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I stared at the artifact for far too long, struggling to comprehend. I wasn’t really thinking about the tempus warp at all. Rather, my mind was split between the battlefield in Nirmala and the core in my sternum. The artifact was a distracting shroud to toss over the rest of my thoughts. I wasn’t ready to start processing everything that had just happened.

There was movement from the corner of my eye, and Sylvie appeared beside me. She couldn’t disguise her fear. Her hands pressed against my side, where my own aether blade had sliced through me, driven by the concentration of Cecilia’s mana. Sylvie’s eyes squeezed tightly shut, and I sensed her mind probing my own, my wound, my core. I could feel her searching for the vivum arts she’d learned in Epheotus, just like I could feel the emptiness of her magic’s response.

Her aether affinity had changed. Her insight had been rewritten.

I grabbed her hands, and her eyes flew open, startled. I’m certain I’ll be fine, I just need a moment to heal.

‘But your core, what if—”

“I’ve healed from a lot worse,” I said out loud, a sentiment that was undercut when the effort to speak sent me into a coughing fit, and I spit up a mouthful of blood. “Is Chul…”

“Unconscious,” she said softly, her voice tight with worry. “Backlash, I think, from trying to hold his phoenix form.”

I nodded. The motion sent fingers of pain clawing through me.

Light flooded the yard as magical spotlights flared from a dozen directions. Wards activated a moment later, shielding the doors and windows of the mansion we’d landed in front of.

It wasn’t long, however, before the front door opened and the ward fell again. Darrin Ordin stepped out, draped in a robe and rubbing sleep from his eyes, which shone with a slightly wild light; clearly, we’d woken him.

He waved a hand, and the light artifacts glaring down on us dimmed, allowing me to make out a number of faces peering from the mansion’s windows. “Grey, what’s—Vritra’s teeth!” he breathed, rushing across the yard to my side. He looked from my wound to my face, then to my companions, and finally back, his face pale. “Come on, let’s get you inside, that wound needs—”

“No,” I said, forcing myself up onto my knees. “I’ll be okay. Just…need a moment.”

My mind moved inward, focusing on my core. The cut across its surface was swarming with aether; the violet particles pressed into the scratch, where they compacted before melting into the surface of the core. All the while, aether poured out of the core as well, fueling the slow healing. Only a trickle returned, the atmospheric aether gravitating toward my armor before being drawn into the wounded core for purification.

The strike to my core had been indirect, the resulting wound not enough to pierce the hard exterior. It had been a long time since I felt the fear of injury; this brought it back in full force.

If she had managed a more direct strike, my core might have been crippled.

‘Absorbing my mana must have given her some small insight about the interaction between mana and aether,’ Sylvie replied, biting her lip. ‘I’m not sure I quite understand what happened, though.’

Beside Sylvie, Darrin’s eyes stayed on my side, where the blood continued to flow.

She wrapped enough mana around my blade that she was able to force it back on me. I was confused, caught off guard, and when the second burst of mana went off, driving the blade through me, I reacted too slowly.

I felt a sudden cool comfort in my side as, bit by bit, aether began to trickle away from my core to my wound, stitching together the muscle, bone, and internal organs. The flow of blood began to slow.

Around my core, most of the aether had filled in the scratch, although the healing had left a faint scar behind and consumed most of the aether in my core. The scar itself itched, more a referred sensation in the back of my mind than on the surface of the core itself. I couldn’t pull myself away from it; like a soldier staring at a freshly healed wound in the mirror, I mentally prodded the scar tissue, leaning into the discomfort as I tried to understand it.

Only when the lacerated skin of my side began to heal over did I turn away from the scar, instead tentatively reaching for my godrunes. Not to activate them, just to ensure they were responsive. Aroa’s Requiem tingled on my spine, then Realmheart burned and brought into sight the atmospheric mana surrounding us. They worked as expected, although both were…heavier than they should have been.

I’m tired, and my core is nearly empty. Sighing, I released the channeled aether and closed my eyes, allowing myself the time necessary to heal.

