Author notes: Thanks to the people who took time to review the last chapter or the story in general. So far, my muse is full of ideas, if a bit whimsical.
I hope you will enjoy this chapter.
- Gile's flat, Sunnydale, Sunday 6 November 2011, 19:47 -
Rupert Giles was going through some documents he had just received via email. He sometimes thought that fifteen years earlier, he would have been able to avoid computers a lot more and would probably have considered them infernal machines. In the era of smartphones, it had however just become too convenient to ignore. Oh! He still preferred his books, and the Moloch incident the year before had decidedly shown him some of the dangers of mixing computers and magic… and then, Nidhogg and Yggdrasil.
The possibilities offered by the magical computers created by the Shedim and the Elohim were simply flabbergasting. But to him, the history of their development was even more fascinating. With a little help from Jenny 'Vapula' Calendar, he had read varied accounts from the planet that was more and more referred to as Earth-N by the Sunnydalers, while their own planet was Earth-S and the Earth linked to the Spirit World was Earth-T. Giles had quickly deduced that T stood for Tupsimati and Jenny had given him the key for the S and N. They stood for Sunnydale and Nekomi, two cities that respectively existed on one Earth but not on the other.
In the accounts from Earth-N, Giles had read about the construction of the Styx network and the reasons that pushed Hild to develop the technology, while the Elohim did the same with the Ma'at network on their side. From his own personal experience, he knew all too well how the fear of repeating past mistakes could push someone to take drastic measures. When said mistakes had resulted in a planet's destruction, taking steps to prevent it was commendable… but there was of course the issue of the nature of those steps.
Giles could see how horrifyingly easy it would be to use the network technology to create a hive mind. He could even more easily see the Elohim, as a species valuing the group so much, being tempted to consider it a logical way to enforce harmony, all for the Greater Good. However, none of that had happened, due to a mix of cultural factors and the personalities of Hild and Odin.
The Shedim created Styx to record and magically enforce oaths and contracts, cementing for good what had always been a cornerstone of Shedim tradition, both for Hild's subjects and in Deamonea. On the other side, the Elohim used the Ma'at network to enforce honesty, again a trait important for both Odin's people and the ones of Angelea. Of course, there were some cultural differences in how to interpret those values. As much as biology created similar responses, the environment had been different, and traditions adapted. There had however been enough common points for all Spirit Worlders to consider the restrictions imposed by the networks acceptable or even desirable.
Giles had read how the colonies stabilized thanks to it and how improvements made on the networks had Styx become Nidhogg and Ma'at Yggdrasil. One day, the two species realized that, by working together, they could create magical energy and use the two networks to empower themselves. The possibilities of the networks were improved even further as the two species grew in power and wisdom. Immortality was soon obtained and then godhood. The linked networks and their users had become the arbiters of their reality. The Shedim and the Elohim of Earth-N called that moment Apotheosis.
Giles also knew that Apotheosis had not been a moment of supreme hubris or just the natural conclusion of an evolutionary process. No, the whole reason the networks had been created was because the two people had not forgotten Glorificus, and how the dark goddess had used their weaknesses until it cost them their home world. Giles had to admit that he found their determination eminently commendable. Rather than despairing, those Shedim and Elohim had put their hopes in using their remaining resources to send their children away while they denied Glorificus the prize she was looking for. He also understood why they had searched for divinity. They had wanted to be ready to defend their new home when Glorificus would come for them.
Giles knew that this fear was still there for most of the Shedim of Elohim 'born' during Halloween, multiplied by the fact that there were more supernatural factions on Earth-S. To protect this new colony, they needed the networks and the power that went with them. Thankfully, from their point of view, they also had all the knowledge that Hild and Odin's generation on Earth-N had to painstakingly discover by themselves. A new seed of Yggdrasil had been planted and a new Nidhogg hatched. They were growing fast.
As someone with an alter ego from the Spirit World, Giles knew all too well that Remy, the spirit of the Tupsimati, had been involved in the events of Halloween. He knew that what happened to Sunnydale owed nothing to chance. Higher powers wanted them to be here. There was simply no way that they had not known that rushing for Apotheosis would be the logical response of the Sunnydalers. In fact, Giles had used some of the divination spells known by Malphas and all signs converged: Apotheosis was the reason they were here. As a Watcher, he also knew that such an event had already happened once, when the Old Ones had lost their purchase on this reality. This realization had forced him to think rather deeply about his current situation.
He was taken out of his thoughts by the bell. He made a gesture, activating a spell he had cast on a nearby mirror and had it display his floor's hall. He could see Buffy, Willow and… he felt his heart beat a little faster at the sight of the third girl in the group. She was the person he had made sure to avoid in the last few days, not trusting his feelings if he saw her. Not that it would be anything indecent but, to a part of him, Vine was a granddaughter he loved dearly. He smiled, shaking his head as he saw that Willow was looking straight at his magical sensor, pointing at the bottle of single malt she was holding. He rose and went to open the door.
"Good evening, Giles," said Buffy while Willow and Vine waved, somewhat timidly in Vine's case, behind her. "Do you have some time to chat? Some things happened and I think we cannot delay that anymore."
"Yes, I think we need to," he replied, having reached a decision. "I would have expected Xander as well, however."
"Eh… he's fine, but rather busy currently," replied Willow with a saucy grin.
He raised an intrigued eyebrow and let them in, sticking to the non-verbal invite routine he was so used to.
"How busy?"
"That's part of the stuff that happened today," replied Buffy as they came in. "You remember Ampata?"
"Yes… the mummy's remains were taken away by the Museum's people from what I remember."
"Yes, to Chicago. Xander went there this morning and resurrected her… and I mean exactly that, not reanimated her again as an undead mummy. I mean the full divine miracle kind of resurrection."
Giles blinked. Thanks to Malphas, he was now a several centuries-old, accomplished sorcerer and he knew the difficulties behind such a feat. It was not that the principles of the act were complicated, but the energy expenditure was enormous, provided you could properly repair the body and get the soul back from the afterlife beforehand. That last point could very well become a heroic quest in itself.
"I did not think that our Yggdrasil would allow for so much already."
