I'm sorry about the extended delay on this chapter. Life is hard and complicated. I had very little to no motivation to write for several months, which tells me I was probably a bit depressed, but we're so back (I hope).

Izuku stood at the door that would take him from Grandmother's house. Both she and Uraraka were behind him, waiting patiently. The Godlings had already given their farewells to the Goddess, already gathered, their things. All that was left was to open the door and leave.

He was having a little trouble with that.

Something about the door kept him locked in place. He couldn't look away from it, but approaching it seemed an equally insurmountable task. Izuku took a deep breath.

"It's going to be okay," Uraraka said. He could tell from her tone that she wasn't sure what was holding him up. That made two of them, at least.

"Do you need to talk about it?" Grandmother asked gently.

"I don't even know what 'it' is," he admitted. "I'm just... anxious. The idea of opening the door is making me feel sick."

Uraraka's sympathetic hand rested on his shoulder. "What if I opened it?"

His stomach churned. Izuku hesitated – he didn't want to refuse her offer of help, but he also didn't want to lie to her...

"That looks like a 'no,'" she said. Her smile was probably meant to be encouraging, but it just made him feel ashamed.

What was it about the door that made him feel this way? It wasn't anything special, it was just slightly magical. He'd never had a problem with it before, and no other door had wronged him. Not recently, anyways.

It couldn't be the be the door, then. It had to be something else. Something was bothering him and his mind was using the door as a focal point for the feeling.

It didn't take long to figure it out from there. He'd be leaving here with just Uraraka, and the others weren't likely to be back any time soon. If Izuku walked through that door, it'd be into a world without Mina. The thought made his heart heavy, but it wasn't the time to dwell on such things. There'd be time to make up with her later. For now, he needed to keep moving.

This didn't do much to alleviate the anxiety the door inspired in him, so he shut his eyes. The horrid visages of gore and death were easy to brush aside. Izuku took a deep breath, then focused in on the feeling of uneasiness. He could handle it now. He just had to be sincere in his compassion. "It's not your fault," he whispered to himself. "You could have done it differently, but you were trying to do right by everyone. That is not possible. You can only move forward and do better."

Izuku waited, but didn't feel particularly better. Somehow, he wasn't surprised. Regardless of what he'd just told himself, he could still hear the little nagging voice telling him that he could have made the right decision at any time. He remembered the moment between him and Mina outside Fort Ekko, interrupted by Yaoyarozu, the time she spread Nectar over his burns in Hosu, comforting her in the woods after Iida had upset her, that night under the stars when they'd shared the ambrosia.

He wasn't prepared for how much it hurt.

Hearing that she'd left was horrible, but dwelling on why, on the myriad chances he'd had to confide in just her nearly split his heart open. Izuku clutched his chest and prayed that the ache would go away.

"Midoriya?" Uraraka asked hesitantly.

He jumped, having almost forgotten anybody else was there. Izuku suddenly realized his cheeks were soaked in tears. "Y-yeah?" His voice cracked, but he managed not to let any sobs out.

Her jaw worked soundlessly for a moment before she asked, "What can I do?"

He didn't respond because he didn't have an answer. He didn't even know what he could do. Compassion wasn't helping him, since he apparently didn't want to forgive himself. Mina and Iida hadn't left any indication of where they'd gone, so finding them and resolving the issue would be a trial unto itself. What options did that leave him? Be strong and hope she'd come back?

Well, it wasn't the worst idea he'd had.

Izuku tried to draw on the mantle of Strength to give him the fortitude he'd need to move forward. The effect wasn't nearly as pronounced as he'd hoped; maybe it was harder for the mantle to affect him emotionally, since its power was so physically attuned. Still, it didn't hurt as much. It would have to do.

"She's going to come back," Izuku said firmly.

Uraraka looked at him for a moment, as though waiting for more. When he didn't say anything, she slowly nodded. "Yeah. She is."

He pressed his mouth into a line and nodded back. She gave him a nervous smile. Before he could second guess himself, Izuku strode forward and opened the door.

"You'll be coming out in different places," Grandmother said, "So be sure to find a place to meet up. And do stay safe, I look forward to seeing you both at the Palace." After another brief round of farewells, she turned back and left them at the door.

"You'll be coming out pretty close to the eastern gate," Uraraka said. "We jumped the walls again to get you here. I'll meet you there, but be on the lookout. The city has been tense since the riot."

Izuku took a deep breath. He had forgotten about the riot in the midst of everything else. "How did that end?" he asked apprehensively.

She nodded at the door. "We can talk about it later. We shouldn't leave this open."

"...Okay. That's fair. I'll see you in a few minutes."

She made eye contact. "Yeah, you will," she said encouragingly. He didn't realize he'd been tense about them separating until she'd reassured him.

"Thanks. That means a lot."

They shared a smile and stepped through the door.

Mina was very concerned about the bowl of liquid being offered to her by Tsu. It was colored green, like the film that formed on the surface of stagnant water. The fact that she couldn't see past the surface made her wonder if that was related. The thought made her shudder. It seemed thick, maybe as thick as her Nectar. The worst part, however, was the smell. It had the putrid scent of wet, rotted wood, accented by what Mina could only imagine was some horrible combination of cooked squirrel and cane toad.

"Drink it," Tsu gently insisted, pressing the bowl into her hands. "It's strong. You'll feel just like new after you drink it."

Mina wished she knew more about witches. Any idea of what she was about to get into – or, she thought with a sick feeling, what was about to get into her – would have been helpful, regardless of whether it convinced her to drink it or throw it away. This was the sort of thing she missed out on by not having people who could fill her in, like –

Mina threw the bowl back and downed the contents, nearly gagging as it went down. It tasted like it smelled and felt about how she expected. Still, it was preferable to finishing that thought.

"There you go," the witch nodded, taking the vessel back from her. "Now just give it a few minutes to set in." She looked to Ibara. "Should I pack my things?"

"Yes. We'll be moving as soon as Koji returns."

When Tsu turned to head back to her tree, Mina asked, "You have another Godling with you?"

Ibara nodded. "Yes, he's been in charge of scouting while Ojiro was looking for you. It's just been Asui and I here for several days. Both of the men are so self sufficient." She sighed, and Mina was surprised that it seemed so wistful. Did she feel strongly for one of them? Or maybe she was just lonely? She didn't seem terribly fond of Tsu, or at least the fact that Tsu was a witch. It was hard to tell, only having known her for an hour. "Please relax," Ibara continued. "I only have a few things to gather, and we'll be setting out soon."

Relaxing sounded nice. "Sure, just let me know when we're going." She slid off the fallen tree and leaned her back against it, enjoying the feeling of grass on her legs. She was glad she'd not worn the outfit with the pants yesterday. She'd been awake for far too long to be worrying about pants.

Shortly after Ibara left, a heavy fatigue hit Mina. It was worse than the exhaustion she'd been feeling from not sleeping to such a degree that it took her nearly a minute to become alarmed by it. Had there been something else in that squirrel potion? What had she been given? Were they planning something sinister with her?

