Deep inside, Claire wondered if Nari would ever agree to help her. Yes, in that possible future they both were allies fighting side by side, but now?
No, the circumstances were too different.
"What kind of resolve did I have in that, another timeline?" the plant goddess asked quietly all of a sudden.
"No more running," the answer escaped the girl's lips swiftly. Had that one been only Nari's resolve? Hadn't they all decided to encounter something way too big for them?
The fight hadn't ended yet, it just had entered another phase. They had no right to lose this one.
"I see," the demigod smiled sadly. "It really came to the worst then… If so, no more running here as well."
Her eyes turned determined as she continued:
"I have no idea if it'll be of any help. But I want to believe in you - perhaps, your presence here is the answer we all need…"
Some wisps of green magic flew from Nari's outstretched palm forming mysterious images and figures.
"The universe is vast, it's growing and developing infinitely, planting the seeds of new life into the special spots… It needs messengers and caretakers for that…"
"Messengers and caretakers?" Claire raised her eyebrows in confusion.
The plant demigod smiled wistfully:
"No one is born a deity in this universe… We all used to be mortals who just happened to reach the point of understanding how this world works. We all were granted a seed of life to take care of, so we went searching for the perfect place for it to bloom…"
Deep inside, she felt some tremendous relief. When Claire first learned that they had to oppose the world's creators, it seemed to be simply impossible. Yet, as the time passed, she had gotten a suspicion that their opponents weren't that omnipotent. Nari's words clearly confirmed that hunch.
"So, you, Bellroc, and Skrael traveled to this planet together, didn't you?" the girl asked more to keep with a flow of conversation rather than get an actual confirmation. There had been multiple signs of the three demigods' closeness - without any doubts, they were good friends or, perhaps, even family. The response took her aback.
"We met here," Nari shook her head. "We three are children of different worlds… Our beginning wasn't the nicest - this place had been too enticing, it beaconed us from the distant corners of the Universe… Probably, only one of us should have stayed here, but we all were too stubborn to give up…"
A small smile appeared on the plant goddess lips - those were, undoubtfully, her cherished memories.
"Bellroc was willing to fight us both at the same time - they have always been so hot-blooded… Skrael tried to convince us to leave… And I… I told them 'Let's work together'. One world receiving more than one seed of life isn't that uncommon in the end. Perhaps, it only made this planet way better place to live. And I got my dear friends, my beloved family members…"
Claire couldn't help feeling guilty about everything she had heard. For a second, the girl wondered if any of her friends had ever realized how difficult all this confrontation with the Arcane Order had been for Nari. For everyone else, it had been just a fight to prevent world destruction, yet the plant goddess had to go against someone she held dear. That required the whole another level of bravery.
"It was so fun at first," Nari continued. The green wispy magic continued drawing fleeting images. "Discussing how to improve this planet, nurturing and tending for it, creating different lifeforms and then overseeing them… Even when we had to fend off hostile powers intruding this world, it wasn't that difficult. We were a team, and we always had each other's back…"
"Yet it went downhill at some point," Claire hated to comment on that. She only knew Skrael and Bellroc for their worse deeds. Perhaps, they both had redeeming qualities, but hadn't it been too late already with the rest of the Arcane Order dead-set on the starting anew?
"It started way earlier than anyone can imagine," Nari agreed, averting her eyes. "Even if I preferred to ignore it and convince myself that everything was for better. Humanity was never the first kind we tried to erase… But I guess it is the first time when we've failed. Am I right?" she inquired with a weird mixture of hope and anxiety.
"You can say that. We stopped the Arcane Order in my future," the girl replied after some consideration. "But…"
"The price was too high," the plant deity finished instead. "That is why you are looking for a better outcome here, in the past…"
They both stayed silent for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. Claire remembered ruined Arcadia and all the lives lost once again. How many were there that she wasn't even aware of? The ugly sense of guilt started to creep inside her soul once again.
"I had convinced myself that everything was acceptable for the sake of balance," Nari broke the silence. "This planet knew several magical civilizations that had crossed the line… Well, at least, according to the Arcane Order's judgment…"
"Have you unleashed titans on them?" the girl asked in an attempt to clarify. Merlin's grimoire mentioned nothing about that, so for a second, Claire wondered if that information was also forbidden. Yet the plant goddess responded at once:
"Never. The titans are our last measure. Using them will mean destroying the millennia of hard work… We used to work through manipulation and proxies."
