Tread Lightly

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

Timemi 'Steeled Hexer'

I stand beside my father and my closest friend, the three of us small figures against the towering grand gate that looms before us. The gateway is an imposing structure, its massive archway adorned with lavish skulls inlaid along the sides, each skull bearing a different expression of agony or rage with jewels set inside the sockets. The air is heavy with Ether and tension as countless figures intersect right here and now. The sound of the gate creaking open echoes like distant thunder, almost hard to believe it is so close.

Around us, our... allies gather—a vast horde of demons, thousands strong, their forms twisted and grotesque to people such as myself and my father. Each figure emanates Ether that I detest, but I don't contest. Only a few among them are of our own race, and even they seem uneasy in the presence of such a gathering despite being our greatest Architects. The ground trembles beneath their weight, but I don't fear those demons. After all, Natos is one of those beings.

It is Behemoth that invades my thoughts the most. This underground cavern was made to fit his distinguished size, a totem above any of the other demons, even those of the Ogres. It is said that Behemoth was once a shrunken, tiny thing. Much like myself. I do not believe that.

Cradling the Primare in my grasp, I seek the aid of the fallen God, and it calms me with its subtle bit dominating currents. Not enough to face down anything, but enough to breathe.

Nevertheless, my father and Behemoth share subtle words, the noise impossible to miss under the strenuous silence of bated breaths.

"A long time since I last stood at a Gate of Death like this, Tonuyn. Back then... there were fewer of us."

My father nods, knowing the history, like I, of the first delve into the depths of the world in an attempt to kill Usen, the Mother Below, the Taker Of Wills.

"Indeed. Are you more or less confident now?"

I expect the answer to be yes, to be a complete acknowledgment of our combined races' strength. After all, we have a Lord and a Creator here with dozens of Virtues, Powers, and hundreds of Forerunners between scattered around. The truth is not so kind.

"No. No, I am not. Doesn't matter. We fight all the same."

I feel the chill of fear creeping into my bones with Behemoth's ominous words, but I steel my gaze, forcing myself to stand tall. This is our only way forward, the only path to survival, and I refuse to show weakness in the face of these demons. I share a glance with Natos, his cowardly and lazed countenance finally gaining some resolution. We are in this together, come what may.

It has been a long road since we first met each other. Splitting up with Anodra was against our wishes, but she had to be with her people. I get that. We'll see her again. I'm sure of that.

The gate creaks open slowly, the grinding of metal against stone growing louder as it widens. A gust of air rushes through, carrying with it a wave of bloodlust so intense it makes my knees tremble. My breath catches in my throat as the force of it washes over me, an almost physical sensation that presses against my chest. The demons around us seem to be hit even worse.

All those below the Angelic fall to the earth, unable to move a single muscle. Powers collapse to their knees, struggling to stand. Virtues such as I... We keep our footing, but it is not easy. With the Primare's aura, I quickly regain my composure, but this is unexpected.

Looking to my father for guidance, I find him staring ahead with supreme severeness, not an ounce of focus deviated. Seeing his determination, I find my own.

I brace myself, my hands balling into fists as I fight to find my own Ether and control it beyond the Primare's safety. The fear is palpable now, a visceral thing that gnaws at the edges of my resolve. Yet, I can't afford to falter—not now, not when we're so close to confronting whatever lies beyond this gate. Whatever army of terrible Motherbound may walk through, I will slay any and all.

As the gate opens fully, however, a lone figure strides out from the darkness. He's tall and lean, his body adorned with strange markings and symbols that seem to shift and writhe. A long scythe with rings inlaid into slim holes along the blade rests across his back, and he taps it rhythmically against his bare snowy flesh, the metallic trinkle adding to the mounting tension. His eyes are abyssal subjects, swirling with a silver in the origin. The expression beneath his orbs is unreadable, but there's a predatory quality in his gaze that sets my nerves on edge.

My breath catches, halted in my lungs as a voice fills the air.

"A thousand years. Interesting. It seems... not much has changed. Behemoth. How have you been?"

Unable to comprehend what I hear as not a soul moves amongst the thousands gathered, I crane my head to gaze at Behemoth. How does he know this... this thing? Its whole body is... perfectly crafted, the muscles akin to the finest works of art within Illstra's Academy. Furthermore... that scythe... it's... in the shape of the ancient Claymores, the ones that Nahullo made out of raw iron, not steel.

The Demigod, who I've always looked up to as a pinnacle of personal might, pales, the dark skin of the demon somehow gains a lighter tint. Then, his right foot slides back apprehensively. What!? Behemoth!?

"Kaisen? You... you're alive? But I thought Gluskab—?"

"A God of Knowledge could never kill one of War. At least... not that God of Knowledge. Remington would have sealed me in if he ever ascended. I'd say I like what you've done with the place... but... it smells awful. And that's not the Mother talking. She doesn't speak for me. Are there any warriors left? Or are you all just schemers and rabbit-killers?"

