Inside the large hexagonal lounge, Gabriel sat on a plush couch holding his temples. His thoughts were scattered, racing about in his mind in random directions. There was a plate of neatly stacked caramel apples on the ornate glass table in front of him. The apples had not moved since his servant, Teedu, had left it there for him.

Quentin entered the room from a small side door, closing it quietly behind him. "Lord Gabriel, might I suggest a refreshment?"

Gabriel let out an annoyed groan. "Ditch the politeness, Quentin, you're not a servant. What do you want?"

"Gabriel, I'm growing quite concerned. I haven't seen you pass up mortal delicacies in centuries." Quentin gestured toward the undisturbed plate of glistening caramel apples.

Gabriel looked up at the plate of apples, then back down again. "Yeah, and what of it? It's not like I need to eat anyway."

Quentin sat down on a nearby couch, leaning back with a long sigh. "Why has this one failure caused you such distress?"

The attack from the corrupted symbol ate away at Gabriel. He wanted to hate Quentin for his mistake, but how could he be angry? How was he to learn if he wasn't allowed to make mistakes? He thought for several long moments before finally speaking again.

"It's not about that, it's about the corruption. The way it fought back should not have been possible."

Gabriel reached out to grab one of the apples from the pile, placing it on a small serving plate from the stack next to the apples. He took a bite, enjoying the sweet flavor of the delightful snack.

Quentin smiled at the sight, the tension in his body subsiding for the time being. As he mulled the corruption over in his mind, the tension returned. "How do we fix this? There must be a way."

Gabriel finished munching on his caramel apple, returning his plate to the table. He cleared his throat, making a circular motion in the air with his arm. A ring of yellow symbols glowed brightly in the air, fading out into mist a moment later. A champagne glass filled with sweet-smelling apple cider appeared in his hand. He drank a generous gulp, then set the glass down.

"Nope, there's no way we can fix it." Gabriel said, staring forward, a blank expression on his face.

Quentin stared incredulously at his creator. The most powerful being he knew to exist was giving up. "There must be something we can do to fix this!"

With a raised eyebrow, Gabriel turned to face Quentin. "I never said we couldn't do something about it."

"What do you mean? You just said—"

"We can't fix it ourselves, but an agent acting on our behalf certainly could." Gabriel flashed Quentin a sly smile as the young man's eyes went wide with realization.

"You mean using mortals? You told me that it's too dangerous to intervene directly." Quentin was dumbfounded at the idea. There's no way his creator would attempt such a reckless plan. "You would risk trusting a mortal again?"

"Who was it that tried to convince me there was still hope for them?" Gabriel reached down for his glass to take another sip. He finished the glass with a long gulp, wiping his mouth with his hand.

"But— this is different! Guiding them as they develop is not the same as involving mortals in our affairs. That kind of power…" Quentin trailed off, deep in thought. "…would certainly corrupt them, no? That's what you told me before we made the mirror."

Gabriel gave Quentin's shoulder a friendly pat with a tired smile. "As you said: 'not this time'."

***

Deep blue sky spanned overhead, not a speck of a cloud in sight. It was late afternoon, and Todd was fast asleep on a folding lounge chair, a thick book folded up on his lap. His wide brim sun hat shaded his face, and large sunglasses shielded his eyes.

The deck of his father's boat was spacious for the small craft that it was. The floorboards had been meticulously waxed and shined. The sleep quarters below deck had a pair of stacked double bunks, and a long couch in the main area. The kitchenette was minimal, but had been well-stocked for a few days out at sea.

Roy and Ian had taken over the dinner table for their various card games. The floral shirts worn by both men undermined the stern, serious looks both men held as they focused on the ongoing war between them.

Above deck, the two women sat together on a ledge, dangling their feet above the cold, salty seawater below. Both wore swimsuits, looking forward to the sun tan they were sure to have by the end of the trip. Emily wore her usual sun hat, Todd had gotten the same one to match on their last vacation. Beth let her long, ginger hair down to blow gently in the calm ocean breeze.

