Young Writers Society

Benji Still In An

Benji sat on a hill, looking down on the parade. He'd always liked far away places, the farther you got, the more the lights in the distance shimmered. Benji liked to think it was because they were all changing.

He'd stopped far past the boundaries of the parade, resting under a tree. His walk had bought him near a strange palace still farther above him. It glimmered dully, its luster taken by time. Benji was strangely interested in it. It gave off a sense of loneliness yet he was not bothered.

Benji was just as alone.

He looked down at the cat next to him.

Well, except for the dhalku.

The feline stared down at the lights as well, Its eyes drooped lazily but it's ears were on the swivel. Benji reached towards it hesitantly. It turned to face him, eyes focused on his oncoming hand. Benji flinched, stopping, then started once more, letting his hand level out with the feline's chin. The cat followed it with it's eyes, staring at it as it stopped.

The cat stared at Benji's hand as it lay there pathetically.

Benji grumbled to himself, then began to retract it. Suddenly, a warm object nudged his fingers open. Benji looked down, not sure what to expect. The cat's head lay in his hand, it's eyes focused down on the parade. Benji just stared at it in amazement. Why was it so warm? It was made out of ice for christ's sake. He stared back at the palace behind him, it's pale face reflecting the weakening tendrils of light.

The cat's head shifted.

The palace shifted ever so slightly in the coming night. One of it's pillars cracked, then slowly collapsed, it's spire tipping slowly and falling magnanimously, so slowly as to still reflect the light. Then it disappeared behind the mountains, never to be seen again.

Benji looked back at the cat.

He had the cat with him.

Benji vowed to protect his friend forever.

Myza stared murderously at the dalkhu. She didn't trust her – there was something oddly wrong with her. Not the usual dalkhu aura, but something different. The girl was vastly different, in fact, and Myza began to realise that her hatred was dissipating. In her own prejudiced heart – just like many gods – she stuck to the fact that dalkhu were the poison of all worlds. But Myza's opinions differed in origin to some others. She knew that most gods had never seen a dalkhu-genii, let alone a dalkhu parallel to their own kind. In her eyes it was ridiculous – how could gods have such a negative view of dalkhu-genii and dalkhu-gods if they have never spoken to one?

The young goddess continued to walk cautiously among the crowds of the Parade. Although she was a god, she still held some nervous habits around large groups. Though she hid her feelings well, these habits – such as her overwhelming edginess – were a huge give-away. Paggya Davariss Greed had vanished somewhere, but Myza wasn't concerned; or rather, she appeared unconcerned. Inside, her guts were writhing. She was torn between hating and respecting the dalkhu girl, and she didn't like either option.

It was in-between these split-second thoughts that Myza's hard stare flitted along the faces of the crowds. She knew no-one – Myza hadn't been the most sociable person in an by any stretch. The heavens were an incredibly varied place, with a huge range of people, but that was just the form gods took, an appearance they chose for themselves. Myza could only imagine the true forms of these gods. True forms were something that only the god themselves should see – it was a taboo to show one's true form to another, no matter who they were.

“Did you see that?”
“What a disgrace. Just another selfish, jealous...”

Whispers of amazement and disgust made their way to Myza's ears. She rarely took part in such discussions, which surprised many who believed that a goddess of honesty would want to voice her opinion constantly. The woman was a firm believer in the fact that some truths must be kept.

“My Lady?”

A gentle yet firm voice carried over the hubbub of the Parade. Myza's heartbeat sped up instantly. She knew the voice from somewhere – it was most likely a previous genii of hers – yet couldn't quite place a name to it. This worried her. Myza never, ever forgot a genii. Turning slowly, she bit her lip as their gazes connected. They had indeed been addressing her; either that, or it was a horrible coincidence.

“Valtris?”

Myza's eyes widened. They still remember me. Why don't I remember them? She frantically pushed her way through the crowd, tossed and jostled by those who didn't bother to clear a path. Her heart had kept a steady yet quickened pace since she heard this voice. That was, in some small part, a good sign. It could also mean that if something were to attack, and Myza was forced to use the shadows again, they could turn.

“Valtris, it's been a long time.”

Myza had almost forgotten her goal in amongst all the conversation and movement of the Parade. She now stood on the outer edge, facing a woman around the same height as herself. Her auburn hair cascaded down her left shoulder in a twisting braid and she wore a tunic-like dress of white silk. Myza still bit her lip. She was beginning to feel the flesh throb under her teeth.

“Myzanke.”

“Hm...?”

“Call me Myza.”

The woman smiled apologetically. “Oh, I'm sorry. I understand.” The smile faded once she noticed the frown clouding Myza's features. “Val- Myza, are you alright?”

