Isaac cursed, “How did he get that Affinity?”

Liam shook his head, “You need to stop him. You know the danger of large-scale space spells more than anymore.”

Isaac nodded and opened a rift, appearing next to Echo. He had to cover himself in refracted space as a torrent of Quintessence blasted at him. The monster was curled in the fetal position, alternating between grunts of pain, cries of sorrow, and screams of anger.

I can’t have you ripping holes in space like this.

Isaac expanded his Heat and performed a miracle – putting Echo into a pocket dimension. The sky returned to normal as space ceased its warping, and Isaac walked back through the rift to stand next to Liam. “Problem solved.”

Liam nodded, “Get him under control. Next time, I’ll deal with him myself.”

Isaac frowned but gave a curt nod as he warped space once more and vanished.

---

Rose finished recounting what happened to Narya. She didn’t hold anything back.

It feels good to be this honest.

Narya just shushed her and provided meaningless nothings that nonetheless were still reassuring. “You are sorry, right?”

Rose nodded and wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her robes. “Yes…I’m sorry that my actions got Fumi killed.”

Narya nodded gently and flew in front of Rose, “Then you need to be honest like that! Just be open with Echo. He needs you to bring Fumi back, so he’s not going to kick you out.” She put her hand to her chin, “At least, I don’t think he will.”

Both looked to the side as Isaac walked through a rip in reality. Narya flitted up and gave a small curtsy as Rose quickly composed herself. The Guildmaster looked around, “Where’s Fumi?”

Rose shook her head and just handed the Guildmaster her notes. She journaled meticulously and had an endless notebook that she always kept in her hip pouch. She pointed to the most recent section and just sat back as Isaac informed himself of the situation.

Isaac looked up at her with a grim face. “You drove him to do that?” Rose had not held back any details, keeping an extensively exacting account of every situation.

“Yes. I realize now that it was wrong-”

“You may have wisdom of the ages,” Isaac interrupted. “But your millennia of being a ruler of the undead has stripped you of much of your humanity.” He shook his head, “Echo is in a pocket dimension right now, and I’m not sure I can let him out.”

Rose shook her head, and Isaac filled her in on how he almost caused a rip that would have destroyed a decent sized chunk of Saint’s Hold. Her face went pale as she realized how powerful Echo had become in such a short time.

“If I wasn’t a god with that exact Domain, I would have had no choice but to kill him. Liam was preparing to.”

Rose shook her head, “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Don’t tell me. Here, I’ll open an aperture to that pocket dimension that you can speak and see through but won’t be able to interact through. Just in case.” There was a burst of heat and a pocket dimension opened – but a small, transparent screen crossed the aperture. She saw Echo there, curled in on himself as his silver Quintessence flooded out of him in a torrent, the crimson sparks crackling as rips in the pocket-dimension’s separate space continued to form.

“…Echo?”

He looked up and the storm within quieted. Rage flashed across his face, but he took a deep breath and sat upright, staring at her. Into her soul. “What do you want?”

“I’m sorry.” And she was. Truly sorry. She saw how much she had hurt Echo. She knew that she was the person responsible for Fumi’s death. “I’m so, so sorry. But we can bring her back! You know that.”

“You lied to me. You made me think we were killing some brigands. Instead, I find out that I killed and ate people just doing their jobs! Trying to keep their families and friends safe!” His face turned to anger once more, and the Quintessence crackled from him.

“I can’t make up for those sins. That’s on me. Not on you. I am the one that condensed them all into a single point. I’m the one that killed them. You just ate their bodies. It’s no different than-”

“Then what I did to those angels? Or those monsters?” Echo shook his head, “No. It’s nothing like that. Those monsters are trapped, I’m setting them free and using their spare meat. Those angels? They served Lux and they tried to hurt us. But those innocents?”

“I can’t say any more than I have. I’m sorry,” Rose said as her voice returned to its Queenly demeanor and tone. “I will atone for my actions when I am eventually judged. But we must work together to kill Tiberius. To get his cube. To save Fumi.”

Echo’s face calmed and the Quintessence quieted and dissipated. “Promise me something.”

“I have to hear what you want first.”

“You will talk to The Arbiter of Souls and make sure that he doesn’t judge me or Fumi for what we’ve done in this life. Take on our sins, or whatever he uses to judge people.”

A good deal since I don’t plan on dying. I should check my backup.

She closed her eyes and felt the other phylactery far across the distance of the world. A tether that would keep her spirit on Heimfold if this form and her ring phylactery were broken. To her delight, she felt the slight pull on her soul. Her backup spirit repository was secure.

