Lament of the Fallen

The birth of a rank thirteen being could be a rather showy event, and the waves of power that started radiating from Dee gave everyone around her a clear impression that being in her vicinity right now might be unhealthy. The thirteenth tail that had just appeared let everyone with even a bit of knowledge know what was going on. As a result, even though the situation looked a little sketchy, everyone knew Dee wasn’t being attacked, but the sudden rush of souls that was still going on worried them nonetheless. As they pulled away from Dee, they realized the wisdom of their decision as small eruptions of power emitted outwards from Dee.

The eruptions were not large, just some stray power that momentarily escaped Dee’s control, but they also felt that while those eruptions were small in size, they were rather dangerous. The waves of power that started radiating from Dee could be felt a fair distance away, and it didn’t take long for the Lords stationed in the nearby gate-city to start arriving at the scene. The presence of over thirty angels, including two archangels that were currently not doing anything to hide their wings, was already alarming enough but the vortex of souls that was centered on Dee had not disappeared entirely either. The Lords that had arrived were not the most powerful or even battle-focused, as this was a peaceful world meant for diplomatic purposes with the angels. Combine that with the fact that the warriors were currently busy elsewhere, and the Lords immediately realized that if the situation turned into a fight, they would be in a really bad situation.

The grey-sashed Lord that seemed to be leading this group noticed Moirai and Araqiel and decided that approaching them might be the safest idea, despite the fact that the two Archangels were standing nearby as well. “What in the bloody hells is going on here?!” The Avian man asked in a loud whisper.

“I’d like to know that as well.” Theliel stated in a calm voice that was still loud enough to be heard by the gathered people. She had been just as shocked moments before but was now getting her emotions back under control.

Moirai ignored the angel and looked towards the Assembly Lord instead. “You mean with that?” She pointed at Dee. “That?” She pointed at the slowly diminishing vortex of souls. “Or them.” She thumbed towards the angels.

“All three!” The distressed man almost yelled out.

“Well, she is ranking up to become rank thirteen.” Moirai pointed at Dee. There were now visible streamers of psionic energy lashing outwards from Dee, who in turn was surrounded by a glowing aura of the same energy.

“What?!” The man now actually yelled out his question. If he had bothered paying any attention, he would’ve figured that one out himself.

Moirai completely ignored his outburst. “Their presence is a secret for now and frankly none of your business.” She stated while nodding towards the angels. “As for the third thing, I don’t know. My friend there managed to say something about a world nearby being destroyed, and I’m guessing those souls are the unfortunate result. Why they are coming here, is a really good question, but one I don’t have an answer to. And I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t tell you even if I did.”

“Rank thirteen?! Who is she?” The man demanded, clearly too agitated to understand his own lack when it came to the right of demanding answers. His discomposure was understandable though, as the whole of Assembly didn’t have all that many beings of the thirteenth rank, and one of them was already a member of the red faction. If the reds got a second one, then the balance of power would shift radically. As a member of the grey faction, such power plays and factional implications were more important to him than the destruction of an entire world.

Moirai gave a small sigh. “So you got stuck on that part. That’s Haydee, we are part of the red faction, and that’s all you get to know. Now shoo! Go make sure the surroundings aren’t damaged or something.” She proceeded to make shooing motions until the shocked man got the message. Even Araqiel had more power than the man, so of course Moirai would be above him in the seniority, so he had to comply against his wishes. Not that the gathered Lords would be able to do much to protect anything if Dee got serious, but they could contain accidental bursts of power. Hopefully.

“Are you sure it’s alright to let him just leave?” Rahmiel asked once the man was gone.

“With you here? Yeah. We’ll need to make contact with the Assembly for this to work anyway, and we can’t really go around killing every Lord we come across before then. People will find out soon anyway, and if what Dee said about a world being destroyed was true, then they have other things to worry about. Besides, a handful of them already saw Dee’s tails, and I’m sure they’re smart enough to put two and two together once they calm down. We’d have to kill all of them if we wanted to keep this quiet, and I don’t think that would do much to help with your asylum.” Incidentally, Moirai wasn’t too excited about the whole asylum thing, but Dee seemed to have been willing to accept the idea before she was interrupted. Likely she had some thought behind agreeing, although even that agreement seemed to have been kind of conditional, judging by Dee’s tone. Just that Dee was interrupted before those conditions could be stated.

