Above The Widows

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Wyatt 'God Of Chains' Graves

Lennon Hull stumbles onto the scene with a weary grin before slamming his ass onto a random spot in the dirt. I look at him for a moment before his eyes shift over and directly peer into mine. Time seems to pause for a second as I feel his challenge, but he respects me enough to shake his head.

"Another time, friend. We have more important matters, no? Leviathan should be here any second. The damned bitch made me walk. Stupid worm."

I sigh with a nod before I pull the Oceanic Toxin to me with a Limitless Manacle, making sure to bear down my Concept upon it and weaken it further. It resists me, the God that it once was still possessing some will, but I don't let it hold on for long before I beat it into submission. I don't know how the fuck Ytern does it, but I think my method is more reliable and swifter.

Wrapping one set of chains around it, I hand it to Virgil. The poison will go well with his skill sets.

"That is true, Lennon. Take this, Virgil. You should be able to handle just one seal. Leviathan's on her way, right? What about my father? Where is he?"

The swordsman shrugs his shoulders as a shade darker than the rising eclipse falls over us. I glance up to find a winged, leathery serpent above, gliding toward the earth. Leviathan answers my question with a closed mouth as she lands nearby.

"I am not sure. Last I was with him, he was devoted to taking down Vincent. So, probably dead, despite his name. As for you all here... I am disappointed not to see the gunslinger. Was growing to like him quite a bit."

My mood worsens for two reasons: my father seeking out Vincent and Leviathan's mentioning of Johnny. I can't tell if it's a dig or a genuine comment with her, however. Despite that, I don't speak harshly to her.

We will need her help.

With such a massive body and the speed of a God...

She's the only way we'll get all our forces to Vincent's line.

"Leviathan. Would you be willing to take us to the battleground? I know it is—"

The dragon scoffs, actually opening her mouth to articulate clear words when I thought she couldn't. Her wings flutter and kick up dirt as people frantically stand up, prepared to fight.

"Of course, you dimwits. Why else would I have come back? Hmm? Do you think of me as prideful enough to ignore such obvious things? For the little abomination beside you, yes, because it's hilarious, but not for the rest of you. I also had to check on Louis."

Leviathan's tone sinks regarding the first ascended God of humanity. I bow my head lightly as I ask for my peer's condition.

"Is he—?"

A shake of her head tosses my heart into the abyss.

"No. He is gone. Placed a damn rule on his Divinity, too. Doesn't even need a bearer. Fucking showoff. Always has been. Just like... like him. Hah... Our people are safe, however. The only way She gets through his setup is if we let the spider batter it for days on end. It is a shame you humans live so transiently. Even Concepts only extend it by so much. A bonfire. Short but bright. I will miss him. Perhaps more so than even my rival."

Some other heads along our gathering fall, too, at this news, but many just appear confused. We don't have time to elaborate on what we have lost. The King Of All. He once held that title, being a soldier-king and taking down the previous dangers and rulers.

Louis Fern was a good man. More powerful than any of his time and nearly all that came after. If age hadn't weakened him, I'm not so sure we would need someone like Vincent. It was he, too, who decreed that there should be no more kings.

The last legend of humanity to fall. We have thousands of myths and tales about the Devil, about the First, and about the Last. The King Of All. The things he must have done to earn such a name... I only wish I could bear witness to them. But... we will mourn him later. And the others.

I stand, my feet shaky from the news and my exhaustion, but there is too little time. Who knows if Vincent will fall, if my father is dead, or if Usen has something else planned? Plus... my mother went after Killian. Is she alright? I need to find her.

"Then, for him, Leviathan, we will kill Her. That is what he devoted his thousand years to. How about we finish what he started?"

The God Of Minds lowers and raises her head, the draconic face growing into a fanged smile.

"Yes. That sounds perfect. Then... we shall protect what remains."

I squint at her, unsure of what she means. Leviathan continues, obviously sensing my puzzlement. Stepping toward us, the God lowers one wing to the ground so that it can be clambered upon.

"After Usen, there will still be the Harvey. The Endless will not stop after the Darklight is gone. Your father left to ensure our victory afterward, but I am unconfident in his success."

I squint, unsure of her total confidence in Vincent's madness. Well, yes, he's completely insane, but he's... like Eli, right?

"What do you mean? Why will we have to fight Vincent? Aniwye mentioned this as well. I don't understand. He's one of us, no?"

A great sigh exhales from Leviathan's chest, the draconic scales rippling from her movement. Then, retrieving the watery Divinity on the ground with a claw to spite Lennon, she answers me.

