I “created” Anassa only insofar as I expined, iail, the rules Divines have worked out about themselves. I did not give her a guide, I did not even think what she did ossible. Even though Anassa has done what she has done, I still refuse to believe it be repeated.

  Some would call her ihers would call her pure evil. Character-wise, I have to admit she is troublesome, however she o be. These are not her fws, these are the reasons for her existence. But then if she was not, if she had even an inch of leeway within herself, she would have not mao aplish the feat of assion to Godhood. Many think it is possible to aplish what she did, to somehow copy Anassa.

  If all it took was fidehen every great hero of the past would have bee a Divi some certain point. No. Anassa was so stubborn and so delusional that she took a failed art, a lost principle of magid tur into Sorcery. Where every civilization has adopted agriculture to feed its popution, Anassa is the loribe still living off hunting wild game. The people who call her insane and delusional are correct, but they vastly undershoot just how mad Anassa actually is. Even I, Essa, Goddess of Magic, Archivist of Arda, do not have the words to expin it, so I will simply say what happened.

  Anassa, as a human, was so delusional that she genuinely believed she was so much strohahe Goddess of Magi the magical arts that she could defeat me without a supp catalyst to el her flows.

  - Excerpt from “Divine Assion”, written by Goddess Essa, of Magic. Kept within Essa’s private chambers in Arcadia.

  “So o time.” Kavaa listeo Kassandora as the woman ran through the pn. “Torches on everyone…” She looked at Fer as the woman fastening torches to her arms in the same fashion she did as the time they had entered with the Nationals. She was humming happily, ears jumping up and down, and smiling wide as she ed tape around her arms. “What are you doing?” Kassandora asked ftly.

  Fer patted the down and swung her arm around. “I like my hands free.” She said. Kassandora blinked in shock, looked down at her own hands, and moved them around in a circle at the wrist.

  “Excuse me?” She said in disbelief. “But you lose so much range of movement…” The Goddess of War moved her hand back as Fer extended her own. The Goddess of Beasthood held her breath for a moment and her nails ehemselves into massive cws.

  “I o be able to do this.” Fer said and Kassandora sighed.

  “You should have said that sooner.” Kassandora said as Fer did not reply. “Anassa, are you taking one?”

  “I make my own light.” Anassa said. Kavaa supposed the woman could, Anassa carrying a torch would be as farcical as making Alsaria bring ohere simply wasn’t any point.

  “Alright. Kavaa and Iniri, you stay close to me. Fer, you’re the vanguard. Anassa, you cover us from behind.” Anassa shrugged as she took a step backwards. The Goddess of Sorcery blinked from the dirt to h in the tre of that pit she had just carved out.

  “I’ll keep watch.” Anassa said as she looked down. Kavaa leaned over the edge and saw a dozen red orbs appear in a line below Anassa, they fell down, casting pale red lights over the walls. Those were perfectly smooth. It was obviously a pit made by a Divine, although Kavaa had only Alsaria and Essa mao create something like that in the past.

  “Iniri, you’re hest risk member.” Kassandora said as she started patting her bck coat down. Kavaa wore a simir HAUPT design, it was fortable, and it protected from the bsts of red Kirinyaan dust that pgued the western half of the try. “Don’t feel bad, it just is how it is.” Kavaa gave Iniri a supportive smile. This was her own favourite thing about Kassandora, the woman did not judge, she analysed the situation and simply voice her clusions. Usually, they were correct. Fortia or Maisara, or Essa, would have thrown in some snarky ent if they were to assign roles like this. Iniri o Kassandora, her rge green eyes settled on Kavaa and she gave the Goddess od Health a thumbs up. “Iniri?”

  “I uand Kass.” Iniri said and Kassandora took a step to be directly in front of Iniri.

  “Iniri, if you feel the call, if you hear it, if you even for a moment feel yourself slipping, give us a sign, alright?” Kassandora said. “Fer is here. Ana is here. Kavaa and I am here. We will catch you.”

  “I get it Kass.” Iniri said, her tone slightly more defihis time.

