Swano stared in shocked as the man she loved was set afire by that unwanted ugly God as that drunken bimbo Goddess cheered him on. But she knows her man, he will be fine, she was proven right as he calmly stepped into a portal, most likely to the healing springs of Xanan underneath their base of operations. She jumped off the stage with a flourish. Swano was blessed by the one God that cuckolded Malakai and that was Apollo. The blessing was more so a favor after a young Swano helped Apollo find his sliver harmonica.
This blessing ascended her talent of singing into heights unknown unless you're Beyoncé and or BlackPink from Earth. She grabbed a water flask from inside her jacket and took a swig. Did some soft vocal exercises, cracked her knuckles and began her song.
"SO TAKE ME DOWN THE BOARDWALK OF MEMORY, LET ME FACE MY SORROWS AND SLIP INTO OBLIVION." She sung at the top of her lungs, a raw energy permeated throughout the air, bringing the two Gods attention to her.
Winfrey gave a shout of joy, Swano really was a excellent singer. It was also clear to her that she was the Boss's woman. She could take her no problem, it was when she stepped forward, the dance-floor and club itself morphed around her, the walls melted into stained concrete that smelled of sweat and blood. The floors were replaced with rotten wood that creaked every time you stepped on them. Red party cups scattered everywhere.
Ok. One problem.
The Goddess looked down in surprise to see her hair was significantly longer than it should be, it damn near reached the back of her knees.
"I haven't had long hair like this in a decade." Winfrey said amused to herself as she fiddled with the longs stands of her colorful hair as she wanders around. A sense of unease washed over her but she quickly shakes it off. She picked up a bottle which still had some vodka in it and chugged it only to spit it out a moment later.
"That was bleach! I would know!" Winfrey said angrily as she recalled the time she mixed bleach with gin in a stroke of brilliance that made her woke up five days later being worshipped in the Lost Vegas strip as a deity in the early nineties.
"Illusion Arcadia, how cliché." Winfrey lazily thought as she skipped through the fog, she was going to bump into Swano sooner or later. She knew that this wasn't a new realm as even if you were blessed by a God, that wouldn't grant you abilities that even some Gods can't do without help.
The once dense fog started to clear, showcasing a long corridor with doors on each side. Strobing lights illuminated the long corridor, a myriad of rainbows made her happy as the corridor changed color ever so quickly. The low bumping of music can be heard from outside, chattering and daily conversations muffled by the walls.
A pit formed in Winfrey's stomach, the all too familiar stench of death wafted through the air. There was a strange sense of familiarity that the Goddess couldn't shake like a spider on a sleeve.
All the doors opened simultaneously, making the Goddess jump a little. The lights and music suddenly stopped, it was dead silent. One figure came out from the last door. his face was twisted and deformed. His skin was loose and his dilated eyes were to the point where they was going to pop out of his skull. A mostly clear vial was in his hand, there was still black residue staining the glass.
"Did we accomplish what you wanted my Goddess?" He asked hopefully before disintegrating into a red pulpy liquid. The corridor collapsed, leaving her in a crimson wasteland. Nothing but crimson visage for miles, the stench became unbearable as her eyes begin to water.
"i-I never wanted this." Winfrey lamented quietly. The dirt she was standing on began to shapeshift into bodies.
Victims of the Cult of Winfrey. A cult that went around and got others hooked on the sweet nectar in that vial. A sweet nectar Winfrey created not too long after the destruction of her first love. Something for the one who didn't want to deal with life and was a easy out. A slow acting poison that tasted sweet and got you as drunk as ten cups of beer.
Though who refused this gift found themselves being drowned under booze. To the point their stomachs exploded. She surveyed the area around her. There was no present sound, she couldn't even hear Swano's singing. But on some level, she was aware of it. She examined the faces as best as she could. Each time she looked at a person for too long they too disintegrated into a brownish-red liquid.
She laughs bitterly, as she walks amongst the corpses. Back then she didn't care about these mortals. Well not as much as she does now. Besides what was a human life but not a mere second in the eyes of a God? She winced,
She thought she was so freaking clever when she said that to Myraniss of all people. No wonder the Goddess of Time almost burst out laughing. Without thinking she fell on her knees, feeling tired.
"Ok, it just dead people. People you killed through your inactions and direct actions in some cases. No problem. Just going to lay down and try to keep my cool." Winfrey repeated in her head over and over again to keep from breaking down.
