Author: Sarah Lin
Date: 2022-01-21 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Fiction
Description: Betrayed. Murdered. Reborn. One last chance, to make it right. Theo's adventure ended with his mentor's hands around his neck. The betrayal cost him his friends, allies and everything he had built... but not his life. Though broken and powerless, Theo has one last chance to enter the Nine Worlds, wielding the knowledge and expertise of his first life. This time, he needs more than just power, he needs to unravel the deception that killed him once... and is coming for him again. Theo's path back to power leads him through one of the most dangerous areas he encountered in his first life: the Cha

Chasmfall

Book #4 of The Weirkey Chronicles

Version 1.0

© 2022 Sarah Lin

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

The story so far...

Book One: Soulhome

Theo’s first journey in the Nine Worlds ended in tragedy. When he and his allies used a weirkey to travel to an unknown, desolate realm, he unexpectedly met Vistgil, the mentor who first taught him how to survive in the Nine and build his soulhome into a powerful Stronghold. When Theo refused Vistgil’s offer to return him to Earth, he was attacked by a terrifyingly powerful demon, and only escaped back to the Nine after his friends sacrificed themselves to hold it at bay. Most unexpectedly of all, Vistgil gave chase and completed the betrayal, killing Theo and banishing his soul back into his hospital bed on Earth.

Forty years later, Theo once again finds his way to the Nine Worlds, this time emerging in the peaceful agrarian world of Tatian. Reborn as a young man, he finds that he retains none of his former soulhome’s power and must start again from scratch. As travelers from other worlds emerge from the cracks in reality, he meets a shy Ichili woman named Fiyu and Navim, a Mundhin stoneshaper from the arid world of Arbai. Together, they join the local Farmguards to protect the refugees from demon attacks. One of those refugees, Magnafor, turns out to be a fellow visitor from Earth, but the hostile young man warns Theo to stay away from him.

Having proved themselves in combat, Theo and some of the other travelers are invited to the city of Myufuru to be trained as soulcrafters. Fiyu and Theo are chosen as students by a young Tatian woman named Nauda, a strong fighter with an unusual binding technique allowing her to freeze opponents in place.

During a training bout, one of Nauda’s other students uses a powerful Archcrafter-tier armament against Navim, but loses control and a blast from the staff shatters the Mundhin’s rocky body. None of the local healers can help, and Magnafor suggests that they rush to Navim’s homeworld, Arbai. As they arrive in Arbai, however, Magnafor betrays them and returns to Tatian, sealing the gate behind him.

Stranded in the Arbaian desert, Theo and his allies hurry to bring Navim to his school, where he can be healed. Theo strikes a deal with the school’s master, a fourth-tier Authority with the ability to use weirkeys, to return them to Myufuru so they can pursue Magnafor. They arrive to find the training village overrun by demons, and are delayed long enough to see Magnafor break into the giant tree housing the Landguards’ sublime material vault… just in time to watch the entire tree twist in on itself and snap out of existence entirely.

In the aftermath, Landguards begin to search for interlopers from outside the Nine Worlds. Nauda and Fiyu are just as keen as Theo to leave Myufuru, and they all agree to travel into the north of Tatian, back towards Nauda’s home.

Book Two: Rainhorn

Theo, Nauda, and Fiyu split up to avoid attracting attention, and meet outside the city of Nlukoko. As they explore the city, Nauda outlines a plan to venture into the wilderness to the north of Nlukoko, to find a gate to the world of Fithe. The large city on the other side is a hub with gates to several worlds, including Fiyu’s home, Ichil, so Theo and Fiyu quickly agree.

Nauda and Fiyu visit the market district while Theo visits the city’s expansive library to research Elghiera, a mythical soulcrafter who traveled widely across the Nine Worlds and left behind powerful artifacts, supposedly including a powerful ring that Vistgil gave to Theo in his first life. However, their plans are interrupted when the city comes under attack by demons.

Joining the battle, Theo rescues an unusual imp-like being who calls herself Senka. She promptly attaches herself to his leg and refuses to leave him alone, complaining that a “big mean fumpet” is looking for her. Soon enough, a Landguard arrives to meet with the Lord of Nlukoko, so Nauda suggests that they make a break for the city’s gate to the world of Deuxan and lay low until the Landguards move on. They succeed in slipping through the gate, but not in evading Senka, who follows them through and attaches herself to their group.

After finding their bearings, they head towards the nearby city of Anguedan. Theo visits a local house to gather information, and is shocked to discover that a century has elapsed since his last visit to the Nine. He returns to find that Fiyu has unwittingly insulted a young member of the local ruling family, who promptly challenges her to a duel. She misunderstands the rules and nearly kills her opponent before Theo intervenes. Unsatisfied, the group’s leader, Esaire Ai Armaeu, forces another duel which Nauda wins at the cost of a broken arm.

Nauda decides to skip paying for a healer by instead ascending to Archcrafter, reinforcing her body and unlocking space for another floor in her soulhome. However, they still lack the money to buy a sleigh to travel to Fithe, so they decide to remain in Anguedan until the upcoming annual Rainhorn Hunt. Theo visits the court library, hoping to learn about the family of his old ally Brigana ai Teraeves, but discovers nothing except that he is being followed by Esaire.

When the Rainhorn Hunt begins, the group discovers that they can hunt the beasts effectively by combining Nauda’s strength, Theo’s gravity powers, and Fiyu’s stealth. However, they are ambushed by Esaire’s allies, and Theo finds himself forced into a wager against the noble scion. On the final day, they are drawn into another fight and are forced to flee to Tatian by stealing one of the Armeau family’s sleighs.

The Armeaus chase the group into the north of Tatian, but both sleighs are ambushed by an enormous sublime beast called an eryo. Esaire is wounded and Theo and his allies barely escape; they take refuge in a cave, but some of Esaire’s allies manage to track them down. The Deuxans are defeated, but not before attracting the attention of the eryo. Theo realizes that their only chance is to use the beast’s size against it by combining his unusual gravity techniques with the cantae of an Archcrafter. Flush with power from his ascension, Theo manages to slay the eryo by bombarding it with sharp rocks lofted by his allies.

As they depart for Fithe, Nauda shows them something unexpected: an enormous cliff running around the entire planet, separating the lush verdant half of Tatian from a blackened wasteland on the other side. She doesn't know why Tatian is split in two, but implies she may be from the lower half.

Back in Anguedan, Esaire is chastised by his grandfather Arceon for allowing the vendetta to get out of hand, but upon hearing that Theo was searching for the ai Teraeves family, the elder Armeau abruptly decides that they need to arrange a trip to Fithe…

Book Three: Archcrafter

Theo, Fiyu, and Nauda arrive in the hub city of Norro Yorthin, accompanied (unwillingly in Theo’s case) by Senka. They find that the city is dominated by a number of great Houses who control the region’s businesses, militias, and natural resources. As independent soulcrafters, they are unable to gain well-paying work or passage through the city’s gates to Ichil or Arbai, so they set out to identify a House to ally with.

During his explorations, Theo discovers a notice about an upcoming expedition to the Chasm Of Lamentations, a dangerous yet resource-rich region that is only accessible once every decade or two. Having visited the Chasm in his first life in the Nine, he realizes that this is his opportunity to gain the strength he needs, so long as he can convince his allies to join him.

Their first attempt to join a House goes badly: House Crimson is influential and powerful, led by a Stronghold and multiple Authorities, but their recruitment event is disrupted by one of those Authorities: Tythes, the irreverent and unpredictable heir of the family. After counting out the House of the Lost (too risky) and the House of Coin (too mercenary), they eventually join House Blacksilver, an outsider-friendly organization with a good reputation for public works.

As they settle into their new position, Theo sets himself and his allies a target: to earn three Chasm Invitations so they can join the expedition. The invitations are rare and expensive, so they focus on the best opportunities to bolster both their strength and salaries. On one such occasion, while providing security during negotiations between Blacksilver officials and Tythes of House Crimson, Theo freezes as he notices a group of Deuxans at a nearby table. Unable to escape in time, he is quickly confronted by Arceon, the head of the Armeau family.

To Theo’s surprise, Arceon interrogates him about his search for the ai Teraeves family before being interrupted by Tythes and their House of Coin hosts. Unable to capture Theo as he had intended, Arceon instead summons Esaire, who claims a blood vendetta and challenges Theo to a duel. Left with no option but to accept, Theo manages to negotiate a delay of six months to give himself time to prepare.

With a new deadline, Theo throws himself into soulcrafting and spends the rest of his time working to gain new sublime materials: trading with the sea-dwelling Depths Fithans, improving Blacksilver’s mining operations, and counting cards in the House of Coin’s gambling dens. Even Senka’s kleptomaniac tendencies turn out to be useful. However, an event at House Teal’s quarry turns sour when Esaire uses the cover of the training exercise to attack Theo… and reveals he now has a third-tier Ruler’s cantae. Though the fight is cut short, Theo grimly realizes that the duel will go badly if he can’t find a way to even the odds.

His preparations are interrupted when Fiyu negotiates a chance to travel through the gate to her home world of Ichil. Theo and Nauda accompany her into the dangerous sunless world, and they reach a Biolumin Relay which allows Fiyu to leave a message for her elder relative. On the return journey, however, Fiyu is impaled by one of the silent predators that ranges the Greater Dark, and though she survives with the aid of her friends, she realizes that she will remain vulnerable if she waits to be reunited with her relative before ascending from the first tier.

Theo finally fills all of his soulhome’s corner chambers, granting him access to a technique he has bent his entire soulhome towards: manifesting his singularity as a miniature black hole, consuming matter and cantae alike. Fiyu wins a tournament and uses her prize money to purchase a Chasm Invitation, and Theo manages to win another from House Teal but is immediately attacked by a group of mercenaries hired by Esaire. Theo and Nauda lose ground rapidly in the ensuing fight, and Fiyu rushes to ascend to Archcrafter mid-fight so she can defend her allies. Theo is still hard-pressed, however, and is forced to use his singularity technique to defeat the mercenaries, revealing the weapon he had hoped to keep secret.

On the day of the duel, Tythes wagers a Chasm Invitation that Theo will lose, and Nauda accepts the bet. When the duel begins, Theo is forced into near-constant defense, hounded around the arena by Esaire’s superior speed and cantae. Wounded and desperate, Theo tries to form one singularity after another, scattering them into the corners as he is forced to dodge… until using his wormhole technique to pull the partially-formed black holes together. Esaire’s soulhome cracks under the pressure, and Theo spares his life once the victory is clear.

In the aftermath, Theo asks Arceon why he was so incensed by his research about the ai Teraeves family. He learns that their entire court and several others were destroyed a decade after Theo's death, and even mentioning the family name has become forbidden on Deuxan. Meanwhile, Nauda collects her Chasm Invitation from Tythes, who rages at her publicly, but later confides to his aunt Gethyrue that the three young soulcrafters might just be the people he has been looking for...

Chapter 1

"Umm, Theo? How many of the trees are supposed to be walking?"

"Three or four?" Theo looked up from his work and promptly winced at the roiling wave of roots. "Nauda, move! Retreat to our position and form a new barrier!"

Thankfully, after so long working together, Nauda didn't hesitate and leapt backward. Seconds later, the trees rumbled closer, their roots tearing from the earth before plunging back down. The spiderous advance closed on them primarily from the east, where Nauda's wards flickered for a few seconds longer before beginning to buckle.

In that time, Nauda landed on the giant flower beside him, hand reaching out to accept the fresh petal he was already handing her. They both dropped low to the flower's center and spread the enormous petals above them, the pollen falling over their bodies and masking their scent. Though Theo held his soulhome ready to cast a reverse gravity field at a moment's notice, the trees ground to a halt at Nauda's former position, then began to thrust their roots back into the ground.

"That trader..." Nauda panted for breath and pulled her petal tighter around her shoulders. "He lied to us... about these trees..."

"Aathali often cut corners when it comes to other worlds." Theo got up slowly, watching the tree roots in case any of them decided to go tentacle again, but the pollen seemed to have done its job. "We still have a few fresh petals. Let's try to push in to the center."

"Fine." Nauda dropped off the side of the giant flower, grumbling under her breath.

Theo took a deep breath and refocused before returning to his work, because the flower could draw even worse to their position. His memories of Aathal had served him well, even on an entirely different continent, but this time he was taking risks to harvest sublime materials without Khaluu to save him if he made a mistake.

Though the flower he stood on was the size of most trees, it was dwarfed by the titans of Aathal rising around them. Plants proportional to humans were just parasites in Aathal, ordinary patches of flowers growing around the sides of the larger stems like moss. They tended to flourish in clearings such as this, though few clearings were so dangerous.

Overhead, the guillotine tree hung ominously, not roused even by the new wall of trees that had rushed Nauda. He'd been surprised to hear they grew in the region, only to learn that "guillotine tree" was actually a broad category that included many different species. The blade seeds that hung overhead glistened darkly, but he'd tested them under less tense circumstances and they worked similarly enough that he judged the risk was worth it.

"Is everything alright, Theo?" Fiyu's stealth shielding flickered with a silver light, enough for him to catch a glimpse of her and hear the whisper. "We are mostly surrounded now."

"There's nothing here that can threaten us in the air, so we still have time." He smiled at her, then knelt down to his own work. "We spent enough getting here, we need to find sublime materials enough to make up for it."

She nodded and returned to her task, accustomed to working under such conditions. Though he could no longer see her, he saw some of the delicate blue flowers by the base of the guillotine tree disappear into her aura. Her stealth technique was only growing more powerful, making her the only one who could harvest the flowers without triggering the tree's defensive mechanisms.

Theo had his own role to play, so he got back to work. His tap had been knocked out of place in the rumbling, but he retrieved it and pushed the pointed vine back into the giant flower, deep enough to reach the stem below. When he felt the vine pierce through, he generated a very narrow gravitational field that made the sap within run upward, through the hollow vine and into one of his pots.

The giant flowers themselves were harmless, but if they sensed they were under attack, they released chemicals that triggered other plants they had symbiotic relationships with. Unlike hunting lone animals, harvesting sublime materials in Aathal was all about understanding the complex web of interactions. Though the flowers would react negatively to tampering, they hadn't evolved to deal with reversed gravity, letting him safely drain sap that would otherwise have required a Ruler or Authority to harvest. A Ruler could have used specialized skills to suppress the flower, while an Authority could simply have flattened any retaliation.

Aside from knowledge of Aathal, reversing gravity had been his primary role in their work. Fiyu's stealth had proved consistently valuable after she soulcrafted additions specific to plant-based senses. Nauda had been critical for digging out certain roots, but here mainly supported them by keeping back encroaching trees. Theo still wasn't entirely sure what drew them, though he suspected that their footsteps were brushing against some unknown defensive mechanism.

Nothing further went wrong until Theo had filled all the jugs he had available. He carefully strapped them into the floating mass of the other sublime materials, which had grown considerably during their journey. They were definitely going back to Norro Yorthin richer soulcrafters than they'd left, at least temporarily until they invested all their new wealth into their soulhomes.

"Are you about done?" Nauda asked. She swept the butt of her staff carefully along the barrier lines she'd drawn, but he saw how white her knuckles were. "More of them are moving around again..."

It still looked like ordinary numbers to Theo, but she was right to be worried that the trees might be shifting toward another surge. Since the vast majority of plants on Aathal were stationary, the walking trees tended to trigger cascades of responses against pests. In this case, them.

"I have harvested sufficient flowers." Fiyu again appeared from within her shell of stealth cantae, just long enough to speak and gesture to them. Theo made his way closer, and as soon as Fiyu's technique enveloped him, he passed into a sphere that cast the world outside in bluish light.

Nauda followed slower, still repeatedly checking on her wards, but smiled at them as she entered. "It looks like we have everything we need. Can we get out of here before the trees stampede again?"

"Perhaps that would be safer, but..." Fiyu frowned at the roots she had been harvesting. "I feel that there is a potent source of cantae below. Might it be useful to us?"

"Could be." Theo had to strain to locate anything, since his senses still couldn't equal Fiyu's. "I know other species of guillotine trees often shelter other plants beneath their roots, ones that would otherwise be eaten by sublime beasts. It would be valuable, but likely also the last thing we could harvest here."

"Well, we can't stay much longer." Nauda glanced back over her shoulder at her wards again, or perhaps just at the shifting roots. "Until I find a better material for my warding skills, they aren't going to keep out any of the crawling trees. They won't buy us much time."

"They also won't get too close to the guillotine tree, which will be the bigger threat. Hmm... I have an idea that should work. Nauda, get one of those squirrel carcasses. Fiyu, try to pinpoint the exact location. This could be tight, but we can distract them."

As they hastened to prepare, Theo waited and wondered if that was truly the wisest decision. Maybe it had more to do with the fact that he only had four months until all of them would be venturing into the Chasm of Lamentations, or his growing worries about his progress. It had seemed so much easier during his first visit in the Nine Worlds, and though the soulhome he was building had far greater potential than his original, he couldn't help but be disappointed.

Nauda returned with the giant squirrel draping her shoulder, wrapped in another one of the petals. They weren't valuable as sublime materials, and their group would have left it alone if it hadn't attacked them, but now it would serve a better purpose. When Fiyu knelt down on a root and nodded, Theo took a deep breath and spoke one more time.

"When you throw the carcass, the guillotine tree will shed some leaves and then begin harvesting. Both of those will make it more reluctant to spend resources on anything else, but once we start cutting deeper, all bets are off. I'll stay back to get us out of here, so keep an open line of retreat in case it goes bad."

They nodded and said nothing, perhaps recognizing that any more planning would be simply delaying. Theo gestured for Nauda to begin, since most of the pressure was on her, and she waited only several heartbeats with her eyes closed before she took a deep breath and then hurled the carcass.

It struck the side of the tree with a wet thunk... hard enough to tear off some of the bark. They had a single instant to feel the vibrations before the guillotine tree sent several of its razor sharp seeds plummeting. The blades blanketed the area where the body had struck, gouging deep into everything but the tree's own bark. Even though it had bounced away, the carcass was still chopped into several pieces.

After that, the roots began to twist, seeking the chemical signals from the body. The others were still watching in morbid fascination, so Theo quickly gestured for them to begin work. Still, he couldn't help but look back and see the thinner roots emerging to enter the carcass. Those didn't draw nutrients from the soil, only from animals attempting to harvest the guillotine tree.

As Fiyu began to work her way down, trying not to damage the bark, Nauda used her staff to lift objects from the clearing and throw them against other parts of the tree. Though it was the apex plant in the region and could shrug off most cantae, the guillotine tree hadn't evolved to counter an intelligent distraction.

Still, Fiyu needed to push aside roots and earth to dig deeper, and her actions disturbed the tree as well. She worked with single-minded focus, while Theo found himself watching the shifting roots around her nervously. Worse, the trees on the perimeter of the clearing were beginning to move again...

"Theo, I can't..." Fiyu frowned down at a floor of gnarled roots beneath her, blocking the path to the intense cantae. They might work their way around, but...

"Cut through, carefully. We'll need to rely on speed in the end."

"Very well." Fiyu redoubled her bubble of stealth and then lit up a blade of cantae around her hand. She gingerly cut between two roots, only somewhat burning the bark. When she struggled to lift them away from the others, Theo provided a reversed gravity field to help move them and clear detritus.

Though they were damaging the tree near its core, they were doing much less damage than Nauda, and hopefully not drawing too much attention. Some of the nearby roots shifted more aggressively, but there didn't appear to be any retaliation. Bit by bit, they worked their way through the layer of roots to the sublime material below...

The shift happened completely without warning, the guillotine tree's chemical "brain" flipping from passive to aggressive. Multiple spiky roots reared up, attempting to skewer Fiyu, but they were chopped apart by her blade the next instant. Eyes wide, she turned to him, and he quickly gestured down.

"Stealth is useless, move!" He stepped back out of the stealth technique to yell to Nauda. "We're making a break for it! Get ready!"

No longer easing her way down, Fiyu took a broad swing that sliced through many of the roots. The bark might be able to resist ordinary cantae bolts, but her concentrated edge barely encountered resistance. Though the tree didn't react in any obvious way, it silently began releasing the guillotine seeds over their heads.

Theo had been waiting with a reversed gravity field to make them fall upward, but to his shock a field of cantae rolled over him, trying to suppress his technique. He quickly added several more fields, but he was fighting against the tree and the seeds had already built up momentum falling toward them. If he hadn't developed his speed so much to fight Esaire, he would already have been chopped apart, but instead he had just enough awareness to watch as the seeds fell closer.

Unlike a shield, his field couldn't be overwhelmed by the number of seeds, but he realized that he wasn't going to be able to slow the fastest seeds down enough. Fortunately, Nauda leapt beside them, using her binding technique with both hands. She halted the nearest seeds in midair and threw them upward, smashing into the other seeds.

