“We don’t make fun of him even if the perfect opportunity arises,” Bastien regarded the barracks, “please, for me?”

“Okay,” Olo said immediately.

“Fine, only cause you’re asking,” Mads rolled her eyes.

“He wouldn’t do the same thing for any of us,” Gene said through narrowed eyes.

“That’s true, but I sense that Johnny’s been having a difficult time,” Bastien raised a hand to forestall the arguments, “I know we’ve all been struggling with similar things, but shouldn’t we do our best to alleviate each other’s burdens in any way we can?”

“I don’t mean it in a malicious way. It’s how we are. Johnny sticks his knives in my back and I hit him with magic missiles to the face… metaphorically,” Gene said. “We all have this understanding, don’t we?”

“Sure, under normal conditions—” Bastien began.

“Which we aren’t dealing with,” Gene sighed. “Fine, I’ll do my best to be… supportive,” he grimaced.

Mad’s raised a hand. “What if he’s super annoying? Like he’s been since the nightmares started.”

“I’ve been trying to cut everyone slack since I know that it isn’t you guys. It’s mostly in my head,” Olo shrugged.

“Me too,” Gene chimed.

Bastien gave him flat stare.

“I’ve tried?” Gene shrugged.

“You could try harder,” Olo said.

“Fine, sorry, alright. No dickishness… as long as he isn’t one,” Gene said.

Mads snorted.

“We’ll follow your lead on this, Bastien,” Gene said.

“Good, thank you. I can sense that he’s almost here,” Bastien said.

They all watched the door, while trying to look like they weren’t watching the door. Which was why they missed Johnny falling into the barracks out of a shadow on the wall.

He crashed to the floor as those tripping over an exposed tree root.

Curses filled the room.

“The fuck was that?” Gene said.

“New Skill!” Johnny grinned up at them.

Bastien hurried over to give him a hand up.

“Thanks, dude!” Johnny beamed.

“So, did you get what you wanted out of the Quest?” Bastien said.

“Yes and no,” Johnny replied.

“And yet you don’t look upset.”

“I was a little bit at first, but on my way back from the spire I thought about it more and the spires message sounded like I’m on the right path—”

“No ass class then?” Mads said innocently.

Bastien glared at the younger woman, but she avoided his eyes.

“Not yet, but I think I just need to keep doing Quests like that,” Johnny said.

“The new Skill lets you walk through shadows,” Gene said with interest.

“Don’t miss anything, do you bro?” Johnny grinned. “It’s called Shadow Walk.”

“Do you have details on how it works or do we need to experiment?” Gene said.

“Since I got a bunch of points from that Quest, I bought a tutorial,” Johnny said.

“Stupid pay to win micro-transaction shit,” Olo grumbled.

“It’s pretty straightforward. My awesome new Skill uses stamina. I walk into a shadow and I walk out of a shadow. As in walk. I tried running and I only slammed into the wall,” Johnny said.

“Was it a direct walk from the outside to the inside? Like the shadows function as a door?” Gene said.

Johnny nodded. “For now. As I level and get better at using it I’ll be able to move about through different shadows. Different spots and greater distance. That sort of thing.”

“What’s it like inside the shadow?” Bastien said.

“Is it like a shadow realm thingie?” Mads said.

Johnny pointed fingers at the two. “Don’t know. It felt like walking in pitch darkness, but without any sensory input. That’s why I fell… maybe?”

“You know what this means?” Gene began. “Practice time!” he grinned.

“Let’s go!” Johnny said.

“We’ll need to set up different kinds of shadows,” Olo said.

“Shouldn’t be too hard with how modular the training chamber is,” Gene said.

Gene and Olo practically rushed out of the chamber.

Johnny lingered. “You guys coming?”

“Sorry, I’m scheduled for a medical scan in fifteen,” Mads said.

“I’m after her and I’d like to try praying before. See if it makes a difference,” Bastien said.

“Hasn’t so far,” Johnny said.

“Perhaps this will be the time.”

“Hopefully, but don’t let it hit you too hard if it doesn’t,” Johnny patted Bastien on the shoulder before turning and walking into the shadow on the wall.

“You know that once he gets the hang of that he’s going to be much worse. Remember how it was when he first got Hide?” Mads said.

“We were teenagers then. We’re adults now,” Bastien said.

