Chapter Eighty-Two.

(Zack)

Using Demon Form, I was able to arrive home much faster than the normal… however long it should take for me to have walked. Three minutes of quick flight, a bunch of minutes of recovering my Mana while running, then another three minutes of flight… repeating that a few times, and I was home.

Rather than stopping at home, though, I do my best to dry my eyes as I enter the Dark Temple, where I know Nik is hanging out before heading to the front. He wanted to be here when I returned I know.

It doesn't take me long to locate him, he's in his room, dressed in black pajama pants.

"Zack?" He asks when he opens his door. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Talorn? Why are your eyes red?"

Instead of answering, I just break down crying, wrapping my arms around him. Why are the Fates teasing me? Why me? Why can't it go after someone like Alexander?

I'm not really sure what happens after I start sobbing into Nik, just that the next thing I know, I'm in my usual room in the Dark Temple, my arms wrapped around Kulkul, and someone else spooning me. I can smell Gold and it's his breathing I'm hearing, so I'm pretty sure it's him snuggling against me.

His thoughts only confirm it. He wants to make sure I'm okay and happy. As soon as he notices I'm awake, his thoughts shift into happy things, like eating, cooking, and playing with Aurum. I know the message he's trying to send me, though he's mixing it up a bit. The feelings of happiness impressed with those images help a bit, too, though I can also sense his concern.

"Can you let go of me now?" Kulkul asks, and I squeeze him even tighter. "Eeeek!"

I let go of him, and he quickly leaves the room. I love that little demon bear.

Once Kulkul's been gone for a few minutes, I convince Gold to release me. He's still worried that I'm really upset, and I kind of am. Thinking about him brings back why I returned early. As soon as I start thinking that, Gold senses it and starts worrying that he's screwing up and being a bad boy.

"You're not a bad boy," I wriggle out of his grip, then sit up on the bed and scratch behind his ears. "I promise, Gold. I'm just… there's just… a lot. Let's go find Nik."

He nods, then we explore the Dark Temple. It's pretty empty, and we manage to locate Nik in the Altar Chamber. For some reason, Gold isn't able to enter it, so I enter alone. Nik's praying at the Dark Altar, though he stops once I draw near.

"How are you feeling?" He asks, and I hesitate to answer. "Why did you come home early, crying, Zack?"

Nik's more of a father to me than my step-father ever was. Other than Gold and Aurum and the twins, he's really the only person I trust and find comfort in. Well, I guess there's Kylie, too, but that's… different.

Coming to a decision, I tell Nik about what started going through my head last night. I leave out the part about Big S being my brother, but I guess I forget to reduce 'brothers' down to 'brother', because he asks what I mean by 'brothers' when I say that mine were all attacked by Alexander.

"Erm," I say. "Remember Big Flame's story? About the nine boys attacked by the Shadow of Life, then sealed away by the last of them, who used their life forces to create a powerful seal on him, one connecting him to the Boundaries?"

"Yes," Nik nodded, then frowned. "The ninth was another Child of Existence?"

"According to Big S," I nod. "That's two brothers that I know of, and both have been killed or nearly killed by the Shadow of Life. And he's come after me, too… but he's failed to kill me. Every time. It's like I'm meant to live, while my family isn't. And then Gold and his brother show up, and the twins, and… why? Why me, Nik? Resurrection won't work this far out, and I'm not close to being able to learn it, anyway, 'cause I fucked up when picking my classes and went for Demon instead of Priest or Paladin! And now I'm being forced to deal with pairs of brothers, and-"

It isn't for us to question what the fate has in store for us, Big Flame speaks into my head, though I'm sure Nik can hear his voice, too. It is a powerful and mysterious force, Zack. It is not sentient, it is not conscious. It simply is. It does not have a plan for us, but rather, is nothing more than an idea.

There is no outside force, Big Flame continues. That is putting these brothers near you, other than chance itself. You can call it fate if you wish, or destiny. It is simply how luck and chance work. You asked for Luca to be put with you, do not forget. We knew that Braden and Luca being separated would be a bad idea, so Braden came with him. Do not forget that, either, Zack.