Just when he thought they had those under control, Fiyu gave a soft cry. She had been resolutely hacking her way deeper, ignoring the rest, but now the larger roots, ones he hadn't thought could possibly move, were grinding closer to try to crush her.

With only an instant to decide, Theo pulled back one of his fields from the seeds and instead cast it directly into the severed root ends. He couldn't pierce the bark, but the ends Fiyu had cut resisted him less, and he exerted so much gravity that they struggled to move.

As soon as she recovered, Fiyu began cutting downward. So close... but the guillotine tree thought that it was fighting for its life and retaliated.

For a moment, Theo stared at everything. Walking trees were surging into the clearing, trampling over Nauda's wards. She had set up several layers, but each one only lasted a few seconds before splintering. More guillotine seeds plummeted, some of them actually bearing cantae, trying to pierce through his own. Nauda strained to catch them before they could arrive.

Theo's soulhome was consuming cantae at full speed, but he was taken to his limit: he could just barely maintain the guillotine seeds at neutral gravity while also keeping the roots at bay. Despite Nauda's best efforts, more and more seeds were collecting overhead, ready to cleave their bodies.

The last ward fell. Tree roots thundered inward. A guillotine seed broke through his field and chopped down just beside him.

"I have it!" Fiyu pulled her hand from the earth, a green glow burning through her fingers. Nauda leapt back to join them and Theo immediately retracted all his gravitational fields to a single column.

With all his power focused, he could overcome the tree's resistance and sent them all falling upward. The guillotine seeds fell above them, but there were more hanging... Theo pulled back just enough for a lateral field that pushed them to the side, away from the tree's lethal boughs.

When they finally sailed far above the clearing, they all breathed a sigh of relief, even though they were falling directly into the sky. Theo did his best to balance out their momentum, though his control still left them bobbing around. The others didn't seem to care, Nauda letting all her muscles loosen while Fiyu just smiled and cradled the seed in both hands.

"That was too close." Nauda struggled to turn around, but had no way to generate momentum in midair. "You got it, Fiyu?"

"Yes." She held up the seed demonstratively. "I am unsure as to its use, but it is an extremely potent sublime material."

"Was it worth it, Theo?"

He peered at the small green seed, examining its cantae. "I believe so, though we'll need to learn more. Plants like this build up cantae over a long period, then use it to grow explosively. Once they're grown, they aren't useful as sublime materials, but before then, they're very potent. We caught this one at almost exactly the right time, I think."

"Flying is fun, but let's get back to the log."

"Actually, I was thinking that we should pick up all of the guillotine seeds. They've already been shed, so I don't think the tree will retaliate, and they must be worth something."

Nauda groaned. "Normally I'd tell you not to get too ambitious, but if it means fewer of those trees in the future..."

Beneath them, the clearing appeared a chaotic mess, but plant life was always messy: it would soon return to the illusory peace from before. Some of the walking trees still crawled around the base of the larger trunk, but many were already moving away. Most of the flowers had been trampled, which would have been a problem if he didn't have all the sap floating beside them.

Theo concentrated on creating a weak gravitational field that would lift the fallen seeds without disturbing anything else. Though he'd stretched himself to the limit, his soulhome was efficient enough that he still had plenty of cantae to manage the different fields. Nauda helped out by pulling the rising seeds together and Fiyu bundled them along with their other supplies.

Once they had gathered as many as seemed feasible, Theo created another lateral field to nudge them to the side, and let normal gravity take hold of them a little. They arced gently over the less lethal forest until they spotted the giant log that had been their starting point. It loomed over most of the other trees, ornamented by a few mushrooms and mosses, but not a threat compared to any part of the forest. Their contacts had left them there and would soon return.

When they landed, Nauda immediately dropped to a seated position, reveling in the normal gravity. Theo carefully lowered their floating bundles, and he had to admit that it was relaxing not to be maintaining that field anymore, even if it had been a minor one. Meanwhile, Fiyu smiled at him over the seed's glow.

"This was a highly successful harvesting trip, was it not?" she asked.

"Perfectly executed, I'd say." Theo couldn't help but grin at the other two. "No serious injuries, and we've gathered more than they expected. Now we just need to wait for th-"

"Did you bring Senka yummies?" As if to puncture his enthusiasm, at that moment the little imp popped up from their supplies. Her hair was tousled from sleeping within them, and he supposed that he should just be glad that she hadn't eaten everything in their absence.

"None of this is edible, Senka," Nauda said gently. Senka promptly stamped her foot childishly.

"No! Senka wants to eat! Senka will go find yummies..." With that declaration, she promptly hurled herself off the log into the lethal woods below.

Theo cursed and cast a gravitational field that sent her bobbing back up, already giggling and almost smirking at him.

"Why are you being a mean fumpet? Senka just wants yummies..."

"Disturbing the plants here could easily kill you," Theo said flatly, as he used gravity to redirect her far from him. She clapped her hands to her cheeks.

"Whaaat? Senka didn't know that!"

So she claimed, despite the fact that it had all been laboriously explained to her as soon as they'd discovered she had stowed away with them. So far she had yet to get them all killed or offend anyone they needed to work with, but it was only a matter of insufferable time. Theo deposited her next to Fiyu, who promptly began her childcare duties by brushing her hair, which Senka tolerated.

Part of Theo looked forward to leaving her behind when they went to the Chasm of Lamentations, and another part of him feared that she would follow anyway, no matter what he tried.

But for the time being, there was more important work to do, since they were waiting on their ride. Nauda had already begun sorting, so he sat down beside her to help out. Most of the sublime materials would be fully processed back at the Aathali city, but they could still clean and bundle everything while they took inventory.

All told, he'd filled twenty jugs with sap, which would sell for a considerable amount. Those, along with the flowers for Fiyu, had been their primary justification for taking this risky journey. The blades from the guillotine tree had been unplanned, but on other continents they'd been a useful building material, so he thought they'd still have some value. While he was considering how best to scope out the price, Nauda cupped the burning seed in her hands and stared over at him.

"Only one of these. Do you know of any use for it?"

"We'll need to investigate," Theo said, "but I think you can take it. Either as a material for your soulhome or the profits."

"Really?" The way Nauda looked up at him, she actually seemed surprised, so he tried to soften his smile in response.

"Of course. It should help square our debts, after you helped me so much in preparation for the duel against Esaire."

Nauda tossed her head to dismiss the matter. "Oh, you've done enough. I'll consider us even as soon as you return those materials you're still hoarding."

"I intend to, just as soon as my skill improves enough to extract them without damage." He did feel guilty about that, because it mostly had to do with priorities. From his previous experience in the Nine Worlds, he knew exactly how to remove sublime materials from his soulhome, but as an Archcrafter the task required spiritual conditioning. They were running out of time, so he needed to either invest the time or pay someone to do the job. "I'll focus on it as soon as we get back to Norro Yorthin."

"I hope it won't be long. I never thought I'd look forward to the dust, but I've had enough trees for a long time."

"Theo, didn't you say one of your companions was from this world?" Fiyu had miraculously gotten Senka to go back to sleep and set her down before approaching. "It seems as though he served as a relative to you, to teach you so much about this environment."

"Yeah, he taught me a lot." For so many years on Earth, the memories had been painful or bittersweet, but here on Aathal, he could almost imagine his old friend and mentor sitting beside them. "His name was Khaluu... when I met him I was just an Archcrafter, and I couldn't even imagine Authority. Having him as an ally made my life a lot easier, but I think we were truly friends in the end. We all broke through to Stronghold together."

Before they'd all died. The tragedy that had taken all of his former allies no longer tore apart all other thought, but the ragged edges still made him wince. He didn't need pain now, he needed a way to reach Vistgil and take revenge. And... he needed to make sure that the same thing didn't happen to his new friends.

Nauda listened with the patient smile he'd come to recognize, until he paused. "You've always referred to him as male. Do they really have male and female Aathali?"

"I just say that because some of them use the same language."

"Or at least, that's what you hear through soul translation."

Theo gave her a look, since there seemed to be something else behind her phrasing, but given that she didn't want to elaborate, he continued. "As far as I understand it, Aathali are far more complex in that regard. Some species have male and female pollen types, though it's difficult to tell the difference. Others can produce offspring individually, and I've heard about others that have sixteen or more different sexes."

"And your companion Khaluu... he was one of the first?" Fiyu asked.

"That's right. But when trying to soulcraft himself, he made a sort of mistake. It has to do with Aathali soulcrafting and I'm not entirely sure I understand it, but the result was that he gained power, but permanently damaged his body. He wasn't able to produce any offspring, and for his people tending younger shoots was essential. When I met him, he was desperate to soulcraft a solution, but I think he came to treat the rest of us as his children."

They continued speaking and Theo found himself swirling into a strange mix of affection and hatred. He'd spent so long imagining how he could kill Vistgil, he'd never really imagined forming new friendships in the Nine Worlds. Allies had factored into his plans in a nebulous sense, all the more abstract for their intriguing origins, but never truly been people.

If he had fought alone, as he'd originally planned, would he have advanced more quickly? Theo felt as though the person he had been when he first returned would be disappointed in him, and he hadn't yet decided how he felt about that person. Both of those still lived within him, among a mass of imagined selves he'd never realized were so contradictory until he actually returned.

It was much easier to think about soulcrafting. If they'd had more time, it would have been worthwhile to travel all the way to the continent he'd known, where many more materials had been available to them. He certainly needed to find a living material prior to ascending to Authority. But they had no weirkeys, and with the deadline looming, that path simply wasn't a good use of their resources.

"You're all still whole." A voice interrupted his ruminations, and Theo glanced up to see Krijesh ascending the side of the log. She was an ordinary enough Aathali with a birch look, like many of the locals. There had been a few soulcrafters along with their expedition, but she was the only Ruler, and the only one who intended to harvest sublime materials. "I thought the guillotine trees might get the better of you."

"We went in prepared," Nauda said. "You're not going to take our sublime materials, are you?"

"Perish the thought, saplings. I just thought I might rest with you while we wait for our vessel to return. What makes you so suspicious?"

"Having seen your trees, Aathal doesn't seem as welcoming as I first thought."

"Oh, but it's nothing like Fithe." Krijesh's boughs shook with the local equivalent of a chuckle. "Especially these days, everyone rushing into this Chasm. Quite a fearsome event, it sounds. Far too momentous for my taste."

Theo had fully intended to let Nauda handle the conversation, but now whirled to the Aathali. "You know about the Chasm? Do Fithans come here to prepare every ten years?"

"Ten years? Is it ten? I'd heard about it from time to time, but nothing like this... I can see your questions, sapling, but calm your rustling. All I know is that this time, all your Houses have been rushing in. I want no part in Fithan wars, so I've made sure not to pay attention."

She did seem quite determined to stay uninvolved, so Theo didn't pursue the matter. But the last thing he had expected was for an Aathali soulcrafter to mention the Chasm of Lamentations. If Krijesh was old enough to have seen multiple ventures in the Chasm, and if this year was different...

Perhaps she was right to stay uninvolved, but Theo knew it was far too late for them. As soon as they returned to Norro Yorthin, he needed to ask some questions.

Chapter 2

Though the others appeared to find it restful to sit atop the log, Fiyu had no choice but to remain alert. All around her, the forest crawled with organisms unknown to her that could potentially be lethal. Natural swaying and intentional movement blurred, endless tiny creatures oozed between plants, everywhere strange densities betrayed motionless life.

Her companions might trust their reflexes and cantae to defend them, but she was more concerned about contact poisons. Friend Theo had some knowledge of Aathal and had acquired more, but it was not nearly equal to what she would consider safe for traveling.

In her experience on Fithe, Fiyu had come to believe that people in other worlds simply had extremely high tolerances for risk. They viewed her as unnecessarily cautious, but she disagreed: Fithans experienced shocking rates of accidents and lost tragic percentages of their populations, unlike carefully protected Ichili children. She could accept that the frequent mistakes were less lethal than they would have been on her home world, but she would never be comfortable with them.

This long journey had been her first visit to Aathal, and she had found it largely more reasonable than Fithe or Tatian. The native Aathali controlled their environments extremely well, carefully cultivating villages without a plant out of place. Saplings were extremely well-protected, and many could even spend their entire lives inside controlled environments, instead of venturing into the unknown forests, much less dangerous clearings like the one controlled by the guillotine tree. They even lacked any customs of unnecessary touching, which she found quite agreeable.

Acquaintance Krijesh appeared more wide-traveled than most locals, sitting and chatting with the others. Fiyu's senses ran over the Aathali again, since they might soon return and she would not get another chance. Though Friend Nauda had said the native inhabitants looked like trees, that observation seemed untrue to Fiyu.

Each Aathali had a solid trunk, but their inner tissues didn't compare to the relatively uncomplicated density of actual trees. Some had thick layers of bark, though Acquaintance Krijesh herself was wrapped only in thin cantae-reactive bark. All Aathali she'd seen had a dense skull-like organ in their center mass, leading to a face that looked surprisingly human, but their number of limbs differed. A few walked on trunk-like legs, while many others crawled on roots or even hovered within pots. They appeared to arrange their boughs overhead quite carefully, growing them into shapes that were both functional and likely aesthetic. Fiyu, at least, appreciated their beautiful complexity.

When Friend Theo had first proposed a long journey into Aathal, Fiyu had been reluctant. She had already seen three new worlds in under a year, so she was moving entirely too fast. However, having completed the journey with many new sublime materials and no losses, she was grateful to have pushed herself.

Since it appeared that their vessel would take some time to arrive, Fiyu retreated into her soulhome. It now rose two full levels, though the second remained largely empty. She was grateful for her new cantae, but Relative Guchiro had given her highly specific plans for the second story. Building and polishing the walls and ceiling was simple enough, which left the much more difficult task of filling those rooms.

Since the duel, Fiyu had not made any attempt to soulcraft those chambers beyond supportive carving. She knew that Friend Theo disapproved, believing that she was delaying again. He had never verbalized as much, but Friend Theo could communicate a great deal with the tension in his muscles.

Though Fiyu knew that she would be weaker without a full second floor, she had sent her message to Relative Guchiro by Biolumin Relay. She had no doubt that he would eventually locate her, and then they would be able to work together to follow the blueprint perfectly. Besides, her delay wasn't slowing her soulcrafting overall, not like before.

Within her soulhome, Fiyu bent down and began chiseling another brick for her shielding wall. It arched around half of her soulhome now, and she believed that she could complete it before they needed to journey to the Chasm. She would have worked to circle at least the first floor, but required more foundation stones.

Though the gate to Ichil had not led her home, it did provide an accessible source of appropriate sublime stone. Fiyu had easily been able to use her merits to purchase more of the appropriate types, leaving the construction of her wall down to her soul's tenacity, not resource limitations.

Once the shielding wall was complete, Fiyu would be much more comfortable. Though Friend Theo stressed the defensive capabilities, what she most desired was privacy. At the moment, it was far too easy for other soulcrafters to peer into her soul, even without skills like Friend Nauda's. Her fully polished wall would both keep them out and strengthen her stealth technique.

But facing this Chasm of Lamentations... Friend Theo promised them that he knew it well, but Fiyu remained deeply concerned about the threats it might contain.

What else could she do to prepare herself? Aside from filling her second floor with potent materials, she could think of few options that would not set her back, certainly none that would grant her new abilities. Eventually Friend Theo would return the mistsphere she had given him, she was certain that he would, but otherwise she had few sublime materials to work with.

Outside her soulhome, the Soulsilver Bracers remained her most valuable asset. They were certainly helpful, but they would never reach their full potential until she incorporated them into her soulhome. The trouble was that her entire second story was required for a Corporeal Floor, and her relative's blueprint placed armament chambers on the Ruler-tier floor.

Though Friend Nauda had urged her to reach toward Ruler as well, that was simply too aggressive for Fiyu, not with her second floor still unfilled. She had stopped building upward as soon as she finished her roof, instead dedicating all her time to the more immediately important shielding wall.

Unfortunately, the journey into Aathal was likely to mostly earn her funds to purchase more Ichili resources, because the local sublime materials were largely inappropriate. Too many of them relished the light, or even generated it, and would be inappropriate for her soulhome. Perhaps she would acquire some wood, since Aathal specialized in it, but otherwise she had found little.

Still working in her soul, Fiyu extended a physical arm to pick up one of the guillotine seeds. It was certainly sharp, and might have been appropriate for her blade chamber, but it was weak as a sublime material. The tree had already spent its strength in the real world, leaving less for soulcrafting. Essentially the exact opposite of the seed, which held great potential, though that was most appropriate for Friend Nauda's soulhome.

By the time their wait ended, Fiyu had crafted many additional bricks and come to no true conclusions. She left her soulhome in time to properly examine the vessel as it descended toward them. Acquaintance Krijesh called out happily, and Fiyu felt Friend Theo and Friend Nauda stretch upward to look at it.

Visually the seedship resembled a golden tuft of circular seeds, buoyed by the wind. Fiyu thought that it was far more beautiful in her senses, numerous feathery branches of the plant around a more durable interior. The florets all reflected both light and cantae, resisting like a flexible reed. When the soulcrafter controlling the vehicle created drafts of cantae, the seedship floated on them gently, but Fiyu believed that even many cantae attacks would only blow the seedship about. Fortunately, since Aathal was a blessedly more peaceful world than Fithe, that theory had never been tested.

"No losses in a guillotine clearing!" One of the other Aathali emerged from between several of the tufts. He was a similar species to Acquaintance Krijesh, though his upper boughs were far bushier. "Well, we're not over capacity, so come on up."

The seedship approached them in a circular drifting pattern instead of the smooth movements of an Ichili vessel, but Fiyu found the maneuver elegant. Instead of attempting to control their environment, the seedship's exterior was exquisitely attuned to all the changes around it, simply floating along with them as served its purpose.

Eventually it came to hover not far above the fallen log and their group ascended on a vine rope. Fiyu double-checked that Child Senka had not been left behind or caused any trouble, then took hold of the rope herself and climbed to the seedship. Her strength might not have been equal to the guillotine tree, but many simple tasks were easier as an Archcrafter.

Fiyu didn't enjoy feeling the tufts brush against her, but a section of the bottom had been specially grown to create an opening, so she was soon able to take her place. Though the exterior of the seedship appeared natural, the interior was constructed from light woods and certain petals that were highly durable for their thickness.

Once the entire group had entered the seedship and it had drifted above the trees, Fiyu was finally able to relax. There appeared to be few aerial predators in this part of Aathal, and it was a relief to feel nothing but air in all directions around them.

Not only that, but their journey took them back to the city. Norro Yorthin might be fearsome in many ways, but after so long traveling, Fiyu was happy for anything familiar.

~ ~ ~

Though Nauda's experience of Aathal had been skewed to unusual communities, she thought that she had gained a sense for it. Not enough to truly be a member of their society, of course, but enough that she wouldn't try to sell a mud Fithan water, as the saying went. Her bargaining skills combined with Theo's knowledge were generally enough to avoid being robbed.

Not that the markets were truly vicious. From what she had experience of Aathali society, it operated on a policy of welcoming at a distance. Strangers who passed through were treated quite warmly, but attempts to penetrate deeper were met with an iron fist... or perhaps iron branch. Relationships were occasionally deeply intertwined and far more often polite alliances. It made for an easy world to travel and conduct business in.

Of course, that only applied to the sections of Aathal that Nauda had seen. She was more aware than most of just how vast a world could be. So many Tatian villagers traveled their world to the horizon and presumed that they knew everything, and she didn't want to fall into the same trap.

"I suppose you'll be wanting this in that Fithan money?" The merchant counting out the sublime materials was an Aathali woman with bright blue leaves, roughly as wide as she was tall. Nauda had been focused on local currency, mostly fossilized seeds, and now needed to change her focus.

"That Fithan money? I suppose you're used to Norro Yorthin, living here?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter. They all seem to use the same currency, though I don't know how they standardized. That's why they're Fithan Discs." The merchant's boughs shuffled in a motion that Nauda suspected meant uncertainty, though her own left her uncomfortable as to the social cue. "That is, the ones who live on land. I don't know if the ones who live in water use the same money. None of them have ever come here. Do you know?"

"I'm afraid I don't have much experience with them either." Nauda wasn't sure about the polite way to refuse the growing pile of Discs, so she only shook her head. "But I'd actually prefer to be paid in craftgems... presuming you offer those."

"Certainly, certainly. I'll even give you a cheap rate on the discount. Doing some serious soulcrafting, are we?"

"Something like that." Nauda gave her a smile, hoping that the emotion was clear enough. The Aathali did have faces, and their expressions seemed natural instead of artifice, but Nauda was never entirely certain that they were truly comparable.

In any case, the Aathali merchant gave her a huge sack of craftgems that Nauda calculated was really a very reasonable deal. Again, that politeness with strangers. No doubt a few valued local allies could get an even better rate, and Nauda could never reach that status, but there was no attempt to cheat her.

