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Somewhere in Arborealus, Between the Mortal and Divine Realms

Kalla watched, her amber eyes shining with delight, as the silver-robed angel tried to force his way through a cluster of mallorn trees. The Forest Between Realms, more commonly known as Arborealus, was an overgrown tangle of thriving plantlife and not even an angel could pass through without difficulty. Fighting the urge to giggle as Cherubael, the poor angel who'd been tasked with finding her, tripped over a root, Kalla began climbing down the greenwood tree she'd been using to spy on the divine messenger. While it would be entertaining to spend the next few hours watching Cherubael stumble through her realm, she knew the angel wouldn't be here unless something important was happening. Besides, he'd served the Elder Gods for nearly twenty years and deserved to be treated with respect. The goddess' bare feet lightly touched the leaf-strewn forest floor, and she silently padded over to stand behind the angel.

"Wretched plants," Cherubael muttered to himself, angrily pulling burs off his samite robes. "I'd almost prefer to be in Nahargu'ul's Reef. At least there I'd-"

"Greetings, noble Cherubael," Kalla said, her voice warm and welcoming as she folded her arms across her chest. "Can I help you with something?"

The angel let out a startled cry and wheeled around, his long white beard whipping after him like a furry tail, though he managed to turn the clumsy movement into a graceful bow. Cherubael was old for an angel, but he still knew how to deal with the gods and goddesses of Valhalla. He was servile, knowledgeable, and willing to suffer any indignity as long as he completed his assigned task. Wiping sweat from his wrinkled brow, the angel reached into his right sleeve and pulled out a crisp sheet of white parchment. He offered it to Kalla and said, "Glory and praise to you, Everqueen. I was just ahhh...admiring how beautiful Arborealus has become over these last hundred years. Erhem, this is from your brother, Lord Kilgarrah. You have been asked to attend a gathering of your siblings in Olympus."

"Thank you, Cherubael," Kalla said as she took the letter from the angel and held it up, allowing the pinkish red light suffusing Arborealus to illuminate her brother's blocky handwriting. As she read, the goddess' eyes widened and a hopeful smile spread across her green-skinned face. Could it be true? Was the Silence finally over? Would the twisting, eternally changing tides of the Aether lead to Gaea once more? While Kalla enjoyed spending time in her own realm as much as the next goddess, it had been roughly five hundred years since she'd physically manifested in the mortal realm. The flourishing glades of Arborealus held countless distractions, and most of her siblings were a joy to talk to, but they paled in comparison to Gaea's beauty and unpredictability. 

The grin slowly left Kalla's face, however, as she remembered what Bardolan the Watcher, the leader of her sylvan warriors, had said during their last meeting. The Silence ensured no god or goddess could travel the Aether, but Arborealus existed partially in the Aether and partially in Gaea. Kalla had been able to commune with her sylvan through the World Tree, though she'd been unable to leave its confines. Bardolan had informed Kalla that the mortal realm had changed a great deal since the Cataclysm and not for the better. In addition, there were vast stretches of land still seething with demonic corruption. Some even appeared to be growing. There would be a staggering amount of work to do if this letter meant what the Horned Goddess thought it did.

"I see," Kalla said and she walked over to a nearby spruce tree, staring intently at one of its roots. Glancing back at Cherubael, she said, "Care to walk the roots with me, old friend?"

The bearded angel inclined his head and said, his voice holding a note of weary amusement, "I'm afraid I must decline your generous offer, Everqueen. Walking the roots always leaves me feeling queasy for days afterwards. As I've told you at least five times before. I shall see you in Olympus."

Laughing, Kalla winked at Cherubael and stepped toward the protruding root, her foot sinking into the wood as if she was entering a pool of water. Before the bearded angel could blink, the Horned Goddess' entire body had vanished into the root. 

"I'm getting too old for this nonsense," Cherubael mumbled as he began walking back the way he'd come.
The Hall of the Gods, Olympus, The Divine Realm

Kalla's throne in the hall of the gods was made of polished greenwood, a yellowish green-colored wood covered in swirling red veins. A few thick, gnarled roots were connected to the chair's base, and the headrest had been lovingly carved to look like a pair of massive antlers. The seat of the throne was shaped like the Colossus' fearsome visage while the left armrest was supported by images of kobold supplicants and the right was held aloft by the twelve sylvan, the Hands of the Everqueen. Kalla had spent two hundred years working on her throne and it showed. Moments after Ha slammed his sword into the hall's marble floor, the ornate throne began to creak loudly and Kalla gradually emerged from it, surfacing like a swimmer coming up for air. Her antlers appeared first followed by her shaved green head and the rest of her body, which was clothed in a white linen dress with a length of vine tied around her waist.

Kalla looked around at her brothers and sisters, a joyful smile on her shapely face. She'd spent the last hundred years or so in Arborealus, and it warmed her heart to see everyone gathered in one place.

Settling back on her throne, she said, "Hello, everyone. I apologize for being late, but my messenger got a little lost in the Forest Between Realms. It's good to have the family together again, isn't it?" Kalla's eyes darted quickly from Thu-mmok to Kulorerstus to Yigzavath before settling on Kilgarrah. Holding up the letter she still clutched in her right hand, the First Mother said, "So, Kilgarrah, why have you called us, hm? Your letter mentioned that if we didn't attend this meeting we wouldn't be allowed to return to the world. I assume this means the Aether will open soon, allowing us to actually...well, return to Gaea?"
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