The Court of Souls? - Volume 1

by Andur

  Shade is busy with the monster which he pulled off my wing, but he is slowly taking it apart. His hands are wrapped in blue energies as he is hacking and stabbing at his opponent. The rakshasa already learned the hard way that evading this spell is better than running into it. One arm was already taken off cleanly and there are a few deep cuts on the remaining one.

  I give up on breaking my opponent's neck. Bending a rod of steel is easier.

  Instead I force mana into my fingertip and draw a small rune above its right eye. My index and middle finger form a claw and I ram it through the rune into the monster's eye. It's attempts at biting through my leg intensify, but I push the spell formation deeper, right through to the brain where it ignites.

  Spasms shake the creature as sparks and ash are blown out through the wound channel. The raging miniature inferno increases the pressure as I pour more mana into the spell. Normally it is almost impossible to bypass the magical defence of a living being to cast a spell inside its body. But one of my former personas found out about this little trick.

  The building up pressure inside the skull pops out the second eye with a 'plop' and a moment later the sparks flare out of the creature's nostrils. Finally it decides that this world holds no more joy and it stops moving.

  I free myself just in time to watch Shade splitting his opponent in half, leaving the lower body standing while the upper body flaps around helplessly. Shade stops the spell and the flaring energies around his hands subside.

  Doreen is busy with battering her opponent into submission. Somehow she managed to break the creature's legs and arms, immobilizing it. Despite that she is still kicking it as if the monster was still able to put up an actual fight.

  Kick!

  “Who sent you!”

  Kick!

  “Tell me!”

  Kick!

  “I can go on for hours like this!”

  Kick!

  “I wonder what you look like when you are just a sack of broken bones!”

  Kick!

  I wince every time she pulls back her leg for another kick. Each impact is accompanied with the crunching of bones. So I hobble closer, my leg hurts a little, but it isn't serious. Most likely just a contusion from the jaw's pressure. “Grandma, you are overdoing it. Why don't you simply end it? It's not like it can answer.”

  Shade hurries to my side and kneels down to take a look at my leg. Seconds later I feel the warmth of a healing spell spreading through it. “Any other injuries?”

  I shake my head. “No, thanks.”

  But suddenly he hugs me with his ear to my belly. “The baby is also fine? I had a heart attack when you simply jumped into the fight! Learn to count the enemies. We were outnumbered!”

  I push him away. “It's fine! Just a few bruises and scratches. The opponents weren't too strong. I tried to limit the damage to the city. Unlike you.” I gesture at the seven blocks of houses which were flattened by Shade's attack... and the huge hole in the city wall.

  The rain has intensified, but some of the debris still caught fire. The light of the flames lets me guess at the destruction which was caused by that single spell.

  “I held back!” He protests. “I even checked for any signs of life before I unleashed the spell. Though I am of the opinion that civilians who didn't have the sense to flee up until that point didn't deserve to live anyway.”

  Sighing, I massage my temple. He is right. If higher immortals are fighting and a low lacks the instinct to turn the other way and run for his life, then there is something wrong with him.

  I return my attention to Doreen who is still cursing and kicking the spirit. “Grandma, I really think you can stop now.”

  “No. I have experience with human-type spirits. You have to work really hard if you want them to answer. The trick is not stopping. Even if their eyes beg for mercy.”

  The growling and snarling creature on the ground doesn't look like it wants mercy though. Yet it looks pitiful, covered in the mud and dirt of the wet street. Only the streets further towards the palace are paved.

  Please stop it, Grandma. I am against torturing animals.

  But then the unexpected happens. The creature stops any resistance and amidst the growls and snarls I can hear words.

  “The... Storrrrrmm... the... storrrm... makesss... uss... takesss... uss... arrrway...”

  Doreen leans forward, but the creature already took its last breath, exhaling deeply before lying still. “I know that it is raining you damned critter! Use your last breath to say something useful!”

  Shade rubs his forehead in thought. “How interesting, I didn't expect that. Thank you, Doreen.”

  Both of us turn to him while the battle scene is slowly filled with people. Some are our allies who try to create order, but most of the people are scavengers who search for something useful amidst the ruins.

  Shade shrugs his shoulders upon noticing our attention. “What? I don't think he meant the bad weather. I think he meant the mana storms.”

  36. ~Next Steps.~

  “Level III: Many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics

  Hugh Everett's many-worlds interpretation (MWI) is one of several mainstream interpretations of quantum mechanics.

  In brief, one aspect of quantum mechanics is that certain observations cannot be predicted absolutely. Instead, there is a range of possible observations, each with a different probability. According to the MWI, each of these possible observations corresponds to a different universe. Suppose a six-sided die is thrown and that the result of the throw corresponds to a quantum mechanics observable. All six possible ways the die can fall correspond to six different universes.”

  The Journey to the Afterlife

  Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Semper Fidelis

  Shade

  “Oh, come on. Stop brooding over the past,” Elona tugs at my arm, trying to gain my attention. But I am too concerned about the implications of the creature's words. The rakshasa's revelation will have far reaching consequences. Of that I am sure.

