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Page 3974

That sight gave her significant pause, and even though she wanted to say something about it, no words were coming to mind. How much had changed here while she was out? And wait. He’d said an entire month had passed, hadn’t he?

“That’s better,” said Ibai. “Thank you for listening. Maybe I’ll whip up something nice for you later. Just don’t expect too much, alright? I’ve got a lot of things to take care of, right now.”

The Library made no further sounds, as far as Emiliana could tell.

“Anyway,” Ibai went on, “here, take a look at this.” He approached her and opened the book he was holding for her to read.

She didn’t know what he was getting at. The page seemed to have been rather quickly and haphazardly chosen, so how could anything be--?

The text was peculiar. The script being used--the alphabet--was one she recognized but did not have much basis for understanding. It was Ancient Ghisian script, and as far as she knew, almost all of the languages that used it were now dead.

Before falling into her meditation, she’d been trying to expand her comprehension of old scripts and languages like this one, but with so many out there, she still had quite the long academic journey ahead of her.

This one, though...

She couldn’t help grabbing the book with her own hands in order to bring it closer.

Despite the fact that even the symbols themselves were barely better than incomprehensible scribbles to her, she still felt like she could understand what the text was saying. Like the words were speaking directly to her.

This random page. It was talking about a conflict. A battlefield report, perhaps.

“You see it, don’t you?” said Ibai. “Pretty sweet, eh?”

She found it hard to peel her eyes away, even as the text merely described the mundanities of troop movements over multiple months of fighting. “How is this...? What is this?”

“It’s what they call an ‘elevated text,’” said Ibai. “Something that can be read by anyone--even the illiterate, supposedly.”

“How is that possible?”

Ibai smiled and gave a big shrug. “That’s the mystery, isn’t it?! I’ve been reading lots of theories about books like this, though!”

Chergoa intervened again. ‘You don’t really need to go into that, right now, do you? We’ll be here for hours, if so.’

“What, you got somewhere to be?”

Page 3973

‘Don’t smother her,’ came another familiar voice, which Emiliana needed a few more moments to fully register as Chergoa. ‘Let her breathe.’

“Right, right, sorry.” The smiler took a few steps back, allowing Emiliana to recognize that it was Ibai Blackburn. Of course it was. “I have a lot to apologize for, apparently. Dang.”

Emiliana inhaled deeply as those words took their time registering. She focused. Suppress the pain. Put in the background. First, figure out what was happening. “What do you mean by that?” she asked, slowly rolling her neck, closing her eyes, then opening them again.

“Well. Um. Hmm. Where to begin? Okay, so I was tryin’ to help you out. Y’know. Of your little meditation coma. But, uh. I think I might’ve just prolonged it. But to be fair, it’s not entirely my fault! I just happened to learn a few things that made me change course a bit.”

‘He got distracted.’

“No! No. I specifically did not get distracted, this time! I tried real, real hard to avoid that. And I did! But as new information came to light, I had to make different decisions! Which made things take longer, unfortunately.”

‘Uh-huh.’

As she listened, Emiliana’s gaze moved around the room, absorbing more of their surroundings. Having been living in the Library of Erudition for so many months now, she’d gotten to know most of the building, but this particular chamber was looking... unfamiliar. The bookshelves on the walls seemed similar enough, but then she noticed several smaller, free-standing glass cases, as well.

They also had books in them, but only one each; and abruptly, this room started to feel more like that of a museum than a library.

“Where are we?” she had to ask.

“Oh, we’re in one of the secret special chambers,” said Ibai. “Neat, huh? I finally convinced the Library to let us in. There’s all sorts of cool books here!” He sauntered over to the nearest case and opened it.

Immediately, the room began to rumble, and the all-too-familiar sound of rustling papers and shuffling books began to arise. The sentient Library was about to launch an attack on Ibai, as Emiliana had seen it do so many times before when he so brazenly grabbed one of its books off its shelves.

“Oh, pipe down, already!” said Ibai, sounding genuinely annoyed for a change. “You know I’m not gonna hurt it! Just relax! This is important stuff I’m trying to tell her about!”

And to Emilaian’s amazement, the trembling actually slowed, then subsided entirely.

Next page at 6 pm

Thanks for your patience, guys. Just want a little more time.

Page 3972 -- CCCXIX.

But the reason he remained hopeful about the Titan’s absence was that, ultimately, the two of them were on the same side. If Sermung was truly against the Children, then he would not come to Avar’s defense. Or even if he did, there might still be some room to negotiate.

Though, admittedly, that was not Koh’s strong suit.

Did the Titan know enough about the nature of the Hunt?

Difficult to say. The other emperors only recently learned of it, so if Sermung had known all along, why had he not shared such important information with them?

Well. The man had no reason to trust Morgunov or Dozer, obviously. And perhaps he, too, was aware that the Peacemaker had already been compromised.

But the marshals? Did they know?

Jackson did, of course, but the others? They seemed quite lost at the battle in the Luthic, but to be fair, that situation was absolute madness. Unprecedented, frankly. Thanks to the Nightspinner’s power.

The wind picked up as Koh’s internal debate began to slow. Maligia and Ciroeth still deserved consideration, too, because either one of them could decide to take up Ettol’s mission. Their scents were quite strong, as well. Easy to follow.

But at length, he stood up on all fours again. Break time was over. He knew where he wanted to go.


Chapter Three Hundred Nineteen: ‘Thine imperiled ego...’
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As her eyes eased open, awareness returned in waves. Pain was first. Aching all over her body. Then hunger, mixed in there with the aching of her stomach. God. That didn’t feel good. She didn’t think she’d ever felt so hungry in her entire life.

