Novel Being the God of Hell is a bother. [0-7]

Chapter 4
The First Sinner

[Power: Divine Creation.

A power that only the gods possess. It allows them to use part of their power (Divinity Points) to create various constructs or give divine magical properties to existing objects.

Objects that can be created with this power:

Divine Portal (Temporary)
A portal that last about 10 minutes and allows travel to the selected location. Any location can be chosen for this portal to open to.
Cost: 10 Divine Points

Divine Portal (Permanent)
A permanent portal that leads to whatever location the creator wants to. The destination can be changed by expending 1 Divinity Point, but the original portal cannot be moved.
Cost: 100 Divine Points

Deva

A creature that is the manifestation of the God itself. Though sentient and capable of emotion should the God so desire, it's still an emanation of the God's power, so it is completely loyal to it's creator and thinks like him.
The appareance, powers and abilities of a Deva depends on the creator's will and on how many Divinity Points are expended in its creation.
Also, a specific power can be given to a Deva only if the DP spent on the creation of that specific Deva are more than the cost of the power.
Cost (minimum): 50 Divine Points.

Divine Item

An Item created by the God. Divine Items possess magical properties depending on the god's choice and how many divinity points are expended in its creation.

It's also possible to infuse a suitable object with the desired magical properties.

Cost: Variable]

What followed these was a very long list of specific power that could be given to a Deva or an item. Viktor winced when he looked at the Divine Points price for most of them.

[500'000 Divine Points for Improved Skill Copying!?! And the Points spent in the creation of the Deva should be more 500'000... that means that the Deva would cost more than 1'000'000 Points! Man, these costs are ridiculous. ] (Viktor)

Then Viktor stopped, thinking for a second. He didn't really know the rules of this world, so it was possible that getting Divinity Points was actually really easy. But the initial amount he was given was just 1000, so at least for now he had to be frugal with his expenses.

[Well, at least for now I have no real use for a Deva. I could use a portal and explore the world, but...] (Viktor)

He paused and looked at the soul, that was just standing on the porch with a confused expression on his face.

[What am I supposed to do with that thing? Basmor said I have to somehow “purify” it... I have no idea how to do that!] (Viktor)

He just stood there, looking at that pityful creature for a while... then he took a decision.

[Least I can do is talk to it... I mean, maybe it's confused about dying and stuff, and I can console it.] (Viktor)

Viktor got out of his house and went to the creature, which was still sitting on the porch, staring at some undetermined point in front of him.

[Ehm... hello there!] (Viktor)

No response.

[Uhm... My name is Viktor. I have been told that you are the soul of a sinner, but I don't want to be too quick to judge! Can you tell me something abut yourself?] (Viktor)

Again, no response.

Maybe it was cathatonic, though Viktor. Maybe the shock of dying made him incapable of reacting, or maybe all souls were like this.

But before he could continue thinking about it, the soul suddenly turned to him, with a blank stare.

[Give me food.] (Soul)

[Oh, so you can actually speak? Good! Can you tell me your name?] (Viktor)

[Food. Me want food.] (Soul)

Viktor stopped for a moment. That guy talked in primitive speech, and didn't look particularly bright. Maybe he should approach him like he would with a children.

[Ehm, no food here. I'm sorry. I tried making some but apparently everything I make taste like sulfur and ashes.] (Viktor)

[Food! Cai want food!] (Cai)

The soul looked quite angry at that point, worrying Viktor a bit. Still, it was true that he didn't have food.

[So, your name is Cai? Well, if you can stomach it, I can make something for you. Still, you are just a soul, so I don't think you need sustenance to live. ] (Viktor)

[Cai wants food!] (Cai)

[Ok ok! Just wait a moment!] (Viktor)

In order to appease to Cai, Viktor concentrated, and a plate of fruits appeared in front of him.

With a groan, Viktor noticed that all the fruits (even apples and bananas) had nasty spikes on them, and the plate was made of dark, heavy iron. Truly, everything he made with his power came out hellish.

He peeles a banana and offered it to Cai, which grabbed it with violence.

[Be careful. As I told you, the things I made taste like...] (Viktor)

Ignoring him, Cai bit into the fruit, and a second later he spit it into Viktor face.

[Hey! Watch it!] (Viktor)

[This no food! This bad taste! You trick Cai! Cai kill red man!] (Cai)

With incredible fury, the soul launced himself at Viktor, who for a moment was too surprised to react.

Cai punched the God in the gut... and promptly howled in pain, as if he had hit a brick wall.

On the contrary, Viktor barely felt that hit.

Man, these souls are really weak, thought Viktor, who was more surprised than angry.

[Hey, you should calm down. You could injure yourself if you don't stop!] (Viktor)

But Cai, while still holding his hand in pain, stared at him with his blank eyes, only that a glimmer of violent insanity could be seen in them this time.

Before Viktor could stop him, Cai grabbed the iron plate that was created moments ago and threw it at Viktor's head.

Viktor easily dodged it, but then a spiked apple hit him right on the nose, againd thrown by Cai.

Still, there was no real pain, as the hit was barely felt, but Viktor was starting to get annoyed.

[Stop it please! I told you that there is no food here! And besides, you don't even need it!] (Viktor)

But the soul didn't listen to him, and it continued to scream and throw things at him, until Viktor decided he's had enough.

[I told you to STOP!] (Viktor)

He said it while concentrating on Cai, with a tone of command that could not be ignored. For a moment, he could see some kind of darkness stirring inside the soul, like a wild beast scared by a stronger predator, and then Cai immobilized, as if he was petrified.

The damned soul looked at him with panicked eyes, but still couldn't move. Viktor simply looked at him with curiosity.

[Tutor, what happened right now? What was that darkness that I saw inside that guy?] (Viktor)

[Answer: you, the God of Hell, just used your unique power Master of Corruption. Since this soul is heavily corrupted by negative thoughts, actions and emotions it had in life, it had to abide your command. The “darkness” you saw was the corruption of this soul.] (DT)

Viktor stood silent for a bit. So that was his power. Basically he could command bad people and they had to obey him!

He enthralled thoughts about what he could do with such a power. The possibilities were infinites!

