--- Magus Drexel Marner, Greater Spirit

I try to patch my “leaks” while keeping the annoying Priestess at bay, she is beneath me of course, yet somehow, she called upon Aphrodite’s Divine magic with sufficient strength to protect herself, while my hard-won strength drains away. Most frustrating. I decide I need to release Allene. He could be lost to me but at times you need to lose a pawn to ultimately capture the queen. Aphrodite, the Ruler God shouldn’t yet be able to walk upon the land, an avatar perhaps, not her true physical form. Her Shrine is the explanation, she said as much herself. Foolish to reveal reasons why. I would never do such a thing; it provides your opponent with an advantage.

After much effort, I seal one of my leaks, three more to go. A combination of will, magic and sacrifice, namely of one of the escaping spirits. I attempt a second and no sooner do I make progress and the intricate mana/spirit framework set, a gust of magic destroys my work. Tor.

“Leave well enough alone former God of Revenge. We will be spending a great deal of our existence together and it wouldn’t do to be unfriendly at the outset.”

His eyes run with green blood, his gums bleed. Is that new I wonder?

“My worshippers!” he thought screams.

Well, they are useful as loyal churls, allowing me to throw them at the annoying Priest to keep her busy in Spirit Combat while I tend to myself during Aphrodite’s absence. I guess she made the mess and Thanaron has rightly demanded her assistance to clean it up.

“If you keep resisting me like this, I may decide to polish your Spirit, in plain terms, obliterate your existence. So, behave!”

Globules of spiritual blood splash across my face as he shakes his head in defiance. Perhaps he knows my threat to polish is theoretical? When I consume, I can hasten a Spirit’s loss of self, like a slow drain and capture of their power yet far from what would be required for Thanaron to do his duty. I would imagine, capture, polish on the journey and then release, although that doesn’t make sense as the Spirits delivered to the Spirit Plane by him seemed intact. Maybe he tends to the Souls only, wherever they end up. Could he simply just attend to the separation of Spirit from Soul? Bah, what does it matter …? Tor thought screams again for the hundredth time … maybe I exaggerate but I may need to address his insurrection. One more attempt though before I do.

“My worshippers!” Tor’s head expands until I can see down his throat. Does he have to? “And it is within my nature to seek retribution for past offences.”

I construct the framework over another wound and shortly after, again a gust of magic destroys my efforts. I turn upon my uncooperative ally. There isn’t a chance in the world he can win, yet his resistance is time-consuming, and he knows is his sole form of revenge. The effort costs me as more of his worshippers and the multitude of other spirits I have acquired while reaving through the Spirit Plane flee.

At the end, when his bloody Spirit Combat form is upon its knees, he remains unrepentant. In fact, he smiles. I realise why when I find my Spirit self, empty of others. With none to substitute for me, I am drawn back into Spirit Combat with the Priestess, a shadow of my former powerful self. Relief arrives to break us from our stalemate, her protection too great for me and her attack too weak against me, with the sundering of Aphrodite’s Shrine. My prediction runs true and with some relief, Aphrodite’s presence is no longer amongst us. This seems to have a detrimental effect on my Spirit Combat opponent, as she withdraws, and I don’t pursue valuing my freedom more.

Instead, I search for Allene. Once part of my whole, I tailor my Spirit presence to locate the missing portion, nothing. Either vanquished or possibly in Spirit Combat himself? The first means I am alone, the second means I can dally and perhaps he will return. I blink. An impossible light distracts my thoughts, tempting me away from my purpose. A new urge, which I can’t explain requires me to seek and be as one with this light. I rise against this oneness. I must stay the course of my true will and design – I have plans to complete while vacationing away from the Spirit Plane!

Is this due to my summoner unable to maintain my presence? Once called, the leash now unfurls … No, this is different, I am ascending to the Spirit Plane, and I almost agree. Almost. The light is a lure and any of weak will are destined to succumb. Instead, with what free will I have remaining I reach out to the familiar, Aphrodite’s former Shrine. Once a home, always a home, especially if you prepare an enchantment ahead of time to facilitate such a convenience. I remember my experiment with her Divine Magic and shudder at the risk I took simply to avoid the Spirit Plane and be bound to her Shrine instead. Knowing this worked allowed me to prepare for the same if ever required in the future.

