BS8 - CHAPTER 13: THE GREAT FLAME

Jake and Sati followed the three as they walked through the indoor city, but they eventually entered a large section. It was clearly a temple or place of worship with its many arches and wide-open areas, but it was not the inner sanctum just yet.

Many natives of various races, though mostly the red goblins, were bowed in prayer, sitting on mats, or resting in cots. A person was getting some form of red ink tattooed onto them as well, and many of them held these same tattoos of swirling lines in their skin.

The slyph woman, who had eventually introduced themselves as Tatiana looked proud. “These are our prospective clergy, the many worshipers or adherents of the temple. They benefit from their worship as they draw from the great flame, purifying themselves and preparing their vessels to receive its divine grace.”

As Jake watched with his Umbral Gaze, people were drawing mana either into their cores, or into parts of their body.

What these people were doing was a lot like mana cultivation, but substantially different. Not only because they were using mana rather than Qi, but because of how they used it. Instead of using the dantians and their meridians–their mysterious organs, it was more like they were bathing, or steeping themselves in the energy. This would slowly change and attune their bodies to the mana, allowing them to hold more of it inside them. They’d do that by constantly saturating different sections of it.

Many had a fire mana core in their chest, and that slowly fed this mana throughout their bodies. And some used other techniques, like tattoos made of ink with special materials, or approaching it from another direction–drawing more special mana into their core, and improving it.

Jake and Amara had worked together studying mana cultivation, and they had explored many of the methods which were now used here in this temple. They had learned a lot, but one of the things that they had noticed was that the effects of mana cultivation were much larger when using attuned mana as opposed to just mana, at least with the races that they had tested.

Except for humans. Humans seemed to have a very high affinity on average with unattuned mana, which Jake found quite interesting. He’d consider this a valuable advantage, that they could be much more adaptable on average than mages of most other races. The beastkin and Elysians all leaned toward the natural elements, or life and death, much like their auril and nethril of their world.

The downside of this type of cultivation was simple. Time. It took forever to progress at all using these methods, many of these people spending years to increase what the Framework considered a single level. Unless their affinities and talent were extremely high and their environment perfect, they could spend most of their lives for just a small gain of strength.

There was no place in the world with a greater environment for fire mana than this temple, and the clergy had made sure of that. Surely, the ley lines in the area would normally draw out the special fire mana and cause natural formations or manifestations of the fire element, but they had drawn arrays much like what Fhesiah could accomplish. They were actually rather rudimentary, and Jake wagered he could actually help them accomplish this goal even further.

He also realized that the special array flags they placed might actually be able to cut off much of the fire mana going to the temple if they wished. Currently, their array was inactive for altering the flow of mana, but at a moment’s notice, Jake could plant the master array flag, and complete it and draw the mana to it. This would siphon much of the mana from the temple.

They eventually arrived at the place of the test. It was in a room with a large bowl in the center, with their many formation scripts inside. Above was an orb of flame, like a representation of their great moon, swirling in a similar but reversed stone bowl. At this moment, the orb was rather small, but it felt as if it was growing by the moment.

The Goblin Elder, who they had learned was named Elder Rashik, gestured for Jake to sit on some benches. “You may rest as we await the Test.” He pointed his staff above, “The formations are being charged for you to be tested by the Great Flame, and it should be ready soon.”

Jake sat on the bench like offered, and Sati floated near. The three elders picked a spot mostly out of earshot, where he was sure they were talking about them.

He wasn’t quite at the fourth level of his bond with Sati. Despite having access to Qi, he didn’t have a cultivator’s dantians, which is what allowed for the easy transmission of the mental communication.

But he could still receive it.

[You wish to speak with me, but not in front of them? What about? I’ll do my best to guess.]

He did his best to focus on the pride he had, the satisfaction that her special heritage had opened the door for them.

Sati’s smile bloomed. [Ah. I love that I could be useful to you for once, to repay you for all that you’ve done for me, even if just a little. I’m sure if there was an ice temple, or…a blood temple, Nessa and Ruby would be equally filled with pride.] Řа₦ŐBËs̈

It was true that among all Jake’s wives and potential lovers, Sati was certainly closer to those two–she had spent the most of her time with them, after all. Still, Jake couldn’t help but frown about just how much gratitude and affection he could feel over their bond once more.

[You wonder again, why I feel the way I do? Perhaps, it is time. We may not get another chance for a while. I will show and tell you a story.]

