84 The Choice?

I wake up in a white place. It's just a white plane in all directions. There is nobody there. Am I dead? For real? The great Eris died because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time!? Fuck! 

"AAAHH!" 

While I scream my frustration into the nothingness, I wave my fists at my fate. "Is anybody here!?" 

I get no answer so I sit down to think about my situation. There were the demons and that mortal. Then the crystal fortress shot this red maelstrom at the city and I tried to run. 

I used my power to shield the mortal. Could it be that it was a mistake to save him? Should I have shielded myself? 

What was wrong with me in that moment? Did I feel guilty that it was my fault that he waved his ass at those monsters? 

It's a waste of time to think about it. I can't change the past any more. Just what the hell is this place? 

After getting up I start walking. It feels like an eternity but I arrive nowhere. There is just endless white. 

Hours later I drop to my knees and start crying. Is this really the end? Is that the retribution for my life as a Council member? If I had known I would have tried harder to change something! 

While crying, I fall asleep. 

….. 

…. 

… 

"....Up!" 

*Splash!*

"HIIIIIIIIIIIII! Gggurrrgle...." I awake as ice cold water hits me and I am suddenly under water! I try to differentiate up from down and swim upwards, reaching the surface with just two strokes. 

I am inside a little pond! It can't be bigger than two square metres. Around me is still the endless white plane. 

After crawling out of the ice cold water I start to shiver. What's this shit! Am I in hell? Will something unfortunate happen when I try to sleep? 

"You are awake now?" 

I turn around and see a person behind me on the other side of the pond. He has horns and golden snake eyes. They look creepy and they give me the feeling that he isn't looking at me, but directly at my soul! 

"I will take your stare as a yes and assume that you don't sleep with open eyes." 

The pond disappears and he sits down. Just as I assume that he will fall on his ass a comfortable chair appears under him. 

He stretches his legs and leans backwards with an apparent relaxation in his face. 

"Aaah. I guess this will take a while. So where should we start?" 

"How about what happened and who you are? And where am I?" I glare at the supposed master of this endless plane. 

"Hmm. Well I guess it won't hurt. I will stay civilised as long as you answer my questions. I will give you those answers as a free bonus." 

"You are Eris, a Council member. You were in a city which was attacked by demons. One of our fortresses showed up and cleaned the menace up. You were caught in the crossfire and heavily wounded. 

Your body and your soul. Fortunately or unfortunately for you my men became aware of your presence when you tried to avoid the attack by using a pathway." He scratches his cheek while thinking. 

Then he takes a breath and continues. "They picked you up and brought you to me. My name is Angrod and I am the king of Chimera. Unfortunately for you, I have to inform you that your body was damaged beyond help. But I was able to repair your soul. And now you are here. This is something like my personal soul space. It's similar to the river of souls." 

Shit. I was caught. "How is this possible? If my soul is all right, why is my body dead? Repair it and put me back inside!" 

"That's not possible. A body has something like astral connection points to create a connection with its soul. My magic attacks all levels of existence. Though the physical world is affected less strongly, the astral plane is damaged very heavily. I don't know how to repair the damage to your body. You will have to reincarnate." -Angrod 

I bite into my lip at his words. If he is telling the truth, I am fucked and at his mercy. 

"Now tell me everything you know about the Council, the Spheres, where you hide. ~Everything~" He looks straight into my eyes and it sends shivers down my spine. 

But I wont give up that easily! "Why should I cooperate with you!? I have no guarantees that you will let me go." 

"Oh? But you will cooperate. This whole place exists for cooperation. If you don't talk you will get a new perspective on the word ~pain~." A long row of torture instruments appears to his left. It stretches to the horizon until I loose sight of it. I see everything I can imagine. From an iron maiden to things I never even heard of, nor can I imagine how they are used! 

"And if you still won't talk... then we will work on the word ~humiliation~." A row of BDSM toys and strange costumes appears to his left. He looks at me with a smug grin. 

This pervert! Never! "B...B... Bastard!" I jump at him and swing my fist into his face with all my might. He doesn't even twitch as it impacts. 

I feel my fingers breaking at the impact! It's like I just hit solid steel without any help of magic and with a simple mortal body. 

*~~THUNDER~~*

While I stare shocked at my broken fingers and realize that my powers are gone, a thunderbolt strikes at my position out of the white sky. It came out of nowhere! 

I am flung into the air and hit the ground hard. While trying to get up, I realize that my leg is bend in an unnatural way. And my skin is charred and burnt. It's hurts! Oh it hurts so much! I look with an open mouth at Angrod in his chair. 

