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

Wyatt Graves

A spark of pain wakes me up as my eyes open to Bonfire slapping me in the face. He's hardy, healthy, and excited as he points in a direction. Groggily, I look to my right, still half-asleep and bewildered, not even sure where I am or if I'm still alive, only to find Silas holding his left eye with his right hand.

The usual fire of the Undead from Death's gift doesn't illuminate through the holes in his fingers. Instead, I see violet chains leak out from the socket while the man himself is magenta.

What?

I rub my face, even as Silas groans in pain, shouting at the air. My eyes search the surroundings, settling upon a decapitated head before everything rushes back all at once.

"Oww! Ow! Calm down! Relax! Please! Just for a second! I'll try! Okay!"

The fight. First Seatco, then Eldest.

The one arm I've got stiffens up as I stare at Kate's head. She's dead. Dead.

My teeth grind as I remember how I first met her. All the way back in Pridestead. She saved our asses, helping us all fight against Motherbound and Nahullo alike. And even after, she aided me some more, telling me how to grow closer to Blodwyn better.

Without her, I might still be lost on how to reach him.

She was a friend. Not the closest, as she always managed some distance, but she was one. Mie, too, though... I can see that she is still alive. I'd say I was closer to Mie than her 'sister' regardless of their forms. Nevertheless, we were close.

Her smile appears in my vision, overlaying the grimace on her decapitated face. It halts for several moments, unmoving and unchanging, as if it will never leave. Then, flashes of that Reaper sear through my eyes, and I double over, aching in pain. Fuck! Scratching my own face, the sensations vanish as if they were never there. All that remains is the emptiness of another dead. Of... my own death and Kate's passing.

I recall her laughs, rare but not non-existent. She often laughed at Mie's oddness or Blodwyn's bizarreness. She saw the faults in artifacts as simple personality traits to work with, not fight or extricate. Seeing her corpse... it makes me wonder why I'm not dead myself.

"Thank you... I'm sorry. I'll do what I can to help, just... give me some time."

In the corner of my eyes, I watch a man sit and apologize to the open air. Silas's words are energized, possessing a life he did not have before. One eye still burns with the Flames of Undeath, and the other wields a violent violet charm. The man is talking to himself aloud, not likely used to what it means to be a Wendigo, though his situation ought to earn a new title.

He is deceased, after all. However, I'm not a name-giver.

Mechanically, I shift my eyes from Kate's body, asking Aniwye, who is sitting just a few feet away with her single eye tightly shut. She appears to be meditating, likely lost in thought, but I need an answer.

"Are we going to... bury her?"

My mother shakes her head. It is a simple movement, but it is followed by a depressing string of words.

"No, little one. I am sorry. Kwakiteh must be burnt, lest we risk her becoming one of those... Fallen."

A bone-chilling breath leaves my throat as my muscles give out. I wasn't standing, only propping myself up with my arms. With the lapse of force, I fall onto my back, glaring at the false sky above before rapidly shifting my gaze. I can't risk seeing Death anytime soon. Especially not after... whatever that was. How come it didn't take me? Was Ma right all those months ago? Is Death afraid? Why am I so hard to kill? And why... why isn't she?

"So that's how it ends, then? A whole lineage? A whole people? Like that? A single moment?"

My words enter the air, questioning everything and everyone here. Silas falls silent, not even speaking to Mie, who is undoubtedly feeling far worse than I am. I look at each person, not even surprised to find Birdie. I don't ask what went wrong or what happened. I just wait for an answer.

Aniwye doesn't respond. She simply sighs loudly, her great body releasing enough air to shift the dust around her.

Silas stays silent, too. His eyes don't leave the earth.

Bonfire's enthusiasm dies. I can see it in his eyes as he falls onto his ass, the fire in his voice gone. He doesn't attempt to lighten the mood. He simply runs a fingernail along his arm, arcing the nail over the patterns in his skin left behind by the Darklight in place of the scars.

Virgil is elsewhere, likely scouting the terrain ahead since he recovers the fastest after me.

Birdie, Marion, and Otto sit next to each other, recovering their wounds and relaxing in the moments we have to do so.

It is both the least likely and most likely member of our group that finally opens up.

"A moment is all it takes, Wyatt. She is not the only one who will die down here. That is something assured. Did you really expect to descend to Hell without any casualties? And kill Eli? Don't be ridiculous."

My words are frozen in my chest by Lennon, but I still manage to get some out.

"But we didn't even get—"

"Exactly. We have only passed the first hurdle. There will be many more. If you do not possess the mettle I believe you to have, turn around. Go back. No matter what anyone says, I would not look down on you. Together, we killed a Demigod. A Demigod, Wyatt. Would you believe that a year ago? Two? Three? I couldn't. I—We have come far, but knowing when to retreat is half the battle."

My knuckles clench into a fist as I find my pack, the large thing kept with Aniwye due to her size. Opening it, I retrieve the backup arm Earl made for me. It's not as strong as the first one, possessing far less of that super-durable material, but it's enough. According to him, it's about eighty percent as tough.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

I just need an arm, and my hand was blown off by the Marshall Protocol. At least, we can reuse the bits that remain.

