“This is too far even for you,” Bud muttered, eyes hard as he glared at Hump.

“Is it really?” Hump said. “I’m just trying to be honest with you. Even if it’s inconvenient.”

Bud shook his head, disappointment etched across his face. “I have overlooked your blasphemy in the past—your dismissive attitude toward the gods—because you’re my friend. I know you haven’t felt their favour, and I believe that, in your own way, you do good that furthers their work. But this… this is spitting on everything I believe in. On everything that is good in this world!”

Hump clenched his jaw, struggling to keep his voice calm. “Would you rather I lie to you? I agonised over telling you this. I don’t want to shake your beliefs or fill you with doubt. But the information I have… it comes from sources I trust. I’d rather decide what to do with it working with you rather than without.”

Bud let out a bitter laugh. “And what do you expect to do with this information? Join you in a righteous crusade against the gods?”

“Maybe. If it’s true, and if their intentions are wrong.”

Bud’s expression darkened. “Remember of whom you speak, Hump.”

“Can you not even entertain the thought that this might be true?”

“They are our gods! I exist to serve them. To serve Kelisia.” Bud clenched his fists, slamming one into the deck beside him with enough force to split the wood. “How can you put me in this position?”

“What was I supposed to do?” Hump’s voice was raw with frustration. “Should I have kept this to myself? With everything we’ve learned, even the betrayal of Godfrey, how could I keep you in the dark? I already felt like I was betraying your trust. And you were so distraught.”

Bud looked down, his shoulders slumping. “I don’t know, Hump. What you’ve told me… there is no middle ground. Nowhere I can meet you. This is a bridge I cannot cross with you.”

“Look, I understand that you are upset. This feels like another betrayal. But can you at least try to see it without bias for just a moment?”

Bud stared at Hump, face conflicted. He looked so tired. “I’m not sure that I can. This is who I am.”

The weight of Bud’s words pressed down on Hump. His heart plummeted. He turned his eyes toward the ground. He’d been a fool—of course Bud reacted like this. He was a Chosen, and this went against everything he believed in.

You’ve committed though, he thought. Might as well see it through.

“For a minute, can you set aside that you’re a Chosen and I’m a wizard? I’m not here to change what you believe. I only want to talk this through, as friends. I need your thoughts, and I want to know where you stand on some questions that I’ve been asking myself. Let us look in at this from the outside and discuss this as a team. The fact is, I have been told things that may line up with the betrayal of Godfrey. Whether it is true or not, at the very least you should know it.

Bud ran a hand through his hair. He stared up at the lightening sky. “When my mother died, my faith was all that kept me going. I wanted to be a paladin for hope, a beacon in the dark that protected my people from the monsters that lurked in the shadows. I like to think I have come far on that path, and that I have learned much since I ran away from home. I still think that. I’ve become more open minded and realistic to the ways of the world.”

“And I absolutely agree. I do not question the courage of your convictions.”

Bud nodded. “Alright. I will try to be objective, but this is not easy for me.”

Hump gave him a small smile. “Thank you. Honestly, I’ve been at a loss. I could really use your thoughts on the matter.”

“Then let me begin by saying my thoughts are that whatever the situation is, there is an explanation. A grand plan that we simply do not know. The gods created us, and a world where we could thrive. I believe with all my heart that they care for us, and that the Pantheon exists to make the mortal world a better place. The Chosen exist to act on their behalf in this realm.”

“That’s a good summary of the belief of our people,” Hump said carefully. “Now, let me propose another idea that I’ve heard. The gods were once mortals just like us. They grew in strength, eventually ascending to godhood and gaining immortality. Now, they rule from their thrones, binding the souls of their Chosen and leeching essence from every one of them to help increase their strength, while preventing any challengers from appearing.”

“If that were true, why would practitioners be allowed to exist?”

Hump’s eyes widened, a realisation coming to him that hadn’t occurred to him before. “Because they are restricted to Rank 6. The methods of Soul Domain do not exist, or at least, they did not exist in Alveron before the Three Eyes and warlocks revealed themselves to us.” Hump slapped a hand on his head. “What if the purge against wizards a hundred years ago stemmed from the discovery of Soul Domain once more?”

