Bairon Wykes
"Come in, Bairon." Virion's fatigued voice invited me.
"..." I entered the tent. And for a moment, I just stared. I almost didn't recognize him.
The man slightly hunched over the small table. Is he truly Commander Virion?
He had gotten older. His beard had grown longer than I remembered, streaked with more gray than before. Even his hair had turned even more unruly.
...He looked weak...
Virion lifted his eyes, still sharp in their sunken sockets, and brought them to mine.
I must have stood here too long.
I moved closer to him.
"How is everything?" The words came out polite, almost ceremonial, and carried no authority.
"You don't need to worry." I answered, hearing how hollow it sounded. "Everything is under control now. Everyone is... fine."
"No, Bairon." His eyes softened. "I was talking about you."
"..."
"You did well, Bairon." Virion said to me.
The air left my lungs in a slow leak. "A lot of our people didn't think so," I shared. "They think it's foolish of me for letting those Alacryans live and stay here as prisoners."
Virion thought for a long moment. The lamp flame guttered, throwing shadows across the hollows of his cheeks.
Virion gave me a tired huff that might once have been laughter. "Honestly? I'd have the same." He leaned back, and his chair creaked as if it might snap at any time.
"There weren't any soldiers. No. There was one, but the rest were only children, women, and elders." He admitted.
"..."
"What do you think, Bairon?" He asked me. "What did you see when you saw them?"
I looked down at my hands. The blood was gone, scrubbed away hours ago, yet I could still feel it tacky between my fingers.
"I saw people." I said at last. "Just... terrified, helpless people. They weren't the enemy in that moment—" My voice came out cracked on the last word, and I hated myself for it. "They were like us, sir."
Virion closed his eyes and stayed quiet a bit too long. I thought he had fallen asleep, or... worse. Then thankfully he opened his eyes and nodded. "Good." He whispered with a slight smile, and in that single word I heard exhaustion, approval, and something that might be pride.
***
Regis
The shattered arch had once again broken, its ancient stones scattered across the mossy ground, each one humming faintly with the residue of aether. Arthur knelt amid the rubble, his hands steady as he fitted one jagged piece against another, trying to piece together the only portal that might carry us home. Sweat beaded on his brow, and his breaths came out as huffs, not from exhaustion but from frustration.
"It would be nice," he grumbled, not looking up, "if the almighty Regis—the strongest living weapon—could lend a paw instead of lounging there like a discarded relic."
"Mehh..." He could have asked politely. Not that it would've changed my answer. I had absolutely zero intention of helping. Too tired.
"..."
"Hey Arthur! That kid... Delsin, is it? Do you feel something off about him? Not dangerous, not exactly—but strange. You feel me?" I began.
"...Indeed. There was also a delay—a pause—when I used god step to get to the lake." Arthur agreed, "Then there's aether. Its behavior, specifically." He slotted another stone into place with a soft click, but it didn't hold. Frustration etched deeper lines around his face.
"I know." I let out a dry laugh. "What do you think?"
"Interesting." He thought, "The boy claims he saw aether with his own eyes. Says it started after he touched this very structure."
"I don't know. Maybe it's because of the Relictomb?" I shared, though even to me it didn't sound right.
"...Maybe."
"Yeah... maybe."
"..."
"..."
"If you don't plan on helping me, then at least go check on Delsin." Arthur exhaled sharply. "I don't think we should leave the boy alone like that."
"Ughhh... Fine, fine." I groaned, dragging out every syllable just to be difficult before peeling myself away from the ruined arch and heading back toward the lake.
***
"Wah!"
I hadn't even reached the shore when a mushroom creature lunged out of a bush and squeaked at me.
"Wah to you too," I said dryly.
Down by the shore, the lake gleamed in soft pink under the... probably fake sky. Delsin sat among a large cluster of the little living mushrooms, their caps bobbing like a flock of curious chicks.
Before I continue, I took a moment to look at how aether behaved around him. They don't really seem to enjoy being close to him...
"How are you doing?" I asked, startling him as I approached. "How's the arm?"
"Ah—!" He scrambled to his feet so fast he nearly toppled into the lake. "I-I'm fully healed, sir!" The words came out sharp, crisp and painfully formal.
"...Yeah." My ears twitched. "Great."
"..."
"Yeah, you know what?" I began without bothering to hide my discomfort. "I changed my mind. Stop calling me 'sir' and drop that military formality. Just call me Regis."
"Yes, sir—I mean, Regis, sir—Regis... Regis." His words tumbled out into a humiliating mess, yet he somehow managed to keep a straight face.
"..."
"..."
"...Okay." I muttered.
The mushroom creatures blinked at both of us in perfect unison, either utterly confused or just judging the disaster of a conversation we were having in front of them.
"How are Caera and Seris doing?" I asked, even though I could see for myself that both of them were still floating motionless in the lake.
Delsin followed my gaze. "They seem to be doing alright, si—Regis." He corrected himself quickly enough, "...Their wounds are probably healed by now."
"Nice." I lay down onto the soft grass as some of the little mushroom creatures came close and just touched my paw. "What are they doing, Delsin?"
"I... I don't know... exactly?" He admitted, settling down beside me.
"Does that mean I have high honor?" I snorted, tail flicking. "Because honestly, I'd accept that."
"I think it's just their way of saying hi," He shared meekly.
"Oh, well... hi, I guess."
The creatures seemed to approve, their caps glowing brighter for a moment.
"...And what are those?" I nodded toward a neat pile of folded clothes beside him.
"Ah... These are clothes for Caera and the lady Scythe to change when they wake up." He explained. "Since their clothes are all soaking wet. I figured I should give them something to change, and I don't think they bring anything beside... weapons, probably?"