Though she'd use some of the craftgems as currency, she intended more for their original purpose. Among other uses, they could be crystallized into substrates within a soulhome that could bind nearly anything. She'd built altars to house her most powerful sublime materials, only to increasingly feel as though they weren't sufficiently anchored in her soulhome. If she wanted to solidify her blueprint, she needed unifiers, and a lot of them.

With the last of their goods sold, Nauda said farewell to the merchant and headed back to the gate. It wasn't easy to get through, so they'd need to wait for their passes to be approved. The communities of Aathal recognized how hungry Norro Yorthin was and they knew where to draw the boundary line. She could respect that.

When Nauda drew near the buildings around the gate, she found Fiyu waiting on one of the human-sized benches. She looked oddly picturesque there, a dark flower seated atop the branches with life flourishing all around her. Nauda wanted to linger and just watch her for a while, but there was no sneaking around Fiyu, who noticed her and looked in her direction.

"Hello, Nauda. From your reduced burden, I take it that you have completed your business?"

"All the guillotine seeds are sold." Nauda hesitated by the bench, then decided to set down the bag of craftgems in the middle and sit on the other side. "Except for those you kept back, of course."

"I do not believe they are likely to be useful, but I thought it was worth the experiment." Fiyu patted the bag absent-mindedly. "Where are Theo and the child?"

"Senka, I have no idea. Theo should be buying a few more materials with the money from the early sales."

"And do you have nothing you want to purchase?"

"No, I don't think this place really suits me." Nauda paused and glanced over at the other woman. "Are you sure that you don't want to look for anything? These local plants might not fit your soulhome, but they have quite a bit of diversity from other lands."

"Oh... I thought that I would sit and appreciate Aathal a little longer."

"I don't blame you, but we could enjoy a walk. Theo thought that this store would have sublime materials that would fit his grim blueprint, so maybe some of them would be dark enough for you?"

Fiyu tilted her head and examined Nauda in a way that made her desperately wish she had a better idea what the other woman was thinking. But eventually Fiyu smiled and rose to her feet. "I would not mind walking with you, Nauda. I suppose we are much more likely to find appropriate wood here than on Fithe."

So they got back up and headed into the city to find Theo, though Nauda took a longer route to enjoy the environment. She'd thought of the paths as being lined with trees at first, but now she realized how inadequate that concept was: every tree had been carefully cultivated for a myriad of purposes.

A store that sold wood might blend into such a living city, but it was surprisingly easy to spot: a great trunk of petrified wood leaned over the street, carved into arboreal patterns as if countless trees had fused together and then frozen. There was no exterior sign that Nauda could read, which had been an ongoing mystery: soul translation hadn't helped her find any writing in Aathal. Theo said that they used some sort of liquid-based signifier, but she wasn't sure the translation had worked for him, either.

She could hear the dour man himself arguing with the merchant, but didn't hurry to find him. Instead she enjoyed looking over everything on display. The store itself was made of wood, of course, but the wood that it sold was all held in cases that looked like glass but rippled like water. Miniature trees, flowers that grew upside-down, bark formed from living fire...

An ornately carved stump served as a table, and a small amount of sublime wood sat on the surface along with the money. It looked extremely dark, casting shadows in all directions despite the soft natural light. That was essentially what she had expected Theo to purchase.

"What about this?" Theo glanced at them over his shoulder and immediately turned back to the merchant. "You meet my price, but we'll also make several other purchases at fair market value."

"Only if you let me clear out some old stock." The Aathali merchant rapped a branchy hand on the stump. He had at least seven, but this one had seven opposing fingers that easily spun coins between them.

Ignoring the merchant, Theo turned to them and spoke in a lower voice. "Good timing. I think there's something there that you could use, Fiyu."

"Are you certain?" She frowned at the bright shop around her. "These plants are all so..."

"Look at this." Theo guided them both to a display case that held a small tree with black leaves radiating a dark energy. "It's called a darkburn bonsai and they only grow in starlight, letting them ignore the sun. Most importantly, if you set it alight in your soulhome, it will continually burn and produce a great deal of cantae."

"For a heart chamber? It seems appropriate and powerful, but I fear it would not fit on my second floor."

"How can it not? No, never mind that now. These are easily portable, so could you set it up temporarily and then move it to a different floor later?"

Fiyu brightened, if such a word could be used for her. "It might be appropriate for my Ruler tier. And meanwhile, it would help my second floor be more than simply cantae storage. Thank you for finding this for me."

"Hey, it's helping me strike a better deal. There's not much of a market for these things here." Theo turned away and finished his negotiations. In the end he purchased the darkburn bonsai and a large number of the dark planks. That left a considerable amount of money, by her count, so he must be planning other purchases once they returned to Norro Yorthin.

Afterward they left the shop with Fiyu bearing a smile and the bonsai in both hands. On the walk back, Theo barely seemed to notice the environment, instead toying with something in his pack. Eventually he handed Nauda the glowing seed.

"You might as well take this into your soulhome now, so that it isn't stolen. Fiyu and I agreed we don't have a good use for it, and I think it's by far best suited to you anyway."

"You're sure?" Nauda had half expected him to throw it into that awful black hole in his soulhome just for the power, but accepted it. The seed tingled in her hand, levitating a hair off her palm from the sheer cantae surging from it.

"I did some investigation and found out that it's called a surgestalk seed. Within a soulhome, it can quickly grow into dense material. Not so useful for generating cantae, but excellent for binding chambers together. I thought you could plant it between your main building and the tower, to help tie them together."

Of course he already had a plan for it. Yet as Nauda clenched the seed in her fist, she found herself considering a different use entirely: if the plant could grow so quickly, she could use it to help ascend to Ruler. She'd already fortified her roof and begun a pyramid foundation, but if she could convert it to a bed for the surgestalk, that might be even more effective.

"Thank you, Theo." Nauda had to focus hard to absorb it into her soul, but once there, it began pulsing with potential. "I'll begin work as soon as we get back."

"We should. There are only four months until we need to leave for the Chasm of Lamentations, and we-"

"Really? We aren't even back to Norro Yorthin and you're already thinking about the contest again?"

Theo frowned and was about to reply, but Fiyu spoke up first. "Perhaps it is premature to speak of such things? We all have materials to purchase, and House Blacksilver will reward us for our work. Once we have assembled all our sublime materials, then we can draft a full plan."

It was such a sensible suggestion that even Theo couldn't object, so they managed a relatively friendly conversation on the way back. Senka was waiting for them when they returned, drooling all over the bench. She mumbled sleepily and refused to rise, so Nauda ended up carrying her as they went through security and then finally returned to Norro Yorthin.

Nauda missed the life around her as soon as they stepped through, but when she stared up toward the huge cyclone above the city, she did find herself smiling. In a sense, this city was more of a home to her than Nlukoko or Myufuru had been, and certainly more than home itself.

As soon as they checked in with House Blacksilver and delivered the supplies that had been the excuse for the entire trip, they separated. Theo obviously had his purchases to make, while Fiyu seemed eager for some time in her secured room. Nauda dropped off Senka and instead headed to the Blacksilver office, wanting a different kind of connection.

Antha wasn't exactly a good friend, but the woman who ran House Blacksilver's distribution wing had been a pleasant acquaintance. Nauda did her best to be understanding of the woman's position, and they could commiserate over Theo's aggressive approach to resource acquisition.

"You're back." Antha gave her a surprisingly broad smile, even rising from her desk to greet her. "I thought that you could handle yourselves, but since some know that you have Chasm Invitations... well, the closer it comes to the competition, the more likely it is that you would be... targeted."

"Does that happen often?" Nauda asked. She didn't want to spend yet more time thinking about the Chasm, but couldn't ignore a statement like that.

"Usually any violence is kept under control, especially since Aathal will react so strongly. But all three of you might want to be more cautious over the coming months, because you never know who might be desperate. Some of the smaller Houses think that getting a Chasm Invitation might be their best chance to settle debts or rise in the city."

"We'll do our best to be cautious. We've earned some more merits for this, so may I take a look at the merit book?"

"Actually..." Antha frowned and placed a hand on the book that Nauda had been asking about. "This is out of date, and a new one hasn't yet been created. Merit prices have changed."

Though she told herself it meant nothing, Nauda didn't truly believe it. "They always do. Is something different about this?"

"There have been some huge economic shifts. Not just in Norro Yorthin, or even the Ruling City alliance, but across the continent. From Maustin to Saan Fraskin to here." Antha gave her a weak smile. "Perhaps you'd better sit down and I can explain this over some tea."

Chapter 3

Theo left the shop in a good mood, both because of what he'd acquired and what it would allow him to do. Though the others didn't want to discuss soulcrafting immediately after such a long expedition, he knew that they wouldn't rest for long. Soon enough, they could begin their final preparations for the Chasm of Lamentations.

His profits from Aathal had purchased another step closer to his final goals. As soon as he reached the sunlight, he raised the large vial to his eye to get a better look at it.

The abyssfluid surged within the container of sublime glass, trying to cling to his fingers but also flickering toward any other large object. It was apparently drawn to sources of mass, which made it a rare material that was aligned with an abstract trait of gravity. As a tool it was moderately useful, but within his soulhome, it would be the perfect centerpiece for his new chamber dedicated to his sense of gravity. He'd been building up the instinct for some time, especially in Ichil, but finishing the chamber would make an immense difference.

When completed, the room wouldn't give him a sense equal to Fiyu's, but he'd be head and shoulders above most soulcrafters he faced. With the types of threats they'd face in the Chasm, awareness might be more useful than brute power.

Flashing a sublime material in public might have attracted a little attention, so Theo promptly drank the abyssfluid and drew it into his soulhome. Nothing to steal, at least for the type of thieves that might be nearby. If any of them had any skill, they'd recognize the strength it took to absorb such a material and keep clear of him.

Unfortunately, as he returned to House Blacksilver, Theo's mind turned to less pleasant matters. The unfortunate truth was that exploring the Chasm would not be a contained conflict like the duel against Esaire. Soulcrafting would matter, just not exclusively. That meant that using his time effectively along other lines was likely more important than any soulcrafting expertise.

So, on his way back, he purchased a sack of candied gems.

There was no way of knowing where Senka had gone, so Theo reserved one of the meditation rooms and set about trying to work. She appeared not long after, her head poking up over the wall. "Theo! Whatcha doing? Hey, hey. Whatcha doing?"

When she got close to him, Theo opened his eyes and sprung his trap: he opened the bag of candies and waved them in front of her. "I bought something for you, Senka."

"Yummies for Senka? Gimme! Gimme!"

"You can have one." He tossed a single gem to her, which she snapped out of the air like a dog. Once her squeals had confirmed that they would serve as a proper incentive, he closed the bag and pulled it away from her. "Senka, we need to talk."

"Senka doesn't like talking, Senka likes eating!"

"I'll give you another one if you listen - wait, no." She threw herself at him, flailing for the bag, but it wasn't difficult to grab her face and push her back. Disgusting, given the levels of slobber, but not difficult, so he forced himself to continue in a level voice. "You always want to come with us, but sometimes that can be dangerous. Like when you jumped off the log. That could have gotten you killed, and maybe other people."

"Senka didn't do that! You're making things up like a meanie!"

Theo took a deep breath and forced himself onward. "But you've been helpful too. I want to train together, Senka, just like I train with Fiyu and Nauda. If you can work with us, it would be easier for everyone."

"And then you'll give Senka yummies?"

"Well... yes. Can you try that for me?"

She could certainly try, but as Theo spent over an hour banging his head against the problem, he wasn't sure that he could succeed. Senka's desire for the candies was intense and undeniable, it simply didn't translate into effectiveness at any of the exercises. He'd tried hiding sublime materials under buckets to test her ability to track them down, but she refused and simply tried to steal candies. Trying to make her consistently obey commands to follow or move only resulted in tantrums. The only command that had any success was ordering her to stay in place, which could very well be because she was lazy.

He tried treating her as an equal, as a child, or as a domestic animal, all of which led to what he could only describe as "antics". The most frustrating part was that he couldn't pin down her actual level of intelligence, which seemed inconsistent. Perhaps the compact nature of her soulhome was some sort of mental damage that led to wild swings in behavior.

If so, then trying to train her might be entirely useless. Theo tried to cling to the memories of the times that she'd been helpful to all of them and shoved down his frustration. Still, he couldn't help but think, repeatedly, that this was not why he'd returned to the Nine Worlds.

At least she left him alone for a while, no doubt wanting another candy for sitting in place. Or perhaps she'd just fallen asleep. Theo glanced back to check on her, only to find Senka sitting on one of the buckets and examining him.

"Does Theo want a Senka pet?"

It might have been an earnest question, but he didn't care. "I don't want a pet, I want you not to get all of us killed."

"But Senka wants to get us all killed." She promptly smiled innocently at him, and he wondered again if she really understood words or just imitated language.

"If that's true, then we'll have to leave you behind."

"Oh, stop being a grouchy fumpet." Senka hopped closer to him, actually maintaining eye contact for once. "Senka will be good when it matters. Did Senka get you killed when the eryo attacked? Your sporping material is under the left bucket, by the way."

Even though he recognized it as the correct answer, he still looked over to it. She might have looked under the bucket while she was supposed to be doing something else, but she sounded so confident... at that moment, Senka grabbed the sack of candies from out of his robes and ran off, cackling and shoving them into her mouth.

He could have taken it from her and chose just to stare, wondering what he was doing with his life.

At that moment, a shadow fell over him, following by a heavy cantae presence. Theo immediately got to his feet to see Dhan approach. The Blacksilver Authority wore his mask for once, rendering his face an ominous oval. Though he tilted the mask up to the top of his head as he approached, his eyes remained just as hard and distant.

"We need to discuss House matters. Where are your allies?"

"Conducting their own affairs," Theo said. "We've barely gotten back from Aathal, has something changed since we left?"

"Yes and no. They are not matters to be spoken of idly. Find your allies, dispose of that creature, and meet me in the main hall. Do not be tardy."

Across the courtyard, Senka continued shoving her face with candies as if nothing had changed. She was the only one.

~ ~ ~

Fiyu was of course in her room, and Nauda had actually come looking for him, so it wasn't difficult to obey the instruction. Soon enough the three of them stood in one of the dark halls of House Blacksilver along with Dhan. His Authority-tier cantae closed around the room, and Theo was fairly sure that even Senka couldn't worm her way through that. After several seconds of silence, Dhan took a deep breath and spoke.

"Currently, you possess three of the six Chasm Invitations that House Blacksilver holds. This is a greater number than new members would have been expected to gain, and we thank you for it. However, given the rigors of the Chasm of Lamentations, we would like to request that you give the House your Invitations. In return for compensation, of course."

Theo's mind immediately slipped into a thousand suspicions, in particular wondering whether they had always intended to make the demand. While he was thinking, Nauda took a more practical approach. "Didn't you reserve three for the Authorities? That means everyone above Ruler already has them."

"That was our plan, yes. However, the heads of House Blacksilver feel that we should place particular emphasis on success this year, thus we should send three of our strongest Ruler-tier soulcrafters as well. We understand your disappointment, and would give you more merits than you paid to acquire them, especially at this late hour."

"That doesn't make economic sense," Fiyu said quietly. "You allow any Blacksilver member to purchase Invitations, then take them back for a greater sum. Unless it was always a lie, this must reflect a change in plans."

"There are... new factors." Dhan didn't look particularly happy about having to say more, but after the emotion wormed its way across his lips, he pushed forward. "This year, House Crimson has been particularly aggressive acquiring Invitations. Norro Yorthin is also under economic stress, and some Houses are likely to fall over the next several years. So this event has changed from an opportunity for advancement to a critical challenge.

"So I will ask again. We won't force you, but we believe it would be for the best if you returned your Chasm Invitations."

"No." Theo didn't know about the changing details, but he'd been investigating the Chasm and it sounded like all his past knowledge was still relevant. This was his best chance to pave a way toward his revenge. "We've been soulcrafting and preparing for this for a long time."

Thankfully, Nauda and Fiyu nodded their agreement. Dhan sighed and readjusted his mask, which Theo thought was just a stalling tactic. "Fine, I suspected as much. The other Authorities didn't want to, but we have a second offer: helping you prepare."

"And in your great wisdom," Nauda said dryly, "you decided to begin that process a few months before the Chasm opens."

"We don't think you're particularly likely to accomplish much in the Chasm of Lamentations, but we'd prefer you to survive."

Though Nauda kept up a mask of irony, Fiyu smiled at him without hesitation, and she was right that this was a positive turn. Theo hadn't anticipated having an Authority to assist their preparations: that meant weirkeys, which meant a vastly increased reach. He reorganized his plans before speaking up.

"I've researched the Chasm of Lamentations and I believe there are steps we can take even as Archcrafters to reduce the dangers. For a start, if you can take us to a number of locations on Noven, we-"

Dhan cut him off with a raised hand. "We want to help, not serve as your personal transportation service. After all, all three Authorities will be House Blacksilver's vanguard in the Chasm, and we have preparations of our own that require our weirkeys."

"Fine." It had been too good to be true, so he'd thought of a backup plan. "In your travels, you should be able to pick up foods appropriate to Ruler-tier soulcrafters. If you can help us assemble a Nine Worlds Feast, that will go a long way to preparing us to face the dangers."

"You really don't lack for ambition, do you?" Dhan frowned at him, but he hadn't rejected the suggestion out of hand. "You realize that most Authorities in Norro Yorthin still haven't assembled a Nine Worlds Feast? We don't have a complete set of weirkeys, so we can't simply travel everywhere to buy you things."

"We already have some," Nauda said, either knowing what they were talking about or presuming. "We have excellent foods from Tatian, and we've eaten sublime materials in Fithe, Deuxan, Aathal, and Ichil. That leaves only four other worlds, right?"

It wasn't quite that simple, since not all sublime foods were created equal. The feast that Nanjuma had given them in Myufuru was certainly sufficient, and Theo hoped that the rainhorn meat and other materials from Deuxan were up to the task. He doubted the sublime foods they'd eaten in their other travels, or even in Fithe, were strong enough, but Nauda's way of framing it was more persuasive.

"Oh, very well." Dhan waved the matter aside. "The House can easily find you excellent sublime foods in Norro Yorthin, and we'll see about picking up others in our travels. Anything else?"

"Two more immediate requests," Theo said quickly. "I absorbed a number of sublime materials in preparation for my duel last year, but they're better suited to my allies. I haven't yet been able to extract th-"

"Then let's just take care of it." With troubling speed Dhan stepped in front of him and began reaching into his soul, forcing Theo to rapidly lower his defenses or risk having them damaged.

In an instant, Dhan loomed over his soulhome, pressure striking his soul like a whirlwind. Theo hastened to locate the sublime materials that the others had given them, which he'd been struggling to extract without reducing their potency. Dhan simply extended his influence and plucked them out, returning them to the physical world and reminding Theo how much he needed to reach Authority.

The others accepted the materials and focused on absorbing them, Fiyu happily cupping her mistsphere before drawing it into her soul. He saw the skull of black bone, the glowing magma, everything else they'd sacrificed to help him. It seemed that they intended to begin soulcrafting immediately, while Dhan turned back to him impatiently.

"You said you had one more request?"

"One more for now." Theo glanced over at the other two, but decided that they would welcome this request even if they hadn't discussed it. "We need transportation to Arbai, to a location nowhere near the city's gate. We have a school of allies there who can provide us with resources, stoneshapers, and other assistance. No need for you to do further work, and far from the reach of any rivals on Fithe."

"Interesting." Dhan stared at him for a moment before pulling his mask down over his face. "I don't hold our weirkey for Arbai, but we can arrange something. For now, soulcraft dutifully so that House Blacksilver doesn't regret your decision."

An instant later he vanished, one of his other weirkeys taking him to his own preparations. That left the three of them alone in a hall where they were rarely permitted, but Theo barely looked at it, instead focusing on his friends. Fiyu had been soulcrafting her mistsphere into place, now emerging with a smile on her face, and Nauda spoke up first.

"Is this Nine Worlds Feast what it sounds like? I was guessing, but I thought he needed convincing."

"We already have feasting chambers," Theo explained, "but they mostly contain food from a few worlds. If you merge the cantae generated by sublime foods from all nine, the result is far more powerful than simply accumulating more cantae. It's like having a second heart chamber, but without devoting an entire room solely to cantae generation."

"My feast chamber is already making me a lot stronger, so I can imagine. And then we're headed to Arbai?"

"To see Navim again." Fiyu beamed at both of them. "It has been a short time since we met our ally, but since he was injured, I hope to see him recovered."

"A short time?" Nauda raised an eyebrow. "It's been over a year."

"Yes, I am beginning to miss him somewhat. Theo, you did mean traveling to his school, correct?"

