---

The God-Empress stood upon a hill, the very same hill that she had stood upon when she joined the confederation against the expansion of the Hyummin. Now, however, that coalition was not needed against Selka, but to halt the advance of the forces of Desolation, to stop the threat of the Ihokhur from reaching their borders and laying waste to what she had built. She awaited for the other chieftains to arrive, her bodyguards on her left and right, now holding spears headed with the metal that Kirron himself had gifted them.

Atmav’s head turned to the ocean, recalling the first few attempts she had when it came to swimming under the guidance of her own people. The results were less than pleasing as she had nearly drowned two others in a shallow part of the beach trying to figure out how a breaststroke worked until she realized that she could just stand. It was, perhaps, her most embarrassing day of being alive.

The first to arrive was Milos, of the Ubbo Tribe, and with him came Hoshu, noticeably older and more frail, and four bowmen. They came to a stop before her, and Milos nodded, while Hoshu looked to her with barely disguised wariness.

Shortly afterward, two more tribes arrived. The Pakele Tribe, and the Meola Tribe. Their stories were well-known.

The Pakele had once been located further westward, but when the Grottu began their conquest they had no choice but to flee eastward. The Hyummin may have bested the Grottu in the end, but the Pakele refused to return, for that would mean joining the Hyummin and thus being forced to work alongside their treacherous neighbours.

The Meola Tribe had been founded shortly after the Grottu’s conquest, composed of those who had survived the Grottu’s massacres. They had banded together, the suffering they had endured at the Grottu’s hands serving as a shared link between them. They were a stoic, angry lot. They had never forgiven the Grottu’s actions, and had passed that onto their children, and their children’s children.

Others began to filter in afterward. The Wihu, the Iwai, the Koala, the Helu, the Kumula, the Ailona, and the Kalapa. The hill had become crowded, the great chieftans of the coalition, their bodyguards, and their advisors gathered in a great circle. As was tradition, Milos, who was appointed Speaker, stepped forward.

It was the custom the fledgling Confederacy had adopted early on. In order to prevent meetings from devolving into incoherent arguments and shouting matches, they needed one to direct the discussion. None could speak without the Speaker’s permission, which was given only when the Speaker called on one to speak, and could be requested by raising one’s staff into the air.

In order to prevent the Speaker from holding absolute power over the discussion, the Speaker could be re-elected at any time during the meeting: all one had to do was vocally call for a vote of no confidence. If the majority agreed, a new Speaker would be swiftly elected. If they disagreed, the one who called the vote could not call another.

“We have been called here today to discuss a new threat. One that comes not from our fellow Selka, but from afar,” Milos declared. Many in the circle nodded. Others seemed astonished, as though this was the first time they were hearing it. “If the stories are true, then giant creatures four times our height and made out of solid rock have come to ravage our lands,” he declared, before turning to the only non-Selka among their number.

“Chieftan Atmav,” he said. “Your tribe is the closest to where these rumours come from. Is there any truth to them?” he asked.

“Yes, one attacked one of our patrols and slew most of the men. I managed to fight it off, but not without injury. They come from the northwest and chances are that the Hyummin have either been avoided, already have had to fight them, or have made a deal with them,” Atmav said, her head turning to the other Selka to allow the information to absorb before she continued, “Kirron calls them Ihokhurs and it seems that there are many more coming.”

She stepped forward as she stretched out her wings of the night sky to their fullest extent as she spoke with power, “We must rally and crush these being before any more reach our lands and threaten our people. Kirron demands it for he has given us the tools to wage war against these beasts!”

A number of chieftans nodded at her words, and one even cheered. Others seemed hesitant. One, the female leader of the Meola Tribe, raised her staff high into the air with a defiant expression.

“Chieftan Lihuppa,” Milos said slowly. “What do you have to say to this?”

“Doesn’t any of this sound familiar to you?” She asked, eyes sweeping across the circle. “Hoshaf of the Grottu Tribe made the exact same claim! How can we be certain she is telling the truth?”

The approving nods stopped, as the chieftans began to exchange uncertain glances. “How can we be certain, Chieftan Atmav?” Milos asked.

“What reason would I have to lie? Why would I bother summoning this council if I were not certain of the threat? I fought one of them and it stuck me but once and shattered my ribs and caused me to begin coughing up my own blood, not before it threw a boulder at me. It was only by Kirron’s kindness that I was healed,” she growled, a hand subconsciously going to where she had been struck by the beast.

“What reason would I have to speak with Kirron? Why would I set aside my grudges with Yimbo, if it were not to defend what has been built?” Atmav questioned, her eyeless gaze turning to Lihuppa.

Lihuppa seemed taken aback, more by her gaze and the force of her words than the words themselves. The Pakele Tribe Chieftan seized the opportunity to raise his own staff into the air.

“Chieftan… Carlo,” Milos said, taking a moment to remember the chieftan’s unusual name. “You may speak.”

“These tools that you speak of,” Carlo said, studying her bodyguards. “You will share them with all of us? Equally?”

“Kirron gave my people the metal and even then there are too little to supply all of you. My idea is that my warband will lead the fight against the Ihokur while the rest of you aid against any other forces they have at their disposal. After all, they descend from the Hooflands far north, they may have other monsters following,” Atmav said, her wings folding back, “This metal is only useful against stone, it is no different from your spears if you were to attack another.”

Carlos squinted, clearly unsatisfied with her answer. He was about to speak, but Lihuppa cut in. “How can we be certain you truly spoke to Kirron?” she asked. “Even if you believe it’s him, how do we know some other god didn’t trick you?”

“Chieftan Lihuppa,” Milos rebuked in a sharp tone. “Remember the rules.” He then looked back to Atmav. “But it is a valid question, Chieftan Atmav.”

“Yimbo was with him. Besides, in my experience, gods do not generally lie about who they are. Even Vakk does not lie about who he is,” Atmav stated, forgetting that the Selka knew not who the Lord of Speech was. She looked towards the sky before she continued, “None of them have lied like that thus far.”

That gave everyone pause, for they had never known gods to lie either. But mortals did. And the question still remained, even if most were polite enough not to ask: was Atmav telling the truth?

The Chieftan of the Kalapa Tribe, a young and vigorous woman, suddenly rose her staff into the air, and at Milos’s nod, stepped forward. “Is she telling the truth? Maybe, maybe not,” the woman began. “But not too long ago, the sky fell. And now, a horde of rock monsters is coming our way. I don’t see anyone else offering a plan!” she challenged. “Kirron. Kalmar. Ashalla. Three gods watch over us. Do you think all three of them would desert us in a time like this? I don’t.”

A number of heads nodded. Some were grudging, while others carried smiles. Atmav might be lying, but she was the first and so far the only one to present a plan, as well as the only one who had any experience with what they were about to face. They had to trust her, and they had to trust that their gods had not forsaken them.

Yet some were not convinced. An old Selka by the name of Kahiko, who was even older than Hoshu, was the next to request permission to speak. His guards had needed to carry him up the hill, and even now his staff shook visibly as he raised it into the air, but despite his frail state there was a certain strength in his eye.

Milos did not hesitate to grant him permission. Yet Kahiko’s words were not for the circle. He closed his eyes, cast his gaze downward, and spoke in a low voice just barely loud enough for the rest to hear.

“Father Kirron…” he prayed. “If this Atmav speaks true… if her intentions are true… please, give us a sign.”

A few moments passed in silence, the chieftains looking around for anything that may prove to be a sign of any note. Yet, there was nothing other than the gentle sea breeze. Gradually, the chieftains began to shift their gazes to the only non-selka present many now showing a face of skepticism at a now frowning Atmav. Her eyeless gaze looked all around before murmurs began to rise and before Milos could silence them, shouting developed and argument took hold over the council over this unresolved issue.

Atmav could feel her own anger growing, constantly having been seen with skepticism and walls of conflict despite being honest and as diplomatic as she could possibly be. She looked to Milos a clear look of displeasure upon her face, whether it be by his lack of control or the doubt that she seemed to face. Silently, she raised her greatsword so that she may get permission to speak her peace despite the raging arguments that consumed the council.

Milos shouted for quiet, and when the noise died down he nodded wearily.

“I know that you all do not trust me for I am not a Selka,” Atmav spoke, her voice clear in holding back an anger that yearned to unleash itself, “But I will not stand idly by and allow this council to do nothing when a threat greater than the Hyummin marches on the horizon!” Her hands moved to stab the orvium blade into the hillside as she stepped forward her emotion overtaking her face as she bared her fangs at each and every one of the chieftains.

“If all of you are too cowardly and too blind to march to war when our very nations depend upon it, why was this coalition founded? Why would I bother joining something which promises a mutual protection?! Why?!” She looked towards Chieftan Lihuppa, “The Grottu sought expansion and domination! All of these years I have been content with what I have held! If I had wanted to I could have marched against the Hyummin myself and ended them! If I wanted to, I could have slaughtered every Selka I had come across! Yet I have not!”

Her rant stopped just enough for her to breath, to find a calm in anger that had surfaced. “Despite the skepticism, despite the mistrust, I have been patient! I have asked for nothing other than protection upon joining this coalition, and now, all I want is trust so that we may stop those who wish to end us!” When her rant was over, she took a deep breath before returning to where her bodyguards stood, both of them having an expression of displeasure equal to their queen.

The accusations of cowardice, in tandem with what would be perceived as threats, only resulted in even more shouting - the majority of which was now directed at her. What support she had been heavily withered by her own outburst.

Once more Milos shouted, but his voice alone was not enough, so he pulled a conch from his belt and blew it. The high pitched noise cut through the bickering and brought all to attention.

“We all agree there is a threat, we all agree it needs to be dealt with, and we have no intention of leaving one of our members without protection,” Milos said, directing a sharp, angry look at Atmav. “That is not where our disagreement lies.”

Chieftan Carlo brought his staff up once again. When given permission to speak, he did so. “Milos speaks the truth. I have no intention of waiting for this threat to come to us, and it won’t go away on its own. We must fight. But how? We need a plan, and we need a leader. Atmav has put herself forward, but why should it be her? I say we vote!”

“Then let us vote!” Atmav said, “But I am the one who knows how to fight these things and out of everyone here, I have the most military experience.” She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one leg.

A number of Selka blinked at that, having no idea what a ‘military’ actually was. Milos nodded. “We will follow the rules we agreed on so long ago. With two nominations from fellow chieftans, a chieftan may put themself forward. Once the nominations are done, each one will make their case. Then, we vote. Whoever has the most votes will be named war leader. Is that clear?”

Every chieftan nodded.

“Good,” Milos said, seriously. “Let the nominations begin.”

Lihuppa was the first to raise her staff. “I nominate Carlo,” she said, to which Carlo nodded approvingly.

“I nominate Atmav,” called out the Chieftan of the Kalapa Tribe, her own staff raised.

“I nominate Milos,” declared the old and weary voice of Kahiko.

“I nominate you,” another voice declared, but Kahiko tiredly shook his head. “I’m too old,” the old man said.

“I nominate Milos. He reformed the old Pact. It should be him.”

“I nominate Carlo. He was the one who called this vote. Let him say his piece!”

Then they fell into a tense silence. The nominations had finished, and it seemed as if there were only two candidates. Milos opened his mouth to speak, but then a final voice interjected.

“I nominate Atmav,” declared the recently made Chieftan of the Iwai Tribe. A shrewd man, by the name of Kahalu. “She was the one who told us of this threat, wasn’t she?”

For the first time at the council, a smile formed across Atmav’s face at being nominated, she nodded approvingly at the chieftains of the Iwai Tribe and Kalapa Tribe.

“Any other nominations?” Milos asked. None motioned to speak. “Good. Now… it was agreed that the Speaker should oversee the vote. But if I am one of the options, it would be wrong for me to fulfill that role. Kahiko, if you accept it, I will turn that job over to you for now.”

“Very well,” Kahiko sighed. “Who will go first?”

“I will!” Carlo declared without hesitation. “If you vote for me, I will see that these new weapons are shared equally with each tribe. Then, I will take the fight to these invaders. We will fight them on the beaches! We will fight them in the sea! We will fight them in the forest!” His guards beat their chests triumphantly as he spoke. “We will not stop until every last enemy is destroyed!”

The two chieftans who voted for him shouted their approval, as did one other, and a number of guards began to cheer, but for the most part reaction was lukewarm. He had spoken well, and with passion, but had given little indication of an actual plan.

“Who will speak next?” Kahiko asked, once the reaction had died down.

“I shall,” Atmav stated, looking over to Carlo for a brief moment before focusing on the chieftain as a whole. “If I am voted to lead this, the first that I must do is train each warrior the proper path of war. Discipline, formation, strength! This is the backbone for an effective fighting force, for if we charge blindly at the Ihokhur, they will slaughter us and they will route those who live. As for my plan to fight against them is to fight them upon what open ground we can find, to limit them from ripping trees out of the ground and using them against us.”

She paused for a moment to make sure the others were following along. “We will go on the offensive where we can and take them by surprise. From there we can crush them swiftly and decisively and those who flee will be hunted so they may not pose any threat to us!”

Her guards silently beat the end of their spears into the ground while looking forward, unmoving with only the muffled sound of wood forcing the dirt into the ground.

Although the reaction to her plan was less vocal, more seemed to be in favour of it than Carlo’s. Those who nominated her nodded their approval, along with a few others, and even their guards had listened attentively to her every word.

“Milos,” Kahiko said, turning to the third and final choice. “What do you have to say?”

For several long seconds, Milos was quiet, stroking his whiskers in thought. Some began to whisper that he was stumped. That perhaps, for once, the great hunter was caught without a plan.

Then, he spoke. “You say that fighting them on open ground will prevent them from using the trees against us,” he said to Atmav. “I disagree. If they are as big and as strong as we have heard, what stops them from pulling trees out of forests and carrying them onto open ground?” He shook his head disapprovingly. “No, I don’t think we can meet them on open ground. At least in the forests, other trees might get in their way. We will be able to hide or outrun them. So we will fight them there. And if we lose, we will escape into the sea, regroup down the coast, and try a new plan, until we succeed.”

“I will also pray to Arryn for aid. He has always been a friend to my tribe, and many of you have met him as well. I don’t see why he would abandon us now,” Milos declared.

His speech received a similar reaction to Atmav’s, though it seemed slightly more were in favour. Perhaps they genuinely believed Milos’s plan was better, or maybe it was simply due to his greater popularity.

“If there is nothing else, we will begin the voting,” Kahiko declared. He gestured to Lihuppa, the Selka standing to his left. “Begin.”

“Carlo.” She said.

“Milos,” said the Chieftan to her left, and on it went.

“Carlo.”

“Atmav.”

“Milos.”

“Atmav.”

“Milos.”

“Atmav.”

A tie, between Atmav and Milos. And the nominees were not allowed to vote… Kahiko let out another tired sigh. “As Acting-Speaker, it falls to me to break the tie. I choose… Milos.”

Atmav’s head snapped towards the old man, nonexistent eyes blinking in shock and disbelief that someone vastly her younger and more inexperienced had been chosen over her. Even the guards behind her blinked in surprise as they saw their queen as the only clear choice. Her eyeless gaze went to Milos and grit her teeth, but not acting on her immediate anger. There were many things that she felt like doing, screaming, fighting, killing, but she knew better and she knew the puppet’s work of molding her into a proper queen would be dismantled.

“I thank you for your support,” Milos said with a nod, and then spoke up in his usual authoritative voice. “Go back to your homes,” he commanded. “Gather as many able-bodied fighters and as much food as you can spare. We will gather at the Aspasia Tribe’s village.” He looked toward the west, a steely gaze in his eye. “And then, we prepare for war.”

---

As she walked further and further away from the hill, Atmav still found herself in confusion and shock over Milos being chosen over her. She was certain that he knew not how to command a proper army, how to keep the men from routing, how to keep an effective formation other than a mere guerilla mob. Though, she understood that the politics at play and that, when compared to Milos, she was vastly unpopular and she knew that those who had doubted her did not see her in a position of power.

Her hand tightened around the hilt of her blade, remembering why she had despised getting involved in the politics of her old world and it seemed that being a leader was forever marked with politics. She knew that Milos perhaps had a point in fighting in the forest, after all it would limit their movement a good deal, but they could still tip trees upon their forces and if they ever broke their weapon, the Ihokhur would need not to look far for another.

“Milos knows not what he is doing,” she growled.

“He certainly does not, my queen,” Brottnee commented keeping his spear close to him, “After all, Kirron visited us and not them. We were chosen to fight and to lead.”

“Unfortunately, he is liked more by the other chieftains,” she said, “We will find a way to get control in time.”

“Queen Atmav?” A familiar voice spoke up from behind.

That was odd. No one, other than her own bodyguards, had ever called her by that name. Not here. It had always been ‘Chieftain’ Atmav: Milos had insisted on that during their first meeting, and until now it had not changed.

Atmav turned to see who had spoken to her, her guards turning with confusion on their faces over another calling their leader by her proper title.

It was Kahalu, Chieftan of the Iwai Tribe, and of all the tribes in the alliance, his was the closest to her borders. He had risen to his position less than a year ago, and had spent much of the years before that in travel. On either side of him were two guards. “Do you have a moment to talk? In private?” He asked, his gaze shifting to her own men.

Atmav nodded, motioning for her guard to continue on the path back to their home as she stepped toward Kahalu. Kahalu gestured for his guards to do the same. She kept her hand positioned on her hilt before she asked, “What do you wish to talk about, Chieftain Kahalu.” Her voice was formal as she looked down upon the male, her form still looking over him as she did over most of the other Selka. Though she did note that he was tall even by their standards.

“You spoke well at the meeting,” Kahalu said with a nod. “You seem very experienced on these matters.”

“That much is true. It is too bad popularity is more of a motivator over martial experience,” Atmav stated, a frown moving across her face as she spoke.

“I might know a way to fix that,” Kahalu said. “But first, can I ask where you earned this experience? I travelled far. From what I know, these rock creatures have never been seen before, and there has never been a war of the same size as what happened to the Grottu and the Hyummin. You did not always live on this land, did you?”

“No, I come from beyond this realm. The same as the gods, but I was not so lucky to be bestowed with such divine power,” Atmav’s head turned to the sky, “I have fought in many wars, I have bested many, and I have acted as a general in many campaigns.” After a moment of recollection, she looked back down to Kahalu before cocking her head to the side, knowing that he did not wish to hear of vague recollections of a time long since passed.

“Why do you ask?” She questioned.

“Everything I’ve heard about Milos suggests he’s a good leader, but we never faced a threat like this before,” Kahalu explained. “You seemed more sure of yourself, and your words made more sense. I’m wondering if they made the wrong choice.”

“I am certain that they did, but if that is the choice the confederacy wishes to make, then who am I to oppose them? Other than the one with the tools to actually kill them, that is,” Atmav said, lifting her sword towards a tree, “According to Kirron, some of their hide is made out of the same that makes this blade.”

The blade emitted a red stream that lit the tree of fire, making Kahalu one of the only Selka outside of the Aspasia to see its magical capabilities.

“It certainly does not give us great odds,” she said.

“No, it doesn’t,” Kahalu shook his head. “But… there is still hope. Milos may be the War Leader, but we are still the first leaders in our people’s eyes. He has to listen to us, if he wants us to stay in this alliance. Because if we leave, he will have no power. You will still have your say.”

Atmav nodded in agreement, “Yes, this is true. Yet, what if those who support him? Even if we leave he will have the backing of enough chieftains anyways.”

“There are others who supported you,” Kahalu pointed out, “and more may come around as well. Besides, I’m not saying that we should leave, just that he has to listen to us, and his power can be questioned.”

Atmav nodded her head once more, “I see.” She allowed a moment to pass to think over the words. “Then it shall be done,” she smiled, “I will not allow him to lead us into slaughter, you have my word.”

Kahalu smiled back. “Good. And don’t take this setback too hard. There will be other meetings, other votes, maybe even other wars - if Carlo and Lihuppa are to be believed, at least.”

Atmav turned away from Kahalu before speaking once more, “War with the Hyummin is inevitable, it is only a matter of when.” After she took one step away from Kahalu, her head turned to the side, “Perhaps I can teach you how to form a true military one of these days, you seem… competent enough to lead one.”

“Is there anything else you wished to speak of?” She asked.

“There is,” Kahalu nodded. “You mentioned your… popularity. I have some advice that might help with that.”

Kahalu has earned Atmav’s attention once more as her body turned back to him. “And what advice would that be?”

“The reason the other chieftains do not trust you is because they do not see you as one of them,” Kahulu told her, his smile fading. “I don’t have an issue with that, but they do. Have you considered adopting some of our… customs?”

“Your customs?” Atmav asked, looking up to try and think of any customs that she could recall. Then it dawned upon her, in all her time ruling as Queen over the Selka, she had never once given a thought to what customs they might have had. By now, she had imposed her own rule over them and displaced any that they might have had. “I never thought of Selka customs before,” she admitted.

That seemed to genuinely take him by surprise. “But… you’ve been ruling your tribe since most I know were born,” he said, then took a moment to compose himself. “Well, that might be why they don’t trust you. Maybe I can be of more help, then. In my travels, I noticed that every tribe has different customs, but there are always some similarities. Maybe I could teach you?”

“That would be much appreciated,” Atmav nodded, a slight smile coming to her face.

“Good, I can tell you about it on the walk back,” Kahalu nodded approvingly. “One more question… are you married?”

The question made Atmav visibly recoil from the suddenness of the question, if she had eyes they would have widened greatly. For a moment she stood there in stunned silence before mustering up the mind to speak, “Ugh- n-no.” Another moment of silence before she spoke again, “And why do you ask?”

“I mentioned learning some of our customs? Taking a Selka as a husband might improve your reputation. There are other benefits, too. Some chieftains will marry an important their own tribe, in order to make the tribe more loyal. Others may marry into the families of chieftains from other tribes, in order to form closer bonds… alliances, and partnerships. Or so I’ve seen, at least. I’ve yet to get married myself.”

Atmav grew silent once more before she would speak, “The problem is that I will only ever marry someone who is my equal in combat. Someone that exemplifies strength, martial prowess, and endurance. I could very much marry off a member of the tribe, but, I don’t believe that is right. Erm- I- ugh,” words failed her for a moment, before she looked away.

A thoughtful expression crossed Kahalu’s face. “My mother once told me to marry someone who was skilled in something I was not. Then, I would never have any weaknesses. I may not be as good at combat as you, and although I’m still a good fighter, wouldn’t my knowledge, my intellect, my support, and my tribe all be more useful?”

“Y-you are rather persistent ,” Atmav said, still not looking at Kahalu before letting out a sigh followed by a chuckle. She shook her head before finally looking Kahalu, “You make a compelling case, Kahalu. Very well, then.”

Kahalu’s eyebrows rose, and then he gave her a smile a great deal wider than any he had given thus far. “I’m happy to hear it. In all my travels, I have never met someone as strong or as beautiful as you.”

Atmav shook her head and laughed once more, turning away from Kahalu as she did not know what to do or even say in response to him. “You are a crafty one, Kahalu. Come now, we are wasting time,” she said as she began to step away.

“Yes, our guards might be worried,” he said, falling into step beside her.

---

"Aaaaaaiiuuumaaaaaah…Aaaaaiiuuumaaaaaah kiphal la Kirwooooon..."

The old selka healer repeated her sympathetic chant beside Yimbo's wounds as if comforting a child. The gathered tribe gave her all the space she needed to surround the beast with a ring of dried reeds, all smeared with the blood spilled from the great beast's punctures and slashes.

"Aaaaaaiiuuumaaaaaah…Aaaaaiiuuumaaaaaah..."

Yimbo whimpered as Rema stuck a wad of crushed leaves into one of the openings. The leaves themselves were meant to ward off the pain, but for a beast of such size, there was no telling whether it worked.

Humat the smiling one was not the most patient of k'nights present. He could not sit still for long before he leaned to one side to his friend. "Psst, Takos, what are those words she speaks?"

"Some upriver dialect," Takos explained. "Stories say you can talk to unseen spirits with it. Don't know much about it."

"You're supposed to know everything, though! You're the Clever-"

"Shhh!" Takos pressed a finger to his snout. "It's not men's lore in these parts, Humat! I am not allowed to know."

Humat huffed and rolled his eyes. "Men's lore, women's lore...No one agrees on that stuff."

"Aaaaaiiuuumaaaaaah kiphal la Kirwooooon...Kiphal la Delphina, goh ha embral."

The old healer Rema stood up and put her hand and ear up against Yimbo's side. Everyone stood quiet to let her listen.

A wave gently broke nearby.

Rema opened her eyes and walked with her elderly demeanour to the Rephaemle the Fair and Chief Grumla. "I have done all I can, with all I have. There are no more herbs or chants to use. All we can give now is time."

Reph glanced to Anshumat and back to Rema. "How long does he have?"

"Don't know," Rema admitted, sadly. "Yimbo's old, but strong. Never healed anything big as him before. Maybe...a guess would be a couple of weeks."

Chief Grumla nodded solemnly. "It is all we can ask for. Thank you, Rema."

Rema bowed, before taking her walking stick and wandering back to the village off the beach.

Reph closed his eyes and sighed.

Anshumat looked at Yimbo silently, slowly turning their head to look at Reph. They said, quietly, “We’ve done what we can. We can only hope the healing tribe is found now. There are more tasks to be done and too little time to linger.”

They turned to look inland, continuing, “Reph, the rest of you will need to set off as well. The healing tribe is not the only one we will have to gather if we are to survive what is coming.”

"Right," Reph lifted his chin and rallied. "Gather the k'nights! We will group off and make plans, and those not staying will leave at first light!"

"Mister Rephaemle," Anboor added. "I'll get together some supplies for your journeys. Expect 'em before you go."

"Thank you...what was your name again? You look familiar."

---

Rephaemle was surprised to hear that the first candidate in the village to fail the k'nights' trial had changed so drastically, but it was a pleasant surprise. They were able to focus on planning, and the plan was made in earnest. The k'nights split into four groups of three: Yim, Phialu, and Phorea would strike out on their mission to find Yimbo's saviours. Rephaemle, Karagetak, and Phassam would travel at speed to the downbeach Sharkskin tribe to negotiate an end to the bad blood and tensions with the River Mouth tribe. Humat, Kyko, and Hiphaeleon would travel south-west to the inland nomads to win them over with charm and prophecy. Finally, Anshumat, Takos, and Antoph would stay to protect the River Mouth tribe and prepare for the fight with the Ihokhurs -- with the help of Kreekh and the tribesfolk.

Each travelling group found a package waiting for them in the morning, courtesy of Anboor's promise. Each had food, some helpful small tools, and a lit torch to make their journey faster.

The k'nights renewed their commitments, sang a song together, and then parted ways for their respective missions. As they left, none noticed the discrete energies of blessings following in their wake.

Work began immediately after breakfast. Anboor was able to gather some of the meatier men of the tribe to help carry the lumber, and with the help of the mighty Antoph the Strong One -- the third k'night of their group -- they gathered the wood Anshumat picked out to a clear area skirting the village.

The log rolled off their shoulders after a united count and thudded onto the dirt.

Anboor, Toraph, Anshumat, and Takos stood in a row, watching the labour. Takos put his fists on his hips and nodded approvingly.

Anboor scratched his head. "You, uh...said you'd make a lever out of that thing?" he asked the others.

Anshumat inspected the logs, saying, “It would use less wood if we were to first cut and treat the wood, but teaching the village how to do that in the span of time we have would not work. We will have to make do with the logs, as it stands.”

They then pointed to a set of thicker logs. “We will need to make lengths of rope to lash those together for a base -- hemp fibres will do. Gather hemp fibres and tie them together successively until you have a length of cord as thick as your hand.”

All of them save for Anshumat looked down at their hands. Anboor breathed through his teeth, overwhelmed, but Takos was less discouraged. Takos turned his head around. "Hey, Kreekh!"

The huge humanoid pile of stones single-handedly lowered another log onto a third pile of lumber. He then looked up at Takos with his one blue eye-hole.

"Got another job for you!"

They were lucky hemp leaves were easy to draw on the ground.

---

Takos wiped his nose. Antoph twitched and cleared his throat. Anboor tied two full stems of hemp together end to end and held up the result with a grin.

"Did you tie it strong enough this time?" Antoph murmured. His strong build belied his surprisingly high pitched voice.

Anboor confidently closed his eyes, held his chin forward, and tugged the stem from both ends.

-Tick-

Takos put his face in his hand and Anboor groaned. Anboor opened his eyes to find his latest attempt in two pieces again.

A little frustrated, he picked up two more stems from the broad and deep pile of freshly harvested wild hemp they all sat upon.

Toraph sat with them, too, paying little attention beyond his idly pulling one stem apart, thread by thread. Something about it was soothing.

"Hold on a moment…" Takos took notice of Toraph's growing bundle of tiny threads. He leaned towards the young selka. Toraph looked back unsurely. Takos took a small bundle of the threads.

Antoph furrowed his brow. "Those are useless pieces, Takos. Look how small and thin they are. We cannot tie them together and expect anything helpful."

Takos the Clever One paid the mighty Antoph no heed. He stared closely at two threads as he twisted them together into a helix between his thumbs and fingers.

He tugged at both ends of the tiny length, and they held together. He gasped. "Antoph, turn your back to me."

Antoph began to shift. "What are you doing?"

"Just stay still! You've got the biggest back here." Takos took more of the threads and rolled them against Antoph's back to bundle them together. "I think this will make a fine 'rope' if we can get enough hemp like this!"

Toraph piped up. "The flax grass splits like that, too. Should we try that?"

"Not now, young one! We have enough plants, but not enough hands! Anboor! Gather the most dextrous of the tribe! We need all these plants made into threads."

---

Once the rope had been twisted and a nearby boulder half-rolled-half-pulled with the new ropes into the clearing, the work could begin in earnest. Anshumat and the rest created a base of four logs, lashing them together with lengths of twisted rope. Once the frame had been properly anchored to the ground, they then worked on the rest of the device.

Four logs were rested on each other, lashed at the top to each other and the bottom along the frame. The fifth log was placed atop the set of four, it too lashed to the device. A shorter log was similarly lashed to the bottom, connected to and flush with the bottom frame itself. Once the entire frame was created, one log was taken from the pile. Holes were drilled into both ends and a quarter length down one side.

In one end went a large wooden cup, made of crude half-logs and attached by rope and pegs to the drilled log. The log, then, was lifted up onto the frame and lifted against the top log. Lashed to it with ropes through the quarter-length hole, the arm was secured to the frame itself, though could still move about upon it.

Finally, the mechanism itself came. A rope was tied at medium tension to the middle of the frame, connected to the free end of the arm -- the side without the cup. Two more holes were drilled through the bottom frame, and rope connected to the cup fed through them at low tension.

The device itself was done -- the arm held up in the sky by the rope in the front, with lengths of rope in the back that could be pulled upon to lever back the arm. Now, after many hard days of work, it was now time for a test launch.

"I've built huts that were easier than this," Antoph said, panting the heat from his body.

"No hut will do what this will, I tell you that honestly," Takos added.

Toraph tugged at his silken hood nervously. "Are you sure it'll work? Those rocks are pretty heavy."

The demigod simply said, “The only way to know for sure is to try it.”

Anshumat called for six men to pull the two ropes in the back, in unison, to draw back the arm. The ropes creaked with a sound that stood everyone's neck fur on end. Another four loaded the boulder into the cup, and then, on Anshumat’s command, the rope was released entirely.

The arm flew upwards violently. The whole frame jerked forward at its zenith and the boulder arced far into the sky. It drifted quickly but lazily through the air for a moment, before coming back down perhaps a few hundred yards downfield. There was a violent crack and the rustle and crash of falling trees in the distance as the boulder landed.

A flock of panicked birds fluttered up from the landing site.

Antoph's eyes grew three sizes. "Kirron's heart…" he said.

Takos suddenly threw his fists into the air and laughed at the top of his lungs. He shouted across to the others. "Did you see that!?!"

The tribesfolk present involved in the project all gave cheers, whoops, and whistles.

Toraph pulled up his hood and looked closely into the distance where the rock landed. Whatever he saw, it put him in just as high spirits as those around him. "We can't call that a lever. It's not amazing enough of a word."

Anshumat silently watched, their face as hard to ascertain its expression as ever, though they stood noticeably taller. They simply breathed, “You’re right. It’s not a lever. It’s a machine of war.”

"It's a…Mang Konna Ell…" Toraph said.

Antoph turned his broad-necked head to him. "What in the depths is that meant to mean?"

Takos explained for him. "Mang Konna Ell is a warrior from a story of the River Mouth. A fighter said to hurl stones over the horizon. Challenged Kirron to a competition and lost, but they earnt fun from it, so-"

"Mankonel," Antoph crossed his arms and sniffed loudly. "Easier to remember."

Toraph grinned. "We'll call it Mankonel, then."

Anshumat walked over to the Mankonel, running their hand along the frame. They then looked back to the group, saying, “We’ll need at least a dozen of these and the boulders to fling with them -- that is why I wish to gather the tribes. We can’t man a dozen mankonels with one tribe, let alone build them.”

"Another challenge for another while," Takos said with one hand up. "First, let's put in another rock and see if we can't hit something."

Anshumat nodded, saying, “I think we can modify how far it flings the rock. Once we load the rock, if the rope is slowly allowed to pull back, we can put less energy into the throw, and hit much closer targets.”

"Hey Kreekh!" Takos called out.

Kreekh shrank a little. Please, Kreekh is not hit! the rock man said with the few words he had learnt so far.

Takos snorted. "Don't get your whiskers in a twist, we just need you to move something big out there and come back so we have something to fling rocks at!"

Oh! Kreekh can helps!

The Ihokhetlani lumbered forth.

---

The chief of the Sharkskin tribe tore off another mouthful of tuna. The skin audibly ripped as he pulled it back from his scowling mouth and glowered at the three k'nights sitting on the mat opposite him and his two best underlings -- his wife and his brother. Rows upon rows of dried yellow shark teeth clicked in waves from the assertiveness of his chewing, tied like so many scales as they were into a coif that drew all the way up his head and along the top of his snout.

Reph returned the look with a straight back and a stony gaze. The Sharkskins ahead of him, garbed in their long tailed capes of the same material, had been much more welcoming the first time he and the K'nights of Red Horizon passed through. The chief did not have to mention why. The Sharkskins and the River Mouth had been enemies for well over eight winters.

The Chief slowly swallowed the tuna, reveling in forcing the K’nights to wait. He roughly dropped the fish down onto the shell that held the rest of his food, growling, “Five deaths this summer alone. None of yours bled to recuperate the cost. Why should I even bother listening to a word you say?”

Reph twisted his head to Karagetak the Skilled. Their plan started here, whether it would survive first contact or not. He addressed the chief in front of him, straightforward and confident. "I've been told in detail about your feud with the River Mouth. Any good chief would be furious and saddened by the murder of their tribespeople. We do not come here to mock their deaths. We come here with the hope of preventing more. In fullness, we come with a warning, an offer, and wish to discuss the future." He turned his head down and looked up at the chief earnestly. "But the warning is not a threat from us, it is a new threat cutting down each and every selka up the river, and it'll keep cutting down the coast, into the land...straight through all of you and all of us."

The Chief narrowed his eyes, saying accusingly, “As far as I see it, your tribe is my greatest enemy. Nothing worries me of some threat conveniently out of reach that could destroy me and my tribe.”

"If you would not take it from the River Mouth tribe," Reph responded with some remorse. "Then take it from us K'nights of Red Horizon. We have lost two of our number to the Ihokhurs while exploring upriver. We wish for unity to drive them back. That is our honest goal here, if you would hear our case for it. It has our spilled blood on it, much like yours has your own spilled blood."

He still did not look particularly convinced, saying, “Then surely I would have recognized them from the last time they came through. Who of yours was killed?”

Reph sighed from his nose and downcast his eyes. "One was a new recruit. Wassamuttu the Quick One." He took a pause that his voice would not falter. "The other, you knew as Gralph the Mighty One. Our previous leader."

The tone in the hut suddenly shifted, as the chief stared in disbelief at Reph. “You are telling me Gralph is dead? What could kill that beast of a Selka?”

Slowly blinking, Reph clenched his jaw and fists. He then looked into the chief's eyes. "The Ihokhurs. Clawed people of walking black stone. Wicked and evil. They stand beyond twice the height of a selka and kill for pleasure." He relaxed his fingers. "Gralph fell covering our retreat when we found them."

The chief studied Reph for a minute, before conceding, “If I were to bring my tribe, yours will be responsible for feeding us. And if these Ihokhurs do not show up, we have punishments for liars. Is that acceptable to you?”

Reph curled his lips and nodded. "The River Mouth will feed you. But there was the third matter I mentioned to discuss. If the River Mouth and the Sharkskins are to fight together, we would see them fighting together in an accord resolving the cause for your feud. This will foster good will in this alliance."

The Sharkskin chief responded, “I’ll talk to your chief about it. I will speak no further on this matter.”

Reph bowed his head, reached for a small flint knife on his belt, and pressed a small cut on his palm. He held his fingers out, letting small droplets of blood fall before the chief. "Thank you, chief of Sharkskin," he said, and then curled his hand back.