  We relocated to the throne room to have a word about the five rakshasas whose corpses are laid out on the ground. Distributed throughout the throne room are all the higher immortals who are present in the city.

  I've taken my place on my favourite chair, which happens to be the throne. In this world it is a real luxury item. Ergonomically carved with the finest and most delicate beat gold workings I have ever seen. Decorating something with beat gold doesn't take much in terms of resources. What's the more impressing part, is the amount of craftsmanship which went into this item.

  Even more interesting is Elona's chair, which materialized out of nothing inside the throne room. It doesn't lag behind in size or craftsmanship. It has a similar design, but is a little smaller and matches her size. When she first entered the room, she took a single look at the throne and stormed out again, returning with that thing. No idea from where she got that in such a short amount of time. I don't remember seeing it anywhere in the palace.

  Does it have a special meaning for her to claim a seat right next to me?

  Elona thinks that I am affronted by the fact that she threw herself in danger without a second thought. And I must admit that I am! Which pregnant woman jumps right into a group of enemies, leaving her guy behind to watch like an oaf? She could have at least given me the chance to soften up the enemies with a few ranged attacks.

  'And look at what you've done to the city! Look at the wall.' The words she said float to my mind. And who cares about the city? Especially that stupid wall. As if a pile of stone bricks could stop any of the really dangerous creatures from entering the city.

  But what I've been worrying about since a while ago, has nothing to do with that. My concerns are directed at the last words of the rakshasa. If the creature didn't mean the weather, which I'm pretty sure of, then it can have only meant the mana storms.

  I have heard about those zones where the magical energies of this world run rampant, but I have never seen them. Ac
cording to Ishaan's stories, most of the big spirits are definitely emerging from those storms.

  There is no other way. I have to get a really good look at one of those storms as soon as I get the opportunity.

  “You haven't said anything for a while now. Come on, I'll even give you my tail for safekeeping. I know that you like to ~play~ with it.” Elona presses her tail into my hands. The entire action has the feeling of an annoyed parent forcing a toy onto a stubborn child.

  I sigh and look at her. “I was just thinking about our next steps. It is clear that we have to investigate the mana storms as soon as we can afford it. That means that I am going on a little trip once Carissimi arrives and this safe zone is protected by a respectable force.”

  “You can't investigate the mana storms!” Doreen complains. “Do you have any idea how dangerous those areas are? Not to forget the unpredictability of the storms, but there are a lot more spirits in those regions...” She continues her tirade about the dangers.

  Apparently the storms vary in size and strength. One moment you are looking at a small and unremarkable tornado, the next it suddenly starts growing to the size of a hurricane in a matter of minutes. It wouldn't be so dangerous if you could teleport away as soon as the situation turns threatening. But the chaotic energies thwart any attempt at aiming the teleport spell, making any attempt at teleportation highly unreliable and dangerous.

  There is a saying that one might walk into a storm zone upright, but he certainly walks out twisted and broken. My grandmother in law continues her rant with another story from her time with the nomadic clans. Once they accidentally entered the fringe of a storm zone. They didn't realize it because the storm had entered a very calm state. And then, from one moment to the next, all hell broke loose. One of their leviathans got caught in the rapidly growing storm.

  The animal and its entire crew got shredded to pieces and all Doreen could do was watch them disappear inside the swirling energies.

  I let her talk, but it doesn't change my decision. When she is done, I point Elona's tail at Doreen to make my point. “I understand all of your concerns. But to be clear on that point, we need to catch up to our enemy's plans. We are still in a situation in which we can't do much more than react to their moves. To win, we have to break out of that cycle. The spirit gave us an important hint on where to search next.”

  I gesture at the corpses. “If we think that these things were really sent and didn't spawn randomly inside our city, then why should we assume that our opponent can't repeat this form of attack? We have five spirits of the same type. According to everything you told me about rakshasas, they operate alone under normal circumstances. That makes the whole situation even more suspicious. I already voiced my doubts about the timing of this incident.”

  Agreeing muttering erupts throughout the throne room and Doreen finally backs down, seeing that my decision is final. “Just make sure that you don't go too close to the storms. Even watching them from afar poses a risk.”

  We continue the discussion for a while and let the others voice their opinions. Some have nice ideas on how to search for information by using old friends from other clans. By the end of the day I am a little happier about commanding this ragtag bunch of former slaves. Their different origins result in having ties and friends among a long list of clans.

  In the end the gathering slowly dissolves until only Elona, Doreen, Aswang, Manti and I are left in the room. The stinking corpses were already taken away long before that.

  It is clear that Aswang and Manti have something to talk about. Manti was eyeing me and Elona during the entire discussion. It lets me believe that there is something on her mind.

  Aswang on the other hand was more concerned with Manti and her glaring gaze. Maybe he doesn't want to get involved.

  Neither Elona, nor I are inclined to start the discussion.

  Finally Manti decides to fire the first shot. “I heard about what happened between you and Legna.” She glares at me with unmistakable contempt. “And about what you did to her afterwards.” Her eyes wander to Elona's belly. “Don't you think that she has a right to have a word in this misadventure of yours?”

