Ashley stepped through the door into her room, and instantly raised her hands to her cheeks. “Oh my god I kissed him!”

“Oh my god, then I just left him!”

“What am I trying to do? Become a sultry temptress that plays with his heart?!”

She moaned and groaned for a few more minutes before accepting the invite from a god, anything to distract her.

You have been invited by Seraphel.

She offers you a chance to improve your constructs.

This invite had been one of the only ones that appeared when she sorted it into those with the Light Essence. Being able to improve her constructs sounded like a good way to spend the next week. Busy enough to not think about how alone she was.

Ashley stepped through the exit of the invitation, a doorway of sorts made of light. She found herself standing upon a bridge woven from pure light.

Not stone carved to resemble it. Not crystal reflecting it.

Light itself.

Beneath her feet, strands of white and gold radiance twisted together like threads on a loom, supporting her entirely.

“Wow,” she couldn’t help but mutter.

Looking up, her breath caught. The city floated amongst clouds so white they looked painted. Great spires rose from islands suspended in the heavens, each structure formed from translucent material that seemed halfway between glass and solidified sunlight.

Every surface glowed softly. No shadows existed. The light bent around every corner, filling every space.

She took a tentative step forward.

“Hello,” a voice said. Ethereal, like one would expect from an angel’s visit.

Ashley blinked and realised that there was a woman standing before her. She was dressed in a flowing white robe, lined with gilded ornaments. Her skin was dark, which only made the white stand out more. Golden bracelets decorated her arms almost up to her elbows.

Her hair was braided, bright blue in colour. Then Ashley met the woman’s eyes. The sclera was completely black with only white rings for irises.

“Uh, hi?” Ashley said, voice quiet.

The woman smiled. Her beauty, even with the somewhat scary looking eyes, made Ashley almost blush in nervousness.

“How peculiar,” she said, walking toward Ashley. “Do you not feel any pressure?” She picked up a strand of Ashley’s golden blonde hair, inspecting it.

“I’m definitely feeling something,” Ashley couldn’t help but say, too afraid to tug her hair away.

She finished her walk around Ashley, returning to her vision. “Usually people fall to their knees when in the presence of a god, especially when they push their presence on them. That boy must be something else.”

Boy? Did she mean Leo?

Confusion was evident on Ashley’s face. She felt the pressure this god was giving off, sure, it was kind of like being close to Leo when he got all stormy and emotional. But it wasn’t like the aura’s she’d felt from Serrix or the Queen when they tried to make her scared.

This one was gentle. Powerful, yes, but she felt no harmful intent.

“I don’t know what you mean, is this an aura thing?” she asked.

The god snapped her fingers and a moment later they were inside one of the buildings, sitting on a balcony of light overlooking a city in the clouds.

“My name is Seraphel,” the god said, sipping from a cup also made of light.

There wasn’t one on Ashley’s side. Just a bowl of liquid.

Does she expect me to drink from this like a dog?

The god was smiling at her. It was a bit unsettling.

“Tell me, Ashley, or do you prefer Ash?”

“Ashley’s fine,” she quickly said.

“Then, Ashley. Tell me, what is it that made you accept my invitation?”

“Leo recommended I look for someone called Aurelys or Aurelion the Radiant Architect? Something called a Primarch. When there wasn’t one, I looked for the person who I learned my profession from who was also a Radiant Architect. When that also didn’t work out, I looked for those with a Light Essence. Then I picked you.”

Seraphel seemed satisfied, but also curious. “The title you describe, The Radiant Architect, where did Leo hear it?”

She thought hard for a second about her answer. “I think he said it was Iskarion who told him. Was he wrong?”

The god looked at her with wide eyes, the white light in her irises flashing wildly like strobe lights. She calmed a moment later. “Fascinating,” she whispered. “So he lives after all.”

“The title is not inaccurate,” Seraphel continued. “But also incorrect now. She is The Dawnmother.”

Ashley nodded, understanding the seriousness that Seraphel was exhibiting.

She licked her lips, a sudden thirst coming on. She really didn’t want to bend over and drink from the bowl.

“Uh, could I have a cup?” she asked, hopeful.

Seraphel took a moment, then answered with a smile. “Create one.”

