"Shall we activate the time skip now?" Aurora said.

They were back in the Observation room, sitting on the couch together, and watching their planet on the screen.

Atlas nodded, "I suppose we'd better." He didn't like leaving the Spirit Kings to fend for themselves for an extended period of time, but it was necessary to get things moving.

"We could always give them a Divine Oracle," Aurora said, "So they won't feel alone."

"Did I imagine those capital letters?" Atlas asked.

"Nope," Aurora giggled, "A Divine Oracle is like a group message to the whole world. Well, the only ones who can receive it are ones with the skill Oracle, or have a certain level of spiritual energy. Nature Spirits have plenty."

"Sure," Atlas agreed, "That sounds good. What should we say?"

She hummed thoughtfully. "We'll need to check exactly how long we'll be gone and let them know. I'll do that now." She pulled up the Time Management screen and fiddled with it a bit. "As far as I can tell, they'll have to wait for about a thousand years for us to return. We'll have to give them some encouragement to get their jobs done so that they keep going. Maybe if we say that we'll meet them in person in a thousand years."

If Atlas had been drinking, he'd have done a spit take. Instead, all he did was choke on air. "We can do that?"

"Why not?" Aurora said, "It's our planet, we can do whatever we want. There's no rule saying our subjects can't see us."

"No," Atlas corrected, "I mean how do we go down to the planet?"

"Oh," Aurora said, blushing, "I didn't explain that to you, did I. Here, I'll show you right now." She stood up, and motioned for Atlas to follow. He did. and she lead him out of the room and down the hall, in the opposite direction of the Dining Room/Kitchen. They passed a couple doorways, and then she chose a rather ornate door near the end. They walked inside, and Atlas was greeted with a huge empty room. The door they'd entered was in one corner of the room, and along the wall to the opposite wall there was a door as well.

"This room I figure we could use as a sort of meeting room/throne room, if the need arises. But i didn't want to decorate that without you." Aurora said, "The room we want is through here." She led him to the opposite door.

Inside there was a large platform. The room was rather plain, and didn't have anything else inside.

"It's this platform here," Aurora gestured, "That will help us travel to our planet. It's possible for us to do it ourselves, but it's much easier with the Realm Navigator. What we need to do is stand on the platform and use the menu to pick out where we want to go. Then we just click 'Go' and we're there!"

Neat. "You made this yourself?" Atlas asked.

"Nah," Aurora denied, "I bought it off of the Domain, it was super cheap too. only 50 DP."

"Hmm, not bad." Atlas said, "I didn't know you could spend DP on your own."

"Should I not have?" Aurora asked, looking disappointed, "I'm sorry, it was just really convenient-"

"No, it's fine," Atlas said, "We should just talk to each other before spending DP in the future, okay?"

"Sure," Aurora said, nodding, "No problem."

They headed back to the Observation Room. Once there, Aurora sat on the couch and pulled up a screen. "Here, I'll check when in the future the Spirit Kings awaken, and I'll Time Skip to that point and pause." She said, "Then we'll have plenty of time to write the Oracle together."

As she did that, Atlas started composing the Oracle. Hmm, how to start. Something like 'Hello, this is your God speaking.' or 'Salutations, welcome among the living!' would just be silly, what sounds cool enough for a God to say.

'My children,' No, 'My Beloved Children, I have created this world for a purpose' No I didn't, I just did it because I was told to, 'I have created this world as a place for you, and all of my children to come, to live together in harmony,' No that just sounds cheesy, 'grow and thrive. It is my sincere wish for you to all get along,' Definitely not, 'develop the world and mature as individuals.'

"What do you have so far?" Aurora said, leaning over his shoulder. He leaned back so she could read it, and she skimmed it quickly. "Not bad. Next, what do you think of, 'I have given you the gift of magic as a tool to help you do that.  If you do well, in a millennia I will descend to the world to give you another Gift.'"

"Good,"He said, "But I don't have gifts for them."

"Yes you do," She reminded, "The second tier Spirit Kings!"

"Oh!" Atlas said, "I see. But they are people, not gifts."

