Gardens and Loss

“Galyn, dear, can you help me with something?”

Galyn had been staring off into the distance, minding his own business, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Floating behind him was Kinisis, the owner of the brand new Life Oasis he was staying at.

“Uh, of course. What do you need?” Galyn replied with a question of his own. The idea of a Life Goddess asking him of all beings for assistance seemed rather off.

Kinisis drifted down onto solid ground. She was tiny compared to him, but rather elegant-looking, wrapped in starry fabrics and wearing a white cape, tied up over her shoulder. “It’s nothing bothersome, I just want your opinion on where to hang up this massive skull I found.”

“You are… planning to hang a massive skull around here?” Galyn was now even more confused.

“I think it’ll look cool. After all, it’s a Life Oasis I’m building, but I want it to be welcoming to everyone.”

“Skulls… are not really welcoming…” Galyn sighed. “If you want to use it, maybe turn it into a giant flower pot or something? Make a garden around it.”

Kinisis thought to herself, humming a little. “Hm… I could spruce up the entrance with a little garden… You seem like the leafy type, you want to help?”

Galyn frowned. “Why are you asking me to help? I thought Life Goddesses did not need help over more trivial things?”

“Am I not allowed to ask a horticulture expert on making nice gardens?” Kinisis tutted. “Just come along and chat with me for a bit while I make this garden. You’ve been standing there, staring into the void for ages now and it makes me feel sad because you seem sad too.”

“I guess… Wait, what?” Galyn blinked in confusion. “You do not want my help, you just want my company?”

Kinisis nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what I want. Because I think you and I feel the same way right now.”

Galyn stepped back cautiously. “I… do not follow. Nor am I in any position to help you with pangenysis or xanagenysis or whatever it’s called.”

It was Kinisis’s turn to blink in confusion. “I… I think we feel the same way but we’re definitely not on the same thinking level. I’m not due for a Xanagenysis for another billion years, and I definitely don’t want to make a new universe with you. I was more referring to how I think you are depressed because you feel like you failed my son. But I’ll be bluntly honest with you, I failed Arkadin. You didn’t fail him, you were presented with someone who was already lost.”

The Decay Lord snarled. “You pre-judge my thoughts, Kinisis.”

“You feel like you failed him though, right?”

“Well…” Galyn hesitated. “Yes, I do feel like I failed him. I did everything in my power and it was not enough. You passively let him get hurt by the hands of your other deities.”

Kinisis lowered her head, blatantly acknowledging that Galyn was right. “Yeah, I did. I was an awful mother to him. And what good I did was too little, too late. Now I can’t do anything for Arkadin, he’s out of reach. But the least I can do is make it up to you and Retvik, who were probably the only decent father figures Arkadin ever had.”

“You know-”

“I know it means nothing to Arkadin!” Kinisis snapped slightly. “I can’t help him so I’m helping you!”

Galyn sighed, then relented. “Alright. Where do you want this flower garden?”

“You’re letting me…”

“You have made mistakes in the past, Kinisis. But you go above and beyond most Life Goddesses by trying to make up for your mistakes,” Galyn explained. “I appreciate that a lot more than I outwardly appear to. We both let Arkay down. But he is most likely better off where he is now.”

Kinisis fell silent. Galyn grunted some more, then turned his attention back to the darkness of the void.

“Thank you.”

Galyn turned back to Kinisis and let slip a small smile. “Do not mention it. Now, where do you want this garden to be built?”