Then came light and sound. Touch and smell. Everything around her. The world.

The Library.

Emiliana Elroy felt stiff as a board. Agh. What in the world had happened? The last thing she recalled, she’d been settling down to meditate, like usual, when Gohvis came in to give her instruction. Advice. He’d told her...

The thought went unfinished as she saw a smiling face appear in her vision.

“Hey there!” he said with a familiar intonation. “Welcome back to the land of the living!”

She rubbed her head. That was throbbing, too, of course. “What have I been...? Agh...”

“Confused, huh? Not terribly surprising. You were out for a good long while. Almost a month, I think. Though, truth be told, I’ve kinda lost track of the time, myself! Not the best judge, maybe.”

Taking a day

Thanks for reading, as always.

Page 3971

In recent years, the Titan had been known to disappear for long periods of time. Many in Abolish seemed to think it was because he was either playing some grand mind game with the other emperors or because he was actually exploring other realms.

Koh’s opinion was the latter. And he also felt--or hoped, perhaps--that he might know why.

Sermung was regarded far and wide as the most powerful being in this realm. There was, therefore, precisely zero chance that the Children had not approached him at some point or another. Whether the man had realized it or not was another question, but if he really was traversing other realms on a regular basis, then there was the matter of why.

Why would the most powerful man in the world, the greatest defender of the mortal realm, leave it behind?

Perhaps because he and Koh were of similar purpose.

Perhaps he left because he came to understand that there was a threat to this realm which could not be truly defeated here.

Koh understood that about the Prime Hunt. Ultimately, it was a toothless endeavor. Important, yes, but the Children could not be killed here. They would simply reincarnate every time. Koh did not mind. This was the quest granted to him by his master.

But he also knew that such a mission was difficult for others to accept. To fullly join with him in seeing it through. The angels, for example. Koh knew how they viewed him. A ram butting into a wall. A shark biting the tide. Hopeless, even now.

Over the Ages, the few who came to know of his quest always reached the same conclusion in the end.

That it would be better to seek the Children out in their realms and slay them there. Kill them truly and forever.

And perhaps they were right. But that was not his master’s wish. The Children were his own kin, after all.

Koh still remembered a time when the master’s affection wasn’t even in question.

When Koh ran between Avar’s legs. When he jumped on Cocora’s lap. When he licked Ettol’s face and wrestled with Hada. When he inspected the newcomer, Secho, only to wrestle with him, too.

When he was the playmate of all Children.

In his weaker moments, his less certain moments, Koh sometimes found himself wondering if such a time might ever arrive again.

But no. It would not. Those days were gone.

Page 3970

Should he concern himself with collateral damage? Now, at this late juncture?

Yes, of course he should. If it could be helped, then it should be. The entire purpose of the Prime Hunt was to free the mortal world from the Children’s influence. Destroying it instead, while sometimes necessary, was not a significantly better option.

And of course, there was the additional concern of the Crystal Titan. If Koh pursued Avar’s vessel now, the Titan might well interfere.

But then again, he might not. His lack of presence at the battle in the Luthic had been quite noticeable, given how long it had lasted and how much destruction it had ultimately wrought around the world.

He must have been greatly indisposed to have missed such an encounter. Treading through another realm, perhaps?

Sermung was an especially strange figure, Koh thought. Despite having investigated him multiple times in the past, Koh had never found any hint of the Children upon him. By most accounts, Sermung was a very mild-mannered, average-seeming man. Yet the tales of his deeds throughout history were anything but.

There were multiple stories about how some immense natural disaster would occur. An earthquake. A hurricane. A lightning storm. A tsunami. It didn’t seem to matter what kind it was, because Sermung, supposedly, would simply appear and... make it stop.

As if he could command the world itself to calm down.

There was some precedent for that type of ability, of course. Any sufficiently powerful soul could suppress the natural world around them within their “sphere of influence” as it was sometimes called. The emperors had done so multiple times during their last battle.

But even they had only calmed the raging storm around them for a brief time. They hadn’t actually stopped it for good.

Perhaps it was simply a matter of scale. Koh had to wonder if it would have been too much for Sermung, as well.

Having witnessed the man on the battlefield a few times in the past, Koh still did not know what to make of him. He seemed to hold back quite often. Either that, or the stories about him were greatly exaggerated.

Then again, they were bound to be exaggerated to some degree, regardless. Such was the nature of reputations that spanned the world.

But there was one aspect of the Titan that Koh had been wanting to learn more about--and now that he was finally free of Ettol’s influence, perhaps he could.

Page 3969

Ah. What was this? The slightest scent of Elya. In the direction of... Morgunov?

He sensed it now. She’d been attached to him. Not possessing or incarnating within him, of course. Koh would’ve sensed that right away, given his recent, very close proximity to the Mad Demon. But she was there, previously.

Hmm. It must have been a fleeting connection, then. To be so faint, even here and now, she must have abandoned him. Naturally. Much like Azai had done years earlier, Elya must have fled at the first sight of Koh.

Irritating. Where would she have gone? Surely, the sisters would not risk returning to their ancestral followers. That would cause a very noticeable stir, which would allow Koh to track them down much more easily.

No. Just like Makirë, they would probably seek a new shadow to hide within. But perhaps not someone as powerful as the Peacemaker, since they’d now borne witness to what had become of her. They would know that monolithic strength would not save them from him.

They would choose someone distant. Someone capable of assisting them in their flight from him, should they need it.

