Neneria has ood for anything. Neneria has never chosen a side in any major flict before. It is not that she rejected humanity, rather humanity rejected her. There were times she was called upon, of course, but it was never in the same fashion that Iniri or Helenna or Kassandora, Alsaria or Irinika would be io attend great celebrations that marked some important date. One called upoh because a transa o be made, it was as easy and as simple as that.

  Neneria was in disbelief when I approached her. She could not prehend the fact that rather than her skill, she herself was valuable. I’ve met plenty of depressed Divihat is the fate of most of us who are uo develop some form of sociopathy and move past the retionships we make in the first tury, before we realise the price of agelessness amongst mortals. Death always had a reputation of being morose, yet I saw something else: Neneria was resigo her role. She wished for something more, but she simply could not imagine ever aplishing it.

  Frequently, a parison is made between Olephia and Neneria. Spending even a versation with both will reveal the mistake in that parison. Olephia does not hate her power even though it is far more debilitating to her than Of Death’s is to Neneria. Olephia would be Olephia whether she was the Goddess of Light, of Dirt or just a mortal. Neneria ot separate herself from her demesne. Of Death is Neneria, Neneria is Of Death.

  I wish she realised that there erson behind the title.

  - Excerpt from Arascus’ Private Writings.

  Essa cracked Arika and Arcadia stood still in disbelief. Arcadia retreated in fear. Arcadia shrunk in shame. Arcadia sobbed in guilt. Leadership-less and unguided, Arcadia stood in stasis. First the st college of Magic had been attacked by Fer, thousands had died in that offensive. Anassa had been freed, the Goddess of Sorcery doubled the number of dead alone. Essa had instituted repced the White and Blue fg of harmonic pead raised the Red and Purple of Worldbreaking. Arcadia had followed its Goddess to Kirinyaa, its Goddess had carelessly broken the world ohen cracked a ti . And even though Arcadia had doher of those, Arcadia’s headmistress was Essa. The shame of one mage did not fall on is, yet the shame of the Goddess of Magic fell upon all.

  And Arcadia had fled. Gone were glorious embassies of fn nations, now they were merely empty buildings. The Great Hall used for enrolling novices was empty. Alsaria had visited it two years ago, even at night, the building had been bustling with life with every window fighting a rabid war to keep the night baow, during the midday, there were a dozen people he steps leading up to the main gate.

  This past year had been dark for the Pantheon. Alsaria could not deny it, yet she also could not deny what the Pantheon was. Fortia was the hammer of Peace, who would smite the will to war out of all. Maisara was the vice of Order, who would bend and break everyone and everything to fit into her ideals. The Forces had about as much issue with death as their terparts in nature; why should Zerus ever worry about mortals dying? Did the sky feel bad for its thuorms? And Alsaria, whose Divine light cast a long shadow over the fields of bodies she had under her belt. The White Pantheon was old and it was filled with veterans of wars.

  No. Arcadia was not the White Pantheon. They could not be pared in the slightest. When Atis had been lost, the Pantheon had a meeting a marg forwards. When Kassandora had been freed, when Kavaa, Iniri and Helenna had turraitor, the Pantheon had a meeting and tis march. When the Pantheon was reduced to half strength, the marly got faster. Arcadia had been attacked ond it wept. Arcadia lost in Kirinyaa, and it retreated from the world the at rge. A mere scratch had chased the dragon away.

  Alsaria hovered across the skies of Arcadia as she looked at all the different winding towers snaking from the ground like arees that had been grown of brid mortar. Each branch was a baly, each leaf a window. And the huge dorm-rooms and halls, massive hedges of stone webbed with gss. From the outside, they looked as any picture or painting of Arcadia: great puzzle pieces of civilizatioly interlog with the fine rolling hills and emerald grass and azure kes. Yet any eye familiar with Arcadia proper would see the mistakes immediately. Only a few a csses were being held, the majority of the parks and gardens were devoid of any human activity and the students sullenly wandered as if they were had no particurly pressing aims during the midday.

  And there was somethioo, where a park had oood. Alsaria had to get close to i whether her eyes were lying to her or not. The Goddess of Light desded from the ever-cloudless blue skies of Arcadia, her white-gold dress and hair wavily in the wind as she got closer to the mo. It was a stoatue of several wizards and witches, young and old, all holding their wands in the same dire. A model of several dorm-rooms was behind them and a pque: Dedicated to those who gave their lives in exge for ours.

  And below the pque, a list of names.

  A long list of names, as long as Alsaria was tall. It covered the entire base of the mo.

  Alsaria k and whispered a prayer.

  “I’m bored, do you want to do Epa now?” Helenna had two opinions of Mam’s high-pitched, nasally, yet simultaneously rolling and delicate voice: It was as if her ears being forced to listen to nails on a chalkboard, and as if auditory ambrosia was being fed directly into them.

  “Arascus allows you to switch jobs just like this?”

  Mam shrugged. “We’re done on the UNN for now. It’s just waiting for the initial reports. We might as well get something useful done on Iliyal’s front.”

