After six hours, the number on the s finally read ‘100%’. A notification popped up, ‘Luck Cage fully charged: Remaining time: three hundred days’. “It is done.” Leona said, her eyes growing dull. “Go bae Al…” She stumbled and fell over onto the prepared mattress. Alsaria watched eight servants pick it up and start to carry her off to Leona’s resting room.

  “Is it always like this?” Alsaria asked.

  “Yes Goddess.” One of the stists replied, a bald man in gsses. “Goddess Leona will sleep for a week before waking up.”

  “I will stay here until then.”

  “Yes Goddess.”

  - Artica Chaos tai Facility, Present Day, Present Time.

  Siheir battle with Alsaria, Maisara’s se on Olympiada had turned into a fortress. The doors had been barricaded, the walls were being reinforced by mages, even windows were being turned into arrowslits. Padins had been mobilized to protect their Goddess and they roamed the se in their great hulking silver armour like walking statues; greatsword and shield on their back, the only part of living being peering through the armour were two eyes sing through the opening of their pis.

  Maisara’s Padins moved out of the way as Fortia stumbled towards them. Alsaria’s Seekers would have lowered their gazes for her, maybe eve. They weren’t Padins though, the most aowledgement Fortia received was a small ination of their helmets, that was more than most Divines received.

  Fortia walked unsteadily on her injured leg, her golden spear ag as support to lean with every other step. A long dress covered the muscle spiralling around her leg and slowly re-growing although even a short walk like this added another day to the recovery time. No Padin came to assist her, no Padin gave her more than a passing ghe servants were much the same, saluting when necessary but going about their jobs as he entire se was a cold factory, quietly w arodug the ands of its Goddess.

  Fortia stumbled through another undecorated corridor, her breathes heavy as if she just ran a marathon. Finally the door to Maisara’s door came into view. Two Padins stood oher side, silent and unmoving, they may as well have been statues, their armour simple pin silver, unadorned. When Fortia got close, one finally started to move. A captain, the little red tassel on his shoulder served as the only piece of decoration and it was only to dispy his rank. His gau knocked on the door with a heavy thud-thud-thud. Three, no more, no less. “Guests have arrived.” Fortia barely heard Maisara murmur something from inside. “It is Divine Fortia, of Peace.” The Padin said, Fortia could almost feel a smile uhat pte helmet. “If I may, it is always a pleasure to host Divine Fortia, of Peace.”

  “Thank you.” Fortia said as the captain opehe door and Fortia stumbled in.

  Fortia had expected Maisara to be w her bed, not… not this. The woman’s room had been re-arranged entirely. It had transformed into a memory from a thousand years past, a regur table domihe middle. Maisara sat at the head, her seat a pin throne. She wore a simple dress, her silver hair straight, her hands csped together as she stared at a map of Olympiada. o it y a map of Epa. A dozen Chapin-Captains sat around the table, each man with his own file of reports, eae in a suit of armour. The only leeway to fiven was that they had taken off their helms. “What are you doing Fortia?” Maisara asked from the table.

  “I came in to che you.”

  “Doing worse than you.” She shrugged. “It is what is it.”

  “You should be resting.” The captains watched her circle the table and put her hand on Maisara’s shoulder.

  “I’ll rest when we’ve prepared.” Maisara said, Fortia’s eyes finally went to the table, and the dots before it. It was a colle of pin papers, each titled and bundled. Not a single folder overflowed but it was the brown part that caught Fortia’s gaze. Reed-paper, not produced iwo hundred years, pretty handwriting on the front cover. Pretty handwriting Fortia had cast away from memory a long time ago. She squeezed Maisara’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about me Fortia, really.”

  “Fading Light?” Fortia barely forced the words out.

  “It is what it is.” Maisara said. “Alsaria has gooo far this time. Everyone sees what she’s growing into.” Maisara shifted under Fortia’s grip. “I expect that I don’t have to remind you not to warn her.”

