A couple things I want to address before getting into this chapter. There was some confusion about Izuku's age relative to the timeline here. The story began on Izuku's eighteenth birthday. All references to the start of his employment, five years ago, being thirteen, etc. specifically referred to the time during/immediately following when he presented himself as a potential apprentice for Nighteye, was told he had no magical talent, but was then taught to read and given a job as a scribe. All of the events in chapter one – talking to Awata, meeting Yagi, heading up to the mansion early, and the mysterious knocking – occurred over the span of two days.

Also, there will be some deviation from the regular personalities of the characters over the course of this story, especially for the Gods. I'm going to try to preserve the core of their self, but due to circumstances around their current existence, how they were raised, formative events, etc., some of them are going to look a bit different than you may be used to.

The last thing I want to mention is that some people's Godling powers may not look like you'd expect based on their Quirks from the anime/manga. I promise that I have given considerable thought to this and ultimately, things will make sense and you will get why I have made the decisions I have made. Unfortunately, you do need to wait for things to become clear in the story itself, so you may have a bit of a wait for some people – most notably, the mysterious guest that you'll be meeting shortly!


"The door, please, scribe." Nighteye's voice was quiet. He drew his robes around himself and held out a hand. A staff shot into it from elsewhere in the house.

Izuku swallowed. He had never before had occasion to see the wizard in a fight, and suddenly, he was very keen to never have the experience. He swiftly made his way out of the library and to the front door, lest he earn a remark on his slowness. As he approached it, the knocking came again, causing him to flinch. However, he could feel his master's eyes boring into the back of his head, and recovered quickly. He opened the door.

On the other side was a young man, likely of a similar age to Izuku. He was tall and wore fine, dark pants with a white shirt, the sleeves stained from travel. A leather breastplate and modest pauldrons of the same material sat over the shirt, nicked and dirty, clearly well used. Even from the opposite side, his thick backpack was obvious, though the items that drew Izuku's eyes the most were the ornate shortsword at his hip and the glasses that sat upon his face. Clearly a wealthy man, to afford such things.

It occurred to Izuku at about this time that he'd never greeted a guest for Wizard Nighteye and hadn't the foggiest idea what he was supposed to say. He settled for, "This is the mansion of Wizard N-Nighteye. State your b-business."

The man gave a sharp bow. His voice was stern, but pleasant. "Greetings! My name is Tenya Iida, of House Iida. I apologize for arriving unannounced, but I have come to seek an audience with the wizard for matters of grave importance."

The overbearing pressure he felt trying to figure out a response to the request didn't speak well of his odds at leading a gaggle of children, much less the Gods. "Uh...P-please wait here. I'll...I will confer with my master and... return?" He hadn't meant to make the end a question. What even was protocol in such an instance? Visitors were always expected, whether or not they were announced. Nighteye generally didn't involve Izuku in the process at all, he just stayed in the library.

"I understand. Thank you for your time."

Izuku awkwardly shut the door and walked the twenty feet to where Nighteye stood. "He, uh, wants to talk to you. He says it's a matter of grave importance."

"I heard," the wizard replied. "I can't see him."

"Do... do you think that it's a trap?"

"Describe him to me."

Izuku related the man's appearance faithfully.

After a moment of quiet consideration, he nodded. "I'll be in the parlor." He then turned on a heel and strode confidently to the aforementioned room.

Izuku returned to the door and opened it. "Wizard Nighteye will, um, s-see you now. Please follow me." He moved to allow Iida entry into the manor.

"Thank you," the blue haired man said with another bow. He stepped inside.

With the shutting of the door, Iida was lead across the entry hall to an open archway that deposited the two young men into an opulent, if cozy, room. Nighteye did not believe in wasting large amounts of space on something as trivial as entertaining visitors, and so the bare minimum of space was allocated. There was a small table with two seats near the end of the room. A short distance away, several comfortable chairs were placed near a modestly sized fireplace. The wizard himself was seated here, deeply engrossed in a book with brass reinforcements on the corners. Izuku swallowed before saying, "Master, this is, um, Tenya Iida. Of, um, House Iida. Iida, this is Wizard Nighteye." What else should he say?

"Thank you for agreeing to see me, sir. I apologize for arriving unannounced."

Nighteye shut the book and set it down. "Worry not. Your arrival was foreseen. If anything, I should apologize to you for not alerting my scribe as to your arrival." Izuku blinked at the overt lie, grateful that his back was still to their visitor. "Please, have a seat. You as well, Midoriya. You'll find a pen and paper at the table, in the event this discussion requires anything to be recorded."

He blanched. Why would he be expected to stay? It could be as simple as fulfilling his duties as a scribe, but he had never been asked to sit in with any of the visitors before. Maybe this was something that Awata normally handled? But if he had a dedicated scribe on staff, why would the wizard –

"Midoriya."

His head snapped up. Iida had seated himself in the other comfortable chair while he wasn't paying attention. "O-of course, sorry." His face was flushed red as he moved towards the table to retrieve the required materials.

"I do apologize, Master Iida. Midoriya is a fine scribe and quite intelligent, but does get into his head sometimes." Izuku hung his head to hide his embarrassment. Once he had arranged everything and seated himself, Nighteye said, "There. Now that we're all settled, please, what is it you wish to discuss?"

The blue haired man cleared his throat. "Well, given that you are such a gifted seer, I see no point in being anything but direct and forthright. Are you familiar with the term 'Godling'?"

Izuku flinched, nearly flinging the inkwell as he dipped the pen in it. Fortunately, he managed to control his hand enough to prevent any spills. He began following along with the conversation as best as he could. He'd never taken notes on one as it was happening before, but by skipping unimportant words, he managed to convey the general idea of what was being said.

"It's an old word," the wizard said. "Dug up in a few tablets here and there, or on ancient parchments in some of the older settlements of the world. Some speculation on what it actually means has been made, but I can't say I ever particularly invested myself in the debate. I tend to look forward, rather than backward."

Iida nodded. "That is understandable, given your particular skills in the arcane arts. I can provide some context, however, being a Godling myself." He managed to prevent himself from visibly flinching this time, having expected this revelation – after all, who else but a Godling would bring up Godlings? "I was, some weeks ago, visited by the God Nezu. He told me that the Gods live in cycles of about three thousand years, after which they pass into the afterlife, much like a dying mortal. In order to safeguard future generations and influence the course of the world in the way they feel is most appropriate, the Gods will pass a portion of their powers onto mortals, providing them with a chance to be the next Gods. All we have to do is locate the Palace of the Gods and our place is secured. There is more, of course, but I understand that your time is valuable, and these are the most important details." He paused, clearly anticipating some manner of response from the wizard.

