The flat stone in front of Chickadee raised and lowered. It shuddered and shifted into the image of a map. Water filled in the gaps of lakes and ocean, and fires lit up in the volcanoes along the Crimson Range and Coral islands. Felix leaned in to get a closer look but earned himself a glare from Tyrtain.
“Do you recognize this place?” Tyrtain gestured to the map.
“Lustro,” replied Chickadee. Though if he were to compare it to a map, this version had more islands located to the north and northwest.
“This is Eishur,” retorted Tyrtain. “This is where her corpse lies. She became the land of gods, imprisoning Crea upon her lands as punishment for her lover’s death. Crea formed me from her whispers. She was desperate to find a way to communicate... I refused to beg for forgiveness on another’s behalf.”
“Imprisoned?” Chickadee tilted his head at the remark.
Felix let out a pained sigh. “We can’t leave Eishur’s body. Our forms will turn to ash. No one ever bothered to tell us that. We only found out when Iath said he wanted to be a pirate. No one has seen him since.”
“He would not have suffered had he heeded Tria’s warnings,” replied Tyrtain with disdain. “Humanity was created to act as our servants. They inhale the divine mists of Eishur’s corpse and are blessed with magic. Yet, not only have they turned on us, they cry out demands for power and protection.”
“And that’s why Eatha and I spent the past two hundred years fighting over Lyrhea,” chirped Felix. He folded his arms and nodded his head smugly, knowing that that was the right decision. “Sirens are much more reasonable than humans are.”
Tyrtain glared at Felix. He continued to glare until Felix excused himself and went back to his sitting spot, which was some distance away. After he was certain that Felix would no longer interrupt, Tyrtain continued.
“Iath sought to purge my prophets by sending hordes of suitors to court their bloodline. Tria offered compromise, allowing for my acolytes to prosper despite my mutilation. They may view me as a god but we are all Eishur’s servants. We are guided by her whispers. The better we hear her voice, the stronger we become.”
“You said my fears holding me back,” replied Chickadee.
“Your emotional outbursts get in the way of your dedication. Your mind must be clear of fear and guilt. You must communicate your will and intent clearly. Eishur is always listening. She will do as you ask. Do not let your subconscious be the one to ask for power.”
That would’ve been nice to know before Chickadee had wasted the past week on self-reflection. “... I understand.”
“What is it that you need to speak to Eishur more clearly?”
Chickadee reflected on his possessions. He thought about the book that Tria had gifted him. Archaic runes and blood iron. They were connected to Bellia and Tria. However, they were still somewhat divine in nature, hence why he could make binding tools or amplifiers for his magic.
“Need to contact Sybil.”
He was brought up to the surface long enough to send Sybil a message by letter. She fetched Tria’s journal for him, gave him a hug, and wished him luck. It was good to reassure his friend that he was okay, but Chickadee wanted to get back to work immediately.
Chickadee delved into his studies. His time with Tyrtain had given him a new perspective. He worked on his cane and tested his designs in duels against Tyrtain. Weeks of meditation, forging, and fighting passed without much of a care or notice. Then suddenly it was over. Tyrtain informed him that he must concentrate on the preparations for his match against Zaniyah.
“Duel conditions?” Chickadee looked frantically between Tyrtain and Felix. No one had mentioned to them to him. He had no idea how he was supposed to prepare.
Tyrtain beckoned Felix to stand closer to him. “The conditions are agreed upon by our champions. We seek to involve humanity as much as possible whenever our squabbles affect a great deal of people. Iath may have a different opinion. We will be discussing it with him shortly.” The two of them vanished into the ground, leaving a nervous Chickadee behind.
Tyrtain re-emerged within a separate underground chamber. He waved Felix away as he began to work. Glowing crystals erupted from the walls. A table rose up from the ground with six seats around it. Wide holes appeared in the walls.
A screeching sound began to scrap its way through one of the holes. It grew louder until Alton tumbled out of it. Beat slid out of a separate hole. They glanced at each other for a moment, then over at Tyrtain and Felix.
“What the…” Alton looked around. He was worried that he was about to be on trial for something.
Beat stood up and, much to Alton’s horror, began to take off his shirt.
