Published at 21st of February 2026 8:37 pm

Chapter 187 Divine Mysteries

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By the end of the cycle, Mirians preliminary measurements on leyline activity in Akana Praediar were complete. Lecne and his faithful had also completed their reconnaissance.

Prophet, Lecne said, kneeling. There is someone spreading messages about a different Prophet in Arborholm. One group that was part of the Church of the Ominian attempted to force their way into the military base near the city. They failed, and provoked a mass arrest of heretics. However, three days later, artificers from the Rosen Corporation went into the secure hangers of those dreadnoughts. Based on our information provided by agents of the criminal underworld, we suspect they did something under the guise of repairing them, though it is unclear what. Maruce and Pelnu also think there were irregularities during the assassination attempt on the Prime Minister. We have prepared a more detailed report that includes the times and days of notable events.

Lecnes tone had become much more formal. It didnt feel like him at all. She didnt like it. She thought of Shiamagoth. The longer I stay in the time loop, the more I become something incomprehensible to a normal person.

Very good, was what she said. It was good to have her suspicions confirmed.

She sat down with the report the Cult of Zomalator had prepared and began to study it. Lecne stood by and answered any questions she had about it.

On the 7th of Duala, a broadsheet from Vadriach discussed rumors that the army sent from Arborholm to attack Baracuel was supposed to have included two secret airships. Mirian looked at the paper, eyes widening. The airships didnt launch?

She could no longer delay. There was a twisted knot in her gut, but that anxiety that this other time traveler was her enemyshe couldnt listen to it. She had to know. She had to discard her fear. The truth is more important.

***

Arborholm had once had a great forest that surrounded it. Now, it was surrounded by pastures that contained a domesticated variety of the bison and sprawling farmland full of monoculture crops. It was nothing like the traditional farms up by Torrviol. It was strange to see no spellward barriers surrounding the citybut then again, what would they be protecting it from?

Arborholm itself wasnt older than Mercanton, but more of the old structures still stood so it looked like it. Many of the buildings were made out of the colossal trees that the city had been named after instead of the brick, plaster, or stone construction Mirian was used to seeing. There seemed to be a trend in the city where the walls of buildings were painted white and the roofs blue. At least, Mirian thought, this place is more subdued. She was tired of dodging spellcarts and huge crowds. Arborholm was more spread out, and there were nice parks around where spots of green broke up the neighborhoods.

Mirian had come alone this loop. If it came to a fight, she didnt want to have to worry about anyone else. She had bound her soulbound spellbook to an arcanists chain so it hung by her belt and kept her mythril amulet around her neck. Eclipse was in a sheath on her hip. Regardless of the outcome, she didnt want to alert the other time traveler to soulbound objects.

It was the 4th of Solem already, so she was sure that if the other traveler was in Arborholm, she had already started her preparations. She went to one of the churches that Lecnes group had identified and knocked on the door. Detect life showed there was a man inside, but he wasnt making his way to the door. Mirian telekinetically opened the lock and walked inside.

A priest was sitting at a desk, likely scribing a sermon. He started as the door opened. Who are you? he demanded. Youre trespassing.

A Prophet cannot trespass, she said simply.

You arent he started to say, then trailed off. Even before shed drawn the Blade of the Fourth Prophet, he could see something in her.

Embrace your celestial focus, she said.

He started trembling, and then he fell to his knees. Prophet. II apologize. You have but she I dont understand.

Theres another Prophet. She, the priest had said. I wish to meet her.

But how can there be two?

Has the Ominian ever proclaimed such a thing was impossible?

The priest started bobbing his head like a chicken. Of course, of course youre right, holy one. Only she didnt say where she was going.

She kept her tone formal. I am Mirian. What is her name?

She is the holy Liuan Var, the priest said.

Hmm. Thats a Zhighuan first name, but an Akanan last name. Spread the word that another of the Ominians chosen wishes to meet the holy Liuan Var. Whatever congregations and faithful know of her, they should know of me as well. Tell her I will meet her in Great Tree Park in the oak grove at noon tomorrow.

Yes, holy one, the priest said.

