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Dream XD appeared on Her doorstep in a flash of warm light, counting the familiar stairs as they walked up to the front gates of the palace, admiring the cold marble and cracking foundation.
Above them, pillars swirled, chunks of rocks slowly being thrown away hovered, whole towers floated above him, remnants of an explosion caught in time just in time to create a home for death. For Her.
They tried to wait patiently at the door (it didn’t work, the God of Life was always the impatient one of the two of them), before swinging the knocker as loudly as they could.
“Are you going to tell me why we’re visiting or am I going to have to wait here until I have a room in the palace?” they called, and the door opened silently to reveal the one he had been waiting for.
“Welcome home,” she greeted, offering an elbow to the God of Life. “I figured we would go to the window?” she asked.
“That works,” they said, and she nodded quickly, leading Dream XD along the winding halls of her palace.
“Why was I brought here?” they asked, as they walked past an open corridor, rubble slipping from the walkway every now and then as the Goddess of Death smiled.
“I figured we would catch up, it’s been awhile since we had a chance to… you’ve been awfully busy with the humans as of late,” she said, and Dream XD scowled.
“That is none of your business,” they said and she shrugged.
“It involves the humans, therefore it is.”
“I created them,” they said.
“I watch over them.”
They arrived at the window then, a place that was exactly how it sounds. It was a window that gave the gods the ability to watch what happened in the human world. They sat together in silence for a while there, admiring the white snow and the humans as they laughed and joked together.
“I enjoy watching them learn,” she murmured, feeling over the smooth cold glass, admiring the humans.
“I don’t understand them,” Dream XD said absently, staring out the window towards the human world.
“You don’t have to understand them. Humans are so different than you and I, oftentimes I can only watch and admire them,” she said gently, watching the humans take care of each other in the snow. Dream XD stared at her for a moment before shaking their head.
“You’re so full of… of compassion. It’s sickening,” Dream XD said, turning away from the window, and the Goddess followed after them.
“I care about them, there’s not much else I can do in my position,” she said, and they rolled their eyes.
“They’re just humans, what’s the point of caring for them? They’ve got such short lives. There’s no real point,” Dream XD said.
“Ah but then they fall into my hands, and I can properly take care of them,” she said, before her tone sharpened. “That is, if they don’t get stuck in-between.”
“I’m just holding them for future use.”
“What use? You said it yourself, they’re just humans!” the Goddess of Death said angrily, running a hand along the vines on the wall, the plants crumbling beneath her hand, rocks shifting beneath her feet.
“I’m doing things no other god has considered! I’m using my power to help bring people back and give things to humans to help them along the way!” Dream XD exclaimed, stopping in their tracks, causing the Goddess of Death to stop as well. She turned towards them, sliding a pair of gloves on as she spoke.
“You’re speeding up the course of their lives and skipping the lessons they need to learn in favor of seeing their next big adventure. That, and bringing people back is dangerous! There’s a reason why no other god messes with resurrection,” she said, pointing an accusatory finger at Dream XD, anger swirling in her eyes like a hurricane.
“I thought you would’ve liked it. I’m bringing them back to the place they want to go,” Dream XD said, and she huffed, lowering her hand but not her gaze.
“They only want to go back because you’re holding them hostage in a place they don’t want to be. They aren’t safe. They aren’t with me,” she said, eyes moistening with tears as she glared at them.
“They are safe!” they protested. “I keep them safe, and then I bring them back. There is a difference- an important one.”
“The humans are safe with me when their lives are over. They are not safe in your in-between,” the Goddess of Death said, beginning to walk again, stepping over cracks and loose stones with practice. “We have talked about this, about the madness your limbo causes,” she finished, smoothing gloved hands over her skirt.
“Regardless of what we have and have not talked about, it’s not fair to the people still living,” Dream XD said, and Kristin shook her head.
“It is fair, because eventually they can rest with me. You’re keeping them stuck in this limbo, keeping them away from me when you know I have rooms prepared for them,” she said, and the God of Life shook their head, hurrying after the Goddess of Death.
“They want to live, everyone wants to live! You take them here against their will, I’m saving them in the only way I can!” they exclaimed, grabbing at the elbow of Her, as though they were a young child.
