"How do you know my name," I asked, mana continuing to run through my weapon.

Acrid venom began to swell at its tip, and I was ready to rush in.

"So that's your voice, interesting. Confident, cautious... yet no fear," he replied.

"Don't ignore my question."

His smile widened.

"If I didn't know Calstrax's origin, I'd have taken you for a different kind of demon," he continued. I didn't answer and moved forward, but he held up a hand. "You can put the spear away; I mean you no harm, and I have done nothing to the rest of your group. I promise."

"You realize how impossible that is to believe when an entire city is under mind control," I countered.

He laughed, a deep-belly kind of laugh that filled the room. The tattoos shifted around and displayed runic symbols lit in soft gold.

"Fair enough. I understand the healthy paranoia. But if it helps, I doubt Calstrax would send his scion to something he thought you couldn't handle. Even now, as he desperately awaits your return, he has full confidence you will come out of this stronger than before."

"You speak of him so personally... and how do you know what he's doing?"

I found the disarming presence the man held with his voice alarming, but my familiars didn't move, and Magnus sensed nothing wrong.

But still, this wasn't normal, and I had to be careful.

"Understandable to be curious. In truth, I wish I had a good answer to give you. I suspect you are not a stranger to being a keeper of knowledge you should not know."

I continued to lower my spear but kept it in his general direction. "Maybe."

He tapped his head, his finger turning near emerald thanks to the shifting runes. "There's your answer. I have a good feeling, and it's usually never wrong. Too many years living on this world, you got to learn to trust in yourself after all."

Time to be direct.

As he spoke, the energy continued to brush at my mind, and I finally figured out why it was familiar. It was a feeling I rarely felt, but I had enough exposure to it to recognize it.

"Are you a god?" I asked plainly, keeping my tone neutral.

Again, he rumbled with laughter, his tattoos turning soft pink. "Oh no, not at all. I have no desire to be such a being. If I did, how would I get to hug my beautiful great-great-great-grandchildren?"

"Then what are you?"

His tattoos dimmed and became nearly black. "Just a humble servant trying to ensure he does his duties. Nothing more."

My eyes narrowed. "I get the distinct feeling that your words are not entirely true."

"Perhaps. But it's all a matter of perspective," he countered. "Sure, to a mortal, someone at tier four is a demigod; true power. And they wouldn't be wrong. But to the upper realms? You are a child not yet matured—rather, you've only taken the first step."

Huh.

"Perspective,"

"Indeed," he cheered. He clapped his hands and motioned at the spot beside him. "Come join; we have some time, and it'd be rather annoying having to raise my voice for so long. Would you like some refreshments?"

I slowed the mana flow rushing into my spear, and I very carefully approached the man underneath the floating orb. When he didn't react, I sat down on the short steps and placed my spear on my lap, my hand still gripped around its shaft.

"I'm fine. Not really in the mood."

"Ah, well. I figured I'd be polite," he said.

Before he could open his mouth to speak again, I decided to gain some control of the conversation and spoke first.

"What's with the floating orb? I know the rest are gods and goddesses, but I can't figure the orb out."

He looked up. "Not a god, it's to represent the soul. All powers, all colors, mortal and divine. It's more beautiful during sunset, I promise."

"I'll have to take your word for it... So what exactly am I here for?"

He lowered his head and stroked his bushy white beard. "Hmm, well I suppose the first thing I can do is give you my name. I am Albrus Fentrel, Grand Priest of the Divines."

His words took on an otherworldly air, and the runes shifted to display long scripts running down the entire length of his arms and up to his shoulders, disappearing under his tunic.

The cream-colored robe shimmered as if lit by an invisible light that focused on the man's body before fading away in an explosion of light.

From the look on Albrus' face, it was all for show.

He coughed into his fist. "Ehem. Now that the honorary is out of the way. Just call me Albrus. Think of me as the head liaison for all the divinities here in Inoria. My job is to handle the middle ground between mortals and divines."

I nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm Cyrus, but you already know that."