“Um… yeah… he’s not that much different from then,” Mads snorted. “I’ll get out of here so you can do your thing. Might as well start heading over to medical.”

“Good luck,” Bastien said.

Now that he was alone Bastien sat down on his bunk and closed his eyes. He pulled a rosary out and began praying.

The calm came with his abilities. It always had throughout the ordeal of the last several weeks, over a month now. The only problem was that it never lasted long once he was no longer actively using them.

The haunting music in his ears dwindled to silence.

The terrible images in his mind’s eye disappeared into nothing.

Oh, how he wished it could remain so.

There was something that he hadn’t shared with his friends.

Like them he had seen terrible things in the nightmares.

The same song?

Different music?

Both and neither.

One that permeated his every thought, but couldn’t be described no matter how hard one tried.

What was different about his suffering was that it was interactive.

Bastien sat on his bed and silently went through the Rosary.

But, after several minutes he was also in another place.

A dream.

No.

The nightmare.

He stood in the Church of his youth.

He sat on his bed.

It was so real.

It wasn’t.

Organ music drifted around him, but it wasn’t what he remembered. It was that damned song.

He plugged his ears to no avail.

Rows of wooden pews stretched out in front of him.

The altar sat at the other end up on a slightly raised dais. Behind it, on the wall was a wooden cross with an artistic representation of Jesus upon it.

Stained glass windows were set high up along the cavernous ceiling on both sides. Sunlight shined down through them like rainbows.

Banners, the Stations of the Cross, hung on the walls on either side of the interior.

They suddenly burst into flames.

Bastien stifled a cry.

The heat washed over him.

The song grew louder.

Windows shattered.

“Shield of Faith.”

The shards bounced off the bright sphere of light that sprang to life around Bastien.

His hands felt clammy around the haft of his halberd.

When had that appeared?

He touched the protective amulet he had purchased from the spire for reassurance.

Looking down at it, he noticed that he was now clad in his combat gear. Not the Threnosh-made power armor, but the padded cloth and chain mail that he had worn back on Earth.

He focused inward and pulsed one of his auras. The one that brought a feeling of calm and peace.

“Do not be afraid.”

A voice echoed.

A chorus of many in one.

“Put your faith in our dominion and you will be saved.”

He looked up toward the altar and the cross.

A bright light shined.

He was forced to look away, but he thought he had caught a glimpse of golden wings spreading behind the light.

“You are a lie,” he whispered. “You cannot tempt me with falsehoods and fake images.”

“Do you not wish to protect those that you care about?”

“Not through whatever it is you offer.”

“All you have to do is have faith and they will be saved. If you don’t then…”

A hundred deaths flashed through Bastien’s thoughts.

Family and friends, here and back home.

Each one in excruciating detail.

Terrible fates that he was forced to witness.

He had seen them all so many times every night over the past several weeks.

“Your faith is strong. Trust in it… in me.”

“No. Not in you. You’re a liar. False. I don’t know what you are, but you aren’t who you claim. You’re no angel, nor God.”

“Have faith. Join me, bow your head in prayer and be saved from what is to come.”

“If you were true then you wouldn’t put any conditions on salvation. It isn’t a transaction. It is enough to live as Christ did. No more, no less, no matter what anyone else says. Only one can judge us all.”

“Only I can save you from this…”

The space around Bastien yawned with great rents in the air.

Demons or devils, he couldn’t tell spewed forth.

They came in myriad shapes that threatened to drive him mad. He couldn’t fix their physical forms in his mind.

Some were things of flame, of ice, dirt.

Others were grotesque mockeries of life, dripping pale blood and viscera. Obscene organs dangling and writhing as if they had their own minds.

Things composed of a multitude of stinging and biting insects swarmed in humanoid shapes.

Those weren’t the worst of them.

“Please…” Bastien wavered.

“They will descend on your world if you don’t embrace my truth, my song. I have dominion over you. Only I can keep you from the horrors scattered through eternity.”

Bastien clung to the silent prayers in his head.

He felt the amulet around his neck— the beads of the rosary in his fingers.

Real.

Not real.

The monsters attacked and bounced off his invisible shield with great flashes of light where they struck.

“My faith is my shield.” He pulled on a different aura. “My faith is my weapon.” A pulse erupted from him in all directions.

The monsters recoiled from the light that remained around him, burning bright.

“My weapons are Holy.” He drew his pistol and fired. Where he struck the monsters died with a flash.

