"Yes, despite how it might be, they're not allowed. This is something strictly for Godkillers." ~Shallies Mythernal

The vibration of mana in the air woke Grace from her slumber. As she pushed herself up, concerned of what might have happened, she noticed that Ren and Tayin were also on high alert. Quickly, they all agreed to gear themselves up and head out of the humongous tent that Valor'el had made for them to sleep in.

Outside, they found the seraph. His arms were crossed, looking towards the east. There was an aura of determination about him. Not an actual manifestation of power, but simply an expression and posture that removed any manner of relaxation or ease.

"Return to your tent," he said simply. "There's nothing for you to do tonight but rest."

"Can you at least explain what's all this weird vibration in the air?" Ren asked. "Is the dungeon collapsing?"

"The dungeon is stable, Ren," the seraph replied.

"It's Shallies, isn't it?" Tayin asked this time.

"Of course it is," Grace answered, already knowing the answer.

"Believe me, this has nothing to do with your training or this dungeon," Valor'el started. "The Godkiller had a mild curiosity that she wanted to satisfy. The method of research it requires involves this change of the mana in the atmosphere."

"Where is she?"

"Still in the dungeon, but I'm afraid giving you her exact location is unwise."

"Why's that?"

"You might go find her." This time, Valor'el turned to the Godkiller's apprentices. "It's not within our right to see what she's currently doing. I suggest that you not put Lady Shallies in a situation that would make her do things she doesn't like."

"You haven't seen it either," the half-orc said. Not as a question, but a statement.

"Neither have the gods." Valor'el returned his gaze towards the east. "She's currently in the place where Destiny resides. That's all I know. And who knows what sort of consequences one would face, for even peeking at the entrance of that place? If it's not meant for the divine, then it's most certainly not for the mortals below them."

One last time, Valor'el turned to the students. Grace could feel how seriously he was taking his task. She knew that even if she did her best, she wouldn't be able to go far from the tent with him like that.

"Go to sleep. All of you."

With a sigh, the half-orc turned and returned to bed. Tayin kept complaining, but Ren reeled in the halfling. Eventually, things calmed down, but the vibration in the air didn't stop.

"How are we supposed to sleep like this?"

When Grace turned, she found that the two were indeed able to sleep, despite their prior protests. She gave up trying, sighed, and opened her System Console instead. In front of her were the two Advanced Classes for Spell Sword.

"Hello, Bernadette. Or is it Shallies this time?"

"It's Shallies. How are you, Destiny?"

"The usual, as always. To what do I owe the pleasure, Shallies?"

"I'm here for the Life and Death Tomes."

"I'll go get them for you."

"Thanks."

"Any particular thing you're looking for?"

"Reincarnated gods within the past two decades. Gods lining up for any form of mortal unison. And maybe finding some indicators of any long-payoff plots that have begun since Fello'resh's death."

"Oh, that's quite the list. Here you go. If you need some snacks, just let me know."

"I don't need any, unless you can join me."

"Of course, dear. Let me put on the kettle. I'll be back in a few. You have fun reading."

"Sure."

The world around Shallies was surrounded by something like a kaleidoscope.

Indeed, it was the entire cosmos itself, and all its unperceivable realities, which moved about in a pattern across what would've been the skies. They behaved as if they were the stars, constellations, or galaxies in the real world, replacing most of the real void that was beyond Ysvil and everything in it.

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The Godkiller ignored every single one of those depictions, after acknowledging the one at the center. So long as that single point remained intact, and in the middle of everything, reality was still stable, and all the rest wouldn't be much of a bother to her, no matter how they looked.

They could be bathing in hellish flames, or stuck in perpetual stasis, they could even be repeating time loops for all she cared. They didn't matter.

That single point, their reality. That was the only important one.

And so, after making sure it was still there, centered amongst all the confusing movement of the rest of realities, Shallies began her excruciating read.

Of course, Shallies already knew which sections to check. She already knew exactly what sort of information to look for. It could be said that the Godkiller had penned the entire collection of the Fate Weave Archive herself. And that Destiny was her bookkeeper. She merely needed to match what had been recorded with her current findings, in order to confirm a suspicion she had been slowly nurturing since the beginning.

Shallies wanted to know if Grace was a reincarnated god or not.

The idea began when she had first meditated, after discovering the Perpetual Method. The half-orc's ability to replicate it so easily, albeit imperfect, was completely unprecedented. Shallies hadn't mentioned it before, but that feat was tantamount to things that only people who had meddled with the divine could do.

There was Grace's incredible luck to consider as well. Yes, the half-orc was stubborn and constantly challenged her own fate, throwing herself unnecessarily into danger often only for the sake of proving herself, to herself. And the things that should've killed her many times over, she always survived. Shallies agreed that it was all completely through luck.

Luck becomes a skill when it's a habit…

Shallies smiled and shook her head, amused by the thought.

"That's Fello'resh's favorite line," Destiny said, returning with a tray carrying a tea set and some biscuits.

