Now, Northern California

Cal stood at the terminal’s large window.

Out on the tarmac people were bustling around one of those fancy private jets. Hoses snaked across the ground from a large fuel truck to the jet, while equipment, luggage and other gear were being manually loaded with the aid of a lift.

“Never thought I’d fly inside a plane again,” Phillip said.

Cal regarded his dad for a moment. “Nervous?”

“Not a huge fan of flying, but this will be my first time in a private jet.”

“Should be better than economy,” Cal nodded.

“It’ll be nice to be inside for a change. No offense, but flying with you and Rayna… scary. Nothing between my feet and the ground.”

“And yet you jump hundreds of feet in the air.”

“Not a huge fan of that either. Still, things at a few hundred feet aren’t as tiny as they look when you get up into the thousands of feet. Easier to deal with.” Phillip grunted. “I’m going to the bar. Want to grab a couple of beers?”

“I thought you can’t get drunk anymore?”

“For the taste and to remember the old days.”

Cal’s dad clapped him on the back.

He was about to join his dad when he noticed Detective Ordonez and Jake approaching.

“We’ve got a couple of hours before departure. I’ll join you in a little bit.”

“Don’t take too long. I can drink a lot faster now,” Phillip shook his head ruefully, “would’ve been a useful ability back in the old days. Would’ve drank all my friends under the table,” he explained at Cal’s questioning look.

“It’s a bar, basically free, why don’t drink something that tastes better than cheap beer?” Cal said.

“Ah,” Phillip’s eyes widened with understanding, “top shelf stuff.”

Cal watched his dad walk away. He didn’t need his telepathy to notice that his dad was dealing with some emotional stuff. Going back to the homeland knowing that most of your family and friends were probably dead—

He let out a long breath.

He didn’t feel the same ties as strongly.

Relatives across the ocean were an abstract thing. Twenty plus years since he had visited them had pulled the threads thin.

Had he made the wrong decision to travel to the Threnosh World?

Should he have done more to secure his relatives’ safety?

Seven thousand miles seemed a paltry distance in comparison to the distance between worlds.

Even now he couldn’t deny that his main motivation was saving his brother.

The rest were a distant second, which bothered him.

“How old is your dad?” Jake said as he drew near.

“Like mid to late sixties?”

“Damn, dude! He’s like, so yoked. I’m actually jealous. No offense, but like he makes you look small—” Jake waved his hands, “I mean you’re totally shredded and built too, but your dad’s like a scaled up version of you…”

“It’s fine,” Cal said flatly, “my dad literally grew several inches and added a lot of muscle thanks to the spires. I, on the other hand, am exactly the same as I was on that night. Well, I did add a lot of weight thanks to the increase in bone and muscle density.”

“So, like you can still get gains?”

“I’ve tried, but I think I’ve physically plateaued.”

“Your father looks to be in his early fifties to my eyes,” Detective Ordonez said.

Cal waited, but there was no further explanation.

“Our discussion from earlier wasn’t finished.” The detective’s displeasure was clear in the set of her brows.

“Yeah, I’ve been dying to ask about your ha—”

“Gates,” Detective Ordonez pointed to the side, “wait and be silent.”

Jake rolled his eyes, but ambled away about a dozen feet.

“That prosthetic is amazing. A mix of magic and technology,” Cal glanced at the detective’s pant-covered leg.

“If you say magitech I’m going to shoot you.”

“With a normal gun or your magitech one?” Cal grinned.

“You seem to know a lot for having been away for years and immediately flying away to the south on your return.”

“I keep in touch with a few people,” Cal shrugged. “Did you get my messages? I didn’t get any replies, so I wasn’t sure if you did.”

“I did and there was nothing more to say. We’re already watching out for cult infiltration, so it’s a simple matter to add this elf to the list.”

“I’m not sure if that’s the right term to use. The Vitiator didn’t identify himself, but that’s what he looked like to me. At least close enough to some depictions in our fictions.”

“Gates was devastated.”

“Elves weren’t supposed to be evil,” Cal agreed.

“They’re also fictional. This Vitiator is real and you shouldn’t have preconceptions on how his morality works. Are you even certain he was a he?”

