The following day, they returned to the mountain giant village to report what had happened and show them Yilan, Ria, and Ashe. Rorroco's family was over the moons with Ria and Ashe. The two baby girls were calm and collected, handling all the excited attention with a maturity far beyond that of a newborn. With the situation of Yilan's crafting, they had to quickly return to Lenmos and begin spreading the truth of the pillar of light.

The Senior Goddess had given a warning to Rorroco to share with Eric that the Church of Light would not hesitate to capitalize on the pillar of light for their own means. Eric changed into his Hephaestus persona and left to take care to make sure that the church would not regain its footholds in any of the kingdoms. First, he went home to Lenmos to let his family know what had happened. He left Rorroco and Princess Lindi in the mountain giant village so that Ria and Ashe could spend more time with their grandparents. Then he used [Group Call] to contact each allied kingdom and requested that they hold a vital city meeting, gathering as many people as possible. He spaced out the schedule to appear in each city each day to announce the truth of the pillar of light.

Phaestus first appeared in the central city square of Dunlap along with the royal family. The square was packed with people from all over the kingdom. Phaestus stepped forward.

"Greetings, everyone!" His voice boomed across the plaza. Everyone present seemed captivated by his presence.

I guess that charisma boost really came in handy. I'll have to do something nice for her later.

"Many of you saw the great pillar of light that pierced the heavens a few days ago. I must apologize. That was my fault. I am sorry if I alarmed anyone, as that was not my intention. I am Duke Hephaestus of Lenmos, the greatest craftsman in the world, and I have gone beyond my limits and created something that touches upon the divine! Upon the Sacred Mountain of the mountain giants, I have forged a blade of the gods! Yilan!" He unsheathed Yilan and raised her above his head.

The people looked upon the beauty of the golden blade as it pulsed with great power. The power grew until it unleashed a pillar of light around Phaestus, piercing into the sky through the open, dead volcano that Dunlap was built in.

The people cheered, ooo'ed, and ahh'ed. They all began chanting the phrase 'Divine Smith' over and over again until their call shook the very plaza. The pillar of light faded, and he sheathed Yilan.

"I thank you all. I wanted to put your minds at ease. Now, I must move onto the next kingdom to inform them as well!"

The people continued their chant of his new title, and he returned to the palace along with the royal family.

As he walked away, a thought crossed his mind. How many damn titles am I going to get?! I think I might need to write them down on a note, so I don't forget...

Inside a meeting room, Phaestus sat with the king, queen, and prince Alfa. They gazed over Yilan in awe.

"This is truly a masterwork. The more I look at it, the more beautiful it is." The king commented.

"Thank you. Just remember. Don't. Swing. Yilan." Phaestus said sharply.

The queen was looking intently at Phaestus, her eyes full of suspicion and curiosity.

"W-what is it?" Phaestus asked her nervously.

"Did you change something? You seem... different." Queen Delvirra commented.

"Ah, that might be the blessing I got from Aphrodite." He said, sipping the tea in front of him.

"Micah?" She cocked her head in confusion.

"Ah, no, the real Aphrodite, the goddess. The blessing she gave me seems to have greatly increased my charisma and attractiveness."

"I'll say." She said, leaning in teasingly.

"Either way, I think it will go far in ensuring that the Church of Light does not profit off the aftereffect of Yilan." Phaestus said, calmly ignoring the queen's teasing.

The king returned Yilan to her sheath and handed her back to Phaestus.

"So, where will ye go next?" The king asked.

"My next stop is the border to Goun. Then Meerka, Merluka, Alta, and Obai will be my last stop.” Phaestus stood, mounting Yilan to his belt.

"Why Goun?" Prince Alfa asked.

"The Emperor may be too ambitious, but I don't think he is a complete fool, nor zealot of the church. I would not want Goun being duped by the church if I could help it even a tiny bit. The less power the church has, the better."

Phaestus said his final farewells to the royal family and continued his campaign, repeating his speech at each location over time. The airship Sheila's Heart also assisted in ferrying bards to different areas to spread the word as much as possible. By the time Phaestus was done and returned home along with Rorroco and his two new children, most of the world had come to call Duke Hephaestus the Divine Smith of the Gods.

