From The Marble Orchard

********************

Kate "Evileye" Heron

I breathe in, and the air feels so much more... clear. It's as if the world itself has opened itself to my mind. Every sense is ablaze, feeling things that have never been felt before. Yet, as my surroundings shimmer and quake, the snippets of my few seconds in The Cabin leave me shivering.

Without Mie...

"It's okay, Kate. We're fine. We're fine."

I nod but quickly become confused. What is she talking about? Why is she confused?

"What do you mean? What happened?"

Mie begins to speak but cuts off abruptly.

"You don't remember—wait... what happened? Why do I sense seven Sigils from you?"

I open my mouth to question her, but our minds quickly fall to the same conclusion.

"Something is wrong with The Cabin."

"Something is wrong with The Cabin."

Clenching my fist, I feel newfound power, but I'm unsure where it is. It's like whatever was told to me was wiped from my mind as if it never was shown to me in the first place. I can only imagine what would have happened if Mie wasn't there.

Without her, I think I might have been turned into a Motherbound, or Kin as the Nahullo call the cursed creatures. The thought makes my breath and heartbeat hitch while Mie tries to calm me.

"It's okay! Even if something wiped our minds, we still know it did! That means it wasn't a complete success on their end! We resisted it enough to survive! We'll just have to watch out for each other from now on, just in case something odd appears, okay?"

I nod to the air, knowing that Mie will sense it as I gaze at the dead man with our mental connection. Even after his death, his Ether lingers and keeps him in the same condition as before his death. The caring eyes of my adoptive Father, soulless and depressing, stare into mine.

"Can—can we go? I don't like seeing Father like this."

Without replying, I push past the body I took down from the cross and walk up those stairs. Eli Weiss keeps trying to warn me, to scare me away, but he doesn't realize that I'm here for one thing. I don't care what happens until I get it. The only family We've ever had is in trouble, nearing his death.

We can't just let that go.

But as we traverse the steps, I inquire into my Sigil with Mie. Perhaps she knows something I don't, as she was an Angel during that process. I'm one now, but I don't feel like it.

"Do you have any ideas what my new Sigil does? I feel lost. That normal muscle from advancing that uses the new skill is gone, but I feel like it has to be there. After all, my Sigil has changed, though I don't even know its name."

Mie shakes her head internally as I feel sadness flow from her. Immediately, I attempt to reassure her as she did for me earlier.

"It's fine if you don't. We can figure it out along the way. At the very least, we can be sure that my physicality has been improved. I can feel that much. Probably close to twice as fit as before in every category."

My words make Mie beam and feel a bit better, allowing a slight grin to form on mine. I hate when she's in a bad mood. I think she's the same, so we do what we can for each other. Once we reach the top of the stairs, she speaks again.

"Let's go get dad. They tried to stop us with words and minimal force. Now, we bring the hurt. I don't care what they say or what they do to us. We gotta save dad."

"Yeah. Yeah, we do."

I formulate our deal of determination just as a wave of pain strikes my mind, and I nearly fall over. Stumbling, I grip the railing on the staircase with my hand as the world spins and rails against me. It feels like my brain is exploding, and a thousand incomprehensible colors overtake all that I can see.

"Mie!? Mie!?"

I scream for my partner, but my words don't even leave my mouth as my legs go numb. The ground weirdly grows in my vision before all turns black.

*******************

Mie the Mind's Eye

"Kate!?"

Kate falls to the ground, and I'm the one who feels the full brunt of the impact as she leaves the focus of her body, falling into a deep sleep. Our heart accelerates even as she sleeps, and I push us to our feet. Quickly yet carefully, I check every part of us, from our pulse to our wounds, in case of some poison, but I find nothing.

All that I discover is how much more smooth it all is. Piloting her body is nearly instinctual. I want to move, and I do. A command isn't even needed. Is this how all bodies feel? I—

No. I can't think of that. That's not fair to Kate. She does her best.

But I—

Count to a thousand. I can't do this right now. Kate needs me. Push down the emotions!

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five...

Nine-hundred and ninety-nine

One thousand.

Phew. I felt something building. Only a few seconds have passed since I started counting, but I already think everything is more precise. I've always wondered what it's like for humans and their thoughts and how they have total control over it all.

Me? I rarely have control, and apparently, most artifacts have zero. That's why I've done all I can to bolster my mind. Ether flows from my core, the optic nerve nestled against Kate's brain as I force us into motion. I can already sense that she won't wake up any time soon as I prod her with Ether attuned to my Sigil.

We need to go now. Every second costs us time where we might be able to save Father.

Kate...

Her condition stresses me out, but I think she'll be okay? When I became an Angel or an Arca, I suppose, I went into hibernation for a while. I didn't think she would, too, but I don't recall any other Angelic Comanche in history.

It makes a little sense, even if it sucks.

What's odd, though, is that unlike usual, when she sleeps, I can't rouse her. My nudges do nothing but reinforce the fact that she's still there. A part of me worries that this isn't hibernation but instead some sinister side effect of whatever happened in The Cabin.

