Creation

A resonant stream of air enters my nostrils as I find myself standing amidst a cosmos filled with flowing blood, fallen stars, and tainted luminances. The air is lovely despite the fact that the plane I stand in is wholly artificial.

My eyes devour the sights before me in an instant, seeing it all and comprehending everything unlike ever before. A voice reaches out to me from my insides, and I hear it. I acknowledge it, but I am in no mood to reply. Instead, I lean back, soaking in the feeling for just a moment longer.

The feeling of authority. The precise opposite of powerlessness. The ability, the knowledge, that you are your own. In a sea of stars, an ocean of creatures, a forest of trees, I am uniquely my own. And with that complete uniqueness, a grasp of the soul, I feel complete jubilation. There has never been a better feeling than this one.

My soul is...

It is different. It no longer has a defined form as I look down. The battle between my father and Eldest must wait. This desire—this need—to feel my soul cannot be resisted.

I can see it now, just as I saw all other Demigod's Dominions. But mine is different. A little bit. It's smaller, more focused, more precise. But... it is mine.

Lifting a hand, my right hand to be precise, I recall the punch I levied at the Mother Below. In that realm, my body mirrored my soul. I did not have a right arm. Smiling, I pull on that muscle, and for the first time in my entire life, a wonder occurs without an inch of Ether. That only makes sense. After all, Dominions are one's soul taking action.

Powers are the Sigil melding with the user's Ether and innate qualities, only brushing upon the soul. Virtues are the halfway mark, passive effects granted by the soul sliding with the Sigil, resonating to affect the body or any number of things. Because they are always with the soul, they are passive in nature.

Dominions are similar. They are passive by nature of always existing. Once one is created, it can never be taken away. They are active by nature, like a muscle.

The knowledge of my Dominion flows through me in an instant, an instinctual flow that feels utterly genuine. Using that knowledge, I do something I have wanted to do for over a year now.

My soul glides from the top of my right arm. It flows into the metal, the Skysbane from Earl. It invades the metal and the Sigil within it. The construct has been beyond useful. The Sigil, too, as it allows me to control it with keen perceptions. But it is no longer needed.

A tiny flex is all it takes to rip the Sigil from its bonds. Another aspect of this Dominion. If a Sigil has no soul, I can break it without even a sweat. Perhaps there is more to that.

Without the Sigil, the metal creaks and groans under its own weight. The arm begins to fall apart without the Sigil to act as the glue to hold it together. But that's alright. There is something else to keep it as one.

My soul wraps around each morsel of metal, welcoming it into my life. I find my soul over the mold of metal. And as it does so, Blodwyn moves, seeing that there is now something new to heal. As such, bone grows over the steel. The plates of bone are thin, hardly enough to do anything, but the blood and flesh that sutures over it, acting as reinforcements to the arm, assuage my worries.

In an instant, my right arm completely changes. It is no longer metal, nor is it wholly flesh as the original was. Underneath the blood and bone, steel lies. But more than that. Earl's machinations run rampant with Blodwyn's Ether and blood.

The scythe blades within are now wholly hidden by my own flesh, invisible to any seer. Furthermore, it is a perfect shield. Who would expect an arm to be so durable, after all, if it's only made of flesh?

Smiling, I glance up, feeling that there is so much more to be done with my Dominion. Strengthening my right arm is just a minor part. Just as I escaped the Mother Below's clutches. My soul, my mind, and my body can no longer be trapped. They cannot be held down.

There will always be more, as unlike the other Absolutions, Dominions can grow. It is always a slow one, but that does not matter as it exists nonetheless.

My grin, however, is not at a good time. My surroundings come to me as I leave this odd state with my soul settling down from its formless boil.

Virgil is motionless on the ground, Darklight leaking from his eyes. Lily is similarly positioned. Only the heart in her hands washes away the rot with fire. Still, she is unable to move from the tepid safety.

Meanwhile... two figures war without end.

One, a demon with few wounds and a neutral face of impassiveness, attacks the other with carefully coordinated attacks. However, the threads he was using earlier are now gone. How odd.

The other, a human with more torn open skin than unblemished, fights as if he's on his last legs. Which he might as well be. Killian Grave's right leg ends at his ankle, and the outstretched bone is being used as a new foot. His left arm is the same as before, nothing but a spear of bone. He must have taken the arm specifically for that. A stray thought wonders just what creature it came from.

