"Ah! I'm okay! Don't panic! Don't panic! Waaa-" Thonk! Fwap... "Goldy... I think you hit them too hard." "I... barely applied strength... Though, the silence is welcome." The group gather around the white smudge spewed across the floor, lightly wobbling until it shoots back to a vertical stance. A smooth surface remains in the space once occupying their body, as if polished to a sheen. "I'm okay! Oh, I'm surrounded now... scary..." "You sure you're okay?" Aleph asks, more out of confirmation than concern. "It's fiiine. Happens all the time when I meet new people. And this is a lot of people..." Doubtful squints assail the quivering figure, the lithe form seeming to compress under the combined gazes.

  "Umm... Canihelpyou?" They stammer, likely putting forth a tremendous effort not to just faint again. "You can actually. Where are we?" "Oh, this is the cascade chamber." "..." "..." "...?" "You don't know what that is?" "No." "Are you not from Nilalus?" Aleph cocks her head, the rest of the group expressing equal confusion. "Then how did you get here?" "We encountered something with a bunch of eyes. It sent us here." "Why would Sosa's hand put you here? Newcomers should be sent directly to the city, unless... Are you the reason the cascade is gone?" "It isn't." "It isn't?" "Nope." "Oh... What do I report now?"

  "What is your purpose here?" Goldy interjects. "Uh, this is my garden, in a manner of speaking. I'm one of the only people who can withstand the cascade and tend to the wonilaswo'mahn moss, and I'm too useless to do anything else." Dark red dark demon moss? What a strange name. "I named it myself. I'm very proud of my moss." Well now I feel bad... "Right now though, I'm investigating the sudden disappearance of the gluttony infused demonic cascade. Which you say is still here?" "Definitely. It's just had its infused desire changed to something harmless." "Oh, thank goodness. Without the demonic energy, my moss can't grow. And without my moss I have no idea what I would do with myself." Is this moss their entire purpose in life? I'm not sure whether that's admirable or just sad...

  A moment of awkward silence fills the cavern, a stationary ambience without so much as a puff of wind to break it. Uncomfortable gazes meet and depart, desperately searching for something to look at and escape the awkward encounter. "Well, I've completed my task so I'll be going now. Haveagoodday." The figure blurts out, shattering the silence and stepping away to leave. "Hey, wait. Can you show us the way out?" "Hm? Oh. Ohhhh. I forgot, I'm not used to people being here. I'll make sure the door stays open for you." From beneath the figure a sphere of warped light is formed, expanding into a wide radius and stabilising with a faint yellow glow. The ground at the base of the sphere, where it intersects with terrain, is replaced by a flat, white floor of paved marble, stark in contrast with the red-coated stone of the cavern.

  The figure steps into the centre and waits. And waits. "Um... You need to step into the door. It should be big enough for all of us. I think." With a shared glance and a shrug the group gather within the sphere, practically smothering the white figure in the process and tracking dirt and moss onto the pristine floor without a shred of shame. The heathens. "Um... Maybe be careful to keep all limbs, and tails and those... dangly bits inside the door. They'll be cut off if you don't." Dangly? Who are they even describing? Goldy grips his tail protectively, scooting in closer and eliciting an "Eep!" from the smothered stranger.

  Pop! A profoundly satisfying sound, and a sudden rewrite of their surroundings. The glowing red cavern vanishes, and in its place stands a large square room wrapped in thick walls of blue steel, smoothed and waxed into flawless mirrors. "You're back early! Did you find- Who the fuck is this?!" Another figure bellows, their voice a wave of blunt force, slamming the group's ears with each syllable. "I- uh- um- I, um I..." Fwap... "Okay... That one's on me. Who are you clowns, and how did you get in here?" They follow, voice tamed to more of a light slap as a block of the wall slides into itself to reveal a thickly shelled arthropod, carapace coated in a dazzling spectrum of refracted light which shifts with each motion.

  "I'm okay! I can answer! What was the question again?" They're quick to recover at least, I'll give them that. "We came from the upper layers and were sent to the cascade chamber by that hand thing." "The hand of Sosa? Why would it do that? Newcomers should be sent to the city." "That's what I said!" "Are they the reason for the cascade being missing?" "Yes! I thought of that too!" "Did you also tell them about your lifelong dedication to that patch of moss?" "Yes! You know me so well!" "... I really shouldn't make fun of my elders..."