  “I hope you do.” Kassandora said as she poio Kavaa. “As usual, healing. There is no order or anything. I assume you know your demeser than I do.” The Goddess of Health smiled, that level of trust to simply be tasked with the general prospect of healing, but to let Kavaa herself hahe specifics was a pliment she rarely received back then. Fortia always set tless priority orders, it was worse with Maisara though. That Goddess would actually remember them a sulky when Kavaa took things as they came.

  “I have your backs.” Kavaa said.

  “I’m quivering already.” Anassa said in that terrible fashion that made Kavaa feel dirty every time she heard it. She didn’t like that her healing hurt others, but the faassa somehow e made her stomach want to empty itself. The woman, as strong as she was, was disgusting.

  Kavaa was rarely oo keep her words to herself. “You’re disgusting.” She said. Fer ughed and Anassa chuckled horribly. Just disgusting. Kavaa had nothing else to say.

  Kassandora had already turned around and was looking to Of Beasthood. “Fer, you’re on vanguard duty. If you smell or hear anything, tell us. If not, lead the way. We’re looking to avoid Tartarus if they’re here. If we ’t pass then it’s you and Anassa. No survivors. They ’t know that we know of them.” Kavaa nodded, she agreed with that se. The status quo with Tartarus was terrible, but it was better than any situation in which they got involved.

  “That’s why it’s just us?” Kavaa asked. She generally realised it already, she just wao show off the fact she could think herself.

  “That is why.” Kassandora said. “If we bring an army in then we only hope to not e across them. If it’s us five, we be in and out easily. No luck required, only our own skill.” Fer and Anassa both chuckled.

  “That’s the Leona paranoia kig in.” Anassa said smugly.

  Kassandave her sister a dirty look. “Don’t pretend you don’t have it.”

  “I’m not afraid of anything.” Anassa said as she looked down into that tunnel. “Frankly, I’m excited about it.”

  “If it’s strong Ana, you retreat.” Kassandora said. “If you feel yourself going, then tell us. We’ll get you out.”

  “I’ll get myself out.” Anassa said. “And besides, they say it drives men mad.”

  “I tested it with soldiers, they get amnesia.” Kassandora said.

  “When it dragged me in, I ’t remember that either.” Iniri said. “It’s just looking at Helenna’s fad then straight to when Fer found me. Nothing iween.” Kassandora let the Goddess of Nature finish and nodded along.

  “So it’s serious. It affect even a Divine’s mind Ana.”

  “It ’t affect mine.” Anassa said and Kassandora sighed. She shot Kavaa an annoying look that begged for support. Kavaa was about to e in with assistance, but Fer beat her to it.

  “If you get caught Ana, I’m not going to be gentle.”

  “Are you ever gentle?” Anassa asked, she turo Fer, the Goddess of Beasthood didn’t even look up at her, she merely she air and looked down into that pitch bck abyss of a pit Anassa had excavated. “And what will you even do?”

  “I’ll make sure you’ll be too disorieo use sorcery.” Fer said. “It’s the best to make sure you don’t get caught, or that it doesn’t trick you to go against us.”

  “I’m shocked you would even suggest that.” Anassa said.

  “You’re the only one I would suggest it to.” Fer said “If Kassie gets caught, or Kav, or Ini, I carry them out. Not you.”

  “I won’t need carrying out in the first pce Fer.” Anassa said fidently. If it was Essa, the words would have been filled with spite. If it was Kavaa, she would have only been a suents. But Anassa didn’t sound annoyed or doubtful, she only spoke as if she was fident of herself.

  “Let’s hope not.” Fer said. She turned around to look at Kavaa. “Are we going in? I’ll dive first. Ana will take the rest of you down.” The funny, smiling and joking kitten had been put bato its house, and the cold hunter of a sabretooth had e to repce it. Kavaa didn’t know which of those were the real Fer, holy, it was one of the few things she was afraid to ask of the woman.

