Sitting in peaceful silence other than the sounds of the garden’s wildlife, my guest and I simply enjoy our tea.

…

…

“I’ll admit, I don’t entirely understand. The mortals conflate the light pantheon with ‘objective good’, don’t they?” I ask.

The goddess across from me on a matching divan chuckles lightly. “A common misnomer, my junior. The pantheons have no bearing on good or evil, they simply act as clubs of like-minded individuals who choose to associate.”

I obviously can’t read her emotions like I can my retainers, but the small smile on her face at least hints that she approves of the current situation; that being waited on hand and foot by my household staff, immaculately trained by Artemis herself. She doesn’t seem displeased by my company either – if anything, I’d guess she’s enjoying herself.

“So tell me then, Lady Eris… is Dolos dark pantheon? I attended a light pantheon gala not too long ago and don’t recall seeing him there… although I’ll admit I wasn’t exactly social, other than with Lamashtu.”

“Ahh, is the old woman still attending those? I’d have thought she’d be tired of them by now. Their events are always so… so… well, formal. There’s no spark of life to them, no?”

“I can’t say I disagree,” I reply.

That draws another chuckle from her. After another appreciative sip she says, “So tell me then, are the rumors true? Did you really declare war on the entire gathering?”

I sigh. “In a way, yes, other than Grandmother. I’ll insist that they deserve it though.”

The prim and proper goddess tilts her head. “I’m not so sure about that, but at least you have allies powerful enough to give them pause. They can’t simply purge you – for one, your wife is strong enough that her loss would be a devastating blow to their forces, even if they could challenge her if they worked together. Lamashtu, on the other hand… Well. As she is, I’m not convinced that the entire body of divinity could fell her if she didn’t want to fall.”

“So what you’re saying is that the only reason I’m still alive right now is that the people around me are far scarier.”

She primly smiles again before closing her eyes and taking another sip. I’ll take that as a yes.

But that’s fine. I have plenty of room to grow.

We sit in silence for a few more minutes, interrupted only by a gorgon maid refilling our tea before demurely curtseying and returning to her position near the metal framing of the small gazebo.

…

“Do you want more?” she finally asks.

I raise an eyebrow. “More of what?”

Eris smiles. “Allies. Your boldness is something my own faction has been lacking for some time, and I do think you could be just the fresh air we need.”

Ah yes. Her faction.

Though why exactly the goddess of strife leads the moderate faction within the dark pantheon is a mystery to me. Maybe it’s just that this incarnation in particular is judicious in how that discord is applied?

Not that it matters.

“Are you allied with Erebus?”

“Hmm,” she hums thoughtfully, visibly mulling over the topic. “Technically yes, although she is a member of the dominance faction, so we are frequently at odds.”

I take a sip of my own tea. “Do you understand why I ask?”

“She destroyed you, didn’t she? It’s a wonder that you didn’t reawaken with the Domain of Vengeance, and yet here we are,” she says while gesturing daintily with one hand.

I’ll admit that I’ve wondered the same.

“So you don’t just want to recruit me as a deterrent then? Considering I can effortlessly and permanently destroy souls, I mean.”

Eris outright laughs.

When she finally calms down she says, “Alright. Alright! I simply must say it, for your own good. You freely give far too much information, even to me, and you should stop immediately. This is how your rivals learn your weaknesses and use them against you, though it seems more likely they would try to manipulate you into being their weapon.”

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“And you wouldn’t do the same?” I ask with at least a hint of skepticism.

“Maybe,” she says with a shrug. “But I’d at least tell you I’m doing it. I’m a believer in organized chaos, you see. There’s no point in moving the pieces on the board if they themselves don’t have their own marching orders, yes?”

I can’t help but chuckle myself. “Why are you more balanced than Themis, then?”

“No idea,” the goddess answers, rolling her eyes.

…

…

“Maybe you would know… is Grandmother dark pantheon, then?”

“Absolutely not! Not that we wouldn’t welcome her, of course, but she’s always maintained her stance as a universal calamity, a force of nature rather than a force for light or dark. As far as I know, you’re the only other divine she’s truly civil with, outside of mute tolerance.”

“Huh.”

Maybe I should ask Grandmother’s opinion before I commit to anything like this. Plus it probably wouldn’t be unwise to ask my retainers’ advice…

There’s also the complication that my wife is light pantheon.

…

Well, I’m sure we can agree to leave each other alone if any kind of conflicts arise. I certainly can, unless she decides to make sport of my home like the others.

I doubt she would. She seems far too attached to me specifically.

“I’ll consider it.”

Eris waves a hand dismissively. “Oh, there’s no need to rush, dear. We have all the time we could want.”

