Hovering mid-air, in a space of infinitude expanse, was a bleeding elf. Then they heard a question, they've been trying to avoid for who knows how long.
"Samuel, why is your BLOOD RED?"
He did not answer, but his mind was a mess.
'Crap, in the heat of the moment, I totally forgot. I should have injected the synthetic blood before entering. What do, what do? Right, let's just ignore it altogether. After all, that thing is not yet done.'
And that's what he did. He ignored Rahemo.
With a jerk of his body, his chest popped up, his mangled arms spiralled back into action. And the blood that oozed out of him and scattered across the compound all fizzled out. As though he hadn't bled a moment ago.
"Samuel," Rahemo called out, trying to keep her voice calm. "Why is your blood red?"
"Red blood, what red blood?" He spoke with confidence. "I don't see any red blood. Are you sure your eyesight isn't deceiving you after all the battles you've gone through?"
'Just accept it and continue. If I'd known this was what I would be experiencing today, I would have placed it in place before arriving. I wish I could rush this thing.'
"Is that so, then what's this?" She reached out her fingers with the blood smeared on them.
"Sorry," He bent his body mid-flight, his arms covering his eyes for far sight. "I can't see well from up here."
'Why didn't that also fizzled out?'
"Is that so?" She turned into strings of lines and instantly was before Samuel. He jumped back instinctively upon seeing her, for he hadn't even sensed when she moved.
'That scared the life out of me.'
"Aren't you moving a little bit too fast?"
"That isn't of concern." She brought her inches from his eyes. "What color is this?"
"Red"
"We've established the color, then what substance is this?"
"How do you expect me to know? It could be either paint or, or ink!?" He said with a questioning shrug.
"Oh really, then why is your essence emanating… No, the proper word here would be oozing. Why is your essence oozing out of it like a fountain?"
"Ahh, I don't know." He gave another shrug.
"Is that so?" The 'red substance' immediately fizzled out.
"See, it's gone. Remember, we are in the Divine Plane. We foreigners can't be expected to understand everything."
'Thank Ceres, it fizzled out.'
"That's true." With a slight hand motion, her hand was already on Samuel's chest.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing much."
"Then why can't I move?" Samuel tried to create distance between himself and that hand. But he couldn't move.
"Don't sweat it." Although Rahemo's arm seemed like just a touch, the sheer grip behind it left Samuel stuck. "You see, I love to listen to the sound of a healthy beating heart. It brings me great joy."
"That's good to hear, but can you…"
"Shhhhh," she placed all the fingers that once had the 'red substance' on it on his mouth. "Let me finish."
'Please don't say more.' Samuel sounded as though he was about to cry.
"The talk of the heart is bubbling up old memories. I once raised a descendant of mine named Samuel Bein." A genuine smile appeared on her face. But in Samuel's eyes, that was pure menace.
'Lord Ceres, today might be my last.'
"His heartbeat was a pure rhythm. Later in his life, he developed a second heart. A heart of divine rhythm, the Heart of Divinity.
However," the smile disappeared. "As I listen to your heartbeat, I only hear the beat of a single heart." She released a bit of killing intent, startling the entire compound and went as far into the Forest of Trial.
"Samuel, where's your Second Heart? WHERE'S YOUR HEART OF DIVINITY?"
Samuel took a huge gulp.
"Promise you won't get angry."
"Don't try your luck!" Rahemo's eyes were blazing with intent.
"Okay, okay… uhm… uhm…"
"Stop stalling and get on with it already."
"Fine, calm down. Do you remember the time I was the Game Master?"
"Yeah, what of it?"
"During the game, I didn't want to be partial to the players or sponsors, so I kinda took out my hearts and replaced them with Danquery.
After the game, I placed my mortal heart back. But before I could put in the divine heart, I sensed the descent of Lord Ceres. I kinda put it on hold to see them. After that encounter, one thing led to another and I kinda forgot to put it back in place.
And whenever I remember to do so, something comes up. Sooo, that's how this happened… heh heh heh."
"Really, I didn't know," Rahemo's voice was calm almost too calm. "And when were you the Game Master?"
"I don't remember, it's been a while, I think."
'How has it been?'
"It's been three hundred epochs, Samuel. Three Hundred Epochs, have passed since you were the game master. THREE HUNDRED EPOCHS AND EIGHT ERAS since the game board was in your hand, and throughout all the numerous epochs and eras, you're saying you didn't get a single chance to place it."
'Okay, that's long. But it's not that long, I think.'
"Do you understand how long it has been? The number of years that have passed, if given to a computer program to write it out, the computer would crash. That's how long it has been."
She face-palmed, unable to believe the absurdity of it all. "Selene said you were a Procrastinator, and I defended you. Because I know I raised a diligent man, who serves a great god, making such a claim invalid. And here stand, proving her words right."
"Don't worry we are long-lived, this is not…"
SLAM
SLAM
Rahemo's palm streaked across Samuel's face delivering a slap on both cheeks, while her other arm held him in place. He didn't even get a chance, when a flurry of slaps rained down cheek for two whole minutes.
After the minutes passed, Samuel was expecting more. But then he saw falling droplets of water. Raising his head, he saw tears rolling down Rahemo's cheeks.
"Long-lived you say, long-lived! Your mother, your grandfather, your great-grandfather, your great-great-grandfather, my son were all long-lived. Yet where are they now?" Her voice was rising.
"You remember, when the cage was opened, calamity descended upon us. Gods, Deities, Nulls, mortals, none were spared. You lost everything, I lost three of my children. And now our family walks around with scars of loved ones they cannot erase.
And just yesterday a fracture appeared in the cage, I ascended to become a god, and I'm not the only one. I can feel it, more are ascending.
The loop is changing, history isn't repeating itself as we know it. Why, why, just why can't you see we've entered into a blind spot in an ever-cycling history?" She paused for a moment then delivered another slap.
"She," Rahemo pointed at the hatch, at the frozen elf in it. "She has been on the verge of a mental collapse for epochs, and events of yesterday. She would have gone on an uncontrollable rampage, if I hadn't fished her here with me.
Time is changing Samuel, we're not normal in history we're headed to a future.
To a blind future."