Discordibus Reges|Post Mortem

    Aristo listened carefully to Indigo and Elizabeth’s commands as all hell broke loose around them. Universe Eaters were everywhere, they swarmed the skies and consumed the very fabric of the realm he called home. The gravity of the situation hit him like a derailed freight train. They needed him, more than anything right now. Keeping to the sky, he broke through the torrential downpour that hammered the border of Panethion then headed due west. All he had to do was find New Bastion, locate BC Star, and get a portal opened in case the Universe Eaters got out of hand.

    ‘This I my moment…’ The Symbiote thought to himself. He was the hero now. He was their savior; their sovereign. He was their only chance of survival, should things get out of control.

    He laughed.

    “Idiots... I never really was on your side.” He chimed as the sea separating Panethion from the rest of the world disappeared behind him and he entered the mainland. Universe Eaters be damned. All that monotonous compassion made him want to puke; he’d much rather see this universe fall than help those mangy, stupid cats. “After all, I have plans of my own to follow…”

    He flew the distance between Panethion and New Bastion post haste. Who knew how much time he had before either the Universe Eaters took control or those damn cats caught up to him. It didn’t take him long; New Bastion loomed into view before he knew what was coming. “Home sweet home…” but now wasn’t the time for formalities. His crow form was the perfect disguise to find just what he was looking for. Coming upon BC Star’s house was easy too, it stuck out like a sore thumb in this pre-modern society.

    Aristo flew into the house with the intent to simply “talk the residents into his plans”, but instead of BC Star there to welcome him, he came face to face with an unoccupied space. Everyone was out. A metallic suit stood on the other end of the room on display, and even Aristo could tell it was built for Symbiotic use. Though the thought of another Symbiote perplexed him, he simply accepted the suit’s convenience. ‘Perhaps I won’t need that cat after all’ he thought to himself. The Symbiote took control of the machine and left the premises before anybody could notice.

    The suit felt extremely foreign to him; all of the technology wrapped inside the machine made his head spin. But it did prove useful. The strength of the machine would come in handy, and he could now detect the exact location of The Martyr, somewhere deep below him.

    “I’m coming, father.”

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    The Martyr silently meditated within the confines of his dark, metal coffin, immobilized, trapped, left to his own devices within the cold, dreadful catacombs as the world above thrived in his absence.

    It was infuriating.

    The spikes within his prison pressed against his body in the most incessant manner, but the two minds that shared the tyrant’s body had long since gotten use to the pain. Instead of plotting revenge or arguing during the long months of torture, they focused their time and energy into simply keeping themselves alive against the spikes working in tandem to kill them. Taking advantage of their ascended spirit, the Martyr used his disembodied god form to sap the power from his deceased children, using their energy and powers to sustain himself. Though it seemed cruel, it was all he could do while trapped in his prison.

    The Martyr had almost given up hope in escaping the incantations that surrounded his cell, finding the struggle absolutely pointless, when one fateful day he heard the sound of metallic footsteps swiftly advancing towards his coffin. Though he couldn’t actually see the approaching being, he could sense it was another Symbiote. A familiar one. A wild grin ripped at the corners of his mouth.

    Aristo used the strength of the suit to easily rip apart the “enchanted” chains that held Martyr back, and when enough of them were broken, he stumbled out onto the floor. Picking himself up, he looked at his surrounds as if he hadn’t seen them in centuries. A few months in confinement left him looking stiff and weary, but he held up well for his time, as far as Aristo could tell. It didn’t take long for him to bring his gaze down to the Symbiote encased in a peculiar suit of armor.

    “Ah… Aristo, my son…” Martyr cooed, a large grin ripping at the edge of his mouth.

    “Father…” Aristo answered back warmly.

    “We are free. Oh so free… And it’s all thanks you you…” Martyr saw Aristo stand taller at his words, utterly proud of himself. Though he already knew the answer to his next question, it only seemed fitting to ask, “Tell me, where are your brothers…?”

    “Dead.”

