chaos." Kei said simply, pulling out of her trance just slightly. I shook my head and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to be. But chaos is a part of you, so don't reject it...just as Mother didn't reject the Void that is a part of Her." I whispered.

"...I know," Kei said slowly. "I know. Music...arts, sciences, enlightenment, the greatest advancements in history are made in times of chaos, sometimes they are the cause of said chaos because something needs to change - because that is what they are; a statement of change. There is a song in one's heart that must be heard, but for that song to come out there must be a muse...and oftentimes that muse is chaos. Or a rock, an island of tranquility within the chaos, can be the muse..." Kei said, and suddenly she had a domain - that of Art. I smiled and took a step back, glad that Kei was finally beginning to accept the chaos within her. There is far more to her than chaos and mischief, as there is far more to everyone, but...this was the one thing she consistently rejected about herself.

And in truth, it is but a minor thing, that chaos. It is only what she focuses on now, to say nothing of the future.

Kei began to dance, swaying back and forth in a rhythm only she could hear, to a boundless tune. Her feet carried her far across the Realms in but moments, swirling and spinning and dancing all the way, lights trailing off of her as she did so. Slowly, each tap of her foot, each swish of her tails and sway of her hips and bob of her head started to create sounds, rings and streams of multicolored light pouring off of her in time with the musical notes ringing throughout the Four Realms. And then she began to sing. It was paradoxical, both with and without rhythm and rhyme...and yet timeless and boundless. The words were no words, it seemed, nothing anyone could truly recognize, but...it was a song that all beings within the Four Realms understood.

For a brief moment, the Four Realms stood still, simply listening to Kei's Song.

I smiled as I turned back to the Life-Giving Tree, slipping through the leaves and sinking into the trunk of the great Tree. Inside, close to the core of the tree, sat my home; a few small chambers carved out and filled with various trinkets and curios I'd picked up over the eons. One room, in particular, was filled with the results of a hobby of mine that wasn't gardening - weaving tapestries. With a small smile I sat down and began to fiddle with the string and needles I use, thinking about how to weave this one. Picking a black string, I began to slowly begin my work, not using an ounce of my divine power. It was more fun this way, rather than creating it in an instant with my powers.

Another smile flitted across my features as Kei's song began to resonate within the Tree, causing its branches to sway. It's good to see that she's on the right track.

POV CHANGE: Statera Luotian

"I've forgotten how much I missed music." I said to no one in particular as I tinkered a bit with a music box, listening to Kei's song as she continued to sing. By now she had amassed quite the crowd as her domain continued to solidify, turning the area around her into a mass of deities and angels that were just...dancing, and slowly relaxing. And what a domain it was. She had gained the domain of the Arts, or, in another form, Advancement and Change. Her Art encompasses everything that can be considered as such - and her Chaos added the Herald of Change to her domain. It was...annoyingly abstract.

When are you going to get around to taking a nap? I've been looking forward to this.

I just chuckled at the sudden appearance of Mr. Blue Boxes, not even annoyed that Mr. Blue Boxes was in on my "falling asleep" as well as my children. "When I feel like it." I answered mysteriously.

You shouldn't put it off for too much longer.

"I'm waiting for the crescendo...and besides, I can feel that it's not quite time yet. Fate is pushing me to stall a bit, though I bet my children will attempt to straight up knock me out if it gets too bad." I explained with a shrug. "To be honest, I'm more interested in why you chose to speak up now." I questioned.

I'm interested in what's going to happen. Even for me, this...event is in flux, and I so do enjoy surprises. I mean, there's a 95% chance that I do know what's going to happen and how it's going to go down, but that's still better odds for something happening contrary to my expectations than I've had in a long time. At least, in a new universe like yours.

"Ah, that would explain it," I said with a small chuckle, tossing the music box to the side and looking back towards the Four Realms, reaching out and beginning to fix a few little problems I had just noticed. It still amazes me sometimes how, even from the comfort of my own Palace, I can reach out and fix problems all the way across the Four Realms without having to expend any extra divine power than if I was right 'next' to the problem. With "next" being a relative term, because sometimes the problem is all-encompassing or not in any specific location. "Speaking of percentages, what were my options for expanding the Four Realms?"

There was a 50% chance of you simply letting the Four Realms grow without nuturing the Seeds, which had a 90% chance of catastrophic failure. Another option was you setting up a Cycle between the Four Realms much like Shin at 19%. Choosing the seeds was a 27% chance.

Well then. That's outrageously specific.

I was merely putting it to scale, so you could understand it easier. It is far more complicated than those numbers.

