Alex let out a tired sigh, mental and physical exhaustion filling his body as he laid amongst the rubble the Human had created. All around him were the partially crushed, fully crushed, or uncrushed bodies of all the Oni he had killed. While making this observation, smoke still rose from his body.

'Man, I really wish this was just the end of Recompense and I could go home. Running that flag production business we own was always such a calming and peaceful endeavor. Makes me glad I listened to Max on that one.'

Before Alex could take these thoughts any further, the sound of wet and pained coughing filled the air.

'I see she's back.' Alex thought to himself before sitting up and turning to his right.

Laying amongst the rubble unburied (luckily enough) was the green-skinned Keijo he had killed eight minutes ago.

"Alive and well, I see." Alex said to her, before pausing to tap his nose a few times and then say, "Alive and unwell is probably more fitting for you."

The Keijo let out a few more wet coughs, blood once again beginning to pour from the chest wound Alex had given her. She then tried to use her arms to shakingly push herself up into an upright position, but lost her strength when she was midway through the process. Falling back down to the destroyed ground with a few more bloody coughs, the Keijo turned her head to face Alex's and glared at him.

"How," Her voice came out groggy and weak, her every word a very clear struggle, "Did you bring me back to life?"

"When I killed you earlier, I used my gift to accomplish the task. In doing so, I assured that you would rise again once it wore off."

"Why?"

"Because you pissed me off, and I was feeling vindictive. So, I decided that you would suffer two deaths for the trouble."

"You're," The Keijo let out another bloody cough, "A monster."

"Most definitely," Alex told the Keijo, with a nod of his head before letting out a yawn and giving her a smirk, "But at least I'll live."

"You're an even bigger asshole than I thought Alex."

Alex felt a wave of surprise and worry fill him, as his head whipped away from the dying Keijo and towards the living Keijo who now stood in front of him.

"String?!"

"String?!"

Both of these exclamations came from Alex and the Keijo who he did not know the name of, one being sadly happy while the other was worried and cautious.

String stood before Alex in her bloodstained crop top, which had a hole in it that showed her wound went clean through her back. Blood caked her face, some from her eyes, the rest from her missing right ear. Even though sight should've been impossible, Alex just knew that the past chieftess was staring dead at him.

"You should be dead."

String crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes for but a second, before getting back up to her feet without problem. As she did this, Alex felt his gift being overridden by someone else's Presence.

"As you can see," String's voice came out fine, even with her slit throat as she gestured towards herself, "I am not. And I'll let you have three guesses as to how."

"I have and need only one," Alex said with an annoyed twitch to his eyes.

A sudden sob caused Alex to look away from String and turn towards the now crying Keijo on the ground, tears pouring from her eyes as she stared up at who had once been her leader.

"I'm sorry for failing you!" The Keijo cried out with a choked sob, banging a fist into the ground until it ran bloody, "I wasn't strong enough to stop him and save our people! I wasn't strong enough to avenge you! I wasn't strong enough…"

Alex stared at the Keijo laying next to him with a frown, harsh words soon leaving his mouth as no pity or sorrow filled him.

"Beating me was always going to be inevitable for you."

"Not slim but inevitable huh?" String said, the quiet anger in her voice causing Alex to turn back to her and frown.

"Sorry that the truth hurts String, there was just too big a difference between me and her for there to ever be any chance of victory."

"What about me?" The previous chieftess pointed towards herself, a frown beginning to emerge on her face.

"Your chance was obscenely slim, for the same reasons and the added help of Moon."

"Our battle was never even is that what you're saying?" String asked, her eyeless glare not even bothering Alex.

"The only way our fight could've ever evened out was if Norwe made me dumber. But instead, he chose to restrict my powers and make me act creative."

"FUCK YOU!" The dying Keijo next to Alex shouted at him, before her body became wracked by coughs once again.

"You know," Alex turned his eyes back onto the Keijo next to him, a glare creeping up into them as he began thinking up a half-truth to end her, "Maybe I should just kill you now. I got what I wanted from you already."

But before Alex's mind could settle on a single thought, he noticed String walk up to the downed Keijo next to him and lift her head so that she stared back at her.

"Thank you, C.C., you did your best."

"But I still failed. I didn't help at all!" C.C. tried to look down, but String gently nudged her friends head back up.

"Corge Combatant," String gave the Keijo a peck on her forehead before sitting down next to her. Resting her dying friend's head in her lap, String began to run her hand through C.C.'s hair while smiling softly down at her. "You did good. Now rest."

"You really," C.C. coughed some blood onto her friend's face, "Think so?"

"Of course." She replied, a single hand going to wipe away the blood that added to her already stained face.

"Thank you String, you're the best friend I could ever ask for."

"Your welcome."

CRACK!

Alex blinked in surprise, his eyes watching as String continued to run her hand through her now dead friend's hair. Silent tears began to pour from her eye sockets as a completely neutral expression settled onto the past chieftess' face. After a few seconds of silence, String kissed C.C. on her forehead once again before turning her attention to Alex.

"Why do you look so surprised?" String's question came out dead and empty.

"It's easy for me to see that she was the most important person around here to you." Alex nodded towards C.C., "For you to kill her…. Well, I'm confused."

"Hmmm," String seemed to muse over Alex's words for a second, before chuckling dryly to herself, "Interesting."

"What is?" Alex's question came out a bit irritated and curious.

"I think I just figured out one of your greatest weaknesses."

"And what would that be?" A taunting grin came to Alex's face.

"The care you hold for your sister."

Alex lost his grin and gave String a hard stare.

"How is that my weakness?"

String grinned at Alex, her expression snide and leering.

"Because you yourself said, "Only care about one person." And," String did a quick nod of her head, "She's the one person you care for."

"What're you getting at?" Alex asked, his eyes narrowing and a frown coming to his face.

"If you were to lose her, you'd break. Wouldn't you?" By this point, String's grin had morphed from such and into a full-blown smile.

Alex stared back a String for a moment, his lips drawn into a thin line and both of his hands clenching and unclenching. Alex watched as String's eyesockets begun to run over his body, the Keijo seemingly finding herself even more amused by his current state.

