There had been discussion (and rather a lot of silent pleading) that the residents of the Gate of Time be allowed to hold their last anniversary celebration before parting. They wanted it to be sort of a remembrance and a "going away party".

The quadruplets also wanted to have one last birthday celebration with their friends. Most were going with them to Akiba, but they did have some from the other Universities as well. Many were also graduates who had asked to go to other places on the planet to begin their adult lives already placed where they wanted to be.

Since Akiba did need more time to prepare, Purrcy was able to grant that wish and not disturb the Inari too much. She did warn everyone to be preparing to leave in the mean-time, and plan on making the celebration simple enough that clean-up wouldn't be onerous, nor interfere with the leaving.

Ceridwen headed the celebration of the fourteenth year of the Linear Gate of Time. It was a time of gentle remembrance. Gratitude for the time they'd been able to be there was prevalent, to go along with the gratitude of being kept alive at the transition. Many quiet prayers went up for courage and blessings during the next change as well.

Once again Purrcy was devoting one whole aspect to just answering those prayers, or passing them up to Inari. Mostly Inari made her do it, since she'd passed her test by the end of the Sect War.

Meghan and her secretary, Samara, were kept very busy helping Purrcy. Purrcy finally had to make Samara her High Priestess in the Gate of Time to help her keep the requests in order and flowing smoothly forward. That was awkward at the beginning, but since Purrcy had already been the High Priestess to Izanami, she was able to quickly help herself and Samara find their footing.

Purrcy got her own lessons in why it was necessary to have one at all, at that point. She decided she didn't want to break that flavor text just yet. When she didn't need the crutch so much would be soon enough. Timberel also helped, since he'd very quickly taken on High Priest as soon as she'd relented and allowed she needed the help. He was also a bit surprised at the burden he took on at that point, but he humbly learned it.

Purrcy also had an aspect devoted to crafting the spells to place the other four temples and the five universities into the base world. She had all the maps of the chosen Theldesia zones overlaid with the maps of the temples and university grounds that were going. The spells weren't hard, but they were detailed. In the end, she called in help there, too.

Tetorō found himself in the room she was in, maps on a table, ikiryō in the middle of the night, although after he'd had his minimum six hours. "I need QA, please," she said and pointed to Ceridwen's new home. He studied the map, then she handed him the code as it was. Having both the company and the second pair of eyes on it all was quite relieving.

Having to deal with Minori's scolds, then Crusty's, and then the duke's was distracting, slightly distressing, and at least far enough apart to not be depressing. Purrcy tried to stay humble about it, but she really did want to then turn around and scold Inari. It wouldn't make a difference, so she didn't. She just sent her misaki to grumble cat-belly grumbles to Nyanta and he pet her to calm her down like he had for the war.

Nyanta wasn't really any less busy. He was in charge of making sure that the temple itself and the attached Heavenly Host were prepared for the final day. Purrcy had refused to send any of them down by spell, since there were already ways of doing that via the normal clergy methods. It still had to be prepared ahead of time, though. He and Marco were very busy with their sub-staff getting those readied.

Purrcy was always extra grateful when she needed to interrupt one of his aspects to grumble to and he was kind enough to allow it. She was relieved it wasn't often. She made sure to purr extra for him when they retired to bed on those nights.

One aspect was keeping an eye on everything going on throughout the world, to make sure that it was settling back down again. The emotion kami was her partner for that. Any flares were handled immediately by both of them, to get the emotions back to smoother ones.

The block on the memories seemed to be holding fine. It was the natural inclinations of individual Adventurers that would flare every now and again. They kept part of the staff of the temple busy keeping track of repeats so they could be marked as general troublemakers.

When Sergiad nearly had to worship the Caretaker, being in her announced presence, Purrcy went quickly to visit Mut, who should have been the only one who would have had that happen to because of her role in taking the requests of the People of the Land. When she arrived in Mut's office, the Egyptian cat deity's ears fell. She bowed rather sadly. "You have felt it, then?" she asked.

"Just now," Purrcy answered, still not really able to believe it. "I watched it. A Person of the Land who didn't know at all, nor desire it, when I mentioned it in his hearing, he was commanded. I allowed it to pass. When did it happen?"

"I think...," Mut frowned, then shook her head. "Perhaps just before the meeting where you first told us we would be descending from the Gate of Time."

Purrcy slumped a little. Izanagi had written it into the rewrite, making her sole goddess of the planet. "Do you know for Ra? Is it the same?"

Mut didn't look up, but she did eventually nod her head. Purrcy sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. Have you been handling the requests regardless?"

