“Evolution and resurrection,” Floran said. “You certainly don’t dream small.”
“I know they’re both possible,” Rai said. “Isa needs to reach sixth realm—”
“Realm? Ah, tier and circle combined. Interesting word choice. Continue.”
“Anyway, she needs to reach sixth realm and then progress toward seventh in order to evolve, but she also needs a suitable location suffused with energies. Now, I understand that it may take years for her to reach that point—”
“Try decades.”
“No, how about we stick with years at most,” Isa interjected. “I’m only eight years old; I was hatched a kobold. I was five by the time I reached first realm. And I’m already well on my way to reaching fifth realm. If we had a good place to meditate, and I could get some high-quality qi medicine, I’m sure that I could reach the next realm in a few months, max.”
“…That’s an insanely fast growth rate.”
“Thanks.”
“That was an observation, not a compliment. That kind of growth rate is abnormal, even given ideal conditions, which you’ve stated you didn’t have. Even when you had ideal conditions, you only had them for several days rather than several months.”
“Well, I’m about as far along as Isa is, and I’m only twenty-two. I didn’t awaken as a mage until I was seventeen. So I’ve come about as far as she has in five years instead of three.”
“That’s still an insane growth rate. Do you also think it will only take you several more months to reach fifth realm?”
“Given good circumstances, yes. We arrived during the same part of the same season as when we left, so it’s roughly a month until autumn since we’ve been here for three months now. Depending on the circumstances, I suspect we can reach fifth realm either by the beginning or by the end of winter. However, beyond a good place to evolve, Isa will also need to reach the cusp of seventh realm – and since I intend to enhance myself alongside her, so will I. The problem is that the method we’ve been using for mana circles only lists through sixth circle, and I presume that the qi core will similarly get more difficult, though we’ve been managing all right without a special method for that.”
Floran let out a disbelieving laugh. “You really think that methods for reaching seventh circle are actually available? Even methods to reach sixth circle are rare enough. If you want something like that, you’ll need to somehow get one of the Rulers to grace you with their secret methods.”
“…I guess we’ll deal with that when we get there, then. But we do still need qi medicines if we want our growth to continue at a reasonable pace.”
“Well, that at least can be arranged. You’ll want to speak to one of the high-ranking priests about that, since they’re the ones who deal in medicines. The Head Healer, one of the Tower Masters, would work, but he’s a bit difficult to talk to and hard to reason with. He also doesn’t like the two of you – the whole ‘time traveling doomsaying’ bit.”
“Ah. It looks like that’ll be a challenge we’ll need to overcome. Now, about resurrection…”
Floran sighed. “First, it does exist. However, it’s not that simple. There is no spell that will let you simply place your hand on a corpse and bring the person back to life. Instead, there is a ritual. It is not an easy ritual. There are actually two versions of the ritual: one for use by the servants of the gods, and one for the rest of us. The first has a guaranteed success as long as the god in question agrees with bringing the person back from the dead. It also requires the person leading the ritual – and yes, these are group rituals – to be at least seventh circle.”
“The other version is a lot more dangerous, and since you’re assuming you’ll get back to your own time to do this – after all, the soul of the person you want to bring back to life doesn’t exist yet – you won’t have any seventh circle priests to do the first version, so this is the one you’ll have to use. It also requires the person leading the ritual to be seventh circle or higher for an appreciable chance of success. Because you aren’t enlisting the aid of a god, the process is a lot more complex and, as I said, dangerous. That’s because you won’t be entreating a god to pluck the soul out of the afterlife and shove them back in their body: you’ll be doing that part yourself.”
“Wait. Are you saying we actually have to travel to the heavenly planes of existence?”
“Depends on how long your loved one has been dead and what afterlife plane they’ve gone to.”
“I can see why the latter would matter – if an evil person was trying to resurrect and evil person, they’d need to go to the hells instead – but why the former?”
“Because souls don’t go straight to their promised post-life realm. There’s an in-between period where their souls are judged, and, if they’re going to a paradisical realm, when they have to let go of their attachments to life. Very little is actually known about this, but that is where most souls that are resurrected are found, and it is an extremely dangerous place for the living.”
“…I see. Why does one need to be seventh-circle to perform the ritual?”
“Technically speaking, you don’t, but the possibilities of either messing up the ritual itself or having your soul torn apart in the afterrealm rise immensely the fewer circles you have. Seventh circle is viewed as having the highest acceptable margin for error. Anyway, that ritual is restricted information. Once again, you’d really need to get permission from a Ruler to get access to that kind of knowledge.”
