"Welcome back, Riddle and Pride." Kneeling before their king, "In order to return your status, you have to prove that these are yours." Posed hand to the two coffins. Pride could see someone broke into hers. In a lot of effort managed to find something that was proof enough. Riddle however stares of shocked about the newly painted - recently painted seals. There is no outward damage. He stares a long time dazed of wondering what the hell he left in there. Having forgotten.
"You left her in there. I do remember now." Greyhound speaking up, "My lord. Be ready for the unexpected."
"Left what in there?" Riddle really not getting it. He flips the while coffin the other way. He the borrowed an axe and busted a fake panel, it had his god follower items. At least the basic like the Bible of his faith. A necklace. His cursed mask, which he puts on unfazed. He makes a last few pulls of some items. Gifts these to the King, proving loyalty and ranking.
"Everyone is now dismissed that aren't needed." King posed hand over the court. Only the trusted ones are left. Every last gossiping Duke and Duchess make there last little remarks. Envious of the shadows sudden and likely the only time that a shadow will be public. The king now posed for Riddle to finish. Feeling amused to see what has happened of the collared one that been in there.
"Maybe not here." Omens voicing caution. Riddle stands in not being sure if he should. It's bad enough with how much an uproar among the nobility are of Riddle. Proving to be one the worst times his faced while in the face of undertakers. Really this is like him walking into the bathroom while she's getting unchanged. That same level of embarrassed feelings. Omens making such leery comments isn't helping, trying to find excuses for Riddle to not be tortured further.
"What are you trying to hide?" His sister teases, she knows him very well to read his being shy and flips back the coffin to the way it should be. There was several attempts to find the lid edge. She posefd hand to one the gaurd and they provided exactly what be useful. An axe to knock through but that doesn't pry open anything. If anything, it broke the fake cladding. The wood was just a fake surface. So Pride soon shaving off all the wood parts. She was pissed that the axe shattered in contact of the unknown material.
"Well that's clever. She really sealed herself in there." Omens in bird from lands on the lid and scratched about, "Time in crystal form."
"I remember now. This girl is a headache." Riddle huffed and holding his nose ridge. He looked the to king that posed wanting him to continue, Riddle nods and steps forwards in trying to find the edges again, "So a long while ago you sent me on a mission to seek the moves between the human bloodlines. We know now there is seven. The four oldest lines were causing tome discrepancies. You wanted a recruit that could spy on these tomes that we couldn't access." King nods knowing this. Riddle stands in being annoyed that he actually can't open it but he also not wanting to talk at her like this in this place. He knows she would move through the matter. He can hear everything and everyone. The shadows that already been under the king before him. The room all whispers (not that undertakers physical can). The king waved to them all and silence is back.
"This is one the rare mixed blood children. I want to guess you managed a Seer since it's tome related." King nodding at this, speaking his mind of what he can get out the implications and Riddle simply stands bowing from beside the coffin, as trying to open the coffin further isnt happening soon, "She will have to be related to the very upset brother. The Fallown that had taken into deaths order. He has asked me several times if I knew of a strange girl lurking about my kingdom." He posed hand that Riddle needs that axe that Pride is holding. That Riddle should take stage of being more proper attempts to open it. Pride throws the axe remains aside. She stands with crossed arms. She stares him down in being disappointed of his interest for a child. Not that she care about this tome keeper status and why the god omens in bird form keeps hissing at the coffin.
"Well I couldn't leave someone so dangerous to be unattended. Really I was done with her disappearing during time reverts of the living human world." Riddle right over the surface, "I suspect the issues we have with god eaters is about to be fixed. A bunch or unaccounted souls. Entire tomes. A crest kingdom." He grumbles a lot. Hand away from the surface again, "It is bad enough that she has god court approval over mundane things. Freaking part clothus." He tilts at not really wanting her out the coffin.
"Clothus!" Pride was with weapon ready and he made her put that away.
"God court approved. She's why the clothus realm has no law over us." The king waved that Pride backs down more, "I can understand why your not wanting her removed from the coffin. But for the sake of sanity. At least check." Riddle nods and reached with hand over the surface. He stays at this pose, absorbed into the depths of trying to reach a connection. He isn't aware of his hand sinking through. When he was half leaned through the matter, he sees she is still sleeping. She holding all his gear and other items laying around her. He took hold of a ring that is hers. She made it, with some soul stone embedded in. He doesn't have one made for her yet. He takes measure of all her fingers and soon brushed the collar in thinking if something more suitable. He left her be and was back up right. Finds that his mask got locked in there. He shurgs of this and bows to his king.