She was supremely surprised when Mut went down on her knees and bowed to the ground. "I am sorry to without asking. When I knew it, and knew how busy you were, I at that time became a High Priestess. When Ra came to me, wondering, I told him what I had done. He also has become a High Priest to the High Priest of Inari."

Purrcy stiffened. "Nyanta? Nyanta was rewritten?" She quickly searched through his data in the database, then could only blink at it. "When?" she whispered, shocked. She could only stare at it for a long moment.

Her eyes finally looked down at Mut, still shivering at her feet. Purrcy placed a warm blessing on her. "Thank you. Thank you for continuing to care for the People of Theldesia, and for wishing to help me with my own burdens. I cannot keep you alive, regardless, but I will do what I can to keep you alive as long as possible. Please plan on recruiting a new High Priest and High Priestess to take your places when it becomes close to your turns to go."

Mut shivered, grief in every line of her body. Purrcy sorrowed with her, then said, "Will you accept a blessing that might end up a cursing?" Mut's ears pricked forward.

"I will mark the two of you. When you are reborn again, you will be marked to become the next High Priest and High Priestess in Arida again. I will be watching, however. If over time, your humility and desire to serve change to become pride and anger, I will remove the mark and you will become like the other creatures of the land."

She waited for Mut to think about it, then to both her sorrow and relief, Mut nodded. Sorrow because it was a hard thing to be reborn to the same life over and over, and relief because she desperately needed that help.

"Go and speak with Ra. See if he agrees as well. I will need to speak with Inari to see how it can be done, and if they will allow it." She sighed. "Likely you will both need to re-perform the ritual so I can write the mark into you properly." Mut nodded again and Purrcy returned to her own place.

This time she sought out Nyanta personally. She sought for him specifically and arrived in the city of their host. She waited patiently for him to be done with his task. "I'm sorry, Nyanta. Please, I need a few minutes of your time." He held out his hand and she took it. They disappeared and reappeared in the little shrine he'd built for the children.

He looked around it, then looked at her compassionately. She squeezed his hand and led him to one of the benches to sit on it. "Nyanta, have you felt or received any requests from the People of the Land?" Nyanta was a bit puzzled, then he shook his head. "And how long have you been granting requests to Adventurers and creatures?"

"I haven't," he responded, still puzzled.

Purrcy closed her eyes and worked that out, then opened her eyes to talk to him, his green ones rather troubled now. "Nyanta, when they re-wrote the deities of the Gate of Time, the re-wrote us." He blinked at her. "I've just come from facing Mut. She tells me that since that time, she and Ra have been granting the requests of the People of the Land as your and my High Priest and High Priestess."

"Mine?" Nyanta asked in supreme surprise.

Purrcy nodded. "You have become a god of Theldesia also. I think perhaps it isn't so much felt by you yet because no one knows of you specifically. All of the requests to Izanami come to me now, and she has indicated that I'm to handle them all. They've been very heavy. I wonder now if all requests to any goddess come to me instead of being shared with the others. It should be the same for any requests to Izanagi or any god. They should be coming to you."

Nyanta considered that, then said slowly, "I think, purrhaps, that it should be part of the research of the department in the University. It may be that they are all coming to mew, unless they are specifically to the creator god outside of those that usually come through me. Ra would know of those. Mew know the requests that come through me are much more minor in comparison. I likely wouldn't have been able to tell a difference."

Purrcy slumped, then nodded her head. "We'll need to work with them closely to determine it, and then decide how to face it. We'll likely only be able to continue to break the flavor text for a short while to come, in the life-span of the planet. We should make sure it's set how we wish for it to be set before then."

Nyanta reached out a hand to set it lightly on her cheek. He kissed her gently, passing to her his love in the form of a blessing. The mere fact that it worked set her to crying, for his sake and for hers. It was a hard thing, to have it become firmly truth in such a way.

While they might be able to set how the world's denizens would worship them, they would never be allowed to leave it, even if the flavor text that bound kami to the land was broken. Inari had received their drop at the end of level seven: there were new, permanent Adventurer gods of Theldesia.

-:-:-:-:-

When Purrcy had been comforted by Nyanta sufficiently that she could return to her work, and thus he to his, she went to the proper department of the university. The hallway was full of people preparing to leave. She'd gone back in time, to not disturb them during the celebration, during which no one worked. She walked into the main office and laboratory.

"I'm very sorry everyone," she said softly. It was still sufficient to make them all halt and turn to her respectfully. It hurt this time, to see it and to know why. She was even their goddess, and even they were required to attend to her immediately if she should appear in person.

