*************

Wyatt Graves

My feet kick me off the ship when I see a flying fire zooming toward the distance. I hurtle through the air, the waters of the dock below me, and as I lie in the sky, a muscle in the back of my mind surges with wonder. I reach for it, sensing that it can aid me here.

I extend my arm, contorting a muscle hidden deep within as my Ether curls with impunity. The core of my chest, Blodwyn, who acts as both my heart and my partner, inhales Ether as well. It all moves like a chain of sequences meant to be.

And in a fraction of a second, I feel my chains not weaken but instead shift. They advance beyond my body, gaining actual physicality. Like the webs of a spider, they shoot out haphazardly, sticking onto any random crate or construct of wood.

My confusion impedes me from adequately controlling the Ether, so I crash into the docks. Shards of wood scrape across my flesh as I throw myself back to my feet. The instant I do, however, a thunderous impact comes from the Rising Tide.

I pivot, finding water like that of a tidal wave surging from the ship. But it cannot escape. A bubble-like shield is blocking any water from leaving the confines of Maddox's home. I must have barely evaded it.

A noise from afar shakes my attention even further. Turning back, I find that same figure from before, bearing two wings made of fire. One silver. One black.

The black flame is identical to the one that Bonfire has used a few times in the past. When the man is truly pushed to the brink, when nothing is left to burn beside his flesh. That is what creates that black flame.

Even months later, as an Angel myself, I still know nothing that creates such a unique flame. His flesh, once ignited, burns with an impetus specific to him.

And I can feel that sensation within that flame.

Glancing down, I find my chain in my own hand. With a slight movement, it fades back into obscurity, leaving me entirely. Panic reigns all around while the bandits and pirates here are losing their minds. Their king, Maddox, is being attacked beyond the simple duel he had planned.

I don't know who is attacking him, but there are only so many who could strike against the Sea's Shadow. I shake my head at that thought. It has nothing to do with me. I'll find this Feldman after I catch whatever this being is.

That glimmer of hope for Bonfire's life has turned into a raging inferno. I already regret leaving him. I can't make another mistake such as that.

Kicking forward, I dash through the city and reach out with my arm toward a tall building, letting that muscle flex deep within my mind. It's like a subset of Strugglers Gasp, but not. It works in a similar way yet with more flexibility. The notion is ironic in a way. Chains being flexible...

Hmm...

The interlocked piece of me, extending right from the vein in the middle of my palm, strikes into the wall of the clock tower. The tallest building in the entirety of Kingstown loses some bricks from the impact, and I can't help but be surprised.

This is like a better Leash in every way.

I tighten my fist around the chain and focus on the tip of the fetter attached to the clock tower. Upon my command, it expands and penetrates further, plunging into the tower's bricks.

Then, I run and jump, leveraging the chain as I force it to shrink, hauling me toward the top. I accelerate far faster than expected as I crash into it. Dusty bricks cloud me as I roll along the roof of the clock tower. But I don't let the fuck up slow me for long.

Focusing, I search Kingstown again, finding that fire once more toward the northern edge. Squinting, it appears to be chasing a group. A group of four?

The Insight left in the back of my mind echoes like a faraway thought, something I put away earlier to focus on the meeting with Maddox. But now, I yank it to the forefront, feeling the panic and hearing the shouts of the quartet.

"Go go go go! Natos! Fuck! Here! Bemola! Freeze it for a second! Damn it all! Why won't you fucking die!"

An eruption of metal that is visible to me from this vantage comes with the last yell akin to that of a rising avalanche. I pinpoint their location with both my mind and eyes before leaping off the clock tower.

In the brief interlude between sky and ground, I seek that skill again. It is odd, so close yet so far from my Power. Shaking my head, I Grapple again. Chains, born from my very essence with magenta tints, unfurl and snake outwards from my arm, seeking connection with the surrounding structures.

Tense and sinuous chains bind me to a wall for a moment. A deft contraction follows an intricate surge of force that propels me forward with an exhilarating speed. I can't help but smile partially at the sheer speed at which I move. For the effort, it's ten times more efficient than running at my maximum speed.

Buildings blur into vibrant streaks of color, a sliding show of motion and light. Gunshots ring out from the chaos of Kingstown, but I couldn't care less about them. A thought about Elizabeth blooms for a moment, but I set it aside for the time being. She's safe inside our room. From when I was awake, Virgil had put the fear of the Devil in the people around us. I doubt they'd try anything.

So, I focus on those lights in the distance. Amidst my movement, however, a disconcerting sight emerges—a true avalanche erupts from the ground below where the possible Bonfire is. The ice is a haunting reminder of both a former foe and ally.

Frozen and that bitch who killed him and Clumsy.

My jaw tightens in response, a surge of determination coursing through me. I push my newfound powers to the limits of my current skill with them, accelerating through the city's labyrinth like a living comet. I focus right on the fight transpiring, reaching it in only seconds.

