Spirit Cores: +3000

  Spirit Core Total: 3550

  These words were the last things Ethan saw as he sunk deeper into the murky depths of the Argwylian sea, his mind fading as the waters took him.

  And then – a spark in the gloom. His eyes opened to a whole new reality.

  Ethan’s vision was awash with an amber glow as a dream, just as lucid as those Jun’Ei had conjured, enveloped him. He found himself inside an ethereal space—a grove bathed in dappled sunlight breaking through a canopy of ancient trees. The trees were alive, their trunks breathing with the slow cadence of a living organism, the leaves whispering secrets on a warm breeze.

  He looked down at his hands—or rather, their hands. They were gnarled and aged, with bark-like skin veined with green. A faint pulse emanated from the veins, a lifeblood that felt like the Earth itself. These weren’t his hands. They belonged to someone else, someone who swayed in time to the rhythm of the forest, the hum of life reverberating in every particle of air.

  Ahead of him, a younger Malak spun lightly in place, his braided hair catching the golden sunlight. His laugh was free, genuine, the sound of someone untouched by sorrow. Ethan—or the one whose body he inhabited—extended a hand, and Malak took it with a grin. Together, they danced, twirling in perfect harmony beneath the Albion Grove’s colossal tree. Its branches reached endlessly into the heavens, glowing faintly with an otherworldly luminescence.

  What is this? Ethan wondered. The joy of the scene felt too real, too raw, and yet it was fleeting. The grove shimmered and faded, replaced by a dimly lit chamber. The air was heavy with tension, and the hushed murmur of voices filled the room.

  Ethan could only catch snippets of the conversation as he was thrust into another perspective. He stood at a stone table surrounded by figures cloaked in green and brown, their faces obscured by hoods. Malak was there, younger but visibly older than before, his expression a blend of sorrow and resolve.

  “They cannot be trusted!” a voice hissed, breaking through the murmurs.

  “This defiance will doom us all,” another snapped.

  Ethan felt his hands slam against the stone table, his voice booming with a command he didn’t recognize. The druids recoiled. Malak’s eyes met his, filled with quiet defiance. The tension in the room was electric, a palpable force pressing down on all present.

  The scene shifted again, fast-forwarding through time like a film reel spinning out of control. Ethan found himself standing alone, watching Malak walk away from the Grove. His posture was rigid, his steps purposeful. The figure Ethan inhabited felt rooted to the spot, unable to follow, rage building like a storm in his chest.

  Why do you leave us?

  As the thought echoed, his vision darkened. His arms felt heavier, his body stiffening. He looked down to see his skin cracking, splitting open to reveal veins of wood underneath. His breath quickened as bark began to overtake him, crawling up his chest and neck. The world dissolved into blackness, and his screams followed him into the void.

  …

  Ethan’s eyes shot open to the sound of rushing water. He gasped, his lungs burning as if they’d been submerged. Around him, the dull hum of a battleship filled the air, the creaking wood and groaning metal of its frame unmistakable. A cool hand pressed against his arm.

  “Ethan!” Fauna cried, her voice shaking as she embraced him. Her fluffy ears twitched, and her eyes glistened with relief. “You’re okay!.”

  Klax stood beside her, his strong hand patting Ethan firmly on the back. “Had us worried there, Archon. I thought we were going to have to make you into a figurehead for this ship.”

  “Geez,” Tara snickered from behind them, arms crossed. “Take down a giant Flesh Titan, and suddenly you think you’re allowed to nap through the aftermath.”

  Ethan chuckled weakly, though the lingering weight of the dream clung to him. “Missed you guys too,” he rasped, his voice hoarse.

  In the corner, Lamphrey lingered, her serpentine gaze softening as the faintest smile tugged at the edges of her lips. She didn’t speak, only nodded in quiet acknowledgment.

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  Ethan pushed himself up, his body aching as though he’d been run over by a carriage. “What happened?” he asked, his voice steadier now. “Did we win?”

  Klax grinned, his wolfish teeth flashing. “We sank that oversized monstrosity. He won’t be getting back up anytime soon.”

  Looking towards the dark shadow in the waters below, Ethan could attest to that. Thaddeus’ great lumbering body lay floating on its side, a pool of crimson spewing from its opened innards.

  For a moment, Ethan stood there and watched the blood bubble and broth, as though reacting to the purity of the waters of Argwyll with displeasure.

  “We – everyone – saw you,” Fauna said as she came to stand beside him, clutching her stave tight, showing that even as she was glad to see him, there was a little hint of fear in her at what he had done.

  “If anyone ever doubted, such doubts have now been dispelled,” Lamphrey said as she joined them at the side of the ship. “The Archon is truly risen. And he brings devastation to his enemies.”

  The hybrids looked to her with a sudden sense of hesitation, each equally as suspicious as the other. Ethan, meanwhile, looked out at the dead beast floating in the middle of the sea, and the hole torn clean through its chest.

