Bro, I'm not an Undead!

"There's always something absurd when that man is involved, isn't there?" Agnees Kudobtu said as she rubbed the shining spot of light on her forehead. If it didn't give off such a potent light – making her a human torch – she wouldn't even know it was there.

"It's the only way," said Pherdanta, her tone livid with frustration. No one dared to ridicule her though.

Everyone had gathered in a courtyard within the Kudobtu House Mansion. It was the most convenient place for what the Unlimited Star said was necessary.

The Priest from a previous state of Aigas was standing next to Pherdanta, gathering all kinds of Divine energies, from Primus to genuine Divine energy. They streaked around him in slim quantities, but he wielded them masterfully.

"I wish I could say this surprised me, but honestly, it's lacking when compared to some of the things I've seen from Festos so far," said Maxim a little proudly, her arms folded in front of her modest chest.

Vali silently concurred.

The other Heads of the Houses of Pelian said nothing and simply watched. The skepticism in Illyinni Wolverik's eyes was unmistakable though. In the end, the rough-skinned, gangly woman had agreed to Pherdanta's proposal – helping her on the campaign into the Under – but this… was a different matter entirely.

"Is it so easy to breach the Rules of the world and travel backward in time? I thought it was the Deity Boron who forced Aigas to exist as it does now - in three separate points in time?" she said with a frown. "How could this Priest manage to replicate such a feat?"

"Were you even listening, you hag?" Maxim snapped at her. "It was Festos who ripped the world in three. Boron is just keeping the world from returning to normal."

"What did you just call me, you flat-chested wench?" hissed Illyinni.

Maxim had lunged at her before the word 'wench' had fully escaped her lips. Ferex caught her in midair, however, and restrained her.

"I dare you to say it again! Say it! I dare you!" she screamed while struggling to free her arms from the wolven Apostle. Vali sighed. She had almost forgotten that Maxim was quite sensitive about her chest since no one had pointed it out in a while. It was a genetic side-effect of her Family technique, Planate High.

"Anyway, she is right. Festos or rather, Skullius, when he was a mortal was able to cut through time with a special sword technique – the same one Pherdanta needs," said Vali.

Illyinni gave a loathing glare at Maxim who had cooled off, telling Ferex to let her go.

"And a technique of a similar level is readily available to this Priest?" She raised a questioning brow as she asked.

"No. What I'm doing is different," said the Priest, but he never broke his focus as he weaved the Divine energies. "I can't cut through space and time to affect the whole of Aigas, but I can replicate all of our consciousnesses and bring them to a previous point in Aigas' history. In this case, a few hours ago. Understanding how the powers of the Deities work like we Priests do, allows us to manage abilities like these. But in any case, neither this world-cutting technique nor my own can alter things in the past – under normal circumstances anyway."

The Heads of the Houses expressed their understanding. Braxten Shannazah did so with a little dance that everyone ignored.

Illyinni couldn't pretend as though the explanation wasn't concise and believable. Everyone here, including the silent Guissepo was much more knowledgeable than the average denizen of Aigas, after all.

Shura Desmonn gave Pherdanta a look.

"So, are you confident?" he asked. "We need this same space and time cutting technique to go to the Under. Are you sure witnessing it with your own eyes will allow you to grasp and use it?"

Pherdanta gave him a solid nod even if she wasn't entirely sure she was confident in her abilities.

And indeed, the Priest was preparing to allow them all to trace back through Aigas' history so that Pherdanta could learn Skullius' trick – the sword technique that allowed him to cut through the world.

Pherdanta already knew the steps, as Skullius had mentioned them during the briefing earlier. While she also had the same Skill the evil version of her master had used to perform the Divine feat – as well as the exact same swords – she couldn't use it as well as he could yet.

She wanted to see it with her own eyes.

But there was some danger to this.

According to the Priest, while they couldn't change the past while using the ability he was preparing, if any of the individuals in the time they were about to travel to noticed and attacked them, the damage would reach them here in the present. It was supposedly a consequence of trying time by borrowing the power of the Deities themselves.

And indeed, given just how much Priests could accomplish by borrowing the energies of the Deities, a restriction had to be placed upon them - and their Classes. (Such a penalty only applied to their specific means of altering the world Rules.)

"Remember, we won't need to keep our passive Territories active. Everyone needs to be as stealthy as possible. Considering the powers of the individuals we are about to spy on, it is only a certainty that any mistake will call their attention to us."

Everyone gave rigid nods.

"Good. Then…"

The Priest did a series of hand gestures that almost everyone failed to follow, and then before him, Nitros, Primus, and genuine Divine energy tangled to form a square-shaped, basket-like doorway that pulsed with small tendrils of intense white light.

He gave a heavy sigh afterward before gesturing at the odd thing.

"We'll all go through. Our bodies will be preserved in a separate storage space while our consciousness will manifest at our intended destination."

Almost immediately after he finished explaining, Pherdanta grasped the hilt to her sheathed Demion's Dance, and with a stern expression, she became the first to go through.

She did a good job hiding how nervous she was.

'I just need to see it a few times. Twice or maybe thrice. If I can't grasp it by then, then I'm not worthy of this Hidden Class and my title as Commander of the Stark Troops.'