  Aleph stretches her wing, the space feeling more cramped than she had realised as her joints creak and crack away the pressure. The vibrant one turns attention to her, slithering closer with dozens of thin legs to eye her from arms reach. "Leeta." "Hm?" "These two are children of Sosa." "Hmm?" "They're your siblings, idiot." "Oh. Ohhh! That makes sense. I'm Leetha, it's always pleasant to meet new younger siblings." Leeta remarks, swaying gently to the side. "I'm Aleph, this is Lyla, these are our friends. Nice to meet you." "Ooh, I've heard of you! The record setters!" "Hey, wait. Was it Leeta or Leetha?" Lyly interrupts, her stance edging on the precipice of standoffish towards the two strangers. "It's what Nuth said. I can't really pronounce harsh sounds like that." "Me neither, but I just use magic. That's what these threads are for." The spider stretches the threads wound to her pedipalps, holding them out to show off. "Wow, that looks difficult! I'm no good at magic. I was born with more Mana than I could control, so I'm unable to do much with it."

  "Can't you just use tools for it then? People have invented tons of weird artefacts for communication and translation." "Like I said. I was born with a lot of Mana. So much that most things just break when I use them. It's not all bad though! I have the fastest regeneration speed to body mass ratio of any child of Sosa! But, not much else beyond that I'm afraid." At least they have that. I was really starting to feel bad for them. "On that topic, if Leeta hasn't mentioned already, make sure you don't touch them. They're fragile as hell, and regeneration has a habit of pushing away or destroying obstructions, fleshy or not." And now I feel bad again... How do they hug?

  "So Nuth, what do we do now?" "What now? What do you think? Take them to see Sosa!" "Ah... Why me? Can't you?" "I'm not even allowed in the coronet, how do you expect me to escort them?" "Oh..." Sosa... If I'm not mistaken, that's an Aoan term for origin, or beginning. One which can also mean... "Is Sosa the Progenitor?" "Phroshenithor? Oh, that's what they're called on the surface, right? A word from that new language that popped up some hundred cycles ago. It's hard to keep track of all these changes, especially from so far..."

  Lyly perks up, lethargy turning to surprise, surprise turning to prospective elation. "Does that mean we made it? We're at the base of the labyrinth?" "Ah, um... Yes. For all intents and purposes." A violent uproar of sound erupts from the spider, a tremendous shriek of unbridled joy barely describable with mere words. "Fuck yeeeea! The divine weaver is back baby! Just wait until the rest of me hears about this!" "My ears..." Goldy complains, thick palms unable to adequately block the ear rending audio bombardment. "Fuck you! You've only been trying to reach this place for a few eightdays! I've been trying for over a century! I'll yell as loud as I damn well please! Huaaaaa!" Well, that's annoying.

  "It's been a long journey. Maybe we should take a break before we-" "Hell no! I'm not waiting another second! Take me to your leader!" "But you're injured." "I'll heal!" "Goldy is also injured..." "He'll heal!" I don't think there's any convincing her... Aleph turns to Goldy and Fluffy, a silent request for either assistance or permission, anything really to deal with the unreasonably obstinate arthropod. "My injuries are irritating, but tolerable. I will heal." "I'm perfectly fine." Turning to the unmoving demon on her back she is met with a shrug, and turns back to face Leeta. "Then we'd appreciate it if you can guide us, only if Lyly shuts up first of course." "Tch!"

  "I, um... I... Which way was the coronet again?" Nuth exhales at the white blob, a series of low clicks rumbling from within his shell. "The elevator. The same elevator you take every eightday to make your reports. The same elevator that has been there for the past... Millennia? It's older than me, idiot." "Ohh, that one, yes I remember now." Lyla pauses her victory dance to squint, all eight of her eyes causing the figure to quiver. "We have to go down more?" "Yes, um... the coronet is three layers below this, but there's an elevator leading straight there. It has... a nice view... I think... It's been a while since I went that far down." "Oh, good. If we had to go through more shit after what we've just been through-" "Please lead us there." Aleph requests, an exasperated sigh escaping her.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  A few panicked mumbles and a moment of trying to find the door later, Leeta slides out of the room with the group in tow. The metal walls open up into a chaotic laboratory, splayed with innumerable objects, widgets, and one shattered vial of untrustworthy looking liquid on the floor. Another opposing wall folds inward, seams creating themselves on the smooth surface for the partition to slide away out of sight and allow a flood of bright blue light to pervade the space. A blinding array of lights dotted across high-reaching buildings, touching the ceiling with their metallic frames. Swarms of people, of beings varying in shape, size, and hue crowd the streets above and below, the horizon lost to the metallic jungle before them.

