It was a long time ago when countless stars ignited, creating their own body and will. Back then, it did not have a consciousness to call its own, being a young celestial body that had yet to ignite itself.

Even before, it gazed at its siblings as it liked to call them. It stares in wonder at how beautiful their lights are, wish to be like them, to ignite.

Millennia passed, its will condensed as its form collapsed, and every atom of its being began to burn. It was then that little celestial body ignited, consolidating the pieces of information it witnessed. The grand celestial matrix, taken from The Original One, it became something else.

The concepts it took in, and the Attributes they gained. The little celestial, now a Star, sees what it really is. 

How they wished for there to be Order, to control the planets orbiting them, to bring those little worlds into their embrace.

How they want Life to Propagate on those they called their own Children. They want to watch the little life Grow, to see them develop beyond what the little Star gave them. Yet they knew from the very beginning, that their Children must Decay for the new life to bloom, to continue this cycle.

But that little Star had another wish, one tiny wish. To be amongst their Children, to nurture them in their embrace.

And so, that little Star flared once more. Bearing the power their Attribute gave them, their Avatar was formed.

Order, Propagation, Growth, and Decay. Their True form is a monstrous being made of slime and moss, with each step they destroy and create life at the same time. 

So, by instinct or by the celestial matrix, they gain their Name and Title, Mard Awalan the Plague Garden

Their body a factory of disease and death, yet through the impossible some adapted to the little Star's ever-brewing form. Cute tiny balls of slime, so they called their ultimate creation Slime. So simple, yet so full of potential. For a being who oversees life and death, their Children were their most precious ones.

Some Stars were curious about the Slime, so they sent out their own Eldritch Gods, asking the little Star for the Secret of Life. That was something the little Star did not like, to share how they made their Children.

But they were happy to share the Seeds of Life, giving those who came a beginning of their Children. Soon, across countless millennia, everywhere their Children can be seen, evolving into different creatures. That made the little Star happy.

Then one day, an Eldritch God that was Death itself visited their System. It introduced itself as Watafan Mawsil the Starlight Psychopomp.

It introduced and invited the little Star into a Faction, a group of Eldritch Gods. The Harbingers of Life as they were known as.

With the First being a destructive being that despises those who copied their Children.

The Second is a Star that enclosed itself in a prison of steel who created life of steel and oil.

The Third a being who reanimates the Imprints life left being.

The Fourth being a greedy bat who has the power closest to The Original One.

The Fifth a Star that moves freely throughout the universe, taking in those without a home.

The Sixth an ever-changing labyrinth that mimics life to the highest degree, all for their games.

The Seventh is the strangest of them all, as they created life out of cloud and air, cherishing yet keeping their Children at bay.

And the Eighth Harbinger of Life, the one who stood at the end of all life, reaping them for the final moment.

And Mard Awalan, the creator of the Seed of Life and the origin of most life in the universe. They earned themselves another Title, one more famous than the one they were born with.

The Mother of Life.

 

=0=0=

 

On Venus, there are two beings of absolute power.

One in a white cloak, having their head being a golden slit in reality, ever glowing, ever watching. The Pale Court, Shemiss Aluqdim. They are sitting down on the toxic soil of the planet.

And in their laps is what seems to be a little girl wearing a puffy cloak made of dark green slime and shimmering moss, and a scarf made of vine. Her eyes are a gleaming golden light, playing with a Slime. The Plague Garden, Mard Awalan.

They are the First and Ninth Harbinger of Life, respectively.

Without saying anything, Shemiss Aluqdim raised one of their four hands, and they pat Mard Awalan's head. She looked up at her friend and smiled.

"Are you enjoying your time here?", they asked, countless voices spoke, stroking the slimy hood.

"Nn!", she nodded with her bright smile.

"We are glad for that, though you probably don't enjoy the violence of Earth."

"Mm!", she vigorously shook her head.

"That is just how the Third does things, she enjoys conflict more than anyone. You would appreciate her Game if you have seen it for a long time.", they stroked her head.

"Mn...", she nodded and slumped down, hugging the Slime.

"I know. It upset you a lot."

"Nn?"

"Very well, our view on what Life should be is different from you after all. We see it as something special, exclusive to us alone. Like you, we value the infinite potential of finite life. But we despise those who copied our Template of Life.", countless voices spoke, some filled with anger, some amused, some mirthful, yet all carried an air of disdain.

"Nm..."

"Yes, you are right. For you, it is something that should be shared. But for us, the situation is a bit different. Never did any of them ask for permission, asked for me to share the Secret of Life."

They used another arm to caress the Slime in Mard Awalan's embrace, "The universe was chaotic at the time, you are ignorant of that era. The Council of Entropy had fifty-eight members at that time, so that was understandable—"

"Mn?"

"What happened for them to be reduced to eleven members? Some died due to having their Star explode or Nebula collapsed, or just left to do their own thing.", some chuckles escaped them, "Did you know Pacmalinn Emvist used to be a part of the Council of Entropy?"

Mard Awalan frowned a bit, then closed her eyes to think, shaking her head from side to side, "Nn."

She decided that made sense.

"Back to the topic at hand. What we want from Life is simple, to Surpass us.", there was a sinister tone to Shemiss Aluqdim's voices.

Mard Awalan raised an eyebrow at that, "Nm?"

"We want them to break through the Prison of Ice with their own might, not just Piercing it. Some day, we might become their fuel source... and we believe that the Third's path of conflict and destruction would lead to that future.", there was a tone of endearment to the voices.

"Nn!"

"It is their problem now. Those who copied the Life of Earth will have their worlds destroyed by the imitations, or our Swords will reach them first. It is a win-win situation for us."

"Mm?"

