I fought not to allow my amusement to show as I glanced down at the swan waddling along next to me, its webbed feet slapping lightly on the stone floor with each step gave an almost comical soundtrack to our journey through the temple.

"I bet you miss your crow form, don't you?" I asked him. The swan let out a low hiss in reply, ruffling his feathers. "I kind of miss it too, you know," I added, reaching out to give him a comforting pat on the head. "I liked it when you could ride around on my shoulder, I even miss your annoying cawing."

The swan looked up at me with its beak part in a way that seemed almost smile-like. I smiled back, running my thumb over the feathery softness of its neck. "I guess we've got a few more forms to go right? Peacock, Pelican, and of course the Phoenix." I said, feeling a strange thrill of excitement at the thought.

"We'll get there eventually, I'm sure." I said softly, staring down at the swan's white feathers. "I want to get through this, Zos, I really do."

A low, thrumming sound echoed through the hall, drawing my attention away from the swan to the bucket I carried. Inside was a young Glacies bufo, the last ingredient required for the Frost Elixir. After weeks of waiting, I could now progress with my research into the potion for cold immunity.

Reaching the alchemy laboratory in my private quarters, I set the bucket containing the Glacies bufo on a bench before scooping the creature out and plopping it into a glass tank.

The only visual differences from a normal toad were its pale blue skin and the crystalline structure of icicles protruding from its back. It was rather pretty-for a toad.

"What do you think, Zos? If I kiss it, will a prince appear?"

In reply, the swan gave a low, irritated hiss before waddling over to the indoor pond set up in the corner of the room.

"You're right," I nodded sagely. "That's only possible with frogs."

Laughing at my own foolishness, I flipped through the notes I had compiled on the Frost Elixir, reviewing the method of rendering it down into the components before I retrieved a needle to humanely euthanize the toad.

The toad's blue skin was smooth and cool to the touch, and I felt a momentary pang of regret as I pierced it with my needle.

Strange that I would feel regretful over this creature's death, when I killed others without so much as a second thought. But something about the toad's last cry, its mournful song that echoed through the lab, gave me pause.

Unlike other beings of this world, this toad would not be revived. It's death was a true one. I paused at that thought, staring down at the dead amphibian. When I had come to see death a casual thing? How had I become so calloused to it?

I sighed, and set the needle back down on my lab table. The toad was gone, and yet I could still hear its song. Its death had meant something to me, and it troubled me in a way that other deaths had not.

This world was changing me, without me even realizing it.

I felt a strange mix of sorrow and confusion as I stood there in the lab, looking down at the dead toad. This feeling of ambivalence, I pondered to myself, this is what it means to be a digital citizen. This was the price of living in a virtual reality.

My mentality had changed, and I knew that it would continue to do so as long as I remained in this world. People in virtual worlds no longer valued life like we used to- because death was no longer permanent.

Sure, it came at a cost, but even that loss could be recovered. This is what it means to be a digital citizen. To live in a world where life and death are both fleeting.

I shook my head, banishing these thoughts from my mind as I prepared the toad for dissection.

The blade of my scalpel glinted in the light as I carefully made the incision in the toad's abdomen, feeling grateful for the sharpness of my tools and the steady hands that guided them. This wasn't my first dissection of an amphibian, but it was always a tense and delicate process.

The amphibian's inner organs were a mixture of blues, yellows and greens that shone in the light. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I added each organ into its own jar before sealing them with wax and then I collected tissue samples from different parts of its body and placed them into glass vials, each one labeled accordingly. Its blood I placed into my retort- as it would prove invaluable for the frost elixir. Finally, I reached into its chest cavity and pulled out its tiny mana core, setting it aside in a vial.

“There we are,” I murmured, tossing my soiled gloves into the nearby wastebasket, I replaced them with a fresh pair before setting the blood filled retort to simmer over a wisp-core fueled flame.

"Zaius," I spoke gently, drawing the monkey's attention away from where he was cutting up piles of brown mushrooms. "I'm heading downstairs, once you're finished with the mushrooms you can go play."

The primate chittered before refocusing on the guillotine slicer he was operating with his secondary limbs. With practiced ease, the Shimosaru placed a mushroom on the tray with his right upper limb and slammed closed the bladed lid, slicing the fungus into even pieces. Gathering up the sliced mushrooms with a free hand, the Shimosaru laid them onto a drying rack while his other limbs were already busy loading and slicing up another mushroom.