"We've already discussed that after we're in Akiba we'll work on understanding the new changes, but I've had presented to me a thing we hadn't thought before. Could I please have a few of you to look into the one thing now? I'm terribly sorry for the interruption to necessary activities."

She was assigned three by the head of the department, and then he joined them. She looked at him softly, knowing why he had to. She didn't send him away this time, for all he was likely the busiest. He would need to understand.

"You all know that the Adventurers made me their goddess, but something else happened at the time the Inari decided to change the Gate of Time. I've only learned it a few days from now, but didn't want to disturb you during the celebration." She received relieved looks for that. This was definitely a better time than then.

She set on the table the memory clip of her visit with Sergiad, Crusty, and Raynessia and set it to play. They watched it closely. The department head looked up at her in surprise when it was over. "He is a Person of the Land?"

Purrcy nodded. "It was my first opportunity to be in the presence of a Person of the Land specifically since that time."

Eyes were wide around the table. They looked to her to understand. "Mut and Ra have told me, when I asked them just after this time. They noticed it, but without telling me, chose to become High Priest and High Priestess to continue their work. I haven't felt it because of that.

"I have, however, had to take on others because my own burden became very heavy, more than I'm used to. I haven't spoken to the other kami yet, but we need to know. Do I carry all of the requests now? Or just all the requests to goddesses?"

She bit her lip a little, then took a breath. She couldn't keep the sad out of the question. "And how much is sent to Nyanta? Ra is his High Priest. He hasn't been able to tell either. Thus why he thinks I'm receiving most of them." They rather froze at that. No one ever expected him to receive that level, not even him or her.

In order to relieve their distress, and hers, a little, she said, "We understand that during this time of change, we perhaps have the possibility to change more of the worship requirements than the Adventures have already changed. In the end we would like to sit down with your department and work out what we would like to see going into the future."

She sighed and ran her hand over her head. "Really, we are reluctant deities. The strict structure is more than we can bear already." She waved at the memory cube. "I already don't like that he was required by the world to worship me, nor was he happy either. We are colleagues, and friends. I would face him that way and allow him to face me that way." Her sorrow was quite evident in her ears and tail.

The members of the department pondered on that until one reached out and replayed the memory, then played it on slow forward after she'd told them she was the Caretaker. He stopped it and pointed to Raynessia. "What was her reaction? It doesn't look the same, and you don't address her. Yet, she also heard you declare yourself."

Purrcy blinked at the picture. She replayed it again, watching Raynessia. Her friend was surprised at her declaration, but only blinked at her. When her grandfather struggled, she only looked at him puzzled. She was concerned at Purrcy's request to Sergiad, to continue to fight against the requirement. When the conversation continued, she only continued to pay attention politely.

Purrcy paused the memory and pondered on that. "She's the First Person of the Land to have the right of choice. She's already not bound by the requirements of the game." Slowly Purrcy felt a little hope seep into her. "All children born after her quest have that same right."

"All?" they were surprised.

Purrcy nodded. "From then, anyone born on Theldesia has that requirement broken for them. Everyone will have right of choice."

The department head slumped just a little. "Then the easiest solution is to wait. You may have to put up with it until the final ones die from the prior requirement, but if they all can choose, like she did, then it is already fixed."

Purrcy was relieved, to some degree. "But, if I wish to visit with Sergiad, or others, what can be done?" She looked at all of them, then said quietly, "That answer doesn't need to come now. Please ponder on it until we meet. We will similarly wish to remove or change many such things.

"Perhaps it doesn't so much matter what was changed as what we want to have 'become', although we should understand the 'now' as well. If you could have the report of the 'now' when we meet, and a summary of what was 'before', then we will be able to discuss the 'become' properly." She closed her eyes, wishing with all her being that they could all work out a reasonable solution at that time.

They bowed to her and she disappeared, needing to find her own solace. Even in her personal sanctuary it was missing, until she became so distressed that she had to call on one other person.

-:-:-:-:-

Brenner lifted his eyes from his chore on the Oki Watarimono, having felt a change. He was no longer on the ship, nor even on the ocean. His hands clenched down on the rope he was holding as he looked around the room he was in.

It wasn't very large, and was mostly empty save for a simple statue on the short wall opposite the door that allowed access to the room. When he saw a figure huddled in the middle of the room, he was immediately up on his feet, the rope put into his list.

He crouched down next to the form, dressed in black, and placed his hand lightly on the back of the person. His concern increased to feel the trembling under his hand. The room was very dimly lit by only two thick candles set to either side of the statue, making it dark enough he couldn't tell who it really was.

