The chaos of battle unfolds before my eyes as I arrive at the docks, greeted by a scene of absolute destruction, far worse than the happenings that I left. The colossal ship of the island lies in ruins, its massive form contorted but miraculously afloat. I am unsure if it can be repaired like that, but I don't think it matters if Maddox dies.
A peculiar sphere surrounds the battleground, rendering the tumultuous clash within a silent struggle visible yet devoid of audible strife. The orb hovers above the water, creating ground and walls for those within and preventing the Sea's Shadow from reaching his pinnacle might. Without water, Maddox is heavily restricted, after all, the majority of his strength comes from the sea itself.
Inside this encapsulated arena, a lone figure, the Sea's Shadow, contends with a quartet of Angels. His mastery over his Ether manifests in torrents of water ripped from the air within the sphere, shaping into formidable tendrils and protective shields. The short bit I saw between Lennon and Maddox pales in comparison to this dance of death ensuing. Before, it was a duel of incredible speeds, both pushing themselves to overpower the other. This? This is an army of Angels against one.
I hold my arm out, keeping Bonfire from forcing himself forward into the ball of unknown Ether while I investigate the people attacking Maddox. There are four in total, and the first that grabs my attention is a lithe figure in a dark cloak.
This one, assumingly a woman due to their form, controls ghostly clouds of Ether, weaving them into spontaneous barriers. These barriers that deflect Maddox's counterattacks mirror the enigmatic orb that envelops them. She must be the one making it. And based on the fact that Maddox can't escape... not even Ocean's Tempo and its lightning can break through.
I squint further as a shadowy figure materializes intermittently, wielding an arsenal of floating daggers to harry the captain. I recognize the man instantly as Clarence Love, the Silent Scorpion. What is he doing here? Oh... I think I know.
Shifting my attention, I also notice a burly man in a cloak charging through the aquatic blades, compelling the captain of the Rising Tide to retreat. Maddox does so, but not willingly. Lashes strike at the brute, yet the last figure, a man who makes my teeth grind at the sight, protects him.
Eli Weiss, a silent strategist, stands apart as usual, orchestrating near-imperceptible movements. From him, coils of steel shoot forth with steam-powered precision, converging on the beleaguered Maddox. His flickering eyes have him vanish from my view before reappearing in a more advantageous position. I cannot tell if he is simply that fast or teleporting, but it has something to do with his eyes.
As I observe the apparent trap that was just lain and set on Maddox, I search for Lennon. My eyes scan the nearby waters, finding debris and blood amidst the waves. I don't stop looking, even as Bonfire shakes me with annoyed anger.
"What are we waiting for?!"
Thunder, echoing throughout the air, punctuates his sentence, and I find him as the noise ends. A magenta color lingers beneath the waves near the dock. Extending my arm, I let my chains extend toward Lennon, wrapping around him perhaps a bit too roughly as I haul him onto the shore.
"We'll fight in a second. Calm down. Lennon is... really hurt."
I scan the swordsman as his blade is sunk deep into the wood of the dock, not far away. Yet, the man is the real issue. Both of his arms are missing from his shoulders down. Lennon is sputtering up a mixture of water and blood from his lungs as he struggles to breathe. A deep breath fills my lungs as I reach for him, loosening his chains with the effort I can spare. At the same time, I press onto his chest, forcing out the liquid from his lungs. I don't... necessarily like Lennon, but he's done enough for me that I can't just let him die. He's human and not one directly antagonistic to me, even if he's a bit crazy. I don't want him to die.
It feels relieving to do so, but too much is painful, bearing profoundly on my mind. Another strike of thunder from a now cloudless sky resounds. The noise is becoming worrying. One strike could be a fluke. But three? What is happening?
I peer up from Lennon when he starts coughing out the water, trusting the man's stalwartness. And as I gaze up, I see a streak of light in the sky, quickly growing more prominent.
Thunder resonates through the clear sky, again, turning into what sounds like a rapid heartbeat. The atmospheric disturbance intensifies in the time of a short breath. Initially no larger than a pinprick, the minuscule light swells rapidly into a fist-sized brilliance. The celestial display transforms into the echoing resonance of a descending meteor, intensifying in both sound and luminosity.
"Oh fuck, c'mere, Bonfire!"
Reacting swiftly, I hoist Lennon, yell for Bonfire, and dash toward the crashing waves.