"Well you all need to settle in. I will have orders for you all. But really just back to stopping tome discrepancies. Getting our ranks back for the impending war." Riddle finds the whole coffin very light to carry. Making the king pause. The many shadow court members that are acting gaurds stare between them in shock. They all struggled getting it here. Riddle has it up under an arm. He gives an awkward bow since the coffin is bulky than heavy. Omens landing back to on Ridldes shoulder as always. Omens hissed towards the coffin again as they all leave.
"It's never a good thing that his god was staring very intensely at the coffin the whole time and riding his left shoulder." Greyhound speaking up and kneels forwards to talk to the king, "I did dig up some old data. She should have been the child of a direct blood index keeper and the eldest removed from the cult daughter. This child's grandfather's are powerful men in their respective areas. She preferred to leaned towards her mother Fallown. The little miss filed the first human court case to be in the reach of gods. Death himself had many words. Her soul from whatever happened... had lead to her now. She does have authority reaching above Omens. Omens has several times stated she can dangerous." Greyhound now posed his hand in sort of sighing, "Although think we should be grateful. She stopped the tome breaking down. She also returns gods from god eaters. For as dangerous she is, she has an unique purpose that need her dangerous. There aren't many that can collect souls to the point of death requesting her help." The king from deep thought raised to look at Greyhound serious. Greyhound nodded.
"She can reap souls and is a tome keeper." So context; Undertakers are pairs for a reason. One must acces the life tome, and be the weilder of a scythe. The other has to the the death record access and carry the soul. As the scythe will not allow other souls to be held in the same vessel. This dynamic is strictly an undertaker problem, as they are clay puppet bodies being pulled by a soul. They arent enough material to more then 3 souls. 3 was the highest record and was marked as an unique circumstance. Average its two for every death tome accessor. One scythe for every life tome access.
"I can't argue the past reports. I spoke to the god eater crests and they gave me more information. I wasn't expecting it but they have been a pair several times before. Working as undertakers in other tomes that aren't ours. Praises by them. Marks of scynonization was between 50 and 90."
The king smiles, then frowns deeply and was eased back to a smile again.
"I may regret this but they have my approval." The king voiced. The shadow gaurds stand defense as there was folks that came around from shadows. There was no sense of following ranking rules, no manners in how they clumped together in front of the king. Greyhound stands glaring upon these strangers.
"I don't think the crown of the god eaters needed your approval but your word is appropriated." One her own speaking up, "The lazy woman need to get out of the the holiday season and back to work."
"Do we really want her back?" The other Ender huffed, "I don't want to go hunting worms again."
"They said strange things. Like her crown not needing approval but having your approval was taken well." Greyhound translated for the king. The king looking at the uninvited to his chamber but he respected that this was a sign. These weren't folks here to make promises, problems or even to demand anything.
"We bow. Respect a king." The nutter of the three pulls the other two to respect etiquette. Groveling with apologies. The king waved that this was plenty enough for loyalty. They arent his men.
"What exactly is your stance?" The king asked them. The one stands and leans causal. The one that works the tomes the most and is the most surprising of them to be away from the tome department.
"She wished to be just some shadow merchant with your shadow crest. We don't play undertaker games. She just protecting tomes, keeping promises and keeping the current Ender calm. Not sure what is up with that freak. It's self aware. Maybe it doesn't need a host anymore." The other two shook at this.
"Needs hands. It's bodiless." The other pitched up with standing up, leaning on the shoulder of the confident one. They stare at the nutter that rocks himself.
"Right translation." Greyhound take a moment, "The queen they follow wishes to serve as a shadow merchant and protecting the tomes. She is keeping some promise to something they are uncertain about. I think they mean Riddle. That she's keeping promises for him."
"Close enough." The causal guy shurgs, "Omens is scared of her because she could have the potential to damage the universe. Not she will ever do so willingly. She worked so hard at repairing the tomes."
"She repairs the tomes and this somehow has something of Omens in fear of her. I don't know that translation might be off." Greyhound added and the three nod at this being correct enough.
