Aperio led Caethya to an empty alleyway, teleporting them both inside Mayeia's temple as soon as she was sure nobody could see them.
She did not really mind people seeing her teleport but, in an effort to appear a little less godly, Aperio had chosen to do so out of sight. The All-Mother was also planning to ask Mayeia to bring them to this [Ancestral Guard] they were supposed to meet.
"Did you enjoy your excursion?" the Goddess of Magic asked as soon as Aperio and Caethya reappeared in her library.
"Yes," the All-Mother replied, her voice overshadowing a similar statement from her disciple. "Even if it was a little short."
"But we did not come here to sightsee," Caethya said. "We came to find Moria."
"Yes." Aperio sighed. "We did."
The All-Mother might have lost some of her worries about actually finding Moria, but that did not mean she looked forward to it. She did, however, want to make sure Moria was fine; a courtesy she would extend to her old friend, even it if turned out she had only pretended to be one. Her hiding because I came back might be the best outcome…
"Well," Mayeia began, "the [Keeper of Voices] has agreed to meet you." She hesitated for a moment before she continued. "I am pretty sure he already knows you are not an Elder but a Goddess. How he would know that is beyond me, but he definitely recognised your name."
A small thought flashed through Aperio's mind, causing her to ask, "Does the [Ancestral Guard] worship any specific God or Goddess?"
"Not really, no," Mayeia replied. "Their members follow different deities, but all of them offer their devotion to Chellien during their initiation. That he has died a long time ago does not seem to bother them."
"Of course they do," Aperio mumbled. She had little doubt that this order had something to do with some of the first vivid memories she had seen from Procul's dungeon crystals. "They know who I am," she continued, fixing her gaze on Mayeia. "I am certain the first of the order were the ones I gave Chellien's essence to after he died."
The Goddess of Magic blinked at the words, seemingly not quite sure what to make of them. "You gave the essence of a God to mortals? How? Their bodies should not be able to withstand it,” she said, her fingers twitching a little, almost as if she wanted to grab an invisible pen and write down what she had just heard.
Aperio tilted her head in reply. "I reforged their flesh. It was Chellien's last wish; or at least how I interpreted it at the time. I do not remember why I would grant him such a wish — just that I did."
She could recall in detail how she had guided what was left of Chellien through the bodies of the three mortals; rebuilding their bodies so they could actually make use of the dead God’s gift. The only memory that followed that featured one of the three was with Moria when she had given her the [Memento Mori] title — not something that helped her now.
"Interesting," the Goddess of Magic said after a moment of silence. "I did not think there would be an organisation left that is so directly tied to you."
"Probably because nobody knows that I had a hand in its creation," Aperio replied, her eyes fixed on Mayeia. "Even I did not know until recently."
The All-Mother did not believe the Goddess of Magic would do something to endanger the [Ancestral Guard], but she would still keep an eye on both of them. Mortals and Gods alike were willing to oppose her after all, even if they knew they could not win. Though, perhaps the mortals don't.
Assuming that their Gods told them who exactly she was was a stretch. If they did, they probably would not be quite as willing to throw themselves at her. Natio did not seem to know who I was…
They had managed to get rid of her once; so why wouldn't it work again? Aperio did not know why it would not. She only knew that — according to Ferio — she was much stronger than ever before, something that did not necessarily make sense to her. How could she be stronger when she had already had the ability to do anything she wanted? Doesn't get stronger than willing the universe into existence…
And yet, Ferio had said she was stronger. Vigil and Inanis had seemed surprised that she could stop their attempt so easily. Maybe I did do this to myself… but why? Forgetting was an easy solution to the guilt she now felt, but Aperio doubted her actions bothered her much before.
With a shake of her head, Aperio dismissed the thoughts, spreading her wings behind her before wrapping one around Caethya. Having her feathered limbs on display was freeing in a way that did not quite make sense to her. Maybe I should just say they're a cape… She could make them look like one — at least a little — but she doubted it would convince people.
"Well," Mayeia said. "As revealing as this conversation is, I think we should not keep the Keeper waiting too long."
Aperio raised an eyebrow at the words. She had not expected a Goddess to be mindful of a mortals schedule; even one as nice as Mayeia. Or does she only do it because I am here? "Yes, we should not keep them waiting."