Frowning, Ashley looked on as the god drank from her own cup made of light. It vanished from her hand. Then, the god simply flourished her hand a little and another cup appeared.

I can do that?

“How do I do that? I can only make shields and barriers.”

“You have the profession to create constructs out of light, do you not? Simply create a construct.”

Ashley raised her hand, light forming slowly. It flashed and dimmed, grew and morphed. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she tried to focus.

It slowly formed into a concave shape as she lowered her hand into the liquid, it picked up maybe a spoonful. She raised it to her mouth and slurped from it before the construct vanished, splashing her with the drops that remained.

“Damn, that’s hard,” she said, exhaling.

“Not bad for a first attempt,” Seraphel said. “We will have you practice for the next week, making constructs and improving your profession. Depending on your progress, you will be awarded with a blessing, should you wish to accept it.”

With a deep exhale, Ashley wished that Leo was with her to help. The thought of him was so permanent in her mind. Being apart from him felt so wrong.

I need to get a hold of myself.

So, for the next week, Ashley threw herself into training, creating constructs, barriers, golems of light, all of it taught to her or offered in books. Seraphel kept her distance, only intervening with tidbits of advice now and again when Ashley was stumped.

Afterwards, when the week ended. A blessing was offered.

Seraphel has offered to make you her Favoured

Accept?

Yes/No

After Ashley had departed, newly aquired blessing in tow, Seraphel was speaking to what appeared to be light itself in the form of a woman. It was a silhouette that dimmed its surroundings as it consumed the very light around it.

Seraphel bowed softly, awaiting the light to speak. When she did, the voice was everywhere, divine and overwhelming.

“What did you think of her?”

“She did not even blink under my presence.” Seraphel smiled. “I could tell she was unimpressed.”

“Interesting.”

“Should I increase her blessing?” Seraphel asked.

“No. We will simply observe and assist. Placing our weight on the scales of her fate would do her no service at this time.”

“Yes, Dawnmother.”

Seraphel vanished from the presence of the Dawnmother. It had been a long time since the Primarch had deemed someone worth her interest. Bringing that person to her would give her great standing in the light.

~

The sand was grey, and it sparkled.

Cecelia stood at the edge of an endless, still water and let herself, just for a moment, not think about any of it. Not the orb. Not the guilt that came with it, the guilt she’d swallowed and called the greater good. Not the faces of the people she’d stood in front of today, certain they’d take it from her and hand it to Leo where it probably belonged.

They hadn’t. They’d just… let her have it.

She still didn’t know what to do with that.

Above her, three full moons hung in a sky crowded with stars, their light catching in the dust at her feet like scattered silver. It should have been impossible. With three moons the tides would be violent, the water clawing at the shore. Yet the sea before her lay perfectly still, serene as a pond in a cave, untouched, like it simply existed and had never once been troubled.

Wow.

She’d taken the orb because Leo wouldn’t. He said it himself. He wasn’t interested in leading, in ruling, in building. His eyes were somewhere else, on a sister, on something greater. And someone had to hold the thing. So she’d told herself it was for the greater good, and mostly she’d believed it.

Mostly.

The truth, the uglier truth she only let herself look at in places like this, was that the idea of it—her own settlement, her own city, something she built and ruled, maybe ahead of everyone else on this broken new Earth—filled her with a want so sharp it frightened her. It was how she’d keep up. It was how she’d stop being the one left behind.

And it was why, of all the invitations, she’d chosen the one that hadn’t promised her power at all. The others had—power, standing, or a clumsy route to getting closer to Leo, gods circling her like she was a door to someone better. She’d almost laughed at those ones.

But one had simply offered to help her with her issues.

Her issues. Where would anyone even begin?

Soft footsteps pressed into the sand behind her. She didn’t turn.

“Wonderous, isn’t it?” the voice said.

“It can’t be real,” she replied, voice breathy.

“What you believe to be real or unreal can be solely decided on the power you hold. You wish for this power, don’t you?”

Cecelia turned her head to the side, finally laying eyes on the voice’s source.

Silvery locks caught her eye first, extending far below the middle of their slim, almost feminine naked back. Their face, while pointed and sharp, also held such beauty she almost felt herself falter in her thoughts. They were androgynous in form, wearing soft silks that glistened like the stars above, but Cecelia felt they were male.