"It's just some cryptic God speak," Aurora said, "We want to seem mysterious and powerful, right?"

"I guess, sure." Atlas nodded. "Okay, next, something like, 'Create and explore, this world opens its arms for you.'

"That sounds like a pretty good ending point," Aurora remarked, "Do you want to send it now? Here, look, the Spirit Kings have awakened."

She gestured to four screens, showing four different frozen images. The first one, a crater in a mountain, with a dark skinned, dark haired, bearded muscular man sat bemusedly rubbing his head. He was wrapped in a yellow, loose fitting tunic and black pants, with a heavy belt around his middle.

The second was an underwater shot, a pale woman, her dark hair flowing about. She was deep underwater but showed no distress, only confusion. Wearing a long blue dress that floated around her, it partially wrapped around her legs and spread out behind her like a train.

The third was also in a crater, in a valley between two mountains, and was a spry and agile looking pale man. He was standing, hand above his eyes to shield them from the sun and looking off into the distance. He was wearing a billowy looking white tunic and tan pants, a cord around his waist.

The last was of a volcano's crater, a dark-skinned, red haired woman was standing ankle deep in lava. She was wearing a shorter red dress and surprisingly nothing was on fire. She had an irritable expression on her face and her arms were folded as she looked off into the distance.

"Sure, send it." Atlas nodded, and Aurora took over the screen they had been writing on. Soon an announcement appeared.

[Oracle Sent]

[Preview:]

['My Beloved Children,]

[I have created this world as a place for you, and all of my children to come, to grow and thrive.]

[It is my sincere wish for you to develop the world and mature as individuals.]

[I have given you the gift of magic as a tool to help you do that.]

[If you do well, in a millennia I will descend to the world to give you another Gift.]

[Create and explore, this world opens its arms for you.']

[Achievement 'Word of God' Unlocked]

[Send your first Divine Oracle]

[+ 100 DP]

"Oh, neat, that was an Achievement." Aurora said, "Score."

Watching the screen, Atlas saw the four figures all react in different ways. The Earth King shot up quickly, turning his eyes upwards. He seemed nervous, but he quickly relaxed, and started scanning the sky, looking for something.

The Water King also looked upwards, surprise on her face. She started to float upwards as she listened, aiming for the surface.

The Air King smiled as he listened, and started to chuckle towards the end. He also scanned the sky, perhaps looking for the source of the voice.

The Fire King initially showed shock, but then she schooled her features, closed her eyes, and listened intently. She seemed to forget about her surroundings while she did.

"Why did they all looked so surprised?" Atlas asked.

"Wouldn't you be surprised if you suddenly heard a voice from above?" Aurora asked.

"Wait, we sent them a message," Atlas said, "Who's voice did they hear? Did the Domain translate the words to speech? Who's voice did they use?"

"Yours," Aurora said, "I set it to do that. Should I not have?"

"No, it's fine," Atlas said, "It's probably better that way. What kind of options were there?"

"Yours, Mine, creating a custom voice, and a list of defaults. Old Man, Mature Man, Young Man, Boy, Old Woman, Mature Woman, Young Woman, Girl, the list goes on, but you get the point. I considered doing an Old Man voice, to fit the stereotype, but I figured you wouldn't want to be putting on a voice when you meet them."

"Makes sense," Atlas said, "Okay, you get working on the time skip, and I'll work on the second tier Nature Spirits."

"Right," Aurora nodded. She pulled up another screen, and Atlas flipped to the section for Nature Spirits.

Life Spirits would be called Nymphs, glow green, and would trail flower petals and leaves as they passed. Level 1 Nymphs would be shaped like hedgehogs, with green skin and spines like cacti. Level 2 Nymphs would be shaped like Elk with green grass-like fur, and the males would have flowering branches for antlers. Level 3 humanoids would be made from trees, with bark like skin and hair like vines and leaves.

Ice Spirits would be called Sprites, glow light blue, and trail snowflakes as they moved. Level 1 Sprites would be white rabbits, with snowflakes in their fur. Level 2 Sprites would be polar bears, with frost forming in their fur and claws tipped in ice. Level 3 humanoids would appear to be carved from blocks of ice, have snowdrifts for hair, and be so cold that mist would form near them.

