***The World***

***Ascathon***

“The war isn’t really going anywhere. We lose some land in one area, we win some in others. Overall, it seems that we are pretty evenly matched with the Alliance of Light. Our airships outclass theirs by a great margin, but they have a pretty good ground-to-air defence, and a lot of it to boot. More often than not, our ships are taken out because we weren’t able to spot their anti-air cannons in time,” Ashley explains while I listen and play with a bone, sitting on top of the altar in Luxley’s family crypt. It turned into something like a ritual to hold our weekly update on 'mortal-affairs' in this place. The gloomy room certainly fits the mood.

My thoughts drift off while Ashley informs me of the latest news.

The little trip to Alexandria’s library didn’t get me anything important. After a decade of keeping my head down, it was relatively easy to gain access. The Council clearly no longer cared about the place after they had made sure that there was no forbidden knowledge hidden away in some dusty shelf. Oh, I am quite sure that they overlooked something, given that Lexi was never big on keeping her records up to date. But I have the digitalized version of her library, and rummaging through her dusty books would take time which I don't want to spend.

Even after years, the library was in pristine condition, as if it just awaited the return of its owner.

Sadly, there was nothing obvious to be found that would have given me any closure about Alexandria’s fate. After two hours of searching the library’s warped pocket dimension, I had to give up and surrender Lexi’s books back to where I took them, giving me at least that little bit of satisfaction. Not that I ever had a bad conscience about stealing stuff, but I regarded Lexi as a friend – with outrageous benefits.

I just don’t understand how it’s possible to make so many gods disappear without a trace.

Not that it’s impossible. In fact, I know several ways of achieving such a feat. There are ways to damage a god's soul to the point that they are nothing more than a shadow of themselves when they reincarnate. Nobody would recognize them anymore, should they ever manage to climb their way back to the top.

Funny enough, many of the people who are regarded as mentally-ill have the souls of former gods and immortals who were unlucky enough to cross the path of a soul-mage or some other creature who is able to affect one's afterlife.

What’s so agitating about this situation is that whoever is responsible has a perfect track record. By searching through the annals of history, I found out that there were always gods who vanished, some of them reappearing after a while.

It would be foolish to think that all the cases are linked. Some deities surely just hide in an attempt to avoid unnecessary attention from those in power. A wise move on their part.

What it comes down to, is that I simply cannot believe how someone would be able to vanish person after person with a perfect track record, not ever slipping up or making a mistake, not a single one escaping whatever is happening. And if my research is to be believed, there must be hundreds of thousands of such cases. Maybe millions!

It's as if someone is throwing these people into a black hole, just to be never heard of again.

I certainly wouldn't be able to achieve such a feat. At some point, something would go wrong and the secret would come out into the light of day.

Returning my attention to the bone in my hands, I split it apart with a little burst of mana, studying how it looks on the inside. It’s definitely a human bone, clearly recognisable by size and structure. But what else should it be? I picked it up in a human crypt.

“… so I am afraid that this war will neither be quick or easy,” Ashley concludes. “Now I really have to ask if you listened to anything I said. And why are you defiling the bones of Luxley's grandma? Put it back, or the poor sod will throw a temper tantrum when he catches you with it.”

“Don't worry, Ashley. You just said what all of us were expecting from the start. That some of the other deities are clearly on Myrm’s side, just as you and your girls are on my side. That the Alliance’s forces are just as well equipped as ours.” I look at her and smile. “Don’t worry. In the end, all these mortal affairs don’t truly matter. We perform this play to draw any attention away from what’s really important.”

“Finding a way to dispel the World Enchantment?” Ashley concludes.

“Exactly.” I nod. “Let the mortals fight their war… just… see to it that we don’t lose too badly. Okay?”

She smiles a wicked grin. “If we are already fighting a war, then would you blame me should I accidentally win it?”

I return her smile. “I am afraid that should we go all out, there would be no winner or loser. In fact, should the two ultimate authorities get involved, there will be no more war.”

“You really think that Myrm is strong enough to oppose you?” she asks, turning worried.

