Book 2/32 - Mirror Self

[Author's Note: Today was supposed to be one of the Primordials Image day. Well, I couldn't resist. First we have Abel. And second we have Melody. The wings got ruined in the process and the image was too perfect to try changing]



***


Ring - 6th
Realm - NETHERHEIM


Melody wasn't a planner. That was Abel. She honestly just preferred following his plans and ideas a. This past few moments has been her following her own ideas. Melody didn't want to think of it not working. She just acted. Abel needed help. She didn't know why, she could just feel it in the air.

Above the black clouds she admired the Purple sky for just a second. Foe the next second she evaluated herself, her domain and her surroundings. Her domain over darkness meant she could use darkness at any time , anywhere and without care for the spot. But it didn't mean using darkness without the light wasn't easier. The difference was just so miniscule it hardly mattered.

The clouds blocked off the light of the raging inferno that was unyielding below. Her nostrils widened and she instinctively inhaled. The shadows cast by the light below rushed for her even as she noted the lack of oxygen. The shadows wrapped around her and spread like a cloud letting her notice two things. Darkness existed with the lack of light. And light vice versa. She could go against the laws of reality and make darkness even in light. Or she could use the presence of light and utilize the shadows cast from the bodies that blocked the light.

Shadows were weak compared to actual darkness as they dependent on a blockade. The moment the body blocking the light ceased to exist it too ceased to be. For her it didn't matter but with darkness, light didn't stand a chance.

Darkness seeped into the shadows and formed a second skin around her. She released her spawns up in the sky before descending. The shadows came with her, like a line of black, a dark missle sent into the center of light. Plowing through the black clouds and into the sea of fire that bathed the Abyss.

Nightblade appeared in her hand. She settled on the one skill she knew would work best. Ebon Strike was lovely due to the damage it gave with decreased senses. She poured darkness into her sword increasing the skills lethality. Her essence dipped fast. She got the itch that a slash wouldn't be as deadly as she wanted it to be. She poured essence fast into the skill.

One second and she was above the dragon's head, the sight of Abel's approving smile etching itself into her mind. Melody struck down. The slash that was meant to take its head curved and turned into a plunge. There was no sound, no pain. The only sensation the dragon felt was her knees striking its head. The Nightblade sunk itself deep into the skull till it reached the guard.

Something Melody had been doing in her fall was manipulating the darkness on her blade. Condensing it and decreasing it's size even while adding more darkness. Whether it was the advantage that helped in stabbing deeper than expected, Melody didn't know or care. The dragon's head vibrated for a split second, a pained roar rising in its throat and then dying out into a gurgle from it's ruined neck. It's eyes faded and the majestic creature dropped to the ground.

Abel flapped his wings once rising higher to Melody's position, Grimcrusher vanishing into storage. The Elder Devil patted the girl's shoulder as both ignored the notifications in their vision to watch the dragon hit the earth.

"That was awesome". He praised. The smile she gave was not hidden.

_

Abel hit the ground in a run, wings furling behind his back. He made a slow dash straight for the corpse. As he ran he checked his essence. There was a tiny drop, four or three units left. Not enough to use his skills but not low enough to make him the quivering mess a certain Elder Force became.

"Damn". He whistled in appreciation. He had not remained above to see what became of the wolf corpses but he'd expected this one to vanish in the game like way things tended to.

He went round it waiting for it to happen. Even after Melody landed and the spawns appeared it remained. He kept one ear open as he nodded to the spawns berating her for endangering herself. His mind remained on the corpse as five minutes past and it didn't vanish.

"Tell me I can loot it Yaito". He murmured as the fairy dropped on his head.

"That's a lot of work". The reply told him what he wanted to hear. There would be no auto loot feature. Like it wasn't realistic enough.

The fires in the area had vanished, reduced to a burning land. It would have been a forest fire if there was a forest. Now though with patches of earth burning, women parts melted and lava running everywhere it clearly made the environment look more hellish.

"What are you doing?". Melody stood to his left.

"Loot". Her eyes furrowed.

"But there's no loot option". He nodded and in his palm a tiny scalpel of fire manifested. She looked from his hand to the dragon and back. "No".

"I've heard dragon's hearts are very interesting parts". She stared.

"And where did you hear this?". He shrugged.

"Not here. But think about it. Don't you think...". He waved his arm around. "...the maker of all this would add some nice features".

