Invidia: The Goddex of Magic

Chapter 2: The Tale of Chaos

Hecate woke up well before dawn. Not entirely well rested after a nearly sleepless night of tossing, turning, and nightmares, she quickly changed out of her sunset pink nightgown and into her cobalt blue work robes which matched her hair perfectly. While braiding her hair- plaited down her back, not in a crown- the day old deity gazed out her window. The storm from the previous night had indeed passed, although the grounds and gardens were still sodden with water and dew.
    As she made her way slowly down the spiral staircase, Hecate wondered how she would be training. Was it possible her father, Aeolus, would train her? Or somebody else? Could she be killed the first day? What if she accidentally destroyed the palace?
    Lost in her thoughts, she passed through an aurae on the staircase. The wind spirit was not angry, and as she was mostly made of air and clouds, she simply reformed. Hecate, however, was now drenched with water.
    "My apologies." Hecate quietly said, then bowed to the aurae. The aurae nodded politely, and Hecate continued down the stairs, attempting to wring out her robes and hair.
    The goddex made her way into the dining hall, the most direct way to the Eastern Courtyard. All the curtains were drawn open, letting in the pre-dawn light. Hecate picked up an orange from a large clay bowl sitting on the table and began to peel it. The blue-haired goddex peered about the hall, searching for someone else, but saw no movement from any of the entries.
    Once the orange was peeled, Hecate peered under the table curiously, and found Eris. The godling was still fast asleep. Hecate picked up a cloth from the table, and placed the orange in it. Then, she placed the orange next to her sister.
    Hecate stood, and quickly made her way out of the dining hall and to the Eastern Courtyard.
    The sun was still not above the horizon, but there was enough light to see by. As Hecate wandered down the gravel path of the large garden, she took in the harsh beauty of the mistletoe infested holly bushes.
    Mistletoe was not a plant, as Hecate first assumed when she was younger, but a parasite. It thrived off killing other plants. Killing them by sucking up their water and nutrients and then populating itself. It seemed fitting to Hecate that her mother would have a garden of mistletoe.
    The lapis-haired goddex gazed over the bushes, and spotted an outlier. Hidden and abused, lost and nearly dead among the holly and mistletoe was a single white daisy. Reaching carefully into the flower bed, Hecate plucked out the daisy, along with some dirt.
    Though the flower was nearly dead when she picked it, in her hands the daisy sprang to life. Its petals grew whiter and more beautiful the longer Hecate held it.
    "Hecate," said a frosty voice. Hecate spun around to see her father, Aeolus, and a tall man with copper hair and strange clothing. They stood at the edge of the garden. As Hecate took in the new god, she realized with a start it was the god from the memory of her cabin on the grounds being created.
    The Sky King's voice was void of emotion. His silvery hair was uncombed, and his crown slightly off center. His face was flushed though, as if he had just recently been arguing with someone. Aeolus's sky blue robes hung about him loosely.
    "Good morning, Father." Hecate greeted, bowing.
    "I am sure you remember your uncle, Prometheus?" Asked Aeolus.
    "Of course," Hecate lied as she bowed to Prometheus- she had just now recalled her uncle's name and face.
    Aeolus continued. "Prometheus will be training you in your domains, and mastering magic." His voice did not lead Hecate to believe her father thought of Prometheus as an adequate teacher.
    "Yes Father." Hecate knew better than to argue with her father. Aeolus nodded to his eldest daughter, then turned on his heel and returned to the palace. Once he was gone, Hecate let out a small sigh.
    "He is angry with me." whispered the goddex. Subconsciously, her hand ran to her sides in phantom pain.
    "Your father is not angry with you," countered Prometheus. "He is simply... worried."
    "Worried?" inquired Hecate cautiously.
    "You are destined to be powerful." replied the copper haired god. "More powerful than him, the Sky King, Lord of Winds, ruler of Khronoshia. He worries for his reign and his power."
    "I am not that powerful, sir." murmured Hecate.
    "Uncle is fine," Prometheus said with a wave. "I will have none of this sir. Anyway, you have potential. As we all do. Potential you use as you like." As Prometheus finished, Hecate took a tentative look at him. She fearfully stifled a laugh. Prometheus looked at himself.
    "This?" he asked her, plucking at the clothing on his torso. "You may laugh, dear Hecate. It is healthy." Hecate then burst out laughing.
    "What are you wearing, Uncle?" inquired the goddex.
