Kei was on a mission. And no, it wasn't avoiding work like her mother accused her of, though she wouldn't lie to herself and claim that wasn't part of it, it was to figure out what and why Grandpa was so giddy now. He was always a bit of a goober, but this was unnatural - though it was nice to see Him feeling better, with all the stress He'd been feeling about the upcoming crash. Initially she had tried to enlist Randus into joining her crusade, but the grumpy butler had brushed her off, instead running off to go do whatever it was he was doing with the dream-world. She didn't keep track of it very much, that was, as the mortals said, beyond her pay-grade. The girl still frowned as she teleported through the physical realm, trying to track the scent that had been lingering around Gramps.

It wasn't much of a scent though, more like an energetic tingle that set her nose to twitching like she had to sneeze and her eyes to burning. Her feet found purchase on a tree, the bark digging into her skin and the trunk swaying beneath her weight and sudden appearance. Her tails twitched as she sniffed the air, the wind curling around her in a bubble to keep it from spreading any pesky secrets – this was her secret to keep, not Aeriel's – and looked down.

She was not at her original goal. But this was somewhere Gramps had been putting a lot of focus into; and as such, His energetic scent was left all over the place.

A little shack lay beneath her, a tall willow standing on a bare hill behind it. What remained of what had once been a town was nestled in a valley not too far away, maybe two hundred feet from the shack proper. Silently, Kei drifted down to the willow, laying a hand on its trunk to say hello to one of Mother's children.

"No need to get up," she whispered to the consciousness that stirred within the Treant. The immortal being settled back down at her words, the qi that had been stirring within stilling entirely. Then she turned her attention to the little shack, and the tiny ball of fire that burned within, right next to the gentle flame of a soul that was sticking to this plane of existence through sheer force of will alone. He was here, solely because he'd found a companion to spend the rest of his days with, and had not yet had his fill of that.

It was both sad and amazing, to her, the lengths mortals would go through, the pain they would endure just to keep one thing going.

With but a step, Kei bypassed the formations that protected the shack and slipped inside.

A bird sat on the windowsill opposite her, maybe the size of the palm of her hand, all puffy and round and cute. Its plumage was a brilliant shade of red and sleek black, its tiny beak pecking at a small pile of seeds. Kei could see the remains of wounds from its last heavenly trial, almost fully healed, even while its qi surging within it, demanding to break forth into the immortal realm. Yet it held itself back, both knowing that it was not yet time to become an immortal, and simultaneously plucking at the karma woven between her and the other occupant.

An old man stood hunched over the fireplace, stirring a cauldron, his once-tight robes falling loosely about his frail form. Kei cocked her head to the side curiously; he had one foot in the grave, but his karma was helping to keep him alive. It was hard to tell whether that was good or bad karma – at this age, despite his relatively powerful cultivation, it was tantamount to prolonging his own suffering – but it was powerful enough to help make death more of a choice, than an actual binding force.

"Well, little one," the old man spoke slowly as he turned to the bird, carrying a bowl of soup with him. "What shall we do today? There's an auspicious wind blowing, I believe." Kei's ears twitched as she allowed the wind to touch her ears, trickling down into her mind to see if what he said was true.

It wasn't, to her mind.

But maybe it was because, somehow, he was sensing her?

With but a thought she allowed herself to be seen, not quite unleashing the full might of her aura, but just enough to let the old man and little bird know who and what she was. After all, its not like there were any other nine-tailed foxes running around, and she could see a little book on her exploits sitting above the fireplace. Maybe that should be her People, when she gets around to it. Nine-tailed foxes. It felt like a simple, lazy answer, but sometimes simpler was better.

At once the two whirled to her, the old man showing surprising grace in not spilling a drop of his soup even as he landed his gaze upon her and immediately fell to his knees in a kowtow, bowl finding a perfect balancing place upon a nearby table. The bird, on the other hand, shrieked out a challenging warning, fire puffing up in its chest as it spread its wings.

"Lady Kei!" the old man cried, tears welling up in his eyes. Kei cleared her throat awkwardly at the veneration, the old man practically trembling. "I never, in my life, expected to truly meet you. To what does this humble soul owe the pleasure?"

No demands, no cries of 'I will be rewarded,' not even any inner greed flashed through the old man's soul. He soaked up the divine energy that radiated from Kei like a sponge, but never really allowed it to go any further. He was here, she was here, and his offer was genuine; did she need anything? Kei's opinion of the man ticked up a few notches as she giggled, hiding her mouth behind her hand as her gaze flicked to the bird.