***

Sati sat in the well-furnished room within Fhesiah’s shuttle. She had only recently gotten her intelligence, now able to see the world in a new light. They were flying toward one of the final destinations within the Battleground, within the Celestial Nexus. This was Fhesiah’s private suite within the ship.

Jake was surprised at the vision Sati was transmitting. It was like he was reliving a memory, and he could even perceive Sati’s emotions and thoughts as they buzzed by.

Aria, the Matriarch of the Celestial Nekomatas was in the room, looking over the many cauldrons and pill furnaces. Many sat idle, as Fhesiah had disappeared for a while. Hours. The giant cat woman spoke to Sati here and there, seemingly probing the young fire spirit–since she was so interesting. But Sati mostly ignored her, wanting to cultivate–eat instead.

Fhesiah entered the room, floating in her draconic form. She had a wide smile on her face, her skin flushed and, somehow, an almost lazy expression.

Sati smiled at her entry. “Where’d you go, Fhesiah? You were gone for so long!”

“Hmm… You might be a bit too young to know where I went and what I did.”

“Oh! Well, I think I know what you did.”

Aria’s tails flicked. “You know what she did, child?”

“It’s obvious.”

Aria chuckled. “This should be interesting. What was it, and how do you know?”

“She had a delicious meal. And I know because I also have a smile like that, when I have a delicious meal of flames!”

Fhesiah laughed. “She’s right! Very good, Sati. I met with my husband just now, and he gave me a delicious meal.”

“What’s a husband?”

“A husband is your mate, your lover. Was it not in those information crystals?”

Sati’s cheeks burned red with shame. She had learned to read the crystal and had begun reading through the many books stored within, but didn’t get through very many, reading them in order. It was a crystal designed for young cultivators, a baseline compendium that many considered requisite knowledge.

However, after she got through a few, she realized that they were pretty boring.

When she cultivated the flame from the crystals and treasures Fhesiah provided her from her alchemy furnace, Sati just spaced out and enjoyed the feeling as she ate, grew, and became stronger.

Even fighting in the Battleground was way more fun.

“I’m…working through them, but they’re boring. There are just too many things that I don’t know. Are they actually important? Shouldn’t I just cultivate to get stronger? I’ll die if I’m weak, won’t I?”

Aria’s eyes narrowed. “Strength is significant under the heavens, but knowledge is power. You are but a child, and you don’t know what you don’t know, which is dangerous. The essential thing for you right now is for you to gain more knowledge about our world, and to study philosophy, morality and ethics. Actions have consequences, and it is important for you understand what these might be before you act. Otherwise, your ignorance will lead you to a sea of regret, mark my words.”

Fhesiah chuckled. “My, how lucky, Sati. You are being scolded about ethics by a giant, talking cat. I never thought I’d ever see such a thing.”

Aria pouted–a difficult thing for a cat–and looked away as her two tails flickered in irritation. “Hmph. I just hoped to share my wisdom, and–”

“And I thank you so much for that, Aria, and I mean it. I was just messing around.” Fhesiah turned to address Sati, “Talking cat or not, she is absolutely right, Sati. Strength is important, but your knowledge is skewed, and it could lead to you making an irreversible mistake. Still, rather than talking about the consequences, I prefer to offer rewards.”

Sati got a little excited. One time, for running a few of the cauldrons for a few hours, Fhesiah had given her some delicious flames. “A reward? What kind?”

“Yes. Let me see that.” She grabbed the information crystal from Sati for a moment, and then did…something to it. After a moment, she handed it back.

“There. Now, read those books I have marked with a flame, and I will grant you this.”

She pulled out the spiritual lamp, the one that held all her elemental brethren inside. A flame was cast off to the corner, a barrier placed surrounding it. The many elementals were banging into the barrier light, trying to get at it.

Sati cast her Divine Sense into the lamp, and did her best to try to feel it.

It was strange. It didn’t have the power of Fhesiah’s draconic or kitsune flames, and in a way, it didn’t feel all that special. The flickering fire was not overly hot or filled with spiritual intensity, but somehow, it carried an emotion–one that she was not quite familiar with.

All she knew was that she wanted it, needed it. To consume it, and make it a part of her, like all the flames she ate.