I heard Darrin return to his home, likely to inform the children what was happening. Sylvie left my side to check again on Chul, her concern lingering in the back of my mind through our connection.

By the time my wound was healed, I felt well and truly exhausted. I couldn’t remember my core being so strained in a long time, and certainly not since the formation of its third layer. I would need time to recuperate and absorb aether—much more than the meager atmospheric aether available here.

Easing myself to my feet, I opened my eyes and looked again at the tempus warp.

The hum had subsided, as had the glow of leaking mana. As I pulled the artifact free of the ruined garden bed, I realized that it was warm to the touch, and there was a fine crack running down the side of the hammered metal. Curious, I used my meager supply of aether to channel the mana required to activate the device. The scar’s itch grew more pronounced.

The tempus warp responded to my efforts, but it shed light at even that minor application of mana.

“You won’t get more than a use or two out of that now,” Darrin said, reappearing in his yard in a simple traveling tunic and breeches. When I looked at him, he nodded at the tempus warp. “They only last so long, even the powerful ones like that. Not sure I’d trust it at all with that crack in it.” Smiling, he held out his hand, and I took it firmly. His gaze lowered to where my armor had sealed back over the gash. “Glad to see things weren’t as bad as they looked.”

“I’m not sure about that yet,” I muttered before catching myself and returning his smile half-heartedly. “Sorry to have stirred up your home. This was the only place I could think of given the situation we were in. But we can’t stay long. I just need to get my companion back on his feet and—”

“Grey—Arthur, there are things you need to know,” Darrin said, his voice low and urgent, his expression tense. “Alaric is here. Wasn’t woken by the perimeter alarm, of course, the old drunk, but he should have crawled out of bed and put on a pair of trousers by now. Before you run off, you should hear what he has to say.”

Darrin’s serious delivery gave me pause. After a moment’s hesitation, I nodded.

After retrieving the tempus warp, we hauled Chul’s unconscious body into the house and laid him out on a couch. I left Sylvie to watch over him, and Darrin sent his many wards back to their rooms, including a frustrated Briar.

When we entered the study, Alaric was already there, and had, of course, already poured himself a drink. Behind him, just where I’d left it, was the active ascension half of the Compass, humming away in merry ignorance of all that had transpired since the last time I’d used it.

Alaric eyed me warily as I sat down across from him. The exhaustion was pressing in on me from all sides, but I could tell the grizzled ascender was just as tired as me.

“Old man,” I said.

“Pup,” he replied with a snort. Taking a fortifying drink, he sighed and dug his palm into one eye socket. “So, can I assume it is your return to our fair continent that has kicked up such a shit storm?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms.

Alaric threw up his hands, somehow managing not to spill his drink. “What do I mean, he says.” He glanced at Darrin, who only shrugged. “Pushback, boy. Counter-offensives. Highbloods turning on us. Armies springing out of Agrona’s puckered sphincter to retake cities he’d given up on. I’m talking about months worth of gains lost in a week.”

Darrin was staring down at his hands. Alaric’s bloodshot eyes were narrowed as he glared past me into the distance. They were both exhausted…and frightened, I realized.

“Tell me more,” I said, leaning forward. “Seris should know what’s happening.”

Alaric scoffed and drained his glass before launching into a bitter but detailed explanation of the many losses the rebellion had experienced just in the last week.

Seris’s force had never been large enough to stage armies and make direct attacks against the Sovereigns; they had relied on Seris’s control of Sehz-Clar to maintain any kind of footing. Outside of Sehz-Clar, the fighting had largely happened in the shadows through spies and agents that Alaric and his connections organized. After Seris had retreated to the Relictombs, much of the active work of the rebellion had gone underground. Due to the actions of a few brave highbloods, however, they had gained and kept control of a handful of cities in Truacia, Vechor, and Sehz-Clar.

Those cities had been essential staging grounds for other efforts, primarily provisioning. According to Alaric, attempts to retake the cities had been minimal, with the rebellion forces scoring a handful of unexpected victories in the weeks after Sehz-Clar’s fall.

