The dining room in the main building of the Banethal estate was not empty. The long room was sparsely decorated, as the few residents of the palatial home all agreed that function was more important than form.

The dining room's primary piece of furniture was a massive, masterfully crafted table made of an obsidian alloy that reinforced its strength. The table was currently being used by the two most important residents of the palatial place. Two powerful nobles who were all alone in the gigantic chamber, as was the way they preferred to eat.

The two nobles were seated at and ate at the ornate table. They were silent as they ate, as was their tradition. The room they were in was a quiet and tranquil place. The only audible noises were the sounds of their silverware transporting their food to their elegant mouths.

One of them exuded an aura of palpable fear, shaking in the silk robes that adorned his muscular form. The other dark elf, a beautiful noblewoman and his mate, spoke volumes with her body language.

The man who ate with her studied her body language, his keen eyes carefully inspecting her serene form. This caused him to despair further, as he realized that she possessed an unshakeable faith in herself. She possessed the sort of resilient faith that he knew ensured that she'd execute her plan, with or without his assistance and more importantly with or without his consent.

Unusually for her, her faith wasn't just in herself. It's true that it was primarily in her own persuasive ability, but she had a bit of faith in something else. One of the reasons she was confident that her plan would succeed was because of the gift she had one of her slaves prepare for the creature they expected would be visiting soon: a codex.

The small codex looked unassuming, as its cover page was plain and unadorned and the paper used to make its pages wasn't magical in any way. Its looks were purposefully minimalistic.

The thing had been laboriously created over the course of the past few days by Banethal slaves who spent hours transcribing notes and research from over a hundred different academic tomes that researched the gods and their extradimensional homes. Due to the approach taken by the family in preparing it, the codex they had created had become an exhaustive treatise on divinity, other dimensions, and the gods themselves.

The gift, an unassuming looking thing, sat on the table as well. It was situated halfway between the two elves. The noblewoman believed in the codex's value and that the visitor they had decided to prepare for, if he was actually a real creature, would recognize its worth.

The supremely confident oracle and her terrified lover continued their meal. The silence between them was somehow growing thicker as the minutes passed, and as they waited for the moment of fate when they would be joined by a creature that the noblewoman hoped and even believed existed.

Althos had grown accustomed to Drow's silence. The dark elf was loyal, but he wasn't talkative, and he was faithful but not the sort to be zealous in sending prayers. Those things, when taken together, led Althos to allow the dark elf to behave however he felt like behaving.

He now knew that that decision of his was a mistake, and one he swore to learn from. This is a disaster. Althos thought, upon finishing his initial reading of the prayer Drow had just sent him.

Althos, wanting to be sure he understood it, decided to reread the thing. And as he visualized it in his mind so that he could reread it, Drow's voice once again rang out in his mind, speaking the words that appeared in a tiny box square in the center of Althos' vision.

[Greetings master. You have my apologies if this sounds weird... I don't really know how to do this. Even the records we dark elves keep of the days when we actively worshiped demon lords don't discuss prayer. And certainly not the sort of active prayer you desire. But I'm not going to use that as an excuse. If my prayers are odd, please instruct me on how to pray properly.] The first part of Drow's prayer was an attempt to beat around the bush. Althos recognized this and sighed, both the first time he went through this message as well as the second time he went through it.

[And now I must extend a true apology. I am legitimately sorry. I have failed you. For you see, I have been placed on house arrest since my return to my home and unlike my allies here in the city of Undermoon I have not been able to gather anyone to my side, to worship and praise you.] Drow informed Althos.

There was legitimate sorrow in the dark elf's voice. It pained Althos to hear him say that, just like it pained Drow to tell his god that his first mission was one he failed.

[When I returned home, I bravely and foolishly decided to tell my mother and father of my powers. Of your glory. To say that they didn't approve would be... an understatement. Within minutes we were going at it. And then it got worse.] The dark elf said, the tone of his voice dropping significantly at that moment.

[I was beaten until I lost consciousness. My father hit me, more than once, and then my mother locked me away like I was a rabid beast. I've been kept here for days. I haven't spoken to anyone in my family. I'm alone. I... am worried about what might happen to me now that I've told you about my failure, but I hate this. Being a prisoner in my own home is awful.] The dark elf told his master, who upon rereading that part of the message and began to feel heat and anger welling up deep within himself.