"No, no. Just coming in to check on something. Thought you were interesting. You can stand, by the way, I don't really do the whole worship thing. Do you worship Mom?" she asked, recognizing the bird's truesoul. That was Sol – Solana, as Gramps now called her. She flitted about on the windowsill, beady eyes glancing at the old man, then to Kei, worry for the old man overcoming her immediate, visceral response to challenge the being who was so powerful standing before her.

A bit of bitterness welled up within Kei as she stared at Solana. She still held a grudge for what he did to her mother. But...that was also a long time ago, and Sol was now a different person entirely.

"I follow Lady Reika's teachings, yes," the old man said, rising to his feet with deliberate slowness as he pulled a small symbol of a Tree out from his underneath his robes. It was hand carved, and filled with Mother's divine power – power the man himself had tapped into, and poured into the necklace. "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"No. I'm just wandering, searching for something. I was following Gramps' scent, and it led me here…now I know why. You're a good guy, aren't you?" she asked rhetorically.

"This old Mar just a humble old man. But yes." The old man's eyes twinkled with a bit of mischief as he said that, and Kei giggled again, skipping forward to walk around him. Solana squawked at her again, and she skipped over to her, tapping her on the beak before she could even react. That earned her another annoyed chirp.

"That's just the kind of answer a good guy would give." She said, skipping back away from Solana. She really wanted to leave, but…well, now that she'd sated her curiosity, she needed to resolve the karma that brought her here. Gramps didn't want to mess around with mortals directly too much, but Mom had always taught her to pay her debts when you did. She turned her gaze to the old man, though her words were meant for both him and Solana. "…don't worry about death too much." Yeah, she didn't have Gramp's cryptic nature, or his subtlety. She was more a blunt hammer, like Aunt Elvira, or even Mom in some ways.

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But she did have Gramp's eyes, at least a little, so she could see how what she said would affect others.

"I know it is coming. I have made my peace with it; defying the heavens is not in my nature." He said slowly, and Kei shook her head. "Shame I could not make Immortal."

"Just because you are not to be immortal in this life, does not mean you won't reach it in the next. After all, you've made some good friends." At this, she glance out the window at the willow tree, who stirred a little at her attention, and the old man's eyes narrowed.

"Are you saying I'll become one of the Holy Trees?" he asked suspiciously.

"You might. You might become a bumblebee. The choice, by design, is yours. What I'm saying is don't be afraid to ask for what you want; so many souls forget that option. Uncle Keilan isn't as heartless as he looks." She said bluntly. The old man nodded thoughtfully. "Now, I really must be off." And with that, she teleported away – but kept one ear open for how the old man and Solana would respond.

"…bah. She's as wild and free as the wind, according to legend. Pay her no mind, little one. Come, let us resume our morning." The old man groused, playing like Kei's presence hadn't rattled the poor old man. She giggled, tracing her fingers along the thread of karma she'd forged with the man and Solana, watching it fade away as it resolved itself.

Something else clicked within her. Something…divine, in nature. It felt just as carefree as her, just as playful and mischievous, yet had a core that sent a shiver of fear down her spine. She didn't like it. She didn't like whatever lay beneath all the fun and play. And she knew Mom and Gramps would tell her she was being silly to fear that little thing within her, but – she did what she did best with her problems. She turned away. It would resolve itself in time.

Now where was she again? Right, searching.

***

Gilles, like many people, believed that he would never fully understand Statera Luotian, nor that he would ever reach the Matriarch's level of power. That would require a level of arrogance that was only reserved for mortals, or supremely proud beings such as his one-time brother. Yet as he paced through the halls of the Holy Palace, his wife's hand intwined in his own in this rare moment of peace, he thought he might finally understand a fraction of the Matriarch's being.

"I can hear the gears turning, Gilles," Elvira said, wrapping one wing around him to pull him closer. He flushed a little as he was pulled in, a kiss planted on his cheek that had him blushing even more. Maybe it was because they were alone that this was more embarrassing…a strange thought for the Deity of Shadows, and he let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders. "What is going on up there?"

"Lots of things, as usual." He said, as a way to delay the conversation so he could sort his thoughts out. Elvira frowned at him and he panicked, knowing that she hated such statements. "I think the Matriarch found an old friend in a Monkey Wrench."

"…what?" she said, pausing. The long hall of her palace they were in shone brilliantly in the light of the Realms, white marble gleaming and polished. At the very far end of the hall, where it turned into a T-junction, a few soldiers of the Heavenly Host marched by.

