We made it close enough to the nearest Guard to make out what he was saying. He was speaking in 'Middle' Ezentic.

"...not in vain. Rest easy, for you honored our sacred duty. Rest proud, for you honored Their Sacrifice. It is by your efforts that the world endures for--, endured until the Return of the Goddesses. May you know Justice and Salvation."

There was not the slightest hint of the Rokeshan accent, but a different one instead. I had wondered, but never asked. It seemed that the Guard was comprised of not only Rokeshans, and Our following was much broader.

He kneeled as We approached.

"This one knows not how it is possible, but there can be no mistake. Justice and Salvation have Returned to us, in the White Goddess Menelyn alone. This one must ask: Is the Black Goddess Izena also present, or does Salvation wield Her power?"

He was crying silently. He must have been the most exhausted and overwhelmed that a human is capable of being, and still he was maintaining this level of decorum and discipline.

"I, Izena, am present," Izena replied. "Menelyn survived and remained in the world. She recently Returned, and resurrected Me. We now share the same body."

The Guard huffed a sob.

"Please, do not kneel, and speak to Us as you would to any other," I added. "There is no need for 'this one.' And this is Menelyn speaking now. What is your name?"

The Guard rose and looked directly at Us for the first time. He was not actively weeping any more, but still emotional. He swallowed before speaking. That reminded Me that he must be dehydrated near to death, they all must be. I healed him quickly.

"You are even more magnificent than we had hoped," he choked out. Then he continued more steadily. "I am Kozench. We are all most grateful for your help."

Their faith had been rewarded, his entire being screamed.

"And We are glad to give it, Kozench. We witnessed your efforts today, and were amazed by your commitment and excellence, all of you. The Guard has been the most valiant of helpers for nearly a millennium. We owe you all a debt of gratitude that will take as long to repay. Can you show Us to the fallen or any in urgent need of healing? I, Salvation, may be able to resurrect some of them."

The Guard's eyes widened, but he was willing to believe anything at this point.

"My brothers will be collecting them, and the Commander will be performing an assessment of casualties now." He turned, and looked for the Commander, then led Us to him.

I healed those in urgent need, since it was relatively simple, but decided that We should retreat to the city for the attempts at resurrection, since they would require more of My attention, and I was cautious of giving Our enemy a chance to attack Our minds while I was distracted. We assured the Guards--granted them Divine Permission, really--that it was safe to end their patrols now that We had Returned, for the first time in nearly a millennium, then We walked to Solenn. We filled them in on My survival and the events in Rokesha along the way.

I was able to resurrect six of the twenty-four fallen Guards. Many more had died in the initial incident, before the attack on Rokesha.

Before We were ready to leave, We had one last request for the Solenn Guard.

"We intend to go into the facility, and burn the enemy lurking within."

The Guards nodded. They had expected as much.

"We believe that Salvation will be able to provide the necessary countermeasures, even more powerful than your amulets, but We cannot be certain, especially because We will be closer to the enemy than anyone has ever been. We have a sacred request for you all, and We ask that you treat it with even more sincerity and dedication than you have treated your duties until now."

Everyone in the room was holding his breath, waiting for what could be so important.

"If We emerge from that facility showing signs of mindlessness, make every effort to kill Us immediately. Do not hesitate. We will attempt to resist the control enough to make it possible for you to kill Us. If you fail, the world will end. We know that you will find this task blasphemous, We know that of all in the world, you are the ones who will find it most unpleasant, but please carry it out if it is necessary. You have seen Our power. You know that the world could not survive, if We were to become corrupted, malevolent."

Only when the Guard had assured Us that they understood, did We return to the laboratory.

With My purification ready to be cast at the first sign of the taint, We became the first people to cross beneath the 'Southern Marine Research Laboratory' sign hanging over the facility's entrance since the formation of the Solenn Guard.

Immediately, a powerful red magic spell assaulted Our minds. I cast my prepared purification spell, the very same that I had used to remove the taint from the minds of others so many times, and was relieved that it removed the corruption faster than it was spreading. It seemed that My countermeasures would hold, at least for now.

"Why the sudden change, at the exact moment We entered the cylinder? What's special about it?" Izena asked.

"I don't know. Maybe the facility is...charged with it somehow, after so long?" I speculated.

"But then why not the surrounding area?" Izena replied.

I could only shake Our head. "Not sure, maybe We'll learn more inside."

Here on the entry level were many visitor reception amenities. Once, this would have been a popular place for school trips, or people who just wanted to visit the world's finest aquarium, a unique portal to the abyss. There were exhibits all around describing the specimens found below, which to Us read as a dossier of what We may need to fight on the way down, assuming that the thing We were here to kill hadn't eaten everything already.

This place had been a monument to curiosity. Now, it was a memorial to its risks.

None of the displays seemed to match what We were looking for, but that made sense. It couldn't have been here for long enough to become one of the well-documented occupants, considering what it had done, and that the outside world still had no idea what it was. It must have been added to the collection only shortly before the facility became what it was now, the researchers ignorant of their mistake.

Or maybe it invited itself, and the researchers had made no mistake.

We proceeded to the next levels down, which held the researchers' offices.

My purification was still holding, but the swiftly-cleansed telepathic incursions were nevertheless enough to make Us feel terror.

It wasn't Ours.

We had been recognized.