Deathbringer: Hey, uh, Retvik, Litvir, I, uh, have some bad news.
Flamebearer: Hello, Arkay.
Souldrainer: Are you well?
Deathbringer: No, I’m not.
Deathbringer: I want to apologize. Seimeni is dead. We had to kill her to kill Kinisis.
Flamebearer: Oh.
Deathbringer: I’m sorry. They nearly killed Epani. Kairos and I had no choice. Kairos is… Well, he’s really upset. I kinda forgot that they were a couple before we made this universe.
Flamebearer: I understand.
Flamebearer is now offline.
Deathbringer: Uh, Litvir, is Retvik alright?
Souldrainer: He… did not take that well.
Souldrainer: I do not know if you remember, Retvik did have a relationship with Seimeni.
Deathbringer: Ugh, I forgot about that as well…
Deathbringer: We had no choice though.
Souldrainer: Are you and your siblings alright?
Deathbringer: Sini has a bit of a concussion but she’s mostly fine. Kairos has shut himself inside one of his palaces and refuses to talk to me. Epani is still unconscious, she got stabbed through the chest but she’ll heal. My left arm got cut off, but I managed to reattach it. Still feels numb though.
Deathbringer: Problem is, whole fucking universe saw it happen. Saw how weak we all actually are.
Souldrainer: Arkay, you were fighting the most powerful Life Goddess in this sector, in the surrounding sectors.
Deathbringer: Little Tenny Temthan on the street doesn’t know that. They saw the Panelix get skewered on live television.
Deathbringer: And to make matters worse, everyone saw that four random mortals got the drop on Kinisis. Sure, I know that those four random mortals are actually technically immortal and are fucking insane enough to try and take a deity head on, but I can count on one hand the number of non-deities that also know that my friends are immortal, and I only have two fingers and a thumb.
Souldrainer: I think you are overthinking things, Arkay. You should take a quick break, recover from your trauma. The general population is stupid. They will forget in a month.
Deathbringer: I guess…
Deathbringer: Still, I feel bad and I feel stupid. Why the fuck didn’t I think to cut Kinisis in half with a damn shadow portal? I was too slow and too weak, Litvir. I should have done better.
Souldrainer: Arkay, you are on an intentionally short chain, being held in place by two pure-blooded Life Goddesses that are also the direct spawn of the super powerful Life Goddess I just mentioned. You are blaming yourself for their failures.
Deathbringer: I guess…
Deathbringer: Is Retvik still there?
Souldrainer: No, he has gone to his personal quarters.
Souldrainer: While Retvik and I have attempted to rekindle our relationship, his recent injuries, his loss of faith in Galyn as a parental figure and guardian, and his breakup with Phovos are getting to him.
Deathbringer: Wait, you two… broke up?
Souldrainer: Somewhat, yes.
Souldrainer: After Galyn sent you away, we ceased all intimacy between us and only spoke to each other when needed. Ironically, your new universe brought us back together.
Deathbringer: Well at least SOMEONE is getting something decent out of all of this.
Souldrainer: We have only been back together for about a week.
Deathbringer: Oh.
Deathbringer: I hate to cut this short but I need to check on Sini and Epani and also try and fix my arm. It still feels weird as the nerve endings are reconnecting.
Souldrainer: No worries, dear. I must inform Galyn and the Decaylings of Seimeni’s unfortunate passing. And I think Retvik will need tending to as well.
Deathbringer: I’m really sorry.
Souldrainer: It is not your fault. Kinisis did all of this, not you.
Deathbringer: I guess… Good night, love you.
Deathbringer is now offline.
…
Dreameater: Hello, who is this?
Souldrainer: Is this Letharus? I admit I do not know if you have a second name or not.
Dreameater: Yes, I am Letharus. I repeat, who is this? I do not recognize your codename but it seems vaguely familiar.
Souldrainer: I apologize. I am Litvir Kaldynik, one of the Thantiir Decay Lords that assisted you in defeating Theocydes. I know it has been a long time since we last communicated, but I heard you had become a Decay Lord yourself and I wished to congratulate you.
Dreameater: Oh, hello Litvir! It is good to hear from you! Still busy pretending you are good while deep down you are a monster?
Dreameater: I kid, I kid. You try to be a better person, despite your past. I cannot quite say the same about myself.
Souldrainer: From what I have heard, you are doing the same, assisting Vikalos with damaged hybrids. Certainly a noble task and honestly more noble than what I was doing up until about a month ago.
Dreameater: What do you mean? I know your elder Decay Lord Galyn sent mimic-hybrid Arkay to this sector to be assisted by Vikalos, but have things been bad for you too?
Souldrainer: To put it politely and to cut a long, tedious story short, we got royally fucked over by a couple of Life Goddesses. While yes, we have picked up eight Decaylings and some new Decay Lords, Galyn is no longer properly functional and we just lost Seimeni, who was a satellite member of the Thantir who initially helped Arkay, Retvik and I with our early studies.