Myza's eyes had begun to sting. She cursed silently as her voice wavered, ever so slightly. “I-I'm sorry, I just...” she paused, her white-crescent nails digging into her palms. “I don't remember your name.”

The goddess turned away, hiding her crestfallen expression and leaving a bewildered genii behind. She would not have wanted to see the forgotten genii's concern for herself, so she kept her eyes ahead, kept them focused on the blurred glow of the Parade. Myza tucked a straying hair behind her ear and began to scan the crowd again. Her weakened heart prayed that she didn't see another previous genii; reminders of them were unwelcome. But if humans prayed to gods, who did gods pray to?

The skies of an were blank. They were always blank, Myza thought as she hopped through the pulsing Parade and across to the other side. She had hoped that the gods might decorate the skies with fire as humans did on special occasions, but no such thing existed in an. For a society of deities, the heavens were pretty far behind with technology. Myza mused silently, standing at the edge of the Parade as one would stand at a river bank, looking into the swirling waters. The gentle conversation from god to god almost sounded like a river, too. Myza smiled faintly, her concern about her own forgotten genii fading with the pace of her heartbeat.

However, there was still a foreboding solemnity about the festivities. Myza nervously tugged at the ribbon around her waist. She hoped that dalkhu was behaving herself. In a spurt of paranoia, Myza located a slightly darker area of the Parade. It was behind what she assumed to be a well-known god's home, and the large building sheltered her hands from most of the bright light. The goddess reached out for the shadows, eyes shining with apprehension. Her heartbeat hastened once again and Myza quickly willed it to stop, to rest for just a moment. A great black eagle rose from her clenched hand and began to roost on her pale and shivering arm. Its eyes watched her closely. It could see her fear.

Myza leaned towards it, careful to glaze confidence over her shaking voice. “Find the dalkhu,” she whispered. The eagle's head jolted, its gaze suddenly snapping into terrifying focus in what Myza assumed was the direction of Paggya. “Make sure she... she stays safe, and doesn't cause trouble.”

Even before Myza had finished speaking, the eagle was steadying itself for flight. Its tremendous weight was lifted from her arm and she gasped with exhilirating relief, stumbling backwards with the force of the eagle's wings. It was invisible against the ebony skies of an, a slowly rising cloud of black feathers and sharpened eyes. It would remain invisible until it neared a source of light – not even a floodlight could surpass the swallowing shadow if it stuck to high ground. Though, Myza thought, it would be helpful if her sword could defeat shadows. She never knew when they would turn.

“...And then he walked up to me, saying that my 'bold words had tenderly pierced his heart,' to which I replied by drop kicking him in the face and running away.”

The surrounding Benevolent Dalkhus and Geniis stared at Paggya, hesitating between amusement and shock. Paggya giggled. “Though I must confess that I had forgotten my shoes,” she added shyly, “so I… had to come back in, grab them and run away for good. I believe the poor Dalkhu was rather confused.”
With that sentence, amusement managed to prevail, and the crowd of Dalkhus and Geniis that had gathered around Paggya to hear several tales of her life's adventures unleashed timid laughs.

“So you didn't even bother to put them back on?” someone in the crowd asked.

“Oh no, I was far too spooked to do anything but keep my shoes in hand.” Paggya replied, “So I ran barefoot back to my house, convinced that he was right behind me. Luckily, he left me alone after that, and nobody ever attempted to kidnap me ever again. Apparently this Sarkham person was famous for kidnapping young maidens of the Realm from Down Below, so the fact that one of them escaped in such a rather… unconventional way made other potential predators think twice about wanting to take said maiden away. Which, of course, was a relief for me!”

“M'Lady!”

Paggya raised her head. There was Buranoj, her black-colored Guardian Sprite, a look of mild concern on the face. “Uh… I think Gurivoj's in trouble, M'Lady.” Buranoj continued. “Sorry to interrupt, but think you can check it out?”

“But of course, my dear!” Paggya replied joyfully. She gazed back at her crowd, bowing before them. “You heard him! I'm sorry to announce that I must flee, for trouble calls for me to resolve it. We will talk again later. May Fortune always smile by your side.” with that, Paggya walked away from her crowd, smiling at those who waved her goodbye. Along the way, she kept on doing her serving duties, distributing the rest of her juice and cookies to whoever wanted them. Though barely an hour had passed, Paggya was quite satisfied that a lot more people were already willing to talk to her, or simply accept her presents like they should, for they were anything but harmful. Besides, it had been quite interesting to simply gaze round the Parade, as although her interruption had caused quite the commotion, the party was still going strong, with more people from all races were still coming inside, and no true harm had been done to anyone.
Of course, Paggya could still see the occasional suspicious looks she received from the Deities around her, but at least that much was expected – it would've been far too easy if everyone had accepted her on the spot, anyway.

