Wrath Reincarnated

JULES

"SERIOUSLY KAIZEN, HOW COULD YOU HAVE MISSED THAT JAFAR WAS GREED!?"

Jules hopped out of bed and paced the room. Rukia stirred slightly and rolled to her back with all four paws outstretched into the air, as if she couldn't be bothered. Or did she know? SHE KNOWS!

"Honestly, Jules, I'm just as shocked as you are." Kaizen pondered deeply and longingly into the small fire like the useless prick he was. "I knew about Diligence and Lust immediately because I can see their Seals—but his was blocked off somehow."

"Great. Just great!" How can he block off his Seal? I'd love to know myself, but I don't think he'd ever tell me…And Kat should have been able to see his Seal with her Vessel, just like how she saw the dust floating around Maddie's ankle. I never thought to ask her about where Lust's was. Then again, Kaizen said I'd be thrilled to found out where it was, so she probably kept it to herself out of spite…

Jules paced around the room. When he stepped near Rukia, he made sure to thump his feet extra hard in hopes that she'd pop up into action.

"And that nightmare." Kaizen rose and followed close behind Jules as they circled the inside of the hut, like Jules' permanent shadow. They both hunched over in thought with a hand raised to their chins. "You met Envy and Lust just how he—I mean, you—did in the nightmares. That's how I met them, that's how my master met them, including Greed."

"So what, I can break off script?"

"There are deviations in each world—It's not an exact copy of the Cycles, because we are supposed to stop the Apocalypse—but your world has quite a few, and that is one thing that hasn't changed in previous ones as far as I'm aware."

Jules stopped; Kaizen ran into him from behind. "What other deviations?"

Kaizen glanced down to Rukia, whose body didn't budge an inch, but her eyes whipped over to Kaizen, and they locked in a staring contest. "Your father, for one." Rukia flipped over to her feet and bowed down low. Doesn't look like a playful posture to me. Guessing Kaizen really threw me a bone there. "His name shouldn't be Liam."

Jules collapsed and put his hands to the fire in defeat. Another set of mysteries to unravel. "Well I never knew, but at the monument in Coralhaven for the Sack, I saw that Liam is his middle name."

"Oh?" Kaizen perked up to that information. He sat down next to Jules—too close—and leaned in to his face—way too close. "Would his first name happen to be—"

"It's high time we get out of Jules' hair, Kaizen." Any signs of youth or empathy or playfulness had long fled Rukia. Jules placed his hands in the fire and noticed how his skin no longer burned away with the flames.

[Paternal Problems — Quest Objective ADDED: Find out Liam's first name.]

"I have to go tell Cy and Kat." Jules stood up and fetched the broken pieces of the Sound that he'd slept with.

"No, Jules. We head straight for the Sound. Time is of the essence today."

Jules took a deep sigh and kept his back turned to his Familiar. Why does this piece of the Sound scare her so much? It's like she's completely changed. "Keeping information from each other hasn't helped us in the past. I have to tell them."

"Kaizen and I will accompany you to the Shrine if you leave now." That gave Jules serious pause. Withholding information had bitten them all in the ass many times over. But none of those instances compare to leaving a Shrine possessed by Wrath. If that has to happen again… These fools here could stop me before I fuel the flames of this war any further. I'm not sure who I'd rather win this war, but it seems like the Nomads are fighting for their land and people, and I definitely don't want to slaughter them as well. Ah, hell.

Jules put on his armored clothing. He double checked his Potions and Inked Arts as a precaution of losing his Regeneration inside the Shrine. Jules inspected his Seal one last time. Looks as if Coralhaven never happened. I wonder if that'll change when I cross back to the other side of that Shrine. He strapped a pack around his back and stopped at the door.

"Lead the way—but you will answer some questions."

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The early morning sun's rays were just visible over the horizon; it hadn't risen yet, and for some reason, Jules couldn't shake the feeling that this was about to be a very, very long day. They trekked through the barracks of Riftwatch Outpost. Dozens upon dozens of Nomads already strolled the wind-carved sandy paths through the town. Every single one turned and stopped to watch them pass by. The Desert Mouse is Greed… They must be used to seeing a Sin cross through town. I wonder how many of them know? They could have Binding Vows to keep him secret, similar to the Etherealists and their secrets.

But Jafar—Greed—he knew who I was. He was hunting me, actually hunting me down. Why would he of all Sins try to capture another one? Especially if he's working for Her. There's no way. Something else is up, it has to be.

