ALL NOVEL Crusade – Chapter 60: One Small Step
Aperio slowed down as she got closer to the moon, the celestial rock far larger than she had thought it would be. She knew how big it was as she had observed it through her aura, but seeing it with her own eyes from up close gave her a better understanding of its true scale.
She turned her head to glance at the planet behind her, but her wings obscured her vision with every beat. Stopping for a moment and letting Caethya down onto a small pane of mana she had created, Aperio fully turned around in order to properly appreciate the view. The young Elf shuffled herself closer to the Goddess, either seeking the warmth she gave off in their cold and unwelcoming surroundings or not fully trusting a thin sheet of mana to carry her despite its origin.
Aperio did not give much mind to such matters as she, too, stepped onto the pane of mana, and extended the air-filled bubble to encompass her and Ferio as well. She draped a wing over both her disciple and her daughter. It was perhaps an unneeded motion, but Aperio felt it was the right thing to do, even if only to invoke the idea of a comfortable blanket offering up its warmth. Caethya briefly tensed up at the motion, as whenever the blue-black feathers brushed against her, the tiny wisps of mana darting around them seemed to melt into her skin. Her breath quickened with every bit of mana that joined her, the sensation undoubtedly foreign for the Elf. She let herself fall back, resting her back against her Goddess’ wing as she took a couple of deliberate, deep breaths.
"Beautiful, is it not?" Aperio said, and once her voice reached Caethya's ears the Elf seemed to relax a little, carefully wrapping her arms around the Goddess’ waist. Despite still feeling the shift in her aura on the moon's surface, she would take this moment to revel in the sight of her apparent creation.
The world that hung before them in the nothingness of space was unlike anything Aperio could remember seeing. Seas of blue and green stretched across its surface, intermittently parted by the yellow line of a desert or the grey and white of mountain tops.
That she instinctively knew the names of each continent was relegated to the back of her mind. She had probably read them on a map somewhere during her time as a slave; a circumstance of her distressingly sharp memory. Not something I should complain about.
"Yes," Caethya murmured, still holding on tightly to Aperio. Perhaps taking her with me was not the right choice? If space scared the young Elf, Aperio would not force her to stay there. That her disciple also physically clung to her was another reason to perhaps consider other modes of transportation. Is it frightening to get carried through space?
While Aperio might not want to remove her right this instant, the prospect of having someone hug her every hour of the day was not one she enjoyed. Today is an exception. She had taken Caethya here, and whatever consequences that brought were hers to bear. The question of her suitability for such affection also flashed through her mind. If seemingly very sharp swords did nothing to her, and she could effortlessly punch through a wall, wouldn't she be harder than both? Even my body doesn't make sense anymore.
As nobody else seemed to want to make a comment, Aperio lingered for another moment to look at the marble of life hanging in front of them, then lifted her wings from Ferio and Caethya and turned around; Caethya ending the hug with a start as soon as the Goddess started to move. Whatever was happening on the moon had started to fade again, the shifting of mana she felt in her aura more subdued.
Neither of her two companions had even seemed to notice that something was happening, a fact that Aperio was unsure should make her happy or be a source for concern. If a Goddess doesn't notice it, does that mean it's not worthy of my attention? Or is it something that she could never feel anyway? That she shared a rather special relationship with all of existence was obvious, but how to interpret the things she felt from the universe around her? Not so much.
"Are you ready to pay Vigil's temple a visit?" Aperio asked, once again offering her hand to Caethya.
Ferio gave a brief nod, her face unreadable to her mother. Is she concerned? Or does she not like how I treat Caethya? Aperio discarded the latter thought. Thus far, Ferio had approved of her conduct with her disciple; even if the way in which she had done so struck the winged Goddess as mischievous.
The young Elf swallowed slightly before she nodded and took the offered hand. Aperio, again, picked up her disciple and beat her wings to carry her through the nothing. She knew that it was a useless motion, that she could simply push herself along with her mana, but Aperio enjoyed the feeling of her wings propelling her forward; liked going through the physical motions.
