Raymond
*Caught in a web of intrigue, Thana was at a crossroads with her life. Unsure whether she was the one deserving to be in control or if the gods would ever see her as anything more than a spawn of Edon that would one day be destined to sow despair and ruination. Her fingers run along the bark of Gaia, nails softly trailing between the rings and gaps across the tree's exterior. She had so little places of comfort, her own realm did not feel like a safe place to stay. It had never been attractive. Tender rays of warmth bounce from the young goddesses' neatened appearance, the aura of purity that had followed the girl ever since the encounter with Pyralith, a warding shield against the darkness and corruption of her mind and nastier influences.*

*Entering through a large carved arch, her wings fold inwards to allow the deity passage, sprouting outwards with a resounding whoosh as feathers glimmer in the self-fashioned breeze once she had made it through. This place was an unfamiliar sight, inviting... Tranquil. An inverse of everything the fragmented girl represents... That realisation alone sent a sparkling tear down her face, staining the softly tinted skin with a small silver streak, much like a raindrop... It rolls and falls until it hits the floor with a miniscule splash... It meant nothing in the grand scheme of things, a simple motion that repeated itself day after day in some places. Crying was natural, remorse more so... But it didn't stop it hurting like a blade across her face. It was alien, barbaric... Why was she crying? She was a goddess. Granted untold power to shape a world, to bend reality on a whim...*

*Even in this place, it wasn't her home.*

*Home was them... Nach, Triticea, Pyralith, Savarii, Onesifi and most of all... Ezgi.*

`" So desperate to settle, you forgot to stop looking... "` *The serpent's voice pangs into her head, but it doesn't come with the urge for violence, the repulsion of all life and the sickly malice gnawing away at her resolve. It came with sadness, pity... Edon was not devoid of emotion. He never had been. Emotion got him killed the first-time round, the grief and sadness.*

*The Melancholia.*

**" Never thought I'd say it kindly snake... Please stop talking, just this once. "** *Her voice tremors, speaking aloud to the air from an onlooker's perspective. There was no reason for him to stop. The whispers had every right to continue to remind her she was a fallen disgrace, a disconnect from the world and Gaia. She was no child of this land, only a brutal reminder of an event that could never be undone. A fate sealed forever... A unchangeable change.*

*The serpent obliges... Leaving Thana with her own thoughts and the sound of tears hitting the floor. She had been crying profusely without realising, shedding tears and shuddering in the quiet embrace of the Mother Tree. Her arms move and stretch up, a soft yawn echoing off the hollow hall, slowly cushioned by a dainty hand over her mouth. With this yawn, a beacon of golden light soars upwards through the inside of the tree and pulses into the sky above Gaia herself, illuminating the stars of each deity, with the respective gods and goddesses for this ceremony having theirs remain twinkling in a heavenly atmosphere.*

**" This isn't for me, it's for them... Please, we may not be brothers or sisters... I may not even be the same divine blood as you, but a deal is a deal... I hope to see you all soon. "**