The king sits thinking deeply over the whole thing. But he gets that she had enough work of her own. She has no interest of playing monarch to real undertakers. Purposely asking for a under title to not disturb the truces. Really the only luck going for them is her attachment to his left hand subordinate, lifting the strange God choosen to more use. But there must be a counter balance in having her. Maybe this is why her strange attachment to Omens and the talk of her creatures. They do know plenty enough of her to understand she a calculated threat; put in the right amount of paradoxical issues and something is going to go a direction they arent prepared for. All of the god eater crests were present, each looking at strange things and seems waiting.
But really those three had soon left. Proven they are as strange a mix as the crown they follow. The dragonfly monarch had been more glad that they aren't his men to sort out, given the lack of respect and understanding of the ethics. That there is strength together and not a singular. Adding to wonder why such weak undertakers are under a crest that is so god fearing as a god eater, but it's best to leave things lie. She more human then thing in turth; even her moral loyalty seems very human. The king has more pressing matters to attend, especially with the concern of missing undertakers on the pathways between realms.
In the meantime, what seems at the surface of being a group gathering for some harmless fund raiser. Families wearing matching amulets seated in rows facing a lecture. The leading lady up at the front making an effort to speak about her connections to the sleep lands. Making dot connections with things the hidden have paved for them as humans. She sweeps away the aging hair that black with streaks of white. Her right hand as often pointing at groups in the crowd, conducting her orchestra of planned activities. She takes soft to seeing an empty chair.
"What of our missing Brother?" She asked them and they all look at the empty seat and back at her. Shrugs. Some are even confused.
"No one sits there." She counted heads and seats. Checking her notes. The welcome book. Things aren't making sense. She lets this slip for now. Continues speaking of where they are going and what actions to be aware of. She sees another chair being empty, then knowing she not crazy but something has changed dramatically.
"Mother Dreams!" A person shouted at the stage side but when she turned to look, they were gone.
"There!" Something was slain into dust across the floor, "I don't have time to explain but you have to just trust me." She stares over her ex-husband from beyond the grave. In this borrowed body, she only had to see his eyes to trust the left hand held to her. Nodding as they pull her through a black disc. Many others are being slipped into the temporary. Saving as many useful lives to existence as possible.
"Any word yet?" Dragging the old lady the whole way to a area that seems a command center of information. Their grandson lifted his head up from a book that hung in the air.
"It's not Leana doing this. I know her hand work at least. No this is outside even the gods awareness. Gladly life and death are making acceptance for a truce to make sense of this." He stares about the book with being confused. He just doesn't understand what what his trying to achieve with watching the ink of the page moving strangely. He doesn't even know how the language works. He watched new colored words flickering about these pages. He hasn't the slightest idea that those new inks were some the god eaters under Leana and that they were fighting with these issues.
"This name." Jospehs current mentor is a high ranker death member, one the demigod ranks. Carefully was pointing it out, "That's seems something from your claimed sister."
Jospeh watched the ink breaking other ink areas and he already knew then.
"It's one of her creatures. I want to guess it's some her smaller ones. She has cute nicknames for them all but I have never bothered figuring them out." He hissed. He closes the book. Over at the sea of people being pulled to this temporary place. Shelter as the threats are being fought by available beings. Many angels have pulled forces and several undertakers kingdoms. One or two lord of demons that have shared interest. Now the Fallowns have taken arms and are helping. The lesser are being mediums between spirit and innocent. Grandpa stands watching and directing, holding his expires hand as she shared interest to demand orders to help people. Hidden among the shadows creeps a dark gleam. Having found a place of intersections full of targets. It tries to make sense of where this is. Right as they are turned to sand. Sprayed all over the floor.
"Damned..." The gentleman growls and turned to his partner, "Your father and mother are over there." The lady in full black gear turns facing that way and pale from this.
"My son too?" She almost dropped her weapon. Pulled in time from being hurt by a passing person in panic. Like cog in clock work they held together slaying more of these unwelcomed entities. The goddess that is deaths wife hovered behind thus pair, nodding at herself.
"I can see the resembles." She tuts, "Although, not the time to be oggling other couples." She huffed. She casts her own divine blessing over them both. Unraveling the ribbons that prevents sight of the hidden. Both stand back to back as soon this world of distortion became alive of colours. The goddess softly welcomed them and guides them to go meet with the rest of them. She makes sure every step of the way to help fight any unwelcomed entities. Once they crossed a salt barrier, she was pulled in by the two of them (in gratitude of her blessing and seeing she needed thier help back). The goddess embraces the leading death god and throw a wink over to the vessel of her sister. Of course there was a little personal pass by the three and clean act with the whole lot of Fallowns watching confused.