    Martyr’s grin grew even wider, “Excellent… Then you’ve proven yourself more than worthy of my legacy. Come.” He ushered Aristo up the stairs and through the hallways of the catacombs. Just as they were about to reach more familiar grounds, Martyr gave a slight shiver, and he suddenly spoke in a softer, rougher tone. “Wait… Something is coming…” From above, muffled by many layers of rock, came odd fluctuating sounds and humming noises. There was a loud crash, then a subdued roar. The two Symbiotes could sense another presence among them.

    Aristo gave a shudder. This sensation felt so… new to him. The thought of another Symbiote so close by… it scared him; his knowledge of Symbiotes had never extended past himself and his father.

    “Well well well, looks like we’ve got ourselves a little welcoming wagon. Shall we go and meet the host?” Martyr chided. “Let’s…” he replied back to himself before skulking off in the direction of the sound. Aristo followed him hesitantly.

    The roaring grew louder, the sound almost unmistakable to that of a pained animal. The shadows grew ever darker as they got closer and closer to their target. For a moment, an eerie silence filled the gloom, just as they had reached a small cavern, the center dominated by an all-too-familiar portal. The Martyr only had a split second to take in the surroundings before the two of them were buffeted by a maelstrom of sound. The roar pierced his ears and ripped away at their Symbiotic bodies. The Martyr covered his face with his hands, his body screaming at him to move yet he was unable to. The ground lurched in response to the swift hand motions to cover his face, and a large pillar of stone rose from the earth, blocking the onslaught of sound.

    The Martyr dropped the wall after the screaming had stopped, and he looked at his hands in utter disbelief. ‘How…’ he thought to himself, before whipping his head up to face his apprehender. He couldn’t help but grimace at the sight before him.

    The creature before him grinned repulsively. It was a horrendous mixture of human, Symbiote, and Wendigo. The power contained within its body came off in droves. Everything about the creature gave the Martyr chills. “Hello, Poison. Did you miss me?” the thing asked in a deep, scratchy voice.

    Aristo cowered closer to Martyr. This thing was powerful. Very powerful, and it held none of the affection Martyr had for him. Though there was something… vaguely familiar about him; old memories lost to time he couldn’t quite reach now.

    The Martyr snorted in contempt, “Disgusting creature. We have no memory of you.” his voice practically oozed with venom.

    "Disgusting?" The thing whispered softly. "Disgusting? DISGUSTING?!" The Power Scream echoed on his lips. "Do you know what I did? To myself? To others? All to perfect myself, all for you, Poison. You don't remember, do you? James Soliday. You possessed me; you RUINED MY LIFE, then you cast me out as unworthy!" He laughed, his voice back to a whisper. As he leaned in closer, he spoke slowly, making the two beings unconsciously hang on to his every word. "But I wouldn't expect you to care, "Martyr". I wouldn't expect you to remember. You're just the last piece of my puzzle."

    Martyr gave a quick roll of his eyes. Powerful? Yes. Air head? Most definitely. Yet he remained silent and motionless, letting “James” complete his monologue.

    James began stalking slowly around the room, strange noises echoing around him. "Do you know what a Martyr is? A martyr is a hero. A DEAD hero. You are no hero, Poison. You're just the big bad wolf who stumbled upon the shadow that was too great for him, and the shadow that was worth less than the DIRT it was cast on. And guess what? I don't NEED you! I just..." He rubbed a slimy tentacle along the Wolf King's cheek. Martyr grimaced in response. "WANT you. Who else could it be? You... COMPLETE me. Or, you will. But I'm not done with you yet."

    James stepped backwards, into the shadows behind him. "What do you fear, Martyr? Why don't we find out together?" He unleashed his Fear power, allowing the Wolf King to experience the very worst of his fears.

    “What are you doing…?” The Martyr growled. The two entities within Martyr, for all the time they spent together, had one common fear between them: failure, and the fear they would once again end up imprisoned. The pain, the silence… The sensation came flooding back to them, and it caused the Martyr to shift uncomfortably under his skin. However, it would take much more than that to deter him. “We fear nothing.” He lied, “Pawn.”

