Biyu appeared in the swamp of Master's realm. She was left to wait a moment before the Great Serpent rose from the waters. After inspecting Biyu from on high, her Master switched to her Human form. White skin was swathed in robes made from snake skin. Ruby eyes looked at Biyu with amusement from beneath unruly white hair. Walking across the surface of the water to where Biyu sat upon the bank, she gave a pleased nod.

  "So, you've finally come for more lessons, my cute little disciple."

  "I have done my best to kill only at need. Unfortunately, I stole some souls from the Wizard's gems."

  "I see. Such things happen. It is why the City in the Sky swells, from ages of Lost Souls finding their way to me. Let's go see how those souls fare. Open your soul to me, my cute little disciple."

  The swamp dissolved, and Biyu had the uncomfortable feeling of being turned inside out. Unlike last time, she felt no pain. It reminded her of when she was a child and got tangled in her tunics while changing. Confusing, alarming, and just a little bit exciting. After all, it was not an everyday occurrence. Her servants were too well-trained to make such foibles on a regular basis. The world settled, and she felt an unnatural sense of completeness like she was whole for the first time. Or, perhaps, greater?

  Looking around, she found herself in an all too familiar room. It was clean and richly appointed with a bed, books, gilding, and the tools of a young lady in training. It was a rich child's room devoid of toys or games. Bright light came from a formation in the ceiling, and there were no windows. In the corner tiny figures scurried to find places to hide.

  Biyu leaned down to inspect the tiny men. It took her a moment to make out the Goblins, identifiable only by their races unique characteristics. The bandits were hard to recognize, the scale to small to easily make out distinguishing details. Master looked at the room disapprovingly.

  "Surely you can do better than this for your realm?" asked the serpent. "I would prefer a disciple of mine not to be stuck in her past like this."

  "What do you mean, Master?"

  "Biyu, child, this realm is yours in every sense of the word. You define everything within it. In a very real sense, you are everything in it. So, make for me a house you would like to live in. Maybe something from your people's stories? Or something you've seen on your travels?"

  Biyu looked around before willing away the room. The little souls that were hiding in the corner squealed in surprise and fear as they tumbled away into the nothing.

  Biyu tried to think of a place she enjoyed being. A place she wanted to be, now. The first to come to mind was the hut she shared with Hak and Indu, but she rejected it. Instead, she formed a field of grass beneath her feet, with hills in the near distance and mountains past them. A campfire burned merrily besides a tent. The sky was dark, just after dusk, and stars gleamed like jewels. A brilliant moon was a lantern in the sky, casting the ground in silver.

  Biyu smiled, remembering this place. This was one of the places she camped on her travels with Lady Chelsea. The tent was the one Anya had purchased in Trade Town. As an afterthought, she added the rest of the camp. More tents, and the bedding of servants who slept in or under the oxcarts.

  "Better," said the serpent. "Now, summon the souls."

  Souls appeared at her beckoning, starting as phantom lights before she granted them their bodies and minds. They coalesced from motes of light to vague figures, filling in with substance and detail as they watched until they moved and acted as living beings. Nine Goblins nervously huddled in a tight group. Six of the seven bandits she saved May from stood sullenly together. The Elf she executed for Shishi stood awaiting his future torment stoically. The Ogre Maker glared at her defiantly, his nose in the air. An old man she did not recognize smiled at her happily. Two bandits, the ones she slew when she met Lady Chelsea and her party, joined the other bandits. They greeted each other by name.

  Another cluster of souls kept apart from the others. Made up of a diverse group, male and female, young and old, there was nothing to distinguish these souls as a group except their demeanor. Even granted bodies and minds, there was something off about them as they stood listlessly with vacant eyes. Biyu suspected these were the souls she stole during the funeral.

  "Who are you?" Biyu asked the unfamiliar old man, deciding to tackle the obvious mystery first.

  The old man gave a toothless smile. "I's the ogre miss. T'anks for dat."

  "You were originally an old man?" she asked despite herself.

  "Yes'm. I am as I was."

