Her eyes, deep set in the obsidian mask, began to smolder.

Devick stepped, eliminating the distance between the first charging individual and herself. The heat and the wild elation of battle lifted her out of her own doubts into another place entirely. She reached into the Turtleline’s chest and plucked out his heart, splashing out a crescent of crimson across the ground as she removed it with a flourish.

An individual worth killing is worth killing well.

She raised the heart, following the dark impulses that emerged in her chest, wielding it as a ritual object. She squeezed until grey and purple pulp oozed out between her fingers. The ground exploded, rust-colored chains surging out of the ground and wrapping themselves around the approaching Turtlelines.

Congratulations! Your Skill Chains of Madness (R) has evolved into Bitter Prayers of the Damned (L)! Skill Levels will be maintained.

Congratulations! Your Skill Bitter Prayers of the Damned (L) has grown to Level 491!

Movement whipped her burning gaze sideways, but it was Hungry Eye’s chosen minion capitalizing on the opportunities she had created. With the same easy grace he displayed before, he stored away the blocky weapon and leveled the ornate gun with his right hand. He fired two shots, generating fireworks in the torso and arm of two of the Turtlelines.

Devick wondered if those Skills were why he had been chosen by Hungry Eye, when she had to follow the Nether King around like a limping and unwanted puppy.

Congratulations! You have learned the Skill As Above Admires, So Below Craves (M)!

Congratulations! Your Skill As Above Admires, so Below Craves (M) has grown to Level 2!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill As Above Admires, so Below Craves (M) has grown to Level 56!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill As Above Admires, so Below Craves (M) has grown to Level 114!

Devick ripped her gaze away before any more dark impulses could bubble to the surface. The veins running through her body felt strange; at some points her blood felt like ice, leaving her numbed and sluggish, but at others she felt molten metals bubbling along through her muscles. But for all the strangeness, she looked down at her limbs, hands soaked in blood and legs soaked in mud, and felt like herself.

She released a breath. Her fingers itched to reap more life, but the soft sound of rocks tumbling down made Devick lurch around. With a wide yawn, Nether King Hungry Eye sat up and looked blearily around at the situation. His eyes, still slightly unfocused landed upon Devick and he smiled at her.

“Nice mask,” Randidly chuckled. “I must have missed my invitation to the masquerade.”

My celebrations never begin until you arrive. Devick’s heart felt like a snow globe, all tumbling particulate and confused impressions. Joy surged through her at his genuine gladness to see her, but at the same time, all those doubts bit back into her heart. She saw all the effects he had on her, all the fantasies she had indulged in, all the very real space that existed between them. The pure sense of wholeness she had felt when her Grand Fate transformed had now vacated her.

She flinched. Her hands flitted up to touch her mask, but she also couldn’t bear to remove it; what if he saw through to her hollow and malice-filled heart? And seriously, how had her head twisted around so much? “Sorry. I mean I just— I look a bit of a mess, don’t I? I am a mess.”

The words started tumbling out of her mouth, even though she knew this probably just felt like a crazed eruption from his perspective. She took a step back, while Hungry Eye just stood and watched her. “I realized today that I hate mirrors. When I saw myself dressed— oh, I was inside your personal world and met all these— the floating cities! The fashion, more than just robes, I couldn’t believe— but what I’m trying to say is that I might look like this, but the inside is even worse. So… I get it. It makes sense, right? Certain people are good for certain roles. I’m immature and greedy and I just want and want and want, no matter what it is! Even-”

Nether King Hungry Eye moved to stand at her side and wrapped his arms around her. He squeezed her and Devick let out a small yelp as he touched her. “I’m not really sure why you need this, but its clear you do. Devick, don’t confuse what you could have done or might do with what you have and will.”

Hungry Eye straightened and looked at her. His emerald eyes were soft. “You are not the only flawed individual. And truthfully, I really enjoy this version of you. You don’t have to be anything more than this. Your role is just to be you, like it has always been.”

“You don’t need me,” Devick hated how whiny she sounded.

“Do you need me?” Randidly countered.

Yes.

The admittance changed Devick on a fundamental level. Because what Hungry Eye probably didn’t understand was that her race was more parasite than anything other lifeform. Down to her genetic building blocks, that was how she had been designed. Her people reproduced through others, without the knowledge or agreement of others, borrowing the traits from the strong they needed to survive. Without someone like him, without him, Devick could see the path of madness and rage she would gladly skip down.

Despite her other mistakes, she had never once allowed herself to imagine children. Because if she had tasted that possibility once, even in fantasy, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to recover.

Because the truth was, for every fact about him she didn’t know, he knew just as little.