And yet he doesn't relent, but neither does he use that tremendous skill from the surface. The one where he summoned the previous Primes. What is he doing? Isn't this the perfect time to do so?

Stepping forward, I shout at my father, pleading for him to do it already. This fight would be over without a hitch if he brought even just two of them!

"Killian! Use that skill!"

He must know what I mean as he glances slightly in my direction. Shock lines his wretchedly damaged eyes, but he doesn't linger for more than a split second. Immediately, however, Eldest moves for him with an outstretched hand.

I notice Eldest's soul move with such intricate detail that I know precisely what he is to do. Something in my mind tingles to stop it, but I'm too slow as a grand explosion detonates against my father's body.

A plume of smoky destruction gives birth to his body as the older Graves rolls onto the ground near me, more flesh missing. Ignoring the damage and knowing he's okay, I yell at him again.

"Do it! Whatever you did up there with Vincent!"

My father grimaces, wiping blood from his eyes and pushing his intestines back in from the open hole. Nonetheless, he doesn't stagger in the most minute way as he strides forward.

"You know not what you ask. Kill him with me. Reaper's Seal has a grand cost, and we cannot afford it now."

"Why not!?"

I holler after my father as he sprints back to Eldest, clumps of blood and gore dropping like leaves in the fall. What? Why can't he... Why won't he use his most potent skill! His Sirza!? Is he stupid!? No... No, there has to be a reason.

But what reason!? What reason could possibly compel him to not summon long-dead Primes to fight for us?

I don't know. I'm not smart enough to deduce that. I'm not Earl. I'm not Elizabeth, and I'm certainly no Weiss. Gritting my teeth, I rush after my father, feeling, ironically, that not much is different. Only, as my feet kick off the ground and I pass Virgil's limp body, I sense the Bonespike in his hand so intimately.

Waving a hand outward, it returns to me, flying from Virgil's grasp into mine. Right. It has my soul in it. As such, I can control it.

"Help him, too! Don't pass by!"

Blodwyn finally manages to pass through whatever film is blocking us from communicating. Actually... I think I did that by accident. I'll need to get better control over this thing. Glancing at my father for a moment, I listen to my partner and kneel beside Virgil.

How do I help him? I can control my own soul, but that thing from before with Bonfire was way too risky. Wait... I've helped others in the past with my own 'personal' abilities. There is a chance this control over souls isn't just limited to me.

My hand falls onto Virgil's back, and I immediately reach into him with my Dominion. My soul jaunts within his, the formless wrapping around and invading the condensed portion within his head. That's another difference. Mine is equally formless throughout. All other souls are consolidated in their skulls with the 'blueprints' to their bodies spread out thinly.

Shaking my head, I notice the Darklight wrapping around and attacking his soul. But it is more than that. Eldest's Dominion, the pieces of his soul made into function, are still here.

An idea comes to mind as I clench that 'muscle' around his soul while clearing out Virgil's vulnerability of taint. However, I am careful not to touch the corrupted part from a long time ago. That's what gives him Flicker.

And as I squeeze Eldest's Dominion, shattering it, the demon yelps in pain, shuddering and retreating in fear.

"What the hell did you do!? Mother!?"

Killian presses this vulnerability, scoring our first genuine wound onto Eldest since the fight began. The spear in his left arm sinks into the demon's chest as another explosion gains Eldest some distance. Utterly ignoring the damage upon him, the Undying darts back into the heat of battle.

Seeing this all, I step back from Virgil, the man's eyes already fluttering open. Time for me to help Lily and Bonfire now, I suppose.

An Arbalest hurtles me toward them as I fall into a sprint, trusting my father not to lose quite yet. He held on while we were all incapacitated, so I believe in him. As I do so, though, another thought hits me.

What is Killian's Dominion? Oh... I see now.

The blood that falls from Eldest is devoured by Killian's Dominion, and the soul stretches out to bring the blood back to the Undying's body. The unnatural-colored liquid sinks into the human's skin, revitalizing it and regrowing much of the damaged tissue. Of course, it is yet another aspect that makes him even more complicated to kill.

Sliding onto my knees, I end beside Lily and the heart in her hands. The little girl is kicking and screaming, nearly brought to tears as Bonfire's flames somehow protect them both.

"Hey, I'm here!"

The three words calm her down to a motionless position, staring right at me.

"Oh! I thought you were dead, Wyatt! I couldn't feel your soul anymore! I... I still can't... and you're touching me. Did that weird thing get even stronger?"

