Jackal Among Snakes

As the chaos all around died, an eerie silence set over the world as if everyone, all at once, was contemplating what had happened. They all feared one another, even their closest allies, because moments ago they’d been fighting against them. Argrave searched this field of dead nightmares for Anneliese.

It became clear he was coming closer to her as the images he saw shifted. He saw her mother, her father. He saw himself, repeated countless times in dead bodies. He saw sights not so dissimilar to what he’d endured, but the fear of what had happened pressed him onward without taking much time to contemplate.

“Raven and Lorena will survey the world to be sure Gerechtigkeit is dead,” Elenore informed him. “…but from all I hear, it seems to be truly over.”

Argrave stopped at a gaping hole of writhing flesh, peering down into its depths. This was where the connection between their two artifacts had led him. He took a deep breath and jumped within.

What he saw… it made Argrave’s own battles seem paltry by comparison, insignificant. The twisted bodies and faces rising from the stone, the grasping hands and chewing mouths… Argrave saw faint traces of her magic still persisting. Ice crystals, sparks, fires, all the like. Finally, though, the bottom neared. He landed upon a huge mass of flesh.

Argrave looked around. The cyst-like growth was wide and putrid, likely having been born of the earth all around them. He hoped to hear Anneliese’s voice at any moment—even a call for help would be better than this silence. But as he tugged at the artifact buried within his body, he located the source of its response.

Just underfoot.

With that, Argrave kneeled, conjuring a dagger of blood and carefully carving away with urgent movements. When, finally, one pale hand revealed itself, he eagerly dove deeper. Strip after strip of flesh peeled away, at parts like cutting through fat and at others through bone. And as he did, he began to understand Elenore’s defeat.

She was alive, but… Anneliese didn’t move. Instead, her body was suspended in stasis.

Deep in the throes of denial, Argrave continued to free more and more of her figure. When he finally reached her face, her amber eyes open wide and her lips frozen into a faint smile, the last support snapped, and he accepted what had happened. She had been overwhelmed, and in a last-ditch effort, suspended her body with the Spark of Eternity. It gave her total invulnerability, yet…

Argrave didn’t know what to do. Rage? That was there, but some dim undercurrent kept him from losing himself to the tide of emotions that poured over him. Whatever her present state, she was alive. She could be brought back, right? She had to be. If she couldn’t be…

“Argrave…” Elenore’s quiet voice entered his mind, speaking delicately as if she feared what he might do. “Anneliese felt confident enough to do this because she knew you would still persist. That’s what she told me.”

Argrave couldn’t help but tear up upon hearing that. He stared into Anneliese’s amber eyes.

“She knew that you’d be able to finish the fight,” Elenore continued. “And you will be, right? For her? For all of us?”

Argrave swallowed his tears, his sobs, even though it was painful. He looked up toward the sky, where the sun of his design faintly sent light curving into this horrid place. The skies were again free of Gerechtigkeit’s influence. He could see the wound in the world—waiting, inviting, like a taunt.

“Just…” Argrave’s voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “Just wait a moment, Anne. I’ll get you out of here. Then, I have to go.”

#####

Fortunately, Anneliese’s suspended form wasn’t trapped in that horrid pit—Argrave was able to bring her out of it, where others had already begun to gather around. He left her in the care of Elenore, then surveyed the surroundings as others gathered. Elenore brought a great deal of survivors here that she might coordinate their response and best deal with the aftermath. After all, she couldn’t be certain that she’d still have the blessing of connection if Argrave succeeded.

Law, Lira, and Hause were among the few gods to survive. Stout Heart Swan, Durran’s patron, and Yinther, god of curiosity, died at Gerechtigkeit’s hand. Even Veid in the Great Chu had fallen in the battle. The Veidimen were in a period of mourning. Argrave thought Galamon would be among them as her champion, but no—he was here with Orion, carried over by one of the lunar dragons.

At Argrave’s prompting, Hause examined Anneliese’s condition. She could offer no certainty, but mentioned the possibility existed that the Spark of Eternity might be untethered once Hause perished. While she hadn’t fully claimed the spark for Anneliese, she had been a contributing factor. Her death might conclude eternity’s grip over her. Hause expressed a willingness to reach that conclusion early. Argrave was sorely tempted, but it felt too wrong to actually go through with it.

After all, divinity as a concept might be ending shortly.

Leaving Elenore some time to strategize and coordinate, Argrave visited with those gathering in the broken ruins of Blackgard.

He saw Dario and Melanie, helping the dwarves evacuate out of their broken city of Mundi and visiting the surface for the first time in centuries. The sunlight and open air made some of them vomit. He saw Elias of Parbon helping coordinate the human survivors—his father remained behind, shepherding countless survivors toward this area. Argrave joined with a familiar pair, who both faced him numbly.

“Everything… gone,” Nikoletta mumbled quietly. “Mateth… nothing remains. My father…”

Argrave studied her. She’d lost an eye, and the wound persisted—no healing magic could close it, for it was caused by the god of pain. Even after he’d perished, it wouldn’t fade.

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“You’re alive,” Argrave said, looking between her and Mina. “We’ll rebuild.”

Neither seemed to take solace in his words, and so he left them alone with their grief. He briefly joined with Orion and Galamon.

“How bad was the Great Chu?” He asked the two of them.