"You're globally correct, but Xander had two big trump cards in this case," said Willow. "First, Ampata's soul was still lingering around because of the curse, so no need to fetch her in the afterlife. The body was in pieces, but that's where the second big trump card comes in: Xander's father is now Anpu. So, a resurrection…"
"Is a matter the god of mummification knows very well how to perform, and he can minimize the cost. He guided Xander?"
"More helped him with the technical part, like repairing the body or putting back together the parts of her soul missing because of the curse. I said Xander did it because he was the one to breathe life back into her… yep, awakened the princess with a kiss," said Willow with a slightly lecherous grin that the Watcher knew she owed to her alter ego. "Anyway, she's spending the night under observation at the hospital and he's staying near her. I think the main problem is that she's currently a healthy Incan girl from before the Spanish colonization. They have to make sure she does not catch some twenty-first century bug."
"As for the curse, it's fixed. What I can say without breaking my word is that Mom and I were in Peru this morning. If you want to know the details, you will need to ask to be put on the Sebancaya dossier in the Dark Cabinet. I know you're disappointed that I don't tell you everything about it, but… politics. And this is exactly what we are here to talk about," added Buffy, raising her hands in a placating gesture.
Giles nodded. On the first of November, Joyce had asked him to join the Dark Cabinet as a Tribune in charge of Deamonea affairs. He had accepted due to a will to have an insight into what was happening mixed with Malphas pushing him into it. As he started to receive documents and took part in dedicated sessions, he realized that this was going to become full-time work. All the considerations about dealing with external factions and the grand plans of some higher powers he had been musing about before the teens' arrival were of course part of it, but the main issue was in fact a lot simpler: he was now a minister in the government of a burgeoning state.
"I heard from Dad that the first full Dark Cabinet session is tomorrow," said Vine. "We want to help you prepare for it."
"I know the Princes and Envoys you will have to deal with. I can tell you who you can trust. Willow can help by giving you insights on how the Heaven side is going to react and Vine…"
"I am here as family, grandfather," said the teen, looking at Giles straight in the eyes. "I know the consequences of the Native Bond Act and I'm grateful for it. Thanks to it, my bonds with Mom, Dad, and my sisters are still there. But I do not want the bond between you and me to disappear either. I… hope you will accept it."
Giles could see the tears pooling in her eyes and thanks to Malphas, he knew her well enough to know there was no deceit there. His Giles part thought about all the broken bonds with his birth family, wounds that happened long before Halloween and how he had started to make new ones since his arrival in Sunnydale. And now… now he had to deal with the love Malphas had for his family, the sorrow he felt when Vine's parents died and how much he doted on her and had been happy for her when she found true friends in Raim and Pam.
Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly felt arms hugging him and a head leaning against his chest. Looking a bit down, he saw Vine's so maddeningly familiar black hair and cute ram-like horns.
"Please, grandfather, don't become a stranger," said the she-devil.
Feeling all the fatherly concerns that he had often felt about Buffy pool with Malphas's love for this granddaughter, he hugged her back. What was happening right now reminded him of the many testimonies he heard when talking with people in town. Every time, as difficult as going through the change had been, once they had time to reflect on their situation, they had come to the conclusion that their alter ego had brought them something they needed. All of them would be very hesitant about going back. Among other things, Buffy had found a new balance in her life, Xander loving parents and Willow sisters she loved dearly.
Really, it's not a surprise that in a town like Sunnydale, a place with so many broken souls, bonds born from love and family was a thing so many of us craved…
They went to sit in the living room, Vine next to Giles on the couch while Buffy had taken a chair from the dining table and sat backwards on it. Giles noticed that Willow had materialized glasses and started to pour whisky from the bottle she brought.
"First, a little legal point," said Willow as distributed the glasses and then 'sat' almost decadently in levitation. "We may have omitted to tell Sacramento or Washington about it, but Sunnydale has technically seceded from the United States last week and our local laws say that alcohol is fine for us teens… not that we can get drunk anymore with that anyway. Speaking of laws, Malphas surely had reservations about the Native Bond Act, right?"
"Not as many as you may think," replied Giles. "Most devils are what you could call ascended nature spirits and becoming a devil is more a question of career choice for them. Also, several do not choose a humanoid form when ascending. Marriages happen, but natural born devils like Vine or Malphas are rare. Keeping the pre-Halloween family bonds was in the end what would cause the least damage, even if I heard it created some difficulties on your side with integrating our angels."
"You know how Elohim are, lots of bad cases of groupthink," replied Willow with a shrug. "Things will settle down once everybody has found their place in the new Grand Scheme Of Things. Thankfully, we have some big figures helping, with varying degrees of subtlety."
"Yeah, I heard from Baal that Mikael started some heavy training for the Valkyries and the Einherjar," snickered Buffy. "Guess she's going to make them too exhausted to even think about it."
"Aunt Michelle can sure be a bit… intense," added Vine. "I think we can all agree that bonds, old and new, played a major role in how the situation evolved in the last days. This brings me to a point that concerns all of us from Deamonea. Dawn officially changed her name to Leviathan Darkflame. I mean, changed it in the Nidhogg records."
"Good Lord," replied Giles as he started to clean his glasses.
Having helped to set up Nidhogg, mostly by providing advice about local magic either directly or through his books, he knew exactly what changing one's name in a Nidhogg record meant.
"As you can see, my sister just endorsed the Native Bond Act," said Buffy. "She also mentioned that she intended to fully own her nascent divinity and that's why she chose 'a real demon name'."
"I see… I cannot really fault her for that. If I read the signs correctly, Apotheosis is what is expected of us."
"Mom thinks the same… Giles, you really need to get more involved with her government, but there is a reason why some people don't trust you."
"They wonder about my loyalties," he replied, feeling Vine tense next to him. "The situation in the Watchers' Council is complex but I readily admit that too many of us are too tradition-bound. Faced with an unprecedented event like the one we're going through… the temptation of returning to the status quo ante, no matter the price, is great. This is definitely something that will have to be dealt with and I will suggest a plan to contact some of the more reasonable Field Watchers.