Then, suddenly, it passed. Mina blinked, and there was no heaviness to her eyelids. Her arms and legs didn't feel so weighed down, and her mind was clear. It had been ages since she was this well-rested, or at least a month. "Wow," she breathed as she stood up to stretch. That squirrel potion was more than a way to cheat some rest – it felt like every ache in her body had been washed away.

With a bounce in her step, she ran to the tree-house Tsu had gone to. It didn't seem to have a door, so she just went right in.

The wide-eyed witch was packing a large backpack that had a still slightly wet pot tied to the side. Tied bundles of clothing were stacked neatly next to the bag, the only other objects that had yet to be put away.

The inside of the tree was mostly how Mina had imagined it would be.: made of wood. She was a little surprised to see basic furniture grown directly from the floor, however, and she paused a moment to consider the strength of Ibara's mantle and the amount of control she had over it.

"Did the wakefulness potion work?" Tsu asked.

"Yeah. I had my doubts for a minute, but I feel fantastic! What's in it?" She felt foolish for asking. She already knew, and the other woman gave her a look that suggested they both knew that. "Sorry, dumb question. How did you do it, though?"

"I prepared, mixed, and brewed the ingredients," she said bluntly. It was clear she hadn't understood the intent of Mina's question.

"No, I mean, Ibara said you do magic. How can you do magic if you're a Godling?"

Tsu nodded in realization. "Physical magic isn't like what nymphs and wizards do," she explained. "It's about releasing the magic within other things. Witches use it for all sorts of purposes; I chose to do alchemy, mostly. I used to dabble in other types, but after the whole incident with the Frog Prince, I decided to stick with what I know."

Mina blinked. "Frog Prince? Like in the bedtime stories?"

"Well, that was the idea, but instead of making him human, I just made myself part frog." She sighed, and Mina could have sworn she heard Tsu faintly ribbit.

"And... There was no way to change back?" Mina couldn't help letting a little pity slip into her voice. She'd had a hard enough time adjusting to being a Godling, lately; she couldn't imagine becoming part frog on top of it.

"Well, maybe, but I also could have made myself more frog. It seemed best to just cut my losses. Besides, it's not all bad. My swamp was a lot cozier afterwards."

She had her doubts, but Mina decided not to say anything about them. "So, this other Godling I've been hearing about...?"

Tsu nodded. "Koji. He's The Beast's Godling."

"What's he normally do around here? Ibara said he's been scouting while Mashirao was looking for me."

"His animals watch out for us. Those wolves earlier told us you were coming. Or that someone was, anyways."

"Oh, okay."

The conversation ended abruptly and awkwardly. Normally, she might have just called it an awkward silence, but Tsu seemed occupied with unpacking and rearranging the contents of her bag, and Mina couldn't think of anything else to say. Strangely, this gave her an intense feeling of melancholy. She was sure she knew why, but decided not to think about it. It would do her no favors to dwell on it, that much was certain.

A wolf chose that moment to begin howling, shortly after joined by its pack mates. Relief crashed over Mina as an excuse to leave without awkwardness presented itself. "I'm going to go see what that's about!" she said, leaving the tree-building without waiting for a response.

The sound of footfalls thundered through the area. Not only were there a lot of wolves incoming, they sounded big. The hairs on the back of Mina's neck stood up, and some fearful part of her brain told her to run away to avoid becoming dinner. Or breakfast? No, wolves hunted at night, didn't they?

The question wasn't the kind she'd normally get hung up on, but after spending so much time with –

It quickly become irrelevant as she realized that there were only a few wolves and that the loudest noises were, in fact, coming from the massive bear they were clustered around. It wasn't difficult to guess why this unlikely partnership had occurred, as a man Mina could only assume was the Godling of Beasts rode upon the great bear's back. He looked a good fit for his mount, being large, muscular, and savage in appearance – or at least, he would have, if it weren't for the timid look on his face, which thoroughly confused her. His head bore craggy fissures and came to a sharp point; combined with the visibly rough texture of his skin, Mina knew she was looking at a rock nymph. He was actually the first she'd ever seen, since she'd grown up so far away from their normal environments, but there was no mistaking those features.

The giant waved at her shyly – shyly, it was unbelievable! – before dismounting the bear, which ambled over to a thick patch of grass to lay down. The wolves wasted no time collapsing themselves, tongues lolling out and exhausted panting replacing the thunder of footsteps in her ears.

"Koji!" Ibara said with all the warmth of the sun. She strode out of her tree and towards the other Godling, her traveling backpack somehow at odds with her dress. "What have you found?"

He didn't respond at first. Instead, he quickly shuffled towards her. His bearing was as confusing to Mina as his expression. From his appearance and ability, she'd expected him to be a feral brute, but he seemed much more a mouse.

Mashirao joined the huddle between Koji and Ibara. It was clear something was being discussed from the rock nymph's frantic hand motions, and every now and then his head moved in a way that let Mina see his mouth, which was definitely moving, but she couldn't even hear vague whispering. Her curiosity drove her forward, to see if being close would let her understand what was happening, but Mashirao gave her a look that stopped her in her tracks. Whatever they were talking about, she clearly wasn't welcome. She wasn't sure whether to be insulted, angry, or sad; she'd been accepted into their group, hadn't she? And it wasn't like she'd had to beg her way in, either, they had been looking for her! Why seek her out and bring her in only to keep her at arm's length? It didn't make any sense!

As Mina seethed (she'd apparently settled on anger at some point), the conversation seemed to draw to a close. Ibara turned, dark and thunderous wrath on her face. "Asui!" she called, her voice matching her expression. When the witch appeared, seemingly unbothered by Ibara's tone, their leader addressed the two out members of the group. "Out travel will be delayed. Koji's wolves caught the scene of a horde of abominations. Someone gathers the undead near here. We will give the animals time to rest, and then we shall strike the unholy beasts from the world before they can defile the land with their presence any further."

While she spoke, Koji scurried back over to his bear and very gently settled to the ground, resting his head against its flank. It seemed he was trying to take the time to rest as well, which irritated Mina. She knew it shouldn't; he'd clearly been working just as long as the animals had and needed the break. The lack of introduction chafed at her, though. She wouldn't have cared if they hadn't just excluded her, but the distance Koji was keeping only drove further that she hadn't been truly accepted in just yet. She'd almost prefer dealing with Tenya over this treatment.

As she stalked her way around, looking for something to occupy her time, she wondered if the one they'd be setting out after was the same necromancer the bird nymph had been looking for. The thought didn't stick around for long before it was lost, her anger taking the reins once more.

Getting out of the city was more involved than he'd expected. The Guards were out in force, and even the local garrison had been deployed. It was clear that Kiyashi's governor had declared martial law.

Most people seemed to be going about their daily business, but they moved quickly and carefully. Was it because of the riot or the threat of force implied by the bands of guards and soldiers? Either way, Izuku found it unsettling. He'd never read about anything like this happening. People rioted and rebelled all through history, and it's not like the Temples had never been involved, but they'd never been the sole cause before – at least, not in any of the texts he'd ever read. But, then again, recorded history had only barely existed last time the cycle of the Gods had come to a close.

Had it been like this then, too? He wasn't sure how organized society had been three thousand years ago. There had been cities, certainly, but nobody could really say what life had been like, save the Gods... And any of Stain's peers that may still exist, though the thought made Izuku shudder.

