With Lavender gone, I was left with a handful of shadows and the Great Green Ape of Sorrow, Lamentus. I absentmindedly ran my fingers over the artifact ring as I debated what to do next.

Turning to the shadow creatures, I asked, “Do you guys live up here?”

Their leader spoke once again. “We exist in every place that the light cannot penetrate. Sometimes it is but a simple shadow while at others it is the land beneath knowledge that has never seen light.”

Lamentus added, “They do not take residence in this place. The gods would never permit it. These ones are only present at the request of the seer.”

“Where do they live then?” I asked, turning my attention to Lamentus.

The god replied. “They told you. The shades live anywhere there is darkness. It has always been so. You can usually find them under beds or in the closets of small children. It probably helps that they feed on apprehension and fear.”

“They feed on it?” I asked, imagining the shadow creature attaching itself to some poor child like a magical tick.

Lamentus climbed off of his cushion, which vanished as Lavender’s chair had. “Do you understand how gods come to be?”

I nodded. “They are creatures of faith right? Every time someone believes or prays to a god, a small bit of their mana is given to you, right?”

Lamentus hunched over so that he was at eye level with me. “That is correct. Shades function in a similar manner. They belong to the other end of the spectrum. When a person feels fear or other emotion, beings of darkness are born. The same goes for demons, specters, and faeries.”

“They all feed on fear?” I asked, trying to remember what I was afraid of.

“Not just fear.” Lamentus corrected me. “Specters are born out of intense feelings of hate or a strong desire for revenge. Faeries feed on mischief and love. Don’t ask me how the two of those go together because I couldn’t tell you.”

I turned my head to gape at the shades. “So, you’re telling me that every time I feel something another magical creature is born?”

“Hah!” Lamentus’s laugh echoed through the halls of the castle. “If only you could feel so deeply. It takes powerful emotions to conjure a being from the ether. My existence is due in part to the sorrow mortals feel at the loss of their loved ones. Sorrow over losing a game of chance would not provide me with any mana. To summon something like a specter, you would have to want someone dead with your entire being.”

“I wonder,” I spoke the thought aloud. “What would happen if I substituted sorrow for the element…”

The creatures in the room gathered around me as I put my thought into action. Rather than applying fire or wind to my mana, I created a filter of sorrow using the memory of the day that Stefanie died.

A tear rolled down my cheek and a ball of liquid green mana appeared in front of my outstretched hands. It was a mana representation of the loss I was feeling at that moment. Lamentus reached out with a thick paw and dipped a finger into the substance.

“Peculiar.” He observed, his eyes widening as he siphoned the meal I presented to him. “I was not aware mortals could do such a thing.”

While the shadows were interested in what I was doing, it was obvious that they were repulsed by sorrow. Trying again, I pictured my greatest fear. It was simple to do as it was always in the back of my mind. I plucked the coin from my pocket and ran my fingers over the words.

IF YOU LOVE HER, YOU WILL LET HER GO.

As I wasn’t holding my hands out in front of me, the black sludge that was formed by my feelings pooled around the coin and dripped to the floor.

The shades rushed in, licking the tar-like substance off of my hand like underfed puppies. “This is most exquisite! Yes! Top-rated fear. We will be sure to follow you from this day forth.”

While normally I’d be terrified to have an army of living shadows hiding under my bed, the creatures in front of me seemed friendly so I decided to invite them over to my house. “How would you guys like to join my empire?”

As one, they took a step back and huddled for a few minutes. When they faced me again, the leader asked, “You would invite us willingly?

An odd sensation washed over me as the shades all inched closer. Was this like inviting a vampire into your house? Was I beckoning creatures of the dark to feast on my citizens? I held out a hand. “Before I do this I have to ask you a question. If I invite you to my home to live with my people, do you promise to do no harm and protect them if need be? I don’t want you feasting on innocent people if I invite you.”

The leader seemed to be the only one who spoke as he replied again. “While we do intend to consume fear, it will not have the effect that you are thinking. For example, we consumed your fear of losing your mate. Do you not feel better?”

On the one hand, the shade had a point. I stopped thinking about my fear almost as soon as they had consumed the mana. On the other, I wasn’t sure how I felt about them knowing the specific flavor of my fear.

Sensing my apprehension, Lamentus added, “While we are manifestations that you project into the cosmos, our interactions with mortals need not be restricted by such raw emotions.”

Coming to a decision, I held out a hand to the lead shade. “You are welcome to join us. That goes for anyone who needs a home. Even the gods.”

Booming laughter once again echoed through the halls as voices I hadn’t heard before suddenly joined the conversation. “Does this puny mortal dare treat us as equals?”

A female voice added, “I believe his offer was sincere, Jagriel.”

The shades melted into the flickering shadows as glowing figures appeared one by one around me. The god who spoke first, a jackal-headed god named Jagriel, continued. “Be that as it may, this one is too cheeky.”