"You can't move right now, can you?"

"I could, but," Alex paused for a moment to look down at his right hand, smoke rising slowly from his palms, "It'd be too much of a hassle."

Looking back up to String, Alex found her tilting her head in curiosity.

"How'd you end up like this?"

"Why are you here?" Alex asked, completely ignoring her question and feeling tired of her presence.

"Why don't you answer my question first?"

"You will comply."

"Because Norwe ordered me to give you the list of names and gifts they owed you." String words came out without a struggle, though a frown did mar her face as she gave Alex a glare.

"Hand it over." Alex told the Keijo, lifting up his right hand slowly and holding it out for String to place the list into his hand.

String once again complied without issue, the past chieftess holding out the hand she wasn't running through C.C.'s hair over Alex's with her palm up. Alex felt a sliver a fear enter him as he felt Norwe's Presence manifest and condense upon String's palm. The Presence appeared red and like light in Alex's point of view, wildly coming together to form an irregular shape that sporadically began going through form after form until finally settling on a stone tablet with a recognizable but undiscernible language carved into it.

'The Words That Neither Are Nor Are Not.' Alex thought to himself as String flipped her palm over and the tablet fell into his hand. On immediate contact, Alex saw the tablet break back down into the red, glowing Presence from before and seep into his own. Absorbing it before even a full second could occur, Alex found his mind filled with new knowledge and names. But before he could fully make sense of them or even attempt to remember them, something else intruded into his mind.

'The name and gift will appear in your head once you see the gifted in question.'

Alex felt a wave of fear wash over him as he felt Norwe's words, before the Maker's Presence locked away the names and their gifts. Once the initial wave of fear was over, Alex found himself looking away from String to let out another tired sigh as he let his arm flop down to the destroyed ground.

"Norwe was being Norwe?" String asked, causing Alex to look back at her and find the Keijo still running her hand through her dead friend's hair, a neutral expression on her face once again.

"Yup."

Following his reply, Alex looked back up to the clear sky and let out another sigh before beginning to get up. A pained grunt left him, as his body slowly but steadily rose to shaky legs and tired aches. As he did this, Alex felt a sense of rawness down to his very Presence. Rolling his stiff shoulders a few times, he turned towards his base.

"What're you doing?"

Looking back at String, Alex saw that she wasn't looking up at him but assumed that he was the person she was talking to regardless.

"Readying myself to head back. It's about time my group gets back together and see what happens next."

"The destruction of my people." String said, her voice bitter and jaded.

"Just accept it String, you lost." Alex's unsympathetic words caused for String to just let out another dry chuckle before shaking her head and letting out a sigh.

"Just because I accept something, that doesn't mean I'm okay with it."

"We hardly ever are," Alex responded, nodding along to String's words. He then began to walk away from his past foe.

"You know Alex, you're a very strange person to me."

Alex paused in his movement, his head slowly turning back to String who now looked up to him. Her expression mirrored the confusion she spoke of, the Keijo lips pursed and her eye sockets searching.

"Why is that?"

"Because you seem to have both a God and inferiority complex."

"Hmm." Alex turned his entire body to face String, a finger going up to his nose as he pondered her words for a split second before the proper thought came to mind.

"Just as no god will ever be my equal, I shall never be the equal of any Maker. That is the hierarchy of existence. A truth that I shall never escape." Alex took his right hand and softly patted himself on the chest, "A truth I've come to accept."

Alex turned away from String and once again began to walk back towards where the victors were.

"What a sad fate you seem happy to confine yourself to." Alex paused, String's pitying words cutting deeper into him than he'd ever voice aloud, "To stand atop the highest mountain, thinking you could never reach the stars."

Alex looked back up to the sky once again, his eyes staring straight into the red star that hung over him.

"Just because I accept something, that doesn't mean I'm okay with it."

Alex began his trek back towards his base and "comrades", not feeling the slight bit victorious.

HALT

Alex slid to a stop just before entering the clearing that hosted the Donneur de Frêne, Nike and Tara in hand and his matchbox in his mouth. Giving himself a brief look over, Alex took a deep breath and stepped into the clearing.

The first thing Alex's eyes went to was where he felt a grave sense of wrongness existed. What he found was Herah sitting cross-legged against the Donneur de Frêne, furiously working within her sketchpad while a single one of her wings were resting on the ground rolled up and seemingly breathing.

She was also naked.

Again.

"The fuck happened to your clothes?" Alex asked, having just spat out his matchbox and thrown Nike into the ground.

Herah didn't even bother looking up, the only physical sign of her noticing him being a quick flare of her nostrils.

"The fuck happened to yours?" Was the Cendreux's uncommonly quiet reply.

"String."

"Moon."

"I'm assuming your kid is in the breathing, rolled-up wing?" Alex asked, nodding towards the wing in question.

"Yup."

"What're you working on?"

"Fuck off. Your sister is worried about you." Herah threw a thumb behind her, "You can find her where the Oni are buried, with Norwe."

"Cool," Alex flinched just a bit as he walked up to and past Herah, tossing Tara into the air over her head, "By the way, I can sense the fib Max used to heal you."

"SON OF A-"

SHLUK!

"I'll be wanting that back in a minute ashbrain."

As Alex moved on, he made note that he still sensed wrongness from Herah, just to a slightly lesser degree.

Going past the Donneur de Frene, Alex found his eyes drawn to Owen. The gnome was sitting on the ground with his knees held to his chest and his hat pulled over his face, rocking back and forth while speaking quietly to himself. Once Alex got into range, he became able to decipher his "friends" speech.

"I can't believe she would such a thing. To use one of my creations to actually-" Owen choked, before hurriedly shaking his head, "No. Dammit! It's not my fault!"

Alex found his interest peaked by the sight of Owen, his steps towards the gnome quick but silent. Once within arms distance (his own arms that is), he dropped down to a crouch and tapped Owen lightly on the shoulder.

"What's wrong with you?"

Owen jolted at the sudden voice and contact before quickly grabbing at his hat and pulling it from over his eyes. Angry and guilty hazel stared back into caring and worried green.

