AO 4 Ch 25

Chapter 25

I sat by the fire with hot coco in my hands as Maribelle put another fur over me.

“You should have just used magic to get home faster.” Emlyn crossed her arms.

“No, dammit. I said we were walking, and I wasn’t going back on that.” I shivered and spilled a little of the hot liquid on my face as I brought it back to my lips.

“So stubborn. I’m going to… to… ugh!” She threw her hands up in the air and stormed off.

After I was sure she wasn’t coming back, I glanced at Maribelle and pulled off the furs and stretched, life magic coursing through me.

“You just did that to annoy her.” Maribelle deadpanned and took the furs back before returning the mug to my hand. “You are incredibly stubborn, Sir.”

“It’s part of my charm.” I grinned like a loon. “So. Now that Emlyn is gone. Bonding?”

Maribelle came up to me and put her hands on my chest. “Do not tell Emlyn, but I believe there’s already a connection between us.” She went on her tiptoes and I bent down to kiss her.

“We should really understand how that happened.” I said when she pulled back. “Also, I’m going to say that anything we have is incomplete, because I cannot feel you the way I can feel Emlyn right now. It’s like there’s a constant thread tying me to her, and I can feel it tugging me in her direction.”

Maribelle pouted. “It can get stronger?”

“Very much so.” I said. “Also, I think we should check in on Missy and make sure she’s comfortable in her new shrine. Maybe ask her about this soul junk.”

Perhaps she’d be a font of information again. Last time she had unloaded quite a bit if information about the soul to me.

“The Mistress of the Night is very wise indeed.” Maribelle paid reverence to the goddess.

“You pray to her often?” I asked, curious about just how pious she’d become.

“Every day. She even talks back to my on rare occasions.” Maribelle folded her arms behind her back and followed me. “I ask her for things and occasionally they come true.”

That made me raise an eyebrow. “What things?”

“Minor things.” She hurried to dismiss the comment. “Very minor.” She insisted.

I knew when to drop a topic. “That’s good. I’m glad that you are finding her helpful.”

The estate seemed far busier than when we left, with more people coming and going. And not all of them were wearing Aldis colors. Many were guests that had matters with some member of the house. Right now, nearly the entire house was recalled. A dozen mages all operating out of the estate.

I had a sudden thought of what it would be like if there were a dozen more mages, all of my descent. People coming to see them, their work spilling out of the estate and affecting the lives of the city and the country as a whole.

Meanwhile, I could sit up in a room on the third floor watching it from a window sipping tea.

The idea was so strong, I could almost see it.

Something like that wouldn’t be so bad, becoming a patriarch of the family. Maybe if I want to change the way the world worked, it wasn’t done so much with my own hands, but with an organization that I spawned and controlled.

In that idea, I turned, hoping to find lovely ladies. But instead I found the entire room was piled with paperwork.

It all popped like a soap bubble.

Nope. I’m never leading House Aldis. Someone else can do that, I’ll just make a few brats and ensure they aren’t assholes. Or at least I’ll make sure they are better than me.

On that thought, we stopped at the little shrine in the mansion and stepped in.

We weren’t alone, which was a first.

“Ah. Arden.” A mage stood up.

I had too many names shoved in my head lately, but I was fairly sure this was Samuel. He was my mother’s second cousin or there abouts. “Sam. Morning.”

He followed my cue and left me alone as I sat on a different bench and dipped my head.

Knock knock. I prayed. What have you been getting up to with my anchor that she doesn’t want to tell me?

There was a distant huff from the goddess.

Oh great and powerful Missy, I pray to thee. I started.

Stop there. Her voice resounded in my head. I know if you continue you’ll just make a joke out of it and I’d rather just have the beginning.

That’s less fun for me though.

There was a knock on my soul and I dipped into Soulgard rather than continue to pray.

Missy was there in her twilight splendor hiding her face and form, leaning on the parapet overlooking my soul. “I don’t care if you’re having fun.”

“Well at least more of House Aldis is praying to you to make up for my lack of piety.” I shrugged and made a reclining chair out of stone. “Thank you for coming by though.” I kicked my feet up and laid back.

She waved her hand and Cyam joined us mid eating some grass and huffed at her in disappointment when it disappeared. “What did you do to him?”

“Healed his soul. I think?” I said. The only thing that would interest her was his damaged soul.

“No, you stitched it together. Quite well if you ask me.” She held her chin and walked around the shadowy horse whose head followed her. “He’s in good condition. Don’t let him get struck by whatever again, but he should function normally otherwise.”

“Hear that boy? You’re fit as a fiddle.” I rubbed his muzzle.

“Well, his soul is cracked. It will have to heal on its own and that’s just a matter of time. I should have guessed you just did it on instinct rather than any real skill.” She poked Cyam a few times in the side. “Alright, go enjoy the fake grass.” She waved her hand and he disappeared again.

