by Andur
Behind us I notice a crowd of people growing bigger and bigger. It seems the spectacle alarmed the whole town.
Well it is okay. Witness the might of your king! The king of all gods! "Mwahaha!"
-Daddy? You do realize........ This thing just literally rose from hell! Are you sure we aren't demons!?-
“...”
Maybe I should wipe your mind after all.
56 - Interlude - The Sphere of Sight!
“And you are sure that you know nothing of Seria? You had the most contact with her Lada.” El Shaddai is walking down a long corridor with me.
“No? The last time I saw her, she suddenly had something urgent to do and ran off? I never saw her since.” I answer truthfully to El Shaddai.
He nods and we walk in silence until we arrive at a room with a spinning sphere made of crystal in the centre. Amaru is also there. He wears plain clothing and looks more like a university professor. He is polishing his monocle at the moment, which he just does if he encountered a problem.
At our entrance he turns towards us. “Good you are here! Tjenemit disappeared!”
“What do you mean …. he disappeared!?” El Shaddai has a dangerous tone in his voice while he interrogates Amaru.
I purse my lips and listen to the evolving conversation.
“Like I said. I can't find him with my Sphere of Sight any more. It's like he is..... gone?” Amaru throws his hands into the air. It's rare to see him like that.
“And Seria?” -El Shaddai
“I can't find her either. The last thing I know is that both of them went into the void, but no one came out again. Then there was this.... reaction.” Amaru ponders over the spinning bubble of crystal. It's one of his greatest creations.
It's the Sphere of Sight and it is the basis of the Council's power. With it we are able to track the awakening of each god and search for everyone, we want to find. It is the ultimate spying device.
Unfortunately.... or fortunately Seria's void zone is a black spot on the map. Even for Amaru.
“What reaction?” -El Shaddai
“You see. Shortly after Tjenemit entered the void, there was a burst of power. Like hundreds of millions of gods awakened at the same time. It has to be an error in the system.” Amaru shakes his head.
El Shaddai shakes his head.
“Nooo.... The Sphere worked without problems for an eternity. Why should it suddenly fail us for no apparent reason? Tjenemit was right. Seria really had all those gods hidden away from us. She is responsible for the disappearances. Though she had apparently collected much more followers than we ever imagined. We have to prepare ourselves.” El Shaddai scratches his cheek while he looks absent minded into the sphere.
“Shouldn't we wait until Tjenemit comes back and reports the situation to us?” Amaru asks with a hopeful voice.
“Bwahaha!” El Shaddai bursts into laughter. “Tjenemit wont come back! Your device worked perfectly fine. He went alone into the void and somehow caused the awakening of Seria's followers. Then they dealt with him, one way or the other.”
Amaru gets a little concerned. “But he is a Council member! Surely he wouldn't...”
“Could you win against a million gods? Even if they would be weak and just became gods? You would never have a chance against millions of them! And you said the reaction was big enough for hundreds of millions of them!” -El Shaddai
I look into the floor while I think about it. So I was right. Seria really had that mighty force up her sleeve.
“What do you think Lada? Still of the opinion that it would have been better to talk?” El Shaddai smirks at me.
“Like you said. Tjenemit went there and started it. Now there are who knows how many gods from the leash and we have no way to control them. We can't enter the void and apparently they can't leave it. Otherwise they would be already knocking on our door. So you tell me if talking about the situation with Seria could have evolved into a worse scenario.” I smile at El Shaddai with a small feeling of superiority.
But he doesn't answer and leaves the room..... probably to gather an army.
Amaru has finished polishing his monocle and puts it back on again. “This surely forebodes hard times. I see war on the horizon.”
I raise an eyebrow. Obviously he had the same thought as me. “What do you think would happen if it's true?”
He shrugs his shoulders while he watches the Sphere. “We control the whole multiverse. The number of gods we have under our command isn't small and amounts to the population of several worlds. But we have the control just because everyone is embedded in the system. What if they suddenly realize that there are sides to choose?”
After a second of silence he continues. “If we manage to crush those rebels fast, we may be able to keep the control. But every day of fighting without defeating them will give our followers more time to realize that they could just turn around and stab into the other direction. It solely depends on what this new power will represent.”
He turns to me and looks straight into my eyes. “Either way, it surely will be a troublesome time.” Slowly he fades away and vanishes.