His eyes met Cecelia’s, hair moving to reveal pointed ears. Ones she’d seen in movies and folklore.

An elf?

The moment Cecelia made the thought, the sudden pressure she felt was so intense it almost dropped her to one knee. Her hands were trembling, breath hitching. The fading consciousness within her fought hard against the pull of the dark.

Then, like it never was, the pressure vanished. Recovering slowly, Cecelia dared to meet the eyes again.

“Not bad. Most completely pass out under the pressure of a god’s exertion. Forgive me, it is an initiation test of sorts used to assess potential. Come, let us walk.”

He began walking away, stepping across the sand with slow footsteps. Cecelia followed, quickening slightly to catch up after being almost prone. Sand made it a little difficult.

“You must be Caelith?” Cecelia probed, already assuming.

“Mm. Yes. You may call me as such. I am one of the four pillars of the Wrought.”

Cecelia waited for him to continue—especially after she noted his tone. But when they didn’t, she spoke up. “What is this “Wrought?” Forgive any rudeness or offense, but you speak as if you dislike it.”

“That sharpness will do well for you. You have a good head on you.” Caelith smiled.

“The true Moonborn have a word for my people. Tainted.” He said it without weight, the way one repeats a thing heard too many times to sting. Yet the disdain remained. “It is given to those of us who are adopted into the light of the moon.”

“Am I tainted?” Cecelia questioned, somewhat intrigued.

Caelith chuckled. “No. Not yet. You may choose to never be.”

“How do I avoid this choice?”

“By declining my offer.”

A frown etched itself onto Cecelia’s face as she absentmindedly pulled a strand of hair from her vision. “Could you explain further, please?”

“Of course.” Caelith said softly, “Those of us with the Moon Essence are actually quite rare—in the context of the multiverse that is. Before I go further, what do you know of Essences?”

Cecelia answered easily, having done a little research into it herself while speaking to those she led. “It seems that most people get one single Essence, although it is possible to have more. I’m assuming there is a way to get more somehow, but perhaps it is decided at birth or integration.”

“They also tend to be quite elemental in nature. Fire, Ice, Earth, etc. But there are also those which seem to be…rarer? Branches of main Essences? That’s where my knowledge becomes speculation.”

“Very good,” Caelith replied honestly. “There are what are called Primary Essences, like those you mentioned. Fire, Ice, Earth, etc. But there are also what are called, as you astutely surmised, Branched Essences. These are things like Sand from the Earth Essence, or in our case, Moon, from the Water Essence.”

This information filled Cecelia with joy in being able to discover such a thing for herself. “Are the Branched Essences weaker?”

Caelith gave her a knowing look. “They are not. Simply different. Allow me to continue my explanation.”

Cecelia nodded with a slight eagerness.

“Those with the Moon Essence can come in many forms. Human, dwarf, lizard, insect. It is not even guaranteed that two people with the Moon Essence will give birth to one who gains it. What this—what we are. The Tainted, are those who awaken the Moon Essence and are not of the pureblooded Aelunari.”

“This sounds so stereotypically prejudicial I almost hesitate to believe it’s truth,” Cecelia couldn’t help but say.

Caelith gave a real hearty laugh. “You’re correct. There are those of us who are adopted into the species. Myself included. My race was once called a Moon-touched Toad. So you can imagine the difference now.”

“How, and why, did you change?” Cecelia asked after a beat.

“For power, of course.”

Cecelia sucked a quick breath through her teeth. “Are you saying that becoming this… Aelunari race, that I will become more powerful than if I remained human?”

“Innately, yes. While humans are diverse and span the entire multiverse, with even one of the Primarchs being among them, the Aelunari are not without benefit.”

The tide washed against Cecelia’s boots, but no water stuck to them. “Even this tainted you spoke of?”

“I prefer the term Wrought,” Caelith responded. “You will never be able to become a true Aelunari. But you can become one of us.”

Cecelia’s mind started going all sorts of directions, weighing pros versus cons. Many of which she didn’t know without more information. Whether she would be shunned by her own people. It was all so much.

But it all came down to one thing in the end. Power.

“Forgive me, but I’m skeptical to believe that a lesser race, even one aligned to my Essence, would grant me more benefits than joining a powerful faction of a different kind to harness my abilities.”

