They walked back towards the apartment. Roscoe asked, “Did you know about the Holy Law, Art?”

  Art said, “Sort of. Remember when we were researching about the Holy War?”

  Roscoe said, “Yeah?”

  “I found in multiple versions of the Goddess’s Book that the Goddess actually specifically commanded that all women be treated as equals to men. Not just those who liked other genders, or were born in the wrong body, but everyone.”

  Seriously?

  Roscoe said, “Seriously? Where did this powerless-woman law come in then?”

  Art said, “Somewhere back in the Royal line. A King, no surprise. Couldn’t tell you much more, though… then, we had to swap focuses to survival then trying to win in legal court.”

  Roscoe sighed, and they entered the apartment. He said, “Yeah, fair.”

  Eye-Deku tilted his head. Art closed the door. “Bud… I highly doubt you’d believe us.”

  Roscoe said, “Art. Diana’s butler is a demon. He knows they’re real.”

  Eye-Deku said, “Demohs? There demohs? Other thah Dahdy.”

  Roscoe put Eye-Deku on his playmat. Roscoe said, “Yes… but no one wants to believe that.”

  Art sighed and sat on the couch. “About 5 years before you came along, we came upon a group of them. They were about to destroy the Castle and the Royal Family.”

  Art leaned against the back. “…we should have let them do it.”

  Roscoe said, “We fought pretty hard, but managed to stop them. We killed most of them, but…”

  Eye-Deku could fill in the blanks. “Over up.”

  Roscoe nodded. “Cover up. They said we were crazy, lying on purpose, trying to cause a panic…”

  Art said, “We were once some of the best in the country. But then we basically became criminals without breaking the law. We lost everything… and barely kept from losing our lives.”

  Roscoe and Art took each other’s hands. Roscoe said, “We learned that the Goddess is false. She didn’t kill the demons. And she allowed those underneath her to suffer, and make them suffer.”

  Eye-Deku couldn’t stop himself. “The Dolls…”

  They both looked at him in shock. Eye-Deku blinked and debated how to explain with his limited vocal cords. He then tapped his head. “Sense. Souls.”

  They both nodded, probably guessing the rest if they hadn’t known already.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Roscoe said, “So yeah. We don’t trust anyone in power, and the Goddess lost our faith.”

  Art said, “But… we don’t know who else could be here.”

  Eye-Deku raised his hand. Roscoe said, “Uh, you’re not actually 2.”

  Eye-Deku shook his head, and pointed at himself. Then blinked and got a better idea. He clapped his hands twice… checked for who was available…

  Ugh, only December. And summoning an angel was not a good idea.

  Roscoe suddenly said, “Wait. Are you saying… you are a god?”

  Art said, “Right. Like we have been changing a god’s diapers.”

  Eye-Deku nodded. Then grabbed his notepad, flipped to one of his Level 0 drawings, and then pointed at it.

  Both of them looked… and then at each other.

  Roscoe said, “That’s… you?”

  Eye-Deku nodded, and pointed into his mouth. “Mouth!”

  Eye-Deku then flipped to a few other liminal areas. Some well known, some new. He pointed at each. “Inside!”

  He then found a drawing of Hell.

  Eye-Deku pointed to it. “Stomach.”

  The men got it.

  Art said, “You are… the Afterlife.”

  Roscoe said, “Or, more accurately, all of them put into one sentient being.”

  Eye-Deku nodded, then thought. He said, “Mosse.”

  Art leaned back. “…and the Goddess did not create you.”

  Eye-Deku shook his head. “Me oller.”

  Roscoe said, “Wait… how can you be both? I mean, an Afterlife and a reincarnation.”

  Eye-Deku said, “Eh… no tal.”

  He tapped his throat. Then got an idea. He quickly started drawing… first, a simple version of his first form. Then a few cycles. He added more and more symbols that represented power, and showed his fathers.

  They looked. Art got it first this time. He said, “You started as a normal reincarnation. But as you keep looping, you kept building more and more power.”

  Roscoe then said, “WAIT. So at some point… you gained the power to transform yourself.”

  Eye-Deku nodded. He then opened his arms. “Big!”

  He then curled up. “In small!”

  Art said, “I cannot even imagine.”

  Roscoe said, “The pure magical energy alone… but then again, a fucking Tree that should not even be able to move bowed to you.”

  Art said, “So you are a God. Shit…”

  Eye-Deku nodded. He then activated his telepathy: “Exactly! I am Eye-Deku, the Knowledge God!”

  Both jumped.

  Art said, “Why. Didn’t. You. Use. That before young man?!?”

  Eye-Deku blushed and chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry. But I learned the hard way that if the wrong people find out about my identity too early… well, abuse is the nice option.”

  Both men looked at each other, and slumped. They knew too well what that meant.

  Eye-Deku got up and waddled over. “But there is a problem with the reincarnation/liminal body. If my age resets, 90% of the power I have has to divert back to the Liminal Library—what you call the Afterlives—to make sure those who live within are not effected.”

  Art said, “I gotcha. So you are basically a baby… just stuck with an adult mind.”

  Eye-Deku nodded. “I have to watch how much I use telepathy for the same reason. As I grow up, everything will slowly even back out. But it won’t be 100% until I’m 25 once more—then my body’s aging freezes. I have to be ‘killed’ to reset.”

  Roscoe picked Eye-Deku up and put him on his lap. Art said, “And now we’re trustworthy?”

  “Yeah. I mean, you’re my dads and have no loyalty to the Government. Which is good, because I’m liking this Goddess less and less.”

  Roscoe smiled gently. “And that is just on details you picked up on your own.”

  Eye-Deku nodded. “Now I’m still missing a lot of deets… but crap will hit the fan at some point. And when that happens, well… I got some Heavens in here too.”

  Eye-Deku giggled. Roscoe and Art smiled. Art said, “Yeah, I think we’re in.”

  Roscoe said, “But let’s see about holding off until you are an adult again.”

  “Cross fingers!” Eye-Deku laughed.

  Art said, “You want to tell him?”

  Eye-Deku grumbled, “Oh great, it’s bad now?”

  Roscoe said, “A sign creation spell. Usually bad.”

  Eye-Deku flopped backwards onto the couch, and the men laughed.