TW: Descriptions of Death

The birds were silent as the dust settled over the churned up dirt. Large gashes scored the ground, creating gaping holes. Branches were snapped and torn, crisscrossing the worn trail Frost was following.

This place reeked of magic. But it also reeked of loss. A speck of orange caught his attention, snagged against an outstretched vine, fluttering slightly in a sullen breeze.

He neared it, his heart dropping as his suspicions were confirmed. Alxton's fur ripped free of the tendril and drifted away, lost to the wind as the hybrid had been lost to the world.

If only he had said something. If only he had done something. If only he hadn't been blinded by greed and hunger for power.

Maybe they'd still be in this world.

He could still sense them, but it was faint and quickly fading. He hoped it was due to the world's distance to his own and not....

He wasn't going to think about that. It was then he realized Alxton, Zud, and Kate had been right all along. But they paid the price for his mistake and it was too late to turn back. They were in the endgame- there was no room for neutrality.

He could sense the other world now. It was dark and savage and broken. And it was closer than ever.

But he couldn't help but wonder why they'd come so close to invading all of a sudden. He couldn't see into that world but he could sense its hostility. Surely a place without a united front wouldn't be able to make it to other worlds, right? What changed?

His eyes dropped to a mound of dirt that had been freshly dug. He must have wandered to the gravesite. The gears began to turn in his head, making him aware of just how much of a fool he had been.

A place so dark. A wicked arrow piercing Rafessor's lifeless form. Karan and Nico were nearby, Karan suffering from a fatal burn that exposed his windpipe and Nico with a gaping hole in his stomach.

A place so savage. The dragon's jaws tearing Garry in two, the mutilated bodies of Cheri and Mr. Chang outside. Ambrew and Biffle were rotting with them.

A place so broken. Everyone was accusing each other of being at fault. Sigils was glaring at Henwy, his eyes betraying his fury and grief. Gold and Karan were avoiding eye contact so their guilt wouldn't be seen. The sorcerers stood from afar, watching the madness, doing nothing. If the newcomers were fighting, there would be no quarrel with the three of them.

They had been their own demise. This- all of this- was their fault.

A twig snapped nearby, yanking him from his thoughts. "Who's there?" He called.

Florian tore himself free from the wild undergrowth, ripping his clothes as he went. His boots were smeared with mud, compliments of the storm. His eyes were wide. "What happened out there?" He asked, gesturing to the mauled stretch of woods.

"Loaf," Frost replied, shaking his head. "Loaf happened."

"And the three?"

"Gone."

Florian's brow furrowed and he fell into his thoughts, his gaze trailing to the graveyard.

"The other world is near," Frost said, "I can sense it now. It's too late."

"What? No- it can't be-"

"Flo, listen. It's too late."

Florian blinked, opening his mouth, but stayed quiet. A silence akin to the one after the dragon attack filled the land. It was like the world was preparing for a last stand. Clearly unnerved by the suffocating silence, he whispered, "What do we do?"

"We fight."

"You just said it's too late."

"I know. But no one can make portals to escape and we're fighting against time. We can only hope to... I don't even know."

"Okay, but how did Loaf do this? How... you need time to open portals, but if Loaf did this, then... then he must be the one behind this."

Frost thought for a moment. "You think he's controlling time?"

"The only way to open portals is through time. You said Loaf did this. I say this whole 'time falling apart' thing was a distraction and he was the one doing it all along." Florian turned to the charred remains of Sigils' house, looking at it as if answers were hidden in the blackened wood.

"If that's true, we're screwed," Frost muttered dryly.

Florian turned a slow circle, careful to avoid the mounds of freshly dug dirt. "We need a plan. Loaf has to have a weakness."

Frost rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it's not caring about lives other than his own." He paused. Wait a minute....

"Hey Flo?"

Florian turned towards him. "Hm?"

"Assuming Loaf saved Henwy from the bomb, why would he keep him around? This man has done nothing but torment everyone. Why keep Henwy alive?"

"Maybe he needs him?"

"But for what? He's more powerful than Henwy by a lot."

Florian shrugged. "The man's mad."

"But there's a method to it. He doesn't do things just to do them. There's always something beneath the surface."

"Maybe it's another distraction."

"Yeah, maybe," Frost said, fighting a sigh, "Come on, we need to talk to Gold and figure out what's going on."

"You think he'll go along with it?" Florian asked.

"Considering my plan involves killing Henwy, yeah."

Florian nodded, following Frost as he began to walk along a trail that would lead them to Gold's house. After a quick inspection, they found he wasn't there. They continued behind the house. Frost really didn't want to look through the tainted woods, but he didn't really have a choice.

They found him by the winding river near his house, staring into the bubbling water. When they neared, he turned, his eyes dark. "What happened here?"

"Alxton, Zud, and Kate are gone," Frost replied. Gold stiffened, glancing at Florian as if to see if he had misheard. Florian slowly shook his head, his eyes dropping to the ground.

"Who."

"Loaf. And I have a plan to stop him." Sort of.

"Oh?" Gold tipped his head. "Let's hear it, then."

They stared at each other for a long time.

"You don't have a plan, do you?" Gold sighed.

"It's more of a goal," Frost replied, taking a moment to note the way the dirt was churned and torn. He brought his gaze back to Gold, knowing that he'd eventually have to tell him, but not wanting to.

"Look, the truth is, we're screwed. Like, really screwed. My goal is to stop Loaf and Henwy, but honestly, I don't think it's possible. At least, not at this point. We just need to stall them."

Gold stared at him as if he had sprouted wings. "Stall them for what?" He asked slowly.

"Would you believe me if I told you there's a Very Mean and Not Good world trying to break into ours?" Frost returned, "Because there is. And they're succeeding. I don't know why, but Loaf's working with them. They're trying to get to other worlds too, but ours is the first pit stop on the road trip to dimensional tyranny."

Gold was silent. Then, he nodded hesitantly. "Okay, so Loaf is bad, but we knew that. So how do we get at Mr. Bread Man?"

Frost and Florian exchanged a look.

"You're gonna like this next part," Florian said, "You're gonna kill Henwy."

Gold raised an eyebrow. "I'm down."

"What a surprise," Frost muttered dryly.

"So, I kill Henwy, then what? What's the point in that?"

"For whatever reason, Loaf wants Henwy alive. We kill him, that messes with- what'd you call him?- Mr. Bread Man?" Florian answered. He had his hands shoved into the pockets of his sweater.

Frost opened his mouth to speak, then paused, furrowing his brow. Someone was here. Motioning to them, he took a couple cautious steps towards the foliage on the riverbank.

The leaves rustled and Frost tensed, prepared to strike with a spear made of ice.

A raven hopped out from the thick branches of a stout bush, eyeing him curiously.

He relaxed. "Just a bird," he called to the others. He turned back.

"Well then, Gold, ready to do some training? We've got to get that magic of yours under control so we can figure out what it even is. Besides, we've seen what happens when people try to fight Henwy." Frost's eyes darkened. "And Loaf. The three of us need to be ready because it's only the three of us left."