|| what is the meaning of life?

[FluffyBirdie]

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ɢᴏᴅᴅᴇss ᴏғ ʟɪғᴇxix

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ʟᴏʀᴅ ᴏғ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜxix

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The story of the gods is infinite...
where will you begin?

[8000 BC] the tales of the elders
[300 BC] the chanting of prayers
[450 AD] an old book of fables
[1750] a classic play
[1920] a collection of poems
[202X] who we are today

return home

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“Why does Xylina have fire? Fire burns things…but she’s life?”

“Fire is a good thing! It helps us cook our food, it keeps us warm, and chases away all the big animals at night.”

“But it burns the trees.”

“Well, let's imagine she only used her life powers. What do you think would happen, if she just kept growing trees, animals, and us?”

“We’d be giants!”

“Haha yeah we would be huge! There would be trees everywhere, so taking a step would be so hard! There would be rabbits and lions and all sorts of animals, packed right next to each other. The grass would reach the sky, taller than the trees, and the trees themselves would reach the mountains.”

“Hunting would be easy, we don’t need to run.”

“Maybe, but where do we live? The caves would be full! What if someone gets sick? Everyone would be sick! If Xylina only used her life powers, there would be no more room. That’s why she also uses her fire, to burn down some life and make more room. Life cannot keep growing.”

“Is that why we die?”

“...Yes. Everything gets born, we grow up by eating lots of tasty food, and then we have to leave, so there’s room for others to come after us.”

“But…dying is bad. Death should go away.”

“Well, did you know in the beginning there was only Xylina?”

“Only life?”

“Yes, only life. And do you remember what I just said about her powers?”

“She grows and burns.”

“That's right, she grows life, and has to burn life, in order to end the cycle. But it was hard to burn things that were still full of life. Do we start fires with green grass? What do we start a fire with?”

“We gather old wood!”

“Yes, we get old wood, and dry grass. Green things don’t burn very well! And that was the problem Xylina faced. She tried to burn living things to make more room, but they took a while to catch fire, and didn’t burn very brightly. And after the fires, she couldn’t grow anything! The ground was covered in charred wood, and the baby trees had no food from the soil to grow into nice, big trees. Animals then had no food too, because all the bushes were gone. But what else can she do? She could grow things, and burn things. She can’t make living things dry, or remove dead things. What do you think happened next?”

“Ramazi?”

“Yep, the god of death was created to fix these problems. He makes all the trees turn orange and drop leaves, and turns us old and dry. He can grow mushrooms, to clean up all the dead things. With his creation, he solves the problems created by only having Xylina. And this is how our four seasons were created. One, where Xylina grows all the living things, and allows them to flourish. Then Ramazi turns those living things old and dry. Xylina can now burn away the dry things, and Ramazi then grows his mushrooms, to remove the charred remains, and makes the ground rich in food for the plants to use.
Life is needed. But death is needed just the same. Too much growth and too many living things, that’s bad. But a world with no living things is also bad. We need an equal amount of both life and death, so there’s room for everyone to grow and live.

Life, ultimately, is about balance.”

[FluffyBirdie]

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O, radiant goddess
Shine thy light upon us
Bless us with your holy fire
Let us burn for eternity

O, heavenly Xylina
Look after us, we pray
Keep our meadows lush and green
So we may never fade away

Generous goddess! Beautiful soul!
Gaze upon us here;
O amazing creature! Brilliant spirit! x x x x x x x x x ☼ x x x x
See how we adore thee;

Xylina, hear our praise
We thank thee for all You provide
Our joyful zeal carries word of You
To all creatures far and wide

Dear goddess, we beseech you -
Let us live.

Let us live forevermore.
Let us live forevermore.

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When our world crumbles away,
Our skies turn dull and gray -
We turn to You.

Our bodies will grow old,
Weighed down by years untold -
We turn to You.

We embrace our change
We grow with the knowledge we gain
And we turn to You.

When our time comes,
We are not scared.
We walk into the darkness
We follow You through the unknown

For you will lead us to salvation
And we will be born anew;
Lord Ramazi, you guide us with a smile
As you show us to our truth

All lives end, all lives start
We all shall get to play a part
And when our journey comes to a end
We look to you, O Ramazi, to help us begin again.

