One of the things Aperio had previously noticed in her aura had diverted from its previous path and was now heading straight for them. The All-Mother could feel her mana flowing through the construct, could see the enchantments glow in her aura.
Caethya, too, seemed to notice the machine come their way as she shifted slightly and Aperio could sense a touch more of her disciple’s magic flow through the air.
A moment later, a small silver-bodied machine emerged from a tiny hole in the floor that vanished as soon as the thing had passed. Aperio tilted her head as her eyes flicked between the small machine and the threads of reality. They seemed to flow around the construct in a way that felt unnatural, but yet carried no sense of wrongness.
"What is that?" Caethya asked, moving closer to her Goddess. "I can feel it in my aura but can't see it."
"A machine," Aperio replied, focusing on the runes engraved all over its silver body. "A caretaker?" she mumbled as her mind helpfully supplied the meaning of a few of the runes.
The small thing did not move, seemingly aware that the All-Mother wanted to inspect it. Aperio's mana flowed calmly through its runes, a small blue stone buried within the machine somehow drawing it from the silver veins of her temple. But what does it do?
As if to answer her question, a few of the stones that made up the archway vanished, revealing a small opening the machine could enter. What exactly it would do once inside was not answered, but Aperio already had a vague idea.
She had kept track of the things once she had first noticed them, not paying them much mind as they seemed to be part of her temple. They were of her make, she knew that, something about them giving her a sense of familiarity similar to that of the temple itself.
"What do they do?" her disciple asked, leaning a bit more heavily against Aperio's wing. "And why can I sense them in my aura but not see them?"
The All-Mother shifted slightly at the words, making sure that Caethya was still securely held by her wing. "They bend the threads of reality around themselves. The only reason you can see them is because you carry my blessing — your very own piece of my divinity." At least I think so…
Her disciple seized up at the words, seemingly forgetting about the small machine that had held her attention before. Aperio turned her head to face the woman, a slight concern taking root in the back of her mind.
"Is everything alright?" she asked, taking hold of Caethya's hand like she had done for her before. "Did I do something wrong?"
Her disciple shook her head in reply, taking a few deep breaths as she let herself be fully held up by Aperio's wing. The All-Mother could feel her disciple's mana run wild, more and more flowing outwards from her soul.
Not knowing what was happening, Aperio picked her disciple up as carefully as she could and ripped reality apart. The room behind the main hall had likely not been used for millennia, but the large bed and rather heavy use of enchantments led Aperio to believe that it was hers.
The All-Mother placed her disciple into the oversized bed as gently as she could, ignoring the fact that not a single speck of dust was present in the room. Her senses slowly followed the flow of the Elf's mana, entering her soul to see what might have brought this change.
If the world worked as Aperio thought it did, what she saw certainly explained the sudden influx of mana. Nestled deep in Caethya's soul was a small, crystallised piece of her own mana; one that was now, for reasons unknown to the All-Mother, supplying her disciple with amounts of mana that were most certainly not suited for a mortal.
Unwilling to potentially damage Caethya's soul, Aperio could only use her magic to try and soothe the Elf who had begun to writhe in pain. She held her disciple's hand, giving her what she hoped to be a reassuring squeeze as her other hand brushed a few errant hairs out of Caethya's face.
Not knowing what else to do, Aperio tried to reach out to her daughter but was only met with silence. She knew that Ferio was in her Dominion, but ripping her from there to help her with Caethya was a decision she would make only if the Elf's life was in danger — something Aperio knew was not the case.
The mana that flooded her disciple’s body was doing what it always did; diligently improving it. What was of more concern to the All-Mother was why it happened now, and so abruptly. All they had been doing was standing in front of a teleportation array and inspecting one of the little things that roamed her home.
But they could not be the origin of Caethya's affliction. They don't do anything… At least not to mortals. She could feel them do something to her temple, repairing and cleaning it if she had to guess, but they had no interactions whatsoever with the residents.
Taking a deep breath, Aperio tried to push the swirling thoughts from her mind in order to concentrate on Caethya. She gently brushed her hand over her disciple’s forehead, a motion that likely accomplished nothing but yet felt oh so right.
"I'm here," she whispered, leaning closer towards Caethya. Her wings flared slightly as another query towards her daughter went unanswered, the All-Mother shifting the fraction of her mind that had called for Ferio to look for her Scion.
Aperio's magic flowed through Caethya, easing the transition her body was undergoing to the point where the Elf was no longer writhing in pain. She ignored the small machine that had entered her chambers, only devoting a part of her attention to it as it halted next to her and offered a potion by floating it above its rune-engraved body.
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A quiet chime echoed through the chamber, the small machine moving just a little bit closer to its creator. Aperio shifted slightly, putting more of herself between Caethya and the caretaker as she squinted at it. A unneeded motion let the vial appear in her hand, her aura scouring the liquid within for any sign of danger.
While the swirling silver contents of the vial did not seem dangerous to her, Aperio had no idea what it was or if it would even help Caethya. Something she had presumably made had brought it to her, but as long as she could not remember what exactly the small machines were supposed to do, she was unwilling to trust it.
