Soulriders 5.0: Legend of the Unending Games

The blindfolds fit over your eyes and face like they were made for you. They are snug and tight, for a moment all fades to black. Then the light of Chronias shines through dimly - and a rainbow path ahead can be seen, a path to and into that light.

"Go," The voice of Xerona declares, "Take 21 to Chronias."

Alyssa heads forward confidently, tremorsense keeping her from bumping into others.

Blind to all but the path, Alicia simply walks forward.

Interesting it's a rainbow, that sort of thing usually gets matched towards chaotic planes. Although there are seven colours...

Seira heads into Chronias, holding Amaryl's hand in hers.

Moore flies behind everyone, holding onto 21.

The light.

Gates.

You see them, light and gates. A gate that opens barely and yet seemingly forever. A gate seen through the light as you pass into it. A gate of light and gold, of platinum and shining metals you have no name for. A gate of the finest construction that leads to yet more light.

"Finally," Latha hurries forward, almost to a run. Tears trickle out from beneath her blindfold, her pace rapid.

Bastian's quiet as he takes it all in.

Amaryl holds Seira's hand tight, squeezing it.

Alyssa heads in as well.

Can I see Latha or anyone else?

Alicia simply walks at a steady pace towards the gate, her eyes focused ahead through the blindfold.

Lagann would've been so happy to see this, an inane thought intrudes on Seira's mind. Another replaces it, of how light can cause such rapture but also such visceral fear. Shouldn't their origins be similar? That's been her working theory for the past two decades, and finally she will know the truth....

Moore continues on. Was the light of the Lost Realm based on this light, or that light?

Alicia notes that she can't see Latha, but at the same time she knows she's near.

Into the light.

The song of worlds, sung with the Words of Creation. A song unlike any other any of you has heard before, a song that bids light and life to prosper. A voice sung by countless voices within this place, within this light. It is of a beauty that only a few snatches of the most holy of Ebony or Moore's songs can approach, sung with all the heart and soul.

It is also a song of welcoming, of glory and triumph.

For Alicia, a sheer joy floods her. A thousand times more than the joy of stepping into Dweomerheart once on a time, even more than being in her own realm. A sense of belonging that floods away everything else. You come so far and at last your time is here.

Latha weeps silently as she stares ahead, "Finally," she repeats herself, falling to her knees. She buries her hands in her face and weeps, shaking.

For Seira and Moore, there's something there - but it's not quite right. Not quite all the way there. For one moment the light is nigh overwhelming, yet this fades as your blindfolds shield your eyes.

For Alyssa, it is light overwhelming, yet the blindfold shields her sight.

"...Shaundakul..." Bastian breathes out softly, as Amaryl holds to Seira tight.

Alyssa sends Bastian a mental message, 'Quite the path we've been led on.'

Alicia takes a deep breath, slowing as she absorbs it all. It does feel so right, like it was made for her...

Sylica has a long way to grow, and the thought makes her more melancholy than usual, knowing her home will seem lesser the next time she sets foot there.

But they're not here to sight see. Past the gate she stops, and listens to the song of welcoming.

This. This is why Celestia is one of their closest allies. There is no need for words, and if the happiness she feels at being here receives a bit of a foreign boost, Seira won't complain much....

It's not his time yet to stay here. It makes sense.

Still, if he can truly learn any of this beauty to commit to memory, he listens.

The song is unreal, otherworldly. A song in a language surely not spoken anywhere but here.

Yet as you listen, you see it ahead. A great bier of gold and other metals yet, unknown to you. It shines with a radiance, as a familiar figure lies there aslumber. Eblis rests there, his face is calm. The hate and fury so familiar to him is gone.

A blink.

A great field of biers around him. Other fallen celestials lie at rest here - other creatures yet. Female efreet, erinyes and dozens of other females are there, as well as various warriors both solar and many others. They sleep as he sleeps.

"Eblis?" Amaryl asks ever so softly, a hand to her mouth.

"He rests. My son grapples with his sin, renewed in his struggle, as do all of his that he cares for."

The voice of Zaphkiel is as radiant as ever, and yet it seems to blend in here, rather than dominating and standing out.

A blink.

Fields.

Great fields where no sun is needed. Fields where countless babies rest. Babies of all races and species, untouched and at peace. On occasion, one awakens - and in that instant is a full adult, a great tome archon that takes to the air and vanishes deeper into the light.

"The innocent rest. Innocent, they sleep until they wish to awaken, be it in a moment or in an eternity."

A blink.

The Seventh of the Hebdomad stands before you, a figure of gold, hairless and aglow with light.

"Moore," he speaks, "Come to me."

"Antenora hoped to have a chance to talk to Eblis again, when he is ready to receive visitors," Seira tells Zaphkiel, since her old friend isn't here to make the request in person.

Moore has some hesitation for a brief moment, before it is conquered and he flies forward with 21.

"When the time is right," Zaphkiel agrees, as Moore brings forth 21. Two golden hands reach out and take 21. In that moment all is still, "It is done. The first part is concluded and this question is answered."

With the book in both hands, "You gave so much," the Seventh of the Hebdomad speaks to the book, "It was never my plan for Sylvie to bear 21 long. It would leave her in Aurora, in a better place where she could heal and make friends. Where a few of her friends would find the way to her as well, to bridge those worlds and allow her to return home one day."

A hand goes to gently pat the cover of the book, "But we are both constrained by the people we work through. Sometimes, one of them does something neither of us expects and our Competition goes awry. Sylvie's own free will and choices made this path for her. Choices big and small. An argument with Aurora's leadership over 21, when she vowed to keep it. A trip to Beyond, where she momentarily grasped secrets far greater than herself. The examples of sacrifice and heroism that touched her heart, that ultimately inspired her to sacrifice herself so that Creation would have a better chance to survive."

Meanwhile Latha turns her head up and listens, tears slowing.

Bastian at least has the good graces to stay silent in matters he's not familiar enough with to speak on.

Amaryl is quiet until, "She said the same thing, that she was meant to destroy the Child of Lifasa and no more."

Moore takes in a breath and lets it out.

"No matter what happens, there is always hope. I don't think the Incarnations could understand that." His voice is quiet, yet it carries the gravity of the situation they find themselves in.

"Hope is the one virtue I believe will triumph," Zaphkiel agrees, "Hell only offers empty promises and dead dreams."

Another pat of 21's cover before the Lord of Chronias continues. "Sylvie's path was to be a reward for her role with 21. She chose another path instead, with the same talent she lamented once she had the insight of 21 to guide her. When the time was right, I had planned for Alicia and Seira to bring me 21. Then Io returned and Sylvie had invested herself deeper in 21, she had learned its secrets."

"Hope doesn't die with one's choices, foolish and well meaning as they were." Gently Zaphkiel lowers 21 to the ground. As he does, a raised altar rises for the book, met halfway and placed there.

RETURN.

The voice of Zaphkiel echos from firmament to heavens, a command enough to shake the world. A moment and then another before...

"Return." A voice that is meaning as much as words, yet speaking with absolute conviction. Again Zaphkiel speaks, and this time from 21 a phantasm of light emerges. Before your eyes Sylvie reforms on the ground, lying there as she was when she left Aurora.

Yet it is not done. Zaphkiel kneels before Sylvie, this time his hand rests on her chest, over her heart. This time he utters it softly, akin to a prayer. "Awaken."

"...mmm..." Sylvie murmurs, the barest noise from her.

"You never let go of your hope that she would return," Zaphkiel turns to Moore, "Today, that hope is realized. Worry not of her eyes here, for one who has seen 21 to as she has sees not as a mortal sees, not entirely. She will not be at risk from the glories, not this time. I have given her what she lost and more." The Lord of Chronias looks at you with a calm expression, serene. "Know that she even prepared for this, for she took secrets and lore from 21 to benefit herself, should she ever have a chance to act on them. She believed in you, even if she could not bring herself to say it."

Moore had stopped breathing and he didn't realize it.

He simply sags slightly, then runs over to grab Sylvie's hand and just sit down with her.

"I know." He says quietly. "She took so much upon herself and wouldn't ever say anything. She saw 21's truth and tried her best to deny it."

He squeezes her hand and just sits quietly after that.

"Thank you."

"...blast." Sylvie murmurs that, voice groggy and dazed. "Did that...cost you as much as I feared?"

"It cost me a price that was worth it. Worry not," Zaphkiel agrees. "Go with Moore and join him and his. You understand what your penance will be?"

