(Kayne/Purg/Han Co-Post Final Part)
Moriteva’s pain was agonizing only briefly, her voice disappearing into the echoes of his thoughts as quickly as it had come. All the same, he found himself sitting as he placed a hand on his head, shaking himself free of the voice and its pain. He glanced to Marette, giving her a weary smile. “I’ll be alright. Our connection is painful, but it has no lasting effects.” Moriteva rose to his feet once again, giving Aegis a cold, calculating stare as he seemed to reach a conclusion that Moriteva himself was worried about. However, while the thought was concerning, the Warden closed his eyes and shook his head.
“The idea of me being an active traitor is preposterous, given it would have been better for Malphas to not send a faux rescuer at all if that were the case. Besides, my innocence will be proven by Luthious at the end of all this.” Moriteva’s eyes opened once again. “That being said, we know she has been harvested for the Devourers. If she was merely a prisoner, then…why isn’t she with us now?” Moriteva fired the pointed question into the air. “Why was she not with the rest of those designated for slaughter, and why did she not perish when the arena was destroyed?”
Moriteva let the implications hang in the air before glancing about. “While I do not believe my presence is compromising the group…I do believe Death stalks us at every turn, and I believe she has aligned with the Duchess. To what end, I don’t know.” He looked back towards the others. Visana with Santav, Silvannus still peacefully asleep on the ground. Ridstus…he wasn’t even certain if there was life left in that hunk of scrap metal. Atrophos and Lunae…
“We should move soon. We are still being watched.”
—
“You seem to be deflecting my true question, Moriteva,” Aegis promptly responded, holding his ground. “I don’t doubt your innocence or intentions. However, if Death is working for Malphas, can you confirm if she can listen to your conversations, like this one when you tried to speak her real name?”
—
There was a long silence from Moriteva before he shook his head. “In the past, no, she could only hear what thoughts I directed at her. Whatever happened to her, I cannot say if-or what-changes have occurred. However, there is one very important factor I would warn you of.” His eyes, dark from energy expenditure, narrowed as he regarded the facts he knew, and the ones he didn’t. “Our connection is at its strongest when we are close. And if she can give me migraines, I would not be surprised if she is within earshot right now.”
—
Aegis nodded as he listened to Moriteva. It wasn’t the most satisfying answer given the unknown changes, but they could only speculate. “Or perhaps her powers have grown to the point where she can cause those migraines from a long distance. But for now, we’re only working on assumptions about this Death. And there’s nothing we can do about those assumptions right now.”
His gaze shifted between Marette and Moriteva. “As for Silvanus, there is something we can address. Best case scenario, he’s letting the chaos magic corrupt him. Worst case, he’s a traitor and an insider threat, motivated by his desire to revive Selrina. This is our prime opportunity to get some answers from him. We need to restrain him while he’s unconscious.”
He looked at Marette. “I know this isn’t an easy request, but the reason I wanted to speak to you directly is because you and Silvanus are the closest in this group. You’re the most likely to get through to him.”
Aegis’s plan was clear: restrain their comrade, interrogate him upon awakening, and ensure he couldn’t use his magic to interfere. “The rest of the group will heed our cautions. They will want answers too. At best, he’s not our traitor, but we need to make sure he no longer uses that chaos magic.”
—
When Aegis even for a moment had implied that Moriteva was, even if unwittingly, a traitor Marette could feel her blood boil. There had been agreement between the two deities of Order, something that hadn’t happened in some time. Now there was discord. The Goddess of Time turned to Aegis and shook her head. “Please remember that Moriteva was charged by our better, Luthious to descend into the depths of hell to save us. He would never knowingly betray us. Betray me.” Strangely, she found herself rather calm. Almost at ease, for she did ultimately understand Aegis’ message, and equally she understood his abundance of caution. “I will not have him insulted or defamed for an action which at this moment we may not understand completely, for even he is unaware of what this evolution means.”
Composing herself, she thought of the matter at hand. The request made by Aegis. “Well…” Marette began, longing for a cup of tea more than anything else. Something to calm the nerves. “An intervention.” Marette smirked, the idea was somewhat comical but not without merit. “I could fill your mind with the inane interventions of humanity for millennia.” Marette was a guardian of history, a keeper of knowledge. “A group of concerned friends.” Her gaze turned toward Moriteva. Silvannus was their friend, their family, he was their brother, confidant. “The magic he uses. It poses a significant threat to all of us. Chaos. It cannot be allowed to return to the world unbidden and unchecked.”
Marette thought for a moment, almost holding her breath. “Very well. I will do as you ask. But… the others are not so well tempered as we are.” Marette could not predict the reactions of Visana, for example. Even Marette and Visana had found themselves at odds at the best of times. It hadn’t been until they were literally saving each other’s lives that the two had ever exchanged thanks. “And they would be right in their responses, justified even, if Silvannus admits the truth of his actions.” Marette could not deny her own anger. But she would fight against it.
“They mustn’t be allowed to harm him. It is not for us to pass judgment. For Aegis… could we not do the same if it was our own beloved Monarch who lay dormant?” Marette swallowed hard and nodded. “Mori.” Marette began softly. “Even if this is true.” Marette wrestled deeply with her own emotions, not to mention everything she was repressing about her experience with death. “We will still love him.”
