(12. A) Ballroom Blowout

Faster than what Aaradhya could reasonably accept, the party pulled around in full swing. The massive ballroom/ reception area lit up and resonated with subtle music and conversation. The massive glass wall reflected beautiful green light onto the dance floor. Unknown to the socializers and dancer, the shifting glass wall divide them from the very focus of the party

Aaradhya observed the ballroom and frowned at how reserved and on edge everyone seemed to be. The elders split the room into two sides and no one crossed that invisible line across the dance floor. The larger of the factions, Aaradhya noted, did not belong to the high priest.

"-Father, I'm interested in the founding of this cult. How did it come to be?-"

"Third, the lord would like to know our history from a mortal's perspective. You are more versed in the subject so do you mind?", Masih Sr passed the job onto the only other person in the room.

"Not at all. Truthfully my lord, we have no true origin as it's been lost to history. Though it may have been lost, our faith has been around longer than any known doctrine so many have guessed that our origin lies in some mix of the most popular religions found in today's world. Many members are actually converts from other faiths so any origin we have decided upon has fallen into two main popular sects. One is, there is only you who we meet at the end of our lives and only you who will guide us at the start of our journey into the world after death. The second belief is, you are already with us all and thus, do not truly exist as you have already brought us prosperity and glory with infallible leadership...", the third elder paused when Aaradhya raised a hand.

"-So father's faction believes I am their one true God while the first elder's faction is more of a heriarchy that follows the grand orders of the few... which would still be me at the top since I survived their stupid ritual-", Aaradhya nearly smirked. Either way, Death ensured the cult fell within Aaradhya's hands.

"-logically, as per Death's direction. I should side with the first elder. I would get the resources but none of the control or responsibility since I would turn the first elder into my figurehead. Sadly, I am more emotional than Death would like… the first elder screwed up when he ordered my mother to be a mere sacrifice just to flex his power over my father-", Aaradhya waved his hand and had the third speak once more, this time with a different question.

"Third elder, our lord is interested to know how you adjusted to his Descent so quickly? As a matter of fact, I am also curious to know how you protected yourself against the Lost. Even I couldn't avoid the attacks", Masih Sr turned his head to the side and showed a healed but nasty old scar that ran down his neck and probably his back.

"Ah. This may be a surprise to you my lord but many of the artifacts you gifted our flock throughout history, have been handed down through the generations properly. Many don't believe in the tools you've blessed but my family, much like the high priest's line of tradition, have been tasked with keeping the tools safe. In fact, the duty is to be passed onto my granddaughter after I pass..", the old man pulled out an old stone pendant and gave it to Aaradhya.

"I would gladly introduce you to her if you have an interest in reclaiming your gifts. She is absolutely smitten with their history and would love to meet you in person", the third elder smiled but his eyes reassembled the second elders in their fox-like intellect.

"-Is he playing matchmaker or forging connections? Ah, even at my age I can't tell the difference. Bah, it is unlikely he would jump to the conclusion his immortal lord would be interested in a human. Father, let him know that if the girl is not burdensome, I would be willing to meet and care for this granddaughter of his. Now, this pendant certainly feels odd…-", Aaradhya fiddled around with the piece of jewelry for a moment.

"-I feel something from it but...-", like sand, the pendant crumbled in his little hands. Much like when his mother died, something poured into his mind.

"-That looks like Stonehenge, but much larger. A Hammer is striking an anvil. A snowstorm rolls in but it's not touching the smith? Did a spirit turn the emerald mist into a material object?-", Aaradhya's mind flashed as a small orb flew out of the talisman and into his body. Both men could see the miraculous light which entered their lord. Moments pass.

"Our lord thanks you and your family for your service. Later, he would love to see the relics your branch has kept safe", the third nearly jumped with joy as the high priest addressed him on behalf of their lord.

"-Father, thank you for being my voice. I do appreciate it. I now have one more thing to worry about and that's not including the pressure cooker right in front of us...-", Aaradhya held the bridge of his nose, sighed, then stared at the ballroom with an intense gaze.

A man with a needle point thin mustache sat beside the first elder and said something that sent the ballroom into a frenzy.

"-Father, what do each of the elders contribute? Though I won't get involved, I am still interested in... the...politics? Wait one moment please-", Aaradhya leaned forward with a deep frown. His vision blurred to an extreme then refocused with an insane vibrance.

"-Soul sense activates whenever it pleases. There must be something that ties each activation together...-", Colors and lights he couldn't normally see without soul sense burned into his retina and mind.

"-It's different this time? I feel in control…-", Aaradhya focused on someone and that control expanded to his instincts. As if he always knew what to do, his golden eyes glimmered with blue and green light.

The person melted away, the green sheet that covered everything else also thinned and vanished into the environment.