“I like that about him,” Lamentus said helpfully. “This mortal's ignorance of the way the universe works makes him do interesting things. He granted himself an audience in these hallowed halls after all.”

“You vouch for this…thing?” Jagriel spat the words.

Another female goddess with a sultry voice stepped in front of Jagriel, causing certain parts of her anatomy to jiggle. It was then that I became painfully aware that she was half-naked.

Upon noticing my reaction, a smirk appeared on her face as she licked her lips. “Such delicious lust emanating off of you. Perhaps Lamentus is right. I might just devour you. Wouldn’t you like that, mortal?”

I froze in place, desperately willing my body not to betray Kalli. She giggled playfully as she noticed I was losing the war with nature. Lamentus took pity on me and stepped between us, clearing his throat. “Allow me to introduce you to the gods of Luna. This here is Jagriel, the God of Destruction. The one who flirted is Lyria, the Goddess of Love. She just demonstrated her power over you. The goddess who spoke second is Elysiana, the Goddess of the Other Side.”

Jagriel chose that moment to interrupt. “Elysiana is known as the Goddess of Death, not the…”

Elysiana cut him off by touching a finger to his lips. “Don’t be crude, dear brother. I may have dominion over death but only in so much as it is a gateway to what lies beyond. Speaking of which, a friend of yours would like to speak with you. I would be willing to grant you an audience if you are willing to pay a toll.”

It took several seconds to wrap my mind around what was happening. I was talking to the goddess of death and she was propositioning me. With a hoarse voice, I croaked, “What? Why would I know anyone that…”

The words died as the answer appeared in my brain. Stefanie. Elysiana nodded. “That’s correct. Your recently departed friend wishes to speak with you.”

I still couldn’t find my voice. Lyria shoved Lamentus out of the way and muttered. “Bah, death’s mistress has her claws in you. We could have had so much fun together.”

The other gods were all glaring at that point, so Lamentus continued. “Ahem, next is Deductus, the God of Logic and this is Optimus, the God of Hope. Last is Iris. Wait, where is Iris?”

They all looked at me as though I was supposed to know that a goddess was missing and where to find her. Jagriel slapped his forehead and muttered, “Wonderful. Iris is off getting in trouble again.”

When nobody said anything, I asked, “Why do you assume she’s getting in trouble?”

“Because she is the Goddess of Tragedy.” Lamentus supplied.

Everybody stopped talking when we heard a quietly hummed dirge coming from the hall leading to the throne room. A young gothic girl slowly walked in. I could tell she was a goddess by the mana radiating off of her. Part of me wanted to probe each of them with my mana to understand them better.

Looking up as though she just noticed us, Iris smiled. “I like you. I think I shall give you my mark.”

Without another word, she vanished and an essence that was just as dark as her black eyes snaked its way over to me. My leg burned as it went right through my pants and entered me. Not caring that I was surrounded by the other gods and shadows, I pulled my pants down to inspect the damage.

There on my thigh was a tattoo of a black cat. While it did look similar to Orpheus, this cat had glowing red eyes that looked unnatural on my skin.

Pulling my pants back up, I sighed. “What was that?”

Jagriel frowned and said, “Tis a bad omen, mortal. You have been marked for tragedy.”

My mouth fell open but the other gods started laughing. Looking at Lamentus, I asked, “What is happening?”

The ape sighed. “Relax, mortal. She may be the Goddess of Tragedy but she doesn’t create it. She feeds off of the energy caused by the chaos involved. Her taking a liking to you is a gamble even for her.”

“Ahem.” Elysiana cleared her throat to get my attention. “Your friend? Do we have an accord?”

“But I don’t have a…” I began before realizing I might have something sufficient.

Digging in my pocket again, I grabbed the coin and held it out to the goddess. She accepted it with a smile and it vanished in a puff of smoke. Elysiana snatched my hand and said, “Prepare yourself. This can be jarring for the living.”

Whatever she did was faster than teleporting because I found myself outdoors in a valley with a thick fog clinging to the ground. I felt my eyes begin to water as I saw the impossible. Stefanie waded through the waist-deep fog and made her way over to me. “Melvin, thank god! I prayed that you would come for me.”

“I’m…so sorry!” I managed to choke out through tears that were now streaming down my face. “I wanted to save you so bad. It was that stupid…”

She held up a hand that effectively silenced me. “It’s okay, Melvin. I never blamed you. I am at peace with my death. However, I need your help.”

“What?” I sobbed. “Anything. Just tell me what to do.”

She sighed. “You have to take me back. Back to Earth. If I stay here I will never see my family again.”

“How?” I asked, not sure what else to say.

Elysiana replied, appearing next to us. “She isn’t meant for this world, so I suppose I can let her go. However, I must insist you compensate me.”

