As promised, Clodius dismissed the issue. The island would remain under the Godshard’s control. He was also pleased to report that Josephus would step down from his position in disgrace. Ruth grew a newfound respect for Clodius since that day. The respect was mutual, she would say. Ruth realized how little she knew of republican law. While she was a part of human civilization, she was yet insulated from many of its trappings. A side-effect of being on an island that couldn’t be helped.

  Clodius was willing to teach these things to Ruth, and any other Godshard who was willing to learn. Ruth became a common visitor at Clodius’ villa, and they both learned more from each other. Clodius learned more Benelim Sign Language, and he in turn taught it to his household and his officers. Clodius explained the intricacies of the republican government. His tenure as a Consul of War would continue for another decade, before another election would be held.

  There were many checks and balances to his power, and Clodius made it clear to Ruth where those boundaries were. His political party was that of reformers and liberals. Adjusting policies to the changing times. Ruth absorbed the knowledge like a sponge, they could indeed help each other.

  A year went by, and then a decade.

  Time felt like a blur to Ruth. She was busier than ever, and more and more Godshards were arriving to the island. Their numbers swelled to over a hundred. While none held the raw power as herself, the potential in these newcomers was boundless, and they were learning more and more about their gifts every day.

  The more mature of the Godshards were developing magical leanings and specialities. Ember’s skill in shapeshifting magic was unprecedented, and there were forty animals and counting that she could take the form of. Everything from bears and leopards to birds and dogs. A close call with a local hunter led Ember to keep her studies to the island only. Yet Ember was not alone in her studies and growth. Kai found a natural leaning with metallurgy and alchemy, Jolene found one with healing. They were each given their own workspaces to explore these leanings further and to enrich their knowledge.

  Another late bloomer arrived at one point, a woman of tanned skin and dirty blonde hair. Her name was Anna, and she arrived from Murex, flanked by her parents. Like Ruth, a Shard entered her when she turned seven. The girl looked timid and scared, and so did her parents. Ruth saw a lot of potential in her. Her soul burned as bright as Elias’, and there were pitifully few Shards of that caliber, it would seem. Thankfully, Sheba and Megan made them feel at home rather quickly, and in time, she fit right in.

  Anna would be one of the last students Megan would teach. She had grown quite old in years, having turned a century old a month prior. A Godshard’s longer life was dependent on the shard size, and Megan’s was not as big as Elias’ or Ruth’s. Her hair had long since turned white, and while her smile never wavered, she couldn’t keep up with the students anymore. The other Godshards were more than willing to take the reins. Sheba, Shawn and Jana all took over as teachers. Sheba in particular became a beloved fixture of the school.

  Ruth tried to keep in touch with Mother and Aunt Kathy. How she longed to visit the Golden Wood again. She sent countless letters, updating them on the latest and promising to stop by soon. Yet there was no response. Mother never mailed back. Not even when Ruth told her she defeated The Butcher and that she was safe! It devastated Ruth, she didn’t want to cut them off! Early on, she wanted to take some time to visit, to make it right.

  But the chance never came. Furthermore, while Ruth was in denial of it, she wanted to go back to the Golden Wood less and less. She had gotten used to the human realms and she felt at home there now. Her sadness grew into resentment. She proved her Mother wrong, and what did she do? She ran away, instead of admitting her folly! Perhaps her Mother was as ignorant as the other Benelim after all. Maybe Ruth’s Soulsight was wrong!

  Despite the strained relationship, Ruth could never let go of her Benelim ties, she dutifully wore the antler headdress every day, and she always spoke in Benelim Sign Language, only switching to telepathy when she had no other choice.

  Inch by inch, progress was being made as more of the locals were learning her sign language. While it disappointed her that it took a famous Godshard to make people want to learn, she was grateful for their willingness to learn. After all, the loyalty the realms of humanity had to the Godshards was quite palpable. To the surprise of Ruth, more and more volunteers trickled in to build a settlement on the island. The word of Ruth’s deeds spread far and wide, and plebeians from all over wished to pay back the Godshards.

  Ruth took the kindness in stride, and Ember, along with her new apprentices, helped out, bringing their increasingly potent spellcraft to bear. Soon, a true town had been built at last. It was still quite a modest dwelling, only a dozen buildings, a dedicated school and a practice range for spells. But it was theirs, and that was what mattered most.

  So, one bright summer day did Ruth’s worlds clash once more.

