Gloria ran her hand across the wall of books. Each shelf contained six rows filled with works written and bound by hand. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of books packed so tight on the shelves that one couldn't so much as slip a piece of paper between them. They were all filthy as well. Any time Gloria rubbed her finger on one it would cause any filth to coat her skin. Her clothing had many marks.
She had been searching for hours. Sometimes she would turn around and walk the way she came, making sure to go over every book, in case she had missed it. There was little light in between the rows of shelves and at times Gloria had to go only by feel. Both physical and spiritual. Eventually she stopped walking altogether. With barely a glance at a shelf that was at her feet, she knew.
She had found it. Pulling a large book off of a shelf, Gloria wiped the dust off the cover. There was writing on the cover but the grime had built up so much that it was impossible to read. Gloria walked out of the aisle and found a table. There was much more visible moonlight shining down from an exposed window. She could now make out vague shapes of the etchings, but still couldn't understand it.
She laid the book on the table, which creaked and wobbled at the sudden weight. There were some chairs but between their lack of cleanliness and uncertain age Gloria chose to stand. She opened the book's cover and despite the edge of the pages being stained the important parts of the pages were clean as could be. She could now learn the title, The Coronet Gods. The author's name was someone named Ingo. A name Gloria had heard somewhere but couldn't remember. He wasn't of Gloria's immediate concern so she flipped to the first page. Gloria had learned of the book's existence and that it was a history of the Gods up to when it was written, however many years ago.
As she expected, the first words began the story of Akari and Rei who every living God, in one way or another, was descended from. Once their story ended another God's would begin. And once theirs ends, a new one starts and so on. Gloria skimmed through the book to see just how many stories there were. To her surprise there were as many that she didn't know of as ones she did.
The ones uknown to her ranged from just a few paragraphs to dozens of pages. There were stories that detailed the birth of a God and even their first, or for some only, deaths. Some stories even revealed to Gloria things she hadn't known about Gods she believed she knew quite well. Flipping the book to the end, Gloria now knew how many Gods weren't even mentioned in the book. Any New God was understandable, some had yet to even be revealed to the mortal world. But Brendan, who was born a half-mortal that ascended to godhood to replace his father Norman as the God of Strength, was never mentioned. Despite the fact he had became a full God millennia ago and had been well known amongst mortals years before his ascension.
There was a certain story that caught Gloria's eye, when she went back to scanning the pages at random. It was about two Gods she knew and a killing she didn't.
Hilda gripped her bow tightly and pulled back the string ready to shoot her arrow. Everything about her weapon was on fire, aside from the string and grip. Even the arrow was aflame. It was specially made by May. Hilda looked to her target, a large boar, and released the arrow. It soared silently through the air and despite its bright appearance the boar didn't react to it until it was struck. At that point all it could do was let out a high pitched squeal before falling silent and suddenly being engulfed in fire for a few seconds. Hilda approached the beast as the fire died. She grabbed it by its charred fur and began dragging it home.
Hilda's, and her sibling's, home was made up of a small wooden shack constructed by Hilda and her twin. It was the bare minimum for sleep as the only thing the four siblings used it for was such. The walls were windowless with only slits between the wood logs and planks to allow light in. Inside were four mats that were barely more than sheets of fabric draped over bundles of grass just barely comfortable enough to sleep on. Everything else the four would need they did outside. Even something simple as a dinner table was made from a large stump just outside the shack. Hilda dragged the boar over and lifted it onto the stump just as her younger siblings emerged from the shack.
"Oh, Hilda," said Rosa slowly. It was clear that she and Nate had been asleep. "Has Hilbert still not returned?"
"I guess not. I thought he would have by now," Hilda let go of her bow which turned fully to flame before dying in the air. A new fire formed in Hilda's other hand which quickly turned into a handcrafted knife of stone. She cut a piece off the boar and grabbed it by the fur. She bit the part of meat and tossed away the fur covered skin. The meat was perfectly cooked. She cut some more pieces and handed them to her siblings. "If he is not back before nightfall then I will go find him."
"Do you think there is a problem?" asked Nate. He held the meat in his hands but didn't eat. "Victor seemed really mad."
"Victor is always mad," Rosa laughed at Hilda's comment. "Your brother would be fine dealing with him. We just have to be patient."