"But Gold and Aurum-"

That was us, he says. We manipulated things so that Aurum would arrive in Maelnor, Zack, but only so that he arrived sooner than expected. His master would have come to the City before the battle anyway, but a word from Courage brought them sooner.

"Courage?" Nik mutters.

"Probably Big W."

"Who?" He asks.

"Light of Stone," I answer.

That is correct, Big Flame says. You already have a nickname for him?

"I tried talking to him," I say. "Therefore, he has a nickname. But, Big Flame, is it really just coincidence? Two pairs of brothers arrive at my home seems a lot more than just coincidence."

It was, he says. There was no greater plan behind Braden being there, as you had asked for Luca. We had no plan for Aurum, other than to reunite him with his brother sooner to help cheer him up, and thus, you.

"Me?"

We knew how Gold's mood affected you, Big Flame explains. And that if he cheered up, you would, too. Nik, why don't you show Zack the mines? The Ilkamis Chambers would be a good place.

"Yes, Lord-Big Flame," Nik salutes with a fist to his chest, giving a bow.

Big Flame doesn't talk further, so Nik leads me to the dining hall, where we eat breakfast. I think over what Big Flame said. He seemed very serious this time, just like when he told us his own tale.

Because of that, I trust his words. The Fates aren't real, and it was just coincidence. But it's still depressing. It's like coincidence is throwing in my face about how I lost my brother. And I can't shake a feeling that's arisen about Braden.

Why wasn't he in any of my visions? I know that it's Luca I see. And Braden didn't return during my trip in reality. That doesn't mean anything, though, considering one out of… well, only two out of gajillions ever managed to reach Ascension from those who came from reality. A total of eighty-eight out of gajillions. One for every several gajillion.

That just means he never made it to Level 250 in his life. But this bad feeling is running down my spine.

After lunch, Nik asks me to take on my Demon Form while he's holding one of those measuring tapes used for fabric and measuring the sizes of a person. The little fabric ones that are flexible.

"Why?" I ask. "You want to compare wing sizes?"

"No," he clears his throat. "Jackson asked me to when you returned. He said he and the other smith working on your armor want to test something, since you wear light armor that doesn't actually cover much of your back."

A rogue's armor, mostly. I pull the breastplate for Zack's Blood out of my Inventory and examine it. When worn, it covers my just my chest and a little underneath, not even reaching my diaphragm, though it does cover my back and shoulders a little bit.

That's for the front part. For the back part, it's a couple of leather straps with a smaller piece of metal that cover the upper part of my back.

Test something that requires measurements while I'm in my Demon Form?

"You're measuring where my wings are located, aren't you?" I ask, and Nik nods. "Jackson wants to try forging armor I can wear that I can use while in my Demon Form."

"It's never been a thing before," Nik tells me. "Since wings are usually used for flight, not combat. They require Mana to maintain, and we generally want to spend that on Skills rather than flying out of reach. There are other ways to avoid an attack or gain an aerial advantage."

"But since Demon Form gives me wings and is for combat," I finish for him. "Not having armor in it can be problematic. He wants to create a piece of armor that still gives me some protection."

"Correct," Nik confirms. "And for that, we need to know where your wings are located on your back."

I nod, then take on my Demon Form. Nik uses the measuring tape to first note my current sizes, then to measure the distance between my wings and each other, my sides, my shoulders, everything. When he finishes, he reviews the paper, then we walk to the front of the Dark Temple and wait for the form to end as I think about Big Flame's words earlier.

"Why does he want you to show me the mines?" I ask. "Big Flame, I mean."

"Killing monsters cheers you up," Nik says. "And you're still pretty obviously depressed. The caverns he mentioned have a tendency to fill with monsters quickly – not respawns, they come from deeper within, though we've never actually figured out why – we can't go past the caverns."

"Why not?" I ask. "Too many monsters?"

"No," he laughs. "There are only around a couple hundred in one at a time. If you can take on a horde of Goblin Knights, including some Bounties and Elites, you can handle this. They consist of four caverns connected from the sides, each with a tunnel out the back leading into a larger cavern, the same one. The bigger cavern has another Kobold King in it. There can only be one King Monster at a time, but-"

"What?" I ask. "Only one King Monster at a time? What do you mean by that? I thought it was just a powerful variation?"

