Copper remembered life before Calamon, though he often chose not to.

He remembered long days in the playful sun, pretend swordplay and dreams of grandeur. He remembered sitting in his mother’s warm lap by the crackling fireplace every night. He remembered the soothing things she'd tell him, her tickling whisper in his ears. Her long fingers, gentle through his hair.

He remembered most of all when tragedy befell the Jinn. When the dead began to rise, and the conflict between the refugee cultures exploded into a full-scale war.

He remembered, though he wished he didn't, when his mother got sick. Some disease that nobody had ever heard of, some sickness foreign to their lands. People came from Calamon, doctors and prophets, people from beyond the Lifeless Sea. A group who called themselves Hunters.

Those Hunters said it was a disease called caine. They would not say what caused it, nor how the people so far away had begun to catch it. Or rather, it seemed they didn't know. Every theory led by that spectacled idiot Ivalié fell short, and every time the big cat Akvum only shook his head, stared somber at the ground.

But the young boy Copper… he discovered it. He discovered the place where the disease came from, some dank cavern beneath a graveyard on the Jinn’s southern landmass… the violet light which poured its halls…

Etherians. He had never heard that word before. And now, their very presence on the island was ravaging the people, throwing them into complete madness, bitter, unrelenting strife.

Years went by after his mother's passing. Years he spent in taverns, in guild halls, wandering the lands in search of comrades who had been similarly punished. He looked for those seeking vengeance.

And in those years, he assembled Jarus, Cassius, Clarook, Fig, Cosmo, and Neferio, an unseemly group of people, a group of people who only wanted revenge, only wanted to cleanse their land.

And in that violet graveyard cavern, they found her…

X

Where Copper had once stood, now there was a creaking mass of undulating sinew and bone, pulsating and crackling inhumanly.

He howled like a dying animal, a hollow scream with no empathy, no thought, no emotion. A dull scream, like he was bored more than in agony.

“He sacrificed himself…” muttered Cedric. His realized his sword arm had gone limp, tightened his grip again.

BUT DOES HE KNOW? THERE'S NO COMING BACK FROM THIS SORT OF DEBILITATION.

Cedric grit his teeth, winced as Copper's new form threw himself against Tartys with all of his strength, rammed him through a flaming building with a cacophonous blast that shook and crumbled nearby homes. Calamon’s King stood there frozen for a long moment. He saw silhouettes through the flames — Hunters were coming. He ran into the building.

The flaming ceilings collapsed, burst sparks and smoldering embers into the air. Smoke poured out around them, constricted his lungs until Serkukan found a cure — reality was forever altered that Cedric's lungs could inhale smoke with no debilitation.

He opened his stinging eyes just as a similar enchantment strengthened them. He could breathe, he could see… and then his skin shuddered and grew red scales as a fire protection enchantment became his new norm.

Copper had Tartys pressed to the wall, thousands of bony pincers and syringes were stabbing and tearing at him. Other bone extremities slammed repeatedly like hammers into the demon. His onslaught would not let up. As for Tartys, hidden beneath the mass of bone and smoke, that had yet to be seen.

Cedric faltered — a horrible ringing pressed his ears, dropped him into the fire. His body became warm. “Graaaaahhh!”

THERE GOES HEMAH. RECALL ITHLO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO LOSE HIM.

No! I have to kill her!

He felt the line of ley which still clung to her, stretched taut by the distance. He pressed it with his mind, threatened to snap it…

And then Hemah's platinum defense shot through it. Cedric's whole body glowed for a moment while he tensed in loathsome agony, screamed out and collapsed breathlessly to the ground. The roof finally fell snapped and cracked apart above him, fell with a weight like a boulder.

KRRRNNNNCH!

It was Serkukan's giant red arm which raised from the flame, caught the debris.

He emerged with flaming eyes, a massive figure born of muscle and blood. The Great Red One had returned to Caloria. And devastation would linger in his wake.

Serkukan! Serkukan, stop!

THE TIME FOR MERCY ON YOUR PLANE HAS ENDED. I'VE WAITED, I'VE WATCHED YOU FAIL AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY.

We haven't failed! We haven't failed, we've killed some of them! Half of the Twelve are dead or allied with us! We're making progress, Serkukan—

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

YOU'VE BEFRIENDED RYKAEDI. YOU'VE BEFRIENDED THE ONE WHO STOLE HER AWAY FROM US…

…Liara? What's your fucking obsession—

Serkukan stomped forward, toward Copper.

