"The tale of Fullness and Stillness."
Carthanalenia fell silent, her eyes glistening as she looked at me. Not with fondness, but with the kind of look a daughter gives her father.
"According to her—"
"Okay, let's stop it right there," Anathasia cut in suddenly.
She stepped forward and tugged Carthanalenia's cheek.
"So," she said flatly, releasing her. "What brings you here?"
Carthanalenia rubbed her cheek with a small whimper before retreating behind me.
"Father, mother's punishing me for no reason…"
Father.
The word echoed in my mind as I stared at nothing, until Anathasia clapped her hands loudly.
Still… why am I a father…?
I didn't understand it, but I turned to Carthanalenia anyway and patted her head.
"Is that so…?" I said slowly. "Mom's being mean again?"
SMACK
A sharp pain bloomed at the back of my head as Anathasia lowered her hand.
"Should I do it again?" she asked calmly. "We're going off track."
She sighed, offering us a tight, wry smile.
"And why are you two acting like we're already a family?"
A brief silence.
Then—
"True," she continued. "Carthanalenia is our daughter in essence."
I turned toward her, still rubbing my head.
"…Meaning?"
"She was born from the smallest essence of Continuity and Stillness," Anathasia said dismissively.
"That technically makes us her parents."
"…really?" I crossed my arms, my gaze lowering.
"That's… something…"
"I know," she sighed.
Carthanalenia stepped out from behind me and cleared her throat.
"Nonetheless," she said, her gaze drifting to Anathasia.
"Mother, for the sake of Father's reality, please refrain from acting rashly."
"I'm aware you could simply erase entire totalities if you wished, but—"
"Yes, yes, I understand," Anathasia cut in.
She suddenly appeared in front of Carthanalenia and reached up to pat her head, standing on her toes due to their height difference.
"I wouldn't do anything that would make your father upset with me in the first place."
"So I'm really a dad now?" I chimed in.
They both glanced at me, expressions blank, before nodding in unison.
"…you two really are family…" I muttered, running a hand through my hair as I looked away, up at the star-filled sky above us.
"You shouldn't be saying that," Anathasia remarked casually.
"You're Carthanalenia's father, after all."
She ran her fingers through Carthanalenia's long black hair. One that looked a little too similar to mine.
"She has your hair," Anathasia added with a small smile.
"And my crimson red eyes."
"Mother…" Carthanalenia said softly.
"I will take your word, then…"
Her form began to fade.
"Goodbye, Father. Mother.
I will be watching over the two of you from beyond."
She smiled.
And then she was gone.
By the time I glanced down, even the crater from earlier had already repaired itself.
I looked back at Anathasia, raising an eyebrow.
"We never did it, did we?"
She stared at me immediately, deadpan.
"I'm not talking about biological stuff. It's metaphysical, alright?"
"The presences of Continuity and Stillness overlapped once, while I was waiting for you eons ago."
"That's when and how Carthanalenia was born. Got it?"
I hummed, nodding slightly, then looked back at her.
"How did she get my features, though? I wasn't exactly born yet back then, was I?"
"Well, yes," she replied.
"But Stillness already knows what you will look like."
"It never picks sides. That's partly why you're androgynous as well."
I stopped.
"…So let me get this straight," I said slowly.
"I look like this because of the Stillness?"
"Mhm," she nodded. "Yep."
I went quiet for a moment, then let out a long sigh as I looked back up at the night sky. One particular star glowing just a bit brighter than the rest.
"Stillness really is a bit inconvenient at times," I muttered.
"Even worse since I can't invoke it…"
Anathasia stepped forward and stood beside me, her gaze following mine. A soft chuckle escaped her lips.
"I guess… in a sense, it is."
"…I still can't believe the god of my universe is my daughter, though," I added, shaking my head.
"I feel like I've been dealing with gods more than humans lately."
She laughed a little louder at that.
"Well, it's not exactly unusual," she said.
"Things tend to gather near the foundation of something. Like a moth to a flame."
"And your existence…"
"…is a necessity for everything to remain as it is. The Stillness is unmoving, it will never be moved by anyone or anything."
She glanced at me then, a small smile curving on her lips.
"You're not as small as you think you were back then."
She stepped in front of me, stopping after a few paces before turning around, arms opening slightly.
"Everything you see is possible because of what you are. If anything, your universe is indebted to you simply for existing."
Her expression softened.
"But that's not what you want, is it?"
A small smile tugged at my lips, followed by a dry laugh.
"You already know I'm not interested in domination or anything like that."
She walked toward me, brushing past as she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"Then we're in the same boat," Anathasia whispered.
The faint clouds above us cleared the moment she glanced my way.
"Shall we head back?" she added. "It's almost time for dinner."
"Wait—what?"
She blinked.
"Don't tell me you forgot…? There's only five minutes left. We'll get scolded if we're late, you know."
I rubbed my temple.
"How long were we talking to Carthanalenia…?"
"An hour or two…?" she said, tapping her cheek.
I stiffened, a dry laugh slipping out.
"Yeah… we're both cooked."
—
Or so I thought. Thanks to Anathasia, we made it back just in time.
Using her authority, of course.
That had basically become her mode of transportation at this point.
After dinner, as expected, my uncles, along with my older sister and dad started their usual drinking spree.
Me, on the other hand…
"Y'know," I said, glancing up at the sky, "that star's been shining a bit too brightly since earlier."
"Star…?" Anathasia followed my gaze, then stifled a laugh.
"What's so funny?" I asked, flattening my expression.
"That's Carthanalenia," she snickered. "And she's a nebula, not a star. You're wayyy off."
"…How was I supposed to know?" I shot back. "I just found out I have a daughter from before I was even born, and that daughter happens to be the god of the reality I live in, watching over me as a nebula."
I sighed.
"That's not exactly common sense for us humans, you know?"
Her snickering slowly died down as we sat on a log behind the house, staring up at the sky.
"True…" she murmured, still watching the nebula. "Though she's never shone this brightly in eons."
She turned to me.
"Like me, she was searching for you," Anathasia whispered. "And now that she knows where you are… it's only natural she'd be overjoyed."
Her gaze returned to the glowing nebula.
"She may look like a mature woman—an ancient being…"
"…but deep down," she said softly, "she's still just a child."
"A child…" I murmured, staring down at the ground.
After a moment of silence, I lifted my gaze and glanced at Anathasia beside me. She was still looking up at Carthanalenia's nebula, which never seemed to fade.
"Say," I continued slowly. "What made Carthanalenia want to become… what she is now?"
For just a second, I saw it.
A faint glint in her eyes. Her body stiffened ever so slightly.
"Why?" she asked, her gaze never leaving the nebula.
"You said she's still just a child," I replied softly. "But I don't understand why she…"
I looked back at the glowing sky.
"…would take on the responsibility she has now."
The chirping of crickets filled the silence. One neither of us seemed eager to break.
When I glanced back at Anathasia, a fleeting expression crossed her face.
Melancholy.
Loneliness.
"Carthanalenia is a sweet girl," she said at last, her voice carrying quiet fondness. "Determined. Strict with herself. Responsible to a fault."
She paused.
A small branch manifested in her hand, and she absentmindedly poked at the ground as she spoke.
"I'm not entirely certain about what I'm about to say…" she admitted. "But her wanting to become the god of this universe…"
Her gaze lowered.
"…was probably because of me."