Lord of Benevolence

by mikebreslau

Book 3 of the KMT Trilogy, in 5 chapters. Keiichi remakes Heaven and Hell in his own image, but it doesn't come easily. He finds a new father, a new mother in law, new friends, and a new deity. Rated T for cerebral content.

2. Another Father

The Lord of Benevolence
As told by Morisato Keiichi

Chapter 2 - Another Father

On the last day of the trimester I met separately with Kami-sama in one room and with the other 28 graduates in another. I took the opportunity to present to Kami-sama my so-called "grand plan" for Earth. I wanted his approval in advance because he would probably be getting the credit and the blame from the mortals.

I explained that in my experience insufficient loving during early childhood caused more human misery than all other causes combined. This sounds like an extreme statement, but I had done my research and I could back it up. The concept of my grand plan was simple enough: people who were unwilling or unable to love their children properly from birth through puberty would simply not have any children. I proposed to phase it in over seven generations, or about 150 years, starting with the most severely affection-deprived individuals first.

Kami-sama thought it over for a week, and then he approved my plan with some modifications. It would take longer, and there would be two or more preplanned pauses during which equilibrium could be reached and progress might be evaluated. We were both aware that the plan would cause a major disruption on the mortal plane. He and I would monitor the effects on Earth, and if it seemed to be going awry the scheme would be revised or terminated. The grand plan was officially launched a week later.

In a few years some statisticians noticed the reduction in birth rate. A year later some physicians began to notice it too. The problem gradually got worse (or better, depending on your point of view) with each passing year. Then one day a fertility specialist whose spouse was a psychologist initiated a systematic study of his patients. They finally published a research paper noting that a disproportionate number of affection-deprived people were infertile. This initial study was ridiculed, but it was eventually replicated on a larger scale and the results were unmistakable. The condition was named Affection Deficit Sterility, or ADS for short. The doctors were mystified when they could find no physical cause for the condition.

Although ADS was a worldwide problem, some areas were affected more than others. There were countries where generations of armed conflict had prevented much opportunity for loving, and these were soon in serious decline. Given a choice of making peace or becoming extinct, a remarkable number of mortals chose extinction. To tell the truth, they were hardly missed. In contrast, other societies had a long tradition of caring for their children above all else and these were hardly affected at all.

Other effects of the grand plan included a significant reduction in the (already much too large) human population, with corresponding reductions in pollution, resource consumption, etc. The reduced population would also increase the perceived value of each human life.

There were economic consequences too. The sale of pets increased. Employers had to treat their workers better if they wanted to keep them. On the downside, some major retirement plans were in trouble without an adequate supply of younger contributors. The grand plan was hardly painless, but the alternative was more painful: war, famine, and disease. Kami-sama and I agreed to stretch out the remainder of the plan by another generation. We had already caught the worst offenders.

I seem to have gotten ahead of my story. The fourth trimester of my class was uneventful, except for one significant phone call. My mother called us with some interesting news.

"Keiichi? I think you ought to hear this..."

"Yes, Mom, what is it?"

"This morning I was visiting my friend Nabuko. Her daughter Kimiko and her grandson Hitomi were there too. I had a good time, and I left via your shortcut like I usually do. A couple of hours later I received a phone call from Nabuko. It seems that four-year old Hitomi had asked her, 'How does Mrs. Morisato walk through walls?' Nabuko thought this was funny enough to bear repeating."

"Thanks, Mom, that is very interesting."

"What does it mean, Son?"

"It means we have a very young potential god on our hands."

My family gathered together after work to discuss the situation. Never before had a god candidate been identified at such a young age and there was simply no precedent for handling such a case. We'd have to invent a procedure on our own. The consensus was that for now watching and waiting without interfering would be the best policy. Finally, Megumi came up with a brilliant suggestion. In Japan it was common for families that could afford it to arrange special tutoring or send their children to cram schools so they could get into the better colleges and secure better jobs. Who could do his tutoring better than I? We cast a spell that would notify us when and if Hitomi's parents began to seriously consider such a move. We could more or less relax for a few years. Unfortunately, we still had no policy about how to handle young candidates who were not Japanese.

A few weeks later, during our regular weekend visit, Takano asked, "Can Keiichi teach us how to do magic even though we're mortals?"