But in a span of days, these cities had fallen, the highbloods in control either calling on their troops to stand down or being executed by loyalist strike teams. To make matters worse, Alaric’s network of connections, informants, spies, and operators was being targeted and assassinated.

“And not one by one, but in fucking droves,” he moaned, his cheeks ruddy beneath his unkempt beard. “I’ve had to send my folks running for the hills to hide out. It’s hard to make sense of, boy. Like someone threw a Vritra-damned switch and unleashed a flood of death.”

We continued on for a while, Alaric delving into more specific situations while I listened and attempted to digest it all. In return, I explained what Seris and I had planned and told them about the events of Nirmala.

Shortly before dawn, Chul woke, and he and Sylvie joined us despite my protestations that he should continue to rest.

“I’ve rested too long. This body itches to redeem its pathetic display during the fight,” he said, crestfallen.

“You were matched poorly,” Sylvie chimed in. “Had you faced any other Scythe, you would have—”

“No, he\'s right,” I cut in. “It was pathetic—but so was I. Best thing we can do is learn from it, own our mistakes, and get stronger.”

Grinding his teeth, Chul posted up in the corner of the study and glared around for the remainder of the conversation.

The rolling fields visible out the study window were just turning from black to orange-gray with the first rays of dawn’s light when we were interrupted again.

A sudden and rapid banging on the study door made us all jerk around, but before anyone could call for entry, the door burst open and Briar rushed in. “Master Darrin! A broadcast—quickly—from Agrona!”

We all exchanged a wary glance, then hurriedly followed her to a sitting room outfitted with a large projection crystal. A sweeping image of the Basilisk Fang Mountains was speeding by across the crystal’s surface. When I stepped into range of the telepathic field, I heard a wakeful, nervous voice in my head: “…repeat, a mandatory message from the High Sovereign himself will be played in two minutes. All Alacryans must listen. I repeat, a mandatory…”

I stepped back out of the field and gave Darrin a curious look.

Frowning, he shrugged. “Enforced broadcasts aren’t unheard of, but they’re pretty rare. We didn’t even get one after what happened at the Victoriad.”

“The projection artifact just activated itself and started babbling about the mandatory message,” Briar added, her arms crossed as she glared at the projection.

“So, a message from Agrona Vritra himself,” Chul mused as he stepped in and out of the telepathic field. “If only I could punch his evil face through this crystal artifact.”

Alaric’s brows rose as he gave Chul an amused look. “I’m starting to see where his strengths and weaknesses lie.”

I smiled faintly. “If only we could, Chul.”

We all waited in silence until the repeating message stopped and the scene melted away.

A face appeared across the crystal projection.

“It really is the High Sovereign himself…” Briar whispered, a shiver running through her.

Agrona appeared austere, but his severity was somewhat undercut by the glittering ornamentation in his horns. He stared out at us from the projection crystal for several seconds before finally speaking.

“My people of Alacrya,” he began, his words purposeful and clear, “children of the Vritra. Today, I speak to you directly…to each and every individual among you. Listen closely and carefully, because my words are for you.”

He paused again, and I glanced around the room; a handful of the teenagers were present, as was Darrin’s housekeeper, Sorrel. They looked spellbound, all of them. Only Alaric, Chul, and I seemed able to keep mental distance from what we were seeing. Even Sylvie was wide-eyed, her lips parted slightly as she became wrapped up in this vision. But I could sense her emotions and some of her thoughts, and hers was a very different reason for being so invested.

‘My father…’ she sent to me, feeling my mind touch hers. ‘I can’t help but wonder…it still seems so unlikely. What could have brought Sylvia Indrath and Agrona Vritra together?’

Even through the projection, his force of personality was clear. If there had ever been a time before Agrona Vritra had given himself over to his cruel and sociopathic impulses, perhaps it was then that Sylvia had fallen for him. Or perhaps he had always been the same but had fooled her into seeing something that wasn’t there.

I carefully scanned Sylvie’s enrapt face.

Agrona didn’t shy away from manipulating even those closest to him, after all. Through a spell implanted in her egg before she was born, he had been able to inhabit her body even from Alacrya. It had been a revelation that had nearly broken trust between Sylvie and me. I could only hope, now, that her death and rebirth had severed this connection, but it worried me that we had no way to know for sure.

