Vythin sat in a triangle opposite of Isaac and Slate. Slate was staring into the fire, seemingly lost in thought, the average sized human cupping his black scruff on his chin. Isaac crossed his arms expectantly but sat with the patience of a well-seasoned hunter in a blind.

  Vythin cleared his throat, "Alright then, god of knowledge, what next.?" he asked.

  Slate looked up and smirked, "Let me perform a miracle and find out." He put a finger to his temple and was surrounded with a red aura tinged with specks of blue which faded after a second. "We are supposed to wait."

  "Wait for what?" Isaac asked.

  Slate shrugged, "I don’t know - I simply asked the question and... well, whatever holds this ‘knowledge’ I tap into gives me a reply. The domain of knowledge itself provides the answers I seek - but only if the knowledge is not a well-kept secret or known by many."

  Vythin looked at Slate quizzically. As he opened his mouth a boom - like the shockwave of something heavy impacting nearby - reverberated throughout the area. Isaac immediately stood up and manifested his bow in a flash of green, and Vythin followed up transforming into his more hybrid visage, claws at the ready.

  "Now, all that isn’t necessary," a familiar voice said from beyond the firelight.

  Slate stood and bowed slightly. "Zohkah, a pleasure to meet you once more."

  Isaac dismissed his weapon and took his stool again, staring hard at Zohkah.

  Vythin sat down as the mage approached. He held out his hand and concentrated, feeling a small twinge of heat as a stool appeared next to the fire.

  Zohkah smiled and took the newly apparated seat. "I’m sorry for the sudden appearance. Everything is on schedule with you three. So, that’s one small blessing."

  Isaac leaned forward, "What schedule?"

  Zohkah chuckled, pulling out his tome. "Each New God being...born, is not quite by chance. There’s a pattern to it. However, there is something much larger on the horizon. Now let me see...I think it was chapter 8." He began flipping through pages.

  Vythin glanced over but couldn’t make out any of the words - they were all written in very small text. As he looked across the campfire in silence, he made eye contact with Slate, who held up an index finger to his lips with a mischievous smile. He flashed red for a moment and then looked at the book Zohkah seemed to be intently reading. As he did so, he recoiled backwards off his stool and backed away. "What in The Void are you meddling with?" he said with curiosity tinged with panic.

  Gods-damned mages. Everything that goes wrong always links back to them, Vythin thought. He stood up and approached Zohkah, putting one of his claws in between the pages. "I think it’s about time you told us what is going on," he said with every hint of malice and threat he could muster.

  Zohkah put his hands up, "I was planning on it, but don’t rip the pages! I only have one copy."

  Vythin pulled his claw away as Zohkah seemed to sigh with relief, putting his hands down. Slate also took his seat. Isaac sat as still as a statue.

  "Good...ahem," Zohkah cleared his throat and stood up straight, "I’m not from around here."

  "No shit," Isaac replied.

  "... I’m from your future...or ‘a’ future," Zohkah said, letting his words sink in for a moment.

  Vythin stared at Zohkah, trying to read his expression, "You’re from...the future," he said incredulously.

  Zohkah nodded, "Yes. I was a leading researcher on a new form of spellcraft - technomancy."

  Vythin glanced at Slate who provided an answer to the unspoken question, "Integrating spells and technology. You know, factories up in Scarhold?"

  "Those big smithies that can produce dozens of swords at once?" Vythin asked. Slate nodded his head in the affirmative, and Vythin returned to his seat.

