The Court of Souls? - Volume 1

by Andur

  “Lift your coat,” Elona commands. I do as told and she snuggles up to me. I chose a large, long coat of black leather. It's the best I found against the nasty weather. I don't really need it because of my magic, but one never knows.

  “That's better. Much warmer,” she sighs with her chin against my chest, amazing me anew with her ability to ignore dire situations. “You have to make up for a lot for that life when you were Ascathon. I never had such a horrible husband.”

  I frown. “Can't be. I cast environmental protection on both of us. The spell automatically regulates our body temperatures. And you also had a few nice lives so far! Not every reincarnation can be rosy.” At least mine were not. Okay, I guess as Gideon I had a pretty good time with her.

  “Spoilsport. You know why I want to hug you. And besides, waiting here gives us another chance to do a little catching up regarding our memories,” she answers.

  “Okay. You can choose the topic,” I reply.

  She starts with the most depressing topic. “Did you remember anything new about how our last reincarnations died?”

  I shake my head. “No, sorry. Total black out on that point. The last thing I remember is playing with one of our grand-grand-grandchildren in the royal garden. At least I think that's the last memory.”

  “Seems like we had a long and fulfilled life as Angrod and Celes. My last memory is similar.” Then her tail snakes around the both of us and settles around our hips. “So what is your earliest memory?”

  I wet my lips and try to put everything in a chronological order. “Our first life together must have been as Ascathon and Celestial. We knew nothing about gods back then. Just the reincarnation process was known to us. It was also the time when we had that accident with the soul bonding.”

  Yes. Normally a simple, mortal soul starts off with remembering past lives. The more memories it manages to hold, the stronger it becomes until you finally manage to ascend to being a god. In the multiverse, you got a huge boon from that. Almost limitless mana and the ability to travel through the pathways. But here in Dedessia, there are no pathways and the mana boost wasn't as strong as I remember it.

  She nods. “Yes, we ascended to godhood and lived our lives among the Ascended Ones. It was a long way with many trials, but in the end we entered the circle of rebirth again. One can take only so much of memories before you get bored to death just by living.

  “Afterwards comes a blur of short lifespans until we rejoined as Stella and Azir, though we never remembered being gods in that one.”

  “Yes. And the existence as Gideon and Cyla must have been afterwards because we found relics from our previous civilisation in those lives. Like the seed ship and, later on, their cities. Though since we couldn't remember our past lives in that reincarnation, we never made the connection,” I muse.

  She raises a hand to her chest. “Though I wonder why there are such long time dilatations between those reincarnations. We lived for a long time, yet we didn't ascend. Do you think that something-”

  “No. I think there is much more to remember. But those lives must have been relatively short ones. So far, I remember only a few lifespans as a normal human. Dying after fifty to ninety years takes a toll on the strength of your soul. But living as Azir, Stella, Gideon, and Cyla must have brought us back on the track to godhood.” Though there is more to consider.

  “So what about living as Angrod and Celes? There are some inconsistencies between those first three lives and the last one.” Elona gestures with her hand. “Take the Ancient Ones for example. Right now we remember our lives as them, but as Angrod and Celes we had no such memories. When we found the crystal city, it was completely new to us.”

  I scratch my cheek. “I've thought about that point. I think that it might have something to do with me resetting the multiverse. Think about it. The theory behind the reset was that once there is only a single intelligent observer left, the multiverse will automatically orient itself according to that observer's quantum interference.”

  “Yes, I remember. But you wished to return the multiverse back to its original state, didn't you?” She asks confused.

  “Yes and no. The reason for me attempting the reset at all was the Calamity. That monstrous being which endangered all of existence. Ascathon, the Bright One, created a curse to wipe the Calamity from existence. And I don't mean just a wipe, I mean complete eradication with no possibility of retrieving the data.

  “The curse worked as a sort of decision maker which I cast on myself. Normally time travel isn't possible. But by resetting the multiverse I could start over and over again until I achieve the desired result. The curse would force me to take different steps towards the ending, forcing me to reset the multiverse each time the result in our war wasn't satisfying. I would reset the multiverse and re-roll the dice until the perfect outcome is achieved. There is just one problem. If the multiverse reshapes according to the ideas of the last observer...”

  Elona nods slowly, understanding flickering in her eyes. “You didn't reset the multiverse just once. You did it hundreds, maybe millions of times. The Calamity wasn't an opponent we could fight and hope to win. The chances were impossibly small. But the curse ensured that we would get the chance to try again and again.

  “The multiverse reshapes according to the perception of the last observer. And if the observer doesn't have all the information, the multiverse tries to fill in the blank spots on its own. So it was impossible to reset the multiverse without recreating the Calamity as long as you had an exact idea of what the Calamity is. You had to forget about how the Calamity came to be, to even allow the dice to fall in a way which would erase the Calamity's existence.”