Reattaching the arm with a grunt, the flash of pain appearing because I'm not as adept with installing them as Earl is, I reply to Lennon. I meet the man's gaze as he sits against a rock, quiet and remorseful. He feels this death just as much as I do, only he's learned to push through it all. That's... so sad to think of. Death of his friends is so common that for him it's just another mission, another order, another bounty.

"I am fine. We can continue whenever. But... Let's give her a funeral before we go. The last Comanche. What a damn shame."

Lennon groans as he stands, the man's Dominion shifting to help him balance his movement. Look at him, trying to hide his injuries. What an idiot. Whatever. I'll help him later.

The swordsman finds a pack of matches from our supplies, but Bonfire shakes his head and takes them. The pyro takes the responsibility, and the three of us stand before the body before another person comes limping by.

Silas stares down at the body, tears falling from one eye while the other, lit by a ceaseless flame, is utterly dry. Mie's voice leaks out of their shared body.

"I love you, sister."

I bite my lip as Bonfire extends his palm, a swirling crimson flame bursting forth to devour Kate's body. The flesh burns quickly, and the fire grows into a roaring inferno, forcing us all to step back.

"Sorry. She... she is burning faster than I thought she would."

Nodding, I tug on Silas' shoulder. Lennon is already grabbing the strap of his bag. I can almost swear, though, I saw something fall from his face and hit the ground. I don't comment on it. He wouldn't like that.

"Come on. Let's go. We're on the edge of No Man's Land. It's not safe here. Mie..."

I call for Mie specifically, and she pleads with me softly, her mind connecting to mine. I lower my head as I agree.

"Just a little longer."

Stepping away from the fire, I walk to Aniwye. My mother grabs the food, water, and medicine that was taken out for everyone as she tosses them all together with her mind. Then, she greets me.

"All better, little one?"

I shake my head. Nothing is better. Aniwye pats my shoulder before I notice Silas striding past me. He thrusts something in a wrapped package into my chest before heading deeper toward No Man's Land. Each of his steps is filled with fury, despondency, grief, and a hundred other negative emotions. Whether him being like this or emotionless is worse, I don't know.

Together, we leave quickly, the fire still burning, the raging pyre so bright that we can no longer even see the body inside. I'm the last in the group to leave, staring at the radiance for several extra moments.

But as all things must, I leave, turning around.

As I do so, though, I hear an odd noise. It's like... a baby's cry?

My head pivots as I listen closer, Echo formulating with my Ether—a second passes, then two. Still, I hear nothing out of the ordinary. All I hear is Lennon hurrying me up.

"Come on. We got demons to kill."

Shrugging, I ascend the next mountain, formally entering No Man's Land. From here on out, it is rough terrain, deadly demons, unpredictable ghosts, and unknown horrors. The next destination for us to even rest at is the Cardinal, the legendary river days worth of travel deep inside the region.

"Goodbye, Kate. Thank you for everything. I am... sorry I wasn't good enough to save you."

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

Several days pass before we even take a break—four, in fact. When Birdie told us about the demons here, she was not lying in the slightest. Motherbound are everywhere. Few untainted demons are around, but they aren't impossible to find. We tend to let those go, knowing things must be just as awful for them. They'll help kill Motherbound anyway.

The environment makes it even harder to hustle toward Hell, too. Mountains, valleys, hills, everything one could imagine block or impede our path.

Sitting at our campsite, alone with Silas as the others have split up for various things, I inquire into the man and his new partner. His face isn't as insentient as before he became an Angel, but now sadness fills that empty slate, lingering infectiously.

"You two alright?"

Silas nods instinctively, yet the motion quickly slows to never end as Mie speaks aloud. Her voice follows the open channel to my mind that she conjures effortlessly.

"Horseshit. Kate is dead. I'm not. We always promised we'd go out together, 'cuz what's the point if one of us is dead? Now I'm stuck with this hardass."

Silas sighs, arguing with Mie immediately. Oh no... I didn't know it was this bad.

"Hey! I'm not a hardass. You're just unreasonable! How am I supposed to just let you 'take over'!? That makes no sense."

My hand runs down my face as Blodwyn says to me what I'm thinking. The Arca sees it clear as day.

"They don't work too well together, huh?"

I agree with Blodwyn, but it can't be said this is unexpected.

"No, they don't. But it's only been a few days. How long did it take us to work together? Six months? Eight? Something like that."

My partner mentally nods, and Lily pipes up, joining the internal dialogue between us. She does it so suddenly that sometimes it's hard to remember she can hear us.

"Yeah, well, they don't have that much time. I'd say... another day, and we'll reach home!"

"Home?"

I don't mean to change the subject, but Silas and Mie are openly arguing. There is no rush to continue that conversation, and I'm beyond intrigued by her mention of 'home'.

Lily answers quickly, her response not quite being what I thought she'd say.

"Yeah! Where I was made! Remember the Cardinal? Well, my home isn't the Cardinal; it's a little shack beside it. Nice and cozy. Kinda like Edmund's, now that I think about it. That's where our father and Datura live! Or at least where we lived..."

I nod to her as I refocus, the argument before me turning into full-blown shouting.

