It took an hour for Celenia to return back from meeting with Yepu. Her skin was slightly tanned, which made Max think she had been in the savanna for more time than it seemed. But the Elf wasn’t complaining and instead she wore a bright long smile. She practically fluttered as she walked, something she hadn’t done since her lessons with [Druid] Dreamstem.

“Max!” She yelled, breaking the quiet nature of the floor before rushing over, “You’ll never guess what he taught!”

Max quickly grabbed her shoulder, “Shh… Not here. Too many eyes. Let’s get dinner for the mansion, okay?”

Celenia’s eyes widened before she nodded thoroughly. Emi jumped from bubble of water to bubble of water, eventually landing in her arms. The little monster gave the Elf many cursory licks.

As they were leaving, Max briefly thought about visiting [Head Priestess] Burk… but then decided not to. He wasn’t that much of a masochist. He hadn’t really thought about it, but aura lessons with Burk were going to be put on indefinite hold. Unless Max wanted to come back to Lesterwood once a week while risking his safety as well as the entire city’s, lessons were going to have to be stopped.

It wasn’t that big of a deal if Max was being honest. Sure, becoming an aura expert was something he was interested in, but magic was something he was more interested in. His life was going to be long at this point – assuming he didn’t die young or something – his level was already high enough to double the average Human’s on Earth.

That wasn’t to say he was going to forget about aura. Burk had already taught Max the basics and Max was rather good at taking information and running with it. He just might practice on his vacation… assuming he had the time for it.

The group made their way down the massive flight of stairs to the lobby. The first floor of the Church was dedicated to the three most prominent and influential Gods and Goddesses of modern day religion. A statue of Ofes, Peneil, and Ssawp – Goddess of Light, God of Death, and God of Rebirth, respectively.

It was customary to bow to the statue upon exiting the Church. But when Max did so, the world went dark. The surrounding lobby disappeared along with Emi and Celenia. A grandfather clock ticked distantly while the feeling of high velocity transit churned Max’s stomach.

He tried to use his magic, he tried to teleport away – but everything was futile. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t breathe. His mind went to Serana Cresthill and the brief torture she afflicted him with. The non-ending pain, the low passage of time, the dispiriting dread.

Max did all that he could. He watched and felt. Magic, as he had come to learn, was always visible. Some aspects such as pure mana looked invisible but under certain conditions movement could be seen. One such condition was enchanted clothing always glowed. It was a subtle glow, closer to a gleam than a luster, but it was always present – even in total darkness.

After auto equipping a set of battle robes, Max watched his sleeve. The glow was actually mana radiating off the enchanted cloth, much like a Water Bolt would radiate mana. One small trick was that you could tell the direction something was moving by watching the mana it produces – like watching a plane’s slipstream.

Max was moving, that much was obvious. The robe’s mana pulled away – and fast. He recognized the effect right away. He was in a teleportation tunnel, the Divine kind that transfers between Nava and an individual Domain.

He smiled slightly as he realized his best course of action. Obviously, he was not reaching the end of the tunnel, at least, not the way whichever God meant. Max couldn’t cast spells, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t effect things. He pulled at the tunnel, lengthening it while pushing it in different directions.

In a way, Max mimicked his short experiment while traveling to Yepu’s savanna. Sort of. This time he didn’t so much as glide his hand through the passing space magic but instead he broke the wake.

At this point he was improvising as he went, but he had nearly stopped his movement - a success in his mind. Max thought about his next move and decided to experiment more. He didn’t like the idea of a rogue God or Goddess taking him from Nava any more than he liked the idea of being experimented on.

Tiodepth as well as Ofes had warned him about the Gods. Granted Tiodepth warned Max about Ofes, he felt that the same sentiment applied to unknown Gods. Run, hide, find allies, and don’t die.

Before he enacted his plan, Max dropped his consciousness into the infinite beach. The grey sand crunched against his feet, sinking lower as his weight compacted each individual grain. The salty water was rough and choppy but not a full blown hurricane. That was good…? Max didn’t really know, he only knew that when the waves were unbearable, his life was in danger.

His mind went to Buzluc and the portal to the Dimension of Fire – both times he had nearly died and both times the beach was deadly.