She lay down in the warm pool and stare up at...
IT NOT THE SKY.
She didn't know what she was expecting really. There was nothing, she was looking into a black void that filled her with dread.
"It been quite awhile since we racked up this much of a body count." She said, well it wasn't her but her from the past as she skipped through the brownish liquid that used to be corpses. The liquid seem to be expanding, turning the dirt floor into a red river of half-formed bodies.
Past Winfrey playfully splashed in the river, laughing merrily.
Winfrey grimaced, she forgot how much she hated this version of her, which was funny because she wasn't too different from how she currently is now.
"Shut. Up." Winfrey told her past counterpart as she got up and glared at her.
Her past self shrugged, she had the same hair as Winfrey did in this nightmare realm but she was wearing a long burgundy red cloak that covered her body. That cloak was gifted to her by a former lover of hers. Winfrey shook the painful memories from her head that rushed her at every turn. Past Winfrey could only look in disgust at how much of a coward her future self was.
"And here I thought I was waaaay clever than that." Past Winfrey stated as she drunk from a golden jewel encrusted goblet she took from her cloak.
"Well like always, I managed to overestimate my abilities and completely disappoint myself." Winfrey noted.
"Well that one thing we agree on!" Past Winfrey said happily.
"Oh no, we ain't agreeing on nothing!" Winfrey countered back.
"Look at you now with that ugly ass bob, looking like a quirky best friend in a shitty romantic comedy movie." The Past Winfrey taunted her future self as the future Winfrey realized her hair was back to the way it was before coming into this hellscape.
"I know your anime villain looking ass ain't talking, looking like you about to get one shotted by the unseen villain that turns out to be the final villain of the anime despite no previous buildup and then they had to add in that whole bullshit with OH I WAS THERE THROUGHOUT HISTORY!!! MISS ME WITH THAT BULLSHIT!" The Present Winfrey clapped back as the past Winfrey look around to see if that was going to be the case.
"It better to be a disappointing anime villain than a rebound for a pathetic cuck!" Past Winfrey said with a sadistic grin.
"Malakai isn't a cuck! He got cheated on!" Present Winfrey defended her friend.
"Yeah that called cucking, you know that reminds me of-"
"Shut up, don't go there!" Present Winfrey said, walking forward towards her past.
"You didn't deny being a rebound!" Past Winfrey taunted.
"Because that so not true-"
"Just like how the Goddess of Death was a decent rebound for us." Past Winfrey stated, cutting through her present self's attempt to defend herself.
There nothing but the sound of the flowing river wine that seems to continually rise with each passing minute.
"You fuckin-"
"Keep in mind you're insulting yourself." Past Winfrey interrupted , completely bored of this as she takes a slice of ham from inside her cloak and eat it.
"I deserve it!!!" Winfrey raged, on her last nerve.
"What the ham? This mine, get your own." Past Winfrey told her as she greedily ate the ham quickly.
"You are awful...the most biggest piece of shit that i have ever met and I'm going to beat your ass." Winfrey threatened, her eyes have a glowing crimson and indigo hue to them.
"Why? Self-harm not good you know? I mean who are we? Malakai?" Past Winfrey asked mockingly as Winfrey was about slap some sense into this past version of herself until she find that she couldn't move.
Past Winfrey took a head off one of the corpses floating past and then ripped a arm off a another one and proceeded to use the arm as a makeshift baseball bat to hit the head, only to miss several times.
"Damn it! It always when I'm in front of people!" Past Winfrey complained as she bashed the head with the severed arm to relieve stress.
"Have some respect for the dearly departed, gods damn!" Winfrey complained, absolutely disgusted with her past self.
Pat Winfrey turned to Winfrey, her long flowing red and purple hair falling like waves, she glared at her pathetic future with nothing but pure malice.
"What was this person's name?" Past Winfrey asked of Present Winfrey.
"How in the-I don't know?! That not really fair because you don't know their names either! And even then you still shouldn't-" Present Winfrey try to argue but once again got cut off by Past Winfrey who was now pointing the severed arm at her face.
"Oh for the sake of us, stop acting like you actually care about these mortals! Stop acting like you give a damn about the consequences of your moronic actions because we both know that you don't! You will outlive everyone you considered useful outside of the Gods! Why waste what little mental health you have on these stupid mortals?! Sure, your cult did kill a LOT of innocent people, men, women, and the children too! The blood on our hands will never wash off. But hey, there's blood on every God's hands! I mean that is what you tell yourself right?" She said to her future self, pointing a accusatorily finger her way.
