In the sands of the small island, Kumo gently held her brother. Even though a couple days had passed, Wane remained unconscious - only his breath and the occasional twitch showed that he was still alive.

In the light of the sun and the far open sky, Kumo could just make out the swirls of the underwater waterfall from where she was. They hadn't been able to discover anything from afar which only left the more hands on approach - an approach that Kumo wouldn't leave to another.

So she came to visit her brother.

Killer shifted irritably in her arms, but compared to his howls as they swam, the cat was almost well behaved.

"Wane," Kumo whispered though she wasn't sure why. "Killer is here to see you. Do you want to see your kitty?"

There was no response.

Against her better judgement, she let go of Killer and instead of bolting off like she'd feared, the cat tentatively walked across Wane's chest to nuzzle against his chin. He did that twice more before turning to look at Kumo with a soft meow.

Kumo rubbed her paw against the small animal. "I'm sure he's very glad you're here."

Killer meowed again, but she wasn't sure how to console the small animal. Without any response from her, Killer curled up on Wane's chest, but he wasn't resting. He watched the rest of the camp in a way that seemed like a vigil to her.

When Kumo looked up, she saw that Sanya had been watching her with a sad look in her eyes and one hand gripping the fur on her chest where they all felt the emptiness of Gi's loss.

"Maybe it's best for him not to wake."

Kumo wanted to scoff, but the pain they all lived with every day had to be amplified a hundred times for Wane who's soul had been torn in two. Maybe he wasn't even truly alive anymore. "Can you watch him for me?"

Sanya nodded, knowing better than trying to stop Kumo from exploring the underwater waterfall on her own. Without any fanfare, she returned her brother to as comfortable a position as she could make for him on the sandy island and then went to the water's edge.

If it wasn't for the fact that Kumo could see the surface of the water, she'd have thought it was disappearing far into the abyss. Somewhere beyond this strange waterfall was the Main Continent and the Demon Empire. She couldn't go back to Igna so there was no way but forward.

Kumo dove into the water, using a shallow dive to stay close to the surface. Her heart beat quickly as she floated closer and closer to the edge underneath the water. When the sandy bottom of the ocean finally fell away, Kumo felt a downward current tug on her, but it wasn't insurmountable.

The view beneath her on the other paw...

The sand disappeared into a deep black where light would not tread. Even with her [Twilight Eyes], there was not a hint of an end to that blackness. Did it extend all the way back to the realm of monsters? Did that place still exist now after the surge?

What unique monsters could survive the deep?

With a shiver, Kumo headed back towards the shore and felt much better when her paws dug into its sandy shores. The Hunters and Inquisitors that she'd brought with her waited curiously for a response.

Their old playful demeanors weren't present anymore. All of them were just a little more broken after Gi's death. Kumo took a deep breath.

"There's a current, but we should all be strong enough to swim past it. Don't look too far into the deep though. It looks back."

***

Unaware of her sibling's journey far below, Tiria sat cross legged on the giant toucan, her eyes fixed on the dark compass that pointed towards the Main Continent. Though Krayli had left, Orchid, the Hidden Spider Progenitor had joined them.

The young Progenitor felt the loss of Gi just as they all did, but to the Spider, Tiria was her spiritual leader and her quest to save Gi might as well have been a request from Danna herself. Chum, as always, sat at her side, his eyes focused forward on their destination.

The problem with their flight was that there was nothing to occupy Tiria's thoughts. Day turned to night turned to day, but they just kept flying towards the Main Continent without ever stopping. She kept an eye on the compass, but after the initial path, it didn't really change.

Chum waited in silence with her, but Orchid prayed.

Goddess, your children live in troubled times. The dark closes in and the heavens have concealed themselves from us. During this time more than any other, we pray to you. We pray that your light pierce through the all consuming darkness that threatens to devour us. We pray that your light will break through and bless us with your wisdom.

At first, Tiria was annoyed by the constant drone of prayer, but as the Toucan's wings continued to beat, she realized that she hadn't prayed to Danna once since Gi's death. Part of her realized that she blamed her goddess for their current predicament. If her touch hadn't been so light on the clan, could they have saved Gi after the Queen's fall?

Another part of her realized that they'd overreached. Perhaps Gi had been forced to by Galvina, but either way, their clan had not reached the level needed to contend against the Fighting Drakes. Yet, they'd won anyways. Tiria's Heart was evidence of that. Was that not Danna's touch on their lives?

As her paw gripped the fur on her chest, a startling realization occurred to her. Every time Gi had ascended a Stage in the past, he'd always received a choice. This time, he'd gifted a piece of his Knot to his clan, but he'd chosen to give them the Heart of Crossroads.

His Quicksilver Body would have raised many new Classers and increased their fighting force, but... he'd chosen his Heart. When he knew his own death was coming, was it his firm Heart that he thought they'd need?

