Chapter 119 – Lorata
My breath catches in my throat.
It’s her. It’s actually Lorata. For so long I’ve heard stories about her—from Fyrethians, from Jorrians, from Blair and Shirasil. And that’s what she’d felt like: a story.
But now she’s standing before me, and she’s abruptly real.
[Name: Lorata]
[Title: God]
[Class: Luminary]
[Level: 100]
[Mana: 5,926/10,000]
[HP: 10,000/10,000]
[Role: The Seer]
Several Travelers let out startled cries at the appearance of the two gods, and the group chat I’d started explodes with concerned questions coming in far too fast for me to address.
[Fyre: Everyone, please, try to remain calm!]
Rinviu glances our way in surprise, but the God of Light looks over us with mild indifference. She doesn’t even register me. But as she turns away from our platform, she pauses.
“Kanin,” Lorata says. Her voice is cold and level. “I’ve been looking for you.”
Kanin has frozen on a nearby block—even his void, usually fluid and in constant motion, looks like a still frame from a movie. Lorata begins to drift in his direction, and his void erupts in nervous movement once more.
I’m too close to everyone to activate my Jets. I hurry to the edge of the platform, ready to jump off and summon my flames when I’m safely out of their reach, but with a burst of wind, Rinviu moves between us. I stutter to a stop before I skid off the platform. The harpy god hovers before me, spreading their wings to cut off my line of sight to Kanin and Lorata. The wind begins to pick up, pulling at my feathers, swirling faster and stronger about our platform. The Travelers edge away from Rinviu’s wind, pressing in close.
Lorata says something to Kanin, but between the distance and Rinviu’s wind, I can’t make it out.
I send him a message.
[Fyre: Are you alright?]
[Kanin: Fucking peachy]
I grimace.
[Fyre: Are you able to keep transporting Travelers to us?]
[Kanin: Yeah. More incoming. Double-tasking is about the least of my worries right this second]
[Fyre: Hang in there. I’ll figure something out up here.]
But what? What can I do? I don’t have the Dungeon Core’s abilities to lean on. Rinviu is keeping me from taking flight. There are over twenty disoriented Travelers here on the platform with me, and more by the minute. How do we get out of this?
I fade back into the crowd of people; it seems neither Rinviu nor Lorata has distinguished me from the other Travelers, yet. I gesture to Noli, nervously turning my back to Rinviu and hunching my wings to keep our conversation private.
She signs before I have a chance to start.
“When the portal opens, you lead them through,” she tells me. “I’ll go last to keep Kanin safe.”
I’m hesitant to agree with this. My instinct is to tell her I should be last to make sure everyone gets out, first.
But there’s Ollie to think about, and if I understand how Kanin’s spell works, he’ll need me to make sure the portal opens to the right place back home, just like he’d needed Shirasil to ensure we ended up in the right place in the Heavens.
I don’t have time to argue. I’ll just need to trust that Noli and Kanin can take care of themselves; getting the Travelers through will be my responsibility.
“Alright,” I agree. “We’ll need to be ready for Rinviu, too.”
She frowns at my lips, and I incrementally gesture my head back toward the god.
“We fight,” I clumsily sign.
She nods curtly. “I can hold them off long enough for the rest of you to get through.”
I raise a skeptical eyebrow, and she laughs.
“I know,” she signs. “But I just have this feeling I can do it. Like I’m stronger than before.” She looks down at a hand, squeezing it into a fist. “I can’t explain it, but I’ve never felt so capable.”
This sounds like more than adrenaline talking. Recalling the spell Kanin performed with Noli earlier in the evening, I curiously give her a Check.
[Name: Noli]
[Title: PENDING]
[Species: Elf]
[Class: Woodland Ranger]
[Level: 32]
[HP: 125/125]
[Mana: 100/100]
[Allegiance: Kanin]
My heart skips a beat. Title? Allegiance? These weren’t there before, I’m sure of it. Why is the title pending, though? And Kanin as her Allegiance…
My stomach turns as everything I’ve been mulling over for the last several months begins to slide into place.