"You realize how ridiculous that sounds?"

"It will sound less ridiculous in the coming months, sir. Lord Nezu told me that they would begin sending proclamations to their priests following the selection of the final Godling."

Nighteye waved a hand. "Regardless, being that the age of the artifacts referring to Godlings does, to my recollection, hold up against what you've said, I'll humor you. What do you want? I highly doubt you came all this way just to provide this information and brag."

"Of course not, sir. Your collection of obscure tomes is legendary. I was hoping that you would allow me to peruse it so that I may gather what hints may exist about the potential location of the Palace of the Gods. I would not expect to receive such a boon without compensation being offered, either." He reached into his backpack and produced a worn leather journal. "It's not a horrendously valuable book, but it does contain the magical research performed by my great-grandfather over the last decades of his life. I couldn't begin to tell you what it covers, however, as I am not educated on matters of the arcane." He held it over to the wizard, who accepted it.

Several tense minutes passed for Izuku and Iida while Nighteye skimmed through the journal. He didn't linger on any particular page for long, but he took his time making his observations. The Godlings did lock eyes once during the time. He wasn't an expert on people, but he could tell what was going on in Iida's head even from his seat. The man was incredibly anxious, a mood which Izuku was no stranger to. The set jaw, slightly heavier breathing, and trace beads of sweat rolling down his temples made it clear.

Finally, the wizard spoke. "It appears to be research on binding spells, which I have little interest in, broadly speaking." Iida's head started to drop in the beat Nighteye inserted between his sentences. "That said, however... He does seem to believe that he found a way to use arcane magic to bind Nymph magic into physical forms. Despite the obviously intriguing implications of this, it could be very useful for my apprentice." He cast the book over his shoulder, floating it over to Izuku and dropping it next to him with a soft whiff. "I accept your offer. You will be given access to my library for a term of one week. However, your access will be under the strict supervision of my scribe."

"What?" asked Izuku.

"If Midoriya is not present, you are not to be on the premises. I expect you to treat him with the same respect you treat me."

"Of course," Iida replied. "I wouldn't dare disrespect a member of your household while you have shown such hospitality. Your library will be extended the same courtesy."

Nighteye nodded and rose to his feet. He spoke in a very satisfied tone. "Scribe Midoriya, enter that journal into the index before you perform any other duties. Alert me of anything you feel should be brought to my attention. I am going to retire to my chambers for the time being to perform further divinations." Izuku heard what he meant, though: I'm going to figure out why I can't see anything happening within my house.

He was just going to have to hope that the presence of Iida would sufficiently mask his own part in this. "Y-yes, Wizard. I, um. Would you like the transcript now, or...?"

"Burn it. The conversation was brief enough that I will have no issue remembering it and important enough that I want no record of it having happened." He departed the room without further comment.

That certainly wasn't the answer Izuku was expecting. He gathered the page and a half worth of writing he had done, stepped over to the hearth, and cast the papers into it.

"That was a curious reaction," Iida commented. He had risen and gathered his bag. "But I suppose it makes some kind of sense. To be honest, I was surprised he hadn't known much of what I was going to say already."

How much was okay to tell an outsider? "U-um, Wizard Nighteye tends to... That is, his foresight tends to focus on events, rather than... specifics? I'm not surprised that he – uh, that he saw you coming, but didn't know why, if... if that makes sense." That should probably be fine. It's nothing that would give anyone an edge over the wizard, and still maintained the narrative that his vision wasn't currently clouded in a way that had never before occurred. "Anyways, the library is this way." He took the journal from its resting place and led Iida across the hall. The library door had been left open from his previous –

Oh, no.

The index was still open to the page on the Gods. He had put most of the books back, but a few were still out. Would that be enough to give him away? He couldn't be found out this early. The All Mighty would be so disappointed in him if his secret were discovered not just the day after he had been given the mantle, but almost immediately after meeting another Godling! He'd have to move quickly.

The path was easy. He knew where everything on his desk was by heart. He had left the pen and ink he had used during the meeting in the parlor, but he had some on his desk. Izuku knew exactly how he would move to swiftly grab them, then move to the index. It would also let him cut Iida off from approaching the tome first, as a bookshelf partially occluded the route and would prevent two people from walking abreast to get to it. Then, he'd just have to quickly flip to another page. Where would he categorize the book? Normally, he'd give it more thought, but this was urgent. He needed to look calm, collected, and like he knew exactly what he was doing so that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He'd put it under Magical Theory. Maybe another category would be more appropriate, but he'd have to review them before making a decision otherwise, and one slightly miscategorized book was nothing against having his Godling nature revealed.

"– don't you think, Midoriya?"

Izuku blinked. Iida had been talking! What had he said? There was no way to know. He had been too deep in his own head to hear a single word of it. How to best play this off? He set the journal down in some of the limited free space on the great lectern, using the rest to give a safe distance between the books and the inkwell. "Sorry, what was that? I was thinking ab-bout where in the index I was going to put the journal." Iida wasn't quite behind him. He seized a thick section of pages and turned them away from the damning evidence. Philosophy. Too far.

The Godling of Cunning and Intellect chuckled. "With it being that thick, I'm not surprised. There must be a wealth of places it could be categorized! And you know it that well?"

"N-not all of it. There's, um, parts I know better than others. It kind of depends on what kinds of books are coming in." Nymphs. Getting closer. "But, uh, what was it you were saying?"

"I was commenting on the size of this library! My family is wealthy, but this place utterly eclipses our own. It's a rare thing, to find such a collection of knowledge."

"Oh. I guess. Wizard Nighteye has been living here since my mom was a little girl. It's... always been here, you know? Not that I take it for granted. I spend...um... basically all of my spare time reading here. I work from a little after sunrise to just before sunset – basically just long enough that I can make it back down the cliff before it's dark – but there isn't always a lot to do. So, I make sure the library stays kept, and... I read." He shrugged. Magical Theory. Izuku breathed a sigh of relief, which had the immediate opposite effect. Hopefully Iida hadn't heard. In careful, practiced strokes, he wrote Journal of – He stopped, double checking the inside cover of the book for a name. Koga Iida. Now came the other question: where to put it?

The guest spoke as he looked around. "How long have you been working here? How much have you read? I can't imagine how much knowledge could be absorbed with such time spent within these walls!"

