Most people don't get yanked into another dimension, unceremoniously or otherwise. I have enough experience with it to know that my physical body does not make the journey, and this time, part of my awareness remains behind to know that I am somewhere, just not where I had been. I am guessing that [Court of the Emperor] is what enables me to be conscious in two places at once. I can tell my body is somewhat removed from the flow of time and space, specifically in that it is tucked away in some fold of spacetime. So, I am still technically on the material plane, even if no one can find me. That would have led me to believe that Echludoro, god of Time and Space, pulled the strings behind this latest abduction, but this doesn't feel like his style.

No, this is a different divine presence. Echludoro is a member of the pantheon of Light gods, which are a little more upbeat. Since this feels a little more dour and serious, I imagine a Dark god is calling upon me. Gulthar has called upon me a time or two, so I am familiar with that sensation that isn't exactly oppressive, but certainly demands decorum and civility. I don't even linger in The Void this time, as I pass straight on through to-

A laboratory?

I see sterile floors and walls of white, along with fancy equipment and giant glass tanks with specimens in them. Plenty of beakers and vials adorn the many tables, everything arranged so perfectly that one without tact may describe it as neurotic. Many tables seem to have experiments in progress, and the room seems to expand forever as if it were one long hallway. The white walls and smooth lighting certainly don't give off the vibes of a mad scientist, as this is clearly the clinical work of a professional.

"Attend!" commands a stern female voice, one that is used to compliance and that tolerates no sass.

Not one to piss off a goddess in her own domain, I look around and spot a woman in a lab coat, her hair back in a ponytail and her eyes covered by goggles. Her gloved hands hold a vial up to her eyes for assessment, which she examines for a moment before setting it back in a holder. I blink, and her appearance changes to that of another race and complexion, and though I remember that she looked like someone else only a moment before, for the life of me, I cannot recollect the exact description.

I carefully comply, moving deftly to avoid knocking anything over as I come up to stand right beside her. There are petri dishes in a grid, in a 10x10 layout, and she occasionally takes a liquid from one vial and delivers a precise amount to one dish or another. I don't know exactly what she is up to, but several minutes pass before she speaks to me again.

"I am disappointed in you, Emperor," she speaks without passion. "You made a Declaration and then tried to violate it. And you do not understand how or why, and so I take it upon myself to educate you."

She continued to speak, but this time, her voice matched mine exactly, and her words seemed to hang in the air as they weighed upon me.

"'We are not at war with the Theocracy of Ulsfarh. Direct interference with their internal affairs would be an affront to their sovereignty. Organize operatives from their former countrymen and our own specialists to help smuggle people out of the country that want to emigrate, but be discreet. I must disavow all knowledge of anyone who is caught.'"

For the first time, she turned to look at me, and in that moment, I knew I stood before Kimelidae, the Dark goddess of Fertility and Death. Many divine beings have Death as a Domain, but for her Portfolio, Death is concerned with the culmination of life, that things do indeed die as they are supposed to. She is not responsible for escorting the soul to the afterlife, as the many Death gods for each racial pantheon tend to handle that aspect of Death.

She is the goddess of Fertility, and surprisingly, looks favorably upon contraception. For you see, she wants the best to breed, and indeed, she wants the greatest throughput of living things, each with the best quality of life they can obtain before death. All will be hers in time, and so she does not hasten one's demise. She finds succor in a good life coming to an end, and she savors the experiences of the departed. As such, and as present circumstances showcase, she has a reputation for being impartial and clinical in how she has streamlined the process of life.

"You said you would not get involved, and yet you went to that village and did just the opposite. You tried to heal that wounded girl, a direct violation of non-involvement. That is why you failed to heal her. That is why it was so difficult to travel there. The World Heart listened to you, and it tried to hold you accountable to your Declaration. You should be able to feel those moments where your words have weight, when the stakes are high. From now on, I suggest you use your words wisely, as your advanced [Age] does not allow errant words to go uncontested."

Her silence left an unspoken command to remain mute as she continued her work and thought up the next segment of her browbeating. I reflected on her words and my actions, and I felt sufficiently chastised. After a while, she suddenly started speaking again.

"Her name was Varilortha, which is elvish for 'Sundancer', a kind of flower of my own design. She lifts up a petri dish to inspect it, and as she continues, her rather emotionless words take on more heat. "I had high hopes for her. She wanted to join your knights, the Crossing Guard. Had my plans come to fruition, she would have lived a long and glorious life, and she would have had dozens of grandchildren and hundreds of great-grandchildren. But now she is dead!" she almost screamed, her voice straining to remain controlled. "That flower has wilted before it bloomed, and nothing can bring her back," she continues as a single tear streams down her face, slipping through the crack under her goggles. "She was a good and honest person, and now, she is no more than ashes upon the wind.