“So, what's all the commotion about?” Paggya inquired as she reached for the stage she had previously performed her act on. Another crowd had gathered, though this time it seemed to encircle the Pot of Cupidity Paggya had left for everyone.

“Is there some kind of problem here that I'm not aware of?” Paggya inquired loudly enough for the crowd to notice her. “I hope none of you are having trouble with my Pot of Cupidity?”

“M'Lady!” Gurivoj exclaimed fearfully, flying in her arms. “It was horrible! Seriously, these weirdos kept asking for candies and cookies, but I told them I couldn't, give everything to everyone at once, and then they started insulting me! Please can you let me have another job? This is scary!”

Gently patting on the frightened Familiar's head, Paggya approached the Pot itself, where several deities had gathered. But before any of them could say anything, their eyes widened in surprise, and the next second, Paggya received a violent shock on the cheek and harshly fell on the ground, right in the middle of the crowd. They all gasped in surprise, looking a thte figure that had just appeared above Paggya.

“Oh I'm sorry!” Svantes, Deity of Passion, apologized with a dastardly smile. “I was on my way to check just how reliable this… disgusting pot really was, but I unfortunately bumped into the little miss devil here. Are you okay?” having said that, Svantes extended a brutal hand in Paggya's direction, hitting her face once again. “Oh! How unfortunate!” Svantes continued. “I merely wanted to help you get up from the ground! Please tell me you're unharmed! This was an accident, we all saw it!”

A pocket of gloomy silence formed itself around Paggya and Svantes, which deities and geniis waiting. Waiting for the situation to resolve itself. Waiting for Paggya to react.
Waiting to see who was the devil.

“YOU!” Gurivoj immediately shouted, his green skin shining brighter. “You rotten…!”

“Guri.” Paggya interrupted, still facing the ground. The Sprite froze in place. “But M'Lady!" he exclaimed. "He slapped you twice! And he–”

“Misinterpreting already, Dalkhu?” Svantes asked. “My hand merely slipped as I was about to help your little devil. Be grateful I even dared doing that!”

Buranoj joined his brother, floating above Paggya and staring at the smiling deity with equal rage burning in their eyes.

“Buri. Guri.” Paggya called again, slowly rising up from the ground. “Please. I taught you better than that.” she turned back, a joyful smile enlightening her face. At the same time, a purple aura encircle her, pulsating in a menacing fashion.

“Is this what you want to see?” Paggya asked softly, walking towards Svantes. “You want to anger me so that I may, as earthlings tend to say, 'snap'? You want to show that all of my words so far were meaningless? That all Dalkhus, as you falsely believe, are malevolent and that the right push will lead them to show their… 'true nature?' And for that, you decided to let your hand slip on my cheek and make sure that I would break the sacred rule of the Heaven's Parade, even going as far as breaking it yourself, you, a Deity, just for the sake of proving a miserable point?” Paggya's aura promptly disappeared and she leaned over, putting a finger to her other cheek. “You can always let your hand slip on the other cheek, puny god.” Paggya continued joyously. “Because if you actually believe that there is any punishment harsher than being the daughter of Greed incarnate… Then you are more naive than I thought.” and with that, Paggya proceeded by taking Svantes' bald head between her hands and giving him a kiss on the forehead, to everyone's utmost surprise, and Svantes' complete shock. She bowed to him and faced her crowd once again, dusting her dress as she moved away.
“Thanks for trying to protect me, you two.” Paggya said, pulling her two Familiars in a soft embrace. “You're adorable.” Perfectly aware that the deities around her were shocked and confused of her behavior towards her Familiars – after all, it was impossible for a Dalkhu to show affection to anything except for treacherous purposes, according to them – she instructed Gurivoj to stand by and keep distributing cookies and juice while she politely asked if she could see the representing figures of the Heaven's Parade. She was led to a lone tent in which several guards awaited her, showing off simple deep blue armors and spears.

“What is your business here, troublesome Dalkhu?” an aged god, dressed in the same fashion as his soldiers, said as she entered inside. He was alone, consulting what appeared to be a map of the Heaven's Parade, using candles with soft lights to mark things with a pencil.

