The Judges just stared at Aperio for a moment before the Dark one nodded with what the All-Mother interpreted as a smile spreading over its face. "Of course!" it exclaimed. "We would be delighted!"
The Light Judge did not look as pleased for a moment as it scrunched its brows. At least, that is what the All-Mother thought it did, as the being did not actually have eyebrows. Or a face, really.
Neither of the Judges nor the other glowing figure had eyes or a mouth. They had little indentations where the eyes should be, but not the actual thing. The mouths were also completely absent, featuring only a translucent skin that visibly showed the glow beneath. How do they eat? …Do they even have to eat?
She assumed they did not, as she could not find anything that would look like a stomach or anything else needed for digestion in their body, but neither had she allowed her aura to inform her about more. Showed me enough already…
If other people knew how she perceived the world, they would likely — despite the knowledge — try to hide themselves a little more. Perhaps I could find a way to put the enchantment of my bath onto everyone's clothes?
Aperio shook her head lightly, pulling Caethya a little closer to herself with her wing as she waited for the Judges to do something.
She was about to speak up when the System informed her that she had been invited to the [Courts of Heaven] and that it would take a moment longer to prepare the space for her presence.
The Judges gave each other a glance, the System probably having also informed them of what it was doing. Before either of them could ask a question however, Aperio accepted the invitation, extending it to Caethya and Ferio with a thought as the System had only started to teleport her.
Aperio could not help and raise a brow at the room she now found herself in. It was split in two, each side the same except for the marble that comprised the walls and floors. Just like the Judges themselves, one side was made of white marble while the other featured black marble. Both had gold and silver inlaid into them, showing what Aperio assumed was the creation of their species, complete with a giant golden version of herself that took up most of the ceiling. Even with wings, huh.
That was another reason for her raised brow; the room was larger than any other she had been in. Even the size of Fel'Erreyth's cave paled in comparison to the entrance to the [Court of Heaven]. The Dragon and his serpent-like friend could fly in the hall to their heart's content without needing to worry about hitting the walls or ceilings for a good while.
"Where is everyone?" Aperio asked, not quite sure why she could not sense a single person in the entire space. It was something she did not think should happen with a court comprised of Gods or, at least, God-like beings.
"We asked them to leave," the Light Judge replied. "We were not certain what the System meant when it said that it would reinforce this space prior to being able to let you in."
"Additionally," the Dark figure continued, "we thought you might not enjoy the presence and questions of the mortals and deities present."
Got that right, Aperio thought to herself as she gave a small nod. "I hope that does not disrupt your work too much."
"It does not," the Dark Judge said. "Though it usually remains open, the Court is not in session today. We usually take every other Sendal to go over the recent cases."
"Why in the middle of the week?" Caethya asked, seemingly unperturbed by the presence of the two Judges and a Goddess that did not necessarily like her.
A small smile played across Aperio's lips at her disciple’s words. She liked how Caethya spoke her mind even if they were not alone. Something I should do more often, perhaps.
"Because it was the day the Court came to be," Ferio replied before either of the Judges could. She folded her arms in front of her chest as she looked at the golden version of the All-Mother at the ceiling. "They used to take every Sendal off, but with more work and only two Judges, that is no longer possible."
Her daughter then lightly cleared her throat. "There is a new Judge, but they are still in training. I think you saw them in my Dominion, Mother."
"The one that is both Light and Dark?" Aperio asked, tilting her head slightly. She continued at the nod of her daughter. "Yes, I noticed them. Quite peculiar."
Aperio cocked her head to the other side as she felt a small pressure against her aura, one that vanished as soon as she had directed her attention towards it. A moment later, almost as if her mana was flowing through the Court and liquefying the gold and silver, the inlays in the walls and ceiling started to glow with a slight silver-blue sheen.
A closer inspection revealed that that was exactly what was happening. The previously still murals that adorned nearly every part of every wall in the [Court of Heaven] now started to move ever-so-slowly, acting out the scenes they depicted.
The golden version of herself in the ceiling lazily beat her wings as she stared with ever-shifting eyes at any and all newcomers to the court. What Aperio had not expected was that a new presence entered her mind; one almost like her aura, but not quite the same. Focusing on it let her see the court through every depiction of herself. Creepy…
Both Judges were practically vibrating with excitement, and the glow beneath their translucent skin increased a little. Almost like me, Aperio thought as she directed her eyes at her arm. She closed her hand into a fist, her muscles shifting beneath her skin which caused the glow — wherever it actually came from — to move with it. Like light on water…
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"Did you make this?" Aperio asked, removing her eyes from her arm to look at the two Judges. Her wings twitched slightly as she let her aura sweep through the room, and the urge to just leap upwards and fly was bigger than she would have thought. Maybe I can teach Caethya how to fly?
She filed the idea away for later; right now she had to find a way that would let the Judges deal with someone far beyond their own strength without having the ability to abuse it.
"We did," the Light Judge said. "You never honored us with your presence after its completion, so we were not certain if it would work."