Mirian left and went to the next church on her list.

***

Mirian sat by the tallest oak tree in the park and waited. Outwardly, she was calm, but her insides were twisting. Shed set up several wards around the park the night before, but shed deliberately limited them to only a few specific functions so she didnt scare the other time traveler off.

Shed been in the form of the Dusk Waves for hours at this point, ready to jump into action at a moments notice. Yes, she had an incredible amount of spell resistance coming from all three of her soulbound items, but shed already thought of five different ways to kill someone in her own position without spells. Two of them involved artillery. But she doesnt know about your strengths and weaknesses. Probably, she thought.

Mirian was also using her focus in combination with a celestial spell to expand her soul sight. She needed to see the souls in detail. Plenty of people were looking at her as they passed by, but she was only looking for one thing: anyone with a void in their soul.

Another hour passed. At last, a priest walked up to her. He was sweating like he expected to explode at any moment. Mirian continued to lounge as he approached.

Holy one, holy Liuan Var has agreed to meet with you, but you must leave your sword and spellbook by this tree.

Mirian looked around. There were other priests around the park watching her, but she couldnt see the other time traveler. The other time traveler was assuming shed set up a trap of some sort, but the fact that shells werent falling and she didnt see an Akanan military brigade was already a good sign. Very well, she said, standing. What she didnt want was Liuan Var examining her spellbook. That wouldnt be easy to do with all her protections on the bindingit would burn another persons soul if they even tried to touch it, never mind the rest of the wardsbut Mirian had the remove temporal anchor spell in there. But, if Liuan Var or her agents were watching, she also didnt want to just dismiss the spellbook.

She unclasped the chain from the book and cast force drill into the nearby ground, digging deeper with shape earth and then shape stone. She decreased the stability of the hole, then tossed the blade and the book inside the hole. As soon as they hit the bottom, she slammed the ground with a Phoenix form-enhanced stomp so that the items were buried.

Just to be careful, she de-manifested them so they rejoined her soulbut any observers wouldnt see that part.

Take me to her, she said.

The priest bowed. He was still sweating despite the cool day.

Mirian kept her placid facade, but on the inside, she was still twisting. Its a trap, a voice told her. Shell be just like Troytin. Shell curse you and

No. Stay calm. This is your chance. You need this. Enteria needs this.

The priest led her to a large stone building. It was a public hall of some sort. With her focus, she could see there were no runes. Without her spellbok, though, she couldnt see if there were glyphs present. Not knowing bothered her.

A thought struck her. Wait, I use the celestial focus to manifest itself. Is there any reason I cant use the catalyst when its part of my soul? As she walked, she visualized it, the titan catalyst within its binding. Her control over her own soul was superb at this point. She embraced it

And could sense her mana.

It gave her comfort.

It also gave her another idea: was it possible to run mana through the glyphs of the spellbook even though it was in its soul-form? Now is not the time to test that, she chided herself.

She stopped by the threshold of the door. Her arcane sense was tingling, which meant there was casting, but she needed to at least try to trust this other. Probably divination spells looking for wands or weapons. It's what I would do in her situation.

Mirian took a breath to steady her nerves and walked in.

This was some sort of city government building. Past the entrance hall, there were several guards holding rifles and a large open room for meetings. The room held a dozen or so people. Two were priests and the rest an assortment of people Mirian didnt recognize. It seemed the other time traveler could quickly make allies of sorts.

A woman, half-Zhiguan and half-Akanan, sat behind an ornate desk. Mirian examined her as she approached and her soul came into focus. Not her. There was no void. She looked around.

An Aborholm guard stood by the door shed just come through. He looked perfectly normal, which meant that Liuan Var was quite proficient at illusions. The hole in the soul just by the heart, however, was unmistakable. She turned to the guard. Liuan Var, I presume, she said.

There was a collective gasp around the room.

She could see the other womans jaw clench. You have a focus then.

I do, Mirian admitted.

Liuan Var dismissed the illusion around herself. She resembled the woman whod sat behind the desk, only her eyes were darker, and her face a little rounder. She could see the tension in the other travelers neck. She actually was wearing a guards steel breastplate, and she had a pistol by her side.