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Xylina, lend us your strength
Grant us the power of your flames!
All that stand against You shall burn
And in the end only You will remain

We will fight valiantly in Your name
We shall blaze a trail across the earth
And from the ashes that appear
Our new order will come forth

We stand against death
For death marrs your wondrous works
Daring to wilt what your hands have made
To cover the earth in white not green x x x x x x x x 🌩 x x x x

Begone, Ramazi! Begone, foul Death!
You wither our crops and steal our friends
Your hands bring us nothing but suffering
Leaving in your wake the bones of the living

Without Xylina, you are nothing
You are a tick, a parasite on her works
Without Life, Death has no place -
Lo, Death has no place at all

For united we shall stand;
Immortal we shall be

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Swiftly may our enemies fall
Hasten their deaths, O Lord

Return them to their creation
Renew the world, great Lord

Show those who would oppose us
How foolish they must be

To challenge the Lord of Death himself.

Those of Xylina, tremble
For the presence of our God shall make you humble
Life existed first, yet what could it be
That Death came next, just to balance She?

Life without Death is merely a dream
Like a child you cry, ignorant in law
Death closes the cycle, and begins it again,
If the world lacked Death, there shall be no Life.

He who keeps all in balance
He who guards the cycle of rebirth
Watch over us now, as You have done before.

Let us die a warrior’s death;
And we shall return to You once more.

[skywishes01]

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In the beginning, there was only Life. Then Death was created to bring balance to the world. The two deities rarely saw eye to eye; their followers often clashed with one another, each claiming their god was the true one, decrying the opposite as a false prophet.

For centuries, this cycle of conflict continued, neither god quite willing to step in. The Goddess of Life, as the first being in existence, was much too proud to admit that she could not manage the world alone. The Lord of Death was much more pragmatic, and knew his place in the cycle - however, he alone could not quell the fighting. It was the followers of Life who were the zealous believers, the ones willing to start wars in the name of their goddess.

Then, one day, the land was struck with a terrible drought. The rivers and lakes dried up; try as she might, the Goddess could not get any plants to grow, nor sustain any animal life. At first, the people blamed the Lord of Death - surely this was his doing! A world that was devoid of any life or greenery would be ideal for him, they thought. Even some of his own followers started turning against him; prayers quickly transformed into angry abuse, then into desperate pleas for help. Both groups of followers, for once, wanted the same thing. But of course, this was in no way within Death’s powers. His duty was to ensure Life did not grow out of control; in no way was he pleased to see this tragedy unfold.

Helpless, the two gods were forced to turn to each other.

“I do not understand!” cried the Goddess. “My powers - they are useless! How can this be so?”

The Lord shook his head. “There is no explanation for this event. But surely we can find a solution.”

“Solution? What solution? I cannot do anything! Surely you, with your control of death, would be able to fix this - or can you not even do that?”

“You know this was not my doing,” the Lord sighed in response. “And even so, I cannot reverse death once it has occured.” He paused to think; an idea struck him. “However…”

“Yes?” As loath as she was to accept help from the Lord of Death, the Goddess could not prevent a desperate edge from infecting her voice. She was not used to this - this powerlessness. And she did not like it at all.

“I may not be able to reverse death, but I know how to slow its progress. I know the qualities that allow one to escape the end, just for a little while longer. But, I do not know anything else about sustaining life. You, however - you know how to do this. You can create all forms of being, but you can only guide them to live their lives - not avoid their deaths.”

“So what are you proposing?”

“Perhaps… perhaps it is time we start working together.”

A silence fell between them. Then, the Goddess gave a curt nod.

“It seems we have no other choice.”

The Lord was relieved; the Goddess was known for being exceptionally stubborn, and exceptionally against him, but it seems even she had her limits. She fixed her cold gaze on him, reminding him that their battle had not been won yet.

“So,” she said coolly. “What is your plan?”


♦


And so came about the creation of a myriad of new beings, plants and animals alike. These creatures bore the blessings of both Life and Death; the Lord himself taught them his own trickery, so as to allow them to easily evade him. The sturdy cactus, thus, was able to stand tall and green in even the poorest desert sands. The camel, too, could survive days on end without a single drop of water. Tiny lizards and frogs and mice were able to withstand the scorching heat by burrowing under the ground, and coming out to hunt during the cooler nights.