  I nod. “The curse played on the hope that with each reset a small amount of memories would be lost. Until I would finally forget about the Calamity in my final attempt. If I don't know how exactly the Calamity came to be, the multiverse would automatically try to correct the data. Eventually completely erasing the Calamity because of the inconsistencies. And that also explains all the inconsistencies in our memories. I am not even sure if those lifetimes took place in the same time frame, or if they belong to very similar ones.”

  “So what is Dedessia then? I thought we had defeated the Calamity and the multiverse would finally go on from that point in time. Did the multiverse reset on its own? Or is Dedessia really something like a DOS version of the multiverse, where all our past memories can be recovered. Something like a backup server? The accepted theory of Dedessia being a world between reincarnations sounds a little strange by now,” she mumbles and reaches for her head.

  Then she looks up. “Just imagine how much we could learn. Do you think we can remember all the iterations of the multiverse while we are here?”

  “You are right and I think Dedessia is more than that, maybe something else entirely. But I hope that it doesn't turn out that way. Remembering different variations of my past personas would suck big time. Once I read up on an idea that every decision ever made would create a new universe. What we are describing is very close to that.” I shudder.

  “Imagine living the same life over and over again, just making a small thing different each time. I am not surprised that the Calamity chose obliteration in the end.”

  “As for the nature of Dedessia, I have a few ideas, but naming them without any proof would be too early. The soundest one is connected to the way Ascathon created his curse. From what I remember, the functionality of the curse implies that the multiverse, existence itself, is subject to a cycle. It may be that the multiverse simply reached its next stage. Though I don't understand why Dedessia has no web of pathways. They were an integral part of the multiverse.”

  Both of us are silent for a while, then Elona has another question. “So what about turning this shithole into a decent world to live in? Can't you start building useful stuff like you always do?”

  I snort in frustration. “I would, if I had anything to build with. But there are no resources, no metals. Peopl
e are hoarding the few items they have like treasures. Even if I take all the stuff from the palace and use it for my purposes, I would barely get a laboratory going.”

  I gesture at the palace. We call it a palace but, with my memories intact, it looks more like a watered-down castle. The stones are built with a high amount of craftsmanship, but that's it. There are no golden decorations or something like that.

  “What about the crystal technology? Can't you bypass the need for resources by using mana crystals?”

  I nod. “If we were back at full strength, or had a mana generator, that might be possible. But creating a mana crystal takes a lot of energy. I could create a seed if I had full access to Angrod's power. Or if I use a better controlled process in a mana generator. But I neither have my full powers, nor the tools to build the generator.”

  I growl dreadfully, being reminded about how lacking this world is. “All I have is wood, stone and the occasional piece of metal. Tell me, how much did our rings cost?”

  She turns red in embarrassment. “I didn't think too much of it. This world has no currency, so I paid with five nuggets of gold. I found them on one of my scouting trips long ago. They were my biggest treasure. When I was in my teens, I often ventured out into the wilderness to search for pretty stones.”

  I nod, understanding her misconception. “For you and me, it isn't hard to leave the safe zones. We can defend ourselves since we are higher immortals. But everyone else would get eaten by a beast or a spirit as soon as they encounter them. That's why almost everyone hides in the safe zones. Your five nuggets of gold are worth more than a mid can earn in a hundred years. Simply because there is no easy way to get your hands on gold or other metals.”

  And there is also the point that Dedessia lacks resources. Parle had an iron mine which was worked by their slaves, but even that mine didn't yield a high amount of metal per year. We shut it down since sending people down into those tunnels is simply too dangerous.

  She bites her lower lip. “I haven't thought about it like that. Of course I understand the value of various items from my work as Doreen's secretary. But I guess that I didn't realize that I am one of maybe twenty people who can roam the environment without fear of certain death. Compared to that there are thousands who are confined to the safe zones.”

  Suddenly her voice turns sour. “I paid the goldsmith too much for those rings! Once I find him, I have to get my money back!”

  I furrow my forehead. “Apart from that, the rings are really good work. It was hard to examine the spell construct inside them. So you were only cheated about the price.”

  She squints her eyes at me and I have to chuckle. “Oh, please. Do you really think that I would let someone put a magical artefact on me? Without examining its functions to the smallest detail?”

  “Sounds more like you were trying to take it off,” she mumbles.

  I clear my throat. “It's only reasonable to research ways to take it off. What if it gets stuck somewhere? You don't expect me to rip off my whole finger, do you?”

  Her answer gets interrupted by a mental alarm from one of the scouts. Both of us jump to our feet. Elona unfolds her wings and takes off into the air. I follow her by casting levitation magic and we orient ourselves towards the call.

  It came from the outskirts of the city.

  35. ~Rain and Mud.~

  “Level II: Universes with different physical constants

  In the chaotic inflation theory, a variant of the cosmic inflation theory, the multiverse as a whole is stretching and will continue doing so forever, but some regions of space stop stretching and form distinct bubbles. Such bubbles are embryonic level I multiverses.

  Different bubbles may experience different spontaneous symmetry breaking, which results in different properties, such as different physical constants.

  Level II also includes John Archibald Wheeler's oscillatory universe theory and Lee Smolin's fecund universes theory.”