Storm Spirits would be called Raiju. They would glow purple and trail sparks of electricity. Level 1 Raiju would be white weasels, static electricity sticking to their fur. Level 2 Raiju would be wolves, and arcs of lightning would form off of their white fur. Level 3 humanoids would be made from lightning itself, with glowing white skin and bolts of light for hair.

Magma spirits would be called Ifrit. They would glow orange and trail ash everywhere. Level 1 Ifrit would be shaped like Iguanas, with black skin and glowing orange stripes and spines. Level 2 Ifrit would be Rhinos, skin like hardened lava and glowing orange horns and hooves. The Level 3 humanoids would be made from magma itself, with hard blackened skin and lava for hair. Their eyes and mouths would also glow orange with heat.

Done with that, he turned towards the table where he'd placed the second tier elemental Spirit Kings. He opened the container and lifted out the green orb first.

Life was vitality, compassion, and growth. Life was the beginning of consciousness, and the nutrients it needed to survive. It was the mother of all living things, the one who cradled them to her chest before releasing them to the world. It was dearly necessary to all living things. It was the seeds they sowed, the harvest they reaped, and the food they consumed. It was everything from the tiniest algae to the tallest tree, the tiniest insect to the largest and grandest beast. When Atlas pictured the Spirit King of Life, he pictured a large woman, her skin tanned and her hair in long braids, woven with flowers. She moved with a practiced grace and flowers sprung up in her footsteps. She was empathetic, tolerant, and forgiving, but was also overindulgent, indecisive, and over-attached. She would be the Healer, the one to put everything back together when it had violently fractured and fallen apart. She would be the one to look to for assistance in times of crisis. Her mission as the Spirit King of Life, was to diversify and expand the plant-life, facilitate the creation of animals, and stabilize the ecosystem. Atlas knew it would be a tough job, but she shouldn't be afraid to ask for help, and the others would be there for her.

He named her Cybele, and placed the glowing green core back in the carton. He grabbed the purple one next.

Storm was energy, inspiration, and confidence. Storm was a flash of brilliance, an omen of things to come. It was a good omen and a bad one, in that lightning was a sign of a following rain, and that it was dangerous. It was a sign for living things to find shelter, because nobody wants to get struck. That in that direction lay death, or at least significant damage. When Atlas thought of a Spirit King of Storm, he thought of a pale beanpole of a man, a shock of blond hair and long gangily limbs. He was enthusiastic, encouraging, and quick-witted, but also dismissive, unruly, and arrogant. He was a doer, the one to step up to the plate, and the one to inspire others to do the same. He was the one to look to when there was an important task at hand. His job as Spirit King of Storm was to finish establishing the Weather system. It would take some doing, but with Water and Air's help it would go well. He'd need to help with the seasons as well, scheduling the seasonal storms during spring and summer. As long as he didn't get too distracted, he'd do fine.

Atlas named him Jupiter, and placed the glowing purple orb back in the carton. He grabbed the light blue core next.

Ice was tranquility, tenacity, and determination. It was another form of End, and could be an obstacle to overcome. If you could adapt, however, Ice could be your greatest ally. For living beings it was a period of rest, when the world went to sleep and took time to recuperate. It was the tiniest snowflake, the largest Glacier. and everything in between.When Atlas pictured a Spirit King of Ice, he pictured a tall woman, with the palest skin and long white hair. Her ice blue eyes had a piercing gaze, and she had a quiet sort of poise. She was judgemental, unforgiving, and harsh, but was also witty, creative and gentle. She would be a teacher, teaching important lessons. Her students could learn from those lessons, but had no second chances. She would be an understanding ear, one to go to in times of emotional distress. Her mission as Spirit King of Ice was to fully develop the planet's frozen poles and help with the cycle of seasons. It was something everyone was going to have to work together on, but her attention would have to be primarily on Fall and Winter. He was sure she would be able to handle this.

