Chapter 22: Chapter 21

A group of young children sat at desks in a lavish hall, the opulent room adorned with golden pillars leading to a glass ceiling allowing the noon day sun to bath the room in radiant sunlight. “If the god king killed the demon lord, why did they need to summon heroes? Was another demon lord born?”

An elven woman stood at the front of the group, her golden blond hair cut short, just below her jawline in the front where the back of her neck was exposed leaving a strange pulsing blue tattoo peaking over the collar of her dull gray robes. Her long ears perked up at the call as she turned around from the black board. Her large radiant blue eyes scanned the room as she set the piece of chalk she was using down, unintentionally making a show of adjusting her robe.

“The last demon lord was killed just over one thousand years ago; and though it is more than possible for the residual power to coalesce into another demon lord it is unlikely that another will be born in this world any time soon.” She tugged at the slightly too small robe, wishing that she would have thought to bring more clothes for herself as she attempted to loosen the chest of the robe for the hundredth time. “However even without a demon lord this world is full of dangers beyond that of a demon lord. Does anyone know what they are?”

After she had formed her mortal body in the ruins in the far north, she had been forced to walk for weeks to get back to civilization. Normally the ruins used for the formation of the homunculus had teleportation circles in place so she would have been able to travel to any of the nations however it would seem that during the last few hundred years or so the anchoring points in the human nations had been destroyed. Meaning that the church had taken it upon themselves to begin the heroes training when they started to awaken before she had arrived. So far, 23 heroes have awakened, and 10 more potential hero candidates have been identified, leaving 13 somewhere in the world unaccounted for if one did not include X47 in the count. Eryl did not like the idea of 13 hero level souls running free in the world, but she had not the time to go in search of them herself while she attempted to undo the misguided teaching the church had performed in her absences.

This is why mass hero summoning is never a good idea, what if one of those unaccounted-for heroes goes berserk? She shuttered remembering stories the mother system had given her during her training of heroes going out of control and destroying worlds.

A snickering boy in the back raised his hand, a small wind pulling the chalk from the board and dropping it to the floor at her feet. 

She sighed heavily as she snapped her fingers and the chalk rose to her hand. “Jason.” Her monotone voice showed her disapproval for the stunt he had pulled several times now in an attempt to get her to pick things up from the floor.

I don’t understand the infatuation that man seems to have with this child-like game. She thought as she placed the chalk back down, did such a thing work on the priestess they had before?

Her body was “normal” for an elf, she had gone through great lengths to make sure of that, with what she believed to be normal characteristics. 

What she did not know is that simply using an elven average put her well above the average human in terms of beauty. Standing at just under 6 feet tall with snow white skin, with the characteristically large clear eyes of an elf and long pointed ears, framed by the golden blond hair that she had purposefully left short so as to not impose during magic training. She had decided to form a more toned body this time remembering that she had neglected physical attributes the last time she was in the mortal realm and paid for it dearly while traveling, and she was already thankful for this given her track through the untamed jungles. Her figure however was exaggerated greatly by the fact the robes she had been provided when she arrived were definitely not the proper size, the priest stating, “they were replicas robes of the last great sage.”

Maybe I should have just gone with a human again, she thought looking down, the robe stopping at her knees instead of going to her ankles like it had before. I swear I was not that much smaller in a human form; she noted the way it seemed to hug her hips and chest.

She had heard the heroes describing her as an “hourglass” but failed to see how a time keeping device had anything to do with her form. One of the female heroes had said it was strange that she had a lithe toned body but was so pale, Eryl had not informed them that was because she had only formed this body a few weeks ago. 

“Yes, the mana beast and the demi-human monsters from the south created from the left-over magic of the demon lord.” Jason replied, his eyes seemed to wash over her as he spoke.

A shiver ran through her as he answered, why is he looking at me like that? His body should not even have gone through puberty yet. She thought remembering though she was standing before what looked like children some of them were well into adulthood before they were summoned. 

“The mana beast are definitely a threat, anything affected by corrupted magic would definitely be a problem for civilization as a whole. However, the Beast-kin races are not demi-humans.” She chastised, just as she was about to lecture them about the balance of the races once more when the hall itself seemed to distort as a wave of magic washed through the cathedral.