She returned all of her attention to the woman lying in her bed, easing a bit more of her mana into Caethya in a further attempt to lessen the pain she found herself in. The All-Mother brushed her hand free hand over the Elf's cheek, holding Caethya's hand in the other, leaving the vial to float next to her.
"I'm here," she whispered again, a bit of moisture pooling below her eyes.
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Caethya could feel Aperio's mana flowing through her, taking away the pain her foolish decision had brought upon her. The memory of the notification had been burned into her mind, taunting her, reminding her of how stupid she was. She had hoped her progression would impress Aperio, but all she had managed to do was make her worry.
Taking a step on the [Path to Divinity], as the System had called it, had seemed like something she should do, especially after it had appeared right when Aperio had told her that she carried a piece of her divinity inside her. A piece of the All-Mother…
However foolish or even silly it might seem to an outsider, Caethya very much cherished the idea of having a bit of Aperio with her at all times. The System might also be an extension of her Goddess, but it lacked the warmth and comfort the physical presence of the woman gave her.
Taking the first steps on the path towards becoming a Goddess herself had been so tantalising, and accepting a title had never before led to any pain. It had always been nothing more than a slight tingle as the System's mana did its job and applied the bonus of the given title.
Caethya could hear her Goddess speak but the words made no sense, her ears picking up a mess of voices she was sure belonged to the freed slaves. There was also the noise her body made whenever she shifted on the sheets she now found herself on. For reasons not quite clear to her yet, it was deafening, almost making her wince every time it echoed through her mind.
She slowly opened her eyes as she felt a hand gently brush against her cheek. A few arcs of mana jumped from Aperio's fingers, leaving a slight tingling sensation where they landed on her skin. The face of her Goddess was blurry, her eyes not able to focus on any one thing as she felt a pressure ebb and flow within them that coincided with the mana raging through her body.
Despite not being able to make out the world around her clearly, Caethya was able to spot a vial floating next to Aperio. It was filled with a silver liquid she had never personally seen but had read about a great many times before. Acquiring even a single drop of the [Tears of Creation] would mean you did not have to work another day in your life. Those who could afford it would gladly pay any price to acquire it.
It is said that it can cure any illness and even bring back the dead should you administer it quickly enough. A single drop had supposedly healed Elder Visir from a Dragon's poison, an affliction that normally meant death for anyone that it was directed against, and her Goddess was now preparing to use an entire vial of it.
Caethya tried to raise her hand and gesture towards the [Tears of Creation], unsure if Aperio even knew what it was. It was very clear by now that her Goddess did not know or understand how mortals lived their lives, or what even the smallest favour from her would mean.
Aperio seemed to notice her feeble attempts, her eyes flicking towards the vial even though Caethya had not managed more than a twitch of her arm. Lifting it was already a hard task with her Goddess’ hand holding her own; the woman's arm was nigh unmovable.
A breath later, the potion was in front of Caethya, the weight of Aperio's hand no longer a barrier as her Goddess had shifted with a speed and grace she had not been able to keep track of. She was now looming over her, with her wings slightly flared as if to prevent some unseen spectator from watching.
Ever so gently, her Goddess placed the Vial in her hand, helping her along as Caethya slowly tried to raise it to her mouth. Why Aperio had not just given it to her, she did not know, but the help was still appreciated.
That she remained by her side, helping her through the change and pain of her mistake meant more to Caethya than Aperio would probably know. The worry in her eyes, her calm voice whispering to her; it all told Caethya what she so dearly wanted to be true.
At the moment she wanted nothing more than to reach out and wrap the woman in a hug and thank her for simply being there. But she couldn't. It took all of her concentration merely to manage to take a sip of the [Tears of Creation], and she was rewarded for her efforts by a warmth not too dissimilar from Aperio's magic spreading through her body.
Where her Goddess had shied away from assisting the System's changes, the potion did not. Caethya gasped for air, grabbing hold of Aperio's arm with more force than she had intended as the pain that had been held at bay by her Goddess returned with a vengeance.
The winged Goddess did not seem to mind the strength she had used, simply using more of her mana to ease the pain Caethya found herself in. The Elf could also feel a slight shift in her Goddess' aura, a small area behind the bed being overwhelmed with an amount of mana she had not felt before. For the briefest of moments, she thought she could sense Aperio's Void where the mana had collected, but the feeling vanished as soon as it had appeared.
As she started to writhe in pain again, Caethya felt herself get lifted up, Aperio herself climbing into the bed and wrapping her wings around the both of them as she spoke words that still got lost in the chaos her ears heard.
The last things Caethya saw before the darkness took her were a pair messages from the System, ones that made her heart skip a beat.
You have been awarded the [Demigoddess of Creation] title!
[Demigoddess of Creation]
The road towards divinity is paved with hardship and failure, but you are walking it hand in hand with the Creator. A seed planted, already starting to bloom. Ascendance awaits.
You have been awarded the [Favoured of the All-Mother] title!
[Favoured of the All-Mother]
Be it through cunning or fate, you have drawn the continued attention of the All-Mother. It may bring you closer to the goals you seek, but be warned that betrayal means a fate worse than death.