“His race, species, whatever, appears to have the same conception of gender as us. Granted, I’m going by a sample size of one, so…” Cal shrugged. “What’d you want to talk to me about?”

“The governor is interested in official relations with your sister.”

Cal laughed.

Detective Ordonez scowled. “You know what I mean.”

“Two things,” Cal held up two fingers, “my sister isn’t in charge. They have a governor and a government. Also, you can just send a message to get the diplomacy started.”

“Governor Richards would like a favorable word from you to get things started.”

“Okay, I saw a spire somewhere around here on the drive up. I’ll send my sister a message. She can get things started on her end.”

Surprise flickered across the detective’s face.

“What? Governor Richards seems like a decent guy and your government is decent overall. Alliances like this will be the key to our ultimate survival. I know the nature of the true threats we face out there. The Deep Azure is just one and I’m pretty sure even it is in the early stages of its growth.”

Detective Ordonez grunted. “That was my read on it. We aren’t the only ones that grow in strength with time and struggle. The levels, whatever it is you do to get stronger… monsters do the same. The Deep Azure is doing just that for itself and its army. This truce will only last up to the point that it thinks they’re ready. Then they’ll roll over us like a wave.”

“Is that why you guys threw everyone at claiming the airport?”

The detective bristled at the implication. “It’s like the spires said. Survival is only possible through strength. Well, we need to do more than just survive. We need to thrive.”

“What kind of life is it if you’re constantly balancing on the edge of a blade?” Cal agreed.

“Claiming the airport wasn’t just about getting people levels. It’s part of a broader plan. One of the reasons why the governor wants to establish relations with Southern California.” Detective Ordonez narrowed her eyes at Cal. “This isn’t widely known, not yet.”

“I can keep a secret… unless it’s evil, then I’d have to do something about it,” Cal said.

“Something tells me that secrets are like whispers in your ears.”

He said nothing.

“We’ve established sporadic contact with several communities across the country.”

“How?” Cal blinked. “I mean that’s good news! More people out there… alive, surviving… thriving?”

“Unclear. Like I said, sporadic. In answer to your questions a mixture of methods. We’ve been able to get radios working, so that’s one avenue of communication. Spells occasionally work. Once we establish initial contact, spire messages work reliably, but the cost is prohibitive for frequent and detailed communication.”

“But, I’ve sent many messages,” Cal frowned.

“You might be the wealthiest man in the world,” Detective Ordonez said flatly. “What you’re doing in the standards of the old days is equivalent to spending $50 to send a single Email. We don’t have the same privilege.”

“Oh… wow… I’ve become the one percent,” Cal grimaced.

“If it makes you feel any better you’ve done more than any of those old bastards did to deserve it.” Detective Ordonez’s eyes darted to Cal’s left hand.

“I agree, but I can always do better.” Cal came to a decision. “I’m going to transfer points to you. Spire message me in the event of an emergency or if you have anything you think is important enough to share. I don’t want to make any promises, but once we get my brother out safely and deal with this fog thing the Deep Azure is next.”

“Hopefully, we’re still be here when you get back… Gates, I’m done here,” Detective Ordonez barked before she walked away.

“Yo, so like Bennett wants to see you before you leave. Ron’s waiting out front with a car.”

Cal had to hasten his steps to keep up with the taller man’s stride.

“Wait… you know Ron?”

“Yeah, we’ve been doing joint exercises for the last two weeks. Ever since we got word from you about this quest.”

Cal frowned. “You got a Quest for this?”

“Oh, no,” Jake shook his head, “no one has. I just think we probably will, right? Seems like a definite Quest thing. Traveling to a far off land, rescues, unknown evils… got all the elements.”

“Jake, people are going to die,” Cal said.

“Yeah, I know,” Jake sighed, “but we all made that choice. Better than staying behind and hoping someone else can save you. The airport Quest was brutal, but I sailed past Level 20 all the way to 23. Got more spells, mana and increased my device number cap. Now, I can do better next time.”

They fell into silence as they walked through the empty airport. Their steps echoed through the cavernous space. It was eerie, like everyone in the world had vanished. Which wasn’t far from the truth.

Cal would never get used to that sense of complete loss.

“Hey, man. It’s been a while,” Cal said as he climbed into the car’s front passenger seat.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ron said with obvious unease as he put the car into gear and pulled away from the curb.