He had a twinkle in his eye I didn't recognize, but as his tattoo flared up and changed into swirling circles with geometric shapes, his brilliant-blue pupils searched my face.

"Indeed. I've had the pleasure of learning about some of your exploits. I am glad to see Lady Ysanna and Lady Zolnja re-enter the Weave. And I must say, young man, you are doing very well."

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Unsure of how to take the compliment, I decided to ignore it, while my familiars snuggled closer. "So again, why am I here? It's nice to meet you, but this isn't the best time to do so."

"Ah yes, I should explain. You are here, really, to do one thing. And that's to make a choice."

I lost my polite smile. "I'd rather not."

He looked like a sympathetic grandfather at my words. And even reached out a hand to pat my leg. I nearly jerked back, and Magnus growled at his fingers until he removed them.

"I cannot claim to understand, but I know a thing or two about the burden of choice. So let me cut to the chase, Cyrus," he said slowly. "You are to choose between putting your life in danger and going through what will probably be tremendous pain or simply waiting."

"That's it?"

"That's it," he repeated.

"Any other details? Is there a reward for simply waiting?"

"Not really. A lack of pain, I guess. That could count as a reward in and of itself."

"What are you talking about exactly?"

By now, my apprehension was diminishing as he continued to remain non-hostile. The empty room weirded me out, but it wasn't exactly the strangest thing to happen in my life so far.

"Ahh, let's see... Do you know about Calstrax's domain?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Chaos, or something related."

"Hmm," he said, frowning. "Well, that'll do for now. It is vastly understated and missing a lot of context, but Calstrax fulfills a very special role for the divinities of Inoria. So he can interact with this matter by informing his scion, even when the other gods cannot."

"Makes sense."

"Good. So, let me be clear on this. The issue Helio is facing at this time is due to the remnants of a dead god. One that has placed special rules amongst the pantheons and blocked out interference. That means no god can spy on what is happening in or around this city. They are blind and forcefully silenced."

I stroked Sturmrorex's scales. "And what does this have to do with the choice?"

"Technically, you already set in motion for the city to be saved. All you have to do is wait."

It took a second, but I figured out what he meant easily enough.

"You mean the Cleansors. They'll arrive soon."

"Exactly," he beamed. "If you want, you can wait it out, no matter what happens, and the city will be fine. Some may die, others may be hurt, but overall, it'll survive."

"And if I choose not to wait?" I asked between clenched teeth.

"Then you get rewarded, and you save the day. But. And that's a big but. You may die, you can get hurt, and you can fail and get others hurt."

How is this a choice? This is bullshit.

I didn't answer and instead stayed silent, watching the man's tattoo shift and move. Albrus quietly hummed a tune that tickled my ears. It was... relaxing.

"What would you choose?"

"Hmm. I'm pretty averse to pain, so it would be problematic to choose option two," he said as he clasped his hands and stared at the ceiling. "Then again, knowing you can do something but choose not to is pretty difficult."

I raised my eyebrow. It was surprising that he was willing to entertain the question at all. I expected a cryptic riddle of an answer than ended with a quesiton rather than answer anything.

"I didn't expect an answer."

He chuckled. "Ahh, I lived a long life. It's shorter than the cosmos but certainly longer than most mortals. You tend to pick up a thing or two. It helps that my generation of children and their children have always asked me for life advice."

I stayed silent, memorizing the runes or trying to. For a while, I examined the room, committing the different faces of the gods to memory.

Most looked like people, even if they came in different shapes and sizes. A few were rather drastic, being elemental in nature or having forms that were too bestial to call human-like.

After a while, I just sighed and looked over to find Albrus sipping at a steaming mug. He reached over and held out another mug, one just as fresh.

Taking it, I inhaled deep the earthly aroma and sipped once.

It tasted good.

"Thank you."

"No problem, child. I have a cup every day. It's good for calming the nerves."

Drinking another mouthful, I raised it to give Áine a try, but she didn't care for it.

"Can you tell me more about what exactly is going on?"

Albrus slowly shook his head. "I can't go into specific details. It's unfortunate, but the rules are the rules."

