Caeldaemos and Rana slumped onto the sofa of her office, sighing heavily.

“Do you think it went well?” Rana asked.

“I was so nervous…” Caeldaemos replied. “I think it did. I just hope those damn rumors go away.”

“They should! Or at the least, treat it like a joke like everyone here in Hallibrush.” Rana giggled.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and chin on clasped hands.

“What have you been doing with the infiltrators?” He asked.

Rana giggled with a dark look on her face. “Oh, after finding out who they work for, I ship them back, neatly wrapped up with a note giving them a warning.”

Caeldaemos wondered what the letter might have said, but he decided to just leave it to her.

“Do you expect the Merchant Guild will finally move to get your money back?” He asked.

“If they don’t soon, they definitely will once the article is published.” She replied.

Mana began to gather nearby them, eventually forming into Geon. “Hello!”

She smiled while raising her hands.

“Hey, Geon. How is the house coming?” Caeldaemos asked.

Geon flinched, and her face contorted nervously. “Good… Very good.”

Caeldaemos was too mentally exhausted to pursue what she was hiding.

Rana’s Crys-Link began to ring. She answered the call and had a short discussion with the caller.

“Yes. Thank you. I will see you tomorrow.” Rana finished her call.

“Was that them?” Caeldaemos asked.

“It was. There will be a case held at Judicial Hall in Galgalake. Would you be able to drop me off at the manor?”

“Of course. Did you have something to report, Geon? Or just hanging out?” He asked with a grin.

“Taking a break. Lily was busy, so I came to hang out.” She grinned back at him.

“Hungry?”

“Yeah!” She cheered happily. Since she learned how delicious food was, she would constantly try new food. Though he had asked her if she was ‘hungry,’ she never was.

Rana said she needed to stay behind to prepare some documents for tomorrow’s trial.

So, the father-daughter duo headed out.

Caeldaemos walked along with a smile on his face through the town. A lot of things were progressing well. Thanks to Rana’s golems, construction was rapid and easygoing. Geon walked beside him while hanging on his arm.

“So, anything, in particular, you want to do?” He asked.

“Hmm…” The dungeon-core thought hard. “I could go for something tasty.”

Caeldaemos laughed. “Do you ever get full?” He asked.

Geon shook her head. “Nope. Since I convert it to mana, I don’t. Which is why Rana put me on a mealtime plan!” She happily stated.

“Mealtime plan?”

She nodded while giggling. “Yeah. She said she was worried that I would either empty your bank account or run out of things to taste. So, she made up a plan.”

“What is it?” He chuckled.

“Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I am also allowed two snacks between each major meal. It took a while to understand the difference….” She pouted.

He laughed again, visualizing a frantic Rana trying to educate the dungeon core with a giggling Lily nearby.

“GEON!” Several children called out as they ran up to the pair.

“Hello!” She happily called out. Then, her eye focused on a demi-boy with droopy ears. “Tom!” She waltzed up to him. “Customary greeting!” She opened her arms and puckered her lips.

“Geon!” Caeldaemos shouted in surprise.

“Huh?” She turned her head with her arms still up.

He knelt before her. “What is this about?”

“Uh, he said that a hug and kiss on the cheek is a customary greeting.” She innocently answered.

“Hmmmmmm?” A darkened smile came to his face.

The boy was frozen in place with a worried expression and looking away.

The girls of the group were giving him a hard side glance, disgusted with him. All but two other boys had mixed expressions of ‘Why didn’t we think of that!?’ and ‘Did he seriously think that was a good idea?!’

Either way, all the kids knew one thing for sure, he picked the absolutely WORST girl to pull the trick on. One of the two daughters of the Demon-Lord.

Caeldaemos stood up while patting her head. “Hah, hah. I think you may have gotten things confused, Geon. We’ll talk about that later.”

“Oh, okay!” Geon hung on his arm once more while smiling.