The benefit of caring for a Shrine means you can, without reproach manipulate within your capability. Placing a Spirit Binding Enchantment within the stone construct, a neutral act at worst, a positive act at best improving the “building” rather than rebellious or destructive. The key to this habitation is the conditions evocation during the enchantment, which usually are stated as restrictions or limitations, such as who can or can’t use the enchantment. There are also attack and target conditions which normally excludes those meant to utilise the enchantment, after all no point in letting your enemy anywhere nearby. I reversed that logic so that when I am nearby, I am the enemy and the spells bound to the Enchantment are cast upon the attack condition that I agree. I will occupy my new home until the enchantment is broken, which I assume will be when the stone is destroyed in sufficient quantity by my enemies or myself.

Time to renovate. Obviously, Allene didn’t put his hand to stone, so the task is left to me. I utilise [Dominate Human] to bring the remaining human into my service and cast [Manipulate Stone] upon his hands. This is no lazy day activity and sadly, my demands for haste exhaust and then prove fatal to my servant. The finishing touches are left to me, yet now is not the time. Therefore, for the immediate future, I must be satisfied with a general greyish humanoid shape made from the Shrine’s stone. My sex is still guesswork it seems as I am missing essential external features while the internal ones are of course, unimportant. The critical outcome is that after the shaping of the stone my binding to the former Shrine holds. A fact I was reasonably certain of, yet until you test you don’t know. Not a particularly good time to test, then again, the worst outcome would be my return to the Spirit Plane and another wait.

To improve my lived experience, I need some awareness. The Sorcerer Spells I must cast need to leverage the Sorcerer Skills of [Mediate], [Duration], [Empower] and [Combine], to not only improve the chances of a successful casting but also extend the duration and potency of the spell combination. What makes this possible is the bag of trinkets I left with Allene and then the request I made of my Apprentice to be. To prove himself worthy to be my Apprentice he needed to embed some of the trinkets of importance within Aphrodite’s Shrine using [Manipulate Stone]. Made easier and without suspicion when all three of us were friends of course. One of those trinkets, by design, a Greater Magus Amulet. The Magus Amulet a hand me down to Allene, what can I say I like giving away what is no longer of use to me. I am if nothing else generous.

The combination of Sorcerer Spells required are [Animate Stone], [Form/Set Stone], [Touch Projection], [Sight Projection] and [Hearing Projection]. Draining enough reserves of magic, mainly from the other trinkets, I successfully cast the combination to animate the humanoid statue and project my three senses upon the stone for a week. I smile because I have [Form/Set Stone] active as well, which will enable me to enhance the sculpture when I find a moment to myself. The spell also enhances my control over my lumbering stone self, no point in falling over after I take my first step.

{Shrine Bay Shore Zone is being contested by another, Gateway Dungeon of Arsu. To claim the Zone, you or one of your denizens must defeat the new rival.}

A Dungeon? Nothing surprises me in this world anymore and when I spied upon Allene and Aphrodite as they carried my body into the mountain, I did wonder about their purpose. The explanation plain now, my body and soul were given as tributes to the Dungeon who then became another ally of Aphrodite. Which explains the source of her Spirit Plane soldiers when Questing to become the Ruler God. The pieces are starting to fall into place. When you challenge Aphrodite, you must be wary of all those she has drawn to her.

Which clarifies my failure in part. I blamed Aphrodite’s presence, yet a Dungeon Zone would also complicate matters and something I could only become aware of when in physical form or possibly after the exhaustion of my summoner? Sigh, a question to be answered at another time. The Dungeon must still be an ally, the challenge notification exists because the Dungeon didn’t claim the Zone upon the destruction of Aphrodite’s Shrine. Curious. Will the Dungeon retreat at some point? Do they have such intellect and awareness? I shake my lumbering head to free myself of such abstract and unimportant thoughts and turn my attention to the here and now.