  “Ah.” Helenna said. She leaned bato her seat and looked up at the ceiling, humming to herself. She heard that hum, and she realised she was smiling. She had thought that she would be utterly inpatible with Mam. But she had been wrong and the other woman was right: Love and Hate really were two sides of the same obsessive .

  Alsaria sat in what once was Essa’s cil room. She had gathered the elites of Arcadia, great wizards and witches and waited for them to slowly shuffle and sit. The fgs around the room were the Red and Purple of the three lightning bolts crag the world: Essa’s a war banner. Only a few of the magis could even stomach to look at the banners. “Hello and good evening dies alemen.” Alsaria said, she supposed they knew who she was already, but she supposed she should introduce herself for the sake of politeness. “I am Alsaria, Goddess of Light, First Amongst the White Pantheon.”

  The wizards and witches and slowly introduced themselves. At least forty had shown up: Dorm-masters, Heads of Years, Heads of Subjects, Heads of Elements. The room was only half full as they sat around the table. A few left spaces between themselves. One group, primarily pyromancers in red shawls, positiohemselves close to the warbanners. The rest as far as possible from them. “I have e to discuss yoddess, Essa, of Magic.” Alsaria said. She monitored the ges in expression, a few looked away in disgust, some more looked down in shame. That group he warbanners met Alsaria’s gaze in defiance. “Let me begin.” Alsaria said.

  “The situation, as it stand right now, is terrible. Deaths only in the UNN measure sixty million. There’s still another oo four million people unated for. Iher coastlines, we only have estimates but worldwide…” Alsaria let the silence hold for a moment to build effect. “We’re looking at anywhere from two huo four hundred million.”

  There were a few collective gasps. One woman started silently g. One man looked as if he was about to faint. In addition to that guilt and shame and defiahere was a need emotion added to the stew of magis: fear. Alsaria didn’t want them to be afraid of her, but a little of fear went a long way in discussions. “Essa, as I’m sure you already know, has been formally expelled from the White Pantheon.” Alsaria let the pause hang to once again gauge rea. They knew although it had not been publicized too widely yet. So someone inside had ratted. “Where Essa is, we do not know, however we expect her to be taking refuge in Arascus’ care.”

  This brought on a stronger reaasps. More sobs. The defiaurned into anger. Alsaria met those gazes and realised it wasn’t a Essa. It was a Alsaria for being here. The Goddess pushed the magis out of her mind, let them rage if they wao. “Naturally, this leaves Arcadia in a delicate situation.” Alsaria sighed and looked around. “I assume you work out what it is.”

  “Arcadia is going to lose Pantheon support?” One aged wizard in a blue cloak spoke up from the back.

  Alsaria nodded. “Arcadia is not self-sustaining, everything you have here is paid for by Pantheon coffers. What Essa did o be answered, the Pantheon ot stand by her anymore. Yet Arcadia ot be separated from Essa.”

  “So the Pantheon is cutting support?” O green asked. Alsaria nodded. She let them work it out themselves, people were always mreeing when they felt as if they made the clusions.

  And now, she would take a page out of Arascus’ book: There was er than the self-inflicted feeling of debt that fiveness brought along. “However, whereas Essa is guilty, you are not.”

  Apart from those who had huddled between Essa’s war-banners, the room let out a collective sigh of relief. People sat up taller, one man finished his gss of water. A few in the back eve out mirthless ughs of stress. “In this regard, I do not see it right to punish any of you for Essa has done.” Alsaria said, that was enough hope for them, it was time to turn the pressure up. “However, as I stated, Essa is tied to Arcadia, this institution expelling her is farcical. It’s simply not an option.”

  It tion, but it would leave the mages with the old loyalties to this a school and to this world of traditional magic. Alsaria took a pause to look around the room, but it was actually to tain her owement. Finally, after thousands of years, she would do something no other awe-inspiriy nifit mortal ruler had ever aplished: She would separate the Magis from the Goddess of Magic. Alsaria began:

  Step one; mercy. “In this regard, Arcadia will not be shut down, but Pantheon support will be cut. What you do in this nd is your own choice.”

  Step two; pressure. “I do not know how long you will be able to sustain this nd, and likewise I do not know how successful you will be i Arcadia’s glory now that Essa had tais image with her massacre of a quarter billion.”

  Step three; hope. “However, I am of the White Pantheon. The Mages were always supportive of Olympiada, I see no reason to abandon you just because yoddess has betrayed you. If anything, it is my debt to pay to you.”

  Step four; salvation. “So whereas I will not shut Arcadia down, I will officially create the new Peacekeeping Colleges of Magic soon, under White Pantheon jurisdi. It would se all of you of Essa’s crime and it would allow the Divine Mountain to once again openly support the artistry of magic.

  And step five; bargaining. “I do not pn oing something akin to Arcadia again, instead I want smaller detralized colleges all throughout the world that specialize in one or two subjects. I would need assistan creating these institutions, and I would expect that assistan ma to be from you. With all the privileges that e with it.”

  Alsaria looked at the various sets of eyes and gazes in the room. She had written off the group gregating around the war-banner already, but the others? It was true that all magis were like Essa to some degree, she could see the delusions of grandeur openly painting themselves on their faces.