Sequel

I've been updating a lot, but I kind of wonder if anyone else is keeping up.

Rel plays with his new toy, sees the gods because he's distracted and then gets an answer from Rahl-ta.

And yes, Rel ends up sleeping ON TOP of Muan. I think it's adorable. Muan is going to be uncomfortable by morning.

Read, Review and Enjoy.





Rel worked with the nanobot long into the night. He convinced it to, instead of multiply, repair one of the downed nanobots, which made the bot his. That bot in turn he told to repair the first bot and together they went about repairing others. While Rel went about researching firewalls with his laptop and adding to his nanobots’ protection.

He finally set the control unit aside, with the nanobots in rest mode, and closed his eyes for just a moment. Just. A. Moment.

Wisps moved through the throne room, whispering to one another and to the god sitting on the throne. Chin resting on a thumb, index finger over his upper lip. Rahl-ta considered what the high spirits told him. The god’s eyes were focused on nothing in particular as Illuva stepped into the throne room.

The goddess floated across the floor, dressed in long robes, hair hanging down, “you called, father?”

Rahl-ta let out a breath but did not move as the wisps of light continued their report. Illuva clasped her hands in front of herself and stood, waiting quietly. The wisps disappeared, one by one and Rahl-ta rubbed the spot between his eyes as he straightened.

“Illuva?”

“Yes?”

“I want this civilization ended.”

“I told you that years ago.”

“I have multiple reports. They are,” Rahl-ta stood and sighed out, descending the steps of the throne to stand on the same level as Illuva, “about to start logging Vera’s trees. Vera’s forest.”

“You may be afraid of Vera-”

“I am not afraid of Vera. I am afraid of what Mother will do. I can feel her again. Like. Like a sound that is just out of reach. Mother is coming awake once more and what you have proposed in the past, wiping them out, may be the best option.”

“Whatever could Mother do to us? We are the gods, after all,” Illuva murmured in response.

“Ayato,” Rahl-ta sighed out and walked away from Illuva, “he has accumulated his powers once more, he is once again the god of mortality.”

“He can’t.”

“He can. He can strip us of our mortality. And, as you have stated, he supports the destruction of civilization. Bring him here. Him and Rava both and we will discuss letting them off their leash.”

Illuva looked highly uncomfortable. The goddess adjusted her weight and looked away from Rahl-ta and down. Rahl-ta’s back stiffened, he turned back to Illuva.

“Why do you not get them.”

“Rava has already been born.”

“What? When?”

“Five years ago,” Illuva said, still looking away as Rahl-ta advanced on her, “I told you, the well of souls is nearly empty, Ill told you, when we took your pieces and put them in the world, even the ones you save for special occasions. Did you think that the gathering of souls would be kept to only your pieces? All of us have sent all of our pieces into the world.”

“Then get Ayato.”

And Illuva looked very. Very. Uncomfortable.

“Where is Ayato? Do not tell me you birthed him as well. If he is alive down there. Now.” Rahl-ta huffed out, “Ayato was alive not more than six months ago, he. He can’t be back. Already. Are you mad! Are you daft woman? Have you lost your damnable mind, do you know what happens when-”

“I didn’t let him out.” Illuva muttered.

“What?”

“I. Did not let him out.”

“Then how did he get out.”

Illuva was silent. Rahl-ta bellowed his outrage, making Illuva shrink back from him as the throne room shook. Shadow daemon emerged from the edges of the room, coming forward to their master’s call.

“I want him found. I want the Aniege wiped off of the face of Mother.”

“You can’t! You can’t destroy them all just because he escaped!” Illuva shouted back at Rahl-ta.

“And you,” Rahl-ta jabbed a finger at Illuva, “you will hand them over immediately to me. You have not way of controlling them, that much is very clear.”

“I have no desire to control them. And I will not allow you to destroy him. To destroy them.”

“He died. Illuva. Not only did he die, he died by his own hand.”

“Because you placed him with the fake. Again.”

“A suicide should never be reborn so quickly. He should have been scrubbed completely clean. No power. No memories. Nothing. Instead you let him escape, you set him loose on the world and because of that the destruction he causes is on your head.”

