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Chapter XXI: Our Light

"Suddenly, the world was plunged into utter darkness. A world that has always known light, that was gifted with its own, personal sun, was plunged into complete and utter darkness. For so long, people clung to the Sun Spire because it was what kept them safe from the unknown. It never even set, just dimmed into a twilight.

"How would people react to suddenly being thrown into their greatest fear? As well as you could expect, really. Though there were people there to keep everyone sane and try to keep order, people just went crazy. They couldn't rely on the gods giving them light... Not anymore.

"So... They learned to make their own light."

"You... You fired it..."

Hunter's eyes fell on his paw... the very same paw that had just fired a ball of searing hot light and fire towards the south and fulfilled the plan that he had fought so desperately against. Even Apollia had been on his side and he still went against it all!

"Oh crap... oh shit... Oh fuck!" he cried.

Everything was dark. He couldn't see anything except for the vague outline of his paw illuminated by the quickly dying lights of the console. The voice, the accusation, seemed to come from everywhere like he had been plunged into some deep, dark hell to be condemned and reminded of his crime for all eternity.

"Andy," came Tanar's firm words, "get a fire going. We need to find everyone; light the way for other people to make their way towards us."

Gentle hands gripped his shoulders and a flame appeared in front of him. Tynvandar held the tongue of bright but oddly cool fire in the palm of his hands and gently guided them off the Sun Spire. With the weapon out of commission, they made their way towards the hole Hunter had made earlier in its structure. This dropped them down into the deep darkness of the elevator shaft which they followed back to the atrium of the facility. Strangely enough, the ground floor remained upright and they had to drop down onto the bloodied area.

Andy pushed open massive, golden doors. Beyond, the crowd of Vox de Sole_stood amongst the wreckage of the _Sun Spire's outer casing. Many of them stood numbly, staring off into the distance as where the light they had cherished so much glowed far out of their reach, leaving them in absolute darkness. Others cradled their dead or dying. Dorthango leaned against the doorframe, grimacing as he clutched his wounded arm, his power core still undetonated.

The moment Hunter and his team stepped through, the Inquisitor gave them a sad smile.

Tynvandar wordlessly stepped past Hunter, leaving the Wulfun to lean against Tanar. The people of Corona - Vox de Sole or otherwise - turned towards their Apex Clericus Solis as he lifted the flame in his hands. The fire grew, bringing warmth and light. He moved towards a large pile of debris and set the flame down. The flames spread, growing into a small bonfire. Nearby, a few Vox de Sole left and returned a moment later with more flammable objects. They threw it onto the fire, letting it grow. Some others even threw off their clothes and let the flames consume them.

Minutes later, there was a roaring fire.

It didn't take long for people to gather. Slowly, dejected, fearful and hopeless civilians - human and nonhuman alike - began to stride up the steps of the Holy District, working their way around the rubble to the flames. Tynvandar began directing others to start setting up for other fires which he gladly ignited. While the first was the biggest, the others provided continued warmth to the survivors. Without the Sun Spire, Corona was left to the freezing elements of being so high up a mountain. Nature was quickly taking hold and snow began drifting down upon them.

Hunter remained far away from the flames, shivering and feeling oddly numb. The Sun Spire had fired, leaving the majority of Incendius in perpetual darkness... and he had been the one that fired it. It was to stop Ophelia and Ford but... was it worth it...?

"You fired it, didn't you?"

Dorthango staggered towards him. The wounded arm had been cauterised. It looked like it hurt.

"Yeah..."

"We Inquisitors must always make harsh choices like that." Dorthango looked towards the gathering people. Tynvandar had moved down the steps as the grounds of the Sun Spire couldn't hold all the people of Corona. "You may think we are suspicious and suspect the worst in people but it is the direct opposite." His glowing, red eye lifted towards the immense cannon. "We believe in the good in people and that it is worth preserving. There are so many out there that would wish the world fall into discord and anarchy that we strive to protect it. Though it makes us look like paranoid, hateful monsters, we must do things like tear sons and daughters from loving parents, destroy entire swathes of property and devastate entire Stations. The end does not justify the means but sometimes, our choices are limited. The decisions we make are seen as terrible and evil because to everyone else, we are tearing them away from something they love."

Dorthango sighed heavily, slumping down on the cold floor. "Firing the Sun Spire would have weakened the Shadows in the south. The following purge would have wiped the slate clean. Protocol 7 would have required us to fully disclose what had happened after the purge. It would cast us as monsters and you must understand that any Inquisitor, Grey Knight or Custodia that was involved would have had their rank stripped of them and executed."

Hunter went rigid and spun towards the Inquisitor. "You're serious!?"

"Absolutely."

"You did this... all of this... knowing full well that you would have been killed_at the end!? The very same people who you fought to protect would be cheering and throwing shit at you while they watched you _die and you still went ahead with it!?"

"The world will need someone to blame," Dorthango answered grimly. "Though what we did was for the benefit of all Tower Thirteen, it would not stem the anger. We, the Inquisition, are to blame for keeping this secret for so long... so we the Inquisition would suffer." The man gave Hunter a faint smile. "In a perfect world, there would not be a need for us but if the world were perfect, it would be utterly boring."

Hunter returned a shaky smile. "I guess that's one way of wording it." Ears folded back, he ducked his head and gazed bitterly at the distant sun. "And you won't have to worry about being executed. I'm the one that hit the big red button. The blame falls on me."

"And how does that make you feel?"

He frowned. "Empty... I didn't want it to fire but then... Even if I did fire it, it felt like it was for my own reasons not because of some plan Chronos set into motion. I fired it to stop Ophelia and Ford... not to bring about some apocalypse."

