Divine Apostasy Book 9 - Chapter 8

[Author’s Note: I have made significant changes to the storyline and this chapter is part of the new direction. I am reposting this chapter with the current changes and marking the previous chapter as (OLD). Sorry for the confusion as I work through the best way to tell the story. Thank you.]

Chapter 8

Ruwen slowly turned. “Hey, Blapy. Long time no see.”

Blapy stood in the middle of a ten foot circle where the grass bent toward the ground. She pointed to her right and Ruwen glanced that way, not seeing anything.

Ugh, I thought we’d have more time, Rami said.

More time for what? Before Rami could answer Ruwen asked another question. Lir, did you make it through okay? Can you still talk to, Ruwen wasn’t sure what to call it and stuck with his first idea, temple-Lir? 

I am consolidating and will be fully functional in five point seven minutes. My connection to temple-Lir is steady.

Great, Ruwen responded.

Ruwen sensed ripples above his arms, just as two silver centipedes appeared and wrapped around his wrists. He yelped and flicked his wrists, throwing the creatures into the grass.

“Are you ignoring me?” Blapy asked. “The next one is appearing in your mouth.”

“No,” Ruwen responded quickly. “Just checking on some passengers.”

Uruziel, how did Blapy create those centipedes so fast? We need a way to gently counter that.

We can talk later.

Blapy continued to stare at Ruwen, so he studied the area where she still pointed. Not seeing anything, he used Harmony instead, and immediately found a three-foot circular disturbance twenty feet away and fifteen feet above the ground.

“What’s that?” Ruwen asked.

Oh, oh, Ram said.

What do you mean, oh oh? What’s going on?

I think that’s a rift. You know. One of the things that happened when you leveled the Architect Role.

Oh no, Ruwen said, now understanding the problem.

Ruwen turned to Blapy, who glared up at him. “First, this isn’t really my fault.”

“I knew it,” Blapy said, her blonde pigtails swinging as she shook her head. “There are six people who encompass the entirety of my problems. Those two drunks, that infuriating golem, an annoying pot, Sift, and guess who’s the newest addition, although let’s be honest, easily makes the top of the list.”

Ruwen grimaced. “I’m going with, Xavier. He can really be irritating.”

Rami bit Ruwen’s ear. That’s not nice.

Just admit he’s aggravating most of the time.

Rami bit him again.

Blapy closed her eyes, as if trying to calm herself, before focusing on Ruwen. “What did you do?”

“Again, I didn’t really ‘do’ anything. It kind of just happened on its own.”

“Explain,” Blapy said through gritted teeth.

“It’s related to the surge of power around me that Archie witnessed during my transition from Diamond to Angel. It sort of upgraded my Architect Role.”

“What!” Blapy yelled.

We need to decide how much to tell her, Ruwen said to the internal group.

The log and maybe the Architect Roles, Rami responded, but definitely not the new displays yet. She will freak out and there is no telling what might happen.

That scared Ruwen, as it didn’t sound like Rami meant it as a joke. Just what did those new displays contain?

Overlord, Uruziel, and Lir all agreed, and Rami pushed the strange log entries along with the images of the new Roles that had appeared when Ruwen’s Architect Role upgraded to level two.

“Darkness take me,” Blapy cursed. She pointed at the almost undetectable disturbance. “I assume that’s a rift. Do you know what legacy shards or paragon jewels are?”

“Not yet,” Ruwen replied. “This all just happened a few hours ago.”

Saying the time caused Ruwen’s heart to pound. If he wasn’t in the Divine Realm, than his precious half hour was ticking away.

“Where are we?” Ruwen asked. “I thought I stepped through a portal to the Divine Realm.”

“You did, but I created another portal right where you exited that brought you back here to the pyramid. What’s wrong with you? Are you in pain?”

“No, I just wanted to squeeze out a few years in the Divine Realm before heading out to find Lylan.”

The good news of this terrible turn of events was they were in the Black Pyramid, which meant Ruwen experienced the same time dilation as Sift and Hamma. It meant Ruwen had two hours left of the four he’d told Sift, which took some of the pressure off. Figuring out all this time dilation made Ruwen’s head hurt.

“You aren’t going anywhere until you figure out what you put in my pyramid,” Blapy said.

“I didn’t put that rift here.”

“Who caused the universe to upgrade and make all these changes?”

“Technically, me, but—”

Blapy interrupted. “Exactly, which is why you’re going to investigate that thing to see if its dangerous.”

Ruwen sighed, knowing Blapy wouldn’t let him into the Divine Realm until he’d done as she asked. Honestly, though, the thought of exploring the rift excited him.

“I tried looking myself,” Blapy said, “but it won’t let me through the boundary like this.”

Since Miranda remained trapped in the Third Secret with the Universe’s Spirit, all the forms she took whether it be the pig-tailed Blapy, the angel-winged Miranda, or the ancient wyrm, were actually clones.

“That’s weird,” Ruwen offered. Even though the rift was a little exciting, he also had a lot to do and part of him hoped he’d bounce off the rift just like Blapy’s clone had.

“Do you have any more ‘weird’ stuff?” Blapy asked.

Ruwen knew better than to lie, especially to Blapy, who could read him like a book. “A bunch evidently, but the consensus is to hide it for now, even from myself. Rami and Lir are deciding what’s appropriate.”