With a deep breath, Max pushed his hands through the tunnel. Normally this wouldn’t do anything, but he had gained quite a bit of experience manipulating spatial lines. From solving space puzzles to collapsing and redeploying space locks, Max had become a bit of a hobbyist.

He wasn’t very good, not compared to a master or God, but he didn’t need to be good. As he had learned destroying the flame portal, careful attacks could easily upset space spells. In this case, Max created a hole. Not a large one, only the size of a small stone. But it was enough to grip and rip open.

Blue skies greeted him along with floating islands and upside down waterfalls. Multiple suns shone high in the air, along with birds of prey circling the whimsical forests below. Mushrooms grew higher than trees, blues dominated the color scheme, the air was thick with sweet smells, and the glowing fluorescent fauna blended in with shadows.

The intriguing lands didn’t distract Max from the problem at hand. He was falling and the hole into the dark tunnel had long closed. A short teleport stopped his momentum as well as an Immovable Platform retained his altitude.

He was glad his spells had worked.

Emi? Max asked through their shared bond, Emi are you there?

He could feel her, but not in the normal sense. The connection felt blocked or stretched. Or both, he didn’t know. Maybe they were too far, maybe something in the area was creating a disturbance.

Max cursed and focused on his next spell. A long ranged teleport. The longest he could muster, the whole brunt of his increased mana pool. He focused on Emi and their connection, tracing it back to Nava, to Lesterwood, and to the lobby of the Church. He powered the spell, taking ample time to get it right.

He felt the System click into place, taking the reins and fixing all of his mistakes. Max wasn’t sure how much he liked the System always watching, always listening, but in this moment he was glad for its help – at least until he felt the spell stall.

Panic arose in the Lost Lord, and for the first time in a long time, he actually felt Lost. In that brief moment of anxiety, he felt something shift to his side. A bird, neon green and monstrously large cawed and fell into a dive bomb. Max dodged out of the way, falling into the invisible platform, and scrambling back to his feet. He ran, focusing everything on his stalled spell.

He wasn’t sure what he did, or if he did anything, but another shift in the air changed as the System resumed control. In the last breath before he was taken out of the vibrant lands via teleportation, Max Inspected the odd bird.

Astral Calligraphy Raven

Level 89

A local intelligent being watched the bird swoop around in confusion as its prey seemingly teleported away. The being giggled and thought about what a fool the Human had been. Coming here without an escape plan? The Human was lucky the being was around, otherwise the Human’s spell would have failed.

Well whatever, the being helped send the Human where he was going and that was a nice thing to do - the being thought.

Adding mana to someone’s spell – especially through the System – was a difficult task. But it sure was fun, and that was all the being wanted. Fun. It hoped the Human would come back soon, they had been watching for some time now and the Human just kept ignoring them.

But now, now that the Human had seen these lands, he must come back. Intrigue was a powerful thing.

The being giggled again as it captured and ripped the spine out of the bird. Lunch! It thought, as it plucked feathers and drained blood.

Max’s mind raced as he thought through what had just happened. Being kidnapped by a God to escaping to… the Astral Dimension? To teleporting away.

Was that the Astral? Do I have to just break through a teleportation spell to visit? Is that it? Max thought, A level eighty-nine as a regular monster? What kind of number is that?

Max was shaking. Being separated from the others was one thing, being separated then attacked by a powerful monster was another. He had fought higher level beings before, but he always had backup one way or another. Vel and Bishop in Esmel, Emi in the infinite beach, and Vel again while fighting the beings from the Dimension of Fire. Being alone was frightening.

Max finally calmed himself and looked around. He had expected to be in the Church, but clearly he wasn’t. Instead he was in a dark wasteland of crumbling ash and decrepit dust. There were no clouds, no wind, no… anything. He was alone with stationary dunes of ash, as if he was in a snapshot of time. There was no movement, which gave a very eerie effect.

As if hearing his thoughts, the world of dust shifted. Dunes moved and glided at intense speeds, shifting like a wave before freezing back in time. Three more times the dunes did this, each with increasing anger. The ash flew before it froze, like a hellbent tiger trashing through grass to get to its victim.

