Harvestess has a minion!

Autumn the Vined Pumpkin Imp

In this world gods are not always born into existence. Sometimes a mortal achieves the impossible, becoming a god all on their own. But this is not his story. This one centers around a Kumos given a gift, one that remade her entire existence.

Our young Kumos came into this world under the leaves of Fall that dangled from the branches over her head. Upon first sight, the youngling was enraptured by such warm colors, and quickly fell in love. That single, innocent moment cemented everything her life would become from that day on.

As she aged, her favorite season did in fact become her life. She lived for the orange, red, and brown shades that decorated the woods during those special months. It was a work of art formed out of instinct - something she found all the more beautiful. Autumn may kill its leaves and send them to the ground, but that was only done to prepare it all to be reborn again in the next cycle.

There were many individuals who did not understand her love for the season, too blind to see beyond the surface and truly see into the spirit where there is just so much more behind what others refuse to go beyond.

Berating her for the "unhealthy obsession" she had apparently allowed to take over her life.

What they could not seem to grasp in their limited perspectives was that Autumn was her life. There was a feeling within her soul that whispered, "You're meant for this," the feeling of contented fulfillment warming her every time she dedicated her attention to what she loved most.

Very few would understand such feelings, so sharing this love of hers was not always possible. To her, Fall represented acceptance to all, no matter how they differ. Connections with others that were greeted with open arms was part of a dream she held close to her heart. In this dream, the cherished connections are no longer a rare occurrence for very few people.

Somehow, Harvestess would have an ability that enabled her to do something she had always dreamed of.

Attuned to all those around her, she would be able to create her own kind of connections between any she pleased. Harvestess would bring countless souls together, where acceptance was the only requirement. With her guidance, individuals would find their soul connections that were meant to be together even through the next lives to come.

Like every dream, however, you must eventually wake up from it all. She knew better than to believe in such childlike delusions.

What she didn't know was that her life was soon to become the very fantasy that was not supposed to be real.

Mortal beings had the awful habit of needing to see something in order for them to believe. But even then, if they are unable to discern the unfamiliar existence, it becomes irrelevant. Justifications and explanations were promptly thrown out in response.

To them it was simple: if something did not fit in with their reality then it could not exist - more like it wasn’t supposed to.

It was Harvestess’ mortal mind that caught the attention of a harvest imp one ordinary day. The creature became intrigued with the young Kumos when it was clear her mind was not like the other mortals’.

And in typical immortal fashion, the imp observed Harvestess for a time spent long or not, the imp did not care enough for the useless tool called time to know for sure.

Immortals were not in the habit of finding time anything other than unimportant to their own lives. For all the imp knew, it could have spent years studying the Kumos or it could have been mere days. The one thing the imp did know, however, was that this mortal was quite worthy. Worthy of what it did not yet know but knew her soul held a worthiness that was strong.

Being a harvest imp, Autumn was clearly its domain. It was only during this season that it physically came into existence, seeming to fade into the veil when the other seasons came upon the land as it was their turn to have some fun.

Autumn was quite literally the imp’s reason for living on the mortal plane.. The Kumos shared that devotion somehow, like she was born from a season herself.. A complete impossibility on the grounds that she was, well, only mortal.

The imp found that a shame. Her reverence toward the Fall season could rival even the most loyal of Harvest born.

Her love for the Harvest was genuine, it could easily tell, and could not help appreciating her honesty freely given to the entity. She was not like other mortals who could not see past their own narrowed world that was based on arrogance and self centered motivation.

The gods were also known to be arrogant as well, of course, but their god titles were heavy with responsibility that always came first. The honored commitment to their title guaranteed that a god’s infamous ego would never show its face if it concerned their title. Any other moment not held under the weight of such titles? Anything was fair game once again, and what god didn’t enjoy a bit of mischief?

In the imp’s long lived life (imps never counted well), it had witnessed many occurrences with countless mortals disappointing him more as the generations lived on and still failed to learn anything from the past.

Though there had been many, he could not remember a time when there was any like the female Kumos. She is absolutely wasted as a mortal! He thought. The mortal race is far from deserving a soul like hers.

And the longer the imp looked upon that mortal soul of hers, the more vexed it became as the reality of her eventual death began to suddenly sink in. Her death could easily arrive each time she so much as took a breath.

An occurrence like that was not acceptable at all. The dissatisfaction the imp felt from even the thought would certainly not do, either. Both their plights would never become tolerable until the imp came to a final decision of what to do with the mortal, it seemed. The Harvest was excited about the Kumos, so much that it got too impatient to wait on fate, so rushed it a bit instead.