"Like with Morgana?"
Now that Latina thought about it, that would make a lot of sense. If the Arcane Order simply needed to get Genesis seals, they would have no point involving Gunmar and his hordes. Morgana had been a powerful witch, not to mention close to Merlin. It would be way more logical to focus all resources on fighting the legendary wizard. Unless the primal demigods had some other plan, which had been the case apparently.
"We were orchestrating the fall of Camelot back then," Nari nodded as if reading Claire's thoughts. "Arthur's kingdom was the first line of defense against the magic beings back then. If it fell, other lands would follow…"
"I see…" the girl muttered. So far, she had gotten some missing pieces to the story, yet those were not enough to get the answer they needed. She had to start asking questions. But what kind exactly? Most likely, Merlin had learned and recorded everything he deemed important. Everything beyond that had to be the forbidden knowledge.
No, Claire steeled herself.
She had to try at least.
Even the legendary wizard may have missed something essential.
He wasn't omniscient, after all.
Yes, there had been a significant question. The Latina blinked several times as the realization had hit her.
"Nari," the girl started slowly, "how exactly has Merlin gotten the hold on the Genesis Seals?"
Exactly.
The seals could release titans into the world, they were the key to the Arcane Order's ultimate weapon, yet the one having them at the moment was Merlin, their mortal enemy. It could mean only one thing - at some point, the ancient deities had made a mistake and lost something that valuable.
Claire expected something along the lines of some trickery involved or perhaps, even forbidden magic, yet the answer had certainly taken her aback.
"The root of everything was our love for humankind," the plant goddess smile with a weird mixture of fondness and sadness.
"Love?" the girl repeated, quite dumbfounded.
"Do you believe that the Arcane Order has always hated humans? Probably, our actions have confused you greatly," Nari sighed. "Humankind used to be our most beloved child once. Bellroc blessed it with ambitions, resolve, power to strive even in the face of danger and live their lives to the fullest. Skrael gifted humans with a sharp mind, curiosity, and interest in never-ending development. And I gave them compassion, understanding, and forgiving soul, as well as an ability to create strong bonds… Back then, humanity was young and naive, so other kinds often attacked it. The Arcane Order was the protector for humans during those times… We could never imagine that one day all the roles would be reversed…"
It was nearly impossible to believe in those words, yet somehow, it made so much sense. Didn't they say that you would hate the one you used to love the most? Besides, if the Arcane Order had hated humankind from the very start, they would have had so many opportunities to destroy it.
"We thought that humanity was in an unfair position… No longevity, no strength, no speed, no magic," the deity continued. "It was as if we had made a grave mistake when we created humans… We couldn't change a thing with an initial design, so we gave them the gift of magic, an ability to grasp Arcane arts. Of course, only a selected few got it at first, and their talents varied, but it was better than nothing. The Order traveled across the world, gathering gifted ones. Those children had become our beloved apprentices… Those were times of blessed happiness - it was as if our family had expanded… First human wizards were guardians, advisors, and leaders as they had brought so much needed balance into the world…"
The pain in Nari's voice was nearly palpable. Perhaps, she wondered when and how everything had gone wrong.
It was too cruel to ask, yet Claire understood perfectly, that someone would have to do it.
"Then, why it has ended in the Order trying to destroy humankind?" the girl inquired, mentally wincing at how cold it sounded.
"I've wondered about it for millennia… Perhaps, it was predestined to end this way. Perhaps, we've failed as deities of this world," the plant goddess smiled sadly. "Perhaps, it's our punishment for being the oathbreakers…"
"Wait, what? Oathbreakers?" the Latina interrupted. That was a weird piece of information, for sure, but some kind of inner voice told the girl that she had to elaborate on that one.
"Skrael and Bellroc believe that humanity had betrayed the Order first," Nari responded, casting down her eyes, "when it was the other way round… We used to have a disciple, a bright and lighthearted boy, proficient in time magic…"
"Was that Merlin?" Claire clarified. Time magic was the old wizard's specialty after all, besides, she had no idea about his actual age - he could be rather ancient.
