Chapter Nine Hundred And Seventeen – 917

"It's here," Wendell said, stepping forward in the chamber.

The foundational pillar was hundreds of strides across, filling the monumentally sized cavern almost to capacity. There were no bricks or mortar that Vesss could see, simply seamless stone. If she were to hazard a guess, the entire thing had been shaped from the very bedrock. Few, despite Felix's remarkable talent for shaping magic, could Manage a feat like it in this day and Age. Naturally, the foundations were built by the Nym. What was not, however, were the cascade of golden sigils that had been inscribed into the pillar starting at the cavern's ceiling and continuing almost all the way to the ground. Their meaning eluded Vesss—sigaldry was not her strong suit—but their angular design and repeated golden sunburst motifs gave little doubt as to who put them there.

"Vesss," Yin said, flying above where Vesss, Beef, Wendell, Hollow, and all the Risen were gathered at the base of the pillar. "Come here, I need your opinion on this."

She looked to the Lizard. “Are you able to sort this out?”

"Yep." Wendell fiddled with a piece of the golden sigaldry that looked different from the rest. It unfolded, revealing strange veins of near-solid Mana. "I'm nearly done here. I just need to connect this bit of sigildry here with my Precision Mine and at the Regalia.” He smiled. “Go. I can finish up here."

“On The Wing!” Vesss launched into the air, her draconic wings snapping out like leathery sails. Flying felt strange, but also natural, as if it were something she had done a long time ago and simply had forgotten how. She flew after Yin as he retreated back the way they had come.

Moving through the air like the enormous serpent he resembled, they landed in the wide tunnel. Yin lifted up a backpack from the ground. "I found this in one of the side tunnels.”

“Is that Archie’s?”

“It is. And it still contains all of his supplies—Essence Draughts, Health, Stamina, and Mana Potions, as well as a small supply of food and water."

"Why did he leave this behind?"

"I don't know that it was intentional, but he did choose to take the Titan.”

“Neither choice makes much sense. I thought he hated her?"

"Yes, unless he's come around, or the Titan has some sort of persuasion Skill we're unaware of," Yin shook his head. "Her Spirit was not of the sort. Archie, however…"

"Do you think he may have charmed her into obedience?”

“As much as the boy’s bitterness rules him, I deem it unlikely. He is more steady than he portrays. This smacks of the Titan’s doing.”

“Why do I find that less comforting than Archie manipulating someone’s Mind?”

Yin snorted out smoke. “Because you’re a realist, little Dragoon.”

"Tell that to my father—if he could hear you over the laughter.” She scratched her jaw. “Whatever it is, we'll have to find them eventually. Archie was our surest way out, and that stings more than whatever he is doing with Felix’s sister. Once we have finished setting up Wendell's Mines, we shall focus on getting back to the surface."

"Ah, yes. I looked into that as well.” Yin tossed his mane, shaking out rainwater. “The tunnels are decently clear despite the Lizard’s acts of sabotage. I can smell fresh air already filtering through some of these passages."

Vesss perked up. "Can you really?"

"Yes. Finding the way out will be simple.”

Vesss grinned. “Your confidence is contagious. Good. Let's go back to the pillars. There's a few more bits I'd like to look at. The way the Nym created it is interesting. I feel a resonance through my Affinity.”

“No doubt a connection to the powers deep in the Continent itself."

"Interesting. I'm not familiar with how those work."

"They're quite complex, but I can tell you what I know."

"Thanks, Yin."

Vesss stepped forward and ran headlong into an invisible wall.

"No. No!" She seized her glaive and stabbed forward, but the barrier had returned. It turned her strike aside without budging in the slightest.

"BEEFHAMMER!" Yin yelled, his panicked voice ripping down through the tunnels. It was only a handful of heartbeats, but it felt like forever before the bulky forms of Beef, Hollow, and Wendell ran back up the passage.

"Wait! Stop running!" Vesss warned, pressing her hand into the barrier. The lot of them skidded to a stop, but it was Beef’s eyes that widened in realization.

"Oh my god! You're trapped!"

"No, Beef, you're trapped."

“What?” He looked around frantically. “Wh–what do we do?”

“We can't break it,” Hallow said. “We tried that before."

Wendell said nothing, but his Spirit was troubled.

“First we must calm down,” Vesss said, making an effort to steady her breathing. It taxed her Will, but her heart stopped hammering in her chest. “Then we must find out what took it down in the first place and repeat it. We will get you out of here."

Beef nodded, and Wendell put a hand on his son's shoulder. “Son. We have a job to finish.”

"Right.” Beef looked back to Vesss and pointed up. "We’ll handle things here. You both need to go, right now.”

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“You cannot be suggesting you set of a bomb while trapped inside this ward.” Vesss stared at the pair of them, father and son, with mounting alarm. “If you set off those mines of yours while trapped in this ward, you cannot know what might happen to you!”

“I trust my dad,” Beef said, patting the Lizard’s hand on his shoulder. “And Felix—he's in trouble. Can't you feel it?"

Heavens help her, Vesss could. Power sounded across her Link to Felix, echoing with untapped potential she recognized from some of her most dire moments. Yet there was more to it than that; it was bundled along with ephemeral strains of song. Melodies that thundered with fear, rage, and most surprising of all, hate.

Vesss nodded. “Yin?”

“I am ready to do what you require, little Dragoon.”

She took a breath before nodding.

"Go save the Fiend,” Wendell said. “And take care of the other Unbound. We'll handle this."

Eyes bright, Vesss hopped astride her Companion and the pair tore off into the sewers.

Toward daylight.

Pit!

Felix called out to his Companion, but he heard nothing. Their bond felt squeezed shut, a sensation far more painful than when he or Pit would close it for privacy. It was impossible that he’d do such a thing now, of all times.

