Two years ago

The yellow grass on the mountainside blew softly in the breeze, belying the violence that had taken place moments before. Few remnants of the nightmare lingered: patches of upturned earth, large scars in the rock beneath, and the dead vines and twisted grey trees that stood at the peak of the mountain. And the bodies, of course. Eljay sighed heavily. He and the boy had survived. Somehow.

He walked over, wounded and bloody, and looked down at the boy. The child was collapsed on the ground, head in his hands. Eljay knelt down beside the boy, taking his hand.

“Jayce, I -” he began. His voice cracked slightly. “This was my fault. And you don’t deserve this. None of you deserved this. I’ve made mistakes. Too many. And now I have to try to make it right.”

“They’re gone,” the boy said softly. “Everyone’s -”

“It’s okay to cry,” Eljay said. “But once you’re ready, I want you to stand up. I want you to be strong. For me. As strong as you can be.”

The kid would be ok. He hoped. Eljay set his jaw. Perhaps he’d become too attached. He should never have let them name the kid after him. After a moment, the boy wiped his face and stood up, pressing his lips together to hold back from crying. Brave kid.

“Right, Jayce. I need you to stay still for a moment, and look me in the eye.” Eljay took the boy’s head into his hand, and stared into his eyes. “I hope you’re listening. I have to do this,” he said. “But we need a back up plan. Don't wait more than three years. We don’t have time for more than that. If I’m not back, start without me. The Cascade, everything. Find a way to finish it without me. Everything depends on it. I’m putting all my faith in you, so don’t let me down.”

The boy looked confused. Eljay smiled, and ruffled his hair.

“Thanks, kid. You’ll be fine, I know it. Stay positive, ok? Things are rarely as bad as we fear.”

"But, your arm..."

Eljay followed the boy's gaze to a dismembered arm lying on the ground not far away, the fist clamped around the stem of a large white flower.

"It's just an arm, Jayce. Maybe it'll grow back." He grinned.

“Are you leaving?” said the boy, on the verge of tears once more. “Why? Where are you -” He looked up past Eljay towards the top of the mountain. “No, please. You can’t go.”

“I have to,” said Eljay. “I’m sorry, Jayce. I have to.” He sat down and began removing some of his gear, placing it in his satchel.

“Are you coming back?”

”I don’t know,” Eljay said, and he chuckled. “I don’t know what the rules are. I’m not sure anyone does. Look, my friends will be here soon. They'll take care of you. But I need you to look after some things for me while I’m gone. Keep it safe for me.”

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He handed the boy the satchel and hesitated before grabbing him close in a one armed hug. Eljay had never particularly wanted a son. Somehow he had ended up with one anyway. He half wished he hadn’t. Now he had to feel extra bad for leaving the kid on his own. A dark thought suddenly struck him, and he frowned.

"Jayce, I need you not to tell anyone about this, ok? About anything that happened today. It's very, very important you don't tell anyone. Just say I'm gone and you don't know when I'll be back. Can you promise me that?"

"I promise," said the boy quietly.

He released his embrace, and wiped his eyes. He set his jaw, and turned to leave.

The kid would be ok. The koblin ship would return to the mountain soon enough. They could look after things. Until he came back.

After a moment’s thought, Eljay shrugged off his longcoat and let it fall to the floor behind him.

“Take care of my stuff, won’t you, Jayce?”

He began to climb towards the peak, where the twisted trees outlined a door into nothingness. He could hear his own heart beating in his ears. He muttered to himself as he climbed.

“Bravery is not the absence of fear…”

There was no wind at the peak. Dead air. He grit his teeth.

“It is the mastery of it.”

Face to face with the hollow between the trees, heart thudding, he resisted the urge to turn, to run, even to look back one last time.

“Jayson,” he yelled, willing himself to stare forward into the void. “Just keep going. No matter what. Don’t stop. Don’t let anyone stop you.”

He tapped his chest twice, above his heart. “Stay alive, won’t you, Jayce?”

And with that, he was gone.

----------------------------------------

Present Day

“Cascade?” Jayson said, eyes wide.

“You remember something,” said Thimble.

“Eljay said something about it,” he said, rubbing his forehead. “Before he left.”

“I don’t know exactly what the Cascade is,” Thimble said. "But it's the endgame of Eljay's plan. Do you understand, then? Do you understand what we are planning to do?"

"I… maybe,” he said, frowning. “You're telling me that you and Eljay and Hell’s demons and whoever else are…” He paused. “Planning to invade Heaven?"

"Sounds like you have the gist of it," said Thimble, leaning back.

"But… how?" Jayson stammered. "First of all, how would you even get people up there? There's only so many ships capable of that kind of flight. Even if you manage that, you have to get them past the Pearl Wall. Which is impossible. And then, well there's the armies of Heaven to think about. I doubt they're going to give you a warm welcome."

"Of course not.” Thimble sniffed. “We’re talking about a war. A war for the afterlife. We don’t undertake it lightly. Look, there is more to this than I have time to explain to you here. For now, you can follow my lead. I’m not the only one entrusted keep Eljay’s ideas alive. There’s a group of us, spread out across the islands. We call ourselves the Broken Chain.”

“Like a secret society?”

“Something like that. Anyway, you need to speak to one of our leaders in the First Circle. His name is Tea Leaf. You need to tell him everything you told me.”

“Tea Leaf? How do I find him?”

Thimble wrote something down on a piece of parchment and handed it to Jayson.

“This is the place you can find him. Show them the sign, and get an audience with him, he should be able to assist you in travelling towards the Tower. If he can’t help you with that, I don’t know who can.”

Thimble stood up and made a strange gesture with her hands, looping her index finger and main thumb on both hands in a circle and linking then unlinking them.

"This," she said, "is the symbol of our little group. The sign of the Broken Chain. Show me."

Jayson mimicked the gesture. Thimble nodded.

"Good. Show that to Tea Leaf. Tell him everything you told me. But don’t trust anyone one else. Heaven has eyes and ears everywhere."

"Why can’t you come with me?"

“There are other things I need to do at this point. To prepare. Important things. You'll be fine. Do you understand everything I’ve said?"

Jayson tucked the piece of parchment away and rubbed at his head. “Yeah. I mean, I think so. It’s a lot to take in. And I might have a concussion. I think I just need to lie down for a moment.”

“Understandable,” Thimble nodded. “It will take some time to fly up to the ports. There are bunks below decks. Get some rest.”