The dragon's harem

With everyone’s combined efforts, the rebels faced a force they never expected. The rebellion was forced to a halt and fully crushed before it could bloom into something else, all being spearheaded by Arad’s quick planning and Elis’s cooperation.

Back in Sylph’s heaven, Elis had to leave quickly because she had just gotten a call from her heaven. All of the rebels’ souls have arrived there as she ordered; Death dropped them right at her door. She didn’t send anyone to hell or the underworld, just threw them back to their goddess to deal with them.

“In my place, I’ve got many ways to find out who is behind them.” She looked at Arad with a smile, “And when I find out, I’ll be asking for your help again. You know, go there and turn the bastard inside out.”

Yog, who was still there sipping on some tea, looked at Arad and Elis and smiled, “Since they are protected, she might not find any clue using normal methods.”

Elis glared at her, “You don’t need to mention that. Besides, you know who is behind this. Can’t you just tell us and save us the trouble?”

Yog shrugged, “If I told you who it is, his Tina will die. Simple, whoever is behind this needs to remain hidden for a while longer.”

Arad stared at her, his eyes burning purple, and the ground beneath him started cracking. “Are you saying they’ll kill her?”

“She’ll die as collateral damage. It all depends on when the one behind it is brought to light. They can sense it. Now, stop asking questions, because I’m not going to tell you anything that you shouldn’t know.” Yog stood, “Just keep going the way you are, I’m watching, and making sure nothing derails the whole… forget it, just live your lives, leave the forbidden knowledge to me.”

She was about to leave, but then stopped, turned toward Arad, and pointed at him with a sharp finger, “Take Yggdrasil’s offer seriously, and leave an incarnation with Tina to protect her.” She took a step and fell through the floor, disappearing into a dark puddle.

Just then, Cerilla approached, “Arad, Yggdrasil had been looking for you. Said it is about Tina.”

Arad frowned, not knowing who even brought the situation to the World Tree. Was it Cerilla, through Sylph, or was it Yog herself? With what that goddess said, she had to be the one.

Arad sighed, “I’m going to see her.” He then turned toward Elis, “Tell me when you find something. As you saw, Yog is the talkative kind when it suits her.”

Elis giggled, “Believe me, I know, and she knows a lot more than any of us.” She looked at Jasmine, “I want to bring you to my heaven for a while, but, sadly, you lack any divine origin, you’ll get torn to pieces just by getting close. You might not die instantly, but you’ll only have a few years left to live.”

Jasmine froze, “Wait, does that happen when visiting Sylph’s heaven? Is that why the previous kings all never lived for long?”

Elis nodded, “Yes, but on this trip, you were protected by Arad.” She pointed at Arad, “You might not have known, but just being near him is enough to shield you from the destructive nature of divine magic on mortal bodies.”

Elis disappeared, leaving Jasmine with more questions than answers, so she turned around, looked at Arad, and then took a deep breath. “I’ll find Cerilla and get Sylph to explain this to us. You go meet Yggdrasil.” She looked around. “Plum is stuffing herself with food.”

Plum was sitting around a table with Dalla and D, all three of them enjoying a lavish meal. Here, they can eat anything that they want.

Arad jumped into the air and flew straight toward the highest branch of the World Tree, landing beside Sylph’s titanic throne.

He looked around and stood there for a moment, “So? What is it that you wanted to talk about?”

“Tina, the human you keep around as a maid. Her soul is shattered, and I know a world where people grow stronger by empowering their souls.” The branch danced and twitched, showing Arad an image of a vast, vibrant, emerald world.

“But, in her condition, she’ll be far worse than any human there; her talent isn’t just below average, but it’s buried a thousand feet under the dirt.”

Arad frowned, “If all people start with their soul whole, and that is the basis of power that everyone has, then Tina would fall short, since her very soul is shattered into over a thousand shards.”

The branch shook as if nodding, “Exactly, the concept is simple, they absorb power from the world, power that leaks from me and integrates into their souls to make them bigger and stronger. Tina will have to do the same, start with one shard and use my energy to fuse that shard with another, slowly glue her soul back up, and then push a bit further to completely heal it.”

“And let me guess, if she fails.” Arad frowned, and Yggdrasil didn’t waste time.

“She’ll die, or at best, get crippled because a damaged soul can never fully control a body. It is a miracle she can still move like that, and I don’t know how this will affect her condition.”

Arad scratched the back of his head. “Yog said that I should take your offer seriously, and that I should go there with Tina to guard her. What should we expect to face there?”

“The strongest being should be at the level of a wyrm. It isn’t that powerful of a world, but it is massive, fifty times larger than the mortal world, and with many layers. And, I doubt the people there can sense your power.” Arad blinked, “What?”

“Your soul is massive, too massive. You’re a dragon that could invade a god’s heaven and cause enough destruction to rip worlds apart. Your soul, they just can’t fathom its power, not with their normal means and methods at least. So, they’ll think you’re just a large, buff, massive, beffy, and chunky, meat slab of a man.”

“And Tina?”

“Talentless commoner, and with her condition, they might not even see her as any better than a walking corpse. Imagine if the whole world were about running, and you didn’t have legs. Some might try to make fun of her, some might even try to harm her, but if she succeeds or fails, it’ll all depend on her.”

Arad sighed, “I’ll talk with her about this. And if she wants to go, I’ll be going as well.”

“Good, I’ll prepare a humble cottage for you two to stay in, and I’ll even try to make a backstory so no one suspects anything.” The branch stopped moving as Arad left. In another world, she was yelling at an old woman to find a secluded cottage in the forest and make some document about a man and a woman that never existed. Arad Orion, the humble lumberjack, and his wife, Tina.