Destiny of a Good Deity

Chapter 1 Once upon a time, there was a young deity who believed she could tell the difference between good and evil. Her mother had told her never to put all of her eggs in one basket. Mya winced, looking at the scene in front of her. Maybe it wasn’t her mother who said that, but that was beside the point. She was a young deity on her first mission to Earth, and she aimed to score big. Now her basket of eggs was tumbling down the hill. Literally. From the top of the hill, Mya looked down the hillside and saw her way to hell. The roar of the soldiers, thirsty for blood and hungry for victory, tore through the air of the dark rock valley. Swarms of black-clad riders and foot soldiers from the Wangi tribe raced forward to kill. The bright sunlight flashed onto their swords and scimitars, but it didn’t infuse them with the guidance of humanity. Mya watched the ruthless Wangi soldiers charge at a group of unprepared soldiers from the Glaixi tribe who were celebrating the peace treaty Mya had convinced the two tribes to sign. “Nadinn! Cheater! Traitor! Coward!” Mya scolded and stormed down the hill, running toward the Glaixi’s camp. She didn’t need to alert the soldiers as the roar of the opponents had sent all the Glaixi soldiers to their feet, grabbing their weapons wherever they could find them. She raced toward the tents of women and children, more than two thousand of them. A few days ago, she thought she had scored a victory by helping the two tribes to sign the peace treaty. She thought she had saved the lives of those women and children that would otherwise be lost to war. Spurred on by how the opposing army had turned into a chaotic mess, the Wangi soldiers rode on faster, yelling their battle cries as they galloped closer. They could smell blood as well as taste victory. Mya ran faster. As a minor deity, people might have thought her Goddess would have given her the magnificent power to move mountains. But no—all she could do at the moment was run like the wind. But at the moment, she didn’t think she would be fast enough. She ran faster and faster as the roar of the soldiers and the scream and clash of weapons erupted in the peaceful valley. By using her deity power to run this fast, she had violated the rule for the mission. But she no longer cared. She had to stop the soldiers. Innocent women and children. More than two thousand of them waiting in tents for their Glaixi soldiers to return home from the battlefield after the celebration. Now that moment would never come. “Stop!” she cried and darted in front of a group of Wangi soldiers who were about to rush into the camp to slaughter. “This tribe is under my protection. Turn back now or suffer my wrath!” Mya held her stance as the soldiers of the Wangi army looked at her with measured glances. She was young. She had never been to battle. And she was dressed to attend the celebration in the valley. The golden leaves on her necklace were tangled in her hair, and eggshells and egg yolks were smeared on her hands from trying to catch them when the basket of food she’d brought for the party had tumbled down the hill. But still, she would fight these soldiers to her death to save those innocent souls in the camp. Nadinn, the leader, approached from a distance and dismounted his black warhorse. “You’ve killed the soldiers. Please be merciful to the women and children.” Mya tried to maintain a calm voice. “These children will grow up to be the Glaixi tribe’s soldiers, and they will then come after our tribe’s children. I cannot put the future of my tribe at risk,” Nadinn said, nodding at his soldiers as they stormed toward the camp to execute the ritualistic slaughter. Mya drew out a small jar of potion and grabbed for Nadinn. “If I drop this jar, we will both die. I would rather die here than go back with a failed mission. Tell your soldiers to stop the killing.” Nadinn tried to shove Mya off of him, but he encountered one of her quirks—once she set her mind on something, she latched on like a leech. She wouldn’t let go. “Who do you serve? Who are you? Why are you doing this?” Nadinn snarled. “I serve my Goddess, and she will not be pleased to see innocent people die. You don’t want to suffer her wrath.” Nadinn laughed. “The Gods have abandoned us for many years. We have to take care of ourselves. This land can hold only one tribe. For many years, the Glaixi never let their guard down. We could never defeat them. We have to kill them now. This is our only chance.” “I convinced them to sign the treaty with you. I made them promises of God’s favors. You’re telling me I helped you to cheat and then slaughter these people?” “Stay with us. You will have all you want.” “You’ve betrayed God. You’ve acted against God’s will. You and your people will be punished.” “Maybe God has already been angry with my tribe, and that’s why we suffered. That’s why our children died of hunger. Or maybe God has simply been unfair to us.” “The Goddess is always fair and just.” Nadinn laughed—a crooked laugh. “The Glaixi had all the hunting grounds. They possessed all the water. We had nothing. We had to watch our women and children die. I’ve never spoken to your God in person. I only see you. The same with those who died today. They don’t know why you do what you do, but for them, the blood is on your hands.” “I arranged the peace treaty so no one had to die!” she shouted. “If they don’t die, we will. Either way, the blood debt is on you. It will come back and haunt you one day,” Nadinn said and hit Mya’s hand away. The jar of potion dropped to the ground. White smoke streamed out from its broken lid. In front of her was an explosion of whiteness. That was all she remembered.