Sensing that Bastien’s shield was down the monsters attacked again despite how they burned as they drew closer to him. He swung his halberd in wide arcs with one hand, while shooting with the other. “My faith is my strength.”

Each step down the aisle toward the alter and the floating figure of golden light was met by a horror given form.

Infernal fire burned him.

Talons cut through armor to reach his flesh.

Bastien was forced to switch auras to one that healed his wounds.

His pistol clicked on empty, so he cast it aside and swung his halberd with all his might.

The holy-infused weapon destroyed with each slash and thrust.

Stinging insects covered his face. They tried to eat his eyes, his tongue. He healed as they damage him, but the pain was inescapable.

He staggered through the onslaught and found himself mere feet away from the foot of the dais that the altar rest upon.

“See. Your faith is not enough alone. Only through my dominion will you and yours ever see the joy of light again.”

“You don’t represent him. You are no angel. I don’t know what you are, but no evil can escape my Holy Light!” Bastien slammed the butt of his halberd into the floor. The weapon flared bright. The remaining monsters disintegrated around him.

Gasping, he looked up.

Golden light remained.

“And yet, I remain. You should ponder that.”

Bastien fell to his knees. His weapon clattered next to him.

The church burned around him.

The music grew louder until it was all that remained in his head.

He closed his eyes, felt the beads in his fingers and tried to resume his prayers.

He came to laying on the cold, metallic floor. He felt wetness on his face and in his ears.

The damned song was still present.

“Hey! Bastien! Can you hear me?”

A voice punched through.

He couldn’t see anything except a dark shape over him.

Strong hands lifted him up and gently placed him on the bed.

The stiff padding was slightly more comfortable than the floor. At least it was warmer.

“Hang on! I’ve put in a call. Medical’s on the way. So are the others. Shit… you’re a mess.”

A light was shined into his eyes.

His vision slowly cleared.

“What happened?” Tessa said.

“I— I think I had a nightmare… but I hadn’t fallen asleep… at least I think I wasn’t… the song… demons… gold… wings… Tessa, I think, I think I saw… teeth?” he tried to rub whatever sticky gunk that was in his eyes, but found his hands held firm by vise-like fingers.

“Don’t. Wait for medical. You’re bleeding out of all your face holes and that’s never a good sign,” Tessa said.

Bastien struggled futilely.

“Why aren’t you healing yourself?”

“I—” he tried and failed. “I can’t right now.”

“I’m going to let your hands go, but promise me you won’t move,” Tessa said.

Bastien nodded.

There was a flurry of movement and Bastien was suddenly surrounded by his entire team. His mind was in a fog. Time wasn’t working right.

“I think he’s back,” Tessa said. “Are you back, Bastien? You went away for a few minutes there.”

“What does that mean?” Johnny said.

“Did you call the medical team?” Gene said.

“First thing I did when I found him,” Tessa said. “Before I called you.”

“I didn’t know you were back,” Mads said.

“I literally just came back. I was in the middle of dropping my gear off when… well, it’s hard to explain. I detected some weird electromagnetic activity, which is why I came here,” Tessa said.

“Bastien’s brain got attacked,” Johnny said. “That’s what that means, right?”

“Listen,” Bastien rasped. “Have to tell you. It spoke to me. It’s been speaking to me for weeks, but— I don’t know. Gold wings and teeth, I think that’s what I saw, a gaping mouth with many sharp teeth. A liar, tempting with falsehoods. Preying on our fears—”

Silence.

“And?” Gene leaned closer to Bastien’s face.

“He’s out,” Tessa said. “Still breathing so I’m not going to freak out about it. Although… where is the medical team?”

“I’ll check,” Olo tapped on his PID and moved closer to the barrack’s door.

“Um… anyone want to speculate on what Bastien just said? Also, is the music super scary for you guys too right now?” Johnny said.

Reluctant nods all around.

“Well, it’s obviously gotten worse,” Mads hugged herself as she shivered. “I mean, this is a direct attack, right?”

“You caught it though,” Gene regarded Tessa.

“Yeah, but I didn’t do anything beyond that. I wouldn’t even know how to block or stop it,” Tessa scowled. “Maybe Vee could. Her powers are more geared toward that. I’m just learning how to use mine in different ways.”

“We can’t bring her here. Your dad wouldn’t allow it even if we wanted to,” Gene said.

