AN: This chapter features brutal imagery and a shocking revelation about the nature of the story and some things taken for granted. We are coming to the end of this season soon, and things are going to get pretty dark. Those who anger easily might wish to drop this story until it reaches the end and you can see how everything turns out.

This can be more than a little brutal and painful to read for some, and not just because of my lack of literary sophistication when it comes to my ability to utilize prose.

Chapter 40.1: Just a Game

The atmosphere was tense and weighed heavily upon the men who stood within the simple chambers of the arbiter. Baleful eyes set below snow white brows gazed intently at the fools who stood before him. Said fools paid little heed to those eyes, however.

"Look, I can see your concerns arbiter, but this is not a matter for the courts to decide." said a smug looking deity with flaming red hair and a cocky expression. His name was Sax, and he was one of the heads of a certain world renovating project committee.

"Not a concern for the courts... Do you really intend to make such a claim?" asked the arbiter, the atmosphere in the room grew heavier. Electricity began to crackle above the heads of those who had been called to court.

Sax tilted his head to the side then made a casually dismissive gesture with his hands. "We're still working out the bugs in the system. Honestly, given the fact that the world we are working on is now considered a game world, I don't see how you even have the legal authority to call us in to court in the first place."

"Sax!" snapped another deity, a black haired man of similar age. "Don't talk to the arbiter like that! It's incredibly disrespectful."

Sax glanced over to his supposed partner then sighed. "This is an illegal summons, Darius. Why should I be concerned about upsetting anyone in court?"

The arbiter closed his eyes for a moment then opened them slowly. "So, you refuse to turn over records despite the complaints that I have received regarding your lack of professionalism and improper actions?"

"The records and programs used in this project are private. I won't turn them over." replied Sax coolly.

"So be it. Let the record show that I granted you the opportunity to show proof that the allegations were false. This will be reflected upon your case should legally obtained evidence of wrongdoing surface in the future."

"Duly noted." said Sax with a smirk. "Are we free to go now, arbiter."

The baleful gaze intensified. "You are, but before you do. I leave you with a warning. You are playing a far more dangerous game than you realize. One that you cannot hope to win in the end."

Sax snorted then shook his head. "Whatever. If you summon me in like this again without proper legal authority I'll file a complaint."

Those terrible eyes narrowed slightly. "Noted. But remember that my all-seeing eye can see even that which one thinks to be cleverly hidden."

Sax dismissively raised his hand. "You Ardents always think so damned highly of yourselves. Use that all-seeing eye to watch me walk out of here."

Darius glanced to the door for quite some time after Sax left the room. He then looked up to the arbiter. "I'm sorry for what he has done. He was out of line." He glanced at the floor then took a breath. "I can't give you the files requested without the approval of three out of five project heads."

The baleful gaze softened slightly. "Darius, you would do well to take a vacation. You don't want to be involved with what is coming."

"What is coming, arbiter?" asked the younger deity, both confused and concerned.

"A thing too terrible to speak." replied the deity cryptically. His all-seeing eyes narrowed once more as they bore witness of things past and those yet to come.

A short time later, at a small house in a suburban cul-de-sac, a young boy sits at a table and gazes intently at something he had never had before. It was a birthday cake. His brother was going to be home for his birthday for once.

Four numeric candles sat atop the chocolate cake, each of them lit and wavering in a slight breeze. It was his fourteen hundredth and first birthday.

"Should I?" he reached gingerly toward the cake then bit his lip a little and then drew his finger back. "Not till big bro comes back..." His brother always got what he wanted first, it was the natural order of things.

The front door opened and he stood up excitedly. It would be the first birthday in years where his brother would actually be home. He had lost his parents over a thousand years ago, due to a situation he barely remembered. Since then, life had been one series of long and painful lessons.

"Sax! Welcome ho—" he said in excitement, but stopped mid-sentence. His brother wore an angry scowl, and had a look in his eyes that had always spelled trouble in the past.

Sax looked his little brother in the eyes for a moment then snorted. "You have a lot of nerve addressing me like that you little shit."

"B-brother...?" asked the boy. "But... Today..."

"What about today? Was it important?" asked Sax casually.

"What? It's my birthday..."

Sax snorted. "Who'd celebrate something so worthless? Do you have any idea what I've gone through today because of your stupid shit?"

"No, Sax I—" he started to say, but he was cut off when his older brother's hand whipped out and struck him hard across the face. Despite the fact that his body could easily withstand a nuclear explosion of intense magnitude, his jaw was rattled and two of his teeth were knocked loose.

He fell to the floor and clutched at his face, blood seeped from the wound for a few seconds before it healed completely. The wound had disappeared, but the painful reminder of his place remained in his memory.

