Even for a short departure lasting less than a day, numerous preparations had to be made.
Carol Danvers was enlisted to keep Gaea company during the brief absence.
Aragorn, ever the freak of overprotectiveness, went to extreme lengths. He tore hundreds of scales from his draconic body to craft armor for both Gaea and Carol, infusing it with so much void energy that even Death found its defensive capabilities absurd.
To ensure Gaea's safety further, Aragorn, Agatha, Selene, and Yao spent over a week constructing an almost impenetrable shield around the Arbor Mundi, where Gaea would remain until their return.
Aragorn also created a decoy illusion of the Halo orbiting in space to prevent unnecessary panic—a reaction almost certain if the Halo suddenly vanished from its usual position.
Additionally, he held discussions with the Nova Empire, 'diplomatically' insisting they recall their ambassadors for a day under the pretext of overhauling and upgrading the Halo.
In preparation for the journey, Aragorn finalized the intricate details of uplifting his household staff to divinity, ensuring the process was seamless and thorough.
Another week was spent as the Haloans devised a general guide for their stay on Earth-199999. It was just that—a guide. They had no illusions about planning for the next 300,000 years in a week, nor was there a need for such meticulous foresight.
And there were some loose ends he had to take care of regarding Selene.
"Is it too much to ask?"- Selene asked with pleading expression.
"..."- Aragorn held his silence while he thought about the pros and the cons.
In the end, he determined that he gained nothing and lost nothing.
"I will have Madelyne heal your daughter's soul, but she is not an expert so it might take her a few centuries until she reaches the appropriate level."- He figured that since he gained nothing he might as well provide Madelyne with some practicing material.
It was not every day one came upon a corrupted soul by hellfire that could still be saved, so it would be a valuable experience for Madelyne.
"Will I accompany you on your trip? I would rather not separate from Amara's soul."- Selene was not entirely pleased with the arrangement, but she was old, she knew how to be patient, and since she was immortal she worried not about the passing of time.
"Yes, but I'm not making you a goddess."- Though Aragorn said this, he believed that if she gained everyone's approval he wouldn't mind helping her as long as she was accepted in the family, but he didn't say it out loud.
"Thank you, it's more than I can ask for."
"It is. You're welcome."
Another small detail to coordinate was America Chavez.
"So, I can't go?"- She asked, clearly displeased.
"Are you immortal?"- Aragorn quipped.
"..."- She frowned harder.
"Stay with my goddess, if they need to evacuate you'll be in charge of it. It's less than a day, we'll be back before you know it."
"But I'm being left out."
"You are. Let me ask again, are you immortal? Otherwise, you'll just die 300,000 years in the past on an Earth that is not yours and needs no America Chavez, that's a sad death."
"I know... I just don't like the feeling."
"Teenagers."- Aragorn said while rolling his eyes.
"Stay, take care of my Gaea, play with Carol, or whatever entertains you, we'll be back and that's the end of it."- Aragorn petted her head like one would a dog.
"Stop it! I'm not a dog"
"Why do I feel like I'm fathering you? I'm not mature enough to be doing this."- Aragorn mused out loud.
America eventually relented and everyone boarded the Halo.
Aragorn hovered outside Halo in his draconic form. He removed the Infinity Stones from Halo and warped them to the Arbor Mundi, another layer of protection for Gaea and his unborn child.
He looked at The Watcher and waved goodbye at him before caging the ring in one of his void barriers and shrinking it to pocket size.
A swipe of his tail opened an Astral Path and he flew to Death's Realm.
"Noona, did you find Earth-199999?"- Aragorn asked after teleporting to Death.
"Yes, My Love. It is as you said—a universe that closely resembles a doomed reality. One single, isolated timeline, a universe where there's only one path and nothing else. Fated for End."- Death walked toward Aragorn and extended her hand to him.
Aragorn handed her the crystal holding Mephistopheles-616.
"It's quite interesting. Since this TVA exists outside Time-Space, Eternity and Infinity were unaware of it."- Death examined the devil's soul before sending it to its appropriate reality.
"Even my personified presence was minimal. The Living Tribunal is grateful to you for bringing this reality to his attention."- Death planted a peck on his scaled cheek.
"Based on what I saw before I had to go to war, Loki Laufeyson eventually fixed it. But it seems that hasn't happened yet."- Aragorn flicked his tongue at her.
"That's the case. The Living Tribunal said that if they haven't fixed it by the end of your stay, you should fix it."
"That's not too hard."- Aragorn replied with a slight shrug.
"Noona, would you like to try a little experiment with me?"- Aragorn leaned closer, his giant eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Experiment, you say? Is it about your concept?"- Death patted his cornea, it didn't bother him.
"It is. I figured out how to apply it outside myself, but it's not delicate enough to use on mortals yet. I tried it on a human who wanted to bomb my company. I ended up reducing him to a zero-dimensional being when I was just trying to materialize his soul."
"What's a zero-dimensional being?"
"A point with no volume, area, or length."- Aragorn admitted sheepishly.
"How would that even exist? Anything with mass occupies a volume of space. It's part of the rules of your universe."- Death gave him a deadpan stare.
"Paradoxical existence."- He said simply.
"... I didn't think that was how it worked. Why do you want to try it on me?"
"The problem is that, currently, I only have one setting—full power—for anyone other than myself. I thought that if I tried it on you, I could separate you into two strata: one All-Mighty Death and one Less-Mighty Death."
"You mean like how you leave behind a self whenever you enter your universe?"
"Exactly. One Noona would remain here, and the other could potentially come with me. And since I'd be 'downgrading' you, we wouldn't have to worry about you corrupting reality with death."
"My Love, I'm all for spending a few hundred thousand years together, but what level of existence are we talking about here? Because if you turn me into a mortal I will die at best in my hundreds, cutting our time short."
"No, it won't be anything that drastic. I don't believe I have the juice for that, maybe the self that is outside the multiversal barrier, but not this self."
"So, not a mortal. That's good. And what happens if I die?"
"Not much—you become whole again."
"Like my less-mighty self rejoining the self I leave here?"
"Exactly. That's how the concept works. You become two but remain one. It works the other way around too—if the self you leave here ends, the other self becomes whole, and you'll need to exit reality quickly if you don't want to break it."
"I don't see any issues with that. So, what sort of self would it be?"
"I prepared this."- Aragorn pulled out a fragment of reality—ever-shifting and ever-shiny.
"This should give you a body suitable for you, just as it once did for me."
Now his concept took care of generating a body for him, but when he first arrived The One Above All gave him a fragment of reality for a body.
"That's interesting. What would a body fit for me look like?"
"Maybe one of the spectral races?"- Aragorn suggested.
"No, I don't want that. I want to experience life. Is that possible?"- Death asked, her tone hopeful.
"Mmm... Maybe... Well, there's a way... sort of... It should work."- Aragorn morphed his body into a sleeker build.
