The trio of Bane, Liora, and Eir had a delicious meal consisting of three courses: a leafy green salad, a main course, and a choice of desserts. With their tab paid and a few small Shill coins on the table for a gracious tip, the three left the building and wobbled back with their full bellies.
With the sun having set long ago, the air had cooled and the sky cleared, leaving the moon hanging large in the sky and shining down, lighting the way along with the energy crystal light posts. One thing was on the minds of all three people: sleeping arrangements.
With just two beds and three people, there would have to be some compromise. The three silently thought about that scenario for the rest of the walk back. Bane seemed to have come to a conclusion and started talking just before they arrived.
"I'll probably sleep on the floor tonight, at least until there's another bed," Bane said, assuming that's why the others were so quiet. Little did he know he was exactly right. Liora was hoping this would happen as it would be awkward for her.
Eir, on the other hand, was slightly disappointed but went along with it. "Of course, not like I wanted to share a bed with you anyway," she lied, crossing her arms and looking away from Bane. With that settled, they returned to their jovial and relaxed mood.
Back home, there was occasional idle chatter, but for the most part, the three were lost in their books—or in Liora's case, organizing her things. Bane sat next to the fireplace with his head up against the wall, while the two women sat in their beds.
As night settled and the lights turned off, Bane was the first to fall asleep. Next to the fireplace, the warmth was soothing and easily lulled him into a deep slumber. The two women weren't so quick to sleep.
Liora was used to falling asleep with other women in the room, but not a man. With him being across the room and someone she trusted, she was the next to fall asleep. Eir was the last.
After getting used to Bane's presence in bed over the past week or so, having that disappear was something she had to adjust to. Also, being a goddess known for ice magic and therefore used to the cold did not help her now as she sat cold and alone in bed.
Wanting to get a good night's sleep, she willed herself asleep, and finally everyone in the Eir Faction building had drifted into slumber. Just like the order in which they fell asleep, Bane was the first to wake up from the uncomfortable sleeping conditions, then Liora woke up still not used to her surroundings.
Seeing Bane walking around and leaving the back room, Liora quietly got up, being sure not to wake Eir. Since Eir almost always woke up last, Liora and Bane chatted quietly outside the back room until Eir finally woke up a short while later.
With a groan, Eir stretched her arms into the air and looked to her right to see Bane was missing. She thought nothing of it and turned to see that Liora was also missing. Eir panicked. 'Did they leave without me!?' She threw the covers off the bed and rushed out of the back room.
"Oh, you're awake," Bane said with a smile, looking her up and down. Her disheveled hair went in different directions.
"I thought you guys left," Eir pouted, trying not to cry. "Why didn't you wake me up?!" Eir's attitude quickly changed to anger and apprehension.
"As they say, a god needs her beauty sleep," Bane said. With that, Eir tried combing her hand through her hair and realized how she looked. Her hand got stuck at a knot and felt it going in an odd direction. She quickly dipped back into the room and shouted.
"One second!" Eir shouted, embarrassed, through the door. Liora and Bane chuckled quietly among themselves at their goddess's actions. Eir quickly reemerged looking as perfect as ever, her hair brushed and clothes perfectly accentuating her figure.
The trio swiftly made their way to the Library of Gren through the brisk, cool winter morning. When they entered, Bane still was not used to the scenes: librarians and books flying around through the air. But with no time to waste, the three walked to the magic section next to the dungeon.
With hundreds of grimoires, nearly anyone in Gren could learn magic. But Gren was an incredibly safe city for one reason: the adventurers. Combat spells were banned outside of the dungeon, and if there was a rampant mage causing havoc in the city, the top adventurers would come together and stop them.
Sometimes adventurers would go rogue, but there were always more adventurers who fought for good than joined the bad.
The trio stood before the magic section. There wasn't much difference between the grimoires aside from language and level. Bane just needed a starter grimoire, and Liora soon presented him with one.
"This one is like the one I had when I started," she explained. "It goes in depth about incantations, magic circles, everything you would need to get started." Eir too had a recommendation but admitted that Liora's was better for beginners.
Liora also looked for a grimoire focusing on healing, more specifically light healing. After finding something useful, she tucked it under her arm and waited until the trio had everything they needed.
After signing out the two grimoires and Eir's romance book, they took them to a relaxed café and got a small breakfast. Just before they dug into the food and the books, Liora asked Bane to do something.
"Before you start reading the grimoire, you should pray to the One on High," Liora suggested.
"Why?" Bane asked, confused as he removed his hand from the cover just before opening it.
"Well, it may just be a myth, but we were told that sometimes the One on High will answer your calls. Then they will enlighten you," Liora shared. It was mostly speculation with no proof, but Bane chose to humor her.
"So, what do I do?" Bane asked, wondering how to pray, as he had never done so before.
"Just close your eyes, clasp your hands together, and ask a question or be thankful. Say anything referring to the One on High, and he may answer," Liora said, using her hands to demonstrate.
Eir looked on doubtfully, skeptical that the One on High would answer a mortal's call. But she simply kept quiet and sipped her tea as she watched. Bane looked at the two women as Liora motioned for him to continue.
Even in a world of gods and goddesses, Bane was never one to pray. Regardless, to humor Liora, he joined his hands and closed his eyes. With his thoughts empty and his vision dark, he focused on his breathing and realized his heart was beating quicker than usual.
'Am I nervous?' he thought. With a deep breath, he tried to calm down.
'I don't know how to do this...' He opened one eye to see the two women staring at him.
"Close your eyes," Liora whispered as Eir looked away, feigning disinterest. Bane listened and shut his eye, focusing again.
'The One on High, why?' Liora had told Bane to ask a question or be thankful, so he chose the biggest question of all: Why?
Even with his eyes closed, his blackened vision instantly turned white, reminiscent of Eir's domain. He looked around and noticed he was in the same chair, same position, same everything—except he was alone in a field of white.
The whiteness reverberated, sending waves through the room as if manipulating reality itself. The vibrations nearly made Bane's ears bleed; he winced and covered them. It didn't help much as the waves continued rippling out.
"It has been a while since anything like this has happened," a booming voice echoed through Bane's ears as the rippling reality became more violent, like a portal opening before him.
The voice was deep and strong, but what appeared as the rippling crescendoed was inexplicable. The being was not a person, not even humanoid. It didn't resemble any organic thing, only a combination of objects.
A floating being with white wings and two large arms extending from seemingly nowhere. At its center was an average marble statue, but when Bane tried to look at its face, a black box covered it. The rest of the being was conjoined with flowers sprouting from nowhere, making it look whole.
"What?" Bane looked on in horror. Its power was unlimited, its being indescribable. It was god—the One on High.
He nearly fell back in his chair but barely kept his composure. No one knew what the One on High looked like, only theories, but none of them was like this. Bane did not know where to look, presumably it had a face, though it was covered by the black box that followed it's face as it moved.
"I am what you know as, the One on High." Boomed it's voice.