A new vision materialized above Pandora’s Box. Unlike Chronos’s visions, this one was focused exclusively on Pandora and was rendered out extreme detail.

  Despite the detail, this version of Pandora diverged from its current state. It was still split into eight parts, one for each of the Eight Evils, with Olympia at its center, but that was where the similarities ended.

  New Pandora’s population was much higher than Pandora’s current population. Another key difference was the architecture; it was a blend of the past and present, a fusion of modern simplicity and ancient décor. Ribbed pillars were proudly displayed on storefronts, mansions, and schools. It was the same for the temples, of which there were many. People travelled between these classical buildings on futuristic cars, all the while watching glowing devices that connected every individual in society.

  “Many problems currently plague Pandora, and energy mismatch is only one of them. It is also the easiest problem to solve; if the world lacks the ability to properly process this alien energy, it simply must develop that ability. With diverse enough laws and the ability to control them, virtually anything can be processed.”

  The vision of many temples grew before Sorin’s eyes. These temples were similar to the Temple of Hope but different in the sense that the people offered faith and fortune but received little in return.

  Hundreds of thousands of individuals attended each main temple’s daily worship ceremonies. Some were pious while others were casual. Some offered major sacrifices while others offered lip service.

  The one thing that didn’t change was that these offerings, large and small, generated faith. This faith fed directly into the temple’s presiding god and reinforced the facet of laws that they governed.

  This daily event occurred in hundreds of different temples, creating a network of strengthened laws that bolstered Pandora’s capabilities.

  “Pandora’s current law structure is deficient,” explained Hades. “It operates on a slight delay and is therefore still based on the hundred or so deities still present in the past week as well as the Eight Evils that served as Prime Deities.

  “This will change in the near future. The loss of so many deities will spur the growth of new ones. The Eight Evils were dead, but replacements will be born.

  “This is because deities are created when they synchronize with Pandora’s natural laws. These laws require administration to root out inconsistencies. The problem does not lie in representation, but rather in the organization of said representation to reach higher goals.

  “That’s not to say no structure exists. A few half-dead titans like Styx and Nyx are still around. They have provided the modicum of order required for Pandora to maintain its current state.

  “The Eight Evils also provided some semblance of structure. Unfortunately, that structure was based on opposition, conflict, and change. Evil is not a sufficient basis for a thriving world.

  The vision expanded to include eight greater temples, one for each of the Eight Evils. The lesser gods were rearranged beneath them according to their natural laws according to rank.

  A ninth temple also appeared. It was connected both to the eight greater temples and to the temples of the lesser gods. One person, one supreme deity, held the highest authority.

  “Four centuries ago, Chronos returned with outsiders. We fought a great war that resulted in the death of most existing deities. I took this loss to heart and explored why the war might have been so catastrophic. The answer I obtained was that the world was divided. I was divided. This divide authority led to strife amongst the deities that further festered after the appearance of the Eight Evils.

  I could have chosen rebirth, but that wouldn’t have solved the root of the problem. It’s for this reason that I used the next four centuries to shed my previous identity. The laws of Underworld and Overworld are opposites that cannot exist in a single body. It’s only by absorbing a portion of each of the Eight Evils that I was able to develop a new, unified Authority called Dominion.”

  “An authority you can barely control,” remarked Chronos.

  “It is, admittedly, a struggle,” said Hades with an apologetic bow. “A single body cannot control this mighty authority without support. But with Pandora’s Box, everything is possible.”

  Pandora’s Box seemed to consider this. The blessing surrounding Hades grew, and Pandora’s laws changed and grew increasingly centralized.

  With this order came a weakness that Sorin’s body instinctively reacted to. A centralized world is weak to Nemesis, thought Sorin. Though it was risky, Sorin took the chance to split off a portion of his essence and send it into the law matrix that sprawled overhead.

  As he did so, he noticed that Hades, Madline, and Chronos were doing the same thing. Each of them was paying lip service to aiding Pandora all the while undermining the ultimate authority in Pandora’s Box. This only intensified their threat to Sorin; he could only respond in kind by corrupting increasing amounts of Pandora’s law structure.

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  The vision was further fleshed out as the four went about their covert work. The vision depicted an increasingly intricate model country in which everyone did their part.

  It wasn’t just the gods—the people were important too. Their actions, organized and sanctioned by Dominion, further strengthened its authority.

  The more Pandora’s laws mirrored this authority, the stronger it grew. Small pieces of mismatched energies began to break down into unaligned pieces that would soon be reassimilated.

  Yet just as Pandora was about to take that last step, it froze and did not proceed. It’s not that it doesn’t want to proceed, but that it’s unable to. It has no ability to direct and curate these laws that Hades has envisioned.

  The realm’s irritation brought the rise in Hades’s blessing to a screeching halt. At the same time, a question was posed to the other three in attendance. Why not?

  The realm was uncertain and wanted external confirmation.

  The realm’s erosion of Sorin resumed, and this time, it was much stronger. If he didn’t give a good enough answer, Pandora wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate and reabsorb him.

