The bell above the door of the café jangled merrily as Eleanor led the way inside. Gale knew the place — just a little shop on a corner near the mall, run by some people that, while not magically gifted, still did work for the Mages' Association. His friend probably thought that, should anything happen, they would be safer here. It was a view he did not share.

He had lived long enough, and been in enough fights to know when he was outclassed, and that was most assuredly the case now. And not only by the tall one. The other pointy-eared one — while more reserved and better at hiding it — also exuded an aura that resonated with danger. She was definitely a mage, and most assuredly someone he did not wish to fight.

"You can order whatever you wish," Eleanor said as she gestured towards the cards that stood in the middle of the table. "My treat."

The strange pair did not hesitate before they sat down, though Gale was sure the woman did something to the piece of furniture — he could have sworn he saw the chair buckle for a moment before stopping and repairing itself, remaining as sturdy as ever. He did his best to listen in on their quiet conversation, but neither he nor his friends had suddenly acquired the means with which to understand it. For a moment, he considered recording some of it so he could later figure out what it was, but the way it could potentially cause the muscular woman to be angry caused him to quickly discard that idea.

"Names," the taller of the two women said as she brushed a few strands of her oddly shimmering hair out of her face and behind her pointed ears. "You may call me Aperio," she continued before gesturing to the other woman. "And her, Caethya."

"Gale," Eleanor said simply, pointing at him, and he was strangely happy to have been mentioned first. Her finger then moved to his Vampire friend. "This is Ethan, and I am Eleanor."

"An Orc named Gale?" Aperio asked as she raised a brow. "Do you practice wind magic of some kind?"

"I don't, no," he replied as he picked up one of the menus that sat in the middle of the table. "It is simply the name I was given."

"He is not magically inclined," Eleanor said, already waving Ethaniel off before gesturing to the shimmer that appeared in response to her movement. "It looks like our new friend is taking care of our privacy again."

"I have been told that magic is a… forgotten art here," the woman replied. "And while that is obviously not the case, I know that most mortals are not aware of this hidden world. The other Vampire also said as much."

Before anyone could talk, Aperio inclined her head slightly. Gale followed her indication, seeing the waiter approaching them. The hint was easy enough to understand; no talking about the supernatural until he was on his way again.

Ethaniel shifted in his seat slightly to better ignore the waiter that came to the table. The man took orders from Eleanor, Gale, and surprisingly Caethya as well before departing as swiftly as he had come. As soon as he had left, the Vampire leaned forward slightly. "Who have you talked to?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" Aperio replied as she leaned back in her chair, unconcerned by the quiet groan of the metal. "I am not inclined to trust strangers whose friends walk around speaking like a person can be property."

"Must be fucking Vessey," Ethaniel mumbled to himself as he glared at the two pointy-eared women. "He always tried to get an advantage for his miserable clan."

The muscular woman scoffed at the Vampire's words. "I have said it before, but I will say it again — this once. I have no interest in your petty squabbles." Somehow she sat straighter in her chair, looming over everyone else despite not having stood up. "What we have come to do is learn more about this world. To that extent, I am willing to offer a bargain. A question for a question. Knowledge for knowledge." She waited for a moment, eyeing them. "You may start."

The deal the woman offered could be good, Gale thought as he looked first at Eleanor, then Ethan. The thing was, they had no real idea what she knew. Additionally, he only knew of one problematic race that tended to offer bargains like this one.

"A deal with a Fae seems like a bad idea," Gale replied. "No matter how insignificant the payment might seem."

"We are not Fae," Caethya corrected, though the Orc was not sure if those words were entirely truthful. "Why does everyone keep saying that? Do you not know other people with pointed ears?"

"It's the only race I know of that has that specific feature, likes to strike bargains, and has this general air of… trouble."

"So you have met one?" Aperio asked, leaning forward slightly.

The way the woman seemed oddly eager to know if he had met one of those tiny winged devils made Gale hesitate. But only for a moment. An idea blossomed in his mind, and a smile briefly flashed across his face. "I may have."

