Pantheon Book 2: The Way of the Tao

Hypocrisy

        "You dare accuse me of bringing chaos?" The Jade Emperor snarls. Melody nods, fighting against the guards holding her arms. Under the Emperor's hateful stare, they go stiff, and she manages to wiggle her arms free.

"You said that chaos comes when someone doesn't follow the Tao!" She snaps, taking a step forward. The guards quickly seize her wrists, but she presses on. "By your own logic, you can't save Tsukuyomi! It goes against the Tao!" The Jade Emperor bares his teeth, a low rumble forming in the back of his throat. Sun lets out another staged gasp, clapping his hands over his cheeks.

"Whatever do you mean!? Our great Emperor, going against the Tao? Impossible!" He giggles innocently when the Jade Emperor turns a murderous stare at him. Melody takes her chance to continue before the emperor can argue.

"You think that it's natural for the gods to go to war. You don't care if they die in the process, because they'll find the Tao in the end," she clarifies, pausing to let her words sink in. "Then you must not care about all the godhood's that would die if the gods went to war!" The Jade Emperor recoils, his eyebrows shooting up. He quickly regains his composure, stomping his foot.

"You know nothing, girl-"

"If we do nothing, countless gods will die, and their godhood's will go with them!"

"Silence her!" He snaps. He glares at the guards holding Melody's arms, and she grits her teeth, preparing for one of them to hit her. But to her surprise, they slowly loosen their grip instead. Melody blinks, taking the chance to wrestle free from them. Nobody moves to stop her as she stomps back up the room, stopping at the base of the dais.

"Answer me, your highness!" She says, meeting his rage-filled gaze. "What about the godhood's that will die?"

"I owe you nothing," he spits back. "You're just an apprentice. You can never understand the mind of a true god."

"Maybe I can, then," Erlang says, climbing to his feet. He steps up next to Melody, his expression neutral. "I want to hear your answer." Melody's heart swells, and she looks around, joy spreading through her like an inferno. All around the room, the Taoist gods nod to each other, whispering and pointing. The Jade Emperor scans the room as well, gritting his teeth.

"You can't be serious."

"I am," Erlang says coldly, holding his ground against his Emperor's rage. "You yourself admitted that people will die if the gods fight. And it's most likely that those people will be the gods themselves. So how can you justify allowing them to go to war?" Melody wheels around on the Jade Emperor, planting her hands on her hips.

"If a gods title dying is against the Tao, then it must also be against the Tao for them to fight and kill each other," she declares, letting her voice fill the chamber. "And so, by your own logic, if you want to follow the Tao, you should want to support our new treaty."

"This is all ridiculous," The Jade Emperor spits, his thick eyebrows pressed together so they look like one. "You cannot understand the Tao; it is timeless and has existed since the dawn of creation." He glares around the room, his voice growing louder. "I have practiced the Tao since this world was formed! If anyone would know the true natural order, it is me!"

"Sounds like you're just making up excuses!" Marcus snaps, stomping to the front of the room. He stops next to Melody, lifting his head tall. "Either that or you're changing the Tao to suit your needs." A flurry of whispers flies around the room. The Jade Emperor stomps his foot, and the whispers stop instantly.

"In case you all forgot, I was one of the ones who helped create this world. It was by my hand that the Tao was born!" He raises his fist as if to show proof.