Moria shook her head as the cold sensation left her body. Being teleported by Aperio felt different every time, with the only constant being that it always felt weird. But I guess that is to be expected. Breaking reality and forcing it to put people where they weren't was definitely not the usual way of shifting someone's location in a hurry.

The network of gates, used a few lifetimes ago to transport people and goods across Verenier, at least took the proper steps in moving people. They essentially turned them into mana and sent it to the requested destination gate, where the process would be reversed to technically form a completely new body with the same old Soul. Going through that process without knowing that your Soul could not be touched by it — or without even knowing you had one — was undoubtedly pretty nerve wrecking.

"I placed a barrier in front of the tunnels," Aperio said as she stepped up next to Moria and looked down at her. "You can take all the time you want; none of them will be able to leave."

"Thank you," Moria replied. She started walking towards one of the larger chambers that she knew would house a few of the more reasonable representatives. "The ones that tried to flee can wait."

"They do not seem to appreciate waiting," Aperio said as she tilted her head slightly to the side. "Some of them are trying to break the barrier I made. I hope those mortals are not what people consider strong."

Moria gave a dry laugh at the All-Mother's words. "They are not the peak of what mortals achieve, no, but they are still plenty strong. Your view is just a little skewed."

"More than a little," Ferio corrected. "All she needs to do is not want you to exist, and you wouldn't."

Moria could feel Aperio narrow her eyes at her own daughter as she opened the door that led into the first of the chambers. She turned to let the rest of the group in and observed the Goddess of Life and Light shrug in reply to the All-Mother's words. "It's true."

"Perhaps it is," the All-Mother replied as she stepped past both Ferio and Moria into the room beyond. "But you also know that I would not do something like that."

"I know you wouldn't do it without reason," Ferio said. "But that doesn't change the fact that you can do it. Your view on most anything is skewed by the fact that you are what you are."

Caethya joined Aperio inside the room, not hiding the glare she gave Ferio as she passed her. "You know full well that what she can do matters less than what she actually does."

Moria shook her head as Ferio also joined them inside the chamber, then caught Neria's eye as she too passed through the entryway. Her daughter was still unsure of what she should be doing other than following them, it seemed, but the new Goddess could understand the hesitancy. Neria still largely considered Aperio to be the reason why she had been separated from her mother for so long, and also blamed the All-Mother for all the unpleasantness Moria had experienced in her past lives.

Fixing that view would take a while, and it did not help that Ferio casually pointed out that Aperio could essentially do anything she wanted to anyone at any time. At the end of the day, the All-Mother was just another person that wanted to live her life. A lot more quietly, now that she has returned. How she would convey that truth to Neria was something she still had to figure out. For now, it has to wait.

Moria was the last to step inside the chamber, closing the door behind her. Just as they had expected, the representatives of a majority of the Lycan and Feline tribes were present, likely because both leaders of their respective overarching federations were on good terms with her and had been for multiple generations. The de-facto ruling family of the Lycan tribe was especially close to her, with most of them knowing that she remembered her previous lives.

"Quite the announcement," a large man with cat ears and white and black striped fur said. Moria knew him, but she could not recall his name at the moment. "I know you said that you would do something about the guard and their… ideas, but I did not expect this." He gestured towards Aperio and Ferio. "Having the All-Mother and her daughter come here is certainly a surprise."

"Your guard broke one of the few rules I will never bend," Aperio said, her voice filling every corner of the room as she spoke just a little louder than necessary. A shiver ran down Moria's spine as she could feel the All-Mother's mana spread through the air, pushing them all down just a little more. "Do not repeat their mistake."

"We do not intend to," Kilui said. The lithe Lycan female stood up and offered a slight bow towards Aperio, her large, pointed ears always pointing at the All-Mother. "It would be a very foolish move."

Her friend likely did not know the true meaning of the motion, but she still seemed to accept what Kilui had said. Moria smiled slightly at the representative of her own tribe. Though they had been friends for over four decades, Kilui had never quite believed her claim that she knew the All-Mother and considered her a friend.

"Good," Aperio replied. A moment later, the mana in the room returned to its normal state and the All-Mother sat herself down on a couch that had appeared out of nowhere. How she managed to look dignified while having her wings hang over the edges of the sofa was not something Moria knew, but neither did she care. Her friend had made the point she thought she would, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

///

Aperio shifted slightly in her seat as her eyes flicked from one representative to another. She would be lying if she said that she trusted the words of the Lycan. Her words might have sounded genuine, but she had heard mortals lie without any obvious hints at their duplicity often enough to know that words by themselves meant precious little. Still, words were all she was going to get at the moment.

Ferio seemed amused at the entire situation as she was simply smiling while leaning against the wall right next to the door. Caethya, on the other hand, did not seem to be particularly happy with the events that were unfolding. She still sat herself down next to Aperio and leaned herself against a wing, but the All-Mother could feel the turmoil inside her love.

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While Aperio did not know why Caethya was feeling so conflicted, she did the only thing she could think of. A small mental message reached out to her love to inquire what was wrong while she wrapped her right arm around the Demigoddess.

Moria walked further into a room with a small smile on her face while the reply from Caethya came in. While the Beastkin was seemingly sure the words of the Lycan were the truth, Caethya shared the worries of Aperio, even bringing up some more. Her love had a point, however; it all seemed a little too easy.

"I assume you know why I am here?" Moria asked as she let her gaze sweep over the gathered Beastkin.

"To let us know that anyone who opposes you will die?" the cat-eared Beastkin asked with a slight chuckle. "You know as well as I do that Garth is just waiting for a chance to clean house. This will give him the chance. In fact, I am sure he is already on it."