A few candidates were coming to mind. Ironically enough, he had his “travels” with Ettol to thank for that. He had a fairly good picture of the current structure of the modern mortal world now.

But it wouldn’t hurt to update it, either. After the storm they’d kicked up in the Luthic Ocean, the mortal world was again changing.

Lozaro seemed a likely target for refuge. A madman similar to Morgunov but more enamored with Chaos. In fact, he might now butt heads with Morgunov on that front.

And Lozaro was working under the Devil’s Knife. And Jercash was currently in Intar. A most ancient land, to be sure, with many places to hide.

Which was also where Avar could be found.

The Child of Fire was another oddity among his brethren. He was also quite attached to mortals, in his own way. And even if the process was much slower, he was one of the obnoxious few who required no assistance from his kin in order to reincarnate.

But his vessels retained much more influence over him, comparatively. Especially if, accompanied by a strong Will, they understood the parasitic nature of the Children. The danger of them. That was a recipe for great difficulty for Avar.

One that Koh had exploited many times in the past.

Should he try to do so again? Avar’s vessel this time was quite strong indeed. If their two souls merged fully, that would be no easy fight, even for him.

And the resultant devastation would likely be...

Hmm.

Next page on the 24th

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Page 3968

The Child of Sight would know of Ettol’s defeat immediately, but his strained relationship with his brethren made him unlikely to go to their aid. And he would be very alert, as well. Ever watchful of Koh’s approach. And, of course, fleeing was one of his greatest strengths.

That would be a time-consuming chase. And perhaps not worth it, at the moment. Better to find a way to catch him by surprise, first. The Dark Domain could block his Sight, but not from afar. Cloaking could be attempted, but it was unlikely to work on its own.

Then, perhaps... yes. Zirat would require a multi-faceted approach. And to that end, a powerful distraction would be helpful.

And what better distraction than to simply continue the Hunt while he knew Zirat was watching?

This was where the angel’s assistance would have proved germane, but oh well. He would have to do without.

Mm.

There was always Xixa, of course, but he no longer counted her among the Children. In her pursuit of the Heart, she had torn herself asunder and become entirely bound to this realm.

A true inhabitant, unlike the others, who merely toured this place and made sport of mortal lives.

Seeking her out could still prove valuable, however. Assuming she did not attack him, she might decide to aid him.

Her mind was always difficult to know. And tracking her down was quite difficult, besides. There was no incarnation to hunt. He would have to summon her, somehow.

Probably not worth the hassle while he still had so many other leads to follow.

Curiously, there was no scent of Azai. Yet he knew she was in this realm. Somewhere. He’d sensed her years ago while still under Ettol’s thrall. Ettol had wanted to speak with her, but she had simply fled, almost certainly because of Koh’s presence.

She was one whom Koh had fought many, many times. And not since the Fourth Age had it ever gone well for her. She must have been very deep in hiding now if he could not even catch a whiff of her.

But what of her two sisters? Irmu and Elya. Had they reincarnated yet? Despite how much the three of them fought and professed hatred for one another, they always sought each other out, in the end. Perhaps because their powers were inextricably bound together. None of them could achieve the peak of their ability without the other two.

So if he found one, the others were likely close at hand.

Page 3967

Granted, the danger of him being freed by an ally was extremely low, for the moment. It would be several years, at the absolute earliest. More likely, it would be much longer, if it ever happened at all. And if the Hunt continued to succeed, then the odds for Koh would only improve, until the deed was truly done and they were all removed.

Not that things would then be easy or peaceful. If he did indeed manage to complete the Prime Hunt, then the Children would become incensed beyond measure. There was little doubt in Koh’s mind that war would come for his master in the Realm of the Living Dark. They may even risk traversing the Infinite Current directly just to reach him.

Then, this newfound height of power within Koh might be fully tested.

But those were thoughts for another day.

Now, only the Hunt mattered. Only his prey.

Who could he sense?

From all the way up here, the picture of the world was different. The feldeath within him was immensely useful. Kahlmakk. Its ability to sense souls extended all the way around the planet--and deep into it, as well.

But the Children were cunning. And wary. They knew to conceal such obvious markers. And their new vessels compounded the matter further, mixing their souls with someone new, rendering them nigh unrecognizable by that metric alone.

Scent and aura were more reliable indicators.

According to Jun, the Peacemaker’s largest headquarters in recent years was in Luugh, and indeed, as he smelled the wind now, he caught the faintest whiff of Makirë in that direction.

Quite a distance. Across another ocean.

Who else, though? Anyone he hadn’t sensed previously?

Mm.

Miligia. Ciroeth. Avar. All known to him already.

Oh? A new scent. Who was that?

Secho?

Interesting. Unless Koh was mistaken, Secho had never reincarnated before. After all these years, only a few of the Children could say that. Hada. Cocora. Lhutwë. Each for very different reasons.

Ah, Koh recalled now. Ettol had been working on Malast, hadn’t he? Trying to motivate him to help Secho reincarnate, as there was no possible way that Ettol could have stolen the Urn of Growth from him.

So that gambit had succeeded, then.

That could prove troublesome. Or a boon, perhaps. Secho was a peculiar Child. Very attached to mortals. A fight might be unnecessary. But Malast could interfere. He wasn’t supposed to, but Secho’s presence was proof that he already had.

Hmm.

And who was that over there?

Ah. Zirat.

Page 3966

Perhaps that was the very reason why the Children loved this place so much--why they seemed to eternally yearn for it, despite some of their claims.

