Althos, floating over the unconscious body looked at the scene unfolding before him. His servants and worshipers had gathered around the unconscious body of the titan and were most likely waiting for him to join them. He looked at them and then spoke.

"Tristan... this is the moment you exact your revenge. Do what you will. The others shall do as you command, just this once. Use them to do... whatever you wish to your foe. Be creative. I have some godly matters to attend too. I shall join you soon."

His command surprised them. The warriors, extraplanars, and assorted creatures Althos had made into his servants had noticed that the spiritual form of the titan was gone and knew that something must have happened while they were unconscious. They looked at each other, wordlessly exchanging thoughts and then as one turned to Tristan and nodded at her.

Althos grinned and wordlessly flew upward so that he may have a moment of privacy. As he flew upward his sole companion was the floating skull who he had become the master of after conquering the tomb. He ascended until he was out of the sight of his followers and waited for a message from a new voice. Sure enough, after waiting for a few moments he did hear a new voice enter into his mind and speak to him.

[Greetings Althos. I am the embodiment of the domain of souls. It is nice to meet you.]

The voice of the domain of souls was a soft one, one that was neither particularly masculine or feminine. Althos, though a bit excited about the surprise development of a domain proactively reaching out to him that wasn't an evil domain, wondered what compelled this domain, in particular, to reach out to him.

Though the young god had a suspicion that he knew why the domain wanted to talk to him. He kind of hoped that he was wrong about his suspicion.

[Greetings. It is nice to meet you too. I can't help but be curious about why you're reaching out to me though.]

Those words, honest and naive as they were, caused the new voice in Althos' mind to begin to laugh softly. The laughing went on for a few moments before fading away gently.

[Althos, I am the embodiment of the domain of souls... I approached you to learn about you, especially now that you have gained a small fortune in souls. I thought it best to approach you and hear from you directly about your plans with those souls.]

Althos sensed that the domain had more to say. He waited quietly while the domain considered where to go next in terms of its conversation with the young god. After a few moments, the odd voice returned, ready to engage Althos in conversation.

[What do you plan to do with those souls? The ones you freed from the titan's physical form.]

Althos answered without a bit of hesitation.

[I plan to resurrect Agowraith and Nefarious. Possibly a few of the others as well, given that some of them were leaders, generals, and priests. With the others... I'm unsure.]

There was a silence on the mental line as the soul domain's voice considered how to respond to that frank declaration. Althos wondered if there was a "right" answer the thing was looking for, but also figured that he had no real reason to lie or even the knowledge necessary to lie in a way that would be beneficial to him so the truth was his best bet.

The thing knew little about the deity, mostly that he was a deity if it was being honest, but didn't hate his honesty. There was something about Althos' tone and his lack of hesitation that made it clear that he wasn't lying. The voice spoke to Althos again after it considered the truth of Althos' words.

[Why do you wish to resurrect those two specifically?]

Althos thought for a second before responding.

[Agowraith was the creator of this dungeon. She also seemed to be someone who sought to aid the second dark saint. Or at least someone who knew about the coming of the second dark saint. I wish to bring her back and to see what she'd do with her second life. And she was a historian and an oracle-like seer. If I gain a copy of her mind as I have from my other followers... who knows how much wiser I'd become?]

This was the truth and it was also a reasonable desire for a deity who was moved largely by the pursuit of knowledge.

He went silent while considering how to explain why he sought to resurrect Nefarious. Eventually, though, he did communicate with the domain again.

[Resurrecting Nefarious is about two different things. I wish to reward Tristan for her work here and elsewhere, and I wish to return a powerful ally and leader to the cult of the second dark saint. Plus in resurrecting the moth-devil I can potentially gain a new servant.]

The truth was, his desire to resurrect Nefarious came about almost entirely out of his desire to transform Tristan into a true worshiper of his. Though such an act like resurrecting Tristan's father, to an ignorant onlooker, might have seemed like an act of kindness it was first and foremost an act centered around a selfish desire. That said, nothing the deity had said was factually incorrect.

The soul domain thought about Althos' response for a few moments before responding itself, questioning Althos further.

