With Livia’s left hand at the top of the hilt, and Emilie’s right hand holding it lower down, they both raised Veridis aloft, the blade pointing to the sky. “You too, Krey,” Emilie called.

“Me?”

“We need all the faith we can muster to call upon the goddess.”

“Alright…” Krey awkwardly stood between them, grabbing Veridis’ pommel with one hand and reaching to grab the crossguard with the other.

“Now…” Emilie uttered, “let’s see if this will work.”

Emilie cleared her throat, and began speaking as if she were giving a sermon. “O’ Phyrn, Goddess of Low Foliage, Guider of Footsteps, atop the sun-pierced canopies, we call out to thee! Please, break this unbearable silence and let us stand in your presence!”

Livia closed her eyes and focused on Emilie’s words, and with every utterance, her grip on Veridis’ hilt grew tighter. When Emilie’s prayer was done, she felt a shooting sensation fire through her body, up her arm, and into the sword. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked up to see the blade aglow, pulsing waves of green light into the air like the pulse of a living being.

They knew they needed to do next; it came almost like instinct— especially to Livia. They swung the sword downward, and in a final virescent burst, they were blown back by the force of a rift opening along the arc they’d cut. It was only open for a moment, but in that short time, a figure was able to emerge, and now stood suspended just off the ground in front of them. From the ground, they looked up at her: Phyrn.

Her body was thin with gentle curves. Her skin, ear-length wavy hair, and eyes were all the same green; her skin had patches of yellow-green, her hair faded to that same colour toward the tips, and her eyes had yellow-green flecks. Her hair was also faintly luminescent. She wore a sleeveless brown tunic with midoroot growing over it, matching brown trousers and shoes, and a crown of daffodils on her head.

Emilie’s eyes threatened to escape their sockets as they widened, and she scrambled to her knees and bowed her head. “G-goddess!”

Krey retrieved Veridis, lowered to one knee, and offered the sword hilt-first up to Phyrn with both hands, also lowering his gaze to the ground. “We are honoured by your presence, goddess.”

Phyrn slithered her fingers around the handle and raised it up, inspecting the blade. She looked over at where Livia was getting back onto her feet, and when they locked eyes, they both smiled. “It has been far too long since I was last in the company of Berodyl’s souls.”

Livia stepped forward, and received Veridis back from Phyrn. “I’ll say! It feels like it’s been both only a minute and forever. Where have you been?”

“It may take time to explain.”

“Livia?!” Emilie’s voice cracked as she whisper-shouted.

Krey got up now too, simply giving Livia a curious look.

“What?” Livia looked at them with one cocked eyebrow.

Phyrn couldn’t help but giggle. “Rise, soul of Berodyl; you need not regard me with such reverence.” she glided over to Emilie, offering a hand. Emilie, timid as a mouse, managed to lift a shaking hand of her own and let Phyrn hold it, a shiver running through her when they touched. She let the goddess help her to her feet, unaware her mouth was still hanging open. Phyrn placed two fingertips below Emilie’s chin and urged it closed. “Hierophant Emilie; it is good to finally look upon your face. Diligently have you listened to my whispers in your dreams, and well have you interpreted my meaning.”

“I…” Emilie’s words were almost stolen from Phyrn’s ears by the breeze. “I live only… only to serve, goddess… I…”

“Be still, Emilie!” Phyrn cupped the hierophant’s face with her hands. “There is no need to torture yourself like this!”

“She’s not the only one who’s surprised to see you,” Krey stammered. “I must say, when Livia began speaking with you so… personally… I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed or mortified.”

“Neither, if you please,” Phyrn trilled. “My lack of interest in formality aside, we do not have the time.” She turned to Livia once again. “I must tell you what has happened, and I must ask your aid in putting it right.”

“Last time I checked,” Livia grinned, “I still owed you one. Tell us what’s wrong.”

“In all honesty, I am not entirely sure. There has been a… a disturbance of some kind. I do not wish to jump to conclusions, but… I believe there has been a severance.”

“Severance?” Emilie, hearing the word, seemed to snap out of the trance she’d been in just a second ago.