  “It would be war.” Fortia said.

  “Is it not war already?” Maisara asked and leaned back, she turo the crowd dozen Captains and got a series of unfortable nods.

  “This will rip apart the Pantheon Maisara.”

  “antheon Fortia? antheon? The Pantheon stopped funing five hundred years ago. Why does it eve anymore? It’s a keepsake for tradition and nothing else.” Maisara groaned in pain as she leaned forwards and tapped on the map of Epa. “Rancais is falling into chaht now. Anarchia’s followers have started riots in Aris. It’s not a question of whether those riots be tained, it’s a question of how far they will spread. What has Alsaria done against them?”

  “Ciria requested for us to stay out of politics.” Fortia said, distaste fshed in her mouth at mentioning the Goddess of Civilization’s name, disgust spread over the Captain’s faces.

  “And Alsaria agreed.” Maisara said. “Where is Waeh? Isn’t he supposed to be the Protector of Humanity?” Fortia didn’t answer. Waeh’s Esperanism was another of Alsaria’s failed pns. “Arascus cults are preparing for something too.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Heinrich, the report.” Maisara said to one of the Captains; a stern looking fellow with a thick grey moustache. He shuffled his folder, pulled out a piece of paper and passed it to Maisara. She held it for Fortia to read. It was long, but the clusio a chill down Maisara’s spine: Aris Police force is overwhelmed. The ck of open criminality from both Cults is an indication they are preparing.

  “I see.” Fortia said and Maisara passed it back to Heinrich, he immediately reshuffled it into his folder.

  “And there’s one more thing, I’ve said it to my men already but I’ll repeat it for you Fortia.” Maisara leaned back, readjusted her posture and rubbed her stomach with a sigh. Fortia got a sight of her burned legs for a moment before pulling her eyes away. “What binds the White Pantheon?” Fortia blinked.

  “Now?” Fortia asked.

  “Yes, now.” Fortia stood there for a few moments and shook her head.

  “Nothing.”

  “No.” Maisara said and o one of the Captains. “Konrad, what binds the Paogether?” The man had a wrinkled face, old, with his hair greying.

  “In the Great War, it was Arascus, of Pride. It was merely a coalition of Divines united against Arascus’ Empire, now though I would say it is only luck that the Pantheon has not been torn apart.” Maisara nodded.

  “Very good. I believe the same. It is only luck that we have still somehow held together. The pattern is obvious when you look at it, arguments always fre up with Leona leaves to keep Olephia asleep. When she fainted during the Godkiller i, we had this situation with Alsaria too.”

  “We did.” Fortia said.

  “Has Leona ever been wrong?” Maisara asked, Fortia sed her memories. Even back during the Great War, Leona’s random calls on troop movements alroved to be the correct move. To call her the best spy would be an uatement, she had an almost omnist luck which predicted the most minor of defeats.

  “No.” Maisara took a sed to reply.

  “Likewise, I agree. She has never been wrong, so how she be wrong now?” Fortia felt the blood drain from her face.

  “Are you…” Fortia’s wrew weak and faded away.

  “Leona did not say she is in danger, she did not say something was after her. She did not speak of illness nor bereavement nor assassination. Leona said she was going to die.” Maisara took a pause. “She was never wrong before, why should I not believe her now?”

  “And when she dies?”

  “And when she dies, the st of the luck that holds us together will die with her.”

  “So this?” Fortia tapped the brown part.

  “Yes.” Maisara said, she groaned as she leaned forward and took the dot. “This is the inal from back then.” She opehe first page and held it for everyo the table to see. It was a mere few lines of pretty scrawl, a few lines would have ged the world had things turned out differently:

  Minutes of Meeting - Fading Light tingency

  Partits:

  Fortia, of Peace.

  Maisara, of Order.

  Saranael, of Knowledge.

  Arascus, of Pride.

  Miracked by Irinika, of Darkness.

  Objective: Death of Alsaria, of Light.