"As for me… the Higher Powers who arranged this did their work well, tempting us not with mere wealth but with far more valuable things," he added, putting his hand on Vine's shoulder, which she soon covered with her own. "You have my word that I did not renew any pre-Halloween oath to record them in Nidhogg and have no intention of doing so in the future. The situation was too complex for me to act rashly, and prudence is thankfully a trait that Malphas and I have in common. The things I have learned in the last few days, however, make it clear that what is happening here is too important for me to squander an opportunity to change things for the better. I am sorry that this led to misunderstandings and will clarify the matter with the Dark Cabinet tomorrow. "
"Well… kind of anticlimactic?" said Willow, looking at Buffy, who shrugged in response.
"I suppose you two had prepared a full strategy to convince me to defect to the Dark Side?" asked Giles with a smile while he made the whisky in his glass swirl.
"I even prepared cookies!" said Willow with a giggle as she materialized a plate.
"Gr…" started Vine, obviously hesitating.
"I would be happy if you continued to call me Grandfather, Vine," replied Giles with a kind smile.
"Grandfather," replied Vine with a radiant smile. "Dad said that if you want to, there is a place for you in our House."
"You becoming a Morningstar would be an elegant solution to clarify matters," said Willow. "You wouldn't be the only one doing that by the way. If I tell you Aregna…"
"Also known as Girsu Ninurta, a chief of the angels in the Spirit World and, as Vine here knows very well, deceased during the events of the Renewal Ceremony… not that it would stop Remy from using his soul," replied Giles with a sigh. "Yes, I know he is here."
"So, I was chatting with Taweret earlier today and she told me that he officially joined the Pesedjet. As usual with the Elohim, it means a lot of she… sorry, followers, are going to follow his example. By the way, Pesedjet means more to us than the original Heliopolis Ennead. It's more like one of your Hell Compacts and the entrance criteria in this case is to adhere sincerely to Atum's philosophy. They're pretty chill and they don't frown on interspecies romance… and I heard Aregna may have a thing for a certain she-devil PE teacher."
"Lizyerra is actually a fallen angel who… disagreed quite forcefully with the groupthink you mentioned," replied Giles. "You likely noticed her missing eye. This is due to an angelic custom that has them burn the eyes of the fallen when casting them out. Aregna sacrificed one of his eyes to save one of hers."
"Wow… thanks for telling me," replied Willow. "I'll pass the info to Dru and Taweret."
"Willow, it's not that bad anymore. Since Pam and Linfa became a couple… no, bar that," said Vine. "I know that too many on both sides of the Spirit World are just somewhat playing nice and that it will take time to really change habits."
"True," said Giles. "Vine, I will discuss the matter with your father tomorrow, both about the potential issues with our fallen angels and about joining House Morningstar."
"Thank you!" replied the teenage she-devil, hugging him.
"Good," said Buffy, snatching a cookie from the plate Willow had deposited on the coffee table. "Quite glad that everybody was actually reasonable and that we could solve this without too much drama. I'll inform Mom that the oath problem is fixed. Now, let me tell you a few things about your fellow cabinet members. For starters, the Nidhogg Sysadmins have a Tribune, but who they're going to send for a given session is kind of random. In short, they have a rock-papers-scissors-lizard-Spock contest or whatever else fills their nerdy fancy and send the loser among the senior admins present the report…"
- Dillon Home, Sunnydale, Monday 7 November 2011, 7:32 -
Marlene Dillon yawned a bit as she aimed for the kitchen. The shower had mostly woken her up, but she needed her morning coffee, particularly after all the… exercise her husband had put her through during the last two nights. Intellectually, she had known that there would be some change because of Belial's influence, but the actual experience had been mind-blowing.
And I mean that literally… he was gentle, but I can see how easy it would be for a woman to forget everything and sell her soul for more of that…
Entering the kitchen, she saw that Aphrodisia had prepared breakfast and was drinking some hot cocoa while sitting on a stool at the kitchen island.
"Good morning, Mom."
"Good morning Aphrodisia. When did you come back?"
Her daughter had left on Saturday night, telling them she would spend the rest of the weekend with her girlfriend. It had been easy to understand that giving her parents some 'just us' time had been one of the intents.
"Before eleven last night, as promised," replied the girl while smiling and tapping her brow seal. "By the way, I didn't hear anything. I made sure things are properly soundproofed before leaving on Saturday."
"Thank you," replied Marlene, fighting hard to keep a straight face as she remembered how loud she had been the night before.
She took the coffee mug her daughter handed her and sat in front of her. Marlene noticed interestingly that her daughter's jeans had a well-tailored, padded, and buttoned rear opening for her tail.
"The bread? It smells heavenly," she asked to change the topic, noticing that it was not only fresh but also looked much better than their usual one. She cut some slices and started to butter them.
"Right on the nail, Mom," replied Aphrodisia with a smirk. "It's from a new, Elohim-operated bakery. Dad fetched it early this morning, before leaving."
"Yes, he left a note on my nightstand… something about having to interrogate the vampire Lukas caught yesterday and that I should head to work without him. Guess I will just have to get used to be married to the Hell equivalent of the Head of the CIA."
"Speaking of that… did you already take a decision about…"
"I actually took my decision while showering this morning. I know I could delay it, and Lily told me that there are ways for a human in my situation to extend her lifespan… and maybe I would do that if he was just a rank-and-file demon. But…"
"But Dad is a Prince of Hell, and I know you, Mom. We Carrington women want to be able to protect ourselves."
"That we do," replied Marlene with a smile. "Next time I have to face a vampire, I want to be able to fireball it. I suppose there is paperwork to fill out?"
"Yes, but you will have to see that with Dad, because I transferred the ownership of the contract you signed on Saturday to him. What I can help you with right now is the physical part," replied Aphrodisia as she materialized a glass vial in her hand and put it on the table. "What's in that vial can come in many shapes and has many names across human cultures. I'll simplify by calling it ambrosia. On a neutral human, it brings health and youth… up to a point. With a third category Nidhogg account tagged for Ascension, which I'm going to do right now for yours, it will start the process to make you one of us."
Aphrodisia took the tablet on the breakfast table and quickly started to make some manipulations, before handing her mother the item so that she could press yes on the confirmation pop-up herself.
"But?" asked Marlene, feeling once again reassured that her daughter's mannerisms hadn't changed that much and knowing exactly what the face she was making meant.
