PreCursive

  Whe wisp of Rhazal’s vanishing soul dissipated into its po Aether, I doubled over in sudden weakness. I clutched desperately at Tzo’s staff to keep me standing.

  All of the strength and power that had been given to me by the Great Spirits was suddenly flowing out of me. It was like there igot on my soul that had suddenly opes valve at full strength, and was dumping the Aether right out of me.

  A faint mist was visible to my exhausted eyes, as it wisped off of my dirty, battle-stained body.

  When at st the draining of my borrowed strength had ceased, something in the core of me ached a tad. It was exactly painful, but it wasn’t pleasant. If I had to equate the sensation to anything, it would be equivalent to the soreness of muscles after a particurly hard workout. Something intrinsie had been stretched its limit, from the meddling of Elys and her panions.

  Speaking of…

  Above me, the Great Spirits were holding one final exge.

  Well!

  That’s one annoyaaken care of.

  Elys sounded out, sounding particurly self-satisfied. Orus sighed in answer, a sound akin to the rumblings of an avanche.

  IF THAT’S ALL, I’M GOING BACK TO SLEEP.

  I HAVE LITTLE I IN THE AFFAIRS OF MORTALS THESE DAYS.

  The gigantic representation of a mountain began to fade from the space we were in, only pausing momentarily when Neris spoke up again.

  DO HOLD ON, MY DEAR.

  I HAVE SOMETHING TO DISCUSS WITH YOU, WHILE YOU’RE STILL AWAKE.

  FOLLOW ME TO MY REALM AND EAK ABOUT IT THERE.

  Orus sighed once more, sounding very much like a ky old man, but acquiesced.

  VERY WELL, BUT BE QUICK ABOUT IT.

  At that, both the wave of Neris and the peak of Orus faded away, leaving only the moon of Elys, the sun of Tarus, and the mist of Anima in the surroundings.

  Tarus broke the surprisingly awkward silehat had desded on us. For as proud and sometimes nearly malicious as he’d sounded in the frontation with Rhazal, now he just sounded…sad.

  Elys…

  Was this e of circumstances...by design?

  I bli the odd words ing the representation of the Vereden's star. Design? What...did he mean by that?

  Was Tarus implying that...I was meant to be here? That Grey's lover had wanted me to be the oo kill Rhazal? I...didn't know to feel about that, and I'm not sure I had the mental strength to pte it.

  Elys, spicuously, did not answer. A quick roll of shadow rolled across the face of her silvery surface for a moment, impossibly fast. I had no idea what that meant.

  Tarus seemed to, where I did not. A sigh escaped him, sending a fre jetting out from his surface. The fires of his sun almost roiled dejectedly, as he spoke .

  Old habits truly die hard for us, don't they, my love?

  You ot stop yourself from meddling.

  Anything for the geion, after all.

  That seemed to be enough to snap Elys out of silence. Whe she spoke, there was a note of ess present in her voice that I had only heard when she addressed Rhazal.

  I am no longer your love, Tarus.

  That age is past us.

  You forsook me first, with your dalliah that…strumpet.

  But enough with this.

  These are private matters, and not for the ears of others.

  Nathaniel.

  I blinked slowly up at the moon, who had just shifted her rays of light to shine down on me. I had been leaning on my borrowed staff, just watg the odd spat betweeial bodies and trying to catch my breath. But now, I straightened up since I’d been directly addressed by my mentor's apparent lover. Moments ter, I felt Tarus’s attention fall on me as well, warming me in this void.

  Well done on sying Rhazal.

  I knew you could do it.

  Even if we had to do all the heavy lifting ourselves.

  Tarus grumbled, but without ao it. Elys just ignored him.

  Unfortunately, this isn’t pletely over for you.

  I felt a bolt of adrenaline roll down my spi her words. “Wait, what do you mean? I thought Rhazal was dead!”

  Well…

  His soul is dead, to be certain.

  Anima said, finally speaking once more. She had remained spicuously silent during the entire exge betweewo celestial bodies.

