Caela fell silent for a moment. She wanted so badly to tell Fae the truth. She heard it every day. The God voice often whispered it and she heard it in her dreams every night. But Caela also had to be cautious—she couldn't speak of it openly, afraid that doing so might get her executed for believing in old myths and for being exposed as a true Host.
"…You're trying to test my faith in the Gods, aren't you?" Caela scoffed in Fae's face.
Fae raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by Caela's words. He stepped back and gave her some space. Then, he smiled faintly.
"Oh, no. My bad. I didn't mean it that way. Just forget it," he said, turning his face back toward the bar counter.
Caela's heart thumped slightly—partly from the closeness Fae had shown earlier, and partly because of the question he asked. She wasn't sure which emotion dominated her at that moment, but she felt a wave of relief when Fae suddenly dropped the topic.
Not long after, Fae stood up from his seat and looked at Caela. "It was nice meeting you, Caela," he said with a smile.
Caela just looked at him with a blank expression. Fae took a few steps away, then turned back once more with a smile.
"See you again," he said.
Fae disappeared from Caela's sight. Who is this man? "See you again," he said? Caela ordered a glass of water from the bartender and drank it.
**
The next morning, Caela woke up again—still dreaming. Ever since the God, Varuna had taken residence inside her, the dream was more vivid, and the God's voice often echoed in her mind.
She woke up in a room inside the Central city's castle. Someone knocked on her door. It was a castle guard informing her that the meeting would soon be held in the hall and that she needed to prepare. Caela quickly got ready, feeling a little nervous about what would be discussed at the Hosts' meeting. Her mind was still lingering on Fae's words about the gods' whispers.
Upon arriving at the hall, Caela was escorted by castle guards. When the doors opened, she saw a long, slightly wavy-haired blonde woman sitting in a corner, along with a familiar figure—Valia. Valia was surprised to see Caela; his eyes widened, and he exclaimed:
"Y-You? The girl from Tevira? What are you doing here?" Valia asked.
Caela ignored Valia's question and sat down, keeping some distance between him and the blonde woman.
"You know her, Lord Valia?" asked the blonde woman, her voice gentle.
"She's from the same village as me," Valia replied.
"Oh, what an honor. The village of Tevira produced not one, but two Hosts," the woman said, offering a respectful gesture.
Valia scoffed. Caela ignored both of them, though she listened closely. This woman must also be a Host. Soon after, the hall doors opened again. A woman in a black cloak with her hair tied high walked in, smiling. Behind her was a man Caela recognized.
"Caela!" Fae greeted her cheerfully.
Everyone in the room was surprised by how casually Fae addressed her—as if greeting an old friend. Caela's eyes widened in shock at the sight of Fae.
"Fae… So you're… also a Host…" Caela muttered in surprise.
Fae chuckled at Caela's shocked expression. The woman in the cloak looked at them with a slight smile and approached Caela.
"Looks like I missed introductions. I'm Shala, Host of the Ice God Kamui, and also Fae's mother," she said, offering a respectful gesture.
Caela, now seated, bowed in return. A Host who is both mother and son? Truly a privilege, Caela thought. They must both be powerful mages in their land. Shala and Fae took their seats—Fae sat across from Caela, his eyes and smile never leaving her. The blonde woman at the end of the table watched their interaction, her expression slightly grim, before turning to Caela.
"I'm Alana, Host of the Wind God Shuen, from Moriad," she said flatly.
Caela nodded and returned a polite gesture. "A pleasure to meet you," she replied formally.
Alana turned to Fae, "Lord Fae, you've met Lady Caela before?"
Fae flinched slightly but didn't take his eyes off Caela. "You could say that."
"How do you know each other?" Alana asked.
"Does it matter, Lady Alana? I just caught her downing a sea salt mocktail in one gulp at the bar." Fae replied.
Alana just sighed by Fae's answer. Valia sat there in confusion. Caela sighed—uncertain whether she should feel embarrassed by that. But Fae chuckled at her reaction, and made Alana more annoyed.
