"We'll split up into two groups," Cygnus said. "One group will remain here and rest while the others head to the crater with me for a little investigative excursion. It's true, time is short, and we must make haste back Westward, but being so close to the place where a god was slain– we absolutely cannot miss this opportunity."
"Hm? What do you hope to find, scholar?" Kitsune asked.
"I have a hunch there's something there I've been searching for. I won't bore you until I've confirmed it," Cygnus said. "As such, those who remain here will rest up so that they can take us West when we return. They'll also be in charge of procuring provisions so we can get back with as few stops as possible. This group will consist of Samson, Kofi, Kitsune, Brax, and the boy. Apologies, I seem to have forgotten his name."
"Musique," Kitsune said. "And that's quite all right with me. I'm using my eyes throughout the world to get an idea of its state, and I need to remain still to concentrate."
"Perfect, then we shall head out immediately," Cygnus said.
"Wait," Brax walked up, looking longingly at the crater in the distance.
"I'd like to go too," he said.
"I actually wanted to rely on you to get back to the Westlands," Cygnus said. "Plus, you're still injured. You should just stay here and rest up."
"Don't worry 'bout me," Brax said. "After trainin' with the big man over there a bit, I got a lot more energy than I used to. I can still get us back home with magic to spare. Besides, it ain't like we're gonna be fightin' or anything like that."
"I hope not," Cygnus said, sighing. "If that's your desire, then I shant argue against your accompaniment."
As they began walking to the cart, Kitsune quietly appeared beside Brax and leaned into his ear. Her words were soft enough that the others couldn't hear them, but firm enough to make her point. "You won't find any traces of her, you know."
"I know," Brax said. "I'll accept she's gone for now. I just want to see the place where my friend fought a god."
"You seek closure?" Kitsune asked.
"I dunno," Brax said. He pulled out the black half of the black and white pendant she'd given him when they first met. Their first meeting felt so long ago, yet it happened just a few months prior. He began caressing the smooth metal, mulling over it with the tips of his fingers. Not only did it connect him to his wife, who held the other half, but it was the only memento he had left over from his fast and late companion.
Brax began to remember the day they met.
It was a day like any other. Maybe worse. The only one keeping his daughter alive, Doctor Faust, had died, and it seemed like things would only start spiraling downward from there. They hadn't the money for treatment– they'd barely had the money to survive. He didn't know what to do. He thought his life, which had been a pit of insignificant, persisting misery until that point, was going to die alongside the single thing he'd brought into the world, but under those hopeless skies, it was she who made it special. With a smile that eradicated the day's darkness, Xinyu Ma had ripped him from the life he knew and thrust him into an unfamiliar world. Why? All because he gave her a cruddy leaf-scented perfume he'd never sell otherwise. To think that useless object was a secret treasure worth more than any amount of gold. The key to his freedom was in his hand all along. He wondered if she had it with her when she moved on to eternity.
As the cart drove off into the distance, Kitsune and Musique stood side by side, watching as it grew smaller and smaller. Kitsune put her hand, which resembled that of a human in that form, upon Musique's head.
"Do you think this was for the better?" Musique asked. "I bet if we persisted more, we could have convinced her to stay alive. A bunch of people would have died, but she could have done so much more."
"She made her decision, and we must accept it regardless of where it leads," Kitsune said. "Even if it leads us to the end."
"There were so many things I wished to ask her…" Musique said.
I as well, Kitsune thought, though she dared not say it to her son. She couldn't let him, or anyone else, know that she was the most uncertain of all. If they knew her growing weakness, surely they'd lose faith in her. She'd never be able to sway them if they didn't believe in her. Even so, she couldn't help but wonder.
"Where did you get your spirit from, Merchant of Joy? Your will? Your strength? How were you so wise, yet so young and naive? Just what did you see over there in the East? I want to know everything about you– what made you, you. Terribly so. If only you hadn't told me what you did before you died, I would have used the flute on you in an instant. Faster than sound. It wouldn't matter if you lost those powers, because I know you would find a way. So why? Why do you refuse to return? What did you see that I couldn't? I want to know. More than anything."
…
The crater was wide, much wider than they could have imagined. It must have been dozens of miles all around. So massive, it'd take quite a bit of time to reach the other side, even by cart. So deep, the bottom was a black abyss that led to hell itself. So hot that the rocky edges remained brightly molten, even weeks later. It was a pit that hollered and wept, like the world was crying. Those ghostly wails were the wind running through the hole, playing it as if it were a massive wooden instrument. A flute the size of a sea. One who sang songs of what was lost. The imprint it left was only comparable to the bay that many legends from around the world claim originally broke from the earth and rose to the sky. The moon worshiped by humans since the beginning.
But unlike the mythology defined by the gods, this crater was forged by a mortal's efforts.
Cygnus. Epsilon. Brax. Ada. They all stood at the cusp, gazing at the ominous mouth in front of them. Other than the desert sinkhole's lonely cries, all remained silent, as if honoring the battle that took place. Not a trace of either combatant remained: just an eternal scar upon the world that proved that they had lived. Proof of their legacy that would supersede both of their names.
