Reilly immediately glued himself to my side the moment I stood up from my chair. He hooked one arm around mine, pulling me close, while his other hand waved my now-empty flask in the air as he glanced about at the other gods.

  “Dibs on going with Statera!” He proclaimed, then paused and squinted at me. His breath stank of alcohol, strong enough to even effect me. I wrinkled my nose, and he grinned. “You do have more booze, right?” he asked.

  “Would you believe me if I said no?” I asked. Going with Reilly wasn’t a bad idea – in fact, I really wanted to visit the Seven Heavens. Reilly was the most powerful god in the room, besides maybe the Primeval Dragon, and from what I’d seen his universe was incredibly well-off. But the way he’d demanded to be part of my group meant I just had to challenge him a little.

  “Nope!” Reilly said, popping the ‘p’. I chuckled and shook my head, looking over at Yueya, who was already approaching. She shot me a beatific smile, tossing her flaming red hair over her shoulder as I extracted myself from Reilly’s surprisingly strong grip.

  “So long as Yueya can join, too. We seem to have the opposite problem, and I would very much like to compare notes.” I said, directing the comment to her. She nodded happily, clapping her hands together.

  “If I may request we invite Shin, as well,” she said, turning toward the skeletal deity still sitting across the table. Said skeleton seemed surprised to be addressed, straightening up as he was addressed, the black smoke that poured out from between its bones shaking a little. “His Realm is the most balanced of all of us in terms of size and density of power.”

  “That is true,” Reilly said, rubbing his chin. “Should we just invite everyone, make it a giant field trip?” That sounded good. Spend some time in each universe, maybe…? Though I got the sense that I shouldn’t go to too many.

  The Mad Scientist tugged on my sleeve. “I cannot suggest you travel to either a Clockwork universe or a Chaos universe. Your specific domain could be more damaging to them than their polar opposites at early stages – or so I surmise.” She pointed to MR-10 and Sylphina, respectively. I looked over at the two, who were huddled together and speaking softly. Interestingly enough they seemed to me like they might try to visit each other’s universes, despite Mr. Boxes outright stating they were inherently incompatible.

  That did remind me…I locked eyes with the Dragon, who had rebuffed Rising Wind, Crashing Waves’ attempt to enter into conversation. Now the great stag had wandered over to Nyxteria, who clacked his beak happily, while the Dragon smiled toothily at me.

  …yeah, I was going to have to face this, wasn’t I? I couldn’t not.

  “No, but I don’t think we need to keep the groups the same through every universe. Visit the ones you want or feel you need to visit, then close things off.” I said. “Though I will say, for those who wish to enter my universe, I must insist we enter last.”

  “Why, is, that?” the Progenitor asked, pulsing with light.

  “I am the furthest progressed. I need to visit the other universes first to figure out what that means specifically, and what information I can reveal to you without it being too detrimental.” I deadpanned. That got everyone’s attention, but it was also true. Information about the Shadow is sensitive, or so I’ve gathered. “So maybe we should go universe by universe?”

  “Mine first, then,” Reilly volunteered. “Who wants to come to the Seven Heavens?”

  Immediately a group formed around us; Shin, myself, Yueya, the Emperor, and MR-10. The others all glanced at each other silently, shrugging. I looked at them all closely, reading their auras as best I could. Most seemed just reluctant to join with Reilly, for whatever reason. Nyxteria, in particular, was clacking its beak and staring at the ceiling, while the Progenitor pulsed silently as it sat at the table.

  “I, will stay, here.” The Progenitor said. “The silence is good for understanding, the nature of our connections to our universes and, the universal laws of the Great One. I am close to some insights, and would rather not, interrupt that.” It said. I couldn’t help but agree. I would want to spend some time in this room – and that was likely what the others were thinking, as well. Except for the Dragon. She appeared to be napping right now, head resting on her claws, eyes closed.

  Just because some of us were staying out of the current ‘field trip,’ didn’t mean we weren’t gaining anything.

  The Mad Scientist once more tugged on my sleeve.

  “I wish to remain here,” she said, wings ruffling. “Travelling between too many worlds is exhausting, and this…this is the first time I’ve been able to find true silence in far, far too long. I could…use a little quiet.” I laid a hand on her head and ruffled her hair, smiling as I split an incarnation of myself off to stay with her.

  After I returned from the Seven Heavens, it would likely be smart to send her home. As beneficial as it had been for me to have her unique perspective, she was still, technically, a mortal. This had to be taxing.

