A/n: Sorry there was no chapter yesterday. I have written about 1300 words when my laptop crashed and the chapter was gone. I did not have time to rewrite yesterday so, here is the chapter.
"Please bring the other members of your pantheons so that we may begin," Aaric requested of Hades and Ra. The two gods nodded, formed their respective portals, and departed to gather their fellow gods.
"Let's make some preparations until then," Aaric muttered aloud, casting a glance to the side. The AI seemed to anticipate his intent immediately.
Several metallic tendrils uncoiled from the AI server banks, slithering forward to wrap themselves around Aaric's wrists. They forged a direct mental connection, allowing Aaric and the AI to communicate instantaneously through thought alone.
Aaric produced four divine seeds and his celestial gourd. Eilistraee tilted her head curiously as she watched him pour a shimmering silver liquid from the gourd onto the seeds laid out before him.
"Aaric, can you give me a drop of that essence?" she asked. She had sensed a profound resonance between the moonlight essence within the gourd and her own divinity.
"Yes, of course. Just return it to me when I am about to leave the dreamlands," Aaric answered with a nod, handing the gourd over to Eilistraee once he had poured enough onto the seeds.
Eilistraee accepted the vessel with a gentle smile, mouthing a silent thank you to him.
'I want you to analyze the changes that have taken place in the seeds because of the essence I poured into them,' Aaric instructed the AI through their mental link.
'Analyzing,' the AI replied softly. Several mechanical devices extended toward the seeds, circling them rapidly to scan their structure. 'I require a source of raw divine energy to hasten the process.'
Aaric nodded at the request. His eyes turned a vibrant green, and an intricate flower pattern bloomed within his pupils.
The space around him bent and warped until a figure clad in a tattered cloak appeared, kneeling before him. Beneath the hood of the cloak, no face or physical features were visible; only a glowing, swirling pattern identical to Aaric's eyes shone from the darkness.
Aaric nodded, satisfied that the cloak was working as intended. The figure kneeling before him was Apophis.
Aaric had previously tasked Hephaestus with creating a restraint capable of containing the Chaos Serpent's infinite form and chaotic aura, allowing Aaric to summon the entity to do his bidding.
Inspired by Aaric's descriptions of the Dementors from his old world, the Smith God had conceived the idea for the Cloak of Chaos.
Using the tattered fabric of a Dementor's cloak and their crystallized essence, Hephaestus had forged this artifact, binding it together with divine runes and master craftsmanship.
"Allow your divine energy to be used and do not resist," Aaric ordered Apophis. The entity responded simply by standing up, allowing thick tendrils from the AI's servers to wrap around him and begin siphoning his power.
Aaric observed the process closely. The AI was drawing such a colossal amount of energy from Apophis that it was difficult to even fathom the quantity.
Yet, what caused Aaric to shake his head in disbelief was that Apophis's reserves remained entirely full; his natural energy regeneration was so potent that it instantly replenished whatever the AI consumed.
'Analysis is complete. When a being integrates a divine seed within themselves, there is normally a chance for the seed to awaken only after thousands of Earth years, combined with constant comprehension and training from the demigod,' the AI started explaining to Aaric.
'It seems the essence you provided has bypassed this process. With time, the more the receivers of these seeds use their divinity, the more growth they will experience. They will reach godhood in a fraction of the usual time.' The AI added.
"Good," Aaric muttered.
At his command, the four seeds floated through the air to hover in front of Velka, Iggnesia, Veldanava, and Argent.
The four accepted the gifts with thankful nods and immediately began integrating the energy. The AI worked in tandem with them to optimize the process, ensuring they would receive the highest possible boons upon reaching demigodhood.
Eilistraee watched the masterful manipulation of divine energy with fascination. The thought crossed her mind that if she were to integrate something similar, it might multiply her own powers just by enhancing her control.
Meanwhile, Edwina's eyes also shifted to the flower pattern as she summoned Typhon, lending the monster's strength to the AI as a secondary battery.
Hades and Ra returned at that moment, accompanied by their full pantheons. They stood in stunned silence for a few long moments, witnessing the most powerful dark gods of their respective mythologies being used as mere divine batteries.
