《The Court of Souls? 》Chapter 25: ~Discussion.~
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“The multiverse (or meta-universe) is the hypothetical set of finite and infinite possible universes, including the universe in which we live. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, and the physical laws and constants that describe them.
The various universes within the multiverse are called "parallel universes", "other universes" or "alternate universes."”
- The Journey to the Afterlife
***Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Nurien***
***Shade***
“The reason for undermining your authority is simple. I don't think that you had all the necessary information to make such a decision. I don't think that we can trust Moonray and if we had fused Carissimi with Draconis, it would have surely been our end. At least I don't think that you would have kept your authority for long, Grandma. Your supporters would have slowly dwindled away,” Elona answers straightforwardly.
Chloe furrows her forehead. “What makes you say that? Moonray is a member of the family.”
Elona shakes her head. “The more I hear about Moonray, the more suspicious I get about him. Especially after hearing Tisha's side of the story. It doesn't make her an innocent victim, but the chain of events always lets Moonray come out on top and I don't like that one bit. I found him shady when I first met him and I still think of him as a politician. He may show us his friendly side while he has to confront us, but he is actually holding a knife behind his back. Shade, would you please give us Tisha's point of view?”
I nod and start with the important part, cutting short the stuff which must be known to everyone. “...and so I would be careful around Moonray. First he visits Semper Fidelis and causes a fight between Tisha and Ishaan. Shortly afterwards the clan is attacked and destroyed.
Second, it is likely that he has some kind of connection to the slavers. How else did he get Tisha's message? I have to ask my mother about that one.
“Then your clan gets attacked and if I understood Elona correctly, your clan and Draconis are friendly enough to let each other come and leave as they please. A perfect opportunity to plant homing signatures to aim portals. Then your clan is attacked and weakened, and Moonray is ready to take you in. Of course all of that could have happened by chance, but I still want to hear your version of history.”
Doreen shakes her head. “I never heard of the events from Tisha's point of view. The reason why I had a fight with Moonray, is because he told me nothing about his meddling with other women. Especially with Tisha. The only reason I learned about it, is that I searched out Ishaan after Semper Fidelis had fallen. Ishaan explained to me that he had caught Tisha and Moonray betraying us.
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“I threw Moonray out of my clan and he left, taking half the clan with him. He never admitted anything, but I believed Ishaan. He had just lost everything and there was no reason for him to lie. I still can't believe it. Moonray may be a calculating son of a bitch, but I can't imagine that he would really do such a thing.”
Chloe also shakes her head. “Dad has a lot of flaws, but I can't believe that he would risk his relatives like that. When Carissimi was assaulted, we could have easily died. Quianna even got abducted!”
Elona rejoins the discussion. “Maybe you are blinded by your past ties to him. I never got to know him very well. All he is to me, is a slimy character who shows up from time to time in order to recruit me for his clan. And we shouldn't forget the incident when we came across Shade and his people. Lirian almost provoked a fight between us and them for no reason at all. I have the feeling that he was instructed to do so. And he belongs to Moonray's staff.”
Elona's father raises a hand. “Regarding the more recent events. So you are saying that Moonray caused the attack on us. Was it to change Doreen's mind about fighting the slavers? We gathered the alliance and he tried to provoke a fight between us and the slavers. For what purpose? Moonray was always the one who preached to put an end to the slavers. But if your suspicions are true, then he worked against his goals by provoking a fight between us and Shade's people.”
Quianna takes over. “He surely didn't know that the slaves already revolted. As I have heard, Shade wasn't exactly forthcoming in your first meeting. But it still doesn't make sense. In this case Moonray's goal must have been to crush or weaken the slavers. If your summary of history is correct, then he destroyed the alliance back then. It doesn't add up. Why did he switch his goal?”
Elona shrugs her shoulders. “Without further information we can't get to the heart of the matter. I never said that the destruction of the alliance or the slavers is his final goal. At this moment in time we lack the information to grasp his goals. I am not even saying that it must really be Moonray. All I am saying is that the chain of events is suspicious. We don't know his motivation. All we know is that Moonray and his clan are somehow linked to the events.”
Doreen tilts her head. “Why are we so sure of that?”
