Hespera masked the blush heating her cheeks with a practiced smirk, waving her hand at the shimmering karma menu floating before them. The Celestial Council Chamber gleamed in the soft dusk light, the massive room somehow intimate despite its grandeur. Her sapphire eyes moved from Rebirth’s pinched expression to Death’s poised elegance, her mind already spinning with possibilities.
“Alright, let’s get down to business,” she announced, her voice carrying a careful balance of nonchalance and enthusiasm. “Drama King wants me to take this seriously, and who am I to disappoint?”
Behind her, Rebirth muttered something under his breath, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. His bronze skin still carried the faint flush of his earlier hysteria, the edges of his magnificent wings twitching with residual annoyance. The golden sigil on his forehead pulsed in time with what Hespera could only assume was the beat of his divine blood pressure.
Chaos leaned forward on their cushion, knees bouncing with barely contained excitement. A fresh bag of spicy cheese popcorn had materialized in their lap, the scent of it sharp and tantalizing in the cooling air. They wiggled their fingers in a little wave when Hespera glanced their way.
Meanwhile, Death settled into her seat with the unhurried grace of someone who had watched civilizations crumble and rise again. Her long legs crossed at the knee, the silver skull embroidery on her coat catching the ambient glow of the karma menu, throwing tiny purple shadows across her face. Her purple eyes remained fixed on Hespera, watching her with that unsettling, knowing look that made Hespera want to both squirm and preen.
“So,” Hespera said, gesturing toward the translucent panel, “I’ve got 101,500 karma points to play with. I figure we should start with world selection.” She tapped a finger against her cheek, considering. “I want magic and technology, preferably something based on an anime or show I’d recognize. That way, I won’t have to spend the first six months figuring out basic world rules.”
Death nodded, the movement slow and deliberate. “I’ll take the lead on this one,” she said, her voice carrying that pleasant weight that made Hespera’s stomach flip. She turned to Chaos, who was already producing a notepad and pen from the ether. “How about ‘Legacies’ first? It has magic and modern technology that you’d already be familiar with.” Her lips curved into a smile that made Hespera want to lean forward. “And ‘Tribrid’ would make a fitting race.”
Hespera tilted her head, considering. “Legacies, like the TV show? The one with the supernatural family?” She shook her head, sapphire eyes narrowing slightly. “It’s a bit... small, isn’t it? For someone with 101,500 karma points?”
Before Death could respond, Chaos shot their hand into the air with the enthusiasm of an overexcited student who’d just been handed candy and the answer to the universe simultaneously. “Fairy Tail! Black Clover! Or One Piece!” they rattled off, their black-and-white hair swaying with the force of their excitement. “Oh! Or Fullmetal Alchemist! Or Attack on Titan! Or—“
“Whoa, whoa,” Hespera said, raising a hand to stem the tide. She bobbed her head side to side, warming to the options. “Those are better, but I need more freedom than they offer. Places where—“
“Kill people?” Rebirth cut in, his voice flat. A sneer pulled at his handsome face, his molten eyes flashing with disapproval. “That’s your primary requirement, isn’t it? A world where you can murder with impunity?”
Hespera gave him a light chuckle in response, the sound sweet and genuine—which only seemed to make the sneer falter on his face. “Not impunity, Drama King,” she corrected. “Opportunity. There’s a difference.”
Death, ignoring Rebirth entirely, uncrossed and recrossed her legs, the movement drawing Hespera’s eyes to the elegant curve of her calf before she could stop herself. “If that’s the case,” Death said, her tone carrying the measured calm of someone who already knew the answer, “how about High School DxD?”
The room went very still. Rebirth straightened, his wings folding neatly behind him as he considered. Chaos’s mismatched eyes widened, their mouth forming a perfect ‘O’ of delight.
“That’s...” Rebirth began, then paused, clearly struggling with the concept of agreeing with anything involving Hespera. “Actually a good one,” he conceded, the words seeming to cost him physical pain. “For her first world, anyway.”
Chaos cackled, the sound bouncing off the Council Chamber’s walls. “Hahaha~ That sounds great! All that chaos in that world. Yum~” They rubbed their hands together, already scribbling notes with feverish excitement. “Devils and angels and fallen angels and dragons and all that delicious conflict!”
Hespera, meanwhile, was too busy staring at Death with a dazed, admiring expression to immediately respond. There was something about the way Death’s mind worked—the clever, calculated way she’d landed on exactly the right world—that short-circuited Hespera’s carefully maintained composure entirely. She simply nodded, not trusting herself to form a coherent sentence.
