Stancheous Minds

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

Wyatt Graves

I avert my gaze from the Gods, not wanting to see any more than I must. Simply looking at their Ether, their Concepts, and their blinding strength is draining and strenuous. Instead, I call for Abraham. There is something we have to do before anything else.

The pale man hurries up the rocky edifice to stand with Virgil, Lennon, and me. He isn't out of breath, either, showcasing how far he's come from Rustbank. He wasn't physically weak back then, at least compared to a typical human, but he wasn't much in comparison to myself or Virgil.

Now, he's totally different. And it wasn't just Hell that changed him. It's been more than a year, I think, since Rustbank. It's a little hard to tell because of the lack of a sun for how much time has passed, but we've been through a hell of a lot.

Meeting Abraham's confused pupils, I tell him my plan. I'm not the same little kid anymore, either. I've seen enough death. Enough.

"We need to call for reinforcements, and you're the only one who can do so. I don't really know who can help us here, but anyone is better than nothing. With my current strength, I could probably reason with Ytern or Tonuyn to help. They are... the least insane of the Dominions. Are you up for it?"

The half-Nahullo shuffles slightly, but Virgil pats him on the shoulder, giving him some encouragement. Meanwhile, the Underworld continues to shake. How long will the Devil last? Can my father, with the other two, truly kill Death? I don't know. Things... things seem... near hopeless right now.

But Lennon's right. We'll fight anyway. Abraham's hardened gaze proves the same.

"Yeah. I can do it. I'll just need some help."

Taking his forearm, I nod, already on it. My Living Manacles extend from my flesh onto his. Then, they release his chains.

"No problem. I'll do what I can to help you."

Abraham gives me some thanks as he closes his eyes, likely trying to enter whatever kind of trance Daymare needs. The Devil really messed up his shit, from what I hear. Taking away his Nightmares? That's... crazy! They were almost everything he had!

Through his lidded eyes, I can see them roll backward, the whites exposing themselves wholly to his lids as if they were open. Then... he begins to shake. Worried for him, I dive into his body with Insight, serpentining my soul along with his.

I quickly feel myself travel thousands of miles in a moment, a mind connecting to mine. Abraham's mind. He searches outward, but there is one blindingly bright radiance within his sight, more colorful than even mine. It is the only one he can reach for as it drags him close.

In less than a moment, I find myself inside a dream, staring up at a vast creature. It is serpent-like in nature, only thousands of feet long, with multiple arms ending in claws, scales tougher than any armor, and teeth sharper than any sword. Backstepping in awe, I crash into Abraham, who is similar.

Then, a voice booms from above.

"What are you reaching out with your mind for? This is one of my domains now. The mind."

I answer immediately, not waiting a moment, as I know who this is. I recognize the shape of this creature to be how Levithan's Ether would form. This is... she has created a life-like body of a dragon using her mind. It is a physicalized mental force. Incredible. Godlike.

"Leviathan. I am Wyatt Graves. This is Abraham Ulren."

I take a short pause after introducing myself, attempting to think for even just a second longer. This... aura... She's become a God. Shit... Wait! That's a good thing! Leviathan has nothing to do with the Mother Below. In fact... she probably hates Usen!

"We are currently in the Underworld, fighting the hordes of the Mother Below. The Devil is already fighting Her Gods. We were trying to reach out for help, and Abraham gravitated toward your vast strength."

My words were careful not to ask for help. I figure she won't like that. Not one bit. So, I wait as the flying being without wings waves in the air, using only her mind within this realm.

A long growl comes from the grand being above us. For a moment, I worry that it is directed toward us. Again, I backstep despite the fact it won't do anything. We're in her realm now. Abraham whispers to me just as Leviathan's voice shuts him up.

"I think..."

"Usen. She's awoken, then? I wouldn't mind a rematch. The last time she was awake... She took Mammon, and the little human had to erase him..."

Another growl comes, this one far more bestial than containing any amount of intelligence, less so from such a brilliant mind. However, Leviathan doesn't seem to care as she releases her grievances.

"I'm going to kill that bitch. I was only a Virtue back then. Now... Now I'm so much more. You there. Take me. I've been itching for a good fight. Behemoth wasn't enough. These lackeys aren't either. No point in roughing them up any further. I want... I want to kill another God."

I shift to look at Abraham, worried if he can handle it. He immediately shakes his head to indicate that he cannot. Well, I should have assumed that. Maybe... maybe I can? But won't all the pressure go to Abraham anyway?

Not... not if I Sacrifice.

"Yes. We can try. Bear with us for a moment."

Abraham widens his eyes, immediately letting me know this is stupid. I don't disagree. He whispers silently, in spite of the fact it doesn't matter. I'm sure Leviathan can hear us no matter how we communicate.

"Are you insane? I can't move her!?"

Throwing up my hands, I can only attempt to convince him. We need Leviathan. This is so much better than we first imagined when asking for help. However, someone will still have to let the surface know what's happening.