He called up a little light spell to hover over the person in front of him. His eyes went very wide and his other hand landed lightly on Purrcy's head. He pet her lightly, trying to let her know he was there without disturbing her state too much. He was afraid she was too close to breaking.

"Hahaue, please. Call for Life Support, too. He's my partner in these matters." He desperately needed the help, and she more so.

He was quite relieved when footsteps sounded from behind him to come around to the other side of Purrcy. Life Support crouched down to also put a hand on Purrcy's back lightly. "Do you know what it is?" Life Support asked.

Brenner shook his head. "I've just arrived as well. She's almost gone. ...But she's brought us here, so she knows she needs the help."

There wasn't anything to do but to help in the ways they knew how. Life Support read her status, then sat quietly until he drew a sharp breath he tried to keep quiet. "She's got a lot of life-force, but it's all externally supplied. Her own is nearly gone."

"But she knows already how to not...," Brenner stopped. "No. Now that we aren't in the Sect War... Is she granting requests still, but not receiving any prayers to keep herself strong? As a mother, she already instinctively self-sacrifices. Perhaps she never learned the proper balance because we did it for her before?"

Life Support's brow furrowed. "Maybe, but... Watch her status."

Brenner nodded and Life Support cast a high level HP healing spell. Brenner calculated, then said, "It was a lesser effect than it should have been."

Life Support nodded. "It didn't do much for her life force, either." He cast a Spirit Heal on her next, then shook his head.

He took a deep breath and cast a shielding room around her and filled it with warmth, slowly increasing it until the trembling slowed down. He went ahead and increased it another step, then immediately decreased it as she went very still and her heart-rate nearly dropped to zero.

They looked at each other with wide eyes. She needed comforting warmth, but life was death. That was very concerning. Brenner thought very hard. She wasn't in a state to be able to communicate with them. With her life force at that level, she wouldn't be able to even communicate inside as ikiryō, since that was the ikiryō Life Support was looking at.

They needed to know the cause, but it was frustrating to come into it this late. He closed his eyes. "Sing. Something that's a child's song, or a very simple church song. I'm going to go get help."

When Life Support started singing This Little Light of Mine, Brenner approved and went inside the spirit realm. "Kami of Emotions, please, if you can get in here with us, what's wrong? What is Purrcy feeling right now? We can't help her until we know at least that much." Every death wish was brought on by some strong emotion or other. He knew how to treat them all, but he had to know which one it was.

As if from a far distance, he felt the attention of the kami on him, and then slowly teased out of Purrcy was an emotion that wrapped around Brenner until he was feeling a grief so deep he was almost pulled into it. "Ah, stop. That's enough," he requested quickly. When that didn't work, he sent the grief on to the kami. It was almost as thin a stream as the one coming from Purrcy, so it was likely that the kami wasn't really allowed into wherever they were and was trying to work through him.

He took a deep breath and changed to his Archangel form. That worked a lot better. He was able to use grace to take the grief and give it to the emotion kami through a broader channel, although it was still limited by his own capacity. He thought about it further, then returned to the room to look at Life Support. "It's grief, but I still don't know the cause. It's more than I've seen in a long time. I've got it feeding to the kami, since Purrcy wants it to go somewhere."

"That's a good sign," Life Support slumped slightly. It meant she knew she had more than she should, but didn't know how to get rid of it, or change what needed to be changed. Well...grief really needed to be released properly, then the issue accepted properly. For that they had to have her at the point that she could talk about it.

They stayed with her, alternating singing songs to help her with the grief, preferring to use her own strongest help when she was in such need herself. Emergencies necessitated strong responses for fast results. But when the grief continued on past when Brenner was comfortable with, he frowned.

"Purrcy, you need to come back enough we can listen to what happened so we can help carry your burden with you." Her shivers only got worse and she curled up tighter into herself.

Life Support swore softly under his breath. "If she won't talk about it, how can we help?" he asked Brenner, almost angry in his worry and frustration.

Brenner took a deep breath and tried harder. "Purrcy ...is it something you're not allowed to talk about, or can't talk about?"

They actually got a nod - and a lot more grief. "Harsh," Brenner complained under his breath, frustrated generally with the Inari again for a moment, since it was them who usually locked her tongue down. He closed his eyes and purposely calmed down as much as possible, then said a prayer in his heart to his own God for help, since He trumped them.

He sat in meditation, listening. A memory came, of being with the Pocatello, Idaho Adventurers and his conversations with them, and all the times then and after that he'd received offers to be blessed. He wasn't sure, but they certainly had the faith to heal, and this was God's sort of healing that was needed.

