Every year within the heavens an extraordinary banquet is held to discuss the accomplishments of the Gods. Prayers of worship fill the vast land along with the protruding fragrance of incense. Smoke can be seen reaching the heavens with ease as offerings from the people are made in hope to keep the Gods at ease.
These banquets are often prosperous and joyous events in which different Deities would have the opportunity to reconnect with one another regarding their affairs and so on. Sometimes they would be so preoccupied with blessing the people that they would isolate themselves from others for long periods of time. This is exactly why these banquets were perfect, in a way it could be said that they kept them united. Discussions packed with laughter could be heard from the heavens as well as grand bets for future years to be made. This was a normal occurrence as Gods ascended and descended from the heavens. Tales of these banquets were frequently spread by the people and there is one that is particularly well known.
Twenty eight years ago there were two Gods who made a bet on the lives of two mortals. The God of Destruction and the God of Healing were well known in the heavens for being natural adversaries. They were meant to harmonize and balance each other out yet this would often cause disputes. The God of Healing wanted to help the people as much as possible but the God of Destruction hindered him from doing so because of their lines of work. It's not that the two hated each other as individuals, at least not at first. It was more so that each saw the other as a burden to their existence.
They had both ascended the same year and they had both made major accomplishments that were quickly spread throughout the land of mortals. The God of Healing was known to work diligently and bless his worshipers with strength and energy to carry on despite the countless plagues and injuries the God of Destruction would consistently cause. The God of Healing would also produce new herbs with healing properties for the people whereas the God of Destruction would intervene by advancing the immunity of these plagues. This would consistently happen which would often cause the God of Healing to dispute with the God of Destruction. Despite this, time passed and before they both knew it the time for their first banquet had arrived.
Unexpectedly, the God of Destruction had approached the God of Healing to compliment his achievements regardless of their history. Some say there was sarcasm in his words while others swear there were only genuine words exchanged. Nonetheless, the two ended up deep in conversation as they grabbed glasses of wine to drink the night away.
No one dared to intervene in their conversation for they seemed much too immersed yet some say the Gods watched as they sought entertainment in their discussions. They both had such odd and complex ideas that somehow complimented one another. Completely ironic considering their services which were worlds apart. Who would have thought the two adversaries could engage in such a pleasing manner? It was a spectacle to lay eyes upon and the climax was soon to approach when the topic of faith in humanity arose.
Curiosity sparked as they drew the attention of all the Deities in an instant. The God of Healing remained faithful to the people claiming that they have proved to be prosperous within multiple eras despite the constant challenges they were faced with. Yet, the God of Destruction begged to differ as he mentioned how these kingdoms and dynasties eventually fell due to the ignorance and narcissism of the people.
Entirely different perspectives and examples were conflicting in their heated debate, adrenaline rushed within them as they reached their climax and proposed a bet to test the faith of the people as well as their righteous values. They agreed that two evenly matched newly born mortals could be raised in similar conditions and their morals could be put to the test as they endured day to day challenges.
If they faltered into natural corruption the God of Destruction would win and if they stayed true to their righteous values the God of Healing would win. Such a simple and flawed bet yet risks must be made to excite. Still, what bet is there without a prize? The Gods whispered in interest, it was not as if these bets never arose. Yet this bet was unique, it was a bet between two well known enemies with completely different philosophies. It was entirely entertaining specifically because the God of Destruction was involved. One who never participated in bets or even with others at all. All knew he would use underhanded methods to win, after all, he is a God who was destined to create havoc.
Now what made this bet even more intriguing was that the prize was never spoken aloud. The God of Healing and God of Destruction whispered silent words to each other full well knowing what was on the line. Others tried to eavesdrop in curiosity yet mixed messages of the prize were spoken. Some Gods claimed that they were betting on their lives while others suspected they were betting on limiting the others' impact on the people. No one could say for certain what was said no matter how much they tried.
Nonetheless, one thing was agreed, this prize was certainly something grand that would impact the people. Whispers of different tones could be heard filling the room as the bet was sealed in place between the two. The God of Destruction and God of Healing outstretched their palms to each other as light and darkness intertwined in an instant leaving behind ancient scriptive marking on their wrists. The bet had officially bound the two. Once a bet was sealed between Gods it could not be retracted under any circumstance unless it is fulfilled or the two agree to end it. However, ending it still had unspoken consequences.
Both had pride filling their eyes along with a hint of determination, this fascinated the Gods as they continued on with the night. More bets were made as the Gods boasted of their accomplishments yet not one was quite as interesting as the one between the God of Healing and God of Destruction. Others tried to bet with the God of Destruction but they were either ignored or dismissed, as expected of such a cold God. The God of Destruction and God of Healing ended up chatting away for the rest of the night, and just like that the banquet came to an end.
