Wendy landed with a thud in the very spot Zoko had stood just before his windy departure. She glanced around with narrowed eyes and a wrinkled brow. 

"Where's that bloody branch? Why're you all sitting on your bums?" 

"Escaped." Sila answered. 

"Who escaped? That bloody—" 

"Zoko got the branch, and then he got away!" Brant roared, "All that work we did, just to give it straight into his hands!" 

Aaron sat up straighter with a wince. "What's confusing me is, how'd we all suddenly become unworthy to hold the artifact?" 

"Well, whose definition of worthy are we going off of here?" Ace asked. 

Aaron's eyebrows rose. "Good point. Dove's definition, more than likely. Right, Brant?" 

"Probably." 

"And it makes a whole lot of bloody sense, too!" Wendy exclaimed, "What would Dove want more than to bond with the bloke who's been destined to be grafted together with him? Of course he would conveniently decide we're 'unworthy' now, for his own pleasure!" 

Brant nodded. "That makes sense." 

"At any rate," Aaron said, "it sure looks like holding our ground was a great idea, eh?" 

Brant glared and clenched his fists. "There's no way I could've foreseen this!" 

"Men," Chariya began, "please refrain from fighting. Are you not wearied from that very same activity?" 

The two men glanced at each other, then at the princess, and finally at the ground. Neither of them answered a word. 

"Well, evening draws near, and I wish to complete our inspection before darkness overtakes us. Brant, you may rest if you need to." 

He nodded and buried his face in his hands while the others moved to continue searching the ruins. 

******************** 

Back in the Sand Dollar, Brant sat at the edge of a cot and waited while Sila stitched up the last of his shrapnel wounds. He hung his head as he did so. Half his exhalations consisted of sighs, and half his inhalations had a shuddering quality about them, drawing air into his body in little bursts. 

Brant glanced up as the door slid open, and Hannah meekly stepped into the room. She offered him a small smile, the littlest grin he'd ever seen on her face. 

"Hey," she said softly, "just thought I'd check on ya." 

"I'm feeling alright, if that's what you're asking." 

Hannah shook her head. "That ain't true, 'xcept maybe physically." 

"Why'd you even ask, if you think you already know the answer?" 

"Well...I dunno, I reckon it's more for your sake than mine." 

"Courtesy." Sila declared as it closed the med-kit in its hands. 

Hannah nodded. "Yeah, courtesy. So listen, really, if there's somethin' buggin' ya, you're not foolin' me, sayin' nothin's up." 

Brant sighed. "I don't even know anymore. I'm...really starting to think we're fighting a futile battle here. Maybe we're just destined to fail, fighting against gods." 

"That makes me wanna ask ya, why do you still cling to your religion, knowin' good'n well the gods are corrupt and that you're in opposition to 'em?" 

He scratched his chin for a second. "I only cling to it in the sense that I can never shake off my convictions. I can't shed my belief in the Divine Flock's existence, and so obviously, despite my opposition to them, I believe in them." 

"So then, what happens to your soul when you eventually die? Does your religion have an afterlife or anything?" 

"That's...yeah, that's what I'm confused about." Brant admitted, "Because at the end of days, with the gods having returned, mankind is supposed to reach a new age of prosperity. But the Evil Spirit will return to steal and feast on the other gods' offerings, sparking another spiritual war. All souls, it's said, will side with either the gods, or Dhamukhan." 

When Brant paused, Hannah leaned forward with wide eyes and a wrinkled forehead. "What then?" 

"Well, it ends like most religions' end-time scenarios. The gods will at last prevail, and the Evil Spirit and his followers will be cast into a dungeon of suffering for eternity, while the gods and their allies will live in bliss, with no more conflict." 

"But I thought ya just said everybody would be made to pick a side. Where would that place you?" 

Brant shook his head. "I dunno. That's what I'm unsure about. Because I know I wouldn't side with the gods, but I certainly would never side with Dhamukhan either. The texts seem to insist that neutrality is impossible, but never detail how exactly indecisive men will be forced to pick a side." 

"Huh. Well, I'm not sure if you'll be willin' to accept some outside insight, but you mind if I give it to ya?" 

"Not at all." 

"See, I believe in one God, who rules over all, even your gods." Hannah asserted. 

"How?" 

"How's he rule over 'em? Simple. They ain't really gods at all." 

Brant frowned. "I don't understand—Oh, are you saying like Baird, that our gods are only demons in your religion?" 

"Yeah, exactly. It's only natural these demons, who hate God and wanna spite him, would exalt themselves in his place. Mah God doesn't hide in magical objects and wait for people to find him. He just is who he is, above us, and yet condescends himself to love us." 

"I understand that's what you believe, but that has nothing to do with me finding answers for myself in my faith." 

Hannah shrugged. "Well, I'll ask ya somethin' else. In these prophecies...is Falcon ever mentioned? Is he present for the end of days?" 

"Of course he is." 

"How can these prophecies be true, then? We know reality, Brant. You destroyed Falcon's artifact, and with it, his ability to ever appear physically." 

Brant leaned forward. "Yeah, and...?" 

"And so, any prophecies 'bout Falcon in the future are proven false by you yourself!" 

Brant's eyes widened. His hand leapt to his forehead. "Wait a minute, if the prophecies about Falcon are false, then who says any of them are true? There's no way to know!" 

Hannah nodded vigorously. "Exactly! And think about it! Where do these prophecies come from in the first place?" 

"The..." he face-palmed again, "the gods. Who're unreliable in their own right as we've seen. I think I see where you're going with this." 