I nod.

…

I wonder.

“You said not to give out information, but I don’t know how to ask this without implying anything.”

“Then are you sure you want to ask it?”

I furrow my brow in thought. “I think I do. I’m not nearly knowledgeable enough, and exploring mortal knowledge with a self-proclaimed expert unfortunately didn’t offer an answer… and it’s not like I can just analyze it like everything else if I don’t even have the Skill.”

“Hmm? A hidden Skill, then? Or perhaps not a Skill at all, but an ability?”

Nodding again I continue. “It’s a strange one.”

She watches me curiously as I point at her tea and say, “{reheat}.”

A slightly nonplussed look is my response. “So you can cast spells without a Skill? Unusual, but not unheard of.”

“I’m not sure you understand,” I chuckle. “That wasn’t a spell.”

The goddess of strife gives me a sideways but thoughtful look.

And then she inhales sharply.

“Yeah, that.”

“…The words of creation.”

I take a breath, followed by another sip of my tea.

“I’ve had a number of people call it Spellspeech, but sure.”

She sets down her teacup unemptied for the first time since we met and leans toward me. “I can tell you one thing right now… Spellspeech is a Skill. You won’t have it without it showing in your Status. To confirm… It does not, does it?”

“Nope,” I shrug. “What are the words of creation?”

“Something our past incarnations willingly gave up in exchange for the Record’s governance,” she says quietly.

“Then why do I have it? Maybe because I – or at least the Queen of Hunger – wasn’t born as part of the Record? As I understand, I was an outsider.”

Eris nods thoughtfully. “That’s… possible, though unlikely… Tell me though, you are rather unknown at least in some regards. The rumors say you possess hunger, and night, and most likely… hostility?”

“Malevolence. I got that from Grandmother.”

“I see. But that wouldn’t explain it… not even Lamashtu can use the words of creation, she doesn’t predate the Record.”

…

Predating the Record…

I wonder.

“You know the pantheons fairly well, yes?”

She smiles. “One rarely reaches these heights without, you are a rarity, my dear.”

“Then have you heard of Ananke?”

Eris opens her mouth confidently to respond, and then pauses.

“You haven’t, have you? Nobody has. But they gave me a priest-derived Class.”

“Oh. Oh. If… Would you tell me more?”

I shrug. “I don’t really care if you know. I got offered the Class before I awoke to divinity, apparently some of the requirements are due to Erebus’ actions and my willingness to eat my own kind. It has a number of pretty powerful Skills, although they don’t all actually seem related. Like how some are healing, some are mind control, and one is even… I don’t know, time manipulation?”

“A time Skill,” she says quietly.

“Are those rare?”

Eris returns a small nod. “As I understand it, the Record strictly regulates those since they can have repercussions on how it functions…”

…

She thoughtfully lifts her teacup again to take another sip.

“Oh right, I think it came with a Domain too.”

…And there’s the sound of breaking porcelain.

“Oh, oh goodness, I’m sorry, you just… just…”

“Let me guess, Classes don’t come with Domains, right? Well, this is a perfect opportunity. Here.”

With a flick of my wrist, I telekinetically lift the shattered remains from the smoothly tiled gazebo floor and use The Ravages of Time on it in reverse. Eris stares transfixed at the entire process, before taking the newly restored cup from my hands.

“It’s… it’s true.”

“Yep.” I gesture to the gorgon maid, who promptly heads over to refill Eris’ cup.

We sit in silence for another few moments, hers stunned and mine simply spent enjoying my tea. It’s still not as good as Arty’s, but I’ll admit it’s well out of reach of what mortals can manage.

…

…

“What exactly is it then?” she finally asks.

“Hm? What is what, exactly?”

“This extra Domain.”

“Oh,” I shrug. “Control. I’m pretty sure it makes my mind control Skills way more powerful.”

And she’s speechless again.

Which is fine by me.

…

And then she stands and adopts a regal posture.

“I, Eris of Strife, do hereby formally endorse you, Demon Lord Nemesis, for unconditional induction into the dark pantheon.”

A burst of weighty energy accompanies her declaration.

“And now my position is clear to our peers. I have no doubt that more like me will visit soon to make similar decisions for themselves.”

“That’s fine. I still don’t care. You’re welcome to come back, it’s been some time since I’ve spoken with a god outside my family who knows anything about civility.”

“I see,” she giggles. “I see indeed. I’ll take you up on that offer, then. Do be well, yes?”

“Sure, you too.”

And with a demure wave, the goddess of strife, one of the dark pantheon’s more influential leaders, disperses into glittering red particles that fade into nothingness.