The third week began, and things continued to proceed with little issue. Things had even improved a bit. The water wielder who had previously said no to Eric’s original request for guidance, suddenly agreed to teach him while they were patrolling.

  Eric didn’t question their change of heart and simply attributed it to the fact that they had been on a very boring patrol when she finally said she would do it.

  Like the previous week, challengers made their way to the various patrols, but unlike before, Eric was now sure that they were after him.

  The reason that they went after patrols was because the challengers probably heard that he was doing a quest with them. Yet, Eric still had questions.

  Why don’t they know who I am or how I look? From the brothers’ and that thief’s actions, it was clear that they knew what I looked like, so what changed?

  There were too many unknowns for Eric’s liking, but there was also too little for him to investigate, especially while constantly monitored. So, while he didn’t dismiss the occurrence this time around, he did push it to the back of his mind, instead focusing on his training and practice.

  During the final days of the week, the good news continued. A small flame sprouted from his index finger. It wasn’t hovering over his finger, no, it was directly on the tip, almost like the finger itself was burning.

  You have developed the skill: Flame level 1.

  ----------

  Because of the way things had gone down near the end, neither Stella nor Jamie was given the option to teleport underground and instead just walked across the arena.

  After Stella left the stage, she glanced toward her seat and smiled widely upon recognizing both Adrian and Luz, two people she hadn’t seen ever since she left her house more than two years ago.

  I guess it’s three now, she told herself.

  She was about to speak when she suddenly felt her body falter. Immediately and instinctively, she moved mana through her entire body and gave it a command, in case she herself was incapable of seeing it through: Walk properly toward my friends.

  That was it, but as a spellcaster, there was more will engraved into every word, more meaning than she could convey with only five words.

  Two steps later and her blinking lasted almost twice as normal. Everyone that had enough perception, evolved or not, noticed it happening. Though most dismissed it when she continued to walk forward with little interruption.

  It was only when Stella arrived at the stands, needing to jump over them, that the reality of what was happening became much more obvious. But none of her friends would let others wonder too much about it.

  Alex yanked Stella with some force, enough to cross her over, but not enough that the lack of resistance was noticeable. Quickly, Anna on one side and Luz on the other, they grasped her. And with a hurried pace, all of the Solace participants left.

  Upon arriving at Solace’s personal floor, everyone set in for the remainder of the night. While Stella’s friends, old and… less old, waited beside her resting body.

  ----------

  Morning came and an announcement that was heard in every corner of the tournament grounds was made:

  “While the tournament was initially scheduled to resume shortly before midday, unforeseen circumstances have necessitated a delay. Repairs to the stage and certain other systems are currently underway. The tournament will now commence later, two hours after the original planned time, aligning with the sun's apex. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated.”

  The speaker lacked any emotion, which actually made it easier for those that listened to confirm that it was one of the attendants that spoke and not someone else trying to throw them off somehow.

  ----------

  “The tournament’s being delayed,” someone commented, dejected.

  “What?!” another asked in surprise.

  “Did you not hear the announcement?”

  “I woke up late,” the speaker answered, sheepishly. “Do you have any idea why?”

  “No. But, apparently it has to do with the people from Solace.”

  “Solace? You don’t mean the fire witch from last night, do you?”

  “I thought her alias was ‘The Flame of Solace,’ not ‘fire witch.’”

  “What?! That was one hundred percent a witch. She even made those dead attendants jump into action. Only a witch could do—I’m sorry,” the speaker said, breaking into a chuckle at the end.

  The laughter filtered into a private room inside an entirely wooden restaurant. It was one of the establishments that had been preparing to open since the day before.

  Inside, sat a total of eight people. They all bore serious expressions even while they ate.

  “But it does have to be because of her match, right? The Flame’s match, I mean,” a black man inside the room said, continuing the conversation they heard from outside.

  “The damage that we saw being done to the arena itself was probably the easiest problem to solve. The heat that invaded the entire area is probably the cause of the other problems,” he continued. “Some even say that they saw flames spark out of nowhere. What if one of those flames sparked somewhere important?”

  The speaker was a black, bald man who wore a mismatch of clothes that ranged from region and style. He wore white harem pants, too white in fact. They reflected most of the sunlight that hit them, making them appear to shine. Their shoes were black leather, but they were newly made. You could tell because they had small mana stones as adornments and not weak ones, the mana within was incredibly condensed.

  His shirt was a white tank top, but on it, with what appeared to be blood, magical symbols were drawn. It was incredibly artistic, even the way the blood “dripped” was intentional, creating another magical sequence.