Dorthango chuckled softly. "You would make a poor Inquisitor. You do not think of the consequences of your actions before you act upon them. On the contrary, you stand firmly on your convictions. Should you ever obtain a Valour, I am sure you would make a fine Paladin."

"Right," Hunter answered. His eyes lifted, tail curling over his lap. "What now?"

"I doubt we can stop people from following the light," he responded. "I believe now, it is just a matter of the reason that they go."

"What about the purge? Won't the Inquisition come and blast the world to bits?"

Dorthango shook his head sadly. "Maybe... But from what I hear, Admiral Aureas refuses to attack Incendius and the moment the Sun Spire fired, a swathe of demons attacked our armada. Inquisition ships are desperately trying to fend them off." He snorted and gave Hunter a bitter smile. "Seems all too perfectly planned, does it not?"

A commotion began rising from somewhere away from the main bonfire. Hunter rose to his feet, gesturing for Dorthango to stay down. He strode through the masses, using his bulk to push past the staring people. He caught sight of Tynvandar a short distance away. Aria stood beside the _Apex Clericus Solis_sporting a bandage around her forehead and her arm in a crude cling.

Maybe Apollia is back?

She wasn't.

"Fuck," he muttered as he came up beside Andy and Tanar. "I forgot about them."

Standing in their strange, black armour, webbed wings spread and Wulfun-like heads held proud were the members of the Custodia Lumbra. Leading them was the seemingly frail Pradia. There were hundreds of them and from what he could see, many more were fishing the survivors of Corona's disaster to the bonfires.

"We are the Custodia Lumbra," Pradia said, "we are the result of the Bloodfyre Incident. Humans fused with the blood of the Vampiri and Lupus and turned into what you see before you. Your Inquisition has known about us since our conception and so has your beloved Church. Now, we come to you, from others kept in the shadow of deception, to ask you all to come with us. We have transports that will take those unable to fight to the Sunless Lands. The others willing to stand against this injustice and to form a new, free Incendius can come with us to Chillfarn where we will combat the heart of the darkness! We will destroy the very source of all the shadows that continuously haunts our home and prove to all of Tower Thirteen that we do not need the guidance of some _mortal-run_theocracy to stand on our own two feet!"

The crowd was hooked on her every word. The looks of hopelessness quickly turned to scowls of hatred. Nonhumans began growling and humans stepped forward, eager to listen. Fathers and mothers gently took their children closer to the alien Custodia Lumbra while brave sons and daughters pulled away from their parents, eager to right this injustice.

"Come with us!" Pradia shouted, spreading her wings. "We came to you in your hour of need! We pulled you from the rubble and helped stop the fighting as your gods and your Church abandoned you! Let us help you! Your families shall be safe and we shall carve a path in history that all of Tower Thirteen will remember!"

"That's bullshit!"

Hunter's heart skipped a beat.

The crowd began to part. Eton accompanied by Elena, Serena, Smallfang and Moonclaw stepped forward. Eton was clutching the hand of a little girl. They all looked bloodied and injured. Elena's right arm was hanging limply by her side and she needed Moonclaw's support to keep her standing. She looked about ready to pass out. Serena had blood caked all over her face. The _Lupus_looked fine thanks to their regeneration but blood still matted their fur. Eton was no longer in his Drive form.

"The only reason you want us to help is because you can't destroy the Shadows yourself!" Eton roared. "You saw the weakness in us, you saw the need for vengeance and you pounced! You saw how everyone wanted someone to blame and needed a goal and here you come, conveniently riding on your white horse with exactly that! Well that's too damn convenient!" Eton turned towards crowd. "Don't believe her! If she really wanted to help, they wouldn't have waited until now to make themselves known! They should've come up _before_the starting fighting and made their case! Where were they when Mirecragg was destroyed? Where were they when Ironfrost was being torn apart by war?"

He pointed an accusing finger at Pradia. "You're nothing but a bunch of cowards! If you really wanted to stop the Shadows, you would've come out of your fucking hole and fought against them! You would've allied yourself with the Lupus, made your case to Corona and petitioned the Vampiri! Instead, you skulk around in the shadows, pulling strings, making a massive goddamn network of tunnels that can take you _anywhere_on the Station and wait until everyone is weakened! So now, either we go with you or we die!"

Still gripping the child's hand tightly, he swung Comet. "Well let me tell you something! I am not going to just lie down and let myself get led around by cowards like you!"

"Cowards!?" Pradia snarled. "Cowards!? We have suffered for centuries! We have lived underground by the sanctions of your Church! They did not want the truth about the Bloodfyre Incident to be revealed and thus had us locked away in what was effectively an underground prison! After years of planning, we have come to tell our story so that the world may be able to make an informed decision!"

Hunter could see a conflict would quickly arise. No one was in any shape to fight the Lumbra. They possessed the dreaded Shadow Magic, outnumbered them and were fighting fit. Though Aria put on a brave face and even Tynvandar stood defiant, he could see the weariness in their bodies. Eton and the Lupus might be able to stand a chance but against hundreds of Lumbra...?

This has to stop...

He collected his thoughts but with all the shouting and the tension in the air, he could barely think. He wished he had his music. As was always the case, he trusted his gut.

"We'll go!"

All parties fell silent and stared at him.

Shit...

"Hunter...?" Eton began softly.

"We'll go," he responded, staring at Pradia. He tried to keep his gaze fixed on her as he rapidly made up what he was going to say next. "But we'll go there on our own terms."

Relaxing slightly, Pradia said, "If you would like to arrange your own guard or how you organise your troops -"

"No." That stopped her dead in her tracks. "You're going to take those your troops and head straight to Chillfarn. You aren't going to touch _anyone_here."