“Whoa! Hey!” Alton scrambled to a stand and put his back against the wall. “I have a wife!” He then pointed to Felix. “That’s a child!”
Felix shook his head. “... Sirens.” He looked up to Tyrtain. “Am I right?” Tyrtain nodded solemnly.
“You can’t just mutter ‘sirens’ and expect me to understand what you’re going on ab-” Alton’s voice got caught in his throat as he began to witness Beat’s transformation. He would’ve taken another step back if he had the space to do so.
Iath took a moment to stretch out before he sat down at the table. “Who are we waiting for?”
“The God Among Men,” replied Tyrtain.
“There are six seats,” retorted Iath.
“We will bring in a necromancer to represent Tria if our discussion today ends in a stalemate,” replied Tyrtain. “The God Among Men should be the only other mortal that we need.”
“Sybil was standing next to me,” muttered Alton. “You could have taken us together.”
Lydia’s head peeked through the hole that Alton had come out of. “... My, that was rather deep.” She glanced around at the others present. “... Oh, are we doing the meeting today?”
“I knew that had to be Lydia!” Iath exclaimed loudly as he slapped his knee. “Beat owes me an ale!”
Alton didn’t say anything. He merely glared as Lydia floated over to a seat. Following her lead, he sat down next to her. No one said anything. They all stared at him.
“... What?”
Lydia spoke up on his behalf. “Alton is only half siren. He was separated from his mother at an early age and never properly learned the duties that come with being one of his kind.” She put a hand to her chest. “I will take the lead on this meeting today if that is alright with everyone.”
“Fine by me,” said Iath with a shrug. “Courtesies first. Mart.” Iath set his eyes on Felix. “You must head to Carapace. Our sister is in desperate need of medical attention.”
“I prefer to be called Felix while I’m in this form,” Felix whispered quietly.
“This form’s name is Drake Crayton,” replied Tyrtain. “I will release Felix to you immediately. He has completed his assigned tasks.”
“And what nefarious mission have you forced upon my brother?” Iath asked in a cold tone. He folded his arms and sat back in his chair, waiting for an answer.
Tyrtain remained composed. “I will take my rightful place as god of the Gilded Region. Eatha has abandoned her post. Bellia guards the Violet. Tria holds the Crimson. In the Sky, there is None. You, Iath, who holds both Clay and Coral, have no right to train champions within my lands.”
“You have no right to be a god,” snarled back Iath.
“None of you have the right to be gods,” muttered Alton. He had pulled out his letter to message Sybil that he was alright, but it didn’t seem to work down here.
Lydia shot a frown at him before she spoke up again. “Everyone has made their demands clear. Alton will take Felix back to Braytons and arrange for him to be sent to Carapace. The two of you have already selected your champions.
I say that we allow them to duel within one of Braytons’ dueling fields, as neither of you wishes harm upon your champion. We’ll have the duel the day after tomorrow. Your champions need rest from their training. Chickadee should stay with Mister Crayton for the time being. Otherwise, he would be forced to stay locked up at the mage encampment.
Our agreement is a simple one. If Chickadee wins the duel, Tyrtain will once again become god of the Gilded Region. If Zaniyah wins, Tyrtain will forfeit his golem body and return to the blood iron coin. Those conditions should suit both of you.”
“I will agree to these terms,” said Tyrtain.
“We should have the battle now. Zaniyah is well enough to fight whenever battle calls,” argued Iath.
Alton shook his head. “Our priority is to protect Lustro,” he spat back. “There is an army of tainted beasts attempting to break through into the Crimson Region. Miasma has spread further than it has since Tria fell. Why are we wasting time making my friends fight each other?”
“Spring is the time of new life,” added Lydia. “There is likely a would-be behind these actions. An entire generation of tainted soldiers will be born this season. They will be ready for combat by winter. Meanwhile, this nation’s soldiers will have only grown weaker due to fatigue and illness.”
“Then there isn’t room to argue,” said Iath. “We will locate Eatha and restore her and Mart to godhood.”
Felix winced. “Can’t.”
“Why not?” Iath frowned at his brother.
