Chapter 11

The Wild

Serene. Peaceful. Beautiful.

Meredith knew she had journeyed the world over. Through the icy wastes near Frostfall Cavern and the north, to the scorching desert. Places in eternal nightfall and gorgeous lands where the impossible could happen. She had seen and done so much already in her short lifetime.

Standing at one of the cave entrances that night, however, Meredith was certain she’d found a sight quite unlike any other. The falls crashed and echoed around them, tumbling to a chasm from whence there was no return, but all she saw was that beautiful, unknown land that stretched before her, right on the other side of the final barrier of souls. She had to wonder: was it a barrier comprised of their world or the one before them? The thought was exhilarating, opening so many possibilities for what the future could hold for all of them.

The night sky was boundless, and before Meredith knew it, she’d sat down. Clanking could be heard against the fall’s roar, the sound of everyone still hard at work to ready the skyship for take-off when the sun rose. It was close to doing so, but Meredith’s job was done and yet to begin, granting her the time to sit and enjoy.

“So many stars…” she breathed. More than the stars, she was impressed by how much land and varied biomes there were, yet how natural it all looked compared to the ridiculous mish-mash that was their own. It was a sight she wanted to share with everyone, and protect for everyone, including those people below. “I wonder if Ray would change his mind if he saw this…”

She was talking to herself, but that was just fine with her. The thoughts of her brother were prominent, as were those of Eddie. They were heading on a collision course where all of that would be decided, and she knew she’d be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t scared of what would happen on the other end.

Although, sitting there, watching the Wild that bloomed and blossomed before her, she began to believe it truly would be okay. There was so much more than just the small world they’d contained themselves to; than just their own thoughts and feelings. It was something Marcus had failed to understand, and that which Raymond had given in to believing. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the picture with her brother on it, and Eddie. Of happier times that she could believe in.

“No going back to that…but maybe I don’t want to,” she breathed, reciting her promises in her head. She was going to bring him back. She was going to save Eddie. She had to believe in that. “It’s the future I want to go to.”

“What’s the future mean?” Emil’s voice startled her, but she didn’t turn around. Her eyes watched the land, growing just that little bit brighter with the beckoning day. More details could be made out, making Meredith lean forward to catch as many as she could. Emil sat next to her. “I’d want to find it with you, if you’d let me.”

“Sounds like a sappy confession, Emil. Not really feeling it.”

“It’s not, I swear! We’re a team, right?” Meredith laughed, enjoying the moment and clapping her friend on the back. “Yeah…For a long time, I was so angry because I had a future forced on me and knew my parents wouldn’t listen. Or maybe I wasn’t listening to them or myself…But now, there’s a future that we can all choose together instead of being forced into one. Whatever that future is, I want it, because it’s with my family.”

“Please stop sounding like you’re reading out of a self-help book. It’s nauseating.” This time, it was Vivian, her usual barbed words succeeded by her seating herself on the other side of Meredith. She let a sigh out, running a hand through her hair. “Commander says the ship will be ready to fly soon. I’m surprised you didn’t work on it yourself, but I guess you need all the time you can get, huh? You ready for this?”

“I don’t have much of a choice,” Meredith responded. The sky was truly bright now, even in the Void they were at, and Meredith inched forward in anticipation of the Wild’s first sunrise to her eyes. “Besides, Kenny and Sal are just as good as my parents, if not better. I trust them to do what they need to. What’ve you been up to anyway, Emil?”

“With Rico. Felt we had some stuff to work out,” the boy said. He was playing with his scarf, clenching it so tightly, Meredith wondered if he was getting some solace and comfort from it. “He’s pretty sure that all that stuff he showed us is impossible to reach from here. We’d need the Weapons, I guess. And I guess he’s thinking about what comes after, and what he can do…”

“Yeah? Where’s his head at?” Meredith asked. She allowed herself to look away for a few seconds to watch Emil as he answered.

“Confused. Determined. Wants to put a stop to Caleb and Maria as his ‘responsibility’, I think,” was Emil’s answer. “You got through to him, Mera. Like you got through to me. And Viv.”

“Hey! I got through on my own!” Both were incredulous in the expressions they tossed the blonde’s way. She scratched at her cheek. “Okay, fine, you and Eddie might’ve had something to do with it…”

The three sat there, unsure of what to say. Meredith was the first to crack, the giggle spouting from her lips uncontrollably. Vivian was soon to follow and Emil joined last, the three of them sharing in humor at the edge of the world. It reminded her that everything was going to be just fine. “Long as Rico’s on the same page.”

