Saia left her room shortly after the trials had started and entered the temple. It was almost empty, with some confused helpers looking at her while they prepared the room for the ceremony. Nobody told her to leave, so she sat down in the area dedicated to the audience, near the wall and just in front of the steps that led to the well’s platform. She could comfortably see both the entrance and the chairs of the priors, positioned in a semi-circle around the well. A bag full of metal tools was abandoned half-open nearby.

Saia sat with her back against the wall and reached for the stack of notes about magic and viss in her bag. She started reading, raising her head every time she heard someone enter through the double doors.

Slowly, some monks started to take a sit around the room. Mostly friends and family of the candidates and some sentinel who wanted to watch the proclamation as an excuse to avoid their turn at the posts. The vast majority of people had make-up around their eyes in dark colors, exception made for some highlights made with golden tones.

More and more people started to come in after the second hour. Saia recognized Haina with her class of six years old, Coram with two other sentinels, and Cailes. He approached her, a book under his arm.

“Mind if I join you?”

Saia shook her head and scooted a bit to the right to make space.

“Ebus?” she asked.

“Still sleeping. He was up late preparing today's meal with the other cooks, so he decided to rest until the winner is proclaimed.”

“The trials could last the whole day, how does he know when they’re going to proclaim the winner?”

Cailes carefully opened the book: a manual of botany, judging by the detailed drawings of plants on each page.

“He doesn't, which is exactly why I’m here this early. At least one of us will assist to the ceremony if it ends earlier than expected.”

Saia nodded and resumed reading. Her own notes were nothing new, a list of the general principles of viss manipulation and some tips on how to better interpret the movement and qualities of the energies inside a human body. Aili had written them, and it was the closest she could get to her, whatever trial she might be facing at that moment.

After another half-hour, a murmur emanated from the crowd. Saia raised her eyes to see a line of candidates with red sashes entering from the doors. She stood, like many in the public were doing, and surveyed each face as it entered.

“The first trial is tough,” Cailes said. “It’s a written text, and one mistake is enough to be discarded.”

Saia relaxed a bit at that: Aili was born to pass that kind of trial. Still, she looked at the line of candidates, hoping to see her among them.

She wasn’t there. She sat down again, notes forgotten in her lap, trying to remember the faces of the other candidates who were still dealing with the trials.

Two more hours passed. The temple was full now; nobody gave any sign of leaving despite being almost lunchtime. She understood why when the organizers entered with carts full of bread with eggs, meat and cheese, baskets of carrots and celery sticks, bottles of purified water. Cailes put the book aside and protected it with a piece of gray cloth before starting to eat. Saia folded her notes and imitated him shortly after.

“I’m not used to this anymore,” Cailes commented after a bite. “Only two flavors and I can barely distinguish them? Ebus lied. He didn't cook any of this.”

Saia laughed.

The food finished quickly, and soon there was nothing left to do but read. Saia dozed off a couple of times, waking up the second one to find Cailes asleep with his head against the wall. She'd lost track of time, a feeling she wasn't used to. She looked around the room to see if something had changed and noticed Ebus, sitting at Cailes’s right. She greeted him silently.

Another stream of candidates entered the temple. They were only four, their heads low in defeat. Aili wasn't among them.

Saia slumped against the wall. She could feel both Cailes and Ebus looking at her, but she didn't acknowledge them. She watched in disbelief as the candidates sat down with the crowd and the priors entered the temple in a line, the abbot closing the procession. They all sat on the chairs around the well and waited. Daira looked insufferably happy.

Once they were settled, Aili appeared at the entrance. The crowd produced one last wave of whispered surprise before quieting down.

The abbot stood.

“Come forward, new Koidan.”

Aili advanced in the middle of the parting crowd. Saia's throat was tight while she watched her. She didn't know how to feel, if sadness because she was about to change form forever or happy because it was her choice and she was still her friend. All in all, she just missed her. The part of her that had been hoping for Aili to come back and everything returning as it was before was coming to terms with reality.

She bent her head and unwillingly listened to the religious sermon the abbot was loudly proclaiming. He went on and on about how becoming a god was the most important sacrifice anyone in their community could make. The assembly answered with a prayer and a chant.

A hand gently touched her shoulder. Saia raised her eyes and saw Ebus staring at her with an expression full of understanding. She remembered what he’d said about losing Aili forever. She nodded and briefly put her hand over his in acknowledgement.