The remnants are connected to the power that sustains the gods. There are gods the world doesn’t know about. And now, the revelation that the Heavens operate under a different temporal reference frame—
I turn back to Rinviu. They’re still blocking me from seeing what’s going on with Kanin and Lorata, but I don’t need Lorata to confirm my theory. I Check Rinviu’s age.
[Check: 165 years]
I let out a sharp breath like I’ve been punched in the gut. The gods are supposed to be thousands of years old. And I suppose they are—from Lusio’s perspective.
A chill washes through me as I fit all the pieces together. Refiners. The Gods’ Tournaments. Champions, remnants, the Heavens. My perception of the world shifts, like a lens snapping into focus.
I still don’t have all the answers—I don’t understand how the System is connected, yet. But I have a damn good idea of what’s really going on.
Noli puts a hand on my arm. “Fyre? Are you alright?”
My mouth is dry, but I force myself to swallow as I nod. “I’m okay. Explain later.” There’s no way I can dive into the intricacies of it all now, especially without a translator. But more than that, we’re still in danger. We still have these people to save.
A light flashes behind Rinviu. The god spares a curious glance backward. Kanin darts away, a smudge of black against the white room, and Lorata is instantly on his heels. I guess their conversation has broken down. Though it was always doomed to, I suspect.
Another Traveler appears on our platform, and Chidinma greets him, helping the lamia to his feet. Or, tail, as the case may be. Even in the midst of fleeing, Kanin is still managing to get the last Travelers to us. I have Echo do a quick head count: only three more to go.
In a blur of movement, Noli steps around me and looses an arrow. It happens so fast, I didn’t even see her draw. The arrow pierces Rinviu’s wall of wind with a green flash of magic, striking its target only moments later: Lorata’s hand, outstretched toward Kanin. The arrow ricochets harmlessly off the god, but she pauses, turning back toward us with a frown. The moment her back is turned, Kanin flees, his glass and void splitting a dozen ways to scatter throughout the room.
Rinviu turns back to us with an annoyed look. They raise a hand toward Noli, and I summon fire to my hands, stepping in front of her. The god makes a sharp, dismissive gesture, and I brace for their attack. A wind blows over us, then the rest of Noli’s arrows lift from her quiver and cast themselves over the edge of our platform.
“No more of that,” the god says, once more turning away to watch Lorata and Kanin’s game of cat-and-mouse.
God. Do they even deserve that title?
A message from Kanin appears in my interface.
[K̶a̵n̷i̶n̸: thats all of them]
I glance over the Travelers.
[Fyre: We have thirty-one. Is that it? I thought there was one more.]
[K̶a̵n̷i̶n̸: no. thats all of them]
He’d know better than me, given his ability to be everywhere at once. But that means we’re ready to escape, just as soon as Kanin is given the opportunity to retrieve all the leftover void from inside each time bubble and complete the Planar Linkage spell.
[Fyre: Alright. You focus on the spell circle—I’ll handle Lorata.]
[K̶a̵n̷i̶n̸: handle?]
In the past, I might have considered this foolish. And perhaps it still is, given her mana levels. Yet, I’ve never felt more sure of things than I do now.
“Lorata,” I call. I move to the edge of the crowded platform, and Rinviu once more drifts over to block my way before I can attempt to jump off. Lorata continues to ignore me in pursuit of Kanin.
“It’s me you want,” I call, raising my voice. I’ve never had a particularly loud voice, but that doesn’t mean I can’t project when I need to. “Or has it been so long that you’ve forgotten what you did to my city?”
The god of light falters, turning back to face me. Finally, finally she seems to acknowledge my existence.
Her voice wavers with uncertainty. “Fyreneth?”
I smile tightly to myself. She’s not who she claims to be. Well, two of us can play that game.
Noli helps shepherd the Travelers away from me, and I light Jets in my hands. Lorata stares for a moment longer, then gestures toward Rinviu. The harpy god hesitates, then moves aside. I activate more Jets beneath my wings and feet, quickly taking flight before anyone can change their mind—including me.