Megumi answered before I could, "Yes, of course he can, but I wonder if it's wise. Magicians don't fit well into contemporary Japanese society. Do you really want to have powers that you need to hide?" She had obviously given the question a lot of thought during the later stages of her own training.

"I wasn't thinking of god-level power, I don't think either of us is ready for that, but isn't there something suitable for mortals?" asked Takano.

I tried to answer. "In mortal societies where shamans or witches were expected to practice magic, there were a few common themes. Magic was used for healing, divining, weather control, wealth, love, crop abundance, and the casting and removing of curses. I think we can exclude some of these immediately. You don't need to deal with crops or curses in daily life. It may be unethical to do love or wealth magic, and you two don't really need either of those. Weather control affects a large number of people and can have unintended consequences, such as drought. That leaves healing and divining as potentially suitable subjects. Healing magic sounds like it should be safe, but every physician knows that healing techniques can be misused to cause harm. Any kind of power needs to be used responsibly and wisely."

Keima understood my caution. "You don't want to be the new Prometheus, stealing fire from the gods and giving it to mortals. It can be useful, but it can be destructive when it gets out of control."

"That's a good analogy, Keima. Actually, Megumi is the new Prometheus. She was the one who discovered how mortals can generate magical energy, and made my scandalous career possible."

Megumi said, "I believe that healing and divining would be acceptable. Mom and Dad are good people, and aren't likely to abuse their power."

There was general agreement on this point. I began to train my parents in divining, which is actually ESP rather than magic. We went slowly and cautiously (at least compared to the rate at which I trained my divine students). In a few months they were both adept at finding misplaced keys and lost children. Then I taught them how to use simple healing and restoring spells. They both had an aptitude for this kind of magic. Keima even discovered that a healing spell could be used to recharge a depleted battery.

I considered the possibility of letting magic loose in the mortal world. I quickly realized that it was a terrible idea--humans weren't capable of using their own technology wisely. It would be disastrous to let magical power fall into the wrong hands. Megumi and I would watch our parents to be sure nothing really bad happened.

During the fifth trimester Belldandy noticed a subtle problem enrolling the remaining gods in my classes. Some delicate probing revealed that the difficulty lay not with the course, nor with the results my students were achieving, but rather with me. Many of the holdouts wanted to take the course but they wanted somebody older, or somebody female, to be their instructor. I thought that these concerns could be addressed without difficulty. Belldandy noted the kind of tutor each student desired and grouped together those with similar needs. It wouldn't be hard to give each group a teacher they'd be comfortable with.

As the sixth trimester was ready to begin, I looked over the preferences of the various groups that I would be teaching. There had been a kindly old professor at NIT whom everyone liked and respected. I thought I'd use him as a model for one of the replicas I'd be using. I estimated that he was about 60 years old, so I tried to extrapolate what I'd look like at MDA (Mortal Development Age) of 60 years. I was deeply shocked and upset at what I saw. I muttered, "Rule Two." There was no way I could go to class looking like that.

I let my hair grow to shoulder length and then carefully increased my MDA by one year at a time. At 66 years I achieved a perfect match. I muttered, "Rule Two, and Rule Three too." Except for differences in complexion caused by his being Nordic and I Oriental, the face in the mirror was Kami-sama's!

I spawned a replica at MDA 50 years and left him to cope with the class, while I went looking for my friend and newfound father, Kami-sama. I extended my senses to cover all of Asgard, and found him alone in his meditation garden. I teleported over there because I had no desire to be seen by anyone I might pass along the way.

Kami-sama sighed when he saw me. "I see you've discovered my little secret," he said, "I was unsure if I should tell you because I couldn't predict how you'd react."

I replied, "To tell the truth, Keima, I'm not sure how I might have reacted either. Why don't you tell me about it now?"

