Why are you doing this!? Serkukan, why!?

One of his giant hands wrapped around Tartys’ skull, lifted him from the rubble.

Tartys did not react. His eyes were glossy, glazed over like he was bored, completely disinterested.

And Serkukan turned to the red moon in the sky behind him, through the gaping wound which severed the scorched house around them.

“You recently returned to me my ultimate power, boy,” snarled the Great Red One. “And you still ask me, why does a god not bow to a man? When I arrived here, I was but a whelp. Now I am blood. I am war. My words bleed and hiss with your throes of death. My body grows as their blood spills…” He waved his other hand at the corpses nearby, a family crushed under the collapse of the house. Cedric cried out within his mind.

“The more devastation I cause here… the faster I can rid myself of you.”

Tartys slipped from the big hand's grasp, leapt onto Serkukan's arm like a balance board.

“I always thought you'd die sooner. Your ambitions have ever been too great for your form.”

Serkukan swung his arms, his dance with Tartys began.

The deft god slid low, dropped into a deep crouch, sprung up like an arrow at Serkukan's face.

The hulking God of War sidestepped the attack, shot a wide kick into Tartys’ body which launched him through the remaining ceiling to a shower of flames and woodchips.

“In Azar'kara, I hoped they'd torture you. I hoped you'd break beneath their tools.”

Tartys came back down, slapped his palm onto Serkukan's shoulder and left a black handprint. The handprint began to grow — he struck his palm against the daemon half a dozen more times before he landed.

Serkukan stomped down onto Tartys, cratered the ground with the impact. The walls wobbled and shook, threw the remains of the building down like boulders onto them both.

“After the Rejoining... When Vekzul approached us in the middle of the road, informed us of our enemies… When we breached Haketh... We always teetered on the knife's edge. I always hoped you'd slip.”

The blackening handprints burned out into embers — Serkukan destroyed his attack.

Tartys clicked his tongue, but had yet to look any more invigorated in the fight.

“Now comes a new ultimatum — I can kill Tartys...” His foot slammed down onto the man. Tartys caught the foot, his own feet split the ground beneath him. His braced arms barely even wobbled. “I can kill him, and be stuck with you forever.”

Tartys plunged his hand into and through the oversized foot. He sliced through the flesh like his forearm was a knife, sprayed crimson mist.

Serkukan grinned while Cedric took the pain. “...Or I can allow us to die. And I would be free.”

Tartys slipped from beneath the foot, leapt onto it and lunged upward. Serkukan was still growing — his foot was now almost as big as Tartys himself. His giant black wings stretched and cracked through their glossy membrane, like an insect escaping its cocoon.

Serkukan threw a hook for Tartys. The man’s momentum changed entirely in an instant and he passed the fist, reached Serkukan's face with his blade arm retracted for a piercing strike.

Reality warped. Serkukan was gone.

And one of his big hands wrapped around Tartys’ legs both when he reappeared a step further. He swung the man like a ragdoll into the ground, into the ceiling, into the wall, finally flung him like an asteroid into the houses across the road.

Hunters were there in the street — they staggered back like ants to the growing monster, shouted and screamed as the projectile hurtled toward them.

NO!

A prismatic, platinum glimmer filled the air, deflected Tartys away from the men. His body flipped seamlessly off of the deflection, he landed like a cat on his feet.

Serkukan growled, “Dyosius… That's the only reason you've survived so long...”

But a cracking from behind caught their attention — a crackling unlike the fire.

“That took some doing…” muttered a voice… Copper’s voice.

They spun around to see a massive skeletal figure, sinews holding him together. He was just as big as Serkukan, as big as a two-story house. His glare, his face, that fractured and twisted skull… was horrifying.

The Hunters recoiled below. They pointed and screamed, “Daemon!”

Serkukan glared at the men. Then he turned his attention to Copper.

Another voice came through — Vrail’s voice? He said, “Serkukan… It's my honor that I should be your chosen opponent today.”

“Fuck your honor,” he spat, and he charged.