"Okay, let's start with the default. The simplest way is to let the slow trickle of demonic power coming from your Nidhogg mark do that. The mutation will be done little by little and without problems as long as our doctors can check on you regularly. The problem is that it's very slow, because your body will change at the speed of cell replacement. The average is seven years."
"Definitely not what I have in mind," she replied while pushing 'yes' on the screen. "What about 'passing through the fire' like in the Greek myths?"
"I was coming to it. Yes, there are rituals to accelerate things. All the major demons have their own version, but they all boil down to the two same steps: the applicant saturates her body with demonic essence and then commits ritual suicide to end her mortal life and rise as one of us. What changes is of course the how. Each ritual has its perks, its flaws, and its own consequences. I mean you will be a Shedu in all cases, but depending on how you do it, your powers will change. The ritual suicide part is particularly important for that.
"For the gathering essence part, the issues are more practical. Mostly, the faster the riskier. For example, if you drank a certain potion made from Dad's blood, it could be done in one go… okay, some demons like it because it has a 'let's see if you're worthy' vibe but personally – and by that, I mean both Aphrodisia and Byleth – I think it's just Russian Roulette level of stupid. In short, the shock has a good chance to kill you or to reduce you to a mutated thing without any sapience. The reasonable methods are usually a matter of weeks. One thing you must know is that in all cases, it will be… morally challenging."
Marlene nodded. She could easily imagine the rationale behind it. The Shedim wanted the applicant to be ready to forsake their humanity. Given what her daughter had said, she also thought that how much of a douche the sponsor was played a key role in how debasing that step could be.
"What will I have to do?"
"I thought about possible acceptable versions, the problem being that we tend to consider them trade secrets and creating your own is one of the rites of passage to major demonhood. I'm excluding Belial's normal method because… you really don't want to go there and there is no way Dad would do it anyway. With that said, I see two methods that are not that bad and that I can actually do.
"The first one is my own, the Black Lotus Incense… and yes, Byleth knew the Robet E. Howard of her world. The incense is normally used to enhance dream magic, but I can tune it for an Ascension. In short, you put it in a burner and sleep every night in a room saturated with it for roughly two weeks. If you go that way, know that you will dream a lot and never fully rest. The dreams are going to pit you against all your insecurities, exploit your fantasies and so on. I can ensure you won't end up with the sanity of a Cthulhu cultist, but if we want it to work, I can't prevent it from causing damage.
"The other one is… less taxing but more embarrassing. It's called the Dark Bride Seal. Asmodeus created it for witches he was interested in recruiting long-term and Byleth got paid for a Dream magic service with the knowledge about it. We trace a magic seal on your abdomen and…" said Aphrodisia while fidgeting on her chair, her tail swaying nervously behind her.
"Asmodeus, that means Lust in classical demonology, so I can guess how a seal on my womb will let me absorb demonic essence. To be blunt, how many times will I need to get your father's seed in me?" replied Marlene in a matter-of-fact tone that made Aphrodisia think about her admiral grandfather.
Internally, Marlene was rather relieved. The Black Lotus Incense did not surprise her coming from someone like Byleth. The problem with it would be to make sure she had the mental and physical fortitude to pull through, but she was not someone who balked easily from challenges. As for the other one… while she had no doubt that Asmodeus had the witches her daughter mentioned participate in satanic orgies, she could likely obtain the essence she needed while staying faithful to her husband.
"I'm not sure. It's just that there is some math to do, and I can take the base data only once the seal is on you. Given that Dad is a Prince and you're going to limit yourself to him, somewhere between forty and a hundred times is the best I can tell you for now. Eh… just so that you know, the seal will also do three things… because Asmodeus. First, it will act as a contraceptive. I know what you must be thinking, but the real reason is more practical and especially important right now because I know you and Dad have talked about having another child. Getting pregnant during an Ascension process is a horror movie level kind of bad decision. For the two others, full immunity to diseases and… lots of stamina."
"No increased sex… Oh, I see. Asmodeus thought that would be cheating. You have to really want it just by yourself."
"That's right. Asmodeus's vision of Lust is that it's all about the journey to pleasure and being forced into it is a big no-no for him. On practical matters, I can't teach the seal to Dad. There is an old grudge between Belial and Asmodeus, and Dad won't be able to cast any magic designed by Asmodeus. Could have been worse… some demons would booby-trap the spell rather than just block it."
Marlene winced. It was not about having to ask her daughter to put that seal on her. It was about the things Max had told him about Belial on Sunday. It resonated directly with what Aphrodisia had told her about Asmodeus and his grudge against the demon that was now part of her husband.
I will have to be his conscience… and that means working at Hell CIA. I have a knack for data analysis and from what he said, his service seems to be mostly 'Operations' for now… need to think about it.
"Thanks for the details honey, I need to talk to your father about it first. Out of curiosity, do the Elohim do it the same way?"
"No, our technologies obtain similar results, but the means often vary and that's the case here. Our Ascension process is quick and flexible, but brutal… to be clear, if you have a reasonable sponsor and you're correctly prepared physically and mentally, it's mostly fine. The thing is that… both things are often a bit lacking, so we end up with dead people, or worse. On the other hand, the Elohim like to play it safe while making sure the applicant will fit in. Their process has a lot of rituals whose steps must be followed precisely and are in my opinion just as pompous as a Supreme Soviet meeting. If you mess up, you just need to start over, with added correctional steps to atone for your mistakes. As Dad said while we were discussing your possible Ascension last week, you can see that our way is quicker, easier…"
"More seductive," finished Marlene with a laugh. "While on the Light Side they seem to want you to have the patience of a saint… by the way, will I get horns?"
"That's where the ritual suicide part comes in. The most used ritual means that you keep your human appearance, but you may want to change that. For example, you could choose to get cat ears like mine. You can also decide to change that later."
"The permanent transformation spells mentioned yesterday… I will have some questions about that, but that will be for later. I'm already late."
"Gwen told me that her Dad set up a direct portal…"
"Not going there. Lukas does whatever he wants, but one of the big reasons I like our family business is because I can keep a clear home and office separation and not be on call 24/7. My car will be enough until I can learn how to teleport."