Fhesiah brought the lamp in front of her face and chuckled, tapping the glass. “Little buggers. They all want a piece of my husband’s flame. I managed to capture it during our…meal.” She waggled her eyebrows. “And all you need to do to enjoy it for yourself is to finish those books before we arrive.”

Sati was curious now. Observing the contents of the information crystal again, there were only a dozen books marked. She couldn’t help but cast a blaming glance over at Aria because Cultivator Ethics and Morality, as well as Beginner Philosophy and Critical Thinking, was a book Fhesiah had marked. Thank goodness, the latter was short, but they looked super boring. No pictures at all.

Fhesiah smiled. “Don’t blame her for those, I’d have chosen that for you to complete anyway. However, cultivators and their mindsets themselves are quite skewed, and we live under the Framework. So the Examining the Tales of the Virtuous and the Sinful, and the book of functioning society and governments, are important to supplement that. To understand people and how they live and what they want a little better, since you don’t. I added a few fun books in there too…but not too fun, to give you a small break from the dry ones. I don’t think you’re ready for anything spicy yet.”

How could a book be spicy? Fhesiah had shared some of her spicy chicken wings, but they didn’t do much for Sati without a fleshy body. She began reviewing the crystal further. There were some books on science and what appeared to be about how things work or were made, but thankfully were full of images to go along with the text.

Lastly, there seemed to be some kind of…story novels. She supposed so that she could understand people a little better, or that they were enjoyable in some other kind of way. Fhesiah did say they were some kind of break from the boring textbooks.

Sati sat on the mat and read the books fervently, trying to earn the precious reward. She lost track of time quickly, and people entered and left the room. She hardly paid attention to any visitors as Fhesiah worked on her various concoctions. Occasionally, she would cultivate the materials Fhesiah gave her, but she barely noted the passage of time.

At first, she was only reading the books in order to earn the flame, still bored reading the endless pile of information. But after a while, she found herself interested. The Cultivator Ethics and Morality book, while originally boring and requiring her to think much more than she liked, was a topic close to her heart.

It was the reason Fhesiah had stolen her home, the creature’s fiery core, bringing her and her brethren from their previous world and changing her life forever. She loved the old life in that cavern, dancing in the brilliant fire elemental qi, her friends joyously consuming the flames and growing.

But it was all so simple. Now she could think, make plans and goals, and truly accomplish something greater than just dancing in a cave and eating. Perhaps in thousands of years, she could have evolved and become something more, maybe what she was now.

However, in all likelihood, under the heavens, she would have been consumed. Some more intelligent, more powerful being like Fhesiah would have eventually come around searching for resources. And rather than befriend them like her, Sati and her brethren could have found their doom. Or, they would have feasted on that special core until nothing was left. And in that pocket dimension, they would have eventually starved to death.

So through the tales of virtues and sins, she learned many things, including empathy as each story was examined. It outlined why the people within made the choices they did and why they were virtuous or sinful. Empathy was something she always had, perhaps, but not something she understood or made a conscious effort to have. Sati had always cared about her elemental friends, sad when one would go missing or die in a lava flow.

But most importantly of all, she learned gratitude. She was thankful for all the things Fhesiah had done for her and never asked for anything in return. Even the creature, Ruby, sleeping in that urn, was the same, benefitting from her generosity and compassion. Many of the people on this strange ship were heroes, virtuous people that were worthy to look up to.

Above them all, somehow, was Fhesiah. Not only because of her strength, but also because of her knowledge, experience, and raw, unstoppable talent. And…she was a bit odd and eccentric, probably more than almost everyone outlined in the Tales of the Virtuous and the Sinful. She had saved most everyone on the ship, and they all looked up to her.

Suddenly, she was probed by Fhesiah with her Divine Sense, a subtle, tiny nudge against her spirit. “We’re nearly there. How close are you to finishing, Sati?”

Sati searched the room. It was only Ruby left in her urn, and Fhesiah. Suddenly, Sati felt a little shy. By learning a lot, she now knew just how much she didn’t know.

What she didn’t know was endless. She hesitated in her response, which Fhesiah just waited for her patiently. “I…have a couple of books left, but I was nearly done.”

Fhesiah smiled. “How was it? I saw you were very focused. I guess you really wanted that reward, huh?”

Sati nodded. “Yes, I did. But… I do not… need the reward any longer.”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Fhesiah frowned. “You seem different now. Why not?”

It took her a long moment to come up with the words. “I think rewards are not for doing things I should do for me. I should read more. Many more.”