She didn't seem assured. "This will take time. Time we may not have". He wanted to tell her she was talking more than before but kept it to himself.

"We'd be faster if I had you to help me". He cut a thin but good line from the dragon's neck. "Don't complain when I have a cool dragon scale armor and you don't". Her brow twitched. She flapped her wings quickly, flew over the corpse and to the other side.

"I'm getting more".

"If you cut fast enough. Yes". He paused. "You do know how to skin right?".

Silence. Sighing he rflew over the corpse.

"Wait. I'll teach you".



****


[FLOOR 4]


The floor was one of death. In all directions corpses littered the land. It was like a scene from a failed siege. The fortress stood but it's enemies were broke.

"This floor mission is to breach the fortress isn't it?".

'Definitely'. I smiled.

"Then let's go". There was a lot of ways I could do this. Fly overhead and become a dragon. 'Ive never done that'.

'Because you risk the chance of painting yourself as a large flying target'.

"True. But if the defenders were preoccupied".

'It would be better'.

"The question is...". I looked around again. "Nevermind. I know the answer to that?".

Akasha stayed silent as she curiously watched what would happen next. An army had tried to break the fortress and failed..now it was my turn. Fortunately for me, I had an army. 'Army of the living or the dead?'.

It was either Cradle of Life or Matron's Primordial Blight. "COIN". My voice and eyes pulsed with aether and a coin appeared in my palm. One face waa golden and the other a sickly green. Balancing it ony thumb I flipped and watched it spin. I watched it tumbled to the ground and crouched to look.

"Life it is".

'What are you going to do with Cradle of Life?'. I understood her question. I had not practiced as much with it. Fortunately I had an idea or epiphany on it would work onad make it work. I didn't start with the flame of Life like before.

It was easy to find that line within me. The one that led to my Cradle of Life Dogma rune. The link up was active, it always was. A blue, transparent blob of ether appeared in my palm. It was the raw energy for the soul. Using Soul Craft I molded it. The amount of things my children had inadvertantly taught me while experimenting on their own powers was tremendous.

Life was like a machine. It's blueprint was the soul. When you cut off an arm. Atleast in my world, you could regenerate that arm as long as the soul was sound. That was why I marked Freyja and Haero as the most dangerous of my children. One could snuff out your life without a thought and the other coulf rip your soul out or just damage it to make your suffering worse.

'Freyr is just as bad though'.

I shook my head. "He needs you to be dead to actually reap benefits. Sure for a mortal it won't matter but for those on par wth him or higher then he would need them to be atleast dead".

I stopped molding. To be honest I didn't need to go far in what I wanted to create. I had a diverse sea oanr land of entities. All with souls I was aware of their making. Well Akasha was, but same thing. There was one entity, several actually but still the most important that would be a beautiful pick here.

" Ozai's favourites".

'Considering he made them. It's obvious why'.

I snapped my fingers and even more ether appeared, each reshaped and becoming a soul similar to the first. Next I put in the Life flame, formed the Akashic core and then wrapped it with divine energy. " Let's see". Using a skill one of my grandchildren had made for me I inserted my will into the souls and then left the memories I wanted there.

"Done".

Souls spread in all directions, held by divine energy. When a corpse, morneliem bones was reached the soul would strike it. Light shows popped up everywhere as souls attached themselves to bones and divine energy reformed over them.

'Not necessary but I see the intended effect'.

On the fortress palisades various lifeforms, demonic creatures were filling onto the wall. Shouts and roars were called up as the watched the show happen..

The first of the corpses at my feet cracked as something snapped into place. A tall, still short to me, angel stood in place. Due to the soul blueprints and the bones given the body had become something else. The skin was alabaster white, wings that gold and a head as bald and smooth as steel.

Milky white eyes turned to me. Several of them. 'I see where Freyr gets his creepy factor'. I didn't argue as the angels creeped me out. I flexed my palm and terramancy forged swords of steel straight from the earth. All of them turned in a synchronized manner and looked at the swords.

Thanks to my will and use of Mind Forgery the angels knew how to use swords, and knew their task. Spindly arms grabbed from the sword and pulled them out of the ground. Raised high, their smooth featureless faces split to form lips that opened horrifically wide and screeched.

I watched as a horde of former corpses, I didn't really count past the next one thousand, flew for the Fort. The cries of shock and fear from the demons told me I'd overdone it.