He could singlehandedly stop crime, wars and corruption! He could be a savior for all the people in the world! With such a broken power, he could be an hero like no one before!

But then again... was it right to solve all this world's problems like that? And besides, as he said to that jerk of a God he met in the afterlife, people deserved a chance to improve themself, and without errors there would be no improvement.
He could stop all bad people in the world, but... what would happen to the good people? In his philosophy, only by suffering a person could grow. Only by falling someone could develop the strenght to stand up.
He could save the world from bad people, but at what cost? Would the good people become like sheeps, incapable of thinking and defending themself?

Viktor didn't know. Some things were impossible to predict, and he would have to give this matter much thought before acting on it.

But for now, he would just try to solve the problem in front of him... the problem of the soul that was still immobilized on the ground in front of him.

Viktor got close to the immobilized guy.

[If I remember well, the Master of Corruption also allowed me to see the memories and thought of a “bad” person. Let's try it on this guy.] (Viktor)

Viktor put his hand on Cai's head, and concentrated, like he did when he gave him the order to stop.

He could feel the darkness within the soul stirring up, like a scared snake or a worm trying to escape the light, but he insisted, and after a few seconds, images of the life of Cai started appearing in his head.

[Cai was born in a small village, just a dozen mud huts between a forest and a lake. It was a primitive but orderly society, and everyone had to work for the collective good. The men went hunting, fishing and did all the hard works, while the women tended to the homes and the children, while also crafting everyday items and gathering food.

But not Cai.
His mother died at his birth, and his father followed her a few years later, killed by a wild beast he was hunting.

Cai grew up raised by everyone in the village, but he always did his best to avoid working.

He stole from the common larder, he spent his days just sleeping and prancing about in the forest, just pretending to hunt.

This continued until one day the Clan Leader, suspicious of him declared that he would have been expelled from the village if he didn't bring any prey the next hunt.
Cai tried his best, but since he was out of shape and never tried to learn how to hunt, he couldn't catch anything. He was desperate, afraid that he would have been chased out of the village, when he saw one of his fellow hunters, Abor, returning to the village alone, with a small deer on his shoulder.

Without thinking, Cai took his spear and stabbed Abor before he could defend himself, killing him.
He then hid the body and returned to the village with the deer.

No one found Abor body, and everyone just thought that he had an accident, while Cai resumed his leasurly life of stealing and sleeping.
But then, after a few months, the Clan Leader repeated his ultimatum, and again Cai was sent to the forest with the task to bring back one prey, and again he couldn't catch anything.

So he just hid and waited near the village, until one other solitary hunter, Gasma, came back with three rabbits.
He then killed Gasma, hid the body again and returned with his prey.

Again, Cai could resume his life like nothing happened, but this time people started being suspicious of him.

The following week, the Clan Leader again ordered Cai to bring one prey, unless he wanted to be expelled for the village, and again Cai couldn't catch anything and just waited near the village for a lone hunter to appear.

But this time, all the other hunters came back in group of three people, and he couldn't attack anyone safely, so he had to came back without anything.

Ignoring his pleads, the Clan leader banished Cai, saying that it was only due to not having proofs that he wasn't killed as a murderer.

Cai was banished, but he didn't know how to survive out of the village, so the third night, when he was incredibly famished, he infiltrated the village and tried to steal from the larder as he always did, but he was spotted by one of the guards.
Cai killed that guard, but the rest of the village came, captured him and finally sentenced him to dead, ignoring his pleads for mercy.

The last thing Cai remembered was the knife of the Clan leader cutting his throat, and, as he was bleeding to death, a female figure appeared and brought him with her to the desolate place where he was right now.]

Viktor let go of Cai's head, with a disgusted expression on his face.
This guy really was scum, a murderer and a thief. And what was worse, he didn't feel any remorse for his action. He actually felt like HE was the victim!

From what he could see in Cai's head, talking to him would have no result. Cai was too selfish and stupid to listen to him.

So Viktor had to find another way to purify him, making him see the errors of his ways.

And thanks to the Master of Corruption power, Viktor thought that he had a perfect solution for this problem.

 

thx

 

Welcome back.I really like that the first sinner is not a master mind fox or tragedy victim nope just a scum.

Spoiler: a typo

With a groan, Viktor noticed that all the fruits (even apples and bananas) had nasty spikes on them, and the plate was made or{I think you mean of} dark, heavy iron. Truly, everything he made with his power came out hellish.

thx as always and keep up the good work.

 

Thanks to you for pointing me to the typo! I really couldn't see it! xD
Also yeah... most criminals and murdereres are scum. Chessmasters and tragedy victims surely exist, but they are a minority. SO it makes sense that the first sinner would be one the most common type.

 

Crime and Punishment

Cai woke up, almost screaming.

He had a terrible dream, about dying and getting into a strange place made of red rocks, where a red scary person made him eat disgusting food.

But now, looking around himself, all he could see was his familiar hut.

He sighed in relief.

[That was just dream. Good. That was bad dream. Cai not want it be reality!] (Cai)

He got up, scratched his back and let out a yawn, before getting out of the hut.

He was hungry, so he'd better get something in the larder.

The women of his clan were already awake, working on their tasks.
When they saw him, they greeted him happily.

[Hey Cai! Goodmorning! Me happy you awake!] (Woman1)

[Nice to see you Cai! Me hope clan's best hunter slept well!] (Woman2)

[What great prey will Cai catch today? Me curious!] (Woman3)

Cai looked at them confused. The women usually didn't greet him so happily, actually usually they avoided him. Also... clan's best hunter!?! He was the worst hunter ever!

But when he was still thinking about this, another familiar figure approached him. It was the Clan Leader, and even he greeted Cai with a bright smile, instead of showing suspicion as usual.

[Well met Cai! Ready to hunt? Tribe hunters cannot do without Cai! Go get our prey!] (Clan Leader)

The Clan Leader gave him a spear and let him out of the village.

Cai was still very confused. What happened!?! Why was everyone so nice to him? Was it some kind of prank.

He got into the woods, fully intending to find a nice place to rest and waste the day away... but something else distracted him.

