Adam watched Sol leave with a small smile, cracks branched along his skin, pouring out a dim glow.
“I don't have much time left.”
By all rights, he should have already vanished long ago. However, he was serious when he said he did not want any harm to befall Sol due to him.
With Sol’s strength and will, he could resist the overlapping effect to some extent. However, it was inevitable for him to be irreversibly changed.
Not time yet.
He clenched his fists and willed the cracks to stop spreading and branching out. Immediately, the cracks winked out of existence, leaving his skin and body pristine as though they had never existed in the first place.
I should be able to hold on for a few more years. At the rate he is growing, the time should be more than enough.
Of course, Adam had not been entirely selfless in his decision. He had his own goals and thoughts— one of them being able to see his beloved once more or rather beloved, now that he thought about it.
He sighed, remembering the innocent smile of the short and bubbly woman who stood by his side no matter how nonsensical the circumstances they were pitted against.
He knew that his death and the massacre he caused would have affected her negatively. However, he still hoped that her mental strength was enough for her to not fall apart.
Now though… He didn't know.
Would things have changed if I had been more forthcoming?
He closed his eyes. What was the use of thinking about it now? The events had taken place uncountable eons ago, leaving only pain and regret in its wake. Thinking about it wouldn’t change anything.
[...]
Suddenly, an ethereal voice imperceptibly murmured in his ears, making Adam laugh. He gazed fondly at the oversized grimoire placed in the Altar.
“Old friend. It seems your return is imminent. Though I guess you won't be the one I once knew by then.”
The true spirit that birthed alongside the creation of the weapon had already perished. However, Genesis was a Divine Weapon, of the highest magnitude too.
Now that Sol had awakened the book, it was only time for a new weapon spirit to form and the book to usher its divine knowledge once more.
“Speaking of… I wonder what happened to my second divine weapon.”
A puzzled look enveloped Adam’s face. The Book of Genesis and the Pen of Knowledge. One divine weapon was bestowed upon him while the other was created by a mortal and elevated to Divinity. The Pen of Knowledge wasn’t dissimilar to Sol’s Eye of Akasha in that regard.
His other Divine Weapon was both powerful and dangerous, no matter the hand it fell on.
He frowned for a moment but in the end, decided to stop thinking about it. The Pen and the Book were connected. Now that Genesis was about to awaken, the World Will of this universe would attract the Pen to Genesis one way or the other. The two divine weapons would surely reunite.
As for what would happen then, it would be up to Sol to figure out.
This was going to be very entertaining.
***
Leaving his inner world, Sol found himself back in Lustburg.
His conversation with Adam was both deeply enlightening and somber, highlighting the truths that constituted reality. All this talk about infinite verses and their intricacies was far too removed from his current circumstances.
At least I should be able to share some of that information with Anubis.
Sol distinctively remembered that one of Anubis’ ultimate goals was finding the way back to Earth, their home planet in the Prime Univers.
His desire was so deep and haunting that he embarked on a journey to explore the whole universe. In turn, a rift formed in his family and he had to sacrifice the time he could allot for his wife and daughter.
If I can make Anubis stop exploring the universe, I will have another powerful demigod close by when something happens.
Anubis was one of the strongest demigods alive. Having him close by would be extremely beneficial for Sol. Anubis was also a demigod born in the Mortal Realm, and using that identity he could enter the realm without facing any suppression and limitations.
Now I should focus on our growth.
Though relying on external powers was a valid option, the nature of his plans did not promote that. To speak facts, personal growth, namely the power of his Dimension, was at the core of all his future endeavors. No matter what he did, be it integrating the Mortal Realm or the whole Universe that Adam created, he would need to strengthen and nurture his dimension.
The good thing was, he already knew how to make the Inverse World stronger. He had all the pieces for that on hand.
Simply by allowing others to use his dimension as a place to create their territories, he would be able to increase the vitality of his universe and reinforce the laws that governed and shaped his verse.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
If I can make Ambrosia move her territory to my dimensions it would be even better. But I shouldn't be too greedy.
Ambrosia was the Thousand Spells Witch. Her book of Akasha held all the knowledge of all witches who had ever existed. Even if it wasn't quite at the level of Law, all this knowledge would change his dimension and accelerate the growth tremendously.
But even if he couldn't have Ambrosia, he had the other four witches.
The four of them were unable to become demigods in Adam’s universe. However, that was not a problem for his dimension.
All the laws were free for the taking.
In fact, “What if I make a False God enter my dimension?”