I could die and then go into hiding. Go to other worlds.

Rose nodded, “I accept these terms.” She glanced at Isaac, “You gods can open portals to Last Light Temple, correct?”

Isaac nodded and glanced into the pocket dimension, “Calmed down?” he asked Echo. The monster nodded, and Isaac let him out into the apartment. Echo set about fixing the furniture and apologizing to Narya for the mess, as she tried to draw him out of his melancholy with some banter. He glanced back at Isaac, and his eyes went pure black, but he quickly moved to the bathroom and locked himself in.

Isaac smirked and raised his hand, sealing the bathroom, as rabid screams and snarling escaped the room. The door would surely have shattered if not reinforced by his space Domain. “Hmm, interesting.” He glanced at Rose, “Why would he want to attack me? That hasn’t happened before.”

Rose explained the god-Eater upgrade to Echo’s Primal Consumption. Isaac sagely nodded his head. “Well, for now, I can keep him at bay.” He led Rose to the entryway and opened a small rift to Last Light Temple. A youthful man glanced sideways, and Rose felt a chill go through her.

This is The Arbiter of Souls.

“Oh, Isaac, you brought a friend.” He introduced himself and then glanced at Isaac, “What’s the occasion for a chat?”

Rose explained her deal with Echo, and The Arbiter’s face went resolute as he solemnly nodded. “In summary, I will take on any sins or negative judgment criteria for the current lives of Echo Asheron and Fumi Medrana Xulatar, formerly Soju.”

Kalinor nodded, “Sounds reasonable.” He held out his hand, and a starry black and blue parchment made of divine power appeared in the apartment in front of Rose. “Sign this Pact, and it will be so.”

Rose used her fingertip and signed her name to the divine Pact. It vanished in a surge of starlight that rocketed into her before fading and suffusing her being.

“Always a pleasure Isaac.” The portal shut.

Rose turned to the Guildmaster and bowed. “There’s one problem I could use your advice on…”

---

Echo calmed once he felt the presence of the Guildmaster leave the adjoining room. He went out into the living room and finished repairing the furniture he had broken earlier. He set about cooking in the kitchen with Narya to take his mind off things. Narya was behaving as her usual self, but he could tell she was just trying to give him some sense of normalcy in this small interlude.

I tried to kill Isaac.

The Evolution Instinct’s final upgrade was almost impossible for him to stop. If he hadn’t run into the bathroom when he did, who knows what would have happened. It scared him, losing control that quickly.

Just focus on dinner. Keep your mind off it.

He had Narya set the table and glanced up as Rose entered the kitchen. She took a seat and cleared her throat gently. “It’s done. The Arbiter of Souls has allowed me to accept the weight of your and Fumi’s sins…whatever he quantifies those as during judgment.”

Echo nodded, “Good. Then we’ll eat, rest, and look for more monsters.”

“Are…never mind,” Rose began to stand up.

“Ask it.”

She sat back down, “Are you okay?”

“I’m pretty fucking far from okay. But I’m better than earlier.” Echo shoveled the meal into his mouth as the two sat in silence. Narya excused herself to her small house. After he finished his meal, he sat back in the chair. “You’re going to help me get Fumi back.”

“Isaac said he knows someone who can help restore her mind, once we have her body fixed.”

Echo leaned forward, “Who?”

Rose described another New god, part of Isaac’s Destined Pantheon, a woman named Selena Bowers who ran a town called Bastion in the Siltar Republic. She was the person in their Pantheon who managed their various contact networks and that city, which held a stable portal to Haven that allowed that city to have a continuous flow of trade with Vythin’s world. “She is a god of earth, minds, and healing. Isaac said that she will help us. She has a soft spot for love stories.”

“Then tomorrow we go and try to find Tiberius.” Echo stood up and went to the bedroom, shutting the doors behind him. He slowly took off his armored clothing and stored everything in the pocket dimension, unrolling the futon and crawling into it.

He instinctively reached sideways for Fumi, stopping as his arms felt nothing. No warmth. No life. No love next to him.

He reached into the pocket dimension once more and looked at her body. It was calm. Peaceful. Cold. A small green light emanating from her chest. He grabbed her soul in the vial and held it close to his chest.

I’ll get you back.

---

The two geared up the next morning and Echo put Fumi’s soul vial back into her body in the pocket dimension. As soon as they hit the staircase, the whole room paused and looked at them. Echo saw the faces and the variety of negative emotions – horror, shock, anger, hatred – all directed at him.

Devour…

The Primal Consumption pushed against him. He could hold it back, keep it in check. It was not overwhelming him. Just a constant presence.