"Max, she- She-" Owen shut his eyes tight, balling his fist up and rapping his head with both of them twice, much gentler than the average angry person would, "She used my work to k-k-kill someone!"

'Oh shit. Max why would you do that?' Alex thought to himself, inwardly cringing at the situation he found himself in, 'And why isn't ashbrain here dealing with this?'

Alex looked back to Herah, already finding one of Herah's newly regenerated arms flipping him off from around the tree they had been protecting.

'Worry about that idiot later,' Alex told himself before quickly turning back to face Owen, 'Let's nip this shit in the bud before we have an actual problem.'

With that thought in his mind, Alex rested both of his hands on Owen's shoulders and stared into the crying gnome's eyes with his caring look still in place.

"Owen don't you dare blame yourself for what my sister did."

Owen tried to open his mouth to give a reply back, but a stern look from Alex caused him to pause.

"Just because I make a pencil and then someone takes that pencil and precedes to stab someone else to death with it, that doesn't make it my fault that someone was killed."

"What?" Owen shook his head in confusion.

"What I'm saying is that when someone takes your creation and uses it for something it was never intended for, that doesn't make what they've done your fault."

"But-"

"No buts," Alex said cutting Owen off, his grips on the gnomes shoulders tightening as he gave Owen a smile, "You can't blame yourself for what others do against your own intentions. You can only control yourself."

"I enabled her do it though!" Owen shouted, tears still streaming down his face, "Without my gear, she couldn't have done what she did!"

"Maybe, maybe not, but you have to acknowledge that you were incapable of stopping Max. When you can't do anything to affect the outcome, it's not your fault how it ends."

"But-"

"Owen, I know you made an oath to yourself to never create weapons. To never give someone the means in which they killed someone else, but you have to acknowledge that not everyone will follow your intent. Not everyone will use what you create for purely defensive purposes because not everyone is like that or even cares to empathize with you."

"It's just- It's just-" Owen looked away from Alex, a sound of frustration leaving him, "I hate what I've helped happen. I hate that I was such a big part of our success here today, because of what it means." Owen brought a hand up to his chest, gripping tightly upon his tunic as his body becomes wrought by sobs, "We're all monsters for what we've done. And to have to acknowledge that it's just- it's just-"

Alex watched as Owen was unable to finish his sentence, the gnome looking down at the ground with his shoulders slump in defeat and his tears having slowed in their downpour.

'So that's the real problem.' Alex thought to himself as he patted Owen on his shoulders a few times and tilted his head up so that they were making eye contact once again.

"Today has been a pretty shitty day for all of us." Alex backed up and rose to his full height before gesturing towards himself with a small grin, "I mean just look at me. I'm butt-ass-naked, feeling both mentally, physically, and spiritually exhausted, and I'm deathly worried for my sister right now because she's alone with our Maker."

"You should go to her you know," Owen said looking away, traces of anger poorly hidden within his voice, "When Herah returned from the pair's trip to the Oni graves, she seemed angry."

Alex looked towards where Herah sat, curiosity filling him as he thought about what could have happened between his sister and her while they were there.

"She can wait," Alex turned back to Owen, "First, I'll help you out."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Owen asked with a sniffle while balling his fist.

"By offering you this tidbit of knowledge," Alex crouched down and made sure he was exactly eye level with Owen, "A monster is not born from actions, but from reasoning."

"What?"

"What I'm trying to say is that it is not what someone does that makes them a monster but their reason for doing it."

"My reason was selfish." Owen responded quietly, looking away from Alex with a frown.

"If being selfish was all it took to be a monster then most children are monsters." Was Alex's causal reply.

"But most kids don't assist in omnicide!" Owen shouted turning back to face Alex, a furious snarl having come to his face and with tears pouring down his cheeks once again.

"Most kids also don't have the weight of their universe on their shoulders."

"So what, am I not a monster for what I've done!?" Owen pounded against his chest with the palm of his hand, "Am I not piece of shit for the crimes I've been complacent to and helpful in?!" Owen repeated his earlier motion, "Can I really be considered a decent gnome when I could stop all the fighting I hate with a single creation!?"

Owen's eyes widened after the last sentence, the gnome letting out his own gasp before hurriedly closing his mouth and looking away from Alex.

"This isn't just about what's happened today, is it?"

Owen let out a defeated sigh, his arms hanging loosely at his side once again as he shook his head.

"No, it isn't."

"Owen, why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you even attempting to win Recompense? What drives you?"

"Isn't it obvious? If I don't win, unquantifiable amounts of people will die. To completely abandon them would be wrong."

"If that's your only reason, you might as well quit now."

"What are you trying to say?"

"That if some vague sense of duty is what drives you, then there is really no point in you trying to save all those people. Especially in our situation when the stakes have already proven that countless amounts of people can and will die no matter what you do."

"What drives you then? Why do you want to win Recompense?"

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"I care not for winning, only for survival."

"What?" Owen looked towards Alex in utter surprise.

"My universe could be destroyed for all I care." Alex replied, shrugging uncaringly.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Yup, all I care about is ensuring that Max and me make it through this. I can add you to that equation as well."

"Then why are you so hellbent on doing things the hard way?" Owen gestured towards himself and Alex, "Like when we were planning out our attack. Instead of having you go face off against Moon and Herah against String, you decided to do the inverse. Which makes no sense when you know that Herah would have had made short work of the chief and taking down Moon wouldn't have been too much a problem for you."

"I went with the plan we used since I figured it would've minimized the chance of Norwe interfering. He's the type to see something too easy and then make the entire scenario 100 times harder for the shits and giggles. Ashbrain would have eliminated String without any hesitation which would undoubtedly have caused Norwe to pull something from his ass that would've just made the entire situation go to deeper shit than it actually did."

Alex shook his head, letting out sigh.

"But that's besides the point Owen," Alex took his hand and prodded the gnome lightly in the chest, "You need to find something to fight for. Something close and personal, something that you know you'd do anything to protect."

"Why?"