Bookshelf fifty-six had several other texts on magical theory on it, and the slant of the books suggested that the journal could be made to fit. He recorded its new home, scattered some sand (found in a pouch stored in a lower portion of the lectern) over the wet ink, and went to place it on the shelf. "I've worked here for a little under five years." It wasn't even a snug fit. There was plenty of room. "As far as what I've read..." He turned to look at the shelves behind and around his desk. "From there..." Izuku gestured to the point at which he had started his organized dissection of the library after he had first learned to read, then trailed his hand over a large portion of the back wall and the shelves that jutted out of it. "...to about there. It's, uh... probably about a quarter of the collection, by my guess. Maybe just a little less. I think the far wall might be a bit denser as far as how many books are on each shelf..."

"Such dedication! Truly, you have the heart of a scholar, Midoriya."

Izuku rubbed his head and chuckled awkwardly. "Uh... if you say so. I just like to learn things, I guess. And I like reading."

"Under other circumstances, I might suggest you look into joining the Temple of Nezu, but... it seems a bit self-serving at this point, I think." Iida moved over to the index. "So, this contains the name and location of every book in the library?"

"Not every book. There are, um. There are some that aren't in there, but Wizard Nighteye hasn't gotten around to figuring out which ones are missing or where they are. I offered to try and audit everything a few years ago, but he said that it'd take me far too long to do so and that it'd be simpler for him to just divine it."

The other Godling nodded in understanding. "But he is a very busy man, and his time is better spent on wizardly pursuits than tracking a few errant tomes."

"Yeah. Something like that." The question that had been nascent in the back of his mind finally took enough form that he could ask it safely. Or at least, ask it without undue suspicion. "So... what does it really mean, being the Godling of Cunning and Intellect?"

"Besides being the chosen successor of Nezu, you mean? His blessing gives me enhanced mental faculties. I was already an exemplary student in all subjects presented to me, but now I learn and absorb information much faster. I've also found it gives me..." He paused, then looked at Izuku. "Why do you ask?"

Izuku's arms flailed around in front of him. "I-I'm not trying to get you to reveal your deepest secrets or anything! I s-swear, I just wanted – I only – I mean, I was curious, and I wanted to know what being a Godling means! Or is like!"

Iida continued to give Izuku a cutting look for a long moment after he finished his response. The scribe felt like he was going to collapse backwards with how much he shrank under his gaze. Finally, the response came: "I suppose it's only natural to be curious about it, especially for one as academically inclined as yourself. You'll see it for yourself soon enough, anyways." He turned back to the index. "I have an odd form of limited prescience. I am capable of skipping several steps in the process of gathering information. For example, I can tell you that Esoterica Arcana will not contain any information that will aid me in locating the Palace of the Gods. I can't tell what information it would give because I don't know the right question to ask my mantle." A glance to Izuku. "The mantle, of course, being the Godly power bestowed upon me by Lord Nezu." There was a pause as he continued looking down the page. "Now, The Metaphysical as Physical: Analyses on the Unseen does contain information that could help me in my quest, but I don't know what that knowledge is, what form it will take, or how it will help. I still have to read the book, find the information, and determine how it could be relevant and helpful. My prescience will further aid me in that as I attempt to find where in the book I need to be reading, but I can't do that until I put my hands on it. Where is bookshelf thirty-eight?"

Izuku pointed a shaky hand at the requested location. "That's amazing! You know all that just by looking at the index? That would cut – I mean, even with the index, there are thousands of books in here! And you know which ones are helpful just by looking at them?! That... You might actually be able to find something significant in the week you've been given!"

Iida moved over to the bookshelf and began perusing it for the required book. "I still plan to fully exercise the time given to me. I doubt I'll find something so overt as to actually completely reveal the location, but I do hope to find a collection of hints that may together give a more complete picture. Regardless of what is found in the coming days, every minute in this library will further the advantage I can gain."

A sudden pang of guilt hit Izuku. The advantage I can gain. Iida was here for himself, and Izuku was just going to leech off of whatever he could find. It felt wrong. But there wasn't anything to be done for it! He couldn't tell anyone that he was a Godling, even if it would be the right thing to do. But the All Mighty had said that he needed to find Godlings to count as friends, too. How could he do that without being honest with them? Why would a Godling travel around with someone they thought was a regular mortal? He didn't have answers for these questions right now, but they were important questions.

He had a week to figure them out.

"How, um... how can I help?" he asked. "I... with your prescience... I'm not sure what I can do? I mean, I want to help you, but..."

"That is a conundrum, isn't it?" the blue haired man mused. He plucked a book off the shelf, opening it about halfway through. "Give me a moment to think on it." After a moment of what appeared to be study, Iida began flipping through the pages in large chunks before pausing, then going back through the pages he had turned through. The process repeated several times in smaller degrees until he landed on a page and stayed quiet for a long time. He grinned somewhat ruefully. "'Not all of the Unseen can be perceived even with magical aid. The ever-elusive Palace of the Gods, for example, has never been seen by mortal eyes. No amount of scrying or divination can penetrate whatever veil shrouds its location. In this author's opinion, this is because said veil will only part under the gaze of the divine.' Technically helpful, in that it tells us how the Palace can't be found." He shut the book and placed it back on the shelf. "Like I said, it is limited prescience. Lord Nezu stated that my mantle wouldn't give me any answers but would help me find answers faster." Iida returned to the index and began looking at the other books filed under Magical Theory.

As the day progressed, they fell into a sort of routine. Iida would sort through sections of the index, calling out books that triggered his mantle's ability. Izuku would then retrieve them, and when they had several to go through, the Godling of Intellect would step away from the lectern to discover what information was contained in the tomes they found. These were few and far between, and it took some time to go through the list. He explained that he did have to internally voice the question for each title he found, and while that didn't take long, small amounts of time did add up.

They broke briefly in the afternoon to retire to the kitchen on the second floor, where Izuku prepared a small lunch for them (and Nighteye, though his portion was left on a table outside of his chambers – when the door was shut, he was not to be disturbed).

Ultimately, as the sun began to hang low in the sky, they agreed that it would be a good time to stop. They'd managed to clear through several sections of the index, though less than a score of books were found that merited actual investigation. Many repeated the same information, either by chance or by direct reference to another work, and little of it was truly helpful. The most useful pieces of information they found were that the Palace was likely a real, accessible place in the world, rather than something seated entirely on another plane of existence, and that the first book had only provided mostly correct information. This last revelation was what they discussed as they left the mansion. According to the book, there was a man who claimed to have been taken to the Palace of the Gods by Nosferatu. The god had been beaten in a game, and the terms of the agreement dictated that the man could retrieve his deceased wife from the afterlife. Therefore, he had seen past whatever power hid the Palace from mortal sight.