"You do realise that I was already more than capable of seeing the entire Court, yes?" Aperio inquired, trying not to focus too much on the view her depictions provided. And why the wings? Ferio said I did not have wings before…
The Dark Judge cleared its throat — or at least made it sound like it did — before it spoke. "While we assumed you could, we were not certain. It was meant to tell the story of our people. The idea of giving you the ability to observe the court through it came later."
"I think its a nice gesture," Caethya said, tearing her eyes from the larger-than-life Aperio at the ceiling. "Though, how did they manage to recreate your image so perfectly if you rarely came here?"
"She has not changed much," Ferio said as she raised a brow at Aperio’s attempt to rid herself of the slight itch that called her to fly by stretching her wings to their full length. "Except for the wings, height, and some more…substantiality, she looks the same. When she had a body, at least; Mother had not really been a fan of being in a body in the past.
"This," her daughter continued, gesturing at the ceiling, "is what most people would see if she conjured up a projection of some sort. Especially here in court."
"Her Grace told us she wished to appear as something mortals would know," the Light Judge said. "We could not ask for clarification as you left us shortly thereafter, but this is the form most mortals thought of when we asked them about the All-Mother."
"Shockingly close," Aperio mumbled as she drew a little more heavily on her well, enjoying the by-now comforting warmth that spread through her body. "I appreciate the gesture," she added after a moment of silence, "but I did not come here to admire your home."
"True, you did not," the Light Judge agreed, hesitating for a moment before it continued. "We are, however, not sure how we should help with the current matter, or if we are even capable of helping."
Aperio tilted her head slightly. "You just had to bring me here," she said, taking an unneeded breath as she let her aura assert itself more fully than she had ever before.
The ethereal glow beneath her skin became more pronounced as a slight sliver haze filled the air. A thought at the back of her mind ensured that Caethya and the Judges would suffer no harm from her aura and, for a brief moment, she considered extending the same protection towards her daughter. In the end, she decided against it. She can obviously fend for herself.
"Tell me about your war," she said, directing her eyes at Ferio as she tried to understand how the Court was constructed. The power her voice now carried was an unexpected boon in that endeavour as the various enchantments hidden in the walls, and sometimes even nestled between the threads of reality itself, resonated with every word she spoke. "What happened while I was gone?"
Her daughter did not answer the question immediately, instead reaching out to make sure she had heard correctly. Aperio scrunched her brows in irritation as she asked again, this time mentally, just like Ferio had.
She needed a distraction while she tried to guide her mana into every nook and cranny of the [Court of Heaven]. As the System did not supply her with a helpful window that allowed her to do what she wished, Aperio had to find another way to influence this realm. And for some reason, that works best when I am distracted. Perhaps her old self still lingered deep in her subconsciousness. Old habits die hard, after all…
"After you left," Ferio began, "nothing changed for a while. Diskrye continued to divvy up the worlds that could bear life but had no deities yet, and the Pantheon largely stuck to the rules.
"Some ignored the rules as soon as your absence became more widely known," she continued, keeping a wary eye on Aperio as well as the steadily increasing amount of silver fog in the air. "But they only did minor things, like settling on already inhabited worlds and the like."
Her daughter hesitated for a moment, raising her arm before she sighed and lowered it again. "A century or so after you left, the Repens Nabu made their move, so to speak. They removed me from the Custodians, and spread their views on every world without a care. From what I know, they also tried — and probably succeeded — in damaging the System so it would not get in their way. How they did that I do not know."
Aperio drew a bit more mana from her well, letting the warmth comfort her as she tried to not curse the Repens Nabu any more than she currently did. Might actually turn into a real curse if I continue…
"I assume they are to blame for the rampant slavery that spread across Verenier and, presumably, the other worlds?" Aperio asked, narrowing her eyes as she felt a tingle run up her spine.
She had been slowly unraveling the fabric of reality in sections of the Court in an attempt to better understand how it worked. Aperio knew how this realm worked, had a gut feeling on how she could influence it, but she wanted to be sure before she made any drastic changes.
"They are," Ferio replied, looking at Aperio with a worried expression that the All-Mother did not quite understand. I'm calm, am I not?
"Are you saying that they are also responsible for the people of Geshwen?" Caethya asked, stepping next to Aperio and running her hand along her wing before taking hold of Aperio's own.
"In a way they are," Ferio replied, raising a brow at Caethya's involvement. "The main deity of that empire is Epemirial, and she makes no effort to hide what she wants to happen."
"What does this have to do with the war?" Aperio interjected, her voice echoing through the halls with a little more force than she had intended. "I already know more about the atrocities on Verenier than I had ever wanted. What I wish to know is how the other worlds fare." Do I have to go and look myself?
She knew, of course, that there was more happening on Vernier that she did not know about, but at the moment Aperio wanted to finally rid herself of some of the larger endeavors she had been continuously pushing away. Like dealing with the Repens Nabu...
"Fine," Ferio said with a sigh. She let herself fall into a chair that appeared behind her and offered an apologetic smile to the Judges before turning her attention back to the All-Mother. "Promise me that you will control your anger, okay?"
Aperio tilted her head with a light shake as she looked at her daughter. "What more could they have done?"