Dee, Shioko, and Moirai used Dee’s portals to return to the spot where the Five Winds’ headquarters used to be located at. While Dee just wanted to get away from the Celestial Court and took Moirai along so that the latter two could get some peace, Shioko had come along to assess the damage and to reactivate some of the teleportation gates that might be fixed in short order. It would be hard to rebuild anything if materials and the returning people could not pass through the gates. They had disabled the gates to stop the emperor from using them, but now that fact worked against them. The gates could be fixed; it would simply take some time.

The Five Winds headquarters were also rather devastated as the emperor had taken the opportunity to vent out some of his frustrations on the place. That said, the emperor hadn’t had all that much time to do damage, and unlike at his own palace, there was no storm of solar flames to wipe out everything. Most of the immortals under his command had also been a little half-hearted about a chore that they considered beneath them and even the emperor had other things to worry about. The damage to the place was extensive on the surface, but buildings could be rebuilt and the area itself had not been turned unusable.

Dee was slightly surprised to see survivors combing through the wreckage already. Most of them seemed to be forces that had been posted in areas other than the headquarters to prevent a casual patrol from just wrecking everything, which suggested that at least some of those other areas had been spared. In fact, judging by the number of people present, most of the other areas were still intact. What really surprised Dee though, was the presence of the Anshar representative. The fiery figure approached the trio as soon as Dee’s draconic form landed on the ground.

“I see that the rumors of your demise have been exaggerated.” Dee allowed the surprise she felt to color her voice. She also dumped Shioko unceremoniously on the ground. Unlike Moirai, the Jun representative did not get a ride on her back.

“Well, not by much I’m afraid. When the enemy forces arrived, we realized there was nothing we could do to even delay them. As an Anshar, I have the ability to move underground rather quickly and Kawhena knew that. He yelled for me to run and rushed at the enemy to buy me some time. I think the enemy thought it was an amusing gesture of futile resistance and didn’t take us seriously. That changed when they realized how quickly and how deep I could dig. I was forced to hide rather shamefully, but throwing my life away would not have helped. Incidentally, the fact that you’re here suggests that you were victorious.” The Anshar representative stated. He didn’t bother mentioning that he had been seriously wounded while escaping even with all the underestimation of his abilities, but his distant relation to elementals allowed the damage to be repaired quickly.

“I suppose you could say that.” Shioko said with a sigh. “Dee defeated the emperor, but he had a plan against us as well. We lost many, Nyx among them. We lost two of the original representatives, and truthfully I’m not entirely sure Amarog is alive. I haven’t seen him, and I didn’t stay behind long enough to find out. The empress is handling that. Oh, by the way, the seer representative…”

As Shioko stayed behind to explain the details, Dee walked to the most devastated area of the city. That happened to be, either by design or by coincidence, the area where the official matters of the community had been handled. She created a pike by solidifying the power of shadows and put the emperor’s head on the pike. She then placed that pike in the middle of that devastated area. The head still held the crown the emperor had used, so the head could be identified rather easily despite the twisted expression.

Moirai had followed her and now had tears of anger in her eyes as she stared at the displayed head. “That’s only the first part of avenging Nyx. I’m sure you realize.” She stated firmly, almost as a rhetorical question.

“Of course. But we will have to return later for the other part. Especially since I’m guessing you want to do it yourself. In the meantime though, I want you to consider something. Will you want to take revenge on all of the Solarians, even those that had nothing to do with the attack? Or only the ones that actually performed the attack that killed Nyx, or made the decision to do so? I’ll stand by you either way, but it is something I want you to think on in the meantime.” Dee replied. She once again noted that her own sense of morals most likely differed from others. She had no compunctions about extending the revenge to all the Solarians, but she realized that most people were not like that. At least once the first flames of anger abated and gave way to more rational thought.

Moirai stood still, looking at the head of the emperor for a long time. “I’ll consider it.” She finally said.

“That’s all I wanted. Let’s go find a building that’s more intact. We both need rest and I need to have a word with some goddesses.” Dee pulled Moirai towards one of the less damaged buildings she had spotted. Neither of them really required comfort, just a place to rest and maybe some of the food Dee always had stored.

