"Took you long enough..." Noslin frowned as she glanced towards Exile and his Pantheon.

"Have the others already gone ahead?" Exile replied with a rather cheerful tone.

​​

"Yes, so far, what you said seems to be true. There is indeed a safe zone on the other side." Noslin let out a sigh as her gaze moved to Midas.

Midas simply waved back with an amused smile on his face. Causing Noslin's expression to turn dark. Although the other leaders were unable to break their contracts due to the cost just now, she was certain they would try to find a way to renegotiate before much damage could be done to them.

"But anywhere beyond that is going to be difficult. Remember, this time we're looking for a viable route to get our people out of the ruins. Only then can we get our Pantheons outside of Valheim without anyone noticing." Exile absentmindedly stated. "We're not here to hunt for treasures. It will take time to explore the ruins and find where we need to go."

"Do you take me for an idiot?" Noslin snorted in response.

"No, I take you for someone who wants to seize as many benefits as possible. That's far worse." Exile glared at her before walking on towards the sphere. "We'll take turns to get everyone down there."

By the time everyone had gathered at the Autosphere station in the ruins, several teams had already been sent out to inspect the situation. The Pantheon leaders were busy arguing because none of these scout teams had returned yet. Exile shook his head slowly.

"It's exactly what I said it would be. Those teams you sent out have likely already been wiped out. I did say it would take all of us to explore this place safely." Exile glared at the other leaders as he said this.

"How could we just take your word for it? After all, you recently tricked us into paying for information about the Autosphere that you had already connected to here." Noslin growled as she glared back at him.

"Well, do you believe me now?" Exile smirked in response.

"Let's stop this petty arguing. The others are bound to notice that we're all missing from Valheim with time. We have to work together on this. Exile, since your Pantheon already has experience down here, what do you think we should do?" Beartooth asked while silencing the quarrel.

"Hm, we split into two teams... As agreed before. But we'll be working together. Noslin, your team should focus on defending everyone while mine will be responsible for attacking." Exile glanced around at the frowns that appeared on everyone's faces. "It's a matter of using our DP effectively. If you have to attack and defend yourself, we'll get nowhere. We have to be as efficient as possible with this."

"That won't work, Exile. I already know a lot about you. Your spells are clearly suited to defence. So why don't you take that role?" Noslin smirked as she thought she had just caught him trying to gain an advantage somehow.

"Because... I'm no longer suited to that role." Exile shot a look towards her that made her frown.

"That's impossible! You can't just change like that unless..." Noslin's expression froze momentarily before turning grim. "What do you have?"

The other leaders looked confused as their eyes darted from one to the other. However, Exile was the one who looked the most confused. 'For her to ask me that... Does she have something as well? If she also has a piece of the First Flame how am I meant to take it from her?'

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours..." Exile frowned as he tried to bait her.

The atmosphere grew tense suddenly as everyone waited to see what would come of this strange development. Eventually, Noslin let out a sigh. "Nevermind, I'll see for myself once the fighting begins. If you really think you can handle the offense during this mission, then so be it."

Exile's frown deepened as he wondered what game she was up to. 'Why would she back off like that? It's not like we can hurt each other. Or does she want to keep her own abilities a secret?' No matter what, he had to find out what Noslin's spells were based on now. It was bad enough that they were competitors at the Tier 1 stage, but if they were going to fight over the First Flame as well, then the alliance would never last...

Meanwhile, Ania, Bjorn and Harik sat around a table set aside from the festivities. Bjorn wore a grim expression as he digested what Ania told them. 'This... The gods are at war, so they can only help when they have time. But we have to do our best to put Harik on the throne of Stormcrown? Damn, the Eraldsen family is truly loved by Lord Exile!'

"So, we'll have allies as we fight against the King after all. But we have to stop them from claiming the crown?" Harik mumbled as he stared at his daughter. "This is truly Exile's will? For me to become a King of Skardia?"

"Yes. He says that it will help them greatly to settle things in the heavens. He also said that there are a lot of gods supporting the King's faction even though he outlaws any form of worship." Ania stared hard at the mug between her hands.

"The gods would never lend aid to a non-believer. So the King and his Jarl's must be worshipping them." Bjorn growled. "But why would the King do this then? Or is to suppress the other gods who have returned?"

"Exile believes that it was probably a plan for the King to consolidate his power. He's probably made a deal with a god for him to keep us from worshipping anyone else until they can spread their own influence. Then they would use their power to help the King claim all of Skardia." Ania whispered as she recalled what Exile told her.

"So, he was planning on taking control of the country using his god in secret? Then nobody could oppose his rule..." Harik frowned as he listened. "Such a cowardly way to do it! How can he call himself a Skardian!"

Harik's mug shattered as he threw it against a wall. The trio around the table became grim as they thought about the bloodshed to come.

"What else did he say? Did he mention what's different about him?" Bjorn finally asked the question that had been troubling him.

"It seems that Lord Exile has become stronger. We have to let everyone know that he's no longer the God of the Hearth..." Ania sighed as she recalled that part of their conversation. "He's now the God of Lightning..."

Harik shot a questioning gaze towards Bjorn who revealed a shocked expression. The latter took a moment to calm down as he collected his own thoughts. 'That makes sense with the miracles he sent our way and what we've been feeling. But Lightning? Does that mean he has some connection with Allevia?'

"What is it Bjorn? It seems like you know something that you're not sharing with us." Ania finally asked. She had her own concerns of what this meant and what would happen in the future.

"Ahem, Lightning was once Allevia's power when she was a young goddess." Bjorn cleared his throat before indulging them with an answer.

"That's impossible!" Harik laughed. "We all know Allevia was not the Goddess of Lightning..."

"No, she wasn't. Not in most of our stories anyway. As the gods gain power in the heavens, it's possible for what they rule over to change. However, the stories that I guard say that Allevia once ruled Lightning not long after stealing the First Flame for mankind." Bjorn shook his head slowly. "However, there are not many details from that period of her history. Most of the stories we know are only about her theft from the Elden Gods and what she did with that power during the Fall."

"So you're saying that Exile could be following in Allevia's footsteps?" Harik asked as he leaned back in his chair. "That's good isn't it? She was one of the most powerful gods in our history. If Exile is to be the same as her then that's good for us right?"

"Not necessarily. Lord Exile may choose a different path from Allevia. Not everything is set in stone. But we should be prepared for him to go through many changes in the future. Still, it explains a lot for now. But who knows how everyone will react to this news. Most of them follow him because his presence could be felt inside their homes. Now his presence is overbearing. Washing over us from the sky itself. While I believe it is a good thing for him to become more powerful, I'm not sure this was the right time..."

"So... How do we handle it?" Ania asked with a curious gaze...