"What can you tell us about Ares?" Gwyneth asked as they walked along the edge of the forest. Sunlight peaked between the foliage giving the grass a beautiful yellow glow. Perhaps this was a sign their luck was about to change.

"Everything and nothing," Thea answered vaguely. "He's my childhood best friend. Or was, I guess. I could recount countless adventures and conversations we've had, but none of it would be even remotely useful to you, would it?"

"Then tell us what is." Cetri looked at the sword slightly annoyed. She was beginning to lose patience with its vagueness. Not to mention it turned the group against each other earlier. "Tell us what he likes, his interests, something we could use to level with him. Anything!"

"What he's like..." Thea paused recalling memories of the two playing in the grass weaving flower crowns for each other. They had promised to support each other in their endeavors and were often described as inseparable. No, the person she knew before was long gone. "He resents humans, and in turn, they resent him. The Fae were his only friends. He also had a strange fascination with the dead, but perhaps that was due to his ties with the darkness."

"How did you meet?" Cetri asked.

"Our parents were friends with each other. That's all."

"Huh... The parents of pseudo–Elemental Spirits. 'Spose they're not around anymore. Would've liked to have met them."

"Darkness..." Gwyneth mulled over Thea's words to the point where she would've crashed into a tree had Cetri not pulled her out of the way in time. "What sort of powers does darkness grant him?"

"The ability to communicate with the dead and teleportation," Thea said as though she were unimpressed with her counterpart's abilities.

"Teleportation?" Gwyneth's eyes widened. "So, you mean... I can't do that?"

"Your powers are different. You are gifted with creation. So, while Ares — Aston might be able to replicate items he's touched, you can create items purely from imagination."

"Really?!" Gwyneth and Cetri both beamed.

"Girl, you've gotta try! I wanna see this!" Cetri was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"Okay, what do I try?" Gwyneth asked. Her smile was practically plastered on her face, impossible to remove.

"Try something small so that you don't—" Thea was quickly interrupted.

"It's gotta be something crazy! Something that doesn't even exist! What about... Oh! What about one of those flying Zetherian boards but with wheels on the bottom so you can use it on the ground too?"

Gwyneth pictured it in her head. The board was flying but had wheels on the bottom just as Cetri suggested.

"And make it red!"

Gwyneth nodded picturing the metallic board painted in red with black wheels. The contraption appeared before her very eyes but quickly broke apart.

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"Aw, it didn't work— Are you okay?" Cetri asked as she noticed Gwyneth hunched over.

Gwyneth's chest tightened and she ended up in a coughing fit. It wasn't long before she was coughing up blood.

"This is why I told you to start small." Thea sighed. "Start with a handkerchief or something. You're not used to using magic and therefore don't have much of a reserve. You essentially used more magic than you possess, and it ate away at you."

"You could have told me sooner!" Gwyneth inhaled slowly, hoping to regulate her breathing and slow the coughing.

"What do you think I— Never mind."

"Aw, it would have been great if you could have created cheetahs for us. Aquariot would be that much closer." Cetri gave a lopsided grin as she helped her friend up from where she was sitting.

"No — creating animal life is strictly forbidden. You're not a god after all. Other life such as plants including fruits and vegetables will also consume more of your reserve. I would highly suggest practicing magic from now on, once you recover."

Gwyneth nodded. "If it's all the same to you, let us continue. Slowly."

It was only a few minutes of silence later before Cetri piped up. "Tell us about yourself," she asked the sword.

"Me? Hm..." The sword paused. What would be relevant to them? There was one thing she always felt resentment for. "Ballard is often credited with gifting technology to the Zetherians, but in truth, I was the one who created said technology to begin with. With Ares's help, anyway."

"You?" Cetri's jaw dropped. "But then... Why weren't you in the picture?"

"What picture?"

"There was a picture we found in Zetheria. The Elemental Spirits, the sun, the moon, Ballard, Ares, and the Almighty..."

"Well, we only think it's the Almighty," Gwyneth corrected.

"Do you... Are you not aware?" Thea sputtered.

"Of what?" Gwyneth tried to turn to the sword, realizing how ridiculous that would be considering the sword was strapped to her back.

"Ballard and the Almighty are the same people."

"What?" Gwyneth froze. "You're mistaken." She clenched her fists. It couldn't be true. Aeceria and Zetheria had been enemies for centuries and she was to believe they shared the same god? ...Was Ballard even a god?

"Ballard fostered a good relationship with both Aeceria and Zetheria. Was this never recorded?"

"Who is Ballard, really? Is he a god?" Gwyneth asked though deep down she already knew the answer. Her entire life had been a lie. Who she was, who her parents were, who her god was...

"No. He's... He's like Ares and me," Thea answered. "But he wasn't given an element to govern over. Instead, he oversaw all life on Halcyone. Perhaps that was why people were naturally drawn to him."

"Then who did I pray to all these years?!" Gwyneth snapped, tears staining her cheeks. "Who do I pray to now? You? Myself? We're both the embodiments of light. Ballard calling himself a god...! How conceited do you have to be?! Perhaps Ares had every right to kill him!"

"Ballard had his flaws but he was still an excellent leader. Yes, he may have been conceited, but he loved life. Human life especially." Explains why he hadn't bothered to make his presence known elsewhere.

"What about Lunelle and Solus? Are they real as well?" Cetri asked, too eager to know about her deities to comfort the Aecerian princess.

"Yes, they are real. They watch over us from their domains in the sky.

Cetri was about to react when she noticed the Aecerian princess was still in tears. She opted to just smile.

Tears weren't common in Cathrul. After all, there was no reason to cry there. Cetri was still learning what the "proper" reaction was. The fact that there were proper reactions was another thing she was getting used to. Aecerian manners were tricky. She wished there was some sort of hand guide detailing how to handle each situation instead of having to rely on others to tell her when she was out of line. But hey, at least she had finally begun reading expressions and body language!

On the way back from Zetheria, Isla burst into tears after being stung by wasps. Cetri made a comment about how funny her face looked contorted from both the stings and the tears.

Needless to say, it was not received well. And may have ended with Cetri's food being tampered with, resulting in a very upset stomach the next day.