Marlene took the vial of ambrosia and uncorked it. She drunk the content in one go. The taste reminded her of mead, but she didn't feel in any way tipsy, rather energized.
"Done," she said as she put the vial back on the breakfast table. "I'll talk to your father and to Lukas about fast-track processes. They may have other ideas."
"That's possible. Just remember that asking outside of our direct circle may cost us… speaking of direct circle, I suspect Dad is going to present you to Satan soon."
- Sunnydale General Hospital, Monday 7 November 2011, 9:06 -
I don't know much about modern medicine, but I'm sure it doesn't involve having the patient standing in a ritual circle and the doctor chanting… to be honest, this feels more like something a priest of my home country would do, except for the modern doctor clothes, thought Ampata.
The doctor examining her was a nice, middle-aged blond woman with a name tag saying Dr. Andersen, though Mrs. Harris had called her Eir. She had blue marks on her face similar to the ones of Xander or Mrs. Harris.
"Thank you, you can sit down, Ampata," said the doctor as she noted some things with a stylus on one of those computer tablets Buffy had shown her when she was pretending to be an exchange student a few weeks ago. She did not recognize the language the doctor was using, though.
The girl went to sit on the chair next to Jessica 'Bast' Harris's, in front of the desk. After a few basic explanations about how the people of Sunnydale had been changed into gods during Halloween, Xander's Mom had taken her to the hospital. Ampata had then met Dr. Andersen – who seemed to be an old friend of Bast – to examine her.
After a first checkup, it had been decided that she would spend the night under observation at the hospital and then go for more exams the next morning, the current ritual being the last one. Despite her desire to be outside now that she was finally free, she had found herself acquiescing. After an initial post-resurrection rush, the fatigue caused by the stress she went through caught up with her. Resting in a nice bed, having sweet dreams instead of the nightmare-inducing limbo that had been her usual since her mummy body got crushed, had been a blessing.
Though it's a pity I couldn't cuddle with my god… something for later, she thought with a slight blush.
Ampata tensed a little bit when Jessica put her arm around her shoulders but soon relaxed, enjoying this simple mark of affection. The fact Mrs. Harris currently had cat ears and a tail sure was strange but given the current circumstances, that was almost minor.
"Ampata, I confirm that the resurrection functioned fully," said Eir in Quechua. "As far as nature is concerned, you are a healthy sixteen-year-old girl… but we need to address a situation. I put some temporary purity seals on you to protect you when you arrived yesterday, but we need a more permanent solution."
"The disease," said Ampata, lowering her eyes. "I know how so many of my people died after the Spaniards' arrival."
"Correct. While you were undead, this was not an issue, but your resurrection makes you as vulnerable to unknown diseases as the people of the Tawantinsuyu were. Do not worry, we have solutions. This is just the matter of choosing one…. I sense that Anpu just arrived. It's better if we discuss the next steps with him and your son, Bast."
"Of course," replied the cat goddess while Eir went to open the door.
Ampata got up and turned to look at the office's entrance and saw that he Xander was here, next to the god who protected her soul in the afterlife. As the doctors had said she needed to rest, Xander had spent the night standing watch at her room's door, saying she just had to call if there was anything and only briefly left in the morning to arrange things with school. He had told her that school was more lenient than usual as many families had 'special circumstances' at the moment. After they exchanged salutations, she took his hand and had him sit next to her in front of the doctor's desk.
"Regarding your issue, Ampata, there is a question we must first answer," said Eir. "Heimdall, what are your intentions regarding this young lady?"
Xander could not help but feel a little uncomfortable. Even with the 'dossier effect' Heimdall had done on his memories, he knew enough about Eir to know how she behaved. Eir was the Asgardian equivalent of a military surgeon, mostly handling things related to the Valkyrie Corps, and with her things were done by the book or not at all.
"Eh… Ampata… would you go on a date with me?" he said.
"Yes, I would like that a lot," replied the resurrected Incan girl with a smile.
"My wife and I will welcome her as a daughter," said Anpu. "If she becomes Xander's fiancée or not is a separate matter."
"I see," replied Eir. "Ampata, you need to understand that this is no simple matter. I know exactly what being a god's bride meant for you in your past life. In this one, it will be the real thing."
"The real…" started Ampata an instant before the realization hit her.
She was sitting on a chair next to the cat goddess Bast. The god of mummification had just said that he would adopt her even if it didn't work between Xander and her… and Xander. A god had asked her out. Here becoming a god's bride would not be a euphemism for human sacrifice. Here it would be the real thing.
"Does that mean…"
"Yes," said Anpu. "It means you will become a goddess. This will grant you many rights and powers, but also responsibilities. If you prefer, we can set you up as a mortal in another city… but you will have to forget us for your own safety."
Ampata took a moment to think. She realized the enormity of the choice that laid before her… but in the end, the decision was simple. She might be free of the curse, but she had no existence in this era. The only things that counted for her were here… well, if she wanted to be fully honest, she wanted to see her country again but that was something she could do as a goddess. Things suddenly clicked together. Her country. Her people. Being a goddess.
"I… I have a question. What of the gods of my people?"
"I am afraid most of the old gods are dead," replied Anpu. "We are still investigating exactly what happened. We are on the other hand fairly confident that we have been called on this world to fill that void."
"None of the gods of the Inca among us, I'm afraid. Some Aztec ones, but… most of them are from the other side," added Bast.
"Ampata, you saw that some people had red marks rather than blue," added Xander, pointing at his brow seal. "How to… yeah, Inca. So, if I simplify a lot, blue marks mean god from Hanan Pacha, led by Viracocha, and red ones god from Uku Pacha, led by Pachamama," he added, using the Inca terms for the Celestial World and the Underworld. He thankfully also remembered from Heimdall that as a pre-Columbian Inca, Ampata wouldn't have the Underworld equals evil problem.
"You're a god of death, right?" asked Ampata, turning toward Anpu.
"This is correct, and I guess your question. As my son mentioned, his explanation was simplified. On this matter, we consider that managing the afterlife is a responsibility that gods from all Pacha must share."
"Would… would the gods mind if I took the name of one of the goddesses of my people? My real name is dead and Ampata… I stole it."
"I cannot say for the old gods, but we wouldn't mind, and I see what you want to do," said Bast. "You have an idea?"