How had the priests of the previous cycle handled the news? Did they lash out against each other, like in Musutafu and Hosu? Against anyone in their way, like they had here? He hoped not. Their job was to advise, to give guidance and hope. Leading armored rebellion and inciting the murder of innocents was a severe dereliction of their duties, more like something the Cult of the Great Devourer would do.

He wondered if they were having the same issues, given the malicious and chaotic nature of both the God and his followers. It occurred to him that they could even be behind the discord, but he dismissed the idea. Not everything was some grand conspiracy. Fear adequately explained the actions of the priesthood. Nothing would ever be the same for them. Everyone else could carry on with their lives after the Game ended. The Gods the priests represented would be gone. Would they fold into the Temples of their successors? Would they be welcome? Would the new Gods be worth following, or stand for the things the priests were still proud to represent and embody?

The world was changing. It'd be more frightening for some than others. It didn't excuse the behavior, but it did explain it. Izuku just wished he could do something about it. Part of him felt ashamed for running during the riot, even though he'd had every reason. People had died, and he might have been able to stop it if he'd even tried.

That thinking wasn't productive. As much as he wanted to bury himself in his failures, and agonize about what may have been, he had a Palace to find, a Game to win, and only half the manpower to pursue his goals. Self flagellation wasn't going to get him any closer to that.

The Blood of the Gods shall always guide them home.

Tensei's words floated unbidden to his mind, as though a little flagellation may, indeed, help. He banished the thought.

Stocks had been built since the riot – or maybe they'd always been there and he hadn't notice in his haste to flee? – and not one was empty in the plaza he passed through. His stomach twisted as he realized the majority of those bound were priests, and of many different Temples. Had they all participated in the riot, or was it a punitive measure against any person of the cloth who may even think to step out of line? He'd have to find someone to ask, but he wasn't sure he wanted the answer.

His walk to the gate hadn't been long, which was a relief. Looking at the aftermath of the riot made his heart hurt. It wasn't that he didn't understand what the people were going through; the world as they knew it was about to change and there was no knowing whether it'd be for the better. It was scary for him, and he had agency in the matter. No, it hurt so badly because Izuku understood exactly why tensions were boiling over like this. He just wished he could do something about it.

That would be the first thing he'd do as King, he decided. He'd smother the fear, uncertainty, and anger that were causing people to lash out at each other.

The city gate must have been under quadruple guard, which didn't make much sense to him; surely, if they needed to increase security, the gate needed it the least? What harm could people leaving the city do? The procession of people fleeing Kiyashi moved at a snail's pace as the soldiers tore through carts, bags, boxes, anything that could hold or hide something, though Izuku had no clue what they were searching for. Usually, people were allowed to proceed through, but some were dragged off after whatever incriminating item was found, thrown into a stable that had been commandeered for use as a temporary jail.

Part of Izuku wanted to keep his eyes down and just wait for Uraraka. Getting involved would cause more conflict, maybe even another riot if things got bad enough. If he made his status as a Godling known, it could incite more religious unrest as well, and potentially galvanize the All Mighty's Temple in a way he didn't want to.

The other, larger part of Izuku was angry.

"Hey!" he shouted, stalking towards a pair of soldiers hauling off a sobbing woman. "What did she even do? Let her go!"

"Go back to your home!" One of them snapped. "This is military business."

Izuku picked up speed. "I'm not going to let you throw people in prison for nothing. She's just trying to get away from the violence!"

"She's a dangerous radical, imprisoned for the safety of the city." The woman wailed in response.

"A radical?" he asked incredulously. She looked like a commoner. "Based on what?"

The soldier who'd been responding to him stopped and turned, an expression of supreme annoyance covering her face. "She was smuggling weapons out of the city. Happy?" Izuku saw her eyes drift to the shortsword at his hip. "Now move along, before we take you for smuggling, too."

Izuku's jaw set. "There's a difference between having a weapon for personal protection and smuggling. And even if she was trying to smuggle weapons, wouldn't you want them out of the city?"

"If she smuggles them out, they might get smuggled back in."

The absurdity of the statement almost stunned Izuku into silence. "Is this what you're jailing all of them for?"

"By orders of the count, all radicals and insurgents are to be detained until order is restored." She jerked her head, and Izuku heard more soldiers approaching him from the side. "It's clear you're one or the other, so we'll hang onto you as well."

"Surrender your weapons," one of the new arrivals ordered. "Do not resist."

Izuku pondered his options briefly before walking towards the stable, ignoring the command.

"Hey! I said–"

"I heard you," he replied. His anger had cooled once he had decided what to do. It'd likely cause an incident, but there wasn't much he could do to stop that if he wanted to help.

The sound of leather clapping against stone intensified as the soldiers ran to catch him. They each grabbed one of his arms, but they failed to even put a stagger in his step. Izuku drew on his mantle, and the strength that suffused him saw the corrupt men dragged behind him regardless of how they dug in their heels. The guard that had been tasked with barring entry to the makeshift prison failed to impede him, but dutifully raised his spear.

"Stop!" he said. "This stable is off limits during its use by the military and the city guard!" He tried to hide the tremble in his voice, but anyone who heard him knew his fear. Izuku wasn't happy about that; he didn't want to be the kind of person people were afraid of. However, he didn't break his stride. As the spear came within a threatening range, he batted at it with the back of his hand. The force of the blow sent the weapon careening out of the guard's hands and left him staggered.

Izuku threw the doors to the stable open, revealing several stalls full of people crowded in, unable to avoid the soiled straw coating the floors. A pile of random objects, likely the confiscated possessions of the imprisoned, rose against the back wall, while another stable was filled with a collection of weapons.

More guards were inside as well, and when they recovered from his startling entrance, one stood up. "This area is off limits, civilian!" His fellows soon followed, grabbing their arms and advancing on him quickly.

"I'm setting these people free," Izuku announced loudly. Cheers and pleas of desperation arose from the stalls as those within saw a glimmer of hope. "You're done locking them up for no reason." When this failed to elicit a reaction from the guards, he dourly added, "On my authority as the Godling of Strength and Compassion and a future deity, you will not impede me."

The whole room stopped. The guards in front of him and the gathering soldiers behind him went utterly silent as the consequences of continuing to harass him began to crystallize in their minds.

"Bless you, lord," an older man called from his makeshift cell.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves," Izuku continued. "You're supposed to protect your people, not oppress them." He went from stall to stall, opening the doors and releasing the townsfolk. Nobody moved or spoke to stop him. Freed citizens scrambled to the back wall, tearing through the pile to locate their belongings. He wasn't inclined to supervise, and it didn't seem to be turning violent, so he left them to their devices.

One of the final stalls Izuku opened contained a single dark-haired man. He gave the Godling a stern look before his mouth quirked up slightly on one side. Curiously, as the man strode out, every guard in the room looked away, unwilling to meet his eyes. Unlike the other freed citizens, he went to the stall serving as an armory instead of the pile of belongings.

"Captain–" one of the guards began.

"Don't," the dark-haired man replied. "You made your decision."

