V3 Epilogue

Alone in a vast and endless darkness, the woman watched over her world with a solemn and bored expression on her face.

Sat in a puddle of black liquid, lifelessly staring down at the bright windows that peered into the world.

The woman was dressed in a dark blue nun’s robe with a white trim, holding a golden spear in her arms against her chest. Her eyes were lifeless and she hadn’t moved from this position for two hundred years.

Once, there had been others beside her in this space where they had watched over the world before her, before she had ascended to the heavens upon her death and became a God.

Unlike them, however, this new God could leave this space and visit other worlds.

She could see all other sorts of worlds and meet Gods she didn’t know existed.

The others that watched over her world begged to be free.

When she had been alive, the woman had always been kind and merciful to others. She had been the perfect embodiment of the word ‘Saint’ and so, upon seeing their suffering after an eternity of being bound here, she killed them, freeing them forever.

However, that had been three hundred years ago and, ever since, the lonely saint had watched over Aangapea and the other continents, all of its peoples and religions, alone. She had to pretend to be the others and spoke warnings and blessings to all of the world, trying her best to bring happiness and peace to her world.

For two hundred years, the young God had done that and, after so much time, she had long forgotten who she originally was.

What she treasured.

What she fought for.

Why she cared.

When the young God realised this, she broke.

Her heart turned cold, her soul became empty and she stared mindlessly at her old world uncaringly.

She spoke to its people in their dreams absentmindedly and ambiguously, for she no longer held affection for Aangapea.

To the Holy Empire, she was their founder and saviour, the beautiful, wise, kind and wonderful Saint Themis.

Now, she was a God and one who wished that she could end her own existence.

Then, for the first time in a long time, someone else appeared in the space, a Goddess with charcoal wings and a pleasant smile on her lips.

“I wonder what people would say if they saw their precious Saint Themis like this.”

“I care not. Saint Themis is dead. Her memories, her feelings, her loved ones are all gone. Only I remain here.” Themis groggily looked at Eris. “Is it possible for a God to die?”

Eris shook her head. “Only if you were a Lesser God, one tied to a single world to watch over and protect for all eternity. You, my dear, ascended into the realm of the Greater Gods, the ones who can move freely in the Endless Space.”

“I care not.”

“Oh?”

“All I wish for is the end.”

“Why?”

“Because it is all I can wish for now. I take no joy or pride in watching over this world and only respond to their calls when they become irritable. I imagine if Saint Themis had known what she’d become, she would sin until she was unworthy to become a God.”

“It’s very rare for someone to become a God from the mortal worlds, especially a Greater God, Themis. You are one of the only two that I know of who has reached the Endless Space before.”

“Endless? If it is Endless, then it must be just as unfulfilling to live in as this place is.”

A nasty smirk appeared on Eris’s lips. “Hey, if you don’t care about your world anymore, would you mind if I borrowed it for a while.”

Themis cocked her head quizzically. “Why would you wish to borrow this world?”

“I’m looking for a world to send someone into as a foreign invader to see if they can conquer a peaceful world and cover it in darkness. Most Gods, Lesser or Greater, tend to care quite a lot for their worlds, even if it’s a chore, so it’s quite a rare opportunity to find one up for grabs for my purposes.”

“Would this not violate any rules of the Endless Space?”

“Not if I have your permission, and that of the Creator.” Eris bent down to meet Themis at eye level and asked, “So? Would you mind if I played with your world?”

“If that would let me leave this place, then I would let you do as you wish.”

“It would.”

“Then.” Themis stood up. “Do with it as you will.”

***

Alone in the vast, endless darkness, she watched him with a bright, blissful expression on her face.

She was lying upon a throne dripping with a dark mist, crafted from thorny wooden branches, twisting together into a grotesque hand.

She had watched a thousand eternities past, all of which once held her interest, but she had grown bored of them all.

However, the boy she watched now was different.

“You are an excellent Demon Emperor, David Athelward.” She gleefully kicked her feet off the side of her throne. “I knew you’d be a good choice, but I didn’t expect you to be so perfect for the role.”

He had done the impossible and won her game, whilst desperately clinging onto his old self.

“Thank you, David Athelward, for showing me such an entertaining opening to my game. Soon, the real thing will begin and things are going to get much, much more interesting from here.”

Eris laughed as she swung around in her throne to get a better look at the person before her, frozen in animation with their eyes shut.

Eris would send thirty people to fight David as her Heroes, but she had only handpicked five of them; the rest were chosen at random.

The person before her was the first one Eris chose.

A young woman with long brown hair and bright green eyes.

Eris gleefully giggled as her usual, sadistic smile crept across her lips.

She lovingly stroked Hailey’s cheek with her palm.

“I can’t wait.”

The End.