Before reading a single one of her mother's old texts, Val tapped out one of her own.

Val: Hey. I was in the dead zone longer than expected. Sorry for being MIA for so long, but I am completely fine. Just, I was not able to text to let you know that for a few months.

Before hitting send, she started holding back on the delete key. While that text would be true to Val's personality, even she knew that it was far too casual. Her mother had probably taken her for dead these past couple of months, so that situation demanded a more serious text. Val tried again with greater gravity and remorse.

Val: Hi Mom. I am so sorry for not being able to reply sooner. I was stuck in the dead zone much longer than expected.

A lot has happened, actually. I have a lot of really good news! (Being back in civilization and having a network connection for one.)

She stared at the draft of these couple of lines, wondering if this would suffice. Nothing could erase away her physical, then digital disappearance and how her mother must have suffered in her absence. Even so, Val needed to reach out to her mother and rectify this situation as soon as possible. She just wanted to reach out again with the right words.

"Trying to text your mom, I see," Tavras said. "She's fine. Don't worry about her. You can send her any old text. Don't sweat it!"

This was his fault for not allowing her to stop in civilization to quickly send her a simple update. While Val wanted to stand up and yell at him, she took a swig of sugary coffee and focused on texting her mom.

I was wondering if we could call sometime.

A sigh huffed from her lips because these lines seemed like the best message that she could think of without spending the day composing some texts. Val started cutting and pasting the latter lines and sent everything in a group of three separate messages.

With that done, her eyes set to reading her mom's old messages.

The first old timestamp read: Wednesday, October 11.

Mom (7:04 AM): Good morning, Val!

I do not mean to bother you. I was just wondering if you have arrived at your destination yet.

October 11th had been the day that Val should have arrived on the Summit of Ascension, if not for Tavras pulling her overboard like he had. Given that Val had a phone at last, she had today's actual date readily accessible to her. It was Saturday, December 9th, so close to being exactly two months ago when her mother had expected a call or text.

Mom (11:53 PM): I hope that you have arrived safely and found someplace to stay the night.

Love you!

The next day's message had been sent with the same, unsuspecting ignorance. Thursday, October 12 was the day that these messages had been sent.

Mom (7:02 AM): Good morning again, Val!

By any chance, did you find a hotel to sleep at which has Wi-Fi?

Just checking to see if you were able to reply now.

Val's nonresponse to that question provided an answer, in a way.

Every morning for that week, her mother attempted to send a text within a few minutes of 7:00 AM. Back when Val had lived in the mortal world, that had been the time in which they had sat around the kitchen table together, eating the breakfast that her mother had cooked. Pancakes were always Val's favorite breakfast food since her mother would make the fluffiest ones.

In Val's absence, her mother must have sat around the kitchen table alone. She probably did not have much of a reason to cook breakfast any longer, since her mother was content with a cup of coffee, if not for trying to send Val off to school with a good breakfast to start the day.

How had it felt for her mother, each and every morning after Val had left? Perhaps her absence had been bearable while Val still corresponded with her via texts, but once she had disappeared, she did not even want to imagine her mother sitting at the kitchen table, alone every morning. That unresponsive phone would be clutched within her hands and she would stare down at it, waiting as always.

Val scrolled through some of the similar, daily messages. As they went on, her mother became more aware of the fact that she was just aimlessly spamming a phone number that would probably not yield her a reply in a long time.

After two weeks, her mother had largely given up on sending her daily text messages. The odd text and missed calls still persisted here and there. An example of one such message was on Friday, October 20.

Mom (6:58 AM): I still hope that you will reply to one of these texts one day.

If you ever get any of these, I would love to hear from you.

I miss you, Val.

There was a particularly lengthy message that had been sent on Sunday, November 7th.

Mom (5:40 PM): Hey Val. It has been one month since you have left home.

Like Rosamer, I think about you and pray for you everyday.

I can only hope that you are well and you will get back in touch with me one day.

