Michael
Somewhere far to the West came an unmistakable aura. A reclusive god who constantly neglected his siblings. Who harboured nothing but disdain for anything that would mix with anything else. Likening compounded entities to figures of mud. One who had never previously shown anything more than a faint regard for their shared ancestry to his brothers and sisters, save for a rare few occasions.

|**Gaia's Caretaker. Anticorruptor.**|
|**Pureman, The Pure.**|

An overwhelming wave of serenity washed over all those present in the Upper Branches of Gaia's Embrace. Everything seemed to contrast heavily against everything else. As if even the very air had realised its own innate separation from the basal elements of the world and was begging to be wrenched free. Then... It was. Parting from a triangular rift in the aether on the other side of which lay a vast, rolling field of crystalline reeds. A pristine sky filled with constantly-fluctuating clouds of silver. Rippling waves of snow-white soil...
And one three-eyed god walking out of the rift, pearlescent broom in hand. Cloak billowing behind him as it glittered in the light of his realm only to darken as he exited the rift. It snapped shut behind him with a resounding **'POP!'**

The serene aura was still present, but it seemed after the initial wave it lost some power. Behind it, some of the more observant amongst them would notice a sense of resolute duty. Pureman walked through the air, continuing his stride as he stepped lightly onto the nearest branch. He briefly knelt down to gently stroke the branch of the Great Mother. He could feel a deep pain within, though faint enough that one may miss it amongst the chaos. He stood, gripping his broom with both hands as one would if they were resting before sweeping a floor.

"To bind this one is to merely move the mess elsewhere. Something you are most familiar with, I'm sure." Pureman said, bluntly, evidently not too pleased that he had to interact with his siblings.

"It is my purpose to clean up the mess. No matter who, what, when, where or why. This is the greatest challenge to my Gaia-given duty thus far. I know I cannot dissuade you from interfering, so instead I will only ask that you keep your grubby paws off the fruit. All of you. Not just the serpent." He stated, gesturing vaguely at Edon with his broom. The serpent's undulating coils sent a shiver of disgust down his spine. *"Not a serpent,"* He reminded himself. No. This was a pest. A pest in the garden. *"A slug."*

Pureman had felt the reverberations of Edon's actions all the way from his realm. Due to the way he'd connected it to Gaia's roots, it took the full brunt of the shaking. It was a mess, yes. But he'd deal with it later. The matter of one of his own siblings cannibalising one of Gaia's unborn children could not be taken lightly. This was why he'd been born. **She must've known.** Gaia must have known that this would happen. He existed because of this *Thing*.

"Stay out of my way. No need to stain Mother's leaves with more gore than is necessary."

Pureman began striding towards Edon. Holding his broom in a stance that spoke of a mundane chore, yet to be completed.

"Speak, *Slug*. Why have you committed this ruinous sin? Why have you forced my hand? **Why have you forced me to rid our Mother of yet another child?**"

He walked closer. Closer, still. Edon would begin to sense a well-hidden, seething angst beneath Pureman's calm surface. A riptide beneath a still pool. Somehow it seemed Pureman was more in his element than the others present.
Richard
It was a quiet presence. So much so that the other gods, unless they were paying attention, would not notice Xanthous appear the next second, a disgusted look on his face. Though the God seemed to be late, he quickly turned towards Edon, eyes narrowed as he surveyed the other Gods. Of course, Edon had caused something. The God of Order and Chaos crossed his arms, noticing sister TSU. He had sensed horrible disdain from his *Mother*, so much so that he appeared here to see what was happening.

Xanthous had promised himself he would kill *Edon*. 

Now was his chance.

He did not move, however, watching Pureman carefully- He did not yet know his allies. "Edon." Xanthous said quietly, seething **Rage** Visible in his tone. "You fool. What have you done to your *Mother*?" The God asked. "To your sibling? And now, as it has it, you bring the wrath of other Gods. For your chaotic act, you will be punished." After all, Xanthous was well versed in his abilities. He sat, cross-legged, in one movement, shaking his head like a disappointed older brother. "You are too chaotic. You are *Defective*."
Michael
*The Fate deity finally takes a moment to catch up. To observe the group before him, the sheer volume of other divine beings that were there simply to make his life difficult. This was a challenge, even his own Mother had turned her bark skin against him. The creeping impulse of disgust and disturbance he now permeated into the air with every movement. Edon was branded an exile and a traitor to all of divinity for his crime... His large frilly tail glows slightly, the first tally mark ever inscribed upon it glowing brightly. His fate, he was shifting it... Realising how it would end, seeing the outcome. Edon could try to outrun this fate. They could certainly make it far, but the promise of actually escaping it. Now that was an entirely different outcome. It was time to address those that had arrived, one by one. As if they were guests to his land.*