"You are here because you want to help prevent a war from breaking out," the Lycan said. "Correct?"

Moria nodded. "Yes. I might have ascended, but that doesn't mean much if the people don't believe in me or are turned against me by those who want to keep the status quo."

A man taller and much broader than Aperio herself stood up from his chair, the sound of his clanking armour filling the room. "We number few," he began, his voice a deep baritone that managed to get even the All-Mother's full attention, "but we have always done our best to serve the will of our God." He placed a large paw over his chest and bowed. "We no longer stumble in the dark, for a new light has graced these old eyes. You have my shield and my sword; my will and my body. The Ursidae will follow you until the end and beyond."

The room fell silent at the man's declaration, a few of the other Beastkin nodding to themselves as the bear-like man swiped a piece of paper away and placed his paw in a mold that fit it perfectly, a few drops of his mana flowing into it.

"Our purpose is the will of our God," he began, a blue and red light slowly climbing up his arm. "We are the first to stand and the last to fall. Protectors of the worthy and scourge of those who wish to see our tribes fall. Long have we waited for this day; long have we waited to be free."

At the end of his chant, his eyes flared briefly, one red and one blue. He removed his paw from the mold and massaged it with his other. "Our rites have been honored," he said, looking at Moria and sitting himself down. "We are yours to command."

Moria hesitated for a moment before she gave the man a nod. None of the mortals gathered here had seemingly expected him to just swear his entire tribe to Moria, but it had happened nonetheless. A bit rash, isn't it?

Aperio could not claim to know how the Beastkin operated, but what the bear-like man had done seemed a little out of order. First of all, according to Moira, these were not the actual leaders of their respective tribes but merely representatives. To Aperio, that meant that they shouldn't be making such bold claims.

"While I will not go as far as our friend from the Ursidae, I can promise you the support of the Lycan tribes," the woman that had bowed to Aperio said. "You are of our tribe, it is only natural that we would help."

Moria gave a nod at the words. "I expected nothing else, but it still feels good to hear it." She turned to the cat-eared man. "And yes, I know Garth will take this opportunity to clean up. He doesn't appreciate rule breakers in the slightest.

"I assume your tribe will remain as impartial as always, Zu?" Moria asked as she turned to a Beastkin covered in short, orange fur. If it weren't for his many tails, Aperio would have thought he was a Lycan with short ears, but now she did not know what to think.

"Yes," the man replied. "The Vulpes will do what we have always done: offer our magic to those who can pay the price." He cleared his throat as a few of the other Beastkin began to mumble. "However, her Grace Shiru has decreed that we are forbidden from offering our services to those who seek to spread unrest."

"And what did Shiro say to that?" Moria asked.

"He concurred," Zu replied. "The tribes require stability to undo the damage that has been done." He lowered his head slightly. "Even if it goes against the tenets of our forebearers."

"Clinging to the past like that is not always the right choice," the Ursidae representative said. "We live in the now. Your rites should reflect that."

"Not all of us can change so fast, Representative Hul," Zu said, his ears twitching slightly. "Our elders remember the past as clearly as the present, after all."

Aperio took her eyes off the gathering of Beastkin as they started to argue amongst themselves and set her sights on Caethya. Her love no longer looked as concerned, the infighting of the tribes seemingly being what she had expected.

"Is it truly good that they are bickering like that?" Aperio asked, a touch of her magic ensuring that nobody but her love would hear her. "It seems like exactly the thing Moria wanted to prevent from happening."

"This is just normal posturing," Caethya said and let out a small sigh. "This is better than them all agreeing. That is a good way to make two large factions that just wish to eradicate the other.

"In any case," her love continued, "this is their issue now. You have done your part and helped Moria." She looked at Aperio. "I doubt there is much more you should do here, unless you want to be the one that guides the fate of the Beastkin."

"I'd rather not," Aperio replied. "Moria chose that duty for herself. I simply want to live a life."

"Then perhaps it is time for us to take our leave," Caethya said as she brushed her hand over Aperio's wing. "If we want to visit Earth we need to find it first, and I don't imagine that to be easy."

The All-Mother looked at Caethya for a moment longer before she tore her gaze away and let her eyes wander over the Beastkin representatives. Most of them were talking to one another now and Moira was sitting in a previously-empty chair, looking content with the events unfolding in front of her.

With a small shake of her head, Aperio stood up, moving the wing Caethya leaned against slightly so her love would stand on her own feet before folding it behind her back. A small wave of her hand caused the barrier that ensured their privacy to expand around Moria as well, causing her to look at the two of them.

"If you do not require more of my help," Aperio said, "I would take my leave. We still have much to prepare."

"I only need you to stop the representatives below from leaving," Moria replied. "But for that you don't need to be here."

Aperio gave a small nod in reply. "If you need anything else, do let me know. A prayer from you should be noticeable enough." She turned her head slightly to look at Neria in the corner of the room. "I do hope your daughter can learn to accept me for what I am."

Moria let out a long sigh. "She will. It'll probably take a while, though." The new Goddess gave a small chuckle. "Not that time was ever an issue for you."

"It is not, no," Aperio replied. "But I do not like the idea of my friend's daughter hating me."

Moria waved her off. "Don't worry about that. Go and take care of what you need. I wouldn't want to be the one that stalled the All-Mother."

Aperio gave another nod and reached out to her own daughter with a mental message. Much to her surprise, Ferio wanted to stay a little longer. Apparently the bickering of the Beastkin tribes was entertaining to her. That was fine. As far as Aperio was concerned, she would probably need some peace and quiet in order to locate a different world.