The Mother of Monsters

Teyva sat with her legs crossed, relaxing on one of the more comfortable benches in the palace gardens. She had a cup of wine in her hand and was looking down into it thoughtfully while Stella played amongst the plants. Yaga sat to her left, watching the little one enjoy herself. She leaned into Teyva’s shoulder, her eyes never breaking away from the little girl’s antics. “An interesting day,” She said thoughtfully, sipping at her own drink. “Stella was blown away by the wall, by the way.”

“I heard,” Tevya said quietly, “Yeah, it’s been fascinating.”

“There are a lot of people who are going to have mixed feelings about Katali heroes being here,” Yaga said, “Some think they’re spies.”

Teyva nodded, “I know. Their quest was real though, they showed me their journals. I even got to see them receive their rewards. Very nice by the way, Journey put a lot of effort into it,” Teyva said with a chuckle. “Regardless, they aren’t Katali heroes anymore and anyone with an issue may freely take it up with me.”

Teyva already had a prompt appear informing her that the two had fully defected and that their alignments had shifted towards her. They were still pathetically weak, but they presented a unique opportunity that she wanted to take advantage of. She wasn’t concerned about them turning on her, not with the effort she was putting into observing them. A few Darkeye went a long way.

“What are they doing now?” Yaga asked.

“They’ll be here shortly, I had them settle in with Batel observing, just in case,” Teyva said, looking down into her drink again, “I’ll tell them the truth amongst the flowers.”

Yaga nodded slowly and nodded to Stella, “You want them to catch a glimpse of Stella, to see what you’re fighting for?” She asked, looking a bit unsettled by the prospect. 

“That’s right,” Teyva said quietly, sipping at her drink again and setting it down. She reached out for Stella and the little girl came running instantly, the connection they shared going beyond some mere telepathic bond. A quartet of beautiful golden eyes looked up at her, hair as white as snow, and that adorable button nose. She reached up and tapped it once, “Hello you sweet thing. Did you enjoy playing?”

“Do I have to go already?” Stella asked, looking mournful.

“Only for a bit,” Teyva assured her, “Nephral is upstairs waiting for you, feel free to tease him a little for me,” She whispered playfully, leaning in and rubbing her face against Stellas. Stella let out a giggle of delight and returned the gesture, reaching up to wrap her arms around her mother’s neck. “I’ve been home a lot, haven’t I?” Teyva asked.

“You’re going to be busy soon,” Stella murmured with a nod.

“I am,” Teyva confirmed, getting a tighter squeeze, “It’s something I have to do. I may even be gone for a while. Do you understand, princess?”

Stella pulled back and searched Teyva’s face for a moment before nodding slowly, her little antennae that she usually kept tucked into her hair bobbing a bit. “A Queen Mother’s people are her children, and she sometimes has to do difficult things to protect them, including being away from her family,” Stella recited, “Noblesse Oblige.”

“And what does that mean?” Teyva asked.

“As those with power it’s our responsibility to protect those who don’t, and uplift them so that they can one day protect themselves.” The little girl recited again.

Teyva smiled at her, “You’ve been listening to Uncle Perry, good girl!” Teyva praised her and gave her cheeks a little squeeze, “I’m proud of you, my little star. Keep growing strong for me.”

Stella beamed at her mother, “I will!”

Teyva nodded to Yaga, “Now go with Yaga, I’ll be up in a bit,” She said and rose to her feet, Yaga joining her. Stella nodded quickly and darted towards the stairwell that lead up to the private residence. Teyva watched her go for a moment before reaching out and taking Yaga’s chin in her hand, pulling her close for a chaste kiss and winking at her. “I’ll see you soon, love.”

Yaga grinned at her, “As you wish, my queen,” She said with a dramatic bow and turned.

Nearby, Stella poked her head out from the entrance to the stairs, “Ewww! Gross!”

Teyva stepped into the archway that allowed guests into the gardens and glanced to her left with one of her side eyes. She spotted Batel approaching with Mack and Delilah. The two of them were looking in the direction that Stella’s voice had come from. Teyva turned to face them, “Are you settled in?” She asked.

“We are, Majesty,” Delilah said, “Thank you for giving us a place to stay.”

Teyva waved a hand, “You’re my people now, it’s the least I can do, you came all this way after all,” She said and turned towards the gardens, “What do you think?” She asked.

