I put the blood-coated crystal into the Hidden Space. I need to get home, to tend to Ammit, and then I need to go back to the leaders and report my progress.
The places I've visited had indeed been the locations of the old Demigods. I see no reason to search for other places now that I've confirmed that the ideal hosts are found.
*Using Domain privileges, the required levels of ambient Magic have been implemented. To rebirth the Demigods, please construct a Divine Spring at each of the designated areas. User holds sufficient Faith to facilitate the transformation. If the decision is to not use Faith to speed up the process, it will take two months for the correct levels of energy to be reached.*
We don't have two months. I'm not even sure how much time we do have, but it's not two months.
Bloody Mary floats over to me once I get out from under the glacier. I finally get a real close look at their core. The brilliant-cut Magic Water Gem has grown into a Magic Water Crystal in the several thousand years they've been alive, yet it's kept the flat surface of its original form.
Perhaps a bit too fitting of their name, the flat side has a mirror sheen. I can see my face in it, though the reflection is distorted.
I glance to the surface. The sun's setting.
Their core bobs about in the water, as if doing a little dance, before they turn to go back to their den.
Now then. I resurface and get onto the shore of the glacial lake. Shaking myself off as best I can, I activate Combustion to get fully dry before I stake a course for home.
As I fly, I reach out to Dervix. His connection to me is kept secret, but keeping him in the loop is the least I can do.
"I've scouted all the locations, save the one in the Suchwallow Marshes."
There's a pause, possibly him excusing himself for a moment, I'm too tired to bother prying.
"That was... fast. Any luck? And should I share the news with the others?"
"Very good luck. All sites have the conditions needed. There's no need to tell the others, I'll be back to tell them myself by tomorrow night. Let's keep our little arrangement a secret, hm?"
"... Very well. But why not return immediately?"
I sense his annoyance, though he tries to hide it.
"In the Yo'ud desert, I found and rescued a monster I'm fairly certain is the Maker of the old Demigod of Heat. She had somehow been kept alive all this time by the fungus colony that was the Demigods' host. I'm returning to my Domain to tend to her. The mental trauma is severe."
An icy sense of dread creeps through our connection. We both know what mental trauma can do to a monster, and any hesitancy towards my decision is wiped away.
"I-I see. If you think this is wise, then by all means... I guess we'll all know more once you return to us."
With that, we both withdraw from the other, as if hanging up a phone. I refocus on getting home as quickly as possible.
I stumble into the cave beneath Yggdrasil, just barely able to keep my eyes open due to fatigue. Slumping down onto the pile of pelts that serve as my bed, I wearily take notice of Ammit sleeping soundly, a blanket of silk covering her body.
[Let's talk tomorrow.]
That's all I register before blanking out.
[Switching...]
Shadow's POV
Our body feels like lead as I fight myself awake, coming face to face with Ammit. I guess Yggdrasil thought that it would be okay to wake her now that We're here, but opening your eyes and having a crocodile jaw in your face is a startling experience.
"Eugh-" I grunt as she topples over me, intent on sharing personal space. As the Ammit makes baby crocodile noises, I glance helplessly over to where Yggdrasil has manifested her Avatar.
"She woke up just now. It's... it's quite difficult to see her in this state..." Yggdrasil moves over to Ammit, who is busy snuggling as close to me as possible.
I decide to lay one of Our wings over Ammit, in an effort to calm the one ton monster threatening to place her entire weight onto Our left hind leg and tail. Contented, the noises she's been making morph into a chainsaw-like purring that's making Our entire body vibrate.
"She's been kept alive all this time by the Miragia fungus that used to host the Demigod of Heat. I honestly can't believe she's still... well... considering." I make a vague gesture as I find it difficult to actually say the words.
That she'd not turned Hateful ages ago.
Yggdrasil crouches next to the slumbering Ammit. I can tell she wants to reach out and somehow comfort her, but her Avatar is just a moving image. It can't actually touch things.
"I gave her a bath with the help of the Jotne. I can tell you are in need of one too, but..." Yggdrasil mentions, glancing over to the Divine Spring. The water is inky, with an oily sheen. It's Fouled. Even after expelling that Malice Core, there was still enough left to Foul the Divine Spring...