*With that, the message was sent... The beacon acting as a call to the deities involved with divine weapon creation. A beckoning call to unite, and finally give this girl something she could truly hold on to... Without the fear of losing it forever.*

```Divine Weapon Creation```
Mary
It was a call that Pyralith had been expecting, and yet when it came, she found herself almost in a daze.

A solid grasp on time had always alluded her. Maybe it was her divine nature that made everything seem to shift and flow differently than it perhaps truly did, or maybe Pyralith hadn't ever fully learned the value of time. What it could mean, how much it could be wasted- how *Important* It was. An hour to her was not the same hour to another, not in substance or feeling, not in any way that could have possible mattered. It felt like only a moment ago she had been contemplating finishing Thana off and putting the poor soul out of her misery, and now the very same Thana called her forth to make a weapon that could just as cruel as it could be kind. She could not imagine what a second inside that head could feel like. In a way, Pyralith did not *Want* To. Such a struggle belonged to another, and she did not envy it.

She was not a hero, and yet she felt a small stirring of something inside her as the golden glow of an almost heavenly light reached to the stars, briefly illuminating the tree with its light. Each star met it in response with a light of its onw, a twinkle. The red light of Pyralith's red dwarf star shined above, smaller than the rest but burning just as bright with a fury and a fire. 

It was that star that Thana and Edon both had seen in the Forge God's true form, the third face upon the multi-faceted head of the towering titan she had briefly become. It represented Pyralith in her basest form; power. A power to fight, a power to create, and power to *Change.*

She walked, as she had into the Nachiavellian, and as she had into the Valley. To the tree, she walked, every step a foot or two closer to that what awaited her. Changed was a powerful concept on its own. In its many infinities, it encompassed evil within it, no less than any good. Sometimes change presented as the trickster making a game of order, forming contradictions with every step and unravelling them with the next. Change was unpredictable, but it did not have to be. While chaos was change, so too was healing.

It was a thing Pyralith understood inherently by her nature, and yet struggled to test the shape of regardless. She knew what change was. She was capable of it. She had changed, as she had changed others- and yet the shape of the concept still defied her, as if its nature confused her. It made her feel mortal, peering into an paradoxical abyss and going mad with her inability to simply *Get it.* Change had set itself a fragmented thing within her mind. She did not change. She could not. Pyralith was the stone. Stagnant and immovable. But with heat applied, it too would flow and shift. Change under an insurmountable pressure. She changed because she had no other choice. 

Heavy steps signaled the one-armed god's approach. Her arm had been covered with wrappings- less of an effort to bandage the wound than to cover it from sight. Her arm could not be seen, but neither could where it had formerly connected to her. The wrappings had been blackened by the heat of her blood, like the edges of burning paper, edges of burnt cloth red and orange and glowing in their own form of change. They would not burn away, they were not allowed, so they were simply left to suffer the heat of her blood forevermore. 

Quiet came that familiar voice, calling out to Thana, glowing eyes observing her form neutrally.

**"Are you lost?"**

The question presented itself, a callback to her first words to Thana on Lithos, yet so too was it a question requiring an answer. Was she as lost as she had been before? Where did Thana stand now? How did she feel? *Was she okay?* Worry meshed quietly a humor of good intent, a careful smile playing at Pyralith's lips, her hand resting on her belt in a casual manner as she slowly closed the distance- almost too calm for how their last encounter had ended.
Jason
The second to arrive was a deity that Edon would be very familiar with. The Famine Author had been one of the Devourer's most ardent enemies when he was alive, but it seemed that she could not sense his presence now as she made her way into the Hall of the Gods. She currently looked like she was in her early twenties, indicating a much more normal balance between her two aspects than at the ritual to forge Nach's wings. Her signature golden braids tumbled down her shoulders. It had been a while since she had last set foot in the Hall of the Gods. She hadn't been here since... Was it the magic ritual, or that talk with the Keeper of the Peaks and a sister who was no longer among them? 

Wait, no, she had briefly been here when Rav'nixander quibbled over what to do while refusing to take action right before that immortality stripping ritual. 

Regardless of when she'd last been here, it remained true that it had been quite some time since she'd last set foot in the Hall of the Gods. The Abundances, newly reforged into a much mightier form, thrummed in her chest as she took in how it had changed since her last visit. She wiped some dirt off of her chubby cheeks. A product of her actually doing her job, she mentally remarked with a sarcastic tone. Being here might once have been a pleasant moment of relaxation, but now she could only be reminded of the machinations of her siblings that constantly forced her to be drawn away from her work to settle their disputes or prevent them from destroying the world.

"Sisters." She greeted with a polite nod. She had no quarrels with the World Smith, and while Thana was a tad strange, Triticea would happy handle an unstable brat over the deity that she had replaced. The Wheatmother frowned. There was an odd sensation that invoked a sense of uneasy familiarity within her, but she could not place it. Still, it was nothing to kick up a fuss about, so she decided to track down the source of that later. She had things to do right now.
Ray
*Change... What was it? What did it mean, really? Was it the twisting and turning trajectory of someone, somewhere, somehow? Was it a series of sealed fates forking in every direction at once? Was it a ghoulish little girl making a mockery of the world amidst ceaseless chaos? Was it chaos? Was it madness? Was it material? Was it immaterial? Was it fate? Was it free? Was it choice? Was it not? Was it... Anything and everything, all of the time? Does it matter? Change is many things, but none of them matter much in the face of it all.* 

*Change comes for us all, a field however full will fall at the weight of the elements, a stone however stubborn will shift with enough pressure, a fate forever sealed will be rewritten with another stroke.* 

*Change came for us all, and alas... So too did our Nach.* 

"Aahhh~!" *Our Nach fell out of the sky, landing in between everyone with a terrible thud battering against the floor. Her newly forged wings were fidgeting, wriggling and writhing as she often shook and shivered.* "Hello... Hello! It is us... We... NACH! Come to celebrate another most marvelous of meetings with our best of buddies, we have! Mmm... We had the most marvelous dream while we were out! You were there, and so were you, and you, and... Actually only you three were there we think! Oh but it was delightful, we gallivanted around with our sisters and we showed them what marvelous things we were up to and... Ooh!" 

*She leapt onto her feet, staggering backwards and very nearly bumping straight into Pyralith before throwing herself forward and toward where Thana was. Swiftly scurrying to their side, with a flutter of her wings.* 

"Even Charles was there! HAH! We haven't seen that sneaky scallywag in ages, he's such a mooing miscreant he is! Oh you would've adored Charles, sweet little itty bitty Sweetie... He had quite the humor about him!"
Spencer
As Thana's light spread into the stars the Cardinal Esurience, Savarii's ever hungry star, would swell and shudder as the dark glow within ravenously subsumed the light. The star twitched and became more violently unstable as pieces of it exploded out in bursts of unstable, divine energy. The star was one that cast a powerful shadow, an eater of light made to counteract that blasphemous star ritual that cast so much light on all the mortal realms. Thana's light, almost antithesis to Urr Savash's very nature, caused it to grow volatile, bursts of the star's shadows to rupture all across the orb, not dissimilar to the flames reaching out from contours of suns. The goddess of misfits had contemplated this moment much, debating her best course of action now that the risk of Edon's resurgence had presented itself during the last gathering of the deities of the weapon pact. The weird behaviour, Savarii did not mind. In fact, she would appreciate and even encourage Thana to feed into her odd and unique behaviour. A goddess of outcasts always appreciated the bizarre and interesting, yet this was... *Wrong wrongness*.

Thana's behaviour in the Valley had made it clear that there was a *Very real* Possibility that some memory or shadow of Edon was still... *Alive?* That snake couldn't stay dead and make everything more convenient couldn't he? *Savarii always had to be at work, to plan, to think and plot...* Now that she was mortal, she always had to be a step ahead of what was happening, she had less room for error, less security, and to top it all off, everything she had built for herself, every advantage she had earned from her participation in Edon's ritual could be at risk if the snake's memories of her betrayal had somehow been preserved. Yet, she knew that now more than ever, disappearing and refusing to show up was not an option. She did not know what Thana... Or *Edon* May try to reveal to the other gods, it was always better to be in the know... To be prepared.

The mortal goddess knew that she was under significant threat so long as she ignored the issue. Should Thana still have any memories concerning the truth of Savarii's involvement and make an attempt to reveal her betrayal, she would have to act quickly, with as much cunning as possible. 

Yet beyond that, the repercussions of not showing up could be disastrous in more ways than one. To show up would be to paint herself as unreliable, it would show vulnerability and hesitance, it would show she had something to fear. Savarii did not delude herself. She knew that she was playing king's court, with courtiers, politicians and businessmen. Yet the stakes grew higher every day, more mortals reliant on her, her immortality taken away, the intricate webs of her plans slowly being spun... She could not jeopardize her standing and position within this deal, she had put too much effort here and sown too many seeds for her future plans, to let it slip through her clawed fingers without a fight. If Thana or any shadow of the snake tried to get in the way of that... She was not one to give up easily, even when caught unaware by this new potential threat.

The star above the Hall of the Gods grew more volatile and chaotic from the residue of the holy beam. From the star, where light had met dark, a sickly yellow, twitching, ethereal tumour would begin to grow. It twitched and pulsated violently. The phantasmal oedema kept growing and swelling until, with a flash of both darkness and light, it finally burst into a gasseous, sludgy comet that shot out from Urr Savash. The thick, divine fragment fell down to the realms below, followed by a thin trail of mist and glowing ash. It changed direction in sharp and unnatural ways before it fell directly towards Yggdrasil, to the Hall of Gods.

*Drip... Splat... Drip... Squelch...*

The supernal substance would eventually splatter and drop on the very floor of the Hall, creating a black, divine puddle in front of all the assembled deities.

It almost looked like a window into another world, a world with glowing, green ashes for stars, a deep, powerful yet sickly yellow-green energy emenating from somewhere deep within the pool. It looked off, wretched, unsuitable for this plane of existence, ever so slightly *Wrong*... Just like everything that heralded Savarii's appearance or was progenerated by the Goddess of Outcasts. The divine pool would twitch and writhe, the magical glow from within growing in strength and voltaility before a long, slender leech poked out from within... Then another... And another... And then a few tails of leeches too. Soon, the mass of leeches followed by a chitinous crown and horns, all perfectly connected onto the helmet and face veil that Savarii had taken to wearing ever since her body was nearly torn apart by Edon. Her writhing hair had come, then her head, then the rest of the goddess would rise from the puddle, as if it had been several meters deep instead of a few millimeters. Her purple flesh was drenched in the sticky, black substance, a few pieces of shimmering, bare skin could be seen underneath the dripping ooze. Only a few traces of the Lord of the Flies could be picked out from the darkened silhouette: a few pieces of tattooed skin, the glow of fiery, insect eyes that penetrated even the sludge and a few arms and claws.

With a hiss, she extends her many arms outwards, stretching herself out and tilting her head back. The liquid darkness that clinged to her crown and chitin slid down over her face, allowing but the slightest contour of her features to poke through. Runes and sigils would seem to form out of nowhere onto the liquid that was rapidly slipping off of the goddess' skin. With a powerful glow they would *Burst* With green light, causing the tar to snap and writhe and reform.

Insects crawled out from within Savarii's mouth and started to grab rapidly solidifying pieces of ichor and eat at Savarii's body, pulling everything perfectly into place to build a shell, wings, chitin and clothes onto her pale form. It was... *Incredibly* Extra, and could be considered sickening to behold. There were several audible fleshy tears and crunches as spiders, ants and bugs tore apart her bare shoulder before the sludge turned to chitin and slotted into her torn flesh, where insects would be waiting to pull it into place.

Once her elaborate method of clothing herself was completed, the goddess remains levitating above the ominous pool she had risen from. She tuts to herself before her feet *Twitch* And ***CRRRRCK!*** Bones splinter out from her heel, jutting out unnaturally before wrapping around her legs to create something akin to high heels. The goddess winces underneath her mask as she does so, stifling a squeak of pain, it seemed that she was still too damaged to pull off such stunts without consequences. Ever since she had suffered at Edon's hands, she had become much more *Aware* Of everything happening in her body... The millions of insects roaming her insides, the constant tearing apart and reforming of her body, the unnatural things her divine biology did... Despite it all, once her very bones emerge from her feet and wrap themselves to form a classy pair of jagged highheels, she finally steps onto the floor of the Hall of the Gods with a curteous bow. 

"Thana..." She says, her voice sweet and sugary, hiding any lack of enthusiasm she felt for being here and paranoia concerning the other goddess' behaviour. "I'm excited to see what you have to make for your divine weapon~" She says. The goddess then turns to Nach, Triticea and Pyralith.

"And greetings to you too. You're all looking *Wonderful*~" She coos. "Lovely to see you all. How are the crops Triticea?" She asks her more up-tight sister with a playful tone before glancing to Nach "Oh my dear Nach, those wings suit you so well. You just look like the most adorable harbinger of chaos~"

Savarii then turns to Pyralith, eyes narrowing as she notices the significant lack of an arm. She tilts her head, the glow of her eyes burning brighter from underneath her face veil. "*Oh dear...*" She hisses, approaching the goddess of dwarfs. "Are you alright my dear?" She tuts, her tone that of both overplayed concern yet also... *Interest. With a healthy helping of intrigue.* A long, tendril extended from underneath Savarii's veil, almost like a tongue that flicked back and forth as it sampled the air. "Oh, *Stupid me*, of course you're not alright." Savarii adds rapidly, shaking her head and sighing as if she made a stupid and *All too common* Error, playing into her role as a god of outcasts by playing the part of the socially inept "This looks *Awful*, what happened?" She mutters, reaching for the goddess' arm but not touching, pulling back before she makes contact and looking at the injury with hesitation, unsure as to what she should do.
Walter
The Hall of the Gods was a familiar place to Onesifi - almost sentimental, in fact. It was here that Onesifi first made their grand impact on the world, and met so many of the grand players here - including the one that invited them into the group of dissimilar deities united by nothing but a promise of mutual aid. They were here when Rav'Nixander called a meeting to discuss the growing threat of Edon - now deceased, thank Gaia and his own suicidality.

It was terrifying to remember how many of the divines they met here were dormant, idling. How many were outright gone.

The first thing Onesifi did after arriving to the hall, quickly and unceremoniously, wearing their usual bark-like gown, was instinctively look upon the hourglass that rested above them. Feel the trickle of the water as if it was blood streaming from a cut on their arm - an approach of oblivion, unabating, uncaring, unavoidable. Remember once more how limited their time truly was.

They were not wasting it, not by any means - they studied the world, gathered favours and searched for allies to drive their cause forward. But, with this reminder of their ultimate enemy plain in their sight, they could not help but feel it was still not enough.

They did not linger on it for too long, of course - there were still appearances to be kept and etiquette to be upheld, after all. In a second, they turned their gaze back to the group that they found themself in and inspected them, a smile concealing all and any thoughts that would go through their mind.

_ _
Triticea was unimpressed, Nach was incomprehensible and Savarii was sweet-talking - those three were acting exactly how Onesifi expected them to, and therefore did not deserve much more than a quick note in their mind. Thana, the one who would receive a gift today, however, appeared quite pensive - more so than usual, at least. It felt like whatever Thana had on her mind was begging to be let free - Onesifi just had to inquire. And they had quite a lot to inquire about.

Much more shocking was Pyralith's state. One of the arms of the dwarf goddess was burnt off completely - defying the all-powerful regenerative power of the divine, even. This was undoubtedly a battle scar - they doubted simple magma would hurt the embodiment of smithcraft, after all. And either the dwarf goddess was too prideful to let it heal (not an impossible prospect, yet still unlikely as far as Onesifi believed), or whatever she tangled with was truly terrible.

The mask was still on, however - they could not show any sign of weakness in the court of greatest power, after all. They curtsied just like they have a thousand times before, before addressing the gathering, "Greetings once again, friends." There was little emotion out into the word - they did could not afford the luxury of considering any of those gathered here friends, after all.

"Most Esteemed Nach, your wings do suit you quite well, in that I am agreed with Lady Savarii. Speaking of, I would commend your sense of fashion as well, Lady of Swarms; your style is unique in a way that fits you perfectly. L- Triticea, I hope you are enjoying your gift at least as much as Her Erraticity." This rapid fire of compliments and small talk was delivered with twirling turns towards each person mentioned - a necessary procedure before they could cut into the matters that they truly desired to.

_ _
One more twirl, and they were facing the one-armed smith. "Lady Pyralith... I see that you had not found the rest that everyone else here managed. It is quite a pity, although I am quite certain you shall not have any trouble with today's creation - your skill is far too great to be held back by even the greatest injury."

They gave Pyralith a quick curious look - before appearing before the host of the event. "Lady Thana, I must commend your choice of location for the creation of your weapon. Many a great changes to the world were performed here; this place is the symbol of Gaia's power - and our own."

Now that the deity of ambition was in the center of attention, they took the opportunity to shift the conversation towards a more informative angle. "But before we proceed with the creation, I find it necessary to ask two questions. First," They looked to Pyralith, "I would much wish to know what exactly happened to rid a goddess of an arm. I am almost certain that it was a battle - after all, anything else would be but a tickle to beings such as us. But who was Lady Pyralith's foe - and why has she not yet regrown such a vital part of herself?"

_ _
With this question done, they focused on Thana once again. "And my second, and, certainly, more important inquiry concerns you, Lady Thana. I shall be honest, I found your overall behaviour somewhat strange, to say the least. During the Nachiavellian ritual, when you were angered to the point of explosion, you did not seem like yourself - even if I do not know you well still, and knew you worse then. And at the empowerment of Triticea's sickles, you claimed to not remember asking for your weapon to be made after her. Whatever you said to Lady Savarii also seemed to make her far too uncomfortable for a harmless phrase from someone who could not know her so well simply on account of your age."

Onesifi's tone shifted from sharp and inquisitive to reconciliatory, yet still firm, right after their suspicions were laid out. "I would not accuse you of purposefully deceiving us, of course - I have seen far too many liars in my memories, and you do not seem like one at first glance. Yet, something is clearly ailing you. I do not believe it is fair to proceed with our meeting until we can know what it is; after all, this is our first chance to expunge this problem - and I believe we would all rather deal with it earlier rather than later, would we not?"

The arrow was set loose. It was time to see if Thana would bleed with veracity or falsehood.
Raymond
*Shame... A voracious beast that would never let its barbed fangs retract from the open scars of guilt.*

*The angelic figure can't face the truth of the moment, refusing to turn towards Pyralith at the sound of heavy, tired steps. The girl's focus remains purely on the distance and the divine scrawling etched across the many walls. An excuse to not face her guilt head on... Or, to hide something? Dwelling beneath the blessed exterior, an old fire burns hotter than the expulsions of any forge. A hammer of hatred strikes the beating anvil of a heart, promising to atone for past mistakes by any means necessary. No matter what it may cost her. Driven by malicious compliance that could rest at nothing until all was blessed or stopped breathing forever.*

*The girl's posture falters as the steps grow closer, shuddering in a state of nervousness and a wracking pain. Thana looked relatively healthy on the outside, nothing more than a twisted lie, of course. She was still in agony from the fight, every wound on her body threatening to reopen and gush a tide of red with any strenuous tasks... A pity she would forge a divine weapon so soon. Unceremoniously, she can only muster a sly glance in Pyralith's direction, tilting her head round and revealing the first sign something may have been off about this situation. Those eyes still burned crimson in hunger. She does not maintain the gaze for long before turning back to the murals on the wall. Crossing her arms to show a level-head in the situation.*

`" Lost? I'm right where I want to be. Surrounded by friends. "` *Spoken blunt and almost condescending, her voice drones with wretched hicks and pauses between words, clearing the bile in her throat. Settling the racing mind that begged to launch an attack right here and now to finish the goddess before more arrived. An intruding thought quickly put to rest by more arriving. Triticea. Blood and crops had a strenuous and unethical friendship in reality, as did the two embodying goddesses. Triticea acted neutral in the situation, clearly still trying to put a finger on Thanas' intentions.*

*Still keeping to herself in this group, Thana remains indifferent to the comment about sisterhood, even though something about the word made her blood boil. She wasn't their sister. Gaia hadn't given them that opportunity and instead opted for punishment. She had slowly figured out the logistics of playing god over the years of practising and manipulating her own energy, performing absurd stunts and creating a realm of violence. They only nod in response to the goddess, keeping mostly silent and still to themselves. It does become increasingly difficult to keep herself obscured when Nach arrives. Their erratic and jumpy nature is expected. As Nach launches towards Thana, a hand reaches out and grabs her.*

