Tusile frowns. The letter in her hands details the events of the previous day, when Papuyo was overthrown. They will be banishing her from the Nexus today and are inviting the Elders to witness the event; to signify the end of the war, although one could not really call it a war. Hostilities were open, yes, but there had yet to be a battle.

If this was all, then Tusile would be delighted at the news... but that isn't all, and the timing of all of this has her worried. The priestesses are declaring a new village on Temple Island, which goes against the long-standing notion that no centers of population be built there. The reason is simple; Temple Island is supposed to be a neutral place, a place where all islands can gather and not impose on any other villages. A place of pure faith, a place of celebration, a place where the souls of Runalymo move on and are reincarnated.

By declaring the end of the war and by setting up villages, they can better prepare for another war.

"This was a very calculated move," Guklaro says, breaking the silence.

"We cannot support the decision to allow villages to be built on Temple Island," Tusile nods, thinking the same thing.

"We need to talk with other village Elders about this. Some will inevitably allow the village, but some will not; we need to gather allies. This war has not ended; it simply became cold."

"This Gutaly seems to be a lot more politically minded than Papuyo. She knows we cannot deny the end of the war; everyone wants it to end, so she has done this to buy time. What can we do, though? They will simply wait and gather followers and public support until the time is right; they will move subtly and slowly while we can do nothing even while knowing what they are doing!" Tusile clenches her fist in frustration.

"Alysara," Guklaro says. "She is our answer. We join faith to our technology through her. We need to revolutionize our society, and we need to make many Dedications to Myrou, technological ones. Spell crystals, airships, and whatever else she can come up with."

"Guklaro, she is just a child; we cannot put everything upon her shoulders." Tusile sighs.

"Do you honestly believe that? She is an adult, and you know it. I do not know why but she seems to have retained knowledge from a previous life, who or even what she was before she has shown no signs of knowing, but you cannot deny her maturity, Tusile."

"I... Even if she is an old soul, this is her new life. Who are we to meddle in that?" Tusile shakes her head.

"She's Blessed by Myrou, Tusile; you were there when she was placed before the Likeness; I heard it from Yukika."

Tusile sighs again. "And you're going to say that she was made a Runalymo for a reason. Fine, we'll ask her what she wants to do, but we will not force her to do anything; we've already done that enough already, let the child be a child for once."

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Papuyo is shoved onto a large boat. The boat is entirely devoid of art, a statement denouncing exiles as no longer being Runalymo. The boat is large, much larger than what one would normally find in the Nexus, but it has to be to fit everyone being exiled. Turning around, she sees the mountains dividing the Nexus from the rest of the world. Waterfalls cascade down from the mountains and the ley lines above are dim, only barely visible.

This won't be the end. No matter how long it takes, I will return and lead the Runalymo people back to Myrou. Papuyo swears to herself.

"This is the moment of peace between us, I hope?" Gutaly says, turning toward some of the Elders.

"It is," Tusile nods, but she is wearing a displeased expression.

"Are you unhappy? No blood was spilled; this war hasn't come to any fighting." Thyka asks.

Tusile stays silent for a few moments. "Perhaps it's just anti-climatic... This war doesn't feel like it had a conclusion."

"It may have been anti-climatic for you, but for us it's a release to be rid of the Mad Priestess," Gutaly says with a grin, staring at Papuyo.

Papuyo glares at her. If she wasn't bound and gagged, that wench wouldn't be so smug!

Next to be shoved onto the boat is Tato. Elder Mara does the honors, roughly pushing the warrior, who trips on the boat's ledge. There are two other boats with people being loaded onto them, everyone loyal to Papuyo.

She recognizes two very faithful people who are sobbing uncontrollably, Folor and her wife, Aya.

Once everyone is loaded onto the boats, the Elders step forward onto the rocky beach.

"You are all henceforth exiled. You are to never return to the Nexus under the penalty of death. Your crimes are inexcusable; you took advantage of others, you murdered others and all of you threatened to bring chaos and destruction to our peaceful land and waters. You have betrayed that which makes us Runalymo; you have betrayed our customs and traditions. You have betrayed our Goddess, Myoru, in an attempt for personal gain and power. You are traitorous to everything we hold dear. You are no longer Runalymo." Tusile says, staring coldly at everyone.

The boats are pushed away, and finally, someone unties Papuyo's bindings and gag. It is Yae; Papuyo thanks her and stares back at her home, shrinking as the distance grows. Many people are crying but Tat,o sitting beside her, shares her resentment with a furious look. Yae just looks resigned, like she's just given up.

The cold, salty air of the ocean is uncomfortable, and the three boats are not nearly large enough for the dozens of people exiled.

Papuyo stands up, the boat threatening to capsize before a water mage stabilizes it.

"This isn't the end! We will reclaim our land from the heretics! It doesn't matter how long we have to wait; it doesn't matter how harsh our journey is! We will come back!"

