Of blood and gods

Seth’s declaration reverberated throughout his world, with Raven’s air energy sending it to all humans and ascended. Most humans were confused, having only known Endora as a peaceful nation and the peak of technology and ascension.

That was entirely different for the ascended who lived during and still remembered the assault on the Council’s island. Things were even worse for the ascended from the Life and Death kingdoms, who knew Seth’s words were directed at them.

Inside the Reverent Hall, the waves were no less than in the rest of the world. The people’s mysterious emperor has returned with a proclamation no one had expected—a declaration of war upon the whole world.

The generations that grew up in a peaceful era were afraid, not knowing what everything would mean for their lives from then on, but it was not the same with Asteria’s ascended.

Bottled up into the skies, asked to cultivate but never getting to use the power they had worked so long for, made most of them burst with a sense of excitement.

Despite all the various reactions and expectations, nothing could prepare the people gathered in the Hall for what happened next.

Seth, Hollie, and Henrietta raised their hands to the skies, and the sun shining over the world went black.

While everyone was wondering what would happen next, a massive energy flux washed over the world. Five huge and differently colored crowns appeared in the black sky, replacing the previously golden sun to rain their mix of colors down on the planet.

Seth watched as his two crowns slowly started mixing, turning into a light gray color and shrinking in size as it floated down toward him along Hollie’s soft green crown.

‘Are you alright?’ asked Seth, watching Henrietta’s struggles with the divine crowns of Space and Time.

Seth’s lust source was spinning out of control, washing over Hollie and Henrietta with energy and absorbing the divine wills inside those divinities into the seed of the All-mother still growing inside Katy.

Henrietta’s eyes remained firm despite her evident struggle, and she nodded at her husband, her body fading into space and appearing right before her sources.

With his divinity already reaching him, Seth extended his hand forward, and the crown split into two smaller ones that each started revolving around his destruction and creation sources.

Seth’s eyes flashed light gray, and his vision changed several times, his soul assimilating his understanding into the two concepts.

When Seth’s vision stabilized, and he could see again, all the humans were passed out on the ground while the ascended were still kneeling, their eyes staring reverently toward their leaders on the high platform.

Hollie and Henrietta appeared to have also completed their ascension to divinity, coming forward to stand just a few steps behind Maya and Seth.

“Lust, Perception,” muttered Seth under his breath, and two ethereal women appeared by Seth’s side in a kneeling position.

“Master, I’ll be able to reconstruct my divinity once master conquers this world. My will is still too scattered,” said Perception softly.

“I can already create mine, but we’d better delay it until the seed is complete. Once the seed is finished, we can summon my divinity as we wake Katy up.”

Seth nodded and watched the two disappear before turning his eyes on the ascended beneath.

“Asteria is to mobilize all its forces in a day and prepare for war. You’ll be tasked with marching outside the boundaries of our planet and fighting to conquer the rest of the universe.”

“Life and Space ascended; make sure the people here are returned to their homes uninjured before you join the others in preparing for war.”

“Everyone is dismissed.”

Seth’s orders were executed instantly, and in seconds, the entire Reverent Hall was devoid of humans and ascended. When everyone was gone, Seth felt a warm body hugging him from the back.

“Are you going to leave again? So soon after you came back?”

The pouting tone in Rebecca’s voice made Seth chuckle as he turned toward Henrietta, “We have some time, don’t we?”

Henrietta’s energy quickly covered everyone, the space and time around the group twisting and turning relentlessly. Once her energy’s activity stopped, Seth and his wives were floating in a dark space.

Some girls who had never been to space before quickly grabbed onto the person closest to them, feeling quite dizzy. However, Seth allowed his creation energy to explode outwards, filling the space all around.

Before anyone could process what was happening, the previously dark universe was filled with planets and stars, forming its own pocket universe. Everyone was standing on flat land, its foundation made from a soft material like rubber.

“What is this?” asked Rebecca, peeking her small head over Seth’s shoulder and looking at the strange happenings.

“The inside of Henrietta’s space divinity. A world of its own, which I used my creation divinity and system to fill up with matter,” replied Seth, rubbing Rebecca’s head before turning toward Henrietta, “How slow can you make time pass compared to the outside?”

Henrietta closed her eyes, her divine crown shaking inside her soul as its influence spread over her inner world. The girls and Seth only felt a slight pressure on their souls before Henrietta opened her eyes again, a naughty smile growing on her lips.

“1 to 10 000. I can go more if I use my spikes.”

Rebecca looking even more puzzled after their conversation, made Seth chuckle as he said, “It means a day here equals 10 000 days on the outside.”

As realization shone into Rebecca’s eyes, Seth drifted into energy form and appeared behind Rebecca, eliciting a surprised yelp from her.

Feeling Seth’s strong arms hugging her from the back, rubbing her stomach, and even grasping one of her breasts, Rebecca moaned lightly and lowered her blushing head.

Seth kissed her neck and felt the dress covering Rebecca dissolve into water before getting absorbed into her body, allowing Seth’s hand holding onto her stomach to move down at her already dripping entrance.

