Alene’s heart was still racing from what she had seen when she arrived at the next vision. This one was in stark contrast with the ones before, a serene field, long blue feathery grasses blowing softly in a warm night breeze as fireflies blinked asynchronously among the wafting blades, the soft trill of crickets chirping, and the two moons high above, visible through the planet’s rings. With a start Alene realized that sitting next to Una was a massive, blue, six legged wolf, lupus flowers braided amongst his shaggy coat. Another god, she thought with awe. Tva, her memory whispered, a sliver of Una’s thoughts lingering in the memory. ‘They outgrew me.’ He sighed, tilting his head so his two sets of mournful golden eyes, silvery in the moonlight, could meet Una’s. ‘I loved them, but sometimes that isn’t enough.’ He turned back away with another sigh.

This vision was sharper than the others, despite the softening effect of nighttime, blurring the great wolf’s outline into an indigo haze. He shifted, his blue fur coarse against her skin as they sat side by side, watching the flickering firefly lights blink lazily in the humid air. ‘Despite how we may love them, despite the attention, the protection we might offer them, sometimes our devotees are better off without our affections. We are mighty, and depending on us can weaken them to the surrounding perils.’ The wolf turned to her, his eyes full of anguish, ‘and when we don’t meet their expectations, we will be the ones at fault. It is a great and weighty burden to take on oneself.’

The vision faded and another took its place. She was before the woman with the wild dark curls and the shadow hands once more, Hiru’s mother, Veridia, the memory whispered to her. Veridia was standing with her back to Una, hands folded behind her as she looked out a floor length window, the hazy sunset outlining her silhouette in golds, her shadows stretched out behind her, twitching eerily on the floor behind. Veridia turned, Una could just make out her wary expression against the sun’s glare. ‘I accept.’ Veridia said. Her shadows reached for Una, and this time she didn’t flinch, let them grasp her, willingly letting them take her, tearing her compliant body apart with brutal wrenching movements, like a cruel child tearing the wings off of a butterfly, all curious excitement, but lacking the understanding to the extent of the ramifications of their actions.

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Alene woke with a start, breathing heavily, the pain of the vision lingering. She grasped her limbs, relieved to find them still attached, rather than wrenched off and bleeding on the floor, godly ichor splattered around her. Why had she done that? Let Veridia have her? Let her disassemble her, kill her?! From her first vision of Veridia, where she had revealed her godly nature to the woman, it appeared that Veridia had already attained some sort of godly nature of her own, though it hadn’t felt like she was a full god, likely the result of her experiments with the godseed from the catacombs, if Sym was to be believed. Why would she give her more power?

Every answer she found just created more questions. She could feel her actions had something to do with her vision of the old wolf god, a puzzle, where the pieces were all there, fit together even, but the greater picture was not yet in focus. Her breath slowed, and she looked up at her concerned mother. ‘I’m alright,’ she assured her, ‘I’m alright. Just…it was a lot, that time.’ Her mother hummed softly, soothingly, stroking Alene’s hair with her antennae. She allowed herself her mother’s comfort, though her thoughts were racing. She should talk to Sym. Maybe they could figure out some of these questions together, though she was apprehensive about telling her that Una had sacrificed herself to Veridia’s machinations.

Sym sighed, when she told her, both of Veridia, and her other visions. ‘Oh Una, you really mucked this up. Veridia was…compelling. She did care about the city, in her own, twisted sort of way. She wasn’t all bad. I could see her convincing you that your death would help, would be meaningful. That you would be empowering humanity. That she wouldn’t fall to the same fate as the zombie-king’ Sym made a face, looking away, the words coming more slowly. ‘And after Iseult, you sort of…you were different.’ She took a deep steadying breath. It occurred to Alene that it must be hard, talking about what had happened to her friend. She felt the sting of guilt, Sym hadn’t brought it up before, she must have not wanted to talk about it, and now Alene was forcing her into something she didn’t want, once again.

‘I don’t think you had really cared about human’s lives before. You still had the mindset of a god. You didn’t really understand how needlessly cruel humans could be to each other. It was soon after that that you tricked me into my transformation. I think…I think you thought that you were fixing things, somehow. That giving me more power would protect me.’ She paused, before continuing, her voice small. ‘I don’t hold it against you, anymore. It’s been a while since I have. If you want, I can call you Alene now.’ Alene smiled softly. ‘I’d really like that.’