“For months now, this continent has been divided by the strife of rebellion and civil war,” Agrona continued. “Rest assured, I hold no ill-will toward those of you who have participated in this conflict. Such a contest of wills, whether it be between compatriots, generals, or even Sovereigns, will only ever strengthen you as a people in the long run. Conflict is necessary to grow in power.”

He paused, his scarlet eyes seeming to stare right into mine. “But strife at the wrong time can also weaken us all, and this is why I am speaking to you now. The gates of Epheotus have been thrown open, and dragons have marched through. Already, they’ve countered much of our work in Dicathen, undoing the good you and your blood have fought for, diedfor. But their violence doesn’t extend only to that distant continent. They’ve shed blood right here in Alacrya, at the heart of Etril.”

Agrona’s expression hardened, his eyes blazing like fire. “A dragon has assassinated Sovereign Exeges before fleeing like a coward in the night. Thousands of witnesses saw the asura wheeling above his palace, breathing down mana and death. A hundred or more palace staff died with him, helpless against such an onslaught—regular Alacryans, burned to dust only for the crime of working in support of a different clan.

“The war between Alacrya and Dicathen is over. And so too must be this conflict between every loyal Alacryan and the supporters of Seris the Unblooded. The dragons are intent on taking over both Dicathen and Alacrya. The same beings that invented the lie of asuran godhood—those who have long hidden away in Epheotus and offered only judgment on those who they call ‘lessers,’ providing no aid of provisions or magic, whose attacks on this continent created the Vritra’s Maw Sea and ended a hundred thousand lives—have now decided to take everything you and your blood ancestors worked so hard to build.”

In the silence that followed, the only sound was Chul’s disbelieving huff.

“Due to the interference of the dragons’ ally, Lance Arthur Leywin—”

I blinked, caught off guard by his mention of me. Several people in the room turned to glance in my direction.

“—I was unable to prepare Dicathen for this eventuality, but I will protect Alacrya and all who still call themselves loyal Alacryans from the invading dragons.” Agrona’s chin was raised, his voice growing louder and more proud as he spoke. “With your aid, of course. This continent must stand strong, united under my authority. Past is the time of Scythes and Sovereigns, the dominion of the Vritra clan. Now I, Agrona, shall personally guide you through the dangers to come.”

His expression softened, and he offered us an understanding smile. “No punishment will be dealt to any who participated in this rebellion so long as they lay down their arms and return to their lives immediately. But, as I can accept no internal discord that will weaken us in the face of this enemy, all those who refuse will be dealt with immediately and with prejudice. Call on your bloods, your neighbors, and your friends to set aside their petty grievances for now. Tomorrow, we take a step forward as a nation. Unified.”

Agrona set his jaw and gave a subtle nod of his head, making the ornaments in his horns sway and sparkle. Then the projection faded, and the crystal went out.

Silence followed. Slowly, the children turned to look at Darrin, but he was looking at me. Alaric’s gaze was on the floor, a scowl etched into his wrinkled skin. Chul was also watching me, as if taking his queue from my reaction, but Sylvie had moved away, her back to the room and her mind closed off.

“Go on, you lot,” Darrin said after a minute. “No training or chores today. Go enjoy yourself.”

Briar snorted. “Go stew in our existential angst, more like.” But she, like the others, did as she was told and shuffled out of the sitting room.

When the housekeeper didn’t immediately follow—she was still staring forward at the projection crystal, a stupefied expression of her pale face—Darrin rested his hand on her shoulder. “Sorrel?”

She jumped, one hand flying to her mouth to hold back a weak scream. “S-sorry, Master Ordin. E-excuse me.” She got shakily to her feet and hurried from the room.

As I watched her go, I considered Agrona’s message. Not so much the specifics of it, but the intent. How it would affect people. The regular people like Sorrel.

“Interesting that he called you out by name,” Darrin mused. “Aligning you with the dragons will help him to turn any popularity you’ve garnered in Alacrya back against you.”