Before we reach the sanctuary of the sea, the radiant spectacle descends with a resounding crackle of blue-tinged lightning. A wave of force sends me stumbling, but I twist and peer at the crashed lightning. Surprisingly, we aren't all sending hurtling or injured from the impact, the only thing that keeps my Ether from screaming into action.
An enigmatic figure materializes from the electrified burst. The man within the thunder stands tall, nearly seven feet in stature, while bearing witness to a history of scars, old and fresh, refusing to heal. Black flames dance in the vacant spaces where eyes once dwelled. The fires of Undeath are... different somehow.
I recognize the man in only a moment, not knowing any other being quite like him.
The Thunderbolt Titan, the Cackling Lightning. He is dead—long dead, yet brought back by my father. I stare at the third Prime, frozen in amazement and confusion. The titan of a man twists while lightning flows along his skin like water in a river, changing even his skin color partially.
He stares at me first instead of the battle still raging, the combatants ignorant of his arrival. Bonfire growls, the darkness within coming out, but I place my hand in front of him once more with a harsh whisper.
"Relax!"
The figure before us looks down at me, squinting loosely.
"So you are the man's son, huh? You Graves... even when I was a kid, you were all so special. How long has it been since I was alive? Do you know? Do any of you even remember my name?"
I meet the man's gaze, shaking my head slowly as I decide to be honest with the Undead. He scoffs with disappointment.
"Wonderful. I would then suppose you don't know my grandson's name either? Only his title? It is quite ironic how only the things that we were hated most for are what remains."
The man pivots, shifting to focus on the battle raging in the orb that locks in all sound. The laughs with a crackling laughter, as if paying homage to his title. I do remember that he was said to laugh a lot, even in the most dire of circumstances.
It is best if I am kind here. I don't want to anger a previous Prime. Even now, I can see the dark violet around his form, crackling all over ominously.
"I don't know your name, sir. Could you enlighten me?"
The Thunderbolt Titan peers at me through the corner of his eye, answering me while delivering another question of his own.
"Lazarus Hem. That is my name. You are pretty cordial for one of your family. Not that I met many, only three. How many of you made it to adulthood this generation?"
His inquiry confounds me entirely. I can hardly even muster an answer as I fumble over my own thoughts. What does he mean? Are there supposed to be more than just one?
"I am the only one, sir. I thought all Graves were single children."
Lazarus Hem nods partially, delivering me a half-answer before moving on. He points to the orb, a surge of electricity building on his finger.
"I suppose they are, in a way. Too bad. Humanity could always use a few more innate monsters on our side. Anyway... I should probably stop them. What do you think?"
I want to ask him about my family, but the way his eyes glimmer with a sharp blue stops me. Instead, I press on another topic carefully.
"I'm not sure, sir. Are you the only Prime that is still walking among the living? What happened two months ago?"
The third Prime crosses his arms and peers down at me once more. He doesn't seem antagonistic, only apathetic in an odd way.
"Most of our bodies were destroyed in the brawl. Only my grandson, his student, and myself are alive. Sure don't make us like they used to. Oh, I suppose that craftsman is still kicking, but he isn't doing too well. I'm sure you know what happened. It's fairly obvious. Your father is keeping us here for some reason."
My heart stutters in its motion as I present another question quickly, practically stepping on the man's toes. The whole while, Maddox fights for his life. I feel only slightly sour for the man's struggle.
"Can you speak to him for me? I haven't ever seen him."
The Titan shakes his head. The man then returns his focus to the battle, stepping toward the orb. He hops off the dock, and lightning coats his boots, keeping him standing despite the tumultuous waves beneath his feet.
"No. There hasn't been any contact since he pulled us from Death's Gullet. Damn, I hated that place. If I had known that's where I'd go after dying as an Angel... I might have reconsidered my life, especially knowing that I'll be going back there once I decay. Anyway, let's stop this. There has been enough bloodshed recently by human hands."
I follow behind the Titan, with Bonfire at my side. We don't stick too close, however. I even haul us back as the Titan raises his hand to the sky. He has all his fingers pointing toward the orb with an open palm as lightning races across it, building upon the tip.
Then, he lowers one finger at a time, the electricity doubling in radiance and danger every time. The moment he has only one finger remaining, a bullet of blue leaves his hand, crashing through the orb and shattering it into a million pieces.
All the people inside howl in pain and shock as they fall to the water below. Lazarus Hem then steps forward again as Eli Weiss commands his Angels. Still, before Lazarus can do anything to those trapped in the water, another figure materializes beside him in a flash of light.