With the last of the civilians let out, Izuku turned his attention to the biggest obstacle in getting them to safety. The entrance to the stable was now completely blocked by a squad of soldiers, and they didn't seem quite as cowed as the city guard that were inside did. The weight of his earlier declaration was slipping away as their numbers grew, and he worried they might do something stupid.

"You can all go," he said, trying to mask the concern in his voice. He didn't feel terribly successful. "I doubt anybody here is interested in coming back to Kiyashi after the way they've been treated here."

"We have orders," one said. He hadn't been there before, Izuku noticed. His armor was different – the decoration on it suggested he was an officer. "The lord wants the city pacified to prevent another riot."

"These people want to leave," Izuku said. How could they not understand that? Did they just not care? "They can't start a riot if they aren't in the city."

"That's not my concern," the officer replied flatly. "I've been ordered to have my men detain all radicals."

He opened his mouth to retort, but shut it and took a deep breath instead. It was clear logic and reason would get them nowhere.

As he considered his options, the captain he'd released came out of the armory stall with a chain shirt on and a short blade strapped to his side. "Stand aside, Lieutenant. We are leaving with these people. They are prisoners of the city, so this is a watch matter. You have no authority over them."

Several soldiers laughed. "You're a prisoner too, 'captain!'" The last word was mocking.

"Do you question the authority of the All Mighty?" The scattered laughter didn't stop, but a few of the soldiers began to look nervous. "Because he is the God of Justice, and while I don't know the provenance of this Godling's Compassion, I know where Strength comes from. If he is here, then surely he is here on his God's authority in addition to his own." A small smile graced his face as he saw the uncertainty spread. "Dare you bar our way and risk the wrath of the King of the Gods?"

Izuku didn't correct his newfound ally, as his gambit seemed to be working. Several soldiers in the back made excuses and drifted away, which sapped the morale of those remaining. While less than a quarter of them left, and there were still more than enough to wholly block the entrance, they didn't maintain their formation very well. Gaps created by those who retreated were left unfilled.

"It's time to go," Izuku said to the people he'd freed.

Those who had finished rooting through the mountain of goods cleaved to him immediately, but those who hadn't moved slowly. As much as he wanted to give them the time they needed, he didn't want to give the soldiers a chance to change their minds again. Leaving now, while they were still rattled, had the best chance of avoiding conflict.

"Now," he said firmly. As the remaining citizens flocked to him, he began walking towards the soldiers. Izuku resisted the urge to take a steadying breath, intent on giving the appearance of confidence and authority, even if he didn't feel them. He looked the officer in the eye and commanded, "Make way."

The man wanted to refuse. Izuku could see it in his eyes. He could also see the fear and uncertainty, which won out. He looked away and moved to the side. His men followed, creating a path out.

"I'll bring up the rear," the captain said. He was too respectful – or perhaps pious? – to order a Godling, but Izuku could hear the rest: You take the lead. Make sure they aren't accosted outside.

He saw no reason to argue.

When he left the stable, Izuku noticed Uraraka waiting back on the main road, concern etched across her features.

"Uraraka!" he called, waving her over.

When she reached him, she said, "Midoriya, what's going on?" Her gaze followed the people leaving the stable, who then started to head for the gate before losing confidence and clustering around him.

"We're helping people. Can you stay here and make sure the soldiers don't decide to cause trouble?" He nodded to the checkpoint. "I need to make sure we have a way out."

"Um... Sure." Despite the confusion she obviously felt, Uraraka planted her staff forcefully, scattering dust and loose stones with a demonstrative expression of her force magic.

"Thank you," he said, echoed by the thanks and blessings of a dozen others.

Izuku, not yet the focus of those manning the gate, took that steadying breath. He placed a hand on the pommel of his sword to help the image he was crafting. He walked briskly to the soldiers searching people looking to exit the city and said, "In the name of Lord Yagi and by my authority as his Godling, stand aside while my people exit the city." He didn't figure the God would be happy being invoked here, considering how their last encounter had gone, but he also didn't particularly care. The least Lord Yagi could do at this point was be accessory to some actual justice.

The last of the freed people walked through the gate half an hour later. Izuku sighed in relief as the checkpoint resumed functioning. He knew that this would not curb their abuse of power, but he'd helped who he could, and there hadn't been any incidents in doing so.

"I think that's all of them," Uraraka said, looking at the dozens of people they'd brought out. "Maybe more than everyone, I think a couple people from the line snuck out with the rest."

"Thanks for the help," Izuku said. "I know I kind of dropped this on you."

She smiled slightly at him. "Of course. Like you said, we're helping people. How could I say no?"

Before he could respond, the dark-haired captain briskly approached them, hand on his pommel. Izuku wondered if he needed to project confidence; it really seemed like he came by it naturally. "I've spoken to several of the citizens," he said. "Only a few seem to have any real direction beyond escaping the city. I don't know if they'll be much good on the road by themselves." Even his frown had authority. "Where are you headed next, Lord?"

Izuku blinked. "Uh. I'm actually common born. I'm not a lord. You can call me Midoriya, Captain...?"

"Naomasa. I doubt I'm a captain after this, though."

"I'm Uraraka," the wizard said, "Godling of The Thirteenth."

"An honor, to meet two of you in a single day." Naomasa bowed deeply.

"I appreciate you stepping in in the stable," Izuku said. "I think it may have come to blows otherwise."

"It was right to do so. I spoke against the military when they began seizing people and property without cause, and they had me imprisoned by my own men. You merely gave me another chance to advocate for those being oppressed. But back to my previous question, Lord Midoriya?"

Izuku sighed. This had to be what it felt like to be called Miss Mina all the time. Ignoring the pang in his heart, he responded, "East. That's all we really know for now."

"Curious that you don't know more," Naomasa commented, an investigative glint in his eyes.

The Godling shrugged. "We're working off of ancient legends and cryptic prophecy. East is as good as we've got."

"Hm. Well, have you objections to helping escort these folk? The city of Kamino lies east, and for those without aim, I think it's as good a place as any to go."

Izuku looked at Uraraka. "It's your decision," she said. "I'm following you."

Her trust in him was both confidence and anxiety inducing. He frowned and considered the options. "I don't think it's a good idea," he finally said. "I attract danger. There are some very powerful beings that want me dead, and I struggle to fight them. I wouldn't be able to protect these people if we were attacked."

Naomasa's face was grim. "I see. I wish you luck, then, against these beings. I wont pretend to understand how this supposed divine succession works, but I should like to see people like you assuming the place of the Gods."

It was one thing to hear that from Grandmother or another Godling. There was a more familiar relationship there, like speaking with a mentor or a peer. To have a mortal, one who would one day be worshipping the new pantheon – the idea of that suddenly struck Izuku with its full weight – was different. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Of course, if he followed through on the Great Game, he'd have to get used to the idea. "Um... Thank you?"

The captain smiled, amused, before turning to look at the gathered mass of people. Some had already set off, but many were watching the three of them and waiting. "I'll guide them to Kamino. With luck, there's enough weapons among them that we'll be able to scare off any bandits on the road." Izuku swallowed. It was best this way, but it still made him nervous. "I'll hope to see you again someday," Naomasa continued, extending his hand. "But otherwise, it was an honor to be able to aid you, Lord Midoriya."