The plant deity let out a chuckle unwittingly:
"Oh, no, Merlin is too young to be that child, but he is a direct successor to that apprentice. There were several generations of wizards between the two… No, the name of that boy was Krohnis…"
Krohnis. Krohnisfere. The connection seemed clear as a day.
"He had always been a peculiar child," Nari continued with a genuine fondness. "The Order found him when he was a toddler, so we had been no different from his parents. Krohnis was intelligent beyond his age but also kind… I taught him that every life on this planet was precious, and then… Then the Order just had to crush his genuine faith in us as we had destroyed yet another kind right before his eyes…"
Claire could imagine how horrible it had to be for Krohnis. She remembered her own feelings when she had discovered that Enrique had been switched with a shapeshifting impostor. And the Arcane Order's apprentice would have had it even worth as he had witnessed his adoptive family acting like villains.
"I believe that we had broken something delicate back then. Yes, all three of us had told Krohnis that we would have never tried to eradicate humankind, yet I cannot help thinking that he hadn't believed us at all… The once pure and carefree child had closed his soul entirely, focusing on some magic research."
"What kind of research was it?" the girl inquired. Somehow, it felt like an important lead. After all, Krohnisfere and the Time Stone had played a vital part in the current predicament. Probably, their team had to learn more about it.
Instead of replying, the plant goddess waved her hand, and her green magic formed another image - the one of a boy and a gigantic crude crystal. The child was sitting before the stone staring at it in total awe.
"Is that a heartstone?" Claire asked without any confidence. Yes, she had only seen two of those - one in Arcadia and another one in New Jersey, but somehow that image of crystal invoked a way different feeling. Yet, it also seemed familiar somehow.
Nari smiled and shook her head:
"I can imagine it's not easy to recognize it in its past shape. It's the Heart of Avalon, the only source of the time magic on this planet…"
"The one empowering the castle?" the girl raised her eyebrows in disbelief. Well, she had known before that the Heart of Avalon contained powerful time magic - hadn't she ended in medieval England thanks to it? But the only source? Claire unwittingly glanced at the Time stone still clenched in her fist.
"The one you own is also a fragment of the Heart of Avalon," as if reading her thoughts, the plant goddess responded to unasked questions. "Much like the one Merlin uses in his staff. And some others, cut off by those who needed them. The Heart of Avalon in this castle is still the biggest part, but it has shrunk significantly, compared to initial size…"
The wispy image moved as imaginary Krohnis approached the crystal and touched it carefully. Claire could see the phantom's lips moving, and then a tiny part of the Heart of Avalon broke off, circled several times around the boy, and landed in his hand.
The image turned into the mist, reforming in the form of a ball-shaped object - the one that the young witch knew too well.
Krohnisfere.
"Krohnis used to be an honest child, but I guess, at some point, he learned to lie out of need. He told Bellroc and Skrael that his creation was just a fancy toy to see the next moment future and past, even demonstrated it to both of them…"
"But he never deceived you," Claire whispered, confident that she was right about that one. Nari had to learn about Krohnisfere from somewhere.
"Yes, Krohnis trusted me. And no matter how much I would like to think it was because of my character, I guess the true reason was the future the sphere had shown him… I can imagine it had revealed my doubts and eventual betrayal," Nari sighed.
"But Krohnisfere doesn't show that far in future," the girl interrupted with some confusion. She was sure that it was only about some next moments - otherwise, wouldn't the guardians be able to look further than that? So many things could be prevented!
"Krohnisfere shows the path that time will take out of multiple possibilities," the plant goddess shook her head. "It never lies and makes no mistakes. Yet, it's also whimsical and shows as much as it wants. It liked Krohnis, so he had seen a lot. It showed nothing to me, though it whispered some things to me…"
Nari stopped as if not sure if she could continue.
"Some things?" Claire asked, encouraging her to continue.
"Sorry, I cannot elaborate," the former member of Arcane Order responded with steel determination. "I think the future me has revealed at least part of that, but I'm not sure how much and what exactly…"
"I see," the Latina muttered. Apparently, it involved that forbidden information the demigod had mentioned before. On the other hand, something felt quite off, however, the girl couldn't tell what exactly. Instead, she asked:
"And what had happened next?"
The magical image flickered, revealing another familiar picture. Genesis Seals.