Dreameater: I am sorry to hear that. And I am sorry about what happened to Arkay. Hybrids upping and disappearing is sadly a little too common.
Souldrainer: How and what do you know about Arkay?
Dreameater: Vikalos told me Arkay was kidnapped by her sibling deities and forced to be an intra-universal deity again.
Souldrainer: Why do you and Vikalos both refer to Arkay as female when he has always used male pronouns?
Dreameater: Did Vikalos not tell you? Both Arkay and Kalis moved to a low-power area in Deathven, basically gave up their godly abilities in an attempt to live a more stable life. Kalis has flourished, he has settled down with a girlfriend and intends to get married soon. Arkay had a relationship with a male deity, a former god of sacrifices and took a female form until they had a messy breakup.
Dreameater: It is a shame that Arkay was dragged away. She was doing a lot better, despite an ongoing battle with depression that medication could not treat.
Souldrainer: I was never informed of any of this. Every time I inquired about our Missing Third, we were given non-answers. I did manage to send a message through around when I assumed his birthday was, but we were not allowed any further contact.
Dreameater: I think that was just protocol at the time. When Arkay moved into her own private rented residence, she was given more freedom but she also…
Dreameater: I believe you already know that Arkay has always harboured a lot of guilt, yes?
Souldrainer: He still does.
Dreameater: You are in contact with Arkay?
Souldrainer: I have been for about a month. He remembers almost nothing about the time he spent in Deathven.
Souldrainer: I apologize, I did not want to talk about this. I just wished to congratulate you on your ascension to Lordhood, and to offer you an open hand. If you ever wish to leave Deathven and join the Thantir, you are welcome to.
Dreameater: What do you even do?
Souldrainer: Hah.
Souldrainer: Well, under Galyn’s reigns, we were supposed to just be in the duties of creating navigational data, but now, with Retvik and myself at the helm, we now work in purification, removing traces of Corruption and Voidborn manipulation. We are also slowly building up ways to remove Life Goddess manipulation as well.
Dreameater: That does sound… fun, actually.
Dreameater: I admit, I am content with my current duties as a basic therapist for better mental health, but I will keep your offer in mind. Thank you, Litvir.
Souldrainer: Thank you too, Letharus. I am glad and proud that you turned yourself around.
Dreameater: I appreciate it. Stay safe, friend.
Souldrainer: You too.
Dreameater is now offline.
Souldrainer is now offline.
…
Leafblade: Hello, friends.
Shatterblade: Ah, you actually made it online.
Leafblade: It is beyond awkward having to ask Retvik and Litvir for basic liberties, like access to my communicator so I can speak to you.
Firestorm: Well, you did attack them, they are young and they are probably just playing things safe.
Leafblade: That is fair.
Leafblade: However the reason I am messaging is not that. I have bad news.
Shatterblade: What happened now?
Leafblade: You know how I informed you that Seimeni had been mind-controlled by the accursed Kinisis?
Leafblade: Well, Kinisis is now…
Leafblade: She is a Corruption now. A new, unique strain. Which is why I acted the way I did, because I was not just fighting a Life Goddess, I was fighting a Life Goddess and Corruption at the same time.
Firestorm: How did Kinisis turn into a Corruption?
Leafblade: I do not know. Our primary source suggests it is because of a failed resurrection and both Litvir and Kal believe the same.
Leafblade: Either way, I am sorry to inform you that Seimeni is no longer with us.
Shatterblade: She is dead?
Leafblade: Yes. Seimeni was Corrupted beyond salvageable levels.
Firestorm: I…
Firestorm: I do not believe it…
Leafblade: I am struggling with the ordeal myself. Litvir just informed me. Apparently Seimeni’s ex-partner Kairos was the one to mercifully end her suffering, but by then she was not recognizable.
Firestorm: Is Retvik well? I know he and Seimeni had a relationship too. She helped him when he was a very young Decayling.
Leafblade: I do not know. Sorry.
Shatterblade: It is not your fault.
Leafblade: It very much is my fault. Kinisis used me to attack, infect and possess Seimeni.
Leafblade: I had Kal check me for any potential Corruption, I am fine in that regard at least. But I am to blame for this. I was used.
Shatterblade: A Corrupted Life Goddess is a horrible thing.
Shatterblade: I will speed things up on my end. We need to be with you, Galyn.
Leafblade: I appreciate that, but…
Firestorm: No buts. Things are taking longer than we would like, as we have to formally put our current duties on hold, but we are coming. As soon as we can. In the mean time, you need to regain your strength and rebuild your mental defences. Understood?
Leafblade: Yes, Vikalos. Of course.
Firestorm: Good, good.
Shatterblade: I must get back to work. I also need… some time to contemplate what you have told me.
Leafblade: I am sorry, Itaviir.
Shatterblade: Galyn, please, just… Just shut up and keep your head down. Farewell.
Shatterblade is now offline.