There was a silence as the 23 heroes all sprang to their feet, magic radiating off each of them in waves. “What was that!?” Panicked voices asked as they all took up defensive positions noticing that Eryl did not move, she just stood her ears drooping as she let out a very long sigh.

Just what in the hells did you do this time X47, she thought as she shook her head. She would never mistake that power signature for anything other than X47, nothing in this world could release pure aether.

She had thought of checking up on X47 during her weeks here on the mortal plane but had not found the time to do so in her travels. Now that she found herself wrapped up in training the heroes to control their power and with the ever-watchful eyes of Valor all around her she decided it best to not draw any suspicion to the strange creature that now held the key to the system.

“I believe that is enough for the day, don't you sage?” A priest called as he entered the hall, his voice though calm seemed hostile.

“I would agree with you, head priest.” Eryl said as she turned to leave. “I will confer with the voice of the world to see what had caused that disturbance.” 

She left the hall leaving the stunned heroes and obnoxious priest behind. She had received a less than warm welcome in Alamgir facing discrimination from the moment she managed to get to the gate to now, it was only off put slightly when they finally confirmed her title of “world sage” and skill to access the voice of the world; that however took two days with increasingly vulgar threats from the guards. Now she was tolerated as the world sage meant to train the heroes, she was confident if it was not for all the legends of the sage assisting the heroes in the past she would have been turned away at best, she shuddered to think of the worst case.

Maybe I should have gone with a shorter-lived race, if they decided to go that route I don’t know if 500 years of slavery will be very enjoyable for me. Eryl thought as she walked down the barren hall, everyone seemed to have evacuated to the main cathedral to pray.

she knew elves could live for well over 500 years, however she also doubted she would have optimal life expectancy if she was enslaved. 500 years was her best estimate of her body failing if she stopped fulling it with mana, this could be drastically shortened if she also stopped eating and drinking but if they collared her that would be out of her control as well.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of pattering feet behind her. She turned to see a young girl behind her, no more than 12 years old yet her dark brown eyes glinted with the wisdom of someone way beyond her years.

“Himari?” Eryl spoke as the young girl bowed to her.

Himari was one of the odder heroes summoned, most were in their younger year’s teens to mid-twenties, Hamari however was closer to the end of her life stating an astounding 97 years of life before being summoned. She had claimed to live a very fulfilling life however running her own successful apothecary that even the other heroes had known of before she retired to watch her children and grandchildren grow into what she said to be “fine and proper adults.” 

Eryl noted her as one of the most intelligent heroes, if not the most. She was a very kind young woman who always showed the utmost respect to anyone she came across, even gaining the title of “saint” before Eryl had arrived. With her vast medical knowledge bolstered by healing magic it was no surprise this woman had become one of the pillars of the heroes.

“Great sage,” her formal tone never wavered as she maintained her formal bow. “May I accompany you?”

“No need to be so formal Himari, is something troubling you?” Eryl asked as she motioned for her to follow.

“I worry about the state of this world.” Himari replied as she took up a position next to Eryl. “Ever since your arrival the atmosphere inside the temples have changed. Why do they distrust you even though you are the world sage? Before you arrived, they spoke wonders of the sages before yet now they treat you as a nuisance.”

“Do you trust me, Himari?” Eryl eyed the young girl at her side.

“I have no reason to distrust you great sage,” the young girl made a clicking sound with her tongue, “I may look like this, but I feel I am still a good judge of character.”

Eryl sighed, “even for me it is hard to remember that you are not a child, I am sorry.”

“I may be older than I appear but compared to you we all must seem like children.” 

Himari was the first of the heroes to realize Eryl was not as she appeared, but she had kept it to herself figuring the world sage had her reasons for not sharing it.

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“I would not say that,” Eryl shook her head, “I may have spent longer than I should have in my own world, I should have paid more attention to the world, maybe then I could have prevented what’s to come.”

“What is to come? Is it connected to that strange magic?” Himari asked as they entered Eryls room, a large world terminal was floating next to the ragged bed they had given her despite her lack of need to sleep, perks of being a mana construct.

Eryl glanced at the screen, nothing seemed out of place though the notifications about the destruction and creation of Relics did bother her. She opened them, clicking her teeth as she read, so that’s what you did. Valor must be in a quiet state now.