"Because once you find something like that, you'll never feel guilt for anything you do in serving its or their greater interest. That's how it works for me at least." Alex nodded towards Herah, "And the dumbass over there to a lesser extent."

Alex 's left hand shot up to stop Tara from burrowing straight into his skull.

"You're gonna need that when you see your sister asshole."

"I figured as much," Alex replied before rising back up to his full height and beginning his walk towards Max. Before he could fully exit the clearing, Alex turned back towards Owen and said, "Know this Owen, I'm here for you if you need me." His lips parted into a smile, "I got to keep my friends at their best."

Alex turned away and renewed his trek towards his sister, a single unspoken thought leaving him as he went.

'After all, dull tools make for shitty use.'

HALT

Max shook her head with a mournful frown as she stared up at the statues of Moon and Jacob that had been erected. Both were lustrous, atop podiums with some symbols carved into the stone and nearly three times the size of those they were based upon. Jacob's statue was golden, the Keijo depicted garbed in the clothing that he died in standing tall with his blade resting on his right shoulder and his sickle held out towards some phantom opponent. Moon's statue looked silver at a glance, but was a bit too bright and shiny to be considered such. It showed him smiling with his arms open wide as if he was ready to receive a hug.

"Neither of you deserved this." Max said to herself, before looking towards the ground. The shame filling her at the moment was only made worse by Herah's own frustration, anger, and worry.

"And you don't deserve this either."

Max's eyes widened, her head shooting up to look towards Jacob's statue where he now sat atop his podium in the flesh. His sword and sickle laid atop his lap, one stacked atop the other while his legs hung over the side.

"How are you-"

"Norwe, of course."

"Why are you here?"

"He thinks this is hilarious."

"What do you want?"

"Nothing to do with you that's for sure.

Max flinched at Jacob's harsh words, looking away in shame.

"I'm sor-"

"I don't need your fucking apology." Jacob's sharp words caused Max to pause in her speech and continue looking away.

For a few moments, all that filled the clearing was a gentle silence that was only broken by a calm gust that blew through.

"You know," Max looked back towards Jacob, surprised that he was speaking to her once again, "Looking at Herah makes my blood boil, but looking at you just fills me with disgust."

Max's eyes widened, but before she could say anything Jacob continued.

"That monster might not show any type of remorse for what she's done, but at least she isn't going around acting pitiful when she's the one who made her decision.

"But-"

"But nothing!"

Max once again paused and looked away from Jacob, her left-hand awkwardly rubbing her right arm as her brow scrunched up and her lips stretched thin. Max didn't move as she heard Jacob drop from his stand and walk up to her. A warm and smooth hand roughly grabbed her by her chin and yanked her face towards its owner. Max let out an audible gulp, staring into the endless black that was the eye holes of Jacob's mask.

"You already made your choice. You already choose where your priorities lie. Yet, you keep on apologizing for what you've done."

Jacob gave Max a shove, causing her to stumble back slightly.

"Why do you insist on apologizing to those who either can't hear you or don't care for it?"

Jacob gave Max another shove.

"Why do you insist on acting so sorrowful and pathetic?"

Jacob took a finger and shoved it into Max's chest.

"Is it because you feel bad for what you did?"

Jacob pressed his finger deeper into her chest.

"Is it because you wish to repent?"

Jacob's twisted his finger.

"Or is because you just don't want to acknowledge the truth?"

Max opened her mouth, her words catching in her throat as she tried and failed to respond to Jacob's claims.

"I mean it makes sense for someone like you. Hell, your gift was tailor-made to illustrate this point." Jacob began walking around Max, his voice harsh and angry, "When was the last time you were truly honest with yourself?"

"When Herah was helping me get my gift back?"

"And before that?"

Jacob had gotten back in front of her by this point, causing her to look away again as she gave her reply.

"Years."

"And even when the monster was helping you, just how honest were you with not her but yourself?"

"Not very."

"Exactly."

Jacob leaned his head into Max's line of sight.

"So allow me to enlighten you in a way that you will understand very clearly."

Max attempted to look away from Jacob again, but a hand from the Keijo stopped her in her attempts.

"Just as a walking corpse is still a corpse, a weeping monster is still a monster."

Max flinched at Jacob's words, a mental whiplash hitting her as they wrung true throughout her head. Once again, she tried to open her mouth and say something but the words of a completely new person caused both her and Jacob to freeze.

"I hoped that next time, if ever, I saw either of you, you'd be happier and at peace. I hate to see that I was wrong."

Both Max and Jacob turned towards Moon statue, finding that the flesh and blood priest had replaced his metallic counterpart and was staring at both of them with twisted lips and golden eyes filled with disappointment.

"Father-"

"Moon-"

Moon raised a single hand, cutting the pair off as he stepped down from his podium and walked over to the both of them. After reaching Max and Jacob, the priest rested a single hand on Jacob's shoulder and asked a question.

"Why are you still so angry? I could've sworn you found that peace that I wanted for you."

"I did, but then Norwe ripped away that veil and I awoke to reality once again."

"Hmm, sometimes a false peace can work, but it's much better to attain a true one."

Jacob scoffed and stepped away from both Moon and Max.

"Looks like I won't be getting either now."

Max watched as Moon let out a sigh and shook his head, before turning to her.

"You really need to forgive yourself Max." Moon gestured towards and around her, "This is no way to live."

Tears begin to prick at her eyes, but before Max could say anything else she felt the fib that surrounded the clearing she stood within disrupted. Turning away from the two Keijo's, Max looked towards the end of the clearing that was in the direction of the Donneur de Frêne. Seconds later, Alex stepped through without a hint of clothing on looking remarkably clean.

"Sup sis," Alex dropped both of the daggers in his hands and looked past her with a somewhat befuddled expression, "What's up with the statues?"

Max turned back around to see that Moon and Jacob had disappeared, leaving only their statues in place.

"What the hell?"

"What?" Max turned back to Alex, her brother's face now baring a smirk as he said, "Are you just now noticing the statues yourself?"

"No, that's not it." Max responded shaking her head before turning back to the statues and gesturing towards them, "Herah made those."

