Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign

CHAPTER 14

A God Falls



The Book's Hall of Judgment

THE MEETING OF THE gods was held inside the Hall of Judgment, the home of the Book of Immortality. The vanity of the gods had ensured that everything on Ancients Sovereign was breathtakingly beautiful, and the room they held their meetings in was no exception.

The majority of the Collective was sitting around a heavy stone table, but one of the gods, Keylom, was unable to sit. He was a centaur, and unlike the others, Keylom had to stand due to his unique body composition. His hooves clapped against the floor as he shifted nervously while listening to the harsh words that were being thrown around the room.

Bassorine shouted, “I’m outraged by your deception, Lasidious!” He glared at the Mischievous One. “You’ll give back the Crystal Moon, or I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” Mieonus, the Goddess of Hate called out over the top of the God of War’s voice. She leaned forward in her chair. Her long, black hair had been straightened, and the black and red gown she was wearing had a low cut neckline that accentuated her cleavage.

Bassorine was clearly annoyed by the interruption. His eyes narrowed. “I should never have released my hold on the Crystal Moon.”

Lasidious laughed in a taunting manner. “You’re irrelevant! No one cares how you feel, and I’ve broken no laws by taking the crystals.” He scanned the faces around the table as he made his next statement. “This Collective doesn’t call me the Mischievous One without reason. Did you truly believe your release of the crystal’s pieces would be without recourse? Deception is what I do. Besides, it was your vanity that drew you into my trap. You’re pathetic.”

The God of War roared. “My vanity? How was I so vain?”

“You have the biggest ego in this room. It didn’t take much to convince you that you should appear to the mortals after they touched the crystal. You enjoy looking almighty! Your vanity liked the idea, or you would’ve never agreed to it.”

Bassorine tried to speak above Lasidious, but he stumbled over his words.

“Stuttering doesn’t become you. Face it, Bassorine. You’re not the brightest of the gods. When it comes to planning war, you’re slightly above average, but when it comes to thinking beyond the battlefield, you should leave the plotting to the minds of the adept. There would’ve been nothing created if you would’ve been the only one to survive the God Wars. You have no imagination, and you’re useless. Everyone around this table knows I’m right.”

Lasidious could see Bassorine moving toward the edge of his seat as he continued to berate the God of War. “Face it. If you had any brains at all, you would not have allowed the Book to be created in the first place. Not only did you allow it, but you allowed me, of all the gods, to manipulate its creation. I did it right under your nose. I must thank you. The loopholes in its laws are wonderful for creating chaos.”

The awkwardness of the confrontation caused Keylom to shift his weight again. The sound of the centaur’s hooves heightened the tension in the room.

The others exchanged amused glances from their seats as Bassorine reacted. The God of War stood, drew his sword, jumped onto the table, pointed his blade at Lasidious and threatened, “Let’s see what an imbecile looks like when I’m standing over your corpse!”

Bassorine rushed across the table toward Lasidious, but before harm could be inflicted, the Book of Immortality used the power within its pages to send the God of War hurling across the room. Bassorine slammed into the far wall with a thunderous thud, and the hall shook from the collision, damaging the thick, marble wall.

The Book of Immortality rose from its golden stand. It realized the meeting was out of control and the moment had come to establish order.





In all its seasons, since the Collective agreed on its creation, the Book had never used its power. Until now, it had always settled things with logical mediation. Everyone in the room was stunned, even Lasidious, though he had hoped this would happen. It was the God of Mischief’s goal to put the Book in a defensive position, forcing it to protect him.

The Book spoke with authority. “Bassorine, this meeting will not become a battlefield. You won’t be permitted to harm Lasidious. He has free will to say whatever he chooses, just as you do. I suggest you calm yourself before you do something that will require stronger discipline.”

All watched as Bassorine picked himself up off the floor to dust off his long, tan leather coat. The others stood and waited for his reaction. The God of War lifted his head high as he finished brushing off the debris and scoffed as the chunks fell to the floor.

Everyone knew Bassorine was the strongest—capable of destroying each of them, but it was the Book’s job to keep the gods from fighting. Its power was not to be taken lightly, no matter how dominant Bassorine was. Yet Bassorine was the only god within the Collective who wielded a weapon capable of destroying the Book.

Angry, the God of War pondered what his next move would be. He watched as the Book hovered above the table and moved into a position above its golden stand.





Now, fellow soul ... I need to take a short series of moments to tell you a few things. When the Collective created the Book of Immortality, they established two weaknesses. The first was Bassorine’s sword. The gods agreed that they needed a way to take back the control given to the Book if ever it became necessary, but they did not leave room for error.