Kami-sama explained at length. "Keiichi, you have three parents: your mortal mother and father, and your designer, who now sits in front of you. I'm not your biological parent; you aren't flesh of my flesh the way the three Norns are. But I've had more influence in forming you than your biological parents have had. I have spent centuries planning and designing you and your sister Megumi, and arranging the circumstances that shaped you both into becoming what you now are. I designed your parents, your friends and acquaintances, and your environment. I went to great lengths to make sure that no chance or overlooked element would spoil my design. I'm responsible for all the experiences you had on Earth, even the Lord of Terror incident. You and your sister have been given complementary strengths and abilities, and different but compatible ways of thinking. The extent of your vast powers will gradually become apparent as the centuries pass. You two are and will always be a great team. I'm pleased to say that you two have turned out every bit as well as I'd hoped you would."

I was having trouble absorbing all this at once. "All my friends... Even Belldandy and her sisters?"

Kami-sama shook his head and said, "No, the three Norns were well established when I began planning, but it wasn't hard to adapt my plan to fit them in. You'll remember that it was my direct orders that caused Urd and Skuld to live with you on Earth for years, with nothing better to do than fight with each other. It was my decision to send the child Belldandy to a time and place where she'd meet your younger self. After those few interventions I could let nature take its course with the three goddesses."

That left me with one important question. "Why? Father, what was your motivation for such extensive intervention?"

Kami-sama slumped a bit before replying. "Son, I need the two of you. I need your freshness and energy and optimism. Someday I may need your power too. I've been essentially alone, without really close friends or a peer group for 16 billion years, and always with the responsibility for running a universe that grows steadily larger and more complex. I grow stale, Son, that's worse than growing tired, and I face an eternity of more of the same. I can no longer deal with this alone."

I understood that completely. The mere possibility that I might face a similar fate, eternity without real friends or peers, had driven me to cast my first magic spell and set in motion the events that had brought me here. But now that desperate act appeared to have been part of his master plan.

Kami-sama continued, "I've given you and Megumi the longest period of youthful zest and vigor that I could arrange for, but eternity is a long time. The day may come when you will find yourself designing your own heirs. On that day you may begin to appreciate my motives. I hope you aren't angry, Son."

He stood and embraced me as tears filled my eyes. I said, "I can't be angry, Father, you pulled my claws, remember? You designed me without malice, anger, or hate, but that doesn't mean that I can't feel hurt."

Kami-sama made comforting gestures as he explained. "I had no choice, Son. I've given you powers and abilities that I don't even trust myself to wield. If you could get really angry there's no limit to the damage you might do. Destroying the entire universe would be only the beginning of what you're potentially capable of. You should be able to see the wisdom in pulling your claws."

I shuddered. "I don't need, I don't want, such great power. Absolute power corrupts. I'm better off without it."

Kami-sama smiled. "That's why I can trust you with it, Son."

"Am I going to have any more revelations?" I asked. I wasn't sure how much of this I could take.

He answered, "I haven't planned any more. You've escaped from my programming when you moved to Asgard, and you're now a free agent. Keiichi, you love, honor, and like your mortal parents. Can you find it in your heart to do the same for me? I'll wait for you, however long it takes, because I want--no I need--to be your friend."

He was quoting me now, repeating what I had said to Skuld. After a minute I answered him. "I hope I can, Father, for then we'll both have what we want the most--real friends and a peer group." I had a whimsical thought. "When I made my wish, I thought it was my wish that was being granted. Later I found out that Belldandy thought it was really her wish that was granted. Now you've implied that it was actually your wish that was being granted. Do you suppose that sometime later it will come full circle, and it will turn out to by my future, more evolved, self whose wish was truly being granted?"

Kami-sama chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised. I've seen stranger things than that in my lifetime. Rule Two!"

I stayed with him for a couple of hours more, the two of us sitting silently in his meditation garden. We must have made an interesting sight--near twins sitting together harmoniously without speaking. We both had a lot to think over. Eventually, I resumed my normal appearance and returned home to address my family.

It was just before dinner and everyone was there. It was clear from my demeanor that something important had happened. Urd greeted me with, "Hi, Kei-sama. Why the long hair and the long face?"

I wanted to break the news to them gently if I could. I said, "Conference time, ladies, gather round. Urd, Goddess of the Past, please do a quick scan and see how many people Kami-sama has addressed as 'Son' in recent eons?"

Urd looked puzzled, but it took her only a minute to scan half a million years. Her eyes opened wide with wonder as she answered, "Only you, Keiichi. What does it mean?"