He named the Spirit King of Ice Khione. Setting the now glowing light blue orb down in the carton, Atlas picked up the last one, the orange one.

Magma was patience, intensity, and generosity. It was fitting it was created with the energy of Earth and Fire, because it was both an End and a New Beginning. An End, in that it brought destruction and death in its wake, and a New Beginning in that it left fertile soil for regrowth as it left. It was at the core of the world, and was brought to the surface in a great show of explosive force. When Atlas thought about a Spirit King of Magma, he pictured a heavyset muscular man. He had dark skin and vibrant orange hair. He was giving, inventive, and slow to anger. He was also volatile, destructive, and tumultuous when upset. He would be a builder, an inventor of wonders and the maker of unparalleled creations. He was the to look to when trying to make the impossible possible. His mission as the Spirit King of Magma is to establish the cycle of seasons, primarily focusing on creating the annual heat of summer. Atlas was worried about this one as well, in the same vein as the Spirit King of Fire. If he could learn to control his emotions, he would go far. He shouldn't be afraid to ask for assistance, if needed.

He named the Spirit King Vulcan, and set the glowing orange orb back into the carton. "Alright, all done." He said.

"I'm done over here as well," Aurora said, "The Spirit Kings did their jobs well, the Atmosphere is complete, the Oceans, Rivers and Lakes are done, and I've seen the beginnings of plant-life in the ocean. Everything's set for us to send down the second tier of Spirit Kings."

"Well, we did say we'd make an appearance," Atlas said, "We should definitely keep that promise."

"We?" Aurora asked, "I get to come too?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want to stay here?" Atlas said.

"No!" Aurora yelled, then blushed, "It's just you said in the Oracle that 'you' would be going, not 'we', so I assumed-"

"No, you can totally come!" Atlas said, "I didn't mean to exclude you. They're your subjects as well."

"Thank you," Aurora said, "I'd love to come. What should we look like when they see us- Oh! What should we wear? We could do the golden halo thing from earlier, and white robes with gold adornments. Or maybe some sort of color symbolism? What's a good color for Time? Black? White? Oh! Maybe Re-"

"Wait, hold on," Atlas cut her off, "What halo thing?"

"Do you remember what it looked like when you gave me that piece of your Divinity?" Aurora asked. He did, there was the whole rainbow of light around her head, centered around her forehead.

"Yeah," Atlas nodded, "Is that light I saw the halo thing you're talking about?"

"Yep!" Aurora smiled, "Hold on a sec," She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment. A light flashed, and behind her appeared a golden circle, beams of light shooting out of it to make almost a crown silhouette. She opened her eyes again, and smiled at his reaction. "See? We can do it on command."

"That's pretty neat," He said, smiling, "Let me try." He closed his eyes, and looked inward at his Divinity. He touched it and channeled his Divine Energy into appearing, and when he thought he felt it work he tried establishing a corridor of power to continue supplying the energy to keep it going.

Opening his eyes, he pulled up a mirror. There he was, as normal, but behind his head was the same circle as Aurora. It made him look ethereal and powerful. He giggled. This was still kind of weird.

"I know right?" Aurora laughed, "I keep wondering who that strange person in the mirror is, but then I realize it's me."

That wasn't exactly what Atlas was feeling, but he nodded anyway, "Maybe I should try changing my looks, so I fit the image of a God better."

"You're already pretty good," Aurora said, then coughed, blushing, "I mean, it's probably not important for you to do that. I wouldn't do it too much anyway. Wouldn't it be weird if people you know didn't recognize you?"

"Yeah, good point." Atlas nodded obliviously, "I'll just make me an better version of my self."

"Even better?" Aurora squeaked, face red.

Atlas wasn't paying attention. He was adjusting himself in the mirror. He fixed his teeth, making them whiter and straighter, made himself a little more muscular and gave himself more visible abs. Lots of little things that had bothered him over the years but weren't enough to consider surgery or anything.

Aurora was still blushing, but she had a frown on her face, "You know that wasn't necessary, right? You were great the way you were too. I just want to be clear that I think you're a great person, and how you look doesn't really factor into that."