He sighs. "I think I already told you that this is my personal space. My word is absolute here. You are nothing. If I wish it you burn. If I wish it you drown. If I wish it you die a thousand deaths while I have a nice evening with my family. So why don't we try this anew?" 

Suddenly I am across from him in a chair and a table with tea and cookies is between us. I check my body, but everything is fine. I am unhurt and my clothes are back in their original state. 

"You see. I gave Tjenemit this chance too and he didn't take it. It had something to do with his pride. But believe me, if I tell you that you will talk anyway sooner or later." He takes a cup of tea and a cookie. Then he places them before me. 

This guy isn't right in his head! "B... B... But it will take you time. And you will never be completely sure if I don't withhold information!" 

He tilts his head. "Oh, they all talk. And they talk about everything. But you are right that it's less troublesome if you talk on your own." 

"Then.... you will give me benefits if I tell you everything on my own!" I have to get a deal out of this somehow! 

"Hm. What benefits?" -Angrod 

"I want to reincarnate into a new body without being tampered with. Then I want to walk my own path." I look him into the eyes and hold the contact. It's hard with those eyes but I manage it. 

"You are a wanted criminal throughout the multiverse. Even if I did that. The other powers would get you sooner or later. I could give you a mortal life without your memories. El Shaddai got that too." He takes a sip from his tea. 

"El Shaddai? How is he doing? Where is he?" I sit up straighter. 

"She is doing fine. No problems." He smiles at me. 

"She...." Oh no... I don't want this pervert to tamper with my reincarnation!!!!!!! 

"I want to keep my memories. I didn't have anything to do with the demons! The rest of the Council got influenced by the Sphere! I realize that now! But I am not involved in this demon and soul eater business!" I really didn't know! 

"Hm. If that's true. What help are you to me?" His tone became dangerous and I remember a few of the rumours I heard out of Asheim! 

"I know locations! Places the others always went to. Hideouts, personal places and habits! I know way more than Tjenemit! I often trailed them when they didn't look. Otherwise I couldn't do my job as goddess of strife and discord." A few anxious moments without answer follow. 

"Why were you in that city with the demons." -Angrod 

"It was pure coincidence. I planned to go into hiding and lay low. I didn't want to be involved because I always work from behind the curtains! But my habits got the better of me. I started to tamper with that world. I didn't talk much to other gods in fear that they would recognize me. And then I was in that city when the demon attack came and your fortress appeared! It was pure bad luck on my side!" Better I talk than getting fried by lightning bolts! 

"And why did you save that mortal?" -Angrod 

Why is he asking such stupid questions? Isn't he interested in the location of the Council? "I... I don't really know. It was kind of my fault that he was there and tried to fight the demons. And then that red maelstrom came down from your fortress. I didn't think and just grabbed him. And then I shielded him instead of me." I look down onto the table. 

"Why?" -Angrod 

"For no reason! I had no time to think!" I stare at him with defiant eyes. 

He furrows his eyebrows and puts his legs on another chair, which appeared out of nowhere. Then he waves for me to continue. 

I talk to him about everything, while I drink tea and eat the cookies which for some reason don't lessen, but reappear after some time. They are really good... especially the ones with chocolate flavour. 

It feels like I told him my entire life story and everything I knew about the Council. 

After hours I stop talking. I don't know what else to say. 

"Hm. I can't let you go completely unscathed. Even though you cooperated and gave some valuable information. It was just plain unlucky for you to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. But such are the workings of the multiverse." He takes a cookie and eats it. 

I sink back into my chair and start brooding. So my gamble was for naught. 

"Do you want to join my society?" -Angrod 

"Huh?" I look at him with the most dumbfounded expression ever. 

"You will reincarnate, but your memories will be sealed until you are eighteen. That will result in a new personality and a new life. And a new family. You will still be a god instead of a mortal. That's the best I am willing to offer you under the circumstances." Angrod looks into the white sky. 

Um. It could be worse I think? I have heard a little about the Chimeran society. There could be a lot worse fates than that. Like the one El Shaddai got! I shudder. "I accept!" 

Angrod smiles at me with a devilish grin. "Good. Welcome to the family! My ~darling daughter~." 

"Daug..." 

But suddenly everything goes dark and I fall into a dark abyss without being able to ask for an explanation! 

Why does it feel like I just made a very bad decision!? Why does it feel like I enlisted for a one way ticket to hell!!!!!