Ah, resting… Mercury enjoyed short moments of him lying down as he slouched on a red velvet pillow with gold trimmings. Thoughtlessly, he sighed, savoring his moment of laziness as he felt the soft pillow against his small body. His mind wanted to stretch yet somehow he was too lazy to do so. Being the messenger for the Gods was not easy. All that flying made him a bit weary and he thought he could use a little shut-eye.
“Sleeping on the job?” Kuan Yin whispered and Mercury shouted in surprise, backing so that he fell off from the pillow. Kuan Yin laughed as she stooped by the long couch where the small Aesir was resting. Mercury shook is head, ridding his self of the surprise as he pouted at the Aesir of Compassion.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Kuan Yin smiled at the twelve-inch god, “But you told me to see you after I check on Nataku and my brothers.”
“And?” Mercury’s small frame shot up and hovered in mid-air as he bent towards Kuan Yin’s face, “How were they?”
“Wounded but all right.” She replied and Mercury straightened before sighing. Mercury had been a close friend of Nataku and the children of the Divine Couple so it was natural for him to show concern about them. He had been worried when the Jade Emperor Izanagi summoned Nataku for the Runes but Kuan Yin assured him there was nothing to worry about.
“Fenris Fenrir.” Kuan Yin murmured through Mercury’s thoughts, her face changing beam and her eyes losing enthusiasm.
“What?” Mercury’s eyes widened, “You mean… It…”
Kuan Yin nodded.
Mercury slowly descended, plopping on the pillow he had been slouching on earlier. Silence built up between the two Aesirs as both seemed to be in deep thought. Now he was sure that was something to be worried about. It’s not everyday you come across a nine-tailed fox hell-bent on destruction so the legends say.
“That’s not what bothers me.” Kuan Yin said again, breaking the thick annoying silence. Mercury did not say anything as a silent request for her to go on. “There’s a golden-eyed monkey-looking being that joined Nataku and my brothers.”
“Who?”
“I believe he is this Son Goku that Asgard has been talking about.” Kuan Yin replied only her eyes moving to look at Mercury. The Messenger contemplated, his eyes shifting in analysis as if having second thoughts about saying anything.
“Son Goku… Isn’t he the one… that the Valkyries were sent to kill…?” Mercury finally said, striking both tones of question and answer. Kuan Yin sighed and he raised an eyebrow, sending her a questioning look.
“Then… Why?” Mercury asked, crossing his arms and smirking, “If Son Goku is indeed a threat, why is he with Nataku and the Princes of Asgard…?” But even before Kuan Yin could answer, Mercury saw the golden mark coiled on Kuan Yin’s arm and proceeded to ask her what it was. The Goddess of Compassion blinked and thoughtfully looked at the golden coil. She could still remember how Odin looked like when she told him she would ask their parents for the Peaches to give to Esmeralda.
“It is a soul of a mortal named Esmeralda that Daisepha Odin requested to be given the privilege to eat the Immortal Peaches.” Kuan Yin replied, touching the golden mark on her arm. “I transferred her to my body for a while to take her to Asgard.”
“What for?”
“Well, she kind of played an important role that Daisepha Odin told her to.” Kuan Yin shrugged, “You know, that woman that prayed to Daisepha and took them in while they were in Midgard and those things… I heard the prayers from the battlefield and I saw what happened to Esmeralda.”
“In short, Master Odin is in love with this girl?” Mercury raised an eyebrow and Kuan Yin gave off a smile, thought for a while and said, “Well, that’s another way of putting it.”
“She’s a mortal.” Mercury hovered towards her face, hands on waist, “You do realize that, don’t you?”
Kuan Yin nodded.
“And we all know what happened the last time they let a mortal ate a Peach… Right?”
“But Esmeralda is different. She’s not…” Kuan Yin reasoned, biting her lower lip in hesitation before continuing, “… Cursed.”
Mercury gasped, his head darting back as he looked at Kuan Yin’s teary-eyed expression. She was wearing a small pout, her eyes shimmering, eyebrows bent and crunching together and an expression threatening to cry. Mercury sighed. She was indeed the sister of the Princes of Asgard. She had her own manner of getting things her way and this was it. It was true Kuan Yin had good intentions for doing things but it was no reason for Asgard to bend its rules.
Or rather, it’s customs.
“Ah, you’re the Goddess of Compassion, all right…” Mercury scratched his head, flying higher in spirals just above Kuan Yin’s head. She triumphantly smiled as she looked up at the twelve-inch messenger.
“But…” he said again, “It doesn’t mean the Divine Couple will give in to your wishes.”
Kuan Yin’s smile wore off.
“You know what I mean, KuanYin. I hope you understand.” Mercury descended and landed on her shoulder, his small hands touching her left cheek, “It might be better if you just leave her soul to the Underworld.”
She was not looking at him as she held her arm thoughtfully. Mercury felt like she wasn’t listening and wasn’t thinking sensibly again. Somehow, he felt like he had to make her understand what was going on and what was going to happen – what reality really was.
“Lady Kuan Yin…” he added, “You know how it is up here.”
