Chapter thirty-nine
The name Odras is not one known in the epics of old told in the abyss, for who would remember that of a human who had been granted a new life as one of the Fae for their service to a dead Goddess that has been largely lost to time? Nobody would. A footnote of a footnote. An unremarkable existence in an ocean of stars. For her, that was fine. She never wanted anything more than what she could offer the Gods, so the fact that she had the privilege to be reincarnated as one close to them was something she had been and still is eternally grateful for.
Even now, after the fall of those once venerated above all else into the pit of nothingness that was the abyss. Having served and impacted her own generation as both a human and Fae, she held no regrets, for, The time for washing the armor of dead warriors was long over. Along with her sisters, Odras faded into the background of the great conflict that saw the rest of her species thrust into the darkness. There they decayed as without purpose, they had no reason to do anything. This was not to be the end for her or her fellows though.
She had been given the chance to serve another God of equivalent status to her, Lugh. The mightiest warrior, craftsmen, and king. The old king told her-
"Crows of the Demon Queen, our time has ended. Our champions beaten, our lands dead stolen, and our very existence, tossed aside. You who has lost your God, aide me! Though we may have been beaten back into obscurity, I will once again lead us to the light of the stars!"
Naturally, Odras accepted along with her fellows, rising once again into the service of one of their greaters. Now serving the deity of the sun, they helped raise many fine warriors with frightening levels of talent over the millennia. Most recently they had raised a particularly loveable child by the name of Gydion.
Little Gydion was a natural-borne prodigy like his predecessors. In only a decade he mastered the arts of war, cooking, and leadership. This aided by the fact that he had the same flaming red hair as his father gave everyone hope that he'd be the one to succeed Lugh and bring the Fae out of the abyss. Of course, as with any other child, they must leave the safety of their home eventually and explore the world beyond. Which is why today was such an extraordinary event!
Scarcely ever do children once gone return to this house. Odras and her fellows felt the warmth of love in their hearts. Though they acted as if they had not taken notice, they arranged themselves so as to allow them all to be present in the main hall. That way they'd be able to catch him entering without shirking their duties.
The meeting was joyous. Odras and her fellows ensured that Gydion did not forget the love they held for him before letting him on his way. Such an ephemeral experience.
It wasn't enough for any single one of them, though together they all happily parted for the arrangement that had them all in one location had served its use. Odras was once again fortunate beyond that of her fellows, for, she had duty in the Lord's chamber where Gydion would be.
In no short amount of time, she finished her duties and made her way to the lord's chambers. If she still had her heart, she'd likely find it to be pounding in her chest with anticipation.
Though that pounding would have changed once she saw the scene that lie beyond the chamber doors.
Gydion lay on the quartz floor, smoldering where the lord's bed should have been. Odras broke out into action, quickly making use of one of the fabrics she had brought with her. Dousing it with her natural energy, the fabric became something akin to an insulated water blanket with multiple layers. In only moments later she managed to wrap Gydion up and seal him inside so as to stop further damage.
She knelt down at his side, brushing his flaming golden-red hair out of his face so that she could get a better look at him.
"You look just as you did when I first saw you. Aside from the newfound hairline cracks of course"
She gripped his face with both hands, rubbing her thumbs down the hairline cracks that were entirely invisible to the eye. A doting smile formed on her face as she placed a fresh pillow beneath his head that she had brought in as per her duties.
"Perhaps I should take the blame so that the lord spares you punishment? I'm sure you wouldn't like that, but I don't imagine you came here just to be reprimanded."
After making Gydion as comfortable as she could under the circumstances Odras began to clean up the mess of ashes left behind from his sleepy roasting. As with all her other motions, Odras made quick work of the ashes, sweeping them up and clearing them whilst also buffing out the spots on the ground that had been stained by the cooked soot with an abrasive application of acidic sentient slimes.
"Good! All the deep stains are gone. Alls left it to find the Lord and inform him of the happening and that the young master is home to see him."
Satisfied with how the scene looked, Odras cleaned the rest of the room and departed to the maid's quarters.
