The day passed with Elinor sitting on the side of the cliff, multitasking while listening to Apate’s tragic story. She used much of the time to shift around her plans with the information she received from the broken Personification.

As she listened, Elinor tracked the various happenings through the Nexus and the movements she could sense with her enhanced, supernatural perception since using the battle against the Great Clans to advance the skills she’d needed.

From the bench Apate and her rested upon, she could see beyond the wide river to the bloody fields, where the resurrected Great Chiefs had no doubt met with the entourage that accompanied their armies.

They would be taking charge of organizing their dead and appointing leadership positions before moving through their former lands to prepare the way for Ishtar’s arrival. It would be a hard transition, Elinor was sure, but her sister had done these negotiations and assimilations for many thousands of lives in their long mortal battle.

Nelika and Garu had made it across and would find Thor and Kulitta by sundown; it impressed Elinor that the young scout of the desert clan had the fortitude to keep up the pace.

Adoncia and Valentina managed to connect as God-Touched at an excellent pace, which pleased her, and the two teenage lovers wouldn’t be too far behind by the looks of things.

Overall, things were progressing far smoother than Elinor expected, and that was of concern in itself; if she had miscalculated Apate’s sudden vulnerable state at the hand of her daughter and the speed the God-Touched were advancing, what else had she not accounted for?

She had to reorganize her timeline and how much the teens would be able to handle. Of course, she gave herself wiggle room; it wasn’t as if she could accurately predict just how powerful Adoncia would become with entities like Tiamat feeding her power. Still, it did mean she needed to find an appropriate place for them to test out the extent of their abilities without the risk of them holding back.

There would be time to strengthen their resolve to make hard decisions after determining the trajectory of their increased power. This planet had to contain many hidden secrets since the Covenant was interested in various points of the world, and she had to conclude there were such areas on the path to the desert clan.

She couldn’t be lazy and just watch the kids struggle to keep up with them; Elinor had to discover an acceptable stage to allow the teens to prove their reliability to one another and provide an opportunity to strengthen their unity.

Apate could act as their field commander; despite how tainted she was by the teenage girl she’d been trapped inside for years, the Personification was still a power comparable to an entire Existence when at her peak. Elinor just needed to grasp what made the trickster tick to direct her into the role and know how much support she needed to offer to build her into the person she required.

From what Elinor could tell as she continued her tragic story, the Personification had lived a life of teenage delinquency for so long, acting as a trickster that brought chaos, that she hardly had a proper understanding of how to behave maturely.

In a way, Apate was no different than the teenagers she was placed alongside, and being imprisoned by the hyperactive gymnast child on Earth did her few favors other than shape the way she perceived others.

The woman had been born to quite a massive family of Personifications, which were typically always at odds with one another; although, they did share a familial bond that kept them united, and the Olympians couldn’t hope to face the Celestials with their Personifications sowing discord among their ranks.

Primordial Olympus was riddled with internal conflict without the added disorder the aspects could create; their overthrow of the titans was one thing, but entities like Nyx were on an entirely different scale, and it had taken the united front of the gods to just imprison their forefathers.

Therefore, Hera, ever the schemer, had used Zeus’ well-known infidelity for a multi-pronged attack against her husband and struck a devastating blow against their most feared enemies—those that literally gave birth to their Great Existence—the Celestial Host.

It was well-known that Apate was a coward, and the goddess managed to catch the Personification off-guard; typically, the trickster would have been able to escape, but that hadn’t been the case as Hera managed to obtain an Evening Star Prism from a Hesperide—the first nymphs and Apate’s cousins.

From there, everything went downhill, and she’d been deemed a traitor to her family; disowned and without support, she hid from everyone she could, slipping between identities, yet unable to rid herself of the hateful comments of her siblings that constantly whispered in her ear of her failure.

Apate betrayed everything she loved, and the worst part was that she partially believed it; the problem was she couldn’t totally accept her piece of the blame.