"We have to! I'll handle the burden! You just start to Daymare her, and I'll do the rest."

The pale man grits his teeth, infuriated at the situation. He likely hates that he needs my help at all for this. The mind is his realm of expertise, after all. Mine is only the soul.

He waits a moment, filling himself with anger before letting it all out. Sighing out a lungful, he agrees. I know he doesn't want to do any of it, though. Abraham refuses to back down, however.

Instead, he raises a hand as he moves his Ether toward Leviathan. He even manages to speak to her, gathering all his willpower to meet her gaze. I don't know how he does it, but he withstands a God's gaze.

The instant he does, I throw my Ether at him, connecting the two of us in the way that only Sacrifice allows for. The first pulse of pain is gargantuan, beating me straight to my knees. The space around us distorts as Abraham hauls Leviathan's mind and her body. But that means... I have to bear the weight of a God.

And it hurts oh so very much.

Splashing colors surround my whole being as I grit my 'soulful' teeth and bear the expense and pain of moving a God in place of Abraham. Yeah... There is no way he could have done this.

My soul spreads outward, wrapping around this formless pain and pressure that threatens to crack me from the inside out. But my Dominion is not nearly enough. My whole body creaks and warbles within this realm, this place, despite the shifting colors. It is similar to Usen's gargantuan force, only so much closer and more direct.

And then... It's suddenly over, and I'm spilling my guts out onto the rocky mountain. Both the nonliteral and the literal. Hacking out my lungs and food from the last time I ate, which has been a while, I feel Blodwyn regenerate my flesh to fill the open wounds left behind from Sacrifice, which are all over.

Anyone else would have died to that. Gasping for breath and still recovering moments later, I find everyone nearby staring upward, not paying the slightest bit of attention to me. Right... Leviathan.

Aniwye whispers just under her usual tone toward me.

"Is that... her?"

I nod. My mother's old queen, Leviathan. My father broke her out of any and all servitudes, but some things linger in her soul. The Ogre, now sized to a human, visibly trembles in fear. But... Leviathan does not give any of us even a second glance. There is but one thing she wants at this moment, and that is to bloody her claws and mind.

The air shatters as Leviathan moves with so much speed that I can only see a flickering shadow. A blast of wind nearly tosses Abraham off the mountain, but Virgil catches him with a Nightwhip. Ruptures form in the hills on the way fall off, descending swathes of land into havoc and turmoil. That... that is the travel of a God.

Leviathan continues, heading right toward the most brutal aspect of the entire ongoing war. She hovers over where the Devil stands, protecting him from a... freezing of space itself by breaking the standoff with her mind. Flint, the Goddess of Winter. That was something she did.

With awe, I hear Aniwye speak, recounting whatever Leviathan is saying to the Devil. My mother must be able to pick up the remnant mental Ether from the Binary Lord.

"She just greeted him. As if... they already knew each other. And now... they will fight together... just like old times before... Mammon."

Pursing my lips, I stare at the distant tremors, unsure of what it all means. I suppose it makes sense. From what I know, Louis and the demons fought together long ago. For them to be friends... It's not that long of a shot.

In fact, if Behemoth and Leviathan hadn't left back then, things might be different now.

Regardless, the war of Gods is a primary concern; in fact, it's the most significant one. But... if we want to worry about it.. then...

We'll have to survive long enough to deal with it. From here, I can already see a wave of darkness approaching us. There are tidbits of light within the depravity, and my whole body shakes.

It's an army. An army of Motherbound. The Devil couldn't stop them all, distracted and focused on surviving from the other Gods. So... now we must deal with all those who are not divine. I don't even see where the demons went that weren't taken over.

Did they die? Did they escape? Who knows.

All I know is that I see a lot of varied colors in this army. There are many warm and low Sigiled colors, but there are... a worrisome amount of purplish tints. Magentas, violets, and even the midnight purples. Thankfully, I don't see any pitch-black chains along the horde, meaning none should have mastery over their Concepts yet.

Tightening my jaw, I look right at Virgil. He's going to hate what I have to ask him, but there is no one better. I can't trust anyone to do this except for him. My friend meets my gaze, already knowing I require something from him.

"What is it? Do you have an idea of how we kill them all or something? Earl sink into your head that badly?"

Laughing and feeling just a bit of relief as my idea is not even close to that, I force myself to calm down. Then, taking a deep breath, I retrieve Death's Lantern from my hip. Virgil immediately starts to refuse, nearly to the point of shouting, but I slam it into his hands, not even listening.

"You are going to take this, Virgil. You're going to take this and everyone else, including the Undead of Heights, and you're gonna get the hell out of here. Someone needs to warn the surface. You're fast. The fastest."

My friend's lips tighten as he shakes his head, denying it all. Frustration rises as we are running out of time. The army is getting closer. So... I grab him by the neck and pull him in close so that only he can hear me.