I didn't answer, but I addressed Megumi. "Meg-chan, please show us what you'd look like at MDA 66 years old."

Megumi looked startled, then confused, and then shocked before she manifested. There was a collective gasp from the three Norns. "If this is a joke, it's in very bad taste," quoted Skuld. Can you imagine Kami-sama in drag as a Japanese matriarch?

I manifested my own 66-year old image and explained how I'd made my discovery. Then I projected a replay of my conversation with my designer. This was followed by several minutes of silence as my wives tried to digest the revelations.

I spoke up. "I really don't want anybody else to know, but there's no way I'm going to keep this from my sisters--all four of them."

Megumi was taking it well, all things considered. "So the Norns really are my sisters in a sense! I'd felt as much even before I moved into the temple, but back then I thought it was obviously impossible. But then I thought it was impossible to have three parents. Rule Two..."

Megumi restored her normal appearance, and I followed suit. This time I even restored my normal hair length.

Skuld asked, "Kami-sama referred to you as his heirs. Is he planning to retire?"

I replied, "Skuld, you're the Goddess of the Future, and I can't presume to speak for my father. My guess is that he isn't planning to retire. Just knowing that it's possible for him to do so may be enough of a relief that he no longer needs to. Now he's no longer alone, he has people to share the load with, peers to play with and argue with. It puts him in an entirely different and better situation."

Skuld turned toward Belldandy. "Onee-sama, what's this about your wish being granted?"

Belldandy blushed slightly and replied, "As soon as I met Keiichi as a child, I felt a bond with him. I wanted to be with him as a friend and companion because being near him made me feel good. I didn't know anything about love or mature relationships at that age. When I had to return to Asgard I didn't forget him, and I watched him grow up from afar. I wanted to work in the Relief Goddess Office in case I might have a chance to grant his wish someday. I was hoping he'd want me to stay with him. When I heard his wish I was delighted, as if my dream had come true."

Skuld looked remorseful. "Oh Belldandy, I'm so sorry. When his wish was granted I didn't know anything about love either. I thought he was forcing you to stay with him, and you thought it was the other way around. You each wanted to be with the other. I never even suspected... I've been such a fool." She began to sniffle.

Belldandy hugged Skuld and tried to reassure her. "Skuld, let it go. Keiichi and I have both forgiven you. You really wouldn't want to be born as an adult because there's so much that's valuable in childhood that you'd miss. Remember that children can't be expected to understand adult feelings. The important thing is that you do understand now, and we both love you, and you love both of us. What could be better?" Skuld looked relieved.

I continued Belldandy's thought. "Skuld, don't you see that it's not your fault? Kami-sama wanted you to behave the way you did, and made certain that you had no choice. He used you to further his own ends. You're without blame, but you don't seem to be able to get over feeling remorseful. Would you like my help with that?"

Skuld brightened further. "Can you really do that? What do I have to do?"

"Just stay still for a minute."

I went into her brain and weakened the strength of selected synapses without actually removing them. Then I moved to the psychic level and removed a portion of the shame she had been feeling. I only took away about 30 of her discomfort, because I had offered to help, not cure. I loved Skuld the way she was, and I was afraid of changing her personality, but I didn't want anyone I cared for to suffer so much needless distress.

When I was finished Skuld thanked me. "I think I can deal with the rest myself, Kei-sama. Thank you very much. Where did you learn to do that?"

I grinned and produced a little yellow book entitled "Brain Surgery for Dummies." Skuld groaned appreciatively. I went over and hugged her, and we embraced as adult lovers do. Then for good measure I hugged my other wives, one at a time. We all had a lot to think about that night.

One day during the sixth trimester I sensed a disturbance outside after class. I went to investigate, wearing the female body I was using for this session. I found two of my students arguing. The goddess Fieara was having a problem with the young god Aeton about the location of the latter's red convertible. I did a double take. It was a very nice red convertible, a two-seater with beautiful sporty lines. He could have sold thousands of them on Earth, but it was totally inappropriate in Asgard. Rule Two.

When he saw me coming Aeton drove off amid simulated exhaust and engine sounds and the convertible was soon flying out of sight. Talk about impractical! Combustible fuels weren't permitted here, and there were no roads, so Aeton had to power the car with his own energy. With a small shock I realized that I had been looking at a grown-up child's toy.