"I could 'give birth' to you."- He said in an enchanting female voice.
"...?"
"...?"
They stood in silence for a moment, Death processing what Aragorn said and Aragorn waiting for Death to reboot.
"My Love, is this one of your dark fixations?"
She was okay with it. It might take some mental adjustment, but she could handle that. Given how obsessed she was with her lover, she was willing to accept just about anything—not so different from him, after all.
"How would that even be a fixation? Giving birth to your wife? That sounds like incest to me."
"I'm pretty sure there's a fetish for it."- Death replied.
"I think there's one about being born by your lover, but I don't know about giving birth to your lover. Anyway, that's not it."- Aragorn said.
"~Hehehe!"- Death laughed.
"Hahahahaha!"- Aragorn joined her.
After a few moments, they both settled down.
"We use the fragment of reality as a vessel. Then I impregnate myself with it. My body will grow you a new form, but instead of a baby, you'll emerge as a full-grown woman."
"I see... So your fetish is incest? You're making me your daughter."
"... Maybe I once enjoyed the genre, but no. You're too horny—not that it's a problem. Keep it together; I'll break you however you want when we get you a body. Deal?"
"... ~Deal!"- Death blushed, already imagining Aragorn taking the virginity of her new form.
"Okay, so your body will most likely be like mine."- Aragorn said, grinning after reading her mind.
"A shapeshifter?"
"Yes, but closer to a dragon since my makeup simulates one. Except you'll be born with at least lower divinity—definitely a Divine Death Dragon."
"Triple D. I see."- Death smirked.
"... Yeah. So, do you like it?"
"I love it, my Dragon!"- Death jumped onto his head, covering his massive draconic face with kisses.
"Let's do it! I can't wait!"- She exclaimed, leaping back down.
Aragorn focused on Death, willing his concept into her.
He burned through about 97% of his reserves, covering Death in a radiant glow. Steam flowed out of her pores, the vapor coalescing into a gaseous orb above his tail.
Holding the fragment of reality in his left forelimb, he carefully maneuvered the orb with his tail and merged the two. Then, bringing the fusion to his womb, he completed the process.
"Is it done?"- Death asked.
"Not yet. Give me a moment—I need to replenish my energy from my other self."- Aragorn replied, curling up like a sleeping dragon.
Gradually, his reserves refilled, and the essence of Death within him began to take shape.
In the timeless Realm of Death, it was hard to measure the passage of time, but eventually, Aragorn laid a dark egg with green hues, as large as his humanoid form.
Shifting back to his humanoid male form, Aragorn stood beside Death as they both observed the egg with interest.
"It's strange."- Death remarked, tilting her head as she gently rubbed the egg's surface.
"What is?"
"I can see both the outside and inside of the egg at the same time."
"Ah, yeah. That takes some getting used to. I can see myself from my other selves' perspectives. Combine that with how my eyesight works, and things get... psychedelically trippy."- Aragorn blinked at varying tempos, adjusting his focus.
"It probably doesn't help that you have so many eyes."- Death said, peering through his body to glimpse the countless eyes hidden beneath his skin.
"I'll take this you with me. I don't think it'll take long to hatch."- Aragorn said as he shrank the dark egg to pocket size and stored it.
"I guess I don't need to say goodbye since I'll see you soon, right?"- Death asked, perching herself around his neck and softly rubbing her nose against his.
"No, Noona. Instead, I'll say: I'll fuck you soon!"- Aragorn pulled his face back briefly before leaning in, sinking his fangs into her neck.
"~Ahn."- Death curled around him, biting her lips to stifle a louder moan.
"Bye."- And with that, he disappeared.
"..."- Death stared at the emptiness he left behind, momentarily dumbfounded.
"... ~Fufufufu! This little shit!"- Death chuckled darkly.
____________________________
Earth-199999, Outside the Sacred Timeline.
Paradoxes are the bane of Creation. One misplaced paradox could bring down entire realities—or worse, trap them in an endless loop.
It's the well-known conundrum of time traveling to kill baby Hitler.
If you chose to kill him, would that mean the Führer Hitler never existed, so you wouldn't know to time travel to kill baby Hitler? But if you didn't kill him, would that mean the Führer Hitler existed, prompting you to time travel and attempt to kill him?
Time loops are classic examples of this dilemma. You can see it in Futurama, Saiki KusuoThe Disastrous Life of Saiki K, Edge of Tomorrow, or countless other popular stories, though some of these tend to close the loop, Reality is not as gentle.
Luckily for my shiny self, who only lives in the Present, I don't have to worry about such things. My paradoxical nature makes me inherently paradox-proof.
This is not the case for my household staff. They are bound by the passage of time.
As I once explained to Emma, as long as they travel to the past of a different timeline, they don't need to worry about paradoxes.
And since Boss Tribunal gave me the green light to fix this reality, I could technically throw caution to the wind and do as I please, regardless of the potential futures this reality might have had.
... But that's not the plan. I need to use the Sacred Timeline as a guide to stay focused on my objectives.
For example, what would happen if I went crazy and caused Tiamut to emerge before its due time—before I'd found a solution to the Emergence situation?
Alternatively, if the global population dropped below expectations, I might have to wait even longer for the Emergence.
Another objective is to study the Mind and Reality Stones in Thanos' possession. I need to analyze their energy signatures to use as references for finding my own Mind and Reality Stones, without waiting for them to naturally appear in my life.
But if I mess with the timeline too much, Thanos could decide to go into hiding, rendering my plans useless.
All of this would be manageable if I only had to account for the butterfly effect of my actions. Any decent cosmic being can do that.
The real challenge is accounting for the butterfly effects caused by my household staff.
That requires a level of causality reading, probability control, and foresight that I think only Aniki possesses.
If I want my staff to ascend to divinity, I need a workaround.
Thankfully, my concept provides one.
Humans can be described as souls inhabiting brains piloting bone-and-flesh organic mechs. Certain philosophers might disagree, but that's not my problem.
My maids, on the other hand, are souls inhabiting cores piloting fluff. Everyone agrees on this fact.
This distinction is part of why I view my maids differently than humans—they're fundamentally different.
And this difference is key to solving my current dilemma.
What if I remove their cores and implant them into empty body-selves of mine?
The bodies would be me, so I could account for the butterfly effect of their actions. Since their souls would remain their own, they could still receive faith. After all, it's the soul that matters in divinity.
This approach kills multiple birds with one stone:
Bird #1: Accountability for the butterfly effect.
Bird #2: Training my mind to cope with multiple data streams from multiple selves.
Bird #3: Enabling me to easily run the interface for the system I'm creating.
Bird #4: Providing safer bodies for my staff to experiment with void energy.
Bird #5: Minimizing their impact on key events in the timeline.
... However, there are some intriguing implications.
Whatever they do, my empty body-selves will do. So, if they mate, I'll essentially be mating with myself.
Noona and I don't find this strange. It's just how we experience reality.