Atlas was touched, "Thanks, Aurora, I think you're a really great person too."

She smiled, "That being said, if you want to change yourself just because it's fun and self expression is wonderful, then I'm all for it! I just don't want you to feel like you need to change to be accepted or be happy with who you are."

"You're kind of starting to sound like a therapy book about self acceptance, but you're right." Atlas chuckled. "I think I'm good for now. Actually..." He tried changing his hair color, from dark brown to light brown to dirty blond to blonde to platinum blond to strawberry blond to red to auburn to dark red to black.

"Which shade do you like?" He asked Aurora, smiling, "Actually I'm thinking I'll try auburn for a while. Be kind of different, huh?"

She laughed, "I liked the auburn, but the original dark brown was good too."

"Yeah," Atlas nodded, "I just wanted to try something new, is all."

"That's okay too." She nodded, then clapped her hands, "Okay, looks are done, how about outfits? I was thinking..." She pulled the aether, forming an elaborate robe dress of white cloth already on her body. It was beautiful, with decorative gold embroidery on the hem and sleeves and had a golden waist wrap. A golden waterfall necklace adorned her neck and in the center of it was a small golden sundial. Her blonde hair was braided around her head in an elegant up-do that went well with her halo. On her feet were golden gladiator sandals, and she had gold coil bracelets nearly all the way to her elbows.

"You look..." Atlas paused, trying to find the words, "Amazing, definitely a Goddess."

"Thanks," Aurora smiled, cheeks dusted pink, "What about you?"

"Hmm," Atlas pondered, "We should probably match, right?" He pulled at the aether to change the clothes he was already wearing. A white open robe with similar golden embroidery, a button down white tunic underneath. On top of the tunic was a golden breastplate, and his neck had a golden gorget around it. He had white pants and gold belt, with golden gladiator sandals on his feet.

"You look nice too," Aurora blushed, before shaking her head. "Anyway, we should talk about what we're going to do while we're down there."

"You're right." Atlas nodded.

Nimue was biding her time. She was currently in her office, in her underwater castle. She remembered when she'd had the place constructed, enlisting Titan's help in building it on the sea floor where she'd first opened her eyes. It had taken a long time to build too, months of planning and construction had went into the gleaming marble floors and tall spiral towers. Of course, magic makes everything much simpler, she didn't even want to imagine how long it would have taken without it.

It's not like she was the only one living here though, lots of Undines were constantly coming and going, keeping her up to date on the expansion of the worlds' bodies of water. When she'd first started out on her mission, her Father's voice still ringing in her ears, it had seemed like an impossibly difficult task. But a thousand years was a long time, and she'd had plenty of time to create many of her own children. Now-a-days, she spent more time planning than actually doing, and she was going a little stir-crazy stuck in her office. It wasn't her fault. Every time she tried to leave, her children would offer their assistance. 'Oh, is there anything i can do for you, my King?' 'Are you going somewhere, my King? Please allow me to accompany you,' 'I couldn't possibly let you do that yourself, sit down and I'll bring you what you need, My King.'

They meant well, but she honestly wanted to spend some time to herself, and the only place she could get that was in her office, pretending to work. Not that all she'd been doing was pretending, there actually was work to be done, but if she made it take longer than necessary, then that was for her to know and no one else to find out. That's just how it had been recently, but she was currently waiting for the others to go to sleep. She was planning a little excursion.

No, she wouldn't call it running away, it was just an unannounced break. She'd only be gone for a few hours anyways. She looked at the brazier on her desk, the fire in it burning merrily away. It had taken some work from both her and Vesta, the Spirit King of Fire, but they'd come up with a spell for fire that would burn underwater. It was pretty simple actually, if you knew what fire and water actually were and how they worked.

Anyway, now was about the right time for her to make her little escape pl- Exit strategy, she wasn't running away. As she crept down the hallway to the nearest balcony, all the sudden she froze as a voice spoke to her from above.

My Dearest Children,

A millennia has come and gone, and you have proven yourselves to be resourceful and determined.

