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Paladins of Ice and Fire

Truth in the Fire

Over the past few months, Alex had grown accustomed to the presence of the Church in his life. Aria and Tanar were bearable and even welcome allies. Injecting other members as extra security, however, left a bitter taste in his mouth. At the very least he was glad for a military-man like Char Blythe.

The Marshal sat across from him as they were just finishing lunch together in the Spicy Boar. He needed to have a late lunch mostly because he had to do some of his own research on each of the Paladins that were now assigned to him, his family and his friends. They had run into Hunter on the way out of Pinnacle and the young engineer sat between the two tinkering with his latest invention out in the middle of the dining room of the Boar.

“The anti-gravity stabilizers would drain far too much energy from the tactical cloak,” Char said, lifting his goggles up. The Marshal proved to be quite the engineer himself and was happy to help Hunter with the automated drone that the Wulfun had decided to call his Remote Assisted Scout and Combat Assault Lancer or RASCAL. The large drone was about as wide as his torso if a little larger and supported by two hexagonal ‘wings’ that served as anti-gravity devices to help it rise into the air. It’s body was boxy and had a single red lens at the front.

“We need to find some way to balance the power needs from the cloak and levitation,” Hunter said, tinkering away with another part of the drone. His food rested beside him, barely touched and cold. “I can’t increase the power any more. No battery will fit its chassis and if I make it bigger, it’ll just drain more power and we’ll back into square one.”

Alex barely had any time to converse with the two other military men as Hunter had been obsessed with the device and Char found the work incredibly fascinating. His own plate remained empty as he had just quietly observed the two work. Having never been any part of the military engineering team, everything that the two talked about went over his head.

His mind drifted to Hunter’s other inventions and found himself once again becoming grateful to the silver-furred Wulfun for giving his son the ability to simulate fire magic. At the very least JD didn’t have to feel left out anymore. That led him to think about Stellar Quadrant… and how even Fourpack could combine into different guns.

“Why not modularize it?” he suggested. The two looked up at him, looking for further clarification. “Take out a component and enable you to just attached it on the fly?” He waved absently at the drone. “As fun as it would be to have a flying murder machine that’s also invisible, you have to make sacrifices to actually get this thing to fly. Take out the guns and ammo. It’ll make it lighter and reduce the strain on the AG modules. Then when you’re done, just make it so that you can slap it on and remove the tactical cloak module.”

Hunter frowned at him. “That’s… that’s an amazing idea… Why didn’t I think of that?”

Char laughed softly. “I had heard you were quite a tactician. I didn’t think that would apply outside of the battlefield and extend into engineering too.”

Alex shrugged his broad shoulders. “When I served in the military, I was a spy and a sniper. I needed to think laterally a lot of times. I like to think I imparted some of that onto my son.”

At long last, some conversation. His tail actually began wagging behind him. Then Hunter returned to tinkering and Char’s eyes were starting to drift towards RASCAL. Before the drone became the object of conversation again, Alex quickly brought the topic back to him.

“So what did you have to do to be punished with babysitting us?”

Char’s eyes switched back to him and he offered a wry smile. “Officially, my response would be that this is no punishment and it is an honor to protect the team who not only found the Lost Incendian Fleet but also retrieved the Talon of the Fire God.”

“Unofficially?” Alex asked, lifting one eyebrow and tapping the table with a claw.

Char lowered his voice, leaning forward a little. “It’s a power play from the Church. Pinnacle is a military-endorsed organization. The Church doesn’t trust Templar Valkyrie and I don’t know if you know this, but Paladin Tanar isn’t viewed with the highest regard.”

“Really? I thought being assigned to Aria would be considered a great honor.”

The Marshal shook his head. “Not at all. Tanar adheres to the law and rules rigidly. At least as much as he is able. Perfect to keep someone the Church considers a loose cannon like Aria Valkyrie in check. However, because he is so well-versed with the law, he knows how to circumvent them. This serves a dual purpose.”

Alex nodded in understanding. “Tanar’s Valor lets him learn about anything it scratches. It means that if he ever finds something about the Church that’s incriminating, he’s going to report it to the military or tell the authorities. He’s been assigned to Aria to keep him away from the Church’s dark secrets.”

“At least until they finish cleaning up,” Char chuckled softly, leaning back in his wooden chair and folding his arms. “But recent events has made them reconsider their position. Everything you’ve done in the last three months has put a spotlight on you and your team. If I were to hazard a guess, they would seek to influence you. Maybe even to handover the Talon to them.” The Marshal offered a slight sneer. “My team is here to butter you up.”

“That’s a little depressing,” Hunter said, ears poking out from behind RASCAL. “I’m sure you guys are worth more than just as a gesture of good will.”

“It’d be more than that,” Alex said. “If we end up in the middle of another crisis and these guys helped us, the Church would win brownie points with the general public.”

“You can’t deny that they haven’t exactly been in the best of positions after the Fall,” answered Char. “Not to mention individual governments and the military have been gaining more and more influence. Separation of Church and state, after all.”

“The Generals doing their job.”

Char nodded in agreement but all further conversation was cut off when the door to the restaurant opened and Rayne strode in. The demon prince saw them and immediately headed over.

“Rayne?” Alex asked. “You look like you’re on a mission. Something bothering you?”

The demon prince pulled up another chair and brought it up in the empty spot on the circular table. “Just came back from a little mission with your son, Wood and Skye. Nothing serious. Just helping out a family-owned hot springs make sure their water temperature is back to normal.”

“It’s never that simple, Rayne,” he pressed, baring his fangs. “What. Happened?”

“Met an old acquaintance. Urellia.” He coughed. “Sorry, I meant Lady Urellia Ashwood. Apparently she intercepted a few bandits smuggling Mantlite and went to investigate where they were getting it. Bandits were stealing it from upstream of the hot springs, far from the actual property so it wasn’t technically illegal. Hence we met. Had a nice lunch with them and she gave us the Mantlite she intercepted and your boys put them in the hot springs property.” He waved his hand, dismissing Alex. “I came here to ask about Alleria.”

Char’s features grew grim. “She was assigned to look after Jack Denver Clarke, Wood Bladebreaker and Skye King. What happened to her? In fact, what happened to Ven? He was meant to be with you.”

“Kane gave him the slip while we sparred and now he’s looking for the bear. That horse really is very easily distracted.”

The Marshal groaned and ran a hand down his face. “On the contrary. He is very dedicated and becomes laser-focused on whatever is in front of him to the exclusion of all else.” He shook his head. “I’ll deal with him later. What is this about Alleria?”

“What do you know about her parents?”

That was a dangerous line of questioning. Any question about a Paladin’s past especially one that became a Paladin before the Fall was treated with great suspicion. Many Paladins fell and became their own warlords during the Fall because they discovered some crushing truth about the Church that broke them mentally and shattered their faith.

Alex exchanged glances with Rayne and then glanced to Hunter. The obsessive engineer had stopped tinkering with RASCAL to listen in on the conversation - that was saying something. Char’s brow furrowed.

“From the official dossier, her parents hid her from the Church when she received her Valor as a child. However, that meant she wasn’t able to control her divine powers and in one terrible accident, she burned her parents in their family farm. She was picked up by the Church after that.” His eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“One of Urellia’s men arranged a meeting with us tonight. Told her that if she wanted to know the ‘truth’ about her parents, to meet him at their burned down farm.”

“That’s never good,” Alex groaned. “That story is tragic already. What else could there be?”

“Plenty,” Char growled. “I’ve made an effort to know everything I can about my Paladins but the Church has this way of ‘forgetting’ facts or not doing their due diligence because they got what they wanted - a Paladin and their Valor.” He rose from his seat. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go to do some digging.”

Alex rose as well. “I’ll come with. I have some military connections that might get us more information.”

Char held up his hand. “You don’t need to do that…”

“If it concerns my son, even marginally, I’m involved,” Alex said firmly. “I’m coming with.”

“But your son -”

“Probably heard what that man said to Alleria and is probably already making plans to spy on the meeting.” Alex allowed himself a little bit of a proud smile. “He’s a better spy than I ever was.”

“He’s not a spy,” Hunter said with a grim chuckle. “He’s a goddamn assassin. The way he crippled Rahl…”

“I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing your son in action,” commented Char. “I have heard of his recent exploits, however.” The Marshal let out a soft chuckle as he started heading for the door. “Or rather as much as the Church and public knowledge would allow.”

“Stick around and you might learn more about us in general,” Alex commented, following the soldier out the door.

They headed back up to the higher districts of Corona particularly to the local Inquisition’s office. It was there that Char respectfully asked the Inquisitors on guard to let them see the Church’s records particularly around Alleria. He was denied, of course. Since the Fall, the Inquisitors had obtained independence and it was now policy that every military and Church activity be recorded within the Inquisitorial archives. Access to those archives were restricted.

Though there were a few that could grant access.

Like a General.

No one else could know Alex’s identity as the Horizon Lord, however, so he subtly sent a message to Zachariah to let him into the archives. He was known as the Horizon Lord for his development of the Warp Technology that allowed near-instantaneous travel between locations without having to brave the volatility of the Void. Mastery of this technique took years of work and practice but he eventually perfected it to the point that he could send small messages to people he had ‘marked’ with little issue. Adapting this to bigger starships and even an entire campus like Pinnacle had been far more difficult but certainly one of his crowning achievements.

While Marshal Blythe pleaded for the Inquisitors to let them in, Alex scribbled a quick note to the Sunburst Knight on a piece of parchment and sent it off with a flick, the parchment disappearing mere seconds later beneath anyone’s gaze. It only took one more minute before the Inquisitor’s robotic eye blinked.

“Apologies, Marshal,” rumbled the towering Vulpunus in power armor. “I’ve just received a message that you’ve been authorized to access that particular record. Please follow me and I will lead you to it.”

“Really?” Char said, surprised at the suddenly change. “What changed?”

“Inquisitors share a local wireless network connection through their cybernetics,” Rayne mused. “Chances are, your request passed through our friend here all the way up to someone high up.” He gave Char a light nudge. “Good news. You’re catching the attention of the higher ups.”

The Marshal returned a wry smile as they followed the Inquisitor. “More like the presence of local heroes who have already done so much for the Station warranted someone’s attention.”

The Inquisitorial Archive Facilities were different from Inquisitor bases like the enigmatic Gray Sun facility placed in the shadow of the Gray Mountains behind the Sun Spire. There were no training facilities or interrogation rooms. Instead, there were highly secure vaults where knowledge and even artifacts of incredible power were kept. Each vault was protected by at least two Inquisitors in full armor. Archivists dressed in gray robes would have to pass extensive screening before being allowed through the enormous, metal doors both enchanted with power spells and protected by thick steel.

It would have been incredibly easy to store FireFeather within these walls but when Alex had discussed the matter with Aria and Rayne, they had unanimously agreed that such a move would be far too obvious. The trio had vivid experiences with the Custodia Goetia and they all knew that deception was the Goetia’s greatest weapon. So they placed FireFeather elsewhere.

The fox Inquisitor led them to one of the smaller vaults and led them inside. Within this particular vault were walls of books and ancient-looking tomes. Each of the shelves were protected by thick glass with arcane runes drawn across each of them. Cameras and defensive drones hovered between each of the towering book shelves that reached up to the three-storey tall ceiling. The Inquisitor led them to one shelf, entered a code on a nearby panel and one of the drones swooped in, passing through the glass like it was air and plucking a tome from it. Upon return, the Inquisitor scanned the book, his mechanical eye scanning the secrets held within outside of their gaze. Moments later, the Inquisitor turned to them, holding open a page to them.

“The information about Paladin Penfire starts here,” he stated. “You are only allowed to flip twenty pages after this point. Do you understand?”

They all nodded and began poring over the tome, peering over Char’s shoulders as the Marshal regarded the history of his charge.

“This stuff is pretty detailed,” commented Hunter. “Did someone hire a biographer for her?”

“These records are made of soul vellum,” answered Rayne, running a finger across the words. “Even before the Fall, the Church had powerful enchantments on peoples of interest and wrote their True Names into soul vellum.” He glanced over at Hunter. “You know what True Names are, right?”

“It’s basically a description of yourself in the Illuminus Weizar,” answered the gray wolf with a shrug. “If you know it, you basically can use magic to manipulate yourself at every level. Same if someone knew your true name. They’d have complete power over you. Thing is, True Names change. Most you can do is cast one spell with a True Name before you’d have to try and guess again.”

“One spell is often enough. That said, the Church had ways to find a person’s True Name and then use soul vellum to observe them. These pages basically write everything a person does for so long as their True Name remains a good approximation of what it was when it was first written into these pages.”

Hunter gazed around the room at the countless tomes around them. “How’d they manage to find so many people’s True Names?”

“Intimidation, manipulation,” Alex said grimly. “Torture. Like you said, a person’s True Name changes. Make them suffer enough or manipulate their lives in a controlled way and eventually you can make an educated guess on what their True Name would be.”

“That’s horrible!”

“Hence a reason why these books are kept behind these protective walls. Imagine what someone could do with such knowledge.”

He didn’t need to point out that the Custodia Goetia had done this very thing during the Fall. They had ingrained themselves within the Church and had access to records kept by local parishes, protected by Paladins. Using soul vellum and other techniques, the used people’s True Names against them or corrupted them into rebelling against the Church and causing widespread chaos.

“There’s nothing here we don’t already know,” Char said, slapping the pages in the Inquisitor’s hands. “Alleria became a Paladin at a young age when she was discovered on the Penfire Farm after her divine energies had gone out of control and she burned it down alongside her parents. From there, her achievements were pretty clearly recorded.” Char bit his lower lip, running his fingers across the lines. “There has to be something here I’m not seeing.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed at the text. After spending so long as a spy, he had gained an intuition when something was being hidden from him or when something was being omitted. He pointed at one line.

“Alleria was found in the ruins of the Penfire Farm,” he read verbatim. “The bodies of Cassandra and Enoch Penfire were found burned beyond recognition inside.”

“That’s what I just said,” Char said, showing his frustration. “And this comes directly from her soul. What information could that bandit possibly have that we don’t?”

“True Names are not a factual description of a person,” Alex said, crossing his arms. “They are that person’s soul describing itself. Basically a form of self-actualization woven into the Illuminus Weizar. It’s true that you can deceive yourself on a psychological level but the soul does not lie.” He lifted a finger. “But that doesn’t mean that the soul cannot hide anything either. Especially things it does not know.”

Hunter peeked out from over Char’s shoulder. “I don’t get it.”

“He means…” mused Rayne. “Alleria was only a child. Barely a toddler when this happened. Very impressionable. Her soul records everything but what if it doesn’t know any better or doesn’t have the maturity to understand events.” He glanced over to Alex. “The record specifically named her parents and the name of the farm.”

“And it used their full names but never used Alleria’s,” added Alex. He read the entry again, emphasizing how the entry just called Alleria by her first name while her supposed parents were named ‘Cassandra and Enoch Penfire’.

“What does it mean?” Hunter asked.

Char straightened, his eyes wide in shock. “That those weren’t her parents.” He turned to Alex. “The Church’s story about Alleria being a Penfire was based on pure conjecture and malice over keeping a child from them whom they believed was rightfully theirs by divine right. They got their claws into Alleria from a very young age. It is very possible that her soul interpreted events in a way that the Church wanted.”

“There’s those underhanded Church tactics again,” grunted Rayne. “Soul vellum will only keep recording a person’s actions so long as the True Name written within is close to what it is at present. Brainwash a person long enough and that kind of programming will never leave them. They will always stay true to that name.”

It was ingenious and insidious at the same time. Little wonder that the Church of the Tower held control over the entire world for thousands of years. It was long an opinion of the Generals that the Church had purposefully suppressed scientific progress and simulated countless conflicts to keep everyone dependent on the Church’s power. Usage of True Names and soul vellum was just another way the Church kept a stranglehold on the populace. Sadly, it was such techniques that ultimately led to the theocracy being the weakness of the entire world.

