Amdirlain's PoV - Atonement

Silpar and Eldest barely began to field questions when the whole cloister jumped planes. The atmosphere shifted as the planar energy changed to calm consideration from the oppressive, chaotic pressure of the Abyss.

Purification energies washed through the stone, clearing the place of every trace of corruption and the last shattered fragments of the veil Ori had wrapped around her energies. When the effect reached the rough stone's outer edges, it morphed and stretched the material. Seamlessly turning it into an aerial fortress similar to the White Tiger's Claw, though the training grounds surrounding the central castle were triple the length.

With the cloister now a floating island over the grey towers of Atonement, Amdirlain rang Planar Attunement through all the Fallen present. Then she sent it through the network of pendants until all those absent had their home planes changed. Their pendants were now a key to gaining entry to the Plane, but exit rights were still within Amdirlain's and Lysandra's control.

Amdirlain heard Lysandra's song and the strength she'd gained over the years of administering the Plane. She gave a quick reassurance and a hello, promising to catch up soon. During the exchange, Amdirlain caught prayers calling out for her attention, and allowed a flow of Mana to the faithful.

No wonder Mana Font evolved so much; it's been churning away since the first mantle settled on me.

"What do you want from us?" The question came from multiple sources through her pendant.

"You can come and go as long as you're no threat to this Plane. It is for damned souls that were previously stuck in the Abyss. Instead of eternal torture, we're cleaning them of memories and purifying their scars. What we do on this Plane is to give the souls a fresh start."

"We?" questioned Silpar.

"Are you sure you want to get involved with them?" Amdirlain projected to Lysandra.

"We have much to teach each other about renewal and the meaning of journeys." Conviction was a steel tone through Lysandra's being. "My discussions with Li Jing have garnered insights into my assorted natures over the centuries. He would say that helping another's journey might bring me many insights into my own Dao."

"Lysandra, daughter of the Aspect of Death, myself, and two other primordials. You can all keep walking Redemption's Path or request her help. One of her natures is renewal, but another is related to journeying. As long as you're true to wanting to restore yourself, I believe you can count on her help. As for the other two, I'll let them introduce themselves."

"What about new Fallen following the path to Ijmti?"

"I've already adjusted the marker stones. The next one they find will provide the pendant and transport them here rather than force them to journey to the last one." Amdirlain rubbed her chin thoughtfully and checked that the last marker stone hadn't recently issued a pendant.

I'll have to ask Lethe about retrieving more memories, maybe starting with the oldest ones. I still have a long way to go in understanding who I am properly.

"We will advise the others and let them decide if they will contribute. Will they object to those who reside without contributing?"

"Only if you attempt to interfere with the Plane's purpose. I'll move the cloister elsewhere if it becomes an issue. This Plane is just the safest one I had available."

"Safest Plane you had available?" Silpar repeated.

"Yes, I made it. A Plane is easier to secure than a Demi-Plane, as the latter is more fragile to brute force attacks either on the local rules or boundaries." Amdirlain handed over a key to access one of the sealed demi-planes. "This will let you retrieve those who withdrew from the fighting. I'll leave the decision on when they can leave Atonement and resume helping mortals up to you and Lysandra. Take care of yourself. Lysandra knows how to contact me if there is a need."

Amdirlain found Lysandra's home sprawling atop one of the bleak towers overlooking the woodlands. The place was empty of the souls rescued from Hades, and Cerberus sat by a sealed pool linked to the Astral Plane. Its original location had been within a reinforced building, but the addition of Cerberus on watch offered greater security.

She's moved things around, but that's fine. Cerberus should have a pleasant spot since he stayed here.

Teleport shifted Amdirlain to Lysandra's balcony, and she leant against the railing to watch Cerberus dozing.

Lysandra's home had an open, airy feel with high ceilings and wide corridors. Its carved wooden screens and pillars used warm lacquered woods that were more in line with Indonesian architecture than the Grecian style Hestia favoured. Illustrated scrolls and maps of many lands filled most of her chambers. Lysandra wasn't the only resident of the place; Amdirlain's former memory cube was still hungrily devouring maps from orbital surveyors. The golden veins through the silvery form were far thicker, and she could feel them expand with every detail of the landscapes he studied. A residue of his connection to the surveyors showed Gail had moved them to new worlds to continue his education.