“He is. He’s done with all that. We can count on him in battle.”

“With the enemy being three people he probably hates at this point, I would hope so,” Vivian said. Emil was nodding, but Meredith found herself turning back to the Wild, waiting. Vivian opened her mouth, breathing in, and then asked a question so candid, Meredith almost had to wonder if her friend had been replaced. “What if we didn’t go? What if we just…let things go?”

“End of the world is coming either way, Viv,” Emil said. He was alongside Meredith in staring at the world below. “If we do nothing, it’s gonna slide into the abyss eventually. And Marcus will find the Abyssal Blade if we just sit back. We’d just be marking time.”

“It was just a thought.”

Just a thought, perhaps, but it allowed a smile on Meredith’s face. She may not have realized it, or perhaps she did and refused to make it any clearer, but it was obvious as Vivian’s confession that she longed to stay with them. For all three of them to take their next adventure together, into whatever future awaited them. Meredith pocketed the picture.

Light came over the horizon, the first ray of sunshine illuminating the land below. The dark, blue fields became a lush green, and the mountain snow was glistening. The ocean that cradled the land glittered in the sunlight. Everything came to life, pure and untainted. Below, Meredith could imagine the people waking up for the day, getting ready to live it. There was hope and beauty there, and to it, Meredith spoke up.

“I know what I want, when this is all over.”

“I thought you wanted to be a Guardian?”

“I did. I do. But this is beyond that. A Guardian isn’t just restricted to where we live or the things we can see,” she announced. Her hands fell down, taking both of theirs inside. “It’s about everyone and everywhere. Whoever needs help. Whoever needs protecting. To face that fear of the unknown and dive right in! I want to explore the Wild!”

Both said nothing. They didn’t need to. Meredith knew.

They’d all dive in together.

A rap sounded from the cave wall, prompting them to turn to where their commander was, waiting for them. “It’s time, peons.”

No more was said. The trio stood from their perch, offering one last look at the world beyond, the one they’d return to someday. Then, one by one, they faced away, following Amelia back into the cavern.

It was empty now, cleared out of the Renegades that would be joining them on the skyship. The essence of life could still be felt in that place, far back where the pillars rested. But Meredith knew that true life waited above, and a battle with them. Whatever needed to be done with the world could be figured out later. She fluffed her hair a bit, tapping the blade at her side. Emil and Vivian likewise prepared themselves for battle, and by the time they’d stepped on the packed skyship, they were ready.

“Sal, you sure we can hold this many people?” Jay was asking of their pilot. She shoved him away.

“If we need to lighten any load, you’ll be the first kicked off,” she answered. Amelia bustled past, pushing Jay even further into the crowd of Renegades. Some had taken up the smaller rooms of the vehicle, but Rico was there on the bridge, a crude spear attached to his back. At his side was Lovelia. “Better yet, Jay, why don’t you stand by the gaping hole we still have. Maybe you’ll be jostled out.”

“Cut it out. Childs, Rico, you can get us back up to the surface, correct? All of us?” Amelia asked, ending the spat between the squad mates.

Meredith glanced to Rico, the two sharing a moment. True to Emil’s words, he looked determined and ready to give his all in the battle ahead. He’d also found a future for which to strive, and was clinging to it with all that he had. They didn’t need to converse. “We’ve got you covered.”

“Then let’s get this going. Fire it up, Sal,” Amelia ordered.

The skyship trembled to life, its guttural engine giving Meredith the impression that they’d barely done patchwork repairs, much less anything extensive enough to keep them going for ages. This was going to be a bumpy ride. With a noise that sounded like a firing gun, the skyship rose off the plinth of rock that jutted out from the cave, careful to avoid both the falls and the barrier that had sheared off the piece of their vehicle. Every jostling adjustment forced someone to fall into someone else.

Rico made sure to keep close to Meredith, their hands grasping as they prepared to do their part. Their souls touched, each feeling what the other was feeling. They touched to the curtain of souls that awaited them, the flow of sentiments visible.

“One with the flow…That’s how we’ll do this.” Meredith was sure he was speaking about a little more than piercing the curtain of souls, but she didn’t challenge him. His soul was steadfast, ready for the fight ahead and devoted to changing their world. The right way, this time.

They grasped the emotions they were feeling, and simultaneously asked for the souls to part for them. Rico seemed surprised at Meredith merely asking for them to move, but combined with him, she could see the way in which the souls were moving. It was a different way to use her Soul Vision, and through it, she could direct them, knowing which way to ask them. They’d both gained something.