"And it's, surprisingly, given me some insight. Maybe you don't know this, but I have been investigating the Matriarch's past." He told her. At her sharp look, he hastily continued. "Listen before you berate me. The Matriarch Herself has admitted that this entire catastrophe debacle is suspicious. Maybe She hasn't said it in so many words, but there's something odd going on here that is guiding our two universes to collide. I thought, perhaps, we might find some answers there." He suspected he was right, but he had not been privy to the Matriarch's conversation with the seemingly simple boy.

Nor had he wanted to try his luck by attempting to pierce through Her barrier to listen in. But deductive reasoning was a specialty of his, and Aeriel had been suspiciously giggly when he'd asked about it, saying not even her wind had heard the truth. Which was suspiciously specific; and meant she probably did know the answer.

"And?"

"I think I'm right, but that will need more time before I'm ready to procure my results before others. And, if possible, I would likely need to travel to the One World; which, judging by the Matriarch's words, will not be unideal. She said something about forging good karma between the two Realms." He continued to ramble.

"Get to the point, Gilles." Elvira said.

"Right. Well, as I said, I think she found an old friend from Her universe. He seems…competitive. Calls himself the Rival; I've heard the Mad Scientist talk about him and the First, or whatever they call themselves, before. You can find him in the Physical Realm on one of the planets there if you want to take a look." Gilles said even as Elvira's eyes took on a distant look. He knew she was peering between Realms now, having likely already found the boy. Or perhaps not, considering his considerable ability to blend in. He'd only discovered it by accident, and only because the Matriarch tried to hide it from Aeriel.

What was kept secret from the wind, almost universally was wreathed in shadows.

"And this leads you to your second point."

"This cannot be a coincidence." He said bluntly. "What we know of the Shadow indicates that the Matriarch's own self can cause events in the Four Realms. The Original Sin event She spoke of so dismissively is an echo of the Shadow. What we know of the Sun and Lunar Star show that Her very attention can cause the universe to conspire to Her will – that is why many of the gods have begun calling Her the Heavens; Her will is the will of the Heavens, and we mere gods simply live here." Elvira stopped walking, pulling him in tighter with one wing.

"I found him. He looks goofy."

"I am certain he does. It is a cleverly crafted disguise, in my opinion. Now, to continue on, it cannot be a coincidence that a person from the Matriarch's past so conveniently showed up around this time. The Mad Scientist was the perfect first encounter of these kinds; she did not do much, and gave the Matriarch an idea of what her kind can do to the Realms. Now we get a much bigger one. Add that into the timing around us; right when we are about to expand, we must be shut down. Right when all of our people are about to slow their personal growth to focus on expanding the Realms, we must do the opposite – and you know as well as I do that while the growth of the mortals have slowed, we gods are accelerating our growth. Quality of power over quantity, control over brute force. The Pillars are an example of that." Gilles continued, now on a roll. Shadows swirled about him as he stood there, power responding to his will.

There was something within him, about to connect…

"It is your duty to guide the gods to a better future, to become an ideal. It is mine to try and divine the future." And the moment he accepted his duty, he felt it. It felt like a stone, settling in his gut, a greater will that he connected to and had it place a seed within him. A weight, upon his shoulders, that let him see more than he ever had before.

A new realm of power and understanding.

"Congratulations." Elvira said, snaking an arm around his waist. "It seems you are the first to become a Pillar. Reika had bet Randus would be, but I won." The way she said it made him turn his head towards her, to see her eyes shining with pride as she stared at him, saw right through him.

"You knew this was about to happen." He accused, marveling in the way he could feel new things. The consciousness in the Mountain below stirred, and he felt it, when he hadn't been able to before. Just what had he become? "Did you know what I was about to say, too?"

"No." She said. "That will take some looking into. I'll bring it up to Father as well, if He didn't already hear our conversation. But I knew you would be a Pillar, even if Father wouldn't admit it to Himself."

"It feels anticlimactic." He admitted, flexing his power a little.

"The climax isn't yours. It will be others, who have yet to realize their full potential. Now come, we have some time before I have duties to attend to, and we need to celebrate your ascension." Elvira said, already leading him away, down the hall, walking instead of teleporting.

Gilles shook his head at her as they continued their stroll. Well, at least his so-called new role didn't include any duties he wasn't performing, even if he didn't know exactly what this new position would entail. It would require exploring.

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