The Book’s second flaw was a slowed reaction. The problem was … this moment of weakness was minimal, a split moment if you will—extremely narrow. Only Bassorine had the skill necessary to react fast enough to capitalize on this advantage.

Bassorine knew he would have only one shot at destroying the Book. He further knew another governor of the gods could be created if needed. With the Book out of the way, he would be free to destroy Lasidious, and the Mischievous One’s demise would set a precedent. The others of the Collective would be afraid to stand against him, and he would once again be all-powerful. Lasidious’ actions were the perfect excuse to take back this ultimate level of glory—or was this level of glory truly ultimate?





Sensing Bassorine’s hesitation, Lasidious took a few more calculated shots at the God of War’s ego. “See what I mean? You’re an overgrown corgan. Only you would attack me and risk punishment by the Book. You’re not as almighty as you would have us believe. Accept the fact that I’ve taken the Crystal Moon. Bury your head in the sand, and taste defeat. Know that I’ve won this battle.” Lasidious laughed at Bassorine’s expense while the others were no longer smiling. They were now on edge.

The God of War’s pride swelled. His hatred for Lasidious was growing with every breath he took. His desire to destroy the Book and take vengeance was cosmic. In his existence, he could not think of a series of moments when he wanted to embrace his title amongst the gods more than he did now.

Bassorine glared across the table at Lasidious who was daring him, taunting him, and trying to lure him to attack. But he would not do it Lasidious’ way. After a long, deep breath, the God of War quieted his mind. He walked toward the table and put his blade back in its sheath. “You’re right, Lasidious. I should not tempt fate by challenging the Book’s wrath.”

Reaching the table, the God of War leaned down to pick up his chair off the floor. He smiled. “All is well. Please take your seats.”

The Mischievous One was the only one who did not comply. But the others began to reclaim their seats. As soon as the Book lowered its binding to the table and redirected its attention to speak with Lasidious, Bassorine unsheathed his sword and began a deadly descent toward the Book’s heavy cover.

Except for Lasidious, none of the others expected Bassorine’s deception, but the Mischievous One had hoped this Peak would come. This moment had been a part of his plotting all along. He knew every law on the Book’s pages, and one of them stated that the gods could protect the Book’s existence with any use of power necessary without recourse. He did not have the power to defeat Bassorine, but he did not need it. All he had to do was buy the Book a single moment to defend itself, and he was ready for that.

As Bassorine’s blade cut through the air, Lasidious reached forward with both hands and sent a wave of force barreling across the room. It was strong enough to push the Book out from under the thunderous slam Bassorine’s blade made as it collided with the table. The weapon sliced through the stone and stopped only after it hit the floor and cracked it.

Unharmed, the Book flew across the room and slid to a stop. Meanwhile, Lasidious sent another wave of force barreling into Bassorine. This wave knocked the God of War off balance and bought the Book yet another moment to respond.

Quicker than lightning, Bassorine regained his balance and leapt across the room toward the Book to make up for the lost moments. Once again, his blade was arching through the air, but on this occasion, it met its target with a cataclysmic collision—but it was too late. A powerful field of protection was surrounding the Book’s binding.

The repercussion of the two opposing forces sent everything in the room flying. The shock wave was so great, the gods’ bodies blasted through the hall, some of them breaking through more than one wall before they landed in the countryside, scattered beyond what remained of the structure. Except for Bassorine and the Book of Immortality, the others were now lying dazed in the grass with pieces of debris surrounding them within a billowing cloud of dust. The rest of the structure had fallen on the two in battle.

The sound of the event had been heard as thunder throughout the worlds, and it took a while for the rumbling to stop. Eventually, the gods picked themselves up off the grass. When the dust settled, all that was left was an enormous pile of marble, gold, and shredded tapestries that had been hung throughout.

The gods were about to declare the Book and Bassorine destroyed when they heard a noise from under the center of the pile.

Lasidious swallowed hard at the possibility that it could be Bassorine. If it was, he knew he would be dead in a matter of moments. Bassorine would not find forgiveness. The God of War’s blade would end him as it split him in half.

The pile of marble started to shift and lift into the air. As the pieces settled toward the edges of the foundation, Lasidious took a deep breath and held it. He waited for the answer that would determine the remainder of his existence.

From the center of the pile rose the Book of Immortality. Lasidious exhaled as the Book floated toward the group. “Bassorine has been destroyed. He will no longer be a member of this Collective.”

Some of the gods fell to their knees while others stood in disbelief. They had known Bassorine for over 12,000 seasons, and despite their differences, most of them had admired him. But true to vanity, they shook off the loss as they realized the advantage—there was one less being more powerful than them at the top.

Lasidious allowed his dark heart to relish the fact that this part of his plan had fallen into place. He was now the strongest of all the gods. The only hurdle that remained was to find a way to take control of the Book. Thousands of seasons of plotting were beginning to come together.