As soon as he entered the woods, a small deer appeared next to him.

Before he could even think about it, Cai automatically threw his spear, hitting the deer in the neck and istantly killing it.

This time Cai was amazed. For the first time, he was able to actually kill his prey!

Quickly, he grabbed the deer and started getting back to the village, when a powerful roar echoed through the forest.

Abor appeared seconds later, running away from a huge mountain lion that was chasing him.

Normally Cai would have been the first to run away, but again, his body reacted as if he had no control on it.

He immediately let go of the deer, grabbed his lance and threw it at the lion, again hitting it in the eye and istantly killing it.

Cai was amazed. How could he have done that? But his thoughts were interrupted by Abor, who approached him with a face full of gratitude and admiration.

[Thank you Cai! Cai save Abor life! Cai best hunter ever, Abor always say that! Abor can't thank Cai enough!] (Abor)

[It's nothing. Cai's body acted before he could think, that's all.] (Cai)

[As always, Cai is so humble! Cai is truly an example for the rest of the tribe!] (Abor)

Cai was appalled by Abor's attitude, but after a moment he couldn't help but feel a weird, tingling sense of satisfaction within his heart.

Cai's memories of his life as a slacker were still present, but they were getting fainter by the minute, replaced by memories of a life full of successes and admiration. Maybe this was just another dream, but it was much more pleasing than the one before.

Cai and Abor walked toghether back to the village, talking with each other in a friendly manner, and when they arrived the whole clan welcomed Cai as a hero.

[Did Cai made good hunt!?!] (Woman 3)

[Wow! Is that mountain lion? Cai must be incredible hunter to have killed beast like that!] (Child 1)

[Beast was chasing Abor! Cai killed it and saved Abor's life!] (Abor)

This announcement was taken with even more cheers, and the Clan Leader smiled brightly at Cai.

[Any day Cai is with us is good day for Clan! We must celebrate Cai's bravery!] (Clan Leader)

Some women then took out an amphora full of beer from the larder, while others were busy butchering the meat of the deer and the mountain lion.
That night the feast was great. With the preys Cai and the others brought, there was no shortage of food and the beer tasted particularly delicious. Cai laughed and joked with the others, feeling a sense of unity and camaraderie he had never experienced before but that somehow felt right.

The darkness of the night was kept as bay by the warm light of the fire, and the clan's people were singing and dancing.

At some point, a figure timidly approached Cai.
It was Ula, a young girl who was considered by many the most beautiful girl of the clan. Fiddling with her fingers, she timidly asked:


[Hi Cai! Ula was wondering... would Cai dance with Ula tonight? Ula wants to make Cai happy as reward for Cai's amazing deeds!] (Ula)


Cai was dumbfounded, but anyway he took Ula's hand and started dancing with her. In his old memories, he had never danced before (it was too much of a bother, and girls never invited him anyway) but in the new memories that were taking hold in his mind he had, and he knew all the moves to dance perfectly.

The dance continued till late in the night. Cai and Ula were dancing as one, Cai feeling more fun than he ever had... and even some other emotions that stirred inside his chest everytime he looked at Ula's beautiful moving body. At one point, Ula embraced Cai, and whispered to his ear:

[Ula actually want to give Cai another reward... would Cai follow Ula?] (Ula)

As she said this, Cai felt a warm feeling inside, and let Ula guide him in her tent, while the others were still dancing....





Various months had passed.
Cai was now married to Ula, and she was expecting their first child.

Cai's life had never been happier.

He was still incredibly, almost supernaturally skilled at hunting, taking down dangerous preys on his own almost everyday. Everyone in the village loved him, and they singed praise of his deeds.

Then one day, as he was off to hunt like every other day, the Clan Leader approached him, a serious expression on his face.

[Hello Cai! Is Cai going to hunt?] (Clan Leader)

[Yes, Clan Leader! Is there a problem?] (Cai)

[No, just... be careful. Some of the other hunters claimed to have seen the Exile roaming about the woods.] (Clan Leader)

[The... Exile?] (Cai)

Cai was confused. He had never heard of anyone called like this. But this name, somehow, gave him a very umpleasant feeling.

[Yes, the Exile... we don't say his name, but he was a member of the clan, until he was exiled for killing clan mates. We couldn't prove anything, so instead of executing him we chased out of the clan. But he could still be dangerous!] (Clan Leader)

Cai shook his head. He had no recollection of such individual, and yet this story was troubling him.
But he was the best hunter of the tribe, so he didn't think just one person would be such a terrible danger to him.

[Do not worry, Clan Leader! If Cai see this Exile, Cai will chase him away or kill him!] (Cai)

The Clan Leader looked dubious, but then nodded.

[Yes, Cai definitely can defend himself... just be careful about dirty tricks.] (Clan Leader)

Without further ado, Cai took his spears and headed to the woods.

He roamed there for a while, keeping his sense alert for preys as well for this mysterious “Exile”. But he couldn't see any traces of any other human around, so after a while he concentrated eclusively on the hunt.

It wasn't long until he caught a nice deer, and proceeded to put it into his shoulders, heading back to the village with haste. He wanted to be back with Ula as soon as possible, and he was hungry, so he didn't really pay more attention tha usual when walking back. After all, he was near the village, a place he knew very well and that was usually avoided by dangerous beasts.

For this reason, he didn't notice the shadow approaching him from behind until it was too late. Cai felt a sharp pain in his back, and he fell down screaming.
With tears covering his eyes, he saw a figure looming above him, brandishing a bloodied stone knife. The figure took the deer and then approached him, ponting the stone blade to his throat.

[No please... do not hurt Cai please... Cai has family! Please don't...] (Cai)

But the stranger did not listen to him, and with a sharp movement, he cut Cai's throat.

As the pain invaded his mind and his breath was taken away, Cai looked at his killer once again, and in horror he realize that this person's, the Exile's face, was his own.

He tried to scream, but only a bubbling sound and a spray of blood came from his mouth, as the world fade to black...





Cai woke up suddenly, trembling and covered in sweat. He just had some terrible nightmare, but he couldn't remember it.
He just stood in his little hut confused for a while. His memories were foggy for some reason. Was he Cai the hero of the tribe, or Cai the useless freeloader? He couldn't really pick one option.

