Tread Lightly

It's been a few days since I woke up from my coma. And... I'm starting to feel... I don't know... aimless? Without a weight over my head, a coming cataclysm, I just can't... figure out what to do. I've just been wandering, going from place to place, meeting people, and seeing things that I never thought I would, like Illstra's Academy down in the Flats. It's truly impressive what the Pygmies had built down there. All the tools and books. The Grayskin's Royal Palace, too was unbelievable, with the giant castle surrounding it. There was so much of the world I had never seen. So many people I had never known.

But now I'm back in Nevermore, and... I'm still lost. I think that's why Virgil left. He's out there somewhere. I tried finding him, but... he's not someone who can just be located so easily.

Most other people are doing great. They... fought for peace. Not because they enjoyed it. But... I kind of liked fighting. And I got... really used to it.

Not like Lennon Hull. Yet... still... The adventure. The adrenaline. I didn't like the risk of my friend's or family's deaths, but I loved the heat of battle. Truly.

Knocking on a door, I don't hear a response. Shaking my head, I walk through anyway. I only rapped on the door as a courtesy. Stepping into the hospital room, I find a certain swordsman lying in bed.

Lennon Hull stares out the window to his right, across the room from me, as light drapes in toward his eyes. If anyone is lost... it'd be the swordsman whose whole life was fighting. I've come here...

I don't why I've come here. I just... I needed a break. I've enjoyed spending time with Elizabeth, Ma, Marigold, and everyone else, but... Here.

I can breathe. It's something I know. The pupils that turn to face me, the deathly challenge placed within, give me... Adrenaline. I haven't been... anything but calm since I awoke. And as Lennon Hull addresses me, I feel the monsters inside begin to rustle.

"I see you're awake."

There is a hidden message in the way he looks at me. A violent one. He's been locked in bed for over a month now and is unable to train. Unable to fight. Unable to... live.

Nodding, I walk closer to him, standing over the side of his bed. His eyes still possess that same wildness despite his injuries. Vincent... Vincent hurt him badly. Really bad.

"How are you feeling?"

The swordsman scoffs, shaking his head as the blankets over him rustle. The lack of arms must make it difficult to do anything as the man's Dominion has been heavily damaged. His soul is fractured.

"Like shit. Can't even walk on my own. I've shrugged off every damn injury I ever came across 'til now. But... Not this one. It'll stick. Maybe forever."

I bite my lip as I can hear the visceral pain in his voice, not from the physical trauma but the mental one. If he can hardly walk a month later... Still, I shake my head, only somewhat believing in his crippled condition.

"I'm sure you'll be back on your feet soon. But... if not... what will you do, then? Continue brute-forcing your way through?"

Lennon's head dips, and for a moment, my whole body freezes. Blodwyn shivers within my chest as our heart beats in a panic. The air ceases movement. The insects outside, the chittering birds, and the breathing of all the humans in the vicinity fall to the wayside.

This is why he was sectioned off.

I attempt to raise an arm, but... it doesn't move.

The Bladed Monster still bears his fangs, and... they leave me shivering. Pain washes through my every pore, a thousand images of death and despair, of war and finality. The scene of that final slash, the one that put Usen in the grave, slaps my soul once, and then, the swordsman looks up. Yet, I've already diverted my eyes to escape the violence.

For a brief second, I worry about what I will see when I shift back. Breathing in, I do so, facing the swordsman, and relief floods me as the monster is gone. Only the man remains.

The wildness in his eyes is gone as if that was the last he had in him. I watch as his shoulders slide back and his brows lose their creases, something I didn't know was possible for him.

"I think... I think I'll open a school. Do what the old man did for me. I could... I could fight it all again. But... what's the point? If I did... I know the path that it would lead me to. I'd be like Kaisen. A being of nothing but war. This is the moment I have to change. I can feel it."

I nod, understanding completely. I don't know what just happened here, that aura and presence that leaked out of him, but I am certain it was dangerous. If Lennon acquiesced to that 'violence' or whatever held him, I don't know what would come. But I do know that it would be disaster on the scale of Usen and Vincent. It would have to be me to deal with him.

And I'm not sure that I can.

Nevertheless, the man smiles as he sees I can relate to him. Then, he bobs his head to the window.

"I felt it just then. My actual, true-and-blue Concept. It was War. That is why I couldn't find it before. Kaisen had it. And I couldn't take it until Vincent fell since he devoured it. Only while looking at you... a man I had sworn an oath to defeat, did it reawaken. The feeling I had... You must be careful, Wyatt. These things... they WILL change you. They already have. Do you feel it? I will say no to mine. I do not want it. I like who I am, even if I could use a little direction."

