Beyond the Veil - Ch.4 - Starting From Scratch (Patreon)

"Thank you!" I exclaimed as I felt a surge of renewed hope go through me, and I smiled and blinked away the last of the tears.

A moment later my smile faltered as I added, "I know this probably isn't any of my business but um, who were you just talking to?"

The Goddess of Chaos replied, "That was my inner demon."

I honestly wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I ended up staring blankly at her while I tried to figure out if she meant it as a joke or not.

After another couple seconds she spoke up again, "You'll need to know this if you're going to be working for me. As you're already aware, I'm the Goddess of Chaos, also known as Kid Chaos. And my name is Cassandra. However, I'm also part demon. My demonic half is named Cass, and she's what you might call a Friendship Demon or a Demon of Compassion."

"I'm not really sure which title suits her best," the Goddess added with a shrug. Then she continued, "Where I'm sustained by chaos and the faith of my worshipers, Cass can feed on strife and malevolence."

That maybe helped a bit, but I remained very confused. And I still wasn't sure what to say or how to react. I wasn't even sure if she was speaking literally, or if all that was actually some sort of elaborate metaphor for something else. It definitely sounded chaotic though.

After a few more seconds I finally asked, "If she um, feeds on strife or malevolence then wouldn't that make her a strife demon? I mean, no offence, but doesn't that mean she attracts that sort of thing?"

Cassandra smiled and shook her head, "It's really the opposite. Cass can absorb those negative emotions, but she leaves the positive ones behind. Or in other words, she leaves friendship and compassion in her wake."

"Oh," I nodded slowly.

The teenage Goddess just smiled for a moment or two, then apparently decided to leave that subject and move on.

"We should get some formalities out of the way before we do anything else," she decided. "I'm going to need to know your name before we start working together, so I think it's time for you to properly introduce yourself. I mean your real name of course, not the one your parents called you. Oh and what pronouns would you like people to use for you?"

I asked uneasily, "Don't you already know all that? I mean, you're a Goddess, right? I'm assuming you saw my note, but can't you just read my mind or something?"

She shrugged, "I could, and if you'd prefer to do it that way then I will. I'd rather hear you say it though."

I nodded slowly, then took a deep breath. I couldn't remember ever saying it out loud before, but if I had then I probably would have whispered it. As though I was ashamed of it, or afraid to be overheard. Now it was different. Now I was speaking to my Goddess, floating in the middle of her Heavens. I knew I was absolutely safe here, far beyond the reach of my parents or any other judgemental people.

"My name is Lucie," I announced proudly. "Inspired by the name Lucifer, the light-bringer. My parents kept saying how trans people were going to hell, so I kind of internalized and embraced that? Like it's sort of demonic, but the idea of shining light on stuff felt positive."

"Oh and my pronouns are she her hers. I'm a girl, a trans woman," I added just as proudly.

My Goddess smiled, "Thank you Lucie, that's an excellent name. And I like the inspiration behind it too. Do you wish to retain your last name, or would you allow me to suggest a new one?"

"Oh," my eyes widened at the idea. "I never thought of changing my last name, but that's a really good idea. My folks would disown me anyways, so yeah. I'd be honoured to receive a new name from my Goddess."

Cassandra was still smiling as she stated, "Then you shall be known from now on as Lucie Angelica."

I felt a renewed surge of pride when I heard her announce my new full name. It felt better than perfect, and I loved the symbology. Lucifer was supposedly an angel before becoming a demon, now I was taking it full circle back to an angel again.

The Goddess let me bask in that for a few moments before moving on, "Now let's discuss your new body. I know I sent you a fox plushie, but how do you feel about bunnies?"

That made me stop and think for a few moments. I didn't want to disappoint her, but I also didn't want to miss out on something I really liked.

After a brief hesitation I admitted, "Buns are pretty cute, especially with the big floppy ears and everything? But um, I really love foxes for their bushy floofy tails..."

"No arguments there," she agreed. "Fox tails are great. I should know, my girlfriend has five of them."

Without giving me a chance to react to that statement she moved on, "Angels are usually depicted with wings. How do you feel about corvids? Like crows or ravens? I'm assuming we're working with black fur since you originally asked for a black fox plushie, so would black feathers be ok?"

"Um yeah?" I nodded. "That's fine. But what about -"

The Goddess just smiled again, "The rest of your body? Don't worry about that Lucie, I promise you're going to love it. Just a couple more questions on that subject before we move on. Smol or tall?"

"Oh gosh that's a tough one," I grimaced.

"Then we'll go with both," Cassandra decided.

I frowned, "Wait what? How? Small and tall kind of cancel each other out, don't they?"

She just grinned, "Multiple forms. Tall for formal, smol for casual. How's that sound?"

My eyebrows shot up as I considered what it might be like to have multiple forms, "Oh. Um, yeah. That would be pretty cool actually. Would I be able to change between them at will?"

"Of course," my Goddess nodded. "That and a whole lot more! Which brings us to what kind of powers you'll need, so that you can fulfill all your duties working for me."

"Powers?" I asked as my eyes widened even more.

She just nodded again, "Sure."