Crap! Crap! Where was I going with this!?

"Oh?" challenged Pradia.

"Yeah." Hunter pointed upwards. "We've got hundreds of starships up there. The best place for all the people here is as far away from this Station as possible. Tynvandar or the Inquisitors are going to call down the fleets and take the civilians off Station. Those hoping to fight for their home will... will..."

Damnit, I was never good a logistics...

"... will make our own way to Chillfarn. Without your aid."

Pradia smirked, her muzzle twitching with mild agitation. "The trip would take you almost a month. The Scorium Axis won't be able to remain lit for so long."

"Then let your master deal with it!" Hunter snarled. "If he's so great, if he's got a plan for everything and if he's so goddamn powerful, let him deal! We're not his pawns! We're not his little puppets that he can use to entertain himself by pulling our heartstrings and toying with us! He can't expect us to let him _trick us_like this and then have you offer some glimmer of hope to direct us to some impossible goal!"

Pradia's eyes darted left and right. The crowd around her was starting to tense up again. She was losing them.

"Incendius -"

"And don't bother giving me the whole 'for the good of Incendius' bullshit!" Hunter roared, stepping forward and jabbing a finger at her. "You know what would've been even better for Incendius? If the Church hadn't lied about your existence. If you hadn't been such pussies and hid away this entire time! If the Vampiri_hadn't been so trusting! If the _Lupus_hadn't been so proud! You _can't pin this on one person or one entity! This is _all_our fault! We're all to blame..." He lowered his voice, panting softly. "We're all guilty..."

Only the crackling of the flames could be heard. Everyone was waiting for Pradia's response. No sides were taken... yet. Hunter knew well that he played a dangerous game. Pradia had the numbers and the strength but was still under Harm's control. She knew the stakes. They needed every last person to be at the gates to fight. Hunter knew it as well and he was gambling a lot by defying Harm's will. At the same time, he trusted the Chronomancer to have some plan to compensate.

If you know how things will turn out...

... then you know that we'll choose our own path to get there.

"How do you expect to traverse the darkness?" Pradia asked. "Can your people maintain their strength and keep lighting their path along the way? When you arrive at Chillfarn, you will all be exhausted and the Scorium Axis will nearly be depleted. Can you run that risk?"

Crap...

The starships maybe? No... They'll be needed to keep the civilians safe and transport them... But maybe they'll catch up after a week?

Maybe we should just wait here until the non-combatants are safe...?

Andy gently pushed past him carrying a strange object. It looked like a large paper globe or a balloon of some sort. A lantern? Inside was what appeared to be a candle, quietly flickering away.

"This is how we'll light our way," Andy said.

"A sky lantern?" asked Aria, confused. "How exactly?"

The Leomian smiled and let go of the lantern. The hot air caught by the paper frame slowly caused the lantern to lift up. It wasn't very strong nor did it light the way but for some reason, Hunter found his heart soaring with gently rising device. Amongst the freezing cold of Corona and the all-encompassing darkness around them, that sole lantern burned brightly.

"What does that accomplish?" Pradia challenged.

Andy smiled, pointing at the lantern. "The starships can take the civilians to the Sunless Lands and in the meantime, we can make our way to Chillfarn. We'll constantly be making these lanterns, releasing them as we go! That way, the ships will know exactly where to pick us up! I've already got people in the other cities doing exactly the same thing! Look!"

They all turned to where Andy pointed. Far, far below them, at the farmlands at the base of Corona, small twinkling lights were rising from the inky blackness. Tiny points light began rising from all over the farmlands like small fireflies taking flight. Even from the distance lanterns were rising.

"Come on, everyone!" Andy exclaimed cheerily. "Grab a lantern! Let's show the world we don't need the gods to light our world!" He tore a hole through space and time and from within, he quickly began throwing folded lanterns at all those around them as well as a few candles. The gloom in the air began to fade. The child Eton held took one lantern, lit the candle and let out a shout of glee as it rose into the air.

One by one, sky lanterns took to the air until the sky was simply afire with them. It didn't light the majority of the Station... but it was _their_light.

Hunter turned his gaze towards Pradia, challenging her.

The Custodia Lumbra merely let out a sigh and shook her head. "Do as you wish." She turned away, the _Lumbra_around her following suit. Hunter wasn't sure but just as her muzzle disappeared out of view, he could have sworn he saw the briefest flicker of a smile.

*****

The Lumbra left without incident but stories of their heroics were still prevalent amongst the survivors. Hostility between the Vox de Sole and the normal citizenry faded away into petty squabbles that were easily doused with the reminder of their situation. If that could not solve the issue, Andy would just remind them to light a lantern.

It was his solution to everything.

Child missing? Light a lantern in their memory.

Lost house and home? Light a lantern to symbolise your moving on.

Alone? Lost? Light a lantern and maybe your loved ones will see it and find you.

It was a touching, simple sentimentality and it worked.

Hunter crouched next to one of Tynvandar's fires and watched the sky light up with the lanterns. At one point, someone offered him a telescope and pointed him towards the southern sky. There, he saw swarms of lanterns in the air. Apparently, Andy had been right. His rallying call of 'create your own light' spread across the entire Station.

"How'd you do it?" he asked as Andy collapsed beside him. "How'd you manage to spread the word so fast? And don't give me some bullshit about people seeing the lanterns and immediately knowing what to do."

The Leomian, lying back flat on the stone floor, grinned. "Well, apart from me, who else do you know has the ability to traverse space and time very quickly?"

He frowned at the Initiate. "You spoke with him?"

