"What will you do with the wisp?" Galbarar asked, staring at the invisible spirit still imbued with divinity.

"Let it drift? Dunno. Is it dangerous?" I let a shudder as I asked once more to be sure, "Can he come back?"

He shook his head as he floated next to the wisp to examine it. "No. You erased all that he once was. Before he came here, before he became a God, he was an army veteran from Texas. Fought in the Gulf during the Bush administration. The power changed him."

"As it does us all," I mumbled and sighed. Don't humanize my demons, please. "Are you all from Earth as well?"

"Yes, we are. From the same epoch as you too, although you are from a couple years in our future. But understand this. We spent millions of years traveling across dimensions, growing and nurturing our power until we came to this world. Even though we still remember Earth, we cannot really count as people from there anymore."

That's why the Elder Fairies think they are invaders. it was their world before they came and took over. Maybe the demons are trying to do exactly the same. Maybe they were once the Demon Lords even though their appearance doesn't strike me as hideous.

I sighed once more, also staring at the wisp. "Is it dangerous to leave it be?"

"It's a divine spark," He started to explain as if giving a lecture.

I wondered if he was a teacher back home. Our former home. We were part of this world now. There was no coming back.

"It is one of the three key parts to becoming divine. The Spark, the Core, and the Domain. Without a Domain, one cannot gather divinity. Without a core, one cannot store divinity. And without a spark, one cannot use divinity. One or two of the triad alone is useless."

I wondered where Pandora fit in this equation. She was a spark and now she'd absorbed a core. I wouldn't ask him, though. Regarding Pandora, innocence and just accepting she 'was' was enough for me. Knowing her potential would taint me with greed and tarnish her development.

She was a spark of infinite possibilities. Were I to impose my flawed and finite perception and wishes upon her, it would be akin to destroying a universe.

I tossed a piece of gravel down into the roaring ocean below. "Should you be telling me this?"

"You have enough knowledge to figure it out on your own. There are talks of making you join our ranks."

"Hard pass. I'd rather suffer as a mortal down here than getting tangled in your games," Staring ahead, I said seriously.

"So shall it be. I must go now. I'll take this unbound spark with me. I will give it a proper destination. Rest assured, your woes with Bundeus are over. He 'is' no more."

"Wait. Before you go, I want to do something," I pulled the Perk shop and asked the System. "Give me something to upgrade {Administrator Hotline} so I can contact the Gods."

> DENIED. You are forbidden from acquiring Divine Perks.

"Well, so much for not using Wyxnos as an errand boy," I huffed.

Galbarar chuckled. "Isn't it too arrogant to wish to talk to Gods at your own discretion?" he asked more in jest than anything.

I craned my head and raised an eyebrow at him, "Who was talking about making me one of your own?"

"Fair enough. I mustn't linger for too long. Until we meet again," he said and vanished.

"Without people trying to murder each other!" I shouted at the wind.

I let myself linger there, breathing the salty ocean breeze. My mind wandered back to the fight and then I rose with a start. "Nenandil!"

I triggered my Perk and the fairy rematerialized in front of me. "Took you long enough, eh?" She roared with feigned anger.

Still fragile, I sniffled, "I'm sorry. You died."

"You died too, silly!" She giggled-sobbed and hugged me.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Then we both broke out in tears.

----------------------------------------

"You should bring Marlowe back too. He fought as hard as he could," Nenandil said after we finished our cathartic outburst.

"Sumsar betrayed us, though," I lamented shaking my head. Then I tried to cheer up the mood. "Let's make him a stronger golem body. The tiny doll was just a trial, right?"

"Right. As if you hadn't made it up just now," she deadpanned.

"No plan survives the enemy, so why bother?" I winked. She snorted. "Let's go, I need my workshop."

I shifted and flew along the fairy to find the nearest tree. From there I went to my refuge and assumed Silverstreak's form.

"Vesper!" I shouted. "We're home!"

The door opened on its own, revealing the silkie polishing the floor. "Don't be so loud. Miss Briar enjoys her quiet," The tiny fairy said in hushed tones then bowed her head. "Do come inside, mistress. Welcome home."

The wooden house was spotless. Never did it look as good and nobody would tell it was over three centuries old.

"Vesper, I have to use my workshop. I'm going to make a silk golem, do you want to help me?"

She lowered her head, "It would be an honor to work alongside you, mistress. I hope I don't mess up too badly."

I took her by the arm and led her in the direction of my workshop, "Oh, don't worry. Messing up is fun too."

