Wealth and Trade was the one most attuned to her—the godhood that was entirely her own—and even it had been unceremoniously expelled. Two godhoods circled her like lost little pets, but before they could complete a second orbit, the Death godhood—likewise ejected—shouldered them to the back of the line.
Well, since they hadn't fled, that saved her the trouble. These five godhoods were the fruits of painstaking effort; letting them scatter would be a waste. She'd keep them close for now.
A thought, and a plain bracelet appeared on her right wrist, set with five stones—one for each godhood. The Emotion godhood had been stored inside the Ring of Volthoom all this time. Separating it had always seemed like more hassle than it was worth, but now that the world held no secrets from her, she plucked it free with a flick of will and threaded it onto the bracelet.
As for the ring itself, she crushed it to dust. Not a trace remained.
The New God identity, like the mage identity before it, was officially consigned to the past. From this day forward she would no longer use magic or divine power. If someone insisted on a label, it could be called the power of death.
Leaving her universe behind, Thea stepped into the Residence of The Endless. A figure in long robes stood waiting—shackled wrists cradling a massive tome—silent, as though he had been standing there since the dawn of time.
"Hello, Destiny." Thea bowed first, showing respect.
"Hello, Death." Destiny returned the greeting.
An awkward silence fell. Thea, who could strike up a conversation with absolutely anyone, found herself at a loss for words with her "eldest brother."
Destiny seemed to read her thoughts. "Death," he said, "do you understand your duties?"
The question made her chuckle. Uncle Ben told Spider-Man that with great power comes great responsibility—and that wasn't wrong. But at her current level there was nothing left to do. The Presence himself had turned into a dog and spent his days goofing off, which said it all.
Being a superhero had meant an endless parade of headaches. The New God phase had been a daily battle against evil—considerably more manageable, all things considered.
At The Endless tier, everyone was left to their own devices. Nothing to do. Destiny governed through non-interference: what fell within destiny he left alone; what fell outside it—congratulations, you've transcended fate, now carry on with your life.
Thea's own role as Death was slightly more demanding. Ordinary deaths were handled automatically. Those who cheated death required her personal attention—and since anyone capable of cheating death tended to be formidable, her number-one combat ranking among The Endless was well earned.
Routine duties weren't entirely absent, either. Destiny had to periodically check his great book to make sure too many escapees weren't throwing the system off track.
Thea's "routine" was even more absurd. To remind her of mortality's weight, she was required to become mortal once every century, live a single day as an ordinary person, and die at sunset.
"What exactly are we now?" she asked Destiny. "I'm no longer a deity, so what am I?"
With the Life Equation in hand, she could feel that her form of existence had undergone yet another tectonic shift. She was no longer mortal, no longer divine, and nothing like the specialized forms of The Spectre or Eclipso.
Destiny replied, "What we are is unimportant. What matters is what you choose to do. We exist in this world and yet we do not. We are outside time, outside space, outside creation—unique individuals."
Thea cocked her head and considered this. So basically the Western edition of "beyond the Three Realms and outside the Five Elements."
Settling into a chair that belonged to her alone, she surveyed the vast courtyard—just the two of them. It felt strange. "Where are the rest of the younger siblings?" she asked.
The moment the words left her mouth, the oddness deepened. She and Destiny were like the eldest brother and sister of an orphanage, trailed by a gaggle of snotty-nosed brats.
"Our third brother is Dream."
Thea nodded. She knew the name.
"As the second eldest of The Endless, you must seek out Dream. That is your mission."
Thea gaped, pointing at herself. Wasn't finding the younger siblings the eldest brother's job? Dump it on the first warm body you see, is that it? No. She wasn't going.
She tilted her head and pretended not to hear. She didn't say it outright, but the meaning was crystal clear: I'm not going.
"I found you. You find Dream. Dream finds Destruction. That is our family's tradition." Destiny was unfazed, his cadaver-flat monotone unchanged.
"Dream is connected to you." Destiny opened his great book. "In 1916, the Order of Ancient Mysteries made extensive preparations. They intended to capture Death."
"Ha. Idiots." Thea scoffed. Some two-bit brotherhood—probably on par with Mister E or the Cold Flame Church at best—and they thought they could capture her? Any fool could see that was impossible.
"You will need to guide Dream onto his path. After that, his development is his own."
Destiny even turned the great book around for her to read.
She studied it carefully and found herself at a loss for words. The pages were nothing but one elaborate setup after another. A group of self-important mages, their wires crossed in some spectacular fashion, tried to capture Death with the fervor of lunatics. Death sidestepped with ease and tossed Dream into her place, kicking off an epic saga.
Destiny must have racked his brains scripting all this.
"I only need to nudge him once?"
"Correct."
Thea thought back to her own recruitment—how Destiny had pulled her in and then left her to fend for herself. She understood now. This was The Endless way. Whether it was the day job or finding siblings, the approach was consistently hands-off.
Make it or don't. If you don't, I'll find someone else.
Cross the threshold and you're family. Fail, and you're nothing.
At least she only had to find one. That wasn't too terrible.
Destiny handed her a list of every individual who had slipped free of destiny's threads. From that list, she had to identify the one who dreamed most vividly.
An absurd task.
Bidding farewell to her eldest brother, she took the list and entered The Dreaming. It was a kaleidoscopic world, and like her Underworld, New Genesis, Apokolips, Heaven, and Hell, it occupied the Sphere of the Gods—though Thea had never set foot here before.
Dream and The Dreaming were connected; Dream and The Nightmare were connected too. The Dreaming was currently unclaimed territory. One day Dream would officially move in, but not yet.
The Dreaming was relatively stable. The Nightmare was a disaster zone. Countless nightmares took shape in its depths, and its darkest, most terrifying recesses connected directly to the Dark Multiverse, forming a conduit. Dark power was pouring through The Nightmare and seeping into the multiverse in a steady stream. Destiny had put the right person on this assignment.
Following the threads of destiny, she began sorting through the fate-escapees one by one, judging how strongly each tended to daydream. The strongest daydreamer would have the highest chance of success, or so she figured.