Kestra dreamed herself into her World Seed realm, where she opened the book filled with divine revelations she had copied from Elamshaq's Blessing of Tribulation. Pieces of partially forgotten knowledge expanded, and the linchpin concepts she needed to create keys attuned to her realm, and lock them to the people she wanted to be able to move in and out freely, came together.

The World Seed ate the remnants of her failed attempts to craft the first of these keys, and then the second, but by the sixth she had got the hang of it down quite nicely, and turned out quite the lot of them.

She had also figured out how to move items directly between her realms while relearning the concept of realm attuning, and just sent the lot of them over to Inspri's domain.

It felt good to be making , so she might have gone a bit overboard in the forging of her keys. Probably just needed to get her Alchemy lab set up.

When Kestra woke, Ambrose had joined them again, too. She let that seep in while she foggily recalled her dream. Expecting it had just been a dream, she still asked, «Inspri, did I send you realm keys to store during the night?»

«Forty-two realm keys, twenty portable realm anchors (locked), and one master anchor,» the sprite cheerfully reported.

The words sparked memories, and before Kestra could think twice, she moved the master anchor to the side of the tower Ralouf had built, fusing it to her retreat realm.

She pulled out one of the portable realm anchors and set it in the middle of Graemire's little bush cottage.

The Divine Creatures moved so fast to inspect it that they might as well have teleported.

"What is this?" Ambrose asked, wide-eyed.

The portable anchor was a blank stele made of a metallic rock that reflected a rainbow of colors tinted toward a darker shade of bronze. It stood a meter tall, twenty centimeters wide, and seven centimeters deep, a perfect rectangle, and jutted up on a pedestal made from a slick, black rock.

"Turns out there were more things from the tribulation that gave me my private realm," Kestra said. "When I slept, I dreamed about these. This is a portable anchor, and the master anchor it's attached to looks a lot like this, only half again as big. It's next to the tower Ralouf built."

With only a moment of debate, she pulled out three of the keys. "I think you need to bind your mana to these to use the anchors, and it feels like I can act as a portable anchor, too. You've done so much to help make the realm nice, so here. Please feel free to come and go from my realm as you like."

The trio of Divine Creatures bowed as they accepted the keys.

"That is a great trust," Graemire said.

Kestra shrugged. "Haven't you all been trusting me not to try to trap you when you've gone through my gates? This way, if I'm unconscious or mana-wiped, or what-have-you, and you're in my realm, you can still leave. I think there's a mana cost that needs to be paid, and the greater the distance I am from where you're trying to move or the portable anchor's located, the more the mana cost. And speaking of that, I need a moment to give the others' their keys."

"We will wait," Ralouf said.

Turning her focus inward, Kestra spotted all her Divine residents now poking at the master anchor.

"It feels like one of the grand anchors," Yorgin was saying.

"But it's not activating! Not even asking for a destination!" Nicada pointed out.

«About that,» Kestra said, interjecting herself into the conversation.

"Graemire's potential! What is this?" Nicada asked, sounding vaguely hostile.

«It's a master realm anchor. Graemire had me sleep last night, and I dreamed about this master anchor, a matching portable anchor, and keys to them. I woke and, well, I have two more keys I can give out. Yorgin, Eilith, would you please hold out your hands?»

When the two did as she asked, she dropped the keys to the anchors into their palms. Probably because they were already in her realm, the keys bound themselves to the two immediately.

Nicada pouted. "Why do they get the keys?"

«I met Eilith just after Graemire, and spent more time with Yorgin while he guarded me during Graemire's Enlightenment.» The answer was truthful enough, and avoided stating how she didn't trust either Vostler or Nicada quite so much as the rest of the Divine Creatures.

It wasn't that she thought they would be malicious, or that the others wouldn't; she simply believed everyone else was far more circumspect than the Fire and Metal Elementals, though at this point she trusted Vostler to be less destructive than Nicada. After all, any of the Divine Creatures were more than capable of squishing her. Nicada seemed to mostly just tolerate her existence while the others acted more as if they respected her if not actually liked her.

"You just don't like me!" Nicada stated.

"Nicada!" Yorgin scolded.

"No! You stole my Flame! You don't get to chastise me, too!" she screeched. "And she doesn't like me! She gave a new technique to Ralouf, and now she's slighting me in giving out these realm keys, despite my work in balancing this place! I even gave her a sprite of my own body!"

