"What's wrong?" Lir asked.

Ash pointed at the small goddess. "You don't see her?"

"I do not. You are likely experiencing a visual projection which is unlikely with this template."

"I remember this place," Bruja said.

"What would happen if you already had a template?" Ash asked Lir.

"I am uncertain. What are you seeing?"

The little witch glitched and must have become visible to Lir as the avatar immediately bowed.

"Greetings, Goddess. I am surprised to see you here."

"Hey Lir. What are you and the troublemaker up to? You’re diverting a lot of Mana here."

"Architect Starfield approved this expenditure so I could assist a friend in navigating the recent complications on this planet."

The goddess paced around the cave, her shiny black shoes clicking on the smooth granite floor.

Bruja faced the avatar and pointed at Ash. "Did you purposefully focus on this idiot?"

"No, Goddess. He is associated with the friend I am assisting."

The small goddess muttered to herself as she continued circling.

The goddess stopped and faced Lir again. "Why did you single out Ash?"

"He is an anomaly among his kind. Specifically, his ability to navigate deadly situations is statistically impossible. With the additional factor of his Bamboo Viper Step Clan training, he caught the attention of several organizations."

The small goddess tilted her head. "Really? Of all the things that could trigger a government's interest, Step training surprises me."

"I detect a possible misunderstanding. For clarity, the interest centered around the greeting. During the events surrounding the Hydra, this greeting was observed and then matched to Master Ash."

"Why would those two idiots display that? I thought they only came here to fetch the queen."

"That is correct, goddess, but the Aspect of Death appeared, and they interacted with each other."

Bruja went very still. She seemed to be lost in thought before suddenly turning and striding to Ash.

The goddess grabbed Ash's left arm and raised it, studying the skin. She released him. "Why are you so bruised?"

"The Step Clan sent a Master to judge my progress and provide guidance. And by guidance, I mean she beat the hell out of me until I identified the errors in my forms."

Bruja’s eyes grew wide and she spoke to herself. “Darkness take me. Of course. It's so obvious in hindsight.”

The goddess held Ash's cheeks with her tiny hands and locked gazes with him. "Did you say anything at all about me or Phoenix or the guardians?"

Ash shook his head as much as Bruja’s grip allowed. "No. Like I said, she was very focused on my training. The only weird thing—she recognized the guy who saved me during my journeyman trial. She said the three witches could have warned her that a connection existed between us. Evidently, that guy saved her as well."

The goddess stepped back. "Now that is incredibly interesting. I wonder if Lalquinrial knows."

"Who are the witches she mentioned?"

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"Echo was referring to the three founders of the Bamboo Viper Step Clan."

Ash had purposefully not used his Sisen’s name. The fact the goddess had confirmed she knew his Master. His Sisen had destroyed him physically, but he didn't think she meant him real harm. "Is everything okay? She was a bit different, but I never felt anything nefarious."

The goddess rubbed her temples. "How does everything get so convoluted and complicated around that stupid boy."

"I apologize for not understanding the gravity of the interaction,” Lir said. “The temporal offset is zero here, so there is no going back in time and fixing it, but I could erase all traces of the events from their historical record, and the Spirit density is sufficient to create a localized amnesia around the event in everyone's memory."

"No, that's okay. He already survived the most dangerous encounter. If we do anything now, it will only bring additional attention and risk exposing Ash."

"Wait! Did you just say you could wipe people's memories? Can you do that kind of stuff?"

Ash realized how stupid the question was as soon as he asked it. Elder Phoenix told him that this little girl standing here could destroy the entire galaxy. How difficult would it be to remove a few memories in comparison?

The two deities must've agreed because they didn't bother answering Ash's questions.

"I'm actually relieved," Bruja said. "The situation is now much clearer. I appreciate you providing this information, Lir."

"Of course, goddess. I constructed these basic femite bands in the hope of tapping into an existing dormant System, or possibly the System Architect Starfield awakened. Regardless, I planned on teaching Persephone how to create and manage her own localized System. I assume Master Ash already has a template that you are managing?"

The goddess nodded. "The template is an old one, and I tagged along to see what the Infernal Realm was up to down in that Pit. This planet is far more complicated than anyone knows. Even I don't know all the secrets. I want to make sure the Infernal Realm doesn't learn them before I do."

"I would be happy to turn over control of these bands to you."

"No, move forward with your original plan. For obvious reasons, I can't follow Ash into the Pit. I planned on leaving a scaled-down clone with the template. If Persephone loses communication with you, she can reach out to my clone for help."

Lir bowed deeply. "That is very generous of you, Goddess, and I will not forget this favor.”

“Wait,” Ash said. “Am I understanding this correctly? That you're tagging along in my head?"

Bruja turned to Ash. "I told you I was leaving a little something extra when I gave you the template." She spread her arms. "I'm the little extra."

"Christ on a candlestick," Ash muttered.

"I love the swans, by the way," the small goddess said to Lir. "It gives the city portals a real sense of flair."

"It pleases me to hear that. The country is running smoothly despite all the changes Architect Starfield enacted."

"Well, that clown and Uru are lucky to have you." Bruja turned to Ash. "Speaking of clowns, you are officially on the list."

"What list?"

"My troublemaker list. There are seven of you now. Wait, no, that’s not right." Bruja counted on her fingers as she whispered to herself. “Old Man, drunk and drunker, the librarian and baker, that stupid golem, and the bartender.” She focused on Ash again. “You’re eight.”

"What did I do?"

"I need to worry about you now, and I hate worrying."

Ash's Heart chakra responded to the words despite the scolding tone of Bruja. "What changed between last time you saw me and now?"

"For one, Death has taken an interest in you, and that is worrisome indeed."

"I've managed to avoid death my whole life, so I doubt that will change now."

The small goddess leaned forward and tapped Ash on the forehead. "Even with three eyes, you are remarkably blind."

Ash didn't know what to make of that, so he let it go. Instead, he asked a question. "The military thinks that Pit is alive, like some kind of dungeon."

Bruja grew serious. "They’re right. The problem with the Pit is it leads directly to levels far too advanced for those entering. A team should spend time leveling before approaching that area to be successful.”

Ash’s Throat chakra itched, and he recognized the statement as an offered opening.

"Where would someone take a successful team to start?"

The little goddess grinned. "Twenty miles west of Alexandria are some ruins called Taposiris Magna. A large tunnel runs under that area with creatures that are far lower level. When the tunnels branch, always take the southeast direction. By the time you reach the Pit, you'll have a fighting chance. I've already marked the entrance on your map."

"Thank you," Ash said sincerely.

Then in a blink, Bruja disappeared. Ash had the uncomfortable thought that a clone of the goddess was somewhere in his head. It made him uncomfortable as only the crazy kept multiple people inside their mind.

Lir produced a belt, and the twenty remaining bands disappeared. He moved forward, offering the belt to Ash.

"A small gift for you."

Ash never wore belts, but he didn't want to be rude, so he accepted the black belt. To his surprise, the bottom of his vision glowed a soft yellow as a minimized notification appeared.

"We are out of time, Master Ash. It was a pleasure meeting you and I hope our paths cross again someday."

They both stood and Lir motioned toward the portal.

"What about the bands? Where did they go?" Ash asked.

"Your Notification provides the details."

Ash recognized the polite dismissal and bowed to Lir. "Thank you for your help."

Then Ash turned and stepped through the portal.