After checking that the retort was bubbling away at a low heat, I left the laboratory. It would take a few hours for the liquid in the retort to boil dry at the low heat, which meant I had enough time to check on my other experiments.

When I exited the tower, I discovered that the hall of origin was filled with dozens of disciples, all listening intently to Brodel as he read from the book Trismegistus and the Philosophies of Nature.

“In truth, and without doubt- that which is below is like that which is above, and whatever is above is like that which is below. It is as such to accomplish the miracles of one thing. Its father is the sun and its mother is the moon. The wind has borne it in its body. Its nurse is the earth. It is the father of every miraculous work in the whole world. Its power is perfect if it is converted into earth. Separate the earth from the fire and the subtle from the gross, softly and with great prudence. It rises from earth to sky and comes down again from sky to earth and thus acquires the power of the realities above and the realities below." Brodel paused, lifting his gaze away from the book and looking out over the silent crowd of disciples.

“In this way you will acquire the glory of the whole world, and all darkness will leave you. This is the power of all powers, for it conquers everything subtle and penetrates everything solid. Thus the little world is created according to the prototype of the great world. From this and in this way, marvelous applications are made. If you wish to follow in my footsteps, you must possess the three parts of wisdom of the world.”

Brodel’s voice grew softer as he continued to recite from the book. His words echoed in my mind, like a distant memory of a forgotten dream. I felt a warmth spreading through my chest and filling me with a sense of nostalgia, as if my very soul was being reawakened.

“The roots of natural philosophy are complex and deep. They are vast, trailing down into the earth, and back through time, spanning seas and continents. The history of our temple is great, yet much has been lost. It is like a tree in the midst of winter, its branches barren of life, yet the roots continue to reach, trailing across the lands in search of nutrients.”

As Brodel stopped speaking, I announced my presence by adding onto the man’s words with a few of my own. “Spring is upon us, and you my disciples are the buds of new life on the branches of the great tree. Blessed be you, who walk the path of natural philosophy. Blessed be you, who follow in the teachings of Trismegistus the greatest of the divine.”

Golden waves of power flooded the room, outlining each disciple in a shimmering glow. The disciples gasped, staring down at their hands; a few touched their skin with awe as the blessing flowed over them, granting them a small increase to the blessings they already possessed as disciples.

Inclining my head in Brodel's direction, I descended the stairs and slipped through the door that led to the basement level of the temple.

My footsteps echoed in the darkness as I made my way through the caverns and into my hidden laboratory.

The retort was cool to the touch and contained a softly glowing blue liquid, the latest in a long line of experiments with Arcanium fungi and my most recent attempt to make the mana restoration tincture into something more potent. I was pleased with the results so far, though there was still much work to be done.

My fingers danced around the beakers and flasks as I worked, carefully measuring out ingredients and stirring them in the right proportions until I was satisfied with the result. The concoction bubbled and sparkled in response to my efforts, a beautiful mix of hues that was an almost mystical sight to behold.

Once I finished bottling up the mixture, I packed it away into a hidden compartment in the wall, then made my way back upstairs. The potion would need time to ferment in order to achieve its desired potency, but it was a start.

"Kadia," I froze, twisting around to look at Noctus as he stepped out of the shadows.

"Do you realize how close you just came to dying?" I asked, my voice laced with a hint of amusement. "For future reference, this particular tunnel is filled with some very nasty wraiths that will attack on sight."

"Is that so?" Noctus asked with a smirk, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Yes," I confirmed, nodding my head. "Which is why everyone who comes down here is warned not to enter this tunnel without me." I glanced at the vampire, giving him a smirk. "And don't think you're immune because you are a vampire—the wraiths don't need to corrupt you with necromantic taint to kill you; there are other ways."

Noctus simply smiled in response and looked at the empty tunnel behind me, which led to an empty cavern that I used as a decoy to hide the entrance to my laboratory. "I take it you have something important down there, then?"

"Nothing that concerns you," I said with a shrug.

Noctus nodded, his eyes crinkling in amusement. "Keep your secrets then, my sweet vixen."

"Noctus," I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "There is a time and place for everything, and a secret laboratory that is home to dangerous concoctions definitely does not qualify as either one."

