Once at home and in bed, Arianna curled herself into Cassis's arms. He had resumed the habit of holding her while they slept ever since the mana experiment had hurt her. It was comforting, safe, even, but also frustrating.

She glanced up at him in the dim light. His arm was firm around her waist, his breath slow and even, but his closeness raised more questions than it answered. Since the incident, he'd hovered protectively, always near, always watching. Yet every time she tried to close the gap between them romantically, when she reached out, touched him a little longer than needed, or leaned in, he froze. Not pulled away, exactly, but like something inside him had locked up.

What was going on with him? She knew he had feelings for her. He'd confessed as much. But did he like her, or did he just feel responsible for her as he'd told her before? Was she a responsibility, a burden or a tether to something he'd lost in his previous timeline? She wondered if he genuinely wanted her.

She sighed into the darkness. Now wasn't the time to dwell on these thoughts. They were surrounded by responsibility, danger, and fragile new beginnings. Maybe it was a good thing he was holding back. If he came too close, she didn't know if she could keep her secret. And she had been warned. The system would enforce devastating penalties for revealing that secret.

Her thoughts drifted back to Timeless Waterfall's invitation that had popped up on her screen last week during mana training.

Arianna was deep in meditation, focusing intently as she shaped her non-elemental mana into crude, shifting forms. She had only just begun to stabilize a delicate spiral when a message flashed in her awareness:

[Timeless Waterfall has invited you to a private chat room. Accept invitation?]

She accepted without hesitation.

In the next instant, reality shifted. She was once again standing in Timeless Waterfall's domain. The familiar clearing greeted her. It was surrounded by enormous trees with leaves of shimmering blue, purple, and silver. Their canopies swayed gently, as though moved by a silent breeze. Nearby, the crystal-clear lake reflected the sky, and just beyond it, a waterfall cascaded endlessly into a mist-veiled basin.

And by the lake stood Timeless Waterfall.

As Arianna remembered, their form was both mesmerizing and uncanny: translucent blue skin revealed flowing currents within, as if their body was made entirely of water guided by unseen vessels. Their hair billowed like mist rising from the falls, and their black toga still tugged at the eye.

Arianna moved toward them, her form swaying with the same wave-like rhythm from last time. She tried not to look down. Her body, made of water now, still unsettled her. Her upper half resembled a woman, but below the waist, her form dissolved into a rolling tide. It felt like wearing herself inside-out.

"Welcome, Sapphire," Timeless Waterfall said, their voice a deep, rumbling current. "You and your avatars have been busy."

Arianna inclined her head in acknowledgment. They weren't wrong.

The deity seated themselves on a smooth outcropping and gestured for Arianna to do the same. "It is good that your avatars are building a community," they continued. "That will make reaching the next milestones easier."

"Milestones?" Arianna asked, brow furrowing.

Timeless Waterfall nodded. "Yes. For each wave, there are milestones mortals can achieve. They are not required to survive, but the system rewards those who pass them. For example, when your avatars chose to protect their dependents, they overcame the first trial. As a result, the sapient beings of their world received a boon. That was merely one of seven such milestones."

Arianna felt a spark of excitement. She and Cassis had long theorised that such global announcements and changes were possible, but this was the first true confirmation.

Still, she hesitated. Her gaze sharpened. "Why are you telling me this now?"

Timeless Waterfall's lips curved into an almost proud smile. Arianna wasn't sure. Facial expressions on a face that was basically multiple currents of water were hard to read. "You've grown cautious. Watching your avatars has taught you well. That is a good trait. Not all will be kind to you. I am a virtuous deity—it is in my nature to guide—but you're right to question. Help often comes with intent. And I have mine."

Strangely, Arianna felt relieved. A deal or bargain was something she could do.

"I am prepared to share a secret of the system with you," Timeless Waterfall continued, "one I am now permitted to reveal. Your fame has reached the threshold of Well-Known. You see, in the beginning —"

Arianna raised a hand, cutting them off gently. "I'm grateful, but I believe information should be earned. I don't yet have anything of value to offer—so I assume you wish for my avatars to do something in return. I'd prefer to understand that first."

