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“Immortal, what brings you to our little institute of learning?” Tsumi greeted the man that had just entered her office. She could sense the power radiating from the man, and he had the sort of air about him that told her he was prepared to do almost anything to reach his goals. A dangerous man if he became an enemy, but he could also be a great potential ally.

“You can call me Marius, Headmistress.” He replied with a confident voice and demeanor.

"Marius? As in the immortal that dealt the judgment to the Holy Kingdom some years back?" Tsumi asked, suddenly even more wary.

"Ah, yes, that did happen now that you mention it. Anyway, I'm here on a much more pleasant errand this time. I'm looking into the miracle that happened some weeks back that I was informed you were present for. Prince Tethrine already reported that you didn't know anything about the matter beyond the obvious, and I believe in his judgment. I'm mostly here to just ask for your impression and to tie up a few loose ends.” The man said in a conversational tone.

"Anything to help the Host," Tsumi assured the man, knowing there had to be more to this.

“Excellent. Let’s start with something simple. You know the effects the so-called miracle had, so what’s your best guess about what happened?” The man asked.

“Well, as I told the Prince, I’m not an expert on the field, but I did discuss the matter with some of the more knowledgeable teachers at the Academy, and they assured me that it would take someone that had already become immortal to cast a spell like that. Assuming it was even a spell. The same teachers also mentioned that it could’ve been an intervention by a Deity. I honestly can’t tell you which is more likely.”

“Of those two options? The latter one. The gods can sometimes take interest in the affairs of their worshippers, while immortals rarely come down from the Divine Planes, despite what recent events might imply. The issue is that the temple where the miracle originated from is dedicated to the Sacred Lady, who obviously isn’t around to perform miracles. You mentioned you were traveling with two other people. A princess and your disciple, is that correct? Did you ask if they saw anything, and might they have any knowledge pertaining to the matter?” Even though the man was asking in a very laid-back manner, Tsumi was keenly aware that any lie on her part would be detected immediately.

“I did not ask, though I doubt they saw anything. It would’ve likely come up in conversation if they had. The Princess was busy healing the wounded after the battle, so I’m fairly certain she has no knowledge. As for my disciple, it’s a little hard to say what she knows and when. She’s one of those people that tend to have endless founts of knowledge and can have the most surprising insights into matters at the weirdest of times. That said, I’ve never seen her use any sort of holy abilities and she hasn’t mentioned any special knowledge on the subject either.” Tsumi chose her words very carefully despite maintaining a light tone. She mentioned Anaire first just to buy herself the necessary time to figure out how to word what she said about Karna.

“Your disciple sounds like an interesting person. A Blessed Child?” Marius asked directly.

“Well, you know they can never straight out confirm that fact. I’m fairly certain she is one though. She has come as close to confirming it as one of her kind can.” Tsumi had to admit. There was no way to deny the fact without getting caught in a lie.

“Could I meet her as well? Just to ask questions about this subject. Blessed Children often had surprising insights as you mentioned.” Marius suggested innocently.

"I'm afraid she's currently in closed-door training. She only recently reached the fifth rank both as a mage and Aura user, and she had to rush a bit due to the spatial disturbance that hit the Higher Plane. She was one of the people stranded while mid-transit. She's now cultivating hard to make sure the rushed rank-up didn't mess with her future." Tsumi didn't even need to lie. Karna was really in closed-door cultivation, though in Karna's case the 'closed-door' part was not very strict. She knew both Miralen and Siegfried visited her often, and Karna was also constantly helping Duskclaw heal. She’d even attended a couple of lessons in the last few weeks.

"That's a shame. I don't have much time to stick around, unfortunately. Well, if she does emerge out of her training in the next day or two, let me know. I’ll likely be staying with the Emissary.” The man stood up and was already walking towards the door before he turned around as if just remembering something. “Oh right, there was one more thing. Have you ever seen this person?” An illusionary image of Karna appeared on his palm.