-----

Dee found herself within the palace of shadows and darkness once again. She had prayed for a meeting with Umbra and Death, and at least the first one had obliged. She looked at the nearby goddess accusingly. “Did you know this would happen? I remember the last message you sent me about saying goodbyes the last time we talked.”

“Well, that was blunt. To give a quick answer to assuage you a bit, no. I did not know the exact details of what would happen, and I certainly didn’t know Nyx would die.” Umbra replied simply. She had expected this as soon as she had heard about Nyx’s death. Her earlier words had been a little suggestive after all. Not that it was her place to say anything even if she had known, as it was not her place to warn Dee of every danger. Still, this was something she would have mentioned regardless had she known.

“Then why? You obviously knew something.” Dee pushed. She wasn’t blaming the goddess. She was trying to understand. The gods often dropped cryptic hints, and she wanted to know more.

“I knew that regardless of how the attack went, you would end up killing the emperor and thus drawing the attention of pretty much everyone on Pantheon. One doesn’t simply kill the Celestial Emperor without consequences. You haven’t exactly been hiding your demonic and Fallen heritage either, so the angels would also find out in time. The Solarians are playing a complex game of diplomacy with the angels, and the communities of the Night city aren’t making it easy. It’s all well and good to say that Pantheon theoretically has the power to defend against the angels, but that’s only assuming the angels are still engaged with the other participants in the War in Heaven and with the Pantheon united. Neither of those is exactly true at the moment. The destruction of the demons freed the angels to an extent, and that is putting pressure on Pantheon.” Umbra explained.

“That still doesn’t quite explain what that has to do with me.” Dee pointed out.

“Doesn’t it? You’re a psion. Use that head of yours. I’m sure you can figure it out.” It was Umbra’s turn to push. She didn’t want to provide all the answers when it was better for Dee to figure them out herself. The gods were not a source of constant information and answers, even though Dee utilized them as such on occasion.

“It’s one thing to shelter demons at Pantheon, but it’s another matter entirely when one of those demons becomes a real danger for the angels.” Dee started off a little hesitantly. Umbra gestured for her to continue. “The recent destruction of the angel embassy made things between Pantheon and the angels rather heated. Judging by your earlier words, the communities of the Night city, who have more contact with the demons, are probably agitating things. The Solarians are forced to either confront the angels, heating things further, or they have to throw the angels a bone as appeasement. I’m that bone. An obviously powerful demon that just struck down an important figure in the Day city. Me being exiled doesn’t make things with the angels ok, but it will at least ease the pressure for a time.”

Umbra gave a small but slow clap. “Exactly. Now, the fact that you also happen to have developed a vendetta of sorts against the Solarians just made things simpler. In the grand scheme of things though, it’s not about you personally. Well, it is a bit now and will be even more later on if you decide to return, but it wasn’t about that when I gave you the warning. That said, you should keep something in mind. When you pick up the sword of revenge, those near you are likely to get hurt. You have realized this already, but the real reason the Five Winds was attacked is because you were there. Don’t mistake my intentions; I’m not saying it’s your fault. Even if I were the type to care about things like blame, the responsibility lies squarely on the now deceased emperor. And to a lesser extent on his wife who could have diffused the situation if she had really made the effort and was prepared to make the necessary sacrifices. But in the larger scheme of things, your very existence and especially your actions will have consequences. There are ways you could have prevented this, but change and revenge both carry a price. I just want you to keep that in mind. Nyx will most likely not be the last price you will have to pay.”

Dee knew what Umbra was saying to be true. She had always known. She just didn’t like thinking about it. The more she had to lose, the more she would suffer in the long term. Before the end, there would be more losses. That added another thing to the list of fears she had. The fear of losing those close to her. And that fear would not go away until she truly was strong enough to no longer be afraid. Not being afraid for herself required a lot of power. Not being afraid for those close to her would require a whole lot more. Enough power that no one would dare to piss her off and the reputation for being willing to use that power. She still had a long way to go.

“Did Death also respond to my prayer?” She asked almost without thought.

“She did. You mentioned wanting to talk to me first though, hence why you’re here.” Umbra replied, now more confident in Dee’s renewing conviction.

“Send me to her then.” Dee said. She had a lot to think about, but she still needed a word with the other goddess. Something wasn’t quite right.

