Chapter 4: system selection
It was eternally dark across the border that separated the living and the non-living. But that didn't mean it was ripped away from the bliss and bling you'd normally expect from a land riddled with the stench of regrets and unlived hopes and dreams.
No, this land thrived upon those very unfulfilled desires, cranked it up to the max and glorified it until you're left wishing you had accumulated more regrets in the living world before coming back here. Perhaps that's why weak spirits loved to take trips to the living world, to accumulate their sins there, and increase their riches here, in the darkest pocket of the celestial world, the elysium of the world's gravest sins, EdenHeart.
Or as people like you know it: Hell.
You'd be wondering why 'hell,' is called EdenHeart, and fret not. It is because hell is indeed the heart of Eden, the mythical paradise, the abode of all things holy. After all the original sin of Adam and Eve was found in the heart of Eden. Evil had always resided in Eden, these two were never separate. It just needed a silly little human being to bring it to the light.
In one of the main metropolitan cities of EdenHeart, the God of Sins had walked out of his residence dressed in a sleek dark crimson laced chiffon shirt that struggled to cover his rock-hard broad shoulders and abdomen. His large, yet well moisturised hands were tucked into the pockets of his flowy pants as he strode across the Souk of Souls.
Multiple vendors noticed him and raised their eyebrows. While they called out to the other customers, they all went silent as they noticed a God himself walking through this area.
They all wondered the same thing.
What was the literal God of Sins doing here?
Well it wasn't the God of EdenHeart or the God of All Evil.
But the God of Sins was still a pretty big deal. He was like the crown prince of EdenHeart. Currently, he had control over the other seven lesser-gods, each who governed one of the seven sins.
He silently walked through the Souk and reached Downtown, the real heart of all the bling and bliss that goes on in EdenHeart.
It was a huge district, with tall skyscrapers rising into incomprehensible heights, all sorts of lights lining the entire building, and grand entrances for all of them through which luxurious sports cars and limousines drove through and enticing guests stepped out and into the building to have a good time by spending all the riches they had accumulated due to their Sins when they used to be in the living world.
The God of Sins curved his lips lightly as he took in the sight. This was where he felt the most at peace. It calmed his soul in unimaginable ways.
And he didn't want to lose this. He wanted more and more souls to come in everyday. More the souls, more B-leaves they would produce, and the more evil they were, the tastier these leaves were.
He looked up and realised he was actually standing under one of the trees. The trees were scattered in various places, as well as shrubs and bushes. He reached out to pluck one leaf, folded it twice, closed his eyes and put it in his mouth.
He let out a light moan as he felt the energy course through his spine, abdomen and finally down below. "Really good, today."
He checked into the club he had booked for the night and they escorted him to the VIP area on the open mezzanine floor.
Loud music erupted from all sides and he bent over the safety glass to watch the scene that unfolded in front of him. Hundreds of unliving men and women and animals dancing and drinking and mingling with each other.
Not only by talking, but by grinding against each other, licking each others' ears, pulling the other to the ground and ravaging them senseless with no care in the world.
He wondered which could get louder, the music or the sounds of pleasure that exploded from different points in the club.
He laughed slowly and leaned back down on his sofa with his legs spread wide, as a tall woman walked in slowly, with a swing in her step and a bottle and glass in hand. She bent down, kept eye contact with God while she poured him the drink.
He eyed her face, neck, and the skin under her dress.
After she was done, she glanced at the area between his legs, smiled in accomplishment, and walked away.
Soon after, his guest walked in in a smart suit and suitcase.
"Sit," the God gestured with his hand and the lawyer-like man gladly took his seat.
"We meet again, Ashuye, Governor of the 7 sins."
The God frowned, as he noticed how he refused to call him a god. The man noticed and smiled curtly. "We are stewards of the Omniscient System. We only recognise 'It' as the one, true, God. You know this."
"No ill intentions, Mr Osbon, us Gods," he emphasised on the last word, "just grew up thinking the concept of Systems was a farce."
