Hare of Misfortune

Trepidation rolled through Rachel’s tight gut as the tainted field rippled above the corroding center stage. A chill ran up her spine in a way she hadn’t yet experienced as the distorted visage of the Japanese goddess of death loomed overhead, the Seventh Circle solidifying with every slow-motion turn of the gears overhead, time slowing as Dionysus fought for every second.

[Location Selection Time - 10 Seconds]

Golden liquid leaked out of Dionysus’ mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, his veins writhing as he tried to slow time to a crawl in order to prevent the location from locking in. Yet, the seductive whisper of Izanami continued to caress every entity’s mind, the death goddess twisting a dagger into the lesser god’s concentration as she flicked to a stop in front of Dionysus.

”Why are you so unsteady, Dionysus? Are you not the powerful lamb in this pen?”

”Shut up! You cannot enter!”

Misfortune coiled like the titanic demonic snakes in the bubbling sea of boiling blood that surrounded them. Faith in Dionysus was waning with every syllable Izanami spoke, her strengthening presence inciting chaos among the lower deities.

[System Conflict - Stage Transition Interference]

Fictitious pain mixed with the woman’s words. ”Was I not invited? It is rude to keep a guest at the door...” The distortion leaned close to the trembling man, Rachel seeing his eyes defocus as her soft voice touched his ears. ”Let me in, Little Lamb.”

[Location Selection Time - 9 Seconds]

Rachel slowly rose to her feet, a dull thumping reverberating throughout time and space as Dionysus seemed to be holding back a dam from exploding. System Messages flashed in front of all those who remained, mainly roaring demons and devils.

Dionysus refused to look at the rippling dimensional fabric that was the death goddess, now walking on air around him, taunts picking at his mind. He was losing this battle—it was inevitable—and while a big fish on this side of the divide between dimensions, he was hardly a minnow on the other side.

Misfortune was pulling tight around his throat, terror in the lesser god’s shaky voice as he screamed, ”Change the stage!”

[System Error - Cannot Comply]

”Struggle, struggle...little lamb,” Izanami chortled, her distortions gradually fading away to reveal a scarred, gray-skinned woman wearing only a silver snake necklace; she would have been a beauty beyond compare at one time, now corrupted by Hell.

Rachel had no clue how this would end, chaos pulsing in waves with each word. She felt her DNA slowly resonating with the hellish moon reaching out to embrace her; it was only a matter of time until the transformation began.

Conner’s trembling fingers were on his divine pet; he could only use him for five minutes in combat, but just like Nia, the dolphin was his item to use. Nia hid inside her fabric, the little girl soldier she was now. She was doing her best. And the vines holding Eostre were withering away under the pressure Izanami brought.

”Run to close the gates,” she teased before he managed to speak again.

”Change Challenge Rating to one!”

[System Error - Selection Already Made]

[System Error - Cannot Comply]

”Kick Yseress!”

[System Error - Cannot kick Yseress from the audience]

[System Warning - The Arbiter must comply with the rules of the game]

[Location Selection Time - 8 Seconds]

”No! How is this possible? It’s not—stop?!”

[Location Selection Time - 7 Seconds]

Gashes and burns marred her lovely figure as she stopped in front of Dionysus again, her raggedy silver hair covering her naked front, the thick mess framed by two curved horns. Izanami’s voice held a whispering mirth that her dead-eyed stare didn’t reflect.

”Hmm. Was it not you Greeks who have the lesson about flying too close to the sun?”

[Location Selection Time - 6 Seconds]

”I have more power than you, Izanami! I’m not afraid of you anymore! I’m not afraid of my sister or father! I’m not afraid of anything! You have no idea how powerful I am here!”

[Location Selection Time - 5 Seconds]

”Dammit!”

A short sigh and giggle followed, Izanami’s unemotional face solidifying in beautiful horror, and disinterest was reflected in her discolored eyes; it wasn’t hard to see the ruin Yomi’s negative energy had caused on her celestial body. ”Dionysus, Athena would be disappointed.”

Her burned, gray hand directed them to the frozen, hellish sky overhead, where a radiant figure beyond perception shone brighter than the noonday sun; Rachel couldn’t look at it as much as understand that this was merely a fragment of glory that surpassed any mortal conception of the word.

”I do not understand your power?” A sugary chuckle made Rachel’s tail quiver, and she took a step back with Yseress and Dionysus as the fallen goddess’ horrific figure continued to sharpen. ”Sweet child of Zeus, you didn’t think I was some small 6th-dimensional fox or fallen seraph, did you?”

[Location Selection Time - 4 Seconds]

Head tilting to the side, Izanami took another step forward, making Dionysus’ throat catch as he retreated again, gears clicking under her oppressive stare. Even Yseress’ delight had turned to nervously clutching at her bag.

[Location Selection Time - 3 Seconds]

”You are among the fallen old gods,” he said with a strained laugh. ”You have no power over me.”

”No?” For the first time, a twitch moved Izanami’s scarred lips. ”I held such power amongst the creation deities that my own husband could not keep up with my prowess, which is why I know explicitly the power you hold. Such boldness, Dionysus...or is it ignorance of who I am, since Hades fears to sit at my table?”

[Location Selection Time - 2 Seconds]

Hell trembled and shrank away in the flash of glory Izanami made, blood purifying into golden droplets of divine dew, radiating so brightly that light itself would envy its luster. And just as quickly as it came, the effulgence faded in a rush, leaving a holy space drawn into the real Izanami, hidden behind the veil.

Dionysus looked down at Yseress and her, and she felt his confidence cracking beneath the barrier protecting them, each gentle tap the fallen creation deity made against his facade carving another fissure.

Izanami wasn’t the same as Selene or even Cerridwen; she had been at the top of the food chain at one point. The old she-wolf had experience with the highest degree of 7th-dimensional forces that Dionysus couldn’t hope to grasp. If Dionysus envisioned himself high among the 5th-dimensional deities with Nike and all his stolen power, Izanami was among the 7th, all without support from others.

[Location Selection Time - 1 Second]

”My dull-witted, thoughtless, tiny lesser god...” Izanami cooed, moving closer still to hover above him, seeming to grow in size to tower over the petrified man. ”You’ve already let the wolves in. So you can run, run, little lamb, but the beasts are in the pen.”

”No, you are not!” Dionysus held out his hands and sent a blast of divine energy at the emotionless, distorted woman; when it faded, Izanami was gone. ”It is the time of the lesser gods! It is my time!”

[Location Selection Time - 2 Seconds]

[Arbiter Breach in Compliance of Selection]