I sigh while I look into the sphere and contemplate about the future and my role in it.
57 - Sorting out the mess?
I am in my new palace, sitting on my throne. Aengus is riding on my lap while I am dealing with various matters of state.
Before me is a multitude of representatives who are unhappy with the new order of things in this world. After the whole issue with the new memories and godhood, we are finally back on track again.
It was clear that the old order of things was completely overthrown. Gods can take care of themselves. So why should the serfs and workers continue to crawl under the nobles feet.
I introduced a guild system, for the lack of a better solution. What else can you do with a population of beings that powerful?
Every guild has to order its internal affairs and hierarchy by itself. Currently we have guilds for war, nature, arts, technology and construction. They all have to answer to me. If a guild needs or wants something, it has to trade with the others through the provision of a service. By working for a guild you can gain points which you can spend on various luxury items.
It will surely get adjusted in the future, but for the time being we are going with this. Of course most noble houses are now in the first line for the different guilds leadership.
Of course we had to create a new currency system. It's pretty problematic if everyone can just wander off and collect some valuable minerals like gold or diamonds. On the other hand many things like cars or air-planes completely lost their value.
Those people before me don't belong to any of the current established organisations. They just entered the room and started to complain about various stuff. Like not being able to have a proper life, being bored and having nothing to do.
“We think that we deserve better!” One of the men complains. “We are gods now after all! Why should we serve others!”
“Yes!” “Exactly!”
“Because even under gods, there have to be rules! We are stuck on this world together for the time being. So we have to deal with it. If you guys are unable to cope with the situation I know a solution!” I throw a meaningful glance to a fist sized crystal globe on a pedestal beside my throne.
A small green figure is hopping up and down inside it. It looks like it is screaming at the top of it's lungs without accomplishing anything. It has a strange resemblance to Tjenemit.
The people before me grow pale.
“But I am a reasonable fellow! If you explain your problem to me in a civilised manner, we may find a civilised solution.” I continue the talk and grin at them.
One of them who has grey hair and the features of a mouse steps forward. “I have been a scholar for my entire life. I worked in libraries and taught students. From my previous lives I remember nothing different until I got problems with the Council. I was always a peaceful fellow and tried to stay
away from problems. I am not a fighter, so I can't join the warriors guild. I am no technician, so I can't join them either. For the other factions my skills are too mediocre too. For one reason or the other everyone here doesn't fulfil the requirements to join any of the existing guilds. Without being able to join a guild, we can't acquire anything we wish for, but can't create by ourselves. Others are simply bored because there is no work for them.”
I nod and think about it. “So what type of guild would you need to have a place in society?”
The old guy blinks. “Pardon me?”
“You tell me you are here because you can't join a guild. So we will create one for you. Hmmm, like a service guild?” -Me
“But who needs such things now? We are gods now. If we wish for something we can get most of it by ourselves.” The old guy is confused.
“Well for example I wish for some people who get my state in order, most of the servants ran off because they remembered a heroic past life. Officials threw their work to the ground because they remembered that they were great arch-mages. If there was a guild which would offer to keep track of my books I would certainly take their services.” I am speaking the truth here. Rose may have stayed with the family, but the royal household surely got messed up. Rose only stayed because she is more like a family member than a servant.
The old guy nods to himself. “If you could really set up such a guild for people like us, that would surely ease the problem.”
“Then it's done. I will tell my remaining officials to sign the necessary papers. And I am sure they will join that guild themselves in the same moment. They surely just stayed in their position because their situation was similar to yours.” I rub my temples while I contemplate the chaos I had to endure until recently.
The representatives bow to me and are led outside by a guard. It will surely take several years for society to settle down. Not to mention what we had to do to the kids. Some smart asses with big degrees ultimately decided that it would be best if they had their memories sealed until the age of twenty.
-Daddy? It's all nice and all. I appreciate that you are showing me your work. But it's still boring as hell!-
Aengus complains from my lap.
“Oh...sorry, but mommy can't look after you at the moment. She is trying to find out how Seria created this.... mess in our ecology.” Then I grab the crystal globe with Tjenemit and shake it a little before my son. Tjenemit gets slammed from one side of his cell to the other like there would be a violent earthquake.
“Look! You can play with this for a while. This is my new Tjenemit-globe!”
