Chapter 21: The Goddess
“What do you know about the gods?” Alvaroz asked.
Van shrugged, “nothing.”
Alvaroz nodded, expecting that answer. “Well… there are many gods that exist in our world. They walk amongst us, accepting prayers, and giving out blessings. It is said that anyone can be a godling and climb the ranks of godhood if they work hard enough for it or were born lucky. Gods and goddesses affect our world in ways we couldn’t even begin to imagine.” A thoughtful look passed through Alvaroz’s face. “Though I suppose that still doesn't explain much, we should begin at the very beginning, with the creation of our very existence.”
“A long time ago, when this world was nothing but barren rock, devoid of all life, the Goddess came and saw that the world had potential. She contracted another goddess, called the Gaia, who forged the world more to the Goddess’s liking. Once the Gaia’s job was finished, the Goddess created life, she created the trees, the plants, the animals, and of course she created women in her image.”
“The first women lived happy, full and long lives, enjoying and basking in the Goddess’s light, and the Goddess, in turn, was happy with them. Sadly it was not meant to last, for this world, no this entire existence was made for conflict!”
Alvaroz looked at his son, a serious expression on his face. “How much do you know about breakings?”
Van shook his head. “Only that they are something that’s outside from our reality?”
“The idea is correct, but there's more to it than that.” Alvaroz began. “Imagine every star was a sun, and every sun had a planet that could bear life.”
Van’s eyes widen, not so much shocked by the idea, but that for a seemingly medieval society, such an idea exists.
“We call planets moving around a sun a solar system, and when there are many solar systems together, that is called a galaxy, and all the galaxies together is called a universe. Of course, there's a bit more to it than that, but I hope you get the idea. Are you with me so far?”
Van nodded. “Does everyone know this? How did they figure it out?”
“The gods told us,” Alvaroz said matter of factly.
“...Damm, they already sound more useful than gods that my past lives remember.” Van thought.
“Now, imagine our universe was on a piece of paper, and that there are other universes besides it, next to it, and...well… all over the place. A bunch of universes together create a page, and these pages create a book.”
“With me so far?”
“I think so,” Van said unsure, as he was pretty sure that those terms might be being used wrong.
“Well. Now imagine there are an infinite amount of books in a library. That's on fire.”
Van blinked at that.
“Of course there are probably better ways to explain this, but for now, just try to follow with me. Okay?” Alvaroz asked.
Van nodded.
“Good. Now. our book was made and intentionally put, at the very edges of the library. With our page in our book being either at the very top or bottom and our universe towards the edges of the page, where we would most likely be burnt first by the fire. The very point of our universe's existence, our reality, our book! Is to be used as a buffer to protect the more important ones deeper in from the things from outside the library, the fire. We are at the very edges of all known… well… everything. And our purpose is to either survive or die and be replaced by another book when ours burns out.”
“All to protect these… more important books?” Van asked.
Alvaroz nodded, “yes, and it's because we are at the very edges of everything that breaks occur. As our book burns, it creates holes into other realities, into other pages, it is up to us to prevent ourselves from being overrun by creatures from other pages and to fix the damage if possible. It's Worse, when things that are not from our book, try to enter ours.”
“Of course, while it is true we are in a bad position, the creator gods that made our book, also gave us the power to grow stronger and ascend, even to the position of godhood ourselves, as I told you earlier. You could even say that this book was designed to develop the next generation or wave of gods that will help defend, well… everything.”
“And of course, it was that fact that didn’t really make this world perfect for some idyllic garden world. You see The Goddess, created everything in the world, but only women. So when a breaking happened and they died, she was forced to make new ones to replace the ones lost. After a while, she grew annoyed and angered by the fact that her perfect creations could not reproduce. So set about to try and fix that.”
“First she created the goblins, and experimented on them, as goblins are all female, she tried to see if she could make them reproduce on their own, figuring if she failed it would be at the expense of the goblins. With great trial and error, she was able to have them give birth asexually. She then did the same to the halflings, the amazons, and the other races she brought into the world.”
Van had long suspected that goblins might be all female, but he was surprised when he heard that halflings were all female and many other races too.