"Alright, enough small talk. Let's begin today's meeting," Shala interrupted casually.
Everyone turned their attention to Shala, seated at the center of the table. Caela glanced around at the other Hosts. Fae sat back comfortably, occasionally sneaking glances at her.
"First, congratulations to Lady Caela for being chosen as the Host of the Water God. Second, as the leader here, I need to request help from all of you Hosts," said Shala.
Everyone waited quietly for her to continue.
"So far, my forces have failed to locate the Temple of the Thunder God. According to ancient scrolls, it should be near the city of Moriad—where Lady Alana is from and where the Temple of the Wind God is located. Troops from the city have already searched, but to no avail," Shala explained.
Alana nodded in agreement. Everyone listened intently as Shala continued.
"There's one region we haven't yet explored, West side of Riverbend. It's said to there's a Forgotten Ruins, which are not recorded on any map. We need troops to explore that area. It's possible the Temple of the Thunder God is there," said Shala.
Caela nodded thoughtfully, "I can organize the troops, if it's near Riverbend."
Shala looked at her and nodded. "Thank you, Lady Caela. Fae, I want you to assess the situation there as well."
Fae smiled smugly. "Of course, Your Majesty. With pleasure." Caela raised an eyebrow at his annoying reaction, then Alana interrupted.
"Moriad can assist as well, Your Majesty," she said.
"No need, Lady Alana. Moriad has a different task." Shala replied.
"B-But…" Alana protested.
"Besides, you should mind your health, Lady Alana. As for Moriad, I have another task: I want to resume production of new crystals, this time, on a much larger scale."
Everyone in the hall was stunned, including Caela. New crystal production? So Moriad had been making the crystals all along? she wondered.
"What is it for, Mother?" Fae asked curiously.
"It's just a research initiative," Shala replied.
Fae and Caela fell silent, clearly unsatisfied with that answer.
"Sorry, I'm new here. May I ask something?" Caela asked.
"Go ahead, Lady Caela," Shala said with a nod.
"Aren't the crystals sacred objects from the sky?" Caela asked.
"Correct. Crystals are sacred objects from the sky. But they are merely fragments. It's technology that refines them into complete form, with help from Scholars and tools from Moriad. We've been manufacturing crystals there because it's the most advanced city technologically."
Caela fell silent. Technology? So these crystals were made from a combination of magic and tech?
"Then… what do you mean by producing new crystals?" Caela asked again.
Shala paused before turning away. "I'm simply preparing… in case the current crystals you use as vessels for the Gods… break."
The room fell silent. Valia raised an eyebrow. "Break? Is that really possible?"
Shala nodded. "Yes, because the crystals that came from the sky are just fragments, not whole crystals. So they may shatter due to their imperfect form."
Alana and Valia were shocked. Caela and Fae, however, remained silent. Caela began to believe what Rieva once told her: that binding gods to crystals may truly be a sin of mankind.
**
After that, Shala ended the meeting and instructed Caela and Fae to prepare to depart for the designated area. Caela immediately left, followed closely by Fae. Valia also gave a respectful nod and exited.
Once Valia was gone, Alana stood from her seat, her expression troubled.
"Your Majesty… You can't keep doing this…" she said to Shala.
"What do you mean, Lady Alana?" Shala asked coldly, her demeanor no longer warm.
"…I can't negotiate with my father anymore about producing new crystals…" Alana said, trying to stay calm.
"Is that so?" Shala said, stepping closer and reaching out to gently lift Alana's chin. "I'll give you what you want, if you help me again," she whispered.
Alana's hands and eyes trembled slightly from the closeness, but she composed herself and looked Shala in the eyes. "…You know what I want, Your Majesty…"
Shala raised an eyebrow and smiled. She quickly withdrew her hand and walked away, then laughed.
"A desperate girl searching for love. You want Fae?"
"…Yes…" Alana replied softly but firmly.
"That's an easy matter. I can arrange that just make sure I get permission to resume crystal production in Moriad," Shala said.
"Alright. It's a deal," Alana replied resolutely.
***