Using stealth, we left the Labyrinth invisible using another access point in another country. Spending more time in Ackerton was a waste of time.

A lot of things were turned upside down by the loss of {Spellcaster}. I no longer could overcharge my Energy pool, or use Cores to recharge it. I had to cross the oceans by my own power. It was amazing how stronger I was now compared to Lakerta. Nenandil stayed behind with the fairies in the Refuge. I shifted into the Ethereal where I would travel ten times faster and shapeshifted into the all-time favorite overland flyer, the needletail swift. After factoring in Perks and Abilities, the normal 110km/h of the Earth bird became Mach 20 as compared to overland speeds. Fast enough to do a loop around the Earth Equator in a little more than two hours. Yznarian was larger than Earth although the gravity acceleration was almost equal. Yznarian’s crust was a veritable Swiss cheese with the Labyrinth covering the entire planet to mind-boggling depths. That countered the size as the slice of the denser mantle was smaller.

The ocean blurred underneath me. Less than an hour later, I saw the Auvanini coastline and adjusted my course. Home. To Windemere and Mirina a decade or two later. I flew over Sadian, the mountains, and up. Windemere wasn’t on fire. Funny how one’s standards are skewed by perspective. Is the nation on fire? No. Then all problems are minor. From above everything seemed fine. The Sky Island hadn’t moved as I went over the magical Force panels and landed on the lawn.

I assumed my normal form and flew to the former Lonid Royal palace. I met some of the servant golem-priests bound to the island and found that Mirina was on the surface, attending official duties. I assumed one of my old disguises, the wolf-kin dancer Mononoke. Taking the portal to my small Park next to the Adventurer’s Guild where once I dreamed of opening a shop…

It was the second time, wasn’t it? Rosewise couldn’t have her enchanter’s shop either. Maybe next time. I laughed ruefully, drawing attention from some passersby. The world would surely give me some quiet to run my shop. Yeah. One could dream.

I walked along the main street to the town center, observing the people coming and going. Everything seemed fine and I noticed almost all the old wattle-and-daub homes had been replaced by stone buildings erected by magic. The streets smelled better and I could sense the running water in the sewer tunnels underneath the street. Some people wore subordinate Tabards, and I also saw a few guards on patrol.

Everything seemed fine but I couldn’t help but worry. The towers of the Academy were there, the gigantic Pantheon cathedral appeared as I reached the temple square. Priests and Adventurers moved along, doing temple business or seeking healing. It was there that I made my first stop. I entered the Matriarch’s Grand Cathedral, a building that was remodeled in these decades and was now almost the same size as the other dedicated to most of the Pantheon combined.

A bear-kin priestess approached, “Welcome to the Matriarch’s House,” she greeted with a smile. “How may we help you today?”

“Greetings, Acolyte Jenner,” I greeted her after checking her family name with my {Appraise} hack. “You’ve been ordained recently, right? What’s your thought on the temple?”

“Marvelous. I feel blessed by the Matriarch every day I get to work in this magnificent temple. It is a temple worthy of her grandiosity,” she gushed.

I smiled back at her, “What if I told you the Matriarch doesn’t care that much about the size of her temple. That this grand cathedral is just to impress the mundane visitors.”

At first, she felt offended but then she closed her eyes. “I would say you are correct. The Matriarch cares only for the wellbeing of her children.”

I chuckled, delighted with the answer. “Never forget that, Jenner. Even when you are clad in gold, never forget that.”

“Sorry if I must ask,” she stuttered just a little, “But who are you? Are you a priest too?”

“Not really,” I grinned. “I need to speak to Salia, can you tell her I’m here?”

“The [Pope]? What business you might...” She went white, then fell down on her knees, drawing a lot of attention. I moved fast and held her before she could actually genuflect.

“Stand child. I demand your dedication and an open heart, not obeisance and subservience.”

> Priestess Carrie Jenner’s Faith went up by 2 points.

She grasped my arms teared up. “Is that you? Are you back?”

“Momentarily. I have important business in the southeast. But I must honor the covenant and bring back the dead. Would you tell Salia I’m here? Without causing a commotion and making the whole country grind to a halt?”

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She nodded vigorously, then started to run down the nave’s main aisle. A senior priest raised protest and called her name, but Jenner was acting on higher authority. That priest frowned and seemed very annoyed. I sidled next to him.

“What’s the matter, father? Why the frown?”

“Novices and Acolytes,” he grumbled. “Always disrespecting the temple’s quiet.”

“Is this temple supposed to be quiet? I thought it needed more children, playing and making a mess around the pews. Song, dance. Happy people giggling and chortling. Hungry people uttering gormandizing groans as they sated their needs.”

“That’s one way to look at things,” he remarked bitterly. “How may I help you?”

“Jenner. What’s wrong with her?”

“She disrespects authority,” he scoffed.

“She seems to have a good grasp of the holy scriptures,” I conjectured, baiting him.

“She likes books and has her own copy of the scriptures. I have to admit she does read them quite often.”

“She’s a diamond in the rough. I worry for her, does she have the best environment to blossom?”