–
Aegis's face remained stoic as Marette admonished him for implying that Moriteva could be compromised by Malphas. However, a subtle hardness appeared in his eyes, conveying a hint of disappointment. “I have not forgotten the quest our Monarch assigned to Moriteva, nor the Life Warden’s generosity in accepting such a dangerous mission to selflessly save us. For that, I am eternally grateful. But one of us needs to think without bias, Marette,” Aegis stated pointedly. “I’m still seeking the safety of everyone in this group. If that means asking the difficult questions to understand how our enemies can exploit us, then so be it. I will not back down from asking similar questions in the future.”
It was one of the rare times Aegis displayed a certain hardness in his interaction with Marette. Usually composed and upbeat, he rarely let negative words affect him. But this time, a trace of frustration seeped into his voice. There were only so many times the elderly goddess could chide him without the younger celestial snapping back. The extenuating circumstances of their environment also seemed to wear on the God of Kings and Rulership.
As he listened to Marette’s idea of intervention, Aegis let the tension fade from his face. He had no further disagreements with her plan. “Understood, I will help in whatever way possible to ensure nothing gets out of hand,” he replied curtly. There was a brief silence, but he spoke up again, “However, some food for thought - would you say the same thing if it was another deity that was betraying us, someone we don’t know as well, like Ridstus or Atrophos? Would you say that it is not our right to judge them? Would you still love them?” He let those words linger, “Again, food for thought, so we can better understand those that don’t know Silvanus as well and may want to enact their own form of justice.”
—
Marette for the first time in a long time found herself the subject of a lecture. A stern talking to, admonition. There was temptation to lash out, to spew unkind words toward her fellow deity. Herein showing his youth, his lack of understanding that there were seldom absolute rights and absolute wrongs. “You are right.” Marette relented, clearly unhappy but at least self aware. “The safety of the group is paramount. I find it difficult to be… willing to consider a more nefarious truth if it means doubting a man who saved my life not once but twice.” Marette shrugged her shoulders, entirely focused on Aegis at this point.
“But the question is to be asked. Always.” She longed to roll her eyes, but that would be beneath her. She would force herself to act with all of the dignity she routinely carried herself with. “If you expect me to claim that I would treat the others as I would Silvannus should that have been true, I would not. We all know that I would not.” Marette smiled softly. “But I would still wish to know the truth of it, why they had done it. And it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that I might similarly understand their reasons.”
Taking a firm look inward the Goddess of Time shook her head. “I cannot dictate their reactions, and whatever they may be, they are valid. I can only speak my truth and pray it falls upon willing ears. The world is not simple, God of Kings. Nothing is.” Another soft shrug of the shoulders. The Goddess of Time would not fight any more today.
—
Aegis could sense the palpable tension threatening to break through Marette's composure, but she held steady. Of course, she couldn’t resist adding another lecture about life’s complexity. She also admitted her bias towards Moriteva due to him saving her life—though, surprisingly for a goddess as ancient as time itself, Aegis couldn't help but feel she exhibited traits reminiscent of a human teenager who believes her crush can do no wrong. But voicing such thoughts would only invite her ire; some words are best left unspoken.
Attachment, Aegis mused, does indeed cloud judgment. Moriteva played a crucial role in their rescue mission, but Aegis could argue that his command against Malphas had also saved all their lives, allowing them to escape. The Goddess of Time's gratitude, or the lack thereof, had not gone unnoticed. She would continue to nitpick 90% of his actions, but the God of Kings and Rulership must soldier on alone—for leadership often means standing alone at the top.
“I do not disagree with you, Marette,” he sighed lightly. “The only reason I pose that question - is so we can better understand their minds, so we might be one step closer to winning their hearts and ensuring Silvanus's safety. I can stop them with a simple command, or Moriteva can restrain them with his vines. But if their hearts don’t change, Silvanus’s safety could be at risk at a critical moment in the future. A deity like Visana might simply ‘forget’ to use her protection rune on Silvanus during battle. Perhaps no matter what we do, they will remain vengeful over Silvanus’s betrayal. But it never hurts to try, or in your words, to share your truth and attempt to convince them.”
—
Moriteva had remained silent once the conversation moved past their potential celestial watcher and reverted back to the original topic at hand: Silvannus. Silvannus and his possible betrayal of the gods before them. Moriteva closed his eyes, thinking for a long moment, and heaved a sigh, letting his shoulders slump a little bit. “Silvannus is one of my oldest and most treasured friends. He has seen me through dark times and darker thoughts and is always a bubbling cauldron of good feelings and intentions when you need him to be most.” Moriteva’s voice was calm, even as he listened to the two Order deities exchange words in argument with one another. Such differences in vision were bound to be, regardless of if they were in agreement or not. Moriteva continued to watch both of them, ready to silence one-or both-if words got out of hand.
Thankfully, nothing seemed to boil over, and after some terse words from Aegis, Marette seemed to cool off just a little bit. Moriteva laid a hand on her shoulder. “I believe Silvannus did not betray anyone out of malice…merely tunnel vision to protect someone he loves. I know that feeling of utmost despair and blinding hope when an option is presented to you.” Much of a similar vein had occurred within himself when Selrina had fallen into her unending slumber. Moriteva himself might have gone down a darker path had Luthious not approached him first with a potential solution.
But that was something he could consider later, when everyone was safe. For the moment, they needed to consider the facts, and the possibility that Silvannus might betray them yet again. “So, if this is the path we’re taking…” Moriteva sighed once more, feeling a weight descend on his heart. “Very well. I shall assist with restraints as needed. I know how to keep Silvannus from letting loose, as it were.” Moriteva dug into his pouch, withdrawing a few seeds that he kept in his hand for the moment. He couldn’t wait to return to Averas and restock; his pouch could only hold so much.
“Let’s just get this over with.”
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