No. No, don't do it! He's putting up a good fight! Don't—

LET ME REMIND YOU OF SOMETHING I TOLD YOU, ONCE UPON A TIME.

Serkukan's giant red hand grabbed Copper’s skull, the only recognizable part of him in the mass of bone, and crushed. It crackled like a log, splintered beneath his grip. The bone shards pierced Serkukan's hand and bled him.

I SUPPOSE I WAS NOT CLEAR IN CROMER...

Tartys’ black hair was visible through the mass. Completely still. Unmoving.

WE ARE NOT ALLIES.

Serkukan grabbed the bone figure and threw him aside. He struck the wall with incredible force, crashed through into the neighboring house.

WE ARE NOT FRIENDS.

The figure stood massive over the man, as massive as one would think a god to be.

I AM NOT A SLAVE TO YOUR CAUSE.

He picked up a chunk of debris, hefted it over Tartys' head.

"I'm just biding my time until you suffocate." hissed the demon to his pawn.

Tartys finally lifted his head. Not the slightest scratch marked his skin. “Ah, good. I was beginning to get bored.”

And their battle was begun.

X

Faunia Vleren fell from the sky. A giant bulb of platinum, rainbow light hung there from where she fell.

There was a hole through the center of her chest. Blood spilled from both of her nostrils. Her face had gone even paler than usual.

F…

Faunia…!

…Faunia, wake up!

She gasped. The hole in her chest began to fill with ice.

I can stop the bleeding, I can!

Faunia smiled.

That's okay, Tir. She won. Let's be quiet, now.

Tirolith appeared at Faunia's face while she fell, clutched her by the waist. Her eyes were leaking tears like rivers. “Faunia! Faunia, no! I won't let you die!”

Faunia reached up, stroked Tirolith's helmet and left a smear of gloopy blood. “It's okay, Tir. You did good. We did…”

And her gaze began to dull.

NO!

A dense layer of ice exploded onto everything around instantaneously. Even that platinum bulb in the sky became encased in a giant ice cube. Time had frozen completely. Tirolith's momentum came to a jarring halt against Faunia's sudden stop.

And the young Etherian's face filled with churning rage. Her armor began to fill with Faunia's blood, began to glow crimson.

“I'll borrow this…” Tirolith's shuddering voice echoed through the new reality, “I'll borrow you and make you whole!”

THOOOOOOOOM!

Tirolith exploded away, burned her own crimson trail into the air. She thrust herself at Hemah, grew both of her hands into long red lances.

“HEMAAAAAAAAAAH!” she screamed out, tears turning into snowflakes behind her.

She saw Hemah through the platinum glow, flying in place toward Aeon, a thick trail of rainbow light painted in the sky just behind her.

Tirolith shot like a bolt at her.

And the Goddess of the Sun cocked her head at the girl.

Tirolith did not even have time to wince — frozen time fractured beneath Hemah's limitless power. The ice ensnaring the whole world melted to ash, floated weightlessly as Hemah's mass became immense.

Hemah had already struck Tirolith countless times, had already emerged behind her before even a second had passed.

Tirolith's stance lowered slightly. Her body relaxed. Her crimson glow became bright.

Then she tensed up again. Hemah's strike had been completely nullified. She grinned slightly, though Faunia's pain still agonized her.

Hemah was already on the move...

...But by then, Tirolith was faster.

And time froze around them once again. She glanced backward, looked at the new figure forming over her shoulder — the power she'd stolen in that instant when they collided.

Tirolith! You broke the bond? You're insane, she has no limits now...! How did you even...

“I'd give anything for Faunia's life.”

Ithlo’vatis appeared fully behind Tirolith in the air. His greatsword hung dully from his hand.

“Save her.”

And he vanished into vapor.

Hemah reeled back, broke the spell again as all of her power flowed back to her. She screamed an explosive shockwave into the air. The world quaked.

Tirolith took deep breaths. This is it. Now or never. Now or…

Hemah shot toward her, her speed only slightly reduced by Ithlo's fierce time powers. Faunia fell, found shelter in Ithlo's arms. He shot his gaze up to Tirolith.

Her eyebrow quivered. Her teeth clamped hard.

He nodded.

And her body relaxed. She knew what she had to do.