FENRER

Arrows sat beside him in a line according to their runes. On his perch, he viewed the entirety of the army encampments, and the other vantage points of the other designated people to deliver the alarms. Black smoke rumbled out of the Burning Abyss, but the constant hum drove on his mind, a tearing eyelid webbed over with crimson vines. He tried to center himself and the lack of auras around him. "Kon?" He lifted his head when a mist hovered off him to take the shape of the direwolf, who sat beside him. "I must ask a favor of you." Will I get the whole truth instead of the half ones? "We're going over the bridge into Velteraiia, and we need a guide." Fenrer gazed up at his Aeoniir, for answers and a guiding hand. "You are of Velteraiia, are you not? Could you guide us?"

Kon's tail twitched, and his ears disappeared against his head. "What do you seek within the realm of the dead, Little Wolf? Do you know what you ask?" His thick mane bristled, but the wolf remained diligent in keeping half his attention on what was ahead, the soon to be bloodied battlefield. "You will have to contend with its own wardens — for you are not of the dead." His pupiless gaze rested on him. "How do you even intend to approach the bridge, when you are no longer at the door?"

"Dreambloom," Fenrer explained with the bow at his side. "Yuven thinks if we thinly stretch our soul's connection between worlds, we could approach the bridge and cross it." Fenrer got onto his knees at the first horn down in the encampments. It was time for the Storm Spires to serve their final purpose. "We seek Evyriaz, he who travelled between space and time to fall to rest within the Otherworld — a living being. His path must still be open, and if Derelicts slip past it — if they already have considering a part of him was corrupted—"

"Your world would be doomed," Kon finished. "If Derelicts upset the balance of Velteraiia and consumed the anima of Magickae, and would spread the Echo Obscura and its infernal beasts along with it." Kon heaved out a breath, and Fenrer relaxed when his tail bumped into his side as it used to do when he was but a boy, lost in darkness. "If such is your desire, if you believe this the way... I will act as your guide as I have sworn." His blank eyes raised over to the fields when the sun disappeared over the horizon, but by the words of his family, he repeated the mantra in his heart as Kon spoke it in words. "The dawn must always come. If you are ready, when you have entered that thin line, call out to me. Speak the power of my name, and I shall lead the way, following the path the Traveller set."

"The dawn must always come," Fenrer echoed and bowed his head.

Flags raised high over the tents on the edge of their chosen battlefield. One by one, with the swoop of hippogryphs, the Storm Spires cracked when the black smoke turned into goo, then a writhing mass. Arrows between his fingers, he got to his feet with Kon at his side when the pillars burned to nothing, and a rattled groan sounded through his bones when the old power exploded into the Goliath which crawled its way out of the gorge. Twisted, mangled teeth came out of its side to latch onto the edge. Rocks tumbled. Horns blew. Electricity exploded outwards from another storm spire when a Rider nose-dived it, disappearing back through the cloud of smoke it left when a snaking tendrils wound its way through the air to try and grab onto the meal. Caverns opened out of its body to release plumes of Derelicts, a malformed birth when they slopped onto the ground. Arrow nocked, Kon whispered into nothing but mist, the silence around him broken by the distant screeches of Derelicts while the army below kept back the tide, the scythe against crimson wheat. One flare went upwards from across the battlefield, a sparkling gold, the signal for the Vanguard to start their assault.

Yuven among them.

Hippogryphs launched themselves from different parts of the encampment as the runic arrow fell with a tangle of sparkles. Derelicts poured out of its old orifices, but when he drew back his own arrow, the hum turned into a screech against his temples. A gasp left his throat at its infernal rumble, trying to shut away his eyes from the flash of red. What? Fenrer relaxed when the noise ceased. Palms against his searing eyes, he tried to shake out the dull throb. It fell quiet again save for the skirmish below. Tendrils snaked their way upwards to try and disrupt the flies buzzing around its formless mass. Each one scattered quickly when it coiled and lashed out. Fenrer readied himself when the rattled groan shook Aztryxer and appendages, slicked with black rot, grew out of the mass to dig itself deeper into the gorge. It rose higher, and the hippogryphs dived out of its way.

Flames spouted over the grasslands, chewing at flax and wheat. Orange to crimson-stained black when Derelicts grew out of the ground with depraved, formless smiles. It revealed the opening when the land drained behind them, withered gray. Just a little more. Fenrer pulled back the string of his longbow, taking aim for the stars above. His skull throbbed once more when he lowered his head to confirm the status. As the Goliath busied itself with the flies, a smaller force banked over the withered fields from the shadows, led by a hippogryph of snow-white plumage. Yuven, escorting the gorge team.

Crimson smoke billowed when it raised itself further to take a bite of the flies, some zipped out of the way.

One wasn't so lucky with a tearing screech.

Fenrer aimed higher, then let go of the arrow of sacrifice when its tip lit up in morning flames. His heart burned at the flood of auras, but Yuven and the rest of the escort dived back when the gorge team flew deep into the bowels. Hope flowed, boiled in despair when the grass sank deeper into the ground — replaced by rows of teeth when the Goliath lowered itself again. Oh, no. No! Fenrer dived for another runic arrow as a wave of flames launched from the camp to strike into its body. Yuven buzzed about the entrance, never staying still for too long. He needs to get out! He went to release the next arrow, but the humming once more turned into a scream from deep below. It echoed through his soul, and the feeling in his limbs drained out. Lost in vertigo, he tried to pick out Yuven through the muck. Teeth disguised itself as withered grass, but it inched closer, becoming solid every second. Come on, Yuven! Starlit connections tugged his heart, to the soul he was connected to. Dread filled his throat, unable to find strength to grip onto the bow.