Suddenly Dee’s wings extended to their maximum length, which was rather impressive, and another pair of wings appeared on her back. While the old wings had been mostly extending to the sides, the new pair that appeared between the old ones pointed almost straight upwards. The color of the wings was the same as the old ones, with two black-feathered wings on one side and the two lavender wings were on the other. “Yeesh, Dee’s not going to like that.” Moirai grimaced.

Rahmiel cocked an eyebrow. “Why?”

Moirai replied with a shrug. “She’s not a big fan of her wings, and now there are two more to get in the way. Is that normal by the way?”

“Having extra wings? It’s not common, but it happens. Some angels like Seraphim are more prone to it. Usually, it only happens upon reaching the twelfth rank or thirteenth. There aren’t enough rank thirteen angels to really say for sure how common they are, but most of the angels that do reach that rank gain an extra pair. It’s more of a symbol than anything else. Any angel with four wings should not be messed with. I heard it’s more common among Fallen, though you’d have to ask them for details.” Rahmiel explained.

Dee was finally getting a hold of herself and standing back up. She looked back at her new wings and let out an exasperated sound. She was unaware of it, but her eyes also changed when she used her power, which was almost constantly. Her more wolf-like eyes shifted to ones that looked like two lakes of light blue glowing power, as if the eyes were made of some weird energy. The change in her aura or the way she looked was not large. Not unless you tried to feel the amount of power she had, in which case you really felt the difference. She felt different as well, though she couldn’t quite explain how. Less solid and lighter was the best that she could come up with. It was as if her insides were slowly turning to pure power instead of a normal body.

She also tried to figure out what she could from the souls about the world that had been destroyed, but the souls were not really sharing information. That wasn’t unusual though, and she preferred it that way honestly. It would be a pain if every soul that passed through the Well was talkative and complaining about everything. Still, she got a snippet here and an errant thought there, but that was it. Apparently, there really had been a battle, but she didn’t find out any details.

“So?” Moirai asked as Dee slowly walked towards them.

“Not what I expected. I suppose I won’t really feel the difference until I actually start using my power properly.” Dee replied.

Moirai scoffed. “Not that. Well, that too now that you mentioned it, but we can discuss that part in private. The souls. Explain.”

“I’d like to know too. As the Archangel of Mercy, this is something I should be aware of.” Rahmiel stated, although the others didn’t quite understand how her title figured into it. They would find out rather soon.

Dee gave a sigh. “Alright, the short version. Death, yes the goddess, apparently wants me to take her place at some point in the future.”

Moirai made a bit of a choking sound. “That was a really bloody short version. Now expand on it a bit. Also, you keep doing that. It wasn’t funny the first time, and the humor value hasn’t grown over time.”

Dee gave a faint smile. She liked to yank Moirai’s chains. “Well, apparently the universe requires the presence of someone that can guide souls on to what comes after. As long as there is no one else like that around, Death is for all intents and purposes immortal. And she’d like to fix that. Enter me, her hapless victim.”

“Wait, so is that why Death joined in Umbra’s revolution? Because you are both Lumen’s and Umbra’s Champion.” Theliel suddenly interjected. They had all wondered why the elusive goddess was taking such an active part in things. Her presence was one of the reasons the other gods had been so willing to rise up in revolt.

“Well, I can’t say what plots the gods weave, but I would assume that was one of the factors.” Dee replied with a dismissive wave of a hand.

“So let me get this straight, you are being groomed for the spot of the new Goddess of Death? By the current holder of that title?” Rahmiel asked with her voice straining a bit.

“That’s not it exactly. I’m simply a pathway for the souls, as you just witnessed. It does come with certain benefits though. Again, as you just witnessed.” Dee decided to reveal this much mainly because she had to explain the souls somehow, and the Archangels might turn out useful in coming up with ways to foil Death’s plans. Was it a risk? Absolutely. It was also a test. There was nothing the angels could do about the Well. In fact, Dee actually thought it might be nice if they could, but if the information was spread, then she’d know these two could not be trusted. Even if none of that came to pass, it was less likely for them to do something stupid if they understood just how bad of an idea going against her would be.