And thus the gesture of deference was respected, and the first negotiation complete.

---

The pure white hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and goosebumps covered her entire skin as she blinked her wide eyes and stroked her palm, which didn’t hurt at all. Her eyes shifted from the mushroom, to the excited gaze of Engil, her “twin” sister, and finally to Doron, their childhood friend with whom they had gone on most of their adventures with.

Finally, Egwyn looked back at the mushroom and sighed, “You guys always bring some crazy stuff back here, how am I ever gonna finish the last project we had when you always bring me cool things that get me distracted? Seriously, a zappy mushroom? Where do you even find this stuff?” And truly, it was ridiculous. Every few days her sister and Doron would bring her something completely nuts and awesome, awesome enough to get her to abandon project after project in order to sate both her and their curiosities.

The white-haired, gray-eyed, pale-skinned, soft-looking Valthumir girl sighed and smiled, “Okay, so what do you want me to do with this, guys?”

“Power it up! We’re gunna use it to shock those bullies who took your fishy thingy.” Doron exclaimed proudly.

Egwyn perked up. “R-Really?! Yeah, yeah let’s do that! I have just the thing! Sorcery, of the highest caliber! Wait here a second,” She said, cutting herself off and speeding upstairs towards her bedroom.

Engil turned to Doron and grinned, “Whaddaya think she’s gonna bring down? Maybe something cool like food for mushrooms or something?”

Doron shrugged. “Whatever it is, it’s gunna work!” he said with glee.

“Eek!” There was a sound like a rockslide, and several dozen things fell and clattered loudly on the floor just above them. After a few seconds, Egwyn shouted, “I’m okay!”

“... Or maybe she’s just gonna mess up our bedroom.” Engil snickered.

Seconds later, hurried steps echoed through the modest home and Egwyn carefuly stepped down the stairs with a heavy, unwieldy ball of a… Brownish material.

Once she went down the last stair she grunted and dragged her feet all the way to the other two, before sitting down cross legged in front of them and putting the ball between her legs. For a moment, she looked up at them with a glint in her eye. “Watch this, I had been keeping it a secret cause mom would throw this away if she saw it!”

And so she took a deep breath, concentrated and… Absolutely went to town rubbing the smooth ball with the palms of her hands. She rubbed and rubbed until she was wheezing and looked pale, and only then did she stop and immediately press her finger against Doron’s shin, giving him a tiny shock.

Doron jumped and then began to laugh. “How’d you do that without the mushroom!” he asked.

Egwyn gasped for breath, a feeling of relief washing over her body upon hearing Doron’s reaction. “I don’t… know… I cooked.... This mud and… This came out…” She said between heavy panting, pointing at the ball.

“Gwyn, you. Are. A. GENIUS?!” Engil exclaimed quickly snatching the ball from her sister and beginning to rub it with a passion.

Doron flashed Egwyn a smile and joined Engil, cheering her on to rub the ball harder.

“Yaaaaah!” Engil hummed and groaned at the same time, her shoulder length hair suddenly beginning to spike and float. “C’moon!”

Doron began to laugh at the sight of Engil’s hair. “Woah! Your hair looks likes the rocks in the cave!”

“And…!” Engil grunted and dropped the ball on the floor, then moved her hands close to the mushroom. Tiny arcs of energy connected her palms to the mushroom, and the latter grew bright and colourful. “Bam! Wapam!” Engil smirked and wiped some sweat off her brow, then leaned on Doron’s shoulder.

“Wanna try it to see if its zaps are stronger now, Doron? Bet you’re scared, huh?”

“Come on, don’t tease him like that, Sis.” Egwyn said with some pity toward Doron.

“Ah, whatever,” Engil shrugged.

“N-No, go ahead Engil. I’m ready.” Doron said nervously.

Engil nodded and chuckled “I’m gonna get you back for zapping me before, trust me.” And so the wild girl grabbed the mushroom by the stalk and slowly brought it up against Doron’s arm. It made his hairs stand on end. It was amazing. Just like that, Engil touched the shroom against Doron’s skin.

ZAAAAAAP!

He howled in surprise, and then pain as he jumped back and away from Engil. “Ow Engi!” he said, rubbing his arm. “That was powerful!” he gritted his teeth, as black tears began to well up in his eyes.

“Hehe! Gotcha!” Engil giggled. Egwyn on the other hand hurried to Doron and checked his arm with a worried frown on her face.

“A-Are you okay, Doron?” The frailest of the twins asked him.

He wiped away his tears with a free hand and said, “Y-Yeah… It just stung a little.”

“Aw come on, Gwynnie, Doron can take much more than that mushroom can deal out! Now, if it had been a centipede instead…” Engil snickered and Egwyn bumped her side with an elbow, “Ow!”

“Don’t be a meanie, Sis. Doron,” Egwyn turned to the boy again, this time with a spark in her eyes, “H-How did it feel? The zap? It looked really, really powerful!”

Doron seemed to deflate at the mention of centipedes, but puffed out his chest again when Egwyn asked how it hurt. “I felt it up my entire arm!” he said proudly.

“Wow…!” Egwyn gasped, then nodded and grinned, “Yep! This will be perfect, this is how we get back at those bullies!”

“I can’t wait to see the look on their faces.” Doron said giddily.

“Ok, ok, c’mon! Let’s look for those guys and scare them outta their pants, hehe.” Engil said, carefully adjusting her grip on the mushroom before grabbing egwyn by the wrist and walking out of the home.

And so the trio did, leaving the Vallamir houses behind as they walked towards the Marble Star. The trip was full of excited giggles and slight nervousness, but nothing that couldn’t be resolved. Doron walked in between the girls, as they made their way, eventually reaching the outskirts of the town. There, in a well situated bush, they searched for Egwyn’s thieves. It did not take them long to see the small band of Nebulite kids, varying in ages and heights, led by a bronze colored boy by the name of Salsonus, or Sal for short. He was a real jerk, and he didn’t mesh well with Doron. This would be a fine time for revenge.

“Okay, okay.” Doron said, turning to the two. “Here’s what we do. I’ll go up and distract him, and Engil can sneak up and shock him. Then, Egwyn can steal her thing back, okay?”

"Y-Yes!" Egwyn said in a jittery voice, and after Engil gave her a look, the black haired twin sister spoke.

"They're using the thing in the creek-" Before Engil could finish her sentence, however, a ruckus started in Sal's group.

"ACK! IT CAUGHT, SAL! WADDOIDO?" a short kid screamed.

"WHAT? Don't be dumb Bil, pull the thing out!" Someone shouted back from among the bushes, and Sal himself grunted and ran to the short kids' side, helping him pull the thing (net) out of the creek.

"Why is this dang fish so strong?! Help us you idiots!" Sal yelled, and the other kids ran up to sal and the short kid. In total five kids were pulling on the net and after a particularly mighty pull, they got it out.

The net was empty, and ripped.

"Gee!" sighed the short kid as he fell backward onto his bum and against someone else's shins.

Sal kept silent, his hand balled up into fists.

"I guess we couldn't expect anything else from that Egg girl, guys. Everything she makes ends up breaking."

Egwyn flinched back and shrunk a little at the sound of Sal’s voice and without hesitation, Doron lept from the bush with hands balled into fists as he approached the kids.

“You take that back! Everything Egwyn makes is wonderful! It’s not her fault you starlings don’t know how to use it!” He shouted angrily.

Sal turned and glared at Doron, “Well boys, look who we have here! Dork, the guy that can only be friends with the pointy ear freaks!” Sal looked down at Doron, scoffing, “What, did the freaky witch girl send you on an errand? Maybe she promised you a real dad if you did her work for her?” Sal shrugged and spit at the ground in front of Doron.

With a roar, Doron tackled Sal, sending the two into the creek as they fought each other. The other children began to scream in delight as they cheered on Sal.

“Beat him up Sal!” “Dork, dork, dork!” “Make him see stars!"

Sal was bigger then Doron, taller too but reach wasn't everything. They grappled with one another in the shallower part of the creek, punching when they could and several times connecting. Doron had a stout build but Sal's blows were heavy.

As the water splashed, Doron saw an opening and uppercut Sal, sending the boy stumbling backwards. In his momentary confusion, Doron tackled him again but Sal did not go down. Instead, he began to wail on Doron's back, prompting the golden haired boy to let him go or face more wrath. He managed to get away and both boys looked at each other as the kids grew silent with anticipation. Both held an offensive stance, poised to strike.

Sal scowled and slowly, he raised a hand to wipe at his bloodied lip. Then, a moment later, he dropped his stance. “Watch your back, Dor-”

Suddenly, a shape jumped down from above right behind Sal. “Huh-” The larger boy gasped as he turned around. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a wildly smirking Engil, and before he could jump back, he felt a wet, cold, bulbous thing press against his back.

“H-Hah! Guess she wants t-aaaAAAHHHHH!” His speech turned into a scream of surprise and agony, and soon arcs of pure energy formed around Sal’s body. His hair stood on end, his body darkened slightly, and there was the smell of burned skin.

“H-Hey, that’s cheating! Cheaters! Let’s get them, guys!” One of Sal’s friends suddenly yelled, and just like that everyone began to close in on Doron and Engil, having thrown Egwyn’s net away to focus on the fight.

And just as Sal fell on his side onto the shallow creek, eyes rolled back and drool coming out of his mouth, another voice piped up.

Egwyn’s soft, usually hesitant voice. “I have it! Run!” She shouted over the ruckus made by the other boys, lifting up her torn net to the sky so Doron and Engil saw it, and immediately ran off into the foliage.

Engil’s smirk turned into a shiny-eyed smile, and she turned to look at the bruised Doron, “Alright Dork, hope you’re not too beat up to keep up!” But unlike before, Engil swiftly jumped over the squirming Sal and grabbed Doron’s arm and pulled him into a run.

All of Sal’s little goons were confused, some looking at where Egwyn was a moment ago, others at Sal as he coughed and propped himself up on an arm, and others at Doron and Engil’s back as they parted into the forest.

After the three kids were long gone, one of the boys approached Sal, who was panting and had just sat up and put his hand on his shoulder. “Y-You ok, Sal?”

Sal sniffled and shrugged, “Y-Yeah! This is nothing! We will get them back, ok?! But first, uh… Anyone got some Firestem ointment?”

---

Engil and Doron broke the treeline to come upon their hideout. A large, hollow tree that they had arranged and cleaned to be a suitable place to meet and play.

Engil let go of Doron’s arm and stretched, letting out a little pleased mewl. “Well that went great!” She said with a chuckle, walking up to the tree and leaning against one of the sides of its entrance. “You ok? Sal beat you up real bad… Though that was the perfect distraction for me to sneak around.”

Doron turned away from Engil and growled. “It wasn’t meant to be a distraction.”

“Huh? Seriously?” Engil raised a thick eyebrow and tilted her head. “I mean… You rushed into a group of kids and tried to beat up the massive Sal for my sister?”

“Yes!” He said angrily, before his face flushed in bronze and he blinked, looking away. “I mean, I did it because… Because he was… mean.”

“Eeeh…” Engil’s smirk grew wider bit by bit, but before she could speak, Egwyn arrived. She was happily holding onto her bundled up net and walked past the two already there and sat down inside the hollow tree after tossing her net to the side.

“W-Wow, we really showed them!” She said breathily before blushing and scratching her cheek sheepishly, “T-Thank you Doron for defending me, by the way. Sal always picks on me…” After that, Egwyn looked at both Engil and Doron and tilted her head curiously,

“Huh, why are you smirking so widely, Engil?”

Doron seemed to light up when Egywn praised him, but then he crossed his arms. “You’re welcome.” he said, looking outside.

A short silence fell upon the group, until Egwyn looked down and shook her head, “Okay, I have to fix this net and then we’ll go catch some fishies. I reaaally want to catch those fishes with orange backs. What do you think they taste like, Doron?”

Doron didn’t say anything at first, before mumbling back, “Fish… Probably.”

Egwyn pursed her lips, “... Yeah, sorry. That was a dumb question, wasn’t it?”

As Egwyn searched through a small box for her tools, Engil took the opportunity to slap Doron’s arm and roll her eyes at him.

As Doron turned to protest, outside up in the Heavens, the stars began to fall and with it, everything would change.

---

A tree, quickly felled and crafted through capable hands, could still have many uses outside of mere hut construction and tool use. In fact, wood had many places in armed ranks, as was being introduced to the Aspasia. Shields, perhaps the first being seen in these lands, were being crafted by the strongest men who would make the core of Atmav’s fight force as they took a stone and refined the wood to into an oval.

She had her men organized in rows as they took the hides and pelts of animals to cover the wood, she inspected them as she walked up and down each row. She stopped in front of one of her men, he was young, but strong, and eager to serve his God-Queen. Atmav bent to study his shield, taking it into her hands before snapping it in two with little effort, displeasure coming to her face as she looked down upon the boy. Her hands dropped the two pieces on either side of him.

“Too weak in the center,” she growled, before looking to the rest of her men, an eyeless gaze going over them all before focusing on the one in front of her. “Make another! This time, do it properly!” She ordered with a bark.

The boy rushed to his feet and went to retrieve additional lumber, leaving Atmav to continue her inspection among them. She had seven days to make them into a competent fighting force, determined to make them far more effective than what Milos could possibly bring to bear. Atmav was silent as her focus took hold, no weakness could be forgiven, if they were fighting in the forest, then these shields would have to stop a rain of branch and splinter when they fought.

She stopped.

Another failure.

Again did the Selka get to his feet and rush to retrieve the lumber needed.

Seven days. Seven days to form a proper war band. Time was not on her side, a long peace had made her blind to the possibility of war. Atmav knew that it was her fault for not being prepared, knowing that complacency was a slow and an ever silent killer. Even then she would have to help train the warriors of the Iwai, more time killed and thrown into the metaphorical grave.

One row of passable shields.

“Third line!” Atmav ordered. The entire line rushed to the feet, gathering their shield in hand along with their short spears, topped with the metal that Kirron had given them. She walked back down the third row, inspecting their posture. Nearly perfect, a few of the throwing spears were held a bit awkwardly but proper use would come with practice.

“My God-Empress!” A voice from her left said, determination evident as her head turned to see a Selka who was small and skinny. She recognized this boy as one who, previously, had preferred to make art and decorate the hides for females. He was kneeling with a hastily made shield and a spear with a blunt rock. “I wish to go on this war band! To serve you, my queen!” He explained.

A smile crawled upon Atmav’s face, not one of pleasure, but one of sadism as she reached for a shield from the Selka to her right. She held the shield out to the artist.

“Then do not let Brottnee push you to the sea,” Atmav said, her cruel smile widening as the tall and broad Selka looked down up the artist.

The male seemed to have a confident look, reaching for the shield, only for his smile to disappear as he realized the true height of Brottnee, standing a full ear taller than himself and almost twice as broad. The artist raised the shield as Brottnee stomped over from the front line, setting down the spear he would use to guard the true javelin throwers behind him. The artist was already shaking.

When Brottnee ran forward, Atmav was surprised to find that the artist stood his ground to the likes of the one of the largest men in the tribe. The two shields slammed into each other before the artist, despite trying to hold his ground, was knocked clean onto his back.

“And like that the men behind you are dead,” Atmav stated, stepping over to the two, feeling all the eyes of the near hundred men looking at the artist and her. She stood over him, a look of shame upon his face as he looked away.

“Only the strongest may serve under me, and only the strongest are allowed to win honor by my side,” she said, her voice growing loud enough for the entire force to hear her. Her eyeless gaze burned into the artist. “Go! You have no place among my ranks as you are now!” She ordered, turning away as the weakling got to his feet to drag himself away.

Atmav watched him until he was out of sight before returning to her inspections.

---

As the night drew near, and those of the Aspasia began to rest, Atmav could not help but listen to the night. The silence that came here was one she did not enjoy, even as she walked back to her longhouse, it was almost unsettling and she swore she noticed something massive in the distance moving along the water. For a moment, she thought it could have been Yimbo, but she knew that it did not move anywhere near as graceful as the silent leap she thought she saw.

She turned into her longhouse before looking back at the open water, the form gone.

Perhaps it was stress coming to her. Perhaps the nervousness of actually marrying someone was making her mind see things. She could not tell.

”Well, isn’t this a lovely little place?” voices from behind asked.

She turned, her greatsword raising to meet the white form of someone sitting on her throne, its fingertips meeting each other as a tooth-filled grin sat unnaturally upon its face. Atmav knew who it was, perhaps not the form, but the entity itself.

“Vakk…” her voice was low as she hissed the name, the red glow of her blade coming as she readied herself to go to blows with her nemesis.

”Atmav, why the hatred? You knew I would be coming eventually, and you know that you are powerless against me, even with that little toy that Orvus gave you,” Vakk said, amused at Atmav’s continued willingness to fight it. It let out a low chuckle as hot air blew upon Atmav’s back. When she turned, she saw the massive head of a beast poking through the door, a low growl coming through it as it seemed to sniff her.

”You are in no position to fight me, Atmav. But I have not come to fight, I have come to talk,” Vakk stated, leaning its head into the palm of its hand.

“I do not want to talk with you, and I never want to see you again,” Atmav growled as she took a step towards Vakk before she felt something wrap around her leg. Looking down, she saw a purple tendril wrapped around her and another moved to grab her main hand before she found herself twisted upside down.

”We made a deal, Atmav. Your freedom, for a simple favor. Now, I wish to use that favor,” Vakk said, moving a light chuckle coming to it as Atmav attempted to swing her greatsword only for a tendril to disarm her.

“What makes you think I want to talk, demon?” Atmav hissed, struggling and squirming against Vakk’s ever tightening grip.

”You have no choice, Atmav,” it remarked, still amused at her unwillingness to cooperate. Its own eyeless gaze studying her for a moment, silence between the two other than the grunts of Atmav attempting to free herself, and the deep breaths of the beast behind her.

”I did not peg you for the type to marry someone so weak,” Vakk started, only stopping to chuckle for a brief moment, ”What ever happened to marrying the finest breed? That is what your kind is meant to do, does it not? My you truly have fallen from grace.”

“What do you want, demon? I know you did not come to merely mock me,” Atmav growled as Vakk chuckled to itself.

As Vakk ceased its laughter, it stood from the throne that it hardly fit it before taking a singular step towards Atmav, ”I require the children of your people. My own children need them to grow.”

“No! These children have families and lives to live Vakk, they are not meant to pawns in your games,” Atmav barked, another wave of defiance coming over her as she continued to struggle. “Why would they even need our children? Are they not capable themselves?” Atmav questioned through grit teeth.

”No, they cannot,” Vakk said, a sorrow coming over its voices, ”Such experiences of life are beyond their capabilities,” it explained.

Atmav grew confused before she began to piece it together, “What did you do, Vakk?”

”I gave them new life. A new life that cannot be taken, a new life that was once taken from my children that I could not bear witness! I made life from death!” Vakk snapped, stepping towards Atmav. Its teeth gnashing together as the tendrils flipped Atmav rightside up.

“You made abominations! You know you cannot go against nature, Vakk!”

Vakk slammed Atmav into the floor of the longhouse, the floor shattering into splinters, ”Their lives were taken from them! I could not stand idly by knowing that they had died so soon!”

“You are more a fool than I remember! You turned your back on all the morals you once had! What would your father think?!”

Those words rung deep within Vakk as he threw Atmav to her throne, her form causing it to crumble before her back went into the wall of the longhouse. Without so much of a blink, Vakk was upon her and planted its foot into her chest, sending her through the wall and into the sands outside of her home. Vakk took a singular step outside of the longhouse, looking down upon Atmav, who was already getting to her feet.

The warrior raised her fists as she readied herself to fight.“I can do this all day,” she spat.

Vakk scoffed, ”I struck you not out of anger, Atmav. I struck you out of your adocity to speak against a god in such a manner.”

“You are not my god,” Atmav informed it, her wings spread to becoming with the night sky above them.

Vakk was silent for a moment, as the great beast that had come with it jumped onto the sands below Atmav, its voices speaking without a hint of emotion, ”If you do not wish to honor our deal, Atmav, then I am afraid that I will have to punish you. I will give you one chance, one chance to undo this wrong. You will die to Kalani in the coming battle.”

Atmav only gave Vakk a smug smile, “I do not intend to die anytime soon, Vakk.”

”Then I am afraid that I will have to show your people my view of life, and I will have them accept it more eagerly than how eager you are to cling onto what miserable life you have in store for your future,” Vakk said, it’s voices seeming to give an inflection of sadistic pleasure of such a thought.

“What?! No, leave them out of this, Vakk! Your troubles are with me, not them!”

”You have made your choice,” Vakk said, before nodding, seemingly to the beast.

A massive club seemed to launch Atmav into the air, a silent scream of pain coming to her as her breath was hit out of her. A hand caught her throat as she landed in Vakk’s vice grip.

”You have lost your position as royal guard of the Eternal Talk. As such, you have lost your horns and have forfeit your right to anyone under your command,” Vakk said, tendrils moving to grasp Atmav’s horns.

“Wha- N-no! You c-can’t!” Atmav stammered struggling in Vakk’s grip and punching his face only for it to do nothing as Vakk’s face grew into a sadistic smile. She could feel the tendrils slowly pulling the horns, she could feel the skin underneath them ripping away ever so slowly. She was powerless to stop him and yet she loosed maddened sobs as she struggled more and more, eventually the sobs turning to screams that pierced the moonlight. The pain grew and grew before something gave way, blood poured onto her face as her hands went to cover her face.

Vakk released her as she fell into the sand and left her with seven cruel words.

”I look forward to your death, Atmav.”

Atmav sobbed into the sand, the blood pouring from her head before she felt hands grasp her arms and in a mournful confusion, she lashed out and punched the source and sending it back. Then words reached her.

“My queen! My queen!”

The words of her subjects began to flood into her as they poured in from all around, each one trying to counsel their hurt and dishonoured queen. But all she could do was sob in pain and she moved her hands to where her horns had once been. Then she felt it crawling down her face, not droplets of blood, but pools of tears trailing down her cheeks and carving a path through the blood.

And as she wiped the blood and tears from her face, she saw the faces of her people gather around her.

Her eyes opened to meet their gazes.

---

The endless night splayed out across the sky and bared all its majesty to those beneath it. The cyclopes, children of that sky, gazed upward with reverent eyes and beheld the anvil of their maker. They knew not what dwelled at the end of those faint little stars that lit up the sky, nor thought to question it, for those things were of their father’s realm and out of reach. Instead they looked to the great meteor shower raining down upon the horizon, and they chased after it.

Between the steady groans of the earth as it shattered beneath his every footfall, Atlas proclaimed, “Make ready! Great light sent from the Father, to battle and test. The strong will crush those lights!”

Following in the giant’s footsteps, what had been a ragged and disoriented people mere hours ago found their courage and their will. Their pace increased with their determination; their wounds and dead and exile all forgotten, it became a steady march. There was enough heat burning in Atlas’ heart to fill the whole horde of them, and so it did. Fire filled their eyes, and what was only a march soon started to morph into a blind charge. But then Atlas drove his heels into the ground and came to a sudden halt. A meteor made its impact no more than a stone’s throw away, and Atlas stood still with arms outspread and eye cast upward.

What was he doing? Daring the heavens to try to strike him down? Trying to catch one of those falling stars? Preparing for an attempt to strangle the night sky itself?

There were hundreds if not thousands of meteorites in this shower, but strewn across the sky as they were, their landings were far apart and few even came close to the massed cyclopes. Synros looked at the first of his brothers standing there with unflinching resolve, and at all the others milling about in confusion, and then he shook his head.

With a steady pace, the demigod made his way to the closest of the fallen meteorites and examined the shattered heap of slag as it laid smoldering upon the ground where it had struck and broken. With one hand, he scooped up the superheated chunk (for its warmth was nothing for a cyclops’ hands of stone) and moved to carry it back to Atlas.

"Atlas, there are many trials to come, but this is not one of them,” Synros preached loud enough for all to hear. "Be at ease, for there is more to this world than battle. Look at how this fallen stone shines!”

The demigod raised his hand, and all looked at the twisted chunk of meteoric iron in awe as it gleamed in the starlight. "This is beauty and power! A gift from the heavens! A Spark of the Maker’s Anvil! These fallen stars are our heritage, and so we must gather them and claim them as our own.”

Atlas reached for the meteorite, and Synros made no effort to stop the giant from snatching the thing out of his hand. The Might of the Cyclopes stared down the tiny lump of iron, then snorted and tossed it back. The others ran off at once to chase after those meteorites that still streaked through the sky and search for the crash sites of those others that had already fallen, but Atlas entertained himself by cleaving apart a hillside and throwing boulders across the landscape.

---

The demigod and his companion walked on. Their direction was clear, and they could not afford to waste time. Since the last encounter they’d made sure to avoid all of the overly muddy terrain they stumbled upon. Eventually a single structure, a shabbily built wooden watchtower, broke the line of the horizon. And soon after that, many more structures rose from beyond sight. They were all tents and huts, easy to move and just the bare essentials to protect oneself from the elements.

A furry critter scurried past the two travellers and into a particularly tall spot of grass as the distant cries of a bird resonated throughout the plains.

The tents were erected on either side of the road and the largest of them was surrounded by a handful of the smaller ones. As Karamir and Fenris approached, the sounds of indistinct chatter reached their ears. Many voices, all of them male, were speaking inside the larger tent. Suddenly, the voices started to grow louder and louder, until one of them started to yell.

“-hat is he thinking, seriously? Does he even care about this project?!”

There was a loud thump. Someone brought their fist down on a table most likely. And then another voice yelled back.

“Of course he does! You can’t see it because you’ve only been with us for…” The second voice’s volume eventually went down, but the first voice would not back down.

“THAT MAKES NO SENSE! Use your heads, by Li’Kalla’s Grace!”

Shortly after, an adolescent Valthumir stormed out of the tent and stomped his way into the treeline on the other side of the road, opposite from Karamir and Fenris. A few moments passed, and the unintelligible chatter began once more inside the large tent.

”Wait here,” Karamir instructed, leaving Fenris to wait on the muddy, uneven road. He then carried on toward the tent, and came to a stop just before the flap. ”Hello?” he ventured. ”May I come in?”

The chatter stopped, and after a moment a deep voice rung out. “You may come in.”

And upon stepping into the tent, Karamir was hit by the scent of burning lavender petals, as well as the sight of little over a dozen Vallamir sitting around a large oval table staring directly at him. There were all kinds of shapes and builds present, but there was one thing they all had in common. They had well-developed muscles, and strength seemed to lie dormant under their skins.

A few of the Vallamir averted their gaze, others scrutinized him further.

But there was one whose expression softened somewhat after he was done scrutinizing his form. This one Vallamir, dark haired, with pointed incisives and heavy in both muscle and fat stores, nodded at Karamir.

He spoke in a deep, rumbling voice not unlike a lion’s roar. “Hey. Name’s Bon. You looking for work building The Queen-Mother Li’Kalla’s roads, by any chance?”

Karamir shook his head. ”No,” he said apologetically. ”My name is Karamir, son of Kalmar.”

“Oh, then I see that quite the privilege has fallen into our laps. What do you think, children? Meeting Kalmar’s son.” Bon asked the others sitting at the table with a chuckle.

Most of them laughed.

“I thought I’d be swallowed by the mud before I saw another divine’s son, after the Goat. Hah!”

“Yeah, no joke.”

“There’s so many divines, aren’t there?”

“Maybe it’s just us being special. If I was a divine I’d want to visit us.”

Bon slapped the table and everyone fell silent, even though they had smiles on their faces. “So,” Bon began, “What’s the goal behind your visit, Karamir? And why did Kalmar not invite us to his wedding… Actually, nevermind that, you’re probably older than you look. We probably weren’t around by the time you came around.”

Karamir paused in confusion at the mention of a wedding - Kalmar had never mentioned being married, and the Vallamir of Kalgrun had learned that concept from Arae rather than him - but decided to address the more important matters first. ”I came here to find out what happened to those who followed Li’Kalla across her bridge,” he said. ”Now, it seems I found that, so I suppose I should meet Li’Kalla herself.”

Bon nodded, “Yes, that’d probably be a wise move from you. Introduce yourself and she might grant you permission to work with us. I know you’re on the fence about helping us out but let me tell you, Muc right here,” He said pointing to one of the smaller Vallamir present, “Makes some of the best stock in the entire world. It’s definitely worth it.”

Karamir stood in awkward silence. This was such a sharp contrast from Sun’Kalla’s cold difference. Yet it had also been far more upbeat and welcoming than any other reception he had received on Kalgrun. His gaze shifted from figure to figure.

”To tell the truth,” he said after a while. ”I’m not even sure what you’re building, or what ‘stock’ you’re referring to. Could you explain?” he asked in a genuinely curious tone.

The Vallamir all exchanged a look. Their faces twisted and Bon looked back at Karamir with his brow furrowed, “You… Don’t know what a road is? Well…” Bon sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his index and thumb, “It’s a permanent path connecting two locations. It is meant to make travel quicker, safer and cheaper. Right now we’re building a road to connect the Eternal Forest and the Holy Capital… It hasn’t been easy, thanks to the Life-Giving Rain, but we make do. We should be finished in… About three hundred moons, I’d say? And then we will establish a settlement in the Forest in the name of the Queen-Mother.”

”And what is this ‘Holy Capital’, exactly?” Karamir asked next.

This time it wasn’t Bon that spoke, it was Muc, the presumed cook of the group. His voice was high pitched and raspy. “The Holy Capital is the Holy Capital. It’s where Li’Kalla’s manor is located, and we built our lives around it.”

That told him absolutely nothing. ”Is it a village, then?” he asked instead.

“It’s bigger than a normal village, and with sturdier homes. We had some trouble keeping everyone well fed for a few years, but some Valthumir were tasked with learning how to make use of plants and grow them for our benefit and their experiments showed promise… That was a month ago, though. Have heard nothing since.” Muc said, and then Bon nodded.

“Yeah, we get decent amounts of food because we work hard. Others are not so well taken care of. Especially those that just exist to breed and breathe.” Bon said with a shrug.

”What do you mean?” Karamir asked, furrowing his brow.

“The less physical work you do, the less food you’re given. We do hunt and gather most of it, so it’s at a premium these days. Some Vallamir have to make do with eating Living Mud.”

“How do you decide who does what work?”

Bon looked at another Vallamir seated at the table. This one blond and with eyes slanted to the point they almost seemed closed. He sat with his elbows propped up on the table and a sigh revealed sharp incisives much like Bon’s. “Most people choose where they want to spend their days when they come of age. If you can’t cut it however, the hierarchy takes matters into its own hands and plans your life for you.”

The furrow in his brow deepened. ”Why would anyone want their life planned for them?”

There was a collective shrug in the room and a few moments of silence until Bon piped up, “It’s how it works here. Now, we have to keep planning our project. Unless you changed your mind, you should probably go on your way so we do not bore you with talk of stone hauling and dirt packing.”

”I think I’ll stay and listen for a time, actually.” Karamir said.

Bon perked up, and so did many of the others. “Oh? So you’re going to lend us a hand?”

”I’m still not entirely sure what you are doing,” Karamir told them. ”I just want to learn more, but I won’t get in the way.”

“Ah, that is a problem,” Bon leaned back, “You see, we’re not supposed to let non-officials know the details of our project. Telling you our plans for a future settlement might already have been too much. So I’m sorry Karamir, but unless you intend to work with us then we have to ask you to leave. Even if you did offer to work with us, you’d have to get official permission from the Queen-Mother anyway…”

“Is there a reason why I can’t know?” he asked. ”I always thought it was better to share information than to withhold it.”

“A fair belief. You might be a member of a settlement that’s enemy to the Capital and therefore all of Li’Kalla’s Faithful, though. Sorry, no exceptions. Not even for a Divine.” Bon nodded apologetically.

”An enemy? What?” Karamir spoke incredulously. ”Why would I be your enemy? I’m the first of your kind. The entire reason I came here in the first place was to make sure you were all alright.”

The blond Vallamir buried his face in his palms while Bon raised an eyebrow. “You must know how easy it is to lie about one’s reasons and motivations. This is all procedure, we do it for every single new arrival we get. By Her grace, and here I was thinking I wouldn’t have to get all formal…”

”Is everyone on this land so skeptical toward others?” Karamir asked, annoyance creeping into his tone.

The blond Vallamir groaned, “What, do you want us to wait until we have a knife through our guts before being skeptical? Maybe you don’t have enough dangers where you come from, but here if we’re not careful we could wake up to see the whole Capital in flames.”

“Who would do something like that, and how?” Karamir asked doubtfully.

“People, and with fire. Now go.” The blond pointed toward the exit with his head, before Bon cleared his throat.

“Tang, you don’t have to be so disrespectful-”

“He’s delaying us. We’re already behind enough as it is, if we take any longer we might not have another opportunity this good!”

”You misunderstood my question,” Karamir insisted. ”Why would they do this? Where are they? How can they be stopped?”

Tang stood up in an explosive movement and stormed out past Karamir. Bon shook his head, “You’ll be better served by asking those questions to the Queen-Mother, should she deem you fit enough to talk to you in person. Just follow the road and you’ll reach the capital in half a day if you’re quick.”

Karamir sighed. “Alright, then,” he sighed. ”Farewell.”

And with those words he exited the tent.

The first thing he stepped into was a confrontation. Fenris, having heard the conversation in the tent due to his enhanced senses, maneuvered in front of Tang to block their path, and had commanded him to stop. Now, he glared at the shorter Vallamir. “You need to learn respect,” he growled.

Tang stared back, taking in Fenris’ features and giving the air a sniff. “Huh, that’s funny, where was your friend’s respect when we told him we could not give any more information and he kept asking stupid questions?”

“Questions about why you couldn’t give him information,” Fenris corrected. “You have functioning ears, don’t you?”

Tang tsked his mouth and maneuvered around Fenris. “Just go, stop wasting our time. We’re on a tight schedule as it is…” He said as he disappeared into one of the smaller tents.

”Let’s go,” Karamir said.

Fenris looked to the tent, then back at him. “You shouldn’t-”

”We’ve been over this,” Karamir snapped. ”There’s no point talking to these people. We can’t help them if they won’t tell us how, and there’s no use letting yourself be provoked by mere words. Let’s go. Maybe Li’Kalla can give us some actual answers.”

---

The further they advanced upon the road, the more developed it seemed to be. The closer they drew to the Capital, the better the infrastructure, and the more numerous the unmarked graves on either side of the road.

His frustration turned to melancholy. It had been twelve years since the Vallamir had been created. The bodies buried in these graves had not died naturally. They had been killed, by animals, by sickness, by hunger, or by the enemies the others had alluded to. It was wrong. Why had they been reduced to this? Why had Li’Kalla allowed it to happen?

Eventually over the horizon poked out the straw-topped wooden huts, and past the huts were bigger, taller homes. It was a sight to behold, and it was clear that the predominant color in the settlement was white. Maybe the color came from the packed dirt between the buildings being strangely washed out, or the air itself being thick and heavy.

It made no difference to Karamir and Fenris as they approached the village-turned-city. Walls were in construction, and the arch welcoming the two travelers to the city had four guards posted on either side, armed with stone weaponry, clubs,crude bows and blowguns. They were dressed in impressive furs, and their white hair, grey eyes and refined features regarded the approaching Divine with barely held back alarm.

The guarding Valthumir exchanged a look and one of them took off running into the city and towards the biggest, most luxurious structure visible. A manor the size of ten high-class homes, built by unknown materials using unknown techniques.

The other guards didn’t try to stop the two travelers, but it was clear to Karamir and Fenris by the way their grip tightened on their weapons that this land was anything but friendly.

As they walked through the streets, tailed by two of the guards, most of the Vallamir and Valthumir that caught sight of them quickly moved out of the way and glared at them in fear, hesitation and most of all, curiosity.

They passed through a market and someone dropped a basket of freshly cooked Boiledfins. Someone else bumped into a stall offering nuts.

Karamir furrowed his brow. Sun’Kalla had been suspicious. Tang had been impatient. He could understand those emotions, even if he did not think them justified. But now… he was seeing fear. He had done nothing to these people. Then he remembered the talk of bandits, and curses, and he realized they were not afraid of what he had done.

They were afraid of what he might do.

Over the distance, an unseen bell tolls and the heavy wooden doors to the Manor are dragged open. All the activity in town ceases, and everyone drops to their knees facing in the direction of the manor, before lowering their head and exposing their napes.

The only ones that didn’t kneel were the guards and the travelers, but when the bell tolls again, activity begins once more. This time, people seemed less afraid of the travelers and continued with their daily routines.

And so the two came up to the entrance to the Manor, and three guards were standing in their way, even though the entrance was open. One of them, the one that had run all the way there, moved aside without taking his eyes off the Divine Karamir.

And a voice spoke directly into Karamir’s mind, coming from the unnatural darkness shrouding everything past the entrance to the Manor.

”I have not met you before, Karamir. You’re a new Divine, aren’t you? You give off an aura similar to Kalmar’s… Come in. Alone.”