“Yes,” Phyrn nodded. “I was preparing to assemble alongside the other nine of the Decakon, but when I was working the magics that would open the way from this world to another, the spell fell apart; the mana simply dispersed, inert. Then I realised that something had robbed me of my illusory veil— I could be seen by mortals! I only noticed when I was suddenly attacked by a party of bronze and green elf battlemages.”

“We were attacked by green and bronze elves too,” Livia gasped, “back at Ardour Temple.”

“Yes,” Krey concurred. “They belonged to Dunlark Spire.”

“Ah…” Phyrn sighed. “I see.”

“Phyrn,” Livia droned, “please, you’ve gotta have some more info than us— anything.”

“I believe I do… but I cannot be certain yet. I will go and seek out the other gods— see if I can confirm my suspicions. For now, I will tell you what I believe I know, but please, bear in mind that I may be wrong.”

“As you say, goddess—ah…” Emilie stopped herself for a moment. “Ph-Phyrn… as you say. We will hear you with wisdom.”

“Very well,” Phyrn smiled. “I do not know why yet, but Berodyl has been cut off from the other worlds. The firmament has been sealed; the boundary is now impassable— even for me. And for the others of the Decakon, it would seem; I can sense all nine of them, trapped in with us.” her face twinged with some kind of discomfort. “Wait a minute… how strange…”

“What is it?” Krey enquired.

“One of the others… I can’t sense them anymore. Nativus… I can no longer feel Nativus.” For a second, a grimace flashed on her face. “I should go. I should try to find the others and see if everything’s alright. This might be the doing of our enemies, and if it is, we will need all the strength we can muster.”

“Phyrn,” Livia beckoned. “Before you go, just tell me… what’re the odds that I’ll be able to see home again?”

Phyrn frowned, averting her eyes for a second. “I truly do not know, but… based on my current knowledge… it doesn’t look at all likely.”

After a moment of silence, warmth returned to Phyrn’s face, and it got the attention of the others. “Oh, that’s right! Before you go, I intended to give you something to aid in your journey.”

“Our journey?” Krey put his hands on his hips. “Where would you have us go, goddess?”

“If for no other reason than to establish potential sanctuary should something terrible come to pass, I believe it would be pertinent for you to investigate Rajata City. It’s one of the ten namesakes, after all; it may hold answers for us. But I would also urge you to stop at the closer settlement of Acrevil first, get cleaned up and well fed. I imagine it has been some time since you all had a hot bath and a good meal, hmm?”

“First to Acrevil,” Emilie mused, “then to Calastre… then finally on to Rajata City. It will be a lengthy trek.”

“Not only that,” Krey added, “but we’ll also be crossing regions of wilderness. We’ll need to be ready for monster encounters, and…” he patted his waist, feeling around his belt. “Ah, good, I still have my pouch of travellers. We’ll be able to make camp along the way.”

“That is why I will be granting Livia another boon— one that will aid you as a party.”

“Me specifically?” Livia furrowed her brow. “What is it?”

With a wave of Phyrn’s hand, a beautiful steed emerged from a radiant rift. It was a thoroughbred with a coat of white and a mane and tail of gold, its eyes a similar gold, totally solid colour, and giving off a luminescence. “Say hello to Danu,” Phyrn announced, “the Great Mare of The Earth! She has served as my personal mount for a great deal of time… and now the time has come for her to serve a different master.”

“Phyrn!” Livia gasped. “Are… are you sure? Don’t you need her?”

“You need her more than I,” Phyrn chuckled. “Her footing is infallible; nothing short of death can halt her advance, and she is very hard to kill. Her very being is intertwined with earth and white magic. She’s big enough to sit two riders, and she can be summoned and dismissed on a whim by her master… which is now you, Livia.” Phyrn pressed her hand against Livia’s chest, and a pulse of green aura emanated from her body. In response to this, Danu whinnied and reared up for a moment. “Now then, time is of the essence, so I must be off. Good luck, friends; I shall return as soon as I have something to bring back with me.”

“Good luck to you too, Phyrn,” Livia smiled.

“Fare well, goddess,” Emilie curtsied.

Krey bowed silently.

Phyrn shot up into the sky and blazed a trail like a comet.

With a party assembled, a guardian star up above, and a great deifacted mare to ease the burden on their feet, the three of them - Livia, Krey, and Emilie - departed from the edge of the world, and began making their way inward.