Candy Coated [Chapter Seven] Xs and Os [Buddha]
A/n: thank you all for the support and patience. The art above was created by the talented Somanoko on AO3.
Warning(s): anxiety, animal death, humiliation, mentions of human extinction, female reader (though I do my best to leave out pronouns), comfort.
Tag list: @useless-potatho , @tojibreedingme , @quinloki , @yingxian, @2lottie2, @lunas-nova , @anduinandwrathionlover, @tiredfairy, @the-queen-of-sorrows , @alientee, @lawlietliet, @hanaibea, @69your-best-night-mare69
Your nerves are a complete mess as you get ready for the important meeting that Buddha had invited you to. For some strange reason, you aren't bought with the idea that he wants you there simply because the two of you are tethered, but it's not in your nature to nag him about his plans, so for now, you let it go.
Opting for an outfit, the Buddha recently had made for you, with comfort in mind, you quickly dress and then leave the confines of your room, sauntering toward the main hall where the God in question is waiting, having what seems to be a serious conversation with Jataka.
Upon approaching them, the former turns to you and grins.
"Are you ready to go?"
"I suppose so," you answer.
Your eyes turn to Jataka in question.
"Are you going with us?"
"Unfortunately not," the man in question answers. He gives you a gentle smile. "This meeting is meant only for the Gods."
Knowing this puts an even heavier strain on your nerves. What reason does Buddha want you to go? A comforting hand on your shoulder turns your attention to Jataka, who smiles at you.
"So long as you listen to Siddhartha everything will be fine."
You know this, but it does little to make you feel better. Thanking him, you force a smile and turn to Buddha, giving him a nod. He offers you his hand, warm against your own, and within seconds the scrolls appear, transporting you both.
It takes but a few seconds to arrive and once you do, the anxiety you feel only worsens. The sound of chatter feels your ears; a noise that easily overwhelms you. Tightening your jaw, you glance around to see that you and the Buddha are in an ornate hall with a gorgeous marble floor, one that reminds you of the Valhalla Arena.
"Where are we?" You ask.
"The Council Chamber," Buddha answers in a bored tone. "We're here as part of the Council of Valhalla."
You hum. It sounds similar to the Assembly Hall, used to house the United Nations. Perhaps it's similar in the aspect of protecting each of the God Realms. You aren't sure, but you know that you aren't meant to be here.
Releasing your hand, much to your annoyance, Buddha saunters down the hall in the direction of the noise. You rush to his side, allowing him to lead, but at the top of some stairs, overlooking an enormous circular room, you pause in fright. There are thousands of seats and each one is occupied by a God or Goddess.
Despite the composure you struggle to maintain, your mind is racing with thoughts.
There are so many Gods. I'm going to make a complete fool out of myself in front of them and I know it.
Buddha glances over his shoulder once he realizes that you aren't following him down the stairs and offers you a smile. An air of peacefulness surrounds you a moment later and though it eases your nerves, enough to help you move forward, you are still losing your shit.
Please don't let me trip down these stairs. Who needs this many steps anyway? This is ridiculous.
"Is that a…human?" A hushed voice asks.
Your legs feel numb. Of course, someone would notice. You ignore them, reaching out to grasp your soulmate's shirt. He leads you down to a section where several familiar Gods sit, one of which is Ganesha, the Hindu God of success, who comes across as a short overweight man with an elephant head.
"Are each of these from the Hindu Pantheon?" You ask in a whisper to Buddha.
He tosses his feet up on the table in front of him and nods.
"Relax. It won't be long."
You attempt to, but you feel eyes all over you. Glancing ahead, due to the way the seats are arranged, you can see a raised circular platform at the base of the stairs. Resting on it, behind a gorgeous ornate throne and a small table is what appears to be a large horned lizard. You've never seen anything like it.