Lorata floats toward me at the same time I drift away from the Travelers. As she approaches, she positions herself between me and the platform of Travelers. Probably intentional on her part, but also intentional on mine: now her back is to them, and as Rinviu watches us, their back is to Noli.
Good. Continue to underestimate us.
[Your magic has been identified.]
“No,” Lorata says as she finally hovers to a stop ten meters before me. Up close, despite all the ethereal white light she emits, she appears strangely human. Faint wrinkles trace the corners of her eyes. “Not Fyreneth,” she says. “Merely an impersonator.”
Look who’s talking.
I lift my chin in defiance. “I know who I am, and I am no fraud. I am Fyre, co-ruler of Fyreneth’s Fortress, heir to her spirit, enactor of her will. And in her name, I will stand as patron to anyone forsaken by the gods, be that Fyrethians or Travelers.”
Lorata scoffs. “Forsaken? The stories you all tell yourselves to justify your resentment. Fyreneth buried her own kingdom. Do you really think I would kill thousands of innocents when it is only one I am after?” She sweeps her arm to the side, gesturing to the room. “If I were interested in death, I would not be protecting these Travelers.”
“Protecting?” The word summons an instinctive anger within me. “Imprisonment is never protection.”
“Never is a confident claim.” Lorata glances back at the crowd of Travelers huddled on the platform. “These people are lost. Confused. Some of them being driven mad by their broken Roles. Containment is a mercy.”
“If that’s true, then they deserve the choice,” I say. “Who are you to decide their fate?”
Lorata flares with blinding light like a miniature sun. “Who am I? I am the Seer. Head of the pantheon. You have no idea what horrors I have seen—what threats I have faced. And everything, everything I have done has been for the sake of this world. Who are you to question my actions? You know nothing of our history.”
No. But I’m starting to get a much better idea. “If you were sincere about wanting what’s best for us, you wouldn’t need to resort to theatrics.”
Lorata squeezes her hands into fists, and for a moment, I tense in anticipation of an attack. For all my bravado, for all I’ve deduced about who she really is, she is still a much more powerful mage than myself. I can’t push this too far.
Yet, to my surprise, the intense light radiating from her in waves recedes–until it’s dimmer than it had been before, even. Without all the light to obscure the imperfections, her true age shows through. Her face is gaunt, and her frame looks surprisingly frail.
“What is best for all is not necessarily what is best for an individual,” she says quietly. “For the wellbeing of our planet, some will need to be incarcerated. Surely you can understand this?”
“I can,” I say. “Yet, I am not sure I agree with you in this instance. You are doing all this because of the remnants, aren’t you?”
Lorata frowns, searching my face. I wonder if she’s confused by my lack of fear. Does she suspect I know what she is? Does that make me a bigger threat in need of elimination?
Or is she tired of this charade and in need of someone who understands?
“If you understand the nature of the remnants,” Lorata says, “then you must understand why we cannot risk them falling into the wrong hands.”
“Perhaps.” I can understand her fear of what might happen if one of these remnants went out of control. If something like the Dungeon Core was wielded by someone who wished to use it for ill. “But what of the ones that have fallen into the hands of those who would use them for good? Surely those are not a threat to your order.”
She purses her lips. “No matter the intent, anyone with a remnant will inevitably succumb to its influence. And with these entities, it is best to be proactive.”
I snort. “It seems that is more of an opinion than a statement of fact. It’s my understanding that not all gods are in agreement on this point.”
“And which gods are these?” Lorata snaps, her lights flaring once more.
I smile tightly. “I’m afraid that would be a betrayal of trust.”
Lorata returns the smile with a thin one of her own. “And I’m afraid I wasn’t asking.” Her posture straightens, her face smoothing into an impersonal mask, as she begins to drift toward me.
Unfortunate, though I hadn’t expected the conversation to end any other way. I hope it was enough time for Kanin to ready his spell, at least.
At the thought, his name crackles to life in my Contact interface.