I take a moment to look at myself and... I quickly sense it.

I've been so calm. I've been... thoughtful and reminiscent. Typically, I'm quick-footed and rash. I haven't even trained how Marshall taught me to, which I always did every morning before the war. I'd wake up and go through the motions every single damned morning.

Now? I only practice Ether, neglecting the more violent and physical aspects. It's not all that bad, though.

The Concept of Limitless is nowhere near as mentally adjusting as War would be. Lennon is still correct, though. I'll have to be more careful. Endless changed Vincent. War changed Kaisen. Even Thought changed Leviathan, as she is friendlier and more open to reason than before.

"Yeah... I'll keep an eye out so it doesn't go too far."

My friend, the relationship between us predicated entirely on our shared battles and struggles, bows deeply, well, what he can manage in the hospital bed.

"Good. I am sorry I could not fight Vincent with you. It seems... Usen was my limit. Do you think you could help me? The doctors... they can't do much. But I know you can. You're Limitless."

I grin wearily as I reach out a hand to his shoulder. Ether flows in my body as I bring my Concept to bear. But it's not just mine. Blodwyn comes, too, careful in our combination not to hurt Lennon any more than he already is.

"It's okay. You did enough. If he had managed to get Usen... We'd all have lost. I'll see what I can do, though. Blodwyn and I aren't the best healers, but... we can make some shit happen."

Sacrifice is the first thing I try, but I swiftly put it away. It cannot heal souls, only the physical bodies. After that, I imbue the flesh and blood of the human, even if he might not seem like he is one, with Limitlessness. His chains, visible only to me, recede like the tides washing away with the coming morning.

A breath of relief comes from my friend, and we share a matching grin as he wobbles out of bed. Instantly, the man bears a shimmering arm born of his soul. It is shaky, not what it once was, but he laughs joyfully, something I am unsure if I have heard before.

The Bladed Monster's laugh, a true one, is not familiar. Perhaps Edmund or Kate had heard it. But for me... this is the first genuine laugh.

Lennon raises his recovered arm over his head as a blade is conjured from his soul. It is sturdier than the arm, showcasing the man's true heart. He is the sword, not the swordsman. And... he's grown on the inside, no longer refusing the regeneration of his flesh by raw stubbornness. But only one. I felt him push against the other returning back. Haah... Lennon...

I simply stand back and watch as the man continues his routine, something he had robbed of him for far too many days. His chest quickly becomes hastened and his lungs struggle to move the air, but he doesn't stop.

An hour passes in this fashion as I watch a master at work. When it comes to blades, there is no one in the world better than the one before me. I'd go as far as to say no one has ever been better than him, nor will they ever be.

Despite his exhaustion and wounds, he only halts after sixty minutes, collapsing back to his bed and dismissing his Dominion. The man looks up at me with thankfulness before he gasps out the words.

"Thank... you... Let... Hah... Let me know if there is anyone you want to join my school. I'll let 'em in. No questions asked. They might fail out 'cause I'll be rough like the old man, but I won't deny them from trying. If he did... I wouldn't be here."

A hand is offered to me once Lennon finds his breath, and I take it. We shake, creating a promise.

"Likewise. If you need my help, just let me know."

The swordsman bobs his head before offering me a question. It's a meaningful one that I've considered many times since I awoke.

"Well, Mr. God. Will you do anything with your Divinity? You're the God of Limits, after all. Of Chains, or whatever. You're the closest to Sigils, no? Closer than Gluskab. You could create a true guide. One that doesn't make people kill themselves just trying to rise."

I see his point. It makes sense, and I hadn't thought about the actual creation before, though. Making a Lighthouse, huh? Maybe even my own Wonder? How would I even go about doing that? I have no clue. But... I guess I'd just have to find out.

It could be fun. Constructing such a thing. Plus... it'd let me use my powers without being an actual Deity like Leviathan will be. That just isn't my style. I'd prefer working in the background, more like Virgil. I don't like all that attention.

Speaking off...

"Have you seen Virgil recently? I was told he was away, but Blake didn't know anything else about it. I forgot to ask Elizabeth."

Lennon gives me a particular look that brooks secrecy. Then, he spills the lot.

"He took up Vincent's reins if I were to guess. I don't know him all too well, but I know the type. The ancient bastard is the one who guarded the planet from the realms outside. The Devil helped, too, but he was more focused on those below than above or outside. I think he's following a lead on a Demigod that popped out during the war from one of the Crossroads. I spoke to him a few weeks ago about it. He asked for advice on how to go about it. I thought he'd be back by now, but I see he has his own troubles.."