The imp knew there was something the entity was not telling it, the silence on it was probably better for the imp, anyway.. The Harvest always had a plausible reason behind every decision it made, so the imp put its faith in the season and focused back on the mortal as it thought more on the choice he decided to make.

It would gift the mortal with The Harvest, a portion of the immortal realm that was home for those born under its embrace. And since it was the most important it would also become her sole responsibility. The Kumos would become the Harvest in its entirety.

“Tell me your name.” It spoke to her for the first time.

Startled, she jumped and allowed her eyes to settle upon his quaint appearance, its size just barely reaching her knee.

She crouched before the creature so they could meet at eye level, only to feel as if its black eyes were swallowing her whole.

“Harvestess.” She answered freely. The creature repeated her name in a whisper that sounded almost reverent in her ears.

“You will become the mother goddess of the Harvest… Harvestess.” It spoke.

Words held power… Was Harvestess’ last thought before her reality began cracking all around her. The imp could feel the entity of the Harvest becoming one with Harvestess and suddenly understood what the entity’s excitement had been about. It had been waiting for this young mortal for a very long time. She was destined to become the Harvest in flesh and blood.

In the fissures of her cracking reality, something began to shine through, and it was then that Harvestess knew she was looking upon her new reality. Her old one was broken, after all.

The imp knew that gifting this would end its existence. Another thing the Harvest entity had failed to inform it. But that was perfectly fine. This sacrifice would be worth it in the end. The Harvest would evolve into a Mother Goddess… Harvestess. Her given name was destiny. A destiny that had gifted them all with both a mother and protector.

In the imp’s last moments it gave everything of itself to her. That way it left her knowing this: until the very end it faithfully gave its soul to her. Harvestess could feel the loss and gain of the entire process. Even though she did not know the imp well, she cried out as he faded away until she was once again alone in a field that sparkled with a sense of otherness.

Somehow the once mortal Kumos had no clue what had just taken place and yet understood with all of her being. The Harvest entity had become a part of herself that was confident and sure in everything it was. However, the other part of herself, the original Harvestess part, was completely lost.

As if in answer to her dilemma, suddenly another being materialized out the shadows. The Paralix creature was male and completely black, aside from the red of his mane and blood that seeped from wounds over his entire body. His eyes, one yellow and the other red, roamed over her, studying her closely before eventually opening his jaw.

“Your welcoming committee has arrived!” The sarcasm rang in every word.

“Welcome to your newly crowned godhood. And no, I have never done this sort of introduction before nor have I received one myself. So, I am your worst choice if you’re hoping for a guide throughout this process… I am also you’re only choice considering that you and I are the only beings to exist with… Certain circumstances among all the gods.”

Harvestess stared at him in wonder and could only think to ask, “And what are these… Certain circumstances?”

“Oh! Well, we’re the only mortals to have become gods in all of history, apparently.”

“You mean, an immortal creature made you into a god as well?” She asked tentatively.

The Paralix tilted his head side to side as if thinking on his response for a few moments until he finally said, “I am Pyrrus, the god of shadows, and my story is one I’ll have to tell you another time… If I’m in the mood, that is.”

Harvestess scoffed lightly and managed not to roll her eyes at this god’s antics. She also had her answer for how he appeared out of thin air earlier.

“Well, Pyruss, god of shadows, I am Harvestess, and I suppose I’m the mother goddess of the Harvest.” The entity within her gave her the words as she spoke. It was a weird sensation, but she reassured to know that she was not alone in this whole “god” business.

“Mother goddess, huh?” He whistled and stretched out his lanky body. As he did so, Harvestess could not help but notice his wounds once again that were still bleeding.

“Um, Pyrrus? Shouldn’t you care for your wounds?” She couldn’t help but ask for Harvestess was caring by nature and could not bare to see another creature in pain.

Pyrrus looked over said wounds and sighed in what sounded like defeat. He looked back up and met her eyes head on, suddenly serious for the first time since he arrived.

“I would… If it helped. Let’s just say it’s a curse I am stuck with due to my own naive heart. Don’t worry, it won’t kill me - we’re gods, remember? You’ll just have to get used to ‘em if you decide to befriend me, I suppose.”

The heartache in his voice was evident, and she wished for a way to help him. We can… With due time. The entity spoke to her.

Am I able to freely speak to you whenever? She asked the entity tentatively, curious if it would respond.

Yes, my child. Your questions may be asked to me. The god of shadows may not be the perfect guide for your situation, but I am.

And… Pyrrus, there’s a way to help him? Truly?

Yes, I promise. The god of shadows will also be a genuine friend to you, so keep that in mind. He will understand and relate more than you know.

Harvestess caught Pyrrus’ eye once again, filled with a sudden confidence she did not possess earlier.