“He said we should live one lifetime as humans,” replied Felix as he gestured to Alton. “Then I was like, it’s not a perfect idea, but Eatha said that he was a siren and sirens are guided directly by Bellia. Bellia would never give us bad advice.
That’s why we separate ourselves from our divine powers. We’ve sealed them up in a vault on Lyrhea. We made a lock together that neither of us can open for fifty years. That way neither of us can cheat.”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“When was this?” Tyrtain glanced over to Felix.
“Last summer?”
Tyrtain narrowed his eyes slightly. “That’s when the miasma began to swell. An absence of divine power strengthens both miasma and would-bes.” He glared at Felix. “It is your fault that this war started.”
Alton gestured for Lydia to come closer so he could whisper to her. “That has nothing to do with the tainted beast that attacked Sybil, does it?”
“I have a feeling that miasma has been in this area for centuries,” replied Lydia. “But humans rarely experiment with it. Mostly necromancers… I don’t think they would be crazy enough to try to make a tainted beast though.”
“I thought tainted beasts were born like that,” said Alton. That’s what he had been taught by Blu. “So it was born before I messed everything up, right?” He wanted to be sure that the current war wasn’t completely his fault, even though the evidence was strongly pointing at him.
Tyrtain frowned. They were in a confined space. Even whispers failed to escape the ears of everyone present. “Since Eatha left these lands over two hundred years ago, the lowest caverns have been plagued by miasma.”
He continued on to explain that there were several instances where miasma’s power had flourished, but that none of it would’ve happened if Eatha had not left the Gilded Region. Lydia urged Alton to take notes while she and Tyrtain talked about history.
There were four such instances when miasma’s power began to surge in the area. The first was during the Southern War, where many of Iath’s vessels were hunted down during the paladin genocide. Next was when Semira lost her human form twelve years ago. Another surge happened close to when Prince Wulfric died. The latest was when Eatha and Mart chose to live as humans.
“Then the sirens storming the palace might have caused a surge?” Alton frowned to himself. Whether Lydia was there or not, it was possible that something happened to Bellia. Whatever it was, the change didn’t seem as drastic as when Mart and Eatha transformed into humans.
Lydia tilted her head. “Do you believe that your mother’s death somehow weakened Bellia?”
“She was the priestess that tended to them and it’s unlikely that they allowed another siren to take her place,” replied Alton. There were waterways that attached the chamber to the ocean, but they were only large enough for small fish to go through. Bellia was likely alone.
“Which makes it even more imperative that I stay as a god,” growled Tyrtain.
Iath disagreed. “We will cure Tria of her ailments and restore her physical form. She will have the power to break the vault that contains Mart and Eatha’s divine powers. We will once again be a family that serves humanity.”
“Why did you two choose to leave Lustro anyways?” Alton looked over to Felix.
The boy tapped a set of fingers together. “Well, a long time ago, everyone in the Sky Region suddenly started to denounce us. We had no idea what was happening. Iath had completely vanished, ‘cause he’s an idiot, so I decided to take over Lyrhea and have the sirens protect me until I could figure out what was happening. Eatha… Had the same idea.”
“Iath disappeared,” muttered Alton.
“I embarked on a pirating adventure and my body disintegrated at the border,” replied Iath. “It was a completely unpredictable accident!” He laughed loudly at the idea.
“Eishur bound Crea to these lands,” replied Tyrtain.
“Indeed!” Iath agreed with a firm nod. “But she is no longer around. We cannot count on her to help us.”
“... You are literally constructed of the remnants of Crea,” snarled Tyrtain.
“Yes? What does that have to do with anything?” Iath stared blankly at Tyrtain.
Felix patted Tyrtain’s shoulder. “... It’s better to not to try.”
“Indeed,” growled Tyrtain.
Alton sought to get back on topic. “But either plan would work? Isn’t it easier to just let Tyrtain be a god? We have no idea how long it will take Tria to recover. Our priority should be stopping the flood of miasma from happening.”
“Our disagreement can only be settled through combat!” Iath exclaimed. “We battle today!”
Lydia waved her hands about. “I still believe the day after tomorrow is best.”
“I agree with the God Among Men,” replied Tyrtain. He then looked over to Felix and gave him a death glare.
