Saoirse's response to my question was a good one. It was such a good response, in fact, that I was impressed. I hadn't, in all honesty, thought that her response to me would impress me but hearing her tie her faith in me to her decision to serve me was a wise choice. She was loyal and that was useful.
"Saoirse, you shall serve me in the same way you serve your community. By educating people." I informed her, beginning to hint at the idea I had in mind for her. In response to my words her eyebrows rose curiously. Behind her I watched as Brandon's lips and throat strained and yet no words came out. Earlier the man had been in his mind and thus could speak, but now he was back in the physical world and thus was still affected by the silence I had inflicted on him earlier.
"Althos... You know I have no clue how to use magic." She told me, almost chuckling as she spoke. I could see something in her gaze though, a small amount of hope, and a twinkle of curiosity. It amused me. I looked into her eyes as I spoke the next words that escaped my lips.
"Saoirse... I know you think of gods as comparable to mortals. That deep down you think of my kind as merely extremely powerful mortals." I told her. I was speaking honestly to her. I knew that that was what she felt, deep down. I knew every thought she had ever had.
I knew every secret she possessed. Every dream and every fantasy. Her eyes widened when she heard me say this, and though she physically moved to deny my words, she was lying and thus couldn't actually speak. The look in her eyes became confused when she realized she wasn't speaking.
"You can't lie in my presence, Saoirse. I do not allow it." I explained, which was in and of itself a good demonstration of the powers possessed by a god.
"Gods are not super mortals. Even the very weakest of us are existences beyond what even the most creative, powerful, or well-traveled mortal could fathom in their wildest dreams. We are the lords of creation and the dukes and duchesses of destruction. We are power incarnate, and our mere proximity leaves mortals permanently changed." I declared, speaking honestly but also proudly.
"If I wanted too I could leave this planet a lifeless, lightless rock adrift in the cosmos and it would take perhaps two hours of my time. Inversely I could turn this world into a paradise devoid of death and suffering, though admittedly that would take... a bit longer." I told the mortal, a smile on my lips.
"Gods are the makers and unmakers of reality. The oldest myths still vaguely recall our existences, or at least attempt to remember us. They do not capture one one-hundredth, nay even one one-thousandth of our power." I told her, my eyes beginning to flash as I spoke.
"I... am beginning to realize that." Saoirse said, breathily. Her voice cracked as she spoke. She was quietly becoming aware of just how powerful I was as I spoke. At the moment she believed me without question. I grinned at her. I knew that now was the perfect time to demonstrate the power of magic. Without uttering a single word I lifted one of my hands and I began to cast spells.
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One of the passive perks of acquiring the first tiers of influence over the domains of the basic schools of magic was that I acquired the abilities to use thousands of spells. Floating within my mind was the knowledge I needed to freely cast all sorts of precise, magical invocations that would alter reality.
Spellcasting was the lawful, almost scientific way to use magic. It was orderly, replicable, reliable magic-use. It was also the most convenient form of magic-use for mortals who had limited, often small stores of spiritual energy.
Among other things, I could conjure creatures from across the cosmos, I could create swamps, castles, and farms, using immensely expensive spells, and I could create all sorts of projectiles to attack foes. I could also heal people, alleviate discomfort, and strengthen them.
I silently cast a number of tiny spells to demonstrate the capabilities of magic. The first spell I cast created a small spark of fire above my middle finger. It hovered over my fingertip and cast a warm glow over the area in front of the doorway. I still hadn't entered the home of Saoirse and Brandon. Saoirse stared at the tongue of fire that hovered over my fingertip while I cast other magic.
I aimed a spell at her, this time not hinting that I was doing so. It was a powerful healing spell entitled "Holistic heal", which cost a hundred and fifty spiritual energy to cast and would heal people of any discomforts too minor to constitute actual damage to their health and any negative status conditions aside from potent ones like petrification.
