I Guard The Book That Slays Gods

Reason was avoiding Raiden. His knees plunged deep into the snow, shoulders drooping as though his joints had given out entirely.

He had never believed in fate, or anything superstitious for that matter, but with the vanishing sight swallowing him whole and his comrades openly regretting their choices, he couldn't help but wonder if he had been forsaken by good fortune.

"At this rate, we're going to die," Aeris muttered against the deadly cold and piercing air.

Before Raiden's eyes, Levi sat quietly on the broken concrete, flicking his dagger between his fingers, while Leo stood inches away, his trembling eyes fixed on the diminishing mountains, fear unmistakable in his stance.

"We shouldn't have come…" Leo muttered through his rotting throat, each crack in his voice betraying his raw emotion.

His head whipped in Raiden's direction. "We…" he struggled with his words, then his head dropped to the ground and he fell silent, not uttering another word. It was as if he'd come to a personal realization.

Or perhaps it was those eyes Raiden gave him: that understanding, terrified expression. This battle wasn't theirs alone. Raiden himself couldn't die—not now.

However, cutting through the tension, Odard and Chrono, alongside their companion, surprisingly calm throughout all of this, turned in Raiden's direction.

"You lads should make yourselves useful… think of something," Odard said, and Chrono agreed with a quiet gesture.

Whatever reaction they wanted from Raiden with those words went unheard. Raiden stared at the outskirts of the domain, watching as mountains, sand, even greenery evaporated into thin air.

He struggled to his feet, his face paled as if each cell in his body were freezing from the moon's glow, his heart seized by a familiar sensation that slowly tore at his once unwavering courage.

His mind was blank, and, without the confusion in his chest, his body began to accept his fate. He had no way out. The one method he knew of, breaking this absolute domain with a different absolute domain, was futile. None of them possessed an absolute domain, none that he could think of.

He tilted his head upward, watching as the moon closed in as if it wanted to crush them, the cold turning increasingly deadly.

This wasn't how he wanted to die, at least not before he had ripped out Deathsight's eyes and, most importantly, avenged his brother. But the thought of joining Jobe in his eternal rest brought him a measure of comfort.

He closed his eyes, trying to fill himself with that sensation, but they shot open again, his fingers curling into his palms and cracking, trembling in the snow.

His hatred, principles, and anger wouldn't allow it, and worse, he couldn't afford to let the guilt swallow him whole.

"Jobe deserves better… better than what I could give him." He muttered beneath his breath.

Still, before he could form another thought within his dreadful mind, a nerve-racking sound echoed from the distance, rumbling the ground and throwing everyone else off balance except Raiden.

His head was still tilted upward, and, before his watchful eyes, the atmosphere, sound, and even the dry air itself began moving out of shape, pulling them through different environments: ones they had already seen and others that left their minds reeling.

It felt like a glitch in reality itself, too many atmospheres to comprehend all at once, all within minutes. But Raiden never moved an inch.

When it finally stopped, leaving them in a scorching desert once more, Raiden stared at the sky with calm detachment, watching as the sun swelled to ten times its size and the desert erupted in smoke as though the very sand was combusting.

He felt a sudden sharpness in his chest, but this time, he didn't react. He had experienced too many emotions at this point, and this sensation didn't feel new.

[I can help, Papa.] Ash's voice echoed in Raiden's mind.

Raiden's mind began spiraling at a rampaging pace, but surprisingly, he didn't react with the urgency he expected of himself. Rather, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Ash. She had a very promising future, if only she had chosen someone else as her master.

The moment Raiden finally turned to her, he responded telepathically: Tell me.

Ash turned to the void, her white locks flickering in the wind, the burning sun scorched relentlessly against her moon-pale skin as she stared at the vanishing sight.

[I can use our absolute domain.]

Raiden's eyes widened in confusion, unsure whether his shock stemmed from his racing heartbeat or from the impossible fact that he had an absolute domain. Still, he responded.

What do you mean?

Ash glanced at him and gave him a soft smile. But their attention snapped to Raiden's right as the others hurried toward Speed, who had begun screaming in agony.

Raiden's heart beat faster, quickening to a pace too rapid and erratic for him to ignore this time. He reached for his chest and clutched it.

But as he dwelled on his confusion, Ash crouched low in the sand below them, pressed her tiny hands deep into the earth, and commanded: "Bloom."

Raiden's focus shifted to Ash, the bewildering scene stealing his thoughts as he watched her hands sink into the desert floor. Instantly, her hands and the sand for meters around her transformed into wispy smoke.

The affected area slowly collapsed inward, everything within it becoming dark smoke as a hole opened, exposing a vast mountainous island far below.

Raiden gulped as he realized this was not only a familiar sight, but that 'Bloom,' the very power he had failed to comprehend and wield, was probably an absolute domain.

Raiden was lost in his own reverie, watching as Ash's gaze stayed fearlessly focused on the opening. This was a welcome sight, and he should be glad they were finally escaping.

But he was caught within emotions he couldn't fully comprehend. Frozen in indecision about how to react, he watched the others grasp what was happening and immediately—without concern, without even curiosity about Ash—begin leaping through the hole to the island below.

And before Raiden knew it, only Noelle and Leo were left, both wearing the same thoughtful, confused expression.

Though Raiden barely drew their attention, he could tell they had as many questions as he did. But before any of them could speak, Ash broke the silence:

"You need to leave before everything changes again," she muttered, sweat soaking through her white clothes. From her expression alone, Raiden could tell that maintaining the portal for them was taking its toll.

"Hurry and join us soon," Noelle said and plunged through the hole, and after giving Raiden an understanding nod, Leo followed suit.

The moment they left, Raiden knew it was best to save his questions for later. He approached Ash, his gaze fixed on her hands, which had somehow become one with the shadowy energy.

"How exactly am I supposed to take over for you to leave?" he asked, his eyes showing genuine curiosity.

But Raiden's heart sank instantly as Ash raised her head to look at him. She gave him a forced smile, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

Raiden was caught within emotions once more as he watched shadowy skeletons rise from the darkness around their escape route and wrap him in a tight embrace.

He could sense that one small movement would break their hold, yet he remained frozen, unable to act or speak, simply watching as they dragged him toward the opening.

It was as if part of him wanted to be dragged, even against his will.

[…There can only be one moon dragon, Papa.]

Raiden watched her with his mind frozen, and when her tears became uncontrollable, he found himself drowning in his own uncomfortable tears.

Ash shook her head, trying to brush off her tears. [I'll be fine… right, Papa? After all, we… we can finally be in one body.]

She forced a big grin, tears and fluids running down past her stretched lips.

[Avenge your brother… and protect everyone else… please… I'm so scared, Papa.] her voice cracked and she sniffled.

The moment she spoke, the shadows threw him through the hole. He watched as the portal suddenly closed, taking the shadows with it, and the scene broke his heart to pieces. His tears streamed down his face as mucus poured from his nose.

Every memory of Ash flashed through his mind, and his body grew restless as he finally grasped where the sharp pains in his chest originated. They belonged to Ash, and she had been in pain before her sacrifice because she foresaw what lay ahead.

She was the closest person he had to family since his brother Jobe's death, and still, he could do nothing to save her, just as he had been powerless to save Jobe.

Am I a monster?—The only coherent thought he could form before nearly crashing into a mountain below.