Tiria absently found Chum's paw and gripped it tightly in her own. She took a deep inhale before releasing. Her breath seemed to come from her mouth and the gaping hole in her chest, but her Heart beat reassuringly.

She prayed.

My Goddess, my faith has wavered during these dark times, but I've felt lost and hopeless. Even the path I'm on, I take in desperation. If it doesn't succeed, I don't think that I have the strength needed to continue alone.

I know from your Word that my thoughts and feelings must be a disappointment to you and my next request is selfishness, but please bless this path that I'm on and take care of Gi while I walk it.

Though my faith and my will are weak, I think he needs you the most.

****

Even with the Priests' healing, Samba only just today regained the mobility to walk without pain. His injuries protecting the clan in the Spiked Eagles domain had been severe.

And worth nothing, Samba thought bitterly. He paced around the Control building aware of how dire their situation was. Gi was dead. Tiria and Kumo gone. Even Poe had flown away. It was all up to Samba now, but what could he do?

Like all of them, he felt that gripping ache of loss in his chest. The Templar might be holding up better than the rest, but that was only because their numbers were constantly whittled down with every battle. It was on their flayed backs that the clan had grown.

It was Gi's madness that brought them to the brink, but Samba still wished his Progenitor were here. His plan might be insane, but he'd at least have a next step to take.

Corin, one of his Templar, entered the Control, smacking a fist to stomach in the sign of the Mother. "The monsters of Myshk have retreated to Igna now that the forests have burned. The Myshkin leader is with them, but his wounds don't seem to have healed enough."

Samba could imagine all of the forest's monsters no longer able to hide when they'd been exposed to the sun. He looked upward as though he could see them above the lake, crossing into the mountain.

"The humans will attack soon then," Samba said.

"It's likely. Yes."

"Thank you. That will be all for now."

After Corin left, Samba followed him out of the Control building. Many of the clan still sat around despondent, leaning against the buildings. From their food stocks barely taking a hit, he knew that many of them had forgone meals.

They couldn't last like this. How did the Coastal Goblins survive so well?

Samba found himself entering the home he shared with Tala. She gave him a tired and concerned look as he entered, but the two of them didn't talk. Instead, he knelt to where his kids were quietly sitting on the ground, more focused on playing with their river stones than anything else.

He scooped all three of them up. "Helm, Greave, Shield - I love you three so much. You make me so proud."

Samba's Heart resonated with his love and he knew that he would do whatever he had to do to protect them.

"I love you too, daddy," Helm said, ever the sensitive one.

Greave bounced, impatient to be out of the hug, and Samba gave one last squeeze before he let them go. Unlike those fully grown, the kids seemed the most resilient to Gi's loss. They were still more subdued, but they didn't have the same crippling pain as the rest of them.

"Did you come to play with us?" Shield asked, innocently.

Samba ruffled his fur. "Not yet, kiddo. I need to talk to mommy first."

Tala gave him a quizzical look, but the two of them stepped off to the edge of their rounded home and sat on the simple rope beds that had been made for them.

"Humans will attack soon," Samba said softly with one eye to make sure his kids weren't listening in.

"We should leave then. I don't have confidence that Myshk can win after the battle against the Queen."

"Most of our clan here can't swim. Hidden Spiders, Cave Goblins, Cleaner Slugs - we can't just leave them behind."

"So what do you plan to do?"

"What I always do. Place myself between the clan and our enemies and hope it's enough."

"That's suicide."

Samba shrugged. He'd already resolved himself to die. He'd hate to leave his children, but it might be nice for the emptiness in his chest to be gone. Tala thumped him on the shoulder.

"If that's the best you can come up with, you're no longer in charge of the plan," she said with finality. She took a deep breath and rubbed her cheeks as she thought. Samba didn't interrupt her. Tala's strength made his Heart flutter, realizing again why he'd fallen in love in the first place.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do."

****

Light coalesced, bringing form to the goddess known as Danna. Slight confusion creased her brow as she looked around at the dark cell with a strange familiarity. Its blocks were made from a dark stone and the bars seemed to be a steel that didn't quite shine.

Her memories of Noctua and her battle against the Father finally came back to the forefront. She checked the power inside her, but much of the faith from Gi's clan had fallen to a trickle. Only two streams of it were steady and consistent.

It would have to be enough.

Just as she was about to scrape up what little faith she had and dip for power within the river of Truth. She stopped, realizing two figures were watching her.

The first was Fader, the gruff and unrefined red-haired human who even in the after life wore a heavy plate mail as though that was his own skin. He must be one of the worshippers of The Father so it made sense to find him here in the Father's heaven.

The second figure made her heart catch in her throat. Even her divine being couldn't stop the emotion from entering her mind. A golden furred otter watched her from behind the bars, his eyes searching hers. So many emotions whirled around in Danna's heart as she tried to find the right words to say after so long, but fear was the emotion that her heart finally stopped on.

What was Gi doing in the Father's heaven?