*The grip is dead, cold and uncomfortably tight... As if going to strangle the little god. Her fingers tense before quickly releasing and letting them fall to the floor, her hands tremble in fear of her actions. She didn't do that... It's happening again... She couldn't tell the group. Pyralith knew the secret anyhow. Keeping it restrained would only cause more pressure. It didn't take long for the rest of the group to arrive. Savarii still showed hesitation, even if she hid it well. The lack of words was enough to dictate that truth. Onesifi would be the last piece in the puzzle, and it did not take long for the interrogations to begin. Thana stays resolute and unmoving, paying no heed. Refusing to look any of them in the eyes, the mentions of Pyralith's injury cause her arm to twitch in recognition. A reminder that it was through her own blood that such a wound was inflicted.*

*A long pause... Silence, the only noise is a ticking of the divine hourglass that inhabits the hall. Every falling grain, another moment gone, another mortal life expired and a new one beginning. The cycle of eternity was a brutal one that may never rest. Unless, of course, a certain serpent was still around to make it so. Thana takes a deep breath in, physically quaking in abject terror. Mortified of the confession she was about to make and the potential consequences of it all.*

`" I... I have not been straight with everyone. My outbursts are not of my volition, I think... I think Edons's blood still runs in me. I have urges against people I shouldn't know... I've suffered betrayal at the hands of people that have never laid a finger on me. It all feels so real that I don't know if I'm me or I'm him. "`

*Thana remains expressionless and unphased, she can't face them now. Besides, it makes it easier for them to stab her through the heart if they condemn her to death. She was mortal, just like Savarii. One death would be all it takes for her light to be extinguished forever.*

`" Right now, I am me. I'm hoping this divine weapon can help keep it that way. "`
Mary
Pyralith hated the way Thana couldn't look at her.

After *Everything.* It showed in the way the forge goddess curled her lip for the briefest of moments, single handed that remained squeezing into a fist before she let the muscles relax. The answer that came suggested that same, familiar trouble, but it was an effort, and that was all Pyralith could ask for. In ways similar and ways not, the two mirrored each other. Small, small, miniscule ways- some of that even Pyralith did not wish to gaze upon, but still they persisted. The god's molten eyes stayed affixed to Thana's own, only letting off a small nod and a word towards the struggling response. 

**"Good."**

It was reassurance. As much as one could get from such a distant and harsh Goddess. Even now, there was some small level of hostility from Pyralith to Thana, but it carried a strange tone to it. As a parent might towards their misbehaving child, a mix of disappointment and expectations, backed by good intent but tempered by harsh realities. Thana was dangerous, and carried with her was a serpentine parasite. Pyralith could never fully trust Thana, but she didn't *Need* To. It was not her job to lift the girl from her grave. The other knew the path forward and she was already taking steps to make it right, and that would do just fine. She did not need Pyralith. If she did, then she would never recover, and she would be doomed to a permanent end sooner than she could unravel under the weight of her own destiny. *That* Much Pyralith could do for her, if that path was ever taken, for she tolerated no laze-abouts nor quitters.

The Forge Goddess turned her attention towards Onesifi, focusing on them with a narrowed gaze. Her answer came quickly, and with some level of harshness behind it, though such a thing was typical of the hotheaded young deity. 

**"Rest? I do not** ***Rest.*** **Every inhale is a mortal invasion on my realm, and every exhale a god."** A wide sweep of her eyes scanned the room, then. Nach's visage was met with an angered glower. Savarii too was met with no respect, pointed glares for every invasion wrought on Lithos, for every bead of blood drawn from a dwarf. For a moment, her eyes flick past Thana. **"My wound is a sign of my mercy, for every God I have defeated and not struck down. Watch how** ***Little*** **It hinders me."**

There came that bitterness, a wave of aggression aimed at *Onesifi* For their concern. Of course it was. After all, pointing out an injury to such a prideful God might as well have been calling her abilities into question- though the other God had very pointedly made sure not to do that. Another case of Pyralith's burning ego rearing its flaming head, nipping at another in a fight wholly imagined. It *Had* To be known by the stout God that she'd won, and that her injury could never cause her issue. It was the only way she could allow another to see her in such a state.

Only once that had been cleared did Pyralith allow herself to fully straighten up, doing her best to put aside her aggression, molten eyes gazing to Nach across the room in quiet contemplation. Something that needed to be said, in another time and place. However, that gaze became one of slight shock as Thana began to speak, Pyralith's head snapping to the woman with attention. This wasn't news to Pyralith, not by judging her expression, but yet she seemed surprised it was being said regardless. It was almost impressive how astonishingly quickly the dwarf could cross the room and put her body next to Thana's own, her one good hand resting on her hammer in a defensive posture.

She was protecting Thana. 
_ _

From the side of her face, she offered a mean stare to the troubled god, though in that molten stone and lava that composed her eyes there was a hint of protective compassion. Begrudgingly Pyralith had taken a stand and a side in this, and every stare was a plea not to make her regret it. Her fingers curled about her handle of her hammer as she spoke.

**"Edon holds Thana like a shield before himself. He believes we can not hurt him without hurting her. To kill Thana is to bring him back in full, to keep her alive as she has been is to let her slip away into his control."** Pyralith said, words heavy and sharp and quick, hoping to fill the air before one of the other gods could lunge. She was confident in her abilities, but she was among this chaotic crew that had composed such incredibly dangerous weapons. Beyond her own ego she knew she could not stand to Nach nor Triticea if they were to move against Thana. Where either stood on such a matter was unknown to the Forge God, though she had a sneaking suspicion Nach wasn't going to start hacking and slashing in a fit of rage.

**"We are presented a unique opportunity here to secure Thana's independence and make sure the mess you old gods left behind gets cleaned up before it comes to my doorstep** ***Again."***

The stout woman straightened, lifting her chin and looking down her nose at her siblings as she tended to do, as if she stood above them all, even as she stood shorter than almost all of them. Challenging any one of them to oppose her decision, as if she could stop them. It almost looked as if she believed she could, even. Hell- of course Pyralith thought she could. She was the stupidest craftsman that'd ever graced this wider world with her presence. This time, however, she *Truly* Seemed to care about the outcome of another, as if she could see beyond herself. Maybe it was because the consequences had landed on her realm, or because it gave her something to grandstand about. Whatever Pyralith's reasons were, she had made her call, and she waited for the others to agree.
Jason
Just once, Triticea's mind drily supplied, she'd like a meeting with her siblings that didn't end up creating some new drama. Unfortunately, this was not like Onesifi's quibbling. This was not drama that could be ignored. She did not hide how her eyes closed and she let out a long, tired sigh as new unwelcome revelations spilled forth from Thana's mouth. Just once, couldn't she have a simple gathering with her siblings? She'd almost had it back in her Valley before Thana's odd outburst, and now this new information made her doubt that this would be the pleasant meeting that the Famine Author had been expecting.

Triticea was not pleased, of course. She had hoped that the Devourer would be long gone at this point, his evil and his fate at the hands of his once-siblings nothing more than a warning to those that might hope to follow in his path. If she had heard this information from someone else, she doubted that she would have let anything stop her from cutting Thana down, here and now. Even now the other gods would be able to sense the newly upgraded Abundances thrumming within her wrists, reacting to their mistress' mounting frustration.

But... It would be remiss of her not to acknowledge the significance of who the news was coming from. It meant far more than even Thana might know that the confession had come from her mouth, without any pressure to reveal it. It meant that Thana's mind was her own, for Edon would never have been so foolish to reveal his presence. He had posed himself as a conquerer, a liberator, but Triticea had always seen him for what he really was. In the end, he was a coward. 

She was silent for a long moment as Thana made her explanations, then as Pyralith stepped in to defend her from the gathering... Or perhaps, her. Nach had never been too opposed to Edon, after all.

*"I suppose it was too much,"* She finally said after they were done speaking, *"To hope the wretch would finally do something right and kill himself properly." *

Her tone had been calm, but anyone that knew her well would be able to detect the note of anger that belied her words. She looked to Thana, her black eyes drilling into the youngest sister here. It had taken a moment of deliberation, but she had finally decided on her plan of action here.

"Sister." She addressed Thana. "You have not yet done anything that the Devourer wills you to, and you have revealed this truth to us of your own will." Her eyes narrowed. "Know that is the only reason I will stay my hand for now. This gives me hope that you may cast off the coward god's yoke and see him cast into oblivion for good."

"But be warned." Her tone wasn't loud, or even all that frigid. It was calm, authoritative, and carried with it an absolute confidence. "If I see you walking down his path, I will not hesitate to cut you down. If it is as Pyralith says and he rises from your body, all the better. I was never satisfied with how his deaths always seemed to be by his own... Hand... Rather than mine." 

With her piece said, she retreated back to give the others the stage. Her message had been made. Thana would be given this second chance, but if she showed any sign of relapsing into Edon, Triticea would not hesitate to execute her, as well as any serpentine deities that rose from his body.
Ray
"Gaahhh!" *Our Nach spins through the air and sputters, as she's suddenly seized by a still clearly... Troubled Thana. She is seized in a stiff and strangely stern grip, one better suited for strangulation than welcoming a wide-eyed friend such as our Nach. Though the Tiny Terror is none too perturbed, she instead looks toward Thana in intrigue and alarm. There's a spark of familiarity in those eyes, as though she sees someone else in lieu of her... It is an eerie, although expectant look.* "Mmgglhhah...?"

*Fortunately, the ghoulish girl's almost... Alarming attention... Waned once Thana released them from their grasp. Prompting our Nach to swiftly scurry around her friend's feet, just as eager and as excited as before. Unfortunately, our Nach's presence would mean that there'd be no hiding from the Others. Especially not our Nach, for she bears many eyes... They're watching her, they're watching.* 

"Aahhh... Aaahhhh~! Thankie, thankie! We thank thee kindly, ever so kindly... Oh you cannot begin to imagine what wonders we've woven with wings that flutter and fly! Fascination! Yes... Yessss~!" *Our Nach peeks her head out from behind Thana's legs to welcome Savarii and Onesifi alike, peering past them both to subtly start changing the hall's ceiling into chocolate. In hopes that with time, it'll start to melt, and drip upon any unexpecting gods.* "Heeheeheheheheeee... So, so many things~! So many things, indeed!" 

*Though once the gods had gathered in full, and talks of yet another divine weapon could begin... Something most... Memorable, was brought to our Nach's attention. After all, who could forget a performance as peculiar and persistent as the Traitor God? Or as our Nach liked to call him...*

"That silly little slithery Ssssnake!?"

*Yes. That.*
_ _

"Mm, I wonder if it knows we ransacked that hobble of a home of theirs? Ah, it looks so much very more majestic in our cupboard, than it ever did with a slithery Ssssnake inside~!" *Our Nach swiftly scurries around Thana, lightly poking and prodding at her, and occasionally hiding a flower wherever she wouldn't notice.* "Mmm... Sweet surprisingly tall Sweetie should look so much prettier without a slithery Ssssnake inside..."

*Finally, our Nach stopped and stood before Thana, clear in view. She was eerily still in spite of their fidgety nature, though she looked up toward Thana with a smile. Our Nach tapped the tips of her heels, leaning in with a clasp of her hands and a flutter of her wings. She seemed intrigued with Thana, more so than usual, what was especially peculiar was how the girl smooshed her face against Thana's waist.*

"So say no more! Nope! No more! We'll expunge this... Thiiing, together! We'll even shove it inside our head, we're sure quite it'd be absolutely miserable inside this Nach's skull..." *She leaned her head off of Thana to excitedly bounce up and down, clapping her hands before taking Thana's and holding them, gently.* "Oh it'll be a riot, we're sure! Anything for our sweet Sweetie, we'll even eat the most charming of cocoas together! Oooo... And then... Then we'll cozy in our bankies! Ooh! Ooh! We'll eat the most charming of cocoas together, while cozied in our bankies, and watching the theatre from our hideaway! What fun, what fun!" 

*Our Nach continued to bounce, her hair flying everywhere.*
Walter
Onesifi was getting tired of having to deal with difficult deities. They explicitly denied any offence intended towards Pyralith's skills, yet she still chose to be offended - or o was their first, irrational thought. Slightly more pondering had them conclude that she had probably interpreted their show of it as a mocking of her weakness, from what they could understand. That was something they had to consider in the future, they guessed; after all, there were still at least two weapons to be created, and Pyralith could still be a useful ally.

These ponderings were, however, cut quite quickly, for the answers to Onesifi's question came soon - and much more terrible than Onesifi had expected. 

In retrospect, everything lined up perfectly. The way her voice cracked at the Nachiavellian ritual; the many reactions of Savarii to their interactions; the way that Thana refused to meet Pyralith's gaze - and the scale of the wounds the latter sustained. Onesifi should have been able to figure this out on their own.

The Godeater was not dead - and was still a threat. It was a cold, harsh truth - one that defied all logic, all that Onesifi knew of this world. Once a deity was fully destroyed, they never came back - by Gaia, Edon had even left a corpse. Why would it be him, of all possible gods, that stayed alive despite all? What was his secret?

Onesifi's brain, in search of some way to rationalise the truth before them, only came up with one thought. Perhaps, it was his transgression that granted him this rebirth?

Of course, even the mere thought was absurd and revolting. Edon wanted to destroy, annihilate for no purpose but oblivion itself - even if such acts were condoned by the universe enough to grant him this privilege. Such wanton actions were not their path - and they would never be.

_ _
And besides, any musings about immortality now were counterproductive. There was still the matter of others' reactions to Thana's confessions. Everyone knew how much Triticea hated those who had betrayed Gaia, Pyralith may have just needed everyone's assistance in disposing of her attacker once and for all, and Edon was the entire reason for Savarii's situation - half of this meeting had motive to strike Thana down. The deity of ambition manifested a dagger in their sleeve - just as much for Thana's protection as their own.

Thankfully, for now Triticea was unaggressive, and Pyralith even stepped in to defend the unfortunate goddess. It was unlikely for Savarii to attempt this murder on her own. Thana was safe - as much as she could be, considering her circumstances.

Regardless, this new information was to be acted upon. Onesifi took a step forward as soon as they finished assessing the situation, their hands behind their back and their eyes looking directly at Thana.

"You have my condolences, Lady Thana. It must not be easy to bear the feeling that you might lose control at any moment - and that that loss might have catastrophic consequences. And it is truly a testament to your willpower that this weight has not yet crushed you," They began carefully, "Just like Most Esteemed Nach, I am willing to do as much as is with it my power to help you overcome this blight. The only question is how exactly we should attempt to do it."

_ _
Onesifi raised their arms to their sides, their hands facing upwards. "As far as I understand, we have two options." Over the left hand, a transparent dagger appeared, dripping with blood. "Either we attempt to remove the snake completely and attempt to kill him - yet that might result in the host herself dying, which, I believe, is not something any of us particularly desire." Over the right, a lock, with what seemed like a snake eye inside the keyhole. "Or we keep Edon alive inside her, kept away from controlling Lady Thana either by a ritual or a divine weapon - yet who knows how long this lock can last, nor how strenuous it will be upon her essence."

The deity's hands swung as if they were scales that could not find their balance. "Both choices are fraught with risk, and the danger either brings upon failure is immense. I believe, therefore, that there is only one person who should have a say in this decision."

The two illusions drifted towards the goddess of memories, stopping right before her, asif asking her to choose. "Lady Thana, I am willing to lend my aid towards whatever you wish to do."

Onesifi took a step back, preparing themself for whatever was to come.
Spencer
*Ooooohh no...*

*Oooooooh, no no no no no no no no-*

*Oh my sweet darling, you did not just say that~*

***FWOOOSH***

Savarii's many wings loudly extend all the way out, nearly filling her portion of the hall of the gods and sending a powerful gust forward. Her humanoid legs folded around herself unnaturally, arching and dangling forwards almost like the mandibles on the face of a spider with her waist being its head. She stood back on many insectoid legs that jutted from her lower body, adding at least a foot or two to her height as she propped herself on spindly, spidery limbs and black, oozing tentacles—slithering back and hunching forward with a sinister gleam in her three remaining eyes. The pattern on her flashed open wings made it look as if several pairs of large, more ominous eyes and monstrous mouths were glaring down at the hall below, it was almost like the self-defence mechanism of other moths and butterflies which used startling patterns to defend themselves when threatened, and to say that Savarii felt *Threatened* Would be a bit of an understatement.

This was different from how things were supposed to be going. Savarii had prepared for this eventuality, *, of course, she did*. The web of eventualities and potential plots spanned too far to ignore any risk and threat. There had been hints, outbursts, oddities and merely the means of Thana's creation that had caused the Goddess of Gluttony to be wary and watchful of the Bloodlust Deity's manoeuvrings. However, preparing for something and accepting the possibility did not make the news any more enjoyable to receive, nor did it make the feeling of shock any easier to manage. Savarii's posture delivered that message clear enough. She stayed there in full silence, her emotion near impossible to read yet her body language on edge and ominous, as if preparing to strike right then and there. A low, rumbling hiss was the only sound the deity made as everybody else responded to the reveal.

The veil on top of her chitinous mask and the shadows clinging to her frontal portion obscured much of her face. Only the dull gleam of her insectoid eyes could be made out through the blackness, totally affixed on Thana. Savarii seemed ready to pounce... Or defend herself from an attack. She watched Thana's every move and clung to every word that escaped her lips in total silence, she studied the movements of the others... Waiting to see their reactions. Would they attack? Would they follow along? Would they ask questions? Would they try to reach out to Edon? She hoped nobody would be *Too* Curious, for both her good and theirs. To Savarii's disappointment, only Triticea seemed to consider outright killing Thana... *It would be the simplest solution, although she'd hate for Pyralith's warning of Edon's subsequent rise to come true.* Killing off another god, especially one who seemed so... *Eagerly amicable* Also wasn't quite ideal, especially with a deal still hanging in the balance.

*Urgh... Ironic...* The god kept trying to die and they kept failing, it was almost funny if it didn't cause so many headaches. If only he were pragmatic about his suicidal goals. Savarii didn't trust the snake not to once again try to cause more problems for her on the way out this time, she had learned from his previous outburst. Finally, the dulcet, sticky tones of the goddess' voice break her silence.

"*Elaborate...*" She coos. Despite her tone taking on that usual, playful and nonchalant languour of hers, there was a venomous and sinister undertone to it. Her words sounded almost like an order to Thana. *How much of the snake survives? Does he communicate? Does he possess her? Does she merely share some behaviours and quirks?*

"It truly sounds... *Dreadful* To have to deal with that snake. It was insufferable having to share a space with him, I couldn't imagine having to share a mind..." She adds near the end, her voice showing but the *Slightest* Twinge of hesitation as she mentions her shared past with Edon. There was, of course, a risk of Edon's memories on the matter resurfacing, assuming that *Was* Indeed how this bond worked... So Savarii gave Thana no real time to dwell on the matter. "But... For *All* Of our benefit..." Savarii starts dryly, lifting a clawed hand to her mouth before snapping it to the side, displaying the sharp, knife-like structures on each finger. "I'd like to know what you *Mean* By having Edon's blood, I take it's not a literal matter of merely having some of his sanguine residue from when you burst from his slithering carcass."
Raymond
*A bone chilling sigh rings from the girl's hollow expression, an icy mist lingering in the air before dissipating in small wisps. Thana was by all accountable means, dead... She was a puppet after-all. The chatter of her friends intermingled with their insults towards Edon in a cacophony of blurred memories. She strained to pull apart the strands of thought and reason, even as Nach poked and prodded. Thana still drifted apart from this conversation, despite calling the deities here to begin with. Edon interfered endlessly in many tasks to ensure she could never truly grasp her own concepts. This weapon aimed to change that. As Pyralith stands defensively before the girl, the only urge is to scream run...*

*Stay in your lane girl.*

*The words echo over and over in her mind, an instruction to stand resilient as a bulwark against the tide of what fate had in store for the half angel.*

`" Thank you all for your concerns and support. I promise every one of you, I will not let his blood see the light of day. "` *Hope, or foreshadowing? The devourer had wanted to eclipse all life. A loose statement wrapped in an empty package. Wiggling her fingers, the girl's hands tense and untense in some form of stress. Would they even remember the day Edon became the all eclipsing serpent fate had foretold in the prophecies? It was clear from the start, his very body representation of the sun blotted by darkness. Did they want to remember? Belief only strengthened the monster. This very conversation was a deeper awakening of the serpent. His hold in the shadows was tighter. The sharp Prang of wrongness slowly exuded from Thana like a foul miasma. The curse of his crimes reflected upon her the eerie wrongness. It was a clear sign that even the processing of his name was enough power to continue that accursed manifestation.*