"Exactly. Navim will work with us, and I think we can convince their Authority to bring us back, or even travel a little further." Theo smiled back at her, but his thoughts had already turned away from meeting old friends. Returning to the School of Emerald Indulgence would mean speaking to its leader and fulfilling his old promise to tell of Earth and the blasted white realm.

This time, he wouldn't be rushing to save a life. Perhaps he could finally get some answers, the question was only what he'd need to pay.

Chapter 4

Though the group couldn't be considered regulars at the State of Rest, generally too focused on their work, when Theo led them into the darkly lit restaurant the guard only nodded at them. This time, they weren't present to acquire information or even to relax: Theo showed one of the staff the permission plate that House Blacksilver had given them and they were escorted to one of the back rooms.

Theo craned his neck as they walked, glancing over the board of notices, though not to look for new opportunities. It felt like a long time ago that he'd first been here and learned about the Chasm of Lamentations. Now, if all went well, they would be using this place to take steps closer in several different ways.

When they were seated in the small room, the server didn't depart or provide a menu slate, as usual. Instead, the young man gave them all a polite bow from the doorway. "Your pass specified that you receive our Ruler's Banquet, which is one of our finest meals made from purely Fithan ingredients. However, I need to warn you that the intensity of the cantae could potentially be disruptive to your soulhome, and if you spend more than three years at Archcrafter tier, the potency may fade."

"Thank you for the notice," Nauda said blandly. Theo had to resist the urge to snort, since those warnings would hardly apply to them. With another bow, the server stepped away and they were left alone.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Theo turned back to the others. "We have just under four months before we enter the Chasm of Lamentations. There aren't many specific steps we need to take beforehand, so our goal should be an overall improvement in our soulcrafting. Partial constructions could be a liability, so does everyone know what they want to focus on finishing?"

"I will begin by completing the mistsphere chamber," Fiyu said. "Combined with my barrier wall, my stealth technique should be as effective as it can be, at this tier. I hope that will be helpful?"

"Likely extremely helpful, but I hope you have other plans?"

"Yes. The darkburn bonsai cannot take a permanent place on my second floor, but I can temporarily integrate it and improve cantae flow."

"I wanted to ask about that," Nauda said. "You intended to keep the entire second tier empty for a Corporeal Floor, right? I'd never even heard of someone building one of those as an Archcrafter until I met Esaire, and I'm not sure it was a good idea in his case. Imagine if he'd dedicated all those chambers to new techniques to use against Theo, instead of reinforcing his body."

"Perhaps, but the fact that he rebuilt his body allowed for him to make full use of all his speed chambers. I thought that it was a reasonable decision. What do you think, Theo?"

He hadn't expected the conversation to turn to him and only shrugged. "I usually expect it later just because it feels so costly to spend an entire tier on a Corporeal Floor when you only have two, but I imagine there can be good reasons. Why did your relative's blueprint place it there?"

Despite everything they'd been through together, Fiyu hesitated before answering. Soon after, she generated a stealth sphere around the three of them and spoke in a low voice. "The blueprint was meant to be a secret, but I can tell trusted companions. The overall goal is for the first three tiers of my soulhome to be a self-contained unit."

"Not so different from my blueprint, then." He'd thought of it as a sandwich technique, though he'd never said it aloud because he wasn't sure if it would really translate. "Why is the Corporeal Floor in the middle?"

"It will build on everything I developed on the first floor. For example, my stealth technique currently projects cantae around me, which is much easier to detect. One of the chambers planned for the second floor will make my body itself take on the same characteristics. The third floor will include chambers that would be dangerous for an ordinary body, but possible for a body that has been altered. Then all three will be strengthened as a unit when I ascend to Authority. I believe that is the true objective of my relative's blueprint."

It was a good idea, which didn't surprise him since Fiyu's blueprint had always been solid. Trying to soulcraft that way did leave her weaker until the full plan was complete, far more drastically than any of his trade-offs. Not a risk he could have stomached, but a very Ichili way of thinking. By the time she reached Authority, she would have a body perfectly forged for her specific techniques.

"Aren't Corporeal Floors unusually difficult?" Nauda asked. "I don't even fully understand them, but I was always told that you need to consider every system of the body, every organ, even details like fingernails and hair. That seems difficult for an Archcrafter to design."

Fiyu bobbed her head as she released her stealth technique. "Yes, that is why I must wait for my relative to assist me in the details. I was given the layout and a few techniques, but it requires greater expertise."

"You don't actually need to include every organ," Theo said. "It's just that if you miss something, you'd either need to waste a lot of time remodeling, or you'd need to create another Corporeal section, which is extremely wasteful. I trust that Fiyu has a good blueprint... I just hope that you have other work to do in the meantime."

"I believe that I do. I intend to continue building my barrier wall as high as I can, so that I can hide myself entirely. If I finish such a thing, I would be able to explore any environment with somewhat lessened risk."

"What about armaments? Unless you intend to grow something into your body, there's no room for them on your second floor, and I thought those bracers of yours were quite powerful."

"Unfortunately, I must wait until my third floor. As a Ruler, my body will have adapted to use armaments more effectively."

"Actually, I have a different idea." Theo wished that he had paper to draw on, but Fiyu was intelligent, so he just sketched a few quick circles on the table. "It might strain the edges of your soul, but you could add a sort of gatehouse to your barrier wall. Usually that wouldn't be a good place for an armament, but since it controls the way you expel cantae, that's actually a good position."

"A gatehouse?" Fiyu tilted her head at him and eventually smiled. "I believe that is a good idea, and then the bracers would not take up a later chamber. Please teach me more about it later, Theo."

"I will, since I need to be putting a lot of time into a barrier wall myself. Speaking of which..." He glanced over at Nauda, but she immediately rolled her eyes at him.

"Believe me, I already know what you're going to say. But if my plans work out, I don't intend to be hiding my soulcrafting at all, so it'd be wasted time for now. Unless you have another brilliant idea for a special barrier wall that would work with my blueprint."

"Well... not really. Fiyu's case is unusual in that it might be able to include a secondary purpose. Generally you want your barrier to take up as little soul space as possible. But they're still essential t-"

"Do we really want to have this conversation again now?" Nauda started to say something else, but at that moment the staff returned with their food.

That had been much faster than Theo had expected, and he quickly understood why: only some of their food was fully processed, the rest composed of sublime materials that would develop in front of them. Several pots bubbled with cooking ingredients, ready to be eaten at the perfect moment. Trays were loaded with side dishes, notably buns stuffed with numerous different ingredients and pastries composed of hundreds of delicate layers of sublime foods.

At the heart of the meal, however, was an elaborate contraption put together in front of them. A plate of levitation stone lifted a plate that glowed hot blue. Somehow it radiated all its heat directly up, and pieces of meat were placed atop it. They bobbed and hovered over the plate, turning on their own and rapidly cooking. That explained the trays of uncooked meat being added.

"Your meal is served." Only one staff member remained, the same Fithan man from before. "Ordinarily I would explain every sublime food in detail, but it seems that you have much to discuss. Perhaps I should leave you to your meal?"

"Can anything about how we eat it affect the food's potency?" Theo asked. The server immediately gestured to the tray of meat.

"Most of these can be cooked to taste, but this section of rocklion meat is most potent when burned extensively. Otherwise, please observe that each of you has been given a container of sunsalt. This ingredient is somewhat less palatable than the others, but it will draw out other flavors, and if you consume the entire container by the end, it will complement the feast."

That was as elaborate as any meal Theo had eaten before - apparently House Blacksilver wasn't skimping on them here. Nauda thanked the server and dismissed him before they all turned inward to focus on the food. He had prepared a place for it alongside his previous Fithan foods, which were rather modest except for the sublime spice they'd won from Tythes.

Everything was delicious, the flavors enhanced by their souls' hunger for the cantae. It took a little time to learn how to hook the pieces of meat and place them above the hovering plate, but it soon became second nature. Nauda was skeptical about the rocklion meat until they discovered that it actually tasted better when burned, most pleasant when reduced to a pungent crisp.

Though he enjoyed the meal, Theo thought more about the potential argument with Nauda. In the end, he decided that he couldn't make the decision for her, even if he believed he was right. Once they had sated their hunger, he paused between bites and restarted the conversation on a milder note.

"Nauda, you said that you wanted to ascend to Ruler?"

"I'm sure that I can, it's just a question of how much I can build on my third floor." She waved her meat hook idly over the central plate. "Is the Chasm of Lamentations a safe place to soulcraft?"

"I think so, but I don't know if we'd have time. Traditionally it opens for roughly three days, though there are certain events that can reduce or prolong the time. Even if it's extended for an unexpected amount of time, it will likely be an intense struggle for sublime materials." Given the statements everyone in their House had made, he could only hope that it wouldn't turn even worse.

"In any case, ascending will be my top priority. However, I need to use all the craftgems we acquired to bind my most powerful sublime materials to my soulhome. They're currently straining my limits, but if they're firmly in place when I ascend, the new cantae should solidify the whole structure."

That was true, and it would certainly enhance the raw strength of her techniques. He still wanted to offer advice and settled for finding the right questions. "I assume you'll use the new space to strengthen your current techniques. Do you have something in mind?"

"I need a better armament chamber for my staff... actually I wish I'd designed that a little different." Nauda bit her lip, but moved on before he could say anything. "Once I have appropriate sublime materials, I also need several chambers dedicated to my warding techniques. At Ruler tier, they could transform the basic concept into several more useful forms."

"You have the potential to unlock new capabilities, then. Not bad. That's the sort of thing we need for the Chasm."

Fiyu carefully finished chewing on one of the pastries before wiping her mouth to speak. "Theo, did you not say that you intended to develop a primary sense? Or... I mean a non-physical sense, more like an Ichili."

"That's the plan, and I've found a material for it. We'll still rely on you, but given the dangers, we could use redundant security."

"I was thinking the same thing. Might Nauda be able to develop a sense as well?"

He hadn't considered it for long, since he thought that two overlapping senses were probably sufficient. She did have a point, however, and Nauda seemed receptive. She smiled at Fiyu and pushed another pastry to her. "I have an empty chamber that could be used for that. Would you be able to help me soulcraft it?"

"Me? Oh..." Fiyu picked up the pastry in both hands and examined it. "I do not know if my knowledge would be helpful. It would be heavily dependent on what type of sense you wanted to develop and what manner of chamber it would require."

"That, I'm not so sure. When we were in Ichil, I thought about trying to see heat. I think this is where I do want your magnanimity in wisdom, Theo."

Hastily swallowing his current bite, Theo pulled together his thoughts before answering. "You have options, since your soulhome has many different themes. I definitely wouldn't suggest adding a new one, such as copying Fiyu's. What about... a sense for life itself? So long as you took precautions for demons or constructs, it could be very powerful."

"I'm open to the idea, but what kind of sublime material would you need for that?"

"Good question. I've studied those chambers enough to tell you about the shape and cantae flow they require, but the material will need to be something appropriate to you. Might be hard to find life-based materials here in Norro Yorthin, so keep your eyes open when we travel elsewhere."

"It does not seem like Arbai would be a useful place either." Fiyu seemed disheartened on Nauda's behalf for a moment, then smiled again. "But perhaps Navim will be able to uncover aspects of Arbai that we did not see, or perhaps even imagine a new sense."

"Could be." The conversation lulled as Nauda finished off some of the last of their food, but when she finished, she stared at Theo with a more serious expression. "Setting all these soulcrafting issues aside, when are you going to tell us about the Chasm of Lamentations itself? We've been supposedly working toward it for a long time, but I don't know much about it other than the 'great danger and great reward' line that has never before been used to describe anything."

Theo stopped chewing a moment, surprised as he reflected how little information he'd given them. It wasn't that he'd been trying to withhold anything, he'd simply been so absorbed in his own plans that he hadn't fully considered how it would appear to them. Perhaps another legacy of his life on Earth, and another he'd have to think about... later.

"Sure, I can tell you more." He wiped his hands off on a napkin and began sketching a map in the grease on the hovering plate. "The Chasm is a small region, perhaps even a small world. It's a sort of jagged triangle, elongated like this. There's a plain on one side, but the rest is dominated by a... strange sort of river. It looks like pure white water, but as far as I can tell, anything that falls into it dies. Even Authorities might only have a short time to escape before it killed them."

"How can a river exist over only a small space?" Fiyu asked.

"I'm not sure. It seems like it mostly flows underground and only appears in the Chasm, but since water that lethal would have a huge impact, I assumed that it flows from somewhere outside the Nine Worlds. Anyway, the river is only one of the threats, but it's an example of how dangerous the Chasm can be if you don't understand it."

Nauda sat back, gripping her staff. "And you're confident that you know about these lesser threats?"

"I've asked around, and all the common knowledge shared from previous Chasm events matches mine. For example, there are flowers that can blind you if you look at them while they bloom, and rocks that produce a strange sound that causes bleeding."

"But you also have knowledge beyond what everyone knows? Because it sounds like we'll be competing with a bunch of Authorities, not just from Norro Yorthin but all over the continent."

"I'm fairly confident." Theo added several more details to the plate map. "Most say that navigating along the river is too dangerous, but I can take us along the cliffs all the way to the waterfalls, which will let us avoid other soulcrafters. Finally, at the far end of the river, there are ruins from some ancient civilization, which contain more dangerous traps but potentially even more valuable materials. Now, it's possible that others have gotten inside, but if not, I know specifically how to access some of those ruins."

"Huh." Nauda settled back, nodding slowly. "I guess you do have this thought through."

"Why is there a far end?" Fiyu asked. "Does that mean it is not possible to enter the Chasm from all sides?"

"We never did before," Theo said, "and I assume there must be a good reason for it. Given how the Chasm appeared on both Noven and now Fithe, it might be capable of moving, and we can only access it from a particular angle, regardless of how it might appear. Those rules don't seem to have changed at all, so we have a chance to sneak in ahead of everyone. The sublime materials there would be perfect for when we reach Authority, and there might even be ancient armaments or other valuables."

It seemed like he'd convinced both of them, but Theo increasingly wondered if he was able to convince himself. He believed that the risk was reasonable, especially given the reward, but so many other doubts lingered. Had he truly found the Chasm naturally, or had Vistgil been responsible for guiding him there? Was this still a part of his plan, moved to Fithe for reasons unknown?

More than the sublime materials, Theo hoped to find some answers.

Chapter 5

The Blacksilver Authority to take them to Arbai wasn't Dhan, instead an elderly Fithan man who appeared to have little time for them. He demanded they gather together with barely enough forewarning to collect their supplies, hectoring House staff to pull together some resources they apparently planned to trade. Fiyu was still readjusting her mask when he pulled out his weirkey and transported them all.

Traveling by weirkey instead of gate, the flesh-shriveling dryness hit Theo from all sides. He briefly glanced at the others to confirm that no one had been left behind, then quickly looked for their destination. Fortunately, there was no sandstorm at the moment, so it was easy to find the School of Emerald Indulgence looming, a honeycomb of balconies and tunnels.

"This the place?" the Authority asked.

"Y-" Theo had barely finished nodding when the man disappeared, leaving them in the middle of the Arbaian desert.

Fortunately, this time they were well-prepared and not under duress. Nauda had packed a significant amount of water, just in case, but Theo didn't anticipate that would be a problem. He set about lifting the barrels of granitebile with a gravitational field and neutralizing their momentum so they could be carried behind them. While he did so, he noted that Senka hadn't managed to sneak along, this time. It might have been his imagination, or maybe she'd truly been around less since his attempt to train her.

One thing they hadn't been able to do was call ahead, since all the Blacksilver Authorities wanted to do was confirm that the school still existed. There was a remote possibility that they wouldn't be allowed inside, though Theo doubted that was likely. Even if something significant had changed with Navim, they had a relationship of debt with the School of Emerald Indulgence.

Several Arbaians met them before they arrived, their bodies shaped like great spiked wheels. One of them uncurled just enough to reveal an emerald-studded core. "Why have you come to this place, outsiders?" There wasn't exactly suspicion in the echoing voice, but they clearly treated arrivals by weirkey differently than stragglers from the desert.

"I owe a debt to Master Uvvah Ulim," Theo said. "Some cycles past, he granted me a favor in exchange for knowledge. I have returned to pay that debt."

"And these barrels? What are all they?"

"Our hosts have sent a number of sublime materials along with us, common materials on Fithe that we hope can be traded for common materials of your own." He considered explaining about the granitebile, but the Arbaians who had met them were clearly warriors. Likely more educated than the average guard, just more interested in security than commerce.

"We know one of your relatives." Fiyu walked directly up to one of the guards and stared up into his gemstone sphere. "His name is Navim. He will vouch for us."

"Navim? Are they the...?" The guard trailed off before pulling back and the two conversed in low voices. Soon enough, they were told to follow but wait outside the main entrance while the guards walked further inside. Since there had been no wildcards up to that point and Navim was apparently still present, Theo let himself relax, focused more on potential random attacks than the situation turning truly bad.

While Fiyu stood and waited as if her presence could force them to capitulate, Nauda ambled up beside him and leaned on her staff. "They're being a bit unfriendly, aren't they? We saved a member of their community."

"I think they are being reasonably cautious," Fiyu said, smiling over her shoulder at them. "But I believe they will let us in soon."

"Most likely." Nauda smiled back, but released a sigh as soon as Fiyu turned away. "Really, though."

"I suspect we all look alike to them," Theo said. "It's a pretty daunting trek to the nearest gate, which is so unused that Tatian barely keeps it guarded. If they don't see many humanoids like us, I doubt they really register the details."

"...humanshapes? Is that a word in your language?"

"It sounds better there, yeah."

Fortunately, they didn't need to wait too much longer. There was some commotion on one of the upper levels, then an enormous mass of stone launched itself down at them. It would have been alarming if it hadn't been Navim, his upper body now branching into three limbs but otherwise as they remembered him. Nauda only flinched slightly and Fiyu quickly ran to intercept his landing point.

"Navim! We have returned." She smiled up at him and Navim lowered the gemstone sphere at his core so it was nearer her face.

"You have indeed returned. My only regret deeper than your absence was that I was unable to thank you for saving my life."

"I am sorry for that, but it was essential to return to Myufuru."

"So I heard." Navim's body rose higher to regard Theo and Nauda as they approached. "I am glad to see that all of you appear to be intact. The rumors regarding Myufuru were grim, and though I wanted to believe in your resilience, at times it seemed improbable. Please, enter the School of Emerald Indulgence as my guests."

They followed Navim into the catacombs, all suspicion falling from them as the other Mundhin confirmed the identity of the outsiders. Along the way, their stories tumbled together, a truncated version of their own travels mixing with Navim's rather more stolid account. It seemed that he had recovered from near death, written a monograph about the experience, and improved his reputation as a scholar.

Though he didn't even mention it, Navim had also ascended to Archcrafter, and developed a shielding wall that made it impossible to tell how much further he had soulcrafted. He'd also altered his body, growing shields of durable stone on several appendages. It was not a full war construct, lacking in offensive spikes and instead possessing smaller limbs for delicate work. Still, Theo had no doubt that his soulcrafting had improved along with his scholarship.

To Theo's surprise, their conversation advanced to a small cavern filled with a dense mist that reduced the burning dryness. Within, they were served water and actual food edible to humans. It seemed that in addition to his other work, Navim had established more of a connection to the gate in Tatian, ensuring that lost travelers could be cared for.

Not that there was much commerce, since the two sides had so little to offer one another. The Arbaian side of the gate remained unguarded, but the Tatians had organized more than local Farmguards after Magnafor had torn through them. It appeared to be at least a reasonable working relationship, which was more than the School had ever established with Tatian before.

Eventually the conversation fell off from the frenzied recounting and Navim regarded them all with his impassive non-gaze. The mental focus of his sphere soon came to rest on Theo. "I presume that you are not here solely for the sake of discourse and companionship. You believe that our School can assist you in the conflicts you have intimated?"

"We have several goals," Theo said. "For a start, I promised your master that I would return to speak with him."

"Ah. Master Uvvah Ulim was further weakened striking down a demonic incursion and is not seeing many visitors. I believe that he will wish to speak with you, but it may be some time before you can be scheduled between more important affairs of the school."

"What happens if he..." Nauda's question faltered out as she reached the obvious, but Navim raised a rocky limb.

"Do not be concerned, we understand that death is part of life here. Though Master Uvvah Ulim will hopefully lead the school for many more cycles, he is making arrangements for his passing. We may not be the largest school, but our philosophy is respected and he has never fostered a... I hope that the term 'cult of personality' is known to you. The School of Emerald Indulgence may change, but it will persist."

That was well and good, but it was a distraction, so Theo stepped in again. "We'll be staying on Arbai for approximately thirty days, and we have several things we want to do in that time."

"Approximately?"