The sensation of teeth grinding becomes clear as I force myself to stop. I don't want to overdo or damage Kate's body. It's hers; we simply share it.

Our feet carry us forward into the dark corridor, reminiscent of the one we first entered that transported us away, and I prepare for it to happen again. Eli and Clarence vanished in a way that provokes that reasoning within my mind.

I'm not as physically inclined as Kate is, but her body is actively remolding itself as I flow Ether. The process of reaching Angelhood seems not quite finished yet.

Psychic Brace covers her skin with a temporary barrier that I hold as I form small springs beneath our feet of my Ether tainted with my Sigil's touch. Footspring prepares us for quick movement in case an attack arrives when we land. Both of these skills are innately difficult for me to do without being in control of the body, but I think that may no longer be the case with our arrival at Dawn.

Kate's heart, the origin of life, melds seamlessly with my Ether as I keep the blood flowing in replacement of her most vital organ, pathways of psychic Ether used instead of her heart. She trusts me with her life, and I have faith in her just as deeply. She's my sister, after all.

We might not be blood-related, but there is no possible way two people can be any closer than we are. Attached at birth, more than to the hip—to the soul.

Several more skills form before I step forward, taking that leap into the unknown. A flash of light covers my eyes before I'm thrown into a new chamber. I find myself transported into another room within the bunker, my senses instantly alert as I take in my new surroundings, my feet stumbling beneath me as I grow comfortable in Kate's feet. The chamber is shrouded in darkness, with only a solitary light hanging directly above an old man bound to a chair. His head hangs limply as if in a profound meditation, and the room is engulfed in an eerie silence.

Father!

My footsteps echo in the darkness as I hastily approach the chair, but I pause after just a single step.

The old man remains utterly still, a statue of serenity amidst the shadows. His stature reminds me of all the sculptures in our old home. Disappointingly, he doesn't react to my arrival, as if oblivious to my presence, lost in the depths of his contemplation.

Something immediately gnaws at me as I run through a thousand scenarios simultaneously.

Why is he in such deep meditation? What is he gathering Vigor for like this? Shouldn't he be trying to break out if he's no longer restricted from using Ether?

I shift my senses outward, without need of the light.

The room feels expansive, extending far beyond the reach of the single light that casts a pallid glow upon the old man. Yet, after a hundred feet, solid stone walls are all that meet me. No doors. No exits. This is a hole in some dark recess of the earth.

A sense of unease washes over me as I stand in the presence of this silent figure, bound and unmoving, with the situation so vague. Is this truly my Father? Or is it another trick?

My hand falls to Demonsbane as it growls in hunger. It was unable to kill the prey it wanted to, Clarence, and had to settle for the other bastard that could shift faces. The growl comforts me slightly. Worst comes to worst. It'll help protect us.

I only hope I'm enough to save Father. Ideally, it would be the two of us, but this wouldn't be the first time one of us was out of commission for a fight.

That's what we do for each other, after all.

We're each other's lifeguards.

A deep inhale fills my—our lungs with air before I expel it into the darkness, calling for my Father.

"Father?"

No reponse comes from the figure. Unmoving, he lies, the potential lookalike or imposter. The meditation does seem quite authentic, though. The slow, almost nonexistent breathing and inaudible heartbeat with low brain activity feel... it all feels like our Father.

I try again as I step a bit closer.

"Father?"

Again, nothing happens, and I take a few moments of indecision before moving closer.

"Father?"

This time, my voice is a bit louder, and I notice his body shift a bit. It's hardly discernable to any who sees with actual eyes, but I detect it through my mind. But he's still not awake.

I step a bit closer.

"Father?"

His body shakes, crackling all across his many bones as if awakening from a deep slumber covered in ice. I can't help but smile as the familiar face of the man who raised me opens its eyes.

"Dad?"

"Mie."

He recognizes me instantly, probably because of how I address him, but he could always tell who was who when we were younger. He never once got us confused or was unsure of which was which.

Tears fill my eyes as I partially lose focus, my senses blurring. I open my mouth to say something, not sure what, but he beats me to the chase.

"Come here, baby girl."

I fall to my knees as his hands leave the knots that hold him down. The firm yet caring hand of the one who kept me sane all my life pats me. A slight chuckle escapes his throat, which only makes me cry harder.

"It's been that hard dealing with your sister, huh?"

I shake my head at his question, sputtering out the truth. I can't hide anything from him.

"No... I've been so worried about you! We've... we've been looking all over! You! You sent us away! You knew this would happen! Why—we... we could have helped!"

A sniffle, something I've never heard from my Father, resounds as he rubs my back. The gesture is quickly overpowered by his words.

"I knew Eli was coming for me, but not the details. I had to keep you two safe. And now, your sister stands on an even field with you. This... was my idea. Not the whole kidnapping thing, but helping you two reach Dawn."