The pair made light conversation, only having met on the way to the marina after being picked up from the airport. Beth felt comfortable talking to Emily, the American woman was friendly and nonjudgmental. Most importantly, she didn't have an agenda in getting to know her.

"What part of England are you from? I don't recall if Ian ever said for certain."

Beth's eyes beamed with joy when she thought of home. "I'm from Bristol originally, but I'm stationed at RAF Croughton."

"RAF? As in Royal Air Force, I assume?"

Beth nodded. "It's near Brackley, if you know where that is."

Emily shook her head with a sigh. "I have no idea where that is, sorry. I could probably point to London on a blank map, though."

Her new friend's lack of knowledge did not seem to bother Beth at all. "No worries! It's about one hundred kilometres north-west of London. That'd be about an hour and a half by car."

Using her hand as a reference, she drew an imaginary line with her finger to show the distance between the cities.

"My hometown of Bristol is around two and a half hours away from London, about one hundred and seventy-five kilometres directly west."

Emily smiled, giving an appreciative nod at the explanation. As she thought about the amount of distance Beth had to cover to arrive here on this boat, her mind began to wander.

Beth looked out at the vast, empty ocean ahead of them. "Where are you from? Ian was very vague when I asked him about his family."

Emily didn't respond. She seemed lost in thought, staring out to the vast ocean beyond. Her mind was blank, except for the faint sound of writing on a chalkboard. It echoed in the distance, as if she was in a room, but she was clearly outside.

"Do you hear that? It can't just be me." Emily asked, her voice monotone, like she wasn't really there.

The noise grew louder and more distinct from the sloshing waves against the hull of the yacht. In her mind, she could clearly see strange, alien symbols being written on a flat surface by a ghostly hand. The symbols were drawn in a circle shape, with an eye-like symbol in the center. As the runic diagram was completed, all the symbols glowed blue, the vision vanishing moments later.

Beth had only heard mumbling, the waves washing out any coherent words. "What'd you say? You said it under your breath."

"Sorry, what? I spaced out for a second there."

Concern was plainly painted on Beth's face. Their conversation had been flowing back and forth for what felt like hours, only interrupted by the occasional half-conscious comment by Todd in his slumber. Now, her friend had gone silent.

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Beth placed her hand on Emily's shoulder. "Are you alright? You were mumbling and staring off into space like a zombie."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I just need some water. Care for a drink?" Emily asked, standing up to head below deck.

Beth thought for a moment, studying her. "That would be lovely, thanks."

Emily nodded, then strode away like nothing happened. Beth's eyes lingered, perplexed at the odd behavior.

***

Below deck, a battle raged on. The two men locked eyes, each strategically playing their cards to maximum effect. Each round won by the slimmest of margins, tactics rapidly changing with each defeat.

Emily absently walked past the pair, headed towards the sleeping quarters. She closed the door behind her and laid down on one of the bunks. When she closed her eyes, her thoughts were consumed by the vision she had. Questions over her sanity seemed counterproductive, but no other explanation made sense.

***

Beth was still outside, sitting alone on the edge of the yacht. Minutes passed, and she wondered what was taking so long. It wasn't a simple matter of impatience, the woman had been acting strange just prior to leaving. Unsure of what else to do, she consulted the most reliable source she could think of.

With a polite, but firm poke, she woke Todd up from his late-afternoon nap.

"What— Oh, hey Beth. What's up?" He lowered his sunglasses and set the book down on the deck.

"Something seems off about Emily. We had been talking for a while, then she suddenly went quiet. She didn't respond to anything, and when she finally came to, she said she was fine."

Todd sat upright, fully awake. "Alright, where is she now?"

"She went to go get us drinks, but that was a few minutes ago."

Todd furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment. "That seems rather unlike her. I've never known her to be rude to a guest, especially not one so close to the family."

"She had been a saint to me, I don't know what happened." Beth seemed quite distraught.