“We’re still going on conjecture here,” Hunter warned. “How can we prove that Alleria did not burn her own parents in that fire?”

Char shook his head. “Nearly impossible now. Those bodies are long gone. Unless we have visual confirmation on what they looked like, we would have no way to confirm her heritage. Not to mention the entire story is that they kept her from the Church because she obtained her Valor from an early age.”

Alex snapped his fingers. “Exactly. She didn’t get her Valor immediately. Surely there must be records of her birth. A census?”

“This is not Haven. We do not have a yearly census. Population levels shifted drastically after the Fall when the Generals began introducing universal health care and leveling the disparity between Stations. Before that, a peasant’s child giving birth was not openly advertised anywhere.”

“Damn…” he cursed.

Rayne sighed in defeat. “The I suppose there is nothing to it but to see what that man wants and knows.”

“I’ll come with you,” Char insisted. “She is my charge.”

“What about your other charges?” Alex asked.

The Marshal gave him a lopsided smile. “I would appreciate it if someone kept them in the dark for now. I am sure you would understand how quickly any sort of news can spread. Doubt is a fast-acting poison.”

Alex nodded grimly. “I’ll gather the others. We’ll give your Paladins the run-around until you come back with news.”

Char grimaced and held up a finger. “Please… Don’t deceive them. I try to foster trust within my squad. But this is a delicate matter and I would rather it remain private until Alleria is ready…”

Privacy was something he valued. His role as a General meant that he was simultaneously in everyone’s spotlight while also hiding in the shadows. Should the general public ever learn that he was the Horizon Lord and General Solomon, he wouldn’t be the only one impacted. He only needed to look to Wood who was thrown out of his home and all-but disowned by his wealthy mother because of her social status to know that JD would face a similar situation. His son would have no qualms about leaving and he had no doubt JD could handle his own out there but he wasn’t ready to let his son go.

Not yet.

“I understand,” he said with a firm nod. Turning to Hunter, he said, “Go with him. If anything happens, let me know.” Alex then turned towards the nearby door. “I’ll get Kane, Aria and Tanar up to speed.”

Hunter whimpered something about having just gotten the drone flying before the Inquisitor shut the book and told them it was time to lave. Alex nodded at the silver-clad soldier and turned, fearing the worst.

Bluefire Falls

Chasing after a Paladin was not exactly what Hunter had planned for the day. First there was Trevor Ford appearing in his workshop and then he was interrupted by Alex and Marshal Char Blythe at the Spicy Boar as he was having lunch. Now he found himself on the precipice of another grand adventure. He just knew it.

“I’m never going to finish it…” he mumbled to himself, tapping away at the blue cube that was his Sequencer.

“Finish what?” Rayne asked.

They sat on a bench overlooking one of the rivers that flowed through Corona’s Sunrise District. This was where they were meant to meet Alleria.

Thinking quickly, Hunter said, “RASCAL.” He held up his Sequencer which he configured to show a holographic image of the drone. “I was working with Tanar on it then that other Paladin, Trevor Ford, came in and started asking questions. We broke for lunch and as I was eating and working on it, Alex and the Marshal came in.” He bobbed his head from side to side. “Alex actually came up with a solution to my weight and levitation problem so it wasn’t all bad but I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet.”

Rayne chortled. “You certainly have an obsessive and one-track mind, don’t you?” He pointed at one of the components floating around the design of the drone. “What are all these?”

Hunter noticed that the demon prince was wearing the armored gloves he had designed for him. “Why are you wearing Burnicide? Expecting trouble?”

“Always,” answered Rayne with a grim tone. “If it isn’t the threat of Alleria falling, it’s the fact that we have someone purposefully trying to undermine her. Something smells fishy.”

“Don’t look at the river,” he joked. “It’s fresh water.”

Rayne gently punched him then lifted his gaze. “Speaking of which…”

Alleria bounded over and right behind her was the towering, green figure of Wood Bladebreaker. The sight of the behemoth of a dragon eased Hunter’s mind a little. The more reinforcements the better. Though he was surprised that the Red Lightning wasn’t with them.

“Sorry I’m late,” Alleria said, beaming brightly. “I was convinced by this sunspot to let him come along.”

Wood’s blonde eyebrows twitched in agitation, his wings spreading threateningly. “What did you call me?”

“It’s a term of endearment amongst the non-nobility of Incendius,” Rayne quickly said. “If an Incendian calls you a ‘sunspot’ or a ‘spot’, it’s the equivalent of someone calling you their ‘distant friend’. Same if an Incendian were to say ‘nova’ which means ‘good’.”

“You’ll get the hang of how we speak,” Alleria said, crossing her arms behind her head. “Ready to go?”

Hunter rose to his feet, holding out a paw. “Yeah. I’m Hunter, by the way, Hunter Hart.”

“I remember,” she responded, shaking his paw. “Currently Incendius’ number 10 blacksmith. Hard not to know who you are.”

He flushed a little form the recognition, tail wagging a few times. “Trust me, I didn’t get there on my own.” After he released her paw, he turned to Wood. “Where’s Skye and JD?”

The Green Draconis shrugged, folding his wings back. “Skye is off studying and I don’t know where JD is.” They locked gazes, an exasperated look on each of their faces. Silently, Hunter mouthed ‘three’ followed by Wood mirroring the gesture with ‘two’. Then, in unison, they held up a single finger each.

As if summoned, the crimson wolf’s voice came from beneath them.

“Down here.”

Hunter glanced down and found the Red Lightning grinning back up at him, flat on the floor and head poking out from between his legs.

“Blazes!” Alleria cried, leaping back in surprise. “How the…?”

If this was the first time JD had surprised him with an appearance, he would have jumped just like her but at this point, it was expected. Hunter spread his feet wide so he could reach down, grab JD’s paw and hoist him up to his feet. The Red Lightning nimbly crawled up Hunters body before positioning himself right behind the bigger Wulfun’s head, perching on his shoulders like a child.

“So are we ready to go?” JD asked brightly. “We’ve got a long way to go to the farm and it’s already getting pretty late.”

The Sun Spire was indeed starting to dim and the time for the meeting was fast approaching. With JD on his shoulders, Hunter treaded towards a nearby park where Wood could transform into his Phantasm form. Himself, JD and Alleria ‘boarded’ the dragon’s back while Rayne partially shifted into his demonic form, growing large, black, wings to help keep him aloft and catch up with the dragon. There were a few shouts of surprise from their sudden display but no one outright panicked or threw fireballs at them. Together, they soared into the air and headed past the alabaster walls of Corona.

Hunter felt this nagging feeling in his heart that something bad was going to happened and at the center of this impending darkness was Alleria. He had seen enough vid dramas and movies to know that it all began with deception. Though he had only met Alleria, given that Rayne wasn’t revealing anything, the revelation about her parents identity was likely not something the demon prince wants to reveal… at least not yet. But he couldn’t understand why.

So he acted.

“Your parents aren’t really your parents!” he blurted.

Wood suddenly braked in the air, temporarily jerking back until he was hovering vertically. With no actual saddle or way to grip onto his back, those on his back were immediately thrown off, Hunter included.

“Crap!” Wood cried.

Through his own screaming, Hunter drew Wildfire, letting the blade gather momentum and charge. Praying that his plan would work, he grabbed one of the canisters from his armband and threw it in front of him. The canister erupted in a burst of red light, quickly forming into his prototype RASCAL. The drone powered up, somehow managing to stay aloft. Hunter seized a handle from underneath the chassis. There was a momentary dip in the machine’s altitude but it somehow managed to remain hovering.

“Good boy,” he sighed.

“Sizzle and Shiver, Coldfire_._”

The words echoed in his head like they were resonating with his very soul. His eyes were immediately drawn to where Alleria was falling. Her Valor, Coldfire, immediately sprang to life. The black metal shimmered. Red blades sprang from her knuckles making it look like claws while thing blades burst from the heels of her boots bringing to mind an ice skater’s shoes. Crimson flames burst from her hands and she held them out to her side to stall her fall and maintain her altitude.

Thinking of crimson immediately reminded him of the one person who could not fly in their party.

“JD!” he cried.

He scanned the ground for the Red Lightning. Wood and Rayne’s forms zoomed past him, shaking RASCAL. They were diving towards the figure plummeting towards the ground. His heart froze at the thought of seeing the young wolf who had given him a second chance splattered on the ground. Then he noticed that that red dot was crackling with red lightning… lightning that was racing right towards him!

Suddenly, JD was right behind him.

“Hey,” greeted the Red Lightning casually. Then he was falling again, arms spread wide like an expert skydiver.

Wood and Rayne were spaced out evenly and as JD plummeted to the ground, he transformed into a bolt of red lightning and danced amongst those in the air, appearing behind each of them before jumping to the next one. He seemed to be enjoying the routine like gravity was just a toy to him.

“How is he doing that?” Alleria asked, hovering closer.

“Shukuchi,” whispered Hunter, in total amazement. “He has mastered it to the point that even the smallest movement from anyone or anything can trigger it. Look…” He pointed with one arm to where JD appeared just appeared behind a surprised bird before zooming back up to Wood. “He even moved behind some random bird.”

They descended, catching up with Rayne as they all met back on the ground.

“That’s astounding… And the crimson lightning he emits?”

“Power versus stealth,” answered the Demon Prince. “When JD emits red lightning, it means he’s sacrificing his Force energy to extend the range of Shukuchi. The average practitioner of the art can probably only move behind an opponent ten to twenty feet in front of them. Masters can detect someone about thirty feet away in any direction. But JD has learned how to supercharge his Shukuchi to move behind anyone at vast ranges.” As they touched down on the grassy plains outside of Corona, Rayne said, “It does mean he sacrifices the stealth aspect of Shukuchi and it is slower than if he were to use it more traditionally but not by much.”

Wood landed a second later and the crackle of red lightning heralded JD landing on the dragon’s back, completely unfazed and beaming brightly. JD hopped off Wood’s back, giving the muscular dragon a pat on the shoulder before turning towards Hunter.

“That was fun.” He cocked his head to the side, one ear folding. “But what’s this about parents not being actual parents? Who were you talking about exactly?”

Hunter slapped his own forehead and groan. “Right… Sorry…” He turned to Alleria. “Sorry to drop this on you but we did some digging. We think the people who died in the Penfire Farm, the one you think are you parents aren’t actually your parents.”

Alleria gave him a blank stare. “I know that.”

Rayne leaned in, brow furrowed. “You did.”

“Of course. They may have given birth to me but the Church raised me. I don’t have traditional parents. Maybe they raised me for the two or three years that I was born but they hid me from the Church when the Mother Goddess gave me Coldfire. They were denying me a grand destiny and the Divine Will. As far as I am concerned, my parents are the clerics and nuns who raised me in the tenets of the Church.”

Hunter suppressed a wince. The look on Rayne’s face said it all.

“Don’t give me that look,” Alleria said. “We all have our beliefs and our foundations for our lives. I don’t question yours so please respect my decision to maintain mine.”

“Then why did you agree to meet with this person who supposedly wants to tell you the ‘truth’ about your parents?” Rayne asked.

She crossed her arms. “Because they are under Urellia’s employ. She would never hide anything from me so approaching me like that suggests that she’s got a mole or someone trying to take power from her and use me to do it. I’m not going to let that happen.”

Hunter let out a sigh of relief. “Oh… Good. Here I thought…”

“What?” she accused, one eyebrow raised and a crooked smile on her face. “That some revelation about my family is going to break me and cause me to Fall? Please…” She waved a hand absently through the air. “Char trained us better than that. Fifteen years ago when I was still young and without his guidance, maybe that would’ve broken me. But now?” She shrugged. “I haven’t lived with my biological father or mother’s influence for over thirty years. No new information about them is going to make me question who I am now.” She lifted a fist. “I am who I am based on what I’ve done. Nothing else.”

A smile crawled onto his face, inspired by her resolution. “Damn… That’s really something.”

“Fantastic,” Wood growled, still in his draconic form. “Can we get going now? It’s getting really dark.” He poked Hunter’s back with one, large claw. “And next time you want to give someone a heart attack with a sudden revelation, how about you give everyone a warning, huh, bud? Or at least wait until we’ve landed.”

Hunter apologized and they once again boarded Wood before launching into the air. Thankfully, the Penfire farm was only a few short minutes away after their short detour. Char Blythe was already there waiting for them. The moment they landed, he ran up to Alleria and gave her a hug. Highly unprofessional for a Marshal but Hunter could tell the two were close. Wood had enough time to once again get dressed in his shorts and fur-line vest before their guest arrived.

Not having seen this man before, he finally got a good view of the soldier under Urellia’s command. Riding on a horse, the human was about 5’7’’ tall and looked rather plain. Receding hairline with gray hair dotting his otherwise pale features. His gray eyes were sunken and he looked a little shallow and malnourished. However, he held himself with an officer’s posture; back straight and chest out. There was a strength in the way he held himself. Dressed in the gray tunic of Ashwood complete with the purple emblem depicting a tree afire, the man stopped his horse in front of them and dismounted.

“I had hoped you would come alone,” said the unnamed soldier.

“Paladins never travel alone these days,” answered Alleria with a shrug. “Besides, I make it a point to come with reinforcements when I am called to a mysterious meeting from someone who hasn’t even given me their name.”

The man offered a wry smile from his cracked lips. He bowed towards Alleria, gesturing a greeting using the usual Incendian greeting. “Apologies. I am called Wayloon. Wayloon Hallwight. Merely one of the many retainers of Lady Urellia Ashwood.”

“I noticed you didn’t say you were a loyal retainer,” Rayne quipped. “Say your piece, Hallwight, and be grateful we don’t report your insubordination to your Lady.”

Wayloon straightened and gave Rayne a sour look. “Lady Ashwood is many things but she still has many secrets. One of which is the truth behind the Bluefire Paladin’s parents.”

“Alleria doesn’t consider the people who died in this farm protecting her as her parents,” Hunter said. “The Church raised her and she stands on her own two feet as an individual. Not influenced by anyone else.”

Char beamed proudly and turned to Wayloon with a challenging look on his face. “Speak your piece, Hallwight. Whatever ‘truth’ you may have will not shake the foundations of a long career of selflessness, loyalty and valor.”

“Very well,” Hallwight said, straightening. He gestured with a hand towards the blackened remains of the farm house to their left. Nearly thirty years on and nature had reclaimed most of the black skeleton of what had once been a home. It was still possible to see the charred foundations and some of the furniture.

“Straight to the point then. Alleria Penfire did not kill her parents when she burned down this very farm.”

That he was not prepared for.

“Are you saying they’re still alive?” Hunter demanded.

“No.”

“Then…? What? Get to it, man!”

JD gripped his shoulder and pulled him back a little. “Hunter, hang on man…”

But Wayloon pressed on. “Cassandra and Enoch Pennfire did indeed die in the fire that engulfed this farm. But they were not Alleria’s parents.” He paused for effect. Hunter glanced towards the Bluefire Paladin who was glaring daggers at Wayloon. “Her real parents were bandits who infected the woods. When she was born, they had hoped to raise her as another member of their gang but when she received her Valor, the entire gang realized that the Church would hunt them down eventually. So, her parents broke into the Pennfire farm, dropped her in the middle of the house, restrained the inhabitants and then burned them all. Alleria was protected thanks to her Valor and affinity for fire but the completely innocent couple were killed, made to look like they were protecting a child that they had nothing to do with.”

Hunter’s eyes widened.

That was not what he was expecting. Perhaps having accepted that biological parenthood was not important thanks to Char may have softened the blow of this revelation but the twist that Alleria’s parents were bandits that had killed an innocent couple just to hide from the Church… That was something else. If Alleria wasn’t going to feel anything about that ‘truth’, Hunter was.

“Proof,” Wood growled. “Where is your proof?”