“So… how you been?”

“Pretty good, all things considered.”

“Your sister?”

“Good, good,” Ron cracked a grin, “Hillary’s a teenager now, so that’s… fun. Wanted to come along on the quest. Threw a fit when I laughed.”

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

“They don’t like that,” Cal agreed.

“Just cause she’s got a fancy Class, thinks she can handle it,” Ron shook his head ruefully. He glanced at Cal out of the corner of his eye. “Apprentice Techmage.”

Cal looked back at Jake. “Isn’t that your Class?”

“Yup, we do this, like, future career, class, program thing. Testing stuff, see if the kids have tracks that fit them better than others. I don’t really know how it happened, but one thing led to another and I ended up with an apprentice. Your sister is awesome though,” Jake clapped a beefy hand on Ron’s shoulder. “Makes me look bad,” he laughed.

“How does that work?” This was a first for Cal.

“I don’t know, like any mentor thing, I guess. Help her with coding spells into her devices, stuff like that. I think she gets bonuses for being an Apprentice. Like, she’s got five spells, five devices. When I was her level, I only had two spells, though I was able to have them on more devices. Three of her spells are weaker though.”

“Like those three are copying off of yours? The apprentice gains access to the master’s spells,” Cal mused.

“That’s exactly it. The spires said she gets additional spells based on what I have and my general ability level. The awesome thing for her is that even if she stops being an Apprentice she keeps those extra spells. They just drop to their weakest level. Right now, they’re scaled off of mine.”

“This sounds like a powerful tool.”

“Yup, making next generation apprentices has become a point of emphasis. Not successfully, so far,” Ron said.

“It’s been less than six months. Give it time, dude.”

“What about you, Ron? Still a Police Officer?”

“Watch Officer, actually. It finally hit me that Davis PD hasn’t existed in ten years and wasn’t coming back. The Watch is real and I believe in what we’re doing. My Class changed after I acknowledged that.”

“How’d it change?”

“The spires talked to me. Gave me the choice. It’s not that different. Most of my Skills remained the same. The ones that changed became more aggressive, just like the new ones. It seems to fit. My role is more violent now. It’s not about keeping the peace.”

Cal disputed that, but he didn’t care enough to voice it. To Cal, Ron’s old role was based around performing violence more than they’d like to admit.

“The new Class will be more useful to our mission than your old one,” Cal said.

“So…” Jake began, “what happened to your fingers?”

“A golden angel ate them,” Cal said. He didn’t elaborate further.

Silence descended over the three men as they drove to their destination, which turned out to be an administration building about halfway in between the old terminal and newer terminal. It was a short distance as the crow flew, but took several minutes due to the looping roads.

“We’ll wait out here,” Jake said as Ron parked the car near the entrance.

Cal sensed more unease from two men, but he kept his telepathy closed. He had no desire to intrude on their thoughts.

“Bennett’s a little different from when you last saw him,” Jake said.

Cal walked the building’s empty hallways, following Jake’s directions. The lights were off, which wasn’t a problem for him. Superior eyesight and extrasensory perceptions guided him down to the archives several floors below ground level.

Complete darkness ruled.

Numerous rows of box-filled shelves lined the gym-sized space.

Faint lights flickered at the far end of the expansive room.

“Bennett?” Cal called out.

No response.

He walked, unconcerned, toward the lights, which turned out to be several candles arrayed on a large paper-strewn desk. An open laptop sat to one side. What appeared to be a map of the local area was on the screen.

An other’s thoughts whispered in Cal’s mind.

It was his only warning.

He spun around and thrust his hand out a split-second before a tall form seemingly stepped out of the shadows dancing on the wall.

“Bennett,” Cal smiled.

“I wanted to see if I could catch you off guard,” Bennett’s grin revealed sharp canine teeth.

Cal regarded the Vampire.

Bennett had always reminded Cal of a stooped scarecrow, hunched in on himself, supremely conscious of his great height.

Now, Bennett stood tall, straight. Aware and proud of his power.

Cal was struck by how pale Bennett’s skin was. It was almost white.

It wasn’t just the complexion of someone that hadn’t gone outside in a few months.

There was a hunger in those red eyes.

Concerning.

“You look like you could use some sun.”