“He won’t cause destruction.” Illuva snapped back, “he wants what we all want. Civilization to fall.”

“No. Illuva. Ayato has never wanted civilization to fall. He has wanted the people to fall. He doesn’t care if they are our followers, he doesn’t care if they are on our side or the other side. He won’t care if they have good blood or bad, high spirit or loyal daemon. Ayato will kill anyone and everyone who gets in his way.”

“You have said before that you can control Ayato through Rava.”

“Who we have already slipped off the leash. There is no way for us to control him without killing him first and killing him is nearly impossible once he’s been slipped off the leash. Just look at what he’s done in his time already.”

“If you knew he existed-”

“I don’t need to know what that boy is up to when we’ve slipped him from the leash. Look at him, look at what he’s done and you will understand why we cannot simply kill him. We have no control over either Rava or Ayato.”

“Oh. Well. Oh well.”

“Of course. The only one capable of producing Ayato would be a directly descendant Aniege and the only one alive is… Rel.”

“Lel.”

“What?”

“His name is Lel now.”

“Fine. Lel. Which means I can find Ayato and stop this from happening.” Rahl-ta walked back to his throne.

“If you kill him, I will not hand him over to you.” Illuva folded her arms defiantly.

“You cannot defy me.”

“Watch me,” Illuva turned her back to Rahl-ta and walked towards the door. The goddess paused there, “he slipped his leash, he got away and you want to kill him and leave Rava living by himself in the mortal world. Really, what is more dangerous. Ayato slipped out, or Rava pissed off?”

She left, closing the door behind her as the shadow daemon slid back to their hidden places. Rahl-ta made his way back to his throne and settled on it. Silent for a moment before he smiled and looked to the empty seat beside him. Tahl-ra appeared and pecked her mate on the forehead.

“You want them back that badly?”

“If she thinks I want him dead,” Rahl-ta murmured, “she will send her daemon to protect him. Which means he will survive. Of course, if she ever finds out I manipulated her I will never hear the end of it. But. Always, simplicity is the key.”

“Simplicity, or reverse psychology?” Tahl-ra purred.

“A little of both.” Rahl-ta laughed.

Rel jerked up on the coach and gasped. He was cold, so very cold and the room was dark. In the dark, just over his head were the words ‘hi Lel.’ Rel sighed and picked up the unit, poking at the buttons. He was back down to one nanobot.

Fuck.

He sat up and tried to ignore his dream as he tapped at the controls. Raya and slid into his firewall through the back door. Urgh. Rel tapped out some commands, adjusted his firewall and let the nanobot float in circles while he considered. If he told the bots to revert to Raya’s then adjust and slip through the firewalls Raya had in place to alter all the nanobots?

Rel tapped in the command and had the one nanobot alter one of Raya’s bots. He then told the second bot to alter to Raya’s control but to give him a secondary access. The creature flipped over, sectioning off the nanobot’s command centers. From the secondary command center, Rel took in Raya’s firewall and told the bot to spread its programming to all bots it could spread to. Very quickly, Rel had secondary control over all of Ray’s nanobots in the building.

Then Rel told the nanobots to execute Raya’s commands. Trying to convert bots that were already Raya’s actually destroyed the command center of Raya’s, leaving all the protection Raya had had in place but giving Rel full command. He had a million nanobots and was the sole user of the building. Raya had sectioned off his nanobots, a clever thing to do. Rel turned the commands in the firewall against themselves and told every nanobot to protect itself from every other nanobot. Leaving him in command and making it almost impossible, hopefully, for Raya to take back all million nanobots. Raya would have to hack each bot individually.

“Lel?” Muan slid onto the couch beside Rel and wrapped an arm around him, “shleep?”

“Okay.”

“Lel… okay?”

“Yeah.” Rel dropped the command unit onto the table and stood, “just. Gods.”

“Gohds?” Muan pointed upward.

“Yes.”

“Ahhh,” Muan led Rel to the bed and laid down, pulling Rel atop of him, “shleep? Fun time?”

“Sleep,” Rel responded, setting his head on Muan’s shoulder, making himself comfortable atop of Muan, “maybe fun time tomorrow morning.”


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