Souls Online: Mythic Ascension

Vivian and Ethan had completely different reactions to what they were seeing.

Ethan felt his hands were getting itchy. He had no reverence for the divine and so many of these 'gods' in one place made him want to strike them down even if it destroyed him in the process. However, in front of Vivian, he couldn't act on his impulse. Instead he made his eyes sparkle with interest.

"So cool...." he whispered with a voice that was dripping with awe. However as soon as he said those words, a devastating jab smashed into his ribs. It was Vivian who looked at him with some embarrassment gleaming in her eyes.

"Be cool." she growled. Growing up in the church, one of the few things she didn't dare defy was respect for the divine. With so many gods standing on the massive table, her interest in them only grew stronger. Especially the Dark angelic woman that was near Leo.

"Welcome to the new members of my Leo's Guild. I greet you as the Goddess of the Void." Discordia curtsied to the three members before her perpetual smile grew slightly wider.

"I also welcome to the Outer Gods who have taken them under their wings."

Vivian and Ethan blinked in unison, both confused by the Goddess's words. Outer Gods? Neither had expected to hear that name spoken aloud, and certainly not in such a casual manner.

Before either could speak, Vivian stiffened as a small figure passed her by. The steps were soft, almost playful, but the pressure they carried sank into the stone beneath them. A childlike girl stopped at her side, her body no taller than Vivian's waist. Her skin was pale as dust, her hair a deep brown tangled with shards of rock that glimmered faintly in the light. Though her frame was slight, her presence pressed down like the weight of a mountain.

Vivian's eyes widened before puffing out her cheeks. She growled low in her throat, embarrassed yet protective all at once."I am not an Outer God," Gravela snapped, her small fists balled at her sides. Her childish voice came out sharp, each word carrying the rumble of shifting earth.

Ethan's attention was stolen when another figure strode past him. This one was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in a sharp black suit that looked like it belonged at a gala rather than among gods. Long flaming hair spilled down his back like a living inferno. The heat radiating off him seared the air and made Ethan's hands itch with the need to fight.

Hellion snorted, his lips curling into a half-smirk as he looked down at Gravela."It is best not to argue with her. She was the one who threw the children to us and let us escape our prisons. Without her, you would still be bound. Be grateful."

Gravela whirled on him, her small form trembling with fury."Hellion!" she shouted, her childish tone cracking under divine power. "Do not speak to me of gratitude. You know who sealed us. You, me, and Phanmorra. Discordia was the one who bound us. How could you possibly trust her?"

The fiery man's hair flared higher at her accusation, yet his smirk remained. The sight of a childlike goddess of stone shouting up at a towering man of fire made Ethan and Vivian both hesitate, the weight of the truth between them pressing heavier than any blow.

Vivian then realized they had said there was a third god. Didn't that mean the other guy who had joined them had also been bound to a god. She turned her head and her breath caught at what she saw.

Vivian's breath caught in her throat. Morgan's presence had shifted so completely that her heart faltered. In the waking world he was just Morgan. Handsome, yes, in a way that sometimes drew a second glance, but mortal all the same. Here, though, his beauty was almost unearthly. His long black hair flowed like silk in unseen currents. His lashes framed eyes too deep and heavy with meaning. His skin was so flawless it looked sculpted rather than born.

The perfection unsettled her. A pale mist curled around his body. It was thicker than breath yet lighter than smoke. It clung to him, seeping into the ground and rising again as if it were part of him rather than something he wore. His eyes flickered with emotions Vivian could not parse. Longing, regret, anger, despair. They shifted like the haze that cloaked him.

His gaze began to wander across the table. Each of their companions, Rachel with her restless energy, Crystal with her quiet watchfulness, Luna, Penny, Greg, Aria, Adam, and Lily, was measured in turn. When his eyes fell on Lily, he hesitated. It was brief, a heartbeat of stillness, but Vivian felt the air tighten with it.

Then his eyes found Leo. Morgan frowned.

The mist stirred violently as if reacting to that look. It spun upward and pulled tight, condensing until another Morgan stepped free from it. He was identical in face and form, though his presence was colder and harder.

This second Morgan raised a hand, pointing directly at Leo with their eyes narrowed. Their tone sharp and commanding. "Discordia," she said, her voice cutting through the tension in the hall. "Explain why you have allowed a Singularity to exist."

Discordia's smile did not falter. She tilted her head, considering Phanmorra with mock curiosity. "A Singularity?" she asked lightly, her voice as calm as if they were discussing the weather. "I have no idea what you mean. Why would I allow such a thing?"

Leo frowned, stepping forward, his brows knitting together. "A Singularity?" he repeated. "What is that? What are you talking about?"

Phanmorra paused, her sharp gaze flicking to Leo. For a heartbeat, the hall seemed to still, the only sound the faint hiss of flames from Hellion and the soft hum of Gravela's presence.

"You," Phanmorra finally said, her voice low but laced with undeniable weight. "You are the Singularity."