hey are important, it is how we differieween us. It is how we know when someone is talkiher to us or about us. It is the meaake to call upon higher powers or to know who is being talked about.

  Names are how we focus on things. Do you want to know where to go?

  Ask for the name of the pce.

  Do you want to know where someone is? Ask by their name.

  Want to know where you live? So then you return ter. Well, learn the name of the pce you live in. The street, the city, state, try, nation, p…

  All these names are important.

  And so, the name of a pce is important, usually the people in charge are the ohat o worry about names. Not so much for the average human.

  That was, of course, not the case for Elizabeth.

  "So? What will it be?" Aura asked, prodding once more at Elizabeth for a name.

  "Something cute I expect." Alice was still there, waiting and narrowing her eyes at Elizabeth.

  "I am sure it will be sis, perhaps we should move back to finish our work?" Chloe, the one who got a recycled name, said from the side.

  Alice didn't move an ind kept waiting. Giving Chloe the occasional shrug, both knew how Elizabeth was with names.

  "We will his p…Nexus Terra," Elizabeth sighed, not sure if she could e up with a better name, "If a better name pops, we think about ging it ter sihis pce is so much more than shadows."

  Evidenced by the settlements being born here and there, fueled by Elizabeth's elemental mastery.

  She suspected the lightning birbs were part of this ge, and now, with the fact that there was a group of dehat wasn't affiliated with Elizabeth…

  It was obvious that this pce was so much more, even if Elizabeth could access it, she didn't had full ownership.

  "Good enough for now I guess," Aura said from the side as she snapped her fingers and the portal that showed Alid Chloe vanished, "We will che the deer if anyone has a better name, I doubt someone will e forward with anythier. Not that many smart people around."

  Aura was ruthless, even so, she was right. If someone came forward with a better would probably be the Valkyrie Girls.

  And evehey would probably try to either make it a homage to Beatrice…or to Rossie. Elizabeth was happy with doiher, to be ho. But that would require them to speak to her. And they didn't seem to like Elizabeth very much.

  Now that Elizabeth knew for sure that she would o partake in three more Sins, a great difference from her inal pn of maybe trying to search for them.

  Then it was better for Elizabeth to have a group that wasn't biased towards her. Actually…”Reginald, the birds have shown any sign of…intelligence?" Elizabeth didn't think they looked very smart.

  They were round, yellow and liked to burst, if there was an intelligehere…Elizabeth didn't see.

  "They have some degree of autonomy, and while they don't seem to. They are quite smart." Reginald said from the side as he shone in yellow lightning, "Also they call themselves Thunder Birbs, and are quite adamant to keeping the typo on their names."

  ….whyyyyyyy?

  "Any particur reason for that?" Elizabeth asked, feeling her blood pressure rise as she could already imagihe answer.

  "Because it is funny," Reginald said with a defeated sigh.

  "Frig Alexanders cursing me from beyond the tomb, these frig birds are his legacy. He didn't leave a dragoage. Instead, he left self-busting chis!" Elizabeth cursed to the nine heavens as she saw the proje of the vilge and some burst of lights as a group of birbs bursted into lightning and reformed in another spot.

  If anything, maybe Elizabeth could use that aspect of them? It would make it easier to disguise herself…Or separate even more her [Elemental Weaver] or [Stardust Weaver] identity from her [Shadow Empress] one…

  Actually, she had a new one, didn't she? She could tie this to her [Thunder Queen] Identity….To keep growing the identity that Chloe Ashcroft left. To honor her in another way.

  That was a thought for ter.

  "Okay, so what else do we have to gh?" Elizabeth asked, turning to Aura. The girl seemed to be showing more than usual.

  "Well, you named your p (Quite the bad name if we are being ho), you admitted the divinity growing within you… You faced your impending apotheosis…" Aura started numbering what they had spoken about, "Well, the hing on the agenda is addressing your new denizens."

  Her what? But she wasn't able to track down the Valkyrie girls….

  "Linald, do you have a favorite or may I pie at random?" Aura said, turning tinald.

  "Anyone would do Lady Aura," Reginald answered without batting an eye.

  What were they-?

  "Then this will be." Aura said, snapping her fingers once more, and in front of them with a *poof*, a yellow round bird nded in front of them.

  It had very small feet, a pair of wings that looked too small to work for anything, and a beak too small to be able to process enough food for these things te themselves with food.