The skyship shook, Kenny shouting that the pressure on the engines entering the atmosphere might be too great, but Sal yelling to hold on. Vivian and Emil were clasping each other, and Lovelia, as well. Meredith and Rico continued on, until the veil was torn aside, and the great blue sea was revealed to them. The skyship accelerated, breaking through the last of the mist to fly out on the other side. The rush of the falls returned, and the two soul users began to fall to their knees.

“You…continue to…astound me, trial girl…”

“Heh, I think I learned something, too. We stand a chance.”

“Well, we’re back in our world for certain,” Amelia said. She was unflappable, brushing her hair aside to lean over the duo of Kenny and Sal. “How’re the engines?”

“They can get us where we’re going, but I can’t promise acceleration.”

“That’ll be enough. Disastrous duo, open the communications link. I want to make sure it can still work; in case we need to rally the troops.” Bruce and Trent got right on it, fiddling with what they could. Amelia faced Rico. “Now, last chance, Renegade. You’re sticking with us, or did you come here just to run? If it’s the latter, I’ll arrest you and toss you in the ocean.”

“You can be scary, commander,” Rico said, exuding a chuckle. Amelia wasn’t one to be trifled with. “No worries. I have a responsibility to the family with me, those left behind, and those taken from me. Trial girl here reminded me of that. I’ve spent over-long brooding.”

“I’m still keeping my eye on you…”

“Commander, we have links to Lumarina, Lacardia and the Metropolis open!” Bruce yelled. On-screen were Emil’s mother, Captain Clive and Brynn, each looking relatively sleep-deprived, having been waiting for the call. Meredith stepped forward to them, but Rico’s new conversation kept her attention split.

“The world looks quite a bit smaller. The seas are sadder…”

“It’s ironic, brother,” Lovelia noted. She was close to Meredith now, but offered Vivian a wide berth. The bad blood between the girls was evident. “Even if we’d succeeded in the Metropolis, there’d have been nothing left.”

“Mm, so we’ll save what there is. Lovelia, I’m trusting you and James for that future. No more fighting with the Corps.”

“Yes. And…the Beastmaster? Maria?” Meredith held her breath in, wondering how Rico would respond to the request. How would he act, confronted with the source of so much pain and misery?

“You don’t need to worry about them. They’ll be my sin. Your goal is to keep us going.”

“Since when did you make decisions?” Vivian challenged. Rico bowed to her with apology, yet couldn’t get the words out. Amelia’s sharp voice, communicating with the others, drowned the lot of them.

“Just make sure you have someone watching over the Gash, Brynn. I don’t care who. Marcus will undoubtedly head there.”

“Then do whatever you need to, commander. The Home Guard will continue as support!” Brynn’s steadfast salute was followed by the boys behind her. Each channel clicked off, leaving the bridge silent but for the engines. Amelia sighed out.

“To Corps Castle,” she whispered. A hand was on Sal’s shoulder, the woman shaking at the gravity of that request. “To home…”

The dignity that the Guardians on the ship held when faced with confronting that destruction made Meredith’s respect for them rise. Those who could, remained standing, hands over their hearts, unfettered by the sea breeze that covered them from the hole in the engine room. Rico and Lovelia, though not Guardians, bowed their head in reverence for those who had fallen. No longer was Rico angry at them, but full of esteem for those that had soldiered on, believing in the principles that he, too, did.

With grave silence, the skyship rose above the sea, towards the continent where their broken dreams lay. Meredith steeled her mind, believing it would hurt to see a site of such failure. The closer they got, the more it became obvious…she was fine.

This is hope, she realized. Terrill broke the castle to give us hope, that we could get to the blade first. We’re not alone.

It didn’t stop the tears of Tempest Squad, or Amelia, from falling. At the sight of their once majestic home, now broken, each of them silently cried. In the harsh morning daylight, Meredith could see its ruins, the stone broken in on itself, half of the crumbled structure sinking into the sea as the land eroded away. A couple Guardians were already below, defending the venerable location per Amelia’s orders; they looked like lonely pinpricks in a forgotten relic. It was sad that a place that stood a mere month ago had been reduced to this.

The engine changed noises, Sal bringing it in for a landing. A flock of birds took off from where they relaxed upon the castle’s remnants, and the few Guardians there prepared to welcome their group. The skyship landed, the engine hissing with relief, and all atop the bridge were in reverent silence for where they had arrived.