*Silence protrudes the hall at Nach's words... The idea of comfort in a situation so desolate was reassuring. It was innocent. They always say innocence never gets you far, but this scenario called for the opposite. Nach had her flaws and moments, as did all gods, but Thana saw through those and could only mirror the emotions they both sought.*

*A friend.*

`" That sounds wonderful Nach, keep my drink warm for me. Will you dear? "` *She forces the words through false admiration. Keep it warm? Why... Where was she going? Would she come back? All in good time... The answers were sealed, as was fate.*

*Reaching towards the feathered wings on her own back, she plucks one of the illustrious glowing plumes and places it in the centre of the group along with the tooth of Edon. Sigils dance across her forearms, displaying a multitude of straight and parallel lines coming together to form myriads of indecipherable shapes. A rejection of the serpent's slithering instinct and his curved manipulation. She needed to be blunt. They all did. The ritual site had been purified and readied for the advancements, though she still had to remedy some confusion. Savariis shocked reaction only aroused suspicion.*

`"I am sorry Savarii. I fear I am a planned reincarnation of the devourer saved before history could repeat itself. Your reaction tells me you knew him well. "` *She bows her head in understanding, an apology on behalf of his actions but a sly jab she may have pieced together the betrayal by herself. An angelic glance is shot over to the swarm, heavenly iris's pierce the soul and look right through the squirming chitinous mess. Seeing fear and frustration below the surface. Her fear only empowered an inevitable return. She needed to quell it.*

*By any means neccessary.*

`" I suggest you and I have a chat after this ritual is done. I'd like to remedy your nerves in private. "` *No flitting smile comes to pass this time. She was deadly serious about sorting the issues and his urges to grab her by the throat and squeeze until a pop sounded could be nullified in the warmth of good company. They needed to act fast and forge the weapon.*
Mary
One by one, and yet all at once, the Gods and Goddesses present made clear their own feelings on the matter. It was a host of negativity, but with each one that did not attack, Pyralith's own building tension was tempered, reduced- set to just a simmer. There was a right way to handle this situation, and she was glad to see that they all seemed to be on a similar page for what the *Wrong* Way to handle it was. That was a step in the right direction. Her feet shifted awkwardly, her molten eyes flicking between them as she waited for this council of dullards to decide their choices quicker. 

First, she turned her attention towards Triticea. She noticed the way a sigh spilled from the mouth of her sister, the barest flickers of irritation in her face. That, Pyralith could understand. She did not know who among them had known Edon, and who had fought him, but she could only imagine that hearing of his return was a migraine on a good day. Yet, whatever *They* Felt, it paled in comparison to her own feelings when their mess was deposited at her door. Every single one of them was culpable for that, and every single one of them would pay in their own way, eventually. Yet, even in her perfectly rational and deserved anger at the bunch before her, Pyralith could not stifle the small snort that came at Triticea's opening comment.

The support levied towards their struggling sibling was.. *Comforting* In a way to Pyralith's own senses. To hear the Goddess of Hunger's rationale for why she did not attack immediately took a weight off of Pyralith's chest. In a way, Triticea was the biggest threat to Thana at the moment. Pyralith could not beat her, not even with every advantage on her side. The weapon this very same group had come together to upgrade was simply *Too* Powerful, too strong for anyone to turn their nose up at, even the Forge God and her infinite ego. To hear that she wouldn't have to face off against it was a relief, considering she doubted Nach would be similarly inclined to attack at random.

*Random.*

As if any of this was random. Indeed, it seemed meticulously designed, which why exactly why they needed their combined power to put an end to what had slipped under their noses for so long. This was merely the dying whimper of an old god making himself known, ready to be crushed by this group's collective boot. It was hardly Edon that they faced, even, merely the stench he left behind that lingered in the air, waiting to be fanned away. Triticea's warning did not elicit a negative response from Pyralith. It was perfectly reasonable, really. It was what even Pyralith operated on. She had stuck her neck out for Thana, and if she regretted it for even a moment, the girl would die. She had *No* Obligation to save her.

Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered, and yet she carried on anyhow. To save Thana would be to make an ally that owed Pyralith her *Life.* The thought sat wrong in the Goddesses' stomach, but she brushed it off, eyes narrowing as her attention shifted to Nach. Some part of her had found it amusing that Thana had briefly grabbed the little terror by the neck, but even that amusement was soured by the likely unwilling compulsion that had initiated it. Plus, even in her darkest desires, she found she lacked in a great want to see the chaotic gremlin of a girl dead. Nach was simply too.. Useful. Yes. Too useful.

Most of the words that the Giggling Goddess uttered went through one ear and out the other. Pyralith struggled to make since of the jabbering chaos that was her rambling nonsense, but her attention returned at the mention of all that Nach had taken from Edon. The way she treated Thana was sweet, and Nach's approached caused Pyralith to shift aside some, so that she was no longer standing guard before the young Goddess she had formerly moved to protect. Nach, for once, was.. Sweet.

It could almost make her smile. Almost.
_ _

Finally came Onesifi, who gave more than simple reactions. Someone with something to *Say*, really. Pyralith seemed to let out a huff of air through her nose in agreement, letting a nod show itself as she finally seemed to settle herself fully, hammer shifting in her clammy palm. It was nice to see someone consider their options instead of react in meager shock and violent platitudes. As Onesifi finished speaking, Pyralith filled the air in their stead.

**"I suspect Edon to be an illness of the mind. Though he can manifest physically, he has tied himself to Thana, one way or another.."** Her first sentence came paired with a gesture towards what was left of her left arm. Edon had done that, of course. **"He's weak. I was able to defeat him, and though I could beat him on his best day, I am certain, I can not neglect Thana's own efforts in the fight."**

There came a pause, as Pyralith looked between them, though her focus stayed mostly on a single sibling; Onesifi, a response to their words. 

**"Thana resisted. It is why she is here today and it is why I did not strike her down after defeating her."** Pyralith continued. **"We can have both of your solutions. I believe if we help uplift Thana and give her the support she needs to battle Edon on her own, within herself,** ***She*** **Can defeat him for good."**

The goddess let out a final nod as she finished speaking. This psychic echo of a dead God lingered within what could only be called his daughter. It would be she that defeated him, and no one else, or else he would return again and again and again. Something within her chest ached at the thought, but she had little time to contemplate the emotion before her orange eyes snapped onto the shifting of Savarii's wings. It was clear in the immediate moment that followed, that Pyralith interpereted such a move as a threatening one. Her fingers gripped her hammer tighter and once more she took on a combat ready pose, foot shifting back and a concentration taking on her face. 

It only softened marginally at the question of elaboration. What would happen if Savarii was told the truth? That it was *So* Much worse than it could be? That Edon himself could touch soil once more, to wound another? Yet, it wasn't merely so grim. In Pyralith's mind, this was functionally a done deal. He had shown his hand far too early and now he was paying the ultimate price for it, his goals cut off before he could ever start to reach out to them. As pathetic a story as he was himself. 

As Thana spoke in response, Pyralith only nodded along. 

**"It is as she says. I have heard Edon. I have seen him."** A pause. **"But he's far from a threat. The only danger he poses is to Thana. That is why we are here."**

A thick fingered hand reached out, despositing some dwarven bronze between the Gods, near Thana's own contributions. Her hammer shifted in her grasp, readjusting to be held for smithing instead of combat, and her eyes flicked between the group.

**"We have this opportunity to put our collective power together to make our sister something that can embolden her to face Edon. That is her fight. Her fate is to destroy that remnant herself.** ***We*** **Are here to make a weapon. So let us make a weapon."** Judgement of her peers, as if she were not simply following Thana's direction to begin the smithing. That prideful little dwarf could probably argue and bicker and threaten others all day long, otherwise. As much as she loved forging, Pyralith already had begun to mourn the tension of the reveal. How often would she presented a situation where she was irrefutably in the right, and also the best person there? It was a power trip, and she was *Definitely* Being annoying about it. She *Got* To be annoying about it. This was their fault. She was just the one helping clean it up. For free, at that!

The youngest God of the bunch prepared herself to forge, eyes set warily on Savarii.
Jason
The Wheatmother had known her eldest little sister for long enough to know when the Disorder was up to something. Her gaze flickered to the ceiling for a moment, but all she could really think of the newly transmuted roof was that one of her daughters would thoroughly enjoy the sight.

She did take issue with the actual suggestion said Disorder made, letting out a "Tsk." At the proposal.

"Absolutely not. The Devourer does not deserve a place in existence, little sister, even in the depths of your twisted mind."

She spared the Ambition only a moment, making sure that they say her rolling her eyes at their continued insistence on using honorifics and titles for the others. There were more important things to comment on, so she left it at that.

Their proposals were more palatable than Nach's, at the very least. The Famine Author was not picky about how Edon was dealt with, so long as he could never interact with the reality he had sullied again.

Then there was the Gluttony. The Hive Mother naturally took the news the hardest after how the Eventuality had wounded her, but understanding her fear did not stop Triticea from giving Savarii a look, warning her not to act rashly.

Thana gave condolences, and Pyralith offered information. That information, however, likely did not elicit the reaction the others were expecting. They likely thought she would react with grim determination, or her typical serious demeanour whenever the offenders against Gaia were brought up. Instead, she did something that none of them had ever really seen her do before.

She laughed. 

It wasn't a quiet one, or a quick one either. She threw back her head and cackled, her mouth twisted upward in mirth. She laughed for a good few seconds, before finally she let out a sigh. Her smile hadn't faded, though, nor her amusement at what Pyralith had told them.

"Ha..." She huffed. "An illness, you say? I couldn't have thought of a more fitting fate for the Devourer." She shook her head.

Her expression grew a tad more serious, though a smirk remained on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned in towards Thana. "Know this, sister. Edon is reputed as a tyrant, a rebel, a liberator even. But in the end, you must remember that he is a coward. He will not stand his ground, and he will always flee. Never once have his enemies taken his life, because time and time again he is more willing to end his own life than truly stand for the fate that he preached."

"Stand your ground, sister, and the resolve that he claims to hold will crumble. He is not a great warrior nor a mighty foe. He is a snake, in the end, and he will slither away at when you refuse to falter."
Ray
"Ohhh~? We wonder... Are you going anywhere, Sweetie? Any-where-er? Could it be... Aah~! Could it be an adventure!? Where warm lights were glowing, and there's no way of knowing where we're going?" *She softly squeezes Thana's hand in hers, blithely bouncing with a subtle sway from side to side. Swiftly shifting her attention between Thana, Triticea, Pyralith, Onesifi, and Savarii with a bob of her head and a roll of our Nach's now many eyes.* "We'll of course be warming your cocoa, of course! You aspiring adventurer, you! Oft were we told that the warming would make any disease that plagues thee, though... We aren't so sure the same is true of silly, slippery snakes... Bah! They'll be burned away anyhow!" 

*Our Nach lets go of Thana's hand, for now, frantically shaking and stirring as she starts to circle around the Cursed Child. Though our Nach would scarcely suggest any means to remedy Thana's ailment, or otherwise combat the Tyrant's influence... She'd supplement these thoughts by keeping a careful eye on anyone, and anything, at this gathering of gods. Though it'd be more apt to say she was keeping several spontaneous, and even erratic eyes at attention. She paid special mind to Thana a little eye of hers, and spent another to subtly brew them both a couple of hot cocoas. But, before they were ready...*

"D'awww!" *There were still.. Things, to discuss...* "Oh well! We suppose even a slippery snake such as it shouldn't suffer, though it'd be awfully entertaining... We suspect all their doom and gloom would be rather droll!" 
_ _

*She snickered.* 

"Mm... We suppose we'll support whatever it is the sweet Sweetie seeks! This Nach can imbue within a weapon something so spectacularly torturous to the slippery snake, that the thought alone shall have it shake in those ill sized boots of theirs!" *Our Nach spun on her heel for a lengthy twirl, and with a flick of the wrist, she showered the gathered gods with a flurry of flowers and sparkles and sprinkles and fiends.* "Yes! Yes, we speak of that this Nach knew not of for so very, very long... Though has in spades! FRIENDSHIP! For no blade cuts deeper than that thrusted by two, or three... Or more too.. We suppose."

*Our Nach shrugs, scurrying underneath Thana's hand and taking it... She had already begun to pool her power toward this aim. The gods could either continue to talk, or join the mad god in weaponizing Friendship.*
Walter
Perhaps expectedly, Savarii bristled up at the news - but, perhaps convinced - or intimidated - by the fact that no one else was willing to attack Thana over the news, stayed in her place. This meant that everyone was in accord: Thana was to live, at least for now. Onesifi's dagger evaporated in their sleeve, as if it was not there to begin with, and the final assurances and explanations were made, alongside the first suggestions - all with those slight falsities that captured Onesifi's mind.

According to Thana, she was the Godeater's planned reincarnation - and yet she resisted, which would not make sense if she was truly such. The Wheatmother called Edon a coward - yet what could be braver than fighting the world itself? Nach suggested that friendship was a force that would cut Edon - yet he had allies himself.

And Pyralith's thoughts...

"An illness does seem to be the best descriptor for what Edon has become, as I have come to understand. What a road he has taken: falling from a power to threaten all divinity to something that cannot even take full control of the body it inhabits, trying to die yet securing his life through his very actions..." They chuckled at the irony and drama. "I could almost pity him."

Despite these words, sounding oh so very confident, there was still a seed of doubt blossoming within their mind. Was it truly appropriate to call the Godeater a mere illness, rather than a plague he seemed to be? Illnesses came and passed without much pain and without the need for intervention - and it was obvious that Edon was not of such weakness. He had already taken over Thana's mind multiple times - even forced her to fight when she did not want to.

_ _
And before he was forced to hide within his victim's essence, he was a threat that made the entire world shake in terror. He fended off almost a dozen gods just after his transgression. He took the mightiest goddess of her time with him when he fell. And his final defeat came by his own hand and through accident.

Underestimation was the most dangerous of delusions. That is why it was the weapon they preferred to wield - and that is why they saw its signs whenever they appeared.

Of course, their mask would smooth out this anxiety perfectly, we're they willing to hide it. But they believed that merely allowing it to show just a little bit was perfect for their next words. "Truth be told, my soul still dithers at the thought of the Godeater taking the power of one of our Great Weapons, even if the chances of him finding success are slim. After all, even a mere gutworm can fell a monarch..." The deity shook the mild frown off, their face once more returning to their usual emotionless smile. "But, if everyone else is willing to take this risk and trust in Lady Thana's own power, then I shall not dissent."

A snap of their fingers - and they turned to the host yet again. "I shall not claim to be an expert on the craft of a forgemaster - truth be told, I could not even be called an amateur. And so I would leave the creation of the weapon's crude form to Lady Pyralith." They gave a quick nod towards the dwarf goddess, before focusing on Thana again. "But I still believe it would be beneficial if you stated what exactly you would desire: a keen sword, a trusty spear, or, perhaps, a mighty axe?" 

Their right hand had already started weaving divinity, preparing to put it into a more tangible - and useful - form.
Spencer
A dry, hissing laugh interrupts the discussion. Savarii bows her head, shaking it in a sort of amused disbelief. "*Lovely...*" She quips, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

"I do hope we've done the risk analysis over giving Edon's potential new form a weapon~" She says. "It is concerning that a weapon that is simply designed to drive out a psyche can be wielded by any of the combattants in this fight~" She slurs out, tilting her head to the side. The Outcast Goddess opens her wings and curls up her body once again, this time lounging back with a lazy, almost apathetic body language. She rests her head on one of her clawed hands and turns to Thana. Her eyes narrow in suspicion but for the quickest of moments, a brief flash that soon was only replaced by her renewed languor. 

"Yes... A private chat. I'd love to learn more about the means of this... *Connection.~*" She tells Thana, her words becoming rather pointed. "I pray you understand my hesitance. I'd hate for whatever weapon we provide you to be turned against you." Savarii says. "Edon is much. A schemer is one of those things. If *I* Were in the place of a bloodthirsty, vengeful snake seeking to return while in the mind of another god, I would *Also* Push them to get a weapon that can tear mind from body." Savarii slurs out, tilting her head in feigned idle interest, as if merely gossiping and thinking aloud. "How better than to ensure he gets full control of your body?"

"*Do* You believe he's shown his entire hand?" The Outcast Goddess asks, looking over the assembly of deities. "He'd reveal his entire play just to... What? Attack a newborn deity he's never met before?" She hisses, a wide, fanged and sardonic smile forming on the visible parts of her gaunt face. "Perhaps I'm misconstruing the depth of connection that Thana has with him, but putting the power to seal away a piece of the mind in the reach of a villainous god trying to do just that is inviting trouble upon our dear Thana's mental doorstep~" She coos.

"All it takes is for a brief flash from the devourer to surface as we hand it over and *Poof*, no more Thana, all Edon~" Savarii says, waving her hands before her and conjuring a puff of rapidly dissipating purple smoke for effect.
 

"Oh, but not that I mean anything by that. I'm just thinking aloud my dears~" She quickly pivots, putting on an overplayed innocent and thoughtless expression, ticking her head to the side. Her mandibles chatter hungrily for a few moments before she snaps. "I'd *Love* To help in creating another delightful weapon, it is part of our deal after all~ I don't back out on deals. If any of us are feeling hesitant about continuing, then shame on *Us* For agreeing to a proposal without the full information and context. We can't back out of this deal now~" The goddess tuts in an almost motherly way, although with a very clear ominous undertone.

"Ooooh, but on that note~" She slurs out, turning to Triticea. "I *Do* Believe an... Agreed upon contingency should be put in place. For *All* Of our safety, it's best not to leave all these things ambiguous. We don't want to be caught arguing with one another if this plan fails. We would need to figure this out, at least while we still have Thana here. Who knows how soon until she may be locked in whatever mental cage Edon has prepared for her? It's important for all of us to be on the same page when... *Oh sorry*, I mean *IF* It happens~"

Savarii was returning to her usual, erratic self, hopping from point to point, from act to act and mood to mood. It was difficult as always to follow and read, however the macabre interest in her own eyes was not hard to miss. Her wings shudder as several cricket-like claws twitch against eachother, making a loud, shrill chirping noise. 

"Triticea, you have fought Edon and protected Gaia for much longer than all of us. You have lead the defence from the front for longer than many of us have even lived." Savarii coos, immediately turning to her sister. She smirks to herself, realizing quite well she was asking the person who likely would have the harshest solution to come up with a contingency. "I believe that Gaia's most loyal and consistent defender has earned the right out of all of us to say... Should this plan fail, should this not solve Thana's problem, or worse, should this power end up in the hands of the great snake, what do you think the next course of action should be? What should our course of action be?" She slurs out, her massive form leaning in closer to Triticea, engagement and fascination painted on every inch of her body. "What do we do with The Amalgam of Gods should Thana's control...*Slip*?" She says, gesturing to Thana.
Raymond
*Tick... Tock... Tick... Tock...*

*The divine clock strikes again, chimes of time, and passages of what could've been slipped away from the proverbial fate. A spiral of never ending alterations... Change.*

*Thana keeps to herself, rigid but soft movements. Vague gestures and the occasional twitch of a finger, every word spoken from her fellow divine, had time to sink in as each chimed in with their reactions and plans. Some seemed thrilled to have a chance to shut down a former evil for good. Others were trying to save their own chitinous skin and nothing more. This band of mismatched idealogies were nothing more than brambles and thorns. One was the source... The rest is an annoying little sting against the skin. It was up to them to figure out who was positioned where right now. Most importantly, who was the next target should something go wrong? Edon had proven he was willing to go to deplorable lengths to ensure an ounce of ground is tread in his one serpent war.*

`"An illness of the mind is too good a term. They are a plague, a remnant of vile cysts that need to be cleansed."` *Anger seethes in the words, gritted teeth clamp down on her tongue, drawing the tiniest slither of blood. Even in this new, reformed visage, Thana still felt the pull towards unending rage. So much talk of the devourer, so many mentions. Barely noticeable to most, the girl's left eye twitches briefly at the mention of Edon being a schemer from Savarii, as if the latter weren't just as much of a cruel trickster. Downplaying their own actions to justify their betrayal. A stab in the back still wounds, no matter who it comes from.*

*That was all she was... A stab in the back... A knife that could be twisted and broken, then removed entirely.*

*"I should've killed you when I had the chance."*

*Is what she had wanted to say? Instead came a much more hollow and sombre tone as she acknowledges both the question of Onesifi and the nattering in her brain.*

`" A great sword. "`