“There was a problem though, whenever they gave birth, the child would be weaker than the mother, and worse, they could only give birth to one child in their entire life. That's when she got an idea to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. She called upon a god of evolution for help, and with the aid of the god, changed reality and added rules to make it so that those children can become as strong as their mothers. More than that, they all can evolve to become even stronger, allowing them to defend themselves better from the breakings. She even gave this to all her other creations, so that even the birds and animals could evolve. That is how we have the harpies and kobolds of today.”
“The goddess felt satisfied for a while, but sadly it still was not to be. As more breakings happened, more and more monsters grew to adapt to their new home and caused constant havoc. The birth rate of her creations still could not match up with the rate of death and she was forced to constantly create more and more, tiring herself out.”
“That was when she had another idea since the breakings caused this mess, perhaps they can fix it? So she set it up so that specific breaking would occur, these breaking allowed other creations to enter and make the world their home. This is how we have the humans, elves, dwarves, demons, angels, and many of the other races we have today, to help supplement the population of her world. Of course, she made sure that no males came with them.”
“Sadly, intentional or not, even if the breakings were more of controlled nature, it still caused widespread chaos, not to mention, the other races brought in could not asexually reproduce, nor could she make them, being creations of other gods, she could not greatly change them. This greatly angered the Goddess, and she turned her back to the world, deciding to let it burn as she tried her hand at other worlds.”
“Seriously!?” Van thought “she got rid of all the guys and then complained that the races she brought couldn’t reproduce without them! To the point that she turns her back on everyone!”
Alvaroz noticed the look on Van’s face and nodded as if he understood what he was thinking. “It was a time of great turmoil for everyone. But thankfully, one of the Goddess’s friends convinced her to create males. The Goddess reluctantly agreed, but if she was going to make males, it would be on her own terms.”
“After changing some of her creations and the other races just a tad, she got to work on creating her males. The males she created were strong so that they could lift things for the females. The males she created had endurance so that they could copulate for long periods of time and work for longer hours. And most importantly, the males she created would always be outnumbered by the females and docile. Statistically speaking, if a woman were to have ten children, on average, only four of those would be male, sometimes less. And she made it so that her own favorite creations would not produce males, the halflings, amazons, harpies, goblins, kobolds, and a few others, making males an extreme minority.”
“She then flooded the planet with earth. Increasing the size of the world and burying any trace of previous civilizations that might hold the knowledge of her previous failures. Wiping the slate clean while lifting up all the denizens of the world and putting them on top of the new changing world. She then made it clear to all of her creations which to which gender she favored most and a males role in the world.”
“She believed by doing this, women would have all the power, and in a way, she was right. The women were the leaders, the warriors, the bureaucrats, the nobles, they had everything, and the males were regulated to hard labor and breeders. The population of the world began to climb at a great rate, and civilizations, kingdoms, and nations began to form. The Goddess, for once, seemed finally satisfied.”
Alvaroz paused and gave his son a look “Of course scarcity has a power all on its own. Not to mention essence, magic, aura, ki, are the greatest equalizers. What happens when a male gets so strong that he could refuse any woman? What happens when you throw a bunch of males in a women-run world that has been deprived of them for so long?”
“The women of the world had changed a great deal over the course of the world's history, and the mere scent or sight of a male was enough for them to desire one for themselves, as their bodies, so long deprived, had little resistance to their own biology. Since there were more women than men, a culture where many women would fight over or share and bind themselves to one male came to be. And when a male was too strong, compromises were given in exchange for his seed, like this, many males rose to hold high positions.”
“Why do the women bind themselves, why not just do the deed and be done with it?” Van asked.
“The Goddess made women to be extremely loyal. This was to help them work together in order to survive, but more importantly, it was done to make them more loyal to her. It just so happens it backfired when she introduced males, of course not all females want to marry or be bound by a lover, so sometimes they just buy a male for a night or two until pregnant and move on with their lives as a single mother. But for the most part, it's a point of pride for women to be bound to a male that is also bound with many other women. Almost like showing off, not that I understand why.” Alvaroz said with a shrug.
