We returned to the academy the next morning.
The portal deposited us at the main gate just as students hurried to morning classes. They stopped when they saw us—whispers spreading, eyes widening, the usual reaction now. We'd learned to ignore it.
Darius stretched. "Feels different now. Knowing we don't have to be here."
"Freeing or unsettling?" Lyra asked.
"Both."
We walked through familiar halls toward our quarters. Everything looked the same—the same stone walls, the same arched windows, the same portraits of headmasters past. But everything felt different. We didn't belong here anymore. Not as students. Not as residents. We were visitors now, passing through on our way to something else.
Professor Voss found us at midday.
"You're back." He looked relieved. "The King's ceremony—I heard. Lord Ren. It suits you."
"Feels strange."
"Good strange or bad strange?"
"Haven't decided yet." I paused. "Voss, I need to ask you something. About gods."
His expression shifted. "My office. Now."
---
Voss's Office
The office hadn't changed—still piled with books, papers, artifacts from decades of teaching. Voss closed the door behind us and gestured for me, Mei Lian, Darius, and Lyra to sit.
"Gods," he said. "That's not a topic people discuss lightly."
"Why not?"
"Because they're real. And because they're dangerous." He settled behind his desk. "What do you want to know?"
I thought about Mira—the old woman who'd helped me, who'd felt like more than she appeared. "Everything. How many? Where did they come from? What do they want?"
Voss was quiet for a long moment.
"Centuries ago—millennia, really—gods walked this world openly. They weren't like the stories tell. Not all-powerful beings who created everything. More like... advanced beings. Immortal, yes. Powerful, yes. But with limits."
"Limits?"
"They couldn't create life. Couldn't break certain natural laws. Couldn't exist without worship—without belief." He leaned forward. "That's the key, Ren. Gods need believers. Without them, they fade. Weaken. Eventually... disappear."
Lyra's eyes narrowed. "So the gods who are still around—"
"Are the ones who maintained worship. Who adapted. Who found ways to stay relevant." Voss pulled a book from his shelf. "The Forgotten Goddess. Mira. Once one of the most powerful. Temples across every kingdom. Millions of followers."
"What happened?"
"The Network happened." He opened the book to a marked page. "When the first immortal rose—the Network's founder—he declared war on the gods. Said they were parasites. Draining belief that should go to mortals. He killed them. One by one."
I stared at the page. Ancient illustrations showed battles between immortals and beings of light.
"Mira survived?"
"Barely. She went into hiding. Her temples fell. Her followers dwindled. Now..." He shrugged. "Now she's a footnote. A legend. Most people don't even know she was real."
Mei Lian spoke quietly. "But Ren met her. In that temple."
"Her final sanctuary. The last place where belief still flickers." Voss looked at me. "If she reached out to you—if she helped you—it means something."
"What?"
"I don't know. But gods don't act without reason. She saw something in you. Potential. Purpose." He closed the book. "Be careful, Ren. Gods are not like people. Their love is not like ours. Their plans span centuries."
---
Lyra's Research
That night, Lyra pulled me aside.
"I've been digging through every record I can access. The Curator's archives. The academy's oldest texts. Even some Earth databases Sarah helped me connect to."
"Find anything?"
"Maybe." She spread papers across a table. "The gods—the real ones, the ones who survived—they're not just watching. They're waiting."
"For what?"
"Something Voss mentioned. The Network's founder—the first immortal—he didn't just hate gods. He wanted to replace them." She pointed at a diagram. "See this? It's a ritual. Ancient. If completed, it would transfer all remaining divine power to a single mortal. Making them... something new. Something beyond god or immortal."
"The first immortal. He's been trying to do this for centuries?"
"Maybe. And if Mira reached out to you—if she gave you her blessing—it might be because she needs you to stop him."
The weight of it pressed down.
"Why me?"
"That's what you'll have to ask her."
---
Darius's Thoughts
I found him on the training grounds, as usual.
"You're thinking about the goddess."
"Always."
"Good. Means you're taking it seriously." He paused his drills. "You know what I think? I think gods are just people with more power. Same flaws. Same fears. Same selfishness."
"You've met gods?"
"No. But I've met immortals. And they're just people who lived too long." He met my eyes. "If Mira's different—if she actually cares—then she's worth listening to. But don't forget: she let her followers die. She let her temples fall. She hid while others suffered."
"She had no choice."
"Maybe. Or maybe she did and made the wrong one." He turned back to his drills. "Just... keep your eyes open, Ren. Trust, but verify."
---
Mei Lian – The Bond
That night, lying in darkness, Mei Lian held me close.
"The bond is stronger now," she whispered. "Since Glass. Since you almost—" She stopped. Swallowed. "I can feel you. Not just emotions. Thoughts, sometimes. Flickers."
"Really?"
"Really. And right now, I feel... torn. You want to go. You need to go. But you're scared."
"I'm always scared."
"Not like this. This is different." She traced patterns on my chest. "You're scared of what she'll tell you. What she'll ask. What it might cost."
I didn't deny it.
"Whatever it is, we'll face it together. After you come back." She kissed me. "But you have to come back."
"I will."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
---
The Dream
That night, I dreamed.
Mira stood before me—not the old woman, but something else. Radiant. Timeless. Golden eyes that held centuries.
"You've been learning about us. About me."
"I have."
"Good. You should know what you're walking into." She stepped closer. "The other gods—the ones who survived—they're not like me. They've adapted. Changed. Some rule kingdoms from shadows. Some sleep, waiting for worship to return. Some..." She hesitated. "Some made deals with the Network. With the first immortal."
My blood chilled. "Gods working with the Network?"
"Survival makes strange bedfellows." She touched my face—her fingers warm, solid, real despite the dream. "When you come to me, I'll tell you everything. Who to trust. Who to fear. What the first immortal truly wants."
"Why not tell me now?"
"Because dreams are fragile. And because some truths need to be spoken face to face." She began to fade. "Come to the temple, Ren. Come alone. And be ready for answers that will change everything."
I woke gasping.
Mei Lian was already awake, already holding me.
"She spoke to you."
"How did you know?"
"The bond. I felt her." She kissed my forehead. "What did she say?"
I told her.
When I finished, she was quiet for a long moment.
"Then you have to go."
"I know."
"Three days. If you're not back—"
"Three days. Then you come for me."
She nodded. Held me tighter.
Dawn came too soon.
---
Preparation
Morning arrived clear and cold.
I packed lightly—the stone from Mira, the ring from the King, a few supplies. Mei Lian watched from the doorway, arms crossed, face carefully neutral.
Darius appeared. Clapped my shoulder.
"Try not to die. It'd be inconvenient."
"I'll do my best."
Lyra hugged me—brief, fierce, unexpected. "Come back. We have plans to make."
"I will."
Voss waited at the gate. He pressed a small book into my hands.
"Gods and Their Ways. Old text. Might help." He met my eyes. "Trust your instincts, Ren. They've gotten you this far."
I nodded. Looked back at my team—my family.
Mei Lian walked to me. Kissed me deeply. The bond blazed with everything she couldn't say.
"Three days."
"Three days."
I turned and walked toward the temple.