Bennett flashed teeth. “I don’t disagree. It’s just that I don’t want to burst into flames again.”

“Again?” Cal raised a brow.

“Not intentional. There was a fight with some bad people. A rescue. Circumstances required my activity much too close to the dawn,” Bennett shrugged.

“I remember sunlight gave you a bad sunburn after a few minutes.”

“As my levels increase, so does my strength. It seems that the same can be said of my vulnerabilities.”

“So, if I were to throw a handful of rice on the ground, you’d have to pick them all up one by one?”

“Fortunately, no. Sunlight, silver are the worst of it. If you don’t count the growing hunger.”

Cal kept his face a bland mask. “How bad?”

“Be assured that I’m in control of myself.”

Cal nodded. “That’s the bad news. How about the good?”

“I’ve focused my growth on my animal minions, the shadows and my physical capabilities. My time in San Francisco battling the Deep Azure’s cult taught me that I can’t simply hide and do research. I can, I must contribute much more.”

“I haven’t had much time to read over what the R&D team put together, but I heard about the prototype gear we’re bringing along. Magitech… it’s honestly exciting!”

“Mana batteries. Spells placed in weapons and armor that anyone can use. Jake and Hillary have been a great help in their development. I only wish I could come along to see them in action.”

“Same here. You’d be a great help, but the risks…”

“Yes, I couldn’t come up with a safe way to transport me across the ocean. Besides, I’m needed here to defend our hold on the airport. Not to mention our ongoing Quest to claim the territory between here and the heart of the city. We can’t tempt the scions by removing all of our most powerful people.” Bennett circled around Cal and sat down at the desk. “What will you do after?”

“The Deep Azure is next.”

“Good,” Bennett nodded. “I have one request.”

“Sure.”

“Protect the R&D team going along to maintain the equipment.”

“I can’t promise to keep them safe,” Cal sighed, “but I’ll do my best.”

“There’s nothing else I can do except ask, so I’ll have to be content with that answer.”

“I’ve never been one to throw away lives.”

“Yes, of course, but if it’s to save your brother?”

“My life would be first on the block and that’ll be enough,” Cal said. “I wouldn’t need to ask anyone else.”

“One last thing. You should visit the cemetery.”

“Which one? There are a bunch in the city.”

Bennett wrote down directions on a sheet of paper. “Our people are there. The ones we lost in the years you’ve been gone. Against the monsters and more recently, the fishman cult.”

“I will when we return,” Cal took the paper.

“Do it now.”

“We’re leaving in a few hours as soon as it gets dark.”

“Not if you want Hanna to go along with you.”

“I was under the impression that the whole team was en route to the airport if not already here,” Cal sighed.

Bennett shrugged. “Ask Hanna. She doesn’t tell me much.”

“Okay then.”

“Oh and thank you for the Threnosh gear. We haven’t made any headway into copying them, but they’ve been a wonder to study. Hanna might not mention it, but she loves the armor, sword and shield. At least we’ve been able to create more ammo for the recoilless rifles.” Bennett turned back to his desk.

“Good talking to you, Bennett,” Cal said as he turned to leave.

“Come back in one piece or at least without more missing ones. The Deep Azure won’t be content with peace for long.”

----------------------------------------

Now, Manila

Eron couldn’t find any sign of Madalena and the others.

The lack of visibility due to the fog meant that he couldn’t just climb to a high spot and look for them. Even his superior hearing was useless. The fog muffled that too, at least outside the hundred foot radius where its effects were minimal.

He had wasted close to two hours when he decided to turn back.

Nothing to show for it except for a few dozen shades of monsters and people he didn’t know defeated.

The latter were tough to fight.

Not because of their abilities. They weren’t a threat to him. All they had were weak spells and Skills. The fog didn’t create them with weapons, just with what they were wearing when they were subsumed.

No.

What made them tough were that they talked to him.

They told him where they had last seen their loved ones. They asked him to save them.

Eron had been all over Metro Manila in the past eight months. He was certain that said loved ones were already dead or part of the fog. Indeed, he had seen that bear out a handful of times.

A shade described a loved one that Eron would encounter at another time also asking about the other one.

More often the shades begged him to free them, even if it meant killing them.

At first he had avoided fatal damage. Three months in he started trying.

