Sidus took the time to explain that sometimes, for reasons none of the gods had been able to figure out, the races that made use of the powers that came with their domain would be born with divinity. Those children were incredibly rare, so much so that Ash was the only such creature born to Sidus' power.
"We surmise that, under the right conditions, each of you special children can rise to join us and take on your own domains," watching Ashterra, he knew already what her domain would be though he had no desire for her to join the gods before she had enjoyed her life to its fullest.
Lunarilia appeared on Ash's mark, spotting them swiftly and approaching, "Asha," her voice held relief and a fair measure of worry.
Ashterra smiled, exhaustion clear in her expression, "How bad is it, Luri?"
Luna drew near, grasping one of Ashterra's hands softly, "I mean, you're alive so it could be a lot worse," her smile was sad, she was trying to be lighthearted despite her worry.
Sidus spoke up, answering as he knew Lunarilia would be in tears trying to explain, "You stopped breathing for a bit, though thankfully not long enough to cause any damage," he registered the shock in her expression at that and decided to circle back to it later, "Of far more importance and with far reaching consequences that affect you even here, you have damaged your mana circulation. Part of why I am still here is to assist in fixing the damage though, truth be told, it is less connected to the corruption and far more so with you overtaxing your magic. The corruption just forced you to give the final push to cause things to cascade out of control before I could advise you otherwise."
A light sound of wind movement and hooves on the stone nearby drew Ash's gaze as well as Sidus'. Where Ash looked curious, Sidus looked somewhere between frustrated and resigned. A regal unicorn stood within his temple, beautiful wings having clearly borne it in from the sky.
Moments later, the unicorn was replaced with a Vulpine woman, several tails waving slowly as her vibrant violet eyes pinned Ash with a look that would have made most flinch. Ashterra, however, was not intimidated by the goddess of wisdom, merely glancing up towards Sidus instead to gauge his reaction.
"He speaks of advisement as if he provided any in the first place," she grumbled in Sidus' direction before speaking up, "Though, admittedly, we had told you it was a game in the hopes that you would treat it as such and not rush yourself. We are all at fault for the state you find yourself in, which means it is time for us to step in as necessary to educate you."
Sidus curled his arms around Ashterra in a protective way, as if the goddess aimed to take her, "This body that you are using here is not entirely like the one Lunarilia or the other Godsborn are using," he explained, though Prudentia cut him off as if insulted.
"Not entirely," she all but growled as her tails lashed her displeasure at his failure to clearly explain, "Comparing your body to those of the other Godsborn, as they have come to be called, is like calling a marionette the same thing as an artist's mannequin and even that does not do the difference justice. Your body is of a similar craft to the ones the both of us are using now, the only difference being that something directly within this world assisted in its construction in order to allow your soul to be somewhat tied here."
"Then the person that accused me of cheating the other day wasn't wrong," Ash said softly, watching Prudentia curiously.
"Cheating would imply that you gamed a system," the goddess retorted, "While from their perspective, it may seem so, the truth is much more complex. For starters, they are capable of growing so much faster than you are without repercussion. You must work on everything foundational before growing stronger or you risk breaking this vessel with more power than it can contain. I doubt we could craft another like it. Those like you, the other offspring of gods, are under the same restrictions. You may grow, even swiftly, but you must do so correctly and not force things."
Ash glanced down at her hands, feeling the movement of her magic in both the body she was using in Fantastoria as well as her own body where it lay sleeping on Terra. She let her concentration lapse a bit, let herself feel only in Fantastoria once more. Both of the gods seemed to have taken note, though, and Prudentia glanced to the side as if to address someone.
Lucrum showed up before she could summon him, grumbling that he was exhausted as it was before stepping towards Ash. She flushed immediately and dropped her gaze, the hazy memories of the prior day telling her only that she had acted incredibly out of line.
"My fixing her magic a bit made her aware of the connection," his golden eyes appraised her magic for a moment, not searching for value but for something deeper. He leaned down and let his hand touch hers, not wanting to try for anything more intimate if only because Sidus was still quite likely to try to murder him later for it, "I will soften this awareness somewhat so it isn't overwhelming," he said gently to her, "Try not to reach for it. Use Prudentia's systems to return your consciousness to Terra if you need to be awake in your true body for any reason."
Ash nodded slightly, speaking up only when he drew his hand away, "Lucrum. I'm sorry. I don't exactly remember what happened but I know I've wounded you."
He let a light sigh escape him before answering, "I have wounded myself, acting a fool, acting as if your divinity was something I could own, something I felt entitled to own. We have known each other for such a small breadth of time and I have at each encounter with you acted as if we had known each other for longer even than I have been aware of myself. I will endeavor to be less overbearing going forward, that we might become properly acquainted," his work done, the tired young god turned and nodded slightly towards Prudentia before glancing over his shoulder at Sidus, "I'll try to behave, so maybe don't look at me like you'd rather see me bleeding on the floor, alright?"
"I would not," Sidus responded, his eyes moving down towards Ashterra as if to acknowledge that such a thing would upset her, "What I would like to see is your continued growth, Lucrum. That is all." Lucrum nodded slightly and disappeared in a golden haze.
Prudentia gave a slight sigh and turned her attention back to Ashterra, "As for you," she said calmly, "Consider this a quest of the utmost importance, above all else for now. Work on your Mana Manipulation and Spellweaving. Learn from those around you, observe the world in all of the ways available to you. Only once you properly learn the second tier of magic can you use it effectively without bringing yourself harm. Should you try something like what you did in the dungeon again, such as when the flame boar comes for Redwood Stars, you might find yourself bedridden for months if you are lucky."
With her wisdom imparted, the goddess also took her leave, disappearing into the realm that the gods called their home.
Sidus sighed, "Things have become far more lively for you than I had intended, dear Ashterra. For today, rest. I will be at your side as much as I can," his pale blue eyes moved to glance at Lunarilia, who was only just cautiously straightening from a kneeling posture she'd taken with the appearance of Prudentia, "Lunarilia, so far as I can tell, will also remain here for now. Rest easy."