  “I’m no expert at governance, but I am an expert on having my freedom restrained,” answered Sorin. “The vision is perfect in theory, and good governance exists. But at what cost?” The erosion ceased and was replaced by a drain on Hades’s blessing.

  “I assure you that individual will still exists,” said Hades in response to the shift. “The key is how much. Freedom is useful, but too much freedom will lead to instability. It will lead to rebellion and a net loss of energy. Persistent and recurring losses like Sorin over here are something a world can’t tolerate.”

  Chronos snorted. “It’s been tried. Time and time again.”

  “I beg your pardon?” said Hades.

  “It never works,” repeated Chronos. “Thousands upon thousands of worlds have tried this. Typically, these worlds achieve stability for a time, but decay is inevitable. Rebirth is then required.”

  “Even if it’s failed in other words, that doesn’t mean it will fail on Pandora,” said Hades. “This centralized model has been tailored according to Pandora’s unique laws.”

  “That is only the most basic requirement,” said Chronos drily. “Long-term stability needs more than the bare minimum. Resilience is required. So is adaptation.”

  “Adaptation will be worked into the model,” insisted Hades. “It’s a collaborative effort.”

  “A collaborative effort of the few, and not of the many,” said Madeline, awakening from her own transcend. “Look, even Sorin who strives to separate himself from the world’s influence can see how this wouldn’t work out.”

  Sorin reluctantly contributed to the conversation. “I see no problem with the current model, as long as its subsidiary parts behave as intended. But what if they don’t? What if the worlds laws change? Tiny modifications will lead to tiny inefficiencies. These inefficiencies will continue to add up. Catastrophic consequences are the inevitable result.”

  In a sense, a world was like the human body. It could regulate itself and keep its individual cells under control, but as time passed and the body aged, the integrity of the system would be compromised. Cancerous cells would appear that the body could not handle. They would grow and grow until the body finally succumbed to the invasion.

  Pandora’s Box seemed to share that sentiment. It was growing increasingly frustrated with Hades’s solution and was now actively stripping away his blessing.

  “Come now, there’s no need to give in because of Outworlder theories,” said Hades, pointing at Sorin. “Why should I have to leave when someone like him can stay?”

  “I have no desire to rule over Pandora,” answered Sorin as Pandora moved to attack him as well. “I draw no blessing from Pandora to stabilize my existence and therefore do not require its support for continuance.

  “You are completely different. Your Authority is unstable and requires support. In a sense, you are a net drain on the realm. Your elimination is reasonable.

  “Which is why there’s no better choice than me!” exclaimed Hades. “I’m at the Realm’s mercy!”

  These words caused the suction force to pause. But it was only a temporary reprieve. A query was issued once again.

  “There is no such thing as eternal order,” said Sorin, shaking his head. “Just as a mortal cannot live indefinitely free of disease, a realm cannot persist without the introduction of imperfections it can’t handle.”

  “I think a more pressing point is the nature of what Hades proposes,” pitched in Madeline. “It is the epitome of Hubris to assume that a single individual knows better than everyone else.”

  Chronos also didn’t hesitate to throw fuel on the fire. “I think no better example exists than the past. The Titans, ruled by myself, imposed a similar system to what Zeus is proposing. Zeus himself tried his hand at it but failed when I returned with outside forces.”

  His words were the nail in Hade’s proverbial coffin. He had tried once but had failed miserably. Though Chronos was arguably in the same boat, at least he had ventured outside the world in search of an answer and had revised his approach. Hades refused to learn after getting burned.

  “You think you’ll mange just fine with those traitors?” screamed Hades as his body shriveled away. “One is a dreamer, the other is a traitor, and the last one is completely incompatible with your nature. By throwing me away, you’re dooming yourself!”

  Alas, Pandora’s Box was done with Hades. It had given him a chance at ownership, and he had failed.

  This was a game for Pandora’s future, and the stakes were high. It only took seconds for Hades to fade into nothingness and for his unstable authority to merge back into the fabric of Pandora.

  Sorin had his doubts about Hade’s sudden exit, but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself. At the same time, he took the opportunity to slip another dose of corruption into the realm’s laws. Little by little, Sorin was gaining control over the laws of Pandora.

  “Well, that was certainly educational,” said Madeline, eyeing the spot where Hades had once stood. “It’s like a battle to death, minus the battle. I hope you’ll forgive for stepping in as the next contestant, Sorin.”

  Sorin shook his head. “It’s like I said—I have no interest in ruling Pandora or providing any kind of direction. I’m here because Pandora has yet to reject me. When the force of rejection grows sufficiently powerful, I will have no choice but to leave.”

  “In that case, allow me to introduce to you to the only forward-thinking proposal for Pandora’s future,” said Madeline. “Because its tough for these old goats to come up with anything new. All they can do is bring up the past.

  “What I offer Pandora is an uncertain future. A future filled with chaos, enjoyment, and endless possibilities.”