  The final pieces of clothing he wore were simple earrings and sunglasses. The way the sun hit both of them, made it so faint engravings could be made out, but nothing more.

  He had no name and was simply called “the Merchant.” But he was still someone that many considered important, he was the one who helped facilitate the original formation of this group, covering vast distances and locating each of their homes.

  “Truly?” an elderly, rotund man asked, pausing to eat his soup as he glanced around the room.

  He was Otto Krause, the chosen representative of the cities that still stood in European territory, or better said, whatever territory was still together after the worlds merged. In other words, he represented what remained of the European union, including Britain, and notably excluding Italy and Norway.

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  “That is similar to the information that I have received,” a middle-aged woman said, ignoring her food. “Which I think properly transitions us toward the topic we are truly here for—Solace—and the threat they pose to the world if they continue on the path that they are on now.”

  The middle-aged woman’s name was Linda Martinez, and she represented both South Africa, and South America. Due to how the worlds merged, both territories ended up bordering each other in their respective continent.

  “And what path is that?” Robert asked, carving a piece of unknown meat as if it were regular steak.

  Robert himself was here on behalf of the United States, which was now nothing but a coalition of major cities. Still, they remained powerful even in this new world thanks to their military.

  “You can’t truly pretend to not see the danger they pose with yesterday’s careless display of power. Can you?” Linda asked, looking at Otto to her side with mild disgust before turning to face Robert. “You can’t tell me that you haven’t received the same information that I have, Robert? I’m sure that you, as well as everyone here, is aware that their leadership consists entirely of children!”

  “The leadership that is here,” Robert corrected, biting into the meat and taking his time to chew properly. “And even if they were children, how does their age factor into the danger that they pose? Did you not see them? All of the leadership that you speak of, has evolved. That makes putting an age on them a tad difficult.”

  Linda, along with a heavily robed woman, frowned at Roberts final sentence.

  “I thought those were rumors,” a tan, Asian man said, surprise evident on his face.

  This was Takahiro Tanaka, and he represented the new Japanese government. Little is known about them, other than the fact that their gods returned, but that meant little in this new world.

  “We have confirmed it with one of our citizens,” Robert began. “At least a 15-year rejuvenation from a mere visual standpoint. Internally, however… the results were mixed. That is to say, that we still have no conclusive answer. The best we can currently say is that your “path” affects your evolution in more ways than previously thought.”

  Linda knocked on the wooden table. “We have to get back on topic,” she urged, frustration coloring her voice. “We must find a way to deal with Solace, and there is no better opportunity than now. At the very least we can begin attempts at turning their people, with that we can—”

  “Enough! Why are you speaking? When it’s clear to everyone here that the person who truly wants to deal with Solace is someone else,” the Merchant said, turning to the heavily robed woman. “Speak or don’t, but don’t play us for fools. We aren’t your little flock.”

  Robert chuckled, interrupting his attempt to have a drink.

  “The gods forgive your transgressions,” the robed woman said, removing her hood.

  Physically, she was a young woman, but when under the sun’s light, her true visage was revealed.

  “But ultimately, you are correct. It is I who wishes to deal with those from Solace. Though I refuse to believe that any of you fail to see the incredible risk that they pose.” The woman’s gaze swept upon the other six people in the room.

  No one knew her name, and her people merely called her “Divine Sophia.” She, along with her apostles, managed to co-opt the world’s biggest religious belief. And because of that, she now had a presence in basically every human settlement. The only places she couldn’t reach were those that belonged to those openly hostile to her, and Solace.

  “First of all, don’t speak for all the gods. Mine are just waiting for someone to provoke them, and I don’t think they are particularly fond of yours,” a blonde man said, thinner than the image his rough voice gave. “And I will repeat the words of our fellow member. Don’t play us for fools, talk to us clearly, while I still have patience to spare.”

  The blonde man’s name was Sigvard, and he represented both the old Norse gods and Norway. Because of the merging, Norway and Norway alone ended up extremely isolated from the rest of Europe.

  “I speak not for the divine, but seeing your temperament, it becomes obvious why all the old gods were expelled,” Divine Sophia said, a hint of arrogance in her words.

  Immediately three pairs of eyes set upon her, Sigvard’s, Takahiro’s, and those of a young woman with olive skin.

  “Do not confuse my meek attitude with weakness, I merely prefer to avoid trouble in an occasion such as this,” Takahiro said, not facing Divine Sophia. “But disrespect our gods again, and we’ll take it as a personal attack.” His last words were heavy, not only in content, but also in the way he delivered them.