"...and the only way, uh, the only way I can see it working is that he was able to see the Palace because he was with Lord Nosferatu."

"That is a sound assessment, I think. Assuming that there isn't some more complex method by which the ability to see it is determined, either being a God or in the presence of one seems like a reasonable catalyst for the lifting veil."

"I... I mean, assuming that it is true." That had been bothering Izuku since they had encountered that particular piece of lore. "Just because someone claims to have seen it d-doesn't mean they did, you know?"

"I don't believe that should be a cause for concern. My prescience has yet to lead me to something overtly false or detrimental. I believe that, if there were no truth in that story, I would not have registered the book as helpful."

"I... well... I, uh... I guess you'd know more about how your powers work than I would..." He wasn't sure what else to say.

A companionable silence settled between them. They were partway down the cliff when Iida next spoke. "Midoriya, I... appreciate your assistance in this matter."

Izuku wasn't so socially stunted that he didn't hear the 'but.' However, it seemed polite to let him get there on his own. "Uh... yeah, no problem. Just... part of the job, you know?"

His companion nodded. "And it is admirable that you perform your duties with such vigor and efficiency. But... can I trust you not to speak of this to anybody?"

"I... Yeah, I wouldn't tell anybody about this." He chuckled anxiously. "I mean, even if I did, who would believe me?"

That comment did not land well, judging by the frown it evoked. "Midoriya, I am serious. I'm taking a great risk by involving you so closely in this research. I know that the terms of my access to Nighteye's library require you to supervise, but letting you help is another matter entirely. I make greater progress by doing so, but it also introduces an additional point of failure in my plans. Do you understand?"

He looked down. "...Sorry, I... I wasn't trying to sound like I wasn't taking this seriously. I know what a big deal this is. For you," he added quickly. "It's, um. Listen, I'd never talk about this with anyone. E-even if someone showed up at the mansion after you left and asked, I... I wouldn't point them at the books you had found. I'd supervise them if Wizard Nighteye told me to, but..." His tongue felt dry even thinking about the lie he was getting ready to tell. "You're giving me the chance to be involved in the biggest thing to happen since... well... I mean, as long as we r-really have history for. I didn't even know about those tablets and stuff that the wizard was talking about when you first brought it up to him. And... the Gods have been the Gods for as long as anyone alive can remember. So...I guess what I'm, um, trying to say is that..." He wasn't sure how to finish that sentence. 'I'm not going to tell anybody because I plan to stab you in the back with this information by trying to get to the Palace first'wasn't exactly an option. It didn't exactly feel just, either.

Why, Lord Yagi? You want to test me, but I don't see how I can pass the tests. I can't act justly here unless I tell him, but if I tell him, I still fail...

"It's quite all right, I think I understand." The comment surprised Izuku, snapping him out of his reverie. Iida had a smile on his face. "You aren't a particularly adept speaker, Izuku Midoriya, but I can sense your intentions. You have no intent of selling me out, and you understand the gravity of the situation." He put a hand on the scribe's shoulder. "I appreciate your candor and your support. Both are welcome after spending so much time by myself."

The words sank to his stomach faster than if he had swallowed lead, threatening to tear it even farther down deeper into his body so that it could catch up with his diminishing self-respect. "...How, uh... how long have you been by yourself?"

"I've been a Godling for almost two months now. It took some time to get my feet under me, but once I did, I set out to gather what information I could. Perhaps... a month and a half of travel, by this point. My family's estate is some distance from here, in Shinyu, well past the capital. It's just been me since I departed."

Izuku looked out over Shizuoka, his eyes homing in on his humble house. "...I can't imagine being away from my family that long," he finally said. He was going to have to start imagining it pretty soon, but... His mother had been a fixture in his life for so long. Something about not seeing her in the evening just didn't sit right.

"It's hard," Iida nodded. "I am..." He hesitated. "I suppose I was very close to my family. It'll be different now, of course. But it's a higher calling that I answer. The pain of separation can be endured."

Another silence, this one much more awkward than the last, settled over them. As much as Izuku wished for it to break, the way it did made him curse the desire in the first place.

"I was quite curious about these chairs on my way up the cliff this morning. Why are they here? It seems like an odd place to have them, and to have been carved directly from the stone like that..." His companion had stopped to regard the earthen furniture.

Izuku had to consciously avoid rubbing his arm. It'd be an obvious tell. "I – uh. These things? Um. I – I really don't know. They just, uh, they...they just showed up one day? Like, I was coming up the cliff and... they were there."

It was a long moment while Iida considered the stone and what he had said. "I suppose it could make a kind of sense. I've noticed a large number of stone buildings here. Perhaps a mason decided to try plying his craft in a different manner?"

He shrugged. "M-maybe?"

"Regardless, the craftsmanship is excellent! And there's no maker's mark. A shame, they would do well to take pride in their work!" He paused. "Why do you think one of the chairs is larger than the other? Almost a throne, really. Maybe the creator was trying to make a statement of some sort?"

The next several minutes were long and full of awkward lies and half-truths. Izuku regretted all of it.


He headed for the cliffside path the following morning with much more of a spring in his step than when he had parted ways with Iida there the previous afternoon. It wasn't something that would last, he knew. Something about a good night's sleep had washed away the grime of his lies and left him feeling refreshed and honest. He had even managed to speak to his mother in a way that felt normal, which he hadn't been able to manage all of yesterday.

This would all crumble by the time he got to the library. Then the lies had to start again, and he'd be right back to feeling like garbage for hiding everything from Iida. And then he'd feel bad about his mom again. Soon enough, the guilt would begin to creep in about not telling Nighteye, though it was only a matter of time until he was found out. And what happened when Awata returned? He'd have to start lying to her, too.

This line of thought was toxic. Izuku already felt his posture slumping as he let it continue. He forced himself to stand tall. It wasn't going to be for long, but for now, he got to feel good about himself. Best to take it while it was possible.

This mood preserved itself all the way up the cliff, where he was able to pretend that he was just on his way up to another regular day of reading in the library and running odd errands for Wizard Nighteye. Somehow, lying to himself didn't seem nearly as bad. It barely even registered to him when he did it, and the realization was easy enough to push aside until he crested the final rise and saw the glint of light off of Iida's glasses.

