17 Behind Closed Doors

An emergency meeting was held with the Creator. It was a "closed-door" session between the nine alpha gods, not privy to the public. Genesis was also called into attendance. Sky had the Mortal Mirror brought into the council chambers, where the distressful projections of Tuzi could be seen. 

"Father please," the Goddess pleaded. "Tuzi is gravely wounded. She is on Earth. Can you grant me permission to enter the Mortal Realm and bring her back here, please?"

The room had turned uncomfortably silent. The Creator was sitting silently on this throne, his eyes still, as if he wasn't really seeing her. Or maybe he was, but was assessing her reaction. 

Moon was beginning to feel a bit unnerved by his lack of response.

"We have to hurry before the person who took her comes back to retrieve her," she tried again, when she didn't get an answer.

"Moon…" the Creator started, clearing his throat a bit. "You know we have strict rules about gods entering the Mortal Realm. I cannot grant you permission to do it. You of all people should know why."

Something about the situation was starting to feel very wrong to her. "I understand. However, Tuzi is not in the Mortal Realm by her own choice. Someone took her against her will," she said, trying her best to appeal to him.

"And are you sure it was against her will?" the Creator questioned her, his voice had turned as cold as steel. "And that it wasn't by her own will?"

The Goddess was taken back by his stern response. Wasn't her father helping her find Tuzi before this? "Of course it was against her will! Tuzi has never wandered off too far by herself. She would never leave without saying anything. She is in the Mortal Realm because someone summoned blood magic and drew her there."

"And why should anyone have any reason to do that?"

"I-I do not know! But look at her!" the Goddess pointed at the imagery in the mirror. "Look at what has happened to her?! She did not do this to herself. No one would want this wish upon themself. I would not wish this upon my worst enemy."

"Genesis," the Creator said, motioning to the old man. "Can you show us what happened to the lady before she ended up like this?"

The elderly historian stepped forward to bow his respects, before approaching the Mortal Mirror. Because history was etched into his mind, he has the capabilities to summon past events onto the divine object. 

His hand touched the frame of the great artifact and instantly, the mirror began to swirl. Once the imagery had begun to settle, it projected a view of the night sky. The gods observed a combination of stars and clouds as the backdrop of thunderous and stormy weather.

With a flash of lightning, Tuzi's limp form came into view, falling through the clouds at a rapid speed. She was unconscious and not struggling, her body completely still.

The goddess watched in horror as Tuzi fell seemingly forever, her breath caught in her throat. Just as suddenly, a scene of the ocean came into view in the background, followed by a loud explosion. A shocked gasp could be heard in the silence that followed.

Tuzi's body crashed into the side of the mountain like a meteor, sending rocks and debris flying in all directions. Her limp form landed in a dark cave cavern, where she lay unmoving in the darkness.

Tuzi's body was a mangled mess, her bones broken and her flesh torn. She was covered in her own blood, her skin bruised and swollen. The gods who were watching were silent, some of them wincing in pain as they imagined the suffering she must have endured. No mortal could have survived such a fall, and even a deity would have been seriously hurt.

Yet, the Goddess's divine rabbit shifter had survived, severely injured and barely breathing, but she was alive. Her blessed healing abilities as a shifter had saved her life by a thread, enough to allow her body to start mending itself.

Tuzi, how painful it must have been for you, Moon thought brokenly, her eyes glassy. She was barely holding herself together, but she knew she couldn't break down in tears right now. Not in front of the other gods, when she was at their mercy and judgment. She needed their help, for Tuzi's sake.

Sky reached out to touch her arm, but she gestured for him to stand back. She could not accept his kindness now. She was too fragile, and she knew that if she let him comfort her, she would shatter. She had to be strong for Tuzi's sake.

"As you see," the Goddess started, barely recognizing her own scratchy voice. "No one would do that to themselves."

"But how can you guarantee, that what has happened to her now, isn't the consequence of some scheme she had planned?" The Creator asked, his harsh tone was not relenting.

"What scheme?! There is no scheme. Someone did this to her! Tuzi doesn't have the capabilities of traveling to the Mortal Realm."

The Creator leaned back on his throne, letting out a slow and frustrated sigh. He rubbed the bridge above his nose, his eyes closed and brows furrowed in disappointment. 

"I didn't want it to come to this. I had hoped that in time, you would forget about her and move on. But it seems that you are not ready to let go of this issue."

"Of course not! I will never," she responded defensively. "I don't understand why you are acting this way. Why are you handling this like she did something wrong? Tuzi is innocent. I am just trying to bring her home."

"I did not want to show you this," he responded, with sadness in his eyes. He held out his hand steadily and with a flick of his hand, a book fell out from thin air and landed with a thud onto the council table.

The book was a heavy tome, its leather cover cracked and peeling. A few pages had fallen out of it, fluttering to the ground like leaves. The gods in the room stared at the book with unblinking eyes, their faces grim.

"What is that…?" Moon asked carefully.

"That is one of the oldest spell books from the Forbidden category of the Celestial Halls Library. It was collected from your palace, the day when the curse was summoned," the Creator answered, studying her face. "This book contains the dark spell that was used at your palace."

The Goddess looked confused. "I have never seen it before."

"I understand," he said softly. "The book was collected from Lady Tuzi's room."

She shook her head in denial. "That's not possible. Tuzi was practicing minor spells. Silly spells. They were harmless. She doesn't even know how to navigate her way through that library. Much less pick something up from the Forbidden categories? That section is barred from the public."

"And yet the book was found in her possession," the Creator countered. "There are multiple witnesses throughout the realm who have seen the Lady practicing magic from this very book! It was no secret."