Wayloon smirked darkly. “My proof rests with the demoness you admire.” He stepped aside, gesturing at the Ashwood Forest behind him. “Urellia knew this. Remember, when she came here during the Fall, she gathered a group of bandits and recruited them in the war against the forces of a corrupt Bishop.”

“No…” Rayne gasped. “You’re not saying that those very same bandits…?”

The man’s gaze narrowed while his grin grew broader. “Yes. Amongst them were Alleria parents. Urellia gathers power from misery, remember? When their very own daughter began fighting alongside them, that couple was overcome with guilt and wallowed in their own misery. They could not reveal the truth about their own abandonment and actions and that ate at their souls! Urellia detected this and she knew! She’s known all this time!”

Suddenly, Hunter realized where Wayloon was going with this. The conniving man wanted to turn Alleria against the succubus by making them enemies. It was in how Wayloon was directing Alleria’s ire towards the demon. Not towards the parents who abandoned her and killed an innocent couple just so that they could avoid persecution by the church… but by the demoness who knew the truth and kept it from her.

“Alleria -” Hunter began.

“She knew!” spat Alleria, red flames bursting from her gauntlets. “She knew this entire time and didn’t tell me anything! For fifteen years! Not even a hint! Why? Why would she do that!?”

Wayloon’s grin grew broader. “Why not ask her yourself?”

“Alleria!” shouted Char, quickly gripping her shoulder. The red flames surging from her arms, however, caused him to retreat. “Don’t listen to him. He’s goading you. Baiting you. Let’s think about this rationally. Approach this with due process. These are accusations. Just words. Let’s go back to Corona, sleep on this information and then come back with clear heads and ask Urellia -”

“No!” barked Alleria. “She’s known for fifteen years, Char! We’ve been friends for so long and she’s kept this from me! What has she even done with my parents!? Does she keep them around to siphon off their misery!? Keep them on a leash for her own power?”

Char stepped in front of her, holding out his hands, a soft purple glow rose from his fingertips. Tinges of Psychomancy. “Remember our exercises,” he said. “Breathe in. Calm yourself. Find your center and -”

Wayloon suddenly appeared behind Char, his wide mad grin like a crescent moon across the bottom of his face. “She let them go, you know. Gave them money and banished them from the Ashwood. Still keeps tabs on them so that they do not contact you.”

Alleria threw her head back and screamed. She threw her hands on the ground, flames bursting from her palms and sending her shooting into the air. Char and everyone else were forced back by the flames. The Bluefire Paladin shot towards Fort Ashwood, a fiery comet through the air.

Hunter watched her go and then whirled towards Wayloon but the soldier was already jumping onto his horse and riding back into the forest. “Son-of-a-bitch!” he cursed.

Wood and Rayne helped Char back to his feet.

“Fuck!” Wood cursed. “She’s pissed. Why would she blow up over a secret that Urellia kept from her? Didn’t she just say that she’s okay with her parentage?”

Char shook his head, his feet shaking. “It isn’t about her parents. It’s about the trust she’s put in Urellia.” He sighed, running a hand down his face. “Blazes… I should have shut this down but I thought it was harmless and could better the relationships between demons and the Church…”

“What are you talking about?”

JD strode past them, resting a paw on Wood’s shoulder. “Alleria loves Urellia.” All eyes went to him but JD’s piercing gaze was locked with Char’s eyes. “I doubt they’ve ever done anything but it’s there. Love. That’s why she felt so betrayed. I’m sure that Urellia did what she did to protect Alleria too. I don’t know if the love is reciprocated but they clearly care for one another.” With a cluck of his tongue, the Red Lightning turned towards the woods, crimson electric bolts crackling over his body. “I don’t know if you should have stopped it. Maybe brought it to light. Whatever the case, we need to get to them now before Alleria does something she’ll really regret. I’ll go ahead. You guys follow as fast as you can.”

“Wait -!” Hunter cried, trying to reach for JD but then the crimson Wulfun was gone, zipping past him and barely leaving a trail of crimson light behind him as he disappeared into the woods.

“He’s right,” Char grunted. “We need to get to Alleria. The doors to sin a fragile. All it takes is one temptation, one mistake and it could all come tumbling out.”

Over thirty years of sins contained and filtered by Coldfire… Hunter shuddered to think what kind of power that held. Wood was already immeasurably strong and he Fell almost immediately after he got his Valor. All the stored power within Alleria’s Valor… It could easily be monstrous.

Without waiting for another second, he exchanged glances with Wood and the Green Draconis quickly stripped, tossing him his clothes. Wood shifted into his Phantasm form while Hunter and Char mounted him. Rayne generated his demon wings once more and they were soaring through the air. They were barely over the woods when they saw the first plumes of smoke.

“Oh no…” Char lamented.

As they approached Fort Ashwood, fires were already spreading from the central fort. The populace were desperately trying to put it out but the flames seemed to have a mind of their own. Wood approached, the might beat of his wings buffeting some of the flames. Hunter, alongside RASCAL, descended through a hole in the fort’s roof. Char jumped down beside him and Rayne made his own entrance. Wood landed a short while later.

Raging flames crackled around them but over it all, he could hear shouting. With Wildfire, he charged through some debris, leading the way to what could only be seen as an audience chamber. Alleria stood at the base of a raised dais. Urellia sat upon a simple throne, one leg over the other and regarding the Bluefire Paladin with her chin resting on the back of her palm.

“You knew!” Alleria accused. “All this time, you knew who my parents were!”

“What does it matter?” answered the succubus calmly despite the chaos around her. “You’ve reiterated over and over again that you couldn’t care less who your parents were. You were raised by the Church. I respected that by keeping the identities of your true parents a secret.”

Allera pressed a flaming fist against her chest. “How is that respecting me!? You shouldn’t have been the judge of what that meant to me! You should have told me!”

The succubus sighed. “You’re being irrational, dear. Letting your emotions get the better of you. Your parents meant nothing to you. Why does what I did with the information I had at the time matter? Let’s just forget this ever happened. Forget that I knew anything about it. Think about it logically.” Only then did Urellia straighten. “Those two were an emotional liability. They abandoned you, barely two years old, in a stranger’s home, tied up the occupants and then burned you all to the ground. Seeing how powerful and respected you had become, they would have blackmailed and emotionally manipulated you so that it will benefit them. You would have been putty in their hands.”

“You don’t know that!”

Char stepped forward. “Alleria! There is no use talking about what-ifs and what could have been! Think about the now. Think about what you’re doing. You’re putting a lot of people in danger.” He held out his hands towards Alleria and again a soft purple glow rose from his fingertips.

“What are you doing?” Hunter demanded softly.

The Marshal gave him a sidelong glance. “Marshals are trained Psychomancers. We use our magic to calm our charges and guide them away from Falling. It’s one of our last resorts. I’m trying to cool her off but…” He grunted like he was being physically forced back. “She is… resisting…”

“Stay out of this, Char!” bellowed Alleria. Red flames surged from the ground, forming a wall between Char and the two women. She then pointed at Urellia. “Am I just another ‘emotional liability’ to you?” she demanded. “Just another tool that you can string along using your succubus’ wiles to make me do whatever you want?”

“I have never made you do anything you didn’t already want to do,” Urellia said coldly. “That whatever you did benefited me is just a happy coincidence.”

Hunter grimaced. He could see the passion and affection in their voices… but also the pride beneath them.

“For fuck’s sake!” he shouted. “Just tell her you love her!”

For a second, the fires around them softened. Alleria stared through the wall of flames at him and he gave her an encouraging smile and nod. The Bluefire Paladin turned to Urellia, pleading.

“Please,” she begged. “Please tell me I’m more than just another source of misery to you. Tell me that I’m someone special.”

Urellia regarded her, eyes searching the expression of the Bluefire Paladin. Slowly, she rose from her throne, spreading her arms and baring her chest to the Paladin that had set her home on fire. Hunter’s heart plummeted.

“No one is special. Not to me.”

Alleria screamed, a cry mixed with pain, agony and heartbreak. She lunged forward, her skates leaving a trail of ice that propelled her forward while her fists were engulfed in flames.

“No!” Hunter cried.

“Alleria!” pleaded Rayne.

“Fuck!” Wood roared.

Urellia just stood there, arms wide welcoming her fate.

But Char had other ideas.

Splat.

The world stood still. The flames around them flickered and died down into a few embers as the shock of the scene set in. A chill ran through the air as if the cold of death had entered the throne room.

Alleria’s arm was buried halfway up her forearm into Char’s chest. The Marshal stared at her, mouth open slightly. When he took a breath, blood rushed up his lungs and splattered out of his lips onto her face.

“No…” she gasped. “No… no… no!” She pulled her arm away in horror, blood all over her fist.

Char collapsed to his knees, his eyes glazing over. Somehow, he still managed to force a smile.

“I… forgive… you…” he gasped.

Marshal Char Blythe fell to the floor, dead.

… and the Bluefire Paladin Fell.

Shivering Prison

The Fall of a Paladin is both terrifying and magnificent at the same time. Though each one Fell in their own way it was always preceded by the same sensation. The air suddenly felt cramped like there was too much oxygen crammed all in at once and it became hard to breathe. An intense pressure pressed upon those in the immediate vicinity of the Paladin while this overwhelming sense of dread crept its way through veins like blood turning to ice. The best way Rayne could describe it was standing at the foot of an enormous dam watching it break. You could only stand there, watch as the cracks crawled their way up the entire structure, water bursting out in jets further weakening the barrier before everything just…

… burst.

Alleria screamed.

Blue flames exploded from her, spreading all over the throne room. Rayne immediately transformed into his demonic form, grabbed Wood and Hunter and launched himself out of the fortress. He was still not fast enough, however, as the concussion blast collided with him from behind, pressing against his spine and sending him hurtling through the air. He wrapped his wings protectively around his charges even as he was thrown through wooden rooftops and supports. The entirety of Fort Ashwood flew by as he was blasted out into the surrounding forest.

The ground hit him hard and pain rocketed up his entire body as he crashed through ancient tree trunks before smashing through rocks that eventually slowed down his descent. Even then, the extremely hot blue flames that Alleria conjured spread over trees, burning them entirely of all foliage before encasing them in unforgiving frost. Rayne’s own body was encased in ice but managing to keep Wood and Hunter away from being frozen. He held them both tightly, waiting for the storm of rage, regret, guilt and misery fade.

It would not fade entirely.

Paladins who Fell and didn’t come to accept their dark side often had this presence about them. A maelstrom of there sin that swirled all around them like a hurricane that lashed out at everything and twisted the environment into the image of their own personal prison. Wood, thankfully, both Fell too quickly and had come to accept his limitations as a mortal man so that storm was not present.

But for Alleria…

Rayne grunted as he spread his wings, bursting through the layer of ice that had covered him. He straightened, slowly releasing Hunter and Wood from the little crater that had formed when they had crashed through the forest. As he straightened, he took in his surroundings.

“Well shit…” he breathed. As he released his breath, he shifted back into his human form, a flurry of dark clouds washing over him. “This… This is not good.”

Their surroundings had been turned into a wasteland. Ice - not snow - covered the ground entirely. Underbrush had been flash-frozen. Entire trees were devoid of all their leaves and encased in ice. High above, a dark maelstrom of clouds swirled casting the surrounding wilderness in a dim overcast. A flurry danced between the frozen branches carrying not snow but black flakes of ash even though there was no fire.

“We have to help her,” shivered Wood, folding his wings around himself to keep himself warm. Hunter stood up next, waving Wildfire through the air and setting his blade aflame to provide them with some warmth.

“We will,” Rayne said firmly. “But first, we need to take stock of our situation and gather ourselves.” He glanced around. “Where’s JD?”

There was a sudden thud and all three of them turned in surprise as that soldier, Wayloon, was thrown to the floor beside them, crimson lightning crackling from around him. The man was unconscious and above him, crouched on one of the icy branches, was Jack Denver Clarke.

“Sorry I couldn’t make it in time,” said the red Wulfun. “I caught this guy on my way to the fort. Slowed me down. I’m guessing he succeeded in planting the seed of doubt in Alleria’s mind and getting her to Fall?”

“Yeah,” Wood sighed miserably. “Alleria killed Char. She was going to kill Urellia and Char stepped in to take the blow for her instead.”

JD’s grimaced and shook his head. “Why? Why would anyone want a Paladin to Fall? What would it achieve?” His gaze lifted towards the Fort. “If it was power, to obtain ownership of Fort Ashwood, then there isn’t much to gain now.”

Rayne reached down and seized the back of Wayloon’s head, pulling the bandit by his thinning hair up to eye level. “We’ll have plenty of time to ask this bastard these questions later. For now, let’s get out of the cold. See if we can find any more survivors before the military or Church starts bombarding this place.”

“Bombarding!?” Wood blurted.

“Standard military response to a Fallen,” answered Hunter grimly. “Orbital bombardment. They’ll try to send scouts first to confirm that it is a Fallen and then send someone from the Church to try and subdue them. Inquisitors most likely. If all of that fails, they’ll bombard it from orbit.” The gray Wulfun looked to the sky. “We have… maybe two hours. Three at most before scouts get here. After that, maybe another hour or two before the Inquisitors arrive.”

“And after that?” Wood asked hopefully.

“After that it’s already too late,” answered Rayne. “Inquisitors have access to a localized network. Usually they have a starship as part of that network. One word from them that negotiations have failed and this whole forest will be a smoking crater.”

“Fuck!” cursed the Green Draconis. “Fallen aren’t monsters!”

“No but a situation like this is the equivalent of an active-shooter scenario except the shooter has divine powers on par with a nuclear arsenal. The Inquisitors know they have the numbers and resources but cornering someone who knows they’re cornered could lead to irrational behavior and desperation.”

The Fall of Haven had been riddled with Paladins succumbing to their sins. The Inquisition was already spread thin and the Fallen were desperate in their own way. Untrained civilians often tried to take things in their own hands because of the irrational fear of Fallen instilled into them by the Church. This led to disasters occurring all over Tower Thirteen. Entire cities were devastated by living weapons. Once the dust had settled from the war, the Generals implemented a series of ‘rules of engagement’ for the Fallen.

Rayne didn’t entirely agree with everything in those rules but at least he knew what he was working with.

“We have a few hours,” he declared. “Let’s get to Alleria and calm her down. If we can convince her and the scouting team that she is no threat, then the Inquisition and military will back off.”

“Hold up,” Wood barked, stepping in front of him. “You make it sound like this kind of shit happens all the time. Was the Inquisition going to come after me when I Fell?”

Rayne shook his head, patting Wood’s shoulder. “You Fell before these rules were implemented. When the dust had settled, you had already proved to the rest of the world that you were a not a threat.”

Wood jerked his head back in surprise. “Not a threat!? I turn into a goddamn dragon and I’m no threat!?”

“We’re not arguing about this,” Hunter pressed, pushing Wood along. “We’ve got a strict deadline. Turn into the ‘goddamn dragon’ and let’s get back to the Fort to confront Alleria.”

Rayne sniffed the air. Something smelled off. “Bad idea. This is Alleria’s territory now. If we go in there guns blazing, she will shoot us out of the air. Two of you can’t really fight in the sky. If she starts hurling fireballs or icebergs at us, Wood and I can’t defend you. We go on foot.” He nodded towards the unconscious Wayloon. “Bring the asshole as well. Maybe we can make him a scapegoat and negotiate to have Alleria kill him to calm her down.”

A soft squeak came from Hunter.

“Don’t give me that look,” chastised the demon prince. “Alleria Fell because she killed someone she truly cared about. Getting her to accept death and deal with her guilt is probably the best way to bring her down from this trauma.”

“By getting her to kill again!?”

“By getting her to pin the blame on the person that’s actually responsible and not internalizing it.”

“That’s not dealing with the pain! That’s deflection!” Hunter pressed a paw against his chest. “Trust me, I know about deflection. My dad was a textbook narcissist and he would always deflect blame to anyone but himself. Alleria needs to take accountability for what she’s done.”

