Yara had not left his side since he returned.

She bathed him, fed him, and hummed in his ear, hoping to calm his slumber.

He hardly ate anything, his enhanced mana absorption lowered his intake requirements.

Finally, he awoke.

“How long?”

“I heard what happened.”

“How long?”

“Six days. You can keep resting, I know it must’ve been hard to-”

“David lived and died proudly. He was finally free, and he was happy. But I couldn’t let him continue.”

“He was your friend.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sure you need rest.”

“Did the deranged Cast arrive?”

“Yes, but-”

“I don’t feel bad about killing David.”

“But he was your friend.”

“He lived according to his own principles, which I believe he learned from me. But I cannot have somebody like that running loose, causing chaos.”

Yara just gave him a look.

“I have my reasons for what I do, I know he does… did, as well. But he would’ve torn down the kingdom for nothing. Rosewell is a just ruler, it was her changes along with her father’s changes that caused the civil war, she was already cutting out the cancerous elements. How has Liat been?”

“Carmilla and her have been getting along very well.“

“In that way?”

“I don’t know yet, but she is much happier. They don’t talk much while I’m around them though.”

“That’s nice.”

“Colton came to visit. His little girl seemed to like you, she said that she wanted to learn more magic.”

“I will send an Other to-”

“She got very upset when I said you would do just that. She wanted you to teach her. I… I said yes.

She was so cute, and she really really wanted to learn, and she showed off what the golems taught her.”

“Have the Mothers of Tochter called?”

“They wouldn’t speak to me when I answered your amulet.”

“I’m not surprised. They deal with me because I am me, but won’t talk about their progress unless I am there in person.”

“Did they seem like they were close to-”

“I don’t want to get your hopes up. But yes. Now, I need to handle the Cast. If there is nothing else that is.”

“You should probably eat.”

“Yes, I suppose I should.”

He had a normal portion of food, which, considering his condition, was strange; he still felt winded.

Then, he made his way to the Cast.

It was not just their minds which were malformed, but their bodies.

He placed his hand on the head of the first, its limbs backwards, yelling, unable to even use words.

“What have you already tried?”

“Soul correction of course, but the mind reverts all changes. We tried replacing piece of their souls with mimic souls, human souls, pieces of our souls, we’ve tried forming geas-”

“Geas? Really?”

“Micheal gave us the idea. He obviously doesn’t remember much, but the idea was to put them in a state not unlike the Ascended, a shell could go over the soul, interrupting the underlying mind and taking control over the body. At least, if Micheal remembered what her soul felt like.”

“That wouldn’t be healing, it would just be replacing the damaged Cast with a new person.”

“When we asked, Ur said that if we could make it function, he would consider it a success.”

“Can you?”

“No. Whatever method was used to make Ascended is beyond us, since it’s likely tied directly to Fae magic.”

“Then we ask Fae.”

Fomoria had not been asked to do anything with the alliance between the gods and the Fae, so he couldn’t be sure that they would be willing to help, but it was worth a shot.

There was a shock when he arrived in the Reinoan Holy Capital, and after he identified himself, it became worse.

His horns and black armor made him a demon to the people, though the cane threw them off.

Yet since he did not move, and it was clear by the feeling he gave them that they wouldn’t win if they did, there was no fight.

Finally, a message from him was delivered to Fragile Peace, and a reply was received.

“Sir Fomoria, you are to be brought before Her Holiness, Grand Saint Fragile Peace. Would you like help moving to her?”

“I’m not crippled, just recovering.”

It was pitch black, but otherwise entirely normal looking, just a void bone construct; he gave no thought to when he began making more than just his armor out of his sigil.

She sat in a tea room, and behind her were a group of women in armor, some light, some heavy, blonde, brunette, red haired, swords, daggers, hammers, axes, some almost as young as Fragile Peace, some older by a decade.

“I thought you were just making me wait as a negotiating tactic. Did something happen to your legs?”

“I killed a man. Are these the royal guards that I recommended you make some years ago?”

“They are. What kind of man would be such a troublesome foe?”

“David Haywood. All women? Any particular reason?”

“I thought the two of you were friends? I feel safer with women more powerful than me.”