Fhesiah chuckled. “Really? My, you really got into those, didn’t you? But I’m of the opinion that things are most enjoyable when you can do the things you like and get rewarded for it. Don’t you agree?”

Like a job she enjoyed, perhaps? Sati thought of her words carefully. Before, she just spouted out whatever came to her mind, but now she found herself not wanting to make a mistake, wondering more about what the person she was talking to might be thinking. Thankfully, Fhesiah just watched her patiently.

She sat in silence for what felt like forever before she spoke. “Yes. I think that…it would be hard for me to find something like this.”

“Well, if you get paid to eat flames, that would do it, wouldn’t it?”

Sati frowned. “Was there anything like that?” She didn’t see anything like that in the overviews about societies and their governments.

Fhesiah chuckled. “I’m sure some day you’ll find a way, or maybe you kind of already did. Can I tell you a secret?”

Sati looked at her significantly. The tales book and some of the stories discussed secrets and the sacred nature of keeping them for a friend. It was the first time she was being trusted. Because of her gratitude, she would never betray her benevolent friend.

Just what secret would she share? “Yes. Please.”

Fhesiah smiled and took out the spiritual lamp, the special, unique flame still inside, waiting for her. “From the beginning, I had planned on giving you this flame. What could I need it for? Why would I separate it if it was for me? It was always a gift for you. So I got you to read those books and for something I would have given you anyway. And would you look at that? You enjoyed something you’re being rewarded for doing.”

Sati froze. It took her a moment to process what Fhesiah said before she laughed. It was one of the first times since she gained her intelligence; the absurdity of how she was so easily misled for her own good was comical. Sati couldn’t help but feel a little wronged, but it seemed her friend had just found a unique way to motivate her.

Fhesiah just watched her with a smile. “Your mind is young yet, even though your body is old. You are weak and know little, but someday, you will be strong and know much. I do not wish for you to repay me, but I do hope you’ll help us in the battles to come. Both for us in the Alliance, but also for yourself. That later, when someone describes the details of your life, they’ll say that you were virtuous. And hopefully, an ally of the Hart Clan.”

Sati was moved. She floated over to Fhesiah, and engulfed her in a hug.

Fhesiah smiled and hugged her back. “I don’t mind the hug, but how come?”

It was from the stories. When someone was thankful or happy, they would hug them sometimes. “It…just felt right. I like this. This is a good feeling.”

Fhesiah nodded and eventually parted from her embrace. “So, I woke you up so that you would have enough time to consume it before we arrived. Are you ready for your reward, your gift now? You did earn it, after all.”

Sati knew that it would be difficult to ever repay her benefactor, but for now, she would accept her generosity. “Yes. Thank you for taking care of me.”

Fhesiah smiled as she extracted the flame, wrapping it in her qi. She floated it over to Sati, where she took control of it.

As she brought the flame to her lips, her eyes widened. It began engulfing her, drawing her into it. But it did not burn, did not consume her as fuel as Fhesiah’s kitsune flames had tried. Rather, it was as if it was embracing her, a warm, happy hug.

She forced it down her ‘mouth’ and drew it into herself. Swirling her flames throughout her meridians through her cultivation method, she felt the flame’s gentle embrace. It carried something with it, a taste she had never experienced before. It was warm without heat; it was pleasure without touch or taste. The feeling it gave her was entirely new.

Her breath quickened, the flames in her body brightening. All effort was used to break it down and consume it, and her body shook and shivered from the feeling it gave her. She didn’t know how, but she had never felt so cared for, so valued, as she did in this moment. Just what was this flame? What was this feeling?

As a living flame, her body was almost exclusively flame qi. Her special, spiritual body was anchored to the flame, and Fhesiah said her pathways were unique. That while they were connected to her body, its fluid, malleable nature also made her spiritual body more fluid than most with fleshy ones, and her dantians less physical than most–just concentrated amounts of qi.

And Sati was what she ate. When she ate a flame and cultivated, she made some of it a part of her, altering it as she did. The more powerful the flame, the harder it was to consume, and the more of her it took up and helped her grow. This flame, while not that strong compared to the draconic flames, was actually more difficult to consume, taking her far longer.

Her body had taken on a lot of draconic and kitsune flames, to the point that even though she had only gained a few levels as judged by the Framework, they took up at least thirty percent or more of her body at this point.

