“In operation, yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” I waved my arms at the world all around us. “We live in the central position.” I reached down, and picked up a stone. “This is the central position, Your Imperial Majesty.” I tossed it over my shoulder negligently. “It has no dominance, no power. It has only the power to endure the Profound Forces acting upon it, or to align itself with them.

“This is the problem facing this world now. Axiom and Sin are both here.” I indicated those two Lightnings. “As such, the world entire is being pulled towards them.” I made up an image of the planet, blue marble that it was, and started inching it towards the two forces. “At some point, there will be a conflict, and either Sin will triumph, or Axiom will.” The images of the Earth split and fell into shadow and rigidity. “There is no recourse and no alternatives. The Forces on the other side are far too powerful.

“The reason the High Emperors have not moved directly against the Dark is that doing so will bring in the Light if Dark concedes the field, or if the Dark Realm moves directly. It does not matter who wins that fight, as the Beasts must all either bow to the victor or be expunged completely... and they, who took no sides and are opposed to both, will be wiped away.”

As would Thunderbird and the other Beast Emperors who wanted nothing to do with any of this... but it was out of their hands.

They were pebbles, being thrown around, and had no choice in the matter.

“Some will argue there is a Neutral position.” I waved my hand at the center of the diamond of energies, and a new orb of Lightning came up. This one Thunderbird was intimately familiar with, as the violet of Lightning Mana seethed with Primal, Elemental power, pure and strong, dancing as it must and should.

“But that is merely the sight of the storm from below,” I whispered, knowing He could hear it. “His Majesty knows that even as the storm seems free, its rage great, going where it would, bringing destruction and life, it is constrained by laws and rules of its own. It is merely a small, small part of greater forces shoving it along. It lives and dies with no choice in its fate, merely a passing event in the interactions between greater forces.

“There is only one force that weighs on all these forces equally, and that is Free Will, Your Imperial Majesty.”

I again waved my arms to encompass the world around us. “The world itself has no Free Will. The young and the mindless have no Free Will, merely responding to what has been inflicted on the world, unable to choose, only to respond.

“Free Will is the one thing that weights the conflict in one direction or another. Choosing where to make your stand is the right of all mortal beings, and all the Profound Forces attempt to sway them, be it by force, subterfuge, temptation, indoctrination, beguilement, ignorance, misdirection, awe, or any other means.

“Humans, who rise to sapience very early, are perfect for this struggle. His Imperial Majesty is no doubt old enough to have seen the influence of Axiom and Sin rise upon the Human population. The Synod has spread its doctrine of Light across the world, drawing a clear line between Humans and Beasts, attempting to dominate and control all, and bring the Beasts to heel as it does so.

“Sin has tempted the mighty and the powerful, and so they break agreements and long-standing traditions in service to their own ambitions, regardless of the harm or consequences to others. Long relationships with the Totem Beasts and others were and are sabotaged in pursuit of the demands of individuals, and the world is no longer something to share, but something to exploit for one’s own gains, uncaring of the cost to others.

“The world moves towards Axiom and Sin. The High Emperors dare not destroy the Synod of Humanity, for doing so will free the Dark Lords to act. Both sides will clash, and the Beasts will die. They dare not wipe the Dark Mana and its users from the world, for that will free the Realm of Light to invade, and they will also die.

“They can only hope to weaken both sides and seek to forestall their doom, without knowing the way out or being able to find a solution to the problem. It is a very dangerous game, and the tipping point, once reached, is beyond them.

“Humanity is not being allowed to grow stronger beyond other Beast Tribes, Your Imperial Majesty. It is growing stronger because the High Emperors dare not act to stop it, lest they kill themselves.”

I let the spheres of Lightning fade away, and Thunderbird slowly withdrew His head. His unsettled attendants looked on, their feathers ever-so-slightly ruffled at what was going on here.

“YOU CLAIM TO BE OF HEAVEN. WHAT THEN OF CHAOS?” the Imperial Avian wanted to know. He naturally knew of Chaos Magic and its power to change how the world worked, but that was only a hint at the same, and the Anarchy power I’d shown Him had not been what we called Chaos Magic.

“Chaos has always been here, Your Imperial Majesty. What is called Mana and magic does not exist without Chaos. When Bloodlines mutate and new species are born, Chaos is acting. When emotions rage through a species and hordes rampage in flurries of self-destruction, Chaos is there. When magic conflicts and unforeseen consequences arise for good or ill, Chaos revels. When impossible coincidences come together and things that should not happen do, Chaos laughs and points.

“And when War comes, and the future hinges on the wills of sapient beings and the conflicts between them, Chaos exults, for then it is at its mightiest!

“Chaos has always been here. If His Majesty wishes to know of a Champion among the Humans, the Black Curia would suffice as a Champion of both Chaos and Sin, as Conflict, War, and Destruction are the creeds of their faithful, and personal might is everything.”

“MANY OF THOSE SERVE THE UNDERWORLD,” Thunderbird remarked, obviously able to see and hear far more than little Humans suspected He was paying attention to.

“Temptations of easy power for those who don’t care where their souls are going... or, knowing their souls are going there anyway, decided to bargain for some power now to take advantage of it, because, why not?” I just shook my head. “There are only their ambitions in the now, and who cares about after death, Your Majesty!”