I will not attack first, Mirian said, holding up her hands to show they were empty. If you dont plan on attacking me, you have nothing to fear.

But there was fear in the other womans eyes. If shes in Akana, she must have dealt with Troytin. She must also know that Troytin has been removed from the loop. And she likely knows Im responsible. And she can see my soul.

Mirian turned and sat down at the table. I want to talk to you about saving Enteria. None of us can do it alone.

Liuan looked around the room. Disciples, leave, she commanded. There was a moment of hesitation, and then the room began to clear. When it was empty, she stood by the head of the table across from Mirian. Youve talked to the others, then?

No, Mirian said. Ive seen Jherica and Celen, but its beyond my power to talk to either. She was revealing critical informationthat she couldnt break a mind cursebut to build trust, she would need to take risks. Im not risking talking to Ibrahim yet. Im talking to you because you took action to stop the Akanan airships from reaching Torrviol and destroying the Divine Monument. Im hoping you dont believe this time loop is a contest. Im hoping you understand this apocalypse is something we need to stop together. Together, we are stronger than we are alone.

She could see Liuan relaxing slightly. How exactly do you propose we do that? she asked.

We need to keep the leylines under Persama stable to keep the Divir moon suspended. Through a network of conduits, its theoretically possible to stabilize the leylines. Then, Ive recently discovered we need to cut spell engine usage drastically to prevent the buildup of more volatile arcane energy. Obviously, the hard part is actually manufacturing and deploying passive-siphon conduits to the depths where the leylines run.

Liuan looked at her, face impossible to read. You actually believe that?

Mirians jaw clenched. Do you disagree with my assessment?

Its not that. Its that nothing you just said is possible in thirty days.

If you can unite Akana Praediar, and I can unify Baracuel, and Ibrahim can unify Persamaperhaps we can. Each of us is positioned to start a cascade of changes in key locations.

Liuan continued to stand.

Unless you have a better plan?

Not really. Ive thought the Divine Weapons beneath Baracuel

Divine Monuments. Theres no reason to believe theyre weapons, Mirian interrupted. But she already knows about them, like Troytin did. Troytin hadnt known about any Monuments in Akana, so that meant Liuan had some inroads to either military intelligence or the RID.

Sure, Liuan said, sounding mildly annoyed. The point is, the divine mysteries must be the key. Thats what Ive been investigating. Jherica had a theory. Before he was incapacitated.

I can tell you that if the divine mysteries are the key, the Luminate Order doesnt have any locks. Mirian made a face. That metaphor sounded better in my head. But what have you found?

Not much yet. You dont seem to be afraid of Sulvorath anymore, Liuan said. Do you know what happened?

Shes fishing for information. Mirian was willing to share some information, but not that. I checked up on him when he stopped attacking me. Somehow, he seems to have been removed from the loop. The lie came easily. Shed prepared it in advance.

I spent a lot of time avoiding him. Hed mobilized the RID here. When we first met together, Jherica told Sulvorath where they started each loop. I lied, and that was all that kept me from getting ambushed too. I didnt find out what hed done to Celen until later. She looked at Mirian. There was a confidence behind her eyes that Mirian recognized. And a cunning. Im not sorry to have him gone, but I am troubled by it. It was the Ominians divine grace that put us here. What happened shouldnt have been possible.

Perhaps that divine grace was revoked, Mirian said.

Perhaps, Liuan said. Mirian could guess her thinking, though. If shed had the same dreams as her, then she knew the Ominian wasnt exactly active. Why didnt you go to Ibrahim before coming to me?

When Sulvorath was active? Because if Id gone to him and he marked me as an enemy, then Id be fleeing from two Prophets. Now? Because hes recruited the arch-necromancer Atroxcidi, and we should both fear what kind of damage to the soul that man can do. That wasnt the whole story. The problem with telling Liuan the whole story is that the vast majority of Mirians time had been spent investigating the Labyrinth, acquiring relicarium, and then applying it to a holy relic. It had been researching a way to remove Troytin. None of that was information she wanted Liuan to have, because then she could attempt to use that to gain an advantage over Mirian. And I dont want that. I dont want anyone to have power over me ever again.