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“Because one strange coincidence may be bad luck. Two are suspicious and three mean something,” I answer, but it only earns me a glare from Doreen.
Elona stands up and leans forward. “Please, Grandma, even you must admit that something is going on.”
Doreen grinds her jaw, but at last she leans backwards. “What's done, is done. And I can't say that I feel bad about not having to deal with Moonray.”
Elona grins at me. “See?”
“That doesn't mean that I am happy about having to deal with Tisha,” Doreen hurries to correct herself.
Shawn stands up and walks over to my side of the table. “So you are my daughter's soul partner.”
I force myself to smile and offer him my hand. “Shade, leader of Semper Fidelis.”
He takes my hand and squeezes with enough force to crush my hand.
“You've really found your partner, Sis! So did you remember a little more about yourself being a god? What about your affinities as a deity?” Quianna shoots out a string of questions.
Elona smiles and stands up, placing a hand on her chest. Knowing ones nature is important as a god. It allows us to access much more power and is the difference between being a minor deity or a real god.
“Listen well. I am a goddess of order and stability!” Then she slaps Shawn's hand away from mine, which is a relief since he was trying to crush it and I wasn't sure on how to respond to his attempts.
She jumps into my lap and hugs me. “And this is my husband! God of chaos and change.”
“Husband?” I whisper. Well, we were married in... all lifetimes I remember so far.
Her tail pokes into my side. “Don't you remember your oath? We swore 'Until Death'. Those were the exact words.”
I do remember the oath... and the ritual/accident which bound us. “Aren't you taking the words out of context? We died in between the oath and now.”
“We are alive now, aren't we?” she answers cheerfully. I can't help but cough.
“I knew that you would say that,” I answer. So in other words, she intends to hold me responsible for eternity.
That's when the door is flung open and Tisha hurries inside with Aswang and Manti on her heels. “You are really here! Out there a whole collection of rumours is going on about you and her being a couple!” Tisha points an accusing finger at Elona. “And some say Carissimi ditched the fusion with Draconis to strike a deal with us instead!”
I purse my lips and embrace Elona, pulling her closer. “This might be one of those rare cases in which the rumours are close to the truth.”
Tisha ruffles her hair. “Didn't I warn you about getting involved with succubi and other sex-demons? You were enthralled! I begged you to search for beneficial alliances, but nothing which binds us in such a permanent manner.”
“No. I just found my soul partner,” I answer.
“You have a soul partner?” Manti asks surprised.
Elona waves a hand at them. “Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you again.”
“You missed out on a really interesting discussion about a possible connection between Moonray and the slavers...” And so I continue to fill them in on everything we've talked about. When I am done the three of them stare at me for several seconds.
“I can't believe it. Moonray is an ass, but he wouldn't go that far,” Tisha answers in denial.
Manticore circles her finger at Tisha. “Though you sucker punched him hard enough to knock him out. Are you sure?”
“I don't know. Though right after our first meeting he did ask me if I and my people want to return to his clan. I denied since I didn't want him anywhere near me,” Tisha answers.
So that was the reason why she shook her head so vehemently when she talked to Doreen and Moonray.
Aswang gestures at us in a manner that includes the whole room. “As I see it, there is only one way to find a satisfying conclusion. Since it seems like Draconis wanted to fuse with either of us, we have to leave them out of the loop and fuse with each other. That will provoke yet another reaction from their side and give us a chance to catch the traitor.”
“But who is the traitor? If it is that easy we would already have him or her,” Quianna asks befuddled.
I snort and focus on Doreen. “Primary candidates are people who have access to the inner workings of your clan and strong ties to Draconis. Are there any ex-members of Draconis who changed their allegiance to you? Or members of Draconis who paid regular visits to your clan? I would also look into members of your clan who often visit Draconis.”
Doreen starts grinding her teeth in discomfort. “There are a handful who would fit the criteria.”
.