“... I-I also agree with the day after tomorrow,” muttered Felix. Iath pouted at him. “Please, brother.”
“Today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, what does it matter?” Iath shrugged and turned around in his chair. He was moping but trying not to seem childish about it. “Zaniyah will defeat your champion,” he muttered.
The horns upon Iath’s brow began to retreat back within his head as he left Beat’s body. Beat swayed in his seat for a moment before he braced his hands on the table. He kept his eyes closed while he waited for the world to stop spinning.
Alton picked up Beat’s shirt from the floor and placed it on the table. “Do you need help catching up? Or, uh...” He didn’t quite understand how this possession thing worked.
“He is informing me now,” muttered Beat. “... I need a minute.”
Tyrtain stood up. Before anyone could say anything to him, the lot of them were swallowed up in an orb that was dragged up to the surface. The sun blinded Alton, Beat, and Felix as they tumbled out of the orb.
Alton let out a groan as he around. He didn’t see Sybil or Zaniyah anywhere nearby. Visually, he was relieved. Inside, he was fuming. Sybil would get a message by letter to say he was okay, and he sent one to Zaniyah to let her know that Beat was with him.
“I still need a minute to rest,” muttered Beat as he sat down on the grass.
Felix looked between Beat and Alton. “I’ll be able to go to Carapace now? For real, this time?”
“Do you have any money?” Alton noted that Felix didn’t have any luggage with him.
“No,” replied Felix. “Everything was stolen from me last winter.”
Alton sighed. “I’ll have to contact someone first. No point in sending you to Carapace if you don’t have a place to live,” he muttered as he messed with his letter. “I’ll see about getting you into the dormitories at Starsons. You’re old enough to get an apprentice license.”
“... But I don’t want to attend school,” whispered Felix.
“You have to attend school to get an apprenticeship and you’ll have to renew it when you turn seventeen with proof that you’ve graduated,” Alton retorted. “You’re going to school.” And maybe a little education would somehow make this god a little less stupid than the rest.
Lydia’s head popped out of the ground. “Is everyone alright?”
“I don’t know, Miss God Among Men, what do you think?” Alton asked both loudly and sarcastically. Lydia winced at the remark. “Oh? Is there something else that would’ve been really nice for me to know but you couldn’t mention?” She nodded. “Yeah… Of course there is. Whatever.”
Lydia looked over to Beat. “Mister Beat? Will you make sure Felix gets back to the barracks safely? I need to speak to Alton in private.”
Beat attempted to focus on where Lydia was speaking. He wasn’t able to see her. “... I will do as you ask.”
Alton didn’t bother to wait. He started walking ahead without saying anything. Lydia floated next to him while she talked. Most of Alton’s time was spent messing with his letter while he pretended to be disinterested. He was rather pissed at Lydia at the moment and was only listening because it was important information.
Lydia waved her arms around as she talked. “From what I can remember, and I will remind you,” she said with a shake of the finger, “my memory is a bit flawed, Aeneas had placed me in Lady Grulick’s care. She took me to an elderly couple in Mareth. I’ve always known that I was adopted. The name I have was from a daughter of theirs who had died some years earlier.
Grulick decided to tell me the truth about my father when I became a squire at Braytons. She let me touch the sword, and that whole ordeal about becoming a God Among Men happened... But I’m afraid that that’s where my memories become somewhat flawed again.
After… After Stallis’ wife died, I was asked by Tria to find Iath. The details are quite muddled. I must have realized that Iath used vessels at some point, but honestly, I didn’t remember that at all until I saw Beat transform.
I do know that the war caused the influence of gods to be weakened. During such times, would-bes can be created. Only a few years after the war, Erskine Fogbloom sought to create one. He attempted to sacrifice Tria to one in order to create a new god. Erskine wanted to be king more than anything else in this world. He was desperate to the point of insanity.”
“You can create a would-be?”
“Much like Martyr was created, yes,” replied Lydia. “It is possible to create one under the right conditions. Erskine’s desperation cost him his life. It cost Semira her body. Veximarl became an orphan... And I don’t remember if we were able to locate the rest of Erskine’s victims. Considering what is happening, I do believe we failed to do so.”
