Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign - By Phillip Jones Page 0,102

him in half.

The pile of marble started to shift and lift into the air. As the pieces settled toward the edges of the foundation, Lasidious took a deep breath and held it. He waited for the answer that would determine the remainder of his existence.

From the center of the pile rose the Book of Immortality. Lasidious exhaled as the Book floated toward the group. “Bassorine has been destroyed. He will no longer be a member of this Collective.”

Some of the gods fell to their knees while others stood in disbelief. They had known Bassorine for over 12,000 seasons, and despite their differences, most of them had admired him. But true to vanity, they shook off the loss as they realized the advantage—there was one less being more powerful than them at the top.

Lasidious allowed his dark heart to relish the fact that this part of his plan had fallen into place. He was now the strongest of all the gods. The only hurdle that remained was to find a way to take control of the Book. Thousands of seasons of plotting were beginning to come together.

The Book’s voice was forceful. “I shall require a new hall. I want it to be created right away. If anyone breaks another law, they shall meet the same fate as the expired.”

The Book paused and then changed the direction of the conversation. “As you all know, the laws state: for every fallen, a new deity must take the place of the one who was lost. This replacement is to be chosen per the wishes of the fallen. I shall announce the name of the ascendant when we convene to honor Bassorine’s passing.”

The Book floated toward Lasidious. “If it is your intent to allow everything the Collective has created to be destroyed, then it’s your right to do so. No one can do anything to stop you. We all know, there’s no law stating that you cannot destroy the Crystal Moon.”

The Book turned to the others and shouted. “How could you have forgotten to vote into existence such an important law?”

Lasidious responded before the others could. “I don’t want to destroy the worlds, but I will if I need to. I’m bored, and I simply wish to play a game. I plan to scatter the crystal’s pieces and use them as objects to collect while we play my game.”

The God of Mischief smiled. A malicious intent rested behind his grin. “I have protected each piece of the crystal. No one can touch them now that Bassorine is gone ... except for me, of course. You will be given a choice. Those of you who join me will create a team of evil. We shall try to collect three of the Crystal Moon’s pieces. A second team will also assemble ... a team of good, and they shall try to do the same. Good or evil, for every piece collected, we shall join them together. The crystals will once again be able to send what power they can throughout the worlds until the others are added. This should keep the planets in their assigned orbits and give us the moments to finish our contest.

Mieonus’ dark hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her gown exposed the flesh of her thigh as it accented her voluptuous curves. She responded as she tapped her lifted heel against the piece of the hall that she was standing on. “The inability of the Crystal Moon to govern the worlds has already caused tremors on many of them. We don’t have the moments to play your silly game. Everything created is in jeopardy because of your foolishness. I have no intent to appease your desire.”

Lasidious watched the hate in the goddess’ eyes as he chuckled at her expense. “Tremors are not a concern. The planets shifting from their orbits would be more of a threat. They should not begin to migrate for nearly a season. The Crystal Moon’s governance should only effect the land masses of the worlds during this period. The earthquakes will create chaos, fear, tragedy, and tension on the worlds. We can enjoy their misery as the theft of the Crystal Moon leaves the living with little choice other than to battle for its pieces. When a team adds a piece to the first crystal, it will buy us the additional moments necessary to toy with the worlds on a grander scale.”

Lasidious moved past Mieonus. As he did, he reached out and flipped her hair with his hand. He enjoyed