When Khos teleported, he expected to arrive back in Reprise's territory, but he never thought he'd find himself once again floating in a medical tank.
Looks like I raised her interest a bit too much, he thought.
"Look who's back," Reprise drawled. "My favorite clever‑talking ball… Hm. This elf body doesn't suit you." She studied his new silhouette with mild amusement. "Tell me, was losing your ability as a system really that important to you that you are ready to become this half backed being?"
She waited for a while, and when he didn't answer, she continued.
"You'll never understand what you threw away. Well… leaving that aside, let me see what you are now." Her eyes glowed as she inspected him. "Hm. Good stats, divinity‑laden body, stable soul… Missing some parts, but it should be fine. You make a decent data set at least, so no skin off my bones."
"Now, I have another question, and this one you will answer. Tell me how you found "IT"-and that too in a human body, no less. And don't even try to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about."
The liquid around him began to heat, making Khos feel like he was sweating literal bullets.
"Hey, listen- stop, please! I'll answer, all right!" he yelped. "I didn't find him. There was a Karma item called the Token of Gloom, given to me by the Sun God Lugh for services rendered- can't go into details because of an oath. He said it had a hundred percent chance to fulfill my wish. When I used it, it pulled me toward the dead zone. Once I arrived, I realized it was the realm of the Fallen Shadow Entity and it should've been crawling with fallen gods. But all I found was this kid with the aura of shadow entity. The place was filled with mortals and a few gods of various authorities—and by then I already had multiple powerful beings on my tail, all right? So I grabbed the kid with the shadow aura and ran."
He spilled everything like a caged parrot.
"Most of that makes sense," Reprise murmured. "But what prompted you to try and summon me? And what ratio was that Karma token, to cause so much mayhem?"
"I‑It was the kid. He also had a sliver of your aura on him," Khos admitted. "And the token… it was a ten‑to‑one Karma burn token."
Feeling the temperature drop back to normal, he let out a shaky breath.
She doesn't need to torture me to make me talk. If I didn't want to answer, I wouldn't have come back here at all. If I'd known pain hurt this much, I never would've added that sensation to this body, he thought, regretting his design choices.
After getting what she wanted, Reprise casually waved her hand and flung Khos out of her domain.
She herself returned to her throne room and summoned Calyra—her subordinate, also known as Calyra the Timeworn Maiden.
She couldn't believe he had burned a Karma token with such a low ratio. He had basically spent all his good Karma and received only ten percent of what it should have given him. Still, it had fulfilled his wish across multiple universe cycles, so she couldn't really argue with the results.
While she waw lost in her thoughts, Calyra appeared and bowed so deeply her head nearly struck the floor.
"My lovely Lady, what can this little girl do for you?" she asked in a sugar‑laden voice, taking Reprise's foot in her hands, kissing it gently, and beginning to massage.
"Calyra, you heard the conversation," Reprise said.
"Of course, my Lady. There is not a moment that passes when I am not watching you. Please, just forget about those morons. They are not even ants in the great cycle of life. Allow me to serve you and help you relax."
"Haa, enough of this. If we start now, I might forget everything for a few millennia. This is important, you know." Reprise sighed while looking at her lovely Calyra with sweet eyes. "Go to the Giant‑King Sun God's territory and kill him. Bring me his treasury intact. Oh, and before killing him, make sure to politely ask where he got that token."
"My Lady, if I may be so bold… is it wise to provoke them just to learn the token's origin?" Calyra asked carefully.
Reprise didn't reply, only continued to toy with her luxurious midnight‑black hair, slowly threading her fingers through the long, silky locks. Taking that silence as permission, and fleeing before she lost all motivation under the spell of those fingers- Calyra vanished.
Reprise sighed as the silky sensation slipped from her fingers, then called for Lumeris as soon as she sensed Calyra traveling toward the Sun God's domain.
"My Lady," Lumeris said with a deep bow as she appeared in the throne room.
"Follow her," Reprise ordered. "Make sure she doesn't go overboard. Stop her if she tries to kill every sun‑related being. And if any entity tries to interfere, protect her and inform me."
"If I may, my Lady- this Sun God Lugh has proposed to you many times. Is it wise to send your… admirer to his death?" Lumeris ventured.
Reprise stood and slowly stepped down from her dais, one step at a time. Reaching the carpet, she circled Lumeris once, then stopped in front of her, making the greater goddess Lumeris [Weaver of Moments] shiver.
With her index finger, she lifted Lumeris's chin and asked softly, "Do you know how many gods have died since the birth of this universe?"
She didn't wait for an answer.
"Thousands. Thousands of them die every day. And the same number ascends to godhood. Now answer this: how many entities have died since the birth of the universe—not just ours, but all universes?"
Lumeris swallowed. "N‑Not even one?"
"Exactly. To us entities, gods are what mortals are to gods."
"Gods cannot love the way we do. We have no fear of death. Inside my domain, no force—no matter how powerful—is anything but subject to my whim. I cannot be killed here. Even if a Voidwalker came knocking, I could kill it with a snap of my fingers." she said while snapping her fingers for emphasis.
"If I ever find a god who can love me without a single thought of possession, then yes—maybe I will consider him. But by the time I decide, his entire lifetime may already be over," she said with a smirk, confirming to Lumeris that she had already done such things before.
"As for why I let Calyra court me," Reprise continued, "that girl was my first follower. My first worshipper. She rose from mortal to god solely to serve me, so I wouldn't be lonely, so I woudn't suffer!. How could I deny such devotee her one wish?"
She waved a hand, ending the topic. "Enough talk. My love for her runs deep, but I can't let it hinder her growth. Go now, and protect her no matter what."
"Ah… yes, my Lady," Lumeris said dazed. She was about to depart, but paused. "What about the Shadow Entity?"
"Hm? What is with all of you and your endless questions? Well, what about him?" Reprise asked.
"He is proclaimed dead by many gods. His territory, as Khos described, has been overrun by a multitude of deities."
"Haa. Don't believe such baseless rumors. If he were dead, the Law of Shadow would have already dissolved in our universe. Besides, his domain is still intact—that alone proves he's alive. He simply prefers roaming outside rather than sitting quietly and governing his territory."