“Hey, guys,” Olo said. “Medical’s on the way. They’ll be here in a minute. They acknowledged the delay, but didn’t give a reason.”

“Why didn’t he heal himself?” Johnny said.

“Said he couldn’t,” Tessa laid a hand on Bastien's blood-soaked chest, “his heart’s racing, but not at a deadly pace.”

“He’ll be fine once medical takes him. I want a watch on him. We may be able to do something if he gets attacked again,” Gene said. “He said that something spoke, has been speaking to him, that’s different from the rest of us. Tessa, did he say more when you first found him?”

“A little bit, but nothing different than what he told all of us. I’ll contact my mom, let her know what happened and try to describe what I felt. It’s more data for them to work with. They should be aware so that they can keep a close eye on Vee,” Tessa said.

“Right, so on that note. We need to buddy up. No one goes alone for more than a few minutes,” Gene said.

“I need to talk to my dad about this,” Tessa said.

“Okay, you’re with him,” Gene said. “Mads and Olo, me and Johnny.”

Somber nods.

“My dad and I can watch Bastien. We’re probably the best chance he has if there’s a repeat. Not that I know what to look for…” Tessa shrugged.

“Okay, that’s for the best,” Gene said.

“What about us?” Johnny said.

“We’ll send a live feed of the barracks to Tessa’s PID,” Gene said.

“That’ll work,” Tessa said.

The medical team entered the chamber at that point.

The team followed the unconscious Bastien to the medical chamber and stayed while Tessa went to find her father.

Once Tessa returned with Remy, he promptly ordered them to go about their day.

It wasn’t easy as their minds were torn with worry about Bastien and about themselves. They had no choice, but to go about their day while dreading the inevitable terror-filled night.

Bastien woke the next morning.

His head hurt, but he was alive and he could see straight.

Tessa sat in the chair next to his healing pod.

He tapped on the clear view port to get her attention. He gestured to the top of the pod and mimed an exit.

Tessa frowned for a moment. “You’re stuck in there until medical says otherwise.”

He rolled his eyes.

“I’ll check with them.”

Tessa disappeared from the chamber.

He waited for what felt like an hour when the chime in his ears alerted him to prepare for freedom.

The process only took a few minutes as the jelly-like liquid was drained and the pod moved into an angled, upright position. Medical Threnosh appeared and fussed over him with scanners as the pod opened.

They pulled the breathing mask from his face. “I’m fine, guys.”

“Your brain hemorrhaged. From multiple locations.”

“Thanks, but I think I’ve got that covered.” He concentrated and felt the healing flow through his body. The aches slowly disappeared. His thoughts cleared, aside from the song.

The Threnosh instruments beeped. They eyed him for a split-second then abruptly left.

“They don’t like how they can’t figure out how you do that,” Tessa grinned.

“Guess their tech isn’t advanced enough yet to understand magic and faith,” he said.

“Hungry?” Tessa said.

“Starving,” he replied.

They went to the cafeteria straight away.

They piled their trays with food and sat down at one of the many empty tables.

“Where are the others?”

“Called away for missions. The Inheritors made a big push, so my dad and they had to go. They’re still fighting,” Tessa said.

“And you’re still here?”

Tessa shrugged. “Not by choice… no offense, my dad decided that I was your best chance at survival in case of another attack and I had to agree with him, so I stayed.”

“Thanks,” Bastien snorted.

“Don’t mention it. So, you up for talking about what you saw? You were mostly incoherent when I found you.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Bastien related everything that he could remember about the experience as the two ate.

“So you had some kind of waking nightmare?”

“I think those are called hallucinations.”

“Yeah, but none of those cause electromagnetic activity that I can detect. Not to mention brain bleeding.”

“The way you say that…” Bastien shuddered. “This is my brain we’re talking about. Do you think it might turn into permanent damage down the line?”

“Meh… my uncle was always complaining about his brain bleeding and he’s fine.”

“I don’t think that our brains are comparable.”

“You’ve got healing magic and the scanners said you were good, so I wouldn’t worry too much. More importantly, why didn’t you say anything about this thing talking to you? That’s important information we should’ve had as soon as you knew.”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t trust what I was experiencing. When I first realized that what I was seeing was different from the rest of you I thought maybe I was the key and I could spare you all if I could overcome it. I was wrong,” Bastien bowed his head.