As these new life forms flourished, so, too did the creatures that could now use them for sustenance. The followers of the Lord and the Goddess learned how to follow the majestic lines of camels to find the life-saving oasis; they learned how to cultivate the dry, baked land again. They learned about which new, hardy plants would grow well, and which ones would not. Slowly, slowly, the world came back to life. Soon enough, it seemed as if everything was completely back to normal; save for the swathes of sandy dunes that still covered parts of the planet, as if to serve as a reminder of what had occurred.

The relationship between the two deities had also, on the face of it, returned to what it was before. Each one would play their part like clockwork, but no further cooperation seemed to be happening. The Goddess would tend to the living beings, ensuring their growth; the Lord of Death would step in when the time came for their lives to end; the Goddess would send her fire to renew the land; and the Lord would assist in finishing the process of decay, returning all beings to the soil from which they came.

However, beneath the surface, a newfound respect was present for each god’s other half - very grudgingly on the part of the Goddess. Both had demonstrated their power - but more importantly, both had witnessed what could be achieved if their powers were combined.

That is the tale of how the journeys of Life and Death began to intertwine. It would take a while for either god to notice this, of course - but that is a story for another time…

[FluffyBirdie]

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ACT I
SCENE I: By freshly grown grassland.

Enter a Priest, Devotees and RAMAZI. RAMAZI is by the wings of the stage.

Priest
And hence, the gods created new creatures that carried us through the drought. With time, the water returned, and life resumed its steady pace, now with new animals in existence. Life may have ended if it were not for Xylina’s creativity and action.

Devotee 1
I must ask, do we know the cause of the drought? Was it Lord Death?

Priest
The cause of the drought was lost to time, and we have no writings that point to Ramazi as the reason. (In a whisper to Devotees) Yet do you believe our Goddess could have done that?

Devotee 2
Of course not! Xylina has no power to wilt, and has no cause to. Death wields that ability however, and has shown himself to be a reckless god.

Priest
I do not confirm that conclusion, yet I will not deny it. Our Lord is…of a different character to our Goddess. Unfortunately, both are needed for balance. As powerful beings, they hold the world in their hands, and may cause droughts or end droughts as they will. We do not know who caused the drought, but we do know Xylina was the one who ended it.

Devotees
Praise be to Xylina!

Priest
Wonderful. Now we shall head to the marshlands, for more of her beautiful creatures dwell there.

Exit Priest and Devotees.

RAMAZI
Her followers are so devoted. Even my own would not care so much for history. Yet history seems to have made an error. I was the one who gave her inspiration. I suppose Goddess Life will take all credit, for even if I assisted with her creations, she is the one who ultimately makes them.

…I always wondered if it was true. If I was the cause of the drought. As they said, no one can upset the balance, save for us. It fits my powers, does it not, for a Lord of Death to decay the world. Xylina would not do this; she cannot. Fire leaves behind ashes, but all we saw were cracked earth and dead trees. So if we are the only ones to shift nature, and Xylina cannot wilt life…Who else is left but me? I am indeed known for my flippant nature; I am Death, after all. So I must have, on one unhappy evening, thrown my hand across the world, and commanded the waters to recede. I do not remember, because I do not wish to remember.

The question now is this: why would I cause such a drought? I was formed to balance the world, yet I had thrown it out of balance. Xylina was created first, so perhaps I existed as her support, to give her time to learn how to sustain the world alone. And now that she has learnt enough, I am no longer needed, and the drought is my cue to bow out gracefully before I upset this earth any further.

Yes, yes, this must be it. This world no longer needs suffering.

How ironic, is it not, for Death to contemplate his own end.

Exit RAMAZI.

SCENE II: In an overgrown forest.

Enter XYLINA.

XYLINA
Where is that Ramazi? That dismissive fool is overdue for his work, yet he has never been late. How can I burn this area down if it is still damp with life? While he is prone to vanishing, this is his longest stretch of absence I have experienced. I cannot comprehend this. A god does not just disappear.

Enter Followers from the far side of the stage.

XYLINA
Ah, what wonderful timing. This may be the first time I cheer on seeing his worshippers. I shall see how they react to my signs, perhaps that shall provide an answer. (A plant grows in front of the followers.)

Follower 1
Curses! Is Xylina mocking our remorse?

Follower 2
But of course. That cruel mistress must be gloating at our misery.

Follower 3
Our Lord was the keeper of balance; yet you, O desirer of power, banished him so, to claim the world for yourself. Look around us, brothers and sisters, for what do we see?

