Until death?

by Andur

  Another soldier drops his weapons and runs up to the chest while shielding his eyes. He closes the chest and then lifts his hands. “I am not insane! Don't shoot.” Hoh, it seems like they are really good trained people who have something between their heads! Good job Drem!

  While I stand up again, healers come into the dome to tend to the wounded. I walk up to the altar, while I take a close look at the summoning circle under my feet and then at the altar itself.

  “So that's the seed of the problem.” Celes takes a look at the chest, picking it up and shakes it …... very scientific! “Seems like nothing is in there.”

  Arthur comes up to us, while dragging the sobbing Odlef behind him. “It looks like that's the -message- from this Tjenemit. Is is really possible to drive someone insane just by looking into a glowing box?”

  Nicosar is behind Arthur and takes the box out of Celes's hands and sets it very carefully back on the altar. “You just witnessed what happened to the soldier. Why are you doubting what you just saw with your own eyes.”

  I walk in a circle around the altar, then I take out a knife and start to cut some of the finer connections of the glowing metal. Insane box or not, we have to stop the summoning.

  “How does it look Angrod?” -Celes

  I continue to cut some other connections and then I look around the big circle.

  “Bad.”

  Suddenly Odlef pulls a knife out of his clothes and cuts his wrist. Before I can stop him he sprays the blood over the floor.

  The altar starts to pulse and Odlef begins to scream. “The god is coming! The god is coming to cleanse this world!”

  I kick the altar, chipping off a piece of it and glows up angrily, giving off a buzzing sound.

  “Wow! Don't do that again!” -Arthur

  I shrug my shoulders. “I seems that produces at least a reaction!”

  I kick the altar with my full strength. The damned thing splits apart but the circle keeps pulsing with a white light.

  Shit! If I just had time to take a closer look at this.

  Suddenly reality seems do distort and a shock-wave blasts us out of the circle. People are thrown left and right while I try to steady myself.

  “Well, well. Look at this. Who would have thought that Seria was able to drag a whole world into her void zone.”

  I look up and see a white glowing figure at the centre of the circle. Odlef actually got free from his shackles and is crawling towards Tjenemit. “God! Heal me! Punish the heretics!”

  “You are annoying, whoever you are.” He waves his hand at Odlef and the poor idiot is blown away like an insect. He strikes the wall of the dome and is smeared flat like a fly.

  “This blocks my view.” The dome blasts apart like a tent, struck by a strong wind and Tjenemit lifts a few feet into the air while turning in a circle.

  Someone grabs me and pulls me to my feet. It's Arthur. “What can we do? Is that the real power of a god?”

  I look around and find Celes a few feet beside me. “We take cover and hope that he doesn't step on us.”

  At that moment a ray of energy hits Tjenemit, but it's doing nothing to him. No! Idiots! Don't shoot at the god! The people on my flying fortress have taken action.

  “Hahahaha! You guys are funny!”

  Tjenemit lifts his hand and flicks a finger at my flying fortress. It bends, breaking apart at two thirds of its length. No! Damn! It took me years to build that thing!

  The parts fall to the earth while they burn. Impacting with and impressive blast of energy.

  “Evacuate everyone, give order to retreat and don't look back!” -Me

  Celes has gotten to her feet too and I grab her shoulder. “We run!”

  Suddenly the space behind Tjenemit distorts and Seria appears. She stabs her hand into his back and everyone has to cover his ears at the unfolding scream.

  “AAAAAARRGHH!”

  Tjenemit turns around and strikes at Seria. After a few blows between them, Seria is struck out of the sky while a mountain behind her is blown apart. The resulting shock-waves lay waste to the city and blow everyone away.

  Damn!

  While I can barely hold myself upright at the fragment of the dome, I act on reflex and teleport to Seria, grabbing her body and teleport again. “Great! Was that your plan!? Backstabbing a Council member and hoping for the best? That was the worst fight I have ever seen.”

  Seria looks up to me and smiles while she coughs up blood. “No. But it would have been funny if it worked.” A horrifying wound spans across her chest. This doesn't look good.

  Tjenemit appears above us. I guess there is no running from a god.

  “Look who we have here. If it isn't Ascathon. If I remember right you should suffer horrible inside this void. But you look perfectly fine to me. Hmmm. I think this will be proof enough. I will have to find Myrm too.”

  He points a finger towards me and a small ray of white light stabs through my throat.