I love you, always.

Reading these heartbroken texts from her mother was like reopening old wounds. Val knew how she had made her mother feel all too well.

The two of them had gone through this once before when Rosamer had left. In addition to her mother's concern, Val had also periodically texted or called Rosamer's old phone number as though he might miraculously reply one day. This time, Val had been the source of the misery, rather than the receiving end, and this made her feel all the more terrible about herself.

It was incredibly hard going through all of these old messages, nevermind how her mother must have felt to send them. Val had not even touched a single voicemail yet.

"Hey Val, I know that you are trying to have a moment, but come on." Tavras waved his hand around in her face. However long he had been trying to get her attention, she did not care.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Her voice sounded impartial, neither sarcastic nor genuine. Val's mind was still very much focused on her mother, waiting for a reply to the text that she had sent.

The waiting served her right, after the two months that she had not replied to her mother.

"I was trying to talk to you about our future living situation. We are going to rent an apartment. I know a good area, assuming that nothing has changed since I stayed in New Gate with Iharu and Fang. Let me know when that phone of yours is charged up, so we can go."

Val frowned down at her phone. The percentage was rising into the twenties for its charge.

A certain text stuck in her mind, how her mother had said that she would pray on behalf of her and Rosamer. Val had to wonder what gods or goddesses she prayed to, specifically.

Old words that her mother had said at one point echoed back to mind.

"Suvier, the God Supreme, is much too busy to take prayers from insignificant mortals like us. His children are the same: Arius, Nero, and so on. Mother Nature took her prayers with great care, but she has since withered away. Personally, I would like to pray to some of the gods of old, but they have since been forgotten," her mother used to say with a wink. "Old Tavras, the Sea Itself, might seem unresponsive, but he might just be the last, good, major god to pray to."

Val knew for a fact that her mother had once mentioned Tavras by name, so she asked, "Did you ever receive any prayers from my mother?"

Tavras shrugged. "I receive a lot of prayers, especially over people who have been lost at sea. Your mom is but one mortal woman. There would be no reason for me to notice any prayers from her specifically, even if she did pray to me."

"She had said that you were one of the last, good, major gods to pray to."

One of Tavras's old, cheerful laughs rang from his lips. "Oh, your mom said that about me? It is probably because I had answered Mother Nature's prayers and raised Iharu and Fangarus for her."

Val blinked a few times. While everyone knew that Mother Nature was dead in this day and age, it had never dawned on her that Iharu and Fang were direct descendants from the legendary goddess. It felt weird, knowing people like Tavras who would have seen an age when the old gods and goddesses still existed and even raised some of the next generation.

"Anyway," Tavras said again. "How is the phone? Are you ready to go?"

Hardly any time had passed since he had last asked about her phone's status. In Tavras's mind, technology must seem to work like magic for him to have such high expectations.

"No, sorry." The battery was barely creeping into the thirties for its percentage.

"Will it last long enough for a few browser searches and phone calls? I want to get us situated as soon as possible." His eyes flitted around the café as though he expected some more of his enemies to jump out at him.

Civilization had clearly changed Tavras's demeanor. Back in his Paradise, he had pushed Val in her training, but he had always acted leisurely in that process. Now, he seemed to become all haste and sour-moody on the Summit. To some extent, she had to hope those 200,000-some people that he had killed a few nights ago weighed on his mind.

Val swallowed hard and tried to push that issue from mind. While she would have to confront Tavras on that eventually, it would be best for her to gather her thoughts first. The fact that Tavras had killed a mass number of innocent mortals was still too shocking to wrap her mind around. For now, Val wanted to focus on one thing at a time.

"Sure. We can go." She gobbled down her last snacks and threw bits and pieces to Foofy. The phone, still on battery-saver mode from when she had drawn out its use on Tavras's Paradise, was grasped tightly in both hands.

The moment that her mother replied to her text, Val would see it.