*First was Abrielle. The childish and furious voice that called to him as she dropped down from the branches evoked a smile that bled unnerving intent. Her words were falling upon him like a great symphony. A new song he could sing and remember forever, feasting on the change in her emotions. The ever shifting and out of character actions he was ripping from these gods. They were beautiful, a divine sight. Edon takes a long deep breath and samples the rotting air around them all. Enjoying the attention and the eyes on him. There was no fear in his eyes or mind. Only an abominable determination to make everyone suffer a fate worse than the death of this fruit. Eternal torment...*

`"Sister... This is nothing more than a dance of fate, whether you hold my hand or not. We shall still move in unison. Whether that is to strike or make amends, is up to you. For I have certainly made my decision."` *A maniacal cackle rings from the god's entire body. Rippling and echoing from every individual scale, each arcing bolt of energy that had descended upon the deities. They all laugh in unison before fizzling out with a hideous hiss and the squeal of a broken god. Edon had truly gone beyond redemption this time, not that it mattered.*

*Next... Prospero, his initial silence was beautiful. His voice, not so much. The intellectual speak and attempt to sound smart, using riddles and prodding the god's anger. Edons smile had quickly dropped to a low rumbling grow, perhaps Prospero should've remained silent, and nothing would come of this. To think only moments ago, it could've been him that Edon had devoured whole. A mere child to this world, a lucky one. He should be thanking the fate serpent for sparing him... The two had something in common with their more animalistic bodies. His embodying fish. Edons embodying a serpent, though one was more willing to fully indulge in their monstrous appearance. The gargantuan fate deity constricts the branches ever so slightly. Hoping to place and inflict more pain upon their mother... Just as a cruel reminder that the longer they spent here chatting. The more his desires and intrusive thoughts would continue to shatter.*

`"You are hopeful and mistaken. Dear brother. Here is a riddle for you. I am the chattering in your ear, the guiding light that seals you forever. The oncoming tide you can do nothing about... Tell me... What am I?"` *Edon smirks in confidence still. It was delusional aspiration for him to even stand a chance against an encounter like this, Edon may well have been able to wound some of the gods here and potentially even scare some away during the fight but the chances of him being able to drag all of them down was nightmarishly impossible. Somehow, through that sick and tumorous brain he possesses. Those odds still sound promising. That fateful glimmer of ambition would be the motivating factor on why the serpent continues to fight for what he has done. That and... For a certain gloomy companion, he promised her that others would suffer. He was not about to go back on the word of the goddess that had entrusted so much to him.*

*Next on the checklist was Tsu. The small goddess that he had encountered once before. Though yet again, her outrage and fury were a pleasant site for the god of change. He was getting that satisfying feeling of making an impact, every god had felt the shudder from his actions. Edon was changing the world piece by piece, even if the serpent would be shot down and sealed away. They would still forever remember him for what he did. Their minds changed; their fate creeping ever closer. It was only inevitable the slow march of sorrow catches up... Staring with beady eyes as the note. Edon grins with those welcoming jaws of his mouth. Teeth begin pierce through the scales and form in the deity's mouth. To signify the jaws of fate closing upon the group. His tail flutters and slams into one of the branches with a flat thumping sound. Tsu was the last deity Edon had expected to actually show up, let alone fight. Her innocence from the encounter previous made him ill now. After his experience with Melancholia, innocence and curiosity had become a nuisance.*

*Reading the note as it glides past. He simply scoffs and a small bolt arcs from his mouth, zapping and shrivelling the leaf to nothing more than ash. Ash he promptly transmutes to water. Not even giving the deity the satisfaction of seeing her own domains product. He was truly taking no risks, finding amusement in even making the smallest of cuts against the uncontrolled mass of divine energy. He saw Tsu as a weak link in their chain. If he could piss her off enough, she may create crossfire in her attempts to attack him. It would serve as a great distraction and potentially split the attention. A hopeful scenario, one he would capitalise greatly upon should it ever come round.*