Death’s eyes crinkled at the corners, a smile playing at the edges of her lips. “High School DxD it is, then,” she said, reaching over to pat Hespera’s hand with gentle fingers.
Hespera registered the brief contact with a jolt that traveled up her arm and settled somewhere in the vicinity of her chest—a pleasant warmth that she immediately wanted to feel again. She forced her face into what she hoped was casual interest rather than the worshipful adoration currently threatening to overtake her features.
Chaos recorded High School DxD with a flourish, their pen leaving a trail of glittering ink that swirled across the page. “And now, my darling,” they said, leaning forward with barely contained excitement, “we get to the fun part!”
In the Celestial Council Chamber moments later, Chaos bounced in their seat and raised their hand again, practically vibrating with excitement. “Now onto race and appearances~ I vote for Chaos dragon!” Their mismatched eyes gleamed with the energy of an overexcited student who knew the answer to an impossible question, their black-and-white hair bobbing with each enthusiastic movement.
Hespera watched them with quiet amusement, her sapphire eyes tracking their excited gesturing. Chaos’s passion was infectious—like watching a child discover something wonderful for the first time. The Primordial’s enthusiasm made the cosmic gravity of the situation feel almost... normal.
Rebirth, meanwhile, sat with his arms crossed over his chest, begrudging every syllable as he spoke. “Phoenix,” he suggested, his voice carrying a reverence that dripped with personal bias. “They’re the most majestic creatures in all the universes. Truly magnificent.”
Hespera’s head tilted a fraction of an inch, her mind instantly connecting the dots. Bet he’s a Phoenix himself, she thought, filing the information away for future reference. The realization brought a cold, satisfied glint to her eyes—manipulation was a sin she punished without exception, divine or otherwise.
Chaos, apparently picking up on the same connection, rounded on Rebirth with theatrical outrage. “Huh?! You’re only saying that cuz you’re the progenitor of Phoenixes,” they accused, pointing an accusatory finger. “If she becomes a Phoenix, then you’ll have rule over her!” They poked Rebirth in the chest. “Bad, fire birdy! No trying to manipulate my new daughter!”
Rebirth received the chastising look with visible irritation, his magnificent wings bristling behind him. The golden sigil on his forehead flashed in indignation, but he held his tongue—perhaps sensing the dangerous gleam in Hespera’s eyes.
Then, with the slow, deliberate grace that made Hespera’s breath catch, Death uncrossed and recrossed her legs. The movement caused the hem of her coat to shift, revealing the full length of her shapely legs and the considerable endowment of her chest. Hespera’s train of thought derailed completely, her carefully maintained composure threatening to crumble as she fought the urge to stare.
Death, seemingly unaware of—or perfectly content with—the effect she was having, offered her own suggestion. “Hmm,” she said, tapping a finger against her chin. “I recommend Reaper angel. Not because it would fit you or anything,” she added, her purple eyes meeting Hespera’s with knowing warmth, “but just the fact it would create a link between us so that I could visit you.”
Hespera gripped the armrest of her floating cushion, stopping herself from leaping up and screaming “that one, that one” at the top of her lungs. She forced herself to think strategically through the pleasant fog that had descended on her mind. The three suggestions sat in her head—Chaos dragon, Phoenix, Reaper angel—and she landed on what seemed like the obvious solution.
“How about a tribrid of all three?” she suggested, her voice impressively steady given the circumstances.
All three gods went still, staring at her with expressions ranging from shocked to intrigued to absolutely horrified. Rebirth started mumbling to himself, pacing toward his desk with agitated strides, his hands moving in abstract patterns as he worked through the implications.
“The balance of Order will be...” His voice faded as he muttered calculations, golden light flaring around his fingers as he projected equations into the air. “The soul matrix would require...” More muttering, more frantic gesticulation.
Chaos, meanwhile, shivered with delight, their entire form rippling with excitement. “A tribrid! Oh, I can’t wait to see what color Phoenix fire you manifest!” They bounced on their cushion, clapping their hands together. “I bet purple! No wait, pink.” They gasped. “What if it’s rainbow?!”
Death leaned toward Hespera, her movement unhurried and deliberate. She produced a cup of black coffee from seemingly nowhere—the scent of it rich and dark—and took a slow sip before beginning her explanation. Her voice was low, unhurried, and carried that pleasant huskiness that made Hespera want to lean closer.
“Chaos dragons haven’t existed for over a millennium,” she said, her purple eyes serious. “They were erased by Order via Oblivion after they obliterated over 200 worlds in a sanity-stripped rampage.”