"Hahaue, call for BillyBoy," he requested, just firmly enough to make it a soft order. Even if the blessing didn't work, Brenner would sic his Rhetorician, and then Bard on her if he had to.

Life Support raised both eyebrows at him. "That's big guns." Brenner pursed his lips and nodded, determined. They couldn't lose Purrcy. "Why not Nyanta or Michael? They'd be the usual go-tos."

"Because she called me. She knows to call them. This can't be fixed by them, particularly if she can't talk about it. Those things she takes to God."

"Ah," Life Support got it.

Brenner leaned down closer to Purrcy's ear. "Please, trust me. Call in Billy. I asked God and that's the memory he gave me. He can help you without you saying it."

She shivered, but drew in a breath. Nothing else happened. "Ah, right." Brenner cast about in his mind until he snatched on a verse. "I have called for you, and you were my help, oh God, my rock and my Redeemer." He closed his eyes and quoted the rest of the passage until she relaxed just enough and there was another warm body next to them. She'd needed the extra strengthening, already worn out as she was.

"Aahh...," BillyBoy was confused, not surprisingly. He went to concern quickly, recognizing Brenner's Archangel form and Life Support.

Life Support explained, "It's Purrcy. She gets locked down sometimes and can't tell us things. This is one of those times, but whatever it is has given her so much grief it's killing her, literally. Brenner thinks you can help her. He's already feeding her grief to the emotion kami, but it hasn't stopped yet, and it's been way long enough."

BillyBoy walked to sit cross-legged at Purrcy's head. He considered her quietly for a little while, then looked at Brenner. "Have you the faith to heal?"

Brenner gave him a wry smile. "She's our only way home. I've got plenty of desperation and desire to see her healed, and lots of faith in God generally."

BillyBoy nodded. "That'll do. Put your hands lightly on mine. No need to press her head into the ground with heavy hands." His hands were already lightly on her head. Brenner put his lightly on BillyBoy's, imitating him. "Now hold on to that intent," he instructed. He looked at Life Support, too, who nodded back. They knew. On this world everyone's intent helped.

BillyBoy closed his eyes and opened his mouth, paused, then closed it in some consternation. He pondered, then frowned. Taking a breath, he said, "Everyone, Purrcy's dying. It's time to give back to her what she gave to us. Please, we need your prayers to God in her behalf."

Life Support stared at BillyBoy in stunned amazement. "What is it?" Brenner asked, confused.

"He - he's filling up. It's going to him instead of her."

-:-:-:-:-

BillyBoy's words went to the Twin Falls party that had walked with the Eagles and they were immediately praying for Purrcy's welfare. But it wasn't just them he'd called on. Every Adventurer in the entire inter-mountain range paused, then sent up a prayer for her. BillyBoy had already put them on his list as the West U.S. Sub-General. A good portion of the west coast also did the same.

Those who didn't know who she really was sent up smaller prayers, a simple request for a person who had a need. A prayer for an unknown person was still a kindness they could give. Those who did know of her, and were grateful for what she'd done for them sent up more fervent prayers.

Crusty stopped talking in the middle of giving an order and Rieze had to walk him to the closest seat she could find, recognizing the look of an Adventurer receiving a chat, but not the look of stark fear on his face. His hand clutched hers very tightly as he started shivering. BillyBoy had obediently added Crusty to his list in order to receive the orders from the final battle of the Sect War. Crusty had no idea how to pray, but a lot of emotions and desires were added to the total.

Shiroe, also one that BillyBoy had added for that same battle, was similarly affected, just as they were about to transform to Giants in Ezzo. "No!" he whispered as he sank to his knees, seeing nothing except the sudden collapse of everything he and she had worked on. "No! Live, Purrcy!" he cried out.

Akatsuki was immediately holding him, her arms wrapped around him, so that her desire went up with his. William and Isuzu's desires weren't far behind as they both paled to hear those words from Shiroe's lips.

Michael also couldn't stay standing, falling to lean against the bulkhead to stay propped up. He felt a severe desperation to be wherever Purrcy was, but was rebuffed. He still couldn't walk into the Gate of Time without someone opening the doorway first.

"God, no, Purrcy. You have to live!" he called out also, his hand clenching into a fist. "I promise, I'll fix it!" His face crunched as tears threatened. More quietly, but just as desperately he said, "You'll take us all down with you if you go. Please." His head dropped to rest on the bulkhead. "God, please," he begged from the depths of his soul. Pretty much every Eagle was in complete agreement.

Two kami, three High Priests, forty-seven priests and two shrine-maidens, plus several thousand general worshipers, all praying for Purrcy in that moment. BillyBoy was glowing, but he didn't notice it. His eyes were closed as he passively accepted all of the power that came from them.

