Alexander opened his mouth, but instead of words, coughs came out. The woman frowned. She had seen enough injuries to know Alexander wouldn’t last too long if she didn't do something. If he died right in front of her, it would be less than ideal. With that in mind, she whipped out a trinket and placed it in Alexander’s hand.

At that moment, Alexander felt a surge of strength returning to him. His injuries and burns still hurt like hell and he had to work very hard not to scream, but he could talk once again. His eyes quickly landed on the trinket he was holding onto. It was an ordinary object, but it was doing what the most advanced Imperial medical equipment couldn’t.

“This...how…” He stuttered before turning to Katie. “This technology is astonishing! How are you doing this?”

“As much as I want to claim credit for this, I didn't make this.” The self-proclaimed God of Agony shrugged. “I actually got it from one of my friends. She is Death...well, I say friend, but she is more like a colleague. I hate her. You know...people think death and pain are friends, but they are actually very different. Polar opposites, in fact. Why? If you are dead, you can’t feel pain. If you are feeling pain, then congrats, you are still very much alive. She’s also a really boring person. Anyways, this trinket can keep you from dying. It simply locks your status as ‘living’. I don’t know how it really works...”

In front of her, still on the ground, Alexander found his mouth hanging wide open as this woman, who was by all accounts a celestial, rambled on. That was all good and well, until he realized he was still in unbelievable pain. Finally, he cut her off.

“So, Katie...I mean your...your grace.” Alexander coughed. You are talking to a god! Mind your tone! “You answered my prayers?”

“Yep.”

“And you are willing to make a deal?” The young man pushed on. “Give me the power to avenge my family. Heal my wounds and let me return to my father’s fleet, and I will give you everything I have when everything is over, body and soul.”

The celestial in front of him thought about it for a second before replying. Instead of outright agreeing or refusing the deal, she offered him a counter-proposal.

“Here’s the thing...what’s your name again?”

“Alexander. Alexander Wolf.”

“Nice name. Love it. Anyways, Alex. I can’t just snap my fingers and make you a god or give you a fleet. Well, I can, but that would be counterintuitive. However, what I can do is give you the ability to build up your own forces and build your own path toward vengeance. I can make you...a Lord of Agony.”

Alexander was confused. He didn't need to be a god or receive a fleet. He just needed his wounds healed! Yet he wisely remained silent as the woman continued talking.

“Ok...when I told you I am a God of Agony, I wasn’t being completely honest. I’m not a God of Agony. I am Agony. I am the physical embodiment of the very concept of agony, which includes anything from pain, guilt, hunger, unsatiated hatred...essentially anything and everything that people don’t want to experience. This means the more agony there is in the endless realms, the more powerful I get.”

“At the same time, as long as the concept of agony exists in the countless worlds, as long as anyone is suffering, I will continue to exist. I can’t be killed. I can’t die. The only way to truly get rid of me is by making sure no one is suffering. Ever. And things have to stay that way for all of eternity. The moment that changes, I will be back.”

Agony shrugged.

“Essentially, I am an immortal. The most absolute kind. Think of me as one of the top players in the trillions of worlds out there.” She turned back to Alexander. “Of course, as a top player, I need armies and generals, both of which I happen to be lacking. That’s why I’m here, Alexander. I am recruiting Lords of Agony, potent beings who can convert entire worlds to my worship and rally entire fleets to my cause. And you, Alexander, you have the potential to be one such being.”

She stared into Alexander’s eyes. She knew the man was moved by the idea, as confused as he was. After all, joining a powerful god as one of her generals sounded a lot better than being burned alive with his dead family. So Katie gave him another push.

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“Clearly, you harbor a significant amount of physical and emotional torment. As a Lord of Agony, pain will be your friend. Every sense of pain you feel or cause will empower you in any way you wish. Heal your wounds. Strengthen your body. Bring your enemies to their knees. If you want, the Essence of Agony can fuse you with your armor or ship. Or it can help you grow claws and fangs and tear open your enemies. It can do anything, really.”