Max tried to use magic, it failed. He had been under magic canceling effects before, most notably a space lock. But this was different. This was fundamentally different. The desert of lifeless dust was like Earth – or at least Max’s memories of Earth.

Manaless.

A presence stirred Max’s heart. It formed like smoke wafting under a doorframe but instead of smoke, the presence formed of souls of the damned. Screams and shouts of pain sounded from the presence, each distinct and clearly unique. They whispered about death and pleaded for the end – something they would never receive.

Something familiar called to Max, a voice he recognized over the millions of others. A man the Lost Lord had only just met, one who’s death weighed heavily on his mind. Former King Tobyn Salae. The smoke finished forming, cutting off the remainder of screams – except for one.

Tobyn continued to holler out, he begged Max closer. Max obliged – he had to; he couldn’t let the King down again. Time shifted again, moving the dust and ash, and causing soot to stain the Lost Lord’s boots and clothes. He still wore his enchanted robes, but their glimmer had long been removed.

Max stood a few dozen paces from Tobyn, thick black smoke hid most of his body – or rather flooded out of most of his body. Only the King’s face was uncovered, a painfilled and horrid face. An expression of thousands of years of agony, tortured and heinous.

“Tobyn…” Max began. He had thought through this conversation many times, something he only did to ease his mind, “I’m… sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Tears streamed down Max’s face, but Tobyn didn’t care, “You killed me! I died because of you! How could you live with yourself! You should take your own life! Then we would be even!”

Max nodded along like the fake words were gospel. He knew deep inside it was the right thing to do, to make amends and to-

No. No. That wasn’t right. No, Max couldn’t kill himself. The King had died trying to protect him. His last words were genuine and hopeful. How could Max end it all now? How could he let Tobyn down again?

A dagger glimmered just under the sandy ash. It was simple but sharp and polished. No scratches or soot marks – only a weapon lost to time.

“Take it.” Tobyn whispered, “Take it and end it. The heart would be the quickest.”

Max did as instructed; he took the blade. It was heavier than it looked but was perfectly balanced. The last few minutes flooded his mind, he thought through the events that led him to the dunes. Walking through the Church and specifically past the statue of the Big Three. Everything clicked into place.

The dunes of ash, the dead tortured souls, speaking to the dead, the manaless habitat. This was the end; this was the domain of Peneil – God of Death.

Max flipped the dagger in his hand, ignoring Tobyn’s irritated expression. He thought, Is this some sort of test? Is Peneil going to kill me? Is this dagger real…?

Well, he could easily answer one of those questions. Max threw the dagger with the strength and accuracy of a teenager. He was weak, and unless he tossed magical projectiles, his class bonuses never came into play.

The dagger shimmered as it flew, twisting and rotating with the sudden force. The flat of the blade collided with Tobyn, passing through his chest and into the plume of smoke. The being smiled greatly before nodding slightly. A moment later the dunes shifted again and Tobyn was gone – in his place a being of ash formed.

“Very good.” It spoke, soot falling from its teethy smile, “Very good.”

“Peneil I would assume?” Max asked, no hesitation or respect in his voice.

“Indeed, yes.” The dunes shifted, pulling the God into a fit of seizures. He didn’t seem to mind, “Your friend, Reep, gave up her chance of a Divine Gift. She asked for you to receive it in her stead.”

A week ago, she did say something on the matter, but Max was rather distraught at the time, and it passed out of his mind.

“Fine. I’ll receive it.”

“Oh, but you already have. Check your notifications.” Peneil smiled wickedly.

Congratulations, you have killed a level ??? Apparition of Death.

You have gained 1 experience!

“I don’t understand.” Max said with a sigh. There always had to be a lesson or complex idea.

Smoke poured from the God’s mouth, flooding the ground with dark rolling smog, “Apparitions are special for one key reason. Killing one grants the ability to see the dead. Curse or gift, some debate, always believe in one’s fate.”

The smog continued crossing the dunes and soon covered further than the eye could see. The desert was dyed black, smoke and whispers of death blanketed the already gloom domain.

