***Midhold, The Morgue***

***Lord Tulhelm***

“You may speak again, Father,” Iris orders with a little more than disdain in her voice which I can't help to notice. She is so different from what I remember, a rather bad imitation of the meek and obedient daughter who I groomed to become our House's figurehead so that I could step back and guide things from behind the stage.

Immediately after the command is given, some part of my being relaxes. My jaw loosens, and my body is finally back under my control.

Unable to suffer this humiliation any longer, I get to my feet, wrapping the white cloth around my privates. “Who do you think you are!?”

“Your daughter?” Iris huffs. “Do you still think that I am a doppelganger? Because that would make absolutely no sense. Why would the crown have any interest in playing games with you? I bet you already told Celes and Angrod everything they wanted to know. I doubt that they hesitated to do anything imaginable to get the information they wanted.”

I shudder, remembering myself waking up in a white room. The princess and the prince were there… and then Celes started asking questions.

At first, I refused to answer, but then she started breaking bones. I never knew that there are so many bones inside a human body, nor that they could be broken one by one... or split!

Split bones are definitely worse than broken ones.

Just remembering it sends a cold shiver down my spine. Every time she wasn't satisfied with an answer, she had a new method at hand to cause me pain. In the end, I was sure that death would be salvation and so I prayed that it would end.

Only to be proven wrong.

When I cursed at her, she got a little overexcited and I got my wish when she broke my neck.

I just didn't take into account that the damned prince somehow got hold of long-forgotten arts. How could anyone have known that he is a necromancer!

Death is… definitely, the worst thing that can happen.

Iris frowns, noticing my inattentiveness. Stepping forward, she waves a hand in front of my face. “Is there something wrong? You look a little paler than a corpse should be.”

“Of course! Everything is wrong!” I wave my hands in an attempt to shoo the horrible memories away. “We thought that the Meltheims had you! But the truth is worse! All the time you were sitting here in the capital, living on the crown’s purse. You are actually collaborating with them!”

Iris’s expression changes from cool detachment to furious rage in the blink of an eye and she hits the metal cot which I am standing next to. Her fist dents the metal, sinking in deep enough that she has to work to pull it out.

That shuts me up.

What is this power?

Iris was always a strong fighter. We groomed her to take over the House once she got old enough, but this is beyond what I expect a teenager of her ability to be capable of. She didn't even activate her combat aura and casually dented metal, a skill I have only seen from one other person.

Did Iris receive tutelage from the princess?

“I am sorry that I was left here in the capital as the daughter of traitors!” she spits out with self-loathing in her voice. “I am sorry that the royal family saw to it that I have a roof over my head! I have wondered ever since I became old enough to actually think about politics, but how stupid are you!?” she shouts, letting her emotions run rampant.

“I-”

“No! You listen to me!”

I want to assert my authority, but my jaw locks up and all I can do I to sit there and listen to her tirade.

“If you had ever actually thought about the family’s future, instead of personal power, you would have taken Mom and me and brought us out of harm’s way! That reminds me, where is she?”

“The City of Light. As a hostage. I assume they will sacrifice her now that the message of my death got out,” I press out between clenched teeth. “You have to get me back to the City of Light. You can come with me. We will be safe behind the barriers of the city.”

“Oh, that's just great! So you left her behind to rot with the other traitors while you tried to start your rebellion! You stupid fuck should have realized long ago that Angrod and Celes aren't just a mere prince and a princess. They more or less wiped the floor with you at the coronation, and yet you still fail to stop your grand schemes!”

I feel my pupils dilate as Iris screams at me, venting almost a decade of frustration.

“Do you really think I would be stupid enough to go against the crown after what I've seen them do!? They are far beyond anything you can offer. Not to mention that they are my friends!”

Thankfully, she is distracted by a beeping noise from within her skirt. She pulls out a small, rectangle-shaped artefact and looks at it.

Her furious expression is wiped from her face, her attitude changing by one hundred and eighty degrees. Smiling, she raises the artefact to her ear and answers with a voice as sweet as honey, “Yes, dear? ... No. I am as fine as the circumstances allow ... Though you could come and get me as soon as I've established the rules. That would be nice ... Hmm, give me about two hours...”

