"You should not have let them notice." Yueya chided, far sterner than Curie had ever heard her speak to herself. Her main body currently discussed things with the foreign gods, showing them some more internals to the One World. Keilan was proving invaluable in his words of support; he had already redesigned the afterlife structure so it would fix any structural issues that may pop up from the One World's massive size. The fractures that had formed were healing, but with additional supports? They would heal thrice as fast.

"Why?" Curie asked, the incarnation cocking her head to the side at the red-haired version of herself. The question was more rhetorical than anything; they did share the same soul, after all, even if each of them had developed unique personalities. She already knew the answer.

"It would be simple to have blinded them to the truth. Keeping it hidden from the other origin deities and Statera was difficult enough, but still possible. Why confirm it to them now? It reveals an unnecessary weakness." She ground out, folding her arms across her chest. Curie narrowed her eyes at her other self, crossing her own arms.

"I think you're getting too into playing the role of the doubter. Luotian has been above-board and honest about everything with us so far, even letting Alala into their Realms. The mutual disclosure of information is vital, and I truthfully do not understand your reasonings for keeping it hidden." Yueya flinched as if struck by the accusation, Curie shaking her head. "You must relax some. I understand we gave you that role, but do not take it as a role you must embody at all times."

"I know." Yueya hissed. Curie narrowed her eyes at herself – challenging her to say that again. Yueya deflated, sighing heavily. "I apologize. You are correct, of course. This was inevitably going to come out; it was simply a matter of time. It is just…embarrassing that we came that close to self-destruction, and having to start over all again."

It wasn't as embarrassing as Yueya made it out to be, but such an emotion were the realms of the heart and body, not Curie's logic. There was nothing to apologize for, either; she had made stupid decisions before, only for Yueya to drag her away from it. Such was the nature of their existence; the triple attentions allowed each body to make different decisions, and proper council when necessary. They were one mind with three different perspectives, a very powerful weapon.

"Now, let us continue." Curie said, letting her incarnation fade. "I want to be ready for when Alala gets back." And, truthfully, Alala would finally having something to do with that strength of hers. Construction was back-breaking work, after all.

***

"So you're not going to do anything? Truly?" The Mad Scientist asked suspiciously, the avian woman's wings fluttering in agitation. Solana chirped from atop her head, glaring down at the The Rival as he sat in the midst of a scattered pile of books, scrolls, and jades. His cultivation hung on a thread – it was nearly ready to take the next step, but he was taking it slow, perfecting his cultivation base with a terrifying efficiency.

"Nope." The Rival popped the P of the word, winking at the Mad Scientist flirtatiously, cackling as she recoiled in disgust. "Don't get me wrong, I won't be doing nothing. But I'm not going to intervene with anything. Swore an oath to not, y'know. An oath of neutrality, with the Overgod himself. I will, however, be scouring history for hints as to what Statera Luotian's origins might be. Think I have a few promising leads already."

The Mad Scientist's natural curiosity warred with her suspicion of the Rival. Part of her wanted to ask him what he was doing here, how he made an oath with the Overgod, and demand he tell her his true plans. She refused to believe that he was going to be neutral. On the other side, she also wanted to ask what he meant by Statera Luotian's past lives, and who They had been before.

"I think I got a few things narrowed down. Check here, right? For one, there's something to do with bridges. Maybe she was a bridge builder or something, but the Immortality Ascension Trial mentions lots of bridges being used, and the Dei myths have a few phrases about them. Then there's all the art and things she collects – it could be a coincidence, but I highly doubt it. And then…"

The Mad Scientist listened intently, fascinated not only by the Rival's deductive skills but also by the weird lines he was drawing. Lines she, herself, a famed scientist, never would have thought to draw. Lines she was convinced were absolutely bullshit. How did spiritual pits and civilizations living in the side of cliffs appearing on exactly eight planets in the central region connect to civilizations the Earth planet he claimed to have met Statera Luotian on pre-Origin Deity days?