“Wait. If you’re supposed to be the replacement for Death, then how about…” Moirai asked, her voice suddenly turning a little fragile and hopeful.

“Her as well. I know what you’re thinking, and I don’t think I can do anything to bring her back. Her soul was around until a few weeks ago at least, but I’m not the Goddess of Death. I can’t bring people back. Even though I technically can cast the spell of resurrection, it’s not that simple if the soul gets damaged and time passes. Believe me, I considered it as well.” Dee replied with a sympathetic voice. She hated crushing Moirai’s budding hope but…

Rahmiel suddenly interjected. “Umm, I might be able to do something. I am the Archangel of Mercy after all. My whole existence revolves around the concept. I can do certain things that others cannot. Assuming the soul is still around that is. There are some limits but I’ve brought back someone several months after their soul moved on. It wouldn’t be easy, but a favor for a favor…” The Archangel allowed her voice to hang in the air.

Her totem was all about helping people, saving them and ultimately bringing them back if the worst happened. She didn’t even need a corpse if the soul was still around, assuming the soul wasn’t damaged beyond all hope. She could even help repair some of that damage as long as the soul wasn’t too far gone. She could also bring someone long dead back if the body was available. Her combat power was not enormous, but there was a reason she was one of the most important Archangels. She had other, softer power. Even the goddess she served wasn’t entirely aware of the extent of her abilities, which is why Lumen had not mentioned anything to Dee before.

A sudden burst of hope ignited in Moirai’s eyes as she looked towards Dee. Her ears and tail were quivering with hope, and the look in her eyes reminded Dee of a wet puppy. Dee had not seen this sort of look on Moirai ever before, and most certainly nothing like it since Nyx had died. She would do almost anything to help that hope come to reality, but could it be done?

Dee, in turn, was a bit less hopeful. Trading favors was alright, but would Nyx’s soul still be around? Rahmiel would need that with no access to a body. She looked towards the Archangel. “I’ll see what I can do. If you manage to bring her back, then I’ll get that asylum for you, even if I have to build it myself.” Dee stated and settled down for a prayer. If that bloody Goddess of Death wanted something from her, then she damn well had to chip in as well.

-----

Death and the other two goddesses were watching what was happening to Dee, something that might become harder now that Dee had reached her new rank. She would likely be able to sense their observation and perhaps even block them if she wanted. Knowing Dee, she would probably want to do that. For once Eternity was not around, despite the fact that the three goddesses were in his realm. Even he had things that he had to take care of personally. If she had to make a guess, Death would assume some other universe was making trouble and Eternity’s presence was required to repair the damage to space and time caused by the battle that annihilated the troublemakers.

Once she saw how things proceeded, Death couldn’t help but make a small mental dance as plans came together. It was always nice when one of the plans you weren’t actually relying on but were hoping would work, actually came to fruition. There were only one or two ways this particular plan could’ve worked and the odds were rather low, but Dee never failed to do the unlikely. The girl really was such an appropriate Champion for Umbra.

It didn’t take long before the girl appeared before them, as all three of the goddesses had actually been waiting for her. “Here, catch!” Lumen yelled as soon as Dee came close enough to see them clearly through the mist.

Dee caught the rather long and thin object and was surprised by its weight. Even with her enormous strength, she had to brace a bit to keep the object from falling, although as soon as her power touched it, the thing became as light as a feather. Dee could recognize the material that used to make up the black gems and pearls, even though it was now completely covered in runes and glyphs that she had no way of recognizing. “You made me a cane now that I’m getting older?” Dee asked a little confused.

Calling the item a cane was a little mean, as it looked more like the shaft of a spear without the metal spearhead. Except that both ends of the ‘cane’ had what looked slightly like a handguard and a spot where the spearhead should go, but was now missing. “That’s not a cane.” Lumen stated with a scoff. “At least call it a shaft or handle.”