Much like before, the nothingness around her reacted to her passing; tiny shadows chasing after the wisps of mana that danced around her form. Aperio took a breath of the nothing that surrounded her, finding it unable to calm the bubbling feeling of doubt that had started to surface in her mind.
She wasn't sure what she would do if she managed to get into Vigil's Dominion. On the one hand, a part of her was already screaming for his death — wanting to kill him for his insolence, for his insubordination. On the other, however, Aperio wasn't sure if she was even the same person anymore. She knew the memories she had retrieved from the Crystal were hers, but they felt more like distant echoes of childhood than a memory she had consciously taken part in.
One thing she knew for certain was that she would remove Vigil from the pantheon. While she wasn't quite sure why there was a cadre of Gods and Goddesses under her, she did not doubt that they existed for a reason. Having a group sow dissent was not something she wanted. That's how empires fall. The Inaru Empire had used that tactic more than once.
Split your opponent, have them battle each other, then promise to help one side to take over the other and simply take both. Aperio was sure there was more planning to it than that, but the general idea should be pretty close. Divide and conquer. It did not explain how she had died in the first place, but highlighted the possibility of outside influence. But who?
She knew she had made all there is, that everything in some way got their strength from her. So who could turn people against me? The easiest answer was that there was no one, that either Vigil or Inanis had been fed up with the way she had presumably loomed over them, or done whatever she had done at the time, and one — or both — of them had decided a change of leadership was in order. Can they do it again?
Not knowing how she had died in the first place was the main reason for the anxiety and doubt in her mind. What if they could do it again? Aperio did not want to die. She liked what she had become. Returned to be? She wanted to see the worlds she had made, wanted to spend time with her family.
Wanted to have a life.
Aperio closed her eyes as she descended towards the moon's surface and drew more mana from her well. She felt Caethya shift in her arms in response, felt her breath quicken and her muscle tense up ever so slightly. Did I scare her again? She was fairly certain that drawing on more mana than most mortals could ever dream of commanding with every breath she took would be a frightening experience. It was, however, something she would have to get used to if she wanted to stay at Aperio's side. Restraint was not something the winged Goddess was particularly fond of. Or good at. Admitting that, of course, brought with it a wave of disgust that she pointedly ignored.
The coarse, almost sand-like dust that covered the moon's surface scratched against Aperio's bare feet as she set down. Before her was the barrier that kept Vigil's followers alive and breathing, shimmering slightly as it reflected the light of the sun.
Aperio stepped forward, pushing past the slight resistance the barrier offered. A ripple spread from her point of entry, shortly followed by another as her daughter passed behind her. None of the people inside seemed to have noticed their entry, as all of them still went about their business as usual, unperturbed by the presence of two Goddesses who were on less than amicable terms with their God.
The lack of reaction was not unwelcome, however. Aperio had no desire to kill people simply because they followed another God. I don't even want followers; I just want to live.
Carefully, she set down Caethya, briefly letting her mana flow through her to see if her disciple had incurred any injuries from their move through space. Aperio was unable to find anything wrong besides the rather frantic beat of Caethya's heart, but she chalked that up to being either excited or scared by the vast expanse of nothing. I wish they could see what I do.
Having ensured that she was fine, Aperio set off towards the centre of the complex; the familiarity of what resided there having piqued her interest. There was also a tiny voice in the back of her mind that told her that whatever it was that sat there, it would be helpful in her goal of finding Vigil's Dominion.
"Lady Aperio?" Caethya asked quietly. "What exactly are we doing here?"
"We are here to find a way into Vigil's Dominion so that I may deliver his punishment."
The reply caused the Elf to shift her eyes to Ferio, who simply shrugged in response. "I may be a Goddess, but I do not know how Dominions interact with this realm. Mother has never explained that to me."
"I am quite certain that the words required for such an explanation do not exist." Or that I would know them if they do… or could even explain how I know this.