Bud’s face hardened. “You’re starting to sound like Kassius. This cannot be. The gods gave us life, and they grant us strength. This truth has been passed down since ancient times.”

“It has been passed down here in Alveron,” Hump said. “But let me repeat something else—a passage from a land that is not our own. One, where the Pantheon are not protectors, but thieves.”

Hump recited the haunting words:

“Remember now the thirteen thieves,

Imira stole the moon and stars,

Emirai claimed the spark of life,

Rathlar embraced the dark of death,

Kelisia usurped the throne of winter,

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Ordana seized summer and flame,

Seres pilfered the wind and storms,

While Sumi took the depths of the ocean,

Byzantius seized his battle cry,

Loften the art of craft and runes,

Vesta his language and luck,

Osidium his secrets of stone,

Light, who snatched the secrets of day and night,

And then there is Uvdar, greediest of all,

whose hunger stole his sacred soul.”

As Hump finished the final line, he remembered how terrible it had sounded coming from Owalyn. Saying it out loud now was somehow worse. He may have grown up disdaining the gods, but they were always absolute. He was the outsider in a world where everyone else was held within their embrace.

By the end of it, Bud looked like a coiled spring. His neck was tight, the veins popping. His fists clenched. His eyes fixed on a point ahead of them as if he couldn’t even look at Hump right now.

“Who told you this?”

“Owalyn.”

Bud scoffed. “She is a false god. An outsider, and an enemy of the Pantheon. Of course she would spread such lies.”

“She is a god that appeared before me,” Hump said. “She spoke to me directly. Her words carry weight.”

“No they don’t. You’re falling for an outsider’s lies. She may very well be on the side of the warlocks, seeking to free these dark gods of theirs. Admit it, she may just be trying to sow the seeds of discord.”

Hump frowned. He hadn’t considered that. “I suppose that’s possible, though it isn’t the only source I have found in support of this statement.”

“What else is there?”

“I read a text saying something similar.” Hump didn’t hesitate in avoiding mention of his spellbook. It didn’t feel good, but Bud was already riled up. Adding another reason to doubt him didn’t seem wise right now. Better to feed him information once he’d had time to process things.

Bud rolled his eyes. “I’m sure there are all sorts of devil books that support such notions. It doesn’t make it so.”

“But what if it’s true?” Hump asked. “What if the gods only use us? If they don’t care for the people of Alveron?”

“They protect us! They give us the strength to face the Fallen Lands. If these blessings are chains upon my soul, then I welcome them, for they give me the strength to protect and fight back.”

“But what if?” Hump pressed, his voice almost pleading. “Forget who you are and look at this from outside it. What if this were all true? What if this was what drove Godfrey away?”

“There would be a reason,” Bud said, shaking his head. “It would be for our benefit. We cannot know the mind of the gods, only do our best to follow the path they laid out for us.”

Hump let out a sigh of frustration. “Forget whether it is true or not. No justifications, no excuses. Assuming we have been lied to, and the gods are not on our side, but instead keeping us bound to mortality for their own gain, what then?”

Bud shot to his feet, towering over Hump, his eyes blazing with Frostfire. “Enough. You are asking me to consider foolishness.”

Hump averted his gaze. “You said you’d try to be objective.”

Bud’s tone turned icy. “It is you that is not objective. You’re blinded by suspicion. What if the sun wasn’t warm? What if water wasn’t life? What if the air we breathe is nothing but a way to bind us here? You’re not thinking straight, Hump. Your mind is twisted. Perhaps this is the fate of all wizards that grow too powerful—you begin to believe you are above the order of the world. Maybe this is why…”

Hump’s gaze sharpened. “Why what?” he challenged, rising to his feet. “Why we were hunted? Why we were burned?”

Bud’s tone softened, though he couldn’t meet Hump’s eyes. “Maybe that’s why wizards are so often distrusted.”

