<I will not have the independence that I need until marriage. But, any wife candidate would need to have my parents' approval. Usually, the most important factor is the strength of the lineage, which for me means a strong red mage.>

<And that would be problematic, because you would then need to be careful around your wife, instead of your parents.>

<Exactly, and worse, I know all available candidates well--red mage lineages are rare--and there are no good options. Being a false red god breeds a special sadism.>

<But I see that you have an alternative in mind.>

Zyriko could feel the Red Goddess' mirth. She already knew, but was going to make him say it. No, let him say it. It was so liberating not to need to hide anything. Even beyond everything else, that was the most addictive part of these conversations.

<Yes, the enormous prestige of a match with another who was marked by mana would be enough to convince my parents to allow it. Her name is Suri, eight years older than me, of the Keyic blue lineage. But, I know little about her, and the Keyics use red magic blockers anywhere with a red mage present--that is standard, for blue lineages and those who can afford it--so I cannot check that way. I wish to ask: Do You know anything about her, or the Keyics? Can they be trusted? Have they accepted You?>

<...I am getting the feeling that this Suri is very pretty.>

She already knew Zyriko's opinion. This was just teasing.

<Yes.>

<Teeteeteet! Bright sky blue everything does go a long way, huh?>

It did, but, <I'm not just being an idiot. She's the only viable alternative my parents would even consider accepting. And, I'm the only viable power-marked option for her, too. It would be a peculiar pairing, both for the color mismatch and the age difference, but altogether not nearly enough to raise suspicion.>

<You already suspect that she may be trustworthy, or you wouldn't be placing so much hope in such an unconventional gambit. What makes you think so?>

Again, Zyriko knew this was just to let him talk it out, for the sake of his own sanity. She knew everything.

<She has rejected many suitors that would otherwise be excellent matches by usual metrics, and her parents have not objected. Mine would, especially at her age. It makes me wonder why, if maybe they are among those who have accepted You, and are cautious of exposure. Also, their non-mages seem more...like subordinates than slaves. That is all.>

...And more than a little wishful thinking, he had to admit. There was no good alternative. Plus, yes, bright sky blue everything did go a long way.

The Red Goddess giggled again, and then harder when he started blushing. He was so glad to have someone to talk to.

<If I am wondering this, others will too,> Zyriko continued. <So, if I am correct, they are running out of time. I am a perfect solution, since it would look like they were just waiting for me to reach marriageable age.>

But, all this speculation was meaningless if his guess was wrong, and the Keyics were no better than the others.

<I cannot make out many details in My conversations with anyone but you, so I cannot be certain if Suri or her family have called to Me before. But, as I have said, I get the sense that some of those contacting Me are mages, and some seem at least not hostile to Me. I have never heard of the Keyic family, or Suri, but that may be a positive sign.>

Zyriko thought for a moment.

<Because it might mean that their non-mages do not pray to You much, if ever, to save them from their tormentors?>

<Precisely.>

This was encouraging, but still, it wasn't enough to--

<There is a way to, not confirm, but gain some confidence, without using your red magic or revealing yourself.>

Zyriko was a seventeen-year-old with a bit of a crush on a highly eligible bachelorette eight years older than him, and the Goddess of Love was offering him advice. He was listening.

<Convince Suri to show you her materialized mana.>

His eyes widened. The connection between the appearance of mana and character was not well understood on Zyriko's world. There would be no reason for Suri to hesitate, or cause for others to be suspicious of anything. If her mana was beautiful, it would seem like that was just one more blessing she had.

<And if it looks like toxic ooze, then at least you know to stay clear. For the record, looking like the sky at sunset goes as far as looking like the sky at noon. Good luck! I do love young love!>

After She broke the link, Zyriko collected himself.

This was a mission for the sake of the True Goddesses. He would see it through.

He would need to make sure that Suri saw what his mana looked like in direct sunlight.

----

'It's a mission for the sake of the Red Goddess Herself. A True Goddess! Come on. Just go over,' Zyriko told himself. 'It's not like you're the only one who will approach her today.'

It was not really shyness that made him hesitate, at least not purely. Zyriko had the will to submit himself for judgment before the True Red Goddess. A blue goddess was nothing by comparison. And, it's not like he wasn't approached regularly at these events himself. He, too, was heir to a major lineage, and 'marked by his divine power,' a highly desirable match. It wasn't that he was afraid of drawing suspicion, either. He was fully accustomed to working under constant threat of exposure.

The real problem was, the Keyic Heiress was his only hope. Either this gambit that had no right to succeed worked out, or all hope died, and he was doomed to a lifetime of being married to, and effectively supervised by, someone he thoroughly detested, who would impede the purpose of his existence at every stage.

He looked over to make sure their respective parents were properly distracted. If they noticed who their son and daughter were each talking to, they might be intrigued, and it would be difficult to speak even obliquely if they were observing. Suri's parents might be trustworthy, that was an open question, but Zyriko's were among the worst of the worst.