"Wow... How thoughtful of you." I praised.
"It's nothing much, really," He insisted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I only have some spare shirts and pants. I hope they're not too big."
"Heh, No underwear for the ladies?"
"...Aha... well, I do have mine." he said awkwardly, a wry grin breaking through. "But I'd rather not offer them that. That would be... weird. And stupid. And I definitely don't want to die fighting a Scythe."
I barked out a laugh. "Really? You'd fight a Scythe?"
"Well..." He hesitated, then lightly squared his shoulders. "I think I might have a better chance of surviving by fighting back rather than running. And... dying at the hands of a half-god warrior? That's pretty cool to me." He chuckled softly.
"Wow... Okay. You got some balls, kid, I'll give that." I said, genuinely impressed. "So, why'd you lie?" I asked. "About your name?"
"Uhh..." He turned to the lake, narrowing his eyes as if staring at a distant apparition, though I knew he wasn't actually looking at anything at all. "...You know, it's pretty silly."
"Go on. I don't mind."
"...Well, when I was ordered to keep an eye on Caera, I was terrified. And I thought that—despite her handcuffs—she could still use some kind of spell on me if she learned my real name—read my mind or mess around with my mind until I go insane—like the stories my mother used to tell me when I was a ki—" He cut himself off abruptly, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "Yeah, that's it. That's all."
"...Yeah, that was very silly of you."
"And 'Barry' was just a name an adventurer called me. But it has been called out for so long now that it would be weird if I corrected him." His voice trailed off, weak but honest.
I simply nodded, "...Good to know."
"..."
A light breeze drifted across the lake, carrying the faint scent of moss and something metallic through the air. Delsin and I traded idle words—about the Relictombs' endless and deadly possibilities and other stuff.
Time blurred until a subtle shift prickled my senses. A soft ripple disturbed the lake's glassy calm.
Seris was the first to stir. She surfaced with a gasp, water cascading from her lithe form as she wiped off the soaked locks from her face. Her eyes—sharp—locked onto us immediately.
And in that instant, shock washed across her face as if we'd just pulled her into a nightmare.
***
Caera Denoir
What... happened?
Everything felt distant—blurry—as though I had been trapped somewhere deep within this Relictomb.
The world snapped back into focus with a gasp, water surging into my lungs. I thrashed upward, breaking the lake's glassy surface, "*COUGH* *COUGH*" The water spewed from my mouth, my chest heaving when a stream of fresh air rushed into my lungs.
Droplets cascaded from my sodden hair, pattering back into the lake like rain. I wiped off the wet strands of hair from my face, my gaze focused on the solitary figure ahead.
"Scythe...Seris...?" My voice came out tight.
"..." She didn't respond, didn't even glance back at me.
She doesn't look well.
Water streamed from her drenched dress, clinging to her like a second skin, and with an almost frantic urgency, she strode quickly toward the shore, where Regis was standing with... Barry?
Wading through the water, I hauled myself after my mentor. "Barry?!" My call nearly came out as a shout.
He stiffened as if I just grabbed his spine. "...Hi... Caera..." His reply sounded reluctant, nervous, and almost guilty.
Confused. But before I could ask, Scythe Seris cut through.
"How long have I been unconscious?!" She demanded, stepping fully onto the pebbled shore, her tone a volatile mix of fear and fury. "My people!! I need to go back! They need me!!"
"Relax," Regis drawled unhelpfully. "Look, I don't know. Even Delsin here—" He jerked his head and ears toward—Delsin? "Delsin, do you know how long?"
"N-no," he stammered, blinking rapidly when a slight frown creased his brow. "Wait... hold on, what people?"
Neither Regis nor Seris seemed to hear him.
I pushed forward, water still dripping from my clothes, my hands raised as a calming gesture. "Regis is right, Scythe Seris. We will get out of here soon, so please calm—"
"SILENCE!!!"
I flinched, stepping back. The word crashed over me like a physical force. In all my years training under her, I had never—never—heard her tone come out this rageful.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
"...I... I'm sorry."
Seris turned away, her shoulders slumping, and I caught the tremor in her hands as she pressed them to her temples "...I need to go back... I NEED TO GO BACK NOW!!" She screamed, "WHERE IS ARTHUR?!"
"Okay! Okay!" Regis threw up his paws in surrender, his ears flattening back. "Go find somewhere and change your clothes, and then we'll go back to Arthur."
***
Arthur Leywin
The arch stood before me, a skeletal monument of ancient stone, its curves now aligned after hours of painstaking work.
"You might want to finish that thing quickly, Arthur." Regis returned, trotting back with Delsin in tow. Behind them stood Caera and Seris in simple shirts and pants that were far too loose, so much so that they almost went over their feet.
"Don't worry." I stepped back from the arch, looking at the work I had coaxed into completion. "It's done." Aether flared to life, the portal flickering erratically—on, off—before stabilizing into a steady, swirling vortex of indigo purple light.
The zone had been completed.
I tossed the other half of the Ascension Relic to the ground. A cloud of shimmering particles rose up to hover above the relic, each grain carrying some of the crystal's light. When the last piece disappeared, the cloud let off a strobing flash of light before coalescing into an opaque, oval portal hovering in the air.
"Is he actually in there?"
"Will Lance Godspell be back soon?"
"Could be dangerous..."
"Stay back! HEY! NO! YOU BRAT! DO NOT GET CLOSE TO THIS PORTAL!!!"
The voices filtered through from the other side, a cacophony of curiosity and caution, painting a vivid picture in my mind.
"Seems rather noisy out there," Regis snorted softly, his tail flicking with amusement.
"I'll go first," I declared before stepping through the vivid pulse of purple.