Celestial Pain

With a thin snap, one of the vines is cut in two. The half-melted blade of Elizabeth's former sword slices through it so easily, it's hard to believe.

When the sword had been melted by the second greater monster, it had stopped glowing by our touch. No longer able to transform mana into strength, we had thought it broken and worthless. I had tested it on a few goblins back then, just in case, but the sword couldn't even make a scratch in their skin.

I can't believe it took so long for me to put the pieces together. The only thing on Earth that can glow like that sword is a mana stone. But mana stones are notoriously difficult to work with, hence why they usually stay in a spherical shape.

In other words, that leaves one of two options:

1. There's some unknown technique discovered by some unknown person, who somehow had in-depth knowledge of celestial magic. They then created the most powerful weapon on the planet and promptly disappeared, never to be heard from again.

2. The sword isn't from Earth.

I don't know about you, but considering recent events, one of those sounds a lot more likely than the other.

After another few  snaps, the previously impossible-to-cut vines crumble, and the mangled body of Risus falls to the ground. The remaining vines glide away, wriggling back into the sphere around us, like snakes retreating to safety.

Elizabeth moves over to him, the celestial sword still in hand, and begins to cut away the last few vines. A sudden wriggle from one of the vines makes her hand slip and I see her accidentally nick the side of his hand.

"Be. Careful."

A small trickle of some blue liquid flows out of the tiny papercut-size wound. I swallow. Something about this power is weirdly - for lack of a better word - exciting. The power to wound a god. Is there a greater power in the universe?

Elizabeth removes the last vine from around Risus' neck with a careful cut.

"Is he alright?" I ask Elizabeth.

"I don't know," she replies, "he isn't breathing."

That's... not great.

The cracks have spread far across his mask, reaching all the way to his eyes. I wonder if he was dead by the time we got here or if we took too long to get him out.

"What now?" Vol asks, probably thinking out loud.

"Let's start by getting out of-" I start, but I'm suddenly interrupted as Elizabeth jumps back.

On the floor of vines, the previously unmoving body of Risus has begun making  cracking sounds as fingers snap back into place. His twisted neck rotates back towards the front in snapping steps, and his knees pop back into place from their splayed position.

Slowly, tentatively, as if unsure of his own movements, Risus pushes himself up; first onto one knee, then carefully up onto both legs.

"SnAWl."

His voice cracks as his neck makes the final push.

"Shawl," he exclaims, his broken mask grinning broadly at me.

"Lae'vie-crostro, it's so very good to see you again! I cannot possibly express my gratitude for this."

"It's fine. Elizabeth did all the cutting. Thank her."

His large flat disk of a head spins around in a graceful arc to face Elizabeth.

"You have my deepest thanks- Oh dear!" he suddenly exclaims, "but why have you brought the sword?!"

His head rotates down to glare at the melted sword, still held firmly in Elizabeth's hand.

He knows it?

"You know it???" Vol and Elizabeth ask in tandem.

Three of a kind, I guess. But he knows it??

"Yes," he says, "but you must go. The sword must not be here."

"Why not?" I ask.

"Later, Shawl. Please, you must go. Now. I will send you back. When you do, I pray that you will do me yet another favor."

"What is it?"

"You must leave the church. The Cyrene knows what you are trying to do. You must finish the spell, Shawl. Do not come back until you succeed. All you need is some different mana."

The dark sphere of vines seems to become even darker. I look out of the corner of my eye to check on Elizabeth, but she isn't there. Everything is fading away.

"Now. Go."

"Wh-"

Why does it feel like all I ever do with the gods is ask questions?

Fine. Time to review all that bullshit.

There's someone called Cyrene. Probably hostile. Maybe the one I know as "Not Gaia."

Risus knows the sword. It is important. Probably a celestial weapon or something. Don't bring it to the realm of the gods.

I need to finish the celestial spell. I need some "different mana." Maybe I need to separate my mana like I did in the past.

Jesus Christ.

Gods are a celestial pain.