You consider asking Buddha what it is, but a frail old man totters toward the throne, catching your attention. A small tuft of spiky gray hair sits on top of his head and when he sits on the throne, you notice that his eyes are sunken. It's hard to tell where he's staring but for a moment a sense of dread consumes you, turning your stomach. It almost feels like he's looking at you, but just as quickly as it happens, it passes. You take an uneasy breath, watching as the old man pets the lizard's head.
"Who is h-he?" You ask in a whisper.
"The old man? That's Zeus," Buddha answers. He grins and nudges you with his arm. "Scary, isn't he?"
No kidding. He's an A-lister God. The Father of the Cosmos.
"Does he rule over the other Gods?" You ask.
Buddha bursts into a laugh, making you regret asking. The feeling of being watched intensifies and you plead with him to stop in fear of drawing too much attention.
"He's just the chairman," he clarifies, raising his glasses to clear the tears from his eyes.
This explains why he's sitting before the others. You sigh. This entire ordeal is nerve-wracking.
Retrieving a gavel from the table beside him, Zeus quietens the room.
"Now then…my fellow Gods," he announces. "It's been a thousand years since we held one of these. Let us begin the conference."
You raise a brow. A thousand years. What sort of conference could this be?
"Now…I ask you all, shall we give humanity another millennium of existence?" Zeus asks as he raises two paddles. One has a circle on it and the other has an X. "Yay…or nay? Do we put an end to them? Let each God show their will."
His tone seems to darken, sending shivers down your spine. You can hardly believe him. This is a serious matter. The fate of humanity depends on this. In horror, you listen as the Gods around you debate the situation.
"I say end them," a nearby voice declares.
You widen your eyes and turn your attention to the God; a muscular man with indigo skin and four arms. His short black hair falls to one side as he turns on the lavish pillow he rests on, lifting two paddles with the X on them.
"I've been watching them closely and they've shown no signs of improvement. It's a total drag trying to guide them."
You clutch your hands into a fist. What does he know? Of course, humans are vile; they murder and destroy; spread sorrow and illness in their wake, but the Gods aren't perfect either. Perhaps it's because you are a human soul that it angers you so much. Not everyone deserves to perish, a notion that doesn't seem to be shared by the Gods.
"Let's wipe the slate clean…and let some other species evolve," the four-armed God states in a sing-song voice.
"Indeed…Shiva is right," another God agrees, a gorgeous woman. Her curly blonde hair is decorated with flowers and hangs over her shoulder. "The past thousand years have seen the world become increasingly ugly. Trash and oil in the seas. The forests, gone. Entire species extinct. Humankind itself is a cancer eating away at life on Earth. Or perhaps I should say…they're a plague that will bring about their own end."
She isn't wrong, but it makes the Gods no better to wipe out all of humanity. Would it be wrong to allow them to destroy themselves?
You sit and listen for someone to stand up and rise against them, but no one does. Not even Buddha. You glance at him in disbelief but he doesn't look at you. The paddle rests on his lap as if he's debating what to do.
Someone has to do the right thing. This can't be it.
Taking the paddle from him, you raise it above your head with the opposite vote, ready to argue your decision, but Buddha grabs your hand and holds it down.
"Not yet," he utters.
You don't follow.
"I'm a human despite being dead. I can't just–"
"That's exactly why they won't listen to you," Buddha interrupts. He turns to you and smiles. "Trust me. Wait a bit longer."
You want to argue with him, but he has a point. Sliding your hand from his, you turn your attention to Zeus, who raises the gavel.
"It appears we have a decision," he states. "And so…I hereby declare an end to–"
"One moment sir!" A familiar voice shouts.
You lean forward and glance over the back of the seat to see Brunhilde and Göll standing at the top of the stairs.
What are they doing here?
All eyes turn to them and you watch in anticipation as they descend the stairs; Göll is shaking in fear, but you know that Brunhilde is just better suited at hiding hers.