Shrugging, I drop the bone back to the stash of bones from where I took it. “It doesn’t really matter who the stronger one is. Now that we are both on guard it will be extremely unlikely to catch either of us by surprise. If we fought each other, we would have to break through the opponent’s aura, which is a god’s main-defensive measure. By channelling huge amounts of energy through our bodies, we create an almost impenetrable shield, making us impervious to most ailments or damage. Fully releasing our auras is essentially turning us into beings of pure energy.

“Breaking through such an aura is the real problem. If Myrm doesn’t budge and decides to take the fight elsewhere, I would have to unleash energies powerful enough to break through Myrm’s defences. That alone would very likely be enough to shatter the continent. I once fought another god openly, serving as Tjenemit’s henchman. He refused to acknowledge the Council’s authority and had to be punished. Let’s just say that there wasn’t much left of his planet when the battle came to a conclusion. And that was with both us fighting carefully.”

“Carefully?”

“Yes. Which means that both of us tried to focus our attacks enough to break the opponent’s defence, without wasting too much of our power.” I purse my lips. “In the end, it didn’t matter anyway. I suppose we could have gone all out from the start and the result would have been the same, even if not holding back meant that the first blow would turn the planet into an asteroid field.”

Ashley looks at me, a little bit of doubt creeping into her expression. “You would be capable of such a feat.”

I laugh. “Easily, if I put my godly powers to the test. But what would I achieve by doing so? I am already fairly certain that I could dispel the World Enchantment by unleashing a Disenchantment spell with all my power behind it. Unfortunately, it would also damage my magic and disrupt all the magic in the world. All higher life forms would be fried and I would be left with a dead world. The World Enchantment would be gone, but the Council would know for sure that it was the doing of a god. They would know that someone knows, and eventually track the source back to me.” I shake my head. “No. I have to find a better way. Something that makes it look like the World Enchantment failed on its own. If they think that their experiment was a failure, they may abandon it altogether, allowing me to do as I please.”

“Hm. I guess I understand,” Ashley replies after a moment of consideration. “I don't think that you are the kind of person who would hesitate to destroy a world. The only thing you really care about is free will, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you are concerned about the well-being of those who you wish to be free. I don't understand the philosophy behind it, but who am I to judge a god?”

“The philosophy is easy,” I explain. “I don't really care about anything but myself and those I hold dear. Everyone is the master of his or her own fate, and it isn't my responsibility to see to the well-being of every little creature in this world. In fact, every being has the responsibility to see to its own survival. As you see, my purpose is purely self-serving. As is my wish to visit punishment on anyone and anything that wishes to take away this responsibility to decide your own fate.”

She tilts her head, considering my logic. “So, by their own actions, the Council already turned you into their enemy. Simply because they wish to control you?”

“Exactly.” I nod. “Has Karin ever told you how we met?”

“She only said that you saved her.”

“I didn't,” I reply. “That would be a misconception on her part.”

The succubus raises both eyebrows questioningly.

“Karin saved herself,” I explain. “One could say that I killed her enslaver, but that was a matter between him and me. Had I walked away right then and there, she would still be a slave. She would also still be a slave had I picked her up and took her with me.”

“I am afraid that I don't quite understand.”

“Karin was a slave of her own volition, simply because she and her mother accepted the rules others imposed on her. All I did, was lend her the power she lacked, the power she needed to oppose her oppressors. Even after I gave her that power, she could have chosen to remain a slave, a tool in the hands of others. She chose not to. The choice to say 'No' to the system was her own, and not even I as a god could have made that choice for her,” I finish my explanation. “That's the true reason why I took her in. Even in her final hour, being offered absolution by Myrm's hand, she rather chose oblivion than to serve another master. Had she chosen to be a sheep, I would have left her there and not looked back.”

I jump off the altar and decide to retreat for the day. Ashley gave me a lot to think about.

“Inform me if there is something that needs my attention. I suppose that Luxley and our other minions are doing a decent job?”

“As decent of a job as a mortal can do.” Ashley waves her hand. “Don't worry about it, if he gets senile or starts doing stupid things we will replace him. I saw to it that there is a steady stream of successors. Linda is in charge of keeping the royal line uninterrupted. She is quite adept at selecting suitable females with excellent skills and a good background, and arranging happy accidents for Luxley's successors.”

I purse my lips. “That sounds almost a little too much like a breeding program. Are you locking them in a room until they start rutting, or what?”