I glance up at him, a useless motion that only serves to help concentrate my focus on my Father. As I do so, he leans down and hugs me. He... he knew? That means... he knew Kate would fall asleep, right?

"You wanted Kate to be asleep for this?"

He nods slowly without much other emotion other than the shimmering tears that fall down his cheeks.

"Yes. I thought she may fall asleep just as you did all those years ago, girly."

Anger blooms as I push myself back from him, releasing myself from his hold. The fact he calls me girly only makes it worse. He knows I hate that. I point at him as I can't believe his scheme. He's worked that deeply with Eli!?

"How could you!? She... she wants to see you more than anything!? Do you not understand!? You... she... we... we don't know what to do..."

I start out angry, but my words quickly shift to sadness. I fall to my knees as the possibilities saunter into my mind.

If Father planned this meeting, then he has no intention of being saved. Maybe once upon a time, he wanted to be saved; he could have been saved, but we were too slow.

For all the times he was there for me, I wasn't there the one time it mattered. Teeth grind as the thoughts carousel further and further.

Father wants to die. He is meditating to store Vigor for something. Something big. He rarely meditates anymore as he says he has too much Vigor. Any more and it will age him faster as his body is too weak, and any less and he'll age faster without it to suppress his wounds and the ravages of time.

If Father wants to die, then what is the point? What is the point of any of this? Why?! WHY!?

Why shouldn't I get angry!? Why shouldn't I get sad? Why shouldn't I get murderous? Those instincts are the only things that ever feel good other time with Father.

I—

A pair of warm arms wrap around me as I realize I've fallen to my knees again. Sizzling hot liquid falls onto my face and joins my tears.

"I'm sorry, baby girl. It just has to be this way. Kate... she isn't strong like you are. She can fight, she can stare down any threat without shivering, but she can't say bye. I need you to say bye. Can you do that for me?"

I pivot my head, facing my blind eyes to his cataracts that have been slowly blinding him in a similar way. I sniffle and nod. I'll do it for Kate. But... I have to know.

"Why? Why do you have to die? Who is doing this? Is it Eli? He's so insane... how can you follow his plans?"

A nod of the head against mine is my answer to my final question.

"He is mad, yes. But… Mie? To make a God, isn't a little bit of madness needed? We've tried the conventional method for centuries, but it's never been enough. And we have our best candidate ever right now. I say… it's time we try some more unconventional methods. All of us Virtues must play our parts in Vincent's ascension. If we're lucky, two of us will be alive by the end of today. If we're unlucky... humanity might be left with only its Powers, not counting Killian, of course. That bastard is somewhere, and not even Eli knows where. I need you to be strong, strong for your sister, and strong for the world. It's never treated you or your kind very well, but you're not alone. You have Kate."

I nod as I sniffle again, trying to keep the snot in my nose. Kate wouldn't like it if I got it all over our clothes. Blood is one thing, but snot is another.

"Okay. I... I'll miss you, Dad—more than anything. I'll do as you ask. I'll be strong."

He smiles softly before letting out a series of bombshells that shake me to the core.

"Thank you, girly, now there is something I must confess. About... two decades ago, I had a meeting with three men. You know of them. Ytern, Tonuyn, and Killian Graves. We all swore oaths to help end this madness, once and for all. But... we can't do it ourselves. Instead, we found the best chance for finding a way to end Her. We would raise them in our own ways, attempting to create the perfect candidate. Ytern chose... a trio of half-siblings, hoping that one would make it through the rivalry against the others. Tonuyn chose his eldest daughter, Timemi. Killian picked his own son as well, though the boy is far too young. And... I chose you two. This is... a lot to tell you and far too much for you to wade through now. Take your time. You won't be alone, girly. You won't be alone."

Another soft pat on my back follows some of the last words I hear from my Father. I don't even recognize the fact he uses the nickname that I hate to hear from him.

"Keep your sister safe. She's a bit too reckless, and I worry what she will do when she awakens. You should get going, Mie. I don't know how long she'll be asleep, but it doesn't matter. Come midnight, you better be in Gravecross or Lawless Lake. Do you understand?"

I nod again, and he grabs my face softly before kissing me on the forehead.

"Raising you and your sister was the greatest thing I've ever done with my life. I could never be more glad that I chose to keep a baby from an enemy. It could have gone so wrong. You two could have hated me, and maybe deep down, you do, but I love you. I love you beyond the body you inhabit. You, as a person, Mie, are perfect. Don't ever change."

Tears stream down my face as he stands and backs up from me, leaving me on the floor. I stare at him as I ask one final question, one I've always wanted to know but never did propose. Any time someone brought up the topic, Father would recoil or hide away, something so very uncharacteristic of him.

"Who am I?"

Ed Summers, the Hallowed One, the Bearer of Demonsbane, the Frontier's Blade, the Liberator, my Father sheds another tear. This one is solitary as he turns around, never to look at me again. Then, he vanishes, leaving me in the darkness with his echoing words.

"My first friend—and my wife. Her name was Annie."