Disclaimer: I do not own anything that doesn't belong to me.
…
It had probably been said by some poet, at some point or another, that the sun would never set on the Egyptian Empire.
This was both literally and metaphorically untrue, since the sun set on a daily basis, and, as our heroes from the future can attest to, Egypt – at least in their timeline – had indeed fallen at some point.
Regardless, the sunset was always an extremely beautiful time of day as the golden sun dipped below the horizon, the skies transitioning from blue to a gorgeous blend of purple and orange before gradually shifting back to blue and then a pitch black, the moon of Khonsu – that prick – rising to illuminate the desert sands as the firmament was filled with shining stars and constellations no longer quite visible in the modern age.
Our heroes, sadly, might not get a chance to see the night sky – much to Ariel's chagrin – because, with the setting sun, the next leg of their journey began.
The moment the sun fully dipped beneath the horizon, there was a flash of light, and then something bright and shining began sailing down the river Nile towards the Alexandrian shoreline where the Egyptrangers and Bugrangers were waiting. As it drew closer, the object only grew brighter, and the melodious sound of flutes, drums, strings, and song filled the air, unlike anything the heroes from the future had ever heard before.
"That melody… It's divine!" Goro exclaimed.
"Well, of course it is, it's being produced by gods," Mibojin pointed out, ruining the moment, as was her wont.
When it started down the river, somehow it seemed to take only seconds to reach them, coming to a halt right in front of them without needing to slow down or drop anchor. Now that it was right in front of them, they could see the object was in fact a magnificent Egyptian boat, much like the one they had sailed earlier that day to reach Alexandria, but seeming to be made of solid gold, the eyes painted at the bow looking to be alive and the oars projections of its body almost like wings. The deck was filled with several dozen beings, some with heads like humans and others like animals, all of them at least half again as tall as a human with skin made of solid gold, the men either shirtless or wearing tunics and the women either wearing form hugging gowns which emphasized every single one of their ample curves or strips of cloth or bandages which left absolutely nothing to the imagination. They had radiant jewelry and necklaces, and a great many wore elaborate headdresses or crowns. They smiled and laughed, and waved to the heroes on the shore.
"Cleopatra, my champion!" A man with the head of a falcon and the build of a warrior screeched merrily, waving to the Pharaoh. "So good to see you again!"
Cleopatra smiled and bowed regally, while the Bugrangers stared at the deity's shining muscles. "My Lord Horus, the pleasure is all mine."
"Those abs," Ariel gasped, positively drooling.
"Really?" Nushi asked, disgusted.
"Look, I'm pan, that means I can find guys attractive too sometimes!" Ariel insisted.
"I'm pretty sure I'm completely straight, but… Wow," Goro murmured, glancing from the god's chest to his own, feeling rather self-conscious. "Maybe I should hit the gym a bit more."
"Oh yeah, you definitely can stand to lose some weight," Formic agreed, prodding his partner's stomach, much to his dismay. "You've been eating too much of your wife's cooking."
"But it's so good!" Goro whined.
While several other gods crowded around the side of the boat to regard the mortals with curiosity, four in particular, standing beside Horus, seemed to stand out. There was an immense man with the head of a crocodile towering over all the other gods, his body rippling with muscle after muscle. A much more slender figure with the head of an ibis, holding a tablet and stylus, which he was constantly scribbling on. A voluptuous woman with the head of a cat who seemed to relish wearing as little clothing as possible to flaunt her gorgeous body. A man with the head of a jackal, standing out from the other gods due to his body being pitch black rather than gold, but seeming to fit in despite having a different appearance.
"Akilah, my friend!" The crocodile headed God roared happily. "So good to see you again!"
"Thotep. You have gathered quite a lot of new wisdom since last we met," the ibis headed man noted.
"Nefer, I swear, you've got an even cuter!" The cat headed woman observed, causing the catgirl to preen.
"Gozim. You have done well, delivering more souls to my domain," the jackal headed man said sternly.