"Krohnis was our trusted disciple, so he knew where we hid Genesis Seals even though he probably had no idea how we could use those," Nari replied. "Can you imagine how much it hurt the entire Arcane Order to learn that our beloved child stole something so important? No, of course, we didn't come to hate him and to some extent the entire humanity at once," she added in a hurry as if trying to prevent a question. "At first, we hoped to talk and solve any misunderstanding. Genesis Seals wasn't a thing any mortal could possess - it had the potential to reset the entire planet. And even if only the Arcane Order can use those, it's not that far-fetched to imagine that someone could use their magic in some other way…"
Now the magical phantoms were showing a young man on a run from Bellroc, Skrael, and Nari.
"We had no opportunity to talk after Krohnis had stolen the Seals. With his time magic, he simply kept avoiding and escaping us. Not that the Order was interested in the active pursue back then - we were more like concerned family than enemies… Time kept with its flow, and Krohnis disciple had succeeded his master. Then came an apprentice of that one. Successors continued with Krohnis's efforts until the Seals landed in Merlin's hands… And during all those centuries, it became clear that our disciple was right to take such a dangerous weapon away from us…"
The plant goddess stopped looking forlornly at her wispy magic, which now demonstrated multiple clashes and battles. Humans vs. humans, humans vs. Trolls, humans vs. some peculiar beings Claire knew nothing about.
"Once weak and fragile kind somehow had developed in a scary rate, baring their teeth on every other being. Yes, it was just a defense at first, but humans somehow continued to go too far once given an opportunity. In a blink of an eye, the oppressed turned into oppressors. The Arcane Order refused to believe it at first. We attempted negotiations, sent some of our disciples to teach people about co-existence, even attempted some wars to reduce the number of humans… Nothing worked, pushing Bellroc and Skrael to the decision that humanity had to perish… And me… At least temporarily, I had agreed to that ugly decision…"
Claire knew what exactly Nari had meant - during King Arthur's times, she also participated in that scheme to destroy Camelot.
It was also not that difficult to imagine that while the Order most likely genuinely loved Krohnis, they felt nothing towards his successors, so their pursue had to be more aggressive. The girl could easily ask how many of those wizards the ancient demigods had killed but felt that it would be unnecessarily cruel. The plant goddess was already too ashamed to remember the more unsightly part of her long existence.
No, if the young witch had to ask anything, it should have been something of more importance. Her mind trailed back to the inconsistence she had felt recently. It was some kind of hunch that things didn't add together smoothly, something contradicting other facts she knew.
Claire felt as if her head was going to burst from all the thinking. There was no place for any mistake.
Krohnisfere. An object possessing its own will. Not liking Nari for whatever reason, yet revealing something to her. That something being a forbidden knowledge too…
Wait.
How could something created by the human hand reveal information meant for deities only?
The girl couldn't help asking it aloud. She felt that it could be important, the part that even Nari was overlooking and prayed that she could get an answer.
"Because Krohnisfere contains the will of Avalon," the plant goddess responded, her eyes full of some confusion.
Now it was Claire's turn to be surprised. Wasn't Avalon a mystical island? She had always assumed that it was the location where Merlin had got his gigantic crystal from, but Nari talked about Avalon as if it was an intelligent being.
Probably, all of that was too obvious from her expression as the ancient demigod added sadly:
"It seems another knowledge was lost with time… No, Avalon used to be a deity, much like me, or Skrael, or Bellroc…"
The green wisps took the form of some four-eyed being with extremely long limbs, wearing some intricate robe.
"The Arcane Order has fended off or killed many hostile deities who tried to conquer this planet, but Avalon was just a passer-by. I feel they were a newbie in that job as they basically emanated the enthusiasm and asked us for some practical advice. Avalon told us we were lucky to be a team and have each other. They felt it would be lonely to be a sole deity…"
Claire listened attentively. So far, nothing suggested that anything horrible had happened, yet… Nari talked about that mysterious Avalon in the past tense. There had to be a reason for that.
"I wish it had ended peacefully, with our new acquaintance just leaving and creating their own world somewhere far… They should never have demonstrated us their abilities…"
"Was that the power to manipulate time?" the girl gasped as some nasty foreboding overcame her thoughts. Whatever had happened, it wasn't anything good.