It was nearing the end of the month, the day of the Dark Moon, the day the church would be performing its summoning ritual would be happening. Phaestus was out in the rear garden of his estate in Lenmos. Fizzy, Rexar and a few of their best runic craftsmen were finishing the creation of a complex runic circle that was twelve feet in diameter. In the center was a sword pedestal that Phaestus had crafted.

"A'right. The checks are done. What is dis spose to be anyway?" Fizzy asked, looking it over.

"My answer to the Church of Light's summoning ritual. It will occur tomorrow night. Thank you for coming over to double-check it, even though your team finished it last week."

"Bah, it is no problem. I am always willin' to help a friend." Fizzy said with a wide grin.

Phaestus handed off several bottles of divine wine he made to them to enjoy. Fizzy and her team headed out, and Phaestus was joined by Dite.

"You've been so busy, you know. You have not been spending much time with me." She hugged him from behind.

"I know, I'm sorry. Tell you what, I'll go check on Athena and the girls, then the rest of the day and night will be all for you and Leros."

"I already spoke to Athena. She will keep an eye on Leros. Just you and me." She said in a sultry voice, pressing her body tightly against his.

"I-I see. Ahem. Well then, shall we head to the Haven then?" He shifted the two of them into the Haven for a very long night.

Nightfall was coming the following day. Phaestus was sitting in a chair nearby the runic circle with his eyes closed.

"Phaestus, what is the plan?" Dite asked from a seat nearby.

Ruby was sitting on the ground, playing with Leros. A table nearby had Yilan in her sheath and the large pearl from the Yven the sea dragon, known as The Heart of the Sea.

"What have you been doing, Papa?" Ruby asked.

Phaestus smiled. "It is coming into view now."

Dite then remembered the last time he was doing something like this.

"That Beholder Eye thing!" She exclaimed.

Ruby was confused, but Dite gave a short explanation to her.

"That sounds so cool! I wanna try using one!" Ruby bounced up and down.

"Where are you right now, Phaestus?" Dite asked, amused by Ruby's excitement.

"I just entered the capitol of Dawn. I need to find the summoning location… Oh, never mind, I found it. A lot of people are gathering, and I just followed them to the center. What a gaudy place. So much ivory white, marble, with gold and silver inlays… There is a huge runic circle where several priests of the church are gathering." Phaestus continued his observation.

"Okay, so then, what is viewing them going to do?" Ruby asked.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"That is the purpose of the circle here. That is a teleportation circle I asked Elder Oribaba to give me the designs for. I will have Yilan act as a power source to power up the runic circle. Then all I have to do is activate a one-way teleportation spell to bring the summoned people here." He explained to them.

"And the pearl?" Dite asked.

"That is in case they are affected by the curse. The strong purifying power has been amplified by me adding onto it in my workshop."

"So everything is going good?" Ruby asked.

"I almost didn't make it. The Beholder Eye that is in Dawn right now is a newer, more divinity imbued version. The first iteration slipped from my control once I entered the city. Which is why I added the sword pedestal yesterday. My magic will not work well in that city unless I have divine power backing it up. I am not sure what the cause is."

When his first Beholder Eye he moved into the city left his control, the only thing he saw before it went dark was it shattering into the ground. The first one was not imbued with divine power, but the four that he had floating about around the summoning circle were infused with increasing amounts of divine power for each one to make sure it would succeed.

"Now, I just wait for the right moment." Phaestus commented, taking a drink of tea.

A woman in a grand-looking robe stood pensively in front of a large elaborate door. She knocked on the door.

"Enter." A voice called from the other side.

She opened the door and entered the room. The Pope was by the window looking out at the night sky. A light smile on his face was all you could see as his head and eyes were covered by his hat and veil.

"Y-your holiness, the preparations are complete. We are ready when you are." She bowed to his back stiffly.

"Good. You have done well." His words carried a dark power with them.

He walked up next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let us proceed. All of you, follow." The five scantily clad women in orange gypsy dancer outfits followed along.

The priest led the way out of the Pope's office and down the hall toward the ritual courtyard. As they approached, the zealous chants of their priests and believers could be heard, getting louder and louder as they got closer. Just as the Pope entered the courtyard, a priest announced his arrival to the townspeople.

"HIS EMINENCE ARRIVES!" The priest shouted with a fanatical zeal.

The townspeople raised a bone-rattling cry at his arrival. The Pope's expression did not change in the least bit as he continued his approach to the center of the circle. The five Heroes that guarded him took up a defensive position around him.