  That settled, I turned back to Reilly and nodded to him. He flashed me a grin and spread his arms wide as a glowing gold portal appeared behind him, beneath his flag and in the archway he had originally appeared from. His plus one, the angel Pyrah, promptly marched through the portal without waiting for anyone else.

  “Then I, Reilly, God of Luck and a beggar of epic proportions, welcome you to the Seven Heavens!”

  For all he loved to play the part of a beggar and drunkard, the one thing Reilly loved more was putting on a show. Which was why the portal to his Realm opened directly onto Pyrah’s announcement balcony, or whatever it was actually called, the entirety of the Seventh Heaven’s population laid out before them and roaring with cheers. These were the most powerful beings in his Realm, and their auras towered skyward as they screamed out their adoration. Pyrah had her wings spread and one fist raised into the air at her people, as if she had conquered some great foe, when in truth they had only been gone for a year at most.

  A quick scan showed everything was still working properly, even in his brief absence, and Reilly once more returned to the theatrics of the situation.

  Their cheers were deafening, and her army raised gleaming swords heavenward as the other Origin Deities and their plus ones stepped through the portal. The noise from the crowd shook the God Granite the holy palace had been constructed of, golden decorations rattling from the force. Yueya sucked in a breath, wholly ignoring the noise in favor of admiring a guard’s ornate breastplate – the woman was practically sweating as Yueya ran her fingers all across the almost-white metal.

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  MR-10 blinked its light once and just floated there, its orb-like plus one orbiting it.

  Shin pulled his hood up, stepping back into the only shadow on the entire veranda, in a little corner.

  The Emperor laughed and crossed his arms across his chest, admiring the crown that Pyrah had placed upon her head.

  And Statera whistled as they knelt, touching the floors.

  Reilly deflated, shoulders sagging. None of them were reacting to the right things. What did he expect, though? These were Origin Deities, like him. They were bound to be odd.

  “High Empress Pyrah has returned!” the announcer boomed, earning another round of roaring cheers from the crowd. Reilly sighed and stepped off to the side, motioning to a little door set in the side of the palace. It was made of a dark wood, and layered with magic that made it so even the palace guards didn’t know it was there. Only Pyrah had ever been able to find it – Pyrah and one other. That was why she had been nominated High Empress.

  Through sheer luck, she had found his inner sanctum.

  Statera Luotian, predictably, marched right over to the door and swung it open, peering down the long corridor that lay on the other side. This seemed to snap the other gods out of their respective inspections, and, to Reilly’s immense pleasure, seemed surprised to see a door where Statera now stood.

  “Well, don’t wait for the cheers to die down. They’ll last a week if we let ‘em.” Reilly groused, sticking his hands in his pockets and stomping through the doorway, leading the way. It was a short jaunt to his central chamber, located at the very center of the Seven Heavens. Contrary to his physical appearance, the entry hall of his abode was clean and well kept.

  The grey-stone floor was spotless, various knick-knacks and curios dotting the walls. Things that were lucky, or unlucky, enough to fall through the gate at the very top of the tall ceiling – though he called it a gate, it was more of a giant ball of multicolored energy, rotating at high speed.

  “Whoa,” Yueya breathed, and Reilly was satisfied as everyone looked up at the ball of energy, mouths agape – or whatever passed for that, in MR-10’s case. Yes. That was the proper reaction.

  “Is that all…Luck?” The Emperor boomed, cape fluttering in an impossible wind.

  “Yes it is! All luck in the Seven Heavens flows through that spot.” He said, pointing at the great ball of writhing energy. To his eyes a thousand million streams of luck-based energy flowed into and out of the ball, pushing down through the floor to eventually merge with the entirety of the Seven Heavens.

  MR-10 beeped in approval. “I can sense the effects of random chance throughout most of the Seven Heavens. Nothing is as streamlined as my own universe, but that is what gives your Realms the necessary change to continuously evolve. Intriguing.” Reilly grinned at the inverted pyramid, reaching out and snagging a gourd of wine from the wall.

  He popped the cork and sniffed the contents, then tossed it to Statera, who snatched it out of the air and took a swig. The black-haired god sighed appreciatively and nodded to Reilly. There. Now he’ll give me even better booze when we get to his Realm.

