Wrath Reincarnated

ENVY

The night before

The blinding light faded, and though she was sound asleep in bed, presumably away far away from him, Kat found herself standing right behind The Nomad, hands to her eyes in fear of his might and glory. His ring, the only Vessel she—or whomever she possessed—had even seen him use, crafted an aura of black, wavering flames that danced around the man's left hand.

The Elders before them, sworn guardians of The Tree of Wishes, removed their staves from their backs and dug their leather sandals deep down into the dirt floor inside the hut. Steam from the tea continued to rise from their ivory cups.

"I will have my wish." No fear or compassion or even doubt crossed The Nomad's voice when he spoke.

"We are much too far past that, now."

"You have welcomed death to a holy space of rebirth and renewal—"

The Nomad interrupted the man to laugh in his face. The darkness flames died down slightly with his humor. "What a joke. The Tree doesn't protect life. You've read the Prophecies. You all know what's coming for us. It's time to rip out the weeds by their roots."

"The Tree denies all who seek death—"

"Fuck the Tree!" It was the first time Kat witnessed the man—the Alter, really—lose his temper in all these fever dreams. What is his wish? "We will summon Death himself and kill him now. Today."

The tea steam wafted into the air and amplified until Kat could no longer see through the haze. That happened fast. No, they've been slowly ratcheting it up this entire time. But the elements—I can use them, but how do I know that…?

"Chael. Gunner. Gish. Wait for me outside." Nearly blind in what became a steam house, Chael picked Kat up on his shoulder and escorted her out. She kicked and screamed and pounded on his shoulder, but she was no match for his sheer size, let alone the gap between their Skills. Outside, Guardians and Arcanians alike waited for them. Chael chucked her aside; as she rolled, Gunner sprinted out and swung his massive hammer into some poor man's chest.

CRACK!!

SLASH! CLANG! POP! SNAP!

Chael bled from a massive gash that cleaved off a patch of skin where his eyebrow used to lay, and Gunner's legs were pierced by earthen spikes from the ground. One was knocked to their knees, and then the other. Guardians drew their bows and aimed at their heads and chest, surrounding them in a circle. An Arcanian Stormrider next to Kat charged up a lightning bolt to strike her dead.

"Stop."

The Guardians obeyed the Elder, who was escorted out by the Nomad by his own staff, held in the Alter's left hand, consumed by black fire from his Vessel. But the Arcanian didn't listen and struck Kat with as much might as he was capable. Her heart stopped, her vision shook inside her skull, and her muscles all tightened up in every direction at once as her neurons lit off at random. The last thing she saw before passing out was an Elder himself turning that very same Stormrider into dust.

She woke up in a dark cave. Torches with black flames lined its ceiling, near a small crevice that let in a single ray of moonlight. She blinked once and saw The Nomad walk to her across a long bridge; something bright glowed at its other end. Kat shut her eyes for what seemed like an eternity, and when she opened them again, Chael practically foamed at the mouth in front of her.

What…? I almost died—or Gish did, whoever he is. But then why is Chael so angry at him, at me?

Chael's eyes widened as hers opened fully, and he shook her by her shoulders and even slapped her across the face.

"You fuckin' traitor!" His spit splattered her cheeks and burned her eyes.

"What?" The back of her head hit the stone, and Chael stood up. He drew his hammer and raised it high over his head—and Gunner knocked it from the giant's hands. The clattering of metal on stone echoed in the cave.

"Chael!" Gunner shouted. "What's gotten into you?" Chael thrust Gunner aside, down to the ground, and stormed over to her. He knelt down and reached into her breast pocket. She flailed and kicked him in the chest, but he ripped out a necklace and held it up for the others.

The moon rays glinted off its red crystal. Sweet Salvos.

"Fuckin' Elementalist pig." He kicked her in the chest for good measure, and she curled up into herself. The pain of her newest injury reminded her body that she'd been electrocuted, and the sensation of pain swept through her all over. All she could do was whimper.

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Metal scraped against stone, and Chael was upon her again. Gunner stared blankly at her, and Kat knew his expression all too well. Betrayal.

Chael grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up into the air like she were lighter than the necklace itself. He reared back his sword arm and plunged the sword into her, bust it vanished.

"Lemme kill him!" Chael demanded. "It's the old ways!"

The Nomad wagged his finger and clicked his tongue at Chael. At first the Alter looked down his nose at her on approach, then compassion crept across his features. He…

He was was looking at Gish at first, but now he's looking at me. At Envy. What game are you playing, and why is he here? Why is—

"Quiet, Chael." The Nomad placed his left hand, no longer on fire, upon Chael's right that gripped Kat's neck, and forced the brute to slowly lower her back to the ground, on her feet. "I have known from the start—"

"You know the old ways take precedent!" Gunner shouted, still sitting on the ground in total shock.

The Nomad didn't release Chael's hand until the latter released Kat.

"You are my chosen followers. Chael, Gunner. Only to be surpassed by the Third Star of the Prophecies. You speak of the old ways, pah! Forgers of the new world—That's what you are." The Alter walked away toward a set of dark, damp stairs that led far away from the Tree of Wishes.