`"Sister, you were so curious when in my domain. What happened? Did the world finally show its true colours? It must be so difficult to carry all that responsibility, it's okay. These other deities are monsters too, you should hate them as much as you hate me. For they are the reason I must fight."`

*With that, the god's attention swiftly moves as he continues to constrict the branch, he remains dormant upon. Rav'nixander was becoming a pest here. He was the odd one out, there were no emotional tolls on him. No raised anger, only a simple calm and composed demeanour. A logical thinker that would surely be the biggest problem here. Edon snarls as he continues to defy the serpents will. Still speaking as though he wasn't so close to being struck by an onslaught of attacks. He would make sure the god would feel pain, more than the others. A mortal rival had been struck for daring to think in a sensible method. It enraged him beyond comprehension and the entire serpents body burns brightly once more with the crackling energy that jumps and lashes at the world tree. Small licks of conductive energy against their mother. Constant twinges and tinges he hoped to inflict. The sharp pain felt from eating the fruits could be used as a weapon here. His mothers pleading calls for help would become a great utility in his conquest.*

*The surge of Rav'nixanders own energy would be met with retaliation as Edon flexes his own divine presence to attempt to undermine it. A very visible and clear surge in his own energy, the body shape he had taken begins to fall apart and shift. Reconstructing itself over and over again as he becomes an intangible mess of energy and a swirling vortex of change. Finally, Edon speaks out once more the god his wrath was focused upon. The voice now a culmination of hundreds in an unholy cacophony. The deities could almost swear they could hear their own voices mixed in with this speech if they listened closely. Mimicking their patterns and words to disrespect and stain the ground further.*

`"You cannot counter fate, for the outcome has already been foretold. The only thing you shall find yourself a warden of is the dying breaths of those around you when I am done. You cannot outrun me; you cannot flee from my gaze. I will seal your life forever; you shall remain nothing more than a peon. You are NOT a deity. You are NOT my brother..."`

*Last... But very well not least by any means, Paeon. A god that had snuck their way into the situation without him noticing. Resting upon the branches in the distance and without a care for what was going on. There was clear speech being made but Edon could not decipher it. They were keeping a distance on purpose and seeming to merely be a spectator. The fate god admired this level of bravery, to arrive at your mothers dying call and to let it play out. To let fate run its natural course, the only smile from this whole encounter that had any sort of optimism to it was flashed towards Paeon through Edons hungry maw. A gentle nod of understanding, a mutual agreement that they would not step in and let this be decided.*

*The god shifts and contorts once more, reverting to a much smaller 8 ft tall serpent. Not wishing to make himself a bigger target anymore, seeing the sheer number of deities. It would be foolish to make himself an easier hit. The smaller form rests still on a branch high up. Trying to track every god in the area, his body begins to sprout hundreds of eyes. The scale shattering and cracking as large reptilian pupils smash through his husk of a divine body. Each one observing and watching, constantly changing colour in a near hypnotic pattern. Creating a spectrum of vast colours and a beautiful array. Even in such horrors, Edon had the gall to use pretty colours and flashy appearances to make himself seem more at peace and in control of the situation.*

`"I appreciate those that stand aside to allow the world to take its true path. To those who reject fate and embrace change. I am sorry to say... You are still under my divine wing; your domains are meek in compared to the concepts I harbour. Nothing you do matters... For I oversee it. You are but the Eigengrau of this dreary day... Just like this, you shall be banished when my light takes hold."`

*The attention of the fate serpent shifts as another deity approaches. He yawns and grits his teeth, cursing something underneath his shallow breaths. He needed to kick this off and fast before more gods arrived to try and deal with him, Pureman seemed to have a unique aura and appearance compared to the rest. Entirely divine and acting the part of a beautiful guardian. He was the antagonist to which Edon wished upon the world. The light that would overthrow his eternal eclipse, the two stare towards each other and meet with burning eyes. The hundreds of irises across the fate gods body shift to further link up and match with the other deities. He refuses to allow himself to be attacked with his back turned and was covering for that. It was also a subtle setup for his first attack and the beginning of his onslaught of change. The darkened cloak and the slight anger the snake could sense coming from within the divine one's core did cause another grimace, however. Even one so pristine in appearance had their issues with anger and upset at what had been seen. If only Melancholia was here to revel in the sadness, he had caused. One day he will tell her this story and it shall be beautiful. His mind wanders slightly, to the embrace him and the goddess of sadness had shared. He missed her touch already. The comfort of another that understood him.*