No one wanted to make the first move, even those of the Renegades, who were shaking their heads in disbelief and wonder of what had had happened in the world. Even if nobody believed in the goddess, a prayer for the souls of those Guardians they’d lost, buried in the rubble, was offered. Meredith bowed her head for a moment, but when she was done, she left the others to continue doing so. She exited via the engine room, back on the grassy plains in front of the building that was her biggest failure.

Undaunted, Meredith walked towards the crumbled stone, to where one of the gates used to be, broken in. She knew the Corps had worked tirelessly to pull out whatever fallen comrades they could, though many had burned to ash in the conflagration. She swallowed, hoping to stop her parched throat from irritating her.

Below us is the Abyssal Blade…but how are we even supposed to get there? She couldn’t ask her question aloud, needing them to come to terms with where they were. Instead, she wiped her face of whatever emotion may have started to show, and climbed upon the first rock there. Her Soul Vision revealed nothing to her, other than knowing there was a power beneath her feet. She clambered further up the ruins.

Broken blades and other weapons were mixed in with the stone and steel that had comprised the castle. Behind her on the plains, her comrades were gathering, but Meredith sorted through the rubble, careful to not hurt herself. Wind whistled in her ears of the land’s loneliness, deprived of the joyous camaraderie it had experienced. Meredith bent down, examining all that was broken before her; the pieces that couldn’t be brought back together. She began to think she could move it all aside to find the path beneath, but had no idea how to do that, or if Terrill would have even wanted her to.

Meredith began to turn away, but the glint in the corner of her eye made her wonder if the wish of her soul had been answered.

Desperate, she scrambled up more of the rocks, hardly hearing the shouts of those below. There was something familiar shining in the ruins, greater than anything else. When she reached it, panting and sweating, Meredith found a bereaved smile upon her lips. The familiar hilt was there, just within her reach. There was no will inside of it, and Terrill’s soul couldn’t be sensed in the slightest, but it felt like they were two close companions, longing to see each other again. Meredith bent down, gripping to the hilt and pulling it forth. Her body strained and grunted with exertion, but she eventually got it loose, almost tumbling down and hitting the rocks.

The Earth-Splitter was back in her hands, looking no different than the day it was lost.

Different, they were, all the same.

I’m sorry I lost you…But I’ll continue building what you hoped for…Meredith touched her forehead to the shimmering blade, her thoughts a promise to the man inside. That oath given, Meredith jumped back down the remnants of Corps Castle, to join those on the ground. Not a one commented on what was in her hands.

“Is it still beneath us?” Amelia took to asking. Meredith nodded, while Rico did the same. So close now, with little in the way of interference, that powerful soul slept beneath their feet. To all but those who knew what it was, it may as well have been another magic core, but Meredith was assured of what lay beneath. “Good…good…now, how to reach it.”

“Could we dig a giant hole?” Emil asked. He was standing by Vivian, Emily, Jay and the “disastrous duo”. Rico and Lovelia stood a distance from them while their fellow comrades stared around, not knowing what any one of them could do in this situation.

“Even Carlton couldn’t have managed that,” Rico said, his lament obvious while he rubbed his temples. “Besides, doing something like that could weaken the integrity of the entire structure.”

“Then just have her do it,” Vivian expressed, pointing straight to Lovelia. The dark-haired girl gave a start, wariness in her minute movements while she regarded the blonde. Vivian groaned. “Oh, don’t be coy. You have the ability to teleport to magic. We all know it.”

“But that kind of precision…taking us through the ground could kill us…”

“Lovelia,” Rico interrupted. He put a hand on her. “Don’t worry. You’re the only one with that ability. I’ll guide the souls you help transport. Right now, it’s the swiftest way.”

“I’ll enchant you for support. This isn’t a time to be scared or worried.”

“I can do it just fine!”

“No squabbling,” Meredith said, coming between the two before they could begin fighting. “Lovelia, can you get us right there? All of us?”

“I…” Lovelia swallowed as Meredith stared her down, removing the worry and hesitation that she once knew the girl for. “I can try my best.”

“You better not just try. We have no room for error here, understood?” Amelia’s stern demeanor pulled Lovelia up from her uncertainty to nod. “You get us in, and be ready at all times to get us out. We get the Abyssal Blade, and figure out the next move to stop Marcus from there. Are you all ready? No turning back.”

“We returned to our world ready, commander,” Rico assured her. He held his hand out to her. The woman took it. His other hand gripped Lovelia’s, which Meredith took. One by one, they linked hands, their breaths synchronizing as they prepared to make the plunge. “Same side this time.”