The other four Egyptrangers bowed as well, exposing Mark Anthony, who yelped and quickly scurried behind Shin, feeling understandably anxious standing face to face with the gods of the nation his people had been trying to conquer, especially since his own gods were no longer in any position to defend him, even if they wanted to.
"My Lord Sobek."
"Lord Thoth."
"Lady Bast."
"Lord Anubis."
"We thank you for continuing to lend us your powers in our continuing fight against the forces of evil," Cleopatra said as the five of them rose once more. "And we must humbly ask you for your aid once again."
Horus's eyes narrowed. "You wish permission to board the solar bark and ride with us into my father's domain, to try and stop the Roman invaders from claiming the power of Alexander the Great."
Cleopatra nodded. "That is correct. And… We would also like to ask permission for our friends the Bugrangers to come aboard as well. They are heroes from the future, one of whom is responsible for the destruction of the Olympian Pantheon, all of them warriors of great strength and true heart who are friends of Egypt. We believe they will be useful in defeating Caesar once and for all, and one of their own is being held captive by the conqueror, giving them extra incentive to come with us."
"Well, one of our own is a bit of a stretch," Shin started to protest, only get elbowed by Mibojin. "Ow!"
"And what of the Roman soldier hiding pointlessly behind the grasshopper man?" Thoth inquired, causing Mark to yelp. "Do you wish us to grant him passage as well?"
Cleopatra's smile turned a bit fixed. "Um. If that's not too much trouble?"
Horus shook his head apologetically. "While you and your comrades are champions and therefore have our blessing, your new friends – and Mark do not. It is not within our power to grant them-"
"Let them on."
There was a stir among the gods, and they all immediately turned away from the mortals. "Great Ra?" Bast asked, startled.
"These new heroes have fought to save the people of Alexandria and struck down the wretched Olympians. They deserve a chance. Let me see them with my own eyes."
This new voice was reedy, ancient, wizened… But every word was spoken with insurmountable power and authority. It sent shivers down the backs of the Bugrangers.
Horus bowed his head. "As you wish, Great Ra. Lower the gangplank!"
An opening formed in the side of the boat, and a gilded ramp lined with flower petals extended to touch the ground just before the gathered heroes. The Bugrangers stared at it for a moment, then glanced at Cleopatra. "So… We can go on board?" Goro asked.
Gozim nodded. "Looks that way. For now, at least."
"Please don't do anything to make us look bad!" Nefer pleaded.
"That… Is absolutely not a promise we can make," Ariel admitted, causing her friends to wince.
"Regrettably, she has a point," Mibojin grumbled.
"You know, I'm starting to have second thoughts-" an anxious Mark stammered, only to cry out as Shin threw him over his shoulder and started up the plank.
"Yeah, not getting out of it that easily, soldier boy," Shin chuckled.
They boarded the ship, and found themselves surrounded by and scrutinized with interest by dozens of divine personages. It was kind of overwhelming, having so many ancient eyes, heavy with the weight of millennia, examining them with curiosity. Nushi swallowed, feeling a little like she had the first time she'd set foot in Magitopia and met Ariel's family… Except these beings were far older, and potentially far more powerful than the Heavenly Saints and magicians she had met that day.
It was a relief when Ariel squeezed her hand, smiling at her gently and sending feelings of love and affirmation and strength through their bond. The rest of the team relaxed, those emotions spilling over into them through the Buzzing as well.
Mark, who had no such connection, couldn't help growing more and more frightened by the second.
The deck was even more lavishly appointed then Cleopatra's vessel was. There were cushions and reclining couches everywhere, gorgeous dancers, a band set up in one corner, tables laden with enough food to feed an entire town, fountains of wine, and great braziers burning with shining golden flame.
Placed between two such braziers, beneath a pavilion with a pair of beautiful women holding fans on either side of him, was a very, very old man seated on a golden throne, his regal garments looking far too big for him, his features practically hidden beneath the wrinkles covering his face, his head hanging low due to the weight of the massive golden sun disk with an eye etched into it which he wore as a crown.
And yet, despite his clear infirmity, everyone could immediately sense that he was the most powerful person on this boat, and even if they couldn't, the way all the other gods clearly seemed to defer to him made that abundantly clear.
