Rebirth and Second Chances

Chapter 314: Light and Shadow

The Sidhe were not caricatures of fairies or elves, beings of good or evil that fit into a mold forced upon them by the tales of dreamers. We were dreams made flesh, at times those dreams harboring the making of nightmares. We were creatures of light and shadow, but that didn't mean there was a clear divide.

We were not good or evil. We were both and neither. We could be cruel and selfish or loving and selfless. We cared little for anything except our own desires. Lleu Llaw demonstrated this when he forced those Sidhe he thought worth saving Underhill and left the rest to die.

We used our beauty to enthrall others. Illusions and glamour worked to our advantage and forced those we would harm to ignore our cruelty. Even those of us that were monstrous used the gifts of Sidhe to enhance that monstrous beauty and use it as a weapon.

If the Sidhe could be cruel and capricious, the same could be said for the Tuatha de Danann Pantheon of Gods. Danu was benevolent for the most part, an earth Goddess that was more inclined to creation and life. But that didn't mean she wasn't capable of destruction and death. Earthquakes and volcanoes were just two of her methods for venting her anger when thwarted or opposed.

The appearance she fostered, one of benevolence and acceptance, was an illusion. Each trait was one that she made an effort to promote whenever since she incarnated. Her benign aspect changed as she read the recesses of my soul and mind, to [See] and [Understand] the stings of [Fate] that surrounded me and how they moved to eclipse current events on this planet.

Once she realized that I had bargained for the release of the Tuatha de Danann and that I had tricked Athena, Loki, Coyote, and Set into releasing the entire Pantheon of Gods, that glint of ruthless determination that all Sidhe were capable of flickered across her face. It transformed the aura she had been projecting into something more predatory.

I watched as she began a silent conversation between Beleros, Cyronax, and Arianrhod. I watched as that cruel determination sparked amongst thema glint of anticipation that could not be contained. And although I couldn't be sure what they discussed, I had an idea.

The quests I had been given were the closest the Tuatha de Danann had come to find a way forward, an escape from [Sleep] and freedom. Those quests, stamped with the [Authority] of System, meant that I had a chance for success. It didn't matter how Athena or Loki tried to weasel out from their sworn [Oath]. If the quests were completed, System would automatically release the Tuatha de Danann.

Danu's smile grew wider, her entire presence now taking on that hint of cruelty the Sidhe were famous for. I felt a shudder down my back as I watched her transform. The Sidhe were feared for a reason, and I understood where that fear originated, gazing upon Danu's countenance. Even for those that might not deserve our cruelty, we could show no remorse. For those that gained our enmity, there would be nothing that could save them if they fell within our grasp.

"You have done well, Teigh," Danu projected. "Zeus and Odin will flail in fury when they find they have been betrayed by their own. It is too little recompense for what they have done to the Tuatha de Danann, but it is a start."

The Tuatha de Danann were different than any of the other Gods. Because of their tie to the Summerlands, a place that had access to every universe, every world, every dimension, there was only the need for one incarnation.

The Danu before me was the same Danu that existed across the multiverse. Zeus and Odin were each fractured, splintered incarnations. The Zeus and Odin of this universe were a reflection of the 'idea' for each God. It was this hatred and jealousy that allowed the Tuatha de Danann to be trapped in [Sleep]

I have no idea what the Pantheon of Gods had done in my original universe to force the Sidhe Gods into [Sleep]. But they had forced an agreement on them, strong enough that the only Gods besides the Alpha and the Omega to cross all dimensions agreed to it.

All except Gwyn ap Nudd.

But he was more a universal [Law] than a God. A servant of justice and a harbinger of vengeance.

"We have changed these 'Yeti' as a people. Gifted them with the same blessings all Sidhe enjoy," Cyronax said, gaining my attention. " I have accepted them and added a trace of my bloodline to them. Enough to give them even more control over the cold and snow than they already possess."

I had felt the expression of power at his words. A Divine confluence of fortune and destiny that exploded with the combined force of the Tuatha de Danann. The power using Danu as the fulcrum for that release of [Divine Will].