"...It was my own choices is what you're saying, so it's only right I make good on Calley. I left him, ignored him and then gave him so much that he should never have had. I accept it." At last her eyes open. "Moore. We meet again." The faintest smile graces Sylvie's features. "It's been a long time."

"...Would a divine seed help?" Moore asks.

"I think, perhaps, letting her remain mortal with her new perspective will help her make amends better than jumping from one power to the next immediately. For a while, at least."

Helping raise your kid is a grand penance? Well, the kid will probably be happy, so there's that.

"Please stop talking in riddles," Seira tells Zaphkiel and Sylvie. "If there was a cost, share it with the class. All this hoarding of information to a ridiculous degree and letting it out piecemeal is good for operational security, but we are way past that. We're not some throwaway cells you can compartmentalize, but the actual leaders of this rebellion, so how about starting to treat us like it?"

"A strong point. And one I back. How are we to coordinate and plan like this? How many things could we have helped with and finished faster without these divisions?"

"No, not for this," Zaphkiel says, and then after Seira's words, "I agree. There is much for you to learn and more truths for you to hear. To answer this question, more context is required."

A blink.

You stand on air and vapor, clouds and light overwhelmingly bright here.

'In the name of Sealtiel, I will...'

'Holy Ilmater, I take on...'

'Wise Moradin, we ask that you bless...'

From below they come. Countless prayers, millions of them each moment heard without being heard. It is like rain rising instead of falling, a cascade that never ends. Your blindfolds grow hot as you stand here, yet this heat fades after several moments. "The Apex of Prayer," Zaphkiel explains, "Every prayer directed to those who stand with Celestia is echoed here. No matter how dark and faraway they are, they will be heard here. Here is where the hopes of the righteous in Creation come to be heard."

The Last of the Hebdomad turns now, "It is in this place of hope that I wish to explain everything, and lay my hopes out, for my hope is to save the Creation I helped forge and grew to love. Before Ao's machinations broke us into three, I stood as one, as the Incarnation of Law."

"Which handily explains why you and Lord Io know so much and can shield your places of power from Ao's view... who are the other two? Io seems an obvious answer, but that doesn't quite add up with him having to go into the Beyond to learn, unless he was searching for help?"

Alicia has been silent for a while, the whole thing with Sylvie wasn't her quest after all. But now they're here, and a suspicion she's held has been answered.

"The arbiter said: Three is the answer, three into two and one into three."

Even behind her blindfold she looks at Zaphkiel. "You are one into three. Are Asmodeus and Primus also parts of the Incarnation of Law?"

"It is not Io, for we created him long ago," Zaphkiel explains, "The second, and the one I mainly Compete against, is Asmodeus. The third part is broken and lies in ruin, yet the most intact and least damaged fragment of that is the one you know as Primus."

"My Lord," Latha speaks now, "How did this come to pass? How could an Incarnation be broken?"

"I think I understand why already," Amaryl speaks up here, "Good and evil did it. The reason why 21 was made was to help understand what surprised even the Incarnations."

To Alicia the answer is simple, "Yes, though none of us are close to as we were as the Incarnation of Law. We cannot return to wholeness, because we cannot satisfy the question that originally divided us. We are trapped by the question of good and evil, so we play out this question eternally. The Arbiter and the Neverborn both spoke truth, though hidden and carefully disguised. There now only stand two Incarnations over Creation, and the Incarnation of Balance has been caged. It is bent to Ao's will. In essence Ao is the only and supreme ruler to Creation now, and he treats it as he sees fit."

"So... what would it take to break Balance free?"

Though she was shocked by the casual confirmation of her theory, Seira can't help a happy fist pump as her mind clears. "Primus had a different presence," she murmurs, before blinking. "Ah, before we get to Balance, what sort of powers did you retain? Can you still approve a rising would-be deity instead of Ao? What if you and Asmodeus agreed on someone rising?"

"A great deal - and that is the ultimate crux of our plan and hopes, Alyssa. That will come in due time, there is much more to discuss before that." Zaphkiel explains, "We do not, save for those positions we fill for our direct servants: The Hebdomad and the Lords of the Nine. Too much was lost, but there are hopes and ways to gain divinity yet, for its power will be needed to accomplish the tasks I will ask you to complete."

A blink.

In Zaphkiel's extended hand is a divine seed. "One method is one you have found before. Shortly before Ao's plan broke us into three, the Incarnation of Balance and I discussed new strategies to produce the Answer. We had used divinity in a rigid way until then, so we decided another approach may be productive. The Incarnation of Balance created many divine seeds and hid them in the most remote, lost locations in Creation. A hero who finds the means to enter and return from Chronias would be worthy to face a trial for a divine seed."

A beat, a mere moment.

"Or a hero who finds a forgotten copy and a forgotten race, and who challenges the Guardian there to liberate the soul of a victim."

As the divine seed shines brightly, "Asmodeus and I have labored long to locate the other divine seeds, we know where most are. We are not capable of taking them ourselves, for the Guardians are sufficient to check us as we are now, save for each in our home domain."

"The hidden room in creation. It must hold one, or some critical piece of information on how to create them."

"The Guardians aren't limited in power like us, they can match any challenge... and against a fragment of an Incarnation they wouldn't hold back?" Alicia speculates. "I don't think they can be made to help us though, they only care to follow the orders left for them by the Incarnation who created them. And if we had an Incarnation to give new orders... well, we wouldn't need mere guardians."

"You're providing us with information about the divine seeds you know," Seira says slowly. "That's what you mean, isn't it? You want us all to have the chance to ascend if we so wish?"

"Desperate times and desperate measures," Sylvie speaks up here, "One's another way. A way free of any other being's limitations, but fundamentally dangerous."

"It may be so, Alyssa. I know where many of the seeds are, but not all." Zaphkiel agrees, "We have searched, but the ways and means the Incarnation of Balance hid them are not easy for even us to overcome, not as we are now. I would seek this hidden room along with your other goals, Alyssa, in case your suspicion bears fruit. It may be that Asmodeus inspired you towards that for his own aims. We cooperate in this matter, but it is his nature to vex me."

Then to Alicia, "That is correct. They are not Incarnations, but they are not limited as we made the mortals and the divinities of Creation. Their will is sufficient to enact whatever they wish to see happen. They are tightly restricted for that reason, and it is difficult to use them to our advantage."

Then finally to Seira, "Yes. That power will be needed, though it is your choice if you choose to pursue it." The Lord of the Hebdomad agrees. "More, divinity is seen as coming with many responsibilities, and we Incarnations enforce that. However, it is not impossible for a single deity, particularly one who rose as One but that is not mandatory for it, to simply not pursue worship and followers. Eblis was such. In these times, should you merely wish the power but not the responsibilities, the divine seeds or One will be enough for that. Though you will only be able to grow stronger with further divine seeds that way, rather than through the Competition."

"The Competition is a distraction, but is it actually harmful to engage in it? To us or to Creation itself?" Seira inquires, attempting to demystify these matters that have long bothered her. "You mentioned One as well. It favors the more outgoing types, according to information presently available to us, yet the core of One should suit a studious introvert quite well. Can you help us figure out more details we're missing there and make the ritual more accessible to us? Is there any issue with sharing a divine seed or the One process with someone not covered by your aegis of protection from Ao's watchful eye, such as, say, our youngest?"

Letting Moore catch up, just to be clear.

Ive read up to now! Feel free to keep going even if I am slow.

"So, I guess I have a question... if Ao is directly empowering Shar, how do we start to erode that? Is the expectation that we just fight against her and her minions and eventually weaken her enough, or does Ao's power prevent even that?"

"It is not, so long as you do not lose sight of your ultimate goal. It is not that Creation's needs are unimportant, but so many things distract from our ultimate purpose," Zaphkiel explains, as you begin to notice something. Occasionally prayers leave behind a faint residue as they pass, and this residue begins to solidify in time. Into various shining metals, ones that resemble gold, silver and platinum.

"I already took care of One," Sylvie says, "There's enough lore in 21...or in my head." She reaches up to tap it, "It won't solve the underling problem, but it will help anyone reach that peak."

"In the Beyond, the ability to project outward and define things is paramount," The former Incarnation continues. "That trait is closest to the will a sorcerer excels in to command their magic, or the force of personality that powers a cleric's channeled energies, or a paladin's smites. There are means to mitigate it, but not change that underlying truth."