"So," Ra, god of the sun and supreme deity of the Egyptian pantheon, rasped, staring at the travelers from the future with white eyes clouded with cataracts that nonetheless seemed to be able to see right through them. "You are the Bugrangers I have heard so much about."
Cleopatra glared at Nushi, and she quickly realized they were supposed to be bowing. All five of her team quickly knelt before the supreme God. Shin accidentally dropped Mark face first on the floor, and he frantically scrambled to get down on his knees before Ra. "Yes. That is us, your….um. Raness?" Nushi said hesitantly, internally cringing at how pathetic that sounded, with at least half the Hive facepalming at her.
While the Egyptrangers and other gods cringed, Ra seemed unperturbed. "Fascinating…" He murmured, focusing on her with interest. "You and your companions have been blessed by gods far older than even I… but weaker? No, greater? Both at once? Curious."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Caelifer griped.
"I think he is referring to how we are all gods split into two bodies, our smaller selves, who can grant our chosen ones great power but have little of it on our own, and our much bigger selves back in the present, who are truly Great," Lepidoptera suggested. "I don't think any offense was meant."
"Well, I'm taking offense anyway!" Caelifer decided.
Ra seemed especially fascinated by Nushi. "Just by looking at you, it would be almost impossible to know that you are the one who obliterated Mount Olympus and slew almost an entire pantheon. And yet, here you stand before me. The future must truly be a fascinating place to produce ones such as you…"
"It… Can be," Nushi said hesitantly, not sure where he was going with this.
He glanced at Ariel, and then back to her. "Most intriguing… And not only that, I now have not one, but two potential members of the Promised Triumvir standing before me… I never thought I would see the day…"
The various deities stirred at this, and Nushi and Ariel gave Ra startled looks. "You… You know what the Promised Triumvir are?!" Nushi stammered.
"Is this true?!" Thoth asked in astonishment, stylus poised to write this down, Thotep unconsciously mirroring him. "Even I have only heard of them once or twice before today!"
"Not even the Arch Saint knew anything about it," an excited Ariel said. "Or if she did, she didn't feel like telling me."
"The Promised Triumvir are a very old legend, ancient even by my standards, and unfortunately there's not much I can tell you," Ra said in apology. "It is a story that only the chief deity of a pantheon is supposed to know, hence why Jupiter recognized the term… And why he was terrified."
"Why?" Nushi demanded. "What does it mean? I mean, if you are okay with telling us," Nushi said quickly, sensing Cleopatra glaring at the back of her skull.
Ra shrugged, wincing as he did so. "Your standard vague prophecy. On the darkest day, three beings of immeasurable power will appear to fulfill their 'promise,' though what that promise is and whether it spells doom or hope is unknown. All that is known for sure is that individually, each of these Promised Ones is strong enough to vanquish just about any God… And together, their combined power is enough to shake the foundations of heaven and earth. It is no wonder that Jupiter, who cast down his own father to claim his throne and has always been paranoid and well aware of just how tenuous his own reign is – there was a prophecy that one of his own offspring would overthrow him, just as Jupiter overthrew Saturn, who overthrew Uranus-"
Ariel tried very, very hard not to laugh out loud at that. Pretty much the entire Buzzing groaned in exasperation for being so juvenile.
"Feared the appearance of a being who claimed to be one of the Triumvir," Ra continued.
"And what about you?" Mibojin asked sharply, earning her cringes from everyone else for her tone. "Are you afraid?"
Ra examined Nushi for a long time, leaving her feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, he shook his head. "I do not. There is darkness in you, young one, but it is… Neutral. Harmless if unprovoked. I am no fool like Jupiter. I know better than to pick a fight with something strong enough to potentially wipe out my entire pantheon."
"I-I would never!" Nushi protested.
Ra raised an eyebrow.
"Again, I mean!"
"Unless it's necessary," Shin added, earning him a glare. "What? You know it's true!"
The Egyptrangers facepalmed.
"I know, but I have no intention of giving you reason to do so, just to be safe," Ra said, managing a smile. "As I said, I am not a fool."