The Goddess of Magic nodded once before disappearing into a blue portal. Aperio squinted to appraise the magic Mayeia had made, dismissing it with a thought before bringing Caethya and herself to the sprawling complex Mayeia had teleported herself to.
"Did you not like my portal?" the Goddess of Magic asked as Aperio and her disciple appeared next to her.
"It was… crude," the All-Mother replied after a moment. "Like the gate Fel'Erreyth has in his dungeon, your magic forces its way through the fabric of reality in a way that is both wasteful and unstable."
Aperio was aware of the Beastkin in the room; how he scrutinized her. "So it is true," he said once the All-Mother looked at him. "You have returned."
"Yes, I have," she replied, her voice easily filling the large hall. "What does it matter to you?"
The Beastkin hesitated for a moment, seemingly shrinking a little under Aperio's gaze. "We have rites to perform; people to inform. Your return has been prophesied throughout the ages… Though the one who had offered us insights into you has vanished some time ago."
"Moria?" Aperio asked, appearing in front of who she assumed was the [Keeper of Voices]. She could sense a pang of sadness from Caethya at her departure and, a small flex of her mental muscles brought the Elf back under her wing.
"Yes," the Beastkin replied, his eyes wandering between the Elf that had wrapped her arm around the All-Mother's waist and the Creator herself. "If you have come to find her here, I will have to disappoint. We have been searching for her for more than a year now and are no closer."
"We came to gather any information you might have," Mayeia replied. "As the Keeper, you should know that even the divine is limited in what we can do."
"Painfully so," the [Keeper of Voices] replied, grasping the small pendant that hung from his neck. "Despite what we have been told, I had hoped that the Creator would be all knowing. There are so many questions we have."
So do I, Aperio thought to herself, tilting her head before she asked her next question. "What have you been told?"
"The Kellborn have always told us that you would return," the [Keeper of Voices] said. "That you would oust many of the Pantheon and bring change akin to an apocalypse for many.
"Three have already fallen," he continued, "We had assumed you had returned, but we weren't sure. It would not be the first time that the Gods kill some of their own, after all." He grabbed the pendant a little tighter as he finished speaking, and a small speck of mana left his body to vanish into the workings beyond the fabric of reality.
"No," Aperio said, following the speck of mana with a thought. "It would not be the first time." But hopefully the last. "What can you tell me about Moria?" the All-Mother asked, leaning forward slightly. She towered over the sitting Beastkin, but he did not seem to be too intimidated by her. Maybe Moria told him he doesn't have to fear me?
The thought was quickly stricken from her memory as she could sense the Beastkin's heart start to beat faster and his breath to quicken.
"Perhaps we should ask for his name first?" Caethya suggested, lightly pressing her hand against Aperio's stomach so she would not loom over the [Keeper of Voices]. Aperio obliged Caethya and moved back a little, the [Keeper of Voices] calming slightly as she did. Her disciple bowed her head lightly before she spoke her next words. "I'm Caethya Martinek, the only one here whose name you probably do not know."
The [Keeper of Voices] did not reply immediately, lowering his head instead as he took a shaky breath. "Kenmo," he whispered, after another moment of silence. "Just, Kenmo."
"My condolences," Mayeia said, crossing her arms in front of her chest in a gesture Aperio did not know. "I know it is not easy to lose the one you love."
"Thank you," Kenmo replied, making another similar — but one armed — gesture in return. "But it is a price I have to pay as the Keeper."
The [Keeper of Voices] had given them his name, but apparently that somehow connected to him losing a loved one. Am I missing something? She was about to ask when Caethya almost imperceptibly shook her head.
"I lost my partner," Kenmo said, having picked up on Aperio's confusion. "And with it a part of my name; a part of me. I knew it would happen when I took the title as [Keeper of Voices], but sadly that spares me none of the pain.
He sighed after a moment of silence. "But you have not come to hear about the sorrows of an old man. You have come to meet Moria, but all I can offer you is the meagre information we have gathered."
"That is what we came for," Mayeia confirmed. "We already knew Moria would not be here."
Aperio let her senses spread through the complex, ignoring the various Beastkin that took notice of her action. She had hoped to find Neria here so she could ask about her mother, but she was not there.