The two kings looked at one another and wordlessly shook their heads, sighing internally at the absurdity of it.
Ra, however, allowed a glint of satisfaction to enter his eyes; he thoroughly approved of the Chaos Serpent's current state of servitude.
"I would like to start by introducing my son, Khepraan. The God of Nurturing Fire, Life, and Nature," Ra announced, patting the back of the fourth member of his pantheon, counting Daphne as the third.
A god with the head of a Ram stepped forward. His horns curved to the front, and a sun disk floated behind his head, lit with gentle white flames, while his eyes glowed like embers.
(Image here.)
"It is a pleasure, Lord Hades, Lady Persephone, and the gods of Olympus. Lady Eilistraee, it is an honor to meet you as well," Khepraan began, offering a slight, respectful bow to Hades and the Olympians before turning toward Eilistraee.
He greeted Aaric, Simon, Edwina, and the girls in a friendly manner. "I appreciate the opportunity you have provided, which has allowed for the uniting of our pantheons," he said, giving Aaric a nod of appreciation.
"It is my honor that you accepted the invitation," Aaric replied, nodding back to the new god.
Once the greetings were concluded, the Olympians and the Egyptians took their thrones that were formed for them by the AI.
The AI then manifested square constructs that floated toward the guests, designed to attach to the palm of everyone present, pending their permission.
Daphne had to coax Ra into accepting the device, which he eventually did with a grumble and a shake of his head. Thick wires extended from the constructs, plugging into the AI servers to form a complete connection with everyone in the room.
"Let's begin, then," Aaric announced, noticing that the four subordinates had completed their transformation into demigods.
In the next instant, the thrones of everyone present levitated. Their surroundings vanished, replaced by total darkness as they were transported to a completely empty void of space.
With a blinding flash of light, Aaric's island materialized before them. It expanded rapidly, growing until it transformed into a flat planet with the landmass of Jupiter, dominated by a Golden Tree in the center that was visible even from the depths of space.
The sheer scale of the tree was even more impressive when one considered the planet possessed a landmass equal to a gas giant, not to mention the vast oceans and bodies of water.
"I shall now name the planet Syntheia. And the Golden Tree shall henceforth be called Chrysaxis," Aaric proclaimed. The planet and the tree seemed to hum as they accepted their new names.
Ra's eyes shone with golden light as a sun ignited above the planet, pulled across the sky by his golden-winged boat with the castle atop it.
Following the sun were the seven planets Ra presided over; they materialized around Syntheia, forming a protective orbital circle.
Eilistraee formed the moon with a graceful wave of her hand and a gentle, melodic whisper.
Hades and Persephone added Mount Olympus as a massive floating mountain range above the planet, creating a second floating peak to house a Palace for the Hawthornes.
Hades, Eilistraee, and Ra then worked in unison to connect their respective underworlds to that of Syntheia, integrating the afterlife of the entire galaxy that was about to be born.
Veldanava moved next, shaping the terrain and biomes of Syntheia. He formed sweeping deserts, dense forests, raging volcanoes, floating archipelagos, and habitable zones deep beneath the oceans, creating every type of environment imaginable.
He then assigned all the dragons in the land to their appropriate homes across every biome, including the sun and the moon, before bestowing his blessing upon every being that lived on Syntheia.
Next was Velka, who transported her advanced metal city to float high above the canopy of Chrysaxis, casting her own blessings upon the planet's inhabitants.
Iggnesia formed new flame wisps and phoenixes, giving them homes within the volcanoes and thermal vents, blessing the land with fire and rebirth.
Argent filled the shadows, forming Daemons in the underworld, the sun, the moon, and on the planet itself, ensuring his blessing was woven into every being on the planet and the underword as well.
More suns, orbiting planets, moons, asteroids, comets, neutron stars, and every manner of celestial body were forged by Ra, Taweret, Veldanava, Velka, Khepraan, and every god and demigod present.
Eilistraee held the authority to determine their positioning, arranging the heavens exactly as she wished.
Finally, Aaric formed three hundred and fifty-six stars. He asked Eilistraee to arrange them into a massive constellation representing Vasuki.
"We shall from now be called The Lux Aeternum Court," Aaric announced, naming their new pantheon.