"Killa," she replied, using the name of the Inca goddess of the moon. "Without the 'Mama' for now because…"
"No need to add more. Remember that no matter what your stories say, you are your own person, and you can take time to define yourself, we're all doing the same these days. Anpu?"
"Filling the form for her Yggdrasil registration, dear," replied the god as he was using a stylus to write on a tablet. "Interesting… Satan's younger daughter edited her name into Leviathan Darkflame directly in the system," he added looking at a message from an infernal colleague of his that just popped up on his interface.
"Dawn did that?" asked Xander.
"It's important?" asked Ampata keeping the many questions she had about why Mrs. Summers seemed to be Satan now. "I mean I know it's important for me but it's because I have no name that's mine, but…"
"Yes, and very," replied Anpu, his voice ever so serene. "As my wife mentioned, all of us have been wandering between the humans we were and the gods we are now, trying to find our rightful place in Ma'at, in the Cosmic Truth. The name we acknowledge as true is a fundamental part of this. By renouncing her human name, the young Leviathan has now fully accepted her new reality… you need to put your hand on the screen to seal the pact. Know that your act and hers are not that different, for you will accept your new reality as our daughter. "
Ampata looked at the screen of the tablet Anpu handed her. She could see the shape surrounded by a text in strange characters. She put her hand on it and immediately felt a warmth spread into her body. She felt… welcomed, guided, and just knew that she was now part of a greater whole. Suddenly, the strange characters made sense to her and she could read that her name was now Killa Harris.
"The last name may change, but this is something we will discuss another time, as a family," said Bast in Enochian, knowing that Killa would understand her. "Eir, do you have…"
"Yes, just be aware that the le lab didn't bother about local variants and just made the ambrosia draught. I will get you a vial before you leave so that you can start on the Ascension rites today."
- Joyce's Gallery (Dark Cabinet's temporary offices), Monday 7 November 2011, 16:19 -
Giles looked at the rather large quantity of notes he had taken during the already three-hour long session. Things had been handled efficiently, but several departments had to present the week's results, which included a lot of on-screen presentations followed by discussions on some specific points and connected topics.
The first one had been Mammon for the Economy and Finance Department. He had detailed the funds acquired – a sum already counted in tens of millions in dollars – and acquisitions that would lead to the establishment of front companies in the coming months. Mammon had also mentioned that he had made trustee services available for all infernal affiliates who requested them, helping them to supplement their income as the changes to Sunnydale made some jobs unstable.
Belial, for the Foreign Affairs Department, which included both diplomacy and intelligence, had followed with a preliminary report on the external threats, indicating that information was unfortunately still limited as they did not yet deploy intelligence officers outside of Sunnydale. Satan had immediately followed up by asking Belial and Giles to collaborate fully in this matter, in particular to determine potential allies. Having learnt from Lucifer that Belial had destroyed Kakistos – a monster well known to the Watchers – to protect his human wife during a chance encounter in Los Angeles, the former Watcher had to admit that he was looking forward to that collaboration.
Then had come Baal's report on Sunnydale's security and the readiness state of the Abaddon. While the Warmaster gave them an overview of the situation and the major cases he and Mikael had planned for, Giles had been reminded of Willow's pique about Sunnydale's de facto secession the night before. The US military was clearly labeled as part of the opposition in Baal's presentation. There were again some cross-discussions, starting with Belial asking about the possibilities of external strikes, to which Baal had replied affirmatively. Baal had in turn asked for a budget to acquire some equipment from Middle East purveyors for potential false flag operations.
The next one was relatively quick, coming from Tezcatlipoca for Technology and Education, with an intervention from the Tribune Paimon, representing the Nidhogg Sysadmins. They had informed them of the status of Nidhogg and the barrier. They then carried on with initiatives about improving the town's consumer technology, which had provoked some debate from Belial and Baal about the security aspects, as the glamour hiding the town already consumed a lot of power.
The last report for this session came from Lucifer, who presented the needed legal amendments they needed to ensure everything functioned. Giles participated in that one as several of the proposals concerned the Spirit Worlders. He had gone through it with the girls' help the night before and been agreeably surprised to see that Lucifer knew how to listen and had actually integrated several pieces of advice Giles had given to his proposal, while making notes in the document to explain why the ones he rejected wouldn't work.
Which makes perfect sense as Lucifer was initially a respected teacher before he had to go into politics as the new head of his family. It's also amusing to see the glances towards the Grigori lapel pin he gave me. Buffy was right. Officially aligning with one of the Compacts cleared the air.
Giles and Lucifer had held a short meeting before the Cabinet session to review their presentation. Giles had taken advantage of it to talk with the fallen angel about his offer to join House Morningstar. Lucifer had received his informal agreement and told him they would record everything officially in the evening, after a family dinner at the Casa Morningstar.
"Thank you," said Satan as Lucifer concluded his presentation. "All in favor of the Deamonea Integration Law presented by Rupert and Lucifer?"
Giles raised his hand and noted that it was a unanimous vote among the ten Dark Cabinet members, Satan only voting to break ties in such circumstances. After seeing the proposals the night before, Buffy had told him it was a likely result, with maybe a 'Nay' from Tezcatlipoca or Mammon because they would have liked to exploit things more. She had also told him that as the proposals were just minor amendments to add some special cases to existing procedures, it would be ratified by default unless a Prince passed a motion to force a vote.
"The law is accepted. Before we go further, I thank again Rupert for his work on this dossier. As the need for a dedicated Deamonea Tribune decreases with our recent decisions, I am extending his portfolio to make him the Cabinet's official advisor on this world's supernatural factions, cleared to work on such matters with all departments. Rupert?"
He tensed a bit. He knew that such a move was a thing he had been hoping for when he wondered about how to guide the Shedim into something beneficial for humanity shortly after Halloween. Now that he had more time to reflect on the topic, he also knew that there were, as usual in infernal politics, several layers of traps woven within the apparently informal debates of the Cabinet. He knew the breadth of his new portfolio was a test and that any use of the veto right that came with his Tribune posting would require rock-solid justification.
"I accept the posting," replied the Englishman with a nod toward Satan.