She found herself in what appeared to be her own Domain. Rather appropriate considering that was what she wanted to talk about. The robed goddess was observing the two souls floating around her Domain. One was the soul of Nyx, while the other was the soul of the Celestial Emperor. She had not consumed the emperor’s soul and it had ended up floating in her Domain as well. “I see you noticed the new additions. Care to explain?” Dee voiced the obvious question.

“Well, with your totem complete, you don’t have to devour more souls strictly speaking.” Death replied a little vaguely.

“I realize that. However, there have been other souls since then that I have devoured. You’ll note they all disappeared.” Dee replied a little pointedly. As an example, the guards within the Celestial Court that they had killed had all their souls consumed.

Death waved her hand in dismissal. “Those souls were not important. You consumed them almost without paying attention. These two however…they have a meaning to you. You took the emperor’s powers even if you didn’t devour his soul, didn’t you? So there seems to be no harm in allowing these souls to float around your Domain.”

Dee narrowed her eyes. There was something fishy going on here. “Sure, I got just as much power even with the soul still floating around here.” She decided to play along for now. Maybe the goddess would drop more information.

Death did continue on her own volition. “Even with her soul already a little frayed like this, if she wants to stick around, why not let her?” It seemed almost like the goddess was trying to convince her of something.

‘Ok, now I know there’s something going on. Helping souls pass on is the whole reason for her existence. There’s also no way the Goddess of Death would encourage this sort of things even she didn’t outright condemn it.’ Dee’s expression made her suspicion clear.

“In fact, you might want to have more souls stick around the place. Who knows, it might help you in the long run.” The goddess continued her convincing.

“Ok, you’re going to have to explain what is going on. You’re not very convincing. Obviously, you don’t have much experience in talking people into things.” Dee stated flatly.

Death gave a deep sigh. “I can’t explain. You’re just going to have to trust me on this. It’s not like you can’t forcefully consume the souls later on if you change your mind. Actually, most souls of those that die near you will be coming here from now on. It took me some time to fiddle with things, and Nyx’s soul made for a great first one to convince you to stick with it. At least in theory, but that didn’t go so well as you can see. Just know it has to do with the internal politics of the deities. In case you haven’t noticed, your role in those politics has become rather important and will continue to do so. This is just part of it.”

“So my Domain is now becoming a storage space for souls? That’s basically what you’re saying. You’re going to have to go into a bit more detail than that.” Dee asked incredulously.

“Not how I would have worded it. Call it a temporary destination instead. It won’t do you any harm, and it will help me. I’d explain it if I could, but I really can’t. What you don’t know, you can’t accidentally reveal. I’m trying to create something important. I won’t lie and say there’s no chance of this having some negative consequences, but they would be minor at worst. Nothing you haven’t already dealt with.” Death left things vague on purpose. There was much more to it than that, but she had to keep it a secret, especially with the other three gods constantly observing Dee. Not that Umbra or Lumen would matter, but Eternity would make a fuss.

Dee’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You want to use the soul of my friend to create something? And I’m supposed to take part in it? I wouldn’t mind if you used the emperor’s soul, but I will have no part in something that might harm Nyx.”

“Oh, the souls will not be harmed. They will pass on just like all the others, that passing will simply be a little delayed. Even I don’t have the ability to actually do anything harmful to souls. Those in charge of…what comes after would crack down on me hard and fast if I was stupid enough to try.” Death quickly reassured Dee.

“Fine. But if it starts to become a problem, or I won’t get an explanation soon-ish, I’m going to forcefully consume them.” Dee relented. She had no idea about divine politics, but it seemed important that she found out more sooner rather than later. She didn’t want this to blow up in her face, no matter what Death said. In the meantime, this seemed important to Death. The goddess had something planned and Dee would have to find out what that something was before she could deal with it. Antagonizing the goddess without a good reason was not a good idea. And it might turn out to be something really useful if played right.

-----------

The remaining grace period Dee had been given passed by in a blur. She had made several goodbyes and made several promises of returning later. Some had taken the news better than others. Razark had toyed with the idea of going along but decided against it. Pantheon was his home and the home of his kind. He would likely stick around the Five Winds for a while and later on find something to do with his life. Dee had asked him to find Nessera to tell the succubus what had happened. Dee wasn’t sure if she would have taken him along even if he chose to come. The man had earned the right to find some peace and quiet for a while, and she wished him luck in the pursuit. Coming along with her would have meant anything but peace and quiet.

