Creation's Bane Book 6: Chapter 1.

Hey all! I hope you all had a great Christmas and Happy New year!!
We're back again. Not much of a break between books this time and I'm raring to get stuck into it. Enjoy!

I returned to Far Reach, teleporting straight to Sania, a vain hope in my heart that War would still be there. I had a hankering to kill someone and he was the best candidate.

Unsurprisingly he was gone. Scarpered the moment I killed the Darkness meat puppet.

That meant everyone was on edge but no longer harassed by the asshole.

“Clive! What happened?” Sania asked.

My face puckered like I’d sucked a lemon. “I killed Darkness’s body. But Hakan exited it long before I could drain him dry.”

“How very selfish of him,” Danivra remarked.

“That’s what I thought. He’s still out there somewhere. Weak in power but strong in knowledge.” I clenched my fist wanting to smash it down on a table or something. Nothing presented itself, which was probably just as well considering I was probably powerful enough to open up Nuinaer with a well-placed punch.

“I’m sorry guys. I had him right there… I thought I could end this quickly… The bastard was laughing as he slipped away.”

“What do you think he’ll do next?” Danivra asked, not allowing me to wallow in self-pity.

Yet what could I do other than shrug. “No idea. But I do know this has only just begun and we’re nowhere near ready.”

Sania laid her hand on my shoulder. “Not yet, but we’ll get him. You have a Divine Core now? I can’t see a level on your identifier anymore nor can I sense any difference on you. Is that intentional?”

“No,” I said with a tired shake of my head. “This is it. I have all the same powers of both cores, though mostly a little stronger. There’s no cooldown on me being reborn if my body is somehow  killed. It’s mainly the awareness that I gain. Spirit Sight in particular has increased but there’s more to it. A merging of Singularity, Internal Connection and Ethereal Awareness…” I paused. I didn’t really understand what was going on with me just yet and I needed time to think it over.

“There’s a lot I still need to work out with that. Right now I need to take control of the Admin hub. That’s our best defense against Hakan. From there… I don’t know. But that’s where I need to start.”

Danivra stepped forward, her face like thunder, though there was no anger directed toward me from our bond. “You need to take the followers of the fallen gods Clive. You need the power they can provide.”

I recoiled from the idea as always. My aim was to remove all followers. One of the first things I intended once I had control of the Administration Headquarters was to remove that requirement for advancement. I doubted it would be easy, but I would work out how to do it. That said, shedding followers was a tomorrow problem and Danivra was right. The Ethereal Neuma they could provide would make a huge difference to any future fight with Hakan. Especially when he was willing to use Servant bonds against us.

That wanker was willing to do whatever it took and it was clear he didn’t consider the residents of this universe worthy of basic consideration.”

“I will Danivra. I just need to work out what I’m doing with the Admin first.”

Danivra nodded regally. “Of course, Lord Clive. I will set events into motion among the ex-Chosen to ensure we tie up as many of the followers as we can.”

Good old Danivra. With her around I didn’t even need to delegate. She even did that for me. “Thank you. I’m going to head straight back to Onnekus and pick up Peace. I need to check on Destruction too,” I winced as I said it.

“Where is Destruction?” Sania asked. “Kraeyuk has been in touch. He cannot reach her.”

“She’s in my void storage. The last time I saw her… she was kinda in half.”

Sania gasped. “Will she be okay?”

“I’d hope so. She’s a Demon goddess. If she can’t regenerate then who the hell can. I should probably check on her now,” I said opening my void storage. Then with baited breath, knowing more than just Destruction awaited me inside, I entered.

Light still hung suspended where I’d left her. The bodies of Devotion and Life lay nearby. I turned from those quickly as a heady combination of anger and loss threatened to send me on an unhelpful spiral of emotion.

Of Destruction there was no sign, but I sensed her in one of the three auto cabins I’d left in there.

“Destruction! You coming out to play?” I asked, strolling over. I was surprised when there was no answer. My legs suddenly started working faster.

Reaching the door I opened it to find her whole and sitting on one of the sofas, head in hands, staring a hole in the floor.

“Everything okay?”

“Did you kill him?” she asked, not looking up.

“Kind of. He was using Darkness’s body as an avatar. I killed that, but Hakan fled. He’s still out there working to regain his strength.”

“Then were all finished,” she said, finally looking up with a haunted expression that was just wrong on her usually confident face.

“What makes you say that?” I asked curiously.

“Clive, he handled me like a child… the powers he bestowed on Light and War…”

“Light who is languishing in my void storage?” I asked with mock confusion. “You must have seen her.”

“I did. She’s as terrified of Hakan as I am after that showing.”

That gave me pause. “She needs to be more terrified of me than of him. I have a Divine Core now, which means I’m not governed by Aly’s peace pact.”

“You are not the Universal Administrator yet, Clive. Which means you are still very much under the sway of the agreement.”

“I’m aware,” I replied curtly back.

“Enough of us have died and she can do no harm as long as you have her locked up in here,” Destruction replied. I could have been bowled over by a feather in that moment. Before I could say anything, she continued.

If her bond’s cut to Hakan I imagine she’d rather hide in here.”

“What the hell are you talking about Destruction? In fact, no. Tell me on the way to find Peace. She’s still out there on Onnekus.”

“May I stay in here, or the Admin hub?”

“Did you get all of your people?”

“I did not. I will in time, but I need a little longer to process what has happened and... I need to see if you can do anything as an Administrator to make me less… pathetic.”

“Christ on a bike, Destruction. You’re many things, but pathetic has never been one of them. I’m going back out to travel, but you’re coming out on Onnekus and I won’t take no for an answer. Kraeyuk is worried sick about you, which means all of your followers will be. When I shout of you come out.”

She looked back to the floor but I saw an almost imperceptible nod of her head and counted it a victory.

Heading back out of the Auto-cabin more worried than I cared to admit over how cowed Destruction had become, I barely acknowledged Light.

She was staring at me openly. No fear, but oddly no anger either.

“I am truly sorry, Clive. You were right about everything.”

The words hit me like a bus. But my attention didn’t flicker. Neither my pace changed nor my head turned. Though I closed the portal felling like my universe had just been turned upside down again.

“Is everything okay?” Sania and Danivra asked almost in unison.

It took a moment to reply. To articulate my thoughts in more than expletives, gestures, and lip smacking exasperation. “Not at all. But right now it doesn’t matter. We’ve got work to do.”