"Of course." 

Brant rose to his feet. "You've persuaded me. Clearly, they're not gods at all, but demons. Although I don't by default now believe in your God, or have any assurance which god really overarches these demonic entities. That will take its own investigation." 

Hannah nodded. "I can understand dat. At least you're on the right track. If ya ever wanna read the Christian scriptures, just lemme know, 'cause I have a copy you can borrow." 

"Thanks. I might just take you up on that sometime." 

The girl gave him a grin much closer in size and genuineness to her regular one. After Brant returned the smile, she turned on her heel and exited. He stalked off to his quarters for some more introspection. 

******************** 

The next morning, the two ships sat in a snow-swept clearing in the midst of a mighty mountain range straddling the border between Jasmidian and Kemaria. The Butterfly had run low on fuel the previous night, so they had made a stop there to rest, planning to venture out and search for a nearby town or village in the morning. 

Of course, Aaron's curiosity had made him restless, so he'd hurriedly finished up an oddly formed rover craft he had abandoned years ago and set out to scout with Sila an hour after landing. Just over the brow of the nearest hill, they'd discovered, a town awaited. 

Aaron and the robot returned to the Sand Dollar to find Chariya insisting that the mountain range they found themselves in was called the Pril Da Te Pheap Mountains, while one of her soldiers, a Jasmidianite man, opposed her. He said they were called the Divy Parvat. 

Sila had immediately declared the matter inconsequential and proceeded to turn out the lights. The hint was taken, and everybody at last went to sleep. 

Presently, Aaron nodded at Brant and opened the Sand Dollar's exit hatch. The two men slid down the black rope, closed the entryway behind themselves, and tugged their coats tighter around their bodies. Snow floated down from the heavens, often becoming caught in the frigid breeze and being swept into the men's ears. 

Brant and Aaron trudged through the snow to meet Princess Chariya, Baird, and two Insurgence soldiers outside the Butterfly. The Jasmidianite man was present, and he shivered visibly under his heavy fur coat. 

Aaron nodded at the princess once they met eyes. "So, you never told me, why're you so adamant about tagging along?" 

Vapor rose from Chariya's mouth. "You do realize we lost four men in that futile skirmish, right?" 

"Oh." Aaron replied, tightening his lips immediately after. 

"So my hope is that we may garner additional men to accompany us to the stronghold." 

"Alright, makes sense. Just know, we've only got 25 or so spots left in the Sand Dollar. Unless we're gonna start having people sleep in the turret chambers." he added with a chuckle. 

Chariya briefly flashed her teeth. "I do not intend to render that necessary. We have about five spots in the Butterfly remaining, so that makes thirty, the holy number." 

Brant raised an eyebrow. "The holy number?" 

"Oh, you would not understand, much less agree. Let us move before we freeze." 

The party plodded across the empty expanse of snowy ground between the two ships and a steep hill ahead. They walked in almost complete silence, their concentration mostly focused on their footwork and the rising white blanket underneath. 

At last, they reached the summit. The six travelers peered over the edge of the descent and studied the beautiful town below. A frozen river ran through the middle, with wooden buildings spanning either side, as far as the eye could see. The houses possessed little intricacy in design inherently, but the residents made up for that potential shortcoming, hanging stained glass lamps and painted clay sculptures over the porches, each piece bearing its own breathtaking and unique design. 

The town also had no abundance of trees, but those that did grow in the frigid land were accentuated by the residents, who had built inviting courtyards around the plants, furnished with recliners and swings. In some cases, statues adorned the courtyards as well, many of which had been cast in lifelike, comical poses. 

Sturdy docks extended from several buildings into the central river, onto which several younger townsfolk leapt on skis. They glided across the frozen expanse with laughter, and many strove to impress one another with tricks and difficult maneuvers. 

Aaron slipped his phone from his pocket, snapped a quick picture, and sent it to Wendy with a smirk on his face. 

"Like something out of a dream, huh?" he asked Chariya, observing the visible pleasure on her face. 

She nodded. "It really is. I have heard much of these mountain towns, but never have I journeyed to see one with my own eyes. I should very much like to get a closer look." 

Aaron grinned and nodded. "Me too. Shall we?" 

"We shall." 

With that, they began a careful descent, restraining their anticipation for safety's sake. 

******************** 

A/N: Well, that chapter was quite a journey in some ways. I mean, location-wise, we started in a humid swamp and ended in some snowy mountains. And emotionally speaking, we're going from frustrated despair to a sort of excitement. If you've enjoyed the ride, please remember to vote and comment. 

And let's not forget that middle scene, of course. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like that's a defining part of Brant's character at this point, the emotional "stitch-up scenes" where he gets a little talk with somebody (usually Hannah) to figure things out. And the fact Sila was physically stitching him up at the moment too only adds to that. 

Anyway, I know it may be a little too early to see the big picture yet, but are you seeing any thematic message[s] or motifs yet, and if so, what's it seem to be at this point? (I mean, I see the whole picture, but I'd like to see what you as a reader are seeing from your side of the keyboard at this point.) 

And for our random question...we're halfway through January now. Did you make any New Years' resolutions, and if so, how're they holding up now? 😂 

(I don't make New Years' resolutions, so it doesn't quite apply to me. If I've got a change to make in my life, I try to just make it more or less when I think about it. For me, anyways, that's more productive.) 

Well, I hope you have an awesome day, and I'll see you next update on Saturday! (Or whenever you read it, lol.) Be blessed!