"Any objection?" asked Joyce, looking at the rest of the Cabinet. "None, good. Let's talk about development. I think we all agree that we only have a limited time before we have to relocate," said Satan. "Belial, what about Heaven?"
"They reached the same conclusion. Them contacting us officially about is going to take time, as usual."
"I have a temporary solution for some heavy installations," said Tezcatlipoca, "but we'll likely have to share with Heaven. When testing scanners, we found out that there are extensive fallout shelters under the university, including a complete military hospital. No clue why it's mentioned nowhere in the university records, but the equipment dates from the Sixties, so it may be just another bad case of Sunnydale Amnesia. Belial, it's likely that the information is still stored somewhere in Washington, so it would be good if you could verify that."
"We'll find it and have it spiritually tagged… just in case someone in Washington thinks the Hellmouth is a good place for a black program," replied the Prince of Flames. "What about the state of those shelters?"
"There are some things to fix, but with a bit of refurbishing work, we can store quite a few things there," replied Tezcatlipoca. "I could use the space for secure labs among other things."
"Interesting," said Satan. "Danu?"
Giles turned his head toward a jovial Indian woman that Buffy had mentioned as a potential ally. The Princess of the Asura Compact was a bit temperamental, but her faction was usually considered moderate, and she was doing great work handling the Home Affairs Department.
"As surface is out, we have scouted the nearby waters, looking for dangers and for… real estate. There are some possibilities as well in this area. I am, however, not keen on engaging too many resources for temporary projects. Eisa, what about dimension craft?"
"Mapping is in progress and there are several faults we can exploit to build domains, but the problem is we're lacking energy at all levels," replied a ten-foot-tall woman with coal black skin, eyes that looked like embers, and fiery red hair. "Not much more we can do about mana right now, but we're looking at good old fusion power as a short-term solution to power the Forges we are building and start unplugging Sunnydale from the power network before it starts looking weird. Barred incidents, we'll have twenty terawatts next Monday, which is a good start. Muerte, Afterlife Management also got something on the dimension side, right?"
Eisa Halogisdottir, Princess of the Muspell Compact, and head of the Energy and Industry Department thought Giles. From what Buffy said, this Fire Giantess is a damn good engineer but also a very blunt person and a 'serial hugger'. Oh, she just reminded me quite bluntly of how advanced they… we are. Good old fusion power indeed… and twenty terawatts should put us in the range of what all of humanity is producing.
"That's correct," said a skeleton in a traditional red Mexican dress who Giles knew to be Mictecacihuatl, wife of Mictlantecuhtli and better known in modern Mexico as Santa Muerte. "We death deities present in Sunnydale have met on the Second of November and renewed our covenants, with some adjustments as we are missing major names on both sides. We have been scouting the afterlife and made some observations about neighboring realms. We will gladly put our notes at your disposal, Eisa."
"Only scouting?" asked Tezcatlipoca with a raised eyebrow, which reminded Giles of the comments Buffy made about internal tensions among the Yohual-Tecuhtlin.
"Anpu may have convinced my husband and I to address a few unjust situations here and there," replied the skeleton while hiding her nonexistent smile behind an ornate black lace fan. "I must say it was… refreshing."
- Morningstar Family Home, Monday 7 November 2011, 18h32 -
"Vapula didn't teach you how to do it?" asked Lucifer as he and Giles materialized in front of the door.
"She has… some expectations that I wanted to take time to think about," replied the Englishman.
"Ah! The old question of the cost. Still, she didn't hesitate to teach you… of course. Your current appearance was a result she wanted."
Giles nodded, thinking that this mess had resulted in another silver lining: Lucifer himself, a gentleman to whom he could relate. From some offhand comments the fallen angel had made during the day, Giles had learnt that, just like him, Lukas Ditchik had been raised in a strict family and rebelled against it. Granted, his rebellion seemed to have been a bit tamer, mostly involving roleplaying games and marrying a girl his parents definitely didn't approve of, which led him to cut his ties with them. With his wife's parents having died of 'barbecue fork incident' while they were teens and a lack of siblings on both sides, they did not have any blood family left, though they were quite close of the other members of their group of high school friends. After Halloween, those bonds had been cemented even further, though sometimes with complications like between Lucifer and his sister Mikael.
"I hope you won't mind this little derogation to your personal rules, Rupert, but as this is the first time you enter my home, it is proper infernal manners to say… please enter freely and of your own free will," said Lucifer with a smirk as he opened the door and invited him to enter.
"It is true that it is hard to get over a lifetime of training… a training that saved my life more than once."
"Very true."
"Grandfather!" said Vine as she rushed to hug Giles.
"Hello, Vine," replied Giles while he hugged her back.
He could now see the rest of the Morningstar family. First Lucifer's wife Lilith and then his two other daughters. He remembered seeing the older one in Sunnydale High… but there was something else… yes, he was sure of it now. Malphas knew the she-devil paired with Gwen.
"Asmodia?" he asked, remembering the name of a she-devil who had visited Malphas's office quite a few times because of her antics at the devil academy.
"Yes, it's… well, more or less me, President Malphas," replied Gwen. "Eh… I'm trying to do better here."
"I'm glad to hear it… and you must be Cathy," said Giles, crouching to look at the little girl wrapped in strands of shadow.
"I prefer Tia now, that's short for Tiamat," replied the little girl. "Not that I remember much of my other life… just a bit about when we all had to leave because of the monsters and the bad one, may her name be forever damned," she replied, her voice sounding strangely older in that last sentence.
Giles could see that Lucifer had come to hug his youngest daughter from behind… and was at the same time standing next to him. His eyes went between the two fallen angels, noticing that one of them was wearing an apron while the other still had the suit from the Dark Cabinet meeting.
"Just a bit of ubiquity," replied with a smirk the Lucifer standing next to him. "Or as Tia here like to say because she's a huge Naruto fan a…"
"Kage bunshin!" said Tia with a giggle as the Lucifer hugging her made a kuji-kiri hand sign and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Come with me girls, let's finish preparing things while your mother takes care of our guest," said the remaining Lucifer.
The three daughters followed their father, who casually morphed his clothes from a suit to a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt.