Satisfied that neither pair would interfere, he turned back, and there she was, right in front of him. Suri wore an outfit grown using blue magic, in the Keyic style: snug light armor that looked as if it were made from the liquid surface of a placid mountain lake, reflecting the sky. Only her hands and head were uncovered. She also wore a circlet of the same material, marking her as the Keyic Heiress. It was likely that she had made it all herself. All of it was sky blue to match her eyelashes, brows, natural ringlets hanging to just above her shoulders, and her irises. Those irises were her most remarkable feature. They had the same lake-reflecting-sky appearance as everything else, but glowed with it.

Even her nails were painted that same blue.

Okay, there was some shyness.

Zyriko felt a little underdressed in his much less distinctive high-necked solid crimson jumpsuit with a black cape. The cape's clasp marked him as the Zyzz Heir, analogous to her circlet. To be fair, how could anyone compete with blue magic at this level? If he didn't have his own power-marked red curls and orange eyes, he would feel even more hopelessly outclassed than he already did.

"You seem like you wish to speak to me?" Suri's voice oozed irritation, and that phrasing was well below the appropriate level of politeness for opening a conversation between people of their mutual rank.

Honestly, her blatant distaste was a positive sign. Zyriko played the perfect heir so well that his contemptible parents, red mages themselves, believed it and approved of him. He did not want her to have a good opinion of the deferent trainee despot he appeared to be.

"Ah, yes, in fact I do. I was curious if the physical manifestation of the divine power of Suri, Heiress Keyic, has an appearance that matches the manner in which it has marked her. My own has an odd appearance, you see."

Her distaste yielded a little to a hint of curiosity.

"Odd how?" she asked.

Perfect! There was some unavoidable curiosity about the experience of another power-marked, and Zyriko would lean on that today.

He smiled. "Satisfy my curiosity, and I will satisfy yours. Deal?"

Suri thought for a moment, then raised her hand, and summoned a liquid in her palm. It looked like a glassy water surface serving as a mirror to the noon sky. He felt like a reflected cloud would drift into view at any time. Her outfit could be made of it. Wait, was it?!

He looked at her clothing again. No, that was definitely grown by blue magic, not made of blue mana.

"Satisfied?"

Zyriko sighed as the mana disappeared. No, he wasn't satisfied. He wanted to keep staring. But, that would do for now. There could be no clearer sign to proceed.

"Odd how?" she repeated.

Zyriko looked around to make sure that none would overhear.

"If the Heiress Keyic wishes to see, we must go outside," he said in a low voice, and indicated the door to the garden behind her. He walked out, and hoped she would follow.

He found a secluded bench, sat, and waited. Two minutes later, Suri sat beside him.

Zyriko was very, very skilled at suppressing his emotions. His pulse was pounding anyway. Pretty Heiress, important mission, last hope, risk of discovery...

Very pretty Heiress.

Zyriko strangled it all until he was calm again. He had a lot of practice.

He summoned in his right hand a garnet so black that it could pass for graphite, shielding it from the sunlight with his left.

"My divine power is odd, because when in hiding, it appears nearly black."

He looked around one last time, to make absolutely sure that no false gods were watching. While the effect would be intriguing to observers, it wouldn't necessarily be suspicious, but what he intended to say alongside it might be.

The only other person present was Suri's non-mage attendant, wearing the blue Keyic livery, who was observing them from the path back to the ballroom. Presumably, she was the one operating the red magic blocker for Suri. A non-mage specially chosen for such a task was probably trustworthy. And, she could serve as a witness later.

"But, when bared to the Sun, its true nature reveals itself. It fluoresces, you see."

He moved his left hand, and exposure to sunlight turned the black garnet into a red-orange setting Sun radiating red light. He reabsorbed his mana, and spoke quietly.

"If you wish to hear more, tell our companion to deactivate her item, and we will continue telepathically. I am very practiced at such conversations, and do not be concerned: I am even more skilled at concealing them. I have benefited from a truly divine instructor."

Zyriko stopped, waited, and hoped. If all was as he suspected, then building enough raw trust by speaking in code to make Suri take this next risk comfortably was impossible. She would expose her mind only if there was desperation and wishful thinking on her end, too, enough to motivate a giant leap of faith.

Suri's mana showed that she was fundamentally a person of good character, but did she share his cause? Was she also hoping for someone she could trust with secrets? There was no way to know for sure, without sharing those very secrets. Zyriko was taking a leap of faith, too.

He waited, and finally, Suri made a sign. A few moments later, Zyriko could feel her caution, anxiety, and paranoia, smothered for now by curiosity, burgeoning hope, and ambition. It was a peculiar tone, and it took him a while to get it right.

When the link was established, as an overture of trust, he let her feel his own mirrors of her emotions, as well as his feelings of relief, shyness, and attraction. This degree of openness was nothing, compared to the Red Goddess' perfect knowledge of his entire being. It was so liberating, not to hide things.