"I need you to do this. Only you can do it. Otherwise... I won't have peace of mind. I can't fight thinking about everyone above. All our friends... your family... I just can't. You're the only one I trust to have my back like this. You're my pocket ace. Lily's the other one. So... take her for now. And give her back when we see each other again. I don't want you dying to do this."

Lily cries from my hip as I take off the holster from my hip and give it to Virgil, too. He's strong, but I need reassurance that he can handle it. I... require him to be safe and everyone else to fight at my best. There isn't any time to practice my Ether in safety anymore, meaning I'll need absolute focus without any distractions if I am to grow my control in a battle.

Virgil simply stares down at the Blooming Spider Lily as the Colt itself appears beside us. She beats her arms against my chest, but I quickly catch her fists, holding them aloft. She isn't using any real strength. She just doesn't want to leave me.

"I don't wanna go! Take me with you! Please! Pretty please! I'll be good! I'll be the best! Just you wait! I'll show you what I can do with the river! Big sis Cardinal is AWESOME!"

It breaks my heart to push her away, but it needs to be done. I need to grow. Fast. Way too fast for me to have a cushion such as hers. Blodwyn, too.

"Go with Virgil."

Lily begins to tear up, and so I kneel in front of her as she mumbles underneath the hand against her face.

"Lily. You're strong now. You don't need me or anyone else anymore. You can pick yourself up. But... Virgil needs you. He's our friend, remember? What do we do for friends?"

Through her tears, the Colt manages to respond.

"We help them."

"Yes. Yes, we do. Now, help him save a whole bunch of people! Take Bono with you!"

A little way down the mountain, I can see Bonfire clench with anger, but I don't get distracted. This is for Lily. Emmet can handle it. He's a grown-ass man, well... he was. Bonfire's a bit shorter now than he was, but his mind has only matured, not regressed like the rest of him.

Lily nods to my words as Virgil hangs the lantern on his hip. Then, he carefully and respectfully places the holster on his belt, thanking me and patting Lily on the head.

"I appreciate it. I'll... I'll do it. But I'm coming right back when it's all done, okay? And I'll take care of her, don't worry."

I smile at Virgil and nod, never worried in the slightest if he's the one with her. He's a good brother to his siblings. He can handle Lily. Then, I push him a little bit off the mountain, hurrying him along as the distant footsteps of the horde become something I can no longer ignore.

"Go. Take the demons and everyone else with you. Abraham will stay because he can Daymare out, and my mother is strong enough to hold her own to escape."

Virgil agrees with me, but the second he turns around, he notices something that he brings up.

"Yeah, makes sense. Where is Silas, though? I don't see them anywhere."

Motherfucker. I spin around, scouring the landscape for any hint of violet chains, only to find a distant figure heading toward the battleground where Death is. Those two... Are they really going after Eli? No way, right?

Right?

Well... If it's really their wishes, then I won't stop them. There are more critical things. Silas has changed a lot, and even if I feel sour for him and Mie, I can't just up and leave. There are... I have a duty to more than just him and her. I can't drop everything like I once would have.

Instead, I turn and face the rumbling apocalypse with a crouch and a hand on the rocks below me. Staring downward at several hundred miles away, there are just... so many. I can't see their distinct faces, but... it's crazy. Are we really going to fight all of them?

Well, I guess I'll finally figure out how strong I really am as a Demigod. How do I square up to Behemoth and Leviathan? To Tonuyn? To Ytern? To Vincent? To my father? Am I weak after all this struggle? Or am I finally strong?

Only one way to find out.

But something within me tells a grand tale. I clench my hand on the rocky surface of the mountain, crushing the stone into dust while staring outward. There are thousands and thousands. The thought makes my stomach sink and rise in a continuous rhythm, refusing to calm. Is this what Marshall felt all those times he stood upon the top of his fortress?

That he was the one, the only one, who truly stood in the way of madness? Sure, Lennon, Abraham, and my mother are here, but they all are either not wholly invested in the defense of the surface or strong enough to make a difference.

Perhaps you were right, old man. We are a lot alike. You said it often, lamenting how little time we had. But in the end... I think we had enough. A few months is nothing in the grand scheme of life, but I'll remember the teaching you left behind. You and all your soldiers.

My rapidly beating heart slows, a calm overtaking the storm raging within. The blood in my body moves at a glacial pace, preserving every last morsel of energy in my body for the heat of battle. This is it. I can feel it.

This is why you beat me so much. This is why you never held back in your teachings. I've never hesitated to enter a battle for my own sake, but looking at this vast army... it makes a fist tremble. And that is exactly what happens, only my fist trembles so much that it becomes unnaturally still, surgically precise. My vision narrows as only the steps behind me and the wind of the Underworld remain in my ears.

This is the calm before the storm. I only wonder... can I do what he did?