From our perspective, Aniki is the Multiverse, just as the Multiverse is Aniki.
This isn't much different from what my maids already do—they'll be wearing my body as theirs instead of their usual Aniki-given bodies.
But there's no need to overcomplicate this. If we think of the Cosmological Compass as the Abstract of Reality, humans are merely minor aggregations of their concepts, with a sense of self and independence.
Humans inherently contain Space, Time, Life, Death, Mind, Emotions, Chaos, Order, and more—Aspects of Reality. In a way, they're already using my bosses as 'mechs' for their souls.
So why worry about my maids using my body-selves?
Some had a nervous breakdown when they first realized how Death and I perceived them.
But we weren't lying.
Why do they think Death can command their demise with a thought? Because Death is already part of them.
Why do they think Phoenix can control their minds? Because their minds are part of her psionic nexus.
Why does Mistress Love command their love? Because their experience of love is inherently tied to her.
That's what it means to be an Aspect of Reality. Everything related to your concept is a part of you and you are everything related to your concept.
My maids, however, are so accustomed to these notions of existential crisis that it was just another casual Friday for them, so by the end of our talk they had come out of their panic attacks and nervous breakdowns.
Not everything was accounted for. For instance, how would their true body grow? How would procreation work? How would they carry a baby to term? And how would they give birth?
The answer, however, was simpler than one might think: I just Matrix'd it.
I'll leave a channel between their cores and their true bodies. This will create feedback between the body-self they inhabit and their true body.
When it comes to impregnation, I'll have their pods transport the genetic material from one body to the other. Once the baby is ready to be born, I'll simply bring the baby to them in an empty body-self.
Aragorn the Stork Dragon, at your service.
Well, they had a harder time accepting this, but in the end, they did.
...
Before accessing MCU Earth, I need to deal with a potential troublemaker. That's why I'm here at the Citadel at the End of Time.
Victor Timely—or as he calls himself, He Who Remains—has never encountered a being like me. To him, I'm an existence outside his perception of 'everything that is'.
If I were painting an original work and suddenly noticed a random drawing I hadn't created, I'd look as astonished as he does.
This human controlled everything after winning the multiversal war against his other selves. He reminds me of Xavier—a control freak.
I'm a paranoid freak, but not a control freak. I have standards.
I'd planned for an amiable—if threatening—conversation. But my mere existence shattered his reality. Not because he saw my soul, but because he perceived me as something beyond his comprehension.
So, I took the easy, impolite route.
I paused him with telekinesis, invaded his mind, froze his soul, and implanted a fragment of myself in him, like a parasite—a trick I borrowed from Isshiki.
Now, he'll perceive my actions in the sacred timeline as part of his design.
I don't plan to change much, just build myself a faith generator—a.k.a. a theocracy.
And with the parasitizing done, I entered the Sacred Timeline and let myself be carried by the flow of time.
_____________________________
Earth-199999. ~ 302,024 BE (Before Emergence).
While megafauna roamed the surface, Tiamut grew quietly beneath it.
Homo sapiens were emerging in Africa, Homo neanderthalensis thrived in Europe and Western Asia, and the Denisovans occupied parts of Asia. The Deviants preyed upon all.
Coral reefs flourished in tropical waters, while large marine predators like sharks, orcas, and whales dominated the seas.
The continents were largely in the same configuration as today due to the slow pace of plate tectonics. The Pacific Ring of Fire was particularly active.
The East African Rift was tectonically active, a factor that would later influence the development of Homo sapiens.
The Earth was in the midst of the Middle Pleistocene, characterized by glacial and interglacial cycles. Extensive ice sheets covered much of North America, northern Europe, and parts of Asia.
Sea levels were significantly lower due to the large volumes of water trapped in ice, exposing land bridges such as the Bering Land Bridge between Asia and North America.
And Aragorn, in his colossal planetary form, couldn't help but gaze at the world beneath him with the awe of a child unwrapping the latest trendy console on Christmas morning.
If he were to rationalize his feelings, he would describe it as a world free from the constant worry of impending doom. A world sparsely populated by humans, yet teeming with fascinating organic lifeforms he had only glimpsed in fragments of Gaea's memories. It felt vibrant, untouched—fresh in every sense. And it was his for the next ~300,000 years.
Aragorn set the Halo out of its shrunken sphere, this time positioning it concentrically with the Moon so that it appeared as if the Moon was wearing the Halo as a vertical ring.
After ensuring the Halo wouldn't cause the Moon to collapse onto the planet, he returned to his humanoid form and jumped into The Crystal.
His household staff were already unconscious in their pods. Aragorn focused his concept on himself, and the empty body selves came into being.
There was one for everyone, even the babies.
"I had everyone go into their pods when I sensed we switched universes."- The only one who didn't need a body was Jean, though she couldn't account for her own butterfly effects. Her open link to Aragorn's mind allowed him to record her actions and account for them with Phoenix's help.
"Thanks, Firebird. Any issues with the Halo since Spark and Seraph went under?"
"None so far. Everything's running smoothly. By the way, Spark decided to create a body—one like Seraph's, I mean."
"Oh? He did?"- Aragorn asked, scanning the room to locate Spark's pod.
"That one."- Jean pointed.
"..."- Aragorn paused, all functions halting for a moment.
"... ~Fufufu."- Jean enjoyed the flabbergasted expression on Aragorn's face.
"... Female?... But why?"- He created an additional EmptySelf for the previously unaccounted Spark and walked toward Spark's pod, not because distance was an obstacle but out of habit.
"Is it so strange? Spark never had a gender to begin with."- Jean replied, walking with him toward the pod.
"Yeah, it's weird! Spark has a copy of most of my memories. He-She's just missing the ones related to The Void. Though I no longer define myself by gender, my memories should have influenced her a great deal."
"Like how she's somewhat of a pervert?"- Jean chuckled.
"Exactly!"- Aragorn reached the pod and examined Spark's body closely.
"But you don't mind being a woman, so why did you think Spark would be male?"
"It's the memories of The Void that removed most of my human sense of self. Without those, I would have been male."
"I see... I think she's pretty. Is her body based on one of your memories? Like Seraph's?"- Jean asked. Though she had access to most of his memories through their link, she hadn't had time to explore all of them.
"Yeah, it's 2B, from NieR: Automata, a video game, like Cortana from Halo."
"She's beautiful."- Jean smiled.
"She is. Somehow, she looks better in real life."- Aragorn said, his expression complicated.
"Spark knew you'd be shocked."- Jean grinned.
"Yeah, I bet she did. Spark knew I was seeing her as a male."- Aragorn replied, shifting his eyes to peer through Spark's eyelids.
"Silver-blue eyes? Looks a bit like the Rikugan."
"Were you expecting a different color?"
"Not exactly, but Spark has some of my eyes in safekeeping. I told her that if she figured out how to handle the input overload, she could use them."
"Maybe she jumped the gun to join the divinity bandwagon."- Jean speculated.