  “Luck plays an important part in the Seven Heavens,” Reilly waved his hand in the air. Another gourd of wine appeared in his grip at the same time a 3D layout of the Seven Heavens appeared midair, glowing gold. It was seven flat discs laid on top of each other, growing larger the further down they went. It was a live projection, and he could even see Pyrah flying about above her palace if he squinted at the top layer.

  Each was different; the bottommost layer, and also the largest, was what he called a “space” layer; with floating islands of land suspended in empty space, each having their own sun circling them. The top was a single flat piece of land. Each layer in-between was a mix of the two, with varying sizes of the floating islands and the space involved.

  “We are currently at the very peak of the Realms. It’s the best place to start.” Reilly began.

  “I thought I sensed some spacial manipulation,” Yueya mused, scanning the layout. Behind her, her plus one stared up at the ball of luck, the stars woven into her hair shining brilliantly. “We walked sidewise, but now we’re at the peak.” Technically speaking the door to his sanctum could appear randomly anywhere in the Seven Heavens, but Reilly figured they would find that out on their own.

  “These streams of ‘luck’ are essentially just random chance that is woven throughout everything in the Heavens. Karma, reincarnation, the movement of energy…size of land…it takes a lot of stress off of the Will of the Seven Heavens, while also introducing an element of chaos that keeps movement happening between layers.” Reilly explained. The Emperor leaned closer to the 3D projection, tapping his foot against the ground.

  “Did you make a pyramid scheme?” he asked, and Statera snorted out a laugh. Reilly cocked his head to the side, taking a long draught from his wine.

  “Are you asking about the movement of souls between the layers?” MR-10 pressed. “That is ridiculous. While I am curious as to what criteria promotes a soul to move up or down, it is no scheme. It is very orderly.”

  “Not cyclical in nature,” Shin muttered, skeletal jaw not moving as he spoke. “It’s more chaotic than that…”

  “Thank you, Martin, and you are correct, Shin.” Reilly said. “As I already said, I do not run the Seven Heavens. I am not the ruler here; I merely keep everything from imploding. That ball above us is a representation of all the luck in the Seven Heavens; sometimes it goes bad, sometimes it is good, and there are always a thousand different ways to interpret it. What is bad luck for one, might be good luck for another. Or not bad luck at all.” he explained, digging into his pockets and pulling out a pair of bone dice.

  They weren’t anything special. Simply a pair of dice he sometimes used as a focus for his powers.

  “From here I can observe the overall state of the Seven Heavens. From the number of gods appearing and their overall nature, to the number of souls moving up and down. As I’m sure you’re already aware, the higher up the Heaven, the stronger the energy. The Seventh Heaven is where the most powerful beings and purest of energy congregates.” He snapped his fingers once, and seven incarnations of himself, each in varying states of drunkenness, appeared. “Everyone, if you would make a few incarnations, I will lead each of you on a quick tour of my Realm. Our main bodies will remain here so we can continue discussing things and focus on the big picture.” That, and I don’t want their raw power messing things up. The Overgod may be suppressing some of their powers and preventing overt manipulations, but their mere presences will effect things.

  Such was the danger of welcoming beings of great power into the Seven Heavens. Even now he could feel the way their power bent the fabric of reality around them, their auras threatening to clash against the Will of the Seven Heavens. Reilly huffed as he made seven incarnations of himself, one for each Heaven, and grouped them up with the incarnations of the other gods.

  Only MR-10 didn’t truthfully split itself. Instead, seven little drone-like things split off of its main body, looking like little pentagons, and floated around with each of the groups.

  “Steward!” Reilly called, clapping his hands together. On cue a new being entered the room; it was dark and shadowy, its body comprised of mist as it flooded down from a vent in the wall. The shadows condensed and coalesced into a solid form; a scrawny humanoid that shimmered and shifted the longer you stared at it. Reilly’s gaze snapped to Statera, observing their reaction closely. Everyone else was only mildly curious.

  Statera was downright riveted, eyebrows arched in surprise as he gazed at Steward, the deity flexing his body oddly, as if he was still getting used to it. Reilly grinned, juggling his dice in his hand. I knew my luck was good today. He thought. Statera knows what I’ve been feeling from Steward. Maybe he’ll even be able to tell me what the hells it is.

  “You called?” Steward asked, bowing slightly.

  “Yes. You’ll be joining us. I would like you to help guide everyone through the most important or interesting bits of the Seven Heavens.” Reilly said, clapping his hands together. “Right! Let’s start this field trip!”