The Sol Eater and Far Fetcher stared each other down. Zeek rose from his pedestal, shoulders aflame with Bergo's might.
"What do you want, Zesher?" Zeek shouted.
Ether kept a serious expression as his face became tainted with orange flames. "Release Bergo and let me be its caretaker for good."
Zeek growled. He narrowed his eyes, hoping to make himself seem threatening. But Ether wasn't amazed.
It was the one same old. No matter how much Zeek tried it hide it, Ether unnerved him.
"Why should I? All you ever do is stay tucked away somewhere and leave the mighty Bergo hanging over us. And you want me to give it to you?" Zeek growled.
"Far Fetcher, do you recall what I did to your pack members? What you saw me do? How you STRUGGLED to even bruise my already sensitive skin?" Ether threatened.
Zeek slowly stepped away from him, hoping a fight wouldn't break out. It was true, Ether didn't have the right to be as violent and reckless, let alone powerful enough to push the Far Fetcher to a desperate state.
"Stay back, creature..." Zeek warned.
Ether's stride slowed down just a few feet away. "Will you release Bergo?"
"Only if you tell me why. Why did you do that to her? Why were you so damn reckless and powerful? You're like a Goliath, but worse." Zeek commented.
"Fine..." Ether sighed. "You know Hylo is my little girl. I'd commit genocide if it meant her safety. She's all I have, Zeek. My brothers... I don't know where our relationship stands."
"Go back to them and make things right. It is how Ferals do it," Zeek ordered. "Let me tell you now, Zesher. We don't have a lot of time with the Koroth we know."
Ether scoffed. "Why? Why do YOU hate the Nine that much?"
"Are you okay with being a test-subject? Especially you, a Coros member. Have you heard of the Trekkhul family? The Yarno counter-part to the Coros lineage?" Zeek asked.
He pointed towards the sky, seemingly off to nowhere. "That's what. You probably forgot they even existed when you joined the Trilogy. The Nine are getting bored of us. Shizin Trekkhul died because his Third Rule destroyed his body from within."
"I... you're right. But that -"
"But what? Goliaths exist. Rumors have it the Nine were the reason behind the Distorted MInd. Hell, the First Rule of Reality isn't even truly there!" Zeek complained.
Ether paused to think about it for a moment. Even if he couldn't confirm or deny that, it was odd how some entities did break the rule, but no Servant or Rule did anything about it.
A perfect example would be Lya. Everything about her was odd and unknown. But the striking part was she became a Walker with a permanent residence within Ether.
"I see that puzzled look on your face," Zeek pointed at him. "You're starting to get it? Thawed praise them, for what? Now answer my original question."
Ether shook his head. "Hylo is my only family member that still looks out for me, Zeek. The second I saw your pack members harassing her, I snapped."
His left hand reached for his chest. "It hurt here - my heart. I knew who you were, that's why I became so furious when you tried to fight me instead of correcting your Feral."
"That doesn't explain how you nearly killed me. You, a pre-Noble, nearly killed a Noble Mind with relative ease. How?" Zeek asked.
"You don't need the answer to that question, Feral," Lya interrupted.
She manifested herself between the two. Her golden body seemed like a statue made of Bergo's pure power.
"Hand Bergo over to my son, or I will - he will kill you." Lya threatened.
Ether quickly shot a glance at Lya, curious as to what she meant by "I." While he watched, Lya felt his eyes digging into the back of her head.
Her secret almost slipped right out of her lips. What she's been keeping from her eldest son - the real reason why she was there - nearly revealed itself.
But Zeek fortunately replied without hesitance, breaking the awkwardness of the moment.
"And what are you supposed to be? You make yourself look ethereal... yet I cannot sense you," Zeek replied.
"I'm a Walker, Feral. You cannot -"
"Wrong! Hildr Vey Kin, hear my voice!" Zeek cried out. One of his female Ferals erupted out of his chest, landing perfectly in front of Lya. "Do you feel it? THAT is how a Walker feels like."
Ether noticed how Kin's presence almost lured his eyes onto her. Even when he looked at her, there was a desire to bow. Maybe even show submission to something far greater than him.
And to Lya's surprise, she felt the same way. She stumbled away from Kin, unsure of what to do after her lie was torn open.
"How... why does a Walker bow to you?" Lya asked
Kin chuckled. "I don't. My dearest Zeek is a medium, nothing more. Every Feral within him is a Walker, but they're all just stopping by. Without him, we would have no direction and the first Rule would ask for us to bow to it."
Zeek growled at Lya. "You lie! And you, Zesher... your mother needs correction."
"I... I now understand the truth. But I still want control of Bergo nonetheless. Please, Far Fetcher," Ether requested.
Kin retreated into Zeek's body. She disappeared in a flash of vibrant green energy that quickly developed into the bright orange flames Zeek paraded around his shoulders.
"Bergo, Bergo, Bergo. Fine, you take responsibility of Bergo from now on. But my grip on the celestial being will not shake," Zeek replied.
Ether nodded, he turned to face Lya only to realize she wasn't there. She disappeared like a dream in the morning.
With her absence, Ether grew curious. Prompting him to go up in flames and disappear from Zeek's sight.
When he emerged from the ashes, Ether manifested Tellendor. The fine weapon spun into reality with a warm orange mist.