    "Pawn?" James laughed. He entered into Martyrs vision, twisting it to fit his presence. The room around them seemed to morph into a massive chessboard, and Martyr was positioned as the Black King. Static chess pieces towered over him like silent guardians, and Aristo was immobilized in the place of a meager black knight. Across the board, somehow seeming to be an incredible distance away and yet right in front of them stood James, posing as the White King.

    "I am more than a pawn. I am the King. The King of Nightmares. And I've never cared for chess." The board and pieces melted away, and one of the white squares grew until it encompassed all around them. He was still standing, grinning. "Too slow for my tastes. I've done my planning."

    "You are nothing..." Martyr hissed. The air began to feel heavy. "You are no king... You are no pawn... You're just pathetic. Blind, weak, disposable..." The ground began to rumble softly, "You are not in control here, 'Nightmare King'. We are. We control the earth. We control the sea." His voice caused even the illusion to quake, "We. Are. God."

    The Nightmare King laughed heartily, an oddly chilling sound. "Do you think I care? Do you think this is just a display, like animals when competing for mates? I have mastered forces you can't even begin to understand, ‘Martyr’. The Destruction God Detriak fell before me, and now his power dwells within me. And soon, so will yours." For a second, half of the Martyr’s face twitched in a small pained, expression, as if a part of him felt a deep guilt for his old friend, Detriak.

    The Nightmare King crept closer, using his mastery over Fear to warp the world around him. He seemed to be getting bigger and bigger, until he towered imposingly over the wolf. He spared Aristo a glance filled with derision, taking more of an interest in The Wolf King than him. For a second, Martyr was unsure how to react, before James suddenly whipped around, glowering at the empty expanse behind him, “I should have known you would follow me.”

    “Then why run?” A voice answered from nowhere. The illusion shattered and everyone was back in the portal room. A Symbiote, clad in robotic armor like Aristo’s, stood facing the three, his fists raised and ready to fight. Another Symbiote, as white as snow, stood beside him, her tentacles whipping around menacingly behind her. “The Martyr, I presume?” the metallic Symbiote addressed softly. Martyr only spared the two a glance, before bringing his attention back to James. Those two new Symbiotes were much weaker than him, they posed no real threat; no, his priorities lay with The Nightmare King.

    Aristo cocked his head to the side and gazed curiously at the other metallic being, noting just how similar their armor was. ‘I guess I know whose armor this is now…’ He thought silently to himself.

    The Martyr pooled some of his Symbiotic fluid into his hand and formed his iconic, jagged sword. He readied himself for a fight. “Do not tempt us, Pawn. This is OUR domain, and we will see you obliterated before giving you a fighting chance…”

    The Nightmare King seemed amused. In one swift motion, he grabbed the white Symbiote and hurled her straight at Martyr before leaping towards him himself.

    Martyr ducked down to avoid the flailing Symbiote, before using his newfound power to shoot a massive pillar of stone out from the wall. It collided with The Nightmare King, knocking him straight into the wall adjacent to it. The Martyr’s tail shifted, morphing from its wavy appearance into four sharp tentacles along his back. They flicked in annoyance, but he was otherwise motionless, looking almost disinterested in the fight.

    Aristo had lurched away from the battle and was watching the chaos from afar, when he felt something collide into him from the side. It was the snow white Symbiote. She pinned him down, ripping the helmet off his head, and a small sound of fear escaped from him. For the briefest of moments, her name seemed to pass through his lips, “Vaccine…” he whispered too softly for her to hear, though he wasn’t sure where the name had come from.

    “You’re a fake.” She spoke.

    Aristo looked up at Vaccine, wide eyed. She looked so strange to him; extremely intimidating, in her own right. Aristo cowered out of the stolen suit, taking the form of a cat as he slunk off into the dark corners of the room, away from the fray and the powerful Symbiotes.

    Martyr began an advance towards The Nightmare King, his tendrils lashing and his shoulders tensing as he readied his sword for a strike.

