Pele and Vah had reached the surface and were cautiously trudging through the dense forest that lined most of the Northern Continent.

“Why you?” Vah asked as she stepped over a fallen cluster of vines.

She was much slower than the Fire Breaker but he made sure not to walk too far ahead of her.

“I mean, we had actual Chofumah leaders with us and even that dog, Imani but they chose you...” Vah continued and, as with every other thing she said, Pele didn’t respond.

He instead chose to focus on his surroundings as his eyes keenly scanned his surroundings.

He suddenly raised his hand, prompting Vah to stop.

She followed his gaze and saw that he was looking at something further ahead.

Pele took slow and careful steps forward alongside Vah who then let out a hushed gasp upon seeing a herd of deer-like grazing in a clearing.

They were large creatures that averaged at five meters tall and instead of antlers, they had long hairs that touched the ground where the absorbed the life energy of the grass below.

They moved slowly with a strange grace.

Pele’s eyes narrowed but it didn’t seem like he was interested in the deer and so he turned south and continued walking.

Vah, after taking in the sight of the deer a bit more, followed him and the two travelled for some time before setting up camp next to a collapsed tree after Vah grew too tired to walk.

Night had also fallen so Pele gathered some firewood and started a small fire.

Both he and Vah were quite hungry so, after instructing her to stay by the fire, he ventured into the night.

He would eventually find some prey only it was in the form of a member of the cat-like species found even in Hatua that were capable of generating electricity with their fur.

Pele saw that the one he had cornered was protecting something.

Its nest.

Usually, animals would be able to outrun humanoid hunters but warriors from Hatua were incredibly fast and could run for kilometres on end and so catching the animal was easy for Pele but he stopped as it wildly hissed at him.

He looked into its eyes and just when it seemed like he would hesitate, he struck it in the head with a rock he’d picked up during the pursuit, killing it in an instant.

He then reached into its nest and grabbed its four infants but just as he turned around to return to camp, he fell to his knee and clutched at his chest.

I watched as his heart furiously fought to pump blood into his body which, at this point, was twice as big as that of a normal person.

He let out a grunt before shaking his head and standing up.

He then returned to Vah, who dosed off as she sat next to the fire.

Silently, he skinned and roasted his prey with a dagger he kept in his pocket.

He roasted the day’s catch and offered some to Vah, who yawned as she accepted it.

“You’re a traitor, ya know?” She said while barely managing to sit up.

“While you were out there playing hero, your people toiled in the dirt for scraps but it was fine because at least we were alive, right? That’s what I’m sure you told yourself as you slept at the foot of that cursed place.” She hissed but Pele simply ate his food.

“Tsk! Fuck you, Pele! Fuck Ua, fuck Sav’ta, fuck the Umande and fuck that boy and whatever help he had to offer!” Vah spat making Pele clench his jaws a little.

Vah didn’t notice this because just those last words left her mouth, her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

Pele let out a sigh before looking up with a weary expression.

Although it could be said that was just the way his face was at this point.

“Forgive her, Lady Sav’ta.” He whispered before resting his back against the tree and closing his eyes for a moment.

“Forgive us all, we who have yet to see the truth of your vision.” He said before opening his eyes and keeping watch.

I thought about his prayer.

I wasn’t actually a deity so there was nothing to forgive but what he said about my vision was interesting to me because by simply waking up the next day and surviving, they were fulfilling my desire.

That was all I ever asked of them.

Speaking of survival, the Chofumah by the coast of Y’shuah had finally found a way to best the shrimp.

Everyone knew that the shrimp relied on their arms for strength and so a Chofumah Fire Breaker, one who had also chosen to leave Hatua, suggested that some skilled warriors siphon Life Energy from the shrimp’s arms while the others go in for the kill.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

This worked, for the most part, and now the Chofumah were engaged in a furious battle with hundreds of shrimp along the coast.

Blood, bone and shell littered the sand as the clash filled the air with explosions and screams.

A certain Fire Breaker led the charge and he tore through the shrimp using his bare hands after their arms were disabled.

A few Blessed Sisters had even joined in the fight to claim the Northern Continent.

They healed the wounded and aided in weakening the shrimp.

But for every hundredth Shrimp they killed, ten or so people were blown to pieces by the Shrimp who used Life Magic to keep their arms from being blown apart after using their powerful arms repeatedly.

This battle would go on for the rest of the night but in the meantime, I turned my attention to Hatua where I saw something peculiar.

In the dead of night, a handful of Shangazi met in the living of the forbidden home where they conducted their experiments.

They sat around a table, lit only by a single candle and had some tea.

“It is ultimately for the best.” One of them said making the other four nod.

“We could never ask her to participate in this, especially now that she has to take care of that adorable scamp and Sav’ta only knows what will become us during our research.”

“Indeed. That is why I want you all to find men that you trust with your entire beings. Even if it isn’t your husband's.”

I wasn’t quite sure what they were talking about but it sounded serious.

I would have to keep an eye on them but it seemed as though they were done talking and so they left the house in the dead of night and returned to their own homes.