"Is there merit to myself or Amaryl undergoing the ritual, if we don't intend to seek out another Creation in the Beyond?" Seira decides to ask. It's already looking like three of her companions would require a seed, though at least that should be covered by said seed. Maybe. Actually, come to think of it--

"Sorry, I just realized something. Do divine seeds do anything for you? If not, Asmodeus should still be weaker now after the God-King's judgement. Isn't it a good chance to strike at him? And speaking of countering Shar, why isn't 'find several divine seeds and give them to Selune so she could overpower Shar' a plan you're already trying? Are you afraid that Ao will counter it by fiat?"

"It is a contingency if all else fails," Zaphkiel says, "That should you fail but survive, you may yet find something beyond this Creation." A look to Moore, "One hope is that if all else fails, that at least the concept of hope will survive the end of Creation."

As for the rest, "They do not, we are beyond such things even as we are now. Asmodeus is weakened, but not in that way. We are not quite like the divinities we created, even broken apart." A pause here, the faintest hint of sorrow beneath his calm. "No. Loathe as I am of him, this is not the time to strike at him. His cooperation is vital, for without it our enterprise is doomed. We cooperate in this out of the most desperate need, not out of desire."

"It is possible it would be countered, but more that Selune is strong enough, and ultimately she is not the chosen weapon for this." Zaphkiel continues. "She will play a role against Shar, but Shar's defeat is not the end of this. It is time to speak of how we hope to save Creation."

"Shar is the weapon, not the wielder," Alicia agrees gravely. "How did Chaos manage to cage Balance and sunder Law?"

"And why do it differently?"

"I wonder that as well," Amaryl agrees.

To this Zaphkiel nods, "As Creation grew, mortal kind developed something we did not expect or understand. They discovered good and evil, something unknown to our natures of law and chaos. In time we studied this and sought an Answer for those as well. My own struggle was internal and open, I often discussed this matter with the other Incarnations. The Incarnation of Chaos was far more reserved on the matter. Ao rarely spoke of his own efforts here, only that an Answer eluded him. By its nature, the Incarnation of Balance took good and evil into harmony as it did law and chaos, able to exist with both and yet being decided between neither."

"Is that why the Incarnation of Balance isn't broken like you are?" Bastian finally speaks up, "Don't see why Ao wouldn't use the same trick twice, if he's as big a bastard as he sounds."

"It is so," Agreement to Seira and Bastian before going on. "In time we created 21 as a tool to help us, yet it was not enough. I was deadlocked completely and withdrew to solve this problem. It is then the Incarnation of Chaos came to me and offered his aid, for he claimed he had a solution. I was torn, deadlocked and most of all, vulnerable."

Here there is a pause, "Ao simply gave me more information. This was not an Answer, but instead falsified proof. Proof that there was no Answer to good and evil, that my paralysis would only increase. I refused to accept it. I could not accept it. Ao laughed and I would not accept it. In the end, I could not choose. Good and evil warred within me - and from that war I broke asunder. Ao's laughter serenaded my collapse. In that moment, weakened and now unable to ever oppose him, he revealed the truth to the three of us before we were cast away into our places in Creation. Ao had long since made a choice, for he chose evil."

"As for the Incarnation of Balance, its nature protected him from the same fate. I know not how, but through trickery the Incarnation of Balance was caged before it could realize that matters had gone too far awry." Zaphkiel continues. "Yet in the eons the cage has grown slightly loose, and the Incarnation of Balance can act in small ways beyond Ao's control."

"For me, there must be justice. For Asmodeus, there must be vengeance. For Primus, he is too broken as he is now to understand." Zaphkiel concludes. "Our plan is to nurture our champions and chosen ones here, elevate them fast to the heights of power. At the same time, Asmodeus and I will work to restore as much of Primus as we can quietly, and gather what power we can to augment ourselves, bolstered by 21. When the time comes, our hope is that all of you challenge Shar in her realm, and this time you face her and destroy her."

"In that moment, with his weapon sundered, Ao will react. It is then that we will strike and challenge him. Even together in the closest unity, we cannot defeat Ao as we are now. At best we can stalemate him a time while we struggle to uncage the Incarnation of Balance."

Now Zaphkiel looks to each of you, "But your service does not end there, if you are willing. While we challenge Ao, those of you that survive the battle with Shar are to open a portal to Beyond. We will direct you towards Ao's abode, and there another will aid your passage through the horrors that surrounds the Incarnation of Chaos. Sylian has offered his services for his own reasons, and in our dire situation we have consented to his aid. There you will reach Ao - and challenge him as well."

Here Zaphkiel holds up a hand. "Do not believe for a moment you can defeat or even harm Ao. It does your courage credit to consider such a path, but it is impossible. No. You will be there as a distraction. One I believe he will not destroy out of hand for one reason: Ao has shown he has grown to enjoy the suffering of others. From what he did to myself, to how he has empowered Shar, to how he treats those he rejects from divinity. I do not believe his hatred will allow him to simply unmake all of you - he will play with you. It is our hope this distraction, one fueled by his anger at Shar's defeat, will be the final piece for us muster the opening of the Incarnation of Balance's cage. Should the Incarnation of Balance be freed, together we can match and stop Ao."

A moment here before, "Then - be it justice or revenge, there is one thing Asmodeus and I know very well. We know how to break an Incarnation asunder, as Ao did it to us. We cannot kill him, we cannot banish him truly - but we can impose the same sentence as he imposed on us. While he has chosen evil, he has not provided an Answer that solves our questions in favor of evil. We do not believe he has one - he has simply chosen what he prefers. There is yet some scrap of good and neutrality with him, enough to take equal parts of him, to shatter him and cast him down as he did us."

"It is a desperate plan and one that may well cost all of you everything," Zaphkiel goes on, "To face Shar and then Ao himself is unthinkable. It is suicide. But for Creation's sake, I ask that you follow this path."

Hearing all that, Alicia can't help but get stuck most of all on Ao's laughter.

How petty.

It doesn't match her impression of the Incarnations she's garnered, admittedly through nothing more than second-hand stories and visions, but still she can't help but feel disappointed on some level.

"What of the Arbiter?" she asks. "Is he a fragment of the Incarnation of Balance?"

"This is a lot to take in," Seira admits. Rather than tackling the truly difficult aspects, she muses out loud, "Is my guess that the Arbiter stands for Balance correct? An avatar or a herald, perhaps similar to the way an aspect of Levistus escaped his imprisonment? Please give us all the information about Balance's cage and the leeway he found in it."

"Yes," Is the answer, "A fragment allowed to act."

After that," The Incarnation of Balance is not in a cage as you would understand it. It is a total prohibition, a total control and dominance. It is not something we thought was possible, but Ao's hatred has propelled him to new depths. To call it a cage is to merely put it into terms you can easily understand."

"Can the Incarnation of Balance affect anything in Beyond? Is this 'prohibition' only in Creation?" Moore asks.

"It is total," Zaphkiel says, "We will find little aid there, be it in or out of Creation, unless we free the Incarnation of Balance."

"To repeat the Arbiter's words, three into two and one into three. The latter is obvious, but to confirm, what does the first mean? That Law as it existed is lost forever, but Balance still exists alongside Chaos? Or I'm off on a tangent here, and it means something else?"

"It hinges on Primus first though, doesn't it?" Alicia asks. "Is there any way we can help with that?"

"What about Io? He's a powerful servant for you.  What will he be doing in all of this? He seems a prime option to help with the distraction, especially if he can impose his will on the other dragons.

And this method of dominance, have you worked out exactly how it was imposed?"

"I've been trying to secure his cooperation with Shar by finding a fault in his Prophecy," Seira tells Alicia. "Perhaps Zaphkiel or the Arbiter could finally provide me enough to sway him and get a snowball rolling?"

"Three Incarnations into two," Zaphkiel agrees, "Balance exists, even if caged."

After that, "We do not know. We have carefully looked over the eons, but parts of it are aware enough to see us and resist or react. It may be we have cause for your aid there in time."

"Io will offer his aid and has done so already," Zaphkiel concurs, "We have not, unfortunately."

"I will offer my aid and insight to that, but know it is not entirely a mortal document, though well hidden. Your struggles with that come from that. Fragmented as he is, I do not believe it to be perfect, but it is still formidable."

"Don't Incarnations exist outside of time?" Seira voices. "It's been bugging me. You aren't supposed to perceive it linearly, and the Temporal Compact does not apply to you. How can you be stopped even temporarily? And if an Answer is found, wouldn't your very nature mean you've already grasped it?"

Seira voices a good question really, but Alicia has another she'll add so as to gain a bit more context.