Noctus chuckled. "Very well, I shall leave it at that." He stepped back, folding his hands behind his back. "The Whisper's have arrived."

"The Whispers?" I asked, my ears perking up. "Where are they?"

"Settling into the building you assigned for their temporary use," Noctus answered with a smile. "I'm here to warn you that Van is with them, pretending he is a lower ranked guild member. The twit thought he could even fool me, but I saw through his little disguise."

My eyes widened in surprise. "Why would he hide his identity?"

Noctus shrugged. "It's Van, so who knows? He's almost always in disguise, only a handful of people know what he truly looks like."

I shook my head and motioned for Noctus to follow me as I started walking. "How did you know it was him?"

"His ring," Noctus said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "He may be able to hide his face, but he can't hide the fact he is wearing a ring I enchanted for him. I recognized it instantly."

I smiled in amusement. "What if he gave it to someone else?"

"That's impossible," Noctus said as we stepped back into the temple. "It's tied to him, and made with a very rare material, I doubt anyone else would be able to replicate it."

"Mmm," I murmured, considering my options. "Are we playing along?"

Noctus nodded. "Of course, it's the polite thing to do."

I grinned and nodded. We may be dealing with a powerful guild, but that didn't mean we couldn't have a little fun in the process.

"Well then," I said, heading towards the entrance of the temple. "Let's go meet the Whispers."

-

The building assigned to the Whispers was a plain three story building, with a drawing room and kitchen on the first floor, bedrooms on the second, and a study area on the third. The plain wooden furnishings appeared to be hastily thrown together, but it was a functional space that the Whispers could use during their short stay.

The three Whispers stood near the center of the room, their black cloaks draped around them as they silently surveyed us. I couldn't make out any details of their faces beneath their cowls, but I guessed two of them must be men and one female based on body shape and stature.

"Welcome," I said, inclining my head slightly. "I am Kadia, the High Priestess of Trismegistus and a member of the Eternia guild. May I know your names or the names by which you would like to be known during your stay?”

One of the Whisper's stepped forward and bowed in greeting. "I am known as the Voice," he said in a low, raspy voice. "Thank you for your hospitality." The cloaked figure who spoke wore a golden ring depicting a skull cradling a coin in its mouth- the symbol of the Whisper's guild. Which I guessed meant he must be Van.

The other two Whispers said nothing, and I nodded once more, hiding my amusement. The voice? Who names themselves 'the voice'? I thought it was rather silly, but kept this observation to myself.

"Well then," I said with a polite smile. "Before I introduce you to your instructor, I must go over the rules of the temple. Whilst here, I expect you to behave in an appropriate manner, showing respect to the disciples and clergy. In addition, the caverns beneath the temple are off-limits, as is my personal tower. There are protections in place and I will take no responsibility for your deaths should you ignore my warnings. Are we clear on this?"

The Voice inclined his head in agreement. "Yes, we understand."

"Good," I said, then paused for a moment before continuing. "I am aware that you will likely attempt to sell much of the information found within the temple's books, which is fine by me. However, I must warn you that the text copying array will not work on these books - if you wish to capture the information, you must copy it by hand."

"You would not demand we not share the contents of the books?" the Voice asked.

I shook my head. "No," I replied. "It is our temple's goal to share our knowledge with the world, and I see no reason why you should not aid in that. I only ask that you credit our temple as the source of your information."

"You ask only to be named, and not to be financially reimbursed for our use of your knowledge?"the Voice asked, his tone incredulous.

I laughed. "No," I said with a wry smile. "I am not asking for any form of payment. The knowledge gained from our temple is priceless, and I doubt anyone would be able to offer any form of adequate compensation- not even the Whispers guild."

The Voice nodded, and the two behind him did as well. "Very well," he said finally. "We understand and accept your terms. We will respect the rules of your temple and credit you as the source of any information we gain during our stay."

I smiled. "Then, I welcome you to the temple of Philosophia Naturalis." I gestured towards the door. "If you will follow me, I shall introduce you to your instructor."

Obediently, the Whisper's followed me out of the building and across the plateau. Noctus followed in step with me, playing the role of a silent observer, and I was grateful for his presence.

As we entered the temple and passed through the hall of origin, I pointed out the different towers for alchemy, astrology and transmutation, explaining the rules for reserving the different workspaces in.

