Trillia stood in a vast ocean of darkness. A firm hand on her shoulder was her only evidence that she wasn't alone with the entity across from her. She was closer to the shard now. For being labeled as a shard, it was massive. Easily the size of the Argo that she had sailed on.

Trillia's divine aura was working overtime to stop the creature from reaching out and devouring her. With the aura active, the brunt of the mental attacks washed over her.

The creature was fascinating to look at. It was simply impossible. Mouths within mouths, eyes on teeth. All ever-shifting. Like it couldn't make up its mind what it was supposed to be. With her aura active, it didn't have the hold on her to take the form of something familiar.

Suddenly, she was yanked back, and the ocean of darkness was replaced with warm wood and the smell of pine. She gasped for breath in her physical form and felt woozy.

"What happened?"

"You ran out of mana. Not something you're used to doing given your traits." The Professor held her upright with a steady hand. Trillia's head started to pound. A pulse of mana from the goddess next to her cleared her ailments, and she found her mana restored.

"It would seem you can maintain that aura for about seventeen seconds. That's quite good for how new you are to using it. It's not the approach I would have taken, but if this is something all of you can master, it's acceptable."

Blossom raised a hand. Once the Professor offered her a nod, she asked her question. "What approach would you have used? I don't mean to sound ungrateful. But this is not the style of training and teaching I am used to."

Once Trillia was seated, the Professor moved over and leaned against her desk. "The primary method I used - when I was young - that is, against the eldritch was attacking their mental state." The four gathered students seemed shocked.

"With how often they try to attack mentally? How in the name of Infernus did you manage that?" Titan's rocky voice sounded truly perplexed. "My father warns to never mentally engage with the eldritch, that it is suicide."

Before the Professor could respond, Tempest spoke up. "Because you're a moron. I'm truly shocked it doesn't crush your weak, tiny little infernal brain on sight."

Titan shot her a glance as the Professor chuckled. "While your own mental fortitude is the primary reason behind the warning. It's also a matter of specialty. Deities who have Knowledge as a portfolio are adept at mental warfare. There is little else so fully in the realm of Knowledge as the sentient mind. Everything in a mental battle is knowledge-based. Fighting, living, breathing, you name it - it's under our portfolio. It is one of the reasons that deities are no longer allowed to interfere with mortals."

Trillia perked up as she said that. "The Axles have told me of a time when deities could do as they wanted. The [2nd Axle] is a product of unrestrained meddling. Some petty deities who were angry that he offered no prayers found where he and his first wife lived. They basically crushed her mind with divine weight and rewrote her personality. I'm not sure of the exacts because the [2nd Axle] doesn't speak about it, but the current theory is that in a brief moment of clarity, as he tried to piece her mind back together, she asked for him to kill her."

Trillia felt like she had been punched in the gut. "Why? Why would they do that?"

Tempest spoke up again, anger evident in her voice. "Because not all deities are kind and benevolent. Some are cruel shit stains that need to be wiped out. But war between gods is a messy, messy business."

The Professor's smile dropped. "Tempest has it right. I've seen god-wars before. I watched from the sidelines to protect my own people as billions of mortal souls were wiped out."

Trillia raised a hand. "Why would the mortals be attacked? Isn't that the whole purpose of rules?"

The Professor ran a hand along her chin as she pondered a good way to answer. "You have a deep connection with young Arlyss, do you not?"

Trillia nodded. "Imagine if you were in a weakened state and the only reason you were alive was because of all the bonuses being pact-bound to a deity grants you. Now imagine if that god is snuffed out of existence. While Arlyss is growing rapidly due to heritage, his follower base is miniscule. He has, at best, what? A few million followers?"

That didn't seem like a small number to Trillia. The Professor motioned to Titan and Tempest. Titan spoke first. "Roughly thirty billion across all the realms I am present in."

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Tempest nodded. "About the same for me. It fluctuates a lot due to having conflicts in my portfolio. Lots of fighting and death."

Blossom and Trillia both looked at the two deities. It was getting more and more difficult to surprise Trillia. "How do neither of you have your second portfolio?"

Titan chuckled at that. "We aren't on the brink of war trying to save our realms. Our parents are sending us to people like the Professor to study and broaden our options so that we can get the most synergistic portfolios possible. Our cousins, however, are trying to save their realm and all the mortals on it from a variety of threats. They do not have the luxury of training for thousands of years."

Tempest nodded. "I would imagine it was all by design."

