Tread Lightly

Scorching hands haul me to my feet as I stumble instantly, yet all my weight is held by the man beside me. Still awash with flames, the heat incapable of burning me after all the times it already has, Bonfire pats my shoulder and helps me walk southward.

"I got you. I got you. C'mere. We need to head back. I know you're tired, but Abraham is calling for us. Can you hear him? Hmm? No? Okay. That's okay. One foot in front of the other. Lily! Help him out here! You, too, Blodwyn."

I step alongside Emmet, but I hardly make it a few feet before my eyes slick back, remembering something vital. It's challenging to utter even one word, however, as that suppression refuses to end, only growing gradually.

Still, with Blodwyn's help and a thousand internal apologies, we manage.

"Her... tiara. Grab it."

Bonfire twists his head back, surprised that there was something to take at all. Flicking his hand, a whip of flame emerges and snaps the tiara straight into his hand.

"This? It doesn't seem—ohohohohho—cold—cold—cold—cold!"

Like a child picking up something too hot, Bonfire bounces the icy tiara in his hand before creating a film of heat to levitate it over his flesh. A short laugh comes from me despite my exhaustion, and I can tell Bonfire smiles at my enjoyment of his jester-like acts. He does it on purpose. Sometimes.

"Wow! What is this thing? Is this a Divinity? What'll happen now? Usually, when Gods die, huge events occur throughout the whole world, right?"

I nod to him, knowing that a trauma is surely to come. And something tells me it won't be winter receding. No, I highly doubt that will be the case. The deaths of God's tend to elevate whatever conditions are already underway. And as winter is approaching... Not much more needs to be thought. Gathering my energy, I answer him, but my vision continues to swim with black spots and fatigue despite Blodwyn and Lily's constant aid.

While my flesh is weak, my soul has never felt stronger, tiny bits of Flint's soul being fed to me minute by minute from Lily. I reckon it's the only explanation for me still being conscious after all that Ether is running through me.

I still feel it, too. And it recreates those shivers, definitely audible in my words once I get them out.

"Yeah... I think the rest of the year will be winter. We need to get back to Onyx Gate. Take us. As fast as possible. I'll sleep on the way, okay? And... be careful with Winter's Tiara. It's a Divinity. Your nature is likely the only reason you can hold it without catastrophe."

My friend bows his head deeply, taking my words more seriously than ever before. I take a second to look him in the eyes, thanking him for growing up. It's ironic coming from me, but... it's how I feel.

"Thank you for being you. I'm glad you didn't take Virgil's offer to leave."

Emmet's head rises abruptly, the shock in his eyes visible as he radiates anxiety, a rare emotion for one such as him.

"You knew!?"

Chuckling, I bob my head and weakly pat him in return. How could he think that?

"Of course, I knew. Virgil doesn't talk much, but that's only to other people. He tells me everything."

Bonfire purses his lips, somehow his thoughts shifting before they come back into focus. Hah... he just thought of something stupid, probably whether or not I could get Virgil to admit what cards he drew.

The old him would have just said that. Instead, he only thinks about it with a smirk.

"Right. Right. Well, uh... I'm happy, too. I was scared I would lose you and Abraham. So, I... I did what I thought I had to do. Good thing it wasn't completely dumb. Enough of this talk, I... I'm not too fond of this kind of stuff. Let's just get home before everything freezes over."

I return his admission of honesty with a hum of agreement. Then, flames emerge beneath us as we're launched into the air and sent hurtling across the sky like a meteor. It's a decent bit slower than Soultrek, but I'm in no condition to do that right now.

The zipping of air across my face and the force of the wind quickly lull me to sleep, though I'm unsure if it's from fatigue or genuine desire.

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

A sudden jolt of momentum rips my eyelids up, and I immediately reach out in self-defense, only to find myself standing surrounded by several figures with a wide berth. Bonfire, Johnny, Earl, Abraham, Tomas, and Elizabeth, the six, all stare at me, filled with worry.

I open my mouth to say something, but vertigo quickly overtakes my senses as I teeter to the left and the right dangerously. Johnny is the first to speak, and his wisdom is essential, as always.

"Based on what I'm seeing, Wyatt, you and Blodwyn are at an imbalance again, huh? Symptoms aren't too far off what I used to see from you. But that would mean... Yes. Ladies and gentlemen, we have the first God amongst us, even if it is our unlikeliest and most unexpected."

A string of laughs comes from Bonfire and Abraham, while Tomas and Elizabeth reject the notion of blinking. Johnny sighs, one hand on Fate Sealer as he steps closer to me, not quite reaching me.

I try to step toward him, but it only earns me falling on my knees while Johnny falls back on one foot.

"Now, son, I trust you, and I trust the little guy, too, but he's messing you up real bad right now. He's... more than just an artifact now. You two can separate and probably recombine later when you are more... durable. As it is now, he's severely weakening you, Wyatt. Anyone else, and I'd wager the only sentence here would be death."

Johnny's words immediately set a series of recoils firing off within my body and mind. I forsake the idea of separation. It's not under consideration. Not even in the slightest.

