Chapter 1281 — Recovering the Magical Automaton
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
Deep in the dim, chaotic depths of the Courtyard of Defiance, a faint radiance drifted over ground built of shattered boulders. A colossal oak, its advent unknown, stood at the center of the courtyard, and around it thronged a great many arcane devices in operation—some projecting shifting holograms, others casting light that wove itself into intricate lattice barriers.
Miermina, Goddess of Magic, sat beneath the oak with her eyes closed, resting. Faint golden leaves drifting down from the canopy settled now and then in her long hair, then dissolved into scattered motes and faded away.
Suddenly, the former Goddess of Magic opened her eyes, and onto a face that had until now been placid and serene there crept an uncanny expression from some unknowable place.
The next moment, Amorn's voice came from beside her: "What's the matter? Dreaming?"
"...No. I wasn't asleep," Miermina raised a hand and kneaded her temple, muttering in a strange tone. "I just felt a sudden pang of panic for no reason... it startled me out of my meditation."
"Panic? Startled out of meditation? That doesn't sound like a good omen at all," Amorn, who had been tending the oak nearby, immediately grew tense, an altogether human-looking worry spreading across his face. "Don't tell me your 'divine aspect' still has something left in it..."
"It's nothing that serious—just a little flutter, like an embarrassing episode from long ago suddenly being seen by someone," Miermina waved her hand. She had no idea why such an odd comparison had come to her, but she quickly pushed these trifles aside and turned her attention to Amorn, who had been bustling about for the past two days. "Speaking of which, are you still not finished?"
"Not even close. I've only just made a start," Amorn shook his head, and the pale green runes circling and floating about his antlers dissolved bit by bit into the air. "I've finally got a chance to move about freely—I intend to decorate my own courtyard properly. It's been my home for three thousand years, after all, and who knows how much longer I'll live here... at the very least I ought to plant a few trees. What do you think of my oak? Shouldn't it be taller?"
"It's plenty tall enough—unless you don't plan to plant anything else," Miermina glanced up at the beautiful golden oak, the only "plant" in the Courtyard of Defiance at that moment. It gave off a faint halo, and its vast vitality radiated outward from its center, filling the whole courtyard with a relaxed, joyous atmosphere—the first time in thousands of years that life had stirred in this dark, lonely place. Miermina had no real interest in Amorn's "landscaping project," but she was glad to see him take this pleasure now that his body was healed and he was truly free; anything was better than lounging about playing cards online all day. "You really are motivated, though—planting trees in the Shadow Realm. How does that saying go... oh, even Film couldn't dream up something so absurd."
"I didn't lie among barren rubble for three thousand years because I liked it," Amorn said, quite cheerfully. "Say, do you need a hand? I've noticed you've spent all these days resting among the boulders and ruins. I'm used to it by now, but you must be more suited to a place with a roof over your head—I could build you a dwelling, say a self-growing magic tower? Gaoyang and his friends certainly won't object. They said earlier I could fix up this courtyard however I liked, so long as it doesn't interfere with these arcane devices."
"No—I think this is just fine! And stop bringing up that magic tower!" Miermina's eyes went wide in an instant, and she said it loudly, as though by reflex—but a moment later she realized her reaction had been excessive, and a sheepish look came over her face. "If I wanted a place to live, I'd manage it myself. Don't forget that 'shaping' is itself an important branch of the magic domain—I'm better at it than you."