They exit the sewers at last and are met with a clear night sky, shining moon, and a lake with moon light dancing over its ripples. The air is fresh and cool, the forest and tall grass around them quietly rustle with the breeze of air, and stars shine brightly lighting the night sky. Nova took all of it in and felt calm and at ease, no longer did she have to wander the sewers. She hadn’t noticed that Pyrium already went off to set up camp between the lake shore and forest edge. Nova walked over and watched as she made a small fire pit and piled it with grass, sticks, and small logs. The Goddess snapped her fingers and a spark appeared in the pit which quickly turned into a fire. The cold air around the fire heated up to warm them, and there they sat in the grass and dirt. Nova felt her body ache from exhaustion and her muscles sore and weak. The Goddess stared into the fire looking tired, yet looking much better than her previous state in Briedon. From looking at the night sky Nova guessed that the night was still young and she spoke, “You know from our talk in the sewers earlier, you said that the Gods take the form of the host and becomes one with them. Do you remember all of your hosts?”

Pyrium looked up from the fire at Nova, staring for a moment to process. She returned her gaze to the fire and laughed a little, almost showing a smile, “Yes, every one of them, all of their memories and sometimes their thoughts on our journey together. I have died 19 times now and meeting every one of them was always something new.”

“What about your host now, what is her name?”

The Goddess curled up and smiled at the thought, “Annaliese. I remember seeing her from the first time she picked up my sword, in fact she was never even considered a candidate to be my next host in the first place! She just walked in in front of all of the magicians and high mages, ignored all of their objections and outbursts, and just picked up my blade. I remember being confused at first as to why a young lady had come to me, out of all the warriors and fighters that I have judged she thought she would be the best out of all. I looked down on her coldly and judged her foolishness, but then she said to me ‘you look so cold.’ I was about to scold her until she just smiled and said ‘I can be there for you whenever you need me!’ I was stunned from that response, what can a frail looking woman able to help me the Goddess of Fire? I merged our energy to test her worth and sensed such strength, and such sorrow. I was surprised and accepted her as my host, all the mages were just as surprise as I was when we joined.”

Nova felt warm hearted from hearing that, “What was she like?”

“She was very compassionate towards all and loving. Times where the people were cold in winters she would ask of me to light their hearths. Even a time when we encountered a wounded beast she would have me care for the creature to full health, little did we know it was a mother who was just hunting for her cubs. I see much beauty in her soul alone and the passion she has towards caring for others. When she said I was cold, I had realized what she had meant about it. After seeing so much blood in my existence through the eyes and body of so many warriors, I really had been cold.”

Nova sat and wondered what Annaliese was like if she had met her. She was sure she would enjoy knowing her. As time passed they laid down looking at the moon and stars cross the sky range. Sometimes appreciating the sight, sometimes relaxing, but most of the time the two of them sat wondering what would come next. Nova dreaded the morning to come, she wanted to leave more than anything else; run away from all of the conflict with the Legion and hide like she always had, but she knew deep down that would be cowardly and wrong. How could she allow a Goddess to face the Legion alone? More importantly, how could she abandon warning all the innocent people that may be in the sights of the Legions onslaught? After much debating with herself, she clenched her fist and decided that she would carryon and help warn the people of what the Legion has done to the countless innocents that day.

“What was it like?” Nova asked, “I mean, what was it like before all of this, in the beginning of this world?”

Pyrium glanced over and then back at the stars, “I assume you mean Year Zero? From what we know, Humans were stripped from their easy lives, ruled solely by technology, into a frightening new world. One that would change absolutely everything they had known, and one that would bring chaos and conflict throughout the world. Such an event as Gods Comet tested Humanity, and surely I thought all would perish, but they have persevered through the leadership of the strong. Keep in mind that people began to judge and lose trust in their government and own neighbors, it seemed to spell the end of the world for them. Factions rose in opposition, claiming to fight for the people,” The Goddess looked disgusted and paused, “they were nothing but heathens taking control when the opportunity arised. Once Humans discovered the magic changing the world they knew, they then discovered how to harness the elements to their own accord, many used magic to establish their authority and abuse power. This was a time of testing and the Humans were destroying themselves, turning into monsters, once we even considered destroying the very planet; however, we saw promise among those in the chaos, men and women of strength that would later go on to lead the people and bring back peace under their rule as the First Kings. If it weren’t for their examples of bravery and righteousness then surely this world would be no more. Each one of them were different and valued different morals and beliefs on the best qualities Humanity has to offer, yet all were the same in protecting the innocent and preserving the goodness in this world. During the wars we gods had lended our powers to the Kings, each with a God representing one King and their kingdom. When the warring finally ended each King would rule by divine right and only the next ruler would have to prove themselves before Kings and Gods before the title of King was passed on. Many Kings extended their bloodline to uphold peace and passed their title down to their children. Despite this, there have been decedents of Kings who were denied their right, found unworthy. Such is the importance of proving worthy to the Kings and Gods.”

Nova laid in the grass, hands cushioning her head. She thought about living in a time such as that. How different it must be from today, and how terrifying to live in such uncertainty. Would she be better if she lived in such a time? She thought about it and concluded that it would probably be a time she is glad she wasn’t born into. Nova and the Goddess finished up their discussions and made final plans for the morning. They slept, preparing their souls for the morning to come.

As the night cooled the grounds with its dew, the two were kept warm by the fire. Long hours later, morning rose with the sun slowly rising above the trees. The cool dew air slowly warms in the basking of the sunlight. The lake reflects the light, shining like dancing crystals off the water’s surface, and the smell of earth freshens the senses. The camp is just cold, but Nova and the Goddess has already left long ago. They were half way to Kykry skipping the town of Illustria, much to their despair, deciding that they were already too late to warn the people ahead of time. They ran off west to try and warn or even evacuate the people of the town there, before the Legion burns the town there too.