The Grand Weave

When I opened my eyes, an explosion of red and gold scarred my sight. It burned with power, more than light to affect my vision. The very imprint of the two ascended beings mana signature, the very impression of their will surged into my mind and bowled me over.

A light that banishes the dark. The gentle heat of a hearthfire welcoming you home. Amongst a caravan people huddled next to the campfire, allowing them safety in the night. The gilded lantern is hung above all so that all may bask in it's guidance. Both gentle yet firm, a flame unwavering with a sun hidden behind glass.

Then came the crimson.

A devouring tide that smothers all. It is the heartblood, the vitae of essence. Mortals and gods there is no difference for they all bleed. It was prideful, and suffered no others greater. The blood thumped in the twisted heart and stretched it's strings. All within it's domain were to be twisted, to be used. Nothing more than puppets for the monarch.

Golden runes formed from bands of lamplight while crimson tendrils made the air bleed in agony. They fought, clashing with the power of titanic will behind their punches.

And while the tendrils started to corrupt even the golden radiance, another will, one from the great lungs of a bear the size of a building, released his fury.

I slammed into the dirt, my ears ringing. Quickly, I shoved mana into the ring, lessening the volume to something distant. But even the ring struggled as the vibrations rattled my skeleton. Activating Magnus' skill, I absorbed a maelstrom of energy—mixed and warring against each other—as I clawed my way up the hedge wall.

Standing, I wiped dirt and blood from the crystal helmet over my eyes and looked up.

Teddy and Arturous were huge, nearly the size of a modest building. Teddy fought not with his normal mace or shield, but with conjured versions made of gold hardlight to match his size. When the massive macehead swung toward Arz'odral, the demon's back erupted with limbs made of crimson crystal. They shattered against the blow but managed to shove Teddy away.

"How does it feel? To taste the domain of those beyond mortals? Intoxicating isn't it?"

Part of the barrier deformed as the demon twisted the floating orb into a screaming beast. It morphed and shifted, growing horns and spikes—only to lose them a second later. With a cackle, Arz'odral hurled the orb and began pulling another from the ether.

Teddy raised his shield, but it was Arturous who struck. One swipe of his claws left spectral ribbons in the air as he shredded the monstrous orb with ease. The blood tried to reattach the halves, tendrils and threads writhing from the mess—but a single roar from Arturous scattered the remains.

"Is that all you have? The power of the Chained Ones trickling into your soul, and all you can do is roar and swing? Pathetic!" Arz'odral screamed.

Teddy raised his mace and shifted his weight, digging into the earth. Runes lit across his body, and the spectral bear form wrapped around both him and Arturous.

"You talk too much," Teddy muttered, releasing his mana.

Sigils flared around me, followed by an aura of light. They began to spin, forming five halos that rotated at different angles. My muscles knit back together, and strength surged through my limbs. Mana slammed into my body, but flowed gently beneath the skin.

Áine was pushed out as golden mana flooded my flesh and wrapped around my bones.

Pain and fatigue melted away as I inhaled. Fire stirred inside me—molten mana, burning and blending with my own. It nearly drowned me, the flood pouring from Teddy's aura, but then it steadied.

The mana my familiars had been drawing from me reversed course. My ethereal pool brimmed to capacity, filled faster than I could process. I gasped at the sheer volume.

I looked up, drawn by movement in the still-spinning panels.

Celenae and Eodyne fought like unleashed titans. Skills lit the battlefield, and my familiar zipped across the screen with lightning dancing over his scales. The monster they fought staggered and split apart as electricity burned its limbs to ash.

Zog and Igas carved through a field of warping limbs and twisted forms. With each strike, they shattered glowing pink runes. One side of the field burned under waves of fire, while jagged ice swept across the other, destroying everything in its path.

Even Isaac, who only moments ago had been bleeding from faded wounds, now moved like a predator. When the woman's blades met his, he slammed her into the void and followed her in.

They weren't alone. All across the city, the ones who stayed to fight and those struggling beside guards and adventurers felt Teddy's mana rise around them. Even under pressure from the titans, they began to push the monsters back.

In one panel, my familiar held the line. Zagreus indomitable, ripping through the lionesses summoned from blood. Each time a head was destroyed, it regrew, larger and more solid. He weaponized the damage itself, flinging his own blood into the horde. Wherever it splashed, monsters turned sickly green and began to rot.

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A shockwave cracked above me, slamming me back against the maze wall and dragging my eyes from the panels. In the sky, Teddy knocked aside a titanic limb while Arturous clamped his jaws around three more. Arz'odral blinked out of the path of Teddy's shield, narrowly avoiding its sharpened edge, only to be blasted by a beam of radiance. It punched through his upper shoulder, and the demon had to sever a limb to escape.

The sheer force of the clash pulled me back to the rift—to Brelten's sparring match with Isaac. That same overwhelming power, strong enough to tear a city apart, filled the air. I was nothing more than an ant on the ground, watching as Teddy and Arturous zipped across the sky, moving with speed sharpened by skill and intent.

But even with all the power now pouring from Teddy, the demon endured. Crystal monoliths erupted from the barrier walls, forming a lattice that threw both of them hundreds of meters back.

