The Wretched are assembled. All of us.
Umbra stands at the edge of Nyth's snout, facing them with me on her shoulders once again. As the congregation slowly quiets down, she turns her head just slightly to the side and speaks one word.
"Graves."
The woman in question leaps out of my shadow, her scarily pointy tail curling and uncurling as she gives Longevity a twirl. Snatching it firmly in hand, she extends it upward to Umbra, who takes it with a solemn nod. With that, Graves spares me a glance before falling backwards back into my shadow.
Wings. She's amazing.
Umbra taps the sword on the bone beneath her feet and the resonating clang echoes. "Hear me. All of you. Each and every one. Following this, we will be pushing for the Solaris. I don't need to warn you of the dangers that are certain to come, yet it is my responsibility to prepare you for their worst. To that end, I have words for you all."
I quietly swoon atop her head. Magnificent as ever.
"This?" Umbra points a claw skyward. "This was the easy part. For me, taking the lower Heavens was simple. Effortless. Without risk. But this was not the fight we prepared for. The next one is.
"Many of you have been fighting the Church for months, years, decades. Some of you, for centuries. A few of you, for millennia. What is to come will be the worst violence any of you will ever witness. And, I tell you now that my ability to protect you will be limited. Severely.
"Unlike what just unfolded, there will be no easy way to victory. I cannot simply erase this enemy. Nor will I be able to spare even a fraction of my attention while the fight rages on. For all intents and purposes, you, my Wretched, will be on your own this time around. You must fend for yourselves. I trust that your commanders and generals have prepared you for that much, but I must reiterate, again, that you cannot look to me for salvation. Not this time.
"I will be going head to head with Aurora. Goddess against Goddess. Both of us, equally matched. There will be no victory between the two of us, not without our forces securing it while we are fighting. That effectively takes us both out of the engagement. As such, your enemies will have no divine intervention either. In that regard, you are at even altitudes.
"In regards to your enemy, I tell you this. Their numbers will be limited. However, individually, their power is unmatched by any of you save for my Thorns. You cannot defeat them alone. You cannot. Coordination and cohesion are your advantages–you must use them against the enemy, or they will slaughter you like flies. Follow your commanders. Stay in formation. Stay together. That is your only hope.
"Additionally, if a Primarch or a higher Legend surrenders, however unlikely, extend them no leniency in their imprisonment and inform your generals immediately. Once the prisoner is shackled with the accursed chains your generals carry, they are no longer a threat. Not a moment before that. These beasts are not above using feints of surrender to compel you to lower your guard. Do not trust them.
"Even more immediately pressing than that is the advance itself. I doubt many of you have ever been permitted into the higher Heavens, and fewer still have actually ventured there. Listen closely. There are several crucial details you must be aware of.
"The channel from here to there is just that. A channel. Like the passage to the Hells, the distance is extreme, the entire way is treacherously safeguarded by magical defenses, and you must traverse through it to access the realm. Under Aurora's sight, you would certainly be ignited in flame long before you reached the other side. However, my eclipse has provided us with a safe passage.
"That said, I warn you. The shadow it provides is narrower than the channel itself, as evidenced by the corona ring around the moon. Drift too far in any direction, and you are certain to be annihilated the instant you become visible to the light. Stay. In. Formation. Or you will die. Immediately.
"With all of this in mind, your objective is relatively simple. Survive traversing the channel, stay in the moon's shadow until I engage Aurora directly, kill any who dare oppose us, and shackle any who yield. That is how our victory will be secured. That is how we win this endless war at last. That is how we reclaim your freedom to fly under the open sky."
The Wretched rejoice. Their morale is explosive.
That's my Umbra. She's a leader, through and through.
I'm so proud of her. Oh, I'm so in love…
After a short while, she whispers, "Haunt."
"Dismissed, soldiers! Back in marching formations!"
He continues giving orders and the Wretched disperse, leaving Umbra and I alone together once more. There's a much lighter feeling in the air this time, and I lovingly kiss her head many times, laying over it and rubbing my face in her hair with a big bright smile.
"You're so amazing, Umbsy. I love you…"
"Ahh… Thank you, Crimsy. I love you."
Holding Longevity vertically by the scabbard, she lifts it toward me. I'm not sure why, so I keep doing what I'm doing. Hells, she smells so good. She smells like Umbra. I love it so much. When she lifts the sword again, this time with more emphasis, she giggles up at me.
"Crimsy. Take it."
"Wh–What? Me? But it's your sword."
"I am giving it to you."
"Oh, I–I couldn't possibly–"
"It must be in your hands."
"You're… inadequately explaining things again."
"Ah." She lifts me up then sets me on my feet in front of her, sitting with her legs crossed facing away from the edge. Resting Longevity on her lap, she clicks the sword from its scabbard and holds it to the light. "Only a divine entity can harm or damage another divine entity. You know this much."
"I do." Admiring the way the dim eclipsed sunlight filters through the smoky quartz blade, I add, "That's why we tracked it down. Well, that, and your endearing sentiment."
"Yes. Although there is another reason. That which makes Longevity so important to me. The way its divinity is expressed. Or perhaps exerted is the better word. Another name for this sword…" She gives it a swipe, then holds it vertically in front of her. "Is the Blade of Infinite Edges. When it cuts something… anything… It cuts through it. No matter the size. No matter the material. That is to say… Longevity has a blade that never ends. It extends from its hilt to infinity. It could sever the universe in half."
"Oh." I look at the sword with a new reverence. "Fascinating…"
"With this, we will end her." Umbra sheathes it, then holds it out horizontally. "And you, Crimson, will be the one to do so."
I'm stunned speechless. Frozen in place.
"It must be you." Umbra sets it down between us. "It can only be you. I wonder… Do you remember? After your fall from grace, when you returned to me in the Hells, I said that you are the key. The one who will end this endless conflict. The one who will decide this divine war's outcome."
"I remember. I remember. Yes."
"We spoke of your ancestry. Your talents. Your skill in combat. Strength. Agility. Magic. All three, in excess abundance, each honed with boundless determination and fierce devotion to their mastery. I believed you were an opportunity. You were a weapon, and I intended to use it. That was the reason I chose to keep you. To convert you to my side."
Inching closer, I murmur, "You were afraid I'd think you were still using me, even after all we'd been through. Do you fear that now?"
"No. Not in the slightest." She leans forward with a faint smile. "I trust you, Crimson. Completely. If you felt that way, I'm certain I would know it. More than that, I believe in you as well. You want what's right. And what we're doing is right. Do you disagree?"
"I don't. And I trust you just the same." Stepping over the sword, I go directly to her. "I'm not fighting for you, Umbra. I'm fighting with you. We will take her down. Together. And if you want me to do it, using your sword…"
A long kiss passes between us.
"I will. I'll wield Longevity. For us."
"Excellent." She smiles. Perfection. "Now then. Here's what you're going to do…"