*She gently places her hand in Nachs, letting them have a moment of comfort after the firmer strangle that had taken place only a few moments ago. It was important to at least synchronise her thoughts with another. The two both felt comfort with one another and perhaps once this ordeal was over entirely, Thana could finally be the caring soul she had wanted to be from the start. Dual cursed was rare, but to be thrice would be impossible. Right?* 

*They all spoke subtle truths and actual concerns. Somewhere out there was a paradoxical inverse where they let her go on a path of carnage. It had been a genuine possibility if one of the other gods around the bloodbath on the day of her birth had got to the girl first. What would've happened if somebody fuelled by nothing but self prospering had twisted her mind into a personal battering ram?*

*A chill runs down her spine at the thought, a monster not even they deserved to become.*

` "I wish for a greatsword, nothing fancy. I am here to set a new standard and attempt to purify the way from now on, if everyone here will still have me. "` *She had said so little on this iteration, the dwindling of power towards the weapon contributed certainly yet there was a deep amount of thinking behind her slow movements, so many things she had wanted to say just never found their way out. Instead, she continued to focus her energy on the divine weapon, not wishing to ruin anything with a last-minute shift of emotions. Her mind went solely onto Nachs hand. Cupping it with her own warm fingers.*
Mary
Pyralith raised her hammer into air as her broad fingers seemed to procure more and more raw material from her apron to toss in towards the collectively pooled energies. With each breath of the forge goddess came an incredible stillness and an uncomfortable heat, like the bellows of the foundry, controlling the air in the great hall, and yet never with so much intensity as to cool that raging, building heat. Dwarven metals were tossed between the lot of them, where one of the grand tables that decorated the area twisted in on itself and warped with Pyralith's intent. A temporary change to the sacred location, of course- the short goddess had never been one for manipulating what wasn't hers. Yet, this was important, and one could not forge without a furnace. She was merely *Repurposing* That which was provided by the setting, not *Disgracing* It. 

The molten material she provided forward made up not all of what was needed, and yet the forming mass seemed to be shaped by their collective power, carrying in itself the intent of those that surrounded it. The shape changed and shifted, altering with every thought and wish, unsure of its nature, but the beginnings of something solid began to form. A great sword. Not yet, but soon to be, that much was clear. For this, Pyralith provided them not the means nor the power to make such a weapon, but a most convenient route for it. Certainly she was no more powerful than any other, but it was without doubt that even Gods could step on each other's feet when such great power was at play, and Pyralith was of the belief that for the piece of art they hoped to make to come out as well as they intended, they all needed to be on the same page.

And, well, of *Course* She would be the one to decide what that was. With that same arrogant self-proclaimed authority, her hammer struck down, not guided by her own will, but by theirs. Pyralith had pooled her power already, and now it was time for their intent to make itself known in the shaping of the forming implement. They would all play their part, and Pyralith would always play it the most enthusiastically. In her own eyes, anyhow. Indeed, how could *Anyone* Wish to craft such a tool any more than she, the Goddess of such things? Her life wasn't on the line but she *Quite* Enjoyed forging. Surely they understood. 

With each strike of her hammer came a new wave of offered power from her, no more or less than her peers, but in harsh waves that matched her actions. It was similar to how she had presented herself at the other meetings, and likely would be how she carried herself forth every time going forward. It wasn't a problem on its face, of course, but it was *Loud.* As she hammered, she spoke, voice strained by the physical labor of such a thing.

**"You wholly overestimate Edon and entirely underestimate Thana."** Pyralith barked at Savarii, brow furrowing with the effort of their combined creation. Sweat formed on her face, forming steaming droplets across plump cheeks. **"Do not attribute to cunning what is properly explained by malice, as the saying goes."**

That was not how the saying went. Still, she continued.

**"He is an echo of a thing, emulating what he was once in his rawest and weakest aspects. A beast starved of sustenance to the point of immobility. Entirely feral, completely useless."** There was, as there always was when Pyralith spoke, some level of wounded pride. Pyralith had beat Edon in a fight. She *Wanted* To brag about that. She wanted to point at every single person present and mock them for their own failure in doing much the same. But she hadn't won as easily as she wished to claim to, had she? At the very least, she couldn't reasonably claim to have done so when she had been stricken with such focused ill intent that she could not recall her entire form. It was *Shameful.* **"And a dying dog's will to eat is not stronger than the hare's will to survive."**

Briefly, her eyes flicked to Thana.
Jason
It was interesting, Triticea thought, how Chaos of all deities seemed never to make outrageous statements. 

Perhaps it was a benefit of not taking herself too seriously? She huffed to cover her small chuckle as her gaze drifted to the Ambition

Onesifi's concerns were valid, for once, but Triticea was not too concerned. Edon had died by his own hand, yes, but only because he had been faced with imminent defeat. He had only taken his own life to be reborn and avoid capture, not because he was too powerful for them to defeat.

And then there was Savarii.

The Gluttony was paranoid, savage even at the thought of the Devourer. Even the carefully crafted persona of kindness that Savarii had crafted was beginning to slip.

Triticea was not stupid. She knew that Savarii was in a precarious position, and she knew that Savarii was hoping that she would convince the Wheatmother to speak her desires with the influence that the Hive Queen herself did not wield.

The Famine Author understood the fears of. Granting a powerful weapon to Thana, but in truth...

She was not concerned herself.

If the weapon were to truly be Thana's, if she were to shoulder the burden of creating the weapon with her own divine essence, it would not be as powerful as the newly strengthened Abundances or the Entropy's Wings. And if Nach or herself were to take on that burden... Well, she knew that she would not do it, and for all of Nach's chaos, Triticea was sure that Nach would not allow those blades to be turned agianst her Nachiavellian.

At last, she spoke.

"Savarii." She addressed her sister directly, not bothering with pretenses of not understanding the Hive Queen's intentions. "I know that you are afraid of Edon and vengeful for what he did to you." She spoke bluntly, blithely, unconcerned with grace or tact.

"But the blade will hold our power. We can imbue it with the power to rid ourselves of the Devourer for good."

She held out a hand, beginning to pool her might but not yet releasing it
Walter
It seemed that Onesifi was not the only one with concerns about the plan that the Forgemaster was proposing. Lady Savarii practically voiced their own thoughts on the matter loudly, nervously - all, of course, coloured by her own experience with the Devourer. But even tales of him painted him as a being of immense power and perseverance. Onesifi hated leaving problems to the roll of a die, and from what Onesifi thought, the snake's odds were, unfortunately, much higher than others gave him.

There needed to be a contingency - in case the belief that they were all underestimating Edon proved correct, someone had to assist Thana. And it had to be them - after all, the potential to prevent such a failure could work wonders for anyone's reputation. In order to be able to capitalise on the potential failure, though, they had to work quickly and covertly.

First, they stepped back, addressing Triticea and Pyralith both. "I would not dismiss Lady Savarii so easily. One does not become a world-threatening being without all of viciousness, courage and power. I can understand her concerns fully, and I would advise Lady Thana to keep her senses sharp."

They turned to look at the insect goddess again. "Yet, I also agree that it seems that we do not have a choice in this situation, if we take what Lady Pyralith has told us for truth. Yes, the solution that she has proposed is wrought with risk, yet it seems to be the only way we can both get rid of the threat and keep our conscience. After all, any being with a sense of right and wrong can understand just how terrible it is to punish a victim for the sins of her torturer."

_ _
A demonstrative sigh fell from the deity's lips, before they addressed Savarii's question - one that Triticea ignored. "However, in the unlikeliest event that Lady Thana falls to the serpent, we will certainly have to convene once again. And, unfortunately, we will not have another option other than killing both him and his host, for the sake of the universe itself. It should not be a problem, of course. Three of those present here have already defeated the Godeater - and our numerical advantage can only help."

This speech was both a way for Onesifi to soothe Savarii away from doing anything reckless - be a way to draw the gods' attention away from their small transgression.

The thinnest strand of divine energy, resembling dimmed silver in color and texture, left the ball of energy above their hand, as if by chance. It flew across the hall and towards the improvised forge, conveniently floating right under the hammer as it struck the metal yet again. The strand lodged itself firmly within the divine weapon and changed the color almost instantly - and the sign of Onesifi's interference became almost completely unrecognizable. In the back of their mind, they saw a hammer descending upon the metal yet again - proving that their plan worked out.

They raised their hands defensively, their eyes traversing the gods of the ritual. "Of course, we are speaking in hypotheticals. Lady Thana surely has power enough to defeat the bitter remnant of a suicidal snake; so let us concentrate on making this process safer for her. So, for the greatsword that Lady Thana desires..."

_ _
They faced the goddess of memories once more, a teasing smile stretching their lips. "Pray, do you truly not wish for your weapon to be even a little bit fancy? We are making a weapon worthy of the divine, after all; and the weapons decoration adds at least as much to its status as its power, from what experience I can recall." Onesifi raised a hand to their chin, pondering how exactly the weapon could be beautified. "I do not insist, of course, but a few rubies encrusted in the hilt would compliment your appearance quite well. Or you could go with emeralds, if you desire the symbolism of yourself liberated from your plague. Ambers could be an interesting idea as well..."

With this little tirade, Onesifi bought themself a little bit of time to think about what gift they wished to bestow upon Thana's weapon; one that could serve as an apology for the eye that they had implanted into her weapon.
Ray
"Hehhh~!" *Our Nach gasps, wheezing with a wisp of sparkles and a sweet, snickering smile. She looks up to Thana with a look of awe, and an affirming squeeze, her filthy little fingers frantically fidgeting with Thana's. Their hands tightly intertwined together as our Nach began to swing to and froe, dangling on her hand, like a girl swinging from a maypole. It's in spite of the gravity of the situation that our Nach continues to be cheerful, playing with the terrorized victim of a god that wormed their way into her splintered skull.* "Oohhh~! Aahhh... Climb upon thee, could we? Most certainly we could! Could we? Yes, yes! Go many places we will, by the bond we struck so very, very long ago... Like.. The top of your horns!" 

*Our Nach, never one to wait for an answer on what she could or not do, started to climb up the side of Thana's back. She relied solely upon her hand, Thana's hand, to keep her from falling. Which would've been particularly nasty, seeing as our Nach hung her head to the floor as she ascended toward Thana's shoulders...*

"Hrrghhh!!!!" *Our Nach swung from side to side, as she continued what should be an effortless climb. Her head popping out from behind Thana and toward Savarii for some brief but bizarre insight.* "...You? You speak of what ifs like the if was a when, and the never was now! Silly, you're! Sillirii? My those are a great many Is... The smelly furball has overstayed their welcome, and our sweet little Sweetie saids she'll splatter their skull against the very spotlight they hog! Spotty... Spotty!" *She smiles, her head cocking back.* "We trust her."

*Our Nach dips back behind Thana, continuing an agonizingly slow ascent up the length of Thana's back. She struggled much in spite of this simple task, flailing wildly, and yet holding onto Thana the entire time.* 
_ _

"Ooh~!" *Eventually, her head popped out from behind Thana.. Again... From the other side, this time.* "Add not Contingers to the blade, but a bow! Make it big and beautiful and bloody and bizarre but in the most sweet Sweetie's fashions! It is imperative that friendship be weaponized with a bow, it's obvious, of course! More importantly, it's imperative that when in in the throes of some feisty fight that you're fashionable! The smelly furball has no taste in anything, must be why it so desperately wanted to die... What a miserable muffin!" 

*But though our Nach's antics seemed strange and absurd, as they usually are, there was purpose some purpose to these. For she funneled her power through Thana, pooling the very essence of chaos around the cursed child's whims... Through her hand, and to her heart, the means to fracture Fate and make of it what she will.*
Spencer
Savarii turns to Triticea "Of course... Assuming we correctly understood the nature of the devourer in the first place." She mutters, her monstrous form rippling as she once again wraps her outstretched wings around her torso like a dress "Our powers can be wielded like a scalpel that finely cut out the snake, but precision means little when we do not understand what we're aiming at. Is it an echo? Does his consciousness remain? What role does he play in Thana's psyche and being?" She chirps, cocking her head to the side and slithering around Triticea. "Perhaps what Pyralith says is true. I hope I haven't offended, I dare not imply I do not trust your judgement~" She says, tilting her head to Pyralith. "After all, you clearly have the most... *Experience* With this new form of the devourer." The goddess coos with a polite yet overplayed smile on her fanged face. "I hope my pessimism does not infect our duty~" She says with a bow "I am ecstatic to be rid of this evil for good, his actions against Gaia and his destruction of our very family have been heinous. Some things are better preserved through tales and myth than flesh and blood." 

Upon hearing their agreement, the insectoid woman turns to Onesifi and gives them a bow, the flames of her eyes blazing through the eyeholes in her chitinous helmet. 

"Oh please my dear, I was merely thinking aloud. You know me, I always talk too much~" She giggles "Don't let my words wriggle into your mind so easily~" She coos with a chatter of her mandibles. "We'll find out one way or the other what the truth is, won't we?~" She adds, her voice now becoming almost entirely apathetic and nonchalant. "I'm sure Pyralith knows what she's talking about. Triticea too, has faced the devourer many a time, and that was when his inner circle was unfractured and his creations still roaming the world. Now he has lost that alongside autonomy over the body he inhabits, I should trust their judgement more than my own. After all, what experience do I have on the matter?~" She chirps. "It is undoubtable that Edon was much more cautious about he behaved around his allies and slaves~" Savarii sighs, resting her head on her own hands. "He would surely have put on much more of a bravado to myself and his allies. He would have been careful on how he presented himself and how he spun the truth of his own power. Should he show weakness, his allies would leave him and those like myself who were shackled to his will under threat would take the opportunity to free ourselves the moment there was a scent of blood in the water~" Savarii says. 

"I'm sure even my detailed spying and time watching the serpent under guise of ally is unnecessary to you all~" Savarii adds with a sigh. Despite her body language and act remaining affable and light hearted, there was just the smallest undertone of a waspish mockery in her voice, as if poking fun at the decision to brush off her information. Despite that, the dripping sarcasm was easy to miss. The Goddess of outcasts almost seemed amused by the fact, now watching with even greater interest. 

Savarii, while truly amused and pleased that Onesifi would speak their mind about killing Thana, turned her head to the side in sheer curiosity and mock surprise. "You suggest we kill our own sister?~" She says, taking a large, dramatic gasp.

"Another victim to the serpent's designs..." She says with a somber tone and shaking her head, carrying a quality as though she were delivering a potent monologue on stage.

"Well then, let us ensure it does not come to that~ I'm certain all of us here are capable and knowledgeable enough to prevent Edon's return. I'm sure we've all done our due diligence in ensuring we put our best foot forward to prevent the snake's return, the alternative is *Far* Too grave, I'm sure~" Savarii says, subtly presenting another dig at the rush and underestimation of those assembled there. However, just like her previous remark, this was disguised under a well meaning facade, the irony of it meant to entertain nobody but the Lord of the Flies herself. 

"I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say that we will do everything we can to avoid losing Thana to this terrible fate~ She is one of our own, one of Gaia's direct creations and a part of our grand and wholesome family. Should we fail here, should our power and foresight not be enough to save our dear ally... Then who are we to claim our strength in our divinity? This act is not merely the destruction of a threat to our family and the prevention of a rogue God's resurgence, but it is a message to Gaia that we are her capable and worthy children." Savarii slithers forwards, her tone gaining a severity and judgement that the goddess rarely displayed before. She watched every god nearby closely. Her eyes flickered from Pyralith, to Onesifi, to Tritcicea, to Nach and finally... Landing directly on Thana, making profound eye contact with her. *What creature really hid behind those eyes? Come on Edon, humour me... Are you really there?* Despite this deep study of the goddess of bloodlust, she quickly continues on her soliloquy as if nothing happened. 

"Our actions here today are proof that we, as gods, have great strength and capacity for growth and the reminder that are capable of unity." Savarii says. "It is proof that our nature is capable of withstanding any threat, and that, despite many mistakes throughout our life, we may yet find salvation just as we are. Through our success, we permanently and unequivocally denounce Edon's claims and ideology. His crimes against Gaia are damned as such, and his mentality proven a mistake. Yet should we fail, his words and teachings shall become a plague. They prove that they can survive even our most ferocious of onslaughts and that his actions have elevated him above our reach. His acts against Gaia, his violation of the rules of divinity itself, all of it will be ratified if we fail once again. Should that happen my dears, I fear that no matter what we do, the snake and his methods shall become... *Truly immortal*."

"Oh, but I'm sure, my dears, that in your hands, we shall not even *Dream* Of failure~" She says, her smile widening as far as possible, her every syllable dripping with sickening and sticky sweet honey. The glow of her eyes only intensifies as she stares forwards, letting her words sink in. She had, despite any and all conventional wisdom, decided to add even greater weight unto this ritual. She set a new set of rules and risks, new symbolism... New *Meaning*. Now, should they fail, she risked turning Edon into not only a threat, but a martyr.
Raymond
`" Stop."`

*A simple request spoken with an embracing mannerism. No venom dripped behind her fangs. She raises a hand to gesture for a halt, something had clearly caught up, she felt that prickle behind the ear and the smallest trail of blood running down the back of her head, defiling the soft and elegant clothing she made such an effort to present as pristine. With an extravagant flourish she swiftly cloaks a wing in front of her, adjusting the clothes and removing the grim blemishes from her appearance, only peeling the feathered limb back like a curtain after the makeover had been complete.*

`" Stop saying his name, please. It only makes things worse. The more he is remembered and believed in, the worse this gets for everyone."`

*A valid point, for every repetition of the devourers name and his many aliases only served as a bolster to the gods energy, belief was their entire concept and to have so many other divine repeating and discussing his name even in such negative connotations only served as empowerment and a shining flame for the abyssal fire. Thana looks onwards at the clambering Nach. She makes no effort to stop them, only tenderly holding a hand behind her back in case they fell from the expedition. She chuckles faintly at the words of the snake having such little fashion sense.*

*Looking around the room at the start of the divine weapon forging she struggles to maintain a smile. The air was strained with so many gods enunciating wildly divergent emotions.*

*Triticea was resolute and ready, perhaps the bravest of them all for that. So willing to do what was right, when this was all over, maybe the two could finally share a moment of peace and Thana could lay down in the fields of abundance. Remember her old life, her actual life.*

`" Onesifi is right in a way. If I fail and the adversary takes hold, I should be dispatched swiftly, but left as a miniscule fragment, unable to regenerate. That ensures no return. "`

*Thana can only wait now...*
Jason
As corny as their insistence on referring to their siblings by noble titles was, Triticea could appreciate Onesifi quelling Savarii's concerns. Even she was starting to get annoyed with the Hive Goddess' wheedling, no matter how reasonable her concerns might be. 

Unfortunately, Onesifi's chatter about making the weapon fancier was a return to their usual tendency to talk more than Triticea felt they needed to.

The Entropy didn't say anything of substance for once, just chattering about some of her random nonsense to Thana. Still, a part of her snickered, it was more enjoyable to listen to than her siblings' arguing, so there was that at least. 

Savarii didn't say much that Triticea really cared about either, although the Famine Author did spare the Hive Queen a raised eyebrow for the mock shock at Onesifi's suggestion. She was fairly certain that if she had the chance to get away with it scot free, Savarii would happily end Thana just to make sure that the Devourer never rose again.

And now the time had come to focus on the forging of the weapon. She had only been contributing light threads of divine power up to this point, but now she began to push her energy into the weapon in earnest. She appreciated Thana's willingness to accept what needed to be done should Edon rise again, and so she decided to imbue the weapon with a gift.

A memory struck her, of her battles with Edon and Melancholia. Each time she had almost managed to take them down, and each time her foes had ended their own lives to prevent capture through their divine rebirth.

She loathed for it to happen again.

She imbued with weapon with a blessing and a curse. Any that were struck with it and any that wielded it could no longer take their own life. The power of the divine weapon that had yet to be named would cause attempted suicide attacks to phase harmlessly through the body of the god that tried it, preventing their escape.

Thana's enemies would need to stand and fight for real.
Raymond
```Bump and reopening thread```
Walter
Onesifi barely kept a smirk from appearing on their face. Amongst Pyralith's single-minded focus, Nach's usual shenanigans and Savarii's endless speeches, their plan went off without any disturbance, and the watching spell now was firmly planted within the sword's nature. Whether they truly did not notice or simply kept quiet, their silence expressing consent to their action, mattered little; after all, it would serve its purpose and nothing more, and they would gladly say as much.

