Crusade – Chapter 92: Past Dues

Aperio did not know how much time had passed, her mind seemingly having lost its ability to track it. All she had done over the last while was hold Caethya close to herself, using her magic to lessen the pain her disciple felt.

She had read the messages the System had given the Elf, and they confirmed what she had assumed was the cause of Caethya's pain. Her own body was still incorporating the mana she had recently retrieved, and despite the time that had passed, it nonetheless burned terribly as it flowed through her. But she was used to pain like this — had had a lifetime of it — while Caethya had likely not experienced anything like this before.

Even though Aperio knew it was not truly her fault, she still felt responsible for the events that unfolded. That she also felt this inexplicable closeness to Caethya only furthered her growing worry. She had largely ignored the newly free mortals in the main hall, only giving them a fraction of her attention to make sure that she would be aware when and if one of them wished to leave.

Thus far none of them seemed to want to take the offer she had made, quite content to eat their fill from the endlessly refilling tables. That fuelling this feast did not even register as a drain on her well did bring a smile to Aperio's lips, one that vanished immediately as Caethya shifted slightly in her arms.

The woman was starting to wake up, the mana in her body having largely returned to its previous, calm flow. The amount of mana was greater — purer — than before, but it was no longer a raging torrent that burst from her soul.

Aperio shifted slightly, lifting Caethya to lie her on the bed beside her. Righting herself and brushing her hair from her face, she noted her disciple had been heavier than before. It wasn't much of a change, but the System's effect was definitely noticeable. But will she simply know how to use it like I do?

Whatever improvements Caethya had undergone would undoubtedly require some time to adjust to. It was probably nothing more than a foolish notion to believe that her disciple would instinctively know what she could do.

A slight groan from Caethya drew Aperio's attention, and she turned to better face her. The woman mumbled something, the words senseless and incoherent, turning to lay on her side.

The All-Mother tilted her head slightly, having assumed the Elf would be waking up. Instead, Caethya's hands were slowly inching across the bed, searching for something. Aperio shifted the unused blanket so that her disciple might grab it, smiling as the Elf wrapped herself in the surprisingly soft fabric. ...Is the blanket made from my mana too?

A quick inspection revealed that it was made from the same sort of magical threads as her dress. In fact, most of the things dotted around the room carried more of her mana than the world usually did. It made sense, in a way; she had made everything, why wouldn't she take the time to personally make the things in her room?

The only thing that did not quite ring true in Aperio's mind was that while everything was connected to her, it did not bear the same marks of her creation as her dress or the blankets. She was certain that even a mortal would be able to tell that these two items were special, the world itself not really having her personal mana running through it.

As a part of her mind continued to wonder about how exactly her creations came into existence, another was directed at the freed mortals in the main hall. They were fewer in number, a change that made sense once Aperio discovered their presence in other rooms, further down the hallway. They seemingly did not fully trust her, for while some were sleeping others kept watch — something that, to Aperio, appeared to be a largely useless endeavor.

If she had wanted them harmed, they would have no way of stopping her; something she was certain they had realised. Or do they think Caethya or Laelia would do something? The fact that they had seen her Scion and disciple leave the hall would likely not have meant much to them, as they had all been teleported here by Aperio.

The All-Mother sighed, gently brushing her hand over Caethya's blanket-wrapped form. Her touch was accompanied by a flow of her mana, just a tiny bit of her magic ensuring that the Elf was indeed fine. Why do I care so much?

She knew that what happened was not truly her fault, not like the damage to Maria's soul had been, and though she still felt a certain level of responsibility for what had happened the amount of concern and worry she felt was not something Aperio had anticipated. Aside from Moria there had never really been anyone she had cared about before, no specific person to draw her attention, but that was not something that had truly registered in her mind at the time.

Aperio shook her head, pushing the line of thought — as well as the question as to how exactly she had made everything — from her mind. Instead, she sent a mental query towards her Scion, inquiring about the decision of Mister Penbrooks.

While she would like him to accept the offer, she doubted that he would. She might be the All-Mother, but that did not mean he wanted to be affiliated with her, or any other deity. …Or maybe he will accept because I am the All-Mother and thinks not doing so would be seen as an insult?

Aperio sighed, lying herself back down in the bed after a moment and spreading a wing over Caethya. The blanket might be nice, but she was absolutely certain that nothing could come even remotely close to the softness of her wings. She still was no closer to figuring out the reason behind her feelings, but at the moment she did not care. Simply laying there and making sure her disciple was as comfortable as she could be at the moment was enough.

