POV: Tian

I calmly cleaned my battle spear, polishing the tip and making sure there was no rust along it. There was no real need for me to perform this maintenance, as this was a treasure forged from the heart of a dwarf star and I had spent many years pouring my cultivation base into it to make it a priceless treasure, but...well, it was comforting. The familiar weight of the spear, the smell of the oil, the rhythmic motions...it was calming.

"So you finally got a domain." I said to Kei as she sat watching me, her tails swishing back and forth in tune with my gentle washing.

"Yep!" Kei said cheerily, popping her p. I nodded again, pausing in my cleaning to look down the edge of the blade itself, ensuring that it reflected the light properly. That was one way to tell whether or not the blade had dulled after all. Satisfied that it required no sharpening, I put my cleaning cloth aside and began to polish the dull grey blade. Once upon a time it had been a deep black color, but eons of use turned the blade a dull grey instead, complete with scratches and nicks from the many fights it's been through. The most impressive of which had been with that dragon all those years ago. What had been her name? The Eldest Dragon or something? Sehuyun? Something like that.

Although, a few new dings along the haft had recently added during my forays in the more wild parts of the Heaven Realm. There are some really interesting beasties out there. None that inherently pose a threat to me, but they are still powerful and have some tricky abilities.

"What is it? I mean, I saw all those deities dancing with you as you sang - wonderful song, by the way - but I'm not sure as to what your domain is." Inesa asked from her chair beside the fireplace. I glanced up in interest, pausing my task to focus on Kei's answer. We were, meaning Inesa, myself, and Kei, in the small house I had built in one of the mountain ranges of Pangea. It was actually relatively close to Manu Ti, that city I created so long ago, but far enough away and completely off the radar of the Celestial Palace so we weren't bugged by them. I'd only visited the Celestial Empress a few times since my rebirth, and...well, she has a very abbraisive personality.

I don't like her that much anymore. Before, I thought she was amusing. Now, she's annoying.

"Art," Kei said proudly, puffing out her chest. "My domain is Art." Inesa and I exchanged a glance, both of us confused. I mean, Kei's always been the creative type, and she loves dancing and music almost as much as life itself, but enough to make that her domain...?

"Art? Like, as in painting and shit?" I asked. Kei frowned and shook her head, taking a sip of the tea Inesa had prepared. I swear, with the amount of tea everyone in the universe drinks, including the deities, it must be a drug. It's a conspiracy, Statera is secretly drugging everyone by having introduced tea into the Four Realms. I took a moment to take a sip of my own tea, from where the cup sat on the table beside my chair.

...yes, absolutely. It's a drug, that's what tea is. I took another sip.

...It's a drug I'll have to live with. Inesa makes a mean cup of tea. It's on par with the Karmic Rum or Dragonfire Brandy I've got hidden away, which is saying something because that stuff is good.

Anyways, back on topic. "Well...yes and no," Kei began, drumming her fingers on the arm of the rocking chair she was sitting in. "Painting can be an Art, but it doesn't have to be. It's much more abstract than that, it's like - well, my domain is the inspiration for artists, their passion, and the end result. Does that make sense...?" Kei asked.

"No," I said bluntly. Inesa shot me a look. "What? It doesn't. Ok, it sort of does, but that doesn't explain why you got Art as your domain. I expected you to get something like Mischief, not...well, not Art." I explained, making a face. Kei opened her mouth to protest, but then shut it as she really thought about it.

"Suprisingly, Tian makes a good point. That only happens once every ten thousand years or so!" Inesa exclaimed, a smirk dancing on her lips. I shot her a mock-affronted look.

"Oi, it's at least once every thousand years." I protested, and Kei snickered. A comfortable silence fell over us and I went back to polishing my spear as Kei contemplated what we were asking as she stared into the crackling fire. It was very peaceful, and I felt content to just sit there for the moment. Even if Statera had seemingly vanished, and Kei refused to talk about it. I frowned. That was another thing I needed to figure out. It wasn't like Statera had really vanished, I remember what it felt like when He left the Four Realms altogether, and this was different.

"I suppose...well, look at Tian." Kei said, gesturing to me and breaking the silence. "He has reached a level of skill in his Art, the Martial Way as it's called, that it has become inexplicable to anyone lower than him - and even to many deities at this point. It has become a Dao, a path for others to follow. I suppose if I had to put my domain into terms like that, it is calling all possible Daos an Art, but not just including the end result. It's the entire journey, including the inspiration required to get there in the first place, and the chaos required to really advance."