"I doubt you did anything wrong. I'll go check in on her, alright?" Todd's warm smile put Beth at ease. She nodded, and he left through the doorway to the cabin.

Alone again, Beth looked down at the book Todd had been reading before he had fallen asleep. It was a thick leather-bound textbook, though the cover seemed hand-made. The title lettering was faded and hard to decipher. After a moment of concentration, she read aloud.

"Introduction to Applied Nonlinear Dynamic Systems and Chaos by Stephen Wiggins"

She didn't really understand what the book was about, but was intrigued by the title line. She read it again silently, imagining what the application of this topic could be.

***

Roy spotted Todd entering the cabin, and broke his attention from the game. "Hey man, you want to join us? I just beat Ian again for the third time in a row!"

Ian groaned and tossed his cards on the table. "I'm done with this game anyway. Drinks, Todd?"

Todd shook his head. "No, thanks, did either of you talk to Emily when she passed through here?"

The two men both shook their heads. Ian spoke up first. "I saw her walk by, but I was focused on the game. Is something wrong?"

Todd was troubled by what he had heard from Beth, but steeled himself. "Not sure, I just want to check in on her just in case." He excused himself, moving past them towards to open the door to the sleeping quarters, closing it behind him.

With the sudden turn of events, an unspoken truce was called between the two great leaders, the battle put on halt for now.

"I'm going to go check on Beth." Ian said as he walked out of the cabin.

Roy nodded. "Alright, good game, man."

"Good game."

***

That evening, Emily laid down to rest and recover from the stress of her vision. Todd had brought his book to read next to her. Roy and Ian had roped Beth into their card game, resulting in both of them losing repeatedly to the newcomer. After many embarrassing defeats, Roy managed to regain the upper hand. Ian eventually gave up, leaving to prepare a late dinner.

The group ate a late dinner together under the stars on the deck of the yacht. The new couple, Ian and Beth, shared stories of their time in their respective neighboring military bases in England.

Ian was clearly tipsy by the time the question of how the two met was brought up. "We met out at a pub on a Saturday night near base. That night's a bit hazy for me— Which one was it?" Ian looked to Beth for help to remember. She rolled her eyes, but didn't respond.

"I'm going to get some air, excuse me." Beth got up from her seat at the table, and walked to the observation deck at the very top of the yacht.

Roy raised an eyebrow at this, curiosity piqued. "What's her deal?" He asked, looking to Ian.

"Ah, she doesn't like it when I drink. Had a fight once when I got too drunk to stand." Ian slouched in his chair. "I go a bit overboard sometimes."

Todd put a comforting hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "We understand. As long as you keep yourself under control here, there won't be any problems."

"Thanks, bro. I don't like talking about it back at base. Don't want to be the odd man out and all that."

Todd gave him a comforting smile. "I know how that feels."

***

Ian left to smooth things over with Beth, and Emily went back to bed. This left only Todd and Roy to clean up.

The two men were silent for a long time, only the sound of running water and clattering dishes disturbed the calm night air. The stars were bright and clear, the sky still devoid of any clouds that might obscure the grand display.

Todd broke the ice, speaking with a soft tone. "Can we talk about you and Ian?"

Roy paused the scrubbing of the plate in hand. "What's there to talk about?" He said, resuming his cleaning.

"You know what I'm talking about. Back when you were in high school, when Ian got together with—"

"I'm over that, why do you have to bring that up?" Roy's scrubbing turned more vigorous.

Todd placed the last clean glass back in the cupboard, closing the door. "The way I see it, you still resent him. When's the last time you were with someone, anyway?"

Roy kept his attention on the dirty dishes. "Why does that matter?"

Todd said nothing, glaring at his friend. He stood, waiting.

There was a long silence, Roy breaking the ice this time. "Three years."

"You haven't been with someone since college? I find that hard to believe. You, of all people." Todd shook his head, inhaling sharply. "I'm worried that you might try to get back at Ian for what he did to you."