She looks me up and down and changes her mind. “Or, you know what, make it three. My dad isn't exactly the smartest cookie when it comes to survival, as his current state proves without a doubt. I will need some time to change his attitude. Maybe I'll club him over the head and beg Angrod to revive him a second time ... I love you too, kisses.”

As soon as the call ends, that sweet, nice version of Iris is gone. She returns the artefact to her pocket and glares at me. “This might take some time.”

All I can do is to search the room with my eyes, hoping to find a way out. But her command to listen is still in effect, already forgotten or deliberately left in place.

I suddenly realize that my suffering hasn't ended yet and that I am quite literally a slave to my daughter's whims. All the torture, all the pain I endured was just a precursor to what is to come.

Angrod never specified that this life of servitude has any time restrictions.

How many weeks until Iris is satisfied and deems the scale between us as balanced? Or may it take decades? Centuries?

As I consider this, a slight glimmer of utter fear and desperation steals itself into my very soul.

After being revived, pulled back from the abyss and animated with dark arts which I can't even begin to fathom... is this body even capable of dying?

***Valley, Royal***

***Angrod***

Graduation! No more school!

A month after taking the finals I can finally press the certificate which grants me social freedom to my chest.

Well... unless I decide to go to university too, but I already decided to take the necessary exams while ditching the courses themselves. There must be an advantage to being the king, and I intend to abuse them for once. Taking the tests shouldn't be a problem thanks to my experience. I just have to do a little catching up, making sure that I don't blow their minds with otherworldly knowledge.

I have a few lifetimes of experience on my shoulders and currently, there are better things to do than sitting in classes.

According to the occasion, Celes and I decided to throw another huge party.

We invited everyone to our newly built house in the mountain valley. It isn't completely finished, but the workers I employed did a great job in what little time they had. They cleared out a large area next to the lake and started construction on a large, two storey blockhouse. An electrical fence and some defence drones which are patrolling above the property are already deployed to keep out potentially dangerous wildlife.

Lying in the grass, I rest and watch the proceedings. Teleporting so many people in short order was a little straining.

Rose and a few other maids are taking care of the food while the others are having fun. From our parents' side, just Ireth and Katrine came. Nicosar and Arthur stayed in the palace to keep an eye on everything. Our mothers are talking with the teachers who got an invitation to our graduation party.

I originally didn't want to invite them, but my mother said it would be a good chance for her to groom her social connections.

Celes, Tanja, Gabriel, and Sandra are playing volleyball, while Iris and Stephen seem to be in their own world on a bench. They surely hit it off right from the start. I never would have thought it would turn out like that between the two of them.

Behind them, Lord Tulhelm is waiting with a serving tray in his hands, various drinks at the ready. It must be infuriating to have his daughter rub her relationship with Stephen right in his face.

Margerie is fiddling with her newest drone while sitting on the veranda of the half-finished house.

“You found a nice place,” Sven tells me from behind.

“Yeah. It reminds me of a really nice time,” I answer him, suddenly realising that I wasn't this happy in a long time. If it wasn't for the traitorous Meltheims and this whole god-business hanging over my head, things would be perfect.

I have friends, family, and my relationship with Celes actually seems to work out fine! Unbelievable as that might sound. Had anyone told me that while I was still a god, I would have taken off to the Realm of Chaos and never returned.

“It's interesting that our lives can seem so nice and normal while we are at war,” Sven mumbles, lost in thought.

“I don't think that you can really call it a war. The traitors are hiding behind their shield while we are constantly bombarding them with everything we have. There was no real battle to speak of, barring their attack on the coronation ceremony.” I sit up and store my certificate away in a folder, making sure that it's well protected.

“We are officially in a state of war,” Sven reminds me, referring to what the media is spouting on the news channels.

“It is not legally possible to mobilize the army otherwise. The laws are ironclad in that regard,” I explain. It's annoying, but it has to at least look like I am paying lip-service to the kingdom's charter, a document which is supposed to serve as a restraint for the royal family. It's supposed to stop us from turning into tyrants.

That is until I find a way to get rid of it.

“Hmmm... It's still hard on the nerves to have it always on your mind.” Sven watches the girls while he talks, his eyes following every move of the eye-candy. “But I guess you can distract yourself soon with a pretty queen. The marriage will be next week? The whole world is already talking about it! Will you pop the cherry on the first night?” He grins at me.