Quick strides brought Lysandra from a chamber near the middle of the residence. Wearing a loose white cotton dress and simple sandals, her black hair streamed behind her as she rushed to meet Amdirlain.

With a bright smile, Lysandra swept in to clasp Amdirlain's shoulders and kiss her cheek. "Hello, cousin."

"I'm glad this Plane suited you so well, Lysandra."

"Your rules for it inspired me. Why would it not treat me well?"

"Initial inspiration can turn to regret," Amdirlain replied.

"Perhaps, but that's not my situation. Would you come in and sit for a while?"

"Though I appreciate the offer, I'll take a raincheck. I just stopped to check how things were, and if you needed anything before I rejoined Sarah."

Lysandra gently brushed Amdirlain's forearm. "I'm doing well. Between my guests and the souls to tend, there are many things to do and learn. Nazha and Ji Ling have been teaching me martial arts, and I've been stretching my understanding of souls. How did you figure out the way to clean the corruption?"

"Lots of experimentation." Amdirlain smiled sadly as the memories of those years briefly stirred.

"Well, it took me a century to duplicate your results, and then more years to develop a mechanism that duplicates what your crystals do. Though my mechanism is slightly different, it handles removing the memories and then refreshing the souls to cleanse them of scars. I've been propagating it through the empty buildings so we can treat more souls."

"That's good. You found places for all the refugees?"

"Father advised me how to translate their souls properly to this realm, and we arranged for their rebirth. Aetos Kaukasios is now soaring the skies in Laurelin. Cerberus is still here." She paused and nodded to the woodlands. "I'm sure you can sense him pretending to be on watch, while he naps in the tree's shade. Is it okay that I moved the pool into the woodlands? I want to give him better scenery."

Amdirlain nodded. "That's fine with me. It's your Plane to manage outside of the rules."

"Are you alright?"

Surprised by the question, Amdirlain blinked owlishly. "I still feel weird, but I'll manage. I've disjointed memories, and my recollections of earlier lives sometimes feel strange."

"Sometimes a journey requires rest to ensure the traveller makes the fastest time."

"I'll take a break soon, but I've lost so many years."

Lysandra smiled. "You still have a very Mortal perspective."

"There are elves older than I am in this incarnation. While I've memories that run for thousands of years across many lifetimes, most had a Human-like perspective on time. Lives that ran from fifty to a few hundred years, a rare few for around a thousand."

"Father wouldn't tell me how many years you were experiencing with the plinth."

"I can't remember more than fragments I touched while gathering up my own lifetimes of memories. You have a friend keeping you company."

An amused smile lit her face as Lysandra glanced over her shoulder. "Given that one of my natures is Journey, Sarah introduced us. He is quite the cheerful fellow. Gail has been bouncing your satellites between worlds based on the damned souls that are brought from the Abyss."

"Has he picked a name yet?"

"He adopted Noremma in self-defence from other beings' suggestions. Though he readily responds to shortened versions such as Nor. He got a few dozen new worlds to study yesterday, so he won't respond unless you're beside him."

His selection means cartographer, which is certainly a suitable name.

"I'm glad he is here with you, not just hanging out alone in Foundry."

Lysandra patted her hand reassuringly. "I'll introduce myself to the Fallen later. Why don't you take care of any other chores you need to handle before seeing Sarah? You've both been on long journeys without each other."

And I'm not the same person I was before.

"I've let her know I'm sane again. She told me to tidy up the urgent things, so I didn't need to run off." A chorus of whispers grew louder, and Amdirlain caught the urgency in the prayers. "Do you have any tips about getting out onto the Material Plane?"

"Sending an Avatar is easier, but it requires progressing a few levels before you can manage projecting one." Lysandra frowned. "Where were you thinking of going?"

Strong prayers from Qil Tris resonated across Lysandra's own connections. "An uninhabited world to fulfil a commitment."