Tsumi had been expecting something like this the entire time, so she managed not to react. “Is it just me, or does she look a lot like the Emissary?”

“Very astute of you.” Marius nodded.

"I assume I would be out of line if I asked more about that," Tsumi asked rhetorically, though she did get an answer.

“Again, very astute of you. Well, if you do see her, do give her a message. She might do well to make herself scarce for the foreseeable future. There are many people looking into this matter, and it’s more serious than you realize. And unlike me, some of the other people looking for her wish her ill. It would be a very good time to spend some time in another Plane for a few years or even a decade.” Marius said with a much more serious tone.

"I'll be sure to pass the message along if I ever run into her," Tsumi promised, fully intending to keep that promise.

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“I get what you’re saying master, but if I really wanted to make it difficult to find me, I’d have to miss the birth of my sibling and endanger Duskclaw’s recovery. If the threat is as serious as this Marius implied, that means I would have to disappear for years, not just for a couple of weeks. You of all people should know that the Divines tend to take their time with such things. Besides, this is something I’d have to face sooner or later anyway.” Karna replied to the warning Tsumi had relayed to her.

“But later you’d have more power to defend yourself," Tsumi argued back.

“I would, but I wouldn’t have as much power as them. If I don’t confront the situation at some point, the problem would persist even when I Ascend to the Divine Planes. Then I’d have to deal with literal Deities instead of just their henchmen. It is preferable that I get to the bottom of this problem now when the threat still comes from a handful of immortals. There’s more to the situation than we’re aware of at the moment and we need information. I do not intend to spend the next century in hiding. And it’s not like I have no means of dealing with the situation. We might even be able to turn this into our advantage.” Karna explained.

“So what’s your plan?” Tsumi questioned.

“I think I should meet this Marius person. That said, we don’t have to let them know who they’re dealing with. I have…certain abilities that might aid me in dealing with the situation, assuming I have a bit of time to prepare. I…have a plan that might turn the entire situation around, though I’m not sure if I like all the implications.” It was a good thing Gem could take so many forms. She’d be relying on the spirit heavily to deal with the current situation.

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Marius was a little surprised when a blueish-white phoenix suddenly materialized in the garden he was borrowing from the Emissary. He had suspected the Headmistress knew more than she let on as she had not directly denied knowing the person he had shown her, but he had not expected a response this soon or this directly. Even if he couldn’t sense anything about the strength of the phoenix, the unique coloring alone was enough to identify her. The bloodline she had was obvious at a glance and judging by the appearance of the large bird, the blood was very concentrated. Normally the Royal Family would’ve been extremely proud as they always valued blood purity. Now her other parentage formed an embarrassing problem, well displayed by the sparks and currents of lightning that seemed to flash inside the flames.

“Princess Ynnead. It’s an honor to finally meet you.” Marius gave a small bow that bordered on mocking despite being quite genuine.

“Is that the name my mother picked for me?” Karna asked, curious about that fact.

“Unfortunately not. Your mother didn’t want to give any hints about you to anyone, so she couldn’t even reveal your gender. And as the exact identity of your father is still a mystery, no one could ask him either. Your name was decided by the current Heavenly Emperor, and he gave you a name that would fit both a male and female Godling.” Marius explained what he had heard about the situation.

“And he decided to name me after an ancient and deceased God of the Dead. A little provocative, don’t you think? How is my mother? Who is she?” Karna had a couple of burning questions and now someone seemed willing to provide answers, so she was utilizing the opportunity.

"Your mother is alive, although imprisoned. The Royal Family doesn't take it well when one of the princesses breaks the taboos, even if they are a powerful goddess in their own right. Had your mother been anyone else, they'd have likely taken her life but they didn't dare go against one of the few gods with twin Divinities, one of them being the Goddess of War.” It had been whispered as being highly ironic that the twin sisters, that her mother was one half of, had become goddesses of such opposing Divinities as beauty and war.