Should I tell him that the cherry already popped? Several times in fact. Whenever Celes and I get a chance to sneak away.

But I don't want to play such a childish game of bragging. The man who boasts will end up worse for it. If he really wants to discuss relationships, he made a poor choice. I may be a little dense regarding matters of love, but I have much more experience than him!

I throw my hands up in the air. “What happened to the cute and shy boy who I first met at my introduction party? I don't recognize you anymore.”

“Th- That was years ago! I worked on my character since then.” He nods to himself, standing a little straighter.

I get to my feet. “But you still haven't told Tanja about your feelings.”

“W- What are you talking about? Tanja is my cherished childhood friend,” he stutters, unable to hide that I hit a nerve.

“Are you sure? I noticed that you always look at her when you think that she doesn't realize it.” I smirk at him. “You are using every chance you get to check her out.”

“I don't do that!” He turns red like a tomato.

“Don't worry about it, it's nothing bad to like older girls. But you should make sure to tell her about your feelings. Women feel it when you look at them. If you don't tell her your feelings, she will just think you became a creepy, lecherous guy,” I explain, trying to sound reasonable.

I just turned around the spear of a question which he stabbed at me and now it is his turn to evade.

His jaw drops and he looks towards Tanja.

“If you want, I can help you. I will set up a situation with you and her alone,” I offer him.

Just wait, I can be a horrible guy. Mwahaha. You will have the time of your life. Never accept my help without second thoughts. Though, I bet he will duck his way out of the situation.

“Huh? You would do that?” he asks hopefully.

Wait? What!? He is really going to accept!?

I honestly didn't expect him to.

I smile at him and he puts on a wary expression.

Seems like I put on that face again? I always have to remind myself not to show my teeth. People get wary when I do that. “Don't worry! I will take care of it, but the rest is up to you.” I put my hands on his shoulders.

“W- when will we start? I have to prepare myself!” He starts fidgeting.

I take a look at Tanja who is sitting on a bench and is waiting for the next game of volleyball to start.

“Hmmm... How? About? Now!” I teleport both of us up to the hills above my woodhouse. His eyes become round and he looks left and right to get the situation. I teleport again before he can collect himself and appear right next to Tanja who didn't move.

She jumps a little at my sudden appearance.

“I need you for a second, care to join me?” I put a hand on her shoulder and teleport again.

We appear right at Sven's position. The poor guy is still trying to get what's going on.

“Have a nice time you two. The house is about half an hour away. Walk in that direction.” I point down the hill and smile at them. “If you walk at a normal pace you should be back soon. Bye!” Before they can say something, I teleport again and reappear on Tanja's bench with a satisfied expression.

“Why did you just abduct Tanja?” Sandra asks me.

Thanks to abducting their replacement player, I got Celes's and Sandra's full attention.

“I was asked by a lesser being to help him on an epic quest of love! In my generosity, I decided to help. They should be back in half an hour, I just teleported them up the hill to be alone,” I explain.

They look around and realizes that Sven is missing too.

“No way! He wouldn't?” Sandra smirks at me. “It's high time for him to confess.”

Celes smacks her head. “That's why he always looked at her like a perverted old man! I already thought he turned into even more of a creep than he already was when we were kids.”

“Now, that's harsh,” I comment. “He was just shy.”

“I never would have thought that he would go for older ones, how bold!” Sandra bites her lower lip and strokes one of her bunny ears.

They look so smooth. Somehow, I want to touch them, but I know that wouldn't go over well with Celes.

Then Sandra pouts. “If I knew that he is into older girls, I would have eaten him up. I like the cute and silent type. Hopefully, he gets turned down. Then I can console him and reap the fruits of love. Mmmmhhhh.”

Celes and I look at Sandra who just blurted out a pretty dangerous line. I would have never taken her to be that type of woman. Granted, I try my best to keep my distance. The last thing I need is a romance drama.

In my previous life, I lived pretty unattached and had fun with several different women. I didn't 'love' them, but some of them had a place in my heart. There is still a pang of pain in my heart when I remember one of my most important minions: Willow.

But such are the woes of immortality. People appear in your life, and people leave it. Like wood drifting closer and farther away on the ocean. There is nothing to be done about people's hearts.

Well... theoretically, I could use mind-magic to just bend anyone to my whims, but doing that always feels wrong. It's why I deploy those skills only to punish people who disgust me.

