Paths Run Deep: Prologue

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     I stand before my daughters. It is clear that something happened, but I'm not exactly sure what. All I know is now there is a lot of discord among our subjects all over the planet, and my daughters argue over something they wish to keep between them. 

    "To keep something in the dark allows it to mold and fester." I remind them sternly. "If we do not deal with your strife, it has the potential to influence other contention around us."

    "Tell that to my sister." Winona points her finger at Solaris, her identical twin. I expected them to grow out of this finger-pointing phase, but old patterns take the longest to wither and fall. "If it wasn't for her experiments, the planet wouldn't be covered in-"

    "Oh, don't even start! You were doing experiments too. You and your 'good citizens' made things worse." Solaris grumbles, her arms crossed defensively.

    I let them argue between them for a while as I look out the window to see what is going on around us. Even from the highest part of our tower, I can feel the flames of anarchy and arson; the heat of hedonism pours over me as I feel the people below us engaging in things I couldn't imagine would help heal them. I can feel the swaying heartbeat of the city below skip and stutter. It's no longer as smooth and lilting as it was only solar phases before. I hear my daughters, but I can't help but feel the pain of the people below. 

    "Father?"

    I turn to face Winona; she is the one who called me.

    "What is disturbing you so much, Father?" Solaris asks.

    "Is it our fighting?" Winona adds.

    I hold up my hand to silence them both, then proceed to my deck of cards. A simple question to the deities; a simple card draw to answer. The card I pull solidifies my answer. 

    "I don't know what happened to cause this shift in our world," I say after some silence to choose my words, "and I really don't need to know the details or whom to blame. I only ask that you two work to fix this. Whether together or alone, as long as the world's heartbeat is restored to it's normal pace. Pick your path; choose your challenges. As long as things are restored, the process doesn't matter."

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