  Biyu willed the man to the peak of his youth, and he turned from a gummy old man to a strong youth. He was not overwhelming, or even strapping. Just healthy. "How are you here?"

  The man scratched at the back of his head. "The bit of me that was still me, the soul trapped in that thing? I prayed and promised ya anything if ya killed that bastard. Ya won, an' he an' I died. So, here I am?"

  "Do you not want the Heavens?"

  "Gotta to do my duties to ya first, don't I? I don't really know what that is though. Most of my time here was in that big, pretty, depressing room."

  "The room I grew up in," Biyu said.

  "Ah. Sad that. But, ya's my hero. I'm not that thing anymore, thanks to you. So what if I'm dead? I was old! Shoulda keeled over sooner and saved us all the trouble, eh? And look, here, ya's was nice enough to make me young." He considered her. "Ya ain't gonna make me old again, are ya?"

  Biyu shook her head. "You can have what you want. Within reason."

  The man smiled. "Can I have a nice house? It doesn't have to be big, but I want something like that room of yours but for me. With a door you can open from the inside."

  Biyu created a small house with a wave of her hand. She went inside, alone, then returned and waved him in. It was a nice house. Wooden construction, tiled roof, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a room for entertaining guests. The man stared wide-eyed, then turned to Biyu. "This is too much!" he said. "A palace! I just need a room and some booze, really."

  Biyu shrugged. "It costs me nothing, and it is paltry reparation for how your life ended." She looked around, out the windows facing north, east, and west. She closed her eyes, and made a few changes to the world. "It would be dreary to be in eternal evening, so I have given my realm a day and a night. The weather will change, but predictably. This world is a circle only a 100 miles across." Biyu contemplated him. "You are free to do as you please. You may make requests for changes to the world or yourself."

  "Really? Thank you… what do I call you? My name's Bruce."

  "A pleasure to meet you Bruce. You may call me Biyu. While you may feel indebted to me, I am your captor. I will not demand reverence."

  The man considered the bandits. They remained at a remove, looking at the house with envy. "Can they earn your favor? The others?" the man asked.

  "We will see. What service any of them can be to me is yet to be seen. Regardless, good behavior will be rewarded, and poor shall be punished."

  Bruce excused himself to enjoy his house, and Biyu turned her attention to the bandits.

  "Were you displaced by the ogres?"

  One of the men nodded. "Aye. We made a hidden village and were stealing supplies. After seeing those things, we…" The man gave a shrug. "Who would believe Knights could win?"

  Biyu pointed at the Ogre Maker. "That's the man who made the ogres."

  All eyes turned to him, but the man kept his nose resolutely in the air. "I was doing it for the—" The bandits were upon him, all but the one that spoke to Biyu. The souls Biyu did not know changed. Their eyes turned into black fire, and she felt the corruption of their minds twist their bodies. What were once men, women, and children became screaming specters, their rage driving them as they went after the Wizard, and scattering the bandits before them like startled birds.

  "Vengeful spirits," Master said, looking on. "Quite a few of them too."

  Frowning, Biyu asked, "Is that okay, Master?"

  "They are of the dead, so they may inhabit our Hells. Here, they are subject to your power. They may try to coerce your Hell to suit their desires, but it is like a fish thrashing in a net. They can tug and pull, but they lose in the end." Frowning, she counted. "Eight of them, hmm? Should they work in concert, with you being so weak still, they could mold this world. That, however, is unlikely. You may have something akin to a stomachache sometimes."

  The single bandit who did not attack the Wizard coughed politely, attracting Biyu's attention. Recognition clicked. He was the mage she had killed.

  "Greetings, Lady. Er, can you tell my village that it's over?"

  "I can report their location. However, while I can request leniency I cannot provide clemency."

  "Most of us never did nothin' but flee. We didn't mean to… just… I'm a mage, and I'd seen nothing like it. The one whose spit melted people? The one who knew where ya was even if you hid in the shitter? And the red one, who was all fire and fists. Sure I'd seen Knights, but they weren't so terrifying. You get how it was for us, right? Besides, our Lord of the Fortress was taken, too."

  "I will note your excuses with the direction," Biyu said dryly. The man noted her word choice, and he looked resigned. Better to turn yourself in than be found.

