Another indeterminate length of time passed as the universe opened before his senses. Streams of energy intertwining together into patterns that were both complex and simple at the same time, but now they were flowing in both directions. As they flew past, they, he knew these were new souls going where they were most needed.
[Yes.]
Then even more brightness appeared ahead. What looked like raw energy, or what he thought raw energy would look like, was flowing past in an unimaginably wide stream that undulated as if a wind gently moved it. It was impossible to describe, other than it held every color imaginable and then some. He realized at that moment that black was an actual color.
Into and out of this stream flew the souls, and seconds later, he was entering that stream himself. Once submerged, John knew exactly where he was: the time stream of billions of individual strands, some of which appeared to sparkle. All around him, the souls weaved in and around the strands as he and they seemed to move deeper into the depthless interior, and as they did, pure white orbs met a few of the descending souls and guided them off to the side. As each left the main column, a slit in the curtain of time and space would appear, allowing them to enter before closing again. Far off into the distance, how far he was not sure, the trail of souls descending seemed to disappear and new souls appeared.
Within moments, a white sphere approached his own position and a slender filament of silver extruded outward from the other to latch onto his soul, pulling him from the column. As his senses absorbed the exchange, he witnessed how the filaments combined to create the tether, and he marveled at the simplicity of Order and Chaos manipulation. Instinctively, John knew that the membrane, for that is what it appeared to be, opened into another realm and as they passed through its rippling edges, his memory turned dark again.
[Yes, again you are correct. We open membranes within the fabric of the space-time continuum using the manipulation of Order and Chaos so that we may transfer our followers home. One of my mother's guides brought you here, where I took over. Those sparkling threads you witnessed were the domains of gods, and, as you could see, there were many of them. Now it is time for you to stop playing within your memories and get back here.]
Wow, I really am dead, John thought as he sat up on the table. There was no longer any doubt within his being that this was a god, and he or it was correct.
[Yes, you are. I am sorry if this distresses you, but it is so.]
Do you know how I died?
[Brain aneurism, and you went quickly. In fact, you never woke.]
I see. Wow!
[John, let me try to answer your questions as quickly as possible. The time when you will need to answer one of mine is growing near. Bear in mind that we will always be able to communicate if you answer favorably to the question I have for you. Agreed?]
Okay, shoot!
[The souls that disappeared and reappeared far into the distance are where we surmise your god is. Our belief, if you will, is that the god you think of as yours was the first and he evolved from what you call the “big bang.” Yes, the big bang happened; it is obvious. Where those souls go or where the new ones come from, we have no idea, but we do know that most of those new souls you witnessed are rebirths of older souls. If you had my senses, you would see their past lives. So, yes, we know he is real, but he refuses to communicate with any of us, though he seems to have an awareness of most if not all universes and the planets within. In fact, it is entirely likely he did create the cosmos. As in the beginning, it was an almost infinite amount of expanding matter and energy.]
What about Jesus? interrupted John.
[We believe he is simply an aspect of the original God, going by another name for a different purpose. He will not communicate either, but has the same flavor as the original entity. Now, we are in my mother's domain because she is an elder god. This means no other entity, with the possible exception of the original, can enter without her permission. If they tried, they would simply rebound off.]
What you're telling me actually makes sense, Ares.
[I thought it might. Now to the rest. My mother is the goddess you call Hera. She also goes by other names, but they are relatively unimportant. Just as I am also Mars, and yes, we gods become bored when our followers die off or stop communicating with us, so we…play around in other aspects like the one in which you see me.]
Well, I think that answers all my questions for now. What did you want to ask me?
[We need you to go back to work!]
What? I'm a tired old man. Seventy-two years old, and about the most work you'll get out of this old body is taking a week to sand down a small dining room table.
[You are a relatively young soul, and we have need of your particular skill set. You are a master tactician and strategist, and I need someone with your qualifications.]
The heck, you say. You are the God of War. You know everything.
[Not so. The one aspect us gods do not have is originality. Yes, I remember every battle I observed, millions of them, more even. However, if an unknown situation appears, I cannot advise what I do not know or have already experienced. In other words, I cannot adapt to a fluid situation as you could. The reason for that is the free will you have.]
So, free will is everything, then. We have to make these choices.
[Yes. Free will is more important than you think and comes with rules I will explain later. Now, let us discuss your choices.]
All right, but I'll hold you to more information later.
[All ascending souls usually receive two choices, which are, remaining in their allotted heaven or rebirth. What we consider rebirth, you would know as reincarnation. If you were to choose the path of reincarnation, your soul would be reborn where there is a need. You would be one of those souls you witnessed exiting the time stream, without memory, but with past lives.]
What do most beings choose? Do you know?