'Still think they need a dragon breathing down their necks?' I didn't. Terramancy formed a throne of whatever mineral was underground behind me. While I could create from nothing, Grand Larceny wasn't high on my list of powers yet. Akasha had told me the minwrals came from random dead worlds iny mortal realm so I didn't have to be bothered about it.

Watching a war happen in front of me wasn't as cool as in movies or games. Well those that I saw through screens. It was chaos. An organized disaster. The only thing organized being the enemies knowing who to kill and not to kill.

With the angels flying, the wall had been rendered useless. Bolts, arrows and energy beams shot through the air to cull my angels. But it was meaningless. The demons had left the corpses of their enemies on the battlefield to see a sense of dread and despair into their invaders.

Something told me before the game turned this world into a dungeon they'd never seen something like me. "Of course they haven't. The system just made this setting and now I'm wrecking it".

'I bet the A.i is pissed that you're wrecking the work so easily'. I spotted a spot on the fortress that had been cleared of demons. "Hmmh". I teleported there with a sharp cutting of space. I stood on the battlements and looked around. Roars and screeches came from all directions. I followed the closest sounds down into a part of the wall where the demons were struggling to get the angels off.

'More like pests '. From every direction swords and golden wings flashed at the defenders'. I left the place and walked through the abandoned streets. Sometimes a demon would land in a disfigured heap, dead or dying. Rarely was it an angel. A house exploded in red flames and from it flew an angel.

I sidestepped the corpse watching it go. A larger demon. The basic things I knew from media leaped out of the flames. It was bare bodied exempting black pants on its lower body. It held a double bladed axe and had long horns. Fire wreathed it like a cloak and it's black eyes found me.

"You!!".

"Me?'.

" You did this!". While I was confused on f this was a question or a statement two large wings of fire erupted from its back. It stomped and flapped shooting high.

" DIEEE!!".

It folded the wings and came down fast swinging the axe like a hammer. Right as it reached me I sidestepped back to my former position. It missed the subtle glow of green on my hand landing as a spike of earth tore through its abdomen and out it's back. I left it there bleeding over the spike.

There were more fools like that who kept accosting me. The AI here definitely hadn't the gotten the memo. Each one I handled with a mare flock of my wrists. One got closer than the others and lost its head to a void ring that appeared around its neck. 'Its not your fault it moved'.

I ignored Alasha.

I equipped my Cloak of Authority as I stepped out of what I pegged the Civilian sector. All that working with barely a disturbance and yet the angels best me here. The demons had put up a last stand at the second wall. The angels dive bombed them. I watched one pick one up and hurl it into the middle.

'#vwn the Gemini have more self respect'.

Nothingness coated my skin and I nullified my gravity. I didn't feel like breaking bones for wings. I was high enough to see the gate. It was sealed, and the demons outside were not the only ones. The angels were already harrying those on the wall.

I rose higher and higher then stopped my uplift. The infected had not moved since I got here. 'Time to shine'. I formed a string of nothingness between them and the middle of the demons within he wall. Then I erased that space. All in less than a second.

The roars of terror and defiance as the Infected appeared in the demons midst was my cue. 'Attack'.

The Infected pounced. Using Terramancy I grabbed the gate and squeezed. The creaking amd cracking sent shouts through the demons. Some pointed at me and others took action. Arrows, beams, fire and even lightning.

The charge struck my black body and fizzled out. The gate was annoying since it wasn't from my universe. But minerals were minerals. I folded my fists and tugged. The gate crumpled asn blew through the demons and angels shooting for me. I caught it before it would hit and moved it to the side.

The angels doubled their efforts and soon the demons were pushed back and into the second section. I followed allowing myself to drift closer. The infected inside had decimated quarter of the forces.

'Reinforcements'.

Akasha's warning let me see the demons pouring from the Keep. My blood charged, my eyes became red torches. Chaotic lightning flashed through my blood. My palms flashed with the red energy and the demons disrracted were cut down in droves.

The charges jumped to the crumpled gate which I further squeezed till it became a ball. It didn't take long for the ball to become a nexus of lightning. I threw it at the keep.

It struck, detonated and the world turned bright red. When the light calmed I found the demons behind were gone. The keep till stood though. Cracks running through its walls..

I teleported unto the courtyard amidst the wreckage of my attack. Behind me the demons yelled and charged back at me. There was a number of things I could do at this point. Wipe them out fast without blinking. Create an illusion to hold them back. Or...