"Are you going to go back to Qil Tris soon?"

"Most, if not all, of the people I knew are probably dead."

"I know of at least five you knew who still live. The advantage of Life Affinity or being guided to the Immortal Spirit Power."

"What are you known by there?"

"Lady of Death, Renewal, and the Afterlife. This isn't my only Plane." Lysandra hesitated before she went on. "To say the least, the tenets of your faithful sects on Qil Tris vary wildly."

"With no direction for over nine hundred years, I'm unsurprised. I probably should sort that out, yet that's fine as they're not attacking people over the differences."

"No, they get on with each other. Some groups Sarah traced back to fan conventions with traces of Am playing considered holy songs, others from the former Eldritch cultists, who were age-reversed. The majority focus on the trials you created—the lifeblood of their society—yet their beliefs vary between continents and sometimes even regional cities."

Amdirlain winced and shook her head. "A problem for another day. How do you send someone a Spell?"

"Blessings, not spells."

"Do I look the priestly type?" Amdirlain asked with a smile.

Lysandra snorted. "A Divine being needs to develop a Skill called Channelling. However, we have a shortcut called Primordial Will. Imagine the effect of the Spell or Blessing and project it through the connection with the Priest."

"I've heard enough blessings to understand their patterns."

"If you're not just renewing their Mana pool, you'll need to feed them the Mana for the blessing until it fully manifests."

Amdirlain felt along the connections to her priests and took in the strength and components in their themes.

"There is an issue within one of your trials. I've some priests there requesting particular help. You could turn up and smite the surge."

"How would they grow if I handled the whole threat?"

"You've got a reputation for being unsubtle, but at least you understand the need for a balance, cousin."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

I've got high priests with Tier 7 achievements—time for presents. Me, with priests?

Amdirlain laughed merrily. "That statement would be mean, if it weren't so true. Still, I can be subtle in how I help sometimes."

"What do you have in mind?"

Delicate notes duplicated her lap harp in mithril and gemstones, delivering one to each High Priest able to play. The pattern along the neck matched the harp symbol they'd adopted in their worship. As their gazes widened, how to invoke their new instruments for battle and healing slipped into their awareness. Before she broke the connection, she shared some observations about free choice.

The strength of the enchantments tingled across fingers that lifted to test their strings.

"My nearby priests felt that impact on your worshippers' journeys. It's customary for those kinds of artifacts to require long quests to earn."

"One had three Tier 7 achievements and could have gone with an evolution. He deserved a reward, and several others had accomplishments that were nearly as impressive." Amdirlain gave Lysandra a quick hug before she returned to the Outlands.

Her arrival point was an open grassland that undulated away from the Spire for millions of kilometres. The Plane's energy fed the grasses and flowers, but there was no water or ecological balance. Animals and monsters equally procreate or manifest from the very fabric of the Plane's existence. The warm sunlight across her face teased her with a sense of relaxation, yet its warmth was shallow compared to the energy offered by other planes.

Do I? Yet if I try to go to Laurelin now, Lerina or Hestia will notice me, and that will delay my reunion with Sarah.

"I've got four natures set up and moved the plinth. Everything else can wait."

"Come to my playpen," Sarah replied.

We need to come up with a better name for that Demi-Plane.

Amdirlain appeared on the inner seashore of the Demi-Plane and found Sarah's house already waiting. She was sitting on the front porch in a summer dress in shifting shades of red. Though the structure's exterior had changed little, a divine theme ran through its enchantments and materials.

A bright smile lit her face, and Sarah waved. "Happy millennium."

"I missed my celebration by a few years." A quick hop took Amdirlain to the porch, and she held out her hands.

"We can make up for it." Sarah swept in and enfolded her in a bone-crushing embrace. "I was worried I'd have to find your Soul."

Amdirlain rested her head on Sarah's shoulder and savoured her presence. "Essence."

"So I hear." She gently kissed Amdirlain's cheek. "How are you?"