The plant goddess hadn't answered at once, staring into the emptiness sadly. It was as if she was reliving the past at that moment.
"The mastery over time was even beyond the Arcane Order's comprehension…" she answered at last. "It was too scary, too menacing. And three of us fell victim to that irrational, primal fear. It didn't matter that Avalon was perhaps, one of the purest souls in the universe - we only saw a danger, which needed to be obliterated, no matter what way… It was an ugly sin as we hadn't dared to challenge them to an open challenge, lowering ourselves to petty deception and backstabbing…"
The magical image of Avalon cracked and shattered and then reformed as a more familiar giant crystal.
"Nari, what exactly the Heart of Avalon is?" Claire whispered, still slightly disturbed by a story she had just heard.
"A deity can fall, but their power always remains, finding a new vessel for itself - mostly an object, a living being at times. And Avalon's essence had picked up a gemstone. Bellroc and Skrael told me it was safer to keep it this way. Yet, most likely, Avalon's resentment has also remained, clinging to the new vessel and giving the assistance to those who dared to oppose the Arcane Order's plans."
The girl nodded, considering the new information. Apparently, they had divine help on their side as well. Could they use it in some way or form?
Nothing came up to her mind right now, so the young witch decided to put it aside for the time being. More important, there was a question she needed to ask, even if Claire wasn't sure if Nari could answer that one without consequences.
"Is there a way to kill a deity?"
"I cannot tell you."
So it actually went as the Latina had predicted. Of course, information of that level couldn't be anything but forbidden.
No, there had to be some way to trick the cruel system.
"Nari, if I guess it right myself, will the universe still claim the payment?" Claire inquired after giving it some thought.
"As long as you haven't gotten any information from a deity, it has no right to do so," the plant goddess nodded. "However, I won't be able to confirm or deny your guesswork…"
"It's alright," the girl smiled with determination. "Something tells me that I already have more than enough facts to tell it myself for sure…"
She didn't lie about that one - the Latina had always had a keen intuition, and after she started to practice shadowmancy, it had developed tremendously.
"A deity can kill another one," Claire started slowly. That one was a definite fact. In her future, Nari and Skrael had obliterated each other. The Arcane Order had murdered Avalon too. Besides, there was something involving hostile powers, which the plant demigod had mentioned at some point too. Were those also intruding gods? In any case, there had been more than enough proof for that statement.
Nari said nothing, but the girl could see a clear confirmation in the way her expression brightened.
The beginning was successful, but there had to be something else too. Claire went mentally through all the encounters with the Arcane Order the guardians had.
"Blocking magic works as well," that one was easy too. They had checked it after all.
What else?
Excalibur? That one had to be important. Otherwise, why would Nari have told Jim about the way to get it?
What would have made it so dangerous to the Arcane Order though? Yes, it was a legendary sword and…
A weapon of divine origin.
Exactly! Nimue was a deity as well, and Excalibur contained her power. Would it mean that any object like that would work too?
"You can use artifacts containing divine power," Claire stated boldly. She could swear there was a momentary glimpse of genuine surprise in Nari's eyes, but it disappeared too fast.
It should have been enough, but the girl wasn't satisfied with that - all of those were resources they had the first time. She had to find at least one more way to stop a god. Or at least inflict some damage.
Inflict… damage…
A memory of the past suddenly crossed Claire's mind - the one of a troll in a shiny armor swinging a familiar cleaver and blinding the fire demigod.
"The Daylight sword took away Bellroc's eyes…" the girl whispered aloud. But how? Guessing about that one was even more difficult than about Excalibur. Daylight wasn't a divine weapon as Merlin and Douxie had assembled that one.
Claire could see that Nari wished to give her at least some hint but kept forcing herself to stay silent, meaning that there was something special in her guess.
The answer had to be somewhere, and the Latina cursed herself for never asking Douxie about specifics of the first amulet's creation. Something told the girl, that the second one lacked the exact part, which would give it the upper hand against the deities.
But what?
Merlin's magic? Wasn't it the reason why it hadn't worked at first?
No, it was something else.
Claire clutched at her temples as a pang of horrible pain resonated through her head. She could swear she had heard an otherworldly whisper for a second, but it had disappeared before the girl had gotten any gasp on its words.
The castle shook all of a sudden, making the young witch forget about everything…