[Yes, most choose rebirth. It is obvious when you study the souls leaving the nether sphere. You see, most souls consider heaven boring after awhile, even those that ascend to the original god’s heaven. Universally, amongst all gods, heaven is about love, acceptance, and joy. There is no strife, no challenges or adventures, no romance.]
Wait, no romance?
[Correct. We have to conform to a set of laws that allows for total free will of everyone. If someone disliked romance, or adventure, or what have you, others doing so would impinge upon the others’ free will. Therefore, every heaven must be as bland as possible so there is no violation of free will. It is simple really, yet vastly complicated. Moreover, before you ask, there is no violation by denying you adventure or any other number of activities. There is a major difference between passive and active free will.]
Okay, I get it. Go ahead and continue, please.
[There is a third choice, which is to become a champion of your god, or a god. It is a very rare honor. You retain your past memories and you start over in a new, stronger body with special abilities. There will be tasks to perform, and it is fair to warn you that a champion’s job is rarely complete. Only the direst circumstance requires a champion.]
You're talking crunch time, like Spartacus and the three hundred, right?
[Actually yes, though Spartacus was not a champion. However, you have the right of it as most champions die completing their missions. All that said, I believe you have the strength, skill, and fortitude to perform the tasks, and still survive. Remember, I said most champions die completing their task, but certainly not all of them. Therefore, if you agree, and until you say otherwise, you will be reborn intact where I need you. This third choice needs your approval. It is the basis of free will. One of the original gods laws that I will explain later as there is not enough time to get into them. Suffice to say, if I tried to force your soul into another body without your permission, I would probably disappear. That seems to be the way of it, so you have to make that decision.]
Okay, explain that last, and then give me a rundown of
the mission. If I agree, I'm going in with eyes wide open.
[There are a set of what we call laws in place for everyone, both gods and beings. Put in place by the original entity is the current thinking amongst us. What we do know is that somehow we know them as we need to know them and occasionally a new law comes into being. As an example, when Jesus was born, human sacrifice in the name of a god stopped. Any god who transgressed by cajoling or demanding his followers sacrifice a sentient simply ceased to exist. Therefore, gods would leave their followers if those same followers continued the practice. If you know the history of your own world, you should know that after the birth of Jesus, any group that continued the practice disappeared or were conquered shortly thereafter. We gods believe that, for whatever reasons, the original entity changed his mind about human sacrifice and reintroduced himself as Christ.]
I see. Keep going, but you will explain all these laws sooner or later, correct?
[Yes, as soon as it is not too busy for you, where you are to go if you agree. Now, in this instance, I need a champion that is a master tactician, strategist, and one who is capable of adapting instantly and one who is adept at thinking outside the box, as you humans say. My champion needs to be a superior fighter and one versed in medieval warfare and weapons. My champion also needs to be a superior swordsman. The decades you spent in martial arts training will be indispensible where you will go if you agree. I will be honest that my mother found you for me. She is much more powerful and was able to sift through memories faster. I needed to find a suitable soul that was readily available in the time constraint we find ourselves.]
I understand my qualifications. Now, the mission, please, so I can make the decision you need before time runs out.
Another soft laugh from the god, then, [The world is called Corvalis. It resides in a different dimension, one that permits the use of magic. In the very near future, a soldier there will have his soul stripped from his mortal shell by an enemy wizard, leaving the shell vacant. I would put you in that shell. The body you would occupy is that of a guard captain in a large nation state. Your first task will be the protection of the princesses of their king from the assassins sent to take their lives. Your second task involves reuniting the countries of the Alliance and others to stand against those of the Devourer. I do not know if you will succeed, but my mother hopes and feels you will do so.]
Whoa, explain this Devourer.
[As there appears to be one supreme god of creation as you call him or her, there is also one supreme being of entropy. You might call it evil, but that would be incorrect. Let us say a being of emptiness that desires emptiness everywhere. This entity destroys not only all life on a planet, but even the capability to sustain life in the future. It is uncaring in the extreme. I and the other gods of this world do not want our followers destroyed or the world turned into a cinder. It would be your job to stop that destruction by stopping the evil forces spreading outward. Those forces would extinguish all life on the planet but their own, and, as is usually the case, commit mass suicide, leaving the planet barren. At that time, the Devourer destroys the world itself. In fact, in many cases we have witnessed, the destruction happens as dark forces spread outward.]
So, why don't you fight this Devourer?
[We would if we could, John. However, we cannot. The gods of Order and Chaos are equal as far as overall strength is concerned. The gods of Chaos are on the side of the Devourer, and for some reason, there appears to be a law in place that prevents the Devourer from attacking the gods of Order. Therefore, it simply ignores us. It is a constant battle between good and evil, for lack of a better phrase, and we are not exactly winning.]
Why doesn't The God step in, then?
