"Eragon!"

Groaning, he opened his eyes to find Arya bearing down on him, her own wide with worry. He was laying flat on his back across the stage, dazed and confused as to what had just occurred. An explosion...a scream...one that kept going on and on...

It was still going on now.

"Are you alright?" the elf inquired, helping him to his feet with surprising care.

"I-I think so." He looked around and gasped at the five figures that now stood in the center of the platform, glowing so brightly he could barely make out their forms let alone their features. Eragon soon realized he had yet to hear anyone speak to him besides Arya, which meant - "Saphira? Saphira!" Saphira, answer me!

He glanced towards where'd she had been standing and met her bewildered sapphire gaze. Reaching out with his mind, he found nothing but empty space. Wha - what's going on? I see you right in front of me! You're awake, but I can't reach you. How is this -

"Opheila!" Rose tried to stand, and Eragon lent her a hand as others on stage also struggled to rise. "Where did you go?!"

A string of irritated growls came from the she-dragons, all of whom were staring at the figures who'd appeared as their glows began to fade. The agonized scream finally stopped, and he looked back towards the crowd to see a seizing man being carried away on a stretcher with a thick cloth wrapped around his eyes. Was that...Bregan?

It didn't matter right now. What mattered was what had happened to his bond with Saphira? Eragon examined his palm to see that his gedwëy ignasia was still present, but it did seem dimmer, if that was the correct word to use. But how could this have occurred?

"Why isn't Nia moving?" Drawn from his tumultuous thoughts by the fear in Nick's voice, he turned his attention to the other Riders, who were crowded around the young woman in question. Her Dragon's Kiss was burning brightly, and her eyes twitched beneath her closed eyelids. Her mouth had fallen open as if in utterance, but of what none could tell. Luminous growled even louder, which had them all staring at the five who stood before them.

While he could finally behold them, their shapes were still indistinct and hazy. The protrusion of their noses and (in some cases) beards were the only facial features that could be made out, and their bodies still emanated a silvery glow that was like the one coming from Niaomi's mark, reminded him of the spirits he and Arya had beheld. While virtually humanoid, the only real detail that could be made was their genders.

The male who stood in the middle stepped forward to inform them, "I have already explained the situation to your dragons, but as you have no doubt realized, your bonds have been weakened. An unfortunate side effect of our appearance; however, it could not be helped."

His voice rang like thunder, echoing with the fury of a storm, the power of the wind, the vastness of the sky. It was not deafening, but it hurt to listen, and Eragon's ears felt like they were being overloaded. The sound did not just reverberate through the air, but through his very bones, washing over the entirety of his being. Yet through it all, he felt as if he'd heard this unimaginable voice before.

"Z-Lord Zeus?" It was Nicholas who'd managed to form a response despite his hands being tightly clasped over his own ears. "Is it you?"

The man - the god - inclined his head, his unkempt beard brushing his chest. "It is indeed I, Zeus, the king of the gods. In this land, I have also been worshiped under the name Gûntera, though it is I who created the dragons."

"This is impossible," Arya whispered. "You're real...you're real?"

"Do you doubt my power?" An unbearable weight assaulted Eragon's mind, and he cried out as the force of a thousand suns, a million life forces, an infinite power revealed itself. Now he knew why Bregan could not stop screaming: this was the light he had seen, the energy of a god that revealed itself to his blind eyes. It ceased as soon as it had begun, and he was left shaking, as was everyone else. Zeus turned to the crowd and roared, "You all have beheld my power firsthand! Is there any who still doubt my claim?"

At his side, Arya nearly collapsed, and he grabbed her as he watched the Varden bow down to this being of might. But he was not surprised to watch their leader step forward, her face poised and her back as straight as ever. "And are you here to assist us in our endeavor to end Galbatorix's reign, Lord Zeus?"

The god's laughter was a tempest, and Eragon feared he might be blown away. "You are brave and bold indeed, Nasuada. Perhaps not all of my wife's creations are as frail as they seem to be."