"You! Failed! Her!" she screamed at me as she turned towards me with barely constrained fury, the petri dish in her hands shattering. She almost flinched at her own words, taking a moment to collect herself as she set the broken dish down to the side of the rest upon the table.

"I hope you take this lesson to heart." she continued with a degree of resumed calmness." It was paid for in blood and innocence lost. But," she continued with far less emotion as she regained control, "that is not the primary topic of this meeting."

Wanting nothing more than to crawl under a rock and die, I patiently stood ramrod straight as I awaited her revelation.

"As you know, The Theocracy of Ulsfarh worships the Holy Trinity. You should be familiar with them, and yet, I doubt you can even tell me the names of those gods." She gave me a moment to ponder that shocking discovery before she continued. "I doubt they are even alive any more. Something has happened, for any communication towards them only elicits stale replies, as if they are making generic responses. The respective gods from their pantheons have had no more success than I have had. This has the taint of The Devourers and their foul gods all over it, as this war that you mortals now face has been a cold war between us gods for many thousands of your years.

"You are tasked with destroying their Churches, and indeed, dismantling the Theocracy of Ulsfarh, as well as all who are in league with them. Erase them utterly. If they are alive, their only chance at purification and freedom can be found in bringing them to the brink of death by erasing them from mortal minds. It is a cruel but necessary precaution lest the rest of the divine of this world become likewise corrupted. The other gods are in agreement." She left unspoken that she staked her name on her word being true, as gods do not lie about accords with other gods.

"Spare the common laymen if you can, and indeed, allow the populace to evacuate before attacking their cities. You wanted justification for war, and now, you have it," she continued with a sneer of disgust. "And all that your political posturing cost you was the life of one innocent girl and countless more like her across a number of villages."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Cowed, humbled, and, thankfully, not given a chance to defend myself with my own words, which, with present circumstances as evidence, had not done me wonders in the recent past, I bowed slightly to her in polite acceptance. I remained there for a moment, for I had not been dismissed, and she seems like the type that needs to be in control.

"Even the gods are imperfect," she stated after a while of fiddling with her experiment. "We make mistakes, and when we do, lives are ruined. That does not mean that we give up, but rather, that we learn and grow. Become more than what you are, for the lives of the many could hinge upon a few errant words uttered in ignorance. Depart!"

With a quick and polite bow, I turned tail and walked away at a brisk pace. Soon, my walk turned into a run, and then a sprint as the room seemed to stretch and twist upon itself until-

And I am back in my body on the material plane, the pocket of spacetime around me unfolding back to normal. While Kimelidae was not a goddess of such things, I imagine that most gods have a strong mastery of most schools of magic, especially those in the most prominent of pantheons.

"So, which god or goddess was it this time," came the voice of Skull. Three eager women awaited my response, and I could already smell that smell, that sort of smelly smell of coin hanging on my every word.

"Kimelidae," I barely managed to whisper, my voice almost as treacherous as those around me as tears threatened to invade my speech.

"Fuck-" came a duet of voices, while a gleeful Nanu held a hand out with an expectant smirk upon her face.

"Pay up, bitches!" Nanu crowed. "And make it snappy! Our Emperor is feeling sad, so we need to promptly fuck away the pain, be a shoulder to cry on, help him go smash things, or otherwise endeavor to make him to feel better posthaste."

That absurdity of being almost as important as a bet being settled helped me to crack a smile, and Nanu's talk of a cure for what ails me made me snicker. The juxtaposition of irreverence and naked honesty of what she had planned for me, a behavior not uncommon for dragons that are being familiar with one another, helped to cheer me up. I would recover from this failure and loss.

And also, a nation would be wiped off the map, with gods dying to help settle the score. It would not bring back the little Sundancer, nor her parents, friends, or neighbors. It would not save the countless others that perished on this night and nights just like it. But, it would help ensure that no more need suffer. With some telepathic communication to Nabonidus, my [Vizier to the Draconic Emperor], the gears were set in motion to bring about a crusade.

"Ashes upon the wind," he whispered quietly to himself as a handful of the scooped up ash sifted through his loosely closed fist and drifted upon the wind in question.

I- We- stood beside our Emperor. This had been his home, and mine too. Blythnin and Serideth commiserated with my loss, and while they could feel my sorrow, they could not understand the depth to it.

"Even our favorite tree was not left untouched," he continued as he turned to point down the hill where we had spent many hours, together in spirit, but separate in body, during our youth. The tree had been blown asunder, and what remained rooted to the ground had been scorched by potent flames. "I will unmake him for this."