Elinor could work with it; rising to her feet, she flipped her spear behind her back, holding it against her butt while pondering how to respond. The trickster waited for her judgment, and though the Judge could see more than a small degree of blame in Apate’s actions, many more possibilities also drifted through her mind.

“Hmm. Quite the simple and complicated tale… I can perceive fault in places and see where your siblings are coming from, but there is also much more to consider.”

The ability to tear up long lost, Apate got up, joining her at the edge of the shelf they’d spent much of the day on, and followed her gaze to where the teens were struggling to come up with a solution to cross the great divide.

“Such as?”

Elinor’s emerald irises twinkled in the falling sunlight. “Oh, while I do have the answers you seek, they are not so easily accepted when presented so plainly. In Irkalla, you would face yourself to judge your own merits as to the truth of what Existence recorded, yet such a process is not possible given this doomed maelstrom.”

Her gaze shifted to the tight-muscled woman. “Are you sure you wish to hear my harsh advice in resolving that which torments you?”

Apate snorted, rolling her eyes, although the woman’s arms tightened under her chest, showing her nervousness. “You are supposed to be this grand judge of the dead; you tell me.”

“Hmm-hmm-hmm.” The Personification’s focus settled on the teens as Elinor pointed them out. “I believe they will have your answers as you continue to understand each other, and what you seek, you will find in them.”

“Humph. Including that petulant daughter of yours, I assume?”

A wry smirk lifted the corner of Elinor’s mouth. “You could always look into a still pool of water,” she suggested, subtly drawing the comparison that she should look into a mirror.

“Yes, well… I have a reason to be petulant. What’s Nungal’s excuse; I’m the Princess of Irkalla?” she liltingly spat.

“Hehe. Nungal is a child compared to you, Apate, yet… she did just reverse your trick. I must be proud of her for that, should I not as a mother?”

Apate’s cheeks darkened, refusing to make eye contact. “I wasn’t prepared for any retaliation…”

“Showing your lack of forethought, hmm?” Elinor poked, tilting her head to look at the Personification. “Nungal has been training all her life to take my place, pitting her skills against the best of Irkalla. You have played and wasted away your time through numberless ages.”

Preparing to leave, Elinor released her spear into wisps of flame before holding out her hand to catch a chain that exited a rip in space, drawing Apate’s tight-lipped gaze.

“I’ll give you one warning, Apate… if you wish to go against my daughter, you’ll have to put some effort into it, or you’ll only end up embarrassing yourself, and I know you hate feeling embarrassed.”

“Heh. Is that all you’ll tell me?” Apate grunted, expression souring.

Elinor hummed, focus drifting up her lapis lazuli chains with a sly crease in her eyes. “If you must know the best way to get under Nungal’s skin, it is fairly obvious, yet a double-edged sword… Use her hyper-competitive nature and inability to topple her mother as your blade.”

“Oh… and I almost forgot!”

Apate’s golden vision widened as Elinor held out her hand and unbound many of the chains locked around the woman’s Core. “Good luck!”

Taking to the air, the wind whipped her hair back as she departed, leaving Apate to puzzle over everything she’d said.

It didn’t take the Empress of the Dead long to reach Thor and Kulitta, seemingly engaged in a conversation about Ishtar as the songstress boasted of her mistress’ achievements in the High Heavens. Thor appeared preoccupied as she landed, though, drawing both Kulitta and the God of Thunder’s attention.

“Thou hath freed Hera’s Harlot from her bindings?”

A soft stream of air passed through Kulitta’s full lips. “I do find it mildly agitating that she has the capability of tricking us; a tad unpleasant to contemplate.”

Elinor shrugged, moving past the pair to examine the rodents Thor had caught and that were cooking near the fire he’d started; the man did work.

“You needn’t worry at her current strength, Kulitta, and I didn’t remove the chains involving you, Thor. Apate can look for an opportunity to trap me into an illusion to totally free her, which grants her more room to wiggle but also a reason to doubt. Also…”

Thor growled as Elinor added, “I believe you may eat your words one day, Thor, so I’d be careful how you judge her. Apate certainly is a trickster, yet she is not exactly the type you envision.”