Trillia leaned in closer. The Professor continued the thought. "The [2nd Axle] is considered a potent wild card. His brothers are immensely powerful themselves. Children born from any of them are going to be terrifying. But factor in that the mother of their cousins has the god-killer trait. Well." The Professor shrugged and left it at that.

Blossom was also curious. "So? I don't understand."

Tempest stood and motioned to a chalkboard that was sitting behind the desk. The Professor nodded. Tempest walked over and began writing things out that slowly got translated into a language each of the girls understood. "Few things can be inherited. Children born of gods and mortals are called godlings. Children born of Gods and immortals are called demi-gods. You'd think the names would be switched, don't ask me for a language lesson because I don't understand it either."

She stopped writing and motioned to a few lines. "The type of mana someone can control is based on a combination of the parents. Alliyah has both universal manipulation as well as latent divine manipulation. There was never a possibility she wasn't capable of being a terrifying entity. Uncle Kain just stepped in to stop her from losing her life at a young age as a slave and to mentor her. It's... really difficult to know what type of manipulation he has. But the running theory amongst our peers is that he has something similar to Dawn's manipulation."

Trillia was wrong. She was surprised. "Like...the [Universe Core]? That Dawn?"

The Professor nodded. "Yes. There isn't a name for it, for mortals. To be truthful, even most deities can scarcely comprehend concepts of it. But it's a theory because of how influential the [2nd Axle] is compared to the other axles."

Blossom nodded in understanding. "So. His kids have a chance at universal, divine, and this other source of manipulation as options."

Tempest nodded and started to wipe the board down. "Yes. I have no doubt that Uncle Kain already knows who helped to orchestrate the attack on him and Alliyah. But it was a coordinated attack to make sure that his kids didn't get the type of love and support that Titan and I do."

Tempest stared at the blank board as worry creased her face. A new voice startled the deities. They whirled around to it and dropped to a single-knee.

Trillia and Blossom looked over to the source of the voice as it spoke. "My brother is keenly aware of who is at fault. He is finding replacement deities for those that he feels he must purge from the universe. He doesn't want the followers to suffer for the foolish actions of their patrons."

Trillia could feel the mana in the air. It felt like it was coiling around her like a giant serpent, squeezing her soul as if it were going to devour her. The man motioned to the three deities. "No need to kneel. I am here as a guest. If anything, I should be kneeling to you, Sara."

The Professor didn't rise yet, though the other two did. "May I ask why you are here, Lord Zymeth?"

The aforementioned deity looked at her a moment longer before walking over and gently lifting her up. "You really need to act your position, Saraswati. You are a greater deity who is loved by many. The few enemies you have would never dare to move against you, not when the Darktone clan is backing you. My brothers and I may feud from time to time, but we would never yank the support out from under you."

The deity struck an imposing figure. The enchantments of the area were obviously trying to size him down to everyone else, but it just wasn't working. So the effect was that he towered over all of them by at least a foot. His eyes had the iridescent glow of mana, with a thousand shades of blue and purple swirling about. His skin had the same dark red hue as the wines of D'Jamu. Dark green hair was spiked atop his head. Oddly, there were no horns. His stature and figure reminded Trillia a lot of her brother, Tormash. A confident and imposing warrior. "I came to check in on Titan."

Titan sighed heavily and shook his head. "Bullshit, Dad. There is no way you just happened to check in on us exactly during this conversation."

Zymeth recoiled in mock hurt, a hand coming to his chest. "I'm terribly wounded you would think me a liar, my dear boy. Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?"

"Literally dozens of times. You once left me to fight three greater celestials on my own because you thought it would build character."

"It did."

Tempest groaned for Titan. "In any case, happy happenstance or not. I also bring word on behest of the axles."

The mood went from amusing to serious instantly. Zymeth looked over to Blossom. "Your world doesn't have much longer, sweetie."

Trillia's heart dropped to her stomach. She could only imagine how badly Blossom must have felt.

"The Great Mother Gaia asked me to stop in and offer my services to expedite this one's training."

The Professor seemed shocked. "You're allowed?"

Zymeth nodded. "For whatever reason. The Fates have decided her realm is worth saving, while deities that are not local to her realm can't step in to help. We can offer blessings and training. Mathias is working closely with the priests of her realm to teach them new barrier magic. The Axles aren't allowed to interfere with this one, so they are mobilizing their minions."

Zymeth proudly spread his arms with another grin. "This humble minion is yours to command, Professor. How can we get young Blossom into fighting shape?"