"H-How long?" My voice is trembling, realizing that Ammit might have been on the brink of giving up, to stop fighting the building rage and hate towards a World that would leave her in that condition for so long.
"A few days before it's Purified." Yggdrasil looks at me, realizing that's not entirely what I asked. "... I don't know. She should have gone Hateful within a short time-frame from first ending up in the state you found her in. I can only speculate that the remaining worshippers of the Demigod of Heat somehow allowed the Miragia to deal with her Malice buildup."
So the Miragia saved her? Now that I think about it, it acted very... lively.
An angry squawk alerts me to the fact that Leraste has arrived. She dive-bombs me, aiming for my chest. With a soft 'fwump', she all but vanishes into my mane. Quetzalcoatl remain fairly small up until the arrival of their adult plumage, at which point she'll undergo a growth spurt.
"Millibelle, you're back?" Delpha- I mean- Rosemary is supporting Grandma Samantha as they walk down the slight incline at the entrance to the cave. Samantha looks terrible. It must be progressing fast...
She seems to have aged ten years in the time since I last saw her, which was just a few days ago. Her skin has a noticeable yellow tinge, same as the whites of her eyes. Her liver is failing, and judging by her strained breathing, it's gotten into her lungs. She's in a lot of pain as well...
"I'm leaving tonight. I just needed to check on her." I explain as I gently lift the wing hiding Ammit from view. "She's the Maker of the old Demigod of Heat. She... she's been through a lot, and her mind is damaged as a result. She's convinced I'm her mother." I give a helpless sigh.
"An Ammit, hm. They're only ever mentioned in old stories and in one very barebones entry in the World's Encyclopedia..." Samantha murmurs, her voice hoarse.
"She's the last of her kind." I turn to Rosemary. "Delpha, I met your older brother in B'dur." I begin talking without thinking, but now that the words are out, I can't find the correct way to say the next part.
She might have realized I'm struggling with the words, as Rosemary walks up to me and gives me a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Shadow. I know it's hard for you to do emotions."
Ergh. She's right, but to just say it like that... I refocus, somehow managing to form a coherent sentence, I hope. "Um, he told me about your mother, and well the whole thing with you being the next Oracle and... And he wanted me to tell you, since they took you away before your mother could give you the name she had chosen for you, er..."
I take a deep breath. "She wanted to name you Rosemary. That was her wish and she never got to do so... I'm- I'm sorry."
Relief washes over me. I managed to do so in hopefully a way that didn't seem too cold. Or confusing... She's... She's crying now. Oh no.
"Th-thank you for- for telling me... I- It sounds nice..." She manages to get out between sobs.
"You sound as if you're sad you don't get to use it?" I'm confused. Are they much more strict on naming in this World?
*Last names are bound by rules shared by all nations, as the traditions surrounding them are from before the creation of laws. Although the method of choosing which last name to inherit varies, there are no such rules for first names, though it's very uncommon to change that, most often occuring when the name doesn't suit the person anymore.*
Doesn't suit... Oh, so if someone figures out; 'hey, I thought I was a boy but I'm actually a girl and I have a masculine name', they change their name, but otherwise it's rare to do so.
*Correct.*
"I- I can be Rosemary?" She looks confused. "But... Oracles..."
"Who cares about that? If you want to be Rosemary, you can be Rosemary. If you want to be Delpha, you can be Delpha. I mean, you can even be both. Delpha Rosemary or Rosemary Delpha." I say, perhaps a bit too forcefully, but the power massage Ammit is giving me is starting to get uncomfortable.
"I... I think I need some time to figure it out... Just- Just let me be Delpha for now..." Delpha sighs, her tears stopping bit by bit. I'm sure it's all a lot to take in. Not only does she have a twin sister now, she has an older brother who is First Crown Prince, prime royalty. Hell, she'd probably had a shot at the throne herself if she wasn't the next Oracle of that particular chain of them.
I look to Samantha. She's drying some tears herself, perhaps moved with joy at the news of Delpha's intended name.