Shortly after this crazed bet, two children were born and chosen to be the mortals the bet rested upon. One child was of royal descendance and next in line to inherit his clan's throne, this child was named Lexxon. The other child was of noble descendance and raised to be a leading scholar, this child was named Greyson. Both had their own individual gifts that clashed yet complimented themselves. The Gods would often speak of small details regarding these children as they grew up, whether it be misfortune or blessing. It was said that Lexxon was a righteous child who would stick up for what he believed to be right while Greyson grew up to be independent and highly intelligent. They both eventually met 17 years into their lives when Greyson was assigned to teach Lexxon the proper manners and etiquette of a ruler, it was said to go quite well. Lexxon was shaping up to be a fine young potential prospect of the throne while Greyson would be his prospective right hand man. Due to this it was believed that the God Healing was going to win, that was until another year passed.
It was said that Lexxon eventually grew ill causing his right to the throne to be forfeited to his sibling, Aston Asher. This created massive controversy within the heavens as it looked as if the God of Destruction intervened and turned the tides of this bet in his favor with his specialty, plagues. Yet, this rumor was to no avail as Lexxon would remain strong with Greyson's support. After all, this was only a minor inconvenience of their journey.
However, shortly after this incident, an internal rebellion would eventually break out over limited resources in which Lexxon would be named General of the Asher Clan. This would create another great controversy as the Gods found it very odd, how could Lexxon suddenly fall ill followed by a war? Isn't this too coincidental? It had to be tampering by none other than the God of Destruction. They all looked down upon his corrupted methods yet the God of Healing remained unbothered insisting that it was nothing more than a coincidence.
Despite the worry of the Gods, Lexxon would proceed to go to war to represent his clan. It is said that he had infiltrated the rebels hideout and planned a surprise ambush. This was his first battle as well a major victory that brought pride to his people. With this in mind his father required that he come home to discuss future plans. However, in the process he would end up getting ambushed, a surprise counter attack. Many lives would be lost due to this but Lexxon would remain strong and push through. How ironic, it was such a similar strategy to what he planned. It was almost as if they were mocking his actions.
Despite this, he would still come home and a bittersweet celebration for Lexxon's victory would be held within the palace walls. This would put his family at ease as they could see the determination Lexxon had to successfully lead this war. The following days Lexxon would then discuss future plans for the war with his father and brother. Once in agreement Lexxon prepared his troops, weapons, supplies, and rations. He was insistent on leaving immediately before the rebels had a chance to attack again, although his family was against it they still agreed. However, the morning would never come.
That very night something very unexpected occurred, Lexxon had gone mad. Some say it was the stress of the war and others suspect he was vengeful against his people from the start. Regardless, it is said that from this point forward, like a thief of the night, he had roamed around the palace walls silently killing all in sight with a swift slash of his sword. Yet no one had seen this sword before, it was quite precise and efficient. All described it as blood driven with his own killing intent intertwined.
His family were all silently preyed upon by a monster they had loved. He had done so with the widest grin and driest cackle. As much as the Gods wished, it had not stopped there. He strayed out of the palace walls and wreaked havoc on his people. He had danced on his own battlefield of soldiers with his sword bathed in spotlight. He had known all of their common war tactics which gave him an edge to show off his hidden tactics he had studied with Greyson. Laughter, amusement, and excitement could be seen on his face. Green eyes of passion lighting up the battlefield.
Civilians of his clan tried to flee in fear but the worst was yet to come. An unknown heavenly light swirled along Lexxon's fingertips running beyond control in every direction. His town was lit aflame that night with this unforgettable burning holy light. From this point onwards, all signs pointed to the God of Destruction and no one dared to disagree. It had all happened so suddenly and no God could intervene, by the time this slaughter was discovered Lexxon had committed suicide.
As for Greyson, he was among those killed within the palace walls. No soul had been spared from his ruthless massacre. Only silence could be heard the following day, not weeping of family members for they had all been murdered by their most trusted general. Rumors had spread to nearby clans and distorted stories had been created to highlight the cruelty and betrayal that Lexxon Asher had committed. The moral of the story took on many forms, some say it is to be wary of those close to you and others say it is to never give royalty too much power.
After this great misfortune it was known amongst the Gods that the God of Healing had lost their bet due to tampering by the God of Destruction. As for the prize, no one could say. No one had forgotten the tale and no one had dared to bet with the God of Destruction at future banquets. Gods had tried to confront the God of Destruction about his tampering but he refused to see any of them and shut them out as he continued with his usual plagues and fatalities.
In the end, the God of Healing had no choice but to accept the outcome and reflect upon what his selfish actions that day had caused. Perhaps, that was his consequence for losing the bet. After all, if he had not proposed the bet this misfortune would have never happened in the first place. It is said that after he became even more immersed in his work and dedicated each second of his life to helping the people rather than harming them like he had done before.
No matter how much one tries to repent it will be to no avail for actions are sealed in place once they are performed. This bet had become known as "The Great Mishap" and was spread among beings of heaven, earth, and underworld. And with that, in a blink of the eye, 10 years had passed since The Great Mishap.
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