Rayne rolled his eyes and turned back towards the engineer. “I’m not saying that she doesn’t take accountability. What I’m saying is that we need her to recognize that she is not entirely at fault here. Blame this asshole.” He pointed at Wayloon. “Blame Urellia. And yes, maybe even blame Char a little for jumping in front of her.”

“Blame the dead guy!” Hunter sneered. “Classy, Rayne. Really classy.”

His patience was running thin. “Do you have a better idea that won’t result in us or Alleria getting killed?”

Another voice joined the exchange, cutting through their arguments like a hot knife through snow complete with sizzling burn. “Apollia’s blazing tits, could you please tone down the testosterone and stop treating Alleria like a child?”

He turned to his left where Urellia sauntered over, her outfit slightly scratched and burned but the rest of her body otherwise unharmed. His fury was immediately directed at her, a fiery aura surrounding him as she approached.

“You have some gall approaching us,” he snarled. “After what you did, you should have the decency to die in Alleria’s blast.”

She lifted a sharp finger at him, running her nail along his jaw. “You should know better that death hold little meaning for demons.”

His glare turned fiery. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

JD suddenly let out a mirthful laugh and dropped down from the branch he was perched upon. “It means that she wanted to die. Well… at least for her body to be destroyed. As a demon, her consciousness will just go back to the Void where it’ll reconstitute itself over time, right?”

Rayne’s anger suddenly faded and he let out a growl at himself. “Son-of-a-bitch… You were intentionally goading Alleria, weren’t you? You wanted her to kill you!”

“Why?” Wood demanded. “Why put her through that?”

The succubus wrapped her arms around her bare shoulders, either protecting herself from the cold or the chilling judgment. “Alleria, more than other Paladins I’ve known, is headstrong and an individual who constantly moves forward. When something shakes her foundations, she only continues to move forward. She doesn’t let it affect her but she never truly addresses those issues. She’s always bouncing from one objective to the other, running from her problems while they grow bigger and bigger, festering and growing stronger while catching up with each passing second.” Urellia turned, watching the storm rage above them. “Now, something finally pushed her back into the very thing that she had been running from and it’s consumed her.”

“And you wanted to be the scapegoat,” Rayne concluded. “You were giving shape to that monster. By killing you, she would metaphorically kill that demon.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “But that’s not all, is it?”

Urellia didn’t respond, shutting her purple eyes.

JD crouched next to her, drawing a heart and writing ‘A + U’ within its confines on the snow. “It’s love.”

Rayne glanced from the Red Lightning and then up to Urellia. There was no doubt with how her shoulders were resigned and the little tear that ran from her eyes along her cheek that the accusation was correct.

A longing sigh left the succubus’ lips. “Ironic, isn’t it? I, the Concubine of Agares, loving a Paladin of all people.”

“Then why would you let her kill you?” Hunter demanded, storming forward. “Why not just tell her!?”

“Because it’s not just about Alleria,” answered Rayne, holding a palm against the much bigger Wulfun’s chest. “Urellia is a demon. A succubus. The reason why neither of them actually acted upon their feelings is exactly the same. The optics of it and their own upbringing cast the situation into doubt.”

“Can a demon love a Paladin?” JD added he straightened, dusting off his paws. “Is it right for a Paladin to love a demon in return?”

“That’s stupid!” Wood barked. “It shouldn’t matter what you are or even how you were raised! If you love each other, just go for it!”

Urellia shot him a piercing stare but he didn’t back down.

“Even if it was at the time,” Rayne said, reaching down and hauling Wayloon over his shoulder. “I think we’ve got a way to calm Alleria. Hopefully being honest with her will remind her that she isn’t alone and that even if she made one mistake, you were willing to sacrifice yourself to give her some freedom from her sins and you would do it again.” He glanced over at her. “You are willing to do it again, aren’t you?”

“In a heartbeat,” answered Urellia. “Even if I knew I wouldn’t be reborn in the Void, I would.”

Happy with the reply, Rayne started striding towards the fort, shuffling Wayloon on his shoulder. “I still want to ask this asshole what motivated him to start Alleria on this path. Do you recognize him?”

Urellia strode beside him, eying the unconscious soldier. “Little more than another grunt in my retinue. Like others, he was disillusioned by the administration and used his misery to power his spells. He was left with little after the Fall and told to fend for himself. Beyond that, he was quiet and worked alongside the rest of Fort Ashwood with little complaint. From my understanding, he was content.”

“It’s always the quiet ones…”

The path to the Fort became more and more difficult the closer they got to the gates. The black blizzard of ash that raged around them grew stronger and stronger, the chill in the air intensifying while wind sheer began tearing at them like hot knives slicing at their flesh from the direction of the Fort. Hunter was the first to draw Wildfire and use the constant momentum of the winds to generate energy. His sword caught on fire, offering a modicum of warmth. JD was the next, drawing Conflagration and doing the same and Wood followed shortly afterwards with Cindarc. Given that he was still holding Wayloon, Rayne could only rely on his Aura.

The howling winds grew, rising to a near-constant banshee scream as visibility began to dip. The Sun Spire was setting behind them, shrouding them into even greater darkness, their path barely illuminated by their weapons.

Rayne’s instincts screamed at him all of the sudden and he immediately dropped Wayloon on the ground, bringing up Burnicade. “On guard!” he barked.

A far more intense blast of icy winds blew as the darkness around them grew more encompassing. The flames from their weapons were blown out. Hunter quickly drew a canister from Wildfire and threw it to the ground. That drone of his, RASCAL, was formed a short while later, the drone’s lights barely able to pierce the darkness around them.

Rayne snarled. The darkness was getting so all-encompassing that he could barely see a few feet in front of him.

“Nobody move,” JD whispered softly.

“What?” Wood barked.

“Trust me.”

Red lightning crackled to Rayne’s left. Without warning, that very same lightning shot a little bit behind Urellia. This was followed by the loud clash of steel-on-steel. Rayne spun, catching the moment when JD blocked what appeared to be tall figure brandishing ice skates the size of his forearm. The momentarily flash of light was quickly absorbed by the gloom around them and there was a loud shuffling as JD crashed to the ground, rolling back to a kneeling position as the figure vanished back into the darkness, sweeping past Urellia as it had missed its mark.

“Her Phantasm…” hissed the succubus.

“Do not move!” JD snapped.

Just as Urellia froze, there was another flash of lightning.

CLANG!

Hunter flinched as red light and sparks flew from where JD’s blade collided with the Phantasm’s enormous, jagged ice skates before the two of them vanished back into the darkness.

“How is he doing that?” cried Urellia. “I can’t see anything!”

“Shukuchi,” Rayne responded calmly. “He’s not seeing it. He’s sensing the movements of the Phantasm and protecting us. But he can only detect it if we’re not moving too much. That’s why he’s told us not to move.”

“We can’t just stand here and let him protect us forever!”

CLANG!

Wood tried not to flinch as JD blocked an attack from behind him but his tail curled around his legs and his wings spread out wide in an instinctive attempt to make himself look bigger.

“We’re not,” Rayne said carefully, a dark grin crossing his features. “Who do you think trained JD on how to use Shukuchi?”

CLANG!

JD blocked an attack coming right at Rayne from behind but just as that happened, Rayne triggered his own Shukuchi. While not as refined or wide-reaching as JD’s version, he was still able to slip behind the Phantasm the moment it was just a few feet from him. The moment of illumination from where JD’s crimson lightning crackled where the blades sparked, he saw the Phantasm. That was enough.

He grabbed the creature’s arm, twisting it to face him. With his other fist, he threw a punch into it’s gut, knocking the air from it’s lungs. The blow would have been powerful enough to send whatever it was hurling into the darkness but he kept a hold of it.

BAM!

And sent another punch into its gut.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Focusing his Aura into his fists, he kept intensifying each punch as the flames from Burnicide grew. With each hit, the gauntlets grew in power, flames seeping from his knuckles and engulfing his fist entirely. At the tenth blow, he pulled his fist back entirely and then send it crashing into the Phantasm’s chest. He continued the momentum, leaping off the ground and summoning his demonic power to send his leg crashing against the creature’s face.

A sound like shattering glass rippled out from the blow. The shroud of darkness around them cracked and splintered. Light spilled out from the cracks breaches, splitting over the magical blackness. Though it was not much, Rayne could suddenly see more than a few feet in front of him and he finally got a look at the creature in front of him.

The Phantasm was a Leomian only she was about eight feet tall, slim and shapely. Her fur was an icy blue with her eyes completely deep blue without any irises or pupils, hollow and unnatural. A form-fitting, white leotard with snowflake motif was wrapped around he compact body. The straps around her shoulders flared out like icicles matching the sharp skirt around her waist that looked like it was made out of thousands of abnormally large snowflakes tied together in a complex lace. Around her feet were large skates with the blades looking like they were taken straight out of a scythe.

The manifestation of Alleria’s Sin suddenly kicked, her bladed feet rising up and slicing Rayne’s chest. The wound both burned and seethed like it had been frozen. Rayne staggered back as the Phantasm propped herself up her head and spun wildly around like a windmill. Freezing winds whipped up from her movement, forcing Rayne back, lifting his arm to block the attack even as her blades sliced across his forearms.

Hunter suddenly came running in, diving feet first at the Phantasm. He swung Wildfire, ducking beneath her whirling legs. His blade caught on fire and he slashed at her waist, disrupting her wild dance. As he sprang to his feet, RASCAL came rushing in, peppering the Phantasm with bullets and further pushing the creature down into the ground.

“Nice moves,” Rayne chuckled as the Wulfun rushed to his side, offering him a potion.

“Had a guy in the navy that tried to fight using that break-dancing shit,” Hunter responded. “Asshole thought he was tough. All style and no substance.”

The Phantasm sprang to her feet, ice coating the ground where she landed. She shot forward, skating towards them. The freezing ballerina spun as she approached them, leg outstretched, turning herself into a spinning whirlwind of icy death. That’s when the enormous, reptilian tail of Wood in his own Phantasm form slammed into the Leomian, sending her crashing into the nearby frozen trees.

“You’re a fucking weak-ass Phantasm!” Wood bellowed, pulling his enormous head back, green acid dripping from between his fangs. He threw his head back and then launched a torrent of acid straight at the downed lion.

The blue Phantasm was quick to react, however. She was on her feet and skating away from Wood’s blast. Purple flames sprang up in her path, forcing her to swerve and turn, facing Urellia. The succubus regarded the creature with utter disdain in her eyes.

“Is this how you see me, Alleria?” he demanded, lifting a hand into the air and then closing it into a fist. The flames closed in around the Phantasm, trying to burn her in place. It leapt into the air, avoiding the flames. Then it somersaulted, a wave of ice launching from her outstretched legs. A fiery bird came shooting from behind Urellia and on its back, JD brandishing Conflagration. The bird crashed into the Phantasm while JD disappeared into a storm of red lightning, appearing behind the lion and slamming his twin swords against her back, sending it crashing towards Urellia.

Black, webbed wings sprang from the succubus’ back and she rose into the air, snatching the creature by the chin and lifting her into the air.

“An icy, unapproachable bitch,” Urellia huffed. “Beautiful but cold and distant.” She sighed. “I am truly sorry that I have become this thing in your eyes.” She leaned in towards the creature. “But I will heal you. If only you knew that you were the light that warmed my heart.”

Then she kissed the Phantasm.

“Oh shit…” Hunter gasped. “Should… should we be watching?”

Purple flames suddenly erupted all over the Phantasm, consuming it entirely. There was no scream, no terrified cry. Just unholy fire that completely tore into the Phantasm that was no longer fighting back. The creature’s blue frame was completely turned into ash, consumed by Urellia’s fire, leaving nothing but ash.

Rayne nodded in approval.

The cold in the air eased. It was still freezing but it was no longer blisteringly cold. The black ash that was like snow intensified however. Urellia landed on the ground, holding out a hand as a single snowflake landed on her palm before melting between her fingers. Rayne approached her and rested a hand on her shoulder.

“Will you be okay?” he asked.

She gave him a sidelong smile. “Ask me once again when we rescue Alleria.”

He nodded and turned towards the distant Fort now visible in the murky darkness. “Then let’s get moving.”

“Uhm… Guys?” JD began, waving his flaming swords around, trying to use them as a light. “Wayloon is gone.”

Rayne scanned their surroundings. True enough, that traitorous soldier that had begun Alleria’s descent had vanished. It was too much to hope that the Phantasm had killed him first but the more likely explanation was that in the chaos, he had managed to slip away.

“Fuck…” he rumbled. “Forget him. We have bigger things to worry about.”

?

?

?

Funeral Pyre

Fort Ashwood was entirely devoid of life. The former residents were completely frozen in positions of terror and agony, ice hugging their bodies and turning into grotesque ice sculptures. The structures were conversely burned down to ash. Small, haunting blue flames hovered through the air, wisp-like-ghosts that drifted throughout the ruins of what had once been a proud fortress. An oppressive humidity hung in the air, the temperature unsure whether it should be hot or cold. The fortress itself was now a monument of blue flames encased in towering ice.

Wood gripped Cindarc in one hand and his own Sin, the blackened handaxe Vulcan in the other. As they strode through the ruins of Fort Ashwood, he could feel Vulcan eagerly devouring the energies around them and siphoning it into himself. Alleria’s guilt and self-depreciation over her mistakes mixed with her confused identity was palatable. Caught between being a Paladin and herself, fire and ice. The dichotomy of her situation was tearing her apart.

“Valors are more than just powerful weapons that can channel a shit tonne of elemental magic,” he said, weaving around a woman who was on her knees and now stood completely frozen. “They all have unique powers. What’s Coldburn’s?”

Urellia rested a hand on the same woman’s head, rubbing a thumb over the frozen woman’s forehead. “The Unstoppable Impassioned Heart,” she answered grimly. “That’s what its ability is called. So long as Alleria’s resolve remains unshaken, she shrugs off damage and will constantly keep going. Its written into her very personality. Little wonder why Coldburn chose her.”

The succubus regarded him. “What is yours? What is your Sin even called?”

“Vulcan,” he answered, holding up the black handaxe. “It’s power is called The Empty Empathy. It absorbs all sorts of energy from around it and can fire it back. Basically lets me merge the magic that I’m exposed to even if it doesn’t normally mix. Like my natural acid breath and the fire from Cindarc.” For emphasis, he spun his red axe in one hand, generating flames and then slammed the two blades against one another. The flames seeped into Vulcan. He spat a bit of acid onto the Sin next, turning the flames into a bright green.

“I suppose that could be useful,” Urellia said, casting her gaze around the fortress. “I must confess, however, that I don’t know how much value I will be in the fight again. I draw power from misery.” She waved a hand around her. “Everyone here is dead. There is very little suffering left.” Then she smiled at him. “As much as I would entertain the idea of drawing your pain from you to empower my spells, I don’t think that we should make that our primary tactic.”

Rayne strode past her, heading up the gentle slope up to the fortress. “Maybe you’re just not looking hard enough.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Please, Amon. I have spent an eternity feasting on misery. Mortal, demon, it doesn’t matter. Do not lecture me on finding what people are suffering from and using it to empower my abilities.”

“Seems surprising to me, then, that you haven’t detected what each of us are suffering from.”

Wood grimaced and glanced away, thumping his tail on the ground anxiously.

Urellia glanced towards him. “Oh I’ve seen them. But I have been courteous enough not to drain them without permission.” She sauntered over to Wood and pressed his supple fingers against his bare chest. “Longing to return to his family, feeling deprived of his heritage and yet feeling guilty over being a burden to another family who has already done so much for him.”

“Wood…” JD began softly.

“She’s talking shit,” he growled back.