"Why?"

Max moved out of Alex's way as he walked up towards Moon's statue and stared up at it. Coming up behind her brother, Max gestured weakly towards both statues and gave her response.

"It's a culture thing. Whenever an enemy leaves a deep impression upon a Cendreuex, it is customary for them to create some type of monument to said enemy."

"Statutes of gold and platinum huh? What is this text supposed to say?" Alex asked, Max watching as his eyes ran over the symbols carved into the podium.

"I think Herah's words when reading Moon's was: Pour celui qui est mort d'une mort j'espère imiter. And her words for Jacob's was: Pour le fou qui a gagné mon respect et m'a forcé à grandir."

""For the one who died a death I one day seek to emulate,"" Alex looked towards Jacob's statue, ""For the fool who earned my respect and forced me to grow." Wonder what she meant by that last one."

"Why are you here Alex?"

Max watched as her brother turned to her with a mildly surprised look.

"Because you're my sister, and I was worried about you." Alex took a quick look around, "Ashbrain told me Norwe was with you, where'd he go?"

"I'm surprised you showed up here, thinking that he'd be present."

"This is you we're talking about Max. I'll always be here for you."

Max turned away from her brother and began running a hand through her hair, before letting out a sigh and shaking her head.

"Sometimes… I don't want you here."

Max turned back to Alex, watching as her brother gained a hard look in his eyes and let out a sigh of his own.

"Sometimes what you want and what you need are two different things."

"And you know what I need so well, don't you?" Max asked in anger, pointing an accusing finger at Alex.

"Are you really about to start this right now?" Her brother's curt and slightly angered response worked only to increase Max's feelings of rage.

"Am I really about to start what!?"

"Your bullshit."

"My bullshit!" Max marched up to Alex and shoved a finger into his chest, causing him to back in up with a wince, "Don't you dare talk about me starting my bullshit, when I've been dealing with yours for nearly all my life!"

"Sis, you need to calm down." Alex reached out towards Max, setting his arms on her shoulder as he looked her in the eyes with worry, "You look like you're about to blow a fuse."

Max shoved Alex away and into Moons statue, his head smacking into one of the priest's legs before pointing towards herself with her thumb and letting out a shout.

"I ALREADY BLEW MY FUCKING FUSE!"

Max watched as Alex returned to his feet and rubbed the back of his head, before looking at the hand he used to rub it and shaking his head with a sigh.

"Is this about how I've been treating ashbrain?"

"Her name is Herah!"

"I honestly don't care."

"Damn it! I swear-" Max turned away from Alex with a furious huff, before suddenly turning back around to jab a finger at him once again, "You're un-fucking-reasonable!"

"How so?" Alex asked, his teeth gritted and one eye twitching.

"How so? HOW SO!?" Max looked up to the sky and let out a string of curses, marching around in circle as her hands furiously ran through her hair nearly pulling out strands. It took a minute for Max to stop, but even then she was still visibly pissed. Marching up to her brother (who had been watching her in her little tantrum with only an inpatient tapping of his right foot), Max made sure to be up in his face for this next part. "You've been unfairly violent towards Herah, you refuse to compromise on anything unless a gun is up to my head (and that's only if you think you can't stop it), you're cruel towards Herah for the most inane reasons-"

"My reasoning is far from inane." Alex actually seemed angered by Max's last statement, his eyes glaring, "It seems as if you've forgotten exactly what happened to cause this-"

SMACK!

"Don't you ever accuse me of such a thing!"

Alex softly rubbed his reddening cheek, as Max physically held herself back from doing more to her brother.

"I can't ever forget what Artermis, Isis, and Hel did for us!"

Max patted herself on her chest.

"I can't ever forget what they did to me!"

Max pointed at Alex.

"I can't ever forget what they did to you!"

Max then pointed towards the three silver swords that were on the other side of the clearing.

"And I can't ever forget what you did to them."

Alex looked away from Max, his lips drawn and his eyes sharp.

"Sis, don't act like you don't understand why I did it."

Max just shook her head, a stream of tears having begun to pour from her eyes at this point.

"Of course I understand! But it's you who seems to not understand something."

Max crossed her arms over her chest and gripped her shoulders tightly, her next words coming out in a sob.

"I loved all three of them with nearly all my heart. And it hurt so much when you took them away from me. And I know, I know. You had all the reason to do what you did. I mean for God's sake, Artemis alone left you with a slit throat and no limbs. But my feelings still remain, even to this day, and after all she and the others did."

"You could've chosen them Max." Alex said, as Max watched him slowly approach her with a worried look on his face.

"And I think that's the real problem Alex!"

Max bit down tightly on her lip, looking down at the ground as her tears kept coming.

"It's always been between you and someone else. And each and every time I've been given this option, I've always picked you. And I know that if I have to choose between you and Herah-" Max turned away from Alex and looked towards where she knew Herah was, her voice taking on a defeated tone, "I'm just going to choose you again."

Max then felt the slow embrace of her brother, as he came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her chest. To Max, Alex's hug felt comforting and familiar.

'The clutch of a monster should never feel this good.'

"Max," Alex's voice was uncommonly quiet and gentle, "You're the most important thing ever to me. To preserve your life and happiness is my ultimate goal.

"You've already failed in one of those regards."

"You might think that, but you're wrong."

Max let out a mirthless chuckle.

"Sometimes I hate you."

"But always you'll love me."

'Then again, only a monster could truly enjoy the embrace of one.'

"Sometimes I hate that too."

HALT

SNAP!

"DAMMIT!"

"WAAAHHHH!"

Herah let out an annoyed grunt before sitting up from her leaning position, tilting her head upwards, and begin plucking out the pencil fragments that had shot into her eyes. While doing this, the youngling brought her crying wing towards her chest. After removing the last pencil shard from her eyes, Herah practiced a few blinks and let out a slight wince. With her sight in order, the young mother looked down to her kid and smiled at their weeping face.

"Sorry for waking you up mini moi, mamma is just frustrated right now."

This did little to calm down Ècarlate's shrieks, so Herah let out a sigh and put the baby to her nipple.