Hespera tilted her head, genuinely puzzled. “Why couldn’t they control their powers?”
Death’s lips curved into a smile that was equal parts amused and dangerous. “The chaos energy inside them eventually left them with only beastly instincts,” she explained, taking another sip of her coffee. “Their minds couldn’t contain the primordial essence indefinitely. It drove them mad, and they became nothing but engines of destruction.”
She set her cup down on a small table that hadn’t existed a moment before. “Order unleashed Oblivion—a being of pure void—to hunt them down. And then,” she added, glancing at Chaos with fond exasperation, “your Father here spent two centuries pulling pranks on Order in retaliation for ‘ruining a good meal.’”
Hespera chuckled at that, the sound bright against the serious backdrop of the story.
Death reached for the last snickerdoodle from a plate that had materialized beside her, examining it with mild curiosity before shrugging and taking a bite. “Still delicious cold,” she noted, continuing between mouthfuls. “Phoenixes are essentially Rebirth’s Blessed, born when he gave his essence to a flock of birds long ago. Each is unique and tied to the soul rather than death—they’re creatures of renewal, not destruction.”
She polished off the cookie with obvious enjoyment, brushing crumbs from her fingers. “Reaper angels are exactly what they sound like—soul reapers classified outside the standard angel hierarchy. Sometimes they’re ranked as Princes or Thrones, depending on their power level.” Her expression turned amused. “In High School DxD, the only known ones are Azrael and Samael, who prefer the title ‘Angels of Death.’” She snorted and shook her head. “As if Death needed a special title.”
A loud bang cut through the conversation as Rebirth’s fist connected with his desk. He stood there, holding an empty dessert box with a note attached, his face cycling through rage and barely-suppressed grief. His hands were shaking, the bronze of his skin darkening to a dangerous red as he set the box and note down with terrible deliberateness.
His eyes found the plate sitting innocently beside Death, which held only a few cookie crumbs. “My cookies...” he whispered, his voice cracking.
The shaking started in his hands and moved up his arms, his entire form vibrating with suppressed fury. His bronze skin reddened further, taking on an almost volcanic glow. The vein in his forehead made its triumphant return, pulsing beneath his skin like something trying to escape. Thin wisps of steam began to curl from his ears, rising into the air with increasing intensity.
“CHAOOOOOOS!!!” The scream tore from his throat with enough force to rattle the entire Council Chamber. “HOW DARE YOU EAT MY COOOKIEEEEESES!”
With a single, fluid motion, Rebirth vaulted clean over his desk and launched himself at a cackling Chaos, his magnificent wings flaring behind him as he descended on the Primordial with divine fury.
That afternoon, after Death had physically intervened to peel Rebirth off a wheezing Chaos—her energy-drain ability leaving him deflated and hollow-eyed, his magnificent wings drooping with exhaustion—the four of them reconvened in a loose, exhausted arrangement. The air still carried the faint scent of scorched ozone from Rebirth’s outburst, the floating desks having been hastily reassembled in the aftermath. Death sat between Hespera and Rebirth, her expression one of gentle exasperation, her purple eyes occasionally flicking between them as if checking that hostilities wouldn’t resume.
Rebirth had retreated to a corner wrapped in one of Order’s gifted blankets—a magnificent piece of craftsmanship covered in tiny, orderly swirls that seemed to rearrange themselves when viewed from different angles. He sat with his knees drawn to his chest, wings folded tight against his back, his face the picture of divine misery. Every few minutes, a small sob would escape him, muffled by the blanket, followed by whispered accusations about “criminal cookie theft” and “violations of divine snack sovereignty.”
Opposite him, Chaos was perched on their cushion with all the concern of someone who’d been caught in a light drizzle rather than the target of divine fury. They had produced a set of knitting needles and was working on what appeared to be a small sweater, the needles clicking with the rhythm of distant thunder. Their mismatched eyes occasionally darted to Rebirth’s huddled form, their lips quirking in poorly disguised amusement before they returned to their craft.
Hespera watched them with quiet amusement, her sapphire eyes moving from one deity to the next. How quaint. Poor Rebirth, she thought, feeling a flicker of something that wasn’t quite pity but wasn’t entirely disinterest either. It was fascinating to watch gods act like squabbling children—especially when one of them had just attempted to manipulate her for his own benefit.
“Well,” Death said, breaking the uneasy silence, “shall we continue with the appearance portion of your karma menu?”