  Elys picked up after her.

  But not his body.

  Unlike you, he was not wholly transferred into the cord.

  His corporeal form still awaits you out in the physical.

  And you’ll have to deal with it.

  Fortunately, it’s just a husk at this point, with no driving will behind it.

  It should be a fairly simple affair for you to dispatch.

  Tarus appeared to finally shake off his attitude and mencholy and addressed me in a much more reasoohen.

  With the death of the driving mind, Rhazal’s Revenants have dissipated bato their po Aether.

  His shadow is slowly fading as well, and I begin to shine oal once more.

  The attu has been halted, but not before a milestone was reached.

  The danger is not yet passed.

  There was a grim too the proud voice of Tarus, while the implications of what he was saying sunk in.

  “There’s…still a ce Ixiah could e back?” I said, dread in my voice.

  Possibly.

  But only while Rhazal’s body remains on this side as an anchor for her to tto.

  That which bars her from Vereden has weakened enough that she might be able to do so.

  Which means we o get you out of here, and bato the real, so you deal with it.

  I wao sag i Anima’s expnation, just from the sheer exhaustion of it all.

  Hadn’t I done enough already? Hadn’t I given enough, sacrificed enough, to prevent this catastrophe? I just wao lie down and sleep for the week after everything that had happened. During the entire frontation with Rhazal that I'd been numb to the world. Fear and uainty hadn't touched me, much less thoughts of what could have happened if I had failed.

  But not anymore. They rolled over me in waves, and I barely held it together uhe light of both Great Spirits.

  I didn’t want to deal with any of this anymore. All I wanted was for someoo e and rescue me from the burden of having to be the savior.

  But…that was being deo me.

  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath to try and stave off my exhaustion, and straightened as best as I could.

  “Alright,” I said tiredly. “What do I o do?”

  Elys answered me, regret ione.

  Since you were brought here physically, it would normally be quite difficult to send you back.

  Fortunately, there’s an anchor we rely upon to guide you to Vereden.

  The you of my children, of whom you have a e with.

  “…Fade?” I asked her, fused. I looked around in the dark space I stood in, illuminated by the representations of the Sun and the Moon. I sure didn’t see a horned wolf anywhere near me.

  Yes.

  I already briefed him and Taran ouation, and my oldest son will help transport him here.

  One moment while I call him.

  Elys fell silent, and the glow of her moo dim for a moment. I was going to speak again to ask some questions, but I didn’t have the ce.

  She fred to her full brilliance again suddenly, and with it, cast a ray of moonlight down onto the surface of the cord to my right.

  To my astonishment, the moonlight thied, slowly shifting into a quadrupedal form wrought from her radiance. Details began to emerge as the struct began to dispy lupiraits I had grown familiar with. Fur and fangs and finally…

  Horns.

  A silvery imitation of the panion I had left behind in T?r Gronn stood beside me. After a moment, it blis eyes open, revealing startling emerald greehey look around for a moment in fusion, before settling ohe young wolf’s ears perked up, and then something happehat nearly caused me to fall over in shock.

  It spoke.

  “he struct of Fade said excitedly, rearing up on its hind legs aing its fs on my chest. ‘Fade’ was big enough now that he was able to lean up and start lig my fathusiastically, speaking iween eae. “It feels like forever since I saw you!”

  I cautiously set my hands on the silvery e of Fade. He felt real enough to me, even though he very clearly wasn’t actually here in the cord like I was. A disbelieving smile crossed my face, even as I felt tears well up in my eyes. I couldn’t stop myself from colpsing to my knees and burying my fa his illuminated fur. I didn’t care about dispying even the smallest weakness in front of the Great Spirits.

  I was…just so happy to see ahat I really, truly cared abht now.

  “Nathan?” Fade asked me, fusion in his ingruously present voice. “Are you alright? What’s wrong?”

  I closed my eyes, hidden from the world in his coat. “A lot has happened retly, that’s all,” I said quietly.