“No more squabbling.”

Lovelia’s body glowed green, Vivian’s stamina enhancement taking effect. They closed their eyes, readying themselves. Lovelia’s hands shook inside Meredith’s, her body heating up. It was like Meredith’s skin was burning without any real pain. Then she felt stretched, her body feeling like it was becoming light, itself, formless and directionless.

That didn’t last long as she saw a hand offering itself to her: Rico’s hand. Lovelia’s magic had transformed them, and Rico guided them. Meredith couldn’t see where she was going or what was happening in that state, but she chose to trust them, falling through light until there was a crack in the air, and her feet landed on solid stone.

“Whoa!” The echo of Emil’s shout alerted Meredith to the preeminent danger. Her eyes snapped open, her feet almost slipping when they realized they were at the edge of a chasm. She righted herself, holding fast to Vivian and Lovelia, the latter almost teetering off the edge. A buffer of wind separated them from that gap, pushing them back to the circular platform where Lovelia had teleported them.

“Sorry, it’s not exact. I’m just teleporting to the source of the magic power…”

“Nearly getting us killed,” Vivian grumbled. Meredith squeezed her hand tight enough to shut her up.

That done, she released both of those she was holding to and looked for where they were. The platform was solid stone, stretching down to the depths. Etched in the center was a familiar symbol: that of the Guardian Corps. Stemming from each of the circles hewn in was a pathway, narrow bridges over the divide that led to some doors.

“It’s here…” Rico breathed. Meredith was sure it was, too, just beneath the symbol on the floor. It could have been so easy to just rip it out from where it rested, but she knew, deep down, Terrill would never have made it so easy. “How to get it out…”

“Gee, these pathways must have nothing to do with it,” Jay said. He received a punch from Emily for his careless remarks.

“Despite Jay’s seeming incompetence, he has a point. Six paths, and the six trials of the Corps.”

“Six elements, no doubt,” Amelia came to figure. She sniffed at the air, turning in the direction of one of the halls. Meredith put her Soul Vision upon that direction and could feel the power of wind behind its monolithic doors. Rotating clockwise she saw each element. Terrill’s intent became clear.

“Seven,” she confirmed, her voice ringing out. Those gathered with her all took a look in her direction while she figured it out. “Terrill wouldn’t have made it as simple as six elements. Whatever is beyond those doors, it’s one for each element…and one person here to pull it out.”

“Boy, that founder really wanted people to come together, huh?” Vivian said. She was annoyed, but was already facing the direction of the light-affiliated chamber. She wasn’t the only one. Many were facing that way.

“Well, something like a Weapon is too powerful to be found so easily. He wanted a safeguard.”

“And we’re breaking that safeguard,” Amelia said. She found it funny, but her voice carried urgency. They couldn’t afford to delay their path to the Blade any longer. “Well, then, if it’s each elemental path, then I’ll take the windy one with Jay. Lacroix, go with Miss Teleport to the light chamber. Baroné-”

“Yeah, mine’s obvious. Dark it is.”

“Bro, we can take fire and water,” Bruce said with a nudge to Trent. The other man agreed by way of a high five. Meredith scratched her head, having never seen either of them actually use magic before, but figured their usual strengths would play in that advantage.

“And I’ll take earth.” Rico had already started in that direction. “Meredith, you stay here. The second that blade appears, you grab it.”

“You sure you can handle this, Rico?” He tossed her a thumbs up, grinning all the while. Each of the teams made their way to the starting line of their doors.

“The magic core of earth is strong in this cavern. We’ll be just fine. Be ready for anything.” Rico was the first to tap the door, pushing it wide open. Meredith ran towards the end of the bridge leading there, peering through the darkness of the cavern to the inside.

To her eyes, it seemed plain, with an empty span of space between the doors and the end of the room. Or so it appeared. Rico was apprehensive on his first step inside.

He turned out to be wise to do so.

A metal scythe came swinging straight down, forcing Rico to roll forward. He hadn’t lost his combat touch in the last few months, but was forced to be on the move almost immediately from the traps Terrill had left waiting for them.

“Your mentor is sadistic!” Vivian shouted, causing Meredith to turn. Little lasers of light were raining from above and the sides, preventing any of the light-users from progressing. “All this to protect a weapon…”

Her complaints grabbed the attention of Emily, who ran forward to join the girls trudging in the light, grabbing tight on them. “Vivian, defense. Lovelia, teleportation. I’ll heal whatever damage may be incurred. Meredith, you keep watch here.”

