Trillia saw the notification hovering on the edge of her vision. She didn't want to potentially anger the deity even more by delaying.

She also had a lot of questions. Trillia sat in her bed and took a deep breath. She accepted.

To her surprise, she wasn't pulled from her room, nor did she feel any pressure or pain.

Instead, an odd tug for action pulled at her mind. A soft whisper popped into her head.

"Greetings, child."

"Umm, hello, Lady Ora'sys. I don't mean to be rude. But I thought that deities couldn't contact people?"

"In the grand scheme of the universe, I'm a lesser creature. In addition to that, I ascended and am native to Alirast. As such, I can still keep in contact with the realm. Many such lesser deities can do it now that the debuff affecting the realm was lessened when the brothers ascended."

"I see. I want to apologize if I offended you. It wasn't my intention."

"Don't be silly. It would take a truly weak-willed deity to become angry at a mortal for peering into the divine realms."

A few minutes of silence filled the space. Trillia squirmed at the table. "Forgive me, Lady Ora'sys. Why did you wish to speak to me?"

"I wanted to know if you'd be willing to convince Arlyss to form a pact with Layla."

Trillia's face twisted in confusion. "You don't want to offer her one? She's an incredible person and has immense faith in you."

Trillia felt the deity's amusement at her anger through the link. "My pact-bound creatures are put through things that make the Infernal realms seem calm in comparison. I do not wish to see her hope and happiness ripped from her like that. She has done incredibly well, and I am so proud of her. I offered her salvation because I was sympathetic to her plight. But she has found you and the other young mortals. Her prayers have been filled with joy and happiness for months. I want something better for her than eternal anger and fighting."

Trillia sat and listened. She supposed serving a deity of retribution wasn't a calm life. "I don't think Lord Arlyss can have clerics...she'll be devastated."

"Oh, don't misunderstand. I will still loan Layla my divine power. She will still have all of her abilities. But becoming a pact-bound to Arlyss will keep her safe and allow Arlyss to intervene and save her. I cannot do that. Arlyss is okay with it, but he told me to ask you. You are her friend, and while she may pray to me. You know her better than I do."

"Would it be okay if I spoke to her and Lord Arlyss about this first? I don't want to make you wait or be rude. But it's a very big decision."

"You really must understand, Trillia. Deities are old creatures who live for millennia. Waiting a few days, weeks, or even years isn't a long time. I merely want her safe."

Trillia nodded. The deity ended the mental link. Trillia immediately called out for Arlyss.

Arlyss had a keen idea of what was going on and retrieved Layla. The three now sat at the table in her room.

"So?" Arlyss looked at Trillia.

Layla gave her a hug, tears in her eyes. "I know he said you were safe. But I was so worried. I tried to get to you to heal you, but there was a sinister mana flowing out of you that was hurting everyone in the room."

Trillia looked over at Arlyss, who remained silent. "I'm okay, Layla. Sorry to put everyone in danger. I didn't really expect what happened. I asked Lord Arlyss to bring you here for a different reason."

Layla sat in a chair next to Trillia and waited. Trillia explained what Ora'Sys had told her. "I don't understand forming pacts well. If I am your Pact-Bound, can I still serve Lady Ora'sys?" The young acolyte turned her head to look at Arlyss.

"Of course. We will form a mutually beneficial contract. We will also go over the details of it extensively with Ora'sys to ensure she is happy with it."

Layla nodded. "I don't understand why. I know what she said, but I don't understand why she would want me to form a pact with another deity."

Arlyss motioned to Trillia. "You are one of her best friends. You are traveling the world with her for missions I am giving her. Your life will be in constant danger. While Ora'sys seems to be able to contact this realm sometimes, she still can't intervene as directly as I can. I truly think she wants you to be safe, Layla."

Layla nodded and looked at Trillia. "Would you be okay with that?"

Trillia smiled wide. "Of course! It's like Lord Arlyss said, you're one of my best friends. I love you dearly. He has been a good leader to me. If you don't lose your abilities or class, I don't see the downside. Unless there comes a time when you don't want to pursue his missions anymore."

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"I think I need some time to think about it. I'd also like to pray to Lady Ora'sys for guidance."

"If you'd like, I can allow a mind link with her directly. She seems to have an easy time of telepathy if she can channel it through a deity that is already in the realm."

"I'd like that."

Trillia sat in contemplation. The conversation between Layla and her deity was a private one. Arlyss did his best to stay out of it, but as the bridge, he heard the conversation. It took a few hours for them to come to an agreement.

Layla sat there and took a deep breath. "I think I'm okay with all of that. I'm ready to form the pact when you are." There was a great deal of apprehension in her voice. Trillia gave her a hug.

The pact was formed. Layla's left shoulder held the golden runes, signifying she was a pact-bound creature. Trillia had no doubt that she was going over her status window.

Trillia looked at Arlyss. "Could I ask Lady Ora'sys something? I guess the two of you as well."

Arlyss raised a brow but motioned for her to continue. "I'd like to see if she'd be willing to let me become an acolyte."