  Fade made a fused noise in the back of his throat, but it was Anima that spoke , in a geone.

  You’re almost done, Nathaniel.

  O service, and you rest.

  e.

  With young Fade’s help, I will lead you back to the physical world.

  Brother, Sister.

  She said, direg her words up at Elys and Tarus.

  I’ll take it from here.

  Elys and Tarus took the obvious dismissal in surprisingly good grace.

  As you say, Sister.

  We’ll speak ter.

  And Nathaniel…

  Thank you for your sacrifices.

  Do not worry.

  My beloved will be with you, ere long.

  At that, Elys’s moon faded from the shadows of the cord, leavih only Anima and Tarus. Said sun’s attention was on me, in an almost sidering way.

  Well.

  I'll say this.

  You’re more tolerable than your pirate mentor.

  You at least create a det bze.

  Maybe we work something out at a ter date.

  Till then, Precursor.

  Finally, I was left alone in the resulting sileh only Anima, and the struct of Fade.

  Up you go, Nathaniel.

  It’s time to go home.

  I took a deep breath, lifted my face from the illusionary fur of Fade, picked up Tzo’s staff, and leveraged myself to my feet. But I kept one hand on the nearly waist-high head of Fade.

  Home, huh.

  I guess...Vereden really was home, these days.

  Follow the trail, and I shall lead you back to Elderwyck…

  At that, the diffuse green mist of Anima all arouransformed itself. Now, there was a nearly solid green trail etched into the surface of the cord. I took it for the invitation that it was, a foot on it, Fade at my side.

  As we walked, I cast an eye down at Fade. “So,” I said quietly, my voice eg in the silence around us. “How have you been? Learn anything cool from Tara?”

  Fade’s muzzle sched up before he shook his shaggy head. He nearly speared me with his growing rack of horns, but the young wolf was scious enough of them not to. “No, not really,” He said grumpily. “That old fogey has mostly beeuring me about a bunch of b stuff. The most exg thing we’ve done is hunt, holy.”

  I smiled at the almost teenagerly churlish answer from him, fighting a chuckle. “Well, you’ve only been with him a few weeks,” I said. “Give it some time. I’m sure Taran will get to the fun stuff soon.”

  Fade snorted, brushing his head against my lead. “I guess,” He said sullenly, before perking up. “But I wish I was with you. I guess things got a little crazy after I left. Is…everyone alright?” He said, looking up at me. “Sylvia and that dwarf guy that was with you?”

  My smile faded and I looked away from him. I was almost tempted to lie, but…I didn’t want to be that kind of person. “No,” I said softly. “Sylvia is…hurt, and needs help from Grey. And Hook…” I stopped for a moment, before tinuing roughly. “Hook didn’t make it.”

  “Oh.” Fade said in a whisper, his ears drooping. He didn’t say anything after that. He just curled his tail around my right leg, in an obvious attempt to e.

  Which, holy?

  I appreciated.

  We walked along the viridian path Anima had id out for us in sileer that. It wasn’t straihough. It felt more like the two of us were drawing strength from each other.

  The journey didn’t take much longer. After an ierminable amount of time, the shape of a rge door suddenly appeared at the end of the path. It in door, wooden in make with a rge emerald set into the surface of it. I just stared at it for a moment, at the ingruous appearance of the apparent portal to the real world, here in the nd of shadows.

  I huffed a small, mirthless ugh.

  Meanwhile, Anima was finally speaking up again, after letting Fade and I have our walk together.

  This is where I leave you.

  Please hurry and dispatch the carcass of Rhazal.

  Young Fade ’t follow you out there, so I’m afraid you’re on your own for this.

  And Nathaniel?

  I looked over at where I thought she was, away from the portal. "Yeah?"

  Fret not over the maations of my sister.

  She thinks she has more power over these matters tharuly does.

  Your will has not been tampered with.

  You were simply in the right pce, at the right time, for the right task.

  Well.

