Arianna's Lotus [http://i.imgur.com/oOhwKDZ.png]

Chapter Twelve

Pockets of Strife

I followed Nalithor, Sihix, and Yiltanys through Eormir’s subterranean tunnels, watching as my nylziis grew more and more agitated. With Eormir returned to the surface, several of the tunnels beneath Sihix’s domain led to the temple compound I had visited days prior. Nalithor wanted to see himself, and the Lari’xan were more than happy to oblige his request. I had a feeling they found his anger just as amusing as I did.

“How vile. They decorated their walls with tributes to that brat?” Yiltanys snorted with derision, shooting a foul look at a nearby relief. Even after centuries, glimmers of gilt and emeralds shone brightly within the carving. “It sickens me that the X’shmirans chose to worship the boy as a denizen of light. How far from the truth that concept is. I wonder, do they truly think that receiving my gift of light magic is enough to give the boy such status?”

“They do.” I arched an eyebrow at the grumbling Lari’xan. “To the X’shmirans, light is holy, and darkness is evil. End of story.”

“Evil? Me?” Sihix gasped, clutching his chest with mock hurt. “Why, how could they see me as evil? I am kind to children of darkness.”

“Kindness has nothing to do with being ‘good’ to the X’shmirans,” Nalithor muttered. “That much became clear as I dealt with the X’shmiran elite, and even some of the commoners. Arianna’s explanation is correct. The Humans truly see it as a simple matter.”

“How lacking in imagination,” Yiltanys scoffed. “Clearly we didn’t bless the Humans with enough intelligence when we made them. Perhaps, instead of restarting this universe, we should annihilate the Humans instead. They seem to serve little purpose.”

“Isn’t it just the X’shmirans that are so problematic?” I asked dryly, shooting the Lari’xan a look. “Hadyn and Edan seem to be on good terms with the rest of the Lesser Gods. I have to assume that means their people are as well.”

“Indeed, the X’shmirans are an isolated incident.” Nalithor nodded to me, before glancing at another nearby carving. “Even so… I do not believe the Humans worked out Blood Magic to this extent on their own. Many of these incantations are ones I’ve never come across before in my studies. Someone must have been feeding the X’shmirans information, and I doubt it was wholly Darius’ doing. A child wouldn’t truly know such magics. I am more inclined to believe he was used as a messenger.”

“Quite. Even a Devillian child would not have the capacity to learn and remember this much at such a young age.” Sihix adopted a serious expression, his tri-colored eyes resting on the carving my nylziis had stopped beside. “Many of these rites are from prior universes. Blood Magic is a powerful art, one that can bring prosperity or destruction. We kept it because past universes have used it mostly for good.”

“An occurrence that we now believe to have been calculated.” Yiltanys scowled. “Our enemy clearly has an in-depth understanding of Blood Magic. Only an archmage from previous universes, or one who has lived across several, would have this much knowledge regarding the art. To have used a ritual to simultaneously kill thousands of mages and convince the Jivyador to do the Humans’ bidding… Well, it is a tangled web he has woven, at any rate.”

“In other words, a master manipulator. Perhaps that is where my brother gets it from.” I snorted, walking ahead of them. “The temple itself is what Nalithor really needs to see. Sure, the tunnels leading to it are covered with history, but I think the complex itself is the most telling. Saying thousands died and seeing the aftermath are two very different things.

“Do we have a final body count yet?”

“The last update I received stated that the count is over two thousand,” Yiltanys answered, soon falling into step with me. “Once we have purified the crystals below the cavern, the Alliance may begin researching the complex again. We should have more accurate totals soon after.”

“You truly believe that the Humans ‘bought’ the Jivyador’s cooperation with this sacrifice?” Nalithor let out a tired sigh.

“It could have been an excuse, but the Jivyador do not appear keen on doing the bidding of any of the races,” Sihix pointed out with a huff. “While we know the Jivyador had already turned their sights on Arianna and Darius by then, I don’t believe the Jivyador are the ones who influenced the X’shmirans to do so. Someone else coerced them into using the blood of countless mages as a currency.”

“We know that some of the Jivyador aren’t keen on Balance, yes…” I tilted my head, thinking for a moment, before glancing toward Sihix. “But what about this enemy of yours? Are they truly against Balance? It’s quite clear they’ve had plenty of opportunities to kill me, if they were capable of opening portals in the sky and raining down lightning bolts. It seems like they’re more concerned with targeting you than they are the other deities.”

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“Perhaps they think they can eliminate us and win you over to their side.” Sihix shrugged before shifting his eyes to shoot me a dangerous glance, “While I am confident in your loyalty, we have already seen that they excel at manipulating others, such as your brother and the Jivyador. We will be watching you and your Guardians closely to make certain nothing is amiss.”

“Of course, we will save you if anything undesirable happens.” Yiltanys smirked. “We wouldn’t want to lose our favorites. You would be so very difficult to replace. Enough of such talk for now, however. We have arrived, and I want the two of you to focus on work.”

