Korac watched as Sagan Seamswalked away for another shot at Nox. The Icarean General held his breath. He counted the seconds until she returned. Each time took longer than the last. He clenched his jaw and gripped his axe tighter.

Seventy-two. Seventy-three—

She returned, and he resisted the urge to pull her to him and kiss her hair. Whisper how terrified he was of losing her. Beg her not to go again.

But that’s not where they were right now. She spun the axe and swung it at him with a two-handed grip. The nacre improved her stamina by leagues, but she tired with this constant fighting. As did they all. He took a quick glance below at Tameka, who also showed signs of slowing.

No, the only two still in this fight at full strength clashed until the heavens cried for them to stop. Yet on they went. Rayne and Nox met evenly matched. Both demonstrated amazing prowess and abilities unseen in the Vast Collective. The only trouble was, the arena proved inadequate to contain their epic battle. They might actually destroy Earth before the fight was won.

The plan ran out of time. Korac stopped and nodded to Sagan.

She ceased fighting with her beautiful violet eyes frozen on him. Her face drew tight with concern, but she gave him a faint nod.

It was time.

Passing the news along through the earpiece, Sagan waited for the next signal. Under the strain, her face fell.

Fuck this.

Korac flew to her side. She gasped, cutely, as he pressed his forehead to hers. She swallowed, but eventually closed her eyes. They soaked in this scant moment of peace. “No matter what happens, I will not let you go.”

Sagan sniffled as a fine tremor traveled throughout her exhausted body. “I promise to never go where you can’t find me.”

“NOW!”

The signal.

The Icarus and the Progeny clasped hands, and she Seamswalked them below. There, Rayne grappled with a stunned Nox from behind. Using Night Killer as a crux, they all gathered close enough for contact. Sagan opened the conduit, and, with Rayne’s help, threw everyone inside.

The amber nacre glass surrounded them within the chamber on Cinder’s North Pole. With Li and their kin as witness, this served as the safest domain for their fight. Beside him, Rayne murmured, “It’s beautiful.”

“Guys…” Sagan collapsed to her knees with blood dripping from her nose.

Rayne made to grab her but stopped with a wounded glance at Korac. He caught their lover and checked her vitals as Rayne watched in concern. He brushed Sagan’s hair back from her face and nodded for the Progeny General’s benefit. “She’ll be fine.”

Tameka wiped blood from her mouth and headed for the back of the room where the First Wave laid captive. “Oh, my god.”

“Not yours. Ours.” Nox stared into the burning sun outside of his reach. He reached out and touched Elden’s Sphere.

Rayne tracked him with every muscle coiled to pounce, but she stayed close to Sagan and Korac. Maybe they all needed a respite.

With his back to them, Nox shared, “My father believed this place existed, but he never found it.” He turned and gazed at the center nacre, missing a sliver. “He wanted to claim it for himself.”

Rayne ran so fast Korac missed it and stood between the pedestal and Nox. “It didn’t belong to him, and it doesn’t belong to you.”

“Do you know whose it is, Rayne?”

She shook her head with curiosity in her gaze.

Nox laid the silken baritone on extra thick, “It’s Elden’s nacre. Do you know what you could do with that much power?”

This made for a nightmarish thought. Rayne and Nox teamed together. Please, don’t let her be remotely tempted, or all the worlds were fucked.

“I’m not interested in power. I only want our people safe.”

Thank, Elden. Sagan stirred a bit, and Korac kissed her temple.

“General.” Nox sounded unhappy.

Fuck. “Sire?”

“You seem at home here.”

Tameka called, “Rayne, I still can’t figure out how to open them.”

Nox cut Rayne off, “What’s up there?”

A shift took hold within himself. Korac recognized the moment for what it was, but he hoped for anything else. Decidedly, he answered, “The First Wave Progeny, Nox.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The King of Cinder frowned his displeasure and narrowed his gaze at the other Icarus. “What are they doing here, Korac? They should be dead.”

“This is a lab Celindria uses to extract their abilities for weaponry. Weaponry, we’ve invested a good sum of money in via Tritan arms dealers.” Korac gave the man a minute to respond. There was a lot to unpack.

The Icarean General expected a complete mental breakdown. Instead, Nox stared hard, waiting for him to continue. The calm disturbed Korac more than any torrent of rage he predicted and preferred. This icy, calculated retention meant his King either knew or strongly suspected the woman yet lived and factored her survival into his latest schematics.

Korac set Sagan down, gently, and stood. He pointed his axe to his leader. Then he laid everything on the table, “After all this time… after everything—” he jabbed the weapon in Rayne’s direction “—we did… the bitch survived and profited off the hidden Progeny. Give up this fight. We can combine forces and take the evil soul-sucker down together. Like we planned.”

Nox glanced over at Rayne, who glared at him with murder in her eyes. “It’s far too late for that.”

Sagan sat up and tapped Korac’s boot with her axe to signal her recovery. He stared at his best friend and hated the finality in the man’s eyes. “I serve Cinder, Nox, and you no longer do.”

The King of Cinder threatened, “Remember, I keep my promises, Korac.”

The giant Icarus took a step in his General’s direction, but Rayne intervened. “I can think of one you broke.” She twisted her weapon and unlocked it. Splitting it, she twirled the halves like batons. One “S” shaped blade per side. The steel inlaid with gold.

“Your beauty. Your violence.” Nox shook his head slow with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Made for me. And how was I supposed to resist you?”