His acceptance of her, albeit misguided, eased the ache she felt. No matter what they didn’t know about each other, they looked each other in the eye right now. Devick found the presence within her mind to sniff once and look down at her dress. “Well, certainly, with an outfit like this, I wouldn’t have any difficulty finding suitors for the ball. Maybe next time show up on time?”

“Very scream-queen after murder prom. Much more fetching- no, much more you than our first meeting at a ball.” Hungry Eye observed. Then he looked up at the sky and pressed his lips together. He let out a low laugh. “Neveah, are you nearby? Sorry about that. I didn’t realize how close to the edge I was. Thanks for the save.”

“I would imagine you haven’t managed to move very far away from collapse after just seven minutes of rest.” The black-haired woman manifested, looking quite exhausted herself. Neveah nodded to Devick in acknowledgment, which Devick quite appreciated. “But you know, the Dungeon creation is just a stopgap. You can feel the shift, right? Real-adjacent we might have become, but it also put us directly on a collision course with Deganawidah.”

Randidly winked, ignoring the second part of her words. “Maybe you are underestimating how quickly I get back on my feet.”

“Pah.” Neveah threw her hands in the air. “I need a cup of tea.”

Randidly turned to the hat-wearing man, who had coolly observed the wounded Turtlelines as they talked. “And Hank, thanks for this. I didn’t expect to need help out here, or I would have called you earlier.”

“Nah a problem. Always nice to see what big baddies are prowling around in the Nexus,” The man Hank showed his teeth. Then he turned to the east, where the fighting between Aether and Nether forces continued in earnest. “While I’m here, my Soulskill whispers that there’s quite a bit of hubbub over yonder. You mind-”

“For now, this place is stable. You can explore freely. Be careful though. There are a lot of monsters around that could kill you.” Hungry Eye said. Hank snorted and sauntered away, reloading small bits of gleaming brass into his weapons. The Nether King then glanced again at Devick, his gaze lancing through her body and shocking her with a thrill of pleasure. “Your Grand Fate is developing quickly. But looks like you finally have it centered inside your body. Does your new image harmonize better with your Class?”

Devick glanced sideways at Neveah, but the black-haired woman had conjured an armchair and simply slumped over on its sumptuous cushions. She licked her lips; no one had asked her or commented on the Class provided for her by Hungry Eye’s subordinates before. “Would you believe me if I said I simply bullied them both into behaving?”

A genuinely cheerful grin spread across Hungry Eye’s face. “If you are saying that’s the case, I’d believe you capable of it Devick.”

Devick felt brittle and exhausted. Too much had happened too quickly. But she supposed she was glad no one had told Nether King Hungry Eye about the Class she had received. Because indeed, it harmonized well with her new Grand Fate Malice, Merry Consort of Perdition.

Her Class was Ghosthound’s Willing Martyr.

It was never a question of whether she would sacrifice herself for him. Now, a new resolve emerged in Devick, to understand who and what had so totally stolen her heart.

*****

“To withdraw now will avoid the danger,” Deganawidah said slowly. Words shaped in his wide mouth had a habit of resonating in Lowanna’s chest. From the first moment they had met, she had found it distasteful. “Our forces will overwhelm them, given time. But currently-”

“I cannot retreat, Deganawidah. And you know exactly why,” Lowanna pressed her lips together. Every one of her people that perished on the battlefield she felt, a tiny, eternal pinprick of absence joining all the previous deaths in the back of her mind. A horrid accumulation of naught that made her quite weary. “My people need me. I might be bound, but I am not a coward.”

“Your little tricks gleaned from Hungry Eye will not-” Deganawidah’s eyes flashed. But he held his tongue when Enmya looked up from the ground.

“I hate to agree with the Thrice-Drowned, but this… Cult of the Savior is the group that led the attack on Wyndaos, yes? We cannot underestimate them.” Enmya’s eyes slid away from her face. Even now, he could not understand why she had kept him in the dark when she had known the attack had been coming. “They are aware of our presence, yet they still press forward. They will bring means.”

“Even a rat may kill a lion, if given the opportunity to select the proper reaping ground,” Deganawidah scowled.

Lowanna gave the two of them a pointed glance. “Then let’s practice being a bit more fearsome than lions, shall we? Peace, gentlemen— you will not sway me.”

So they stood and glowered as the sounds of violence drifted closer. Lowanna the Nether Arbiter looked up at the sky and studied the strange currents of significance that surrounded them.

To her surprise, the world-shattering feats of Nether King Hungry Eye had done surprisingly little to affect their conflict; even now, she could stare at the stars and see her inevitable death writ large across the universe. It seemed completely certain.

But this time, Lowanna knew she might be wrong. So she sat and considered and waited for death to stalk closer. She felt so, so tired.

Will you make it in time to hear my thoughts on the universal unifying principle of Nether, Hungry Eye? The Nether Arbiter closed her eyes. Or will you allow me to spare my people this curse?