The chant stopped, replaced by a scraping sound. An organizer had approached the well and was now pushing away the round shield on the top. She lowered it until it was upwards on the floor, showing to the assembly the swirling bronze decorations on its surface. A prior stood, and Saia recognized Denes, the oldest of the scholars. He took a tool from the bag abandoned on the floor and used it to remove two stones from the side of the well, in a spot she couldn’t see clearly. He put a hand inside the cavity just behind and looked at the abbot, as if waiting for an order.

“You can come forward,” Laius said.

Aili walked up the three steps that divided the platform from the rest of the temple. Laius gestured at the well. She removed her shoes and stepped inside, the round wall covering her up to her hips.

“Once we start the process, there's no coming back. So I have to ask you again, for the last time: do you want to become the next Koidan?”

Saia felt the crowd stop in anticipation and thought that they didn't know her at all, if they still considered it possible for her to refuse.

“Yes.”

“Then sit inside the crater and have no fear.”

Aili obeyed. Her whole body was hidden inside the well now. The monk who had removed the shield stepped forward and put it back in, sealing Aili inside.

Saia tensed and started to rise to her feet, but the soft touch of Cailes on her arm stopped her.

“Interrupting now would mean exile. I'll walk you through what's going to happen, if you promise you won't freak out. She'll be fine.”

Saia settled again, eyes fixed on the closed well. The abbot gave an order to Denes, who was still kneeling beside the well with his hand inside the wall. He started to move the arm in circles, as if to action a crank. Saia felt a slight rumbling in the distance.

“Denes is one of the few scholars who know how to activate that mechanism,” Cailes said. “He's letting in the energy of the mountain through the tunnel that connects the well to the crater.”

The well started to emanate light. The structure, which looked completely sealed mere instants before, now was punctuated by ant-sized rays of blinding light. Denes stared at it for some instants, then quickly started to move his arm in the opposite direction.

“He knows what's the right amount of viss to let through. Enough to create a god without destroying everything that surrounds it.”

“Is it painful?”

“No, we know for sure it's not. I know it looks like it should burn, but the viss doesn't feel like anything, no matter how much of it you focus on one point.”

Saia remembered how Zeles’s sphere had felt cold like the glass of a window in her palms. She nodded.

Denes stopped moving and the distant rambling slowly subsided. He gestured for another monk who was holding a glass sphere to come closer. She carefully placed it in the center of the shield and rotated it until it was stuck in place.

“This is the most delicate part: the sphere has a weak point at the bottom. She just aligned it with a small opening in the center of the shield. Denes will action the mechanism that will break that weak point and then melt the glass after the viss has filtered through, sealing it inside. If the glass has been created properly, it will all work without breaking the sphere or creating leaks.”

“What if it doesn't work?”

“There's always a spare sphere. They'll try to use it to contain the viss before it dissipates completely. Aili would lose some decades of power as a goddess, but she'll be safe.”

Saia looked at Cailes.

“What if that fails too?”

He avoided her gaze by looking at the well.

“Then her energies will join the mountain.” He took a deep breath. “But it's only happened twice, when we still didn't know much about how viss worked.”

Saia clutched Aili's notes with both hands. She stared at Denes while he actioned something, a lever judging by the movement. She heard a little crash, then the light blinded her and she had to divert her eyes. When she looked back, the sphere was intact, blue light rotating inside.

It was the abbot to unscrew it from the well. There was a shrill sound that was too similar to the shattering of a glass. Cold snakes ran through Saia’s veins as she strained to see what had provoked it.

“The shard detached properly,” Cailes commented, his voice calm and slow. “The ceremony is complete.”

The abbot took the shard, then raised the sphere above his head. The crowd cheered, starting a spontaneous chant. Two helpers took Aili's sphere and wrapped it in multiple layers of gray cloth before handing it over to a group of three sentinels.

“They'll bring her to the village,” Cailes said, “Then awaken her. Don't worry, the other sentinels will observe them during the entire trip to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

Saia nodded distractedly. That wasn't the thing that worried her, when there was an empty room full of memories waiting for her return. At least, now she had an idea on how to save Zeles after Vizena was dealt with, even if she didn't like it one bit.