[Althos... I know not what you will ask of me in order to atone for my failure, but if you are as merciful as I dare to hope you are, please aid me. Please help me in this moment of need. I am stuck in my personal chamber in my family's estate.] At that moment an image appeared in Althos' mind once again. Drow was smart enough to send a powerful visualization of his location to his god, in case the deity wanted to appear and aid him.

[I'm not expecting you to appear Althos... but oh master I'd be so grateful to see you if you did. To have some friendly company in this prison, particularly yours, would be deeply restorative. I'll atone for my failure and prove my worth to you, but that's harder to do if I remain imprisoned.] The dark elf uttered, the sincerity in his voice serving to further anger Althos.

To see one of my servants so deeply maligned... I don't want to sit back and do nothing. He thought, wondering what he could do.

[I know not what you'll ask, but if you ask something that I can do, I'll make it my priority and strive to achieve it. I'll retrieve an item, purchase a slave, assassinate an enemy. I'll bring someone, a future worshiper, to your alter. But if I'm stuck here, I'm less than useless. I'm an embarrassment.] The dark elf muttered in his prayer.

[Anyways master... I hope to see your hand in motion. To see it move to save me. To see it rise against those who wish to stop the brave people spreading the truth of your existence. Soon. Please.] The dark elf pleaded. The last two sentences of the prayer were single words, but the dark elf's tone made it clear that the sentences weren't demands. They were attempts at pleading. The hurt in Drow's voice pained Althos, and the deity resolved to do something quickly.

I need to do something. Something that helps Drow. Althos thought. But then he added to that thought.

And something that sends a message to anyone who'd dare to hurt someone who was trying to complete a quest that advances my agenda. Someone who hurts one of my people needs to be taught a lesson. Althos thought, aware that this meant that Drow's parents had acted against him, and hurt one of his allies. A condition which meant he felt justified in moving against them.

But the more he thought about it, the more he wondered what he could do in this situation. What he could do to balance the scales. What can I do in this situation? Althos asked himself.

At first he was focused inwardly, and even then in a very limited sense. It took a few moments for the deity to remember something. A part of his self-improvement plan.

Just ask questions. It was something he meant in a specific context, talking to domains, but he figured this was the perfect place to meaningfully work on making it a regular habit of his.

But before he asked his newest friend, himself, for help he crafted and sent a quick message to one of his worshipers: the alchemist Milene. It was a quick thing, asking her if she had space to accommodate her friend, Drow, for a few days. She was understandably confused, but her response came back swiftly informing him that she did.

This way I know that Drow has a home. And that it is in Undermoon. Althos told himself, happy that Drow would still be able to work in the city, that the elf would retain his ability to push the city towards his service. After thinking about his dark elven oracle, the god spoke to the lake.

"Hey lake... I'm going to help Drow. But I think I need some advice. How do you think I can best do this? You know all of the magic at my disposal. And I don't. Please offer me your wisdom." He said, his eyes shimmering with sincerity. The lake looked at the strange figure who floated above it and thought for a second.

"I can think of a few different ways that you could help Drow. But first, activate your second will." The lake told the god. Althos immediately did as the lake commanded. And the lake didn't even to tell Althos what to tell the second will. He knew without being told.

[How should I, the second will, behave in this scenario?] The system asked Althos. He was then presented with a number of options. He selected the one that told the second will to get up and lead his desert-dwelling party towards one of the cities of the desert giants. That option, when selected then opened up and revealed more options.

[How should I, the second will, treat your party?] The system asked. Althos grinned, mildly inconvenienced by this but not disliking it. This new, second choice was proof that the second will was evolving and becoming more complex.

His decision to select the option that made the second will an active speaker and a conversational leader among the party was proof that he was evolving. That option ensured that even as he was moving towards aiding Drow his followers would view him as a fully present, committed to their journey, and in command of the party.

He was now free to focus on aiding his dark-elven worshiper. Which made that a perfect time for the lake once again began to speak to Althos.

"Now it's time for you to learn about how to further spread your consciousness. And more importantly: how to remotely manipulate magic." The lake told him, eager to teach Althos a brand new skill.

The two jackaloids and the scorpion who had accompanied Althos to the corpse of the desert titan were pleasantly surprised when Althos arose abruptly. Their master looked out at them, making eye contact with each of the trio, before he began to speak.