He continued on up the mountain, and soon enough, he reached its icy peak. The fierce winds buffeted his white fur as he sat down again and drank everything in.

The view. The air. The souls. The auras. All the way to the horizon.

Mountain peaks were good for that. And the taller the better. This one seemed to be the tallest in the region, and so the wind would be at its most informative up here.

With a few different leads to go on, it was time to make a decision. Did the order of pursuit matter? In the grand scheme, not at all. Yet some of the Children would certainly be more time-consuming than others.

But with Ettol out of the picture, perhaps time was now on his side again.

Too often, throughout the Ages, the Children had been able to rebirth themselves or each other at a faster pace than he could hunt them down. That was why the Heavenly Prison was better than simply killing them. It further slowed their return.

And Ettol, of course, had been a particular thorn in his side in that regard. Being the Child of Rebirth gave him a special penchant for such pursuits, always trying to create suitable vessels wherever he went, in the off chance that one of them might someday become a new incarnation for his brethren, even without his direct involvement.

A truly obnoxious opponent.

Now, the pace of Reemergence would slow. Hopefully.

Unless, of course, one of the others decided to take up the cause. That was not unheard of, either. Ettol, after all, often had trouble finding suitable vessels for himself. Koh did not know the precise details, but from what he understood, Ettol required vessels of a very rare kind. Not simple carriers of Supreme Will, like most of his kin.

In fact, for him, the Supreme Will may have even been a hindrance. It was hard to know for sure, even after all the time that Koh had spent at his side, silently learning about him.

But here and now, who might be of most concern? Makirë was troublesome, sure, but was she the most pressing threat?

Probably not.

The most pressing would be anyone who might be aware of Ettol’s sudden absence and decide to step in for him--or worse, attempt to free him.

Page 3965

They continued on to the tower and began climbing it together. With all the darkness, it was slow going, but as they made progress, Roman was getting the distinct feeling that they would indeed be reaching the surface soon.

Which, in a strange way, was almost a disappointment. They’d never discovered what the actual cause of this abnormal darkness was, but he supposed if it was that easy, someone else would’ve found it and told the world ages ago.

-+-+-+-+-

“We’re near the edge of my range. You’ll have to go on without me.”

Koh came to a halt, halfway up a mountain. He plopped down against the side of a sheer cliff face, unbothered by the fact that he was sitting at a ninety degree angle.

He turned to the angel behind him and growled.

“Don’t you growl at me. I’ll tell your master.”

Koh just huffed at him. Unlikely.

“Look, I’d love to keep helping, but let’s be honest. You don’t even need it. And I have too many things on my plate, as is.” The angel wasn’t even using a proper avatar now, perhaps knowing there was little point. He was just a ball of light and ethereal feathers, hovering in the air.

Frustrating. Did the angel not realize how much easier he made things for Koh? Being able to interpret for him? To actually communicate with people?

“It’s not as simple as you’re making it out to be,” said the angel. “I can’t read everything perfectly. I can get broad concepts and feelings from you, but most of the nuance is still lost on me, I think. So in a sense, you might actually be better off without my help, sometimes. You have a complex mind. There’s always a danger of me misinterpreting you and making a situation worse.”

Koh snorted. What nonsense. The angel was just making excuses now.

But it was to be expected, he supposed. The angels had always been allies of convenience, more than anything. Technically, they were on the same side, but they’d also butted heads on plenty of occasions, too.

Fine. Go, Koh thought. Tend to your hapless flock.

“Hold true, old friend.” And just like that, the angel was gone, back to his more worldly concerns, no doubt.

At least he hadn’t completely disregarded the old ways. That was always a worry with them. They indulged much more deeply in this world than he ever did, and so it was no surprise that they sometimes became entangled in its sprawling webs.

Even he wasn’t immune to that, he knew.

Page 3964

“She’s just joking,” said Roman. “She’s actually a huge softie who adores me.”

‘Ew, don’t try to downplay my words or embarrass me,’ said Voreese. ‘Just insult me back!’

“What? Why would I ever do that to someone I love?”

‘Oh, you high-road-taking bitch.’

“Have you ever learned the sacred art of deescalation, Voreese?”

‘Is that what you’re doing, right now? Because it’s not working. If anything, you’re pissing me off even more than usual.’

“Yeah, but deep down, I bet you’re enjoying yourself, right?”

‘Your mom’s a hoe.’

“Okay. Well, anyway. Loren and Rezolo. It’s good to meet you both.”

“Ah. Likewise...”

“I know these aren’t exactly ideal circumstances, but let’s just try and make the best of things, shall we?”

The party came to an abrupt halt as Hector stopped and pointed ahead of the troupe. “Some light, please.”

The group’s flashlights converged together, helping to pierce through the murk and reveal a tall building a short way into the distance. A tower? It didn’t look entirely stable, but considering that its probable age was over a millennia, Roman supposed it didn’t look too bad.

“Up through there,” said Hector. “I think we’ll find a way to the surface.”

Immediately, Roman was tempted to ask what made him think that, but he held his tongue. After hanging around the kid so much and experiencing so many battles by his side, Roman certainly knew that there was something quite advanced about Hector’s senses.

Voreese, of course, had already asked them about it directly--multiple times, even--but they’d told her that it was an important secret. And that they might share it one day but not just yet.

She hadn’t been terribly pleased by that, but oddly enough, she also seemed to understand more than Roman would’ve expected.

When he’d privately asked her later why that was, she’d given him quite the memorable answer.

