Space.
The vast nothingness in which magnificent points of light are suspended, each of them special, each of them holding mysteries untold. A person with unfettered access to it can know how small they are compared to the universe and still feel part of the whole. In the revery of seeing billions and billions of stars, one could get...
Cue annoying cell phone ringtone.
"Yello. Oh, hey, Shi! How goes? Yeah, I'm trying to save her. Well, Venus told me Death told her you could help. So, that's, what, third-hand info? Yeah. So, can you? Oh, good. Good. Great. Yeah, I'll go to the Room of Fate then. Yeah, I know, it sounds very normal when I say it, innit? Like going to the grocery store. Yeah. See ya." - Said Lucas.
Surely you have enough context, reader?
Good. Anyways.
Lucas stretched and sat up, opening a rift in space and moving to the Room of Fate.
"Hey, guys!" - She said, cheerfully, to the statues - "Lilly Gordon's destiny, please, hold the onions!"
The chessboard once again appeared, and Lucas changed her sword into a hook, moving the piece that was Lilly Gordon one more square towards the end of the board. Right afterwards, she moved a new piece that looked like Shi to kill the piece that would threaten Lilly. The board glowed as the move was accepted.
One more move. - Thought Lucas - One more move and I'll manage to save her. All I need to do is get some laurel leaves in Greece and...
Lucas paused at a sudden thought.
Heck. I saved the universe and nearly died trying. Yet it feels oddly more satisfying to save one person. Heh. A million is a statistic, I guess.
By way of a victory pose, Lucas shrugged and stepped away from the chessboard. She then smiled, drew her sword and reformed it into a steel plate with a carved "troll face" and the word "PROBLEM?" under it.
The statues took no more notice of it than a human would of a bacterium moving its flagellum in an unusual pattern.
Lucas smiled and left the Room of Fate.
Outside Reality
The beings studied the one that did what their calculations specifically disallowed. The one that helped destroy the Time Devourer, and that so callously destroyed their outpost soon after, by filling it with certainty and with definition.
Each calculation of her potential came different. Most came with nonsensical, non-numerical answers. This iteration of the calculations came out.
Pickles. - They read. This answer, in terms of usefulness, was right there with other answers they obtained, such as "A very depraved walrus.", "91/0" and a doctored photo of a sexy woman with catlike ears and a tail. Decoding these answers did not create any sort of pattern or understandable number either.
Ever-changing.
Unfathomable.
Why?
Why?
"So. When will you two tell her?" - Said Hermes.
"In due time, Hermes." - Said Selene, irritably - "She might even find out part of it before that, given that you dropped hints."
"I will tell her the nature of my gift to her after the events involving Lilly. I told you as much." - Said Venus.
"She deserves to know, Venus. You know that." - Said Hermes - "Especially because, if someone sees fit to seek out the Orb of Water..."
"Then I will protect her myself." - Said Venus - "As I am entitled to, for a god can interfere if the event is caused by them, even indirectly."
"You aren't fully awake yet, Venus." - Said Hermes.
"If Venus us unavailable, then I will protect her from whatever it is, Hermes." - Said Selene.
"But then, Selene, by protecting her like this, you'd be going against the rules..." - Said Hermes, concern in his voice.
"FUCK the rules." - Said Selene, in a very rare outburst.
Venus paused, surprised and aghast at this display.
Hermes smiled like a trickster god that had managed to take a conversation exactly where he had wanted. Which is precisely what he was.
"Good answer, Selene. A bit on the strong side, but does show you care." - He said - "If you will protect her no matter what, I suppose she can go for a month without knowing more about her sword. And about herself."
Selene blushed.
"You were testing me."
"Yes, indeed. And your little profanity there was the sound of you passing it." - Said Hermes, smirking - "If you hadn't passed, I'd have already told her about the nature of her sword and of her power. And you would be none the wiser. Now, if you'll excuse me, I will go back to my planet. You should visit; the view from the new Sun is magnificent."
With that, Hermes shot Selene/Neruite a smiling glance and left.
Venus turned to Selene, smiling lightly.
"I altered her sword precisely because I figured that would be your response, if not in such strong terms... Neruite. I am glad for your resolve."
Neruite, at the moment a bit more Neruite than Selene, even if both were the same, blushed.
In the place where she was omnipotent, Lucas, the One that Can Destroy All Fates, the one with the sword like water, the one with unmeasurable potential, focused on the task at hand.
An entire civilization could rise or fall from this one action alone.
Lucas made a decision.
And then it was over. Barcelona had been conquered.
"Yeah, baby, come to papa! That oughtta teach you to declare holy war on me again, Isabella! Donde está tuyo Dios ahora?(1)" - Said Lucas in Spanish, smiling at her current game of Civilization IV.
Wait, what did you think I was talking about?
(1) - "Where is your God now?"
