The morning came with an unusual sensation for Niphru.  His bond with Dawn was ever-present, yet now something was different.  Unlike with the lich, it didn’t feel like anyone or anything was intruding, but their link felt strange for some reason.  Dawn began to stir beside him, but he remained focused, trying to determine what had occurred.

 

Several minutes later, Dawn got out of bed, rubbing her eyes as she stretched.  Her concern at seeing him clearly awake and yet motionless flowed toward him through their bond, finally revealing what was new.  Instead of taking up their entire link, it felt like the link had been split and then enlarged to ensure it didn’t become any weaker, somehow.

 

Niphru shook his head and put the matter aside for a moment, explaining what he had been focused on to Dawn through the bond, “I feel something odd with our bond, but not our bond?  It is hard to describe.  Do you feel anything different?”

 

She tilted her head to the side, surprised and confused at him using that method of speech when he normally spoke with his illusions.  After a moment of focus, she replied, “No, everything seems the same as normal to me.  Do you have any idea what it is?”

 

“I can’t tell for sure, but it is like there is a second side to our link, and I can’t feel anything through it like I can with you.  I’m worried; do you have any ideas?” he responded, slowly standing and sliding off the bed to join her as they left the room.

 

She shook her head, stating, “I can’t think of anything, and we can’t ask Morris either; he left during the meal last night, saying that he was going to hunt the monster you found.  He was muttering about being anxious about it and how he should leave early.  Maybe you can figure something out—just be careful.  I don’t even know how to help if something goes wrong…”

 

Having been reminded about it, Niphru fought with the idea for a moment before saying, “Would Morris even be able to help if he was here?  I didn’t think of it, but no one else seems to have a bond quite like ours.  He said his link with Kel was more of a way to cast magic at a distance rather than being able to feel and talk without doing anything.  He did have to use magic to listen to Kel most of the time, after all.”

 

Seeing that he wasn’t done yet, Dawn took a moment to stretch again as he collected his thoughts.

 

“I guess I do have to try to figure it out on my own after all…  But how could this happen, and what if something goes wrong…  Maybe it isn’t connected to anything, though, I haven’t felt anything from it since I woke up.  I guess I’ll try to feel deeper into it before I have time to worry too much about it.  Oh, maybe it is from that weird feeling back when I grew suddenly, I forgot about that…” he rambled before sitting down where he stood in the middle of the room and closing his eyes.

 

Even as he felt concern coming from Dawn, he tried to push his mind through the other link, much as how he shared his thoughts with her.  For a moment, nothing happened, but then he felt the connection strain and extend significantly, drawing a shocking amount of energy from him, staggering him even as he tried to do something to cut it off in alarm.

 

Dawn bolted forward to catch him as he toppled toward the floor, fear flashing through their link as she spoke, the words seeming far away as his vision dimmed.  A seeming eternity later, clawing at the new link with his mind, he felt an almost physical tug as it solidified, feeling more like metal than the watery feel of his bond with Dawn.

 

He still seemed distant from his own body, but the intense drain on his energy had stopped.  Instead, a noise like a flowing stream came through the connection, followed by a mild sense of concern, regret, and apology.

 

His strength began to return, and he tried to stand again, finding that he had knocked over Dawn when she attempted to catch him.  While his limbs were numb, he could feel his senses returning rapidly.  He shook his head at Dawn, sending her a message through their bond that he couldn’t hear her.

 

“Are you okay?  What happened?  You just collapsed, and I was so worried!  Please don’t be hurt!” Dawn exclaimed in a jumbled mess directly into his mind.

 

Even as he began to form a response, the other link thundered to life, an incredible force blasting through it like a tornado.  It was hard to make out through the sheer power behind it, but there was a voice within the painful onslaught.

 

“We are sorry, we meant to open this ourselves later.  Relax, and we shall explain when you are ready,” he could make out from the flow of power before it faded, leaving behind an echo that slowly died out.

 

Still in shock, his voice crackled as he replied to Dawn, “That was…  I don’t know…  I felt something terrifying.”

 

As he regained control of himself, he sent an impression of his feelings through their bond and continued with more composure, “The link went somewhere.  I don’t know where.  It feels like what I think sprinting for an hour would feel like, I can barely support myself and am about to fall over again.  But it stopped doing that to me and seems to have reached something big.  Incredibly big.  I could barely make out what came through the link because of the strength of it.  It said it was sorry and would explain.”

 

Finishing his explanation, he found himself confused.  It felt almost like an attack targeting his mind, but he could tell that it wasn’t intended as one.  The terror was still there, especially since the link was still open, and he just knew whatever it was still lurked just out of reach.  But the connection also radiated a calming sensation.