Mr. Blue Boxes assure me. I hummed and nodded, getting distracted and looking out towards the Mortal Realm. "Huh, neat," I muttered, narrowing my eyes as Kei's song continued to play. Blinking hard, I found myself struggling a bit to focus. A sudden burst of power and slight irritation shocked me back to full awareness, and I growled a bit. "That's quite enough," I said calmly, talking to no one in particular.

That was the third time in the past hour I'd almost slipped into meditation - and I'm not ready yet. Or...am I? All of a sudden all the pieces seemed to click together, and I felt as if there was nothing left for me to handle. A sudden weight was lifted off of my shoulders, and I could breathe once more, everything around me seeming to flex with each breath. "That's not nice," I muttered, barely having time to send out a few incarnations to tell my children of my impending meditations before I began to drift off. I had been so adamant about not going into meditation too...

"Randus!" I managed to get out, standing up and flying drunkenly towards my meditation chambers. In a flash of light my butler-esque child appeared, took one look at me and slipped under my arm to support me. It was very...humbling.

"I say, you do look rather exhausted, madam." Randus said slowly.

"Still in character, I see," I said with a chuckle, earning a wry smile. "To...to the meditation chamber...I'm about to collapse." I murmured, eyes slowly drifting shut. This...this was not normal, but I didn't feel any fear from the strange form of meditation I was about to enter. It was completely strange...and suddenly I was laying down in a bed, in my meditation room, with Alexander, Reika, Keilan, Elvira, and Randus all looking down on me with concern.

"...are you ok?!" Reika asked worriedly, though I missed the first part of her question.

"...just...sleepy....feels strange...don't worry...just nap...for a bit..." I murmured, waving one hand. At least, I tried to wave my hand. I have no idea if it actually worked, as my body's not responding to my commands right now. Man, I haven't felt this way since I was mortal, all those millions of years ago. "Leave...room...see you...soon..." I murmured. My children looked at each other in concern as my eyes closed, and vanished just as I entered meditation.

Then the entire room crystallized.

POV CHANGE: Will of the Four Realms (Third Person POV)

The Four Realms strained under the weight it had taken off of the Creator, but remained fully functional. It observed as the Creator immediately began to fall into unconcious meditation, and even felt a tiny sliver of shock as the Creator created a block of crystallized power that filled the entirety of Their room. The Guardians stood outside of the Creator's room, murmuring amongst each other.

A small conciousness wiggled, and the Four Realms "moved aside," in a sense, so as to allow the sliver of the Creator's consciousness to slide in alongside it. Warmth spread throughout the Four Realms, a tingly feeling of love. That was the Creator - even now, making sure some part of Them was there, watching out for the Four Realms.

"Re-optimizing...programs running at 96% effeciency." A small voice informed quietly, having increased the effeciency of a few Systems the Creator put in place slightly after the Creator's consciousness wiggled its way back into the Four Realms.

"...amazing...Her dreams are...just..." the Guardian of Dreams mumbled, staring at the Creator's room.

"What, Randus?" The Guardian of the Mountain asked in exasperation. The Guardian of Dreams shook his head.

"I don't know...I don't understand. She is most certainly dreaming, but...I cannot make heads or tales of it. She is simultaneously dreaming and not, watching all Dreams even as She watches everything else." The Guardian of Dreams explained, turning to face the other Guardians. "It is far more complex than even I can do, though it makes me wonder what it is She is dreaming."

"You mean, you cannot read Father's dreams anymore?" The Guardian of the River asked, his great serpentine form just barely fitting within the hallway outside of the Creator's room. A small hint of amusement emanated out from the Creator's sliver of consciousness, essentially stating that the Guardian of Dreams could only read Their dreams because They let him.

"No, and not for lack of trying. The parts I can get are far too complex for me to understand." The Guardian of Dreams stated simply.

"Do we have any idea how long this is going to last?" The Guardian of Karma questioned, changing the subject.

"I expect not too long. Last time it was merely ten thousand years that Mother fell into meditation, but this is different, so I'd expect it to take longer." The Guardian of the Tree reasoned. A general murmur of agreement went around the group of five, and all of them simultaneously sighed.

"I did tell Him to get some rest but this is so...sudden. It's a good thing we were preparing for such an eventuality." The Guardian of the Mountain said slowly, scratching one of her wings idly. "The important thing now is to ensure that things keep running smoothly, and we continue Father's work. He was doing much, so it's going to be harder on all of us now." She reminded the others, earning another round of general agreement. For a moment there was silence before all five simply turned and started off towards their respective posts, allowing some of the weight the Will of the Four Realms had picked up to fall upon their shoulders.

"Running at 96.23% efficiency." The System informed. A flash of annoyance spiked through the Creator's consciousness. The monotony of that voice needed to change. And, for a brief moment, the Will of the Four Realms found itself, just barely having awareness, agreeing.