But then a little voice inside his head told him that, sadly, the latter option was the right one. Dreaming of being the best hunter of the tribe was probably just some delusional dream he had.

After that, he decided that he was hungry. He stood up, yawned, and headed to the larder for some breakfast.

He was on his way when the Clan Leader intercepted him, stopping right before he could enter the clan's larder.


[I need a word with you Cai!] (Clan Leader)

[What is it, clan leader?] (Cai)

Cai was annoyed. The clan leader was probably gonna pester him with the usual story, asking him to contribute more to the clan. It was seriously a bother.

[I talked with the other elders, and though it was hard, we had to take a decision. Cai does not contribute anything to the clan, and he just eat our common food. Cai doesn't even help preparing the food, or getting water!] (Clan Leader)

[Those are women's jobs!] Cai protested [Clan Leader can't ask Cai to do those dishonorable things again!]

[I could... but indeed I won't.] (Clan Leader)

[What... really?] (Cai)

[Yes. Cai can't be trusted with those jobs either. Cai need to prove himself. Cai always said that he was hunting while he was out in the woods... so prove you worth and catch something. If Cai can't do it before night, Cai will be exiled from the village.] (Clan Leader)

Those words had the effect of freezing Cai. Was the Clan Leader joking!?! Getting exiled was basically a death sentence! With rival clans, wild beasts and many other dangers looming in the forest, Cai would end up dead in less than a week!

Cai was kinda useless, he himself had to admit that... but he didn't do anything to warrant such an extreme punishment! This was unfair!

[Clan Leader... please! Cai do not deserve this! This is too hard on Cai!] (Cai)

[If Cai can catch literally anything, he can stay, so Cai shouldn't worry. But the clan cannot feed someone who does not help. So show us proof you can help Cai. Otherwise, Cai is out!] (Clan Leader)

And then he left, leaving Cai alone with his desperation.

Cai spent the whole day trying to catch something. He ran after deers and rabbits, but his aim with a spear was terrible, and he never bothered to learn how to build a trap, so he couldn't catch anything.

As the day came to an end, Cai's desperation grew. Being chased away from the village meant death, and he didn't want to die.

Why was the Clan Leader so cruel!?! He never did anything to deserve this!

Then, a movement to his right caught Cai's attention. It was Abor who was returning to the village carrying a small deer on his shoulder.

Abor... one of the tribe's best hunter. He never did anything bad to Cai, but he never actually did anything good... he just ignored him, like most of the tribe.

Rage filled Cai's heart. Abor never knew what it was like to be emarginated and kept in contempt. No... Abor, who was about to marry Ula, had a brilliant life in front of him! The kind of life that Cai would never have!

Grabbing his knife, Cai sneaked behind the unsuspecting Abor, silent and full of murderous intent.
Then, he struck.

He stabbed Abor in the back and he fell with a scream, completely unable to move.

Cai then calmly took the deer, and after that he approached the wounded Abor brandishing his bloodied stone knife.

[No please... do not hurt Abor please... Abor has family! Please don't...] (Abor)

Ignoring his pleads, Cai leaned over Abor and with a swift movement he slashed his throat.

As bubbles of blood chocked the words of the dying Abor, Cai looked at his face... and scream in absolute horror.

The face wasn't that of Abor. It was that of Cai.

A sudden flow of memories invaded Cai's mind, and he came to live that exact same moment time and time again.

He was the victim, dying as blood chocked his words.



He was the killer, consumed by rage and envy.



He was both at the same time, and this knowledge, the pain and the rage and the fear clawed on his sanity like a falcon may attack an helpless rabbit.



He wanted to scream, but he didn't find a mouth to do so.





[Did you have enough?] (Viktor)

A profound and scary and yet oddly gentle and pained voice spoke to Cai.

Cai was with the red man, the consciousness of both his lives vivid in his mind, as he was crouching on the earth.

[Please... stop! Make it stop! Cai can't take it anymore! Make it stop!] (Cai)

Tears flowed through Cai's cheeks. The pain... the fear... the rage... everything combined was something he just couldn't bear.

[I'm sorry. I really am. It pains me more than you can imagine to see you like this. But I can't stop.] (Viktor)

[Why!?! You are doing this! Stop it! Leave Cai alone! Please!] (Cai)

[I'm afraid I can't. After all, the things I showed you are all your own doing.] (Viktor)

[What do you mean!?! Cai do not understand!] (Cai)

[Yes you do. Even if you can lie to yourself, you can't lie to me. You understand perfectly. Everything I showed you was the consequences of your action... albeit by different points of view.] (Viktor)

[I showed you what Abor felt when you killed him. You did this to him. Now you're merely experiencing what he felt.] (Viktor)

[Cai... Cai had no choice! Cai wanted to live! Getting exiled from the village was a death sentence! The Clan Leader is to blame! It's not Cai's fault!] (Cai)

Cai shouted with rage. Yes, it was the Clan Leader's fault. Had he not given Cai that ultimatum, he wouldn't have killed Abor. It wasn't Cai's fault!

[The Clan Leader would have never chased you away for something like that.] (Viktor)

These words were spoken in a gentle, yet incredibly cold tone, and had the effect of sending chills upon Cai's spine.

[I've looked at your memories, and from what I saw the Clan Leader always loved you like a son. He was the one protecting you for all your life, letting you do as you pleased. He spoiled you in all the ways he could... and sadly this made you into the parasite you were in life.] (Viktor)

[The Clan Leader realized what man you had become at last, and that he wouldn't be alive much longer to protect you... so he told you the exile lie in order to scare you into action. Even if you wouldn't have brought anything back, he'd have assigned you to some women's work and made you learn how to hunt. He never had any intention to exile you.] (Viktor)

Cai looked at the red man. He didn't want to admit it, but... he had a point. The Clan Leader was often occupied with ruling the clan, but he was the one caring about Cai, making sure he had equal portions of food to the others and that no one bullied him.

This was why Cai was so hurt when the Clan Leader threatened to exile him: after all the time he had cared after him, Cai felt betrayed.

