The final step betwixt and between to return to Talahm required our passage through a space-time singularity, the membrane that separated each universe. The reason black holes existed was for this type of passage. There would have been no need without the Atlanteans, but transitioning their actual bodies from one universe to another required something more.

Even in stasis, the [Laws] that separated one universe from another required traversing an event horizon, a metaphysical white hole that existed for the briefest of micro-second. A phenomenon that was mathematically possible but only existed in reality when a celestial entity on the level of Gwyn ap Nudd exerted their Will to make it so. Or when the rules of reality were warped around, like what happened near black holes or dungeon excursions.

We had barely breached the horizon when I was a flood of System messages.

[System Message Universal] [The Tuatha de Danann have woken. All conditions have been met to release them from their [Geas]. They [Sleep] no more, and their Pantheon is restored to full functionality.]

[System Message Universal] [Agreements and treaties the [Conclave of Pantheons] have signed with the Tuatha de Danann will be enforced. Any attempt to extort, blackmail, or supersede the agreements signed between all Pantheons will result in System Sanctions.]

[System Message Universal] [Every Pantheon that forced the Tuatha de Danann to agree to [Sleep] have, by their signatures to the agreement brokered by the Tuatha de Danann, have forfeited the Experience they would have gained if they had not entered [Sleep]. Every God from each Pantheon will pay the cost in Experience with the loss of one [Rank]. That Experience to be rewarded to the Tuatha de Danann evenly]

[System Message Universal] [The Tuatha de Danann are immune to the [Sleep].]

[System Message Personal] [For completing the Quest [Wake the Sleeping Gods ], you have been awarded a fraction of the Experience gained from the penalties applied to those Pantheons that forced the Tuatha de Danann into [Sleep].]

[System Message Personal] [The Yeti, Teigh-fey, Elves, Dwarves, Beastkin, and Vampires recruited or created on Urd have been placed in Sitherns across the multi-verse. The Sidhe will treat them the same as any other species of Sidhe. Each species will gain Sidhe’s strengths and weaknesses.]

[System Message Personal] [The Yeti, Teigh-fey, Beastkin, and Vampires have accepted you as their Patron God. They have received your [Blessing] and gained a bonus to [Illusion and Glamour.]

[System Message Personal ] [A God cannot serve as [Rank: King ]. The following changes have been made to Tuatha de Danann’s Faction leadership - Ailis Wynne has been given a small amount of the Experience gained from penalties assigned to those Pantheons that forced the Tuatha de Danann into [Sleep]. She has been promoted to [Rank: Queen] and has gained the position of [Head of the Tuatha de Danann Faction]. Ryu was successful in claiming Planet Ijal and initiating a System upgrade. The Tuatha de Danann Faction has claimed planet Ijal. Ryu has been promoted to [Rank: Lord] and Planetary Sovereign of planet Ijal.]

[System Message Universal] [The Tuatha de Danann Pantheon expands. Teigh, God of [Illusion and Glamour], has reached [Rank SS] and taken his place amongst their Pantheon.]

[System Message Sidhe] [System upgrade complete, changes to System complied into System Notes for System Patch 2.0]

[System Patch Notes]

[Guilds, Parties, Clans, Factions, and Family members can now form chat groups that allow for text messaging between members irrespective of location.]

[Changes to Skills, Spells, and Attributes have been upgraded. Instead of a numerical number, each section will now be expressed with a power ranking that scales from E to SSS]

[Experience is now held in a pool of potential, and each person can decide how they want to spend that Experience. Experience can be used to increase the scale of attributes, skills, spells, and levels.]

[Experience and bonuses to experience can now be claimed by crafting. Rare and unique items that are created and submitted to the System for an appraisal can generate increased Experience (note: the item submitted for appraisal becomes the property of the System and can be used as rewards for those that complete quests).]

[Inventory as a skill has been implemented. Individuals with spatial devices can link those items into the System Inventory for sorting, categorizing, and banking.]

[A dungeon portal network has been initiated. Individuals are given an option at every dungeon stone to sort dungeons by type and difficulty. Any dungeon connected to this network can be assessed and delved from any location by any individual willing to take the risk (note: the System warns each individual that dungeons come with dangers; you risk your life, gear, or loot during every delve. The System indemnifies itself against any claims for negligence, malfeasance, or unexpected occurrences that may take place during a dungeon dive, dungeon break, or dungeon collapse.)]

[Titles can now be earned and equipped. Each Guild, Clan, Faction, and Family can create a title that will be displayed when an individual is appraised or inspected.]

[Appraisal and Identify are now System Skills and become more powerful with Experience.]

[New claims to a planet must now be purchased using an auction and bidding system. Each Pantheon has been assigned a number of beginning tokens. Every token is equal to a planet that has been claimed and settled. Auctions require Pantheons to spend these tokens to claim upcoming discoveries. (Note: Claiming a planet no longer requires a dungeon to be captured to legitimize ownership. Tokens cannot be traded, sold, gifted, or lost.) (Note: for those that have claimed planets, tokens have been reduced by the number of planets claimed.)]

[Universal Auction House now exists. System users from any world can sell and buy items from anywhere within the System using hubs that will be placed in every community. Transport costs for items purchased are the responsibility of the buyer.

Once I’d finished reading the System message, I expanded my [Will] using my ability as a God to travel betwixt and between. My Divine Essence allowed me to ignore space and distance and move to the Senate of Gods. I knew that most of the awake Tuatha de Danann Gods were familiarizing themselves with the changes on Talahm and other worlds where Sidhe existed.

A part of my Divine Will was expanding across the multi-verse and familiarizing myself as well, but I had a more immediate issue to deal with. Athena and Loki would know I had returned and what I had done. Thankfully, my ability to spread my awareness across the multi-verse allowed me to multitask easily. So, I could concentrate on expanding my [Authority] and distributing my [Domain] and still focus the lion’s share of my attention on them.

I was sure that both Gods would be furious that I had found a way to circumvent the particulars of the Quest we had agreed on. Loki would be especially furious because he was known as the trickster God, and for him to have been tricked would diminish his [Authority]. [Authority] that I would siphon.

There was nothing they could do about it. I had fulfilled my obligations under the terms of the Quest, and the System had rewarded my actions.

It was time for them to fulfill theirs.

They had agreed to usurp the position enjoyed by Zeus and Odin, to claim their thrones, and I would make sure they spent Eternity trying until they succeeded. There would be no wiggle room for them to delay or refuse the terms they had agreed to. Not without the System implementing sanctions.

Sanctions that might include the sacrifice of their ranking. Athena might survive as a mortal. She might even reclaim her Godhood. But Loki was too reviled not to be the target of the multitude of people he had schemed against.

It was possible the System would consider the effort they put into an attack and reduce whatever sanctions might be leveled if they gave it their all and still lost. Without Zeus’s [Thunderbolt] and Odin’s [Eye], I saw little chance for their success.

And I didn’t care. They had promised to capture those thrones, and I would see their [Oath] kept.