"Sylian is helping for his own reasons - and he is sponsored by Pale Night," she speaks up. "What is she, really? And what was her role supposed to have been?"

"And while we're on the subject of less pleasant people,  who are Asmodeus' champions? Our counterparts so to speak?"

"We are not bound by time," Zaphkiel agrees, "But we do not see the future like we do the past. The concept of the Absolute Present is one native to us. Otherwise, we would have had an Answer or not merely by looking ahead. There would be no reason to do all of this. One of our few weaknesses is that we cannot create something we do not know or understand. It is why we do not create an Answer from nothing."

Then, "Pale Night was not from Creation. She is a powerful being, roughly equivalent to the greatest deities of Creation and able to peer in. She sought to enter safely and petitioned one of the Incarnations to do so. She petitioned Ao. He put her behind her veil, a move both to protect Creation and one I believe he used to satisfy his own interests. Vile as she may be, she did not deserve her fate, for she was not even a part of Creation. She wishes to be freed and both Asmodeus and I agree we would be willing to free her and send her back out into the Beyond. She had no great role, but she has chosen to help. She is not limited as many in Creation are, and sees much safely, hidden by her veil."

"Eblis, Gathgorian and Bel." Is the final answer. "One will serve evil no more, but two remain."

"Is Medi involved in any of this?" Moore asks, the current questions covered to some extent. "It seems like he's almost playing in parallel to us but not crossing over officially."

"So, those three are ones we need to, at the very least, coordinate the distraction with. What moves is Asmodeus making to help with this? If he and his are pulling at a thread to help this fight, we should be careful about cutting that thread unknowingly. "

Seira understands the pain of having a kid poached for the other team, and winces in sympathy.

"Just what exactly was done to Pale Night? It sounds like she wanted to visit, and the veil was something that prevented her from hurting Creation by her existence. Does it do more? Torture her? Chain her to Creation?" She purses her lips. "How can we free her? If we do free her, what guarantees she leaves Creation immediately rather than causing trouble unchained?"

"Medi is aiding us," Zaphkiel agrees, "But in a limited role by his own request."

Afterwards, "Hell is staying within certain bounds regarding all of you," Zaphkiel says, "As long as you do not invade Hell they will extend the same courtesy. Lesser plays are part of the Competition between us - Eblis was one example. To free the Lost Chalice is one you may continue to attempt." Zaphkiel explains further, "You may cooperate with them or not as you see wise."

Finally, "It is unpleasant for her and restricts her, pains her," is so explained, "It may be possible you can free her, the cage can already be momentarily put aside,"  Zaphkiel considers, "A binding agreement would be best, though Sylian loses some motivation to aid us if Pale Night is freed early. My intent is to have the Incarnation of Balance free her when this is all over. If you believe you can do better and turn it to your advantage, I will not stop your efforts."

"My old pal is her chief enforcer, so there's a chance for some conversation. Or maybe angry grunts and murder threats, but that's fine too since I could get him to listen afterwards," Seira says, before blinking. "Wait, just so I understand, you know of my intention and so does Asmodeus, and it's an exception to the whole 'Don't invade each other's realms' agreement between the two of you? Did I get it right?"

"Io said that everyone was picked for specific reasons, which means that you have a plan and each of us provides a specific function, like Sylvie was meant to hold 21, even if for a limited time. What's everyone's true purpose here? I can guess for most. Seira and Alica have been in  it since the beginning; their divinity and growth were guided to become your front line and spear tip. Moore was meant to be the source of hope and your hand in motivating everyone's spirits and to recover what might have been lost with Sylvie. Am I right?"

"We often know of each other's plans but restrict ourselves to servants and pieces on the game board, so to speak." A simple answer, "Now there are other matters. First, the divine seed here." Thus the Lord of the Hebdomad holds one, "There are three charges in this seed. It is up to the four of you to decide how it is used."

To Alyssa, a nod but, "A moment for this first."

"Emily is an obvious choice,  I think. The power of the ring she gained gives her far more flexibility to act than anyone else. I had planned to set her up for being One, but... honestly,  I'm not sure that's what she's aiming for. She idolizes her mothers too much, and wants to follow them, I think."

"Divide it, same as with Io's gift?" Seira muses. "Alicia, do you have others to ascend at present?"

"A shame it can't be equitably split. Tryll isn't even here and I understand he was displeased with how Io's gift was divided," Alicia mentions, not as excited for the seed as she might have been considering she literally got one of her own yesterday. "Sylica needs no new gods at this point, though of course it can be used to empower an existing one. Growing divinity is far easier than attaining it, so that may not be the best use," she adds to Seira.

"Tryll will be provisioned for separately, due to his current purpose," Zaphkiel says, "Worry not."

"The Cauldron will benefit greatly from Elle ascending at this point, especially with Gond's interest in her crafting skills," Seira muses. "And speaking of, what exactly did happen with Tryll-- ah, I see, well if you say so."

Bastian crosses his arms and hms, "...Emily would probably like it," he says at last. "Runs in the family."

Latha speaks up here, "Elle, Emily and...Moore, what of yours? Sylica has no immediate need, as Alicia said."

Alyssa sends Bastian mental message, 'Is that a pout Bastian? You'll be in the running for the next one, I promise.  Bastian, God of mysterious expression and hidden passion! Epics will be written. '

"I still plan to undertake One and then use Io's." Moore says. "I can speak to the others on this, but we're in an... interesting situation where I don't know that anyone is an especially good candidate, and may also want to pursue One first."

"That's a potentially viable route here," Alicia says on hearing Moore's reasoning. "We simply couldn't risk it ourselves with the risk of the godseed we found being stolen from us, but if it's left here... assuming return visits to Chronias are permitted, it's as safe as can be."

'Not like that,' Bastian answers shortly.

Meanwhile, "I will leave it with Io. It is safe there and far easier for you and yours to reach. Chronias is not entirely like the rest of Creation, the glories are too much. You may access it at will."

"With that seemingly resolved, can I ask more about the underlying issues?" Seira voices. "Do you feel like you've found your Answer, or are you still in search of one despite your moral convictions, Zaphkiel? And what was your criteria for allowing ascension? What is Ao's? How come he allowed Sulia to do it, and why didn't he stop Alicia and I, or Syala and Amaryl?"

"A moment on that as well," Zaphkiel says, "I would wish to talk of other things first - for there are other divine seeds to be told of."

"Sure."

Tor Salinus probably hoards one, the greedy bastard.

"We know of three on the transitive planes," Zaphkiel begins, "The first was found by Alicia." To this Alicia gets a look.

"Surprised me," Sylvie speaks up, "But congratulations."

"Jessica deserves the credit, she found the lead on something being there," Alicia says, nodding anyway.

Alyssa glances over at Sylvie's comment, "I don't know you, but you seem to underestimate your friends a lot. First Moore bringing you back and now this seed."

"Next is one in the Deep Ethereal, at the Heart of Dreams," Zaphkiel continues. "I believe it to have three charges, and any who seek it must be able to master and defeat any dream they can imagine. Reality will become a matter of dreams there, and dreams shall oppose you to the last. The Guardian there takes the form of a blindfolded gorgon. This one will not be easy, but nor will it be as difficult as the most challenging seeds."

Sylvie glances over at Alyssa, "I'm more surprised they found the location of one and tracked it down without being told," she retorts. "Not that they defeated the Guardian's trials."

"Leaving that aside," Alicia says over Sylvie's lack of faith in their initiative, "Can we assume that Asmodeus has pointed these same seeds out to Gathgorian and Bel?"

"On the subject of Gathgorian, it's... not exactly a secret that I have allies, as do I imagine most of us do, that aren't exactly a fan of his. Would continued support to them be an issue for all of this?"

"Yes, please do let us know which ones you suspect are safe and which are known by Asmodeus."

"Yes," Is the answer, "They are less numerous than you and have little love for one another, but they are focused and willing to take seeds. However, they are not unentangled, as you are not unentangled." Zaphkiel continues from that, "They will be told now that you have been told. Time is important, but neither Asmodeus and I wish for a race that propels any of you into something you are not yet ready for."

Afterwards, "No. This will not be a public affair." Is the answer to Moore.

"Asmodeus knows what I know - this is a matter we have cooperated on for a long time, so that the other does not hoard or use the seeds frivolously." Is the third answer.

"Since you and Sylvie knew when Alicia reached one, I presume you also know that all the seeds you're talking about haven't been taken yet? In any case, please do go on."

