Solun's death was a gruesome affair, he was gored through the chest with daggers from all sides. The men he considered brothers were the chief perpetrators of his assassination. His end came swiftly and brutally, in the end he didn't even know the reason for his death. He wasn't angered by his death, Solun was aware that death was an inevitable for all mortals. His end just came a little earlier than expected.

The afterlife also wasn't quite what he was expecting. It was pitch black,

almost as if his consciousness was swimming in a sea of darkness. What would those stuffy old scholars think of all this? Their years of theorizing and conjecturing were for naught. There was no angel waiting for him after death, or a demon sent from hell to torment him. As far as the eye could see, there was only pure darkness..

No heaven, no hell. Would his mind be awake in total darkness for all eternity? Perhaps, this was indeed some form of torment for sinners. Solun did not consider himself a saint, but in his opinion he was hardly the worst sinner. Was this the limbo for the morally grey such as himself?

"I dislike that about you humans." A young, melodious voice emerged from the darkness. "Your kind tends to question matters beyond their control." He was taken back by the emergence of a young woman's voice.

"Who's there? Are you an angel? Or a demon sent to torment me?" Solun cursed his arrogant tongue. Regardless of identity any higher being would be offended by such direct statements. Could this higher power peer into his mind?

"Neither," the voice confirmed his suspicion, "I am but a humble messenger sent by the deity of deception, Yod. Her majesty has a proposition for you."

Solun wasn't ready to trust this messenger, but he had little choice in the matter. Being alone in total darkness would no doubt drive him to insanity. Even eternal torture would be a better fate than an eternity of nothingness.

"I'll hear the proposition out, but I suppose I really don't have a choice in the matter anyway."

"Clever. You're right, you never had a choice anyway." She replied with disdain oozing from her voice.

Solun wasn't sure what her problem was. This was their first meeting and it seemed that she was less than pleased to be dealing with him.

"I'll bring you to her majesty. Take care not to forget your manners. Her majesty may seem lax, but she doesn't tolerate impudence."

"I'll keep your warning in mind."

In the blink of an eye there was light again. His eyes, so used to the darkness, had a difficult time adjusting. The first thing he noticed after his vision cleared was a beautiful child, adorned in free-flowing robes, that was seated on a modest yet elegant throne.

Solun was enamoured the second he laid eyes on the child. Nothing else seemed to matter besides fulfilling the child's every desire. If asked, he would even give his own life for-

"Steel your mind!" Solun thought, "such an action would be illogical."

"Your majesty, I believe that's enough. He is the first mortal to break away from your charm, anymore and you might break him." The messenger seemed mildly impressed with him, not that it helped his own state of mind. Solun cursed himself for nearly falling for a diety. She was beautiful no doubt, however he was a mortal, and she was a deity.

Solun dropped to the floor, drenched in sweat and heaving for breath. Just breaking free of her influence had drained him considerably. It didn't take much for him to infer that this child was likely the deity named Yod. She was nothing like he expected, but then again life hardly ever went according to expectations. Not even in his wildest dreams could he have imagined a scenario like this after his passing.

"Am I not what you expected?" Yod teased, her voice seemingly projecting from all directions. She had a voice that was nothing like he had heard before. But then again, the voice of a god couldn't be ordinary, it only made sense it was one of a kind.

"Sorry. . . it's just. . . you're a lot cuter than I anticipated." Solun had met many beauties in his life, however her beauty was the first to ever cause him to to act so irrationally.

"I am Yod, deity of deception." She introduced herself, her hand moving to point at him. "I have chosen you as my champion." Her sweet, peculiar voice echoing throughout the room.

"What services do you require from a humble mortal such as myself?" Suddenly, a miniature planet appeared in front of him, startling and causing him to take a few steps back. Yod stood up from her throne, her ethereal dress flowing behind her as she walked towards the construct.

"My name has long been forgotten by the denizens of your world." She said when she reached the globe. Spreading her hands over it, almost touching but not quite, she continued. "I need someone to spread my name throughout the world again. To revive their faith, this is what I ask of you." As she made her request, her eyes fell again on him, and the hopeful look on her face nearly caused his knees to give out.

"Why did you choose me as someone to carry your will? Surely there are better candidates to spread your name." Solun tested, wary of the deity's intentions. Yod was the self proclaimed deity of illusions and deceit, blindly trusting her words would be foolish at best, suicidal at worst.

"No, I do not require a hero, nor a priest for this task. I need a champion that can understand the hearts of people." She smiled cryptically before continuing. "In time, you will come to understand just what makes you so unique."

"Understand the hearts of people?" He Thought sourly. His failure to understand the hearts of people, his closest friends no less, was the reason for his senseless demise. He pushed his thoughts aside, there was no point in regretting about the past.

"I think. . . you have the wrong person for the job."

Contrary to his expectations, Yod took no notice of his indecision, in fact she seemed pleased, she seemed to have anticipated his reaction.

"I can understand your doubts, I've put great consideration into this matter.." She smirked mischievously. "If you cannot believe in yourself, then believe in me. In due time all will be revealed."

"Wait! I haven't even agreed yet!"

A blinding light permeated the room, and in the blink of an eye his mind warped away from the deity. Vibrant colors he couldn't even name assaulted him from all directions.

When the blinding light faded, he realized he was in the dark once more. His heart nearly stopped. Was his meeting with Yod a mere delusion? Solun heard faint rustling noises around him, he could hear. . . which meant he wasn't in the void anymore. So just where was he?

A chilling wind swept over his body. Solun could hear, feel sensations, but not see. His mind was still sharp, however. He clumsily got up from the cold ground, his four legs shivering? Wait, four legs? Something wasn't right. Humans did not have four legs. Unless. . . he wasn't human anymore.