“They’re beautiful,” Mack said, walking up next to her and letting his eyes wander over the garden and the enormous windows behind them, overlooking the darkened city and the sea of grass beyond.

“I think you showed us something very precious,” Delilah said instead, joining Mack, “Something you wouldn’t have shown us if you weren’t really willing to give us a chance.”

Teyva nodded, smiling at her, “Good, you understand what I’m fighting for,” She said and gestured to the windows beyond the plants, “As an Ascendant I am called the Mother of Monsters. Every single creature you see in those dungeons was brought into this world by me,” She said and held out her palm, from her delicate sleeve a single mockery skittered out and spread its wings before darting up towards the ceiling where, in the darkness, thousands of golden lights sparkled.

The two of them looked up in mixed fascination and horror, “Woah,” Mack breathed, “There’s… so many,” He turned to her, “The manikins?” He asked.

“Yes.”

He swallowed and looked back up at the ceiling, “I died to a manikin once.”

Teyva’s lip twitched, “They’re rather vicious when they want to be. They make great playmates for children too.”

A silence stretched out for a moment before Mack spoke again, this time a bit serious, “What is the truth?”

Teyva kept looking up at the ceiling, appreciating the enormous hive created by one of her oldest friends, “A very long time ago, there was a people called the labyrinthians, they lived beneath the ground and created enormous tunnels and mazes to live in relative peace. The labyrinthians were created by the titans. The titans were created by the true gods of this world. Orum, Cycle, Journey, Fate, Crucible, and Pastor,” Teyva said, her smile never fading and her eyes never moving.

“The Labyrinthians became an advanced race, proud, and arrogant,” She said and felt Batel lower his head a bit nearby. “They saw themselves equal to the titans, and from their blood created five races. Orcs, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Azar,” She held up her hand and the mana in the air shifted, five symbols appeared. “They uplifted these races after creating them, but still kept them apart, creations, not truly free.”

“As time passed and the throne was passed down, a Queen rose. Teyva Rani, a cruel woman obsessed with immortality. The Labyrinthians respected the process of life and death as well as the burden of living so deeply that their greatest scholars would sacrifice their afterlives to become liches in order to preserve the knowledge of their people. Rani’s obsession flew in the face of that. She committed terrible taboos, crimes against nature, and acts too heinous to even imagine. Four of the five races turned on her, desperate for freedom and the right to live,” Teyva continued.

“The Azar turned first, closest in blood to the Labyrinthians, or so they say,” The symbol of the Azar vanished. “The elves turned next, friends with the Azar,” The symbol of the elves vanished, “The dwarves abandoned the fight and hid in the mountains,” The symbol of the dwarves vanished, “The orcs were the last to turn,” She trailed off as only the symbol of humanity remained.

“Humanity fought alongside the labyrinthians, but it was a losing battle, and they fled above the ground,” Teyva said, “With time, the labyrinthians were all but wiped out. The mad queen fled to a tomb she crafted for herself, her last resting place. There, she heard the voice of one of the true gods, Cycle. A being that had gone equally mad with time. He offered her vengeance,” Teyva’s finger twitched and the symbol of the Azar appeared again.

“A curse. The Azar would never have peace. Humanity would be eternally bound to enact a cycle of war and oppression. Every time the Azar gathered together and crowned a ruler, Cycle would call a hero into this world. A lost soul who had passed in another world. They would be brought here to lead humanity’s army of genocide, slay the ruler of the Azar, scatter their people, and upon slaying the ruler, they would be allowed to return to their life before,” Teyva let the two symbols orbit one another.

“This has gone on for thousands of years,” Teyva said softly, “Until I arrived and with time, learned this story myself. I bent the cycle. I refused to return after the brutal death of my adoptive father,” Teyva said and lowered her hands. “A man who sued for peace with the humans. Who tried to plead with them for a chance to let his people thrive.

“I, a so-called hero, chose to take his place. Cycle did not appreciate my breach,” She turned to look at the two of them, “And now you are here. This is the truth of Orum, this world. This is the mad cycle that you have been dragged into against your will, and for what it’s worth, I apologize for my part in it.”

She said the last words with a bow, tilting her head forward towards the two who had come to seek her out. The two of them remained silent for a while, their eyes unfocused, their fists clenched. Delilah was the first to speak, “So what do we do?”

Teyva smiled, “An excellent question.”