"Fuck the new world." Chael's eyes lit up violet.

«« Summon Dagger »» [Chael]

« Atomize » [Gish]

Words beyond Kat's control escaped her lips. The dagger's tip managed to pierce Kat's neck, before it too vanished, along with any evidence of her own Script.

« Silence » [The Nomad]

The Nomad's spell brought Chael and her both to their knees. Kat's unbelieving eyes stared into Chael's, and she finally realized where she knew him from.

"Both of you, be silent." The Nomad spoke free of Sylvan or any Script, though his voice was just as harsh and demanding. "Your daughter watches, Waverunner."

Kat jerked up from her pillow and launched Whiskers, who'd been curled up sleeping on her chest, into the opposite wall.

"MROWRR!"

"Whiskers—Did you know!?" Her Familiar licked his paw and tried to soothe a lump on his cheek, right above a newly broken tooth. He avoided eye contact, and answered in a low voice.

"I was there the day you were born, Katarina." Whiskers didn't have to say anything else. She understood everything she needed to in this moment, or so she thought.

"So Chael is…" A tear streamed down her cheek, down her chin, and stopped on her neck at the lump in her throat. "Pop."

"I"m afraid there's more." Whiskers limped back over to her bed and sat down in her lap. Their emerald eyes mirrored the others'. "Alters are fond of entendre. Is Chael your father?"

What? Why does that—

Her eyes grew wide. Holy fucking shit. "That man—the one I've been living through. He is…"

"Your birth father!?" Cyrus exclaimed. He was so astonished he even dropped his food back to his plate to lean back in his chair. And that idiot never misses a chance to eat.

"Quite so." The Nomad lifted his veil, just slightly, to feed himself a piece of bread. Kat caught a glimpse of a scraggly grey beard underneath. Doesn't seem fitting to him. Nor did he have any facial hair in those dreams. But those visions were at least 18 years ago.

"So where are they now?" she asked. Whiskers lapped up milk from a saucer, trying to keep his cool, but she knew how livid he was.

"Afraid telling you that would be cheating you out of something you'd much rather discover on your own."

Kat stood up and slammed her hands on the table. Half a second later, their breakfast plates crashed back down to it.

"Oof, mate, you messed up." Cyrus shoveled more food into his muzzles. "You took her there, and now we're all about to have a terrible day."

SMACK! Chunks and morsels of food splattered the room like a crime scene.

"I want to know right now, old man. Where is Pop?"

"I suppose it's a good sign that you aren't calling him Chael." Kat raised her hand to strike him, too, for all the good it'd do. "Did The Painter teach you all about your Vessel's domains?"

Kat blinked once.

"Before you can fully use one, you have to master what it needs to teach you. Envy, I believe you are fully Regenerated this morning, no? And your eye?"

Kat winced, then broke eye contact. I have fully healed, finally. I thought that was just a coincidence…

"It's different for Sins. Possibly Virtues, I'm not sure—"

"THE POINT, OLD MAN!"

Cyrus picked up his plate of food and walked to a corner of the room, the furthest one.

"Listen, she-devil." The words froze Kat. She hadn't heard them in a long time. But of course you would fucking know him, too. You know every Salvos-damned person in my life! "And you will find the point for yourself. Young Cyrus here and myself, we aren't Arcanic, so we don't see after-effects, even if we never master our Vessels. Your kind, on the other hand… Vessels demand more of you. I helped Jafar progress through seven, and a few at various levels, so trust in my experience. Those nightmares were brought on by your Vessel, not the Holy damage you took from The Iron Maiden."

Kat looked down. Cyrus looked over his shoulder, at Tensa slung on his back. "Finally pays off to be human."

"I think you mastered your Vessel by yourself, so your Regeneration has returned in full. As for the questions you've both asked and have yet to ask, your second level Vessel should handle. I'd be out of line to do so for you. Besides, it isn't the right…" The Nomad glanced over at Cyrus. "Time."

Son of a bitch, I hate everyone and everything. Can't even know more about Pop, or my real father, or my…mother, who I truly know nothing about.

"What about Jules? He wasn't cursed."

Cyrus spat out and choked on some food. "Are you hallucinating in the waking world, too, Kat? He leveled his entire home town. I'd say that was penance enough."

"Wrath and the Sound of Fury are in a league of their own," the Alter said. Wow. How does he even know what Jules' Vessel's name is? "Not even I have the foresight to comprehend either. I wouldn't worry about him, though. He appears fine. For now. So you have mastered your Vessel until you capture your next Shrine, so now it's your turn, Cyrus."

Finally got that mongrel to stop chewing with his mouth open—this Alter's good for one thing, at least.

"Me?" Cyrus pointed to himself. The Nomad tilted his hidden face.

"You see any other Cyruses here?"

"Can you see at all?" Cyrus retaliated. The Nomad shot to his feet. That was weird.

"I will teach you how to master it, and you will do so today. Even a fool like you knows the importance of time."

Cyrus glanced over at Kat cautiously, spoon still midair. She growled at him and walked out the door.