“You play with the humans. Force them into your games and pretend like you care about them by giving them gifts,” she said, turning sharply to glare at the God of Life, shaking their hand off of her clothes.
“They are just humans! I don’t get why you care what I do with them and how I help them!” the God said, hands shaking as they spread them. The Goddess of Death stared down at them, hands folding in front of her.
“You are not helping them, can’t you see? Any human exposed to your power changes. Your power is too strong: it’s why you help with creation. You drive them to madness as you interact with them, twist their minds and- and break them. Then you keep them in limbo and force them to wait until you want to abuse them again,” she said, and Dream XD huffed, arms lowering as they glanced around, continuing to walk through the palace.
“You make it sound worse than it is!”
“You took on the form of someone that used to be their friend, cursed one with voices and bloodlust, plagued them collectively with war and anguish under the guise of helping them, just to watch them rise above it, find their happiness, only to squash them down again,” the Goddess of Death said, and Dream XD stared at her.
“You act so high and mighty for a god with just as much control over their lives,” they said and the Goddess sighed, touching her forehead lightly.
“That’s different and you know it.”
“It’s not? Not different enough at least!” Dream XD said, too many emotions going all at once.
“You’re getting defensive. I guide their lives. Send them to where they need to be until I take them home and give them a home in my palace. You know this, why are you accusing me?” she asked, leading them into a larger room, away from the side hallways.
“You play with their lives. Maybe I wanted to do the same!” they said, and the Goddess of Death sighed.
“The second you breathe life into them, they’re in my hold. You’re not experienced enough to safely meddle. You can’t see the damage it causes,” she said as gently as she could.
“Whatever. In the end more of them will just end up here, isn’t that what you want?” Dream XD asked bitterly, and she shook her head.
“Not until their time. You rush through their lives to get to the ‘good parts’ when they need to learn life’s lessons on their own time.”
“I am Life! They can learn the lessons from me!” Dream XD exclaimed, and she shook her head.
“That’s not how it works. Humans are too stubborn for that.”
“It’s worked fine so far!” they said, and the Goddess of Death looked at them sadly.
“It won’t continue to be fine,” she said.
“How do you know? All you deal with is death. You curse everything you touch,” Dream XD said cruelly, and she winced.
“Not- not everything,” she said softly, rubbing a thumb along their forearm and Dream XD sighed.
“Are you going to go on about your angel again?” they asked tiredly.
“No! No. I- Can I show you something?” she asked, and the moment Dream XD nodded, she was leading them through the winding halls of her palace into the courtyard, where hundreds of trees were growing, sprouting up above their heads, dappled light dripping in, almost like stars. Birds chirped somewhere, grass squashed under their feet, the grass under hers becoming brown as she smiled at her forest.
“You grew these?” Dream XD asked quietly, admiring the forest she had obviously put so much time and effort into.
“With the seeds you gave me last time,” she said softly, and Dream XD turned sharply.
“Those seeds, they were dead. I gave them to you because they were worthless to me,” they said, and she smiled.
“Well, they weren’t worthless to me. Just like the humans aren’t,” she said, and Dream XD sighed.
“How did this become some roundabout metaphor for humans?”
“You know how I am, at this point you probably should’ve expected it.”
“I don’t know how to make it better,” they said, and she smiled sadly.
“There isn’t much anymore. Try to stay out of the human’s business, at least some of them,” the Goddess of Death said, poking the mask’s nose.
“I’ll try. No promises,” they said, and she nodded.
Dream XD looked back to the forest and glanced at the grass dying under her feet, feeling the energy coming from the forest.
“It has Creation energy,” Dream XD said, and she nodded.
“I’ve nurtured it. Gently. To the best of my ability. Creation energy does not last long here,” she said, and Dream XD quickly nodded.
“It’ll quickly become too much for this place… they’ll become sick and wither, just like everything else,” they said, and she sighed.
“I know. I’m going to have to get rid of it somehow.”
“What do you want to do with it?” they said and watched as she nodded, eyes a little sad as she admired her forest.
“I’d like to send it to a human. As a gift.”
“A gift? I’m not a human mail carrier!” they exclaimed, and she looked down.
“You owe me,” she said quietly and Dream XD huffed.
“Whatever. Who do you want to send the gift to?”
“My Angel.”