With unconcealed reverence and gratitude on her face, she replied: "The Mother Goddess is nature itself — the source of all existence and the will of the life cycle."
"You mortals, especially the druids, call her Lefiya."
"Or, according to some older elven beliefs, she is also known as Dana Méadbh."
"Lefiya?!" This time, it was not Margarita who exclaimed in surprise.
Instead, Mousesack stepped forward from the crowd. On his face was a rare, undisguised expression of disbelief and almost fanatical excitement. His grey beard trembled slightly as he gave voice to his emotions. Those somewhat weathered eyes now burned with a longing light, like that of a pilgrim.
He stared intently at Miali, his voice hoarse with agitation.
"Lady Miali... do you mean... the 'Way of Nature' that we druids have believed in and followed for millennia?"
"The 'Mother Nature' we sense and address... the corresponding, actually existing embodiment of will... is the nature goddess Lefiya?"
"She... she truly exists? And not merely a personified symbol of our ideals?"
Mousesack's question voiced the most crucial issue that had troubled all druids. Druids worship nature and follow its laws, but they also maintain an inner connection with the "God of Nature." Whether it is a personified deity with independent will has always been a matter of debate. Many druids regarded "Mother Nature" as a symbol of unconsciousness or collective consciousness.
Today, a Nymph closely connected to nature had so confidently named her and affirmed her existence.
Faced with Mousesack's almost trembling question and the excitement, longing, and cautious hope reflected in his eyes...
Miali, without the slightest hesitation, nodded firmly.
"Yes, the goddess Lefiya has always been there, though she does not always reveal her true form."
"But she exists; she is the embodiment of nature's will and the guardian of the life cycle."
"We Nymphs, tree spirits, and other nature spirits — we were all born of her."
Receiving such a positive response, Mousesack seemed to be filled with boundless energy. He took a half-step back, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and unconsciously gripped his oaken staff. His expression was complex and difficult to describe, mixing shock, relief, and excitement.
However, Margarita's doubts were in no way dispelled by Miali's assurances or Mousesack's excitement. On the contrary, this assertion that "deities truly exist" sharply contradicted her long-held worldview.
She was a sorceress, a scholar, and a wielder of power. She believed only in conclusions drawn from what she saw with her own eyes, verified with her own hands, and reasoned through logic. Gods? No one had ever truly seen them with their own eyes, with irrefutable certainty. Most of these so-called "miracles" could be explained by powerful magic, the influence of some monster, or collective hallucinations. Bards' verses? Stories from religious texts? All were works that had been embellished, processed, and metaphorically interpreted countless times.
Suddenly being made to believe in something subversive, almost fairy-tale-like, was not only difficult but also evoked a subconscious resistance. It felt as if someone had suddenly told her that all the knowledge she had acquired and mastered in her lifetime might have been a dream.
Karl observed the reactions around him — Margarita's suspicion, Mousesack's fervour...
His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to explain: "Actually, I'm merely a 'demigod,' still on the path of development."
"We are still far from that true god Miali described — a god possessing authority and embodying the rules."
But he held back his words, because explaining them would be too troublesome. He would need to explain what a demigod is, what a deity is, and the similarities and differences between the systems of "gods" in this world... This involved too many aspects, including secrets he himself could not speak of and his understanding of the truth of this world. Those present, with the exception of Hen and Tissaia, might be able to understand some of it. The others would most likely only become more confused by listening, and it might even lead to further unnecessary speculation and associations.
Moreover, Miali's understanding of the concept of "deity" was clearly limited to her own perception and experience — neither accurate nor comprehensive.
"Alright, let this misunderstanding stand. In any case... sooner or later, I'll end up there anyway." Karl shook his head inwardly. Being regarded as a "god" now — though certainly somewhat exaggerated — could also save him a lot of trouble; at the very least, his words would carry more weight. Let them keep this "beautiful misunderstanding" for now.
Karl's gaze fell once more upon Miali.
Unexpectedly, he suddenly raised his right hand and made a grasping motion toward her. In an instant, golden light flared, and Miali let out a soft cry: "Ah!"
She felt a gentle yet powerful force course through her entire body, forcibly scouring and purging something from within.
In the next moment, under the astonished gazes of everyone present, thin, silk-like strands of grey-black ominous aura — as if possessing a life of their own — emerged from Miali's body. They writhed and squirmed, as if "pulled out" from within her, appearing from nowhere.
The moment these auras appeared, they exuded a sense of dread, cold, and foreboding. They darted and collided chaotically in the air, emitting extremely faint but piercing hissing sounds, like countless tiny insects gnawing at something.
What was even stranger was that they seemed to recognise Miali as their "host" and desperately tried to turn back and burrow into her body again.
"What is that?.." Geralt's cat-like eyes narrowed; alarm bells rang in his mind, instinctively warning him of danger.
"The power of an evil god?!" Yennefer exclaimed, her face paling.
Miali was so frightened that she turned pale and stepped back, nearly falling into the water again. She stared at the struggling, grey-black auras in the air — which seemed alive — and her eyes reflected surprise, latent fear, and deep revulsion.
"His power?! How is this possible... When did it... begin to corrupt me?!" Miali's voice trembled.
She had always thought she was merely weakened from exhaustion, never realising that Dagon's power had stealthily infiltrated her. This was terrible! If this continued, she could gradually become corrupted and twisted without even realising it. Ultimately, she would become Dagon's puppet, his accomplice in breaking the seal.
Karl did not answer her question. Instead, he calmly watched the grey-black energy swirl in the air and gently clenched his fists.
"Zzz!" Divine power condensed in his palm, then transformed into countless golden threads that shot forth from his hand toward the grey-black auras.
In the air, the thin threads of divine power rapidly wove themselves into a net, instantly enveloping and compressing all the grey-black auras — which were trying to break free — into a translucent sphere of light.