Eilith swelled up. "Nica! Vostler was never your Flame! And Ralouf healed the child, for which she honored his generosity! The giving of sprites was not something she asked of us, but something that Vostler sparked into being, and which benefits all of us who gave quite enough all on its own! Or do you name Graemire a liar? She has fed us of her own distilled mana! What you give in expectation of reward is not generosity, but bribery! Be thankful for what you have and curb your rampant ambitions!"

"Or what!?" the Metal Elemental snapped out.

Eilith's water turned into Ice. "If you continue on the Selfish Path then I will call for a Tribunal of the Emperors of Metal."

Nicada's mana reached for all the metal of Kestra's realm, but before she could claim it and do whatever she planned to do, Kestra booted her back to the First Horizon.

"Angry Metal Elemental!" she warned the trio who had been in the First Horizon, quickly pulling Vostler out, too. Eilith and Yorgin were teleported through the anchor, but also involuntarily.

Nicada took a moment to adjust to the change in location, the rude ejection only heightening her rage. Vostler responded just quick enough to blunt the projectiles of conjured metals she formed and shot at Kestra, which gave Ambrose time enough to shield her.

"Away with you!" Graemire ordered. Kestra wasn't sure who he spoke to, but she acted mostly instinctively, moving herself into her private realm.

It really was very nice. Best off all, she didn't have to worry about an angry Elemental of Metal shooting her with so many pellets she might as well be just a bit of fleshy paste.

She sat down, put her head between her legs, and breathed through the immediate fear reaction.

Graemire shifted to his newly gained dragonic form, reaching through the mists and vapors to strip Nicada of the metals she drew upon to hurl at friends.

Eilith aided him by stirring up as much water as she could find, and Ambrose held tight to the metals yet locked within the stone of his Earthen dominion.

"Vost! Turn her metal to vapors!" Graemire advised, seeing their youngest Elemental's hesitation. The direction seemed well received as the Fire Elemental brought his dominion to bear by surrounding Nicada.

Some of the strange concepts of Fire Kestra had brought with her seemed to have sunk into Vostler, or he had always been an advanced prodigy of an Elemental. Regardless, he demonstrated a fine control of the heat his flames, keeping the inferno of his presence contained to within a mere meter of his Elemental body.

As soon as Vostler had Nicada successfully supressed, Eilith roared out, "I call upon the Ten Horizons for Tribunal! I declare that Nicada, Divine Elemental of Metal, has violated the Righteous Oath!"

"I second the call!" Graemire and Ambrose chorused their declaration.

The Tribunal of the Ten Horizons has been Summoned to the First Horizon

Judgment has been sought against one declared in violation of the Oath of Divine Righteousness. Among the accusers stands an Emperor of Wood and Divine Elementals of Water and Earth. The accused is a Divine Elemental of Metal. Thus shall the Arbiters of the Tribunal be Emperors of the Elements.

You are being teleported to the Tribunal

Oath breakers and liars beware.

The familiar sideways shifting of a teleport seized Graemire and pulled him through the realms into a cage of a room.

Out of respect for the Tribunal, Graemire immediately shifted to his mostly human shape, donning his ceremonial robes from his soul-bound storage broach. He set down a seating pillow and settled into a comfortable repose to await the Tribunal's attention.

It came soon enough.

The sides of his cage-room turned translucent, and he saw that Eilith and Ambrose were in similar situations as he had place himself in, while Nicada had barely calmed enough to stop lashing at the walls of her cage. Surprisingly, Vostler was also present, and too agitated to leave his fire snake shape.

Before them stood five pillars. From left to right, they were green, red, yellow, white, and black. Each was three meters wide and embossed with the ornate geometries. The green pillar was covered in rectangles. The red pillar was all triangles. The yellow pillar was a decoration of squares. Circles covered the white pillar, undulating waves the black pillar. At the center of each pillar was a stylized depiction of the Emperor Form of the Arbiter who sat upon the top of each. Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Yellow Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise.

Graemire recognized two of them from personal acquaintance, and the other three by reputation. The Emperor of Wood brought to act as Arbiter was Cailin Qin, who enjoyed a feminine nature. She was kind to those that did not challenge her authority, but jealous of her territories. She was also the one who had inducted Graemire into the Righteous Oath, and he doubted her belief in it had faded from then. The Earth Emperor Arbiter was Nosnali, a fair Awakened, and far more concerned with Truth than a Righteous life. The Fire Emperor's blue hair suggested that this was Madalak, an eccentric even among Elementals. The white haired man with mutton chop beard was probably Fumar Tang, and the cloud-clad black haired-woman matched descriptions Graemire had heard of the simply named Myst, Emperor of Water.