"If it actually was, you wouldn't have sought our services. In fact, we have already provided the candidate 4040 with the timeline change, as well as completed all the necessary protocol for them to receive a system."
"True, okay, okay," the God slid a glass towards the agent. "So what do you have for me, today? Hope it's better than last time."
"Certainly." Osbon opened his suitcase and pulled out five cards and spread them like a fan on the glass table between them. "These are the most sought after and expensive System options in our catalog. I've also obtained the necessary permissions for them so that you can deploy one of your choice immediately."
Ashuye leaned forward and studied the cards.
"Are you serious? Is this a scam?" He raised his ochre shaded eyes and shot a stare at the agent who sat there, unmoving. He picked up the one in the centre. "How much for this one?"
"That's a limited edition Vampire System, it has been trending for a while now, and shows good promise. So it's priced at 5 million leaves."
The God considered it. "Blood abilities, combat, skill absorption ability, shadow mastery…okay this is indeed desirable for mass destruction." He was surprising himself as he said it. He had never realised some random being other than Gods can perform such acts in form of miracles or blessings or curses. This was some next level celestial technology.
"But I don't know if my candidate is cut out for it."
Osbon nodded as he kept the Vampire System card back into the suitcase. "If I may ask, what's your candidate like?"
"She's…"
"Oh, it's a girl."
"A strong one," Ashuye said immediately, not wanting Osbon to offer weaker systems due to this. He glanced at the others. Dungeon system, dragon beast system, CEO system, offspring system.
"Is this all you got?"
Osbon didn't understand what this God wanted. These were all perfectly built powerful systems easily capable of destruction once it built the human into the max levels.
"I need a system to impact the very essence of humans," Ashuye explained. "One capable of performing cataclysm on souls. So that even when they die, not much would be left in them to go back to the world of the living."
Osbon fell deep in thought. "That…Ashuye…"
"Can you not call me that?" The God of Sins sighed in frustration.
"But it's your name. You should own it."
Ashuye knew it, but he wondered if he started using just his true name, people would forget he was actually a God. So this scheme had to work out. Evil as he was, he had to be the one to solve this issue of spirits once and for all. So that even the Holy beings can praise him and raise his status.
Osbon frowned and found a card under the box he brought the main 5 cards in. "Oh this…"
Ashuye's eyes fell on the card and he snatched it from him.
"What's this?"
Embarrassment filled his face as he scratched the back of his head. "That… It's a system in progress. A personal project of mine… please, don't let anyone know. Agents like me don't have permission to design our own systems yet."
Osbon leaned forward to get the card back, but the God leaned back and raised the card above his head as he read the abilities.
"This…" he frowned and looked down at Osbon. "You're saying you made this?"
Osbon shook his head violently as a desperate attempt to save face.
"I'll take this," Ashuye nodded. "Finish making it."
"I-"
"I'll give you 8 million leaves as a down payment. Then whatever you need to complete its design."
After further negotiations, a contract was signed and hands were shaken. After Osbon left the room with a new burden on his shoulders and a suitcase full of fresh money, the God of Sins called for the waiter that poured his drink earlier.
"I'm really happy right now," he told her.
She smiled slyly in reply and locked the door to access the portion and pressed the button that would close the view to the ground floor.
The god of sins chuckled and shook his head as he waved to her, "Leave that, and come here." He unbuttoned his shirt as the lady in the tight dress straddled him, presenting her mounds just inches away from his nose.
"What are you so happy about?"
The God of Sins grinned, his two canines glinting as he devoured her with his eyes. He firmly held her thighs for support and started licking her neck in short, quick strokes, like a hungry cat. "My candidate's going to be a k-pop sensation."
"Hmm?" the waiter purred as she grabbed his hands and yelped in surprise. "They're so big and, strong." She placed them at the hem of her dress while she locked her own hands around his strong neck.
In just seconds, her panties were off.
The music faded away around them as the VIP room filled with sounds laced with lust, desire, and massive killing intent that was slowly taking form inside the God's mind.