"Of course," Kenmo said, clearing his throat and shifting in his chair. "Pardon me but, try as I might, I cannot quite gather my thoughts in the presence of a Goddess and the Creator."
"There is no need to worry," Aperio said, widening her search for Neria to encompass the city surrounding the complex of the [Ancestral Guard]. "I have not come to demand information or wreak havoc if I do not get to meet Moria." Perhaps that is what I would have done in the past…
"I would not have assumed that you would," he said. "But neither did I expect to meet you today. A priest of Mayeia asked for an audience for an 'important guest by the name of Aperio'. I had hoped it was you, but one never knows."
The [Keeper of Voices] eased a bit of his mana into two stones embedded into his chair, sending it racing through the walls and floor to a room in the middle of the building they were in.
"Some of us have you as their namesake," Kenmo continued, standing up from his chair and leaning heavily on a staff that had appeared in his hand. "Most do not know where it came from, and those that do expect me to offer them respect they do not deserve."
"Respect is earned, not given," Aperio said, squinting at the Beastkin. She paused for a moment, simply watching the [Keeper of Voices] slowly make his way to one of the doors in his chambers. "Do you need help?" she finally asked, mentally wincing at the disrupted flow of mana in his body.
"No need," he said, tapping his staff against the door, causing it to open. "Please, follow me. I had the [Archivists] prepare what information we have."
His grey fur moved in an unseen wind as he waited by the door, and the All-Mother eyed the old Beastkin for a moment longer. There was something about the way he held himself that was familiar to Aperio.
She shook her head slightly, pulling her wing away from Caethya as she began walking towards the door. The Elf frowned slightly, but quickly followed nonetheless while Mayeia hid a smile behind her hand.
"It is not every day you get to visit the inner sanctum of the [Ancestral Guard]," the Goddess of Magic said, a few magic-assisted steps bringing her next to Aperio.
The All-Mother did not react to the words, focused on black pearl seated on a small pedestal in the middle of the room beyond. She could easily see it with her eyes, but the black marble was invisible to her aura. What is that?
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Aperio led Caethya to an empty alleyway, teleporting them both inside Mayeia's temple as soon as she was sure nobody could see them.
She did not really mind people seeing her teleport but, in an effort to appear a little less godly, Aperio had chosen to do so out of sight. The All-Mother was also planning to ask Mayeia to bring them to this [Ancestral Guard] they were supposed to meet.
"Did you enjoy your excursion?" the Goddess of Magic asked as soon as Aperio and Caethya reappeared in her library.
"Yes," the All-Mother replied, her voice overshadowing a similar statement from her disciple. "Even if it was a little short."
"But we did not come here to sightsee," Caethya said. "We came to find Moria."
"Yes." Aperio sighed. "We did."
The All-Mother might have lost some of her worries about actually finding Moria, but that did not mean she looked forward to it. She did, however, want to make sure Moria was fine; a courtesy she would extend to her old friend, even it if turned out she had only pretended to be one. Her hiding because I came back might be the best outcome…
"Well," Mayeia began, "the [Keeper of Voices] has agreed to meet you." She hesitated for a moment before she continued. "I am pretty sure he already knows you are not an Elder but a Goddess. How he would know that is beyond me, but he definitely recognised your name."
A small thought flashed through Aperio's mind, causing her to ask, "Does the [Ancestral Guard] worship any specific God or Goddess?"
"Not really, no," Mayeia replied. "Their members follow different deities, but all of them offer their devotion to Chellien during their initiation. That he has died a long time ago does not seem to bother them."
"Of course they do," Aperio mumbled. She had little doubt that this order had something to do with some of the first vivid memories she had seen from Procul's dungeon crystals. "They know who I am," she continued, fixing her gaze on Mayeia. "I am certain the first of the order were the ones I gave Chellien's essence to after he died."
The Goddess of Magic blinked at the words, seemingly not quite sure what to make of them. "You gave the essence of a God to mortals? How? Their bodies should not be able to withstand it,” she said, her fingers twitching a little, almost as if she wanted to grab an invisible pen and write down what she had just heard.
