A/N: Oren and Sophia feelin' angsty. But how is Goldriver doing in the wake of this attack?

  -x-X-x-

  Oren grimaces as he stares into Aureo's lifeless eyes for a long moment before slowly lowering the dead god to the ground as gently as he possibly can. Once the River God is id out atop the ptform, he slides the Celestial dagger out of Aureo's head and straightens back up, staring down at the body as time seems to stretch on forever.

  He and Sophia are still holding hands from when she brought him in close to deliver the killing blow. Aureo's defenses had been too tough for Oren to penetrate by himself, as powerful as he was. He just couldn't get close enough. But Sophia could get him close enough… and fortunately, when the time came, she'd delivered in spectacur fashion, bringing him right up next to Aureo so he could strike before the River God could react.

  Of course, he's still the man who killed her father, so Oren isn't surprised in the least when she finally remembers herself and yanks her hand out of his. He IS surprised when she crashes into him a moment ter however, burying her face in his chest and sobbing. Oren slowly pces his free arm around her shoulders and hugs her, even as the arm wielding the dagger lies limp at his side.

  Aureo shouldn't have had to die. He was as much a victim of the God Hunters as everyone else. But… the innocent citizens of Goldriver didn't deserve death either. The ruins of Goldriver's Castle can be seen from here in the distance, testament to just how indiscriminate Aureo had been in his revenge. Sure, he'd probably gotten the lion's share of the nobility. No doubt most of them had convened when news of the massacre in the Temple District reached them, at which point they would have probably been in a panic and asking each other what to do.

  … But how many servants had been in that Castle when Aureo destroyed it? How many people just trying to get by, just struggling to survive? It couldn't even be chalked up to callous disregard either. It wasn't like Aureo had decided their deaths were a necessary evil to get to the ones who really deserved to die. No, he'd fully believed everyone in the city deserved to be put to death.

  And now Oren had killed him for it.

  "Why… why did this have to happen? Why wouldn't he just listen to me? What's kind of Goddess of Wisdom am I when I couldn't even get him to listen to me?!"

  Sophia pulls away from his chest at long st, staring up at him with red, watery eyes as she begs for an answer to her question. Oren's jaw clenches and he squeeze the goddess a bit tighter.

  "It wasn't your fault. This wasn't your fault, Goddess. Sometimes… sometimes people just can't be reached. The God Hunters did this to Aureo. They broke him long before we ever got here."

  Oren's words seem to finally bring Sophia back to herself enough to realize what she's doing right now. Namely, taking comfort in his arms. With a jerk, the goddess yanks herself free of his grasp. Oren lets her go immediately of course, swallowing thickly as she puts some distance between the two of them.

  Sophia looks at Aureo's body for a moment… and then looks away, out at the city. Goldriver still stands, albeit with some changes. Everything Aureo did before his death remains done. The castle is in ruins, a massive amount of stone and wood and bodies at this point. The walls of rock, stone, and earth that Aureo had raised up to block the gates so people couldn't run are also still there and will need to be dug out by hand.

  Down on the river that runs through the middle of the city, things have calmed down dramatically. The water hadn't just been raised at either end of the river's exits out of the city, however. It had also risen up in other parts and come crashing down onto the riverfront on either side of it in different areas, destroying dozens of buildings.

  And of course, st but not least, there was the pilr they now stood on. As tall as the castle and about half as thick, this pilr of stone and earth wasn't likely to go anywhere any time soon. The city still stands… but at what cost?

  "The God Hunters broke him… and we unleashed him. I was so eager to find answers. I was so ready to do whatever it took to get my revenge. I really am a terrible Goddess of Wisdom. So blinded by my own revenge that I couldn't see the stupidity in my actions… nor the pain in my fellow god until it was too te."

  With a slight stutter in her step, Sophia moves over to Aureo and leans down, gently shutting his eyes. It doesn't exactly do much for the gaping bloody hole visible under his chin, but at least the dagger didn't go out the top of his head or anything.

  "And for what? We're right back where we started. Even if we can reach Oceanus without Aureo's help, can we convince him to talk to us? And will we be able to keep an Ancient God from finding out we killed his son?"