Urellia pulled back, wiggling her fingers tauntingly. “Denial too.” She danced past him towards Rayne. “And you, Amon. Feeling helpless to protect your charges and fearing what all these events could mean. Oh the secrets you keep are eating you up inside. Trauma over seeing another Paladin Fall brings back memories of the war and how helpless you felt watching the titans fight.”

Rayne crossed his arms “All shallow. You haven’t gotten past the surface.”

“Do I have to?” She laughed softly and turned towards Hunter. “Not when we have the ball of anxiety shaped into a meaty wolf who touts himself to be a combat engineer but knows he only ever got his fame and fortune through sheer luck and the support of others. I could sustain myself for decades on his neurosis alone.”

“H - H - Hey!” stammered Hunter.

“Oh! Oh!” JD exclaimed, bouncing in front of her and waving his arms childishly. “Do me next!”

Urellia regarded him dismissively. “The feeling of being left behind. Crippled and useless in your own eyes. That moment when you fell from the sky and needed to have someone save you because everyone else could somehow fly except you only fed your insecurities. The fact that you couldn’t make it to the fort in time also made you painfully aware of how far behind you are from everyone else.”

The Red Lightning grimaced and straightened. “Oof. Got me pegged.” He crossed his arms behind his head and glanced towards Hunter. “So, if you don’t mind, Hunter, maybe I can get some light-weight anti-gravity things so that if I ever fell from the sky again, you won’t have to worry about me or rely on people being around me?”

Hunter inclined his head to the side, tail wagging. “Oh… I’ve got this design from the military… one-time-use velocity inhibitors. Little grenades you through on the ground and it’ll stop your fall without dealing damage…”

“That’ll be great!” Then he turned towards Rayne. “Sorry I jumped the gun and ran off after Alleria. I guess I was a little overeager. Maybe next time we start practicing, we can focus on ways to increase my speed? I feel like I lost a lot of time trying to scan for someone to use Shukuchi on. Dunno if there’s some other technique I can lean on…?”

“I might have a few in mind,” answered Rayne with a smug smile on his face.

Urellia’s brow furrowed. “Wait… What just happened? Where did all your suffering go?”

Wood clapped her shoulder. “Where it’s meant to go. Away.” He patted her back and headed up towards the fortress. “Maybe your problem and why Wayloon betrayed you is because you kept them in a perpetual state of suffering. Taking your pain and using it to power spells is great but if you’re doing nothing to actually get rid of the cause of the suffering, then you’re just spinning the wheels and waiting until the day you die.” He turned his back towards the fort to face her, spreading his arms. “Maybe be more like Rayne. Find other sources for your demonic spells because we mortals move on. Maybe try some of the spicy foods from Corona. That’ll sure to make you suffer.”

There was suddenly a blast of heat from behind him. Crimson flames illuminated the dimly lit fortress. Wood turned and found himself staring at a gargantuan ten-foot-tall Leomian bathed in crimson flames. The huge, muscled beast towered over him, made and body hair seemingly made entirely out of flames while the rest of his pelt was a charcoal black. Directly at the center of its chest was a large, golden metal plate bound to its torso by thick, golden chains.

“That’s what Char was to you, huh?” Wood mumbled, drawing his axes and spinning them in his hands. “Your shining star and inspiration that you killed by punching a hole through his chest.”

The second Phantasm roared, a wave of scintillating heat radiating out of its body and washing over Wood. Being so close, the blast threw the dragon back, sending him crashing into the frozen bodies of the fort’s inhabitants, shattering them in the process. He dug both his axes into the ground, slowing his flight and regaining his footing. Pain rippled up from his wings. A glance over his shoulder showed the heat had started to singe off his wing’s webbing.

“Careful!” he roared. “That thing gives off a hell of a lot of heat up close!”

The flaming lion lunged towards Wood, pulling a fist back. The young dragon was barely on his feet when the creature came close enough to throw the punch. Luckily, Rayne jumped in front of him. The Demon Prince transformed into his full demonic form, catching the fist even though it was nearly as big as he was. Both he and Wood were pushed back from the impact of the blow but the most damage they received was from the oppressive heat the Phantasm gave off.

Small red canisters flung through the air around them, quickly transforming into automated turrets. Bullets flung through the air and peppered the Phantasm. Even though the projectiles were fired at point-blank range, they barely dented the lion’s flesh, merely bouncing off and leaving little more than a bruise. Irritated by the turrets, the Phantasm seized Rayne by the waist and flung the demon aside before bringing its other fist crashing onto one turret and then the other.

A crack of a whip snapped behind the Phantasm and it flinched, turning to its left. Urellia stood a short distance away wielding a whip made entirely out of purple flames. She was unperturbed by the Phantasm’s murderous glare. It launched at her, letting out a tremendous roar. She charged at it in return. Just as they were about to collide, she dove forward, slipping between the giant lion’s legs. Her whip lashed out, seizing one of the beast’s ankle. With a twist, she pulled the Phantasm’s leg out from underneath it, causing it tumble and crash into some nearby burned ruins.

Wood was not about to let the creature recover and he immediately charged, shrugging off his vest and shorts as he summoned the well of power within him, that vast emptiness he felt from knowing he would never make his dad proud, the guilt he felt over JD saving his life and suffering irreparable damage to his body and the hatred he felt for the world that would shun him just for being himself. That power swelled, spiraling and growing into a tremendous power exploded out from his chest. He stomped over to the Phantasm as his own full, draconic form, towering over even the immense lion.

The fiery lion was just rising from the burned ruins when Wood slammed one of his hands against it, pinning it to the ground. Acid poured out of his jaws, bathing the Phantasm in a corrosive bath that even its fiery aura could not evaporate away. He felt the creature struggle but it was losing strength. As intimidating as it was, this Phantasm was newly formed. Wood had over a decade to get used to his and with Rayne’s training, he had only become stronger. He let out his own roar and flung the manifestation of Alleria’s guilt straight into the icy fort.

The Phantasm crashed through the frozen flames, paving a way to the Fallen Paladin. Fangs bared, Wood sprang into the air, enormous wings beating just four times to get him to land atop the ruined fortress, peering through the hole the Phantasm had made.

Alleria was perched in the audience chamber, seating on Urellia’s throne only now that very same chair was encased in ice that was sculpted and shaped to look like a raging inferno. On the surface, she didn’t look all that different. Same strong, square jaw, same blue-tone fringe covering one part of her face. Her Paladin’s cloak was torn and burned, however particularly around the sleeves which pulled back up to her shoulders to give full visibility of her gauntlets. The same could be said about the standard issue black pants for Paladins. They had been ripped up to her thighs so that all could see her icy-blue boots. An unnerving blue flame burned behind her eyes, rippling through her sclera while maintaining the color of her irises. She did not seem at all fazed by her Phantasm lying half-melted and bloodied in front of her.

Lightning crackled on Wood’s left shoulder and he felt JD’s bare paws against his scales. The sounds of rapid footsteps followed shortly afterwards as Urellia, Rayne and Hunter followed behind.

“I suppose it was too much to hope that you would just leave me alone,” Alleria sneered. Her glowing eyes fell upon the demon that she loved. “And I suppose it was too much to hope that you would’ve died when I fell.”

“Alleria…” began the succubus, taking a step towards her.

“No!” A blast of blue flames erupted from her, spreading down the raised dais like water. “I don’t want to hear it! You can go die in a hole, Urellia!”

Unshaken, Urellia persisted. “I was trying to help you!”

“Don’t you think I know that?” spat the Fallen. “Doesn’t make it any less stupid.” She pressed a few fingers against her forehead. “What was the plan, exactly? Become the stand-in for all my frustrations? Have me kill you while you return to the Void? Exactly how would that have helped me?”

Urellia lowered her gaze, her resolve wavering.

Wood stepped in. With a little shrug of his shoulders, he indicated to JD that he was going to transform back into his humanoid form. The Red Lightning dropped down, blades drawn and at the ready but not looking threatening. That gave enormous dragon the time to fill his mind with calm, soothing thoughts; an emptiness akin to meditation. He focused on a single point, dispelling the chaotic thoughts replacing it with the exact opposite. The green scales all over his body flaked off in a shower of glowing green light. His frame shrank back down into his Draconis shape, naked but still wielding Vulcan. His claws scraped across the ground as he landed, shrugging to fold his wings against his back.

“She’s a goddamn coward,” he said firmly, striding in front of the group. “She couldn’t accept that she has feelings for you but also didn’t want you to have to choose being a Paladin and the Church and her. So when you started blowing up at her about something so stupid as letting your parents go off into Mother Goddess only knows where, she saw an opportunity to cut herself off from your life. That way you wouldn’t have to choose and you wouldn’t be torn between the two.”

Alleria scowled at Urellia. “Is that true?” The succubus could only nod after a few short moments. “How stupid do you think I am? I am the Bluefire Paladin. Or at least I was. My entire existence is about combining two diametrically opposite things and merging them! Do you think so little of me that I couldn’t juggle being a Paladin and being with you!?”

The demoness lifted her gaze at long last. “It wasn’t just that. Being a Paladin means that you are inherently suppressing a part of yourself. It is the very mechanics of a Valor. Coldburn is purposefully restricting you from experiencing the better parts of life.” She lifted a fist into the air. “The passion of hatred, the irrational desire of lust, the burning of envy or even the mindless bliss of ennui. Because of your Valor, you will always constantly keep moving forward, ignoring everything that makes you human. You aren’t a person, Alleria. You were a weapon. At least… you were.”

Geysers of blue flame erupted behind her throne. “So you wanted me to Fall?”

“No! Never! But I just knew we could never be together so long as you remained a Paladin.” Urellia shook her head. “And I knew you would never stop being a Paladin. So I decided that if it ever came to it, I would cut ties so you could be the best Paladin you could be without me holding you back.”

“So you think I wanted to be a Paladin my entire life?” Alleria accused. “Did you ever consider that I would have dropped my Valor had I been asked?”

“Would you have?” Urellia countered with a steely voice.

The Bluefire Fallen wavered. After a second of self-reflection, she snarled and slammed a fist into the armrest of the throne. She jumped to her feet, blue flames erupting all around her. A scream of frustration erupted from her lips and she immediately charged forward straight at Urellia.

The dark figure of Rayne Noam in his full demon form intercepted her, the two of them crashing into a nearby pillar.

“This is all a misunderstanding,” barked the Demon Prince. “You both failed to express your emotions to one another. Not truly through any fault of your own. Both of you made assumptions. Both of you thought you couldn’t be with one another because of some preconceived notions instilled into you by others.”

Alleria let out another scream and threw a punch at Rayne’s chest. The much bigger, transformed demon’s black flesh took the blow without so much as flinching. “You don’t know me!”

Rayne reached down, seizing the back of her head and spinning around, grabbing her in a powerful headlock. “Yes I do. I teach your kind every year. A hormonal teenager who thinks they are the hero and the world revolves around them!” He leaned down to her ear. “I’m here to remind you that you are a thirty-year-old woman who should know better than this.”

She swung her head back, smashing the back of her head against his chin. He did not flinch. With a sneer of frustration, she began beating her elbow backwards at his stomach, bursts of blue fire erupting from the impact. Still, the Demon Prince was unfazed.

“Let go of me!” Alleria shouted, kicking wildly.

“Not until you realize that throwing a tantrum because you had a spat with your lover is no reason to destroy your entire life for!”

She glared at him from over her shoulder. “You think I fell just because of that bitch?”

Rayne hesitated. “There’s more?”

That moment of weakness was all Alleria needed. She stomped both her feet on his, icy skates erupting from her heels. They bit into his toes and immediately spawned layers of ice that shot up his legs and pierced his flesh. Rayne immediately let her go and she turned, throwing a punch at his chest. Blue flames exploded from the impact, launching her back and free from him.

Three red canisters landed around her. There was a second when she gawked as the devices transformed into turrets. She crossed her arms in front of her and a dome of thick ice erupted from the ground, surrounding her just as the turrets opened fire. A roar erupted from her, shattering the dome and smashing the ice shards into the turrets.

Wood lifted Vulcan defensively, JD right beside him.

“I’ll go high,” Wood said. “You go low.”

The Red Lightning gave him a grin. “On your mark.”

With a nod, Wood spread his wings and lept into the air. That initial movement caught Alleria’s attention and she turned towards him, throwing punches into the air at him. Fireballs made of blue flames shot straight at him. He dodged and weaved through the air while JD immediately appeared behind her in a crackle of red lightning. Alleria screamed as JD’s blades sliced into her back.

“Don’t hurt her!” Urellia pleaded.

That cry made JD hesitate and gave Alleria the opening she needed to whirl around, her leg sweeping out and slicing the wolf’s chest with her skates. JD staggered back just as Wood landed behind Alleria and seized her, his meaty arms closing around her chest and…

… hugging her.

“His death was not your fault.”

Her eyes widened.

“Fuck you!” she roared and punched his stomach. The pain was unbearable but somehow, he kept holding onto her.

“Char made his choice!” Wood shouted. “He thought he was saving you. He even forgave you!”

“That makes it worse!”

BAM!

Another fiery blow to the stomach. Wood had to close his wings around his shoulders to add what little strength he could to keeping her pinned against him.

“No one asked him to throw himself in your way,” Wood insisted. “He was genuinely concerned about you. You can’t blame yourself for an accident.”

BAM!

“But I still killed him! I’m a killer!”

BAM! BAM!

She was nearly weeping now. “Just leave me here to be killed by the Inquisition!”

BAM!

Wood’s legs were shaking but he still kept hold of her. He could taste blood in the back of his throat. As he tried to speak, that blood was caught in some air and he gagged.

“People are going to die,” he panted. “Innocent people. People we love. We can’t wind back time. Not even the Chronomancers could do that. All we can do is grow stronger from it.”

Bam.

The blow wasn’t as strong as the others and he could feel her sobbing against him.

“Don’t…” he gasped. “Don’t let his sacrifice be in vain.” He heaved, blood exploding from his muzzle. Still, he persisted. “Be the person Char knew you were and was worth giving his life for… and not this suicidal bitch. You took his life so make sure you live for both of you.”

Bam…

She didn’t so much as punch him as gently press her knuckles against his chest.

Now she was openly crying.

“I… I don’t know if I can.”

“Then ask Urellia. Ask me. Ask for help. Don’t bear this burden yourself.”

She pulled away and he finally let her go. Their gazes met. “Is that… Is that how you made it through becoming a Fallen?”

“Hell no,” he chuckled, his lungs and stomach burning from the gesture. “I felt guilty as hell because that dumbass” - he hiked a thumb at JD who was shakily getting to his feet, bleeding from the wound in his chest - “decided to do what Char did and throw himself in front of me to protect me.”

“But you didn’t kill him…”

“Maybe not but it might be worse because seeing him everyday reminds me that I fucked up.” He rested a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. “You did too. Everyone fucks up. Just so happens that because we had Valors, when we fucked up that one time, everyone got to know about it.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Hunter offer JD one of the healing potions so he was at least relieved that his friend was taken care of.

“How do you live with it?” she asked.

“Sometimes I ask myself that same thing. Especially when I wake up in the middle of the night or can’t get to sleep because my fucked up brain decided to remind me about it randomly.” Wood let out a short laugh but that quickly erupted into a burst of blood. Hunter was immediately at his side, offering him a potion. He downed it, shutting his eyes as it hurt to drink it. Thankfully, that feeling was fleeting because the concoction quickly worked its magic.

Once he was done, he wiped his muzzle with the back of his hand.

“For what it’s worth,” he said. “I’m not suicidal because I know that if I ended it all, then that sacrifice wouldn’t have been worth it. Not only JD’s but all the support and help I got from my friends and the people I love. Alex spent so much taking me in and treating me like his own son. Kane would probably go on a rampage because we’re basically brothers. I think Skye would try to bind my soul to him so I’ll never get any rest.” He snickered a little, pausing a moment to wait for the pain to crop up from his laughter. When it didn’t, he gave Hunter a thumbs up of confirmation that he was fine. “And frankly, after all the shit we’ve been through here on Incendius, I don’t think I’d be able to rest knowing there’s still some bullshit unsolved.”

