The Belief Paradox

The Prologue

Too bright.

Her first instinct was to scrunch her eyes and get rid of that unpleasant sensation. Only after a few moments, she opened them again. The endless colour palette danced around her like the most beautiful symphony. It filled her senses with an awe and surrounding her from every direction. The new world made her very confused. A shiny, silver dust appeared underneath her feet wherever she stepped. No sky, no ground. She was in power of rearranging her surroundings.

It was so... quiet, like a void. It brought her an unexplainable sense of inner peace. But what if...

"Me."

Nelaime jumped a bit at the sound of her own voice. It was the first word that came to her mind. So she could talk! What a fascinating discovery it was.

But what was this place anyway? The thought occupied her mind for a moment. The more time passed since her awakening, the clearer her mind became. It was her home, of course. The place where she came to life. The place where all those like her resided.

The girl explored her form. Starting from the head, then running down her face. Her hands continued their journey, carefully checking each part, all the way to down until she reached her toes. Every piece of her that she touched felt unreal. Like a distant dream. Or a memory buried deep in mind. After all, she was not a physical being, she couldn't know how it was to experience physical sensations.

Despite that, it was a nice vessel, she thought. Proportional, conveniently shaped and comfortable to reside in.

It was created by - and in the image of - humans. Right. She knew that it was their calls that sparked her very existence. Humans have always been vengeful, often angry, and so petty for various reasons. It was in their nature. But something changed recently. The fire in their tainted hearts burned so passionately, they finally manifested her into existence. There she was. The one they directed all their calls of despair to. The goddess of misfortune. Nelaime. That's what they named her.

The girl sat, then lied down, letting her limbs rest flat loosely. The dust sparkled underneath her body, she was comfortable. Being born was such a mentally exhausting experience. She concluded her believers would be fine waiting for her a little longer. They were fine without her for such a long time, after all.

But Nelaime's leisure was quickly cut short. Her eyes wandered to a goddess standing right above her. She was staring straight into the essence of her being. Her form was so graceful. Shaped like a human woman, a one in the prime of her bloom. Unexplainably overwhelming. Her aura was so strong that Nelaime couldn't draw her eyes away from her.

"Who might you be?" The goddess asked calmly. She seemed fascinated by the new addition to the dimension.

"Nelaime. The goddess of misfortune."

The woman stared silently, thrown away by the young one's demeanour. She didn't get up from the ground for the conversation.

"I'm Kaitsae, the goddess of protection." She introduced herself.

Nelaime finally understood the subtle implication in the goddesses look and got up. They stood face to face. In this setting, the differences between them were even clearer than before. The younger one watched confused. Silently.

"You are the first deity in a form of a child I have ever seen."

"And why could that be?"

"That's how humans imagined you."

"Elaborate, please." Nelaime requested.

"I can only speculate their intentions. But a child is a symbol of trust and innocence. Considering human nature, it is the most natural to assume they did it to silence the guilt. Normalise the revenge."