Jacob wasn't home. According to his parents, he hadn't been home since earlier that day, after he left to visit Maruble. He was most likely still stewing after their fight. Regardless, as the God of Fire pulled into the driveway and leaned his bike on the porch, he couldn't stop guilt from bubbling up in his stomach.

Things were different here. In Alta, friendships were an illusion—even godlings who grew up together were rivals, in a way—longing for power and greatness. Their parents didn't help that fact. Since the children of gods were so rare, they were often a point of their parents' pride, as well as their delusions. It was not uncommon for youths to be shown off like jewelry instead of sentient beings.

Here, friendships were seen as bonds as well as responsibilities. It was like his fire, in a way: feed the flames, and they'll grow, but leave them unattended, and they'll fizzle out—or worse. Show them neglect, and they'll consume everything in their path. He contemplated this as he trudged upstairs to his room and flung himself onto the bed.

Looking at his hand, he frowned. It was the same hand that had trembled like a leaf in Death's presence. That same fear had started asking questions—questions he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to.

Is any of it real? That was one.

If Dalla had planted memories in Sarah and Jacob's minds, was their friendship still genuine? Was it worth giving up his godship for? He sighed, flipping over to look out the window. Despite his dark thoughts, it was sunny, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. As his eyes slowly shut, Maruble wondered if he had made the right choice. He wondered if they would still be his friends if they knew he had killed a human.

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Maruble woke to someone banging on the front door. He sat up abruptly, suddenly wide awake, and wiped the sleep from his eyes. Taking a moment to compose himself, he wandered down the stairs and pulled the door open slowly.

"I—I'm sorry to wake you." Sarah's breathing was quick, and she rubbed her arms self-consciously. "I didn't know where else to go."

Maruble blinked, noting the sweat on her forehead, and asked, "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"Jacob didn't come to class today—to any of his classes." She ran a hand through her hair and continued, "I went to check on him, and there was a blockade shutting down his entire street."

He opened the door wider. "A blockade?"

"There's been a fire."

The breath left him. Maruble held onto the doorframe to keep from falling to his knees and collapsing onto the floor. He wanted to ask. No, he didn't want to ask, but he needed to know. Slowly, he pushed out the words, "Sarah, where is Jacob now?"

"I don't know," she breathed, her voice barely a whisper. "His parents are safe, but they haven't seen him all day and don't know where he is."

A tear rolled down her cheek, but Maruble looked past her—to the woods. It was too dark to see beyond the trees, but taking a deep breath, he could smell the smoke. Any other day, he might have marked it off as a coincidence, but not today. Not after Death's visit.

"Show me the fire," he said suddenly. Sarah stammered something inaudible, and he grabbed her arms gently. "Sarah, I need you to focus. I know this is scary, and I know you're worried about Jacob. I'm worried too—but take me to the blockade. I need to see it for myself."

Stolen story; please report.

All she managed was a nod.

Together, they climbed into her car, and she drove quickly down the winding street. The smoke became thicker as they neared the fire, and thick plumes of it raced past the headlights like ghosts. They drove in silence until flashing lights appeared in the distance, as well as a group of officers averting cars from the fire. More tears rolled down her face as they approached.

Quietly, she whispered, "What if he's in there?"

Maruble didn't answer—all he could see were the flames that seared around them in an orange blaze. His breath caught in his throat, his heart hammering wildly.

This wasn't a normal fire. No, this was something created by the gods. He could feel it. Before he could process a thought, Maruble's feet moved.

"Wait!" Sarah called out behind him, but he didn't answer. He ignored the officers yelling in his direction and kept going. Perhaps, any other day, he would have hesitated, but a realization had just swept over him—one that changed everything.

Jacob's house was close to the church. It was close to that abandoned building in the woods, where the veil between Earth and the godlands was thinnest. The one that only the God of Death knew about.

Maruble ran faster as more shouting came from behind. The fire was uncomfortably hot around him, and the smoke burned his lungs, but he pressed on and didn't look back. He ran until the dirt road came into view. There, he paused and quickly assessed the situation.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sarah panted behind him. She coughed into her arm and asked, "Are you crazy?"

He turned to her, frowning. "You should have stayed behind."

"Bullshit. You know where Jacob is."

It wasn't a question. He pursed his lips and said slowly, "I'm not sure, but I have a hunch."

"Wait," she said, grabbing him by the arm. Through a plume of smoke, she forced out, "I'm coming with you—whether you like it or not."

"It's dangerous."

"I don't care," she said, shaking her head. Her eyes blazed with the light of the fire. "Let's go."

With no time to waste, Maruble nodded once, and they entered the trail. It should have been too dark to see, but the woods around them were alight with dancing flames. A bead of sweat ran down his neck. Maruble picked up the pace, stepping carefully over a charred tree. When the church finally came into view, his heart nearly stopped in his chest.

Jacob's truck was there was parked at the front of the building, but there was no sign of him. And the church was enveloped with flames.

Sarah grabbed him by the shirt, hand shaking. "You can't go."

"This is my fault," he said, gently brushing her hand off. "If there's even a chance that Jacob is in there, I have to help him."

"It'll collapse."

The building groaned but didn't fall. There wasn't much time. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "If I don't make it out, take Jacob's truck and drive it out of here." Before she could say anything else, Maruble raced toward the building.

When he stepped inside, he was immediately hit by a wall of smoke and coughed violently. Throat burning, Maruble raced through the entryway and entered the main part of the church. He swung his head around and called, "Jacob?" His voice was muted among the flames. He yelled out again, "Jacob, are you in here?"

No answer. For a fraction of a second, his eyes landed on the middle of the church, in the same place where Death had given him back his power.

The veil.

He tore his eyes away, calling out for Jacob again and again, but there was no response. A chunk of ceiling fell behind him. Maruble flinched and pushed towards the back rooms, away from the brunt of the flames. Looking around quickly, he searched for Jacob, but the church was completely deserted. He put his weight against the back door and yanked it open.

Smoke billowed out, and Maruble came tumbling out with it. Sarah ran to meet him. Eyes alight with fear, she asked, "Find anything?"

"He wasn't in there."

"Then where the hell is he?" she asked desperately, but her voice was thick with relief.

"I don't know," he admitted, swallowing the panic threatening to consume him. Smoke whipped across his face. He was about to suggest they search the area when he heard something. It was the faintest noise—so quiet that he thought he imagined it. But then it happened again. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

They fell silent. It sounded once more, only this time, Sarah heard it too. Her head swiveled to him slowly. "Is that—"

"A scream."

The air left his lungs. They looked at each other for just a moment, a series of unspoken words racing between them, and then Maruble and Sarah moved. They ran toward the voice. Breathing hard, Maruble looked up toward the source of the fire, and the realization dawned on him.

Noctavius hadn't just set fire to the woods. No, the God of Death had set fire to the entire mountain.