“WHERE BEASTS GO WHEN THEY DIE IS GENERALLY OF NO CONCERN TO US, SO THE VIEWPOINT IS NOT SO DIFFERENT, MERELY THE WAY THEY POLLUTE THEIR OWN WORLD, AND CARE NOT ABOUT THEIR DESCENDANTS AND SPECIES.”

I could only raise my hands helplessly. “Humans are often idiots, Your Imperial Majesty. And being called an idiot is fightin’ words to so, so many of them...” I sighed, shaking my head.

Thunderbird was silent and looking away, contemplating many things, or listening to different words and forces, who knew? I wasn’t at that level, at least not without being in active Communion with the Land.

“WILL YOU SPEAK OF YOUR END GOAL?” Thunderbird asked. “WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN, HEALER FAE?”

“That is not a great secret, Your Imperial Majesty. This one seeks the entry of Heaven to this three-part game... well, two-part game that is careening rather badly towards a horrible future for all considered. By Heaven entering the game, the scales come into balance, full choice is restored to all parties, and the inevitable success by Sin or Axiom comes to a crashing halt and grind.

“This one will also note that of all the Profound Forces, those who try to live without making a choice find those of Heaven to be the best neighbors, as the Good do not truly impose their beliefs on others, they uphold the spirit of their agreements, and can get along in Harmony with others, even if they favor their own.

“Law must eventually be in control. Chaos holds to an agreement only so long as their whims suffice, and Sin, well, Sin holds to agreements that benefit them, until it benefits them more not to do so... and both Law and Sin will push and push and push until they have the power and control, because it is what they do.

“Of course, doing so is going to gain the attention of both Sin and Axiom eventually, and their mortal servants will start making moves. They have the backing of Realm Lords and have had millennia to gain resources and power, so I am also seeking allies... and Heaven has never dealt unfairly with its allies.”

“A FOURTH POWER, AS GREAT OR GREATER THAN LIGHT AND DARK AND PRIMAL CHAOS...” Thunderbird whispered sourly. “TO THINK OUR WORLD COULD BE SO SMALL...”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We are all, in the end, very, very small to such Forces.”

He considered the sky and the things He had seen me do, and I waited patiently for His next words.

“EXPLAIN TO ME THE MAKING OF THIS PYRAMID YOU WISH TO CONSTRUCT, LIKE THE ONE IN THE REALM OF BEASTS.”

And I had Him!

“As His Majesty wishes,” I acknowledged with a bow, and I was off.

-----------

“You spoke with Thunderbird without telling me!” I noogied Sama as hard as I could, which just made her turn a disdainful eye my way, laughing at my unimpressive efforts.

I huffed, Found the Flaw, and she actually yelped before tossing me off like a sack of beans. “Hey, that’s not fair!” she groused, rubbing her head and glaring at me.

“Says the regenerating Hag loudly as any injury goes away counting back from thirty...” I huffed as I bounced up from the couch. “Seriously, I could have come in on Reynard Singing an appropriate Song by way of polite introduction, and you didn’t even bother to tell me?!” I threw up my hands. “Crazy Hag!”

“Oh, please. You’re talking theology, philosophy, physics, metaphysics, magic, and alchemy with the Emperor Bird of North America, and you’re building a Pyramid right under His goddamn Nest while serenading Him with the Sublime Chord! You get to MAKE UP the polite Song to introduce yourself to Him!” Sama flopped back down in her chair, spinning around once, and tapped her head. “And of course, all better now...”

“You are going to teach me every one of them goddamn songs, and I’m going to explain to Thunderbird that you thought it would be fun for me to not know them when calling on Him, ‘cause you’re a cheeky Hag with no proper manners.”

“To which He will totally agree!” Sama Cackled gleefully.

Which I was also sure of. Rolling my eyes, I collapsed back into the couch, rubbing my temples.

“Uber-powerful PoT gamer-goddess being overworked?” she asked me without a shred of mercy.

“I have a very full schedule,” I agreed with her. Starting work on Thunderbird’s Pyramid, chatting with Him about stuff, making vivic Braziers and lamps, simultaneous lessons in Markspace, and having to make some time on the two Littoral Zones we were using was a heck of a load.

“No breakthrough?” Sama asked archly.

“It should come as acknowledgement of a Pyramid Maker Title, although given how many of the bloody things are spread around, no way I can get the Lordship. I understand the Egyptian ones are actually soul-gathering devices, too...”

Sama tilted her head, watching me fold back into the couch and close my eyes. “I can see how smart and focused you are, you know. This isn’t fooling me.”

“My public persona gets totally overwhelmed by all this constant shit, so there,” I replied to her utter lack of sympathy. “Maybe I should be getting paid more of my own money...”

She burst out laughing at that despite herself. The amount of money I made every day was insane, and if after more than a year not all of the thousand positions a day at the Spellhouses were being filled... some of those spots were Adept positions charging a lot more money, so I was making more money than ever!

I was definitely Uncle Spellslinger’s favorite taxpayer, I was, for all that I still didn’t have American citizenship... but I didn’t claim it anywhere else, so I was happily adopted as one of their own.