"The transformation was brutal. I shouldn't have been able to break the seal on the extracted essence. The headband had encapsulated my Soul, except for narrow tunnels, causing the energy to focus into needle points instead of a wave. Lethe and I are sure that focused pressure created the first fracture, then the Power burst loose, and came straight for me. Yet the headband also blunted the initial strike of the power's return, so I seized little unsupported wisps that got in and were ripping into my Soul. Though they damaged me, they provided an energy catalyst to rejoin my pieces when the Power I'd set aside returned."

Sarah's jaw worked, and her words growled out. "That monkey's fucking shortcut almost destroyed you?"

"I don't want to talk about him right now." Amdirlain leaned into the hug, savouring the embrace and the emotions that warmed her inside. After a short while, Amdirlain sighed in relief. "Being with you matches the joy I remember."

"Why does it sound like you're surprised?"

Thoughts that had been niggling at her unadmitted stirred in the back of Amdirlain's mind, and she swallowed nervously. "Things got messy."

Sarah nodded. "That's a bit of an understatement from what I've heard. Do you want to share?"

"I got knocked out, so I'm unsure about the end part, and some of what I know is what Lethe told me she felt. When the plinth finished its assessment, it tried to push my spiritual net into my Soul, as it would a Celestial's essence. Yet, with the material from the headband in the way, it couldn't get through. The pressure built up so much that my sigil almost split apart. That pain roused me enough that I got it folded like a Hills Hoist around the centre point. With it as a single pillar, the pressure drove my sigil inwards, and the conduits between Soul and sigil were no longer needed. Then things went crazy."

"Eleftherios said you endured millions of years just from those deaths that he was close enough to make out."

"I died too." Amdirlain let out a slow breath and drew back so she could meet Sarah's gaze "And I'm not exactly who I was. I feel like a patchwork quilt, a hundred odd lives stitched together around the framework of Amdirlain. I suffered injuries from the energy, and it mingled with my existence as Julia and Amdirlain with others, and among them are my memories of you when I lived as Orhêthurin. You helped me find myself again." Her throat thickened, and Amdirlain released her to scrub tears from her eyes.

As Amdirlain projected the memory of the Dragon statue in the vault, Sarah caught her hands and kissed away the tears beading in her eyelashes. "I love you, and I'm glad that helped you."

"Yet I'm not the same person I was before the plinth."

"Neither am I, beloved. Time changes us all. We'll figure it out together." Sarah's lips thinned. "Do you still want to be together?"

Amdirlain leaned in and delivered a slow, lingering kiss that turned hungry. Her hands kneaded down Sarah's back, and their bodies pressed firmly together. Eventually, with hands clasping Sarah's hips, drawing forth groans of desire, Amdirlain retreated slightly. "Do you need to ask?"

"Was there a yes in there somewhere?" Sarah asked, her eyes bright with heated passion. Then she playfully nipped Amdirlain's bottom lip. "I missed you so much, my love."

"I love you, beautiful. You let me find my heart and helped define my True Form."

The pair stood quietly, holding each other tenderly as Amdirlain shared more memories of the journey to regain her pieces.

"You went through a lot," Sarah murmured after a long, comfortable silence.

Amdirlain shook her head. "No, I just had to travel to find all the pieces. I can hear the new strength in you. How much did you have to endure to gain that strength?"

"I had help from old allies; the rest just required work and helping people in need. It was far easier than what you have endured. You've got all the strength you gained and your potential back?"

"The potential far outweighs my strength as a Fallen, and I lost some powers and skills. The damage from the energy ripping at my spiritual net removed pieces."

"What's got you the most worried?" Sarah asked.

"I'm unsure if I'm completely who I used to be. In some ways, I'm an amalgamation of lives. The appearance of my True Form isn't like Orhêthurin, yet also doesn't match my usual appearance as Amdirlain."

"It's closer to Amdirlain. Your eyes are strange, yet beautiful. Very distinctive compared to the Anar gold."

"Lethe compared them to a black fire opal."

Sarah pulled back slightly, and her nose wrinkled in thought. "Close, but the darkness feels like my memory of the platform in the darkness with the realm being born. You were there when I awoke and defended me against Tia. You've been there so often for me."

The energy within her rippled across Amdirlain gently.

"I should offer my congratulations on having moved beyond a Mantle."