Roy placed the last dirty plate, now cleaned, on the drying rack. "I want to. There's a burning desire in me to lash out at him. It's so easy to say yes to that feeling."

"What would that accomplish?"

Roy sighed, lowering his head. He was unable to find the courage to face his friend. "Nothing. Everything."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Roy turned around slowly, doing his best to hold back his tears. "I don't know, man. If I had answers, I wouldn't have lashed out at him the moment I saw him." His eyes were red and puffy, his face flushed.

Todd's stern expression softened. He had known Roy long enough to recognize when he was at his breaking point. "Do you remember the conversation we had after your grad party, before you went off to college?"

Roy gave a hesitant nod. "Some things never change, huh?" He said, his voice breaking. "What should I do?"

"Focus on building the life you want. Everything else will come later."

Todd's words echoed in Roy's mind. He pondered them, wrestling with how to apply them. When he finally spoke, his voice, and his eyes, had cleared.

"Thank you. I owe you one."

Todd's warm smile lit up his face. He moved to stand next to his friend, leaning against the counter. With a pat on the back, he spoke. "You don't owe me shit. Just don't mess with Ian or his girl. Be the better man."

Roy nodded, his resolve and determination revitalizing him. He smiled deviously. Todd groaned, knowing what that meant.

"How about a game of chess?"

***

Ian climbed up the steps to the observation deck. Only the dim path lights lining the baseboard were on, leaving Beth shrouded in darkness. Ian sat down next to her on the plush couch. The couple gazed out at the grand beauty of the starry night.

Ian put his hand on Beth's. It was cold to the touch, no surprise to him. "Hey." He turned to look her in the eyes. She was still staring up, but he could see the reflection of the stars in them.

"I know you don't like it when I drink. The others helped me talk through it. I don't want to make any excuses for letting things get out of hand." He waited a few moments, gauging her reaction.

She blinked, turning her hand over to hold his. She remained silent, but tilted her head to listen, prompting him to continue.

"I know that you don't like it when I tell that story, it brings up painful memories. I'm sorry for that, it wasn't my intention."

She nodded at that, leaning into him. "Thank you. I shouldn't have left so abruptly like that. It's not an excuse, but I felt overwhelmed thinking about Emily. That story being brought up was too much." She squeezed his hand.

She turned to meet his gaze. "Have you ever thought of leaving the military? Moving far away to start over?"

Ian's stomach twisted into knots. Beth felt his hand tense and pull away from hers. He looked away, staring down at the reflection of the stars in the dark expanse below them.

"Why'd you have to ask me that? You know I can't leave that life behind. That's who I am, that *is* my life. I thought you understood that." His tone was cold and distant.

"But—"

"But nothing, Beth. That's how it is. The only time I'm going to leave is when I retire, or if I'm kicked out before then."

There were tears in her eyes now. She felt a cold wave wash over her, despite the calm ocean air.

They both stared out at the dark expanse below them. They both saw the same flicker of movement in the reflection of the stars. Their eyes were drawn up to watch a new constellation form in real time. This one, however, was not connected by imaginary lines. Each of the stars in the outline of a colossal eye glowed blue. They were connected by hazy blue lines, like trails of a comet. Extending out from the eye were four wing-like clouds, two on each end of the eye.

Ian stood up in a haste, speechless.

Beth gasped and trembled at the sight. "What the hell is that?"

Blue motes of light floated down like snowflakes. They stung when they hit the couple's skin. Todd noticed the blue glow through the cabin window, and rushed outside to get a look; Roy followed close behind.

The four of them stared in awe at the astonishing display. A strong gust of wind blew in a thick fog, the blue particles glowing brighter. All five people aboard the ship vanished, the great unblinking eye staring down from above.

The empty ship bobbed peacefully. The reflection of the moon and stars was clear through the calm ocean surface. The stars were just as they had been, no new constellations could be seen. There was no breeze, no fog, no snow. Only a ghost ship shining its bright lights out into the night.