"SILENCE FOR HIS EMINENCE'S BLESSING!" The fanatic yelled, bringing everyone to silence.

The quiet was unnerving until the Pope spoke.

"My people. I thank you all for coming here on this great occasion. Today, our God of Light will bestow upon us his blessing of mighty Heroes. On this night, we summon them." He sunk into a long chant.

With each word he spoke, the runic circle began to fill with power.

"OFFER YOUR PRAYERS TO THE GOD OF LIGHT!" The fanatic cried out again.

The people began praying. Magic flowed from the people toward the runic circle, amplifying its filling. After five minutes, the circle was filled with immense power as the Pope finished his spell, hitting the crescendo.

"[Summon]!"

The circle brightened, forming six smaller circles before the Pope.

"Oh! Six! Praise his Eminence! Praise the God of Light!"

"A new record of summons!"

"Praise his Eminence!"

The clergymen raised their voices as the circles gained in power. Then, six people appeared from the small circles.

"THE SUMMONING WAS A SUCCESS! ALL PRAISE HIS EMINENCE!" The fanatic called out, getting a cry of praise from the people.

"Now then. My most favorite part. Ich tal wa-." The Pope began.

Then, the summoned people, and the five Heroes, vanished in a flash of light.

"W-What?! WHAT HAPPENED?! WHERE ARE THEY!?" The Pope cried out.

The townspeople were still cheering loudly, but the nearby clergymen had no answers for him.

"FIND THEM! NOW!"

The soft smile was no longer on his face. His mouth was twisted in rage, his teeth practically gnashing with each word.

What happened?! What is going on?! The gods? Was it the gods? But I was promised they would not be able to interfere…

The Pope was at a loss as to what happened until a single word came to his lips. "Heretic…"

Phaestus struggled through the ill-feeling crawling through his mind.

Have to... destroy evidence.

He rammed all four Beholder Eyes into hard surfaces, destroying them. Phaestus collapsed near the center of the circle where he was holding onto Yilan.

"Phaestus! What's wrong?" Dite cried, running to him in a panic.

"P-pearl." He begged, his teeth chattering.

Ruby quickly brought the upgraded Heart of the Sea over to him. He held the pearl in one hand, his other on the hilt of Yilan. After a moment, a black mist was expelled from his body into the air, where it dissipated into nothing. Phaestus was breathing heavily.

"Oh, that feels... that feels better." He began to relax.

Ruby brought a chair over that Dite helped him into. They gave him some divine water to help him recover.

"What happened?" Dite asked worriedly.

"The Pope. He is definitely the core of the curse, like the Goddesses said. His words…" Phaestus shivered. "His words were like worms, parasites, tentacles, ugh, they worm their way into your mind, trying to take control or corrupt it. I am slightly glad I learned this now. I will have to prepare for him."

The five Heroes approached Phaestus. Ruby and Dite jumped before him in defense before the five women dropped to their knees and bowed before them.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!" They all cried in unison, tears streaming down their faces, their bodies shaking.

"W-what?" Dite commented in confusion.

"It's Yilan, Dite. Her purifying power is weakening the curse. Ruby, take the pearl around to the six others. They don't have the mark, but the Pope's words may have affected them." He asked her, handing the Heart of the Sea to the rabbit-kin.

Ruby nodded and headed over to the confused group. Phaestus switched to speaking English.

"Hey, you all. Do you understand me?" He asked.

A young man in a leather jacket spoke up first.

"Uh, yeah. What the hell is goin' on 'ere?" He spoke with a British accent.

"Good. I will be more than happy to explain. First and foremost, that black mist that came out of me, did you all see it?"

The six nodded.

"Good, that will make this a bit easier. You see the state I am in right now. That mist is a curse that was dispelled from my body. That pearl the rabbit girl is holding will clear it from you. These crying women here were affected heavily by that curse. If you want to make sure that is not on you, hold the pearl, and it will clear it out of you." Phaestus explained.

The young people nodded, terrified, and moved over to Ruby. One by one, they held the pearl. A small amount of the mist left each of their bodies.

"A'right, now w-what?" The young man asked, sounding like he was trying to be brave.

"Next is a change of venue."

With a wave of his hand, Phaestus shifted everyone into the Haven.

"Come on, man. Some warning, please?" The young man complained.

