Long gray hair whipping in the wind, Skuld stood on the bow of an immaculate wooden galleon. The ship plowed through a submerged iceberg like a knife through butter. Behind him, the sails and the wheel and all that nonsense worked themselves.

How funny that at the same time those two kids were starting their journey north, Skuld was completing his own to the south.

Ash had done something interesting to that kid’s island. A protection of some sort—Skuld had to fight to keep the memory intact. Luckily, he knew his sister’s tricks.

Skuld sailed through the thick of the Nadir. It was like a snow globe frozen in time, as if the worst hailstorm the World had ever seen stood completely still. That veil of frozen mist crackled into bits as the galleon crashed through.

Through the icy haze, Skuld saw tiny pinpricks of light. There it was, at the very bottom of the World. Just like Ash said. That means it’s hanging upside down, doesn’t it?

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The Necropolis of the Risen Terran Gods, colloquially known as the Nascent. Nethelam, the Spiked City. The home of the Pantheistic Crypt.

“Time to wake up, you damn slackers,” Skuld said to the wind. “Hope you had a good sleep, Enkai, my old friend.”

All he needed to do was figure out how to wake them up… Or maybe ‘resurrect’ was a better word. It shouldn’t be too tricky, though Nethelam was more of a prison than a crypt.

Skuld reckoned that the return of the Nascent would be enough to draw out a Sanguine Eclipse.

Ash had her plans, and he had his. The three of them… all slaves to their unnatural natures. Skuld loved his sister, but she was taking too long, trying to save too much. And fuck knows what Aisae is doing. I dunno if she’s even on this planet anymore.

Skuld rubbed his bare arms, trying to remember how it was to feel cold. He wished he'd bought a jacket in Arleen so he could play the part. Wait, what am I doing? There must be one below deck. Seven days on this ship and he hadn’t even had a look around. Oh, I’m hungry too.

Skuld stepped away from the bow and went to find a hatch that led below deck. This ship was too damn big.