Behemoth sputters some more as I struggle to fathom who this is. Though... his wording suggests... that he... is a God. And... one of War. That is...

My father pipes up, striding ahead of Natos and me. I notice his inscriptions light up like a torch. No. Don't walk forward!

"Kaisen. Are you Kaisen Ulren? The Saint Of Scythes?"

Kaisen Ulren chuckles a belly-low giggle that rumbles outward as the God takes a few more steps past the Behemoth-sized double doors of stone. Irritatingly and with great terror, I listen to him tap that scythe onto his back.

"That would be I. Mother changed my name when she adopted me, though. I am her Cherub Of Murder. Sounds delightful, huh? Fucking hate it. Well, I best get this show on the road. None of you seem like any fun to fight. No point in wasting much time. Nice seeing you, Behemoth. It's been... eh, who the fuck am I kidding. I'm going to have so much fun killing you all. The fight will suck, though, I'm sure."

My entire vision splinters as the veins of the Nahullo light up with a terrible darkness. The figure with the saber locks his gaze on me, his dark eyes narrowing as he methodically shifts the pole behind his back. The air around him seems to hum with energy, a distortion that warps the very fabric of space while motes of ash seep off his flesh.

I can see his Ether for only a second as my irises burn with effort. Glancing away, I see only through my peripheral as another step forward comes. Behemoth growls and my father's inscriptions light up further. Kaisen's movements are swift and fluid, his scythe's blade cutting through the air with a nonexistent force.

The air doesn't deviate. No sound emerges. Even the Ether in the surroundings is still. But... nothing is what it seems.

I want to move, to run, to do anything, but my body is frozen, paralyzed by the sheer horror of the moment. The blade swings toward me, the raw might of the strike bending time and space as it approaches. Everything slows down; every sound is muted, and all I can hear is the thumping of my heart as it beats wildly in my chest.

My father moves, taking a single step toward Kaisen, his eyes wide with desperation. But then, a blinding light erupts from the walls of the underground cave, encompassing my entire vision. The light is so bright it feels like it will burn through my eyes, and I close them to shield myself from its intensity.

I don't know how much time passes—seconds, minutes, hours—it feels like an eternity trapped in that brilliant whiteness. My body feels weightless, as if I'm being pulled through a vortex, every fiber of my being stretched to its limit. And then, as suddenly as it began, the light fades.

The next thing I know, I find myself on the surface, lying in a meadow surrounded by trees. The air is fresh and cool, a stark contrast to the oppressive heat and stench of the underground. My body aches from the violent transition, and I gag, coughing up bile as I try to regain my senses.

The grass collapses onto me as the nausea overwhelms me. Still, feeling the earth beneath me grounds me after the disorienting chaos of the teleportation.

In the moment, I completely forgot that, over the past few months, my father trapped that place with enough Inscriptions to kill any Demigod should they voluntarily walk into the room.

Thinking of him, I look all over, quickly discovering him beside me. Natos shambles to his feet while my father pants heavily from the effort it took to teleport everyone. I take my friend's hand as he helps me to a stand. Bemola would've remarked something about how light I am. Natos, however, only nods at me, the coward gone now.

I doubt it was the teleportation that was so difficult for my father. It was moving the Ether before we all died.

His hands are shaking, and sweat beads on his forehead. The demons and our fellow Pymgies are scattered around, some recovering from the sudden shift, others appearing confused and disoriented.

I look around, seeing the expressions of relief and fear on the faces of those who survived. My father offers me a hand, and I take it, his grip firm despite his exhaustion as he pulls me into a dense hug.

"We're safe for now."

After only a moment of reassuring me, he turns to face the Binary Lord behind him. Tonuyn doesn't wait a second to berate his fellow Demigod.

"What the hell, Behemoth!? Is that really him!? THE Kaisen!? I thought all the legends were dead!? He's a GOD! A FUCKING GOD!? How could you not warn me!? My preparations were to kill an overwhelming force of Demigods, not a fucking Unnatural!"

Behemoth groans, showing some modesty as he wipes his face off the fear that struck him earlier. Gazing around, I find only trees and grasses around us as the Lord defends himself verbally. It would appear we are somewhere in the Wilds. Several thousand miles away from Leviathan's Hearth, where the Gate of Death is placed.

Good for us... bad for any demon not teleported.

"I didn't know he was alive! The last I saw him, Levi and I ditched the delve. They got Mammon killed, and we decided we'd rather die than stay with them. I assumed since everyone else died... so did he."

Behemoth pauses for a moment before straightening his back. Our forces quickly clamor for an explanation, the Pygmies at least. It seems the demons are too terrified of Behemoth to complain, not even his Virtues.

"Tonuyn. This is a very important question. How much would that have slowed Vincent?"

A shiver runs down my spine as I face my father. That question... is beyond auspicious.

"The God or the man?"

The Binary Lord doesn't take but a second to answer, damning us all.

"The God."

Shit. That shiver settles, filling me with a dreadful chill as Tonuyn squints painfully. He tilts his head to the side, doing some calculations, but none of them seem good.

