The Court of Souls?

by Andur

  I return my attention to our two visitors. “I wonder if we should put any trust in people like them. Someone who switches sides once has no qualms in doing so again,” I mumble to myself.

  But Shade heard my comment and adds his thoughts. “They are simply people who know where their loyalties lie. I like those who side with the winning faction. Do you know why?”

  I raise an eyebrow and look at him. “Why?”

  He smiles and spreads his hands. “Those types are predictable! You never have trouble with guessing at their next action. I value that more than people who follow you just for some nebulous, ideological reasons. One might never know when the person in question decides that he or she is fed up with their ideals. Of course such changes of the mind can also occur with the power seeking type, but I find it much less likely in those cases.”

  I let out a deep sight and get out of my chair. “I'll go and take care of Seria. You can try to think up a suitable strategy against Moonray. With all our immediate problems solved, we should start thinking about a solution to our phoenix problem. I strongly suggest to devise some kind of long range artillery. Moonray's facility reeks of a trap and I am not inclined to send people anywhere near there.”

  Shade's expression turns surprised. “Do you really think that Moonray planned his base for years and forgot to protect it against something as basic as that? Somehow I can't believe it, but we can always try to throw some rocks at him.”

  I purse my lips. “Probably, you are right. It would be too easy. But what else can we do?”

  He stands up to follow me on my way to our private quarters. “I have been thinking about digging a tunnel right under their base. Then we set up a strategic spell and blow the entire thing skywards, right when a mana storm is about to hit the area.

  “Or we could try to create some monsters of our own and send them at their base. I just remembered those growing slimes you mixed up once. They would be perfect to infiltrate their underground facility and distract them while we attack and destroy the circle.”

  I sigh and shake my head. “Those things aren't sentient enough to send them after a small elite force like Moonray's men. And which guarantee would we have that he doesn't activate his trap? The biggest problem are the inhibiting effects of the mana storm. We can't manipulate huge amounts of magic in its vicinity, but at the same time we would need to do that in order to attack in a meaningful way. It would be nice if we could simply take the storm out of the equation.”

  Shade scratches his forming beard and I scowl. He really should shave more often. I dislike the tingling feeling when we kiss. After a lot of scratching he thought his idea through and nods. “That might work, but I need Yggdrasil's seeds and your help.”

  I frown and gesture for him to on. “Please speak, my Lord.”

  He claps his hands and launches into an explanation on how we could try to control the mana storm. I listen with great interest to his idea, especially since it would involve solving a part of the mystery behind this world.

  If we are able to manipulate Yggdrasil's seed and combine it with our crystal technology, then we might be able to recreate something akin to the old pathways of the multiverse. The crystals already showed their potential when they completely converted an entire planet. Shade's only problem lies with the biological nature of Yggdrasil. He already investigated the bond between the huge tree and Doreen. The reason for his interest in the tree is the fact that it gathers and stores magical energies in a similar way to his crystals, although much less compressed.

  The tree is less of a plant and more something like a spiritual energy construct. A natural one. If we would manage to manipulate and control its nature, there might be a chance to create something that's able to tap into the storm's energy and use it for whatever reason we see fit. Like turning Moonray's spell into a new pathway network.

  “We definitively have to pursue this thought. If we tap into the storm's energy to recreate the pathways, the storm will surely be diminished. Once that's achieved, we can attack Moonray as we please!” I hug Shade, pressing myself against him.

  “Yes, but we should take our time. Rushing a huge project like this wouldn't end well,” Shade answers a little sadly. “We might have to find another way to deal with Moonray in the short run. He is surely fuming that we didn't take his bait and are simply sitting on our asses while he is waiting for us.”

  “So you think that he isn't out of moves?” I lick over my lips and return to reality. Shade is most likely right. Moonray already demonstrated his ruthlessness and his capability for long term planning. He is bound to have a way to provoke us to attack him. If that's what he wants.

  We enter our living quarters and take a look at Seria who is sleeping in her crib. I can't help it, my heart simply warms at the sight. “Isn't she cute? I wish she would grow faster and remember her previous identities, so that we can be a family like in the old days.”

  I try to remember our first lifetime with her. She was such a rascal, always concerned about improving my relationship with Shade. Though her attempts at creating romantic situations between her parents ended up in more mischief than really accomplishing her original goal.

  Shade shudders. “I must say that I like her best in this stage. Much easier to handle and no problems with her remembering about... that.”

  I press my lips into a thin line, Shade's story about her death comes to my mind. “I am sure that she will forgive you. What is one bad experience compared to lifetimes of good memories?”

  He furrows his forehead and looks down at me. “You are sure? I thought she might be angry that I robbed her of the chance that she might have one lifetime in which she isn't our daughter.”

  I smile, a thought coming to mind. “That might be the case, but it seems that our bond doesn't allow for such a thing. You can hardly be blamed if it is very likely that she would have died in one way or the other anyway.”

  I reach for his pants and unzip them. “We simply have to make sure that she has a lot of siblings to play with. That will keep her off of our backs.”