  I go to my knees and gurgle up blood. It HURTS! “Hgr ee aall!” Heal! Damn!

  “Don't bother. That spell cancels every healing a mortal would be capable of. I guess I will go to work and lay waste to this world. When I have dealt with all those runaways, their souls should be really caught inside this void. And if there are no bodies which could house a soul, there are no problems with the reincarnation issue. I guess I don't have to bother with you two any further.”

  Tjenemit turns around and flies off. Destroying everything in his path.

  I crumble to the ground while the lack of oxygen robs my consciousness. Seria crawls towards me and grabs my hand.

  “I am sorry Johann. I guess.....”

  But I can't her words any more, as I drift off into the darkness.

  53 - Who you really are?

  „Uuuhhh....“ My head hurts! I try to move, but something heavy is on me. It's dark. I concentrate and redirect the flow of mana within me.

  I wait until the mana in my body circulates in the correct pattern again. It's quite a difficult process to sort this out again after everything got messed up.

  Then I force myself to move, lifting the heavy stones which are burying me. Haaa! This hurts! I concentrate some of my mana to the ring, which Angrod gave me. “Heal!”

  After a short burst of power I am free. The City is in ruins! Far away, I can see the smoke of a big fire. That must be where Angrod's fortress fell from the sky.

  The dome is completely gone!

  “Hello! Anyone?” I turn around, but nobody is here. A few bodies are here and there, but after I check on them I find out that they are long gone. I have to find Angrod. “Track: Angrod!” At my command one of the spells in my ring activates.

  It's convenient to being able to cast at least basic magic. A small bubble of light appears in front of me as I feel a portion of my mana disappear. Then it shoots off into a direction to my left and I follow it.

  The bubble leads me in straight line over the wreckage of the wasted city. It looks like a tornado leveled everything.

  After five minutes I arrive at the crumbled wall of a building. Seria is leaning with her back towards it and I see Angrod on the ground besides her.

  A few more steps take me to Angrod's side. He is lying on his belly. I turn him around and see that something stabbed into his throat. No... I feel his pulse but there is nothing. I feel tears on my cheeks while I try to give him first aid.

  But the healing of my ring doesn't work! Why! What's this devilry! I hit at his chest in an attempt to start his heart again, but it doesn't work.

  NONONO.

  “I am sorry....” Seria looks at me with a ghastly wound on her chest. “Seems like this could have gone smoother Sandra.”

  “What could have gone smoother!” I scream at Seria and hit the wall beside her head, pulverizing it.

  “He is dead! I lost him again!” I shake the stupid bitch, but then I feel her mana through her skin as her guard is completely down.

  “That … can't be! Sofie?” I am
shaking what's this!

  “Hi, mom! Have you and dad made up?” She smiles at me and I slap her. “Explain this!”

  “While you two lived as Johann and Sandra, I took a little vacation from being a god and reincarnated to live a mortal live again out of curiosity. I liked it very much, so I kept track of you two from then on, hoping to get you back together, but it never worked out.” -Seria

  “Hoow.... what's this stupid game of yours!” I howl while I shake her but somehow I feel that she is telling the truth. I would always recognize my children's mana.

  “Kill me mom. If you do, you can get father back.” Seria grabs my hands, begging for something unimaginable.

  “A.... Are you crazy? I just learned who you are and you beg me to kill you!? And how should that get Angrod back. HE IS DEAD!” My hands form fists while my vision gets blurry. Who knows if he will keep his memories after death.

  “He is still here. I bound his soul to his body. This is planned far longer than you can imagine. I collected the souls of gods for an eternity. Everyone in this world is like you two, you would have found out if you ever had bothered to check.

  I stole the world which you two destroyed and rebuild it. This is inside the void zone, the time flows differently here. A year in here is a mere second to the rest of the universe.

  It took me quite some time to get a working ecosystem running. I should have listened better when you taught me biology back then. I guess just taking random parts of other worlds is a really stupid approach on this.

  But you two are the only ones who kept all their memories. When I saved the others from the Council, I split their souls and sealed their memories and divinity inside my own soul.

  I had feared that they would try to escape this world otherwise. Once I die, everyone will get their powers back. My soul will be torn to pieces though. I think. Maybe dad could have saved me but he is indisposed at the moment.

  I tried to get myself killed by Tjenemit, but the bastard is too stupid to finish the job. So you have to do it. The faster I die, the sooner you can start to fight back!”