"We're a team. Even if you're hurting me, no way in hell are we breaking that up."

Blodwyn, however, is of a slightly different river of thought.

"You sure, Wyatt? I mean, if I'm hurting us, then shouldn't we split? I don't want to hurt you like I used to. Regardless if it's on accident or not."

I shake my head, not allowing him to continue. This is non-negotiable. I... I need him.

"No. We are not talking about this anymore. Plus... how One Heart cannot Beat For Two if we are not fused."

Blodwyn reluctantly agrees, yet he is not the only one with a position on it.

"Seriously, Wyatt. Consider it. I can do some things to help him. We got the blueprints for Eli's Vessels. Putting Blodwyn in one of those should be just fine."

Again, I shake my head, more fervently this time, as I decline Earl's offer. I don't mean to, but my voice raises all the same.

"No! He is not being removed from my body. I don't care if it hurts me. I'll get over it. I did the first time. I can do it again."

The others don't say anything, simply eyeing me with words unsaid. I know what they are thinking, that 'this time will be different', but I don't care.

Several tense moments pass before Johnny claps his hands, striding ahead to wrap an arm around me. The gunslinger pulls me with him as I realize we are near Barrage, the many tents and weaponized buildings all over.

They led me to a quieter section of the establishment, perhaps just in case I would have an issue with what they had to say. I'm not hurt by the distrust; if anything, it makes sense. Who knows if we lost control of our Ether? We could kill hundreds before Johnny put us down. And I know he could. At that point, we'd just be monsters, and he's the best monster slayer I know other than Lennon.

I take Johnny's help in walking as he brings me toward an ornate rectangular building crafted with ivory and gemstones across its foundation. What is Pygmy architecture doing here?

Oh. Right.

Stepping inside next to Johnny, I find four familiar figures. One demon. One Pygmy. One Nahullo. And one Grayskin.

The latter three are exactly who I would expect, but the former is not at all who I would have thought it to be. Natos, the Luminous Daybreak, sits beside the other Demigods of the surface, Ytern, Tonuyn, and Granulen.

My eyes don't leave the demon as his eyes remain in his lap, and neither does Bonfire's radiant orbs. His ire is palpable, and I can tell the only reason he hasn't attacked yet is because of Johnny.

The gunslinger helps me into my chair while the others take their seats. It is pretty odd seeing how even the room is in strength. When comparing humans against the other races, I don't think it's ever been this close.

Johnny, Bonfire, and I account for three Demigod-level forces. Regardless of my suppressed state, I know if needed, Blodwyn can burst out with the necessary strength to push us back up to that state. Meanwhile, only Tonuyn, Ytern, and Granulen are on the other side.

Behemoth...

My gaze lingers on Natos as the man tears his focus up from beneath the table, finding his gall. The demon is of the 8th Sigil, quite an achievement for one such as him. Nevertheless, Natos reaches for a necklace wrapped around his throat, the jewel in the center crafted of an ornate design that resembles a hellish eye.

The moment he touches it, a flash of danger sparks within my mind. Instantly, I lean forward, and as does Granulen, his senses for danger seemingly akin to mine. Before I can move or say anything, the first person speaks, and it is the demon himself, staring us off with a low note.

"My... mentor has died. Suppose you can even call him that. It is now my turn, I guess. Not that those before me were all that accommodating. I'll help as much as I can. The Iris incarnates into something different for each wielder. It would seem... mine is to allow my Ether to move at the speed of light. I tell you all this as... an apology and an oath. The ones who came before were cowards like myself. But... I... I don't want to be a weakling. Bemola was... she was... I do not blame you, Wyatt. I only blame the circumstances that pushed us together."

Natos' short, heartfelt speech twinges my insides as I can feel his pain, his regret. He is not too much unlike me. He rose the nothing into that seat he's in now. I... hate what he did, but... he wasn't the one who made the call to attack us, nor was he the one to kill Frozen or Clumsy. It was Bemola and Anodra who did those jobs. Natos, in fact, only ever fought Bonfire himself, something that I know Emmet would not hold an eternal grudge for.

Smart of Ytern not to bring her.

I nod slowly, not forgiving the man but letting bygones be bygones for now. I can't say the same for Bonfire based on the way he glares at Natos, but the atmosphere is quickly squashed as another man sets foot into the building.

Dense footsteps grind against the ivory floor, echoing off the walls as a swordsman eyes each and every one of us. The man doesn't stop for a second before plopping down into a chair, his whole body bandaged akin to a piece of broken pottery put back together.

Lennon Hull kicks his legs up on the long white table before sighing at us all. His simple appearance shatters that even scale from before. However, I wouldn't entirely put him on the human side. He is his own man, his own faction, even if he might say otherwise.

"Well? Are you gonna start or just stare at each other? I could be napping right now. Whole damn body is on fire."

The gunslinger at the table scoffs and shakes his head before sliding out a piece of paper from Elizabeth's bag. He eyes me for a second before running his hand over it.