“So just keep moving, huh?” she asked.

“Don’t forget the sacrifices,” Wood confirmed. “But use it to make you stronger. Tell yourself never to get to the point where anyone has to sacrifice themselves for you ever again.”

Alleria took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. The blue flames around them began to flicker and die. The eerie flames behind her eyes similarly began to die. It would never fully fade. Wood knew that all too well. Even though his Sin was mostly empty when he Fell, he still felt the weight of his sins with him every day; like it was a lump in his throat that would never go away.

“Thank you,” she sighed softly. “You’re right… I can’t let his death burden me. He wouldn’t have wanted that.”

Urellia gently slipped her hand over her other shoulder. “So… you didn’t Fall because of me?”

Alleria laughed softly and brushed her hand off. “Not everything is about you, Urellia.” She offered the succubus a weak smile. “You weren’t the entire reason. Every flame needs fuel. You provided that in spades. Char’s death was just the spark that ignited it.”

The demoness remained silent and but still returned a relieved smile.

“We good?” Wood asked.

Alleria nodded slowly. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ‘good’ but at the very least… I think I’m in a better mindset. I -”

Suddenly, Alleria’s eyes boggled and she held out her arms out to her sides. She screamed and fell on her back. Urellia cried out her name but Wood could only watch in horror as her Sins seemed to be tightening around her limbs and pulling themselves off her.

“What the fuck…!?” he cried.

“Disappointing.”

The voice made his blood run cold. Turning around, he found Wayloon standing on the dais of the throne, holding out his hand towards Alleria. The former Paladin’s screams cut through the entire hall.

“I had hoped to remind you that Char wasn’t the only one that you had killed,” Wayloon said. “You killed everyone in this fort. But I can see that would have been a useless exercise.”

“You!” Wood snarled, stalking towards the dais.

“Wood! Stay back!” Rayne shouted, having broken out of the icy constraints holding his legs.

Alleria screamed again and there was a loud, wet tearing noise. Wood spun and his eyes went wide in horror. The Sins that were her gauntlets and boots were tearing themselves off her. Not only were they trying to slide off, they had dug into her flesh and was trying to actively rip off her arms and legs.

“What the fuck are you doing to her!?”

Wayloon chortled. “Taking away what is wasted on that emotional child and putting it to much better use.”

“You fucker -!”

“Wood!” barked Rayne, swooping in and landing beside him, pulling back. “He’s Goetia!”

That name sent chills through Wood’s system. While everyone knew about the Custodia Goetia and they had recently felt the organization’s influence with the Association, he had never seen or met an actual member of the group. Rumors and stories only made the Custodia Goetia’s presence all the more chilling particularly because they were attributed with having been the cause of the Fall.

Alleria’s screams and the cracking of bone lit a fire in his chest.

“Fuck!” he roared and spun around. “Sorry, Alleria,” he pleaded. “This is going to hurt.”

He brought up Vulcan and then swung it downwards, cutting right through the bone on her left arm. Strangely, enough, she looked relieved even as her Sins continued to try and rip themselves off her.

“Cut them off!” she cried. “Cut it off now!”

Urellia held out her hand towards Alleria’s severed arm. Purple flames burst from her fingertips and quickly cauterized the wound. She nodded towards Wood and he moved to her other arm.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Do it! Do it now!” Alleria pleaded.

He held his breath and swung his axe. The Bluefire Fallen screamed but not from the abrupt amputation. The dark boots were ripping off her flesh from about halfway up her calves. Urellia worked to cauterize the recently severed arm while Wood moved to the Alleria’s legs.

“Shit… this is messed up…” He found his arms shaking. Where does he cut? Halfway down her calves where the boots ended? At her knee? Where was the artery that would cause her to bleed out? “Fuck!”

JD’s cool, calm paw rested on his shoulder and, in that instant, he was suddenly much calmer. The Red Lightning stepped forward, lifting one of the swords that made up Conflagration. The sword was already on fire. In a single, swift movement, he sliced right through Alleria’s legs, just below the knee. He kicked the boots away before pressing the fiery blade against the bloody stumps, cauterizing them. Alleria’s screaming stopped but she did bite down on her lips to keep herself from screaming more.

“Hunter,” JD said. “We need some potions here.”

“My potions can’t regenerate limbs!” Hunter exclaimed. “They just accelerate the body’s natural regeneration while providing adequate matter and materials for the healing process.”

“We don’t need you to,” said the Red Lightning, turning towards Wayloon.

The Sins on the ground suddenly flew straight towards the Goetia. Alleria’s limbs slipped out of the gauntlets and boots, dropping to the ground with so much disrespect that it made Wood’s blood boil. Wayloon, eyes locked on them, held out his limbs and slipped on the Sins with ease.

“I’ve seen this during the Fall,” sneered Rayne, his own webbed wings spreading threateningly. “The Goetia could somehow command Sins. They were behind the Fall of countless Paladins. If those Fallen would ever turn on them, they could take control of the Sins and take them as their own.”

“That’s impossible!” Hunter blurted. “Valors and Sins are made specifically the people that wield them. It’s extremely rare for someone else to wield someone else’s.”

“Doesn’t stop them,” Rayne snarled. “Get behind me.”

JD refused and stepped up in front of Rayne. “Hunter,” said the Red Lightning calmly. “I want you to create prosthetics for Alleria.”

“What!?” blurted the engineer. “You want her to fight?”

“No. Please just do it. I remember that on Haven and Xaos there are artificial limbs that can link up with an individual’s neural network and basically limb replacements.”

“That still takes years of physical therapy and configuration!”

JD glanced over his shoulder, regarding Hunter with a calm but pleading look. “Please.”

There was something in his friend’s eyes that told Wood that he needed to trust the Red Lightning. He had seen it many times before like… JD just knew. The gaze he gave was… distant and strangely ancient. Almost world-weary. He couldn’t understand it but it was like being told to just trust his mother because she lived longer than he had and just went with it.

“Ah… Alright…” Hunter mumbled.

“Urellia,” JD continued, turning towards Wayloon. “Alleria is suffering. Use that power to help Hunter reconfigure her magical and neural network. Turn her own pain and misery into her recovery.”

The succubus was confused by the question. “How did…” She shook her head and knelt beside Alleria. “Trust me, my dear. Don’t stop hurting.” Holding out her hands, purple flames engulfed Alleria’s severed limbs, making her scream but allowing Hunter to take out his blue crystal cube - his Sequencer - and begin constructing artificial limbs for her.

“JD…?” Wood began.

The Red Lightning drew the second blade of Conflagration.

“Rayne, I need you to create a barrier around them,” continued the red Wulfun. “Maintain it and protect them from attack. Wood, he’s going to try and throw whatever he can at you guys. Pillars. Scaffolding. That chair. Keep it from hitting anyone.”

“You’re not seriously suggesting you’ll attack him yourself?” Rayne blurted. “JD, this guy is far too dangerous! On top of the Sin, he has his own abilities!”

JD glanced over at the much taller Demon Prince.

No words were said. Instead, Rayne just nodded, took a few steps back and them drew some runes in the air.

“You can’t be serious!” Wood demanded. “Rayne -”

Rayne pulled him back as a soft, indigo light created a protective dome around them. “I’ve only been given that look from Alex. Trust me on this, Wood. That’s the look the Clarkes give you when they tell you to back off for your own good. You’ll only get in their way.”

Wood swallowed loudly and readied himself.

“Alright… Good luck, JD. Don’t die.”

?

?

Shattered and Fallen

242 times.

Two-hundred-two times JD had engaged Wayloon already and someone either ended up dying or he had died himself. This was the two-hundred-and-forty-third time. The stage had been set.

Now it was time to finally act.

“You’re brave, boy,” chortled Wayloon. “Brave and stu -”

JD immediately engaged Shukuchi, teleporting behind Wayloon and unleashing a flurry of dizzying slashes with Conflagration. He couldn’t spend a second wasting time on conversation. With a ten minute time limit to how far he can go back in time, any time spent on needless fluff meant one more second where he couldn’t undo any mistakes. So he needed to act fast.

Wayloon spun as quickly as fast as he appeared, lifting the gauntlets of Coldburn and blocking each of JD’s attacks with ease.

All expected. This had happened two-hundred-fifteen times before, after all. Just like all those times, however, Wayloon was about to brag about how he had anticipated this movement because he had studied JD’s attacks already.

“You’re so predictable,” boasted the Goetia even as JD continued to pepper him with slashes. “I’ve studied your tactics. I know your moves before you’ll make them.”

No matter how many times he had gone through this very same scenario, that one line still haunted him. They had only just met Wayloon. He seemed to have known Alleria but they had also just met Alleria that same day and they really hadn’t engaged in combat in the short time that they had been together. So how did Wayloon know his tactics?

There was a second of fear where he wondered if Wayloon could turn back time as well.

Were the Goetia also singularities?

But the next part always dispelled his fear.

Wayloon pushed him back and immediately went into two spinning kicks, one for each leg with the icy skates of Coldburn flaring out. JD dodged back from both attacks but the moment his opponent had finished spinning, he activated Shukuchi and appeared behind the Goetia. The red Wulfun ducked, knowing full well that there was a flaming haymaker coming his way. He lunged forward, swords lashing out and slicing across Wayloon’s thighs. JD rolled and sprang to his feet, leaping off a good few feet off the air before planting his feet against the back of Wayloon’s head. He kicked off, giving himself some distance.

“Clever pup,” hissed Wayloon, rising to his feet. The wounds on his legs began to heal. “But your puny attacks are minor inconveniences to me.”

Not the first time he had heard this rant about the Goetia’s ability to draw power from the Sin and use it for healing. While Wayloon was still ranting, JD buried his swords into the ground and swept them upwards, throwing dust and debris in the direction of the Goetia. He then unleashed Shukuchi in rapid succession, zipping behind pieces of wood and burned flooring in a dizzying array. All the while, he was swinging his swords, tracing runes through the air. Wayloon stopped his tirade just as JD appeared behind him. The Goetia stamped his feet into the ground. Icy spears burst from the ground beneath him. JD had already died after being skewered by the attack once before. At that moment, Wood had taken a step forward in surprise giving JD the exit he needed. He appeared behind his friend, dodging the attack.

“JD!” cried the dragon.

“Don’t move,” he growled, fangs bared. He charged past Rayne’s barrier and then swung his swords in a horizontal swing. A wave of flames launched from the magic stored within Conflagration. The fire instantly melted the ice, turning it into water and steam. Wayloon stepped out form the mist, barely harmed.

“You are little more than a fly,” sighed the Goetia. “Buzzing around and dodging my attacks. What few hits you land are of no consequence. You’re not even a mosquito that can pierce my skin and leave a lasting itch. You’re just a fly that does little more than annoy.”

Fists tightening around the grips of his swords, JD straightened and said, “Then allow me to step up my game.”

Without warning, he threw the sword in his right hand straight at Wayloon. The Goetia regarded the blade lazily and tilted his head to the right, the weapon flying past his ear without scratching it. Red lightning crackled behind him as JD appeared, taking advantage of the moment of distraction.

Wayloon grinned.

Just as JD had anticipated.

The Goetia was already halfway to turning around, hand ready to snatch JD’s throat, make a threatening speech and then burn him to ash. But the Red Lightning had already died in that fashion twice before. He knew it was coming. A quick use of Shukuchi and JD appeared right behind the sword he had thrown, the blade still flying through midair. He snatched it out of the air and flung it forward straight at Wayloon.

The traitor to Urellia showed surprise for the first time and actually lifted his arms in front of him to block the attack. There was a loud, resounding clang as Conflagration bounced off Coldburn. JD zipped right behind the deflected blade, once again snatching it from the air and -

Thud!

… found the sword gripped by Wayloon.

“That was impressive,” hissed the Goetia. “But it was all for show. No substance!”

Wayloon closed his fist around the blade and -

SMASH!

… shattered it entirely.

“No!” Hunter cried.

“Stay focused on Alleria!” JD barked, staggering back as one half of Conflagration clattered to the ground in pieces. He still held the hilt and the broken blade while keeping the other unharmed blade in his other paw.

“Sins and Valors are indestructible!” laughed Wayloon. “Those that wield them are far superior to even those of you who are trained. You are nothing more than an average pup that is desperately compensating for his own disabilities by specializing in one technique to the exclusion of all else! You are nothing without those swords.”

There was a flash of malice in Wayloon’s eyes. “And your friends are going to suffer for it.” The Goetia stalked a few steps forward and easily plucked the icy throne off the dais. He threw it effortlessly into the air and then kicked it straight at Rayne. The ice shattered against the Demon Prince’s barrier. Some pieces of shrapnel made its way through but that was why Wood was there; the dragon swatting them away with his tail and axe.

All according to expectations.

“I now hold the power of the Bluefire Fallen,” exclaimed Wayloon, throwing his head back and letting out a maniacal cackle. “Someone as average as you cannot hope to defeat me!”

JD charged, swinging his one sword through the air, forming arcane runes through the air. He jumped just a few feet from Wayloon before tucking his body into a somersault, his blade being engulfed in a fiery wing that came crashing down on the Goetia.

Thud!

Only for Wayloon to catch his blade again in midair. JD stumbled to the ground, desperately gripping his one, remaining sword.

“What did I just say?” huffed Wayloon. “With these gauntlets, I am immune to fire. Thanks to your foolishness, you will lose your last line of defense.”

Crrrrack…

Conflagration began to break.

“JD!” Rayne shouted.

“Get out of there, pup!” cried Urellia.

“Don’t die for me!” cried Alleria, mustering her strength and somehow managing to lift her torso up.

That was exactly what he was waiting for.

Wayloon closed his hand completely around Conflagration shattering the blade…

… which let JD lunge forward, grabbing one of the shards of the sword and thrusting both it and the broken blade in his other paw straight into Wayloon’s thigh… right into the artery. The Goetia gasped, staring in shock as blood began spurting out the wound.

“The gauntlets protect you from fire,” JD said. “But what about your legs?”

There, he finally released his swords and immediately activated Shukuchi, appearing behind Alleria. Wayloon roared in frustration as the traitor yanked the shrapnel from his thighs, staggering in agony as he rapidly lost blood. Whatever magic he possessed was used to rapidly close the wound but the damage was done, there was a lot of blood lost and that would take much longer to restore.

That would slow him down.

JD shrugged off the backpack that had been attached to Conflagration. Without the swords, there was no point in keeping the generator on his back. On top of that, he threw off his monochrome jacket, revealing his sleeveless shirt beneath for the sake of mobility. He bounced a few times on the balls of his feet.

“Be ready,” he told Alleria before striding forward, balling his fists.

“You’re not seriously thinking of engaging him in hand-to-hand!?” Urellia blurted. “You can’t use magic!”

He shot her a piercing stare that immediately silenced her. “I don’t have to.”

Running through what he had learned in his past deaths, JD strode out of the barrier, striding up towards Wayloon with grim determination. Avoid everything from the forearm down. Everything below the knee was equally as dangerous. But the rest of Wayloon’s body was vulnerable.

Red lightning cascaded off his body and he immediately appeared behind the Goetia. Wayloon didn’t bother spinning around this time. Instead, he rolled forward, turning mid-roll to face JD before throwing a few punches that launched red fireballs at the Wulfun. JD ducked and weaved past them, closing the gap. He unleashed a flurry of punches, constantly advancing as he did so. Wayloon, who was still on the ground, could only hold up his arms in defense. JD purposefully held back. His knuckles on Coldburn would hurt - something he had learned from a different instance. Instead, he grabbed the gauntlets, pulling them to the side and forcing Wayloon’s guard to drop. He then lept into the air, planting both his feet against the Goetia’s face and unleashing a series of stomps while completely vertical to the ground; his claws tore at flesh and skin.