  “Drop the detour and get back to the original topic,” the young olive-skinned woman said. “Why must Solace be dealt with, and why must there age, be a factor of consideration? In these troubling times, any pillar that can support humanity must be aided. Or do you suggest that I also pose a danger?”

  The youngest in the room was a woman with olive skin, wearing a modernized version of a toga. It now had a belt and was easier to maneuver in, considering that she had to fight in it. She had no name, as her gods discarded it when they chose her. She was now simply, “Aegis,” ruler of Italy.

  “You are a different case entirely,” Divine Sophia began. “You were chosen by divinity. There is no higher authority than the gods, so if they say you are ready to lead Italy, than what can us simple mortals say? All we can do is accept their wisdom and enjoy the fruits of their bountiful acts.”

  “What about those of us that possess no such divine appointment?” Robert asked. “Are our countries less worthy because of it? Are we doomed and we just don’t know it?”

  “You possess wisdom earned through age and experience,” the robed woman replied, her words shifting into a sermon-like cadence. “As long as you remain righteous and remember the gods are closer than ever, you will endure. Fear them, as in the old days, but do not be paralyzed by it.”

  Robert shook his head in disbelief, as did the Merchant. Both of them had always been wary of the elderly lady, and rightfully so. It was not easy to achieve what she did to gain the power she currently had. Even now, she was doing something extraordinary. She was possessing one of her believers and acting as if she were right here with them.

  “How about you seriously cut the bullshit and tell it to us straight,” Robert said, a hint of irritation in his voice.

  Divine Sophia, seemingly having given up, took a moment to consider her words, then, feigning resignation, she answered.

  “The truth is, that there are people of my flock that reside in Solace, but I have no way to reach them,” she said, her voice reflecting genuine concern. “From what little information I have gathered, the gods are prohibited in Solace, instead they are obligated to worship their leaders.”

  “You don’t even know where Solace is, how can you have people from your flock already there. And more importantly, how do you know what is going on there?” the Merchant asked, his words full of skepticism.

  “Hmm… Do you all remember that day, about nine months ago?” she asked, giving a hushed prayer, as if just remembering the day was significant.

  She gave no exact date, she barely gave a month, and yet, they all knew what day she was speaking about.

  “The day the god’s returned to Earth,” Aegis answered, her divine power flaring to life.

  “Yes. One of, if not the most holy day in this new world of ours,” Divine Sophia said, taking a moment to recite some more verses that were barely audible whispers to everyone else. “Well, the truth is… that that day, an operation, involving multiple gods was carried out.”

  She paused to see if her words had affected those in the room, but they hadn’t. Everyone in the room had more than accepted gods as a part of life. Some of them even went so far as to just consider them a sort of higher class, as if they were simply richer than them.

  “Well… the purpose of the operation was to expel the leader of Solace, so that the avatar’s of the gods could descend and appoint their chosen.”

  Once more she paused, but still nothing. And again, it made sense. Just in that room alone there were two such “chosen people.” The chosen of the Olympian gods, and the robed woman. At least, that was what they told themselves to keep a straight face.

  Yet, underneath something stirred. The reason was simple, multiple gods had acted to expel one person. It wasn’t even to kill them, just to expel. The minds of everyone in the room were stirred into action, already considering what to do and report.

  Unlike everyone else, the Merchant just smiled.

  “Now, three of our apostles and a saintess from my god and an heir for a nature god whose name eludes me, are being kept inside,” she said, ending her explanation.

  “And it is through them that you know what is going on inside Solace, correct? But so what? I still fail to see any danger in this,” Robert said, fishing for more information.

  “That is because you fail to see the obvious,” Linda said, cutting in. “If gods are real, what about everything else? Evil gods? Demons? And who knows whatever else!”

  The Merchant’s smile turned into a smirk.

  “And what do you believe would block the gods? Huh, Robert? A good person?” Divine Sophia asked, shaking her head. “No, Robert. These are the actions of evil, the actions of one that tries to block our salvation. We must save the people of Solace from a danger that they might have already accepted as normal.”

  Robert could feel the fanaticism in the room increase slightly. Not all of them were convinced by her motives, but the end result was the same. A target had been designated, and he could only watch.

  With an audible sigh, he could do nothing but hear as Divine Sophia convinced the others to increase their efforts to locate Solace.

  Though, he also made special note of the fact that at some point, just like he was, the Merchant stopped participating in the conversation and just paid attention to what was being said. There was something in the way he looked at the others that he didn’t quite understand, a disconnect that hadn’t been there in their previous meetings.

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