"It is," he says. "King Monsters… there's only one of each type of monster at a time. One Goblin King, one Kobold King, one Wolf King, one Slime King, and so on. They're the most powerful of their species of monster. Demon Variants are much stronger versions of them."

Demon Variants are-but why would they-

"That's why you guys went after it!" I realize. "There's going to be a King Monster at the battle, won't there?"

"Yes," he nods. "In each battle for a City in my life, there were two absolute facts. The first was that a Dragon would show up and destroy the City Barrier, then leave. The second was that two King Monsters would show their faces."

"Two?" I ask as my Demon Form fades away.

"Yes," he nods. "Two. The Goblin King and the Wolf King. The former is a goblin almost forty feet in height, taller than any other. Slow, but powerful, capable of casting potent spells. The latter is a black wolf roughly fifteen feet in height. Swift, and able to meld into shadows while empowering other monsters with its howl."

I pull on a tunic, but Nik stops me when I pull out my armor.

"You'll probably want to not put that on," he tells me. "Knowing you, you'll just remove it at the mines so you can take on Demon Form for the Experience."

I look at the armor, then nod. I definitely would.

"Alright," I send it back. "So you guys wanted to see how you'd fare against the Demon Kobold King? But if there can only be one of each type-"

"Demon variants are an exception," he tells me. "They're classed as demonic monsters rather than monsters, allowing for a second King of that 'monster' to exist. Problem is, they're a lot more powerful than the regular version."

"How come you wanted to test against him and not the one in these caverns?"

"First," Nik says. "No one's ever fought the Monster Kings at the battles and survived. They usually show up towards the end of the battle, and they're only halfway through the horde. Anyone who fights them is exhausted.

"Second," he continues. "It's stronger than the Kobold King by a fair margin. The Wolf King and Goblin King work together, which makes it even more difficult to get a hit in."

The tank and the rogue, a powerful combination. All they need is a healer, and they're set.

"Which means it'd give more practical experience for the big battle," I say, and Nik nods. "But you guys failed – you nearly lost everyone. I still think you should've fought the Kobold King first."

"The chamber it's in," he says. "Isn't an ideal place for a force of more than ten or fifteen soldiers, even if you manage to slaughter the kobolds with it. We expect to need at least twenty or twenty-five to kill it."

"And since Demon Monsters are stronger," I conclude. "You thought around thirty-five to forty would be enough for the Demon Kobold King."

"Correct," he says. "Thirty-five to forty of the Boundary's strongest thousand Adventurers, with a lot of rest."

And they lost.

"But the loss," I remember. "That was because Fallen Adventurers showed up."

"Exactly," he says. "Fallen Adventurers showed up, or we would have won. Should have won. Which means that, for the first time, there's tangible hope at killing the leaders of the horde. We're stronger than when Praevar fell, stronger than when we lost Talorn. All we need to do is separate the two Kings, and we'll be set for sure, even after battling through the army of monsters and reaching them."

"Leave that to me," I tell him.

"What makes you think you can separate them?"

"Nik," I say. "I am the most distracting fucker you know. Trust me, I'll find a way to separate them. Without risk to my life. And I'm aiming to be a lot stronger, if possible, by the time the war comes. Strong enough that there isn't another in the Boundary who can match my stats."

"Alright," he ruffles my hair, and I pull away and fix it. "Let's go drop your measurements off at Jackson's, then I'll fly us to the mines."

We exit the Dark Temple, only to find the sigil on the ground glowing crimson.

"Uh, Nik?" I ask.

"Someone's coming," he says. "The only ones we were expecting were tonight."

A moment later, a pair of Dark Knights, a man and a woman, appear, surrounded by around twenty beastborn of varying ages and all four types. Monkey, wolf, dog, and cat. The monkeys are blond, and their tails match it, though it's a sandy blond, not like the demigod healers' white-blondness.

The beastborn are dressed how beastborn normally are: either in a loincloth (with their chest wrapped if female) or nothing at all.

"Huh," Nik says. "They're early."

"Uh, Nik," I say. "Does this have anything to do with your 'I have an idea' in regards to the beastborn? That you said… forever ago?"

"Yeah," he answers. "It does."