The grand hall crumbled into flat rubble with hundreds of fins circling and cutting from the fountain and water. The girl leaped about, using the rushing crowds as steps. The people were cut down without screams and the clear water ran scarlet.

Seer maneuvered and dodged the sharp fins, getting ever closer to the spewing fountain. The attacks slowed as the hall mounded with bodies, blocking the fountain’s attacks. ‘Forgive me.’ The waste of mundane life pained her, but the sacrifice was fine. Their lives would have been used by the Sovereigns if left alone. Better to die for her than them. The pain of each death weight on her expanded consciousness, each their own world of emotions and thoughts. The bodies acted on their own commands following her will unless she personally sought control. For a normal person, existing in several places as several people would strain the mind too far. Seer had broken eons ago.

She commanded her minions to rush the fountain and walked around the now opened air villa towards the glass sarcophagus. Naomi’s body laid pristine and tranquil inside. Seer cracked the glass and spent a moment admiring the body. Naomi’s flaw froze her body, keeping it ageless and pure.

Master’s created new bodies as they ascended, needing only the soul to follow the path. Corrupted souls could not trek ascension. ‘Rio prepared well.’ Seer shattered the case and felt another fragment appear. Now longer cut off from the world, Naomi’s soul returned to her body once again..

‘What a wonderful gift. Perhaps I’ll spare the Krelm saint.’ The sleeping beauty opened her blue eyes. She sat up, her black dress flowing over her chiseled curves. Fear and shame flashed into Seer’s conscious as she looked upon Naomi. “Don’t fret. Rio won’t see you like this.” She said from the little girl’s body. Amadea was a boon from entering the waking world. Here she had ready access to awakened and even masters, though the latter were frustratingly harder to take over. Their staunch mindsets and wills were annoying to overcome.

Seer turned and took a fin to the neck. The awakened of Song crumbled to the ground. Naomi threw out her hand, freezing the world. The fin halted, trapped in ice before Naomi’s face. She strained to hold the powerful creature back, no longer bolstered by Seer's corrupted powers. ‘If only your flaw regards your soul. Too bad you didn’t ascend in time’ She whispered to Naomi. The woman’s heart became like stone and she suppressed her thoughts. Seer chuckled, is so far as a conscience could. The effort was admirable.

‘A pure body at last.’ Seer had no interest in falling deeper into depravity. ‘Oh what does Weaver have in store for me?’ Seer leaned Naomi down and helped Amadea reattach her head.

‘It will do,’ she thought as the ice cracked.

The alarms of the city blared in the distance, the government dispatched to deal with the disturbance.

“I’ll leave you here to divert this thing’s and Caesar's attention. Do with them what you please, Siren Queen.” Amadea’s lips curved in a wicked grin. “Of course, Naomi.”

~~~~

The grass receded as Shane stepped by, hiding from danger. The lush field fled, leaving barren soil and scrambling critters. Bastion stood on the horizon, a beacon of human presence in the alien land. The rain here gathered, flooding the empty flats and soaking Shane’s feet.

‘Why would anyone settle here?’ Shane wondered. The land was inhospitable to grown crops and lacked any natural resources. The answer lied ahead of him. A one story hall that reminded him of a church made from rough stone overgrown with moss. The citadel.

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Shane passed warriors in armor, embarking for the ridged hills that housed the only things of value in the area. The crustacean nightmare creatures of this plain were usually awakened and below, but sported heavy shells that repelled even the most potent of awakened memories. Shane tested the shells against his bullets to an anticlimactic result. He guessed that the forgemasters of Valor could make better use of the shells than using the raw materials as armor themselves.

Shane pushed open the wooden doors of the hall and was greeted with the smell of roasting food, spices, and musty people. The hall was filled wall to wall with activity and Shane pushed through the awakened to the gateway. Instead of sitting on the throne to return to the waking world, he stopped before a haggard figure at the corner. This man was different.

“Helianthus,” Shane said. The man didn’t respond. “Don’t tell me you’ve stooped so low,” Shane gritted his teeth. He could smell the alcohol from his friend. What was worse was the missing leg. Sighing, Shane sat down beside the man and started smoking. The chatting atmosphere persisted, avoiding the gloomy corner.

“You’ll ruin your lungs again,” Helianthus muttered. He looked up with foggy white eyes, auburn strands plastered to his face.

“I’ll stop if you agree to hear me out,” Shane offered, lighting his third. The man returned to being dumb and mute. Four. Shane could feel his body rejecting his actions, annoyed by his active effort to poison himself. Ten. It became hard to tell the hearth smoke from Shane’s own.

“Enough,” Helianthus knocked the pack from Shane’s hands. “What do you want?” Shane regarded his loss with sadness before looking at the man.

“She’s in the waking world.”

“Then it’s already over.” Helianthus slumped against the wall, waving away the bitter smoke. Shane coughed and clenched his aching chest. He needed to stop, lest he burn himself out too soon.

“She has one of Kendrick’s minds.”

“And Rio?” Shane shut his mouth, losing his words. ‘What of Rio?’ Shane hadn’t heard anything for months. Gwen was unaware of his whereabouts either.

“Likely dead,” That had an effect on Helianthus. He shivered and the fog in his eyes receded, just a little. “Is Nico okay?”

“He’s somewhere out there. Conquered the nightmare before the solstice.”

“It’s been months though,”

“Still alive. He hasn’t turned hollow.”

“I see. Please, leave me be.”

“That’s it?” Shane questioned, outraged. Helianthus shrugged. “I cannot help Nico and I couldn’t help Rio. I failed.” Shane smirked and yanked the man up. “You failed?” He hissed. “You didn’t even try!” Shane slammed the master against the wall, causing it to shake. The hall fell silent.

“You ran with your tail between your legs and drank yourself into this!” Anger boiled in his stomach, rising through his mouth as poison. “You got reckless. Arrogant. And it cost us. You didn’t fail. You didn’t try.” Shane threw Helianthus down watching the man flop like a fish. A shadow of his former years. It was a mistake to come here. Gwen would have known what to say. All Shane had was anger. He failed. ‘I failed.’

Shane reached for his discarded pack. Helianthus grabbed his wrist. “Don’t,” He commanded.

“I don’t take orders from you anymore,” Shane let out cooly.

“You have a way of asking me back, Shane.” The man’s leg blossomed like a flower. Stems stretched and wove themselves together as Helianthus stood. “Class and Rank?”

“Corrupted Titan,” Shane couldn’t help but smile a little. Standing before him was not a drunk outcast. Tall, straight backed, square face, and stern eyes. Helianthus practically burned with anger. The Red Dawn rose again. “Welcome back, Captain.”

“I’m not coming back.” Helianthus whispered. “I’m going out for revenge.”