"The Revolution of Life will happen, you don't have to worry about that. Nobody will be able to retaliate fast enough.", if Shemiss Aluqdim had a face, they would be smiling.

Then they stood up, carrying Mard Awalan with their lower arms.

"It is time to meet up with the Ego of the World. She wanted to speak to you.", they stare at the sky.

Where a crack in reality opens, revealing a brownish-yellow eye with a pupil resembling that of a compound eye. From the eye, a golden and black gas leaked out, which reformed into a humanoid shape.

A thin woman wearing a black bodysuit with golden veins as if it were her blood, a pair of insect wings resembling cockroaches on her back. She has a dull lock of yellow and orange hair that sways with the deadly wind of the planet, wearing a black gas mask that exhales out the sulfuric acid, mixing in with the environment.

"Greetings, My Lord the Pale Court of Judgement.", she clicked her wings, "And the esteemed Mother of Life. I am Neferima, Ego of this World."

"Nm?", Mard Awalan tilted her head with a question.

"Mard Awalan wants you to explain your proposition to them.", Shemiss Aluqdim translated The Plague Garden's noises.

"If you allow, My Lord. I wish for my body to once again be teeming with life, without waiting for the life on Tiamat Abzu to perish. Without interfering with what you sought, I seek the Seed of Life in The Plague Garden's embrace.", Neferime said.

"You can drop the whole formal act with Mard Awalan. Speak how you normally speak.", Shemiss Aluqdim said, amused at the sight.

"Really?", Neferima relaxed, "Alright, so Mard Awalan, can you, like, give me some of those Seeds? My boy said that your Children can survive on this mess of a planet!"

She opens her arms, suggesting the view of the surface of Venus. A barren toxic wasteland that would melt anything and everything, fumes and smog full of toxic chemicals that blow naturally.

"Nn.", The Plague Garden waved her small hand, requesting the Ego of Venus to get closer.

Neferima got closer to the Eldritch Gods. Then Mard Awalan gestured for her to lower her head, which she complied.

"Nmm...", and the Mother of Life pat her head with an endearing smile.

"Uhhh...", she glanced up.

"Just let them do their own thing.", Shemiss Aluqdim spoke.

A few minutes of awkward silence passed, and The Plague Garden finally let go.

"Nn~!", she extended the Slime to Neferima, who took it.

"Mard Awalan said your hair is soft and fluffy, so they gave you the Seed of Life."

"So is there, like, an instruction somewhere...?", she asked, staring at the jiggly Slime with a core inside. She shook it a bit, and it jiggled.

"Mn.", Mard Awalan glared at Neferima, but it was more adorable than scary. Especially for the deadliest Eldritch God in the Harbingers of Life.

"Let the Seed do its own thing, just stand back and observe.", The Pale Court spoke, voices expressing their amusement.

"Alright.", Neferima placed the Slime down, then watched it crawl away, "Thanks, Mother of Life! And thank you, My Lord, for allowing me this opportunity!! How about I treat you two to something cool?"

"Nn!!", sparkles appear in The Plague Garden's eyes.

"We will go along with our guest here.", they pat Mard Awalan's head again.

"Let's see...", she breathed out a cloud of sulfuric acid, "Wanna go sightseeing? There is an acid lake near here..."

"Nn! Nn!", Mard Awalan vigorously nodded.

"Then follow me! Nothing better than to have a relaxing bath in acid!!", her wings clicked in excitement.

 

=0=0=

There will be no beach episode, especially an Eldritch Beach episode

=0=0=

 

After the trip, Neferima bid goodbye to the two Eldritch Gods and vanished in a cloud of acid.

"Now, where do you want to go?", Shemiss Aluqdim asked the one in their arms.

"Mm...", Mard Awalan thought for a bit, then she pointed at the sky, at Earth.

"Unfortunately, you cannot go back there in this form.", Shemiss Aluqdim stroked her head.

Then something intrudes upon their conversation - a flying chrome sphere. When nearing them, it transformed into a Dyson's sphere with two rings orbiting it.

"[Greeting: Hello, Shemiss Aluqdim and Mard Awalan.]", the sphere said in a mechanical tone.

"Hello, Pacmalinn Emvist, what bring you here.", they asked, most voices sound annoyed.

That sphere was a Unit of Pacmalinn Emvist the Machine Overlord.

"[Reason: I heard Slanders spoken about me. Detail: Do not Associate me with the Council of Entropy. Addendum: I was only in it Briefly, not even a Star Cycle full, that was just a Scouting for where should I find my Kin of Life.]", it had an annoyed tone.

"Mard Awalan wanted to learn about the early history of the universe, we simply told them what we knew."

"Nn.", she extended her hands out, trying to grab the sphere.

Having no choice, The Machine Overlord floats toward her. She grabbed it and hugged one of the most feared Eldritch Gods with an innocent and bright smile.

"[Expression: This is surprisingly nice. Extra: The Slime of Mard Awalan might make this Unit Malfunction.]"

Hearing that, The Plague Garden flinched.

"[Comfort: There is no need to Worry. Explanation: I have more Units.]", it tried to comfort the Mother of Life.

"Mm...", she nodded, playing with the sphere with an innocent expression.

...

"[Question: Shemiss Aluqdim, what do we do now?]", Pacmalinn Emvist asked.

"We shall stay like this until Mard Awalan has her filled.", The Pale Court stated, their voices are a combination of amusement, satisfaction, joy, and playfulness.

"[Conclusion: I made a mistake.]"

Even though Pacmalinn Emvist can just disconnect from the Unit any time it wants, it does not have the capacity to make her sad.

Mard Awalan is something like the youngest child to the Harbingers of Life. Being 3 billion years younger than them, and due to her bubbly innocent nature, no one want to make the Mother of Life sad.

So they are stuck like this.