"Ah, so then it's like the Art of the Dao." I said, nodding a bit. Kei paused and nodded.

"Yeah...kind of? Dao is a bit too grandoise of a word, though. Why are we even arguing about the name of my domain anyways? Art is the first word I thought of when I got it." Kei asked, looking between myself and Inesa. Inesa just chuckled a bit and shook her head.

"Because Tian's stubborn and doesn't like the simple name of 'Art.'" She told Kei.

"Doesn't really fit, from what you've told me. How in the world did you get that domain anyways? I thought you just played around all the time." I asked, finally finishing polishing the spearhead and putting my weapon to the side, moving from the wooden stool I had been on to my much more comfortable recliner, made of a very special leather and stuffed with the feathery down of a cloudbeast. They had the softest and most comfortable feathers, it was simply rediculous. So naturally I hunted a whole bunch and made a comforter and three chairs out of their feathers.

They were so comfortable that even Inesa, who like myself has no need for sleep, often finds herself snoozing on them. The only reason that I hadn't been in this recliner previously was because Inesa gets mad when I clean my spear on the chair - something about oil and it being hard to clean - but I think it's just the principle of the thing.

"Well, yeah, that's partly why. I've travelled around the Four Realms far more than almost any other being, besides maybe Grandfather, and personally seen innumerable mortals going about their lives. I've seen potential Daos in eight-year-old children, and ancient monsters without a dao to speak of. I've seen people inspired, lose their muse, and become a muse themselves all in one small lifetime - and over the course of millions of years. But it's also because of my connection to chaos. I was born during the first time of chaos, after all." Kei explained. Inesa nodded and I hummed.

"Your domain is just so abstract that it makes my head hurt." I said with a sigh. "So let's just stick with the Art of the Dao for now, because I'm getting a headache thinking about this. What's next on our agenda? Food?" Kei and Inesa chuckled at my abrupt change of topic, having expected me to get bored of it after a while, I suppose.

"I'm going to stick with Art for now...and I do know a place that makes some killer food - run by a mortal, too, which makes it even more surprising." Kei suggested. I glanced at Inesa, who shrugged and stood with a stretched, clasping her hands and raising them far above her head.

"I could go for some food. I haven't enjoyed a decent meal in a few dozen years," She reasoned, relaxing and glancing at me. For a moment, the some part of me found humor in what Inesa said. She hasn't eaten in a few dozen years - meals are unneccessary at some point, but food is still tasty - to say nothing of having a decent meal, but then I stood up and nodded, realizing that I wasn't much better. My diet had consisted of tea and alcohol for the past hundred some-odd years.

"Sounds great. Glad I suggested it." I commented. That got a round of chuckles, and we headed out.

POV CHANGE: Alexander

I yawned slightly, feeling my coils tense and relax as I stretched within my cave, blinking my eyes and staring down at the few spirits that buzzed about inside of my cave. It's a wonder they hadn't noticed me yet, especially with all the shifting I've done in the past few minutes. Well, if I don't want to be seen it's fairly easy for me to hide myself, so I guess that's part of it. Clearing my throat I looked expectantly at the spirits, watching with barely concealed amusement as they whirled and gaped at the giant, white dragon sitting before them.

"You do realize this is my cave, right?" I inquired innocently, cocking my head to the side. The spirits, without a moment's hesitation, stopped what they had been doing and ran, letting out a number of undignified yelps in the process. I just chuckled and shook my head, stretching again and clicking my teeth together. "Seems another angel ascended." I noted, checking the fluxuations in the universe to confirm this. As the universe grows, such an event slowly seems to become much less astounding and important as before...well, perhaps important isn't the right word. Impactful? Not quite as worthy of extreme note? Something like that.

It's just like Kei's domain..."Nope, not going to get into that argument." I told myself, shaking my head as I slowly slid out of my cave, looking around at the Four Realms. My cave was located somewhere in the Spirit Realm - that glue that held everything together and was basically one giant plane that connected everything together. I believe a few Fae in the Mortal Realm call blame this on dark matter, which I assume is essentially the spiritual energy that makes up the Spirit Realm itself. It's interested to see how mortals react to the Spirit Realm...many touch it, and then simply forget about it altogether.