"Couldn't you simply transfer the knowledge to someone's mind like you did with me?" Caethya asked.
Aperio tilted her head at the question. It should work, she knew as much, but a part of her mind was screaming at her to not do it. That it would end badly for the one she tried it on. "I could do that, yes. It would not end well for whoever received the knowledge, however."
"Oh..." Caethya said, lowering her head slightly. "I am sorry for asking."
"There is no need to be sorry," Aperio replied. "You wanted to learn, did you not? You just did. Knowing how the universe works is complex, and can be damaging to a mind of insufficient strength." Does that even make sense to her?
Further conversation was cut short as Aperio felt another shift in her aura, causing her to raise her hand to postpone any potential discussion. The mana in the centre of complex was growing denser, drawing from somewhere she could not see but still recognized on instinct.
Aperio's next step was accompanied by the sound of shattering glass as reality broke in front of her, her stride never faltering as her foot landed on the floor of the central room that held the cloud of mana that had piqued her interest. Her daughter quickly followed, nudging a wide-eyed Caethya along as she did so.
As soon as she was in the room, Aperio focused on the mass of mana. She could see the threads of mana that jutted outwards from it, slowly intertwining with the ones that stitched reality together. A wave of her hand caused the threads to unravel, an action she had done on instinct to investigate something she perceived as wrong.
Behind the reality Aperio had known for most of her remembered life, she now saw an ever-changing swirl of colours and energies she instinctively knew but could never hope to name or describe. All the innumerable parts that kept reality alive seemed to pause at her inspection before slowly parting to show her the single thread that ran from the cloud of mana to a place previously unseen.
The winged Goddess took a step towards the newest tear in her creation, tilting her head as she slowly extended her arm to grab the offending thread of mana. It did not belong here, she knew that. But why? What is that?
It was the source of the shifts she had felt in her aura. An unsanctioned addition to her creation. Did Vigil do this? Not knowing what the traitor could do infuriated her, but it did not stop her from summoning her weapon to cut the out-of-place thread.
As soon as her blade had severed the strand of mana, a shudder ran through the fabric of space, not unlike the one she had felt after she had destroyed the first core. There was no influx of mana or returning memories this time, however. Only a sense of wrongness that slowly faded away, the universe returning to what Aperio deemed natural. What was that?
She let her senses expand, following the fading thread through the indescribable expanse of shifting colours and noises. Aperio ignored the happy hum that came from her surroundings, focused on following whatever had soiled her creation to its source.
It wasn't long before she could feel a presence coming closer, obviously the one who had woven the string. Aperio sent her senses racing ahead, so she could see who had dared to defile her creation.
What she saw on the other end of the thread was not what she had expected.
Before her aura's sight, a vast hall expanded. White marble floor with gold inlays covered every bit of the ground and large, gold accented pillars held up a high roof that depicted a man in his prime wearing a tunic made from white and gold fabric as he pulled a world from the blade of a weapon.
My weapon, Aperio realised a moment later. She spread her senses inside of what she was now sure was Vigil's Dominion, trying to find the traitorous God. It only took her a moment to find the man that was depicted on the ceiling, leaning over a large atlas of what Aperio knew to be different worlds.
His head snapped up, his eyes seemingly meeting hers despite the fact that she was not physically present. Aperio's lips curled into a smile as she saw him stagger backwards, the colour draining from his face. He made a motion with his hand and Aperio felt something futilely push against her aura.
Her smile spread further as she extended her hand and, with a grinding screech, tore reality apart like an discarded piece of paper. She took a deep breath of the warm air that flowed from Vigil's Dominion, and drew more mana from her well.
The weapon in her hand thrummed in anticipation as her mana flowed through it, the floor beneath her feet breaking as it struggled against her might. With slightly flared wings, Aperio stepped into the traitor’s realm, ignoring the arcs of mana that danced across her feathers and skin.
"The time for Judgement has come."