"More like blackmailed," Andy responded proudly. He lifted a finger. "You see, despite all his bravado, I know Lord Chronos really cares about Incendius and this world. If anything, he treasures the lives of those following his orders or those who rally underneath his call. That said, Ophelia and Ford were both his students at one point and so was I. I happen to know exactly how much he cares."

The Leomian smiled. "Before I fetched the others and rallied them for the battle, I quickly went to Chillfarn. He was there. I told him that things weren't turning our according to his primary plan. Ford and Ophelia were forced to act and whatever happens, they're not going to get a happy ending. Whether it was because they would die or the Church would catch them and put the blame on them, it wouldn't matter."

Still smiling, Andy turned to Hunter. "It was something you said, actually. You said Chronos wanted all the blame for this to fall on him. On the surface it sounds like a noble sacrifice but I've been studying him, remember? He doesn't just want to be blamed for this catastrophe out of some selfless sacrifice. He's using it as his 'grand return to centre stage'."

Hunter lifted his eyebrows. "Come again?"

Andy sat back up and began waving his paws in broad gestures. "Think about it, Hunter. He was erased from people's memories. How would the world react when he suddenly reappears and does even more damage than before? To make matters worse, he's doing it to right the wrongs of the Church. To the average bystander, that would _scream_conspiracy. Most people wouldn't just bend like that - as you showed - but there will be some that will."

"How can you be so sure?"

The Leomian flicked at ear. "Didn't you notice some people left with the Lumbra?"

"They did!? Son of a bitch!" Hunter was rising to his feet by the time Andy reached out and seized his wrist.

"Let it go, Hunter. This isn't like the stories of the movies where if you make some riling speech, you'll convince 100% of the population. Everyone has their opinion. Be glad that you got the majority on our side."

Hunter sat back down and let out a gruff snort. "Can't believe I almost wish things turned out clichéd..."

"If life were clichéd, it'd be boring!" Andy began stroking his goatee thoughtfully. "Anyway, doing this to Incendius is like telling the Church 'I know what you've been doing and I'm here to fix it. You were wrong to oppose me.' But he wants the smallest number of casualties possible."

"Smallest number!?" Hunter repeated incredulously. "Clockwork! Mirecragg! Ironfrost! Here! You think this is the 'smallest number of causalities'!?"

"It's a comparative adjective not a definite one," Andy responded with a smile. "There will be casualties. He's been trying to minimise it. I still think those people at Clockwoke were Homunculi and some in Mirecragg were the same. At Ironfrost, Harm did try to save as many rebels as possible and he resurrected those that were incinerated by Titus' attack. Like it or not, Hunter, he's been persevering life... even as he endangers them."

Hunter growled, ears flat. "That's your opinion... So you say you blackmailed him?"

Feeling proud of himself, Andy puffed out his chest. "Yup. I told him that if he didn't want a bad ending to hit Ophelia or Ford, he would use his multi-spatial cloning thing along with his normal Chronomancy to convince every_city on Incendius to create sky lanterns and release them when the _Sun Spire goes out."

"And in return?"

"I would keep Ophelia and Ford safe."

"Um..."

Andy chuckled. "Did you see a body?"

Hunter's hackles rose. "What did you do...?"

The Leomian shrugged absently. "They're in a safe place. Restrained. Trust me. They won't bother anyone else."

Growling, Hunter gripped Zero Hour in its watch form. "And what happens after?"

"That's up to them. To the rest of the world, they're dead. They can't be Paladins anymore regardless of any choice they make. They might decide to join Lord Chronos in his crusade. It would be interesting to have a rematch with them now that I've seen their capabilities." Andy wiggled his fingers slightly, a smile on his muzzle and his eyes narrowed slightly. "On the other hand, it's not very often that you get a second chance at life. Starting again can be really hard."

"Tell that to Chronos," Hunter grunted. "He got a second chance and instead of changing, he went right back to terrorising the world."

"He did change. He changed his tactics."

"Whatever." He eyed Andy cautiously. "I won't tell anyone. But if anyone asks, I can't lie."

"I understand."

A soft roaring flooded his ears. The source came from above them. Hundreds of blinking lights and illuminated windows brought more light to the bleak, black sky. Starships came flying into view. Hope instantly blossomed even more. Civilians sprang to their feet, eagerly waving. Hunter half-expected the ships to open fire. Thankfully, the guns remained cold. Shuttles and dropships came streaming out of the many starships with military personnel pouring out shortly afterwards.

They watched in silence as the non-combatants were ushered to safety. Many stayed. People willing to fight. Most of them didn't have combat training or any sort of concept of battle. Some had medical training and a rudimentary grasp of magic but nothing that would really contribute to a full-on war.

How would they react when the world around them was a storm of chaos, bullets and magical blasts?

Would they keep their cool at the sight of blood? Would they stand strong when their friends died around them? Would they come out of it whole and not a broken mess?

Hunter sighed and buried his head in his paws. Killing someone was never easy. Pirates once attempted to take the_Lasting Armageddon_ and he had to defend his station with a gun. He survived but needed to go into counselling sessions. There was a reason he chose not to be a non-combatant. It wasn't that he was hated killing or cringed at the sight of blood.

It's that he was bloody good at killing.

Taking down those Vampiri at Clockwork, killing those mercenaries at Ironfrost... and if he was forced to fight through the Sunspot, he wouldn't have hesitated to use Zero Hour against the Inquisitors. Hell, he didn't bat an eye when he attacked Ophelia and Ford knowing full well what contact with the sword would do.

He adapted well... But would everyone else?

A scent of pine and hazelnuts hit him and his mood instantly improved. The moment he turned, however, it plummeted back down. Eton had a big, burly man around each arm and a broad grin on his muzzle. Smallfang was on his right while some Equios Hunter had never seen was on the other. A slim but athletic Vulpunus hung around his neck, grinning lewdly.