"Don't make excuses and don't call me by name you damned slut. I had to go before that damned arbiter because you keep fucking around instead of ending things, Karsha."

Karsha looked up at his brother with wide, frightened, eyes. "The arbiter?"

"Yes, someone has been feeding him information about what's been going on." Sax loomed over his little brother. "Any idea who that was?"

Karsha swallowed heavily then shook his head. "Brother, I wouldn't dare..."

"Lying slut. I know it was you. There were things mentioned that only you would know."

Karsha shook his head again, but Sax would have none of it. He slapped his little brother hard across the face once more.

"Don't you try to lie to me, you little bitch. It's bad enough that you run around dressed like a boy, but now you try to get me in trouble with the city council?"

"I... I am a boy..." whispered Karsha through trembling and broken lips.

"What was that? You're a boy?" Sax slapped Karsha again. "Since when do boys have a damned vagina and no dick? Aren't you getting a little old to pretend shit like this?"

Karsha began to sob as the pain intensified. "I'm a boy..."

Sax slapped Karsha across the face once more. "Those tits you're hiding don't lie."

Karsha fell over and curled into a ball and her older brother started to kick her. "Useless." He kicked her again. "Pathetic" he said before kicking her once more. "Bitch"

He reached down and pulled her up by the hair. "No wonder mom and dad died. They wanted to reincarnate to get away from your pathetic ass."

Karsha sobbed as her brother continued to take out the frustrations of his life upon her delicate body. Even a god could suffer when an older and stronger deity took them to task.

Sax looked down at the sobbing wreck then snorted. "Stop that crying. You know damned well you've already healed up."

Karsha continued to sob softly on the ground. Sax rolled his eyes. "So useless. No wonder I can't count on you for anything."

The young girl who lived life as a boy, continued to sob and occasionally whimpered out that she was a boy. "Stop that damned crying." muttered Sax.

Sax finally had enough and gave her one more kick before heading off toward the kitchen. He spied the birthday cake on the table then snorted. "You know I hate chocolate."

He picked the cake up then tossed it in the trash before he glanced back to the sobbing wreck on the floor. After a moment Sax sighed. "Look, I'm sorry alright. You just make me so damned mad sometimes..."

He walked back in to the living room then knelt down next to his little sister. "There, there."

Sax rubbed Karsha's back and sighed. "What am I going to do with you little sister?"

Karsha continued to cry, though she no longer made a sound. Sax patted her lightly on the back then shook his head. "Look, you know I don't do it on purpose..."

"If you just did what I asked I wouldn't have to do this..." said Sax before he started to stroke her hair. "I'm just looking out for you. Don't you understand that?"

Karsha swallowed her saliva then nodded her head a little. Her big brother had always looked out for her since their parents had died.

"Just do what I tell you, and we can stop living like this. We can be on top again, like we were before mom and dad died." said Sax. Karsha sniffled a little and curled her body tighter.

"We just need to tear down those assholes that make fun of us, that treat us like garbage." said Sax. Karsha nodded slightly, her eyes puffy and red from the falling tears.

"I love you baby sister. You do know that, right?" asked Sax.

"Y-yeah..." she said timidly, almost afraid to answer.

Sax stroked the crying girl's hair then smiled. "Good. I'm glad. I hate hurting you like this, but you just don't seem to get it otherwise."

Karsha nodded, and Sax continued. "Man, do you remember the last time it was this bad? How many times did I have to beat you before you finally understood how important it was to log in to the game and rape that little girl to death? I had to take off work for a whole week just to convince you properly! Compared to that, this was nothing, right?"

"R-right... Nothing..." said Karsha with a gentle and wavering laugh.

"You just didn't get that it was all a game, but you know better now. Even the ones we kill just reincarnate." said Sax. His voice hardened for a moment when he repeated himself while gripping a hunk of her hair. "Right?"

"Y-yes. Just a game..." she whispered softly. "Just a game."

Sax rubbed her back a little then moved his hands down to her ass. "Little sister... You're growing up, huh?"

She tucked her rear end forward a little while trying to avoid his touch and received a slap for her efforts. "What's wrong with you? Huh? Too good to show a little affection to me, you stupid sow?"

Karsha started crying again and Sax sighed. "Every damn time. I swear, you're useless. You even feed that fucking dog when I'm not looking."

"I'm sorry...." whispered Karsha as the hot tears fell. "Sorry..."

Sax smiled then playfully ruffled his little sister's hair. "What am I going to do with you, huh?"

In the heart of an abused young godling, such words had many meanings. Hot tears began to fall once more as several of them made themselves apparent within her mind.

Sax squeezed her shoulder lightly and said. "Hey, happy birthday little sister."