Title: Encounter and True Name

…

As he breached the surface of the ocean, the Deviant emerged into a world shrouded in the aftermath of the great cataclysm, and to say that he was awed would be an understatement. 

Following his surfacing, he decided to fly high up enough to observe it from an higher view point and couldn't help being awed by the supposed Blue beauty that he was expecting.

“This…this is exactly as it is described in those biblical passages of the Earth prior to creation.” He said as he slowly descended so as to observe properly.

The Earth, as it was described, was truly formless, empty, and covered in darkness. This darkness didn't come from the lack of sunlight, but from the various energies that filled the Earth's Atmosphere.

The Deviant tried to understand what this Chaos was and was immediately enlightened - Celestial Energy - That was the only thing that he could compute.

If the Cosmic Energy in all living things was Order, this one was pure Chaos.

It was that simple.

The Deviant couldn't help but wonder what will happen next. He didn't know the exact time TOAA sent him but he could inter that he was basically in the Beginning of The World.

Not the Mythological one Pangu, Shiva or The Christian God, not the Scientific one of Evolution from 2 million years ago Homo Habilis through to the Homo Erectus and then Homo Sapiens, but the actual Adaptation of…Earth itself in order to contain life.

It was as if the Earth itself had a consciousness of its own. Now the Deviant wasn't stupid enough to wonder what was going on as he already had an idea and didn't need to know the intricate workings.

The reason behind that was simple. This was Planetary Evolution. The Deviant wasn't stupid enough to believe that something of this nature happened simply because it was evolving.

He was a God. A True God and he could tell that a lesser True God was at work. If he was to venture a guess, it was…

“...Gaea.” he said softly and as soon as he did, he almost regretted it because his consciousness was immediately pulled out of his body and he found himself in a whole new dimension.

Whether consciously or not, The Deviants eyes shone with a light that showed it was trying to compute where he was. As quickly as that light shone, it faded as the deviant held its head in pain.

This was Weird since he was merely a consciousness, yet it could feel pain.

“An Overload.” He heard but didn't have the time to reply as he tried to calm the ache, the information being deposited inside his head however didn't help.

It was unknown how long passed before the pain faded away and he was able to process what he had gathered.

The place he was in was something of a Spiritual Domain that exists in the Physical realm. It was weird but that was what it was.

This was what led to the information overload. Former God or not, with his Human Physiology, he wasn't capable of handling the Information that made up a Dimension that exists in the In-between.

Gaea's home was a place of natural beauty and serene tranquility. One thing of note was that It is a realm where the essence of nature reigns supreme, with lush forests, rolling meadows, and majestic mountains stretching as far as the eye can see.

There was a sense of harmony and balance, with the elements coexisting in perfect equilibrium. Rivers flow crystal clear, teeming with life, while vibrant flora blooms in abundance, painting the landscape in a kaleidoscope of colors.

The air, filled with the sweet scent of flowers and the gentle rustle of leaves, creates a soothing symphony that lulls visitors into a state of blissful calm. Yet, he wondered why he didn't feel that calm.

Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor and infusing the surroundings with a warm, golden glow.

“You're…weird.” He heard again and this time he turned towards the source of the voice only to see a beautiful brunette walking towards him while garbed in cascading flowing green silk clothes.

“Who…No, what are you?” The brunette asked as her gaze pierced through the Deviant seeing through him. What she saw made her already frowning face deepen.

“Forgive me if I've offended you but I meant no disrespect.” The deviant apologized as calmly as he could. It wasn't him being submissive but accepting that he may have been at fault for calling her name.

Names were things of Great importance in the Mystical part of reality. He didn't know how he had offended her by that, hence his apology.

“I'm not offended.” The woman, Gaea said with her face to brighten up a bit. “I'm just curious. You don't register in you…it's abnormal.”

“Huh?” For the first time since awakening, the Deviant's expression took one of utmost confusion. Not even his Skill could compute that question or come with a reply.

“Every living being…Should have my essence in them.” Gaea said as she circled around him while he also seemed to understand. 

Gaea, unlike other Elder Gods, chose to imbue her essence into this Very Planet a couple million years ago. In this way, she was both strong and weak at the same time.

Strong since she is Nigh-Omnipotent with the Planet Safe, yet, she's also in constant danger with the Planet destroyed.

By making herself the earth, every living being Born on Earth will have a piece of her energy in them. It was that simple, and yet, the deviant didn't have it.

This was a cause for concern.

Imagine when what should be an alien life form has the very making of her children…know her name…and still has their physiology. If not for the energy waves she felt off of him, she might have taken him seriously.

The Deviant on the other hand also came up with this same conclusion but was confused on how he should address himself.

He had wanted to use his Name: S#£&, but for some reason, he couldn't. It was as if the name was being rejected by some form of power. The Deviant didn't feel threatened by that power and even found it familiar, but he still couldn't come up with a conjecture on who it may be.

Surprisingly also, his Skill made no effort in helping him decipher who that might be.

“I don't seem to have one. Would you be kind enough to provide one?” The Deviant asked while putting on the most charming smile he could put on his face.