"Once upon a time, yes. He was... reasonable. But... for all his age, he gained strength too quickly. It changed him. When he was in his twenties, we often spoke. Had dialogues. Bartered Arca and knowledge. We have not sat together since before he went gray. The Endless... It changed him. It is changing him. Boy, watch what your Concept does to you. Some are more devious than others. The Endless, for all the power it delivers, is not without its price."

Fuck. I didn't realize it was this bad. The Endless.

It is like Limitless, only... more violent in nature. Concepts exist in nature set to their bearer, augmented and altered to their base. The Endless once meant a vast ocean of water, never to be crossed. It was something that meant a thousand thousand thousand years, eternal in essence.

But to Vincent Harvey... it meant to devour all that is without end, to take power for his own, and to become that very thing, Endless and endlessly growing.

Everyone else climbs atop the dragon with a grumbling Lennon at the lead, but I stay on the ground, speaking to her directly. Another lingers, a shadow by my side as usual, but he is silent.

"What is the plan for him then? And Usen, by extension? Have you come up with one?"

Leviathan bobs her draconic maw, the prodigious mind of a Mentalist ascended to the highest stature.

"Yes. I have one. It will have to be altered slightly without the gunslinger and now with you as my equal. Golden Eyes... It was a Power worthy of being the strongest ever. There is no list of them, but if I were to make one of those I have seen... it would be in the top three. Instead, we will have to make do without our reset switches, less room for error, I should say."

Virgil's eyes follow the demon's gaze over the horizon as I keep my focus on her head. Motioning with my hand, I get her to continue with the actual plan for battle.

"I will deliver everyone here to the battlefield, and there, we will have to take the most advantageous fights we can. I sense... a transporter beside you. Hmm... Virgil. That is your name. Can you send three dozen across a landscape to fight?"

I glance to my side, and I find the tightly wrapped man shuffle from foot to foot. He seems unsure for a second before he nods.

"I think I can manage it. I'll have to take each person individually, but... I'm pretty fast."

Leviathan's maw smirks as she leans forward toward us, staring intently into my friend.

"How fast?"

Virgil returns the expression from under his mask before he utterly vanishes, even from me. I only catch a whiff of a Dominion flicker, just enough to shut it down if I had to, but not enough to follow him.

Then, he reappears atop the dragon's head, sitting with crossed legs. Leviathan immediately shifts to hit him in anger, but the man is already gone, standing beside me with arms against each other.

"Is that fast enough?"

A slow nod with a long stare at Virgil is his answer. My presence beside him and his vital nature to the battle is likely the only reason Leviathan won't pursue the disrespect. It's a bit out of character for Virgil, but I can tell the man loves fucking with demons. He never plays with his prey, but this time, the demon isn't. So, it's free game for him.

"That will do. Teleportation through shadows is better than I had thought. Get on. We'll be there within two hours. There shall be other worries, however. When we fight Usen herself... We must be careful of her stored Divinities. Just as people stockpile artifacts and Arcas, She has gathered many Divinities, and that is where most of her personal power comes from. So, we will have to take things slowly, even if we think we have won."

I quickly do as she asks, jumping from the ground onto her back. The height is only a few dozen feet, not all that much for me anymore. Virgil enters the shadows as before and seats himself beside me on the dragon's spine.

Everyone gapes at me while I just shrug at them, unsure of what they're asking. Leviathan then flaps her wings to get into the air despite not needing it. Without another moment on the ground, we are gone, heading westward.

I sit uncomfortably beside Virgil, Elizabeth, Earl, Bonfire, and Abraham as we all are gathered around the large pieces of Leviathan's spine that jut out so that we can hold on easier.

One would expect the winds in the sky to slash at our faces, but Leviathan's body is covered with her psychic Ether, holding back the forces of nature entirely. That is for good reason, as we are racing across the continent hundreds of times faster than the Steam Train.

Slowly, my muscles relax as I feel some temporary peace. Lily materializes beside me as she starts to bicker with Bonfire, insisting that he say thank you for something I don't recall. I turn away from the two of them and face the only man who has to be my best friend in the world.

A long time ago, I'd have said that was Earl, as he was one of just a few friends I had. Back then... I had very few. But Virgil's been with me through thick and thin, never doubting me for a moment. We've saved each other's lives what has to be hundreds of times each.

His eyes are slightly lidded, open just enough to see the light as I ask him a question I've always wanted to know.

"What will you do after this is all over? When we've dealt with Usen and Vincent? You gonna retire?"

The former assassin laughs as he keeps his eyes mostly shut. His chest rises up and down with the tumultuous flight.

"Maybe. Not sure what there will for someone like me to do after all this. All I've ever known is this. Killing. Hunting. Slaying. But... I think... I think I'll sleep. Naps in the daytime, sleeping into the late morning or afternoon. It sounds nice. Beyond that... I don't know? Take Aron and Nora to see the world? Help Victor draw without worry. Haven't given it much thought to be honest."