    James unleashed another Power Scream, staggering Martyr back, and then he leaped into the air and latched onto the ceiling. He scuttled swiftly over the combatant's heads and dropped down onto the strange mechanical Symbiote, grabbing him and tearing off one of his arms. He trained the arm on Martyr and unleashed a small barrage of rockets at him.

    The Martyr brought up his arms to shield himself, letting the rockets hit him full-force. The force of the rockets pushed him up against the wall, and he gave several grunts of pain before shaking his head to clear it. “Idiot…!” Poison suddenly hissed in his mind, “Have you forgotten how to fight…!?” The Martyr growled at himself, before charging at James. “Gragh! How would you fight if you’ve been trapped in a box for several months!?” Morpheus’s voice was distinct in the fray going on in his mind. He aimed a hard blow with his sword, but James evaded. “It was your fault in the first place…” Martyr was in close. Dangerously close. His two halves were at conflict while the strongest being in the room was inches from his face. “If you think you’re going to fare any better, then why don’t you take over?!”

    Seeing an opening, James suddenly struck Martyr with a powerful uppercut, then reached out a tentacle and slammed him down to the floor. “See this?” he taunted, “Human-made. I call him Hazmat.” He began pummeling the Martyr with his robotic legs, stomping hard on the wolf's chest. "No arguing. No hassle. No- RRRAGHH!" He screeched and staggered back, clutching his head. "I hunger..."

    The mechanical Symbiote took that moment to fling himself at the Nightmare King's back, knocking him forward. Martyr leaped up and slashed at James as he lurched, creating a new gash in his chest. Vaccine broke her gaze off from where Aristo had gone, watching the Martyr curiously. "Is he friendly?" she asked tentatively.

    Martyr did not hear her, and instead roared at James, utterly enraged. The ground trembled in tandem. Making a swift gesture with his hands, a large, jagged pillar of stone shot from the earth and it hit The Nightmare King and his mechanical assailant head on, knocking them both into the cavern wall.

    "No he's not..." The robotic Symbiote groaned, his electronics sparking. He reached up and wrenched off his helmet, casting aside where it continued to spark. Vaccine bolted at Martyr, striking him in the back like a bullet, and tangled his limbs with her tentacles. She scrambled on top of him, holding him to the floor and hissing fiercely with a jagged mouth. The Nightmare King rose and kicked the sparking Symbiote aside disdainfully, advancing steadily towards Martyr and Vaccine.

    The Martyr formed several tentacles and ripped Vaccine off and him, throwing her aside. He got to his feet and summoned his sword, marching towards the Nightmare King with sheer determination plastered across his face. He gave the tiniest of signals, making an odd clicking noise in the back of his throat that Aristo understood almost immediately. He sprung from his hiding place, his body now in the form of a crow, ready to distract The Nightmare King. Aristo flew straight into his face, cawing and pecking and distracting him from his father. At this moment, the Martyr lurched forward, ready to slice James in half.

    The Nightmare King took the bait and seized Aristo, bringing him up to his mouth. "I hunger!" He yelled maniacally, before Martyr's strike made contact. It sliced his shoulder open, but James grabbed the sword and ripped it out with his hands. Still holding it, he snapped it over his metal knee and threw the halves aside, watching as the Symbiotic substance liquefied and pooled onto the floor. Anger burned in his eyes. "No more fun and games. I want you Poison. Come and COMPLETE ME!" He punctuated his last two words by leaping upon Martyr and seizing his snout, pulling back with all his strength. Slowly and agonizingly, the Poison Symbiote began to peel away from Morpheus.

    The two beings within Martyr roared and shrieked in sheer agony, filling the room with the deafening sound of thunder. The Martyr took his tendrils and started piercing them blindly into The Nightmare King's form, over and over and over, but he seemed completely un-phased by it. A strange feeling erupted in the Martyr’s body, something he’d never felt before. Like pure energy. The air grew thick and suffocating as the walls trembled, as though it was being condensed, and a perpetual thunder rolled. Before Martyr or James could realize the consequences of their actions, a massive bolt of lightning condensed within the room and pierced The Nightmare King, travelling through him and into Martyr.