‘They’re in a vortex, those two. And they’re navigating it as best they can. I won’t fault them for trying to prevent us from getting sucked in, too, even though it might just be inevitable, at this point.’

Those words had resonated with Roman. And as he watched Hector lead them closer to the half-crumbled tower, he couldn’t help being reminded of them.

A vortex.

Perhaps they were all caught in it now. Even these two newcomers.

Hmm.

Well, in any case, Roman already had a few ideas about how those crazy senses of Hector’s might work. There was little point in broaching the subject while other people were around to hear, anyway.

Page 3963

But bringing all of that up right now seemed like it might be counterproductive.

Voreese didn’t seem to give a damn, though. ‘Sounds like you must’ve seen some pretty fucked up shit.’

Loren made no response.

‘Voreese,’ thought Roman.

‘Don’t be a coy little bitch,’ she said privately. ‘These two are Abolish, remember? No need for kiddie gloves. In fact, THEY should be the ones trying to ingratiate themselves with US.’

‘Just let me handle this, please.’

‘Hmph.’

She wasn’t entirely wrong, though, Roman knew. The objective here was not to buddy up to these guys. It was to gauge what kind of people they were.

How dangerous they were.

But as ever, Roman disliked the direct approach. “You ever been to Intar before?” he asked, knowing the answer was almost certainly no.

“No,” said Loren.

Roman left an opening for the man’s reaper to pitch in with a different, more elaborate answer, but when it didn’t arrive, he picked the conversation back up. “Well, it’s an interesting place. Tons of people--but tons more land. So only the major cities feel crowded. All the average towns are sprawling like you wouldn’t believe. Makes tourism a bit difficult. Unless, maybe, you enjoy basking in the vast bounties of nature. You the outdoorsy type?”

“...I’ve never thought about it like that, but yes, suppose I am.”

“Aha! That’s a very useful type to be, I’ve always found. Leans into a lot of other skill sets, y’know? Like resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, the ability to think on your feet.”

“If... you say so.”

“Well, I do!” Roman patted him on the metallic back. “But what does your reaper think? Rezolo, right? Was that an accurate prediction of your servant’s capabilities?”

‘He has his moments,’ said Rezolo from inside Loren’s suit.

“Ah. How expectedly vague. Classic reaper behavior, am I right?”

Loren gave an acknowledging huff but otherwise remained quiet.

Roman couldn’t help wondering what kind of relationship these two had. Abolish reapers weren’t exactly known for their benevolent treatment of their servants.

Before Roman had to put the conversation on his back again, however, Rezolo surprised him by speaking up. ‘It was not my intention to be evasive,’ he said. ‘I merely do not wish to overpromise anything. Lower expectations lead to better outcomes, I’ve always found.’

Voreese snickered. ‘In that case, let me tell you all about how incredibly stupid Roman is.’

Page 3962

He’d have to keep thinking about that moving forward, Roman decided.

In the meantime, though, he didn’t see much point in fussing about it. Without more to go on, it would just be agonizing for agonizing’s sake. Fruitless frustration.

And right here, right now, he saw something else that might be much more productive.

The new man in their party, now wearing gray metal armor like the rest of them.

Roman was bringing up the rear, so he quickened his pace in order to catch up to the guy.

“It’s good to meet you, by the way,” he said, extending a gauntleted hand. “My name’s Roman Fullister.”

The man needed a moment to respond, apparently. “I am Loren,” he said as they shook hands, metal clinking against metal.

“Heh, well, I already knew that much,” said Roman. “What’s your last name?”

“I... don’t have one.”

That gave Roman pause. “Really? Where are you from?”

“...Ah. I am Vaelish by birth.”

“Oh wow. Beautiful place. I visited for the first time a few years ago, and I’ve been meaning go back ever since.”

“...Yes.”

And Roman waited, but the man offered no further elaboration.

Heh. Not much of a talker, eh?

Well, that wasn’t a problem for Roman. “That a sore spot? Your homeland? I apologize, if so. Just trying to make conversation.”

“I... do not have very many fond memories of it, no.”

“I see. Sorry to hear that.” Come to think of it, the place did undergo a brutal civil war some years ago. And despite its reputation for beauty and tourism, it did still have some lingering attachments to historical controversies.

For one thing, the war had been fought over slavery. And yet at the end of it, slavery had not been fully outlawed. Extensive regulations had been placed on the practice, but as far as Roman knew, it was still technically legal there.

He hadn’t witnessed anything like that during his own visit to the place, but then, he’d mostly stayed in the more luxurious areas of the country.

Moreover, there were rumors that the practice wasn’t even as regulated as the politicians claimed it was--that it was mostly just “legalese” for the purpose of making the country look better internationally.

Perhaps they hoped to prevent certain foreign powers from taking a “humanitarian” interest in their nation. Intar had a long history of that, after all. And it even played a role in their civil war, too.

Page 3961

But it was getting him thinking, nonetheless. About what had truly created this gulf in the first place.

It wasn’t just one thing, obviously. There were multiple causes. Clearly, the kid had a talent for both fighting and meditation. And he was definitely smarter than he ever seemed to give himself credit for. And meeting two “gods” had played a role. Three, if we were counting Caster, now. Good fortune was certainly part of it.

But there was something else, wasn’t there? Something key.

That secret ingredient.

The boy had guts like Roman had never seen.

That had to be the so-called Supreme Will that he’d been hearing about, right? Was that some superhuman quality, too?

Because it didn’t necessarily seem like it. From what he’d heard--mostly thanks to Voreese’s endless chattering with other reapers--Supreme Will was something that anyone could achieve. Even non-servants.

