Moving Forward

Gossip about the dark happenings at the Goddess's palace spread quickly throughout the Realm of Gods. When the Sky and Moon deity arrived by chariot, the area was already swarming with citizens eager to see what was happening. The presence of so many soldiers only added to the sense of unease.

Moon recognized some of the soldiers. They were a mix of men who reported to Sky and the Creator. Some of them were helping to keep the crowd back from the crime scene.

Sky approached Atlas, who was busy stationing soldiers around the perimeters. When the captain spotted his master, he bowed formally in greeting. "My lord, the Creator is inside the garden area waiting for you and the Lady Goddess."

"Thank you Atlas." Sky waved Moon over and they entered the palace together.

Walking through the palatial hallways of her residence, there was a detached feeling that was brewing inside of her. Yesterday before she had left for the Senior Council, the palace had been so serene and quiet. There was warm sunlight and life that lived within the great walls. But now, as her eyes surveyed the grim scene of soldiers who were busy removing dead corpses, gathering evidence, and reporting their findings, it felt like her world had been flipped upside down.

She glanced down the hallway near the training yard, where she imagined Tuzi would be at this time of day. Her companion would probably be dressed for combat training and carrying various weapons with her to the yard. Recently, it was bow and arrows, she recalled. Her friend would be practicing archery. Tuzi had read that long range weapons can help take down large prey from a distance.

The Goddess's heart ached as she focused on the present. How stark the difference was, within just a day's time. 

When the two deities arrived at the courtyard, they were surprised to find that it had been completely cleared of all evidence of the previous day's carnage. The dead animals and plants had been removed, the blood stains had been scrubbed away, and the gardeners were hard at work replanting new foliage and landscaping. Even the lotus plants in the water fountain had been replaced. It was as if the horrific act that had taken place there just a day ago had never happened.

She couldn't decide what disturbed her more: the fact that the courtyard had been scrubbed clean so quickly, as if nothing had happened, or the fact that despite how picturesque it was presented, she couldn't shake the sense of discomfort while standing in it.

The Creator stood near the far side of the wall, lost in thought in front of the divine artifact he had created so many millions of years ago. Moon approached him quietly, her eyes drawn to the large mirror that used to be her primary work tool. Now, the Mortal Mirror looked foreboding and haunting, its silver surface reflecting the Creator's troubled expression.

"Dad," she said, getting his attention. 

He turned to face her. His frown from a moment ago was gradually replaced with a soft smile for his daughter. "My dear… What a night you must've had." He took her hand in his and patted it lightly.

Moon's eyes suddenly became glassy as her father's empathy washed over her. She wanted to cry and tell him everything she was feeling, but she knew she couldn't. Tuzi was her priority right now, and she had to stay strong. She blinked a few times, hoping the moisture in her eyes would quickly disappear.

"I'm okay Dad," she responded after taking a breath. "I just need to know what happened to Tuzi and what does the mirror have to do with her disappearance. I'm so scared for her. I want to know where she is."

"I know," he said, nodding his head sympathetically. "We will get to the bottom of this."

"My Lord, do you know if the Mortal Mirror played a role in all this?" Sky asked with his hand gesturing around their surroundings. "When we were here yesterday, a dark energy clung onto the mirror. It was hard to determine what it was. But Moon indicated that Tuzi's essence disappeared entirely in front of it."

The Creator stroked his gray beard and looked thoughtfully at the mirror once again. "Hmm…" was all he said.

"Dad," Moon started hesitantly. "You know that the mirror can serve as a portal into the Mortal Realm. It was how I used to visit my children–"

"Shhhh…" her father whispered softly. "Not here. There are too many ears at work here. We do not yet know who is behind this act. Best not to give away all our secrets."

Moon drew her lips into a line but nodded in agreement none-the-less. "What should we do?"

"I will remove this mirror from your residence for now. It is for your own safety," he said to her. "And then, I will find out exactly what kind of black magic has cursed it."

"I will have my men move it," Sky said in agreement with his Lord's assessment.

She turned facing the large mirror and reached out to touch the thick carved frame. She had no more answers right now than she did yesterday. 

Oh Tuzi, she thought. Where in the world are you…?

* * *

In the months that followed, The Goddess found herself with no additional answers to what had happened to Tuzi. 

In private, the Creator confirmed to Moon and Sky that the Mortal Mirror's portal had been unlocked with the dark curse. It was a capability that was previously sealed away by the Creator, when he passed firm laws that no deity or divine being from the Realm of Gods could enter the Mortal Realm as their playground. 

For a deity to enter the Mortal Realm, they must be reborn into it and live a full life there with no special powers and no memories of their life as a god. One cannot simply open a portal these days and travel there as their destination. It is forbidden.

As for who had performed the curse to unseal the portal, the Creator could not trace the perpetrator behind the act. 

Genesis also had no information historically on who would have opened the portal. It was not recorded within his memory banks. The perpetrator was thorough in covering their tracks.

Moon conducted her own investigation, trying to find out if anyone had been seen entering or leaving her palace, if anyone had been lingering about the premises prior to the incident, or if Tuzi had been seen with anyone she wasn't familiar with. She was hoping to find any leads that could help her piece together what had happened to her friend, but unfortunately, no useful information was ever found.

When news of dark sorcery being performed at the Goddess's residence emerged, gossip traveled like wildfire through the Realm of the Gods. The use of dark magic was not a common occurrence, as it is considered a very serious offense and can have dire consequences for the summoner. It was not long before wild speculations began to linger on everyone's lips. For someone to resort to black magic, something very sinister must have been at hand. And what did it have to do with Lady Tuzi, the Goddess's pet? Conspiracy theories ran rampant in the realm on who the culprit could be, but there was no solid evidence that led to a suspect.

The Goddess searched and searched, but none of the theories came to fruition. Tuzi had literally disappeared into thin air, leaving no explanation behind.

After months, the gossip began to die down, the citizens of the realm shifted their attention to other buzz worthy news: Project Axel. 

The alpha gods resumed their planning of the monumental project, meeting at the Senior Council chambers regularly. Though wary and heart broken, Moon found herself answering to the summons again and threw herself into working with the other gods to bring the large project into fruition, as the fate of her children and also Earth hung on it by a thread.

Though it seemed hopeless, the Goddess had never given up on her best friend. She had the Mortal Mirror relocated to the Senior Council chambers and hung inside one of the rooms. In between breaks from the meetings, Moon would walk over to where her mirror was located.

With a flick of her wrist, she would activate the divine artifact and utter the words longingly, day after day: "Show me Tuzi."

Each day, Moon would activate the Mortal Mirror, hoping to see a glimpse of Tuzi. But the mirror would always show her a blank void. Moon was starting to lose hope, but she held onto the belief that Tuzi would be found again someday. She knew that the hollow void in her heart would only be filled when she was reunited with her friend.