Alexander followed me, though on our way, we passed by the land of Pangaea. In many ways it was still an odd thing to see, floating in the depths of space. A great chunk of land teeming with life, a massive tree growing from the center, with nothing but space and stars beyond. The Tree cast its shade over the land itself, but paradoxically did not block the light it needed from the Sun, reaching high up into the air as if to touch the Heaven Realm above while its roots stretched down, dangling as if to touch the Karmic.

And we drifted on.

Only once we reached the Karmic Realm did we break free from the River, diving into the Sea of Memories to take a look at that which was contained within. He showed me a number of his favorite memories, ones he'd stumbled upon in his time here in the Karmic Realm, deep beneath the surface of the ocean. There, in the black waters of the past, lay echoes of memories given momentary, physical form. A hut here, dilapidated and empty. A stone there, drifting down to the bottom…one that had long since been ground into dust by a flowing river.

Alexander showed me a sunrise, flickering beneath the waves. The bright oranges and reds caught clouds in the sky of the planet Cradle, before any life had been brought there. No spirit, no life had born witness to it; but Alexander had. And he cherished that fleeting moment. I showed him the journey of a stone – it had tumbled all the way from the top of a mountain to the bottom of an ocean over the course of a millennium…the things that little pebble had seen.

And so we explored, until, eventually, we pulled ourselves out of the past to sit upon a little sandy island, poking out of the Ocean. It would likely be washed away soon, time obliterating the memory it represented, only for it to resurface at another time and place. I built a fire, and made a pie. It was only then, in the comfortable silence that followed, that Alexander spoke about what troubled him.

"I will not be introducing my People into the Four Realms until after this little spat of ours is over." He rumbled. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, taking a bite of the fluffy pastry I had conjured. It was delicious, and sweet, the cherries within perfectly cooked, but just making one out of thin air didn't have the satisfaction of making a pie from scratch. Perhaps I should do that soon, too.

"Continue," I urged him, through a mouthful of food. Alexander swallowed his own slice in one big gulp, too distracted to enjoy the sweet. Which, considering his sweet-tooth, said a lot.

"I have mulled it over quite a bit. Perhaps it is selfish of me, but I cannot, in good conscience, introduce my People into a Realms assailed by discord. I will not create them in a time of war, for the sole purpose of containing that war." He grumbled. "Elvira and Keilan have had this idea of an immortal people for some time, and while their intentions are noble, I will not follow that same path. I fear rushing my creations."

"There is wisdom in your words, Alexander." I replied. "And I am sure your siblings will understand."

"Is it right, though?" he asked me, sounding well and truly worried. I sat back a bit, setting my pie to the side – it floated in the air beside me, so as not to get any sand from the island on it – and looked heavenward. "Am I being selfish? Should I create a People now, to aid my siblings in our cause? It is a fool question to ask you, after telling you to stay out of our fight, but I need advice, Father."

"Right is an insufficient word, for there is no 'right' or 'wrong' in this case." I said, slowly. "And what is wrong with being a little selfish? Even we gods have to look out for ourselves sometimes. Both extreme ends of the spectrum – complete selfishness and complete selflessness – are harmful in their own ways. Your decision, Alexander, is made from the heart, out of care for your People's future. I have faith that you will do what is best for yourself and your soon-to-be People – your doubt is a fleeting thing. Do not dwell upon it." He hummed, tilting his head to gaze heavenward alongside me.

"Thank you," he said, after a moment. He settled into the sand after that, his doubts not gone, but eased by my words.

"It is my pleasure, son." I told him. We were silent for a moment longer before I stood, dusting off my robes and running a hand through my still-wet hair. The pie I had been eating vanished with a wave of my hand, and I stretched and yawned. Had it really only been a month or two since we started drifting through the Realms? We really had been going slow, but I had things to do. Most importantly, one thing. I could no longer put off amassing power for the Lunar Star.

"I will take you to your mediation chambers," Alexander said, rising to his full height, shaking droplets of water from his scales. I furrowed my brows and opened my mouth to ask how he knew that was where I was headed, but he quieted me with an amused look. "In many ways, you are predictable, Father. Your true body visited each of us in turn, giving us individual time with you. That usually means you are going to have to go into secluded meditation for a time, or have some work you need to focus your full attention on that will take a while." I chuckled and scratched the back of my head awkwardly. Was I really now, so predictable?

"One of these days," I said, instead of confirming his accusation.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.