Timeless Waterfall's smile deepened. "Wise, indeed. You and I are natural-born deities, not former mortals. Sometimes that makes understanding them difficult. But I am old—and through my avatars, I have learned. So have you. That pleases me, child."

There was no condescension in the word. For them, Arianna was a child learning how to live in this new world. And they seemed proud of her progress.

"Very well," they said. "I will share the broader picture and what I need from your avatars. The specifics remain unknown, even to me, but what I ask will benefit them too."

They turned slightly, gesturing toward the roaring waterfall, then to their swirling black toga.

"I am Timeless Waterfall. My name reflects the elements that birthed me. My core essence is water mana, but I also hold a rare secondary affinity: time mana. Even among deities, time is elusive. My connection is modest, but it grants me knowings—intuitive glimpses that certain events or beings will either help or hinder my purpose. They are not visions, just… certainties without detail. They also help me know when time was manipulated, though I do not know what was changed."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

A breath passed in the silence. Arianna froze. Did they know...?

"When this new world was made available, I received a knowing. Your male avatar did something that changed the fabric of time, and later will do something that furthers my goal. Your female avatar was also touched by time mana, but only passively. But she will also further my own agenda. And when you entered the patron chat, another knowing followed: that if I supported you, I might finally achieve what I have waited for."

Arianna leaned forward slightly, drawn in despite herself.

Timeless Waterfall hesitated. Something shifted in their expression, and when they spoke again, their voice was softer, laced with old sorrow.

"Like you, I chose my first avatar immediately upon awakening. He was strong and resilient. Time after time, he survived the trials. He even gained time as a second affinity, a rare echo of my own nature combined with a tiny speck of his affinity. He completed the final wave and rose as the strongest in his world. He spread my name, honoured me, and I grew deeply fond of him."

Arianna could sense where the story was going before the words came. Timeless Waterfall had warned her not to fall in love with her avatar. They had been so sad when they said that. Arianna had long thought there must have been a backstory to this. It seemed like she would now find out.

"When he transcended with us to the next realm, I rejoiced. Though he had a chaotic alignment, like most transcendents, I took him under my guidance, not as my avatar, but as my companion, my family. Together, we watched worlds rise and fall. We nurtured new avatars. We did our best to guide. But he began to chafe under our constraints. Only being able to watch, talk and sometimes give a boon made him aware of our limits. He remembered what it was to be free."

Timeless Waterfall turned toward the lake, their form rippling subtly.

"Many worlds ago, he found an avatar and he fell in love. I warned him, gently. He believed she would survive. That she might even ascend and then be with us. I… wanted to believe it, too. So, I helped, hoping he was right."

They stopped. For a long moment, they said nothing. Arianna wasn't sure, but something in their watery form shifted around their eyes. Was it tears? Could a being of liquid cry? She didn't know. But she knew sadness when she saw it, even in a being whose form was so different from her own.

Timeless Waterfall continued, their voice like the deep rumble of a river carving its way through stone.

"For a time, it seemed our hopes might truly come to pass. Belare was strong, radiant, even, and with her companions, she weathered the seven trials. My friend was elated, certain she would soon ascend, and they could be together at last. And she… she loved him in return. I saw it. I felt it. For a moment, it seemed our little family would finally grow."

They paused, water rippling across their translucent features, as if stirred by a silent storm within.

"But then tragedy came, not from the gates, not from any monster, but from the mortals themselves. As they rebuilt from the chaos of the waves, their unity began to fracture. Governments rose, and with them came division. Those who had once stood shoulder to shoulder splintered into factions, warring over ideologies and land. The devastation they wrought upon each other was worse than anything the invaders ever did."

Timeless Waterfall's expression darkened. Even their mist-hair seemed to roil like a storm cloud.

"Amidst that madness, Belare stood firm. She gathered those who still believed in freedom, those who refused to bow to tyranny. They founded a nation, and she became its shield, its undefeated guardian. She never lost a battle. No foe could bring her low."

Another pause, heavier this time.

"But it wasn't an enemy that felled her. It was betrayal. A trusted companion, someone she believed in, struck her down. My friend was broken. I... I grieved as well. In my sorrow, I did not see what he was planning."

They looked away, toward the waterfall, and their voice dropped like the hush before a flood.