With how calm his big sister spoke, Nate relaxed. The three sat around the stump eating. They tossed the skin and fur into a pile as Hilda once instructed. She had told them before that she gives the fur to May so the Goddess of Craftsmanship can use it for her work.
Once the three had finished half the boar, a ball of fire suddenly appeared away from ball grew in length until a form could be seen covered in fire until the flames were completely gone and in its place was Hilbert. He wasn't happy. Rosa and Nate rose and called out Hilbert's name in unison. The two ran to him and hugged him. Hilbert briefly smiled down at them as he returned the hug before going back to having a dirty look.
"What took you so long?" Hilda asked as her siblings sat down at the stump. Hilbert summoned his own knife the same as his sister and cut a piece from the boar.
"Victor wanted to know if my foresight would be of any use to his investigation," Hilbert said between his chews.
"And was it?"
"No. There is something blocking my visions on anything further than the near-future. Even events I have already seen I cannot recall anymore."
"What?" Hilda's voice held a combinated of confusion and concern. "Your visions were blocked?"
Hilbert nodded. "Anything I try to see is clouded in bright light and I hear only noise as loud as a war drum that nearly deafens me."
"But I thought your prophecies always came true, Hilbert," said Nate. He seemed shocked that his brother failed his power that he had seen used countless times before with no trouble.
"They do, Nate. However, I cannot reveal what is to happen if I cannot see it. Victor even believed I was lying. Had Gloria not arrived when she had, I would still be talking to him."
"You, lie?" Hilda scoffed. Her little siblings also chuckled. In all their years, Rosa and Nate had never seen Hilbert lie.
"I still do not trust him," said Victor. He sat on a stool at a stone table with his shield and sword in front of him. He grabbed his sword and began to clean the blade with a cloth. Gloria, who was with him in the room, carried a tray with bread and cheese and fuits to the table. She sat down across form Victor and grabbed a grape.
"Keeping Hilbert there just to interrogate him will not do us any good. We need to find out more about the murder of Wake before attempting to make blind accusations," she said before popping the grape into her mouth.
"I did not ask to speak with him because I thought he was guilty. I had wanted him to use his gift of prophecy to aid us. But he said he could not."
"Did he say why he could not?"
"Only that whenever his eye began to glow, instead of seeing into the future all he could see was blinding light and a thunderous noise," Victor took a piece of bread and dipped it in some olive oil before taking a bite.
"A blinding light? Do you think Red has something to do with it?"
"No. You know They rarely get involved on lesser matters. Before the meeting last night when was the last time you had even seen Cynthia?"
Gloria thought back on it and knew Victor was right. The Gods like Cynthia and Red have too much responsibility to get involved with the lesser Gods, unless something warrants their mighty presence.
"I do not think Hilbert is telling the truth," said Victor bluntly. "He could be lying. Maybe he has nothing to do with the murder, but he may know something and is refusing to say anything in order to assist the killer."
"I do not know if Hilbert has any involvement in the death of Wake. However, I have found something in my research about him."
Gloria stood from the table and walked to a back counter. On it was a book that Victor had noticed upon entering the room but thought nothing of it. He attempted to read the title before realizing how futile it was and instead opened the cover.
"The Coronet Gods?"
Gloria nodded. "I do not know how old the book is, but it has an even older story about the twin Gods of Prophecy and Omens."
"What is it?" asked Victor. Gloria turned the pages until she landed on the one she had read before. Victor scanned the pages with his eyes taking in every word. By the end his eyes were wide and he looked to Gloria. "Is this true?"
"There are a number of tales in the book that I can confirm from first or second hand knowledge. Though there are a number I cannot. That story of Hilbert and Hilda is one I cannot."
"I see," Victor turned back to the book and read the story again. "I say we speak with them. See if it is true. If it is, then it means Wake was not the first God they killed."
"I agree," Gloria said. Though she sat back down as Victor tried to get up. "Patience, Victor. First we finish eating and then we will visit them."
"What good is waiting?"
"We are not simply waiting. While you were busy keeping Hilbert from getting rest I was doing my research and found useful information. It will not revitalize me completely, but this breakfast will give me the energy I need to confront those two properly. As the God of Strategy I thought you would know it is best to wait for the perfect opportunity," said Gloria.