"Hey hun!" exclaimed the Lupus. "Guess what time it is?"

Time...

Hunter immediately frowned and glanced around. "Has anyone seen Titus?"

...

"What...?" Eton began.

Hunter began to rise, looking around in a panic. "Titus. I saw him during the battle but I haven't seen him since! Has anyone seen him?"

A loud growling brought his attention back to Eton. It annoyed him Eton would growl at him. Seriously, given the choice between having sex and looking for the homicidal, vengeful Chronomancer he thought the choice would be obvious! But as he regarded Eton, that growl meant more than just deprivation of sex.

"Get out of here," Eton growled. Smallfang instantly dislodged himself from Eton and hurried away. The other two looked about to protest but Eton snapped his jaws at them and they were instantly gone as well. A piercing stare at Andy and the Leomian quickly retreated through a rip in space.

Hunter gaze his boyfriend a puzzled look. "What?"

"What!?" Eton repeated, his voice rising above all the chatter around him. "Don't you 'what' me! For fuck's sake, Hunter, why the hell won't you sleep with me!?"

Oh... right... that thing...

"Is this really the time?" Hunter responded. He could feel the eyes of others on him and was feeling a little self-conscious. "We've got a Chronomancer on the loose... The very same Chronomancer that didn't get to grow any stronger from petitioning the Sun Goddess..."

Eton roared and stamped his foot. Enormous shards of ice sprang up from the ground around them, surrounding them entirely and encasing them both in a chilling dome of ice. The fire in front of them flickered and died with the only light coming from the other bonfires outside of the dome.

"You can't avoid this, Hunter," Eton growled.

Gah! Rape!

Hunter felt his own frustrations rising. "Okay, let's take this into perspective for a second. Incendius has been crippled beyond repair, a world ending battle is right around the corner and you're thinking about sex!?"

"I'm thinking about sex with you!"

"Uh-huh. And all those other guys are just going to sit and watch!?"

Eton slammed a fist against the icy wall. The wall held. It looked as hard as diamond. "I've been trying to prove to you that I'm 100% gay! For fuck's sake, Hunter, I've been trying to fulfil every gay man's fantasy over the past few weeks! I mean, I invited you into a threesome and just a few seconds ago, I had three other guys lined up to pleasure us! Why the hell won't you pop a boner and mount me!?"

Hunter's brow furrowed. He was feeling surprisingly lucid. Perhaps it was because he was desperately trying to ignore the nagging fear of Titus on the loose.

"Wait... you think that I've been avoiding contact with you because you still think I've got doubts about your sexuality?" he asked.

"Isn't that why?" Eton responded, part of his anger giving way to confusion. "I was starting to think you were avoiding group scenes because you thought I was overcompensating... My next move would've been to bring out the bondage gear or - if worse comes to worse - grab a few Lupus, beat them to a pulp and have you watch me grow some more muscles as they become my bitches."

Admittedly, that last scenario aroused Hunter somewhat. Still, his lucidity won over. "Funny thing," he began, "I'm a hopeless romantic, Eton. I can't even start to think about a group scene. In my mind, you're as sexy and as attractive as ever. The turn-off was random sex with other random people."

All of Eton's anger was replaced entirely by confusion. "Wait up... So you're telling me that if I hadn't kept inviting other guys to have sex with us, you would have jumped my bones?"

"Well... The world is ending..."

Eton fell back against the wall unable to keep himself from laughing. He placed a big paw over his forehead, hysteria somewhat taking him. "Shit... I'm such an idiot..."

Hunter sat beside his boyfriend, placing a paw on Eton's arm. "So am I. I should have just told you what was bothering me."

He paused a moment, choosing his words correctly. Though Titus continued to nag at him, he pushed the Goatex out of his mind and focused on the moment. He estimated he had about thirty seconds become he lost focus on Eton and began babbling again.

"To be honest, my doubts were with the fact that being the boyfriend to a _Lupus_would mean constant orgies and coming home to a new random guy that you found hot and wanted to sleep with." He squeezed Eton's arm tightly. "I guess... I guess I always saw relationships as a sort of one-on-one thing and I was afraid that you kept hooking up with other guys that... that it wouldn't be real."

He felt Eton seized his paw tightly. "I'll be honest, Hunter... Those guys... They weren't even going to sleep with us. I just asked them to pretend. Same thing on the way here. I just wanted to make it look like I was this macho, openly gay guy that..." He laughed again. "Goddess... I don't know what I was thinking."

"I think I read somewhere that communication is the foundation of a good relationship," Hunter murmured, nuzzling Eton's neck lightly. "That said..." He sprang up, surprising Eton. "I figure I've got about fifteen seconds before I start spouting out whatever's on the top of my head so I'm going to cram everything I've been thinking into the next fifteen seconds."

He took a deep breath... and unleashed.

"I-really-love-you-Eton-nothing-will-change-that-I-guess-we-need-to-really-be-more-open-about-our-feelings-and-everything-that's-going-on-between-us-that-said-I-have-always-been-uncomfortable-with-orgies-and-I'm-sorry-I-never-told-you-this-before-or-earlier-when-you-supposedly-slept-with-Smallfang-and-some-other-guys-I-hope-this-doesn't-change-how-things-are-between-us-and-you-have-to-believe-me-when-I-say-I-never-intended-this-to-hurt-you-or-that-I-never-doubted-your-sexuality!"

Hunter took three ragged breaths. "So-in-the-last-five-seconds-I-have-of-clarity-I-want-to-tell-you-that-I'm-not-sure-how-things-will-work-out-between-us-but-know-that-even-in-all-the-uncertainty-in-the-world-even-after-Chronos-cast-doubt-into-my-mind-I-have-always-loved-you."