Her questions and joy counteract the distress she is under, and I reach out, my soul expanding beyond my body to push away and annihilate all the nearby Darklight. It even cleanses Bonfire's heart, too. Peering at the heart and listening to Virgil return to the action, I inquire into my friend.

"How is he doing?"

"Oh, Bono? Wait, was it Bonbon? He's alright. He just... doesn't like his new form. Plus, I'm running out of Creation from big sis."

I raise an eyebrow, confused by her words. This needs to be dealt with now. I don't know what those words mean, but I know the bigger picture. Bonfire will die soon if I don't do anything.

"What can I do?"

The question is half to myself and half to Lily. She shrugs, unsure of any answer. She simply washes the flaming heart with more water, revitalizing the fire. Or is it a heart-shaped flame?

The shape...

My eye falls to my right arm. Yes! That's it! I can mold his soul! That's why he isn't healing right! His soul must be messed up in form from the waters!

Clasping a palm over the flaming heart, I wince at the pain. Then, I curse in raw agony as the pain equals that of what I felt previously when my soul was being destroyed. He's burning my soul? No. His flame is just so hot that it feels like that.

I clench my jaw and move that muscle. Shape. It just feels like the correct name. A simple one. It molds the soul and, by that nature, the body as well. The mind, too. It can change... theoretically, anything. I Shape the flame that has been conditioned to fit into the mold of a heart. And while I'm not as intricately aware of Bonfire's body, I don't need to be. I can let him guide me and have Lily help as well. It's a three-pronged effort.

A body slowly comes into form, but it's not remotely something I would call easy. My everything hurts—a feeling that is unique to soul-pain. I'm pushing myself too far already, just an instant after gaining a Dominion. But I don't have a choice.

My grip tightens on the heart accidentally to hone my focus. I don't relent, though. He needs to hold on. He has to hold on. Gradually, this body comes into form, and I grunt out what little noise I can to Lily as blood trails out of all my pores.

"Now! Creation! All of it, Lily!"

My Colt shouts with a childish hurrah as she leads a ball of water into the heart. The water washes over the flesh, dousing the flame into nothingness with its amount. For a fraction of a second, my heart pauses, waiting to see what will happen. This is my only chance. Bonfire's only chance. He's come to close to death far too much for my liking.

A second later, flesh sprouts from the heart, and with it, bones come with. Blood, too. With each passing moment, the heart begins to undergo a grotesque transformation, its fleshy exterior contorting and writhing as if in agony.

I can scarcely believe my eyes as I watch the heart gradually morph into the form of a young man, with the muscles and bones the only indication at first. Every sinew and tendon stretches and twists, every bone and organ taking shape with horrifying clarity. It is as though the very essence of life itself is being woven into the fabric of his being, each component coming together in a macabre dance of creation.

Glancing at Lily, I realize that she truly did give him 'Creation' itself.

The air is thick with the stench of decay, the sound of flesh tearing and bones snapping, filling the cosmos with a cacophony of horror. And yet, despite the grotesque nature of the spectacle before me, I find myself smiling as a face gradually comes into view.

Only the smile is half-hearted, as the face is young. Really young. And the body is shorter than I thought it would be. Like...

"You motherfucker. Why do I look like I'M FUCKING TWELVE!"

With widened eyes, I witness pale flames reemerge from Bonfire's teenage body as dark ones bloom two. But it is not like the colors from the Mother Below. One flame, the dark one, devours Bonfire's flesh, and the other one recreates it.

My friend falls to the ground as the waters run dry, and he slams a fist into the cosmic floor, crying droplets of literal fire.

"Goddamn it... What redlight will welcome me now..."

I don't have the energy or willpower to deal with him at this juncture. Sighing, I take off my coat and hand it to him.

"Dude. Not the time. Put it on. Help."

Bonfire immediately sobers up and glances around, confused at his rebirth. His eyes wash over the surroundings until they lock onto Killian, Virgil, and Eldest.

"Huh. What's happening? Why are there two of you? Dammit. You couldn't have made me taller or something! Girls hate short guys! You HAVE to know that, right? Whatever. Yeah. We got this. It's just one... demon? What is that thing?"

Shaking my head again, I stabilize my focus before turning toward the three. I kick behind me, lunging right for them as I hear a roar of flame ignite behind me. Lily's acute tone cuts through it nonetheless.

"What's wrong with being short?"

"Shut it, pipsqueak. You'd never get it."