The house was small for humans, just the right size for a lonely Eleon enchanter, but for us fairies, it might as well be a palace. The workshop was in the back room of the ground floor with the now-empty storefront, well, at the front. There I had my tools and supplies all neatly organized. The silkie could read the mood of the house inhabitants and knew where to put everything instinctively.

I shapeshifted into Rosewise as everything was adjusted to her size. Then I put myself to weaving. Marlowe's new body would be eight feet tall and well-chiseled. Gemstones for the eyes, golden thread where the creases of the muscles should be. Fingernails were sculpted from polished sheets of silver so his fingers could better grasp objects. A mouth with teeth made of monster ivory.

Vesper helped me where she could. As it would be good practice for her, I put the young silkie to carefully weave the delicate internal organs while I focused on the layers of woven silk that would be the skin and muscles.

I decided not to keep Marlowe as a contracted spirit. He earned his right to live again. He would become a new subspecies of silk-people. One made with care and precious materials, with a body that was previously enchanted and also leveled up with my {Living Silk} Perk. It worked very well for the former Queen of Virturia. I really wanted to reward him. The reincarnated person inherited the Perks of the living silk as innate ones.

A few days later, we were done. There was a little disagreement when it came to weaving the more... delicate parts of the body's male anatomy, as the prudish hundred-year-old silkie didn't want to do it. I had to do the job myself. We put trousers and a shirt over to cover the modesty of the inanimate cloth doll. Right.

Once we were done, I gave the blushing fairy a long stare. "You've never seen one, right?"

"N-No, mistress," she stuttered. "I had no idea they were this... big."

"That's because he's human-sized," I tried to reassure her but I knew I was failing miserably.

"Can we not talk about it anymore?" She asked with upturned eyes.

"Sure can. What were we talking about anyway?" I rubbed the back of my head very anime-style.

"Leveling up the living silk," Nenandil added from the other side of the room where she was playing with ice sculptures. "What?" She asked as our gaze bore a hole on her back, "I am getting my levels all over again. I picked Sculpting as a profession this time."

"We are going to go level up Marlowe's new body and Vesper as well. Wanna come with us?"

She swept the sculptures into my storage. "Sure thing. As if I would let you go anywhere without me!" She said as she perked up.

"Me? I don't need to level! This place is very safe!" Vesper tried to slip away.

"C'mon. it will be fun. Let's borrow the Black Dragon King Dungeon from the dwarves for a day or two!" I said.

She went from skittish to full panic, "Tha-that Undead Dungeon? No. They're too scary!"

I threw an arm over her shoulder, "Oh, come on. You'll be perfectly safe! We'll get you to level hundred-something then call it a day!"

"Yes, Vesper," Nenandil said. "I'll be with you! My sole focus will be to keep you safe!"

She came with us. Using Duchess Nagini's guise, we approached the Dwarven Dungeon. I had a fairy on each shoulder and the silk body folded in my big travel backpack.

The gate to the Dungeon was guarded by four dwarves and four Lamias. My heart swelled with pride as I saw two of them had kaleidoscopic scales with all the colors of the elemental spectrum, from black to white.

"Halt!" The dwarf [Sergeant] said. "State your business." He was level 114. Already struggling to climb the ramp of the rank-up.

"Hello there," I waved and smiled. "Is Alfondric around?"

The dwarf grew suspicious. "What business does the [Lady] has with the [Thane]?" He asked, clearly implying the [Thane]'s station was far greater than mine.

One of the rainbow lamias approached and whispered something on the dwarf [Sergeant]'s ears. I smirked. The dwarf raised his chin. Duchess Nagini's tail patterns didn't exist in lamias at all. Not in the hundreds I've seen ever since we've worked to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

"Do it now," Nenandil whispered in my ear. I gave her a sideways glance. The fairy was out for mischief.

I flared my Perks, activating them. {Progenitor Matriarch} and {Mana Wellspring} at full power. The other Rainbow Lamia froze and gawked at me.

"Let me ask again. Is Alfondric around?"

The two lamias were bowing deeply now. My matriarch aura's radius now was a bit less than seven kilometers, a third of Lakerta's. I didn't think it would reach Windemere proper, but I could be mistaken.

"The [Thane] is inspecting the mines," the dwarf now humbly offered. "I can send a runner if the Duchess can wait."

"Do that. Is there anyone training in the Dungeon right now?"

"No, Ma'am."

I pressed down with my {Royal Aura}. "Then the Dungeon is on lockdown for two days. My team and I are going to inspect and repair the wall enchantments if there's a need to. Step aside and let us do our job. Not even [King] Eric is to bother us."

The dwarf [Sergeant] didn't know what to say, but the four lamias replied as one. "It will be as you command, matriarch!"