  It was a weird creature, it made no sense for it to be so fat and round if it had no obvious way to eat! Who even desighis thing?!?!?!

  "SQUAK!" The stupid bird squawked…why squawks? Shouldn't it chirp? Or at least pretend to be a duck.

  Actually, what bird was it closer to? Ducks? Chis? Ravens?

  "Behave yourself, you are in presence of our Mistress," Reginald said, giving a small kick to the thing.

  It rolled forward and stopped just a few timeters shy away from having his face against the floor. Was it luck?

  "Squak!" The stupid birb said, Elizabeth could almost uand it.

  Almost.

  "Mistress, they unicate by way of eleagic signals. You only o tap into the correct mana spectrum, and you should be able to uand it," Reginald said, raising a finger and showg the wavelength iion.

  Elizabeth attuned herself to it, and sure enough.

  "Squak! / OMFG, ITS HERE, SHE IS SO HERE, AND LOOK, SHE LOOKS SO POWERFUL! OMFG, AND SHE IS LOOKING AT ME, LIKE NO CAP I THINK SHE IS MORE POWERFUL IN THE FLESH! HOW SOMEONE BE SO FRIG POWERFUL! SHE IS NOT EVEN ROUND! WELL, SHE HAS A COUPLE ROUND PARTS TO HER, BUT THEY AREN'T NEARLY ROUND ENOUGH! HOW DOES SHE EVEN BURST INTO LIGHTNING WITHOUT ENOUGH FAT TO SHIELD HERSELF! SHE BARELY HAS ENOUGH FAT ON HER CHEST AND HIPS TO PROTEE ANS, BUT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT YOU NEED MORE FAT! HOW WILL SHE PROTECT HER BRAIN JUICSE WITOUTH A FIRM CAP OF FAT! CAPTAIN! WE O GET MORE FAT INTO THE THUNDER GODDESS!" The thing was…" Squak! / CAPTAIN! QUICK! I DON'T THINK SHE IS ON THE RIGHT WAVELENGHT, WE O START SEARG THE WAVELENGT SHE IS, HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO YAP TO EACH OTHER IF SHE ISN'T ON THE SAME WAVELENGHT! QUICK! CAPTAIN! WE O START! SUMMON OUR BROTHERS! SUMMON OUR SISTERS! WE O START! EACH OF US WILL GET A WAVELENGHT AND INCREASE THE NUMBER BY A RATIO OF 1.3 TILL WE MATCH HER WAVELENGHT!"

  Elizabeth felt a headache f.

  "Squak! / CAPTAIN! LOOK AT HER! SHE IS ADMIRING MY FORM! I TOLD YOU YOU NEEDED MORE FAT! NO SELF-RESPEG GIRL WILL ADMIRE YOU LIKE THE THUNDER GODDESS IS ADMIRING ME! YOU NEED MORE FAT! MORE ROUNDNESS! MORE FLUFF! YOU ARE JUST FUZZY WITH NO FLUFFY! HOW WILL THE THUNDER GODDESS REIGN SUPREME OVER US IF YOU AREN'T ROUND!" The…thi speaking. Elizabeth regretted attuning herself.

  "You are exaggerating…L337, please restrain yourself, for we are in the presence of our Mistress," Reginald said, shaking his head.

  "Squak! / CAPTAIN! AT THE VERY LEAST, SPEAK LIKE A MAN! LIKE WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING BY NOT HYPER-PRESSING YOUR THOUGHTS INTO EFFIT MEANS OF UNICATION! YOU SAY SO MUCH MORE WITH SO LITTLE WORDS BUT YOU RATHER USE THE INNEFIT SPEAK OF THE PEASANTS! LIKE HAVE YOU SEEN THEM!?!?!?! THEY ROAM THE SHADOWS LIKE SOME KIND OF WORMS! AND THEY ARE SO SELF-RIGHTEOUS, WE, LIKE, START PURGING THEM? OR AT LEAST SHOVING SOME LIGHTNING THEIR WAY? I BET WE COULD PIERCE THEIR DEFENSES BY ONLY POINTING A FLASHLIGHT THEIR WAY! MAYBE WE SHOULD? IS THAT WHY THE THUNDER GODDESS SUMMONED US HERE? ACTUALLY WHY IS THE UGLY PURPLE STICK GLARING AT ME?" Did…did Elizabeth o deal with these things?