  He gave Biyu directions to the hidden village from the main road. A visit to the Treasure Hunters to make a report, and they would handle forwarding it to the correct people, and it would be resolved one way or the other.

  "Lady, any chance that we can have housing too? Nothing so grand, but y'know?"

  "No," Biyu said. "You slew my retainer's brother and friend. Your people raised your hands against your fellow villagers. No alarm was raised by you, when you had a duty to. However, I will not deny you shelter. There is wood all around. Build homes for yourselves. Toil for what you desire."

  The man looked longingly at the fancy house once more, then ducked into a bow to her. "Guess its fair my afterlife is just more work."

  Biyu's Master addressed the Goblins, the next to be interviewed. "Greetings, the Many Who Are One. Are you free of Gillas's corruption?"

  "We are," one spoke. "But we are still diminished."

  "Will you serve as thralls to my adorable disciple?"

  The Goblins all took a knee. "We serve our savior," the spokesman said.

  Biyu was a little disoriented hearing the Goblin talk. The things that had been mere beasts before. "Are you still many in one?" she asked.

  "Though the corruption gone, what it had done to us is not undone. Each of us has a soul and body of their own, but we share a mind with those near us. Give us a name. All of us shall answer to it."

  Biyu considered them. "I name you Motley."

  "We beg a boon, unworthy as we are," Motley said.

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  "Speak."

  "Devour as many Goblins as you can. The greater our numbers, the more power we will bring you. It will make us greater. Better thralls, to serve you. It frees those killed from corruption."

  "Are they not freed of corruption once they die?" Biyu asked.

  "No, Master. We are caught in an eternal cycle. We live. We die. We live again." That was a surprise to Biyu. She had never heard of such a thing. "We are all Lost Souls. The corruption blinds and draws us to the west, when all other souls seek the east."

  "You live one life after another?" Biyu asked. The concept was too foreign.

  "Some Sacred Beasts are born and reborn. Reincarnated," said Shishi. "Under the right circumstances, I believe I myself can do such a thing. However, I do not know its mechanism. It would only be through good fortune that I be reborn should I perish."

  Curiosity satisfied, Biyu answered the earlier request. "No, I will not grant you that boon." Motley looked up with all eyes at once. They were the unfathomable alien eyes of goats. "I will accept a bargain. For your service, I will kill any Goblins I meet. Understand I have another purpose and cannot dedicate myself to this task."

  "Even a single hunt, and we will accept the bargain as kept," said Motley. "We would make an Oath, but the dead are beyond such things."

  "As thralls, what will you accept? Will you be a spider or a snake?" Shishi asked.

  "An old man, a little girl, a flower, a tree, a spider, a mosquito. Whatever Master requires we shall accept."

  Shishi nodded, and turned to Biyu. "Before we get to experimenting with your first thrall, shall we summon May into your world?"

  "She can come here?"

  "Of course. Any of those who have devoted themselves to you may come here."

  Biyu look annoyed, but rather than anger she sighed. "I suppose it makes sense she would devote herself to me. She is Oath sworn. Perhaps you could argue she has been since she made that mistake. Would I be able to free her from her Oaths to me?"

  Shishi tipped her head. "Why would you want that, my dear disciple?"

  "I do not want to deny her the Heavens. Given the opportunity, I am sure she would like to see her brother again."

  Shishi put on a smile. "Child, it is no great sin to wish to keep the people dear to you near."

  "Perhaps not, but denying another the Heavens should be. If I am damned, I would rather not drag others to the Hells with me."

  Shishi looked pointedly at the souls nearby.

  "Perhaps, one day, I shall be able to deliver them to Judgment," said Biyu. "Though one, at least, I need not bother to have weighed."

  "Truly, my adorable disciple? Will you brave the vast ocean, head to whatever lays in the east beyond the horizon, all to deliver souls to a place no one has returned from?" asked Shishi, amused.

  The amusement slid away as she saw the way Biyu contemplated it. Slowly, Biyu shook her head. "Perhaps one day I will have the power to brave the trip. Maybe that will be my goal in life, to transport the souls I have taken across the ocean to their Judgment. It would be a worthy goal."