My rough-hewn hulking stone arm curls down to scoop up the Snake Kin Cardinal and the Allene female lookalike Priestess huddled in the lap of and beside a pathetic Frost Giant. He is the only one of them who is conscious and raises his arm to try to fend me off. Such futility! I open my stone mouth wide to laugh, silence. Um, perhaps I need [Voice Projection] in the combination next time. During my moment, a black stone wall solidifies above my prizes. I lurch to one side and reach around. The wall extends. I draw back my stone fist and unleash my strength upon the wall. A shockwave of equal and opposite force flings my grey stone self, backwards. As I slide my new body gouges a ditch in the sand until I come to rest. I prop myself up upon my elbows and slowly shake my head, um unnecessary I realise, simply a normal human reaction. The Dungeon. Once and still an ally of Aphrodite. Loyalty. In my opinion, overrated as they always find a way to disappoint. Allene on the Spirit Plane, Tor now and they expect you to reciprocate, often a distracting and time-consuming payback.

I rock back and forth until I fall over onto my hands and knees. Tedious. Straightening my back, my clumsy arms out for balance I then slowly bend one leg at the knee underneath. Pushing that leg into a standing position I drag the other forward from a kneeling position to a standing position. Such a laborious process to stand. I realise my stone body is like a child, learning, well time for me to be a star performer and learn quickly!

What now? First things first, lament, no fruit like squishing of their bodies to death to extract their Spirits before Thanaron can snatch them. Which means no Priestess or Cardinal for me to toy with using a spirit binding to force them to answer my questions and cast their magic on my behalf. Thinking of these plans destroyed is enough to annoy me … as I needed to determine if Aphrodite could intervene. If not, then the destruction of her sanctified places would begin until my stone body fails me. Petty, I know, yet the thirst for revenge occurs in many forms … I pause, is this a Tor influence I wonder and then dismiss the impossibility. My plan though does have a strategy which is why I am certain Tor’s nature does not affect me. A God’s power comes from worship; disrupt, or restrict that and they should weaken and become vulnerable.

Fortunately, I scan the shoreline one way and then the other and in the other direction I spy another possibility, a potential plaything scampering across the sand in the distance. Another Frost Giant, this one female, yet I sense a touch of divinity within her, and an envious stink also, curious, which attracts me even more. Ah! Convenient of her to glance back. I cast [Blind]. She panics, losing pace while touching her face. Eventually, she drops to her knees. I operate my legs, trying to balance while increasing my pace and realise early I can’t catch her let alone outrun her. She must overcome her shock as she casts something, probably [Dispel Magic], first once and then again, I assume the second time with excess magic to boost the spell after a first failure.

I have the choice of the Magician Spell [Feeblemind] or the Sorcery Spell [Stupefaction], the latter particularly effective against Sorcerers, which she isn’t. So, I cast [Feeblemind]. Still, on her knees, she waits in place and then shakes her head. Resisted, which only makes me want her more. She climbs to her feet, eyes wide as she stumbles into a run. I cast [Web] slightly beyond her feet. She trips as the webs tangle her feet and her lower torso lands in the overspill. Her strength and size are such the delay is momentary, yet every step I take in my grey stone body I grow in confidence, if not speed.

I chase her past a human settlement, uncertain what the guards will make of us. They don’t investigate which is such a pity, maybe I will invite myself in on the way back. My chase continues until, finally, she pauses, hands upon her knees sucking in deep breaths and I slow as the inevitable dawns upon her with each effortless step I take.

I cast [Voice Projection]. Time to discuss our situation.

--- Arnora, Priestess of Zeus POV

The stone thing approaches me still, so I don’t have a choice. Taking a last deep breath, I begin to climb the mountainside while ignoring him. Checking on what it’s doing will only slow me down and distract, endangering me.

While its control over the stone form has improved during the chase, I know this stone being isn’t in its natural body, therefore it is a magical construct of some sort. It displays some intelligence, has spellcasting ability but has yet to utter a word. Given he is learning to walk and run I am hopeful his ability to climb will be non-existent or take many failures to develop before he has any success. That is my only hope. I climb here, because this is where Hrut and I climbed down, and I hope I remember the way.

“Can we chat?”