“We’ll need to be simultaneous when we reach the end. No one go dying!” Amelia ordered. Her palms and arms were stretched behind her before they fired a steady stream of wind. Jay had her back, slinging blades of air in every direction he could to stop the gusts that attempted to drive their commander off course. He also tossed a blade for her to correct her footing when she lost altitude.

Meredith, left alone in the center, couldn’t figure out the direction she needed to turn. Down the hall of light, the trio of girls were dashing, tanking every attack coming at them. Rico was deftly dodging before a hammer nearly caught his arm. Emil was lost in the visible darkness of the room, floating any way he could to get through a suspended maze. Bruce and Trent were crossing a bridge spanning a fiery pit or a grand pool respectively. Meredith instinctively clenched, knowing they only had one shot at this to make it to the end. She activated her Soul Vision and saw the soul nestled beneath, alongside the six magical locks keeping it in place.

“Gah!” Rico’s shout drew her in his direction, but before she put steps to the bridge, he shouted back to her. “No! Stay there! Soon as we send the power to unlock that seal, you bring it out. We’ve got this covered!”

Rico dodged another blade, and he slapped his hand to the wall. The man communicated with it and the soul that appeared to make this entire place thrive. The chunk of stone shot out, knocking the descending weapon away. He made a mad dash for the end of the room.

“Come on, everyone…” Meredith found herself saying under her breath. She walked the room in a circle, watching everyone’s progress as best as she could from her position. Bruce was matching fire with fire, a shield of heat surrounding his body that melted away any projectiles flung. He was slow moving, especially when compared to Trent, whose rivulets of water were as rails sliding beneath his feet, making him fast. It was similar to Amelia, the woman having almost reached the end. Meredith bent down, pressing her hands to the seal. She could feel the locks there.

Her eyes closed, waiting for the din of her comrades to come to an end, knowing it would mean success when it did. Still, she saw the souls moving around her, and even those above, of greater multitude than when she’d left. Meredith focused on the locks, and gasped when she saw energy flowing from one end. She looked up to Amelia’s corridor, the woman blasting something at the end with a shot of wind.

Moments after, the vein of earth began to stir like a coiled snake.

Then fire, and water.

The locks were close to being able to be undone, their magical pressure points held off by something surrounding the blade. Meredith’s breath was short, waiting on Vivian and Emil to work the magic she knew they had. Her fingers tapped upon the seal, twitching.

All soon went quiet.

The lines began to meet, darkness and light both coming towards her.

Please…hear my soul. Free the Weapon…she called within, her request quiet but ardent. There was a pause, and then the soul inside spoke back to her, hearing her.

Yes, I see that. The test is over. You may pass. She smiled, and saw the locks fall away, allowing all six of the elements to meet the center. At first, nothing happened, prompting Meredith to stand and look at it curiously. She tapped it with her foot, and the rumbling started. The seal began to break apart, something underneath rising upwards from the center of the column. It slid all the way, like an altar that manifested in midair until the whirring stopped.

The pure, unaltered energy of the soul inside the Weapon hit Meredith. It had been alone for so long, and was now free. Meredith could only imagine what that felt like, with its primal emotion digging deep inside her. She wanted to talk to the soul inside, and reassure them that it would all be okay.

Placing her hands upon that blackened blade, however, she chose not to. She just said one sentence, which quelled the overwhelming loneliness. “I’ll free you.”

A pause in which that grief of being sealed for centuries abated, and then a simple return followed. Thank you.

Meredith smiled, bringing the blade to her chest, and she lifted her voice. “Guys, I have it!”

Whacrack!

The strange noise was a whip in Meredith’s ears. She spun, falling backwards until she was at the edge of the column. Her soul readied itself, the Abyssal Blade pointed at the interlopers that had appeared in a flash of light. Her feet fought to stand, heart thumping so loudly it drowned all but his words.

“All this time, it’s been in the one place I never thought to look,” Marcus said. The souls inside him made Meredith’s fingers tremble, her lip quivering. Eddie was in there. She closed her eyes, willing the nightmare away and made to stand. Her legs had barely managed it when the Reaper turned to her. Joined by his three priests, he approached her on the column to nothingness. Gone was the kindly Marcus, replaced with the leader of the Order, his twisted ambitions on his sleeve and not a trace of a smile. “So many years and it was right under my nose. There’s an irony in that. The object of my search and dreams, ever within and out of my reach. But it’s done now. The world can meet its change.

“Give me the Abyssal Blade, Miss Childs. I’ll set your burden free.”