  It is Elona who speaks first. “I understand your point of view, but I am sure that it will work out. I think you already heard that Shade and I share a soulbond. Well, Legna shares the same bond. Even if we free her soul, or revive her in another way, she will find her way back to us sooner or later. The bond forges the three of us together.”

  Doreen raises her eyebrows. “Why did you never mention that you are a triplet deity!?”

  “It never came up.” And with that I sweep the matter under the carpet.

  Manti shakes her head, she was always more on the emotional side. “And that's it? There is nothing wrong? She is bound to you, so it is fine? You know that Legna-”

  “-is dead,” Elona ends Manti's sentence. “I know that she is your childhood friend. But I have more memories of the entity you call Legna, than you will ever have. Know that she is my daughter and there is no point in thinking about what might have been. Even if we ask her soul right now, what could we possibly say to make the situation any better? Isn't it much easier for her to remember everything later on, once she's had a nice life to watch her memories from a more detached viewpoint.”

  Manti snorts. “Yeah, right. Nice life. In this world.”

  Elona shrugs. “I have every intention of giving her that. Of course I will have to take some educational measures. My memories tell me that she can be quite a burden if there are no restrictions on her behaviour.”

  Manti grinds her teeth. “Legna was never a troublemaker.”

  “Yeah, right. You were-” Aswang doesn't manage to finish the sentence, as Manti elbows him with enough force to make him cough.

  My childhood friend settles down a little. “I see that your minds are made up.” And with that the discussion seems to be over. At least from her side.

  It is clear that it will take a little more time for Manti to digest the situation.

  Doreen is the only one who still has questions on her heart. “If you really are a triplet deity, then what is Legna? What is fathered by chaos and born by order? You already cover the two sides of the coin. Wouldn't a triad have to be something like... I don't know... Past, Present and Future?”

  Elona chuckles. “My daughter isn't something so trivial. She is the goddess of life-”

  “-and death,” I add to make sure that her most important feature isn't forgotten.

  37. ~Blessings.~

  “Level IV: Ultimate ensemble

  The ultimate mathematical universe hypothesis is Tegmark's own hypothesis. This level considers all universes to be equally real which can be described by different mathematical structures.

  Tegmark writes that:

  Abstract mathematics is so general that any Theory Of Everything (TOE) which is definable in purely formal terms (independent of vague human terminology) is also a mathematical structure. For instance, a TOE involving a set of different types of entities (denoted by words, say) and relations between them (denoted by additional words) is nothing but what mathematicians call a set-theoretical model, and one can generally find a formal system that it is a model of.”

  The Journey to the Afterlife

  The Journey to the Afterlife

  Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Semper Fidelis

  Elona

  I sigh and hug Shade from the side. It has been two weeks since we had to deal with the rakshasa. Since then, everything was quiet. Maybe a little too quiet, but I have no problems with an uneventful life. Simply lying here in our bed with him as a body pillow is more than enough. Though my belly is starting to show a little and I already dread the time when it will be in the way.

  But there is another problem. “Shade?”

  “Hmmm?” he grumbles, but doesn't open his eyes.

  “Have you watched the northern horizon recently? There is a rumour throughout the city that something is happening in
the north-east. During the night, you can see flashes of light. They say it's like a big thunderstorm. I was playing with the idea to send someone in order to scout out the situation. But Doreen said that we should leave it be.” I play with the hairs on his chest. Ripping them out is always a good way to keep his attention.

  But this time he didn't snore off. Instead he grumbles and pulls me closer. “Don't worry. I suppose Ishaan and Tisha are having a quarrel. Remember? I told you that Tisha went to see my father? He is living in the tundra north-east from here.”

  I do a fast calculation in my head. “But there is the swamp between us... and... the tundra is far away. Are they trying to kill each other?”

  He shakes his head. “Ishaan is strong. I never saw Tisha in action, but I suppose she can handle him. It was her decision to visit him in the first place. If they are having a lover's quarrel it's none of my business.”

  Looking up, I scrutinize him. “Are you serious? They are your parents. How can you not care?”

  Shade snorts and starts telling me the whole tale of his time in this world. While I listen to what he had to endure, I can't help but feel sad. While my life certainly wasn't an easy one up until now, I had it easier. A lot easier. At least I did not have to fear for my life day and night.

  When he is done, I decide to return the favour and tell him everything I experienced so far. It's only close to the end of my tale, when Shade interrupts me.

  “I am sorry to say this, surely every male in this realm will curse me for doing so. But could you loosen your grip a bit?”

  “Grip?” I look down. True, my hands are around his chest and my tail wriggled around his legs. The wings enfold both of us with a smooth, tight grip. Better than having to rely on the bedsheets. “Sorry. But I have to put my additional appendages somewhere.”

  “Didn't you learn to change shape?” he asks, puzzled.

  “Rawrr... where would be the fun in that!?” I shift position and bite into his earlobe. It doesn't take much to flip his switch. Stealing a little power from him is the best part of sleeping together.