"You seem a bit lost in your thoughts," said Lilith.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about the mechanics of such a spell… and how Lucifer obviously tweaked it just to please his daughter," he replied while removing his coat and giving it to Lilith for hanging.
"Yes, from talking with Asmodia and Vine, this would be a lot of work for a Spirit World Sorcerer. Nidhogg simplifies things a lot both to manage the clones and to give some aesthetic tweaks to staple spells. Among other things, we have libraries of effects that we can mix-and-match. My Lucifer is very good at doing that on the fly… because seven million years of experience. In this case… Tia has some difficulties with the bad things the other Tiamat went through. He designed some of the 'jutsu' of her favorite cartoon so that he could teach them to her. It improved her mood a lot and it's helping her to find her own identity."
As he followed Lilith in the dining room, he had a little smile at the thought that Lucifer Morningstar was a better father than Percival Giles had ever been…
- Afterlife's antechamber, Tuesday 8 November 2011 -
Anpu made a quick swipe with his khopesh to clean its blade from the foul ichor it had gathered recently. He was quite happy that the covenant with the other Death gods could have been renewed so quickly, as this had allowed them to start looking at the general afterlife situation once the various problems in Sunnydale had been solved.
He was also quite pleased about the renewed harmony in his home. Killa was already feeling at home and Bast would guide her through the many rites needed for her Ascension. She still had difficulties calling them Mom and Dad, but it would come. As for the love between her and his son… this was something that they would give them time to sort out.
He had a look for the demons he had just slain. They had not been much, pitiful scavengers, but as they operated in Egypt, he had likely been harsher toward them than… he tilted his head and turned slightly to face the presence he could guess. It was… somewhat familiar if he had to define it.
"Ausir," he said softly as an emaciated, green-skinned man clad in a mix of pharaoh regalia and mummy linen strips appeared.
"Mortals rather invoke me as Osiris in this age," replied the green man in ancient Egyptian. "Our language had been lost for so long… even now that the scholars deciphered it again, the names the Greeks used for us remain the ones they use the most."
"At least our names are still living, even in this form. Not all gods were so lucky."
"True, very true. From the Field of Reeds, I felt a great power tip the balance of life and death a few days ago. A resurrection spell was acted outside of my authority… which should be impossible and yet… the balance reasserted itself, even if I was unable to determine the price paid. And now, here, on the threshold of the Duat, stands another impossibility: my late nephew, who has since long plunged back into the Noun. But I now see that you are not Anubis, at least not the Anubis I knew."
The Elohim and Shedim had wondered when those they called the old gods would make contact. Thankfully, the Allfather had already given directives regarding that point. Anpu sheathed his khopesh into his coat's dimensional pocket, in a gesture he readily admitted having copied from the Highlander show. The fact that the encounter happened here, in this place of truth where souls were weighed, made it an opportunity he couldn't let pass.
"Search no more, Ausir, I was the one to allow for that resurrection and it was my son who breathed ka into his beloved's mortal remains. It is true that I am not the god you knew, but there are many realities, and I am Anpu. I was reborn into this world by the will of the Sovereign Sisters, the ones we think the gods of this world call the Triune. Have you come to fight?"
"So, this is as I thought… no, I will not fight you, Anpu. I felt the power of the Triune reaching for our world during the night of Samhain… I see no point in hiding this from you: during the reign of Akhenaten, Djehuti foresaw your arrival and sent a prophecy to the pharaoh. Those of us who want to see already know that this cycle is ending. Just like the Old Ones before us, we have lost our purchase on this reality. I accept this."
"I have to make the offer, even if I can guess your reply, Ausir."
"I thank you for it, but your intuition is right: I will not join you. When our powers started to fail, it became evident that there was still enough for some of us, but not for all. Those were violent times. Many chose to devour those they slew to prolong their own existence. My own case was thankfully more peaceful. We death gods were mostly left alone because of our duty, and it is because of this same duty that I was chosen, to act as a caretaker. Their sacrifice weighs heavily upon me, Anpu, and duty is the only thing that keeps me going. For me, a new order means that I can finally rest."
"I understand and I will convey your words to my people, so that they honor them. I suppose that those who stole power to survive won't be as civil as you, however."
"No, though their cravenness may be to your advantage. Some of them may prefer to serve than to plunge back into the Noun."
"We shall see. What of the ones that call themselves the Powers That Be? Are you part of them?"
"No, they were always separate from us… they and the Old Ones spring from the same source but took different paths. We were born with this cycle, they are older and act from the shadows, pulling the strings of their puppets. Had they helped us with our disputes, things would have been different, but they did nothing. Out of malice, carelessness, or incompetence? I do not know. What I know is that they are losing. Their so-called balance is just a subtle slide where the other side slowly gains ground. Again, I do not know if this is by choice."
"They seem eager to sacrifice their champions."
"True. Some of us have tried to help, burning what little power they still had in the process. Set was one of them."
Anpu closed his eyes and nodded. One of the things he and his wife had reasons to complain about was how much modern media using elements of Egyptian mythology tried to paste modern western values on them. Set, Anpu's father, was a complex god. Sure, he was known as Ausir's murderer, but he was also one of the gods protecting Ra from Apep, the Serpent of Entropy. If he had to define his father using modern tropes, Anpu would have called him an anti-villain. For him, Set often ended up doing the right thing for completely wrong reasons and using strongly questionable methods. From Ausir's expression, he was guessing it was the same on this Earth.
"Can you tell me more about how Set helped? I know your Set is not my father, but I will seek to continue his work if I can."
"This is noble of you. My brother was a proud god, and he refused what he called a cursed half-life. He said that he would give what he had left to a mortal champion. The last time I saw him was during an event mortal historians call the Albigensian Crusade. I do not know the specifics, but I have felt traces of his power from time to time, so this champion must still exist. Maybe… my brother said something during our last encounter that may help you to find the champion."
"What was it?"
"The peace of the newly born, their black hands protect."
Anpu's eyes twinkled with amusement. A dark protector like Marvel's Punisher was indeed very much in his father's style, and therefore likely in the one of this reality's Set.
"Thank you, Ausir. This is something that I expect to have been quoted."
"Indeed. Until we meet again, Anpu."
"Until we meet again, Ausir," replied Anpu as he left the afterlife, heading for Sunnydale.