"It's a mistake," the Goddess responded, trying her best to keep her cool. "Even if Tuzi had this book in her possession, she probably didn't know what it was."

"Very well then," the Creator said calmly. "I will let you hear it from the witnesses themselves." 

Over the course of the next hour, dozens of witnesses were brought into the council room, each regaling how they had seen the Lady Tuzi practicing spells from the ancient tome. Gods, goddesses, nymphs, fairies. Each had a different tale of how the rabbit-shifter was openly summoning spells at the Celestial Hall gardens, either successfully or having failed miserably. 

The last witness that was called in, was the Sky God's captain of guards, Atlas. The soldier came into the room, bowing his respects to the present deities. "My lords and lady."

Sky shifted uncomfortably where he stood. He did not want his best man to be involved with this even though he knew that Atlas would be summoned. The soldier and Lady Tuzi had a close friendship. 

The Creator pointed to the old book laying on the council table. "Have you seen this book before?"

Atlas looked over at the artifact and nodded, answering cautiously, "I have, my Lord."

"And where have you seen it? Say it loud and clear, for there are multiple witnesses who have testified seeing you with this."

The color from the soldier's face drained, as he glanced over to first the Sky God, and then the Goddess. The deities in the room all held a grim expression. 

"The book…" he started with hesitation. 

"Go on. Say it."

The soldier drew his lips into a line. He didn't want to say it because he knew the implications behind the words. He looked to the Goddess apologetically. "I was in the Celestial Hall Gardens with Lady Tuzi. She was practicing a spell from the book."

The Moon Goddess clenched her fist tightly. Her eyes stared piercingly at the soldier. "And what spell was she practicing? Be specific, soldier!"

"She was learning how to create instant strawberries, my Lady," Atlas answered. "It was a harmless spell. She was doing it for fun. I was with her the whole time."

Moon let out a small breath of relief. "You see," she said to the gods in attendance, specifically her father. "Tuzi was just practicing a silly spell. There were no malevolent intentions there."

"No, but it demonstrated that she had the capabilities of summoning spells from that book. Let's not overlook that fact," the Underworld God challenged. 

"A simple food spell is thousands of times easier than the dark magic that was executed at the Goddess's palace," the Sky God countered. "That curse would require an advanced sorcerer, which Lady Tuzi is not."

"Did you not just see her survive that fall from the sky? She is not a simple lady."

"You are right she is not simple," Moon growled at the Underworld God bitterly. "She is my lady. One that I have blessed."

"I'm afraid she has grown beyond the capabilities that you have gifted her," the Creator said. He tilted his head, examining his daughter. "Do not be stubborn. You must understand that the circumstances of her disappearance are highly suspicious."

"They are, but no one has proven that there was a motive. There is still no proof that she was the one who summoned that spell, even if she had that book!" the Goddess responded defensively. "I do not understand why you are so determined to condemn her. Weren't you trying to help me find her? Why this sudden hostility? Help me understand this."

"Because my child. If this situation isn't a simple mistake with consequences created by your pet, then that means it is someone's motive to pull her into the Mortal Realm, where you would immediately demand to go get her. It means someone is using her as bait! To get to you!" the alpha god shot back at her. 

Silence fell on the room again. Moon swallowed, knowing it was likely true. Tuzi has no value to anyone except her. And in the Mortal Realm, the Moon Goddess would be highly vulnerable. 

"I understand that. I can retrieve Tuzi quickly, if you would allow me to. Please," she pleaded helplessly.

"I will not risk you," the Creator said with finality. 

She knew she was losing ground. She tried reasoning with her father again. "If it is me at risk, then it would not matter if another god went in my place to retrieve her."

He did not look amused. His face, stoic and cold as a statue, turned towards the deities present in the room. "Any volunteers…?"

Moon turned to face the senior gods. Aside from the Creator, they were the most powerful beings in the realm. And yet, silence fell over the room, as none of them dared to defy the Creator. Some of them looked at her with pity. Others without an ounce of sympathy.

Axel mouthed the words, Sorry, before looking away with guilt laden on his face.

Feeling the claws of desperation raking through her head, she turned to the Sky God. Touching his sleeve, she asked quietly, her eyes pleading with him. "Sky… Earth is your realm. Out of all the gods, you are the strongest one there. It wouldn't even take a minute of your time. Can you please enter the Mortal Realm and help me get Tuzi…?"

Sky had his face turned away. He couldn't look at her, knowing that if he saw the grief marred on her face, he would not be able to deny her request. Feeling like the most useless piece of shit in existence, he could only reply, "I can't do that."

Never had Moon felt so alone and isolated in her life. Her eyes wide and glassy, she shook her head in denial of this. 

"No. If no one would help me, then I'll go get her myself."

"You will not," the Creator growled at her defiance. "You know you have offended too many gods. Because of your recklessness, it has shown how vulnerable even the deities are in the Mortal Realm. Now that they are barred from visiting that place, their temples and shrines lay to waste in ashes. How many gods have lost their worshipers, because of you!"

"But Father–!"

"I HAVE SPOILED YOU ROTTEN!" His patience was now gone. "Your actions have consequences! And this will be your punishment!" the Creator thundered. Standing from his throne, he towered over every god in the room. With his anger rising to the surface, the other deities looked down, showing no sign that they wanted to challenge their alpha. "Drop this issue, Moon. Find another pet. If Lady Tuzi did not have the book in her possession, that spell would not have found its way into sinister hands. Consider it a lost cause and move on."

"I will not," she said defiantly. She clenched her fist so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Her body was shaking from anguish. 

"If I find you in the Mortal Realm," the alpha god warned, "I will smite that girl to smithereens myself."