“Perhaps I will see thy prophecy fulfilled in time, Lady Elinor… Until then, I shall judge her by the actions she takes; all I have seen thus far is a spoiled child throwing a tantrum.”

“Not wrong,” Elinor whispered, a slight tilt to her mouth as she removed one of the sticks. “Not wrong, indeed. Can I offer you two something to relieve the boredom you feel?”

“Please, Empress,” Kulitta laughed, showing a strained smile. “What can I do for your unholiness?”

She directed the pair to the wide grasslands, causing them to examine the seemingly endless rolling hills. “I need you to find me some monster den for our teens to test their mettle against, and I am positive there is something of worth here. When you find it… come back,” she pointedly stated, shooting a light glare in Thor’s direction.

“Ho-ho. Should I not investigate it further to determine if it will be of an appropriate test, my lady?” Thor hummed, showing a thoughtful smirk. “Might thou also be afflicted with this curse that is boredom?”

Elinor flashed her teeth. “Absolutely! So, don’t go hogging all the fun, Thor.”

“A quest to find a quest. Haha. Thy ideas do entertain. Shall we, Lady Kulitta?”

The songstress placed a hand on her hip while turning to survey the landscape. “Mmh. I suppose our direction in the coming days will be determined by what we find. Shall we…”

A loud rumble shook the ground and their bones as Thor laughed, spun his hammer, and launched into the heavens.

“Huu-haaa,” Kulitta forced a smile while rising after him with a gentle lullaby in her throat. “I was going to suggest exploring together, but I believe he thinks of this as a competition… How bothersome.”

Elinor followed their exit while chewing lightly on their forgotten food, sitting in the small campsite. Nelika and Garu arrived within the hour; it wasn’t difficult to find their location by the direction the thunder came from, and the tired female ri’bot gladly accepted some of the meat.

She received a report of their travels, but Elinor was only interested to see if they could cover the distance and focused more on Apate meeting with the teens. From what she’d anticipated, the trickster would spark some kind of deal with them to get across, likely something childish, such as referring to her as master.

Sure enough, some of the large aviary birds of the mountains were manipulated by the Personification to carry the teens across the vast riverway; Elinor looked forward to hearing how the tiger girl had taken the request, but, to her amusement, she’d remained behind to swim. It was in character for both her daughter and Valentina.

It would be challenging, yet the added strength of her Beastkin transformation made it more than possible; she would be tired and soaked once arriving on the other side, and the current made it so she’d need to follow the river to catch up to her party through the night.

Her stubbornness could be considered foolish, but her willpower was commendable. Elinor liked the decision; she needed them to have that level of fortitude at the minimum, and Thor’s telegraphed location would bring them to their camp the following day.

By the time Kulitta returned, Nelika had collapsed in a bed of grass Garu had made her; it was a cute gesture that Elinor wondered if the girl would misinterpret, since he was only looking after what he saw was his junior.

The leather-clad woman hovered down to Elinor’s side as she watched the cracking wood and dancing flames, deep in thought. Elinor had studied the movements her sister had made in repositioning their troops, sensing their changing trajectories throughout the last few days. She was acting quickly to prepare for the coming conflicts.

How was the scouting mission; I assume Thor is waiting in the area you’ve discovered.

Garu’s gaze lifted to listen as she projected their thoughts through the Nexus, and they followed Kulitta’s focus in a slightly northeast direction.

“It’s roughly one-hundred and forty kilometers away from our current location. There are two medium-sized rivers between us with several streams along the way—few trees, mostly grasslands with slightly rolling hills—and a Great Clan village that seems to practice animal husbandry. I spotted many packs of creatures we know as Elishkar that the ri’bot must keep at bay during this season.”

Oh? Elinor smiled. So, this world has the two-clawed, feathered raptor that hunts across these planes. It will certainly provide a good warm-up for our teens. Thor must have really pushed himself to cover that much distance. I assume he returned before you reached the location. What caught his interest?