  She was getting tired by only listening, and the fact that they said so much with a mere…squak…

  Then what about at the settlement?

  Aura seemed to pick up her untold question as a proje of the pce showed, with the birds squawking at each other, some even squeaked twice per sed!

  Elizabeth did not look forward to even looking into their way. But for now, there were a couple of things she o keep straight.

  "First…L337 was it?" Elizabeth said turning to the round yellow birb, "No fighting against other denizens of this p uhey start it, and this includes provoking them into attag someone else."

  The round birb stood straighter, and ag as if no one could notice him, he rolled closer tinald, "Squak…/ CAPTAIN! I THINK I'M IN LOVE! HER VOICE! HER CELESTIAL VOICE! LIKE, DID YOU HEARD HER?!?!?!? SHE SPEAKS AS IF THE LAWS ARE TO BE WRITTEN BY HER WILL! AS IF EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD IS TO BE DECIDED BY HER WHIMS! NO WAIT! IS THAT WHY SHE DECIDED TO INHABIT IN THAT UGLY BODY?!?!?! ALL SO THAT HER MIGHT IS MORE OBVIOUS?!?!? SO SINO ONE WOULD EVEN LOOK HER WAY BECAUSE SHE ISN'T ROUND, AND IN TURN, IS UGLY. IT MAKES THE IMPACT OF BEIED BY HER SO MUCH MORE?!?!?! IS THAT WHY SHE HAS LEGS FOR DAYS SO THAT IS MORE EASY FOR HER TO STEP INTO BIRBKIND HOPES AND DREAMS?!?!?!? DO YOU THINK SHE WILL STEP ON ME IF I ASK IT NICELY? ACTUALLY, REMEMBER THOSE THINGS G3X WAO MAKE, THOSE WEIRD FEET THINGS THAT HAVE A POINTY END? DO YOU THINK THE THUNDER GODDESS WOULD WANT TO USE ONE AND STEP ON ME?"

  "Say Reginald, we like…kill their species?" Elizabeth decided that this ecies that wasn't worth having. Maybe the iteration would be better?

  "Squak! / CAPTAIN! I'M IN LOVE!" WHY WAS THIS ONE SO SHORT!?!?!?!? THEY SPOKE FOR DAYS WHEN IT WAS ABOUT MEANIHINGS, BUT FOR THIS ONE ONLY THIS?

  "I'm sorry, Mistress, but they are tied to your Divine Lightning; even if we purge them, they will return. I made sure to check before presenting them to you. This one is among the best behaved even like that." Reginald said sighing. No wait, he checked?

  "So…you too huh?" Elizabeth said, pg a hand inald's shoulder, "I'm sorry. Had I known it would be like this, I wouldn't have cursed you with this job."

  "It's fine, Mistress, I am more attuo Lightning already, so it o be done like this," Reginald said with dropped shoulders, "They are all like this, in case you are w, but they are smarter than they look. And more resilient. Also, they are pseudo-immortal; siheir sciousness is tied to lightning, they are easier t back to life."

  "Squak! / THAT WE ARE, WE ARE THE SUPERIOR RACE! LIKE, WE RETURN EVEN IF ONLY A FEATHER REMAINS! BESIDES IF THERE ARE ENOUGH LIGHTNING WE ARE ABLE TO CREATE MORE OF US, THE YAPPENING WILL OP! WE ARE IMMORTAL! WE ARE THE THUHAT APPROACHES! THE MIGHT OF THE HEAVENS! THE PRIMORDIAL FORCE OF CREATION! THE SPARK OF CREATIVITY! THE LIGHT THAT BAHE DARKNESS! THE INSPIRATION AND CREATIVITY! WE ARE THE THUNDER BIRBS!" Elizabeth would o see if she was able to tweak their creation. Maybe she could pce a limiter to their voice sound levels? Maybe prevent them from screaming so much?

  Or speaking so much?

  She missed how most of her Shadons were quiet and calm already, and she hadn't left the Shadow Haven!

  Actually…

  "Do you have suggestions for the name of your settlement?" Elizabeth asked the bird; she, of course, regretted doing so half a sed whehing answered.