The Senior Goddess and Elder Oribaba were already waiting along with Luna in her mortal form. The Senior Goddess and Luna took the Heroes to explain the situation to them, gather information, and put them into a crystal sleep along with the other Heroes that Phaestus rescued. Elder Oribaba and Phaestus' group joined the young people at a table in the Haven.

"Now, to give you all the short version. All of you are the victims of an interdimensional kidnapping performed by a psychotic Pope who seeks to enslave the world with a cursed mark call the Mark of Domination. Which he would have placed on all of you if I had not rescued you. The Mark of Domination would completely remove your free will, turning you into a puppet to follow any, and I mean any, command that they give you. No matter how horrible it is, you would be aware the whole time, unable to do a thing as your body follows their command." Phaestus finished his explanation.

A young lady raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"Um, so we are in another world?" She asked sheepishly.

"Yes." Phaestus replied matter-o-factly.

Another young man raised his hand, Phaestus motioned for him to ask.

"So, do we have special abilities?" He asked, excitement building his voice.

That was when Elder Oribaba spoke up.

"I am sorry to say, but that summoning did nothing more than move you here. You do not have special abilities."

Some of the people's shoulders slumped at her answer. That is when the young man in the jacket spoke up.

"So then, is there any way we can get back home?"

Elder Oribaba smiled. "Yes. Since no one currently knows that any of you are missing. Though I will suppress your memory of this to seem like a distant dream. You could stay here if you wanted."

"But I don't recommend it. People like us, from Earth, are very susceptible to the curse, while the residents of this world are… mostly immune. That Pope will pursue all of you until you are within his grasp, enslaved." Phaestus advised.

"Are there modern conveniences here?" A girl asked.

"Sorry to say it, but no. Food is rather behind, running water doesn't really exist, and toilets are mostly a pit." Phaestus replied, thankful he had his Haven.

It did not take long for them to come to a decision to return back to Earth. Elder Oribaba gathered them together around her and vanished with them, taking them back home.

Several minutes later, Luna and Senior Goddess joined Phaestus, Ruby, and Dite at the table. Phaestus was holding onto the pearl and Yilan.

"Are you okay, Phaestus?" Luna asked worriedly.

"Yeah. That feeling, it just makes your skin crawl. Holding these two helps to alleviate it. What were you able to learn?"

"Several bad things, it seems. Those young ladies had a lot of privy information since they were the personal… guards of the Pope." The Senior Goddess shuddered.

Those poor ladies. I hope their dreams are beautiful. Phaestus thought, pity pouring from his heart.

The Senior Goddess continued what they learned. They learned that the Pope was making significant moves in the demon-kin kingdom of Moona and that their plans were close to fruition.

The next major plan was that they were going to usurp the ruling family of Goun and absorb into the kingdom of Dawn. Doing so would make the magic contract they signed irrelevant since Goun would no longer exist in a sense.

Then, once they had the two kingdoms under their control, they planned to amass a large army of men, demon-kin, and Heroes to conquer the allied kingdoms.

They planned on destroying the Northern grand bridge to cut off Alta from Goun and then dam up the river to make sure that Alta would not be able to readily assist Meerka.

Dite was very tense overhearing what was happening in Moona. Phaestus reached over and squeezed her hand, showing her his support.

"So we have to stop them in Moona then." Phaestus said.

"It would be best to. Though I do not think it will stop the plan completely. The demon-kin would be needed to be able to completely conquer. It would not stop them from attacking Meerka when they conquer Goun." Senior Goddess advised.

We have to stop their plans in Moona first. Maybe I could have the royals contact the Emperor to warn him?

"Alright. I will ask the allied kingdoms to contact the Emperor of Goun to warn him of Dawn's betrayal. We will head to Moona to see what we can do."

Dite silently thanked him by hugging him.

"Very well. I will be on my way then. I wish you the best of luck, Eric." The Senior Goddess stood and vanished in her usual way.

How far are you willing to go? How many will you sacrifice? Why do you desire to control the world?

He thought in regards to the Pope. The man was a dark and sinister mystery to him.

"Let's go, girls. We have a lot to do."

They reappeared in the courtyard in the back garden.

"I am going to check on Leros."

"I am going to check on big sis Athena!"

Dite and Ruby moved out of the runic circle. Just before Phaestus stepped out, the circle lit up once more.

"Wha-?!"

"Papa!"

"Phaestus!"