Transcendence

The view from the skyscraper was, for a lack of a better term, breath-taking; the streets, 150 floors below, stood empty, no sign of any cars moving around, no pedestrians wandering. The only sound being heard was the screaming of nearby birds, and the gusts of wind that blew trash around.

“Should have figured that you’d be here, Melati.”

Eyes of multitude, the colour of hot coals, moved from their observance, thin, bloodless lips curling into something that would look like a smile on anything else. Another Divinity suddenly stood on the ledge as well, several appendages pouring over not dissimilar to liquid as the both turned to look at the street again.

“Also should have known that you’d be doing something like this. I saw the records, it has your scripture all over it” the second said, bright grass eyes turning to look at the other, the thin smile still in place.

“As always, you think to understand me, but you never could, Uzarus. I doubt that you ever will either, no matter how many eons we know each other…or how many we go without knowing each other” Melati gave a sound like a dying tree, raising one twig-like finger as a small ball of green and red light appeared on the nail-less tip, “It’s been, what, a few centuries now?”

“Not nearly long enough, why they’d send me though, I’ll never know” Uzarus let out a sigh that shook the windows below them, curling tighter onto the building, grassy eyes lingering on the light, “You shouldn’t be doing this, the humans are for STUDYING, not destroying.”

“Think of it not as destroying them, but as furthering your own studies, your only need in existence. Not all will die, those that survive will be changed, it will make the next few, short decades all the more interesting, after all” a voice like ice whispered, not bothering to hide the borderline hate found within the words.

“Still sour, I see. How very human of you” Uzarus said, not rising to the bait, a cold, humourless smile appearing following the deep growl that startled the nearby birds to flight, “You still dislike these creatures, because of all the time I have put into studying them, teaching their ancestors, that is why you act out like this--”

“I don’t need you to analyse me!” the building quivered, Uzarus tightening around it further on instinct, “YOU’RE the one who left; I stayed behind, forgotten and not worth the TIME of the great Uzarus, I don’t need your pity, nor can you stop me, it’s far too late for any action you might take.”

Correct, of course was Melati, both knew this, so Uzarus could do nothing but watch as the small light sat on the edge of the finger before falling down, straight, towards the far away ground. Baring a few, special cases, no human could see it, if there were any around, it was invisible to them, but several close by animals did scatter at once, fear flowing from them in open waves, but no others thought to attack them, they were all prey in the presence of the small ball of light, no larger than the heart of a cat.

The light splattered and stuck to the grey pavement, wiggling before bleeding into the ground, vanishing into the pipework below, already travelling to the nearby water supplies before Uzarus even looked away to the other creature on the roof, surprised to not yet be alone.

“I can’t stop you, that is correct, you have the right to test them all you want, as long as you do not kill them all within a single generation, but that…it will kill all the humans, won’t it?” Uzarus pointed out, disapproving, but understanding; humans were fascinating, important, but weak, in will and livelihood, their deaths would be nothing in the greater schemes of the Divinities.

“Eventually” Melati agreed, voice quiet and coal eyes still below them, no doubt tracking the creation as it spread to do its sole duty, “But still not all of them will die, they are too hardy, too difficult to kill, even though I eagerly want too. That little experiment is incredibly dangerous, contagious beyond belief, able to survive without a host for days on end, and in any environment. It will spread first to animals, before moving on to your precious humans, it’s unavoidable, I give it a year and a half, 425 days to be exact, and there won’t be a single place on this little ball that will not be affected by my dear creation. My child…”

“OUR child” Uzarus was furious, the building shaking as the appendages tightened even further, cracking the glass and concrete as one, “That creation was made by YOUR hand, but by MY calculations. You cannot think that I wouldn’t NOTICE, Melati! This will come back to both of us.”

“We are no longer one, Uzarus, this does not concern me. When you left, I managed to save some of your research, you could never hide much from me, the creature’s design was beautiful, with so much room for growth, letting YOU destroy it, would have been far worse than anything I’ve ever done in my existence. Our child will change the world, it will no doubt be one of the most important things in human history; we are not known, as it should be, but all parents want the best for their children.”