He suddenly grinned a little maniacally and pointed off into another direction. "Now let's go find Titus that, crazy son-of-a-bitch indigo gorilla dry cleaner!"

Eton blinked a couple of times. "That those last few words were just bullshit, weren't they?"

"Maybe. I'm stressing about where Titus is right now and I've got this _horrible_feeling that he's cornering some girl somewhere in the ruins of Corona and sucking out her time like some sort of weird Time-based vampire! Hey! Chronomancers are sort of like Time Vampires, aren't they? And Chronos created them all! You think they're weak to garlic?"

Hunter found Eton's strong paws around his waist, pulling him close. The scent of hazelnuts and pine wafted into his nostrils, making him shudder. "Hunter... babe... I know you're finding it hard to focus right now because you're stressed... but I want you to listen to me, okay?"

"Impala lost limb triangle ricotta yam."

He felt Eton smile and the Lupus' lips hover over his ears. "I'm the same as you. All that talk about sex with other Lupus... it's true but it's all bravado. The only reason why I really did it was to fill the emptiness I felt from not having anyone beside me and having that constant hatred of Serena looming over me. But now... even though Chronos repaired our memories, I have you. You fill that hole, Hunter, and I'm sorry that I made you feel uncomfortable. I... I wish I knew so I didn't make a complete idiot of myself in front of you or worry you."

The Lupus gently cupped Hunter's chin, their noses pressing against one another. "I love you too. I always will. The Eton you saw, the one that was constantly inviting other guys to bed? Not me. Just... Just someone trying to hold onto you as much as possible. I'm sorry I put you through that." Their lips met lightly. "You're the only one for me."

Hunter melted. In here, in the dome of ice with the light shining through the crystals and refracting around them... it was truly magical... if it weren't blisteringly cold. He could think of many ways to solve that problem. In fact, his mind became concocting scenarios of the two of them making hot, crazy love, smashing into the icy walls and shaking the dome. Onlookers would gawk and fear that they were striking each other with Andy or Aria desperately yelling for them to stop. Then, in the heat of their passions, the ice would melt... revealing their two intertwined bodies...

"You're thinking about something crazy and sexy, aren't you?" Eton accused, a small smile on his face.

"How easy would it be to melt this icy dome with the unbridled heat coming from our passionate, unrelenting lovemaking?"

"Very hard," Eton snicked. "Though as much as I'm up for the challenge, you're right. We need to find Titus." Eton poked Hunter's nose lightly. "But I promise, we're going to fuck each other's brains out sometime soon, okay?" He winked. "Maybe a nice little victory fuck after we defeat Chronos, hmmm?"

Hunter seized Eton's paw. "Before we do... Can you just... I dunno... Sit here a while? Just the two of us?"

To that, Eton smiled. "Sure. I'd like that."

*****

Far to the south, Titus Shockarm had exhausted most of his Time just to cross the vast distances between Corona and Chillfarn. A trip that would have taken well over a month by foot took him the span of an hour. Lupus guards tried to stop him but he consumed their Time and immediately interrogated another, demanding to know where Harm Chronos was.

They told him that the 'Master' was standing on the south wall.

'Master'.

Titus scoffed at the title. It was a title given to only the Thirteen, the most powerful Chronomancers in existence. To think that Chronos had the arrogance to adopt the title. Did he honestly believe himself to be above the Thirteen? Yes, he caught them off guard but he sincerely doubted that should the Thirteen be freed, even Chronos with all his powers could stand against them.

And to that, Titus began to doubt his purpose coming here.

Chillfarn's southern wall was battered and looked in terrible shape. Though it had been over two and a half millennia since he had been here, he still had this image of the fortress being utterly impenetrable. As he approached, however, he saw the black, metal wall and gates to have been battered and even burned. Several blocks of ice lay at its base from the Lupus desperately attempting to fend off the Shadows beyond.

When he peered further to the south, he saw the glow of the _Sun Spire_in the distance, casting light to the black snow that littered the Darkened Lands. From the shadows of the mountains, however, he saw thousands upon thousands of red, glowing eyes peering at him and Chillfarn hungrily. They were not the Darkened... no... He could feel them malice and it made him shiver.

His goal was right ahead of him and he marched through the terrible blizzard to stand next to 'Master' Harm Chronos. The Wulfun stood immovable against the storm, his scarf whipping around him. Titus had to hold his hat down to keep it from being blown away.

"You planned this, didn't you?" he shouted. "From the very beginning, you planned for Corona to be destroyed, to devastate the three capitals of Incendius and to unite their people under _your_banner!"

Chronos inclined his head to the side in mild acknowledgement. "That was the general idea, yes." He flicked an ear towards Titus. "If we're being perfectly honest, I had not planned on Phalgymr using Clockwork as a penal colony for political enemies and those who became power hungry after being infused with Shadow Magic. I had not planned on_you_ attacking Ironfrost the way you did and quite frankly, I had not planned on Artem and Ophelia having to forcibly fire the Sun Spire. Well, that last one wasn't completely true. I set them up as contingency plans but I had_hoped_ it wouldn't come to that."

He shrugged dismissively and lifted a paw, pointing it towards the group of Shadows that were slowly making their way towards the wall. It seemed that they were sticking to the shadows and avoiding the touch of the Scorium Axis. Chronos made a shooting gesture. The Shadows instantly erupted into an explosion of fire. Those that survived were sent scurrying back into their holes.

"But I am adaptive," Chronos said. "I change my plans. Ultimately, though the path is far from optimal, I end up exactly where I want to be."