That didn’t sound very superhuman, now did it?

Moreover, it seemed to him that... perhaps Supreme Will was the most important factor. Perhaps it was the thing that led into much of the rest.

Perhaps it was what was creating all of these abnormal conditions and opportunities for Hector to grow. To achieve emergence. To shit talk a god and receive a blessing. To exert his influence over the world around him.

But even if that wasn’t the ultimate cause, then it was still, without a doubt, a major factor in how he managed to capitalize on all those opportunities. It had to be.

And it seemed to Roman that this was yet another example. That freaky little demonspawn or whatever it was--that thing had simply submitted to Hector’s will, had it not? Without even a fight.

Yeah.

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was becoming. The power of Supreme Will. If it was truly something that anyone could acquire, then he needed to do so. And sooner rather than later.

Was there some secret to it? Or might it actually be as simple as it sounded? A strengthening of mental fortitude? An adjustment of one’s worldview? And of one’s self?

An unbreakable determination.

That was what it sounded like. Hell, that was what it looked like, too. But was there more? Some kind of hidden aspect?

He’d heard about the Hun’Sho Seyos. The man had apparently been trying to achieve Supreme Will, too. And he’d been thousands of years old, to boot.

Didn't bode well. If the guy couldn’t pull it off after all that time, then what the fuck did that mean for Roman? Suddenly, it wasn’t sounding like it was achievable by everyone, after all. What was the truth?

Page 3960 -- CCCXVIII.

Chapter Three Hundred Eighteen: ‘The role of Fire...’
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

As they proceeded through the oppressive dark, Roman was watching Hector like a hawk. In particular, he was watching that orbiting cube.

Truth be told, despite how casually he’d played the whole thing off--in part, thanks to Voreese’s private advisement--Roman was in awe of the kid.

Again.

How many times did this make? It was always something, wasn’t it? Some new reason to be baffled by his young friend’s behavior or accomplishments--or both, oftentimes.

How things had changed. Not so long ago, he’d felt like the one leading the charge in their little Atreyan club of superpowered friends. He’d been the most experienced, after all. The strongest. The wealthiest. The most knowledgeable about the world of reapers and servants. The one everyone most relied upon in order to protect their nation during its time of great need.

Need to lay low for a while? Roman has your back. Need to flee the country and search for allies? Roman’s private jet was ready and waiting. Need to fight Abolish head on? Roman’s alteration ability was instrumental in that, too.

But now?

Now he was struggling to find ways in which he could still be useful.

It was frustrating, in its own ways, even though it was simultaneously a relief. Not having to feel like so much weight was resting on his shoulders--that was certainly nice.

But he couldn’t simply let things continue on like this, either. If Hector kept advancing further and further ahead of him, then this sense of frustration was only going to grow along with that gulf.

He’d discussed this with Voreese a bit already, though not in its totality. Hell, it was only right now, as they were walking through this underground expanse of pitch black that this feeling was becoming fully clear to him.

The feeling that he would absolutely not allow himself to be left in the dust.

Which was doubly frustrating, because he really liked Hector. At this point, the kid was one of his closest friends. It was impossible to see him as a true “rival.” That just didn’t feel right at all.

And there was always the bigger picture to think about, of course. Protecting the nation. Protecting each other. Building up their position. Their strength and influence. At the end of the day, interpersonal feelings amounted to little more than petty nonsense.

Page 3959

Hector felt compelled to provide additional context. “It can shapeshift, too. So this isn’t necessarily its true form.”

‘What the fuck?’ said Voreese, her hollow-eyed skull poking out from Roman’s left pauldron. ‘Shapeshifting? If that’s not its true form, then it must be one ugly motherfucker, because how could this look possibly be an improvement? It’s like if an alligator came down with anemia. And depression.’

“Well, it might not even have a true form,” said Hector.

‘Damn,’ she said. ‘Hmm. You kill it already?’

“No,” said Hector.

‘Then why’d it go all boneless on you? Is it knocked out?’

“Nope.” He didn’t want to stumble over his explanation like he had with Garovel, so he decided to not even try this time.

‘Well, it’s creepin’ me out! What’re you gonna do with it?’

“I’m not sure yet. As far as we know, it hasn’t actually hurt anyone.”

‘So then, what? Are you gonna bring it with us? Up to the city? That thing will make people FREAK out! Hell, it’s makin’ me freak out, right now!’

“We’ve noticed,” said Roman.

‘You can shut up.’

Hmm. Hector might’ve rubbed his chin if his helmet wasn’t in the way. He decided to consult Garovel. ‘What do you think we should do?’

The reaper took a moment before replying privately. ‘I suppose it depends on how thoroughly your... suppression of it was. Do you think it’s going to just stay like this indefinitely? It was thrashing at you before, wasn’t it?’

‘It was, yeah.’ Hector had to think about that.

He actually did have a feeling that the Ceese was completely harmless, so long as it remained close to him like this. The creature’s aura was saying as much. It was scared and submissive, right now. Listening intently.

Did it actually understand human speech, though? That was questionable, at best. Chort certainly had, but this little fella was obviously much less powerful, so...

Hmm.

Well. There was one thing he knew for sure, at least. He knew that he didn’t want to kill a living creature without a good reason. And neither “inconvenience” nor being “grossed out” seemed like a good reason to him.

Hector materialized a large iron box for the Ceese. Then he placed the box in orbit around himself. “I’ll take it with us,” he said. “For now.”

‘Seriously?’ said Voreese. ‘Fuck me. I already miss Atreya.’