"What's got you so frustrated?"

Herah looked to her right, finding Owen looking at her with both a worried and nervous smile. Smiling weakly back at the gnome, Herah let yellow flames shoot from between her teeth and engulf her entire body. Owen hopped back in surprise, but quickly calmed down after the fire left just as quick as it had come with a few wisp of steam rising up from around her face.

"My thoughts," Herah replied, before looking down at her sketchpad. It bore her latest work of art, said work depicting her in her standoff with Norwe.

"What're you thinking about?"

"The Oni."

"Do you feel guilty for what you've done?"

Herah turned to Owen with a lightly wide-eyed look on her face and a few rapid blinks.

"Oh no, not a bit."

Owen bristled uncomfortably at Herah's words, looking away from her before asking,

"Then what about them have you bothered?"

"Their situation."

Herah watched as Owen sat down next to her and gave her a light smirk.

"Want to talk about it?"

Herah took note of how Owen's eyes were still red and how his brows seemed to be lower than normal. Tilting her head to the side a tiny bit, Herah mused silently for a second then shrugged.

"Sure thing."

Owen's eyes visibly brightened as his smirk turned into a smile and he turned his entire body towards Herah.

"So why does their situation bother you so much?"

Herah leaned her head back, holding Ècarlate's own closer to her breast as her eyes stared aimlessly into the grey leaves that hung over her.

"They remind me of what's going on with my people right now." Herah's voice came out uncharacteristically soft and quiet, reflecting her own pensive state.

"I guess you're talking about the mass abandonment of your goddess, La Flamme?" Owen's brow creased as he gained a small frown and his eyes narrowed, "The Manquant de Chaleur is what you called them right?"

"Yes," Herah nodded, turning back to Owen with a furious expression on her face, "Translated as Lacking Heat, they've grown cold to our mistress like ungrateful CUNTS!"

Owen flinched away from Herah as green fire shot from her nose and engulfed the entire bottom portion of her body and Ècarlate. The flames dispersed as quickly as they came, leaving nothing burnt and Herah taking in breath after breath.

"Sorry Owen," Herah held her eyes shut as her mind focused on an image of her mistress, "I know it's obvious at this point, but I have little love for most of them."

"No problem," Owen let out a nervous laugh while taking his hat from his head and scratching at his hair, "I know that you care about this topic a lot."

Herah just shook her head and began gently rubbing the back of Ècarlate's head, causing the baby to began purring into her chest. Letting out a pleased giggle, Herah felt the small vibrations from her kid calm her even further.

"Back to what we were originally talking about," Herah opened her eyes and let out a sigh, "The Oni don't just remind me of what's happened with my people. They're like an alternative timeline of what could've happened with my people." Herah looked towards Owen, her lips twisting into a tiny frown, "I didn't mention this before, but the Cendreux were almost plunged into a war for the same reason that the Oni had been."

"Really?"

Herah nodded.

"When the age of Ranimé began, many were barely tolerant of the Ravivé that appeared. And as time went and the group grew larger, those still loyal to La Flamme grew even less tolerant. Tensions grew to the point that we almost entered a war. One that would've been even worse than that of the Flammes Honteuses."

"What stopped it?"

"La Flamme did."

Herah watched as Owen gave her a surprised look and shake of his head, causing her to chuckle before putting her hand over the area of her chest where her flame hid underneath and smiling to herself.

"How?" Owen's voice was quite and immensely curious.

Herah breathed out a wisp lantern, raising the hand that was not occupied with Ècarlate to hover beneath it as her eyes stared into its red center.

"We always know the general cycle in which our mistress will return but never the exact day. So it was completely unexpected when La Flamme showed up out of the blue and found the eldest Cendruex shoving her hand through the chest of her most radical descendant."

"How did your mistress react to that?"

Herah felt a shiver run through her body, a nervous chuckle leaving her reflexively.

"La Flamme yelled."

"….."

Not hearing a reply or sound from Owen, Herah crushed her wisp lantern and turned back to face the gnome. Said gnome had his head tilted to the side and was staring at Herah with slightly narrowed eyes and a raised brow. Rolling her eyes and pursing her lips, an angry jet of smoke left her nose with an annoyed grunt following soon after.

"When my mistress yells, everything around her instantly ignites and all those on fire are flooded with her emotions."

"Okay," Owen began nodding his head, "That makes sense."

Herah gave Owen an unimpressed look and just rolled her eyes once again.

"As I was saying, La Flamme yelled at us causing every single living being within our solar system to catch fire and feel her fury and, more importantly, her sadness." Herah unconsciously balled her left fist while taking special care to not clench her right hand, green fire beginning to waft from her mouth and nose, "With everyone on their knees and crying their eyes out, my mistress said something that many took be a sign of weakness."

"Oh yeah," Owen made a rolling gesture with his right hand while rolling his eyes, "After forcing everyone to their knees and making them ball their eyes out, La Flamme is the one showing weakness."

"Ahahahaha!" Herah couldn't help but to laugh at Owen's words, the sarcasm dripping from them smothering the rage that had begun welling up within her. "Yeah, I come from a species of self-absorbed jackasses."

"Your evidence enough."

Herah let out another laugh before nodding her head.

"You're fully right on that."

"BWUAARRP!"

Herah looked down to Ècarlate, who had finally finished feeding themselves and was now looking back up to their mother with slow blinking eyes and wide dopey smile. Looking back to Owen, who looked at her for a moment neither made any move or said anything.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Then both erupted in laughter, Herah forcing Ècarlate's face back into her breast as her body keeled over alongside Owen's, racked with her own laughs. After a few moments of this, Herah sat back up and brought a squirming Ècarlate to her face. Kissing the baby on their head, Herah placed them back into her wing and wrapped her child up before returning her wing to her side. Within seconds, the baby's breaths gained an evenness to them and they stopped their squirming.

"What did La Flamme say?"

Herah's lips turned upwards ever so slightly, feelings of fondness filling her at the thought of her mistress' words.

