Up beyond the stars and slightly sideways to the left, was a sub-dimension that served as a heavenly space for the portion of the cosmos that contained Embla and its fellow penal worlds.

This was the dimension in which the myriad immortal races dwelt. It was home to the fallen gods and immortals of the realm, and the children of those fallen gods and immortals, who now served as the divinity for this closed off portion of a reality.

Calling themselves the gods of Darkgrand. With Darkgrand being what the higher-tier denizens of this closed off realm called their little slice of the omniverse.

The People of Embla knew the gods by their colors, the red gods of fire and blood, the blue gods of the oceans and rivers, the green gods who governed health, fertility and growth, the white gods of the clouds and sky, the gray gods who guarded dreams and secret truth, the yellow gods of the sun, bounty and harvest, and black gods who served to guide the souls of the dead on and off the path of rebirth.

There were billions of them, their numbers amounting to roughly ten percent of the sum of all the lives of all the worlds within the Darkgrand region.

They lived in radiant, crystalline palaces, on free floating isles made with magic and transcendent technology.

Some immortals and gods worked for other immortals and gods, others oversaw their mortal dominions. Others worked to steal mortal dominions, some of the gods convincing the populace to convert, other gods directly slaying their immortal peers and subverting the empty thrones for their own use.

This was a dimension in which great battles were fought and won, and galas, balls and feasts that lasted for centuries were the norm. This was immortal life in Darkgrand.

A sphere of dark blue-black light streaked through the eternal dusk that made up the sky in Darkgrand’s heavenly realm.

Generally speaking, deities and higher-leveled immortals could teleport wherever they needed to go within a given realm of the cosmos. It was only in certain areas of high turbulence and areas, where the right of passage was restricted by ruler or owner of the land, that flight became necessary.

The dark light was headed for one of the many floating palaces of the heavenly realm. When it reached its destination it pierced the wall that surrounded the palace like a heat lance through ice, and impacted against the palace itself with enough force to shake the entire isle that the palace was floating on.

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The palace belonged to a god by the name of Vivek, a trickster god of secrets and truth. It was manned by gray souled divine servants, and guarded by gray souled divine pawns, who patrolled the grounds whilst wearing resplendent plated mail.

Dougall, a dark god of the depths of the seas stalked through the halls of the palace. Cutting down everything that happened to cross his path, with a blade of water and shadow. His lean blue-black form seeming to way a world’s weight, with the way each step seemed to shake the manse.

Flakes of rubble drifting down from his broad shoulders like snow off a mountain peak.

Eventually Dougall found what he sought, he found the master of the house in a sitting room. Entertaining a group of golden gods and goddesses whose dominion was over Askr, one of the other planets of Darkgrand.

He kicked open the door and in a voice that was a soft as a mother’s caress and as sharp as a butcher’s blade he said the gray god’s name.

“Vivek….I do believe we need to talk.”

The gray god stopped mid-conversation frowning at the interruption. He opened to say something rude, but seeing the murderous look in the other deity’s eyes he thought better of it and excused himself, leaving his other guests so he could go and entertain the newcomer.

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Later in a study, Vivek and Dougall stood in front other, one shrinking back, a little wary of the other’s palpable rage and the way the divine aura was boiling off of him, the other stood, leaning forwards arms crossed tightly as if to keep his hands pinned lest he place those hand around the other’s neck.

“Where are my people Vivek. I leant you the services of my worshippers a century or so ago, on the condition that there worship would not stop, that the most vital of their duties would not be interrupted...now they are gone...So where are they?”

Vivek blinked up at the taller god, and then mentally connected with his personal assistance systems to see what on earth, the strange god of mariners and killers was talking about. Then when he knew the gray god grew even grayer.

“Sh-, shit...I don’t...This isn’t me, D. You’ve got to believe that. I needed those people, Dougall. My folk are scribes and spies, not killers.”

“This isn’t some trick of yours? Some fine prank, to show off to your friends on the other worlds?” said Dougall, sneering. The hostility and skepticism plain on his face.

Vivek glowered, but purposely ignored the barb.

“No, you shit. This isn’t that. I don’t know what happened to your people. I didn’t even know your people were gone before you came in asking about them…..Look, D. Do you have any clue what might have happened?”

Dougall looked at the gray good in front of him, and considered his words and considered his demeanor. The god was known for his tricks, but Dougall could see a panic there that lead credence to the idea that this wasn’t his doing.

“I felt them die, and then there was nothing.”

“What did they say, you questioned their spirits right?” said Vivek. Leaning in a little for the first time, since he’d lead them both into this office.

Dougall felt a flare of annoyance and uncertainty, which in turn brought more annoyance.

“Weren’t you listening, little man. I felt them die and then there was NOTHING. I wouldn’t be here asking you what happened if I’d received there souls. I’d be out getting vengeance on whoever was responsible for this.”

Vivek leaned back, shrinking into himself as he considered various possibilities.

He thought of various enemies he might have, and various powers that might be wise to the schemes that he and his friends were brewing and felt a mixture of fear and frustration. There were few gods who could just casually scatter or consume that many souls and even less who could do it, in the single instant that his logs had recorded.

“Shit...SHIT! Look, D, it wasn’t me, but since I was supposed to be helping you look out for your peeps, I can see why you’d think this was my fault. But really all this must just be some big misunderstanding, either that or someone’s trying to place. Just give me some time and I’ll have my people looking into it.”

Dougall narrowed his eyes and glared at the other god, his fingers drifted towards the blade at his back, but eventually he decided against it. His power flared as he abruptly and rudely punched a hole in the spatial-temporal substance of the confines of the palace, opening a portal that would let him walk back home instead of having to fly the many miles he’d flown to make his way here.

“Okay, Vivek. For whatever reason I’ll believe you, so I’ll give you some time, not a lot of time...but some...but if I find out that you’re lying.”

“And I’m not lying.”

“But if you are.” said Dougall.

“Don’t worry about that.” said Vivek. Shaking his head.

Dougall just harrumphed and stepped through the portal, closing the gateway as he stepped through. After the dark god was gone, Vivek, threw a fit, swearing and cursing the dark god and his people and his ancestors. Swearing and cursing whichever amongst the gods was responsible for the abrupt disappearance Dougall’s scattered nation of worshippers.

The god of deep waters and dark shadows, was worshipped by a select group of mariners and killers. They were his only worshippers, which meant that the issue was even more serious than they’d seemed.

Considering that the people had been more like kin to him than supplicants, Dougall wouldn’t let this go and his strength would only be slightly reduced without the presence of his worshippers.

Which meant Vivek would really need to find out what had happened, if only because he couldn’t afford to have two unpredictable threats interfering as he and his people were on the verge of finally bringing their grand plan to fruition.