“He was finally free, and that was dangerous in a way that I couldn’t let stand. Reasonable, I’ve seen how your nation treats women.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“You are dangerous in a way that few can stand. Why didn’t you contact me before you came?”

“I don’t have my communication box, and I never made another one. If I did, I would need another crystal made from your blood, and I’m not sure if that box had enough range to even be usable. Though, perhaps if you left it at the seawall and someone else relayed messages. It would be easier to just let me give you an amulet.”

“Alright.”

“Hmm?”

“Titiana says that it is alright. As the last living god, she has the right to overwrite the rules as they currently are.”

“Not shocking to hear something like that. I could make one from my flesh and blood, or I could wait until you bring me a gem and piece of jewelry to put it in.”

“She says that a new box shall be made. You may prepare the gem once we bring it to you.”

“Alright.”

The Darkness now sat beside him.

Fomoria had been looking for a time, but couldn’t clearly figure out which one of them was the leader, yet following the eyes of The Darkness, she looked directly at the woman with a greatsword and light armor.

“Tell your little girls to clear the room.”

“I will not leave her holiness alone with a strange man.”

“If Fomoria wanted to rape her, he would just kill all of you first. Peace, tell them to leave.”

“I don’t like your tone.”

“Titania, tell your puppet to tell her dolls to clear the room.”

Her eyes flashed purple.

“I shall be fine, you may leave while I negotiate with them.”

“Of course, your holiness.”

With just them in the room, Titania came out.

Her hair was platinum, her eyes violet, and everything told Fomoria that she was related to the royal family of Ragne.

“Are-”

The Darkness stole away his voice before he said something that could be taken as offense.

“Oh Titiana, Queen of the Fair Folk, Fae of the Forest. Might we make merry, with tea and cherries?”

“Oh Darkness, Old friend of the Black Glen. I would be delighted, even with someone so unlighted.”

The room shifted, the half Fomoria sat in turned to black grass, black mountains, and his now bare feet sat in a stream of black water.

The other end of the room became filled with light, green grass, pink vines, and trees of golden leaves.

He could see no end to this place, no door, no ceiling, and yet his eyes, his ears, his touch, even his magical senses all told him that this place was real.

The table between them now held a fresh pot of tea, wooden cups, and a large bowl of cherries, pink and black.

“Partake, if that is your desire.”

“Of course, yet it is sustenance of the mind what the boy requires.”

The Darkness plucked two cherries from the bowl, Titania and Fragile Peace did the same, then they ate.

When the others were done, they placed the stems on the table, and Fomoria followed suit.

The stems twisted and tied, The Darkness shook her head at the results, but he didn’t understand any of it.

“Seeking the assertation of ascension?”

“The boy asks of you, what is true? May he have? But could his mind yet grab?”

“His mind cannot know, for his mind does not grow.”

“But what if he could show?”

“Hmm… he lacks my glow.”

“I bargain in his stay, for I believe he may.”

“In my bed shall he lay?”

“Not on this or any other day.”

“I ask of nothing more, I think himself a beautiful whore.”

“A private chat, between me and the one I granted my hat.”

The Darkness had a large grin on her face, this was fun to her, speaking in strange ways.

“She wants you to have sex with Fragile Peace and grant her a child. In exchange, you would be granted a shard of Fae power, one that would let you make your own Ascended.”

He leaned forward, his hands clasped together, his elbows on his knees.

“I…”

The Darkness slapped him.

“You would never hesitate. Don’t let the death of your friend turn you into a fool. I hate to so much as venture a guess as to why she wants a child from your blood. But, if you make that choice in a clear state of mind, I would keep that secret, I would even be willing to erase the memory so the guilt doesn’t destroy you.”

“I wasn’t seriously considering it. I was just shocked.”

“You feel morally and emotionally disconnected from yourself, and could do anything, because you believe killing a friend has crossed such a line that you’ve gone far beyond even the worst thing you’ve done before now. I am telling you, you were seriously considering it, but your mind cannot fathom it, just as it cannot fathom David’s death at your hand, so it is going to pretend it was something else.”

“Fine, believe what you want. Is there a way to get what I want without doing that?”