Arz'odral laughed, raising a hand just as Teddy unleashed another skill. Radiant fire consumed the demon's form, covering him in a golden blaze. Only his eyes remained visible. Twin crimson slits cutting through the flames, wide with a monster's grin.

"Valiant. Impressive even to adapt so quickly to two ascensions of power. Given time, you could have scared even a god as you settled into this power."

"Enough talk. I will not let you harm those under my protection," Teddy declared.

Arz'odral shook his head, and with a swipe he flung the blinding flames away. My heart sank as Arz'odral stepped forth. Instead of burned skin, a film of red and black flexed outward. He was wholly unharmed, without a scratch.

"You sacrificed it all to the precious Weave. Burning your very soul for traded power." Arz'odral snickered. He cracked his neck and the stitched arms of the king snapped into odd angles as bloody thread forced the palms to face forward. "But you stand against one who's lived at your tier for millenia. Let me show you what it means to wield this power."

Teddy slammed his mace against a barrier and Arz'odral dropped to a knee. However, the damned sneer widened as black miasma oozed from the demon's throat.

"Bleed For Me!"

A wave of blackened mist washed across the realm. When it reached the spinning barrier of golden rings, they forced it back. Like hungry wolves, the miasma surged attempting to sneak through, but the halos stopped its advance.

Crack!

The first of the halos shattered, a the healing surge entering my muscles vanished. The miasma slammed into the rings, the impact blasting through the protection and hammering into my sternum.

Crack!

The second ring shattered, leaving only three.

I raised my arms, ready to absorb what I can but then Teddy's voice rang through the chaos. It carried with the same weight of those spoken by the avatars. The same echoing quality that Arz'odral used to be heard across the estate.

"Begone."

A wave of white erupted from my side. The hungering mana had sunk its jaws into the next ring but retreated almost immediately.

It was too slow.

The light surged through the black gas, burning it away. Screams and hisses came from within, but even they were scattered as the radiance consumed everything. I shut my eyes as Áine flooded my neck with healing. The damage was severe enough to drain a solid chunk of her mana.

I figured if it weren't for Teddy's aura, Áine wouldn't have been able to heal me at all.

When my vision returned, two streaks blurred across the sky. They only separated when Arz'odral howled. His left leg had been reduced to a smoldering stump, and one arm was gone down to the elbow. A trail of blistered skin ran across his cheek. He wasn't smiling anymore.

I nearly cheered, seeing the demon so thoroughly forced back.

Teddy lowered his mace, the light in his chest dimming to a steady glow. I grinned and pumped my fist.

Fuck yeah!

Then Teddy coughed. He fell forward but caught himself on Arturous as he used him for support. Golden blood dripped from Teddy's eyes and nose, while more seeped between his fingers.

"There it is. The cost of burning your soul for fuel." Arz'odral spat to the side and licked his lips. "You won't survive this, mortal. No matter how brightly your shine, once the flames run out, you'll be nothing by ash."

Arturous whimpered, but Teddy stayed firm. He wiped his mouth and fixed the demon with a hard glare. Explosions echoed in the background as distant battles raged on. I caught flashes of electricity from Eodyne's bow, and streaks of light as Anastasia fired lasers at a moving beast.

None of them were close enough to help.

"Even if I die, demon, it'll be enough to take you with me," Teddy said. He pushed off the ground and raised his weapons, his aura flaring. "I refuse your victory. You will not win."

Arz'odral tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. For a few seconds, though it felt much longer, he studied the defiant demigod standing before him.

Then the smile returned. His fangs gleamed.

"A lesson for you youngling. Remember this well in your next life."

He grabbed the barrier and it disappeared. Not slowly, but in an instant. The several hundreds of meters tall barrier was gone, revealing the bright moon of the night sky. And above the demon's remaining arm, a growing spear of blood ballooned in size with screaming faces along it's shaft.

"Demons don't fight fair, hero."

Before Teddy could react, the javelin zipped across the sky. He raised his shield, too slowly but his eyes widened as the missile sailed overhead. Not toward them, nor for the demon's opponents.

The howling javelin made of crystallized blood half the size of Arturous rushed past the pair and started to dip, directly towards a large crowd of people.

"Guardian Seal: Sacrifice!" Teddy shouted.

A lantern bloomed over the crowd as the missile detonated. People were too slow to react. The haze of red swallowed them, screams rising in its wake.

I turned away from the impact and looked to Teddy. Wounds split open across his body, bleeding freely. The once-pristine metal of his armor now dripped with gold, the fluid pouring through cracks and seams.

He swayed on his feet, using his mace to stay upright. His shield stayed raised by instinct, and that might have saved him.

Might have.

Mana scorched across my vision as a second javelin burst forth. It didn't aim for Teddy. He had the strength to hold his stance, even with the internal damage.

But the javelin bent, curving around his shield.

Before he could react, blood ran from his lips. He staggered.

Then, with a rush that cracked the sky and carved jagged lines into the clouds, Arturous barreled into Teddy and roared. The crystalline blade met reinforced fur—and cut through. The javelin slammed into Arturous' chest, punching through golden runes and muscle, until a claw shattered it in a spray of shards.

No…

Arturous roared and sent a salvo of claws at the demon that were easily dodged. On a second attempt, the bear slipped and fell from the sky. The ground exploded as the titanic bear disappeared underneath a cloud of dirt and stone.

"Arturous!" Teddy screamed.