"I don't like the illusion own though. Plus I've not had a chance or reason to test this". I turned around the Shield appearing on my keft arm. The Uliloc Helm on my head and a Primordial Frost spear in my right hand. I was already walking for the keeo's grand doors.

"Aeus the First, Deus the Twin, Treus the Last. Come".

I felt it. A string attached inside mez tugging at something. My body stopped itself and then melted into my Teeth Form forcibly. From the darkness of Nothing that was me came the Joundks.

Fenrir's paw hit the ground first. Black muscular body moving with grace. Sköll was out next his metallic gold fur casting a dim.hu3 in his surroundings. Last was Hati. The white wolf had sparks running through his white fur and each step he made had his claws scrape the ground with a spark. Pupiless black, golden and green eyes locked on the demons that had scraped to a halt on seeing the wolves.

I reformed to my Godform as an Elder Devil. I didn't show it but the force changed has surprised me. "Handle them". I gave an order to shake off my surprise and then walked on for the keep doors. Snarls and growls echoed from behind me as I stopped at the doors.

I didn't have good memories of opening grand doors. I raised my spear and tapped the door with it. Cracking and chills spread as the ice grew from the point of contact and swallowed the door. I inhaled. Tapped my helm and dove forward.

Smashing through the door, ice flying everywhere my eyes took in the scene. A long hallway, my ice creeping over the walls and forward through the hallway. I hit the ground and rolled back to my feet my cloak fluttering behind me.

My ice crept around an angle and into a room.

'Crap'. I stepped forward and stopped in front of the entrance. The Thorne room was huge, just like Aswngnir. Large enough for a battle. My eyes drifted to the Demon seated on the throne and I held back my gulp.

The first thing I noticed was the horns. He had horns. Not the horns hat Molliwag had, or Freyr and Freyja or even Haero. These were horns.

They were large and curved. Then two more grew from his shoulder pads. He wasn't wearing armor. He was armor. His torso looked like magma or fire was about to explode and force its way out fro his chest. His face looked skeletal with red burning eyes and red face. His arms had spikes.

'Are those gauntlets or his arms. Looks like his arms'. His sword. Great sword was as large as me. He stood 12 foot tall and I would be lucky if I reached his hips. There was a chin holding the pommel of his sword in ringed loop and attached to his waist.

I took a good look at my shield and then at my spear. Comforting myself that it was Primordial Ice I looked back up. His lips quirkef up with a smirk. I glared.

He grabbed the armrests of his throne and heaved himself up. The great sword leaning by the side of his throne was untouched as he took two steps forward and stopping probably due to the chain holding him to his sword.

"Welcome Challenger". I titled my head. "I am Warlord Malgorath the Iron Tyrant". I nodded. I could see it. " I see you md wit in here. None have managed it". He turned and reached for his sword.

" I would drop my sword for you and bend the knee but...my people must bow to a strong ruler". He grabbed the chain when his arm didn't reach and tugged. The sword flew with a clank and he dropped the chain to catch it. Then he turned. His face moved as he faced me then he turned to the side and spat out. A glob of red slaiva hot the ground and the sizzle of stone melting made mw gulp.

He raised his free arm and I heard boots clang around me. Soldiers I had ignored due to the sight of Malgorath stepped away front he sides of the room to surround me. I truef to count but forgot about it when Malgorath spoke.

"Prove your worth to battle me".

'Shit'.

"Eh".

I blinked in confusion. Akasha sighed in my head. I looked behind me. I was honestly confused. 'Didn't he just say I was the only one to get in here?'.

'He did'. Her voice as low. Why was she whispering. I ignored her to look back at Malgorath. 'Prove my Worth'.

The first demon soldier lunged. I sidestepped him and caught him on my shaft. My mind d was still trying to make sense and understand something. I wasn't getting it but I could feel it on my tongue na smt mind. Akasha wasn't talking either. Did she know what I was feeling for?

'Akasha?'. I tossed the demon back to his group. I flexed a finger and the ground rose imprisoning all the demon soldiers.

"Holding them won't..". I raised a finger at him.

"One moment please". I turned my head to focus on Akasha. She wasn't saying anything though. I ignored her again and then looked at Malgorath. Sized him up. Looked at the guards who were smashing and breaking through the stones I held them with and then back at him.

I didn't even know when I spoke. "Sure. I'll prove my worth". I gripped my palms and the soldiers breaking free were impaled in a single move. I turned back to Malgorath. Slammed the Spear into the ground and dismissed the shield.