“It could be because of the sense of kinship women feel, they consider any females bound by the same male to be family. It also could be because of the scarcity of males, or protection, or due to the fact that females over the course of history had to fight over males in hopes of being able to reproduce, slowly changing their mentality and biology. Maybe because if you're a powerful woman who has a male that many other powerful women want, that increases your standing amongst them. Or perhaps a number of other reasons, as far as I know, they view it like expanding their family and therefore their influence. Or perhaps it’s something else entirely, either way, that's just how it works now. Once a woman chooses a man, she will have sex with no other, sometimes to the point of dying childless.”
“Any questions?” Alvaroz asked.
“I think I understand it so far,” Van said. “The reason why women were so horny for men was because they were not used to them. On top of the fact, the Goddess made them so scarce that women started fighting over men, not to mention the women now actually needed a man in order to reproduce their race. And on top of that again is the fact that men could get as strong as women, forcing women to compromise if they wanted the chance to reproduce with them. That's how we got where we are today, right? Otherwise, The Empire, the Staven republic, and a few others wouldn’t exist. Not to mention that Alcraz was a man that was about to conquer the entire continent!”
Alvaroz smiled. “Yes, you have the idea of it.”
“But… Why then, is being an incubus a bad thing?” Van asked, “wouldn’t it work in my favor?”
“...as for your question. “Alvaroz began. “We will have to talk a little about succubi and cultivation first. I'm sure you already know that you can cultivate your aura somewhat by training your body, mind, and will, correct? Well, you can also cultivate essence, mana, and ki, the stuff of which can allow your body to evolve and grow stronger. There are even stages to the cultivation that can give you more power and even more strength, if you choose that over evolving, or both if you wish, it's up to you. I won't bore you with the details, since that is something we will talk about when you are ready, so for now just know, those energy types are very valuable. alright?”
Van nodded.
“Good. now. A succubus is special, she has the power to give birth to perfect bloodlines, that is to say, if she had sex with an elf, she could make it so that her child is one hundred percent an elf, no demonic or any other bloodline except for the elf’s own. She can make it so that she can empower the child while it's still in the womb so that the baby can have greater potential, at the cost of some of those energy types I previously mentioned. She can give birth to imps asexually, that will do anything she says. But more importantly, she can take an egg from another woman and the sperm from that woman's husband and give birth to a perfect fusion of both their parents, with no bloodline from the succubus herself. And finally, and I can't stress this enough, she can drain the mana pool of those she has sex with.” Alvaroz said very seriously.
“In this world, cultivation is necessary in order to become strong, so the ability to cultivate while having sex is something most women would envy. If she so wishes to, she can have sex with a man, draining him of his mana, and use it towards her own cultivation, increasing the rate she gains power. Because of the rarity of succubi, even the human-centric Empire of Baloes, allows them to live in their nation, because they can help give birth to superior humans, and they can grow strong just by having sex.”
“That's where incubi come in. incubi are even rarer the succubi, like succubi they can help give birth to perfect children with their seed. They have a supernatural skill at learning and figuring out the best way to pleasure a woman. They have more endurance, can produce and let out more sperm, have control whether or not they cum or not, have sex for hours without rest or repercussions, and more…” Alvaroz fell silent, almost like he didn’t want to talk about what comes next.
“A incubi is similar to a succubus in how they control energy. Except where a succubi can draw it in, an incubi can push it out. An incubi can make it so that their sperm is thicker, or has more volume, even whether or not it has healing properties.”
“Healing properties?” Van asked, confused.
“Yes, healing properties,” Alvaroz replied. “Incubi can do many things to add special properties to their sperm. But more importantly, they can thicken their sperm with their mana, which is what all the women are after.”
Alvaroz's face turned serious once more. “ as people evolve and grow stronger, it becomes harder for them to get pregnant, incubi can help with that, Not to mention, some women, if possible, try to kidnap an incubus if they can get away with it. They will forcefully train an incubus to do their bidding and make him cultivate so that he will grow a larger mana pool. Then they will use him to help them cultivate. The incubi will, essentially be the reverse of a succubi, making that incubi give up all his mana to the women he as sex with, allowing that women to cultivate her own mana quicker. Not to mention, incubi already have a far larger natural mana pool and far faster mana regeneration rate than normal people, so this helps women who use them cultivate faster.”
“So… incubi are used like batteries so some women can grow stronger faster!? While at the same time getting off!?” Van asked incredulously.
Alvaroz nodded. “Yes.”