I need to re-grip a rock crevice such is my shock. Not only did he speak, but his words also sounded as if he is next to me, and I barely manage to prevent myself from falling. Was that his plan? His voice though is male and soft, nothing I would expect from a stone creature … I risk peering down. The thing does not attempt to climb after me, his head doesn’t look up … he stands so still and if I didn’t know any better, I would think him a statue.

His disregard for life is certainly cold …

Working the human to death I didn’t attribute to him at first until I witnessed the crud stone humanoid thing move. The shock broke Zeus’ spell and I grew from human-sized to giant-sized in an instant. My hiding place amongst the dunes therefore no longer adequate and now this.

“Who are you?” I call back.

“There is no need to yell, my hearing and voice sit beside you.” He chuckles. This is him trying to be humorous, yet there is an air of superiority to his voice, please appreciate my power sort of thing. Zeus often speaks the same way I remind myself …

“Who are you?” I ask again as if speaking to someone chatting beside me.

“I admire adaptability.” Is he trying to flatter me, yet I am cautious? “I am looking for a partner and perhaps that could be you?”

I growl. “Who are you?”

Do I imagine a sigh? His voice sounds tired of niceties. “I am Magus Drexel Marner, originally human, then Greater Spirit and as you see me now, a construct of my own making. I sense an aura of Divinity about you, and most encouragingly, not Aphrodite so I wonder if our goals are similar enough to ally?”

I snicker, part to delay, for time to comprehend his words and the other part to try and avoid babbling when I reply. “You are built of and from a Shrine to Aphrodite, how do you expect me to believe you aren’t one of her things?”

Exasperation again in his reply. “My present form has subverted and destroyed her Shrine, so your evaluation is entirely incorrect. Now enough of this, I swear to you I am interested in the downfall of the Goddess Aphrodite, no more and no less and while sooner is better than later there isn’t an expiration date on accomplishing my goal.”

I could almost sense the so there ending to his little rant of big words. For someone who believes he has unlimited time, he doesn’t display such in his speech. Interesting. I would seek counsel with Zeus now if I could, but for now, I will need to rely upon this thing’s need to bring down Aphrodite knowing full well from past observation and our present conversation, he will consider me but a tool in his employ.

--- Ruler Goddess Aphrodite POV

The patience of my Disorder Realm is ending. To create the beacon, the light guide to attract those Spirits freed from Drexel I needed to subvert my Death Realm. Mine is the finality of Death, I deliver death to the living and afterwards abdicate any further concern. I don’t guide and ultimately herd the dead, their Spirits and/or Souls to their proper place after their life is taken. On this absurd occasion, I can only be thankful I have been tested by Spirits alone. I did so because I needed to correct the labour, I imposed upon Thanaron, he is the deliverer and would never be able to complete his task, which would have resulted in many Spirits roaming amongst the living at various levels of sanity or insanity and some possibly powerful enough to act.

“You suffer Goddess?” asks Thanaron.

“I must release this change, which is trying to come upon me. Either that or the nature of my Death Realm will acquire a new emphasis, and you will truly be my servant.”

--- Minor Goddess Fabia POV

At the moment of conception, there is a call to the cosmos, beyond the land of this world, beyond the Spirit Plane. My eyes, clear, sharp, and open to this mysticism due to my Life Realm, follows with intimate interest. I can recognise the source, the spark which infuses life into the new, encouraging the rapid growth within my womb. Sperm and egg the start and upon them my unborn child forms, building block upon building block from the nutrients of my body, yet the initial spark is the summoning and delivery of a Soul.

Now I know and can recognise the source I can look beyond, or more exactly through the Spirit Plane. That is the trick, the obfuscation at loose here. Spirits from the time before Aphrodite’s arrival descended into the land, Nasim, especially, was a witness in fact when Aphrodite established a Temple to Zeus on the shores of the Frozen Lake. Then this changed and they rose. With the Spirit Plane above, the beyond became hidden. Now I see the beyond, now I see the Cosmic Soul Stream straddling this world, encircling, and continuing, I can’t attest to a beginning as my viewpoint doesn’t extend into the cosmos nor can I see an end for the same reason. I am simply aware now this is the source of all Souls, the life spark for the creation of the living.

