Up in the banyan's canopy, the escapees watched the destruction unfold. As far as they could see, the earth cracked and bleed. Even the buildings splintered under the force of the land. Banyan's Hallow was crumbling, and that was not the worst of it. Beyond the horizon, the carnage continued to spread past the town boundaries. Occasionally a geyser of red would spout from the surface, sending its liquid into the monotoned sky.

Trisha, Giselle, and Shelly were the farthest out on the branches as they watched for followers. Between their two guns and Shelly's bag of tricks, they weren't feeling the most confident. But it was the best they had.

Against the warm trunk, Mama Clarke sat with Goldie's head in her lap. They had picked her up on the edge of the parking lot. She had sensed something wrong the moment she left the building, and when Goldie refused to move, she waited for them.

On a lower branch, Michael and Alexander worked at a solution to the mess. Michael rested a hand against the trunk and called out to the Banyan Maiden but felt nothing but an echoing emptiness. His face continued to pale as he thought of the spirit's death. If that had happened, then their group would soon follow.

"This can't be a realm, can it?" Giselle interrupted his panic as her nervous gaze flickered down to them.

Michael paused before shaking his head, "No, this is real."

Giselle took in these simple words. For a moment, her resolve wavered. But this was only for a moment and she turned back to Banyan's Hallow. "Then what do we do? There must be a way to reverse it."

"I don't know," Michael said. "I really don't."

"Great, well then," she held out her hand, "Soot," she called. From the shadow of her palm, a raven slid and perched himself on her wrist.

The bird gave a delighted caw as he rubbed against her. She responded with a light pet and an apology for the last week. After that, she sent him to survey the scene. Perhaps there was a cornerstone that they could break again to free themselves. But the moment he left the safety of the canopy, Soot vanished.

Giselle lurched back as pain cut through her. Her balance faltered, but Trisha caught her. Curses flowed from her as she forced down the splintering agony of magical backfire. Though a small trickle of blood still dripped from her nose onto the wood.

When she caught her breath, she let out a panicked cry, "What the hell was that!?" Hurriedly, she summoned Soot again, but the raven clung to her fingers, refusing to leave her. 

"The stars…" Mama Clarke whispered, but in the odd deadness of the air, her words were deafening.

"Mama?" Shelly asked, looking over at her. But she noticed that Mama Clarke wasn't speaking to them. No, Shelly was quite familiar with the oracle's scrying appearance. "Mama, what about the stars?"

"They're disappearing. One by one," Mama Clarke breathed. "And the future is going with them. All the paths are fading. I can't see any. Something's blocking me."

"Come on, both of you are hunters. You've gotta know what to do," Shelly looked between Hunter and Giselle. But neither had an answer. This was far beyond their expertise.

In their silence, a noise grew. It was a rhythmless beat that picked at their frayed nerves. At points, it almost became recognizable, like a half-remembered song played in another room. It was the whistle of the wind, but with a human-like howling that corrupted it. Or the crash of waves against the shore but hidden in that sharp sound was a bone-like crunch. They could not settle in this growing dissonance.

Beyond that, there was a tangible slickness that clung to them. Was it sweat? Or humidity? It had to be one or both. After all, it was a hot summer night. It was so hot. Though they could hear the breeze, it never punctured the bubble surrounding the tree. This turned the very air stagnant and oppressive.

Faced with this environment, Michael tried again to contact the Maiden. He closed his eyes and sent out a faint tendril of energy into the tree. But the moment it left him, it vanished, and what was worse, something wrong reached back. His eyes snapped open, and for a brief second black nearly overtook Hunter's green.

However, in this, Michael found an answer to Shelly's question. The issue was the answer was bleak. He debated which was better to tell the painful truth or a merciful lie. He had dealt with situations like this before, many times in fact, but they all ended in one way. In nothingness. Unsure, Michael looked at Alexander before deciding.

"We aren't alone," Michael said, "At this moment, I'm sure everyone is working on a fix. After all, this isn't exactly quiet. The Council, Hunters, Pack, everyone. They have to be doing something. I'm sure they'll arrive soon. For now, we hold out and wait. We can't forget mom's prediction. As long as we're together, we'll be on the good path."

"Great," Shelly half smirked before sighing, "I'd kill for a cellphone right now."

"Same," everyone chimed in.

"You know, if I knew things were gonna end up like this, I would have brought Peter and Imani along," Shelly added, only to shrink under Michael's judgmental look. "Look, Imani's got deva blood, and this all looks pretty demonic to me."

"This isn't demonic," Giselle said. "This is something else. Something far… worse. I've tracked these fuckers for years, and if it was as simple as demons, I would have killed them all by now."

"Alright, explain what it is then. A vague description isn't gonna help me figure out what to throw at them," Shelly said as she pulled her satchel around.

"The best I can describe it as is otherworldly. Not fae, or demon or angelic, nothing like any of the supernatural we've dealt with before."

Shelly twitched, her expression caught between a laugh and disbelief, "Aliens, this is a cult dedicated to fucking aliens?"

"Not quite-"A loud boom disrupted Giselle's words. The golden shield surrounding them shook. Actually shook. Everyone froze as they watched it shake again and again until their gaze slipped down onto the group gathered at the base.