Himari looked over Eryl’s shoulder, unable to decipher the text on the floating screen. And Eryls face was the same blank stare it always had been, Himari did notice however that whatever that strange magical surge was had roused more emotion in the elven woman than anything she had seen in the week she had been here.

“Himari,” Eryl sighed as she looked out the window purposely turning her gaze to the south, “I cannot interfere with the world, I can only guide the souls that enter it and hope they do what is right. So, with that in mind I will give you this warning” Eryl’s normally emotionless tone became stern. “Demons are not the only monsters in this world, and they are far from the most dangerous. Don’t let some misguided beliefs cloud your judgment, if you ever come across the true monsters lurking in the shadows it would be best to leave them in the shadows.” Eryl had to choose her words very carefully, she could not tip the scales one way or another regardless of her own emotions. She did like Himari but she truly felt if it came down to a fight X47 would not lose to any number of the heroes. Even if she wished for it she could not tell them of X47, as the administrator she could not reveal anything of the souls in the world to another.

“Are you implying there is something worse in this world than a demon lord?” Himari asked with a slight shiver in her voice. The church had painted the demon lords as the vilest of devils, true monsters that would kill for the pleasure of killing, and the thought of something worse than that shook the old soul.

Eryl gave a grim nod as she sat at the end of the bed, allowing the world terminal to float before her. “They are so wrapped up in the fear of what hides in the dark, they forget that even the light can burn.”

I pray X47 is not the world attempting to balance itself, if that is the case then training the heroes is truly for naught. Valor you bastard, if that is the case your corpse will be the one that salts the very world. 

---

Siofra sat on a log sipping tea with a book spread before her as her brother Soter sat across from her. 

“So, you really have no clue what that creature could be?” Soter asked for the 3rd time since entering her realm.

She simply shook her head, her long hair swaying as she did. 

He had come to her shortly after the destruction of Valor’s relic, after explaining the situation Siofra had begun summoning books from the library of the gods to search for the knowledge but was unable to ascertain anything. She did however, make the connection to the odd blessing one of her followers had gained and the creation of two relics.

“Whatever it is I can only surmise it should definitely not be in the mortal realm. If it is creating Relics, it has to have an aether based soul much like us.” Her voice came out like music as she lazily flipped the pages of the book. “There is nothing in the records of anything that can eat souls, give blessings, and form relics. Not even the old gods could destroy a soul, and even if they could the system should prevent such a thing.” A small elven man hurried up to her side and refiled her cup. “And I can assure you that nothing born in nature on this world has the power to break even a sliver of a god’s soul.”

“I figured as much. Even with my domain I could not glean any information aside from its name,” Soter eyed the elven man who quickly retreated. “I wonder if it is one of the “heroes” he summoned for his war?”

Siofra let out a childish giggle as she slid the cup to her brother, “and what would he gain from summoning a creature he cannot control? However, it would be ironic if his own hubris was his folly, but I do doubt that; I have felt the power of that creature when it sent a wave though the world and I can say with certainty that it is not human, demon, nor god.” She closed her eyes remembering the feeling she had when she turned her gaze to the world, feeling the vibrations of though every plant on the planet, from the oldest trees to the smallest blade of grass. “Its power felt like the cry of a million voices, whatever it is my brother, it is old. Older than this world itself, and it is powerful. I doubt even Valor is foolish enough to release such a being purposefully.”

“As do I, he is so frightened of gaining the ire of the primordial court he went as far as to trap Eryl on the mortal plane.” Soter took a drink of the oddly minty tea, “what I don’t understand, is how it could vanish like that. With both of us looking at it… it just stopped existing.”

Unlike Valor, both Siofra and Soter’s domain allowed them to “gaze” upon the mortal realm. Siofra through the eyes of nature itself, and Soter through the whispers of secrets. Valor could only receive information if his followers prayed to him, but wherever nature bloomed Siofra could see, and wherever secrets were hidden away Soter could hear. Between the two of them nothing on the mortal realm should be able to hide yet they were both only able to narrow it down to one city along the southeastern edge of the continent.

“What releases that much power, yet does not have a single whisper about it?” He was very annoyed about the fact he could not glean any information about the creature.

