Wrath Reincarnated

JULES

Jules' antroph whinnied, neighed, and shook its snout. The meat curtains of its jowls flapped and sent a shiver up and down his spine. Which one are you again? Jules leaned over the side until his head was below parallel with the ground, and looked back at its hind legs. Whoah, definitely Billie Joe. He straightened himself out and pet the antroph's neck. "Easy, boy. I don't like this place either." It reminds me of my nightmares. And the Coralhaven Shrine.

One of the full moons pierced through the darkness and lit their path. Towering trees spread out, likely for miles. Ravens cawed in the night as they circled high above, and Jules felt an odd longing for Seraphina, even though he'd spent less than a day with her. Maybe I'm just psyching myself out. I haven't seen any signs of a lake, yet.

"How much further?" Jules asked.

"Nearly there," Argyle, their escort, called out from his own antroph. Katarina sat with her back to the Arcanian. When they'd left a few hours ago, she'd refused to saddle up with Jules, still furious over the morning's confusion. Rukia rode Jules' shoulder, and Whiskers, Cyrus' lap, for a bit longer. "Halt here." Argyle dismantled the antroph and helped Katarina down, who surprisingly accepted the help. Argyle held up an Arcanian crest a few paces further up.

« « Enter the Veil » » [Argyle]

A shimmering barrier, similar to a sheer curtain, wavered in front of the Arcanian. He peeled back a layer and ushered them inside. On the other side, Jules couldn't believe his eyes. Towering hundreds of feet above even the other gigantic redwoods was a golden tree, whose canopy seemed to touched the moon itself. Not only that, but it's blocking out the moonlight entirely with its own glowing aura. This must be the Tree.

"It's beautiful," Katarina whispered.

"Sure it is." Argyle laughed. "First stop is the Elders, to see if they deem you worthy of a visit." Right. Sera's counting on us. Better not screw this up for her.

They trekked through the forest on foot for the next half hour, and Jules must have glanced up at the Tree of Wishes hundreds of time. It called him, it summoned him, it demanded his audience, until Jules grew impatient, wishing to forgo the coming formalities.

"In there, all of you." Argyle pointed at a large thatch hut; smoke wafted from its wooden chimney. That seems safe. But they obliged nonetheless, and entered through the curtain of hanging vines that served as a door.

Four bearded Elders awaited them inside. Each wore a different colored set of robes, and none wore any Faction crest on them. Jules studied them each to discern their leader, but there seemed to be no hierarchy among them.

"Welcome, Children of the Stars."

"Thank you," Jules said. Never heard of Children of the Stars before. Jules glanced at Cyrus, who shrugged.

"We've been expecting a visit." Then you should know why we're here.

"We'd like to visit with the Tree of Wishes, to save a friend," Jules said. Katarina crossed her arms.

"Why do you seek a wish for this?"

"Well." How deep do I go? They know who we are, but they may not know about Sera. "Any other option would probably end in failure."

"Seems like a good enough reason. What do you offer?" Uh…

"They've already paid their price," Argyle said. "They snuffed out an Elementalist infiltrator in the Enclave." Good, Kat's necklace is still hidden. Definitely don't want to make that mistake twice.

"We don't trust your…artistic ally there, but you have provided a service to our holy cause. We shall permit you access to the Tree."

"But first, tea!" One of the Elders brought forth a tray with two distinct pots and twelve cups, but only filled ten, including two for the Familiars. Just like with Anya, Jules waited for the Elders to take theirs first; each sipped slowly.

Argyle nudged Jules with his elbow and whispered, "Truth Serum." Then he threw it back and swallowed it all in one gulp. Great. I figured, but great. Jules sipped his like the Elders.

"How did you uncover the mole?"

Katarina snorted some tea out of her nose, then drank a little more. "Uh. I disguised myself and thought, What would an Elementalist do?

"We were worthless." Cyrus gestured to himself and Jules. "We didn't get any information." I'd say you drank yours too fast, Cy.

"He'd give up his identity so easily?"

"I'm also a foreigner." Kat took another sip for good measure. "It was easy to lead him astray."

"I see."

"I'm bad at geography—like really bad." You've said enough, Kat. "I'm also unfamiliar with these parts."

"Unfamiliar, yet it seems you've brought yours with you."

"Yes," Jules intervened. "My most loyal and best friend, Rukia."

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"Oh, Julesie." Rukia's eyes filled with tears.

"Asshole," Cyrus muttered.

"You're my favorite incarnation—" Rukia convulsed and her head twitched side-to-side. "A-a-a-after Kuh-Kaizen." When did you drink the tea!?

"Aw, that makes me kind of sad." No Jules, snap out of it! You don't have to say everything out loud.

"So which are you, girl? Sin, or Virtue? You cat has dutifully remained silent."

Katarina downed the rest of her tea. "Which do you want me to be?" Wow, you're catching on quick. You are brilliant, and beautiful, and bold—Jules slapped himself in the face. "Calm down, boy."

"Ha! That is a good question, but the Tree will judge you, not us."

"Your friend—Are they like you as well?"

"I mean, she's a chick, just like her." Jules pointed his thumb to Katarina.

"Just like her, hm? You mentioned saving her, but not from what."

"That bitch Iron Maiden kidnapped her," Katarina said. Wow, tell me how you really fell. Maybe you like Sera after all—Wait, why are they all staring at each other like that?

"We are all too familiar with that."

"Many lives were lost trying to save one of our own, once."

"It is good she is still alive. We've had another of your kind come to bring someone back from the Void."

"But the Tree does not touch death. It is now time for our second round of tea."

Argyle did the honors this time and filled everyone's empty cup—he had to force Cyrus to swallow the rest of his Truth Serum—and downed his own immediately again. "They call this one The Temptress. Good luck, Children of the Stars."