  That was...ominous and slightly f at the same time. Something tickled in the bay mind then, and I suddenly remembered words Nerexxa had spoken to me.

  Providence, huh?

  Not sure I believe in that.

  I'd freak out about it ter.

  I nodded and k down to hug the illusionary form of my panion once again, with him returning it as well as he was able to.

  “I’ll try to stop by ohe war is over,” I whispered to him, in his lupine ear. “Until then, take care.”

  “You take care,” Fade whispered back. “It sounds like yetting into too much trouble without me.”

  I snorted and stood up. “Maybe,” I murmured, before speaking loodbye, Fade.”

  Fade looked up at me sadly for a moment before replying. “Goodbye, Nate.”

  I dragged my gaze away from Fade’s and turned around. Approag the door, I id one hand on the bronze doorknob and twisted it. Before I could lose my nerve, I ope, barely registering the bright pane of white light oher side, and stepped through.

  From one moment to the , I was back.

  I was in Elderwyce more. It was dark, I noticed.

  But not the dark of Rhazal’s murk. Instead, it just looked overcast, like it was about to rain or snow on the ravaged city. Faint rays of sunlight peaked through the cloud cover allowio see my surroundings better.

  I stood at the foot of Fort Duality, thankfully not appearing in midair from where I had been taken into the cord.

  Above y the near corpse of Rhazal, slumped over in the ruins of the castle. His monstrous head was bowed over his chest, and on said chest, his folded wings had drooped to brush against the stone of the courtyard. His eyes were open and staring at nothing, not a spark of awareness in that titanic gaze.

  From iween his legs, a small wisping circle of his murk still shrouded the Portal Stone.

  I just looked up at him dully. “Let’s get this over with,” I said quietly. I looked at the staff in my hand, now grown silent. I was surprised Tzo hadn’t spoken up before I had left the cord, but maybe that was for the best. I don’t know what else we had to say to each other. Still, I couldn’t t on being able to use this thing out in the real world. I had no idea of any of my Skills would even work with it, and the Lich probably couldn't talk to me anymore.

  I approached the wall of the Fort, aly rested the stave against the stone.

  I’d e back for it.

  For Rhazal, I needed a different on.

  Bag away, I pointed my new ‘Primordium’ hand up at the scales of Rhazal’s limp head, drew one of my Oninite daggers with my right, and cast Thrapple. The Skill flew from my new hand with an ease even my old prosthetic hadn’t managed, quickly tg onto one of the scales of his head. In moments, I had flown up to rest feet first on the disgusting of Rhazal.

  I k aed the dagger point down on the head. Taking a deep breath, I activated The Stilnt Bde, for a moment w if it would spear out into a monstrous swain like it had against my target’s soul. But no, the Skill funed like normal, coating my on in casg rainbow fire.

  Letting a relieved breath out, I looked down and pted my target. For a moment, I thought about saying something pithy. Something to the effect of ‘Die, monster!’. But…

  I didn’t bother.

  I just wahis to be over.

  I depressed the swity dagger and it exteo its full length instantly, pierg through the scales easily to find the brain within. I was nearly knocked from my perch wheanic body under my feet jerked in pce, causing my heart to pick up in suddehat Rhazal wasn’t truly dead.

  But no.

  It was just death throes.

  Beh me, the gargantuan body of the Godbound began to dissolve into Miasma from the feet up, signalling his final, true death.

  It was done.

  I heaved a sigh of relief ao retract my spear. But a familiar sensation stopped me.

  At the point of tact with Rhazal’s flesh, deep inside of his brain, I felt a spark. Involuntarily, I began to draw in enviroal Aether, in a process that had only happeo me a handful of times.

  My eyes widened in sudden panic. I didn’t know what this could do to me, but I didn’t want to find out. “No, no, no, no, NO!” I almost screamed, trying to yank my spear out of the Camity. “Not now, not with him!”

  But I didn’t have a choice.

  I was stealing a Skill, and I couldn’t stop it.