Karamir squinted. Alone? What an odd request…

Yet… it was also one that made little difference. Fenris, even in his Vallamir form, was far stronger and swifter than any common mortal, yet could do nothing against a god. If Li’Kalla did indeed have ill intentions, then the wolfman would likely be safer if left behind. Besides, he was in the heart of Li’Kalla’s lands, with the intention of meeting the Goddess herself. That required him to put some level of trust in her.

“I’m going to need you to wait here,” he said to Fenris. “No disputes.”

Without awaiting Fenris’s response, Karamir nodded to the guard, and stepped into the darkness of the manor.

Upon passing the threshold of the entrance, the darkness dissipated for Karamir and the doors closed on their own behind him.

He was in a rather modest looking hall. There were spots with missing ornaments and furniture, as evidenced from the shapes left in the dusty floors and walls. It was a very… Bare room. To either side there were counters with closed doors behind them, and looking straight forward he saw a big foyer with a grand ornamental staircase at the far back. The entire place was lit up by strange bright lights hanging from the ceiling, some in chandeliers and some in more subtle casings.

It was nowhere as near as grand as the Palace of Dreams, yet he couldn’t help but feel reminded of it.

Suddenly footsteps came from the staircase, and coming down it was Li’Kalla, the Goddess of Rain. She looked as beautiful and attractive as one could be, and her dress was made of an otherwordly material, with golden accents along the seams and cuffs, and cutouts for her shoulders, navel and elbows. The dress ended just a little bit above the floor, just enough for it to not drag along and get dirty, and she was not wearing footwear of any kind.

She confidently walked down the staircase with her gaze glued to Karamir. Her voice was soft yet firm. ”I’m Li’Kalla, Patron Goddess of the Faithful. Kalmar never mentioned your divinity to me before, which leads me to believe you may have ascended recently. How did you obtain divinity? Does it have to do with the slight scent of Kalmar’s aura that I detect around you?”

”It does,” Karamir nodded slightly. ”Kalmar… is dead. His last act was to pass his divinity on to me.” He then realized his words had been emotionless. He was so used to delivering the news...

Li’Kalla furrowed her brow and came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. ”He’s dead? May I ask for details on what brought on his death, if it’s not too fresh a memory?”

”Not too long ago, meteors and strange decaying energies started falling from the sky. It went on for… a few days, I think. I’m not sure. I was unconscious for a lot of it. Do you remember that?”

”I do. Luckily none fell on the Capital, but other areas were heavily affected to the north and northeast. Did one of the meteors cause Kalmar’s death?” Li’Kalla asked with a subtle tilt of her head.

He shook his head. His voice sounded almost hollow. ”No. Kalmar tried to stop it. A creature named Abraxus had taken over Orvus’s sphere. Kalmar fought it. He managed to free Orvus, and put a stop to the decaying energy, but in the end Abraxus was able to wound him. Ashalla and Arae arrived, but it took Orvus giving up his divinity in order to destroy Abraxus. Arae brought Kalmar back to me, and… I already told you what happened after that.”

Li’Kalla crossed her arms and sighed, ”He died a heroic death, I see. As expected of a man of his disposition. I see you’ve grown used to giving the news of Kalmar’s death, or shall I say, grown weary of it, so let’s discuss something else. For example, the reason behind your visit… But first, follow me.”

With that, Li’kalla turned and walked to one of the locked doors all around the foyer. As she drew closer to it, it opened and light washed out from the room. It was a kitchen outfitted with a countertop and stools. ”Take a seat while I prepare some local tea for us.”

Karamir starred at the room in puzzlement - nothing in the Palace had looked like this - but then assumed that the stools were one of the ‘seats’ she was referring to, and so he approached one and sat down.

Li’Kalla pulled the sleeves of her dress up a little and fished around a large cabinet for some time, before pulling out a rough clay pot and setting it down on the counter, then a tea strainer and two ceramic cups.

Next, she filled a strange contraption with water from another strange contraption, and the flurry of activity became confusing enough to ignore. Instead Karamir took to studying literally anything else - the ceiling, the other furniture, Li’Kalla herself...

Eventually, though, Li’Kalla held two cups of how tea in her hands, a wide grin on her face and a skip to her step as she practically floated over to the countertop where Karamir was sitting, and sitting opposite to him after setting down his cup of unsweetened tea in front of him.

She took a sniff of her tea and let out a gasp of delight, “Aah~ I made it well this time. Memories really can be useful sometimes! Please try it, Karamir!”

Karamir took the cup in hand and eyed it with some level of caution. After all, Kalmar had told him a story which involved this very drink, and the drink itself had not been described as pleasant. However, Kalmar had also told him the consequences of expressing distaste for the drink, and Karamir realized he could not refuse: not if he wanted this meeting to go well.

”Thank you,” he said simply, before taking a sip. He was… pleasantly surprised by the taste. It was not bad as it had been described, but while it was pleasant it was not overwhelmingly so. ”It’s good,” he said with a nod.

Li’Kalla grinned and nodded, then took a sip of her own tea and relaxed. ”Yes, so about the reason behind your visit…?”

”I came to find out what happened to those who followed you here. The Vallamir back on Kalgrun were spreading strange stories, and it turns out none of them were true,” Karamir said with a shrug.

”As is usually the case with mortal rumours. You must have confirmed the fate of these Vallamir and Valthumir a while ago, so why have you come to me?” She asked and took another sip of her drink.

Karamir furrowed his brow. ”Valthumir? What’s that?”

”Those with pure blood, showing Streaks of Divinity such as white hair, grey eyes… In the case of men, strong jawlines and lean muscle with a lot of explosive strength potential. In the case of females relatively prominent hips and ample stores of energy… There’s more, but they haven’t been disclosed yet and won’t be until the Faithful evolve some more.” Li’Kalla smiled and pointed at herself, ”I possess almost all of the Streaks.”

“What makes them pure, exactly?” he asked with a slight tilt of his head.

Li’Kalla’s smile faded, ”I’m not sure. I believe the answer lies within my memories, but those are sealed away for now.”

”Oh,” Karamir was surprised. ”You can’t access your memories?”

”Not without side effects at least. Courtesy of the Architect. It doesn’t bother me.” She shrugged.

”I lost my memory once,” Karamir revealed. ”Abanoc, the God of Recording, and Mnemosyne, his Avatar, helped fix it. If you decide you want your memory back, and you’re willing to trust them, they might be able to help you?”

Li’Kalla furrowed her brow, ”Yes, thank you for telling me. It is not the time yet, however.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but decided not to press the issue further. ”Anyway… I came to you specifically, because the Vallamir kept telling me to go to you. They didn’t trust me, and wouldn’t answer all my questions.”

”I see. So, what are your questions?”

”What disagreement caused Shengshi to curse these lands?” came the first, and in his eyes, the most important question.

”I called him a deviant for encouraging unnatural behaviours, and he saw it fit to cause pain to mortals that had said nothing.” Li’Kalla sighed.

”What sort of unnatural behaviors?” he asked next, wondering just what exactly was unnatural in a world that was mostly handcrafted.

Li’Kalla shifted on her seat with small frown on her face, before drinking all the contents of her cup and looking straight into Karamir’s eyes. ”Encouraging sexual and romantic practices that do not normally produce offspring.”

Karamir was momentarily taken aback. ”Is… is that it?”

Li’Kalla nodded, ”Yes, he cursed the land and indirectly cause the death of hundreds of mortal children that had nothing to do with the issue because of it.”

His eyes widened further. He could not believe it. ”Because you disagreed over…” His head swam. ”That… that’s madness…” He whispered.

”He’s a God that chose a physical form mixing animal with humanoid. If that is not a sign of derangement…” Li’Kalla sighed, placed her elbows on the counter and rested her head on the palms of her hands.

“Wait... why does his form matter?”

Li raised an eyebrow, ”A Divine should be the prime example-setter for their followers. Physical forms count into it, so if your example is that of a deviant’s fantasy of a slithering reptile mixed with vaguely humanoid characteristics - an example that no mortal can try to reasonably strive to achieve - then there’s no point to that specific form and is therefore a sign of either derangement or excessive self-absorption.”

”But… what if he created a species of humanoid reptiles? What then?” Karamir asked, his confusion only deepening.

”Has he created such a species? I do not believe so. Therefore he’s simply a deviant. Such a shame for our Divine roster to be so… Strange. Ashalla was quite nice however, I loved the thematic implications of her chosen form. An Ocean Goddess that is the Ocean itself? Perfection. I do wonder if she allows substances foreign to water inside her body, however.” Li’Kalla hummed as she scratched the side of her nose.

”I don’t know if Shengshi created such a species or not,” Karamir admitted. ”But if he did… would you no longer consider him a deviant? His opinions on… other issues… aside?”

The Goddess rolled her eyes, ”He’d still be an individual that is capable of killing hundred of babies because he didn’t like a few words, and he’d still be encouraging unnatural acts, so he’d still be a deranged, dangerous, deviant entity. If he was a mortal and lived on this land my faithful would have culled him long ago...”

Karamir sighed. ”But if he hadn’t done those things. If his appearance was the only issue. And he then went on to create a species that looked like him. What then?”

She pursed her lips, and then, with difficulty, spoke, ”Then… He’d be… Okay, I think?” She shrugged.

”So, if everything Kalmar told me was true, there was once a time when Galbar had no land and no life. Just the gods. Does that mean that, back then, all of the gods were deviants?”

”If nothing is established, there can be no deviancy. Tell me, how many species now, eons after creation, reproduce homosexually while two sexes exist? That is my point.”

”Kalmar once told me of a woman named Hermes,” Karamir mused. ”She and another woman gave birth to an entire species, which had males as well as females. That woman was Xiaoli, a creation of Sheng…” he paused to see Li’Kalla glaring at him. ”Oh.”

After a moment, she shivered and shook her body. ”I’m aware. Shards of my memories persist and I believe I used to know Hermes, so it disgusts me to know I laid my hands on a deviant’s skin.”

Karamir maintained a diplomatic expression. ”I can see how you might find that… unusual… but aren’t there more important issues to be worried about?”

”Of course. I make attempts at guiding the Valthumir down a righteous path every day in this cursed land. If it weren’t for my guidance, they would have had been swallowed by the mud long ago… And I also received troubling reports from the latest exploration rites.” The winged goddess suddenly furrowed her brow and looking down at the counter.

“What kind of reports?”

Her voice was lower, ”A massive canyon of snow-covered sandstone was found by the children undergoing the rites. I knew about this canyon of course, but… Their mentor reported to me that they found strange creatures in it. While climbing down, the very sandstone warped and… ‘Encased’... One of the children, then when another went to help the first, she was ‘encased’ as well. I’m not sure what that means, and the Valthumir was shaken up so I suggested he take some time to clear his head and comfort his pupils before reporting again.”

”They’re dead, then?” Karamir blinked. ”Have you taken a look at this place yourself?”

”Most likely, considering the journey back from the north takes around two weeks for a group undergoing their exploration rites... But perhaps not. And as I mentioned, I’ve been to the location in the past, but never saw these creatures myself. In any case, we need more information before committing our divine time to this issue.”

He tilted his head. ”Won’t we be the most capable of getting this information?”

”At some point we have to let mortals prove themselves. A creature their patron Goddess has no information on, is the best opportunity to let them spread their wings.”

”Wait… did you give some of the Vallamir wings?” Karamir asked, raising an eyebrow.

Li’Kalla stared at Karamir blankly. ”No. It’s a manner of speech.”

”So, in other words…” Karamir mused, his eyebrows rising as a revelation dawned. ”You’re the only humanoid creature with the wings of a bird.”

”What are y-” Suddenly, Li’Kalla gasped, blushed and spread her wings as far as they’d go, knocking more than a few things onto the floor. Karamir leaned back, fearing his careless words had once again provoked a fight.

”Y-You! I am NOT a deviant! I just… I-I just,” She stammered, shrunk a little and looked down at her lap as she twiddled her thumbs, her wings slowly drooping a little, ”I had them from before, okay! A-And, and they’re fluffy and soft and warm, okay! A girl needs something to cuddle sometimes and I don’t really like stuffed animals, s-so… It’s not even a cuddle okay, it’s like a hug. A big warm feathery hug. NOT a deviant.”

Karamir relaxed, as a mixture of amusement and pity flowed through him. He fought to stifle a grin, and just barely succeeded. ”I’m sorry,” he said, sincerely, before another idea struck him. ”Though maybe that’s not such a bad idea. Giving some of them wings. It would make travel or exploration easier. And, it will prevent others from coming to that... conclusion.”

Li’Kalla’s crimson blush kept on strong as she brought one of her wings forward and caressed it gently while avoiding Karamir’s gaze. ”N-No. They can’t have wings. The only way they shall attain flight is by bending the world to their wills or by the use of advanced, futuristic technology.”

”Hmm. That’s disappointing.” Karamir got off the stool. ”Do you mind if I take a closer look?”

Li’Kalla shrunk a little bit more and her voice came out shaky as she looked at Karamir through bangs of her pure white hair, ”O-Of course, I don’t mind. Go ahead. C… Confirm it for yourself...” And so she shakily extended her wings again and straightened her back.

Karamir walked toward her and reached out a hand to touch one of her wings. ”Similar softness to my cloak,” he observed. ”Only warmer. Probably because you’re actually alive. Hmm… do your arms make flying difficult? Most flying creatures don’t have to deal with those.”

Li’Kalla shook her wing a little with a small gasp, but now she had relaxed somewhat. ”Umm, no, I know how to use them just fine. I guess I learned that basic stuff before.”

“Hmm… most gods can fly without wings. So that brings up the question: do you need your wings to fly? If not, do they make flying easier? Or are they just for appearance and comfort?”

”Huh? In my case I could only float very slowly if I tried to fly without using my wings.”

”I see…” Karamir said, withdrawing his hands. ”Hmm. I’d think about growing some wings myself, but I already have this cloak…”

Li’Kalla frowned and puffed out her cheeks. ”Don’t be a copycat. If anything I think leathery bat wings would suit you better.”

“They would likely be more durable, yes,” Karamir nodded thoughtfully. “But… why don’t you want anyone to copy you? You said being different was a bad thing.”

She crossed her arms and huffed, ”Hmph! Traits like these are best passed down through natural means rather than simple copying, okay?”

“What sort of natural means?” Karamir furrowed his brow. She had already said that she would not grant them wings herself, so how could…

”BREEDING of course!” Li’Kalla interrupted his train of though, her previous mood thrown to the wind and replaced by a wide childlike grin and a starry pair of eyes, ”Oh, breeding! That’s the proper way of passing down traits both good and bad, it is the one thing you can control that has long-term, very palpable effects on everyone… Oh, oh, I really really really like thinking about it… How I can so easily fine tune what I tell my Faithful about proper breeding practices and watch the results in their offspring. Did you notice the children running along the streets outside, Karamir?” She asked breathily, leaning over the counter with her wings furled tightly against her body but still shaking in barely contained excitement, ”Did you see how many of them had true Streaks of Divinity, and how the Vallamir and Valthumir do not mingle even in their early lives? Oh, so beautiful! I only wish I could find someone acceptable to breed with…”

Karamir’s cheeks reddened slightly. ”Oh… that’s what you meant… I um…”

Li’Kalla sighed happily and went back to resting her head on her palms, looking up at the ceiling dreamily for a few moments before looking back at Karamir, ”Ah… But what can a girl do. There’s no one of my status that I can consider a potential mate. What about you, do you have a mate, Karamir? Maybe a gal that you want to take for yourself? Oh gosh, perhaps you might have taken a liking to one of my girls here… I can pull some strings and plan out the rituals for you, if you want! We have some fertility enhancing herbs as well that I think you two could use...”

Karamir’s eyes widened. “Wh-what? No. I don’t… er… well, I thought about… um...” He stopped talking and took a deep breath. ”Can we talk about something else?” he suddenly asked.

Li’Kalla tilted her head and looked at him blankly, before a smirk slowly seeped onto her face. ”Oh, oh, no Karamir. See a male is supposed to say things without worrying about others, they’re supposed to take whatever they want whenever they want as long as it’s within the limits set by their superiors, and as long as it’s in the best interests of their mate and offspring. See, Karamir, you have to be more confident! Tell me who you want to take as your mate! I might be able to help you seduce her! I am a girl after all so I can give you advice, hehe.” She said with a giggle.

”Um… you wouldn’t know her…” he said nervously. ”She… saved my life once, and we seemed to get along. But I’m not completely sure I want… or that she wants…”

”It… Doesn’t really matter what she wants however, as long as you’re of the same status. So just get her father’s approval and take her, if you want her. She’ll be happy that someone wants her.”

Karamir looked at her with genuine befuddlement. ”It… does matter what she wants. I can’t force her to do anything, nor would I want to. Is that how things are done here?”

Li’Kalla rolled her eyes and sighed, ”Ah, you ruined the mood. I don’t really want to help you find a mate any longer. Good luck, though. Your offspring will probably be quite healthy, if you do get to that level with a female.”

”Why don’t you let women have a choice in who they mate with?” Karamir asked. ”You, yourself, are a woman.”

Li’Kalla blushed slightly and bit her lip, ”Well, uhm, It’s just how it is. I want a proper male with good features to make me his mate. I don’t want to have a say in the matter, as it should be. I’m just a female, and he’s going to be risking his life to protect me and our children so I want him to feel like he can do anything.”

”That doesn’t make sense,” Karamir objected. ”You’re deciding that you don’t have a say… yet with that decision you’re also proving that you do. It’s contradictory. You’re one of the strongest beings in existence. You always have a say, whether you choose to use it or not.”

”Hey, it’s not my fault I’m a Goddess. I’m just another girl who wants a strong man. If a proper Valthumir God would rise and force his decision upon me I would be thrilled. There’s no better fantasy I can think of… Well, not proper ones at least. Aah… It really stirs my soul.” She said with a small shiver.

“What if this hypothetical god is cruel, or abusive? What then?”

She blushed deeper and let out a steamy breath.

His eyes widened in horror. ”Wait… you don’t really want…”

Li’Kalla perked up and shook her head vigorously, narrowing her eyes, ”O… Of course not! That’d… That’d be… Improper, wouldn’t it?” She muttered, breath still heavy to some extent.

Karamir sighed. He regained his composure, and when he spoke again, his was quiet. “Take it from me. I spent years travelling with someone. Before you get any ideas, it’s nothing like the type of relationship we’re talking about. So, this ‘someone’ did everything in their power to hurt me and keep my life miserable. Others in my place might have been driven to death or madness. I stayed with them only because I believed I had no other choice.” He shook his head, and when he spoke again, his voice was full of resolve. “Yet the day I finally chose to leave them, to make my own decisions and carve out my own fate, was one of the greatest days of my life.”

”Huh...” Li’Kalla nodded, ”I mean, yes. But also… You wouldn’t understand what a fragile, little girl like me feels like. I want to be protected, I want to be someone’s treasure…! I can’t feel like that if my mate is scared that embracing be a bit too roughly might hurt me. Ugh...”

”They won’t think that if you show them you’re strong and capable of protecting yourself, won’t they?” Karamir countered. “You can be protected, while still being capable of protecting yourself. And you can be treasured, while still being capable of making your own decisions. Those are good traits to pass on to your offspring, aren’t they?”

Li’Kalla squinted her eyes at him, and after a few moments sighed and shrugged, ”You’re… Not completely wrong, I suppose. This is too deep a conversation for acquaintances to be having, however. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?”

Karamir thought for a moment. ”There is,” he said. ”Did a Foreas woman who called herself Silver or Ami come here?”

She suddenly glared at Karamir. ”No Ami has come here. You never met a Silver either, she doesn’t exist.”

”What?” Karamir asked, his brows falling back into their furrowed state.

”You never met her, do you understand? You may have met an Ami, but not a Silver.”

He squinted in suspicion. ”Why?”

Li’Kalla rolled her eyes, ”So, anything else you wish to discuss?”

”There is another question I have,” Karamir nodded guardedly. ”Why did you help create the Vallamir?”

”Of course, to ensure that this world had a civilization capable of defending itself. To ensure that they’re strong and can destroy our… Enemies?” She furrowed her brow and rubbed her temples, ”Must be a part of my memories...”

Karamir frowned. ”You seem to be making a lot of decisions without being certain as to why. Are you sure that’s a wise idea?”

”I have confidence in my instincts. It is better to act and regret than to sit on the sidelines and always wonder what could’ve been.”

”You know how I said I once lost my memory?” Karamir asked. ”I didn’t lose all of it. I still had bits and pieces. I jumped to incorrect conclusions, and said things I regret.” he shook his head, then looked her straight in the eye. ”If Abanoc had not restored my memory when he did, I would have done things I would later regret as well.”

Li’Kalla took in a deep breath, and then slowly opened her eyes to stare coldly at Karamir. ”You misunderstand your position. The state of my mind, body and soul are none of your business. I have already told you my stance on my memories. Do not push your luck.”

He looked as if he was about to say something more, but stopped himself. ”I am sorry if I have given offense.” he told her instead. He stepped back toward the counter, picked up his cup of tea, and took another sip. Li’Kalla waited for him to finish his drink and after he drained the last of the cup, he stood up. ”I’ll be going, then,” he said, and walked out of the kitchen.

”I trust you won’t get lost finding the way out. Good fortune on your travels, Karamir.” The Goddess said as she herself stood up and began collecting the cups and utensils to be washed.

---

---

It would never be a sight one could adjust to - the waves upon waves of Nebulites coming out of the woods to settle on the beach. Dreamer performers typically didn’t have stage fright, but then again, crowds of this size had never been witnessed before. Sheepish tuning of instruments became deafened by the growing host of starry-skinned giants, and the singers wondered for a moment if they would even be heard at all.

General Ming scanned the bright crowd from the city ramparts, a hand resting grimly on the pommel of her sword. Beside her, Wenbo gave a silenced cough. “General,” he added after.

“My lord,” Ming replied in greeting. A pause followed.

“Will there be issues, you think?” Wenbo asked, a pinch of worry trickling into his voice. Ming frowned.

“It’s hard to say. Never before have I seen a number of people like this in one place. The lady Arya assured me that they would be civil, but…”

Wenbo looked at her sideways. “But?”

“... But nothing is certain, my lord. My guards will keep our people as safe as they can - it should be easier considering the children have been put in bed.”

“A very sound plan, by the way. Imagine keeping an eye on the toddlers in -that-!”

Ming cringed at the thought. “Please don’t make me think of it, my lord.”

The crowds seemed to slow down in front of the band. They were no doubt nearly fully accounted for. The celebrations could begin any moment. The general turned and gave Wenbo a bow. “I will give our guards one more run-through of the plan before we begin, my lord. Good luck.”

“And to you, general,” Wenbo responded before Ming went back down from the ramparts. He remained there for a moment longer, soaking in every detail of the star-people. They were fascinating, truly - to look so much like the heavens above, yet to also be a living, breathing creature; they could also fly, as demonstrated by a number of those who couldn’t get a proper spot. The dreamer lord prayed a silent prayer to Moksha above before he began making his way down to the beach.

---

“Arya? Arya?” Wenbo called. He stood in front of the band players and singers, all of whom were now soaked with nervous sweat. The lord eyed the front of the crowd, grumpily reminding himself to bring Babble along should he face a foreign crowd again.

The tall demigoddess appeared not long after he called for her. Now she wore a familiar dress of purple swirls and stars. Her hair done up in a bun with two strands falling down either side of her face. She smiled excitedly at Wenbo as she approached.

"Hello again!" she said walking over to him.

Wenbo sighed in relief and stepped over to meet her. “Oh, there you are. Fantastic. Has everyone arrived, then?”

She nodded gleefully. "Indeed they have, but do tell, where is my dear sister?" Arya asked, looking around.

“Ai? She was just here, I could’ve sworn--”

“Arya!” came a gentle, joyous voice and out of the corner of their eyes, Ai approached with a wide grin. She wore hanfu robes of red and her hair was wrapped in a disk on the back of her head. She held her arms out in a greeting embrace. “My sister, how’ve you been?”

"Ai!" Arya exclaimed happily. She then returned her embrace warmly and let out a little sigh. "I'm better now." she purred. "How are you?" she asked pulling away but still holding onto Ai.

“Oh, you know how it is - grandchildren, other children and manchildren - all a woman’s responsibility.”

Wenbo blinked. “H-hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, dear.”

Arya giggled again and smiled warmly at the two of them. "This brings back so many fond memories. Ah, those were simpler times." she mused. She then turned to Wenbo, "When will the performance begin?"

“Whenever everyone’s ready, I suppose,” Wenbo mumbled and gave Ai a shrug. She nodded back.

“Well, I vote for starting, then.”

Arya also nodded. "Oh I'm so excited! I'll go tell everyone to keep quiet!" she said before flying off.

Wenbo smacked his lips wordlessly in thought. Ai poked his shoulder and his eyes slowly shifted to her. “Shall I tell them to start?” she asked. After a moment, Wenbo nodded.

“I’ll have Ming keep a tight watch. Some of these look a little…” He hummed. “Anyway, you go on ahead.”

Ai nodded and went off to the band. After a brief second, Wenbo followed suit.

---

In lieu of a welcoming announcement, the Dreamer lord instead greeted everyone with a gentle whistle of his flute. The language barrier was thick, but music was a universal joy, he reasoned. The other players followed suit, and soon a neat little warm-up tune was playing. It was soft and gentle to the the ear, flutes, drums and harps coming together to form a neat little tune.

The nebulite host, which sat upon the beach and floated in the air, stared with curious eyes and a mix of expressions ranging from awe to surprise. Many whispered amongst themselves but most were content to just listen and experience what the strangers had brought.

Arya sat amongst the children, who laughed and giggled while remaining as quiet as they could be. Her own expression was thoughtful and here eyes were shut as she hummed along.

Feeling confident with the mood, the band looked upon one another with relief. The flutes and harps quieted and the men took the centre stage. For a moment, there was silence. Then, like hooves of tree-eaters, hands started to hammer the drums in with a step-like beat. The twangs of a two-stringed guitar quickly followed. The beat was joyous and lively, and was soon accompanied by throat-singing vocalists beating tambourines with small copper bells on them. The throat-singing was high pitched at first, then one of the singers broke into a flute-like whistle that was almost unnatural to the ear, considering he didn’t actually play a flute.

Arya began to clap in praise, followed by the children and then the surrounding Nebulites as they listened with wide eyes to the strange throat singing. Arya soon stopped clapping but most of the other Nebulites lacked the social cue to follow suite so the Demigoddess stood up quickly and turned around, using her hands to settle the crowd back to silence as the Dreamers continued.

In the midst of a particularly high note, a scream followed, sending an audible gap through the crowd as people turned to look at what caused the commotion. Arya stood up and her eyes fell upon a bloodied nebulite, his white blood flowing from fresh wounds. The music immediately stopped and multiple singers gasped in horror.

Arya quickly flew over to him, with supernatural speed, catching him before he could fall.

"My goddess… They came…" his breath raspy before his eyes shut. She looked at his back, finding a large crude gash upon his skin. Nebulites gathered around her as they watched. She dropped the man softly upon the sands and stood up.

"Knights! To arms!" She shouted, and several nebulites broke from the crowd, rushing back into the forest. Arya then issued several other commands before floating back to Wenbo and the Dreamers, her face sad.

"It's … it's not safe here for you." she whispered, head low.

Wenbo pocketed his flute. “W-what do you mean? Who’s coming?”

"Creatures of cruelty. Fighters and flesh eaters. I will not have your people die by staying." she said.

Wenbo swallowed and the band players already hastened to pack up their equipment. Ai came over and took Arya by the hand, squeezing it worriedly. “Will you be alright, Arya? Promise me you and your people will be alright.”

Arya returned the squeeze, looking to Ai. ”Most have been trained how to defend themselves, some have been trained how to protect. Do not worry for us. I… I love the both of you, with all my heart. This will… I hope, not be the last time I see you upon this earth.” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

Wenbo and Ai looked at one another. “H-hey, it’s… It’s not like we’re going anywhere. We’ll keep in touch, alright? Just make sure you live through this,” Wenbo said and grabbed her hand as well.

”O-Of course.” she sniffled. ”I’m just being sentimental. Don’t hesitate to pray to me, I’ll answer. Anytime.”

They embraced each other and soon, the Dreamers were once more back in their city and Chuanwang swam off to the distant seas. But Arya had not waited to watch them leave, instead, she was already gone- Back into the jungle. Back into danger.

When Hujaya awoke, it was to deep, reverberating notes which sounded like distant peals of thunder and the crackling of a fire closer by. Warmth irradiated the side of her face, competing with the mucus running from her eyes. She felt a fur blanket draped on top of her with Delfon snuggled into her arms, breathing softly. Behind her, laying against her body, was the familiar feel of Kaleo, who was also sleeping.

Hujaya opened her eyes blearily. The reddish glow of a fire was just outside her peripheral vision. The sky was the blue-grey of dawn, with clouds and smoke obscuring the stars above. She opened her eyes a bit wider and carefully moved her head to look around. She saw selka, some sleeping, some sitting vigil beside the dying. A faint colourful glow came from an alma perched near the camp, although she was pretty sure it was a different alma to the one she had seen previously. A campfire was not far from Hujaya. A hunter sat beside it, tending to the flames, his bow lying nearby. And across from the fire was Sulingu, her eyes closed as she softly strummed chords of thunder.

Very carefully Hujaya wormed her way out from between Delfon and Kaleo. She rubbed her eyes then crawled over to the campfire. "Good morning," she said.

The hunter gave her a brief glance. "Morning."

Sulingu did not open her eyes, but she said with a slight smile, "You're up early."

Hujaya cocked her head and gave a little smile in return. "And you're up late."

Sulingu's chest quivered briefly in a silent tired laugh. Hujaya continued, "I should take over and let you rest."

"Eat and drink first. I can go a little longer," Sulingu answered.

Hujaya climbed to her feet and cast her gaze about the camp. The hunter by the fire lifted up a dried gourd from his hip to Hujaya. "Here."

Hujaya reached out and took the gourd. "Thanks." She lifted the opening to her lips and drank of the water within. When she had slaked her thirst she returned to water gourd to the hunter.

"The food is stored over there," the hunter said, twisting around to point towards the chieftain's tent. "I'm heading out soon to find some more."

"Thank you," Hujaya replied. She walked towards the tent and through the opening. Inside was Lilut kneeling beside his father, who lay there with skin blackened and eyes softly glowing while staring blankly upwards. Wetness running down the sides of the marred selka's face and remnants of mashed food around his lips revealed that someone had tried to feed him. Lilut held his father's hand silently and looked up at Hujaya's entrance with weary eyes.

"Oh, sorry, I was just..." Hujaya started to say, glancing over to the stockpiles on the other side of the tent.

Lilut waved a hand. "No, it's... go ahead." Lilut turned his attention back to his father.

Hujaya hesitated for a few moments then went to sit beside Lilut, sharing in his vigil. Lilut did not move, but he did soften. They sat silently for a few minutes, with the only sounds being the Lightning Lyre, the crackle of the campfire, and the chieftain's breath growing fainter and less frequent. Then Lilut broke the silence. "Thank you." Hujaya looked to the boy, who continued, "Thank you for helping us. You and Sulingu and Kaleo."

Hujaya looked away from Lilut and down to the dying chieftain. "I only wish I could have done more."

A rattling breath came from the selka. "Father!" Lilut exclaimed and leaned down to put his face beside his father's. The selka sank into his bedding, his eyes dimmed and his head rolled limply to the side. Lilut sobbed and a fresh wave of tears flowed from his eyes. Tears welled up in Hujaya's eyes and dropped to the dirt.

There was movement at the entrance to the tent. The alma walked up to the recently deceased selka, dipped its head towards the body and began to glow. Wisps of faint blue light danced through the air above the body and coalesced into one of the sockets on the alma's frame. Lilut reached out to touch the soul crystal of his father, although Hujaya's brow furrowed as she noted the odd colouration of this crystal. A few similar crystals were already embedded into the alma.

Behind the alma came those selka who were awake. Each of the members of the tribe came in, laid a comforting hand on Lilut's shoulder while looking over at the chieftain's body and at the alma who stood impassively beside it, then moved on to allow the next person their turn. Hujaya took her leave at this point, going over to the food stockpile. She noted how little food was left and gave a worried glance over to the people of Lilut's tribe - for they were indeed his tribe now. Hujaya took a fistful of nuts and a few strands of dried kelp and walked out of the tent.

Sulingu was standing there, softly strumming the lyre and peering in through the crowd. Exchanged looks of sorrow were enough to tell her what had occurred. Together they walked back to the campfire and sat down. Hujaya ate her meagre meal while Sulingu continued to play the song which kept the Mar motes at bay. They watched the hunter leave the chieftain's tent, grab his bow and arrows and solemnly set out from the camp. Soon Hujaya had finished her meal. Sulingu and Hujaya performed the change-over of the Lightning Lyre, and Sulingu went to find somewhere to sleep while Hujaya played the lyre into the new day.

---

The day wore on with the constant background of the Lightning Lyre's inescapable music. More of the marred passed away during the day. The alma from the morning departed with a full collection of soul crystals and another one of the prismatic birds took its place. Many of the mourning selka spent the day performing the funeral rites on the bodies. Pits were dug in the sand of the beach, the bodies lowered into them, and the graves filled back in with a few stones laid on top to mark them. The Stormbards provided music for the burials and Hujaya gave some words of comfort.

As evening came, a new issue presented itself to the tribe. The hunter, whose name was Karaji, had not returned and food stocks were dwindling. A few selka went out fishing and returned with a small catch, but not nearly enough to feed the whole tribe. Many selka went to sleep hungry.

The following morning Karaji returned. He brought with him the bodies of a few marred animals, no better than carrion, but also another tribe of selka. Chieftain Lilut and the other selka went to meet them. That tribe was in a similar situation to Lilut's tribe - their territory had been overrun by the Mar plague and many of their number had been afflicted. Yet when they heard the music and saw the circling storm, they decided to seek the source since it promised safety from the plague. They were quite happy to discover the Stormbards here.

Karaji and the new tribe gave some good news. Bushfires lit by the fire birds had burned away the marred forests and pushed the plague far away. After much deliberation and careful consideration, Hujaya, Sulingu and Kaleo decided to stop playing the Lightning Lyre since the Mar plague was no longer a threat. But the new arrivals brought with them a new problem.

"I wanna food!"

Hujaya sighed wearily. "We don't have any food for you."

Delfon stamped his foot. "Wanna food! Wanna food!"

As Delfon threw his tantrum, Hujaya looked out across the camp. All the regular food had been eaten. There was the meat from the creatures which had succumbed to the Mar motes, yet it was also blackened with blotches of white and grey such that no one believed it to be safe to eat. But if they could not find more food soon they would be forced to either find out or starve. The selka were able to catch some fresh fish from the sea, but the sea was almost as diminished as the land.

After Hujaya had managed to calm Delfon, she went to talk to Kaleo and Sulingu. "We have to help these people."

Kaleo stroked his whiskers thoughtfully, then suggested, "We could catch them some food. But the tricky part is that the plague has killed all the food nearby."

"Then we move the tribe. They-" Hujaya hesitated for a moment, then pushed on. "They don't have any reason to stay any more."

"We could go up-beach, the way we came," Sulingu suggested, "The fire-birds burnt down the diseased forest, and it shouldn't be that far to where we were before finding the plague."

Hujaya considered it for a few moments. "Delphina-willing, we should be able to find some food there. She would not leave us to starve. Let us tell the chief."

The Stormbards went to Lilut with their plan, who called in Karaji the hunter to hear the plan too. They all agreed that this was the best course of action. The call was made for everyone to pack up camp and the tribe was ready to move a little while later. The selka walked and swam up-beach, carrying their tents, bedding and few belongings with them. They walked past a dead forest, marred and burned. Eventually, the trees were just burned, with no evidence of the plague. Then, finally, they found greenery. Yet their stomachs were still grumbling and their legs were growing weary; they still had to find enough food to feed everyone.

The Stormbards, Karaji and a couple other hunters split off from the rest of the tribe to go hunting. Hujaya strummed a single chord on the Lightning Lyre and a few squalls arrived seconds after the reverberating note. To keep the squalls nearby, Sulingu played her flute, Kaleo tapped on a drum, and Hujaya played on Sulingu's lyre.

Karaji gave the Stormbards a skeptical look. "How is that noise going to help us catch any food?"

"I am yet to find a beast who can outrun the wind itself," Hujaya answered.

Karaji looked to the swirling wisps of cloud and wind, then back to Hujaya. "I hope you're right," he said, before turning his attention back to the terrain around him.

They walked for another hour or two through the forests until they found a trail. Trampled grasses and snapped branches revealed that a herd of large mammals had moved through here recently, likely fleeing the fires. Karaji knelt down by the tracks and inspected them carefully. "Boars. Quite a few of them. They probably aren't too far. It could be dangerous, though, since boars are quite aggressive."

"We have Delphina's strength on our side. We can handle a few boars," Hujaya answered. Karaji did not answer but followed the trail, with the others following behind him.