Beside the pillars, an Awakened knelt beside a hanging brass gong. The Awakened was interesting for the brassy scales covering his goat-headed human shape and the single goat horn curling up and slightly back from between long, floppy ears and a long, wispy beard on his chin. His head was covered in well groomed, black fur.

The Awakened xieshi opened the proceedings by striking the gong with a leather-padded mallet.

Nosnali spoke, his action proclaiming him the Head Arbiter. "A charge of Violation has been levied. Let the Accuser speak."

Eilith opened her mouth, but then hissed.

Graemire cleared his throat and bowed to the Tribunal.

"The Accuser does not speak! Why is this?" Madalak asked.

Nosnali frowned, but looked to Graemire. "You request to interrupt the normal course of these proceedings?"

Graemire straightened up from his bow. "There are Oaths of Silence in accordance with the Righteous Oath involved. The only one before the Tribunal not bound by such an Oath is myself. It is my belief that after I present a certain amount of information related to these Oaths, the others will be able to speak of those matters which directly relate to the Tribunal's purpose. This is only possible because to serve the Tribunal, you will all be bound more tightly to this protective silence than those before you."

Eilith sighed, smiling as she nodded agreement.

"Very well, Emperor of Wood Graemire," Nosnali said. "Congratulations on your recent Enlightenment, by the way. You seconded the accusation. Please present your case."

"There are transmigrators entering the First Horizon. I found one by accident, who arrived already in possession of a personal realm. By the transmigrator's account, the realm was the reward from a tribulation undergone in the realm of origin. Divine Elemental Eilith was the first of those present to venture into this personal realm, and reported that it was in a state of great chaos. Soon after, we encountered Divine Elemental Nicada, Divine Elemental Vostler, and their two companions, Ralouf the Sage Wyrm and Yorgin the Divine Serpent.

"Eilith convinced Vostler to take the Righteous Oath, and he and Nicada joined Eilith in bringing order to the realm. The rest of us continued searching for Divine Elemental Ambrose, who was separated from us when we descended to the First Horizon.

"On the way, the transmigrator reminded me of the essential truth of our nature as Elementals, something that appears to be true across realms. This sparked my Enlightenment, during which Ambrose found us and was invited to join in upon the Great Work of ordering the transmigrator's personal realm. I am told that there was only one element, a mana well, that was not to be destroyed, but those participating were given freedom to bring order as they saw fit, needing only for the realm to be hospitable for human life at the end of the ordering.

"It was my intention to raise up the transmigrator to a level ready to challenge the first Ascension Tribulation. We took the transmigrator through a dungeon to share experience and gather sufficient supplies for those who chose to remain to endure a prolonged venture through the Lower Horizons, and those who chose to depart to pay the anchor's toll to return to the Divine Horizon.

"As we were preparing to divide, the transmigrator mentioned a problematic occurance we were made aware of near where we first met. One of the city lords of the First Horizon was enslaving travelers who lacked backers. The transmigrator clarified that there was reason to believe these travelers are other transmigrators, but even without that confirmation, it is still a bad precedent to allow to stand.

"The Ten Horizons then issued us all a quest to free those this city lord had unjustly enslaved. We had split to discover more information on the situation, to ensure what ever tack we took would cause the least harm to those of the First Horizon, and reconvened.

"Nincada, Yorgin, Vostler, and Eilith were within the transmigrator's realm, enjoying the stability of the mana there compared to the thin nature of the First Horizon. I bade the transmigrator to sleep, and upon waking, the transmigrator discovered a lingering gift from the tribulation which had granted the realm: a portable anchor for the realm and soul-bind keys to use the anchor.

"The transmigrator chose to share these keys to us, but shortly after falling into the trance needful for interacting with the personal realm, Nicada, Vostler, Yorgin, and Eilith were ejected. Nicada was in a rage and attempted to slay the transmigrator. We four had to work in concert to contain her and Eilith called for Tribunal.

"Nicada's rampage upon the First Horizon will require concerted effort to repair, and clearly violates the aspect of the Righteous Oath that concerns limiting the collateral damage of any altercation between Divine beings."

Graemire bowed to show that he had finished speaking.

The xieshi rang his gong. The clarity of its reverberations confirmed the truthfulness of Graemire's words, and that the information he withheld was not intended to deceive the Tribunal, nor influence its judgment.

Wistful envy had lit up the gazes of all the Arbiters. To have been given such an opportunity! Personal realms were not so tightly bound by the ordering of the Ten Horizons. The things an Elemental might build in such a place! And to have the freedom to simply be required to render it hospitable at the end!