  Ruth was grateful to be away from the buildings. The last thing she wanted was to set something on fire. The flaming whip coiled around her arm, and with a flick of her wrist, the tendril shot forward, slashing the air with a crack even she could hear.

  Ruth grinned, and she repeated the motion, aiming for a different part of the air each time. Good, this was very good. Ruth was getting more and more control of her whip. Her mind often flashed to her fight with The Butcher, how he manhandled her whip against her. She refused to make the same mistake twice.

  She turned to Sheba, dutifully taking notes as always. They practiced so many spells, Ruth felt ready for anything! There was one more she wanted to try today. Well, two, she supposed. With a cluster of signs, Ruth’s notes floated up into the air. They drifted to her, seemingly of their own accord. They fluttered past Sheba, who was startled by the motion.

  “Must you tease me every time you practice?” signed Sheba with a pout.

  Ruth shrugged before signing back, “You make it too easy.”

  Ruth scanned her notes, looking for the signs she pictured down- ah, perfect. This one could be dangerous, but she wanted more weapon spells besides the whip. This could give her the edge. Five signs, maybe Ruth could cut it down to four, but she would save that for another time.

  While being mindful not to dispel her whip or have the coil snag her arm, she signed this final spell. On cue, a great flaming sword came to life in her other hand, a stretching column of white hot flame. Electricity crackled around the blade with purple bolts of power. The blade was heavy, and Ruth had to be mindful of her swings, lest her strength falter and the blade hit the ground.

  She brought her arm down, the sword rippling through the air as she did so. She tried to use both her weapons in quick succession, but it threw her off balance. She dispelled her weapons swiftly before she hit the ground, back to the sky.

  Ruth felt dizzy, and Sheba had to help her to her feet.

  “Are you alright?” signed Sheba.

  “The spell works!” signed Ruth excitedly, her gestures sloppy. “I just need more practice using the blade.”

  Sheba frowned. “Why must you make more weapon spells? Surely there’s more applications of our power?”

  “Of course there is!” signed Ruth, as she rolled her eyes. “But my foresight is telling me our battles are not over, and I want to have as many options as possible.”

  Sheba shrugged. “If you say so.”

  The two of them turned to see Kai waving them down. “What’s wrong, Kai?” signed Ruth.

  “The engineers are having issues again. They want to talk to you!” Kai signed back.

  Ruth sighed, and she shook her head in frustration. She told Kai to tell them she was coming. This was the fourth time this week the engineers had a grievance, and everytime they had one, the struggle to sort it out had given her a migraine. It couldn’t be helped though, and Ruth was still grateful for the assistance.

  This was their biggest undertaking yet. The original building from years prior was to be retrofitted to become the inner chamber of a great temple sanctum. Clodius worked his magic, and a team of engineers volunteered to assist and guide the construction.

  But what Ruth wanted to build and what the engineers wanted to build were two different things. Ruth was grateful for Sheba’s presence since the engineers didn’t know Benelim Sign Language, and she was too annoyed to talk telepathically.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I’ve told you this already,” signed Ruth, her gestures sharp. “Why must I repeat myself? The temple must have statues of the Gods. To put Godshards in their place is sacrilege!”

  The lead engineer was shouting back. Ruth couldn’t read the lips since he was speaking so fast. “They’re saying the newer practice for temple construction calls for statues of Adam and Elias, not the Gods,” signed Sheba.

  Ruth rolled her eyes. “That should have never happened in the first place!”

  “They said that it’s the policy of the Republic of Primus, love.”

  “This Island is outside their jurisdiction. We do not conform to any one nation’s customs,” signed Ruth. “Furthermore, this island only exists by the grace of the Gods. Do you really wish to test the patience of Dominus Aquarius?”

  Sheba translated everything back. While the engineer's bitterness appeared mollified, he still looked frustrated as he gave his reply. “They recognize what you’re saying, but they don’t have the knowledge or the sculptors to carve statues of the Gods. No one has done so in five hundred years.”

  “Surely they can re-learn it? It’s far superior to this newer nonsense anyway.”

  The engineers shrank back and their jaws dropped. Ruth was too worked up to notice the outrage in their micro expressions. Sheba shook her head. “They do not want to attempt it. It’s beyond their skill now.”

  Ruth grumbled. “Tell them to focus on something else right now. We’ll figure this out later.”

  Ruth turned and walked away without another word. Another Godshard was waving her down. Ah, Jolene, she usually didn’t look so excited. Ruth was intrigued, Jolene had been making strides with healing and medicinal spells. She always dressed more neatly and cleanly than anyone else.