"I agree," Zaphkiel says, "The next is at the Ordial Gate in the Astral Plane. I know less of this one, save that no traveler in the Astral Plane can reach it. Originally, the Ordial Gate was meant to be a connection another transitive plane, one we ultimately did not use in favor of the Infinite Stair. The Incarnation of Balance changed it, so that I am not certain how to reach it now, only that it will be one of the hardest seeds to obtain due to this."

"Also," Latha speaks up after, "Commander Oberuth would be well suited to aid us to find the seed in the Heart of Dreams, be it our group or another."

"Makes sense," Seira agrees. "Say, if Balance changed it, couldn't we ask the Arbiter for details? Why not just contact him now?"

"Our communications are rare and dangerous," Zaphkiel says, "Were it to me, he would be here with me to explain this."

She'd really like to know what that means, but Seira decides to hold the question for later and patiently wait for the rest of the list of divine seeds.

"Next are ones on the Outer Planes," Zaphkiel continues. "First, the one here," he says, seed in hand. The faintest hint of amusement, "I do not believe this one to be difficult. Next is Bytopia's. It now rests in the Memorial there," he explains, "The sorrows of Bytopia must be faced, and what was lost must be remembered and mourned. The Guardian there takes the form of a gnome. This one will be difficult, as Bytopia itself will resist you."

Moore nods.

"I have some questions about these Guardians once you're finished, Lord Zaphkiel." Moore says.

"I expect there will be many questions," Zaphkiel agrees, still. Calm even now as he states, "The one that lies within Elysium. It lies buried before the Empyrean Gate.  You must find a way to reach that seed safely and deal with the Arch Angels who protect the Gate. The Guardian of that seed maintains no form, but will intervene if you come close to it. This will be no easy task, though not as difficult as a few others."

"Cresiel can help," It's Latha who speaks up, "He mentioned a name he knows there in passing."

A slight nod, "Next is the Beastlands. I know not where the seed is there, neither myself or my counterpart has found it. We have found traces of it, and we believe it would lie deep within the Beastlands. This will be a matter of investigation, and will likely be one of the last pursued by any side."

"Jessica's duty again," Latha speaks up, "She found the path to one seed. She'll travel and find another if she must."

Here Bastian nods slightly, bowing his head as much as anything. "The roads get lonely. If she knows how to travel, I can help her."

"She would be grateful for your offer," Latha agrees, "But I leave it to the two of you."

"For Arborea, the divine seed lies within the Womb of Arborea, the deepest of the Hidden Layers." Zaphkiel continues, "An ocean there, born of Morwel's tears, forms the core of that place. Deep in the ocean the divine seed rests. The Guardian there takes two forms. He takes the form of one of the leShay, though Morwel knows him and knows it is but an illusion. The other is of a forty nine eyed celestial, who has wings that bear forty nine mouths that speak holy truths. In this he pretends to be a Seraph, though never before Morwel. This seed has three charges. It will not be the hardest, more if you have Morwel's blessing to investigate, and discover a way to protect yourself from joining the cycle of rebirth."

"We know Morwel," Amaryl says, "That part will be easy, or should that not to be, Moore is one of her children." A look to Moore, "Have you met the Queen before?"

"I have. I have an open invitation to her library. Emily went with me. I do have a question about another faction, however."

"She and I have a good relationship." Moore says with a smile. "She visited Lifasa when it was saved, it's where I actually got my original Dukedom from."

"Yes?" Zaphkiel asks, "What is your question?"

"What about the Demons? Asmodeus has control of the Devils, but Demons... They're not organized, at war with all of us, and worst of all, not stupid. Some of them have to have noticed something is going on. They might not ally with Shar, but could they be manipulated or directed to interfere with our plans? Having a hoard of them show up at the wrong time..."

"Demons are by their nature unpredictable, and far too many desire only destruction," Zaphkiel agrees, "They are unreliable, though Pale Night is an exception."

"May I ask why the power of anarchs as well as the Words seem to end up being the same in that... area between here and the Beyond? Also, can we return there if we wish to continue to practice?" Moore asks.

"So, how do we prevent them from interfering? I can't imagine they'd exactly align with Shar, but it'd be easy enough for her or Ao to arrange for portals or bribes. Ao is Chaos, so he's sure to have more sway on that front."

"On that, Asmodeus and I agree and have measures in place to check the demons if we must," Zaphkiel says simply. "If absolutely needs must, the Blood War will go catastrophically wrong for the Abyss."

It's Sylvie who answers the other, "All of you can set up a safe zone with time and effort. I'll give pointers, a deity's ability to alter reality or strong enough magic will do. Don't go in without that, it's not safe."

"I would like some help with that. An easy place to practice and work would be excellent. I could even build a forge there."

"I'll help," Sylvie says, then with a bittersweet smile, "I'm going to be busy. There's a lot to be done if we're going to do this and even more to learn."

Alyssa nods.

"But that still doesn't clear up the power of anarchs. It can't... really have anything to do with the slaad, can it?" Moore says. "I mean, I suppose if you have an infinite amount of randomness, at some point, something will end up fitting in..."

Moore turns back to Sylvie. "The first thing you're doing when you leave here is go to Calley." His words aren't ones to broker any disagreement.

"Those matters are more complicated," Zaphkiel says, "We will come back to it in due time."

Moore nods. "I understand, thank you."

After that, "Next is the seed in Ysgard - which is held in the lair of the Jormugandr. In an area the Jormugandr is highly territorial over, and tolerates no other creatures there but itself." Zaphkiel says, "The Guardian there wears the form of Jormugandr when it chooses to take a physical form. This will be a deep challenge, but at least one that the nature of Ysgard tempers."

"Ah! I can help with that one." Moore says with a smile. "I met the World Serpent not too long ago."

Actually, he still has that lingering issue from that particular meeting, wasn't that supposed to...? Ah... he should be patient, it is coming.

Because there is always hope.

"I actually owe one of his children a much better race than I could manage last time." He adds.

"The seed in Arcadia is different - it is outside of the bounds of Arcadia entirely," Zaphkiel says, "You must break out from the limits of Arcadia and seek the seed there."

"Which of these are Asmodeaus' champions going after?"

Alicia is fairly quiet as the conversation passes her by, simply absorbing the information and trusting that Zaphkiel is telling them everything pertinent he knows about the seeds in question.

"I believe they will focus on the ones easiest and safest to get, as is logical," Zaphkiel says, "They would focus on certain lower planes and regions they have advantages in."

"So do we let them do that?" Bastian speaks up, "Or try and preempt them?"

"I suppose the question becomes how much we should compete against them for these, and whether or not it makes sense to let them have any at all." Moore says.

"Even leaving Hell's part aside, it's going to become very obvious very soon what we're finding and what we're doing with them," Alicia says. "Creation isn't populated by fools, do you think Bel and Gathgorian are all we have to worry about? Do you think other powers won't take note when we visit their planes and start poking around after a rash of sudden ascensions among us?"

"I was already approached by an interested power," Seira voices in agreement with Alicia, turning her head towards Zaphkiel. "You answered earlier that it's fine if I elevate those close to me but not covered by your protection against Ao's knowledge, but are there limits to this? If I were to try and offer the chance of ascension to an old and well-qualified friend like Lady Honeydip of Queen Morwel's court, would that run counter to your plans?"

"There are even those who are our allies who would seek them," Zaphkiel agrees. "Cerulean Joy seeks Sylica for this exact reason, but I have intervened to hold her back." Here there's a shake of his head, "The seeds are yours, I put my trust and hope into my chosen champions. Use then wisely and for the purposes of our victories in this most important contest. If to give another access to a seed aids those plans, then so be it. But them with the utmost wisdom for this purpose, for each charge spent on one not part of this is one denied to us in the final battles."

"We're going to provoke a firestorm of reactions," Latha concurs, "We could store them with Io if we can afford to wait, but that feels self defeating, a chance lost to gain more ranks through the Competition in the meantime. I would not be surprised to learn our allies have helped stem a tide of interest."

"If we absolutely must, we can speak of One," Sylvie speaks up, "The problem is that the more learn of it, the more that will attempt to reach the Far Realm. One breach that gets out of control and Shar's pouting that someone beat her to the destruction of Creation." She lowers her head in thought for several moments amid the light, "There's no way this doesn't go out of control. I think I see why Asmodeus only has a few champions now. A few powerful champions, glutted on a few seeds and Competition, will attract far less attention than a plethora of ascendant demigods."