"With reverence to the Gods, I humbly ask I be allowed to say a few words," the dark-haired Valkyrie urges.
"You and your manners Brunhilde!" A voice croaks.
In the stands to the northwest of the throne, you notice a pair of ravens, one white and one black perched on a bearded man's shoulder. You recognize him, or rather you have heard of him before.
"That's Odin, right? And his ravens Huginn and Muninn."
"You identified him easily," Buddha utters with a pout.
Of course, you did. He looks a bit like the images you have seen of him. Not to mention Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins set the image in your mind for him in 2011's 'Thor'. Buddha didn't look much like the man you had read about. Ignoring him for now, you focus on the matter at hand.
"Humanity's insolence and savagery is indeed unpardonable," Brunhilde remarks, agreeing with the Gods. "However simply annihilating them is so…cliche. Does humanity deserve to exist for another thousand years? May I suggest testing them? You can even display your divine might and mercy while doing so."
Is this what Sakata Kintoki had been referring to? All this time Buddha knew.
"A test? Like another flood?" The white raven, Huggin, or Muninn asks.
"Or perhaps an early ice age?" The black raven adds.
Your thoughts return to the storm that had taken your life. Could the Gods have been responsible for it too? It seems possible. But what reason?
It's too soon to point fingers. I'm basing this on an assumption.
"No…there is a more effective way," Brunhilde retorts. "The Gods versus Humanity. The final conflict…Ragnarok."
Ragnarok! Your eyes widen in shock. Doom of the Gods. This can't be what Kintoki meant.
"Defined in the extraordinary clause…in article 62, paragraph 15 of the Valhalla Constitution as a series of one on one showdowns between the Gods and Humankind," Brunhilde explains.
A strange book materializes in her hand, opening to a page that you can not see, however, you assume it correlates to the rule she is reciting from.
"Ha! That is your proposal?" The white raven asks. "You Valkyries should know very well–"
"That humans stand no chance against the Gods," the black raven concludes.
Both croak in unison, "It'd be a waste of time!"
The Gods all agree with them. In a way, you can understand their decision. Humans are not on par with the Gods; to fight them would be pointless, but at least Brunhilde is trying.
"So the Gods' will is humanity's extinction and the avoidance of any direct confrontation with humans…is that right?" The Valkyrie asks. Her tone sounds almost condescending. She lifts a finger and rests it against her cheek. "Extinction without confrontation…refusal to meet face to face. By any chance…are you afraid?"
Buddha bursts into a laugh. The other Gods are not so humored.
"If so, I apologize," Brunhilde continues. "Please ignore my remarks. Let's just forget about the Ragnarok Clause."
Göll does her best to talk her sister down before she angers the Gods, but you understand now what she is trying to do; she's trying to play on their pride as Gods. And it's working.
A choir of laughter echoes around the chamber, then all at once their humor shifts to anger, directed at Brunhilde. She simply grins, not caring.
"I see…Ragnarok, eh?" Zeus questions with a hearty laugh. He stands and pets the large lizard, who appears to be enjoying his attention. "That's an interesting proposal. Yup. It sure is. How…utterly…amazing."
Little by little you watch in horror as the muscles in one of his arms grow to a disproportionate mass. He buries his fingers into the lizard's snout and with the other arm, he twists its head until the poor thing's neck snaps with a horrifying crack. You feel Buddha slide his warm hand into yours, but you can't avert your eyes or focus on the calming sensation that is attempting to break down your guard.
"And I'm sure all of you," Zeus states as he tosses aside the creature and turns. His irises appear as a mass of swirling insanity and his face is covered in blood, painting him in a demonic light. "Are also longing to witness the wrath of the Gods!"
He's insane.
"What say you, my fellow deities? Shall we battle Humankind?" The father of the Gods asks, tossing out his arms.
The chamber erupts in a mass of loud cheers, and once Zeus slams the gavel down, the conference comes to an end.