  “Did…did I really do that?”

  Who else? Sys asked almost gleefully. None other than the Archon have such power.

  Fauna nodded in agreement, her eyes spellbound. “None other…”

  “Well, anyway” Tara added, gesturing towards the deck with a flick of her tail. “We’re running this tub now, so feel free to thank us later.”

  Ethan’s smile faltered as a sound pierced the air, cutting through the moment like a blade.

  It started as a low screech, growing louder, sharper, until it was an ear-splitting cacophony that made them all wince. The hybrids’ ears twitched, their eyes darting towards the source of the sound. A voice followed, oily and smug, echoing from nowhere and everywhere all at once.

  A voice that was all too familiar.

  “Bravo, my dear Archon,” Doctor Haylock’s voice purred, dripping with mockery. “Truly, you and your little band of misfits are remarkable!”

  Ethan’s body tensed, his grip tightening on Greybane’s hilt as he scanned the horizon. “Where is he?” he growled.

  “Do not trouble yourself looking for me,” the Doctor continued. “You already know my particular predilection for acting through proxy. I am, after all, just as man. Just like you were, once.”

  Ethan’s grip on Greybane tightened. He felt his oaken nails begin to splinter.

  “I simply wanted to offer my congratulations,” the Doctor continued.“You’ve proven to be… entertaining. Even if you did so ruin poor, dear, sweet Thaddeus.”

  The voice paused, replaced by the faint sound of crackling laughter.

  “Oh, I will miss him,” the Doctor added jovially. “He was such an amiable pet, ever obedient, ever loyal. Loyalty is such an undervalued trait these days, wouldn’t you agree, my little Archon?”

  Greybane shone in Ethan’s hands.

  “I’ve had enough of this guy.”

  Klax grinned a bestial grin, his nails extending like an excited wolverine’s. “You and me both.”

  But before either could jump into action and find the Doctor’s hidden Spectator, his voice cut through them again.

  “Ah ah ahhhh!” he exclaimed. “Let’s not be so hasty, boys and girls. Our audience has only just arrived.”

  As if on cue, the crew’s attention was drawn to the shoreline. Ethan’s stomach dropped as he took in the scene.

  The town of Sentinel lay in ruins. The cobblestone streets were cracked and littered with debris, buildings smashed to rubble by the colossal rampage of Thaddeus. Fires burned unchecked, casting eerie shadows across the destruction. And in the midst of it all, the surviving townspeople stood unnervingly still, their bodies twitching unnaturally, their eyes wide and pleading.

  “They’re alive,” Fauna whispered, her voice trembling with horror.

  “Not for long,” Haylock replied, his tone suddenly cold. “Unless, of course, you lay down your weapons and submit to my guards.”

  “Coward,” Klax snarled, his claws flexing. “Hiding behind innocents like a spineless worm.”

  The Doctor chuckled. “Spineless? Perhaps. But I do so enjoy watching you squirm, my dear Lycae. Such delicious hypocrisy, don’t you think? Fighting to protect creatures who would happily see you dead.”

  Ethan’s teeth clenched as he stared at the townspeople, their silent pleas cutting into him like daggers. Their bodies jerked and convulsed, puppets on invisible strings. He could see the strain in their faces, the quiet agony of being controlled.

  “Let them go,” Ethan said, his voice low and dangerous. “This fight is between you and me.”

  “Oh, but this fight is already over!” Haylock replied, his voice brimming with confidence. “Your sentimentality for your past life does you no credit, my good ‘man’. Surrender, and I might just let these poor dears live.”

  The hybrids looked to Ethan, their eyes filled with uncertainty. Fauna clutched her staff, her knuckles white. Klax growled low in his throat, his muscles coiled and ready to strike. Tara’s tail flicked behind her, a telltale sign of her barely contained fury.

  Ethan’s gaze never left the townspeople. He could feel their pain, their terror. But beyond that, he could feel the weight of the Doctor’s words pressing down on him, threatening to suffocate him.

  “We don’t have time for this,” Tara hissed, her voice barely above a whisper. “I got no love for these townies. But fuck me if I don’t wanna mess with this guy’s plan. So, what tactic you got up your sleeve this time, Ethan?”

  Unbeknownst to the cackling Blood Mage, Ethan scanned the dark perimeter of the city, his oaken toes scraping the wood of the ship’s deck. He felt a vibration answer him, and he smiled.

  “Nothing,” he said.

  His companions gawked at him.

  “Uh, come again?” Tara asked.

  Only Lamphrey seemed to understand what possessed the Archon to smile in this most pivotal of moments, when it seemed that the turning point of their lord had come. In truth, ever since he’d risen from the waters below, her serpentine smirk hadn’t left her lips.

  “It’s just like the good Doctor says,” Ethan whispered. “This fight’s over.”