"Sorry about that everyone." He told them, jovially. Only the scorpion, the single member of the trio who knew the true nature of their god, tried to assess if the god was being sincere. It's head rose in surprise as it realized that he was, in fact, being sincere.

He didn't address the scorpion's skepticism. The second will realized that if it acknowledged the familiar's skepticism it may have made the tiny thing feel judged, and that was the opposite of what it wanted the scorpion to feel.

"I needed to study the titan. I did so. Using godly powers." Althos' second will explained, raising more questions than answers. Then the thing made Althos point at the titan's corpse, though what it was pointing at was beyond the titan's corpse. And the deity grew wings, majestic things made of fungal matter.

"I have studied it. And we are going to pay a visit to its home: a desert giant city named Namira. It's not far. Are you ready to go, friends?" Althos asked, a grin on his face. Before the god's party informed him of whether or not they were good to go, Althos began to gently flap his wings so as to leave no doubt as to how the party would reach a land beyond the massive corpse.

Althos' body and second will noticed the fear that appeared abruptly in the eyes of the two jackaloids. This elicited a grim grin from the deity.

Drow was still in his personal chamber, several minutes after praying to Althos. And patience wasn't his strong suit. So naturally, the dark elf was stewing in his own fears and anxieties. Fears and anxieties which only increased in intensity after the dark elf prayed to his god.

His negative emotional state wasn't helped by the residual aches and pains he felt with even the slightest movement. Each twitch of his face, purposeful or not, punished the pious dark elf whose crime was being overly excited to share his faith with his family by causing a quiet headache he was stoically enduring to worsen.

I definitely won't do that again. He complained, vowing to be more cautious in the future.

After a few minutes of silence passed he began to grow morbidly curious. I wonder what they're doing... He thought in reference to his parents. They've always been creative when it came to punishing those they deemed deserving of their most cruel affections. He thought, angrily.

Moments later he let out a soft, pain-filled moan when his face twitched reflexively as dust in his rarely used room lightly brushed his face.

Though for them to come up with torture worse than this would be a masterful act of creativity. He thought, bitterly, as he steeled himself in an effort to ignore the pain. After all, not only was he emotionally torturing himself but even the slightest of movements resulted in him receiving tiny shocks of pain that prevented him from moving into anything vaguely resembling a comfortable position.

That would have been easier to do had he been in a place where anything at all was happening. His private chamber was not a place of distractions, which normally was an attractive feature of the solitary place but at the moment merely ensured that his torture was perpetuated unendingly.

As more minutes passed the dark elf began to mentally grumble. After all, he couldn't even sigh without inviting pain so the only safe place he had left was his mind.

I prayed and nothing has happened... I could just be being too impatient, but I know that Althos has incredible powers at his disposal. I wish he'd use them to save me. The dark elf thought.

At the moment the dark elf was seated on his bed. The room was utterly silent and the only sounds he heard were the ambient noises of the distant city, and the negative thoughts which ate away at what little hope the dark elf had of being rescued.

The change that took place in the dark elf's personal chamber began as an incredibly subtle thing. A minute manipulation of magical energy from far away, out of the room and out of the dimension.

It took a few seconds for even the sensitive prisoner to notice that a visitor was forcing his way into the room, thanks to their subtle mystical manipulation of the magical energy that naturally suffused the air of the world beneath the world. But when he did, the dark elf wondered if the prayer was paying off.

This is not the ideal time to be taking a new skill on a... trial run. Althos thought as he put into practice the mysterious new skill the lake had spent the last few moments explaining.

Nevertheless, the deity busied himself with his attempt to pull off a subtle manipulation of the innate magical energy that existed throughout the world beneath the world. The world beneath the world was the title of the strange region that existed underneath the surface of the mortal world that Althos sprung to life in weeks ago.

He started the process by moving to understand where it was that his manipulations would take place. He reached into his mind and metaphysically grabbed hold of a

Althos concentrated intently, visualizing Drow's chamber. In time he could see the dark elf in his room, the immature warrior locked in his chamber. What Althos saw was in real-time.

Drow sat impatiently, forlorn and nearly hopeless by the look of his facial expression. Althos was quiet as he spent a few moments examined the dark elf's face.

He was actually studying his worshiper. His focus changed every few seconds as he allowed his mind to wander over the elf's body. A few moments passed before he grew satisfied with his methodical examination of the dark elf.

