Three days since I'd returned home.
Three days of rest, of holding Mei Lian, of letting the twelve blessings settle into something resembling normal. Three days of pretending, just for a moment, that the world wasn't counting down to war.
But pretending couldn't last.
I stood on the academy's highest tower at dawn, watching light spread across familiar towers. The stone from Mira pulsed warm against my chest. Beside it, Terra's gift and Nereus's pearl rested like old friends.
Twelve gods. Each one waiting. Each one hoping.
Now I had to bring them together.
---
The Method
Oracle had explained it before I left her island.
"Your blessings aren't just gifts—they're connections. Threads linking you to each god. If you focus on all twelve at once, you can speak to them. Summon them. But—" She'd paused. "—it will cost you."
"What kind of cost?"
"Energy. Life force. A piece of yourself. Not permanently, but... you'll feel it. For days afterward."
I'd nodded. Accepted. What choice did I have?
Now, standing on the tower, I reached for those threads.
Mira first—her warmth always easiest to find. Then Valdur's strength, solid as mountain stone. Lira's healing, gentle but persistent. Aric's wisdom, patient and deep. Selene's cold, distant but present. Solara's light, burning bright. Theron's storms, wild and free. Noctis's shadows, watching from edges. Ignis's fire, creative and destructive. Terra's depth, ancient and steady. Nereus's sea, vast and mysterious.
All twelve. All at once.
The world dissolved.
---
The Between
I floated in a space that wasn't space.
Around me, twelve presences gathered—some bright, some dark, some warm, some cold. They circled like ancient predators, watching, waiting, remembering.
"Ren." Mira's voice, warm as always. "You've done it. You've brought us together."
"First time in centuries," Theron rumbled. "Feels strange."
"Feels dangerous," Noctis added. "The Network will notice."
"Let them." Ignis's voice crackled with heat. "I'm tired of hiding."
Murmurs of agreement. And disagreement. And everything between.
I spoke into the chaos.
"We don't have time for old arguments. The first immortal is gathering. Serena's hiding place is failing. We have three hundred forty-seven days to prepare."
Silence.
Then Terra's voice, slow and deep: "The child speaks truth. I feel the countdown in my bones."
"As do I," Nereus agreed. "The sea whispers of war."
Mira stepped forward—not physically, but her presence intensified. "Ren has walked among us. Gathered our blessings. Carried our hope. Now he asks us to stand together."
"For what?" Solara's voice held old pain. "Last time we stood together, we lost everything."
"Last time we stood divided. Hiding. Fighting alone." Mira's voice sharpened. "This time is different."
"How?"
"Because we have something we didn't have before." She looked at me. "Him."
---
The Argument
It got worse before it got better.
Centuries of isolation, fear, and guilt exploded into accusations. Theron blamed Solara for abandoning him. Solara blamed Selene for freezing her out. Noctis accused Ignis of giving weapons to mortals. Ignis reminded Noctis of shadows that had watched and done nothing.
Gods fighting like children.
I stood in the center, letting it wash over me. Waiting.
When the chaos peaked, I raised my hand—not threatening, just present.
They fell silent.
"I didn't walk across twelve worlds, climb your mountains, cross your oceans, and dive into your depths to watch you fight." My voice was calm. Steady. Tired. "I did it because Mira believed in me. Because Valdur gave me strength. Because Lira taught me that healing isn't just magic—it's hope. Because every single one of you, in your own way, showed me that gods can still care."
Silence.
"I'm not asking you to forget the past. I'm asking you to fight for the future. For the mortals who still believe in you. For the worlds that still remember your names. For Serena—who's waited centuries for someone to save the man she loves."
Mira stepped beside me. Then Terra. Then, slowly, one by one, the others.
"We stand together," Mira said. "Or we fall alone. There is no other choice."
Theron was the first to nod. Then Solara. Then Selene. Then all of them.
"We stand together."
---
The Council
We agreed to meet in one week.
Oracle's island—neutral ground, protected by storms and sight and centuries of isolation. All twelve gods would gather in person for the first time in over a thousand years.
"This won't be easy," Aric warned. "Old wounds don't heal overnight."
"They don't heal at all if we don't try." I looked at each of them. "Bring your hopes. Your fears. Your anger. We'll work through it together."
"And if we can't?" Noctis asked.
"Then we'll have tried. That's more than anyone's done before."
The presences began to fade—returning to their temples, their domains, their centuries of solitude.
But something lingered. A thread connecting them now. A possibility.
Mira stayed until the end.
"You did well," she said. "Bringing them together was the hardest part."
"The hardest part is still coming."
"Yes." She touched my cheek—warm, motherly, proud. "But you won't face it alone."
She faded.
I opened my eyes on the tower, dawn fully risen, the academy bustling below.
And collapsed.
---
The Cost
Mei Lian found me an hour later, slumped against the tower wall, barely conscious.
"Ren!" The bond blazed with her fear. "What happened?"
"Summoned... the gods. Took... more than I expected."
She helped me to our quarters. Made me drink. Made me eat. Made me rest.
"You're an idiot," she said, but her voice was soft. "A wonderful, impossible, infuriating idiot."
"Love you too."
She kissed my forehead. "Sleep. I'll watch."
I slept.
---
The Week
Recovery took days.
The blessings hummed constantly now—twelve voices in the back of my mind, each one distinct, each one present. They'd been connected by the summoning, bound together in ways that would take time to understand.
Darius visited. Brought news of army preparations. Left when he saw I needed rest.
Lyra came with updates—Network movements, allied world status, Earth's continued cooperation. She stayed longer, talking quietly, letting me feel normal.
Vera appeared via communication crystal. Reported that Echoes was ready. Asked when we'd need them.
Soon, I told her. Soon.
Theo and Mira sent a message—short, sweet, full of love. "We believe in you. All of you. Come visit when you can."
I read it twice. Smiled.
On the sixth day, I could stand without help.
On the seventh, I prepared to return to Oracle's island.
---
Departure
Mei Lian stood with me at the portal.
"I'm coming this time."
"You're needed here. The armies—"
"Can wait one day." She met my eyes. "The bond nearly broke when you collapsed. I'm not letting you go alone again."
I wanted to argue. Couldn't.
"Together?"
"Together."
We stepped through.
---
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Status: All 12 gods summoned. Council scheduled.
Time Remaining: 347 days