"Great Ra… Is there anything you can do to help us with this darkness?" Coccinella spoke up. "It is, as you said, nonmalicious… But it is growing, and if it consumes Nushi, she may not become evil, but she will… Lose something precious, all the same. She will no longer be herself anymore. Not really."
Ra sighed, somehow looking even more ancient. "I am the God of the sun, the most powerful God in the upper and lower kingdom, supreme being of all I survey… But this darkness, I fear, is beyond me. It is unknown to me, hailing from a distant, deep, foreign underworld, one which my light has never touched, intermingled with divine machinery far older than I originating from a star so far away I do not know if my light could ever reach it. I am sorry, little one, but I do not believe it is within my power to remove this darkness. Not without potentially destroying you."
Coccinella sagged in disappointment. "I was afraid of that."
"However…"
Everyone perked up at this. "However?" Ariel prompted hopefully.
Ra rubbed his chin in thought. "It is possible that Lady Isis may know more. She is, after all, the true mistress of the mystic arts in this land, strong enough to repulse Jupiter's advances for all the centuries she was imprisoned in the depths of Olympus. And… Something about you seems… Familiar, though I cannot say why. A side effect of my current advanced age, sadly. I'm sure it will come back to me as I journey through the underworld and regain my youth."
"May we speak to Lady Isis, please?" Nushi asked.
At this, Horus shook his head. "Unfortunately, my mother is not with this right now. She has gone ahead to help my father fight off Pluto's invasion of the Duat. You should be able to catch up to her when we drop you off at the tomb of Alexander, though. It shouldn't be out of our way, right, O Ra?"
"That depends on Apep, young Horus," Ra reminded the falcon headed God of Kings. "Regardless, I'm certain our mortal – or perhaps not so mortal is the correct term? – Friends here will find their own way to the tomb once we are in the underworld if need be."
Everyone's eyes lit up with this. "Then does that mean you will take us to the underworld?" Mibojin asked.
Ra nodded. "I think we can manage that."
Everyone sighed in relief at this.
"But my Lord, I haven't even weighed their hearts!" Protested a statuesque woman with the head of a crocodile, a tawny-furred upper body with a sizable chest barely held in check by bandages, incredibly shapely legs ending in the feet of a hippopotamus, an extremely long hair which transitioned into a crocodile tail which dragged on the ground behind her. She was holding a familiar set of scales with a heart in one pan and a feather in the other.
"I think we can give them a pass this time, Ammit," Ra said. "I'm fairly sure most if not all of them would be found worthy anyway."
"Wait, that's Ammit?!" Goro asked in disbelief. "I thought she was a cannon, not…"
"Stacked," Ariel practically drooled, Nushi trying very hard not to do the same.
Cleopatra winced though it was hard for her to take her own eyes off of Ammit's assets. Nefer giggled.
"The gods can take many forms," Thotep said sagely.
"Can't I at least weigh the Roman?" Ammit pleaded, causing Mark to yelp in fright.
"No," Ra said bluntly, causing the goddess to sulk. Mark sighed in relief.
"Oh hey, is it okay if we hitch the ShinLiner up to your ship?" Shin spoke up respectfully. "It may come in handy, and it'll give us an easy way out of the underworld if we can't hitch a ride back with you or any of the other gods."
Ra nodded magnanimously. "You have my permission."
"Thanks!"
"I'm sorry we cannot offer you anything more than transport, but unfortunately, I have weightier matters to deal with," Ra said apologetically.
Mibojin frowned. "Weightier matters? A foreign God has allowed an army to invade your underworld to claim a power that might allow them to conquer your country. What could possibly be more important than that?"
"Every night, as I travel through the underworld, I must do battle with my nemesis, the chaos serpent Apep," Ra explained. "If I win, then he is driven back into the darkness for another night, and I am reborn with the dawn, allowing the sun to shine on Egypt once again."
"And if you fail?" Goro asked nervously.
Ra smiled. "Then either the world will be cast into darkness eternal… Or a mere glowing ball of gas will illuminate the world instead."