The translucent panel reappeared between them, hovering at a height that allowed all four to see it clearly. The section labeled “Appearance Customization” glowed with a gentle blue light, numbers flickering as Hespera’s remaining karma points—101,500—were displayed at the top of the screen.
“I think,” Hespera said, tapping a finger against her cheek, “I’ll keep most of my appearance as is. I’m rather fond of it.” She flashed a smile that managed to be both charming and vaguely threatening. “But a few changes wouldn’t hurt.”
She reached out, her finger hovering over the menu as she made her selections. “Heterochromatic eyes,” she said, watching as the option highlighted. “Green and purple. With slitted pupils.” She considered for a moment. “And change my hair to silvery ash with violet, indigo, and greenish-blue bleeding through the ends.”
The menu flickered, recalculating. “That will be 3,000 karma points,” Rebirth muttered from his blanket, his voice thick with the aftermath of tears.
“Reasonable,” Hespera said with a nod. She glanced at Death, noting the way the goddess’s eyes had widened slightly at the mention of purple. A perfect coincidence, she assured herself. Nothing calculated about it at all.
Chaos looked up from their knitting, their head tilted in consideration. “With your already top-tier mortal beauty,” they said, “you’re going to be absolutely devastating once the tribrid transformation takes hold.” They winked. “I expect to hear all about your conquests.”
Death nodded in agreement, her expression thoughtful. “The physical changes will be subtle at first,” she explained, “but as your powers develop, your appearance will reflect your true nature.” Her purple eyes met Hespera’s with knowing warmth. “It’s quite a fascinating process to watch.”
With appearance settled, the menu shifted to the next category: Family Placement. Hespera leaned forward, scanning the options, but before she could speak, Chaos—without looking up from their knitting—said “Ophis~” with cheerful certainty.
Death nodded in contemplation, her fingers tapping a gentle rhythm against her knee. “Ophis is the dragon god that liked appearing as a loli gothic girl, right?” she asked, her voice carrying no judgment. “Yeah, I can see it. With Hespera’s passive racial ability [Nihility], Ophis will definitely take her in. They want silence after all.”
Hespera’s head tilted slightly. “Nihility?” she repeated, the word unfamiliar on her tongue.
“It’s an aura ability,” Death explained, her voice taking on the measured tone of a teacher. “It simultaneously erases your presence and exerts an overwhelming sense of inevitability on everyone nearby.” She gestured with one elegant hand. “You’ll passively warp perception so that others subconsciously ignore or submit, depending on your intent. It also grants you dominion over Nothingness itself, allowing you to nullify both physical and metaphysical forces within its range.”
Hespera’s eyes widened slightly. “That’s... convenient,” she said, her tone carefully balanced between casual interest and genuine fascination.
Death nodded. “It’s always active, though you can suppress it at the cost of immense strain.” She glanced at Rebirth’s huddled form. “And unlike some, you won’t find it exhausting to maintain.”
From his blanket corner, Rebirth muttered “Like you’re one to talk” at Death’s comment about Ophis, his voice barely audible beneath the fabric.
Chaos, meanwhile, continued as if nothing had happened, their knitting needles clacking with cheerful determination. “Nothing left but to select skills and magic beyond what the tribrid race already provides,” they announced, glancing up with a bright smile. “The tribrid comes packaged with death, chaos, life, and fire magic, plus all individual racial skills.” They pulled a stack of papers from seemingly nowhere. “These are my notes—surprisingly lengthy, I know—but I want you to cross off anything already covered so we know what’s left to buy.”
They handed the papers to Hespera, who took them with careful fingers. The document was thick, covered in neat handwriting that occasionally shifted color or size without warning. She scanned the first page, her brow lifting slightly at the length.
“These are the full tribrid racial abilities,” Chaos explained, pointing to a section circled in glowing ink. “Seven passives and seven actives, though two of the actives are locked until certain conditions are met.”
Hespera’s eyes moved down the list, taking in each entry: Nihility; Apex; One-With-Mana; One-With-The-Elements; Paradoxical Immortality; Existence Erasure; Omnilingual Cognition for the passives. For the actives: Oblivion Ascension; Chaos Singularity; Eternal Pyre; Death’s Decree; Void Manifestation; and the two locked entries, Paradox Genesis and Ethereal Transcendence.
Her expression remained carefully neutral, but one finger tapped her cheek in a rhythm that matched her racing thoughts. The karma menu still glowed beside her, waiting for her next selection, the numbers at the top—98,500—blinking with patient anticipation.
“Hmm,” she said, the sound noncommittal as she continued to read. “This is... quite comprehensive.”