The golden soul within that person's body flickered with purpose, with substance. In fact, every soul danced in specific and unique movements. This particular person had a simple and blazing green ring around their golden soul.

"-I get it now. A regular person's soul is surrounded by the world's green spirit and is constantly chipped away…-", Aaradhya turned to another person. The ring around their soul pulsed with solid and stable sapphire light. A green corona surrounded the ring and drowned out everything around the person.

"-Spiritually attuned people and the old naturally set up defenses, this island is surrounded by the world's presence so people living here would have to naturally put up those defenses faster. Those who can't, suffer getting their souls burned or torn apart by lost souls who can now interact with them . By that logic, everyone living on this island should have a natural blue ring...-", Aaradhya focused on the elders who showed some powers and some individuals who seemed to be hiding theirs. More than a few of the people currently on the island hid their abilities for some reason.

"-Even further than that…-", Aaradhya scanned everyone and noticed something different even with the people who activated their powers.

"-Those with active powers have a broken ring. The light bleeds out into their soul and body, forming a halo or aura. Some have even managed to solidify the bleeding light into, webbing?-", once again he scanned the room. His father noticed his son's expression and also observed the changes within the ballroom.

"My son. Is that what you are looking for?", Masih Sr pointed toward a corner of the ballroom.

"-Huh. I was not expecting that-", Aaradhya turned his head. The person he saw had a purple, almost red halo. Fragmented yellow rings spiraled and expanded all across this creature's body like parasites.

"-That's the lost soul I saw earlier. It looks much healthier-", Aaradhya raised an eyebrow for a moment. Investigating further, Aaradhya's vision reverted back to sheets of pure light. The green filter stormed towards a smatter of black holes, each hole being at the center of these yellow rings. Instantly, his vision switched back to the seamless mix of before.

"-Ah. So that's how it works-", Aaradhya noticed that the soul got healthier with each breath.

"-I was not looking for that father but it is a good find nonetheless. I have broadened my understanding of how the spiritual world functions. Thank you. Also, may I say, you weaved quite the tale earlier today. If I didn't know the truth I would have believed I was a Deity-", Aaradhya patted his father's arm and nodded without a frown. Masih Sr smiled at his son's praise and couldn't help looking away with a blush.

"-What I was looking at was the first elders guest. He seems to be undergoing a rapid change-", father and son turned their gazes.

The man with the needle point mustache stripped and sweat like a hog in a sauna. The man burned up from the inside. The first elders' cronies passed ice packs and cold water, some even hand fanned the mustachioed man but nothing worked. This heat came from his soul. Aaradhya didn't know when it started but the moment soul sense kicked in, he noticed that this guest had a much larger pulsating regular ring.

Those who were in the know or could see, backed away and constantly looked around in fear. Aaradhya couldn't hear what they spoke about but there was a clear divide in the room. There were those who lived where Aaradhya was born and moved to the island and those who did not and only showed up because of the conclave.

"-Father, is this what happened to the followers whilst I was asleep-", Aaradhya observed the situation but thought of something else. He turned to the ghost and found it had wandered off toward the guest.

"Yes. But the situation was worse. This lost soul is relatively relaxed and controlled. The ones we encountered were nothing short of monsters. You couldn't see them in the video but, I now understand where our ancestors received the images of demons and fiends ", Masih Sr tried to hide his grimace but couldn't.

In the span of seconds, the quest flaming green ring engorged and shed off of the man's soul. The peel floated off into an odd thread. What came out in its place was a sapphire blue band of light that dyed the man's entire golden soul blue. Unlike everyone else in the room, the blue band did not fracture but it did explode with movement. Tendrils of blue light exploded from the man's heart and spread along his veins for everyone to see. Under the watchful gaze of everyone present, green light swirled into the man from the environment and pulsed through these glowing veins.

The blue ring and spider webbing running through the man's body flashed in a tug of war between blue and green before it all turned a minty color. The ghost stood beside the man and waited for the green thread to leave the man's body. Like a spaghetti noodle, the soul ate the thread and walked away. One of the yellow rings on its body turned green and pulled in even more of the world's breath.

The first elders guest laid on the floor, surrounded by people who expressed their worry and explained his situation. The man didn't seem to understand at first but his viewpoint changed once he blinked. He locked eyes with Aaradhya through the glass.

"-Oh? Is there something about me that's different?-", Aaradhya looked at his heart and noticed it changed. He had a golden ring around his heart and a golden aura around his skin

"-Ah, this is rather glaring. I look like a signal beacon. I should look into altering my spiritual appearance for my own convenience-"

The ballroom settled down but the tense atmosphere finally got to everyone. Some people new to the island asked questions and those in the know tried to answer.

After a few minutes, confusion, disbelief, and fear spread throughout the room.