"The man would have been... forced to retreat. The things I put in there as a failsafe... would have killed either of us if we just walked into them like that. The God, though... I don't know. Is he... is he really that strong?"

My father's voice quiets to a shrill whisper at the end of his report. Behemoth kicks out his feet, falling onto his ass with a sigh. The movement alone rumbles the earth for hundreds of feet, but it's nothing compared to Kaisen's gait.

"He shouldn't be. But... Darklight offers regenerative capabilities not too dissimilar to an Occultist. Still... Kaisen... he was a child of war. Born in it, raised by it, and forged into a weapon. When the eight of us met upon Onyx Falls to create a sanctuary, Kaisen was but twelve years old. The—human with Louis was in his late teens, to give you a comparison. The Nahullo... they used to be way more sinister."

Hearing Behemoth talk so profoundly about a figure who isn't Vincent Harvey or Leviathan herself rubs me oddly, and from Natos' shimmy, I can tell he's the same. Nonetheless, I listen to each and every word.

This Kaisen... reminds me of that swordsman. He said he was looking for a good fight. Ohoho... I have an idea.

"He might be strong, Lord, but Gods can die. And he seeks a worthy battle, right? We can work with this. Lennon Hull. The bloodthirsty bastard... no matter how much I hate to say it, would be the ideal opponent for a God of War."

Behemoth glares at me, shouting at me for my words. He seems genuinely angered by my proposition, but with an approving nod from my father, I don't back down.

"How dare you! We are allies now! This is bigger than petty squabbles."

"Yes. Yes, it is. But what about after? And... who is to say Lennon Hull will lose? You heard the news, didn't you? A slain God. Humanity has three Godslayers. Two Graves. And a Vincent. We... are lagging behind. If he wins... good. A dead Kaisen. If he loses... good. One less monster roaming the Wilds."

Behemoth grunts, his immense size bearing down on me before nodding gradually. Still, he seems hung up on something.

"You are right. It would be advantageous. However... if we rely on them, we will fall behind ourselves. I will face Kaisen. You may join me, Tonuyn. There is a chance, however slim, that we win. I am willing to take it."

My father's jaw practically unhinges as Behemoth signs his own death warrant. Stepping up to him, the elderly Pygmy points a weighted finger at the demon.

"Are you insane!? We'll get annihilated by an Unnatural, especially one with Darklight in his veins! It'd be like fighting Vincent as he is now!"

The Binary Lord, while inferior to his partner, proves his position as he leans back with a hearty laugh that shakes the nearby leaves. Strings of chuckles bounce to us from the gathered demons as they seem to know their Lord well.

Behemoth is no coward. He faces his battles head-on.

"Kaisen is a Nahullo from my early days. It is... only fitting that I battle him. Furthermore... I will never go any higher until I take a grand risk, just as Levi did, turning on us. Tonuyn. You know this: you have simply grown used to your might. We stand, always, at a cliff's edge. If you never have the guts to jump, you will never see the next valley."

I can't help but giggle at the demon's words. It's almost poetry. No, it is, just a weird, purposeful version that adheres to the civilization of the demons.

Behemoth flickers an eye at me before with some fit of laughter. It's a brief moment of calm, knowing that we have some time before we are forced into Kaisen's path, but a dark presence looms just beyond the treetops.

In the distance, I notice a bright light that cuts through the haze of our escape. It's like a flare, but as it rises, it morphs into something more sinister. The light dims, replaced by a cloud of darkened ash that swirls and churns as it climbs into the sky. My instincts tell me that this is not a natural phenomenon—it's as if the very earth is bleeding its anger into the heavens.

The cloud grows, billowing upward, its edges shimmering with a malevolent energy. As I watch, a shape begins to take form within the smoke, slowly emerging like a specter from a nightmare. First, I see two eyes—smoky and illusory, yet filled with a cold, burning rage. They peer down from the cloud, scanning the world below with a gaze that feels like a silent judgment.

Then, a thin line of a smile appears beneath the eyes, stretching into a wide, mocking grin with the curve of a scythe. It's a grin that speaks of malice, a cruel promise of violence and chaos. The demons around me shift uneasily, their murmurs growing louder as they, too, witness the ominous apparition in the sky. Even the wind seems to hold its breath as if dreading what this smoky visage portends.

An awed whisper comes from the Binary Lord as he recognizes what we see. Of course, he would. He used to fight with Kaisen against the Motherbound centuries ago.

"That must be his Sirza. You forced him to use it. I can feel the Ether from here. It's... War Ends With Ashes. Simple. But powerful. I always love to hear Ether talk, even if it is ominious"

The grin in the sky widens, and the smoke begins to descend, slowly at first, then with a growing intensity. It's as if the sky itself is preparing to rain down its fury, and we are standing in its path. I feel the fear tightening in my chest, but I know that we can't afford to stay here.

Before my very eyes, that smile elongates further; wait... no. It's getting closer.