“We can leave here, but remember it is an option. Perhaps Yara would even want to join you.”

“I am not in any mood for jokes.”

“Your voice is flat, no anger, same as when I said that you could rape her if you wanted to.

I was trying to prove a point to you, that your emotions are deadened, broken. You should speak with Marigold, or Xol. Both of them have experience with having to kill their friends.”

“Marigold already told me about how she had to kill her own children. I don’t want to bring those memories up.”

“Good, Xol it is. Now, I need to tell her that I am declining the deal without her owning your soul.”

“Is that a real risk?”

“Again, a flat tone. But yes, that’s why I have been speaking for you. If you had any sense, if you weren’t just sleep walking through life, you would’ve asked for my help or called upon the twin that took Fae Law classes.”

“Fine.”

Fomoria did not call on Xol, but he also didn’t go back to the lab.

The cats and dogs stretched out in the warm sunlight of the menagerie.

“Micheal. How are the animals?”

“Jade Claw began to lash out against Silver Tooth because she can speak better than him. But I am the most eloquent of them, so they listened to me when I said to stop.”

“Oh. That’s nice.”

“What has happened?”

“Nothing you need to worry about. The Others said that you were helping them with their research into the Castian insanity.”

“Yes. Had an idea, but they didn’t like it.”

“Oh?”

“Give me the sigil.”

“Hmm… I understand. If the ascension process involved a shell over the soul, then my sigil, if powerful and guided enough, could serve as the shell, and in the past I’ve already come under the effect of a mind within the sigil. But I killed that mind, you helped me with that.”

“Harlan, he hasn’t, yes? His sigil should retain the mind within it. The sigil binds with the body, and is passed to the child, yes? If you give it, they should be born with the shell, yes?”

“I don’t think that Harlan is going to give me anything right now.”

“Hmm… because you killed your friend?”

“Yes. It seems Harlan became closer with David than I ever did. But, I should at least ask.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because you are unwell. You don’t sound happy talking about this research, you should sound happy.”

“This is just work, I don’t have to feel happy about it.”

“The Others, including the one who was made just the day before you had your sleep, are happy to work on this, because it isn’t just work. Send me there, I could ask.”

“Or he could kill you on sight because you still smell like Fae.”

“There are hundreds more of me.”

“None of them are you, they are just Other Micheals.”

“Are you so unfriendly that you would kill me? Do you not trust yourself?”

He wanted to answer, to say that he did, but the words burned his throat, they rose like bile, but couldn’t come out.

“You don’t trust yourself? Trust me.”

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

Balor hated how cold it was.

“How certain are you that-”

The old woman lifted his chin, then tapped on different parts of his body.

Her boney fingers jabbed across his face, she dug her knuckles into his chest, ran her palm up his spine.

“Hmm… good stock. You are a half-breed?”

“I detest the term. I am a mind and soul bound to a body of my own design. My brother is the Half-Fomorian.”

“Ah, I hoped you were Harlan.”

“How did you-”

“Redmond is such a fine fellow. It has been too long since he last visited-”

“He’s dead. It’s been a year.”

The woman’s face scrunched up, but she shed no tears; Balor had never seen a sad Fomorian.

“What happened?”

“Wyvern. He got stuck on an open field, he couldn’t run, died from his injuries inside of its nest where the caves narrowed too much for it to fit. Harlan… Harlan was the one who recovered his body.”

“His dog?”

“Cu is fine, he was returned to his wife.”

“Does he have a grave?”

“Two. One at his sister’s farm, one in his garden.”

The old woman started rummaging through a chest in the room, returning with a frozen flower.

“Put this on the grave at his home.”

“You really liked him, didn’t you?”

“He was the first completely random outsider we met in hundreds of years, and he met us with respect, he told us of the outside world, stories of himself and of Harlan, and he gave without requiring that we give back.”

“He was too good for this world. He never should’ve kept being a ranger. He should’ve just been a husband.”

“A husband who is not a warrior is a poor husband. He told me that he gained his wife in battle.”

“He-”

“I will unlock your powers, in his honor.”

“Thank you.”

“If this works, I would like to meet his daughter.”

“She’s too young to speak much, and she doesn’t like strangers.”

“I am good with children.”