Serkukan, turn back! Tartys is going to kill those Hunters, he's…

The two giants slammed against each other. Copper’s bone hands grew and stretched over Serkukan's arms. The Great Red One howled and thrashed, shattered the bones attempting to encase him.

“I'm empowered by Rykaedi's undying ability, Serkukan. You cannot kill me.” said Vrail.

“I can kill whatever the fuck I want.” His knee slammed through the ribcage of the daemon, but the bone only reformed defensively, grapplingly.

Serkukan lumbered back again as that ribcage stretched out around him.

You only know brutality! You can't comprehend killing something unkillable, that's why you needed me! That's why Llestren'vatis sent you to me! So heed my fucking command!

Serkukan began a fit of crushing blows, each just slightly off the mark from the reforming mass of bone. Even the blows that scraped that constantly moving thing did not debilitate it, nor did they leave any lasting damage. For Serkukan alone, the fight was indeed impossible.

That's it! Tartys and Hemah aren't really these incredible powers… you just can't figure out how to wound them! You punch and kick and thrash like an infant!

Put me in control. Put me in control. Then you'll see how we can fight, then I'll show you why you should cooperate.

Serkukan howled, threw an immense flurry at Copper.

The skeletal mass accepted the blows only to break down into goopy bone marrow, to encase Serkukan's arms and slow them down, hold them taut as the liquid quickly solidified, quickly fettered him in a cage of bone.

Serkukan glared backward. Tartys was almost finished eradicating those few Hunters who hadn't fled. He turned his attention back to the red demon.

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SERKUKAN! LISTEN TO ME!

The Great Red One finally faltered. The bone assault by Vrail and Copper’s fusion became immense; spiked spines of oozing white bone jabbed and pierced his flesh repeatedly, covered the great demon in gaping, bloody holes.

YOU ONLY KNOW THIS! YOU ONLY KNOW RAGE AND SHEER POWER!

I KNOW REALITY IN KIND.

And Copper’s bone became ash instantaneously, withered him away into the breeze. His amulet lingered, a violet glow burned fiercely in its glassy carapace. He would be reborn.

Serkukan lunged for the amulet. Tartys finally lunged for Serkukan.

His hand wrapped tight over Copper’s necklace. The glass cracked. Violet mist seeped into the air.

"RYKAEDI," he howled in dragontongue, his wings flexing, splaying wide. His spiked daemon head stretched into the head of a dragon. His body gleamed through the black smoke. "LET FUSE OUR FLESH, LET OUR VESSEL BECOME ONE."

And the great red dragon Serkukan towered over Calamon in a vision that made sane men tremble.

"D-dragon!" came their poor cries, their gasped breaths.

And the dragon cocked his head. His nostrils flared with flame and ash.

DON'T DO IT!

But it was too late, for Serkukan's breath of fire suddenly engulfed half the city. The Great Red One of Etheria had fully embodied himself in the mortal plane — and his reign of fire would now begin anew.

X

Tirolith screamed as her blood-encased form swept through the wind, launched at Hemah with unbridled fury; the sort of fury that Serkukan would be accustomed to.

She reeled back as Hemah grew closer and closer, still delayed by Ithlo’vatis’ and her own time dilation abilities.

But Hemah warped — the ley twisted like spacetime and cut their distance short. Her own fist struck Tirolith hard in the face and stopped her momentum short. The girl's neck spun backward, snapped against the whiplash of the impact.

Hemah chased the girl as she fell limp, screamed an impassioned, frenzied cry. Her fists struck Tirolith a thousand times more, did not stop striking her even as shards, chunks of crystal ice exploded into bloody snow from the girl's body.

Tirolith blacked out; her icy defense was shattered, her body was taking the full force of Hemah's horrible flurry. Blood spewed from her mouth as she fell.

And Hemah warped beneath Tir, caught her by the head, reeled her toward the ground like a comet.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The world shook again. Tirolith’s body impaled the world.

Hemah darted toward Aeon again, now unabated by the fleas which pestered and pricked at her. No more would she be stopped. No more could they defend…

“...ALGIRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!”

Ithlo’vatis landed gently on the ground, Faunia Vleren held close in his arms. He laid her down between the forests, beneath the amber and azure dusk that now engulfed Kylinstrom. Blood dribbled from the corner of her mouth, from her gaping hole which he had encased in ice.