Damn them all.

He tried to kill them, but it never stuck.

The shades disappeared into the fog only for him to encounter them again.

More questions without answers.

Focus.

He needed to focus on keeping Lilah safe.

He was such an asshole for taking a twelve year old girl out into the fog.

Not that there was much of choice… was there?

A quarter hour later Eron ran down a fog-shrouded street while carrying Lilah in his arms.

The girl kept her eyes screwed shut as shades came out of the fog, snapping and grasping at them.

Eron didn’t stop he dodged around a twisted dog, then leapt over a bear-sized monster that resembled a mix between a cat and lizard.

He ducked low, just avoiding the snapping mouth of an over-sized snake.

Eron’s heart pounded in his chest.

Fear.

Not for him, but for the girl that counted on him to keep her safe, so that she could keep them all safe.

A glow in the distance defied the fog.

It signaled sanctuary.

Eron jumped up to the top of a three story building to bypass the mass of monster shades crowding the narrow street in front of them.

Lilah squealed with fright at the suddenness of the move.

A monster emerged from the fog. Teeth, claws and muscle barring the way.

Eron leapt and planted a foot on its head.

His next leap carried them down to the street.

Asphalt cracked under his boots as he sprinted the last few hundred yards.

The attacks faded into nothing when they reached the warded house’s umbrella.

“Is it getting worse?” Lilah squeaked as Eron plopped her down in front of the front door.

“Nope, about the same as before,” he lied as he turned his back to the girl and prepared to defend her, sledgehammer in one hand.

Lilah whispered words.

Indistinct in Eron’s ears despite his enhanced hearing.

The words were magic, gibberish to the non-magically inclined.

Eron had watched Lilah work before. He knew that she was tracing the sigils with her hand, putting her mana into it to renew and recharge the protection it provided against the fog’s intrusion into the house.

Palpable power sent tingles running across Eron’s flesh.

It stopped suddenly.

Gasps.

“Lilah? Alright there?”

“I’m fine, just need a few minutes to catch my breath. The main one is always the hardest to do.”

“No rush, take all the time you need.”

Silence.

A handful of heartbeats.

“Kuya Eron?”

“Yeah…”

“Can you keep talking… the silence is creepy.” Lilah’s voice was soft, small.

“Sure, what about?” Eron knew that the fog was tough on hardened fighters. Even he found it creepy. It said a lot about Lilah that she willingly faced it every few days.

“About the world… maybe about one of the places where people are safe from the monsters.”

Eron hesitated. He regretted telling the children about some of the communities he had helped set up all over the world. At the time he had thought it was a good idea to give them hope, but true safety wasn’t really a thing. “That’s— I mean… how do I choose.”

“What about the kids like me?”

“Ah… well, they call it rune magic, but it’s very similar to your sigils. Actually, I think the only real difference is the letters. Effects and methods are similar. Have you considered tattoos?” Eron mused.

“Ugh… no,” Lilah said in disgust.

“Just saying… it might a possibility. The rune kids I helped out do it. Makes them stronger, tougher, protected. You can blast spells straight from the symbol. Sorry, you wanted the story? Well, the kids were in a rough spot. Turns out the spires brought along an evil Santa Claus, monstrous, disgusting and he or it was taking kids in his magic sack—”

“Not that part,” Lilah said. “After you saved them.”

“Right… sorry,” Eron’s grimace was hidden by virtue of his back facing Lilah.

And so he told her what she wanted to hear.

It was mostly factually correct. He glossed over the trauma of recovery for those unfortunate children. He focused on how they had grown stronger over the last few years. How they were now capable of defending the small community he had left them in. How in the end they had triumphed over their suffering.

It wasn’t entirely a lie.

The truth was that not every wound healed completely.

But Lilah didn’t to know that at the moment.

In time the girl was ready to continue.

So, Eron stood watch while she renewed the other sigils on the exterior of the house.

Once finished Lilah slumped in the stool next to the front door.

All Eron had to do now was check on the people inside then he could take Lilah back for her well-deserved rest.

He knocked on the door, gave the code and carried Lilah inside once the door was opened.

Frightened faces stared back at him.

He plastered a smile on his face and told them that everything was fine.

It made him feel like a liar.