I knew of whom he spoke. A certain general, realizing that defeat was inevitable, decided that petty spite was the only course of action, which caught my Emperor and his [Oracle] by surprise. Or at least, the ogre acted the part, but I suspect that this was somehow the best path for our Emperor, and so Nabonidus allowed it to happen. I cannot understand how such could be the best outcome, but I am no seer, so I have little choice but to trust in my Emperor who trusts in his chief advisor.

Such trust won't bring my parents back. It will not bring back my attendants, nor the people of this village. Nabonidus said that this was the World Heart taking its due from the Emperor for trying to violate his Declaration, which feels unfair since innocent people are caught up in it. That just makes it sting even more, for the Emperor absolutely detests when innocent people are hurt because of his actions. But, how would one get vengeance upon the world?

I don't know, and neither does he, so together, we stand upon the ashes of our former home. No doubt the general will get his comeuppance. As such, I will only have a passing role in it, and even then, it will not sate the rage within me. Blythnin has no foes of note, so I cannot live vicariously through her.

However, Serideth does. A "Lord Kraul", one appointed to a high position in Berkerin, is the target of her ire. While she cannot aptly communicate about him, and we, so eternally bound to her, somehow also cannot, we can at least kill him if we ever have our paths cross. Such dark and foul magic still binds us, but we can still try to help come up with an excuse to attend some party in Berkerin where this lord, who is no true [Noble], will be. Helping her kill him will help slake my soul's desire to see my enemies destroyed.

It will be a tricky venture. We all tried shouting to our Emperor and all his advisors about Lord Kraul, but none heard our words or noticed our distress. Some powerful magic either prevents others from learning about him or muddles their memories of it. Such befuddlement may not be unprecedented.

For, as sunset nears us, we look to the skies and witness a truth that has somehow evaded us our whole lives until our merger weeks ago. A truth that others also seem incapable of hearing from us. Something so unknowable, that even Emperors are fooled by it.

There is only one moon: the One True Moon.

Ambriolita sat patiently in her rickshaw as a duo of kobolds tugged it along to her destination. Weeks ago, she would have had a carriage and attendants, as a lady-in-waiting should in service of her lady. But that had been another city, another life, and now, she had the same privilege as the average commoner.

All things considered, it was rather impressive. Her room was free and spacious enough for all her things and furniture, with her bedroom separated from another room to entertain guests. It had facilities to bathe in comfort and to attend nature's call without the need for chamber pots, as a push of a button teleported away the unpleasant smell and its source all in one go. She had the option to have her identity necklace benefit from the city aura to passively "retrieve" the waste inside her as it built up, but the thought of that disturbed her too much.

Her food was free, fresh, seasoned to her tastes, and abundant, with plenty of meat for those who desire it. She had but to walk into any eatery and either have it made to order or pick up something premade, all of which was delicious. Afterwards, she could just get up and leave without attending to her dishes, so at least some of the comfort of her previous station in life was still afforded to her.

No bump in the road distracted her from idle thoughts, for the streets were smooth and devoid of any potholes or deviations in perfection. There were no piles of leavings left behind by beasts of burden, for what few that were permitted in the city were cleaned up after instantly, if they did not likewise benefit from the "retrieval" system.

Crime was almost unheard of. None were homeless or destitute. There were also no mansions or estates, for all were seen as equals - truly a progressive and outrageous notion that earned the ire of the elite from nearby lands who nervously remained vigilant that their own lessers didn't get any ideas about equity and equality.

The only real downside was in the form of religious harassment. While the Holy Trinity and the worship thereof was officially banned, there yet remained some faithful that demanded their fellow countrymen still observe those divinities as first amongst equals. While she herself was on her way to a meeting with her peers, or what amounted to them these days in the land where all stood equal before the law, to discuss the matter at length, she did not travel unobserved.

Unbeknownst to her, she and her peers were in an adversarial relationship with the hardliners of the old faith. While one can take the people out of a nation, taking the nationalism out of a person is a far more difficult matter. Strife brewed as a displaced populace jockeyed for position and prominence, with all the old hierarchies forgotten at best or brutally destroyed at worst.

Despite that one glaring problem to her new life, Ambriolita remained upbeat and positive. There was opportunity here, for a [Noble Scion] like her had long since reached the ceiling of her rise in power since she came of age. She could become someone important and useful, someone that actually made a difference instead of one who collected an allowance on an estate granted as a birthright. She did not crave power for its own sake, but rather, to deny it from those that would abuse it for their own personal gain.

For she remembered the tales of her former house, and she had read the family histories that her brothers and sisters disdained. Her ancestors were good people, the kind that improved the lives of everyone. That name had tarnished, and now it was lost. However, the legacy of it could live on with her, and so she would strive to leave the world better than she found it.

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