[I see... Do you actually how to resurrect something?]

Althos with his trademark honesty was quick to respond.

[Nope. Intuition leads me to believe that if I master healing magic, alteration magic, or perhaps some combination involving divine magic, and the proper domains I should be able to do resurrect them. But... I'm guessing that it'll be a challenging, long-term task.]

If the soul-domain physically manifested its manifestation would have been nodding at that moment. Althos' intuition was spot-on, and the process for gaining the divine ability to resurrect someone was a grueling one. The soul-domain quickly began to speak.

[Resurrecting someone is... deeply challenging. It requires significant control over healing magic, divine magic, and a combination of domains including mine, the restoration domain, and the life domain. Many deities were confused by the distinction between the life domain and the restoration domain, but the life domain only refers to living things, things with souls. The restoration domain, on the other hand, includes anything and anyone who can be broken.]

Althos nodded, unsurprised that something as significant and powerful as the act of resurrection was not something to be taken lightly. He also appreciated learning the identities of two more domains, both of which sounded seriously powerful. That was when the soul domain spoke again, this time asking a question.

[What domains and subdomains do you have influence over?]

Althos explored the list of domains and subdomains in his mind for a moment. Then he responded.

[I can exert the lowest tiers of influence over the knowledge domain, the sub-domain of hand-to-hand fighting, teleportation, the faith domain and I have mastery over the fungi sub-domain. I am not far from completing a quest for the domain of magic, and I have completed a quest that has pushed me down the road to mastery over the animal domain. I've also spoken to a mysterious domain, perhaps the domain of evil or of oblivion.]

The soul domain was impressed with the quick learner. It was intrigued by the last thing that the deity revealed, but would conduct its own investigation into that later on. It then asked a question that the other domains and sub-domains would undoubtedly like to hear the answer to themselves.

[That is impressive. What would you like to become the "god of"?]

Althos stopped for a moment and considered how to respond. As he floated over the arena, hovering directly atop the pit, he reflected on the question. Shortly thereafter he gave a surprisingly ambitious answer.

[Knowledge. I seek first and foremost to know all things. Though I suspect that in time I will become the 'god of' other things as well as a natural consequence of knowing all things or pursuing the ultimate goal of knowing all things. If I had to guess, I'd assume that over the course of becoming the god of all knowledge I will also become the god of say... invention, magic, and time. And who knows what else?]

This answer provoked another peal of laughter from the soul domain. It quickly began to speak again, its voice carrying more energy and enthusiasm than before.

[I like that answer! Is there anything you wish to not become the god of?]

This question intrigued Althos. The young god reflected on it for more than a few moments. The silence between the two odd creatures, a disembodied voice, and a young god, was strange but not uncomfortable.

[I don't know. I possess more knowledge than it appears to many of my servants, and with the knowledge of the titan being absorbed by my mind right now, my knowledge is increasing. So far I don't know anything I'd prefer to avoid ruling over. I definitely have my preferences, but if I were offered the chance to become the god of something, even something random I don't think I'd turn it down.]

The soul domain could respect such an answer. It thoughtfully considered Althos' words for a few moments. It suspected, like Althos and a few of the more talkative domains, that Althos was in fact the only, possibly even the last, god in existence. And unlike the other domains, the soul domain knew that Althos was in Infernius very slowly working towards becoming an arch-devil.

If the deity ultimately proved successful in such a task it'd mean that he was capable of becoming more than just a god. If that was the case, then who knew where Althos' destiny laid? The soul domain contemplated that for a few moments, before ultimately deciding that it had nothing to lose by giving Althos a very small boost.

[Since you want to eventually gain the power to perform a true resurrection, a power which no creature in existence currently has, I will go ahead and grant you access to the very lowest tier of influence over souls. This gives you a power, which previously eluded you: the ability to communicate with souls. That said... those souls in your possession are weak right now. Let them rest, and wait until they start to speak to you. From here, if you truly want to eventually perform true resurrections then you need to continue studying magic, and meeting and mastering domains.]

