Chapter Text
Faint ticking echoed in the silence. With each chime, he felt a small surge of energy. His hand twitched softly as feeling slowly returned to him. The softness of the grass, the cool, gentle breeze, the warmth of the sun on his face, and the unending chime in the distance...these were familiar, yet unfamiliar at once. And he heard a voice, a young girl's voice, calling to him; pleading with him...
“Brother, please! Stop this! You can't keep hurting the Toads! I know there's good in you, Brother!”
He opened his eyes, staring straight into the pastel blue abyss above him. It was a nice blue, the perfect blue for an Ice Bro's shell. He sat up, shaking the grass off his head. He fixed his bangs, then got to his feet. He floated off the ground. He looked around, spotting a tree nearby. He went towards the tree, seeing a man standing peacefully, with a hand resting against the trunk. A golden ring hung behind his head, and his white robes were so pure, they looked to be glowing. He looked to the newcomer, smiling warmly.
He motioned a hand towards a building not far off. “Fate has requested you specifically. I suggest you head there, and see what she desires of you.”
Olly looked to the building, then back to the man. “Where am I?”
“That is to be answered when you seek Fate. Come, we mustn't keep her waiting.”
Radiant feathered wings appeared behind him, sending him soaring into the sky. Olly followed after him as he glided down to the building. He landed elegantly in front of the doors, then motioned a hand for Olly to enter. The doors opened on their own, leading him down a marble hall towards two large doors. Red velvet rugs lined the floor in a straight line. The man shut the door behind Olly, leaving him alone. The sunset illuminated the halls in a brilliant glory, the sun peeking through the bottoms of the large windows.
Olly opened the door on the other end of the hall, coming to a large, rounded, room, with marble thrones lined with gold sitting in a semi-circle at the opposing end. Each of these thrones were occupied by a human-like being, each with their own wondrous hue. The woman in the middle motioned for him to approach Her. Olly approached, kneeling in front of Her throne.
“Hello, King Olly.” Her voice was calming and gentle, like a mother consoling a crying child. “Please, you have no need to kneel. I want to see your eyes.”
Olly tilted his head up slightly, to match her gaze.
“Please, take a look around. I can tell you're curious.”
Olly glanced to the woman sitting on Her left. She had long hair, darker than night itself. Her robes were long and elegant, with the only color being a faint white glow on Her satchel, the spots of light mimicking the stars. The Man on the first woman's right, however, looked like a stone statue. He mimicked a Picasso painting, of his cubism period. Small cracks lined His stone body, the largest crack on His lower eye. Olly looked back to the woman between them.
“Do you recognize where you are yet, King Olly?”
Olly shook his head.
“Examine further. This is best explained if you can figure it out on your own. It limits the shock, I've heard.”
A person wearing a plague doctor's uniform was seated next to the woman in black, with another darkly-colored man next to Them. He resembled a void pressed into a humanoid form, lacking a face, hands, feet, and even clothing. Small pieces of Himself drifted off His form, vanishing after a quick moment.
Olly looked behind him, towards the doors at the entrance. There sat four statues, four that Olly recognized clearly. A green turtle, a blue dragon, a red phoenix, and a white bear. These were statues of the four Vellumentals. The Vellumentals were minor deities, Olly knew that. The God of the Earth, the Goddess of the Seas, the Goddess of Fire, and the God of Ice. Besides Sea Tower, a place made in worship of these four holy beings, and Their respective homes, Olly had not seen those statues anywhere else. Olly looked back at the woman.
“The Vellumentals...”
She nodded. “Yes. This...is the Realm of Deities.”
“Realm of...Deities? What am I doing here?”
“You died, although that may seem obvious.” She tapped Her left hand to Her chest, as She clutched a long staff in Her right. “I am Fate. I called you here to discuss something of great importance.”
Olly bowed his head. “I understand. I am not supposed to exist. I've heard it before. Origami folding origami is a crime against Nature.” Olly looked back at the statues, seeing a fallen over statue. It was riddled with cracks, and only the crumbs of the statue's figure remained.
“No, it's not.”
Olly stared into Fate's eyes. “What do you mean? The Origami Craftsman said-”
She put up a hand, signaling him to stop. “We thought it would be, but it's as simple as humans giving life to humans, and Toads caring for mushrooms. Simply because you are something, does not mean you mustn't enjoy such a thing. In fact, creation is simply a part of life, a part of my order.” Her staff held three golden eyes, which all shifted to look towards the stone god. A saddened expression came to Her face as She remained facing Olly. “Those who do not see the balance in life, in my will, all fall into inescapable dark depths. Much like this one here.” The eyes looked back to Olly. “Your fate was a simple mistake from both parties. And I want you to make up with your creator. Creation is exhausting, but life is a precious thing.”
“If this is the Realm of the Deities, why aren't Grambi and Jaydes here?”
“They both have Their own realms to watch over. This realm is mine, along with the Realm of Mortals.”
“I see.”
“Since you are dead, your mortal body is no more. Your paper was lost to time.”
Olly remained silent.
“So I will create you a new form.”
“Eh?”
She tapped her staff to Olly's face. “Soon, you will wake, and this will be nothing more than a dream. But you will live again, and you will undo your sins, and you will work as a beacon for others. Now go, King Olly. You shall be the fair and kind king your father wished of you.”
The ticking stopped.