Jack, now back in the real world, looked down at his right hand. He was still gripping that Orb...
"Hehehe... HEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jack began to laugh wildly.
"Dear, you should really stop that... People are going to see who you really are if you keep on." Leslie had come to Jack's side, while a certain vampire crawled into the room along the ceiling, now that her trial was finished with Leslie.
"Do you know what this is???" Jack lifted the Orb in his hands.
Leslie gazed at it while feeling a piercing pain in her brow.
"N-no? But it gives me a headache. What is it?"
"This." Jack looked up at the ceiling to see Eris.
Eris looked down while smiling, as she then shuddered. She could feel that Jack just placed his hand around her heart.
Leslie noticed that Jack's intention.
"I think she can be trusted, for now."
Jack nodded, as he gave the heart a bit of a squeeze, as Eris held her breath for that moment. He then returned his gaze to Leslie, "This is the Spider Goddess' mortal soul."
Leslie showed a genuinely shocked expression, as her skeletal hands slapped over her mouth. Eris lost her grip and fell from the ceiling and landed with a thud.
Pleased by their reactions Jack continued, "The Spider Whore thought it would be fun to take over my Emily's soul. Tch tch tch. Me and Emily wiped the floor with her."
Leslie pulled her hands down slightly to speak, "But... How? Why is she here, why in Emily? I don't... I need to sit down..." Leslie in a rare show of not understanding went over and took a seat in the small chair of Emily's.
"If I understand correctly, their prophet of the spider implanted the soul of the spider slut into her soul at a young age, where it laid dormant until I retrieved this body and transferred the soul to it. This sparked her awakening." Jack said as he pieced together his talks with the Spider Goddess.
"What a convoluted plan." Leslie knitted her brows while averting her gaze from the orb in Jack's hands, as she proceeded to further speak, "Then what do you plan to do with her mortal soul now?"
Jack looked again over to Eris, and then back to Leslie, "I plan to trade it with death. The Spider Harlot should have passed into the cycle long long ago. I'm sure he would love to have this."
"Ummm..." Leslie thought over exactly how does one contact death incarnate.
"Don't worry. I don't have to die again to contact him, at least I don't think I have too." Jack chuckled.
"Ex-Excuse me..." Eris finally spoke up.
Jack and Leslie turned to look at the Vampire that was rubbing her bottom from her landing.
"Yes...?" Jack asked slowly while looking to Eris on the floor.
"Just-Just how does one easily say... To contact death and give them a soul???" Eris stuttered out.
"Easy. Me and Death can be considered good friends." Jack nodded a few times, and then added, "It's best not to think about it."
Eris nodded blankly.
"Well... What do we do now?" Leslie asked as she looked over Emily's body that twitched every few minutes.
"I don't know how long she'll take, but I need to trade this off, as soon as possible," Jack commented.
"You know you have court tomorrow... Lucius already postponed it once for us." Leslie continued.
"Did he?"
"You know... When we... slept for a while." Leslie put her fingers together.
"Ah. I see. I'll have to thank him."
"MMMmmm Hmmm."
"In that case, I'm going to my library for a few hours. I need to get rid of this quickly, as I said." Jack got up and walked to the door.
"Do you want me to keep a watch over Emily personally, or do you think the Holy Sentinels will be better, or???"
Jack looked to the ceiling, as he spoke out, "Holy Sentinels... Would you guard my second consort and inform my first consort of any problems?"
In a flash of light, two Holy Sentinels appeared outside the room's door.
[I need to learn how they do that.] Jack thought to himself, as he saw both the Sentinels nod silently.
Jack walked out of the room, as he called, "Leslie get me in my Library if you need me. You know where I'll be."
"Golden Throne?"
"Golden Throne," Jack replied, as he floated down the twisted hallways.
Leslie looked back to Emily, as she understood, as she then looked to Eris.
"Eris it's best if you come with me for now, and let the Holy Sentinels do what they do."
Eris got off the floor and patted her amble backside of the dust that clung. Leslie passed the Holy Sentinels as she walked out the door, as Eris followed behind.
In a rare occurrence, one of the Holy Sentinels cleared their throat as Eris passed.
Eris looked back at the Holy Sentinel that made the sound for it. She watched as the Holy Sentinel pointed to the other and then to itself. It then made the, 'We are watching you' gesture.
"Eeeeh..." Eris sounded.
"What did you do to piss off the Holy Sentinels, dear Third Sister?" Leslie spoke out, while not looking back, as she led Eris to another hallway, and out of the sight of the Holy Sentinels.
"Uhh... I bet they're just pissy because I roam the Palace." Eris commented, and put her head down, which seemed to be unbecoming of her.
Leslie nodded, "Yes. They have been very angry ever since Jack fought the Mountain Ape Hermit."
"Why?"
"They found out they were weak in comparison to the God-King. If my guess is correct, then they are lamenting that they couldn't help him. They are very protective of him, you know." Leslie finished.
"They do seem to buzz when I come through windows or go out of them."
"The only reason you're not in two pieces is that you were recognized as the third consort, I imagine."
"Well, on another topic... Where are we going?"
"We're there now. Come on in." Leslie had led Eris through twists and turns through the palace until they had entered deeply into the underbelly of the palace. It was only a few more floors before it was Jack's old resting place when he was entombed.
Eris hadn't paid attention to where they were going, but even if she had, she hadn't explored this deep into the palace before to know where she was...
She took two steps into the room following Leslie's invitation and gasped.
*******
Deep within Emily's soul, she battled the endless voices that threatened to consume her.
"FOR JACK!!! FOR MY HUSBAND!!! I WILL NOT BEND! I WILL NOT BREAK!! I WILL NOT BOW!!!" Emily shouted as loudly as she could.
The seemingly chaotic sounds soon died down, when a voice that was just barely audible spoke...
"Child..."
"Ugh... Who is it this time!" Emily roared, as she continued to gain more control, and shift through the voices.
"I am Hecate, former Goddess of Ghouls."
"...The one killed by Neith...?" Emily spoke through gritted teeth, as she strained within her soul, as the surrounding god soul sparked and cracked with black lightning.
"Just a fragment... Let over... Just a ghost... Nothing more... Nothing less..."
"What brings this ghost to me?" Emily began to reign in the voices, and the chaotic soul started to smooth out in areas.
"I heard you shouting... And it brought me awareness from my long-defeated state."
"So, what is your point, former goddess of ghouls. I don't mean to be rude, but this process is much more intense than I suspected it to be. So, forgive me if I'm not more... UGH... Accommodating."
"Yes. I understand... The first time of acquirement is... Challenging... I can help with that..."
"At was price? Huh? All of you have a price!"
"No... No price... Nothing... You... Remind me of... Myself... Dear child..."
"Of you???"
"I loved... Alucard... More than anything... My husband... You love your... Husband... We are... More alike... Even your soul... Appears to be that of... A ghoul..."
"What are you getting atttttttt-ta..." Emily struggled with another surge in a wave of chaotic power and voices.
"As a new goddess, you have a rare choice... You can become the Goddess of Spiders... or you can become my heir... The Goddess of Ghouls..."
"..." Emily wasn't quick to respond, as she continued to subjugate the god soul left behind by Neith.