How did any of this make sense?

The Mad Scientist shook her head, only partially convinced, for the first time, that the Rival was well and truly mad.

"How is it going down here?" The Empress of the Celestial Palace's voice echoed through the library, the Rival's eyes lighting up as Alanna stepped around one of the bookshelves.

"Well hello there, beautiful! Come to see me?" he teased, wiggling his eyebrows flirtatiously. The Mad Scientist stepped between him and her, hating the way that comment made her stomach twist, and hating the idea of him hitting on Alanna even more. That, however, turned out to be a mistake. The Rival's eyebrows shot up in surprise, even Solana squawking and ruffling her feathers from where she sat perched on the Mad Scientist's head. "Oho? What's this? MS, is there something you're not telling me?" He asked, gaze flicking pointedly between her and the Empress. She scowled at him, and he cackled, the scrolls he had been pouring over momentarily forgotten. "I knew it was love that kept you here. Sweetheart, you must tell me everything."

***

Inesa hummed to herself as she plucked at her garden, occasionally glancing up at the night sky to watch as the stars were realigned. Everything was nearly done; Xing Wu had only to…ah, there it went. As she watched from her little home in the Heaven Realm, the final Dao Star was put into place, a network of power flowing throughout the entirety of the sky in a criss-crossing lattice.

The power of faith, believe, and the Dao filtered down from the skies to meld into the land, merging with the formation network and bolstering its power. All this and more Inesa could feel, and for one simple reason in her mind.

The final piece of the puzzle, the final Dao Star, hung around her neck in a silver necklace as a symbol of Xing Wu's love. It glinted, shimmering and shining…connected, however loosely, to all the Daos in the sky through the simple fact that Xing Wu's was the first. She ran her thumb over the jewel his Dao Star had become.

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The Mistress had told her about this. She'd been incredibly forthcoming about what it was. If all the stars in the sky would align in yet another protective formation, then there had to be a central node. Before Xing Wu had taken his out of the sky to give to her, She had been planning to use a proxy, a false star, or even a representation of her own Dao.

Now, she was giving that honor to Xing Wu's. The chain suddenly felt heavy around her neck, recalling how she had told Her, her doubts. The way She had just smiled at her, and not answered them. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and, for the first time in a long time, dared to imagine if she chose to be…more. At first there was nothing. She couldn't imagine it. So she tried to connect to her own divine domain and dao, but it came up blank. Then, she tried a more drastic measure, delving into the heavenly dao however briefly to try and envision what Statera Luotian had planned for her.

The answer came to her surprisingly quickly. Nothing. Not a thing about her needed to change. She alone had been entrusted with this, not because of her power, but because of her heart. If Xing Wu was the warrior, the relentless advance, hers was the steady march home, the desire to return or build something good that made the advance possible.

She had known this. She had known it for a long time. She simply had not accepted it yet.

With a little pop and a flash of starlight, her lover appeared beside her, grinning like the lovable oaf he was. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and she smiled at him, wrapping him in a strong hug. A wing blew through the area, rustling the plants she grew, almost ready for harvest. And in the silence that followed, enjoying each others company, she finally accepted the role she herself had chosen to take.

Earth.

She let out a long, slow breath, reveling in the changes that slowly washed through her. Her connection to the world seemed…deeper. Stronger. Yet simplified. She was just to be who she was, and ground all those ambitious, thoughtful people that surrounded her. She smiled and pushed her face into Xing Wu's chest, another desire, one that hadn't truly blossomed yet for fear of disappointment, blossoming within her.

She wanted children.

***

Morgan prowled about in its little den, glaring at the two who had dared to grace its domain, dared to come crawling back, just as predicted. The two little elementals. So-called Immortals. Urchins. They groveled at its feet, blood seeping from wounds across their bodies, yet to heal.