“But why would your people support this snake over the dragons?” Chul rumbled, running his hand through his orange hair, making the darker shade coil and shimmer like smoke. “My clan bears no love for the tyrant Indrath, but he is not worse than Agrona.”

“The devil you know,” Alaric answered, his voice a low, tired growl. “What better way to make people forget how horribly the Vritra has treated them than the threat of life under the boot heel of another asura clan. And you lot”—he pointed at my chest with a wrinkled finger—“gave them the perfect little piece of propaganda.” He shook his head and tumbled into a chair, fingers kneading his temples.

“At least this explains the sudden reversal of our fortunes,” Darrin said, worry clear in his features as he watched Alaric. “Agrona must have been planning this move for some time. The assassination of…well, wait a moment.” He gave me a confused look. “So, he’s blaming Exeges’s death on the dragons, an easy enough thing to do even if you hadn’t taken an actual dragon to the palace to assassinate Exeges…but who actually killed the Sovereign, then?”

His focus moved to Sylvie. “Lady…ah, forgive me if this is an imprudent question, but is it possible it wasyour…blood? Kin? The other dragons?”

Sylvie shrugged and shook her head at the same time, making her wheat-blonde hair bob around her horns. “I don’t know for sure, but…it didn’t feel like a dragon had been there.”

Darrin’s gaze shifted back to me. “Then who, do you think?”

His words were like chum on the churning surface of my thoughts. I had no more idea who could have killed the Sovereign than I had when we’d first found the corpse. I felt certain we were only missing some small detail to help us put the pieces together.

Why does this mystery draw my mind back to the missing third keystone?

‘Do you think they’re linked?’ Sylvie thought back. I could tell from the tone of her thoughts that she wasn’t convinced. ‘Like…some third party who happens to be moving along the same path we are?’

Sighing, I took the seat across from Alaric and ran a hand down my face tiredly, struggling to think around the scar’s itch. “I don’t know,” I said, answering both Sylvie’s and Darrin’s questions at once. It’s possible, I added mentally to Sylvie.

I gasped, drawing wary looks from everyone except Sylvie, who was following along with my thoughts as I had them.

“All right, Arthur?” Darrin asked.

“Yes, just…nevermind,” I said, knowing I couldn’t explain my thoughts to Darrin.

Your dream savior from the Relictombs, the voice you heard. Your rebirth and change in aether affinity, the fact that you existed to save my soul before you were born. That’s potentially created some kind of paradox, right? What if there really is a third party? With aevum arts involved, it could even be us, moving through some parallel timeline or…

I trailed off, feeling Sylvie’s thoughts pushing back against my own.

‘The simplest explanation is often the most accurate,’ she said, quoting some scholar we’d both learned about at Xyrus Academy. ‘Maybe I’m wrong, but the relic, the Sovereign, and my savior don’t feel connected. For the sake of argument, though, if we went back in time somehow to claim the relic, then where is it? And if you were set to kill Exeges, why go ahead of yourself and kill him? Because you were fated to fail?’

Not me, but…you. Despite her arguments, I was starting to see a picture more clearly. When your insight into the aevum branch of aether becomes deep enough, maybe you can go back in time and claim the relic. If the battle against Exeges proved too difficult, Cecilia might have gotten the upper hand against me afterwards. And…what if the voice you’re hearing is your own, messages sent back through time?

Sylvie considered for a moment, watching me closely. ‘Have you ever heard of an aether art that allows you to go back in time?’

Aroa’s requiem can turn back time, I pointed out.

‘That’s not the same, though. Like, at all.’ She gave me a pointed look.

What about your time on Earth, then, watching my life? What was that if not time travel? I…

She pursed her lips, her skepticism only growing. I couldn’t make changes, though. You never even knew I was there.

I’m reaching, I admitted, leaning back in the chair and heaving another sigh. Spiraling, even. “The simplest explanation is often the correct one,” I repeated out loud.

Darrin looked up from mulling his own thoughts. Alaric scratched his beard but kept his eyes on his belly. Chul cracked his neck and paced across the room.