*Another god!? Edon rolls his eyes actively at this point as, yet another deity decides to pervade his ambitions. Xanthous, no less. The god that kickstarted this whole cycle and downwards spiral that left him so confused and weakened to the goddess of sadness and her glum reality check. Seeing them float so casually and without a care was the final straw for the fate serpent. He had HAD IT. Now they would all witness his plans.*

`"I free those from the shackles of this world. You must understand, more than anybody. The pain that living inflicts, the madness it spikes into our hearts. The longing yearns for something greater that we can never truly achieve. I'm afraid to tell you all, this is where the stories end. There is no more to tell. Your fates are sealed. Every. Last. One of you."`

*His tail rattles with a melodic jingle, tally marks begin to sear into the top frill. One for each of the gods, this was the sealing of the outcome. Gazed upon by fates cold visage made manifest. Time would tell what these fates were, yet it had been decided. The eyes across his body begin to ripple and squirm as they blink. Veins and tendrils seem to stretch over the hundreds of eyes as they become bloodshot. His entire form changing as he stares at his group of foes.*

`"I am surrounded by hope. Now, we plunge into darkness. Prepare to witness the ever-changing eclipse. Brothers, sisters. Scum in between. The stage is about to be set; I do hope you will all play your parts."` *Staring at the world around him, the impossible odds. Surrounded by nothing but fury directed towards him. Even the leaves of Gaia give the illusion of being upset with her child. One final push... Edons body explodes into a pitch-black wave. The natural light of the world above is sucked into his personal hellscape. An eclipse... The light was no more, he had finally realised his potential. To blot out the gods, to blot out his mother. To eclipse each and every lifeform and bask in their suffering when the lack of light drives them to insanity.*

*Eyes begin to form from the shadowy centre of his form. Reconstructing themselves, each one an assorted colour and primed to fire. Edon screeches as the swarm of eyes each fire an individual burning ray of energy, an orange outline with a black middle. Representive of the Eclipse he was causing, his fate had got him here. He trusted it would get him out. The deity spins and coils his lower body, sending the beams everywhere as he spins and creates the equivalent of a disco-ball of deadly energy. There was no regard for what or who he hit, the deities around him had a choice. To protect the fruits from the onslaught of these sporadic and ever shifting attacks or to risk the lives of their unborn brothers and sisters to get in close.*

`"Kyeheh... AHAHA- AHAHAHAHAHAHA."` *A sinister, cruel laugh penetrates the hellscape of the emerging war... The war had begun, Edon would make sure he does not go down easily.*
Victor
The eyes that TSU still had on her form before they went 'pop', they looked to shed ashs of purple and syrup-like liquid. Her Hair-flowers (They were much shorter than her usual hair-flowers she'd adorn herself and kind of looked... Ominous if one started at them for long. They had 'tails' of braided red hair, with a yellow-red flower leading it.) separated and went start for the attacks going at Gaia's body, most of them prioritizing defending the fruits. The ones that went to defend the fruits went milliseconds quick. They'd redirect the beams Edon sent out, mostly directly into the void. Some even kind of swallowed them by splitting themselves and 'strangling' the beams.

There was however, something else from the mess body that was TSU just before, a thick red-orange cloud of ash with a very small thread inside, and both were moving very, very fast at Edon's Eyes. They went into two of his random eyes in practically a few milliseconds which splinter into two more which went to do the same thing. Every time they hit an eye they'd leave a flare-like light behind.
Nu
Iona, having just been born, decided to get right to work. There were so many problems in the world to deal with, that she was almost paralyzed from all the choices. Should she try to create her own domain, cutting out a small section of the world that was "Right"? Or should she instead focus on bettering the whole of the world?

Her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed the large gathering of gods nearby. She drifted closer and closer, taking in the scene. Her initial interpretation of the scene was that the chaos of the world tree had spread even here - to where she herself was born. Her disappointment for the world that she was coming to know only continued to grow.

