Chapter Fifty-Nine: Ever Closer

Jantry floated in the midst of an oasis, filled to the brim with life. Wildlife flourished in a contained manner around him. Every now and then a small current of energy pulsed through him and spread into the mountain peak.

The god in question was worried. Weeks after Jasmine fell into a coma, she awoke once more. Wholly unaware of the despair awaiting her.

It was with great sorrow Jantyr informed Lenart that Jasmine was up and about once more.

The man was a wreck, only tending to his brother's grave and his many friends that passed after the battle. When he was told Jasmine was back, a glimmer passed his eye. But it died as quick as it came, replaced by even greater despair.

He slowly walked to the hidden library, a heavy mood radiating from him.

The following hour was painful to watch. Jantyr had failed to notice. But with every moment he conversed less with his worshipers. He started guiding them, instead of leading them.

So instead of talking to Jasmine, assuring her that everything would be okay, he watched as she broke down and cried her last drops of liquid out of her body.

Her raspy wails filled the graveyard. The passing mourners made way for her, knowing full well the pain she was going through.

At her father's grave she stayed, no food or water was ingested. Her mother and brother eventually came, as their heartfelt reunion was shattered and broken to dust.

…

~Pov Jantyr~ (First Person)

The people prayed, merchants came and went and the wall was torn down. A wooden wall was great and all, but a stone wall would be even greater. But for the moment most resources and manpower went to restoring the homes of the people.

Word had spread to the cities, I had made it so. Tales of what went down that day slowly reached the ears of those interested. A new branch leader was to be sent to Orkrasist, who would be welcomed with open arms, along with the new adventurers.

Rolf's kid had survived, after his mother forced him to stay behind with the kids.

Frankie, lord of the carpenters had survived the clashes, somehow. He had been close to death when found, but thankfully rescued. Now he worked his hardest to rebuild the homes.

Some weeks later, a man arrived with a decree, officially announcing Orkrasist as a town.

…

I watched the lake of acid still in front of the wall. If I could I'd remove it, but I lacked such power to my knowledge. It was in the way of real expansion, so the wall would have to be built in the same place.

As I hovered over the ground I contemplated the recent turn of events. Turns out there are other continents with sentient creatures with their own gods and the continent my worshipers live on is the weakest and smallest.

"Stop sulking already!" Catara said. She was next to me, reading a book. Somehow one of the trees in my little natural garden grew into a chair for her to sit on.

Since the first time we met some weeks ago we've been hanging out. Turns out there's no other god in Shifao Dynasty, due to the extreme lack of faith in any other deity than Catara. It made her lonely, from what I could tell.

"yeah, yeah, how's the incoming war going?" I shoot back at her. She made an exaggerated hand movement and sighed.

"That damn kid, if I had known this would happen I'd have declared him a heretic. Just because you accidentally made a small winter come and go a bit slower, he thinks he can start a war!"

"True, I'd hate if that happened to me, the frustration must be killing you." I said, fully aware of her habit to vent her frustration at me.

"You bet it is!" she said and laid back in the tree chair.

"Oh, the tax collectors are approaching your town and they'll also force you to sacrifice some men to the war." she said, gaining my full attention. I stopped watching my worshipers for the moment and turned to her.

"How soon are we talking?" I asked.

"Weeks, a month at the latest. If you don't have the strength to rival a country, you'll have to give up some men to the war. It's a sad fate, but there's little we can do." she said.

I nodded at her and turned my attention back to my worshipers. They were still rebuilding everything. Jasmine and Lenart had started helping again, just like the rest.

I reached out to Jasmine and informed her of the tax and war.

"A war is coming, soon heavy taxes will be forced on the town and men dragged off to war. Prepare to lessen the burden of further decreased manpower and reduced resources." I ordered her. Commanding my worshipers had long since become second nature to me.

"Done?" Catara asked, as she folded her book. She had sensed my divine intervention with the mortals.

"Sure am." I said.

"Good, then let us continue!" she exclaimed and took out another book. In it was the rules and history of the gods. Sure it was one sided to said righteous gods, but it was still information I was severely lacking.

…

~Pov Narrator~

Jasmine could do little other than brace herself and the people of the coming war.

Lenart and Howard trained without end, increasing their strength everyday. When they didn't, they helped Jasmine with her Noble duties, giving her time for her own practice.

her magic lost its purity and she used a corrupted version of magic now. It meant that she had to construct spells to her new circumstance. Thankfully the diaries helped with such endeavors. They even helped her learn from scratch how to perform the spells. Ever since she became a dark magician the diaries had more pages containing even more information than before, helping her along her path.