“that’s... fucked up!” Van exclaimed.
Alvaroz nodded once more “yes, now do you understand why you can never tell anyone that you have incubus blood inside of you. If anyone were to know, they will either try to get you to marry into their family, or kidnap you.”
Van thought about that for a while, “… does the family go by the male, or female bloodline?” he asked, confused.
Alvaroz blinked surprised by the sudden change in conversation. “The female of course, but there are exceptions such as yourself, but for the most part, the heirs of families are female.”
“I see, hence why I marry into them and not them into me.” Van said.
“Ah!” Alvaroz said, realizing it was him saying that Van would marry into and not the other way around. “Yes, for the most part, females are the head of households. With some exceptions.”
Van went silent, then quietly said. “It must be tough being a male in this world.”
Alvaroz looked saddened, “it's not all that bad, I met your mothers, and you meet Luna, it’s what we do with our life that matters.”
“Dad… I saw what happened on the day we left, the naked women?” Van asked nervously.
Alvaroz winced, “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice that. Honestly, it was Thea’s idea.”
“And after the breaking event?” van asked.
“Yes… it was my duty to help replenish our forces,” Alvaroz said.
Van blinked. “Replenish our forces?”
Alvaroz nodded, “ a lot of goblins, and hobgoblins died that day.”
Van’s eyes widened in shock“...will I have to do that? My duty? Have sex with women who want it, or to ‘replenish our forces’?” Van asked worriedly, not sure if he was ready. Especially after what just happened to him.
Alvaroz kindly smiled, “since you just turned fifteen, you can, but only if you want to, you can wait until your eighteen before you are forced to take up your duty. And if lucky, not do it at all even after that, if you hire someone else to do it for you.”
Van was taken aback by how young he could be before he had sex. “What about women, how old do they have to be before they have sex?”
Alvaroz shrugged, “Probably as soon as they feel like it. You must understand that women are different from men, they have different needs and desires than us.”
“I see…” was all Van said.
“Any more questions?” Alvaroz asked.
Van shook his head.
“Alright, then I suppose we are done here, but if you do have any more questions, don’t be afraid to ask, alright?”
“Okay...”
Alvaroz seeing his son’s dejected face brought him into another hug, “I know it's hard, especially after everything you have been through, but I know you're stronger than this. I would do anything to protect you, never forget that.” he then kissed Van’s forehead. “Come.” he said, getting up and stretching his body, “let's check on the other’s, it's been a long day so let's get something to eat.”
Van quirked an eye. “Now you're sounding like Thea, marriage really does change a person.” he teased.
Alvaroz laughed at that, happy that his son seemed to be doing fine, after all that had happened. “Ah! before I forget. There are a few minor spells I should teach you.”
“Spells?” Van asked.
“Yes, spells. Such as a contraception spell, and a few others, you may need to use it soon.” Alvaroz said.
Van paled. He just got out of being raped, and now it seems that he was going back to it.
“It's not like that.” Alvaroz said quickly upon noticing Van’s face, “unless you want to of course. It's just that me and your mothers have been talking, and we think we should just announce today that you and Luna are married while we are here. All you have to do is proclaim your marriage with Luna, we will do the binding ceremony right there and then. What's important is that we get it out there that you're taken. I know we're rushing, but this really is the best for you since that will force most women to go through your wife if they wish to lay with you.”
Van tried to understand what that meant. “They… will have to ask Luna for permission before they have sex with me?” trying to understand if that was the case.
Alvaroz nodded, “yes, in most cases they will. Unless of course, you yourself wish to have sex with them, but for the most part, if someone is trying to get you into bed and you don’t want to, you could just say you're married and that they will have to ask the permission of your wife first. What do you think?”
Van thought about that for a while, but once he came around to the idea, he realized that it wasn’t such a bad one. “Okay… I mean, it's not a bad idea, I think. And if Luna is okay with it, then let's do it.” he nervously said, blushing a little.
Alvaroz smiled “alright before we leave let me teach you a few things and then I’ll tell everyone the good news.” he then began to teach his son the spells necessary for contraception, as well as a few others that would be used for sex, much to Van’s embarrassment and worry. About an hour later they left for dinner, Van wondering what the future will hold for him.