"You too, captain." He took the hand.

The man smiled, then nodded to Uraraka. "My lady."

Izuku exhaled, feeling a weight settling on his shoulders. He'd have to pray for these people's safety... And maybe look in on them after he reached the Palace.

Mina's mood had only marginally improved by the time the wolves picked up the scent of the undead again in the late afternoon. A new feeling had joined the frustration and anger, however: fear. If this was the same necromancer the other nymph had been looking for, then the vampire might be with him. The notion hadn't terribly bothered her at first; after all, during the daytime, all they'd have to do was pop the lid off of her coffin, or whatever vampires hid in, and the sun would do all the work for her. The long delay in resting, however, combined with the time to travel to the place they'd originally smelled the undead and then to find a fresher trail, began to put them dangerously close to nightfall.

Mina had yet to have a good experience with a vampire. She had been on the winning side every time she'd fought one, but it was always thanks to someone else. Would her new companions fare well against such a creature? Would they help her if she needed it, or leave her on the outside again?

That wasn't a charitable way to think about them, but she wasn't bothered about that right now. She was busy trying to ignore the sinking feeling that she'd made a mistake, that she'd left somewhere safe to jump into the hungry jaws of a vampire with a personal interest in her.

"They're near," Mashirao said. His tail thrashed with excitement, like a cat's. Mina might have giggled if she'd been in a better mood. "I can feel it. A mile, maybe less. Moving." He took his hand off the mass of tracks and stood up. "We should take them by surprise, hit them hard from behind. If we take out enough of them before the necromancer realizes what's happening, the press of bodies won't be nearly as bad."

"Why not go after the necromancer first?" Tsu asked. "We'll probably have to deal with the undead either way, and if there's nobody to control them, it'll be a lot easier."

"There might be a vampire," Mina said quietly.

They all turned to look at her, which gave her a dim, petty satisfaction. They couldn't ignore her and push her out now, could they?

"What makes you say that?" Ibara asked.

"We – I met the Godling of the Dead about a week ago. He said he was hunting for a necromancer who sometimes traveled with a vampire, and when he described her, he described a vampire I fought last month. They've worked together before, so... They might still be."

"Is there a reason you didn't bring this up before?" Ibara's voice was light and affectionate, but Mina wasn't fooled. The other Godling was not happy she'd not spoken up sooner.

"It might not have been the same necromancer. And if it was, it didn't really matter, since the sun was up. But now it's getting late, so..." She had to fight not to wither under the hard gazes focused on her. She hadn't helped her case by withholding information, but what right did they have to be mad about that when they'd deliberately closed her out of the discussion earlier?

"That does complicate things," Tsu said. "I don't know if I can fight a vampire."

"I can," Mashirao said confidently. His voice was hard; he was clearly upset as well.

Koji frowned from atop his bear and stroked its flank anxiously. Mina hadn't a clue what kind of combat ability he had, but she didn't bet strongly on that bear's odds.

"What do you know of her capabilities?" Ibara asked coolly.

"Don't look her in the eyes, she can paralyze you as long as you're making eye contact. Other than that... She's strong and fast." Mina shrugged. "I fought her once, and it wasn't a long fight." She did her best not to think about how short it had almost been, or why she'd been given the extra time she'd had.

"How did you beat her before?" Tsu asked. "It obviously wasn't with a stake, if she's still around."

Mina flinched, unable to banish the image of a green-hared man covered in his own blood from her mind. "She was distracted by... Someone else, and didn't see me throwing Nectar at her. I melted most of her face off. She's gotten better since, from what Lord Nosferatu's Godling said."

"Melted?!" Mashirao exclaimed. "What kind of plants are you throwing that melt skin?!"

Her eye twitched slightly. Maybe he'd know if he'd asked her anything at all about herself instead of just bringing her to Ibara and then ignoring her.

"I'm certain it's a facet of her mantle," Ibara interrupted, "but if there may be a vampire nearby, we should endeavor to make the best use of the remaining daylight."

As far as the others seemed concerned, that was the end of that. Mina was in a mood to continue, but being belligerent wasn't going to do her any favors. Besides, even if she didn't want to admit it, Ibara was also right. Standing around and arguing wouldn't slay vampires. Koji and Mashirao took to the front with their leader shortly behind. Tsu, however, lagged back by Mina.

"How did you fight her?" It was very clear the other woman was worried.

"I kept moving and made her chase me. I'm not sure that'll work for you, though; I can use my Nectar to make me faster." She looked Tsu up and down. The other Godling didn't seem encouraged by the words. It was fair not to be; it wasn't like she had just given any profound advice. Still, she couldn't just leave it at that. "Do you have a potion or something that'll do that for you?"

"Maybe with time to prepare," the witch sighed. "And a rabbit."

The taste of the squirrel potion came back to Mina, and she had to suppress a gag. "Well, I'll try to stay away from you during the fight. If it is the same vampire, she'll probably be coming after me. She wants my mantle."

Tsu looked at her for a moment. "You should tell Shiozaki. If she doesn't know, she can't do anything to help."

A bitter laugh escaped her. "I don't think she wants to hear anything from me right now."

"Why not?"

"She's mad at me about not bringing the vampire up. And earlier, it was made very clear that I wasn't allowed to be in the group that got to hear what Koji had to say."

"That's because he's shy," Tsu said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I get the feeling he preferred being around animals even before he got his mantle." She put a finger to her mouth. "Come to think of it, I don't think he's ever said a word to me. He only really talks to animals by choice."

Mina furrowed her brow. "But he seemed fine talking to Ibara and Mashirao."

"He had to get used to it. He and Ojiro share scouting and watch duty, and Shiozaki needs to know what's going on if she's going to make decisions."

She frowned and decided to try a different angle. "Don't you get sick of being on the outside, though? Ibara clearly doesn't think much of you being a witch, and it looks like you get left out of a lot."

"By choice, mostly. I trust Ibara to do the right thing, and I have no interest in being Queen. She can make the decisions, as long as we're not hurting anybody, and that leaves me to work on my potions. As far as me being a witch..." Tsu croaked thoughtfully. "I think her parents were very religious, and had some ideas about what a witch was that weren't grounded in reality. Ibara tries very hard to overcome that bias, but I think the word 'witch' still makes her feel a certain way, which is uncomfortable for her because she knows I'm not like that."

"But you still call yourself a witch."

The other Godling shrugged. "Her not being comfortable with what I am doesn't change what I am."

Mina frowned and crossed her arms. "I still don't think me talking to her is going to lead to anything good right now."

"Maybe you're right. I guess we'll never know."

The frowned turned into a scowl. She couldn't help it; Mina could hear the goading statement hidden behind Tsu's words, but it wasn't the uncertainty of the situation with Ibara that made them rankle her.

The conversation died out after that.

Despite the best efforts of Mashirao and Koji's wolves, they failed to beat the sun. Mashirao, who Mina was beginning to suspect was a fool, seemed excited about the prospect of fighting a vampire. Fortunately, either the Gods or their parents had blessed everyone else with sense, as the predominant mood of the group had turned to apprehension with night's arrival.