It is another Undead, cloaked with the same dark violet fetters. He grabs Lazarus' arm with luminant hands as I realize this is the grandson he was talking about by the fact they look quite similar. This is the Radiantal Palm, the Rising Light.
"Not now, grandfather. Let them duke it out. I know you don't like civil violence, but we can't stay here forever. The essence that sustains us is running dry. Before you use it all, I'd like to go to where your mentor died."
The whole region falls into a bizarre calmness as two long-dead Primes speak to each other—a grandfather and a grandson, both littered with innumerable wounds and otherworldly power. Even Eli Weiss holds his fire. The woman with him creates a platform for them to stand with her barriers on, while Maddox does the same with his solidified water, not ice, solidified water.
No one wants to provoke either of these figures.
"I know that was the goal, Lychen. I haven't seen Remington in... so long. For a man blessed by time, he didn't manage to hold much of it. Haah... yeah. Let's leave the living to their own squabbles. I want to seek what that old man did before he died. Plus... the First was last seen there, too. Perhaps we'll find out what happened that day Remington vanished."
My eyes shift back and forth between the Primes as I realize something insane. The third Prime was taught by the Second. And... the First and Second either died or disappeared at Pained Peaks. That means... did the Battle For Supremacy happen before or after the First died? Did he create that place? Was he in the battle? Who was in the battle? Did he cause it? Where... where did he truly die?
I have so many questions, but I hardly get any answers. The grandson tugs on his grandfather's shoulder while light encompasses their form. If the stories are true... the Thunderbolt Titan was the fastest human to ever live, but... the Radiantal Palm could be anywhere in the Territories within a minute. The difference is raw momentum and usable speed in a fight.
"Come. Let my Light bring us there shortly. Hopefully, we'll find some truth there to what happened back then. Perhaps... we'll discover what happened to mankind's strongest soldier and our most extraordinary mind before our times hauls us back to that damned God. We don't have long, remember, Pa. Hours at most if we use Ether like we are right now."
And the instant that the Palm finishes his words, the duo vanishes into a sparkle of light, spreading over the sky toward the southeast—toward Pained Peaks. And the moment after they are gone, Maddox screams at Eli over the now-calm sea.
"You will pay for this, you bastard! WE HAD A DEAL! You betray everything, you fucking rat! Hey! Clarence!? You think he cares about you!? What about you two 'Roots' or whatever he calls you?! Do you think you'll live through this? That rat will sacrifice you at the nearest junction to live."
Eli doesn't reply, only shuffles backward as he injects himself and his allies with multicolored serums from the belt on his hip. Then, he slides behind them, coils of steaming steel unleashing themselves from under his clothes.
In return, Maddox only growls, raising his blade to the sky as blood falls in clumps from all over him. The Ocean's Temp rattles in his grasp, vibrating as the seas churn and practically boil beneath them with crackling electricity.
"Para! DIVE!"
The two words unleashed by Maddox freeze the blood in my veins. Dive?
Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me.
I take Lennon and toss him to Bonfire. The man raises an eyebrow at me as the entire world seems to shake. I know it's not the whole world, though. It's only the island. The Para Ub has now realized what is happening.
"Take Lennon and fly. Find Elizabeth, okay? I'll be fine. Just don't fall under the water! If you can, search the ship for a blind old man!"
Bonfire nods to me, and the wings behind his back explode with fire. The twin limbs aren't wholly black, though. There is still silver within the depths of them, creeping in and out. I can see my friend grunt in effort as his face twists with a modicum of insanity.
But I have no other choice but to trust him to restrain himself as the waves grow closer to my feet. Eli Weiss and his allies attempt to escape from what is happening, but Maddox strikes at them with a torrential downpour, cracking the air with his raw speed. At the same time, the sea beneath us warps, attacking like a living creature toward them all.
And in less than ten seconds from his shout, the water reaches my knees—the entire island floods before it falls entirely underneath the sea. Yet, I feel no struggle in my breath. Air still comes in and out as I sense the earth still beneath my feet.
Shifting, I find the whole island as usual. People are rushing through the underwater streets in a panic, but they aren't swimming. They are running. This is...
What?
Glancing at my arm, I find a trembling presence of Ether, striding up from the ground beneath me.
Oh... I see. This is the Para Ub at work.
Seeing that I won't drown, I peer up through the depths of the sea that are only growing deeper. Wings of fire cloud Bonfire before he lands on the heavily damaged ship while Maddox strikes against his opponents.