"It's incredible," Epsilon said with breathy, bewildered words. "The feeling of this place is uncanny, yet I feel so attached to it. Drawn into its horrifying beauty. Was this truly the work of that girl?"
"Just be glad she decided to end things when she did," Cygnus said. "Who knows what she would have done if she were still here? She might actually have destroyed the world!"
"If the world was s'pose to end anyway, who gives a damn if she destroyed it?" Brax asked.
"Don't speak too soon. She might've sealed our fate in the end," Epsilon said. "Didn't you hear what Kitsune said? The heavens aren't going to stand by, and there isn't another human alive capable of doing this, is there?"
"She wouldn't have just abandoned us if she didn't have faith," Brax said. "To her, there was always a path forward, and I'm gonna follow it no matter what. It don't matter if it takes me where I wanna go, or to hell itself."
"I couldn't agree more," Cygnus chimed. "It's more fun this way, anyway. Is it not?"
The crevice seemed to tempt their eyes endlessly. There was a strange energy that came from it: a magic they all sensed, but none of them recognized. It kept them in a trance, much longer than they should've stood there in awe. Something inexplicable and unexplainable, yet eternal. Something… ardent.
"So what are we to do now?" Ada asked, breaking the silence after several long, uninterrupted minutes. "There simply isn't another capable of… this."
"Let's not be hasty," Cygnus said, drawing closer to the edge. "Now that we know gods can die, I've got some ideas. Ideas which may give us a chance."
"Huh? You do? Bloody hell, this is the first I've heard of this. What could you possibly be thinking?" Epsilon asked.
"Before my father died, he was working on a strange device," Cygnus said. "It was swept under the rug due to how dangerous just the idea of it was. As a matter of fact, it was the very reason my father and the rest of my village were expunged. I mean, who else could it have been?"
"We don't know for certain it was them," Epsilon said.
"I believe otherwise," Cygnus argued. "As the history of myth goes, the force of the gods does not defy the force of fate, and likewise. It also states that the Chosen One is the one favored most by fate. A means to keep the balance in the world. The heavens would be incapable of defying this fact, so they quietly destroyed the village in the shadows. The village that threatened to challenge this balance."
"If I recall, Lancelot mentioned that device," Brax said. "He said to just forget 'bout it though."
"He said that because the possibility of its creation died with my father," Cygnus said. "But no one, not even him or Arthur, realized I had known about it all along. I'd kept it secret because they were correct in their assessment that it was too dangerous to pursue any further."
"Is it really that much of a threat to the heavens?" Epsilon asked.
"I doubt any of us were sure of it before," Cygnus said. "But now that Xinyu proved gods could die, I couldn't be more certain."
"Just what was this device they were building?" Ada asked.
"One which could defy the heavens and make us equals," Cygnus said. "It's something not thought to be possible, yet my father pursued it anyway because he had a dream. He believed in it, and now, so do I. A dream to surpass possibility, and know everything."
Cygnus stopped and discerned the sky with a glint in his star-ridden eyes. He brushed his hair, ruffled by the breeze. Internally, he had to thank both his father, Nikola, and Xinyu for giving him the chance to continue their legacies. After all, the path they paved was way more interesting than any dusty old trail he could've paved for himself.
"A way to nullify magic completely and utterly," Cygnus said. "With the blueprints I long imprinted into my brain from my father's desk, there might be a way to fight back."
"A device that invalidates magic? Epsilon asked. "But that shouldn't be possible. You said it yourself. Magic cannot be destroyed nor created."
"And I'm just as susceptible to making mistakes as any other man," Cygnus said. "It seems we've been looking at this wrong all along. We always thought of magic as a mysterious element that could be molded to our wills, but maybe that wasn't quite right. What if magic were a property, not an element? A property which allowed us to manipulate the other elements of this world and bend them to our imagination."
"I don't understand a thing you're sayin'," Brax said. "Not a darn thing."
"You know of gravity, yes? It was a postulation that came to light in the past century," Cygnus said. "Gravity is a property that can pull things together, put simply. All objects have their own pull, which can affect other objects. Think of magic as a similar force, but much more complex, and something we have inherent control over."
"You tryin' to explain this to me ain't gonna get us anywhere," Brax said.
"I don't think I follow either, admittedly," Ada said.
"It doesn't matter! You don't have to understand a thing! Magic is magic, and that will never change!" Cygnus said, the excitement growing in his voice. "All you have to know is that with the creation of this technology, we can finally fight back!"
"So why haven't you made this device before?" Brax asked.
"Several reasons," Cygnus said. "First of all, it was much too dangerous. My father and my village were destroyed merely because of the idea. There was also no guarantee such a thing could affect the gods, that is, until Xinyu proved otherwise and killed one through sheer force. Additionally, we didn't have the components necessary to create it, but…"
Cygnus, at the crater's edge, bent over, carefully planting his knees on the ground so as not to fall into the infinite abyss. He reached down and broke off some of the red molten rock, which was never molten in the first place. It was actually an amber-like gem that took on a fiery color and shone with a bright luminescent glow, resembling that of magma. It crowded the crater's walls and was abundantly scattered all around the radius, and mayhaps, the cause of the strange energy flowing all around.