It wasn't his fault. Iida hadn't done anything wrong. Izuku didn't even really want to believe he had done anything wrong, though the words always rang hollow in his mind. All the same, the sight of the Godling brought the previous night's grime back onto his conscience. He took a deep breath, let his feelings out with a heavy sigh, and stood as straight as he could. "Good morning, Iida! R-ready to get to work today?"

The blue-haired man looked up from the journal he was writing in and smiled. It was stowed in a pocket on the side of his backpack. "Good morning to you as well, Midoriya! I am indeed ready to continue going through the wizard's library! I feel that our continued investigation will yield only more useful information."

His brows furrowed at the slightly unnatural cadence of the words, but he decided to say nothing on the matter. Instead, he retrieved his keyring and unlocked the door once he reached it. "W-well... let's get started, then."

As the door opened, he was greeted by glistening letters hanging in the air, forming words shortly within the threshold of the house. 'Still divining. Do not disturb.' It wasn't an entirely unfamiliar sight – Wizard Nighteye had done this before on occasion, though it had been some time since he had last decided to deliver a message in this manner.

What concerned Izuku, however, was the word 'still.' The wizard was always very precise and deliberate in his messages. The word had been included because it would be significant, which meant that he was trying to tell Izuku something specific. Still. The immediate meaning he took was that he had never stopped, which would have Nighteye nearing his twentieth hour of nonstop divination. That couldn't be good for him. But why say something? If he simply wished not to be disturbed, the message would have said so. Iida was a known quantity at this point, so the message couldn't be plain about what it was saying. There had to be a reason that it was important for Izuku to know that the wizard hadn't stopped. It'd be one thing if it hadn't included the instructions to leave him be, in which case, it could have been a request to be checked on for... whatever reason. But he was to leave his master undisturbed, while being aware of the situation. Under more normal circumstances – whatever passed for normal when one worked for a wizard, at any rate – he would have assumed that something was coming. Whatever it was, it would be within the scribe's ability to handle, and the Wizard needn't be troubled by it. But Nighteye couldn't see the house right now, or either of the Godlings within it. Unless... Something outside the house was seen. Maybe he and Iida were meant to handle it? But what would –

"Is something the matter, Midoriya?"

He jumped. He must have been mumbling. Whatever hidden meaning the message had would need to wait – he knew that Nighteye had been hard at work and that he wasn't to be disturbed. Those were likely the most important things to keep in mind for now. Whatever else would come later, and he would face it through the lens of that information. "Uh... no, just... Curious about what he's divining, is all. Sorry." Izuku finally stepped through the doorway, passing through the hanging words. As his hair and face moved through the letters, the weak magic binding them to existence was disrupted. The message fell apart and disappeared.

Despite his growing apprehension, the morning passed without incident. Few books were found by Iida's mantle, all of them reiterating information they already had in some form or another. The lack of progress should have been more expected. After all, not all of the books in the library could be expected to have relevant information on a such a specific topic that mortals largely had no real ability to engage with. Even with the setting of expectations, however, Izuku found himself disheartened. Despite it being only the second day and possessing such an advantage as the prescience gifted by Nezu, he wished for more. He wanted to find the key piece of information and be gone, racing off to the Palace.

"Eureka!" Iida's sudden exclamation brought Izuku's mind back to the present, as did the clatter of the other Godling's chair as his sudden rise knocked it over. "Midoriya, I've found something fantastic!" The spine of the book in his hands declared its identity as Mythology of the Stars.

"W-what? What is it?" he moved closer to see what the book said.

"It's such a small detail, it's no wonder that I never thought of it before! It's just... the stars, we take them for granted! Listen! On the constellation of the Chariot: 'Named for the apparent spokes of a wheel around a central star, the heavenly movements of the Chariot represent the eastward travel of Nosferatu as he brings the souls of the dead to the afterlife!' This is the passage my mantle pointed me to, which must mean that this is true!"

Izuku's eyes widened. "The Gates of the Dead are on the grounds of the Palace! That means that the Palace is found to the east!"

Iida nodded vigorously. "Of course, there's so much east that it's impossible to say precisely where it is, but this is a workable lead! A starting point!" He laughed for pure joy. "This is more information than we've ever had before!"

He couldn't help but join in the laughter. Just moments ago, he'd wished for that key piece of information. This wasn't it, but it was a massive leap of progress, and the excitement brought his heart bubbling up in his chest.

The crashing of the library doors opening cut that feeling short. Wizard Nighteye stood in the portal, expression entirely unreadable. "Leave," he commanded.

"W-what?" Izuku squeaked.

Iida bowed by what looked like pure reflex. "Sir, I apologize if I have offered some offense! What – "

Nighteye strode into the library, stopping by Izuku's desk for the briefest of moments to scoop up the young man's bag. He hurled it the few feet between them. The impact wasn't staggering, as the bag wasn't incredibly heavy, but he was so unprepared for the projectile that he nearly lost his footing anyways. "I said leave. Both of you. Now."

"Master, I – "

"MUST I REPEAT MYSELF A THIRD TIME?!" The wizard's voice, often as quiet as it was stern, bellowed out across the room.

Izuku's body began moving before his mind had finished assessing the order. He scrambled over a short pile of books, stammering out apologies as he shuffled through the tiny gap left between the wizard and the very bookshelf he had used to obstruct Iida the previous day.

When his mind finally caught up to reality, he was already out of the mansion. Iida followed shortly after, a massive crash and thunk punctuating his exit as the door was magically slammed and the seldom-used bar put in place on the other side.

The young noble, who had always seemed so serious and composed, also had eyes wide with fright. "W... What was that about?" he asked, voice shaky.

"I don't kn-know... I've, uh...I've never seen him act like that before." Finally getting his breathing under control, he shouldered the bag that his master had thrown at him. "Even when he was cross with Awata... um, Awata is his apprentice. But... even when she did something bad... He's never yelled before, that I've heard."

"What did we do?" He looked back at the door which barred him from the library he had come so far to see.

Izuku shook his head. "I don't know," he repeated. "But... whatever it is... we should go. W-Wizard Nighteye is only going to be more upset if we linger, I think. We can, um... come back tomorrow, and see if he's more... amenable to our presence?"

Iida sighed, closing his eyes and hanging his head. "I can only hope. I'm glad we found that last passage when we did, all things considered, but I should like to find much more before acting on it."