“Kids,” Caeldaemos said, causing guilty three to snap to attention, the rest to look at him curiously. “Do you want a snack? My treat.”

Most of the kids cheered, and they were on their way off into town.

“Dad.” Geon got his attention. “Where are we going?” She asked curiously.

He chuckled. “I spoke with the baker about a new dessert. I heard they made a breakthrough yesterday.”

The guilty boy, Tom, was visibly sweating now.

“O—h! The ‘custard,’ right?” She asked.

He nodded.

“Is it tasty?” One of the girls asked.

“I’m a fan of it.” Caeldaemos chuckled. “It is creamy, sweet, and savory with a taste like vanilla.” He licked his lips, remembering the taste from his old world.

The group of kids became more excited.

After several minutes they arrived at the bakery.

“Milord!” A man exclaimed as Caeldaemos entered, followed by the kids. “Oh, another one of those days?” He chuckled.

“I heard you guys got the custard worked out?” Caeldaemos asked.

The man nodded. “We believe so. Using the ingredients you told us about… One sec.” He poked his head in the back. “Honey, do we have some custard-filled long johns?”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“We do!” A woman answered. “I’ll bring some up.”

“Bring them all. His lordship is here with the usual grouping.” He chuckled.

They heard her laugh and confirm.

The kids looked over the various pastries in the displays alongside an excited Geon. Caeldaemos noticed the boy Tom was trying to talk to Geon, probably to hide what he had done, but it was too late for him. The group’s girls created a phalanx around Geon with their bodies to keep him from getting close, giving him cold stares when he tried asking them to move.

A husky woman came out from the back, carrying a tray of several long-john donuts. “Welcome, milord!” She grinned.

“Good to see you.”

Using tongs, she raised up one of the donuts for Caeldaemos. “Give it a try! Let us know if we got it to what you remember.”

Caeldaemos nodded, took the long john, and took a big bite. The sweet and savory flavor of the thick cream spread through his mouth. “Mm!”

Geon and the other kids looked up at him expectantly.

He swallowed. “Wow. That is better than what I remember.”

The baker couple high-fived one another.

“Hmm.” Caeldaemos looked at the number of long johns available to the number of kids. “Okay, half of one for each kid.” He smiled with his announcement.

The kids cheered, and the baker couple began divvying out the portions.

Caeldaemos then spoke to the baker couple through mana. “Ellen, Tom, we need to talk.”

The mother perked up momentarily before activating Telepathy to link the three of them. “What is it, milord?”

“It’s about your son.”

The father sighed. “What did Junior do this time?”

Caeldaemos explained what the boy had done to them.

“We are SO sorry!” The two bowed their heads to Caeldaemos.

“Please, don’t bow your heads. The mischief of a child.”

“Thank you, milord.” The father stated.

“Milord, were there any other boys involved?” The mother may have been smiling, but dangerous darkness was behind it.

“Rick and Micky.” He answered.

“Ah, the usual trio of troublemakers. I will be sure to speak to their mothers.” The mother promised.

Then, Tom looked over and realized that the jig was up. He turned to try to run out of the bakery, but his ex-magic-researcher of a mother levitated him into the air.

“Children.” She called out. “Tom Jr. forgot to do some chores I asked him to do. So, once you finish your snack, you will have to leave him behind for the day. Oh, Rick and Micky.” She gave the two an uncompromising smile. “Your mothers asked me to bring you two home.”

The two boys looked down at the floor, regretting following Tom’s idea.

“Oh, well, we’ll see you guys later then!” Geon cheerily stated.

Caeldaemos finished his donut and paid the husband. After, Geon and he continued their trip through town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Io sat nervously in her seat in her temple. Nanduun, Tilra, and Orbus nervously eyed the black-clad man enjoying a glass of some kind of juice while reading a book.

Lord Tulsen snickered. “I’m not here for any of you. Stop being so nervous.”

They sighed in relief.

“Why didn’t you say that earli-….” Tilra paused. “Are you here for Sylfaerune?”