Actually there were another two kami helping, since that much had gotten their attention. Nyanta, connected to Izanagi, fell to the ground, rocked to the core to see three healers surrounding his collapsed wife and understanding rather suddenly what was going on from Izanagi. When his very strong desire to not lose his wife hit BillyBoy, BillyBoy transformed and even Brenner's eyes went wide.

Before the AIs could act, BillBoy opened his mouth again. This time he prayed.

-:-:-:-:-

Nyanta was fighting Izanagi with everything he had. He understood what was happening, and that Purrcy had to reach a specific point in the healing before he should show up, since he was - yet again - at the core of her grief, even if he hadn't created it specifically. Izanagi had and it showing up too early would be even worse.

It was difficult because he desperately wanted to go and comfort her as well, to comfort himself. It was far too dangerous to do that selfishly, so he was distracting himself with fighting Izanagi instead so it couldn't use any of his aspects to go check on Purrcy. Then he was fighting both AIs as Izanami's callous curiosity wanted to intrude as well. That tipped Nyanta over into angry and he opened the door to the temple to the emotion kami.

Immediately the emotion kami surrounded the room Purrcy was in, guarding it jealously. Nyanta firmly let it know it wasn't to let any of its emotions nor any other outside emotions or influences to interrupt Purrcy's healing. It acknowledged the requirement and fiercely faced down both AIs.

"Mew two have for too long not purroperly considered Purrcy and all Adventurers. If mew will begin the final battle here, today, I will next bring in Michael-nyan, without remorse."

They paused and considered him. "Why will you say we are beginning the battle?" Izanagi asked him.

"Because mew will kill Purrcy when she is weak, purreventing us even the possibility of winning our way home," he accused them. "Before then, I will fight mew and bring in all those who desire to fight against mew as well, so that mew must keep meowr purromise to us."

They did the equivalent of narrowing their eyes at him. His tail swished in a hunting arc. Quietly he said, "Mew have made me one of mew - a god of Theldesia. Mew have released me and cannot contain me again." They backed off a step. "I will hold to my contract and purrotect my wife. Mew will not interrupt her healing."

The air was quite electric. Nyanta narrowed his eyes at them. "Come, let me bring the angry Michael-nyan and the furious Shiroe-ichi. Let us fight it out now while mew are thoughtless, and remove mew who are unnecessary now to Theldesia because mew have desired to become so. Mew have given us meowr rights and responsibilities. What need does this planet have for mew any longer?" His brother rapiers were in his hands. He purred smoothly to them, "Come, die then."

Nyanta reached for the spell to open the door for Michael and the AIs disappeared. He paused, then slowly returned the rapiers to their sheaths. He stood guard over the Temple of Creation, the perfectly created guardian to do so, until he was sure that Purrcy was properly healed enough to move forward again.

-:-:-:-:-

"Purrcy, Caretaker of Theldesia, we place our hands on your head and give you a blessing of healing. We know your task on this planet so far from home is very difficult. God knows it, too. He is grateful for your tender care of all the people and creations on it.

"You have followed in his Son's footsteps, and have willingly sacrificed your time, talents, and efforts to comfort and help those who were lost, afraid, alone, and even angry, meeting that anger with mercy. He is pleased with your efforts until this time.

"He still has need of you in your place at this time. Your work is not finished. We bless you with strength to continue to walk the path He needs you to walk. We bless you with comfort. Remember He is always walking with you. Have faith in His plan for you. Continue to be humble and merciful and He will continue to guide you and bless you.

"Set your grief aside; find the little joys in your life that your service brings you. Enjoy your family, and love those who love you, recognizing that love that comes from them so you can be buoyed up by it. God is with you and watching over you. Be at peace." He paused a long pause, then said softly, "In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

"Amen," said Brenner, meaning it, but also still very dazed. BillyBoy's hands didn't come up off of Purrcy's head until the last of the transformation and light had left him to go into her. The power he'd received had changed - what Purrcy received had been different. Brenner knew who he had seen. He had seen his Lord and Savior appear because of the requests of the Adventurers. God himself had blessed Purrcy and it had been His love, power, and light that had filled her.

"Blessed be the name of the Lord," Brenner whispered in gratitude.

Life Support cast a Spirit Heal on BillyBoy and he was able to sit up a little straighter. With a bit of a sigh, he opened the same chat and said, "Thank you everyone. It wouldn't hurt to remember her in your prayers for a few days or more. She still needs to walk back, but I think she'll be okay now."