Speaking of saying much, it seemed that Savarii's usual *Tendencies* Did not dissipate at the threat before them. It was plainly obvious that what Onesifi had said aligned perfectly with her own thoughts - yet she continued to attempt to belittle them for it. The bug goddess was truly insufferable, and Onesifi could not help but wish to curse her out - but they still needed to maintain that veneer of politeness that everyone knew them for.

They stared intently at the pest divine, their left hand pulling very slightly on their hair. "As I had said before, the prospect which you have implied to be a desirable outcome for me is something I believe should only be considered in the worst case scenario, once all other hope lies destroyed." It went down, and their pointer finger touched the corner of their lips in mock concern. "Are you, perchance, feeling unwell, Lady Savarii? Once we are done with this weapon, I would advise you to take a rest, perhaps go to sleep for some time; while we are divine, I do not believe we have any evidence that rest does not better our well-being still."

_ _
This tirade of theirs was interrupted with a gentle, yet firm demand from the weapon's receiver. Edon's name was not to be spoken, for remembrance empowered him.

For a second, Onesifi struggled to process the information. But in the next, it made perfect sense. Gods thrived on recognition, so it would stand to reason that a dead divinity like the God of Fate would be able to be reborn by it. It was truly ironic, how the attempt at omnicide driven by his own suicidality would, in fact, ensure he lived beyond his death. And although rationally, the deity of ambition knew that forgetting of the serpent, refusing to think of even his effect on the world would be the surest way to destroy the Godeater forever...