Izuku put a hand on the taller man's shoulder. "Well... We can deal with that, uh, tomorrow." He hoped he sounded comforting. Or like he knew what was going on. Which, for a certain definition of 'knew,' he suspected he might. It had only been a matter of time before Nighteye realized that Izuku, too, was a Godling. He had hoped for a less explosive reaction, but it seems the wizard was quite incensed by his lies, even if they were mostly of omission. Iida would naturally also be removed, as he wouldn't want to leave him unsupervised in the library and certainly had more important things to do that take that responsibility upon himself. He resolved to try to get Iida permission to return to the library, at the very least. It felt the best way to approach the situation. The other Godling would be able to find more refined information, and Izuku could head east. Maybe by some twist of fate, he'd stumble onto another lead.

A sigh answered his statement. "You are correct. This is best handled tomorrow, after his temper has settled." Izuku felt a hand clasp his shoulder as well. "You are a stalwart and dependable companion, Midoriya, and I can't thank you enough for it. When the time comes, I'll ensure you are well rewarded for your faithful aid."

His stomach churned. "...Yeah, I mean... I'm not doing it for a reward, but... you're welcome... I guess."

The two of them turned and began heading down the path.


Awata.

Nighteye could feel his apprentice's surprise as he reached out to her. Master? What is it?

I'm going to die.

Mental communication was tricky. There was a fine line between just speaking back and forth and actively reading each other's minds. The line was impossible to draw, and because of that, he flinched at sudden stunned feeling coming from the nymph. What? Master, what's happening? Why are you going to die?

I don't know. Since you have left, a cloud has settled over the mansion. Divination is all but impossible. I've spent the last day attempting to pierce through it, and I've just now managed to break through it enough to receive a vision of myself, pinned beneath a burning crossbeam.

No, that – When will this happen? I can come back! If I'm fast, I'll still have enough –

No. The clarion thought drowned hers out. You will do no such thing. My divinations are immutable. You know this. However, only I appeared in the vision. I have already sent Midoriya away with money and a copy of my will. Anything that remains when you return will be yours.

But Master, I can't just leave you to die!

You can and will. Return to your river, Wizard Awata. I have acquired a new text that has promising research on the possibility of binding Nymph magic into a physical form. It has been placed in the reliquary, where it will be protected from the flames. I am sealing it now. He finished his ascent back up the staircase and, with a surge of power, solid stone slid over to disguise it. You remember the incantation to unseal it?

There was no response.

Wizard Awata?

...Yes, Wizard Nighteye, I do. She was crying. She was doing a remarkable job of composing herself to hide it from him, but he could still feel the shake in her thoughts, much like a tremble in the voice. Is that it, then? I get the land and whatever else is left, and you're just...gone?

That does appear to be the case, yes. I suspect Midoriya will still be here, if that brings any solace.

I'm sorry I couldn't be there to properly say goodbye.

The closer you are, the more in danger you'd be. As of now, I am the only one who has to die. I prefer it this way. He paused briefly. You were an exemplary apprentice.

You were a great teacher.

Goodbye, Wizard Awata.

Goodbye, Wizard Nighteye. The grief was palpable as the connection severed.

With the reliquary sealed and Awata informed, Nighteye set to his next task: activating the wards around the mansion. He may have been about to die, but there was no reason to go quietly.

Awata was a strong young woman and would get over his death in time. She was also too far away to reasonably attempt intervention, which is why she had been informed that it would happen. Midoriya would certainly have fought him on the order to leave if he had explained, so the money and will were surreptitiously placed in his satchel.

He also was not going to be party to the death of a Godling. Nighteye didn't know what the ramifications of a God's chosen successor dying were, but he did know that when Nosferatu carried him to the Gates of the Dead, he wasn't going to be responsible for it happening.

The wards were set. Would that he could seal the library as he did the reliquary, but such a thing was wildly impractical without removing such things as windows and any contact with an external wall. Besides, a library with no windows had no business existing. Reading by candlelight was murder on the eyes if you did it too much.

He sat down in the parlor and started a fire with a wave of his hand. It was strange, knowing that he was about to die. He had always known it would happen, of course. Everyone died. It had always seemed that there'd be more time to prepare, however. More time to settle affairs, to talk to the people that mattered to him. With anywhere between scant minutes and hours to come to terms with his mortality, everything seemed rushed and... insufficient.

He passed his remaining time by centering himself and gathering his magical power. He wasn't sure what form his death was going to take, but when there was a thunderous roar at the front gates, he knew that it was time.

Nighteye held out his hand and summoned his staff from its resting place nearby. With it in hand, he strode out to meet his fate.


Izuku Midoriya was not what most people would call a fit man.

His lungs burned from the effort of running back up the cliff. He had been nearly at the bottom when he heard a cacophony from the mansion. Iida had tried to stop him, but he had cast off his satchel and started running as fast as he could. It was still long minutes before he staggered to the top, but it was considerably faster than he'd normally been able to do.

The flames covered the entire mansion. If he hadn't already been gasping for breath, it might have caught in his chest. Another horrendous noise echoed out from inside. With a ragged heave that sounded like a pained whimper, he ran through the unhinged doors.

The high ceiling on the first floor was helpful because the smoke hadn't quite gotten low enough to obscure his vision. There was a level on which he wished it had, though, because the first floor was a wreck. Walls were demolished, debris was scattered everywhere, and the ominous creaking suggested that the ceiling wasn't handling the weight of the upper floors very well.

"Master!" he called out, coughing again. "Master, where are you?"

That same noise assaulted his ears again. Another chunk of the wall came down as a bookshelf was hurtled through it and directly towards Izuku. He dove out of the way and it sailed out the door.

"Midoriya, you fool!" came Nighteye's voice from somewhere in the library. "I told you to leave! What moronic impulse brought you back?!"

"M-Master, the noise –! I could hear it from – "

"Midoriya? You gotta be fuckin' kidding me!" This time, the noise was followed by a loud CRACK and the massive tumble of caving in architecture. "Finally! Took you long enough, bastard!"

Izuku's eyes widened. That sounded final, and he didn't care for that one bit. He staggered back to his feet and drew the seaforged dagger that Awata had given him. "Master!" He yelled, moving towards the library.

As he came through the hole the bookshelf had come through, he saw a figure backlit against the fires. He was rooting around a bookshelf, grabbing books, glancing at the spines, and either stowing them under an arm or tossing them behind him. His shirt was mostly destroyed, and his body sported some minor burns, but his pants were intact and tucked into sturdy leather boots. As some rubble shifted under Izuku's feet, the person turned around. Red eyes stared at him from under a mess of spikey blond hair and above a malicious grin.

"No fucking shit. Deku, in the flesh. What the fuck do you think you're doing here?"