"Should we call off the attack until dawn?" Tsu asked. "It'll be a lot safer that way." Mina was positive the witch ribbited this time. She didn't know that noise could sound anxious.

To her surprise, Ibara actually seemed to consider the suggestion before shaking her head. "No, I think the danger of continuing our pursuit is less than the risk of them getting away. The necromancer or the vampire by themselves, nevermind the lesser undead, would be bad enough. I cannot tolerate both together being left to ravage the countryside."

Mina's heart ached. No matter who she'd come here with, that'd have been the answer, wouldn't it have?

Someone assaulted the undead under the pale light of the moon, and it wasn't them. While this gave the rest of her newfound band pause, Mina rather thought it made things easier. After all, even if both sides were hostile to them, they'd also be fighting each other.

"It still represents an increased risk," Ibara told her when she said as much. "I would like to observe before committing us. I do not want anyone to come to harm from not taking the time to understand who this third party is."

Mina sighed, but she didn't break from their cover.

There were far more undead than she had expected. The trampled plant life and overlapping tracks they'd been following hadn't done the horde justice. It far outnumbered the undead that had attacked her revel in Musutafu, being more akin to a small army than a shambling warband, though it seemed to be comprised solely of skeletons and zombies as well. There was no sign of any necromancer, but she could see flashes of red and white from the bloodstained dress the vampire wore as she savagely tried to attack a large man with six webbed arms.

She was honestly impressed; despite the vampire's numerous advantages, she couldn't seem to properly close in and harm him. Even her enhanced speed proved not to be a match for him. He was effectively keeping her contained to that area of the battle as well, Mina realized as she tried to reposition and one of his arms elongated and grabbed her by the ankle. In the moments before she wriggled free, he used her as a bludgeon to flatten several lesser undead advancing on him, and he'd been using three of his other arms to fend more off the entire time. It was with no small amount of revulsion that she realized the reason his remaining two arms weren't being used to fight was because they didn't end in hands. Instead, a grotesque, oversized eyeball capped each of their wrists, twisting and moving independently of the rest of his limbs to watch the course of the rest of the battle. It was only after she saw him slow down that she finally noticed that his skin was discolored in places; where otherwise it was tan, blotchy red areas coated in scabs appeared all over his body, except on his extra four arms and the webbing between them. She recognized the marks of his affliction immediately: whatever else this large man was, he was a leper. It went a long way to explaining why he'd covered his face so thoroughly below his eyes.

The second person fighting the undead, and by far the least noticeable, had adopted a similar strategy as his larger companion. Producing some sort of thick web-like material from his elbow, he had bound several larger zombies together and was swinging them around like a flail in an impressive feat of strength for such an average-looking man. He seemed to be enjoying himself, based on the ear-to-ear grin.

The eye-catching fixture of the fighting, however, was the giant, purple-black, vaguely bird-shaped mass that appeared to be made out of wailing souls carving a swathe through the undead. Mina had no idea what sort of creature that was, but its chosen side confused her. Something made of souls really seemed like it should be working with the undead. It was made clear to her when the shadowy beast slapped a clump of zombies away, revealing that it was connected to a Beaked Nymph.

"Hey, I know him!" Mina yelled, bolting from their hiding place to join the fray. She ignored the startled noises made by her comrades as she pushed Nectar through her feet to skate closer to the Godling of the Dead. What was his name, again?

She didn't have time to consider that further. Her shout called attention from everyone in the battle. Walking corpses turned away from the press of bodies trying to reach their targets to take advantage of closer prey, the other probably-Godlings spared at least a glance her way, but most importantly, the vampire's head snapped around to witness her, fangs bared in a feral grin.

It got her smacked into a tree by the six armed one. Mina didn't do anything to suppress the smile.

Though her entry seemed to stretch out a relatively silent moment in the battle, in reality, it exploded back into activity almost immediately. Mina couldn't afford to keep track of the people with the Godling of the Dead due to the crowd of undead trying to pull her down. She heard her new band of Godlings leaving the brush they were hiding in, though, even over the howls of Koji's wolves. It was actually those very noises that gave her the presence of mind not to eject her acidic Nectar in every direction, lest she injure the animals.

In a pitched battle like this, Mina might have preferred to use her sleeping Nectar instead. That way, at least any contact with her allies wouldn't be immediately lethal. A thought leaped to the front of her mind, but she forcefully shoved it back; now was not the time. Regardless, sleeping Nectar wouldn't do anything against a zombie. Thick, acidic liquid welled up through the exposed skin of her arms and she ducked low, beneath the grasping fingers of the corpses trying to bring her down. She forced more Nectar through her feet as she angled them against the ground, launching into a rapid spin that pulled the Nectar from her body in thin, whip-like strands. A loud hissing rose up around her as it ate through the already decomposing bodies of her opponents. The noise called back memories of the last revel she'd held; after all, she hadn't made Nectar this potent since she'd thrown it in the vampire's face. As zombies and skeletons folded in half, their midsections little more than sizzling puddles of goop and Nectar, Mina decided that it was a shame the vampire had healed from their last encounter. She was going to have to fix that before the night was over.

It was a little strange how easily her fear was chased away by the decision to take action.

Melting her enemies in half wasn't enough to end the threat of them, of course. The magic animating them was powerful enough that something so insignificant couldn't end them. This problem was solved by making the Nectar coming out of her feet acidic. She forced out much more than was necessary, hopping briefly into the air and leaving a massive puddle behind. As Mina slid away, tapering the Nectar back to a more mild recipe, the undead tried to crawl after her. Either the necromancer controlling them wasn't terribly smart or he wasn't paying attention, because they tried to go right through the Nectar, ending their threat handily.

The wolves were ripping their enemies apart. It was honestly scary to watch; one of the massive animals would slip behind a zombie, grab its calf in its teeth, and pull it to the ground, prompting another to dart forward and savage the corpse as it tried to figure out what had just happened. Before it could manage to return to its feet, the damage was so great that the necromancy couldn't hold together and it returned to being just dead. This scene was repeated all across the fringes of the battlefield, and Mina found that she was grateful that wolves didn't tend to stray from hunting animals without great cause.

Koji's bear mount, on the other hand, smashed through crowds of enemies with ease. Skeletons shattered, never to reform, with a single swipe of its great paw. When a zombie was battered off of its feet, the nymph would lunge out with a thick spear, punching large holes in their heads and backs. Most never rose, but those that did failed to do more than grasp the shaggy fur of the beast before its rider forced them back down.

Tsu hung back, reaching out with her alarmingly long tongue to lash at skeletons. As Mina swept around the field to reposition herself where she could best contribute, she never saw the other Godling attack a zombie, and it wasn't hard to understand why. It was Ibara, though, that had the greatest impact upon the undead horde. Vines and roots reached up to bind the undead, bringing them to the ground and squeezing. The sound of bones snapping filled the air, as did the ripe stench of rotting corpses that were freshly popped. It made Mina gag, but she couldn't deny the effectiveness. In a matter of moments, Ibara had destroyed several dozen of their enemies.