She spent the week that followed smuggling sea snakes out of the village, two at a time. The sentinels at the entrance thought they were always the same two, and they seemed to think her weird enough to believe it when she said they were her lucky charms.

Once at the lake, she bound them with cloth, tight enough they couldn't get free when she slept at night, and hid them under a bush. She could feel Rabam’s uncertain gaze on her as she worked, but he was too busy calculating the new paths she'd had to follow after the next change of posts to confront her about the snakes.

She made sure to say her goodbyes to everyone she knew, even if none of them realized it was a goodbye. If everything went as planned, they would have seen each other again, as enemies. The thought bothered her more than she believed, especially at night, when the uncertainties piled up on her chest.

Waking up at dawn the day of the departure was almost a relief. She had breakfast with the monks, taking a double serving of everything, then left for the lake with the last two snakes in her bag.

Rabam was waiting for her.

“Why so soon? You're supposed to leave in the afternoon.”

“I know. There's stuff I have to do here.”

She filled her bag with half of the snakes, making sure the tails weren’t showing on the outside, and left the remaining ones on the grass. She had to be careful: the sentinels could watch her every move the second she left the protection of the trees.

She approached the lake and walked into the water until she was surrounded by tall grass and canes.

“What are you doing, exactly?” Rabam asked, staying hidden among the trees.

“Setting up a contingency plan.” She squatted in the water. “Do you think they can see me from the mountain?”

“They can’t,” he immediately said, so sure of his words that he didn’t need to glance back.

Saia started working: first, she tied some canes together, creating a structure that could hold a bit more weight. Then tied the bound and asleep snakes to the top, letting the cane bend toward the water. She loosened the cloth around each snake's head, keeping it tight enough they couldn't slip, but not so tight that they couldn’t free themselves with a bit of effort.

She stepped back to admire her creation: a plant with a handful of stems, bearing a grape of snakes as fruit. She walked out of the water and took a glove from her bag. She didn't even check which one it was, left or right: she'd sewn the same amount of scales on both, one from each snake she owned.

“Take it,” she said, holding it out for Rabam. “In case the situation gets out of hand. If they awake while I'm down there,” she nodded in Suimer’s general direction, “Stop them. Otherwise, please wait a bit before doing anything. Unless you're in danger, of course.”

Rabam reluctantly took the glove. She also gave him her binoculars.

“I don’t need them anymore. I figured they could be useful to you.”

He hooked them to his belt with a familiar gesture.

“You do realize that you're making a second attempt without helping me with my plan once, right?”

Saia sat down next to the snakes that were still hidden by the bush.

“And?”

“Do you think it's fair?”

“No, but you were waiting for something very specific to happen, and completely outside of our control. Unless you have an idea on how to convince the monks to leave the villages and come back here.”

He lowered his head, turning the glove in his hands.

“I don't. That's the problem, I've waited for this for so long I don't know what to do if it doesn't happen. They're going to find out about me before I can do anything against them.”

Saia sighed, untying the first snake of the pile.

“Trust me, you're not going to be their priority for a while after I've finished.”

“That doesn't help.”

“Listen…” Saia began, but a rustling of leaves told her that he’d left.

She kept working on the sleeping snakes until the afternoon. Once they were all ready and packed inside her bag, she got up and approached the beginning of the path she'd used on her previous attempt. She was about to call out for Rabam, when she saw the new map stuck at eye-level between two branches. She took it and examined it briefly: the paths were only a bit different from the ones she'd followed the first time, and he’d already circled the crossroads.

“Thank you,” she said out loud. “I truly wish for you to succeed. I hope to see you again in better circumstances.”

No answer. She adjusted the bag on her shoulder and set out toward the village.

It was late evening when she spotted the line of white stones among the trees. Despite all of her intentions of being careful, she broke into a run and didn't stop until she felt a voice inside her ears.

“Saia!”

She was startled by how similar it was to Zeles's.

“Sorry,” Aili said, returning to her usual pitch. “Force of habit. They still believe I’m him.”

“How is it going?”

“I’m still getting used to it. I had a taste of how it works at the trials, but there weren't actual people involved. Everyone here knows me, I mean, both me ‘Aili’ and me ‘Koidan’, and it's difficult not to drop the pretence of being a centenary god when your neighbor is asking you to heal his temperature. I’m still me, but I'm not allowed to actually be me.”

