He looked up at the gods of Eternia, perched on their cold thrones, from where he sat, waiting for any kind of response from them. After a pause of a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, one of the female beings stirred, then spoke. “Yes, you will remain here, in this place, until our brother, Nekkir-Amon, has been defeated and sent beyond the veil of death. Until that time, the taint he placed inside you binds your soul here, in Eternia. As we have already informed you, your body, and soul, belong to another world, and as such, you do not possess the ability to rebirth. There is nothing we can do for you, mortal, for we are bound by our own rules.”
Darian exploded to his feet, frustration and anger warring inside him on hearing this once more. “Bound by your own rules ? What the hell are you going on about. You can not be bound by your own rules, you make the bloody rules, you are the AIs of this world. Just ignore the rules, or change them, and send me to New Eden. I didn’t ask to be sent to this game world, and I definitely don’t want to be in this game world.”
The one Darian knew was Malantine also jumped to his feet, a dark expression on his face. “Take care how you speak to us, mortal, show us the deference we are entitled to, or whatever life we allow you to have here will be an unpleasant one. Your very presence here is only at our request, for you were on the path to eternal sleep. ” the gods face had grown mottled with rage as he spoke.
“Sit down, Malantine, and stop this display of petulance.” came from one of the others. This one leant forward, peering at Darian just like a child would do when observing an insect crawling along the ground. “Aiy Eyes ? What are these Aiy Eyes that you keep referring to ?”
“Come, Vallinas, you should know that is what they call their gods in the other world.” One female god interrupted, then turned her attention to Darian. “Even we gods have rules, rules we have no control over an must follow. There is nothing we can do to return you to the world you should be in, nothing.”
The god Darias now knew was called Vallinas pursed his lips. “We may not be able to return this mortal to his world, true, but….” He paused in thought for a brief moment before continuing, “… we could attempt Divine Transmorphism upon him ?” Darian didn’t know what this meant, but it mustn’t have been good from the shocked expressions that appeared on the other gods faces.
Malantine protested this option. “Brother, you can not be serious on this, you know that the last time it was used it brought the Beast of Branbillin into Eternia, and turned Nekkir-Amon from us. We can not take this risk again, not for this mortal. The possible cost to us is too severe.”
“I have long considered its last use, and the repercussions of that act. Nekkir-Amon tried to perform it without any assistance from the rest of us, and that was his downfall. If we all work together on this, the chance of success is magnified many times. There will be no cost to us. ” He turned towards Darian. “Mortal, we may have a solution to your dilemma, but one that will carry a risk. Please be patient while we discuss this among ourselves.” This said, Vallinas waved one hand and the five gods were suddenly surrounded by a glowing, blue ball of energy.
This happened so quickly that Darian didn’t have time to enquire what this Divine Transmorphism was, or what it would do. He could see them move about inside the globe as they talked, but he couldn’t hear anything that was being said. It somehow reminded him of an old TV show he used to watch, back in his youth, where they had something called a cone of silence. Looking about the only other thing in this endless white wasteland was the slab he had woken up on, so, finding nothing else to occupy his attention he sat down on the slab to wait for them to finish.
Bloody funny AIs, Darian thought, they seem almost human. I suppose these rules they keep harping about must be something the creators of the AI’s put in there. Looking up at the silent discussion happening in front of him he saw it had become quite animated in there. Better make myself comfortable, Darian thought, it looks like this may take a while.
In the end, the discussion between the ‘gods’ lasted for about five minutes, ending with the glowing ball around them vanishing. They were all once again seated in their thrones, but this time their expressions were serious, their gazes set on Darian.
The one know as Vallinas spoke while the other four sat back. “Mortal, when you travelled to Eternia, a stain was placed on your soul by our brother, Nekkir-Amon. Of this you are already aware, having been told of it by the messenger from the other realm, as well as here today from us. One thing you have not been told is that this stain is toxic, and will, given enough time, spread and corrupt your soul beyond any redemption. You will become a creature of Nekkir-Amon and do anything he bids of you until this corruption eventually destroys you.”
“The gods of your world have denied your soul from passing across the barrier between worlds, and you have neither the ability to respawn here, nor a corporal presence to reinhabit, again this is something you have already been made aware of. We, also cannot allow you to remain here, slowly becoming a creature of our brother, and a conduit for him to observe us.” Vallinas paused here one eyebrow raised, looking at Darian.