"Depending on variables. We made arrangements with our allies to transport us back at a set time, but if your master has a weirkey for Fithe and is willing, we could return at another time." Though Theo was still parched, he made himself set aside his glass and focus. "We have a limited amount of time to soulcraft, and though I don't imagine you'll give us your finest sublime materials, some that are common here may be completely impossible to obtain in Norro Yorthin."

"Indeed, if you had not come with such goals, I would have been concerned regarding impersonation." Navim turned from him to sweep his focus over the others. "All three of you are welcome, and I believe that you will easily be able to earn your keep. This region is not rich with sublime materials, but I suspect you will be able to find something of use to you."

"What work will we be doing?" Fiyu asked. "I imagine all the maintenance of your building must be optimized for Mundhin labor."

"It is, but there's work to be found for other forms, and hardly menial labor. For example, I believe that your knowledge regarding this Chasm of Lamentations, and its inclusion in cyclical Fithan customs, would be of great interest to many scholars here. Perhaps we could collaborate."

"I would like that." Fiyu had been smiling the entire time, but managed to smile broader. "Do you think it is possible that, once our time here is complete, you might want to explore Norro Yorthin as well?"

"Perhaps, but it is too early for such predictions." Navim's limbs rolled underneath him and he rose to his full height. "At minimum, we will have this time together. Come with me and we can make use of it."

Chapter 6

Despite her best intentions, Nauda realized that she had been underestimating Arbai. She had thought that harvesting sublime materials there couldn't be anything except endless quarrying in the sun, but with every day that passed, she learned that there was far more to it.

There were gradations that she couldn't see, of course, which she'd somewhat anticipated. The local Mundhin lived in stone and they understood it with far more subtlety than others could, similarly to how they might conceivably view Tatian as "a bunch of plants". Since assisting them required learning at least basic differentiation, she was able to imagine how diverse the rocky plains appeared to them.

But what surprised her was the diversity found even by her foreign eyes. She traveled with Navim and the others through caverns of rainbow crystals, fields of sand that flowed like water, valleys that refracted the sun into stunning palettes of color. Soon she'd learned that Arbai contained more than just philosophers, including long traditions of art, some of which wasn't impenetrable to her.

That day, she worked within what she could only describe as a cloud of stone. Thousands of rocks floated together in a tumbling mass that somehow maintained its cohesion as it traveled over the Arbaian plains. She had asked for an explanation, but soul translation had failed her: the answers had included numerous words like "attractionforce" and "weightforce" that she could only understand superficially.

One thing was clear: the stone clouds only occasionally traveled through the region, so they needed to be harvested when the opportunity presented itself. Since she was smaller than all but specialized Mundhin, Nauda was sent directly into the cloud to retrieve rare materials. Each time she leapt up onto a piece of floating rock, it sagged under her weight, but she hadn't quite figured out why some floated back up and others went tumbling into the storm. Gradually she figured out how to navigate her way through the chaos, locating her targets.

One particularly swift-moving stone caught her attention and Nauda thrust her staff in its direction, only for it to tear through her binding. She lunged after it, redirecting off another floating rock, and grabbed it with both hands. On her tumbling way down, she banged against a few of the other rocks, but eventually regained her balance. That was one more acquired.

As she made her way out of the rock cloud, Nauda noticed another one of the irregular dark stones, which supposedly contained ore that the Arbaians needed. This one didn't resist her staff at all, so she pulled it along with her until she emerged into the exterior shell of floating sand.

"This way, Tatian." One of the Mundhin gestured toward her larger stone, so she slid it through the air toward them. They no longer called her outsider, but most of the miners had nicknamed the three of them by their worlds, or a lie in Theo's case.

Speaking of the other two, Nauda looked to find them. Theo was considered the most useful of their group thanks to his gravity, which allowed him to significantly alter the cloud, so he was working with the higher tier soulcrafters. Fiyu had helped a little measuring the density of the rock storms, but now stood near the edge with a few other guards. It seemed that they had killed a few demons in the meantime, though there had yet to be any problems like Navim had intimated.

"There you are." Navim turned from his rocky table to her, his voice slightly pleased if she understood Arbaian emotions. "Have you been successful?"

"You tell me." Nauda dropped the rock onto an empty space and Navim took it carefully. Rough as his limbs appeared, they peeled away the stone in subtle layers.

"This will be useful, but there is something more." Navim extracted a bright blue gemstone from within the heart of the rock. "A potent notemerald, though less useful for our purposes. Perhaps this sublime material could be part of your compensation."

Nauda frowned. "I'm not sure I understood that word. Aren't emeralds green?"

"Hmm... you say 'emerald' but I am not sure that is quite correct. Our materials are notemeralds, with superficialities both similar and different. Your soul may consider them most similar to emeralds."

Though her mind did several flips as it adjusted to his meaning, Nauda thought it was clear enough. More importantly... "I think I saw another gemstone glinting in the cloud, very similar to this one, but it was red. Could it be another emerald?"

"These storms usually contain a wide variety. They were not on our list, but I think it would be in your best interest to locate them. It is said that a complete set can be quite valuable for armaments."

"Good, then I'll try to find it again." As she turned away, Nauda patted Navim on one rocky limb. She still wasn't entirely comfortable navigating the Arbaian concept of touch: reaching toward a central sphere was clearly inappropriate, while touching an outer limb didn't convey a Tatian sense of affection. A world traveler like Navim, at least, understood her meaning, but she wished that she had a stronger understanding.

Back inside the rock storm, Nauda attempted to track down the crimson gem she'd seen earlier. It was nearly impossible in such a mass of shifting stones, but she did locate another small dark rock, and to her surprise stumbled across a yellow emerald within a much larger stone. Prying it out without causing damage took a little work, then she tucked it into her pocket.

Since such a firm foothold was rare within the cloud, Nauda straightened and looked around. She saw a few Arbaians also harvesting lower in the storm... and some sort of trouble within the sandy region. It seemed that the demons that purportedly followed such storms had finally arrived.

It shouldn't have been any problem at all, given the size of their group. Fiyu's storms of light could easily tear through first tier demons, while the Arbaians had Archcrafters and a few Rulers with spiky limbs built for combat to deal with the more powerful demons. They should have been exterminated quickly, yet as Nauda made her way from foothold to foothold, she was surprised that the numbers seemed to be increasing, perhaps in response to such a large gathering of soulcrafters.

When she reached the edge of the battlefield, she hesitated before the melee. The shapes were slightly unfamiliar, but she could easily see that the small blocky demons were the first stage, attempting to sacrifice themselves to become the larger four-limbed demons. Vaguely like the local Mundhin, though much thicker and lacking a gem-covered core. Just striking them would be useless, and there were so many soulcrafters moving around her it was difficult to know when to act.

"This is good practice." Theo appeared from nowhere, barely glancing at her as he flattened part of the battlefield with one of his fields. "When we enter the Chasm, we'll be fighting alongside lots of soulcrafters just as powerful as us, and some stronger. Get used to the competition."

Annoyed by his lecture, and doubly annoyed that it was necessary, Nauda did her best. The demons resisted her bindings to some degree, but they seemed to be incredibly stupid, blundering directly into her wards. Nauda tried to set those up at the edges, stopping the demons from scattering further and sacrificing themselves.

The numbers declined rapidly, yet something wasn't quite right... she frequently saw second stage demons emerge, yet didn't see many die. As the battle turned against the demons, they rushed into circles and sacrificed themselves, growing into something larger, and yet...

When she looked backward, Nauda saw what she'd feared: multiple second stage demons had gathered inside the cloud, disguised among the other rocks. "They're sacrificing!" She managed to scream over the storm and pulled a large chunk of rock to show the location, and the Arbaians quickly reacted to her, but it was too late.

Six of the second stage demons dissolved into sand... and something much larger began to emerge from the center of them. For an instant, the third stage demon consisted of inchoate mass, but the rocks held them back for too long and it fully emerged into their world.

A titan. As soon as they saw it, the Arbaians began to retreat.

The demon stood over five times her full height and carried an enormous pillar of crystal in one hand. She had seen only a few in her life, and those had been formed of flesh instead of stone, but the similarity was undeniable. Tatian titans had flat eyeless faces, and while this one was largely humanoid, instead of a face there was only a rocky crater.

Several Arbaians launched ranged attacks, but stone and cantae splintered off the demon as it took its first step forward. That was the worst thing about titans: aside from their raw size and strength, they had cantae resistance that made them truly dangerous. As far as Nauda knew, it wasn't practically possible for Ruler-tier soulcrafters to defeat one.

Theo gave it a shot, dropping an entire column of the rock cloud onto the titan's head. Though it stumbled slightly under the assault, it appeared unharmed, and that enormous club finally began to move... as slow as it seemed, when it built up speed, the club tore through the cloud with terrifying force.

Nauda dodged aside from the rocks sent flying, but several of the Arbaians were struck and fell. The titan took an earth-shaking step and brought its club around again, this time sweeping lower. If it struck anyone, it might swat them like insects... and some of the Arbaians had yet to move.

She sprinted directly toward the titan, grabbing one of the fallen Arbaians. Her strength could heft his mass up onto one shoulder, but leaping away required straining her soulhome. The crystalline club howled just behind her, creating eddies through the air

Once she got to a safe distance, Nauda stared back grimly. She could rescue one or two of her allies, but what could they possibly do against a titan? Fiyu and Theo remained at a distance as well, retreating along with the others. Just when she began to despair, she felt an Authority's cantae burn from overhead, a surge that could only be Uvvah Ulim.

The head of the school plunged out of the sun, but didn't strike the titan directly. When the enormous Arbaian halted in midair, a shadow seemed to follow the path he would have taken. It swept through the stones and struck the titan in the shoulder, breaking off most of one arm. The club tumbled to the ground... but the titan reached down with its remaining limb and grasped it again.

Uvvah Ulim continued to float overhead, his limbs rotating in a spherical formation, but the further shadows he released deflected off the club. Each chipped away more of the demon's body, but his advantage wasn't as overwhelming as Nauda would have hoped.

Without warning, it moved faster than it ever had before, hurling its club like a spear. The crystalline bar streaked toward Uvvah Ulim, and even though he contracted and slid to the side, it still glanced off one of his rocky surfaces, sending gravel scattering through the air.

A moment later, Theo struck, sending more rocks raining down on the titan. This time the Ruler-tier Arbaians struck with him, creating a hail of bolts that battered the titan a step backward. It turned its cratered face toward them... and then Uvvah Ulim struck.

This time, the raw force blew through the center of the titan, leaving the remnants to crash to the ground. Nauda let out a cheer, but she was basically the only one. Despite the victory, all the Arbaians only straightened and raised limbs in the direction of their teacher. Clearly a gesture of respect, but Nauda wasn't sure what to make of it. Without speaking, Uvvah Ulim began to float back toward the School, much slower than before, his limbs floating loosely.

It seemed that harvesting would resume, but Nauda remained, slightly frustrated at herself. What Theo had said was true: she needed to adjust to this sort of combat. More than that, she needed strength, and not just an ascension.

She now held two of these strange emeralds, which did burn with a very durable power. Nauda shook herself and returned to the cloud of rocks, determined to find the rest.

Chapter 7

When Theo was finally called to speak to Master Uvvah Ulim, he went alone. Though he hadn't intended to share any secrets his allies didn't already know, as he walked to the heart of the School, he decided that it was perhaps for the best. Deceit would likely be impossible against such an experienced Authority, so he needed to choose truths that would not hurt him if spread.

Whether or not he could truly trust the old Mundhin Arbaian... Theo could come up with a thousand possible ways that this could be manipulating him, including the old master having worked for Vistgil all along. But unlike so many other organizations across the Nine Worlds, Uvvah Ulim had known what he was and never brought down any retribution on him. The secrecy that had kept Theo safe so far could easily prevent him from finding any answers, if he clung to it too fiercely.

So, by the time he entered the dusty chamber, he had affirmed his decision. The door echoed closed behind him and the scattered rocks across the chamber floor began rattling. This time they did not form limbs, merely a small pile atop which Uvvah Ulim's core sat. He seemed diminished from his battle with the titan demon, if not simply from age.

"You have returned, Lost One." The sapphires glittered brightly even in the shadows. "I confess, I had wondered if you would never pay your debt, and if my only consolation would be a minor act of altruism of unknown value."

"Many Tatians are alive because you took us back," Theo said. "I returned to offer the knowledge I promised as soon as I could, though I can only hope you consider it repayment."

"We shall see, but the intent has nonzero value. Sit, Lost One. Where have your travels taken you?"

Another region of stones swept together, forming a chair for him. It still felt strange to sit on a Mundhin's body, but Theo knew that Arbaians had very different conceptions of the self, even not considering philosophers. When he sat down, the small pieces gave way slightly, rendering it a more comfortable seat than expected.

Since Uvvah Ulim remained in expectant silence, Theo told as much of his story as he dared. He withheld information about his first visit to the Nine Worlds, though the old philosopher no doubt noticed the omissions. In any case, he seemed much more interested in Earth, which Theo described freely.

Many of his comrades had displayed disbelief whenever he spoke about modern technology, sometimes to comical extremes. Uvvah Ulim listened with not just credulity, but an insightful grasp of the concepts introduced that occasionally revealed the gaps in his understanding. Theo understood the underlying concepts of technology better than most, but could eventually only plead that he stood on the foundations of giants, which was well understood on Arbai.

When he had said enough, his throat painfully dry, the room was silent for a time before Uvvah Ulim spoke again. "Despite the notable lacunae in your narrative, I count your debt paid, Lost One. You have told me more of strange lands than any traveler in a generation, and your experience of the worlds is truly incredible... and I hope that the full nuance of that word is communicated."

"I've walked a strange path here, one that's taken me through other worlds outside the Nine. On that subject, I hoped that we might be able to exchange information more equally."

"I have traveled a few, and met other Lost Ones, but none like your Earth." Uvvah Ulim settled deeper into the gravel around his central sphere. "What I find most curious is the utter lack of cantae and its replacement by physical principles that differ from those our philosophy has uncovered."

"Are you saying you've never run into another world with different energies? I thought that some outsiders had highly twisted cantae."

"This I have witnessed, but I always believed it to be a difference in form, not of nature. A familiar animal in a new costume, not a new species. If your world truly lacks cantae, then it is unique among all I have ever heard tales of, excepting some accounts that were clearly facetious or allegorical."

"We have tales on Earth, too." Theo chuckled, though it turned into a cough. "Ironically, we tell quite a few stories of other worlds filled with magic. I don't think I've heard any of those in the Nine Worlds, though I may not have been listening."

"You are not wrong, young one. I have heard many tales and I do not believe any sapient beings across the Nine possess quite the same impulse. Perhaps the absence of magic in your world leads to its desire, or perhaps they are memories of a time when travel from your world was more common."

"I thought it was increasingly common, though. I've heard that there are multiple other people from Earth."

Uvvah Ulim was silent for a long time, his presence so absent that it was difficult to believe there was another living being in the chamber. Though his voice always echoed in Theo's mind, when it reemerged, it carried a new edge. "I have never been a scholar of such Lost Ones, but I do not believe they are all created equal. Some, such as yourself, appear to have wandered into our realms as guests. Others... seem to have been invited for specific purposes. I have chosen to avoid such matters due to the great risks involved."

"Is that why you never went to the place you called the Cleansed Lands? It nearly killed me on my first visit, so I can understand why."

"It is not quite so simple. You reference the world of white ground and a black sun that we spoke of in our earlier meeting, yes?"

Theo managed to swallow his smile. "I'd hoped that we could speak of it, yes."

"All that I can tell you are accounts of scholars. Quite respectable scholars, but their very respectability required them to express deep misgivings about the accuracy of their accounts." Uvvah Ulim drew himself up a little higher. "There are many fragments of realms that are connected to the Nine Worlds. Philosophers have debated their origin, largely without aspirations to empiricism. They show signs of once having been occupied, yet there have never been any claims of meeting indigenous occupants."

"Long dead worlds, then."

"Indeed. There are a few occupied realms, such as your Earth, that appear to connect to the Nine Worlds only rarely. Because these tales appear increasingly as you extend further into the past, I have always considered them largely the realm of mythopoeia."

"And the Cleansed Lands?" Theo asked.

"I am getting there, Lost One. They stand sui generis, as vast as a full world and yet utterly lacking any sign of life. That is, contemporary life: some have suggested that the very absence of any features might itself be a sign of artificiality."

"How so?"

"Some Mundhin have ventured into the space you described. They performed a number of experiments, noting that the ground there is flat beyond any comparable terrestrial landscape. Furthermore, the intense pain most experience appears to be residue from some great act of destruction. For that reason, some have speculated that the world that once existed there was... wiped away, like a cloth across a slate. Cleansed of whatever it once held."

"By whom?" Theo asked, even though he didn't expect an answer. Uvvah Ulim only chuckled.

"A question that perhaps should not be asked, either because it is unnecessary or because answers, if they existed, might prove unfortunate." He was silent for a long moment, and when he spoke up again his tone was less certain. "There is another oddity regarding the Cleansed Lands: everyone who has ventured into them has described exactly the same landscape. Either it is entirely uniform, or all entrances lead to the same place. This trait is quite rare among worlds."

The Chasm of Lamentations was another example, which was a curious thought, but Theo set that aside. "When I was there, I thought I saw some sort of line across one horizon."

"All others reported the same, but regrettably no one ever was able to approach it due to the rigors of the journey."

"The demons." Theo remembered the demon tearing through his comrades, and with the taste of answers on his tongue, it lost a little of its bitterness. "When I was there, I escaped a demon vastly more powerful than any I'd met, beyond titans. Prior to that point, I had thought that demons only manifested at roughly comparable strength to nearby soulcrafters."

"That would be an entirely different domain of study, Lost One," Uvvah Ulim said wearily. "Many have their pet theories about demons, but I have never been fond of demonology. I have read the words of a few Mundhin who stand in the furthest reaches of Dominion, who claim that titans sacrifice themselves just as all lesser demons. It seems a plausible enough concept."

"The furthest reaches of Dominion?"

"As in the final tier of soulcrafting, if their postulates are to be believed. According to them, the Dominion tier stretches forever, endlessly pushing skyward into greater cantae without unlocking a new tier. But their justifications for all related matters have always struck me as... somewhat ad hoc."

For an elderly Mundhin, that was practically an insult to their mothers. Theo smiled and let the subjects go, since they obviously didn't interest Uvvah Ulim. He thought he'd be allowed a little longer, so he needed to ask about something more immediately relevant. "Have you ever read about a place called the Chasm of Lamentations? I've heard that it exists on both Noven and Fithe."

"Both?" Uvvah Ulim let the question hang in a clearly scholarly fashion. "I believe it would be more correct to say neither. Such a place has been listed as one of the fragmentary realms that floats in the chaos around the Nine Worlds. Unlike most, the paths that appear to it are broad, leading to the illusion that it is part of a single world, but in fact it drifts."

That theory made a great deal of sense, and Theo had been suspecting the answer must be something similar, but what frustrated him was that he had never noticed during his first life. Even though they had gone into the Chasm multiple times, he'd never thought about it as anything but part of Noven. Was he more experienced now, or had he been blind at the time?

"If you are an aficionado of such strange tales, you may be interested in one more: there are some who claim that there are not merely nine possible weirkeys."

"You mean weirkeys for the fragmentary worlds?" Theo asked.

"Or for Earth. To my knowledge, the existence of such has never been rigorously tested by any sources available to such a scholar as myself. However, in the schools of philosophy that exist far beyond me, they do make reference to unknown varieties. Weirkeys that can be used for two different worlds, for example. It is possible that a sufficiently sublime weirkey might be able to travel freely to fragmentary worlds, even those that drift chaotically."

Even to the Cleansed Lands, the implication hung unsaid. Theo certainly didn't want to go back while he was still so weak, and it was laughable to think of near mythical weirkeys when he still couldn't use the most basic. Still, he knew that Vistgil had wanted to prevent him from seeing something in the Cleansed Lands, so he would need to find his way back one day.

"Ahhh..." Uvvah Ulim let out a heavy sigh and rocks began to dribble from Theo's chair. "One can feel so young when engaged in simple conversation, but I grow weary. Your debt is paid, Lost One, and I hope you have found our conversation enlightening."

"Very much so." Theo stood from the chair before it fell apart beneath him and bowed. "Thank you for being so forthcoming with your wisdom."

"What is the use of knowledge if not to be shared? But... one more thing, Lost One. There are some scholars who live their entire lives in a single school, focusing on their chosen discipline. I believe that Navim is no longer among them, not after the accident gave him so much experience of other worlds. Please treat my student gently."

Theo wasn't sure how to respond, but Uvvah Ulim dissolved back into rocks. The gemstone core shifted away from him, as clear a dismissal as he could imagine. He bowed one more time and then departed the room, thinking over all he'd learned.