Finally, we arrived at the tower of transmutation and I opened the door leading to the first level library. "This is where you will be spending the majority of your time," I said. "Your instructor, Brodel, is the priest of this tower and will be able to answer any questions you may have."

The Voice stepped forward and I introduced him to Brodel, who welcomed them with a polite nod.

After seeing them settled with the books they needed to read before attempting to create their transmutation amulets, I left the tower with Noctus trailing after me.

"That went well," Noctus said as we left the tower of transmutation. "How long do you think it will take for one of them to die?"

I rolled my eyes. "One already did."

Noctus chuckled. "I'm not surprised Van brought more people with him than what was agreed upon."

"Neither am I." I said, my mouth curling into a small smile. "Shall we send the corpse to Van a welcoming gift?"

Noctus laughed. "Best leave out the fireworks this time."

I chuckled and nodded. "Agreed."

"I'm surprised you didn't ask for something in exchange for the books they’ll be copying," he said after a moment, his expression turning serious.

I shook my head. "There are disciples here who are copying out the content of the books and selling the information at great profit. If the Whispers also spread this knowledge it will break that monopoly and lower the value of the information. Knowledge shouldn't come at a price, it should be shared freely."

"Ah, so it's ultimately an act of benevolence?" Noctus teased.

I smiled, but didn't answer. We continued on our way in companionable silence until we reached the caverns where we located the lifeless body of a cloaked figure.

Noctus chuckled. "Looks like one of the Whispers got a bit too greedy," he said, tossing me a bag he removed from the man's belt. I checked the inventory screen, frowning at the sight of the mana crystals.

I shook my head and sighed. "Taking knowledge is one thing, but touching my mana crystals is something else entirely." I said, a cold smile forming on my lips. "Let's see if Van understands the consequences of losing me as an ally."

"Don't demand compensation outright," Noctus said with a smirk. "Make Van squirm a little before you tell him what you want."

I laughed. "Alight," I said, putting the bag of crystals in my pocket.

Together with Noctus, I led the wisp-controlled body up to the temple. When we entered the tower of transmutation I found the Whispers seated at one of the tables, their unease and tension palpable in the air as they watched us approach with the dead Whisper.

"You know," I said, my tone deceptively light, "I thought you might have had enough sense not to test me so soon."

The Voice glanced up at me, his expression unreadable beneath his cowl.

"I said the caverns were off limits," I reminded him. "It's very disappointing that you chose to ignore my warning; not only that, but you attempted to steal from me."

The Voice remained silent, his gaze locked on the Whisper standing behind me. Noctus stood with his arm draped around the cloaked figure's shoulders, a wicked smile on his face as he yanked back the man's hood, revealing his slack jawed face and blank, lifeless eyes.

The Voice shifted his attention back to me. "What would you have us do?" he asked, cautiously.

"This Whisper attempted to steal a large number of mana crystals," I said coldly. "I was under the impression that the Whispers and I had an understanding, but clearly I was mistaken. Thus your welcome here has been revoked and the deal struck is null and void."

"What would you have us do as penance for our mistake?" The Voice repeated.

"You think the Whispers have something to offer that would appease me?" I asked, a hint of amusement creeping into my voice.

The Voice nodded. "We can offer knowledge. If it pleases you, I could arrange for a copy of every book held within our archives."

I laughed, unable to contain the sound any longer. "Do you believe your books are superior to those here? I can assure you, they are not."

The Voice was silent, his head lowering. I paused for a moment before speaking again. "It is truly a pity- I'd begun to form a respectable impression of your guild leader, Van, but clearly I was wrong. Perhaps the Whispers should take some time to reflect on the consequences of their actions, and when enough time has passed you may come to me with a more suitable offering. Until then, it is time you depart."

With that I turned and left the tower, leaving the body of the dead Whisper to flop lifelessly on the floor as I recalled the wisp controlling it.

As Noctus and I walked away, the sound of hushed voices echoed in our ears. Perhaps now the Whispers would tread with a little more respect and caution when dealing with me.

"How long," I said glancing over at Noctus, "before Van comes up with a better offer?"

Noctus smiled. "I think it will be sooner rather than later," he said.

We laughed as we continued walking, heading up to my office to wait for 'the Voice' to come groveling.