Crusade – Chapter 86: Home Is Where the Heart Is

‏

GamingWolf

Sponsus actually works now.

Aperio took a deep breath, the fires in the braziers flaring higher as she did. The world itself then appeared just a little brighter to her, the few colours present in the abyss somehow more vivid. Only after she took another breath did the All-Mother notice that she was breathing air, and not the nothing that had filled the white space before.

The change in her surroundings was quickly dismissed from her mind, however, as the newly-returned memories started to unravel themselves. What she had retrieved from the dungeon in Ebenlowe, and from Vigil and Inanis paled in comparison to the mess of memories she now received.

Remembering scenes of her daughter playing with the red-robed Beastkin brought a smile to the All-Mother's face, a comforting warmth spreading through her chest that pushed away the pain of her body's multitude of breaking changes.

The fire flowing through her veins was a paltry price to pay to remember more of her life. It was nothing she had not been through before and neither, she observed grimly, was it the worst pain she had ever experienced. That she knew she would come out even stronger than before, however, left a sour note in her mouth.

She was already far beyond anyone else — even beyond what her previous self had been, if Ferio was to be believed. Something Aperio was quite willing to do, especially now that more memories of her daughter were returning to her.

Most scenes playing before her mind were those of a young Ferio, playing with an assortment of other deities that Aperio did not yet recognize. A few, however, featured a more mature Ferio successfully building her own Dominion; a process Aperio had not known was necessary, or possible.

But then, neither my Void nor this place are normal. Her Void was home to the River of Souls, a vastly important place in itself, and while the white abyss seemed not too far removed from Ferio's own Dominion, and only held her temple, Aperio was very certain that there was more to it. The surroundings here reacted to her more than the mortal world did — everything here felt like more to her.

With an unsteady gait, courtesy of her continuously breaking bones, the All-Mother made her way to one of the few chairs that had survived the dismantling of the crystal. One she could only describe as a throne. That needs replacement.

Aperio had no desire to lord over potential subjects from a throne in her temple. Perhaps Ferio would enjoy this? she mused to herself as she slowly set herself down on the surprisingly comfortable piece of furniture.

The slight doubts that it might not have been hers vanished as she found she did not need to hide her wings. The feathered appendages simply phased through the backrest, a pleasant tingle spreading through them as they did. Aperio let out a sigh as she let her full weight fall into the chair, the unexpectedly cozy stone showing no sign of distress.

She could lean back, too; only her wings passed through the backrest by means she neither understood nor cared about at the moment. Currently, the All-Mother was content to sort through the new memories she had retrieved — to revel in the warmth of family she felt when the scenes of her daughter played out before her mind's eye.

Aperio did not know exactly how long she had spent simply remembering. There had been more than just her daughter and Chellien that had called this place home. Both Vigil and Inanis had been here; had had their own section of the seemingly infinite temple for themselves and their followers.

The idea that the traitors had lived in her home, had likely taken advantage of the cover of her hospitality to plot against her, filled Aperio with an anger that would have caused her to kill them had she not already done so.

The armrest of her throne had not been so lucky — the stone crumbled as she dug her fingers ever deeper into it. There was no end to the memories of the traitors, now more in number than just Vigil and Inanis.

Aperio remembered Epemirial.

Duty and Loss were her Domains, a combination that had put her at odds with a few of the other deities that had called Aperio's temple their home. Most of the others were nothing more than a shadowy outline in her reclaimed memory.

The All-Mother still knew the Goddess. Just like every other deity at the time, Epemirial carried a piece of Aperio's mana within her — the Seed of her Divinity.

The Goddess of Duty and Loss had never been particularly fond of the All-Mother. Aperio was now able to clearly recall just how the Goddess had talked about her when she foolishly thought she would not be overheard. How stupid.

Epemirial had even gone as far as to bring her own slaves to the temple. The All-Mother in the memory had only sighed and shook her head at the prospect of more mortals being in her home, an action that made Aperio further question her old self. Why would I let a slaver stay in this place? ...Why did I not like the mortals?

It was true that they had a tendency to worship her and were exceptionally fragile, but she still liked them. Laelia, Caethya, and Maria were rapidly becoming a sort of family for her as well. She looked around her vast temple, and thought of all the slaves she would undoubtedly have to free. Having a home she could offer them would certainly be a plus.

With an almost imperceptible shake of her head, Aperio pushed the thought from her mind, the stone of her armrest neatly repairing itself. Finding out her previous opinions on mortals might be useful to a certain extent, but it did not help her in understanding the System nor explained how and, more importantly, why some of the Gods had turned against her.

Attempting to more carefully sort through her newly acquired memories was of little help at the moment, as most of what she had gained was still a shapeless mess in her mind. It was strangely reminiscent of the way she had remembered things as a mortal — misty, unclear, indistinct.

Ever since she had returned, Aperio had been able to recall with perfection every facet of her life. Most of the time the memories were viewed from afar, almost as if she was reading a very detailed recount of what had happened. Only the memories she did not want to remember seemed to replay with an unpleasant vividness.

A sigh escaped her lips as she opened her eyes. The room at the heart of her temple was still in disarray after her outburst and subsequent destruction of the crystal. A touch of her magic righted the chairs and tables but did not repair the broken floor as it had already mended itself. Neat.

She had not felt a drain on her well, the amount of mana needed likely too small for Aperio to notice unless she focused on it. Especially now…

Destroying the crystal had not only brought her more memories than the previous times but also an incredible amount of mana. Despite the fact that there was no limit to how much her well could hold, this new surplus was too massive to fit, and instead it was the System itself that reached out and took the surplus. Or does the System just need more mana to repair itself and did not want to draw on my well?

