Gardens of Hedone

"The Henosis Seekers were manipulating Bianor?" Nysa echoed the shadow's words, pondering about that revelation.

"It would make sense if I hadn't just interrogated him. A hypnotic spell strong enough to permanently change an individual's entire perception of reality belongs to the realm of High Thaumaturgy. It'd require enormous amounts of Mana—something a non-magus cannot survive."

The shadow slightly lowered its voice as it spoke, "They did something with him... Something far more terrifying than hypnosis magecraft. I still cannot comprehend what kind of lifeform it was, but it infected my owner's mind at some point."

It marked a pause, seemingly dreading the mere act of recalling that creature. "It didn't completely change his perception but somewhat altered it. Bianor of Cebrene truly cooperated once with the Mekkubal Order and technically still did up until his death. The Henosis Seekers merely used him to learn about their enemies' movements."

"Was the Mekkubal Order aware of his betrayal?" Nysa asked.

"They were," the shadow sighed. "However, they knew that it was due to a strange influence. Since they couldn't get anything on the Henosis Seekers from him, they mainly fed him false information and kept him under surveillance."

"Under surveillance?!" Nysa's hair suddenly stood on end. Her eyes flared with a greenish hue, inspecting the surrounding Mana flow with perception magecraft. "This is bad..."

The shadow cackled. "What? Did you not take measures against eavesdroppers?"

Nysa bit her lower lip and walked out of the temple, investigating the relics she had scattered throughout this side of the agora. They looked like crude, metallic poles ornamented with strange inscriptions that emitted bluish sparks. Most were planted inside the marble or rocks, though some had been carefully hidden in isolated corners.

They were known as Periapts—common Grade 3 Relics used to ward off non-magi from a specific area. In great numbers, they could even act as a pseudo-barrier and keep magi locked out of a particular location. However, they were relatively weak and inefficient compared to real barrier magecraft.

Still, the fact that the pseudo-barrier itself had been breached was valuable information. Nysa could easily deduce it from the physical state of the Periapts used as a medium. Two-thirds of the metallic poles showed signs of cracking, and the rest had already crumbled.

"Someone was listening. I was careless," Nysa returned to the altar, eyeing the trapped shadow. "I've lost the initiative, but it isn't unsalvageable yet. Tell me, does the Mekkubal Order really own an apothecary in the southern colonnades?"

"Yes, they do."

"Do you know where the Henosis Seekers are currently hiding?"

"Probably. There's the place where my owner got controlled—"

"Stay silent," Nysa abruptly cut it off, a slender finger raised in front of her mouth. "I don't need to hear this information yet. Its existence is a bargaining chip. I don't know whether someone is still listening or not, so we'll keep it safe for now."

With a mental command, Nysa's shadow, who had kept Bianor's shadow in check, dragged its rogue counterpart under its mistress' feet.

Nysa then took out the needles that pinned Bianor's corpse against the wall. After merely a few minutes, they had already sucked the old man's blood dry, leaving a vaguely human-looking mound of desiccated flesh and rattling bones.

Her shadow moved again, wrapping the withered cadaver before melting into the darkness. It also swept over the scattered Periapts outside the altar, leaving no trace of their existence.

Once the clean-up was over, Nysa strolled toward the southern colonnades, her relaxed bearing giving no hint about what she had just done or the life she had just taken.

For her, it was as insignificant as a mundane task on a checklist, its sole worth being its necessity for fulfilling her life's purpose...

To kill the Celestial Offering before the Sacrificial Ceremony.

—

Far beyond the bounds of Priene, atop Mount Eurymedon.

A pale, gilded beauty with lustrous golden hair slowly walked into a garden that could only be described as divine.

A vast, magnificent field of flowers spread in all directions, their petals depicting the starry darkness of the night sky. Threads of gentle light linked them together as they danced in the breeze, occasionally emitting a puff of colorful stardust—reminiscent of the swirling nebulae surrounding the mountain peak.

The Grace of Blossoms, Anthea, breathed in the idyllic atmosphere with the same smile she had worn for thousands of years upon entering the Gardens of Hedone.