But if the Clan Leader really never intended to exile him... if Cai would have been able to stay in the tribe even without bringing any prey back... then... then...

[It's all your fault.] (Viktor)

The red man spoke as if he knew what Cai was thinking.

[The murders, the rage, the fear, and finally, your death... it was all for nothing. You brought it all on yourself with your selfishness, your stupidity and your ruthlessness. You have no one to blame but yourself.] (Viktor)

Cai stood silent. Every single word the red man spoke was poignant, cutting through Cai's mind like a knife, and just as painful too.

Cai was dead. He realized that now. His tribe had a few legends about the world of the spirit, about becoming one with the earth and the stars after you died... but evidently, they didn't really know anything, did they? Or maybe this was something especially meant for the sinners like Cai?

Not that anything mattered now. He was dead. Dead.

Cai raised his head to look the red man in the eyes.

[W-why are you doing this to Cai? Why are you showing Cai these things!?!] (Cai)

[So that you can understand what you've done.] (Viktor)

[Why?] (Cai)

[Because only after understanding your mistakes, you can correct them. Without understanding, you can't do anything.] (Viktor)

[But... but why!?! It's too late now! Cai is dead! Cai is murderer! Cai can't make the men he killed live again! Cai... Cai can't live again!] (Cai)

Cai spoke in a bitter tone, tears flowing. Viktor just stared at him, a compassionate look in his eyes.

[It is never too late.] (Viktor)

Viktor loomed over Cai. The forest disappeared, and Cai and the God of Hell were back in the desolate red plain.

[Even here, even if it doesn't actually make a difference, it is never too late. You always have a choice. You can always choose to do the right thing.] (Viktor)

[B-but... what can Cai do now!?!] (Cai)

[You can choose to accept your mistake. You can decide to change, and become a better person.] (Viktor)

[Why would Cai do it? What would Cai gain from it?] (Cai)

[Gain!?! You ask me what would you gain from it!?!] (Viktor)

A sarcastic tone transpired from Viktor's voice, but it was almost immediately covered by a calm tone again.

[Allright, lemme answer your question with another question... if you could go back to the past, would you still kill Abor?] (Viktor)

[O-of course not!] (Cai)

[Well then... it's the same thing now. You are offered a choice... and if you don't make the right one, you'll regret it in the future.] (Viktor)

Cai could only stood there in silence, with Viktor words and the understanding of his actions weighting his heart down.
More than the pain of his death, the realization that everything was his fault tortured him. And yet... Viktor's words offered a slither of hope.

Could Cai still become a better person, after all?





Viktor was staring at Cai. With his power, he could see the corruption inside the soul swirling and snapping like a scared snake.

The soul just stood there for a long time (or at least he perceived it so). Then, Cai raised his head again. His expression was pained, his cheeks flowing with tears, but his eyes were clear.

[C-Cai is sorry for what Cai has done. Cai wants to become a better person. Can red man show Cai how to do it?] (Cai)

[I dunno. But sure as hell, I can try. No... we can try toghether Cai!] (Viktor)

Viktor was pleased. He wasn't really much of an expert in religion, but he thought he could come up with something: some meditation, prayers, psychoanalitical session. Anything to help this poor lost soul.

But apparently, that wasn't necessary.

In front of Viktor eyes, Cai started glowing. The corruption inside of him swirled even more violently, and then suddenly it dissipated.

A glowing ray of light shined, connecting both Viktor and Cai.

A burning sensation flowed through Viktor, something powerful, overwhelming and yet serene and peaceful.

It was the most pleasant sensation Viktor ever had... it was like the satisfaction of a work well done, the pleasure of helping someone, and the feeling of someone being thankful to you all mixed toghether, but dialed up by a billion order of magnitude.

If Viktor had to give a name to this ecstatic sensation, he would tell that this is how “Good” feel like.

And then, in a flash of light, Cai disappeared, leaving a few specks of lights that soon faded.

Viktor looked at the space previously occupied by the soul, and smiled to himself.

[Well... goodbye Cai. Good luck in your next life!] (Viktor)

Then, Viktor turned... and suddenly petrified.

Various other souls were stading in the desert, wandering aimlessly here and there.

Basmor were there too, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

[Hello Viktor.] (Basmor)

Viktor weakly returned the salute, a little bit embarassed. Again, he was thankful of the fact that his red skin hid his blushing.

[Uhm... eh... good day, Basmor. What brings you here so soon?] (Viktor)

[Well, actually it has been almost a week since we last saw each other.] (Basmor)

[What!?! Really!?!] (Viktor)

[Yeah... but I guess that in this place it's easy losing track of time. I mean. Anyway, I have been waiting here for a while, cause I found you in some trance with that soul and I didn't want to disturb.] (Basmor)

[Uh... thank you about that. Sorry to have made you wait.] (Viktor)

Viktor was a bit embarassed. The experience he had purifying Cai was... unique. He didn't yet know if he minded sharing it with others.

[Don't worry about it. Anyway, I brought you some other corrupted souls I've collected.] (Basmor)

The Goddess of Death pointed to the people wandering behind her.

Viktor counted them. There were at least two dozen of souls, each wandering with the same empty eyes Cai had.

Heavens, purifying all of them would require a lot of works!

And yet... he could see the corruption inside of them, and the dullness in their eyes. Leaving them like that would be unthinkable!

With a sigh, Viktor answered to Basmor.

[Well, thank you for you hard work, Basmor. Guess I should start working too!] (Viktor)

 

Chapter 6
The Meeting of the Gods

Basmor left Viktor in hell, to do his purifying.

[What an odd guy... still, he's a treat compared to some of the others!] (Basmor)



She walked away from where Viktor was purifying the soul, and muttered a single word.



[Open Portal!] (Basmor)



Suddenly, a gleaming portal that shined with a pearly light appeared in front of her. Without hesitating she crossed it, getting istantly transported in Heaven.



Or rather, her own personal Heaven.



Unlike Domir or even Hell, Heaven wasn't a single unified dimention, but rather a collection of various planes of existence, each tied to a specific god. Like in Hell, time and space were subjective rather than objective: if you travelled aimlessly you could wander in some god's domain for all eternity without getting out, but if you intended to get somewhere it took just a few steps.