“If you like younger ones, then how about me. I would be happy to end your loneliness.” Gabriel kneels before Sandra and smiles at her.

As a relative of Teacher Samarin and a long-term acquaintance of ours he also got an invitation, even if he wasn't around for all of our adventures. Gabriel... is that kind of guy who sticks around as the friend of your friend, but isn't really your 'friend'.

Anyway. The others thought he is okay, so I am also fine with it.

Sandra looks down her nose on him like she is considering it. “No. Sorry, but you are neither cute nor shy. So no fun there. I don't like red ones either, so you will have to search somewhere else! You are simply not my type.”

Gabriel mimics getting stabbed in the heart. He lets himself fall down on the ground and moves no more. “To be rejected because of the colour of my skin. I curse my heritage.”

Sandra looks a little stricken, realizing that she gave only superficial reasoning for her preferences in a partner. “But if you like, I guess I could introduce you to one of my seven little sisters. You are a decent fellow after all.”

“Seven!?” Gabriel jumps to his feet. “I am at your service! Of course, I would cherish all of them.”

“I don't think that she meant you can have all of them. And I doubt that you could handle them.” Celes rolls her eyes. “I met them only once when I visited Sandra at home, and I can tell you that they are hellions.”

“You would be dead in no time,” Sandra affirms. “I'll ask the youngest. Britta is a little meeker than the others.”

“I will try my best!” Gabriel bows to Sandra as if she is his martial arts master.

I am also taken aback. Who would have thought that Sandra has seven little sisters? She never talked about it. What about brothers? And why does she think that the youngest would fit Gabriel? He is no younger than us, and Sandra has at most two years on him.

“How old are her sisters?” I ask Celes.

“Oh, no older than us. They range from eighteen to maybe... twenty-three... I guess?” She looks at Sandra who nods in the affirmative.

Her parents must be pumping them out like on an assembly line! That's eight kids within five or six years. Does Sandra's mother birth twins and triplets by default? They don't just look like rabbit-kin, they are rabbits!

“Anyway, you have to play now Angrod! You abducted our fourth player,” Celes informs me.

“I will play with my queen then!” Before anyone can vocalize a reply, I sprint onto Celes's side of the field.

“Hoh, where does that enthusiasm come from?” she asks me.

I smile and point at the other side of the playing field, where my woman's opponents fought for their lives during the last match. The whole field is packed with little dents, imprints which have just the right size and shape of volleyballs. Playing against Celes isn't a game of hitting the ball back to her side of the playing field.

It's a game of evasion with the goal to live another day.

“Hmmmmm. You are no fun!”

After Celes's exclamation, we start playing. I have the honour to watch while Sandra and Gabriel fight for their lives. Celes is too strong. Every ball she hits just disappears, followed by a rising cloud of dust inside the enemy's field.

An hour later, Rose calls us for dinner and we stop the survival training.

“Didn't you say that you teleported them just a short distance? They should be back already,” Gabriel asks me, searching the line of trees at the edge of the property.

“I don't know,” I admit. I didn't exactly track them with my drones. “They could see the house. It's impossible to get lost.”

“Maybe Sven had a full success and he and Tanja are lying beneath some bushes.” Sandra stomps her foot, clearly annoyed at the development.

Sighing, I close my eyes and stretch out my senses. “They are about ten minutes from here, I can feel their presence.”

“Muuuuh... She must have eaten him on the spot.” Celes puffs her cheeks.

Gabriel looks like he is dreaming about himself ending up in such a situation.

“Hmmm. We could go and check?” I ask and smirk at them.

“No!” Celes calls out.

“I am in.” Gabriel raises his hand.

Sandra grabs my hand. “Teleport now!”

I put my hand on Gabriel's shoulder while Celes jumps onto my back to stop me, hooking her lithe thighs around my waist. “You can't just disturb-”

But I teleport all four of us before she can finish.

We reappear at the foot of the hill. In front of us is Tanja, who is being carried piggyback by Sven. “Ohoho. They did it so much that she can't walk!” I jest and Celes knuckles me on the back of my head to make it clear that my joke was in bad taste.

“Mmmhhh! He is right! They even were so rough, the girl has to be carried now!” Sandra pouts with a displeased voice.

