In the blink of an eye, the inland sea had boiled to nothing. The water bubbled, evaporated, and rose in a cloud of thick steam. The air should have been unbearable right now. It should have burned skin from flesh, if any of those present had flesh to burn. It should have been, but instead it was as cool as the sea breeze always was. It was by design, it was how they wanted it, forged by the will of the four. The control of the Gods was perfect even as they scraped the life from the seabed. The deities that had created these fish, these years of coral growth, were now obliterating it.

  But they were not destroying their world. Not today. Not for a long time, in fact. Today they were terraforming.

  Jessimae watched with bated breath, wringing her segmented hands. Vhalshei had finished stripping the flora from the dollite’s country yesterday. The entire quartet had relocated every animal before that. The iridescent shield they had placed hovered over Nu Marmorarius like a dome. They had to be careful about this, lest they disturb the natural order outside of Jessimae’s allotted land. They left nothing to chance; food chains, soil, plantlife, air. They had accounted for it all.

  Harlei lowered their hands, the thick cloud of steam reducing to a few wisps of water. They looked over to their friend and smiled with sharp teeth. It wouldn't take four eyes to see the Dollite was nervous. “Don’t worry, Jessimae, it’s not like we haven’t done this before.”

  “I know, but-”

  “We’re deities.”

  “I know, but- it’s a lot, ya know?”

  The Chaos God paused a moment before they nodded. They closed their eyes and sighed. It was a lot; they didn’t do this often for a reason after all. If they made a mistake, it could be dangerous for the entire planet. Despite this, omnipotence was omnipotence. They had made this world in the first place, it was their right to change what they liked. Jessimae would like to have her home back and she would.

  “You said yourself that only the end of this land's First Life could reinstate Marmorarius,” Harlei reminded her.

  Jessimae nodded slowly. This was necessary, no matter how much of life they had to rewrite. It was what she'd wanted for so long. The Dollite took a deep breath she didn’t need, putting her hands by her sides. She lifted her chin and clenched her hands into fists. “That’s right, we have to do this to bring back my kin!" she said, reminding herself of that fact. "Let’s get this over with.”

  Harlei grinned again and gave a sharp nod. Jessimae turned to the portal she’d summoned; a pocket dimension. She’d stored the blood of Agápē inside of it for all these years, protecting it with her endless life. It had to have been millennia since Armageddon destroyed Marmorarius. The 13th clan’s heir, Jessimae, has been the only survivor. When it was happening, all Jessimae could do was save the sea with the hopes of one day reviving her planet.

  The three other deities watched on as Jessimae slide her finger over the seam of the rift. The portal opened easily, like a zipper, and a clear liquid poured out into the waiting seabed. The result was immediate; teal foam swirled from where chemical touched dirt. Jessimae smiled, an old sadness in her eyes.

  “It’s been so long since I’ve seen that color…” she breathed. The camera-shutter click of her blinking the only sound beside the rushing ‘water’. Emilice put a comforting hand on the doll’s shoulder.

   A new mist rose from the inland sea; not water vapour this time, but toxic fumes. The magical shield above hummed softly as it fulfilled its design. None of the poison air left Nu Marmorarius where it belonged. The shield protected the rest of the world, although visitors would need gas masks.

  “How long will it take to regrow the plants?” Jessimae asked, turning to Vhalshei. Her eyes were shining with hope again. The God of Prosperity shrugged with four shoulders.

  “Be patient,” Vhalshei advised, “It shouldn’t be long. We’ve already planted the seedlings. Once those chemicals soak into the soil, my magic will do the rest.”

  “The animals will come back,” Harlei answered the question before it left Jessimae’s mouth, “A few thousand years of evolution is nothing to me. Once the land can sustain them, you’ll have all the nightmare-inducing devil insects you could wish for.”

  Jessimae smiled. If she could, she’d be crying happy tears.

  “And after that?” she asked with a quiet voice. It spoke volumes for the brash goddess. It was like she thought this would all turn out to be a dream. Something would rip her planet from her hands as it had many times before. They all knew the answer to her question, but it was another thing to say out loud.

   “Then we form your people new bodies and call their souls back from Aedris,” Harlei assured.

   Jessimae hugged Harlei tightly. She rocketed into their arms so suddenly the two of them almost toppled over. She pulled back, grinning like a supernova, before repeating the action with Vhalshei and Emilice.

  The Doll God laughed, watching the sea fill up with her mother’s blood. Her people would live again. ‘Immortal Dolls’ hadn’t been a lie after all. 

  “Happy Birthday, Marmorarius,” she said fondly.

  “Welcome home, Jessimae.”