“So…this is…heaven?” Lelei blinked as she took in her surroundings. The world around her was a bare empty whiteness, save for the massive metallic wall that ran through on into the mist and the equally massive gate that stood before the mage.

Sev’s voice appeared all around her, a calming and soothing tone that caused the mage’s ethereal form to tingle. “Yeah, it’s still in the works.” The gates slowly opened with a deep rumble. “Care for a tour?”

Lelei entered the afterlife created by her god, and found that it was not too dissimilar to the more material world. A wide, neat road traveled into the distance, branching out into smaller streets and flanked by cozy houses. Off in the distance, massive buildings glittered as they reflected the soft, ever-present light.

More importantly, she saw the people inhabiting this afterlife. The faithful of Sev here were relatively few due to how new the religion was and how many deaths were avoided due to the Nexus’ technology, but Lelei spied a few ethereal forms like herself walking around.

Men, women and children wore happy smiles as they strolled and chatted. Some were naked, some were fucking in the streets, and some were busy doing mundane tasks like carrying the groceries or moving in furniture.

“I’ve kept the senses lucid enough that the people here could live out a peaceful eternity, but not too much that the experience of eternity would wear down on their souls like some of the other afterlifes. Boredom is a bitch to deal with, but hopefully I’ve got it settled.”

Lelei eventually left the Residence Ring and entered what must be the Ring of Indulgence, where an…ungodly amount of amenities were provided for the enjoyment of the faithful. She didn’t know what some of the names meant, but building signs like ‘Hotsprings World’, ‘Orgy Pit’, and ‘Grand Buffet’ were self-explanatory enough. The young mage found people entering the various premises in an eager hurry, and leaving with a slow, content pace.

As Lelei was about to reach the borders of the Ring of Indulgence, Sev’s voice stopped her.

“Ah, sorry. The rest of the interior is off limits for now.” Mildly annoyed, Lelei nonetheless obediently stepped back, and Sev materialized before her. “So, what do you think?”

Seriously pondering on the god’s query, the young mage took a few seconds to answer. “It is…nice. It is very different from the afterlifes offered by the old gods.”

Sev gave a toothy, satisfied grin. “Yeah, that’s the point. Putting souls in a repeat cycle or cold storage for eternity is lazy. I have the power and the boredom to mold my afterlife, it’s the least I could do, right?”

She didn’t know how to answer, and simply nodded along in silence.

“Anyway, time to send you back. Next time, don’t forget to wear your safety equipment, okay? It’s provided freely for a reason. You’re one of the brightest minds we have, would be a shame to have it stunted by a stupid death like a lab blowing up.”

Lelei didn’t get the chance to reply, as she was suddenly and violently dragged out from Sev’s paradise and then down to the material world. She woke up with a pained cough, tasting blood in her mouth. As her eyes fluttered open, Lelei found herself in a medical center, with the healing arches behind her.

“You’re back!” Arpeggio’s voice was thick with worry as she tackled her almost out of the medical bed. As her sister’s tears dampened her shoulders and her sobbing scolding entered one ear and exited the other, Lelei blinked, and then remembered the half-dream she had, and her god’s words. She would have to reign in her impatience. Sev saw her intellect as worthy of his attention, worthy to be cultivated. Lelei couldn’t disappoint his expectations.

But first though, she'll have to calm her sister's overblown hysterics.

*****

With the aid of literal divine powers, the Nexus quickly claimed both worlds. Nations and kingdoms that refused to join were enveloped and eventually assimilated within a generation. Those who violently fought back against the Nexus were erased from history. Some fights were harder than most, but with Sev’s aid even the darkest cults and awakened eldritch things were brought down.

Only a few enemies were kept alive in carefully monitored reservations, to serve as a reminder of the dangers that once roamed the world, as well as training grounds for the divine military, and as testing grounds for any new technological breakthrough.

The golden age of the Nexus Theocracy began after the last outer being was dragged down and assimilated by Sev, its cultists exterminated by his divine army. Sev-blessed robots swarmed out to rebuild the worlds into more accommodating conditions, and the pantheon looked to the wellbeing of its believers.

Sev and his goddesses manifested frequently before mortals, either to guide lost souls, to encourage and reward promising talent, or to punish those who dared defile the Nexus’ laws. With how active they were, few dared to voice their discontent or even outright blaspheme the Nexus’ official religion, though Sev had ordered that such incidents be ignored. His goddesses though were less restrained, and children’s tales were made of how they inflicted divine pranks on doubters and blasphemers.

Future interdimensional incidents were mostly avoided due to Sev’s careful navigation of the planes, though some collisions were allowed to slip through as an excuse to break out the toys. The revenge on the arachnids would be the most notable opening of a new Gate, allowing the people of the Nexus to witness the full, unbridled might of the theocracy’s warmachine.

Decades down the line, the Zetans found themselves badly surprised by just how unwelcome their reception was during their attempt to reclaim Earth. None would survive to return and warn their Empire of the Nexus' impending vengeance. The war with the Zetan Empire would last a few years, lasting so long only due to how spread out the alien worlds were.

The Nexus Theocracy would spread its reign to the stars, and with Sev’s guidance it would grow into parallel interstellar empires. After a period of stabilizing growth, more Gates would be opened, bringing the Nexus into contact with other planes of existence and allowing the armies of the Nexus to free the oppressed and introduce Sev’s enlightenment to the ignorant.

This has been a fun side project. Uncommon Wealth will resume soon, though other spinoffs are being considered as well. Hope you'll enjoy the rest of the stuff I'll be putting out.