Those few dark angels that still pledged allegiance to Morgan hovered around them, snickering and flexing their auras, pressing down upon the two foul souls who dare claimed rebellion. Morgan stood, and the angels immediately retracted their auras as it stalked toward the two, feet padding gently against cold stone.

"Please, give us power." The man begged. "We can help you, to overthrow the Heavenly Dao, free us all from oppression."

The woman grit her teeth, the mere act of bowing grating against every fiber of her being. Morgan bared its teeth, spidery limbs tapping against the ground. No answer spilled forth, Morgan enjoying watching them squirm as it played at contemplation.

It had visions for them. Oh, yes. Time was beginning to pass too quickly, the timeframe narrowing. They would need to give the others a little…push. Particularly the Fool's soul. They sought to turn Morgan into a tool, to manipulate the Shadow, direct mirror of the greatest manipulator in the Four Realms. Their hubris was laughable.

Above, in the Physical Realm, the last of their foolish rebellion raged, weeded out and methodically eliminated.

"You cannot help me." Morgan spat, pressing the tips of its spidery limbs against the back of their necks, showing them just how easily their deaths could come. "But you may still have use. Take them." Morgan turned away, the dark angels flooding forth to snap them up, whisking them off to a deeper part of the Hidden Realm. The woman, Terra, screamed her defiance for only a moment as Morgan lay back down, observing the changes to its Realm.

Pillars of power now filled the interior. Crystallized and condensed into physical form, the excess energy of the Realms made into something the Great One was calling Spirit Stones. It sneered. This power, at least, could be repurposed to its will, as well.

Perhaps it should lure a few more souls to its domain. More fuel to the fire.

***

The Dao Progenitor of Poetry, a Draconian woman by the name of Palin, hovered over one of the new Regions. The Life-Giving Tree here was tiny, so miniscule that even she could hover over the very top of it and nearly reach the Heaven Realm. She dared to say that it was only an eighth of the size of the original Tree, with a fraction of the power.

She still could not reach the peak of the original Life-Giving Tree. She did not believe anyone had besides the legendary Xing Wu, whom she had never met.

What she did know, however, was that she was in charge of the few colonies of cultivators to be settled here. She was trusted. She was faithful and kind. But, most importantly, she had heard the calling of the god she worshipped; Argent, the god of metal, the musical deity. So she had come.

And what a region it was. Music drifted on the wind, audible to no one but her. The beasts that had evolved here had taken on a noisy nature, using sound and metal as the basis of their cultivation. She took a deep breath, the whiskers on her chin twitching. Yes. This would make a wonderful place.

She did not know how well she would be able to guide those living here, the outcasts and adventurers who had chosen to leave their homes, or had none, for a new, untamed land. Land that had yet to be discovered or explored. Yet with the aid of her god and the power of the Life-Giving Tree, she knew.

She knew it would be ok.

***

I watched all this and more as I lay in bed, pride filling my heart at Inesa's ascension, and joy at Palin finding the new region acceptable. A sharp tug to my hair brought my mind back to the present, however, and I turned my gaze to Alala, who curled up with me in bed, her finger running through my hair as my fingers ran through hers.

A part of me marveled at the chain of events that led us here.

Another part of me understood that I'd always had a soft spot for people like Alala; genuine, always laughing, living in the moment. I envied them in some ways, because I was always looking toward the future.

"You're thinking too much," Alala accused, stretching a little, giving me a little wink that made my cheeks heat up. "We made good headway, it was time to celebrate a bit. And honestly, you are easy on the eyes." She wiggled her eyebrows at me and I chuckled.

"I keep my old assessment of you. You are shameless." She, like Yueya, had been the one to initiate. Was this how all parts of herself were? Somehow I couldn't imagine having this problem with Curie - not that it was really a problem, either.

"You haven't seen me shameless yet." Alala laughed, sitting up. "Besides, there's not too much time left together." I nodded, stretching out languidly. She was right, of course. There wasn't much time left together. But we had made good headway, thanks to Thyia. It was yet another plan, almost ready to be enacted.

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