"So there's the obvious stuff," the Goddess immediately launched into the details, "You'll be immune to mundane damage, injury, disease, and aging. Not truly immortal, but you won't have to worry about mortals abusing you. You'll be able to teleport so you can get around quickly and easily. You'll also be able to shapeshift, so you can blend in or disguise yourself if necessary."

She continued, "There'll also be a sort of telepathic connection between us, so we can communicate instantly as required. That will also allow me to summon you any time I need to speak with you or if I have a job for you. And the big one, you'll be able to channel my power as required in order to fulfill your duties."

Once again I had no idea how to react, or even what to think about all that. Although to be fair I was kind of hung up on the 'shapeshifting' part. That sounded like a dream come true all on its own. I could have whatever body made me happy, all the time, any time, now matter how my mood shifted or what I felt like from one day to the next. The idea made me so excited that if I'd had a tail just then it would have been wagging up a storm behind me.

Meanwhile my Goddess was already talking again, so I forced myself to focus as she described my duties and responsibilities.

"In simple terms your main job will be to enforce my will," she explained. "Generally that'll mean protecting worshipers of Chaos or those who are friendly to Chaos. That may include worshipers of other members of our new pantheon. Don't worry, you'll get more details later on when we introduce you to the others. You'll also be tasked with escorting the souls of my departed worshipers here to the afterlife. And you'll be expected to take care of any other odd jobs or requirements that come up along the way."

The Goddess of Chaos paused there and looked me in the eyes as she stated, "That means should I summon you, I'll expect you to drop whatever else you're doing and attend me as fast as you can. That telepathic link I mentioned earlier means you'll hear me any time I say your full name, wherever you are, either on Earth or in the Heavens."

I gulped but nodded again, "Ok? But um, what if I'm busy doing something else? Like taking a soul to Chaos Heaven or something like that?"

"We'll handle those sorts of situations on a case-by-case basis," she decided. "The telepathic thing will go both ways, so if you can't show up in person right away just tell me why and we'll figure something out. Ok?"

"Yes ma'am," I agreed. Then I frowned, "So um, this all sounds pretty good. Amazingly good actually. It makes me wonder what's the catch? Like, why didn't you want to do this? Or um, you said your parents would be mad at you for some reason?"

Cassandra sighed, "Yeah. Good point, we need to discuss that."

"Here's the thing about angels," she began after a brief pause. "True angels are created wholly from their god or goddess. I'd take a chunk of my power, my essence, my divine 'soul', and shape that into a new being and breathe life into it. That's how a new angel is normally created. But she'd be an extension of myself, which means she'd have no real personality or will of her own."

After another little sigh she summed it up, "Angels essentially start out almost like fleshy robots. That changes over time, but it can take centuries for them to grow into real people. My mom and mum both went through that. They developed their own personalities and sense of self. And they both eventually turned their backs on their creators, which is what makes an angel 'fallen'. So if I made you into a 'real' angel you'd probably lose a lot of your personality and will. Which is why I wouldn't do it, because that's an awful thing to do to someone."

All that left my head spinning again. I got what she was saying though, and I agreed with her assessment. It sounded pretty horrible.

"So um, what's that mean for me?" I finally asked. "If I'm not going to be a 'real' angel, what will I become?"

The Goddess of Chaos shrugged, "I don't know yet what we're going to call you, but we're going to start from scratch and make up something new. A little divine energy, a little demonic energy, and some foxy bunny goodness. Add a trans girl soul, mix well, and we'll see what we come up with."

"Uh..." I hesitated yet again. "Ok? Is this safe?"

Her expression and tone shifted once again as she replied, "Don't worry Lucie. Cassandra is having a bit of fun, but I'm still here too. I know she wouldn't do anything that puts you at risk, but I'll keep an eye on things anyways and make sure you're safe."

"O-oh... Ok," I nodded slowly.

She gave me a shy friendly smile, before her demeanour changed back to the Chaos Goddess I'd been talking with since I died. She was still holding my hand as the two of us floated randomly through her heavens, and we ended up facing each other as she looked me in the eyes.

Her expression became serious once more, like she was almost peering directly into my soul.

"I'm not going to ask you to commit to this job for all eternity," the young Goddess stated. "I will ask you to promise me at least two years though. After that you will have the option to quit at any time, but the job will remain yours for as long as you want it. And in the event you do eventually decide to quit, you'll get to keep everything I give you. The new body, the powers. The only things you'll lose are the direct telepathic connection to me, and the ability to channel my magic."

I gulped, "And the only downside is I have to do what you say? Um, enforce your will and bring souls to the afterlife and stuff like that?"

"You won't be forced to obey me, if that's what you're wondering," she corrected me. "You'll be my employee, not a slave. Obviously I'll expect you to do your job, but that's no different than any other kind of employment."

She kept her eyes on me as she asked, "So what do you think Lucie? Do you agree to these terms?"

As tempted as I was to agree immediately, I forced myself to take a moment and really think about it all once again. Honestly though I couldn't see any downsides. Especially compared to the alternatives.

"Yes my Goddess," I replied a few seconds later. "I agree."

She smiled, "Then prepare to be reborn as Lucie Angelica, angelic demonic agent of Chaos."

I didn't actually get a chance to prepare, because no sooner had she said the words when everything went black.