‘Is it just me, or are they bossier now?’ I glanced up at Nalithor, then pursed my lips. A single look at his face was telling enough. He likely hadn’t heard me at all. His eyes were focused on the temple complex before us, his eyes wide and his lips parted. Nalithor’s tail snapped violently behind him, a low growl rumbling within his chest. I understood, of course. The cavern was disconcerting on its own. Even if it hadn’t been stained with blood and littered with bones, it would have still made my skin crawl.

“This is…” Nalithor shook his head hard and pivoted to look at us. “The amount of blood it would have taken to cause such staining is…absurd! Furthermore, I see nothing to indicate their deaths would have been unwilling. Do you mean to suggest that so many mages died of their own free will?”

“Free will? Unlikely. There are faint scorch marks on the walls.” I pointed nearby. “My impression is that many of them died to magic, not from self-inflicted wounds or from being executed. This entire complex seems to have been made with the flow of blood in mind, as well. There are grooves covering its entirety that lead to the main plaza below. I’m more inclined to believe that the mages were under some form of control and forced to come here. If we’re talking at least two thousand people, it’s improbable to think that none of them would have fought back or attempted to run.”

“Yes. They would have to have been incredibly devout to go along with such a thing, and even then…” Sihix sighed heavily, crossing his arms. “The corruption in the pocket of fire crystals below the temple suggests that Ari-mrii is correct to think that the sacrifices were unwilling. That manner of corruption can only be caused by intense strife.”

“I have decided that Sihix and I will cleanse the corruption. The two of you will wait here,” Yiltanys declared abruptly, startling me into looking at him.

“What? But—” I started to protest, but he silenced me with a motion. He shot a meaningful glance toward Nalithor, causing me to turn and look as well. He seemed absorbed in everything but us, and I could tell his jaw was clenched. His tail swayed in agitation behind him, and the scent of blood told me his claws had sliced into his palms.

‘Your husbands sense of empathy is getting the better of him. Tend to him while we work.’ Yiltanys patted my shoulder as he walked past me, with Sihix following close behind him.

‘Husband? Soon, but not yet…right?’ I stared after the Lari’xan for a moment but neither gratified me with an answer. Sighing, I moved closer to Nalithor and grabbed one of his hands, summoning darkness to heal his wounds. “Should we get some fresh air?”

“…you are right that they did not come here willingly,” Nalithor spoke quietly, rage flashing in his eyes. “What lengths are our enemies willing to go to? To eliminate the Lari’xan, to destroy us… And why? To keep the Lari’xan from remaking the universe? I don’t believe that to be their goal for even a moment. Anyone with half a brain would understand that the universe would die, perhaps instantly, should its creators be destroyed.”

“Well, they could be attempting to end the cycle via destruction,” I suggested, leaning up against Nalithor’s side. He released a small sigh and pulled his hand from mine so that he could put an arm around me instead. “Watching several iterations of the universe come and go sounds like an excellent way to drive someone mad. Especially if it cost them people they loved or admired. Furthermore, it sounds as though the Lari’xan must have made a mistake or an incredibly unpleasant loophole. Otherwise we wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with.

“Besides, this mess was because the X’shmirans wanted to ‘get back’ at the Devillians. Jealousy.”

“No, there must have been more to it. They Jivyador were already against you and Darius, even the sacrifice of a single person would have been enough of an excuse for them.” Nalithor shook his head, squeezing me closer to him. “I’m certain there were more motives behind this ritual. Some of these carvings speak of Darius as a false god and reference a ‘true god’ that came to save them, to make it so that Humans were the only intelligent species on Avrirsa.

“In a manner of speaking, you could say that was precisely what they got by having X’shmir blown into the sky as an isolated island. The “Mists” created by Sihix’s power seem like a distraction to me now that we’ve ‘saved’ him. Even with the Mists gone, that strange replacement for a sun was still there. It strikes me as our enemy’s eye.”

“And our Lari’xan haven’t mentioned if it’s still there,” I murmured. “They seemed rather insistent we take the tunnels from their domain as well. I get the feeling they’re attempting to keep us from doing anything rash.”

“Meaning it is almost certainly still there.” Nalithor nodded, finally shifting to look down at me. “I believe they are testing whether or not we are truly ready to return to work.”

“Are you?” I shot him a knowing look.

“I…no.” Nalithor sighed heavily. “I am still attempting to come to terms with all that happened while I was in X’shmir. Your memories especially…I struggle to accept what happened to you, and who was responsible. For Darius to be personally involved sickens me. You’ve done so much to protect him. Manipulated or not, his actions have caused you so much pain. I worry that he could be responsible for other things as well.”

“It’s certainly worrisome,” I agreed, nuzzling into his side. “If we find he’s too guilty, we’ll deal with him the same way we would any of our other enemies. Being my brother doesn’t mean he can do as he pleases, and it’s concerning to know he’s turning people in the Beshulthien territories against us. The fact it’s working makes me worry he could start doing the same in Vorpmasia.

“As much as I adore your domain, we could find ourselves in a position where it’s the only safe place for us.”

“I would like to say it won’t come to that…but we should be vigilant.” Nalithor gave me a brief squeeze. “Join me while I study the carvings. I need to do something while we wait for the Lari’xan to finish their work.”

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