To her surprise however, it seemed as though not all was lost. This didn't appear to be a pointless battle, fought in the name of chaos. No, from what she could tell most of the gods here were trying to set things right. To the way things should be. To bring **Order**.

She knew this because she could tell that one lone god in particular radiated wrongness. Just the sight of them was enough to make her head twitch as she took in a sharp breath.

She understood in that moment exactly what had been done. To eat a fruit from the tree, killing a good before it had been born? It was unconscionable. The idea that this... Creature could have potentially denied the world of her own great presence disturbed her greatly. It was then that she came to her decision. The fight was already starting, and she would contribute as best as she could. She would do her duty. She summoned her blade to her right hand.

"Disgusting creature... You will return to nothingness. You know this to be true. Do not prolong the inevitable" She said simply with an eerily calm voice despite the rage that threatened to overwhelm her. Her voice seemed to echo outwards. She held her body completely still as she watched the creature spin and send it's energy haphazardly across the area.

She resisted recoiling in disgust from the display and instead formed a large golden wall of energy in front of herself and a portion of the fruits of the tree. She stared down impassively at the creature as though judging it. She didn't seem concerned as the wild energy smashed up against it. She didn't need to do all of the fighting here - she just needed to do her part.
Kirk
Lastly, Abrielle finally turned to face the serpent after he was done with all his speeches about fate and change... To believe in such idiotic ideas, to believe that 'fate' forced him to consume, that he wanted to bring forth change via harming Gaia, and then turning around to call the gods who had came here monsters and scum, *Revolting.* It was oh so revolting to the deity, whose eyes shone with disgust and repulse, without any words, Edon knew that at least within this deity's eyes, for until he repented with his very being, his very essence, there would be no chance to make amends.

**"You babble on and on about change and fate, but is your very existence, not an ironic contradiction? To believe in fate is to believe that there would be no change, that everything has been set in stone ever since the beginning, and that ultimately the so-called change you bring is nothing more than ushering in something that has happened long ago, and will happen in the future."** She started off, sighing. **"And to simply be the deity of change is to make your very essence unchanging, no matter how much your appearance or demeanour changes, that at the very essence of your being, your core of existence, you are as you were ever since, and as you will be forever. It's almost laughable how you gaslit yourself into believing your actions actually held meaning, your goals of change will never come, and will forever contradict you. Even if none else, you will act as an anchor, something to hold complete change down, something that will never let the cycle break."** She finally finished.
Gordon
The tumultuous air that had been stewing among this godly squabble began to chill, a cold breeze blowing from an indeterminate direction. From this breeze came a god who had long since been asleep, perhaps waiting for when he had been needed again, perhaps waiting for his mother to call him. The now-formed god stood rigid, his flowing, satin cloak glinting ever so slightly in the light, his skinless face and hollowed eyes revealing no emotion. Haventar formed silently, as the wind does, standing before his siblings under Mother Gaia, with an ever so slight wrinkle in his presence. In his time beyond, asleep, waiting, something had changed in Haventar, a deity once estranged to the creation of life and partisan allegiances. It was clear he no longer felt such strong aversions to these concept, though how long it will last remains unclear.

**"You have given into a desperate and unruly hunger."** He spoke with determination and bated fury, though not above a soft-spoken rasp. **"My rest has been long, and I have pondered my position under Gaia greatly, weighing the consequences of both action and inaction in a moment such as this. But,"** Haventar began to sharpen his words, his voice growing greatly in volume. **"Never had I imagined that one of our great progenitor's creations would dare to inflict their will on her, to supersede her's, to place themselves above Gaia herself."** Haventar breathed deeply and nasally, steadying himself.

Taking notice of his other siblings, Haventar saw unfamiliar faces, though he could not have been familiar to them either. He sensed commonality and brotherhood among most, now understanding that he was not alone in his objection to this disturbed god's action. Feeling empowered, he took his first step to acting on his newly formed philosophies, Haventar raised his right hand towards Edon, and it soon was enveloped in a black flame, dancing wildly. He brought his fingers together and shifted them into a fist, the black fire shooting immediately from his hand towards Edon in a large, circular beam. The beam shot directly at its target, carefully gliding around the fruit of the world tree that had found itself in the way of the attack.