Atop a twisted tower with the likeness of a narwhal's horn, a figure wreathed in tumultuous smoke gazed out. Aside from the tower, only a sea of what looked like shifting pieces of fractured, blue glass remained. The figure sighed, then turned his sharp gaze upward, where a sky juxtaposed the ground, looking like a fractured sea of red glass. The figure brought a finger to a small stone piece on his ear, “Another one's fallen. At this rate, all that will be left to save is ourselves, and you know that if we hole up in the Centrifuge we will have failed our reason for existing.”

A pregnant pause ensued, a small while later ending when the person on the other end of the comms device responded, “Yes… This would have been another of the easily avoided calamities if Kosetsu hadn’t up and left.”

The smoke-garbed figure snarled, “Damn him and his petty games! Of all the times to go off and play god, he had to go during the Season of Calamity! I can't stand to hear his name anymore, Ruin. He isn’t here, so let’s focus on getting this damnable problem solved.”

Ruin, on the other end of the comms device, sighed. “Yes, you’re right. We both know what needs to be done, but we need to decide who is best suited to the task.”

“Wait,” another voice chimed in with a gravelly voice, “what are you talking about, Ruin?”

“What she is talking about, Barren, is so improbable and costly that I doubt its even a little bit possible,” Cinder said before Ruin could speak.\

“Silence, Cinder. Reign your emotions and think clearly. What other options do we have? We cannot violate the verdict of Chaos, and we cannot appeal to him because he’s no longer a sentient being. We must act within the strictures, and that means only one thing, seeing as Kosetsu has abandoned his station. We’ll deal with him later, but we must first assure the survival of reality.” Ruin said, flinty in her tone. Cinder grimaced, but held his tongue. 

Barren spoke again, this time annoyed, “Explain yourselves. What is this great task to be done?”

“We must do what has not been done since the dawn of history. A new Cataclysm must join our ranks…” Ruin said in a grave voice carrying her reluctance to commit to the path she spoke of.

Barren, in spite of Cinder’s and Ruin’s morose faces, laughed loudly. “Ahhhhh… That is a goliath of a task indeed, Ruin. I would rather put my fate in the hands of a mortal than bet on the odds of a new Cataclysm, but it would seem that there is no wiggle room. As you’ve probably thought this through already, I assume you are aware of the ways we must change our policies.”

Ruin uncharacteristically snarled, “Dammit, yes I do! We’ll be exposing countless lives to calamities. I am ready to do it, though, if it will give everyone else a chance, though.”

Cinder spoke before Barren could, “Enough chatter, let’s get busy. We all know what must be done, and we need to inform the others. Ruin, I assume you know what you need to do while Barren and I spread the news?”

“Mm. I’ll speak with Astral.”

…

“That’ll be $348.78. Cash or credit?” Enoch said while looking up cheerily at the bear-looking man before him, with the voice to match.

“Credit. Thanks for the assistance, kid.” he said, voice low and barely understandable.

Enoch smiled, “No problem, fella… Alright here’s your receipt, have a good day.” Enoch watched the man walk out of the hardware store. Once he was gone, Enoch sighed happily as he slinked to the stool sat in the corner of the hardware store he worked at. Once he felt his weary buns press comfortably upon his favorite stool, he closed his eyes, listening to music through his earbuds while keeping an ear out for customers entering.

After a few songs passed, Enoch heard a pointed clearing of a throat. He whipped his head up, opening his eyes wide. “Oh! I am so, so sorry, ma’am! I normally would have heard someone enter. Do you need assistance with anything?”

The woman, who Enoch was fiercely fighting an urge to check out, was around his age – 23 – and one of the most gorgeous people he’d ever seen. She smiled, making Enoch twitch, then said in a sing-song voice, “Yes, I do need your help. I know a lot of other people who need your help, too.”

Enoch nodded, “Uh, well, yeah. If you or anybody you know needs help with a project of some kind, I can offer help.” He swallowed a lump in her throat when the woman’s sweet and innocent smile turned predatory.

“So… You mean you’ll help me and my friends?” She spoke in the same sweet voice, but Enoch noticed an undercurrent of supreme satisfaction. He felt a little weirded out, but wasn’t going to renounce his offer.

Enoch sniffed, then nodded, looking out the window, “Yeah, sure. I mean, I have to charge a fee depending on the project, but I’ll get it done cheaper and better than most contractors around here. What is it you’re working on?” He raised an eyebrow, looking back at the woman. 

“Before you help, I think you ought to know my name. I’m Astral.” She said, relaxing back to the state Enoch had met her in.

Enoch nodded, “Nice to meet you, Astra. My name’s Enoch. Enoch Aadland.”

Astral shook her head, “My name is Astral, not Astra.”

Enoch decided to ignore that oddity, offering a polite smile, “Oh, sorry. Astral, got it. Anyways, what do you need my help with, anyways? And where is it? I need to know the address.”

Astral giggled, “No, there is no address, sweetie. I’ll take you there.” Quicker than thought, Astral reached over the counter and grabbed Enoch by the hand, then yanking him into a shoulder throw. Instead of crashing to the ground, though, Enoch was sent through what looked like a sheet of rainbow crushed crystal.