Rai frowned in displeasure. “So we need to figure out how to make ourselves worthy of a Ruler favoring us.”
“And since you’re not going to be given the opportunity to run around sharing state secrets with various different Rulers, that limits you to the one in charge of Plentira, since that’s where you already are.”
“Mm. Well, it’s not like we don’t have time, I suppose.”
“But how are we supposed to do that? We’re not even fifth realm yet, and we don’t have any established standing to use to our benefit,” Isa said.
“We’ll have to think of something.”
“For the moment, though, I can take you to see the Head Healer. But remember: he will find a reason to be upset with you, no matter how polite you are. Try not to react to it.”
A short while later, they entered what looked like an indoor garden. Rai recognized some of the plants as being medicinal. A single, elderly human man wearing white priestly robes was watering a flower when they arrived. He glanced at them without looking up, then continued on to the next plant.
“I have brought—”
“I know who you’ve brought, Master Floran,” the old man said, his voice much stronger than his frail appearance would suggest. “You’ve brought the blasphemers.”
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
“I’ll leave you to your discussion, then. Rai, Isa, simply contact me with that pendant when you’re ready to be escorted back,” Floran said before turning and exiting the garden room.
“What makes us blasphemers?” Isa asked when the old priest didn’t say anything for a full minute.
“You claim to foresee something hundreds of years into the future, which not even the gods can do. Worse yet, you claim that your prophecies are the result of traveling through time, which is again beyond even the gods. You are claiming that you are capable of feats impossible for the gods. If that is not blasphemy, what is?”
“We are not the ones who performed the feat, we were simply affected by the phenomenon,” Rai said. “The time travel was the result of a botched ritual by demons – a ritual we interrupted by slaying the demons – that used star energy from a fallen star.”
“Fallen star. Bah. As if stars could fall from the sky.”
“There’s a piece of one being studied in this tower right now,” Isa said. “Have you not been to look?”
“Of course I haven’t. I will go nowhere near that abominable thing you brought here. And I don’t believe for a second that it is a piece of a star. Why are you here? Floran must have told you of my dislike of you.”
“We need qi medicine. Qi medicine for increasing to fifth tier, sixth tier, and seventh tier,” Isa said.
The priest looked up at this. “And how long do you figure on taking to reach those heights?”
“A few months for fifth tier. Maybe a year or two for sixth tier, and another couple for seventh?” Isa suggested.
“So you’re not just blasphemers, you’re insane. No one can advance that quickly, no matter how much qi medicine they consume. Besides, the difficulty of making viable qi medicine without side effects increases dramatically the higher tier we’re talking about. Even I, with my skill and the tools available to me, would be unable to provide you with medicine to go from sixth to seventh tier – at least not without serious side effects.”
“You say that, but in less than three and a half years, I’ve gone from first tier to fourth tier, and am within a few months of reaching fifth tier,” Isa said.
“…What?”
“She used to be a kobold; she’s not even nine years old yet,” Rai said. “As for me, I’ve gone from first tier to the same level in about seven and a half years, and I’ve been doing a lot of things other than working on my qi core – and my advancement has sped up in the last year and a half, rather than slowed down.”
The priest stared at them in silence.
“If you are telling the truth… dangerous. That sort of growth is beyond abnormal,” he muttered. “Dangerous, dangerous. You should never have been allowed out of the dungeons.”
“What would it take for you to change your mind about us?” Isa said suddenly.
“Only the words of my god, the God of Medicine, could do that.”
“Then contact your god and ask him what he wants us to do.”
“That’s not how that works, girl. I do have a spell that allows me to ask questions, but he only answers simply, not in detail. The only way for a god to communicate in a more complex fashion is for the god to be the one to initiate it. And the god would need a vessel, a follower who is pure of heart and closely aligned with the god’s ideals.”
“And that’s not you?” Isa said with a raised eye ridge.
“Of course not. You think a crotchety old man like me who spends his time in isolation, making medicines and potions to be distributed would be the ideal representative of the god of medicine? You’re more likely to fine someone who runs a clinic be a match.”
“And do you know anyone like that?”
“Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
“That almost sounds like you don’t want to hear what your god has to say,” Isa challenged.
The priest glared at her. “Watch your words, girl!”
“I don’t want to! I’ve already been saved by one god, so I’m feeling pretty good about my chances with another.”
“What nonsense is this?”
“A holy knight of the Sun God served as a vessel when we were at the brink of death and led us to victory against the demons. They couldn’t contain the power of the Sun God for very long, as they were only fourth tier, so we didn’t exactly have a chance to converse, but…”
“The Sun God… in the future… saved you. Which conveniently can’t be proved even by asking the Sun God, since it hasn’t happened yet.”