"Good. Now that everyone's here, we will. We'll have to make this short, as Wyatt and Lennon need to rest. Everyone is bringing their people into the south side of Onyx Gate, the furthest section from Barrage that is still defensible. We can't be too spread out, but we also can't be too close."

Bobbing heads cover most of the room while I finally notice a shadowed figure in the back. Virgil. He's silent, but he winks at me before vanishing again.

"That's just for the civilians and low-Sigiled, however. For the stronger forces, we're laying them out evenly. We've already gone over the plans for Angels. But some things have changed. Wyatt can help even Angels advance ahead of time, given they have their Absolution. That is why you're here, Natos and Bonfire. You two are the only Virtues we have with Dominions. Over the next few days, I want Wyatt to help you two advance."

Now I understand why he was eyeing me. I am surprised he has his Dominion, however. I wonder... how did he awaken it? When? Was it against Kaisen's emergence? Only he would know, I suppose. Again, his focus falls onto me, but it's more than just him this time. While I have a problem with his ask, I don't have a big enough issue to refuse.

I can help Natos become a Demigod. That doesn't mean I still can't kill him should I need to do so. Before I agree, though, I make sure to get approval from Bonfire. The man nods at me without moving his gaze from Natos.

Yeah, that won't end well. I'll just have to ask him to hold off on that until after the war. Surely, he can do that with Natos. As for Anodra and Timemi... I'd be on his side if worst came to worst.

With my confirmation, Johnny continues. He taps the paper, pointing to where Lennon fought and I nearly died.

"Celebrations are due, for we have slain a God and repelled another, but there is simply no time for such things. Things... things are reaching the end here. Bonfire? Could you please pass the Tiara to Ytern? He can use it the best with his affinity for ice. That way, we have a good way to hold off another God without a long period of training."

Bonfire does as Johnny asks without much hesitance, having no problem with Ytern. In fact, the Warmaster is probably one of my most liked among the other Demigods, though Granulen has to take the place of my favorite.

Conversations continue while Ytern flips Winter's Tiara over in his hands again and again as if investigating it. Sheets of ice wash over the Divinity, and I sense Ytern attempting to tame it or seal it somehow. Johnny and Tomas converse with the other Demigods to make more plans while Earl details the nine Godsinkers that have been built. One of which, Bonfire is still holding onto. He never gave it to me.

Talk about confidence, huh?

I listen for most of it, but I'd be lying if I said it was easy to pay attention to it all. I'm just not the type of guy to be sitting down all day. Plus, it doesn't help that my body feels like I have a thousand tons of weight resting on me at all times.

Eventually, though, the meeting ends, and people disperse, quickly leaving just Earl and Elizabeth in the room with me. I told Bonfire and Natos that I'd see them tomorrow morning.

I'd instead take that gamble than force myself to help them right now. Plus, I have two others who need it more. One of them has a gift for me, and the other is a pleasant surprise.

"Psst! Dakota! Come on in, buddy!"

A big bundle of fur runs into the room, waving his fur all over the place before jumping onto me and my chair. Laughing away the pain, I pet him all over and hug the fox. It feels lovely to have him with me. The surprise is something I needed.

For nearly a minute, I just hold the fox tightly, listening to Earl as he starts one of his rants. Hauling a large duffel bag from the ground, all eyes are on him as the table trembles from the weight.

"I heard you healed your arm. Or your soul. Same thing, really, right? Well, I managed to take over Eli's Coiled Steam, and it's super helpful. So much so that I... made you something new. I know you have an arm already, but with your soul, I figure it wouldn't be a problem to add it. Plus, I placed a Godsinker within it, downsizing it to the size of a bullet. Besides that, the arm is just one thing. Made to be tough."

In awe, I watch a bone-white arm roll out of the bag while Earl just won't stop rambling, not that I hate it. The more the merrier if he delivers me stuff like this.

"It's made with an alloy of Skysbane and a dozen other unique metals that I synthesized with Creation. I reckon it could take a Godsinker without turning into ashes. Should keep up with you. For a little while, at least. If you were to help me advance, though... I already brought the artifacts for us. If you are not up to it, though, just say the word. We can always do this another day, and my Ether saturation can surely wait."

I shake my head at Earl's worries and grin at his excitement. Elizabeth's joy is not one to be overshadowed, either. The woman has made it all the way to the 6th Sigil. Tomas and Johnny haven't let her rest a damned minute, from what I can tell. The dark circles under her eyes might just become permanent like Lennon's at this point.

Quite a rapid advancement, but who am I to say that? It helps that plenty of Gods are dropping like flies. Even if one's not entirely of your Sigil, it still helps.

"I can do it. You two shouldn't be as difficult as Bonfire and Natos. Let's just go do something else first. Blodwyn and I are starving. Plus, I want to see if Lily can eat now that she's a 9th Sigil."

Elizabeth beams as she looks all around, searching for the little girl. Within a moment, Lily materializes herself, and I sigh, knowing it's burning precious time. But as I see just how much Lily giggles around Elizabeth, I can't be annoyed or angry.

Instead, I call for Dakota and limp toward the door with his help. I'm too damn hungry for this.