///

Aperio leaned back in her chair. While she was not overly fond of deception and trickery, the 'plan' Caethya had proposed had certainly worked wonders. It also showed that she still did not understand mortals one bit.

Why would telling him that we are not what he thinks, while acting like we are, get him to to agree? the All-Mother wondered as she set her eyes on the Orc again. Her view of him was still fairly low, even though Caethya had tried her best to tell her that he had never meant to imply what he had. Just as killing someone on accident while in a fight was still murder, his words had still been spoken and could not be undone. Not by him, anyway.

All of this, at least, distracted her from the fact she had messed up and referred to Earth as a world and not the world. Really need to be more careful with that…

How anyone could consider this hunk of dirt to be important was something Aperio would never understand. As soon as she had allowed herself a brief glance over the entirety of the planet, she had been inundated by death and despair no matter where she looked. Or at least, that had been her perception of it, but she did try to keep in mind that her perception had been shown to be more than a little skewed a good number of times now.

"I thought we would get to ask the first question," Eleanor said before turning quiet as the mortal working at this particular establishment came back to place their order on the table.

The mortal mage might be able to hide from others, but Aperio had noticed the first time around that Eleanor knew the employees and that they, in turn, were quite aware of what she was. Not only did they not pay any of their ‘costume’ any mind, but they also all wore the same symbol on their uniform somewhere a normal person would not look. Marking everyone that belonged to your faction with the same symbol was only good if nobody could see it. Still, pointing that out was likely to lead to trouble that would only postpone her gathering of knowledge about this world; the reason she had sought out these mortals to begin with.

"You may ask me anything," she said, giving each of the mortals in front of her a sharp glare. "I reserve the right not to answer, however. Some things are not for you to know, no matter how much you wish to tell me otherwise."

"Where are you from?" Gale asked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and a smile that Aperio could only describe as mischievous spread across his face.

"I am not from anywhere," the All-Mother replied and gave a shrug. "My earliest memories are of darkness and not much else. I could not tell you where exactly that would have been.

"Now for my question," she continued, giving the Orc a smile of her own. "What is the purpose of this gathering that everyone keeps talking about?"

"The Council has been called to discuss the ever-dwindling amount of mana in the world," Eleanor replied, causing the All-Mother to shift her gaze slightly. "I am sure you noticed the decline of magical ability as time went on. Magic was replaced with machines, and studying our past is forbidden out of fear of what others might do."

"There is not much any of you could do to combat that specific problem." Aperio shrugged. "There is only so much mana to go around, and the amount of people on this world will only ever increase."

At that, the group of mortals simply stared at her — Ethan in particular seemingly trying to retreat further into his seat — causing Aperio to look to her love for help. Caethya could only offer a small shrug. What Aperio had said was obvious to both of them, but apparently not for the mortals in front of her. Though, saying there is a finite amount of mana is wrong.

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"We figured that was the case," Eleanor whispered, mostly to herself. "But how do we get more mana without killing people?"

"While that is two questions in a row," Aperio replied, "I know of a way. But that is a solution that is for none of you to decide or execute. Before I say anything more, however, I would like to know why everyone is hiding. You all appear to be vastly stronger than the other mortals, so why live in the shadows?"

Gale exhaled sharply through his nose at the question. "Have you ever been shot at?"

"Yes," the All-Mother replied, tilting her head. "Earlier today, in fact. It was a very underwhelming experience. The weapon did not even manage to put a hole in my dress."

"Well, most of us are not bulletproof," Gale said. "Ethan would come out fine and I can take a few rounds myself, but Eleanor is as susceptible to being shot as any other Human."

Caethya's voice came next, speaking the language of their people to make sure the others would not understand as she eyed the Vampire for a moment longer, seemingly as confused by his constant shifting as the All-Mother herself.