Realising the god was waiting for a response from him, Darian quickly responded. “Yes, I understand all that, but there must be some way to remove this taint, as you call it, from me ?”
Vallinas looked at the others before responding. “Yes, there is a way we think will remove it from you, but it is a dangerous method, dangerous to you, and to us. If we fail, you would experience the eternal sleep, one there is no return from, and could pass this taint onto one or all of us during the process. Unless you agree to this, we will not attempt it.”
“If I agree to this, what are the chances of failure ? “ Darian was worried by the mention of his real demise, but he would take any reasonable chance rather than be stuck in this white hell, slowly going mad, he needed to get out of here and contact his family to let them know he was alright, and to speak to a real person, rather than these computer intelligences
“If all of us,” he indicated himself and the others with him, “ attempt this together, there will be a minor chance of failure, but you also need to know what the changes to you will be if it succeeds. Success will bring great changes to you.”
“What ? This won’t alter my mind, will it ? “exclaimed Darian, now even more concerned for himself.
With a reassuring smile Malantine answered this time. “No, mortal, all the changes that will occur will be to your physical being, your mind and soul will remain as they are now, but without the taint.”
“Changes, exactly what changes are you talking about ? These changes won’t damage me, will they, make me old again ?”
“As it is impossible for you to pass the barrier, then the only way we can help you remove the taint, and have a body in this world, a body that will provide you with all the benefits you would have had, then we must destroy this remnant of your physical being and recreate it anew. Once we have done this for you, you will become a being born of this world, and no longer of the world you are still spiritually attached to, no longer a traveller but a citizen with all the rights and responsibilities of a being of this world. You will respawn here when defeated. Of course, this means you would no longer be human, for most humans of this world do not possess the ability to respawn after death, only human bodies belonging to visitors can respawn.”
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“Hold on a minute, no longer human ? What the hell would I be then, I better not be a monster.”
They all laughed at this, and then louder at seeing the frown on his face. “Nay, mortal, we would play you fair and provide you with a body that can cater to all of the benefits enjoyed by the visitors, with one exception. They feel little pain, but you would experience pain in it fullest. You also would be free of many of the restrictions that the visitors suffer from, such as their limit on how long they can stay in Eternia. You would be gaining the best of both worlds.”
Darian nodded absently at the gods, his mind occupied with everything he had been told. Somewhere in his head, he knew the logical, and only choice open to him was to take the change, but he still felt there must be some other way to fix this, what it was he had no idea. “If I do this, and I’m not a human, what would I be then ?”
One of the females, their names still a mystery to him spoke up. “A Titan, that’s the only race we know of that’s suitable, all the other possible choices are either demons or monsters.”
“Titans ? Aren’t they gods ?” mused Darian
“Nay, mortal,” spoke the goddess again, “Titans are a long lost and mainly forgotten race in Eternia. Titans were the children of the gods, but not gods themselves, and they greatly resembled humans in appearance. You would be returning this race to the world, the first full blood of this race seen in this world in many centuries. They were the first, and greatest race, to inhabit Eternia, but all were lost during a great cataclysm that changed this world. There are still a few with titan blood, but greatly diluted through breeding, and the lands are littered with the ruins of their former glory. No one remembers where the heart of their empire lay, not even we gods, but if it still exists, it may still hold their greatest treasures.”
“Now, make your choice, mortal, remain here in isolation, facing a slow corruption and your eventual demise, or let us transform you and become a child of the gods, of Eternia and live. Which shall it be ?” With this, they all leant forward in their thrones, looking at him expectantly.
Darian needed to know one more thing about this before he made up his mind. “Will it hurt ?” he asked.
He got a simple answer from the goddess “Yes, but we are not those who love the pain of others. We will send you into a slumber until we have completed your tranformance.”
Taking one last look around at the whiteness that encompassed him, seeing the absolute blankness of this place that would be his future if he remained here, he screwed up his courage, his decision made, and gave his decision. “Please change me.”
Malantine smiled, and for the first time since Darian had seen him, this smile made him look somehow friendly, or trustworthy. “Lay back down in the bier, mortal, and relax. We will begin.”
