***The Eternal Palace***

***Angrod***

Nix smiles, but her eyes are dead to the world as she keeps bouncing a giggling Seria on her knee.

“You shouldn’t drink so much,” Seria reprimands her older sister.

“You have to excuse me, but after everything I was just told, I really need the nightmare fuel.” She takes another sip from the bottle we offered her, a brand that could as well be used to run a combustion engine. “Besides, this is nothing more than water to a demoness like me.”

She turns her attention to me. “So, Iraxar betrayed me. Do you really think a demon like myself has a place among your new people?”

Celes snorts while rifling through the stack of papers which contain everything Nix told us so far. “Just look at us. The genetic code of our bodies is so warped that there is no point in anything like racism. Just go out the door and you will find that none of the pedestrians will take a second look at you.” She clears her throat. “Ahem, forget that. They will, but not because you are a demon.”

Nix raises her eyebrows, switching her gaze to me.

“Horns.” I point at myself and Celes. “They are a sign of royalty on this world.”

Naturally, Nix’s attention sways to her little sister, who still looks quite human.

Seria sighs. “I will look like a demon soon enough, no worries. It’s an… age-thing around here.”

“She contracted some outside party to craft her a virus that would manufacture and mutate an entire ecosystem to reseed this world with life.” Celes shakes her head. “It’s a minor miracle that randomly throwing genetic material from different worlds into the mix turned out as well as it did.” Her expression darkens. “Especially after using your own genetic code... I have no idea what your former body even was.”

“Hey!” My daughter puffs up her cheeks. “I am no good with these things. I may be able to give something that already exists life, amplify it, or take it away, but I am no good at creation itself.”

Nix massages the bridge of her nose. “Anyway, I can’t wrap my mind around how a society of gods can even work. I understand how the Council is doing it, but they try to rule by dividing the multiverse as much as possible. The Crystal City has less than a hundred thousand inhabitants at any point in time.”

“We are simply better rulers than them,” Celes explains, demonstrating utter confidence in our way of handling things. “There is no need to terrify those beneath you if you are just and benevolent.”

“The terrifying is my job,” I whisper to Nix, pointing at myself.

“She is the good cop and he is the bad cop,” Seria giggles, then stops laughing when her mother glares at her. “Though, they tend to switch roles now and then.”

“Jokes aside,” I wave a hand to get them to calm down, “the whole ‘Society of Gods’ had a rough start, but things are looking better and better as our level of technology rises. Most menial labour is already robotized by now. That causes issues of its own because many deities are just lazing around, but it’s better than having them fight over things. We still have more than enough people who are interested in taking responsibility of improving our society.”

I gesture at the skyscrapers outside. The capital transformed over the years into a city brimming with life and activity. It could as well be a city from a post-industrial age. The days of fighting over resources for magi-tech are long past.

It's truly wondrous what a society of almost almighty beings can achieve if everyone works together. There are a few foul apples on our tree, but my family managed to pluck those before any major damage was done.

“Returning to the core of the matter.” Celes points at the compiled papers in her hands. “Why do you know so much about the Council?”

Nix shrugs. “Those who roam the edges of the ‘civilized’ part of the multiverse have to keep a keen eye on those who think themselves powerful. After your supposed demise, I spent great effort into learning everything I could to avoid a similar fate. If they have the power to make even gods do their bidding... I didn’t want to come anywhere near them. My information may be a little outdated after my imprisonment, but things move slowly when it comes to the Council.”

I grunt. “You really think that this Fendulf is our best bet?”

“If you want to deliver a message to challenge them, he might as well be the best bet. He is a weak deity who manages a core-world with a pathway node, a crossway between dimensions. That gives him some standing in the Crystal City, but in reality, he is just a minor accountant among the Council’s subordinates. You can pop in on him without fear that you have to engage in a major battle and rest assured that whatever message you give him will reach the Council’s ears.”

Celes looks at me and nods.

I sigh and reach for my staff. It flies right into my open palm from where it was resting leaned against the wall. “I will be right back. There is no need for a larger team or inhibition fields in this case.”

“Just make sure to be gone if there is anything even remotely fishy,” Celes warns me.

“I love you too.” I wink at her, and a step through the pathways takes me outside the Void Zone, among dimensions, and onto another world.

Nix somehow got her hands on a document which describes the generally agreed upon way to describe multidimensional coordinates among gods, so it’s no issue to find the right universe, galaxy, and star among a multitude of nearly identical dimensions.

It’s funny how most mortal scientists theorize that in a multiverse, there must also be multiple versions of the same person. Sadly, quantum law ensures that souls are unique. There is only one of each of us among the vastness of space and dimensions, each a unique existence.

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Appearing in the sky above a big city, I look around, remembering this world from a previous life. It was a lot different back then.

But I am not here to dwell on my memories. I want to leave a little message for the Council. For this purpose, I need to talk to a god. Preferably not to a Council member and not on their territory. How to find said god is a different story. Though, I have a plan for that.

All I need to do is to create a little commotion and hope for one of the caretakers of this world to notice.

Using another pathway, I appear inside the town in a big open area in front of a large building. From above, the place looked sufficiently public for my purposes.

Upon closer inspection, I realize that many of the mortals seem to be students. Judging by their uniform robes and the fact that most of them are carrying books points in that direction.

Hah, this feels so nostalgic. Many lifetimes ago, I spent long decades as a professor and teacher, hoping to better humanity from within.

Sadly, I quickly had to admit defeat in the face of human stupidity. I sigh, shaking my head at the naivety of my past self.

Mortals, in general, are morons. Some are trainable – with a stick and a lot of time. Most are not.