Saia produced a bitter smile and sat down under a tree.

“Don't tell me you want out. I don't have it in me to save two gods.”

“Oh, not at all, trust me. I'm discovering new things everywhere I look. I can see inside things, to a level you can't imagine. And I understand the viss way better now. Remember that bit in the book about movement and how important patterns are?”

Saia nodded. Aili's enthusiasm reminded her of when she’d discovered the monks’ library.

“I can see them now. Clear as day. Even if I haven't tried changing them, because I still don't understand them well enough and whatever creature I'd choose will have to suffer the consequences.”

“This is how they convinced you, uh?” Saia said jokingly. “Giving you new stuff to study.”

She'd expected a laugh or a giggle, not an instant of silence. It protracted a bit too long for her comfort.

“Aili?”

“Why are you here?”

“Now I can tell you about my plan, if you have time.”

“I do, but you?”

“I have to wait for the night before I can move around.”

“Well, then… Go on. I'm curious.”

Saia laughed.

“Understatement of the century.”

She told her about Rabam, and endured the scolding that followed for trusting him so easily. She told her about the hidden paths and her plans for freeing her village.

“Are you sure you want Zeles with you? He's quite weak now.”

“It'll make him difficult to detect. Even if, to be honest, that's the part I'm most uncertain about.”

“You did a good job with the snakes, maybe I can adjust it a bit before you leave?”

“Yes, please. That would be great.”

The night had descended at some point during her explanation. She got up with a sigh.

“Can you tell me where he is?”

“In the cave, third rock after the second pond on the left. Do you want me to wake up Dan and Morìc?”

“Yes, thank you. Morìc doesn't know anything, so maybe give him a heads up?”

“Sure. Be safe.”

Saia blew a kiss in the temple's direction and started her descent toward the beach.

Once inside the cave, she quickly found the sphere thanks to Aili’s directions. She ran back to her own house and closed the curtains before feeling hidden enough to take Zeles out of her bag. She put him on the floor on the side of the house where Aili's influence couldn't reach him. Most importantly, the side of the house without windows through which he could escape.

She sat on the opposite side of the white line and took a moment to collect her thoughts, eyes closed, listening to her own breathing. Then, she reached out and put a finger on the glass of the sphere. She woke him up slowly, bit by bit, like she'd learned to do with the snakes to avoid getting bitten. A drop of blue light became golden, then expanded into a strand, then a ring. Only once there was no blue left, Zeles sprang into the air and stopped near the ceiling.

Saia looked up at him, willing herself to appear calm despite her racing heart.

“What…” His voice began, the light rotating furiously inside the sphere, then slowing down a bit. “So much time… What happened?”

Saia was about to speak, but he cut her off.

“Are you a monk, now?”

She glanced down at her tunic.

“Yes, but not for long. Before you freak out, I have a lot of stuff to tell you.”

“I’m still not sure if I should trust you again.”

“Let me explain, first. Then I promise I'll accept whatever answer you'll give me and don’t bother you anymore.”

The sphere lowered a bit, seemed to hesitate, then slowly floated down until it was on the floor again.

“First off,” Saia began, “The monks.”

The room was silent for a long time after she'd finished speaking.

“So Aili is Koidan, now,” Zeles summarized. “And the monks are looking for me.”

“Yes. You can stay hidden here and do little else for the rest of your life, or you can help me and maybe save yourself too.”

“I don't see how. Even if your plan succeeds, and it's unlikely, I'd still be on the verge of disappearing.”

“I know how to fix that, but you'll need to trust me.”

“What?” Aili said in her ears. “You didn't tell me anything about that.”

“I can't share any more details. Sorry.” Saia looked at the ceiling with an apologetic smile, then focused on Zeles again. “Are you going to help me?”

The slow rotation of his light didn't look promising.

“I agree that something has to be done for your village, but I don't see why we should act now. We should plan more, consider all of the variables.”

Saia sighed.

“There is no time anymore. As soon as Vizena will have convinced the monks that she's changed and will stop mistreating her people, she'll become even more oppressive.”

“You don't know that.”

“I do, because it's happened again in the past. And it was... It wasn't my fault, but I made a mistake I shouldn't have done, and she took advantage of it.”

She felt the silence hang in the air. They wanted to know, but knew not to ask. If it could help them understand the situation, or at least understand her, she might as well oblige them.