She opened her mouth to speak but herself from the past wasn't done with her yet.
"Nah bitch, you finally going to hear me out this time!" Past Winfrey said at a volume so loud that Winfrey had to covered her ears. To regular humans their ear drums would've burst.
"Not to mention all the people you have personally slaughtered, you paint yourself to the frightened public as the easy-going fun-loving party girl but that because you don't want to face the harsh truth. You, well we are complete sociopaths. I know we can't be judged by mortal standards but hey even us Gods have to have some sort of limits. Otherwise well...what stopping us from wiping out everyone we don't like or disagree with?" Past Winfrey stated as she took the head off of a corpse that floated by her and toss it to her future self who hesitantly caught it.
"But you don't give a damn any of these random nobodies, right? Well except for one!" Past Winfrey taunted her.
Winfrey turned the head around to see her former lover's face. It was a forest nymph who was kind and smart. Her chocolate brown hair that Winfrey joked consistently about eating much to the delight of the forest nymph.
"You remember who that is, right? Because personally i don't!" Past Winfrey asked of the present Goddess.
"Sephia..." Winfrey said quietly.
"And how did she end up in this state, I wonder?" Past Winfrey asked rhetorically.
The inebriated Goddess remembered all too well what happen to Sephia. How Sephia told her about her father's alcoholism and The Goddess brushing off her concerns at the time. What her father was doing, destroying his liver with her blood. It was completely in his right, he was just being a good follower. Right?
She remembered there was a man with her that fateful day.
When she saw them pouring Sephia's father's collection of booze down the river, it felt like a personal betrayal. When she saw her kiss this stranger on the cheek and hug him. It felt like her heart shattered into a billion pieces. Is this how Sephia truly feels? was this whole thing a game?
Well in that case, The Goddess had a fun game for her to play.
Sephia died of dehydration three days later. Winfrey looked at her corpse in a mixture of sadness and satisfaction. The screams of the man pierced the drunken Goddess as he ran up to the young woman.
"Cousin Sephia! WHAT HAPPEN?!" He screamed out in panic.
Cousin?
Oh....
This was all just one big misunderstanding. In a way it was kinda funny.
Winfrey sunk to her knees in absolute shock. The dawning horror of what she done encroached on her like a snake to a mouse.
"I'm sorry Sephia, please forgive me." Winfrey said quietly, her voice barely audible, she held the withered head close to her. She softly told the head that she loved her over and over again as the river begin to pulsate. It started to form around her as the river began to rise, she started to move but she felt stuck to the shrinking ground.
A sense of panic overrides her senses and she began thrash about in the ocean of gore like mad but to no avail. The water kept rising as the Goddess felt physically drained, like the liquid was sucking her energy from her body.
A part of her was wondering why she fighting this? She was a horrible piece of shit after all. Why shouldn't she die? Who would miss her? Her daughter Mori would be just fine without her, she is smarter and kinder than her own mother was when she was at that age. And she had a amazing mother in Thermes. Winfrey softly chuckled to herself.
"Hopefully she won't be too sad." Winfrey thought as she slowly found herself sinking.
"No, why anybody be sad about losing me? I hope they throw the biggest celebration this realm have ever seen...." She thought hazily with a sad smile.
Winfrey's throat was dry as she felt herself swallowed into the corpse laden river. She deserves this, it was time for this party to end.
"Maybe it was always meant to be this way." Winfrey thought to herself as the murky and slimy water made it way into her mouth. The taste of raw sewage and blackberries filled her mouth and invaded her nostrils. It made her way into her eye sockets, she let the liquid filled her lungs as she slowly lose consciousness.
She deserved nothing less.
"Hopefully this will bring peace to those who been killed by my dumb-ass" Winfrey's final thought as she felt the crushing weight on her chest. Her eyes slowly began to close.
Malakai walked up to her, the only thing that was sticking out was her hair. She was lying face down in a giant crimson river that ran ankle deep, at least to the God of Metalwork that is. He grabbed her hair and pulled her up from the abyss. She vomited into the river and look around, surprised at the sudden arrival of Malakai.