 

He knew he should be on edge because of that, but even aware of it as he was, he couldn’t help but relax.  Dawn’s confusion and worry were clear through their bond, and she sat up from her sprawl and hugged him, letting him rest his weight on her as he began to collapse again, though he could feel he was starting to recover.

 

Niphru stayed silent for a moment as Dawn took in what he said, simply resting as he leaned against her.  The link that had nearly crushed him stirred again, and a mercifully gentle stream of thought came through, “I apologize for my companion; they are not used to this.  Rest.  We will wait.”

 

Conveying the new contact to Dawn did little to help either of their concerns, but there was little they could do.  As she held him, their host returned to the home, appearing surprised at their situation.  Dawn was quick to ask for help, requesting, “Could you help me get him back to bed?  Something happened, and he is too big for me to carry anymore like I used to.”

 

Fortunately, this seemed to be enough for the man, and he scooped Niphru up and brought him back into the room they were borrowing, gently placing him on the covers.  After ensuring he was settled, the man asked if there was anything else they needed before leaving them alone when nothing was requested.

 

While he was still worried, Niphru couldn’t resist, his consciousness fading as Dawn gently stroked his fur.

 

He awoke feeling far better some time later, finding that Dawn had drifted off to sleep beside him.  Feeling incredibly worried, he tried to check his mind for any difference from before, stopping quickly as he realized something with that much power wouldn’t need to mess with him if it had ill intent.

 

Feeling like he might be making a poor decision, Niphru decided to try to reach through the link again.  The voice, and the raging torrent had both mentioned explaining, after all, and did not seem outright aggressive, despite what had occurred.

 

Mentally bracing himself, he extended his mind toward the connection once more, wincing in anticipation.  The incredible drain did not occur this time, however, nor did the blast of power.  Instead, the calm voice flowed through the link.

 

“Ah, you are back.  It is good to see you recovered from that unfortunate event.  Before anything else, I apologize for what happened, it was my idea to copy how your bond connected as a method to talk, and never thought you would manage to activate it yourself.  Had things gone as planned, we would have supplied the energy, and my partner wouldn’t have panicked like she did,” it remarked in a relaxing tone.

 

After a short pause, it then continued, “Unfortunately, things did not go as planned, as you can easily tell.  I have quite a bit of practice speaking with lesser beings, while my partner does not, so she used far too much energy when she panicked.”

 

Immediately, despite his certainty that it was a bad idea, Niphru found himself snapping out, “What do you mean lesser?  I am a person like anyone else!”

 

A feeling of amusement flowed through the link before the voice calmly continued, “I merely speak the truth.  I suppose I should probably introduce myself to explain my remark.  I am Inari, a being of great power primarily active in other realms.  The people of your realm, they would call me a god.  My partner is another god, Atryna.”

 

Niphru fell silent, wanting to disbelieve the statement but finding it hard to dismiss, given the incredible pressure from earlier.

 

Seemingly unconcerned, Inari remarked, “We combined our efforts to help you awaken, and set you upon the path many of my servants follow.  To be clear, we do not demand you follow us, or serve us.  We would like your assistance as you grow stronger, however.  We are bound by rules of our own, and being permitted to speak with you already was an unexpected boon.”

 

The feeling through the link became focused, a moment of pressure bearing down on him as Inari proclaimed, “You have made surprising progress, and are on the cusp of evolution.  You can either allow the rules of your world to change you, possibly warping you into a different person, or you can follow the path that many I have guided in other worlds have taken, which will change your body, but not your core self.  Given your current state, you have a month at best, though you can begin at any time.  Remember your spirit crystal, and keep it safe.  It is key to both paths before you.”

 

Confusion flashed through his mind for a moment before the god picked up on it and sent an image of the pouch he kept his mana stone in.  Following this projection, Inari spoke again, the link shuddering as power flooded it, though in a much more controlled and formal manner than what had happened before.

 

“I, Inari, give my oath upon the roots of my being that I offer no deceit to the one I am conversing with,” the voice firmly declared.  Following the statement, a feeling of utter stillness descended, even beyond the connection.

 

Niphru could feel the force upon the village, noticing Dawn jolt awake as a hum and gentle pressure passed.

 

Following the unusual phenomena, Inari gently stated, “I offer my path freely and without trickery, enforced by my oath.  Should you accept, simply inform me, and I will give my guidance.  Now, I shall leave you to speak with your bonded companion and resume teaching my partner how to properly speak with you.”

 

At the end of their statement, Niphru could feel the link fade into the background, still clearly present, yet without any of the pressure it had previously held.  To his side, Dawn shook her head and looked around, confusion apparent on her face.

 

“What happened?  I felt something just a moment ago,” she questioned, rubbing her eyes as she turned to face him.

 

“That,” he stated numbly, “was a god.”