"It took me more work than expected, but I managed it while you were still being assessed." Sarah returned to her seat and Amdirlain settled next to her. "You've had some beings looking for you."

"The unfriendly type?"

"Yes. What will you do now?"

"I have to get strong enough to seal off the conduit to the other realm and heal the wound in the boundary. I'll deal with any enemies along the way."

"There is a Soul that was provided to me and Rachel. Naamah's agents delivered the stalker on his spike."

"What did you do with him?"

"Rachel and I agreed he needed to wait until you got back. His awareness is still slumbering, so I stored him in an empty Demi-Plane."

"Let's first cuddle for a while before we do anything."

Sarah wrapped an arm around her. "I'm not complaining about your priorities."

Amdirlain wiggled closer, whispering prayers that invoked memories and niggling at her thoughts. Sarah turned slightly to face her, a gentle smile curving her lips.

"What are you thinking about?"

"We used to lie together and watch the stars you'd created. Now I don't have to look away to admire the beautiful stars."

Amdirlain went to caress Sarah's face, only for a surge of prayers to interrupt the moment. "Sorry. I've got so many prayers whispering at the back of my thoughts, so my apologies if I ever get distracted."

"Try setting a mental filter like you did with Resonance. Many prayers will be morning rituals or blessings that don't need intervention, just an implicit permission to share energy. Try to key your attention towards strong or deceptive emotions. The former might need help, and the latter might need you to block access."

"Thanks for the advice."

Sarah kissed her lightly. "I had it easier with the number of my faithful increasing gradually, where you have multiple worlds simultaneously. There is also much to catch up on with Vehtë and Qil Tris."

"How about we do that in stages over a month or six to give me time to adjust?" Amdirlain tried the filtering. Those who were using prayer as meditation or as part of their morning preparations to recharge their Mana Pool eased back from her consciousness.

"A summary of a decade each day, and see how things go?" Sarah smiled as the tension within Amdirlain eased. "You were ready to leap to the rescue in a million directions."

"Yes, but later; cuddle first."

Amdirlain relaxed in the chair with Sarah, savouring her presence. Hours later, she finally stirred, guilt niggling at her.

I've been gone centuries and my brain won't even let me have another day.

As she shifted position, Sarah smiled at her knowingly. "Got something you want to tend to?"

"Shall we ask Rachel if she wants to be present when we deal with the Stalker's Soul?" Amdirlain asked.

"Yes, an item that needs closure for all three of us. I'll contact her."

Taking in the Demi-Plane's biome, she relaxed in Sarah's arms and let her handle the coordination with Rachel.

"She just needs a few hours?" Sarah proposed after some back and forth.

"Sounds good."

Sarah paused. "There is something you should know. A few centuries back, I got a note in a notification that Torm was reborn. Gail took word to Verdandi."

I wish him well for all his reincarnations. He might already have passed away by now, unless he became a Priest or Wizard with the Life Affinity. That white-haired priest of Odin was alive during the fleet to escape the scourge.

"Is Verdandi still alive?"

"Yes, I told her when I got the news of your recovery," Sarah replied. "She's back at Eyrarháls, which has bloomed into a small city along the east side of the lake. The changes to roads that Gail started spread through the kingdoms, and helped a lot of growth. Now they're a unified republic. Things haven't always been internally peaceful, but we'll get to that if you want to know."

"No. As long as they've got rid of slavery, some things are other people's choices and have nothing to do with me."

"That narrows the scope of things to catch you up on."

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

Several hours later, Sarah opened a Gate to a platform floating in the centre of a Demi-Plane Amdirlain had never gotten around to using.

Amdirlain looked at the figure, still caught on the spiked pole surrounded by a curtain.

"Tucked him behind a curtain so any audience to me opening a Gate here didn't catch an eyeful." The Gate closed behind Sarah, and she lightly held Amdirlain's right hand. "Rachel will be here shortly."

Another Gate opened on the platform, the energies framing Rachel as she stepped through to hug Amdirlain. "I'm so glad you're back."

"I'm glad to be back. It's weird experiencing another gap of years that touched others more than me."