Nasuada inclined her head gracefully as the figure to his right spoke up, her voice filled with the strength of an unbreakable oath sworn in the Ancient Language. "This is not the time for quips, husband. It is the time for action. We cannot stay long, or our vessel will never again awaken."

"Mother is right," the other goddess intoned in the elvish tongue, her voice ringing with the wisdom of a life begun before time itself. "We must address the mortals before their fear and our power overcomes them as well."

"Very well. The one who has spoken such sagacious words is my daughter Athena, who fashioned the elves. And to my right is my queen, Hera, who breathed life into humans. By her side is our son Ares, who made the Urgals, and on the other hand his brother Hephaestus, who carved the dwarves."

"Bir Ushnark rel Ugralgra, niv hucgra bach ut Svarvok," Ares proclaimed in the Urgal tongue, his words clattering together louder than the weapons on the battlefield. The Urgals present responded with a savage roar, yet it could not hold a candle to the god's voice, which was more encompassing than war itself.

"I am known as both Helzvog and Morgothal by my creations, the dwarves. But my ancient name is Hephaestus."

Eragon heard a Nighthawk dwarf murmur, "Vor Orik korda."

"We are here but for one purpose: too formally bestow upon the Varden the gift of our vessel, Niaomi Dragonseer. She has been blessed with a portion of our power, and she is the tool that Eragon Shadeslayer shall wield to bring down Galbatorix once and for all. This is her very purpose as the Seer, and thus your cause is a worthy and possible one to undertake. It is our negligence that lead to this, and thus it is our duty to fix it.

"However, our power has been greatly diminished in this land. That is the reason why we forged the Seer for the Leader: to act in our stead. With her power to assist you, the Varden will manage to overthrow Galbatorix and usher in a new era where the gods may walk amongst our people once more. The false king is growing close to achieving a power as vast as our own, and thought the fault is ours to bear, we must rely on the Varden to fix it. So, Lady Nasuada, what say you?"

Striding forward to address her people, Nasuada asked in a voice that - while not holding the power of Zeus's - rang with all the authority he held and more, "Varden! What say you?"

"AYE!" The cry of hundreds was her answer: the humans cheering, the dwarves stomping, the Urgals bugling, and even the dragons roaring in acceptance of the challenge. The Varden had already been in agreement before the gods had descended; now, they were simply making it known.

Eragon, grinning in delight and pride at the group he'd joined so long ago, could not help but whistle along with them. His fellow Riders clapped as well, and Nasuada turned to raise a brow at the king of the gods and tell them, "There is your answer, Lord Zeus."

"Then may the Fates be with you, Lady Nasuada." Zeus's glow began to fade entirely, and he disappeared alongside it.

As the others began vanished one by one, Athena turned to gaze at Arya. "The mind is a powerful tool, my child. But I have learned that the heart is powerful, as well."

Before the elf could respond, the goddess was gone, taking with her the last of the emanating power that Eragon had not known was there until it left. As the Varden began settling down and Nia came to, he realized he'd never delivered his speech.

Then go on, little one.

Overjoyed to hear Saphira once more, he followed her advice, though there were few words to be said. All eyes looked to him expectantly as he went to stand in the center where Zeus had been moment before. "The gods arrival was not needed to stay our course. We all have stayed in the Varden with the intention to take down Galbatorix. They have given us hope, but we shall be the ones to turn it into reality!"

This time the Rider was glad to hear such a deafening sound in his ears.

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A/N: And thus we've reached the end of the first half of chapter twelve! The second will be taking us back to Urû'baen following Murtagh's POV, and we'll get to see how poor Maggie is coping as the newest Rider. Her dragon will also be revealed, along with another amazing piece of fan art by AylinAkinal! If any of you guys can draw as well, feel free to shower me with lovely pictures as much as you desire, lol. Irregardless, I shall continue to do my best to shower you with lovely updates. <3

Be sure to tell me what you lovelies thought in the comments below!