  Biyu summoned May, and she appeared. Looking around the space, May recognized the scene and gave a happy smile. Until she noticed the Goblins, which put her into a guard stance. Ready to fight the enemy, she stumbled when Biyu planted a kick into her butt.

  "Ow! Biyu, why did you kick me? Wait! You told her! Why would you tell her? She's in my head and I managed not to tell her!" After that she grumbled to herself.

  Shishi made a sign of apology to May.

  "Right. Uh, what about the little goat bastards?" asked May, changing the subject.

  "Motley swore allegiance to me. Those are the Goblins I slew a while back."

  "Oh. Okay. And the house?"

  "The man who was turned into an ogre resides there." May nodded her understanding, while looking it over from the outside.

  "If I may continue?" asked Shishi. "Good. If you summon someone to this space, you can have a private conversation with them. No eyes, mortal or god, may be privy to it without your permission. Those who have dedicated themselves to you, or those who happen to be worshiping you are easy, since they have a connection to you. You can summon others, but, unless you are the Lady of Secrets and Dreams or have a similar domain, it can offend the gods if you bring their devotees to your Hell."

  She gave Biyu a severe look. "Should someone dedicate themselves to you, you can call them here and chastise them, and have them become an apostate. If you are intent on having no followers. Which would be foolish."

  "May—"

  "No. Biyu, I will not change my mind. Either way the Heavens are denied me. I get to go here instead, right?" she looked at Shishi who nodded. "I stay with you, and this looks like a pretty nice afterlife, ya know?"

  "And if I die?" Biyu asked Shishi.

  "Assuming Lily May is already deceased, there are a few things that could happen. If you perish at the hands of a demon, she gets dragged into its Hell with you. If it's by a petty god, then there is always the chance they will absorb the Hell, but it is a tricky thing for them. She becomes a Lost Soul, unless she manages to find her way east. The higher gods cannot feast on demons.

  "Awakened and common Humans have a chance to devour you and become demons. It should be noted that a demon devouring a demon is not absolute. Souls are always lost, like crumbs from a loaf of bread. When your soul is torn apart, they can flee and the other demon has to catch them. If your mortal body perishes, but your soul remains intact, none of that happens. Your realm and soul wander the world, like a Lost Soul. People may fall into your Hell, but your grasp will be tenuous.

  "On rare occasions, the Hell becomes a hidden realm. That is to say, it becomes anchored in the world. Of course, your devotees will be given to you by Lord Judgment. You can hear the prayers of your worshipers and bless them or curse their enemies. You become a place only the very lucky or unlucky can enter, typically on accident. Stories will be told by those you let go, and some may try to find your realm for their own purposes. Beware wandering Wizards."

  May nodded. "So, if I die I can still help her as a thrall as long as she lives? And the chances of bad things happening are kinda minor?"

  Shishi shrugs. "I do not know enough to hazard a guess. Lesser gods do like to hunt demons in hopes of gaining their power. The old gods don't bother, unless a demon becomes a nuisance. When they do, the old gods prefer to bribe petty gods into dealing with them."

  "Well, that's no good. We should avoid gods. I shall remember that!" May smiled beatifically, hands on her hips. It finally dawned on her that Shishi was there, and she had failed to give her the proper greetings. "Oh, Master's master! Forgive this one's rudeness!" She bowed deeply.

  Shishi waved a hand dismissively, and May returned to standing at ease. She frowned. "Why are those people beating up that other man?" she asked. She squinted. "Why are some of them not people?"

  "You should—" Biyu stopped, taking in the beating. "You would recognize him if his face was not a mess. That is the Wizard who made the ogres. And those are vengeful spirits of people he killed."

  "Oh. I see. Pardon me, Master." She took a step, and stumbled when she only took a step. Scowling, she tried again. May stumbled again. She opened her mouth to complain, but seeing Biyu attentively listening to Shishi, she concluded it was not a prank. So, she ran over to the Wizard the old-fashioned way, to join in on the punishment.