I asked Fieara if she'd mind telling me what this was all about. She said, "Oh Sensei, that guy can be such a baka (fool) sometimes. His domain is Traffic, but he's developed a passion for cars. I don't mind his playing with cars, but he keeps trying to park his car in my..." She stopped and turned a delicate shade of pink--a rather pretty sight. "Oh! Do you think he's trying to tell me something?"

I realized that I was unsually qualified to advise her. In my years with the auto club at school I had encountered many similar types of young male behavior, and my extensive multi-gender experience had given me a unique perspective.

"Fieara, guys don't think the way we do, and it's harder for them to develop social skills. On Earth many young men use cars to bolster their self-esteem or to try to increase their confidence. It doesn't work too well because self confidence is inside of them and their cars are outside of them, but they keep trying and hoping. Aeton's behavior suggests that he has a feeling of attraction towards you that he doesn't know how to express appropriately, and might not even be aware of himself. This isn't uncommon in males at the threshold of maturity, who have little social experience and aren't yet sure who they are themselves."

"Sensei, how can a guy have feelings and not be aware of them? If you don't feel them, how can they be feelings?"

"You haven't spent much time as a male, have you? You should try it for a while just for the educational experience. Men have feelings, but they're wired differently, with more filters to pass through before they become aware of them. Don't give up on Aeton just because he's young. Many men become quite civilized when they mature and become more experienced."

"But what can I do now?" Fieara asked plaintively.

"Go for a ride in his convertible. It's the one place where he can't put his car in your way. He may feel secure enough in his car that the two of you can actually talk and get to know each other. If you find you like him, his boorish behavior will probably stop because he has your attention at last. If you don't like him, you'll be able to tell him how much distress he's causing you. If you'd like, Keiichi-kun could have a little talk with Aeton to get his side of the story and straighten him out a bit."

Fieara smiled. "I'd appreciate that. Thank you, Sensei."

This incident was my first experience as a relationship counselor, a role I've played many times since then.

---

After the seventh and eighth trimesters were finished, I was a free man. Megumi was also relatively free, having gotten Yggdrasil into decent shape. The computer bugs weren't all gone, but they were definitely on the endangered species list. Hitomi was still too young to need tutoring, the grand plan for Earth was slowly making progress without day by day attention, and it was time to begin my next major project. I'd need some help on this one. While I would be doing most of the work, I wanted to be sure I was completely prepared before I started. It was time to tackle the demons.

I called a meeting, inviting Kami-sama, Megumi, and all of the former demons in Asgard: Mara, Deiko, Phoko, and a slender god who went by the name Setun. I began the meeting with, "I've an ambitious project planned. I want to rescue the Lord of Terror and reeducate him, bring him over to our side. He'll have the responsibility for reforming the other demons, with my help, if needed. I want whatever advice and support you can give me, but I also need your help in training and preparing for this mission."

Kami-sama radiated pride and approval. He would help however he could. Megumi and most of the former demons were astonished. My idea was too audacious for words.

Mara was delighted. "You're really going through with it? Wow! How can we help?"

I tried to explain what I wanted. "The Lord of Terror is a very powerful demon. He may not be more powerful than Kami-sama, but I don't want to underestimate him. The Lord can be expected to be subtle, devious, and surprising. I don't want to be surprised, and I want to be ready for anything he might try. I plan to spend several months training. I want Kami-sama and Megumi to be my sparring partners--powerful opponents who'll try to defeat me in combat. I'd like the rest of you to be advisors on demon psychology. If you feel comfortable doing it, you could mentally link with my sparring partners and advise them how a demon might react in a particular situation. If any of you feel uncomfortable in the role I've suggested, you'll be excused with no hard feelings. I know I'm asking a lot of you, but I'm also asking a lot of myself. After three months we'll have another meeting to assess my readiness. When we all agree that I'm ready I'll put the plan into execution, and not before."

There was a buzz of excitement. Some of the former demons were disturbed at the prospect of returning to a way of thinking they thought they had left forever. Others waxed nostalgic, and looked forward to reuniting with demon friends they hadn't seen in a long time. Everyone agreed to pitch in, with various degrees of enthusiasm. We would begin the next day at a remote site I had selected for this purpose.