Karna’s beak clacked in annoyance. “No wonder any holy weapon I tried to create almost blew up in my face.”

“That would indeed bring some problems. Shall we get to why I’m here?” Marius asked rather politely, though his words did imply that it wasn’t an actual request. He knew he had the advantage in the current situation, although in certain ways the young phoenix outranked him. “I’m here because of the little stunt you pulled in the Sacred Lady’s temple. You really should’ve removed the memories of that girl you helped. Incidentally, I did it for you.”

“I didn’t have the time. The Emissary’s arrival was too fast, and his presence made it impossible to approach the temple again. I had left the world before the girl and her mother were released. It was a risk, but a calculated one.” Karna shrugged at his words, which looked a little odd for a phoenix. She had known the possibility existed, but she didn’t like using mind magic in that way. Tampering with someone’s memories could alter their personality, and it also came too close to one of the personal rules she always held on to.

‘So she can use mind magic.’ Marius confirmed the fact. “What is your connection to the Sacred Lady? You should know that the Divine Planes are in an uproar after what happened, and that’s the main point of speculation.”

“There’s no real connection. I’m a Godling, the temple was filled with the faith of believers. I happen to be very good at what I do.” Karna lied straight to the man’s face. She knew the Gods who were reincarnators were worried that she was the Sacred Lady reborn. She had to change the perspective and give them another reason. If she provided another reason, then things became much simpler. They were not afraid of the power itself; they were afraid of Wrath. If she simply had access to the power, she became a potential opportunity instead.

Marius couldn’t believe what his Divine sense was telling him. It was telling him that the one he was speaking to was being completely truthful, but her words went against everything else he had discovered so far. “Could you repeat that?” He asked with a slightly shaking voice. Shiva had explained to him the worries of the gods. He had not been told about reincarnators, but he had been told that the gods were afraid this girl was the Sacred lady reborn by some kind of miracle.

“I have no connection with the Sacred Lady. Now, I can understand the confusion, as I too sensed the Divinity stir, but I believe that is simply because I’m suitable for assuming the Divinity once I raise my rank high enough.” Karna lied again.

She was sweating a bit as Gem had to really work overtime and she’d likely have to reward the spirit later on. There were spirits that allowed you to lie and fool everyone, and Gem could copy one. Those spirits were a little tough to hide under normal circumstances, which is why she was wearing an artifact from Arjuna's collection. An item that originated from the Divine Planes that hid both her level and Gem's presence. She’d raided his collection in search of something appropriate. It had been quite fortunate that the item had been among the collection, but she knew it had nothing to do with luck. This was exactly how karma worked. And she should know, being the expert on the subject.

Marius had no choice but to accept her words, although his instincts were telling him there was something going on. Her words changed things, however. They changed things drastically. In fact, it wasn’t wrong to say that if what she said was true, then they turned the entire situation completely around, and might even end up completely upending the power dynamic of the Divine Planes. He wasn’t privy to all the reasons why Kurnous wanted this person dead, but he was quite sure what she had just said changed that calculus as well.

The reason she had been hunted originally was because her existence was an embarrassment. Her mother had broken one of the largest taboos in giving birth to her. If the Royal Family had caught the girl, they would’ve likely killed her just to remove the embarrassment. Or they would at least hide her and lock her away. Most of all, they had to stop the girl from having any kids of her own, especially any that were not under the Royal Family’s control. If the girl had been killed or hidden away, in time the breach of the taboo would’ve been forgotten.

The thing was, one of the reasons the Royal Family could so quickly dismiss her was because she was just a worthless child. Yes, she probably had potential, but plenty of kids in the Divine Planes had potential. She lacked actual power. Thus, she had very little actual value beyond her blood, and that weighed against the fact that she was a massive liability. Except, now she did have power. Now that she might be able to inherit the power left behind by the Sacred Lady, something that all the great families coveted, she had a lot of value. Now the fact that she was the child of one of the most important and powerful Goddesses in the entire Divine Planes was much more important, because that meant she not only had value, but she was also likely to inherit her mother’s abilities at some point. If she was allowed to grow up, she might become just as powerful as one of the most powerful goddesses in the entire Divine Plane.