“He found several deep gorges, which appear to release water into a riverway that runs through Statesman Joru’kora’s City-State; if there are secrets to be found, it is in these caves and sinkholes.”

Wonderful. We will make an obvious camp here tonight, wait for Thor to double-check if it is worth our visit, and we will pick Nelika’s brain when she awakens. Elinor gestured to the remaining meat. Sit, Kulitta, and tell me a story about my sister I may not know.

“Gladly, Empress! I am sure you have heard quite a lot from Namtar regarding my mistress’ most noteworthy accomplishments, but the smaller ones likely escaped your ear. Allow me to sing my mistress’ glory.”

Elinor waited for Thor’s return, testing to see if he could actually restrain himself from pushing into the mystery by himself; he hid his agitation and frustration well, but she could tell he was boiling on the inside.

Kulitta went into a rather humorous story about her mistress manipulating the Old Gods during a feast to discover their fetishes in order to exploit them. Her little sister had certainly played a careful game and utilized her considerable looks and came to remain ethereal, keeping just out of their reach to draw them into her web. Ishtar had grown since they were children.

When the God of Thunder returned, the boom he carried practically made Nelika jump out of her caramel skin; the poor ri’bot girl was diving behind a log and tucking into a ball before she even knew what was happening. At least she didn’t scream, even if she’d hoped to see how it would make Garu react.

Electricity blackened the small crater he created not too far away, the rumbles quivering the air dispersing as he moved toward them with a big grin lifting his bearded face.

“Thou hath wished for a test, and a test we have found!”

“W-What did… do they always need to make so much noise?” Nelika grumbled far louder than necessary, eyes still rolling as she held her hands against her ears. “I’m trying to sleep… Oof, my legs…”

“Poor girl,” Kulitta smirked, making Nelika’s jaw and muscles stiffen. “Is a little noise too much for the desert creature?”

“I’m—

Garu put a hand against her side, making her tighten up further. “Be strong, Nelika, she is gauging your temperance.”

“Mmgm… Yeah… yeah, I knew that… Humph.”

Elinor chuckled, centering on the bright-eyed Primordial. “I won’t have you spoiling it for me, Thor. Is it worth checking out?”

“I’d say so, and there may be items of power hidden within the testing grounds.”

“The Empress said no spoilers,” Kulitta sighed, shooting a light glare at the man’s sheepish laugh. “Haaa. You wish to train the children in combat, I assume?”

Nelika’s vision darted to Garu’s flashing blue spots, squinting in the firelight; her ears were likely still ringing, but the ri’bot’s secret communication method was able to get through to her as Garu repeated their words.

“A hidden proving ground with weapons… The Ancient Rites where a Xaria finds their path and style? It is far into the desert; ours is not anywhere near these green places.”

“Fascinating.” Thor sat across from her on one of the large logs he’d positioned near the blaze. “Thy position is that of ‘Scout’ among thy people, Lady Nelika?”

“L-Lady?” Nelika’s skin greened slightly. “Eh-heh, I-uh, I may be the daughter of the current Chief, b-but I wouldn’t exactly label myself with the finer manners of the Noble Council,” she whispered, clearly misinterpreting Thor’s meaning with some cultural aspect.

Elinor giggled, realizing the disconnect; her Seed and mass interpretation skill that allowed her to share the traits of her servants perfectly translated her meaning, whereas whatever Thor used was far cruder of a process.

“Yes, Thor,” she answered, seeing Garu’s own realization as to what had happened. “She is a Tier-2 Scout of her clan; it seems she will need to hone her talents by the time we reach this place if she hopes to survive these Xaria challenges. Of course, they may not be at the same level as what the Ethereal or Nelika’s trial area may be.”

“M-Me? I’m just a Scout!” Nelika frantically waved her hands. “I’m not meant for combat or assassination work; I hide and report!”

Thor used his knee to rise, calling his electrified weapon to his hand before gesturing at the open area behind them. “I shall do my best to prepare thee for such a challenge. Would it not be a great accomplishment and glory for thy people to show to that thy nation’s security has been picked up by its youth?”