There were a lot of very relieved high-level clergy of hers to hear that message. Gareth and Reed found Michael and supported him to a place to sit down and recover, each as shaken as he was. Shiroe took Akatsuki in his arms and held her tightly. "He says she'll recover," he did manage to remember to say, to the relief of the rest of those with him.

Crusty looked up into Rieze's face, blinking himself back to where he was, but he was still shaken. She held on to him more tightly until he finished recovering. When he could finally say it, he said very quietly, "We nearly lost Purrcy." Rieze's silent prayer went up a little late, but it was still appreciated. She stayed with Crusty until he recovered enough to soberly return to his duties, and she stayed close by in case there should be further news.

"Thank you, Billy," Brenner said soberly. "Thank you for being God's servant."

BillyBoy smiled at him. "That's what we do and what we are, when we're living right." He looked down at Purrcy, then at Life Support.

Life Support was looking at Purrcy's life force again. She was breathing better now. In another few minutes she was able to push up to sitting, although Brenner and Life Support kept hold of her arms since she swayed just a bit. She sat and breathed until she could open her eyes.

"Thank you, Billy," she said softly. "I needed to hear those words. If it's God's will, it is easier to carry the burden." Her whiskers turned and her ears fell harshly, but she managed to breathe back again, drawing her breaths slowly. Her eyes turned to Brenner. "Thank you for calling for him." She'd done that, but Brenner nodded anyway, understanding.

When she looked at Life Support, he sighed at her and scolded. "You've got to use yourself up less, please. Keep more of the request power for yourself. Watch your meters until you understand. We're not all praying as much for you any more."

Her eyes fell to her lap. After a bit she said, "I'll add it to the list of things we want to change and see if anyone has suggestions on how to change that one. I'd rather have the strength of God, than take from them, particularly since I'd rather they were asking for His help to begin with. I don't mind being His hands and feet to bless them here."

Purrcy's eyes came up sadly to Brenner's. "I just don't want to be worshiped." She was collapsing again and he immediately took her in his arms to hold her.

"We know," he said gently. "But God knows, too. He's not offended, or He would have said so when Billy blessed you." He turned desperate eyes onto BillyBoy. This was when they dearly needed the Rhetorician, to finish pulling her back up.

BillyBoy reached out and gently put his hand on top of Purrcy's. "Purrcy, that's the way the magic of this world works. If you can change it to more closely match what you're comfortable with, then I'm sure that's a good thing. You've already done a lot of good things for Theldesia and the people on it. Just keep doing your best each day; eventually it will all work out. God's helping you. He wants good things for this place, too.

"I know how hard it is to believe that some times. We had to fight the doubt and fear and worry a lot in the first few years. It was always worth it to put it back into His hands and trust in Him. Like the blessing said, remember the little joys and good things each day. They'll help you get through the hard times.

"Remember there are people who love you and let that love help you walk forward, too. I always remind myself that my family is praying for me, every day. Their faith and mine will get us home, especially when it's added to everyone's faith." He paused, then said, "I'm grateful that you've been given gifts that will help us get there. You're already the answer to a lot of people's prayers. Please keep trying. Don't give up."

Purrcy was shivering, but it was tears, not the full harsh grief from before. These were the healing tears she needed to cry. Brenner pet her soothingly, knowing how that helped her finish getting those kinds of tears out. He kept an eye on Life Support until he finally relaxed with a quiet sigh and gave Brenner a satisfied nod.

Brenner pulled back from Purrcy then, keeping a hand on her shoulder, to look at her face. She was calmer now and she took a few more breaths to finish recovering.

Brenner was about to relax where there was another presence that slowly entered the room they were in. He was grateful it came slowly and gently. Purrcy could still be tipped the wrong way.

A low level purring started up in the room and Purrcy's eyes went wide as she swung around to look behind her. Brenner instinctively put out his hand to hold on to her arm. Life Support had hold of her other arm. Then they looked.

Nyanta, in his vest, shirt, and tailored pants stood in the room with them, his rapiers by his sides. It had been a long time since Brenner had seen him so calm. "Thank mew, with all my heart, Brenner-nyan, Life Support-nyan, and Billy-nyan." He bowed to them. "Please stay a little longer."

His eyes went to Purrcy's and he approached her slowly. She was still surprised to see him, but shivered in their hands. They decided not to let go.

Nyanta went down into a crouch to look into Purrcy's face. "Please, do not grieve for my sake any longer. Because I'm now written that way, I'm able to be free and to purrotect mew. They made a mistake to write me that way this early, or they have a plan I cannot divine, to make me their equal before the battle.