“Be careful, Nox. The eyes of your ancestors are watching.”

Nox unsheathed a sword Korac witnessed him wield only once. The nacre glass blade fashioned into hooks and miniature axe heads, ripped into its opponent and ensnared them for prolonged anguish. It was Umbra’s. “Ancestor to you. Aunt and uncle to me. You forget how old I am.”

Faced with that weapon, Rayne surprised Korac by remarking, “It’s easy given how petty you act.”

With a discerning mix between a purr and a growl, Nox said, “Oh, you do enjoy provoking me.”

Faster than Korac’s eyes followed, the King of Cinder assailed the Progeny General, and their fight continued. Hopefully, with less dangerous collateral damage in this indestructible chamber.

“I’m proud of you.”

Korac snapped his gaze to Sagan, who stared up at him with naked admiration. So unaccustomed to the expression, he swallowed and resisted looking away. Him, shy? Never. “How are you feeling?”

Sagan’s sweet smile reminded him of how well she read him. She spared him the inquiry. “Much better.”

“Lt. General, do you mind taking a break from your bad boy toy and helping me out?” Tameka called.

Even without knowing her well, Korac sensed her anger. Maybe it was the middle finger she shot him as he looked over.

Sagan patted his leg as she stood. “C’mon. Let’s see if she’ll warm up to you.” She offered her hand.

The need unnecessary, but the gesture appreciated, he took it. She Seamswalked them to Tameka’s side.

The redhead rolled her eyes. “At this point you’re just being lazy. Your feet work.”

He cupped Sagan’s face and checked her eyes. She bantered with her friend around him, “We don’t technically need to fly everywhere either. Our cars work.” She turned back to him. “What is it, baby?”

The woman at his back exaggerated gagging sounds.

“I’m checking to see if you’re all right. She’s right. You shouldn’t push yourself more than you already have.”

Sagan beamed at the Progeny over his shoulder. While looking at Tameka, she spoke to him, “Thank you for caring, babe.” He smirked at her as she continued, “I’ll take it easy unless combat-necessary.”

“Get down!” Rayne shouted before she and Nox demolished them into a pile of mixed arms and legs.

The sprite barely made it to her hands and knees when the massive Icarus kicked her head like a football. Blood sprayed in an impressive arc. A crack resounded similar to her orbital bone during Nox’s sexual assault.

Korac lost his shit. “Enough!” He grabbed Nox, shoved his foot in the Icarus’ back, and threw him across the chamber.

Too fast, the giant flipped and landed in a three-point stance. His face a silhouette against Li. Censure roiled off him in waves of displeasure. In the shadow, his eyes flashed chrome mirrors, and Korac prayed to Elden for mercy.

Tameka disrupted the group stare-down. “Holy shit.”

Afraid to turn his back on Nox, Korac waited for the others to inform him.

“Where am I?” A voice Korac last heard ten millennia ago.

Sagan asked, “Are you Andrius?”

The First Wave Progeny answered and asked his own questions. All the while, Nox watched the events unfold with an eerie stillness.

Korac asked without looking away, “How did he get out?”

Rayne answered with wonder in her voice, “Blood. It’s always the blood.” Of course. Celindria’s blood was the key. Like with the Pretiosum Cruor, Rayne’s blood substituted well enough.

“Is that what they told you?” The ice in Nox’s voice set Korac’s teeth on edge. “When they asked you for my blood?”

A hand landed on his shoulder, and Korac fought with every muscle in his body to keep his bones in his skin. Rayne stepped around him and put herself between the King and his resigned General. The brave sprite answered, “They wanted to test your compatibility with the Martyr Complex. I thought it was poetic justice that they’d sentence you to it, keeping Cinder open for evacuation.”

The giant threw his head back and roared with laughter. Even Korac stared at the back of her head, confused. The chilling lecture continued, “What utter drivel. My blood certainly makes a decent replacement.” He widened his stance. “But they are the reason I am incompatible.” Korac knew this was true. “They manipulated you, Rayne, for my DNA. For another purpose.”

Another familiar voice sounded behind Korac, but he was too mesmerized to turn back. Devis awoke, and the four in the back discussed escape. Good idea.

Rayne stepped from the dais and walked down the stairs. “I don’t care, Nox. I never believed them in the first place. I’m saving our people without you. I’ll reduce you to nothing and destroy your throne.”

Sagan patted Korac on the shoulder and whispered, “We need your help.”

He peered over at her and frowned. “Where are Devis and Andrius?”

“I got them out. They’re waiting for us on Cinder.”

He followed her up to the lab while Rayne laid out her plan to Nox.

“I’ll disintegrate your castle. Umbra’s, too.”

Sagan pointed to the strange receptacle with T.A.O.’s nacre. Presumably. “How do we revive—regenerate—whatever her?”

Tameka stared beyond them to Rayne below, concern naked on her face.

“She can handle him,” Korac assured out of nowhere. What a foreign desire. Yet, the warmth in Tameka’s gaze repaid him enough. So like Merit. “That’s it… Sagan, bleed on it.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly cut her hand with the axe. They both hopped back when the box closed. Blood vessels uncoiled from the nacre in the shape of a person. Tissue unraveled and stretched. Eyes filled in. Features formed. After stressing over the woman’s fate for eight thousand years, Korac watched The Afflicted One restore within that box. Nostalgia and warmth overwhelmed him and forced a smile. “T.A.O.?”

With her voice barely a breath, she asked, “Ko… rac. Why?”