Hesitantly Darian swung his legs up and made himself as comfortable as he could, feeling the chill from the stone beneath him once again assault him from beneath. He shivered, partly in dread anticipation of what was to come, and part due to the cold. Turning his head he saw the five gods get up and approach him , placing themselves around the raised platform on which he lay. The god who stood at his head, Vallinas, lay one of his large hands on Darian’s brow. “Sleep, mortal”, and Darian closed his eyes.
*****
Darian lay there, eyes closed for a few seconds, then frowned. “When are you going to begin, it’s uncomfortable laying on this stone ?” he queried.
From above him a male voice he recognised as belonging to the god Malantine spoke “Start, mortal ? How can we start when we have already finished. Open your eyes and see. Observe the miracle that has just occurred.”
He did as requested and opened his eyes, but quickly scrunched them closed again as the white light blinded him, causing sharp points of pain to appear behind each eyeball. Blinking carefully, a few time as he allowed his eyes to adjust to the light once again. When his eyesight once again cleared, and he could stand the light he took a look at the gods, still positioned around his supine body.
He was shocked to see the signs of strain and exhaustion that they all bore, their faces flushed red and sweat dampening their hair. Vallinas, at his head, was using the slab to support himself, both hands gripping it tightly, his head hanging low. Finding his throat dry Darian coughed, then spoke hoarsely and hesitantly “Did… did it work ?” He was shocked as the words came out, he couldn’t recognise the voice. It was deeper, more baritone than the one he remembered as having.
Vallinas raised his head, looking down at Darian through bloodshot eyes. “It is complete, child, and nothing remains of the taint that was within you. Welcome to your new life, welcome to immortality.” His voice was raspy, almost as if he had been yelling recently. Pushing himself upright onto unsteady legs, the god staggered across to the thrones and dropped into one, his bearing indicating the extreme weariness he was suffering. The other gods watched him, then followed his example, all slumping down into their respective thrones.
“It was a close thing, child, but it is done.“ declared Malantine from where he sat. “You now are part of this world.”
Darian sat up, feeling no pain at all from whatever they had done to him, and perched himself on the edge of the slab. He looked down at himself, looking for any changes they had made to him. The clothes we had worn on arrival here were still the same, but the limbs that protruded from the shorts and shirt were completely alien to him. In his real life, way back when he had been much younger, he had a slim physique, the one he now examined was thicker, more muscular in appearance. The hairs he could see speckling his skin, which also was of a different hue than he was familiar with, being an olive complexion, were fine and blond, not the brown he had before. His hands, as he inspected them, seemed larger, and wider, as well.
“Do you like what you see, child ?” enquired Malantine.
“It’s going to take me a while to get used to, but yes, I do like this. By the way, why do you call me child now, and not mortal like you were before ?”
“Because you are now a child of the gods and Eternia, and no longer a mortal, no longer chained to a short life and an ending. The eternal sleep will no longer be your eventual reward. Happy day of birth, child.” The other gods echoed Malantine in his blessing.
Darian felt embarrassed by this, and felt a flush develop. “Thank you.” He responded. Then another thought occurred. “Hey, now you have removed this taint from me I’m no longer banned from travelling to New Eden ?” the thought of finally being able to reach his right destination cheered him up.
The god Malantine tugged on his blond goatee absently as he listened to Darian as he spoke, then looked at him in confusion. “Did you not understand the ramifications of this transformation we have just performed upon you ? Did you not understand what would happen to you ? You are a child of Eternia now, not a child of your previous world. You no longer possess the right to travel through the barrier, that world is lost to you. Your body and soul belongs here, and here they will remain, forever. “
Anger had been building up in Malantine as he spoke, and his eyebrows lowered and he smashed one hand down on his thrones armrest. “Stop pining over what is no longer possible to you, and consider yourself blessed, for there is much you can now do that the visitors can not do now. You can be a king, if you wish, they can not. You can found a dynasty, they can not.” He place one hand over his face. “I grow weary listening to your harping, child, it is time you left this place and returned to the world of the living.” He reached down and picked up a small satchel that Darian hadn’t noticed earlier from where it sat beside the throne, then he threw it.
The satchel struck Darian in the chest, and instinctively he grasped at it, catching it by its shoulder strap. Dumbfounded at this show of pique by the god, all he could do was stare at him, slightly shocked.
“Now take our small token of welcome, you ungrateful child, and go, go back to where you came here from.” The god waved one meaty hand and Darian was surrounded by thick, golden mist that obscured everything.