Blapy gazed at Ruwen’s left ear, where Rami sat quietly. “That seems like the truth, and I trust Rami’s judgement. I assume she will inform her mother of the details the moment they become relevant.”

Rami must have responded to Blapy because the little girl turned her attention back to Ruwen. “You told me earlier today that if you felt in danger from any of the deities you would rip them from their Realms and kill them in the Material one.”

The shift in topic confused Ruwen, but he nodded.

Blapy continued. “You probably felt like you had time before the changes described in that log appeared.” She pointed at the rift. “Now you know you don’t. What happens if these rifts, legacy shards, and paragon jewels alter the balance of power. You’ve proven you can match a small group of deities already. If even one of them figures out how to create a significant advantage from all these changes, your supremacy disappears. This is in addition to the soul leveling and Harmony that will likely not remain secret for long. Does any of that change your plans? Do you not feel at risk right now?”

A light wind bent the grass, and the soft rustle would have calmed Ruwen if not for the dire conversation. Ruwen had already considered Blapy’s questions, but had hoped he’d get far more time before the items in the log showed up. It led right to another set of related questions that had plagued him.

“It depends on how much time I have,” Ruwen responded, “and how the Fourth Secret works. Do you know how I’m supposed to put all the Spirit back? Do I smear again and somehow funnel the Spirit to where it needs to go?”

Blapy shrugged. “How should I know? What I do know is that if you smear before you’re peak Deity you’ll end up just like you did before.”

“Well, reaching peak Deity using the Divine Realm should only take a few days.”

Blapy tilted her head. “Are you crazy? That much sequential time dilation will trap you in the Realm.”

Ruwen’s stomach clenched. “Trap how?”

“You have the Temporal Role same as me. The Universe has a standard flow of time that is the basis for everything else. That’s why your temples need that value for their current location. Small variations from that universal flow, like here at the pyramid, don’t affect you, but massive differences for extended periods will get you unstuck from the flow.”

“What’s considered extended?”

Blapy shrugged again. “I’m not sure, but the hundred years you just spent will have left you a massive time wake. Think of it like a boulder in a stream. If you flow in tandem with the water things are fine, but if slow too much you become an obstruction for the flow, and it needs to move around you. That creates turbulence.”

Anger blossomed inside Ruwen. “Why didn’t you tell me this before agreeing to let me use the Divine Realm for the help I provided you.”

Blapy grinned up at Ruwen. “You didn’t ask for details. It seemed you knew exactly what you wanted and I let you have it.”

Ruwen rubbed his forehead. “Is there someway to get rid of my time-baggage? Like someway to reset myself so I can go back?”

“Not sure. I’ve never researched it. I already have too much time, why would I want more?”

That made sense from Blapy’s point of view, but it really messed up Ruwen’s plans.

“If I can’t find a way to fix this time thing, it means getting to peak Deity will take a while. Too long with all this change appearing. I won’t risk the current gods getting an advantage over me that could stop me from finishing my purpose.”

“What are you saying?”

Memories of Savage Island flashed through his thoughts, and he stood straighter. “I’m going to kill them all while I hold the advantage.”

“What about the deities that haven’t attacked you? The ones with no desire for power? Or the ones who would actually welcome a return to balance?”

I thought you learned this lesson already, Rami told Ruwen. You can’t revert to tyranny every time you get nervous or scared.

Ruwen sighed. “I know. It’s not the person I want to be. But the longer I wait the higher the risk of failure because others become too strong.”

“You were told in the Third Secret that staying there would ensure victory.”

“At the cost of all the things I cherish and love.”

Blapy shrugged. “The point is you left—accepting the risk others could stop you. What’s different now?”

“I guess because I have my friends and I’m unbeatable if I’m careful.”

“There is always a cost, and while you have your friends and victory is within your grasp, the choices you’re forced to make to reach your goals will cost you everything you’ve tried to save.”

Ruwen slumped, knowing Blapy spoke the truth. He’d already realized he couldn’t kill the innocent, deity or not, and worse, he didn’t have a guaranteed way to know if a deity was guilty or innocent, which made him a monster for killing them.

“You never have good news,” Ruwen muttered.

“Nonsense. Here’s some right now. I’m sending you some help with that rift.”

Ruwen perked up. “Really? Who?”

But Blapy had already disappeared.

Lir, can you investigate the time thing Blapy mentioned. Figuring out a way to consistently use that Divine Realm is our ticket to continued safety and eventual success.

Of course.

“I hope she’s not sending those chickens,” Ruwen mumbled. “That would be just like her.”

I doubt it, Rami answered. She likes those chickens too much to risk them in that rift.

That didn’t make Ruwen feel very important. He had to be more valuable than the Savage Seven. To be fair, this rift was slightly his fault.

I guess we’re about to find out, Rami said.

A portal opened twenty feet away, and two figures stepped out, one colored black the other green. Both stood around seven feet tall and just like the first time Ruwen had seen them they reminded him of a lizard blended with a wingless dragon, likely some type of drake. Their feet and hands had sharp claws, and each figure held a large jar which they drank from as they looked around.

The help Blapy mentioned had arrived.

Chip pointed at Ruwen while speaking to Stump. “Well, that explains it.”