Hump felt his heart harden. “Nobody likes the truth when it’s inconvenient, Bud. Nobody likes their world view challenged. What makes wizards different is that when they are confronted with something that doesn’t make sense, they work to understand it. They decipher it and turn it into something they can wield—”

“—Arrogance! You are powerful, Hump, but you speak as if you could unravel all the world’s mysteries. Some things are beyond what we mortals are supposed to comprehend.”

“All I am telling you is that there are beings outside of our land—powerful beings—that view our gods differently, and that there’s a chance our world view may be the one that’s wrong—or at least, not exactly as we’ve been taught. If that makes you distrust me.” Hump scoffed. “So be it. As I said, I am not trying to change your opinion or manipulate you. But believe it or not, this wasn’t easy for me either.”

“You’re probably thrilled by this. Finally, proof that you were right. The gods are not infallible.”

“No,” Hump said, his voice weary. “This is massive. Bigger than me—bigger than all of us. My origina distrust of the gods was born from a lifetime of bitterness—and gods know you’ve heard enough about how I got that way—not wisdom. I have no idea what to do or how to think, and just wanted a friend to help me through it. I thought you’d want to know after what we learned about Godfrey.”

Bud exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Hypothetically… if—and that’s a big if—if the gods were not as I believe, and they were against humanity…” Bud stared at the ground now, voice hollow. “I don’t know what I’d do. The world would be a dark place.”

“It’s already a dark place.”

Bud shook his head, defeated. “I’m sorry, Hump. I don’t have an answer beyond that. I’ve tried to be objective, but this is beyond me.”

“I see. Yeah, that’s fine. I shouldn’t have expected a definitive answer to such a complex topic. Still, I appreciate you listening. I’m sorry about all this. I know it’s not what you want to hear, especially not now.”

“You don’t need to be sorry.”

A silence stretched between them, heavy and unresolved. Hump didn’t know if anything would ever be the same, all he knew was that he didn’t want to be there any longer. Not right now.

“I’m going to start work on the Silver Sprig,” Hump said. “That’s what I got up for anyway. I’m rested enough now to make a start.”

“Sounds good. Thanks, Hump. I appreciate you doing this for Emilia.”

“No need for thanks,” Hump said. He hesitated for a moment before patting Bud on the shoulder as he stepped past him and onto the grass lawn. The large pond surrounded by trees was barely a dozen paces from the guest house. Hating the way things were left, Hump stopped. “Bud.”

The knight looked at him. He was back inside the house, staring out from the sliding door. “Hmm?”

“I know what I’d do, by the way. When it comes to you and the rest of the team, I’d face even the gods if I had to.”

Bud frowned, his face conflicted. Hump didn’t wait for his reply. He liked to think there had been progress, and that this was a good thing, but in truth, it seemed far too early to tell. Bud’s entire world had been turned upside down, and then Hump had tried to shatter it. The best thing he could do was give the knight some time to think.

Settling down beside the pond, Hump lay his staff across his lap. He closed his eyes, envisioning the River and Waves, and trying to rid himself of the stress of his talk. It was difficult, but he was well practiced, and soon he felt the hum of the nature essence that filled the garden. It was strong here, at least compared to Hump’s experience in other cities. Once he was in the right state of mind, he started channelling it into the Silver Sprig, watching the faint glow spread over the six delicate leaves. Hump lost himself to the process, alone in the garden, surrounded by nothing but the waking birds.

He was not sure how long had passed when he heard footsteps nearby, but Nishari had long since settled beside him and the sun had fully risen when he opened his eyes to see Bud standing there. Without a word, Bud extended a hand. Hump clasped it, slightly confused.

“Thank you for being honest with me, even if it hurts,” Bud said quietly. “And, I’m sorry for what I said about wizards. I don’t distrust you, Hump, and to even imply that was wrong of me. I will think on what you’ve told me.”

Hump nodded, a faint smile across his face. “You know where to find me if you want to talk.”

As Bud walked away, Hump returned to his work with a lighter heart. Perhaps this conversation hadn’t been the worst thing in the world after all.