“Victims?” Alton felt a chill at the implication. “Are…. Are we talking about people?”
“They are individuals who have continued to strengthen due to the lack of gods within Lustro,” replied Lydia. “It’s been a long time. They’re finally old enough to understand what has happened to them. Without guidance, they have chosen to act out.”
Alton shook his head. “The way you’re talking…” He the hairs on the back of his neck raise up as horror set in. “They’re children?”
“Teenagers now,” whispered Lydia. “Around the same age Felix is attempting to be.”
“If you knew that, why didn’t you say anything? We…” His hand formed into a fist. “We fought one in Carapace! Sybil was the one who… Dammit, Lydia, if she were to find out...”
“I am aware,” replied Lydia. “But it was a would-be who had already devoured Semira and had been driven mad as a result. If there was a way to save them both, I would have told you... And regardless of everything that has happened, the truth behind would-bes must be kept secret at all costs.
Erskine Fogbloom found out their secret and sought to birth a new god. Others may view would-bes as a reason to cast hate at those who live in mist regions. Would-bes are tragic creatures. That’s all they can ever hope to be. Sybil had follow through on her actions and save Semira’s life. She would never raise her sword if she had known the age of her opponent.”
Alton had to sit in the grass to compose himself. He buried his face in his hands. “... This is all too much for me.”
“You’re a siren,” replied Lydia.
“Half siren,” muttered Alton.
Lydia floated down and mimicked sitting in front of him. “Isn’t that better?” Alton looked up at her. “Think about it. You were summoned to help negotiate a meeting between the gods because they viewed you as an equal.”
“... The gods are idiots,” he replied.
“Yes,” agreed Lydia. “They need someone to give them perspective on humanity’s needs. That is why there is a God Among Men. However, the heart has yet to choose one. Until then, only you can represent humanity at this time. Trust in the song that Bellia gave you. Take care of Sybil. Find a way to balance the two halves you were given.”
“Then I would say that it’s better for Tyrtain to remain a god,” argued Alton. “He’s done more in a season than any of them have done in centuries.”
Lydia shook her head. “It’s more complicated than that,” she replied. “You must consider what happens in the future. We cannot predict if the seeds we plant today will bear either poison or fruit. What will happen once Eatha and Mart are done with their human lives? When will we deal with the god of the Sky Region?”
“There is no god of the Sky Region.”
“When people ask who the god of the Sky Region is, they reply that there is None,” replied Lydia.
“I am well aware,” he spat back.
“There is None, Alton,” repeated Lydia. “That isn’t a phrase to show that they have turned their backs against the gods, that is the name of the one who resides there. Semira was not chased out of the Sky Region, she simply awakened within the swamps with no recollection of why she left. There was no war with the Sky Region to reclaim it because any soldier who marched within their borders simply forgot why they were there and left.”
Alton furrowed his brow. “A god that alters memories?”
“A god that has no clue of Lustro’s history or why its lands are flooded with miasma and tainted beasts,” replied Lydia. “One who attempts to protect their territory by forcing out the beasts each winter.”
Alton stood up. “... And someone who the would-bes might attempt to devour..”
“Precisely.”
“And what am I supposed to do about that?!” Alton flailed his arms around. “I’m supposed to be an ordinary man! I didn’t draw some sword of destiny from Volo Refuge! I got you! You can’t just drop everything on my head and expect me to understand everything and fix it right away!”
“Then educate yourself. You’ve already made plans to do so by traveling to Lyrhea. Now go to Carapace and find the siren temple. Seek the secret hidden within it. Remember that there is beauty in the fact that you are half-human, Alton. You are right. No one is expecting some grand destiny from you.
You were given a song that tells you to stay by Sybil’s side, yet as a human, you were also gifted with free will. You have a choice in how much you want to be involved. I know that you are smart enough to make the right choice.”
Alton stared at her with a frown on his face. Lydia reacted with a smile. She then faded away from his view completely… Strange, though. The sun was still up. This day had been stressful for the both of them. Even ghosts needed a break once in a while.
He could also use some time to rest. That way he could gather his thoughts together enough in order to convince Zaniyah to put some effort to take her upcoming duel seriously. Apparently, the future of Lustro was counting on it.