We met the next morning in a mood of anticipation. I explained that I'd have three non-participating replicas some distance away as a safety precaution. Should anyone succeed in destroying me completely I'd have some spare selves to carry on. My "opponents" might be wise to do likewise. We wouldn't be pulling any punches. My sparring partners faced the delicate task of deciding who would be linking with whom. They'd be working intimately with their former demon advisors, and it would be best if all parties were comfortable with the arrangement. Mara and Megumi were soon paired, and Setun was comfortable with Kami-sama. After a period of experimentation Phoko joined Megumi's team and Deiko joined Kami-sama's team. I'd be sparring with one team in the morning and the other in the afternoon. It promised to be a long day for me.

My task was complicated by my essentially pacifistic nature. I'd go to great lengths to avoid hurting someone if I could. That meant I had to be able to decisively beat a powerful opponent without harming him. Talk about tough assignments!

Megumi was on first, while the other team planned their strategy in the background. She began with a physical attack using an enchanted sword. Physical attacks rarely work against entities at our level. I made no effort to block or dodge her sword, but let it pass harmlessly through me without meeting any resistance. She was surprised because the spell on the sword was supposed to ensure its effectiveness. She was even more surprised when the sword seemed to develop a will of its own and began attacking her. She quickly saved herself by banishing the sword.

Megumi tried a psychic attack next, hitting my shields from several directions at once. After a strenuous effort she succeeded in cracking my shield only to scream in frustration. I had another, stronger, shield inside the outer one! Now I turned the tables and began attacking her shield while maintaining my own. She teleported behind me and attacked from the rear. My offense and my defense tracked her, and she gained no advantage.

Megumi used magical attacks next. Force bolts and lightning only made me stronger as I absorbed their energy. She was expecting that, so she had prepared an energy-sucking spell that would transfer all of my mana to her. I modified her spell in mid flight. It still got my energy (I didn't really need it anyway) but transformed it to water before delivering it to her. Megumi was soaking wet!

"Onii-sama, that's pretty slick," she said.

"No, you're pretty slick," I replied, and added a little detergent to the water to make it slippery.

The rest of the morning continued like that. Neither of us could get a decisive advantage over the other, but it became clear that the odds were in my favor. We were both glad when the midday break came. The Norns had come as spectators and Belldandy brought lunch for everybody. We rested a bit after eating, then the Norns repaired the damage we'd done to the scenery and it was time for the afternoon session.

Kami-sama began with a fierce multi-pronged attack. On the physical plane he hit me with hot dense plasma straight from the interior of an active star. On the psychic level he was pressing me from three directions at once with tremendous force. On the magical level he used a constricting stasis field intended to paralyze and crush me. I took over the stasis field and used it to confine the plasma. I allowed a small opening to direct a stream of the stuff at my opponent. Then I made my mental shield slippery and altered its shape somewhat. His mental thrusts slid off my shield and into each other, knocking all three away from me. We grinned at each other appreciatively. It promised to be an interesting afternoon.

Kami-sama had been taking "demon" lessons. He next tried to possess me, something he wouldn't normally think of doing. I responded by simply resisting and repelling his effort instead of trying something more sophisticated. I wanted to see how great an effort of this kind I could resist because I was sure the Lord would try it sooner or later. My opponent and I were fairly well matched, we were both novices at this, but I did manage to keep him out.

Now it was time for me to go on the offensive. How could I defeat an opponent without hurting him? Try a spoonful of sugar, or rather a large pitcher of honey. I covered Kami-sama with a layer of the sticky stuff and added some ants and gnats for a further distraction. Naturally this was no ordinary honey. It resisted all efforts to remove or transform it, and Kami-sama found he couldn't escape it either. The bugs were equally persistent. Neither psychic nor magical attacks would affect or get past the sticky barrier.

After ten minutes of futile efforts to escape he gave up. "Keiichi, how do I get this stuff off me? I'm pretty well neutralized and uncomfortable too."

"There are two ways that I can think of," I replied, "You could ask me politely, or you could try eating it. It's nutritious, and so are the insects."

My designer shuddered a bit and tentatively tasted his left arm. "It's good!" he said.