    James spasmed in agony, wrenching himself away from the Martyr and staggering around the room. The Hazmat Symbiote ripped away from his skin for a moment, revealing the thin, emaciated and partially frozen form of the Wendigo James underneath. The mechanical Symbiote took the moment to tackle James backwards into the portal, shoving him through. "Keep him there!" He yelled into the portal. There must have been more of them. "Decay! Reno! KEEP HIM THERE!"

    The Martyr rolled on the ground, roaring and hissing in pain from his own attack. "Father!" Aristo cried out, flying over to him. Eventually, he forced himself to stand up, stumbling and shuddering from the sensations he had felt within his body. He collected himself and gave a roar of indignation, looking just about ready to make a charge through the portal after James.

    The mechanical Symbiote stepped in front of the portal defensively, a look of determination in his eyes. "You're not getting through. And you're not going out. This ends here, Martyr. One minute until detonation."  

    Martyr tensed his muscles, ready to lunge through anyways, but something stopped him. His muscles eased and he began to chuckle slightly, taking a slow stride up to the pitiful thing before him. "Oh really? Fine by me~"

    The Symbiote glared up at him, his exposed eyes no longer able to hide his fear. "Forty-five seconds. All I have to do is hold out for forty-five seconds."  

    "Such heroic nonsense." Martyr taunted. "I fail to see how this is my problem, when it's YOUR PROBLEM!" He flung the pest through the portal, waiting for the inevitable explosion with a twisted laugh. Vaccine shrieked and flung herself through after him, disappearing from sight. There were several long, tense seconds of silence, then the explosion rocked the entire room, and could surely be felt by the residents of New Bastion above.

    Just before the portal crumbled, Vaccine came rocketing out, slamming against the back wall and crumpling to the floor. "No!" she was screaming. "NO!"

    Martyr watched as the gateway crumbled and the portal dissipated into thin air. He laughed. Aristo landed on his father's shoulder, a little more than shaken up from the fray. Once the cave started to settle from the trembling, the Wolf King skulked his way over to Vaccine, unable to contain his chuckles, "Hehe... Looks like it's just you and me~" he gave a soft chuckle, then suddenly pushed his face down close to hers, a bloodthirsty grin practically ripping at the corners of his mouth, "Run." he snarled.

    She stared up at him brazenly, opening her mouth to hiss in his face. Then she scuttled between his legs faster than he could react, seizing the discarded and now-useless helmet of her friend. Vaccine gazed at it mournfully for a moment, then reared up to her full height. "I'll walk, thanks." She spat, a slight quiver in her voice, then lurched out of the room, whimpering slightly.

    The Martyr couldn't help but smirk at her arrogance, though she was obviously not worth the fight at the moment. As she left his sight, the Martyr shuddered, "Eugh... Aristo."

    "Yes, father..?"

    "Follow her... Make sure you stay out of sight... and make sure she stays out of our way..."

    "As you wish..." And with that, Aristo took to the shadows after her. Martyr took one last glimpse at the broken portal, before spitting in its general direction. He could still sense The Nightmare King. He was still alive. That much he was sure of.

    "This isn't over yet..." he hissed, before taking the route adjacent from the now obliterated portal, making his way away from the surface.
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    As the Martyr made his way deeper into the catacombs, a wave of humiliation began to roll over him. He reflected heavily on his first encounter after being prisoner for so long, and so far the odds of returning to power seemed slim. The two beings residing within him began to converse quietly, “We let him overtake us…” Poison remarked bluntly.

    “We weren’t prepared.” Morpheus answered back, “Spending all that time cramped in a cell has made us rusty.”

    “Obviously…” Poison retorted, “Have you forgotten… who it was… that lead us to our downfall…? Who showed mercy… in the face of our once strongest adversary…?” memories played in their minds. Queen Solaris was at the mercy of his power. Fires blazed through the streets and people were falling at the hands of his mighty army. But instead of killing the queen, he raped her, then left her there to rot. Six years later she took control once more, torturing him in front of the whole world before tossing him to die in a coffin of nails. He could still feel the fires peeling away at his flesh. It was agonizing.