Orion and Galamon shared a glance, then his brother focused only on him. “Only a few cities still stand. Their people survived, but that’s about all I can say.”

“The Veidimen were barely harmed.” Galamon crossed his arms, speaking with an unusually angry tone. “I’m ashamed, even in my happiness. Patriarch Dras…” he shook his head. “I’ll never speak to him again. Not after this.”

“You’ll be welcome here,” Argrave said with conviction. “More than welcome.”

Orion grabbed his shoulder. “And how are you, Your Majesty? Anneliese…”

“She’ll be fine,” Argrave insisted. “I’ll be sure of that.”

“Right.” Orion nodded. “Good luck. For what comes.”

Argrave looked toward the sky as the lunar dragons ferried people over. According to Elenore, they’d been hit hard by the battle, but enough of them had survived to begin the revival of their people on this planet. The question remained, of course, whether or not they’d choose to stay on the moon.

Eventually Argrave came to Durran, who sat alone.

“It’s not difficult to see how entire civilizations were lost after every cycle,” Durran said as greeting. “Everything… everything’s just gone.” He looked in the distance. “Mountains were eroded and remade. Cities were leveled, and the people inside them slaughtered. Libraries, archives—all of it turned to nightmares, and soon to turn to dust.”

And Durran was right. All around, these nightmarish corpses began to turn back into what they’d been born of—earth, stone, and other such things. It was a sign that Gerechtigkeit’s power was leaving this world.

“I imagine it was worse this time,” Argrave commented.

“Yeah.” Durran nodded. “Still. Imagine how many people, how many cultures, were just… forgotten. Lost. My people survived, but so many others didn’t.”

“I don’t need to imagine. I have Erlebnis’ knowledge in my head,” Argrave reminded him.

Durran inhaled. “I’m feeling markedly less soulful after hearing that.” He turned his head back. “Tell me if you need help with Anneliese.”

“Kill any weird people that hover near her,” Argrave instructed.

He looked over. “I can’t kill Raven, I’m afraid.” Durran shook his head. “All others… sure, fine.”

Argrave snorted, but took mental note of the fact that Raven had returned. It meant Gerechtigkeit was definitely dead.

“I’m looking forward to getting this mark taken off my neck.” Durran’s hand hovered near the spiral Raven had imbued on him—his life bet about whether or not Gerechtigkeit could be stopped. “So, go finish the job.”

“Right.” Argrave nodded. “Easy enough.”

Argrave took a deep breath, facing back where Elenore, Raven, and Sophia stood in guard of Anneliese. The tally of damage could be calculated after this last battle was finished. For now, he’d have to see if the plan remained as was. With steady, certain steps, he came to join him. His heart ached as Anneliese’s suspended body came into sight.

“So, do we stick to the plan?” he said as he walked nearer. “Or have you elected to send someone else?”

Raven studied Argrave as he neared. “I did consider putting my own name in the list. But in the end, you could probably kill me easily at this point. And you’ve proven… difficult to kill. I can’t think of anyone better suited.”

Argrave didn’t respond, instead kneeling down by Sophia. “Are you alright, Sophia?”

“Mmhmm.” She nodded. “Are you? Mo—Anneliese…

“I’ll fix this,” Argrave vowed. “And if I can’t… maybe you will. Yeah?”

Sophia nodded eagerly. “Yes!”

“Heartwarming, but we’ve no idea what to expect up there,” Elenore said, cutting in with realism. “If you… if your flesh… I mean, if your body…”

“Dies?” Argrave finished.

“Yes.” Elenore nodded, a trace of pain in her features. “If you do… that, Sophia may have to return you here. I think we should move as soon as you’re ready.”

Argrave looked up at the wound in the world, closing so slowly as to be imperceptible. He took a deep breath, then looked at Sophia.

“Let’s begin, then.” He held out his hand to Sophia. “Change me.”

Sophia reached toward his hand, taking one of his fingers. She looked uncertain, gaze flitting between Raven and Elenore who both gave her self-assured nods. Then, Argrave felt a shift of power that he’d experienced before a great many times. It was the same sensation as when he was trapped in Sandelabara, constantly being remade every few hours.

Sophia staggered back, but Argrave bent and caught her quickly. “You alright?”

“I did it,” Sophia said, her breathing a little uneven. “I did what Doctor Raven said.”

“Good,” Argrave praised. “Great. Then, I can…?” He looked to Raven.

“You can travel through the wound,” Raven confirmed with a curt nod. “As Elenore said, I’d advise you move now.”

“Alright.” Argrave rose to his feet. “Won’t be long, Sophia. Just wait a bit. And…”

Argrave turned to Anneliese’s suspended form. He looked at her faint smile, and felt he knew what she would be saying, what she would be doing, in this moment. He touched her cheek, feeling the warmth.

“Talk to you soon, Anneliese,” he promised.

Argrave cast [Absolute Movement], feeling the wind encircle him. Then, he rose up into the sky, heading toward that dark cut in the sky. It grew more and more ominous as he grew closer. One could see it plainly, but could see nothing beyond it. It was much like the Shadowlands, in that fashion. Argrave hoped its condition wasn’t similar.

Argrave didn’t putter about gathering his courage to enter. He soared, Anneliese in his mind, right into the wound. Argrave felt himself move in a new fashion, a new way, twisting through dimensions in a manner that could be described in one fashion.

Oddly familiar.

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