"Maybe, but it's not a problem."- Aragorn phased his hand through the pod and ran his fingers through Spark's silver hair.
"Let's get started."
Aragorn moved the EmptySelves to each of the pods, then slowly and carefully pulled their cores out of their bodies.
Jean used her eyes and authorities to carefully examine each of her family members.
"The channel is stable, with no abnormalities. There's more activity on Madi's channel than on the rest."
"That's because she is a goddess of souls. She must be aware of what's going on."- Aragorn explained.
He then moved the cores into the EmptySelves. The cores sank into their chests, and the bodies shifted.
They contorted, expanded, contracted, grew extra limbs, changed shapes multiple times, and then finally settled into full-perfect replicas of their original bodies.
With gasps and coughs, they awoke.
"That was mildly uncomfortable."- Madelyne commented, the first to regain her bearings.
She moved to dress up with the clothing she had left beside her pod.
"It's probably due to your divinity. Any abnormalities in your body?"- Aragorn asked, his eyes scanning her thoroughly.
"No, it feels oddly familiar—indistinguishable from my body."- Madelyne replied.
"That's good."- Aragorn moved to the two peacefully sleeping babies.
He scanned them, then softly patted them.
"Ugh, I feel like I blinked and then I was somewhere else."- Natalia complained as she walked over to Aragorn and her kitten in her underwear.
"Same here. I was falling asleep, and then I'm standing in front of my body."- Margaret added, walking to her baby as well, though she wore a long towel.
James and Steve Rogers followed behind them, in their underwear.
"Sir, you said we still need to breastfeed them and that they'll grow up as they would have normally, right?"- Steve Rogers asked.
"Yes. When your body grows, so does your soul. You are the prime example of that. Your body mutated, and so did your soul. Though they don't exactly need nutrition, because their pods have it covered, the synchronization works in one direction—from their current bodies to their originals. So they'll need to grow up just as they would have in their true bodies. It's the same for all of you."
"Remember not to use dimensional magic!"- Jean said aloud, mainly addressing a certain chaotic cat.
"Tsk! Just a little."- Kitty murmured, not bothering to dress up before testing her new body.
Not everyone had a sense of propriety.
"No, no dimensional magic. You can only use my void energy, my psionic energy, the Abeyance, and the hell dimension I appropriated from Mephisto—though the last two aren't ready for use yet."- Aragorn said, but his eyes were firmly fixed on the rebellious feline.
The restriction on dimensional magic was because Aragorn wanted them to focus on developing the new magic system. It also made calculating the repercussions of their actions easier without the complexities of other dimensions in the equation.
"When will I claim the hell dimension? Also, I can use Chaos Magic, right?"- Wanda asked—still in sporty underwear—recalling Aragorn's earlier discussion with her and her immediate family.
"In a moment. We'll go and claim it, and yes, Chaos Magic is an exception."- Aragorn replied.
"That's good."- Wanda pictured herself as a demon queen, seated on a grand throne with millions of demons at her beck and call. The image delighted her inner young lady.
"Get a hold of yourself! I can feel your vanity as if it were mine!"- Agatha snapped, slapping the back of Wanda's head. She covered herself modestly with her voluminous tails while dressing.
"I couldn't feel it, but I saw it on your face, Wanda."- Pietro teased.
"Ouch."- Wanda complained.
"Aragorn, is there really a need for feedback for painful stimuli?"- Wanda asked, rubbing the back of her head.
"Yes. Why do I feel like you didn't understand when I said that this body will be no different from your true body?"
"I'll be honest, Old Man, my mind blocked about half of the talk regarding how my body was made of parts of your... bosses. I feel like that was for the best."- Pietro confessed.
"... Maybe."- Aragorn admitted.
"I never thought I'd have the chance to become a goddess, just like Morgan Le Fay."- Elyseas (the elf maid) said, awe evident in her voice.
"TSK!"- Aragorn clicked his tongue, feeling the gaze of a certain witch on him again. This time, though, she respectfully looked away sooner than before.
"..."- Yao, Agatha, and Selene, who knew the truth about Morgan Le Fay, shook their heads in disapproval. None of them had the heart to tell Elyseas that the benevolent witch in her people's history was, in fact, the real wrongdoer.
"Do you think my wings will turn to light, like the goddess of fairies', Titania?"- Elara (the faerie wife) asked James.
"Maybe, but I love your current wings, so I feel conflicted about you losing them."- James replied, gently caressing the silky blue wings of his wife.
"Oh, you!"- Elara's wings quivered under his touch.
"What's that?"- Kitty asked Aragorn.
As everyone settled into their new bodies, Aragorn brought out the black Egg that housed Death.
"Noona."- He said, spinning the giant egg in his hand.
"Emmm, did you put the Madame in there?"- Kitty asked, her mouth agape.
*Crack.*- Before Aragorn could reply, the egg started to hatch.
The cracks spread rapidly across the surface, and then it shattered.
The pieces of eggshell turned into specks of light and fused with the now fully-formed, very naked body of Death.
"This... feels amazing!"- She exclaimed in a shrill voice, jumping onto Aragorn. Her legs locked around his waist, her arms encircled his neck, her tail coiled around his left leg, and she peppered his face with rapid kisses.
Her appearance was familiar to Aragorn. She had a long reptilian tail ending in a dark crystalline blade tip, accompanied by two similarly dark crystal horns growing forward and curving upward from her head.
She was as pale as Aragorn, though her complexion had a wax-like texture compared to his marble-like skin.
Her nails mirrored Aragorn's dark, multicolored ones, and her eyes were a deep, slitted green.
Jean was the first to approach—or rather, Phoenix, possessing Jean's body.
"DEATH?"- She asked, incredulous.
"~Hehehe! The one and only!"- Death replied, giggling from Aragorn's arms.
"HOW?"- Phoenix demanded, touching Death's body in various places, unable to comprehend detecting Life in a body that housed Death.
"I used my concept on hers. This is my current limit, and it only worked because Noona didn't resist."- Aragorn explained.
"FOR HOW LONG?"- Phoenix pressed.
"Technically, until this body dies or is destroyed—oh, and it can only exist in the same universe as me."
"INCREDIBLE."- Phoenix never imagined it was possible for beings of her level to exist so freely in the lower realms.
"It's awesome, right?"- Death said proudly, jumping down from Aragorn's arms and standing with her hands on her waist, unabashed in her naked glory.
Wanda had knocked out Pietro—for his own protection. Steve was focused on his baby girl, and James was casually watching the show. However, it was clear to everyone that James harbored no trace of sexual interest in Death.
Having spent more time with Aragorn and the others—and not being a teenager like Pietro—to James, the idea of lusting after the embodiment of Death felt as absurd as copulating with a goat.
Sure, some people might do it (Thanos, Deadpool, and Aragorn came to mind), but those individuals were far from mentally stable. James was not one of them.