Lord Tulsen smirked and went back to reading his book.

A few minutes went by, and Sylfaerune arrived. “Apologies… Who is this?”

Lord Tulsen smiled while standing. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sylfaerune. You have been quite the naughty little girl.”

She looked at him, insulted. “How dare you! Do you know who I am!?”

The man’s smile turned into a wicked grin. “Of course I do.”

Sylfaerune felt fear from the man’s expression, taking a step back.

Lord Tulsen chuckled. “Don’t think of trying to escape. I have already put a spatial lock on the area.” He bowed in a grand and mocking way. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Alexander Tulsen, and here on business with you.”

Blood drained from Sylfaerune’s face. She might not have known what he looked like, but there wasn’t a single god or goddess that didn’t know that name. “W-W-What do you want?” She nervously asked.

Lord Tulsen turned to Io. “Do you want to say it? Or shall I?” He asked.

“Wait, Io, is this about what you were hiding? What happened?” Orbus asked.

Io shut her eyes and nodded. “Yes. Lord Tulsen… please….”

He shrugged his shoulders and turned to face the goddess of the sun and sky. “Sylfaerune, you are guilty of killing the mortal, Michael Dale Lemos. How do you plead?”

“N-Not gul-!”

“SYL!” Io shouted while standing and slamming her hands on the table.

Sylfaerune looked at her angry and hurt sister in shock. Io had never raised her voice toward her.

“Aww, you ruined my chance.” Lord Tulsen chuckled.

Sylfaerune looked back at Lord Tulsen.

His wicked grin returned. “Seems you forgot one of the rules when dealing with me. Don’t. Lie.”

Realizing Io had saved her, Sylfaerune fell to her knees. “I’m… sorry…”

Lord Tulsen paced before the kneeling goddess. “You killed Michael for your own greed of getting the ‘perfect’ hero.”

“You did it again!?” Tilra angrily exclaimed.

“Please don’t interrupt.” Lord Tulsen stated. Tilra quickly apologized and sat back down.

“Now.” Lord Tulsen continued while pacing back and forth. “After killing him, you resurrected Michael into your world’s Demon-Lord, unknowingly putting your world at risk of complete annihilation.”

“W-What do you mean?” Sylfaerune asked.

Lord Tulsen stopped before her and leaned down to her. “What is one thing that is special about Other Worlders? Something that sets them apart from the people of your world?” He asked.

“By the Omni-Gods…” “Oh…” “W-W-What is the status of the Demon-Lord?!” The three other gods began panicking. Io remained silent.

“He is completely sane. I assure all of you that he will not be detrimental to our world. In truth… He has helped our world more than the Heroes….” Io stated.

“Well? Oh-Great-Goddess?” Lord Tulsen mocked.

After racking her brain for a moment, she realized her mistake. “No cap…”

The man grinned. “Correct!” He exclaimed. “But.” He leaned toward her once more. “You got lucky that he unintentionally set off his Hero’s Call at the time. If he had not, you would have had your Heroes playing one hell of a game of Catch-Up.”

“I…” What had she done? She put their whole world at risk, and for what? Pride?

Sylfaerune was on her hands and knees as her mind raced at the near consequences of her actions. “What…” She trembled. “Is to be my punishment?”

Lord Tulsen sighed. “You are lucky to have the sister you do. Under normal circumstances, the Omni-Gods would have stripped you of your divine power and given you ten thousand lifetimes of horrible reincarnations. But Io petitioned me to get you a stay of punishment to perform an action.”

Sylfaerune looked up at her sister, who had tears rolling down her cheeks. Her beloved sister, who she had taken for granted. The one she had tried so hard to be like. By the Omni-Gods, what had she done?

“What must I do?” Sylfaerune asked.

Lord Tulsen pulled up a chair and sat while pulling out a gem that every god knew of. An Ark of Divinity.

“I am to be stripped of my power?” Sylfaerune asked.