How could one truly forget?

Their face refused to show their doubt. A reconciliatory smile played on their lips, as they nodded in obeyance to Thana's words. "Of course. I ask for your forgiveness, and I shall not discuss the matter of our purpose here any further, considering it is perfectly clear to us all." And then, when she assented to her fate in case of her defeat, their eyes turned softer, more soothing in a way that felt barely off genuineness. "Be assured only that I shall do all in my power to not let the situation come to the extremes." And it was more than she knew, in truth.

_ _
With the response to Thana done, Onesifi turned towards the weapon, where Triticea had just imbued the sword with her personal contribution. They strode forward, the weave above their hand finally ready to be added to the power of the weapon. They opened their palm, proclaiming in a loud, confident voice, "Let it be known to all gathered here and the world at large, that I bestow upon Lady Thana's sword the gifts of precision and clarity. May her path to freedom be unobstructed by her foes' manipulation nor by their defences, and may she pierce through both the fogged thoughts and the wicked hearts of those who stand in her way."

The words flowed together with the strands of divinity, imbibing themselves within the mixture of energy, leaving their mark on the creation as Onesifi had stated. Such was their will, for the God of Hatred would only be obliterated if all present would give their all.
Ray
*Once she had made her point, our Nach again dipped back behind Thana and continued their absurd ascent up the length of another God. The Tiny Terror must've paid little mind to the proceedings, to her, the task ahead was apparent. Thana, the Cursed Child of Gaia, was a friend of our Nach's, and thus was her ask their aspiration. The thoughts and feelings of Others were irrelevant to the Giggling Goddess.*

*Though that didn't mean she couldn't have a bit of fun.*

"Hyahahahaaa~!" *Our Nach's cackling cry announced her ascent to the top of Thana's shoulders, whereupon she sat, overlooking the Others that talked amongst themselves.* "Hold? Hold!? HAH! How can it hold when it haven't any hands, or feetsies that fidget? Hehhh... What a masterful blunder, befitting of a muffin! Such is the *Fate* Of a slippery snake, hold it can never! Never ever, not now nor near nor soon!" 