  Oren watches Sophia stiffen at that and shoot a gnce his way. He very carefully doesn't react, not exactly taking any pleasure from the parallels.

  Straightening up, Sophia looks down at Aureo and then out at the city again.

  "We… I need to bury him. He deserves that much at least. Will you help me?"

  He blinks at the question, surprised that it's a request and not an order.

  "Of course, Goddess. I am ever at your disposal."

  Sophia bites her lower lip at that but doesn't say anything. With Oren doing the physical share of the heavy-lifting and Sophia doing the metaphysical share, they disappear off of the top of the stone ptform with Aureo in tow. Sophia takes them a ways down the length of Aureo's river, clearly no longer worrying so much about being detected by God Hunters when they've sughtered every single one in the city.

  The goddess finds a spot rather quickly and Oren is able to dig out a deep hole on the side of the riverbank in no time at all, even using just his bare hands. Putting Aureo's body inside of it and filling the hole back in is simirly swift enough that by the time he's done, it's only been about half an hour.

  For a moment, Oren and Sophia both stand there, staring down at the unmarked patch of dirt. It's not much better than they gave Raythe, truth be told. But what more can they do? Marking the grave risks having someone else happen upon it and decide to dig the River God up. Better he be safe in obscurity here, next to a random stretch of his river.

  "We're going back. To h-help."

  Oren looks to Sophia, seeing the goddess regaining some of her confidence in real time. Just because she's no longer asking doesn't mean it's a command he has only issue following, however. Stepping close to her, he allows her to take hold of him so she can bring them both back to Goldriver.

  They appear in a small dimly lit alley near the upscale inn where they'd been served tea by Anna earlier that day. It feels like a lifetime ago at this point, and yet it's only been a few hours at most. The Sun is only just now starting to set on the horizon too as the two of them step out of the alley.

  The street they find themselves on has clearly seen better days. The cobblestone is cracked in pces and there's still a lot of dampness pretty much everywhere. No doubt there will be for quite some time, and the structural integrity of some of the houses in the area is certainly… questionable.

  And yet, to Oren and Sophia's shock, they don't find grim faces or teary, weeping citizens. If anything, the people that pass them on the street seem excited about something… eager even.

  "What… what's happening? Where are they all going?"

  Indeed, at Sophia's words, Oren realizes that everyone is moving in the same direction. Of course, the answer to the goddess' question is obvious. Lightly touching her arm, he points upwards… to the massive stone pilr that the city's popution seems to be steadily making their way to.

  The pce is a mess and yet everyone is going towards the pilr… why? Oren doesn't know and judging by the bewildered look he shares with Sophia, neither does she. Perhaps-

  "Oh! H-Hello you two!"

  It's probably not too much of a coincidence that they'd run into Anna now. They are quite close to her pce of work, after all. The waitress smiles at the two of them as she stops beside them.

  "Have you heard the news? Everyone is saying Lord Aureo has finally come out of seclusion and that the God Hunters have been defeated! I'm going to the pilr to see what there is to see, would you care to come with me?"

  Oh no. Oren exchanges another gnce with Sophia. On the one hand, he can see the relief in the goddess' eyes that Anna is still alive and safe. On the other hand, if Anna is hoping to see her 'Lord Aureo' in the flesh, she should be prepared to be very disappointed. Still, it's not like the two of them have anything better to do, a sentiment that Sophia seems to agree with as she nods.

  "We'll… we'll go with you, yes."

  Together, they follow the waitress through the damaged streets of the city. Things could be worse though; Oren has to continually tell himself. If Aureo had gotten his way, things would be much, much worse. At least they all still had their lives. Indeed, that seems to be enough for the people of Goldriver too. Despite the destruction, Oren doesn't see nearly as much grief and sorrow on the faces of those around them as they move.

  He doesn't get it… until they reach the base of the pilr.

  "PEOPLE OF GOLDRIVER! I SEE NEWCOMERS ARRIVING BY THE MOMENT SO I SHALL REPEAT MYSELF!"

  Standing near the base of the pilr on a hastily constructed ptform is a man shouting at the top of his lungs. A town crier, maybe?