They passed a transport wagon loaded with artillery shells. Another was packed with crates of Ryoku Crystals. Another still was lined with sandstone blocks, and Jules wasn't sure what they were for. After some time they left the city limits, and any signs of civilization began to wean out. Rukia led them through the rough and scattered edges of a nearby oasis, and they traveled down hill in a mixture of sand and grass; the cacti grew in size the further in they walked, and a mixture of citrus trees began to fill in some empty spaces as the sand itself withered away. And then he saw the oasis' aquifer in a sort of small pond. Of course. This oasis is new, courtesy of the Shrine. And since there are trees and water here, I should expect to go back to the black lake.

"Now that I have some experience with some Shrines, I want to know what I'm looking for in this one. What does the Sound look like in here? Is it an actual sword, or another wooden stick?" Jules dropped his sack to the ground a few dozen paces from the Shrine. "And since you are both being so quiet, just know that if you don't tell me, that means Wrath has been more helpful to our cause, because he told me to go after the Leshen's antlers last time."

"The Sound of Fury is many things," Kaizen began. "Eventually, you will be able to shift it into whatever weapon you need—but it's original form in Wrath's world was a katana." Of course, of course. "You are looking for the metal guard, the tsuba, of the Sound next. After this, you will find its sheath in your third and final Shrine."

"Thank you." Jules sat down for good effect. Better get my money's worth while he's being so glib. "What was your experience with Envy, Lust, and Greed? It seems like yours were quite different from mine."

Kaizen looked to the dwindling darkness of the sky, probably searching for three shooting stars somewhere. "We loved each other, all four of us, and we were thick as thieves. I had two nemeses—Death, of course, and before him, Patience. But I only ever had one rival in life. One who pushed me to become greater and stronger, more reliable and more of a leader, ever since I met him. That man was Greed, Jules."

Jules swept his hand through a small segment of sand and let it shift and fall out between his fingers. "Well I certainly want to become stronger because of him."

"Don't count him out yet, Jules. I think once you unravel his past, his present will make more sense. My Greed was…a complicated man. But as for Envy and Lust, sweet Lord Kami!" Kaizen cackled away and wouldn't stop.

Jules stood up. This information wasn't making him feel better, and he wanted to be fresh going into the Shrine; it was time. I haven't felt Wrath try to intrude in some time. Maybe he's waiting for me on the other side…but I'll have to take the risk.

"Kaizen. Rukia. Farewell—I'll see you when I cross back over." Jules marched to the Shrine, but stopped just before the threshold when he heard Rukia's paws follow him.

"I'm coming in this one, too, Jules. See you on the other side." And with that, she hopped right into the Shrine's waving veil and disappeared. Jules looked back to Kaizen, but he'd already vanished from this world; he sighed, then followed in after his Familiar.

Again, no Shrine rules. Jules didn't have to ramble through the forest this time; he was already at the black lake with its calm waters. Been here a lot lately. As always, the trees towered high above him and swayed in the wind—wind which never showed any effects upon the still lake. It was night, and despite having a new moon, light twinkled off the water's surface, from where, Jules was still unaware.

"Now, where are you hiding, little piece?" He spoke of the Sound, but immediately thought of Rukia. "Ruke. Little One! Where are you?" His voice echoed throughout the forest to no response, so he started walking. After a few steps, he felt that familiar beating sound.

THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP.

The sensation put Jules on high alert. Is it the Shrine Boss already? As Jules walked along the lake's edge, he recalled the Arcane Divide, where they'd found the Tree of Wishes. If this place exists in Salvatica, then surely it's there. But what's hiding? What did I miss?

Behind him, a massive fire erupted far off in the distance, its source beyond a hill, but the flames crept up into the sky. Its light illuminated more of this place than Jules had ever seen before; he felt the heat on his skin, and the smell of charred and burning wood permeated the air. The fire died down from an initial explosion, but its light and crackling flames endured. I wonder if this is what Maddie's compass Vessel is like. Pretty convenient.

Jules uncorked a Resist Fire Potion and started to drink it. Halfway through, he got used to the putrid taste, which smelled and tasted like a charred rat's hide, burnt hair and all. When he approached the end of it, he didn't even have to smack his lips or sour up his face to keep going. Hm. Pretty convenient.

The closer Jules got to the fire, the harsher the smoke's scent became, until just like the Potion, he became naturally acclimated to it. The intense aroma went from being a huge distraction to sort of fading away from his consciousness. OK, this seems a little too convenient—

A feral Warg crested a hill. Its hide was rotted and smoldering, its tattoo markings grayed and blacked out. Jules wrinkled his nose out of habit, though he was surprised the thing didn't smell like death. In fact, it didn't smell at all.

"You were sort of like a Boss last time, so let's get to it." Jules popped the Resist Fire Potion's cork and downed the final drops, then tossed the bottle aside. "Ah, shit." In two strong snorts, he sniffed the air as hard as he could. No taste, and no smell. Is this Shrine stripping me of my senses?