“You don't have a name? That's hard to believe…Creature.” Gaea said as she came to a halt in front of the Deviant. “I'm pretty sure you were called something…anything…by anyone.”

“Not one I can remember.” The Deviant said with a shrug. 

“Hmm.”

“Ah!”

“What!?” Gaea, startled by his sudden shout, also responded in kind.

“I know.”

“Your name?”

“No.”

“Then what?” Gaea asked perplexedly. What was wrong with this creature? For some odd reason, she found herself being drawn into his pace 

“How about you give me one?”

“Huh?”

“A name. How about you give me one?”

“You want me to give you a name?” Gaea asked with a weird expression. “Why?”

“You're the Earth's Goddess right?” The Deviant asked, and despite wanting to know how he knew, she nodded, prompting him to continue. 

“Then to have the Earth's Goddess herself name me…what greater honor is there?” The deviant said with a flattering smile. Gaea knew what it was, but she couldn't help herself from being pleased with it.

“A name, huh?” She hummed in thought as she gave the Deviant a once over. “It's been some time since I last bothered with that.”

“Don't think too much about it. I'm sure whatever name you come up with will be nice.” The Deviant said with a placating smile. 

“Hmm. How about Leukos?” Gaea said.

“Huh?” The Deviant's expression, for the second time in a day, fell at the name.

“It means White. My other options were Albus or Argento.” Gaea said with a shrug imitating his previous showing.

“I reject!” The Deviant said 

“Eh? Why?”

“Because it just means White. Are you naming me based on appearances?”

“Eh? How about Lux?”

“That just means light.” 

“Then Lex?”

“No. That sounds unoriginal.” The Deviant's face was already fed up at this point and was almost glaring at the Goddess. He needed someone to actually name him and these names weren't helping.

“Then like your kind, how about Leucalion?” Gaea said. “There's Leucarius, Leucadion and Leucadius. Name your pick.”

“Y-you…” the deviant didn't know what to say anymore, but from her looks, he could tell she was out of names. He was glad however that her previous wariness had been put aside for the moment.

“Then how about…Leucadius. It feels more…masculine?”

“It's a name. It doesn't feel…it sounds.” Gaea corrected but the Deviant, now Leucadius didn't seem to be listening as he had his eyes closed.

He was trying to understand if any form of transformation would take place with the name but after a few seconds, nothing happened causing him to be confused on what was actually going on.

“Hey!”

“Hmm?” Leucadius was startled awake by Gaea's shout and turned to her with a mild frown. 

He was currently feeling irritated at the Force preventing him from doing something as simple as naming himself and this Lady just had to interrupt, adding to the irritation.

However, as soon as he locked eyes with her, a strange feeling sprouted in his heart causing his irritation to disappear. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to make the woman in front of him angry.

Unknown to him, Gaea was also feeling something similar. Unlike Leucadius, She'd had a lot of children over her unimaginably long life and although the feeling became fleeting over time, it wasn't unfamiliar to her.

To her, it was Motherly Love. Although she held a certain level of affection to all Living Beings of the Planet, she had greater levels of affection to her true offsprings.

As for her feeling towards Leucadius, it was an obvious sign of the love between Mother and Son.

“What.” Leucadius demanded, his expression and tone now back to its previous calm.

Although he felt the connection between them both, he didn't let it bother him much…and so did Gaea.

“You haven't told me what you are.”

“I have no idea. I know however, that I am a Reject from the Deviants.” Leucadius answered with a shrug without losing eye contact with the woman.

“The Deviants, huh.” She said with a bit of distaste. 

Leucadius saw this but felt as though she didn't really find them distasteful. He couldn't place a finger on it but he just knew that was the case. 

“Your expression…it's unpleasant.”

“Yeah…it happens when you live for as long as I have.” Gaea said with an eye roll. “That still doesn't answer my question. Deviant, Eternal or Human. As much as you were born on this planet, you should have my mark…why don't you?”

“I dunno.” Leucadius shook his head. “Maybe it's because I died?”

Gaea froze for an instant before she gave him another look over. Leucadius felt something wash over his form but somehow couldn't place a finger to it…again.

“You don't seem to have died before.”

“Hmm. My soul and body were separated for an instant. It doesn't equate to True Death, but that alone should be enough to sever any connection.” Leucadius said.

The him prior to the Great Cataclysm had really died for an instant back there. Whether it was the explosion of Cosmic Energy, or the mechanism activated by his True Soul when he felt danger…That momentary separation of his Soul from his Body was a form of Death.

“Am I to take your word for it?” Gaea asked, causing Leucadius to sigh helplessly. 

“There's nothing I can do about that.” He said. “If you don't mind, can you send me back to my body? I think our meeting has been more than fruitful.”

“Depends on your definition of fruitful. I didn't gain anything by pulling you here.”

“Then maybe you shouldn't have done that. But what's done is done.” 

“That's right…what's done is done.” Gaea said as she paused and gave Leucadius a scrutinizing look. “I'll be watching you.”

Leucadius was about to make a comment on her being perverted only to find himself back in his body.