  Biyu missed May's trouble using her technique. She was listening to her Master continuing her lesson. Shishi began by showing her how to form the techniques for creating a thrall. This bore a resemblance to curses and blessings, what Shishi liked to call a 'divine technique'. Shishi called the technique 'seeds', and she demonstrated how to fuse mana and intent into the souls and cast them into the world to construct a body of mana based on either her will of their own.

  A loud scream interrupted the lesson, and Biyu glanced over to the Wizard. She dismissed him, and he popped out of existence just as May was getting ready to break his nose again.

  "Where'd you send him?" May asked for the other's benefit. The vengeful spirits were floating around in patrol, their claws grasping, looking for the man.

  "Mud pit. He will spend eternity drowning in mud. For now." Biyu watched as the vengeful spirits, denied the target of their rage, slowly turned back to looking almost Human. They still did not interact with the others. The fires in their eyes flickered and spluttered out, leaving empty gazes.

  "Ah. What are you working on?"

  "I was teaching her how to make a thrall, using Motley. It will have to be small. We will start with spiders, since Biyu is poison attribute. They will still be Goblins, but with the bodies of spiders. Being a Goblin is a thing of the mind, not the body."

  The bandit who was watching, the mage, cleared his throat and raised a hand. When Biyu acknowledged him, he asked, "Will you have us do this as well, My lady?"

  Lifting a brow, Biyu asked, "And why would I use you for a thrall?"

  He shifted a bit, not looking directly at the woman who controlled his afterlife. "Its just, if we are useful, maybe you won't torture us as much? And, there's something I want…"

  "You were a bandit. You fought with Knights, and your friends killed my brother and my friend," May said. "I don't see why you should be shown mercy."

  The bandit could not look them in the face. "Yeah, I know. I get it. But, I was hoping you'd let me say goodbye to my wife. Like, the dead do that sometimes, right? Show up in dreams? I was kinda hoping I could see my wife if I did a good job."

  Lifting a brow, Biyu asked, "You are hoping to redeem yourself and…" The realm shuddered, like the ringing of a bell. Stumbling on the unstable ground, Biyu repeated with disbelief, "Redeem?" The world shook twice as hard, and they fell to the ground.

  Master, grumbling as she floated just above the ground, said, "So, you found another aspect of your domain? Redemption?" The world did not shake for her.

  Gripping her realm, willing it not to shake, Biyu told her Master, "I thought it was retribution of the dead." The realm shook once more, and the souls caught in the tremor loudly protested.

  "Redemption? Retribution?" asked Shishi, looking at her disciple with concern. "A broad domain, and at odds. A domain should be a single, unified thing. Unless you become a major god. Fortunately, yours is still forming. Take care with how you develop."

  Giving a nod, Biyu said nothing, afraid the world would quake again. She looked at the mage speculatively. Carefully, she said, "I do not know how you may help me. What is your name?"

  Bowing, he said, "My name is Holden. I'll do whatever you want, your ladyship."

  Holden looked at Biyu with unearned hope. Considering Holden, she thought about it. "You have yet to earn your boon. What can you do for me, that I should do this for you?"

  Scowling, May said, "His friends tried to kill me, Biyu. The did kill my friend and family."

  "And they died for it. He is parted from the Heavens and all those he loved in life. He, and they, have been punished, May."

  "I will never see my brother and John again," May retorted.

  "That is your fault. You should have never tempted the gods."

  Grimacing, May crossed her arms, but she let the argument go.

  Turning to Holden, she considered him for a long moment. "I will consider your request. However, I will need to think of a way for you to be useful to me."

  "Thank you, Lady…" began Holden. "My apologies, I do not know your name."

  "I am the demon Biyu Kimmel Lostlakes Elderwoods Exile."

  Biyu turned to her Master. "How do I grant a boon like that, allowing them to speak in dreams to their beloved?"

  "For something like that, you should petition the Lady of Secrets and Dreams on their behalf."

  "How do I do that?" asked Biyu.

  "The same way you petition the gods for anything, child. Worship. There are no guarantees she will deign to hear you out. Like you, gods have their own business. Furthermore, gods trade in favors, disciple. Will you accept a debt for these souls?"