  "Squak! / OF COURSE LENTY SUGGESTIONS! FIRST OF ALL WE USE THE MIGHTY CAPITAL OF THUHE MIGHT OF THE M. THE TER OF CREATION, THE LIGHT OF SCE THAT BRINGS GLORY AND JUSTICE TO THE WORLD! THE MIGHTY THUNDER CITY OF L337! AND IF THAT ONE ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH, WE COULD GO FOR THE TRY OF L337. OR THE IMPERIUM OF BIRBKIND L337, OR MAYHAPS THE MIGHTY FEDERATION OF L337? THE MONARCHY OF L337? THE SPHERE TRY OF L337?" The birb thing tinued saying multiple variations of the same thing, all ended with this round thing name.

  "Shouldn't my name be on them?" Elizabeth said turning tinald.

  "...they are like that, if you asked another ohey would say roughly the same thing, only ging the st part to their name." Reginald said, shrugging, "They all are like that, trust me, Mistress."

  He repeated himself.

  "I am so sorry." Elizabeth also repeated herself.

  "Squak! / AND SHE IS HUMBLE! HOW COULD SOMEONE SO MAGNIFIT BE SO HUMBLE! IT'S OKAY, THUNDER GODDESS; YOUR APOLOGIES ARE WASTED ON SOMEO AROUND LIKE HIM! HIS NAME IS EVEN DUMB! WHAT KIND OF PERSON USES ONLY LETTERS FOR A NAME! HE SHOULD HAVE GED HIS O SOMETHING LIKE R3G1N4LD AT THE VERY LEASTS! INSTEAD HE IS JUST CALLED REGINALD! WHAT KIND OF THUNDER NAME IS THAT!?!?!?!? IT'S DUMB! WHY 'T HE BE NORMAL!?!?!?!? IMAGINE HAVING A H NO NUMBERS ON THEM! NO THUNDER BIRB WILL WANT TO BED HIM! HOW IS HE SUPPOSED TO INCREASE THE ROUNDNESS OF OUR SPECIES LIKE THAT!" The…thi yapping.

  Elizabeth wasn't even sure if she wao tinue listening, she was half sure that they would eventually say something important, something that she o hear.

  "Squak! / NOT LIKE HE IS EQUIPPED TO DO THE DEED; HE ISN'T ROUND! HOW IS HE GOING TO PROCREATE IF HE IS ROUND! HIS ANATOMY IS PROBABLY DEFORMED; MAYBE WE DO O FEED HIM LIKE B0B SAID? IF WE FUNNEL ENOUGH FEATHERS AND FEED PERHAPS HE WOULD TURN INTO THE RIGHT FORM? BUT THEN WHAT IF HE ENDS UP BEING MORE MAGNIFIT THAN ME?!?!?! IT WOULD DEVASTATE ME! AND EVERYONE! AND MY FANS! WHAT WOULD THEY THINK IF MY MAGNIFIT ROUND FORM WASN'T THE BEST FORM?!?!?! THEY WOULD BE SO FUSED THAT THEY WOULD BURST! YEAH NO, WE ARE OKAY RIGHT NOW." No, no one would regret that loss.

  Also of course Reginald looked better. What kind of bullshit thought process was this thing having? In what world would someone prefer one of these birbs inald?

  Elizabeth didn't linald like that, but even so, she would rather not bed the round yellow bomb of time. Specially now that she uood what their squak meant.

  "Aura…Please return him." Reginald said from the side, "I think Mistress has enough of them."

  Elizabeth quickly desynched herself from the thing, she didn't want to hear them anymore. And made sure there was no spell that would link her immediately. Not uhere was an emergency.

  "At once," Aura said as she teleported away the birb.

  "Squak!" Elizabeth was happy of not being forced to listen to what that squak meant. She was sure that she wouldn't miss the tents, and whehi, she set up a spell so they would be traced and studied, and only be transted into her mind if they were saying something important.

  "God, will it be like that for the other elements?" Elizabeth shuddered at the idea.

  "Probably no." Aura answered, shuddering, "I 't imagihat in other elements, these ones are affected by the sin that birthed them."

  And that would be?

  Oh…thuhen it was her sin?

  "...they are born from the hubris of my pride?" Elizabeth shuddered…

  Was…was this the result of her as…

  "Yes," Aura nodded with a shrug, "They are quite literally born from the result of your as, and so the others will be like that too."

  Elizabeth….o check what Mana the ems she had were lio. And make sure no weird thing were being born in her Soulscape.

  At least she had some time while Rena soothed Rossie….