“Well, that happened,” Koltos said as he leaned back into his chair, waving a hand toward the screen that was showing David and company, pausing the playback.

  Almeniris sighed beside him. “Seriously, that was ridiculous. He was dead. His soul had dissociated from his body! You don't come back from that!” She said, shaking her hand at the screen.

  “Apparently, you can.” He proposed.

  “Did we tell him how to do that? I'm pretty sure we didn't.”

  “No, we told him about mana manipulation, how to purify mana, and some hints about the true nature of mana. You know, just enough for him to figure out a way to not turn into a... what did they call it? A Fel,” Koltos said, before grimacing and pointing his chin at Niala.

  “That girl just stumbled into something even we weren't aware of. Forget about ascension, this is... this is... transcendence!” He shook his head. “Ridiculous.”

  Almeniris quirked an eyebrow. “Was it that special? It just looked like an aborted soul subsuming.”

  Koltos gave his fellow god a look. “...right. I forget that your primary and sole sector of expertise is throwing things.”

  She knitted her brows, staring at the man, promising pain if he kept going.

  He rolled his eyes and brought up his hands. “Oh, please, peace, peace. Look, you know that souls normally belong to the world, right? They are part of the fundamentals, the motive force that plays out its role, before being brought back, recycled, and reused.”

  She nodded slowly.

  He continued. “So, again, normally, souls don't have free will unless they are linked to a body. The body has free will, but nothing to power it. Both, together, make a whole. The fundamentals state that, once they are dissociated, it's over.”

  Almeniris tilted her head. “Right, but they clearly displayed free will.”

  He shook his head. “The girl somehow managed to tether her soul to her body, which is already stupid enough of a concept, but that meant she still had free will. But this guy,” Koltos said, while pointing at David. “He was gone. He was, or should have been, a ball of dust being vacuumed back into the Narrator, but he stopped. It's as if one of your fingers stopped listening to you.”

  “Oh.” The goddess said.

  “Yes, Oh,” Koltos said, crossing his arms and frowning.

  After a moment of silence, Almeniris spoke up. “What about that creature, the Fel? It was clearly unnatural.”

  “It was. I'm sure you saw it too, the godscript along its body? It was more refined than what the man had. I'm guessing that if it had been allowed to keep feeding and growing, it would have begun manifesting signs of... him.”

  “That's concerning.” The goddess allowed. “Should we tell the others about it?”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Koltos scoffed. “And admit we defied one of the Sanctuary's laws? Just watching them is considered interference, not mentioning that we spoke to one of them.”

  “But he came here. That's not on us!” Almeniris defended.

  “The others won't care. No, we do nothing and simply keep watching. If things turn for the worse, we'll figure out a way to let them know. For now...” He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. “We just see how this plays out. I get the feeling those two will keep surprising us.”

  The goddess nodded. “Especially with the girl's power.”

  Koltos slumped into his chair. “Oh, please, don't even mention that.”

  “And why not?”

  He straightened. “Because I have no idea what that was.” He admitted, throwing his hands. “It looked like godspeak, but there weren't any of the usual markers from his influence. That means it's something the people from that world developed independently.” He explained, as he stared at the goddess. “And that is terrifying.”

  Almeniris blinked. “You really have no idea?”

  “None.”

  Almeniris stared, waiting for him to end the farce. Only, he didn't. “Wait, you're serious? You, Koltos the wise? Master of aetheric energies and mysticism and blablabla, is clueless about a transient's power?”

  “Ok, first, that's rude, second, no, I don't, and neither do you, so stop mocking me.”

  The goddess's lips curled up into a devilish grin. “Oh no. It appears I know something that you don't. I wonder what it will take for me to tell you.”

  Koltos glared at her in silence.

  Almeniris visibly shivered, hugging herself with a pleasured expression. “Ooooh, this is exquisite! Yes, keep glaring at me, little god, desire my knowledge!”

  “...There is something deeply wrong with you.”

  She leaned forward, low enough that he could see right into her cleavage. “And yet, you're enjoying this. I can see your lips fighting against a smile.” She said, batting her eyelids.

  He looked up from her crevice and shuddered. “Please, for the love of us, go temper your ardours in a fugue world.”

  She blinked several times before bursting into laughter. “MWAHAHAHAHA! ME!? WITH YOU!? HA HA HA HA!” Tears rolled down her cheeks as she held her sides.

  He scowled and stared while she doubled over, eventually getting it out of her system. She wiped her tears away and looked at him. “That was what you thought I meant? Oh, us, that is so funny.”

  “What did you mean, then!?” He asked, annoyed.

  “To fight! I wanted you to fight me! We never fight anymore, it's soooo boring!”

  “You... of course that's what you'd want! How did I forget you had muscles instead of a brain?” He spat.

  “Besides, you never seemed interested! You never looked at me that way.” She said, tilting her head.

  “Because I like my women feminine and refined! Not... simian and brutish.” Koltos said, eyeing her up and down.

  A muscle on Almeniris's brow twitched, as an unfriendly smile drew over her lips. “Oh, it sounds like you want to fight after all.”

  Koltos leaned into his chair. “What? No! I don-”

  She didn't hear the rest of his rebuke, as he had already been flung halfway across the island.

  Shielding her eyes with a hand, she nodded appreciatively at the arc Koltos was making through the sky.

  She snapped her fingers, making a large boulder appear in mid-air and fall into her waiting hand, aimed, and threw the rock. She watched it sail through the air and hit the god on his descent, sending him spinning.

  She heard the cursing from where she was, and grinned. “I'll have to tell him he was right. I am pretty good at throwing things.”