After satisfying his curiosity, James left with his harem to the exterior of The Crystal, eager to glimpse the prehistoric Earth.
"I think you should get dressed, Death."- Jean said once Phoenix returned control of her body.
"Oh, I didn't notice..."- Death muttered, moving her tail to cover her modesty.
"My Love."- She addressed Aragorn.
Aragorn understood her unspoken request and pulled out an orb. He pressed it between her breasts, and the orb unfolded, covering her entire body. Moments later, it transformed into a maid outfit.
"Mhmm!"- Aragorn nodded, clearly pleased with himself. "I knew Noona would rock a maid outfit."
Jean couldn't help but admire Aragorn's unwavering dedication to his peculiar fetish for dressing his partner as a maid at a moment's notice.
Death twirled and spun, admiring her new attire.
"Hehehe, I like it!"- She exclaimed, her voice full of approval.
To say she wasn't ecstatic about her new, living body would be a lie. She was beyond pleased with her dragon.
"My Love, leave the hell dimension to me! I want to test the limits of this body—I bet a few invading Hell Lords would do the trick."- Death said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Hell dimensions were separate realms, each under the dominion of a Hell Lord. They existed outside the universes they were tied to, but the boundaries between these hellish realms were not as distant as those between other dimensions.
It was easier to think of hell dimensions as a neighborhood. Each dimension was like a separate house, but that didn't mean neighbors couldn't stroll into your home and claim it for themselves.
In fact, this was common practice. Hell Lords constantly sought to expand their territory, power, soul count, and authority.
So, what would happen if one of the wealthiest 'neighbors' suddenly vanished whilst leaving the doors to their 'house' wide open?
Aragorn nodded at Death's request, understanding the implicit command beneath her words.
"Alright, please help Wanda taint the dimension afterward."- Aragorn agreed.
Wanda, Agatha, Pietro (unconscious), and Death stepped onto an Astral Path Death had opened, eager for the impending battle.
Once they were gone, Aragorn turned to Spark, who had been quietly observing.
"Acting shy doesn't suit you, does it?"- Aragorn teased.
"Are you disappointed, Master Chief?"- Spark asked, her silver-blue eyes locking onto his pink ones.
"Why would I be? I was surprised by your choice of gender, but not disappointed. I just assumed my memories would mold you closer to the me from before The Void."
"Master Chief, as you know, this body can change genders, but I felt this form was right."- Spark replied evenly.
"I'm not asking you to change. I can unashamedly admit that I loved 2B's design during my pre-war days. I understand why you might choose her as your template."
"If I'm honest, Master Chief, your gender identity was flakier than you might realize."
"Ah, you mean how, by the end of my life, I didn't care about gender anymore?"
"Exactly. When you returned home after the war, not once did you lust after anyone—male, female, or even 2D characters. It was as if you no longer cared about sex or gender, whether yours or others'."
"I see. Maybe you find it hard to reconcile the memories of who I was with how my SurfaceSelf acts now?"
"Yes, Master Chief. I understand that The Void unmade you and that you reconstructed your SurfaceSelf from fragments of your early life to free your CoreSelf to process memories of The Void. Still, even your SurfaceSelf shows more lust than you did in your final days."
"...The answer to that eluded me until Noona explained the levels of Life."- Aragorn said, drawing Spark's curious gaze.
"I come from a low-tier multiverse—so low that a single universe in this multiverse equaled my entire home multiverse. This meant the peak level of Life in my multiverse was close to the average."
"Insects invaded your world and represented the peak of that Life tier, but, power-wise, they weren't much different from you, were they?"- Spark asked, catching on.
Aragorn nodded.
"It's like saying the average human isn't much different from The One Above All in this multiverse."- Spark explained what she understood.
"Exactly. That's where my problem began. After the war, I was the second-highest being. The only one above me was the madman who ended it all."
"So you subconsciously built walls around yourself, which is why your gender identity became faint."- Spark summarized.
"Yes. I still considered myself a man, but that ended when I met The Void."
"...Should I say I'm sorry, Master Chief?"
"Why? There's no need. Come here and give me a hug."- Aragorn said, opening his arms.
"Do you want to get a feel for my body?"- Spark grinned mischievously, her head resting against his chest.
"Even if it's you, Noona would kill you."- Aragorn whispered, tightening his embrace.
"Duly noted, Master Chief."- Spark replied with mock robotic precision.
"Where's my little sister, Master Chief?"- She asked, freeing herself from the hug.
"I think she wanted to give us some space, so she warped to Earth."
"Or she wanted to observe the planet's souls with the authority she borrowed from the Madame."- Spark muttered, rolling her eyes.
"That's possible. She took the wolf princesses with her."- Aragorn said, sensing their location through his EmptySelves.
"Will we move to define our territory once the Madame returns?"- Spark asked.
"Yes—Central America, specifically what corresponds to Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua in our universe."- Aragorn confirmed.
The reason for this seemingly arbitrary choice lay in the butterfly effect.
If one sought to claim territory in the past with minimal historical disruption, the old world had to be discarded without hesitation.
Islands in the Pacific were a decent option but posed risks due to human migration routes. Antarctica was another strong contender, especially during glacial cycles—assuming the cold wasn't an issue. The North Pole was also an option, though less favorable compared to the South Pole.
This left the Americas as the most viable alternative. North America was ruled out due to its significant historical impact from the late 18th to the 21st century. South America, as an important population center, was also unsuitable.
That left Central America as the only practical choice. Its strategic importance, particularly the Panama Canal and the potential for constructing another canal through the San Juan River (the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua), made it especially appealing to Aragorn.
Beyond his territorial ambitions, Aragorn had scientific (hobby) objectives: studying and preserving the unique biology of the era.
The Isthmus of Panama, which formed roughly 3 million years ago, was particularly tempting. It had connected the two continents, facilitating the Great American Biotic Interchange, where species migrated between North and South America, reshaping ecosystems on both subcontinents.
Ultimately, Aragorn decided to claim the territory of Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua as his own.
He wasn't overly concerned about the butterfly effect his future empire might have. Humanity only reached the Americas in the later stages of prehistory, and the region was later rediscovered by the Spaniards, who largely razed the indigenous civilizations to the ground.
This meant Aragorn could expand freely without significant historical repercussions, while also securing a rich sample of organic life to study and preserve.
"And when will we start kidnapping hominins?"- Spark asked, double-checking the guidelines they had established before traveling to this Earth.
"It won't be long, I believe."- Aragorn replied.
___________________________________
Hell
In the hellish landscape of eternal damnation, where souls learn to cry, demons learn suffering, and pain is the standard with despair as the goal, in this sulfur-reeking paramo of red and black, blood and sin, four living beings were wreaking havoc.
"GYAHAHAHAHA!"- A dark green—almost black—crystalline dragon laughed as it breathed a black, laser-like flame.
*ROAAAR!*- A demonic being resembling a bear with a human face roared as it tried to fight the death breath with a blast of crimson-black energy.