"… I don't understand. Isn't that what happens anyway?" Shin asked in confusion.
"Oh no, they're two very different things," Ariel assured him. "It's a very important distinction, trust me on this."
"Indeed. Just as Nushi would lose something precious should her own darkness consume her… So too would humanity lose something precious should I perish," Ra agreed. "Something unquantifiable. Something… Well, magic." He frowned. "Well, the Egyptians would, anyway. I am not sure what would happen to the rest of the world. I'm not the only sun God, so everyone else might be okay…"
"Wait, how does that work?" Asked a puzzled Shin. "Do you guys all rent the same sun? Is it some sort of timeshare thing?"
"That is a very complicated question best left to the philosophers," Ra said vaguely.
Thoth and Thotep lit up at this, only for Horus and Cleopatra to shake their heads at them, causing them to pout.
"And what of my own people?" Mark spoke up anxiously. "Our… Our gods have been slain as well. What has been lost to us by this deicide?"
Nushi flinched. "You did what you needed to, Nushi," Apista assured her.
"Well, there are varying degrees of death, especially where gods are concerned," Anubis said. "Most of your gods still exist, they are merely trapped in the underworld. What Ra is speaking of is total cessation of existence… We think. I'm not entirely sure how the Romans will be affected by the destruction of Olympus, but… You'll probably be okay? Maybe? This isn't something that comes up very often."
Mark frowned, clearly not satisfied with his answer.
"Regardless, while I would like to help you, I have no choice but to battle Apep, and without Isis here to help with her unmatched magic, it will be a very difficult battle indeed. Still, I have every confidence we will prevail in the end. We always have so far, after all," Ra said optimistically.
"Can you not simply kill the serpent?" Mibojin postulated. "To remove its threat forever?"
"Oh no, that's quite impossible," Thoth informed her.
Sobek nodded. "Yeah, he's completely immortal."
"If something lives, it can be killed," Manti pointed out.
"Well, if Apep can be killed, we haven't found a way to do it yet, and we've been at this for thousands of years," Horus said stiffly.
"And I'm the God of death, so if even I don't know how to kill the beast…" Anubis trailed off.
"We've tried a few times as well, when we needed to sub in for our gods for whatever reason, but even when he seems to be destroyed, he just comes back the next night," Akilah added.
"I bet Nushi could find a way to end him for good," Ariel suggested brightly. "Only…"
"Yeah, not only is that too risky, I don't think I'll be able to trigger the transformation again for a while," Nushi pointed out.
"And if you did succeed in destroying Apep forever… Well, there's no telling what ramifications that might have," Thotep agreed. "He is the embodiment of a primal, cosmic force. The loss of such a force could have serious repercussions on the fabric of reality. It might even open the way for a much greater evil to threaten Egypt."
"Stupid cosmic balance," Ariel huffed.
"While I appreciate your concern, the matter of Apep is nothing you need to bother yourself with," Ra said genially. "You have your own battle to prepare for, and I suspect it will not be an easy one."
"When is it ever?" Goro grunted.
"So, hitch your vehicle from the future to my solar vessel, and we shall depart-" Ra began.
"Lord Ra, I'm sorry to interject," Nushi said nervously. "But… We aren't all here. One of our friends ran off, and another one went to look for her. We are very concerned for them, and things might go easier if they were at our side. I… Don't suppose there's any way we could wait for them? Or maybe pick them up?"
Ra shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, but that is out of the question. I have already dallied here in the mortal realm longer than is wise, we must go to the underworld at once, lest Apep take advantage of my absence and Osiris' distraction to wreak havoc upon the Duat. We must depart at once."
"It would be to your benefit for us to leave immediately as well," Horus pointed out as Nushi's face fell, crestfallen. "Caesar's forces are making their way to the tomb of Alexander as we speak. Every minute we waste here is a minute closer to Caesar getting his hands on the Eyes of Alexander."
"I'm sorry Nushi, but we really must go," Cleopatra said gently.
Nushi closed her eyes and sighed, Ariel patting her shoulder as Coccinella rubbed her wrist. "Yeah, I know. I'm just… Really worried for Aranea. She's not in a good place right now."
