The ground rattled with the second explosion. Tiny lemur-like reptiles bounced across the brush, speeding through Lizzy's feet. A considerable accomplishment since they were both running at a speed of a sprinting cheetah in opposing directions.

Queen Eli raced her partner, trying to get her hands on the blasphemer first. They would have teleported to the center but that felt like sacrilege. Stepping upon the fallen leaves was enough to hurt their hearts.

Everything was coming together. The Speaker's overwhelming piety, once so foreign, made absolute sense. If only the cult hadn't been eating the object of their worship. The minor quakes they'd been feeling above ground were evidence of larger things.

Thinking they understood everything, the two paragons were close now, near enough to hear indignant shouting.

"You will not deny me!"

Petulant and self-righteous. An orange mop of hair dangled onto heaving shoulders. Proverbial puffs of smoke were billowing from his nostrils.

Lizzy and Eli skidded to a stop. There were two individuals at Eben's center. Lizzy examined the first, looking Keel up and down like he was a smear on her boot.

"Keel. You twisted little runt."

"You! I will deal with you two after. I have someone else to take care of."

He bowled a fireball at the prismatic barrier. It was dispersed effortlessly, revealing a devout man sitting in a lotus position. His hair was billowing and so pink that it could be mistaken for silver.

"Cousin?"

Lizzy, still disguised, echoed Eli's question.

"Cousin? Wait, you mean our contact was actually your cousin? I thought that was a cover."

"Veneo is the cousin of Nival Glenwin, from the Glenwin Duchy. Nival is my cousin, which makes Veneo my second cousin. I told you this on the trip here."

"Don't sweat the small stuff. The good news is that he's alive. Hi. You're alive, aren't you?"

Veneo's eyes cracked open, the picture of an enlightened monk coming out of a trance.

"Ah, cousin. You appear different."

All three of them ignored the continued attacks towards the barrier. Keel was running out of steam and could be dealt with at any time.

"So have you. I'm guessing your change isn't an illusion. How did you acquire such power, Veneo?"

Eli eyed him, suspicious. The Manaless don't suddenly become all-powerful. The only explanation would be using that perverse drug Qwaver. She was truly glad to see her cousin again and find him not dead, but they would soon become enemies unless he provided a suitable explanation. Eli's logic was that he'd already become unrecognizable in appearance and speech, so it wasn't far-fetched to imagine how else has he changed.

As if reading her mind, Veneo smiled and extended a hand in her direction.

"Perhaps, it is easier if I show you."

Eli was unprepared for the assault on her head. The memories weren't harmful, just unwelcome.

It began with Veneo blending in with the other Manaless. He worked hard groveling to earn the Eben people's trust, doubly so for the acolytes. One day he mentions to the Speaker about his minor experience working with Lapis, and that was the day she chose him to work on the door. It took an entire month to retrieve enough material to make the door, and in that time, he found out the truth the Speaker was attempting to lock away.

At first, he was entranced like any Elden would be. Then his brain made the connection to the Speaker and the Acolytes. Confronting her, he realized she was of the opposite faith, that the Primal Node was a direct gift from Qwaver, and she was to use its power to spread the word of his return. Shaving off the pieces was misconstrued as working for one's meal.

Veneo continued to speak out, voice falling on deaf ears. What was meager power in the face of the entirety of Elden History? Powerless and Manaless, Veneo could do nothing. So instead of changing the Speaker's mind, he thought to change the minds of others.

He found seven of them, all suffering from the same condition. Knowing the pain too well, he decided to show them faith. They'd never seen something so magical, beasts so trusting of Eldens, or a world so like and unlike their own. Entranced, they wanted to make this their new hideout and playground. Veneo warned against it since the Speaker would punish them severely if they were discovered. However, seeing that words wouldn't work, he made them promise to stay hidden and gifted them the Lapis door's second password.

It all fell apart when Keel discovered what the Speaker was doing. Lured by the promise of power and release from his condition, he stole directly from the Speaker. She attempted to execute him on the spot but was held back by a mysterious pack of Remnants. Keel made his getaway and shared his bounty with the others.

Their dismal hair grew colors for the first time. Leylines finally appeared on their skin! It was a miracle.

Then Veneo discovered what they had done.

The accident came to Eli in quick flashes.

Shouting.

Fighting.

Magic.

Death.

"You're a Remnant."

Eli swayed on her feet, clutching her head. The memory magic was so much more powerful than her own.

"Remnants can't use magic."

The barrier shimmered in the light. It made Veneo's smile glimmer.

"Wait. So if Veneo is a remnant, does that mean he's the goon who's been sending the others to torment me?"

He inclined his head in apology.

"It was not my doing. We have an affinity for children, that is all."

Lizzy scoffed, trying to shake away the accusation. It would have made Eli laugh in any other situation.