She was sure that before long, it would be even more than that. To have such amazing sources for flame was a blessing, one that far eclipsed that pathetic core left abandoned in that lava cave.

And this new flame, it was little more than a speck of dust, a flickering candle. Nothing. And yet, she could feel it.

It was everything.

She brought it into her core, her dantian, rather than just letting it drift lazily throughout her spiritual body. It felt right. While the flames she ate would change subtly as she ate and cultivated them, she could feel this one had shifted even less. It was just as close to the original, and now she could remake it on command but without exceeding the amount she held; she could not truly grow more than her original amount.

It swirled around inside, the other special flames she’d obtained thanks to Fhesiah within dancing around it. The place was usually a chaotic mess unless she was cultivating, following the technique Fhesiah gave her. But suddenly, things started to feel a bit more orderly, the flames grouping together.

Fhesiah suddenly broke her out of her thoughts. “How was it? Are you okay?”

Once again, she had to think of her words, but she was too excited, wanting to know more. “I’m okay. It was…wonderful. What was it?”

“Well, my husband’s flame carries with it his void of family. So on some level, you felt my husband’s love for his family.”

“It was love? I want…more.” Sati couldn’t help how eager that last word came out, her cheeks heating in embarrassment, for some reason.

Fhesiah chuckled. “Ah, haha, well…that only has a singular source–my husband. I won’t be able to get you more for a while. What did you like about it?”

Sati spoke slowly, softly. “I like how it made me feel. It was like when I hugged you, but it was so much more.”

Fhesiah gave her a sad look. Before hugging her from the side, her soft body and draconic tail wrapped around her flame form. Somehow, it made her even warmer, even though she was already living fire.

“Hm. Now, you’ve made me feel bad. You need a lot more hugs. Maybe I could put you in the lamp later? I bet your sisters in there wouldn’t mind some.”

“I’d like that.”

The scene started to shift, but then, the vision she was transmitting was interrupted.

[I’ll have to show you the rest later. It was a good stopping point.]

Brought out of her memories, he noticed that the troll woman and the sylph were already standing, and the goblin now stood as well.

Jake had been a bit surprised about how Sati’s life began and received his flame. He knew this was a significant moment for her, as it heavily influenced her ascension. He supposed that likely, the next vision would show this.

Rashik flicked his sleeve, looking up to the growing orb above them. It was now taking up the entire bowl, and the heat within the room had increased drastically. “Looks like they’re nearly ready. I suppose we can tell you how this works so that you’re prepared.”

He pointed down to the bottom bowl. “You can see the bowl-shaped structure. We will fill it with dense fire mana, pure flame of the heavens through the formations from below. If you can last a minute while consuming the flame, you are talented and can become one of our clergy. If your body or inner flame rejects it or succumbs to it, you may die. We do our best to stop the test if it becomes too dangerous for you, but we’re not perfect–people have died. So only take this test knowing the risks.”

The troll woman, Ur’Rena, spoke in general terms, but she eyed Sati seriously. “You can stay in the test for more than a minute to test yourself. This is a benevolence of the Great Flame bestowed upon test takers, the living flames a tremendous benefit to receive this pure fire, even for those within the inner sanctum. It is best to stay and take in as much flame as you can, as long as you can.”

Jake said, “I’ll go first.”

They frowned at him, but it was Tatiana, the sylph that spoke. “Are you sure? You are an outsider, and while I can feel you’re strong of flame, something bad could happen to you. Many of our people prepare themselves for years for this test. We can tell Sati will be fine, but you…”

“I’m here as a guard, remember? I think it’s important for me to try first.”

Rashik nodded. “Very well. You may. But first–lose the armor. I can see that it offers magical protections.”

Jake shrugged. Using his storage ring, Jake switched to a simple tank top and shorts.

It was only a thin layer of flame on the floor of the bowl. Jake leaped down into it, and it was hot. But it was comfortable for him. It seemed that most of those that became their true clergy were all in the second Tier, and so this was well within what most of those would be able to handle. As the timer began, the hourglass turning over, Jake was truly bathed in a powerful flame.

The flames came cascading down the sides of the room, and along the scripts across the floor and into the bowl, as the three elders and Sati watched him from above.

He drew it in with his hearth, and it gulped down the flames greedily. Jake had long-since mastered the vortex of his core, able to increase the speed at which it drew in energies. Focusing on it with his Umbral Gaze, he saw that there was a tiny bit of spirituality within the flame. It was something that Jake was surprised to see and feel, but understood the reason.