She seemed completely at home in my soul, moving things around. Probably best to stay on her good side, plus I needed a little help.

“Look at you. Have I said that your star pattern form is just beautiful?” I told Missy.

She glowered at me for a moment before it shifted into a smile.

Don’t ask me how I exactly knew the change in her expression, given her features were almost impossible to make out, but I did.

“Oh. You want something.” She sounded happy. “What could it be?”

“Don’t be like that. I could just invite my patron and compliment her. Couldn’t I?”

“No.” She deadpanned. “No, you would never do that in a million years.”

Now I needed to do it at least once just to prove her wrong. Or maybe that was her plan to challenge me to do it. Gods were probably tricky like that.

I squinted at her, but Missy only smiled back as she waited for my answer. I could just flip the table and this little game, but that would be a poor start to asking a question. “Huh. You got me a little trapped there. Anyway, how’s being a godly being?” I decided to just ignored the situation.

She leaned back. “You don’t get off that easy.”

“Why not? I mean, don’t I get some credit for getting you more worshipers and all those souls to juice?” I asked.

“That credit has already been used.” She drummed her fingers on the parapet. “However, I have extended an offer to another goddess. If you’d promise to help me with making her some temples here, then I could forget that you’re avoiding letting me win that particular round of banter. All is fair in love, war and banter, right?” Her eyes sparkled.

“You listen in all the time?” I asked after she repeated the quote from breakfast.

“Not all the time. I do have other things to do, but often. You’re of particular interest to me with your potential.” She admitted.

I rubbed my chin. “Maybe I should just invite you over and slather you with compliments once. That might be easier than building temples. Why get an ally now?”

“That is complicated.” Missy wobbled her head.

“That’s a non-answer.” I was quick to shoot back.

“Yes it is. The real answer is I don’t know. Since the complications from Zenov, I’ve been stuck here with limited information.” Missy admitted. “The ally is largely to get information and understand why there are numerous gods here competing. This is very odd for them all to be so present here.” She glanced to the side like she was staring far off to the distance at something. “It shouldn’t be too long, but the other goddess will get my message.”

“Can’t you just… I don’t know. Send a godly message or something?” I wondered just how injured she was.

“Not exactly. Again, I’m suffering from a number of complications. Go ahead and ask your question.” She sighed.

“Don’t I have to agree to make the temples?” I asked.

“I’m coming to terms with the fact that I cannot force you to do just about anything.” She sat up and swayed her legs.

“Wow. I’m honored. Fine, I’m curious about this bonding between anchors.” I quickly explained what my grandfather had set up. Given my ability as a four sphere it had been very easy.

Missy tilted her head and her eyes became even deeper pools of stars that swirled like they’d suck me in, but only for a moment before they returned to normal. “Interesting. Both your method of bonding and that of the Vel’shae has the same origins, but ultimately both are failures.”

“Wait. What?” I perked up.

“Think about it, Ard. Both systems stem from the old Zenovia and Zenov’s ancestors. After all, they were the ones that studied the magic that I and Freya left behind for thousands of years. Even what Garrish used was passed down from them. The idea of bonding an anchor or making a Vel’shae are both connections of the soul.” She had a point.

“But they are both incomplete?” I asked.

Missy nodded. “At least in my view. Perhaps it was never perfected. I have little experience with Zenov’s descendants. Since I gave Zenov magic, I’ve largely been restoring myself.”

If they were the same, did that mean I could give my anchors one of my spheres if I improved the connection? Aurelia would look adorable with little fox ears. Then the idea of Maribelle losing her hair and getting fangs sent shivers down my spine.

Nope. Not making her a Vel’shae.

“Can you complete it?” I asked, instantly curious at how to make the connection stronger.

“Yes, but I won’t. Despite all my power, I’ve found that humans are often more ingenious than any god.” Missy said.

“Damn right.” I stuck my tongue out at her. “I expected some story about godly limitations and vague excuses, not a compliment.”

“Those exist.” She clarified. “We all have our aspects within those our abilities are less limited, but outside of them we suffer heavy restrictions.”

“Is that why this other goddess needs temples built?” By answering my question, even if I didn’t agree, I was likely going to end up building these temples if nothing more than to maintain this relationship with Missy.

“Yes, by building them here it will allow her to act on this continent. Right now you have a bunch of false gods and I believe Freya. Though, I haven’t seen her act over here in quite some time.” Missy cast another of her far off gazes before shaking her head.

“Must be hard. You seem cut off from the rest.” I tried to be sympathetic.

“Oh. They are one and all, fickle assholes.” Missy let out a hearty laugh. “Then again, maybe I am too.”