As for Ua, she sleepily sat on her bed while breastfeeding Musa who had awoken at such a late hour.

Heziyn sat next to her with some fresh towels but Ua shook her head as she yawned.

“He doesn’t need changing. Not yet, at least.” Ua giggled but Heziyn’s face remained stiff.

“You may leave now. I’ll call one of the maids, should the need arise.”

Heziyn stood up and exited the room all while Ua made silly noises for Musa who looked unimpressed.

Although I’m not sure what emotion he was expressing since he was a new-born.

Heziyn made her way to her room, which was in the western wing of the palace, across from where Ua’s room was.

She crawled into bed and closed her eyes to sleep.

After Jua’s death, she cried a little before she slept but she did that less frequently now.

I chose to keep my focus on her since she was up to something quite interesting.

.

..

Morning came and Heziyn awoke with baggy, half-open eyes.

She crawled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom in the western wing which was smaller than the other one and was used by the maids.

After getting cleaned, she got changed and made her way into the kitchen where the maids prepared breakfast for Ua.

The Hennean Queen, as she was known, had grown somewhat paranoid and so Heziyn was made to taste test everything the maids cooked since a good chunk of them were Chofumah.

Heziyn was initially apprehensive but Ua told her that if she got sick or poisoned, Musa could potentially be affected.

With that, Heziyn became her taster.

She walked up to the pot of porridge one of the maids was cooking and, after greeting her, she tasted a spoonful.

She then waited fifteen minutes before taking a bowl and serving some.

She took this bowl to Ua’s room and was greeted by the Queen with a warm smile.

Heziyn placed the plate next to the bed before bowing and turning to leave.

“Off to the farmhouse?” Ua asked making Heziyn stop.

“I haven’t done anything all this time because you are simply nursing the wounds of a few Meerkats but if it comes to be that you wish harm on either Musa or I... Well, I suppose I would quickly return to being Mlezi’s only wife.” Ua said.

“I would never harm a hair on either of your heads, ma’am,” Heziyn said through gnashed teeth.

“Oh, but I can’t be so sure. Better safe than sorry and all that. Anyway, off you go.”

Heziyn left the palace and made her way to Jua’s farmhouse where she, along with a few palace maids she had convinced to help, cooked some food for any who were hungry.

They also healed those they could although none of them were as good as Jua so no limbs were regrown or other such miraculous things.

They operated under the protection of Thabiti who retained his rank, even after evoking Ua’s wrath.

Actually, Ua had chosen to keep him specifically because he had seen her wrath.

Also, regarding her ability to simultaneously use Gravity and Fire Magic, it stemmed from a theory I had a while back.

I could use magic on a planetary scale but I had always wondered to what extent the humanoids would be able to use magic.

It was revealed that their comprehension of the world around them and the magic therein affected the scale at which they operated.

Ua had been studying Glass for years and she had vast amounts of knowledge in several other fields meaning that her ability to use two magics was par for the course, although she was the only one I’d ever seen do so.

I had tried mimicking her and I managed to use two magics easily but I could obviously make her gravity fire death balls even more destructive by making them bigger.

As for the flash of red I saw in Mchungaji’s hair, I couldn’t make any observations on him since he was aimlessly wandering the far Eastern deserts of the Southern Continent.

I kept healing him so as to keep him alive and I planned on observing him closely but that would have to wait.

A door knock returned me to the present and I saw that Thabiti was standing outside Jua’s farmhouse with a few guards in tow.

One of the maids opened the door, allowing Thabiti inside.

He was led to Heziyn who was telling a few Chofumah children a story of a kind young man who, like a flickering star, blessed the world with his dim light only to vanish.

Some of these children had been left behind during True Exodus and they all called the farmhouse their home.

“Ahem!” Thabiti sounded.

Heziyn glanced at him before shooing the children out of the room.

Thabiti then sat on the couch next to hers and let out a loud groan.

“Well, it’s safe to say that she’s watching everything now. The Shangazi whisper everything to her and apart from our own, the Fire Breakers all report directly to her.”

Heziyn didn’t respond and instead warmly smiled as a little girl walked back into the room with a toy of some kind.

It really just looked like some knotted-together straw but the girl offered it to Heziyn who accepted.

The girl smiled back before running out of the room.

“Should we throw everything out and accept things as they are?” Thabiti asked and Heziyn shook her head.

“Oh? I wasn’t expecting that response but what should we do then if our mouths and fingers have eyes growing out of them?”

Heziyn paused for a moment.

Her eyes then narrowed and she eventually turned to Thabiti as he sat with a raised brow.

“I will one day run north and on that day, I beg that you protect me with your life.”

Thabiti frowned.

“What act could possibly- ah... The eyes... Mmm... Well, by saying even that alone, we have become walking corpses but you can count on this corpse’s help when the time comes. Although I’ll have to get my family to safely first hehe.” He laughed nervously but Heziyn dismissively waved her left hand.

“Don’t worry. I also want to see to it that these children are given a good place to live so I will not run until then.”

Thabiti nodded before standing and leaving without saying another word.

This would be the last time he and Heziyn spoke for a long while.