Page 3958

It thrashed in his grip, and as expected, he did indeed feel some claws scratching at his breastplate.

Ineffectually, that was.

Even at this range, with the creature right in front of his face, it was still too dark to get a good look at it.

And yet he didn’t really need to. Between the Scarf and the furious, panicked aura surrounding it, Hector had a pretty good picture of the creature in his mind.

Its shape kept shifting as it thrashed. Its body elongated, then shortened, then grew, then shrunk, then stretched--all attempts to wriggle out of his grasp.

Which was quite annoying, actually.

And so, as Rasalased had once put it--and as he had been increasingly learning to do on his own--Hector took his soul’s priority in hand and spoke with conviction.

“Stop,” he said.

The Ceese’s aura shuddered against his own, and the thrashing came to an abrupt end as the creature went completely limp. The panic in the aura was changed, as well. The fear was still obvious, but it was more subdued now. Controlled. Waiting. And the anger was gone entirely.

Even more surprisingly, the shifting stopped, too. The creature’s form seemed to settle on that of a reptilian body. Mostly. There were a few odd bits of fur along the tail and neck, as well as a noticeable lack of eyes, teeth, or claws.

‘Damn, Hector,’ came Garovel’s echoing voice. ‘I almost feel bad now. What did you do to it?’

That was a good question, Hector thought as he began floating slowly back toward the others. It was a very odd thing. He felt like he knew exactly what he’d done, and yet he wasn’t quite sure how to explain himself, either. ‘Uh. I just... kinda... er... smothered it, I guess.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘Like. Its aura. I just. Sorta. Um. Smooshed it.’

‘Smooshed,’ echoed Garovel, this time with placid doubt.

‘Yeah. I mean. Does that make sense?’

‘Not really, no. But you’re the aura expert, not me.’

Hector didn’t know how true that was, but he didn’t try to argue, either.

When they made it back to everyone, Voreese, unsurprisingly, was the first to speak up.

‘Eww! Look at it! Oh, it’s so gross! It’s even worse than I imagined it to be!’

The flashlights were shining on the Ceese’s body now, finally allowing for a clear view of its pale, scaly flesh.

Page 3957

“Exactly how dangerous is this thing?” said Hector. “What kind of abilities does it have?”

‘Didn’t I just tell you that?’ said Voreese. ‘It can conceal itself extremely well and attack you when you’re worn down.’

“Yeah, but what kind of attacks does it launch? Are we talking, like, just teeth and claws? Or is this more like a... lightning and laser beams type situation?”

‘What the fuck? Why would it--? I mean... no, I guess that’s a reasonable question, actually, knowing what kind of shit you’ve been going up against lately.’

Hector just waited, bobbing his head slightly.

‘Well, I suppose I’ve never seen it attack clearly. It keeps to the shadows and peripheral vision, even when attacking. But as far as I know, it does not shoot laser beams or lightning or anything like that.’

“Acid? Fire?”

‘Uh... I don’t think so.’

The more Hector learned about this thing, the less worried he was. “Alright, well. Voreese and Rezolo. Just to be safe, would you two grab onto your servants’ backs for me, please?”

‘What? Um. Yeah, okay.’

Rezolo said nothing but did as requested.

Then Hector raised a hand and clapped iron armor around everyone at once, and there were suddenly five knights standing there in the darkness instead of only one.

He thought it might be tricky to get all the different sizes right, especially with how short Selena was, but it ended up being easier than he anticipated, probably due to the Scarf heightening his spatial awareness.

A part of him wanted to check in with everyone and ensure that everything fit correctly, but that could wait. Even if the creature wasn’t that dangerous, it was better to deal with it sooner rather than later.

“Be right back,” he said.

And turned his own armor into its flying variant in order to blitz away from everyone, into the wall of black and straight toward the Ceese. Without a need to zoom up high, he stayed basically on the ground, with his armored feet barely skimming above it.

He sensed the creature’s reaction. It saw him coming, somehow. Of course it did. Aura sense, maybe? Hardly mattered, because even as it bolted away, Hector stayed on it.

The thing was certainly fast, but Hector had definitely caught it by surprise, judging by how quickly he was gaining on it. Then, with an iron cage clapped around it, the creature had to take an additional moment to try and break free.

Which brought the chase to an end, as Hector’s gauntleted grip found the back of its neck.

Page 3956

Whatever the case, it was at least obvious to Hector that he could not simply leave the creature alone, not when he knew that Chort had been killing people and turning them into gestating husks for its offspring. If this thing was pulling shit like that down here in the darkness, then Hector needed to know about it.

Before he decided to make a move, however, a new sound arrived from the blackness.

It started slow, like loud breathing, then ramped up to a more rapid, piercing pitch. Then it petered off into silence, only to repeat. Slow and breathy. Then fast and harsh.

It almost sounded like a hyena, Hector thought, though maybe a bit more guttural.

The reaper’s chatter came to an abrupt end as everyone listened.

Voreese was the one to break the silence. ‘Oh, fuck me. That’s not what I think it is, is it?’

‘Surely not,’ said Garovel. ‘Is that actually a Laughing Ceese? I’ve always heard that those were a myth.’

‘Oh, they’re real alright,’ said Voreese. She hovered closer to Roman as the noise continued.. ‘Just rare. Lucky me to encounter a second one, I guess. Fuck! Everyone, be careful. That thing feeds on fear and will follow us for days or even weeks, evading all our senses until we’re worn down and vulnerable. It might harass us with some occasional attacks, too, if we’re not exhibiting enough fear for its liking.’