Chapter 8

Though the terrible sun never moved from its position overhead, Fiyu's internal sense of timing reminded her that opportunities were running out. With each cycle of sleep that passed in Arbai, she had one fewer chance to find what she needed before they returned to Norro Yorthin. And so, though she knew that meticulousness was essential, her searching through the rocks became increasingly hurried.

Living in Arbai had not been as oppressive as she had initially feared. Her soulcrafted mask protected her from the excessive light, while the interiors could actually be pleasantly dark. Since the Mundhin seemed to enjoy light without requiring it, they had some rooms that completely lacked windows, and she had quickly moved to one.

"Next, we must examine to the west," Ally Navim said. Fiyu nodded her understanding and bent down, tracing her fingers through the dust as she extended her senses beneath them.

Her first impression of the landscape had been solid rock, with very few of the underground structures common on Fithe. As she had worked with the local soulcrafters, Fiyu had gradually fine-tuned her sense of density to differentiate different types of rock. It had never been a valuable skill in her home world, but her core capacities were equal to the challenge, once Ally Navim had helped her make the necessary adjustments.

Fiyu reached deeper, feeling the layers of rock, the gemstones, the veins of metal ores. Eventually she found one that extended some distance to the west and walked toward it slowly, maintaining her sensory hold. When she arrived just above it, she removed the stakes from her cloak and began defining the edges.

Though the Mundhin had many ingenious mechanisms to find the rocks they needed, her senses reduced the amount of trial and error required considerably. There was likely a great opportunity for collaboration between Arbai and Ichil, though it didn't surprise her that one had never been built before. Any sane Ichili who found a gate into Arbai would have immediately destroyed it.

"That will be sufficient for today." Ally Navim came to rest beside her, settling on all three of his upper limbs. "Thank you for your work, Fiyu."

"You are most welcome, Navim. Could we perhaps continue the search for the other materials we discussed?"

"Yes, I have been scrutinizing the manuscripts regarding excavations. I planned our route today to investigate a new region, so please follow me."

Ally Navim guided her to a large pit lined by jagged crystals, which Fiyu had only vaguely felt at a distance. It alarmed her at first, since sharp edges on Ichil nearly always meant a highly dangerous environment. But though these crystals were sharp enough to harm an ordinary person, a cantae-enhanced soulcrafter could resist them, and they held no sinister traps.

Judging from the hand-holds cut into the crystals, the local Mundhin were even less concerned, simply climbing their way up and down the pit. It extended far enough for the bottom to be consumed in shadow, which Fiyu noted only because it offered the possibility of shade.

"Why is this place filled with crystals?" she asked. Ally Navim began to climb his way down one of the sides as he answered.

"These gemshafts are created by concentrations of certain geological processes. It is my understanding that these processes do not occur on other worlds, so an explanation would require numerous digressions into foundational principles."

"I would like to hear of them, but perhaps we should focus on our search for now."

She followed after him gingerly, extending her senses over all the crystal spikes. The vast majority were composed of a familiar lattice that she presumed was not valuable to the Mundhin. There were a small number of denser crystals in the lower regions that she suspected had been their objectives, now too infrequent to be worth regular work.

Her own goal was a far more complex crystalline structure, one that strained her ability to distinguish. Its properties were allegedly among the denser materials, but unfortunately her senses were not equal to determining fine patterns within such density. Fortunately, Ally Navim was able to use other senses to help guide their path.

After several false paths that led them only to cantae-generating sublime materials, Fiyu began to look forward to working within the shadowed region of the pit. However, as they bored into one of the last sections in sunlight, she suddenly felt something that triggered a purely academic recognition. Perhaps...

"Navim... could we try this one?"

He thrust his hand into the crystal, ignoring the cuts to his mining limb. When it emerged, he held a large chunk that glittered like a diamond. Fiyu eagerly cut away the useless crystal, focusing on the complexity within. Soon even her visual senses could make out the dark gemstone within.

"Is... is this it?" Fiyu took the piece from him and stared into it, marveling at the complex lattice within. It was certainly different from the previous materials, not generating cantae but hopefully bearing other valuable properties.

"I believe this is pure undamaged darklattice. There is more than enough for a mask to meet your specifications."

"Actually, I have been considering my original goals and believe that they might be improved, in particular if the darklattice is integrated in my soulhome as an armament."

As they ascended from the pit, Fiyu explained her new intentions. A mask to shield her from light and noise was essential for travel in most worlds, but she sought a more absolute control. The Chasm of Lamentations held many dangerous sensations, according to Friend Theo, so she desired an armament that would ward all her senses from aesthetic violence.

Thoughts of Friend Theo made her wish that he was present, since his skills could easily have lifted them from the pit. By the time they had reached the top, she had finished discussing the details and had time to calculate the number of cycles. It was fortunate that she had discovered darklattice before they needed to depart, but there was insufficient time for Ally Navim to complete his work.

At the top, they stopped a moment to rest without verbal agreement, and Fiyu sat in Ally Navim's shadow. "Navim... I do not wish for you to rush this work. Could we arrange another visit so that I can acquire the completed armament?"

"After giving the matter a great deal of thought, I have decided that it may not be necessary." Ally Navim shifted his limbs to look at her closely with his central sphere, carefully maintaining his shade. "I have permission from Master Uvvah Ulim to return along with you. The world of Fithe contains a great deal of rock, and though it is not entirely unknown to us, a monograph based on those experiences would be quite popular."

"Oh! We would certainly welcome your presence. The city of Norro Yorthin is frustrating in many ways, but I will do my utmost to help you."

"I'm sure that you will, Fiyu." Ally Navim gave a low chuckle before going silent.

Now that their time together was no longer so short, Fiyu allowed herself to release some of the tension. There would be many opportunities to speak with Ally Navim. He had soulcrafting of his own to do, so she ventured inward and continued with her own work. The darkburn bonsai filled her second floor with cantae and she had nearly completed the mistsphere's altar, so she would soon need to collaborate with Friend Theo to complete her barrier wall.

As much as she was encouraged that Ally Navim would return with them, that return brought with it a different sort of tension. It was not so long now before all their preparations would be put to the test.

~ ~ ~

Moving between worlds had surprisingly little impact on Theo's life, since he was now obsessively focused on his soulcrafting. All the bricks he had been working on for future floors or walls had been set aside for later construction, because he'd found something much more valuable. He would need to make up for lost time, but the end result would be superior.

Acquiring such a material had been one of his secondary goals for visiting Arbai, but he hadn't been certain that he could find them, or that it would actually work. As he steadily worked the materials within his soulhome, Theo ran over all the details of the blueprint for the hundredth time.

His original plan for a solar blueprint had included a crystalline barrier wall that would enhance the light that passed through it. Getting more use out of a barrier was difficult, but he thought that he could squeeze a little bit more power out of his blueprint that way. Something similar could still work with his new soulhome, but it required modification.

Actually, it might have needed modification anyway. Theo was still frustrated that his original blueprint, pored over for decades on Earth, could have flaws. He wondered if, repeating his thoughts so many times through the lens of memories, he'd actually twisted the original design into something that appealed to him mentally but was actually less effective. The blueprint he'd thought of as so flawless might have itself reflected the flaws in himself.

The new blueprint did the same thing, but intentionally. And this time, he wasn't going to trust any theory, every single step of the process was thoroughly tested.

Lightcarbon was one of the more unusual sublime materials he'd run across, fracturing strangely when he tried to form bricks. Since he'd purchased more than enough of it, he'd been able to perfect the process and now had a large section of his wall built. Rather than compromise with a mortar that might not match, he'd used craftgems to fuse them all together. Usually he thought using craftgems was a sign of lacking creativity, but barrier walls tended to come apart if they weren't composed of a pure material. They joined with the lightcarbon and formed a perfect crystalline wall.

All the bricks had been tested on their own, but Theo retreated from his soulcrafting to test the assembly, just in case. When he drew cantae from his soulhome, it passed through his vestibule, then through the wall. Though the end result was a simple gravitational field that lifted him into the air, it used less cantae for the same result. The increased efficiency of the barrier wall would let him squeeze a little more gravity out of each field, too.

Though he'd intended to dive straight back into his soul, Theo found himself blinking in the darkness. Had it really grown so late while he worked? Since the return to House Blacksilver, he'd done almost nothing but soulcraft, except to earn merits with the others or take steps toward other sublime materials.

There had been a cost to that, he realized now. Even though Navim had returned with them, the two had spent relatively little time together. Theo told himself that he would amend that after they survived the Chasm of Lamentations, though he found himself wondering if another deadline wouldn't appear...

Even now, opportunities were slipping away. Many houses were focused on the upcoming Chasm event, but despite his focus, life in the city continued with many unaware of it. There was some squabble over mining rights, a major duel between Strongholds, a new war with factions of water Fithans, and more. Once in the State of Rest he'd seen a challenge for a type of sublime mold that fascinated him, but he had to pass on it: the risks of injury were too high for the advantages gained, especially when he needed to focus on completing his current goals.

Back in his soulhome, Theo checked the wall section's solidity, then began to move it outward. Sitting near his vestibule was good enough for testing, but not for a final location. He'd thoroughly tested the limit of his soul's diameter earlier and placed large lightcarbon blocks in a perfect circle for the wall's foundation. Binding the wall in place was going to be considerably more difficult.

Along the way, Theo formed obelisks of sublime materials. It was a trick he'd learned partway through his old soulhome, the temporary constructions resisting the pressure at the edges of his soul. They were useless otherwise, but he'd remove them all once the wall was complete. Though it existed a bit beyond his normal limits, the circular shape would resist the pressure well enough. More importantly, when he ascended to Authority, his barrier wall wouldn't require wasteful expansion.

Still, as he struggled past the obelisks, Theo felt like the bricks became heavier and heavier. Perhaps he needed some sort of spirit dolly cart... no, he could push through with willpower. Step by step, Theo managed to place the blocks into their position on the foundation circle. Bracing his shoulder against it, he fumbled the craftgems from his pocket and set to binding them in place.

When they were fused in position, the pressure barely lessened. Realizing that he might have been more overambitious than he'd calculated, Theo quickly gathered some of his other finished lightcarbon bricks and reinforced the wall into a flat pyramid. That would resist the pressure better until the construction was complete.

Theo let his focus slip and the boundaries of his soul practically rolled him back to his soulhome at the center. Compared to the stress of trying to work in space that barely existed, it was an immense relief. Slumping against one of the cool walls, Theo looked over his design again while he considered what work he could do while spiritually exhausted.

His core technique chambers had been largely finished in preparation for the duel with Esaire, and his singularity technique remained lethal. What he needed to do now was finish chambers that would strengthen him enough to use it. Old temporary materials were slowly being replaced with stronger sublime materials, though there was always more work to be done. Those old sigils from Deuxan still hung on his walls, weak as they were. Not a problem for the time being, but they needed to be replaced before he ascended to Authority.

Just in case the Chasm had somehow shifted and arrived sooner, Theo had focused on his emptiest chambers, but there were plenty of other improvements to make. He had created three bulk material speed rooms to fight Esaire, and condensing them down into one had produced a viable chamber, it just needed more refining. All of that came down to better sublime materials, and though he could purchase a few with merits or Fithan Discs, others would need to be harvested personally.

Aside from the barrier wall and strengthening chambers, Theo's primary concern was his sense of gravity. The abyssfluid had worked perfectly, suspended in the center of the chamber and giving him a much stronger feel for all sources of mass around him. All the walls were still blank, so he'd knew he'd need to put in a lot of carving time later.

In theory, it shouldn't matter at all. Theo knew what to expect at the Chasm and caution would do them more good than power. He still dedicated himself to the work as if his life was on the line.

~ ~ ~

"Grow, you insufferable twig." Nauda kicked at the surgestalk roots, which was not an established soulcrafting technique.

Even after days of pouring cantae into the surgestalk seed, and giving it sublime water imported from Aathal, it hadn't grown enough. The thick stalks had barely required any sublime soil, rapidly spilling out over the top of her soulhome, but they weren't stretching high enough. She wasn't sure if that was their natural form or if the sky's pressure prevented it from shooting upward.

It did grow, however. She could climb the largest stalks for almost half her height, and though they bent, they didn't break. If she could coax the surgestalk to grow higher, she might be able to climb it when she ascended.

Meanwhile, vines and stalks had begun covering the rest of her soulhome, which she'd fought at first and then realized wasn't necessarily a bad thing. All the vines strengthened the integrity of her soulhome and even generated a small amount of cantae. Once she had trimmed everything covering windows or creeping inside, they hadn't interfered with cantae flow.

In fact, it worked so well that Nauda was seriously considering adding more plants to her blueprint. They fit in her soulhome better than expected and she'd taken to the work quickly. Most likely the surgestalk would die in her ascension, and there was no space for it, but she could replace it with a more appropriate sublime plant. Most likely one that grew more slowly would also generate more cantae and blend with the rest of her blueprint better.

Not that she would get a chance, if she didn't advance quickly enough. There were only two more months until they entered the Chasm, and she needed time to work on her Ruler tier. No matter how many blocks she created in advance, crafting the third floor couldn't be done in a day or a week.

Since the surgestalk wasn't growing any more, Nauda turned away and began making her way down the side of her soulhome. The vines also served as a good ladder, now that she thought about it. Along her way, she considered everything she could do before she ascended.

By far her greatest success so far was her staff chamber. She'd crafted a perfect replica of her staff from Fithan metals and filled the rest of the room with an Arbaian sublime stone called immovalon that resisted attempts to move it. The result was a significant strengthening both of her staff itself and her binding technique. When she had time to build a Ruler-tier chamber over the top, they would grow even stronger.

Nauda hesitated on the way down and stared through the window of her sensory chamber, her greatest failure. Though Fiyu had done her best to help her, none of the methods she'd tried had been truly successful. Currently the room was filled with sensory sublime materials that made her eyesight and hearing a little sharper, but it was nothing like the extrasensory perception Fiyu possessed. At least Theo was too absorbed in himself to lecture her on how it should be constructed.

On the ground floor, Nauda wandered into her warding chamber. She'd carved some immovalon into the shape of her wards, but it clearly wasn't right, because it only strengthened her warding technique slightly. Soulcrafting was supposed to be intuitive, so perhaps her intuitions were simply muddled up.

She had time for everything, just not enough of it. Some of her objectives would need to wait.

Outside, Nauda walked to her tower and examined the storage chamber. It no longer contained any of the powerful sublime materials from home, since all of them had been integrated into her soulhome. Instead, it held only a series of gemstones from Arbai.

Those had been by far her most valuable find. She had worked together with Fiyu and Navim to track down two complete sets of emeralds, one in an ordinary green and others glowing strange colors. When bound together, they were supposed to generate great strengthening cantae, or at least that was what the Arbaian stories said. Apparently this construction was actually related to the name "Emerald Indulgence", though only in a philosophical sense.

The set in her soulhome worked well enough, but the parallel set that still existed in the real world refused to cooperate. They were meant to be collected in some kind of armament, and should have been very helpful to her. Unfortunately, when Navim had crafted a stone belt for her, it had strained her cantae as if she was attempting something beyond her. When she'd shown it to Antha, the woman had determined that the belt was high Ruler tier, and no amount of effort could force her soul to accept it.

Nauda ran her fingers over the gemstones again, wondering if she should ask Navim to recreate the armament. It could be given a less efficient form, temporarily, and that might weaken the cantae enough for her to use it. Later on she could correct the errors, so it would only be a temporary impediment.

Abruptly Nauda tossed the gemstones back into the chest and closed it firmly. No. If Fiyu could reserve an entire floor until she reached Ruler tier and Theo could make a thousand trade-offs, she couldn't let herself take the easy route. She'd begin soulcrafting both a chamber and an armament that she'd need to be a Ruler to wield and then rise to the challenge.

Returning to her body, Nauda stretched and then hastened to the main Blacksilver office. Antha wasn't present, but Nauda greeted the lower ranked officials and asked for a requisition form. There she described the type of armament she would need in detail. Navim could craft an excellent prototype, but for her real armament she needed something other than unfeeling stone.

When she left the office, finally feeling good about herself, Nauda was suddenly struck by an Authority's cantae. She desperately swallowed her instinctive panic and forced herself to look. It was only Janne, House Blacksilver's female Authority.

"Nauda." The woman folded her arms within her voluminous robes. "You and your allies are still determined to throw yourselves into the Chasm?"

"Yes, we are." An hour ago, the answer might not have come so easily, but now she was certain of her path.

"Then you will be coming with us. If you want your rewards, you need some skin in the game."

Chapter 9

During his time in House Blacksilver, Theo had been called upon to do a wide variety of tasks for the sake of the House. Frequently killing demons or some other errand that only soulcrafters could perform, or occasionally using his expertise to help their officials. This was the first time he had been summoned in secret along with a large number of Archcrafters and Rulers.

Two of Blacksilver's three Authorities stood at the head of the room.

"Some of you I've helped," Dhan said without preamble. "Some of you will be journeying with me to the Chasm of Lamentations. Some are merely loyal to House Blacksilver. Today, all of you will be assisting me. I would thank you, but I would prefer to do so after we've been successful. I will leave the rest of the explanations to Janne, because I need to prepare myself."

Dhan pulled down his mask and turned away, though he walked into the room behind them instead of characteristically vanishing. Theo realized belatedly that he wasn't expelling any cantae, as if he needed to conserve it. Meanwhile, Janne pulled back her floppy hood enough to see and walked to the head of the group.

"In preparation for the Chasm," she said softly, "Dhan will be harvesting a sublime material known as a dewfossil."

At his side, Fiyu pulled on his sleeve for an explanation, but Theo saw uncertainty or disbelief on the faces of many others. He glanced to Nauda, who shrugged, and fortunately Janne noted the widespread surprise and explained.

"They aren't a children's tale. Under certain conditions, liquid power from the depths of the Fithan oceans can become concentrated on land. However, it is difficult to extract this sublime material, and completely impossible to store it outside a soulhome. We have learned the location of one dewfossil, so we must act quickly. It will require Dhan's full concentration to absorb the material, leaving the rest of us to defend him."

"Against what?" a Fithan ruler asked.

"Distractions of any kind. It is possible that demons will be drawn in, though not certain. The dewfossil is located outside of Norro Yorthin's territory, so other Ruling Cities may also attempt to extract it. Your presence may be unnecessary, but the dewfossil would be lethal to anyone beneath Authority, so opposition is more likely."

With the stakes established, the other soulcrafters became absorbed in the rest of the briefing. Theo hadn't heard of dewfossils in particular, but there were countless sublime materials. If House Blacksilver was willing to dedicate so many resources to the harvesting, it must be valuable. His only question was whether it was a sublime material to make a stronger Authority... or one that might help Dhan ascend to become Blacksilver's first ever Stronghold.

As for the sublime material itself, it allegedly sat in a region between cities with unusual verticality. Great spires rose for half a mile and plunged even further through vast caverns underneath. Though the dewfossil was most likely to be near the top of one, the detection was imprecise, so they would also be working as a search party. Janne emphasized repeatedly that none of them should attempt to harvest the sublime material themselves.

Once, Theo would have tried to make plans to steal it for himself. Now it no longer seemed so weak to do something to assist others, but those thoughts distracted him from his purpose.

He expected to have time to confer with Nauda and Fiyu, but their group began moving as soon as they were done discussing the plan. Though they were all transported by weirkey, a few at a time, some took Fithan chariots with them. Presumably they intended to begin with stealth but escalate soon.

When it came time for their turn, Janne spoke from behind them. "Normally, you would not be brought along on such an assignment. But unless you can compete here, you cannot serve House Blacksilver in the Chasm."

Before they could respond, they were torn away from Fithe. Unlike most trips between worlds, they didn't dip through a transcendent threshold, they drowned in it. For a time beyond time, they were carried through the raging empty chaos between worlds. It would have been completely disorienting if he hadn't experienced it before, using a pair of weirkeys to move toward another world, then curve back to Fithe and enter at a different point.

They arrived and he immediately braced himself, checking in all directions for an ambush. Yet it seemed that they had successfully arrived in secret, nothing but wind whistling around the spires. Ignoring the landscape for the moment, Theo instead bent down beside his companions to be sure the trip hadn't harmed them. Nauda was on one knee rubbing her forehead, already recovering, while Fiyu shrank in on herself, displeased but clearly functional.

"Is returning to the same world always like that?" Nauda asked. "What a glorious gift weirkeys are."

"It's not so bad once you're an Authority." Theo helped her up and examined his surroundings more carefully.

They stood atop the only flat outcropping of stone that he could see, surrounded by spiraling stone pillars. His first thought was incongruous: they reminded him of disturbing drill bits, yet the worn stone appeared completely natural. Spires thrust into the sky at many different heights, and when he moved to the edge of the outcropping, he saw them plunge into the dusty earth below. He could barely see cavern entrances beneath the dust clouds, but this far up, the sky was remarkably clear.

"What curious structures." Fiyu had her head down, presumably examining them with her primary sense. "I do not believe they were made by human hands."