"It's funny," Titus snarled. "Hunter and the others have this mindset that though they agree to the end goal, they will take their path. I suspect they take some degree of satisfaction from denying you your 'optimal path'."

"That is their prerogative."

"And the deaths of the thousands you've caused? You know most of Corona is now a scorched wasteland because you fired the Sun Spire!"

"Those deaths are on me. No one else."

"Do you even care!?"

Chronos turned his empty smile towards Titus, his golden eyes glistening with mirth. "What of you, Titus? Where did this compassion suddenly come from? What moved you to the point where you actually care about your former home and the people who live there? As I recall, you once attempted to destroy it yourself by sucking the Time out of everything and anything that got in your way. What changed?"

Titus sneered and hesitantly reached for his weapon. He thought better of it and lowered his arm. "There was this boy. A Goatex like me. Young. Perhaps ten years of age. He held a dagger. An Inquisitor was attempting to silence him. Poor lad was part of the Vox de Sole." Titus lowered his gaze, gnashing his teeth together. "I stood by and watched as the two threw themselves at one another. The boy died but the Inquisitor was foolish enough to let his arrogance and overconfidence be his undoing. A knife to the ribs, sliding in between two plates of armour and piercing the man's heart."

Chronos lifted his muzzle slightly.

"Last words from the boy were that he was accusing the Inquisitor and his kind for tormenting his family. An older brother was taken away and never heard from again. Parents were executed for treason on the spot as soon as Protocol 7 was enacted. The boy... the boy wanted revenge."

Titus locked gazes with Chronos. "For a long time, revenge has been the only thing on my mind. That boy... I saw myself in him. He would charge heedlessly at his destiny, claiming revenge. But in the end, he did not kill the Inquisitor."

"You did," Chronos said with an amused smirk.

"That is how this will end, isn't it?" Titus said. "If I face you, regardless of whether or not I have revenge in store, I will meet my end. I will not be the one to kill you."

Chronos turned away, gazing back towards the distant Scorium Axis. "That is your choice, ultimately, Titus. Though I understand how hard it is to let go of something that you have craved for so long. One cannot simply let go of something and forget it. Not when it has permeated your existence for so long. The way I see it, you could try. Turn the other way, run from this battle and perhaps do what I could not do and take this second chance to live away from the conflict of war. That is the hardest path. Or, you could continue on this path and try to strike me down at our designated time and place."

"I could try to strike you down now."

"The operative word being 'try'," Harm chuckled darkly. "You are in no shape to fight me. I am well rested and you still have not seen me unleash my full arsenal." Chronos glanced back at Titus. "There is a third path. From my sources, it sounds like the Hunter and his group will take a bit to get here. It will take two weeks or so for the ships to go back and forth from the Sunless Lands and perhaps another week, week and a half, for them to arrive here. By my estimate, we'll have about seven more days after that for the Scorium Axis to remain alight. In that time, you could truly try to live, Titus. Then, when the time comes, meet your end at my paws."

"What purpose will that serve?"

Chronos shrugged absently. "Spiritual fulfilment? Peace of mind? Contentment? Take your pick, Titus. I would hate for you to leave this world with regret and fuming with a vengeance that could never be sated."

"In a month, I could learn much. I could still gain the strength of the Sun Goddess."

The Wulfun laughed. "That would certainly make for a very entertaining sight but rest assured, you won't get it. Besides, even if she did, she wouldn't have the power to maintain both the Scorium Axis and lend you strength." His eyes filled with even more mirth. "And I have this eerie feeling that after seeing that child lose himself in vengeance, you have regrown a conscience and your fondness for this world."

Titus growled and pulled his weapon from over his shoulder. "I hate you with every fibre of my being. I hate everything you have done, everything you stand for and every_one_ that follows you blindly. In some way, I have grown to resent what you have done to this Station. If that means I have grown sympathetic towards these weaklings for being subject to the same torment you put me through... then..."

Chronos chuckled. "Unity through hatred. I remember once reading a wise man saying that hatred is an affair of the heart; contempt that of the head. That you hate me, Titus, proves that somewhere in that eternal body of yours is a heart that continues to beat, to feel and to pump blood through your veins."

The Wulfun smiled and there was a sad edge to it. "I wish it were not so but Incendius is much the same. It was so wrapped up in its formalities and hollow worship that its heart was long forgotten. A Station segmented by allegiance and with each faction standing with a blade to the others." Chronos lifted a paw towards the Scorium Axis like he was reaching for it. "The Lupus pretended to be savage beasts, the Vampiri posed as cold uncaring elitists and the Church pretended to be ignorant zealots. In reality, they had hearts. Though it takes the spark of hatred to remind them of that, perhaps one day that flame can be turned into something else."

Shaking his head in confusion, Titus said, "What do you want, Chronos? To some people, you are their saviour. To others, you are the dictator. Other still believe you to be some manipulative master puppeteer. Who_are_ you and what do you want?"

Harm Chronos did not reply for a long moment. Then, he turned the paw he was reaching out with upwards. A glistening, crystal shaped like the emblem of Incendius appeared in his paws. In the faint light, it shone with a blue colouration with tinges of gold.

"One of the many techniques I developed while you were... slumbering," Chronos said, offering Titus the device. "I am able to expend some Time to permanently record my experiences in this single artefact. It permanently removes Time from my stores but, let's face it, there's plenty more where that came from." He offered it again to Titus. "Take it. Open it and see what I face... what I want."

Titus took the device and regarded it for a long moment. To better understand one's enemy would give him an unrivalled advantage over Chronos. But... He closed his hand around the artefact and dissolved it in the effect of Final Hour. Chronos frowned at him.