  Considering the souls, Biyu replied, "Yes, but they will repay me some day."

  Bowing, Holden said, "Of course, Lady Biyu. With what we did, we can only be grateful to pay you back." He considered a moment, before he continued grudgingly, "It isn't like we can duck out of paying."

  Shishi turned to the vengeful spirits who still look like common souls. At her beckoning, they came to stand before her and Biyu. They did not walk like the living, but floated just above the ground.

  "About these vengeful spirits, my adorable disciple. They are living souls who have sacrificed themselves to create a living curse. Much like you could break yourself offering a blessing or a curse, a dying person can invoke a blessing or curse, sacrificing their very sense of self to see it done." She considered them for a long moment. "They are useful wardens for souls you condemn, like that Wizard of yours. You can hijack their purpose, giving them a new charge, much like how the Elves enchant objects with spirits. You may grant them thralls, or…" She trailed off.

  Biyu waited for her Master to continue, but when she took too long, she prompted, "Or?"

  "They can be used to create your own curses. Their own rage and power make them malicious haunts that will torture their victims relentlessly. You will not need to invest much of your being to direct them. Or they can be cast into the bodies of the dead, either as revenants to punish their killers, or as undead agents to hunt down your enemies. You could even turn them into enchantments, though I see little value in cursed equipment."

  Biyu shuddered at that. "Necromancy," she whispered.

  "One of the great taboos, but a demon is by its nature a necromancer, my dear disciple. That Wizard of yours is a necromancer, for he bound the souls of those he killed to the world of the living. A demon, like us, we deny the Heavens to other souls to fuel our growth. For power. There is little difference."

  Shishi stood tall, and her power, her domain, radiated out. A portion of Biyu's soul was crushed, pushed back, and Shishi's swamp formed at her feet. "Listen well, my adorable disciple. You have found that the retribution of the dead is part of your domain. The vengeful spirits are bent and twisted by their own desire for revenge. It has become a part of what they are. You should use them, for their sake and yours, if you pursue that Path."

  "Can they be purified?" Biyu asked.

  "That has never been my concern. I do not know. If you wish to purify them, then I leave it to you to discover a way. I must ask, will it serve your domain? Or will it cripple you?"

  Biyu was contemplating the answer when the mortal realm called for her.

  Biyu awoke, and Anya was giving her a polite, bland look. "Yes?"

  "It has been hours, and you were completely unresponsive. You need to show up for meals, Lady Biyu. I slapped you. When it became obvious I could not rouse you, I had a meal sent for. It has gotten cold."

  Putting a hand to her cheek, Biyu felt the pain from the slap once her attention was drawn to it. "I was communing with my god," said Biyu.

  "I know, Lady Biyu." Of course, she did. Biyu had asked her to help her secure some privacy by claiming she needed to spend more time on rehabilitation. Which was why Anya was exasperated as she spoke. Forcing a reasonable tone, she said, "Your god spends a lot of their time and effort on you, don't they?"

  "Our antics amuse her, and she told me I was ready to advance on my Path a while ago. If anything, I have been neglecting her."

  Anya took a seat besides Biyu. "You realize this is unfair, don't you, Lady Biyu?"

  Biyu looked at Anya, and the lack of understanding was clear in her eyes. "I see. Then allow me to explain. You have denied me a relationship, and being a retainer. Yet you still ask me for favors like this. What am I getting out of this? What makes it—" Anya broke off as her voice cracked. Taking a breath, she asked again, "What gives you the right to ask me for favors and give me nothing in return?"

  "I can pay you," Biyu said.

  "I see. You can." She stood up, moving away from Biyu to stand on the other side of the room, her arms wrapped around herself.

  May, watching them, spoke up. "Master—"

  "No, May. It's fine. She doesn't understand. So it's fine," Anya said. Her tone made it obvious it was not fine.

  Anya turned to look at them when the silence drew on, and she saw May and Biyu looking at each other. She knew they were talking to each other. About her. She was in the room with them, and yet they had that connection between them. Once more, she was on the outside looking in. A convenient woman.