    Morpheus gave a shudder, “Look. I know I did wrong, okay? I was in the moment; I wasn’t thinking. And I’m… sorry.” He had to choke the words out, “But I’ve learned from my mistakes. This time, I won’t hesitate.”

    Poison gave a small snort, seemingly satisfied with his response. For now. This topic always seemed to come up, no matter the situation. As they continued through the complex routes within the catacombs, the stone walls became more and more crude and unmanaged. No light reached this area of the tunnels, though it didn’t bother Martyr much at all. All that really bothered him was the constant barrage of forked paths and dead ends. He remembered exactly why he built these hallways so infuriatingly complex; to deter the outside world. Even a Symbiote couldn’t find its way through these halls.

    Eventually, through a lot of trial and error, he came upon a naturally occurring cave system connected to the man-made catacombs. A small stream flowed through it, and as the Martyr followed its winding path, he felt a rush of air hit him from somewhere up ahead. An unnatural light filled the cave. When he came upon the source, he looked at his surroundings pleasingly.

    “The heart of Karga Magna…” he addressed to himself, as if he hadn’t been here in centuries. The room was insanely large, filled to the brim with glowing stones, columns and streambeds, and other connecting tunnels. He remembered how he first came upon this place while constructing the catacombs, and how he had used these tunnels to transport his three sons to Panethion, though they were too young to remember. The tunnels led to every single region found on Karga Magna’s surface. An immaculate find.

    “So… what’s the plan…?” Poison asked Morpheus, though he already knew the answer.

    Morpheus took a second to toy with their newly found powers before answering. A wave of his hand rumbled the very core of Karga Magna, raising pillars from the earth. Another gesture began to condense the air. He stared brazenly at the new discovery, before grinning wildly.

    “We start from scratch.”

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    Aristo had followed his father’s orders and was now in pursuit of Vaccine. She was fast. Very fast. He struggled greatly trying to keep pace with her as she ran along rooftops and skittered through the streets, while still making sure he wasn’t seen. ‘It’s so strange…’ he thought to himself absentmindedly, ‘I never imagined there’d be so many other Symbiotes…’ a new sensation flooded through his body. It felt utterly invigorating, knowing there were more beings like him than just his father. His brothers did not count to him; they were mutts. Disgusting half-breeds. ‘But she…’ he looked down at his target, ‘I know she’s pure. So were the others. I could feel it…’

    Aristo followed Vaccine as she came upon her objective: the same house he had entered none too long ago. BC Star’s house. What she was doing there was a mystery to him, but he perched atop a roof and waited for her to do whatever it is she was doing. When she came out, she no longer held the mask of her fallen friend. He leaned forward in anticipation for her next move.

    Vaccine simply looked up at the sky. Aristo could see a look of distress on her face, before she wiped her eyes and began scaling a building. She touched down on the roof and was about leap to the next when she stopped herself mid-step, seemingly alerted.

    The crow noticed her sudden alertness, and was too scared to move in case she had possibly seen him. After a couple seconds of silence, he decided to take a chance at being spotted and slunk silently down off of the roof to the ground below. Once on the street, his body morphed into that of a cat, and he quickly whipped his head up to see if Vaccine had spotted him.

    Nothing. Vaccine was gone, seemingly having vanished into thin air. Aristo breathed out a sigh of relief, and turned to follow her on foot. That is, if she wasn’t already right behind him. The moment his eyes fell upon her, she lunged forward with a screech, tentacles lashing. “Why are you following me!?” She demanded as she pinned him down underneath her.

    Aristo, despite his cat-like appearance, accidentally gave a caw of alarm in response to the sudden interrogation, “AH! Get off of me!!”

    “ANSWER ME!”

    Aristo suddenly locked up. He was absolutely scared she would just kill him right then and there. His ears were flat against his head as he shrunk down into his shoulders, averting his gaze from her hard stare. “I-I… I, uh…”

    She shrieked again, and this time her seldom used mouth split open, “You were there when he died!” she snarled, “You were with HIM.”