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Entangled Fates Book 1 - Quantum Beginnings
“By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.” —Eliezer Yudkowsky Hey all, we're moving over to book 2. This content is in a state of transition. The book is now availble on Amazon (includes extra chapters): https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07W1534R8 Artificial intelligence was nearly mankind’s last invention. AI took off like a rocket, then when it racked up an impressive death toll, it crashed before it could blossom and took most high-tech industries with it. Resistance and fears became deep-set. Two decades after the infamous Rev. 4.6 incidents, humanity hasn’t quit dreaming of the wealth and power that could be at their fingertips. A new generation of mega-corporations rose from the ashes. When one melds a quantum computer to a barely functional mental patient as a PR move, there are those who seek to profit, those who want to destroy it, and Alex. Alex Sage is a typical college student trying to keep up his grades and maybe find a meaningful connection with the fairer sex. Then, an automated semi crashes into his home, killing his family and turning his head into a pin cushion in the process. Alex awakens to find most of his memories gone and an illegal AI hidden in his brain implant. Now the pet project of a tech billionaire and heavily in debt, Alex struggles to stay valuable enough to be kept online. Still grappling with the repercussions of his injuries, and threats from a dangerous anti-augmentation political movement, there are no easy answers and threats loom around every corner. Alex must use whatever resources he can to escape from under the thumb of a ruthless corporation, while keeping those he comes to love safe. Chapters will stay up on RRL until Aug 10. It'll go up on Kindle Unlimited after that. How do you get those extra chapters I didn't have planned for RR? If you want them, they'll be in the published book. Book 2 will still make sense without them - I made sure of that. But... isn't $3 a lot for extra chapters? Think of it as tipping me for a good job and you'd also be getting my eternal thanks. If you enjoyed it so much that the idea of missing out a few chapters haunts you, I did my job as an author and made an engaging story. What's in those extra chapters? Resolving a few issues, set up for the cybernetic revolution, a rather intense sex scene with a new partner, revelations of who's really pulling strings, and a bit of set up for book 2. Complaints that people missed out on it when it was published here won't help (sorry!). I posted this for the folks who helped me shape the book, which is you all! (Again, yay!) But... Why! Why not keep it all on RR forever? My editor likes being paid for one. For two, I'd like the ability to get broader readership. If I break even on editor costs, I'll be incredibly happy. What about book 2? Drafts for Book 2 will go up around Sept 10. My draft of Book 2 is done, and it will be handed to the editor once Book 1 is published. Feedback has been even more positive. Beta readers devoured it and wanted more. I'll add a link to Book 2 once it's up on RR. I'm more or less, using you all for Beta Readers, so you get it before it's "canon" and edited. I invite active and meaningful feedback during this process. In return, you get early access to chapters. That does mean that the book content or plot might be adjusted before it gets published as I refine it. Sex Y/N? Yes. I heard the feedback, 90% wanted it explicit. You all will get the "full" experience. Will I dump all of book 2 here? Honestly, I'm not sure yet. At a minimum, it'll be up to the 75% mark as we collect feedback, much like what I did with book 1. It really depends on how good the feedback is and how nice people are. Lots of support + meaningful feedback to make it better = higher likelihood you get all the book. Will be it up here indefinitely? No, it'll probably go up on KU at some point, but I'll make sure there's enough time for a large readership to grab it here. Then we move to book 3 which already is around 60K words already. What about other adventures in the same universe/characters? Yep. Absolutely. Nothing ready to share yet though. I plan to keep those side chapters and more slice of life stories as RR exclusive. Since I'm carving this off in book-sized segments, I'll have to figure out where those disconnected story arcs belong. I'm open to suggestions.
8 142Changes
Changes is a collection of three stories that take place after the events of Edict. It would benefit the reader to read both Hy'Ruh-ha and Edict. Story one: The Monk and The Princess After a several months break from duty, Soletus, is asked to serve by the Patriarch as an escort to a conference the Brotherhood is attending. The only catch is he's acting as a second warden because someone wants him promoted. All he has to do is be at his best. However, his best is put to the test as he led surly men and then get whisked off to solve a disturbing plot with a determined and bored princess. Notice: Please note, that Soletus, aka main character is asexual. That is part of being a neth elf. This story delves into information about it neth and gets into the neth elf experience a few times in this story. You've been warned. Also note: As much as I didn't want to put it in this story, avoiding it was a futile effort on my part. There were things I needed to explain about Soletus and it's hard to write personal tales about character when avoiding talking about certain personal aspects of them. Story Two: The Sun and Stars - Summary and Date TBA
8 231The Whitechapel Murderer
While Hebrew stood there attending the phone call a newspaper slid under through the door of his small apartment. The headline said nothing else just, “The Whitechapel Murderer has returned....” Making him gulp and shiver at his own place. ~~~~~~~ Ten years later, after a notorious serial killer who had murdered five women went inactive, murders are being committed once again in the same way how he used to do. The murderer was never found and so, he was declared dead by the society. Could these murders be committed by him again or...there's someone else behind them. Flynn Hebrew has to been summoned by the crime branch to solve this case as he is the finest one among all. But what conspiracies lie behind these murders and who is the one attempting them...Hebrew is the one to find out. ~~~~~~
8 197A Random story of an Adventurer
A young man makes his way to the city of Trisdia's Adventurer's Guild Hall, hoping to become an adventurer himself, so that he can play a part in helping people who are unable to protect themselves.