I am proud of what you have accomplished in such an amount of time.

The time has come for me to descend upon the world with the promised gifts.

Follow the falling star, and you will find me.

I eagerly await our meeting.

Was it that time already? But she wasn't prepared! She was planning on having a whole procession and feast for her Father, and finally get to speak to him, but now there was no time! Oh, there was so much to do!

A harried looking Undine male came rushing around the corner. As soon as he spotted her, he straightened up and gave her a salute. "My King! There has just be-"

"I heard, " Nimue replied, "Has there been any reports on strange lights in the sky?"

"No, my King!" The Undine said, still saluting, "All agents in the field are keeping close watch. As soon as it is sighted, they will alert us."

"Thank you," Nimue nodded, "Be at ease, I will be heading out as soon as there is a confirmed sighting."

"Yes, my King!" The Undine dropped the salute and relaxed his posture.

"For now, We'll need to prepare for my Father's arrival. Have the everybody begin preparing the decorations I planned, and get the palanquin I had created for my Father out of storage. I will b-"

"MY KING!" A shout came from down the hall, a female Undine ran towards them, out of breath, "The falling star has been sighted! It seemed to land on one of the islands to the south!"

No! There's no time. With a shout, Nimue ran towards the balcony and threw herself off it, floating south and upwards. If she hurried she could make it before the others!

As they watched their King float away, the two Undine looked at each other, "Should we still inform everyone to prepare and get the Palanquin?" The male one asked the other.

"Probably," The female one sighed, "If she comes back expecting it and it isn't done..."

They both gulped and took off running.

Titan was busy working when he got the Oracle. He had been examining one of the more exotic metals he'd found on his most recent surveying trip, and pleasantly surprised with his findings. It was a silver metal, that seemed to glow with its own inner light. It was both lightweight and sturdy, and when you passed mana through it it became even stronger. It was one of his more intriguing finds, and there wasn't a lot of it as far as he was aware. He had set the sample back in its case, and set the case back on his shelf. It was on the shelf for magical metals, though there weren't a lot of samples on that shelf, currently only three. The one to the left had a golden color and sparkled when mana was run through it, and the one to the right was was a dark metal, the hardest substance he'd come across yet. It had similar properties to the silver metal, but was quite a bit heavier.

It was right as he was setting the case down in the middle that he'd gotten the Oracle, and had nearly dropped it in surprise. As he was scrambling to finish up his research so he could prepare to welcome his Father, a female Gnome had come running in.

"My King, there's been reports of the falling star to the east over the ocean!"

"Thank you, my child," Titan said, straightening his vest. "I'll be heading out myself shortly, so please alert everyone that I will be out for the foreseeable future. Make sure that everyone keeps on task while I'm gone."

"Yes, my King," The Gnome bowed, and opened the door to let him pass. He walked briskly down the corridors of his castle, heading for the nearest courtyard. His castle was carved in the side of a mountain, the domed towers and resplendently tiled courtyards shining  brightly in the midday sun. He reached the center of the courtyard and crouched low. Pushing his magical energy into his legs, he gave a mighty leap, soaring off eastward. The force of his takeoff leaving a crater in the tiled flooring, and in the center two large footprints embedded deep in the ground.

A passing Gnome sighed as he watched his King disappear into the distance. He knew that he'd be the one to have to fix it. Why couldn't their King use a different form of takeoff?

Boreas was excited. He was the most excited he'd ever be in his entire life. Sure, he'd said the same thing about a particularly cute cloud he'd seen the other day, but he meant it this time. He was also lost. Once he'd gotten that Oracle, he'd flown right out the window of his bedroom in his castle and headed west. At the time he'd been too excited to realize it, but he now saw that he'd flown off the handle with out figuring out where he was going. West was a good idea, he lived on the eastern continent so most things were west, but he hadn't thought beyond that. He was somewhere with a lot of water. He flew down and stuck his finger below the surface and brought it to his mouth. Sticking out his tongue, he licked his finger. Salt. Ocean water. He was over the ocean.