*Our Nach giggled, kicking her little feet whilst she sat atop Thana's shoulders... Her head popping through Thana's horns, and dropping down to face her dear friend. Whether our Nach was deliberately trying to antagonize the Traitor God was too irrelevant, for there was a deeper meaning to her vicious mockery.* 

"Sweetie!" *She smiles, holding her hands together and thus allowing herself to sit more precariously than before.* "Never shall you ever fall to that which slips, this we shall see to! Though of course should you like to fall for fun, this Nach may supply that in spades... Oohohohooo~! We simply must meet again, and revel in all in ruin! Ohhh... There's so much to do, so much to do and see and wonder and make! Aahhh... How will we ever get to it all!?" 

*Our Nach abruptly jerked backward, as if she were about to fall. Fortunately, she was able to catch herself and maintain whatever balance she had atop of Thana's shoulders. Upon which, she'd conjure a couple of Nachs on her own...* 
_ _

"With a spark of whimsy and a touch of wonder, of course, of course!" *Cried a Nach with blue hair, a dirty white dress, and a bent out of shape halo that flickered and sparked.* "Don't cha know? We've gotta NACH for this! Hyaahahahahahaaaa~! We'll do it all and more and again, hand in hand, to the beat of our hearts!"

"Or with a brush of blood, for fantasy and terror! Where every wish is our command, and every delightfully dark desire is brought to life!" *Cried another Nach on the opposing shoulder, though with red hair, a dainty black dress, and horns that twist and turn like snakes.* "Don't cha know? We'll NACH the world's socks off! Hyahahahahahaaaaa~! What's a show without suspense, an audience without awe!" 

"Hehhh... Yes, yes-yes! We'll see it all, together, with our great many eyes and our many hands that hold..." *Our Nach smiles, scooping up both of the tinier Nachs in her hands and presenting them both to the Others.* "Together, we may at last weaponize our friendship and see to it that our dear beloved Sweetie may never be alone... Well, we suppose she's not been truly alone in sometime! But at least she'll have more marvelous company, yes?" 

"Yes-yes! Yes, indeed!"

"Hand in hand we'll be, sisters in arms you could say! Hyahahaaaa!"

"Hyahahahahaaaa~!"

"Hyahahahaaa... HAHH!" *The Nachs laughed, and the tinier Nachs jumped with joy in anticipation of what was to come.* "Now, go forth the both of me and melt yourselves, to melt our hearts and that of others!"

"Oh I can't wait to stab someone in a more literal fashion!" 

"Ooh! Ooh! Me too, me also! We'll do it together, together forever!" 
_ _

*Our Nach, without saying another word, casually threw the two tinier Nachs into the blade. The power she had pooled through Thana and to them would assure Thana that she'd never truly be alone again, for their minds would melt and meld into the blade and thus with apart of Thana. Their minds now guided the hand that guided the blade, and together, they would outnumbered the Devourer in a battle of the mind.*

*...Whether they'd outmatch them though, was another story.*
Spencer
"Well it appears to be time to do some work, time to set this plan of yours into play~" The goddess hissed, tilting her head as she started to fiddle with a strand of silk that seemed to materialize directly out of her sleeves into her claws. She was watching the proceedings with a gaunt look on her face, her ever watchful eyes glowing underneath her veil with an ominous quality, ever thinking and judging. 

"Well I, for one, think it's better to think outside the box to solve this problem..." She says, her tone giving a sense of finality and losing that testing tone she had used when questioning her siblings. It almost gave the impression of a teacher or instructor giving the right answer to a student. "The ideal scenario, of course, is for Thana to hold off in the battle on her own. However, it appears we are leaving such things up to sheer will and the goddess alone. Should any contingency fail, we are meant to totally sacrifice Thana for the good of ourselves." She slurs, shaking her head pitifully. "An obvious sacrifice expected of Thana, but it is our duty to ease the burden of sacrifice as much as possible for a member of our little community here~" She says, finally tugging on the silk string poking from her sleeve and wrapping it around her claw. The goddess of outcasts extends her arm and keeps tugging the silk out of her sleeve. It seemed that the other end had actually been attached to one of the "Leeches" That connected to Savarii's head as her form of hair. Its mouth was producing the long, shimmering length of silk. As the goddess kept tugging on the piece of silk, muffled voices and sounds could be heard from the gleaming strand. 

In certain lights, one could almost see visions and scenes playing upon the strand, a few of the small spectres within the strand almost seemed to look almost like Thana... *And Edon*... *Memories.* Savarii was creating her addition out of pieces of her own memories. She kept folding and forming the memory strand into a barbed wire, creating spikes on it and shaping it to better fit onto the blade and the hilt of the sword. Distant glimpses of memories, ever watchful eyes and people could be seen shifting across the thin strand, with distant sounds audible to those who listened enough. 

The addition of the piece was a blessing and a curse, simply dependent on Thana's perspective. Savarii embedded a sliver of her own mind and memories as a core for this blade, a choice not taken lightly by the goddess who sacrificed it. It would act as a crux upon which more and more memories could be recorded. The sword fueled itself off the psyche of others, it could empower itself with experience and memory, whether they came from the blade's wielder or its victim. For Thana, who held two consciousnesses in her body, one of which already had a long and storied life, this would empower the abilities bestowed upon the sword by the other gods. The memories of Thana and Edon, as well as memories concerning them could become fuel for this weapon. 

However, that was not the main point, that much was clear based on the Goddess of Outcast's grim disposition. Savarii would flick her hand, sending forth the piece snapping through the air and towards the blade, where it would lock on harshly. The barbed strand would embed itself into the blade of the sword before the tail poked out and wrapped itself around the crossguard. The goddess leaned back and clasped her hands. 

"The Goddess of Memories..." She slurs out, tilting her head back. "I give you another hope beyond destruction. I give you the opportunity for a new chance, should you take it. The blade now may hold and use memories. In the day to day use, it merely means that your own experience, psyche and presence in the consciousness of the masses will give you strength. However, that is but a byproduct." 

The God's wings spread out, the "Eye" Patterns looking as if they were staring down at Thana.

"Death is final and merciless, you have been born tainted by sins of the past, your life stolen by everything that came before you. Yet what does killing you mean? You are already dead, caged, a victim of a conflict that has nothing to do with your actions. Nobody deserves to suffer and face punishment just for being born in the wrong place and time. Nobody should demand your absolute sacrifice in a war you had no part in starting." Savarii hissed, glancing over Thana. "The belligerents of this war are the older gods and Edon, they are the culprits and the cause. Edon may be the evil, but a war does not begin without shared blame. Yet you, you have been enlisted since birth. You've lost the joys of godhood and consciousness long before you could even make use of it." Savarii says, stepping directly towards Thana and glancing down at her with a macabre and subdued gleam in her eye. "It's only logical that you sacrifice yourself if this fails, because it would save so many, but just as you would sacrifice for us, the burden falls on us to sacrifice for you."

"My dear, I would hope to solve that. Should everything seem hopeless, should you desire a fresh start, I will offer it to you. Perhaps you will not take the escape I offer now, perhaps you never will. However, I should hope that this will, if not solve the issue, mitigate the effect of the resulting disaster so that you may yet have a chance at life and unburden yourself." The goddess glances down at the sword as piece by piece, every donation from the other gods is added to it. 

"This may not cleanse Edon, but it should provide a suitable alternative for a weary soul should the tide of battle turn against you." The goddess hissed. "I give you the gift that I would desire in your place. Freedom, peace, a second chance..." 

Her many hands once again clasp before her and she slithers back where she had been watching before. "When the weapon is overloaded by power and the failsafe is triggered, it will become a gluttonous vortex that will devour any and all its wielder's memories concerning themselves and their identity. You, Edon, every psyche a part of this blade, wiped clean of any memory of who you are and what you've done. Not an ideal fate, truly, but another option instead of death. It defangs the snake and lets you get another opportunity at godhood. At least in this situation, you have the chance to rebuild. In this way, the story does not end." Her wings fold into herself, tucking themselves in almost protectively as she tilts her chin up. 

"You need not use it if you do not wish to, but nor would I sit on this option too long. The more you wait, the more Edon may recuperate and the more you stand to lose. If you use it now, perhaps you'll find it easier to do. Perhaps it will be easier to rebuild and you need not face the prospect of amnesia with as much apprehension."
Raymond
*Wrath was a gluttonous fiend. It consumes and consumes until the soul is burdened with nothing but rage.*

*A goddess of bloodlust harboured so little of her own identity right now, no hatred shined through the veil of murder. Her emotions were well and truly cloaked, masked within layers and webs of purity.*

*Each god had given a gift. The resistance of the mind soon followed the imbuement from Triticea. Even though she did not truly wield the weapon yet, already the influence begins to sting. Her head throbs as though someone or something is trying to slither its way out, to burst through this body and cause a tremendous cataclysm of events. Already, a chain reaction had involuntarily been set into motion. Clutching at the fabric of her clothing, Thana takes a moment to kneel and close her eyes, attempting to divert focus away from the pain searing through their mind.*

*Nachs playful back and forth with herself only served as an auditory distraction from this agony, though her words did ring through as true. Willing company would be nice, especially for someone on the way to turning her life into a purpose greater than before. The eyes of judgement were upon them all. Now was the time to make haste and prove to the world there was a reason this group remained as one of the few bastions of order, however bizarre it may be gone about for some.*

*Savarii's offer, however, seems to fall on much harsher retaliation than the other gifts. A driving force surges back from the blade against the initial enchantment, only falling short when Thana channels her own energy back into the blade as part of its final construction, with all the pieces tied together the spectacle of divine energy flows and ebbs throughout the cold metal of the newly forged sword.* 

*Only one ingredient remained.*

*Him.*

*With no hesitation, Thana digs her own hand deep into her chest, clawing at the beautiful visage with brutal rage. Blood coats the damsels' dainty fingers and from where a heart should be, a writhing serpent is pulled, desperately winding away from her icy grasp. Murder glimmers in Thanas' eyes. Not a thought beyond avenging untold pain inflicted by such a tyrant. Harsh Breaths and a deeply trodden maliciousness stirs from the hole left by his now absence. She knows he will be back, but this way. He would be weaker than ever, reduced to a blade overwhelmed by the force of an entire group of deities. His last stand would be weak, and so many souls would be ready to see him stomped out for good.*

*With the miniscule squeals of a worn out god, she flings the tiny Edon at the blade right in time for its ultimate creation, searing what remained of the deity into the blade and binding him like they should've done so many years prior.*

*Peace... For at least a moment. No thoughts other than her own. Swimming doubts came to lie once more.*

*Gripping the hilt of the newly formed weapon sleepily with one hand, she waves it around childishly, noting its appearance and the sheer energy that irradiated from such a piece. It was all said and done, right? No more horrors...*

`"I have work to do. Thank you for your time, friends. Your patience will be accounted for in the near future."` *Not bothering to attend to her injuries, she sprouts her wings and makes a swift departure... Leaving the rest of the group to... Think? What had just happened, and was it finally the end of this fiasco?*

```We can wrap it up now (Please)```
Jason
Each sibling had imbued the blade with a fragment of their power, and now it seemed to hum with their combined divinity even as the godly light faded from it somewhat. Triticea looked at her creation with satisfaction and trepidation. 

It was a weapon designed to do something that even she had failed to do, end the First Traitor Deity. She had been sure to infuse her contribution with a burning desire to rid the world of the Devourer, to finally put away the monster who had begun the deterioration of their family bonds. The Wheatmother had given it the power to prevent its foes from escaping.

She could only hope that the blade and its wielder would fulfil their purpose.

With the blade forged, though, she had more pressing matters to attend to. The havoc caused by the birth of a nascent abomination and the villain who'd created it called for her full might and presence. She spared her siblings a simple nod before her form dissolved into specks of green light, rising into the air like a reverse snowfall. The fragments of Triticea now rushed up to the tree towards the rest of her, ready to help out in the battle against the Tearmaiden and her pet demon.

As she left, however, she left behind the smallest sliver of herself to slither towards the weapon. So tiny was it that even the other gods would not notice it, and all it could do was whisper to the weapon that its greater whole had just helped to forge.

It whispered reminders of the blade's purpose, of its mission to finally end the first true problem.

And then with its own purpose served, the fragment too dissipated and rushed upwards to join up with Triticea among the chaotic battle of the Upper Branches. She would need all the power that she could muster to face down the threats that had reared their ugly heads there, even this little sliver of her that could do little more than whisper to a blade that could not truly hear her.