"We'll have time to catch up. Now, one last unfinished business from our old lives remains." Rachel motioned distastefully to the figure. "Dealer's choice, Amdirlain."

"You're fine with leaving it up to me?"

"Yep." The pair echoed each other.

"But why?"

"Sweetie, seriously?"

"Are you being dense? He put the worst curse on you. How this ends is yours." Rachel tweaked Amdirlain's ear.

Corruption and memories streamed off the Soul, in response to her Primordial Will as she blank-slated the Soul of her stalker. With the corruption gone, the Soul started to float free. Before it could shift to the Astral Plane, Amdirlain sent it to the holding cells in Atonement to join the other cleansed Damned.

"No trace of who he was remains," Sarah murmured in grim satisfaction. "A narcissist's worst nightmare, yet less than he deserves."

"I didn't do it to be merciful. I did it so we could move on."

Rachel clasped her free hand. "What's next?"

"I thought of taking the war to the worlds that the loathsome merchant and his tyrannical boss occupy—creating some hope and transforming societies."

"You'd have to be subtle. It's easy to break societies by imposing changes from without." Rachel cautioned.

"I'll try."

Sarah squeezed her hand. "You can get out to the Material Plane on a civilised world now without being summoned, but I don't have that option."

"You can be my shadowy adviser."

"We'll go with you," Rachel offered, waving a hand. "Azadi and I, at least. The children are all old enough to decide what they want to do themselves."

"Azadi?"

"Ilya took a few centuries, but she eventually picked a different name. The meaning in Persian is freedom or liberty. I'll let the kids introduce themselves and their families."

I've missed so much.

"Kids? Families?"

"Three boys, two girls. Two lots of twins. The youngest boy is just over four hundred years old now. After our girls were born, I told your Patér off for overloading my womb, and he listened."

"He just wanted a wide enough genetic spread," Sarah chuffed, and got a dose of side-eye from Rachel.

"Did Erwarth change her name to Noltar or something else?"

Rachel laughed. "Your daughters wore her down."

"She officially changed it to Noltar seventy years after you hit the plinth." Sarah chimed in. "The change pleased her mother."

"I can understand Laleither being happy. The last outward marker of her daughter's demonic torture being done and dusted."

"You know, I thought you might end up sticking him in a demonic shell." Rachel nodded to the empty spike and squeezed Amdirlain's hand. "Part of me hoped you would, but this was the right call."

"It wasn't about forgiving him. Now there is no itch in the back of my brain wondering what he was up to, or if he'd survive the Demon's torment. It wasn't about me being the bigger person; I was just done with him."

Sarah snorted with laughter.

"What's so funny about that?" Rachel looked at them curiously.

"She shared a memory after regaining control of her body, a true Titan-sized being looming over a destroyed city." Sarah touched Amdirlain's cheek lightly. "How big is your True Form now?"

Amdirlain shrugged, not wanting to pull a hand from her wife or their friend. "This is it. Even when I couldn't control my form, I could hear Mol-man in the distance, so I put on a show."

"We have to devise a derogatory nickname for him, so we can stop dancing around his name," Rachel grumbled. "It's so annoying."

"Mooner." A giggle tickled free and turned into gales of infectious laughter that set the others laughing with Amdirlain.

With fiery notes, Rachel destroyed the spike, stand, and surrounding curtain; it all went up in cleansing Primordial flame. "When do I get the Auntie title the regular way?"

"Would you count hatchlings as regular?" Sarah laughed.

"An Auntie to hatchlings is acceptable." Rachel nodded gravely.

"Give me time to find my feet," Amdirlain protested. "I've got prayers whispering in the back of my mind, plans to set in motion, and a bunch of self-discovery to do."

"Yes, but we're all home again," Rachel sighed. Her eyes gleamed with tears, and she stopped to scrub them away. "Wait, I've been saving this one up."

"Saving what up?" Amdirlain raised an eyebrow.

Rachel put her hands on her hips and regarded them smugly. "I told you reincarnation was real!"

Amdirlain and Sarah laughed and enveloped Rachel in a hug.

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