Chapter 25: Incarnation
~~ Author Note ~~
https://discord.gg/6PBf4ccNCT
Hello, readers.
"Gasp! A chapter update that didn't take more than a week. Who'd have thought it possible?"
"Hey, don't say that. He's trying his best to create these chapters."
"As if. He's incredibly slow and lazy. I mean, you've seen him, right? He's so unproductive."
"Well, you're not entirely wrong."
"Hey, who's side are you on? Anyway, you guys need to be quiet. They're here to read the story, not listen to the voices in my head."
"Sorry!"
"Heh, I'm not."
"Whatever, just be quiet now."
As always, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
~~ End Author Note ~~
***
Dianthus awoke from his slumber upon sensing a change in the flower he had offered to the stray priestess. 'She used it much faster than I thought.' Dianthus looked down at the woman in his arms. 'Hmmm, I promised not to leave her side tonight.'
After a bit of thought, Dianthus decided on a plan of action. He raised his arm that wasn't trapped beneath Eruza's body. 'This should work even without my bloodline. I'll just substitute with my conceptual divinity.'
From Dianthus' extended palm, a small flower bud emerged and sprouted. He let it slowly fall from his hand. However, the plant hovered in the air rather than descending to the ground. The plant quickly bloomed into a mature plant, but it didn't stop growing.
Gradually what was once stems and leaves coalesced, forming the silhouette of a man. A faint translucent blue glow surrounded the figure as the greenery twisted together into a more solid structure. As the form became more human-like, skin and hair began to form over the top of the tangled plants. The process continued until there was a carbon copy of Dianthus standing nearby the bed. The only differences lie in the lack of genitalia and the hair being significantly pinker.
Using his canines, Dianthus tore open the flesh on his finger. He reached out his hand, pressing the bleeding area against the duplicate's head. He closed his eyes briefly and focused on splitting his senses.
Upon their reopening, his violet slits were met with the sight of a pair of pink orbs starting back. 'This process is much more troublesome now,' Dianthus thought as a bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. After wiping away the sweat, Dianthus closed his eyes and pulled Eruza closer.
While the original returned to slumber, the duplicate walked out of the room and headed outside the house. As soon as it had exited, it found itself face to face with Semiramis.
"I see you made a drone," Semiramis looked carefully at the duplicate.
"Yeah, it was much tougher to do without the assistance of stolen bloodlines," the copy said. "I can still control it normally, but I think one is my limit until I'm fully healed."
Semiramis hummed thoughtfully. "Why'd you create a drone anyways? I thought you said it was a hassle to control multiple bodies at once."
"While it's undoubtedly annoying, the convenience of being in multiple places at once is nice. I made a drone now so that I didn't have to break my promise with Eruza. I told her I wouldn't leave her side tonight," Dianthus said.
"I hope you're not thinking of spending time with us using a fake body," Semiramis frowned. "I don't care that you are in control of the fakes."
"Of course not." Dianthus was offended by her thoughts. "I plan on using the drones to take care of smaller hassles. When I don't need them, I'll shut them down. I have no intention of using a fake body to spend time with my loved ones."
Semiramis smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. The previous you didn't think twice when using your drones."
"I suppose you're right," he sighed. " I was rather careless back then. But, I won't make the same mistakes again."
Semiramis was happy to hear his resolution. "So, where are you going right now?"
"A priestess I happened to meet has called upon me," he answered. "I thought she would make a great incarnation, but she declined my proposal. It seems she has since changed her mind. So, I'm heading out to meet her now."
"Oh? Sounds interesting. Do you mind if I tag along?" The goddess looked at him with a set of puppy dog eyes.
Dianthus chuckled at her act. "No need to act so pitiful. Of course, you can tag along. So long as you don't mind that this isn't my original body."
Semiramis noticed the smirk that formed on his face. "Ha-ha, very funny. Using my words against me now, are we?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, playing innocent. "We should probably leave now. It's been quite a while since the priestess called for me." Dianthus' drone and Semiramis disappeared into a torrent of petals.
***
In the quiet of the night, a lone priestess was seated upon a dead log. A small fire was burning in front of her. Despite being the sole source of warmth, the priestess was sitting some distance away. She was seated such that the light only touched upon the fabric covering her legs. The remainder of her body was bathed in darkness. One might think the woman was dead as her skin held no warmth. However, she was simply resting her eyes while lost in thought.
She opened her eyes slowly, staring at the swirl of violet petals that appeared before her. From within the storm emerged two people. One of which was the man she was familiar with; the other was a beautiful black-haired woman. Kikyo observed the woman with her serene gaze. At the same time, the woman was returning the favor.
"So, have you reconsidered my proposal then?" Dianthus asked the resting priestess.
Kikyo turned her gaze away from Semiramis and towards Dianthus. "Yes, I have. If you truly have a way to allow me to live once more, then I promise to become your housekeeper."
"Pfft," Semiramis attempted to hold in her laughter. Her shoulder shook as tears formed at the corner of her eyes.
Kikyo looked at the woman, confusion evident on her face. "Who is she, and why is she laughing?"
Semiramis took a breath and calmed down. "Sorry about that. My name is Semiramis, and I'm his wife. At least one of them, anyway. As for why I laughed, it's because of how bad my husband is at explaining things."
"I'm not bad at explaining things!" Dianthus retorted, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, you are." Semiramis pointed at him, "Don't you remember how you confused those three girls? You nearly destroyed their hope on accident."
Dianthus frowned. "That wouldn't have happened if you didn't twist my words at that time."
"You don't understand the problem," the goddess sighed. "You told this priestess to become a housekeeper. How is that even remotely close to becoming an incarnation?"
"She'll be taking care of my realm. That pretty much makes her a housekeeper." Dianthus harrumphed and turned away.
"Come on, don't be mad." Semiramis poked his cheek, "You really are childish sometimes."
"I am not!" he asserted.
Semiramis ran her hand along his arm. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's quite cute."
"I don't mean to interrupt the romantic atmosphere, but what is an incarnation. I'd like to know before I finalize my decision," Kikyo said.
Dianthus pushed aside what slight annoyance remained. "An incarnation is someone who is granted a connection to a true god's conceptual divinity. Once you accept, I'll give you a portion of my powers. Afterward, your life will be connected to mine.
As an incarnation, you'll be tasked with carrying out my orders. In this case, I'd like for you to take care of my realm. Whenever I'm not present, you'll have complete control of the place. Of course, I have no intention of forcing you to only remain in my realm, nor will I order you around against your will. I have no respect for those disgusting gods that treat their incarnations as tools."
Despite his explanation, Kikyo was utterly lost. She was having difficulty accepting his declaration of being a god. Plus, the idea of conceptual divinity and independent realms confused her.
Semiramis took note of her confusion and attempted to explain further. "I know it's hard to believe, but there are many worlds outside of this one. Gods are beings that create a personal world, or realm, that they usually reside within. A true god is a tier higher than regular gods as they possess conceptual divinity. My husband is the true god of flowers, meaning his powers stem from such. It's hard to explain much further without experiencing such topics first-hand."
"Assuming what you've said is the truth, that would mean I would have to serve him as my master, right?" Kikyo inquired.
Dianthus nodded. "That is technically correct. Of course, if I put in the effort to give you a new life, I'll not allow you to back out of this job without my permission. Though, as I said before, I'll not force you into tasks that are against your will."
Kikyo pondered on his words for a moment. "Alright, I accept your conditions. If you can truly give me another chance at life, then I'll become your incarnation."
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