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

With the war finally over and the priestess’s faction mostly exiled, I can finally return to Temple Island. The morning bath has been lukewarm the past few days, so I really need to set the Mana Arc's liquid mana production back to fire mana. However, the Elders are still being cautious and have some Kheshamo fighters escorting me. Once at the Temple, I can see that the walls that normally have fire mana in them are partially filled with dark mana instead. We'll need to get containers to store them, but it'll be a few days to make them. For now, I store what I can in my storage ring and walk up to the Mana Arc and change its settings.

Next, I initiate a telepathic link to Kayafe.

"Hello. It feels like it's been some time since last we talked." Kayafe says, sounding like she has just woken up.

"It has. We had some trouble with a Mad Priestess taking over the island for a few months, but she's gone now."

"It's good to hear that you were able to deal with her. Is there anything you want to know?" Kayafe asks

"Well..." I say, trying to organize my thoughts "My [Sense Mana] only needs one more level, and I might be able to get it soon..."

"I understand. It's a big moment, and you are probably feeling nervous or apprehensive about it."

"It... Doesn't feel... I don't know." I say, trying to find the right ideas to form my words "It doesn't feel like a big momentous moment; it feels like there should be more to it."

Kayafe takes a few moments to answer.

"Does the final step of a journey of a thousand kilometers feel momentous? No, but the journey itself is. You have taken that journey to the final step; now, all you have to do is take it. Each level, each breakthrough is small by itself but put them all together, and it really is a momentous thing to accomplish, and you did it much faster than anyone I know," Kayafe says gently, with an encouraging tone.

"You're right. It's just one more breakthrough; the big momentous moment is when that journey is complete." I admit. "How did you feel when you enhanced [Mana Manipulation]?"

"I didn't have much time to think; it was in the middle of a battle," Kayafe says, adopting a nostalgic tone. "I was defending myself from a powerful spell that would have killed me; I manipulated the MM force of my barrier just enough to deflect the spell and keep myself alive. That was enough to get me to my last level. I instantly spent it to overcome the monster."

"So you didn't even have time to question it; it was do or die." I change the subject slightly. "What about your companions? One was an Heirloom Progenitor, one was a Legacy Soul, and one was a soul mage, any others?"

"I'm sure they are all dead by now, but we traveled the world in search of strength. We all wanted the same thing, the end of war and slavery for all peoples, but we weren't strong enough. So we traveled and gathered allies. From the deep depths of the ocean to the floating island in the sky, we even traveled to other realms and met beings far being our imagination, from Starborn to Cosmic Dragons, from Primordial Guardians to world devouring plants. Dragons aren't always at the top of power; some beings out there dwarf them in strength and magical potential."

I listen to Kayafe's stories of corrupt nobles and ruthless slave states. About how any being with a Race tier less than another's is referred to as ‘lesser’. Apparently this isn't always meant in a supremacist way, although it often is.

We are lucky to have a place all to our own; well, we share it with a kind Dragon, but the point is we don't have to fight for freedom over other races that are born at Major-tier, Grand-tier, or even higher. As a race that is born at Adept-tier – although, in Kayafe's time, the Runalymo was actually born at Minor-tier – we are basically bottom rung, and everyone would take advantage of that. Now I know why Kayafe was so desperate for a land that no other civilization inhabited.

This has the Guardian's words resurfacing in my mind, "Tyranny is the rule, not the exception." If we do want to explore the wider world, we will encounter many cruel civilizations and cultures; how bad will they be? I don't know, but this means that not only do we need to get stronger, not only do we need to raise our Race and Class tiers, but we also need to keep our homeland top secret.

All too soon, my mana runs low, and I have to say goodbye to Kayafe. I walk back down the Temple to my awaiting escort.

"Can we visit the graveyard for a few moments?" I ask.

"Sure," one of my guards reply.

I feel like some sort of VIP with a secret service, minus the suits and earpiece.

Walking the stone paths, I see the graves long before we arrive. My perception extends far enough that I don't even need to stand at the top of a hill to get a good look.

Even after the ashes of people are long gone, their Kyhosa buried with them last a long time, wrapped in the roots of the bamboo-like plants. A starry landscape of magic items enters my vision.

How is it that almost every single Kyhosa is a magic item? I ask myself. A quick examination of them holds the answer.

Omtelu's Kyhosa:
(Historic)
A symbol of life for Omtelu, now the marker for her final resting place.

Almost every single one has gained the age-based magical tier (Historic). The sentiments and importance given to Kyhosa, the love and grief the families of the dead experience, all give a simple meaning to the Kyhosa and turn them into magic items. They don't even have any other effect outside of what the tier gives. Still, fools may seek out grave robbery if desperate enough; and the same magic that made the items can give birth to a cursed being just like robbing a pharaoh's tomb was said to.

I am woken from my musing by two system messages, the second making my heart skip a beat.

Ting! Sense Mana has obtained level 310!

Ting! Alysara, the Runalymo, has reached unparalleled knowledge and mastery in the Sense Mana skill!