As most of her reclaimed memories were still too jumbled to make sense of at the moment Aperio chose a better, and potentially more useful task to focus her mind on. Carefully, she followed the excess flow of her mana through the infinite mess of runes that made up the System, seeing if there were any new discoveries or understandings to be had.

Being able to mend her own body while gently untangling the mess of memories and still managing to focus intently on the System was a feat Aperio continued to wonder at. She knew, of course, that as a Goddess her mind was much more capable than that of a mortal, but the extent of that gap was not something she had yet discovered.

The space the System resided in was abuzz with activity. Many of the once-dormant collections of runes glowed with her mana — even the ones that had missing parts were showing signs of life, albeit intertwined with the occasional flicker as whatever her old self had built failed to fulfil its function.

Most of it still made no sense to her. The memories of the System's operations were still buried within the mess she had just retrieved or, perhaps more likely, they were not part of this specific set. Still, despite not having any more tangible knowledge, Aperio found it easier to discern the function of each part. Is it because of the additional mana?

Sensing the flow of mana had become second nature to Aperio, even if she still didn't know how exactly it worked. How can I know without knowing? She pushed the thoughts from her mind, focusing on the countless runes that made up the System instead.

She could feel her mana flow through the sequence of runes that allowed the mortals to view their own [Status], see how it changed its function as it passed through the glyphs. There had been a blockage of sorts before; a big, almost angry-looking rune, one that had tried desperately, unsuccessfully, to divert the mana. When she had looked at it the first time, it had ceased to function under her curious gaze.

Now, more and more runes brightened into existence in the construct, some of which she could have sworn were not previously present. They set themselves into place with a silent click, glowing with the flow of her mana not a breath later. What surprised the All-Mother was not that she could see all of the System repairing itself at once; but that she could feel it.

Much like the influx of mana — of strength — after retrieving a part of her memories, she could feel herself changing with every bit of the System that repaired itself. The only difference now was that instead of growing stronger, her mind was now becoming clearer — an unseen weight lifting from her shoulders. Sorting through her newly retrieved memories became easier with each passing moment, almost as if most of her mind had been preoccupied with the System without her knowledge.

A sigh escaped Aperio's lips as she leaned further into her throne, the chair’s stone shifting to better support her back. She could feel her mana pulsing throughout her temple and the white abyss that housed it. Repairing the System had more far-reaching consequences than she had initially assumed, but she probably should still have expected as much.

Everyone was connected to it — to her. Even the Gods that had a piece of her mana as their Seed of Divinity still relied upon her omnipresent creation to guide and reward their followers. And enslave them, Aperio thought to herself.

She had no doubts that the System had somehow aided the deities that chose to enslave others in their endeavour. It did not think on its own — at least as far as she could tell — simply doing the job her old self had given it. What exactly that job was, was becoming less and less clear as more rune chains were automatically restored to working order.

Every bit of the world seemed to be somehow related to the System, not just living beings as Aperio had first assumed. She could feel its magic run through her temple in harmony with the mana she directly controlled.

Of course, that was how it should be — the System's mana was still hers, she simply allowed the System to control it. Her temple also reacted differently to mana that was controlled by the System, directing it to runes that had been drawn out of the same silver material as the veins that carried her mana throughout the building.

They were everywhere. Some were hidden between the walls where mortals would not spot them, others etched into the doors, prominently displayed for all to see. What every rune had in common, however, was that they were all connected to one another and, perhaps most importantly, to a formation that ringed the entirety of her temple.

Much like herself and the System, her temple now seemed to be even more lively — even though she was still the only one present. The blue flames burned just a little brighter in their braziers, managing to fully light the rooms and hallways despite their rather small size.

The smell of flowers caused Aperio to open her eyes, her attention taken from both the System's rapid repair and the mess that was her memories. She stood up, a touch of her magic keeping her steady as she made her way outside.

Aperio could sense movement in her aura; things walking in- and outside her temple. They were not alive, she knew as much, but neither could she tell what they were nor why the smell of nature had so suddenly flooded her home. She was still in the white abyss, all her senses told her so. Her eyes couldn't yet find a trace of the nature her nose was so sure had to be there.

Stepping outside her temple, the All-Mother tilted her head in confusion. Both her nose and the rest of her senses had been correct. She was still in the white abyss, but at the bottom of the stairs the System's mana was flowing into a formation of runes that, every now and then, unwound the threads of reality to show the tiniest fraction of the mortal world.

A bit more focus on her part could've easily spotted this through her aura, but despite using her magic as effortlessly as she did, the All-Mother still clung to a few mortal habits such as looking at things with her own eyes.

Intrigued by the System's attempt to breach reality, Aperio guided more of her mana into the formation. Her involvement caused the tear that had previously winked in and out of existence to widen and stabilise. A moment later, she felt a noticeable drain on her well as a dome of her mana formed around her home.

Aperio tilted her head to the other side as the white abyss outside the dome vanished, only to be replaced by a tree she knew, in a field of grass and blue flowers that she immediately recognised. She ignored the clouds that passed by her home, taking a step forward that broke the laws of the universe and brought her to the place where her daughter had once played without a worry in the world.

"Your might is in full bloom," Roots said, the deep, rumbling voice sounding like bark peeling off a tree. Aperio looked up at one of the few divines that had remained loyal to her as it added, "Does this mean it is time for a new spring?"

Aperio sat herself down, leaning against Roots who had no problem supporting her weight. She did not answer, instead letting the scene of Ferio and a long dead friend playing in her home repeat itself before her mind's eye again. And again. "I'm home."

GamingWolf

If you like the story, do leave a rating. If you really like it, please write a review!

Want to chat? Join the Discord. Want to read ahead? Check out the Patreon or Sponsus.