"Should I look into that record, I will see more of you and I fear it will sway my path," Titus replied. "My road will have become one you will have chosen for me."

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be," Chronos answered, his frown fading into a smile. "Another quote from where I come from."

Titus shook his head absently. "You never spoke of your origins." He paused a moment. Then... "Which Station were you born?"

"It's best you don't know."

"Family?"

"Two brothers and one sister. All older. My brothers were twins. Naturally bigger than I. Single mother. My father left us when I was young."

Strangely enough, Titus felt himself smiling warmly. "I am sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. It was a long time ago and I have come to terms with it." Chronos was smiling as well but it was not his empty, permanent smile. "What of you, Titus? I seem to recall you came from poverty. Did you ever visit your family after your ascension?"

"First people I consumed when I became a Chronomancer."

"I should have figured. No offense meant" Chronos chuckled softly. "If I was half the Chronomancer I pretend to be, I would have considered the implications of my techniques before brazenly brandishing them in front of the Collective. I was just so... eager to be a Chronomancer. To be part of something."

He turned a muzzle towards the skies. "I was the runt of the family, you know. My brothers picked on me. Both of them were prime athletes. Big, burly. More muscles than brain." For emphasis, he made a show of flexing his muscles which made Titus chuckle softly. "Butch and Buster were very... 'alpha male'. My sister was ashamed of me and though my mother loved me dearly, all her efforts were spent on keeping my brothers in line and connecting with Marybeth.

"I suppose that left me craving for attention and to be accepted. Perhaps the reasoning behind my constant penchant for mischief. Mind you, my sister was the academic. High grades in everything. That left any of _my_achievements to be mediocre in comparison. I could not be athletic because my brothers took home all the trophies while my sister won all the awards."

"And that left you to be the pest, the anarchist," Titus responded. "I will admit, I thought that sort of behaviour would be best reserved for the middle child."

"If you believe popular psychology," Chronos responded with a snicker. "But contrary to what you may believe, I was actually a loner. Most of my days were spent locked up in my room."

"Masturbating?"

Chronos smirked. "It may interest to you that I was Time Locked when I was only nineteen years of age."

"I know," Titus responded. He had been Time Locked when he was thirty-six years of age. Younger Chronomancers had come into the Collective than Harm. One of the Thirteen was merely ten years of age and would forever remained at that age. "When you rebelled, you became a prime case study and we attempted to discern your personality and your past in an attempt to undo you. We found little to no records beyond what you fed us."

"Figured as much. And for your information, no. I was not masturbating. I was actually drawing."

"Drawing?" Titus asked, surprised.

"Art was actually something I was fascinated in. That and the flow of Time. Even then, I was fascinated by time. Mostly because I had so many regrets and you would not believe how often I wished I could turn back the clock and do things that would change my future." He laughed softly. "You will not believe what regret can make you do, Titus. I suggest if you have any regrets, you sort them out before drawing your weapon against me."

"So you have mastered your regret?"

Chronos snorted. "No. That is why I am doing this."

Titus waited for further clarification but when it was clearly not coming, he said, "Would it be out of place for me to say that had events turned differently, I believe you and I could have been friends?"

"That is still not out of the equation, Titus," answered the Wulfun. "Though you will be disappointed by the ending of that particular path."

"Somehow, I think I would be disappointed with the path in general," said the Goatex bitterly. "What you have done cannot be forgotten Chronos. Though, seeing Incendius like this, talking to you now... I believe I can forgive you, at least."

That surprised the Wulfun and he turned to Titus with a raised eyebrow. "Forgive me?"

"For the Purge of Time. Nothing beyond. I still hate what you have done to this place. I still hate you. But no longer because of what you did to me." Titus sheathed his wrench again. "You drove a child to become a demon of vengeance just like me. At one time, I would have laughed and revelled in the act. I would have slain them both and devoured their Time. But I saw myself in that child, saw what you had done to both him and me. That sickens me.

"For some reason, the Purge of Time seems so minimal to that act. Back then, you betrayed your people and trapped us in eternal torment. But the level of psychological and emotional damage you inflicted upon the people of Incendius..." Titus shook his head. "The Purge was simple. You were a traitor. You fought us on even grounds. At least then you had honour. But this... you hide in the shadows, pull at heartstrings, turn_children_ into weapons and crush spirits only to reforge them into a shape you like.

"Yes, we Chronomancers of the Collective forced people to breed only to feast on their Time, yes we inflicted terrible pain on the people and I_trapped a mother and a son in everlasting torment but what _you have done..." He shook his head. "I do not know or understand but it just seems so much worse when empirically speaking, it is not." He regarded Chronos with a quizzical look. "Does that make sense?"

Strangely, Chronos' smile was warm; like a father watching his son grow. "It does, Titus. You've shown growth and for that..." He shook his head, snow falling from his spiky brown hair. "Never mind. Suffice to say I understand." Chronos flicked an ear and a tear appeared through space. "Go, the others are searching for you. Before you go..."

Chronos pulled an apple from his pocket and took a bite out of it. Titus held his breath and waited for the moment when the Wulfun would double over in pain as his body rejected the piece of fruit. As many times before, it did not.

Titus smiled.

The Wulfun saw and smiled back. "You figured it out, didn't you?"

"You've managed to internalise Final Hour," Titus responded. "You're not really 'digesting' the food, as such. You're chewing the apple, savouring the taste and then swallowing but before it reaches your stomach, you use an internal version of Final Hour and consume the apple through Time. You get the satisfaction of taste without any of the nasty repercussions."

Chronos smiled. "Well done. So before you go..." He tossed the apple a Titus. "When next we meet, answer me the question: why?"