  Seria clings to me with tears in her eyes.

  “I was always too afraid of this part of my plan. But it has to be done. Please!”

  “I... I can't..” I hug my daughter.

  “Do it now! I have put so much effort into this world. I don't want to see it destroyed. A world just for the gods. I am already on the ground anyway. Even if I survive, Tjenemit will come back and finish the job after he is done with this world!”

  I grab her head with shaking hands. “I hate you for this!” And with a sudden jerk I snap her neck. She offers no resistance.

  While I hug the lifeless body of my daughter, it disperses into countless shimmering marbles of different colours while a pillar of light rises to the sky. They disperse like a giant storm of energy, passing through solid matter like it isn't there.

  Somehow I feel …... empty.

  But a fiery red marble stays in front of me. It feels like some lost part of me and I grab it without thinking. I feel something entering my body and suddenly a glowing ghostly smiling image of Seria is in front of me.

  HI! This is something like an automatic message to everyone on this world!

  I am your one and only goddess Seria!

  A long time ago I saved everyone on this world. Even though you don't remember it right now. A long time ago, everyone of you was a god. But because of certain circumstances you will soon remember. The rulers of the multiverse had something against you for one reason or the other. You will remember it more or less pretty soon anyway.

  When I saved you from them, I asked everyone of you to help me once in exchange. I would be fine with it if you did whatever you wanted to do afterwards. But I hope you will be fine with keeping an eye on this world, I made it for all of you.

  So grab the marble in front of you and take everything back which once belonged to you. I am sorry about your memories, they will be a little blurry or feel not like your own after such a long time.

  But if you look out for your king and queen it should be fine. They still remember everything of their past life as gods. They should be able to guide you.

  As for my wish. You will understand once you remember. It is easy! May you be peasant or noble, soldier or king.

  Please crush the Council!

  And if it isn't too much I would be happy if you would be able to live in peace together afterwards. On this world for living gods! Create a new order of living gods! Be better than the Council!

  I guess that's everything I wanted to ask of you. I sacrificed much for this little speech, so I will have to say goodbye to everyone now.

  That's goodbye from your one and only goddess!

  Seria strikes a strange pose and throws an erotic kiss at me while the projection fades away. Stupid daughter! What did I do wrong with her education....

  Someone grabs my shoulder and I turn around to look into Angrod's face. “I had a weird dream..... can you tell me why we are gods again.”

  I throw myself at him. The tears won't stop. “I thought I had lost you again. But we will be together forever from now on!”

  “Hahaha....... I guess...... together...... forever.....”

  54 - Where it all starts anew?

  “So Seria is Sofie!” I am shocked! If Celes's story is true.... I looked at my daughters ass and had perverted thoughts about her! Urgh!

  And she died to make us gods again? Hasn't she learned anything about soul-magic while I taught her? What did I teach her for twenty years if she just goes off and dies like that. Oh, I will give her hell if I ever manage to piece her together with her memories intact.

  Actually that's a point I am a little worried about. Loosing all your memories isn't much different from dying. The soul is immortal and all that stuff isn't really helpful. Who cares if your memories are gone?

  Getting your soul injured or dying is really scary in that regard. Think about it. You die once and you may forget the name of a loved one. The second time you may forget an important event and you ask yourself why you ever loved that person and live a live without ever thinking much about him or her. The Third time the person is completely forgotten.

  On that hand... I messed up Celes's soul pretty heavily once... she surely has some black holes in her memories from that. Even more amazing that she still clung to the memories about our life as Johann and Sandra.

  …... I should remember to never talk to her about it. If she realizes it she will give me hell for real.

  So Seria was our daughter Sofie all that time..... I never had any suspicions about her. Snake! She is a lying double tongued snake! To keep that act up for a whole lifetime is really commendable. And that's not meant in a good sense.

  “So what should we do about this?” Celes points towards some pretty awesome explosions on the horizon.

  “Seems like some people took Seria's wish to heart and are already bashing up Tjenemit. They will have problems though.... they just got their powers back and their memories of their past lifes should be pretty bad. Reintegrating old memories into a complete personality is pretty troublesome. Even more so if the owner developed a completely different personality from his old one. Tjenemit has an eternity of experience and who knows how much power.” I grumble while I analyse the situation.

  “But if this is really our old world ….” It should still be there. For a second I concentrate and search for a familiar place. Deep down in the planet. “Go and distract Tjenemit for a few minutes. I will be right back.”