  Raising one leg, I circle it around him and hug his head with my arms. His arms wander instinctively towards my butt to support me.

  Then he walks me to the closest wall and sandwiches me between it and him. “You are only suggesting this because you like to educate them!” He slides up my skirt and starts fumbling with my nether regions. “You witch! Why aren't you wearing panties!?”

  I chuckle and lower myself onto him. Then I whisper into his ear. “Because they are in the way! And the one who wakes the baby loses the fight.”

  62. ~Solution.~

  “Diwata (from Sanskrit devada, "gods"), engkantada (from Spanish: encantada, "enchantress, charmed") or engkanto (from Spanish: encanto, "spell, incantation, charm") are lesser gods and goddess. Some are dryads who guard natural creations such as forests, seas, mountains, land and air. Diwatas are said to reside in large trees, such as acacia and balete. They bring blessings or curses upon those who do good or harm to the forests and mountains.”

  The Journey to the Afterlife

  Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Semper Fidelis

  Shade

  I nudge the magical energy formation inside the nut a little, just enough to allow the crystal seed to fuse with the nut. “The damned nut is way too fragile. We've already failed two times because the crystal does too much damage during the fusion.”

  I eye the nut with suspicion. We established a joint laboratory, just to create this item. The room looks clinical, and apart from two writing desks and a pedestal with a few instruments, it doesn't look like we are conducting a world changing experiment. Most of our work is of purely magical nature and doesn't require many complicated instruments.

  Originally I didn't even bother to create a special room for this. But after the second attempt blew up in our faces, I decided that having a secure room is preferable. The pedestal which is holding the nut is a strong force field generator. It should protect
us from being peppered with roasted nut fragments.

  “Don't call it a nut, it is a seed. It is surprising that Doreen is willing to give us that many for our experiments. Yggdrasil creates just one seed every hundred years. We should feel honoured that she is allowing us to use them. There isn't even a guarantee to gain something from these experiments,” Elona complains.

  I feel her magic merging with mine, trying to stabilize the biological component of our joint creation. It's the first time that we are working together in order to create something of this magnitude.

  “Sorry, but the term 'seed' is reserved for my crystals. This offshoot of Yggdrasil looks like an oversized nut, so we will call it a nut. End of discussion,” I explain in no uncertain terms.

  Elona sighs. “Fine. But at least use the technical term. Yggdrazil is closely related to a raspberry, so calling the seed a nut is misleading. Maybe we should go with nucleus? And go slower. Your magical formation is spreading too fast, I can't correct the mistakes like that.”

  “Third time's the charm,” I sing in a melodious voice and slow down. What we are attempting to do is without precedence. We are trying to fuse a living organism with my crystal technology. If we are successful, the newly created being should be a multidimensional entity which can spread itself through all layers of existence. Once it grows big enough, it should turn into a metaphysical body which imitates the pathways of the old multiverse.

  The pathways were rivers of magical energy. They spread throughout the entire multiverse, sometimes in huge currents, sometimes as almost unnoticeable filaments. People also called them Ley lines, but to gods they were simply known as pathways. To someone who had the ability to use them, they granted instant access to the entire multiverse. Not only from world to world, but also between different realities. It was the most important perk of being a god.

  I pour more of my magic into the nucleus and try hard to keep the magic from running out of control. Our attempt at changing the magical nature of a biological organism is very ambitious. The biggest problem lies in enchanting the seed without destroying the organic components. My part of this work is the creation of the magical formation we want. Elona has her hands full with trying to keep the result alive and functioning.

  Many may wonder why we can't achieve our goal with crystal technology alone. The answer is simple. Mana Crystals are pure, condensed mana. They can be shaped and enchanted with a spell, but all my attempts at allowing them to grow uncontrolled on their own resulted in failure. Past results showed that they can be controlled by introducing something living into the equation.

  Huge concentrations of raw magic have a certain tendency to run out of control. The mana storms are a perfect example. A mana crystal is much more sturdy and longer lasting in that regard, but it still flows and changes with time, eventually losing its original purpose if the magic isn't fixed in some way. The easiest way to explain it is to compare the myth of flowing glass. Glass may seem sturdy and everlasting at the first glance. But give it some decades and it flows like water, even if the process takes a really long time. Something like that would make our efforts naught.

  What we want to create has to last forever and repair itself if a problem occurs. I had partial success in controlling the crystals by using a soul fragment to give intent and purpose to my magical constructs, but that's obviously limited by the soul's potential. It may have enough power to span a planet or a solar system, but we are talking about the entire multiverse.

  The result of our efforts will be something like a living enchantment. A world enchantment which should slowly influence and change this multiverse's nature. Hopefully in a way which recreates what we know as pathways.

  The funny part is that we intend to use the mana storm to fuel our creation. Once it starts to leech on the storm, we can attack as we want.

  “I think we've done it! There is no interference between the seed and the crystal component.” Elona joyfully pumps her fists. “I can't believe it! And we did it in just seven days! We should work together more often. On our own we would haven spent months on this project.”