If the face hadn't told him who this was, the nickname did. "Kacchan?"

There was a cracking noise from one of his hands. "Don't you dare call me that!" he roared. "You don't get to come in here and use some dumb kiddie nickname to talk to me! You are so far beneath me! Now more than ever!"

He coughed as he stumbled off of the unsteady pile of debris, dagger held shakily before him. "W-why are you doing this?! Why would you attack Wizard Nighteye?" he demanded. His eyes scanned the room, trying to locate his master.

"You'll want to bow when you hear this: I'm the next God of War!" Kacchan laughed maniacally. "So, I'm serious: On your knees! Bow down and worship me, and I might just let you live!"

Izuku recoiled in horror, his attention drawn back to the blonde. It made uncomfortable amounts of sense. That would mean that he was here for the same reason as Iida: for knowledge about the location of the Palace. But to go this far... Bakugou had always been an angry person, but he never would have thought his childhood friend would resort to murder to get what he wanted. A voice in the back of his head reminded him about the All Mighty's comments about the unsavory folk numbered among the Godlings.

He couldn't let him leave with the information he and Iida had found. He put both of his hands on the dagger and... what came next? He had no idea how to fight.

The Godling of War snarled. "What, you think you're going to stop me? Useless fuckin' Deku?" He held out his free hand. There was a series of small pops around it.

Izuku didn't know what it was going to do, but he knew he needed to not be where he was when it happened.

A roiling mass of flame shot into existence, hurling itself forward through the air and back through the hole the scribe had come through. Izuku had the foresight to jump out of the way. Having had any warning about the attack, he was able to land at least on his hands and knees, instead of sprawling across the floor like he had with the bookshelf.

"So, what, you come in here, you stab me, you haul the wizard out, and you're a big damn hero? How the fuck are you going to do that? You've never done a damned thing in your life that wasn't watching the clouds or being dead weight dragging me down!"

The Godling of Strength rose to his feet. The noise – no, the explosions made sense now, as did Kacchan's aggression against Nighteye. His parents made fireworks, and they had been practically forced out of Shizuoka when one had burst too close to his house. Wizard Nighteye had demanded a stop to all fireworks, and the mayor had caved to the request rather than incite the wizard's wrath. That had been, what, ten years ago? His old friend certainly knew how to hold a grudge. "I don't know," he said in reply. "But I know that I can't just do nothing while you kill people!" Despite the fires, despite his exhaustion, despite the untenable odds, Izuku found his breath coming easily. His legs felt strong, and his arms steadied. His eyes flicked over to where he and Iida had been keeping books earlier. The nook was untouched by the chaos, the fires still far from it and the chair still laying on the ground.

Bakugou had noticed the glance. He followed it to the small piles of books. "What, are those important or something?" His mouth turned up into a grin when he saw Izuku flinch. "Well, I'll make sure to take them when I'm done with you!" Another explosion ripped away from the Godling of War.

Izuku dodged closer this time, close enough that he felt the heat of the fireworks on his arm. No – no, his tunic was on fire now. He didn't have time to do anything about that. He threw his whole body forward, shoving the tip of the curved blade towards the stomach of the man he'd once looked up to.

The response happened so quickly that he almost didn't process what happened. One second, his dagger was inches away from Kacchan's stomach. The next, he had missed entirely. A hand grabbed his arm and threw him. His whole body tumbled, and he heard the dagger clatter off somewhere ahead. He collided with an upturned bookshelf, pain shooting through his back.

"You've never even held that thing before, have you?" his opponent asked with a mocking laugh. "Don't forget, Deku: God of War. That means that I'm just better than you at fighting!" Footsteps came closer as Izuku struggled back to his feet. "I mean, not that I need that kind of power to be better than you. But that means a useless nothing like you doesn't even have a chance."

He finished righting himself. "You can't just do whatever you want with that kind of power! You – "

A swift punch to the gut cut him off. "I can do whatever the fuck I want," Kacchan said in a low, dangerous voice. "I really would have let you live if you had gotten on the fucking ground and prayed to me, but I gotta say, I like this way a lot better." Izuku looked up from his doubled-over position to find a hand in front of his face. It popped, then roared. Pain engulfed the front of his body, and everything went black.


A dull throb brought Izuku back to consciousness. The sound of crackling fire confused him for a moment, but then the throb turned into a sharp stabbing sensation and he opened his eyes with a gasp.

Well, he tried. He was pretty sure only one of them opened, from the mass of blackness covering the right half of his vision.

His memories came back in time with the pounding in his head. He coughed as he looked around and tried to assess the situation. He was still in the library, and the fires had gotten worse. Most of the bookshelves were consumed, and it was only by the mercy of the Gods that they hadn't spread to where he was. He couldn't see his dagger from here, but that wasn't important. Izuku rose, a searing pain flooding through him. His torso ached, and a fearful look down confirmed that it was coated in burns.

Kacchan was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Nighteye. He scrunched up his face, causing the pain there to intensify. Where could the wizard have been? How could he figure that out? The lowering smoke and raging fires didn't leave him with much time. He had to think. He needed to stop and approach this rationally, but he feared he didn't have the time.

That didn't matter. All that mattered was finding Wizard Nighteye.

He had come into the mansion. Everything had been on fire. He heard Nighteye, and then Bakugou, from the library. The bookshelf... then the crashing...

The crashing! Something had collapsed! Something big. Maybe part of the ceiling? Izuku looked to the ceiling first, but the smoke obscured it. The library actually occupied two stories of the house, so between needing to see higher and the fires being more intense here, it wasn't a likely avenue. With that failing, he began to limp around, trying to find some evidence of the ruin that had surely claimed his master.

No. Not claimed. Disabled. Nighteye wasn't dead.

"Midoriya!"

Izuku's brow furrowed. That wasn't Nighteye's voice. Who else would be calling his name?

"Midoriya! Are you in here?" He could barely hear the voice over the fires.

"Who are you?" he called back.

"It's Iida! Where are you?"

Iida?

Of course. Iida. What had taken him? Surely, he could have matched Izuku's pace up the cliff, if not beaten him. Why was he arriving so late?

Izuku shook his head. It didn't matter why he was delayed. He was here now, and he could help. "I... library!"

A moment later, he saw the other Godling enter through a less-blazing portion of the wall. He was shirtless, missing his backpack, but had something tied around his face. "Midoriya, come this way! You need to get out of here!"

"I have to find Nighteye! I can't leave without him!"

"Are you mad? This whole building is on the verge of collapse!"