“…Yes.”
“Blaspheming little girl!”
“I’m not a little girl! I’m a grown woman! And you’re the one who is refusing to even entertain the idea of listening to the words of the being you claim to worship!”
“Meep!” protested Braveheart. In Rai’s head, her heard her plead, “Stop fighting!”
“And that filthy creature… you have a familiar pact with it?”
Rai’s eyes narrowed and he felt anger bubble up. “Do not call her that. Braveheart is a sweet kid, and she’s a damn sight more ‘pure of heart’ than you.”
“Get out.”
“Why should we?” Isa challenged. “We’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Get out!” the priest screamed.
“Is that how you treat everyone who comes to you for aid?” a feminine voice said from the doorway. The priest’s eyes widened and he paled.
Rai and Isa turned around to see a middle-aged winged beastfolk woman with brown hair and feathers. She wore priestly robes as well, but hers were golden and embroidered with actual gold thread on the sleeves. Around her neck she wore a pendant with the holy symbol of the God of Medicine.
“Your Holiness! I did not mean to offend!”
“You haven’t offended me, you’ve offended our god. ‘Do no harm, even to enemies; aid all in need, even those who would do you harm.’ Have you forgotten one of the most important tenets of our faith?”
“I-I… but these are blasphemers! They—”
“I know who they claim to be. One of our younger priestesses was visited by our god and served as his vessel to deliver a message to me. That is how I know of their existence, which you did not report, and it is also how I knew they would be here today, at this time. We will discuss your penance for your transgressions later, Savon. I am not here for you, I am here for them.”
The woman turned to Rai and Isa.
“These are the words of the God of Medicine: Ripples upon ripples, a tide overturned, pebbles dropped into a pond. The mark of a star upon the earth, shattered and scattered. Star and earth should not mix, lest the earth be poisoned. To prove your virtue, o pebbles out of place, to save the world from poison, you must gather the scattered star. Find all seven shards, and you will have the aid you seek.”
She rubbed her chin. “He also told us when you would be visiting Savon, of course. More importantly, there are apparently only three gods aware of your existence so far: the God of Medicine, the Goddess of the Count, and the God of Knowledge. The God of Medicine noticed the “poison” appearing; the Goddess of the Count noticed two new people and one new magical beast appearing; and the God of Knowledge simply knows what is going on everywhere all the time.”
“Goddess of the Count?” Isa asked.
“A minor goddess who simply keeps track of things like the number of life forms. Anyway, the God of Medicine suggested that, for the time being, keeping your nature hidden from the other gods is probably a good idea.”
“Then those gods acknowledge we’re from the future?” Rai asked.
“They acknowledge that you appeared from nowhere. The God of Medicine informed us that you claim to be from the future. Whether that claim is true or not, he did not say.”
“What about their claim of a cataclysm?” the old priest said.
“What cataclysm?”
“Our god said nothing about that claim?”
“His message mentioned nothing about a cataclysm. If he found it important for us to know, he would have told us, so I have no interest in hearing it.”
“But, Your Holiness—”
“Enough, Savon. What say you, ‘pebbles?’”
“One question first,” Isa said. “Who are you?”
The woman smiled. “I forgot to introduce myself, didn’t I? I am the highest-ranking priestess of the God of Medicine in Plentira, Archpriest Igra.”
Isa’s eyes widened, and she got down on all fours. “I pay my respects to the messenger of the God of Medicine,” she said.
Rai made a hand sign and bowed his head. “I pay my respects to the messenger of the God of Medicine,” he echoed. “We will do it. Seven shards? One is already in the possession of the Tower. Are there any hints about the rest?”
“No. You will have to find them yourselves. And please, rise. I may be a high-ranking servant of a god, but I myself am still just a mortal. Now, you have accepted a mission from my god, so I will hear your request.”
Isa stood up and explained what they had asked of the old priest.
“Qi medicine. Hm. Very well. As you collect the shards, I will also acquire information as to how you might find suitable monsters to fight, and if you bring the fresh remains of those monsters, Savon will make you qi medicines to assist you in raising yourselves to the sixth tier. Only once you have completed the quest will we discuss what can be done beyond that.”
“Thank you, Your Holiness,” Isa said respectfully.
“We appreciate your generosity,” Rai added.
“I am only following the orders of my god. Now, I need to discuss some things with Savon.”
“We will take our leave, then,” Rai said. “Let’s go, Isa, Braveheart.”
“Yi-meep!” Braveheart said, raising a paw toward the Archpriest. In his head, Rai heard her say,