"You can't expect me to drop whatever I'm doing to help your random idea or want! It doesn't make any sense! This is my body! I took you to save you!"

"Mhmhm!"

I clear my throat, coughing to get Silas' attention. The Undead faces me, annoyed, as I gesture at him with an open palm. If anyone can speak about this kind of thing, I think I'm the best, seeing as I'm now the longest-reigning Wendigo.

However, Kate held that title for two decades. I'm only a senior by a year or so.

"Silas. Things just won't work like that. She just had the person closest to her die. She's raw. Treat her carefully. Plus, your souls are connected now. You are going to have to share. Mie likes to read. She will have to read. And when it comes to fighting, trust her. She's a partner, not a nuisance. I've seen you two fight. It's uncoordinated, disjointed, and, frankly, downright awful."

Silas furrows his brows as Mie laughs joyfully through the mental connection, but I quickly turn onto her. She helped me when I needed it. I'll return the favor, even if I have to be a little harsh.

"And you, Mie. I know this is sudden. I understand she's... gone. But Silas is not her. He cannot just replace Kate. Give him some time. That pain won't leave any time soon, but you can withstand it. I promise."

Mie, the actual eye, shifts to look at Silas' nose. It's almost as if she's taking control and staring at the man himself. It looks a bit comical, but I don't feel even a hint of laughter as Mie groans.

"Fine... I'll try. But... Just... I wish I could just cry. It's so hard to when we aren't sharing."

I give Silas a glare. He doesn't understand. There are some concessions that need to be made. I'm lucky that Blodwyn is still developing and hasn't entirely found all the things he likes to do yet, but getting him artifacts to eat is not easy. He's also a fucking glutton. I have to eat thrice as much as anyone else to even slightly satisfy him.

"Silas. Give her the eye. Total control. No. Both eyes. Let her control your vision. See how it goes for a while having control split between you two. It'll be good practice."

Silas exhales a breath despite not needing to breathe, the act one totally made of vexation. Nevertheless, he does as I ask.

"Fine."

And as he agrees, tears begin to flow from that single eye. They are discolored, slightly pink and purple. Under the right light or at first glance, they could even appear to be bloody. Yeah. She'll need some time to get used to all this.

I turn around while Silas asks Mie what her favorite book is, the man attempting what I asked him to do. My focus quickly shifts to Ether. I've fallen behind on Ether manipulation and control. In the recent fights, mostly against weaker demons, only four in total being Angels, I've practiced my Accretion Ether almost exclusively.

It would appear, for some reason, that both Blodwyn and I share the same Plasmic Ether. I don't really find it all that odd, but Aniwye, Lennon, and Birdie are beyond shocked. Virgil simply shrugged and said he was not surprised, yet their reactions stuck with me; even now, I am thinking back on it.

Is it really that rare to share the same one?

I don't know. But I do know what it does.

It pulls in more Ether, making anything, whether it's a construct of Ether or a simple skill, draw in more than what I put in. It's dangerous and easy to lose a grasp on, but it holds so much potential.

I clench my fist, forcing Ether to swirl dangerously, inputting some of my soul into the substance. The more I do so, the easier it becomes, like I am acquiring a more substantive control over my own soul. Nevertheless, Accretion is challenging to do, still requiring Blodwyn's help in condensing Ether even days later.

The... thing I did days ago to pull out the Darklight from Bonfire is not likely something I'll ever do again. It was unrefined and dangerous, hardly even practical. I can already do something similar with half the lethality to myself.

Still, I concentrate my mind, letting Blodwyn hold the Ether in place, keeping the Accretion from gathering too much Ether and gaining too much density. While he does that, I yank one end of it, pulling it toward the end of my hand like a blade.

Immediately it breaks apart, a massive section of my hand ripped asunder by the divergent Ether. Laughing it off, however, Blodwyn and I try again. What is a single lost hand when Blodwyn can regrow it quickly? Dangerous practice isn't all that dangerous if the injuries inflicted are healed in a matter of minutes.

The lack of care for injury makes our progress rapid, and two hours later, as Virgil sits down beside me, utterly silent so as to not distract me, I succeed.

The Accretion is hauled to the edge of my fingers as it finally peaks out beyond them. Once it does, I let the force grow, the Accretion hauling in even more Ether. The great part about this is that I use far less Ether than I would have to in order to produce the same effect normally.

A smile spreads along my lips as the Accretion begins to break down, the stretched part lengthening even further. Standing, I lash my arm forward, aiming it toward the sky for testing.

My hand explodes from the force, blood, bone, and gore raining from above, but a rotating, oval-like blade enters the sky of the Underworld, ripping open the air. The sheer sound of the skill echoes throughout the mountain we are atop, bouncing off all the rocks and edifices.

Virgil groans beside me as he slides the bones off his coat.

"That seems pretty strong, but could you... not exsanguinate yourself onto me?"

I grin, my hand already reforming from the bone. This is just the start. That's way better than Hone. It's a fucking projectile because it is so fast. When my hand finishes healing, already clenching into a tightly bound fist, I restart my practice. I need to be better. I couldn't get close to Eldest. With this, I won't have to.