Things had stabilized for the time being below, however Shiloh's mind was running more rampant than ever. The latest turn of events were clearly a sign that something sinister was in motion, and that it had just begun. The tragedy of Dalanesca was a turning point, but to the ever-ruminating deity it was possible there had been warning flags much, much earlier. Eytelia, the invasion of Onnen, the gradual build up of unrest across the Sister Continents, and now–a lunatic plague repeating itself when there seemed to be no precedent. It was all interconnected. It was no coincidence. And that was why she had the scholars and healers of her staff in a meeting aboard the Clepsydra. "Thank you for coming everyone, now let's begin with the main point of this discussion. I have a theory—just a theory, that this sudden arrival of this insectoid plague is no accident. First, this happened not too long after the death of Dalanesca, former holder of Death. After nearly succeeding to attack Life, whatever managed to possess her is still trying to worm its way in. Since the direct approach failed, it's trying to take a more subtle route while trying to assert its presence as an act of intimidation. And what better way to do it than make history repeat itself?"

"By choosing an obscure event that happened long before most of the current Conclave members were even alive, it's trying to throw us off long enough to achieve some other ulterior objective. While it no longer has the element of surprise, that doesn't mean we're a step ahead. But even the best plans have holes, and if there's smoke–there's fire. That brings us to what I think is the 'real' threat we're facing, a possible breach into this world from the Void." Pressing a button, she activated a projection of an older version of the world map before the discovery of Onnen. She moved the focus onto the valley of Vada, and proceeded to enlarge it to where the Himiria Scar was in view. "This is Vada, the location of the first eyewitness accounts of the moonstruck swarms. This location is significant not just because it was where the first cases of the illness were discovered, but because it houses one of the known access points to the Void." She gave a pause to let the information sink in. 

When she had heard the news about the origins of the moonstruck plague, it left Nerine in shock. Vada was a place unlike any other and for Rosenites it held great symbolic significance. The very courts of Arri had ties to the Himiria Scar and its inhabitants. However she never knew that the Scar was also the location of an entry point into the Void. "So if what you say is true…then the accounts of shadow creatures which emerge at nightfall might be manifestations of creatures from the Void?" Recent information on the moonlit monoliths and the spire in the center of Vada's jungle were now starting to make much more sense. "It's definitely possible. There isn't much known about the Void or how it works. The entry point in Vada could be connected to other places for all we know." Shiloh replied, causing her spirits to sink further. "The moonlight powered areas of protection might be part of an elaborate seal designed to suppress that gateway. But we'd have to ask the native inhabitants to confirm." Then a frightening thought came to mind. Come to think of it, if the insects first descended on the world from Vada, then those who lived in Vada would be the first to be affected. 

"No…it, it couldn't be possible…" The insects were first summoned as punishment as a result of wanton bloodshed and horrific atrocities committed by cultists. What could have possibly caused them to be summoned again? But if Shiloh's assumptions were correct, then this was just a mock version of the Celestials' judgment. The idea of something outside of the World Tree's influence being capable of recreating past disasters was utterly terrifying. How powerful was that thing? "And what about the Eytelia ziggurat? How does that tie in with the sudden emergence of rifts and the Reaper's death?" At her question the deity stiffened visibly as if she was hesitating to say something. "…Shiloh? There's something about the ziggurat that the rest of us don't know…isn't there?" All eyes were on Shiloh as she contemplated on how to answer.

What she said next was more shocking than any of the points that had been raised in the discussion: "When Angela and I were called to gather everyone to complete the trials at the ziggurat, it wasn't just to restore power to the mechanisms containing Verya's corruption. It was to keep the ziggurat functioning as a prison."

"Eytelia is physically holding the source of Verya's corruption inside itself." The clarification wasn't any less shocking. Those who were old enough to know about Verya's fall in greater detail had shared this important tidbit with her, and now she was passing it on to her staff. There was a lot that she was keeping quiet about, still convinced that the thing which possessed Dalanesca could easily take another puppet if it so desired. Never show your cards before you play them–that was one good thing she learned from high-stakes card games. "But there's no point worrying about the past. What's more important is we know what happened and why. There's been changes in the Conclave again, and I'm sure it's in response to Dalanesca's passing. We need to keep our eyes on the world, every inch and corner. Anything's possible now." She leaned on the table and looked at the ground, her nails going back and forth against its surface. This was just the tip of the iceberg, the surface of a very deep rabbit hole of a theory she had been thinking on for a while. If you wanted to go even further back, then what of the return of Sardon and the disaster of Aysut?

"For a long time I've been wondering if some events have been more than divine punishments and accidents." Shiloh said slowly. "When the ancient city of Aysut resurfaced again, it was due to the actions of the madman Rudjek. He wanted to revive a fallen god, Sardon. There were terrible casualties and bloodshed in the fight to beat back the undead horde, and at the time I wasn't a deity. However the more I look at the information we have on the moon-struck sickness, I keep thinking that steps had already been taken far ahead, building up to a return of the Celestials' judgement. It's like there's an invisible guiding hand that's been slowly but surely pulling the strings…tighter, and tighter, and tighter–until something snaps." There was a long silence until she looked up and put her hands behind her back. "…And for the sake of the world, I hope I'm wrong."