It was said with a usual chill, Uzarus had always been the one to elaborate to the other the magnificence of humanity, their communities, the treatment of their young, so forth; Melati had always listened, loyal and caring though distant, but had never truly CARED for any of it. Melati LIKED causing humanity difficulties, it was the sole PURPOSE, but had, of own thought and will, left that to other Divinities over the last millennia, far more happy to have been with Uzarus; that had changed when UZARUS had broken away, leaving Melati cold and broken, with nothing but an empty, gaping void.

They had been MADE for each other, both knew this, but were so universally different, it had been difficult in the centuries they had been one, they had been what could be considered by mortals as ‘happy’, but content by their existences, but had often clashed, clashes that had echoed throughout the universe and influenced the stars, even the humans, and the Divinities had broken apart sheer nebula in disagreements. Others had eventually intervened, to calm and soothe, but nothing ever worked and then, one supernova, Melati was alone, in a universe they had created TOGETHER and shared in unison.

It was understandable, when Melati learned Uzarus had left to focus solely on humankind, why the hatred seethed deeply in the Divinity’s being.

 Having the other Divinity so close, after so long, however, was having undesirable effects, after all, those made for each other, will always gravitate closer, even within the cosmos, reshaping entire galaxies, just to be closer to one another, they were no different, even if, in their cores, they WERE different. Melati had missed the other Divinity, this creation, was just another way to reach out, if Melati was honest, which would never happen, Uzarus would only misuse that information.

By the time they had both moved through their thoughts, their creation had moved and infected the entire city, slowly leaking its poison into the surrounding areas, the mountains and animals found within; Melati was correct, this will be worse than anything humanity had ever faced. They would suffer over the next 425 days, many would die, everyone would be affected, but it had already started, there was nothing to be done about it, even if Uzarus managed to convince the other that this had been a mistake. Melati had always been of the mind that Divinities didn’t make mistakes, this would only fuel that explosive argument.

“Fine, but this will cause a rebellion within not only THEIR society, but ours as well; the other Divinities won’t be pleased with all of this, and I won’t suffer MY existence with your actions” Uzarus said, holding out one of its appendages, watching as it twisted before turning into nothing but mist, floating down to blanket their building in a thick fog, curling around it protectively, “Some will be warned, some will speak up of their fears, their warnings. But this is all I can promise, the rest is up to the humans, we cannot control their actions, much less their minds; I just hope this warning will reach the right people, that they’d be able to tell others, that they’d get this under control before your GENOCIDAL idea kills these poor creatures.”

“Poor” Melati gave a laugh like boulders grinding, “They kill each other over simple things, murder for rage and lust and, most of all, greed. Uzarus, they should NEVER have evolved as far as this. The Divinities have culled entire civilizations for less, what makes these APES so special, I’ll never know.”

“They ARE special, but in a way that you’ll never understand…” Uzarus was saddened by this fact, though a fact it was, Melati hated too much to care to understand, “My counter prediction will battle your creation in the next months, and we’ll see who will be the victor, humanity is on the line with this one…if you win, humanity will be wiped out, just as you’ve always wanted, but the others won’t be pleased with this fact. They’ll want your essence as punishment…you’ll be killed.”

“We are Divinities, we do not die, we are reborn as stars and planets and galaxies, we make up the universe and all within…your wording should be more fitting of your love of these humans, Uzarus. Our youngest child versus our oldest, which one of our children will survive?”

Melati melted away, leaving Uzarus alone atop the building; even with Uzarus’ love of the humans, the anger got ahold of its appendages as they SQUEEZED into the building, cracking it even more. A sigh rattled the windows once more as Uzarus turned to mist, venturing down into the ground; time to cause an earthquake, to not arouse suspicion of the damage to the building.

Melati will have to be taken care of, one way or another, or the true transcendence that awaits all of them will never be possible for the hurt Divinity. No matter their differences and arguments, no matter how much have died, how many galaxies have been destroyed with simple disagreements, Uzarus didn’t want to lose Melati, if this would come to be, then neither would continue. Uzarus would also perish, this was known without a doubt.