"We have left the form they possess intact but have added a change. Like the Brownies who change into Bogarts when they succumb to anger, these Yeti will transform into Wendigo when they experience rage or despair.

"They will double in size and weight. Their claws and teeth will become sharper, harder, and longer as Wendigo. And their power over the elements will be increase exponentially, powered by their emotion. They will become a force of nature, a blizzard of ice, wind, and snow that few can stand against."

"Beware the Yeti's anger, for they are now children of Cyronax, and in their anger, they gain a touch of his Divine Domain. The ability to release the cold only found within the [Void]," Danu warned.

"As for you," she continued, "you have taken action without the prompting of System. You have worked and schemed to release us from [Sleep]. You might not be the first Sidhe to try to change our fortune, but you have come closer than any other in succeeding. We are pleased with your actions and determination and will give you a portion of our [Will].

"You will need to cloak your actions in [Shadow] if you hope to succeed. Assailing Olympus is possible with the power you now possess. But to travel the Bifrost bridge and get past Heimdall, you will need the ability to evade his [Sight]."

"Or find another way into Asgard," Cyronax interjected. I wondered if he was hinting another way existed.

"You have already gained our [Blessing] the last time we met. This time we go farther. We will gift you with a third bloodline. Renaming and remaking you as Teigh Mac de Beleros y Cyronax y Cailleach," Danu continued as if Cyronax had not spoken.

"Cailleach is the Goddess of Shadows. Her [Domain] gives her the ability to manifest mists, darkness, and showers of fire and blood. During times of change, she is called upon. A harbinger Goddess whose abilities facilitate those changes.

"What you would do. What you plan to do is well suited for her [Domain]. The journey you embark on, if successful, will be the biggest change for the Tuatha de Danann since we have entered [Sleep]. You will be well served by becoming the son of Cailleach. Your actions and your deviousness will mesh well with the power over illusion and shadow you will gain."

"You will be known as the Sidhe King of Light and Darkness. A hybrid King, part Seelie, part Unseelie," Arianrhod proclaimed. "The Yeti will worship you, venerate you for the hope you have given them. The Seelie and Unseelie will respect or fear you."

"That worship will be meaningful," Danu informed me. "You have taken the first step into forming your Domain. A place of light and darkness. A place where fire, ice, and darkness can co-exist."

"Here, on this planet, Zeus and Odin have imbued their followers with a touch of the Divine. They have gifted their sons and daughters with enough [Authority] to be raised to Demi-god stature," Beleros continued.

"We have scanned the mortal realm and found this world populated with demi-gods. Hercules, Achilles, Agamemnon, Morgan. Each of these claimed as children of Gods and gifted with [Divine Will]."

"Since those other Gods have acted and allowed their mortal children to blaze with the power of Divine Might, we too will act. You have been infused with a new bloodline. Touched by a third [Heavenly Host]," Danu explained.

"You have been changed, forged into a triumviratean equal blending of fire, ice, and darkness. But there are limits. Just as Hercules' [Domain] is limited to his great strength, you too will need to make a choice. What aspect of your Sidhe heritage do you choose to become empowered with the [Divine]?" She asked.

The decision was not easy. The choices were too many, too tempting. I could become a pseudo-Demi-god of only fire, ice, or darkness, but that would limit me. Like most Sidhe, I didn't want to compromise or sacrifice one affinity over the other.

I wanted them all.

And I believed there was a way to make that possible.

I needed to select an aspect of my heritage that would allow me to utilize best each of the bloodlines I now held. If I picked fire, ice, or darkness, I would be powerful, but it would come at a cost. I wanted something that would allow me to use each affinity and to use them in a way that each would be considered part of my [Domain].

So, I decided to select the one ability that was fundamentally Sidhe. An ability that could manifest using fire, ice, and darkness. I chose glamour. The ability to make [Illusion] real.

Any glamour I created using the aspects I had been gifted with would contain the boosted power of my new [Domain]. Each of my affinities manifested during glamour would be touched with that spark of the [Divine] the Tuatha de Danann were gifting me. And that would allow me to fuse the bloodlines from each God into something more..