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While the process to become a reaper remained a mystery, the path to becoming a high god was a well-known secret. Although people were aware that the Merit of Godhood Trials existed, no one knew exactly what they were or where they were held. Supernaturals cultivated their magical abilities for years to prepare themselves for a chance at becoming a god, but very few individuals ever made it into the trials.
Even fewer actually passed the tests.
The Merit of Godhood Trials were held in the Infinity Cavern and the Pool of Divinity, two of the most magical places in existence. People who failed the trials had their memories wiped so they couldn’t tell anyone exactly what had happened. However, supernaturals loved to gossip, so stories about the trials were still passed around like chocolates on Valentine’s Day.
Autumn had heard most of the reports, but she hadn’t paid much attention to any of them. It was like something out of a movie or a book that had nothing to do with her life or the world she lived in. Some of her friends liked to sit around and speculate about the trials over a few drinks, but that was just for fun.
Those who lived in the Human Realm didn’t have any real aspirations to enter the trials, but they liked to talk about it and speculate what kind of god they would be. It was the same as humans discussing what kind of superpower they would like. However, the chances of any of that really happening were as likely as winning the lottery or catching a star with their bare hands.
But here she was, holding that star…and waiting for it to explode.
Now that she had a better understanding of the situation, it still didn’t make much sense. She couldn’t write this off as a simple mistake, not when she had deliberately been kidnapped and brought to the Celestial Realm by someone powerful enough to bypass part of the trials.
Why someone had decided she’d make a suitable candidate to become a high god, she had no fucking clue. The very idea of it seemed laughable. It wasn’t as though she had a notable pedigree or powerful magic. As far as potential went, she must have been somewhere close to the bottom of the list of possible choices.
So, what the hell was she doing in the Pool of Divinity?
Or was it the Pool of Destiny?
She couldn’t remember, but whatever it was called, it was no ordinary pool. Instead, she was surrounded by pure magic straight from the magical source. As soon as she acknowledged that fact, the silver liquid began to glow around her, pulsing with power and energy in a way that made it seem like it was welcoming her. It swirled around as if testing her, examining whether or not she was worthy of becoming a god.
After a few heartbeats, the glow increased.
The silver liquid became so bright that it overwhelmed everything else. The intensity of it should have hurt her eyes, but there was no discomfort. There was only the distress of being locked in place and unable to move. Ancient magic began flowing into her, filling her with an abundance of knowledge and power. Giving in, she stopped fighting it, accepting the magic that soaked into every cell until she was no longer the same person who had entered the pool.
Autumn was now a goddess.
One of the most powerful beings in the six realms.
Before she could even begin to grasp that new reality, the light dimmed and she was finally able to move again. Whatever magical transference that had occurred wasn’t completely over, though. Closing her eyes, she let herself float as she tried to assimilate to the overload of magic and knowledge that had been stored inside of her.
She might have looked peaceful floating there, but her mind felt jumbled like it had been fractured into a million tiny pieces and she was slowly trying to fit everything back together. Her body wasn’t doing much better. In fact, she felt almost bloated with the amount of magic that had filled her, like a balloon in danger of bursting.
She opened her eyes again when she finally felt a little better, unaware of how much time had passed. She still felt a little lightheaded but forced herself to start toward the edge of the pool. She might have gotten over her fear of drowning, but she didn’t want to stay in the magical pool any longer than she had to.
There was a wide staircase leading out of the glowing pool, and she glided up the steps with far more grace than she’d ever been capable of before. She’d made it halfway up before realizing her feet weren’t touching the white stone steps that led up to the large terrace. She was floating, hovering a few inches off the ground. That shocking discovery was slightly outweighed by the fact her jeans and T-shirt had been replaced by a long, flowing gown.
The new dress was the color of melted bronze and had a tight bodice with a single strap over one shoulder. The long skirt flared out into multiple layers that fluttered in the light breeze and felt soft as a whisper against her bare legs. The layered skirt had a small train, but it was long enough that she would probably end up tripping on the damn thing.
At least, her running shoes hadn’t been replaced by heels. Instead, her feet were bare, and she breathed a sigh of relief as they finally touched down on the cool stone of the white terrace. The way she’d been floating, and the fact her clothes had been changed without her knowing it, was added to the growing list of things she needed to freak out about later.
If she focused on that particular list now, she might just sit down and start sobbing hysterically. To save herself the embarrassment of a breakdown, she glanced around and focused on getting her first good look at the Celestial Realm.
Besides the Human Realm, the only other world she’d ever traveled to was the Fae Realm. She’d only recently traveled there with her friends to attend a concert that had been held at Aegis Academy. Since some of her favorite artists and bands had been performing, it had been well worth making the trip.
Or so they had believed.
It had started out great but had quickly devolved when one of the singers had lost control of her powers and had almost killed everyone in attendance. Autumn and her friends had been able to escape without getting hurt, but almost dying had sort of ruined the experience for her.
The Celestial Realm had a similar feel to the Fae Realm, which was probably due to all the magic shimmering in the air, but that feeling was much stronger here. Or perhaps Autumn was simply able to sense it better now. The scent of smokey vanilla mixed with the fragrance coming from the exotic flowers that were growing in abundance around the perimeter of the white stone terrace.
Besides the colorful blooms, everything was white, silver, and gold. It should have looked boring, but there was an ethereal elegance to the place that made it special. The magical pool and terrace were hidden away high up on a mountain that was located on a floating island. That island hovered above the clouds and vibrant sea below, and waterfalls poured over the sides.
Autumn had never seen anything so breathtakingly beautiful before. As she stood looking out over the marvelous scenery, she noticed there was a wide stone bridge that seemed to disappear into an array of colorful clouds at the far end of the terrace. She wondered where it led, but when she started toward it, a voice called out and stopped her in her tracks.
“That bridge connects the Celestial Realm to the Realm of Souls, or as it is more commonly known, the Hell Realm. I’m sure you’d enjoy visiting Hell, but that will have to wait for another time. Besides, there are a bunch of celestial warriors guarding the center of the bridge, so you would have to answer a whole lot of questions to get past them if you take that route.”
Autumn took a deep breath before turning around. The authoritative tone of the deep voice had her expecting to see some sort of ancient giant with a long white beard, but what she saw was quite the opposite. The being that was sprawled out on an oversized white and gold chaise lounge looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine more than he did hanging out in the Celestial Realm.