  Zohkah continued, "I pioneered something that no one thought was possible. Chronomancy, control of time itself. This was an unprecedented breakthrough, and thankfully I was the only one on my research team who had all the pieces. And I tried something...Something foolish. Thankfully it worked and now," he gestured to his body, "I’m immortal. Time doesn’t touch me; I’m forever frozen in the same state that I was when I first cast the spell." To emphasize he pulled out a knife and pulled it across his skin; no wound opened, and no blood flowed. "However, I was greedy, and thought to look into the past. I miscalculated and ended up traveling instead of looking - to the dawn of creation. I only had the items on my person, which included this." He tapped the book, "A primer on the history of Heimfold, as it was one of my favorite worlds to study. It touches on all the ‘big events’ that occurred throughout this world's history." He tented his hands and leaned forward, his voice lowering slightly as he expressed a slight sorrow, "The thing about traveling through time is that you can go backwards all you want. But as soon as you go backwards, everything that once existed…ceases to be. You can’t go forward. If I want to get back to my time, I must do it the old-fashioned way - by waiting. And to make sure things end up the same, I’ve been making little changes here and there to make sure history as it happens today matches with my tome."

  Isaac spoke up for the first time during this whole conversation, his voice tinged with emotion, "Can you turn back time for people?" he asked.

  Zohkah sighed with a frown, "No, I cannot. And I know why you’re asking - you’re asking about your love, right?"

  Isaac jolted upright and his hand twitched before curling into a fist. "Yes," he said through gritted teeth.

  "I can’t help with that. I’m sorry." Zohkah replied.

  Isaac dropped down, sulking on the stool as his head tilted down to his chest. Vythin walked over and his form reverted to his full-human visage as he put a hand on Isaac’s shoulder. "It will be okay. I’m sure with a few gods we could find a way to fix whatever it is."

  Isaac glanced up and had tears in his eyes which he wiped away.

  Zohkah handed his tome over to Slate and pointed at a passage. "Read this part out loud," he instructed.

  Slate took the offered book and spoke up, "640 After Reformation. Freezing Season. The Artificial Gods shattered the Aether Throne and New Gods were created. Some of note from this time still exist in our worlds today or have an afterlife in the heavens above. One group of gods resided in a stronghold in the Starfall Badlands, a Pantheon of deities who would…" Slate trailed off and looked at Zohkah, "Really?"

  Zohkah solemnly nodded, "Go ahead, keep reading."

  Slate continued, "Destroy The Void and allow the reclaiming of worlds, creations, long since lost." He put the book down on his lap and just stared at the sky.

  "But there’s nothing beyond The Void. It’s always been and has tried to devour creation! That’s why they are up there, holding it back," Vythin said.

  Zohkah shook his head, "True, now, maybe. But before The Void there were many worlds, many places, just like Heimfold. I come from one of them myself."

  Vythin scratched his head in confusion, "That seems really far-fetched. How do we know you’re not just manipulating us? Hmm? Telling us some lies to make us do what you want? You mages always manipulate people to your own end."

  Zohkah took his book back from Slate who seemed reluctant to part with it but did, nonetheless. He placed the tome inside his satchel as he began drawing a circle near the firepit, filling it with arcane runes. Vythin recognized the circle as similar to the one used in his cave. Zohkah spoke once he had completed his drawing in the dirt, "You may think that I’m deceiving you, and I can only give my word that I am not. I’d recommend all of you figure out that whole stronghold issue in the Starfall Badlands. And figure out your own problems before trying to tackle The Void. People don’t want to worship someone who doesn’t even know themselves. I’ll be in touch." With a flourish he tapped his staff to the circle and vanished.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Vythin shot a look at Slate, "Was he telling the truth about the future?"

  Slate returned the look, "Anything that any person knows, that is not a well-guarded secret, I know. Since what he speaks of has not happened yet, I cannot say for certain that he tells what is factual. There are mentions of an Ayshor mage showing up at various points in history; but often just in passing. It could be that the figure was the same. The description is too vague to be sure."

  Isaac spoke, his voice soft yet stern, "It would appear that our next move has been decided for us then. To the Starfall Badlands to find this...place." He stood and walked to the edge of the firelight, staring off into the distance.

  Vythin also stood and was about to walk over to Isaac when a hand gripped his clothes. He turned and Slate was standing there, shaking his head from side to side. "Let the man have his thoughts. Some wounds need time to heal. And he must have a deep wound he is tending."