Not far from her, the heavenly tune of a skillfully-played harp wafted like a call for all living creatures, enthralling them with a blissful melody that escaped human capability.

The Grace of Radiance, Phaenna, entertained a small group of half-naked Adonal Virgins with her instrument, its dark hue contrasting wildly with her milky white hair, pale skin, and slightly-closed silvery eyes.

Cleta, the Grace of Glory and oldest amongst them, peacefully cradled her sleeping younger sister, Euphrosyne, the Grace of Mirth. Her luxurious black hair reflected the astral patterns of the field of flowers with glimmering dots of light, its strands floating in the wind while she delicately did the braids of her fiery-headed sibling.

Her gaze was partially cast at the warping night sky as it converged towards the Caphygae Palace's highest tower, where Her Divine Majesty, the Goddess Adonaios, was dwelling.

"You're already back, Anthea."

The Grace of Blossoms turned to face the source of that familiar voice—the Grace of Prosperity, Euthenia.

She curved her lips even more, greeting her bronze-haired elder sister with a lazy wave. "I can't bring myself to leave this place for too long. It has all of my favorite things... and you, as well. How is Her Divine Majesty feeling?"

"Worried," Euthenia paid no mind to her younger sister's subtle jab. "Did you investigate the anomaly with the Celestial Offering?"

"I did..." Anthea lay on the ground, slumping like a worker after a long day of work. "There's nothing wrong with him. The Temple of Stars got overly paranoid, as usual."

"The boy tried to crack his own skull open at the foot of Mount Eurymedon. He would have died if not for your magecraft. How can you still say that there's nothing wrong with him?" Euthenia's tone was even yet sharp, oozing disbelief.

"The closest thing he had to a father figure hung himself in front of him. We changed his caretakers, whom he had been familiar with for years, right after that incident. I would be more worried if he showed no signs of distress. He's only eleven years old. At that age, you cried yourself to sleep when I hid your toys. More importantly, why is Her Divine Majesty worried?"

Euthenia rolled her eyes, then answered with a heavy sigh. "It's merely a guess... and I don't know. She refuses to communicate with any of us."

"The Sacrificial Ceremony will take place in five days. Maybe Her Divine Majesty is preparing for the ritual?"

"I doubt that. She only did this once before... right before the War of the Drowned Hopes." Euthenia sat next to her sister, partially listening to Phaenna's music. "I sense a storm brewing."

"The War of the Drowned Hopes was waged for the 7th Celestial Offering. It's been more than a millennium since we claimed victory. Do you truly think Lichtenhimmel's Hallowed Sovereign wants to seek revenge after all this time?"

"Lichtenhimmel isn't the only nation we need to worry about," Euthenia said. "The Sethian Empire's Ennead is a looming threat that's been eyeing our lands for a while now. What's more, I can sense the gaze of that creepy hag from Qeharmenod. We can't be certain she won't try anything funny with the Ceremony's day upon us."

"That's one way to antagonize that devious witch." Anthea chuckled, amused by the way her sister talked about Qeharmenod's Hallowed Sovereign. "She did steal the 12th and 14th Celestial Offerings from Ctesiphon and Yura Ni a few centuries ago. I wouldn't put it beyond her to attempt a third kidnapping if only for the thrill of it."

Euthenia massaged her temples. "She's been constantly taunting us by probing Hierapetra's defenses. Yesterday, three Adonal Virgins went mad when checking disturbances in Priene's Theurgic Field. Two of them died this morning. That hag lives half a world away yet keeps me awake at night with her antics."

"Distance is relative for deities such as the Hallowed Sovereigns." Anthea hugged her knees. "Qeharmenod's patron Goddess is a known troublemaker, but I don't think she'll attempt anything serious this time around. Sethia is too busy invading the Central Continent, meaning Lichtenhimmel won't waste time with petty revenge when an expansionist empire is sweeping over its lands."

"What's the most likely source of danger, then?"

"Hmmm, let me think~"

Anthea tapped her golden, pulpous lips with a slender finger, mimicking the expression of someone deep in thought. She revealed a twisted smile afterward, gazing directly at the Divine Capital's flickering lights.

"I believe we ought to deal with the blasphemous rats that slipped past our surveillance first..."