[K̶a̵n̷i̶n̸: don’t react]
I try to keep a neutral face, gliding back even as Lorata glides forward.
[Fyre: React to what?]
Green light explodes behind her. Lorata spins around—just in time for Kanin to launch a Lightbeam straight into her eyes.
She cries out, slapping her hands to her face, and at the same moment something lands on my back. It takes every ounce of self control to keep myself from gasping.
[K̶a̵n̷i̶n̸: that]
I steady my nerves.
[Fyre: Is that you?]
[K̶a̵n̷i̶n̸: yes. you have the focus?]
More lashes of green light are happening back on the platform. I recognize it as the color of Noli’s magic, but there’s too much movement to understand what’s going on. Instead, I focus on Kanin, slipping my bracer off and holding it behind my back.
[Fyre: Here.]
Something takes it from me as Lorata slashes a dismissive hand toward Kanin’s attack, breaking his Lightbeam apart. She turns back to me with a snarl.
“Resisting was a mistake,” she snaps. “But you will answer all my questions once subjected to Quimalad’s mind magic.”
She raises a hand toward me—
And then she’s gone. A blur of white-on-white crashes into her with blinding speed, sending up a plume of dust where she impacts a wall. Ollie’s laughter rings through my head.
I open my mouth, but I’m too stunned to find the right words.
Something pushes at my back.
[K̶a̵n̷i̶n̸: go!]
[Fyre: But Ollie—]
The weight shoves me forward. I take over a moment later, gimbaling my Jets to rocket back toward the Traveler platform. Rinviu is nowhere to be seen.
[Fyre: Ollie, are you—]
[Ollie: WOW!]
He laughs into my head, even as he uses the Interface to chat with Kanin and myself.
[Ollie: DID YOU SEE THAT? THAT WAS SO COOL! I WAS LIKE—LIKE ONE OF THOSE BIG BALLS THAT CRANES SWING AROUND TO KNOCK BUILDINGS OVER!]
[K̶a̵n̷i̶n̸: wrecking ball]
[Ollie: A WRECKING BALL!]
My mind finally catches up with my shock. Momentum is mass times velocity. Ollie is still a two-ton dragon. He wouldn’t have needed to be going very fast at all to hit Lorata like a truck. And he had been going pretty fast. I frantically scan the growing cloud of dust that’s radiating from where Lorata vanished.
[Fyre: Are you alright?! Where are you?]
[Ollie: I’M COMING! I ACCIDENTALLY BROKE THROUGH A WALL.]
A moment later, Ollie’s tiny form shoots out of the cloud and comes zipping back up to me with a series of happy, tiny chirps.
“Ollie,” I say, heart nearly hammering out of my chest. “Don’t do that to me!”
“DO WHAT?” He lands on the platform at the same time I arrive, and stone cracks beneath him. “I SAVED YOU! ECHO EVEN SAYS SO.”
“Your Role?” I ask. “Is it still bothering you?”
“NO,” he thinks happily. “SHE SAID IT’S SATISFIED!”
I slump in relief. There’s that, at least.
The pressure at my back vanishes as a blob of glass and void zip around me, carrying my bracer to the center of the spell circle. I have to fight off the instinct to tell him to be careful with it; as if protecting Mirzayael’s bracer should be any sort of priority at this moment. Still, though. I desperately hope to get it back.
Kanin and Noli are speaking off to the side, the latter of which is gesturing excitedly toward one of the floating blocks to our right. The object it half caved in, with green magic flickering within a debris cloud that’s clearing even as I watch. Inside is an unconscious harpy, wrapped in green vine-like magic.
Oh. That’s where Rinviu went.
[Kanin: Get ready]
The air above us rips, black nothingness tearing through our surroundings.
[Kanin: Starting up the spell now. Let’s get the fuck out of here]
I nervously glance toward the unconscious Rinviu and dust-filled crater where Lorata had vanished. I don’t know how much time we have before the gods recover, but now may be our only opportunity to slip through their grasp.
[Fyre: Agreed. Take us home.]