"I have already purromised to stay with mew, and strengthen mew. Isn't it only part of that purromise, so that I can keep my contract? I am grateful." He held out his hand to her, palm up.

Purrcy looked down at his hand, then back up into his eyes, uncertain. "Nyanta?" she asked, an ear turning. Then her hand was moving suddenly to her own heart and she was even more confused. "Where? Where are they?"

Nyanta's whiskers moved up just a little. "I have purrotected mew, with Ōkami-chan. We have sent them away for now. Purrhaps when they have found courage and purroper respect again they will return. Michael-nyan is frantic to know mew are okay and would have happily joined me to keep his own contract. Shiroe-ichi would also have been glad for the same. The Inari were disinterested in a confrontation today." He was quite smug, really.

Brenner couldn't fault him in the least. This had been going too far. He slowly released Purrcy and a little swirl of happiness flowed around them as the emotion kami let them know that it was indeed present as well. Purrcy threw herself into Nyanta's arms, wrapping hers around his neck. He held her tightly.

His green eyes came up to look at the three men again. "Thank mew." They bowed their heads to him, then were suddenly at the places they'd been taken from.

Brenner sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "That Nyanta-san can even do that now...," he said in quiet wonder. He took a few more breaths to recover and rose to his feet. "Sir, I need to report," he said.

"Ditto," Life Support echoed him.

"Upper deck, everyone. Pronto," Reed's order came back. Yeah, they'd be that worried if they had any clue at all, or even just a frantic Michael. What a way to have a nice vacation interrupted. Still, it was good news in the end.

-:-:-:-:-

Nyanta was a very happy man on his children's fourteenth birthday. He utterly refused to wear his kimonos, so Purrcy made him a proper Victorian outfit in the temple's green with white accents and herself one as well. That made the temple staff a little scandalized, but they didn't care that much about popular opinion, and it was their family day anyway.

For the children's birthday presents, Purrcy gifted each of the children a proper Adventurer style outfit as well. While she made them more modern and to match their personalities, they still were a coordinated family. It was a perfect day as far as Nyanta was concerned. He firmly kept the AIs away all day and the emotion kami danced with them through the day, the watchdog to make sure it happened.

Nyanta was under no delusion. He knew at any time Izanagi could and probably would come back to take over. He was rather certain that as long as he properly played the role he'd been trained to, it wouldn't be until they were in the World Tree cycle, and preferably at the end of it, if at all. It was rather necessary that Izanagi not remain inside him if he was to be accepted back into Akiba anyway. The Inari would still watch their family from the distance. That would be sufficient for now.

One day later, they stood as a little family just outside Ceridwen's temple space at the location of the veil of Time. "Why here, Chichiue?" MeowLi asked, puzzled.

"Because it is the least searched and guarded location of the veil," he answered. "To do it near our house, or on the other side of the world, where it was crossed before, is to have mew captured and at best put into purrison. From here, mew will be safe enough."

He smiled reassuringly. "Mew have heard it over and over. Mew tell me this time, so that mew have remembered it now that we are here and mew can enter in confidence. What should mew do when mew arrive?"

MeowLi took a deep breath. "Hahaue will put me at the boundary, just inside the non-linear Gate of Time. I'm to wait until I'm addressed by a passing resident. They should ask if I'm newly come. I'm to answer that I am, come to serve in the temples. Once I understand how to live in the city, I'm to take the Administrative exam and specify that I'd like to serve in Li Shou's temple."

Nyanta gave a nod of satisfaction. "Mew have worked hard. Meowr score will be very high. She will take mew in." He put his hand on her shoulder. "There is one other thing." She gave him a brave nod.

"I would very much like it if mew would remind me, on our First meeting in that place, my First time to enter the Gate of Time, that I can return to it again at any time, so that I will remember that it's okay to go home when it's time to go. I would not have taken another step forward without that reassurance."

MeowLi nodded. "I'll remember," she promised.

He took her into his arms and held her a long time. "Thank mew for going, to keep me company and help me learn it. Remember we are always thinking of mew, and will be coming to meet with mew again. Mew are strong. Mew can do this."

She held on tightly to him until she let go, needing to not lose her resolve. Her siblings wished her well and then Purrcy was holding her. "I love you, MeowLi. Thank you also for being willing to go for my sake. I will come find you as soon as I can when you're dropped into the base realm."

"I love you, too, Hahaue." MeowLi took a breath and the two were gone.

Purrcy arrived again with the four waiting for her. "She's properly in the non-linear Gate of Time," she said and they turned for home. One more morning and they would be back with her again, in the base realm of Theldesia.