“Hey… Pyrrus, if we’re to be friends, then I’ll start this friendship off with a promise: I will help you with that curse of yours. I’m not sure when, but I know I will be successful when the time comes.”

Pyrrus blinked at her before averting his eyes to the distance, thinking, once again.

“Then I will also promise something…” He took a breath before continuing, “I promise to be a true friend to you for the rest of our existence. The other gods, for the most part, don’t think much of us ‘used to be’ mortals, you see. But they often underestimate us as well. With my promise, I will have your back no matter what, and always have faith in you. Sound good?” Harvestess’ heart filled with warmth upon hearing his words. She smiled at him in delight, Pyrrus returning one of his own, a slight tilt of the lips, looking almost like a smirk.

It was then that she had a revelation. Her dream she often had when she was mortal, the one where she could create inner connections with anyone she wished, was not a naive fantasy at all. It foreshadowed what was to come. Her gift was there, within her, ready to be used to her heart’s content.

As a goddess, she knew one of her first tasks to take care of would be Pyrrus’ curse. She did not know how, yet she knew she could fix it using her gift. Her other task was one that was much more personal.

The imp that had sacrificed itself for her had been engraved into her soul before he faded. And if its spirit still existed within her, that meant it was not gone forever, after all. Harvestess looked to the sky with a whole new determination and spoke to Pyrrus.

“I guess this is where my new journey begins, Pyrrus, and since you promised to be a true friend, that means you’ll get a front seat to practically everything.”

Pyrrus laughed at her words, following her eyes to the sky. “And what is first on our agenda upon this journey of yours, Harvestess?” He asked playfully, not expecting an answer.

“First, we are going to bring back a friend of mine. This time, though, the imp will need a name and gender, if they want. In fact, all of my creatures will need to have a choice in either. I rather not spend my new god-life referring to Harvest beings as their species. They’re not all the same! These creatures of mine deserve to have a choice in their individuality.” Her speech was met with silent laughter as Pyrrus attempted to control himself.

“This friend of yours… What will name them?”

Harvestess thought on that, thinking of the Harvest imp. The entity gave her flashes of images, all of which were of that particular imp and what had occured throughout his life. She saw the ones where he observed her and heard his thoughts on everything concerning her. Each made her smile, as he saw something in her no other mortal had attempted to see.

“Autumn.” She answered simply. Harvestess turned to the entity inside her for guidance then, and it directed her to the imp’s spirit attached to her soul. In only a few minutes, she was reaching out to the imp and bringing back onto the mortal plane. She searched his mind for what gender he desired to be, making the imp male, and opened her eyes to admire her work. Her ability was complete magic, something that was not supposed to exist in the mortal world, but it was there in front of her, existing all the same.

“Hello again, my friend. From this day on, you shall be called Autumn, and you will stay by my side for all of eternity… Coming and going as you please. You’ll be my familiar, if you don’t mind?” She said to the newly formed imp.

The imp looked around in wonder, noticing the other god’s presence almost immediately. The last thing he remembered was giving everything to Harvestess and then fading into a nothingness… However, he was now back on the mortal plane, and his existence held new meaning to it that was simply more. He had a name... He had a name!

“I have a name.” He said, barely containing his excitement. The other god laughed at his statement, Harvestess only smiled kindly.

“Yes, you do. As my familiar, you would have the same privileges as I do. Which means, instead of existing on this plane in the season of Fall, you’d exist in all of them. You would also have the ability to travel between and within realms instantaneously… Basically popping in and out of existence whenever you wished…” She explained.

The imp stared at his goddess in wonder, not knowing how to respond, so she easily continued.

“Now, Autumn, do you agree to be my familiar? I rather not have one against its will. And if you refuse--” The imp cut her off, chattering excitedly.

“Of course, Mother Goddess! Of course I accept! This is an honor! How could one refuse such generosity? Thank you, thank you, thank you...” His voice carried on, blabbering like he had never before. Pyrrus finally quieted the imp, holding his tail up to the imp’s mouth.

“You silly, imp. There is nothing to thank me for… You gifted me with my goddess existence, and I felt the need to gift you something in return. Something that represents just how much you mean to me and everything you have done for me. You saw in me something other mortals failed to see time and time again. You gave me the ability to accomplish something I had only dreamt of. So, I thank you, my friend.”

“I will serve you for eternity, my goddess.” His words rang throughout the field, into the woods surrounding it, and outward toward the world beyond. The words held power as they were cemented into the universe, a promise that was never to be broken.

Thus was the beginning of Harvestess’ new life as the Mother Goddess of Harvest… Continued in Pyrrus’ own story and throughout the rest of time, of course.
Premade profile by Chen,edited by Burtonbackground from hereAutumn dragons property of subeta :heart:Story by riahArt by Fyreheart