Tiamat’s path to power was blocked because the Concept of Pride had already been taken. Even after changing her road, it was hard to shake off Superbia, the goddess of Pride’s, influence on her.
But the Concept of Pride was ownerless in his dimension.
Theoretically speaking, it should be possible for Tiamat to become a goddess in his dimension.
Sol clenched his teeth.
“I can not just be satisfied with theories.”
How could he swallow Adam’s universe if his dimension couldn't even accommodate the birth of a god?
Sol focused as he made an important decision. The day he could create gods would be the day he would compete for the hegemony of Adam’s universe.
For now, however, the Mortal Realm would have to make do.
I think I can absorb a part of the Astral Realm now.
He was quite confident of his chances, however, he did not wish to hurry and fumble. He simply needed to conquer all the kingdoms. Since he had an excuse in Luxuria giving him such a trial, he would be able to act with a certain impunity without any of the goddesses noticing his true goal.
Speaking of the goddesses… Things have been rather calm. I thought Invidia would have done something by now.
A frown colored Sol’s face as he thought about the matter. Even though he only had a few dealings with the goddess of envy, they were enough for him to get a good grasp of the shrewd goddess’ personality.
Sol’s plans were not perfect by any means, and the suspicious movements they enacted during the final battle were enough for the extremely petty goddess to be spurred into action.
Something is fishy. Sol thought grimly. He wasn't naive enough to think that it was luck. This seemed more like the calm before the inevitable storm.
As if answering to his worries,
“My Lord. I bring an important message.”
A feminine voice echoed from beyond the door and Sol recognized Clara’s voice.
“Enter.”
The door opened, showing the fiercely loyal and beautiful elf, Clara.
For Sol, many people played an important role during this war. Clara was undoubtedly one of the MVPs for him. She lacked the power to affect the battle but her skills pre and post-war were invaluable.
Clara was usually the image of calmness and serenity, however, he was alarmed to see a worried expression marring her face.
“What is the matter? You seem worried.” Sol asked, causing Clara to react in surprise as she schooled her expression.
“Many news came one after another and I am…” She spoke but she shook her head. “I apologize.” As a servant, spewing excuses like this was quite unsavory.
She gave a slight bow before continuing, “Your Highness I am the bearer of both good and troublesome news.” She adjusted her glasses as she looked at her King.
“The first set of good news is that Southern Pride finally agreed to organize an official meeting with them on neutral ground. The Queen herself declared that she would be part of the meeting as a form of respect towards the Dragon Emperor.”
Sol chuckled, “I guess they don't want to look like they are bowing their heads to Wratharis. No matter. We can allow them to keep their pride.”
Sol couldn't help but think of his beloved Nefertiti. Another MVP of this war. He owed far too much to her with far too little to show for it.
Clara nodded at Sol’s words, knowing it was necessary to not meddle with the elves’ pride. The elves were extremely proud by nature and the Queen would lose all support if it looked like she was bowing down to a human prince.
The title of Dragon Emperor was a helpful tool to provide the illusion that she was keeping face.
“You said there was both good and bad news, right? What about the bad?”
“Well…” Clara hesitated slightly but continued, “There are two bad news but in a way they are linked.”
She cleared her throat, “We received two messages. The first one came directly from the flying city of angels and stipulated that Chloe Diligentia’s training was shortened and she needed to be back to the flying city in three months.”
Sol’s expression darkened ever so slightly but he waved his hand, “Continue.”
“As for the second news… The dwarves sent a notice of Impeachment to the International Court and the angels and accused Lustburg of propagating and promoting the usage of undead, thus mocking the sanctity of life.
“They also accused us of breaking the International convention and using Undead during the war.
“Finally, they accused us of breaking the tacit understanding that was reached regarding the occupation of foreign territories during the war and thus disturbing the peace that was so hard fought.”
Sol was speechless. Listening to this made him feel like Lustburg was some kind of evil organization that wanted to conquer the world.
The fact that they technically were not wrong was irrelevant, however.
“The Dwarves have quite the plan, huh.”
His next goal had been to silently develop and assimilate Wratharis before doing the same with Envilya. But now he was starting to wonder if he should just declare war and erase those greedy bastards from the map.
“Half of what they said is bullshit,” Sol intoned.
He massaged his forehead, his eyes gleaming with dark thoughts.
“The dwarves are cowards. There is no way they would openly try to impeach us based on those flimsy reasons. Unless of course, they already have someone to back them.”
Sol grinned. If he was right, it seemed like the angels had decided to send the first probing move and the dwarves were nothing but the cannon fodder they used.
