I stood before Ruby as she sat on the ground of the lounge room. Her eyes were closed, and she was in a meditative position.
"It's rather simple," I explained to her, remembering how Diogen had talked me through the process. "The first blessing comes once you have accepted the fact that you are a god and believe that you are owed these powers. Once you can enter that state of mind, the words will come naturally to you."
We waited for a few moments, and I assumed Ruby was trying to muster up the right mindset. It is hard, after all. The only reason I was able to do it so easily was that it was under life-or-death circumstances. Not only did I convince myself that I was owed those powers, but I also needed them.
"Don't beat yourself up if it takes some ti—"
"I am a god, a being like I have never known. Grant me these powers that I am owed."
Her words interrupted me as she spoke the words, granting herself her first blessing.
Never mind, then...
After a few moments, she opened her eyes and rose to her feet. I didn't say anything, allowing her to take in her new blessing and come to an understanding of it.
"Wow," she finally said, amazed. "Surely something is wrong. This does not make sense."
I raised an eyebrow at her, confused.
"What do you mean?" I asked, hoping that nothing had gone wrong with her. I hoped that she would be granted a powerful blessing; it would help her survive.
She stepped closer to me, and I found myself growing nervous. She placed her hand on my shoulder, and I felt a strange chill go through my body.
Her hand stayed there for only a second. And when she removed it, my body felt completely normal.
"Stand behind me," she said, leaving me feeling even more confused, but I did as she said. I stood behind her, so that I could see her luscious pink hair.
"Hold up some fingers, but don't tell me how many."
I did as she said.
"Four."
Again.
"Three."
Again.
"Your hands aren't up this time."
Each time, she guessed correctly, and after she was done, she finally turned to face me.
"After touching you, I seem to have taken one of your blessings. Though I had no choice over which one was taken, and it only lasted for twenty seconds. This seems incredible, and I had no idea that you had such a power."
I felt myself blush at her praise, despite having no control over the power I had, or at least from what I knew. More importantly, her ability seemed incredibly strong, with lots of room for upgrades.
For example, if she could increase the length of time she receives the blessing for, or have control over which blessing she chooses, or even if she was able to steal blessings from a distance...
"That's an incredibly powerful blessing; it will help us out incredibly."
She smiled, proud of herself, and it was a sight to see.
I began to explain the process of upgrading blessings and receiving new ones as best as I could. My knowledge was limited, but I had learned enough to help her out, even if only a little.
Afterward, I told her that we should rest, as it was still late in the day and I was tired, so we did, both of us going to sleep in chambers on the top floor.
I noticed something strange when I was heading there: the holes in the roof had somehow mended themselves.
A property of Diogen's domain? No... This is my domain now.
The bodies of my fallen friends had been buried in the field outside, and I was glad that they rested here with us.
---
I did not wake of my own volition the next day. Instead, I woke to a sound in my room.
"Ruby?" I croaked, thinking she might have needed something, but when I sat up and looked around, it was not the beautiful girl that I saw. It was a man, holding a glowing red revolver aimed toward me.
"Don't bother moving. Where is Diogen?" the young man asked. His skin was golden, and half of his handsome face was covered with lines of tattoos that ran down to his aiming arm. The tattoos glowed red with his gun.
He wore a white vest, black trousers, and smart shoes. And his hair was messy and black.
"I've asked you a question. You're in Diogen's domain. Where is he?" the man spoke harshly to me, but I had no idea who he was.
"Diogen was killed yesterday, by Zir and Martilanos," I said, trying my best to keep my heart rate at ease. "Who are you?"
The man's face showed that he was bothered by the news, but only for a moment. Afterward, it was replaced with annoyance.
"What an idiot. I told him to call me if he ever needed help, but the man doesn't listen," he spoke to himself rather than to me, ignoring my question.
"He fought trying to protect me, so did Lasandra, but she fell too. He gifted me his domain before passing."
He did not seem surprised at Lasandra's death, and I wondered if he even knew who she was.
"I am Fate Moren, the Twenty-First god. What is your name?" I tried asking again.
As I spoke, I quickly sensed for other gods, to make sure that this man was a true god and that he had come alone, and also to make sure that Ruby still lived. I sensed another presence in the same place as last night, so I assumed she was fine.
Finally, after inspecting me for a moment, the man let out a sigh and lowered his aim, trusting that I wasn't yet a threat. As he did, the gun began to vanish into thin air. Then he introduced himself.
"I am Telios, the Nineteenth god. Brother of Diogen, back on Earth."