[Because there is no reason for him to do so as the soul is forever. Our best guess, and, yes, us gods are guessing here, is that if the Devourer succeeds in destroying the current creation, everything restarts with plenty of souls available to repopulate.]
I see. What about this magic and what is to prevent some enemy wizard from doing the same to me once I'm there?
[Your soul will be bound to the body you inhabit. No amount of magic will be able to remove your soul after we shield it.]
You mentioned a newer, stronger body with special abilities. Explain, please.
[We will modify the body you will inhabit. Actually, mother will modify it. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to do this. She will also transfer your soul into its new shell. If I were to do both, it would deplete me to the point that I would not even be able to communicate with my followers for tens of years, perhaps centuries, while I slowly rebuilt my strength back. It is a tradeoff, John. This is why champions are so rare, one every few hundred years or half a millennium on most worlds. The cost is high, and I'll need to protect mother until she builds up the strength she's lost, though, as an elder god, she builds up much faster than I can.]
You gods appear to be quite a bit more limited than I would have thought, John said.
[Yes, we are.] Kind laughter filled his mind as the god continued. [You will have at least twice the normal strength and reflexes in the body you will fill. You will also keep your memories, which includes the manipulation of raw Order and Chaos, what you witnessed when you transcended. This means you can manipulate them as well, if you try. Your lifespan will be doubled, and you will be given the gift of tongues, which means you will understand the spoken and written word of every race on Corvalis. You will also be able to speak and write those languages. Corvalis has eight races; you will be able to understand all of them. The gift of tongues is an especially powerful binding, even more so than modifying the body, and it is granted sparingly. However, it is not hereditary, so your children will not have this advantage.]
So, I can have children there!
[Yes.]
Define my magic, if you would, Ares.
[You will be able to manipulate raw Order and Chaos as you witnessed. This does not mean you are the same level or higher than the wizards of Corvalis are. Their magic is more complex, whereas yours is simpler. In some areas you are stronger, in others they are.]
And these other races?
[The world of Corvalis evolved with no sentient life of its own. Various gods have used this world to save their followers from death and destruction from time to time. Other races such as the humans simply traveled to Corvalis when the space bonds between universes thinned. The result is a world with multiple intelligent species. Most will be on your side. Some will not. You will need to discover on your own who will side with your cause.]
John leaned back and thought. On one hand, he could go to heaven and become bored in short order. He clearly remembered how long it took to lose interest in everything once he retired from the Marine Corps. On the other hand, he would have a fresh start, in a new body with special abilities. A thought occurred to him.
How about bringing my dog, Kali, over? Can you do that?
[No. I'm sorry. We cannot physically transport physical matter from one realm to another except under certain circumstances, or during those times when the walls of space are thin, creating natural membranes. However, Mother and I understand your love for Kali and have something special planned for you. We will explain more of this to you at a later time.]
It was a thought, oh well. What about these races? What are they?
[John, I do not wish to spoil the surprise in store for you. Trust me when I say you will recognize most of them. You see, as I briefly hinted at earlier, the universe is not as diverse as you might think. Throughout the universe, there is duplication among the races, for whatever reason. Call it a builder's template, if you want, and one that seems to have been used frequently.]
Okay, I agree to be this champion. What do I have to lose anyways? John smiled to himself, feeling he'd made the right decision.
[Thank you, John.] The power behind that thought sent his mind reeling. It had a distinctly feminine flavor, and he knew without doubt it was Ares’s mother, Hera.
/> You are welcome, Mother. May I call you Mother?
[Yes, my child. It pleases me that you would ask. Now, prepare yourself, for your time here is over. Prepare also to fight upon your merging.]
What? But it was too late. Darkness descended.
Chapter 2
~Elsa~
Like any woman, Elsa was moderately self-conscious about her appearance. She was heavily muscled, more so than many men, yet had slender hips flaring out into wide muscular thighs. No, she obviously was not a court beauty, but inwardly she felt she had a certain flair and vitality, especially with the white scar along her left jaw that highlighted her darkly tanned skin. The long raven black hair framing a face set with amber eyes only enhanced her appearance.
That scar was a souvenir from a battle after she joined the Jordache guard detail. Upon joining, she soon found herself promoted to squad leader, which was not common but did have its precedents, for she'd had previous training and excelled during the weapons phase. Years later, a routine patrol near the Illian border had turned into a skirmish, then almost a slaughter, against them as she found herself at the forefront of the remaining seventy members of the previously two-hundred strong company. Six hours of vicious fighting later, they still stood, though they numbered only eight on their feet, all of them wounded. The enemy routed with over twice their number lying dead or wounded on the battlefield, proclaimed the victory theirs. The king, being impressed in the aftermath, granted her a company of her own.
The God Warriors Page 3