My magical energy washed over Saoirse and her face relaxed as she felt pure magical energy infuse her very being. It seeped into every corner of her and I felt her internally warm up in a rather sexual and sensual way. Inwardly I grinned at this but for now I chose not to push her or it in any specific direction. Saoirse released a rather soft sounding sigh as my power defeated each and every discomfort she felt.
"Magic is... a truly powerful tool." I explained, even as I cast alteration magic on Saoirse that gave her wings. They were spiritual wings, not ones that physically existed, but they were more than capable of lifting the woman into the air which was something that her system informed her of. They jutted out from her back and incorporeally spread out into the small hallway that she stood in. She turned her head slightly and was able to see them due to their impressive width. Her eyes widened as she first glimpsed at them.
"Magic is amazing. With magic I can even show you this." I told her, before casting an impressive illusion on the mortal.
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Saoirse immediately felt the effects of the illusion I cast on her. Her eyes darkened and went from being their usual mortal color to being orbs that reflected a moonless night, with little dots representing stars. And what was more impressive than that was what she herself saw in the depths of my illusion.
In the throes of the illusion Saoirse's mind was taken from the small house she and her boyfriend lived in and transported to a new, nonexistent location. The girl's mind was taken to a fictional location deep in space. I took her into a spot that if it actually existed would have been in the depths of the galaxy of my birth.
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Invisibly, I "traveled" alongside her. We only stopped "travelling" when we found ourselves in front of a truly enormous star. The star was unlike any Saoirse had ever seen or even heard of, as Htraean humans were a species that was advanced enough to know of other star systems and galaxies even if they had only begun to dabble in actual space-travel.
The star in front of Saoirse took up all of her vision and she couldn't look away from it even though she tried. It radiated an impossible violet light and Saoirse felt a fraction of the heat it gave off. She was grateful that it wasn't burning her, even though she felt quite warm.
"Saoirse... Behold, the lord of order and the soverign of the stars." I whispered, my voice echoing into her mind. As I spoke I activated my "Believe me" power, and I felt any resistance the young human might have had to my words fade away. She fell to her knees and her astral self, her self-perception that was with me right now, also fell.
"I am the lord of magic. The defeator of death." I told her, before swiftly taking her mind elsewhere. I showed her two worlds.
In one world those who died came back to life as undead monsters, feeling no more pain or confusion and delighting in the chance to create more of their kind. In another world those who died were brought back to life as their true selves, fully resurrected from within specially crafted coffins.
"Saoirse... I shall become the god who rules over everything. I shall become the lord of this world, and every other world. If you continue to serve me loyally, you shall be awarded for your service. Immortality, magic, respect, all of those things are within your grasp." I told her.
"A world free from suffering. Free from inequality. Free from chaos and death. Help prepare your people for such a place." I whispered into her ear. It was at this that she began to display some confusion. She looked up at me quizzically and asked me a question.
"If I may be so bold... Why don't you simply defeat death and suffering on Htrae right now? Why do I and other Althonians have to prepare our world for a time when you may do so?" She asked. I respected the courage it took to ask such a question. The truth was that this was a motivation for her to be a good leader and teacher. I could easily do to Htrae what I did to Torus and the other worlds in my solar system, and what I had done to many other worlds.
The Althonite Empire was an impressive one consisting of hundreds of worlds, though it was admittedly not extremely well-connected just yet. I had bent many worlds to my whims through the usage of "Healing burst" and my druidic ability to create mystical foods. These post-scarcity worlds were places of great devotion to me and ones where on the rare occasions that I spoke directly to my servants my words were laws that superseded the laws of mortals. I looked at Saoirse and began to speak.
"I ask that worlds accept me first before I free them from their suffering. It is the role of creatures like you, my devotees, to prepare the way forward. I want my gifts to come not as surprises but as something you all pick of your own free will. Your people must chose me, and in choosing me chose to free yourselves from suffering and from mortality. I shall not force myself or my gifts on them." I told her. I then closed my eyes and added something to my remarks.
