A/N: Originally, the plan was for this chapter to completely explain the reincarnation process, and set us on our journey! Then, I realized that I wasn't even halfway through what I wanted to do and I had already written as much as a normal chapter so I decided to split it up. I know all of you are excited to find out what's going to happen, it's coming... next chapter. Promise!

Chapter Ten - The Council

After the Demon-Slug episode, I was finally allowed to escape from the clutches of the cycle of reincarnation. And so, here I am back at a familiar courthouse trying desperately to avoid looking at the signs. I just knew that the moment I did, a certain dwarf’s voice would echo in my head telling me to come to the top of the special courthouse.

That was when I heard it, a certain jolly dwarf’s booming laughter came echoing through the courtyard, “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA”.

“Ahhh, I haven’t felt that good in so long! I can’t remember the last time I stuck someone in a reincarnation loop like that! AHAHAHAHAHAH”

‘Well at least he’s happy.’ I thought to myself, trying to ignore the sound of his voice getting closer and closer to me. ‘Think blob, I am a blob of elemental goo waiting to be reincarnated….’

*Slap*

A hand full of divine power slammed down on my shoulder as I still refused to look behind me, “Ahh come on Nick, stop pouting. I know you had fun too! How could you not? Nicholas Freeney; The Demon-Slug Overlord of Doom! AHAHAHAHAHAHA”

At this point, I couldn’t help but smile a bit as his laughter kept echoing through the courtyard, the damned dwarf was infectious. Though, I felt kind of bad about using the dragons again. It hit a bit too close to home. I guess that a slug’s ability to reason was just enough to use my old memories of using Melinda to destroy kingdoms, but not enough to feel guilty about it. The rest of it though, it had felt great to do something different. I had lived life for so long, always doing the same things, never interacting with others. I have to admit, of all the forms of punishment I could think of, making me reincarnate as a random animal/demon for a few years wasn’t bad at all.

“Alright” I said, turning to face him, “So, what’s the plan now?”

“Well, I would’ve left you there to reincarnate for a little while longer, but we finally figured out a way for you to be reborn! The only problem is that your role in the process has to be approved by the council, so we need to make an appearance.”

Before I could even ask him what the council is, he had whisked me away. Opening another one of his damned portals, we appeared in a well-lit circular room with twelve seats. Eleven of them arrayed in a semi-circle, with a twelfth, much larger seat, looming above behind them. There were 10 people, all emanating that same terrifying aura that I still felt from Yama, and he left my side walking to the chair to the furthest on the right. Leaving me there to stand alone, with absolutely no clue what was going on!

“So, you’re finally done playing with my son Yama?” Asked the one in the middle, as thunder clashed outside and lightning seemed to leap from his eyes.

“Our son you mean!” Interjected the one to his left, she glared a Yama just as fiercely as the man. A golden, white fire flashing in the depths of her eyes.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.” Said Yama, not nearly as boisterous as usual.

“Now, Now" said the person to the far left, "We all agreed to let him punish Nick a bit. He did hundreds of seeds of life after all.”

“Harumph” Said the woman, crossing her hands over her chest, not agreeing to the argument.

His boisterousness back, Yama started laughing again, no longer trying to feign ignorance, “AHAHAHAHAHA, It’s not like he didn’t enjoy his vacation. He needed to blow off some steam after all that time floating around by himself.”

“Now, now” came another voice, the twelfth chair suddenly filled by a young-man. The eleven others all gasped, turning to face the man.

“Father!” They all cried out in unison.

“Why have you come?” Asked the voice of the third from the right, a giant with one eye whose voice seemed to cause the earth to rumble.

“What? You didn’t miss me?”

“No, No... I mean Yes, we did!” replied the man quickly, “We just haven’t seen you in nearly a million years.”

“Has it been that long? Time flies when you’re playing around with the help…”

“You mean you spent the last million years ignoring us to sleep with the maids?!?!?!” Asked the woman who seemed to think she was my mother.

“Well, whats a god to do when he’s bored?”

*Silence* ….. The chirping of grasshoppers in the distance …..

“Umm, what am I doing here?” I asked.

As if I had broken a spell, all eleven of these insanely powerful deities started berating their father.

“Is that anyway to act?” Grumbled the the hulking giant

“Way to go Dad!” Shouted out Yama… of course he probably spent the last few thousand years doing the same.

Lightning flashed and thunder crashed as the one in the middle shouted, “What will the other realms think? The council of creators will strip your power!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“Silence!” Shouted the twelfth man, the entire realm shook at the power of his voice. My soul nearly dispersing just from the force. As the echoing rumbles quieted down, and my soul slowly recovered, “The council wouldn’t dare! They exist at my sufferance, now stop bickering and introduce yourselves you’re completely forgetting why we gathered today!”

Grumbling to themselves, they all turned to look at me again. I was starting to feel kind of nervous; wondering what I did so horribly wrong that caused someone like this to show up!

“Knowing Yama, you know nothing right?” Asked the Loli who was sitting on the far left. She seemed to be wearing a school-girls outfit and was perhaps a 4 feet tall with long, dark blue hair.

I nodded, wondering what a god was doing dressed up like that, “All I know is this is something called the council, and you’ve figured out a way for me to be reborn?”

A snorting sound resounded around the room as everyone glanced at Yama… With a wry smile on her face, the loli chuckled, “Well, yes. He’s always been too busy playing around with his toys to bother to explain anything.” The wry smile on her face widened as she continued. “My name is Fate… You know, the one you defied all those years ago. I always get excited when a new mortal defy’s me, without it life would be so boring!”

*Cough*

We all turned to the twelfth man, who was hiding a smile and laughing while trying to convince us he was really coughing.

“Anyway,” she went on, pouting cutely and pointing to the person sitting next to her, “This is my sister Shiva, Destroyer of Worlds and Ruler of Hell.” She pointed to the woman sitting comfortably next to her wearing a dark blue business suit and looking down at me interestedly. For some reason, I got an image of her in leather with a whip in one hand and Yama squirming under her feet.

‘No wonder he calls her the bitch downstairs’ I thought to myself as the scene continued to roll on…

“Stop that Shiva!” Squealed the loli, smacking her sister’s head. Shaking my head to clear it, I realized that I had been put under a trance and the dominatrix was whispering to herself. Her lip movements seemed eerily close to “Bitch Downstairs”, and judging from her glance at Yama I think he’s in for some fun later.

“Going in order, we have Brother Camazotz, Overlord of Darkness, Brother Leviathan, Overlord of Water, Sister Solaris; the Divine Phoenix and Overlord of Fire, Brother Raiju, Overlord of Lightning, Brother Gabriel, Divine Angel and Overlord of Light, Sister Tempest, Overlord of Wind, Brother Cyclops, Overlord of Earth, Brother Michael, Divine Angel and Ruler of Heaven, and Yama, the judge.”

“Finally,” She waved at the man in the tallest chair, “there’s father, the Creator, Ruler of All, Overlord of Time.”