Peneil continued, “Gift or curse. That is for you to decide. For now, I must punish. Punishment for the Lord who transgressed my privilege of Godship.”

The smoke erupted in shouts causing Max to cover his now bleeding ears. The dunes shifted again and when they stopped thousands – millions – of bodies stood from the ashen wasteland. Each was wrong each was harmed.

Most had roped tied around their neck which traced untaught high into the cloudless sky. Their skin was bulged and red, their eyes popped and bloody. Others had bleeding wrists, some had spittle and graying skin, a few wore normal wounds but held lifeless eyes.

All beings were unique, but all had one feature in common. Each were dead, and by their own hand.

“CURSE OR GIFT, LOST LORD? PUNISHMENT OR PRAISE? DEATH OR LIFE?”

The crazed God’s bellows could be heard over the screams and through the flooded ears of Max. He needed to get away, he needed to run. But where? But how? Could he fight? Did he have any weapons?

The dunes shifted again, this time consuming the smoke and removing it from existence.

“Death or life, young Lost Lord.” Peneil said calm and collected, “Do you wish to live with the dead? Or do you want to be cursed with the living.”

Max felt his ears, they were healed but not in a magical way. It was like his wounds were never truly there. Just and elaborate illusion.

“Next time, do not leave a God’s road. There are many dangers in the way you exited, many dangers indeed.”

He couldn’t help it, the situation was too surreal, “Don’t kidnap people then. Send a notification like all of the other Gods I have spoken to.”

The dunes shifted again, “Perhaps that would be wise. But you have spoken a lie. Or perhaps you didn’t…?”

Max recoiled, “I didn’t lie.”

“Is a misremembrance a lie? Is not knowing all a lie?” The God fell into a fit of seizures again, “One God took you without asking – the truth.”

“Ofes.” Max whispered.

“Indeed. Taken from the woods, returned to the forest.” Peneil became increasingly irritated, “Blessed by the fake, housed by the unnatural.”

Smoke poured from the God of Death’s body, soiling the dunes. Millions of ghosts appeared again, this time each with sun burns or symptoms of drowning. They screamed again and again Max covered his ears.

“LIES! LIES! LIES! ALL LIE! WHO IS PURE? WHO IS UNTARNISHED?”

The screams continued until the next shift in time - the silent wasteland returned.

“Perhaps I am a liar. A thief in the unspoken. A killer of the many, a monster.” Peneil sat, his awkward body flipping over itself to orient, “Gift or curse? Gift I would say. What do you say, Max?”

Max spoke hesitantly, “Is seeing the dead a curse or gift?” The God nodded, “A question first: Do you see the dead?”

“Yes.”

“A curse then.”

Smoke poured as Death watched the Lost Lord, “Explain.”

“An immortal being forced to watch the dead – teased with the idea of something you cannot have. A sick joke, one that would forever be on my mind if I was in your position.”

Max took a long deep breath as Peneil contemplated. The dunes shifted multiple times before the God spoke. Multiple seizures and multiple soot washings only added to the loneliness of the domain.

“Perhaps.” Peneil laughed – sickly and demented, “A God being lectured by a mere Human. Do you wish to kill me, Max? It would be well appreciated.”

Max froze. What… what was he supposed to do or say in this scenario. He opened his mouth multiple times to talk, but each time he slowly clenched his jaw.

“Evidently no. Can a mortal even kill a God? What would happen to the damned? What would happen to Death? Make a deal with me, Max. Take my place when I die. Become a God, become me.”

A notification appeared,

Peneil, God of Death, has created a binding contract.

Become the God of Death after Peneil’s death.

Upon acceptance, Max will become the Ruler of Death.

Accept? Y/N

Max instantly selected N, “No, Peneil, I can’t become a God. Nor could I become a Ruler. Sorry.”

The God seemed to cry tears of smoke and ash, “Fine. Be gone with you!”

Before he was teleported away, Max saw the dunes shift one more time. Two other beings stood beside Peneil, one made of light. The other a quickly aging man - infant to child to adult to elderly to death, then from bone and dust to infant and repeat.

The black void tunnel surrounded Max a moment later. He calmly thought, What the hell was that?