He held up the red gem to the sun, reflecting its bright luster like the first embers of a fire. It gleamed, casting a spotlight of rays directly beneath.
"They must have clashed hundreds of thousands of times with immeasurable force to create this strange element," Cygnus said. "And touching it proves precisely what I thought it'd be. It's an element that only existed in theory before, but now, as it draws the magic out from between my fingers, I am almost certain it's true."
"Are you saying their battle created a new element?" Epsilon asked as he walked up the edge, stumbling as he did. He didn't dare thrust himself over as Cygnus did, but carefully scooped up a bit of the rock from the top, lying on his stomach to do so. "Or rather, are you insinuating their colliding magic caused this strange gem?"
"Aye, I am," Cygnus said. "It's so exciting, can you believe it? These little crystals forged from the fires of remarkable pressure have anti-magic properties! It wasn't possible before because mathematically, the opposing force of magic necessary was… well, never mind. With this final gift our friend left us, we can finally create the device which defies heaven!
"Xinyu's final gift…" Brax whispered.
"Do you think this was her plan all along?" Ada asked. "To use their battle to create an element that counters magic?
"Not in the slightest," Cygnus said. "I doubt she had any knowledge of science, nor any clue her actions would result in the creation of this wondrous material; she probably just wanted to start a war with the heavens, and did so recklessly without a thought of what was next."
"Probably? That's definitely what she wanted," Brax remarked. "But at least she gave us a chance."
"Well, that's sort of an overstatement," Cygnus said. "If the gods wish to rid themselves of humankind, we haven't a chance, even with these new developments. I said it can fell the heavens, but that might've been a tad ambitious. Truthfully, it's just a means to confront them."
"So it's not the solution to our problems after all," Epsilon said. "Must you be so dramatic? You had me quite hopeful for a moment there."
"Now, now, I never said the odds were in our favor; just that we had a chance to become greater than before," Cygnus said. "In reality, we must use this device to inform the gods of the witch and stop them before they actually destroy us. Once they set out to do so, it'll be too late."
"How do you propose to reach the heavens when we've got our own wars to fight?" Epsilon asked.
"Alas, the world is rushing headlong into brutish war, and continues to turn a blind eye to the calamity just beyond," Cygnus said. "I'll say this. The means might have swayed, but Arthur's and my goal has never changed. We will unite this world and build a tower of knowledge that spans to the heavens. For this to happen, we need the world in one mind."
"Unite this world? Are you mad? The continent is on the cusp of annihilating itself, and you want everyone to come together on a whim?" Epsilon asked. "I don't mind you and the king's chivalrous goals, but surely their lack of realism is what caused the people's faith in Arthur to have waned."
"We had decided this is the only way," Cygnus said. "But we know they won't listen to our words. In the end, this world will only listen to force, and so, we are prepared to oblige."
"You and what army?" Epsilon asked. "If there's a civil war going on, there's no way the remaining loyalists of Arthur can fight both an internal and external war simultaneously. Furthermore, that external force, the Northlands, is one of the strongest military forces in the world. What do you expect to do against them?"
"Me? Not a thing," Cygnus said. "But we've got a soldier so strong, they might be able to topple an entire empire themself."
"A one-man army?" Brax asked. "I ain't ever heard of 'em. If a person like that really existed in the West, dontcha think they would be more well-known?"
"I'm afraid I'm not sure who you speak of, either," Epsilon said.
"It's someone who's known to be strong, yet their true power is a mystery to even me," Cygnus said. "Someone very well known."
"Wait, you're talking about the princess?" Epsilon asked. "She's certainly strong, but not enough to turn the tides of war."
"You'd be surprised," Cygnus said. "Anyway, we don't need to fight an entire army to win a war. We just need to sway the king, or take his head. Whichever comes first."
"I have heard the Westlands had a princess, but it turned out she was unfit to rule," Ada said.
"That much is true," Cygnus said. "But she's someone you don't want against you, no matter what. There's a reason that, despite the animosity, the North has never attacked before."
"Well, they have now," Epsilon said.
"And they're in for a jolting realization," Cygnus said. "Regardless, I've found what I'd been looking for. We should head back to the camp and leave immediately."
"To Wunderdum?" Brax asked.
"Eventually, but not yet," Cygnus said. "We need to get in contact with Arthur first. It's too dangerous to go there without any knowledge of what's going on. For all we know, the city could have already fallen into Lionel's hands."
"So then where?" Brax asked.
"A small medicinal village in the bordering forest," Cygnus said. "Remember when I gave you and Xinyu the chance to back out? That's where I would have dropped you off. It's small and hidden, but we can contact the main city through there, assuming it hasn't fallen. Come now, let us go."
Cygnus grabbed a sack from the cart and filled it with as many of those red crystals as he could fit. Then, they were off once more.