The Book’s voice was forceful. “I shall require a new hall. I want it to be created right away. If anyone breaks another law, they shall meet the same fate as the expired.”

The Book paused and then changed the direction of the conversation. “As you all know, the laws state: for every fallen, a new deity must take the place of the one who was lost. This replacement is to be chosen per the wishes of the fallen. I shall announce the name of the ascendant when we convene to honor Bassorine’s passing.”

The Book floated toward Lasidious. “If it is your intent to allow everything the Collective has created to be destroyed, then it’s your right to do so. No one can do anything to stop you. We all know, there’s no law stating that you cannot destroy the Crystal Moon.”

The Book turned to the others and shouted. “How could you have forgotten to vote into existence such an important law?”

Lasidious responded before the others could. “I don’t want to destroy the worlds, but I will if I need to. I’m bored, and I simply wish to play a game. I plan to scatter the crystal’s pieces and use them as objects to collect while we play my game.”

The God of Mischief smiled. A malicious intent rested behind his grin. “I have protected each piece of the crystal. No one can touch them now that Bassorine is gone ... except for me, of course. You will be given a choice. Those of you who join me will create a team of evil. We shall try to collect three of the Crystal Moon’s pieces. A second team will also assemble ... a team of good, and they shall try to do the same. Good or evil, for every piece collected, we shall join them together. The crystals will once again be able to send what power they can throughout the worlds until the others are added. This should keep the planets in their assigned orbits and give us the moments to finish our contest.

Mieonus’ dark hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her gown exposed the flesh of her thigh as it accented her voluptuous curves. She responded as she tapped her lifted heel against the piece of the hall that she was standing on. “The inability of the Crystal Moon to govern the worlds has already caused tremors on many of them. We don’t have the moments to play your silly game. Everything created is in jeopardy because of your foolishness. I have no intent to appease your desire.”

Lasidious watched the hate in the goddess’ eyes as he chuckled at her expense. “Tremors are not a concern. The planets shifting from their orbits would be more of a threat. They should not begin to migrate for nearly a season. The Crystal Moon’s governance should only effect the land masses of the worlds during this period. The earthquakes will create chaos, fear, tragedy, and tension on the worlds. We can enjoy their misery as the theft of the Crystal Moon leaves the living with little choice other than to battle for its pieces. When a team adds a piece to the first crystal, it will buy us the additional moments necessary to toy with the worlds on a grander scale.”

Lasidious moved past Mieonus. As he did, he reached out and flipped her hair with his hand. He enjoyed Mieonus’ irritation as he watched her stomp her heel against the marble. “If we do this right, Mieonus, would you not enjoy watching the beings of the worlds suffer? I see no reason why we cannot enjoy the carnage. You know a smile will find your face as soon as the last breath escapes the first creature’s being.”

Mieonus’ expression changed as her disgust vanished. Her delight in Lasidious’ proposal brought joy to her heart. “Your demented mind is delicious, Lasidious. I’ll enjoy the heartache.”

Seeing the goddess’ pleasure, Lasidious continued, “Should our team win and collect the majority of the crystal’s pieces, the worlds will fall under our control. Evil will rule for the rest of eternity and govern the Crystal Moon. Likewise, if good is victorious, the worlds will be dominated by boredom.”

“ What will keep you from cheating?” Alistar blurted as he adjusted the green hood of his robe that was trimmed in gold. “You’ll have the advantage. There’s no way to monitor fair play. I won’t play a game where there’s not an opportunity to attain victory.”

Lasidious pretended to ponder. “I shall enter into a Promise of the Gods with the Book that I won’t cheat. If I do, the Book will sense the infraction, and I shall be destroyed. This should be enough to keep me in line, don’t you think? However, I may find it difficult to play. If this happens, I’ll resign and become a spectator. I’ve never been much for teams anyway, so this may very well happen.”

“Sounds fair to me,” Mieonus responded. “When do we start?”

Lasidious clapped his hands and then rubbed them together. “The influence we have over our followers shall be our weapons, our tools you might say, to manipulate. You could even call them our chess pieces.” The Mischievous One smirked. “If I remember correctly, Bassorine did love chess. Too bad he’s not here to enjoy the festivities.”

The God of Mischief smiled. “We shall play a game fit for the gods. The rules are as follows: first, we cannot force our pawns to do anything against their will. As the law on the Book’s pages states: ‘Free will is to be cherished above all else.’

“Second: all worlds will continue to trade merchandise without interruption, since this is necessary for their survival. None of us will do anything to influence commerce, or the game will end and the Crystal Moon will be destroyed. The goal is to get the beings of the worlds to conspire and fight to attain its pieces. As I have said, the first team to capture three ... wins.”

