The duo left Saint’s Hold and rocketed across the sky heading West. It was mid-morning, and The Sun and Inferno were blazing overhead in the middle of building season – the equivalent of Summer on Heimfold. The travel was silent as the kilometers passed under them.

“There they are!”

Echo and Rose turned as a group of one thousand people began flying up to attack them. Fanatical worshippers of Lux, possessed by her angels to grant them flight and increased stats. In a group that large, they could pose a threat. Especially since Echo had no clue how strong they were.

He glanced at Rose, “Thoughts?”

Her face was unreadable and her voice monotone, “I’ll deal with this group. You get the next group.” She raised her staff and her icy-blue Quintessence poured into the Aether Shard hidden in the tip. “Be crushed.” A weave of Heat pulsed out from her staff and all the flying individuals were instantly crushed in between gravitic waves that squished them into paste. She gestured as the mass of flesh congealed and joined together into a single point. “You hungry?” She asked.

Echo shook his head, “Just drain them.”

Rose complied and performed her Siphon Strength spell, sucking the bodies dry. “Shall we?”

Echo nodded and their flight continued.

More assaults from Lux’s followers persisted, but Echo and Rose were far beyond any possible strength they could muster. With spells and miracles, the two decimated every angel-possessed person that flew up against them.

I didn’t want this.

---

Lux cackled madly on her throne. The Sun was rapidly populating with new souls as her possessed followers returned to her care. The angels returned as well. And with every one of them that joined her, she could feel the surge of Heat within her. And her numbers swelled.

“My lady of light,” Azurianth came forward and bowed to Lux. “I must ask once more that we stop this.”

Lux directed her withering glare at her archangel as she stopped her laughter. “Why?”

“They don’t stand a chance against those two. And they keep getting stronger the more we send.”

“Very well. Order my possessing angels to force their hosts to commit suicide.”

Azurianth’s eyes went wide. “But…my lady-”

“Do as you are ordered!” Lux shouted as the hardlight castle she sat in cracked and began to fall around her.

Azurianth bowed and left the building. As soon as he cleared the castle, he let out breath he didn’t realize he was holding in.

I need to do something.

He did not condone what Lux was doing. Killing her followers to amass power would only cripple her in the long run. With no worshippers on Heimfold, her worship would not grow. She would just keep whatever souls were on The Sun. Or worse, they would leave her service and go to Last Light Temple to be judged just like what happened to Caeli’s elementals – but only if Lux allowed that. And there was no way she would release souls bound to her.

I can’t just stand idly by.

He wouldn’t give the order. He couldn’t command hundreds of millions of people to kill themselves. He would not be a part of it. But there was nothing he could do. He was marked by the goddess he gave herself to. He had to serve Lux’s will.

I can manipulate the order, at least.

Azurianth smiled a crafty smile. He was the archangel of the Administratum. He could easily sabotage Lux’s efforts to bring her followers to The Sun.

I’ll ensure that Lux’s will is carried out with all of the time required for the wheels of her Administratum to turn.

Azurianth flew to the central office and gave the order. All angels possessing worshippers on Heimfold were to force them to pilgrimage to The Citadel of Light in the Kingdom of Cruxia. Lux’s most holy ground. They could commit mass suicide when they got there.

Oh, and no flying. They must walk to show their devotion.

---

Echo and Rose came to a stop at the large lake outside of Drekhold. He glanced at the quest slip, confirming that there was a monster reported within the center of the lake. Reported by Tiberius. He pulled out a map of Heimfold, and had Rose hold the quest slip as he used his finger to chart a path. “He’s leading us to some mountain.”

“Near Nelya, the Capital where the various Tribes meet for a moot.” She pointed to the largest peak, “That is the second highest mountain in Heimfold. The Sky’s Reach. Caeli’s sanctuary is there.”

“Could he have a lair up there?”

Rose shrugged, “He could, but it would risk discovery. No, I’d imagine it is close to that point.”

We could make a beeline for it. Or we could follow the daisy-chain of monsters.

Looking down at the wind-dappled lake, he felt his Evolution Instinct rise within him. Something was coming. He put away the map and quest slip, pulling out his sword and shield as he activated Bulwark on Rose.

He couldn’t see what broke the water’s surface – it was rendered invisible in some way – but he smelled it as it approached. He held up his sword, “Ray of Light.” He used the same spell that Rickard had used those years ago against Tiberius. A lance of silver radiance shot outwards and limned the invisible creature, revealing it.

Kill.

Consume.

Evolve.