"The rules are convoluted."

"Very," he agreed. "I know that once I stop protecting you, it'll be up to you to decide. The moment of your choice will make itself known. I'm sure."

That's a lot of trust to put into something.

I drank the last of the tea, and Sturmrorex washed the cup with a quick blast of water mist. After handing the cup back to him, I noticed his cup was still full despite having watched him sip away for the last minute.

Standing up, I stretched and grabbed Magnus from the floor, lifting him and activating Spirit Lord's Invocation.

After transforming, I spun my spear and began to channel mana, letting the tip coat itself in the venom.

"Do you have the ability to see into the future, Albrus?"

Albrus set his mug down and looked up with piercing blue eyes with no pupils. "An unreliable one, yes. Alas, the future is not one to view lightly. The Grand Weave does not like meddling."

His voice had a strange tone, but he never lost the kind aura that radiated from his soft smile and gentle eyes.

"Care to tell my future?"

He smirked. "Only if you're willing to bend down for this old man."

I hesitated, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. Lowering my head, he unclasped his hands and motioned me closer. I leaned even more forward until my head was only slightly above his.

Albrus placed one hand on each cheek, startling me, but I resisted the urge to pull away. He tapped lightly with his fingers and poked at my cheekbones with his thumb.

"Master... weird man," Magnus mewed.

"I know..."

As a strange mana began to coat his hand, the tattoos on his arms slipped down and pooled at the back of his palm. They glowed every color of the rainbow and constantly changed with every blink.

"Ah, such a tricky fate to untangle. The Weave has sewn you deep into its tapestry, so much material saved for later. Big plans, a blessing and a curse, I'm afraid."

I kept silent and closed my eyes to avoid looking into Albrus' eyes.

The mana ramped up, and a bubble built itself inside my chest. As more mana poured into Albrus' fingers, and onto my skin, the urge to burp or giggle rose until I tried to swallow it down.

DING! DING! DING!

A rush of wind blew my hair into my eyes, and I pulled back, blinking away the strands.

Albrus was collapsed onto the floor and he planted his hand onto the ground, trying to push up.

Reaching down, I clasped his wrist and shoulder and helped slide him into a sitting position before backing away once he was stable.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

Albrus panted and chuckled, a mirthless thing that didn't elicit the same smile as before. "Ah, I did not realize you have met an Arbiter. That skill of yours sure is potent... my apologies, Cyrus. I am fine."

A weight left my shoulder as I stood up, and I blinked in surprise as Áine flew before Albrus. The old man raised a hand, and Áine landed on his palm.

"Yes, little one?" Albrus asked.

Áine reached up and booped his nose and kept her hand there. I felt her skill activate through the link, and she channeled mana into his nose.

Albrus blinked and shut one eye as Áine placed her other arm over his eyelid. More mana left her body, but eventually, Albrus carefully held her away.

"Áine?" I asked.

"Oh, little one. I appreciate the kind gesture, but this is not something you can repair. No god can. It's my penance for the honor of seeing the tapestry. Save your mana; you may need it."

She crossed her arms and booped his nose again before flying back onto my shoulder and resuming her usual position.

Albrus looked up and sighed. "You're a kind soul, Cyrus—a strong yet kind soul. Your familiars speak well of you; their love for you as their master says it all. Never lose that. Ever."

I frowned. "Never."

"Good," he said, standing up. His skin lit up with lines of pure white that rotated in a set of seven rings per arm. His forehead gained three more lines that became diamonds that stretched like arrows. "I saw only one moment in time of your future. Just one."

I waited.

He clapped his hands and came away with a staff of gnarled wood topped with a single sphere that constantly changed shape. "When you are presented with the choice between Mercy and Vindication; choose neither, for you will never be satisfied. Oh, and yes, the strange pink goo goes great on pancakes."

The last sentence was said with a full-belly laugh that filled the room, and a rush of air forced me to close my eyes.

As I opened them, the sound of shouting could be heard, and a blade rushed at my face. I raised my spear, and the jolt of the impact rushed down my arms.

"Cyrus!"