I sigh at his answer, already expecting it. Still, his words are strained, as if his reply is not all that there is. Regardless, Virgil is a man of action, not thought. It doesn't surprise me at all that he hadn't considered it. But what I don't expect is that he reverses the question instead of remaining quiet.

"What about you, oh God of Chains? Will you go around the world? Spreading grace and strength? Or will you go back to that ranch?"

I can only shrug. I... I don't know what I'll do. Truly. I... kind of want to explore this cosmos I've heard so much about. At the same time, though... I could use some relaxation.

"Not sure. Maybe a few years of rest. Then... I'll go see what the great beyond has to offer."

Virgil smiles back at me, the mask unable to hide his emotions from me due to our time together. He gives me a promise before I feel him fall asleep, seeking rest for what little time we have until we reach the warfare.

"That sounds great. I'll have to watch your back out there, then. Who knows what's out there? Can't have you vanishing to some unknown being's mouth."

I grin even as he enters his slumber. Always the caring man, huh, Virgil? Terrifying to all who don't know you, oh great Flickering Wraith.

Leaning back, I let my mind wander as I slowly drift off to slumber, but I don't make it that far as Blodwyn and I keep discussing the future. Then, Elizabeth slides beside me, and I can't help but ask about her new gun. Caldwell's Time. It is a beautiful weapon. I... only wish someone's death wasn't required to make it.

"How does it work? The twelve different rounds?"

Elizabeth opens the chamber of the near-Divine Colt and points at each bullet. She doesn't know all of them to their absolutes, but she has learned much in such a short period of time.

"They each have their own effect, all doing something with time. Once I shoot one, however, I have to wait to use it again until the cylinder is empty, wherein it resets. This first one freezes whoever I hit for five seconds. We've learned Dominions and Concepts can shorten the effects, but this second one rewinds whoever I hit by ten seconds. One of my favorites since I can hit myself with it. The ninth one is good, too. It creates... an echo of sorts that copies all of my movements and actions, only a little behind me. Super useful as it has its own gun, too. All the bullets are strong. I just have to be able to use them at the right times. And each shot is dreadfully exhausting to fire. Not life-threatening, just tiring."

The woman's words gradually grow more emotional, and by the end of her explanation, tears drip onto the steel of the Colt. The liquid soaks into the metal as if expecting the cries. I wrap an arm around Elizabeth and hold her tightly as she sobs.

"I miss him already."

Nodding, I feel the ache, too. It never gets easier. Never. All I do is get angrier with each death. The rage, at this point, nearly overpowers the grief.

"Me, too. But he'll always be with us. You know he always worked on his own time. It was inevitable that something would take him. I almost wish he hadn't taken the bastard with him so that I could get a chance."

Elizabeth leans into me as her tears continue, and I let her. For minutes, we sit in silence with nothing but the general conversations nearby. Time quickly passes as Elizabeth falls asleep, and I force myself to stay awake and alert. And for good reason. As we fly over Gravescross, the highland now a city torn to shreds, I hear a voice in the air. Patting the dragon beneath me, I get Leviathan to pause before we go too far, as it is a voice I recognize, one that I could never forget.

That of an illusionist.

"You got room for one more? I've got some debt to repay."

Looking down from the side of Leviathan, I discover a middle-aged Undead peering up at us, a hand over the tops of his brows to shield himself from the subtle light of the eclipse. His face warbles briefly before I see him for who he really is.

Alexos.

My friends turn to me, wanting to let me make the decision. I simply sigh and shout down at the man who nearly ruined it all at the very start.

"Yeah. Hop on."

Illusory stairs turn real as the Phantom Pain strides up to the elevated dragon. He sets foot on Leviathan's back while facing me. He doesn't wait a wink, being wholly direct with his desperation.

"I need you to fix my family's souls. For that, I will fight here, even to my death, as long as you give me your word."

I return his directness, but I don't see why he would trust me with something this massive if he wasn't there to guarantee it. I know how paranoid he is and how untrusting he is. The Phantom Pain hasn't put his life in another's hands for decades.

"And you'd just believe me? Why?"

Alexos laughs with a smile, stepping forward to open a palm as I feel his Ether spread out, creating a literal floor wrapped around Leviathan's torso with chairs. I can sense that the false reality is only temporary, something that will soon fade without his input. It is not at all like the bodies he created for his family. Of which, his limbs are still made of false metal.

"Because. Everyone knows a Graves never breaks a promise. And you, Wyatt Graves, are a better man than I could ever be."