After about another hour, they heard the grunts of boars up ahead. The hunters went ahead of the Stormbards to investigate, then returned with their report. "There's at least four of them, probably more."

Hujaya nodded as she continued to play the lyre. "We'll circle around to surround them, then set the squalls on them. You can then finish them off once they've been brought down."

Karaji's eyes widened. "All of them? That's-" He shook his head. "Fine. You've known what you've been doing this far."

Kaleo set out to the left while Sulingu circled out right, each taking a squall with them. Hujaya stayed put and waited for a shrill flute note from Sulingu a few minutes later, signalling their advance. Their music picked up from a gentle ditty to a more energetic tune. The treetops rustled as the squalls were stirred into action. Hujaya walked forwards until she could see the boars, as well as Kaleo and Sulingu on the far side of the herd. The boars noticed the three selka approach and the weather close in and were beginning to move when Kaleo struck his drum hard and the song began.

Kaleo and Hujaya sang out, their voices meeting in harmony and driving the squalls forwards with a terrifying surge of wind. The gale threw the boars off balance, then when the squalls reached Sulingu she danced in a circle, sweeping the squalls around her and sending them back as one towards the boars. The mighty wind picked up one of the boars and hurled it high over Hujaya's head into the forest behind them with a crash. The squalls split around Hujaya and circled the singer once before being sent rushing at another boar who was thrown into a tree with a squeal. One of the panicking boars charged towards Kaleo, yet a drum roll and baritone note intercepted the boar head-on with the squalls, sending the boar tumbling head over tail.

The squalls continued to bounce between the three Stormbards, their forceful winds hurling the boars about like leaves until none were left standing. The hunters killed the battered boars by knife and spear, then as the Stormbards were calming down the squalls to send them away Karaji said, "That was terrifying, but you've impressed me."

Hujaya motioned for Karaji to wait. Only after the squalls had been safely sent away did Hujaya answer. "I told you we had Delphina's strength."

"I don't doubt that. It's not the sort of hunting Arryn taught us, but by Kirron it's effective."

Each selka picked up one of the boars and they walked back to where they had left the tribes. It was approaching evening by the time they returned. The selka cheered when they saw the hunters and Stormbards return with a bountiful haul of boar. Karaji set down his boar, got the tribe to gather up some firewood, then sat down with his bow, a straight stick and a concave rock to light a fire. Hujaya and Kaleo set down their boars and reunited with Delfon, who had been left in the care of Lilut's tribe. Delfon was happy to see his parents, but more happy about seeing that they had brought food and it was all Hujaya and Kaleo could do to make Delfon wait for the food to be cooked first before eating it.

Soon a fire was lit, which was spread into multiple fires. The boars were butchered and their meat roasted over the open flames. Lilut approached the Stormbards and said, "Thank you. This should be enough food to feed us all for many days, more than enough to establish ourselves here. You have our gratitude."

Hujaya smiled sadly and bowed her head. "Thank you. It was the least we could do, and only by the power of Delphina."

Kaleo heard Hujaya's tone and put a hand on Hujaya's arm. "We can't do everything," he said softly.

Lilut said, "I know you wanted to do more, but you have done all that you could, and that is more than we could have hoped for on our own."

Lilut walked over to one of the cooking fires and collected a piece of roast pork. He hoisted the meat above his head and announced to the tribes people, "I would like to dedicate this feast to Delphina and her servants, Hujaya, Kaleo and Sulingu. We have all lost much in the last few days, but if it were not for their devotion and compassion we could have lost so much more."

Lilut then proffered the meat towards Hujaya. Hujaya hesitated for a moment, then stepped forwards when nudged by Kaleo and accepted the offering. "Thank you again," Lilut said. Then he turned to the rest of the tribe and announced, "Eat!"

The selka feasted into the night, with music in the air and gratitude on their lips. Though grief still weighed heavily on their hearts, their spirits were buoyed by the fresh hope they had been given this day.

---

The pitter-patter of gentle rain blanketed the land as thunder rippled across the dark night sky. Lightning flashes were sparse and distant, an omen of the storm that was fast approaching from the south. A herald of the storm swiftly approached the old manor, a testament to time and devotion of self. Standing tall and proud the figure's crown glistened with droplets as the light of the manor illuminated his nebulite features.

The guards posted to either side exchanged looks, but before they could open their mouths to speak, the figure smiled and the desires were laid before him in the darkness. Compelled with what they wanted most, the two began to walk past him, hurrying down the path.

He then gave a knock upon the door, his heart sound in what it wanted. His mind made up, he wanted to try, even if she did not want him. Even now he wondered what had propelled him to come back? Had he missed her or simply lusted after her? He did not know. Where once he despised her, she had shown him kindness and he spat on it for one who he could no longer love. She was one of the few gods to show such kindness, in a world that despised him. And now, he had returned to her, but for what purpose?

He knew.

In the end, despite all of his wanderings and teachings to mortals, his thoughts of self and the things he had learned, he was lonely.

And he hated it.

Mortals made such poor lovers, for even if they desired him and he loved them for it, they were weak of flesh. He needed something more to quench the burning desire he had. And who better than the one he knew so well. The one who's desires were known to him.

The great wooden doors to the Manor creaked and complained under a sudden pressure. Metal scraped against wood, and soft footsteps came from the other side of the door. And then a hidden Vallamir-sized door opened in the center of one of the massive entrance doors.

Li’Kalla herself walked out, dressed impeccably and as well-groomed as always… And she had long, pointy Valthumir-esque ears. She smelled of spring and her wings were nowhere to be seen. She looked around, noticing her guards beginning to walk off into the settlement below and around the Manor, and then her eyes fixed on the familiar, tall, eye-catching entity.

“Li’Kalla…” he whispered in a voice of honey and silk.

”Do come inside, please.” She said as she turned around and walked straight back in.

He followed the Goddess inside, a content look upon his face as he watched her. “How have you been?” he asked, making small chat.

She chuckled and shrugged while walking, as graceful as ever. It almost seemed like she couldn’t be real, after all. ”I have met… New people. Perhaps I might tell you about them one day. Why are you here?” Li’Kalla asked with curiosity heavy in her voice, her words flowing out in an unseen rhythm that seemed to match the sway of her hips.

There did not come a reply for a moment, the silence between them palpable. “I think we both know…” he whispered in her ear as he floated beside her now, reaching out to grip her left wrist. Li’Kalla stopped. Breath caught in her throat, and her face and ears burned up, the latter drooping a little as she couldn’t help but avoid looking at the male leaning over her shoulder.

”...”

It happened in a flash, where once they stood in the hallway, next he had pushed her up against the closest wall. Li was pinned beneath his firm grip, and his wide glowing eyes seemed to penetrate her soul. “I know what you want. And I've been wanting this the same as you, for so very long. Do not see me for what I am, but who I can be... For you. Only then can your heart be content. Only then will you let your desires blossom. Trust me. You've chained yourself down for so long. Become free.” he said, breath warm and sweet as he moved his head closer to hers.

Her breath came in rapid bursts, her heartbeat quickened, and as she gulped down excess saliva in her mouth, her ears twitched and she turned her head towards that of the man’s, coyly meeting his eyes and whispering back at him. ”I, uh… I… I want to...” She trailed off, her lips slightly parted and eyes half-lidded as she took in the male’s features and as their lips slowly touched, the world melted into blissful oblivion.

---

The Goddess lied down, arms wrapped as far as they’d go around the chest of her mate. She stared at him as he slept, at the way his chest rose and fell…

They were both nude under the sheets, something that still felt new to her even though they’d spent most of last week like that.

So she leaned her mouth in close to the man’s ear and whispered with a tinge of excitement, ”I have conceived.”

It took a moment for him to realize the gravity of her words and when he did, his eyes went wide. He sat up quickly, “W-What? You’re with child?” he said shocked. Slowly he got up out of bed and began to pace, leaving Li’Kalla wrapped up in the sheets. “It was a possibility…” he began to say. “I’m not a stranger to this but… Is this what… No… No… This is a happy moment.” But his face betrayed his words. He stopped and looked upon her. “I… I won’t be able to stay, you know that right? My curse, those interruptions, they’ll only get worse.”

Li’Kalla slowly sat up, dragging the sheets with her. She looked at him in amusement. ”You did almost burn the bed last night. You’re lucky you had me. But you shouldn’t be worried about the curse. I-I mean,” She stammered, blushing a little while shrugging nonchalantly, ”If… If it makes you decide to stay with me, I could probably break the curse for you.”

He tilted his head at her before blinking rapidly. “You would… You would do that, for me? After how I’ve treated you… In the past.” he said, briefly looking at the floor. She merely pursed her lips and looked away.

”I’ve felt at ease… This last week, at least. I don’t have any memory like this, so… Even if it’s just to have you stay for one more day, I think… I think I’d like to undo the curse binding you.”

The man walked over to the bed and sat down next to her, pulling the goddess into a warm embrace that made Li’Kalla make a happy little noise. "Of course I'd stay. I'd love that more than anything, Li." He said quietly, but with excitement in his voice. She beamed up at him and nodded, suddenly determined to see it through.

”We have to become one, in that case. I need you to allow me into your soul, that’s the only way I can think of… The only way I can get close to the knot that binds the curse to your soul.” Her grin faltered, and then she gently pulled him down to lie down on the bed with her, and laid her head next to his. ”Once you lower your defenses and let me inside, it’ll be like falling into a dreamless sleep. It won’t last long, and I promise to head straight for the knot.”

For a minute he was silent before he kissed her brow and looked back into her eyes. "Okay… Just… Please try not wander around too much. I wouldn't want to lose you in there." He said playfully. She chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck, watching him until she felt his soul unravel and open up to her senses.

A wave of nausea washed over her body once she noticed the turbulent black sludge that her mate’s soul seemed to be, but she had promised.

Slowly she let her own soul unravel enough to mingle with his and… Suddenly she found herself in a dark landscape.

There was nothing but darkness all around her, with the exception of a single shining star almost far enough to be invisible. That was her objective. She had tuned everything heavily tinged with Laurien’s essence out, and the only thing that remained visible was that blinking light in the distance…

She walked towards it. It felt like eons that she spent walking in that endless darkness. Sometimes, unseen entities and presences brushed against herself, but she ignored them and kept walking. Getting distracted now and allowing the full spectrum of Laurien’s soul to be detected by her own would be dangerous.

Eventually she arrived at it. It was a large, heart-like knot made of a translucent fiery red crystal. The void around it wavered with heat, and the surface of the ever-more-complex beating knot rippled with occasional flames, as waves in a still pond after one had thrown a stone inside.

Numerous cords extended off into the void, dissipating and becoming one with Laurien’s soul the further they went. At this, Li’Kalla grunted.

”He’s spent all this time with this thing inside his soul… Binding him to a life of running. A Family Goddess that curses a being to never be able to raise a family like one normally would… Ridiculous, isn’t it?” She chuckled, ”But this effort, the beauty of this Curse… It’s a shame I have to undo this. I really wanted to have that sleepover with you, Arae. I guess you won’t be in the mood for that after this.”

And with that Li’Kalla approached the Curse knot and began undoing it, little by little. The great heat coming from it threatened to set the Goddess ablaze, but the ever present coat of water on her skin protected her. There, inside Laurien’s soul, fire and water mixed to create a massive cloud of steam. She would never suffer from a congested nose again.

---

It had been hours. The sun had set moments ago, and Li’Kalla had watched it go, standing there on her balcony dressed in nothing but the simplest gowns. A cold breeze found its way through the open crystal doors and scratched its way across Laurien’s bare body, which was not even covered by sheets.

The man that was Laurien stirred at last, groggily coming to his senses as he lifted his head to see Li. He smiled, getting up and joining her.

"I feel as if a great burden was lifted off my shoulders and Aaldir… he says the curse is gone for good." He wrapped his arms around her and then pressed his body close to hers. "Thank you, Li'Kalla, my love." Li’Kalla smiled, closed her eyes and placed her slightly burned hands over his.

”It was nothing. I do have something to ask of you… Um, can you… Can you stay a man? If my faithful find out I’ve been with a woman I might lose their trust forever...” She asked, her smile fading away a little.

"A Valthumir man? I prefer my regular body... but for you… I can do that. Just know sometimes… I might change for a bath." He said with a chuckle.

Li’Kalla gave Laurien a peck on the lips and chuckled as well, ”Well, you can be a nebulite man if you want. It’d still be more easily explained than the female option, you know.”

"I guess we'll see what they like more." He said, kissing her on the neck. Li’Kalla squirmed a little and pressed back against the man.

”You’ve got so much energy… I like it.”

"Mhm. It's who I am… So, did everything go alright in there?" He asked softly.

She was silent for a bit, ”... Yeah, it went fine. I tuned out every superfluous bit of information, so I couldn’t peek into your dirty little secrets… Aw, and I wanted to find out your opinion on which pet is better, cats or dogs.”

“What are cats and dogs…?” he asked with a sigh of relief. Li’Kalla made a face and sighed.

”Hmph, I guess I’ll have to bring some dogs to this world. They really are the best. Furry little things with long bushy tails. They’re always happy to see you and as long as you train them properly, very disciplined as well.”

“Oh, so like the Foreas?” he mused.

Li’Kalla pursed her lips, and then spoke, ”Yeah, like the Foreas.”

And the sun set, taking with it, a curse.

---

Months passed upon the island, many blissful days enveloped with warmth and what some would call love. Li’Kalla’s belly grew all the same, with a child of divinity no doubt. The man who had been Laurien, took a new name, Rau’Lien, God of Ambition. He became known to the Valthumir not long after his child’s conception. He walked among them by her side, as the purest of Valthumir, acting the part of an ambitious god. He told them many things, many lies, but a mortal mind was a fragile thing. It needed coaxing, and it did not matter how they worshipped the one known as Laurien, only that they did. The persona of Rau, was merely a tool, one that served its purpose in the end.

Eventually, the Valthumir no longer began to question where he came from, or how Li had come to take him for her own, only that he had existed since the dawn of time with the other pantheon members, and he was to be loved, for he loved them all. It stoked their claims of superiority, pureness and ambitions. If there were two gods who shared in their beliefs, surely they were set upon the path of righteousness. Faith, was absolute and Rau was an enabler. In secret, upon many a time, he had to enact his own powers to sway them. Desire was a useful tool throughout all of it.

But upon many a night, Rau’Lien would slip away from the manor, under the cloak of darkness, and meet the Valthumir in secret, telling them dark secrets and stoking their desires and wants. He walked amongst them in his Nebulite form, for where there was light, there also needed to be darkness. The Cult of Whispers was soon founded by those most addicted to his persona and powers of want. The mortal Valthumir grew fiercely loyal to improvement, vanity, and fulfillment of their own desires- to fanatical levels. Rau gave to them many gifts, a mirror that showed their deepest desires, a pitcher of gold that poured whatever the holder’s drink of choice was(With liquids so sweet it became a drug in its own right), and several rings of amethyst. A token of membership. Such rings acted as amplifiers for ones desires, slowly pushing the wearer to extreme levels of obsession and Rau cursed them to be desired, to be worn without questioning why, as a right of passage. A passage to what, they did not know, only that the secret would come in time and they welcomed it. The cult worked in secrecy, with only whispers hiding in the light’s shadows.

Eventually, back in the light of day, Li’Kalla grew bored with the Manor, and deigned to visit the Tree. Though she gave her excuses, saying that her pet Foreas needed go back, he knew better. She wanted a change of scenery, something beautiful to look upon, to one day, show the baby and how could he deny such a request? He loved her, after all, and the child that grew within her belly. And so they went.

Sometimes, he wondered how his own children were doing. Though he missed them, they felt like a distant memory… Distant…

---

”... And then she dropped to the floor and stopped moving for hours, soaking up the sunlight. So yeah, if you get a Foreas friend don’t keep them hidden away from the sun for that long!” Li’Kalla laughed as she flew besides Rau’Lien. Laven herself was holding onto Rau for dear life, her leafy head being quite ticklish due to her constant squirming and twitching. In the distance, the Tree became visible. Quickly it became taller and bigger, big enough to reach up past the sky. Blue-winged birds flew around the Divine party in rhythm, singing their midday songs and breaking off in pairs once they flew into the Forest and slowed down.

Rau laughed heartily, no longer in his Valthumir disguise as he tried to keep Laven calm against his chest. The Foreas just wouldn’t keep still. “There it is. Exactly as I remember it!” he said loudly. “Laven, you’re home.”

Immediately upon coming under the great canopy of the Tree, Laven grew calm and looked around in wonder, even though she couldn’t see far enough. She looked at Rau and then at Li and, eventually, fell asleep in Rau’s arms. Li rolled her eyes at the Foreas girl. ”Is she actually trying to make me jealous?”

And as the last pair of bird broke off to go up into the canopy of the tree, the two deities descended and landed right in front of one of the entrances to the Eternal Tree, a multitude of light translucent insects flying off in all directions as their feet touched the grass blades.

Several hundred Foreas could be seen inside the Tree mingling and interacting with each other in many ways, and a few of them saw it fit to go up to the divines and stare at them with twitchy leaves and grins on their faces.

“Now now my dove, Laven could never replace you. She lacks a certain… Quality.” he smirked, placing her down in a bed of leaves. “Now she can be content with her kind, for a time.” He then walked over to Li, and took her hand within his own. With his free hand, he rubbed her protruding belly. “Any day now…” he murmured as Li’Kalla smiled fondly.

”It’s been a very easy pregnancy. Usually Vallamir and Valthumir females have much more difficult times than I have had. It’s great being a God, isn’t it? I can’t wait to see our child’s face. What do you think he’ll look like?” Li’Kalla asked with a tilt of her head, ignoring a foreas that came up and inspected her belly much like Rau’Lien.

“He… Or she, will probably be the most beautiful or handsome human you could ever imagine. Only after his or her mother of course.” he hummed, patting a massive Foreas male’s face as he looked at them. He had roses growing from his back.

”Aw, what a flatterer.” Li’Kalla squeezed his hand a little, ”Is that how you flatter every low-born Faithful girl you see in the Capital?” She asked with a smirk.

He shrugged. “It’s hard to resist what one dreams of. You should see their little faces, so excited. Ah, but they never do compare to you, love.” he said, giving her a quick peck on her cheek. Li’Kalla huffed quietly and then pulled on Rau’Lien’s hand as she walked into the Tree. Most of the Foreas didn’t spare them a second look, bothered mostly by the queues they’d formed along the crude stalls in the center of the ground level in the Tree.

The biggest stall was one that smelled like honey, where several foreas could be seen interacting with actual live beehives, silently laughing when bees would curiously land on their flowers and leaves. There were many others however. But Li’Kalla wasn’t interested in those.

”Rau, I created this place. Or perhaps it is better to say I gave it the power it needed to grow. And still, without any direction from my part it grew to be something so beautiful. Did you know, there is no crime here?” Li’Kalla asked her lover as she weaved through the crowd of leafy sapients, leading him further into the Tree and toward the spiral path downward at the far end.

“No crime?” Rau said, looking around. “That would make since… They all live peacefully here, with one another. It’s… Idyllic to say the least. I’m a little jealous even. To live so freely and without care, and to know that you are loved regardless of who you are and what you’ve done…” his voice drifted off for a moment, before he said, “Where are we going, anyway?”

”Below. I want to show you where they grow and where they spend their first days.” Li’Kalla said and with no delay brought him down the spiral path, through several levels.

“This place… I didn’t realize how deep down it went.” he murmured.

As they went down they saw how increasingly complex the form and shapes of the tree became. WIth roots coming through entire levels, and what seemed like normal-sized trees covering whole areas of certain levels not unlike the Eternal Forest. Most of the levels however had some sign of Foreas activity, whether they be beds of leaves, empty and occupied fun stalls, or simply petting zoo levels full of wild (non-predatory) animals. Bioluminescent strips of bark from the Eternal Tree kept the levels brightly lit, and when night washed over the land, the bioluminescence toned down to simulate moonlight.”Unbelievable, isn’t it? For a tree to have such a complex form… They’ve been left alone for most of their existence and they’re this complex already.”

“I was surprised to see them interacting with bees… but this… It is strange. They’ve been able to do so much… without hearing, or eyes, or even speaking. It’s odd to see that these mortals can be so independent and enjoy their existence all the same.” he said, squeezing her hand a little.

”it makes me think...” Li’Kalla sighed contently, going down one last level and coming upon the great Pod Chamber, where row upon row of pod was lined up against the wall of the three and in root-like growths in a maze-like circular manner around the center of the level. Most of the pods then were occupied, glowing softly and steaming a little. Bioluminescent streaks and shapes littered the walls, almost resembling artistic representations of beasts and trees and clouds, but in the end looking like a sea of squiggly light of changing color.

Li’Kalla led Rau’Lien to the center, where a small patch of forest was kept by the Tree. Dozens of plant-like animals frolicked in the small area. Forean Hounds with their bushy hyperactive tails; Forean Macaws with their strange petal-like feathers… Even bees (regular, non-planty ones) had made it into the place somehow.

Seeing her approach one of the Hounds ran up to Li’Kalla and licked her hand, then jumped over to Rau’Lien and sniffed him up and down with its tail whipping against the air.

Rau’s attention was on the room, his eyes wide with curiosity as he took it all in. He then noticed the Florean hound and asked, “When you said… Dogs… Is this what you meant?” he then bent down to stroke the creature.

Li pursed her lips, ”Well… Not entirely, but they’re quite close. The ones I was referring to are made of flesh and hair. I don’t know how these came to be honestly, but they’re quite cute so I like them anyway.” The Hound being pet by Rau panted happily and dropped down to the floor to show Rau its belly, its whole body twisting along with the wag of its tail. ”It likes you.”

Tentatively, Rau pet the hounds belly, watching it wriggle with joy. A small smile crept on his face. “Such… Simple desires.” he breathed. “All it wants is physical contact, stimulation. To be… Petted.”

Li’Kalla smirked and crossed her arms, ”Reminds me of someone.”

He glanced at her and smirked. “I could say the same, you know.” he said, standing up. “There’s even proof.” he looked at her belly, then back up to her eyes with a sly smile.

She stammered and blushed, looking away and shielding her face from his gaze, ”... N-Not entirely wrong, I guess.”

“Oh come now, you don’t have to look away.” he sighed, walking up to her and putting his hands on either side of her face. “You’re so cute when you blush, you know. It’s a shame you try to hide it all the time.”

LI’Kalla smiled sheepishly and lowered her hand, ”Well, maybe-”

There was a splashing sound as liquid spattered onto the soil.

”Huh...” Li’Kalla looked down and felt as warm liquid ran down her legs and stained into her dress. Then, in a panicked moment she looked up at Rau’Lien with wide eyes and opened her mouth to speak… Only to let out a loud grunt of pain and double over while holding her belly. ”Uuuungh… Rau… Rau!”

In an instant, Rau was holding Li and whisking her into his arms. He looked around, and saw a bed a leaves next to an empty pod. It would have to do. As he flew over to them, he spoke, “Hmm. This was not the place I thought it would happen, but it will have to do.” he said, laying her down and up against the pod. “This might sound strange, coming from a male, but I do have experience with birth.” he smirked knowingly. “Just relax as much as you can, you are a god remember. Your pain tolerance should be much higher than a mortal… Just breath Li… Just breath.” he said, preparing the area, before looking at her again. “Everything is going to be okay.”

Li’Kalla gasped and grunted as contractions came and went. For a second, amongst the sudden pain and strife, she looked at Rau’Lien and smirked, either sweat or rainwater pouring down her brow.

There was a brief flash of light and in an instant, Li’Kalla had bound and shackled her own Divinity to the deepest pits in her soul. Temporarily, her body would be as frail as a mortal’s.

Her smirk faded away as she suffered another painful contraction.

”R-Rau…! I… I want to experience… Nngh-” She groaned and grabbed fistfuls of leaves, ”... I want to live…!”

Rau frowned slightly, “Always the masochist, my love. A mortal birth… A test to be sure.” He grabbed one of her hands, letting her squeeze as he waited for the baby. “You will live. Now… Push.”

---

It was a long, strenuous birth. At times she stagnated, other times she had bouts of serious hemorrhaging… But the worst was the pain. She had never quite felt anything like it. At times she had to call upon her divine powers to ensure the health of the baby, but never once did she allow herself to be comforted by her divinity. Not once.

At the end, she lied there on the now red bed of leaves, pale as a ghost and with bags under her eyes. She’d never been quite so disheveled, and yet she was so exhausted she couldn’t find it in herself to care.

She just had the energy to cradle the little baby in her arms close to her face. It, or she, was covered in fluids, bloody and disgusting, but she was completely hers. She’d made it, without help from any unearned divinity.

The baby’s breath was shallow, she was silent, and her heartbeat was weak.

Li’Kalla’s eyes filled to the brim with tears, and her heart sank. Suddenly she was no longer just exhausted and wounded. She was broken.

”It’s weak… It’s going to die soon. There’s nothing I can do...” Her voice was but a whisper, and she shakily tried to hand the baby to Rau’Lien, ”I-I want you to hold it, while it’s alive… Our baby...”

Rau sat before Li upon his knees, his eyes distant, but watching the small child in Li’s arms. It took him a moment to register that Li was holding her to him. Gently, he took the baby within his hands, and looked upon the child that was his. She was small, so so small, and her ears… They were pointed. His eyes widened at the baby that was not human and something inside pushed him to act.

“I-I can save her… I can… I know-I know how to save her. She’ll be fine- she’ll live and be strong I just need…” he looked around, getting to his feet. He let out a growl of frustration.

“I need a foreas. I-I need a foreas. Yes. A sacrifice. Life for life.” he quickly looked back at Li. “I will be back, I swear it.” but before he could take a step, something grabbed his ankle. He looked down to see a root, squirming. The forean animals went to his side, watching, begging him to stay. The root squirmed again, wanting to pull him towards… a pod.

The tree, it wanted him to put the baby in the pod. He looked down at the girl, her tiny breaths ragged and her heartbeat weak. There was no time to make a decision. He ran over to the pod, kissed his daughter upon her brow, and placed her within. The pod closed with no delay and the root that guided him there disappeared into the soil.

When it was time for Rau’Lien to go back to Li’Kalla, he’d found her passed out peacefully, tears and sweat fresh on her face, with several Forean Hounds sitting around her curiously. Rau stared at her for a moment, then, laid down next to her, putting her head on his chest.

---

Quickly after the birth, Li’Kalla’s divinity returned to her body and she recovered. Ever since the moment Rau’Lien told her about their daughter, she refused to leave the Pod Chamber of the Tree, sitting in front of it and taking comfort in the warmth it emitted. A few of the Hounds and Macaws had taken a liking to Li’Kalla over time, and they frolicked around her while one of the macaws sat on top of her head. She was completely still, after all, staring blankly into the distance.

Rau had gone back to the Capital a week ago, for as much as he wanted to be there with her, Sun’Kalla had arrived with grevious news of murder and death afoot. Why it warranted a divine’s attention, he did not know, but since Li would not sort it out, the task was up to him. It was the least he could do. Their farewell had been bittersweet, but there was a certain tension between them after how they both reacted to their daughter's birth.

There was a sound, not unlike that of a plop, followed by a warm breeze and the smell of autumn. Li'Kalla turned her head to look upon an open pod, her glazed over eyes suddenly regaining light as she perked up.

Inside the pod, there was a small child. No longer a fragile baby. Her pale skin was coated in pod juices and her white hair was wet and matted, tinted slightly green. Her features were petite, nose, mouth and pointed ears all small. Across her sleeping face sat a galaxy of small purple freckles that twinkled back up at Li. Slowly the girl stirred, stretching out her soft limbs, rubbing and then opening her eyes to reveal that they glowed much like Rau's but unlike his, her pupil and iris were visible, with her eyes being a light blue. Not fully a vallamir or nebulite but something else entirely. She blinked up at Li, face blank before a small giddy smile grew.

She opened her mouth to reveal shiny pearl's of teeth as if to say something, but no words came out. Instead she looked at Li curiously and seemed to shiver with excitement or cold. Eventually she emoted with happiness, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth as she beamed with a smile as she bobbed up and down. The girl then extended her arms out to Li, as if wanting a hug or to be picked up.

Li’Kalla grinned and, with tears freely falling down her cheeks, she pulled the girl out of the pod and hugged her tight and close, kissing her forehead a thousand times. After a moment, Li’Kalla moved to sit on her knees as she kept hugging the girl. ”... My baby… My Arwen... You’re okay, you’re okay.”

The girl hugged her mother tightly, not wanting to let go. But at the sound of her name, she looked up at Li, then pointed to herself, eliciting a nod from Li as she leaned back a little and inspected the girl, Arwen, slowly and carefully with a soft warmth in her eyes. ”Yes, yes, your name is Arwen my love. My, you grew up fast...”

She squinted with joy and hugged Li again before looking back up at her, with curious eyes. She then pointed to Li. ”Oh, me? I’m...” Li’Kalla pursed her lips for a moment, then smiled softly at Arwen, ”I’m your Mom.”

Arwen smiled again and clasped her hands together, tilting her head to the side as she stared intently at her mother’s face. After a moment, she reached out a small warm hand, and placed it on Li’s cheek, her white eyebrows raising slightly. Her hand moved across Li’s cheek and to her long pointy ears, and with her other hand, Arwen touched her own. She frowned slightly.

Li chuckled and rolled her eyes, ”Be patient love, yours will grow long in time.” She sniffed Arwen’s hair and recoiled a little, then nodded and stood up, grabbing Arwen’s hand in the process. ”Alright, so let’s get ourselves cleaned up, right?” She said and gently pulled on Arwen’s hand toward the center of the Chamber, where a small creek flowed. Arwen blinked on shaky legs, her only support being her Mother’s hand as she flailed her other hand for balance. She looked back at the pod next to her for a moment, her frown deepening but at the tug of Li, she turned around. Arwen then tried to walk, but fell over, her body halting mid-air. At this, Li’Kalla came to a stop and helped reorient Arwen onto her feet, as the girl laughed silently. Li checked her for injuries and when satisfied, she knelt down and motioned for her to climb onto her back.

”I’ll give you a ride. Don’t worry about walking yet.” As Arwen nodded and began to awkwardly try to climb onto her mother’s back, there was a hissing sound from behind.

Li’Kalla turned her head around sharply and saw the pod next to Arwen’s begin to open. Liquid spilled out, steaming. A scent not unlike cinnamon wafted around the air and once the pod opened fully, a smaller than usual Foreas fell out of it on wobbly hands and knees, coughing and wheezing.

She was a light shade of green, and she had a head full of scalloped vivid green leaves that reached down to her small shoulders. The leaves twitched and shook and droplets of the pod liquid flew everywhere.

The child-like Foreas looked up and her eyes locked with Arwen’s. It was strange, seeing a Foreas look so focused and so… Present. The small plantoid sniffed the air, stuck fingers in her flower-like ears and shook her head wildly to get all the liquid out of her. Once she was done, she dared stand up and, wobbly still, stretched her jaw and grinned at Arwen. Her face and body were an exact, plant-like replica of Arwen’s, with the main difference (aside from the obvious plant features) being a slightly shorter height.

”SIS! Sis! Why did you go so quickly?! Uugh, I miss the Dream already, why do you have to be so… So… Like yourself?” She asked, then slowly walked over to Li’Kalla and Arwen and looked at the two of them. Li’Kalla stared at the little Foreas curiously, then sighed and rubbed her head, getting a small happy gasp in response. Arwen attempted to walk to the plant, but ended up falling into her, but this did not stop Arwen from pulling the Foreas into a hug as they both fell to the ground in a heap of silent and loud giggles.

”Aella is your name now, little Foreas. You’re with us.” At those words Aella stopped giggling and poked her head out from under Arwen to look at Li’Kalla with wide, shiny black eyes.

”Yay! I’m with you Sis!” Aella cheered and laughed. Arwen beamed a smile up at Li, then kissed Aella’s cheek and hugged her tightly again. She then turned and looked up to Li, stretching out her hands.

Li’Kalla pursed her lips and picked Arwen up, then wordlessly took her to the creek, little Foreas in tow, skipping and jumping around. After a few moments the sound of running water reached their ears and the sight of the tiny creek blessed their eyes. Quickly and efficiently Li’Kalla set down Arwen, motioned for Aella to move closer and began undressing herself.

With one hand she reached into the very makeup of the air around them and molded a small pot, and with the other she tested the water for temperature and cleanliness. Once satisfied with the latter, she filled the pot up with water, heated it up a little bit and looked at her daughters expectantly, ”Okay, what’re you girls waiting for? Huddle up closer, this will take some time.”

And so they did and were washed by the hands of the Goddess. Li’Kalla quickly went to work after that, fashioning the two simple blue, yet effective dresses to cover themselves. Satisfied with her work, she placed Arwen on her back, and led Aella up to the surface world. Once they reached the great hollow, the two girls wore expressions of amazement and child like curiosity. Though she couldn't speak, Arwen wiggled around and Aella could hardly contain her joy. The small foreas went up and talked to every foreas as she could, who loved her as one of their own. When it was finally time to leave, Li brought them outside, the world big, bright, and new.

Immediately Aella spread her arms and jumped out in front of her mom and sister, spinning and dancing and giggling, a wide smile on her face. Her leaves bounced with each step and the hems of her dress flared up beautifully, until slowly she stopped spinning and just looked up at the sky through the gaps between the canopies of the trees of the forest. She tried to grab the circular rays of light, but when her hand phased through them she merely chuckled.

”Light! Right, Mommy?” Aella asked while turning to Li’Kalla and Arwen.

Li’Kalla winced and sighed, ”Yes… Listen, Aella... call me Queen-Mother, alright?”

Aella tilted her head and pouted, ”But-”

”No buts. Now girls, I’ll take you home, to the Capital. Your Father is waiting for us there, Arwen.” She said as she bent down and spread her arms and wings and when the girls cuddled up against her, she grabbed them tight and securely and took off with a mighty flap of her majestic wings, making Aella squeak as all the air kept in her tiny lungs was expelled suddenly. Her destination was the Capital, and if she kept up a good pace they’d be there in a very short time…

’Sun’Kalla.’ She spoke directly into the mind of her favorite follower.

’... Yes, Arwen’s fine now. She… Grew up a little bit too fast, however. Listen-’

’No. Rau’Lien should be dealing with that right now. Listen, are you in the Capital? Perfect. I need you to get two of the most beautiful females you can find and tell them that they’re now working directly for me. They will be my daughters’ handmaids. Have them prepare the chambers next to mine in the Manor, make sure there’s two separate beds and that there’s some fresh food ready.’

’I know. Thank you for your loyalty, Sun. We should be there just before midday. Yes, I know it’s almost midday, I know you’ll be able to pull it off.’

’Yes, we can consider the labour increase your reward for this favour.’

’I see, in that case thank you again, I will meet up with you and the rest soon, make sure they know what to expect.’

---

Rau sat within the manor, staring at a dying fire as he thought about the previous night. He had confronted his cult about the killer, a being that eluded him entirely. Since arriving back in the capitol, he had went to work establishing his authority in the absence of Li, and moved to find the one responsible for the murders with no luck, at least that was until he met with his followers. They told him that the bodies were orphaned kids, their flesh sown together and their organs missing. Bodies left to be found in the gutters, where no one would miss the deceased. They did not know if it was a male or female who was behind it, only that they seemed to enjoy their work.

This perplexed Rau, and he had his own suspicions, and his own worries. He knew how dangerous a mortal could be, to their own kind, and to the gods. It was no wonder the gods were so angry with Laurien. Rau himself, did not feel threatened, but for the sake of his children, he feared.

A dark thought indeed. As the fire went out, Rau stood up and shifted back into his Valthumir form. There was still more work to be done in the capital.

A few hours later that day, as Rau’Lien was on his way back to the Manor, he caught the sight of Li’Kalla landing on her personal chambers’ balcony, going into her room with two small girls in her arms.

He could have flown up to meet them head on, but there was something about the situation that made him pause and reflect as he walked up the steps. There were two. Two small beings being held by Li and both looked old. Older than what he had been expecting. As he walked up the stairs, his body morphed back into Laurien, who then paused by a large mirror. She looked at herself and frowned. It had been so long since she had been in her own body, her own skin… Rau was simply a persona set in place so she could have what she wanted, and that was Li. She played the part of a loving husband well, but at her core, she would always be a mother.

And she had her own children, ones she missed dearly. She wondered where they were, if they were safe, if they thought about her, if they hated her. Now she had two more little ones, however that happened, and not to mention all of the valthumir females who… who also carried Rau’s children. They were but bodies too her, things to use, and yet she did not want them to die, or to be hurt. She wanted them to be strong, and powerful. That way maybe she wouldn’t feel so guilty about leaving them all the time, without protection. There was only one way to save them, and to make sure they would know her love forever more. She just needed a little more power and her blackness could flourish.

She sighed, and changed back into Rau. He put on a smile, and walked on, excited but nervous to meet the newest additions to their little family. Eventually he made his way to Li’s room, and pushed the door open.

