Ten years had passed since the Patron of Feathers’ father had completed his grand weapon and she had emerged from the Dungeon on the cusp of death. It had been a triumphant affair, for all her suffering. However, when they had moved South to reinforce Homewell, Westrisser’s forces found an immense barrier bisecting the Aetherlands.

All attacks harmlessly sank into the wall. Some scouts were sent through, but none returned.

At first, the remnant Aether armies had feared that this was some grand new Nether ploy, but the Nether forces on this side seemed even more confused than the armies of Malloon. Most of the data Westrisser’s people gathered on the barrier was from the crazed intensity that the Nether had assaulted it, to no avail. Both set up camps on nearby hills, waiting for the purpose of this event to become known. Aether and Nether existed in an uneasy peace, broken by infrequent skirmishes between the two sides to expel the tension. Eventually, they settled into a new normal, with a huge chunk of the known lands vanished. But both sides posted forces nearby, watching the barrier.

And ten years later, word came. The barrier had begun to crumble.

The Patron of Feathers stood on the highest Skyisland in Malloon’s airspace, looking at the small detachment of forces hurrying South. The technology might have originated from Nether King Hungry Eye, but for the crowded city of Malloon, it seemed only natural that they had engineered their own knockoff versions. And Faelmac Westrisser would always take the highest throne for himself.

She, a minor character in her father’s life, was allowed begrudging squatter’s rights.

The Patron of Feathers found it strange at first that her father didn’t react with more vigor to the news, but the more she thought about it, the more she understood his tepid response. First, the success of Westrisser’s great weapon only invigorated his lust for research. Especially when the weapon could not be utilized. The fact that it wasn’t possible to test was a taboo subject at the few, strained Westrisser family dinners; instead of facing this issue, he redoubled his efforts to duplicate the process, although it just led to a dozen of his subordinates going insane during the long isolation.

Also, Faelmac Westrisser was cautious. Without knowing what lurked beyond the barrier, he would not commit a significant force to its location. The war between Aether and Nether was far from the minds of the people, with the main leaderships of both sides having vanished. But if the barrier came down and the leaders returned-

The Patron of Feathers blinked slowly. In the end, it was difficult to care about her foolish father. Because she had begun to drift. It was difficult to articulate the constant pressure she felt while moving through daily life. As though her thoughts were liquid and a certain amount drained away each moment. So if she wasn’t careful, she might slip reflexively back into memories without even noticing.

Sometimes, the Patron of Feathers couldn’t tell if she was in the past or present. She might have survived the process of creating the unused weapon, but she did not escape deep scars across her psyche.

Like now, she blinked several times— Nether King Hungry Eye stood next to her, admiring the view.

“You…” The Patron of Feathers said cautiously. She racked her mind, different images sloshing around. But she couldn’t seem to recall a time in the past when she had stood like this with the Nether King.

A Nether King who should be locked behind the barrier. Yet now she supposed it had collapsed, truly. After ten years of being paused, the world began to spin once again.

“Patron of Feathers, I have… several matters to discuss with you.” Nether King Hungry Eye said. His aura seemed different from when she had last seen him, so different the gap was apparent after ten years. More vast. More exhausted. Yet his irises shined with an intense emerald radiance that was difficult to ignore. “I believe I have some answers as to your… current suffering. However, perhaps that should wait until later. If we do not act soon, this world will collapse. For now, I need your help.”

“What do you need?” The Patron of the Feathers felt serene. If anything, the prospect of the world ending almost felt like a relief. At least then, the strangeness would cease. But also that light in his eyes stirred something in her.

Despite how much she had lost, she had started following Elhume for a similar light in his eyes.

Nether King Hungry Eye got straight to the point. “If possible, I want to convince your father.to let me use his weapon. Do you have any advice?”

The Patron of Feathers tilted her head to the side. “I do not think it will be difficult, once you move past the posturing. More than anyone else… I think my father wants to find an excuse to bury that blade into existence and learn how big of a corpse his obsession can create.”

*****

“They make us wait, after begging for assistance?” Enmya muttered.

Next to him, Lowanna flicked the tips of her fingers in dismissal. “Easy. It is true that we have an excellent bargaining position, but that does not mean that they do not also have the resources that we want. Considering their side seems to be the one on the time crunch, this small interlude isn’t important.”

“Only if you believe their wild story about this world being a reflection,” Enmya muttered. But the bite was taken out of his words by Lowanna’s familiar finger movements. The black wicker manacles had been shattered, but Lowanna had lived with those bindings for most of her life. Her habitual expressions, those Enmya knew so intimately, would not change, likely for a long time.

So although she was free, his heart ached every time she moved like she was not.

Enmya’s thoughts turned complicated if he looked too long at Lowanna, so his gaze moved to the still figure reclining nearby. His massive eyes and mouth were closed, yet the expression on the egg body was unfamiliar. In death, Deganawidah looked at peace. Enmya could only shake his head in wonder. “...I still have difficulty believing that he would simply sacrifice himself like that.”