Lasidious moved toward a large piece of debris and hopped on top of it before he made his next statement. “Are there any objections?” He paused, but the moments were not long enough to allow for a response. “Okay, good. Just to be clear, if the game is not played, I’ll destroy the Crystal Moon. However, even with Bassorine’s replacement, we’ll be unable to create another one. I think we all remember how tedious starting over was.” Lasidious smiled and added, “Who would like to be on my team?”

As the gods glared at one another, Bailem took the opportunity to speak. The angel’s robe was white and gold, and he had a portly belly that would have caused him to lean forward if it had not been for the weight of his wings. “You’re deplorable, Lasidious. It appears our free will is being taken in a round about manner.”

The Mischievous One rolled his eyes. “You act as if this concept is unfamiliar to you, Bailem. Do you not remember the age of old? We all had our free will stripped from us in a ‘round about manner.’ Why should I be restricted from using his tactics.”

“How dare you speak of him in that fashion!” Bailem shouted. “If he was here, he would—”

“But he’s not!” Lasidious indignantly interjected over the top of Bailem’s voice. “His back remains turned to us. Remember?”

The group fell silent for many moments. Even the Book said nothing as the gods stared in disbelief at Lasidious.

Eventually, the Mischievous One spoke as if nothing negative had been said. “So ... who’s on my team?”

Of those present, enough hands reluctantly lifted to give Lasidious a team of eight—if he included Celestria.

Thoroughly disgusted, Bailem stepped forward and took the other team-leader position. “I’m going to find a way to beat you at your own game, Lasidious. I shall never forget your trespasses.”

Lasidious smirked. “Whatever, Bailem. Spend your moments how you wish. Isn’t there a sunset you should be watching someplace?”

Bailem grumbled and then vanished without saying another word.

Lasidious called for a team meeting inside his home. He would allow their entrance and gave them specific instruction to appear at the Peak of Bailem.

A moment later, the Book of Immortality made one final statement before those who were left vanished. “It appears this contest follows the rules of free will. I don’t see a law being broken. Let the game begin.”

After the others vanished, Lasidious and the Book were all that remained. “Where’s Celestria?” the Book queried.

Rather than answer, Lasidious rolled his eyes and then vanished.





LASIDIOUS and his team are in his home, deep beneath the Peaks of Angels. The gods present at this meeting are Yaloom, God of Greed; Mieonus, Goddess of Hate; Hosseff, the shade, God of Death; Jervaise, the spirit, Goddess of Fire; Lictina, the lizardian, the Goddess of Earth; and Owain, the dwarf, God of Water. The one god missing from the meeting is Celestria, the Goddess of Beasts.

Planning has begun. Lasidious has told his team about George, Kepler, and Kroger’s alliance. Since the Mischievous One is unable to give his team the exact location of the first piece of the Crystal Moon, all he could divulge was that he might change his mind and put a second piece on Grayham. By the moment the meeting ended, they all congratulated him on the manipulation that ended in Bassorine’s destruction.





BAILEM, said to be the only angel in existence, also the God of the Sun, is holding his own team meeting. The gods present at his home are Alistar, God of the Harvest; Keylom, the centaur, God of Peace; Calla, the Goddess of Truth; and Helmep, the God of Healing. They don’t know where to start. All they know is the first piece of the crystal is somewhere on Grayham. The meeting seems pointless, but they do hope to recruit the new ascendant the Book intends to exalt when he replaces Bassorine’s position as God of War.





SAM has finished his early morning training, and he is now familiar with Angels Arena. The fighter is with Shalee, and he has a few moments before his fight. Sam’s battle will be the last fight of the evening, and by all estimates, the confrontation will end just before dusk.





HELGA is working to plan stronger lessons for Shalee. The older sorceress has given her pupil a few Peaks off in order to accomplish this task.

The night prior to his destruction, Bassorine visited Helga during the estimated series of moments called midnight. He told the sorceress that Shalee could handle aggressive growth to her magical foundation. He would not say why, but he did instruct Helga not to speak of their conversation with anyone, including Shalee. As with most beings, the God of War left the older sorceress with many unanswered questions.





CELESTRIA is on Luvelles. The mother-to-be is helping the witches clean their home to prepare her baby’s room. She hasn’t been this excited about anything since she became a goddess. It has been well over 100,000 seasons since last she made something without using her power. She is finding the task to be quite the challenge.





MOSLEY stayed with BJ after Sam was finished familiarizing himself with how the sand of the arena floor would affect his movements.

The fights started at the Peak of Bailem. The trainer then excused himself and headed for the nobleman’s box.

Mosley is about to receive an unexpected visitor.

Thank you for reading this edition of the Grayham Inquirer