Chronicles of the Primeval Gods : Life and Death of Ayasha : The Stubborn

Chronicles of the Primeval Gods: Life and Death of Ayasha: The Stubborn

A/N : Ayasha absolutely freaks out over Ishtar's new behavior and the loss of control she had over him.

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The Goddess of Knowledge was sitting by the Fountain of Truth. Her hair neatly tied on an elaborate bun and her green orbs watching the water. It had the power to find anyone, anywhere with high accuracy and yet, she still couldn't find her sister. He knew the Sin had used old powerful and forgotten magic to shield her presence to the Fountain. Therefore, she couldn't find her. Not being able to see Elpis and see how she was doing actually terrified the golden goddess. She tried to access the knowledge she had on Elpis and what she found didn't soothe her soul. Elpis was known as being gullible and naive -something that couldn't be anymore since they betrayed her and, she remembered-. Elpis was known to influence humans and gods alike with Hope and Despair. Ishtar knew her better than anyone else since the two of them went on battlefields together. He saw how her mere presence induced hope in the hearts of soldiers who stood back up and fought until Death swept them from this plane of existence. Ishtar felt that the same energy flows through his veins as if Elpis encouraged him to do his best. How could he not take into consideration that whatever plan she had in mind, it involved her using her ability against them? They would not be able to resist her influence and if it wasn't Hope she was going to induce in their hearts, it would be Despair and Despair proved to be the downfall of empires... the destroyer of strong wills, the annihilation of life.

Ayasha remembered when Elpis threw a destructive temper tantrum. She went on her own to the Sumerian Pantheon and destroyed them all by herself. The golden goddess remembered seeing her little sister covered with blood, holding in her hands the heart of her enemy and relishing in the havoc she wreaked. Elpis was destructive, she was stupidly powerful and they only had a glimpse of that untapped power. Goosebumps covered her arms as she imagined just how pissed off and revengeful her pink-haired sister was. What they did to her went beyond any redemption, they betrayed her and tried to kill her. She was cursed for 2000 years, forced to reincarnate into human beings, forgotten by all, including her lover. How could she not want retribution for this crime? Shivers went down the spine of the goddess who growled at the feeling of fear creeping into her heart. Why was she scared of someone she knew so well? Why couldn't she think of ways to eliminate Elpis once and for all? When it came to her little sister, her emotions were taking the best of her. Or was she distracted because Ishtar's behavior was different? Ayasha couldn't tell, but she could feel she was restless.

Ishtar acted as if he knew she was trying to manipulate him. She was well aware of what Leviathan told him but didn't think that those words would resonate still. Leviathan was an opportunist. He wanted power and he hated the fact he never had any control over Ayasha. From the very beginning he was suspicious of his sister and her ever-growing desire to be on top of everyone else. Maybe they understood each other so well because they were the same, maybe he was just able to see through her schemes but very soon, he knew she was ambitious and wanted power just as he wanted it. He noticed her skills at manipulating those around her and make sure they never realized the extent of her ambition.

Ayasha proved that knowledge was power, and nobody needed to have a tremendous strength like Ishtar or Leviathan had, or control over elements to actually be dangerous. She knew of their strength and weaknesses. She knew their habits and dreams and desires. She knew everything and because she did, she was able to manipulate Fate in her favor. Leviathan despised that ability but acknowledged how dangerous his sister actually was. Despite their arguments, both Ishtar and Leviathan respected each other and while both knew the primeval god of the oceans wanted to destabilize the harmony between his siblings, Ishtar knew he wasn't lying. Leviathan didn't lie. Ayasha was manipulating him.

She knew that her surviving brother was taking his distance from her. He needed time to reflect on what Leviathan told him and see for himself if it was the truth or not. Ayasha knew he would not let her get close to him again, until his suspicion left him, so she had to convince him otherwise, but could she? Could she take some control back when her sister was at their doors? Ishtar didn't want to listen, he underestimated Elpis once again and the sin she called a companion. He believed that because he gained extra power from being the new All-Father he could get rid of these two, but he was mistaken. All-father or not, Sins were given the power to destroy gods and Pride would absolutely be able to destroy Ishtar if the latter didn't pay attention.

« You are a fool, brother, if you think you can defeat our enemies without a little bit of preparation. » She furrowed her brows and clenched her fists. « I would not be defeated by our sister and I won't let it happen. She will come to our doors. She knows her way inside. I will change our realm, make sure that the usual shortcuts are destroyed and that the only way to the realm is by the front door. » She stroked her chin. « This way, Elpis would have no choice but to announce herself and make herself vulnerable. »

She then used the fountain of truth to look at the known weaknesses of her own sister. Primeval gods were supposed to be invincible, but each and every one of them had a weakness. Ishtar, as the God of War was vulnerable to empathy and compassion. Once he felt those emotions, it became very difficult for him to be driven by blood lust. His own compassion for his sister led him to curse her instead of killing her. Elis weakness would be a doubt ; She had to doubt her own worth, her own love, and that of the Sin « had » for her. Doubt would, for sure, neutralize her sister but how could Ayasha make it happen? As her mind was wandering off, the goddess was interrupted by a minor god of Wind who knelt before her.

« Speak now and speak well. I hope you didn't interrupt me with triviality. »

« No, my queen. I came here to report on our sister. »

« Elpis ? What did you find about her ? »

« We found her former host, still alive and thriving in this new world. We thought that eventually, you could use this information against Elpis. »

« Asma is alive ? » -She didn't care about humans and therefore didn't notice Pride didn't kill Asma Jensen. This information lit her face and Ayasha's grin grew larger in size and more terrifying by the minute.

Asma was alive!

-TBC-