Nine hits was all he could afford before leaping away. Wayloon howled in agony even as his wounds began to heal.

“You insolent whelp!” Bleeding from the ragged scratches across his face, Wayloon charged forward, skating across the ground on a layer of ice generated by Coldburn. “Witness the wrath of Bluefire!”

The Goetia lunged into the air, leg outstretched in a beautiful but fatal dance.

JD ducked under the blow, sliding forward along the same path of ice. He lay on his back and just as Wayloon slipped over him, he propped his feet upwards and kicked…

… right into the genitals of the traitor.

Wood hissed, instinctively clutching his own groin. Hunter and Urellia stopped healing Alleria for a second to flinch at the sight. Even Alleria forgot her pain for a short moment as she felt empathy towards Wayloon. Rayne was the only one unaffected and just let out a loud ‘ha’ as Wayloon lost all balance and stumbled to the ground.

It took JD ten tries to get the timing right on that move without getting slashed by those blades.

“You call yourself the Bluefire Fallen,” said the Red Lightning, leaping back to his feet. “But you don’t know what that means.”

Wayloon snarled at him, staggering to his feet. “And I suppose you do?” He swept his hands out to his side, jets of flame bursting from his palms. “What makes you such an expert? You barely know how to fight using the Ars Ignia Pugnio. Those punches were basic. Your footwork was sloppy!” The balding man threw a fierce stare at Alleria. “If the so-called ‘Bluefire Paladin’ couldn’t understand the true meaning of what it means, what hope do you?”

They charged at one another. If it weren’t for the multiple times they had gone through this dance over and over again, JD knew he would have received several blows by now that would’ve crippled him. He couldn’t afford even a single blow - not against a Sin. He couldn’t even grip either component of Coldburn for too long or else he would be burned. At one point, Wayloon threw a punch and he slipped outside of the man’s guard, holding Wayloon’s elbow in place. He then unleashed a flurry of chops right against the traitorous man’s diaphragm. But that was all he could do before scrambling away to avoid being sliced by a few icy spears that jumped out from the ground at him.

“You’re right,” he panted. “Alleria had no idea what it meant to be the Bluefire Paladin either.” He spent a second just to wink at Alleria. Hunter and Urellia were almost done. “That’s because her Valor was holding her back.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” spat Wayloon, lunging at him. JD jumped back and stomped on the ground, bringing up a wooden plank that had come loose from the floor. He yanked it off the dais and smashed it against Wayloon. The Goetia smashed the plank with his arm, shattering it entirely but that allowed JD to use Shukuchi to teleport behind the man and unleash a few clean blows to the Goetia’s lower back.

JD jumped a few feet back while Wayloon fell to his knees. He didn’t have a lot of time before the Goetia once again was back on his feet.

“The true essence of Bluefire is about combining to opposite elements into something more powerful. Fire and Ice. But Coldburn made that impossible.”

“Fool,” spat Wayloon. “How can you say that when you are facing gauntlets that channel fire and boots that generate ice?”

“You’ve only proved my point,” JD said, talking more to Alleria than his opponent. “Coldburn separated the elements. Forced Alleria to think of them separately. While she was able to use both Pyromancy and Cryomancy, she was never able to combine them into one because her Valor was forcing her to associate punching with fire and kicking with ice. The only time she actually generated true blue flames was when she Fell and all barriers between the two were broken. When she was true to herself to the point that not even divine decree could tell her how to think.”

He sped towards Wayloon just as the Goetia was getting up. His opponent gave him a vicious sneer and met him with a similar charge. Just as they were about to collide, JD activated Shukuchi and appeared behind the man. He spun in the air, mirroring the Goetia’s own spinning kick. His foot made contact and sent Wayloon crashing to the ground a short distance away from Rayne.

JD activated Shukuchi and appeared behind Alleria, quickly reaching down and pulling her to her new, artificial feet. Hunter did amazing work. Her new limbs looked like they were made out of black metal with a hexagonal embossed pattern all over them, blue circuitry running through them. Though she could stand, her arms appeared useless. Still, he helped her light her arms towards the downed Wayloon.

“Just trust yourself,” he encouraged, red lightning crackling down his arms and into her. “You knew from the very beginning how to use real Bluefire Arts. Don’t listen to what the Church or anyone else has told you about what you can and cannot do. You got this.”

Wayloon propped himself up, grinning through bloodied teeth at them.

“Wasting your time on that child? That is your fatal mistake.”

The traitor lunged forward -

WHAM!

Only to be grabbed by Rayne from behind and slammed right back into the ground. Wood came swinging in, stomping on Wayloon’s head before breathing a torrent of green acid right onto the man’s back. Ice and flames exploded from Wayloon, both separate and never together, forcing the two back.

Alleria took a deep breath, her limp fingers strengthening and spreading out, facing Wayloon. “How do you know so much about me…?” she asked.

JD gently gripped her wrists, redirecting them to where Wayloon was just getting to his feet. “Because I’ve heard everyone here talk about how you’ve lived with diametrically opposite aspects of your life, struggled with them. A Paladin that loves a demon. Fire and ice. Pure and also a killer. But not once has anyone ever told you that you can be both.”

She bit her lip and closed her eyes. “I can be both.”

Wayloon threw his back, hands forming claws in the air and roaring in frustration. “You can’t if you’re dead!”

The Goetia was about to charge when a red canister landed between his feet. For a second, he regarded it in confusion. Then the canister burst into a fully-fledged turret, throwing him into the air. Bullets came spewing out of the turret’s barrels, piercing holes the into his torso. Urellia came leaping into the scene, her purple whip made of flames wrapping entirely around the traitor before sending him crashing right into the ground. She let out her own screech of frustration and summoned a pillar of flames that launched from the ground around Wayloon, completely consuming him.

When the flames died, Wayloon’s charred, blackened corpse was left.

Then the head twitched.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Wood cried. “What the fuck does it take to kill this guy!”

Wayloon just laughed as the black flakes began falling off his body. For some reason, he kept the blackened flesh glued to his face, even going so far as to hold it up while peering through his fingers at them. “You see? It is futile! So long as I have this Sin, I am immortal!”

In that moment, there was a spark of insight that struck JD like a bolt of lightning. It was something he would deal with later.

“Are you sure that Sin is still yours?” he asked confidently.

“Because it’s not,” Alleria said defiantly. “They’re my Sins! And you know what?” Tongues of blue fire sprang from her fingertips. “I want you to give them back!”

Those sapphire flames launched from her palms, shooting straight at Wayloon. JD channeled his red lightning into her, crafting the flames into a single, focused beam like the fiery blade of a blowtorch. For the first time throughout the entire battle, Wayloon looked genuinely surprised as the flames collided with him.

If he screamed something, it was left undecipherable against the torrent of blue fire completely consumed him. Tears ran down Alleria’s face. Through the flames, four black objects sprang through the air. The gauntlets slipped back onto Alleria’s arms, the flames from her fingertips going uninterrupted even as the red coloration crackled and sparked, becoming a deep, rippling blue like they constantly contained raging blue flames. She stepped into the boots, the icy coloration shifting to match her gauntlets.

She continued marching forward and JD let her go, allowing her to unleash her grief, frustration and rage without his interference. Even once she reached Wayloon and she stopped throwing flames at the ash that the traitor had become, she knelt in the blackened section of floor and began beating the ground where the corpse would have been mercilessly.

No one stopped her.

What seemed like an eternity later, she sat back on her heals, turning her gaze towards the sky with her eyes closed. Through the hole in the ceiling, the swirling storm that had loomed over the Ashwoods had faded. The clear night sky glimmered down upon them. Urellia came to her within hesitation, kneeling beside her and holding her tight. Rayne approached cautiously, shifting back to his human form and kneeling beside her, checking her condition.

Meanwhile, Wood and Hunter rushed to JD.

“That was freakin’ awesome!” Hunter exclaimed. “You barely got hit!”

JD looked behind him apologetically at the remnants of Conflagration. “Yeah… Sorry about…”

“Don’t worry about it,” said the engineer, brushing him off. “What matters is that you’re alive and…” Hunter trailed off, his eyes looking past JD.

The Red Lightning turned at the sound of footsteps behind him.

Approaching them was a tall man sporting the two pauldrons and white cloak of a Templar. A Leomian of his own, his reddish-brown mane was flecked with strands of silver. Unlike Tanar who had trimmed his mane around his cheeks so he only had a goatee, this powerfully built man had his made in full. Keen, yellow eyes scanned the battlefield with genuine interest. There was an enormous sword nearly as tall as he was and with a crossguard shaped like the wings of a bird.

Beside the man was a tall, athletic woman with raven hair. She wore the black cloak of a Paladin. Her skin was like porcelain, perfectly clear and unblemished. Angular features gave her striking features that were only accentuated by her pointed her. Maroon eyes spoke of a heritage from amongst the Custodia Vampiri.

“Fuck…” Wood snarled. “A goddamn Templar.”

The Leomian gave them the standard Incendian greeting. “Correct. I am Templar Cassius Solinium. This is my fellow Valor-wielder and Paladin, Serena Whitewind. We were sent here upon hearing of a potential Fallen.”

Alleria let out a loud sigh and straightened. She lifted her hand into the air. “That would be me, Templar.”

“I see…” The Templar didn’t make any attempt to reach for his weapon. “I see that there is much death and destruction around here. I also see that you have calmed. Could it be possible that the cause of your Fall and indeed all this death could be attributed to a corrupt member of the Fort that turned out to be a member of the Custodia Goetia?”

Clearly, this Templar had been watching them for a while. Solinium was giving them an out.

“No,” Alleria said. “Wayloon may have set the spark but I’m the one that burned. I killed all of these people.” She stood, turning towards the Templar and holding out her wrists to him. “I am guilty. But know that I still fight for what is good for the people. I will do whatever I can to make amends for my sins.”

Solinium remained unreadable. “That is commendable. Let us return to Corona. I am sure we have much to talk about.” He glanced around at everyone. “All of us.”

That was the extend of JD’s knowledge about events. Now, he was winging it.

He glanced over to where Wayloon had been burned… his eyes narrowed.

“How did you know us…?”

?

?

Charred

News traveled fast but at the same time, it was incredibly difficult to have missed the dark beam of light that had cut through the night sky and summoned an ominous storm even though it was the middle of the night. Hours ticked by as all of Corona sat on edge. When the beam faded, however, the rumors started. With most of the population of Pinnacle barely being above their teenage years, Aria was privy to a lot of those rumors. It amused her that many of them revolved around various teams that were currently unaccounted for. Truly, Pinnacle College was the epicenter of incredible talent.

Then she received a message.

‘Come to Gray Sun’

It was signed by a fellow Templar, Cassius Solinium. She hadn’t had the pleasure of knowing him but she knew to respect anyone of the same rank as her. She was surprised to have met Alex, Kane, Skye and Tanar on her way to the Inquisition’s facility. Her dread rose as it became obvious that this meeting involved those of her friends that were not present. Alex, in particular, began to switch on overbearing-parent-mode and was panicking and pacing as they rode in an Inquisition dropship behind the Gray Mountains.

Within thirty minutes of departing Pinnacle, they flew over the peaks of the Gray Mountains and entered the strange world of twilight. The Sun Spire just peaked over the highest peak of the immense mountain range but that didn’t mean that everything beyond the Mountains was illuminated. The entire northern face of the Gray Mountains were in a state of near-constant darkness even during the middle of the day. Though the Sun Spire’s light did reach further north for many miles yet, the immediately northern mountain range was thrown into shadows and murk. It was here, in a valley between two mountains, that the Inquisition had built their largest facility on Incendius, the Gray Sun Facility.

In ages past, the Gray Sun served as a bunker for the Church’s officials needing to escape Corona if there was ever any trouble. Tunnels led from the upper districts straight to the facility which came equipped with a launch pad and heavy defenses. After the Fall and under General Elisha, the facility was much more open and served as both a museum and a shelter for the general public. Given it was the middle of the night, however, there were was no one around except for the Inquisitors.

The transport landed on top of one of the rooftop landing pads. Alex was the first out of the dropship, demanding to know where his son was to the Inquisitors waiting for them.

“Rest assured, Mr. Clarke,” said one of the Inquisitors, “your son is fine. A few scratches and bruises but otherwise fine. It was one of your son’s guardians, Rayne Noam, that insisted you meet them here.”

That worried Aria all the more.

What could not be discussed out in the public or even within Pinnacle’s walls?

Inquisitors escorted them into the facility itself. Steely, gray walls surrounded them and she felt stifled by the oppressive air of a facility built around interrogation and accusation. Even in the thousands of years she had lived and the time she had served as an Inquisitor herself, the appearances that the Inquisition gave was still so hostile. It didn’t help that every Inquisitor was always dressed in thick, gray power armor that had them towering over the average person and each one always had one of their eyes replaced with a mechanical, red eye. It made them look less like a flesh-and-blood person and more like an unfeeling machine that adhered to the rule of law with unforgiving rigidity.

When they started heading into the medical wing of Gray Sun, Alex really began panicking. Even Kane became unusually silent as the halls became filled with the soft beeping of machinery and doctors began drifting from room to room. Aria knew better that most of these doctors were not here to actually heal or cure people. They were surgeons trained to help normal people transform into Inquisitors through cybernetics and genetic enhancements. The average person didn’t know that, however, and she could clearly see this in Alex and Skye’s twitching tails and whispers.

The Inquisitors led them to a particular ward. The moment they were through the door, Alex pushed past everyone else and bounded over to his son, catching JD in a tight hug and letting out whimpers.

“Are you okay?” doted the overprotective father. “Any broken bones? Burns? Scratches? Cruses?”

“I’m fine, dad,” JD chuckled worming himself out of Alex’s iron grip. He reached for a nearby table and sipped a violently red drink that Aria could smell was extra spicy even from where she stood. She recognized it as a sort of energy drink. “I barely have a scratch on me.”

Aria regarded the rest of the group in the war. Amongst the others - apart from Hunter - JD did seem the least injured. Though her heart broke and jumped to her throat when she saw who they were gathered around. Alleria lay in the bed, her arms from the elbows down made completely out of a crude cybernetic prosthetic. There was a strange energy about her that the Templar recognized as coming from a Fallen. Less pure than say a Templar but more… free than a Paladin.

“What happened?” she asked gently.

Rayne, who had a few bandages on his face and arms explained the events that had happened. Aria listened intently. Kane interjected every now and then. Skye asked a few questions but no one else said a thing as the events of Alleria’s Fall and the subsequent rescue attempt was recounted. Injuries were thankfully minimal but there were hundreds dead due to Wayloon’s manipulations. Worse yet was the confirmation that the Custodia Goetia was now very much active.

“The Custodia Goetia,” she hummed softly. “It is far too soon to be hearing that name all over again.”

“We fought them during the Fall,” Alleria confirmed. “I thought I had steeled myself against their mind games but…” She offered a rueful smile. “… obviously not.”

“Anyone would’ve fallen for that asshole’s tricks,” Wood growled. “He played us.”

Aria placed herself beside Alleria’s bed, regarding her artificial limbs. “If you need me to reconstruct your limbs…”

The Bluefire Paladin shook her head. “No. Thank you but no.” She tired to lift her right arm but she struggled. A prosthetic, cybernetic arm was much heavier than her actual arm had been. “This is my sin to bear. I’m not going to brush aside what I did just because it’s convenient.”

“That’s a Fallen’s attitude,” chuckled Wood. “Live with your Sins. Grow with them. Accept that you’re a mortal and you can make mistakes.”

Aria gave the Draconis a brief smile before turning back to Alleria. “Have you told any of your colleagues? Especially about…”

Alleria shook her head. “No. I don’t know if I can. We were all very close. Char was our guiding light. He helped us rationalize and work through traumas we never knew we had especially after the Fall.” Her eyes lifted up to Aria. “We basically just arrived and were treated for our wounds before being released by Templar Solinium.”

“You’re free to go?”