I raised an eyebrow, but managed to keep my mouth closed for once. After what Zenov did to her, I couldn’t blame her if she threw a fit over what she saw as a massive betrayal. “We are who we are.” I said. “If today we are builders, tomorrow we might be destroyers.”

Missy hummed. “Wise beyond your years indeed. Sadly, the score is 2-0 now.”

“What? When did we start keeping score? I won several of our prior conversations.” The indignity of it! For her to start keeping score now when she had two wins back to back.

“Because I’m a goddess and I get to decide when we start. Oh, and when we are actually playing.” She added in another unfair rule.

“That’s ridiculous!” I threw the fit that I knew she secretly wanted. “How am I supposed to win when you make the rules like that?!”

“I’m a goddess. Good luck winning. Ever.” She winked out of existence.

There was still a chance that she was watching so I threw a small fit before exiting Soulgard.

Just you wait, Missy. One of these days I’ll score a decisive victory when you think you’ve won the game.

***

Hecate watched as Ard’s consciousness exited his soul and flopped down on a bed in the giant castle. “This place is wonderful.” She sighed and relaxed in a way she couldn’t in the real world.

The world was constantly putting a huge amount of pressure on her, much the same that Ard experienced when he used his soul magic.

Instead, just existing applied the same pressure to her.

However, Ard accepted her as part of everything. Thus this little mini-world he had created in his soul didn’t reject her.

Her soul relaxed as she lay on her back. She had been dropping the veil of mystic between her and Ard more. Being less a goddess and more of a person.

Everything in her history told her not to do that, yet she found herself doing it anyway.

He wouldn’t burn her like Zenov had. For Zenov she had made deals. As for Ard, all she had to do was genuinely help him and he would help her in turn when she really needed to ask.

Though, she’d save that up for as long as possible. It was too much fun to watch him squirm when she got the best of him.

She laced her fingers behind her head and rested in the bed that was as soft as a cloud.

Sadly, she couldn’t quite relax.

His words had brought her greatest concern back to the surface.

What the heck were the other gods doing?! They had thousands upon thousands of worlds to govern. Yet, now they were all very present here. Almost like… no…

Hecate sat up and wove her fingers around as she tried to punch through the fabric of this world to reach the many others and found herself unable to pierce the veil around this world once again. She was still trapped here.

Were the others as well?

A cold grin spread across her face. Did they make a prison for her only to find themselves trapped in it?

She laughed at the idea of Zeus being trapped. Though, she hadn’t seen a sign of the cocky asshole yet. Freya was certainly active. The statues she had in Avente were functioning. The bitch had scrubbed any other god from this continent and placed false, worthless idols in a fake pantheon.

Of course she’d do something like that. She was always enigmatic among the Norse. Her exact parentage is highly debated.

Hecate always thought she was tricky enough to be Loki in disguise. She was certainly elitist enough to hate an ‘upstart’ like Hecate who rose from mortality.

Her mind circled back to the idea that they were all trapped. Hecate looked forward to Aphrodite’s reply. The woman was a terrible ally, but a far worse enemy.

Both of them had at least gotten along in passing. Yet, Hecate had seen Aphrodite twist several of the gods around her fingers and manipulate them.

She’d have to protect Ard from the woman’s machinations. It would be fine. She was slowly building a more trusted relationship with him. Hopefully that would be enough when someone like Aphrodite entered the picture.

Sadly, it stopped him from praying to her. The discovery that his world would protect her and even nurture her while she rested here was the most interesting discovery. When she saw the horse, for a moment she thought it was receiving the same. No, for whatever reason, his ‘Soulgard’ only healed her. Probably because of the connection she had with establishing the space. The world he made was born of her own power.

Oh well. Time to rest.

Hecate tried to sleep, but soon found herself restless and ended up watching over Ard.

“Maybe I should have made him do something with the bonds, but I think it’s better to let him figure this one out. For all I know, he could make something that was far more suitable to himself and his anchors than what Zenov’s family used to do to turn Anchors into monsters on a leash.” She tapped her lips and made several screens on the ceiling of ‘her’ room in the castle, much like people did on a particular world. They would watch TV in bed when they couldn’t sleep.

She would watch over her favorite, Maribelle, as well as Ard. Funny that he’d asked about Maribelle’s requests. Most of them were harmless. She did ask for one alteration to Ard’s gift which might come as a surprise, but that would be fun.

Once she finished those scenes, Hecate made a few more screens to watch other people. “I can’t interfere, but it would be good to watch some of the troublemakers. Perhaps I could slip Gwen some information to give Ard, should the situation get too tricky.” She made another dozen screens to watch Martin and all the different bodies he had his soul injected into. Honestly, the man was getting harder to monitor with how many bodies he controlled and his experiments running loose.

She didn’t know all of them at this point.

Hopefully she hadn’t missed one.