“As a Lord of Agony, you will be able to convert others to my worship. Those converted by you will become your underlings. Your supplicants. Whenever they feel or cause pain, you will receive a portion of Essence of Agony. Of course, the same goes with me.”

“Furthermore, as a Lord, you will have absolute dominance over your underlings. A psychic network will link you with them, allowing you to share your thoughts with them in an instant regardless of the distance between you. I advise you to link with certain officers, who will link with the rest of your people. This helps things out a lot when you have billions of supplicants. Those below you will have no choice but to obey your every command. It is physically impossible for them to actively betray you.”

“In other words, if I tell them to die, they will slit their own throat. Is that it?” Alexander quickly realized what Katie was saying, and the example he used was oddly bloody. “And is that true with me too?”

“I was going to get to that, but yes. Once you become my supplicant, you will never be able to betray me. Ever.” Agony explained patiently. “That is not a threat or an exaggeration. The oath you will swear to me is part of an unbreakable pact. If you say the oath, you will serve me loyally for all eternity. That is a statement.”

“Think about it. Think about it very carefully. I will tell you the oath when you are ready. By the time you give voice to that oath, you have to be fully aware of what it means to say those words, and you have to give yourself into me completely. If there is any deception or doubt regarding your willingness to make the deal, the oath will fail. This is just how the pact works.”

Alexander laid there for a moment, deep in thoughts. Losing his freedom sounded horrible, but he had nothing to lose. Plus, this also meant those who swore their oath to him would be incapable of betraying. For obvious reasons, after the day he had had, that was truly comforting.

Of course, there was always the option of rejecting the offer and relying on Battlefleet Obsidian to take down Valentine and Wells, but something told him Agony wouldn’t be fine with healing him just like that. She wanted him to be this so-called Lord of Agony, and a celestial like her wouldn’t take no for an answer.

He looked up at Katie again with determination in his eyes. He had made up his mind.

“What is the oath, your grace?”

---

“Hear me, Agony.”

“I, Alexander Wolf, hereby swear my allegiance to you. I shall heed your command. I shall execute your will. I shall act in your best interest as I see fit. My life is yours. From this moment, till all of eternity.”

“May the Infinite Realms suffer in your name.”

“May Agony guide us.”

As those dark words left his mouth, Alexander knew he was going down a path he couldn’t leave. As he spoke, his eyes glanced at the bodies of his family. Would they approve what they were doing to avenge them? Maybe. Maybe not. Perhaps he would never know.

Finally, he came to the conclusion of the oath. For a second, nothing happened.

“I don’t feel anything…”

And then he felt it. It was truly a strange sensation as, in a flash, the young man felt like something deep in his soul was different. Changed and transformed. That was when he realized something was off with his burns and bullet wounds. They still hurt, like hell, but instead of fearing the pain, Alexander felt comforted by the sensation. Pain became as natural to him as air and water. It was no longer the enemy, but rather a close friend and a trusted ally.

Cold, corrosive energy slowly flowed from his injuries to the rest of his body. It didn't take Alexander long to realize he could control that energy. It took a single thought from him to direct some energy to his lower body. The burns mended under his eyes until they were completely replaced by newly grown flesh and skin.

This must be the Essence of Agony. The energy that is extracted from pain.

“How does it feel?”

Alexander snapped around to Agony. She was speaking to him, but not by words. Instead, her message reached his mind instantly, likely through the psychic connection she told him about.

“I will not stay here for long, and soon, you will be the highest-ranking supplicant in this world. As a Lord of Agony, you will be able to contact me anywhere, anytime. Of course, as much as I would like to chat, you are not to do that unless it is absolutely necessary.”

Alexander slowly stood back up. After the hell that was today, he had more than enough Essence of Agony to heal his entire body and replenish his lost blood. Once that was done, he spent the rest of the energy on enhancing himself. The strength he could feel in his body was amazing.

Facing his new god, the young man lowered his head in obedience.

“As you wish, your grace.”