"Is the situation as problematic as you suggest?" Seira muses out loud. "I firmly believe that anyone on the side of Good will not start an outright conflict over this. There will be interest and even jealousy, but in the end we're all allies. Those on the elemental planes have a different course for power, and to my knowledge none have tried to ascend. Few there even have interests beyond their planes. So that leaves... the forces of Evil? Which only means demons, as Asmodeus can ensure the devils don't grow out of control on this matter. But demons already can approach divine power by ruling one of the layers of the Abyss, so they won't go for it en masse. Just what sort of scenario are you worried about, here? Slaad? Mechanus? Mortal heroes from some Prime?

"Bane, Loviatar, Umberlee, Auril..." Alicia lists off just a few from the top of her head to add to Seira's optimistic thinking. "And a fellow 'good' power doesn't have to physically fight us to simply observe our movements and sneak in to steal something ahead of us. I think you're underestimating the pull here, Seira. Even if an elemental power has some other method of power doesn't mean they can't benefit from using a seed, or owning one to trade with."

"That's an if, and the problem with ifs is that they break when under pressure," Sylvie counters, "I'm not disparaging the paragons of righteousness, but things happen and mistakes are made. People do the wrong thing or even the right thing at the wrong time for reasons that feel right for them. I don't like letting it ride on hoping no one makes a mistake. We have enough riding on hope as it is, and adding another one with countless variables we can't predict is a layer of complication that hurts us more than it helps us. Besides," A look to Zaphkiel, as if a silent apology.

"Eblis fell too, and who would have predicted that?" Sylvie continues, "I hope we win, but I'm also going to help with as much as I can so we have less hope and more certainty."

Latha's quieter, "I side more with Seira, but there's a point that less complications serve us well. I fear this is a problem with no easy, correct choice."

"All very good points," Seira acknowledges. "I'd posit reality will fall somewhere in between both extremes. And anyway, the Cauldron and Sylica had been growing in power more and more. We're presenting ourselves as pantheons, and plenty would accept that. Perhaps even Emily would not draw too much attention. It's only when the others follow suit that this narrative will truly collapse, and by then we should each secure a divine seed from the selection. Does that sound sensible?"

"There's no way to avoid it, I'm simply warning that we're going to have eyes on us, moreso as we employ more seeds. So going for ones in more hostile territory first could actually be advantageous," Alicia summarises the point she was driving at.

"Why are we assuming that Shar isn't trying the same to elevate her champions? Ao might not be overly interested at the moment,  but he's also not the one specifically targeting us. Shar must have some idea of what's going on. The assassins and cultists that are trying for me prove she understands at least something of your requirements for champions and identified me as a potential one.

Her best assassin with a few divine charges would be horrific for us. And the more of these we find, the more attention as mentioned.  Chaos may be unfathomable,  but from what I understand from Aurora,  slaad are already involved. They're random, not stupid, and they can do things we can't. I can't help but imagine they'll find some way to ballroom dance into a few of these seeds, if they can focus that long.

We have a lot of potential parties involved here and no way to preempt them... so how about recruiting some, at least peripherally?"

"I don't recall making that sort of assumption about Shar. Don't speak to me about the danger she presents, I know it very well," Alicia says, an edge of coldness to her voice. "But if you want to recruit others into finding seeds, consider the price. No one would challenge a guardian for a divine seed and not expect a fair share as their reward. I was happy to share of the one I found at the bottom of the Infinite Staircase with one who I felt deserved it and had gotten there first. Boldly recruiting slaad and offering godhood for their help is a frivolous use of the information we're being privileged with here."

"I want to say Shar won't do that," Seira says slowly. "She has elite minions, but...." She shakes her head, asking Zaphkiel, "What is your reasoning behind selecting us and only us? Behind effectively excluding all others from this knowledge of the true threat?"

"Then direct their efforts to warfare. If we can get them even barely involved,  it mounts up to significant distraction on all sides, and us freer to do what we need. Nobody likes Shar, but how many of those we're worrying about taking notice of us finding the seeds are actively fighting her?"

"At first," Zaphkiel begins, "You and Alicia were chosen for your roles in the matter of the God-King. You grew greatly there and involved yourself in these matters. You two have a potential that you have realized, the proof is that you stand before me."

Then to Moore, "I chose Moore because of his potential with the Words of Creation, as well as his own ability. He has lived up to these hopes as well."

To Alyssa he says, "You were Io's choice, but he sees in you potential and skill, as well as the ability to go far. He chose you for his reasons and I abided by this choice."

"Tryll was chosen because of his psionics and unusual nature. He will help serve certain roles others would struggle with, and should we have a great need for psionic ability." Zaphkiel finishes.

Moore nods his head quietly in thanks. It's still humbling to hear things like that!

That doesn't really answer her question, but Seira will think on refining it and ask again at a later time. For now, she turns towards Alyssa, frowning.

"We fight. Just recently, Selune led many of us into Shadow to do battle with Shar. I've faced off against one of her avatars, witnessing Selune and Moradin clash with Shar and drive her back. Alicia broke past her forward ranks and felled one of her outposts, inspiring the lines of battle."

She purses her lips. "I've reached out to Celestia and the Seldarine after the latest clash. Next time, even more will come to drive her off, and in the meantime I've been working on getting Mechanus involved on our side. Just because you don't witness this conflict doesn't mean we're sitting on our laurels."

With a gentle interjection, "We still have more seeds to speak of," Zaphkiel says.

"There is one in Mechanus - within the broken ruins of Primus. All but inaccessible to use at the current time, and the Guardian there is a fearsome lion. Likewise, the seed in Limbo rests within the Spawning Stone, and it would be nigh impossible to reach without a confrontation with Ssendam. Both are difficult and will require the greatest skill and ability to obtain."

Seira gestures for Zaphkiel to continue, acceding to his will.

"As for Acheron and Gehenna, there are seeds but we have not found them yet," Zaphkiel continues, "Precious little is known of them. For Baator, you have already seen that divine seed," A look to Alicia. "Asmodeus also extends an invitation to any of you who are willing - to come before the Serpent's Throne within nine days and he will discuss sharing this seed with you as well as with his chosen."

Alicia nods. "My answer remains unchanged," she says mildly.

"Just what does he have to gain from this?" Seira asks in confusion. "Let's say I go there, use it, thank him out of politeness and leave. Is he that confident he can sway us with a few words, or despite the apparent ceasefire on this matter you believe he will betray us?"

"Asmodeus needs but a few words to sway a soul," Zaphkiel's expression is of one of distaste, "Were it not so, far less would call Baator home. Many have accepted challenges that appear safe, only to kneel before him at the end."

"Also he can easily let it be known that you took his offer and it will cause others to look on you with suspicion no matter what lies in your heart," Alicia adds her own warning.

"But to be clear, if I did wanted to have a chat, I would have safe passage to and from Nessus enforced by you? And his silver tongue aside, he wouldn't use any power or magic or remnant of Incarnation aura or what have you to artificially change my mind or very being?" Seira inquires, actually interested in having a chat with Asmodeus.

"An olive branch with a chain attached to it." Moore says quietly.

"A poisoned cup," Latha concludes, "Merely one filled with an appealing drink."

"Yes. I will not stop you, and I agreed to allow this, but step carefully. Words are as deadly as a blade when he wields them, and he needs no powers to use them so." Zaphkiel agrees. "An olive branch and a chain is very apt."

"I'm not sure on what I'd actually do with the offer itself, but I did want to chat," Seira tells Zaphkiel. "But don't worry about me. People might gossip all they want, but I've had the pleasure of being shown that path before and I know just where it leads."

"It will be your choice," Zaphkiel agrees, "In Hades lies a seed, which is entombed within the Last Monument. The Guardian there does not manifest, but instead controls a great tribe of yugoloth cultists, who all worship at the Last Monument and pray for death, suffering and agony for all. They are wrapped in anathemic secrecy and hidden by the will of the Oinoloths, none of which have seen fit to do anything but contain them."

"The Adversary, then," Latha speaks, even quieter. "Whom may have defected, but may still yet be willing to aid Hell."

Seira blinks. "This reminds me, actually. So Asmodeus has subverted Fire, Archeron and the Mercane Consortium with his minions to a large degree, but how is Hades? And do you know where Bel operates, actually?"

"Dealing with the Adversary is a treacherous endeavour, but if you're careful you can still achieve what you seek," Alicia says for everyone's benefit given her own recent dealings there. "Expect lies and deception and for him to have a plan of his own to achieve some reward from whatever you seek beyond what payment is given up front."

