As I spoke the words, I was filled with a power I had never felt before. It was as if the very essence of the castle and its surrounding fields flowed into me, merging with my being.
I felt a connection to the area, as if we were lovers. I instantly knew every room that resided in the castle, every nook and cranny of every corridor, even secret areas that only the architects would have known.
The castle was no longer just a structure but an extension of myself. And it was filled with many secrets.
I felt the wet stones of the castle roof against my backside. The rain pattered against my skin, and I felt overwhelmed. Not only that, but I was filled with grief, a sense of loss for my only friends.
However, with this newfound power surging within me, I felt a new determination, a desire to avenge my friends and do right by their deaths.
They did not deserve their fate, and I would do everything in my power to become stronger and fight against those who opposed us.
Zir, the fourth god...Martilanos, the Fifteenth god...and anybody else who wished to stand against me.
It was at that moment that I felt something else surge from within me.
A new blessing was ready to be claimed. It was as if my desire to fight against the other gods had triggered the blessing. And all I needed to do was close my eyes and receive it.
I did as I had already done before, speaking the words that came naturally to me.
Grant me the visions of things unseen.
The ethereal feeling ran through my body, and I felt myself becoming enhanced with every second. After the moment had passed, I instantly understood the new capacity of my power. It felt otherworldly, different from the Golden Eye or Omnidirectional Vision.
It was of similar nature, yet incredibly different.
The Dream State.
Just as I was about to try the new ability, I heard a sound come from behind me on the rooftop.
My injuries had begun to heal already, but it was still painful to turn and see where the sound came from. If it was a hostile threat, I was in no position to defend myself, even with the powers of my third blessing and my new domain.
But what I saw was not a hostile threat, or at least did not seem to be. A woman stood on the roof of the castle, and her beauty was breathtaking.
Her hair was an unnatural light pink, which flowed to her hips. Her form was slender, model-esque, and she wore white robes that clung to her body. Her skin was slightly tanned, and she seemed to be as young as myself.
Most important was the confusion on her face, as though she had no idea how she had gotten there.
She spotted me and Diogen's fallen form, and the confusion on her face grew stronger.
"Where on earth am I?" she said, her voice soft and enchanting.
Instantly, I realized what was going on. The realization made me laugh, but as I did, the pain in my body flared again.
"You've come at a bad time," I said with a smile. "But I believe you're no longer on Earth. Rather, we are in Arnos."
The woman remained silent and looked at me as though I were crazy.
You haven't heard anything truly crazy yet.
"More importantly, I believe that you might be the Twenty-Second god of this world."
Silence hung between us once more before the woman began to let out a laugh.
"So you're saying that I have been sent to a new world as a god?" she said jokingly. "Let me guess, you are a god too?"
I knew she was mocking me, but I nodded anyway.
"I am the Twenty-First god. I arrived only a few days ago." I pointed to Diogen's body. "He was the Seventh god, and a friend of mine. He owned this castle and has gifted it to me upon his death."
The smile left the woman's face as she looked at Diogen's body.
"How did he die?" she asked.
"That is the terrible thing about this world, Arnos. We have been thrust into some sort of god game, where all of us gods battle against each other, hoping to be the last one standing."
She placed her hand to her chin in thought, going over what she had been told.
"I'm Fate. Fate Moren. What is your name?"
"Ruby." She walked over to me and held out her hand for me to take. It was warm and soft, like the hand of a princess.
"Let me take you inside and bury my friends. Then there are some things I should tell you."
She nodded, allowing me to lead the way, and so I did. My biggest worry was that the other gods would sense a new arrival and come to attack Ruby, so I wanted to bring her inside as soon as possible. However, with the deaths of Diogen and Lasandra, I doubted the other gods would see us as a threat.
---
Afterwards, I took her to the floor below into one of the lounge areas and began to further explain our situation.
I told her everything I knew about the world, based on what I had been told by Diogen and Lasandra. I also told her, with sorrow, about the deaths of the two gods who had looked after me. It took all I had to remain strong.
After I finished, Ruby and I sat on a sofa in silence for a few moments, both thinking about the strange world we had been brought into. Finally, after a while, it was she who broke the silence.
She gave me a smile and spoke words I had hoped to hear, that I felt I needed to hear.
"Well then, it seems like I need to awaken my first blessing if we hope to have any chance at surviving in this world."
I acknowledged that she used the word "we." She planned on sticking with me. I was happy about that; I did not wish to be alone, not on Arnos.
I had begun to see a plan formulating in my mind. But first, there were things I needed to do.
My first job was to direct her in awakening her first blessing. My next would be to explore the new blessing I had earned:
The Dream State.