"That said... I can help those who make the choice to serve me on an individual level in advance." I told her, smiling wily as I did so. She was still for a few moments and while she was thinking I withdrew us from the illusion.
"The time has come Saoirse. I am now asking you formally... Will you serve me as a mystical educator, one who teaches those less fortunate and skilled than you the ways of the arcane? If you do, if you pledge your soul to me and I shall give you both knowledge of and the means too use magic. In addition to other gifts." I told the human, asking her formally for her soul. This was a moment of fate for her, and a time for her to make her own decision.
A second after I spoke the two of us were out of the spell and back in front of her house.
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A chilly breeze blew over the two of us a second after we returned back to her house, out of the illusion, and I watched her shiver. I placed a hand on her shoulder and warmed up the frail human. As I did she blushed lightly, and I chuckled. It was shortly after I chuckled that she looked up at me and had a fire burning in her eyes. She had made a choice.
"Althos... I will serve you. In the past weeks and months you have demonstrated your knowledge to be beyond mine. If you have chosen to offer me this opportunity, surely you must believe that I can do it successfully. I am choosing to believe in you and to serve you. I will pledge my soul to you, for you to use it and me as your divine wisdom sees fit." She told me, speaking solemnly.
Behind her I heard Brandon muffle cries of protest and despair. At this point what was done was done, and I did two things at once. I placed a hand on Saoirse's head and began to activate a number of powers, and I freed Brandon from the effects of silence. As soon as he was freed from the powers of silence he began to cuss at me, but I ignored it. I was focused on what mattered: Saoirse.
Saoirse stiffened and went completely still as my powers over knowledge, magic, and spirits washed over her. I filled her with knowledge about the ten basic schools of magic, and I began to increase her spiritual energy, while activating my "Magic Bestowal" ability. I also blessed her, utilizing the blessings of the various schools of magic I could influence. All in all this took a few seconds, and when it was done I released my hand from the top of her head and she shivered in pleasurable delight. This amused me.
I knew from experience that when I seriously applied a number of abilities to any of my faithful it tended to wash over them sensually. Quietly, I assumed that this was due to my innate nature as a lord of lust.
"Althos..." Saoirse moaned out, uttering my name with the exact same sweet voice she moaned out Brandon's whenever the two of them were in bed together. Her voice washed over me and inflamed a small part of me but for now I chose to ignore it. There was still something I needed to do after all.
"Saoirse... I have one more question for you. Based on what you know about magic, what sort of magic-user would you like to be?" I asked the human. She answered me immediately, which was a nice surprise. Her answer wasn't a surprise, as the studious young woman chose a class that fit her bookish personality.
"I would like to be a sorcerer." She informed me, smiling brightly at me even as her cheeks continued to flush. Without hesitation I rose a hand in her general direction and granted her the class, before immediately raising its level to 7 so that she would have an innate edge on any of her future students. She bit her lip in response to the power that washed over her and her pale cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red than they had been.
I sensed her mind filling with knowledge about her class, new class features, and even spells coming to her in a flash. She closed her eyes and kept them closed for a moment. As she did I said one last thing before preparing to depart from her presence.
"Let your school know that you will be quitting soon. In the next few weeks I shall prepare the actual place from which you will be teaching your students. And I shall also be finding other teachers to come and teach as well." I informed her, smiling at the new sorceress. She nodded at me, and without another word I quietly teleported away from her home.
Now that I had found a teacher, I suppose I needed to find an administrator. Fortunately, possessing the sharp senses I possessed and the domain-sense powers I possessed, I knew of many different administrators I could trust with the important work anyone who'd serve me at my magical school would do. And some of them had desires and other proclivities that made them perfect as servants for me.
I teleported from the home of Saoirse and found myself facing the main building of a prestigious university in New Sol's capital city of Lavern. No one was around me as it was still very early in the morning. Fortunately that gave me plenty of time to get creative in what I was about to do.