  "OUR LORD AUREO HAS RETURNED TO US AT LONG LAST! HE HAS SEEN FIT TO DESTROY THE GOD HUNTERS WHO PLAGUED OUR STREETS!"

  The people are staring upwards transfixed, but Oren doesn't think they're staring at the man necessarily. Or not just the man.

  "THE LORD HAS SEEN FIT TO DESTROY THE CASTLE WHERE THE CORRUPT AND VILE NOBLES WHO CONSPIRED WITH THE GOD HUNTERS CONVENED WITH ONE ANOTHER!"

  … Well, that much was true at least.

  "ALAS, LORD AUREO COULD NOT STAY! HE MUST CONTINUE TAKING THE FIGHT TO THE GOD HUNTERS! BUT HE HAS LEFT US WITH A SINGULARLY IMPRESSIVE GIFT FOR OUR FAITH!"

  Spreading his arms wide, the man grins even as the people cheer, hoot, and holler. Not because of anything the man is saying or doing though… not really. The people are cheering because… just behind the man, in the side of the massive pilr that now dominates Goldriver's skyline, one can see the distinct shimmer of countless veins of gold sparkling and shining true in the dying embers of the day's st light.

  The man has chosen his location well, because while his position has put the setting sun in his face, it also means the st rays of sunlight are cascading over the shining, shimmering pilr behind him, making it all the more spectacur of a visage.

  Unintentional as it might have been, Aureo had left behind a massive monument of wealth for the people of Goldriver. He had died giving them one st gift, even if he'd certainly not pnned on doing so.

  Of course, practically nothing that the man has said is true. His lies… reek of opportunism though. Opportunism and just enough knowledge to carry the weight of his words. Oren can't say for sure, but perhaps the man is one of the nobles that Aureo hadn't managed to kill when he got the castle in his first concentrated attack. He seemed to know just enough about the God Hunter Massacre and the River God's betrayal to be able to make up a story surrounding the events.

  Oren looks to Sophia as they stand slightly behind Anna. The young woman is just as excited as everyone else, csping her hands together and shouting 'Praise be to Lord Aureo!' at the top of her lungs. In that moment, Oren tilts his head towards the man up on the podium meaningfully. Sophia bites her lower lip, clearly understanding that he's asking if she wants him to kill the man.

  They could still do it in Aureo's name. Hunt down and sy every st noble still alive who pyed a part in the River God's capture and subsequent madness.

  … But no. Sophia shakes her head after a moment and pces a hand on Oren's arm, tugging him away from the crowd. They move against the tide of people for a moment, going away from the pilr while everyone else in the city looks to be crowding around it to hear the 'good news'.

  Finally though, they're alone with each other once more. Standing on an empty street, staring back at where Aureo's st 'gift' to Goldriver is being celebrated and cheered on by the popution he had been so eager to sughter.

  "At least… at least they'll honor his memory, I suppose."

  Oren lowers his head in a solemn nod. There's not much to say in this moment… so he doesn't say anything at all. That doesn't stop someone else from cutting in, however.

  "Indeed they will, Lady Sophia. A memory built on lies, but a memory nonetheless I suppose."

  Both Oren and Sophia spin on the spot to see someone has managed to sneak up on them… no, on him. Oren is immediately on guard and tense as a well-strung bow as he takes in the figure before him… a figure he finds himself recognizing after only a moment's notice.

  "You…"

  Sophia recognizes him quickly enough as well.

  It's the old man from the road. The one they passed by on their way to Goldriver. The one both Sophia and Oren had tensed up for, thinking they were about to be attacked. Gray hair, wrinkles, and the exact same walking stick as well. His clothes are in working order but nevertheless weathered and worn and for all that he's somehow snuck up on them and knows Sophia by name, he looks as much like an unassuming old man as he did before.

  But just as Oren is thinking that, an aura fills the air that is unmistakably divine. And it's certainly not coming from Sophia. No, it's coming from the 'elderly man' in front of him. What's most terrifying, however, is that Oren can only really compare this feeling to one other time. This old man… feels exactly like Law did when Oren faced the King of the Gods in the Heavens.

  -x-X-x-

  A/N: Say it with me… ITS NOT PARANOIA IF THEY REALLY ARE OUT TO GET YOU!

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