Faith.

Jake knew that it was a fact that there was no god within the moons. That they were nothing more than fragments of Divine Origin, carried by the Yggdrasil, and influenced by unique cosmic energies and mana drawn in by the world’s core.

And yet, the people within this temple believed that there was, and they worshiped it. Through a sort of collective will and adherence to this celestial object, they were gathering their faith on a singular point. Tens of thousands of them, for hundreds, even thousands of years.

Despite there being no god, this was not meaningless. Perhaps, with enough time and enough of this spirituality, a divine being could actually be born from their will.

The spiritual energy from the flame would not join his core, and actually sloughed off as he drew it in. Jake’s core couldn’t really accept this kind of energy, as it was not faith in Hestia. It also felt murky–

No, that was wrong, he realized. It felt murky for another reason–because it was tainted. His purifying flames were working overtime, but it was easy enough for him to handle, even as the intensity gradually increased. After Jake’s core purified the spiritual flames, they merely gathered around him on the ground of the basin. He nearly grinned at how the flames were clearer and brighter as a result.

The one minute ran out on the sand timer, so Jake flew out of the flames, landing next to the three and Sati.

Rashik frowned. “Why did you stop? I know that you weren’t gaining much, but…you could have stayed longer, surely.”

The troll, Ur’Rena was suspicious, her eyes narrowing and her lips curled in anger. “The flames…they are even purer than before. What did you do?”

Jake did his best not to antagonize them. “If the flames had something…not quite right with them, then that something was removed.” He smiled.

The three started chatting amongst themselves about this in quiet whispers.

He turned and gave Sati a significant look, sending his feelings to be careful over their bond.

[Yes, I feel it. Their ‘Great Flames’ are tainted. Worry not, it will be no issue for me at this level.]

Sati began floating herself over the bowl, interrupting their conversation. “May I enter now?”

Tatiana said, “Wait, if you begin with this intensity, it will make the challenge more difficult. It might be best if we purge–”

“No, I think I’d much rather begin with these flames. It’s fine.”

Sati flew down and inside, much to their consternation, and began drawing in the flames. Ur’Rena rushed to reset the timer, and so the test began.

Smiling up at Jake, a wave of affection washed over him through their bond, once again startling him on the depths of her feelings for him. [These flames taste more like yours. I’m thankful.]

The three elders watched Sati consuming the flames with rapt attention. Sati was of course having no problems with the flames, and she went over the one-minute mark. When she stayed inside to enjoy even as the intensity of the flames increased, the three smiled triumphantly.

Tatiana said, “She’s amazing. Truly, born of the flame.”

Ur’Rena added, “It’s a shame she’s a member of the Framework, but it’s not unprecedented. Many were forced to join in the last great war to win, and if anything they had benefited.”

Rashik started to say something, then his eyes snapped to Jake, before clearing his throat.

Jake decided to say something as he watched Sati as well, “To answer your question from before, I’m here for one purpose, and I have made that reason very clear. I will take the ability to accomplish that purpose over a mountain of gold, if you catch my meaning.” He realized that gold was perhaps not all that valuable to them, but it seemed the Framework translated this well enough, as they nodded, and looked at each other significantly.

Tatiana said, “He…may be able to help us. What he did is proof alone.”

Ur’Rena hissed at her, anger in her eyes. Rashik hesitated, so Jake added, “I want to help, but I can’t do that if you don’t let me. Let us. Our enemy comes from beyond the stars, and will use any means necessary to get what it wants–to consume your world, including your god. It plots with evil sacrifice and terrible rituals, and your gods can be killed–the loss of the Water Grand Temple and its god is proof.”

Rashik nodded. “Yes. I am aware. It is not up to me, I’m afraid. But…perhaps, our tour could include a few more areas…”

Ur’Rena was pissed. “You can’t be serious! We cannot allow these outsiders to muck about in our affairs. This is a temple issue. What if he is with those that caused this problem, to usurp our power, or taint it further? He cannot be trusted!”

Rashik pointed down at Sati. “If not him, then what about her? Have you ever seen the flames rush to someone so quickly, as if eager to embrace her, to join her as one? The will of the Great Flame has chosen, and it very much trusts her. More than you.”

Tatiana looked over at Jake with a bit of respect. “The same could be said for him.”

