Livia awoke screaming. Her arm lunged across her body with a mind of its own, and the next sensation to pass through her body was the dull, aching impact of landing on something cold and hard. Her vision slowly but surely returned, by which time, she had clambered back up onto the stone pyre she’d been sleeping on. It was at the centre of a circular, domed room, works of stained glass circling her on the walls. When her head stopped spinning, she got to her feet and inspected herself to make sure everything was in order. No broken bones… clothes are how I remember them. She was wearing all black leather— jacket, trousers, and boots. Under her jacket, she had an olive green linen T-shirt on. Not quite the same green as… as…

“Veridis…” Livia uttered aloud, just above a whisper. She did not feel her faithful straightsword on her hip. She whipped around, scanning the room as fast as she could… and spotted it, in its brown leather scabbard, resting against the wall beneath one of the stained glass depictions of the gods. From the look of it, it was a rendition of Phyrn, a goddess of low foliage, said to guide the steps of those beneath nature’s canopies. There was not enough room on these walls - not in all of Ardour Temple - to depict each and every god, but Phyrn stood aloft alongside four other deities: a man in a smart blue uniform with a silver saber in his hand; a woman in a wispy red dress, whose hair of the same red framed her upper body like a cloud behind her; a woman in a pink hooded cloak, holding her hands together either in prayer… or in mischief; and a man made of sunlight, wearing nothing but a large, golden leaf to cover his sex. Livia recognised none of these other divines— only Phyrn.

She fastened Veridis to her belt, and steadily made her way to the wooden door, her balance still not fully regained. Its creaking made her flinch as it broke the silence, but she persevered, and a corridor or two later, she found herself in what looked like the main hall. Here, once again, the same depictions of the same gods surrounded her; two on the left, two on the right, and one behind her, larger than the other four. Seems the man in blue is a big deal. She made a mental note to ask Phyrn about him if she ever saw her again.

When she descended the stairs along the rounded wall that lead down into the main entrance area, she saw someone - a man in steel armour with a blue surcoat - slumped against the wall. When she saw him, it occurred to her that this was the first person she’d seen in the temple since she’d awoken… which was odd for such a prominent house of worship. The man almost looked dead, but he was breathing deeply enough to be heaving slightly in a slow, steady rhythm. To his right, set on the floor, was a dull broadsword and a heater shield with chipped paint, depicting a white stag crest on the same blue as his surcoat. As she approached, she saw the same stag emblem on said surcoat as well, bunched up on his curled chest. Her footsteps caused him to raise his head and unfurl from his odd posture. His face was sweet and smooth, and with a certain strength to it. He had brown hair, bronze skin, and hazel eyes that his bangs nearly covered.

The knight smiled at her. “Well, would you look at that? You survived after all.”

“Excuse me?” Livia furrowed her brow.

“What, you don’t remember? Well… I can’t say I’m too surprised, given the beating you took— not to mention how long it’s been. You’ve healed up nicely, though; I can’t even tell you were attacked at all.”

“What happened? Everything’s a bit blurry at the moment.”

The knight patted the ground to his left. Livia slid down the wall, a shivery jolt passing through her in response to the cold stone.

“It isn’t entirely clear to me either, I’m afraid,” the knight murmured. “They attacked us from concealed points at a distance with weapons I’ve only heard stories about— rifles that shot magic bolts instead of metal bullets. Even your fancy sword’s magic was no good against them.”

Livia subconsciously touched the pommel of Veridis. “They got through Veridis’ shield? That doesn’t happen very often.”

“I believe that. It was quite the little trick. Is it an enchantment? There aren’t many enchantments that powerful in Berodyl.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Wow… you outlanders all came with fancy gimmicks, didn’t you? I always meant to visit other worlds, but… I guess that’s not ever going to happen now.”

“Wait…” Livia furrowed her brow. “What do you mean? I thought you folks here in Berodyl made rifts in the firmament all the time. That’s how you opened the doors for us outlanders.”

“Those doors have shut.”

“What?” Livia leaned over now, facing the knight more directly. “What do you mean ‘shut’?”

“I mean that the breaches have closed, and that there is no way in or out of this world anymore. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.”

“Oh…” Livia’s heart sank. “Shit.”