Yiseri forest goddess.

“No!”

Aiur a minor wind god.

“Not worthy of a wind god! Be gone from here like a leaf on the wind!”

Yara, god of trickery.

“Sorry, young thing you aren’t my cup of tea! As much as I would like you are marked and I want nothing to do with a child of the blue-eyed. Sorry lovely, you are going to have to leave now. I got places to be and disciples to harass!”

Mei’s mood became increasingly gloomy “So the heavens discriminate against those with blue eyes as well…” Both rage and bitterness boiled inside of her as she realized that she could never escape her cursed eyes and their fate.

Yara was the last god on her list that she had managed to scrounge up. Not even the god of trickery wanted her! Her pride wouldn’t allow her to pout otherwise she would have been throwing a tantrum like a five-year-old, but she couldn’t bring herself to lower herself in the face of this unfair fate. After being rejected by every shrine she went to even some of the gods she was not at all interested in. Even then she got a big fat no as a response.

Every single major god from the Imperial pantheon she had tried rejected her. The night was growing old and she didn’t have much time. There were always minor deities, but there was no guarantee they would accept her as well.

Maybe she would be stuck as an outer disciple forever which was a thought that horrified her. Cursed to a life of mediocrity?

There had to be other deities out there? She pondered. As she was about to resign to her fate and go back to try a few minor deities a single name popped into her head. Vasu-Jin. How can a deity whose page was basically falling out of the tome and was completely neglected be worth it? Then again he was listed as a major deity despite this.

Maybe the god who didn’t have a description would be useful at this point. It was better than nothing at the very least. I mean she was rejected even by the god of wisdom and learning Tenjen who would accept pretty much anyone. Mei stood up and walked toward where the shrine of Vasu-Jin ought to be. Shrines were grouped and no one knew how it worked, but once you decided to find a shrine you’d know where to go. While it was possible to stumble upon one, Mei found it strange, perhaps it was a passive will by the gods and goddesses to come to them.

Walking through the forest until she arrived at a small inconspicuous shrine that was off the beaten path. Vasu-Jin’s shrine was made of simple wood whose paint had long since chipped off. The stones were withered from years of rain and it was obvious that little perhaps not even one person had prayed to this god in many years. The wood had moss growing on it, and the sign with his name was hanging by a single wooden cog. The whole look was as if he was the god of homeless beggars.

Mei stared at the shrine in disbelief “This has to be a joke, this was her last shot?” With her mouth ajar she simply was processing the disaster of a shrine it was. Maybe he was the beggar god? Mei came to think about it for a moment, but she had no choice; this was her only shot and a major deity was a major deity whose blessings and powers could manifest in very unique ways. So perhaps it wasn’t all that bad.

“Better yet he could be a god of poverty or tragedy?” Trying to encourage herself as those gods even though they were considered bad omens were still widely believed and in a twisted way were powerful in their own right. As Mei approached the shrine, she wavered about going through with it. Shaking her head furiously she slapped her cheeks twice leaving them slightly rosey in complexion. to snap herself out of it, it didn’t matter if it was a god of sexual perversion towards fourteen-year-old girls, she needed a blessing and she needed a patron deity to help her get into the inner court.

Before crossing her legs she decided to clean up the shrine as best she could to curry favor with Vasu-Jin, her last hope. Mei reorganized the rocks into their balanced state and rehung the sign on the appropriate cogs. Then lastly she peeled off the layers of moss that grew on the wooden shrine. Lighting a ceremonial candle gave the area around the shrine a warm orange glow.

Getting into her meditative position she made one final desperate appeal to this unknown god “Vasu-Jin this disciple calls for you that you may grant me your blessing and accept me into your familia. Please consider my most humble request! This servant doesn’t know you but would be honored to learn about you.

Time seemingly passed slowly; each second felt like an eternity of waiting. Mei meditated on the words she used and all her desire to be accepted put into this final plea.

The flame on the candle flickered and grew slightly larger and brighter “Who iss thisss?” a voice with a slight hissing sound erupted in her head similar to all the other deities. The pressure she felt was similar, but different than before “After ssso many centuriesss a mortal hasss finally assked for me?”

A wicked laugh filled her soul as the mysterious god continued to speak “Young girl though I have no dissciplesss I am ssstill going to test you to see if you are worthy…prepare yoursself!” his voice spoke almost as if it was hissing.

Just as Vasu-Jin spoke those words a painful burning sensation filled her veins, a feeling like molten fire was being pumped through her body around her entire being. Even her soul felt like it had lit a flame. Mei wanted to scream out, but her jaws were clenched so hard from the pain that nothing, but a muffled moan escaped her mouth. The pain rose higher and higher until she arched her back in an unnatural pained expression. After five minutes the pain slowly faded, before it turned into a numb sensation.

"HA HA! Good yesss good" the sinister voice filled her head again. "You are a worthy mortal. To receive the blessing of the sserpent god of venom... Vasu-Jin!"

Mei could feel a similar burning on her shoulder blade, but this time it was over quite quickly she never would have thought such a sinister god existed in the academy who normally shied away from controversial gods like gods of death or calamity, she was certain this god belonged in that category. What have I gotten myself into?

"Child you will sserve me well. After tonight you have received by blessing, use it wisely. Do not make me regret choosing you as my firsst disciple."

Mei nodded grimly, not sure whether to be happy or terrified by her new patron deity. As the presence of Vasu-Jin fled from her and the area the candlelight flickered off leaving Mei tired. Her whole body was filled with sweat and her complexion paled even more than normally.