  “Ready when you are Fer.” Kassandora said, the Goddess of Beasthood took a deep breath as her skin started to cover in thick fur. Her nails expanded into cws, her ears became taller, her eyes sharper. Her pot more crooked, as if she was ready to pounce.

  “How do you even think you’ll stop me?” Anassa shouted at the woman from behind. Fer rolled those cold eyes of hers and answered.

  “Most people ’t think straight without arms.” She replied coldly. Kavaa looked up with satisfa at Anassa’s ed expression. It was the first time the Goddess of Health had seen Of Sorcery be stumped for a reply. Kavaa supposed that if anyone made a threat like that, then it would be most believable from Fer. Before Anassa could say anything, Fer took a step bad somersaulted backwards into the pit. Kavaa looked down into the hole, to see Fer swit her torches mid-fall.

  “We’re not capable of that.” Kassandora said.

  “I know.” Anassa replied as Kavaa lost track of Fer in the darkness, but her torches were like twht beas that revealed the Goddesses’ position. Of Health felt something grab her like a child. She looked down to see a massive hand of red sorcery, opaque and casting a faint glow, around her chest.

  “I hate you.” Kassandora said ftly. She was being handled in the same way, as was Iniri. Anassa chuckled as she started to lower her altitude, down into the into. Kavaa, Iniri and Kassandora all followed her, eae being carried by a huge hand of Anassa’s creation.

  The air became colder, the wind disappeared, to be repced by nothing but silehe daylight Sun was quickly obscured and the darkness came on with such a heavy bhat it swallowed them whole. Fer was looking around, sniffing, her sharp intakes of air were the only thing Kavaa could hear. And she heard the cool whisper of the Jungle. She pushed it away, she always did. It was strong, but she had been inside several times, the st time, to save Iniri, had merely galvanized everything she already knew on how to avoid it. “I hear it.” Kassandora said.

  “I do too.” Kavaa said and turo the Goddess of Nature. “Iniri? Are you fine?”

  “I’m…” Iniri said quietly. “It’s a bit odd. Bit different.”

  “You have to push it away.” Fer said. “Be rude to it. Tell it to fuck off.” She took a few steps and shohe torch around as Kavaa ied the stones. It was a dwarven tuhat was certain. The stones were smoothed, then carved with thin lines, every angle sharp without even a single curve. There was no rail runnihough, and the tunnel was nowhere near as grand as it had been ba Epa. Still more than rge enough for all of them a dozen times over, but that only meant it was a third of the size as back there.

  “I…” Iniri said quietly. “No, that does work.” More fidently this time. “I do just have to be rude.” The opaque red let go of them.

  “I’ll catch you.” Fer said. “But you do. It doesn’t try and drag me whatsoever, it just tells me to take you girls and leave.”

  “It’s just silent with me.” Kassandora said, almost disappointed. “It was there for a moment at the start but the away, I feel it watg me but that’s it.” Kavaa blinked and realised that the whispers had gone away from her too. Fer she air as Iniri took a tentative step.

  “I still hear it.” Iniri said. “But it’s… I don’t know.” Kavaa took steps, her fshlight illuminating the walls. There were vines and roots growing along them, but nothing that looked too terrible. No moving woods or razor leaves.

  “Ladies.” Anassa said from behind them. Her voice was breaking, as if she was either writhing in pleasure or fleeing in terror. Kassandora turned immediately, she shoorch to Anassa.

  “Oh no.” Kassandora said as Kavaa turo Anassa a her grip squeeze the torch harder. The Goddess of Sorcery was standing in the air, in her perfect red velvet and silk dress, in those perfect bck boots, with the heels, all as if she was standing on an invisible ptform of air. It wasn’t the Goddess herself that bothered Kavaa though. It was Anassa’s expressions. Her hands were quivering. Her knees were shaking. Her smile split her face from side to side as her eyes burned with a glow that Kavaa had only seen in those who were experience pure ecstasy.

  Anassa saw them looking at her and whispered a tiny expnation, barely trolled. Now that she spoke again, Kavaa realised there wasn’t a hint of fear in her voice, it ure bliss. “It’s afraid of me.”