"You're in pain. It's only going to get worse from here on." I tell her telepathically. She stiffens slightly, but otherwise gives no indication she heard me.
 Her mental voice is still strong, wise and calm, just like she was when we first met.
"Shadow, there's something I want to show you, could you..?" Samantha speaks out, her actual voice a stark contrast to her mental one. I carefully get up, as to not disturb Ammit, who's somehow fallen asleep again.
"Let me hel-" Delpha begins to offer, but she's cut short by a look from Samantha. I'm unsure as to the extent Samantha has discussed her end of life plans with Delpha, but I'm sure she's in the know about what's about to happen.
Tears begin falling again. "No! Not this soon! Shadow! You can't!" Delpha shouts, waking Ammit and startling Leraste, who flies out of my mane in a huff. I ignore her. It's not her choice. It's Samantha's. And besides, is Delpha even aware of how much pain Samantha is in?
Is she aware of how much worse it's going to get?
A memory- not my own, but Millibelle's- surges to the surface of my mind. Sitting next to a bed, holding the hand of the woman she thought was the strongest in the world, her grandmother, so addled by the disease and drugs that she doesn't recognize her properly anymore.
The latch of the door in the night, grandpa entering. "I think she's at peace now."
I grit my teeth. I don't want to let her waste away like that. Millibelle doesn't want her to waste away like that. Samantha doesn't want to waste away like that.
Hurriedly, I scoop up Samantha and flee the scene.
"I'm sorry about that." I set the old woman down on the slightly swaying ground of the floating island. It's pleasantly warm, since it's currently hovering over the tropical section of Our Domain. She sways a little before finding confidence in her stance.
"What a beautiful place..." She murmurs, looking all around. A wracking cough shudders her whole body, and I move to keep her from falling over.
"Is everything in order?" I ask. I'd hate myself forever if in my rashness something was left unfinished for her.
She nods. "I've settled all my Worldly matters, sealed with a Lifeseal Curse, so don't worry about notifying anyone. I've let those that matter know of my situation, so when the Curse suddenly lifts, there'll be no fuss about it." She speaks with many pauses to catch her breath, it's clear her lungs aren't operating as they should.
"I see... Now, one more thing. I am able to make a copy of your Soul, an echo of sorts that can be used to create undead or Summon Eastern Spirits. Your true Soul would still enter the Cycle, but it would be like a part of you was still... still here." I need to ask her. After all, if I just made her a Hitodama without asking and she didn't want that to happen if she had known about this power...
"That's kind of you... but I'm sure you're aware of most humanoids stance on Undead and such." Her answer is a bit vague, but I get it. Who would want to become like that? I mean, the ones currently in Our possession are all gathered from Other Wills that wanted revenge on the Chimera that killed them...
"Very well." I nod.
Samantha sits down in the grass, even though it's still moist from morning dew. "I'm ready. Please."
I change into Our humanoid form. Kneeling down, I maneuver Samantha to lie in the grass. She closes her eyes expectantly.
"Death"
The effect is instantaneous due to her 'Marked for Death' Status. She exhales one final time before going still, her body relaxing. I can see now how furrowed her brow was from powering through pain. I gently touch my chest, feeling the warmth of Power Osmosis. It's just barely there this time, though.
*Would you like to gain Dominion of-*
No.
I cut off the announcement before it can finish. Collecting myself for a bit, I scout the area surrounding Yggdrasil for a suitable place. Not too close, but not too far away either. There.
Picking up the body that used to be Samantha, I fly down to the place I've decided on. It's a small clearing, not close to any running water, and the groundwater's deep enough here that... Well. It won't seep into it.
Quickly, I rip open the ground, digging deep enough that normal scavenging monsters won't bother with it even if they managed to detect it. The frost-hardened soil is no match for Excavator.
I carefully lay the body into the grave. Now... a swift jab with my index finger at its forehead cleanly and effortlessly pierces the skull. I climb out, and fill the grave back up with the earth I dug out of it.
Finally, a grave marker of Celestial Marble, etched with her name is placed at the head of the grave.
She's at peace now.