CH299

<Ben, don’t be stupid. Of course it was made to keep demons from being a part of it. You think we don’t understand just how important that would be? While the system automatically takes in any intelligent race it encounters, the original gods that built it worked exceptionally hard to ensure that demons would be excluded. What sort of idiot would create such an intensely powerful weapon, just to give it to enemies and allies alike?>

Ben could tell from the voice of his god in his head that Myriad was almost insulted by the idea, the prospect that the gods who’d worked so hard to create this to give all sapient races better odds at surviving would ever do something that could bring them crashing down again, it was pure madness, plain and simple, and the longer Ben thought on it he couldn’t help agree. The system was designed in a way to aid in the growth of all races who were a part of it, with most people having at least a couple fifth leveled skills when the equivalent amount of power from before the system existed was around level one or two. People were simply better at things than any of their pre-system ancestors would ever be, but thinking about that just made a weight form in the pit of his stomach for one simple fact. He knew he wasn’t wrong.

Myriad, I assure you, demons have access to the system. I felt the skills on the one who impaled me.

Thera was eyeing him from the side with concern from the expression on his face and the fact he’d gone silent, but that barely registered as his minds became a flurry of activity as the implication got to him. At the time, when the two of them had been on their hunt with Steph, Will, and Wedrow, Ben hadn’t paid it any mind. When he’d survived the attack he had other more important things to worry about, not to mention that his understanding of both souls and the system were almost non-existent. He hadn’t questioned what he’d felt, nor felt the need to mention it, with the fact he’d experienced it at all almost vanishing in the recesses of his memory, but now that he had a greater understanding of things he could tell just how bad this was.

Myriad could hear the certainty in his apostle’s thoughts, but even still he denied it, though significantly less confidently.

<Ben, it isn’t like this wasn’t tested for when the system was being created. The fact that some stray demons exist on this world let the gods confirm that when the protosystem was developed it wouldn’t interact with them before being completed in its final permanent form. It was incredibly difficult too, given that it was specifically designed to take in intelligent races in general while at the same time not only excluding one, but letting the other races grow from killing them. This isn’t a mistake that could be made. Hell, if it was then we’d see…>

His god trailed off as horror filled his words, the confidence Myriad was feeling in his claim all but vanishing as something clicked for him.

Myriad?

<Ben, tell Thera to go to Anailia now, specifically to the first church. Don’t explain what we were talking about, just tell her it’s important. I need to find Anailia and Helori but I’ll talk to you when you get there.>

He passed on the message to Thera who was able to pick up on his own worry easily enough, and without argument changed the destination they went through when they made it to the gate, returning to her homeland instead.

It was Ben’s first time at the church, but he didn’t take the time to appreciate its architecture, he understood that they were there for an important reason, one that had a heavy bearing on the future as a whole.

When they arrived they took seats in front of the statue of Anailia, and at Myriad’s request, closed their eyes to pray, opening them again and finding them both in his god’s realm, with Anailia and Helori present as well.

Thera broke into a deep bow as she understood what was happening, averting her eyes from the radiant divinity that was before her as she quietly thought about how much she wished Ben had warned her this was going to happen.

“Lovely to see you again child, and your partner couldn’t warn you because of the delicacy of the matter,” Anailia told her with a strained chuckle, easily seeing her thoughts while trying to contain her reaction to what Myriad had told her. “And Ben, isn’t it lovely to see you alive. Your survival made some impressive waves up here, at least until something a bit more important came up.”

“Thanks, and as nice as it is to be alive and all, maybe we should cut to the heart of the matter?”

“Which is?” Thera asked quietly, still struggling with being in the presence of so much divinity and wanting to know why.

“I think demons and invaders have access to the system.”

That stunned her silent as the gods surrounding them grimaced.

“That is still a pretty big if, no matter what it might help explain,” Helori said, even if she seemed just as uncomfortable with the likelihood. “We’ll need people to actually verify. This is going to be a nightmare of unseen proportions if you’re right. The implications alone-”

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“Which we’ll deal with when the time comes,” Anailia said firmly. “The idea that a god would do this, I’ve contacted some I know I can trust just in case and I think we all have our suspicions, but this couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”