  Ruth headed over. Jolene had put together quite the workstation. It was covered with scattered books, dead flowers, fruits, plants and parchments. It was quite the mess, perhaps Ruth should tell Jolene to tidy up. But that could happen later.

  Jolene grinned. “Greetings, Ruth! I made a breakthrough!” she signed.

  Ruth returned the grin. “Is that so?” she signed back.

  Jolene nodded. “I might have found a way to heal your deafness!”

  Ruth frowned and tilted her head. “Heal my deafness?” she repeated.

  Jolene’s confidence faltered upon seeing Ruth’s reaction. Her signs were slower and more unsure as a result. “Yes. I’ve been working on a spell, it could restore your hearing!”

  Ruth sighed, she could see that Jolene’s heart was in the right place. The body language and micro expressions didn’t lie after all. It was the only thing that kept her irritation from turning into anger. “I have to decline,” she signed.

  Jolene’s expression grew sad upon seeing that. “I respect your decision, but, if I may ask, why?”

  Ruth took a deep breath, and she had to think for a moment how to put it into words. Her arms were slow, as if she was still figuring out how to put it. “You view my deafness as a wound to be healed. I don’t see it that way. It is a part of who I am, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “Don’t you wish you could hear sometimes, though?”

  Ruth shrugged. “Not really. I’ve found noise to be distracting. It disturbs my concentration, it makes it harder for me to sleep.”

  Jolene nodded, her excitement cowed. “I’m sorry, Ruth. I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m just worried about you. I don’t want you to be vulnerable. My foresight is warning me of danger that you won’t be able to see or feel coming. ”

  Ruth’s eyes widened. While Ruth’s foresight didn’t sense this, every Godshard had different types of foresight. Ruth didn’t know how accurate this was, but she could respect what Jolene was trying to do now at least. “It’s alright,” Ruth signed. “Your heart is in the right place. I’ll keep that warning in mind.”

  Jolene bowed as Ruth left. Once out of sight, Ruth shook her head. She needed to take a break, to get away. Off the island. After making a pass through her charges, getting updates from the myriad of Godshards and locals under her wing, she gestured the spell and floated to the shore.

  A walk. A walk sounded good. Ruth always loved the summer best. It was the one time of the year where the human realms felt like the Golden Wood. The intrinsic serenity that comes from soft green grass, and large ancient oak trees, standing tall and strong like emerald pillars. Her deafness added to the tranquility. Silence was calming, silence was pleasant. Sheba always told her how soothing sounds could be. The songs of the birds, the gentle windy breeze, the calm rush of a flowing river. But Ruth could barely comprehend it. Noise was distracting, noise was annoying.

  Ruth didn’t want to let her irritation get the better of her, but it was quite a sore spot for her still. The human realms still grapple with this fact about her deafness. It made her miss the Golden Wood more. Despite her misgivings with that realm, the Benelim never judged her for her deafness and were usually more receptive to her needs. They judged her for several other things of course, but that was never one of them. Mother always said that it was due to the Animites like her. As a result, sign language had a more relevant place in Benelim society. She always used that as one of the reasons why Benelim were better than humans.

  But Ruth disagreed. It was happenstance, the Benelim race effectively grew up with a sub-race that needed sign language. No one chose to be the way they were. If humans had dealt with such a thing, Ruth was confident a similar system would have developed. Mother was quick to point out that other deaf humans existed. But Ruth has always encountered more Animites than other deaf humans, so Ruth simply didn’t believe the population was large enough. An ugly truth, but a truth all the same.

  A wave from Sheba snapped Ruth out of her thoughts. Sheba looked uncharacteristically stern, which instantly put Ruth on edge. “We need to talk,” signed Sheba.

  “What’s wrong?” signed Ruth, the gestures slow and cautious.

  “We had a close call just now. The engineers nearly quit on us because of how you treated them.”

  Ruth’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “They didn’t like how you belittled their skill and their beliefs. I’m inclined to agree, it was very disrespectful.”

  Ruth frowned. “All I asked was that they build the statues as they were for centuries. They would have retained the knowledge if they didn’t stray from the Gods. Humans shouldn’t have rejected the Gods in the first place.”

  Sheba’s glowing eyes brightened. “You can’t reverse centuries of change, Ruth! Times have changed.”

  Ruth teared up. “You too, Sheba? I thought you were better than this.”

  Sheba exhaled. “I’ve been meaning to have this conversation for a while now. This is something you need to hear. Your two worlds can’t come together again magically like nothing happened. That’s not how it works, my love.”