“Faunia. Faunia, wake up.” He shook her. He wiped the blood from her lower lip.

Then the Silver Sword opened her eyes just a crack. She hissed in a struggled breath. Her eyes widened when she remembered the hole, felt her lungs burn and constrict.

“Relax. Your lungs are healing — I've made a shell of ice around them. You're low on blood.”

Faunia let her head fall back into his glove. Her eyes shut again.

“Remain conscious. Tirolith is fighting for you.”

He looked up to the crater where Tirolith had hit, still steaming from the damage. He winced. She hadn't yet emerged from the hole.

"Faunia... You're..."

“Mh…” Faunia muttered something. Her hand came up, wiped blood into Ithlo’s collar and gripped it tight.

He shut his eyes. "You're dying. Tirolith can't heal you fast enough, I can only slow it down, use my ice... But we're both too slow. We're not enough..."

Faunia shook her head, tried again to speak.

Ithlo leaned in closer to her.

“Mhak…”

“What is it, Faunia?” He took her hand in his own.

“Make me whole.” she finally managed to say. “I have the power to stop Hemah…”

“The power? What are you…?”

“In Alisa… when I was fighting Kogar… I realized how to deflect… How to warp the ley to my whim…”

Ithlo’vatis ran his mind through Truth, considered what she was saying. “You discovered how Antithesis works?”

She nodded.

“But to make you whole would…”

Faunia opened her eyes, stared at him with a piercing gaze. Neither of them spoke. He felt a chill run through him. His gaze became glossy.

"You want me to sacrifice myself... to fix you."

Her bloody hand touched his cheek as he began to drip and melt. He held that hand. Faunia said, "I want you... to save Caloria..."

What is it that compels man?

Dyosius is the key to it all.

Dyosius is your motivation?

He held her hand tighter. His eyebrows pressed together in somber decay.

Dyosius is what made any of this possible.

But Dyosius is not why you do it.

His hand began to melt into hers. Her skin became damp.

Dyosius is what keeps Cedric moving forward. What keeps the Knights moving forward.

And?

Faunia managed a smile. And I do it for Cedric. And I do it for Calamon. For Caloria.

His hat fell onto her chest. White ice expanded over her torso.

In all of Truth... human motivation is the one thing that eludes me... I'd like to learn... If you'll teach me...

Her leg took a foothold. She began to stand.

I'd be happy to.

Ithlo’vatis’ face became deathly pale, deathly tired. He fell to his knees, fell into her embrace.

Rest easy now, brave Ithlo'vatis.

I think... I think I would like that. In all of Truth... I never did discover where Liara ended up... Maybe... Maybe now is my chance...

His coat became her own. She donned his hat as her embrace became nothing more than a hug around herself.

Good luck. And, goodbye.

And then she stood where Ithlo’vatis once stood. Platinum, rainbow energy began to cover her body in a dense aura.

Her breath came out frosty: “Dyosius, the most powerful artefact ever conceived in Etheria... is just an extension of human will. Thank you for understanding that, Ithlo’vatis.”

And she shot into the air silently, like a rogue’s arrow, pulsating with insurmountable, unimaginable power.

I hope you find her. I hope you find Liara...

And for his sacrifice, no more would Hemah terrorize the world of Caloria. Faunia Vleren would make sure of that.

X

Kogar laughed sickeningly as the gargantuan crimson dragon enveloped the horizon. His eyes began to bulge further and further from his head, threatened to pop out as his laugh became more frantic by the second.

“Serkukan! SERKUKAN! Split the ley, SPLIT THE LEY!”

And the twice-ley did his bidding, unraveled and stripped down and left a massive gap where once that intricate weave of magic was painstakingly crafted over their world.

No one will have power here! No one but me!

His eyes bulged, he buckled over with hysterical laughter.

“I am Kosos! And I rule this domain!”

And he turned to the crimson moon in the sky.

“Today is the fated day! Today is the day that Cedric Castelbre DIES!”

And the Petal ripped itself apart around him.