  The Journey to the Afterlife

  Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Semper Fidelis

  Elona

  We hurry through the night. The darkness and rain obstruct my vision, but Shade knows exactly where we have to go. The call for help came from Shastra. If I remember correctly she is an Apsara. They are not the best fighters, so we have to hurry.

  Further towards the centre of the city the streets are filled with light, but out here I can make out only a few occasional windows with lighted rooms behind them. The population of the city is stretched thin, but hopefully that will change with the arrival of my clan.

  Suddenly an ear splitting scream tears the night apart, forcing me to wince. Shade covers his ears, but continues onwards. “Holy hell. If that girl ever screams next to me, I will shove something big and nasty down her throat to shut her up.”

  I decide not to comment on his choice of words and increase my speed instead. Shade has extraordinary hearing, so someone who commands sound is like a natural enemy to him. I have to tell Shastra to stop that high pitched scream of hers.

  Finally I arrive at a dark side street where Shastra is barely holding off three humanoid creatures. Her scream actually repels the monsters from coming any closer. But although it seems to keep them at bay, it doesn't do much more.

  All I can make out are dark figures, but I can see that they aren't human. Their limbs are just a little too much out of proportion to be acceptable. They are actually closer to an ape than a human.

  I waste no time and drop down on the shape in the centre.

  My sudden attack catches the monster off guard and I feel fur under my fist as the creature is battered into the ground, creating a sizeable dent in the street.

  Mud and dirt spray outwards, temporarily blinding the other opponents.

  I tried to hold back. We want to avoid causing too much damage to the city. But the rakshasa immediately teaches me that holding back against his kind is not a very bright idea. The creature strikes out and a clawed hand almost takes me off my feet. Thankfully I already moved a protective layer of mana to my skin, increasing my defence. The strength of the blow wasn't enough to injure me, but it wasn't weak either.

  If I want to avoid injury, I can't allow them to hit me.

  I stabilize myself by ramming my left wing into the ground, then I use the clawed tip of the other to stab down at the creature. Originally I aimed at the chest, but all I score is stabbing the shoulder. The thing moved aside with inhuman speed once it realized the danger.

  Shastra stops her scream and calls out to me. “Careful! There are two more in the house!”

  “Retreat and guide the others to this location!” I call out and retrieve my wing before the monster is able to grab it.

  Then the other two furry creatures decide to take me from both sides. They bare their teeth and open their elongated snouts to howl at me. But as they lunge forward, one of them is hit by a blue bolt of lightning. The rakshasa is thrown backwards and through the wall of the house behind it.

  Shade falls from the sky and impacts on the other creature with an equally animalistic roar. Then they grapple with each other, blue surges of mana flickering between them.

  But I have no time to watch the fight. We have to reduce the number of opponents quickly if there are really five of them. Three are bad enough, but if the other two decide to join the fray... better not to let it come that far.

  I hurl myself at my wounded opponent, ignoring the creature which is already emerging from the hole in the wall.

  My opponent strikes at me, but I duck in a boxer's stance and gather mana in my right fist. It's jaw unhinges and I get a really good look at its bloody fangs. Seems like it already had a meal this evening.

  My fist impacts its chest in a perfect uppercut and I release all the stored energy upwards, away from the city and towards the sky. It's the same technique which I already used to blow apart an opponent. The monster takes it surprisingly well. Instead of disintegrating completely, the thing is just lifted upwards two metres.

>   Though not without damage. The chest dents inwards and the monster coughs up a good part of its innards.

  I follow up by striking my flat palm at the creature, sending another wave of mana at it. This time its defences don't hold. The body twits and shreds, its broken form is flung skyward and the pressure wave of my attack diverts the raindrops sideways.

  Then the third monster rams into me and this time I am taken off my feet. My arm comes up just in time to stop its jaw from closing around my throat. Something else bites my left leg, teeth piercing skin, and I increase the power of my protective layer, preventing further injury. Then I realize that I am being swarmed by them. Another one of them grabs my wing and starts pulling. I try to use my ability to suck out their strength, but they seem to be immune! Or worse, they are female. My mana reserves dwindle as their teeth try to break through.

  A roar startles the creatures and something hits the opponent on top of me. It is blasted away like a broken doll, almost taking me with it. The monster is flung into a house, flattening it and more buildings beyond it. Then Shade is above me and kicks the creature which is holding my wings. A sickening crunch signifies that something broke and the monster lets go.

  I use my regained freedom to get a hold on the thing which is gnawing on my leg. Twisting around, I avoid the arm, which is striking out at me, and place my knee on its neck. Following up on gaining the high ground, I grab its upper jaw with both hands and pull its head backwards. It budges a little, but the strong muscles make it impossible to break its neck. I don't even manage to pry the jaw apart. At least it can't get its arms to me in a meaningful way as long as I stay in this position.

  God, it stinks! That's wet ape, dog, death and something else.

  The opponent who was blasted away re-emerges from the rubble, but finally our reinforcement arrives. Doreen plummets from the sky in full fury mode and draws her fingernails over the creature's chest, creating five deep claw marks.