I lock onto the captain, and feeling a little obligated to help him with a whole dose of wanting to murder Eli, I swim up toward them. Ether infuses my complete form as Blodwyn already gets to work. Bone covers my skull, heading down to clad my shoulder as well before I even get near.
Distance vanishes rapidly as I force myself through the water, leaping up and away from the island to find its effects no longer upon me. Instead, a water vortex, made from the diving of the Para Ub, is ripping Eli and his men more profoundly into the water. Confident in my ability to hold my breath underwater with Blodwyn and my durability, I dive for them, too.
Eli Weiss's eyes flicker to me as I meet his gaze. There are no words shared between us, but the hate within my heart blossoms to a degree I never thought possible.
I highly doubt I can kill the man, even now. There is no way in my head that he doesn't escape this. He's Eli Weiss, after all. There has to be backup plans on backup plans.
But... He must be expecting me to attack him in a fit of rage. That has to be a part of his plans.
Yet I am no longer that child from before. I can control my rage. I can... redirect it. If I can't kill him today... I'll do the next best thing.
Blodwyn roars with anger alongside me as an explosion of Ether from behind us propels us toward the lithe figure in the cloak. She is defending the whole group with her barriers, even underwater. The woman must be a vital aspect of Eli's plan.
Too bad.
I reach for the woman as I hurtle toward her, and I see her eyes widen in alarm under the hood. She's young. Only a little older than me. At most, a few years.
My chest tightens, but with it, so too does my Ether. She chose to follow him. This is on her. Barriers, reflecting light oddly underwater to quickly reveal themselves, block my fist. A dozen shatter from the force of my advancement, shocking her as she swims back, but I'm not done yet.
Chains explode from my arm as they lock onto her, piercing toward her chest. Another figure charges at me and slams into my side despite the water. I feel bones crack and organs buckle. Nevertheless, I simply ignore the impact.
I am confident in Blodwyn.
Instead, I let loose the Ether in my body. The chains fire out with even greater speed, going around or through the woman's many barriers. And even while my face is being beaten, four of them puncture her.
Smiling underneath the mask of bone from Tsavuk, my heart beat faster than even these waves; I haul her back with all the speed I can muster. The woman cries out into the water, releasing bubbles as she approaches me, not of her own accord.
The burly man continues to slam into me while Clarence and Eli wage their own war against Maddox. Unsurprisingly, another figure shows up, one that I recognize. Sylvia, the Slick Slider, was named after her flexibility, not after her prowess with water. She joins Eli and aids him in fighting off Maddox within the man's element.
I endure the pain and focus on the woman barreling toward me from the chains pierced into her flesh. And the instant that she gets close, I move my arm toward my hip, ripping Lily from my holster.
"Yay!"
I endure the pain of her joy at killing someone. Instead of stopping, though, I place the barrel of the Blooming Spider Lily against the woman's temple. I can see the fear in her eyes, but she doesn't try to escape. The giant of a man breaking my bones attempts to hold onto my arm, but fleshly spears stab out from every point in my forearm, preventing his grasp.
Rather, the woman sinks a barrier deeply into my chest while a river of darkness connects us. I manage a smile as in her place, under the cover of the darkness of the Cardinal, a tiny girl, entirely unfit for this place, hovers in the water.
The man upon me freezes abruptly as his head cranes backward, facing Lily. Then, as Lily's eyes open, the man kicks off of me, swimming right for Eli. A roar exits his mouth despite the water.
"LEAVE!"
The cool darkness rejuvenates me as my attention falls onto and cannot leave Lily. The little girl smiles as her dark hair extends in all directions, the red eyes in her sockets piercing through the water.
A silent yet echoing laughter resounds in the sea as the Colt opens her mouth to the waters around us. The sound is unimpeded by the water, unlike the shouted 'leave' that left rippling waves in its wake.
"Don't leave! We just started having fun!"
Streams of darkness, identical to how my newly-made chains work, extend from her arms, stretching for Eli Weiss. The Underground Tree's face sinks as the man takes out a vial from his belt. Inside of it is an eye, floating in some liquid.
I can see magenta, or 7th Sigiled chains, wrapping around the eye. He crushes it without hesitation. And an instant later, light explodes from the eye, stretching out to grasp onto all of Eli's allies.
And then, in the next second, they're all gone, leaving Maddox and me with this little girl who is able to speak underwater.
"Awww, man..."