"When I asked, they said something about wind erosion." Nauda rubbed her head one last time and then stamped her staff against the ground as if to refocus. "The whirlwinds that create them are supposed to be quite dangerous, but they might be the least of our worries."

As Theo examined the region, he thought he could see the dust being drawn into unnatural spirals of wind. At least, unnatural as far as he understood the laws of airflow, which were no doubt different here. Whatever the reason, Nauda was right: they needed to focus on their task.

Other Archcrafters from House Blacksilver were moving the chariots into shadowed positions not visible from the air, while Rulers spread out to begin searching. Most likely none of them would find it: Dhan was currently meditating atop one of the spires, while Janne waited in reserve.

At two points during the search they encountered small groups of demons, but the Ruler-tier soulcrafters crushed them so quickly that they barely made a sound. They moved as a unified team, nothing like the incompetent volunteer squads outside Norro Yorthin. Theo didn't even bother to participate, conserving his cantae for a greater threat. If he made any difference in a larger battle, it would no doubt be via his singularity, and with so many allies around, he would need precise control.

Eventually Dhan located the the dewfossil in a cave atop one of the spires. Theo had been shadowing him and caught a glimpse of it: sand flowed like water within a sphere embedded in the wall. For all the sublime material's obvious potency, it was also immensely fragile, its contradictory nature threatening to fracture with the slightest disruption.

While Dhan sat down beside the wall, preparing to draw the dewfossil into his soulhome, Janne built wards around him, slowly pushing the rest of the group out. He didn't blame her, because a small lapse in concentration could turn the dewfossil into nearly useless sand. Even at his peak, Theo would have needed to pay attention to harvest such a sublime material.

Outside the cavern, they set up guard positions that didn't make it obvious which spire held the dewfossil. A good policy, but as Theo watched Janne, he began to doubt it was simple caution. She didn't just anticipate a challenge, there was a good reason to believe in a greater threat.

"Is that natural?" Nauda spotted it first, shielding her eyes and staring past the spires. Not long after, Theo was able to pick out a large chariot at the center of a whirlwind, moving toward them at great speed. There were several Fithan soulcrafters on board, their soulhomes too guarded to determine anything at a distance.

As they drew closer, more of the Blacksilver soulcrafters took up positions with cover. Theo spent more time focusing in other directions, just in case the obvious chariot was only a ploy. His sense of gravity wasn't perfectly tuned, but the chariot was the only significant source of mass in the wasteland around.

When the chariot came into sight, Theo saw that it was formed from bright blue stone, quite unlike the chariots in Norro Yorthin. Without so much as a word, one of the Blacksilver Rulers unleashed a huge gout of flame that consumed the chariot. As it faded, a bright sphere glimmered in the burning wisps, then exploded outward in a blinding flash.

"This region and all sublime materials within it belong to Lasaa Anklon!" As the chariot came to a halt, one of the enemy Rulers stepped up onto the side.

"No one has claimed this land," one of the Blacksilver Rulers responded. "Let us conduct our business and we'll depart in peace."

"Having stolen what is rightfully ours!"

Without warning, a second Ruler hurled a lance of blue flame from the chariot, aiming for one of the spirals. Not the one containing Dhan, but troublingly close. Another Blacksilver soulcrafter appeared from around the side of another spiral and knocked it out of the air, but as it sheared through the pillars below, Theo winced.

The wards around Dhan would no doubt hold, but Rulers might be able to distract him from his task. The Blacksilver soulcrafters outnumbered the representatives of Lasaa Anklon, but if a brawl broke out, the collateral damage might well prevent either side from attaining victory. Theo would use his singularity if his life was threatened, but that would only exacerbate the problem. Where was Janne while the tension ratcheted up?

"Look, it's obvious that you've located sublime resources we missed." One of the enemy Rulers spread his arms in a facsimile of reasonableness, but he kept his cantae on full alert. "We both represent noble Houses from Ruling Cities. Let's not allow our battle to damage the rewards. Let's arrange a method to decide the battle without collateral damage. Perhaps a series of duels between-"

"Agreed." Janne appeared in the air behind the chariot, without any dramatic flash of cantae. Yet a moment later the chariot crumbled to ash and the foreign soulcrafters plummeted.

They didn't get far before the Authority's cantae seized them. The Rulers might have been able to inconvenience or distract Janne, but taken so off guard, they were completely helpless. She raised a robe-swaddled arm toward the hovering group, as if considering what to do with them, but then lowered them to the outcropping.

"Okay, that's contest enough." One of the Rulers managed to resist the cantae pressure, but didn't attempt to fight back. In fact, the man's laughter seemed to be authentic as he raised his hands in surrender. "Is there really something so important that it's worth bringing one of your Authorities?"

"Lasaa Anklon is a respected ally." Janne floated down beside him, arms disappearing back into her robes. "But we cannot trust you. If you do not attempt to fight, you will be released when our work is done."

"I suppose we can't complain about the offer. And what House do you represent?"

Instead of answering, Janne turned sharply to look toward the north. Theo couldn't see anything with his eyes or his senses, so instinctively looked back to the others. Nauda was peering in the same direction, clearly futilely, while Fiyu slowly frowned.

"Ambush positions!" Janne called out the command and then dropped over the edge of the outcropping, pulling all of the foreign soulcrafters with her. Though Theo still hadn't seen the source of the concern, he hurried to get into a secure position.

Not long after, he stood on one of the curves of a nearby spire, tucked into a smaller twist. It was just large enough for the three of them, given Fiyu's need for space. She looked increasingly troubled as her senses focused north, but had yet to explain anything.

Then Theo finally saw the dust. Not a line but a wave, cresting over the ordinary storms as an entire force advanced on their position.

His gravity senses counted a full ten chariots, each filled with a number of soulcrafters. As they drew closer, he was able to make out more details. All of the chariots were formed from the same featureless gray stone, identical except for the fact that two were larger models of the same mold. The soulcrafters riding them wore gray armor, what felt like a relatively cheap armament but still notable for being so ubiquitous.

"Nauda..." Fiyu paused to clear her throat. "Do you know what this army is?"

"I'm not sure, but we can try to find out more." Nauda reached back to her and also gripped Theo's wrist. He relaxed his soul and let her use her telescope, even though he hadn't expected that it could give them a glimpse of soulhomes so far away.

It must have improved, because he soon found his spirit floating above a soulhome. Though only a single story, it still made him pause, because it was a rectangle of unrelieved gray stone. No windows, just arrow slits at regular intervals. The edges of the top cut off at a sharp angle, leaving the top covered in smaller rectangular structures.

Something shifted in his spirit and Theo thought they'd moved to the other side of the soul... until he realized that they were looking at an entirely different soulhome. The foundational dust was a slightly different hue, but the stone structure was practically identical. Nauda's spirit brushed against his and they shifted to another soulhome, this one with two floors. Instead of even stones, it had a completely smooth surface, as if the building was covered in concrete.

"What is this?" Nauda breathed. Theo couldn't truly touch her as a spirit, but brushed his hand through her arm.

"Don't worry about that. Try to count their soulcrafters' tiers bef-"

Overwhelming cantae washed over them and Theo felt as if he was torn apart before he abruptly returned to his physical body. Nauda's technique hadn't taken long, but the line of chariots had come much closer. She was currently holding her head and wincing, but Theo thought that their spirits had simply been rebuffed, not harmed.

It was less comforting to realize that it had probably been an Authority.

"Could it be the Asplundat Movement?" Nauda asked them the question, but they only stared back at her and she frowned. "Don't you talk to anyone? I don't know the details, but it's a major power on this continent. Surely you know them, Theo."

He opened his mouth, realizing how easy it would be to lie. Just given his knowledge of soulcrafting, he could have feigned a great deal, but instead he spoke tersely. "The name sounds familiar, but I thought it was local politics. Given the army they can field, they must be a major power, not a single House."

"But... their soulhomes... that can't be natural, can it?"

"No, I've seen it before. Both designs like that and the uniformity. Maybe this Asplundat only has a few types of sublime materials, maybe they just force all their soulcrafters to follow the same blueprints. Either way, I think we need to follow Blacksilver's lead on this."

From their position, most of the others were hidden, but Theo could barely see a few Archcrafters. They tried to keep their cantae low, but their postures spoke of obvious stress. More important than their fear might be the fact that Janne had moved them to the northern side of the spire field, to try to intercept the enemies before they could reach Dhan's position.

When the line of chariots reached the edge of the spiral field, just beyond ambush range, it halted. One soulcrafter rose from a chariot, dressed in similar gray armor to all the others but bearing an Authority's cantae.

"This region has been claimed by the Asplundat Movement. Depart or be removed." The words echoed through the entire field of spires and the Blacksilver soulcrafters Theo could see looked grim. He set them out of mind and focused on the enemy forces, because he didn't think this encounter would resolve amicably.

"We are conducting a peaceful exercise." Janne rose from below with a flat expression on her face. "This is neutral land, so if you strike us, you are committing the Asplundat Movement to war."

"No stalling." The enemy Authority raised a hand and began gathering cantae. "Stop harvesting the dewfossil immediately or we will consider it an act of aggression."

"You have no right t-"

A lightning bolt of cantae struck one of the spirals, turning it into a column of molten stone. Two soulcrafters who had been hiding there screamed, but not for long before the raw magma consumed them.

Theo could see exactly what was going to happen, but he was hopelessly slow compared to Authorities. Another bolt flashed downward... but Janne moved ahead of it, ash joining the swirling winds and somehow redirecting its path. One of the chariots on the wings of the Asplundat line exploded, scattering soulcrafters.

Several more bolts crackled out, and briefly it seemed like Janne had the upper hand. None of them hit any of the Blacksilver positions, and while they didn't curve back as effectively as the first, many flashed close to the enemy chariots. But after only a few bolts, while the other soulcrafters were just beginning to move, the Authority appeared beside Janne, striking a blow that sent her smashing through one of the lower spires.

As she disappeared into the dust storms and silence descended over the battlefield, Theo realized that it was even worse: the first Authority still hovered by the chariots. The Asplundat Movement had sent two.

Blacksilver soulcrafters began releasing cantae toward the enemy, but it was all absorbed by a broad gray shield. It flickered down a moment later, allowing the lesser Asplundat soulcrafters to unleash their own barrage. Not the most elegant technique, but effective in such broad battles, giving them an overwhelming advantage. Theo stood still, not wasting his cantae but unsure when he would have a chance to act.

Two vast hands of ash emerged from the dust storm, wrapping around the enemy Authorities. They drew on their full cantae and shattered free, but moments later were under assault by thin ash lances. When one tried another bolt, it bent fiercely, almost striking the other Authority.

The two Authorities moved in sync, planning to locate and overwhelm Janne... only for one of them to be struck by several huge gouts of flame from the side. Though the Authority resisted them with another gray shell, he was pushed far from the main battle and looked up in grim surprise.

Those attacks hadn't come from any of the Blacksilver positions. A moment later, the chariot from Lasaa Anklon burst from the dust, their Rulers aggressively barraging the Authority while their other soulcrafters spread out. "You can pay us back later, Norro Yorthin!" one of them called, then the battle scattered in every direction.

Several enemy soulcrafters left their chariots to leap in Theo's direction, but Fiyu reacted first, hitting a broad swath of them with a hailstorm of light. Many Archcrafters fell, their armor smoking, though some of them used a technique to draw themselves through the air to one of the spires.

A Ruler plunged through, his more durable armor shrugging off the bolts, only to be caught by Nauda's staff. She didn't try to bind him long, just hurled him backward into one of the chariots, spilling its occupants into the spires.

Though Theo held back to analyze the enemy, it didn't require much time. The Asplundat soulcrafters clearly followed rigid blueprints, each using identical gray cantae bolts and armor. Their first tier soulcrafters were helpless and never should have been brought to this battlefield, while their Archcrafters had some sort of movement technique. He wasn't as sure of the Rulers, other than that they appeared to have stone blocks forming over their hands that could destroy cantae.

None of it would be particularly effective against gravity. Theo cast a field over a large portion of the group, hitting them with over ten times normal gravity and sending them plummeting into the dust clouds. Some of the Archcrafters cast cantae to spires and bound themselves there, but they still dangled, struggling against the vastly increased gravity.

That was when one of the Asplundat Authorities glanced in his direction.

Even though he had been expecting it and tried to move immediately, Theo almost wasn't fast enough. Nauda grabbed his shoulder and pulled him aside. The next thing he knew, he was sailing backward, watching the spire where they had stood dissolving into molten stone. Fiyu sailed alongside them, but they had barely landed on another spire before they needed to leap again.

Soon after, Janne emerged from below in a sphere of ash, blocking enemy Authority action. Theo began using more carefully targeted gravitational fields, but he kept his eye on the main battle raging overhead. It wasn't going well.

Janne might be stronger than her Asplundat opponents, but she wasn't strong enough to fight both. They were boring but powerful fighters, coordinating their actions with rigid precision. If the two had been alone, the Blacksilver Rulers might have been able to distract enough for Janne to regain the upper hand, but as the battle continued, it became obvious how it would end. It seemed that the Asplundat Movement didn't want to destroy the dewfossil, otherwise they might already have won.

"Enough!" one of the Authorities boomed over the battlefield, and in the time everyone flinched, they saw what had happened and hesitated.

Though a great many of the Asplundat soulcrafters had fallen below or been scattered, their Authorities stood firm. One hovered over their grand chariot, casting her presence over the entire battlefield, while the other stood atop a spire... binding Janne in a circle of lightning.

"Your Authority has been bested," the woman continued. "The Asplundat Movement takes no pleasure in killing anyone. If you retreat, you will be allowed to live your lives, or join the Movement in the future. If you continue resisting, we will begin executing one of your weaker soulcrafters every minute until you comply."

"That's not very nice," Tythes said from behind her.

The battlefield had already been frozen, but now surprise overtook shock. Without anyone noticing, Tythes had somehow moved directly behind the enemy Authority. There was no reason for the House Crimson Authority to be present, and Theo had actually been hoping not to run into the rogue power after his duel. Yet here he was.

"Just who are you?" The enemy Authority turned to him, cantae blazing, but Tythes didn't back away.

"I was just taking a walk." He took a long drink from a wine skin, then tossed it to the side idly. "So who are you? What's going on here?"

"The Asplundat Movement will not tolerate this farce of a-" Tythes cut her off by falling forward, slamming his forehead into her nose. She flinched backward and he continued falling, a strange flipping movement that took him heels over head so that his feet struck her directly in the face.

As bizarre and sloppy as the movement looked, it sent the Authority sailing back through the sky. An instant later, cantae surged below... and Theo caught a glimpse of the wine skin Tythes had tossed before it exploded just beside the other enemy Authority. The man fell backward, his shield smoking, and in that time Janne broke free of the lightning surrounding her. A wave of ash swept in all directions, driving back the enemy soulcrafters and incinerating several of the chariots.

Clearly, Tythes's apparent apathy had disguised a well-planned entrance. Yet there was something strange about his movements... he had an Authority's cantae, unquestionably, yet Theo felt certain that there was some deep instability in his soulhome...

"Blacksilver!" Janne's voice rang over the battlefield before the combat could resume. "Retreat to the caverns, defend the dewfossil!"

A few stared at her stupidly, but Theo understood: she wanted to reduce the casualties among lower tier soulcrafters while misdirecting the Authorities. Given that it was now two against two, Theo was willing to leave it to them and avoid being instantly killed by a stray attack. Since some of the Blacksilver Rulers were already descending, Theo gestured for the others to jump after him.

They plummeted straight down for a time before he cast a gravitational field around them, slowing their pace as they entered the dust. Though it was more difficult to see, he could still make out the mouth of a large cavern. Since the other Blacksilver soulcrafters appeared to be entering it, forming cantae lights, it appeared that they were making their stand there.

When they fell into the darkness, Theo reduced their momentum to land lightly in the cavern. It appeared ordinary enough, so he retreated from the entrance and began preparing. Enemy soulcrafters would soon be swarming to their position, and though they might not be Authorities, Rulers were still enough to overpower him.

Unless he was ready. Theo raised his hands in front of his chest and began preparing a singularity.

Chapter 10

Nauda had fought in communities before, many times, yet she struggled to work together with the Blacksilver soulcrafters. She might have gotten to know many of them, but they didn't know one another's techniques and goals clearly enough. Or rather, most of them did and she was left out, only able to work effectively with Theo and Fiyu.

Since Theo had retreated to prepare, that left only Fiyu. She was a great ally to have at your back, but in this battle...

Primarily, Nauda focused on reaching out to bind Archcrafters when they attempted to rush into the mouth of the cavern. The base soulcrafters were frequently taken down by Fiyu, while the Archcrafters pushed through. Even a few seconds of struggling against her binding left them as easy targets for the others, so her allies had lost no soulcrafters since they'd set up their defenses.

The caverns were actually beautiful, if only there had been time to appreciate them. Vast columns of rock pierced through, but what surprised her was that they were actually pearlescent in the cantae light. Perhaps the wind had worn off the shine above. Smaller stalagmites formed nearby, even brighter rainbow colors in the shadows.

An enemy Ruler rushed in, snapping through several of the stalagmites, and Nauda jerked her mind back to the battle at hand.

"Bow before the Asplundat Movement, city scum!" The Rulers were easy to differentiate even without cantae, because their armor included a full helm that reduced their faces to a single slit. They also appeared to be capable of forming gray stone around them, as this one had turned his hands into two enormous sledgehammers.

Fiyu struck the entrance of the cave with a storm of light, but it scattered off the Ruler's armor. One of the Blacksilver Rulers hurled a sphere of flame, only for the enemy to smash it to the ground with one rocky fist. They might appear to use brute force, but he filled his armor with so much cantae that he was likely to be able to rush right through their assault.

Nauda extended her staff, not trying to bind his entire body but just his forward leg. The man almost stumbled, but he reacted too quickly to fall, and he immediately turned on her. She barely dodged away from the first swipe of his sledgehammer, and his other arm was already swinging at her.

She had no time to do anything but retreat, staying just ahead of the blocks of stone. Just as Nauda felt her back hit one of the vast stalagmites, she swept one foot across the ground to generate a quick ward, then jammed her staff at her opponent's face.

One prong struck in the slit of his helm, but before she could drive it home, his rocky fists thrust out at her. The force of the blow snapped straight through her wards and would have taken off her head if she hadn't ducked aside. She heard the stone shattering behind her, fragments scattering in every direction. Refusing to give in, Nauda twisted on the ground, driving her staff into the back of his knee.

The Ruler grunted and almost dropped, but her well-placed blow couldn't fully bridge the gap between them. One rock-covered leg struck out at her and she barely defended with one forearm. She felt the cracking impact in her bones and skated painfully across the cavern floor, barely keeping hold of her staff as she tumbled over the surface.

When she pushed herself upright, a Blacksilver Ruler was attacking, this time trying to send darts of flame through the gaps in the enemy's armor. Nauda struggled to get to her feet, watching the two of them slam cantae into one another. She might be able to survive against a Ruler, but she couldn't truly compete. She couldn't afford to dedicate an entire floor to a skill like Theo, so she had no choice but to ascend. At least, so long as she survived the battle...

"Are you alright?" Fiyu appeared nearby as her stealth technique washed over Nauda. Accepting her hand up, Nauda pulled to her feet.

"I think I didn't break anything after all, but they got through..." With the choke point broken, more Asplundat soulcrafters were pushing their way in, getting behind stalagmites and preparing to battle across the cavern. Most of it was still lit by cantae flames, but they occasionally winked out as someone died, leaving the cavern mottled in darkness.

The two of them crept to a new position to prepare to attack the enemy flank... until they saw another Ruler staring in their direction.

"Excuse me." The face plate on the Ruler's helm flipped up without a touch, which was necessary since his hands were covered in gray stone spheres. His face was set in a sad smile that Nauda didn't see any deception in. "I can't properly see you, but I can track your movement. You seem like talented young soulcrafters, so please retreat to safety."

Fiyu frowned and released the stealth technique, clearly displeased with herself. Nauda simply lowered her staff in his direction. "Why pretend? Your empire clearly follows a 'surrender or die' policy."

"Regrettably so today, but not always. I'm afraid you've seen our worst face, but I've always believed we should work together with the Ruling Cities. My name is Homez, I was hoping-"

Whatever he had intended to say, he was interrupted when one of the Blacksilver Rulers rushed at him, surrounded by green flames. Homez's face plate snapped down and he reacted with surprising agility, weaving around the heart of the strikes and letting the rest splash off his armor. Despite the heavy spheres on his arms, they moved smoothly and he brushed aside a direct attack before striking his opponent in the chest with both spheres.