[Godform: Elder Devil -> Elder Titan]

I took a deep breath as my skin turned black with cracks, my hair became sun strands and my eyes turned to torches. Sol's essence flowed through my veins and out into the surroundings. Malgorath looked confused at the change. My body slowly rose off the ground.

"Now. Show me your worth". My void skin holding back all the Sol energy that was within this race teleported me to the Warlord's right. I punched out with all my race strength.

BOOM!!


****


Ring - 2nd
Realm - TORHEIM


RHAL'S POV

My hands swung repeatedly, attempts to take the Divine's head ducked with reflexes that mirrored mine. I could move fast and he could change location with grace. It was both annoying and relieving. Each time I blocked his oath attacked him and tried to kill him I couldn't help but curse at my own self.

I sat unable to move in a seat watching the First Person view of my body fighting and getting thrown aside. He was powerful, lightning dancing through the air and thundering against the bitch's defense.

"No. She's under control as well". I watched a group of Celestians and the other races I was yet to know more about getting blow away from the Divine.

"He's holding back". It was both an insult and a relief. Yet as I watched the fight go on, the Divine getting closer, the other Divine female and her enthralled Divine guard retreating, I could see things in our have fonez should have done in its place.

It made question the strength of this enthrallment. Does she know that the body uses what it remembers. 'Muscle memory'. The light speed movements, the slashes and the light bursts were things my body rememberwd and as such were all it did.

I looked to my right, the other me staring right back. It did everything I did except for one thing. Let me out. There was a game set on my side. I just had to win and it would let me out. Let me have my own body.

I eyed the fight again just as my body was thrown aside once more. I could see the annoyance on the Divine's face. The thunder clapping constantly around him. Deafening himself to keep from falling in the trap of the other Female.

But I knew something he didn't. She had not spoken for us to fall. 'I need to get out'. I turnef back to the other me. The mirror me. Safetly reflected in the impeccable mirror. I had refused to play z unsure of the consequences but really I was scared to lose. While it had assured me that loosing would only warm me a timeout before the next game I didn't want to spend the rest of this Ascension in here. My domains remained to be gotten. My ascension to be completed.

"Let's play".

"You remember the rules?". Mirror me asked. I nodded already going through them in my head. There were twelves holes Six on both side Each player had six holes called houses. In each hole/house was four marbles. One had to select hole or house and pick the marble within to start of the game. On starting or playing, you put one seed in each hole anticlockwise. Whereever your last marble was dropped you had to carry. If iyour marble made the marbles in the hole you dropped in four, then you had won the house. If your marble completed the marble within your opponent's house four then he had won.

The idea was to seize all houses of the opponents. A coin appeared mid air and landed in my palm. "Flip".

"What for?".

"Deciding who begins".

"Does it matter?". Mirror me said nothing. I sighed and held the coin up to observe. On one side was my name. Rhal. On the other was blank. Setting it over my index and thumb fingers, I flipped. There was no point hesitating. The coin came down and I caught it slamming it down on my thigh.

Mirror to start.

My reflection reached out with a liquid hand and grasped the marbles in the sixth house. I kept an eye open for any clue in this game. He moved. A seed was deposited in each game with thunk of marble against wood. In the fourth house he carried the entire marble then moved again. I found myself counting as he stopped at the fifth hole and then picked . He moved. He deposited one in the hole he started from and then continued. Carried another house and then moved on. When he got to his side he carried at the first house and then moved. His seed finished in my house.

I frowned at the board. All the houses either had one marble, lots of marble or empty. I looked up at him and he reflected my movements. I frowned. Here we go. I just have to make four seeds in my side. How hard is it?.

I picked up the first house on my left. The idea was to double the ones in my house. I had one marble in the second house and one in the fourth house. I moved.

I made mine two but ended up stopping in an empty house on his side. I looked up again to weigh his expression. The hopeful confused expression he had was the reflection of mine. The bloody perfect poker face.

It moved. Picking the marbles in his first house to my right and his left. My marble had stopped in his second house to his left so I could see he wanted to fill up his houses like me. He dropped six marbles and the seventh dropped into my second house from my left. He picked everything there. I had a frown as he moved. A bit of hope entered me as he made the fourth house four and carried a large number of marbles fromy fifth house.

