In the hours after the battle with Darkseid had been one, the White Lantern ring began to go dark. In the middle of the night, Mary awoke as cracks began to appear with the ring quickly crumbling into dust. Lifebringer appeared before Mary in spiritual form and spoke to her.
"It is done. The balance has been restored and a new era of divinity dawns. Anti-Life has been vanquished; I can feel it now scurrying to the darkest corners beyond my sight.
"Long before I revived Endor, a part of me knew I was dying. The web of life that I once nurtured with the outflow of my power, was now drawing me into itself in an attempt to be one. But if I do that, my raw essence could have torn everything I built asunder. I think that is why I decided to sleep, to slow my demise until there was someone to take up my Mantle.
"Ring was always a crutch, to allow you to learn to use the power within. And if I am to be fully honest, it was a catalyst too, separating the Mantle from the Person. The Lifebringer needs to exist for life to exist. I cannot exist forever, however, because nothing can. So a compromise needed to be made.
"You can live your life Mary anyway you want to. That isn't to say you have no power in this world, only that the exercise of that power is completely up to you. Unlike the other Mantles of Divinity, the role of the Lifebringer has no inherent duties or responsibilities. It only asks that you live so others may live.
"Mary, you now are the Lifebringer. You will have no worshippers, but all who praise nature are praising your name. You are a god, but you are apart from all the other gods of the five eras of divinity. You are for a time immortal, but one day you must choose to pass on the Mantle to another, and walk the Path Beyond Life.
"Now I return to my children, to be one with the trillion trillion things that I gave life to. I'll always be around you, watching the wonders you will accomplish. And maybe, in a time of need, you will hear my whispers of advice, encouragement... and yes, praise. Good Bye."
And then the Lifebringer was gone, leaving Mary, the new Goddess of Life, to ponder her new role.
No comments:
Post a Comment