Damn. Always working. He said he'd sleep! Did he lie to me? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it just isn't over for him. The war is still ongoing for the assassin if there is a target to kill.

"I have to find him. He needs to rest."

The swordsman shrugs before climbing back into bed. He doesn't appear fazed at all by Virgil's whereabouts.

"He'll be fine. He's capable. If he wants to sleep, he will. Now, get out. I'm tired."

I clench my eyes, squinting closely at Lennon before I laugh. He's joking. Probably. He doesn't do that all too much. He has changed in this white room.

"Alright. Just this once, I'll let you be a dick. You are hurt."

A chuckle comes from behind me as I close the door. Standing in the hallway, which is mostly empty, only a few doctors are walking past. This is the higher-tier hospital where each and every person on the staff is a Sigiled.

Waving at a nurse, I head on out, thinking about where Virgil could be. But by the time I make it to the door, I can only give up. How am I to find him? If he doesn't want to be found, then it's impossible. He's fucking Virgil.

With a great sigh, I stare up at the sky above the floating city. The sun is back to normal, maybe a little warmer than before, but it is still summer. Time to go back home. Aniwye and Marigold should be leaving by now.

Ma wants to take her to see the eastern coast. I don't know why they travel so much, but I trust her choices. That means... it'll just be me. And Dakota. The little fox I once knew... He's changed just as much as everyone else.

My feet carry me across the city toward a less populated section. It would be for the best if Aniwye were away from the other inhabitants. A left, a right, and some minutes of walking deliver me to the white-brick house that I now call home.

It has two floors, a patio, and more windows than I would like, but it is mine. And... there is someone waiting for me.

A woman stands beside the gate, feeding the fox below her with open hands. She turns to face me, the sundress twirling with the patterns designed into it, and a brilliant smile greets me.

Elizabeth. How did she know I'd be here?

"Lennon sent half the city into a temporary paralysis. Thankfully that's all it was, a few seconds of stillness. The only person who could have made him do that was you. 'Figured you'd be coming home after that. Was my guess right?"

I shake my head in faux annoyance as I admit that she's right. Too clever.

"Yeah. You're right. But what did you want?"

Elizabeth shrugs, motioning to Dakota beneath her. The immense fox shuffles happily with her beside him. She's taken care of him more than me at this point. I'm glad he likes her so much.

"Dunno. Do you want to go for a walk? Dakota doesn't get out much anymore."

I return her shrug before she practically skips past me, shouting at me to follow. Dakota is already on her heels, making his short yipes of joy. I follow, but not as energetically as she is.

She takes me through the nearby streets, mostly silent other than pointing out something here or there. I don't talk either; I'm more focused on discussing this 'Lighthouse' with Blodwyn. He doesn't have any concrete plans, but we have oh so many ideas.

He does want Lily to join, but she's with Aniwye right now. Thankfully, since she became a God, she can spend many days away from me before showing any signs of weakening. It gives Blodwyn and me some peace.

We're used to each other far more than we are to her. It's... different, I don't know. We love the crazy girl, but she's a whole lot to deal with.

Nearly an hour after starting the walk, we end back at my house. Dakota shuffles inside, opening the door all on his own with his paws. Elizabeth taught him that.

The woman who did so faces me at the gateway, hands behind her back. Almost sheepishly, she retrieves a box from behind her, shoving it toward me. It's wrapped lavishly with some kind of crinkled paper. I give her an odd look, and she explains, uncharacteristically embarrassed.

"Your birthday came and went while you were asleep. Happy eighteenth birthday, Wyatt. I got you something. It's not much, but..."

I tear into the present as she speaks, finding a more petite, fancier box within the first. It's composed of some kind of velvet fabric. Carefully opening the secondary container, I discover a chained necklace with a spent and bent bullet wrapped by metal, perfectly seated in place.

"Is this?"

My thoughts turn to Johnny, and Elizabeth nods, answering the question before I even fully announce it.

"Yeah. That's the bullet that killed Jesu."

I can't help but laugh as I hold the jewelry in my hands. To anyone else, it'd be just a piece of cheap metal. It's not worth anything but the dense lead that it is. But to me... It is priceless.

Clenching my fist closed, I nod and thank her sincerely. It has to be one of the best gifts I've ever gotten.

"This means a lot. Do you... do you want to come inside? It's just Dakota and me for the week."

Elizabeth smiles with a short nod of excitement, stepping right past me as if the house is hers, not mine. I don't mind one bit, following after her and closing the door behind me. It shuts with a click, hiding the noise of the woman's brilliant laughter for only me to enjoy.