That was also the crux of the matter. She didn’t have value just for the Royal Family. Because of her blood, she had value for all the important families, and not just because of the power of the Sacred Lady. Now that the Royal Family would want her back and she was no longer slated for execution, the fact that she had royal blood, and a hefty dose of it judging by her appearance, suddenly became important as any kids she would have would also share that blood. Having royal blood wasn’t just a matter of reputation, as anyone with the blood could lay claim to the throne and start a civil war. In a single moment, she had turned from an embarrassing pariah prone to be killed to the most coveted commodity in the Divine Planes. Except she wasn't in the Divine Planes. “This…changes things.”

“It does, doesn’t it.” Karna wasn’t entirely up to date on Divine politics, but she had experienced it enough to know how the game was played. Even a slight change in how her position was viewed could change things drastically. The problem was that now that she had thrown her hat into the ring, it was hard to completely back out even if she managed to stay out of sight for a time.

“You’re not worried that I’ll capture you in light of this new information?” Marius asked almost perfunctorily. He wouldn’t due to his own reasons, but she didn’t know that.

“No. I’m quite confident in my ability to run away. I can’t fight you directly, but escape is well within my reach.” Karna wasn’t quite as confident as she was portraying, but she had roughly 50/50 odds of escaping if she used all her abilities and utilized Gem to the spirit’s limits. The spatial abilities of a Tressym combined with the Shifting abilities of a Phoenix were quite powerful in combination with a spirit that could open many doors for her.

“And the people you care about?” Marius asked, just to make sure.

“Which people are you talking about? This world doesn’t have anyone I wouldn’t quite happily leave behind. Yes, I’m familiar with the Headmistress of the place they call the Academy, but only to the extent that she can contact me. There’s no one here that you can threaten me with.” Karna lied again. The downside of being able to tell when someone was lying was the fact that you became reliant on the ability. Only certain reincarnators and the owners of a couple of spirits were aware of ways to fool that ability, and they damn sure weren’t going to share that information. The advantage was just too big.

“Do you really expect me to believe you’d let all the innocents of this world die? After revealing your existence to save those you healed with your little miracle?” Marcus pushed again. He needed to know if others could use the same threats he was now making against her.

“The innocents of this world aren’t in danger though. The laws of the Host prevent you from those kinds of atrocities. And you wouldn’t actually do even if they didn’t. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent you.” Karna had already judged the man and had a decent idea about his character.

"Good. I wanted to make sure. Now I can officially add that to my report. Speaking of, you do realize that I'm duty-bound to report this, right? After I do, they might be looking for you for a different reason, but they'll still be looking for you. And now they have even more reason to do so." Marius was actually relieved. He liked where this was headed. It served his purposes nicely.

“I realize that, but I won’t be around here for them to find. You can add that to your report. You can also add that I’ll make sure to sever my connection with the Headmistress, so there will be no point in hassling her after this. You can quote me on that in your report. And you can tell them I was truthful in saying all that.” Karna was playing a dangerous game, but she had to change the rules. She wouldn’t survive if the Divines actually wanted her dead. Not yet and not for a good time to come.

“I’ll be sure to do exactly that. And while I do need to report this, I have no need to do it immediately.” He was silent for a moment. “Any word you want to relay to your mother?”

"Yes, tell her this. 'Get your lazy ass out of prison. Then we can talk.'" With a burst of flames, she was gone.

Marius had to admit that catching her would’ve been challenging as he had no idea where she had vanished to. “I wonder what your father will have to say about all this? I doubt the Titans will remain quiet once they get wind of this. After all, now one of theirs has access to royal blood again after all these millennia.” The girl might have thought most would want her children, but there existed at least one group that would quite happily put her on the throne given the opportunity. There was a reason the union between the two races was considered taboo.