"None of what you showed me explains your transformation. Your appearance and power are nothing like they once were."

Veneo nodded dutifully, craning his head to peer to the panting Keel. The duo panned in turn.

"After Keel ended my life, I became a Remnant. I was chosen of many. I cannot explain my power or appearance."

The explanation wasn't enough. Veneo was holding back, but Keel was too hot to let them continue talking.

"Everything was going fine until you outsiders started meddling. First Veneo. The two at the barn. And now there's two more. This is our place. This power is our birthright. What say do you have in our survival? Why should we live a meager twenty or thirty years as dredges when we can rule?"

"We don't need to rule."

A new voice entered the scene. Rez dismissed the invisibility spell she'd managed to copy. Running here while keeping the spell up had her panting much in the same way Keel was.

"You were supposed to be watching them."

"Enough is enough. The others and I only wanted to stop the pain."

Rez addressed Eli directly.

"We'd grown used to it. But when the power went away, the pain came back ten times stronger. You must understand. We couldn't go back."

Lizzy felt the words hit home. When she was Manaless, the aches and pains came were second nature, along with having a feeble immune system. She would get sick constantly and needed to be nursed back to health by her mother. None of it bothered her. It was Lizzy's lot in life, and she could never imagine the pain going away until it finally did. A magic-infused punch that should have hurt ended up healing her very soul. Now, trying to picture going back to that life was anathema.

Stepping forward, Lizzy felt awkward speaking of personal matters while disguised.

"I understand perfectly. I, too, was Manaless once. I can show you another way. It isn't easy, but what you're doing now won't last. How long until the artifact is depleted andl there is nothing left to heal you?"

Rez didn't get a chance to respond as Keel cackled.

"Years! Hahaha! Decades longer than either of you. There's enough to last a lifetime. And I will have it. Relinquish what is mine, Veneo."

Rez stepped in front of Veneo, arms out and pleading.

"The others need their Leader. We need to back, Keel."

"Move aside, Rez."

Sucking in a breath, she steeled her resolve. Keel was out of Qwaver and his power was dwindling. Even so, Rez remained injured, and copying the Invisibility spell had taken almost all she had left.

"I will not. You aren't thinking clearly. We don't have to live in pain anymore."

Keel's voice lowered, more severe than it's ever been.

"Stand down, sub-commander, or you will be replaced."

The words cut at Rez. She glanced once at the Remnant of a former friend, and then at the two spies who Rez knew to be Eli and Lizzy. They were the two adults the others wouldn't stop gushing over. Sean would go on and on like a boy with a crush. And for a brief time, Agatha found new role models to look up to.

"I am sorry I tried to blow you up. Will you let me settle this?"

Lizzy blinked twice, realizing she'd been made after all. It made sense; Eli was a horrible actor. Shrugging her masculine shoulders, Lizzy rolled a wrist.

"Sure. I'll step in if things get too rough."

Rez forced a chuckle and thrust out her chin.

"I'd rather you keep the Speaker away from me."

Lizzy turned. A posse of Eldens marched out of the foliage like specters. The Speaker led the crowd; her hair and clothes swayed majestically, and shadows covered her eyes.

"It seems you're not who you say you are. Manipulating memories, siding with petulant children, infiltrating this holy place..."

The leylines rimming the Speaker's eyes glowed dangerously, lighting up her visage.

"Qwaver demands recompense."

Eli gauged the Speaker. If the woman knew how to use that power, she could be a worthy adversary. Counting the extras, there were a total of thirty acolytes assembled. Peering into the back, Eli spotted the one who sneaked a bit of Qwaver earlier. His hair color was dark magenta instead of its former blue.

Lizzy began laughing out loud. She'd finally get the fight she wanted. No more sneaking or hiding. It was time to take down the insane cult.

One last time, Lizzy's masculine persona pantomimed a show for everyone.

"Oh no, Eli. It seems like we've met our match. Thirty Eldens in their second-color phase and a librarian with her underwear in a twist. Whatever shall we do?"

Hearing her partner's tone, Eli smirked and decided to join in.

"It seems they are looking down on us. Shall we show them who they're really dealing with?"

On cue, their disguises dropped.

Zed disappeared, revealing a lithe woman with shoulder-length, bright purple hair and leylines thrumming with power. Solei was replaced by a taller woman, more muscular, bustier, and sporting tumbling bubblegum hair.

The blinking spectators became rattled when the transformation continued as Lizzy summoned her ice armor and saber, winter blue mists wafting off her person. Eli conjured her battle armor, heavy enough to increase her impression in the ground. Producing her favored two-handed maul, that impression tripled.

As their combined auras hummed and pressed down on the acolytes, Lizzy was afraid they'd surrender.

Then the cultists took stances and drew weapons. The Speaker levitated off the ground and peered down her nose.

"Time for round two."