He was mostly physically hurt. And the wounds were external. The deity told himself, having used his newfound medical knowledge, knowledge which he acquired while reliving Mahmud's memories, to diagnosis his follower. And since that's the case I can just do this. Althos thought, right before he cast a powerful healing spell on the dark elf.

Althos' physical body was vertically ascending. The true-devil had taken on a fusion form, one that shot straight up into the sky while carrying his servants and worshipers in a thick basket he made by significantly enlarging and transforming his limbs.

The normally humanlike things he nominally called hands were fungal in texture and strength. They were also attached to each other to form a sort of platform his jackaloids and the dire-scorpion who served him could easily be on top of at the same time.

He spoke to his followers as he flew through the air, grinning as he reached a height that allowed him to be halfway to ascending over the titan's corpse. "How are you all feeling?" He asked those who had joined him and who kept their gazes glued onto each other in a failing effort to not look out over the edge of the platform.

"We're fine! Just scared." The two jackaloids confessed in unison. This discovery surprised the second will, who knew what Althos' main consciousness knew of the jackaloids and hadn't suspected that they'd be afraid of heights.

Drow faced several surprises over the course of a few seconds. Before he began to feel certain that the disturbance he felt was caused by his god, he felt the powers of his god's healing touch. Drow smiled as he felt the cruel affections of the residual pain that had plagued him for days vanish slowly, beginning with his headache fading to a soft throb, and continuing until all of the pain he had kept keenly aware of for days was gone.

This sensation... I can see what Milene was talking about. Drow told himself as Althos' powers radiated out from a place beyond Drow's awareness and wrapped the dark elf in a faintly visible, aura of healing.

His thoughts were in reference to the last conversation the oracle and the alchemist had had, hours before Drow was placed on house arrest. Milene, the younger sister of Mianthus and the niece of Qu'Ren had told Drow that Althos' powers had a strange, pleasant, and mutative effect on her. At the time he hadn't understood but now he did. Althos' powers did indeed evoke pleasant sensations and make the dark-elf feel strange.

In a few moments, the light vanished, but as the light vanished Drow was surprised to hear Althos' voice. "Hello Drow. I should have been more direct in leading you. But now I will be. And my first instance of doing that is this: I think it's time that you leave this place. That you leave... this prison." Althos said, his voice gentle and sympathetic.

But... I want to see what happens to my parents. The dark elf thought, his anger and his hate for them mixing when he heard that his master intended for him to leave his familial home. I also want to see how they react when they realize you are real! That you care for your worshipers. He thought, truthfully, and almost accidentally transmitting his thoughts to the young god.

He moved to vocalize his feelings but realized that he couldn't see his master. The deity was not visible to the dark-elf, who quickly confirmed this himself by examining the direction he heard his masters' voice ring out from.

The dark elf's search for Althos lasted just for a moment. Drow quickly figured that if Althos wanted to be seen he would have been. But this moment lasted long enough for him to have and seize the chance to organize his thoughts, which he did.

This resulted in the dark elf carefully avoiding articulating his petty reason for wanting to stay until his parents learned that Althos was real.

"But Althos... I want to see how my parents react to the reality of your existence! I want to see if they join me in worshiping you. And if we leave now... will they get to see you? Experience your powers?" The dark elf asked, urgency and sadness mixing in equal parts as the dark elf seriously contemplated the possibility, for the first time, that the torture and humiliation he underwent might not result in even a single family member joining him in revering Althos.

I came here because I wanted my family, at least my siblings and my cousins, to join me in the founding days of this new religion. If I suffered this humiliation and no one from my house joins me... The thought hit the dark elf surprisingly hard.

Althos did away with much of the sorrow his words had inadvertently caused when he spoke again. "I said ' you'. I didn't say I was going to leave. Not yet anyway." He told the dark elf. Though Drow couldn't see him, Althos was grinning as he said that.

The moment that Althos healed Drow, the noblewoman in the dining room that wasn't at all far away from where the family had contained the dark elf reacted to Althos' presence. She calmly placed her spoon on top of her plate, looked up at her mate and smiled.

She was the image of dark serenity when she smiled. A dark elven picture of beauty. But few things scared her mate more than her smile. Especially when she was serene. She spoke, two words escaping her lips. "He's here."

And then she closed her eyes and waited for him to appear before them. For him to invade the dining chamber where the matriarch had just finished what her lover feared might just be her last meal.