"The Oinoloth rules with an iron fist, but one independent of Baator," Is the answer, "I know where Bel is," he then concurs, "He operates in the shadows of the Hells and the lower planes, under various new identities and faces. For now he marshals and prepares himself. He has fortresses in Acheron and Gehenna, as well as an abode within the Crawling City."

"Is that all of them?"

"Within Carceri lies another, jailed within the First Prison," Zaphkiel goes on, "The Guardian is the prison itself, and holds far more than merely the seed. Pandemonium holds one, sealed within the Askaral Tomb deep within a forbidden portal. In the Abyss lies one as well, in the hands of a Guardian already known, who will confess to it if pressed properly." Is the answer to that, "There may be yet others, but as of yet we have no found signs of them."

"Why did the Guardian of 21 not also speak of the godseed then?" Alicia asks. "The Guardian of the Infinite Staircase was extremely forthcoming."

"He was commanded not to," Zaphkiel states, "I believe the Incarnation of Balance chose to use him rather than create another Guardian. Now that his duty with 21 is concluded, you will be able to make him speak of it."

"Oh come on! I sent Kascha to talk to him about the notes that lead us to Sylvie! How come he kept silent then?! Who would even explicitly ask about a divine seed at random?!"

"That would be the point of a command from the Incarnation of Balance," Zaphkiel notes mildly. "You will need to press the point with him."

"I shouldn't even bother getting angry at Incarnation logic," Seira says instead of a great many things she was thinking. "Is there more for us to learn before we get to ask you about other matters, such as Primus?"

"That is the crux of the seeds. Ask, for I know you all have many questions," Zaphkiel says.

"I'm not actually going to try and ask everything, since I figure you'll be talking to us from now on when it's necessary," Seira muses. "For now, the thing I need to understand the most is how Primus is broken, what you suspect he knows, how much he can be told and what fault lies in his blasted numerology declaring Shar will win. For the latter, I'm pretty sure I have a lead but I'm not a real expert on that subject."

"I'd like to ask about the link between the Words of Creation and the power of anarchs." Moore says.

For a moment Zaphkiel is silent.

A blink.

Before you is an egg. A great golden egg the size of Hanna or so, one that Zaphkiel stands before. His hand rests on it and the egg becomes transparent. Within sleeps a great golden bird, deeply asleep.

"Imagine if this egg was Primus. Wounded and torn apart from the whole, it crashed down in the aftermath. Imagine then what would happen to an egg treated so and what lies within, already unspeakably torn and sundered by what lead to this fate. That is a small likeness of what happened to Primus. It extends to a metaphysical level, his body, mind and soul are all broken and incomplete, unable to restore themselves. He knows not enough and yet senses enough, enough to make things such as the Prophecy of Primus. He cannot be told anything - we will handle that when the time is right. I believe no true fault lies with Primus, as in his broken state he is drawn to destruction and ruin, a reflection of his own condition. He merely reflects what Shar is aimed to do, a useful tool to help ensure her victory."

After that and to Moore, "The Words of Creation and the power of anarchs share one important point: Both create and assert the will over reality. In the Beyond, there is no Weave and no magic. There is only the Enaction of Will, the metaphysical force to shape the emptiness to your desires. The act of creation is fundamental to any being in Beyond, no matter how profane and twisted they appear to us. The souls in Creation are protected from Beyond, but deep in your natures is still the metaphysical underpinnings and potential of any creature born, in Creation or outside of it. This includes the desire and ability to create. In this case, the primal nature of Limbo sometimes resonates with a soul and allows them to access some small ability there. Likewise, the Words of Creation create more profoundly, but in a way a soul from Creation is rarely able to handle. Both trace back to that point within, and the same features of the soul, and thus share some similarities in these matters, as you have noticed."

"Sylica possesses an artifact that can make anyone into an anarch," Alicia speaks up after that. "Should you or yours wish to make use of it, arrangements can be made," she tells Moore and Alyssa.

"Do you want me to drop my efforts there altogether, then? Or are you suggesting there is a middle ground, of getting Primus onboard against Shar through defeating the Prophecy without going into the greater conflict?"

Moore blinks. "That... " He takes in a breath through his nose. "I can't just ignore it, but that certainly just feels like cheating, I admit." A small smile follows that. "Thank you for the offer, I will let the others know."

The faintest smile crosses the Lord of the Hebdomad's face, "I am the highest authority on law and cheating on Celestia. You may use it and it is not cheating."

Afterwards, "I suggest that you continue but proceed carefully, and ask me before you confront Primus with anything. You may yet find something worthwhile in there, but a soft step is demanded."

At Alicia's offer, Seira blinks and says, "Since we're swapping secret special techniques, we've cracked the Prismatics back at the Cauldron. Plus our old specialty of perfected elemental harmony is there, in case you want to study the elements."

She nods to Zaphkiel, allowing others to ask more questions for now.

"Do you know or can you speculate why Ao has permitted the ascendance of myself, Syala, Seira, and Amaryl?" Alicia asks as she returns her attention to Zaphkiel. "It seems counter to his embrace of evil as the answer to elevate more good aligned deities. Going back further there's Sulia as well, as Seira said. Given yourself and Asmodeus and Primus have been a part of Creation for so long I don't imagine many remember it being otherwise, he's had a long time as the sole Incarnation with that mindset to guide him."

"I've thought about this a long time," Zaphkiel says, "I believe it comes down to one thing - a thousand deities don't matter if he's chosen Shar to end everything, unless we triumph. There's merely more to suffer and fail before him. I believe he allowed it so that there are more cries of anguish and death before the end. Sacrifices to his own amusements. The same way a sadist may allow a captive to escape, only to hunt them down."

"So why not allow Pale Night's kid to ascend only to torture it after? Why us, specifically?" Seira presses on. "Is it just that everyone stopped trying in the past century or so?"

"I do not know entirely," Zaphkiel says, "Our reasons for rejecting or accepting divinity have always been more than the mortal mind perceives. Perhaps your role in the matter of the God-King interested him."

Alicia isn't terribly surprised by the simple sadism answer, really. It's still disappointing and she's worried there's a deeper mystery they're losing sight of by focusing on such a simple answer, however. She doesn't have any other immediate questions.

Maybe Sulia's suffering made him happy, too? Whatever.

"Can you please tell us more about the Arbiter? Why did he appear before us? Was it coordinated with you? Just how is he restricted? Will we ever see him again?"

"The Arbiter is a tool used for Ao to his own ends. Anything the Arbiter did to aid you was the Incarnation of Balance weakening his cage," Zaphkiel says, "It may be we see him again, or we may not. It will depend on that and how events unfold."

"So if we see the Arbiter again, it might not be under Balance's control but Ao's?"

"It may be so, but the Incarnation of Balance will do all it can to protect us," Zaphkiel says. "As always, use your wisdom."

Seira nods. "I guess what I would appreciate knowing now is whether you're still searching for an Answer, or if you've already found it. And if Good's your Answer, will it change if you somehow reunite with your other pieces? It won't do for us to take Ao down only to leave Asmodeus in charge."

"The Arbiter cautioned that if Ao knew of our plans against him, endless catastrophe would follow," Alicia speaks up now, interest roused. "What could Ao do to destroy Creation if he tired of waiting for Shar? What form would it take and how long would it take to pass? Would we have any chance at all?" An Incarnation would know what an Incarnation could do with no holding back, and grim or not she'd like to know.

"I am. I have found my Answer, but it is not an Answer Asmodeus will accept, nor will I accept his," Zaphkiel says, "Were it otherwise, we would be saved because we could reunite at last and restore ourselves. The center of our dilemma is that we have still not found an Answer transcendent of those concerns."

Afterwards, "Whatever he wishes. Should he wish, Creation would shatter in a moment. The only chance would be to pray that it is painless, or that you are able to escape to Beyond and survive there." Zaphkiel meets Alicia's blindfolded eyes in that moment, and it feels as if she is about to burst aflame. "Or an eternity of misfortune and torment before he deigns to allow you the escape of oblivion. Our only chance is that we are all powerful, but not all knowing."

Here Zaphkiel turns, looking skyward. "An Incarnation is not a stronger monster or a supreme deity. An Incarnation is. The perfect Enaction of Will, beyond all limits save for two: The ability to overcome out limitations in knowledge through our will, and our inability to return to whence we came."

"Why can't you return?" Seira asks him bluntly. "And can't we go out into the Beyond and find other Incarnations? Ones that might take our side?"