Shunkaha had actually wanted to come along, but Dee had shot that idea down immediately. He had been forced to finally give up on her. It was likely that there would be a marriage in his future rather soon now that Dee would be gone. As an example of a much more relaxed reaction, Eilian had mostly just shrugged at the news. To a long-lived Sidhe, the time Dee would be gone was almost inconsequential. Eilian would have preferred to ‘create a few more paintings’ with Dee, but it wasn’t all that bad if those were pushed back a decade or two.

Dee had spent a fair bit of time discussing things with the empress. It would take a while for the Five Winds to recover fully, especially from the deaths of Nyx and Kawhena, but the empress would stay to help. Dee had suggested that the empress could become the new ruler of the Celestial Court, but the other woman didn’t have the interest in doing that. Instead, the empress enjoyed the more family-like feeling of the Five Winds and she would do her best to keep things that way. As a small surprise, Dee found out that the Meilin representative seat would not go back to Ushas as the exasperating woman had been among those that lost their lives defending the headquarters from the emperor. Surprisingly Ushas had been among the first to volunteer to stay behind and had been among the first to die.

With the emperor gone, the empress could take a more advisory role in the community. The Celestial Court was already embroiled in internal struggles, so much so that the empress was able to bring out the Phoenixes to the Five Winds without trouble. That would help ensure the community’s strength for a long time to come. Dee’s reputation would also help them, as most communities were not aware of her leaving and wouldn’t find out for a long while. The Solarians were not likely to make something like that known either.

The goodbyes with Faylen’s family had been the hardest on Dee. Faylen was something like a sister to her, and leaving her behind was hard. Harder still was saying goodbyes to little Vian. “But I don’t want Aunty Dee to leave! Don’t go!” The little girl had cried despite Dee’s promises to return.

Dee couldn’t prevent her own tears from falling as she thought about not being here to see the little girl grow up. Unlike someone like the ageless Sidhe, the years Dee would be gone would make a huge difference in the life of a little girl. Who knew if the girl even remembered Dee when she finally returned? “You’ll have to grow up strong to keep your mommy safe while I’m gone. Someone has to protect the community.” Dee had urged the little girl, trying to find something to say. Surprisingly the small girl had nodded seriously and declared that she would protect everyone while Dee was gone.

The final goodbyes were somewhat of a surprise to Dee. Anastasia had been waiting for her. Almost wordlessly she passed Dee a gift basket larger than any of the previous ones, filled with all sorts of delicacies from around Pantheon. “Something to tide you over on your travels.”

“Thanks.” Dee replied with a small grin but got a bit more serious right after. “How’s the situation with the Crimson Path? I know you lost people.”

“We lost some, but not as many as one would think. Luckily master finally crossed the threshold of rank thirteen. With that, no one will mess with us for a long time. She also sent you a message. She said she will be waiting for your return. She wants to have a serious match when you do. According to her, the enemies here are too boring. She might even pop outside Pantheon as well to see if the universe at large is more interesting. Maybe you will run into one another on some long forgotten world.” Anastasia didn’t mention that Teresa had actually already left Pantheon in secret to test her new abilities. Unlike Dee, Teresa would return early and often in case of trouble.

Dee gave Anastasia the warrior’s greeting before using the standard portal gates to leave. Araqiel was waiting for her at her destination. The angel would be coming along as a liaison and a point of contact to the angels that might help her. Besides, Dee and Moirai needed someone that had actually spent time outside Pantheon. Moirai had never left Pantheon before, and Dee had very little experience as well. Araqiel would work as a guide of sorts.

Dee had chosen to leave from the same interplanetary portal station she had arrived at so many years ago. Araqiel had actually asked why they had chosen this place as there were more powerful gates capable of reaching more planets in the circles with more ambient mana. Dee simply liked the symbolic significance of starting her journey from the same place she had arrived at. She turned to take a long look from the portal platform. The world of Pantheon had brought her pain, joy, enemies, and friends. She couldn’t say if the world had been good to her, but it had been her home for a long time so leaving was difficult.

She saw the tiered pagoda tower that she had climbed after arriving on this planet for the first time and gave a small smile. “I will be back Pantheon.” She stated simply and turned to enter the portal that was already waiting for her.