"They are weak, Aperio,” her love said. “This world has probably seen more mana in the last day because of you than it had known for years. Each word you speak is probably like a wave crashing against a very fragile dam."

"I am taking great care to not upset the balance of this world," Aperio replied with slightly narrowed brows as she held up a hand to stop Gale from interrupting her. "As far as I can tell, Earth does not touch my mana even though it wants to. The System wishes to work on this world, but I am not letting it." Yet.

"Because you want to know if these mortals can be trusted with power or if you should just reset the entire universe?"

The All-Mother let out a long sigh and shook her head. While she had considered that option, it was not really viable. Even if she erased everything and started anew, how could she guarantee that things would not go awry again? I can't, that's the answer. She would have to find another way, but luckily there were already a few ideas forming in the back of her mind, most of which would probably drive the average mortal mad if she were to explain them.

"I am no longer truly considering that course of action," Aperio replied. "I am, however, very much evaluating how these mortals would use the power the System could grant them. And how this world would change." She turned her attention back to the three mortals on the other side of the table, ignoring the impatient gazes of Gale and Eleanor and the indignant one of Ethan. "In any case, I have some more questions for these people."

Caethya placed her hand on Aperio's thigh, causing the All-Mother to look at her love and raise a brow. "Are you going to let them know who you are?" she asked as she picked up the cup of weird-smelling brown liquid. "You don't seem to be concerned about that anymore."

"I will not tell them outright," she replied with a small shrug, "but I am also not going to hide it much. If they wish to think of me as a Goddess, they are free to do so."

Aperio then returned to the conversation with the mortals, switching back to English. "That is a weakness that can be overcome," she said, as though the intervening chat with Caethya had not happened. "It is simply a matter of strength, something I am willing to help depending on what I see."

"Depending on what you see?" Eleanor asked, tightly holding the cup of tea she had ordered. "You make it sound like you have come here to judge us, or something like that."

"Because I have," the All-Mother replied. "It is only one of the reasons for my presence here. Perhaps a little lower on the list than expected, but that does not mean it is any less important."

“Ah yes,” Ethan began, speaking for the first time in a while. The hoarseness of his voice seemed to match his prolonged bouts of silence. "The Lord above has sent an Angel to judge our sins. Come on, show us your wings and the holy light.”

"Are you some kind of Fae Queen, come to decide if your kind should return?" Gale asked as he leaned forward slightly, completely ignoring the quip of his friend. "I do not know much, but what I know tells me that your kind has been more affected by the increased number of people and the ongoing industrialisation than we have."

Aperio could not help but laugh at the Orc's words, but not before shooting the Vampire a glare. He would have to do better to get a rise out of her. For a moment she considered granting Ethan’s wish and showing him her wings but, in the end, all she did was to let a few wisps of mana escape her, just so they could see for themselves that she had more than enough of it. "I do not know what a 'Fae Queen' is supposed to be, but I am sure that whatever you are talking about has no influence on me. Few things do, and most certainly nothing from here."

The lack of mana was a problem, simply due to the fact that she had to constantly devote a bit of her mind to making sure that the cloud of mana that always surrounded her did not grow too large, dense, or otherwise out of this world's norm. Additionally, she also had to make sure that Caethya always had enough of it around her to not feel any discomfort due to the lack of natural ambient mana.

"Before you ask another question, I would like you to answer at least one more of my own," the All-Mother said, offering a smile with her reminder of the supposed bargain they struck. "Have any of you had contact with something you would consider a 'God'?"

The mortals remained quiet at her question, simply looking at one another as they shifted in their seats. Aperio let her gaze linger on one for a moment before moving on to the next. She repeated the pattern over and over as nobody wished to speak, while also letting her aura manifest itself just a little more each time she had to start again.

"The only thing I can think of is what I call the 'Voice of the World'," Gale replied eventually. "It knows things that it shouldn't, and has on occasion even granted people a boon of sorts. It has been quiet for centuries now, however."

Aperio perked up at the Orc's choice of words. "Would this 'Voice' happen to deliver its messages as fragments of text only you can see, or did it actually talk?"