Rubbing the small protrusion on top and sticking his fingers inside, Seth held the squirming Rebecca tightly and looked at the rest of his hungry wives. His lust source exploded with energy, forming a dozen different Seth’s around the area.

With Seth’s senses spreading to fill each of his energy clones, the whole pocket space was soon filled with screams and moans of pleasure and sex.

Half a day later, on the same stage in the Reverent Hall, Seth and his wives had returned, their complexions ruddy and eyes filled with a sense of satisfaction.

Without speaking, the group split up, with the girls leaving to organize the armies of Asteria, preparing for the next war.

Seth was the only one left, looking at the space above him.

“Worm, Raven.”

The two demigods came forward and knelt before Seth, “Yes, Your Excellency God Emperor.”

After witnessing the world Seth had envisioned for themselves and all the help he had provided with cleansing the council, the two no longer dared to disrespect Seth, from both fear and respect.

“Is there any seal in bad condition?”

“No, Your Excellency. Miss Elise has been working with us to prevent any seal from weakening, exhausting the horrors of their energies as she traveled the continent’s lands,” replied Raven.

“Elise, huh?” muttered Seth under his breath. “I guess I haven’t seen her in quite some time.”

“Your Excellency?” asked Worm, unable to hear Seth’s mumbling.

“Nothing important. Inform everyone that I’ll start cleansing this world. Worm, you’ll be the first one. I’ll pass by once I have a chat with Elise.”

After Worm nodded, Seth was covered in space energy and disappeared from where he stood, appearing right before a massive palace built right in the depths of a mountain range at the border between Life, Dream, and Curse.

In the massive underground space, a bright red sun shone its light onto the pure black castle, giving it a somewhat cold and terrifying feeling.

Sitting on the balcony railing, a mature woman in a dress cut on the side lazied around, holding onto a glass filled with a thick red liquid. Her equally red eyes landed on Seth, and she smiled as she lifted her glass to make a salutation motion.

Breaking space again, Seth appeared on the opposite side of the balcony, looking at Elise’s long and pale legs, his gaze moving up and pausing momentarily on her ample chest before finally landing on her amused smile.

“And I thought I would be the one that’s always thirsty no matter how much I have to drink?” said Elise with a tempting smile. “Or did becoming a god gives you an ever bigger appetite?”

Seth created a glass of wine for himself, not willing to indulge in Elise’s peculiar drinking preferences as he said, “Is there even such a thing as too much to drink?”

Elise giggled, moving closed and clinking on Seth’s glass before taking a short sip, “Good to see you, Seth. It’s been centuries.”

“It has indeed,” replied Seth, taking a sip of his own. “You’re looking good.”

“Am I?” asked Elise, lifting her leg to reveal more of her pale skin as she asked, “Or are you talking about this body?”

“Both. Your mood seemed a lot worse the last time we met. Did anything good happen?” replied Seth, taking another sip while not avoiding looking over her sensual curves.

“Failure does that to you sometimes…” replied Elise. “It was hard in the beginning, but now… I have resigned myself to the idea there’s nothing else there for me.”

Looking up at the bright red sun and exposing her long slender neck, Elise smiled and continued, “I had even the Council members allow me to take a peek at their cores, and I finally understood. Their path is the same as mine.”

“The All-mighty will that created us all didn’t look so kindly onto its failed creations. Relics thrown to the side... broken and faulty.”

Knowing her words were the truth, Seth nodded and added, “But there’s also beauty in imperfection. The closer I reach the peak, the clearer its simplicity.”

Seth’s words attracted Elise’s attention, and she lowered her head, tilting it to the side, “And what point is there in beauty without substance?”

Seth shrugged his shoulders, his eyes somewhat glazed as he said, “There’s always something to strive toward. What would a perfect being even strive toward? We’re all walking these paths searching for something else, sometimes our goals being clear while other times vague.”

“But the more we walk on this journey, the more we understand that we can only search for things we don’t have. When we’re weak, we want power; when we’re lonely, we want companionship; when we’re dying, we want life; when we’re sad, we want happiness.”

“When I was weak and just started on my path, I wanted to become a god. When I explored the whole simulation, I wanted to see the outside. When I was alone, I wanted someone to love and care for me.”

“On this path, with each step, I’m slowly getting closer to my goal, but I would be terrified if I didn’t have the girls to keep me grounded. If I one day would have reached the peak I’m searching for and become a perfect being with nothing to wish for anymore, I would have probably crumbled and fallen from that high peak.”

“But I have them. I’ll always have them by my side, their happiness a constant goal to strive toward.”

Elise listened carefully, taking occasional sips of her glass, and only asked when Seth seemed to have stopped, “And your point?”

“My point is that you’re just like me, or how I was before turning back time. You have reached the limit of your current path, so traveling further is impossible, but you have also separated yourself in this place, away from everyone that knows or cares for you.”

“Instead of wasting away in this dark place, why not leave this path and walk a new one the same way that I did?” as Seth spoke, he lifted his hand, and a shattering sound came from the depths of his creation divinity, a feeble and small soul manifesting in his hand.

“Leave the imperfections of the blood race behind and join the order of the ascended. Leave the loneliness behind and join me as one of my companions.”