I study in fascination, piercing the Soul Stream flowing about this world I call home. A revelation. There are other worlds, there must be as the Soul Stream flows to ours and leaves. Where does it go if not to the next world? I need to take several moments to digest this, not too long ago I discovered this world contained another land beyond the great water.

Clearly, many Souls are clean, simply sparks of life, yet with my sight for the living, on rare occasions, I discover certain Souls who are strong enough or simply determined enough to hold on to their Spirit. What would be the result of them being born into a newborn or like I have done into a suitable body? Would they resume their previous life with their knowledge? Is this something deliberate on their part? I wonder what awaits such a Soul traveller.

My mind goes into a moment of torment, what of my child’s Soul? I recall the journey, my child’s chosen Soul appeared clean without blemish or distortion – I paid attention, examined, part motherly concern and I must admit to myself, part self-interest, to learn. Recalling the Soul’s passage through the Spirit Plane there is an intervention, Spirits examined, and rejection occurred until the final acceptance of one. Why? My awareness of this miracle permits examination. My attuned vision searches for other Souls passing through the Spirit Plane, descending to answer the call of another conception and if all proceeds as it should, the birth of a new child into this world. The Spirits try to catch a passing Soul. Some Spirits aren’t clean or polished – where did I hear that term? Yet the Spirit’s condition if polished is appropriate, bright, and shiny to attract while assuring any interested party there weren’t any fragments left, no previous lived life with memories, knowledge, or personality.

I examine several Souls passing through the Spirit Plane, and they seem to have the power, they reject, and the Spirits must try to claim passage. The polished Spirits act on instinct, an attraction to a new Soul, an innocence it seems to me, whereas the not so clean Spirits plot and plan and their attempts seem more deliberate. Do they leverage their remaining sentience? One I note succeeds, so what does that mean? The newborn will have a certain portion or all the Spirit’s residual memories? How confusing for the child. Especially if this results in a faint echo of the past. This would be an inescapable haunting in fact and my heart goes out to any Souls so afflicted.

I am satisfied, yet I sense no great change … until …

{System Error – Use of Realm inappropriate: Ruler Goddess Aphrodite Death Realm modified by Disorder Realm. Seeking to rebalance …}

Oh?

--- Lesser Goddess of Funeral Rites Dilia POV

The calm and orderly passage of Spirits to the Spirit Plane is now chaos. I sense an outrage from most, emotions from the remainder. The difference is due to the awareness level of each Spirit. Several have no memory of their former existence yet retain capability because of what they are. This capability varies of course, from simple storage and regeneration of magic, or retention of magic spells, to the oddity of being able to store spells since they remember none themselves now. In this group, they wish to return to the Spirit Plane, yet with the many around them, they seem lost, as a child in a crowded market and like the child they call out for rescue. They are expressing a grievance; they have been guided once and now flail about in a foreign place and in doing so expend magical energy disrupting the ways of things. Where is Thanaron I wonder?

Then there are those Spirits who retain enough, if not all their precious memories, including personality and devotion to the God they revered in life. These are the most vocal, these are the former worshippers of the God Tor who because of his nature seek to blame and deliver vengeance. While initially overawed by the confusion I sense they now seek to reap benefit from their situation and roam the land for their own purpose. With this motivation they corrupt the more, yet not entirely polished Spirits with the excess magic available and use their magical knowledge to bind the Spirits to the land, twisting their purpose, destructive and hating life. Why has this been allowed?

I see the light!

Aphrodite acts to counter this travesty yet I sense she overreaches to do so. She must. Thanaron is unable to guide the multitudes of Spirits at once. I revel in the exercising of her power; she is able to resolve the aberration, however, and whoever caused such a travesty. I see the Spirits react, recognition dawns upon them and they march as one, gaps being filled in the parade line, upwards. Scores upon scores ascend and as each moment passes, I feel relief and a great deal of sympathy for Thanaron.

Then I read this System message …

{System Error – Use of Realm inappropriate: Ruler Goddess Aphrodite Death Realm modified by Disorder Realm. Seeking to rebalance …}

This puts the blame on Aphrodite ... was she trying to fix her own folly?