Izuku turned away to continue limping further into the library. "I might be, but that doesn't change what I need to do!" A glint of light caught his eye from a pile of scorched wood and paper.

"Damnit, Midoriya!" He heard the sound of shifting rubble as Iida come past the entry point he had chosen.

The burned and battered scribe found his dagger to be the source of the reflection that caught his eye. It was partway wedged under a destroyed bookshelf. He gingerly used his foot to pull it out, wincing at the pain holding his weight on a single leg brought. Careful to avoid the blade, which was surely hot enough to burn his skin at the slightest touch, he grabbed the handle and slid it into its sheath. The bone wasn't much more comfortable to hold, and it sported some char of its own.

As Iida cleared through the last cloud of smoke separating them, his eyes went wide, and he gasped in horror. "What happened to you?"

"Godling," he croaked back. "Nighteye. Where is he?"

"You are in no condition to be looking for other people!"

He shook his head. "There was a crash... Something fell. He's got to be under it!"

Iida's eyes drifted behind him. With exasperation, he said, "There's some masonry on the other side of that bookshelf! You stay here, I'll look, okay?"

Izuku shook his head and turned to go in the direction that the other man had been looking. A hand grabbed his shoulder; he tried to stifle the cry of pain, but it still came out.

The hand immediately retracted. "Midoriya, if you can't handle me touching your shoulder, you're in no state to help Nighteye!"

He continued to move forward and started to speak, but at that moment he rounded the bookshelf and saw it. Stone was scattered along the ground from where a crossbeam's weight had torn it from the weakened ceiling. The wood itself was half-consumed by fire, and Nighteye's body was charred and burning itself. "NO!" he cried.

"It's too late for him!" Iida yelled. "Come on, we need to – "

Izuku had already pushed past his companion to get to the part of the beam that was not yet burning. He knelt to get his arms under it, causing pain to flash up from all around his body.

While he did, Iida's arms wrapped around his chest, hoisting him up onto the taller man's shoulders. Izuku screamed. Everywhere Iida touched, it felt like fire licked over his body. "I'm getting you out of here!"

"But... Nighteye!"

"He's dead! And you will be too if we don't get you out of here!"

Rhythmic jolts of pain shot through him as Iida made his way out of the burning library. He feebly kicked and screamed, begging to go back, to save his master, but he drew ever further away. Within moments, the failing interior of Wizard Nighteye's mansion gave way to daylight. Izuku hardly noticed. He sobbed and cursed for being forcibly taken away.

"We need to get you help, Midoriya." The other Godling spoke in a more level tone now that they were drawing away from the fire. "Where in town can I take you? Is there a healer?"

Soft weeping was the only answer that was given.

"Izuku Midoriya." The voice was commanding, now, but distant. "I need you to answer me. Is there a healer I can take you to?"

It took a long moment for him to answer. Away from the danger, the pain was becoming more intense and it was increasingly hard to think. "A healer?"

"Yes. You're covered in burns, and... You have other injuries."

"Other... injuries? What?" His head was swimming.

"Where is your healer?" The question was forceful this time. Forceful and irritated.

"Healer... Bag. There's... in my bag, there's a silver key... put it in the door..."

"The door? What door?"

"...The door," he repeated. "Any door. Door... with a key..." his voice grew quieter as he talked. The blackness marched from his right eye to his left.

"No! No, Midoriya, do NOT fall asleep!"

"...Gotta sleep," he mumbled. "Door... key..."

The blackness claimed him again.


The dreaded cliffhanger! The tension! Will I kill the main character in the second chapter before he even has a chance to meet the love interest I've indicated in the pairing?

One potential issue I do want to address now is how Bakugou got to the mansion without encountering them on the path. It allows access to the top of the cliff from the village. He approached from the opposite direction and so was already on top of the cliff. There is, of course, no way to present this information from the perspective of the characters directly, so I wanted to make sure it was mentioned here.

Today's lore entry is on nymphs! We're going to learn a bit more about this enigmatic species that shares the world with humanity.

Nymphs

Half mortal, half nature spirit, nymphs are the only nonhuman sapient species that are not considered to be monsters. How they came to be is the subject of debate, but several things about them are known. When a nymph is born, they are magically bound to an object or location near them, depending on what subspecies they are. This 'tether' sustains them and provides a source of power for their magic. Being separated from their tether for too long will cause the nymph to slowly become more ill and frailer until, ultimately, they die. If the tether is destroyed, it is very difficult for a nymph to survive, though powerful spells have created new tethers in the past. Nymphs are capable of procreation with humans or other nymphs of the same subspecies, but there is no such thing as a half-nymph. All children with at least one nymph parent are a full-blooded nymph themselves.

Nymph Magic

Nymph magic is entirely separate from arcane magic and tends to deal with the narrow purview associated with their subspecies. However, this magic tends to be rather potent. It notably does not preclude nymphs from having potential with arcane magic as well, which means that a nymph wizard could be a formidable foe, indeed.

Subspecies

Nymphs broadly belong to four major classifications, each with several subspecies.

Stone Nymphs: Stone nymphs are found in and around large concentrations of rock and stone, unsurprisingly. Their tethers range from specific rocks to entire mountains. Subspecies of stone nymphs include mountain nymphs, valley nymphs, and the elusive metal nymph.

Wild Nymphs: Wild nymphs are among the most common, second only to water nymphs in population. Their tethers and locales are very specific to their subspecies, which include wood nymphs (who tend to tether to a specific tree), prairie nymphs (who tether to large fields), and flower nymphs (who tether to either a bed of flowers or one specific flower).

Water Nymphs: The most common of the nymphs. Much like wild nymphs, their tether and residence vary by subspecies, but they enjoy more freedom than most due to their tether universally being a body of water. Subspecies include the river nymph, the lake nymph, and the sea nymph, who tether much as their names suggest. Notably, sea nymphs are one of the few species of nymph that tend to gather in organized civilization, though few outsiders are capable of reaching their ocean-floor cities.

Sky Nymphs: The least human appearing of the nymphs. All sky nymphs bear some avian features, though the degree depends on subspecies. Interestingly, sky nymphs tend to share common tethers with stone nymphs, especially mountain nymphs. Like sea nymphs, all subspecies of sky nymph possess some degree of actual civilization. Some are nomadic, but others create great cities on the tallest mountains they can find to keep them closer to the skies. Subspecies include the beaked nymph (possessing only an avian head) and the winged nymph (who have a humanoid head but have altered arms that double as functional wings).