Tread Lightly

Patting my stomach, I lean back, enjoying the warmth of the food and the company around me. Earl made a damn good choice picking out steak for dinner. It's expensive, nearly a hundred dollars for a single meal, and there is a lack of farmland and space to raise cows at the moment, but...

It's worth it. Plus, Earl's probably the wealthiest man alive right now. He might not keep track of his money like that, but being able to Create gold, silver, or whatever he needs guarantees that we'll have money. I just need to convince him to conjure up coins when we need to pay.

"This is what I live for. Good food. Good friends. And an awesome new arm."

With my appetite mostly satiated, four courses down the drain, I pull up the prosthetic from the floor. Thankfully, the staff here gave us an independent room. Apparently, Earl is famous or something, Elizabeth, too. Luckily... my face isn't too well known, probably because I'm always busy or beaten blue.

Heaving the arm up, careful not to place it on the table, I watch Elizabeth laugh as the effort is not hidden. This damn thing is heavy! Especially with my whole body suppressed the way it is. Ether is slower, less responsive, and ten times more difficult to control.

My muscles and bones at this point are leagues above anything natural, but that only goes so far when a God is stationed within my heart.

Nevertheless, I place the back of my arm against the prosthetic. Or, I guess it's not really a prosthetic anymore.

"What would you call this now? It's a far cry from the things Eli came up with."

The bespectacled man finishes taking a bite of his meal, long finishing the steak and now snacking on the vegetables beside it while he waits for me to be done. He raises an eyebrow as he shrugs.

"Dunno. You're going to wrap it with your flesh and bone, right? So, the exoskeleton of an insect or the chassis of a train doesn't really work. Don't worry about what to call it. Though... mentioning a chassis... could you imagine if I managed to make you a full frame of this material!? Oh my... now you have to call it that. I have so many ideas now."

Elizabeth slaps her face lightly as she knocks her shoulder into mine, sitting directly beside me while Earl and Lily are across from us. Apparently, it's easier for her to cut Lily's food this way, not that she can eat it anyhow.

"Noooo... you shouldn't have got him going."

Her tone is playful, if only slightly annoyed at most. We've both long gotten used to his endless voice. However, she doesn't care much, turning back to Lily and asking her more about herself, like her favorite colors and flowers. Obvious answers. Crimson and lilies.

"That sounds impossible, but I'd be willing to try if you are. Chassis it is. Alright, lets get this thing on."

Blodwyn hears my words and opens our flesh like a blooming lily. A second later, the veins and bones expand to wrap around the Chassis, which is slightly smaller than the last one in the frame, likely to not make my arm too bulky.

It's a painless process, other than the Ether itself moving in my body, which does, in fact, hurt. Nevertheless, I watch, mesmerized, for a full minute before the Chassis disappears from view, my arm sealed without even a single scar.

"Cool..."

Earl practically drools watching Blodwyn work, and it's not like I can blame him. The guy's a God now. His Ether shifts in ways I can hardly follow, partly because it hurts to look but mostly because of how it moves. Everything possesses that Concept, Adaptation.

Tightening my fist, I feel strength reemerge in my right arm, nearly reaching the old levels I felt before fighting Flint. Earl might just be on the right track with the whole Chassis. It aids the flow of Ether, strengthens the connection to the muscles, and reinforces the entire limb.

With the energy back in my arm, I pull myself to my feet using the wall behind me, careful not to destroy the flowery marble inlays. Then, I nod to the two with me.

"I'm feeling way better after that, to be honest. You guys ready?"

Both of them nod in excitement, so we quickly leave Marlow's Eatery, heading for an open field outside of Primary. It takes us only a few minutes by virtue of Earl's Jumpers, and funnily enough, I have to use a pair, thanks to the weakness within me.

I don't want to waste the little bit of comfort I've regained just to move a bit faster.

Dakota is carried by Elizabeth, a woman significantly more muscular than the last time I saw her. Adding on Ether, she's practically not even the same creature as the one I met back in Tornridge.

We set up a 'camp' in a plain with few trees and fewer signs of human life. There are houses on the horizon and roads nearby, but it's clear enough for us.

Earl opens up his pack, pulling out three items, each of them roiling with Ether. They are all artifacts of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Sigils. I raise an eyebrow, wondering why they are wasting such things, but the man is already onto the explanation.