A wave of sounds spilled out from the room. Innocent, weightless giggling, rustling and muttering. Once he entered the room he saw a little Foreas girl bouncing on Li’Kalla’s mattress and a slightly taller girl sitting on the edge, laughing silently with the Foreas. On the other side of the massive bedroom was Li’Kalla, sitting in front of her dresser and fixing up her appearance and dress.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to Rau’Lien, with Li’Kalla standing up and walking to him and holding his hands almost immediately, then smiling at Arwen. ”Arwen, this is your Father, Rau’Lien.”

As Rau and Arwen looked upon each other, a feeling of calm washed over him as Arwen stretched out her hands, lips curled into a smile. He looked upon Li again, and kissed her cheek, before walking them both over to the bed.

“How did she get so big? And who is this one?” Rau asked Li, as he looked at Aella.

Li’Kalla tilted her head in tiredness but Aella beat her to speaking. ”Iiii am Aella! Queen-Mother gave me the name, it is very very cute. I like it. Ooooh! So if she’s Queen-Mother, are you King-Father?”

He smirked at Li, then let go of her hand and said, “You may call me mo- Father. Father will do, or dad.” he said quickly. Rau then crouched down in front of the two, and chuckled, pulling them both into a hug, before picking them up in each arm. Arwen began running her hands along his black skin while he looked at her. Her appearance was anything but human, her ears and eyes said as much. A mix of Li and himself, it led him to wonder what the other woman would birth. He then looked to Aella, and noted her eyes, they held intelligence, not to mention she could speak, something he had not heard of yet.

“Aella can speak… but Arwen cannot?” he said, turning to Li, who pursed her lips and shrugged.

”Give her some time, Rau. She spent weeks inside the pod, it seems to have accelerated her growth to make up for her weak birth. I’m sure she will gain use of her speech eventually, as she learns new words.”

Rau tilted his head as Arwen looked up at him with her blue eyes. He kissed her on the forehead, eliciting a wide smile, then kissed Aella on her head. “I see. I think what she needs, is perhaps a teacher? Someone to help her learn? She looks to be, what age do you think? Eight winters? Ten winters?”

”Ten, I’d say. And the little Foreas nine or eight.”

”I’m not little!” Aella said quickly with a tiny frown.

Rau chuckled and said, “Of course my darling, you have the biggest heart here, after all.” Aella huffed and closed her eyes, but after a moment cracked one open and chuckled.

”Well, I must make sure the girls’ handmaidens are here and that they’ve prepared everything to my standards. Rau, would you mind taking care of the girls while I do that?” Li’Kalla asked Rau’Lien, starting to walk toward the door.

“Of course my love, they are in good hands.” he gave her a warm smile, watching her leave. He then looked at Arwen and Aella and said, “What shall we do while your mother is away?” Aella immediately perked and wrapped her small arms around him as far as they’d go.

”I wanna see things and I want a headpat!!”

Rau laughed, looking to Arwen nodding her head in agreement. “Very well. A tour, and headpats.”

And they went on their way.

---

They were on their way back… After spending weeks carrying out every one of his student’s Exploration Rites in the cold north, they were finally ready to go back to the Capital. They would return, and Li’Kalla herself would see the kids he’d put so much effort into, she’d see how he’d forged them into useful members of society, and she’d be happy.

He, Ank’Unta, head of the Unta Valthumir Clan, had to receive Li’Kalla’s smile and approval again. He had to, lest the other members of his clan lose faith in him and seek to replace him.

And yet, as Ank’Unta and his students retraced their steps and journeyed into the Clayspire Valleys, they saw it.

There was massive crater, the size of which he had never seen before in his time. And in the middle of the crater, far down into the earth, was a huge hole.

A Hollow.

Many of the former rivers of the land had carved new paths for themselves, all ultimately leading into this great Hollow and falling into the endless depths below, falling so far that the water turned into mist, and disappeared into the darkness.

The stone that made up the crater had accumulated a thin layer of soil lately and blades of grass were starting to grow on the surface. Large rock outcrops held the occasional tree, and from those trees blue winged birds took flight and joined their fellows in large, beautiful formations in the skies.

Lizards and mammals crawled and ran along the ground. They hunted, foraged, mated. Scarcely weeks ago, the Pyres themselves had fallen and battered the land, and yet life thrived-

“Last to the hole has to do everyone’s laundry!”

And just like that, Ank’s students broke into laughter and began running down the sides of the crater.

“H-” Immediately he had begun calling out to the group, but he fell silent as his eyes took in the sight of the dark unknown in front of him. A place that no one else had mentioned to him, most likely completely unexplored…

The darkness called out to him. True, his group right now consisted of children… Students, who could barely make it on their own in the wilderness around the Capital… But who knew what was down there? Was it even dangerous? Probably not, he thought to himself. He had already realized that it was probably a falling pyre that made the crater, and if so then that meant those unexplored depths had to be lifeless. Ancient and dark they may be, but there was no way for anything underground to survive…

He sighed and put on a tired smile, bags under his eyes. He walked after the group, many of whom had by now arrived at the edge of the Hollow (Thank the Gods for giving them such speed and grace, honestly) and were looking over the edge into the misty drop below them.

Yeah, it should be perfectly safe, Ank nodded to no one in particular.

A rock hammer hit against a wooden stake with a dry thump. Over and over again, and on the last thump, Ank turned his sight to the two kids, one Valthumir boy and a Vallamir girl, around whom everyone else had gathered. What used to be laughter and jokes now turned into nervous chatter and mumbling. Ank raised an eyebrow and as he came up to the back of the group, saw that the kids were prepared their shiny new gadgets, plant fibre ropes, to presumably make a descent into the depths.

His heart skipped a beat as he saw them hold onto each other and prepare to jump down. He craned his neck and saw the shadow of a rocky ledge quite a distance down. Their rope would reach it, but climbing back up would probably be very difficult…

He straightened his back and narrowed his eyes. It should still be safe right? He asked himself, and then a cold sweat broke out all over his body as he remembered the warning he’d been given years ago-

’Never go underground without a good spear and a dozen warriors by your side. Not even if your life depends on it.’

That’s it, he pushed some kids out of the way and tried to grab a hold of his two best students. “Stop! It’s dangerous-” He shouted, but trailed off as they slipped just a hair’s distance away from his hand, and dropped into the Hollow. He saw their excited, defiant faces looking back up at him just before they disappeared into the thick mist, and he saw their shadows land on the ledge below and run off, laughing victoriously.

Until there was no more laughter. Instead, they heard the running stop shortly after they landed, and even though they couldn’t see the kids below, they could still hear their pained whimpers, cutting off any of their words.

“M-Master…!” Was the one word that reached Ank’Unta’s ears.

After that, he heard retching, crying, then screams. And then it all became silent.

Minutes passed, and eventually Ank managed to tear his gaze from the Hollow that had just devoured his students, and looked into the panicked, worried faces of the rest of the kids around him. They all looked to him for support. Even his nephew, Inu’Unta, who had come with him as his assistant and had become an adult just before joining these Rites, seemed to be on the verge of tears.

Ank’Unta took a deep breath and held it for what felt like minutes, and when he exhaled it seemed as if he had become a man of steel. Determination dawned on his face. His posture held his head high and alert, and his fists tightened.

Without saying a word he fell to one knee, placed his leather pack on the ground in front of him, and started going through it.

“Uncle…” His nephew Inu muttered as the other kids, who of which nine winters old was the youngest and eleven was the oldest, started chatting among themselves. The girls started sobbing, and the boys tried their best to keep it together, but almost every single one of them had watery eyes and was sniffling.

“Uncle!”

Without lifting his head, Ank’Unta spoke. Usually he had a relaxed tone, a bit of silly one sometimes, but now… Now, it was different. It was as if they were dealing with a completely different person just then. He wasn’t the goofball teacher anymore. No, now he was a veteran Explorer. One of the founders of the Order, and the one who had been trusted with training the newest generation of Explorers.

“Inu’Unta, you’ve performed your duties well in these Rites, so I’m promoting you. you’re now my permanent assistant. You will accompany me on every Rite I oversee, as well as any other assignment in which I may deem it appropriate to bring you along. Now, listen to your first order, Inu’Unta…”

“P-Promoting me? Now?!” Inu’Unta’s voice cracked, and he took a step back as sweat formed on his brow. Ank could almost hear his nephew’s heart from how hard it was beating.

“Your first order is to make camp at the edge of the crater. Listen, edge of the crater, so that means all the way up, not right here on the edge of this place. Make sure all the Trainee Explorers undertaking the Rites are safe, and that none of them do anything stupid.”

“But Master Ank!” A boy suddenly shouted and pushed his way up to Ank’Unta as he went through his pack, inspecting every one of his tools and rations. Ank merely brought his hand up to the boy’s face and pushed him back. the boy tripped and fell on his backside with a grunt.

“Inu’Unta, you will maintain the camp for two nights. Should I not be back by the third day, you will make your way back to the Capital and report directly to Li’Kalla and Pontifex Elun on what has taken place here. Give every detail. We must secure this area before our enemies do.”

Inu’Unta stared at his uncle for a few moments as the boy who had been pushed stood up and caught his breath, and then he nodded somberly. “I understand, uncle Ank. I will see it done. Alright, kids, let’s go.” He said and started herding the scared kids up the crater.

But one of them stood behind. The angry kid, he was a black haired Vallamir with ugly prominent fangs.

“Master Ank, I want to go with you. I want to save Io and Pen! They’re my friends!!”

Ank’Unta ignored him, tied up his pack and wore it across his back once more, then stood up and checked his stone knife and adjusted his gloves made of the most durable mud-treated leather available to Explorers.

“Master!”

He looked at the kid. His name was Oli. He had no clan name, of course, seeing as he was an orphan.

“Oli… No. It’s too dangerous, kiddo.”

“I don’t care, I’ve trained a lot, haven’t I?! I can do it, Master, let me go with you!”

Ank’Unka sighed and ruffled up Oli’s black hair.

“I will most likely die down there, Oli. Your friends, too, are probably going to die… That’s if they’re not already dead. You heard the same things I heard, didn’t you? Listen,”

Oli teared up and sniffled, his fists balled up so tightly that he was drawing blood with his nails.

“Oli, go with Inu’Unta, finish your Rites, become a great Explorer, the greatest the lands have seen. I know that’s been your dream for a while now. I know you can do it… And when you’re ready, come back here and find us and take us back to the Capital.”

“... Take you?... But you just said you were going to… To die…” He sobbed.

“... I don’t want my soul to be trapped underground… So please, when you find my bones, bury them in the Capital.”

Oli fell silent, and after a while nodded. Ank’Unta half-smirked, bags under his eyes, and delved into the darkness using the same rope that the two kids had used.

Deep underwater was a cave, hidden from any prying eyes. Outside the cave was the darkness of the Abyssal Rift, but within this inconspicuous niche was a faint prismatic glow. Crystalline fragments of the Lustrous Garden lined the floor of the cave in a geometric mosaic, casting their light about the cave. In the center of it all a soul crystal sat on a shallow stone pedestal.

The water in the cave shifted subtly, and behind the pedestal condensed a icy statue of a selka woman sitting cross-legged. The frozen lady reached out with both hands and picked up the soul crystal. The crystal began to glow dimly, and a small apparition of a selka man appeared above it facing the lady.

"Oh Delphina my beauty, only goddess of the sea, have you come to visit me?"

"Oh Ippino my dear, sole mortal to hear, my thoughts and my-" The aqueous voice hesitated in its poetry, then finished quietly, "fears."

"Oh? Well, I am humbled that you would speak to me so intimately. It sets my heart aflutter- well," the apparition of Ippino looked down at himself and through his translucent hands. "It would if I still had one."

Ashalla's icy face did not meet Ippino's eyes. "You're normally more talkative. Something must be bothering you," Ippino said.

"There is."

Ippino's apparition sat down on his soul crystal. "Would you like to talk about it?" he asked gently.

Ashalla was motionless for a few long seconds, then said, "Orvus has fallen. He was one of the few gods who I thought would be able to match me in combat, yet was gravely wounded by a mere mortal." The last word was emphasised with the sound of cracking ice. "He was then dragged off by a mere fragment of himself to the dark-moon, where Orvus lay incapacitated for ten years while this fragment, Abraxas, prepared to rain desolation on Galbar."

Shock plastered Ippino's holographic face. "That is dreadful! How horrible! Although, did you stop Abraxas and save Orvus?"

"Yes." In the water around them moving ice sculptures depicted the events around the Mar tree and the battle against Abraxas. "Abraxas had unleashed his forces on the world. Arae and I went to stop him. But Kalmar had gone on ahead and alone. While Kalmar was able to awaken Orvus, he was overpowered and gravely wounded by Abraxas. Arae tended to the wounded while I fought with Abraxas. We threw our divine strength against each other. It may have been Abraxas' territory, far from sea, but Abraxas was only a fragment of the God of Desolation. I could have dealt with him myself. At least..." Ashalla hesitated again, then continued softly, "I could have probably beaten him."

"It is important to know your limitations. You can't always do everything alone," Ippino suggested.

The water in the cave quivered with rage, shattering the icy diorama around them, and Ashalla's voice roared like a maelstrom. "I am a god, Ippino! I am not limited as you mortals are. Reality bows to my very word! I would have defeated him myself, if Orvus had given me time."

Ippino's apparition recoiled and cowered in fright. After the water had stilled, Ippino's face creased in confusion. "Defeated who?"

"Abraxas, fragment of Orvus. He had gravely wounded Kalmar and was sending harm onto Galbar."

"That is dreadful! What happened?"

"The power of Abraxas was tied to that of Orvus. In order to stop Abraxas, Orvus sacrificed his own divine power and became mortal. Killing Abraxas was then trivial. But I do not understand why he would make such a sacrifice."

Ippino thought for a few moments. "Could it be so Abraxas could be defeated?"

"It made it easier, but was not required. When I asked him why, he said that he was tired of godhood. That godhood did not suit him. He said it was all his fault. Then he departed for his family."

Ippino pondered this for a little longer. "I've seen similar things. People tire of doing the same thing all their life. A person will seek out new things as they progress through their life. Especially as they grow old, things they used to do will grow less appealing, or they'll be less capable of doing them."

"He was a god, Ippino. Gods do not grow old."

"They might not suffer the frailties of age, but I can't imagine what I'd do with my life if it was unending. When I was finally graced by your beautiful presence I felt as if my life was complete. Although, it sounds as if this... uh..." Ippino held up a hand vaguely as though searching for a word.

"Orvus."

"Yes. It sounds as if Orvus was also living with guilt. He probably did something which made him feel unworthy of his godhood. I've seen in my time parents leave their children or chieftains leave their tribe because they felt as if something they did made them unworthy to hold that position. Could Orvus have done something?"

Ashalla rumbled, then eventually answered, "He was concerned for the harm and damage he had caused by his divine power, both directly and indirectly. Why that would be cause for him to surrender his divinity, I do not know."

A worried look crossed Ippino's face, but he took the time to choose his next words carefully. "Not everyone has such great self-control as you. He was probably concerned about further harm. Was there anyone Orvus would have wanted to protect?"

"Orvus has a mortal family. And there was also the harm which had befallen Kalmar, which he said was all his fault."

Ippino appeared surprised. "Did something happen to Kalmar?"

"He was gravely wounded when fighting Abraxas, representative of Orvus, in his effort to stop Abraxas from unleashing further harm on Galbar. Arae was unable to heal his wounds at the scene of the battle. They carried Kalmar away, although..." There was a pause, then the icy statue representing Ashalla lifted her head and called out. "Kalmar. Kalmar, if you are alive, respond."

Ashalla held that position in silence for a long time, waiting. Nothing came. A chill approximating sadness came over the cave.

"No answer." A tremble sat beneath Ashalla's voice. "Kalmar is likely dead. They could not save him."

"Dead? How?"

"Killed in battle while defending Galbar from Desolation. I thought Arae would have found a way to heal him, but it seems she did not."

"If there was a chance to heal him, couldn't you have done so?"

Ashalla glared at Ippino, who shrunk back, but then went back to a neutral expression. "It was likely some property of the wounds, the draining of Kalmar's essence by Abraxas, the will of Desolation imposed on him. If a god wills another god to die, then it simply becomes a matter of whose will is stronger." Ashalla then cast her gaze downwards. "But that is my fear. Li'Kalla was broken by Vakk. Vakk was slain by K'nell, Eurysthenes and Shengshi. Kalmar was killed by Abraxas. Orvus was gravely wounded by Laurien, a mortal."

"A mortal wounded a god?" Ippino interjected.

Ashalla's answer was almost a whisper. "Yes. She used a sword formed by Orvus' own power, but she was mortal nonetheless. That is what makes me afraid. The evidence suggests that us gods are not as immortal as I first thought. I know that I am strong. I would not succumb to such a fate. But... they likely thought the same thing, yet they also fell."

Ippino's apparition reached out and touched Ashalla's face, his hand refracting as it passed into her ice. "We all have to come to terms with death at some point. People try to deny it, they try to find ways around it, they get angry and depressed, but eventually they must accept it."

Ashalla stayed within Ippino's touch for a few moments, then drew back and decreed, "No. I am not bound by your constraints. I am immortal and mighty. They had forms mimicking mortal creatures - their first weakness. But I have absolute power over my own form. I have overcome many of my initial weaknesses and shall continue to do so. Only another god could possibly kill me, and only if they can overpower me. And who can overpower the whole ocean? As long as I am the strongest, I cannot die."

Ashalla lowered the soul crystal back towards the pedestal. "Your perspective has been of value. Goodbye, Ippino. Until we next speak."

"So long, Delphina, until you next humble me with your magnificence."

Ashalla released the soul crystal and Ippino's apparition disappeared. The lady of ice then melted away and the cave was empty once more.

It was atop a mountain summit that Synros was born once again.

This was neither the greatest nor the least of the Qiangshans’ many peaks, merely the first one that the cyclopes had stumbled upon when they’d first marched that way so many years ago. There had been some great and fiery scaled beast nested up there, but it had been no match for Atlas; the giant had lifted an entire hillock, carried it up the mountain on one shoulder, and then used it to crush the waking beast. Or so the tales went; Atlas had been the first to reach the mount, and the beast’s skull had already been reduced to splinters by the time his smaller brethren caught up. Some suspected that Atlas had merely pummeled it to death with his fists or hurled boulders at it, but the giant insisted he’d crushed it beneath a hill.

In the time since their conquest of the peak that had become their camp, the cyclopes had continued to go about gathering meteorites from far and wide. By Synros’ decree they brought their prizes back their mountain and heaped them up, slowly raising a small pyramid of the black sky-stones. Atlas would have none of it, though. Instead he prowled the mountain range, wandering up and down the slopes in a journey half to satiate his curiosity and the cyclopes’ longing for exploration, and half to appease his now infamous bloodlust. Many a dragon was driven from its nest by the giant’s brawny hands and the massive rocks that he threw.

Decades passed, though the cyclopes had neither concept of years nor sense of time. In those days they roamed their faroff mountains in packs mostly unopposed by and unknown to the rest of the world, and very few perished. The fear of those earliest days began to fade from their hearts, but so too did some of that grim and whetting determination that had accompanied their uncertainty. They were beginning to grow soft, the meteorites were trickling in slower than ever as they’d already scoured many hills a dozen times over, and Atlas was ever more restless, so Synros finally decreed that they had gathered enough. He summoned them all to the peak and they waited days until every last band had returned. Once all of them were accounted for, the demigod spoke. They all watched attentively--all of them save for Atlas, who instead sat down and toyed with a boulder in his hand near the back of the crowd.

"In the dark of night and the stillness of my eye, I have seen visions of the glory and might that is ours to claim,” his great and powerful voice resounded, recoiling off the distant mountain peaks.

It was punctuated by a thunderclap of a crash as Atlas tossed his boulder off the mountain slope. “Then why you tell us to run aroun’, picking up rocks? No glory in that. No strength in scurrying down there like bugs.”

The colossus stood up to his full height and raised his chin to look down on Synros and the whole crowd. He somehow seemed to grow another three hands taller, looming over them like that. Synros frowned and crossed all four of his arms. At first he had thought that he’d found a staunch ally in Atlas, but the so-called Might of the Cyclopes had been an obstacle and an adversary at every turn despite how he’d once proclaimed his friendship-

Atlas wasn’t done. “And why is it that you all listen to him, anyways? Just ‘cause he has four arms makes him better than me? Than us? Just one of mine could hurl him off this mountain!” The giant flexed his arms overhead, and it seemed as if even more rocky flesh erupted out from the gaps between the chiseled muscles. There was freakish muscle upon muscle upon muscle.

The display sent an icy lance of fear into Synros’ spine, but with an indomitable will he fought it off before it could creep into his expression. He is like stone, a mountain made flesh, but stone is not strong, for it will shatter where steel only bends. I must be Steel!

"Brother, I will show you strength,” he finally said. Atlas grinned, and he charged forward, pushing his way through the throngs ever closer to his next battle, with the lusting light in his eye seemed to roar, ’Finally!’

Synros advanced too, but he stopped right before he reached the line of cyclopes, and he stooped down to lift one of the fallen meteorites from its place at the bottom of the pyramid stack. He held it high into the air for all to see, then set it down upon a bench-like flatten rock and struck it with his fist. Then he struck it again, and again, his back to the crowd even as Atlas blindly tried to push forward. Synros knew not what he was doing, but he felt a calling, as if this was just right, and he chose to trust his instincts. His four fists rained down upon the dull grey rock so fast that they were a blur, and the meteorite groaned and glowered with a soft heat, and then it surrendered and was finally broken and shaped to his will. He held up the product for all to see, and it was a great helmet with short, ornamental spikes atop its otherwise functional form. The front was open and gave way for his eye and face to remain unobstructed, so perhaps it was more like a crown.

He held it high, and when Atlas finally broke through the crowd and stood right before his rival, he looked down in confusion. Synros seized the moment and placed the crown upon his head before an awed crowd. And then he took into his hands an even greater meteorite, and he began to forge the rounded end of a mace. "This is my strength, the might I have seen. Watch, and I shall give it to you too!” he proclaimed, and suddenly the throng was rushing forwards to engulf Atlas once more as they crowded as close to Synros as they could be.

And then Atlas knew that he had been tricked and bested, for this was not a contest of true might at all.

---

Laurien flew over the continent of Vakk's creation, passing far and wide of the lands minimalistic features. There was nothing immensely riveting about its features and the life was small an uninteresting. It paled in comparison to the Dragon's Foot and she was about to return when something caught her attention.

A village of sorts.

Had she been wrong in her initial assessment? Was there more than mundane life upon this land? It intrigued her, for Laurien was one to find mortal life to be the single most interesting thing upon Galbar. Who and what would these people be?

She flew closer to take a look.

Huts of rock spotted the stony cove beach, backing up to the jungle. A river cut through the middle. Laurien could feel a presence here, something existing in the negative space, watching from the in between.

As she neared the huts, a small gathering of the local inhabitants gathered about her. Golden skinned, chitinous bipeds without mouths or feet.

One steps forward and asks, “What are you?”

She tilted her head at the beings. She had never seen their kind before. They were strangely alluring, perhaps even beautiful and they had desires.

"I could ask the same of you. But as I am a guest here I shall answer thee. My name is Laurien and I am a traveling god. Now, what might you be?"

“I am Praz, seventh of Got. It is a silly sentence you just spoke. Why say that you could ask me, then imply you will not, then ask?” Praz, the Buzjell asked. Its eyes were full of curiosity and wonder, with perhaps a hint of understanding.

Laurien smirked. "Praz, seventh of Got." she mused. "Why do we do anything? Call it a way of communication. To be straightforward or not to be? Does it matter in the end if we find the answers to our questions?"

Praz’ brow creased. They opened their mouth wide to answer, showing rows upon rows of teeth. “No, it does not, but that is a paltry answer. I think the true answer is that you lost track of what you were saying while saying it.”

The crowd parted, and through the part walked a different Buzjell. There were no adornments to suggest status, but others moved for them. It stepped up to Laurien and looked her directly in the eye. There was curiosity there, with no small amount of sadness. It said nothing, but continued to stare.

She stared at Praz, scowling, before her attention fell on the newcomer. It's closeness did not bother her, in fact, she reached out to touch its face, an action which the newcomer mirrored.

Only, a mouth full of jagged, serrated teeth opened on the other in response to Laurien’s reaching. Whether in anticipation or threat was unknown.

A breath. Short and sharp. A prefix to some words.

”Why are you here? I am… I am not complaining that you are, though,” they said. Their mouth widened, ear to ear. A show of teeth, pointed, flat, serrated.

She gently ran a finger across the beings mouth and said, ”I am here, simply because I stumbled across this place and these people.”

The other bore the touch of the finger for a moment, then snapped at it, teeth closing. Laurien just smiled. This other returned the gesture.

”And what are you and your people called?” she purred.

The other spat out the tip of the finger. ”We are called Bujzell,” the other said. It's eyes were locked on the fingertip. ”You taste bitter.”

”My, that’s the first time anyone’s told me that.” she giggled, letting her hand drop to her side. ”Bujzell, is it? And who created your kind?”

”Yes, Bujzell, and one Bujzii. We know the god that created us has seven arms and no face, but not their name.”

”Seven arms and no face… Strange. I’ve probably heard of them by their name, but not by their description. And what exactly is the difference between a Bujzell, and a Bujzii?” she asked, putting a hand upon her chin in waiting.

The other looked to the crowd behind them. In particular, one who had no chitin. They were hunched over, slouched, trying to not take up eye space. ”I'm surprised you, a god, didn't notice before. Too busy with me, I suppose.”

After looking upon the strange creature, Laurien looked back at the golden Buzjell. She tilted her head, her face suddenly expressionless. ”Too busy, I suppose. Now, what do they call you?”

”Who are ‘they’?” the other asked.

”The Bujzell? That Bujzii?” she said, her tone flat.

”Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, mostly. You may call me that, but it would be a lie,” the other said, slowly.

”I see. Then what would I call you so that it wouldn’t be a lie?”

The other thought for a second, a wistful expression coming over their face. ”You may call me… Mastress Zisqe of the Bujzell.”

Laurien raised an eyebrow. ”Very well… Mastress Zisqe of the Bujzell. I am Laurien, Demigoddess of Desire. It is a pleasure to meet you.” she said, giving a small bow.

”Yes, I heard you before. It is good to hear from yourself,” Zisqe says. They watch Laurien bow with confusion. ”What is this? Why are you bending over?”

She rose and said, ”It is a greeting, one that portrays respect between two idividuals.”

”Oh… why?” Zisqe said simply.

She looked up into the sky for a moment before saying, ”I’ve been taught that mortals, such as yourselves, should bow to those that are divine. Why? Because the gods believe themselves to be the pinnacle authorities of this world, and they expect complete fealty, simply because they were the ones who created everything you see around you. You owe them everything for your existence.”

”Right,” Zisqe responded. They looked to the other Bujzell, then back to Laurien. ”Well I don't know you, so I can't respect you. How about we go down to the beach and talk, away from my people?”

”As you wish.” she said slyly.

Zisqe turned and walked down towards the water, where it sat. The waves lapped up around their legs, pulling sand out with them. Laurien walked up the beach a ways, just to where her feet touched the water, and sat down. She curled herself into a ball and said, ”So, what did you want to talk about?”

”What we were before, I was just tired of standing,” Zisqe said, off handedly. ”You're a Demigoddess. Does this mean a god created you, too?”

”Yes… I was created in an age long since passed. It feels like a lifetime ago… The god who created me, my father, is Orvus. The god of Desolation and Soul Decay. He told me many things… And then one day, I tried to kill him. I became a demigod, ten years later.” she said quietly.

Zisqe's eyes widened. ”One ca-,” they shook their head. ”Of course it feels like a lifetime ago. It is, after all,” they said with a chuckle.

”I lied before, I do know the old name of my god. A god called Vakk told me it was ‘Eurysthenes’,”

Laurien looked up at Zisqe. "Ah, that sounds about right. Eurysthenes is the God of illusions I believe. At least it was when the gods came here." she looked at the sand. "One can become divine of course… But the gods might punish you for it. They are a cruel bunch." she mused. "Is that what you desire?"

Zisqe shook their head. ”No… no I think not. That would not do,” they said, slowly at first, but surely. They sat forward, elbows on knees, head on hands, then looked at Laurien. ”Would you not know, anyway? You're a Demigoddess of Desire… surely,”

Gingerly she picked up some sand in her hand and showed it to Zisqe. "These are your desires." she said before slowly dumbing them back onto the beach. "You have too many, like this sand, some small and undefined and others large." she said as a rock fell from her palm and joined in infinity.

"Indecision, it plagues the soul. Some desires you don't even know you want. Others, at the cusp of your many tongues. But you are correct about one thing, you have no desire to become a God, only to live longer than one." she leaned back, using her arms to prop herself up as she stretched out. "It's intriguing that you want me, a stranger as you say, and one who has not earned your respect. Strange indeed, the desires of mortals, so different from one another in appearance and mind but altogether the same." she purred again.

Zisqe twisted onto their side to look Laurien in the eye. ”And it is an - intriguing, you said? - desire. The other Bujzell are all my children, I have not encountered this before,” they said, giving Laurien a long look, before turning to look back at the sea. ”But, I know one thing about it so far. I do not need to respect those who I see like this. Maybe it will come in time.”

"The heart wants what the heart wants. Just know that there are other gods who would be offended by such a breach of their supposed manners. I don't care, mind you. You are far too fascinating to be offended by." she sat up on her knees and looked at Zisqe again, her eyes inviting. "What will you do now?" she whispered.

Zisqe looked Laurien up and down. Every bit, muscle and curve. Her kneeling, the hot air of her whisper. It stood, looking down. ”Well, that depends. How fascinating am I?”

She nodded, her smile widening. "Very. You wish to do what most cannot an admirable quality. Never, ever, repress that which you want most in life. It would be so dull."

Zisqe smiled a faint smile. They walked a few circles around Laurien, before pausing behind her. ”Sage advice. Laurien, I would like it if you helped me realise what I want most in this moment, right now. Stay on your knees.” Zisqe said, reaching into the basket on the beach. They pulled out some rope.

The Demigoddess smiled devilishly.

---

As the sun set, and the nebulite people found themselves enjoying the music of the Dreamers, another event was transpiring. One of the same joy, with the same merits. For the Vallamir of the Eye had been invited to attend, but had chosen not to. For their reasons were vague and uninspiring, but the truth was known in their hearts. For they had an event already planned, out of sight and out of mind. Though they had grown used to the Nebulites, the Vallamir of the eye remained close together, and thus, used this closeness to celebrate their being.

And now, it was the under the light of the garden, hidden away in the jungle, where they celebrated life and the heritage they shared. The children laughed and played, adults lulled about talking and eating and the stout guards watched vigilantly. For they were a small community( truly, for the adults were far outnumbered by small ones with pointy ears) and the threat that had been shared, though unseen, was still a threat indeed.

Myra stood apart from the festivities, her role that of a guard. This gathering had not been her idea, and she had argued against it, yet the others had been insistent. And although she had been trying to get them to form closer ties with the Nebulites, at the end of the day she still preferred the company of her own species.

Besides, they needed this, she had to concede. One of the gods who created them had died, mere days after his avatar had spoken to them about the possibility of returning them to… not quite their homeland, but a land where they would meet the rest of their kind. Most of them had no intention of going, but nonetheless… for one of their creators to perish so soon after establishing contact, it was a blow.

Then there was Karamir. The first of their kind. He had not stuck around. They had all been present when Arya brought him in, they had all prayed for his survival, and they had all hoped to speak with him after his recovery. Yet it was not to be. He had returned to Kalgrun without meeting them. Did he even know some of his kind resided on the Eye?

So, given the circumstances, she could not blame them for wanting to be alone, or wanting to lose themselves in the festivities. Yet some had to remain alert. Some had to be on guard. Either against predators or the other… creatures… they had heard were now lurking in the woods.

Kalmar dead, Karamir gone, Laurien a traitor, Orvus stripped of his divinity. Their protection now fell to the newly-ascended Arya. Myra considered her a friend, and knew she had everyone’s best interests at heart. Yet despite this reassurance, the recent events had soured Myra’s mood.

With a sigh, she turned her attention away from introspection, and back to her duty: keeping watch. Her job was not just to keep predators away, but to keep the kids in. If children came too close to the edge of the perimeter, Myra would warn them in a sharp voice to go back, and most respected her authority.

Most.

A rustling sound reached Myra’s ears. A quick turn of her head revealed nothing unusual. Well, nothing unusual except for the unusually shaped shrubs that Ælfward usually kept all around his hut. She could swear, his gardening skills kept getting worse year after year… Was that shrub supposed to resemble a person? Myra shook the thoughts out of her head and focused back on her duties.

And the rustling began again, coming from the shrubs. Myra snapped her head toward it and saw as the oddest shrub deflated and fell to the floor and three girls came out running from inside it, snickering.

Until one of them, the pale white-haired one out of the twins, stumbled and looked back at Myra, locking eyes with her for a split moment. In that moment, there was nothing but pure, sheer panic in the girl’s eyes. Egwyn was her name, and she had never run so fast, quickly catching up to her sister and friend and vanishing into the foliage.

“SHE SAW ME, ENGIL-”

And the voices were then dulled by the flora until they faded off.

“Agis!” Myra snapped, and one of the nearby adults who had been enjoying the festivities snapped to attention. “Take my place,” she commanded, before stalking off in pursuit of the foolhardy hooligans. She swatted aside the already-disturbed foliage, clearing a path for herself.

It shouldn’t be her job to keep somebody else’s children in line, yet here she was. Their parents had failed to teach them basic self-preservation, and now it fell to her to round them up. Now, of all times…

She shook her head. No doubt Egwyn had attempted another bizarre scheme, or perhaps Engil was just acting out again. The third girl, Dana, had likely been roped in by one of them. She always had a tendency to go along with what others were doing.

Her sharp eyes could still detect movement, and her keen ears could still pick up traces of their voices. She quickened her pace, breaking out into a run. “Get back here! Now!”

The voices grew louder and louder. Panting for breath, panicked speech. As Vallamir they were quite fast even as children, but they were no match for the likes of Myra.

Still, as Myra jumped over some overgrowth and time seemed to slow down… As she stretched her hand to grasp at Dana’s arm, Myra’s well trained eyes caught sight of the ground shifting beneath the girls’ feet. Something moved across the blades of grass…

Just a hair’s width away from grabbing onto Dana, Myra heard the peculiar sound of plant fibre rope going taut, and saw the girls’ ankles bound by it and pulled up in a split moment. There was a dull thud as Dana’s head hit against a rock as she fell over, and by the time they hung upside down from the tallest visible branch in the primordial tree, her eyes were unfocused and glazed over. She was silent, but the other two, the twins, weren’t.

“Uuugh by Kalmar’s shiny black claws! I told you Myra had this entire area trapped, Egwyn!”

“B-But-!”

“And look! Dana’s all crazy now! Wait, Dana?!” Engil gasped and flailed a little, trying to push Egwyn out from between them but failing to do so.

Egwyn instead tried to keep her flailing to a minimum and spoke in a shaky voice as she pulled her hand away from Dana’s head, covered in blood. “U-Um.”

“What?! Is she okay? Egwyn, speak you dummy!”

Myra’s eyes widened in shock, and she wasn’t sure which was worse: Dana’s head wound, which required immediate attention… or the fact that someone had deliberately made a trap. One that clearly wasn’t intended for an animal.

She came to a stop just before the girls, and in a flash her sword was out, glittering in the moonlight. She swivelled in place, scanning her surroundings for additional threats.

OINK.

Foliage rustled from three different spots. One to the north, one to the east and one to the southeast. Slowly but confidently, three stout, short, ugly, pink things walked out eyeing the three girls while salivating and snorting. Their eyes cast a sharp, dangerous glint, and so did the jagged and crude weapons of pain held firm in their hands.

Myra took a deep breath as the opponents came into view. They were not here to talk, that was clear enough. Although she had spent a decade training, she had always suspected it would be far from the real thing. To make matters worse, there were three of them, and only one of her. If she took them all on at once, she would surely be killed.

So, she didn’t.

She set her gaze northward, brandished her sword, and darted forward.

With a grunt, the piggut hefted a crude axe behind its shoulder, and then swung horizontally at the approaching Mir. Time seemed to slow down once more as Myra ducked underneath the axe’s blade and thrust her sword into the creature’s gut. It was a strange feeling, to slide her weapon into another creature’s flesh. She had done so while hunting, of course, but this was different.

The piggut squealed and dropped the axe. Myra attempted to pull the weapon free, but it was stuck. The piggut’s hands gripped her shoulders, attempting to push her away, yet his wound had made him too weak. She heard footsteps behind her, and knew the other two were nearly on her.

Suddenly, she turned, maneuvering the first piggut in front of the other two. In the same motion, she twisted the blade and yanked it free, a geyser of fresh blood striking her in the stomach, before she kicked the piggut toward its wounded comrades. It sprawled onto its back just before the two, and while one managed to avoid it, the third one tripped.