Ashley doesn't answer. Instead, she just narrows her eyes and crosses her arms beneath her chest, pushing it up so that I get the hint of not insulting her craft.

“Right,” I admit after deciding that I don't want to piss off my manager of worldly affairs. “Succubus from the Infernal Plane of Lust and Pleasure. How could I forget that.”

She raises her nose, satisfied. “We take pride in our ability to arrange suitable matches. Linda has more skill in her little pinky than any dating service from the mortal planes. If she selects two people, then I can assure you that they stay together without locking them in a room.”

Oh, but I am quite sure that she makes generous use of her 'unique' skillset.

“Do you want to say something?”

I quickly shake my head. “No. I better take my leave now.”

“Don't forget that Nix will visit tonight. She was quite ecstatic when she heard that you decided to show yourself on the infernal planes,” Ashley adds quickly before I can flee the scene. “She came all the way from her own castle in the Netherrealm.”

My face scrunches up involuntarily, and I make an attempt at denying reality. “Nix?”

“Yes. Don't tell me you forgot about your daughter.”

I make a show of studying my hands as if the wrinkles in my skin are suddenly very important. “I wasn't even aware that she is still alive.” She must have several thousand years on her back by now, given how much time passed since my time as a demon. Clearing my throat, I polish my fingernails on my robe.

Ashley smiles. “I don't get why you are so wary of Nix. You should be proud that you fathered at least one succubus daughter back in the day. Most demons never get chance to have offspring with a succubus, and Nix truly loves you.”

I scowl, remembering the schemes of her mother. And as the centuries showed, the daughter turned out no better. “That's exactly the problem. Her 'good girl' spiel! It's a mask and she is a spoiled brat.” Worse, I can't say no to her. If I remember correctly, that was the reason why I ultimately left that reincarnation behind, aside from utter boredom.

“Don't be like that. She grew up a lot since you left. It's been a few thousand years for her. She has her own castle in the Netherrealm, and a whole set of admirers. There is even a rumour that she will establish her own demon-clan.” Ashley waves her hand dismissively. “I am sure that she won't stay for long. Just say hello, show her around, and then she will go home.”

“Why should she?” I ask, imaging a set of ridiculous demands the brat would surely make.

“I've arranged for her mother to be there.” Ashley's expression turns evil. “Isabel is the reason why Nix left my castle in the first place. The two of them just don't get along.”

I draw in a deep breath and let out an even longer sigh. “I don't understand how you are doing it.”

“Doing what?” she asks.

“The whole family thing. You are surely unable to count the number of relatives you have,” I gesture at her.

“Just so are you, if we take all your reincarnations into account.” She shrugs. “I don't get what's bothering you.”

The fact that I am related to her, yet I am not. At least no longer in a genetic sense.

“It's about your emotions,” she decides without allowing me to answer. “Look. It's really simple. If you decide that you two grew too far apart from each other to consider her as family, then that's fine. She is a grown woman and should be more than able to deal with that. As for how I am doing it, I consider all my daughters who stay at my castle as my family. When one decides to leave and doesn't show her face for a century, she is a stranger to me. It's as easy as that. The thing is that Nix didn't have a choice about seeing you since you were the one who ran off without settling things between the two of you.”

“Fine, Fine. I'll greet her, and then we are going to talk a little about old times,” I relent, then call for an expeditious retreat.

***The World***

***Karin***

“I still can't believe that that woman is his daughter,” I mumble, more towards myself than to strike a conversation. “She is so bubbly, friendly and happy.” It's almost like a facade.

Over at the table in the living room is Ascathon, who is talking with the succubus who I know as Isabel, and her daughter Nix.

Ashley replies while she sets up a kettle of tea, “I know. Nix is so cheerful, totally unlike her mother, Isabel, or any other demon I know. I really don't know where she got it from.”

Isabel and her daughter, Nix, are both red-skinned with green hair. Isabel has hers in a pony-tail, while her daughter seems to prefer hers as a mane of curly locks. It's a little strange to see them next to each other since both look like they are in their twenties.

“No, forget that,” I mumble and turn my attention to Ashley. “I can't believe that he has a daughter! Ascathon doesn't seem like daddy-material to me. And why didn't you have any children with him? Can you tell me the story behind his demon days?”