    “L-look…” he took a couple deep breaths, then slowly composed himself. His voice was soft and rich, though it didn’t do much to mask the unease, “Relax, okay…? I-I’m not him. I didn’t do this to your friend. Look at me. Do I honestly look like a threat to you…?”

    Vaccine stared at him, eyes squinted. The gaze was stifling. She seemed to consider his words for a moment, her eyes clouding over. She drew away quickly. “Not compared to the other things I’ve seen. Just… stay away from me.”

    Aristo sat up and silently watched as Vaccine walked away. He supposed he should be thankful the outcome wasn’t worse. After a couple seconds, he called out, “Thank you, friend.”

    Vaccine stopped, “…I’m not your friend.” She lept up onto a roof and went on her away. Needless to say, he still followed her.

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    It took a lot of effort, but the guards of New Bastion had finally managed to quell the raging drake running amok in the heart of their city. Spirit was now detained, pressed firmly against the concrete as ropes and lead weights held him in place. It was humiliating, and he made sure to thrash about to make his discomfort known, but it was obvious he wasn’t going anywhere. As he laid there, snarling and roaring in frustration, Smoky couldn’t help but feel his outburst was only the start of something much bigger.

    By the time Solaris had joined the party, a small crowd had begun to form. The light of Mortua above aided in the sight before them, and they stared down at Spirit with mixed emotions; one half with pity, and the other half fear. Walter had followed the queen, clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other, “What do you need me to do, your majesty?”

    Solaris was urgent, “Send as many guards as you can into the catacombs. Now. Tell them to search every inch of the tunnels until there’s not a stone left unturned.”

    “Yes, my queen.” Walter bowed, then rushed off away from the crowd. Spirit only growled in contempt.

    “You will find nothing.” Spirit’s thick drakien accent was difficult to hear under the weight of the ropes around his muzzle, “The Martyr. He is long gone.”

    The crowd shifted, murmuring uneasily at his words. Smoky felt sick, “You know where he is.”

     “Yes. But, I will not cooperate.” Spirit scowled in his direction, though it seemed pained, “I… cannot. You are weak. You are unworthy.”

    “Unworthy? Hmph! Says the two-faced traitor.” Elizabeth pointed out, tightening her grip on the scared little fluffball clinging desperately onto her. Koda eyed the drake warily from the safety of Liz’s arms. It made the she-cat a little sad the first thing he saw of the new world was this, but it couldn’t be helped now.

    Spirit only snorted at her remark, averting his gaze with some sense of shame.

    “Hey Indy, a contribution to the conversation would be nice.” Liz called her mate out, breaking him away from his thoughts. He had been quietly staring at the ground, taking in the conversations happening all around him, when her voice jolted him back to reality.

     “N-huh? What?”

    “You okay?” She asked him.

    “Yeah. Just… thinking.” He answered back hesitantly. To be quite honest, he wasn’t even sure what he was thinking about. His brain was fried. The day had been an absolute mess, from start to finish, and now… now there was this. It was all so overwhelming.

    A small amount of time had passed before Walter returned. His face was absolutely pale. Before anybody could ask, he blurted out, “The breach! I-It’s destroyed!”

    “What!?” Solaris looked utterly appalled. Several people gasped, while others looked on in confusion, completely unaware of the breach.

    Walter looked sick, “I-I don’t understand. It was just… broken. Shattered. The room was a mess, a-and…”

    While Walter stammered on and on, Smoky began to tremble slightly. “No… Calypso…” he breathed out, distress coming off him in droves. Before anybody could react, he took to the sky. He had to see this for himself.

    “Smoky, where are you going!?” Indigo called out, before following him. Elizabeth was just about to tail them both, when she heard Walter bring up the Martyr.

    “H-he’s gone. Spirit was right. There’s no telling where he’s gone off to, either. Just the signs of struggle...”

    Elizabeth swallowed hard at the information, readjusted Koda so he sat in her arms more comfortably, and took off towards her brother and her mate.

