Gabrio felt something shatter. “Doctor!” cried someone out. He painfully opened his eyes and found Isakov staring him down.

“Are you alright!?”

He forced himself up and sat down blandly. What greeted Gabrio was the head of the Arkshelled Island, the Perlshaw was beheaded, no, to be exact the head was blown up.

On the horizon were two giants fighting.

“What happened?”

“The Blinder got shot down… those Kin!” Isakov roared. “They sacrificed the fleet to bring back the Blinder!”

“What?”

“They tore everyone’s soul! And used it to bring the Blinder.”

Gabrio gaped then stood up with difficulty. “You should have escaped… why are you still here?”

Isakov pulled him. “We need you, Doctor. The fleet’s dead. The Inquisitors and the Ladies are fighting the rest of the fleet.”

“Lady Eletha?”

“She took our side…”

“Your aunt?”

Isakov shakes his head. “I haven’t seen Aunt Mana. I don’t know if we should stay here, Doctor!”

Not far from the last giant wielded his sword and shield. Fighting the masses alongside the Treants. He was wounded all over and yet there was fury in the giant that made him stand strong.

“D-datu’s in trouble.”

“We need to go now, Doctor. Milostiv can’t take any more beating!”

The fury of Milostiv. The hundreds of cannons rang as the shielding held back the horde of creatures at bay. Like a flash flood of malice.

Isakov led Gabrio back to the skyship. Wight and Aeka were fighting the malice and seeing some of the crew down. Gabrio’s body moved on his own and kneeled in front of them.

Wight grabbed him by the shoulder. “They are gone, Doctor. We need you now!”

Gabrio clenched his fist and then drew his sword and pistol. The vitae that protected him from the blast clung to him. One of the creatures pounced, and he simply twirled his blade, and dissected the creature with a swipe of the sword. He turns around, pulls the hammer of his gun, and blasts the head of another.

Twisting his body around to avoid a narrow blow, using that momentum to lead a kick. Wight ran to the controls and Aeka bid the skyship to fly as the Treants charged forward, the gatling guns on their forearms massacring the creatures.

The words of power linger in the air. Crashing against the full force of the creatures that were swarming. Every ship in disposal was fighting back and despite the Arkshelled beheaded. The soldiers and the crew were maintaining the line.

Isakov pulls the bolt of his rifle and shoots one of the ones clinging on the skyship. They all turned to Gabrio with eyes telling him what they should do next.

“We go back home. Defend our home and try to make the rest of the ground regroup.”

As they flew, the creatures began to appear on the surface. Giant tentacles slithered out of the water, sharp teeth glistened in the sun, and massive fins sliced through the waves. The crew watched in awe and fear as they realized the sheer size and number of their opponents.

Captain Roberts barked orders to his crew, and they sprang into action. The cannons roared as they fired on the creatures, each shot piercing the water and causing massive explosions. The creatures retaliated by slamming into the sides of the ships, trying to knock them off course.

But the halls of the Milostiv were tough and from the helm. He could see Lady Eletha of Roan focusing her powers to keep the malice out of the ship.

“We can’t dock!” Wight called out.

Gabrio turned around and saw that the decks were managing. The barges were in trouble so had Wight turn the skyship around. Manning the gatling guns. Tearing through the thick horde of creatures until they were able to clear enough space to allow them to restock on ammunition. He also got himself a bow and harpoon with

Gabrio noticed that the medics were handling the wounded so he went back to the ship and focused his attention back to the fight happening where most of the monsters and the elven are fighting. Clearing his head, he saw the emptied ships, the men and women whose insides seems to have been taken. Their bodies dragged and torn apart as their soulless eyes made no movement as their heads were eaten or drag to the bottom of the sea.

Those who weren’t ‘sacrificed’ to revive the Blinder were fighting on. Gabrio directed the crew of the skyship to take on the battle. He went to the helm and commanded.

“Take the skies! Don’t the flying creatures attack our people! Fight! Fight!”

Isakov roared, followed with Wight and Aeka alongside those who followed them to the skies.”

The skyship hummed as it flew to the skies. Taking on winged creatures big enough to match a ship. They could wound the monsters, tore through their wings, and faced them head-on.

The Doctor was gone, replaced with a Butcher holding a sword. He wielded his sword like a butcher would, carving through flesh and breaking spines. With the help of the Vitae summoned by his mask, he made use of the Vitae to leap from monster to monster, plunging his sword left and right.

He was almost tireless.

Their skyship forced the flying creatures to back away while the rest headed for the other skyships who were fast enough to keep them off the ground.

The battle below was brutal. One of the companies didn’t have time resupply themselves with ammunition and engaged the enemy with a bayonet formation where they met the enemy with their rifle-sabers, tearing through the enemy, the Elven-kin fought alongside them, not daring to question why there was a need to sacrifice themselves.

The soldiers were aware of the importance of the blinder. How his power was the one keeping them alive as the unending tide of creatures were bearing down on them.

The monsters they encountered before was nothing like the ones they are fighting right now. They weren’t easy targets and with the Baron using his full might before they were made aware of his presence caught the fleet off-guard, inducing this carelessness.

Gabrio loses himself in the heat of battle.