“Correct.” Lord Tulsen smirked. “But that is not all. You will be turned into a mortal in your world with a singular goal.”

“And that is?”

“You have to earn the forgiveness of the one you hurt most.” Lord Tulsen stated.

She had to get Michael’s forgiveness? How could she? With her realization of nearly destroying their world, the goddess had been reflecting on her actions. Her divine power accelerated her thoughts to reach a multitude of conclusions about her faults.

“Also, know that if you fail to get his forgiveness and die as a mortal, you will join the cycle of reincarnation, never to return to divinity.” Lord Tulsen added.

Sylfaerune turned to her sister. “Io… I’m sorry… This…”

“Is all my fault,” Io claimed.

“What?” Tilra looked to Io. “This is definitely not your fault! You had given Syl many chances and covered for her too many times!”

“Tilra is correct. Sylfaerune had made her bed.” Nanduun added.

Orbus pouted that the two others had beaten him to console their fellow god.

“I coddled Syl too much. I-!” Io fell back into her seat as Lord Tulsen appeared before her.

“Io.” Lord Tulsen did not speak mockingly or playfully. He was being frank. “I have seen many like Sylfaerune in all my time. Yes, some of them had individuals like you around them, but as your compatriots had stated, these are the consequences of her actions. You had no part in it.”

“I… Understand…” Io lowered her eyes.

Lord Tulsen returned to before Sylfaerune. “Now then, do you agree?”

Sylfaerune doubted she would be able to make things right. She looked at her sister once more before turning away in shame. “I… don’t….”

“Take it,” Tilra stated.

“What?”

“Take. It.” Tilra repeated. “I don’t care how guilty you feel right now. You need to make things right.”

“How could he forgive me?”

“Beg, plead, offer yourself as a slave. You do what you need to do to get his forgiveness.” She turned to Lord Tulsen. “She gets her power back when she completes her task, right?”

He nodded. “Correct. Though she will be removed from world management pending reeducation and qualification.”

Something like that could take millennia.

“Then,” Sylfaerune stood. “I shall accept…” She was still quite doubtful she could earn forgiveness from Michael, but as Tilra stated, she had to try for Io’s sake.

“Good.” Lord Tulsen held up the Ark of Divinity.

Sylfaerune took a breath and placed her hand on the crystal. The orb hummed to life, and the goddess felt her divine power rapidly siphoned away. The crystal gorged itself on her power until it was completely gone after a few minutes. She fell to her knees. Was this what it felt like to be a mortal?

“Well, now that that is done.” Lord Tulsen handed the Ark of Divinity to Io. “The lot of you can take care of the rest.”

Io was hesitating. She was terrified of losing her sister.

“I’ll do it,” Tilra said, seeing how worried Io was. “I’ll give you the body of a half-spirit of light. It will give you decent healing abilities and the power to protect yourself.”

Nanduun approached. “Since we know how big of a screw-up you are, I will give you a few extra lives. If you die, you will revive at the closest temple.”

Orbus stepped up. “I’ll give you a few blessings and a bag with plenty of Tress. Use it to find the Demon-Lord.”

Io shuffled up. “Be careful, Syl. Remember, mortals need to eat and sleep regularly. I will give you a way to track the Demon-Lord.”

“Nope.” Lord Tulsen cut in. “That is too helpful. This is a trial for her. If those ancient idiots found out you gave her that, they would cross with you.”

Io seemed annoyed by his statement but relented. “Then how about three times a week, she can briefly sense the direction of the Demon-Lord?”

“That’s acceptable.” Lord Tulsen smirked.

“Now then.” Tilra began. “Sylfaerune, goddess of the sun and sky. You shall be reincarnated into our world of Owltrelus to make up for your horrible choices. Do your utmost effort to find and make amends with the one you have wronged….” She paused before a worried look came to her face. “Good luck…”

With a flash of light, Sylfaerune was sent on her way.