"Bastkaphorg! Go back or become fertilizer for my territory!"- Wanda used her chaos magic to manipulate the ground into millions of snakes.
The snakes became a tidal wave, attempting to bury another demonic being, this one resembling a demonic skeleton the size of a titan.
"A succubus whore dares to claim the seat of the old devil?"- The demonic skeleton stomped the ground hard, and the blastwave crumbled the tidal wave of snakes.
But before the fight could continue longer...
*VOOMMM!*- A silver lightsaber, covered in void energy, cut through its legs.
It looked down, but it could only catch a glimpse of the speedster responsible for its wound.
"AGHHH! Blasted worm! How dare you aim at the great Bastkaphorg?!"- It screamed, not due to pain, but in rage.
Its legs started to reform before it could fall, but suddenly it found itself lifted by an unseen force and launched into the path of Death's breath.
It flailed and grunted, uselessly trying to shift its flight path, until it was absorbed by the laser of Death's breath.
"Demons tend to be either cunning or idiotic. Guess this one was the latter."- Agatha observed coolly, having used her telekinesis to seize the demonic skeleton and hurl it toward its doom.
"It was slow too. I remember the Old Man said Mephisto was possibly faster than me. This one didn't see me coming."- Pietro quipped, appearing beside Agatha in a blur.
"We should take advantage of The Madame's rampage. Let's send all the minions to her breath."- Wanda suggested, landing beside Pietro with a grin.
Pietro zipped through the armies of demonic minions, his superhuman speed allowing him to decapitate and dismember as he went. Agatha used the chaos to lift the demons from the ground and hurl them directly into the path of Death's breath.
Wanda took charge, engaging the Hell Lords in battle, and buying time for her family to come and assist her. Death, clearly rampaging, was doing her part to disrupt the chaos.
Although it was a reckless strategy, it worked because Death had cut the connection of all Hell Lords to any hell other than this one.
Since no one had claimed the seat of power yet, the more they fought, the weaker they became.
In theory, the current connection to the seat of power should be in Aragorn's possession, but since he died, that connection was lost. But it wasn't a problem, not with Death here.
By the time they bulldozed their way to Mephisto's Castle, they had taken down five Hell Lords. Agatha took this chance to invade their Hells with Pietro and secure their seats of power, for Wanda to later claim.
"A little bit extra, if you ask me."- Wanda mused, her gaze falling on the throne that awaited her.
A throne crafted from bones, coated in living, grotesque flesh, adorned with the severed heads of Mephisto's long-dead enemies.
"YEHAHAHA! Who are you, succubus whore?"- One of the heads cackled, its voice maddened with torment.
"Yeah, devils tend to be like that."- Death said, her voice thick with disdain.
"I couldn't do my work if I had to listen to that nonsense while at it."- Death added, disgusted by the heads.
"W-Was it you? D-Did you kill him?"- Another head whispered, fear and reverence in its tone.
Wanda said nothing. With a swift motion, she waved her hand, sending the heads spiraling into a dark corner of the room.
"HEY! HEEH-HAHAHA!"- One of the heads screamed, its voice filled with manic glee.
"Just ignore them, Wanda. Tormented souls are all crazy."- Death advised.
"Thank you, Madame."- Wanda politely replied, striding confidently to the throne.
With a flick of her wrist, she transformed the grotesque throne into something far more fitting—sleek and elegant.
A rose-gold throne, smooth and pristine, adorned with a luxurious black cushion that matched Agatha's fur.
She sat and took her place as the Hell Lord of the dimension, and a pentagram branded her between her breasts, glowing faintly.
The connection was established, and in that moment, she felt the other five Hells willingly given to her. She immediately annexed them and then used her Chaos Magic to create a sturdier barrier around her new domain.
"Well done, Wanda. That barrier should let you detect incursions easily."- Death nodded in approval.
Wanda accepted the praise and then produced a crystal, one that contained the Ghost Rider Aragorn had sealed before he died last time.
She shattered it, and from the shattered remnants, a man emerged—dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. He had the unmistakable appearance of a biker.
"Argh... *Cough* I feel like... *Cough* I fell from my bike."- The man said amidst coughing.
It took him a while to recover. When he finally did, his gaze fixed on Wanda, ignoring his hellish surroundings.
"Are you my new master? Owner of my leash? At least you're cute, unlike the last two devils."- He replied in a self-deprecating tone.
"At the moment, I am. I planned to renegotiate the terms of your soul contract, if you're up to it."- Wanda produced a contract Agatha and Aragorn had helped her build.
"A new contract? What's wrong with the old one? You can't get better than total obedience, am I right?"- The man joked.
"I'm not a devil. I have no use for your soul's ownership. I'm interested in your services. As you'll find out later on, I'm new to this business of hell ruling, and I need someone who knows the ropes to guide me. Since you were enslaved to the previous devil for hundreds of years, you must have picked up a thing or two, right?"- She asked.
Though the Ghost Rider had signed away his soul less than a decade ago, time flowed differently in Hell. He had spent nearly a thousand years under Mephisto's rule.
"With that naive mentality, you killed that old devil?"- The Ghost Rider asked.
"No, I didn't. My... father did. He gifted me this dimension."- Death arched an eyebrow after hearing the way Wanda referred to Aragorn.
"Your father gifted you a Hell?"- The Ghost Rider asked with his eyes and mouth wide open.
Wanda nodded and nudged his mind to send him a memory. The Ghost Rider was used to this method of communication. Aside from Soul Communication, Mephisto preferred it.
In the memory, he saw the fight of the being Wanda called her father. A monster with numerous eyes and maws, rivers of hair cutting hundreds of devils, claws, blades, and horns far more deadly than anything he knew, and unending stamina to continue fighting for almost three years against a horde of devils.
"In God's name, what is this monster?"- The Ghost Rider whispered in awe.
"My Father."- Wanda said proudly.
"My Husband."- Death replied icily.
Two unsettling replies graced his ears. He looked between Death and Wanda with newfound respect.
No, he didn't fear them. He had spent almost a millennia in the company of the likes of Mephistopheles; he had outgrown fear.
"The new contract... can I see it?"- He asked Wanda.
She floated the contract to his extended hand and gave him a few minutes to go over it.
He understood that Wanda gained nothing from owning his soul, unlike Mephisto, so she wanted to renegotiate.
"So there's no coming back to life, is there?"- He asked.
"You're dead. We don't resurrect the dead unless they died due to our mistakes. So we will allow you to move to the Abeyance after ~300,000 years of service, Earthen years, and have another chance to reach heaven—our heaven."
"It's better than what I had before."- The Ghost Rider said with a grim chuckle.
"All you demand is absolute loyalty... I accept."- That's how dreadful his previous contract was; at least this one had a clear end goal.
He signed the Soul Contract and he was named as the first Duke of Hell.