He knew he was not acting right, but whatever caused him to feel this way. He couldn’t stop himself. His entire being was afraid. And he simply wanted to wield a sword and make use of their ship to take down whatever tries to hurt the Milostiv.

The gunshots made him deaf and although he had the support of the Vitae. It was getting too tiring and as hours passed, there was still so many that needed killing.

A huge tear in space tore through the land they were fighting on. The sea boiled and creatures large enough to rival mountains came out of the sea.

Gabrio saw Datu wielding his sword and rushing at them. His nimble figure fighting the giants was a sight to behold. The fleet was fractured and from the looks of it.

Aeka herself was getting too tired commanding the Sprites. She was a wind caller and yet the wind was dulled, the space heated up, forcing Aeka to struggle from the pressure.

Gabrio went down on four knees as he dismounted one of the flying creatures. He looked around him and found Isakov leading his team, trying his best to keep calm against these hellish creatures.

They aren’t going to make it if they continue to stay here. Gabrio had a feeling that it would be much worse. He ordered the skyship to get close to the mast of the Milostiv and he took a jump from the skyship’s deck, grabbing on to the mast, and then using one of the ropes to quickly get down.

He ran to where the helm was and met eyes with Lady Eletha who was holding on to the shields of the Milostiv.

“We need to stay clear off land and get the ship moving. Can you inform them that?”

Lady Eletha didn’t reply. She continued speaking the words of power and from her expression, Gabrio had a feeling that the Lady was going to stay and fight here.

Gabrio clenched his fist and pointed his gaze back to the sky. He met eyes with one of the soldiers.

“You’ll be fighting in the skies, Doc?”

“I think I will.”

The soldier grinned. “Watch our heads then, Doctor!”

The soldier roared and was followed by the crew. Gabrio kicked one of the pulleys and he was thrown up where he used the force to run up the mast and then throw himself on the hull of the skyship. Isakov pulled him up and inserted a clip on his rifle’s chamber.

“Are we going to die here, Uncle?”

“I don’t know, son. All we can do now is fight harder. It seems that we have it too good for too long.”

Gabrio held his gaze on the tidal wave of enemies. The thousand islands were already covered with enemies and these number of creatures dwarfed whatever they fought on the Tundrae. Was this Karma?

Aeka flickered as she screamed. “Doctor!” she growled. “The Blinder and the Baron’s charging up! If they don’t stop… we’ll die! We will all die!”

Gabrio looked to where the two were fighting. Their forms were much smaller than they were used to. And yet it felt like they were compressing the energies around them… like they were sucking all forms of energy into themselves as they continue to clash.

Terin Gaspar was formed into this wooden abomination while the Baron was deformed. Both were clashing on. Uncaring of whatever happens to them.

Gabrio watched as a doctor and as a healer.

He could hear Aeka crying behind him as the power is sucked into this big form of energy. He could see some of the ship’s cannons losing their roars as they fed the Blinder of their lifeforce. He could see the creatures of the night offering themselves to the Baron.

And then something snapped inside of Gabrio.

He saw the pain and anguish of these creatures who were simply trying to live. To survive against the cruelties of this world. As if they didn’t matter at all. Pawns upon pawns who were nothing more than offerings to whatever sick game the Gods have placed them.

Were they nothing more than pawns?

Just breakable and recyclable tools that was disposed once they were done? Were they nothing more than toys who they could wipe from the board and start over this nonsense again and again?

Gabrio couldn’t stomach this feeling. He clenched his hand so hard and behind the mechanical mask was a face that wouldn’t lose to the devil.

“Keep yourself safe, kids,” Gabrio said. “Don’t let the ship fall. I will not let them steal your lives away. I’m sick of this farce. This will have to stop now. I hope whatever God may forgive me what I’m about to do.”

“Doctor? What are you doing? Are you out of your mind?”

“You’ll do good, son. Don’t let our Kin down. Guide them as much as you can. Survive this. Please, don’t let Ristina’s blood die.”

“I won’t…” Isakov looked at the battle. “But you’d be killed there, Grandpa. Please don’t.”

“Someone has to try son. If this continues, we’ll lose the fleet and there is no place in this world that I’d allow our people to die without such though. I don’t know if they knew this was going to happen… but they broke our trust and to hell with their destinies.”

Gabrio did not reply. He simply sheathed his sword back to its scabbard and threw himself to one of the beasts, using it to get past the legions of enemies, allowing himself to get close to where the battle was taking place.

Hiding himself within the shadows and appearing only when he needed to draw his blade and kill.

***

Isakov watched the Doctor made his way to where the Blinder and the Baron was.

The Doctor was nothing more than a long-lived human.

And yet the Doctor feared nothing.

Desperate to stop this madness.

Someone have to try and somehow Isakov imagined that someone would be him.

While the Kin were using them to fuel the fallen blinder.

The creatures were offering themselves to their champion to keep them alive.

Isakov felt little.

And yet here was their foolish grandpa worrying about his grandchildren like he always does.

Isakov didn’t want to watch.

But he had to keep his eyes open as the Doctor approached the two champions of the world locked in battle and stab them both in the back to stop the madness.

The world quieted as the light and dark lose their conduits.

The world seems to be furious as the lights and stars twinkled out and a vortex swirled that seems to drag everyone and everything into it. The world cracked like a mirror and on the center of it was the Doctor.

The man who would damn them all and break the world.