Unnoticed, while I was busy with my ruminations, the surrounding people came to a dead halt as they started noticing me and soon enough screams arise!

“Kyaa!”

“Demon!”

“Run for your lives!”

“Aaaaaa!”

I forgot how fast mortals can run when they encounter something beyond their comprehension. A few seconds ago, the area was crowded with people. Now there is nobody left.

They all fled head over heels and dropped everything they had on the ground. Books and papers are all over the place, creating quite the scene.

I take a few steps forward and grab a random book to read the title. “About the world, it's inhabitants and the gods – By Lerem Gerwais.”

I flip through the pages and grin at the stupid ideas inside. The book is tinged with religious concepts, warping the truth beyond belief.

Suddenly, someone shouts out from behind me, “Hold it demon! In the name of our holy protector, Fendulf! Leave this world and go back into the Abyss which birthed you!”

I turn around and find a very shiny looking knight in full body armour, a wizard girl, a priestess, and an archer. Their outfits look expensive, but they aren't gods, just mortals.

Ignoring them, I turn back to my book and continue to flip the pages, trying to judge if I should keep it for my own amusement. The fact that some bigwigs showed up so quickly allows some hope that their god is on top of his game. Maybe I won't have to do anything if I show just a little patience.

“By the light! Holy sword! Slay this creature of evil!”

I feel something poking me. First, between my shoulder blades, then a strike from the side.

Turning around, I look at the leader of this newly arrived party. The man's sword is bent, now useless for all intents and purposes.

“What is this devilry!? The holy sword, given by his holiness himself doesn't even scratch him!?”

I frown. “Did you just try to strike me down out of the blue? Without even knowing who or what I am?”

Originally, I never intended to mess with this world's mortals, but this guy is dangerously stupid. Combine that with the fact that he must be someone important, judging by his attire, and…

I sigh, the multiverse hasn't changed at all during my forced exile.

Well, I may as well do this world a favour.

Swinging the book in a backhand arc, I deliver a perfect smack to the idiot's cheek.

The force is enough to spin his head sideways at an unhealthy angle. After a second of just standing there, he falls to the ground like a felled tree and moves no more. The deformation of his helmet is proof of the force with which I hit him.

That was almost too easy.

Then I notice the fatal error I made. “Aw! Look! Because of you, I destroyed the binding of the book!” I complain. The knowledge inside the book was worthless, but it could have been a fun read.

“Kyaaa! Hero!” The wizard girl starts a tirade while the priestess falls to her knees and starts praying. The archer just stands there with a dumbfounded look on his face.

Oh, well. It looks like this situation won’t lead anywhere. I frown while looking down at the destroyed book, trying to think of the best way to find this Fendulf without causing too much of a ruckus. He would surely notice if I blew up a continent or two, but I really don’t want to do that.

My problem solves itself with a sudden flash of light from above.

Shielding my eyes, I look up, witnessing a shiny figure made out of light floating there!

“Who has slain my Champion!?”

Lucky! Exactly who I was searching for. “Come down here, I have to talk to you.”

“Vile demonic creature! Be gone!”

Another flash of light and the ground around me is flash fried, turning black from the heat.

Had I not countered the spell by forcefully emitting my own aura, I would have been roasted!

The other god doesn't have any problems with my aura pressing down on him, but the archer is twitching on the ground – foam at his mouth. The wizard girl and the priestess are also down on their knees and panting as if the world's gravity is too much for them. As magic users, they are taking the weight of my presence a little better.

I have to keep it toned down, or I might accidentally depopulate a few cities. In fact, I am fairly sure that this idiot and I already snapped a few of the weaker minds in this city. For some reason, weak souls can’t bear the presence of a god.

Poor mortals. “Come down here, stupid idiot! I have to talk to you! Or do I have to destroy this world, just to tell you a few words? And switch off this stupid light-show! That's so outdated!” I wave a fist at the idiot.

Realizing that the situation isn't what he assumed it to be, the figure of light descents to the ground and dims down to reasonable levels. “What's a fellow god doing here? This is my world. Why are you stirring up trouble?”

I take a look at this Fendulf. He is a wiry man, his mortal body very similar to an elf's. Yet, his stubbly chin makes him look more like a human. A half-breed? Now, that's something you don't get to see every day. The multiverse is vast, yet humans and elves stick to their own kind on most worlds.

“I need you to give the Council a message. Fendulf, I assume?” I may as well give him my message. Nix and Celes are waiting at home.

Fendulf nods. “Why don't you give this message to the Council yourself?”

“Because I don't want to walk right into my enemy's territory,” I reply briskly. “As for the message, tell them greetings from the Void. We will soon visit them in their heavenly city. And then we will have a nice chat with them.” I smile at Fendulf, showing my fangs.

He looks at me with obvious question marks above his head.

“Ah, and could you also spread the word: Everyone who doesn't want to get involved in the Council's business should stay away and keep their heads down,” I add as an afterthought.

“You aren't planning something stupid like a rebellion are you?” Fendulf asks worriedly. “Many have tried that over the aeons, and nobody succeeded. You will be just another cobblestone on their road to eternity.”

“Count your ass on it! The final days of the Council are close and it's in their hands to choose if their end will be an ugly one or not.” I wave at Fendulf and then at the mortals, who are looking at me as if I am the harbinger of the end.

Realizing that I am still holding the destroyed book, I drop it on the hero's corpse. Quite the end, to be quite literally slain by his ignorance of knowledge.

I chuckle darkly.

To the mortals, this conversation must have sounded like hell just declared war on heaven.

I turn around and step onto a pathway which takes me home.