"We're using these three in particular because they have no use in combat and only make containment difficult. Better to just get rid of them all in all. Alright. Elizabeth. You go first."

The woman nods, grabs a decayed thumb from the stumpy pile of organs, and steps up to me. The smile on Elizabeth's face is forced as she holds the artifact up to me.

"Uhh... How do we do this?"

Laughing at her sudden nervousness, I reach forward and wrap my hand around hers. A slight tweak of my soul elicits untold pain, but I don't let the grin break, holding her gaze steady as I break the connection between the Sigil and its vessel.

Then, I push the Sigil toward her as I extend Living Manacles toward her. Leveraging my Dominion again, I press it upon her, loosening her chains and forcibly elevating her recent ascension further. It feels... wrong, unnatural even, but isn't that what we do anyway?

Gods risen from man are called Unnaturals. What's so wrong about helping others up the mountain?

Elizabeth gasps in shock and stumbles back, her eyes clouded over as I fall to my knees, coughing up air and spit. My lungs burn, and my eyes water, but I wipe the tears so that I can stand again. Giving them the same opportunity as resonating a Sigil into them is not a walk in the park.

Ignoring her advancement, Elizabeth crouches beside me, caressing my back and holding back my hair that's grown too long. Earl opens one of his bags of many tricks, bringing a syringe toward me. I shake my head and wave him away.

"I'm fine. Really. I'm fine. It just... hurts to use my Dominion or Ether like that. But I can manage. I don't know what's in it, but I'm good."

My earliest friend in the world nods quickly, placing the needle away and instead helping me stand on my two feet. Once there, I wobble a few times before steadying.

"A few minutes. Then we can continue."

They both nod and Dakota licks my lowered hands, checking on me in his own way. I scratch his chin as I realize why they brought that third artifact. Dakota has always rushed to keep up with me, but it's been impossible. I left him in the dust on the 3rd, and the last time I fought with him was the 4th. Yet now... he's at the 6th Sigil just like the other two.

Though, as I look at him, I can tell this is where his potential ends. He has no Power. No Absolution. No Proof. This is his journey's end for strength. He's a good boy. But he's not cut out to be an Angel.

With the fox's help, I crouch and hold him tightly. With pain in my chest, I whisper into his ears.

"You've done a good job protecting them. I'm proud of you. But I won't give you that Sigil. You're not ready. Maybe when I'm stronger, I can help you. But for now... just... stay safe, okay? Do your best, but... don't get too hurt, okay?"

Dakota whines, his once high-pitched voice now a low rumble. He's intelligent, absurdly so for an animal. If he had vocal cords, I bet he could learn to speak, albeit simply. He knows what this means. I bet he buggered Earl until he agreed to bring the artifact.

Instead of saying anything else, I continue petting his head, rubbing his back, and hugging him closely. His warmth is... so wonderful. Minutes pass before I separate him from myself, finding Elizabeth standing tall. She's opening and closing her mouth in mock tests as if to see how her Power now works.

The woman in magenta chains is only a little unsteady, her foundation far more solid than Earl's rocky rise. Becoming an Angel for her was only a matter of time with her will and mindset. I can see Johnny Caldwell written all over her with the training she's undergone from him, Edward, and Tomas. Angelhood was on its way. All I've done is speed up the process. For Earl... yeah.

He needs my help.

I open a palm, waiting for him to give me the artifact for his advancement, but before he moves at all, Elizabeth speaks first. Her words, at first, are normal, and then, they echo through nothing, resounding a dozen times before becoming reality.

"Thank you. The improved version of my Power is... amazing. I can be far more specific for greater effects now. You are capable of using Ether under a God's pressure."

I feel ephemeral winds wash over me as a weight falls off of me. It's not all the poundage, but it's a large enough portion that I can breathe comfortably. Nodding in thanks, I turn to Earl, and he gives me a hollowed-out eye. How odd.

Accepting the artifact, I repeat the same process for Earl as I did for Elizabeth, only ten times more careful. This man is far more fragile than her. Plus, he's skipped so much of his past Sigils that I worry it might come out now.

Despite my concerns, no latent danger rears its ugly head during his advancement, and Earl falls flat on his ass, just as I expected. Though, I don't sense any immediate danger. With the wind knocked out of him, he reaches for a syringe and injects the liquid inside.