8 163T'Aimer. 《Taekook》
'Dₑᵥᵢₗₛ & ᵥᵢₗₗᵢₐₙₛ.'ₒₙₑ ₜₕᵢₙg ₜₕₐₜ'ₛ ₘₒₛₜ ₚᵣₒₘᵢₙₑₙₜ ᵢₙ ₜₕₑₘ ₐₙd wₕᵢcₕ ₘₐₖₑₛ ₜₕₑₘ dᵢffₑᵣₑₙₜ fᵣₒₘ ₜₕₑ ₕₑᵣₒₑₛ ₐₙd ₜₕₑ ₐₙgₑₗₛ ᵢₛ ₜₕₐₜ₋ ₐₙ ₐₙgₑₗ ₒᵣ ₐ ₕₑᵣₒ wₒᵤₗd ₚᵣₒₜₑcₜ ₜₕₑᵢᵣ ₗₒᵥₑ...bᵤₜ,ₐ dₑᵥᵢₗ ₒᵣ ₐ ᵥᵢₗₗₐᵢₙ wₒᵤₗd ₖᵢₗₗ fₒᵣ ₜₕₑᵢᵣ ₗₒᵥₑ!'ᵀᵒᵘᶜʰ ʰⁱᵐ, ᵃⁿᵈ ᴵ'ˡˡ ᵈᵉˢᵗʳᵒʸ ʸᵒᵘ, ᵗⁱˡˡ ⁿᵒt ᵉᵛᵉⁿ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵃˢʰᵉˢ ᵃʳᵉ ˡᵉᶠᵗ.''ᴹʸ ᴮᵘⁿⁿʸ...''ᵂᵒᵛᵉ ᶜʰᵘ ᵗʷᵒᵒ!''ʸᵒᵘ'ʳᵉ ˢᵃᶠᵉ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵘˢ...''ˢᵗᵃʸ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵐᵉ, ᴴʸᵘⁿᵍ...'ᴀ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴏᴠᴇꜱ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ, ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ ᴄᴜᴛᴇ ʙᴏʏ, ɴᴀᴍᴇᴅ ᴊᴜɴɢᴋᴏᴏᴋ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ʜᴇ ꜰᴀᴄᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀʀꜱʜ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴛɪᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ, ʜᴏᴡ ʜᴇ ɢᴇᴛꜱ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴡʜᴏ'ᴠᴇ ʜᴜʀᴛ ʜɪᴍ, ʜᴏᴡ ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇꜱ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ᴍᴇᴀɴ, ʜᴏᴡ ʜᴇ ꜰɪɴᴅꜱ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇꜱ ʜɪᴍ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ʜᴇ ɪꜱ, ʜᴏᴡ ʜᴇ ꜰɪɴᴅꜱ ᴀ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ ꜰᴏʀ ʜɪᴍꜱᴇʟꜰ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ʜᴇ ɢᴇᴛꜱ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴏꜰ 'ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ'. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟꜰ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴇɴᴅ ᴜᴘ ᴄʀʏɪɴɢ, ᴏʀ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ ᴀɴɢʀʏ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴀʟʀɪɢʜᴛ...or will it?
8 82Let's fall in love (Story By PINKI)
Never in a million years would I have thought that that would be our last conversation before my perfectly planned life would fall apart...Let me know what you guys think! SmilePinki
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