“Well, since this is what you guys want to do. Don't mind me breaking your pawns.”
Sol stood up, his eyes gleaming.
“What is the date of the next international convention?”
Clara felt a chill go down her spine at the coldness dripping from his voice. However, she did not feel fear only joy and anticipation.
The darker Sol acted, the more excitement she received.
“Four months.”
“Four months, huh… I guess they are truly the nation of sloth.”
He laughed. It seemed like the angels were confident of their power.
But Sol would make them understand that the worst all his enemies did was give him time. For ageless creatures like angels, four months might be nothing but a blip in their lifespan.
But for Sol… four months was more than enough to change the world.
"Sunset Haven Boarding House
1077 Weyburn Ave, Westwood, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Breakfast in the Sunset Haven boarding house was a simple affair. As the only one able to produce edible food and technically the boarding father, Adam had long since been in charge of breakfast and most of the food matter.
After taking a short, hot shower and changing into comfortable clothes, Adam locked Sarah’s door behind him as he stepped out into the hallway. This floor belonged to him alone, and the tenants were not allowed to come up here unless they had something important to talk about.
Not that it stopped most of them.
What I should do?
Yawning, Adam descended the stairs and finally reached the kitchen area. It was a relatively vast zone, with all the equipment necessary for domestic usage. Thankfully, the area was clean so he wouldn’t have to shout at someone on this beautiful morning.
Swiping a finger on the table and inspecting it, Adam nodded with a smile, “Natalia was the one in charge of the chore, right?”
He spoke to himself. Natalia was a good girl. She was also very sheltered. The number of times he had to clean behind her over the last year since she became a tenant had been progressively diminishing and now, he could leave her alone without worrying she would burn down the house by accident.
Once he made sure that everything was clean, he started to work. Putting on an apron and making sure his hair would not get in the way, Adam started with simple scrambled eggs. Natalia was always extremely weak in the morning, something about weak blood pressure. So he made sure to prepare a strong coffee for her.
Unlike the others in this house, she barely ate anything most of the time. Adam even sometimes wondered if she was one of those girls who were obsessed about their weight and followed an unhealthy diet but from what he could see, outside of her weak morning, she was very healthy.
If there was only one true problem about her, it was her obsession with extremely spicy foods.
Opening the fridge again, Adam searched for the bacon and frowned. There was none. He was sure that he had filled the fridge with it not long ago. This could only mean one thing.
He groaned. “Aleksandra did it again.” His suspicions were proven right when he searched near the toast and found a few ten-dollar notes. This was not the first time Aleksandra would empty the fridge of all the meat it contained.
But since she would always pay back many times the price, it was hard for him to get mad at her. The good thing was that he didn’t have to worry about her breakfast anymore.
“Now what…” He pondered a little, looking at the things left in the fridge. He first ignored the cans of beer that filled an entire row. Over the years, he had given up on stopping his mother from drinking so much.
They needed to refill the fridge and today, Nao should be the one to do so. For now, though, all he could do was use jam, and make some toast. He briefly considered grilling some fish and making soup, but the last time he did that, Nao laughed at his face and told him to stick to simple American food.
In the end, outside the jam, he made some pancakes and added maple syrup.
It was a pretty meager breakfast, all things considered. But there was nothing he could do if he didn’t have enough ingredients at hand.
Once he was sure that everything was good and ready, Adam gave a satisfied smile. He took his phone and launched a group call.
Going from room to room was too tiring and the last time he did so, he ended up chancing on Nao while she changed. As impressive as the view had been. It was preferable to avoid accidents that could lead to misunderstanding. Thankfully, Nao simply laughed it off and even asked him if he liked the view.
A very daring woman. Short but daring.
***
After his call, It did not take long for the first tenant to come down and join him.
“Oi, Book!! Yahoo!” An exuberant, young woman came down from the stairs.
Looking up from the book he was holding, Adam seized her with curious eyes. Naomi Uzaki or simply Nao for her friends. She was a relatively short woman, around 150 cm, with black hair and beautiful Asian features.
Adam couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as he observed her current attire. It was clearly some kind of cosplay.
Her hair was styled in two tight buns on either side of her head, decorated with white ribbons. She was wearing a blue, high-collared qipao, trimmed with gold accents. The dress was sleeveless with wide shoulder pads.
On her wrists, she wore black spiked bracelets. Her feet were clad in white combat boots that reached up to her knees, paired with a pair of brown pantyhose.