"The One created us - far more than the Three - and cast us out." Zaphkiel states, "It matters little and less, for One decreed we are all to pursue our own natures and once any of us gather together who wished to, we are not to cross paths nor return, unless One wills it so. I believe One is the perfect being and is free of any limitations at all. The same thought once crossed Io's mind, and yet in all his time away, he did not find another creature akin to us. Perhaps you would find success where he failed, but in our limited time I do not believe it likely."

"Is our time limited?" Seira asks, dabbling in heresy. "The Temporal Compact is an artificial one, and several of the sponsors can work together to subvert it. All it would take is a step back before the moment either of you were defeated by Ao and letting you know, and that's no longer a future to you but the present."

"How does one truly navigate in the Beyond rather than simply drifting as we do?" Alicia asks as Zaphkiel lets them know that the three incarnations are part of a much larger group with one above even them. "What else is out there? I admit I fancied the idea of finding something like an abandoned proto-Creation or something like that, no telling if anything in it could aid us but... well there has to be more out there, more tangible things than just strange and hostile existences that defy our comprehension."

"The way we broke does not allow it - our natures are not as your own in that respect," Zaphkiel says, "Unless we have an Answer, it will not save us. Deities themselves are immune to temporal paradox, we are far more. Worse, we would all know of the effort, even if you were able to reach an Incarnation."

"Will." Is the simple answer from Zaphkiel. "Chronias is similar. Space has no true meaning here. All are where they wish to be and need to be."

A blink.

Again you are before Eblis as he sleeps.

"To move forward is a question of Will. A simple concept that is difficult to master, because you are still creatures of Creation, bound to think in space, dimensions and reality." Zaphkiel continues. "There are things we left behind and what remains of them, but they were insufficient. Were you to become sufficient enough - perhaps one day you would find something like Creation, but under the rule of another."

"How do you choose the destination, though? I think the better question is how you look far into the distance in the Beyond and plot your course. Is it the same as Astral travel?"

"It is similar and different," Zaphkiel says - and stops.

"...father..." Eblis murmurs in his sleep.

"My son." Zaphkiel goes to him. "What stirs you in your rest and first atonement?"

"Give them...my sword and bow....to worthy...warriors amid them." Eblis murmurs, barely heard, and then goes still.

Seira glances over at Amaryl, unsure of what to say here. Then again, she's mostly done with her questions for now and she certainly has enough information to proceed.

"It will be done," Zaphkiel states, sword and bow before you in an instant. Both are the weapons of a giant, yet shrink down before your eyes.

"Clarenyre," Zaphkiel's hand rests on the blade, a greatsword forged of what looks to be platinum. It shines with an inner light - an inner flame. "A sword of redemption and restoration, reborn from the flames of hate." Then to the bow, "Heaven's Joy, a bow that never ceased to save souls, even when in the darkness of Eblis's fall. Will any of you or yours bear these weapons?"

Seira's mercantile nature shines through as she studies the weapons.

"We just received a weapon." Moore says. "And no one of ours utilizes bows very well, so please, feel free." He says to the rest of them.

"I know Amaryl at least is a great archer. I don't know that any of us use greatswords... Marie could use any weapon equally well..." but also equally worse since she's just not really specialised for melee combat so it feels rather wasted on her.

Heaven's Joy

This is a longbow+12. Any arrow shot from it defeats any damage reduction that has evil as a component of it, save for deities who have the Supreme Damage Reduction salient divine ability. Any fiend or similar creatures injured by the bow must make a Will save (DC 70). Failure results in any souls they have a claim on and have not yet collected being freed of this claim. Any souls they hold, such as inside of a gemstone from a trap the soul spell, are instantly freed. Any soul freed by this will travel onto their proper afterlife, this cannot be diverted by any means short of a greater deity's direct intervention. Deities are not subject to this ability, but evil deities instead suffer an extra 21 points of damage per attack with Heaven's Joy.

Clarenyre Reborn

This greatsword is made of a metal similar to platinum, but far stronger. It is treated as being made of adamantine, but triple the normal hardness and fourteen times the hit points of adamantine. It is a greatsword+10 that bursts into flames when it strikes. It deals a base of 7d6 fire damage.  As divine fire, the damage from this blade ignores damage reduction, resistance to fire and immunity to fire. Once per round, the wielder can sacrifice the damage done by this sword to instead afflict the target with the effects of a vision of heaven spell (DC 70), except that it lasts seven rounds. This ignores immunity to mind affecting, though creatures normally immune to mind affecting gain a +10 bonus to the saving throw.

Seira's eyes widen almost comically. "Heaven's Joy is meant to be used, as frequently as possible! Amaryl, it could save so many through such direct means...."

Amaryl comes forward, a shaking hand placed on it. "How was such a thing even made? I can't imagine the magic to make it."

"I forged it for my son," Zaphkiel states, "Within Chronias, within the river that sings with joy."

"Cresiel would likely be honored to use that sword, but I'd feel selfish to just take it when we have Frozen Oath from the other trials." Moore says.

"I would use it," Latha speaks up at last, "My mace has been a great blessing, my Lord, but I cannot deny the ability of that sword."

To be clear I'm waiting for Iddy to have a chance to speak up on these, in case either feel right for someone in his node. So feel free to be interested in either, Iddy, we'll sort it out if you are.

Greatsword is fantastic and better than Life-Drinker, but it comes down to build effectiveness for me. Latha would probably make better use of it in general, outside of Aerial Assembly. Life-Drinker's only real weakness here is that it isn't +10 and can't inflict negative levels vs. deities.

Your call. Say so IC either way so I can get things moving.

"As much as I enjoy a fantastic weapon as the next girl, I'm not a fighter, I'm a wizard. It'll find a better home with Latha. But that does bring me to a point. I don't pose any true threat to deities, as I am. I plan to try for One, but... It's a long shot. As distasteful as it is for most here, does anyone know a way to imbue my weapon with the ability to harm or slay a God?"

"No," Zaphkiel says, "The concept of a god slayer, 21 aside, it not something you will find in Creation. Mortals are not meant to slay deities, at most they can break up their body for a time."

"The simplest way is to gain divinity and then be strong enough to do the job. Divinity helps as it makes you much stronger, as well." Sylvie points out.

Alyssa sighs, "I figured that. Was just hoping there was something. I've been trying to train myself to be One ever since I heard of it, so I don't want to abandon that route unless I fail. Until then, I suppose I'll just have to be careful. I'll need to figure out how to use the book to better my chances and a way to improve myself to feel confident in my chances."

"I think it's ultimately rather rare that that sort of thing even happens." Moore says. "I think it isn't worth it to risk politically for many deities to embark on a mission to slay another."

"Now, our time grows short," Zaphkiel says, "Even bound, the glories of Chronias will not be denied for long."

"I want to stay," Latha says suddenly, "With every impulse in my heart. Why, my Lord?"

"You are of law and good. This is your natural and final home. Every bit of your essence that is attuned to those echos this truth within your heart. Alicia feels the same, because her heart and essence are the same. Were she to listen to it and not resist, she too would want nothing more than to stay.""

"...and I can't stay. I...is it wrong for me to want to?" Latha asks, looking up at Zaphkiel, "Have I betrayed all my friends have done for me and all we stand for by this wish?" Her voice shakes, a hand going to her blindfold, yet it falls away at the last moment.

"No," A gentle voice, a gentle word. "Your truest self knows what you soul desires. One day, when there is an Answer across all Creation that affirms law and righteousness, all the gates to Chronias will open and Chronias will spread all across Creation. I will not rest until that day. Hold that wisdom in your heart and know that one day, all of Creation will share perfection with you and that evil will be no more. Until that day, stay with your friends and family. Strive to make Sylica as perfect and as beautiful as you can."

"Now for other questions, other times - I am a word or thought away." Zaphkiel says, "Go forth and grow stronger, grow more and become the hope that Creation needs for its salvation."

Alyssa nods.

"We all have a lot of work to do." Moore says. "Thank you for everything."

"Now...return."

A whisper and the seven of you emerge, back on the Bridge of Al-Sihal. Your companions look on and await word of what is to come. As you all return to them, radiant anew and Xerona removes your blindfolds, one thing is clear.

This is the end of the beginning.

Shar and Ao await. Will you forge yourself into worthy champions to face them?

End Part One: Establishment of Balmuria 6: The Answer.

The nodes have reached level 35. Congratulations!

Yes, I'm sure there's more questions in due time. You'll be able to ask and pursue as you see fit in your own time coming up.