That pulled Layla's attention out of her status window and back to the conversation. "It's just. I caused so much damage before, trying to come up with a healing skill. It will soon be just Layla and I alone. Andromeda will be there, but I don't trust her. You won't be able to come to help us once we are on the central continent. I'd like to have some form of healing so that I can make sure I can take care of Layla."

Trillia was worried that Layla might get angry at the suggestion. Instead, she saw a huge smile crossing the young orc's face. Both looked at Arlyss.

The deity raised a finger and seemed distracted for a few minutes. "Ora'sys is intrigued. She says to ask Layla how to properly pray to her and when. Show her that dedication for a month, and she will unlock the acolyte class for you."

Trillia stared at the deity for a few minutes, trying to find any trace of emotion. "You are sure you're not angry?"

Arlyss chuckled softly. "Not in the least. I've been trying to figure out a way to get you access to healing magic for over a year. The best I could come up with was knowledge about how the human body works so that alchemy and herbalism were more effective. This solves that issue. It also serves another purpose, in that Ora'sys doesn't feel as though she owes me a debt for accepting one of her devoted followers as a pact-bound creature. I wouldn't personally see it that way since Layla is such an accomplished adventurer and healer, in addition to being a good person. It's a huge boon to me to have such a person pact-bound to me."

Trillia smiled and looked over at Layla. As she was about to speak, Arlyss waved his hand and stopped her. "I don't want you to stay here. I want you to go back to the ship, Trillia."

"Before you say anything. You must learn to face such problems head-on and alone. I cannot help you on the central continent. If another such incident happens, you have to be the one to fix it. I know you wanted to rest, and I am sorry to push you."

Trillia shook her head immediately. "No. You're right to push me. It's a habit I'm trying to break. One of many bad habits I have. I'll go back. If it's okay with you, I would like to leave Ialu here with you, though. She can't do much on the ship...and... and if I don't make it back from the central continent. I'd like you to give the artifact and Ialu to Ba'Shoon. In the hopes that she will pass it on to one of her children. I tried bringing it up to Ialu, but she seemed angry at the idea..."

Arlyss gave her a solemn nod. "I'll make sure she is well taken care of, Trillia. I have no doubt that you'll return in good time to reunite with her."

Tears started to form in her eyes. She wiped them away and pulled the amulet from around her neck. "It's an artifact. Is there a way I can give it to you?"

Arlyss nodded and walked her through the steps. The basics of it were as long as she was doing so willingly and knowingly, it was simply a matter of bestowing the artifact to someone else. An hour later, Ialu sat at Arlyss' side whimpering.

Trillia kneeled in front of the wolf and hugged her tightly. "Keep the city safe while I'm gone. I promise I'll do everything I can to come back. I don't want you to be stuck in some cave for all eternity if I don't survive."

Layla walked up and hugged the wolf as well to the sound of more whimpers. "Don't worry, I'll watch her back."

Arlyss couldn't help but smile at them. Once they had said their goodbyes, the two stood and gave determined nods. "I'll send you back now. Good luck. I have total faith in the two of you."

A portal opened, and the two stepped through onto the deck of the Argo. Trillia was immediately buffeted by wind and hail. The waters were choppy. Huge waves crashed against a barrier surrounding the church. Trillia immediately set out to find the Captain.

As she arrived, she saw two bodies wrapped in white cloth. "Did I?" Guilt gripped her.

Robert turned to her with a sad smile. "Such is life on the sea. They went overboard in the bad weather. Lak'Lorn didn't make it to them before they drowned."

Tears once more filled Trillia's eyes. Layla grabbed her arm. "Come. I'll show you the prayers I use to send souls to their rightful resting place. I'm sure the other healers here already have...but it never hurts to have another prayer."

Trillia nodded, and the two walked over. Trillia mimicked all of Layla's movements and mannerisms. Layla prayed out loud.

"O' Radiant Lady Ora'sys. This humble servant comes to you in a dark hour and asks that you grant those who have been lost reprieve. This humble servant asks that you grant those who have been left behind the strength to carry on. This humble servant asks that if retribution must be dealt, that you grant me the strength to see your will through so that the wicked perish and the innocent prosper. May your light shield me from the darkness of the realm."

Trillia said the same, word for word. As the last word left her mouth, she felt a calming presence settle on her mind, followed by a grim determination. Trillia felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced over to see Illana standing between the two orcs, a hand on each of their shoulders. "Thank you for praying for our loss. Before you take this to heart. We are at war, Trillia. We will always be at war. Such is the life of mortals in this realm. They are casualties of the [Primordials]. Direct your anger and rage at them. Not at yourself. Hating yourself will not bring justice to those killed. Learn from our mistakes and move ever forward."

Trillia nodded and stayed kneeling. She stared at her hand. Held up with no mirror. Trillia had learned a lot by way of mistakes. As Illana left the two to pray, Trillia spoke softly to Layla. "I can't keep causing problems. I'm supposed to be the one to solve problems."

Layla didn't budge from her kneeling position or open her eyes. "So we will double our efforts and make sure we are both fully prepared for what may come our way."

Trillia's eyes closed, and she repeated the prayer over the other body.