"Both," Gale replied with slightly narrowed eyes. "But the one I mean mostly communicated through text; almost like something you would expect from a game. The other seemed much more… aware of what was going on. Less detached than I would think a deity of any kind would be."

"Gods can be very meddlesome," Caethya said as she eyed her love, not even trying to hide the implication. "The thing I assume you are speaking of does not even think. It is simply a tool to help us grow stronger."

"A tool?" Eleanor asked. "Made by who?"

"That is the question, is it not?" The All-Mother leaned back in her chair as she did her best to let her aura fade again. "In any case, I would like to know if you had any kind of special ritual to contact either of these two deities. Do not worry about the cost that they require; I am more than capable of meeting them." Nor do I need your rituals.

Aperio could always simply scour the planet for everything she wanted to know, but she wanted to learn how the mortals here worked and in order to do that, she would acquiesce to their methods. Even if they are slower. She already knew that one of these 'Voices' was simply the System as it struggled to get anything done. It was the other that interested her. If Earth had a God, she would like to meet them and give them a very stern talking to — one that may or may not involve her fist — about meddling with mortals.

Much to the All-Mother's surprise, it was Eleanor who answered her and not Gale. "I can show you the rituals we used to use," she said before taking a sip of her still-steaming tea. "They are illegal now because we would need to sacrifice over a hundred people to power them, but if you can power it on your own, I don't see the problem."

"Matching a few hundred mortals is an easy task. I expected it to be a lot more." I use more mana to enhance my body in a second than this entire planet possess…

She stopped her train of thought before it could go much further. However much mana she used to simply exist, it was required for the way she wanted to live. Stressing out about it would not help. Sure, becoming stronger and stronger by the second was not helpful for ever finding someone who could give her a good fight, but she had already decided many times that her own progress would not be slowed so mortals can catch up. Have to speed theirs up instead!

"If you really are that strong," Gale began, "why have you remained hidden until now?"

"You could say that I was… resting," the All-Mother replied. "I… required time to come to terms with past mistakes I made. Nothing you need worry yourselves about."

Her words were not entirely truthful, of course, but it was also not wrong. She had been asleep in a way, and she definitely was coming to terms with past mistakes she had made. And happy about one, Aperio added in her mind as she glanced at her love. She still disliked the fact that she had set the Demigoddess on a path by touching her Soul, but she was also thankful for it. Caethya had given her something she had not really known before; something she had not been sure she was even capable of. Love.

"Does it matter why she was hiding?" Eleanor asked Gale, taking Aperio from her thoughts. "She is here now and, just maybe, she can actually help. I am tired of the Elders talking all damn day and never getting shit done. It's always talk and never action."

"I won't cover for you when they find out," the Orc replied. "The old rituals are forbidden for more than just their cost. Just ask Ethan about it, he knows."

"I don't care," the Vampire in question said. "The Council couldn't care less about me or what is left of my clan, so I don't give a damn about their rules."

Gale let out a long sigh and grabbed his face. "They stopped caring about your Clan because you kept breaking the rules."

"And I am not beholden to anyone," Aperio interjected. "Show me the ritual and I will decide myself what I will do." She turned to face Gale. "If you wish to inform your Elders of what I am doing, feel free to do so. I intend on visiting your little meeting and having a talk with them anyway. If they know I am coming, they might even prepare some things and will thus not be stuck in a loop of stammering and potential bowing."

"I will let them know," he replied, hesitating for a moment before he stood up. It was clear to Aperio that Gale still wanted to ask something, but she would not push him to do so. If the Orc wanted her to answer a question, he would have to go and ask of his own free will. "See you then, Eleanor, Ethaniel."

The mage watched him go, then finished her cup in a single long gulp. "Follow me," she said, standing up and starting to walk away. "Don't worry about paying," she added with a smile as Aperio began to pull some money out of the wallet she had summoned. "I said it was my treat."