Quite strange. What does one call that...?

"Enough about names," I growled to myself, shaking my head. The entirety of the Four Realms was in a tizzy about Kei's domain, and how the name doesn't quite fit as well as it should. This was actually a rather cleverly planned diversion on Keilan's part, he having convinced the rest of us to break the news of Father's meditation/sleep to the rest of the Four Realms slowly and divert their attention with Kei's domain. Kei, of course, agreed wholeheartedly, as telling the universe of Father's unplanned and rather sudden withdrawl from the waking world would simply add to the chaos.

Still, that name stuff was very interesting, and even though I had elected to stay out of the arguments going on across the universe I found myself thinking about it - even if in a roundabout way by contemplating names and words for other things. And, despite myself, I think I have come up with an answer as to what Kei's domain is, if not the name itself. Kei's domain is life, not to be confused with Life as in the physical forms of all things. It is life as in way of living, the way one lives and spends their life.

A man who spends all day, every day, sweeping steps can turn that into an art, into a way of life, just as Tian turned fighting, his Martial Way, into a way of life. And, as Kei once told me, it is from these lives that creates Art - it is the journey, the chaos, the peace, and everything in between that creates the power and feeling behind a truly great piece of Art, and that is Kei's domain. It is the Art, the Journey, the Inspiration. That is Kei's domain.

It is almost funny, the way the domains of the Big Five fit together, just as the Four Realms do. They all come together to form a picture, a story that all beings follow throughout all their lives. My domain is that of the Guide, and in the story I speak of it takes the form of the trail in which the people walk upon, guiding them down wherever they wish to go (though preferably down the positive path), and the signposts that tell them of the different choices. Keilan's domain of Karma is the choices themselves - for that is what Karma is.

Karma is not merely the consequences, either positive or negative, of any action - it is a reminder that there is a choice to be had, and that the choice on which path to take is ultimately yours, and yours alone. Within the confines of the story, Keilan's domain represents the many branching paths, the innumerable choices to make on which paths to go down. Elvira's domain, though she does not have one as of yet I have confidence that this is what it shall represent, is the light in the sky - the percieved "goal." It is the thing that bathes the different choices in light as they lead upwards, or cast them in shadow as they lead downwards. It is what gives the story, the journey, and the paths, their depth.

Reika's domain, despite its cyclical nature, represents the rest-stops. The different "chapters," if you will. Life and Death each represent a new chapter in the story itself, and, sometimes, a complete change in character. Kei's domain, however, takes on a completely new perspective. Everything else has been about the path itself, somehow shaping it. Kei's domain is about the people, the characters...and that is what Kei's domain represents within the story, the characters, the people walking down the path, in all their variation.

I chuckled and shook my head. Yes, that is a very satisfying explanation.

"Lord Alexander, it is a pleasure to see you." A sudden voice said as I gently floated towards the River. I turned and nodded my greeting to the passing angel before continuing on my way, my mind pleasantly devoid of any thought. It is pleasent to be alone, without even one's own thoughts as company, every once in a while. For a moment I simply sat there, staring out at the Four Realms before I decided it was time for a bath, and dove down into the Karmic Ocean for a nice swim.

Down in the depths of the dark waters, I observed a few beings of karmic origins as they frolicked about. They were mysterious creatures, with one of them even looking none too different from my own Dragons. Quite a few beasts had begun to imitate my Dragons recently, which I found to be quite the interesting development. It allowed them to scare off larger, more powerful creatures at times. An interesting adaptation.

It was then that I turned my attention to the Mortal Realms, and observed there for a while. The Arachions and Draconiods had, suprisingly, joined forces in one war and were fighting together against a particularly nasty contingent of Fae. Elsewhere, Fae were righteously fighting against more aggressive Arachions, and numerous other wars were erupting across the Four Realms. Some we were desperately trying to avoid, while others were...annoyingly enough, impossible to avoid. Morgan was not nearly as invovled with that as I had previously feared it would be.

Morgan was more content to sit back and watch the chaos unfold.

Sighing, I turned back towards my cave, disappearing into it once more as I settled back in, closing my eyes and connecting with my Domain, attempting to guide as many as I could, indirectly. It was a hard path, but I for one enjoyed it. That, and it was a welcome break to adding changes to the Four Realms.