99 - The Godchains

When one heard Godchains what came to mind. Chains that could bind gods, thick shaft of iron rings that weaken and bring gods to their knees. It didn't matter which of the definitions. Neither was correct, well to Erizos.

He watched with a cringe as the seven screamed while their backs sizzled. From them rose steam as a Divine Rule etched onto their backs a circular wheel made of chain links and connecting the other. There was no beginning and no end. No center and no weakness.

The Divine Rule etched not just onto their backs but over their very beings. Souls, or divinity.

The gods screamed as the felt each a pain within them. It was like an itch within one's throat. You could feel the need to claw it but couldn't reach it. At first a brewing sense of wrongness permeated their minds as they each pondered what greiviance they had committed to be punished in such a way.

The pain fortunately stopped instantly, vanishing just as quickly as it arrived. Leaving nothing but a faint pulsing on their backs as they each felt a connection to something.

Groggily and out of it each of them rose. One by one their minds prepped for an altercation ready to get answers on their unjust treatment. Yet the moment each one was on their feet they froze and then gone was whatever feeling of negativity they had within.

One by one almost subconsciously they had each touched and interacted with the connection on their backs. In a single infinitesimal moment they understood and it all made sense.

What was the Godchain?. It was no tool of suppression or weakening. Not a binding force of untold power or some divine dampener. Infact it was technically the opposite.

Seven different rings adorned on their backs like tattoos. Each with seven links hooked to the other in a circle that had no beginning or end. Erizos had long thought of it, his mind just as racked with the need to create something as it was with the need to preserve his creation.

Gods were beings that under normal circumstances could never be killed. Yet their divinity made them just as weak as it made them strong. After all to kill a god was to drain its divinity to the last unit. Something that bothered Erizos. His children were the youngest just as him in the entire multiverse and plethora of multiverses outside his own.

What were children?. Inquisitive, curious , wanderers when not restrained. He was certainly not going to lock them up. With a vast dangerous place it was unlikely that one would wander to far and get killed by a god.

So Erizos cheated. He didn't mind calling it what it was. It was cheating.

Not that he wasn't sure that other All-father's used the method too. But he doubted it since the core of the Godchains was once again his Damas.

Which led back to the main issue. The Godchains. A stronger bind that held anything targeted. More resilient and more unbreakable, fuelled by the very multiverse authority itself in the name of a divine rule.

Latched to the seven gods, the chains created a link for them to not just feel themselves but also coming siblings.

But its main effect was immortality. In the truest sense of the word. Gods down to their last parts were divine. While mortals had souls gods could say they had cores. Though this cores would do nothing to save them when they died it would form the basis for energy conversion. The dead god core would be converted back into leftover energy that could be used as material to reforge a new god.

In other words old material, new being.

That was where the Godchains cheated. Forming a link between two or more gods it granted a one attempt chance to save the very roots that made up a being. Not its strength or power. No, its thoughts, persona, character , manners , self, memories in most cases , skills and abilities. All these could be tugged out by the Godchains from the dead god ready to be reused in a new body.

[Your wasting the readers time. Just call it body jumping] Berus couldn't help but roll its mental eyes at the over explanation.

Erizos just frowned though before refocusing on the seven. It seemed they had realized the effects of the Godchains in a long run. True death would be impossible as long as they could retrieve what made them tick.

"I apologize for the pain. It was unavoidable for the benefits. " Erizos made a weak smile to express his sincerity his head bowed low due to the height difference.

"Now. Welcome to Mitawas. The Core of our Multiverse. You stand on the birthplace of what will be our worlds. First meet ..." and slowly he introduced them to everyone. To the over eager Gerasmine whose eyes bore holes in each of her children, the smiling but reserved Velces who made notes on what weapon most of the seven could wield, the towering Taumune who's leaves shook in greeting and roots jiggles in excitement and the uncaring Calharra who couldn't care less. Or so she acted.

Finally turning to the elder gods of his multiverse he smiled and spoke.

"Meet your siblings and children."he nodded to Gerasmine for the last part before he began pointing starting from the first god to appear. "Noctis the Embodiment of Darkness, Tamer of the Night and Shadows." Noctis made a slight regal bow looking like a crown royal prince in acceptance of his name.

"Hangiram, God of Time, Order Serpent and Fate Forger ." Hangiram uttered a hiss that exposed it's fangs giving a ferocious look that did little to nullify its numinous shine.

"Hanares, God of the deep." The weird god just nodded like it was the most normal thing to do. With a shrug Erizos moved on not minding.

"Quintapazzuri, Truth's Bearer, and All-seer."Quintapazzuri stretched out her wings while dipping her legs to perform a bow. A sense of pride washing over her as her name reverberated through her mind.

"Pyrkam, god of space. Dragon of Khao and ...well everything space related" Erizos muttered as he couldn't find any name to stick to the dragon. Looking at the dragon from the corner of his eye he found it glaring at him with an unamused stare.

Coughing Erizos moved on instantly. His eyes landed on the final two girls and a smile bloomed in his face. No one but him knew why he was smiling but it was a clear favoritism. To Erizos though his smile was both due to the butterfly winged cuteness of the sixth one and the final seventh one.

"Eth'ela, goddess of Realities and Dream Maker. The Beautiful one." His grin stretched even more as he made the last statement. Then turning to the final goddess he ignored the bashful fairy-like goddess and focused on the golden haired one his smile freezing for a bit a mental sigh uttered in his head.

'What do I call her tho. Her Aspect is very not normal. Ah. I'll make it controversial'.

"Amor. Goddess of Destruction." His smile was as it was. Wide but visibly frozen. His eyes though were sincere and lacked any form of malice or hate or anything negative. Just pride. Amor could see this and she could feel the sense of responsibility this being who was her father had placed not just on her shoulders but on all of them.

He wasn't ordering them to do anything, just to help him. He an All-father made them to assist him. She could feel his humility and lesser pride within his eyes. And for reason her respect grew more than it should have.

So unlike the rest Amor dropped on one knee head bowed and right fist to her left breast. Where she got the stance from was already common knowledge. But the act itself wads so great that Erizos found himself stunned. Then he smiled and gave a subtle nod.

Creating a god with her aspect had been a good decision. Atleast for now it was.