They learned about what I’ve done.

Maybe not the ship part, or even the angel eating, or eating the former Soju clan. But some word had spread about what he had done. Most likely the encounter the day before with Lux’s followers above the city.

“Murderer!” one of the adventurers shouted.

Boos and jeers were sent his way, and he growled, releasing his Quintessence around him as it blanketed the room and crackled with crimson. “Back off!”

Instantly the crowd went silent, and Echo walked to the quest board. He strode up to the same Llios woman who was trembling on the spot. “Any quests for monsters with black eyes?”

She nodded and pointed to the window. “T-t-t-there’s a-a-a f-f-few.”

Echo nodded and turned on his heel, walking through the crowd that parted. He walked up to the window with Bartholomew. The older retired reincarnated adventurer leaned forward on the counter, cracking a small grin. “Damn, they really hate your guts.”

Echo slid his identification under the window. “Give every other adventurer ten thousand dreks from my account. And one hundred thousand to each staff member.”

Bartholomew’s eyes went wide, “Oh. Okay! You got it!” His cheery smile poked out from his bushy beard and mustache. “There’s a whole bunch of quest slips here for you also. From someone named Tiberius.”

Echo exchanged a glance with Rose. The Lich Queen smiled gently, “It seems like he is done hiding.”

Echo received the large, combined quest slip and his identification. He could feel the eyes staring at him as he departed. He checked his identification.

Yup. Still rich.

He had over five million dreks left. He knew that money talked, and he could buy back some goodwill back. Not that he cared much for what they thought – he just didn’t want to be the center of attention.

He could try to be the hero all he wanted, but he was still The Monster of the Guild. And he accepted that he would not be a hero to other people.

But I can still try to act like one.

---

Umbra sat on her obsidian throne in the Conflux of Creation. Her season had come and gone, but Lux had called a meeting with her. She wasn’t left waiting for long, as her sister appeared in a blinding ray of light. “Your meeting.”

Lux sat at her chair opposite Umbra. “I am sure you have heard of my actions.”

Umbra smirked, “Sending your angels to possess all of your followers. Seeking the destruction of that monster. Seems reckless.”

Lux shook her head, “Whether my worshippers live or die, their souls still serve me and give me power.”

“This is true. But without any living worshippers, how will you grow your religion and gain more worshippers?”

“I’ll worry about that.” Lux leaned forward. “I called this meeting to let you know that I have stopped Caeli. She won’t be a problem.”

Umbra raised a quizzical eyebrow, “And how, pray tell, did you do that?”

“She was weak. She is still in The Cyclone. Just a shell of herself. Her miracles will persist.”

“And you’re telling me why?”

“Because someone needs to know.” Lux tented her hands and leaned forward. “I know I’m losing myself to my secondary functions. What I’m doing with my worshippers is part of that.”

Umbra frowned slightly, “So, you acknowledge that you are going mad?”

Lux nodded, “Yes. I’m losing my mind to my purpose. I can’t fix it. The Arbiter can’t fix it. There is no fixing it.” She raised her hand above her head, “The only thing that I can do is remove my purpose, as I did with Caeli. But if I do that…I’m as good as dead.”

“It seems like your time has come, then.”

Lux looked up, “What do you mean?”

“Take the honorable way out. Cede your power, your Afterlife, your domains to another god of light.”

Lux stood up, a grin on her face, “Ha! You fell for it!” She pointed at Umbra, “The goddess of secrets, tricked by one of truth! You are allied with Vythin.”

Umbra bit her lower lip. She had tipped her hand trying to push for an earlier resolution. She stood up, “Well. That’s what you think. You’re welcome to your opinion.”

Lux’s face beamed with joy, “I tricked you; you bitch!”

Umbra shook her head, “You are going mad if you believe that I’d work with that god. You know what he did to me, yes? He stole my next archpriest. He stole my surrogate son. He stole Kalinor from me.”

Lux’s laughing stopped. “Yes. And I’m the one who helped him.”

Umbra waved her hand and vanished.

 

She stood once more on The Dark, one of The Three Moons.

But that was the old Umbra.

She grinned. Lux had no idea that she wasn’t the real Umbra. Her cover remained in-tact. None suspected that Umbra was not in fact Umbra, but was instead an old friend of Professor Slate who took control of her once they killed her mind.

I think that show was enough to throw her off her assumption.

She looked out upon Heimfold from a balcony. Narrowing her eyes, she saw down through the clouds and spotted the Monster of the Guild and the Lich Queen flying across The Holy Empire.

Soon enough, our plans will come to fruition.