I groaned, getting frustrated with owing gods favors. “Fine, out with it. What do you want?”

She tutted at me. “Now now. Don’t get riled up. My request is but a mere trinket compared to what other gods would ask. All that I ask is that you not sleep with Lyria no matter what she does. She can be insufferable after she beds a mortal and I am tired of it. That and a favor of my choosing which I will collect at a later date.”

The way she said favor made me believe that she wanted to bed me in Lyria’s place. I shook my head and said, “No sex! I’m spoken for. Um, sorry.”

I added the apology at the end when she glared at me. “Do not compare me to that thing. I would not disgrace myself and give my body to a human. Not even one with your pedigree.”

Desperate to change the subject, I asked, “So, how do I take Stefanie back to Earth?”

Stefanie took a step closer to me. “I will have to haunt you until you return.”

Elysiana nodded and added, “Since she died here, you will have to negotiate with the death god over there to gain her access to your afterlife.”

“How does she do that?” I asked.

She shrugged and turned to Stefanie. “Are you prepared?”

The bard nodded and turned into a pink mist which washed over me and brushed against my cheek like a gentle kiss. I felt her there and knew she had left her mark.

“Very well,” Elysiana announced. “Our business here has concluded.”

The next thing I knew I was standing in the middle of the ring of gods. Jagriel spoke to the goddess. “Welcome back sister. Are you ready to send this mortal back to Gaia?”

Elysiana shook her head. “We have made a pact. I shall accompany him for a while.”

Then she vanished and my body was invaded by more foreign mana. Looking down, I saw a new tattoo of a serpent coiled around my left arm. Jagriel sighed heavily and said, “I cannot allow my twin to go alone.”

The God of Destruction left his mark on my upper chest as a jackal. I sighed and asked, “Anybody else coming along for the ride?”

Lyria harumphed and said, “I am not letting that dark harlot have her way with you. At least not until after my turn.”

The next thing I knew I had a peacock on my other thigh with its head tattooed in a place I’d rather not mention. The other two gods looked at one another and shrugged. The serious-looking one spoke. “Very well. We might as accompany you as well.”

With only Lamentus remaining, I edited a rock into a mirror and had the ape assist me so I could see the tattoos. Optimus, the God of Hope took up residence on my back as the spread wings of an eagle, while Deductus became an owl and occupied my right bicep.

A smile creased my face when I saw the pink music note on my right cheek. I knew right away that it represented Stefanie. Lamentus handed me the mirror and asked, “Shall we return to Gaia?”

“Soon,” I assured the ape. “There are a few things I’d like to do. Where are the shades?”

At the mention of their names, the shadows materialized in front of me once again. I asked, “Do you wish to come with me back to Gaia? I offer you an equal place in my empire. All shades will be welcome.”

“Truly?” The lead shade asked, awe in his voice. “As equals? Why extend ones such as us this honor?”

I sighed, realizing some problems extended beyond my world. “Being equal should be your birthright, not an honor. Join us and let me prove it to you.”

“We will serve you with our lives.” The shade responded in a solemn tone.

As one, they followed suit with the gods and vanished, appearing on my skin as a tribal tattoo. Looking down at my body, I laughed. “This is how The Rock got his tattoos in Moana!”

Lamentus stared at me. “You tattoo rocks in your world?”

“Well, just one rock,” I explained. “Never mind that. You said something about an infernal machine on this planet. Can I see it?”

I could feel the tension in both Lamentus and the other gods when I mentioned the machine so I continued. “I don’t want to use it. I just want to see what it was that got the Celesteans banished from this place.”

Lamentus heaved a low rumbling growl. “In the wrong hands, the Celestean machine can be used as a weapon of untold power. You must swear to never grant access to anyone else.”

“Except Kalli.” I breathed. “She is an extension of me and I trust her with my life.”

There was a pause. “Very well, come this way.”

I was led by the God of Sorrow into the bowels of the castle, following a similar path to the room where I discovered the artifact in the Gaian version of the castle.

It was filled with ancient-looking machinery that hissed steam along with what appeared to be a modern laboratory, complete with several large terminals. Knobs and buttons were spread out before a glowing display that had several vital statistics on it.

Current Power Level:

87%

Sub-Optimal

Connected Locations

3

20% Connected

Error:

Maintenance Required

Faults found:

16

Reset? Y/N

Temperature

360 degrees

Within Limits

None of it made much sense to me except for a red button that rested under glass housing. I knew I shouldn’t push that button even though I wanted to.

Lamentus rested a paw on my shoulder and said, “You’ve seen it. Shall we depart?”

I sighed and nodded. Without another word, the ape dissipated and took his place on my cheek as a teardrop. The only thing left to do was to return to Gaia. I yawned and started to search for the strand of mana to teleport back.

Then I remembered that I could always teleport directly to Kalli. I felt for her through our bond. Ah, found her!