Once up close, I stare at the flaming figure in the air, realizing that it is, indeed, Bonfire. I open my mouth to shout at him, but the man is far too occupied to respond to me. He doesn't even turn to me at all.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Locking onto the Nahullo that stabbed me way back in the wastes, I make her my first target.

The chaotic scene unfolds before me, and I burst into action. My target, Anodra, clad in the Councilmember's renowned Carcass, feels the full brunt of my arrival as I crash into them. The steel folds and bends under my force as I feel my knees crack.

Yet, only one of the two materials can regenerate on the go. A fierce takedown follows, my legs wrapping around their torso with sinewy flesh constituting them along the way, pinning them to the unforgiving ground. Beneath my weight, the figure struggles futilely, but I tap into my new skills that the visions and the tome spoke of. I tighten the spectral links of magenta that hold their limits with a supernatural finesse by closing my fist.

The struggle they are giving me recedes immediately, and I stomp on their spear, kicking it away from them. Then, I raise my foot, Blodwyn knowing just what to do. Bones extend from the sides of my ankle, dozens of blades pointing toward the Nahullo. She halts, staring me down as I return the gaze.

I could go for the kill, but I'd instead end this here. With a hostage, I might be able to make them retreat. I just want to make sure Bonfire is okay.

The man himself screams with rage as the twin-colored inferno covers him, blazing against ice and radiance.

As I maintain control over Anodra and check on Bonfire, another threat emerges. The Pygmy calls for me, adorned with flickering metal shards erupting from her palms.

"Hey! You sicced that monster on us! You fucking bastard! What is wrong with you? I thought you humans hated monsters!"

Her tone is accusatory while filled with rage. Swiftly calculating my response, I execute a deft evasion of the metal shards, narrowly avoiding the razor-sharp projectiles without removing the danger at Anodra's neck.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'd prefer if you shut the fuck up."

Seizing the moment when she doesn't have metal in her hands, I unleash the chain extending from my flesh, hurling it at the metal-clad assailant.

The Pygmy attempts to manipulate the chain, assuming it to be a conventional metal construct. Yet, my Ether seems to defy her expectations. The chain, imbued with the ability to impose weaknesses on others by tightening their fetters, pierces her shoulder with unerring accuracy. Now, grasping the advantage, I tug her towards me.

Her tiny body practically flies at me. And before she reaches me, my left hand metamorphoses into a bony blade poised at her vulnerable neck.

The sudden turn of events sends a ripple of unease through the remaining two, freezing them in their tracks. Even Bonfire pauses, the flames calming for just a moment as I shout into the air.

"STOP! BONFIRE! STOP!"

The man's wings heave up and down before letting him down slowly to the ground. The Pygmy in my hands, Timemi, if I remember correctly, glares at me. Whispers of threats leave her throat as I hold her in my grasp.

"You will die for this. That monster should not exist. You have only made Her stronger."

Timemi's words confuse me, but I don't loosen my hand. Instead, I glance back at Bonfire. As I examine the man, who is utterly silent while glaring at me, I realize there is something genuinely wrong with him.

That silver flame is precisely that: silver.

My heart freezes in its place for a moment.

No...

"Bonfire?"

The demon with light blue skin scoffs at me, stumbling back as she rubs burns off her flesh with ice. Her other hand holds her innards within her body, a scorched gash along her stomach.

"That is not whatever man you once knew, human. How naive can you be? No being can withstand Her grasp without having some Divinity of their own. And even then..."

Bemola trails off, but even still, I don't let my eyes leave Bonfire. The man looks right back at me as if searching for something within the depths of his mind. Silence reigns for several moments, leaning toward the greater half of a minute.

"Emmet? Are you in there?"

Still, the man doesn't respond. Yet... he isn't attacking me like a rabid Motherbound. He isn't mocking me like a Fallen tainted by the Mother Below. Instead... he's silently examining my face.

I give the Pygmy a deathly look.

"I am going to let you four go. Do you understand? Leave now. Otherwise... I will kill you all four with this... with Bonfire."

Timemi inspects my countenance for any hint of a lie before laughing out loud. I ignore what she thinks is my own naivety and drop her. The Pygmy stumbles back, massaging her shoulder that held her up by my chain.

"Very well. I hope you can deal with that thing. In the meantime... we will go join the fight we came for originally. Bemola quite wants that Ocean's Tempo."

The other three nod as I let Anodra off the hook. My serrated blade leaves her neck, but I need to know one last thing before they go.

"Who is fighting now? I left during the duel between Maddox and Lennon."

The demon with scars over his body in a similar fashion to Bonfire answers me while walking toward the ship. A lip harries his step, but the demon is still determined to meet the coming battle.

"Why, of course, it would be your two strongest 'Pillars'. You humans bicker like we demons under her Majesty, but you have way too few to do it in such a manner."

They all quickly leave, dashing away as if they want to be as far away from here as possible. Even as they run, though, Bonfire is still silent.