"As long as she is alive, the Tree can save her."

"Oh, she's not dead," Jules said. He thought back to Marina Veridia, and Judas Priest Zeke. At least I hope not…

"You are five, but we can only grant your three wishes."

"Ha! That's just like the Djinnies in a bottle that grant you three wishes." Everyone stared at Rukia. "What? Guess that was another life."

A troop's worth of footsteps hurried to the hut, but stopped short, just outside. Jules, Cyrus, and Katarina whipped around to the clamor and placed their hands on their weapons' hilts.

"Relax," Whiskers said aloud, then Telepathically communicated with Jules and Katarina. I did not drink this second tea, but gave them something else in exchange. This is another test, The Temptress, and you better pass it.

Jules looked down at his cup. "Wonderful tea, by the way." The Elders smiled back at him.

"Your escort will now be sent home and replaced with our own."

"Ah, man!" Argyle sighed. "Guess I failed again, then?"

"As you always do. We shall see you again."

Argyle put a hand on Jules' shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Don't listen to anything from here on out. Anything. You got that?" He pulled back, and Jules nodded.

"The pleasantries are over. Please, this way."

"But one more time—What is it you seek again?"

Voices filled Jules' head.

To stop the Apocalypse.

To have my family back.

To live a normal life.

To kill Wrath.

"Did anybody else here that?" Argyle asked as he pulled back the vine curtain. "No? Only me? Maybe it was just the wind…"

LUST

"AAAHHHH!"

Her back arched and her limbs shivered in tight convulsions until both the charges and pain subsided to her new baseline level of misery, and she slammed her cheek back onto the cold steel. She laid facedown on the medical bed, without a cot, and naked, besides a scraggly woolen blanket that rubbed her skin and wounds raw over the past day.

The Spider continued to experiment on Sera's Seal, night and day, to the point where she wondered if he ever slept himself. He poked and prodded at it with various tools, and would ever so often stab it. For why, she didn't know; it was too much effort to think anymore.

"Now, Lust. I'd like to make another discovery before nightfall. Yesterday—No, down!" He slammed her face back into the smooth metal. "Yesterday I learned how you store Scripts in your Seals. Today I'd like to learn five new things. Do you think you can do that for me? Please?" The Spider opened and closed his scissors right beside her ear. "Now—What is your unique Script?"

"My what?" He sighed and flicked her Seal with his fingers. "Ow!" She shivered, and suddenly the metal table felt cold again to her.

"Seals have unique powers, child. What is yours?"

"I don't… I've never even heard of that…"

The Spider scoffed and retreated from the table, only to return with a long iron brand. Rather than heating it up, it had been Enchanted with a Holy affinity, and he pressed it right into her Seal. Sera's eyes light up pink, shifted to purple, and eventually black through the agony.

"Huh, I guess you really don't know, do you?" The brand clattered to the floor. "That's fine, because I'm certain you do know your Familiar. Where is he?"

"I don't…know. Hopefully…far." Thinking of Raven made her cry her first tears in days. They fell down into her mouth, and she couldn't even wipe them away. The taste of salt was inescapable.

"Well reach out to him." She obeyed, instinctually and immediately, but cut herself off before she could hone in on him too much. Somewhere in The Expanse. She started laughing to herself.

"What a disgusting sound." The Spider wiped the snot and tears from her face and lips. "That's better. What is he?"

Sera continued to laugh hysterically.

"I'm a gambling man—only when the deck's stacked, of course—and I'd wager that he's a rabbit. Fitting for Lust, as they multiple like no other."

"You're looking for my…counterpart."

"Chastity? Oh, but of course. I've met him, too, you know. A real bastard." Sera laughed and shook her head. I despise you. He leaned in to her face. "No, he's literally a bastard, ironically enough. Never learned his Familiar's form, though."

The Spider waltzed around the room and inspected different tools, making sure to be as loud as possible.

"So no Seal, no Familiar. But How do you know Wrath? Where did you first meet?"

"I told you—the other day. I swear!"

"Why would he risk his life to save you if you just met?" He messed with a pair of squeaky pliers. "Oh, these are nice."

"I don't know! I didn't have time to ask…"

"Yes, well, I'd ask him myself, but the coward hasn't shown his face yet. Why is that?"

Sera tried to swallow a lump in her dry throat; it'd been over a day since she had any water.

"Where is the next piece of the Sound?"

"The what?"

"His Vessel!" The Spider smacked the pliers on the edge of the metal bed. "His weapon. You hold the second piece."

"I don't know what…" Sera held herself together as best she could. She'd cry for Raven, but for no one else.

"You know, The Iron Maiden Herself is coming. If I don't extract this information… She will." Fuck. The Iron Maiden… I can't take this anymore. Jules. Wrath. Whoever, just please come. "She claims She's going to take away your powers, Lust."

"What—How!?" How does he know so much? He's The Spider, sure, but he's just a kid like—me. "Who are you?"

She saw the fear in The Spider's eyes. The fear he'd been so desperately trying to spark in her, where he'd succeeded a few times, but not this easily. Not this easily.

"Stop!" someone shouted from outside the room. "Intruder!!" The Spider looked away from her, and Sera thrashed with all her might against her shackles, ready to escape as soon as help arrived. The door burst open.

"What is the meaning of—"

Some Maiden Hunter landed beside Sera, just in her eyesight, and it must have stopped The Spider in his tracks. Good, I hope they fucking kill him, the fuckin—

"Oh. It's you." The tone of the Spider's voice crushed all of Sera's hopes. This wasn't a rescue—this was something else entirely.

"What in the fuck do you think you're doing?" the intruder demanded.

"I trust you have a good reason for showing up here empty handed."