"Hey that's cheating". His second, and third house got threw marbles and his sixth house became four. I watched in astonishment and worry as he stopped in my first house and carried the one seed there. He dropped it in my empty second house and then moved on to carry my their house full of marbles.

I rejoiced when my fourth house got four marbles and I watched as he filled his houses with marblea. My joy vanished. House two and three got four marbles each. Then his hand paused at house six where he still had four marbles. A second hand came out of the mirror reflection and carried the four and set them aside. Then he dropped the last marble. I watched as he picked up the other two sets of marbles and dropped them next to the first he took.

His palm motioned to my four in my house to pick. Silently and dreading I picked them all and watched as a table surface expanded for me to drop them. I did and looked back to see his waiting patiently.

"Your turn now".

I gulped. He had three sets of marbles, according to the rules that meant he had three houses now. "Fuck".

I looked at my side. One marble at hose two. One at house five. A lot at house six. Moving house five would make me carry house six which I would share for him. Not good. I couldn't take house six for the same reason. I looked back to those two and shrugged. I picked and moved the house.

He moved the two marbles in house one stopping at house three. I frowned and stubbornly moved my marble to house four. I checked his game even before he played. He had the option of putting a marble in my side , carrying the large amounts in house four and five on his side, or picking the marbles in house two and three.

Actually he'll have to spread out tho marbles no matter what. I watched and sure enough he picked house four. I counted nine houses crossed before he stopped in house one on his side. I smiled.

Alright. I have two seeds in house four and five. I found myself counting the marbles to see where I'd put it. I looked up quickly to know if the reflection saw that as cheating. It said not a word. I grabbed the marble in house three. One marble into house four and I got all three. One into house five, house six. House one of my opponents side was where I stopped to pick the marble there. With two marbles I dropped one in house two and grabbed the marble in house three. One in house four and set it in house five. I grinded greedily as I grabbed all the marbles there.

I made his house six have three marbles, filled in till I made my house five have four marbles. Two houses for me. I made his house two have three seeds and then grabbed one marble in its house four. With two seeds I almost jumped when my last seed dropped in his hose six that had three marbles.

Slowly I looked up to confirm and my reflection nodded. Three houses to threw houses now. It moved next. Simply picked a marble in house one and set it in two that had three marbles.

I grit my teeth. Picked my house one with two marbles. One to give my house two three marbles then grabbed the one marble in house three. I set it in house four and ended in house five. It had only one marble in house three and five each. It moved house five's marble to house six. I picked my house two not trusting him to not take it like I did his and then set one in house three. One in house four making it three and one in house five. Grabbing the marble there I put one in my bundle of marbles I had refused to spread and then ended in his house one.

Fuck.

He moved it to house two and I moved the marble in house three to complete house four and get four houses as well.

He moved house two, picked house three and then moved it to house four and five. Now I had to share my hoarded marbles. Frightened I slowly did. I made a complete rotation dropping one seed in each house till I got back to my sixth house where I picked the hoard of marbles. There I set one as well then moved and picked one marble from its first house.

I made another turn creating three marbles in his house three and four. I stopped finally in his house one. His next move took house two with two marbles into house three and filled house four with four marbles.

I counted again then made my own move. Two marbles from my house two took me past house three and taking the two marbles in house four. House five and house six received one each making both one and three marbles respectively. Stopping and carrying the marble in its house one I moved

Past house two, carried one marble in house three , set it in house four, picked another one in house five and set it in its house six. Three became four. My heart dropped. I tried to furiously count in my head. As I set the last seed in my house one.

That's four to six.

It moved the single marble in house two to house three. I looked at my side looking for a miracle. I had three seeds in house six, one in house five, one in house three and one in house one.

I quickly took the one in house five and set in house six completing it. I calmed myself. I just had to somehow get the last house. I looked up when the reflection didn't play. It shrugged.

"The last four marbles can't be played. Whoever wins a house when only eight seeds are left wins them all".

I collapsed back into my seat with an exhale of relief. Relief that became dread at its next words.

"Six to six is a a rematch". When I glared it explained. "You didn't gain a house and I didn't gain any of yours. Neither of us are winners". It motioned to the now rearranged game. "Let's begin".

A glance at the screen showed the Divine who made the shield was somehow knocked out. My enthralled body was the only thing standing between the Thunderer and the Bitch. For some reason I didn't like it. "Let's play". I wanted to see the look in her eyes when I broke free and took her head.

I flipped the coin. The blank side came up. "Start".