I pivot to face and walk toward the flaming man as I realize who is here on this island. Eli Weiss has arrived. Of course, he has. I bet the bastard even brought a bunch of reinforcements. But that's for later.

Bonfire is here. He's just not moving. Like a comatose or paralyzed man, he stares right at my face. There is no emotion. No hurt. No pain. No joy. No sorrow. No relief. Nothing that Emmet Knox would hold in his heart.

"You gotta be in there, Bonfire. You aren't attacking me. So, it had to be you. Speak to me. Please."

Silence hangs heavy in the air as I bear witness to the agonizing struggle within my close friend. The sickening grasp of Darklight has embedded itself into his soul at this point. I can see it through his eyes and even through his chains.

They are tainted. Not the pure magenta that they should be. Instead, there are hints of some rust on the otherwise flawless fetters. He's obviously not as far gone as Vernon was, but he's still not all there.

Yet, a subtle transformation begins to unfold before my eyes. The claws of insanity gradually retract, loosening their grip on his tormented soul. A flicker of recognition, a glimmer of familiarity, surfaces as he claws his way back from the abyss. The wings of fire that had defined his corrupted state begin to wane, their infernal glow dimming in the wake of newfound clarity.

A semblance of my friend emerges though the scars of the ordeal linger in the haunted recesses of his gaze. Or, more likely, the stubborn bastard crawls his way back to sanity himself.

I watch with bated breath as he blinks, inhaling a deep breath. Meanwhile, the silver and nightly flames that coat his back fade into nothingness. And in a surreal moment that only he is capable of, Bonfire reaches into his pocket, retrieving a match with a practiced ease. The sharp sound of its ignition echoes in the stillness as he strikes it, birthing a small flame that dances with ethereal grace.

A sad smile tugs at the corners of my lips as I recognize the gravity of his actions. Bonfire holds the match out for me as one side of his face twists up in a grotesque smile while the other is narrowingly halted.

"Found you."

I stride forward and hug the man, ignoring the match he has lit. Still, he raises above my arms so that the heat is not touched whatsoever. Nonetheless, he returns the hug with one hand.

"I thought you were dead. How?"

Bonfire pushes me away from the hug, focusing on the match's flickering flame. It's almost as if the flame grounds him to this reality.

"I took one of their Sigils. Don't even remember which. Clumsy and Frozen are dead. I saw it with my own eyes. And... I grew furious. We knew what we were walking into, though. The Cabin is not normal. It infected me. And now I'm stuck fighting these endless voices and waves of meaning. It's... not easy to talk."

I nod to him, understanding both the warning and the sensation. My hand reaches out for him, and the man shudders underneath my touch. He's been fighting this war within himself for almost two months.

Bonfire...

How? No... that doesn't matter.

I just want to help him. If I can use my chains to restrict others, then surely, as a Warden, I loosen them, too. Tightening my grasp as if to manipulate my Ether, I let chains extend from my flesh. My own fetters gain physicality as they attack Bonfire's

A physical connection is made as I contort my chains with some muscle added into my mind recently. And with the twist, I find Bonfire's countenance gain sanity.

The man smiles again, this time having significantly more normality.

"Not sure what you did there, but that feels way better. Still... you can't be with me forever."

He's right. I can't forever help him. However... I can do it for a long, long time. I Daydreamed myself until I could hold out against Blodwyn. There is no way this is that much more arduous. I can't find the grin to send back at Bonfire before feeling obligated to tell him something. Abraham is his best friend, after all.

"Abraham is missing. We don't know where he went, but I do have a lead on an Augur to help find him. Only... the Augur, Feldman is likely aboard that ship with all the madness going on."

Emmet Knox's cheeks shift in a way that is reminiscent of a Motherbound but uniquely set to his brand of madness. Then, he points southward, right to where the Rising Tide is.

"That ship? I can sense... half a dozen signatures of life. All of them Angels."

I raise an eyebrow as I nod to him.

"Yeah, that ship. But how can you sense them?"

Bonfire shrugs, stepping forward with legs. The man slaps them awkwardly as if he's not used to walking.

"Dunno. I just feel the fires—these damn things. I should regrow those wings, huh? Maybe this time they'll just be black."

I slam a hand on his shoulder as I grind him to a halt. Bonfire stares at me with curious intensity in response.

"Stop using Combustion. You'll kill yourself."

Bonfire simply shrugs, affording me an answer I wasn't expecting.

"I would if I could. I've been at my Ether saturation for a while, tiptoeing the edge. I think the only reason I didn't die is because the bitch below teetered me back and forth on purpose."

Sighing, I follow the man toward the ship on the other side of the island. Hopefully, with my help, Bonfire will be able to recover some more. As we walk, though, I hear the crackling of lightning in the far-off sky. It comes from a section of the air without any clouds. It's odd, but I don't have any focus to spare beyond finding Abraham.