The Goliath turned to follow its unhinged jaw it hid underneath the soil. Its shadow came last. Yuven and the rest of the escort made their retreat, but its slow mandible dropped downwards while the hippogryphs took on bursts of speed to try and escape the walls of teeth before they closed in. Bones snapped, and Fenrer found his voice failing him to scream out when the jaw snapped shut on the plains. Starry tangles stabbed his soul. Lost in blood, he dropped fully onto his hindquarters at the eerie silence. Waves of mist plumed through its clenched teeth, but Fenrer followed a baser instinct when he pressed his knees against the ground. Air distorted around him.

Heaviness dropped into his hands, and he found his fingers tangled in soft feathers. Labored breathing bellowed out of the chest of the creature above him. His muscles burned, and he sidled himself out from underneath it when it dug its claws into the ground. "Yuv?" he tried, cautiously letting go of Tix'snuv before looking up.

Yuven coughed, ripping off his helmet to throw it to the side. Against his own screaming limbs, he pulled Yuven off of Tix'snuv, who slumped to the ground with a tired chirp. His icy maelstrom distorted when Yuven held the side of his head, and Fenrer turned his attention back to the battlefield. "I'm sorry," he bleated when Yuven swayed. "I—I couldn't get to send out the flare in time."

'I'm alright." One more cough, Yuven sat up. "Kah'mai..."

"Did they get in?"

"Yes..." Yuven wiped at his face. "You need to send a flare. Get Sazaka and Maria up here so we can begin."

"Yuven, you were almost eaten, you have to—"

"We don't have time, or else those sacrifices meant nothing." Yuven got onto his feet, stumbling to Tix'snuv's beak to press his hand against it. "U'lo es fluzlo, Tix'snuv." Another cough left his lips when the hippogryph closed its eyes with a deep breath. "Fen, send it." He took out the astral foci. It glowed in his hands when he filled its runes and circuitry with power. Fenrer bit on his lip and grabbed the bow, nocking the next arrow meant for their team alone to answer to. Fingers against his cheek, he aimed it high above the camp. In his peripheral, Yuven narrowed his eyes when the morning embers lit up the tip once more, and he released it. It sang through the air, gliding on silver sparkles before exploding like stars while the Vanguard kept the attention of the Goliath.

"Yuven—"

Yuven straightened himself out and raised two glyphs, layered over each other before pointing it at the battlefield. Focal points locked, Fnerer stood in front of it to get a crystal clear view of the battle below. Runic Shields exploded whenever a Derelict's teeth met it. Blood splattered the grass. Bodies sank into the dirt, chewed to their bones before someone else took up the fight with golden light. Fenrer chewed on his lip when Yuven dispelled the glyph with a shake of his head. "I tried to sweep the rest of the escort team into my magick... but I don't know if it worked — I'm not holding my breath, but as long as its jaw is stuck there—" He nodded at the Goliath which continued to grind the plains, its own bones sliding against each other. "We have an opening. Where are they?"

"Here, Yuv." Maria appeared over the makeshift ladder first, with Adara following right after. Fenrer held his arms out for her when she ran into them, holding him close. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes." Yuven whistled at Tix'snuv, who crawled his way over to them, resting his head against the ground. "Let's get started. Faster we do this, the less lives that will be lost." Over his palm, the astral foci started to spin until it shed off stars. "If you forgot anything, it's not my problem." His sharp tongue served to release the tension out of his shoulders. Below, the dirt and stone of his outcrop disappeared, replaced by a torrent of a twilight ocean. The astral foci spun until it turned into a star in Yuven's palm, and he squeezed it into his fist. It cracked a single line through the Twilight Sea, and he found himself stumbling backwards onto cold marble with a familiar roar in his ears.

Irimount.

Lanterns sat in the lampposts on each corner of the street, lighting up the way to the Lodge. Yuven grabbed his forearm, and Fenrer found himself tugged to his feet. "Sense anything?"

Fenrer tried to open up all of his senses, but found the screaming still in his ears. "...headache."

Yuven released a sigh. "If you do, do say so and don't keep it to yourself." He motioned at them. "We're going to the sepulcher. We'll do the ritual there since there's untouched flow. It should make the process easier. Maria?" His hand found hers. "Go get the dreambloom. We'll meet you down there."

"I'm still not sure about this," Adara stated when Maria split off from them and down the street, following the light while they walked into darkness as three.

"Yet you are following anyway," Yuven pointed out when they headed up to the cracked steps of the Grand Spire. "Think of it this way, at least we do not have to deal with a Corrupted Wyvern. We just have to deal with the dead who may not take kindly to your presence."

"...that helps a lot, Yuven." Adara facepalmed.

"I try. Come." Yuven opened up the doors with a wave of his hand. Debris from their previous excursion blocked some of the once opened tunnels, though the lift remained unaffected. Ushered in, Fenrer leaned against the small railing as Yuven activated the rune beneath them, but before it filled, he coughed again. He stiffened, and his aura responded in turn, but he shook his head out.

"You should take a breather once we're down there," Fenrer pointed out.

Yuven revealed his fangs. "I'll take a breather once I've committed you both to the bridge... and not before."