Tanja turns red. “N- Nothing of the sort! I tripped and sprained my ankle! And I turned him down by the way. There is nothing between us!” Sven looks a little down.

Seeing that the relief force has arrived, he puts his childhood friend down.

“Really?” Sandra asks.

“At least you tried,” I try to console him. “It's better than eating those feelings into yourself for the rest of your life. I am proud of you.”

“I feel with you! It's hard to be sent packing one time after the other!” Gabriel pounds Sven's shoulder with tears in his eyes. “But be strong my friend! After a few times, it starts to hurt less!”

Just how often did Gabriel confess and get rejected!?

“Haah, who cares. But it's nice that you guys are here. I may be fast, but I am already at my limits with my strength.” Sven's knees are shaking a little. “Tanja isn't exactly light.”

“Hey!” Tanja is quick to complain.

I decide to intervene before there is a genuine fight. “You two should have learned at least some basic healing spell! I won't complain about broken bones, but to be held back by a sprained ankle? That's like a bruise.” I heal Tanja with a wave of my hand.

She jumps a little, testing the joint. “Nice! Good as new! Oh, by the way. We found something cool up the hill. You have to come and see!”

“We have to be back for dinner,” Celes reminds us. “It smelled like Rose was making some of those delicious cheese noodles.”

“It won't take long! It's really interesting.” Tanja doesn't yield and leads us about five minutes back into the direction they came from.

At a scarp, she shows us a flat rock face and points out a particular area.

The volcanic rock shows footprints like someone was walking down the now vertical surface on bare feet. It looks old and withered, but there is no doubt that someone had a walk through the lava while it was still hot.

“Cool, Isn't it?” she asks us. “The Cygnus siblings would surely like to see that.”

“We left Margerie with her drone back at the house. She is in her own world as long as she can screw around with that thing,” Gabriel answers while studying an imprint at head-height.

“You think it's some kind of fossil from the first humans?” Sven suggests.

“Which idiot would walk through lava?” Tanja retorts.

“A God?” I ask and chuckle. The footprints surely look feminine in size and form. Maybe Seria had a stroll here in the distant past?

Tanja's, Gabriel's, Sven's and Sandra's jaws drop and they look in awe at the godly footsteps.

I can't help but take on a grim expression, realizing that I said something stupid.

“Don't tell anyone! That was a stupid joke!” I quickly instruct our mortal friends. “If the idiots from the church knew about this, they would be here in no time and build some kind of shrine.”

***The Centre of all Things, El Shaddai's Office***

***Seria***

El Shaddai looks very displeased at some documents. Turning them around he pushes the paper across the desk closer to me so that I can see. “Seria, Do you have any idea why I invited you into my office?”

It's not really an office. Just a white room inside a dimensional pocket at the highest peak of the Crystal City. The dimensional distortion makes it seem like the walls are bending away from us into infinity the further away from the floor they are. The ceiling is a warped mess, creating the impression that the entire office is beneath a gigantic magnifying glass.

Just looking up makes me nauseous.

There is a relatively small and plain office desk and two chairs. That's all. It's certainly less elaborate than what Tjenemit has going on in his room.

“No?” I smile at him while playing with my long blonde hair. Then I fake some interest in the document he is showing me.

“So you don't know what happened to a certain world?” He lifts an eyebrow and looks at me accusingly. Taking the paper back, he reads, “Sector Control 23_D402-439 found that the world, 235.2-23-435 is strangely absent from its supposed location.”

“How should I know? First Tjenemit with all those strange accusations and now you. I neither have an idea what you are talking about, nor a clue to even guess what you want from me.” I shrug my shoulders and pout.

El Shaddai sighs. “I am talking about the world of those two gods who killed each other. The two who we gave to you to supervise their punishment. By your wish. It was a big favour by the Council, but I am beginning to believe that you have a little too much freedom.” He points at one of the lines on the document. “And you are listed as one of the resident deities of 235.2-23-435! How can you not notice that your home is gone!”

I frown and roll my eyes. “I had to register myself there because of Tjenemit's stupid Pantheon-Project – which blew up in smoke and fire. Quite spectacularly, I might add. I have never truly lived there, nor have I been there in years. Doesn't the document say that the place is a smouldering ruin? Who even cares about a lifeless planet?”

El Shaddai scratches his long earlobe and strokes his bald head. He looks like he is thinking hard about something. His golden skin reflects the light in a painful way. If I wasn't a god, I would probably go blind just by looking at him.