“You are mediocre, Cecelia.”

The words stung like a blade driven into her chest. The same ones her father had said to her many times before. Anger boiled up from her throat before she could stop it, expecting a disinterested face and a disappointed stare.

But Caelith was smiling. With the warmth and kindness that only one who had been called as such would feel. Her anger vanished, replaced with something sorrowful that almost had her break down into tears.

“I know your greed for power. I feel it. I want nothing more than to gain enough power to destroy all those who had ever called me lesser. With or without us, you will face diversity, those stronger than you looking down on you. It’s inevitable. But should you join us, and prove yourself worthy enough, you can become part of us.”

The tides became still. The waves hushed their gentle crashing. All at once, under the power of the god. All of the water—perhaps on the entire planet—rose up until there was nothing but a sky of aquatic wonder above them.

“You can become great.”

A promise. A choice. One she would need to make. One that had already swayed her.

A nod was all it took.

Caelith, the Veiled, has offered to make you their Champion.

Accept?

Yes/No

This was her next starting point.

~

Entering his own room, Ron’s fist crashed into the white wall before him. It did not hurt, no matter how many times he struck it. Striking himself did the same. It was pointless.

But the emotions would not stop rising. Pain. Grief. Anger. They were like permanent scars. Aching.

He pictured her face. The one who he’d sworn himself to, despite the medieval ridiculousness it was. It calmed him. A purpose was what he needed.

When it came to these ‘invites’ that the… gods had sent out. Ron was extremely conflicted. Leo had spoken of the existence of more than one god. The system had confirmed it, along with every single painful invite he’d received, which weren’t many.

At first, he hadn’t wanted to take any kind of invitation. It was blasphemous to his beliefs. Beliefs that were slowly being eroded with every revelation. But Cecelia had told him to accept one for the potential power gains, so he’d accepted one based on her guidance.

You have been invited by Luz of the Helios collective.

He wishes to recruit you to their faction.

“Just get this over with.”

The system took that as confirmation and he was transported immediately.

It was so hot. Ron found himself on the literal surface of the sun. Something his once god should have been the one to create. How was this possibility not enough to change his beliefs?

He already wanted to leave, to get back to his own life and out of this crisis. He needed time. Time to grieve for his friend. Time to figure out what he wanted past a life by Cecelia’s side. Perhaps… this place could give him that.

“Allow me to make this quick as I have things to do,” a voice said. It came from a bird-like creature that looked a lot like a phoenix. It morphed into a half-humanoid, half-phoenix hybrid.

He spoke like he was reciting a script, with zero interest. “Welcome initiate. I am Luz. We are part of the Helios Collective. We collect those who are blessed by the one true god Helios. Those who are lucky enough to have awakened a Sun Essence.”

“What is this place?” Ron asked.

Luz scoffed, anger rising but clearly trying to hide it. “Do you accept his blessing or not?”

Ron just stared at this apparent god. How was this thing divine-like whatsoever?

“Are you a god?” Ron asked, voice wary.

The pressure rose upon the surface of the sun. It flared and brightened until Ron was almost prone, lying in liquid fire.

“There is only one true god! And it is Helios!” Luz bellowed.

Ron croaked and struggled to stand. His arms quaked as he pushed from the heat. “Wrong.”

“Accept his blessing and begone!” Luz screamed. The composure of this apparent god was startling.

Luz has offered to acknowledge you on behalf of Helios

Accept?

Yes/No

Ron forced himself to stand under the pressure. His head felt as if it would explode. “Fuck no.”

“Then begone!”

After barely ten minutes spent on what felt like the surface of the sun, Ron reappeared within his room, skin still hot to the touch. He wasn’t burned, nor was he hurt in any way.

Laughter escaped his throat. It kept coming, more and more as tears mixed their way in. All this talk of almighty gods and powers above himself and the first one he meets acts like they are trying to sell him into a cult.

He felt like he could finally breathe. So what if there were apparently more gods? There was always someone or something that claimed as such throughout time. Norse gods, Greek gods, Egyptian, etc. Joining some random faction just because they told him to was the last thing he’d do.

But now he had a goal.

To find one worth believing in.

Or to raise someone up to become one.