“I’ve been thinking…” Arkay muttered as he buttered some freshly toasted bread and spread honey delicately over it.
“Thinking or worrying?” Litvir asked. He and Retvik were also eating toast, and Litvir was now obsessed with a weird new topping. “Because right now, I want to know where I can get more of this yeast extract.”
Arkay glanced at Litvir’s plate. His toast was rather light, barely done, but it was smothered in both butter and a very, very thick layer of marmite. Litvir had also ripped the toast somewhat as he had struggled to spread the marmite.
“You know you’re only supposed to have a scraping of marmite on your toast, right?” Arkay tutted.
“I can have as much yeast extract as I like on my toast, thank you very much!” Litvir tutted back. “Who are you, the toast enforcer?”
Arkay rolled his eyes. “That stuff is super salty and too much salt is bad for you.”
“I am a deity now. I can eat what I want.”
Retvik grunted, interrupting the argument. “We still need to look after ourselves, and too much salt is indeed a trouble to fix.”
“It is not!” Litvir protested. “I do not know about others, but a high water diet should flush out most unwanted salts!” Litvir trailed off, tutted some more then took a big bite out of his slice of toast. “Anyway, Arkay, my dear, what were you thinking about? Or were you worrying needlessly again?”
Arkay glanced at Retvik, hoping he’d defend Arkay somewhat, but Retvik was busy putting four different jams on one slice of bread, with a square of jam in each corner. Arkay shrugged, then rolled his eyes some more and gave in.
“I’m not worrying, for once. I’m actually kinda confused about something. Something related to Life Goddesses and Corruption.”
“Oh?” Litvir changed his tone to one of curiosity. “What about them?”
“Well, I’m trying to work out what part of me allows me to un-corrupt myself. I originally thought it was the whole ‘being a Synaisthyn’ bit of me, but lately, I’m not sure. Because a Synaisthyn, or a Thrice-Torn Spirit, as Panthon called me, I’m not a thing that mimics being other things, I actually become them. When we went to that stupid Life Goddess party, I wasn’t pretending to be a Life Goddess, I WAS a Life Goddess.”
“And you were pure Corruption as well…” Retvik frowned. “That was terrifying for us. Must have been agonizing for you.”
“I’ll… be honest, it wasn’t painful. I was just cold and hungry. But I had also given up and was waiting to be put out of my misery. Elkay literally performed a miracle, showing me how to change myself back into me. But I can’t help but wander if that power to change to and from Corruption is a power unique to Synaisthyns or not.”
Litvir took a bite of his slice of toast, then put more marmite on it. “You bring up a good point. Because Kinisis chose to become Corruption instead of dying or resurrecting not at her full strength as a Life Goddess.”
“That’s what’s bothering me!” Arkay exclaimed. “Could Kinisis have turned herself back into a Life Goddess? And could Epanophovon done the same? When he struck Kairos down and forced us to make that toxic deal, he claimed he was a “Life Goddess who had gone too far” and said he was tasked by other Life Goddesses to “keep some sort of order”. If what he said was true, that he was a Life Goddess once, and he was one of the oldest strains, did he CHOOSE to become a Corruption and simply refuse to turn back?”
“I assume there is a point of no return or something…” Retvik grunted. “Otherwise Kinisis would have turned herself back.”
“I turned myself back, and my power is nothing compared to a Life Goddess. Life Goddesses warp reality. They can change anything almost.”
Litvir seemed unconvinced. “If they could fix themselves, we would not get Life Goddesses visiting Savepoint, requesting help. Maybe the most powerful Life Goddesses can alter reality enough to change themselves, but I think most cannot. I think Life Goddesses like Kinisis and Gynesa are rare, and most are like poor Lady Zizari, who seemed to die quickly.”
Arkay scowled. “I still can’t believe she was so blatantly murdered.”
“It is a shame. She liked you and, from what I picked up, she seemed genuinely concerned and was killed for no reason…” Litvir sighed. “Life Goddesses are monsters. As bad as Corruption sometimes.”
“I think that is why Arkay has this ‘turning back’ theory…” Retvik replied between bites of toast. “They seem to have similar traits. They want all to be like them, and change others to fulfil that desire. But I do not think most are powerful enough to actually change back from being corrupted.”
“I guess…”
Arkay sighed, then trailed off and fell silent completely, going back to his half-eaten toast. Retvik and Litvir went back to their toast too. Litvir finished his, then waved over a waitress, a thropic being in a frilly maid outfit, and asked for more toast for everyone, and a whole jar of marmite. The waitress smiled and snapped her fingers, instantly summoning what Litvir had requested, before darting off.
“I still think you would look good in a dress like that, Retvik!” Litvir smirked.
“I would still incinerate it instantly…” Retvik growled.
“It’d be funny though!” Arkay perked up. He put himself some more toast, this time with a little bit of marmite. “So, what do we do now? We’ve still got a few days here at this all-inclusive hotel spa thing.”
Retvik shrugged. “I think we should do spa things. Sounds relaxing. And afterwards, we can get drunk.”
“Is it not a bit too early to get drunk?” Litvir asked.
“We are on holiday right now, so no.”
Litvir tutted, then shrugged. “Fair enough. But I want more yeast extract first.”