  Vythin glanced over at Isaac before turning back to Slate and nodding. In any event, it’s late and we should probably be setting up for the night, Vythin thought as he sat down once more. He saw some movement at the edge of his vision and glanced over. Under one of the carts nearby were two children, both with brown hair and big, inquiring eyes. Vythin groaned, and those kids just heard everything, knowing my luck. He cleared his throat and said in an authoritative tone, "You should come out here. It’s rude to stare and not introduce yourselves."

  Slate looked around for a moment, confused, before seeing the two children crawling out from under the wagon. He smiled and gestured to them, "Children, meet Vythin. Vythin, Matthew and Mary. Two of my current students. Say hello."

  Both children muttered a shy ‘hello’ under their breaths as Vythin chuckled. They sound just like my brother and I when we got caught, he thought. He composed himself and leaned his face down to the children’s level putting on his friendliest demeanor. "I’m Vythin Goldenscales, and it is a pleasure to meet both of you."

  Isaac walked over at this point and just groaned, "Were they listening to everything?" he asked.

  Slate just nodded and smiled, "Inquisitive minds will inquire. It’s not a big deal - after all, New Gods will need worshippers one day, our own religions, and even priests. If we want to gain more power, that is."

  Vythin channeled his heat and with a flash of gold there was a small pile of sweet pastries. Both children’s eyes went wide, and they looked at him with an unbridled need. He nodded and the two children began to devour the delicacies. Vythin looked up to Slate. "Right, so how do we grow in power?" He asked.

  Slate held up a hand and put two fingers up, "Believers and experience. When you perform a miracle, you are using a set ‘store’ of heat in your body, determined by the size of your Aether Shard. You expend it and regain it when you rest. We can grow our Aether Shards by experiencing the world - killing monsters, saving damsels in distress, adventures - or through building our own religion. Worshippers quite literally give the gods more power. Once your Shard has grown, it doesn’t shrink. You have access to that new reserve of heat permanently."

  Isaac walked over, glancing down at the children for a moment before speaking, "And you know all of this because you’re a god of knowledge, right?"

  Slate smiled. "Yes... Let me ask you both a question; what does it feel like when you use your heat? Does it come from your chest and then your will becomes reality?"

  Vythin nodded. "I just focus and think about what I want to happen, then feel some heat, and then ‘flash,’" he held up his hands for emphasis, "what I want shows up."

  Isaac spoke up right after, "For me it’s similar."

  Slate put his palms against his face and shook his head. He groaned before pulling them back, smoothing his hair back, "I was hoping for an anomaly. It's boring when things are predictable…Let’s go down to the river, I’ll teach you about using your abilities effectively."

  Slate began walking off towards the nearby river, Isaac followed, and as Vythin began to follow as well, he felt a tug on his pant leg. Glancing down he saw Matthew was the culprit, one arm full of pastries. "Can we go with you, mister?" he asked. Vythin just smiled and nodded as the two children kept pace behind him. He glanced back every few seconds to ensure they were following closely enough to not get lost.

  After reaching the river’s edge, Slate held out his hands. "Right then. This is a miracle, tapping into the heat in my Shard. The heat should start in your chest but as you manifest your will you should direct it to other parts of your being, or into the environment around you." He clapped his hands together with a flash of red light, and when he pulled them apart a sphere of fire manifested itself, roaring to life and creating dancing shadows all around. He hurled the sphere into the river where it sizzled into steam. "You both have been using your heat in a way that wastes some of the power, just like that. You must learn to channel your power instead of simply unleashing it." He held up a hand and a brief flash of red tinged blue appeared around him as a stream of fire extended from his outstretched palm, running in a blazing stream above the river for a few seconds before it tapered off. "If you simply unleash it, you will deplete your reserve of heat. Channeling it more carefully allows you to moderate how much is expended through miracles."

  Isaac narrowed his gaze. "Seems limited. My bow hasn’t ever run out," he said as he flashed green, and his weapon appeared.