The deep rumble of the Leomian Templar came from behind them. “None of them are a threat to the general population of Corona or Tower Thirteen.” Aria turned and faced the towering leonine Templar. There was an air of authority around the Templar but he also gave off this fatherly aura that was warm, welcoming and protective.

“I would know quite a few Templars or Inquisitors that would have kept them all in quarantine for at least a week on suspicion of corruption,” Aria said. “Especially after encountering a member of the Custodia Goetia. I’m sure you recall their tactics during the Fall.”

The more senior members of the congregation immediately exchanged glances, their features darkening.

“Mind educating those of us that weren’t there?” Hunter asked. “Or at least who weren’t actively serving in combat at the time?”

“Dolls,” Rayne hissed. “The Goetia would capture people, willing or not, and encase them in these incubators. They would literally ‘melt down’ their victims to their raw Force and Spirit energy and use that power to generate thousands of troops.” He held up a finger. “A single person could be made into three hundred constructs called Dolls. The process was slow so it was agonizing for the victims.”

“The Dolls also carried a biological agent along with them,” continued Solinium. “It was in their blood, breath and even in the air around them. Almost a field of entropy. Merely being around them would rot their surroundings. It was why vast swathes of terrain had to be scorched to clear them entirely of the Dolls’ corruption.”

“Like the Ashwood,” Skye whispered. “You don’t think they could infect us too, do you?”

Solinium shook his head. “The military and Church had already created countermeasures to those effects by the end of the war. The reason why we won was because the Dolls’ abilities were neutralized. That didn’t mean that their military might was diminished. Their numbers and blind obedience made them a force that required most of the world’s military might to counter.”

Aria narrowed her gaze at Alleria. “The Goetia’s tactics then was to use patsies to destabilize Tower Thirteen and then when the fingers started being pointed at them, they attacked with their main forces. I cannot help but wonder if their attempts to spread corrupted Vermilion and now cause a Paladin to fall could fall into the same pattern.”

Alex straightened, finally moving away from his son. “It would be far too predictable. Even during the Fall, the Goetia adapted their tactics.” The larger red wolf paced for a a few seconds. “When we brought in our starships to bombard them, they would hide in villages and amongst civilians. When their corruptive powers were disabled, they started using more specialized Dolls. Using the same tactics as the Fall would not be in their overall modus operandi.”

“So what then?” Kane demanded. “What’s their end goal?”

“It could be nothing. The Goetia were always less of a singular fighting force and more of multiple cells focusing on causing as much chaos as possible. The group responsible for tainting Vermilion and the group corrupting our Paladins could be entirely unrelated.” He leaned against a nearby wall. “Still, we shouldn’t discount that they could be working together. We keep our guard up while also protecting those that we know are in most danger.”

He nodded towards Aria. “We need to let the Church know. Tell them that the Goetia could be after their Paladins. Tell the Generals that we’ve got an infestation. Lock down Corona. Reach out to the Vampiri and Lupus and -”

“Whoa! Whoa!” cried Rayne, holding up his hands. “Let’s not go overboard, Alex.”

“Yes, let’s go overboard! The last time the Goetia were active, the whole world was set ablaze!”

Aria pushed down any feelings of guilt she had over inviting the Paladins to protect them and considered the situation rationally. “No, he’s right. The Custodia Goetia thrive on chaos. They used their proxies to incite rebellions and revolutions all over Tower Thirteen right after a demonic invasion. If we start telling people they are active once more and are at the root of select issues, people will start concocting their own theories and playing right into their hands.” She made a slicing motion through the air. “No. We need to play this intelligently.”

Alex did not look pleased. “I’d say I’m open to suggestions but I’m not.”

“I understand your concerns,” Aria replied sympathetically. “But the fact is, we don’t know how wide-spread the Goetia’s influence is. As you mentioned, it could very well be that the group that corrupted Vermilion and this Wayloon are completely unrelated. We need to get our facts straight first before we go to the public.”

“With all due respect, Lady Valkyrie,” Tanar interrupted, “withholding critical information especially when that information pertains to public safety goes against basically every constitutional law!” The fact that the Leomian was using an honorific spoke of how seriously he was taking the matter. “We should at least tell the Church or the Generals.”

“And what will that lead to?” Rayne countered. “The Inquisition being asked to go digging? Tightened security? A violation of basic rights of freedom so that we could be protected against a foe we barely know?” He waved a hand absently through the air. “When we eventually come up with nothing, how do you think it’ll come off to the general public?”

JD suddenly piped up before Aria could counter. “Hey, you guys mind if I take Alleria out for a walk or something?” All eyes went to the Red Lightning. “I mean, you guys are seriously arguing about politics in front of her while she’s in recovery after losing all four of her limbs.”

Instantly, a sharp dagger of guilt pierced through Aria’s heart.

“I’m fine…” Alleria began.

“Yeah, but I’m not,” JD answered, giving her a wink. “I’m just using you as an excuse to get out of here because frankly, I don’t think this is a conversation to be had right here and now.”

Of course, he was right. The flames that had been burning in each of the debaters deflated and they just watched as Aria conjured up a wheelchair. JD helped Alleria into it, the Templar’s heart breaking upon seeing her cybernetic limbs. It would take years before she would be comfortable with them again. Though if there was anyone who would know about recovering from serious injury and making the most of it, even excelling because of said injury, it had to be Jack Denver Clarke.

Everyone else understood this and let JD wheel Alleria out of the ward.

“He’s right, you know,” Kane huffed. “We can’t just go arguing about this shit in a public space. I’m no fan of the Inquisitors so I know we can’t just go shooting the shit about the Goetia in their Incendian headquarters.”

“With the Inquisition becoming a separate entity from the Church and government, I am inclined to agree,” said Solinium. “Whatever the case, our next course of action is clear.”

“Do enlighten us,” Alex said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“We tell Char’s squad about his death,” Aria sighed. “It’s only right.”

The older Clarke’s features softened and he closed his eyes, rubbing his eyelids in the process. “Yeah… Yeah, I suppose that’s true.”

“I’ll do it,” she said. “It was upon my suggestion that they come here and offer extra protection to us. It is only right I break the news to them.”

“Better you than me.”

Solinium gently placed a paw on her shoulder. “Alleria had asked that they be summoned. I came here to tell you they had arrived and to see if Alleria could see them.”

“Better I break the news first,” Aria said, thanking the fellow Templar. “We can discuss next steps later.”

Solinium directed her to another one of the waiting rooms and she made her way there anticipating a difficult conversation. Alone in these gray halls, she was caught by terrible memories of encounters with the Custodia Goetia. Sorrow filled her heart as she remembered standing amongst the mourners at Lumire’s funeral. A feeling of helplessness boiled in her heart at Harm’s sacrifice as he fought to keep the demonic corruption away from Haven. Anger funneled through her heart as she recalled how she fought against the insurrections and eventually learned how the Goetia had manipulated demons and the populace to their own goals. It was the Goetia that had been directly responsible for all the misery that she had suffered thus far. Crushing loneliness caught her heart in a vice-like grip as the ghosts of her dear friends reminded her of their absence.

But that negativity did not hold on for long. Just the thought of such strong individuals like JD, Wood, Skye and yes, even Kane, brought her so much hope for the future. There was a time when she would never have anticipated being friends with a Demon Prince and yet she considered Rayne her equal. She was not alone in guiding the next generation either. Tanar, Alex and Hunter stood right beside her. She was wealthier for having known them. On some level, she had to thank the Goetia because their cruelty actually made her a better Aria Valkyrie.

Her resolve strengthened, Aria straightened and strode with purpose towards the waiting room that Solinium had indicated. There, she found the air thick with a somber mood. The four remaining Paladins of Char’s group stood with her back to her, huddled together likely in prayer. Eaton’s keen ears picked up her entrance and he turned around to face her.

In doing so, he inadvertently gave her a peak at the person that they were surrounding.

And Aria’s heart immediately went to her throat.

“Impossible…” she breathed.

“What’s the matter, Lady Valkyrie?” Char Blythe said, smiling at her wanly. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Melody dashed towards her, her musical Valor speaking for her. “Is Alleria alright? How is she? Can we see her?”

“We heard she Fell,” Vengeance grumbled, the towering Equus folding his meaty arms. “But your friends brought her back. She’s still a Fallen but she isn’t hostile to anyone. Well, I’m sure she is but…” He growled at himself, running a hand down her face. “Blazes… Is she alright?”

Aria couldn’t find the words to speak as her eyes remained fixated on Char… the Marshal that had supposedly been killed by Alleria and whose death had led to the Bluefire Paladin’s Fall. She couldn’t understand what she was seeing.

“Char…?” she asked.

The other Paladins turned to where she was looking and for a second, she thought - hoped - that she was hallucinating and that her guilt had manifested the Marshal’s ghost. But no…

Trevor shrugged and said, “Yes. We met the Marshal shortly after we received the summons from Templar Solinium. It’s only natural that he come with us given one of the Paladins under his charge Fell. Why… Why do you look so shocked?”

Aria shook her head in disbelief, unable to find words.

Thankfully, someone else supplied them.

“How are you alive!?”

Aria froze and immediately turned around.

There, in the doorway, sat Alleria in a wheelchair. JD right behind her with this blank look on his features. There was something in his blue eyes, something in the way that everyone else looked shocked and surprised but only he remained unreadable that told her he knew something. Having experienced millennia in the company of a Chronomancer, Aria could not help but wonder… Is that why JD had insisted that he take Alleria out of the room? Did he purposefully take a round-about route through the facility under the guise of getting Alleria some air just so that he would appear behind Aria after a delay?

“Alleria!” exclaimed Eaton, bounding over to her alongside Melody. “Holy shit… Are you… How do you…?”

Alleria struggled to her feet. JD was immediately there beside her, helping her off the wheelchair as she stood on her shaky prosthetics. Her eyes were directed at Char. The Marshal worse a mask of shock for the briefest of moments before it fell and he openly glowered.

“Alleria…” began Char.

“You died!” shouted the Bluefire Paladin. “I Fell because I accidentally killed you! How are you standing there right now!?”

The Marshal offered a weak smile. “Are you sure you -”

“Don’t bother gaslighting her, ‘Marshal’,” JD interrupted. “Something bothered me when I fought Wayloon at Fort Ashwood. He said he had spent a long time studying me and my fighting style. Studied all of us, apparently. Given that we had just met Wayloon who admitted he was part of the Custodia Goetia, I had initially assumed that was because he had access to information or spies within Pinnacle. But then Templar Solinium and Rayne told us about how the Goetia used to turn people into Dolls. Capturing people and breaking them down to their raw Force and Spirit energy and then reconstituting them into hollow husks for their army. My dad then warned us that the Goetia would never use the same tactics twice. So I had time to think…”

He pointed an accusing finger at Char.

“You can hop from body to body, can’t you? ‘Char Blythe’ is some construct or personality that has multiple bodies scattered all over the world, Dolls that can just be inhabited and act under the same alias!”

Aria spun towards Char, her jaw dropping open in shock. Such technology seemed impossible but the same could be said about other fantastical events that she had participated in.

“That’s insane!” Trevor exclaimed. “You’re not only accusing our Marshal of being some body-hopping abomination but also a member of the Custodia Goetia! That’s impossible!”

“Yeah!” Ven exclaimed. “Dude is the most empathetic, understanding commanding officer I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing! That’s bullshit!”

“But I know I killed him!” Alleria cried, tears of anger and confusion starting to well in her eyes. “I know it! Accidentally killing him was the exact reason I fell!”

“Alleria,” Melody began gently. “You’re traumatized. Maybe you just thought -”

“No.” Char’s simple word brought a chilling silence upon the room. The Marshal’s features twisted into a cruel, mad smile. He lifted his nose at them, looking down upon JD. “I will admit, I had hoped to keep up this charade for a little while longer and yet here you stroll into the room with the one person who could actually shatter any testimony I may provide.” His eyes narrowed at JD. “You are fascinating. There’s more to you than your seemingly carefree and idiocratic mask would suggest.”

“Char…?” Eaton began, backing away from the Marshal.

The bald man sighed and glanced off to the side. “There is no use hiding it.” Crimson flames suddenly engulfed his body, burning away his white military clothes and replacing them a dark uniform. A black coat that tumbled down to his ankles wrapped around most of his body with red tassels around his shoulders and crimson trim around the edges of the coat. Golden buttons glimmered across the double-breasted coat while what appeared to be ribbons made of out silk with prayers formed a sash running from his left shoulder to his right waist. Beneath it, a white shirt was barely visible. His legs were covered in black armor with intricate runes drawn across its surface. A ‘skirt’ of similar silk ribbons tumbled from his waist and dragged across the floor, prayers drawn all over its length while their ends were tipped with wicked-looking steel spikes.

“I am Goetia.”

Aria shouted, drawing Gungnir and pointing it directly at the Marshal. “Traitor!”

Char regarded her through lazy, half-lidded eyes as the crimson flames crawled over his temples, forming a silver circlet that looked like it was digging into his flesh periodically through sharp crosses. “Please, Lady Valkyrie. If your little pupil’s theory were correct, no matter what you do to my body, I will always come back.”

JD bared his fangs. “So I’m wrong about you hopping from Doll to Doll.”

“Yes.” Char’s lips peeled back to form a wicked grin. “But you are right in that I am effectively immortal.” He lifted his hands, now covered his armored gauntlets glimmering with golden knuckles. And spiked fingers. “The Goetia have perfected eternal life in their own way.” He lifted a finger against his lips. “But it would be telling to say how.”

“Then you knew what effect your death would have on Alleria!” JD accused. “You didn’t throw yourself in between her and Urellia to stop her from killing. You did that on purpose so that she would kill you and Fall!”

“Correct!” Char laughed, throwing his head back. “If you must know, I’ve groomed each of these idiots for years. Planted the seeds of my betrayal in their hearts to ensure maximum impact!” He grinned at each of the Paladins in turn. “Of course, the coup de grace is yet to come. Each of you will Fall. Rest assured.”

“Why…?” Melody pleaded.

“Why else?” Char lifted his hands into the air, his eyes boggling wide with madness. “The fires of destruction were doused but remained smoldering as embers. Echoes of sins gone by will fuel its resurrection.”

Those words were all too familiar and upon hearing them again, she exchanged glances with JD who returned the gaze wide-eyed.

“Fiery blood ignites for those who bask in the sun,” continued Char. “Their sacrifice, spilled blood and screams of agony ignites the flames and awakens the sleeping phoenix. The name of flame tainted.”

Brilliant, red flames suddenly encased each of the remaining Paladins. Alleria cried out in shock and stumbled forward, trying to reach for Eaton who stood closest to her. But her body was still not used to her new artificial limbs and she fell to the ground. The flames encased each of the Paladins in orbs of flame, lifting them into the air.

“Husks of an ancient era burned and smelted into a cage of armor and puppetry. The sun closes its eyes as the Flame is Reborn, a shadow of true fire!”

Without warning, all four of the fiery orbs shot into the air, blasting through the roof of the Gray Sun Facility and off into the night sky, taking the hostage Paladins with them. Char’s manic grin was turned to the three remaining individuals in the room. He lifted a finger, a blade of flames jutting from his fingertip.

“Fire is brought to heel. The King claims what was stolen.”

The fanatic turned his finger towards his own neck.

“No! Wait!” Aria shouted.

“ A world will burn. The Fire God descends.”

Then Char stabbed his own skull with the fiery blade, plunging the blade right up from the base of his jaw and right through his skull. The Goetia fell to the ground a second later, completely dead. There was a second of silence before Aria’s instincts kicked in.

“Jack,” she said firmly, using his first name for extra gravitas.

Crimson bolts of electricity crackled all over JD’s body. “Ready.”

“Gather everyone.”

Without a question, JD vanished in a bolt of lightning, shooting right out the door. He was moving before his voice echoed through the empty hall.

“On it.”

?