"Farewells can be shattering, but returns are surely worse. Solid flesh can never live up to the bright shadow cast by its absence. Time and distance blur the edges; then suddenly the beloved has arrived, and it's noon with its merciless light, and every spot and pore and wrinkle and bristle stands clear."
― Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin
"I can put out a call, but it might be better if you did it," Mara raised an eyebrow at Ven's avatar. She shook her head and leaned over the rail of her office balcony. "Your popularity has never been higher than it is right now… I bet half the population would sign up to go through the gate if you asked them to."
"It needs to come from you," Ven smiled. It had been too long since he had the time to visit with Mara, events kept a forward pace that demanded too much of his focus to leave room for many things. "I might be seen as a god, but you and the Guild are what kept this place running while I was asleep."
Any believer would answer, if God knocked on the door himself and gave a command. What he needed now were the most devout, the devoted who's faith existed even in his absence. He wasn't willing to send his true body into the labyrinth, not yet. His gut told him it would be a fatal mistake. What he could do was populate the abyss with his people and attempt to form an avatar of faith.
"And you're sure you want me to limit the applicants to members of your church that joined before your return?" Mara closed her eyes and scented the air, cat ears perked to catch the noise of the city. "That will make it a lot harder to get the numbers you're looking for, even if we include the extended families of those believers."
"It will be fine, but you'll have to source a lot of them from the primitive worlds," Ven waved a hand and projected a map of his realm-space. The far reaches glowed a dull yellow as he pinpointed countless habitable planets. "Most of these beings worshipped me because they prayed to the realm… now that they know my actual name, entire civilizations have become little generators for faith."
"I'll gather the Knights, maybe even pull some of the seniors from Kalina's school to help do the on the ground recruitment…" Mara opened her eyes and turned to Ven. His connection to truth showed him her exhaustion. Bone weary, with a wick lit at each end. "I'll also need to up the production of the interplanetary gates, or it will take years to get the civilians back to Avalon."
"A good plan," Ven placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, a new decision already crystalized in his mind. "Send the orders, but then you and me are going on a vacation…"
"But I…"
"No buts!" Ven booped her feline nose and quieted her complaints. "You've been working, non-stop, for more than a millenia… It's time we just kicked back and relaxed."
His true body was already busy constructing yet more avatars, this time with bodies that resembled nondescript humanoids. They popped into existence, one-by-one, until twenty robed beings had joined them in the office.
"These avatars can help coordinate the effort while you're away, but we both need a break," Ven ruffled Mara's hair, faster than the cat-kin could dodge. He left her with static filled fur and a look of defeat on her face. "Though technically I'll still be working… but it will still be good to have at least one perspective where I'm free to take my time and relax."
"Fine…" Mara gave a rueful grin and did her best to flatten out her mangled hair. "I'll inform Aangor and then we can go… but I get to choose the destinations… and no anime!"
"Sounds like a plan!" A laugh escaped Ven lips as he nodded. His mental state was already better, and they hadn't even begun their vacation. He made a vow. He would have at least one avatar engaged in recreation at all times from now on.
– – – –
"This is the fourth gate?" Rafe squinted up at a desiccated tree, long turned to solid carbon by the soot-black fires of the abyss. "It looks like an ordinary dead tree to me…"
It was larger than most, perched on the crown of a stoney mound. Hive had constructed a fortress around the plant, but no technology stood closer than a metre from the base of the hill.
"It is a different sort of portal than the others," Hive shaped a small golem from mindless nanoparticles and urged it closer to the tree by remote control. "Watch…"
The little machine trundled forward, determined to reach the top of the hill. Halfway up the mound, the golem vanished. One moment it stood, foot raised for another step, the next it was gone. Soundless, without a sign of energy or magic, it simply disappeared into the void.
"The vanishing tree, hmmm…" Lucifer shook his head. "I know of this place, but if it is a gate, it's only one way… I've sent countless lesser demons -, even some greater ones - through over the centuries, but none have returned."
"I wonder where it goes…" Rafe edged closer, carried by silent feet, until Hive placed a hand on his shoulder. The Halfling shook himself and stepped back, eyes still focused on the tree. "Sorry, curiosity got the better of me."
Lucifer squinted at Rafe, before he shrugged. The Halfling seemed mostly normal, but every now and then… the Devil rolled his shoulders and turned to Hive's avatar.
"Lock this place down for now… and keep this idiot away from the tree," Lucifer unfolded his wings and took to the air. "Brull and the others are ready to go back into the ocean level… once we know it's safe, we'll send word and you can begin sending over drones to scout the floor."
"Understood," Hive nodded, hand still placed on Rafe's shoulder. "I must also prepare for the pilgrims of the realm, Lord Vendak needs us to construct a city for the faithful to come!"
Lucifer waved in recognition of the A.I. 's words and soared into the air. Ven's plot to create an avatar in the labyrinth was a sound one, but it still rubbed him the wrong way. This land had once been home to endless demons, but now it was filled with Hive's machines.
"Things always change," the Devil sighed. "Yet I remain the same…"