His tongue elongated to a meter and a half in length, and we were soon treated to the sight of the ruler of the universe licking himself in places no one had ever licked himself before. I could hear a bit of quiet giggling from the spectators.

"This is going rather slowly," he complained.

"Well I'm in no hurry," I replied, but I removed the remaining honey with a wave of my hand.

An hour later Kami-sama tried to possess me again. He promptly found himself in possession of a cherry tree, while I stood nearby and admired the blossoms. Muttering something about a "blooming idiot," Kami-sama animated the tree. It grew thorns and reached out towards me. In moments the tree was embracing a marble statue, while I had become a large number of small bees and was trying to get intimate with the flowers.

We called a halt when the afternoon drew to a close. We were all tired by now, even the spectators. This had definitely been an unusual experience for all of us. Kami-sama surveyed the scenery and suggested that from now on we use a private universe for our practice sessions. It took all of us 40 minutes to repair the damage that had been done.

Kami-sama joined my family for dinner that night. He was certainly welcome. I was glad we could remain friends after a long day of combat. Conversation was lively as we compared notes and reviewed the day's events.

Addressing Megumi and Kami-sama, I said, "You know I really don't want you to pull your punches. The Lord of Terror certainly won't."

They looked at each other, puzzled. Megumi asked, "What makes you think we were pulling our punches?"

I was confused. "I didn't get hurt or injured today, yet logically I should have. That plasma attack should have burned me before I had time to react to it, yet it didn't even singe my clothes. If you weren't protecting me, I don't know why I got off so easily." To Kami-sama I said, "Designer, is there something you haven't told me? Invulnerability perhaps?"

He shook his head. "Wasn't in my plans. I can't explain it."

After dinner Belldandy asked, "Kei-sama, would you like a nice relaxing bath to relieve your fatigue?"

"Sounds great," I replied.

With a grin she announced, "I've prepared just what you need" and lead me to a room that had been equipped with a four-meter diameter tub filled with incandescent boiling lava.

"That's just what I needed," I declared, and I vanished my clothes and approached the tub. "Feels nice," I said as I tried it. I stepped in and submerged until only my face showed. "No, it feels wonderful," I corrected, "Want to join me?" The density and viscosity of the lava made it feel more refreshing than a water bath. Life is full of surprises.

Belldandy disrobed, an act that has never failed to get my attention. Then she began to apply a protective spell. "Bell-chan, try it without a spell first. You can always add one later if needed," I suggested.

Belldandy looked skeptical, but she cautiously approached the tub. Since she still felt no discomfort, she gingerly placed one toe into the boiling lava. She smiled with surprise and immersed herself up to her shoulders.

"It feels very nice. Kei-sama, do you know something you're not telling me?"

"I have my suspicions," I replied, "but I'm not telling anyone for a while yet."

Soon everyone had joined us in the bath. Urd and Skuld needed protective spells for comfort; Megumi and Kami-sama didn't. Everyone was surprised at how good it felt. We had started a new custom, which persists to this day.

Belldandy made a suggestion. "I think we made a mistake today by not inviting our four advisors to join us. They may not be family, but they're making a valuable contribution to our effort. We should support them and show our appreciation as they try to perform the difficult trick of being demons by day and gods by night." We all agreed.

The next day we gathered at the former practice site. I began by apologizing to the former demons and invited them to join us after "work" for an evening of relaxation. Phoko had other plans, but the other three accepted. We then created a private universe about the size of the solar system and teleported inside. Combat was noticeably fiercer than before because we had had more time to get ready and were more experienced.

After five days of one-on-one combat we dropped the prohibition on bilocation. Soon we resembled a small crowd, having three to nine replicas per side. Four days later things got really hectic, as Megumi and Kami-sama would challenge me simultaneously. We had a real melee going. Sometimes it was more than I could handle, and they managed to pin me down, but I usually managed to wiggle free quickly. A week later a particularly memorable incident occurred.

Kami-sama and Megumi (four replicas in all) had managed to bind me (only one replica) so that I couldn't move or cast a spell when suddenly I vanished. They searched for me with all the senses at their disposal and got conflicting answers--I seemed to be nowhere and everywhere simultaneously. Then my opponents found themselves confined by enormous forces and pressures, as if they had tried to sit on a black hole. After half a minute of this Kami-sama shouted, "greenword!" (our prearranged cease and desist signal) and I promptly released them. I reappeared and hurried over to be sure they were all right. No permanent damage had been done, but it was more uncomfortable than I had intended.