Ur’Rena scoffed. “It is nothing but a trick. You are blinded by your desire for talented disciples, and you cannot see that these outsiders could be our undoing. Well, I will have no part of it, and I will be warning the others.” She stomped off, her stone-like feet thumping the ground with every step.

Eventually, the test came to an end on its own, Sati having no problems purifying the flames and drawing them in. She had a smile on her face, floating up in her usual prayer pose.

She bowed her head slightly to them. “It was a good meal, thank you.”

“Remarkable. She can manage longer than even you, Rashik. Perhaps, she could manage it even if we doubled, or tripled the intensity. She could be an inner disciple, and eventually a core disciple. A once in a lifetime talent.”

“Yes, though I can sense that she’s not truly interested. Still, she more or less proved that she is immune to the…problem we’ve been having. Perhaps they both can actually help us.”

Jake arched his brow. “So you admit there’s a problem now? I do believe we can help you.”

“What do you mean?”

Sati replied, “Something is tainting the land, the flame. As you draw it into you, it taints you. The troll had it pretty bad–she must have been absorbing much. Baron Hart can heal you, purging the taint.”

Rashik grimaced. “Yes, since this issue, I have greatly slowed my drawing in the Great Flame. I continue my worship, but I do not partake. Many have slowed, but like Ur’Rena, many have continued despite the warnings. I suppose…it would be good to have myself cleansed, but it doesn’t solve the issue.”

Jake nodded. “That’s right, we do need to get to the bottom of the cause. When did it begin?”

“It began nearly five years ago, with the…first assassinations, and people going missing.”

Jake kept a straight face–it was around that time where they won Highlands, and the Obsidian Blades had declared war on Hearthtribe. To think that they somehow had plotted this far back was a complete shock. How did they know this world was going to come to war? Now he believed that each world likely had something horrible in store for him and his people. But then again, this was the place where Avaron and Cassius were present. Where was Calix? This could be where their more deadly plots were waiting.

Tatiana said, “You said something about…helping us, specifically. You believe you can purge the taint? I am…hesitant. I don’t wish to consume your Divine’s fire.”

Jake smiled. “I can. And it shouldn’t offend your god–you won’t be forced to draw in or keep any of my flame. All of it will be consumed to cleanse you, heal you, and then the remaining will return to me.”

“I’m…willing to try. With how the Great Flame has changed…what is in me is not it. I wish to be cleansed.” Her wings fluttered behind her.

Jake cast Renewal, pushing his Purifying Flames into the spell. The holy fires of Hestia filled her body as she was bathed in the flames. He could feel how she clamped down her personal inner fire, trying not to so much as breathe in the flames. But Jake knew from experience that his healing had no side effect like this, as he could always heal Fhesiah just fine without disturbing her heavenly energy.

Of course, Jake also had to purify her core, and that was actually the densest part. Still, it didn’t take long to purge the taint, and he drew back the flames of Renewal into his core which remained, recovering some of the unspent energy.

She took several deep breaths, examining herself. Rashik was clearly watching her with narrowed eyes, but he eventually nodded, a small smile touching his face.

Tatiana said, “My, I feel like I can breathe properly again. Thank you, Baron Hart.”

“You’re very welcome. How about you, Elder Rashik?”

“Very well. I appreciate your willingness to aid us.”

Jake repeated the process on the goblin elder, and it went quicker as the elder hadn’t fought him nearly as much. He also had less overall taint to purge, so he was done quickly.

“Hm. These old bones do feel much better after that. But I can tell, this would require far too much effort for you to cleanse us all.”

Jake nodded. “I have some spells that could actually reach much more people all at once, but we’d need to gather them. For now, let’s do our best to get to the bottom of the cause.”

“Agreed. Now that you have proven your purity, we can enter the inner sanctum. And for that, you’ll need to wear these initiate robes. It’s normal for prospects like Sati to wear these inside.”

Tatiana had flown over to pick up two sets of robes from a stone wardrobe, and flew back. They were orange and yellow, rather than black and red like the ones the elders were wearing.

Jake put the robes in his Storage Ring, then changed his clothes instantly again. He wore the robes over his Mythic Vestments, and while the result was a little bulkier, it didn’t look all that abnormal on his large frame. Sati had no issues flipping over to the new robes using her Storage Ring as well.

He smiled. “Good. Let’s be off.”