Origin of the 12th

Chapter 12: Birth of the 12th

The once beautiful city of Jericho now lay in ruins. Many of the buildings were burning and there were many bodies and severed parts lining the streets. The magnificent wall had fallen outwards, crushing the defense mechanisms and the spirit of the city. Including the encampment of the Israelites, more than two million lay slain amidst the rain-soaked plains of the Jordan.

I carried Jonathan's body out from the basement of the palace and out into the open. I had never minded the rain because I was always wearing a rag anyways, so it didn't make any difference to me. My destination was the Jordan River itself, so it was a long walk.

"Where are you going?" I turned to see Zeraphina standing behind me, the rain falling around her, but not on her as if being blocked by some invisible barrier.

"To bury him." I stated blandly. "Then I will figure out what my place is."

"Now that we are no longer on a time constraint, I can explain more." Zeraphina said. "There is no need to bury him. He is already resting in peace because he lives within you."

"You mentioned something about having the power to put things back together. And you also referred to me as the 12th." I pondered aloud.

"That is because you are the Divine Sovereign of this dimension. The 12th one to be exact." Zeraphina said, looking up at the sky.

"Tell me what a Divine Sovereign is." I said, having somewhat of an idea, but wanting to confirm it.

"It would be better if I showed you rather than told you. I would have to take you somewhere else. Take my hand and we can go." She held out her hand, which was the same shade of pale blue as her face.

I took it, felt a strange sensation of being compressed and spun, and gasped. We were floating in an infinite expanse of white space, gazing at a strange altar. Around the altar were ten doors that were separated from the altar by long pathways. Blocking each door was a cocoon similar to the one that had formed around me when Jonathan had died. Each door was labeled by a number with the highest being 12 and the lowest being 3.

"Honestly, I should just give up trying to ask questions at this point because the answers are so absurd." I said, eyes wide and mouth open.

"Divine Sovereigns are the pinnacle of the pyramid of power. They rule over their dimensions where they possess absolute omnipotence. There are the 10 standard dimensions ruled by a Divine Sovereign and the center dimension which does not have one." Zeraphina said proudly as she saw my blank expression. "You are the 12th Divine Sovereign who rules over the 1st standard dimension known as the Philaverse."

"What are the differences between the dimensions?" I asked, wanting to know what I was working with. I was certainly not omnipotent regardless of where I was, nor did I really aspire to be. I honestly didn't believe that I could rule a city much less a dimension, but apparently that was how things were shaping out.

"Aside from the parts of its Divine Sovereign, the standard dimensions are exactly the same." Zeraphina said indifferently. "They all follow the template set by the center dimension, the Omniverse Core."

"Is the cocoon over there for some third form?" I asked, shuddering at the thought of a potential third form after seeing the second one.

"Yes it is. Soon, you will be going in there to enter a stage of growth. You have much growing to do and a great deal of time to do it. Afterwards, you will meet your partner."

"My partner?" I asked, trying to take all of this in at once. Even for me, it was very difficult to comprehend these things.

"I do not know the identity of your partner because you are the first in a while. But your partner will be male, that I can assure you." Zeraphina said, looking slightly disappointed with herself. "Including you, there are currently only three of us in existence; you, me, and my partner."