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    A young woman stood in crowd of people surrounding the contemptuous drake, listening to the murmurs of unrestful civilians as Walter prattled off what he had seen. “The breach… destroyed! The Martyr… gone. Struggle…” she took note of only the bare essentials. When she had heard enough, she eased away from the crowd and into one of many back streets. Donning her hood, she retrieved a small earpiece from the confines of her satchel and fumbled with it until she could find a signal. “Zeus… Zeus, can you hear me?”

    The earpiece made small static noises as it tried to connect to the receiving end, “Bzzt… Loud and… Chhhhzz… clear, Conure. What’s the problem?”

    “I’m receiving info that the breach has been destroyed. Are you still in Rift City?”

    “Zzzggg…Yes… Have you been able to confirm this information?”

    “Not yet.” She admitted, “But it’s coming from the right hand of the queen. It’s got to be true.”

    “The right hand? Are you in New Bastion!?”

    “Affirmative.”

    “Are you crazy?” the man sounded incredulous, “They catch wind of you, you’re dead!”

    “Save it, Zeus. Umbra has been waiting for a moment like this for months now. New Bastion is in unrest. Lieutenant Geric will be please to know he can rid the world of these self-righteous pests once and for all.”

    “Lieutenant Geric is just one contractor out of many. We have clients all over New Bastion too; I don’t care how much you hate that disgusting city, you can’t just turn your back on all of them for one man.”

    “Geric pays good money for info; I’m not passing this up. Besides, if you haven’t noticed, I hate all of them. Geric, Soliday… All that power in the hands of a bunch of idiots… Anarchy is the only client we need.”

    A small squeaking sound chimed in through the ear piece. Though no words were audible, it sounded like glee. Conure smiled, “Heh. Hey, PixL. Glad to see you agree with me.”

    “Fine, fine...” He submitted, “Not like I can stop you all the way out here. Just… be careful out there.” Zeus urged.

    “I will. Promise.” Conure released her finger from the mic setting on her earpiece. She silent thanked her contractors for creating a device that could span whole dimensions, but now wasn’t the time to give formalities to them. She had to move quick if she wanted to reach Geric before somebody else did. Donning her iconic conure mask, she kept to the shadows, ready for anything.

----------
    “No! Don’t leave me!” A small, familiar voice cried out in Victon’s mind. It was a cold, snowy evening. Sarracosta was calm and quiet after the events that shook the city to its core, earlier. Birds were singing, the moon was rising in the sky, the wolven mingled in the streets. The sky took on a colour he’d never seen before. It was a beautiful evening…

    “Please, I beg of you! Don’t do this!” He couldn’t feel his face. He couldn’t feel his limbs. Everything was numb. He had been lying in the street for hours now, or… maybe it was only a couple minutes. He couldn’t tell; of course, he wasn’t all that surprised. They were still trying to pick out the living among the dead. Not that the guards would pick him out anyways. He was a murderer; a tyrant. He brought this upon them. They left him to suffer purposely as his body shut down in the cold. He knew this. He always knew this. They hated him. They ALL hated him. Malus, Aristo, Illimura… Even his father. Especially his father. He could see the Martyr’s gaze even now, the disappointment on his face, the scorn in his tone. “You’re dead.” He’d say with a frown, and Victon would just smile and nod as he bled out onto the snow.

    “Victon, please… I need you…” The voice kept screaming in the back of his mind. It kept urging him to get up; urging him to move, but he couldn’t. His eyes were flittering shut now. He couldn’t go on much longer. The sky grew pale, and the stars seemed brighter than ever before. It was so beautiful. So… peaceful.

     “Don’t leave me here alone…”

    “You’re free…” Victon whispered softly into the cold evening air. To whom he told this to, he did not know. He simply felt the need to say it. He could still hear the birds, the wolves, the sound of disembodied terror within the voice he carried, when suddenly he felt his lower half give way and stare back at him with desperate, terrified eyes. The thing before him gave out a piercing, animalistic cry before Victon’s eyes shut for the very last time.