73 Gods

I yell at my mother in shock, “How could you do that?! Are you alright?”

Mom laughs at me and replies, “I’m fine, honey. Don’t get upset.”

“But that’s a huge sacrifice,” I retort.

“I gained more than I lost, so it can’t be considered a sacrifice,” Mom denies.

“I know parents say that their children are gifts, but…” you trail off with worry.

Mom touches my shoulder and says, “You’re jumping to conclusions again. Breathe first and calm down.”

I suck in and out a few times as I try to relax my body. I slowly feel my muscles relax, and the strain in my shoulders lessens.

“Good girl. Now as I was saying, I didn’t lose out. The fact that I have two beautiful daughters is just a bonus. The main purpose of this was to break my chains of divinity,” Mom explains with a happy expression.

“Chains of divinity?” I ask in confusion.

“That’s right. I mentioned it in the past. But gods are controlled by their divinity. It’s something I learned from many millennia of godhood. Gods are powerful, but that power controls them. Your actions are controlled, and no matter how hard you work, you can never break free.”

I listen and try and memorize everything Mom is saying.

Mom smiles at me as she says, “As a goddess of law and order, I felt like I was being manipulated. Even if you disagree with what’s happening, going against the rules is impossible. With this in mind, I found a forbidden technique.”

Mom cuts her hand in front of her and says, “It would be unthinkable for me to use something so sacrilege. But the old gods weren’t so restrained. If I could eliminate the control over me, I could create true order in the world! Everything would be set right, and rules would be unbreakable!”

Her voice rises, and an almost psychotic look enters Mom’s eyes. I’ve never seen my kind and calm mom look like this. It’s a little scary.

Mom seems to catch herself, and she reins herself in. “So I first sacrificed the lawful side of my divinity. This involved becoming pregnant. I didn’t put much thought into what to do with the child. Us gods are born adults with divinity who take over their roles. I didn’t suspect that it’d be different here. But things ended differently since it’s not from mating with another god.”

Mom caresses my hair with a loving smile. “Ultimately, my two daughters are the best gift I gained. If I didn’t have you two, I might have gone insane after losing my purpose. When I was pregnant with Brigit, I was chased by other gods. However, your mother isn’t so easy to deal with. But it affected your sister. I was hoping you would escape such fate, but in the end, you were also cursed.”

Mom looks truly sad as she explains our predicament. But I’m glad I was born and wouldn’t accept any other mother! “Mom, it all worked out. Don’t be sad,” I say. I reach out and hug her.

Mom returns my hug and calmly says, “I’m glad things are working out.”

I then pull back but keep my arms wrapped around Mom’s neck. “But what did you gain? You said that we were just a bonus.”

“I gained freedom. I’m still mighty, although weaker than I was. But gaining strength is just a matter of time and worship. I’m now like the old gods who could create and destroy as they wished.”

“That sounds scary. A bunch of powerful beings running amuck,” I say with a frown.

Mom smiles like it’s a joke. “There are plenty of nongods who could wipe humanity out. But there is a lot of hate for the old gods. So there may have been a war before my time.”

I nod. “Alright. But since you’re a god, you can create a magic shield and bridge for my dungeon!”

Mom looks at me, and I look at her. She blinks a few times and then replies, “I don’t think you should rely on my power. It will ruin the game.”

“But I’m worried I’ll get us all killed,” I respond with worry.

“Honey, good times only come from adversity. If I fix everything, how will you grow? I want you to experience life to the fullest. Once you two get bored, we’ll explore the galaxy and dimensions together.”

I shrink from Mom’s grandiose vision. “I’m just worried I’ll stumble at the first step,” I mumble. I bite my lip and feel tears form in my eyes.

Mom wipes my eyes and lovingly says, “You can do this. It’s important to plan, but falling into despair is not good. Have fun. I’ll help from the sidelines.”

I sigh. Mom can’t understand my ordinary girl feelings. Still, I’m glad she’s here for me. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too.” She pats my leg and stands up. “Now, come down and eat.”

“Alright!” I exclaim as I jump up. I follow Mom downstairs, trying to change my mood.

Brigit complains as we arrive downstairs, “What took you guys so long? The food is getting cold.”

“We were just talking,” I say as I sit down.

“What were you talking about?” Brigit asks as she starts eating.

“About the god stuff,” I say. I then go on to explain what Mom said. We probably should have come down and talked, but it’s okay. Mom helps with anything I forget. I then go on to tell her about my talk with Angelique.

Brigit nods. “Angelique is right. I don’t want you to get hurt! We need muscle and more rooms.”

“Is it really alright to kill people, though?” I ask hesitantly.

Brigit slaps the table. “Everyone is saying it’s alright! If they want to kill us, it’s self-defense. Eventually, we’ll be so strong that we can fuck them all. But for now, I want you to be safe.”

I roughly rub my head. “You’re right. I get it. We should try the room creation after we finish eating.”

“Sounds good,” Brigit responds.