Chapter 119
Part 18
Mark reappeared on the dais, grinning at them with pride across the thirty-two meters that separated
them.
“Our kids. The Governors of Hiliani. Aren’t they something?” he casually asked the immense room, and
the vast crowd gave a huge cheer.
His demeanor became more serious. “All right, I’m casting the spell to detect those with divine
potential. Mind you, I don’t know if I’ll find the same people that the gods would call Candidates for
Divinity, I’m just finding people who have the potential for my process to work for them. Okay, here
goes.”
He cast with a slight motion of his hand, which was the only detectable sign of it. Then he took a deep
breath, let it out, and gave a rueful smile. “Thank you. We…”
He was interrupted by the appearance of Quewanak.
“Mark, please wait here with me until your spell has finished making its selections.”
“Ah, all right.” Mark responded in surprise with a raised eyebrow.
Almost immediately a voice cried out from the crowd in Elvish; “I’ve been selected!” and a giant jumped
up with his arms raised and dered in Common; “I was chosen!”
“As I suspected.” Quewanak nodded. “Your spell propagates outward from you. You learn of the closest
chosen first, and in three minutes you’ll know those on the far side of the world.”
“Two and a half, now.” Mark nodded.
“Yes. Please inform me when the process is finished.”
Mark nodded, and they waited. A buzz of conversation arose in the room as people filled the time with
talk.
The rest of Mark’s party sensed that Quewanak meant to do something important, and almost all of
them knew they’d been chosen by the spell. They patiently waited in silence.
Then Mark nodded to Quewanak, and told him; “Okay, I know them all, and they know they’ve been
selected.”
“Excellent. Now, if you’d be so kind, please take a quick Reading of them to answer these questions;
How many of them want to wait another seven weeks to achieve divinity? How many of them want it
right now, how many of them want it eagerly, how many of them want it desperately?”
Mark gave a rueful chuckle and a shake of his head before he answered. “A lot of them are pretty
eager to have it done. As I’m sure you knew.”
“I did.” Quewanak nodded. “And I want you to know something.
“In myst moments of mortality, after I was fully Healed by Amirgath and just before I became
Draconian God of Dreaming and the one hundred sixty-fourth god of my race, I was the most advanced
Candidate there had ever been. I had already lived far longer than most of the gods, and was the
eldest mortal who had ever lived, of any race. My forty million year slumber forced me to concentrate
on and develop my mental abilities to a greater extent than any mortal had ever done. And my newly
restored physical health and vitality only increased my abilities.”
A bit of a buzz rose among the gathering as the public atrge learned that he was now a god, but he
ignored them and continued speaking with Mark with a friendly intensity.
“Yet despite all that, and despite having had more than seven years of subjective time to get used to
being a god, I have still only begun to explore my new capabilities. Most new gods don’t feel fully
“The Nexus and the war with the demons will be upon us in less than two years. Every single second
that these new gods have to train and learn and explore their new capabilities could be crucial.
“I know that you fear the loss of your humanity, but you must trust me on this; the Ascension is a
wonderful thing, and if you do it now, you’ll be d you did. If you wait the seven weeks, you’ll regret
the lost time and the joy you denied yourself, and either way, you’llugh at your childish fears.
“Mark, I ask this as your friend. Almost all of The Pantheon of Keran ask this of you most fervently,
as do most of the Assembly of The Just Alliance. If you do this now, it will vastly increase our ability to
defeat the demons over waiting the seven weeks, which may save many lives, and much destruction.
“Please, make the Ascension now, and give your gift to the other candidates you’ve identified. Here,
tonight.”
Mark scowled and scratched his chin, and thought about it. “I’m gonna have to ask my wife. Wives. And
my family, and a few others. Give us a few minutes.”
And with that, they disappeared.
He and his closest family and friends appeared on the private beach on Hilia. It was a beautiful and
directly overhead.
Talia and Alilia were in his arms almost immediately.
“We support you, whatever you decide.” Alilia told him, and Talia nodded.
There was silence for a moment, and they only needed their natural empathy to feel him struggling with
his decision.
“Father, may I know the results?” Six asked.
“Sure.” Mark nodded, and psionicly passed him the identities that the selection spell had given him, as
well as the shallow Reading he’d taken of them.
“Ah. One hundred and forty-six potential gods.” Six mused. “A hundred and forty-seven counting you,
Father. Half as many as there are gods right now, of Keran that is. That seems like a lot, until you
consider there are only that many out of about twelve billion thinking mortals on Keran.”
“And over half of them are waiting for us in The Hall of the Assembly.” Fire noted. “Most of whom have
already attended the Assembly before as rulers or senior wizards or generals or whatever. It seems the
cream really does rise to the top.”
“Ah, but notice some of those who are not at The Hall, some of whom are very obscure people from
very obscure ces!” Karzog pointed out. “Especially this one, Dieb Selzeamtik! She is a four-year old
dwarf from a n of ordinary shepherds, with no apparent unusual abilities, and no unusual training or
influences at all! There is no wizardry in her family for their entire recorded history!”
“Wow. How will she and her family deal with her bing a god?” Val wondered, and there was
silence for a moment as they all considered that.
Mark took out the warlock’s power stone that contained his results from the brainstorming session. He
considered it a moment, then nced around at those with him on the beach. His wives and children,
Kragorram, Povon, Karzog, Yazadril, Nemia, Hilsith, Sran and Equemev. The people he felt closest
to.
“I’m just not ready.” he told them, sounding a little choked with emotion. “I still live in a state of being
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half mind-boggled from all the changes in my life in thest few years. And the changes in me. I need a
little time to enjoy it all for ast little while and get my courage up. I’m just not ready to give up my
mortality and be a god. I feel a huge reluctance. I need the seven weeks. I’m pretty sure I’ll be
ready then.
“On the other hand, Quewanak made some really good points. It might save a lot of lives if I do it now.
“But the fact is, thest time Amirgath tested us for our Candidacy for Divinity he couldn’t find any
dependencies. Maybe that’s because there aren’t any now. Your candidacies used to be dependent on
me, but now I’ve figured out how to do it and put the spell for it in this stone. Maybe now I can just cast
it on someone, and not need to cast it on me first to do so.”
He gave them a quick, sheepish grin, and asked; “Any volunteers?”
After a second Yazadril stepped forward a pace. “I’m ready, and filled with a powerful curiosity as to
what it’ll be like. Go ahead.”
“Can you do it while we hug him?” Nemia asked as she and Hilsith embraced him from either side, and
he held them close.
“Sure, I don’t see why not.” Mark said with a nod as he concentrated on the stone.
They all held their breath as he held still and silent for fifteen seconds.