Yeah, he could have probably figured that out from the salty ocean smell, or the fact that he couldn't see any shores, but he was having fun, okay? Get off his back.

He flew upwards, reaching a high vantage point to see if there was anything he recognized. Some movement caught his eye and he spun to look at it. A blue shape was headed southwards at an extreme speed. He flew down to meet it. Sure it was moving fast, but he was faster. He caught up quickly, noticing that the shape was Nimue.

"Nim-Nim!" He shouted, waving his arms. She ignored him. Or maybe didn't see him? He'd try again to make sure. Moving to a position from which she'd definitely see him, he yelled again, "HEY NIM-NIM!"

Okay she'd definitely seen him, she'd given him disdainful look #5, which was reserved for when she was busy and he was being annoying. But, maybe he just wasn't being loud enough! Wait, didn't she say something about this nickname? Oh, whatever.

He breathed in, deeper then should be possible, and channeled his Air Magic, "Hey Ni-"

"WHAT!?" Nimue shouted, turning around and stopping mid flight, enraged. Catching her reflection in the water, she calmed herself and put on a smile, "Is something wrong, Boreas?"

Her quick stop made him shoot out ahead of her, so he flew back over to converse, "I'm a little turned around, are you headed to the falling star landing site?" He said.

"Yes, of course." She nodded, now fully composed, arms behind her back. "You're welcome to join me on my way there."

"Great!" Boreas yelled, taking off in the direction she had been going. If he had been looking back, he'd have seen the flash of magic as a blue runic circle formed. Suddenly, Boreas felt something grab his leg and pull. He screeched, no, he bellowed, nice and deep, and nobody would ever tell you otherwise, as he was pulled below the surface. He came up spluttering, and was confronted with Nimue right in his face.

"Don't call me Nim-Nim," She whispered, all dangerous-like, sending shivers down Boreas' spine.

"Yes'm" He nodded vigorously. She did funny things to his insides when she talked like that, which was probably why he ended up in these situations a lot.

"Good," Nimue smiled sweetly, and then things were back to normal. Boreas dried himself with a thought, and they flew off southwards.

Vesta had been waiting for this day for a long time. She remembered each and every word her father had ever said to her, from when she was just a glimmer sleeping inside her core onward. He had spoken to each of them while giving them his Divine Energy, and Vesta had treasured those words. He had worried about her, and given her words of encouragement, and that had gotten her through some dark times. One thing had bothered her though. She'd asked the others about what he'd said to them, and they all said he'd only encouraged them, and didn't worry. Why was he worried about her then?

She wanted to show him he had nothing to worry about, that she was just as competent as the others, that she was sometimes even better than the others. Wait, no, they were all His children and He loved them all equally, so there was no point in competition.  She knew that.  She knew that, but still. Why was he worried about her specifically? He'd mentioned her temper, and sure, she'd blown up a few times over the Millennia, but they all had. She just wanted to make him proud.

When she'd gotten that Oracle, with Him saying the magic words...

I am proud of what you have accomplished

She was over the moon, she was devastatingly happy, she'd never recover. But the words weren't quite the words she'd been looking for. Now, she would meet him in person! And hopefully then, she would hear him say it.

She'd had Salamanders on lookout for weeks in advance, able to calculate it so carefully because she'd been keeping track since she'd awakened. Once the report had come in, she'd flown as fast as she could. Luckily she was close enough to the landing place that she'd been able to see Him touch down. And what an Entrance it was.

As she stood there, in awe of the beautiful light descending towards her, she noticed figures starting to take shape within the light. Two people, wearing white and adorned with gold, a halo of Divinity around their heads. It was Father! And the other... must be some servant of his or something.

They slowly, gracefully, fell to the ground, lightly touching down without so much as ruffling a hair.

She was paralyzed, too overwhelmed to move.

He smiled at her, His love showing through his every movement, "Hello, Vesta. I've been waiting to meet you."

Artauron

I was about 2 thousand words into this chapter and accidentally lost them all. Extremely frustrating to re-write work you already did.. Well, it ended up for the better anyhow, I think I like the flow of this version of the chapter more.