"Oh, thanks for your warm welcome" Mai replied to the voice.
A commotion came from where the forest was and then a few large and strange birds followed by strange ground animals appeared walking briskly towards where Lady and Mai were standing. Then a tall burly large man appeared, he had a large loin cloth around him from a little above his navel to a little below his knees. The loin cloth was made of a brown and white animal hide and was secured at his waist with a long green animal hide.
Mai smiled and Lady started sweating. She felt nervous, scared and intimidated in the man who was possibly a god's presence. What even scared her the more was his chest long brown beard that accentuated his perfectly sculpted face. The animals all stopped a few inches before Mai and Lady and the god also stopped at the same distance.
"Lady allow me to introduce my elder brother, the god of animals and seasons, Erzhi" Mai said to Lady.
"Ee-ershi?" Lady tried the name on her tongue.
"No, Erzhi. Don't worry, you'll get the name sooner or later but let's get to the important business here" Mai chuckled and turned to her brother "Shall we?"
"Always ready, little sister" Erzhi replied.
Erzhi moved closer to the waterfall and placed his right hand in the stream beneath it, stirring it gently till his eyes turned into a deep purple hue and the skies darkened. He chanted some words unknown to Lady and then the stream started realeasing vapor, an indication that it has been heated up.
"Lady, kindly dip yourself into the water" Mai instructed Lady.
Lady without so much of a word stepped into the water. She was expecting the water to be extremely heated but to her utter surprise, it was just the right temperature for her. Sh sat in the stream and relaxed giving out a deep satisfied sigh.
"I can see you are already making yourself comfortable" Erzhi teased Lady with a laugh.
"Oh hush you, we have more important matters at hand" Mai chastised Erzhi.
Lady took in a deep breath and turned in the stream to face Mai and her elder brother creating ripples on the water.
"So how is dipping myself in this relaxing water going to help my predicament?" Lady asked.
"Well for starters, this waterfall is called the Water of Mai" Mai began "It is a gift from the Supreme One to me. The water has great healing properties, one unrivalled. It can even raise the dead back to life"
Lady gasped a little and frowned "So why is it here and not in our village where all can access it?"
Mai scratched her forehead and replied "It's because, naturally humans are greedy and something of this regard" she pointed to the waterfall "Can be very dangerous if it gets into the wrong hands besides it's a spiritual property for me and no one can get access to it without my permission"
"Wow, you seem to hold much power around here" Lady said in admiration.
"You really got that correct" Erzhi chimed in with a laugh "She is the second most powerful being in the three realms, right next to the Supreme One"
"Really?" Lady's eyes widened.
"Yes really" Mai answered before Erzhi could even open his mouth "And that was what started all this" Mai sighed dejectedly and sat down on the ground.
"Yes, that reminds me, you said you were going to explain some things to me" Lady reminded Mai.
"I do remember very well but first take this pill and lets begin, you have a long story to listen to" Mai said and handed a pill to Lady.
Lady took the pill and stared expectantly at Mai waiting for the long story she had to listen to.
"Long ago" Mai began...
********
Mai used to be the third strongest goddess in the three realms, her sister, the eldest of all the gods and goddesses in the realms was the second strongest. Her sister, Aya was very short tempered but very caring and kind nonetheless. She was given the role of looking after the first shards of humans, to be their protector and guide.
Aya made some rules and regulations and gave it to the humans to follow, giving them a strict instruction that said 'death to those who broke any of the rules or regulations'. Aya reigned over the humans with an iron hand till the humans finally couldn't stand her tyranny anymore so decided to call upon the Supreme One.
Aya was warned by the Supreme One after the humans petition. She became angry with the humans and so almost wiped out the entire human race. This enraged the Supreme One so a punishment was given to Aya. She loosed all her powers and was weakened to the state of a mere human. She was sacked to the common realm to reflect about her actions but instead she tried to take up the sacred waterfall that was made by Supreme One to heal any injuries.
Luckily, Mai was recuperating in the waterfall after a long day so she fought with Aya and defeated her. The Supreme One then banished Aya to the underworld and then rewarded to the waterfall to Mai as sign of gratitude. Aya became deeply enraged and so disintegrated herself, making her body disappear but her spiritual essence free of the banishment. Her essence escaped from the three realms into solitude and then roamed into the Underworld where she waited to reincarnate herself through the Supreme One's prized possession, the humans.
After long years she finally had the chance and reincarnated into the body of a human, her spiritual essence possessed the human body and gradually grows till the day she will finally awaken and take control of that human body.
*********
"Hmm" Lady sighed "That was quite a story, even though I didn't really get everything".
"Agreed" Erzhi agreed.
"And this is where matters gets a little bit complicated" Mai began in a stern tone "Aya's spiritual essence is in Amira, she is the one Aya chose"
Lady stood abruptly from the water,making Erzhi also turn abruptly to give his back to Lady "You don't meant my mother, right?" she asked warily.
"Can you sit back?" Mai glared at Lady.
Lady checked herself and realised that the plain white cloth had stuck to her body like a second skin, exposing all her contours and curves. Ashamed and blushing, she sat back in the water.
"Erzhi turn, she is back in the water" Ma said to Erzhi and then to Lady she said "Yes, I mean your mother Amira"
Lady dumbfounded an utterly shocked and confused, furrowed her eyebrows thinking of ways to refute Mai and tell her that her mother was though a little... unkind but she couldn't have a wicked goddess in her body.
"I knew you wouldn't believe me, here give me your hand" Mai spoke, drawing Lady from her thoughts and stretched her hand towards Lady.
Lady looked up and took Mai's hand and that was when she really saw. In her mother's body was a deep brooding dark essence. The essence had seeped into the very bones of her mother, it was only a matter of time before the essence fully waken. She gasped and withdrew get hand as fast as lightning from Mai's own.
"I can't believe this" Tears started streaming down Lady's face" Is there no way to save my mother?"
Mai sighed "No, I have tried all in my power to do so. It was the reason I chose her as my head pillar so my power could have cleansed her body of Aya's essence but I couldn't. I begged the Supreme One too but all I got was to allow destiny to take it's way"
Lady sobbed and buried her face in her palms, how could she believe something like this?, her mother who had raised her form her early days till date was no better than a venomous viper lying in wait for it's prey. She recalled the numerous times her mother had done good deeds for the village, she was one of the most important figures in the village, her position as the head pillar aside. She had worked so diligently for the betterment of the village, her family, her friends and all those around her. How could such a woman become a living vessel for a maddening wickedness?.
Mai joined Lady in the water and hugged her as she sobbed, her body shaking uncontrollably. Mai could understand how it feels to know that one of your own was just an epitome of evil, she had witnessed it firsthand. Without realising, a single tear strayed from Mai's eye and dropped into the water. Lady had so much in front of her and time will only tell if she would win this war or she would be sucked into the darkness.
Life wasn't fair but no one has control over things that happen, even the gods can control it to an extent but not all, only the Supreme One had the ability to change the path of destiny and even make a new one. Now all she could wish for is to help Lady discover all her power before Aya fully wakens.