{System Error – Solution found: Ruler Goddess Aphrodite’s use of Disorder Realm nullified.}

Oh! The light fades and in the same instant the Spirits flowing to the Spirit Plane start to disperse and given their ascent, they now fall all about the land instead of, for whatever reason prior, being partially bound within their place of origin.

{System Error – Excess number of entities on inappropriate Plane.}

I scoff, nice realisation System. I think you have done messed up on this one! I give off a laugh as I imagine a Dog Kin sergeant swearing off his jowls, spittle flying in every direction. My Priestess glances in my direction. I shrug and she continues to prepare for tonight’s prayers. I should be more appreciative. There is a sense of the odd, my first Temple being established within the capital city of the Tiger Kin. I suspect their efforts to attain self-discovery is the primary reason, so in me, they hope to gain knowledge of transcendence, the passage of the soul and spirit to their final destinations. Or more specifically the soul, which for them is still a mystery and everyone for that matter. Probably a question for Thanaron! I see him do his duty, yet any conversation is prohibited. I suspect his relationship with Aphrodite, is sacrosanct. The reason for this is another mystery.

[Adding Dominion Underworld God: Mythology sufficiently developed. Divine Spark procured from Ruling God under Section 21 Sub-Section B. Solution required due to inappropriate abuse of rights and privileges relating to a God’s Realm or Realms.]

Is the System alive in some sense I ask myself? Aphrodite’s actions, all in a good cause I believe, seems to have earned her a placement in the latrine crew, or would if we were in the glorious Dog Kin army. Oh wait, that means my boss is being created. Which means I could be expelled from Aphrodite’s Pantheon. I take back my jokes …

System? System do you hear me? I apologise oh wise and mighty one!

[Adding Dominion Underworld God: One who personifies this role identified, required to ensure all separate parts of existence are returned to their place – Body to the Land, Spirit to the Spirit Plane and Soul to the Soul Stream. Realms: Fate, Death and Soil. Fox Kin Dilia nominated: Offering role …]

Oh! I could be my own boss? What of my Realms? What of my worshippers? Does this mean you have a sense of humour and have forgiven me System?

[Offering role …]

“Accept.” I will. I try to hold my urine and don’t have a single heartbeat to warn my Priestess.

I am drawn. I would pay more attention to the System except I have a problem of my own! My body of flesh is no more. It doesn’t die and remain behind; it simply ceases to exist. My immediate concern is for my entourage of worshippers – their Goddess in their company one moment and now – not! Is this the rebalance sought by the System?

[Accepted. Granting Divine Spark.]

{System Error – Target invested with a Divine Spark. Target granted the use of Divine Spark as a reward and to maintain consumption of Ruler God’s allocation.}

[Physical body exists.]

{System Error – Emergency solution requires immediate ascension and exercising of responsibility.}

{System Error – Solution found: Physical body extinguished.}

[Spirit exists therefore God will reside on the God Plane. The System has created a Locked-out Underworld addition to the God Plane due to urgency.]

I immediately realise the ramifications – none, not even Aphrodite the Ruling Goddess may enter my territory without my agreeance. The System reminds me of one of the fair, but firm Dog Kin army sergeants we all heard about. The ones who reward and punish in equal measure, equally across the entire unit ... so far Aphrodite is in the crap, and I am on the pedestal. I await my fall …

{System Error – Incompatible Realms in appointed and need to grant Realm activation immediately for the role.}

{System Error – Solution found: Harmony Realm removed from Dominion Underworld Goddess Dilia and granted to Dominion Healing Goddess Fabia to retain Dominion Underworld Goddess Dilia’s Soul capacity. Dominion Underworld Goddess granted Fate Realm, activated due to prior activation of Harmony Realm into existing Soul capacity. Dominion Underworld Goddess Dilia granted Death Realm. Soul capacity expansion and activation granted by harvesting Ruler Goddess’ Death Realm modification under the influence of her Disorder Realm.}

Who knew? The growth of my Soul is a real thing, there is pain, confusion, misunderstanding … I assume in the normal course of events your Soul grows tentatively to accommodate through enlightenment, but System tells me by word and deed we are in an emergency and given the number of Spirits running amuck now I can’t disagree so I must endure.