As uncultured as Adam was with the gaming and anime subculture, it was nearly impossible to not guess who she was disguised as.
“I thought the party tonight was a Halloween party. Why are you disguised as a street martial artist?”
Adam asked while making sure to keep eyes to eyes with her. A task that was proving pretty difficult because of certain assets she possessed.
“Hey! Chun-Li is pretty scary you know? Also pretty badass. So I decided to go for it this time.” Nao laughed and took the seat facing him. She liked cosplay so she had a very array of costumes prepared for conventions and events.
The table in the kitchen was large enough to accommodate more than six people.
“Thanks for the breakfast. You are the best!” She beamed and took the eggs with some juice. She was not particularly voracious in the morning, but it was always nice to have something to eat. Even nicer when you didn’t have to cook it yourself.
Adam accepted the thanks gracefully. Either way, they were paying for it. So he had no reason to refuse.
“Natalia still asleep?” He asked after a few seconds. But Nao simply snickered, “You know how the washboard is in the morning.”
Adam chortled a little at the way she called the other tenant. The two of them had a dog and cat like relationship, and it was always an entertaining show to watch for sure.
“Forget her for now. You sure you won’t come to the party?” Nao asked after gulping down some orange juice, “It’s a Halloween party you know? And tomorrow is your birthday! It would be like hitting two birds with one stone.”
“You know I don’t like those parties.” Adam was not particularly withdrawn. But he had little interest in partying most of the time. He got enough of that in his part-time job.
“As for my birthday…. Well, I don’t know. A small gift is enough. Even a simple Happy Birthday will do. ” He shrugged a little. His mother had been quite antsy lately whenever his birthday was mentioned. So Adam didn’t know what to make of it.
Nao nodded, knowing fully well that she couldn’t convince him to budge on this. Taking out her phone, she started scrolling a little bit. But soon, her face scrunched a bit.
“A problem?” Adam asked but Nao simply showed him her phone while increasing the sound. On the screen, he could an influencer, and the title of the video was,
[Jack the Ripper strikes again.]
A few pictures could be seen. Video of a corpse being lifted and transported. The corpse was entirely blurred but from the words of the influencer, it was clear that the victim, a woman, had been terribly mutilated before her death.
“Another murder?” Adam asked with a grimace. The last few months showed a rise in murders. People started to speculate that a new serial killer was on the loose. The victims were always the same. Women who worked in the sex industry. Their bodies would be sliced open, leaving their innards open to the world.
Because of this and the targets of the killer, the name Jack the Ripper was given to him by a few influencers. Adam found this pretty stupid. Giving fame and a name to a serial killer would only make them even more eager. That, or it would bring copycats.
Nao sighed, “Yeah, I don’t know how those guys always get the news so fast. I called my dad, but he simply told me to stay safe and avoid going out at night alone.”
“Not much to go by.”
“Well, nothing much we can do, you know. Either way, nowadays, I am never leaving the house without something to protect myself. Spray and guns are my best friends.” She giggled and stood up with her now empty plat in hand.
Adam knew that Nao’s father was a detective working for the Los Angeles Police Department. So from a young age, she had been trained in how to handle a firearm in a safe way.
“Who is taking care of the dish today?” She asked.
“Should be Aleksandra.” Adam looked at the schedule. “But I doubt she will be coming home tonight. Leave it in the sink, I will take care of it later today.” Aleksandra always worked late at night. She would sometimes even vanish for days before coming back.
The only one she was truly close to in this house was Natalia. The two seemed to have known each other for years, and Aleksandra would always take care of Natalia.
“You are truly an angel. But leave it to me. Take it as an early gift” Nao mouthed a kiss before starting to help.
She could be too much to handle sometimes, but she was a good friend.
“Hello Adam, I hope your day is starting well.” A sleepy voice reached them just as Nao went to the sink.
Soon, a blonde and tall blonde young woman came slowly down the stairs, her charming blue eyes seemed quite unfocused even as she yawned, and her hair was frizzled.
Natalia Caesar. A twenty-one-year-old woman from Italy. Looking at her like this, it was hard to imagine that she was the top student in the law department.
“Hi! I have some coffee prepared for you.” Adam pointed at the coffee he made, and he swore he could see life returning to her eyes as she looked like she had found Nirvana.
“Thank you!” Natalia smiled and filled her cup, savoring the brown liquid with relish. One year ago, it would have been impossible for him to hear so much as thanks for her. She had been quite entitled, after all.
Adam knew she was from a rich family. Very rich, in fact. But in this house, nothing of all that mattered. His mother always made sure that all the tenants were treated equally.