"Striking quickly before your opponent expects it is also a strategy," said Victor.
"You forget who we are dealing with, Victor. If Hilbert decides to use his foresight he'll know to expect us. Even if he does not use it, if you rush them with your typical aggression then Hilda would sense it and who knows how they will react."
Victor said nothing more. Gloria began eating again and Victor sat down and joined her. He knows how difficult it is to argue with the Goddess of Wisdom.
Hilbert sat on a felled log and in his hands were several hand carved wooden tubes of varying lengths. The small family was taking some time to relax in a clearing near their shack. Using some reeds, Hilbert tied the tubes together so they were side to side and attached a bit of rope to them. He pulled on the rope a few times, making sure it wouldn't give and handed the flute to his brother who sat on the grass. His brother's head had been resting on Hilda's thigh who was sitting beside Hilbert on the log.
Nate took the flute and looked it over. If there were any problems he didn't say. He brought the top of the flute to his mouth and blew into each tube for a few seconds. The smile on his face proved there were no issues. He began to blow again, this time playing a song. His siblings watched his performance, even closing their eyes to focus on the sound. When he was done, they looked at him and smiled.
"That was wonderful, Nate," said Hilda. Her little brother smiled up to her as he placed the rope behind his neck to not carry his flute. Rosa, who was sitting in a similar manner as Nate, though with Hilbert, quickly perked up.
"Oh, had I known he was going to play I would have danced. Would you like to see me dance?" she asked. Hilbert chuckled and patted her head.
"Another time. I am sure your dancing would be as grand as Nate's song," he said. Rosa rested her head back into Hilbert's lap with a faux pout. Nate giggled, but his face quickly turned serious.
"Hilda, if a God dies...what happens to them?" asked Nate.
"Why do you ask?" replied Hilda. Nate could only shrug. "Well, they would start life anew. Any of their godly duties will be given to another God until they are able to do them themselves."
"Well, what would happen if I or Rosa were to die?"
Hilda spoke so fast she almost talked over Nate's final word. "That will not happen. We will keep you safe."
"If that were to happen, Hilda and I will take down whoever would be responsible," said Hilbert. Nate and Rosa smiled at their older siblings, who smiled back, before closing their eyes and resting their heads in their laps. Hilbert and Hilda rubbed their younger siblings' heads slowly until they were asleep. Hilda's smile dropped when her eye was suddenly covered in a black fog. Hilbert noticed.
"What is it?" he asked. Hilda looked off to the tree line. Hilbert copied and saw movement in the shadows.
"We have visitors," said Hilda as two Gods, Victor and Gloria, emerged from the trees and approached the twins.
"Hello, Hilda, Hilbert," said Gloria. She spoke with respect and her face was pleasant. Victor had a stern expression.
"We must speak with you," he said. His voice was loud and caused Rosa and Nate to wake.
"Hm...?" Nate moaned as he blinked his eyes open. Rosa yawned and rubbed her own eyes. The two looked up at Gloria and Victor. Gloria smiled at them but Victor kept his face harsh.
"Nate, Rosa. Go home," said Hilbert.
"But why?" asked both of his younger siblings.
"Now," said Hilda. Rosa and Nate didn't argue or try to find out why. They only nodded and got to their feet and ran past Gloria and Victor back to their home.
"What is it?" asked Hilbert. Gloria tried to speak, but Victor talked faster.
"We have discovered something about you two."
"What?"
"We know you two murdered Serena, the Goddess of Love, ending one of her previous lives."
"How would you know that?" asked Hilbert. Aside from seeming a little surprised, he and his sister barely reacted to Victor and Gloria.
"I found a great book and in its pages it tells the story of how you two took Serena's life," said Gloria. Hilda stood.
"It is absurd that you two would accost us in such a boorish way," she said. Victor quickly grabbed the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it. Hilda didn't back down.
"Calm yourself, Hilda," said Hilbert. He had also stood up and he and his sister locked eyes and Hilda relaxed and took a step back. Hilbert turned to Gloria and Victor. "It is true. We once killed Serena."
Victor drew his sword from its sheath and aimed the blade at Hilbert's face. He tried to speak but this time Gloria interrupted him.
"Then by the order of Cynthia, you, Hilbert and Hilda, are to be imprisoned on the suspicion of murdering Wake."