“A pleasure to meet you, Respectable One.” Paggya began, bowing in front of him. “As you may already know, I am Paggya Davariss Greed, and my business here is to warn you that what you deities fear has already begun.” Paggya took a more serious expression. “Some families of Fallen Deities and Dalkhus have decided that staying in the darkness was too much for them to bear, and have begun moving. I have been informed that a rebellion is to take place during or after the Heaven's Parade, and I managed to come here and warn you all.”

The deity frowned his eyebrows. “Though I am far from surprised that you confirm such an event, how can you be so sure that they will attack us so soon?”

“My Father, Harppagyon Greed, is hoping to use this war as a pretext to serve the two sides and gain more material wealth than he already has. He warned us all to remain as neutral as possible, and in fact, several factions of the Realm From Down Below did not budge. I am here, because I decided to disobey my father so that you may foil their plans, and his as well.”

The Deity rose up, and only then did Paggya realize just how imposing he really was. The glare he gave her seem to analyze every part of her existence, and yet it was not hostile, simply… intimidating.

“Why?” the deity simply asked. “Why did you leave the safety of your family and home and come to us? I hope you realize that, considering who educated you, I can perfectly assume that your presence in the Heaven's Parade is only to do something that would only serve your personal purposes, whatever they are.”

“And in a way, you'd be correct.” Paggya admitted, smiling bitterly. “I came here in order to become an Aspiring Deity because I want to redeem my family's name in the eyes of the world. That much is a selfish need, and I know that I will find more of these needs if I do, in fact, become a full Deity. I am also aware that none of you will ever truly have faith in someone like me, because of the way you were educated.
“But I don't mind. I've suffered enough already, and through my wanders on Earth, I discovered another type of satisfaction. Another type of greed.”
Paggya locked her gaze in the Deity's, and her smile brightened as she continued. “I long for smiles.” she declared. “The smile gotten from helping those in need, for helping them taking care of whatever fate was forced upon them. The smile gotten from watching a satisfied soul accomplish his goal, a goal that I might have helped him realize by swaying the balance of control in his favor. The smile gotten from the plotters, these mischievous beings that only need a spark of inspiration to do whatever they want and take control of their destinies. There is nothing, Respectable One, nothing that satisfies my inner greed more than that. And I am willing to put this desire in your hands so that you may help me use it in a way that will create and not destroy. That may sound selfish as well… But destruction is all I have been taught, and I grow tired of it.” Paggya fell in silence, awaiting for the Deity in front of her to reply. After a long time, almost an entire minute, he walked around his wooden desk and put a firm hand on Paggya's shoulder. A thick silver string stuck in a sea of short brown hair in his head shone at the candle's light.

“My name is Megalith, Deity of Analysis.” he declared solemnly. “I will not trust you yet, Paggya Davariss. Maybe I will never trust you. But I will trust your greed.”

Paggya made sure that she memorized every single detail of Megalith's tanned-skinned face as she contemplated him, for she genuinely moved by his words. But before she could say anything more, a detonation made the entire tent tremble, forcing them both out of it.

“Guards?” Megalith called. “What is the meaning of this noise?”

“Something terrible happened, Great Megalith!” an armed Deity shouted, running towards them. “A weapon! A gigantic weapon appeared and invaded the entrance of the Heaven's Parade!!”

Megalith gazed at Paggya. She glanced at him, nodding. “Three possibilities.” Paggya stated. “A coincidence, a warning from the rebellion From Down Below, or a greeting from Father to prevent me from telling you the info that I've already provided.”

“Which of these possibilities is most likely, according to you, Miss Davariss?”

“The second one.” she immediately replied. “A coincidence is perfectly viable, considering that activities from unknown Geniis around the Earth tend to rise when the Heaven's Parade occurs, but… Father did mention that the Dalkhus From Down Below would use Earthly means to reach and conquer the Deities. As for the third option, Father is not stupid enough to attack you all directly just to get me back. He knows when to wait to satisfy his greed. And speaking of that, Great Megalith, please wait here as I satisfy mine.”

“Wait. What do you mean?” Megalith inquired as she walked away. Paggya turned back, giving him a confident smile.

“I am going to deal with this matter.” Paggya declared, glancing at Megalith and his men. “Take it as a token of my appreciation for receiving me in your tent, Great Megalith. If you trust my greed, then I shall trust your judgment. Oh, and you don't need to worry.” she added with a wink. “I haven't forgotten the rule. I shan't use a single weapon against whatever came in to crash the Heaven's Parade. Once was enough!” having said that, Paggya immediately directed herself back towards the entrance to the Heaven's Parade, where the train from which Geniis, Dalkhu and Deities were supposed to come from to reach the world of An. Black smoke could be seen in the distance.

“Guri!" Paggya shouted as she pulled her spoon from her pocket, letting it extend to the proportions of a sword. “Take your Pot and come with me! We've got some trouble to deal with!”