Pit!

There was no answer at all.

He thrust his hands into the earth, shoving upward with every ounce of his Will and Strength. The ground buckled, but the sigaldry crawled across it undaunted, unaffected by its busted substrate. Somehow, even the bands of bloody light grew stronger as a fresh wave of weakness ennervated his very core.

Foolish. Relying Upon Bonds.

Felix twisted his head, the only thing he could reliably move, to fix the malformed gods with a glare. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Bonds Of Enmity. Can You Not Feel It? The two heads tilted in the same direction, the four eyes upon their faces narrowing. What Do You Think Holds You Fast?

No. Felix felt at the bloody gold bands across himself, wincing at the spark of crimson lightning flickering around his limbs.

Yes. The Twins had no mouths, but the mad planes of their faces could be nothing except a cruel grin. You Are Connected To Us, But Connections Go Both Ways, Nevarre. Your Enmity Binds You To Us.

His head slammed back to the earth, thunderous despite the scant inches he’d lifted it. A sea of stars sprang before Felix’s eyes, but was soon chased away by the glow of an array. It lit up across the tower’s surface, filled with a purer gold than the bindings that held him tight. Nearby, the Unbound rattled their chains, screaming through their muzzles before they too were silenced.

Ocalla smirked as she loomed over Felix, tucking her hair behind an ear as she ensured that she caught his eye. Her hands wove golden threads that fell around him in strange geometric shapes that resembled wire-form models. A construct of some sort.

To do what?

“I appreciate your arrogance, Nevarre. Without it, I could never have lured you here.” The Hierophant gestured, tweaking something, and pain lanced through his body. It felt like all the worst parts of Tempering rushing through his bones all at once. “And you were truly integral to our plan.”

An Unbound Body Held Between Cardinal And Nym. A Liminal Existence. The Twins leaned out of their rift, dual heads tilting now in opposite directions. Their jaws moved, but it was out of sync with the words he heard. Those were noise—nonsense syllables that were sibilant and discordant.

Those That Cursed Us And Those That Chained Us. The Perfect Pawn To Overturn Ouranic Law. Yyero gave a thick, wet chuckle. It’s Like You Were Made To Set Us Free.

Make Your Final Adjustments Quickly, Ocalla, Noctis snapped. I Crave A Proper Vessel After These Long Ages. She ran a feminine hand across Ondine's face. The Sylphaean tried to jerk away, but was stopped short by her chains. Your Face Is Too Pretty, Girl. I Would See It Collapsed.

Explosions sounded beyond the barrier, but they were muffled even to Felix’s Perception. He glanced past the rifts and statues, where the far flung Hierei spires clung to the edges of the Shining Palace. There, the light itself dimmed, but Felix could still make out his people fighting valiantly against the hordes of monstrosities and Hierocratic soldiers.

Ocalla made a dissatisfied noise in her throat while fiddling with a hovering display of golden sigils. They switched places rapidly, manipulated by the woman’s deft fingers. “Would the Divine care to take care of our problem out there? It is distracting.”

We’ve Lent You Enought Of Our Guardslaves. Your People Have Been Blessed.

Words exchanged among the rest, but Felix couldn’t follow them as a pressure mounted within his Mind. The array around him flared in repeating patterns, oscillating through a strange series of fractal glyphs that seared into him as a familiar and entirely Divine Will dragged in its wake. The Bond of Enmity surged, sparking into crimson arcs that charred the once-unmarred marble.

The Beast roared from within the waves, and the Divine Tree creaked as the lattice barrier around his Skills and cores tightened against the intrusion. Felix had no clue what was being attempted, but his core space rebelled.

The Twins spat something and it was a discordant burr that tore at Felix’s ears. He Resists! Brother! Sister! Aid The Hierophant! You Know What Must Be Done.

You Already Have Him! Yyero whined. What Use Would It Be To Waste Our Power We’ve Accumulated In These Vessels?

Power That Does Not Matter! the Twins snapped. Its malformed fists gleamed that blue-white light and it congealed against Felix’s bindings. He was crushed into the tower floor, the Bond of Enmity filled with renewed vigor. You Will Be Free Soon Enough. Spend The Power, Or Lose It Forever.

A Threat? Noctis and Yyero stepped closer to the rifts, their immense forms rising above the Twins and their hunched posture. You Threaten Us?

A Promise, Cretin.

Do You Make Your Claim Already? Yyero demanded. Do You Think Mercy And Justice Deserves The Throne Over Me And Mine?

The Throne Is Not On The Table Now, Noctis warned. Vellus flashed silently behind her. And If It Were, Then The Shadow Would Sit Atop It.

Three gods glared at one another. Or was it five? The crackling form of Vellus flitted around Noctis' shoulders, as did a strange pressure that Felix didn’t recognized. Snippets of song, elongated beyond all measure and pacing—a melodic Dissonance, if that were possible, stretched between the monolithic forms of the Divine.

They’re…they’re talking? Its sound, beyond his hearing, flirting with the edge of his Affinity, but only just. Before he could parse even the smallest piece of it, just as soon as it had begun, it ended.

Very Well, Noctis snapped, her voice descending several octaves. This Bickering Is Useless.

We Will Take Care Of These Interlopers. Yyero bowed to the Twins, his tone petulant but sweet. He caught Felix’s eye and his grin grew genuine. You Will Enjoy This, Ascendent. Fool That You Are.

Yyero and Noctis together gestured, and a wave of sickly bronze light and chill shadow flowed from the tower-top into the barrier and beyond. There, through a sliver of his peripherals, Felix saw the minions surge, a new might entering their forms, evolving them beyond what anyone had faced before.

Kill Them All.