Tears are falling gently from emerald eyes, and I watch them, beautiful crystal structures, falling to the earth near massive hooves. Father. My own eyes search for some comfort, something to tell me I am just dreaming. I would not find the shadow of denial to hide within today. Instead, I saw the grim reality of this death written all over the aged lines of the Earth. I knew, deep in my heart, there was no escaping this time. I would find no void to disappear into, no consoling embrace of the dark to steal me from the horrible world.

I am to hold the torch in the darkness of the world, caused by the menacing being at work here. The marionette strings causing shift in the peaceful island in the sky, painted crimson - they were out there. This could happen again.

Hototo. Come here. We must talk. I nod, my bronze hooves still for a moment, not wanting to move.

Eventually, I have no choice but to separate myself from the blood at my hooves, the strangers who knew my face, and to follow one of the few individuals I recognized. Why can I remember that I am the Son of the Earth, but not my own name? How can I recall his beard, but not my mother's face? I squint, not particularly sure why I am concerned about my identity right now. What did it matter who I was, where I came from? All that mattered was the girl dead on the floor, surrounded by white flowers and red stained grass.

"Why is this happening, father?" I ask, my voice quiet and tired. "Why do I feel she is not the last?"

His words answer my second question. Truly, this poor husk of a mare would not be the last victim, unless... Unless I rose to meet the challenge.

In my heart, the grit of my nature churns, seeking something to grasp upon. My identity is weak, for I know not who I am, where I arrived from, but I feel within my bones that I am strong. Young and virile, but holding the wisdom within my blood to seek the true path. As long as I was the Son of the Earth, I held a covenant with the creatures living within his embrace. If my father could not put a halt to the injustice here, then I would have to. I turn my eyes toward the bloodied corpse, the hollowed eyes, and I nod quietly.

I could no longer abandon my responsibilities, shirk those who relied upon me.
I am mortal. I am little more than a child. I, however, do not have the luxury to bathe in the innocence of my age forever.
The world needed a protector, a light through the darkness.
I shall be the shoulders upon which the world is carried - Atlas, he would not shrug today.

My jaw tenses and I resist the urge to sigh heavily. I did not ask for this life, and my mind even tried to run from this fate. Fate is patient, stubborn, and demanding. I could not escape what had been born into my blood. I could run, but fate would always be faster. I could seek the comfort of the abyss, only to be dragged back into a harsh world with no memories to hold me steady. For the cowardice of escape, I was being punished, tested. I breathe evenly, looking at the broad chest of my father, the strength in his stance. He carried the weight of thousands of worlds, his eyes having witnessed centuries of Helovia's troubles. That he still managed to care, to open his heart, and remain standing... I have much to learn.

"I will find whoever is responsible," I say, my voice determined. "And protect the others if I can."

"I promise."

Support rains down upon me from my father gently, and I smile. Despite the challenges we face in the wake of a tragedy, I felt reassured. If such a powerful entity believed in me wholly, maybe I had been something worthy of honor before my predicament. Whatever happened, wherever I came from, it matters little. The past is written in stone, but the present is our chance to grow, change the characters we can be read as.

The power to change is wonderful. Let's hope I change into something great.

I look around at the others present, their images reflected by each of the gods in varying ways. I began to understand their presence here, my presence here. I was uncertain if I could think of them all as my siblings, but I would try to accept our bond. We have divine blood, which places a burden on all our shoulders. Perhaps, this responsibility split between four would not be as difficult as the mountain of a task I had read it to be. As long as you are not alone, you can achieve anything.

My eyes turn back brightly to my father, so full of warmth and delight at my existence. Was I one of his finest creations, I wondered? I had no idea what I looked like anymore, only that my hooves were solid bronze mimicking his own. Steady and strong, stable like the Earth. We are reliable, predictable, but almost immovable in our power. "I love you too, father."

[ Sorry for the wait! ]