‘Weeks, you said?’ Garovel sounded more annoyed than afraid. ‘Really?’

‘Oh yeah. Those things are motherfuckers. Resilient, persistent, fast, and cunning. I’d tell you not to let your guard down, but that’s also part of the game it plays. It wants you tense and afraid so that you tire out faster.’

‘Hmm,’ hummed Garovel. ‘Well, unfortunately for it, we reapers don’t get tired, and we can keep the servants up for weeks relatively easily. Or just have them stay up in shifts.’

‘Sure, but it’s still dangerous as fuck. It can hurt reapers, and we have no idea where it is.’

Hector, meanwhile, was following its exact position several meters away with the Scarf. So that thing was called a Laughing Ceese, huh? Yeah, he could sense the flow of air in and around its body as it made those noises.

Voreese was still going, though. ‘Plus, we don’t exactly have weeks to spare, now do we? This was supposed to be a short trip, remember? We need to meet up with Princey Poo as soon as possible.’

“Please don’t call him that,” said Roman.

Page 3955

Voreese snickered. ‘Well, who knows? Plenty of superstitions throughout history have turned out to harbor more than a little truth in them. I’ve often found them worth listening to, at least to examine the ideas they’re underpinning. You might be surprised how frequently someone can reach a valuable conclusion from a faulty premise. I know all these fancy, modern things like logic, reason, and the scientific method can seem like they have all the answers all the time, but they don’t. In fact, that’s kinda the whole point, if you think about it.’

Garovel had to pick her up on that. ‘The formal study of logic is not modern at all, Voreese.’

‘Yeah, okay, sure, but you know what I’m getting at, right? Modern ways of thinking have gotten pretty uppity, if you ask me. People forget that, sometimes, you can reason yourself right off the edge of a cliff. Meanwhile, Superstitious Bill over there doesn’t walk off and stays perfectly safe, because he’s afraid there are ghosts in that direction and isn’t thinking about falling to his death at all.’

‘True enough,’ said Garovel. ‘I’ve acquired a fair few stories over the years that go just like that.’

‘Oh yeah? Same here, actually, but now you’re making me curious to hear yours.’

The reapers kept talking, but abruptly, the majority of Hector’s attention was diverted to the Scarf. The background thought process that had been focusing on it noticed movement out there in the inky darkness. Quick. Erratic. Abnormal. Not like any animal Hector had ever sensed before, human or otherwise.

It did remind him of something else, though.

Chort. The Beast of Lorent.

That shifting figure. Distorted. Changing from moment to moment.

It didn’t seem nearly as large, though. Chort had been bigger than a horse. Maybe even a bull. This was more like a dog in size, as far as Hector could tell.

Huh.

As he focused on it, Hector considered what to do. Already, he felt like he knew everything he needed to, but he also didn’t want to jump to conclusions, either.

Chort, as monstrous as it was, had still been a sentient being, capable of speech, even. And without knowing much else about Chaos and the entities that spawned from it, there was certainly a chance that this new creature was different. Maybe it was perfectly reasonable. Or otherwise harmless.

Or maybe it was more of a gray area. Like with Zirat. That guy was also an entity of Chaos, right? And Hector hadn’t had to fight him.

Not yet, at least.

Okay, I need a few days.

Next page on the 7th.

Again, I'm sorry for all the delays, lately. I'm just gonna take a longer break and try to come back with a more consistent release schedule. Thanks for reading, everyone.

Page 3954

‘Of all the places that were hit hardest by the Sickness,’ Garovel continued, ‘this old imperial capital here had it the worst. And not just because of the illness itself, either. The reputational damage that this place suffered was really what doomed it, I think.’

Voreese jumped in. ‘I’d have to agree. It’s particularly tragic when I recall how beloved this underground city was. In a world full of constant war and death, where superhuman knights could--quite literally--fall out of the sky and obliterate your entire town, this place made people feel safe. It endured countless sieges from hostile armies, and it always had a huge occupying force of powerful warriors to protect it. But when the plague hit, that sentiment vanished utterly. Suddenly, people didn’t see this as the unassailable heart of a growing empire. They just saw a tomb.’

‘That’s exactly right,’ said Garovel. ‘And it only got worse, over time. The rich people, who were funding everything, fled. And the poor, of course, couldn’t afford to leave. Attempts were made to send aid, but... there was no cure. Hell, even if there had been, with the state of medical knowledge at the time, there would’ve been almost no way to mass-produce it. To have any hope of that, it would’ve also needed to be easily synthesizable from common ingredients.’

‘A tale as old as time,’ said Voreese. ‘Well-meaning people jumping into help, only to get fucked big time, just like everyone else.’

Hector frowned as he listened.

‘Indeed,’ said Garovel. ‘And so, after all that, this place couldn’t even survive as a slum for very long, because the poor who remained here were also sick and dying. When the last of them were gone, its reputation devolved again into that of a haunted ruin that would claim the lives of anyone who tried to take up residence here.’

‘Which wasn’t exactly inaccurate,’ added Voreese. ‘People kept coming down here and disappearing for decades after the rest of the world had moved past the Sickness. And it wasn’t always clear what the cause was, either. Was it just some lingering pocket of the disease that got them? Or was it a malevolent force hiding in the darkness? Perhaps a wicked creature born of the untold suffering that took place down here? Superstition aboveground only added fuel to that fire.’

At this point, Hector had to wonder if such fears could even be considered superstitious.

Selena had the same thought, apparently. “U-um, are you sure that was just superstition?”