Ashley snorts and dips her finger into the bubbling water to test the temperature, apparently completely unaffected.

I have to wince just from watching her.

She shrugs. “As if any demon is parent-material. Our society isn't like yours. And the whole story between Ascathon and Isabel would fill a book, so I will stick to the short version.”

She furrows her forehead, clearly trying to think of where to start. “Demon females pop out a new demonling every few decades while we are young. It can account to quite a few until we get too weary to lay eggs. Normally, we give our young into a hatchery, where they are safe until they grow up. Only in rare cases, when the child is promising to become powerful, we keep them around. We Succubi only take care of our offspring when it's another succubus. The regular war-demons all end up in the hatchery. During the time in which Ascathon stayed at our castle, I was already too old to want even more children, as were most of my daughters. Isabel was my youngest and her blood was fresh and boiling, so when she saw that young, handsome demon, she just had to grab him. At the time, I wasn't so happy about her rash behaviour.”

“Don't tell me you are now going to tell me some version of Romeo and Juliet.” I roll my eyes, unable to imagine someone like Ascathon in such a role. I mean, the god of Chaos and Magic in a love story? Who would believe that?

Ashley blinks and throws some crushed tea leaves into the water as she considers the idea. “Not quite. It's more akin to a story of the powerful Demon Lord Zikiel and his harem of forty-two succubi, of which one decides that she is bored of the old stud. Instead of giving him the chance to father her first egg, she decides that she wants to have the choice. So she finds herself that alluring young demon who is too inexperienced for his own good and lures him with her teasing tail into the Lord's house and his service, where the thing that must happen, happens. The Lord finds out that his worthless underling was getting it on with one of his women and, of course, confronts this young upstart to show him who is boss.”

I gasp. “Isabella did that? What happened next?” It sounds like Romeo and Juliet, but not quite.

“They got into an argument, and the underling almost managed to talk his master down, offering him reparations as an apology for defiling his territory. Normally, that would have been the end of it.” Ashley pauses for dramatic effect, using a spoon to stir the leaves, then she readies a sieve. “It almost looked like things would go down without a bloodbath – something we demons are quite fond of in our society – when our Juliet entered the scene and unrobed in front of all the Lord's minions.” She smiles wickedly. “That was quite the spectacle.”

“That's...” I furrow my forehead. “I don't get it. Don't succubi run around naked all the time?” At first, I always felt ashamed when one of Ashley's daughters was showing off her body, but by now I am quite tolerant of nudity.

“It's quite different when the succubus in question has a belly with a clear baby-bump and – to add insult to injury – she announces that she is pregnant with another succubus and intents to keep the child. Then she points at that young demon in the Lord's employ and announces him to be the father. If it had been just another egg, the Lord would have forced her to give it over to a hatchery, and that would have been the end of the story.” She waves her hand and pours the tea through the sieve into a jug. “But with a succubus daughter, Isabel had all her sisters on her side. Zikiel would have had to endure watching a child not of his own growing up in his house. It was like a public announcement that the Lord of the house was unable to satisfy his women and that he is unable to keep his harem under control.”

“I assume that didn't go over well,” I comment. And I feel kind of bad for this Zikiel character. To be cuckolded like that must not go over well with a guy. Though... does anyone really need forty-two wives? Can a guy please that many women? Though, we are talking about demon-males here. Maybe they can? If not, no wonder that some of the women sought out their fun elsewhere.

Ashley nods, a savage grin on her face. “It worked out exactly as the hot-blooded succubus intended it to. The Lord proclaimed that he would rip the child out of her belly and cast her out, which the young and inexperienced demon couldn't accept. It was his child after all... and then one thing led to another and everything turned into a bloodbath.” She sighs happily. “And that's how we got ourselves a new husband. In hindsight, I must admit that Isabel was right. Zikiel was a little used up and behind the times. Replacing him turned out to be a good idea.”

Ashley hums happily and carries the tea over to the three people who are catching up on old times, while I stay behind in the kitchen-section of the living room.

I just shake my head, baffled that Ashley doesn't seem to be bothered by her story, not at all. “Demon society must be a hell to live in... and now I know that Isabel is not to be messed with...” Or her daughter, if she is anything like her mother. No wonder that the two don't get along.