Seven Sons of God Part II

“So, that happened,” Will said.

“Unlimited power divided by seven is still unlimited right?” James asked the group.

“Yes, even in the universes where the physics are different,” Eddy replied.

You just know that now, right?” asked Adam.

“Yeah. I also know that we all know that.”

“Well we can’t just wake up tomorrow and act the same, so what do we do?” Will was more concerned by the second.

Percy placed a hand on his shoulder and steered him toward the front door of the house. “Set up a base of operations to study, test, and explore our powers. I vote James’s basement.”

James caught up to them and squeezed to the front to unlock the door. “It will need some God-tier upgrades but sure. I have a feeling we could never leave the basement and still live as many lives out as we want.” James was beaming. None of them had ever seen him so energetic.

James’s parents went to bed strictly at nine o’clock, so they had to traverse the house quietly to get to the basement. James paused with his hand on the door handle. The others watched him close his eyes, take a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again, they briefly emitted an orange glow. “Okay, my basement now makes the TARDIS look like a kitchen cupboard.”

James led them down the stairs in a single file line. The landing opened up onto an entryway fit for a castle. The room was shaped like a heptagon. The seven segments and corresponding archways were color-coordinated; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Each archway was flanked by a marble statue. One for each of them and they were dressed like kings.

“No one is going to notice this?” Will was looking around.

“It’s a pocket dimension. Am I right?” said Eddy.

“Correct,” James turned around to smile at them. He looked like a tour guide trying to walk backward. “Seven of the archways lead to planes of existence specifically crafted to fit each of us. The other arches lead to more conventional things, but this dimension will forever expand, Big Bang style to fit our desires and whims. Enjoy, because it is from here that we will explore and rule the multiverse.”

So, the seven friends turned gods parted ways. Every cell of their newly powered forms was overloaded with enough energy to power a sun. The power of creation begged to be unleased with their every breath. Staring into the archways was like being pulled towards a black hole. All of time and space beckoned them.

Adam was a fighter, a protector to his friends, a warrior at heart. With the power of God coursing through his veins had magnified his natural disposition times infinity. Competition fueled him. He believed balance could be brought to the multiverse with a weapon in hand and his sheer force of will. He crossed the archway and found himself in a coliseum. Adam looked down to find himself in red leather armor and armed with nothing, but an iron shield the size of a stop sign. Adam wasn’t surprised the armor fit him like a glove. He crafted it himself in the split second it took for the coliseum to form around him.

Adam stood alone against a mob. Vikings, knights, gladiators, samurai, and the like from across the cosmos; the greatest warrior cultures in existence. He was chomping at the bit for some exercise. His adversaries charged in unison. So it began. Adam deflected every blow. Every swing in retaliation felled an opponent. Whether dead or just handicapped, none of them would be getting up. To make it interesting he turned his sword into a staff and attacked with renewed fury.

Percy was exceptionally clever, lucky, and had always believed in the impossible. With this kind of power at his fingertips, Percy could make the impossible, reality. Being the most powerful sorcerer was nothing now. He was the most powerful sorcerer in the multiverse and itching to push the limitless power and knowledge at his disposal beyond even that. He crossed through the orange archway and into the lowest level of a tower eerily similar to the one the group traversed in their D&D session. Except Percy knew this tower had no known summit. He began to climb the staircase. On every level, he found libraries dedicated to the occult and supernatural studies of every known culture that practiced anything comparable to magic in existence. He stopped on a floor at random and began to peruse the tomes. Time ceased to matter in this tower. First, he read every book on this floor, then the next, and the floor after that. The words were like old friends. Percy felt that the magic had always been with him.

Will was a creator, a connoisseur of all forms of art and crafting, an excellent storyteller. He was now one with the essence of creation. All elements and matter; known or yet unknown, real or imaginary were his to manipulate. He could feel every atom around him. Will crossed the threshold of the yellow archway. He entered a void black as dark matter wearing plain robes to match. At the center of the void was a large throne of solid crimson, which he lowered into, seamlessly. A single ball of light appeared above him, then a ball of flame, a sphere of water that contained a raging storm without losing its shape, a ball of earth he compressed to make it stronger than steel, a ball of solid air. It all slowly orbited around him while he breathed steadily in and out. As he sat and let his mind wander, planets forged, animals were born and evolved as time passed. All with Will at the epicenter.

Nate always considered himself an empath. He made a conscious effort to be a good person every day. He also prided himself on his discipline and ability to provide for himself. Now he was feeling everything from everyone all at once. With his natural disposition magnified to God-like levels, Nate could feel his duty as being a symbol of benevolence in the multiverse. His base of operations, where he could keep the cosmos in balance, was just beyond the green archway. One step at a time, Nate crossed a field of flowers to reach the shade provided by a white tree the size of a skyscraper. It was there he took a meditative position and there he would stay. His rage, fear, melancholy, hope, compassion mixed with a sea of emotions. All of which he released in waves out into the cosmos. The history of any civilization in existence could be boiled down into a cycle of everchanging moods and beliefs.

Sam had always been fascinated by the cyclical nature of the universe. Life gave way to death. Death to rebirth. Creation yielded to destruction. Man and beast were born, matured, and evolved. Always seeking to exist in harmony with their environment. Sam knew that those cycles of life were his to dictate now. So he walked beneath the blue archway, finding himself in a smaller room occupied only by a smaller, black and white gateway. Its surface was reminiscent of a mirror. Sam’s intuition told him he could travel anywhere or summon any person or thing with a thought. The mirror rippled like water at his touch. Sam stepped through and began to traverse existence, having transcended the limitations of time and space.

Eddy was defined by his smarts and his introverted nature. He adapted to his surroundings with ease, was very perceptive, and made sure he knew as much as possible about as many topics that caught his attention. All because Eddy valued the power of knowledge. Now, Eddy could say with certainty he knew everything. Eddy knew before he crossed the threshold that he would find the most extensive library in existence. Countless shelves that reached unfathomable heights. Well, unfathomable to anyone who wasn’t God. If a book had been or would be written Eddy knew he could find it here. Even easier, he could have summoned any book he wanted. Instead, Eddy contented himself with roaming the aisles.

James was a survivor and a rebel. He had always done what he needed to do and wanted to do and got away with it, for the most part. Because of this James had always felt himself to be the worst of his friends. He struggled with whether he was a good person, constantly and now that was magnified times infinity. James felt his natural malevolence flooding his every atom, but it was accompanied by a new level of self-awareness. Negative things existed to balance out the good in the multiverse. It was James’s job now to be the gatekeeper of that darkness. Who was he to complain if that responsibility came with overwhelming power and invincibility? So, he crossed the violet threshold and walked into what most of humanity knew as Hell. James took his seat on a throne of black flame where he rightfully belonged. While he waited and contemplated his next move, he conjured up an extravagant party and parade of entertainers. James intended to enjoy being God.