“... and as such, will be able to achieve far greater velocity and accuracy.” Yuuki looked around as she finished her sentence. Her five students were looking at her with varying levels of interest as she explained to them how to properly create magical projectiles. Helen was the only one who already knew it, but she still refused to divert her attention from the board behind Yuuki. The five of them were sitting on comfortable, but not too comfortable chairs, with tables, paper and pencils in front of them. The large stone hall had no echo somehow and was not particularly cold either despite the thick windows barely letting light in. Illumination was done through the paintings on the ceiling which looked as if it were the starry sky itself.

Once she was certain they understood, she moved on. Or at least she would’ve but instead snapped her head toward the door at such speed that it scared her students. She even let out an annoyed growl subconsciously as the fur on her tails puffed up.

“Everything okay?” A worried Igraine asked.

“No. The class is postponed.” Before they could say anything else, they were teleported back to the floating island. The items used for the class were likewise displaced. Yuuki’s clothes rippled with magic as if they were part of her, turning into simplistic black clothing in the process. Her nails got longer and her many tails merged into one, while her eyes turned a deep crimson. She then took a deep breath as everything went back to normal. Her clothing instead changed to her priestess garbs, with the shoes and halo. She also put on a fake but incredibly authentic smile.

“Come in.” She said in a welcoming voice after taking a few steps in the direction of the door.

“Door’s locked.” Came a carefree male voice from the outside.

“Yes. Locked, not sealed.” She expanded her senses to make sure there wasn’t anyone else… problematic in the area.

There was a chuckle from the outside and vibrant flames entered through the cracks in the doors, coalescing into a tall, tanned and red haired figure around twenty years of age going by looks alone. He was tall, tanned and toned, clearly far stronger than average and had sharp facial features with the centerpiece being eyes like a raging fire. “Ah, where are my manners?” He said theatrically as he bowed deeply. “I am but a humble traveler who got word that there was a new church founded. I just had to check it out, I do hope I’m not interfering with anything?” He had a smirk on his face, but it wasn’t all fake. It was clear he enjoyed playing the part of the eccentric tourist.

“Is that so?” She let out a small chuckle. “Well then, traveler, welcome to the Church of Mystra. We’re still setting things up, but I hope it’s not too disappointing.”

“Oh, no it’s quite the sight.” He said, looking around the halls. “I saw her statue in the Church of The Gods. Was that your work as well?”

“Did you like it?” Yuuki faked some enthusiasm as if she were an artist who had their masterpiece complimented.

“Oh, yes it was wonderful. Truly breathtaking, sometimes I feel that…” He cut himself short and looked to the side before continuing. “That people are such incredible beings, capable of things one would assume impossible. Art, perseverance, bravery. I truly admire those who hone their craft with such drive.” He said, completely honestly as he opened up just a bit.

“I’m afraid I must disappoint. I’m no artist, I just recreated truthfully what I saw.” She said, masking her confusion by the man’s behavior.

He smiled a bit as he turned to face his host. “I am searching for anything out of the ordinary currently, things out of place. Would you happen to know where I can find such things?”

“What is the nature of these anomalies? It might help narrow things down.” She asked helpfully.

“The sort that shakes the world. The sort someone like you would know of I assume.” He said, turning a bit more serious.

“…Take my advice, the sort that shakes the world is not the sort you wish to meddle with.” She said, with just a hint of concern.

He raised an eyebrow before looking at the floor. “How disappointing, and I thought you could see through me.” There was a bitter smile on his face.

“Take my advice Ifrit. Drop it.” Her expression hardened as she stared him down. He quickly met it, looking her in the eyes.

“You do know what’s going on.” He said as he began walking toward her. “Tell me.”

Yuuki stood her ground. “Your kind made a pact with the gods a long time ago-”

“And if they don’t tell us what’s going on in the world, I will break it! Do you think it’s a game?” He stopped a few steps from Yuuki. “There is something out there that is a danger to the world. Hell was destroyed by something before, what if it has come for us next?” He looked at her, waiting for an answer.

Yuuki’s tone was cold and lacking emotion. “I assure you, as long as people don’t give me reason to, I won’t destroy the world. Now leave.”

He took a step back before clenching his fists. “You’re the one who killed my predecessor.”

“She joined the demon’s side after she was convinced I was a greater threat. If she hadn’t attacked first, she’d be alive.”

“Yes, being brash is the greatest flaw of us fire spirits.” He mused while looking at Yuuki with hatred. “But know that I would do this even if I had all the time in the world to think it over.” Flames hotter than the surface of the Sun engulfed him as he rushed to attack the priestess.

She raised her hand and with a single flick the fires were extinguished and he lost his momentum. Her eyes pierced holes into his very existence. She then stopped and shook her head as if trying to discard unneeded thoughts. “Alice!”

The wolf-kin quickly appeared and slammed Ifrit into the floor, knocking him out cold.

“You turned him human?” Alice asked, confused but impressed.

“Temporary overwrite. If he dies, he’ll stay dead though.”

Alice had a nervous smile. “Yeah, I noticed. Almost turned him into paste by accident.”

“What now?” Yuuki asked, looking at Alice for advice.

“We… tie him up and convince him we’re not the bad guys, it’s the world that’s rotten?” She said jokingly. “Not in the mood for jokes, alright. Why don’t you ask Mystra to deal with him? He did get hostile after all.”

“You two are the worst. Sure, just dump all the work on the deity. You think I like dealing with messes like this? Why do you think I don’t normally have churches?” Came a disembodied voice from all around the room.

“Well, we just thought we’d ask because you’re so wise and helpful.” Alice said with a smile. She could practically hear the goddess blush.

“Ah, that’s sweet. With his temperament, he’s unlikely to stop being hostile unless the reason for his hostilities disappears.”

“To my knowledge, I can’t resurrect spirits. They’re gone.” Yuuki said impassively.

“Well, not quite. While not as durable as a soul, cores are hardy. When another spirit or demon kills them, they go back to their original plane and reform. When a being with a soul kills them however, they are absorbed and provide power for the being until the being dies and the cores are released.”

“Why am I only hearing this now?” Yuuki asked, a bit annoyed.

“Oh, yeah, why haven’t I told the unstable world destroyer that she has a private army numbering in the tens of thousands that she could reprogram to be loyal to her.”

“Reprogram them?” She sounded very much intrigued.

“…Damn it all.”

Yuuki let out a sigh. “If I promise to only bring back the spirits and without modifying them, will you tell me how to do so? Other than by dying.”

“Oh, alright.” The goddess sounded a bit surprised, but pleasantly so. “Just imagine if Yuuki also figured out she could make them stronger…”

“You’re thinking out loud.” Alice said, amused.

“...”

Illiterate_potato

That's it for the week. It's good to be back. Now, quick question: what is y'all's opinions on chapters with much the same plot, but from a different PoV? More specifically, if you'd like me to make this confrontation from Ifrit's point of view and if you'd like it to be a thing in the future.