“Deganawidah the Thrice-Drowned and Once-Martyred loved the Nether people more than I gave him credit for,” Lowanna sighed. “I saw the way he continued to accumulate significance… deepening his own roots beyond even my senses. I believed he had gone mad with an obsession with power, despite the fact he bided his time. I assumed the betrayals of his youth had taught him harsh lessons he could not release, even during times of peace. Yet… he was waiting for a moment he would certain would come. When the Nether People who had been manipulated into the Arbiter pyramid would need a sacrifice. And he willingly volunteered for that role.”

“He knew more about the situation than he let on,” Enmya frowned. “He was selfish. If he had-”

Abruptly, Enmya flushed as he realized the implications of his words. “Ah, Arb- Lowanna, I didn’t mean-”

“No, you are correct. His actions… and especially my own were a mistake. We attempted to eat the sins of our people while remaining silent as our stomachs began to burst.” Lowanna clasped her hands together. “Had we shared our awareness, trusted our subordinates, made a plan… perhaps all of this could have been avoided. I am just thankful… that Deganawidah proved a more capable martyr than I did.”

Enmya wanted to weep and scream. He hated all that Lowanna had suffered through, hated that she hurt him with her silence, hated how much his feeling of betrayal made him hurt her in response. So he just looked at her, unable to express, but also unable to bottle up all the emotions flowing through his body. Next to him, Lowanna looked up at the sky.

When she didn’t respond to his intensity, Enmya unwillingly followed her gaze. In the space where Nether King Hungry had performed his strange sorcery, a nova of glittering silver dust lingered. The sky had darkened, but the rays of the universe soul hanging in the sky shone down and caused a kaleidoscopic explosion as it careened through the particulate.

“He failed, I think,” Enmya grunted.

Lowanna nodded. “All that beauty comes not from the images and Nether that have been scattered up there, but from the useless sludge generated when Aether and Nether are forced together. Yet my heart is a simple one. I see it, and think ‘beautiful’. For that, at least, I am thankful.”

They sat there and stared up at the brilliant failure until Nether King Hungry Eye finally returned.

Enmya stood as they approached; he recognized quite a few of the people Hungry Eye appeared with, including Hungry Eye’s strange companion Neveah and some of his followers, including the gunslinger who had joined the conflict on the side of the Nether forces. Yet one figure, in particular, made his skin crawl. His fingers tightened into fists and his chest heaved with fury. “Why is he here?”

Faelmac Westrisser, his alabaster feathers glittering, snorted and looked up to the sky without responding to him. Nether King Hungry Eye nodded slowly. “More than anyone else, Faelmac Westrisser set aside his morals during the lead-up to this war. I understand your anger. I empathize-”

“Yet you work with him, Nether King Hungry Eye,” Lowanna stood. Her voice contained less heat than Enmya’s, but Enmya could tell by the set of her shoulders that she was just as mad. Enmya felt a strange thrill of triumph; this false Nether King had likely harmed his chances of any joint attempt. “You come here, hoping for my power, aiming for cooperation between our peoples. Yet if that plan requires us to cooperate with Westrisser, I do not believe our goals are aligned.”

Hungry Eye, rather than seeming defensive, scratched his cheek. “...let me clarify. I have taken away the temporal weapon of Faelmac Westrisser when he refused to be reasonable. Ever since… he has followed me and pestered me. Even I have difficulty understanding how he has kept up with my movements. Whatever business you have with him, feel free to engage in it. He is a nuisance.”

Everyone turned to Westrisser. The Feathered Serpent crossed his arms. “Tch, you bastard, I simply wished for time to review the offer you had made before I accepted-”

“We did not have time for negotiating tactics,” Hungry Eye said. “I believe I made that quite clear.”

“Still, the responsibilities of a city ruler mean that I need to consult the Council-”

“When have you ever cared about your subordinates?” Hungry Eye snorted. “Even your own daughter you treat like a resource to be spent for your own gain.”

“How dare you!” Westrisser’s eyes widened.

Enmya gazed between them, trying to decide how to respond to this news. But next to him, Lowanna just chuckled. “Well, I suppose that is acceptable. I am willing to stay justice for now, so we can try Westrisser in an appropriate forum. Now, I suppose we need to make our deal, don’t we? In the spirit of time, let me be blunt. There are only three conditions for me to assist in this… crazed plan of yours.

“First, you must promise you will do your utmost to ensure my people will live free of tyranny and oppression. Second, the offer to join your other world… it must be an offer. If my people do not wish to leave this place, doomed reflection it may be, they must have the right to linger here, for as long as it lasts.

“And finally… the old balance of the Nether people must be restored. Phaea, Toosah, and Maala.” Lowanna said each bond label with love. Her yearning for the stability of the old Nether people was clear in her tone. “We have discussed the general shape before: you will have Maala with your followers. Another individual will give Phaea to all people. And the two of you will have Toosah between you, signaling equality. The universal ruler and servant made even. I wish to add one more small detail. Your equal… must be him.”

“Eh?” Enmya blinked as Lowanna’s finger pointed toward his chest.