Unless, of course, the god that ruled that demiplane decided otherwise, as they were given a great deal of control over their domain.



Basmor's Heaven was kinda bleak and gloomy. A dead land shrouded in eternal mist, with only petrified trees to break the monotony.

Until, of course, you arrived to Basmor's Mansion.



A huge victorian mansion stood in the middle of the place, made entirely of dark gray wood. Huge spiers towered over the land, and a few cold lights shined through the windows.



With a sigh of relief, Basmor entered the mansion through the gigantic front door, that opened itself to welcome its mistress.



The interior was a stylish mix of victorian and baroque, with blue silky tapestries everywhere. The dominant colors were blue and silver, as even the lights were of a ghastly shade of blue.

It was a comfy, and yet creepily cold design.



And yet... to Basmor, who even in her life as a human was always enticed by goth style, it was perfect.

With a huge sigh of relief, she dropped on a sofa in the middle of a tea room, taking out her shoes and kicking them in the corner of the room.



[Aaaaaah! I'm spent! Let's wrap it up for today! I want a bath, a dinner and then I'll go straight to bed!] (Basmor)



Not that she really needed sleep... but it was still nice. Heck, with her power over time, she could even spend an entire day in bed while only a minute passed in the outside world.

She was about to do just that, when a polite knocking coming from outside the room captured her attention.



[Yes?] (Basmor)



[It's me, mistress. Yoko. May I enter?] (Yoko)



[Sure... get in, Yoko.] (Basmor)



From a little servant's door hidden in the wall, a young girl entered the room. She was thin and tall, with skin white as alabaster and straight, listening hairs of a deep dark color, the same as her eyes. She was dressed in a plain looking gray robe, and a pair of black wings sprouted from her back.



Yoko was a Deva. Basmor created her to tend to the house while she was away collecting and delivering souls. She also had the duty to greet eventual visitors and keep Basmor up to date about what happened in Heaven.



But sadly she couldn't do much else. Her conversation was plain and boring, as she was quite literal minded and cold, and she, much like Basmor herself, was a terrible cook.



It was probably because she was created with the lowest possible amount of Divinity Points, Basmor thought. If she was to make more Deva in the future, she'd have to spend some more resources on them.
But for now, Divinity Points were scarce and valuable, so Yoko would have to do for the time being.



[What is it, Yoko? Do you have anything to report?] (Basmor)



[The God of Knowledge was here 26 hours, 27 minutes and 12 seconds ago. He wanted to inform you that there would have been a reunion at the Halls of the Immortals in 24 hours. As of now the reunion should have already been started 2 hour, 27 minutes and 12 seconds ago. ] (Yoko)



[Another reunion? What for now? Are Surm and Kima bitching against each other again!?!] (Basmor)



Basmor was exasperated. Ever since the Gods arrive to Domir, most of them tried to recruit followers, often clashing with each other.

The most problematic were Surm, the God of War, and Kima, the God of the Seas and Storms.
The two were very brash, hotheaded and prideful individuals, the kind that would never back down. To make things worse, both had a hair trigger temper and were prone to violence, so they fought more than once.



The meetings of the gods actually started as a way to put a stop to their fights, because the collateral damage was getting out of hand. After 3 floods, a tornado and an impressive amount of wanton destruction, the other gods were pissed enough to tell the two jerks to cut it off.



And for the most part, it worked. The two gods were still arguing, but they at least refrained from fighting in the mortal world... except for one incident with their mortal followers, when they both intervened to support their side during a tribe war.



At that time it took a LOT of effort to make both stop. And mostly, it was just because of Jusel: the Goddess of Light had Surm wrapped around her little finger like a ribbon.

Basmor couldn't stand that bitch, but even she had to admit that her skill in manipulating men was impressive.



After a bit of thinking, Yoko answered her question, interrupting Basmor's musing.



[It is possible, but master Dagda Vi wasn't specific. He just told me to report the invite to this reunion to you.] (Yoko)



Basmor sighed. She really didn't like these meetings, but she couldn't deny they were important. After all, if a lot of people died, she'd have much more work to do.



[Ok, fine. Fetch my shoes, Yoko. I'm going right now.] (Basmor)







[Why hello Basmor! I'm glad you could make it... albeit a little late!] (Dagda Vi)



The God of Knowledge greeted Basmor as she stepped in the Hall of the Immortals.

Dagda Vi was the only god who looked like an old man, but his appareance was still majestic and pleasant: his hairs and beard were long and overflowing, he had very few wrinkles in all the right places, and his eyes were of an electric, vivid blue that gave him the entusiastic and youthful look of a curious child. He was dressed in dark blue and golden robes, a pair of silver spectacles on his long, pointy nose.



In short, he looked much like Basmor thought a wizard should look like. Everything in his appareance spoke of dignity, curiosity and great wisdom. And, by fate or coincidence, he was exactly like that. He pretty much behaved like a kind, playful grandfather, and sometimes a stern but caring teacher. He never dismissed anything and listened to everyone. Also, fitting for the God of Knowledge, he was pretty much the biggest scholar and researcher among the gods: many of the discoveries they made about the world were the result of his studies.



Basmor smiled.



[Sorry to make you wait... I was making a delivery in Hell, and it took some time.] (Basmor)



[Hell uh? One of these days I should make a visit there. I'm curious to see how it looks like!] (Dagda Vi)



Dagda Vi spoke with the enthusiasm of a child. He was always like that when his curiosity was picked.



[Well, it's kinda boring to be honest. Just a huge red desert with the souls I bring there scattered around. But I think that Viktor... oh right, Nemesis calls himself Viktor by the way... well, Viktor would surely appreciate the company. Although he's really busy purifying the souls of the damned.] (Basmor)



Before Dagda Vi could answer, the voice of the God of War interrupted them.



[Hey you two, could you tone it down? We're having a meeting here, not a tea parlor!] (Surm)



Basmor sighed. She couldn't really stand Surm, but she had no choice but work toghether with him.