  “Yeah, well. Maybe from time to time?” I don't really want to say it, but sharing a lab with Elona is tiring. She is such a fanatic when it comes to keeping order. Which doesn't mean that my labs are messy; if I were to work in a messy lab I would get nothing accomplished.

  But Elona is taking it to a whole new level. Up until now I never watched her when she conducts real research. Everything has to be in its place and most items must even have a certain orientation or she freaks out.

  I thought that she would organize her laboratory in a similar manner as her kitchen, which is a messy witch's den. But the two things are apparently two completely different things in her mind.

  On a second thought, that's somehow frightening. She is using the kitchen to brew up all kinds of dangerous stuff. I am almost a hundred percent sure that she brewed the stuff with which she healed and enhanced Doreen inside her soup-pot.

  “What do you mean from time to time!? We are the perfect team! I just have to teach you how to keep order.” She walks around the pedestal and kisses me, then she hugs me and presses her cheek to my chest. I feel myself soften in her embrace.

  No! I can't falter. “I am sure that there will be a lot of opportunities to work together, but there is a limited amount of what we can invent. Technology and biology can only be combined in a limited number of ways.”

  She doesn't get the hint. “Oh, there is enough. Let me think about some joint projects. I am sure that I can plan at least a few thousand years in advance until I run out of ideas.”

  “Ahem... yes.” I close my arms around her, careful not to crush her round belly against me. Fuck, sucubbi are really dangerous when it comes to their reproductive cycle. It has been only a week since she decided to stop using protection. If I am not careful I'll end up with a whole football team by the end of the year! “Elona, how many children did you plan for this time?”

  “I thought that six or eight is a nice number. But since we already have two in quick succession, I thought about giving it a little time until Seria and her brother are a little bigger. We could stagger them, maybe every ten years, one or two. That would ensure that we never run out of entertainment.” She reaches for my ass pinches me with an evil grin.

  I cough and try to disentangle myself. “I don't have anything against kids, but strongly vote for a long recovery time between the brats.”

  She purses her lips and squints her eyes at me. “How long?”

  I avoid her beautiful eyes and focus on those glorious lips instead. “Oh, I don't know. How about using the solution we had as Angrod and Celes? A few centuries between each set isn't so bad?” That would give the others time to leave the house and I wouldn't be permanently surrounded by my offspring.

  “One.”

  Putting on my best smile I sink my fingers into her perfect butt. “Three?”

  Her lips quiver. “Maybe two, but you have to take extra care of me.”

  “Deal!”

  63. ~Advance.~

  “Gateway to the Heavens: The Assyrian Account to the Tower of Babel

  The story tells of the construction of a tower in Babel, which resulted in the confounding of language. The Book of Genesis tells of a time in which all of the world’s population migrated eastward to the plain of Shinar.”

  The Journey to the Afterlife

  Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Mana Storm

  Elona

  “Why does our current strategy feel like a stupid idea,” I ask myself aloud, watching the mana storm which is promising our impending doom. The ominous vortex of swirling energies is sickening to watch. Staring at it for too long makes me feel like my mind is falling apart. If it wasn't for the fact that I keep concentrating on the ground, I am sure that I would have a strong headache by now.

  The final tests on our little invention were concluded yesterday and we decided that it is best to deploy our hidden weapon as so
on as possible. Hence we gathered our forces at a safe distance and marched right towards the storm. The possibility that our special weapon gets found out is small, but we shouldn't give away a single advantage. Moonray surely doesn't realize how much of a power boost the crystal technology really is.

  Gods already have earth shattering powers on their own. A being which has an almost unlimited mana pool can devastate continents on its own. But the mana crystals add a whole new level to that stage. They provide yet another source of energy, but that isn't their most powerful feature. Their nature allows them to be enchanted very easily, which frees mental resources for other tasks. In addition they are able to penetrate almost any magical defence, as they are pure magic themselves. Mana crystals are to gods what silver is to werewolves. Any other weapon has to be wielded with great care, a steel weapon for example can be shattered or bent with bare hands. Not so with a weapon formed from mana crystals.

  It took some time to walk all the way to Moonray's hideout, but in the end we gave him satisfying show of force. We even have our allies from Soistaat an Equilibrium with us. Probably their leaders think that showing their full allegiance might get them access to some of the crystal technology in the future. They may be right if they continue to prove themselves.

  “I don't like it. Not at all,” Shade mumbles. He is walking right next to me, worry in his face. “You should have stayed at home.”

  I frown and look around. “You are joking, right? If it's about giving birth-”

  “I don't mean that,” he interrupts.

  One day ago I gave birth to Cylus, Seria's brother. But thanks to healing magic I've long since recovered. I am really starting to like being a succubus. Apart from giving birth, it really makes getting children easy. The only thing I have to look out for is not getting carried away.

  But that should hardly be a concern of mine at this moment. “Then what did you mean?”

  “They could have set off the storm by now. All it would take is casting strong magic at us. Yet they allow us to come closer and closer. They don't even try to keep us away from their complex. A wholly unsatisfying situation if you ask me,” Shade explains.