A small bulge expanded in Nelika’s toad-like throat upon seeing the lightning dancing off the Primordial’s armor and thick arms. Garu slowly rose to his feet, vision shooting to Elinor’s small smile.

“Might I join in this exercise, Empress… I fear I am quite weak to the standard our Empire has risen to.”

“Hmm-hmm-hmm. By all means, Garu. You may need to get stronger than you think if Nelika doesn’t have the legs to handle the dangers that she’ll face.”

“E-Excuse me f-for my rudeness, Empress,” Nelika hesitantly growled, showing reluctant indignation. “You don’t know the slightest pop about my tongue; my great-grandfather is the Xaria of Excellence! I am not weak or, or need protecting!”

Thor’s teeth flashed with the wind that moved his flaming beard. “If thou wouldst push thyself, Lady Nelika, I shall make thee a champion thy exalted great-grandfather shall boast to the mightiest of legends in the halls of Valhalla!”

“Hehe. Don’t kill her, Thor,” Kulitta snickered, yet the ri’bot girl didn’t back down.

“I am not a lady of the Noble Council!” she seethed, confusing Thor a bit as she set her brow. “I’ll show you my proficiency in combat; I am not helpless!”

“That’s the spirit,” Garu chuckled, steering her out of the camp to follow Thor.

Ten minutes later, the girl sounded like she was dead, lying face-first in the grass as Garu tried to keep up with the Primordial’s taxing drills in strength, dexterity, and stamina. Still, Nelika refused to give up, limbs shaking, yet even Garu, as an undead, was running out of Death Energy to maintain the pushing pace that kept the ri’bot centimeters from getting struck by the arcs of electricity that would throw them back three meters if hit.

Elinor’s gaze shifted to the forest that separated them from Apate and the teens; Valentina had finally made it across, jogging through the night to reach the camping group.

Adoncia had been somewhat silent throughout the day, and, shockingly, the trickster had yet to play a single prank on the kids since returning. Of course, she had a lot on her mind, Elinor was sure, but it did show self-reflection.

From now until they reached this hidden training ground, she was going to push them harder every day, and preparing a trap for them to overcome seemed appropriate.

Nelika’s limits were also about to be discovered; Thor wasn’t bluffing when he said he would draw out her potential, and he craved anything to distract him from what may have happened to his brothers, which meant the girl was about to learn what it was like to walk in her great-grandfather’s footsteps.

Kiddy games were over, and it was time to toss them into Irkalla’s Bootcamp, with her as the instructor.

This is going to be fun.

Contacting Apate by lightly tugging on the remaining chains binding her Core, Elinor watched her illusion manifest near the fire, showing a deep frown while scanning the campsite.

“Bold to allow me to influence your mind, Mistress… You opened the gates for me.”

A wry smirk tilted Elinor’s lips as she sat on a log, staring into the flaming pyre. The gates may be open, Apate, but who stands at that opening; do you want to test your will against mine when I’m waiting for you to approach?

“Heh. Not a chance…” the woman grunted, arms crossed under her bust; she could only perceive what Elinor allowed her to through her senses. “What can I do for your holiness?”

I want the teens to walk through the Bloody Plane to reach this spot and track us… Our pace is about to pick up dramatically, and I want you to riddle these grasslands with threats they must be conscious of. Hehe. You don’t need to touch their minds to create illusions if you are frightened of my children and Tiamat.

“Humph. I am terrified of Tiamat, but your children… I have seen far worse.”

Elinor showed an innocent grin. Their mother. So… test the mettle of the teens and my children. You won’t be caught off-guard again by my adorable little daughter, will you?

A dark look crossed the trickster’s face. “I do love the fact you have given me free rein when it comes to your children. If you want them to face challenges, heh… they won’t get a wink of sleep! I’ll let them know this was all your doing, Empress. Cheers!”

She vanished, drawing away to prepare her games; their tutorial was over, and the crucible about to begin.