Based on the outline, the monster was some form of jellyfish that had been hybridized with a humanoid figure and a barracuda. The humanoid torso tapered down to a fish-tail that it had propelled itself out of the water with. The tendrils cascaded out around it and attempted to encircle Echo as its maw opened.

He deftly swung his sword in a circle and chopped the appendages off, only for more to sprout out and continue attacking him. Perfect Defense allowed him to block everything that came his way with ease. The monster began to fall, and Echo pointed his blade at it. “Storm Arc.” His Quintessence flowed down the blade as a blue and silver stream of electricity covered in red sparks arced out and struck the creature. It twitched and steam rose from it, and it crashed into the water far below.

Echo flew down after it and crafting a new spell tapping into a new Affinity from the nautilus he had devoured. “Caustic Wave.” The wave of silver acid exploded from his sword and hit the creature as it cried out with pain. Echo stabbed down into it as the water exploded upwards from the force of his stab as the two plunged into the warm water.

The monster wrapped its tentacles around Echo and tried to stab into him with tiny, needle-like spikes along the lengthy appendages, but the toxin did nothing to him, and he plunged his hand into its torso, feeling around for its heart before ripping that free and biting down into it. The monster wriggled before going still, and Echo flew up as the pain set in.

Hovering over the lapping waters of the lake, he clutched his temples as a massive headache set in. Rose flew down and cast a Siphon Strength as the corpse desiccated into dust. The headache faded and Echo shook his head to clear the small blurs at the edge of his vision.

Rose raised an eyebrow, “You didn’t experience nearly as much pain, I assume.”

Echo nodded tersely and glanced at her, “You’re trying to be friendly. Why?”

“I…” She sulked slightly and her icy façade diminished to show genuine remorse. “I am trying to rebuild whatever it was we had.”

Echo scoffed, “Please, spare me. You used me.”

Rose floated in front of him under the power of her gravity Domain. “And I said I was sorry.” She looked to be on the verge of breaking down. “Just…accept my apology, damn it.”

Echo stared hard at her. She had been a valuable ally for the past several seasons, pulling more than her own weight. Fumi liked her well enough and the two seemed to be decent friends. But he chafed at the idea that he would be able to truly forgive her. She tricked him into eating innocent people. But he needed her to get Fumi back. Keeping her at a distance would only harm that goal.

“I accept your apology,” He muttered.

Rose sighed and nodded as her demeanor shifted to that of the regal ruler once more, “Good. You have my word, whatever you think its worth, I won’t do anything against your interests.” Her face softened slightly as a small grin crossed her lips, “I care for you.”

Echo raised an eyebrow, “I hope you’re not going to say you’re in love with me or some shit like that.”

“No. I value your friendship. You and Fumi as companions and allies.” She shook her head, “I thought that I could manipulate you two, and I was able to – I’m quite skilled at it…But seeing the outcome…I’m not going to do that ever again.” She stared Echo in the eyes, “You have my word. No more manipulating.”

The two continued their journey as they ascended higher.

---

Azurianth finished the final report and sagged in he chair. He waved to a lesser angel to come over and take away the last of the paperwork. One of the downsides of working for a goddess of light, order, and justice was the tedium of it all. Lux wanted The Sun organized as best possibly, and thus a byzantine bureaucracy was formed.

It’s time.

He knew that the final orders were being distributed, and soon the great pilgrimage would begin. All of Lux’s followers, moving en masse to a single location to commit a final act of supplication to their deity.

Azurianth had already sent along missives through the lent power of Lux’s heat to The Arbiter of Souls, who graciously accepted the paperwork and would create a separate soul-stream to divert Lux’s chosen to her Afterlife. He had dealings with him before – mostly expediting souls from Last Light Temple to The Sun – and he was not as bored sounding as usual in this last visit. That struck Azurianth as unusual. In the several hundred years he had been corresponding with The Arbiter, all he saw him express was boredom. Azurianth reasoned that there must be some plan in motion. Someone was working to stop Lux’s madness.

All I can do now is wait.

---

The two remaining members of The Undying flew over the Imperial City of West Drek and towards The Holy Wall along the Barrier Peaks – flying over the border and entering the Vaysha Rift. Homeland of the Ayshor – hybridized humanoid and terrestrial animal people, and the Vaysani – anthropomorphized bird people. Rose explained that there were New gods who had taken up ownership of the various Tribes that roamed the region. Only a few established cities existed, and those were little more than meeting places for the various groups to engage in trade and diplomacy.

