The transition between the physical realm and the seemingly endless, grey expanse of Lady Hecate’s domain continued to confound me. Just a few moments earlier, I had closed my eyes after making myself somewhat comfortable in the shrine we had created at the bottom of Jademoon Tower and focused on the deity, trying to make contact. Then, without any fanfare or any perceivable sensation, the blackness caused by closing one’s eyelids disappeared, and I saw the grey expanse. I could faintly feel my physical body at the edge of my mind, giving me some sensation, unfamiliar sensations. Weider still, I knew my eyes remained closed, and yet I could see. I knew my body remained stationary and immobile, but I could move around Lady Hecate’s realm without issues. A part of me wondered if this sensation was similar to lucid dreaming and made a note to check in some of the books we had secured. However, I doubted my current situation was something humanity had experienced before the change. Certainly not in a way that allowed for careful and deliberate study, the kind of research that got published in serious academic texts.

  In the first few moments after the transition, I briefly wondered if the people at Pantheon Entertainment, those who had made the capsules, had experienced something similar to this. Maybe not while awake, but in their dreams, getting their minds, or maybe their souls, pulled in by one of the Asgardian or Olympian deities, before being taught what they needed to make Road to Purgatory.

  And the capsules, can’t forget about them. Somehow, the people of Pantheon Entertainment had managed to create an interface between the human technological base and the arcane, or maybe divine, magic needed to connect people with their Mundian Avatars. The more I worked on the requirements to resurrect Sigmir, and the more I learned about souls, the more impressed I was by those achievements. Now, if only I could find one of the capsules intact, it might give me some valuable insight, but so far, I had been tremendously unlucky in that particular pursuit. Or maybe the capsules had some sort of self-destruct mechanism, turning to dust during or shortly after the change. That would explain why I had been unable to find one.

  “Hello there,” the Maiden, speaking alone, interrupted my musing, making me focus on the present instead of remaining lost in my head.

  “Jade Morgana,” the Crone added, her voice pitched in a somewhat odd way, “We’ve been expecting you.”

  “Come again?” I asked, feeling suddenly very confused, as if I was missing something here. “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t mind those two, they can be quite…” the Mother replied, causing the other two faces to pout, “They were trying to make a joke, but I believe it went right over your head,” she paused and shrugged, before adding quietly, “Not that it was a good joke.”

  “Hey, it would have been funny, you stick in the mud,” the Maiden complained, while the Crone was chuckling softly.

  As the three aspects of Lady Hecate were squabbling with one another, I was just standing there, completely and utterly flabbergasted. Just what was one supposed to do when a being like that was acting in such a way? Should I try to make jokes myself, should I laugh, regardless of whether I considered their jokes funny or not, or should I simply ignore the humour and remain as serious as an audience with a deity was supposed to be? Personally, I had no idea, and no matter how much I strained my memories, I couldn’t find any social customs for this. So, I simply remained quiet, projecting a polite smile while my mind cringed with discomfort, feeling very out of place.

  “Now, you didn’t come here because you wanted the stand-up duo to entertain you,” the Mother spoke again, “I believe you had some questions for me.”

  It took me a moment to clear my throat and shake off the confusion two of Hecate’s aspects had inflicted on me, but then I could speak. Focusing on my words, on trying to convey my meaning and request clearly, helped to settle my mind further, letting me push their behaviour further to the back of my mind.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “Another deity, this one belonging to Asgard, had one of their faithful set up a community near one of my bases,” I began, deciding to give them a bit of background, just in case they had their attention focused elsewhere. “Given that said deity is the one who inflicted the curse upon me that conflicts with your blessing, it is easy to predict further confrontation between mine and those faithful. However, I have no idea what my personal state is, regarding the mortal followers of a deity, nor do I know how said deity could act against me,” I admitted, noticing some excited looks on the Maiden’s face. In contrast, Mother and Crone looked a little pensive.

  “That…” the Crone began, her voice slow and steady, “That is an excellent question.”

  “However,” the Mother picked up the train of thought, “It is not a question with a simple answer,” she paused for a moment, as if waiting for the Maiden to speak, but when that didn’t happen, she continued, “Your situation is not a common one. Not unique, no, but far from common nonetheless. As such, it’s…” she paused again, though this time it wasn’t to let another of her aspects speak, she seemed to actually gather her thoughts.

  “It’s complicated,” the Crone threw in, and the Maiden continued.

  “You’ll have to see what happens, experiment a little. Though I’d be careful, you have no idea just how petty that one can be. Really thinks the Sun shines out of her…” An exasperated Mother cut off the Maiden’s words, and a part of me idly wondered if a deity’s words could count as blasphemy.

  “There are no hard and fast rules,” the Mother’s voice was almost apologetic, “Though, to be fair, even for us, the rules have a certain amount of flexibility and numerous grey areas. I’m afraid it’s even worse for you.”

  “However,” the Crone continued to speak, “As a general rule of thumb, you are on the safe side if you stay within the confines of mortal ability. Once you start funnelling power from different mortals to create champions, or draw said power on yourself to break the limitations you are operating under, you’ll certainly get in trouble. Otherwise, you should be okay,” she explained, though there was a little too much ambiguity in her words, and her voice didn’t project her usual confidence.

  “Also, don’t try to draw upon powers from your domains,” the Maiden added, “Your domains can already influence your abilities, and it might count as divine interference. Usually, that’d only mean the shiny one complains, but with your situation, it could get ugly,” she explained, her earlier amusement back at full force.

  “It would be a lot easier if I knew what my domains are,” I quietly complained, the voice slipping out unbidden, “Or what deity I’m supposed to be, Mother or Pale Lady,” I added, noticing how the two appellations echoed in the void of Lady Hecate’s domain. The title of Mother seemed to blend neatly into the environment, not in perfect synchronicity but in harmony, a melodious counterpoint to Lady Hecate’s domain. The name of the Pale Lady didn’t blend in; if anything, it cut and rippled through the domain. Just speaking it made me cough and, for a moment, the taste of blood filled my mouth, transmitted from my body to my mind.

  “Curious,” the Mother stated, looking at me with slightly amused eyes, “I believe that, at the moment, you are both and neither, which makes your situation even more uncommon. Maybe even unique, I’m not sure. I certainly haven’t seen this sort of situation before,” she admitted, her gaze sweeping up and down over my body, studying and measuring.

  “Wonderful,” I sighed, “It sadly doesn’t tell me what I’ve got to look out for. Or what my domains are.”

  “No, I suppose it doesn’t,” the Crone nodded, “And we can’t just tell you either, as they are not fixed, especially not before you become an actual deity, which makes this even more interesting.”

  For a moment, I wanted to grumble even more, but then the Maiden spoke up.

  “To understand your domains, you need to consider what actions are ascribed to the divinity in question. For the Mother,” the title rang out clearly, and I felt something resonate within me. “It is probably something to do with the creation or alteration of living beings, be it their original creation, their birth into a new form, or something mental or spiritual, akin to their education. Possibly an increase in fertility, or the creation of a new society, think ‘Mother of the State’, or something like that. For the other,” she paused, very deliberately not speaking the words, “Well, for the other, you’ll have to think about what brought the name into existence, what deeds you have performed and why people would pray.” She shrugged, either unwilling or unable to give me more information.

  “Thank you for your guidance,” I replied, uncertain what else to say. This was far less than I had hoped for, but more than I had known before.