And therein lay a problem with power. Once you had it, it was hard to let go. That was part of the problem they were facing with all the leaders of the world. General Corrmier wouldnt want to lay down his arms. Pontif Oculo didnt want to admit his plans would come to ash, and he needed to bow before another. Sylvester Aurum wanted to stay atop his golden tower.

Lets start at the beginning. I spent two years fighting the Akanan military invasion to stop them from destroying the Divine Monument. Youre righttheyre criticalbut I dont know how yet. All I know is that saving the Monument gives us two extra days in the cycle, and blowing it up causes the leylines to destabilize that much faster.

That explains a lot, Liuan muttered.

Mirian then spun a much-summarized tale next. She told Liuan of Sulvorath cursing her, then evading him ad finding heretics like Lecne to help her learn soul magic. She talked about all the efforts she spent disrupting events so that the initial conditions cascaded into unpredictable timelines. She didnt mention Frostlands Gate or the Labyrinth. Once I started my research on the leylines, I worked to do it in secret. I found a myrvite titan resting on one of the leylines, and thought perhaps it was destabilizing them. It took quite some time to gather a large enough army to kill the thing, and then it turned out not to be the problem anyways. Shortly thereafter, Sulvorath disappeared. Once I realized he was actually gone, I continued my research and started looking for other Prophets. Except for Ibrahim. I dont know what in the five hells hes doing, but I dont get the sense hes trying to save Enteria. What about you?

Liuan had relaxed somewhat, now that Mirian was being open with her, but she could still see a tension in the other Prophet. I spent the first year bumbling around ineffectively. Sulvorath invited me and Jherica to confer with him, but it was a trap to learn our initial starting locations and then curse us. I was cursed too, but he didnt know where I actually started, so I was able to find priests who would break the curse. Like you, I learned soul magic shortly thereafter, then worked to make sure he wouldnt. Jherica had an idea about the origin of moonfall, but Sulvorath incapacitated him before I could learn anything more. You talked of seizing the levers of power in Torrviol? I seized the levers of power in the churches here. That gave me an organization that could resist the RID and keep me hidden. The RID has the secret telegraph network and seems a lot more competent than the Department of Public Security in your country, so it took most of my effort just to stay hidden. I also had to learn arcanism from scratch. I didnt know magic at all before this loop started.

Mirian was reading between the lines there. You know I left things out of my story, so youre leaving things out too, she realized. Trust isnt built in a day, I suppose.

Liuan continued. There was knowledge about the Prophets and the divine mysteries. The problem is, when the Luminate Order split with the Church of the Ominian, secretive sects took that knowledge and went into hiding. Tracking it down has been a pain.

She nodded. And what have you found? She expected perhaps shed found one of the holy relics. After all three of the relics in the holy vaults of the Grand Sanctum had been forgeries. Presumably, the Church were the ones who had taken them during the split. That was what Oculo had thought.

She didnt expect what Liuan said.

That the Ominian is dead, she said.

The words echoed in the large chamber, emphasizing the silence that followed.

Mirian looked at her. That doesnt make any sense.

Nevertheless, it is one of the deepest mysteries of the Church. And its not just one secret society or one church. Dig deep enough in the old orders, and they all will tell it to you.

Why even entertain the notion? Mirian asked. Youve seen Them. Sitting upon the throne. Unwell, perhaps, but not dead.

Hence why Im looking to understand the divine mysteries better. Jherica seemed to have figured out something about it early on. I just wish they had told us. I didnt think it was important at the time.

Mirian thought. Then you should continue to pursue that. But I would ask that you also set yourself to another task. We have an opportunity not just to save Enteria, but to stop a bloody war. Can you figure out how to stop the assassination of Kinsman and prevent the invasion?

Liuan smiled. Of course. I was already working on it.

There was still a knot of nerves inside Mirian, a bunch of what ifs twirling in her head, but there was a new feeling now: relief.

Shed found an ally.

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