Zyriko smiled a little, when she blushed as red as his hair. He hadn't even said anything meaningful yet, and already she wasn't upset by him, how he felt, only embarrassed. To be like this so quickly, she was as desperate for a miracle as he was. The combination of signals was enough for him to risk everything.

<The Red Goddess says that divine power--the True Goddesses call it mana--has an appearance that fits the soul. I hide my true nature from all but the Red Goddess. And you, I am guessing, have spent much of your life staring at the sky, wishing that the ground were so beautiful, wishing that She would come from the sky, and make it so. Knowing that your soul is as beautiful as you are is enough for me to take a chance, and hide nothing from you, as I hide nothing from Her. It would make me happy if we could speak to each other openly. To reply, you need only to think the words, with purpose.>

Zyriko was glad that he had already formed the connection. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult to connect to such turbulent, roiling emotions as Suri had now. Finally, she replied.

<You can actually speak to Her? You understand?> Amusingly, Suri was whispering even in her mind.

Zyriko relaxed. This whole sequence had been the best case scenario.

<She inscribed the Language of the Goddesses into me. We speak whenever She has time, and my parents aren't around to interfere. So, rarely. My red divine power makes it easier for Her to speak to me, than to others. She has given me a task to complete on Her behalf.>

He took a deep breath.

<And it would be most helpful if I had more time without my parents around, and not have them replaced by another who cannot be trusted. That is why I wanted to talk to you so badly.>

Suri stared at her lap. Zyriko could feel the caution attempting to return with a vengeance, but the hope and now excitement were too strong.

<We, my parents and I, will need to speak to you privately to confirm that you are trustworthy.>

She was still mentally whispering. Zyriko suppressed a laugh both at this, and at how easy it was going to be to convince them that he was genuine.

<I am sure the Red Goddess will be willing to vouch for me. I look forward to that discussion with your family, because I am curious. My power gives me supernatural empathy, and through that, the ability to see the truth of our world's state, but why is your mana so beautiful, in a world like ours? I am eager to find out.>

Suri didn't move or respond, so Zyriko waited.

<For my parents, and ancestors in general, it was simple.> She had finally realized that she didn't need to whisper in a telepathic conversation, and it seemed that his question would be answered immediately. <They recognized reality for what it is, and plan for the Keyics to be on the winning side when the fire and brimstone starts.>

Quasi-benevolence born from self-interest, then, but he'd take it. It was much better than the ridiculous denialism of his own parents and most others.

<For what it's worth, the True Goddess says that it will be rays of divine judgment, not fire.>

Suri giggled, and Zyriko ascended straight to the sky, before he continued.

<So, your parents are...mercantile, but that is not what convinced you?>

She looked straight into his eyes, and he was transfixed. Zyriko would never tire of those irises. He swore if he stared into them long enough, he would spot a cloud passing through.

Suri did not whisper this time, either.

<What is the point of worship that is extracted, not offered freely? A real goddess wouldn't need to demand it. What is the point of a goddess who takes more than she provides? A real goddess would have the power to give whatever she wanted without needing anything in return. All the lineages work to create someone like me, and for what?>

Her disgust was palpable.

<I am the crowning achievement of hundreds of generations of scheming and exploitation and misery caused by my ancestors, largely with the aim of one day producing me, and what value do I provide to anyone? What was it for? Prestige? Power? What prestige? What power? My eyes have only ever seen evidence of one real Goddess affecting my world, and She isn't me. All the fawning only makes me more ashamed of how inadequate I am to the task of making this world less appalling. A real goddess could scream her ambitions openly to the sky, and no one would be able to do a thing to stop her. And me? I am a deity so omnipotent that I spend my time worrying about whether I will need to marry some delusional pretender, because I am so weak that I cannot afford to attract suspicion, never mind answer prayers. A real goddess would have no such worries. A real goddess would not be so limited.>

She let out a derisive snort aloud, then closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, before reopening them.

<Thanks for listening. That felt good.>

...This person actually existed? In Zyriko's world? He had already known she was far and away the best option when he saw her mana. This much extra was excessive. Ah, on that note, um...

"I, Zyriko, Heir Zyzz, submit a formal petition for consideration of marriage to Suri, Heiress Keyic, conditional on my parents' judgment that it will cause our divine lineage to prosper."

She blushed again, but didn't look away from his eyes.

<Before I give the formal answer aloud for our witness, here is my real answer. Thank you for existing and conceiving this plan. Thank you for taking the risk. I came here today afraid that my time was running out, and that I would need to pick a least awful option soon to avoid suspicion. You are the best option, not the least awful one. At least, I hope so.>

"I, Suri, Heiress Keyic, accept the petition of Zyriko, Heir Zyzz, conditional on my parents' judgment that it will cause our divine lineage to prosper. Let us gather our parents and discuss the future of Zyzz and Keyic."

Well, that gambit turned out nicely.