“Hello! I am also here, you know? Where is my good morning?” Nao waved her hand, causing Natalia to squint at her. She was never in a good mood during the morning. The light of the sun was not particularly pleasing to her.
“Sorry. You are just so small. I simply couldn’t see you. Can’t blame me for this now can you?” She snickered a little at Nao.
Nao groaned.
Oh! Natalia used a direct attack on Nao. It was super effective.
Adam laughed inwardly while observing the scene. Now he truly felt like his morning started well. This was always the most entertaining part.
“Heh~! I see. Sorry for being so short. But well, what can I do? It’s not my fault all my nutrients went into these babies.” Nao shamelessly pointed at her breast before giving a look of pity at Natalia.
“Not like you could understand. I guess being a runway airport must be nice, right? Your chest is so smooth it could serve as an ice skating ring.”
Incredible! Nao counterattacked! Natasha’s HP is in the red now. How will Natalia respond!?
Adam continued to play the excited commentator.
“Vaffanculo!” Natalia cursed in Italian.
“Fuck you too! Don’t think you can insult me in your language.” Nao was not to be undone.
Natasha's face had become beet red. Her snow-white skin had the added effect of letting even faint traces of rushing blood be seen by the naked eyes, much less when she was blushing so much due to the absolute sense of shame and embarrassment she felt due to Nao's words.
Meanwhile, Nao, having completed her counterattack on Natasha, was breathing heavily due to the rapid-fire nature of her assault. As the tension between them grew heavier, Adam questioned God why there was no way to conjure popcorn with a single thought.
In the end, the two hmphed simultaneously before looking at the opposite sides. Adam understood that his morning show now ended.
It was a shame, truly, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Once the tension calmed down, Adam asked Natalia, “I heard from Sarah that you won the internship in her company. Congratulations. You worked hard.”
Natalia gave a proud smile, “Professor Sarah is someone I respect very much. I am happy she chose me.”
“Well, you have the best grades in the class after all.” Finished with the dishes, Nao took place next to Natalia. “Congratulations. I guess you also won’t come to the party?”
Natalia shook her head, “Sorry, but I have to go home tonight. My father invited me to a party. I would have loved to attend otherwise.”
“Will your father try to hook you up with some rich dudes again?” Nao asked. Her words were filled with laughter, but her eyes held some worries. No matter how antagonistic the two of them sometimes acted, they had truly become great friends.
“I don’t know. My father is…He is ancient.” She seemed to hesitate a little. “Because of this, he has some old-fashioned ideas about marriage. Thankfully, this time, it’s just a company dinner.”
Antonio Caesar, Natalia’s father, was only fifty from what Adam remembered on Natalia’s file. It was quite exaggerated to call him ancient. But he definitely felt very old-fashioned. Even the costume Antonio wore when they first met made Adam feel like he was facing someone from the twentieth century.
“Well, either way, I am part of the committee for our university Halloween party. So if you decide to come. Just call me.” Nao did not insist further.
“So, you are going with Steve?” Natalia asked. But Nao simply scowled and shook her head.
“I don’t know. We had plans, but he said he might be a little busy. Nothing confirmed yet.” She looked down, her eyes growing slightly red. “I think it might be time for us to break up.”
“You have been together for a year now, right? Are you sure?” Adam asked. He rarely participated in such discussions, but the three of them were close enough that it wouldn’t cause a problem.
Adam had no close contact with Steve. But the man was very popular on campus. His parents were lawyers and spoiled their son with everything he wanted. Nao and Steve had been going out together for nearly a year now.
“I don’t know. In the past, I ignored all the warnings about him, but now…” She shook her head, “I don’t like being made a fool of. I have already decided to break up after tonight.”
Nao was quite decisive when it came to matters like this. It was something Adam respected. He didn’t understand why a girl as smart as her even started going out with someone like Steve.
The discussion between the three of them continued for a short while until Adam stood up,
“Well, I have a few classes today, and then I have to visit Mom at the hospital then go to Eden Library. So, have a great day, girls.”
“Bye-bye! Tell Cecilia we love her!” Nao waved energetically, and Natalia gave him a reserved smile, her eyes filled with encouragement.
“I will, don’t worry.”
It was now time for him to start his day in the truest sense
-----
This will be the last sneak for the new series. I plan to publish it only on Patreon until I have around 40-60k words worth. Though I might post on Scribble hub earlier and only start publishing on RR when I have enough chapters. I will warn you when it happen