…
Aranea's hand snapped forwards, shooting out a web which grabbed the jewel and yanked it back into her grasp. "That does not belong to you!" She shouted, tensing up for battle, sensing Antares rushing to reach her to help her against this potential threat.
"Really? Then why did you seem so willing to throw it away just now?"
Aranea colored. "I… That was a moment of weakness," she said quickly. "Who are you, and what do you want?!"
Three figures stood before her, each of them wearing hooded cloaks. One was a fantastically beautiful youth with blue skin, a voluptuous figure barely contained by her garments, and nearly floorlength hair made from interwoven threads of various different shades of blue, holding a distaff and spindle. Another was an older, but still lovely, matronly figure, stout but very curvy, with green skin and hair made of interwoven threads of various shades of green hanging down to her waist in two braids, clutching a rod. The last one was a frail, gnarled hag with red skin and wild hair splayed out in every direction made from thread of various shades of red, bent over so low her chin nearly touched the ground, leaning on a massive and incredibly sharp pair of scissors for support.
They looked almost human.
Aranea didn't need her magical senses to tell her they were anything but.
They weren't gods, but they were divine, and something about them seemed… Familiar…
And why… Why were the threads of Fate woven so tightly around them? Almost as if they were… Generating them?
What was going on?
The young woman gave a winning smile and bowed low, making sure Aranea got a good look at her cleavage.
Aranea was unmoved. She thought Nushi was prettier, anyway.
"I am Nona, who spins the threads of life."
The matron bowed next, also allowing Aranea a glimpse of her cleavage.
Again, Aranea was unmoved. Ariel's were bigger, anyway.
"I am Decima, who measures the threads of life."
The crone did not bow, thankfully. "And I am Morta, who cuts the threads of life."
"And together, we are the Parcae," Nona declared.
"The personifications of destiny," Decima added.
"Though you might know us as… The Fates," Morta cackled.
Aranea recoiled, feeling a gut-deep sense of absolute revulsion and outrage shared by her entire species. "You are not the Sisters of Fate!" She snarled.
"Of course we are!" Nona laughed.
"Just not your Fates," Decima said pleasantly.
"Although we serve a similar function, we are far weaker than the ones you're thinking of, shadows of their greater glory," Morta added, sounding rather sour about it.
"… I see," Aranea murmured, much of her anger fading, though she did not let her guard down just yet. "What do you want with me?"
"What do you want with us?" Nona asked.
"You're the ones who called for us, after all," Decima pointed out.
"I did no such thing!" Aranea protested.
"You called for the Sisters of Fate. And here we are," Morta pointed out. "Granted, we aren't the ones you're hoping for, but let's be honest, you didn't really believe they'd answer your prayers, did you?"
Aranea grimaced, but did not reply. "… If you are truly Fates, personifications of destiny, then… Then you must know. What happened. How my prophecy failed. How the progenitor of my entire line, who oversaw the fates of all living things in the universe, was caught off guard. Please. I have to know. How could this happen? What does this mean? What… What am I supposed to do next?"
The trio regarded her for a moment.
"You are correct, we do know what happened, and why," Nona confirmed, raising her hopes.
"But we aren't telling you," Decima spoke up, dashing those hopes.
"What?!" Aranea cried, the echoes of every last living member of the Arachide Ascendancy crying along with her. "But… but why?!"
Morta shrugged callously. "Because it doesn't matter, really."
Aranea trembled with rage, and even the pleas of her concubines warning her to keep her cool weren't enough to calm her. "Doesn't matter?! Of course it matters!"
"Why?" Nona asked.
"Because… Because if I know why it happened, then-"
"Then what?" Decima asked sharply, but not unsympathetically. "Think about it, Aranea. What good will the answers do to you? Do you think they will offer you any solace? Make the world make sense again? Fix everything?"
"Your prophecy failed. Your venerated ancestor suffered a defeat she did not see coming. Understanding how this was possible doesn't change the fact that they happened," Morta said grimly. "And nor does it change the fact that this means the venerated gift of prophecy your people possesses, which you have long believed to be the greatest and most accurate in the entire universe… Is not, in the end, infallible."