Follower 1 & 2
Endless growth!

Follower 3
Endless growth! Foul nature, your powers are naught by casting out the Ruler of Rebirth, and you become nothing but an observer as the world crashes. Truly, you – Ah, fire!

Exit Followers hurriedly, chased by fire.

XYLINA
They are lucky to escape with only a charred robe. Dare they speak another word, and I’ll be of the mind to burn them alive. Do they not know that I was the one who gave them life? Nothing can exist without me! They should be thankful that I allowed them to follow Death instead of praising me!

…I shall deal with those wretched followers later. Most importantly, they claim that I have banished Death. How wrong they are, to attribute all vile things as an action of the opposite god. Regardless, it seems to be true: Ramazi has left this plane of existence entirely. What a bore, it seems I must find him.

Exit XYLINA.

ACT II
SCENE I: In a misty place.

Enter RAMAZI.

RAMAZI
It is strange to withhold using my powers. I wish to check on the state of the world, yet I fear even my presence will cause disasters. I am certain it is doing fine, however; Goddess Life is in charge, after all.

Enter XYLINA.

RAMAZI
Xylina! How strange it is, to see Life looking for Death.

XYLINA
Ramazi, selfish Ramazi, why are you here? What are you doing?

RAMAZI
Is it not obvious? Death is best suited for a misty domain such as this.

XYLINA
Is this your bizarre way of making a joke? If so, I see no humor in it. Return with all haste. I am tired of your nonsense.

RAMAZI
…I belong here. The world has enough death.

XYLINA
Enough death? Have you seen the state of the world? (Xylina sweeps an arm in front of her. The scene changes to be one of an overgrown forest.) See this? You are the cause! How do I burn this? How can I grow things, if the earth is dry of minerals? How do I return the dead back to the earth?

RAMAZI
(in a whisper) I cause trouble even in my absence.

XYLINA
How can I fix this, if you are here?

RAMAZI
I caused – My presence will only cause more suffering. It already has. I am the god of suffering, the god of ending, the god of death. I existed second for a reason. I was only there to support you, until you learned to rule this planet on your own.

XYLINA
Are you listening to yourself? I need - this world needs death! Yes I existed first, but I wasn’t enough! I wasn’t enough. You have not seen the state of the world before your presence. You have not seen me failing to keep the world together. Truly, there is greater suffering if the world was left in my hands alone.

RAMAZI
But the drought, am I not the cause? We are the only ones who can shift the world in any great measure, yet that disaster occurred. You, as the Goddess of Life, cannot force the world to dry. Yet I, God of Decay, have such strength. Who else is the cause, if not for me? I believe that drought was a sign, a cue for me to go.

XYLINA
Listen to yourself! A sign from whom, the powers above? If I have the power to maintain this world alone, you would not see this endless growth. As for the drought, our followers will say the other god is the cause of all wrongdoing. I know myself that you did not cause the drought – did you convince yourself away from the truth? I…I do admit I was in the wrong, to allow those rumors to spread among my own. Yet if you value their words so highly, then listen to mine: You, Ramazi, were created as my equal. As much as I resist admitting it, we are indeed equal. That drought occured by chance – did we not fix it together? Have we not always worked together? This world is not better without your presence – far from it.

RAMAZI
…I see now, what you mean. Thank you, Xylina, for comforting me.

XYLINA
As you should. You owe much to me.

RAMAZI
Ha! There is the Goddess I know.

Exit XYLINA and RAMAZI.

SCENE II: In a charred, mushroom-covered valley

Enter XYLINA.

XYLINA
What a useless god. I had to drag him back by the ears, like a whining child upset about losing his candy. …I cannot believe this. Was I always this pathetic? To feel this, this emptiness after saying those words? It is true. I have an equal. The world needs both life and death. Yet I believed I was all that life needed. That I, Goddess Life, give life. I am life.

Yet I am worthless without Death. I have tried to run from this fact, to cover it with boasts. But I do not have a claim over the full cycle of life. I give life, but I am…not life.

I am not all powerful. Why should I be praised if I have an equal? Who am I to boast? Am I foul nature, cruel mistress? Am I just an observer without Death? I existed first, in order to create life. But I was…not…enough.

Who am I, if I am not life without equal?

Exit.

[skywishes01]

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Imagine:
Life and Death.
A conversation over
a cup of tea.
(Chamomile, of course.)