Kami-sama sat up and asked, "Just what did you do, Son? That was incredible!"

"I just thought of it right now, Father," I answered, "I became the space-time fabric of the universe."

He nodded. "I felt as if the universe itself was attacking me, and it really was. You're quite a formidable foe even if you're a pacifist. I guess this is what I get for designing a son who's endlessly inventive."

On the day before the meeting that we had scheduled in order to evaluate my readiness the most significant event of all occurred. I had once claimed that I could divert all of the magical power in the Demonic Source and put it to my own use. I had never actually tested this claim. We had let it be known throughout Asgard that on this day, during a specified hour, there might be a brief "power outage" and the deities weren't to count on continuous availability of external mana during this time. Naturally this caused a major stir and excitement--no one had ever even considered such a feat before.

Megumi and Kami-sama tried their best to keep me from completing this trial in order to simulate realistic battle conditions. Despite this, I still could partially tap the Divine Source and use its power to form a shield around myself so that I could work undisturbed. I had no intention of directing that enormous energy directly; instead I used some of the mana to construct a first stage spell that would use a larger portion of the power to construct a second stage spell that would seize all the remaining mana flow and direct it as I wished. In this indirect way I could greatly amplify my own power and still be protected from being burned out by the forces I was directing. I used the resulting power to place my opponents in stasis. They couldn't even think a new thought; all they could do was note the passage of time. After half a minute I dropped the stasis field and carefully released the Divine Source.

I was shaking when it was over, not from fatigue or jubilation but from revulsion. "No one should ever wield so much power," I declared.

Kami-sama gathered himself together and sent me a shielded thought ::Better get used to it, Son.::

He and Megumi were unhurt, but we were all glad that my combat training was essentially over. None of us ever want to go through that again.

Mara approached me with a very strange look on her face. She dropped to her knees and bowed low before speaking. "My Lord, grant thy servant a boon. Teach me a word that I can use to describe this accomplishment. The words that I know, like 'awesome' or 'incredible,' seem wholly inadequate." Mara was still thinking like a demon.

I gently raised her to her feet and gave her a comforting hug. Then I stepped back and addressed the entire group. "Look at me. I'm Morisato Keiichi, born of mortal man and woman not that many years ago. I'm not that different from you--I have needs and feelings much the same as you do. I don't want to be revered any more than I want to be reviled. I wish you could accept me as I am, just an ordinary guy trying to cope with some extraordinary abilities. I try to act wisely, to do more good than harm, and to have a little love and pleasure in my life. Sometimes I fall short and don't do as well as I might have. Isn't the same true of you all? Please don't distance yourselves from me because of what I've done. Like anyone else, I need friends, acquaintances, and lovers."

To Mara I added, "If I ever find the word you want, I'll be sure to let you know."

The "power outage" hadn't gone unnoticed in Hell. The demons could sense a temporary change in the very fabric of creation, but they couldn't identify the cause or the nature of the change. Already demoralized by the loss of their leader and rendered nearly impotent by the enhanced magical skills of the Megami, the demons were aware that unknown and powerful new forces were loose in the world.

That afternoon Onna-Keiichi visited all four of our advisors simultaneously. Using my female form increased their comfort level because she was a more sympathetic figure than my male self was and she was also one step removed from the man whose achievements were so unsettling. She tried to comfort and support them as they readjusted to being full time gods again. It's not at all easy being a part time demon after you've made the decision to leave all that behind you forever. I'm glad I did that, it was the right thing to do.

The next day we held my readiness evaluation meeting. It was quite brief. Setun suggested that I was "overqualified."

Deiko said, "I almost feel sorry for the Lord of Terror, but I know from personal experience that he'll be much better off once he adjusts."

Mara was excited. "I want a piece of the action. This promises to be interesting."

"I was hoping you'd say that," I replied, "It will be good to have you with me." I also wanted Megumi to be available. I thanked the rest of the group for their time and effort and dismissed the meeting.