(Role of Dilia Goddess of the Underworld: Upon Death, the Body will return to the Land, the Spirit to the Spirit Plane and the Soul to the Soul Stream. All parts are to be purified for re-birth. Any exceptions to be extinguished and then treated. The Immortal Thanaron is now in your absolute service.)

I am certain the system snickered after announcing Thanaron’s assignment to me. More evidence the System is alive somehow and Aphrodite is really in the doghouse? Pettiness?

{System Announcement – Boon granted to Underworld Goddess: Spirits are able to “See the Light” to return to the Spirit Plane.}

If that isn’t a hint, I don’t know what is and even though my Soul is growing to accommodate my additional Realm I gather the magic I have and recreate Aphrodite’s “Beacon of Light”.

As a test, I shout out to my servant. “Thanaron!”

“Yes, Mistress, I hear and obey.”

His cloaked visage appears before me. His reply contains no trace of desperation or concern …

“What is the state of the Spirits?” My voice now has a tangible confidence I didn’t know I had. Time amongst those suffering from the pain of loss, ensuring their loved ones will ascend into the Spirit Plane perhaps providing the character building I required, along with confidence. More likely though from the Death Realm expanding my Soul and the addition of the Fate Realm. After all, existence is a circle, life ends in death, and I need to ensure Spirit and Soul are “polished” for re-use without exception and all who once lived will be fated to visit me eventually.

“The Light will guide them, Mistress, I will still have a task gathering up the more wilful or confused strays. In between times, I need to return the Spirits of worshippers to their respective Gods.”

I wave my hand. “We will have none of that.” They can look out for their own, so I decide to share my boon.

{System Announcement – Dominion Underworld Goddess Dilia grants the Gods of Aphrodite’s Patheon the power to create a “Beacon of Light” upon their ascension to the God Plane to guide their worshippers’ Spirits to their place on the God Plane.}

Smiling to myself I feel the smug satisfaction feedback from the System afterwards and realise why. The return of their followers means the Gods are responsible but doesn’t dismiss Aphrodite’s lapse; Realm manipulation, as she tried to lure followers and non-followers alike to the Spirit Plane instead of her followers only to her God Plane. This of course dismisses the need for an immediate solution to the crisis by her, although I do wonder what the System would have done if she didn’t act. In any event, my generosity vindicates the System’s judgement … and the reasons for Aphrodite’s punishment, if, of course, the System required my humble endorsement, and I am certain it doesn’t, of its superior evaluation and adjudication.

“Thank you, Goddess,” says my servant.

A bow and I sense the tone of his haunting fragile voice holds some begrudging respect. Perhaps Aphrodite took an interest in the care of the living after death, and he got by on that. Now he sees the difference in me as this is my sole purpose and I mean to put this responsibility I have acquired to order. Call it Dog Kin army dogma finally sinking into my foxy head, but whatever, this is how I will rule my Dominion.

“You will clean up the wilful from the current event and then you will find any who have hidden and who transgress, those who are inconsistent with the proper placement of things. There will be no exceptions. If you lack the power to enforce my will.” My head leans forward until we are in each other’s face, solid black eyes to wispy shadow eyes. “Return to me. In the moments of our conversation, while my worshippers have adapted and continue to empower me, those who die and their body, spirit and soul return to their correct places also feed me a modicum of power. Understand this as a small tithe for service rendered and encouragement for me to continue the practice. The Soul Stream is particularly generous.”

There is no outward physical sign of appreciation, yet we are bound now, mistress to servant and within that link, I sense he is keen to be on his way …

I nod and he is gone from my physical sight. I laugh loud and long as I realise, even each of the God’s followers when they return to their God pays me their tithe. I assume because my boon enables their return, which means I get to collect.

I also think a change of name is required. The Spirit Plane was once below the land and the Souls Stream high above. Now, Spirit Plane and Souls Stream are hand in glove so to speak so I see no need to be called Goddess of the Underworld.