“O...K?” Dee swung it around a bit and was rather impressed as it seemed to be creating a field of gravity of its own. If she was anywhere else, the ground around her would have been torn asunder from the competing gravitational forces that were created with a simple swing. “You made me a stick to smack people with? Isn’t it a bit short for a quarterstaff? I mean, I’m sure it’s a great smacking-stick, but still.”

Umbra was laughing her ass off, while Lumen was nearing apoplexy. “I’ll have you know that’s one of my greatest creations! Just put some power into it. You can use both your psionic power and holy power.”

Dee obliged the ticked off goddess and suddenly she was holding the handle of an enormous weapon much like those she created with her psionic power. Her psionic weapons had started having some mass to them, but this one blew them out of the water. It was significantly larger with a much smaller input of power. She also sensed that the weapon’s cutting power was much improved. “Uh, thanks?” She managed to state.

Lumen gave a deep sigh. “Just play around with it when you go back. You’ll see the good sides rather quickly. It’s mainly supposed to be moved with your telekinesis, not actually swung around with your hands. A word of warning though. I would be careful about throwing it when you put some real power into it. The mass and the gravity it creates increase exponentially with the amount of power you use. You know how worlds usually spin around? Yes, well, toss that thing at a world with anything close to a full power and you’ll both crack the worlds surface pretty badly, a bad thing, and possibly mess up the spin of that world, a very, very bad thing. Now we’d like to stay and listen, but I’m pretty sure Death will kick us out if we try.” Both Lumen and Umbra disappeared without waiting for an answer. They really wanted to stay and listen but knew that would not happen.

For now, Dee decided to just store the ‘cane’ and she looked at Death with a rather unfriendly glare. “You know why I’m here.” She stated.

“I do.” Death replied and made a small mental cheer. “What you want isn’t impossible, as the Archangel probably can achieve what she promised. There’s a problem though.”

“There always is.” Dee stated firmly. She knew there would be something, but for Moirai’s happiness, she was willing to pay the price. “What is it?”

“Well, the souls used when materializing the Well of Souls are still around. They will pass on eventually, but it will take some years. However, as they are a central part of forming the Well, removing one will damage the well. That’s not a problem in itself as the Well will rather quickly fix itself with more souls passing through. The problem is…well to be blunt, you.”

“Me?” Dee asked with a questioning look.

“Yes. Currently you can’t do anything to damage the Well as it is inside your Domain and considered part of it. That’s partly why I wanted the souls to stay there for a bit of time. Nyx’s soul is the one the cornerstones of that protection, as it is the one that spent the most time inside your Domain and you also personally want to protect it. It’s an unconscious thing. If her soul is removed, then you will be able to damage the Well until it repairs itself. You can see how that might be a problem for me.” Death secretly grinned in the shadows of her hood.

“So. You want me to not attack the Well while it repairs itself.” Dee stated calmly.

“Essentially. I want you to make a promise and actually mean it. I will trust an honest promise but I will be able to feel it if you don’t do it with sincerity.” Death knew Dee couldn’t actually destroy the Well even if she broke the promise, but that wasn’t the point. If Dee made the promise, it would still affect her mentality even after the Well had fixed itself. The important part was to get Dee used to the idea of not attacking the Well, and this would go a long way towards setting the right idea in her head. Besides, Nyx’s resurrection would also go a long way towards repairing the damage that had been done to the trust and relations between the two by the Well’s creation.

If Dee was willing to work together with Death, then it would make things so much easier, and the revival of Nyx would go a long way towards making Dee more positive in the future. That’s partially why Death had started the collection of souls with Nyx’s soul. She had known it was a long shot for Dee to actually find a way to revive Nyx, and the worst part was the Death could not give any hints or the whole thing would not have the same impact. But the girl of chaos came through again. Death had other plans to normalize their relationship, but it was always better when plan A worked. Even if it did go against her principles as a Goddess of Death a bit.

Dee, of course, wasn’t stupid enough to not know she was being manipulated, but that didn’t change the situation. “Fine. I promise. Now get to it.”