“Fights are common. They once called this place the Land of a Thousand gods. But once The Void was defeated, most left to take over a freed world. Transplanting their people there.”

Echo nodded, “But some stayed behind.”

“Yes.” Rose gestured for them to slow to a stop and Echo complied, pulling out the map with Tiberius’ monsters marked out. “Hmmm,” She looked over his shoulder. “Seems like the next one is along the Terminus River.”

Echo nodded, glancing around as the air suddenly grew colder. “Was that you?” He asked Rose.

She shook her head and began channeling Quintessence into her staff, “No.”

Echo put the map and quest slip back into the pocket dimension, drawing out his sword and shield as he put Bulwark over Rose. The air turned into a blizzard that sapped the heat from the environment, ice crystals forming around the two. Since both had Damage Immunity (Cold), it was more of an annoyance than anything – but it did restrict their sight.

Echo grabbed Rose’s hand and flew sideways trying to escape the blizzard that had appeared in midair, but even flying at top speed and activating Achronerate, he was not able to escape it. Perfect Defense drove him to raise his shield as an enormous arrow formed from a shaft of ice bounced off it.

“Rose, can your ice Affinity stop this?”

Rose shook her head, “No! this isn’t magic. It’s a miracle.”

Echo cursed, “Just our luck.” His body reacted as more arrows came out of the blinding white sheet that surrounded them. He blocked most with his shield and flourished his cloak to deflect the others. He concentrated his Quintessence, “Guardian’s Embrace.” The silver and sparking crimson bubble surrounded the two.

“You dare intrude upon The Rift,” a voice came from seemingly all directions.

“Just passing through,” Echo stated. “We just want to go past.”

“You’re monsters. Just like the one near the river I dispatched. Know that Ahanu, He who howls, comes to kill you.”

“Rose, do you mind finding whoever this is?”

She shook her head, “I can’t see him. This wind blocks every sight based Innate Ability I possess.” She raised her staff and channeled her Quintessence into it. “The best I can do is dispel their miracle with one of my own. But it will reduce my ability to aid you further this fight.”

Echo grunted, “Do it.”

Rose held the scepter aloft, “Bind the snow and bring it down.” The staff pulsed with a wave of force that expanded out as the blizzard fell away. A humanoid-avian mix was flying several hundred meters away from the two in their protective sphere. They were flapping their white wings that took after an owl as the sharp, yellow eyes stared at them.

FEAST.

Echo instantly dropped the Guardian’s Embrace and activated Achronerate, pushing his palm along the blade of his weapon. “Shadow Blade, Bolt Blade, Flame Blade.” His weapon sparked with electricity as the miasmic shadow seeped from it and the silver flames licked up to the tip. The New god pulsed with a wave of Heat and flew up. Echo pursued.

FEAST!

The arrows rained down from above as the New god manifested several miracles that caused icy shards to fall onto him. Echo took the hits on his shield and armor – the blunt and piercing impacts bouncing from him, as ice slowly encrusted his body. They ascended higher and higher, until Echo struggled to breathe, and this Ahanu slowed as well. “What are you?” The New god asked, their voice filling with fear as this seeming mortal chased it.

Echo did not answer, chasing this creature he had to eat all the way until they hit the edge of the planet’s inner and outer atmosphere. The New god had nowhere to go, and Echo finally caught up with them, whipping his sword out as it scored a light touch.

But that was all that he needed. The flame, shadow, and electricity coursed along the edge of his blade and into Ahanu. The New god was wreathed in silver flames, crackling sparks, and shadows that slowly caused its flesh to rot from necrosis. The New god plummeted down towards Heimfold, manifesting another miracle as it shed the negative effects in a shimmer of white. It turned around in freefall, loosing arrows at Echo. Each arrow turned into ice that splintered and shattered against Echo’s shield as he closed the gap, stabbing down into the New god’s chest.

FEAST!

Over and over Echo stabbed. Wild, out of control, reckless. He stabbed over and over until the New god was surely dead, and he only stopped when he had savaged the body enough that the torso was a gaping hole. In the center, encased within an Aether Shard, was the New god’s heart. He ripped it out and put it in his mouth.

CRUNCH.

He bit down and felt the shard crack between his teeth, his canines elongating to pierce down through the fragment of creation itself. His teeth finally cut their way through the shard as the sweet, nectar-like blood seeped into his mouth and he drank it greedily, gulping far more than what it should physically be able to hold.

He ground the Aether Shard to bits in his monstrous maw, swallowing the crystalline mass as it tore up his throat as instinct forced him to choke it down.

The world exploded in white.