In the end, the three of them argued their way to a compromise.
They would take turns holding the larval Shiomi, switching every ten minutes, and then head back to StormBorder.
When Morgan contacted the ship, she didn't explain Shiomi's condition right away. Some things were better understood when everyone saw them in person.
Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that bringing Shiomi back to Storm Border like this would cause a fresh wave of chaos.
At least it wouldn't be bad chaos.
And compared to the chaos she could already foresee, the reason Shiomi had ended up like this was far more urgent.
"So," Morgan asked while she adjusted the clothes that were so big they barely hung on him, "why did my husband end up like this? Was he cursed by a god of the Lostbelt?"
They had found a relatively quiet spot to rest since they didn't have anything in his size, and were trying their best to fix his clothes into something wearable.
"No. If anything…" Scáthach spoke before Shiomi could answer, voicing her guess. "It looks more like a loss of power."
From what they'd just seen in his fight with the Dead Apostle dinosaurs, Shiomi's strength had dropped to about where it had been back when he was still a Magus.
For a child that age, it was still terrifying.
But weakened was weakened.
And for what lay ahead in this Lostbelt, that was not an encouraging development.
"Master's right," Shiomi said. "During my fight with the 'Alien God', I got surrounded. The encirclement was awkward and poorly coordinated, but their original plan was clear. They meant to capture and seal me alive, and cut Chaldea's fighting strength."
"Surrounded?" Artoria's face tightened. "Was it that unknown giant of light?"
"No. It was Tezcatlipoca." Shiomi shook his head and continued. "While the Unity God and the 'Alien God' were falling into this underground world, he had already activated his Noble Phantasm."
After that, Shiomi sent Morgan back to the ship, faced the 'Alien God' alone, and prepared to break away.
"Tezcatlipoca… I remember the Jaguar Warrior Servant in the Uruk Singularity. Wasn't that someone possessed by the divinity of that South American god?" Artoria said, recalling it.
Shiomi pressed his lips together. "It's better not to project your image of Jaguar Warrior onto Tezcatlipoca… That one's behavior and temperament are completely different. This time, he likely descended in a way much closer to the real thing."
"So my disciple was surrounded by enemies gathered around Tezcatlipoca, and had his power stolen?" Scáthach asked, concern plain as she toyed with Shiomi's hands.
"'Led' isn't quite right. It was more like their interests happened to line up, so they ended up together." Shiomi shook his head. "I don't know the details. That was just how it felt in the moment."
Morgan half-knelt in front of Shiomi, who was currently being held in Scáthach's arms, and looked him straight in the eyes.
"Even if your power was taken, why would you turn into such a small child?"
"It was my authority," Shiomi said. "The authority I had as a god was taken. But I didn't lose my divinity. To keep me stable, my body reverted on its own, to maintain an overall steady state."
"So you couldn't maintain your original form, and this is the result," Artoria said, understanding. "Then before we properly explore this Lostbelt, we need to find a way to take back the authority Tenkei lost."
Shiomi nodded. "That's what I'm thinking too. But I'll say this up front. My authority wasn't taken by just one person. It was split into three, and taken by different enemies."
"Split into three?" Morgan's surprise quickly turned into realization. "No wonder I felt your presence scattering. I thought…"
"You thought I'd been torn apart, but couldn't die?" Shiomi knew exactly what she'd been afraid of. He stretched out his small hands and cupped Morgan's cheeks.
Feeling the childish warmth of those fingers, Morgan nodded. "If it's only authority… that's a relief, at least."
"Still, splitting it into three means it wasn't just about taking away your combat strength," Scáthach said. "They may have wanted to use your power for something."
"Given what I am, Tezcatlipoca may be one of the gods who knows my origins," Shiomi said with a nod.
"Morgan can sense those scattered pieces that carry Tenkei's aura. Can you sense them too?" Artoria asked.
"More or less." Shiomi focused again, testing it. "The split authority wants to return to the main body, and it wants even more to become whole again. But it's in different hands now… which makes this a real headache."
"Specifically?" Morgan asked.
"Compassion, Balance, and Severity," Shiomi said evenly. "My authority has been divided into those three parts. They describe the nature of each piece, not my own mind or spirit, so you don't need to worry about that."
Scáthach pulled him tightly against her chest with a helpless sigh. "How are you still this calm? One mistake and you could die and disperse."
"I'm sorry for making everyone worry. I didn't think things through," Shiomi said, leaning obediently into Scáthach's soft embrace as he apologized to all three.
Once they finished getting his clothes into some semblance of order, they prepared to move again and head back to Storm Border.
The outfit was too rough and makeshift anyway. Before they returned, they'd need to ask Habetrot to make him something proper.
"Then who took your authority, besides Tezcatlipoca?" Artoria asked.
Shiomi shook his head again. "No one. Tezcatlipoca was the only one who didn't take it. He looked like he was enjoying the whole thing. He deliberately caused trouble during my counterattacks, but still left me enough room to escape."
"If he's basically a chief god, he wouldn't need to steal authority in the first place," Scáthach said. "And absorbing something from another mythology recklessly might even be harmful."
"That's probably true." Shiomi nodded. "Though I don't know whether my authority and divinity are 'poison' to the gods of other mythologies, something they can't consume."
Cradled in Scáthach's arms as they started moving, Shiomi continued.
"Still… among the three who took my authority, besides the 'Alien God' and someone I didn't recognize, there was also an unexpected… presence. Someone I recognized the moment I saw them."
He struggled for the right words, then could only describe it that way.
"Who?" Morgan asked casually. "Someone we know?"
Shiomi's expression turned complicated.
"It was Morgan."