How it is up here…
There was a hierarchy to be followed, a reputation to be maintained, a superior to be followed, a duty to be done. No one was allowed to stray away from this organized structure because it was in this way that the Aesirs and the Vanirs watched over Midgard and the other worlds.
Watched over? No. It was more like ruled over, played with…
Life was no toy and the gods, powerful as they may be, have no choice but to be part of the cycle of life. And yet, they are struggling from the cycle, trying to break it, not wanting to co-exist, not wanting to watch but wanting to rule. It was as if the Aesirs in Asgard and the Vanirs in Vanaheim were on top of the food chain and all those below them, in their weakness, worship them.
And just as how Asgard and Vanaheim tried to break away from the Weaving, some Aesirs tend to break away from the structure that had been formed in order to sustain power.
“I don’t want any of my brothers to be sad again.” The tears were forming. Ah, the sentimental Kuan Yin. Seeing her at the brink of tears was enough to make anyone feel guilty. This is why she was held dear to her brothers. But she was not as innocent as she seems. Kuan Yin knew the politics that controlled Asgard but her personality as the Aesir of Compassion would not let her brothers be sad. This was an irony – a painful fact – that Kuan Yin was in.
“Understand this, Mercury.” Kuan Yin was close to sobbing, “I don’t want… any of them… to suffer… like… before…”
“But Kuan Yin…”
“This soul… I have bestowed an Aesir’s mercy upon this soul.” Kuan Yin was saying beneath her breath, “Daisepha Odin… is still the eldest son of my parents. He is still their son. I am sure… They also… want to see him happy… So…” Kuan Yin got up, “I will try.” She had gotten up as if she were trying to end the conversation, as if she were trying to escape whatever it was that Mercury would say – the words she knew were the truth. She had hoped that Mercury would keep quiet, that he would let her be. But, no, he did not want her to fall into a pit of mistakes that she would regret and make her cry again later. No, Mercury did not stop talking.
“Lady Kuan Yin, that is not what happened to Master Loki.”
“THAT IS DIFFERENT!” Kuan Yin’s tears broke, shaking her head vigorously as she clenched her fist in attempt to fight the tears, “That… That will not… That will not happen again!” That was it and she dashed out of the room, leaving a startled Mercury hovering as her sobs trailed off with her footsteps.
“Not happening again…” Mercury muttered as his shoulders slowly dropped, “But… It still is.” He shook his head and swiftly flew after Kuan Yin.
The Goddess of Mercy told herself to stop crying. She hated this situation in which she had to stop herself from crying but couldn’t. It was because of this that she kept on running, her long robes making it hard for her to do so but she went on anyway. It was as if the running made her forget the pain for a while. It was hard being an Aesir of Compassion. By and by, she heard murmurs reaching her ears. Kuan Yin came to a stop and listened.
Those murmurs…
Dear Lady Kuan Yin, have mercy on my son…
Please have mercy…
The people were praying to her.
Have mercy, Lady Kuan Yin…
Again.
Have mercy.
Kuan Yin released a loud cry and sank on her knees. Deep inside, she envied these people for having a Goddess of Mercy to pray to. And for a moment, she wished she could be someone else just so she could know the feeling of having someone to turn to for mercy. It was then that Mercury saw her, felt worried and flew towards her side. This was the second time Mercury saw her cry because of prayers. Kuan Yin had always been the understanding and patient goddess. Everyone thought that gods and goddesses were perfect but no. Sometimes, they break down… just like how Kuan Yin was right now.
“Lady Kuan Yin…”
“I know… I shouldn’t be… crying… like this…” Kuan Yin said while she wiped her tears messily as they came, “…because… it is my duty… to show… compassion and… and… patience… But… But… I just thought…” Kuan Yin stopped wiping her tears and looked at the hovering Mercury, “If… I should be the one to show compassion to everyone… Who is… going to… show compassion… to me?”
Kuan Yin was looking at him, asking for answers yet found none. Mercury’s gaze fell, unable to tell her anything. Kuan Yin sighed, her tears seeming to be endless as she bit her lower lip. He could not figure out the words to make her stop crying. It was a horrible feeling to see Kuan Yin crying about something no one can do anything about. And the Messenger of the gods lifted his head, looked at Kuan Yin and said, “If everyone treats you such… I know I’m not that good… But… I’ll be your Aesir of Compassion.”
Kuan Yin’s lips curved a small smile. Slowly, she wiped her tears and fixed the disarray of her hair. After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Kuan Yin looked at Mercury as she got up.
“Thank you so much.”
The Aesir of Compassion started off towards the hall of the Divine Couple. Mercury sighed. He had laid out the facts before her and yet she would not listen. At this point, he saw it useless to argue with her any longer.
“Lady Kuan Yin…” Mercury called and she looked back, “Lady Kuan Yin, let me accompany you.”
Kuan Yin smiled and nodded before pacing off again with Mercury hovering beside her. He knew he had nothing to do in that hall and no matter what he would say or do would mean no account but somehow, he felt he had the duty to accompany her.
It was a dumb thought but he felt like things were going for a tumble after this.