Althos nodded at the voice in his head. And then thought about it for a second, and explicitly affirmed his gratitude to the domain.

[Thank you for this. I will not forget this act of kindness. It's genuinely kind of you to do this and I recognize that. How may I continue to improve our relationship and gaining more powers related to souls?]

The soul-domain thought about this, appreciative of the wording of the question. Meanwhile, Althos abruptly received a notification.

[Feat gained: A Friendly Relationship

Benefit: Domains and sub-domains recognize you as a personable sort and feel more comfortable approaching you proactively to chat or drop hints about the sorts of powers influence over them grants you.

How much progress your actions make towards the next tier of influence over each domain or sub-domain increases as a result of this feat and this feat stacks. Your likelihood of gaining quests related to domains or subdomains as you do actions related to the domain or sub-domain increases.

Method of acquisition: Befriend or entertain more than two separate domains.

Note: This is a handy feat that is actually a necessary part of gaining influence over some domains, most notably the domains of diplomacy and peace which are parts of building an evil empire or a functional evil society.]

Althos grinned as he willed away the notification. It was good news for the young deity, and he was grateful for his weirdly friendly attitude given his own apparent preference for evil and violence. Shortly after he willed the notification away his new pal, the soul-domain, spoke to him again.

[For now, interact with souls. When the interactions are suitably noteworthy I'll see fit to incrementally push you further along the path to the next tier of influence. I'll also put in a good word about you to other domains who may feel like chatting with a living god. It's been... a long time since a god traversed the multiverse.]

Althos listened to the odd voice and nodded.

[Okay! Thank you. I learned a lot during this chat. Please, feel free to stop by anytime and talk.]

Althos' response contained a surprising amount of respect and sincerity. Moments passed and the young god wasn't sure how he knew this, but he could feel the presence of the domain leave as quickly as the domain had started chatting with him.

And again, the deity was alone. Aside from the skull, but he barely registered the skull as any sort of entity.

The deity descended to the floor of the arena where the titan's physical form was now a corpse. He smiled savagely as he drew ever closer to the floor, having spent a few minutes up above the arena lost in conversation with his new friend and now enjoying the sight of his gathered party.

He eventually landed on the floor of the arena and immediately laid his eyes upon the titan's corpse. The gigantic thing was now thoroughly headless and Althos had long sensed its heart cease beating. He was pleased with what he saw and quickly congratulated his followers on the successful battle. He was in fact quite proud of the creatures. The battle was tough but they were now stronger for it.

Althos himself was also stronger for having participated in the battle and having completed his quest. Now he was going to prove that. The deity willed the two soul orbs who served him to appear before him. They did so quietly and quickly. As they appeared before him he readied himself for what was to come next.

And with this... I will prove that I worthy to walk the path of an arch-devil. I will prove that I possess the power to promote devils. This will forever change the future of Infernius.

Althos reflected on this moment, recognizing the seriousness of it. The memories he had taken from the titan, and the knowledge he had taken from Tristan during his first excursion into the tomb gave him a considerable amount of awareness concerning Infernius and he was keenly aware of the seriousness of the moment before him.

Tristan and Salifinos quickly realized what was to happen next, and they drew closer to the creatures involved in the deeply profane act that was about to unfold before them.

The two soul orbs were genuinely happy to appear before their master. They danced around the young deity eagerly sharing their pictographic thoughts with each other. Althos watched them, a smile on his face for a few moments. And then without a word of warning the two spheres stopped moving. Althos had begun the process of transforming them into imps.

The two things began to suddenly and erratically vibrate, thrashing through the air in front of their master. One of them began to float higher while vibrating and thrashing around, and the other began to descend. This painful-looking process lasted a few minutes, before the orbs themselves to began to turn into spheres of eerie, total darkness.

Althos watched this with a sinister smile, while his followers watched with a variety of expressions etched onto their faces.

For the soul orbs themselves, this process was sudden, unannounced, and not comfortable. The small things were barely alive, but they were still a sort of living creature, capable of growing used to a routine. And this was not their routine.

For them, the process stole their freedom of movement, one of their greatest freedoms, and then suffused them with incredible energy and power, relative to what they were used too.