For now, there was only one foe to deal with. Unphased by the suddenly even odds, the creature rushed forward, and this time launched an overhead downward swing with a brutish hammer. Myra nimbly stepped to the side, the weapon harmlessly embedding itself into the ground.

The piggut pulled his weapon back and readied for another swing. Then, lightning quick, Myra struck. Recalling how her weapon had been stuck in her last victim, Myra chose to slash instead of stab, swinging her blade across the beast’s throat. She was rewarded by another spray of blood as the creature dropped its weapon and fell to the ground.

The remaining piggut rose to its feet. At the sight of a bloodstained Myra standing over the bodies of its fallen comrades, the creature evidently thought better of fighting, and instead turned to flee.

Myra did not let him. The piggut was quick, but Myra was quicker, and she drove her sword through its back, dropping to one knee as it fell to the ground.

It was then that she realized she had been holding her breath for most of the fight. Her breath was heavy, and her heart was beating like a drum. Her clothes and her hands were stained with blood. Fear belatedly flowed throughout her chest, and she felt a sudden urge to vomit. It took time to compose herself, and when she did, she rose on shaky legs and did another survey of the area.

Seeing no further threats, she gazed up at the trap from which the three children dangled.

Egwyn was shaking and wiping her eyes, her breathing heavy and head red; while Engil herself watched in amazement at Myra, stars in her teary eyes as she fist bumped the air. Engil hoisted herself up and tried to fumble around with the rope tied around everyone’s ankles.

“Myra…! I didn’t…” She grunted with effort, “I didn’t know you… Were so amazing! Teach me!”

Myra gawked at the child, who was seemingly unphased by the life-threatening danger they had just been exposed to, and were perhaps still in. She considered going back and getting someone - Agis or Jakri, perhaps - to help get the children down from the tree. But that would mean leaving them unattended, and more creatures might still be in the area. So, she had to find another way.

Her eyes followed the vines which had caught the children’s feet. She immediately saw they formed into a complex series of knots and wrap-arounds up in the tree’s branches. She tried to follow it further, and then saw that they eventually all converged on one thick, strong vine which led back to the ground, tied around a massive rock which had not been there previously.

Somehow, triggering that trap had caused the rock to fall, and its weight served as the force which had lifted the children into the air. She wasn’t entirely sure how the whole thing worked, but logically, cutting that one vine should cause the children to fall.

Such an act would be dangerous, however, because the children would be landing headfirst. One of them was already unconscious, and had a head wound. A sudden fall would surely kill her, without some way to slow it or soften the language.

She gulped. What she was about to do was dangerous, yet she saw little other choice. If she waited, more creatures might appear, and she might not win a second time. Or they might attack the other Vallamir, which meant they needed to be warned immediately, but she could not leave the children unattended to do so.

“Egwyn, Engil,” Myra called up to them. “Try to… try to lean upwards. Hold onto Dana, and protect her head. I’m going to get you down.” Egwyn started sobbing and held onto Dana, then Engil held both of them and together they managed to do as instructed.

“Egwyn, it’s gonna be okay, alright? You know dad knows how to deal with things like this, we’ll just take Dana to him!”

Myra, meanwhile, approached the boulder and took a deep breath. “Get ready,” she said, both to herself and to the trapped trio. “Three… two… one…”

She swung. The vine was strong, and thick. The blade did not cut all the way through, but that was for the best. She had weakened it, and knew it would not hold. She swiftly stepped onto the boulder and grabbed the vine above where she had cut.

When the vine snapped, Myra became the new counterweight, and was lifted upward as the children were lowered. Although she was lighter than the three children combined, her weight was still enough to slow their fall to the point where it would not be severe… And it was a success. As they landed in a heap on the ground, Engil quickly got at the knot and undid it and jumped to Dana’s side, checking her injury while Egwyn got up slowly in her dizziness. Myra returned the sword to its makeshift sheathe on her belt, and then rushed toward them.

“Myra! She doesn’t look good, she’s very pale and…” There was a squishy sound as Engil carefully prodded around the injury, eliciting a wince from the black-haired girl, “And I think uh, her skull’s broken or something… We gotta go back!”

Myra lifted Dana off the ground, held her close, and placed an unbloodied hand over the injury. “Yes, we do,” she said, her tone urgent. “Stay close.” She wanted to ask them what in Kalmar’s name they were thinking, but now was not the time. With the children in tow, she hurried back in the direction she came, going just slow enough that she wouldn’t accidentally trip or leave the twins behind.

It wasn’t difficult to get back, especially with the noises. Squeals and shrieks echoed in the night, growing louder and louder as they went. Myra slowed down, keeping the children close to her. They moved cautiously, afraid to make any sudden noises, fearful of who might be watching them. Myra eventually found herself at the edge of the clearing, the sounds horrible to her ears, like something crunching their food in a grotesque wa- She stopped, and looked upon a gruesome sight, one that made her stomach churn.

Agis was dead, two of the creatures sat, hunched over his body, carving his flesh with their weapons. She tore her eyes away, to see the same thing happening to three others, being butchered and carved up like an animal.

The sight horrified her. They had been her friends. No, her family. Her eyes stung with tears. Rage and grief threatened to overwhelm her. Once again she felt sick, and her legs nearly threatened to give away. She was torn between dropping to her knees and retching, or drawing her sword and rushing to avenge him. Then she remembered where she was and what she was doing.

Her responsibilities were to the living not the dead. The wretches had not noticed her yet, and attracting their attention would only danger those she was trying to protect. The rest of the Vallamir were gone, evidently having decided to flee, and thankfully there were no children among the dead. “L-look away,” she said to the twins, steadying herself and blinking away tears. “Stay close,” she said again. It was too late though, they had seen everything, and Egwyn had gone completely quiet, holding onto Myra’s blouse for dear life. Engil however grabbed the first stick she saw and held it with shaky hands.

They ran along the edge of the clearing, giving the creatures a wide berth. The creatures so preoccupied with their butchery that either they didn’t notice them, or they had but decided it was not worth the effort to pursue.

Once the four made it all the way around, Myra proceeded in the direction she knew the Nebulite village to be in. The dozens of footprints and torn shrubbery indicated the Vallamir had gone the same way. Then she realized some of the pigguts might have done so as well. But if she carried on in a different direction, they could get lost, or stumble into another group. And staying still wasn’t an option…

She gulped. Once more she had to take a risk.

She chose to continue onward.

The sounds of shouts, screams, squeals, and other foul noises were picked up by her ears. There was a battle taking place. She hurried pace and arrived upon another grisly scene. Dozens of the creatures fought against the Nebulites and Mir, striking and clashing crude weapons against stone spears and arrows. Many lay dead or dying at the edge of the town. There was no sight of the other Mir.

Myra could not join the battle; not when she was carrying a child and two more were following her. So instead she resorted to the same tactic. She skirted around the edge of the battlefield, avoiding combat, and the pigguts were too busy with the Nebulites to attempt to stop her. She continuously looked back to make sure the twins were still following her, offering what encouragement she could, and reminding them to focus on her, as she carried on into the village itself.

Eventually the sounds of battle were no more than a background, distant clanging of metal on stone and crackling of fire a reminder of the situation as they came upon a plaza of sorts. Made of carefully carved stone bricks and with a fountain in the middle.

Normally, the plaza would’ve been home to several stalls and merchants peddling goods with each other, but today it was home to dozens and dozens of people, laying on the ground on top of bloody sheets. Cries of pain came from everywhere around Myra and the girls. There were so many wounded and so little people capable of treating them…

“If only Dad was-”

Engil cut herself off as she saw the hunched over figure of her dad, kneeling over one of the wounded people.

“Dad! Daddy!” She screamed suddenly, tearing up and running up to her Dad, who set the bloodied tools he was using beside him on the ground and turned to look at Engil, a tired smile gracing his face. He was sickly pale and had bags under his eyes. Engil immediately launched herself against him and hugged him as tightly as she could, crying into his cotton shirt. It was wet and warm since before she even touched it.

By now Egwyn had walked up to the two and joined in on the embrace, her glazed over eyes slowly coming back to life and growing wet with new tears.

It was a difficult day.

“Daddy… I-I thought you… I thought you were gone…” Egwyn said softly, to which her black-haired dad responded by kissing her forehead and showing her that usual cocky smirk of his, the one that looked like Engil’s.

“Girls, I’m so happy you’re okay… So happy! Your mother is safe, too, she’s gone with others to take the most wounded to a safer place. Now, I-” He coughed up blood, and some of it landed on Egwyn’s cheek. She blinked and wiped it away with her left hand, looked at it and then looked back at her father, now realizing half his shirt was red, and the reason he was pale was because he was bleeding so much from his side.

“... D-Dad?”

He looked at Myra approaching and perked up. In a swift movement he turned back to his current patient, taking his tools and sewing up a big gash on his leg, then applying a strip of fabric tightly against the wound. Then he stood up and rushed over to Myra and began to inspect Dana’s condition.

“Myra, h-how did this happen?! Tell me, has Dana done or said anything at all since she got injured?”

“No,” Myra answered in a swift yet shaky voice, carefully handing the small child over to him. “Those beasts laid some sort of trap. She… she hit her head, and was knocked out.” She looked down at her hands to see that both were coated in blood - one in Vallamir, the other in Piggut. Once again, she gulped. “I don’t know if...”

The girls’ father nodded and grunted, finding an empty sheet to lay the girl on and putting her there in a sitting position with himself right behind her to keep her steady. Immediately he reached for his tools and grabbed the smallest tongs he had, and tried to move everything back to its place in the back of Dana’s head. Every piece of debris he could see was removed swiftly, and every shard of bone and flap of skin was moved around expertly.

It was grim.

He sewed more skin together that day than he ever wanted to, and when he was done with Dana he coughed up more blood and leaned his back against the fountain behind him.

Myra stared at the now-sutured wound, then had to force herself to pull her eyes away. “I need to join the defense,” she said. “Try to get them inside the houses. They’re too exposed out here.”

She pulled out her sword, and with that, she was off, back in the direction from which she came. She arrived back at the fight, the creatures had advanced considerably, but many lay dead or squealing as they died. The Nebulite guards had fared no better. White blood stained the ground and many more lay injured, defended by those who could still stand. It looked grim, it was grim, and Myra prepared to give her all, but then a voice shook the world.

”ENOUGH!”

Before Arya landed in between the two groups, in plain clothes Her arms were stretched out, but her attempt to stop the fighting was not met how she had thought it would be. The creatures advanced, even dared to attack her still. One particularly large one with tusks swung his cleaver at her midsection, only for the weapon to shatter as it touched her skin. Though Myra could not see her face, she knew the Goddess had a look of horror.

With a deafening clap her hands, the world exploded into quiet. The pigguts stopped and stared, before many dropped their weapons, and many more fell to their knees holding their heads. The tusked one in front of her, slowly dropped to his knees and looked at his blood stained hands.

”Go and never come back.” Arya said in an angry voice, before turning her back to them. She had tears running down her face, but she wiped them away as she went to the wounded. The pigguts, heads held low began to leave, dragging their dead and those that no longer had the will to walk into the forest, never to be seen again.

Myra stared in astonishment. The creatures, which had been on the verge of overwhelming the defenders and flooding into the village, were now fleeing. A retreat brought about by nothing more than words. Then the shock faded, and she felt numb.

She stared at the dead, and thought of the wounded back in the village square who might soon join them. Never before had she seen so much death and conflict. Her heart still raced, and tears began to form in her eyes. She lost her grip on the sword, and it clattered to the ground.

Arya looked to her, then at all the other dead and dying and she wept. Her tears staining the ground. She looked up at the Lustrous Garden and slowly lifted her hand to it. A strand of light seemed to shine down upon her, before coalescing into a ball of energy that she then lifted up higher, before crushing in her palm. A wave of beautiful warmth erupted from her palm and rippled out before diseapearing from view. The goddess then collapsed to her knees. All around her, sudden gasps as wounds began to heal and close.

Myra snapped out of her daze, and rushed forward to kneel next to Arya. “Wh-what was that?” she asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Arya smiled weakly as she looked at Myra. ”I’m not sure… But I helped them.”

She pulled her hand away, cast a worried glance off in the direction the pigguts had retreated in, then another back toward the village. “There are more wounded in the square… can you help them too?”

”I already did.” Arya said.

Myra blinked. “You mean… Dana… she’ll be alright?”

”Yes… All those hurt who… Held on, Myra.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “What about those creatures? What if they come back?”

Arya turned her gaze to the forest. ”They will never come back. Their actions… What they’ve done… It will haunt them until the end. I only wish I had done so sooner… Maybe I could have prevented...” her voice faltered.

Myra was silent, still not entirely sure what Arya had done. Wordlessly, she reached forward and put her hand back on the goddess’s shoulder.

”Thank you… Myra. Now could you please go check on those in the square?” she asked.

“I will,” Myra nodded, her resolve returning. She rose to her feet, retrieved her bloodstained sword, and began jogging back to the square where she had left the twins. Arya in the meantime, pulled herself to her feet, and went about making sure her people were safe.

---

It was midday in Laurienna. The desert heat was hot, but comfortable to the starry skinned. They bustled about as usual, from bartering crafts, to slaves. Though, the markets were emptier than they had been once. After the coup, the plague and star fall… Laurienna had seen better days.

“Did you hear?” Came the solemn voice of a guard. Two stood watch at the market square, wearing the lowest tier armor and with spears of starlight. The Nebulite that spoke was a ruddy brown starred man and his fellow guardsmen was pitch black with blue stars. A strange pattern, for any Nebulite.

“What now Nefrius?” Replied his disinterested voice. He stared straight ahead, not giving Nefrius the time of day.

“They say Lord Zius is taking half the standing army to the Talmonese. Can you guess why?”

“Let me guess, to sell more concubines for some measly amount of gold?”

“By Ohannkeloi, how’d you know Vas?”

Vas, or Vasallis, turned to Nefrius with a questioning expression, mixed with boredom.

“Call it a well educated guess.” he said sarcastically, before looking back away.

“Oh come on Vas, don’t be like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like… Like you.”

“Like me? Really?”

“Well yeah, you’re always so glum. Maybe change that or something.”

“Nefrius, shut up.”

“Well I don’t mean anything by it, I swear on Orvus, Vas. You used to talk all the time, what happened?”

Vas snapped his head back to Nefrius.

“What happened? Do I really need to explain to you what happened? You’ve got be fucking kidding me Nef. Look around, this city is hemorrhaging Nebulites, our people, for a shiny object! It doesn’t do anything, you can only make jewelry out of it, and yet the damn Nobility, only care for themselves and sell us off. And don’t even get me started on how many of us have died over these last few years. If it’s not one thing, then it’s another, over and over again. There’s talk of the slaves revolting because they no longer fear our whips, we’re growing weak Nef. And weakness could swallow our city up into dust. I fear for the future of Laurienna, so I apologize if I don’t want to talk!” he shouted at the other man, who seemed to shrink a little.

“Sorry… Vas.” came Nef’s small voice after a moment.

Vas sighed, before turning to Nef. “And we stand around, guarding a dying market. Where did it all go wrong?” He finished, kicking a small pebble.

“Well... “ Nef leaned in and whispered, “Probably with the late Queen.”

Vas narrowed his eyes, before looking around to make sure their conversation was just between the two of them. “I spit upon her grave.” he growled silently. “What did she ever do but worsen things? I don’t know how any of us still respect her… But I will admit, don’t you find it odd when she died, the people she associated with the closest were declared rebels?”

Nef seemed to stand up straighter at the suggestion. “Now that I think about it… All were Lords and Ladies of her court, some even from the days upon the Eye. Would her closest allies, perhaps even friends try to overthrow her? And her children… There was a rumor… Someone spoke of five children, in the dead of night, being shipped off to the Talmonese. I thought nothing of it but now… What if… What if those were the other five children?”

Vas stroked his chin and thought a moment. “Where did you hear such a rumor?”

“From a slaver, probably dead now.” Nef shrugged.

“It is odd, don’t you think. A supposed coup to weed out Polyastera’s friends, allies… Her loyalists have you, in the guise of rebels. That would mean… Laurien… She lied.”

Nef looked shocked at the accusation, before suddenly grinning. “Vas… Does it really matter?”

Vas raised an eyebrow.

“The Queen was awful, her loyalists as you call them, were as equally bad. Maybe Laurien did us a good thing. Maybe by getting rid of those kids, Laurien reset the ruler to a more manageable position? Still… That wouldn’t explain why she disappeared, her house destroyed and her kids missing as well.” Nef stretched.

“You might be onto something there, Nef. As for Laurien… I don’t know how to feel about that. Perhaps she tried to rule behind the scenes and was found out? Or run off by something or someone? It’s all just speculation at this point. Still… The city is in the same downward spiral, even if that’s all true. It doesn’t help us.” Vas sighed.

Nef shuffled, leaning back into a shaded wall. “What we need is… I don’t know… someone willing to put the Nobles in their place. To make Laurienna what it always should have been. We need a better king, perhaps something even more than a king. I don’t know… I feel silly even saying this.”

Vas blinked quickly as Nef’s words lingered in his heart. "It's not silly… It makes sense Nef." The two then looked at each other, grins forming on their faces.

Perhaps things would change after all.

---

Bright day shone in Western Atokhekwoi, in the unnamed region of the Ihokhetlani, Nebulites, and Vallamir. The Temples stood tall far above the treeline as the population was hard at work, from the Ihemol to the Orvar.

In the west, the southern banks of the Ihemol, near its meeting with the Orvar, were enveloped in a flurry of activity. Although long deforested to make way for agricultural and domestic development, the region was now being flooded with lumber. More specifically many were taking time to build canoes on which to traverse the rivers of the land. Instead of carrying a great number of trips over land, the river’s offered a speedway to transport goods and people. So having only recently been given direction on their construction, they were in great demand at the moment. Priests worked to guide the general population in the proper construction and use, even as the river flowed with what few had been constructed already.

Even of greater importance, was transport to and from the river Orvar. Although the Ihemol had long been resident to the mixed villas and homes of Nebulites and Vallamir, the Orvar had the twin sites of the Obelisk and the Temple. Which now as a great many thought to set new homes and villages closer to the holy places, especially as children continued to grow and one had to think to the future homes as well. As well, the northern banks of the Ihemol grew more in importance as its resources became more accessible with easier travel across the river. Additional prime farmland, although few had moved across it had become a point of interest to many others as well.

Noticeably most workers were Ihokhetlani, although many Nebulites and Vallamir could be found with their children in attempting to teach them some trades or playing with them generally. Without a period of childhood comparable to the other two races and the need for labor, in addition to their physical prowess, the Ihokhetlani found themselves as the majority of the builders. Many even looked forward to when they would be able to carry better stone down from the beginnings of the Orvar and Ihemol by the river rather than what could be found locally or carried overland.
A number of the ferrymen found, however, a very odd addition to the lake at the edge of the Orvar and Ihemol. A mirage, it was speculated at first, for it was enormous and shaped much like the ferries they sailed, if not considerably brighter and golden. Stories attracted more attention as rumours of gold- and clay-skinned humanoids dressed in silk swam ashore, yet appeared nothing like the Ihokhetlani. It wasn’t until one of the ferrymen made contact with the strangers that the first riddle was answered. A token was brought to the Holy Synod - it was clay pot the size of a Vallamir’s head. Upon it was written a character in black ink.

The Holy Synod was more than a little unprepared for the strange arrival, a great deal of their numbers were further west, supervising the work on construction. Those that remained at the Temple proper were mostly supervising the construction of buildings near the Temple and while more easily recalled still faced the issue of communication with those distant in the west, even with a fast boat in good conditions to get across the Orvar and up the Ihemol could take many days. Let alone return with the other members of the Holy Synod.

More startling than the appearance of a strange vessel with strange people was the possibility that this was the work of Shengshi, brother of Ohannakeloi and the Supreme Lord and Master of rivers. Especially compounded by the identification of the character by Valdemerl, priest-supervisor of the Shengshi cult, as the Shengshese character for ‘wine’. As the lack of direct appearance of Shengshi, and the less than direct contact initiated, it was considered that the Divinity may be waiting for an invitation. Or perhaps may be demanding wine, having given some in expectance reciprocating arrangement, interpretation of the Divine will was always difficult.

A path of action was decided upon, Hase, Valdemerl, Nebuli, and whatever members of the Shengshi cult that could be quickly found would proceed to approach the vessel and its people and offer an invitation to the Temple proper, using the Scepter of Understanding if necessary. In the meantime, the remaining occupants of the Temple and the nearby workers would attempt to get a reception together as quickly as possible, and send word to the rest of the Holy Synod.

The waterfolk already waited by the shore when the delegation arrived. They fell to their knees in greeting, and the one clad in the finest dress ushered forth a flowered speech in their song-like language, complete with warm, dance-like movement and multiple stages of bowing and kowtowing. Those behind the leader mimicked the movements like they were of one mind. The speech finished and the leader looked upon the delegation with an expectant smile.

Hase felt rather bad that they had let them go through that whole apparent speech without informing them that they had no idea what they were saying. Although they had bowed in the beginning, most of it was completely lost on the group as a whole. Hase spoke, even if understanding was not in the words they might understand the issue better that way. He began in the grinding dialect of the Ihokhetlani.

“We do truly wish to greet you, and welcome you and all of your blessed group to the lands of the Ihemol and Orvar, however I must inform you that I have no idea what you just said. I would recommend you grab a hold of this.”

With that he leaned forward, as if offering the Scepter of Understanding to the evident leader, his Soul-Eye remaining fixed on that person. The leader, while a little reddened in the cheeks, gave an understanding nod and grabbed hold of the sceptre.

“Forgive this servant for asking, but is it right in assuming that this artifact is one with the power to break down the lingual barrier?” he asked.

Hase replied in the same language, “It is that same artifact, the Scepter of Understanding as it were. I would wish to apologize for not bringing it up earlier, it can only teach two mortals eachother’s language not translate it for them.”

“Please, it was this servant’s overeagerness that led it to so frivolously forget that world hosts a multitude of different cultures. It gladdens His Lordship to see so many living in such harmony. Have You come with a message for the Regent of Rivers and King of Crops?”

“On behalf of the full Holy Synod of Recorders, Archivists, and Explorers, of the Temple, I would like to offer an invitation to a reception for His Supreme Fluvial Lordship at the Supreme Temple of Ohannakeloi on the eastern bank of the Orvar river. While we regret we cannot offer more at this time due to the significant work along the Ihemol, we wish to offer our service and recognition of the Divine power, wisdom and influence of the Beloved Brother of Ohannakeloi.”

The leader smiled. “His Lordship understands the abruptness of His arrival may cause some rushed planning. His Lordship wishes to assure the people of the Holy Synod that no contempt will fester in His impression of Your great people as a result of wanting tributes. Your people’s invitation alone is already most appreciated by the great Lord. We shall return to inform Him to sail the sacred vessel to the river of Orvar post-haste.”

“Before such a thing I would like to ask a further request, but on this Servant of the Holy Lord Shengshi rather than that of the Grand Divinity Himself. I would be most pleased to know your name.”

The Servant blinked and bowed. “Naturally. Forgive this rude servant’s lack of proper manners. This servant is called He Bo.”

Hase bowed back. “And I am Hase. Now, to our mutual business.”

---

The two groups split apart and went on their respective ways to the Temple, the Jiangzhou was much faster than any mortal vessel present here under the conditions and so arrived much sooner as well. The first thing seen of the Temple was the supreme height of it, far above the height of the trees and nearly thrice as tall as the Jiangzhou itself. The many decorations and writings on the Temple gradually came into view as did the final preparations at the Temple, evidently set off in greater speed upon the spotting of the Jiangzhou. A stone pathway had been made from the river bank to the central Temple stairs, evidently drawn from the constructions nearby. Additionally, firepits had been constructed, some still in the process of cooking or heating food in ceramic containers.

As the Jiangzhou grew close, priests began descending from the Temple to present themselves nearer the river bank, as crowds of workers came to stand off to the sides. A call from a hollow horn rang out and the masses present raggedly but as one threw themselves to the ground and calling out.

“We welcome you grand Divine Lord Shengshi, Divine of Rivers, Beloved Brother of Ohannakeloi!”

The ship halted on the river and a great staircase of water ascended up to the deck. The crimson snake extended his arms outwards to take in the praise and music. His mouth curved into a grinning crescent and his eyes smiled as much as his lips. Before him descended first a company of Servants, followed by a group of Vallamir whose demeanour betrayed a great lack of the cultured upbringing of the Servants. Still, they tried. The snake followed, and was trailed by another company of Servants and Vallamir.

“A loyal and worthy greeting such as this warrants a thousand years of amiable irrigation and fruitful crops, I say! What luck - what fortune I am blessed with, to come to a land so distant as this and still receive a welcome of divine class. Truly, oh truly, you ARE the people of my Blessed Brother - a thousand, ten thousand of the warmest blessings upon His Holy name and soul. Tell me, where is the one known as Hase, who represents this worthy union of priests and chroniclers known as the Holy Synod? I much desire to speak with him.”

An Ihokhetlani stepped forward from the rest of the priestly bunch, coming to a kneel just a few steps forward of the main group.

“He has not yet arrived back your Supreme Holiness, from the top of the Temple we have been watching their progress since they were spotted some time after your own Divine Vessel. They should arrive in not too long from now, there are other members of the Synod present if it pleases you to speak to them. If it pleases you to speak to Hase in particular, we have assembled some regional foods and other items of regional interest that you could peruse should you wish to wait.”

Having finished speaking the Ihokhetlani stayed where they were as they awaited a response.

“Ah, naturally. Forgive my impatience - of course, I would be faster.” He grinned. “The very fact that you have prepared hors d’oeuvres is absolutely marvellous. Forgive my rudeness, but would there be enough for the mortals in my company, as well? All are equally ravenous to taste what our superior hosts have prepared.”

“Of course, we have made much in ample supply, we regret to say we have few breads as the stockpiles for grains and such are further west with the majority of the population, I hope your own Blessed Divine self may understand our failings. The food is mostly locally hunted and gathered due to time constraints so we do not have a full variety of agricultural products.”

“Then these will be savoured at a later date, I am sure. For now, we are honoured to be invited to your tables. Please, lead the way, worthy mortal.” The Servants fanned out to the side and the Vallamir formed up behind the snake, who followed the Ihokhetlani to the food tables.

The crowds parted and the priestly group stood to lead back over to the set of tables that had been set out. It was clear that an abundance of wooden tables was not to be found, although there were a few with reasonable decorations, likely drawn from furniture from the interior of the Temple, most were stone slab that had been piled up for the use of tables. On top of the various tables were mostly communal dishes, black bread and stews, many kinds of cooked meats- some skewered on sticks, others with some cutting stones nearby. Meats seemed to predominate as did fairly simple cooking, not without spices but relatively easy to prepare. The fire pits were still in use as it seemed they were still attempting to make more food over the veritable feast.

Some of the priests lead groups of Vallamir to tables as others stayed with Shengshi to a particularly ornate wooden table that had been set up on some slabs of stone to keep it off the ground directly. There a broad variety of dishes filled the table and the first Ihokhetlani priest spoke again, “We wished to provide your Divine and puissant Lordship with everything that we had to offer at the current time.”

“Your tribute is most rich, worthy mortal. Tell me, what is your name? I can tell, you and your kin carry a particularly powerful scent similar to my brother’s. Are you to him what my Servants are to me?” the snake asked. The Vallamir showed their finest display of Shengshese manners, sitting down at the table and waiting for the snake to take his bite. Eamhair sat down next to old nan, itching the skin under her new robes.

“Your praise is golden to my humble self O Mighty and Wise Shengshi. I am called Azunon. I must profess that we, even of the Holy Synod, do not know much of your Servants and what they are to you O Holy One. I can say that the Blessed Divine Ohannakeloi made Ihokhe, and from Ihokhe came the Ihokhetlani and the priesthood.”

Azunon paused, looking around at some of the other priests present. “Recently we of the Holy Synod have been formed to guide the priesthood but also to preserve and find knowledge for all those under our management as sanctioned by that same Most Blessed One. I am capable and willing of answering more that is in my knowledge if my meager mortal offering has not saited your questions O Glorious Divinity.”

“A hub of knowledge, you say? My mind and my brother’s are as one, it would seem, for I, too, have united an order with the sole purpose of pursuing knowledge. Ah, how it warms the soul to see that curiosity runs deep in the veins and bones of mortalkind elsewhere, too. Tell me, if you would, what manner of knowledge it is that you seek. Is it exploratory? Scientific? Religious?” The snake picked himself a piece of meat and bit into it. “This is wonderful, by the way. My most sincere compliments to the chef.”

Azunon turned his head to see which dish the deity spoke of as he replied, “Your Blessed and Puissant Lordship, we of the Temple seek all forms and manners of knowledge. In the west we build boats to explore and use the blessed currents, made of your own will, in the waterways. In the Temple itself we have formulated what few passages we have at our disposal of the teachings of all Divines, very limited I must admit but we have a few attributed to your own Holy self. We record information of the mundane, all things pertinent to mortal life. In this we hope to gather knowledge so that we may gain wisdom in leading our people to a most prosperous and enlightened state as set forth by the Blessed Divine Ohannakeloi.”

He paused briefly giving a small bow, “If it would please the Divine and Judicious Lord, I would like to request a record of your own teachings that the Blessed Divine Ohannakeloi alluded to from his visitation to your most holy and commanding vessel.”

“Such spirit, such dedication -- my, worthy Azunon, your words set this old divine’s heart ablaze. A record of my teachings is the least I can grant you -- nay, it is much too little. For this meal,” he took another bite, “for this hospitality, a quality of which I, in all of my existence, have been so rarely exposed to, I shall bestow upon this jewel of a society any three gifts in addition to my literature. Any three are within limits -- if it can be imagined, so it shall appear before you.”

Azunon threw himself to the ground and many of the priests behind him did likewise or kneeled as space allowed on the sudden move. Azunon spoke, “Your most holy Lordship is more than generous a thousand times over to these poor mortal souls! If it would be allowed I would wish to wait on asking of such gifts until I have had time to discuss the matter with my fellow priests, especially such as Hase who should not long be beyond us.”

“Time, you shall have -- as much as you need. If we may, I would like to remain for a bit, see what the lands of my brother are like. Furthermore, the Vallamir in my company are unripe in the fields of knowledge. If you could share with them a few of your skills, trades and angles of philosophy, I would be most grateful, certainly.” A few of the Vallamir frowned at the remark, but none dared speak up.

Azunon nodded then spoke, “As your Blessed Divinity wishes. I would say when the people of this land first met they had much to learn and to teach one another, the Vallamir have always been a most resourceful and respectable people, they helped many Nebulites thrive in the early years as the Nebulites have taught them in kind. We have no issue in teaching should they have no issue in learning. However, I recognize it may be prudent to bring some of the local Vallamir here, as the strengths and tastes of Ihokhetlani are not that of the Nebulites or the Vallamir. They may learn best in such company as is closest to their own experience.”

“So they shall, then. Please summon forth a group each of the local Vallamir and Nebulites so that these mortals, and also I, may learn from what they have to say.” He turned to one of the servants. “Return to the ship and retrieve the first ten volumes of the Classic of Wisdom -- make certain the scrolls are intact.”

“At once, Your Lordship,” the servant replied and turned back to the ship with a following of few hundreds.

“We have several priests of each race that also hold much of the same knowledge gifted unto their minds. I hope such is satisfactory for the current time, as to bring ones with more practical experience may take a good many days before their arrival could come in good number O holy and Wise Divinity.”

“Bring whomever are suited to teach these people. Both they and I can wait. Much of a god’s life is spent doing exactly that, you know -- waiting. Tell me, if you would, the manner in which you worship those to whom these temples are dedicated. Does tribute come in the form of prayer, offerings? If the latter, what manner of offerings? Do you practice live sacrifice of any sort?”

“The Temple itself is dedicated to the Blessed Divine Ohannakeloi, your wise supremacy. He demands little beyond prayer and dedication of thought to his works and their meanings. There are plans for shrines to other deities as well as housing in this area for the general population but we have little in the way of knowledge about their preferred worship. If you would wish for any live sacrifice some might be obliged, we Ihokhetlani have managed to find little trouble with beasts outside of specific beasts and fairly mature Ahomauoi.”

“Oh, that is quite alright, young Azunon - live sacrifices are not quite my preference. Jewels, stones and other brilliant treasures would be appreciated, though. Tell me, who is this Ahomauoi? Another child of my brother?”

Behind Azunon it became apparent that some of what was being said was being carved into clay tablets by some of the priests. Azunon replied, “Apologies for my unclear speech O majestic Deity. Ahomauoi is not a person but rather a kind of creature, they share the form of Blessed Ohannakeloi is appearance, particularly of size when they are young. However, as they grow older they do not seem to stop growing in size, they were first encountered decades ago, long before we knew of such wonders as we do now, before my time in any case. The largest I have seen rival the size of our mortal constructions, although I’ve heard tales of ones that may be as large as your most Holy and Grand Vessel.”

“Interestingly, the Blessed Divine Ohannakeloi once said that they would obey commands from him or other mighty beings, if they could understand it of course. It eludes me what precise purpose they are to serve, but it is not for me to guess the mind of a deity. Perhaps they do something out east, thats where they seem to be most prevalent in any case.”

“Enormous landwalkers with unchecked growth? An interesting idea for a creature.” The snake hummed as he bit into another piece of meat. “East of here… Over the mountains. Are there other gatherings of mortals beyond this valley?”

“Yes, O mighty and wise Lord. Three of the First Ones of the Ihokhetlani led large groups to go settle the east, another One went South, One stayed here, Hase as you know, and the First of the First Ones is of unknown whereabouts to me at least. I know Hase has kept an attempt at tracking them. Blessed Ohannakeloi has spoken of other people in the far east, on the other side of the world, but they do not worship the Blessed Divine and so he has taken little interest in them, so we know little.”

“I see, I see. Yes, these other peoples of the far east know quite little about the world outside their little spheres of reality - in that respect, you are all quite enlightened. From the taste of the rivers here, I can tell that there must be an intimate connection between here and the World Spring - perhaps the flow will carry you see your comrades again in time? Do you miss them?”

“Your supreme excellence, I have little control over the fact that I miss those I held dear who decided to part ways. I know that we may meet again as long as the Pyres burn, I also know that we may never meet again. We Ihokhetlani live longer than most things we have found, but we know we are mortal. I have found it is best to enjoy today, not to forget the joys and sorrows of yesterday or the triumphs and fears of tomorrow, but to keep them and move forward knowing and acting from ones life. I try to tell my congregation this as a priest, the older ones understand, but most are of the newer bunch, in the last ten years. They do not yet know this, I hope they will learn for themselves without too many troubles but we go as we must.”

Azunon looked back to the group of priests behind him before continuing to speak, “We can only hope, and pray to enlightened and puissant Divines such as your own self, that tomorrow will be better than yesterday. I do not know what the future holds, perhaps in a few years I will go east and see if I can’t visit my old friends. Most that I knew left later following the the largest waves of movement in any case.”

The snake blinked, then gave Azunon a warm smile. “Young Azunon, nay… Wise Azunon - you are sagely and pious beyond any mortal I have ever met. Truly, my brother has fashioned nothing less than a masterwork upon creating you and your people, the Ihokhetlani. To live for such ages, yet be uncorrupted by temptations of power, greed or arrogance - it is remarkable.” He nodded. “Again, I must beseech you to pass on your manners, your wisdom and your skill to my company. The counsel of a sage such as yourself would be a blessing to any listener.”

“Your Divine Excellency is far and above a kind being, I know not which word could describe such boundless enthusiasm towards our humble mortal selves. I cannot stand in front of such a request and deny it, I will teach any who wish to learn such things.”

“Then you will.” The snake rose from the table. “When Hase returns, tell one of these Vallamir to walk to the river. Then I shall reappear. Until then, consider what three gifts you wish for me to bestow upon this valley and its people.” Shengshi bowed. “I am most grateful for the food. It was exquisitely prepared. Lady Eamhair.”

The Vallamir woman blinked back to reality. “Y-yes, Sh-- Your Lordship?!” she replied with as deep a sideways bow as she could manage sitting.

“You and your people will remain here and learn from the Itokhetlani, the Nebulites and your cousins. I will return to my vessel and add a few additional texts to the volumes I am leaving here for the Temple.”

Eamhair swallowed. “C-certainly, Your Lordship.”

The snake nodded at Azunon with a smile. “I assure you that they are good listeners - most of the time.”

Azunon bowed as he could, although it was more full a bending of his body given that Ihokhetlani don’t have exactly predetermined joints. “I shall take your assurance to heart your most excellent and holy Majesty. We will have done as you wish when Hase returns.”

Azunon bowed as he could, although it was more full a bending of his body given that Ihokhetlani don’t have exactly predetermined joints. “I shall take your assurance to heart your most excellent and holy Majesty. We will have done as you wish when Hase returns.”

Azunon turned and inclined his head towards Eamhair. The Vallamir looked up, then blinked away shyly. She mumbled a few words in her native tongue, then looked up expectantly as if to see whether she had been understood.