"Malakai?! How did you make it into my mind palace? Or are you just a figment of my mind like that asshole over there?" Winfrey asked, dangling from his hold.
"I'm you genius!" Past Winfrey retorted back. Present-day Winfrey flipped her off, past her did the same thing.
"It doesn't matter, i know that you're going through a lot. The only way you can truly move on is to confront her." Malakai advised gently.
"Ah Malakai, you finally decided to not be a emotional burden for once! I'm proud of you! Great Character development!" Past Winfrey stated, doing a round of applause.
"HEY! FUCK YOU ME!" Winfrey yelled at her past self.
"No Winfrey, you can't let her get in your head." Malakai told her.
"She is literally me Malakai!" She said, clearly frustrated.
"You know what i mean." Malakai said firmly as he helps her get steady, she held on to him for support. It was funny, it was usually the other way around.
Winfrey nodded and turn to her past self. She started to shiver uncontrollably, Malakai held her hand. She couldn't help but feel so...secure.
"Just like you were by my side, i will be by yours." Malakai told her, smiling. Winfrey look at him for a moment, briefly surprised at what he said before she gave him a small grin in return.
The Goddess took a look at her past self who had a smug smirk on her face, it like this whole thing was a game to her. She couldn't help but shake her head at how she acted back then.
Winfrey calmed down and confronted her.
"You're right Winfrey, even though I changed my ways it doesn't change that I fucked up a lot in the past." She said somberly, staring at the red river they were currently standing in.
"Oh yeah because admitting it will totally wipe away our sins and the trail of destruction we left." Past Winfrey said, unimpressed.
"No, it won't! There is nothing I can do to make any of this ok!" Winfrey yelled out angrily, shocking her past self who began to made her way to the duo. The river began to rise rapidly, Malakai held on to Winfrey's hand tightly. She smiled because having him here by her side gave her some sense of reassurance. Is this what Malakai feels like when she comes over?
"So, you finally acknowledging reality, only took a couple centuries." Past Winfrey stated sadly.
"Better late than never." Winfrey told her past self with rising confidence.
She appeared in front of them, a look of utter disdain on her face as she slapped the pure shit out of her future self, both her and Malakai was sent flying.
They landed in the pulpy red river, thrashing around like mad.
Winfrey was the first to come up.
"Bitch move. But expected." She said to herself as Malakai came up to the top.
Their eyes turned to Past Winfrey was in the air.
"What do you want?" Winfrey asked, she really wanted to get out of this personal hell.
The river dried up, leaving the two Gods on solid ground. Past Winfrey plummets into the ground, a dark purple haze erupted from where she landed.
"What I want?" A new voice asked.
Winfrey's heart dropped.
A forest nymph emerged from the purple haze. She had short frazzled brown hair and her spring green face was covered with freckles. The Goddess of Wine drop to her knees in utter anguish and shock. The world itself seem to darken around them like someone dimming down the lights.
"I want you to forgive yourself." Sephia told The Goddess.
"I...i-Sephia how-" Winfrey struggled to get the words out as her chest felt tight, a sob nearly tore from her throat but she fought it back. Malakai look at Sephia warily, this was no doubt another trick. Sephia smiled warmly at Winfrey, it made the Goddess's heart hurt so much more. Sephia slowly walked toward the two Gods.
"I saw how you care for your friend Zylon who also had a drinking problem just like my father. I'm glad you finally seen for yourself how damaging alcohol abuse can really be." She told the Goddess, a proud smile on her face.
Winfrey thought about it, she did look out for Zylon but that was because he was her friend, there was no deeper reasoning behind it. Was there?
"Listen Winfrey, if there was ever a time to listen to me this would be it. Please stop torturing yourself." Sephia told her seriously as she got ever so closely, the sky begin to darken as the environment got disturbingly quiet saved for the footsteps of Sephia. Malakai stepped in front of Winfrey. Sephia slowly put her hands up as to show she means no harm.
"Winfrey, my sweet grape-" Sephia started before getting cut off.
"How the fuck do I do that?! I'm the reason you're dead!" Winfrey yelled out in anger but immediately regretted it. here was Sephia, showing her more kindness than she ever deserves and what does she do?
She lashes out, just like she did before.
Winfrey stood up, she gently shoves Malakai away. Malakai didn't say anything, he had complete faith in his friend who had always been there for him.
"Sephia..." Winfrey started, Sephia's smile returned to her face, making Winfrey's heart break even further. What has she done?