"Yep," Shallies said, not even bothered that the Divine Entity had read her mind. "The connections are loosely plotted down this time."

"Care to explain?"

Destiny had a knack copying other people's appearances, often evoking strong emotions. The Entity didn't do it for fun, or to poke at anyone's sensitive secrets. She—for she copied her guest's gender as well—simply did it to avoid showing her real self. A protection of sorts, so to speak.

So Shallies found an uncanny sense of similarity when Destiny asked the question with the same enthusiasm as Phey'lan would, in her voice and face.

"Of course you'd pick Phey'lan," she sighed, not bothering to answer the question.

"Would you rather I show myself as Fello'resh? Or maybe Kurfurul?" Destiny smiled like a caring mother. With Phey'lan's face, it looked oddly natural. "We weren't going to have a conversation, if I had."

"I did consider changing the rules, you know?" Shallies started. "Phey'lan was supposed to be one of my best students, if not the best. Then she broke her cradle egg. Voluntarily. Of course, we agreed not to tell anyone else. But whenever I asked her why, she wouldn't tell me."

"And even today, you're not using your authority to force the truth out of her." Destiny took a sip of her tea. "That's why she trusts you unconditionally, you know?"

"Yeah."

"So what's the deal with Fello'resh?"

"You should peek at Destiny once in a while," Shallies told Destiny. "Even if it's just looking at recent events. You're the caretaker after all."

"I'd rather you tell me." Destiny made a dismissive gesture. "You know how fickle some gods can be. The moment I try to take a peek, you know someone's already planning on filing a complaint. I'm not going to waste my time dealing with the hassle, Shallies. Either tell me or not."

"Well…"

Shallies spent the next hour recalling anything that involved the previous God of Famine and Destruction. She did so while multitasking by reading. This, despite her capability to do both at the same time, made the discussion take longer. From pauses due to some paragraphs requiring more of her attention, to intervening questions by Destiny, and even just random dead airs caused by an interesting section in one of the Tomes, it stretched out bit by bit. But in the end, the retelling was done.

"That sounds like every typical Divine War to me," Destiny commented.

"The question is when, where, and how. Not if," Shallies added, returning her eyes to one of the Tomes after taking a sip of tea. "Maybe even who."

"Well, there's a big chance that it is Fello'resh. Is that why you're checking the Archive?"

"No. It's loosely related, but no. I'm checking whether one of my most recent students is a reincarnation of a god. If she is, then I'll definitely need her to participate in the Divine War."

"Oh, I see…" Destiny nodded. "That's definitely a plan."

"Yep."

In the next few hours, their discussion catered to softer topics. Destiny had apparently taken up knitting, again, for the hundredth time. Shallies asked for some garment to take with her, and the Divine Entity obliged by giving away her latest project. A mundane scarf.

In return, Shallies took a break and cooked a Crispy Chicken Sandwich, using the Fate Weave Archive's only kitchen.

"I'm definitely declining the experience this would normally give you," Destiny said as she munched on the sandwich.

"Fair enough."

Shallies could've exercised her authority to insist on taking the amount of experience points from feeding Destiny. It would definitely push her Chef Class to Max Level, with enough to excess left over to max out another Profession Class. But she wouldn't use or trick Destiny like that. And she, much like Grace, she didn't want to skip the fun of leveling a Class.

Seeing Destiny give the exact same smile Phey'lan did whenever she ate her food was rewarding enough. Shallies didn't need more than that.

While they ate, Shallies found what she was looking for in the Life Tome. A line of information that shocked even someone like her. Immediately, she shut it and threw it away. The Archive, of course, retrieved it and stored it somewhere safe.

All the while, Destiny was smiling. "Not good, then?"

Shallies sighed. "I don't know."

The next morning, before dawn, Shallies contemplated contacting Stachie and Apple for a meeting. Technically, their Class Inventories were all connected through their bond as Soul Confidants. As long as they made sure to return from their own portals, they shouldn't have any problems.

But she decided against it. She wanted some time to process what she had found. Her eyes stared longingly at the horizon, looking at the soft waves of the sea. Somewhere out there, almost deceivingly so, would be the dungeon's walls. This pocket world would prevent even the flow of the ocean from appearing in Ysvil, so long as the Dungeon Gate remained under control.

Underneath those waves were even more high-level monsters, ones that she didn't bother letting Grace and the others know about. The Dungeon Boss was on the island anyway. But now, after reading in the Archive, she desperately wanted to send them there.

Not to push them to their deaths, no. Nothing that sinister.

The Godkiller just wanted to push Grace even further now. The others too, because they were involved with the half-orc. One by one, thoughts of pushing them to the limit visited her mind. One by one, she seriously considered them.

Dragon slaying, Dark Lord hunting, Abyss Towers, Abyss Dungeons. The list went on and on.

Shallies sighed and made her way back to the entrance of the dungeon.

"I shouldn't be too hasty."

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