Another query towards her daughter went unanswered. Ferio was still in her Dominion, doing something that required her undivided attention. Or perhaps she simply didn't wish to speak to her. This continued state of silence between the two of them was starting to worry Aperio. She had snapped and yelled at her daughter and the others, yes, but she did not think it would affect Ferio this much.

The All-Mother gently wrapped her arms around Caethya, drawing her closer as she tightened the hold of her wing around the woman. She would be glad to bring Maria and Laelia here too, just so she could be certain that they would not leave her, but in the end she knew that doing so would cause more problems than it was worth.

At some point she would actually have to start trusting others; trust that they actually wanted to stick around and not just use her for their own gain.

Aperio was about to ask Laelia again if they had come to a decision when her Scion reached out on her own. The message she sent, however, caused the All-Mother to crease her brows. While Mister Penbrooks had agreed to take the offer, there had also been a member of the guard that delivered a letter, one that Laelia was supposed to deliver to her Goddess at her earliest convenience.

The All-Mother was not entirely sure what exactly the guard might want from her, but had a sneaking suspicion that it had to do with the Vinmaier brat that had tried to enslave her. If the rest of the family was anything like the one she had killed, Ebenlowe might suddenly find themselves a noble house short.

After a few moments of blissful silence in which she enjoyed the comforting warmth of Caethya against her, a small flex of her mental muscles brought the letter to her room. It hovered above her as she gently removed her arms from Caethya. Aperio folded her wing behind her back and carefully left the bed, making sure the Elf was still firmly tucked into her blanket.

She grabbed the envelope out of the air, another touch of her magic straightening the wrinkles that had formed in her dress. Neither of the three seals that were present on the paper meant anything to Aperio. Assumptions could be made, however, as it was likely that the seal that resembled a bunch of islands was that of Ebenlowe itself, and the one that was mostly comprised of a shield could be taken to be the seal of the guards.

The last seal remained a mystery to her however. A sextant and an open book set in a heart-shaped frame made of runes that either spelled 'Learn' or 'Love' — not something she had seen before. And if I had, I would surely remember it.

There was a memory in her mind, foggy and out of reach, that felt like it would hold the answer. Try as she might, however, Aperio could not dispel the fog that clung to it, a sharp pain taking root in her mind that only grew the harder she tried.

With a silent sigh and slightly slumped shoulders she opened the letter, the enchantment that had been present already broken when she had first teleported it. Whoever had fashioned the enchantment was either unaware of what her mere presence would do to them, or they had not expected her to actually read the letter herself — a task that might turn out to be difficult if it was not written in the Common she knew.

Unfolding the letter, Aperio was relieved to find that she was indeed able to read the words written on the page, even if a few of them required her to read them twice. Why can't the language just stay the same? she idly wondered, ignoring the fact that she could likely find a way to make that happen if she truly wished.

As her eyes flew over the letter, a part of her mind was devoted to making sure Caethya was still fine, while yet another thanked Laelia for her time before checking in on Maria. The damage to the young girl’s soul was completely gone, the soul river's water Aperio had never ceased directing simply flowing around the tiny orb briefly before returning to her Void.

A small smiled played at the All-Mother's lips for a moment before her face twisted into a frown. Why does another God want to speak to me over the death of a slaver? Why the God of Knowledge and Love had not asked for an audience on his own was another thing that did not make much sense to her. He obviously knew how to reach her, so why not simply ask to meet?

Aperio shook her head, letting the letter vanish into her Void as she sat down on the edge of her bed. Caethya was still asleep, her breathing slow and steady as her mind was undoubtedly working to understand the changes that she had undergone. She did not know that for certain, of course, unwilling to give in to the whisper in the back of her mind that wanted her to try and look into the mind of her disciple. That it was even a possibility was already disturbing enough, actually trying it out was not something Aperio wanted to do.

Not managing to find any paper in the room with either her eyes or her aura, Aperio tried to produce a sheet much like she had done with her dress. Just as she had hoped, a piece of paper took shape in her hand, shifting slightly as she chose to forgo a pen and directly create the letter with her message on it.

It was a simple thing, letting Caethya know that she would be outside with Roots and potentially talking with another God. Of course, Aperio would still keep watch over her disciple, but she would not let the world wait while she enjoyed the comfort of her home. Doing so seemed a bit selfish to her in a way she would not exactly like seeing in someone else.