I often try to imagine what would happen if he just sat down and stopped moving. Most people would think of him as some Buddha statue.

Finally, he leans back into his seat. “It wasn't really destroyed. Just a little damaged. But when a god of Nature was tasked by the Administration Department to repair it, all the deity found was empty space. Guess what he reported.”

'Wham!'

El Shaddai slams his hand onto his desk, making me flinch.

“The world is gone!” El Shaddai hits the desk with his fist again, but this time I keep myself in check because I expected it.

“I hope you don't want to imply that I am stealing worlds now because that would be totally insane. First, I am accused of stealing gods and now I steal whole worlds?” I tilt my head, hoping that this whole scenario sounds as ridiculous to him as it seems. “Why would I even need a world?” I whisper.

“Not just the world! The whole solar system just disappeared!” he screams at me.

I yawn and rub my ears, trying to get them to work again. Having a high-class deity scream at you is a deafening experience. El Shaddai must have had a really bad day. He is always a little itchy and in an acidic mood, but it's particularly bad today.

“Oh, that's fine then.” I let out a sigh of relief.

“F- F- FINE!?” He looks seriously angry now. He doesn't like it when something happens inside 'his' multiverse that he doesn't know about.

“Yes. You see... if the whole solar system is gone, it proves that I am not the guilty party. I may be one of the mightier gods, but even I couldn't just grab a whole solar system and run off with it. Who do you take me for?” I nod and smile while trying to look relieved.

Even if El Shaddai is a tyrant with dangerous mood swings, he is always logical. It also helps that I was always anal about hiding my true capabilities from the Council. According to them, I am just a cute hunting dog. A valuable asset who can easily bring down low to mid-tier deities on the run, but who is certainly no threat to its owners.

“You 'may' not have enough power for a stunt like this, but you are the only one who has access to a place where a whole solar system could be hidden. I ordered a little search for the system in question and there has been no result for two months now!” El Shaddai explains the fault in my logic calmly.

“Oh, please... there are a thousand other possibilities!” I wave a hand, forced to keep up my spiel. Either he believes me, or he does not.

I am fairly confident that I can run away from him if I need to.

“Like?” El Shaddai crosses his arms, waiting for an explanation.

“It could have gotten destroyed. Ascathon was a god of magic and change. You know about his powers and his abilities. The whole world was littered with his divine artefacts. I am sure he had some kind of doomsday device which would activate by default in the case of his defeat. He was just the kind of guy who would do that.”

El Shaddai frowns, considering the possibility.

After a few seconds, he waves a hand to signal me that I am dismissed. I bow and leave his office by directly using a path through the river of souls.

There is a point where you have to stand your ground and argue your case.

There is also a point at which you have to get the fuck out of the room, and such a time is right now.

I reappear in an endless sky. A dimension which is full of air and without worlds. Floating around me, are all the necessities I might ever need. This place has been my home for a long time, but I guess that my time is almost up.

Huffing, I push a laced panty out of my way which was floating towards my face.

Looking around, I have to admit that the cloud of seemingly random things and trash grew a little large over the decades. I might have to relocate soon. What better way is there to get a new, clean room than to resettle?

But I am just trying to distract myself.

The events are starting to move. I wonder if my house of cards will crumble above me or above the Council? I know of many rebellions which failed in the end.

The problem lies with power. The Council governs hundreds of thousands of gods. Those, in turn, have control over several smaller gods and deities. If some of them show too much resistance, they are hunted down and dealt with by armies of loyal servants to the Council.

This system worked for an eternity... till now. It became bigger and bigger over time, but this works in my favour. Bigger also means harder to control. Bigger means that there are more cracks at the edges.

That they found out about the missing world so late is proof that they aren't really in control anymore.

The gears of their machine are becoming old and worn, so it takes them much longer to find out about the really important issues. The current state of the Council is very similar to a bear who grew old and fat over the years.

Somehow they can sense and find every god in the multiverse. So none of the rebellions until now had a chance to succeed. They were already doomed before they started.

Not so in my case. I don't know how or why, but it seems like their eyes don't reach into my Void Zone.

Crossing my arms, I close my eyes and wait, floating inside a cloud of convenient items. All that's left to do is to wait and to be patient.