“So, what was it and what’d it talk to you about?”

“I don’t know what it was. It felt like a figure of light. Wings. The teeth were new. Yesterday was the first time I saw that. As for what it would say… variations on the same thing. That I needed to have faith and place myself, us, under its dominion. That it was the only way to save… everyone I care about.”

“Huh?” Tessa ruminated with a slice of pizza. “It used those words exactly?”

“I think so.”

“Dominion,” Tessa muttered. “Fuck!” she snapped after a momentary pause. “I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had the chance to actually sit down and think about the nightmares. It’s like I can’t think beyond that damned music. We’re missing something.”

“Enemy action is a certainty now.”

“That might’ve been obvious from the beginning if you told us,” Tessa grumbled.

“Sorry,” Bastien mumbled.

“No, I’m sorry. It’s hard for us, but it’s harder for you. I don’t blame you and none of the others would either,” Tessa said as she started tapping on her PID. “There. I just sent what you told me to my mom. She and the researchers are clear headed about this. If there’s something there, they’ll find it.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. It sounds like you had a pretty epic fight against this thing.”

“But it didn’t work. My light didn’t hurt it. If it was evil—”

“That whole thing might not have been real, strictly speaking. You saw my uncle’s reports, right?”

Bastien nodded.

“With magic and powers there are more battlefields than the physical world,” Tessa continued.

“Shouldn’t mine have worked then?”

“How should I know?” Tessa shrugged. “Wings and light… was it an angel? Or maybe it took the form of one cause of your Catholic-ness?”

“You’re one too?”

“Technically, I guess. Had a Bible in the house. I remember First Communion and going to church on Christmas. I will be the first to admit that I was a terrible one,” Tessa said.

“No one is terrible.”

Tessa raised a brow.

“Okay… that’s not true,” Bastien sighed. “But even the terrible can be forgiven.”

“If they sincerely want it and stop being terrible, but that’s not how it’s been historically. Sorry,” Tessa said. “I remember a few rants about the evils of organized religion from my aunt. Never mind that. Back to the angel question.”

“What do you know about them? I mean in the Bible.”

“Nothing. I think ‘angel’ and I picture a guy with wings and a flaming sword. Kinda like Salamander, now that I think about it.”

“That’s more of an artistic representation. The Bible describes them in different ways. Some just appear like people. Others have six wings. Others are a lot weirder. I’m talking multiple faces, human mixed with animals. Or a bunch of wheels stuck together, except they’re also covered with eyes.”

“Oh, I know that last one,” Tessa perked up. “Like from my uncle’s ancient alien crap. Except he said the wheels were on fire and they were really alien spaceships that ancient people couldn’t comprehend so they called them angels.”

“I… sure, why not,” Bastien shrugged. “One common theme among all of the angel stories was that they tended to be scary, no matter what form they took. They’d always be all ‘be not afraid’ whenever appearing to people.”

Tessa laughed. “Yeah, ‘don’t be afraid while I wrestle you in the dark, Jacob’… I remember that story. There was some weird shit in the Bible.”

“Slightly blasphemous, but okay,” Bastien grinned. “I guess what I’m trying to say is whatever that was in my daymare wasn’t an angel. Not to me. However, it’s a faith and belief thing. Another person might come to the completely opposite conclusion had they gone through what I did.”

“Also angels are supposed to be good, I think, and they don’t summon demons and devils. Although, aren’t those fallen angels. God damn it. It depends,” Tessa said.

“There are an infinite number of different cosmologies out there. Our world alone had tons, imagine what an infinite number of worlds hold,” Bastien said.

“Maybe you shouldn’t pray for awhile until we figure out what exactly happened to you.”

“I don’t have a problem with that. It’s a good idea. Perhaps the magical element in my act of praying allowed a… firmer connection to our unknown enemy?” Bastien sighed.

“What do you want to do after we finish eating?” Tessa said.

“I was actually going to access base archives and see if I could connect any dots to what I… experienced. I should probably rest, but the last thing I want to do is lay down and close my eyes. I can’t be sure where I’ll be after I open them.”

“Study day it is then,” Tessa sighed.

“You don’t have to babysit me. You’ve got more important things you can do.”

“Meh,” Tessa shrugged. “I need to keep an eye on you and research is important, even if it’s boring.”

“Thanks.”

“We’re a team. We watch out for each other,” Tessa said.