Mina darted into a group headed towards Tsu. While the witch was certainly able to hold her own in combat, it seemed that she wasn't as adept at dealing with large groups. She coated her palms in Nectar and seized two zombies by the backs of their necks, letting go before they'd fully dissolved, because that would be gross. She flung strands at surrounding zombies to clear them out. As the rest turned to focus on her, she slid out of their reach, throwing Nectar behind to discourage pursuit. It didn't work terribly well, but the ones that tried lost their feet, so Mina called it a win. Tsu had the time she needed to back off, using her tongue to pull herself back towards a tree. The idea of tongue-splinters made Mina shudder.

With the Godling of the Dead and his allies biting into the other side of the horde, it was rapidly shrinking, especially since the vampire had stopped harassing the six-armed man. She had made to come for Mina, but Mashirao had jumped in the way and engaged her. Watching him fight her was impressive; his head was tilted down, and he was clearly watching her feet instead of her eyes. The Godling of the Hunt wielded his long-bladed spear in tandem with his tail. He stabbed and slashed with it, and though she wove around the attacks, her attempts to advance on him were foiled. A failed attack with the spear transitioned seamlessly into a spinning swipe of his tail, forcing her to dodge back, and the spear came back around in a slash.

Mashirao may have been a fool, but he was, as much as she hated to admit it, a fool who was right about being able to fight a vampire. He even looked like he was enjoying himself. Still, he wasn't winning the fight, and she could easily lend a hand.

The ground behind the vampire sizzled with Nectar. "Pinky!" she said gleefully. "I'm not going to fall for that again!" She darted towards Mina, avoiding Mashirao's attempt to punish the action and moving rapidly outside his reach and ability to follow up.

Mina coated her arms, slinging one line of Nectar downward at the ground before her and making approach hazardous, and sending the other out and upward, forcing the vampire to move or melt. "I've fought a vampire stronger than you," Mina said, heart pounding with some kind of emotion. She didn't spare the thought to decide whether it was excitement or fear. "I'm not afraid of you!"

"Doesn't matter," the vampire said dismissively. "I'll get my teeth in you one way or the other, and then I'll get my mantle!"

Mashirao closed distance to stab at her back, and that same uncanny stealth that let him sneak up on Mina carried him all the way to the vampire's back. His spear split her back as he lashed out, but it didn't pierce her all the way through. The moment it bit into her flesh, she dashed away, avoiding further injury. This drove her towards Mina, who grinned widely as she surrounded herself with Nectar.

She hadn't really expected that to work, as much as she'd hoped, and it didn't. The vampire jumped clear over her, landing on the other side of the large area she'd begun liquefying. Mashirao scowled as he moved quickly (but carefully) around the Nectar. With a glint of fangs, she jumped back at Mina, who slid on acid to leave the small area that had, up to that point, been relatively Nectar-free.

"Oh, come on!" the nymph groaned. The vampire had landed on what had to have been a single toe and immediately pushed back off. She shed the shoe in midair before the acid had eaten through to her toe.

Mashirao displayed surprising foresight in following the flow of the battle. He'd stabbed his spear into the ground, instead drawing the shortbow on his back and loosing two arrows before his target made it to the ground. Even well aimed as they were, they failed to make contact as she produced knives and used her inhuman speed to slash the projectiles from the air. He drew a third, but abandoned both it and the bow as she hit the ground and raced to him. Mashirao gripped the spear but spun to bring his tail around, as there was no way to bring the weapon to bear before the vampire reached him. He was rewarded with a gash down the side of his tail as one of the knives spun from her hand, joining her shoe in the acid.

Mina had gathered a substantial glob of Nectar in her hand and thrown it during this exchange, and the vampire jumped again, dodging both it and Mashirao's stab. Unfortunately, the spear did not avoid the Nectar, and its head was eaten away before their enemy returned to the ground.

"Watch it!" he snapped.

"Like that was my fault!" Mina retorted. She bristled at his tone.

The vampire giggled and came back towards the nymph, who was forced to shed more Nectar to make the ground around her too much of a hazard to approach. She didn't expect for the second knife to be thrown, and while she twisted away from a more lethal strike, it dug painfully into her shoulder. The angle was not deep enough for the blade to stick in her, but she had to bite off a scream as its weight made it cut her again on the way out, leaving a deep wound on the outside of her arm. She made some Nectar to seal off the injury and prevent it from bleeding too much, but that'd be a short-term solution. She'd need to have that tended to after they killed the vampire.

Mashirao cast his ruined spear aside and went to scoop up his bow, but their opponent had doubled back to go after him, forcing him to draw his long knife. She may not have had any weapons, but she was not afraid to use her fingernails like claws – they may very well have been claws, actually – or to take a few hits to get what she wanted. What she wasn't prepared for, though, and what Mina would never have expected, was that fighting the heir of the Deific incarnation of the concept of Hunting was dangerous for reasons beyond mere injury. Mashirao stayed well away from her mouth, but he was also willing to take some scrapes if it meant that he got to draw his long knife along her arms. After a brief, violent, and bloody exchange, they both drew back. The Godling was covered in bloody scratches, but the vampire was having difficulty moving her hands due to the severed muscles he had left her with.

Mashirao was grinning. Mina would say 'like a fool,' except she was being forced to admit that perhaps he wasn't a fool and was just accurately stating what he was capable of.

The wounds on the vampire were closing, but she was beginning to look gaunt. Mina wasn't sure what precisely that meant, but she felt like it had to be good for them. She gathered a large glob of Nectar in her hand, but she never got the opportunity to throw it. The vampire's head jerked to the side and she frowned before jumping over Mashirao and making for the woods at a breakneck pace, even for a vampire.

Then the heatwave hit.

Mina looked around to try and identify its source. She idly noted that the others had about cleaned up the undead horde, but she felt no triumph in that when she saw the figure the heat seemed to be originating from. His skin looked like it had the texture of paper, or perhaps very thin, old leather. He'd clearly been heavily stitched together at some point. What hair he had left was thin and dark, and his eyes were small and dried out. Most alarmingly, he was surrounded by a blaze of blue fire; as parts flared or broke, she could see someone behind him. A man, tall, light haired, and with a scar down the middle of his forehead. The necromancer the other Godling had been looking for.

"RUN!" The Godling of the Dead hollered. "RUN, DO NOT ENGAGE THIS CREATURE!"

"REND!" the mass of souls screeched over him. "REND HIS FLESH, PULL HIS BLASPHEMOUS FORM APART!"

Whatever this... thing was, she was inclined to agree with the Godling over the shadowy being reaching out of him. If the vampire was allied with the necromancer, and even she ran rather than press the advantage, Mina wanted nothing to do with it. She pushed as much Nectar through her feet as she could manage, sending herself away from the figure as fast as she could. Tsu and the one who shot webs from his elbows used their various methods of reach to pull themselves in a similar direction, and while Koji rode his bear away, he sent wolves for everyone else to flee upon. The Godling of the Dead brought up the rear, and as a column of flame large enough to swallow anyone present whole bellowed towards them, he had the shadowy mass of souls intercept it.

The sound that it made would haunt Mina for the rest of her days, but the fire was stopped. She wasn't sure if the being was withdrawn into the Godling that spawned it or destroyed entirely, but either way, it was nowhere to be seen.

With the casual power that thing had displayed, she was glad that there wasn't a second blast to chase them away.