“AYE, M'LADY!”

Paggya swiftly avoided the crowd of Geniis, Dalkhus and Deities, who were either fleeing from the black smoke or, like her, running towards it.

“SpellCast: Spoon Barrier!” Paggya shouted, pointing her spoon towards a group of people stuck on the ground. Just in time, too: another explosion detonated right next to the group placed under Paggya's temporary protection, and she had just the time to lift it, waving towards one of the people she saved. “Hello again, my Goddess.” Paggya greeted. “Don't fret: I'm not here to bother you with cookies anymore. And thank you for protecting these people.” Paggya walked forward and proudly stood in front of whatever was causing the commotion, realizing the gravity of the problem when it revealed itself to her eyes.
It was a battle tank.

“ALRIGHT, PEOPLE!” a voice shouted from inside the monstrous machine. A hatch opened itself, and from it came out a pale-skinned young man dressed with dark green military clothing and a golden beret. He coughed several times and pointed an accusing finger towards the people still around him. “My name's Guy! AND YOU'RE AAAAAAAAAAALL UNDER ARREST!” apparently proud of his presentation, the military man nodded to himself, showing off a satisfied grin.

“Mister Guy?”

Guy frowned, gazing down at the girl with a giant spoon in her hand staring up at him. “'The heck are you s'posed to be?”

The Pot of Greed appeared next to Paggya, guided by Gurivoj. Smiling cheerfully, Paggya walked closer to the tank, leaped on the caterpillar-like wheels of the machine, and finally jumped on the tank's gun, standing with apparent ease on the gun barrel. Gurijov flew by her side and placed a silver plate full of cookies in her hands, which she handed to a very surprised Guy with utmost attention, slightly leaning forward to gaze into his dark brown eyes.

“Hello, Guy, I am Paggya Davariss Greed, and allow me to properly welcome you to the Heaven's Parade!” Paggya exclaimed in a casual tone. “Want a cookie?”

Benji | In An or Something

Benji's head jerked up. He had fallen asleep.

Smoke billowed up from the parade below. Benji shot to his feet, startled and confused. Last he checked An was about the safest place to be.

The cat awoke as well, it's eyes wide and alert, it's ears swiveling.

Benji scrambled to pick up his bag then raced down the hill away from the lonely palace. He had to help somehow.

The grassy terrain raced below his feet. The cat followed in hot pursuit, practically flying across down the hill. As they got closer, Benji gagged at the acrid smoke. The scene was still to far away to make out but Benji thought he saw a tank sitting at the gates of An.

Perhaps he was still a bit groggy.

Nevertheless, he raced onward, a thousand thoughts running through his head. Soon, he reached the back entrance of the Parade and bolted past the gods and ghosts still milling about. The colorful booths soon gave way to the entrance of the parade, and the smoking rubble of the heavenly gates.

And there in the twisted metal and stone stood a massive battle tank with a man sticking out of it's top hatch. Benji stared at the man in utter confusion as he shouted into the crowd.

“My name's Guy! AND YOU'RE AAAAAAAAAAALL UNDER ARREST!”

The announcement did nothing to clear the confusion. Benji looked around to see where his cat had gone. The feline was lurking near the back of the crowd, obviously preparing to escape if anything went wrong. Benji decided to follow suit, slinking back to join his companion.

Suddenly, a little girl vaulted onto the tank, massive spoon in hand. Benji thought he recognized her from somewhere but the massive kitchen utensil threw him.

The girl proceeded to talk to Guy though Benji couldn't make out what she was saying. He decided that, whatever was transpiring, he could afford to miss it. He motioned the cat to follow him and together they slunk away from the the gathering crowd.

You're so lame.

Benji sighed. He had to admit, running away from a situation that hadn't even begun to be a problem was pretty lame. Nevertheless, he sneaked his way off the main road and down behind a bole in the hill. The cat stood on it's hind legs, waiting for a Que to run. From their vantage point, all Benji could really see was Guy's scraggly face and the top of Spoon Girl's spoon. He waited. Hopefully the situation would be resolved by the Deities.

You could at least try to make an effort. Jeez, with all those crazy gadgets you've made at least put some of them to good use.

Benji continued watching, doing his best to ignore his conscious. Suddenly, a shock wave shot through the ground, knocking Benji off his feet. Seconds later, the blast reached his ears, a terrifying boom that echoed around in his skull. A gasp and scattered shouts of horror came from the crowd as they watched the shell shoot upward. Then, an explosion appeared over head.

Benji watched in horror as the translucent shield around the parade dissipated.