Toghether with the God of Knowledge, she proceeded to her seat.



The Hall of the Immortals was an enormous circular room made of multicolored marble. Instead of the roof, well above them there was a dome apparently made of a microcosm of stars, whose lights shined brightly, illuminating the hall.

In the center of the room there was a huge round table made of some sort of shiny wood, with 16 seats prepared.



Each seat had a symbol of it, each representing one of the Gods of Domir. Basmor sat on the seat with the symbol of a skull and a scythe, while Dagda Vi went for the seat with the symbol of a book.



Only half of the seats were occupied. Apart from Basmor and Dagda Vi, there were 6 other gods.

This however wasn't a surprise. Only a handful of gods actually regularly attended those meetings. Most of them either weren't interested or had no time to spare. Compared to the usual attendance rate, today's meeting was actually quite crowded.



Surm, the God of War, was a blonde and tall pretty boy in a golden armor, whose left eye shined like molten gold. Everything about him radiated an aura of might and pride. Currently he was looking annoyed, often glaring at the other side of the table, where the God of Storms was seated.



Kima, the God of Storms, were more of a hunk than a pretty boy. He was tall, with broad shoulders, and his muscles were showing through his opened blue leather jacket. He had blue eyes and blue hairs, and his skin was tanned like that of a seaman. His teeth, sharp like those of a shark, were showing as he smirked menaciously at Surm.



Beside Surm were Jusel, the Goddess of Light. She was a tall woman of impossible beauty, with curly hairs that seemed made of gold and a gentle smile on her luscious red lips, and everything about her shined dimly giving her an even more otherwordly appareance. She was impossible shapely, and her chest was the largest Basmor had ever seen... and it could be seen very clearly, as Jusel white silk robe left very little to the imagination.

Basmor kinda thought of her as a stupid bimbo... but at the same time she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of envy when looking at her “assets”.



Currently, Jusel was leaning on the table, looking over the God of War like someone could look over their favourite pet. Basmor could almost see the metaphorical leash around Surm's neck kept tightly in Jusel perfect fingers.



On the other side of the table compared to Jusel, Davros was brooding as usual. The God of Darkness was as beatiful as the others, a tall, pale pretty boy with jet black hairs and deep purple eyes. He had black crow wings sprouting from his back, and his right hand was also covered in feathers and had talon like nails. Despite partaking in almost every meeting, he always looked aloof and cold, barely saying a word but listening to everything. Despite not knowing him well, Basmor couldn't help but finding him somehow disturbing.



And speaking of creepy, Veneris, the God of Poison and Decay, was also there. Unlike all the other gods, he looked like a short, fat, sandy haired man. Only his emerald green eyes were remarkable, shining like those of a snake about to strike his prey, especially because he had vertical pupils.

Veneris never missed a meeting, and he was always cheerful, polite and good humored... but still, Basmor felt something wrong about him. She couldn't say what it was exactly, but getting near the small God always gave her the creeps.



And finally, on the seat next to Basmor, there was Baldith, the Goddess of Earth and Plants. She was a glamorous red headed woman, as inviting as a mature, delicious and juicy fruit. Her chest, while enormous, wasn't quite as big as Jusel's, but her overall figure was even more shapely, thanks to her incredible hips.

She was dressed with a simple green robe adorned with flowers and leaves, and she looked quite bored.



As Basmor took her seat, she whispered to her.



[Hello Baldith. Long time no see. It is rare to see you at these meetings.] (Basmor)



The Goddess of Earth nodded distractedly and whispered in response.



[Hello Basmor. Well, usually I'm too busy caring about my plants to partake in these useless meetings. But I have some interest in one of the arguments that is going to be discussed today, so I decided to come.] (Baldith)



She let out a sigh of annoyance.



[But so far, all we've been discussing is a territorial dispute between Kima and Surm... as always.] (Baldith)



[I've not missed much then.] (Basmor)



The discussion between Kima and Surm went on for a while, but in the end the two agreed on some sort of truce.



Then, after the details were agreed upon, the God of Knowledge took the floor.



[Well then... now that that's settled, it's time to adress some peculiar events that happened in Domir. I can't prove anything, but I think someone among us Gods may have had an hand in it.] (Dagda Vi)



The old God made a pause, then looked up everyone in the eyes.



[I'm talking, in case you didn't know, of the appareance of monsters.] (Dagda Vi)

 

Thanks for the chapter!
26 hours, 27 minutes and 12 seconds ago. He wanted to inform you that there would have been a reunion at the Halls of the Immortals in 24 days. As of now the reunion should have already been started 2 hour, 27 minutes and 12 seconds ago. ] (Yoko)

Shouldn't 24 days be hours?

 

Yes! Sorry, my mistake!
Thank you for pointing it out! Hope you're enjoying the story so far!

 

Chapter 7
The God of Darkness

When Dagda Vi started talking about the monsters, Davros had to make a conscious effort not to grin.

The God of Knowledge intuition was right. It was one of the gods that had a hand in the apparition of monsters, and that one was Davros.



[Various kinds of monsters have appeared all over Domir in the last month. According to the mortals I've consulted, there had never been anything like that before... apart from dragons, obviously.] (Dagda Vi)



The God of Knowledge waved his hands, conjuring the images of three creatures in the middle of the room: woman with a snake tail instead of legs and snakes for hairs, a huge greenish humanoid with boar tusks and a bird with the body of a lion.



[These are the creatures I've seen with my own eyes. They greatly resembles mythical beings from our native world's folklore. A Medusa, an orc and a gryphon, to be precise.] (Dagda Vi)



The old god sounded exactly like a professor. Everyone nodded, so he continued.



[I've examined these creatures myself. They are indeed living beings, and the medusa and the orc do possess some kind of sentience. But they are also incredibly aggressive towards humans and they possess some kind of supernatural power I can't exactly identify. It's similar to a Blessing, but its source come from within them and it's not tied to one of the gods.] (Dagda Vi)



[What kind of power are we talking about?] (Surm)



Dagda Vi paused for a moment, then answered the God of War's question.