Aperio tilted her head in reply. "I reforged their flesh. It was Chellien's last wish; or at least how I interpreted it at the time. I do not remember why I would grant him such a wish — just that I did."
She could recall in detail how she had guided what was left of Chellien through the bodies of the three mortals; rebuilding their bodies so they could actually make use of the dead God’s gift. The only memory that followed that featured one of the three was with Moria when she had given her the [Memento Mori] title — not something that helped her now.
"Interesting," the Goddess of Magic said after a moment of silence. "I did not think there would be an organisation left that is so directly tied to you."
"Probably because nobody knows that I had a hand in its creation," Aperio replied, her eyes fixed on Mayeia. "Even I did not know until recently."
The All-Mother did not believe the Goddess of Magic would do something to endanger the [Ancestral Guard], but she would still keep an eye on both of them. Mortals and Gods alike were willing to oppose her after all, even if they knew they could not win. Though, perhaps the mortals don't.
Assuming that their Gods told them who exactly she was was a stretch. If they did, they probably would not be quite as willing to throw themselves at her. Natio did not seem to know who I was…
They had managed to get rid of her once; so why wouldn't it work again? Aperio did not know why it would not. She only knew that — according to Ferio — she was much stronger than ever before, something that did not necessarily make sense to her. How could she be stronger when she had already had the ability to do anything she wanted? Doesn't get stronger than willing the universe into existence…
And yet, Ferio had said she was stronger. Vigil and Inanis had seemed surprised that she could stop their attempt so easily. Maybe I did do this to myself… but why? Forgetting was an easy solution to the guilt she now felt, but Aperio doubted her actions bothered her much before.
With a shake of her head, Aperio dismissed the thoughts, spreading her wings behind her before wrapping one around Caethya. Having her feathered limbs on display was freeing in a way that did not quite make sense to her. Maybe I should just say they're a cape… She could make them look like one — at least a little — but she doubted it would convince people.
"Well," Mayeia said. "As revealing as this conversation is, I think we should not keep the Keeper waiting too long."
Aperio raised an eyebrow at the words. She had not expected a Goddess to be mindful of a mortals schedule; even one as nice as Mayeia. Or does she only do it because I am here? "Yes, we should not keep them waiting."
The Goddess of Magic nodded once before disappearing into a blue portal. Aperio squinted to appraise the magic Mayeia had made, dismissing it with a thought before bringing Caethya and herself to the sprawling complex Mayeia had teleported herself to.
"Did you not like my portal?" the Goddess of Magic asked as Aperio and her disciple appeared next to her.
"It was… crude," the All-Mother replied after a moment. "Like the gate Fel'Erreyth has in his dungeon, your magic forces its way through the fabric of reality in a way that is both wasteful and unstable."
Aperio was aware of the Beastkin in the room; how he scrutinized her. "So it is true," he said once the All-Mother looked at him. "You have returned."
"Yes, I have," she replied, her voice easily filling the large hall. "What does it matter to you?"
The Beastkin hesitated for a moment, seemingly shrinking a little under Aperio's gaze. "We have rites to perform; people to inform. Your return has been prophesied throughout the ages… Though the one who had offered us insights into you has vanished some time ago."
"Moria?" Aperio asked, appearing in front of who she assumed was the [Keeper of Voices]. She could sense a pang of sadness from Caethya at her departure and, a small flex of her mental muscles brought the Elf back under her wing.
"Yes," the Beastkin replied, his eyes wandering between the Elf that had wrapped her arm around the All-Mother's waist and the Creator herself. "If you have come to find her here, I will have to disappoint. We have been searching for her for more than a year now and are no closer."
"We came to gather any information you might have," Mayeia replied. "As the Keeper, you should know that even the divine is limited in what we can do."
"Painfully so," the [Keeper of Voices] replied, grasping the small pendant that hung from his neck. "Despite what we have been told, I had hoped that the Creator would be all knowing. There are so many questions we have."
So do I, Aperio thought to herself, tilting her head before she asked her next question. "What have you been told?"
"The Kellborn have always told us that you would return," the [Keeper of Voices] said. "That you would oust many of the Pantheon and bring change akin to an apocalypse for many.