Says Life to Death,
“I must confess
that I believe I have lost my way.”

“How so?” responds Death.

“It is hard to explain,” says Life.

“Ah,” says Death, realizing:.
“It is something
you do not want to admit.”

“Very much so.” concedes Life.

“You see, I feel as if I do not know
Who I am
What I am here for
Anymore.

I give life - and yet, that is not enough.
I give life - but you take it away.
I give life - but that is not all there is to living.

I give life - but I do not live.

Tell me, my friend:
am I only here
to participate in this endless cycle?
to grease the wheels of the universe -
is that all I am?

Do I truly exist
only to counter you?
Without you,
do I have any purpose?

No, even with you -
I am only a tool,
useless when I am not in use.”

“My dear Life!” Death exclaimed.
“I must insist that you cease these thoughts
immediately.

It may be true
that we exist to balance one another.

It may be true
that our roles have been laid out for us
by some ambivalent force
that cares for naught but the maintenance of the universe.

Our roles constrain us
But they do not define us.

You create life, my friend - and you say that is all you are.
But I implore you, take a look -
At the bright, blooming flowers;
The playful young animals;
The smiles of those who turn their faces up to the warmth of the sun.

You create life, this is true.
And I exist to end it.
But just as life is not all there is to death,
death cannot be the meaning of life.

You create life - but you also create vibrancy, emotions.
You create life - and with that, you transform this universe.
You create life - but you do so much more.

Life may have more meaning
Because it is limited
Because it cannot last forever.
But the moments, the magic - that is all due to you.

You do not guide the act of living; that may be true.
What you do is of much more value.
For you provide the gift that enables all
to experience this universe
in their own individual way.”

A moment of silence
between two all-powerful beings.
(Their tea sits, forgotten, cold.)

“I know you are used to power,” continues Death, quietly.
“I know that was your purpose, before.
But all things grow; all things change.
And so, too, can we.”

A response from Life,
barely perceptible -
“Thank you.”

Death smiles.

“Anytime. Now,
perhaps we should both
get a new cup of tea.”

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It was not an impressive abode; definitely far from the grand temples and mansions they had once resided in. But in some ways, this tiny shoebox apartment on the third floor of a high-rise building, just barely big enough for two, was perhaps the first place either of them could truly call home.

It was strange - to think how the world had evolved to bring them here. They had watched empires rise and fall; whole civilisations built up from nothing only to crumble to the ground. They had watched as kalons started and ended wars, survived droughts and floods and disease. They had experienced being worshiped and adored, being hated and reviled, and being slowly relegated to the realm of myths. In this modern age, not many prayed to the Goddess of Life nor the Lord of Death. So, they worked quietly in the background - protecting the cycle of life.

An age ago, this might have been a despairing situation for them both. Xylina, struggling to justify herself without praise and adulation; Ramazi thinking it might just be easier to simply slip away. But as all beings learn and grow, so, too did they. There was something of an irony there - the rulers of Life and Death, learning what it truly meant to be alive.

Even more amusing was the fact that this journey had somehow ended up with them sitting on a second-hand couch together, Xylina engrossed in a book while Ramazi was happily consuming a bowl of instant noodles. (Now that they weren’t receiving offerings anymore, they had to learn to provide for themselves. And instant noodles had become somewhat of a go-to - especially for the lazier of the two.)

“Those are disgusting.” Xylina wrinkled her nose as Ramazi made particularly un-godlike slurping noises. “You have a problem.”

“I am perfectly happy with this situation so I see no problem. Also, you must admit - these things have no right to taste as good as they do.”

“You think they taste good?”

“Uh, yes?” Ramazi grinned at her, mouth full of noodles. Xylina rolled her eyes, returning to her book. A couple of peaceful moments passed between the duo, punctuated only by the soft turning of a page and the slurping of noodles.

“Hey, Xylina.”

She hummed in response.

“Your book reminded me - remember when that old guy wrote a play about us?”

“Oh gods, yes. He made me sound so dramatic.” she complained

“Really? I thought it was quite an accurate representation.”

“Shut up, you. Don’t you remember those old stories they used to tell the children? The ones where I have all the cool powers?”

“But those cool powers were useless without me, were they not? Aw, is this your way of thanking me? No need, my friend - I know you’d be lost without me.” Ramazi winked. Xylina shook her head, but the smile on her face was soft and slightly sad.