Aperio carefully folded the letter, making sure to not accidentally break it, before placing in on the nightstand on Caethya's side of the bed, the name of her disciple clearly visible in the excessively cursive script she had chosen.

Another letter was forming in the air behind her, destined to be delivered to the temple of Edisicio. She might not have personally visited it, or even seen it, but the map Lord Terenyk had used to plan possible routes with Laelia was etched into her mind, as easy to recall as her name. If only the rest of my memories came that easily.

After making sure once more that her disciple could get the rest she needed, Aperio silently vanished from her chambers. As she reappeared in the field of flowers outside, the letter she had created materialized far below in Ebenlowe, in front of someone she assumed to be a priest of Edisicio.

She would have personally delivered the letter, or better yet talked to the God of Knowledge herself, but she did not know where he was nor had she the desire to figure it out on her own. Once she knew how far her aura reached, she would never be able to forget it. For now, Aperio could at least pretend that she was not privy to everything that happened in her creation.

"Welcome," Roots rumbled. "Your guests are slowly leaving their shells. Perhaps soon, they may blossom once more.

"Your Elven friend, too, seems to be blossoming into something more," it added after a moment of silence. "Without your help, her ascension would have been much more arduous; she will undoubtedly be grateful."

"Perhaps," Aperio mumbled, her eyes flicking across the ocean of flowers as she tried to figure out why another God would want to meet her, and why they would choose such a roundabout way of asking.

"Would you happen to know why the God of Knowledge and Love would want to meet me?" the All-Mother asked, turning to face Roots.

"I do not," it rumbled in reply. "But I do have a suspicion. The mortals of Ebenlowe are in turmoil. The seeds of Urol Vinmaier's death had been planted long ago, but they were reaped recently over the death of his son at your hand. I do know that Edisicio has blessed a few members of both the [Guides] and the [Guards]; perhaps he is seeking an audience to spare them from your wrath when the families will foolishly try to take revenge against you?"

Would I have just killed the entire city in the past? Aperio thought, tilting her head at the words. "Why would I go against someone uninvolved?"

The tree remained quiet for a while, only the slight breeze that seemed to be omnipresent on her temple grounds rustling its leaves. "The lake in which Ebenlowe is built was created by you, after the city that once stood there torched your temple," Roots eventually said, its deep voice unusually subdued.

"Just because of a temple?" she asked, not quite believing what the tree had said. "That seems a little excessive." …Was I really that bad?

"The fire would have killed the mortals within," Roots replied. "But you never particularly cared about them before you disappeared. Most of the Pantheon still do not care for them beyond their usefulness in advancing their own power."

Aperio sighed, leaning against Roots as she sat herself down. She had already disliked her past self, but the more she learned the more she hated what she had done. Destroying a city because someone wanted to set fire to her temple was no longer something she would ever do.

"Perhaps tyrant was not all that wrong of a name for me…" she mumbled to herself as part of her mind wandered back to the Elf sleeping in her chambers. Another followed the hurried steps of the priest, the one she had teleported her letter to, as the man rushed deeper into the temple, past collections of crystals that tried to keep Aperio's aura out but failed miserably.

He would deliver her message, and she would have to set the record straight that what the old Aperio had done is not what she would do. The mortals of Ebenlowe had nothing to fear as long as they did not enslave one another. And even if they did, she would give them the choice to stop their vile practices like she had done with every encounter before.

"The Pantheon does not know of your change of heart," Roots said. "Neither your daughter nor myself have told them what has happened. Some of them know, of course; those that conspired with Vigil and Inanis will be wary of you, but the others should welcome the change."

Aperio did not respond, her eyes cast down as she stared at her hand. Small arcs of her mana were dancing between her fingers, waiting to be used. Eager to create her dreams or destroy what she wished gone.

She knew who she was — what she was — but the full extent of what she could do still scared her. The knowledge that she had to deal with Gods and Goddesses that had been appointed by her for unknown reasons caused a knot in her stomach to form that she most definitely did not want.

Another sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes, trying to calm her mind as she waited for Edisicio to arrive. Whatever he had to say would only further the headache that had begun to take hold in her mind, she was sure of that. Still, at the moment she could do nothing but wait. Time, the thing that usually passed too quickly for her liking, seemed to slow down to an agonizing crawl.

GamingWolf

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