I hope Brunhilde knows what she's doing.
You have faith in her, but you're having a hard time believing that humanity will stand a chance.
–
"You're leaving me," you utter in disbelief.
Buddha gives you an understanding look.
"It won't be for long. The old man wants to talk to me about something."
You are aware. A handsome man dressed in a butler uniform approached you and Buddha as the two of you were about to leave, demanding that he see Zeus first. The man, Hermes, had escorted the two of you to a room, but Buddha had insisted that you wait in the hall.
"I'll be here I guess," you utter in agreement, feeling a bit anxious.
Buddha grins and saunters into the room. In the meantime, you lean against the wall to wait. It's silent for the time being. You can't hear much, some mumbles here and there, but all seems to be well. At least you hope. You can't imagine what–
"What is this? Are you eavesdropping?" A teasing voice asks.
You jerk in fear and notice a man in a cloak floating beside you. No wonder you didn't hear him. He grins and floats down onto the ground, looking you over.
"You're that human soul I've heard about. How scandalous," the man mentions.
He leans down and observes the red cords around your ankles, then stands again.
"I don't envy Buddha at all."
You assume he is referring to you being a human. Biting back a rude remark, you instead narrow your eyes.
"It was not our decision."
The multi-colored-haired man hums.
"No, I don't suppose it was. Yue-Lao is cruel, isn't he? To tether you to a God at a time like this, with humanity's extinction on the rise."
What does this matter? You raise a brow, an action that he notices. The grin on his face widens, and combined with the goat-like slits in his eyes, he looks almost sinister.
"Did no one tell you, little soul?" He asks in a teasing voice. "The humans on Midgard are not the only ones who are going to face extinction. The souls as well."
Your eyes widen. No. Someone would have told you.
"You're lying! You have to–"
"Haven't you said enough, Loki?" A familiar voice interrupts.
Zeus stands in the doorway, clean of blood, holding a bag in his hand. Behind him is Buddha, glancing at you in concern.
"Perhaps I have," Loki remarks with a shrug. "It was good fun though."
The hell it is. You shoot him a glare, but a laugh from Zeus draws your attention to the frail-looking man. He steps over the red cord on the floor, examining it.
"It's as you said. A human soul…who would have guessed."
"Don't let it concern you," Buddha mentions. He saunters past Zeus and grabs your hand. "And enjoy your candy."
You almost forgot. Fortunately, he hasn't eaten them yet. As Buddha leads you away, you consider warning the Father of the Gods about them, but after this ordeal, you don't necessarily care. You hardly know what to think at this point.
"You're a God, aren't you, Buddha?" Loki asks suddenly. "So why are you content with letting this human stick around? Are you…fucking it?"
Your face heats up. Why would he ask this? And once more, you aren't an object. Turning your eyes to Buddha, you witness him glance over his shoulder and yawn in disinterest.
Loki snorts.
"I suppose not. Shame."
Buddha clutches your hand tight and leads you away from them. You are thankful, however, your mind is a labyrinth. What are you to do?
"Yue-Lao wasn't here," Buddha mentions. He hums in thought. "I could ask Kintoki to–"
"Why did you bring me here? I don't understand why you wanted me to hear this," you ask, yanking your hand from his.
Buddha stops and glances at you.
"That was infuriating…and worse than that, I felt so helpless. Did you think I wanted to be humiliated like–"
Before you can finish the sentence, Buddha closes the gap and brings you into a hug. Your face heats up, but you lean against his chest, feeling at a loss.
"I brought you here because I wanted you to be aware of what is to come," he mentions. His warm hand rubs your back. "You have every right to be mad…but you aren't the only one. I'm sure Bu-chan was just as upset as you and she isn't even a human. Leave this to her and focus on us."
On us.
At this moment, those words sounded like heaven to you. But you couldn't get what Loki had said out of your mind.
Why does Buddha keep you around? And what will become of you if the Gods win?
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