Aengus takes the small crystal sphere with both hands and holds it carefully.
-You shouldn't do that to prisoners! It's not very heroic!-
“Aw! Cheapskate! Try it! On top, that's no prisoner, that's an experiment!” I have to teach that guy the right view on the world! What if he ever has to take over my position?
Aengus tries to shake the globe up and down a little. Then his eyes start to gleam and he lets go of the globe. It stays in position and doesn't drop. Looks like he is holding the light globe with telekinesis. Then the globe slowly starts to spin through the horizontal axis. Tjenemit starts to run as his prison starts to spin. Going ever faster until he trips and is pressed against the wall like a hamster in a running wheel.
“Hiihiihihihihi!” Aengus starts to laugh with a high voice but the Tjenemit-globe gets snapped out of the air before our eyes by a hand.
“Don't corrupt him!” Celes snaps at me and slams the globe back into it's position at the pedestal. “I had hoped that you would be a better example.”
“Hi, honey! We just had a little experiment that's all.” I smile at her.
“So it wasn't mistreatment of a prisoner of war?” She looks down at me like I would be dirt. “Give me Aengus! He has to get to sleep, he is a child after all.”
She takes Aengus from my lap and walks off with him. He is waving at me over her shoulder, while he is looking a little disappointed at the globe. Hoho? Maybe I can teach him a few things after all?
Looking out of the window, I realize the setting sun and declare the end of my audiences. After a few minutes I am back in our private chambers and throw myself onto the bed.
Why is it that we still get tired and have to sleep and eat? Aren't we gods again? Are we something between mortals and gods now? Celes is trying to find the answers, but I don't have much hope. From my knowledge no god ever lost his divinity, got reincarnated and got it back.
Not many gods ever died before under the council too. There is no knowledge about the life cycle of gods. It's disturbing.
Celes enters the dark room and jumps onto me. “Husband, I need you for an experiment!”
“The husband is tired! The wife has to make the experiment on her own....hmpf” I grumble but something that tastes like chocolate gets shoved into my mouth.
“The husband is needed for this, because this doesn't work with a female alone!” She kisses me while she hugs me on the bed.
“Did something happen? You are really aggressive today?” I ask her while she is rolling on top of me.
“Oh. Nothing... I just managed it to create a new form of that aphrodisiac, I got from Tanja..... so I wanted to test it!” She whispers into my ear.
My face drops. Damn! I have to puke! I already swallowed it! I try to jump out of the bed but Celes wraps around me like a snake, using her tail too! “The husband shouldn't run from his duties!” She whispers to me. “It's not good if you run around while the drug is taking effect!”
…..
58 - A mount for a goddess?
I am currently walking through Midpoint to take a look at the town. During the last four years, I was really rotating from left to right to get everything into order.
First I tried to explore the void in order to leave this world like many other gods. But like them I soon realized that we are stuck on this world for the moment.
Nobody can navigate inside the void. There are no pathways you could follow. I guess that's why Tjenemit took the approach of letting himself being summoned. But after interrogating him for a few months I came to the conclusion that he really doesn't have another solution to the problem.
Of course I learned much interesting stuff about the Council and it's members for example.
There is El Shaddai. He is something like the leader and he looks like a golden statue of Buddha. He is a creepy fellow who can be completely nice in one moment and the next he calls down the apocalypse on anything he doesn't like.
During the great war between the gods, he gathered all the Council members and created peace by defeating everyone else and sealing them away.
I will call that period of time of chaos, because it was everyone against everyone. It looks like the Council didn't rule since the beginning of time after all. It's just what's being told to the younger gods.
As of now the only gods who remember that time are the Council members and the gods who are living inside the Council's city. They belong to the Council's personal army and are fanatics if I understood it correctly.
Then there is Lada. She is something like the bad conscience of the Council, but nobody gives a shit about her opinion. She was always on Seria's side when the Council had a discussion about her, so Tjenemit hates her.
She is a brown haired, normal looking woman with fable for too short skirts? I am not sure why Tjenemit insisted on that piece of information.
Amaru is a technology freak and responsible for the Council's win in the great war. He created the Sphere of Sight, which gives them the ability to spy on everyone almost anywhere. He also invented various weapons, but the mana-crystals weren't his invention. The Council's city existed way before them, they just took it from someone else during the war.