Azunon replied, if somewhat rustily, “I am sorry to say my hearing is not of the same divine standard that you may be used to from your voyages with the holy and noble Shengshi. You may have to speak louder to have others understand you here. You will find that most priests will be able to help you although I regret to say that the general population of Ihokhetlani are not as fluent in the full Vallamir language.”

The priests recording what was being said seemed to continue in the same script they had before, if one could see what they were writing besides a small notation of what language was being spoken, not much changed there.

“O-oh, is that so? Then I’m so-- I mean, forgive me.” Eamhair bowed her torso and stood up, then bowed more properly. “Sorry. This ‘cultured behaviour’, as His Lordship calls it, is all a bit new to us. If I’m not mistaken, His Lordship said you were wise beyond many mortals. We’ve recently lost our home and, and many of our elders with it. As such, we--”

“We have no one to teach our young,” old nan added from behind her and rose to her quivering feet. “We ain’t askin’ you to teach ‘em, but whatever wisdom our elders had has been lost. Everythin’ about the world, nature and so on. Is there anything about such that you can tell us? Anything you’ve learned here that we can pass on as the Lord brings us along to the Promised Land?”

Azunon spoke first to his fellow priests in the Ihokhetlani language, “Convene as many of the Synod as you can to think on the Holy Lordship’s gifts, need to be thoughtful about such things. Additionally, bring whichever Vallamir priests are nearby, I think they would be helpful here.”

He turned back to the Vallamir before him speaking their tongue again as the other priests began to disperse, one of the recording priests stayed. “I will first say that I am sorry to hear such a tragedy befell you. Although, I believe there is much we could assist with, both in the practical regard of action as well as general worldly information. I should ask what is known to your people so I bear not to speak of what you already know.”

“Well… We know of the great Kalmar, Arae, Li’Kalla and Roog, and the birth of our people. Then His Lordship offered us insight into the rest of the pantheon. He, he spoke warmly of the master of these lands, but… We have hardly ever seen anything outside our village. We know how to hunt and survive, but… Such mountains built by hand such as your temple are far beyond us; as is such recorded insight as you possess.” Old nan pointed to the recording priests. “We cannot even write - though His Lordship has given teachers to our youngest.”

“We must then ensure that such things would no longer be far beyond you, although I will admit that it may be difficult for Vallamir without the physical ability of Ihokhetlani. I must first clarify that we did not construct our temple ourselves, although we have the knowledge that should make such a construction possible, I believe Hase was looking into the possibility…”

Azunon faded off as another group approached, a group of four Vallamir, all four bowed to the group present. A young woman, two older men and a single person who was so covered in furs of various kinds it was a degree of luck that enough features could identify them as one of the Vallamir.

The young woman spoke as she rose, “Azunon, Honored Guests.” She nodded to each before turning to Azunon, “They request your presence for the Synod, Hase approaches and they wish to not delay the meeting greatly.”

Azunon nodded, he turned to Old Nan and Eamhair saying, “I believe you will be most well helped by Acolyte Vilhiga, Priests Faegurd and Beohird, as well as…?”

The Vallamir covered in furs spoke in a surprisingly deep voice, “Potter Sigeard, honorable Azunon.”

Azunon spoke, “A pleasure to make the acquaintance. They should be able to assist in teaching many practical arts, as well as answer any other questions you might have about such things.”

---

It had been a little over a week, far too short a time to teach much of anything but at least it allowed for more Vallamir to coalesce at the Temple and introduce much of the concepts of the technology lacked by the Vallamir formerly of Kalgrun. Acolyte Vilhiga was soon reassigned to other duties but the others and soon more of the Atokhekwoi Vallamir had come in that time. Many sought to not only assist in teaching but soon after to also then go with the Vallamir of Shengshi’s custodianship on their planned journey. They desired to leave for varying reasons, to leave behind broken relationships or to explore in a new land or interest in some Vallamir there, in any case, the knowledge would travel with them.

The Holy Synod had traveled to meet Hase before he reached the Temple area, traveling back with him to both discuss the events transpired but also what should be done with the gifts offered by Shengshi. Debates and decisions abounded but they had some measure of finality by the time they had arrived back at the main Temple area.

As Shengshi had said, they had one of the Vallamir he had brought with him walk to the river. Many supplies, mostly tools and such things, had been assembled for those leaving to take with them. Most of the Holy Synod that was available stood nearby, Hase stood slightly apart from the whole of the group.

As the Vallamir called out as she had been instructed, a distant gong rang as a response and before long, the colossal ship of Shengshi sailed up to the bank. Stairs of water climbed up to the deck and the snake slithered his way down smoothly, his arms wide open in greeting.

“Ah, worthy Hase,” he boomed in greeting on his way down, “it is a joy that you have made it back safely. I trust the journey was harmonious and pleasant, yes?”

“Indeed it was your most Impressive and Wise Lordship.” Hase spoke as he bent over in prostration before Shengshi, “I must tell you that it is a great honor that you have bestowed upon my people to grace us with your continued presence, and that of your well chosen followers of course.”

“Oh, it has truly been my deepest of pleasures. The company of these priests and your unrivaled civility and culture is nothing short of perfection among mortalkind. My stay here has been most exquisite thanks to you.” He tipped his head in gratitude. “So, if I may ask, have you come to a conclusion as to what you will wish for? Three wishes, you shall have - no more, no less - and it shall be my greatest joy to bestow them.”

“Your Lordship is far and above us poor mortals in such a field as kindness, only a Divine could be supremely strong in that attribute. I could not stop from thinking deeply on such an expansive and generous gift from the Supremely Wise Shengshi! It would honor me and all my people were you to grant our desires, that is good harvests for our crops along your great rivers, and to be taught both your own most holy script in full and any humble improvements that could be made to our poor mortal boats. To see your own grand and powerful vessel is to know one’s own limits, we have trouble building ones to transport great stones from the West, or any real number of Ihokhetlani.”

The other priests of the Holy Synod behind Hase threw themselves to the ground as he finished, speaking as one, “We humbly request that your puissant Lordship may consider granting these as gifts onto our people!”

The snake hummed and nodded. “I see, I see. If those are what you wish for, then they shall be granted in the most prosperous of ways!” He lifted one hand into the air. Along the rivers in the valley, across all the plants that drank from their waters, stalks bent under the weight of their fattened grain; fruit grew almost too plump for the branches; roots peeked out of the soil in the fields like curious meerkats.

The snake then lifted his other hand. From it spawned a star-like mist that spread to the heads of all the present onlookers and beyond. It buzzed around them like a curious swarm of fireflies before settling on their foreheads and then dissipating. The onlookers blinked, for they suddenly felt volumes upon volumes of text fill their minds - philosophy, statecraft, law, religion, morality: All of Shengshi’s edicts came together in a single, powerful thought that seemed to make itself at home in their memories.

Following the mist, the snake clapped his hands together. The thoughts of his writing subsided to unveil schematics: Rafts, boats, ships - everything was there. If wood could be harnessed, bent and shapen properly, a distant possibility presented itself: The priests could potentially build ships like Shengshi’s.

The snake lowered his hands again and smiled. “The fields will yield good harvests for as long as your faith is true. Never again shall the people of this valley starve come the hard seasons.” He looked at Hase and poked his own temple knowingly. “How do you feel?”

Hase replied quite carefully focusing beyond the feeling of rapid knowledge acquisition which was so distinct, “Your most Holy Lordship, I must admit having Divine knowledge granted onto one’s mind does become easier to deal with, although it never lessens in its abrupt influence.”

Shengshi chuckled. “So I have heard. I personally cannot imagine what it must be like to have months of reading thrust into one’s mind in an instant. I hope you do not find it invasive in anyway?”

“I could scarcely think so O Divine Shengshi. I am aware of what it is like and I have requested such from you, perhaps if one had no idea of it and the given knowledge was less than pleasant in of itself then I may suspect that would be closer to an invasive situation.”

The snake nodded. “Yes, I suppose there would be a contextual difference there - whether you request or are treaded upon. Either way, I am glad you see it as you do.” He turned back to his ship. “Worthy mortal Hase, my stay here has been of the utmost pleasure - I so wish I could remain for longer.” He gave the Vallamir in his company a quick glance. “However, it is about time I gave these refugees a proper home - a place where they may grow to be civil and prosperous.”

Hase went further into prostration, bringing his full body to the ground as he spoke, “O Mighty and Wise Shengshi, we are honored by your gifts and your very holy presence. I must make a request on you that I would be amiss in my duty to the people of the valley and of your Divine guidance were I to not make it. There are several priests, skilled workers and others of the Vallamir of the valley that wish to join your company and join with your Vallamir in the new home you seek for them. I would humbly beseech you to consider allowing them to do as they so strongly wish.”

The snake eyed the eager followers, all of whom, too, were prostrating before him. He hummed dramatically before allowing himself a benevolent nod. “Of course - all may come aboard my ship and sail to yonder lands. Beware, however, that no such trip is two-wayed; those that go, will never return.”

“O Powerful and Wise Shengshi, it has been ensured that they were adequately aware of the possibility. Such a journey was one way before when the Blessed Divine Ohannakeloi brought them from their northern lands, they are aware that such things may be as they were before. I must say that few families wish to leave, many of those who plan to leave are not bound by much beyond their compatriots here.” Hase paused allowing a silence of a brief moment before he continued, “Perhaps one day when mortal kind has advanced under Divine care, tutelage and assistance those of this Valley may once again meet their fair friends and all those of the most Holy and Divine Shengshi’s immortal graces.”

Once more, the snake nodded. A single snicker escaped him. “Let us hope so. Then they may come. Go to my ship, all who wish to join, and we shall be off in moments.” The crowds bowed and began heading to the massive ship. “Well, then, worthy mortal Hase… I reckon this is farewell for now.”

The stonemen kowtowed again. The snake nodded back and climbed aboard his ship. Soon, they were sailing far into the east, back home towards the Dragon’s Foot.

A blue-haired vallamir man walked along the beach dragging his net towards the sea. He walked past other vallamir who were tending to their own nets, patching holes or replacing lost stones. The tune of a wooden flute drifted across the pack of vallamir working on the beach. Near the water lay two logs. One had been carved out to be hollow with an opening in its top side. The other was in the process of being carved out using tools and techniques of woodworking 'borrowed' from the people nearer the so-called Capital.

The man threw his net into the crude canoe and started pushing it towards the water. A blond-haired vallamir joined in, and together they pushed the boat through the sand and into the water. They kept pushing the boat past where the waves broke, then hauled themselves into the boat which rocked precariously but managed to stay upright. They picked up paddles from inside the boat and rowed to deeper water, although never too far from shore.

The two vallamir fishermen scanned the water with their keen eyes for any sign of fish. They spotted a few silver glitters beneath the waves and dropped their net overboard. After a little time they pulled the net back up, water streaming out from around the flopping silver fish. They pulled the net into the boat while carefully balancing to avoid capsizing their simple vessel. They emptied the net into the boat and inspected the catch.

"It's a start," the blond vallamir eventually declared.

"Lessee if we can get a second net-full," said the blue-haired vallamir.

"Shall we head back to shore first, Jo?" asked the blond.

"Always the cautious one, Yan. It'll be quicker to do it now," said the blue-haired one named Jo.

"Don't get too cocky. Remember when we flipped the boat with a whole load of fish in it? We spent ages trying to catch them again."

"Come on, that was an accident. It won't happen again. There's plenty more of Ashalla's bounty to catch."

They rowed a short distance in their search for more fish, then cast their nets into the water again. After some time more fish snagged into the net and they pulled it up and dropped the fish into the boat. They then rowed back to the rest of their pack on the beach. The other vallamir ran up to help them pull the boat through the breakers and onto the sand. The fish were then carried in armfuls and reed baskets over to the cooking fires to be smoked.

Other fishing boats were starting to come in, and grey clouds were approaching from inland, but Jo headed back to his boat with his net and beckoned for Yan to follow. A vallamir woman who was weaving fibres called out, "Jo'Pallan, are you heading off again? You should be helping to cook."

Jo seemed a little exasperated. "We won't be long, Lupa dear. We'll catch a few more fish before the weather turns. I've gotta good feeling about this one."

"You always say that, Jo," the woman said, but Yan and Jo had already pushed their boat into the sea. She shook her head and went back to her weaving.

Yan gave a little chuckle as they climbed into the boat. "Sometimes I wonder who's really your missus: Lupa or Ashalla."

Jo gave Yan a playful push. "Hey, at least I've got a missus. When're you going to find a girl?"

Yan picked up his oar and started rowing, looking out to sea. "I'll get one when I'm ready."

"Pftsh. Don't give me that. I know you've got your eyes on someone."

Yan looked up at the sky. "You'd better get rowing if you want to catch some fish before the rain comes."

Jo rolled his eyes, but picked up his oar and rowed anyway. "Come on, you can tell me. Is it Juni? Or maybe Vermi. I saw you chatting with her the other night. Hm?" Jo watched Yan closely for any reactions, but Yan stayed stone-faced. A cheeky smile stretched across Jo's face. "Oh, I know. There's one woman you just can't keep your hands off. You stare at her big curves and feel how wet she is. You like to get deep in her."

Yan gave a questioning look. "What are you talking about?"

Jo's face cracked into a crazy grin. "Ashalla."

Yan stared for a moment, then punched Jo on the shoulder. "You dirty man. If Lupa heard you talking like that she wouldn't let you near the beach ever again." Despite himself a little smile crept onto Yan's face as Jo laughed.

They kept rowing a little further then cast out their net. Around them fell the first drops of rain. After a little bit of waiting they felt something tug at their nets. An exchanged glance was the signal to pull the net up. They strained against the weight. Jo hazarded a look overboard.

"They're bigguns."

"Watch the balance, Jo!" Yan shouted, leaning the other way to stop the boat from tipping.

Jo leaned back to keep hauling the net, but the fish swam under the boat. The two fishermen tried to pull the net back, but they leaned too far forwards. An errant wave pushed the dugout past its tipping point and the boat rolled over and dumped the fishermen into the sea. Their heads surfaced above the waves a couple seconds later and they paddled in place.

"'I've got a good feeling about this one,' huh?" Yan mocked.

"Hey, look on the bright side. Now we're both in her," Jo said with a wink.

Yan rolled his eyes, then his gaze settled on a point behind Jo.

Jo looked down at the water around himself. "Ah shit, I dropped the net. It'll be down here somewhere. Help me find it, Yan."

Yan's face had gone pale and his eyes were wide.

"Yan?" Jo turned around and the colour drained from his face.

Towering behind them was a mound of water as large as an open-ocean wave. On this wave were arms, curves suggestive of a woman's torso, and a face which looked down at the two men with a scowl.

There were a few seconds of shocked silence until Jo managed to stammer, "A- Ashalla. Merciful, gracious, marvellous Ashalla. It's a- er- honour." Jo crossed his fist across his chest and bowed his head. Yan did the same. Ashalla did not speak. In the pregnant pause, Jo continued. "So, er, what brings you here?"

A voice like the distant breakers said, "I heard a couple of fishermen talking about me."

Sheer panic plastered itself across Jo's face. "Oh, that, ha, just banter, nothing serious, fooling around, ha. Unless..." Jo looked up at Ashalla's face, then shrunk back.

Ashalla leaned forwards. "Do you think I am a joke?" interrogated a voice like a cracking glacier. Icy terror gripped Jo's chest.

"No no no, not at all! You're very serious. Pretty too. No joke there, nope. We were, er..."

"Dreaming," Yan finished.

Ashalla leaned back as Jo and Yan stared on in fear. Her gaze moved over to the capsized boat. A wave gently brushed over it then flipped it upright. "You would not be the first mortal with such dreams," said a voice like a receding wave. The vallamir released a breath they hadn't noticed they were holding. "Tell me about this boat."

Jo and Yan grabbed their oars which were floating nearby and swam up to the boat. "This? It's our boat. We go fishing in it every day when the weather's not too bad. Sometimes a bit unsteady, but it works," Jo said.

"How was it made?"

In a coordinated move, Jo and Yan climbed into the boat from opposite sides. "We- the pack- cut down a tree, sawed off the branches then chopped out the inside so we'd have somewhere to sit and put our fish."

Ashalla stared off towards the shore while tendrils of water lapped at the boat, inspecting every cut and groove. After a long, low rumble, she said, "You have the power to shape wood to your will, yet this is the best you have devised? Inadequate." Ashalla's gaze scanned the coast once more. "Many more vallamir have arrived on this beach since I first spoke to the vallamir, yourself among the new arrivals. What drew you here?"

"Well, there wasn't much food on the land when you appeared and taught our pack about nets and string and stuff. It was such a great gift and it saved us from starvation. Even when the land grew back, there was something alluring about the water. When I heard of others like me, of course I joined them," said Jo.

"There is something about fishing, it's not like the raw rush of the hunt, it's more peaceful. There's serenity when on the water," Yan added.

There was the blast of a horn from the beach. The fishermen turned their heads and saw that the vallamir on the shore had noticed Ashalla and assembled a band.

"Return to your pack," Ashalla instructed. The fishermen picked up their oars and paddled back to shore. They pulled their boat onto the sand and joined the rest of the vallamir. Ashalla flowed up to the beach shortly afterwards. The ensemble of musicians included horn players, flautists, drums, rattles, stringed instruments, and a choir. When Ashalla approached, the choir sung out with the backing of the musicians.

"Who is the mistress over the waves?
Who granted fish and food which could save?
Who taught music for singing with glee?
Ashalla did, goddess of the sea!"

Ashalla burbled at their song. "Mortal vallamir, what a wonderful welcome. It is clear that you love the ocean. So I shall reward your faithfulness by allowing you to live even closer to the sea."

She reached out a thick pseudopod towards the half-finished boat sitting on the sand. The water engulfed it, and blades of ice churned within the globe of water and clouded the water with sawdust. When Ashalla withdrew her limb, the crudely hollowed log had been carved into a proper canoe. The ends tapered into points which curled upwards. The profile was narrower than it was tall. "Take inspiration from the form of the fish. The fish's body is slender and pointed so as to swim speedily through the water."

Thin pseudopods whipped out over the heads of the vallamir into the forest behind them. They withdrew carrying long branches and lengths of rope. Ashalla lashed two long branches of equal length onto the boat perpendicular to it, then on either end of those long branches she affixed a log parallel to the boat. "The fish's fins stabilise it in the water, ensuring it stays upright."

Ashalla withdrew a short distance to allow the vallamir to marvel at the creation and inspect it up close. After she thought they had had enough time, Ashalla said, "There is more. I have heard your prayers about the difficulties brought by some of the people of the land. I could allow you to make the sea your home."

The vallamir looked at each other. Their faces showed excitement, surprise, confusion, and fear. Chatter and discussion rose quickly. Yet Ashalla's voice spoke above the din like a crashing wave. "If you desire such a thing, bring me an offering of as much lumber, rope and coarse fabric as you can gather. Bring also many water-tight vessels. Do not be meagre in this offering if you wish to benefit from it."

Then Ashalla receded back into the ocean and disappeared. Her commands hung in the air over the vallamir. Some went to inspect the outrigger canoe again. Others looked to each other, then talking resumed and amplified. There was debate over whether to take up this offer, and how to go about doing it.

In the height of the arguments, Jo'Pallan spoke up. "Ashalla has given us almost everything we have, one way or another. She gave us food when we needed it the most, so in a way also gave us our lives. She has given us this life here by the sea. Everything Ashalla has done has been to help us. No one else cares for us. Li'Kalla lives with her 'holy' valthumir far inland and doesn't care for us. Other packs roam Be'r-Jaz killing and stealing and worse. We would be stupid not to accept Ashalla's offer."

The vallamir were swayed by Jo's words. So they made plans immediately to determine how they would obtain the supplies for the offering.

---

It took many days of work. The sound of stone axes chopping through trees echoed through the surrounding forest. Logs that were too large to carry were pushed towards the beach on rollers. Vallamir stood guard with spears and slings, alert against any rival packs who might accost them during their holy task. Others reaped the fields of fibrous grasses which they had planted - another technology 'borrowed' from the inland vallamir - and spun the threads into rope and cloth. A few prepared wooden bowls, mud-lined baskets, leather sacks and hollowed gourds which could store water.

With so many people working on gathering the supplies, there were only a few people left to fish and gather. There had been initial concerns that they would run out of food during the project, but the fishermen found that their catches were unusually bountiful. Such a clear sign that they had Ashalla's blessing boosted the vallamir's morale and the work carried on with fervour.

Eventually, they had collected what they thought would be enough. Dozens of logs lay across the beach, along with coils of rope and stacks of cloth. The musicians struck up a celebratory tune as the supplies were pushed into the sea.

The offering drifted for a few moments before the waves spoke. "You good and faithful servants. As promised, your faith shall be rewarded."

Suddenly the ocean rose in a great mound of water, lifting the offering with it. The logs were engulfed, split, chopped, shaped and joined, along with the rope and cloth. The vallamir watched the flurry of creation in awe. Then the creation was finished and Ashalla receded.

Floating in the water was a massive wooden structure, easily the size of a village. Indeed, there were huts stacked in the structure and walkways connecting them. Lining the bottom of the structure were shapes like the canoe Ashalla had made earlier, providing a foundation which could float and move through the water. The cloth had been stitched together into great sheets and were tied to poles.

"Come! Behold your new home on the ocean."

With barely a moment's hesitation, the pack of vallamir rushed to the water and swam to the magnificent structure Ashalla had made. On the boards which made the floor of the floating village, the vallamir walked around and soaked in every detail. Already some claimed certain rooms as their own. Others inspected the network of knots and ropes which held the large sheets. Some found the bowls and baskets had been placed into a few rooms and filled with fresh water. A few discovered the mechanisms which twisted a large wooden fin beneath the water. Others found the places where rowers could sit. Some found where smaller boats could be tied to the great structure. A couple climbed up a post which gave an unrivalled view of the surrounding ocean. A few found space where a great net could trail behind the floating village.

Ashalla's watery form rose up beside and above the village. "Here is your new home. Take good care of it, and it shall take care of you. Carve your stories on its walls as a reminder to the future generations."

Jo'Pallan stepped forwards on the deck, crossed his fist across his chest and bowed his head. "Ashalla, thank you. Thank you so much. We could never repay such kindness." Ashalla burbled as Jo continued. "But... um... there is a lot here which is confusing."

"I will stay with you for a few days, to teach you how to use your new home. I will show you the ways of travelling the seas and surviving on them. I will teach you how to create other ships to sail the ocean," Ashalla said. "But your first lesson shall be how to capture the wind to move this vessel. Watch."

Tendrils of water reached out to the cloths on poles and pulled on the ropes. Suddenly the fabric unfurled like the wings of a bird. The wind caught in the sails and with a jerk the floating village glided across the water away from the coast. Ashalla let out a burble as she sunk back below the waves.

Yan walked up next to Jo, staring at where Ashalla had been moments before. "We are like droplets compared to her," Yan said in with awed breath.

Jo chuckled. "You should be a poet, Yan." Jo turned back to the floating village and looked at the vallamir scurrying around, inspecting the sails and watching the ocean. "Droplets. Hm. I like it."

---

Things hadn't been the same on the island since the attack. Though no one saw the pigguts anymore, their presence had left its mark on the Vallamir and those that had gone to confront them. Though Arya had healed those with physical wounds, many mental problems haunted the survivors. Especially the Mir children who had lost parents and uncles and aunts. Families had been shattered and it was all because she had failed to address the problem sooner. Perhaps she could have met with them, tried to reason… Maybe it could have been prevented.

Arya had withdrawn herself as of late, dwelling on her failure. She was supposed to protect people and be a beacon of hope and couldn't even do that without people dying. Orvus, Rowan… Even Lily and Ava had tried to console her but to no avail. Her guilt weighed her heart down like a lump of orvium, just like a year ago, before everything happened.

Now she sat on a beach of black sand, a steady breeze ruffling her hair as it blew on that gloomy day. It reflected her feelings. The night kept playing over and over in her head, from the festival to the slaughter… It was so surreal. She, a being that was supposedly above mortalkind, failed in her duty. Just like she had failed to see Laurien’s actions, or to see that Orvus had been taken, or how she had failed to the Mir and the Dreamers.

She did not cry on that beach, no, she was far past tears. She just felt numb, a feeling that was all too familiar. She pulled her knees in closer to her chest and sighed, listening as the waves crashed on the beach.

This went on for some time, until suddenly the sounds of the sea were interrupted by the flapping of wings, and an all-too familiar bird landed on the sand nearby.

She turned her head softly, and with sorrowful eyes gazed upon Arryn. She blinked before smiling softly, beckoning him to come closer. ”I was wondering when you might return, Arryn.”

Something was different about him. It was not a visible change, but he seemed smaller, somehow, and the sense of power and confidence he once projected was now gone. As if he was just an unusually coloured bird.

He stared at her, and hesitantly began to walk forward.

”Arryn?” she asked, with concern in her voice. She places her knees upon the sand, and crouched forward slowly, reaching out her hand flat. He stopped, looked down, and then stepped onto her palm.

She brought him to her face, and with her other hand, began to lightly stroke his head. ”What’s wrong Arryn? Why aren’t you speaking?”

He did not respond, and then she realized that he was shaking. He looked up at her, and she saw grief in his eyes.

It was a grief she knew all too well and it broke her heart even more. ”Oh Arryn… You were alone when he… When he passed, weren’t you? You didn’t know… And now that his divinity is gone… You’re…” her voice broke as she sniffled back fresh tears. ”I’m so sorry Arryn. So, so sorry.” was all she managed to say as she pulled him in closer.

The bird could only nod in response, and extend his wings around her.

They stayed like that for a long time, bearing each others grief and pain. The sun finally set when Arya began the long trek back to her home, Arryn perched upon her shoulders. She spoke amidst the chorus of the jungle to him softly, ”This can be your new home now, with me, Arryn. You won’t be so lonely anymore.”

Arryn looked down at her, then up at the sky, as if he was considering something. And then, once again, he nodded.

She patted his head, and knew all would be well with him in time. In time.

---

Not many days went by before the next arrivals. Two nebulite children, brought by a being of Arae. Her sister's children. The girl, Andromeda, had inky black skin, coated with white stars and light red swirls. Her hair started black, but faded to silver at the tips. She looked around Doron's age, perhaps slightly younger. Phoset, her little brother had deep purple, almost black skin. He had no stars upon his body and his hair was also the same, but glowed softly. Both of them were shy and hesitant to interact with her, but eventually Rowan and Orvus came and they began to warm up. Satisfied that they would be kept in good hands, the Dragon of Arae departed.

A week went by as the two settled in, taking a liking to Doron, who was still reeling from the effects of that night. Though Doron had not been there, his two Mir friends had and their loss had been great. She blamed herself. Andromeda and Phoset also had terrible night terrors at first, but from the teachings of an old friend, Arya was able to give them refreshing sleep. Though it was worrying to know what her sister might have subjected them too. They missed her all the same though and she did not know how to tell them that she had no idea of knowing if she even lived anymore.

And so time passed on, until the final visitor arrived. His presence was announced by a sharp knock at her door. The night had grown dark, but she seldom slept anymore in her tireless thoughts. She sat up from her chair and made her way to the door. She seldom expected anyone so late but it was her duty to see if she could help those that asked. To her great surprise, she opened the door to see Karamir standing before her.

”Arya,” he greeted her, with a nod and a somewhat uncertain smile.

She stared for a moment, her face a mix of uncertainty before her expression faltered and her tears gave way to one word, "Karamir…" before she pulled him into a hug.

His arms wrapped around her, and he hugged her back. “I… I heard about what happened,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

She began to speak but could not as she broke down again in his arms. He continued to hold her, and rested a hand against the back of her head in reassurance.

"I tried to-to save those I c-could." she murmured into his shoulder. "It was so awful."

”I know how that feels,” he nodded wearily. ”Let’s go inside.” She pulled herself away, wrapping her arms around herself as she nodded. She walked back inside, letting him shut the door.

"I didn't think you would come back so soon." she said softly, glancing back.

“I would have liked to return sooner,” he revealed. ”But I had to give the news to my people. Some took it well, some didn’t… but most of them should know by now, and they can tell the rest. I met Roog, and Kalgrun’s guardians - the closest thing I have to siblings, I suppose - and they should be able to look after things in my absence.”

"I'm glad." she said, leading him into the dark dining room. Not a candle was lit and the place didn't look like it had been cleaned in weeks, though there was hardly any major mess. She sat down at the table and looked at him. "I apologize for the mess… It's been hard to clean lately."

”I don’t mind,” Karamir said truthfully. ”I probably made it look a lot worse when you first brought me here, anyway.”

She smirked slightly. ”Yeah. It’s good to see you better now.”

He nodded, subconsciously touching his side. ”So… how have you been adapting to godhood?”

She frowned, looking down at the table. ”Poorly.” she said at last.

“Oh… I see,” he said, looking down as well, before looking back up. “Is there anything you need help with?”

She looked up and tilted her head at him, eyes thoughtful. ”I… I don’t know.” she began, hugging herself again. ”I feel like I should be able to protect them all, that I should’ve been able to prevent such a tragedy from ever befalling. I feel weak. I don’t even know how to create things, not like the true gods. I feel like a child… Perhaps I am a child still…” her voice faded into the dark.

“No,” Karamir shook his head. “Knowledge does not determine age, and age does not determine intelligence or wisdom. I’ve known Vallamir who came up with things I never even considered. And I’ve already met one goddess whose ideals seemed fundamentally broken. But you… you might be one of the wisest people I’ve met.”

”You… Think that? I don’t feel very wise.” she said with a slight chuckle.

”Neither do I,” Karamir admitted. ”But the Vallamir trust my judgement well enough. Most of them, anyway. I don’t think wisdom is something you are meant to feel…”

She said nothing for a moment, her expression one of contemplation. ”I’m not sure if any trust me… Not after what happened. I failed your people, as well as mine. We have sticks and stones for protection and they had metal. And I knew that, didn’t I? We saw them arrive.”

“Then the failure is mine as well,” Karamir spoke softly. “I knew, and I left you to deal with it… I’m sorry.” He looked out the window, and took a deep breath.

”But we can’t change the past,” he continued, before she could reply. “What we can do is learn from it, and figure out how to avoid repeating it.” He looked back to her, and met her gaze. ”I will help you.”

A smile grew upon her lips as she nodded before saying, ”I’d like that.”

---

They stood up to their knees, in the stream where Arya had first ascended to godhood so long ago.

“Mana is in everything,” Karamir reminded her. “You, me, the water, the ground, the air, the trees… everything.” He reached down into the water, and as he had done before, formed a gravity-defying ball in his palm. Then he dropped it, allowing it to fall with a gentle splash. “Now it’s your turn,” he said. “Try to focus on the mana within the water. Concentrate hard. But stay calm, and keep your movements loose.”

With her hair up in a bun, and a fierce look of determination in her eyes, Arya concentrated on the water before her. She outstretched her palm, taking great care to focus and relax at the same time. She envisioned the water before, it’s ripples, the coolness, how it flowed in the current, and after a great amount of time, a small orb of water, no larger than a small rock, lifted up it’s normalcy and into the world of air.

She smiled instantly, and her focus broke, sending the small orb back down. She turned to Karamir and said, ”This is harder than it looks.”

Karamir smiled back, and nodded. “As a mortal, it was weeks before I was able to do that, but I began to learn spells much faster after I... ascended.”

”Well,” she said with a laugh, ”I certainly hope so, God of Mana.”

His smile faltered. “It’s still strange to think of myself as a god,” he confided.

She tilted her head as she looked at him. ”Isn’t it? To think we can control such power… Such knowledge… And I don’t feel the need to do anything with it, besides protecting those I care about. And even then I’ve been doing terrible.” she said light heartedly before sighing, ”I’m sure in time… It’ll become the norm.”

“I’m sure it will,” he nodded. “It’s just that I have all this freedom and power, and I’m not sure what to do with it beyond show others how to access it. I want the Vallamir to do well… but the other species need aid too, and I can’t be everywhere at once.”

She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. ”Start small. I almost forgot, but the first thing I ever created… Was a comb. I gave it to… A Dreamer I hope will use it well. I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’s easier to build upon what we have first and help those that we can, when we can. If that makes any sense.” she said, dropping her hand and looking back at the water.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe…” he said slowly, an idea formulating in his head. “I think I know what the problem is,” he said, a moment later. “Galbar is too big. We’re all too spread out.”

”Well… Yes, Karamir. The world is a pretty big place, but who’s we?” she asked thoughtfully.

“You, me, mortals, gods, everyone. The Vallamir, the Jotnar, the Nebulites, the Dreamers, the Selka… how much do you think they could teach each other if they met? But they can’t… not unless we could somehow get them all into one place.”

She looked back up at him. ”What are you suggesting?”

“Kalgrun is a huge place, and it’s full of life, but only a fraction of it is inhabited by intelligent mortals. It can be home to more than just the Vallamir and the Jotnar, if only we had some way to move them, and could convince them to come. With everyone so close together it would be easier for them to protect and communicate with each other.” He was speaking faster, now, almost excitedly.

Arya could not help but smile. ”Jot-Jotnar?” she said slowly, going over the word. ”I can’t recall every being told about them. But yes! It would be a wonderful thing, but the question is how, after all.” she brought her hand up to her chin. ”Perhap a floating city? Like Ohannakeloi? Or his Lordship?”

Karamir squinted. “Whose Lordship?” he asked, a mild note of confusion in his voice.

”Shengshi?” she asked.

At the mention of the River God’s name, Karamir’s expression suddenly darkened. “No,” he said dully.

”It was just a suggestion.” she said softly, before focusing back on the water.

Anger briefly flashed in his eyes. “He-” Karamir began, but then he stopped himself, and took a deep breath. “Nevermind. I’ll uh… I’ll probably go to Abanoc. Chopstick Eyes might have an idea or two as well…”[/color] He spoke quietly, his enthusiasm suddenly gone.

”What did he do this time?” she suddenly asked, a sad note in her voice.

“I… don’t want to talk about it,” he said. “I’ll tell you about it some other time, but for now… please don’t mention him again, and please don’t talk to him about this either…”

She said nothing for a moment, the flow of the stream the only noise between the two, until her voice broke through. ”Sure thing.” she put simply, summoning a slightly larger orb of water, before breaking it into several tendrils that began to wrap around her fingers, until they faltered and fell back into the stream.

They fell into an awkward silence after that. Karamir was brooding, uncertain. Many times he opened his mouth to speak, as if attempting to diffuse it, but he simply couldn’t think of anything that might work. Until, finally, he pointed a finger at the river, raised another small ball into the air, and with a sudden smirk he flicked it at Arya’s face.

She blinked as the water hit her face. With wide eyes of shock she turned to Karamir and placed her hands on her hips and huffed. Her face was a mix of anger and confusion and it stayed like that for several tense moments, before she began to laugh and in her laughter, she flicked her wrist, sending several tendrils of water at Karamir.

Karamir’s eyes widened slightly at the display - even as a deity, he had not expected her to reach that level so quickly - and he stood still as the tendrils splashed against his tunic. Then his smile returned. Placing his left hand behind his back, he conjured another ball of water, this one almost as large as his fist, and threw it up into the air, only to catch it in his right hand as it came back down and throw it up again. His eyes did not leave Arya’s, and as he caught it a second time he brought his arm back for a sudden throw… only to let the ball dissipate, and pour back into the river.

"Show off." she said joyfully. She then jumped up and landed on top of the water. She put her hands behind her back and smiled playfully. "Bet you can't hit me."

Karamir’s smile widened. “Showing off was my goal,” he said, stepping backward, and just then a wave splashed into her from behind.

She laughed. "No fair! I wasn't looking behind."

“That is the point of a distraction, yes,” he chuckled, before looking back behind his own shoulder. He saw nothing but the moment he turned his head back, he was splashed again. Arya giggled.

“Well,” Karamir said, wiping water from his eyes. “I think you’ve more than proven yourself. Think I should start teaching the rest of your people?”

"I think they'd like that." she mused.

“I uh... haven’t actually spoken to any of them yet,” Karamir admitted, scratching the back of his head as he suddenly grew uncomfortable. “The last time I did was… you know.”

Concern spread across her face and she floated over to him, gingerly taking one of his hands within her own. She smiled warmly. "It's okay. You won't be alone in this endeavor, not again."

He looked down at her hand, then floated up to her level and pulled her in for another hug. She let out a small, relieved gasp and shut her eyes in his embrace, hugging him back. They stayed like that for a while, before eventually letting go. It was time to go to the village.

---

And so, they went to the village. Karamir began looking for capable students. His encounter with Laurien was still fresh on his mind, but it soon became clear they were not like the ones he had met in the desert. Arya’s influence, most likely. After the first few conversations his wariness had faded.

It had been a fairly straightforward process to identify those who could wield it; Karamir could sense them almost at a glance, and it was simply a matter of he and Arya approaching them to explain the concept. Some were skeptical, but after the first of Karamir’s students became capable of minor spells, there was no denying it was true.