"He broke the sacred rule. He intervened. In a moment of anguish and rage, he descended upon the betrayer and ended him. Then, against all law and reason, he turned back time itself to bring Belare back."

A silence fell between them, filled only by the whisper of cascading water.

"She lived again, but the cost was immeasurable. My friend became a fallen patron; he lost all his points, his fame, his everything. He was stripped of his form and cast into exile, sealed within an object. He was not even permitted to hold her hand, not once, not even in farewell. I do not know what he became, or where he lies hidden, but I have a knowing. Your avatars, whether they mean to or not, will one day free him. Because, as strict as the system is, it is fair. For every punishment, there will be an end or a way to atone. And your avatars will help my friend end his."

Timeless Waterfall turned back to Arianna, and for the first time, there was no divine composure, only a quiet plea that felt all too human.

"This is why I help you, Sapphire. Not out of obligation. Not for balance or reward. I help you because I want my family back. I am so very tired of being alone."

Arianna's thoughts churned like a whirlpool. That… was a heavy revelation.

But doubt lingered. Could she trust these knowings? It sounded too perfect, almost like a story constructed to win her sympathy. Yet, it wasn't specific enough to feel manipulative. It was vague, emotional, and raw—too raw, in fact. If Timeless Waterfall had intended to deceive her, surely, they could have crafted something more convincing. And deep within her, she felt the truth of it.

Still, that only led to more confusion. She was a fallen patron, too. Or at least, the system told her so. And yet, every time she entered the patron chatroom, no one treated her differently. Not even Timeless Waterfall had remarked on it. So, she assumed she appeared just as a normal deity, newly born on this world. It made no sense. She knew she was human. She had the memories of a childhood, and during every fight she felt her mortality. Just what was going on? What was the system doing with her?

But, those thoughts had to wait for now. This was no time to spiral down that particular rabbit hole. Timeless Waterfall was waiting for a response.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Arianna said quietly, her voice steadier than she felt. "And I understand the loneliness. I've done everything I could to not be alone, too. I will trust that you're telling me the truth. But I can't promise that my avatars will succeed, even with your help. I also can't promise that they'll act as you hope. Can you accept that?"

Timeless Waterfall was silent for a moment, the surface of their watery form rippling softly as if contemplating. Then they nodded.

"Yes. That is acceptable. My knowing does not predict success, only possibilities. The actions needed to free my friend will happen as a natural result of your avatars' natures. That is how knowings when sapients are involved work—subtle, inevitable paths shaped by who they are.

They paused, then looked directly into Arianna's eyes. "I will soon tell you about a dungeon where your avatars will find what they seek. It hasn't revealed itself to me yet, but in time it will."

Arianna was confused. What did she and Cassis seek? They weren't looking for any items or monsters currently. They only thing that was important for them now and had to do with dungeon was evolution. Evolution! Could Timeless Waterfall pick a dungeon where they would fulfil the requirements for their class and rank evolution?

Before Arianna could ask, Timeless Waterfall continued.

"Now, let me share with you one of the system's secrets. It is knowledge few are allowed to carry. The system governs us strictly, not just in what we do, but in what we know. You are cleared to receive this information because you have reached the fame level of Well-Known. But know this: only those of Legendary or Mythic fame may reveal such truths."

Arianna felt her breath catch, suddenly entirely focused on Timeless Waterfall and their information. Her body, still fluid and strange in this domain, trembled slightly. This was a big deal. She was already anomalous, an outlier in the system. Her race still showed as a question mark. And now she was about to be entrusted with a secret not meant for beings like her.

"I... I don't even know what's allowed," she confessed. "How am I supposed to keep from breaking rules I can't see?"

Timeless Waterfall inclined their head solemnly. "The system has no written laws, not for us. But it leaves impressions. If you quiet your mind and focus, you'll begin to sense when you're nearing a boundary. It takes time and care, but the instinct will come. It is part of the … growing up as a deity. When you're still young, the system is more lenient with you, like mortals are with their children. But the system expects you to learn as you grow older and receive more fame."

Arianna swallowed hard, nodding slowly. She didn't fully understand, but she would have to trust them. There was no turning back now.

"Then… tell me," she said. "Tell me about the system."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.