"Your death wife. Now her gushing over you two as a couple makes sense." Joseph voiced that much and that jolts others, "Leana isn't here."
"Maybe that a blessing." The goddess sneers, "If she was here, those god eaters would be attack both sides. They don't listen to us." Joseph looking around and then sees something he knew. Picking up a abnormality that didn't belong to this distortion nor the event of everything. He holds it knowing its a breathing object and takes a while in trying to nickname it.
"Isolde." He barked and the item turned into a boarder collar. It encircles the little group and sniffed about. It eventually threw something at his fee for him to throw it. He shivered and does exactly that. The jaw of this dog unhinged and ate it. It circles around and was once more finding another. He sighed and looks to the group, "Not that I doubted you. But your right, her creatures are here protecting us. They need us to touch the things for them to eat it. That's why the fight isn't ending." They all looked and see exactly his point. The slain are not turned to sand, ash or salt. This means their recovering someway.
"How did you grasp that concept?" Death asked.
"Isolde likes playing fetch. Her words to me once. Then the years I seen her pick up things and throw invisible things." So now they all are taking turns to reach of a god eater. Let the god eater direct them to something to pick up and throw. This was causing major clouds of dust, smoking up the visibility. The realm of distortion becoming eclipsed to the realm of nightmares that even hell screams from. Humans can't see what they picking up for the god eaters, but for now it was for the best.
The mass of every available able writer that has tome access is working hard at controlling the way words are moving on the pages. The smart idea is being from the mad man barking commands. He grapples the sad souls in torture until they followhis order theough to the last letter or until he feelings satisfied of their work. Just has he was god court ordered to never repeat on Leana or her close family - his twisted this ti the believing that is everyone but those exceptions. He is trying to transfer souls from the tomes to temporary parchment.The success of this looks promising in his mind, but really his just breaking the soul language. Not actually doing what he thinks is achieving; stealing soul names for mass market enslavement contract sales. As nasty as any clothus would think it would go. Messing in things his not meant to cause.
He has already succeeded in these tome keepers handing over their names. He made the human keepers around him loose complete able function. Now his collared them to make more. These tome keepers had fell for the belief in him being the core tome holder when in reality his just the title page and index.
Leana is the core tome holder, even if the tome denies her hands and names. It's refusal of her is mostly way this is happened at all. That it cared that she never gets a touch of it ever again. But it is thanks that she's the core keeper that his plan to make soul slaves for clothus market are indeed shoddy dirty and unsatisfied products. The products are completely useless for the purpose he thinks will happen.
His still screwing around in things that breaking boundaries between layers of heaven. His the cause of the big bug hell collaspe too. The same problem that several undertaker kingdoms are trying to make the human problem and fails. Adding to this was the weakness of dream boundaries - spilling some urban myths and hidden realms like the fea wilds, Gin lands of India and the hungry ghosts of Russia. Having people suddenly able to cast fire and water from their hands was a welcomed embrace to normalized human realm. See, consequence from action with an added pond ripple. Karma has it big for the man or this was always the way this universe was going to spin. There really isn't any way of controlling the greater machinations in the cosmos.
The good news is that there will be lifetimes of steady work for Leana. Having a purpose to stay inside this universe when even the universe did try to remove her. Akin to a cat trying to run away from sticker stuck on its tail.
The Gladers are at work to find and stop the Seers. The Darkwoods are keeping the Gladers busy for the Seers. The Seers are breaking the souls of Fallowns and screwing their targets on purpose. Hoping that a bloodline of supernatural phenomenon humans would have perfect souls to butcher and make into soup slaves. The average humans are having to contend with supernatural phenomenon of urban creatures out for the average human life. The shady global organization of magic casters cleaning up these supernatural phenomenon accuracies from global news. Then you have the supernatural spirits like angels, demons and undertakers trying to just accept this is how it is and shit happens.
The ones really benefited from this was the gods whom are now throw their hands into screwing more stuff for more prayers. So it's hard to say if this was always meant to be or this wasn't. Mutliverse was always full of quirky unique universes that have this sort of thing be normal.