"Her words were, "All kids eventually outgrow their parents. You all have reached that point I think, so I'm perfectly fine with you going your own way. I just hope that you love me still, and even if not, I'll still love all of you.""

"Was that really what was said?" Owen's question held within it a note of disbelief.

"It's written in the history books that the Manquant de Chaleur make, my dad was there and said exactly so, and La Flamme herself told me when I asked."

"You've met La Flamme?"

One of Herah's hands went to her throat, the slight warmth from the signal de fumée causing her face to break out into a gleeful smile. Memories of her first encounter with her mistress flashed through Herah's mind while happy thoughts ran alongside them.

'It was so cold and harsh before you arrived, your warmth and gentleness dragging from the brink of death.'

"Only once, but I'll never forget it."

"Tcch." Herah looked back at Owen, finding the gnome looking back at her with the right side of his lips curled up and his expression jealous, "I wish my world had gods like yours. Most are much more likely to do what Norwe did to the Oni, than what La Flamme did to the Cendreux."

"So that fucker isn't the exception, huh?" Herah lost her smile and just shook her head, "It shouldn't be that way. No one with that much power should treat their creations with such disregard and ill intent."

"Well, many things aren't as they should be, and not a lot can be done to change that." Herah watched as Owen let out a sigh before giving her a cheeky smile, "But you gotta make the best of what you got, no matter how shitty what you got is."

Herah let out a chuckle and smirked back at Owen.

"Rolling with the punches. I guess that's all life really is." Herah let out her own sigh, before extending a fist out to her gnome friend, "We might not get exactly what we want, but maybe we can get something close."

Owen looked at Herah's fist for a second before lightly bumping it with his own.

"Hopefully."

"What're you two doing?"

Herah peeked around the Donneur de Frêne and found Alex and Max stepping back into the clearing, both looking a bit happier than last time her eyes had laid upon them. Herah's eyes focused on Max, her red shirt having regained its large gash though her skin was fine underneath it. The youngling focused on her emotional link with her friend, having pushed it to the back of her mind for a good while, and found that Max's emotional state was an even worse mess than before. Overwhelming guilt, confusion, self-loathing, and resentment filled her, with a sense of love and lust underlying it all.

Herah closed her eyes and focused on her own feelings of cheer and calm, allowing them to pervade her mind until they were the strongest emotions coming from her. Hearing a sigh of relief, the youngling opened her eyes and found Max giving her a small smile.

"Thanks lavatits," Max began rubbing one of her arms awkwardly, "Sorry for cutting you out physically and mentally earlier."

"Try not to do it again," Herah gave Max a glare, "I'm here to help remember."

Max just nodded in shame.

"You seem to be doing quite a standup job of that by the looks of it ashbrain."

Herah's nostrils flared as fire shot from them, but before a response could be said, Max smashed an elbow into Alex ribs.

"Don't be an ass right now."

Letting out a moderately pained grunt, Alex rubbed his rib and just rolled his eyes before taking a quick look around.

"Where's Jeffery by the way ashbrain?"

"If they're not with me, I have no fucking idea where they're at. Stop asking." Herah responded with an annoyed grunt.

Alex scoffed while Herah just shook her head and looked back to Max.

"What ever happened to Norwe," Herah frowned, "Not that I'm missing them."

"After a brief talk, he disappeared saying something about how he needed to figure out a team name or something like that."

"Team name?" Herah turned to Owen, finding the gnome wearing a slightly confused look, "Team name for what?"

"Probably for us, " Herah looked over to Alex, who (alongside Max) had finally reached her and Owen and sat down, "Though I personally don't care to have one."

Feeling a sudden spike of hope from Max, Herah turned to the human and found her face engulfed by a wide smile and a hopeful eyes.

"We should come up with a team name!"

Alex groaned, Herah raised a brow, and Owen nodded in agreement.

"Why should we do this sis?"

"Because it'll be fun and helps with teamwork."

"This just has to do with that weird ass naming fetish you have, doesn't it?"

Herah felt a twinge of embarrassment come from Max, the twin's cheeks reddening slightly.

"Maybe."

Alex rolled his eyes and laid down on his back, seemingly looking towards the sky.

"I'm assuming you have an idea."

"The Gifted." Max's words came out sure of themselves and filled with pride.

"Would your basic ass like a pumpkin spice latte with that order?"

Alex's words let her know that was a mistake.

"Fuck you bro." The twin grumbled with a pout.

"How about Universal Defenders?"

"Too long and inaccurate, Owen."

"I thought you didn't care fuck head."

Alex sat up and gave Herah an unimpressed look.

"For an artist, you're unimaginably uncreative."

"I am too!"

"If so," Alex raised a hand and a made a come-at-me gesture, "Hand out a name."

"Pécheurs." Herah said with a growl, watching as Alex's eyes widened slightly before he began tapping his nose. After a few seconds of this, Alex snapped his fingers, nodded begrudgingly, and laid back down.

"Good name, though," Alex waved one of his arms in the general direction of Max and Owen, "I don't think our other half will like its meaning too much."

"What does it mean lavatits?"

"Sinners."

Herah felt Max's sudden decline in happiness and saw Owen bristle uncomfortably in the corner of her eye as soon as the words left her.

"Let's… Not use that name Herah."

"I agree with Owen on this one Lavatits."

Herah put up both of her hands while letting out a sigh.

"My bad you two."

"Ashbrain, ashbrain." Alex shook his head in an exaggerated manner while making a tsk sound to himself, "You got to think of everyone's feelings when you make a name."

"Well do you have an idea?"

"What part of I don't care did you not understand idiot?"

"You two don't fight now," Max scoldingly told the pair, before turning to her brother, "And you've shot down all of our ideas, you might as well contribute your own."

Alex brought up his left hand and raised a single finger.

"Firstly, it was you and Owen who shot down Herah's idea," Another finger went up, "Secondly, I don't care," One final finger shot up, "Thirdly, HOAM."

"Home?" Herah tilted her head to the side, "Why that?"

"Because that's what we're all fighting for. Whatever we consider our home," While Herah couldn't see his head, the youngling knew to where it now looked, "And it takes the first letters of each our names."