[Well, the medusa's power was the easiest to identify. She seems able to paralyze every creature who looks into her eyes. The orc's and the gryphon's powers area little more subtle... the orc seems supernaturally resilient and the gryphon, by my understanding of aerodynamics, should not be able to fly but it can do it anyway.] (Dagda Vi)



The discussion focused on the nature of these monsters, but Davros wasn't paying attention. In fact, he was gloating internally.



If not even Dagda Vi could trace him as the creator of the monsters, that meant that no one could. As much as he didn't like him, Davros had to admit that the God of Knowledge was probably the smarterst among the gods... after Davros himself, of course.



Davros had always known that he was destined for greatness. He was meant to be a special existence, a being superior to the others. Even when he was just a mortal he always had this knowledge.



Davros had been the kind of human that was called chuunibyou on Earth. He always wanted to be the all powerful, cunning, special being he read about in manga and novels. It got to the point that roleplay and games were not enough for him: he wanted to be the real deal. So he started dabbling with the occult, trying various rituals and sacrifices to get access to the power he sought.

None of it worked, and his family, worried about him, forced him to get visited by a specialist in Berlin.

Even now, Davros remembered the doctor and his parents with bitterness. They had looked at him with the same eyes as everyone else: full of condescending pity. The memory filled him with rage.

The doctor had kept him in his clinic in Germany for over a month, while his parents were back in Japan. It had been an hellish month, as the doctor kept him locked in a room without television, computer or even books. He had forced Davros to do some pointless works, like cooking or making origami, all the while giving him some weird pills that made him feel drowzy and indolent.

After a month of this, Davros couldn't take it anymore, and the doctor actually let him leave the clinic, sending it back to his parents in Japan.

From the conversations he had with them on the phone, Davros knew that they were gonna disown him unless he got a work once he was back in his country, and he embarked on the journey full of depression.



But everything changed when the plane crashed and Davros had waken up in front of the Highest One. Unlike the others, he had no fear, as he had known exactly what to expect when dying and waking up like that: he was to be sent in another world, to fulfill his destiny. Now Davros was free, and finally his great destiny had been fulfilled.

He was now Davros, the God of Darkness.



But not everything was right.

He was special allright, but... he wasn't the peerless existence he always dreamed up to be. Others had been reincarnated, and they were as special as he was. In fact, they were upstaging him!



When he had went down to Domir looking for worshippers, he had found that most of them actually preferred worshipping other gods. In particular Jusel, Surm and Basmor were getting the lion's share of followers. The mortals felt that the blessing of the gods of Light, War and Death were more desiderable than that of the God of Darkness.



Well, he was gonna prove them wrong.

There were two ways to take someone to your side: by using the carrot or by using the stick. The other gods were metaphorically showing their carrots, luring in their followers with promises of blessings and favours. Jusel, in particular, just had to show herself bathed in her holy light to make every mortal knee to her.



Davros's carrot wasn't as good, but he had a really nice stick.

Among his Unique Powers, he had a power called Lifeweaver: he could take any creature and mix it with another, with no cost in divine points ,except if he wanted to give them divine powers, but then he could have been traced as the source of these beasts. He could even pick every characteristic from any creature used in the process and magnify it in the resulting monster. In particular, by using magical beasts with magic powers of their own in the mix, he gave his creations magical powers not tied to himself.



So far, he had only created a few monsters.: Orcs, Medusae, Gryphons, Goblins and a few others. But he planned to make more.

Just that handful of monsters had spread a lot of fear and destruction among the mortals, and they could become the greatest threat to humanity if they had the time to spread and multiply. Which they probably had, since the others gods were too busy bickering among each other to exterminate them.



But what really mattered was that among the blessings Davros could give, there was one that granted control upon the monsters created with the Lifeweaver power. If Davros's plan worked, soon that blessing would become the most sought after among the mortals.



But to make it work, he had to make sure that the other gods didn't unite to exterminate these monsters. Hence why he always took part in these meetings, even if he hated them.



The other gods were still discussing. Surm, as cocky as ever, was belittling the threat posed by the monsters.



[Sure, they look scary, but I don't think they'll be anything more than a mild annoyance. Heck, if anything those monsters make this world more exciting! My Blessed Warriors could use them as training practice!] (Surm)



[I don't think you get the problem, Surm] (Baldith)



The Goddess of Earth took the floor. Her followers were the ones that took the greatest damage from monsters' incursions.



[These monsters might be an annoyance to us and to the ones that bear our most powerful blessings, but they are a serious threat to normal humans. Just the other day a bunch of orcs assaulted a village of my devotees and burned it to the ground. I arrived too late to save most of them.] (Baldith)



Davros looked at the goddess with annoyance. This was exactly the reason he took part in the meetings. If he didn't act now, Baldith could convince the others to wipe out the monsters.

So he spoke, in order to defuse this situation.



[Well, in this case is your fault for not giving those poor mortals some blessings to defend themself. If those orcs had attacked my Therian or Surm's warriors, they'd have surely being wiped out even without our intervention.] (Davros)



Baldith turned to him, stabbing him with her stare. Despite her voice and demeanor being the picture of calm and serenity, a slight inflession in her words and a light in her eyes betrayed her fury.



[Watch it Davros... unless you want your followers to suffer from years of famine and bad harvests!] (Baldith)



[Calm down, Baldith. Threatening other people's devotees is not really right, you know.] (Dagda Vi)



[Well, you all heard what he said! He basically said that it's my fault my people are dead!] (Baldith)



[Well, to be fair, Davros is right about one thing: if those orcs had attacked my boys they would have been wiped out. Not sure about his Therians though... those beastmen seems more bark that bite!] (Surm)



[Put a lid on it! I didn't ask for your opinion, Surm!] (Baldith)



Surm and Baldith started bickering with each other, with Dadga Vi trying to calm them down and the others just staring with annoyance in their faces.

The only one that was secretly feeling satisfied was Davros. All he had to do was keeping all the others god divided for some time, and then this world would become his own.



Just as planned.

 

I noticed you mentioned the monsters possessing some form of sentience? Did you want that to be sapience or did you just mean sentience because there are sentient animals in real life....just not really what we would term sapient ones

 

Any possibility of another chapter?