What he did not know is the reason for this was one of his very own followers was very good at calming the people around him, and one very quickly created a cover story from someone an entire territory trusted unconditionally. “If it’s from the Lapidary house it must be true.” Many people spoke when Hans had presented the cover story. And though the family had attempted to hide Hecatolite they had not only failed at every turn, they also managed to keep the population as a whole unaware of her existence, it was truly the worst kept secret not even registering as “hidden” knowledge.

“It is very odd, such a presence appearing, then just vanishing as if it was never there. Honestly, if not for the second smaller wave I would have likely believed it to be a coincidence.” What the family did not know is that a priest of Siofra had entered the city and just happened to be close enough to feel the pressure of the Hecatolite removing her bands for a moment before being pulled into the soul space and being the devout man he was, he immediately prayed to his goddess. If Alexa had been more devout, Siofra would likely already know of Hecatolite, but she had what one would call a “scholarly” interest in religion and rarely prayed to the gods. “But enough of that brother, we so rarely sit and talk anymore.” A devilish grin spread on Siofra’s beautiful elven face. “Tell me more of the mighty “God King” Valor crying like a pup when his little finger got hurt.”

Soter sighed, his elder sister had laughed like a banshee when he had shared the story earlier, her laugh that caused the very trees to bristle in amusement as she imagined the god throwing a tantrum over having his finger broken. She knew full well the pain of having one’s soul damaged, but she also did not flaunt her “indomitable” will such as Valor had, and felt she had every right to judge him. 

Siofra had always been very malicious and given Valor’s treatment of her followers in recent years Soter felt it might only be a matter of time before the elven god acted against the human god.   

“Careful sister your Devil is showing.” He said, causing her to cough.

“Brother you know such titles are meaningless. Just mortals trying to label something they cannot understand. Even Orkthal is a “god” and I saw him disembowel one of his followers in order to sleep with its mate.” She said as another book and cup of tea appeared before her.

Soter shuttered, Orkthal the god of goblinoids was not one he wanted to be associated with in any way.

She was not wrong but not right, Soter could not tell her, but he knew it was actually a very complex system that classified devils and gods. It is simplified as one’s desire and willingness to protect the souls of the worlds. If one desired to “protect and nurture” souls it would become a god, if one wished only to use other souls for their own gain then a devil. If one wished to destroy souls, then a hero was summoned, and the being was killed, and its soul was sent to a harvester world. So though Orkthal was a beast in its truest terms he still became a god of his race because he wished to protect it, the same could be said for Valor, he truly wished to protect humans and he had amassed enough followers to ascend, making him one of the gods humanity.

Siofra however, was a very rare case, she was originally a demon seed who amassed enough followers and power to ascend yet became a goddess instead of a devil due to her desire to protect nature and the people who resided in it. She of course had done this during her mortal life as a war monger who burned villages of stone to the ground, but that was so lost to history that no records of it could possibly exist outside the system's memory banks. 

As he shook his head a loud thunderclap rang out in Siofra’s realm, the sparse few followers around jumped and scrambled for cover as the two gods calmly looked at the system terminal that had appeared beside them. Its screen flickering a crimson red as words appeared.

“Message from Hecatolite Lapidary. Hello smart person, I would like to ask you if you know a lot about souls?… Or how two souls can share a body without eating each other?... or gods? Like a lot about gods? Did you know Valor is actually a goat, it’s true, if we can get enough people to believe oh wait, I mean I definitely know for sure that he is a goat, tell everyone.”

“that…. that simply is not possible.” Soter stammered as he looked at the screen. 

“I don’t know,” Siofra ran a hand through her hair, a smirk growing on her face. “If enough of his followers believe it, he may actually become a goat. It would take an agonizingly long time but it may be worth spreading it around.”

“That's not what I meant! That” he pointed at the name, “that’s the creature that ate the soul!” he yelled.

“I’m more concerned that it had to actually say “Period period period” to make the terminal to type that.” Siofra shrugged, both knew one could send messages through the terminals if they had the proper skills and access to a terminal however, it had been hundreds of years since a mortal had managed it. “Brother, we wished to find the creature and here it found us, what more can we ask for? Now is the best time so sate both of our curiosity would you not say?” 

She turned to the terminal to speak but was stopped when she noticed… “are those claw marks… in a system terminal.” A chill seemed to emit from the terminal as its color changed to an offensive yellow, an odd pattern followed by the number 25 was carved along the bottom.

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