Jenner and Salia came out of a door at the back. The bear-kin girl looked around and found me. She pointed and the two clerics made a beeline toward us.

“The [Pope]? What’s going on?” The senior priest asked.

I could barely hold back my mischievous streak and a fit of laughter. Teasing this stuck-up priest was funny. “Oh, I asked Jenner to fetch Salia for me. Such a lovely child.”

“Why would you…?” He stared at me but was cut off by Salia.

“You’re back!” The [Pope] sighed with relief. “What’s the emergency?”

“I don’t know,” I retorted. “What’s the emergency? Is there any emergency?”

“Not that I know,” she sighed and puffed.

“Is something wrong? You seem tired,” I said as I hugged the woman. “Take a vacation.”

She hugged me back. “Is that an order?”

“Of course not. Work yourself to death for all I care. I’ll bring you back.”

“Wait a moment...” The senior priest mumbled.

“Shush, Hector,” I berated him. “We’re having a moment here.”

“How do you?” Hector gasped.

“You should’ve figured her out by now,” Salia replied to him then back at me, “Would you assume your real form, please?”

“I’m a pixie nowadays,” I rubbed my wolf ears. “It’s easier if you tell me what you want me to be?”

“More present?” Salia poked me.

I shrugged, “Can’t help on that front. You’re on your own, take care of my flock. I have things to do, places to be, and some R&R to have. You should try it sometimes. Dump your job on Jenner and go on a vacation.”

“Jenner? She couldn’t...” Hector was staring at me with wide eyes. “Matriarch’s wisdom! What have I done?”

Now I broke down into a fit of laughter. “Nothing, Hector. You did nothing. Rejoice. And take it easy, my priest. Guide Jenner well. I have great hopes for her.”

“I’m humbled by your guidance and the confidence placed on me,” he started to bow and I held him.

“Not here, people are staring. Let’s move to Salia’s office,” I explained.

The four of us withdrew to said office.

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

Introductions done, it was time to do business.

“I have the fur tabs here with me,” Salia said rubbing her storage ring. “Can you take them?”

I nodded, “Give me the ring. I can take them straight from it. Maybe upgrade it. Is it too full?”

“You have no idea,” she removed the ring from her finger and passed it along.

It was full to bursting. More than a hundred thousand tabs with a hair sample from people who wished to be brought back.

“I definitely need to give you a bigger ring,” I mused as I emptied the magic item into my item box. “I’ll make you a new one before leaving. Here, take it back. I unbound it from you, don’t rebind it.”

“I’ll hand it down to Jenner then,” Salia said. “Here, Your Highness, it’s yours now.”

I raised an eyebrow as Jenner blushed, “Highness?”

“You dueled my father at the Academy,” Jenner said as if that was explanation enough. Then the mental wires connected.

“Is Jenner your mother’s maiden name?” She nodded. “You’re Isengar’s daughter? Goodness!”

“Mom divorced a couple of years ago,” Jenner confessed. “I changed my name and joined the clergy.”

“Just tell me, is there any reason I should go there and give your old man another beating?”

“NO!” The girl protested. “They just didn’t see eye to eye.”

“Is he still ruling Leondirac?”

“No, he didn’t get re-elected. That’s when his mood soured and mom left. But he didn’t beat us or anything.”

I had to laugh.

“Hector, can you find Mirina and inform her I’m here without drawing too much undue attention? I’ll go see her but I have to raise the dead first. I don’t want her to think I’m avoiding her or anything.”

Hector left and I went to the backyard with Salia and Carrie Jenner. The young woman couldn’t stop staring at her new storage ring. I called upon Pandora and started sifting through my item box, fetching the correct fur tags corresponding to the silk dolls I had in storage waiting to come back to life. I had to spend Divinity to rebuild the bodies and then use {Last Chance} to reunite body and soul. The amount of Divinity spent wasn’t trivial but a happy ressurrectee would repay that tenfold.

Godhood was a business like any other. All that mattered was the profit. I was just more ethical than the other deities.

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

Mirina came to the cathedral once she learned I was in town. She rushed to hug me once she recognized my wolf-kin disguise. I was so afraid she would reject me or resent me for moving on but she seemed really happy to see me. I too was happy to see her.

“You’re back!” She shouted and hugged me tighter. “Where’s her?”

I knew who she was talking about. “Lost somewhere to the southeast. We should talk over dinner. Salia, would you join us? I want you to learn what I have to disclose.”

We took the portal in the giant tree behind the cathedral back to Sky Island. Mirina didn’t let go of my hand.

First, they told me of what happened in these seventeen years since I made my suicide pact with Lorna. The elections and democracy were operating at acceptable levels, but corruption, political parties, and lobbying were already taking root.

There I explained everything about the dead magic zone. I left the gnomes’ peculiar reproductive habits out of it and mostly focused on the political and magical implications of such a place. Then I explained about the Kobolds and how both species seemed to worship the same God.

“Lorna is there, or I’d just forget about it,” I finished. “I have to go back and find her. And maybe learn more truths about this world.”