“But to kill a Sovereign—a full-blooded asura—is no simple task. There is, however, a short list of those who could have done so.” I held up my fist, all my fingers curled inward. Raising my index finger, I said, “Another Sovereign.”

“Or a dragon,” Sylvie said, and I lifted a second finger.

“The Wraiths are trained to kill asuras,” I said, lifting a third finger.

“You?” Chul said, stopping and cocking his head to the side. “But then, I know it wasn’t you. Hm. The remaining members of my clan gave up long ago on being warriors, but this Exeges did not seem so strong to me, either. Mordain or one of the others could have killed him, maybe.”

Nodding, I lifted my little finger.

“Agrona,” Alaric grunted. “Or his pet Legacy. Reports from one of my folks on the front lines at Sehz-Clar said the unnatural bitch can suck the mana right out of you.”

I let my hand fall as I considered what he’d said. My eyes touched Sylvie’s as I pictured Exeges’s corpse. Ashen, taut skin, sunken appearance, blind colorless eyes, like the blood had been drained from his body…

“But Cecilia seemed just as surprised to find the Sovereign dead as we were,” Sylvie said, thinking out loud. “If she…drained him of his mana, she acted her part well. Maybe Agrona was willing to sacrifice Exeges to give Cecilia a power boost for her fight with you?”

Quietly, I sensed Sylvie hoping this was the case, and that Cecilia hadn’t truly been strong enough to fight us to a stand still all on her own.

I stood suddenly. “We don’t know, and we’re getting no closer to answers here. We need to return to Seris.” I shot a guilty look at Darrin and Alaric. “I’m sorry. I wish I could offer more, but…”

“No need,” Darrin said, clapping me on the arm. “My home has no direct connection to the rebellion. I’m simply a retired ascender training a few kids. As for Alaric…” He shot the older man another wary look. “He’s not really here. And if he was, he’s certainly not connected to Seris’s plot. And if he is, I had no way of knowing that. We’re just old drinking pals, after all.”

I started to leave the room but was compelled to stop and offer one last piece of advice. “Do what he says. Stop fighting. Send your people home. Let me and Seris take things from here. In a war between dragons and basilisks, you’ll be crushed.”

Alaric scoffed. “Your fault I got dragged back into this in the first place. You and your connection to that Scythe. Bah. But I suppose you’re right. Never too late to retire for the third time, I suppose.”

I smiled, grateful. “Goodbye.”

Darrin gave a small wave, but Alaric only wrinkled his nose and resumed staring down at his stomach.

I left, my companions on my heels, and returned to the study where the Compass was still waiting.

I paused before it, considering.

“We can’t leave it here again. With the tempus warp nearly defunct, we might need the Compass with us. Moving through the Relictombs is the best way to avoid Agrona’s and Kezzess’s perceptive gazes, and might be our only way to get between Alacrya and Dicathen moving forward.”

“Any ideas?” Sylvie asked, her hand brushing the field of energy surrounding the relic.

“And can we be certain that Lady Sylvie won’t have another fit?” Chul asked, unsubtly looking at her from the corner of his eye.

“Here’s hoping,” I breathed. “Go through. I’ll be right behind you.”

Sylvie bit her lip. Chul just shrugged and stepped directly into the portal. When I nodded for her to follow, Sylvie hesitantly did so, vanishing into the shimmering oval hanging in the air.

Reaching out, I felt the shape of the portal with my aether. Activating my core sent a deep, thrumming ache throughout my entire body, and intensified the itching sensation from the scar.

There was a familiarity to the portal’s aether that had nothing to do with my having used it before. Curious, I activated God Step, seeing the pathways without stepping into them. A confident smirk split my face.

Continuing to channel God Step, I focused entirely on the portal, listening to its specific resonance among the many other points all around me. When I was certain I had it, I grabbed the Compass and deactivated it.

The effect was immediate. The portal itself began to press inward against my will, but the point in space that connected to the lightning-bolt pathways sang to me just the same. Waiting only long enough to secure the Compass in my dimension rune, I stepped through the hole.