Aranea reeled back, as if she had taken a physical blow.
They were right.
Even if she knew how this had happened, the fact of the matter was… The destiny she had once believed to be set in stone was now far shakier than she had imagined.
"But if our foresight is imperfect, then that means… That my own destiny is now brought into question," Aranea whispered weakly. "That everything I have ever believed might be wrong. That I might not be the Chosen Queen after all. That I might… That I might fail everyone."
"That is correct," Nona confirmed.
"Then… Then what am I supposed to do now?" Aranea pleaded. "I thought I knew my future, but if that's not the case, then what's my next step? How do I fulfill my destiny? What is my destiny?" She trembled. "Do…I even have a destiny anymore?"
"That, deary, you're going to have to figure out on your own," Decima said apologetically.
Aranea gasped. "What?!"
"We only govern the fates of humans, more specifically, the Romans," Morta said gruffly. "The fate of an outsider like you is beyond our ken."
"But… But then… If you aren't here to give me answers, why are you even here?!" Aranea demanded.
"To give you something," Nona said.
"Something entrusted to us a long time ago," said Decima.
"Something you wanted very badly a few hours ago… But now? Perhaps not as much," Morta cackled cruelly.
Aranea frowned, perplexed, though suspicion was slowly brewing in the back of her mind. "What do you mean?"
Decima reached into her ample bosom and pulled out an object which immediately filled the room with green light, Aranea's Wayfinder suddenly activating and shooting a golden thread of light which terminated at the object in the deity's hand, a green octahedral gemstone containing infinite fractals and facets, a tiny carving of Lachandy etched into one of them.
A very loud part of her, spurred on by the desperate, frantic voices of her people, wanted her to rush over and snatch it from the Roman goddess's hands.
Another part of her, advised by the wiser, more cautious members of her people, urged her not to do anything rash.
And yet another part of her found herself filled with incontrovertible, inexplicable dread.
"That is a piece of the Loom of Fate," she said, voice monotone.
Decima nodded. "It is. You don't seem too happy to see it."
"Isn't this what you need to save the universe?" Nona prompted.
"What you need to fulfill your destiny?" Morta sneered.
"It is," Aranea said hollowly. "Only I am no longer certain what that is. With all three pieces of the Loom, certainly I can fix the hole in reality, maybe even bring back what has been lost to the Swarm… But what if I can't? What of the future that has been foretold? The future I have foreseen for myself and those I love? Was it ever real, or just a foolish, hopeful dream?" She started trembling. "What if… What if it doesn't work? What if everything we have hoped for and believed in was a lie? What if, after everything, I fail?"
Decima shrugged, put the piece of the Loom on the ground, and backed away. "Well, you're going to have to figure that part out for yourself, I'm afraid."
Nona looked at the jewel sadly. "That thing's been a great asset to us for a very long time. It's kind of a shame we have to give it up."
"Everything comes to an end eventually," Morta said. "Including our time with that little rock. It's time to pass it on to someone who needs it more. Well, assuming she's willing to take it."
Aranea should take it. She knew she should. She needed it. Her people, the universe needed it. Everyone was counting on her.
She stayed in her corner.
"You know, Aranea, you don't need to have a destiny to be a hero," Nona said gently, earning her frowns from the other two.
"No, but it helps," Morta cackled.
"Wait," Aranea cried as the trio started to turn away. "What about the trial?"
They glanced back at her. "Trial?" Decima asked.
"You have had this piece of the Loom for a very long time. It is attuned to you. Aren't I supposed to pass a trial to bind it to me?" Aranea pleaded, desperate for even a little bit of guidance on what she was supposed to do now.
Morta cackled and shook her head. "Oh, Aranea… Don't you get it? Your trial has already started."
They left her to think that over.
And she was still thinking it over when Antares finally found her several minutes later and she collapsed in his arms, sobbing and wishing, once again, that her mother were there.
The piece of the Loom was still sitting where Decima had left it.