  Ruth was silent for a moment in disbelief, and her first signs were slow. “You’ve been to Golden Wood, you’ve seen how beautiful that kingdom is. You’ve seen the good in the Benelim. Why shouldn’t we try to bring that here?”

  “You’re not staying true to the Adamite teachings. What did Adam say? We need to embrace change and the opportunity to learn something new.” Sheba closed the distance. “Instead, you’re clinging to the past, desperately wishing for a return that cannot happen. Not like this.”

  Sheba’s demeanor was as stern as it was sincere. It made Ruth confused and frustrated on how to respond at first,“So what? I’m supposed to just let my worlds be at each other's throats!? That I should be okay with bigotry and ignorance! I wish for a return cause the current world is so hateful! I feel it, underpinning everything I do. Everywhere I go, someone hates me for some reason or another. Cause I’m human, I’m deaf, I’m too close to a Benelim, I’m not enough like a Benelim. Nothing I do is conforming enough for them. And yet, I see hope. I also see goodness in people, earnestness, happiness, peace, love and respect. I think a golden age can come again if I can nurture it like a crop! After all, even darkness must pass eventually, right?” Ruth paused as the tears came down. “Right?” Ruth fell to her knees as the dam burst.

  Sheba embraced her for a long moment. Sheba gently laid a finger underneath Ruth’s chin, forcing her to look up at her face to face. A gentle smile lit her face. “You’re a driven and passionate woman, you know that?” Sheba barely had space to sign. “It’s your best quality. And you’re right, you should never be alright with bigotry and ignorance. I’m not saying you should accept that either. You need to realize that your worlds don’t need to become one in order to be friends again. It is said humans and Benelim are like siblings, correct?” Ruth nodded. “Are siblings exactly like each other?” Ruth shook her head. “And yet they’re still siblings, they still love each other, correct?”

  “But how? How can people who are so different from each other get along?”

  Sheba gave a sagely smile. “Look at us.” She took Ruth’s arm and pressed it against hers. “We have different skin colors.” She pointed at both their eyes. “We have different Shards. You’re powerful with your spells, I’m powerful with words. We are opposites in many ways, different from each other, and yet, look at what we’ve accomplished together!”

  Ruth nodded, an understanding entered her eyes. “You’re saying we need to embrace who we are.”

  Sheba beamed. “Yes! Exactly. Humanity and the Benelim are good at different things. Humanity found its own path, its own calling after the Benelim stopped helping them. This is a change in the spirit of Adam that should be embraced! They are stronger for it. That’s what your Benelim don’t fully understand yet.”

  “But how can we get them to see that? It’s these differences that keep everything divided.”

  “Well, first off, there’s always gonna be hateful scumbags on both sides no matter what. You have to accept that not everyone will be convinced.”

  Ruth shook her head and looked away, a gentle nudge from Sheba brought her face back to hers. “As for the rest, we just need to wait for the opportunity. A chance to show the differences, the ways that humanity does things is not something to be scoffed at or hated, but a strength to be respected and embraced. Only then will we open the eyes of the Benelim and the cycle we both hate can be broken and-” Something startled Sheba mid-sign, and she pointed behind Ruth.

  Ruth turned to see a familiar frantic face staring back at her. It was Aunt Kathy.

  She looked terrible, her clothes were torn, and she was covered in bandages. Yet several gashes remained, indeed she was bleeding still. Her eyes were sunken and her hair was knotty and disheveled.

  “Ruth! Oh, thank the Gods I found you!” signed Aunt Kathy. Her gestures were slow and sloppy, she had a hard time moving her arms.

  Aunt Kathy would have collapsed if Ruth hadn’t caught her. Ruth gently led her to the nearby maple, and sat her down against the bark. “What happened?” signed Ruth frantically.

  “Maelim.” Aunt Kathy signed back. “A massive Maelim army. They came from the east, crossing over the bridge. The Golden Wood is ablaze!”

  Ruth’s eyes widened. “What about Mother?”

  “Last I saw her was when we were fleeing to the capital, a Maelim vanguard ambushed us, riding monstrous wolves and saber-toothed cats. We were cut off! Last I saw, she was fighting off the Maelim as she tried to lead the refugees to safety. She sent me to find you!” Ruth’s eyes watered. Aunt Kathy gulped. “That was two months ago. All I know is the capital is under siege! I’ve been on the run ever since. These accursed Maelim raiders are persistent. I think I lost them and…” Aunt Kathy’s signs grew more and more incoherent, before her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out.