"Herah, Owen, Alex, Max," Herah turned towards Max, the human numbering each of their names on her fingers, "H-O-A-M. HOAM."

"What the ash is H and M, none of the letters in my language are named as such."

Alex pointed towards Herah.

"That brings up a lot of questions that I don't care to ask or answer." Alex's hand went down, "So what do you all think of the name?"

"I like it bro." Max said, her voice filled with fondness, "Sounds heartwarming."

"So do I." Owen said with a fondness of his own, Herah looking over to him and seeing a smile.

"Sounds fine enough, even if I don't fully understand these letters." Herah responded with a small grin of her own.

"Great," Alex said before sitting back up and crossing his legs, "Now what?"

Norwe the Sloth peaked over Alex's shoulder.

"Now you're all going to make a choice for me."

"RAAAWWRR!"

Without warning, Herah spat out a torrent of green flames that engulfed both Alex and the Maker Sloth.

"Bro!"

"Alex!"

Owen moved with a surprising burst of speed, cutting off Herah's mouth shut through shoving her chin upward. With the fire cut off, Alex was quickly revealed without a single burn on his body and a terrified look on his face. Norwe the Sloth, on the other hand, had been reduced to ash.

"I guess you're still angry at me for popping your baby like a zit."

Herah looked up to the branches of the Donneur de Frêne, her Maker laying both lazily and haphazardly across one of them.

"You're okay!"

"Sis wait-OOMPH!"

Herah looked back over to Max and Alex, finding Max clutching tightly to Alex with him back on his back.

"How is he-" Owen started before smacking the palm of the same hand that had stopped Herah's fire into his face, "Selective burning. Completely forgot about that."

"Even if you have it," Herah felt Max's rage in both her voice and through their link, "It's nice to give a warning!"

"Sorry about that," Herah said, no remorse in her voice and venom dripping from her words, "It was pure reflex."

"Forget about Herah giving you a heart attack for a quick second," Alex shoved Max off of himself, before sitting up and pointing at Norwe, "What was that about popped babies?"

"I popped her baby."

"Why would you do that!?" Max shouted, sitting back up and looking at Norwe.

"Why wouldn't you do it?"

"Because it's evil and fucked up!"

"Well now you know why I did it."

This got the Maker Sloth another blast of fire.

"Herah! I order you to stop!"

Herah immediately slammed her mouth shut, then took her wing with Ècarlate bundled up in it and held it tightly to her chest.

"Thank you Soothsayer."

Herah growled and did nothing more to Norwe the Sloth, who now sat in front of her with a lazy grin on their face and slump to their body.

"What. Do. You. Want?"

"I want you four to choose between four letters. That's all really."

"Why?"

"Ashbrain would you stop asking questions?"

"Was that an order or a question?"

"It was a request," Herah could here Alex seethe through his teeth, "Pleeease comply."

Herah looked over to Alex, finding the human glaring at her with a somewhat begging look. Letting out a huff, Herah shut her mouth and gestured for Norwe to get it over with.

"Great! Choose between H, A, L, and T."

"H." Herah said without a thought.

"A." Alex responded, quickly following Herah.

"L." Max's words left her before her brother could even began closing his mouth.

"T." Owen's response came out hurried.

"Hmm," One of the Maker Sloth's came up to his chin, "I guess I'll just go with Herah's on this one."

With a single blink, Herah found herself and everyone else (sans Norwe) suddenly standing.

"When the fuck did we get into space!?"

They were also now in space.

Herah looked down and saw that under her there was seemingly nothing keeping her in place, even though the youngling could feel something beneath her feet. What Herah did see, was an immense sphere, with clouds slowly traveling across it and a near endless amount of greenery that was only ever broken up by small (relatively of course) bits of blue that seemed to dot the entire structure.

'That must be Bizzare."

"Why are we in space?"

This question came from Max, Herah turning towards the human to find her looking all around her in confusion.

"So you can see my work in all its glory."

Herah turned towards her right, finding Norwe in his six-armed form floating with his body laying sideways in a model pose, seemingly without a care.

"What work?" Owen's voice was filled with nervousness and dread, Herah feeling that Max's own emotions now mirrored Owen's perfectly. The youngling herself felt trepidation, and worry for Max. Looking over to Alex, the youngling found the human's expression as neutral as can be.

"This."

Turning back to Norwe, Herah saw her Maker simply look towards the planet.

Herah blinked.

Herah blinked, and Bizarre became something completely different.

Before her very eyes, all that could be seen was what looked to be an enormous mass of something. It's form looked to both be solid and gaseous, its shape contorting in ways that made it look both constrained and free. It was white, or at least, that was the color that Herah felt best compared to it. Whatever this something was, applying color to it just seemed wrong and only made less sense. In fact, Herah felt that it was this something that would be applied to color, to help make sense of it.

"Wha-Wha-What is that?" Herah no longer felt any of Max's fear and trepidation, only bewilderment.

It exactly matched her own feelings.

"Presence. That's what you're looking at." Herah turned to Alex, the human looking not at all surprised or confused by what he stared upon. "It's all that planet is, isn't, will be, and can't be."

"The Soothsayer is correct," Norwe told everyone, excitement utterly overflowing from his words, "What you're looking at right now is one of the two things that "predates" existence and nonexistence. The other being will."

Herah then watched as all of the Presence flowed into Norwe, until the only thing that remained where Bizzare used to be was the emptiness of space.

For a minute straight, no one moved.

No one said a word.

Then, Norwe broke the silence.

"While you can keep calling yourself HOAM, know that I'll be referring to your team as HALT."

Herah looked back at her Maker, a bit of a perplexed look coming to her face.

"Halt?"

"Honesty, Art, Links, and Tales. Each of your gifts described in one word."

"But why that acronym?" Max asked.

Norwe snapped his left, upper hand.

The same black mass that had gotten Herah into that room with her team, and had gotten her team to their first Act, appeared and sucked them into it. Just before fully entering the mass, Herah heard Norwe give Max her answer.

"Because, you all halted the Oni's chance for salvation.