Taking advantage of the time flow, they spent a few weeks dousing some metaphorical fires. Wanda took this time to start her lessons in Hell Ruling and Death helped her taint her territory to her soul's standards.
When the time they had set was up, they returned to Halo, leaving Blaze—the Ghost Rider—in charge during her absence.
___________________________________
Halo
A few hours after their departure, Death, Wanda, Agatha, and Pietro returned to the Halo.
Aside from the wolf princesses—who were touring the surface—everyone else was gathered in one of the meeting rooms of The Crystal.
While some might call it irresponsible to leave children alone on a prehistoric Earth, it was the prehistoric Earth that needed to be wary of the wolf princesses.
"Emma, were there any problems with the civilians?"- Aragorn asked, referring to the sirens, elves, fairies, flora colossi, and the rest of the biological organisms present in Halo.
"None, though they quickly noticed that the night sky had changed."- Emma replied, her tails wrapped around her.
"You mean because I set the Halo around the moon, or because they realized the Solar System was at a different point in its orbit around the Milky Way?"
"The latter. They're worried about how the position of the stars might affect some of their rituals."- Emma replied.
"You and Spark can help them adjust their rituals. Remind them not to use dimensional magic—universal magic only, please."
"They mostly rely on universal magic and their own reserves, but I'll let them know, just in case."- Emma complied.
"When are we setting The Ark?"- She asked with a glint in her eyes.
"Since The Ark is meant to be the next step following the passing of the believers, we'll set it up once we have believers. I don't think these people even understand the concept of faith at this moment, so not yet."
"~Boooh!"- Emma booed under her breath, bribing her daughter with one of her tails to join in.
"~Boooh!"- Mindee echoed, playing with the new tail in her lap.
"... Why do you want it now? There's not much in it for the time being."- Aragorn asked, ignoring their playful antics.
"I thought about taking Seraph and Spark with me to get things started—buildings, forests, fish, animals, insects, and so on. Without Gaea's blessing, it'll take centuries to get it right, at best."
Aragorn hadn't considered this, given how smoothly things went with the Halo's ecosystem.
"You have a point. I'll set The Ark in a counter-Earth orbit after the meeting."- He relented.
"Yay!"- Emma cheered, high-fiving Mindee, who mirrored her enthusiasm.
"With that out of the way, any questions?"- Aragorn asked, looking around the conference room.
"I have one."- James said.
Aragorn nodded.
"When America was discovered, there were already aboriginal groups in North America—the Aztecs, Navajos, Cherokee, and others. It's been said that these humans arrived in North America from the south, though there are theories about migration through the Bering Strait. Goddess Gaea said it was mostly through the south."
A few nods and murmurs of agreement followed.
"If we establish our theocracy in Central America, won't we be blocking these peoples from ever existing? Wouldn't that disrupt the Estates enough to cause significant ripples in the future?"- James asked.
"We have two options: either we block all migration to the north, or we allow them passage through our theocracy."- Aragorn said.
"If we block them entirely, the Master Chief would have to account for the rippling. It would be laborious but not impossible."- Spark explained.
"If we allow them passage, we'll need to determine the appropriate method."- Seraph added.
"The appropriate method?"- Yao asked, her white tails swaying behind her.
"History shows that when two ways of life meet, they often clash: Europeans and Native Americans, the Islamic Expansion into Europe, Greeks and Persians, Mongols and China, the British colonization of Australia, Rome and Carthage, and even earlier, Neanderthals and Homo sapiens."- Seraph illustrated, projecting historical records as she spoke.
"If we plan to let South American humans migrate to North America, we must prevent their ways of life from clashing with the way of our future believers. I propose establishing two sea routes: one through the Caribbean and another through the Pacific Ocean, keeping them apart. Additionally, we should build two walls, as the Tapón del Darién won't suffice to keep South American humans away from our future theocracy."- Seraph said, pointing at a satellite image of the Isthmus and highlighting the Tapón del Darién.
"Won't building two walls interfere with migratory routes and the biotic interchange, and what about the wind paths?"- Margaret asked.
"And what kind of wall are we talking about here? If it's not durable enough, we'd have to rebuild it every few thousand years. That would get tiring fast."- Daria added.
"I was thinking we could use two scales of Father. He can plant them as the borders, and we enchant them to be out of phase for all life except sapient beings—a wall for sapient life, invisible to everything else."- Seraph suggested.
"These scales would come from when the Young Master is at planetary size, correct?"- Irina clarified.
'My daughter, we can use one of mine.'- Death sent to Seraph, eager to contribute.
"Correct. We could use one from Father and another from Mother. Madelyne, being the grandmaster of enchanting—or as she calls it, Script—can lead the project. It would also be a good learning experience for everyone."- Seraph explained.
"What about the sea? Won't they be able to land on our coasts?"- Slava asked.
"We could create a cognition-interference fog, sustained by a structure similar to the sanctums used for the dimensional shield. It would cause intruders to either get lost or land outside our territory. When the time is right to open our borders for the canals Aragorn plans to build, we just do."- Yao suggested.
"That's a good idea. It wouldn't affect marine life, so we wouldn't need to worry about that front."- Seraph agreed.
"Aragorn, what about Tiamut? When will you start working on that?"- Yao asked, her tone reflecting a deep personal interest.
Having lived a life where the end of the world was always looming, she had a vested interest in Aragorn finding a solution to the Emergence problem.
"I plan to merge my soul with the planet through my concept next week. That should provide me with the best vantage point to start working with Tiamut."- Aragorn explained.
Yao nodded, satisfied.
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask: how exactly are we supposed to ascend?"- Yelena asked.
"... Pfft! A little late to be asking that, no? Hahaha!"- Aragorn chuckled, reaching over to pet one of Yelena's tails.
Standing behind him, Irina gave Yelena an amused glance.
"Hey! It's not my fault. We've been talking about what we'll do and what to expect, but I haven't heard a word about how we're actually doing it."- Yelena grumbled, though she allowed Aragorn to continue petting her tail—she, like the others, enjoyed the way he handled them.
"There are many ways to ascend."- Aragorn began, listing them off.
"You can be born into it. A Skyfather can grant you a divinity seed to nurture. You can study a concept so deeply that it becomes a part of you. You can enhance yourself using artifacts like the Power Stone, the Black Vortex, or rituals—which tend to be sacrificial in nature. You can have a concept bestowed upon you by an Abstract—similar to how Seraph is borrowing one of Noona's authorities. You can steal divinity from a god. Or, you can gather faith in a concept of your choosing and grow your own seed—so long as you have a recipient for the said faith."
"So, the last one?"- Yelena asked.
"Yes. You'll perform actions tied to a concept for the would-be believers. Their faith in you will accumulate in your core and nurture your future divinity seed. When the seed matures, you'll grow your seventh tail."- Aragorn elaborated.
"And these actions—what kind of actions do you mean?"- Yelena pressed, her question holding the attention of everyone except Seraph, Spark, and Death, who already knew the answer.