  "This is quite the contrast to the other civilisations I've seen down here." Fluffy remarks, eyes lost in the endless stream of organised chaos. "I imagine so, it's the only place Sosa and our kin have been allowed unrestricted influence. I believe the haven kin are fairly well off thanks to Shithah, but even that is limited to advisement and conflict resolution. Spreading technology would be a violation of the treaties." So they can say more than one sentence without stumbling after all. "The elevator is just in this circle. It doesn't look like it, but there are walls so don't worry about falling off."

  The group gather within the circle, this time large enough to accommodate them with room to spare, much to Leeta's relief. After a moment of delay, the circle depresses into the ground, taking the group with it as it calmly falls through the city with an unhurried descent. "It's um... quite a distance, so... this might take a while. Sorry." "While we wait, do you mind telling us about the Progenitor?" "I'm not sure what I'm allowed to say... They like to keep their identity under wraps as much as they can, so what everyone knows tends to vary. Some people are even lied to to obfuscate things. I think it started shortly after the deprecation." "What was the deprecation?" "You don't... Oh right. It's lost history on the surface. I believe the inciting incident was called the calamity. I remember it well..." Oh, they're older than I thought.

  "The deprecation was, well, a mass extinction. About half of the planet's population died within a few cycles, people, animals, anything with a soul. And the centuries after that saw the extinction of several other species in the fallout. I think mother is actually the last of her kind, the only one powerful enough to endure." The group listen closely, Lyly and Fluffy taking an especially great interest as their descent continues behind them. "How does half a planet just die?" "Well... With the death of a god, and the subsequent loss of Aether." I remember seeing something about the decline of Aether when summoning Didi. It must have been more a sudden event than I thought. "Which god died?" "I um... I don't think I can answer that... sorry... It's a controversial topic for a number of reasons." I guess we'll have to ask the Progenitor themself.

  The elevator walls turn dark, vibrant cityscape replaced by smoothly carved stone as they traverse the layer boundary. Upon breaching the next layer, they are met with a far more organised and structural matrix of buildings, distributed and scaled in a fractal-like manner of cubic constructs. Where before the roads would bend and twist, rise and fall, tunnel and traverse, now they follow a predictable pattern of suspended patterns with embellished elevators and bridges joining the horizontal meshes of pathways. Each structure hangs, not from metal beams or dense ropes, but with rigid networks of Aether constructs binding them together and in place. It's not a lot, but this is the first time I've seen Aether being used aside from the cores. Once again, I'm amazed by the efficiency of it all. Making reliable constructs of this scale is not easy, even without this scarcity of Aether.

  "I guess they finally finished that new building, huh... Say, um... Aleph?" "Hm?" "I've been wondering, uh... if it's not rude to ask... um... Have we met? Your soul feels so... familiar." "Maybe. How old are you? And Kixhah for that matter." Leeta pauses for a moment, sliding over to the platform edge to peer at something. "In cycles around the suns? I am six-thousand-three-hundred-thirty-four, with my next increment in less than a quart. Shithah is at least fifty cycles older than me, but I can never seem to get an exact number from him." "So you're one of Kixhah's contemporaries?" "I guess? He honestly just feels like a cool big brother to me, someone I look up to. I can't imagine myself his equal." "If you're that old then maybe we have met. I don't remember you immediately though."

  Walls of red stone return, another layer boundary reached, and another world exposed by its departure. A wide expanse of compartmentalised fields, sprawling forests, and cultivated lands saturate the layer in a spectrum of greens, yellows, and reds, lit by a far-reaching grid of light emitting orbs. In the distance lay several megalithic towers and pillars of metal and stone, consuming the horizon with a scale that bewilders one's sense of depth. Lyly ignores the sight which holds the others' attention, instead pointing a dubious glare at Leeta. "How can you know so accurately what time of the year it is? Don't tell my you guys also have some esoteric way of measuring time based on the flow of water, or the vibration patterns of rocks." "Um, no. We just use clocks. With the help of Lamla they've been kept synchronised with the surface for millennia." "Oh... That makes sense I guess."