Soon, entire crowds of Nebulites began to approach him directly, asking if they too were capable, but most were disappointed. He had to explain to them that mana was a skill like any other; that mastering it would take years, and that if everyone focused on learning it, they would have no time to do other vital tasks like farming or hunting. Some were satisfied by this explanation, while others were gloomy or envious. A few went so far as to request or even demand that he use his powers as a god to give it to everybody anyway, only for him to sigh and tell them such an act was not within his power at the time. Thankfully, nobody pushed the issue any further.

As he had with the Vallamir, he focused primarily on introducing them to the concept, teaching them the basic principles, then observing their practice and offering corrections. The majority of it would be learned on their own, through practice. He also gave them a number of warnings, such as the dangers of directly manipulating raw mana, or how it was important to always practice where nobody would be in danger if something went wrong.

He had met the Vallamir of the Eye was well. Myra and a number of others had assailed him with questions, which he did his best to answer. Unfortunately, less than a handful of the Vallamir present were capable of wielding mana. Myra was not one of them, and most were actually children. He internally debated whether or not it would be a good idea for children to learn mana at such a young age, and ultimately decided they would have to wait until they were older.

Speaking of which…

“Arya,” Karamir had said, approaching her outside of her house one week later. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, if you don’t mind… what’s the story behind those two children? Andromeda and Phoset, I think.” He had only seen them a few times, and had barely interacted with them, so busy was he with his teachings.

Yet he knew they lived with Rowan and Orvus, and he had seen or heard nothing of them the first time he had been on the Eye, so naturally he was curious as to where they came from.

She sat in her porch, sun hat on head. She smiled at Karamir briefly before frowning slightly. "They are Laurien's children, Karamir. Arae took them after she cursed my sister to wander endlessly, unable to stay in one place for too long. They've been here ever since."

“I see,” Karamir frowned thoughtfully, before taking a breath. His hand fell to his side, where he had been stabbed only a few months ago. “Are they anything like Laurien?”

She shook her head. "They're only children Karamir. They've been scarred horribly and only now are beginning to heal. Andromeda is… boisterous, an attention seeker. Whether that's just who she is or because of her trauma, I do not know. Phoset is soft spoken, questions everything and has a hard time interacting with others. They will grow up here, safe and cared for, I know this." she said.

Karamir was quiet as Arya spoke. “Children don’t need to be defined by their parents, it’s true,” he said at last, his hand drifting away from his side. “And if you think you can set them on the right path… I believe you.”

"Well… Thank you Karamir. So what's on today's agenda?" she asked, getting up.

”Well,” Karamir said. ”I came here to tell you that they are both capable of wielding mana.”

"Hmm I see. Aren't they a bit young though? I know you won't teach the other Vallamir children." she said with a smirk.

“I don’t intend to teach them. I’m just letting you know, for the future.”

"I'm sure they'll love to be taught. It will give Phoset something to do and work on. He gets very bored or so I'm told." she smiled.

“When they are ready to be taught can be left up to you,” Karamir told her with a shrug. “I’m just worried… there’s no telling what effect that power might have on a child’s mind, and even if they do have good intentions, they might lack the discipline or the control to use it safely.”

"Very true, which is why when they are mature enough, I will teach them how to wield it safely." she said proudly.

Karamir nodded approvingly. “One more thing,” he added. “Your other siblings… they have it too. I think being the direct offspring of a god might have had something to do with that.”

"I figured as much… Still that must mean Andromeda and Phoset are lucky then. Still, I'mI glad! It can be a family bonding experience." she said clasping her hands together.

“I’ll go talk to them about it, then,” Karamir said. “Do you want to come with me?”

"Oh no, I promised Myra I'd check in on her. Go on ahead, I'll catch up later."

---

Karamir took a deep breath. He stood before the house of Orvus. Kalmar had warned him of Orvus once; a god bent on destroying the world. Yet Arya had told him differently, and in the one time he had seen Orvus, it had been when Kalmar was present, and there had not been any ill-will between the two.

Having gone through both a change of heart and a loss in power, the former god was not that much more dangerous than anyone else. Yet even still, Orvus had once been a god; he had been present for the world’s creation, and no doubt contained a great deal of knowledge and secrets.

Karamir’s thoughts suddenly turned to more personal matters. He recalled Li’Kalla’s suggestion, and immediately dismissed it with a shake of his head. He wasn’t going to validate those beliefs.

His fingers rapped against the door.

There was a muffled shout and then a moment later, the door opened to reveal Rowan, hair down and wearing an old dress. She greeted him with a warm smile.

"Hello Karamir, what brings you by?" she asked, opening the door fully.

“Is Orvus here?” Karamir asked. “I need to speak with you both.”

She beckoned him inside. "Come on in, dear. We're just inside." she said as she led him inside the illuminated home. Down a hallway and to the left they entered a large sized room. Orvus was there in human form, sleeping with a nebulite toddler to his side. The small girl had light purple skin, with darker purple swirls and freckles of starlight on her cheeks. Her hair was a vivid pink, a stark contrast to everything else in the room. They looked quiet peaceful.

Rowan went over to Orvus and gently shook him awake. He smiled up at her before his gaze fell upon Karamir and he sat up, careful not to wake the child. "I was wondering when you might show up." he said, handing the girl to Rowan, who walked back over to Karamir and asked, "Can I get you anything? A drink or food perhaps?"

Karamir shook his head. “There isn’t much point in me eating any more,” he told them with a small shake of his head. “I assume you’re aware of what I’ve been teaching the rest of the Nebulites?”

Rowan nodded warily and left the room. Orvus then spoke again. "Sit down if you like. But yes, I am aware and for that I am thankful. Whatever happened to Ikarus is a shame, but you are fulfilling, perhaps even expanding, the capabilities of Mana."

“I never met Ikarus, though I would have liked to,” Karamir said sympathetically. “Anyway, I came here to tell you this: your entire family is capable of manipulating mana too.”

He gave a sly smile. "I would hope so. Ikarus did come from me after all. It would only make sense I think."

“If you created Ikarus, does that mean you know where mana comes from?” Karamir asked, tilting his head.

He shrugged. "He came into the world through my ichor, and could see it wrapped around everything and anything. If I were to guess, it arrived with him or us, at the beginning of creation."

“Hmm… anyway, I was also going to ask if anyone in your family wants to learn how to wield it.”

"No one has expressed any major interest in it right now, far as I know. And it isn't much to be honest with you. I'm sure if they want to learn, they'll find the means to do so, Karamir."

“Do they know they are capable of using it, though?” Karamir asked. “Their interest might change, once they are told.”

"Who knows. Ava and Lily might be your only suitable candidates right now. I know Rowan has no desire to learn and Arya is already one of your students. The rest are young. Simply tell the twins and you'll have your answer." Orvus mused.

“Very well then,” Karamir said, and then looked as if he was about to leave, but then he turned back to Orvus. “Although… there is one more thing I need to talk to you about.”[/color]

"Ask away. There's no rush here." he said.

“It’s about Laurien.”

He sighed, his expression changing to sadness. "There are many questions about Laurien, I am sure. Not all of them have answers that are fulfilling."

“The day she tried to kill you… what happened, exactly?”

"I know not what she was thinking or what she truly felt, only that she was in pain. She rationalized my death to be the only solution to her grief. So she attempted to avenge her beloved Silver. So she turned my gift into her weapon and she stabbed me and from that came him and even more pain and suffering. I should have seen it coming, but I didn't and for that, I am sorry." he said sadly.

Karamir blinked. “Wait… did you say Silver?”

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes… A fragment of Li'Kalla and my friend. Do you know of her?"

“I… met someone named Silver on Li’Kalla’s island, only a few weeks ago. And Li’Kalla acted strangely when I mentioned her.”

He gave a small smile at this. "Then perhaps she found life again. One can hope, at least."

Karamir frowned bitterly. “So Laurien tried to kill you to avenge someone who wasn’t even dead… then she tried to kill me because she was afraid I might find out she tried to kill you.”

"Do not be mistaken. Silver was dead, I killed her myself in the hopes that Li'Kalla would be reborn. It's what she wanted in the end. Decades went by before I even knew Li'Kalla had been born anew, and it was not the Li I knew, nor the one Laurien knew. Yes, her attempts at keeping my demise a secret were illogical considering there are two deities that make it their business to know everything. But she was successful for a decade all the same. Perhaps she thought the secret could be kept indefinitely, that no one would find out, it was her undoing and now she's been kicked from both of her homes, cursed to wander Galbar eternally. I know some would have liked to kill her outright but I think of myself and my own actions and how deserving I was of death. In the end I redeemed, perhaps she can still do the same. I hope so, anyways." Orvus said with a cool voice.

“And if she won’t be redeemed?”

"Since imprisonment is out of the question, and if her heart has become as blackened as mine had been, then for the good of Galbar, the Pyres should take her." he said solemnly.

So there it was. Even her own father would advocate death, if the circumstances absolutely called for it. Laurien was alone in the world, and Karamir had to wonder how long she would last. He recalled the stories of the Rot on Li’Kalla’s island, how some of the Vallamir, driven mad by grief and starvation, began to murder or even cannibalize other tribes. It seemed to him that desperate people became more dangerous, not less.

He frowned, then made his way to the door, only to stop once again. He looked over his shoulder. “If any of your other children do decide they want to learn mana, my offer to teach them still stands.”

Without another word, he left the room.

---

The weeks went on. Karamir continued to teach and direct the Nebulites, and he made the name he had come up with earlier - wizards - into an official term for those who practiced magic. He recalled the word from a conversation in the Palace of Dreams - a distant memory now.

One of Orvus’s daughters, Lily, had joined a training group, and Karamir did his best to help her catch up to the rest.

And when he wasn’t teaching, he found other ways to keep himself occupied. Mostly by spending time with Arya, or the Vallamir. He taught them some of the Kalgrunnic customs, which a few chose to adopt, even if it meant getting strange looks from their Nebulite neighbours. Sometimes, he also took the time to help with more mundane tasks. He built up a rapport with those he interacted with, and earned their respect.

But eventually, it was time to move on.

“Arya,” he said to her one evening, in the tone he often used when he wished to discuss something other than pleasantries, “Do you want to go for a walk? Just down to the creek?”

”Why not?” she said cheerfully, getting up from the porch where they sat.

As they walked, Karamir tentatively reached out one of his hands to hold her own.

She returned the gesture, interlocking her fingers with his own. A small smile formed on her lips, as well as her face blushing pink.

They continued down to the river in silence. When they arrived, Karamir let go of her hand. He removed his cloak and spread it across the ground, before sitting down, and gesturing for Arya to sit next to him.

She did so, sitting down with her feet laying sideways, hands on her lap. She looked all around and then blushed slightly.

Karamir took a deep breath, and then turned to face her. “Remember what we discussed one month ago? I think it’s time for me to talk to Abanoc about it.”

She raised her eyebrows. "The one about having all races connected?"

He nodded. ”Yes. If we can get them all on Kalgrun - the ones who want to come, of course - then everything will be so much easier. I was wondering… do you think your own people would want to come?”

She nodded slowly. "Perhaps some… This place is their ancestral home, but many cannot deny wanting to see other parts of the world. We'll just have to ask."

He nodded again. “Would you be willing to come?”

"I don't know." she said, "I'm connected to the people that live here, and I cannot leave those that want to stay behind without protection. How could I?"

He looked away, and sighed. “We’ll need to find a way to convince them all, then. If they were all on Kalgrun… they’d have more land, more protection… and you wouldn’t have to watch over them alone anymore. We could do it together.”

She grabbed his hands and said, "Not everyone is so open to change, Karamir. Even if most wanted to come, there's always going to be those who won't. I'm sure my father is one of them."

“I understand… we’ll just have to see what happens…” He fell silent once again. “Sorry… it seems I’ve ruined the mood.”

"No, not at all. You're just excited about helping others and saddened when you are unable to do such a thing. I've felt the same way. Don't even worry about it." she said with a reassuring smile.

He smiled back, and then pulled her in for a hug. “This is why I like you.”

"I like you too." she said sweetly.

His cheeks reddened, and he pulled away. He looked her in the eyes, a hesitant expression once again crossing his face. Then he leaned forward, and went to press his lips against hers.

She leaned into it as well, a little too much actually and ended up bopping him in the nose with her own. She pulled back with a horrified expression on her face. "I'm sorry! Are you hurt?" she said with large eyes.

He squinted, rubbed his abused nose in mild discomfort, and then he smirked. “I’m alright,” he said. “I suppose this means we’ll have to try again. You lean to your left, and I’ll lean to mine.”

She nodded and did as asked. This time their lips connected and a short kiss was shared between them. Pleasant and sweet, followed by many more.

Then, once again, Karamir pulled away, although this time there was a satisfied look on his face. “How far do you want this to go?” he whispered.

A puzzled look came over her face. "What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

He found himself blushing once again. “W-well, sometimes mortal couples… um… I mean, only if you want to… and it’s fine if you don’t… uh… sorry, I s-shouldn’t have mentioned it.” he stammered.

She began to giggle. "I'm just messing with you. I know how babies are made, duh. But uh maybe we just take is slow first, yeah?"

A look of relief crossed his face. “Y-yeah, of course.” He took another breath, and then regained his composure.

"Oh I almost forgot! I have a gift for you, I left it at the house, i'll be right back. Don't go anywhere!" she said excitedly, before running off. Occasionally looking behind at Karamir with a joyous smile before she disappeared into the trees.

Karamir watched her leave with a smile of his own, and once she was gone he looked out toward the river. As he waited for her to return, he began picking up nearby rocks and throwing them, trying to see how many times he could make them skip across the water’s surface.

She returned, perhaps a little too quickly, wearing a different dress. One of blood red. There was a smile on her face as she walked up to him. "I hope I wasn't gone too long." She said playfully.

“You were actually much quicker than I expected,” he said, rising to his feet and walking toward her.

"Well I am a God aren't I?" She said embracing him in a hug again. "Are you ready for your gift?"

“I am,” he said, “Though you don’t seem to be carrying any… wait, is that the dress you wore in the Palace?”

"Uh… Yes actually! I'm surprised you remembered. As for your gift, I decided…" she leaned into his ear, "I decided to change my mind." She then pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss, unlike any of their previous kisses.

He leaned into it, his arms wrapped around her. But something seemed… off. “What brought this on?” he asked, pulling away. She grabbed his hands in her own, breathing heavily. Her breath sweet.

“I love you Karamir, isn’t this what you desire? To be kissed, to be loved… To make love?” she smiled seductively. “Don’t tell me you don’t want this?” She then put her hands behind his head and kissed him again. This time she was forceful, grinding her body into his as the moment intensified. He attempted to push her away - this wasn’t right.

”...And I think you’ll really love this!” came Arya’s excited voice as another Arya, this one wearing the same clothing, cleared the last of the trees carrying a small box in her hands. She froze when she saw herself kissing Karamir. Eyes wide, and a horrified expression on her face.

The Arya that was kissing him turned her head to look at the other one, then back at Karamir with a devilish smile.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

Karamir glanced between the two, his expression one of bewilderment. Then, realization dawned, and his face became as hard as flint. He rounded his gaze on the Arya in red, anger blazing in his eyes. He knew not who she was, but she was an imposter.

His cloak flew back to his shoulders. “Who are you?” he demanded. “Why are you doing this? And give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you…”, his hand fell to the hilt of the multi-weapon, and golden energy swirled around his offhand.

Arya was still frozen, her gaze unwavering as she looked at her doppelganger. The one in red laughed, as she put her hands behind her back. “Oh come now, Karamir. Is that anyway to treat an old friend? Especially one as close as I? I mean… I did try to kill you.”

“Laurien,” he growled venomously, in a voice that sounded almost nothing like his own. In a flash his dagger was out, the blade extending into a sword.

Two things happened at the sound of her name. One, an object came flying out of the trees and she caught it behind her back, as she reverted into her original form. The one they knew her by. She began to laugh as she placed a crown atop her head with one hand, brandishing Aaldir in the other.
”Hello Karamir.” she then turned to Arya, ”Hello sister. Did you miss me?” Arya dropped the box as both of her hands covered her mouth, angry tears welling up in her eyes.

“Why are you here?” Karamir demanded.

”A girl can’t visit home? My birth place, might I add?” she said, twirling her blade.

”T-This isn’t your home anymore.” Arya said, quickly flying over to Karamir.

Laurien frowned. ”Well if you must know, Li’Kalla kicked me out. Who would have guessed that she didn’t like cheaters? So I was nearby, though I’d drop by to see what’s new. And oh my, did I find something interesting.” she said, looking at the two of them.

“Silver is alive, you know,” Karamir informed her blunty. “So you tried to kill Orvus for nothing. A secret which, by the way, was already known even before you attacked me. So you tried to kill me for nothing. When does it end?”

She smirked. "I am well aware that Silver lives. And when I found her I realized that my idealization of her was flawed. As for the secret, I realized, it was always going to be revealed. And Arae came to punish me accordingly. The Mother Goddess. A fool and a hypocrite. Luckily, I've outgrown her chain."

“Why. Are. You. Here?” Karamir spoke through clenched teeth.

"I told you already… I'm just stopping by. Saying hello to family, catching up with my sister. Speaking of which, Arya, when were you going to tell me that the Tendlepog and the Dreamers had left existence? Was I not their daughter as well?" she asked, looking to Arya with smug look.

Arya's fists clenched tightly. "They would be ashamed of you, sister. You're lucky K'nell is gone from this world, or he would have made you see the error of your ways!"

"So he is gone." she hissed excitedly. Arya seemed to pale.

“K’nell is hardly the only one who can make you answer for your actions,” Karamir spoke acidly.

"We shall see Karamir. Oh you poor thing. Did I upset you that greatly when I broke your soul? Or was it perhaps my kisses? Delightful weren't they. Dripping with ecstasy. Delicious." she said with a selfish grin.

Karamir did not rise to her mockery. “Laurien,” he stated firmly, struggling to suppress his fury. “It’s not too late to change your course.”

"Please Laurien." Arya affirmed. "Let us help you."

Laurien's face went blank as she looked at the two of them. There was a split second where she looked full of remorse and guilt but then she shook her head. "I don't need to change course and I certainly don't need your help. I've become what I was always meant to be. I am Desire and soon enough, I'll be even more." she said with a wicked smile.

“What you were meant to be?” Karamir asked. “Nobody is meant to ‘be’ anything. Whoever whispered into your ear, whatever conclusions you reached… that isn’t the way it has to be.”

"But it does matter. It's always mattered." she retorted.

"Laurien stop this madness. You aren't acting like yourself!" Arya said, raising her voice.

"Madness? No sister, I was mortal then. That's the Laurien you remember. The one who was used like a dog by her father who was too afraid to face his failures, sent to find you when you didn't need to be found. I lived with you on Tendlepog for decades and you could never see that I was treated more like a guest then someone who fit in and I did it for you. So forgive me if I can't be who I truly want to be." she spat.

"Laurien…" Arya said heartbroken.

“And what do you want to be?” Karamir snapped. “Someone who tries to kill those who only want to help her? Someone who is alone, hated, and feared? Because at this rate, that’s all you’re ever going to be.”

She looked unamused as she turned her head to Karamir. ”Oh my dear Karamir, I am only two of those things and I am quickly on trek to erase the third, forever.” she said, walking back and forth.

His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

”Always with the questions. Doesn’t that drive you mad, sister?” she said, looking to Arya.

”No! He’s just inquisitive! Lik-” Laurien cut her off, ”Like a child?” she laughed, ”You always did love children best. So like yourself, or perhaps who you always wanted to be at heart. I know how greatly it pained you, watching the Dreamers grow old. Frail. And where are they now? You probably know, don’t you. K’nell would not have left this world, without telling his ward that secret. He loved you like a daughter so, and yet when the time came, they abandoned you. Our mothers, abandoned you. Our siblings, abandoned you. And for what? How much did you want to scream when they left you? To beg them to stay? Oh knowing K’nell… You never got the chance, did you?” she said, watching Arya as she fell to her knees, crying.

”S-Stop…” she whispered, looking a the ground.

”And you call me a child…” Karamir whispered furiously. “Look at you. Here you are, pretending to be other people, mocking and insulting someone who once cared for you. Out of what? Envy? Spite? Is this all you have left? You’re pathetic. Let me tell you this: I will never abandon her, and if you do anything to harm her, I will do everything in my power to see you destroyed.” As the anger in his voice rose, the mana which swirled around his hand seemed to glow and brighten tenfold, becoming increasingly unstable.

”Now go,” he commanded, “and never return.”

Whether or not she seemed to notice the mana around his hand, Laurien shrugged, crossing her arms. She then gave a final laugh, ”We’re all a bunch of hypocrites, in the end.” With a smug smile, she looked at both of them. ”Farewell for now, sister. Karamir. I do hope we meet again, your taste is quite… pleasant.” she then took off into the air and before long became a blink that quickly faded into nothingness. It left the two of them alone.

Karamir pointed his hand skyward and unleashed the mana he had gathered. It flew upward in several scattered beams, wild and unfocused, which hit nothing except air. He was fuming. Yet when he looked down at Arya, his anger suddenly faded. He fell to one knee, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

After several painful moments of silence she spoke in perhaps the smallest voice he had ever heard. ”I don’t think I’ve ever really been a child. That’s why I always hold them so dear…” she took a breath, ”Even when I was born… No… Created… I was thrown into a world that I did not know, and I had to learn quickly. There was no time for playing when I was learning from Kalmar, training under Shengshi, and adventuring with Split. Until I met… K’nell and and Hermes and Xiaoli. I was happy then, until I was gone and when I went back, I had grown and new babies had come. Then they left me… And even when I see them in my dreams… They’re in paradise… Why would I ruin paradise with my failings… And the others… They’re gone because I told them to go… The pigguts came and I barely got to see them… Now my sister is a monster, and my people think I can’t protect them... Is my life just one big cruel joke?” she said, looking at Karamir, face stained with tears. ”Is it?”

“I used to think so,” Karamir said, his own voice small. “I used to think that life had no meaning. That we existed for no reason other than to suffer. That any victory would be fleeting. I already told you… there were times when I thought it would be better if I just didn’t exist…” he sighed, as he began to feel tears of his own. “But then I met you. You showed me there was more to life than loneliness and suffering. So, I kept going. I learned new things, met new people… I was happy. Then, when Laurien tried to kill me, and I was once again at my lowest… you saved me again.”[/color]

He reached under her chin and gently pulled her up to face him, then wiped away one of her tears. “I don’t know what to tell you about K’nell, or the Dreamers,” he said truthfully. “I didn’t know them that well, and the few interactions I’ve had with them have given me mixed feelings at best. But… they aren’t the only people who care about you. You have Orvus, and Rowan. Ava, Lily, and Doran. The other people you met in your travels. And you have me. I love you, Arya, and whatever happens… whatever comes next… I will always be there for you.”

Even through the tears, she began to smile and then she kissed him. And as the two fell onto the grass, she knew through all the pain and sadness, through the depression and loneliness, somehow, everything was going to be alright.

And they were happy.

---

Oh the calm, the peace, the beauty…

This place was heaven to him. A place he would visit whenever he grew weary. A place where his soul could be healed and comforted… No matter what happened, no matter what it is he had done, this place… And the fairy that lived in it, were there for him.

Today he approached with a heavy weight upon his shoulders, with endless questions in his mind and doubt in his heart. His body exhausted and cut and bruised, and his humble clothes ragged and stained with blood, he walked past the beautiful scenery, brushed away curious butterflies and sidestepped friendly critters who had come out to greet him.

Somewhere along the subtle dirt path he had dropped the knife he wasn’t aware he was holding and his hand was cramping up.

He was a husk. Empty, with a hollow soul… He had no idea who he was at the moment, no idea what he had done… And yet he knew this was the only place he could really go.

The pair of heavy lidded eyes on his face lit up slightly as he heard that familiar rustling of leaves and high, almost imperceptible whistle.

As the path beneath his feet disappeared and he exited onto a wide and colourful clearing, he saw her. The Fairy herself, laying down on the ground in front of the Fountain and giggling in that silent, voiceless way of hers as butterflies swarmed the blooming flowers on her head. Droplets of the pure water of the Fountain splashed everywhere around and perched themselves on blades of grass as well as critters and even the Fairy herself. The sun, high up in the sky revealed numerous rainbows to the humble onlooker’s eyes.

It was impossible for such a place to be real. How could such a place exist so close to his bloodied, wretched home? Was he worthy of visiting such a blessed place? He cast his gaze down at the ground and went to turn around and leave.

A person like him…

You’ve grown.

The voice was sweet and at the same time, not a voice at all. It was like a thought he had imagined himself, but so completely foreign to him that he knew immediately, the Fairy was speaking to him.

“I… Have.” He replied, voice coarse, and then he turned again and saw the Fairy sitting up and looking at him. Her grin faded into a soft smile and she shook her head.

No, not really. You’re still the same small child who saved me all those years ago, aren’t you? Come, do you not wish to wash your body? She asked him as she stood up and without hesitation walked into her Fountain, the water reaching her mid calves and soaking into her fall-colored skin.

“I-” He sighed and shook his head, “I’m fine.”

She nodded and closed her eyes, then sat down in the pure crystalline water and began washing herself.

“I… I’m scared, Great Fairy.”

I know.

He looked down at his bloodied, calloused hands and his vision grew blurry and watery.

“I don’t want to become like them. I don’t want to.”

I know.

He walked closer to her and she stopped playing with the water to look at him.

“But every day I wake up and I have to do more and more and more…! Every day I am forced to follow this path…”

... I know.

His heart skipped a beat as he felt the Fairy’s embrace and he let her guide his head onto her shoulder, even though she was much shorter and much more frail. Somehow, it felt right.

There were no more words to speak. Instead he just silently wept against her shoulder. No sobbing, no gasping… Just tears. And then, as suddenly as they started, they stopped. At that point the Great Fairy let go of him and beamed a warm smile up at him.

Every time I see you you’re older, more mature, more experienced in life, but… I also see the little child that found me in the woods. Scared, alone, but with the desire to help everyone and bring relief to those in pain. You’re a beautiful person, and I know you will find the answer to your dilemma. Her smile then turned slightly sad, and she looked away.

“... Thank you. Thank you. Do you… Mind if I stay here for a short time?”

The Fairy looked at him once more, her black eyes wide and shiny, before she relaxed and nodded.

Eventually the sun had almost set. The critters and butterflies had all gone to their homes, there were no more rainbows and the only sound that echoed throughout the Fountain’s Clearing, was that of running water.

The Vallamir stirred and opened his eyes, then yawned and got on his feet then dusted himself off. The Fairy had been sitting next to him and she looked at him as he started to walk off.

... Thank you. For the last ten years. I will miss you.

He chuckled and shook his head. He’d be back tomorrow and if not, the day after that. He visited her quite often…

---

He had gotten caught up with work the last few days. The Living Land had passed through an area nearby and left behind the remains of many animals and so he had to spend day and night smoking meats for several days.

But now he was free. His heart was lighter than the last time he visited her. He was ready to truly talk to her, as he suspected she must grow bored of spending all her time near that Fountain.

And yet today it felt different. Yes, the critters were happy, the butterflies were as curious as ever… There were even flocks of birds happily flying above in the skies. And still it felt like something was missing.

As he walked closer to the Fountain, he realized what it was. He couldn’t hear water flowing at all. There was no rustling of leaves.

His heart beat faster and he tensed up.

As he broke into a run and reached the Fountain’s Clearing, he saw the Fountain was… Asleep. No water flowed out of it, and the small pond beneath it had started to stagnate. And the Fairy, she was gone.

He dropped to his knees and grasped at his heart. The Fairy was gone. She whom he had found injured in the forest, whom he had helped heal and got to know over the years. She who was like a mother to him… She was gone, just like that.

There were no tears, of course. Had she even existed? Such a beautiful being. Such a pure soul, such a loving heart…

Indeed, the only evidence he had of her ever being there were his memories and the feelings rampaging through his heart.

The Universe seemed a lot darker without her around.

---

Karamir had been reluctant to leave the Eye of Desolation, and yet, he had to.

For despite what he felt for Arya, and what she felt for him, there was still much he had to do. His original ambition - uniting the mortal races by creating a haven for them - still stood, yet he had another goal in mind as well: prevent Laurien from wrecking any further havoc.

And so, he hesitantly bid her farewell, but not before devising a plan in case Laurien ever attempt to approach one of them in a different form again. Arya had also presented him with the gift she had originally intended to give him: a magical rose, which projected an aura of emotional comfort. He pinned it to his chest in order to keep it close. He would need to give her a gift in return - that was another objective, but it was admittedly far less pressing than the other two.

Now, the platform upon which the Stone Book sat came into view. He touched down upon it, and then strode toward the book itself.

Abanoc, he prayed, coming to a stop just before the pages, can I come in?

Light filled his vision for a few moments. The whiteness gave way to the familiar sight of the Observatory. “Karamir.” Abanoc stood from his throne and walked down the steps. “Did I ever say you needed permission to come?” Now standing level with him, Abanoc gave him a slight bow. “Welcome back.”

“You did not,” Karamir said, returning the bow. “But I still thought it best to ask.”

“There is no need for formalities. Especially not now that we are on a more equal standing. A shame it came at the cost of Kalmar’s life, but there was nothing that could be done.”

Karamir nodded grimly. “Yes,” he said, his voice somewhat empty, and then after a moment he decided to say something more. “I haven’t claimed his sphere yet. To be honest, I don’t know how I would do such a thing… but in the meantime, I’ve been teaching others how to use mana, and spreading the news of Kalmar’s death.”

“It would be no easy task to claim your parent’s inheritance. To date none have achieved such an act, so I fear I cannot be of much assistance on that matter.” Abanoc look to the side in thought for a moment then looked back at Karamir. “But I can help with the information you seek. What do you wish to learn?”

“Many things. I’m not sure where to begin,” Karamir admitted. “I want to find a way to transport large groups of people to Kalgrun. They’re also going to need places to live… and I’ve seen large settlements before, but most were deeply flawed, so I’ll need to figure out how to avoid recreating those mistakes. Then there’s also Laurien to consider…” he sighed.

“Caravans, perhaps. With the assistance of beasts of labour transferring large groups of people would be trivial. As for the settlement you wish to create, you would need to understand architecture. I harbor the information you need, but my Archive does not in all the details that you need. Mnemosyne.” He called the muse.

“Yes, Master.” She came to them and gave Karamir a soft smile and bowed in greeting.

“It would be faster to directly transfer my knowledge through Mnemosyne. You already know the procedure. Are you prepared?”

Karamir nodded.

Mnemosyne reached out for Karamir’s face and softly held it in her hands. Abanoc held her shoulder. Her mask opened, a light came from the mirror beneath. Abanoc transferred his memories through the muse. Of building transports, caravans, and taming the right animals to pull them. The complex equations to building a structure, measure its frame and integrity.

He staggered as the information flowed into his head, and then took a moment to collect himself as his brain rapidly compartmentalized the information, and he regathered his thoughts. “T-thank you,” he said. “This will all be very helpful, but… I’m not sure caravans will be enough. I want to find a way to move people between continents. I’ve been told that other gods have found ways to do it… like Ohannakeloi, and… Shengshi.” He bristled somewhat as he spoke that last name.

“Ships to ferry through Ashalla’s realm then. There are also means of transport through the air to reach mountains, but not even I know how to build transports for the task.”

Light came again from Mnemosyne’s mirror. This time the information on ship building came. How to seal the gaps on the wood to prevent flooding. Threading strong sails to catch the wind. Finally the mechanisms to operate one such transport.

“Hmm… this could work… but it will take a long time to build, then to teach people how to use it, then to actually travel… and it doesn’t seem entirely safe… sorry, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but...” he thought carefully. “Could you show me how to make something similar to what Ohannakeloi and Shengshi have made?”

“Ohannakeloi and Shengshi both build transports that travel the skies, true, but they were able to do so because of their divinity. As it was entirely a work of their godly powers this would require direct action to replicate. Are you able to wield the power to create such an object?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never attempted anything on that scale before,” Karamir admitted.

Abanoc thought for a good moment. “I suppose this calls for a practical lesson. Let us go to Galbar. I shall assist you in learning the ways of a god.”

Karamir seemed surprised by that, but then he nodded. “Thank you,” he said.

---

At the top of the mountain where the Stone Book lay, Abanoc and Karamir prepared to accomplish a godly feat.

“The powers of a god are usually restricted to the concept they represent. Asceal to light, Azura to the winds and Ashalla to the seas to name a few. Then are also the intangible concepts: Kirron to strength, Narzhak to war and myself to recording. However, were we to force our limits, we gods can attain nigh omnipotence, if only for a moment. This lesson shall be about overcoming one’s limit by constructing your airborne vessel. What do you hold in mind?”

Karamir drew the dagger at his belt, and the weapon morphed into a pointed metal stick. He began to narrate what he was imagining, basing his description partly off of Shengshi’s own vessel, and as he spoke, he knelt and scratched a rough sketch into the surface of the mountain. Once he was finished, he rose.

“Can this be done?” he asked Abanoc.

Abanoc analysed the sketch. A ship, much like the ones he knew of in life, but with a somewhat different shape. “If you can imagine it...” He lifted his arms, letting his sleeves roll down to his elbows. The markings on his arms glew in a faint golden light. “Then you can make it.”

The mountain shook slightly as bits and chunks of metal emerged from its surface as if the rock was liquid and floated in the air. With careful control, Abanoc extracted iron and copper among other materials from underneath his feet without collapsing the mountain’s foundation. It shook again, this time making a noticeable drop before stopping again. “Now, imagine the shape. Bend the metal to your will.”

Karamir stepped forward, and focused on the metal. He imagined what he wanted, and then, slowly, it began to shift. He extended his hands forward, and then, after it had finally taken shape, he solidified it. It was a ship, very similar in design to Shengshi’s, but it had wings and was made out of metal. The deck was clear of any buildings or structures save a railing for safety, and a raised section near the rear, with two sets of stairs leading up to it on either side. Then he imagined an interior, creating floors, rooms, and hallways. Finally, it was done.

And then it fell.

“Capture it! Do not let it fall.” The tattoos on his arms shined brighter. Karamir wasn’t entirely sure what to do, but he banished the doubt from his mind, and refocused on the object. It took an immense amount of concentration, and he could physically feel the power drain from him, but he was able to stop its fall mere inches before it shattered against the ground. He willed it to obey him, and it did, gently rising back into the air.

“Good, now for the final touch. It will have to sustain its own flight like a bird. Infuse this power into it.” The light from his tattoos grew dimmer, but retained a spark.

And so, Karamir did. Once he was finally done, he collapsed to his knees, gasping and clutching his head, but the construct remained in the air. It was finished.

Abanoc lowered his arms, his tattoos becoming black again. “Well done. Though it may have been made with my assistance, your first construct is complete. You are still only halfway through the path to full fledged godhood, but today you exerted your will as a deity.” He offered Karamir a hand. “Be proud of yourself, Karamir.”

Karamir accepted the hand, and as he rose to his feet on shaky legs, he smiled wearily. “Thank you…” he breathed. “It seems… I owe you a great deal…”

“Repay me with more growth from your part. Become what Kalmar was and surpass him. Truly become as gods.” Abanoc flashed a faint smile of his own before returning to usual expressionless look. “Now, is there anything else that you wish?”

“There is one more thing…” Karamir revealed. “It’s about Laurien… I need to know more about her.”

“A complicated creature, that one… I have watched her since her birth. I believe I have what you need.”

Abanoc then told Karamir of the important details he knew of Laurien. About her connection to Silver and Li’Kalla. About the artifacts that she possesses and about her latest activities. Karamir listened, his reactions ranging from concern to anger as he heard of the atrocities she had committed and just how dangerous she had become. What was most concerning was that the bulk of these seemed to have occurred after her interaction with a strange portal on Atokhekwoi, which somehow made her worse than she already was. “There are other powers at play here,” Karamir realized with a tone of dread. “Whatever she is up to… whatever she is planning… she needs to be stopped.”

Abanoc stood silently for a good few seconds. “I am afraid I cannot interfere. My expertise lies in learning and teaching. Whatever help I can be of in this matter is limited to sharing information on Laurien.”

Karamir nodded. “I understand. It falls to me, then, and whoever else I can get to help me. But first… I have a settlement to build. Thank you again.”

Abanoc gave a slight bow again. “You are welcome. Now, if there is nothing more to discuss, please excuse me.” He turned to the Stone Book and departed to his Sphere.

“Goodbye, Abanoc,” Karamir said, shortly before the god vanished.

And with that, Karamir levitated toward his ship. He set himself down on the metal floor with a soft clunk and looked around with a brief sense of marvel and wonder. This was his. He had not built it alone, but it was his nonetheless. He ran a hand along the railing, then ascended the stairs up to the quarterdeck, which gave him a view of the entire main deck. He imagined it full of people, bound for one destination or another.

Then he approached the wheel. The mechanism intended to steer this flying vessel. After only a moment’s hesitation, he reached forward and gripped it. He turned it slightly, causing the ship to rock gently. Then he willed it to go forward, and it did. He smiled, recalling what he had felt when he first been gifted his flying cloak - that had been freedom. But this, this was power.

Power he intended to share.

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