Brody's red eyes glared up at them as he stood at the front of an endless surge of beasts. He had given up on any pretense of bestial theme, as flayed humans stuttered beside animalistic creatures in this horde of skinless monsters. Where he had gotten so many, it was pointless to guess. But since they saw regular mages standing among the group, they figured it wasn't internal recruitment. Though he didn't say it, Michael had some idea as he recognized creatures foreign to this fragment.

"How many bullets do you have?" Shelly looked over at Giselle, a chill shaking her. She hadn't fired a shot since their escape, but her gun hardly had any ammo.

Giselle grimaced. Her answer was very little.

The dome remained standing, but they didn't know for how long. The women threw themselves into planning their battle strategy. Out of the six of them, four could fight. But there were so many other unpredictable factors to consider. As they busied themselves with combat plans, the husbands quietly argued.

"We don't have time," Michael straightened. "I need to go into the Root. If I can find Banyan Maidan, I can protect her. If not," he grimaced, "I might still be able to do something."

"It's too risky," Alexander said. "With everything, even if this Aspect is weak, you don't know what the shadows will do."

Michael let out a chuckle that carried a hint of fear, "I know exactly what they will do. That's why I need you to stay here and keep a hold on our contract. If they act up, you shut it down and get me out."

"We should try for the Overworld. They must have noticed something," Alexander offered.

"We don't have that time. They didn't even identify the Aspect. If that can escape their notice, then I doubt they'll have noticed this now. Either way, it would be exactly what the Aspect wants. If it is who we think it is, he will take any chance to crawl up there and get revenge," Michael sighed. Exhaustion pulled at his being, and his host body was fairing no better.

Though through the dread and fear, a sense of cynicism rooted itself inside of Michael. He thought his time with the Aspects had ended at the execution, but it seemed his past would not stay dead.

"I mean, we can assume that Bloodlust is at his weakest," Michael said. "If not, he wouldn't have waited this long to go full apocalypse. Trust me, drowning this place wouldn't have even been child's play at his peak. So, I should stand a fair chance against him." He chuckled, "after all, I'm no longer just a shadow."

"It's still too dangerous. This isn't a time for revenge."

"Too dangerous? How can you tell me that with half the demon realm still on your ass?" Michael teased before resting a hand on Alexander's cheek. It was hard to explain, but the fear that had gripped him melted into an odd serenity the more he thought about confronting the Aspect. The knowledge of what it was, while terrifying, was still familiar. "Trust me, I'll handle it in enough time to be back for breakfast."

"Enough of this Michael," Alexander did not feel the same. His heart pounded in his throat as he thought of all the outcomes. Even for Michael's casual attitude, Alexander knew that it would be the end for him if he went in alone. "You're not going."

"If I don't, it's all over. I'd rather try than wait to die. And as much as I love you, I can't just sit aside and let this happen when I know I can do something."

"Then I'll go with you," Alexander said.

"No," Michael's smile dropped. "It's too dangerous. You're a demon. Half of me already wants to kill you. For the Aspect, you are nearly as desirable a kill as the Director. Anyway, I need you up here to protect the others."

"Kettle black," Alexander smirked, though this didn't completely hide his worry. "I don't fear anyone that old mask face can kill. Either way," he sighed and tightened his grip on Michael's hand. "We're a pair. Where you go, I go. Even if it's into nothingness, I'll follow."

For a moment, Michael faltered, but then he noticed his shadow flicker as the destabilization got worse. He couldn't be soft. "It's not nothingness I fear."

"Come on, this can't be any worse than what's waiting for me back in the demon realm. If I survived that, then I can handle this. Especially with you by my side."

"No, stay here," Michael said once more. "I won't be able to live with myself if you die."

"Baby," Alexander cooed and pulled his partner's hand in for a kiss. "You know I don't die easily. Demon king, Voidling, Aspect, Overseer, they just can't do it. There is only one person who I'll ever allow to kill me, and that is you, my dear husband." The words were quiet but sincere as he gave a charming grin. "And if I remember right, our vows say until the end of eternity. So, I can't die, or else I'd be breaking my word."

Several emotions swirled within Michael as he forced back tears and finally let out a sighing chuckle. "You're impossible. But you're mine."

"And you're mine."

"Fine, fine. If you want to rush right into certain death with me, there's nothing I can do," Michael said. "Just be ready and hold my binds tight."

"Of course. Even though most of you accept our contract, we wouldn't want any renegades to switch sides," Alexander said.

"And you're sure Neil's stable enough?" This was Michael's last appeal, but Alexander just nodded.

"Bastard's practically chomping at the bit," he assured. "My love, we don't have any more time to stall. The world is ending."

Michael let out a shaky breath, "it seems so."

For one last time, he looked over at Hunter's family and friends. Even in the face of destruction, they remained lively. Sure, fear shook them, but a firm desire to live pushed them forward. Like all souls on these stabilized fragments, they wanted to exist, and they deserved to. There were so many souls bound here, so many new beings that did not exist a few weeks ago, and they were his responsibility. He wouldn't let another one of his kin take that away.

"Let's do this," Michael slipped off the warding bracelet. It had withstood all this trouble, but he did not need it anymore. As soon as he let go of it, his eyes glazed over black as his shadow unnaturally curved and melded with the grain of the tree. "I'd hate to keep him waiting."

"Of course not," Alexander took his partner's mouth. It felt as if his soul was being pulled out with that kiss, and well, it was. Under his husband's dark guidance, Alexander left Neil to take full command of his body and followed Michael into the Root.