I followed the Divine and we exited the building.
The suns were still high up in the skies and a few lazy clouds slowly moved with the wind. The clearing was as empty as when I arrived, and the treetops swayed with the wind.
A few birds flew by, flapping their wings and making abrupt turns mid-air when they crossed into the clearing. They went back into the forest and followed the treeline, then went on their way.
“My Ratnak fell asleep,” I told Shorvanna, gesturing in the direction of my party which I felt through the Bond. “How come birds don't?”
“They fly,” the Goddess pointed out the obvious. “If they fall asleep while flying they could get hurt.”
“Aren't you thoughtful,” I chuckled. “Will I have to carry my companions into the clearing?” I inquired.
“Not at all,” she replied. “I will set the barrier to allow entry to those Bonded to Halves.”
I nodded with a hum. “Any invasions into Divine Lands as of late? Elena said something about you Gods fucking off while under mind control. That could be a bit yikes.”
“None,” Shorvanna assured me. “You would be alerted. Also, the barrier forces mortal beings to fall asleep if they try crossing over without our permission.”
“I see,” I muttered. “What if someone runs in this direction and then jumps before they fall asleep? What if they also carry an explosive?”
“We will hide inside the temple if fighting them off is not an option,” the Divine being chuckled, probably finding my made up scenario amusing. “Then, one of you Halves gets here and kills any trespassers that remain. After that, Danuva looks into their minds and we get information. Whoever of you came will hunt those responsible down, kill them all, and reiterate the message that Divine Lands are not to be invaded without costly consequences. In the event of us Divines dying, we will emerge in another temple. A few centuries will come and go, we will allow the High Ordinators to learn of our new location and in turn send Orators to serve under us. We will tell them to spread word of our location to mortals and they will come and express their condolences, bring us gifts, and the cycle will begin all over again.”
“Sounds pretty easy,” I commented with a nod.
“I'm being incredibly simplistic here, young Halve,” the Goddess pointed out. “If you want a step-by-step explanation I'm more than willing to give it to you, along with the three million year old protocols, procedures, traditions, customs, and more. Furthermore, if the Divine that died is a God the Era would change. Your stay with us would have to be reconsidered from a few months to a few years for the full, in-depth explanation.”
I stared at her with narrow eyes. “Maybe another time,” I chose a diplomatic approach. “You mentioned High Ordinators,” I pointed out. “What do they do?”
The Goddess turned her head my way and simply replied, “A lot.”
I snorted, then explained, “I'm planning on visiting them. There's this thing about the word hermaphrodite. Those the word refer to don't like it, as I understand.”
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“Again?” Shorvanna muttered in what sounded like surprise. “Someone came up with the word a while ago due to people not liking the previous term. Time moves forward and people change, after all. That too, is the beauty of mortals.”
I nodded in agreement. “When will we sleep?” I asked. “In the temple or tents outside? I mean, it's your house, right?”
“That depends,” the Goddess replied. “How much do your companions worship us? If not much, then they won't have issue with sleeping inside our temple. If a lot, then I can see them thinking themselves unworthy.”
“They refused to speak once we entered Divine Lands,” I told her.
“I see,” Shorvanna nodded. “Good luck, then.”
I let out a long sigh.
With the little chat done, we moved to the edge of the clearing.
Shorvanna raised her hands and said something in Celestial, making E'er giggle and wiggle in glee. After that she took a step back and turned around, then walked back to the obelisk.
I followed her with my eyes, a little confused. So E'er giggles with Gods... but shifts with Mortals? This is not quite constant, it seems, I considered and walked into the forest. Or it's the reaction that's different? Or is that the effect of Celestial, and if a God used a skill E'er would shift as it normally does? Do Gods have skills, though? More questions for later. I didn't even notice there was a barrier in the first place, I chuckled. Well, they are Divines.
My companions were waiting with faces full of expectation.
The Dryads went down on one knee when I reached them.
“So...” I started and cleared my throat. “I talked with the Gods.”
My companions nodded.
Pokora's face betrayed how unbelievable that sounded. She had an expression that said 'Nah, this bitch lying'.
“Danuva agreed to heal Elena,” I told her the good news with a smile. “As such, we'll be staying here for a while.”
The Elf nodded, and her eyes slowly became glossy.
Lapia and Bonte, who were standing next to her, gave the woman a hug and pats on the back.
“I also went ahead and asked if she could teach Alyssa and Yolin,” I added with a shrug. “Being the Goddess of the path of the Cleric and all. I saw the opportunity and went for it.”
The Luzo and Oni opened their eyes wide in surprise.
“Shorvanna agreed to teach me and Thelea,” I shared.
The Goliath smiled and nodded.
“And Saravia agreed to teach Bromisnar,” I finalized.
The Satyr gasped and put a hand on his chest.
“All in all they were pretty welcoming. Fun bunch. Anyway, let's go in,” I told them, picked the still sleeping Sonya up, and started walking.
----------------------------------------
A short while later, a hard-to-describe event unfolded in front of me.
Alyssa, Bonte, Bromisnar, Elena, Hanna, Lapia, Pokora, Thelea, and Yolin went down on one knee and looked at the ground. They had their hands in front of their chests as if in prayer, but with interlinked fingers.
Danuva, Saravia, and Shorvanna were in front of them, looking down at the mortals who worshiped them. Danuva floated a few centimeters above the ground, and had an eye on each kneeling person. Saravia floated as well, the fabrics that made his body floating as if underwater. Shorvanna was just standing there like a set of armor in an exhibit.
I was to the side, hands in my pockets and watching with complicated feelings.