  Slate laughed heartily. "Yes, some miracles," He held up a finger and a small ball of fire hovered above it, "like my restrained flames and your bow are things we can manifest without expending heat for the day. Instead, we can withdraw the heat for later use, or it is so ingrained into the nature of our domains that we can manifest it endlessly. " Isaac nodded and the heat forming the bow retracted into his body. Slate shook his hand and the fiery orb dissipated.

  Vythin glanced down at the children who at this point were both sitting cross-legged on the soft grass and staring wide-eyed at the steam cloud. He recalled as a child watching a similar display with his family when a ship battle broke out below the cliffs near the town they lived in and the aflame, sinking ship exuded huge geysers of steam that surged up towards him and his brother.

  Slate walked into the river shallows. "You can choose to make a miracle permanent." He once again cupped his hands and a flash of red manifested. He threw it out into the water, and when it impacted it spun there in place on top of the river, constantly boiling the water as steam rose. He turned around to face the others, astonishment on their faces. "All I did was focus on wanting to make it permanent, after willing it into existence. Other gods could cancel out the effect if they had the same domain, or something that could affect it. In this instance, another god of fire, or a god of water could easily get rid of my miracle…But sustained miracles cause a reduction in your heat capacity until dismissed. If I focus on cancelling the effect..." he intentionally tripped and fell into the river much to the delight of the children watching, and the fireball spun into the water with a final hiss as a large cloud of steam billowed up.

  Vythin chuckled a little bit as well and glancing sideways saw that Isaac had even cracked a smile. Slate stood back up and flashed red, his clothes instantly drying as he walked onto the shore once more. "The effect fades… And that, gentlemen, is how you can keep miracles in place permanently."

  "How do you know your limits, then?" Isaac asked.

  "I was able to do three miracles yesterday before collapsing. I made a big pile of gold, turned into a dragon, and decorated your hut," Vythin replied.

  "You also turned back into a person."

  Vythin shrugged, "I didn’t feel the heat that time. Maybe just turning into a dragon costs heat."

  Slate gave a thumbs up and smiled, "You find out by experimenting. " He walked up to the kids and sat down in front of them.

  "Is there a limit to how many miracles we can make permanent?" Isaac asked.

  Slate laid back in the grass, staring up at the stars. "It will take further experimenting. I'd imagine that you can only maintain however many miracles you would normally exhaust yourself doing. But I'm sure that number increases as you grow in power. How else would the Artificial Gods like Ignis maintain all their wonders?"

  Isaac sat down also, picking a few pieces of grass, and twirling them in his palms.

  Vythin looked at Slate, puzzled, before holding up a palm and focusing the heat in his chest. He willed it to travel down his arm - feeling the heat narrow into a stream as he tried to restrict the flow from his being: creating an orb of light that initially was a bright gold causing everyone nearby to squint. Dimmer, and maybe another color, he thought, focusing his mind on the task. The light dimmed significantly to that of a torch and turned a deep yellow. Now stay there. He smiled as he threw it into the air and it hovered above him, slowly revolving in place.

  Slate smiled, sitting upright. "We should get back to the caravan and get some rest." He began to pull the children up to their feet and took their hands.

  Vythin glanced sideways at Isaac and saw him staring at the ground. "Everything okay, Isaac?" He asked.

  Isaac looked up and then gazed into the distance with a pensive look, "I think I have an idea on how to fix something. But it must wait. For now, he’s right. We need some rest." Isaac stood and dusted himself off, walking back towards the caravan with Slate and the children.

  Vythin stood at the edge of the river for a few minutes, waving his hand and willing the orb to move, making it dance above the currents before dismissing it with a wave and a thought. He looked off into the vast sky above and watched the stars - some streaking to the West to make landfall. The Starfall Badlands. The next place to go to continue whatever...this is. He glanced at the departing figures of his new allies. Those kids remind me of Orinor. He began walking after them. After this is over, I should try to find him - how hard can finding one man be with a god of knowledge at their disposal? Vythin chuckled and thought back to his childhood, so many years ago, when he left his family to make his fortunes and bring back wealth. So many lost years to make up.