“You jest, but - you know there is truth to that statement too.”

Ramazi put his bowl down on the coffee table in front of them, which would be piled with bowls if not for Xylina’s efforts. He reached out to rest his hand on Xylina’s arm.

“I know.”

Both friends sat quietly in contemplation for a moment. Then, Ramazi spoke.

“Do you remember the other day? When the neighbor kid came up and asked you to play with them?”

“Yes… where is this going?”

“Patience, my friend, patience. Remember how you were really tired and all you wanted to do was go home and rest?”

Xylina nodded. “It is forest fire season, and they are getting harder and harder to control.”

“Yes - but, you played with that kid anyway.”

“They are always so nice and polite, and besides they did not want too much, just a simple game of catch.”

“You do not give yourself enough credit; you made them so happy that day.”

Xylina’s smile widened a fraction. “I suppose I did. But, what is the point of telling me this?”

“I’m getting to it! You see, one hundred, one thousand years ago, you would not have acted the same way - we would not have acted as we do now. I would not be here, with you, in this apartment in the middle of the city. Isn’t there a reason we came here?”

“Yes - to meet with people. Not as their gods, but as their equals.”

“Right. What I’m trying to say is - we’ve spent so long letting others tell our story. Letting others define our lives. And now, look how far we’ve come! Look around you - look at all the lives you’ve touched, not as the Goddess, but as a friend. A kind smile in the morning, a wave to acquaintances you see on the street. Look how much we’ve learned from everyone - can you believe I can bake cookies now?”

“They are pretty good cookies.” Xylina remarked dryly.

“I know! And I used to think they were some sort of magic creation. Anyway, the point is - we may still be lost without each other. But I think, with everyone around us - I do not think we will be lost for long. Besides, Xy, you know I’ll always be here for you - I tried disappearing once, and we all know how that turned out.”

A chuckle from Xylina. “Turns out the solution to your problems wasn’t running away from people, huh?”

“Quite the opposite, in fact. Quite the opposite indeed.”

“...but thank you, Rami. Who knew you could speak so eloquently.”

Ramazi shrugged. “I try, sometimes.”

Xylina hummed, turning her gaze to their small living room window. The blurry silhouettes of skyscrapers could barely be made out against a sunset-orange sky. Faint noise could be heard from the street below - cars, children playing, the barks of an excited dog. For a moment, she could fool herself into believing she was one of them, too.

“Do you ever wish you did not have your powers?”

“All the time. It seems so much easier to enjoy your existence when you are not an immortal deity in charge of the circle of life. But! If I was not given this duty, then I would have never befriended you.”

A smile, genuine this time. “I suppose that is true.”

Ramazi stood up from the couch, stretching and yawning loudly. Picking up his bowl, he turned to Xylina with a mischievous grin. “Hey… will you help me make some more noodles?”

“But - you have not finished your bowl.” This was true - the bowl was still about a quarter full.

“Yeah, but they’re cold now. And they’re not as good when you reheat them.”

“You… are impossible.”

“You could say I’m as stubborn as death!” A line which earned him a (very deserved) pillow thrown at his face.

“Sometimes it is difficult to believe the powers chose you to be the Lord.” Xylina sighed. “If I make you your noodles, will you promise to let me finish this book in peace?”

“I promise… to let you finish the chapter.”

“I guess I must accept that.” Ramazi cheered and headed towards the kitchen. Xylina placed her bookmark between the pages - a simple pressed flower she’d picked up from her favorite bookstore - and carefully set the book down on the couch.

“Hey, Xy.” Ramazi called behind him. “Now that we know these people aren’t so bad…what do you think about hiring some apprentices?”

“What - pray tell, where did that idea come from?” Ramazi only laughed at her confusion as she rose to follow him into the kitchen. “Rami, wait, explain yourself!”


♦


If someone happened to be walking past their building, and glanced up at the kitchen window on the third floor, they would see two kalons framed against the windowsill. They would perhaps hear wisps of the easy chatter that flowed between the two; the clang of dishes as they prepared food. They would never believe that those two kalons were the deities of Life and Death. They would never think to guess at the burdens these two souls had carried, alone, for far too long.

But, though their journey remained difficult, it was no longer a lonely road. And perhaps that was all anyone - even the gods - could truly ask for.