  The elevator reaches the base of the layer, a few lumbering creatures curiously watching them descend below the floor from behind a fence. "We're almost here. Wow... It's been so long since I've come down here. I wonder if Mother will be annoyed with me?" "Mother?" "She asks me to visit regularly, but... going outside is scary..." Lyly hops to the ground, skittering impatiently to the platform edge, Didi sliding off to join her. Descent slows, gravity reclaiming its strength as they decelerate to a stop in an unlit hall. "Oh no..." "What? Is something wrong?" "I forgot where the light switch is..." "..."

  Without prompt, the building lights itself, the persistent glare of artificial illumination bearing down from above, and saturating the room in white. "Leeta? It has been a while. I asked you to visit more, how long has it been? Thirty cycles. Much too long..." A sudden presence, a single quizzical voice washing the space with a persistent yet warm tone. Mana meets Mana, Aether meets Aether, Aura meets Aura, all in perfectly equal measures. A figure of white, patterned with black. Their approach sharp and unexpected, their appearance gentle and without malice. Instincts fail to respond, each of the group unable to decide whether to panic at the unforeseen intrusion, or to be at ease under the analytical yet calming gaze emitting from the newcomer.

  "Hi mother! Hi father! Sorry it's been so long... I..." The figure appears before Leeta, two identical silhouettes standing face to face, one a pure white, and the other watching back with a subtly shifting decoration of black. "We know. Don't worry child. Who have you brought with you?" Leeta's mirror vanishes, reappearing before Fluffy in his image. Each fibre of muscle imitated to perfection, faux fabric waving in synchrony with his clothes, even the subtle mannerisms of breathing, the soft twitches of his eyes and fingertips replicated. Dense patterns of black shade the figure, granting depth and form to the uniform white. "I recognise this one's description. The elf who killed Makho. A tragedy, but one long forgiven." "Who is Makho?" "You would not know. Perhaps it is better that way, the encounter was no fault of your own. I sense no Mana though. He uses Aether. How unusual, in this day and age."

  Gone again, now a reflection of the ape. White fur emulates gold, palms and eyes a stark contrast of black against the otherwise pure form. "A descendant to Denkha. How cute. Weaker than most who reach here from above. Only at a glance." Goldy opens his mouth to speak, but there is no longer anyone before him to respond to, a small figure now shimmering before Didi, light and dark shifting with sharp acuity to monochromatically mimic even the reflecting and refracting light on her crystal body. "A demon? Mikika did tell us they summoned one. An unfamiliar race. There is an imbalance in the light passing through. Perhaps consumed, or absorbed. And something attached to the soul, something familiar. Relation to the turncoat? It is not our place to pry."

  Lyly's eyes bounce between the locations as the figure shifts from individual to individual, skittering towards them each time, only to be met directly by her own gaze. White and cyan stares into white and black, the imitation patterns on her duplicate's back weaving infinitely inward in an endlessly complex form. "Lyla! The long awaited." The spider moves to speak, but something holds her back, a feeling, an intuition, or perhaps a will. Which it is cannot be clearly seen from these eyes. "It was just shy of eighty cycles ago she first resumed attempts to reach us. A shame her entry was inhibited by her brother, she has been capable of reaching us since the last mass summoning. What was the deciding factor to change her stance? We can ask shortly, there is one more to inspect."

  Aleph meets the gaze of her mirror, violet eyes delving into black orbs, delving back into her own. Nobody speaks, a hint of rapt examination leaking into the dark gaze as the light body begins to shift. "La, you waver. What ails you? Why do you not speak?" The dragon before her loses shape, white turning fluid and splashing down like a burst water balloon before being wrapped and replaced by a twisting spiral of black, taking on a rigid, simple form devoid of light. "Tame your emotions, La. It is not my season to take form. It's her... Her? Her! Her soul! I couldn't see it before, even now it is faint, numb, but unmistakably hers! You mean... Yes! Their prediction was right! She's back! She's really back... Our god... A-"

  During the second great battle of the gods, only one event is known in any detail. The invasion of an angel holding a truly immense power, and its battle with one of the old gods from before the cala-

  [Record stricken by demonic influence]