"What was that?" Mashirao demanded. Their enemies had not pursued them through the woods, to everyone's silent gratitude.

"I can't be sure," the Godling of the Dead cautioned, "But I think that was a reanimated Demigod."

"What?" Mina asked. "I thought there were only the two Demigods, and the dead one is a girl."

Several confused looks were cast her way. Clearly, Todoroki and his sister weren't common knowledge.

"I wouldn't know about that, but I could sense the age of the corpse," the Beaked Nymph said. "He was dead for centuries before being reanimated."

"Shouldn't he have been more rotted?" Tsu asked.

"Unless he was mummified," the Godling of the Dead agreed. "But that was no zombie. Whatever kind of undead that Demigod is, it's been the subject of a great amount of necromantic magics. More than I've ever seen."

With concern, the six-armed man asked, "What about the Shadow, Tokoyami?" Mina sighed in satisfaction. It had been bothering her that she couldn't remember his name.

Tokoyami looked down slightly. "...Most of the souls comprising it were destroyed. It will be severely weakened moving forward."

"Souls?" Ibara asked severely.

"Only the damned and the willing," he assured her. Mina wasn't convinced that that was better, but Ibara seemed to accept it.

"I think we're really under-reacting to the idea of an undead Demigod," Mashirao hissed. "Did you know about this?" He asked Mina harshly.

"Why would I know anything about this?" She bristled with indignation.

"You knew about the vampire and waited to say anything!" he accused. "How should I know that you aren't holding more back?!"

"How dare-!" Mina began.

Tokoyami spoke up, cutting her off. "Nobody had any prior knowledge of this. I didn't know such a creature existed until I laid eyes on it at the same time you did." Shame crept into his voice. "I didn't think the necromancer capable of such powerful works. If I had known what the casket he ran with at the beginning of the fight held, I would have stopped him regardless of the risk to my safety. We were... unprepared."

"Make not such careless accusations, Ojiro," Ibara commanded. She sounded distinctly displeased, which Mina took as a victory. He scowled, but neither apologized nor continued. An awkward silence settled around them.

"So," the plain-looking one with the elbow-webs began, "I'm Hanta Sero, the Godling of Prisons." He looked around expectantly, a wide smile on his face.

The six-armed man was introduced as Mezo Shoji, Godling of Change, and Tokoyami revealed that he had two names, which Mina found very odd, considering he was a nymph. His first was Fumikage. Introductions were made by her band as well, though nothing she didn't already know was revealed. She had glanced suspiciously at Koji when Ibara introduced him, wondering if he was also some sort of weird nymph with two names, but that didn't seem to be the case.

The conversation after that got boring. Fumikage and Ibara began to dance around the subject of the Great Game and who would be its winner. Mina let her gaze wander around them, looking for anything more interesting than two Godlings discussing plans she already knew about. She froze when she saw a pair of familiar bright blue eyes intensely gazing at her from the treeline.

Fumikage started in with the 'accord of sportsmanship' that he offered Iida, but Mina had stopped listening. She left the circle of Godlings, gathering a few curious glances, but nobody interrupted Fumikage and Ibara's conversation to ask after her. Mina wouldn't have answered even if they did; Lady Midnight hadn't appeared to her since she'd been granted her mantle, and she was much more invested in finding out why she'd appeared now.

Mina had to walk deceptively far into the forest to reach the Goddess. It was very strange; she had never seemed that far away, always just a few more steps, and yet she'd had to go several minutes into the treeline to reach her. None of the others tried to follow her, but she sourly figured that had more to do with her existence on the outside of the new band of Godlings she'd joined.

"It's called a clique, actually," Lady Midnight said kindly.

Mina blinked. "What?"

"A group of Godlings is called a clique, not a band."

"Can... can you read my mind?"

The Goddess laughed. It was pleasant, like listening to the sound of people dancing. "No, you were mumbling under your breath."

Her face burned. She'd never done that before! Any time Mina had ever talked to herself, she knew that she was doing it. For her to not notice that she was doing it...

"You're not doing yourself any favors by forcing him out of your mind every time he comes up."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mina crossed her arms.

The corners of Lady Midnight's mouth quirked up ever so slightly. "Of course not." She reached out and stroked the back of her fingers against Mina's hair, where the delphinium was woven in. "Are you happy with your new clique?"

There wasn't a correct answer to that question. No matter what she said, Lady Midnight won. "Are you even allowed to ask that sort of thing? I thought you weren't allowed to interfere with the Game." She did her best not to smile. That had been clever; now she was in control of the conversation.

The laugh was deeper, throatier this time. "Oh, Mina, I'm very sorry. I don't mean to give you the idea that this is an official visit in my capacity as the Goddess of Revelry, and even if it was, rules be damned." The softness left her face as she narrowed her eyes. Mina's breath caught, and she was sure that the glare she was receiving was sharp enough to draw blood if Lady Midnight had wished it to. "You're making a horrid mistake, and for incredibly stupid reasons."

"I... You... Listen, you don't–"

"No, darling, you don't understand. Do you really think that boy has a deceitful bone in his body? That he kept it from you of his own free will?" Lady Midnight seemed more imposing, suddenly. "That secret was killing him, and there was nobody he wanted to tell more than you."

"Then why didn't he?!" The words tore themselves from her throat before she could even think about it. "If he wanted to tell me so bad, then why did he lie?!"

"Because Yagi, in his infinite wisdom," the words dripped with sarcasm, "decided that what Izuku Midoriya needed was more rules, and used them to lead him in the direction he wanted, rather than what Izuku wanted. And oh, but you should have heard them argue when he woke up. Little Izuku Midoriya, scarcely eighteen years old, shouted down a three-thousand year old God and walked away the victor."

Of course he did. Mina's breath was caught in her chest. She didn't doubt for a second that Izuku's insane determination would carry him through an argument with the King of the Gods. Her heart felt like it was going to be crushed under the pressure; at the same time, she wanted to know more and to run away and push him out of her mind. The indecision was paralyzing.

"Leaving him behind would be a mistake, Mina." The edge had left Lady Midnight's gaze and voice. "Forget the Game, forget the Gods. Do you really want to forget him?"

"No." Her voice was small, trembling.

Lady Midnight stepped forward and took Mina into her arms. "Then why are you running?"

She nearly melted into the Goddess' embrace. "I'm scared. What if he's different to me, now that the secret is out?"

"Do you really think he would do that?"

Mina didn't respond. Her eyes brimmed with tears.

"You know he wouldn't."

She did.

"You told him once that fifty years with him was worth more to you than three thousand without. Did you mean it?"

Mina nodded.

"Then what would you do, darling, for three thousand with him?"

Her heart all but burst from her chest at the thought.

"He's not far," Lady Midnight whispered. "There's a fight standing between the two of you, but if he overcomes it, you could–" Her head snapped to the side.

The motion startled Mina, and she let go of the Goddess. "W-what?"

"No, that fool," she hissed. "That storm wasn't supposed to hit here! They aren't ready!"

"What's happening?" She tried her best not to sound panicked, but everything was so raw, it was hard not to.

"A Godling made a damned stupid decision," Lady Midnight said, "And a great many people are about to die."