The tiny soul-orbs, smaller than the average imp, were suddenly and irreversibly filled with powerful dark energy as they felt Althos reach out and touch them. They were comforted by the touch of their master, but the process of suffusing them with dark, infernal power was still an uncomfortable one.

Shortly after the process began, one of the two had its first true thought.

This... is...

Its early thoughts were fragmented echoes, singular words that it heard its master say.

Weird...

The observation was simple but accurate.

Painful...

Another simplistic observation, but like the one before it, it was also an accurate one.

At this point, the soul-orbs were beginning to truly change. The orbs of darkness their external forms had become were unorthodox cocoons that protected them while they underwent a series of rapid, permanent changes.

First, they grew skeletons. Which hurt. Hundreds of tiny bones were created to help form the frame for their new forms.

Second, their muscles grew atop the bones of their skeletons. This process was much faster than the first one had been.

Then their skin grew over their muscles, giving their muscles a layer of protection from the cruelty of the elements in Infernius.

The last part of their bodies to be created during their mystical metamorphosis was a variety of organs and appendages. Some of these were external, like eyes and their tails. Many of them were internal, like their hearts, lungs, and guts. Of course, theirs were much stronger or more flexible than those of mortals like their eyes, which could peer through darkness, magical or otherwise.

Despite the gigantic physical differences between a soul-orb and an imp, the biggest and most substantial changes that occurred to the soul-orbs as they transformed into imps were mental.

Both of the imps were infused with basic knowledge about Infernius, granted knowledge of simple spells, and unlike any of their predecessors, they sprung to this second phase of their lives possessing the same potent poison as Salifinos.

The dark cocoon around the twin imps began to change its shape and size to accommodate their new forms, minutes after their transformation into imps had begun. Now the dark objects were not orbs of darkness but were shadowy silhouettes modelled after tiny humanoids with wings and tails with blank, featureless faces.

Althos and his companions watched the process unfolding before them. Althos and Salifinos were deeply excited to watch the process, and had any of the others been looking at them they would have seen two pairs of eyes alight with excitement and with curiosity. The others were not as excited, though they also had somewhat pleasant expressions as they watched the process and were filled with morbid curiosity as to what the next step of the process would be.

After several minutes had passed the dark, vaguely humanoid-shaped silhouettes began to change color. At this point, the things had been humanoid-shaped for a few minutes, and they quickly became vile colors. One of them became a light blue the same shade as when someone began to choke, and the other became a sickening shade of green.

Mere seconds after their silhouettes changed color, the imps themselves suddenly and truly sprung to life. As the things began to come life, their faces spontaneously generated, and the critters took their first glances at the world around them, physically seeing things for the first time rather than using immaterial organs to sense the world around them.

Both imps looked at each other, and then at Althos. And then they threw themselves at the young deity, quickly wrapping him in an uncomfortably warm hug. This, of course deeply surprised both Althos and Salifinos.

"Master! We can finally think! We can finally talk!"

The two once orbs, now imps were apparently very vocal. This caught Althos off guard, but he didn't find it particularly unpleasant. Salifinos, on the other hand, had a distraught expression on his face, one which became more concerned when the new imps opened their eyes, saw him next to Althos and spoke to him too.

"Hey! You're our cousin! Salifinos!"

This made Althos, Tristan, and even Raverangos all audibly laugh, though the imp in question was not at all amused by this unexpected and confusing development. He reacted to them by practically roaring at the two critters.

"What are you little ones talking about?"

They looked at him with neutral expressions and simplistically responded by speaking in unison.

"You're also a familiar. That means we're family."

Salifinos heard this explanation and sighed as though the imp were already exasperated with the two newcomers. The imp looked at Althos and then spoke to the deity.

"They are... odd."

Althos laughed and made an unexpectedly good point in his rebuttal.

"They are babies. They are also awakened creatures, like Silander, and they entered this stage of being as familiars. All of those traits make them... experimental."

Salifinos heard that considered it, and then grudgingly accepted its factual, albeit unusual accuracy.