ALL NOVEL Chapter 2: Chapter 2 : Moera
Raphael's eyes feathered open, and he found himself in a seemingly endless darkness. He staggered to his feet and dusted himself clean, the sound of his palms slapping against his clothes traveling through the darkness without bouncing back.
"Hello? Is anyone there, Is anyone in this lonely….endless abyss" he called out
"Is this what death feels like? It's so boring and…empty" He said, walking around the darkness, trying to get a feel of the place he had landed in.
"Ohh, what is this? It's soft, and has a strange pleasantness to it…I recognise this tenderness but I can't quite place my finger on it. Hmmm…" Raphael muttered to himself as he repeatedly fondled the unknown object in the darkness.
"What do you think you are doing?!" A voice thundered throughout the darkness causing Raphael to shudder, the voice sounded very annoyed and Irritated.
Even though he was now filled with fear, his hands remained firmly planted on the strange soft object.
"W-Who is there?!" Raphael asked
Suddenly the darkness began to lighten up until the space around became completely illuminated by a brilliant light.
Raphael shielded his eyes with one of his arms, he gradually opened his eyes until his eyes completely adjusted to the brilliant light.
He found himself in a white space with nothing else but him…and a girl?!
In front of him was a girl who looked nothing above the age of sixteen judging by her facial features and her slender frame that was 170cm at most when at full height.
Her presence commanded reverence, with flowing silver hair that cascaded like a river of moonlight, adorned with a delicate crown of antlers that seemed to be woven from the branches of the ancient World Tree itself.
Her eyes, deep and all-knowing, glimmer with the wisdom of countless ages, holding the secrets of every past, present, and future.
Clad in robes as white as the first snowfall, her attire is accented with golden embroidery that glows faintly, suggesting the divine power that courses through her being.
At her heart rests a luminous sapphire, pulsating with the energies of destiny.
Her gaze, serene yet intense, carries a seemingly infinite weight.
"Remove your hands from my bosom at once" She ordered Raphael
Raphael's eyes looked down to her chest, back to her face, and then back to her chest again. His face turned red as the realization of what he was fondling hit him: His hands were grabbing a generous handful of the girl's breasts.
He immediately retreated his hands, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please don't call the police, how was I supposed to see in the dark" Raphael dropped to his knees and shamelessly began begging.
"Get up, you're embarrassing yourself. I can't believe this is the guy I fought the king of hell over" The girl palmed her face, her voice laced with obvious disappointment
Raphael got up to his feet, and raised a curious brow, "What do you mean you fought over me? Do you know me? Did you just say King of hell? Where are we? Who are you?" He asked, taking hold of the girl by her shoulders and shaking her with each question he asked
"First of all, get your hands off me, and the next time you touch me without my permission, I'll wipe away your entire bloodline from the history books" She threatened him calmly, and Raphael immediately took his hands off her. He had a feeling that she was more than capable of doing as she said.
With a deft yet graceful wave of her hand, the scenery began to change, what was just an endless white expanse now morphed into something else, a garden.
The garden stretched out into a harmonious blend of colors and fragrances, each bloom a brushstroke in nature's masterpiece.
Tall sunflowers stood like sentinels at the perimeter, their golden heads nodding gently in the breeze. Roses in shades of crimson, blush pink, and pure white entwined with delicate lavender, their scents mingling in the warm air. Beds of tulips and daffodils create a patchwork quilt of reds, yellows, and oranges, leading the eye to a central focal point.
In the very heart of this floral paradise stood a wrought-iron table and chair set. The table, with its delicate scrollwork, was painted a soft ivory that contrasted beautifully with the surrounding riot of colors.
On the table rested a porcelain teapot. The matching chair, with its curved back and comfortable cushion, invites one to sit and lose themselves in the tranquil charm of the garden.
Around this centerpiece, butterflies flit from flower to flower, their wings shimmering in the sunlight. Bees hummed a gentle lullaby as they went about their work, adding to the serene ambiance.
Above, a canopy of blue sky stretched endlessly, dotted with the occasional fluffy white cloud.
Raphael could not help but stand and watch in awe as everything suddenly changed before his very eyes. He looked at the girl who was already sitting down on one of the chairs as she brought a cup of tea to her lips.
She motioned for him to sit down but he was still frozen by what had unfolded before his eyes and he thought to himself that maybe he was dead and met with God. For his sake, he hoped not, because grabbing God's breasts would certainly not mean well for his life after death.
Raphael found himself sitting on one of the chairs without actually moving to sit on it.
"What the fu–" He could not completely get out his sentence before his mouth suddenly closed shut
The girl elegantly dropped her cup on her saucer, "Not a word more from you" she ordered
"To begin with, I am Moera the Goddess of fate and destiny, I am the personification of fate and I oversee the life paths of every single thing in existence, both inanimate and animate.
And you Raphael, you are just one clingy human, aren't you? Normally, everyone at a point in time tries to go against their destined path, do something that completely goes against what is planned out for them, and sometimes a handful of them do succeed and create a new fate for themselves.
But you my child, you never once left my embrace, you lived life as dictated for you without trying to even change the situations you find yourself in, like the time you were in that car crash with your family, if you had just tried to call for help and not concluded that they were already dead, you may have changed the outcome of that day, instead you just accepted your fate like a little bi–." Moera paused and took another sip of her tea
She offered Raphael some tea and biscuits, but one look at the scowl on his face suggested that he wanted none, "Pardon my sudden outburst, I get worked up when I talk about fate and my children.
As I was saying, you mostly just accept what life throws at you without questioning it, and the first time you decided to go against your fate, you tried to kill yourself, oh boy was I furious.
Good thing you didn't kill yourself, else you would have been done for, you have the truck that slammed into you to thank for that.
I had an intense fight with the king of hell over where your soul should go after all, you are one of my favorite children, well it was more of a bickering and obviously, I won" she paused as if waiting for an applause or some sort of praise for her feat.
"After serious consideration, I concluded what to do with your soul. All I have to say is be prepared for what lies ahead of you" she continued.
Moera waved a hand whilst taking a sip of her tea, and Raphael felt relief on his lips, he moved his lips around and stretched his jaw, "What are you planning to do with me?" He asked, a wistful look on his face
"Nothing much, I'm just going to send you into that game you love playing so much"
"I see…wait what?! Arcane days?! You can do that?" Raphael stood up as he slammed his hands on the table
"Yeah, that is the name. And yes I can do that…technically. You see, there are worlds beyond yours, worlds that are parallel to yours, worlds that are created by each decision you choose not to take and every choice you choose not to make.
They branch out, creating a web of infinite worlds, any world you can think of exists within the web, and in one of those worlds, that game which you tirelessly play is a reality for its inhabitants " Moera explained
"I see, let's do it then. If you actually do this, I promise to do whatever you want, I'll even go against my fate or whatnot"
A knowing smile appeared on Moera's face, "Oh I know you will"
Raphael's vision suddenly became blurry, and his limbs became numb until he could not feel them anymore eventually his consciousness was swallowed by darkness