They were all Emperors. They understood how invaluable such an opportunity was.

Nosnali turned then to Eilith. "Accuser, speak your case."

Eilith bowed. "The transmigrator explained waking from dreaming to discover a grand, a 'master anchor' now fused with the personal realm, a portable anchor, and these keys. The transmigrator gave a soul-bind key to Divine Serpent Yorgin and myself. Divine Elemental Nicada grew angry, demanding to know why she did not receive a key, to which the transmigrator stated that I was first within the realm and Yorgin had guarded her during Emperor Greamire's Enlightenment."

Graemire listened to the rest of the events with a slowly sparking rage.

When Ambrose was called upon to speak, he affirmed the devastation Nicada's rage had visited on the First Horizon.

Vostler had not levied an accusation, but had been accused by Nicada of harming her. Graemire took responsibility for directing the younger Elemental's actions, and Vostler demonstrated what he had done with a conjured Elemental of Metal. The conjured Elemental suffered no ill effects from his restraints.

Madalak tried to get Vostler to explain what he did and where he got the idea, but all Vostler could say was, "I learned it while discovering more about the Fire the transmigrator's realm held. My Oath prevents me speaking in more detail."

Then it was Nicada'a turn to answer the accusations.

"The transmigrator insulted me, slighting me while giving generously to the others! I brought order to her--AHHH!" she screeched as she revealed something none of the others had, feeling her Oath of Silence strike at her for the breech.

Graemire stated, "The transmigrator has self-referred as female."

Nicada glared at Graemire. She snarled, still in pain, but recovered enough to continue. "She slighted me! We all gave up sprites of our own mana to keep order in that realm, but she gave nothing back! She gave the old wyrm a Technique--!" Her scream this time was piercing, her body wracked by tribulation.

The cage around Nicada muted her screaming. Nosnali asked Graemire, "What is this?"

Graemire started with the background circumstances. The whole of the exchange was rather well etched in his mind, having been so close to his Enlightenment. "The transmigrator overexerted herself with forming her first gateway to her personal realm shortly before meeting Ralouf. He is kind soul, and was immediately moved to aid her recovery. She had formed a new Alchemical technique; I ensured she licensed it with the Zonzhi Association if that interests you, thought they will likely only disclose that it is the Water Extraction Alchemical technique.

"When she told me of gifting the technique to Ralouf, she said it was an appreciation for his generous nature and a practical custom of her people, to always be generous toward healers, for they can do what potions cannot. It was her thought that he was at least mildly interested in Alchemy, hence her hope to build communal feelings with the shared interest.

"She stated that he immediately showed the technique to Eilith and Nicada. Eilith learned it from the demonstration, and the transmigrator thought Nicada was developing an interest in Alchemy. I had the impression that she would have happily given her technique to Nicada, too, had she the ability to receive it."

Nicada's screams turned to sobs. She lay curled at the bottom of her cage, reduced to an amalgamation of ores. Graemire could only hope that the human form she had prided herself on making her own had been more permanently stripped from her.

Ostensibly not looking at the lump of quivering, sapient ore, Graemire added, "As for giving up sprites, the transmigrator mentioned that she wanted to search out appropriate elemental sprites to maintain the balance brought to her realm for after we Divine Elementals return to the Divine Realm.

"Vostler impulsively presented her with a sprite of Light and Flame. Eilith and Ambrose also shed two sprites each, approving of the wisdom in his impulse. She had already given shelter and succor to a sapient Nature Sprite that Vostler had accidentally harmed; the situation there was resolved to the satisfaction of those involved.

"Nicada flicked off an Ore Sprite.

"At the time, I explained to the transmigrator how profound was the gift of permitting elemental beings such a free hand in the shaping a realm, to which she responded she intended no dismissal of the gratitude that we felt, and yet she was grateful for our aid, too. Vostler reminded her, then, that she gave her own purified mana to sustain each of the Divine Creatures among our group, unprompted. We are indebted to her."

Nosnali glanced at Nicada's quivery shape. "We will deliberate and return to questioning when the accused is sufficiently recovered from her oath-breaking."

The walls of their cage-rooms once more turned opaque. Graemire's emotions were divided. On the one arm of the scales, his anger at Nicada demanded she suffer. On the other, he feared for those left behind. He vaguely recalled that Yorgin had deployed his Environmental Endurance Bubble, but whether that would permit the others, Kestra especially, to survive in the mire of the broken balance was unknown.