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Walls made of alabaster marble, floors made of onyx, kitchen utensils, and cleaning supplies made of various other precious rocks immediately set apart the Maid Quarters of Lugh's domain from the rest. With a fully functioning kitchen and an assortment of couches separated by an Island, it was truly what one would consider the ideal resting place in between one's duties. And as with any special day, it was seeing great use. The crows had gathered to talk about their most beloved child.
"The young master looked as dignified as ever!"
"So true! Even his mane looks like the lords!"
"But what happened to his body! He's got hairline cracks all over… I wonder if it was too early for him to leave after all…"
In the corner of the room, Odras sat on a stool next to the counter where her fellows had brewed some tea. Sipping occasionally, she attentively listened to her friends talk amongst themselves.
~How happy a day this is, for us to gather and talk amongst each other like this.~ She thought to herself.
She had nothing to say, at least, that wasn't already being said by her dear friends. All that was required for her was to sit and enjoy the moment, for it was a rare one indeed.
"Odras? You're awful quiet today. Are you feeling okay?"
She blinked in mild surprise and looked to her left where the question had come from.
"Fea."
"No other goes by that name!" Fea exclaimed.
Odras chuckled.
"True enough. I'm doing fine. I was simply… I'm just enjoying my time."
"As you do. You've always been quiet in times like this. Do you not like to talk with the rest of us?"
Odras settled her mug down in her lap, tracing her right index finger around its lip as she thought.
"Of course, I like to talk with you all. It's just that I've got nothing to say."
Fea looked away from Odras furtively, patting her on her shoulder.
"Well, you don't need to say anything. I… I suppose I just worry about you is all. You have this complex about you that always has you separate from us for one reason or another and I don't really care for it. Honestly, none of us do. You may have not noticed but you've been one of us for so long that your origin means nothing. As far as any of us are concerned, you are the same as us."
Odras brought the lip of her cup to her own, gingerly sipping its contents whilst taking in Fea's words with silent grace. She knew that to her fellows she was the same as them. That was never an issue even when she had first become like them before the fall. The problem was that she had never been the socialite type, which when contrasted against the rest who closely interlinked with one another, stood out.
"Thank you for your well-meaning words, Fea. I really am okay. I'm sorry if my silence makes you feel uncomfortable."
Fea cheerlessly acknowledged Odras' decision with a nod. It hadn't been the result she had been looking for, but Fea didn't want to push the issue while everyone else was still in such a joyous move. Just as boisterous and full of energy as before, Fea turned around and jumped right into the conversation between the rest of her fellows, leaving Odras to her lonesome once again.
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Many hours later :
Odras continued about her day with the smallest joy in her heart. The kind that felt like a warm little ball of fire was there to illuminate your day and make it even better. As she had completed all of her duties in maintaining the Domain major, she felt it to be permissible for her to clean the young masters' old smithy, just in case he had the desire to utilize it before leaving, however irregular that may be.
Merry as ever she traversed the halls before eventually arriving at Gydion's smithy. She patted down the apron of her maids' attire in an attempt to stifle her giddiness. Being certain that this would bring joy to the young master just made phantom beats of the heart echo in her chest and mind. A little calmer than before, Odras opened the door and-
A deathly mist of shock, anger and horror arrested the exuberance of her person and clouded her vision as if blood had covered her eyes. So extreme and sudden was this change that smoke from the heat of emotion steamed out of her agape mouth.
"What…!"
Phantom nerves from her times as a human screamed out in confusion and rage as she bore witness to an unthinkable sight.
Inside the young masters smithy lay none other than the sworn enemy of her people, past and present. The energy of the planet that resided inside her shell gushed forth from her chest, peeling back the pseudo skin that had been so useful for those who had been left outside the abyss after the fall. A pleasurable feeling to be sure. As if entering the first stages of a warp spasm, Odras fell to the ground as her body expanded into the stuff of nightmares. Odrases jade feathers sprouted and fell off her body, shattering against the ground, as rage flooded her sense.
No longer was the creature lingering where Odras had been recognizable. The sweet and tender caretaker of the young master had been replaced with a crowling wraith of the planet. What had once been feet turned into the claws of a bird of prey stalked forward, scratching the marble floors with the sharpness of her talons. The horned devil laid none the wiser as her impending death quite literally loomed over her, peering down into the very essence of her soul.
The now bestial Odras rose her hand into the air and without any sound, struck.