The fluid revitalizes him, expelling words of relief as he falls onto his back. I share a look with Elizabeth as our worries rise a decent bit.

"Ahh...! Much better. Felt like fire in my veins. Oh my, Creation is way better. Hey, you think you can take that Chassis back out? I've got some new ideas."

I wave my head back and forth. There is no fucking way I'm disassembling my arm for him to experiment.

"Nope."

Putting emphasis on the end of the word, I get a laugh out of Elizabeth. Then, that makes Earl chuckle on the ground, which in turn rebounds to me. I let myself fall to the floor in fatigue as I enjoy the reverie.

We all stare up at the midday sky as even Elizabeth joins us. Lily starts making snow angels in the grass while Dakota quickly turns to snoring, his body evenly placed between Elizabeth and me.

I relax my muscles, lying on my back and gazing up at the midday sun, its light gently filtered by wispy clouds drifting lazily across the sky. A sense of contentment washes over me, mingled with the subtle ache of complete exhaustion. Beside me, my friends laugh and joke, their voices comforting as I slowly drift off with the bundle of fur against my chest and his quiet snoring lulling me asleep

But as I relax into the moment, a sudden chill races down my spine, sending shivers coursing through my body. I sit up, my senses on high alert, as a feeling of unease settles over me like a dark cloud. Dakota growls in surprise as birds take off into the air in the distance, whole legions flying southward. The air around me seems to hum with potential, the tension set into the earth itself.

I glance around, my eyes scanning the horizon in every direction, searching for any sign of what might be causing this disturbance. My friends notice the change in my demeanor and ask me what's wrong, but I can only shake my head in response, Blodwyn pounding away in my chest.

He, too, questions me, but I don't know what to say. Even Lily is perplexed by my sudden paranoia. That is, until I look at the sun, something settles into place.

Suddenly, without warning, the sun's warm light vanishes, plunging the world into darkness. Day turns to night in an instant, the sky obscured by a massive moon that now hangs overhead, casting dusk onto the world. My eyes widen as I can not comprehend it immediately, one of the twin moons suddenly appearing during midday.

But the darkness is not complete. A second moon appears, rotating ominously over the first like a silent harbinger of doom. I can feel a sense of dread creeping over me, a foreboding that chills me to the bone as the two moons rotate around each other. For a brief instant, fractions of a second, light peeks out in between the two twins, and then it is gone once more.

And then, just as quickly as the daylight fades, a shockwave ripples through the air, tearing up dust and dirt in its wake. I quickly stand, nearly being sent head over heels by the sudden winds. The ground trembles beneath us, the very earth groaning in protest as I realize what has happened now that the sun is hidden.

Another God has died. But not just any God. It is one that I have heard about my whole life but never interacted with. A lazy, self-certain being with immeasurable power. The Morning Star was said to be the strongest creature among all the Gods formed at the earliest segments of the cosmos.

He was the oldest. He was the most experienced. He was the... most hating of mortals. And now...

Standing, I feel the winds rush over my body, seemingly unending, as a terrible chill fills the air. Without the sun to, at the very least, counteract Flint's death... Winter will come. The worst one ever will befall us soon.

What were you thinking, Vincent!? Why!? Why did you have to kill him? Who cares if he wasn't helpful!? Are you that prideful!? That Godhating?

No. No, he's not. I know hardly anything about the Eleventh Prime, but I do know he's not driven by such petty emotions. If he were... he wouldn't be Vincent Harvey.

Earl and Elizabeth seem to come to the same conclusions as I did a moment ago, shouting over the winds about Apisirahts' death. They are in awe, something so primordial biting the dust. Yet, they also wisely worry about the consequences.

My stomach sinks as I witness a scar appear across the sky, originating from the north. Without a moment of consideration, I know what it is. It's him. He's moving. Hurtling beneath the twin black moons, Vincent soars straight for the deep Wilds. His speed is so absurd that comets of fire trail after him, struggling to keep up.

The last thing I see of Desolation is his splotch in the distance ignite, exploding into billions if not trillions of tiny dust motes of insects. The Endless has moved from one target to another.

How long until it turns toward us? Or until... something worse does after killing him? I have trouble imagining Vincent Harvey retiring after this war. There is no winning for him, only another fiend to kill.