"Three have already fallen," he continued, "We had assumed you had returned, but we weren't sure. It would not be the first time that the Gods kill some of their own, after all." He grabbed the pendant a little tighter as he finished speaking, and a small speck of mana left his body to vanish into the workings beyond the fabric of reality.
"No," Aperio said, following the speck of mana with a thought. "It would not be the first time." But hopefully the last. "What can you tell me about Moria?" the All-Mother asked, leaning forward slightly. She towered over the sitting Beastkin, but he did not seem to be too intimidated by her. Maybe Moria told him he doesn't have to fear me?
The thought was quickly stricken from her memory as she could sense the Beastkin's heart start to beat faster and his breath to quicken.
"Perhaps we should ask for his name first?" Caethya suggested, lightly pressing her hand against Aperio's stomach so she would not loom over the [Keeper of Voices]. Aperio obliged Caethya and moved back a little, the [Keeper of Voices] calming slightly as she did. Her disciple bowed her head lightly before she spoke her next words. "I'm Caethya Martinek, the only one here whose name you probably do not know."
The [Keeper of Voices] did not reply immediately, lowering his head instead as he took a shaky breath. "Kenmo," he whispered, after another moment of silence. "Just, Kenmo."
"My condolences," Mayeia said, crossing her arms in front of her chest in a gesture Aperio did not know. "I know it is not easy to lose the one you love."
"Thank you," Kenmo replied, making another similar — but one armed — gesture in return. "But it is a price I have to pay as the Keeper."
The [Keeper of Voices] had given them his name, but apparently that somehow connected to him losing a loved one. Am I missing something? She was about to ask when Caethya almost imperceptibly shook her head.
"I lost my partner," Kenmo said, having picked up on Aperio's confusion. "And with it a part of my name; a part of me. I knew it would happen when I took the title as [Keeper of Voices], but sadly that spares me none of the pain.
He sighed after a moment of silence. "But you have not come to hear about the sorrows of an old man. You have come to meet Moria, but all I can offer you is the meagre information we have gathered."
"That is what we came for," Mayeia confirmed. "We already knew Moria would not be here."
Aperio let her senses spread through the complex, ignoring the various Beastkin that took notice of her action. She had hoped to find Neria here so she could ask about her mother, but she was not there.
"Of course," Kenmo said, clearing his throat and shifting in his chair. "Pardon me but, try as I might, I cannot quite gather my thoughts in the presence of a Goddess and the Creator."
"There is no need to worry," Aperio said, widening her search for Neria to encompass the city surrounding the complex of the [Ancestral Guard]. "I have not come to demand information or wreak havoc if I do not get to meet Moria." Perhaps that is what I would have done in the past…
"I would not have assumed that you would," he said. "But neither did I expect to meet you today. A priest of Mayeia asked for an audience for an 'important guest by the name of Aperio'. I had hoped it was you, but one never knows."
The [Keeper of Voices] eased a bit of his mana into two stones embedded into his chair, sending it racing through the walls and floor to a room in the middle of the building they were in.
"Some of us have you as their namesake," Kenmo continued, standing up from his chair and leaning heavily on a staff that had appeared in his hand. "Most do not know where it came from, and those that do expect me to offer them respect they do not deserve."
"Respect is earned, not given," Aperio said, squinting at the Beastkin. She paused for a moment, simply watching the [Keeper of Voices] slowly make his way to one of the doors in his chambers. "Do you need help?" she finally asked, mentally wincing at the disrupted flow of mana in his body.
"No need," he said, tapping his staff against the door, causing it to open. "Please, follow me. I had the [Archivists] prepare what information we have."
His grey fur moved in an unseen wind as he waited by the door, and the All-Mother eyed the old Beastkin for a moment longer. There was something about the way he held himself that was familiar to Aperio.
She shook her head slightly, pulling her wing away from Caethya as she began walking towards the door. The Elf frowned slightly, but quickly followed nonetheless while Mayeia hid a smile behind her hand.
"It is not every day you get to visit the inner sanctum of the [Ancestral Guard]," the Goddess of Magic said, a few magic-assisted steps bringing her next to Aperio.
The All-Mother did not react to the words, focused on black pearl seated on a small pedestal in the middle of the room beyond. She could easily see it with her eyes, but the black marble was invisible to her aura. What is that?
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