"I know that this won't change anything but I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry, truly truly sorry for everything I did to you. And if you can never forgive me-"
"Oh knock it off with that brouhaha!" Sephia snapped at her, surprising the two Gods.
"You consistently torturing yourself doesn't do me any favors! Winfrey, despite your flaws you still managed to cure my father of his crippling addiction, albeit by me dying. If you want forgiveness from me, that a lost cause because I don't blame you nor do I hate you. I never did. But you have to forgive yourself, because this sheer hatred of yourself and your refusal to deal with it is self-destructive." Sephia said coldly.
"She right." Malakai said softly, Sephia's words struck a chord within him as well.
Winfrey could only stare wordlessly at Sephia whose expression soften, Sephia walked a little closer to Winfrey.
"Why? Why are you still trying to help me? After everything I done?!" Winfrey demanded, tears now flowing freely from her crimson eyes. Without saying anything Sephia kissed Winfrey on the lips. It shocked the Goddess how real it felt, memories flooded back to their days spent around the edges of a kingdom, joyfully dancing and swapping stories about each other day.
"I-you-wha-" Winfrey was dumbfounded, her heart aflutter and yet sinking at the same time.
Sephia playfully poke out her tongue.
"Hmmm..." Sephia hummed. "Remeber what you told me when I was at a low point in my life?" Sephia asked of the party goddess as she cupped her face in her hands. Winfrey savored the moment of Sephia holding her like this, she wanted this to last forever.
"That it always the hardest before the party truly starts. Even long after the party is over, the memories and feelings you had will last you a life time. Throughout all hardships and the suffering, you go through, there will be moments of pure delight that make the bad times worth it." Winfrey and Sephia said at the same time.
Malakai started to tear up, thinking about his brother Cheelege and all his friends. Like Jag, Almonda, and Rickter. And his best friend who was having a realization of her own. He truly had much to be grateful for.
"And remember what you told me?" As the once dark void that was a sky turned a blinding white, there she stood behind Sephia. Her long raven hair, her imposing 6 ft.5 in height. Her piercing white pupils that glared into your inevitable death.
"That any step no matter how small, is a victory?" Winfrey asked of Thermes who smiled at this. The Goddess of the Underworld appeared next to Sephia who gladly made way for Winfrey's next lover who brought her back from the brink of despair.
"You really are a fool Winfrey. After everything that has happened to you in your life. Are you willing to give up so easily? Where was the Goddess that threatened Shangor, one of the strongest Gods for drinking her special collection of Brandy that she so painstakingly crafted? Where that woman who on a whim became a pirate and fistfight a kraken?! Surely she hasn't disappear." Thermes chastised Winfrey causing the Goddess of Wine to laugh a little only to realize something.
What was she was doing?
"You're right, i can't give up. I owe it to everyone I got left in my life to continue. I can't keep beating myself up anymore and accomplishing nothing." Winfrey said, more to herself more than her two previous lovers as Malakai nodded in agreement. Touched by her words.
They began to fade away, Winfrey wanted to reach out to Sephia but restrained herself. She nodded at Sephia who gave a great big smile in return.
"I see you around my sweet grape." Sephia told the Goddess.
"See you." Winfrey told her, tears in her eyes. They were gone.
Malakai look at Winfrey, who had a wistful smile on her face, her eyes misty.
He was going to say something but got interrupted.
"As if it was going to be that easy." Past Winfrey said behind her. Winfrey backflipped over her as she barely missed her with Mori's scythe. Winfrey landed behind her and punched a hole through the past version of her.
"I never said it was. But we all have to start somewhere, right?" Winfrey said to her past self as she pulled her arm out of past Winfrey's chest cavity. The past Winfrey felled to the ground and instantly disintegrated into pulpy wine.
"Please keep your promise, for our sake." Those was the last words of the past version of Winfrey as everything started to break down. The club's lights faded into the sky.
"I will." Winfrey whispered.
Winfrey turned to Malakai.
"Hey, thanks for saving me." Winfrey told him. Malakai shook his head.
"No, you saved yourself." Malakai said to her, Winfrey smiled but this time it was more of a demure smile.
"When did you get so smooth?" Winfrey teased as she nudge her elbow at him. Malakai could only chuckle at this.
"When I realized I'm not alone, I never been." Malakai said more to himself than to Winfrey.