"Take Seraph and Spark as examples."- Aragorn said.
"Seraph is aiming to become the Goddess of Wisdom and Dreams, while Spark is aiming for Technology and Knowledge."- Aragorn shared with the rest.
The two nodded in affirmation.
"When we meet our 'little savages', Seraph might impart the 'divine blessing' of knowledge about tides, rivers, and mountains, inspiring dreams of exploring beyond their comfort zones."- Aragorn began painting a picture of the future.
"Meanwhile, Spark would 'bless' them with the knowledge of technology to safely follow those dreams—primitive tools, boats, or hunting weapons to ease their lives. The idea is to help them, not solve life for them. At least initially, they must depend on you."- Aragorn reminded them.
"This won't generate much faith at first, especially with a small population. But over centuries or millennia, that faith will snowball into a fully developed divinity seed. So, it's crucial to focus on a concept that's practical for their daily lives or inherently tied to you.
"For you, Yelena, you could choose to become the Goddess of Ice, but it's wise to aim for something intrinsic to their lives or future lives. For example: Parties, Sex, Lust, Love, Alcohol, or anything you know will remain significant even 300,000 years later and that has some connection to you."
Aragorn's words resonated with them, helping them understand what to aim for.
"In Spark and Seraph's case, Technology and Wisdom were their personal choices, with Knowledge and Dreams as logical additions, correct?"- Margaret asked.
"Not exactly, Ms. Carter."- Seraph replied.
"Wisdom was my personal choice, but it would have sufficed on its own since it's eternal in relevance. I chose Dreams because I want to establish a connection to the Astral Realm."- Seraph was aiming for something else aside just ascending.
"In my case, Technology was my personal choice, and like my sister, it should have been enough. But I chose Knowledge due to a personal project involving the Grand Repository of Knowledge."- Spark added.
"I see."- Margaret said thoughtfully.
"So I could choose Leadership as my primary concept, and that would suffice. But I could also seek a complementary divinity, something like... Protection?"- She asked while sharing a glance with her soldier.
"Yes."- Aragorn confirmed.
"But you might have to share that concept with Rogers since he has an affinity for it."- He added.
"Would that pose a problem, Sir?"- Steve Rogers asked.
"No, but you should avoid concepts ruled by higher divinities within our pantheon. In our case, that includes Gaea, Madelyne, and Death. While Noona currently serves as our Goddess of Death, she will pass the mantle to Hela Odinsdottir once I free her back home."- Aragorn explained.
"Why is that, Master?"- James asked.
"Because sharing concepts with a higher-ranking divinity would sideline you as a secondary deity, making your development harder since most of the faith would flow to the higher-ranking divinity."- Aragorn clarified.
"But splitting it between divinities of equal level is acceptable?"- Elara inquired.
"Yes."- Aragorn confirmed.
"A lateral split isn't as unbalanced as a vertical split in the hierarchy. Ideally, it's best not to share concepts at all, but we'll have enough time to help you all reach at least your eighth tail."- Aragorn explained.
"No, my love, they'll probably reach their last tail—the ninth."- Death interjected.
"Eh? Really? That far? Nine tails is on par with Gaea, isn't it?"- Aragorn asked, his surprise evident.
"It's because you plan to move their souls to The Ark after their first deaths, right?"- Death asked for confirmation.
Aragorn and Emma nodded. This had always been the plan: to transfer the souls of the departed into clones so they could lead a second life in The Ark, addressing the population concerns of the Fulgebunt Draconis Imperium.
"So, they'll generate faith during their first life, and then during their second life. After their second death, they'll move to The Abeyance, where they'll produce faith—mostly for Madelyne."- Death continued.
"From there, they'll either descend to your Hell or ascend to your Heaven, depending on the karma accumulated over their two lives and their experiences in Limbo (Abeyance). While in Hell, most of their faith will go to Wanda, but some will still reach the others. In Heaven, most will go to Cosmo, though again, some will flow to the others."- She explained.
"Finally, their souls will reach my realm—as all souls do. Normally, they wouldn't produce faith there—or they do but it has no path to reach their objects of faith—but since you spend so much time with me and are part of their pantheon, their faith will use you as a conduit to reach other connected souls within our pantheon. This cycle greatly increases their chances of reaching nine tails."- Death concluded.
"Nine tails..."- Aragorn's eyes sparkled with both expectation and delight at the thought.
In his mind, a fluffy paradise was assured, he saw himself surrounded by a sea of soft tails and twitching ears, each glistening with an ethereal shine under a golden light.
"~Hehehe!"- Aragorn chuckled like a loon, completely lost in his daydream.
"We've lost the Young Master."- Irina lamented dramatically, placing a hand on his head and running her fingers through his long hair.
"I don't think we can get him back."- Yelena mourned, her voice tinged with faux despair as she joined in, her own hand gently playing with Aragorn's hair.
Death rolled her eyes, but a soft smile curved her lips. She sent a thought directly to him.
'My love, please come back to us.'
"Sorry about that, I got carried away in my fantasies."- Aragorn admitted, snapping back to reality with an amused grin.
"What's the next point on the agenda, love?"- He asked, turning to Seraph.
"About hominins and where to find them."- Seraph replied with a chuckle.
"Ah, right."- Aragorn straightened, his expression turning serious but no less enthusiastic.
"As you all know, modern humans are the result of countless mixes and inbreeding over millennia. I want to take it a step further—artificially selecting beneficial traits and manipulating genetics to see how far our humanity can go."- Aragorn referred to 'our humanity' as the potential humans they'll be in charge of.
"Like how humans bred chickens for better meat and egg production?"- Irina asked, tilting her head thoughtfully.
"Or how they cultivated crops to yield more food."- Yelena added.
"Or even domesticated animals for specific traits."- Margaret chimed in.
"Exactly!"- Aragorn said, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Did you know there used to be humans with yellow eyes? They were hunted by the Vatican because of their supposed ties to Lucifer. And red-eyed humans, too!"- He had heard from Gaea.
"But that's just scratching the surface. Think of all the genetic possibilities that were lost through history. There might've been a gene that made humans immune to cancer, but it could have been lost during the Toba Catastrophe. The potential is endless, and I want to reclaim and explore it."- Aragorn's enthusiasm was obvious.
"Master Chief, are you trying to create High Humans?"- Spark inquisitively asked.
"Sort of, that might be one of the possible destinations, but I don't know yet."- Aragorn answered.
"Young Master, are you sharing this because you want to kidnap not only Homo sapiens but also Homo neanderthalensis?"- Slava inquired.
"Yes, I want to get a sample of breeding pairs of the three current species of hominins."- Aragorn replied.
The Haloans spent the rest of the day discussing and plotting their future course, and that's how their first day on Earth-199999 came to an end.
______________________________________
{A/N:
My P@treon is currently 4 chapters ahead for those interested.
p@treon.com/ExistentialVoid.
}