    "A shirt." Prometheus said, then pulled at the cloth on his legs. "These are denim pants."
    "What is wrong with robes?" asked Hecate, confused, motioning to her blue robes.
    "Too flashy," Prometheus proclaimed. "But, we are not here to discuss fashion. We are here to train you in magic. The god traipsed around the courtyard for a moment, before seating himself on the edge of a mistletoe planter box.
    "Tell me please," he started, "what you know of Invidia,"
    "The Elementalist or the object?" Hecate inquired.
    "Of how the Elementalist created the object," Prometheus started, then added, "in fact, tell me what you know of the Elementalists." Hecate took a deep breath.
    "In the beginning, Lady Chaos ruled over the endless sea of nebulae and galaxies. For eons, she reigned supreme with no one to challenge her rule. It was lonely though, and Lady Chaos felt emptiness in her soul. She imagined company, and almost immediately, a small light appeared in the distance. Lady Chaos drifted over to it, an saw it was similar to a new star. It was different though. This star made noise and seemed to be in extreme pain. Chaos looked at the star more closely and saw that it was not a star, but something that resembled her. Its wails of anguish filled her ears and she imagined something to calm it. A liquid appeared, with a similar creature inside it. The liquid flowed towards the distressed creature and calmed it. The liquid dissipated and only the creature inside was left. It moved to where the star-like creature was and hugged it. The two stayed this way for a while. Chaos imagined a place to house the two, and saw a large spherical object appear near her. On top of it was another small being. As Chaos tried to move the star creature closer, the being atop the orb screamed in pain. It could not be near the star creature. Chaos thought of a barrier that would keep the star close, but could not harm the spherical being. A sort of field generated around the sphere, and the star was sucked into it. A new being flew around inside the field happily. The field enveloped the large sphere. All four of the beings were close enough to be near each other, but could not harm one another. The star and the sphere kept moving away from each other however. Chaos envisioned something to keep all four in place. A ring of indigo enveloped all four beings Chaos had created. A being fell from it and began to keep the others happy. Lady Chaos decided she needed to name these beings.
    She approached the star, and thought for a moment. She called him Ra, the Sun. The liquid creature she named Abrianna, the being of water. Abrianna sat atop the sphere with Terria who was the spirit of the Earth. Keeping Ra away from Terria was Ouranos, spirit of wind and air. Keeping all four from going their separate ways was Invidia, the being of arcane. The place where Invidia kept all four Elementalists together is now Origin Palace on Origin Island."
    "Very good," Prometheus remarked, "Now how did Invidia the Elementalist create the object we know as the Invidia?" Prometheus was shrouded in a sunrise orange veil similar to Hecate's violet.
    "After the Elementalists started having children, Invidia saw these children were too powerful. She decided to create a barrier on each being to control their power to ensure it did not get out of hand. She called it the Invidia after herself. The object Invidia keeps power and magic in line. If a creature uses too much power, the Invidia shuts down. We have become dependant on Invidias though, so if it shuts down, we die. The Invidia gives us a life source as well as our magical power. All living sentient creatures have an Invidia. Each is specific to that creature's soul, though some can be the same in color, and the color reveals traits that each being has."
    "Very good, Hecate," Prometheus exclaimed.
    "Uncle," inquired Hecate, as she watched the sun steadily rise. "What does this have to do with training me?" Prometheus stood up and ambled to the edge of the courtyard. He stared out over the Frozen Forest and listened to the winds.
    "Why, you told me yourself. The Invidia is the object that gives everything life force and power. This is essential in learning magic."
    The two stood in silence for a few moments, as Hecate watched the sun rise. A small figure appeared in the distance to the Goddex of Magic's eyes in a chariot, the sunrise following it.
    "How will you teach me to become an Arcanist if you yourself are a Fire Master alone?" the blue-haired goddex asked suddenly.
Prometheus sighed, "I will do my best to teach you magic. Arcane is a combination of all the elemental magics as well as the fifth element, spirit. You would be better off in the hands of Malum, Khronos, Seshat, or even Lady Invidia herself." Prometheus looked down dejectedly, "Sadly, your father has made himself an enemy of Khronos, Malum is... often difficult, Seshat has not been seen in a century, and Lady Invidia may be difficult to ask. She is an Elementalist after all."
    "Thank you for training me, anyway, Uncle." Hecate quipped. Prometheus simply nodded and smiled.
    "Now, let us begin with your training," Prometheus requested, "and let us start with that daisy in your hand."