The man hurtled backward, disappearing into the shadows, and Homez started to turn back to them. Nauda struck before he could, thrusting out her staff to bind him. She knew it would only hold for a second, but before he could overpower her, Fiyu might-

Homez raised one arm and her technique slid off the stone sphere. Even when Nauda threw in more cantae in disbelief, he smoothly deflected her binding.

She realized in that moment that they couldn't win, not in a fair fight. This man was no brute relying on cantae intensity, he was a Ruler with three fully-crafted floors. Though he appeared kinder than the brutal Ruler, Nauda feared him far more.

Fiyu released a storm of light... and Homez promptly disappeared. When Nauda caught sight of him again, he was standing beside them, one arm moving for each of them. Fiyu reacted quicker, trying to cut his arm with her cantae blade.

Somehow Homez twisted his arm away from her attack, then tapped her in the head with one stone sphere. Fiyu immediately crumpled to the ground.

Nauda didn't realize that she was the one screaming until she was lashing out at the enemy, striking him with a brutal series of staff strikes and kicks carrying more cantae than she had known she possessed. The sheer ferocity of it seemed to take Homez off guard, but he calmly defended himself. Even through her rage, Nauda realized that he was regaining control of the fight, so it was only a matter of time...

One of the stone spheres hit her arm and she skidded back, the entire limb going numb. She desperately looked to Fiyu, fearing that one of the stone fists would crush her, but Homez shook his head.

"Don't worry, that was a nonlethal technique. Enough people already hate the Asplundat Movement, we don't need to make enemies of new outsiders."

Reasonable as his words seemed, Nauda couldn't see anything except Fiyu's body. Her cantae hadn't disappeared, and she didn't seem bound, so he might be telling the truth, but Nauda was still helpless to reach her.

Then the other Ruler stomped up beside his ally. "Finish them, Homez!" They both used the same techniques, but there was no comparison between the smooth stone around Homez's hands and the brutal sledgehammers of his ally.

"I don't believe the dewfossil is here," Homez said, idly deflecting a cantae bolt that flew in their direction. "This is a diversionary movement."

"What? Fine, then the Authorities will find it. Let's just kill them and be done with it." The other Ruler smashed his sledgehammer hands together, and though Nauda could only see his eyes, she was certain that he grinned.

One of those heavy blocks rose over Fiyu, but Homez put his arm in the way. The Ruler glared at him, teetering on a line between shouting and attacking. Homez raised his face plate and frowned, but as he opened his mouth to object, their argument became irrelevant.

Deeper in the cavern, Theo completed his black hole. As Nauda felt his cantae vanish, she realized that this was no quickly created technique, he'd crafted it perfectly.

The dark sphere hummed to life in the mouth of the cavern, instantly pulling in several unfortunate soulcrafters who had been running in. An Archcrafter tried to dig his hands into the stone, but his technique wasn't strong enough as the darkness grew, tearing him free.

Though Nauda was more accustomed to the strange gravity than anyone else there, she knew she only had a moment. She didn't know if she could rescue Fiyu... but at that moment the other woman's body lifted into the air and began to fall in her direction. Across the cavern, Nauda felt Theo manipulating another of his fields. He might be able to do that while the black sphere consumed on its own, but his control wasn't very precise.

Nauda knelt enough to catch Fiyu's body, which felt strangely heavy for a moment before the strange gravity vanished. The strongest pull was toward the dark sphere, but Nauda was far enough away to scramble back. Most of the Blacksilver soulcrafters were at a safe distance, since Theo had timed it well... but not all.

Spotting a woman she recognized losing her grip, Nauda extended her staff and bound her ally to move her to safety. Even though she was further away than any of the Asplundat soulcrafters, Nauda had to strain her cantae to move her allies. That sphere of darkness was growing, distorting everything around it as it drank in more and more cantae.

"Petty Archcrafter tricks!" Both enemy Rulers were being drawn in, but the brutal Ruler actually stepped closer, contemptuously swinging down one sledgehammer to crush the technique.

At the end of the swing, his arm ended in a stump, the stone immediately absorbed. He cried out in pain and shock, struggling back, but his cantae had fueled the technique further. Though he desperately turned away, trying to pull himself across the floor, his armor began to break apart and soon he was drawn into the sphere with a final cry, even the sound itself twisted beyond recognition.

Not far away, Homez watched for only a moment before he lowered both arms to the ground. The stone of his spheres merged smoothly into the floor, then his body began to pull away, as if drawn by some deeper current. He managed to increase his distance until he could stand. After one frowning stare back at them, he retreated from the cavern.

Finally the black sphere collapsed, leaving fragments of stone to rain down over the chamber. The surviving Asplundat soulcrafters ran in terror, while everyone from Blacksilver breathed a sigh of relief. Nauda ignored all of them and stared down at Fiyu in her arms.

"I am alright, Nauda." Fiyu smiled at her and pulled away, only a little shaky on her feet. "He was not lying. His technique was not intended to do any permanent harm."

Whereas they hadn't hesitated to kill. Nauda shoved aside such thoughts and focused on Fiyu. "So you're fine? Sorry I grabbed you like that."

"It was to save my life. I do not mind." Fiyu carefully rearranged her robes as she did when uncomfortable, but compared to when they had first met, Nauda thought it was significant progress.

Suddenly the weariness overcame her and she dropped back to take a seat on a broken stalagmite. She'd pushed herself hard, trying to keep up with Rulers, and the emotional exhaustion took something out of her much worse than cantae. Against a more brutal opponent, Fiyu could well have been killed, and Nauda would have been completely helpless to protect her. That possibility ached within her, even as the others began to celebrate their victory.

Theo appeared beside them, suitably grim. "I'm sorry you nearly got caught in it. I've been trying to think of a way to give you both immunity, but we don't have the sublime materials for it."

"One of them got away," Nauda said, "and they know this is a diversion. Do you think they'll help the Authorities?"

"I'm not sure how much of an impact we can have."

"Come on!" One of the Blacksilver Rulers appeared beside them, most of her face one giant bruise but tugging them to rise. "All of this is for nothing if Dhan can't finish his work!"

Though reluctant to do anything, Nauda forced herself up. While the most injured were treated, the rest made their way to the mouth of the cavern. The dust storm appeared to have died down... or perhaps it had been entirely consumed. Even the air above felt scorched, and she saw destroyed spires everywhere, annihilated by the battle between Authorities.

Before any of the Blacksilver soulcrafters could throw themselves into the fight, one of the spires exploded. Dhan emerged in the shower of stone, wrapped in a burning cloak of cantae. Even Nauda's senses could tell that he'd managed to fully absorb a new sublime material. More importantly, his soulhome was completely fresh compared to the drained Asplundat Authorities.

"Is the Asplundat Movement going to war?" Dhan didn't shout, but he put enough cantae into his voice for it to echo over the entire battlefield. "Think carefully before you strike."

"You... you scattered cities are nothing." One of the enemy Authorities wiped blood from his lips, but he drifted groundward. Many of their chariots had been destroyed, but the Asplundat soulcrafters began to gather their dead and injured to retreat. "When it comes time for the true battle, we will seize sublime materials that make this seem like nothing."

"Maybe you will. But today, you will retreat without taking any more life."

It seemed that they would. For all the ferocity they'd shown in battle, the Blacksilver soulcrafters showed no bloodthirst in victory. Instead they began to gather together, even the injured. Too many had died for them to celebrate, but the outcome was unquestionable.

"Huzzah." Tythes lounged on top of one of the remaining spires, waving a wine skin hard enough to slosh wine in all directions. "Approbation and veneration all around. You are all very brave and strong. I feel like I should have been given the dewfossil, for coming in and helping."

"Why are you here?" Dhan lowered his voice as he floated down beside Tythes, but Nauda could still make out the words. "We asked for no help from House Crimson."

"Oh, my father was just worried about the Assplund... Aspund... about the Movement taking out the lesser Houses. Sent me to... well, I can't quite remember the instructions part. But count my help as a gift, alright?"

"Your help is appreciated, but you cannot expect us to accept such an explanation."

"I very much can." Tythes tossed his wine skin to Dhan, then slid down the curve of the spire, spiraling until he was swallowed by one of the caverns.

Though that bore thinking about later, Nauda wasn't worried about either of those Authorities. Instead she searched the wreckage for Janne, finally spotting her sitting atop the primary outcropping. Many of her robes had been burned away, revealing only more robes underneath. She looked immensely weary, but Nauda didn't particularly care.

Instead she gestured to Theo, who thankfully generated one of his fields without objecting. It took them up to the outcropping easily enough, then as soon as the world was righted, Nauda stalked across the top to confront Janne.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" Nauda barely waited for an answer, since the look in the older woman's eyes was enough. "We risked our lives for House Blacksilver. I think we deserve some real answers."

Chapter 11

Theo had been entirely supportive of Nauda's demand for clear answers, but given the amount of cleanup, they didn't come immediately. He'd almost thought that they'd been forgotten when they were summoned back to House Blacksilver. Yet when they entered the lush central chambers, the one to greet them was the last Authority. Karchibol, he thought the old man's name was.

"Take a seat." Old as he was, he stood with his back straight and his arms tucked behind it. "This information will eventually become public knowledge, but for now, it isn't to leave this room."

After exchanging a glance with Nauda, Theo sank onto one of the low cushions. Fiyu folded her legs under her beside them, hands on her knees awaiting instruction. The old Authority looked as though he was about to break out a chalkboard to lecture them, but merely spoke with his arms behind his back.

"I know the three of you are outsiders to Fithe. Do you know our world outside of Norro Yorthin?"

"We've barely seen it except for a few trips," Nauda said. "I know this city is just one of many city-states known as the Ruling Cities."

"Norro Yorthin is one of the most powerful, controlling a large region of these plains, but yes, we are only one of many. I'll not lecture you on local politics, but you should know that all cities worth naming have at least one Stronghold-tier soulcrafter, while there is only one Dominion in all of the Ruling Cities. He sits in Dris Kolonb, which is a relatively small city that dedicates itself to matters that affect all cities."

He hadn't known anything about the specific continent, but it was a familiar story to Theo. "I'm guessing that the Ruling Cities are rivals except when it comes to outsiders... such as the Asplundat Movement?"

"Then you understand." Karchibol's lips thinned in displeasure, but he soon continued. "The Asplundat Movement is the second largest region on the Norron continent, controlling almost all the north. Their founder is a Dominion, and they have enough Strongholds and other soulcrafters to crush any individual city. Norro Yorthin doesn't border their territory, but we still faced them today."

"Is it because of the Chasm of Lamentations?" Fiyu asked.

"That's the secret we would prefer not get out. Usually, Chasm Invitations are divided among all the Ruling Cities. This year, the Asplundat Movement has been far more aggressive. They've stolen many Invitations from other cities, in some cases entirely removing them from the competition. It seems they intend to dominate the Chasm and use its sublime materials to further their conquest of the continent."

"This is not.. against the rules? They cannot be removed?"

Karchibol shook his head slowly, white hair rippling. "The Invitations aren't arbitrary limitations, they're required to enter the Chasm. Besides, the Ruling Cities make so much noise about anyone being able to earn their way in, it would look hypocritical to oppose them directly."

"So this year will be different than normal." Theo sat forward, considering the consequences. Odd past statements had all fallen into place, but he was unsure of all the ramifications. "Does that mean that the Ruling Cities will be working together? Lasaa Anklon's soulcrafters seemed eager to fight with us."

"Of course it cannot be that simple. We will still be squabbling with one another while the Asplundat Movement presents a unified face. Though today's conflict does have another upside: we've begun talks with Lasaa Anklon and they may be more amenable to cooperation."

"This Asplundat Movement uses common blueprints, and they saw our techniques... do we need to be worried that they'll be fully prepared for us next time?"

That earned an immediate snort from the Authority. "The Asplundat Movement's method of adaptation is to return with a larger army. Did you see their soulhomes? No imagination among them, just brutal force. Their souls are as dull as their architecture. If they had their way, they'd dominate the entire continent and force everyone to follow exactly the same blueprints."

Theo sat back, somewhat mollified. Since the default Asplundat blueprint didn't defend against his gravitational fields or singularity, he had much less to fear from the Movement than most. He shouldn't have been surprised they wouldn't adapt, since few could soulcraft countermeasures as quickly as Esaire had. They would also be a more predictable opponent, though their stronger soulcrafters no doubt branched out from the base blueprints.

Meanwhile, it seemed that Nauda had been thinking along entirely different lines. "Who else will be present at the Chasm?" she asked. "There are other forces on the continent, right? I heard something about a place called the Wavefront. Who all should we expect to be dealing with?"

"The Wavefront is a neutral power that protects the continent from the mud Fithans." Karchibol waved them aside. "Someone else can brief you on other cities that might oppose us, though many of our fiercest rivals will be right here in Norro Yorthin. But you're right, there will be others."

"From the Norron continent?"

"Well... no. There are credible rumors that a great empire of Tymetron will be sending representatives. Some say that the mud Fithans have stolen Invitations, though I'm skeptical of that. We've received word that the House of the Lost will be present, but they have often joined in the past."

"Then something's different this time." When Karchibol looked uncomfortable, Nauda pressed him further. "You've conducted this contest for decades and it's never been so intense. All sides sacrificed lives today. That doesn't make sense unless there's something more to it than a mere contest."

Karchibol was silent for a long time, then sighed. "I believed that it was better not to speak of this, but the other two overruled me, if you insisted. Yes, something is different. The last time we ventured into the Chasm, there were a number of... irregularities. It seems that the knowledge has spread much further than we'd hoped."

The three of them sat and waited, clearly expectant. Karchibol watched them for a time... and then actually sat down, abruptly looking far more human than he had before. When he spoke again, he'd lost his precise diction.

"Ten years ago, the soulcrafters venturing into the Chasm of Lamentations unlocked a great vault that had never before been opened. Though they didn't get far, they did retrieve an ancient armament of troubling power. It has been called the Scepter of Separation, though we do not know its true name or who created it. When pointed at a soulcrafter, it... uncreates the bonds within their soulhome, at least temporarily. This could be used for reshaping work, but..."

"It could be used to kill," Theo said as the last facts came together. "Anyone struck by it would be temporarily crippled. I'm guessing that every Dominion on Fithe wants to acquire it in order to defeat their rivals?"

"I'm afraid it's even worse than that." Karchibol cast him a weary smile. "The scepter was activated several times before being lost in the Chasm, and it appears... remarkably easy to use. Even an Archcrafter is fully capable of wielding it, potentially against someone of a higher tier. And, no matter their tier, it still produces the unbonding effect."

"That's unbelievable. It was used enough that you're completely sure of its effects?"

"It can't entirely ignore cantae intensity, of course. Ten years ago, a Ruler used it to kill an Authority, and the scepter was damaged in the process. But the reverse... an Authority was able to instantly disable Rulers with it, possibly endlessly. So yes, Dominions could use it to break the balance of power, but it could also leave them vulnerable to Strongholds. The Ruling Cities hoped that the Scepter of Separation could be quietly controlled, but now it has become a threat that no power can ignore. Worst of all, everyone will be seeking to claim everything else the vault contains."

For a time Karchibol just sat wearily, and Theo didn't blame him. There were multiple questions, but they all spent a while turning that thought over in their minds. Armaments that could level the playing field between tiers were extremely rare, so he understood why a contest for sublime materials had become a war by proxy.

"There are additional complications." Karchibol's control abruptly returned and he rose to his feet smoothly, again an untouchable Authority. "If House Blacksilver were to acquire the scepter, we would give it to the leadership of the Ruling Cities in return for immense resources and favor. Such a power is better kept as a deterrent against warmongers. But others may not make the same decision. It is widely believed that if House Crimson acquires the scepter, they will use it to rule Norro Yorthin."

"So you need us to get it first," Nauda said, but Karchibol immediately shook his head.

"You will do nothing of the sort. The battle for the scepter will be among Authorities, if not Strongholds. You will participate in the Chasm as normal, acquiring sublime materials. Just because there is a greater prize does not mean that we can overlook all the other profits to be had."

That was more or less what Theo had been anticipating. Though Nauda looked displeased, she couldn't deny that they were out of their league in such a fight. Theo fully intended to ask about the exact location this scepter had been lost, in case his knowledge of the Chasm could bring them there first, but he didn't like the sound of the conflict at all.

Because of the risk, of course, but also because this sounded very much like something Vistgil might have schemed to strike his enemies...

Chapter 12

As Nauda inventoried every sublime material in her soulhome, she began to wonder if she was completely losing objectivity.

To her credit, she felt largely prepared to ascend. The surgestalk had continued growing, now pushing nearly a full floor into the sky above her soulhome. She'd finished applying the new layer of petals over her windows and other exposed parts of her soulhome in preparation for the event. Every chamber hummed with raw cantae.

To her detriment, there was so much more that could be done. Her supposed sensory chamber was filled with reasonably powerful materials but completely failed to grant her a new sense. Efforts to find sublime materials to strengthen her wards had been unsuccessful. She was still dissatisfied with the chambers in the tower separate from her soulhome. For that matter, there was still the barrier wall Theo wouldn't shut up about.

Actually... Nauda left her soulhome and blinked in the shadows of her room. Still rather short, so there was time. She walked through the Blacksilver complex, searching him out. Hopefully he would be working with Fiyu, but she was certain that he would be soulcrafting in one of the usual locations.

Eventually she found him soulcrafting in a small courtyard, a defensive field placed around him. Nauda was puzzled until she saw Senka scampering around the edges, chewing on something absolutely filthy. The little creature finished chewing and then ran at Theo, only to be caught up in the field. Part of her body suddenly falling in the other direction, she flipped backwards and tumbled over the courtyard before flopping onto her back.

"Nauda Nauda!" Senka stared at her and blubbered. "Theo is being a dirty fumpet. Make Theo play with Senka!"

"Maybe not now, Senka." Nauda's words had absolutely no effect on her, of course, and she wriggled over, grabbing hold of Nauda's ankle.

For a moment she considered using her staff to bind Senka in place, maybe even keep her mouth closed. Eventually she decided that would be unkind, since Senka couldn't help whatever she was. Instead she extricated her leg and continued forward until Theo looked at her.

"I've continued trying to train her, to no avail." He sighed and lowered his field. "Sometimes it feels like she's trying to convince me not to."

"Senka just wants yummies, not work!"

"Ignore her. Did you want to ask me something?"

"Yes, actually." Nauda frowned over at Senka, who was running for them. A moment later, Theo dropped her into the air with another field. Her babbling reached a higher pitch, which was exceedingly annoying, so Nauda reached out to touch his knee and drew both their spirits into her soulhome. If she ignored her body just a little, she could hear nothing but the quiet natural sounds of her soul.

Though Theo looked over her soulhome with interest, he soon stopped and turned back to her. That was what she had been hoping, so Nauda overcame her last uncertainty. After swallowing one more time, she finally spoke her mind.

"You frustrate me sometimes, Theo, but I do respect you. I wanted your advice."

"From this humble soulcrafter? I assure you, I take no pleasure in explaining things to people." His smile at his own expense was just enough for Nauda to forgive him. She gestured for him to follow and walked closer to her soulhome.

"I want to ascend to Ruler, but... this absolutely has to work. I've seen what we'll be facing... no, the truth is I've only seen the beginning of it." Nauda slowly ran a hand over the vine-wrapped stone. "Do you think I'd be making a mistake, trying to ascend now?"

"Yes, definitely. I have no doubt that you could, but it's premature." Theo shrugged. "As you noted, I give my opinions pretty freely. What else do you want me to say?"

"How much of a mistake? I want to talk about the really advanced soulcrafting issues you always imply you know, the ones beyond Authority. So yes, Theo, I'm asking for a lecture. I need to get this right."

He was silent for longer than she expected, given the invitation to lecture, and then slowly drifted up to her roof. Nauda had to climb the vines to join him, not far behind. Though he stared skyward at first, his gaze soon shifted back down.

"When you ascend, the force from piercing the sky will rush through your soulhome, reinforcing everything. Generally speaking, for optimum soulhome design, you want the strongest materials you can possibly endure, held through as many ascensions as you can manage."

"But isn't it sometimes better to replace them? If we'd somehow gotten that dewfossil and could use it, wouldn't that be better than our current materials?"

"Most likely, but you shouldn't underestimate the strength of a sublime material that matters to you, carried through all your soulcrafting." Theo shook his head slowly. "Your basic construction has always been good. Excellent, even. These walls will only grow stronger over time as you ascend. But can you show me one of your strongest sublime materials?"

"Down here." Nauda flipped over the edge of one wall, sliding through the window into the room that contained the monstrous skull on its altar. Theo followed by drifting through the ceiling. To his credit, he didn't ask her about the origin of the skull, just considered the chamber.

"There's one thing you're doing absolutely right: keeping this powerful material through multiple ascensions. But... you really want my opinion?"

"This humble novice begs your wisdom, great master."

Theo smirked, but when he answered his voice was flat. "This altar is barely passable, you could almost certainly find better materials. Your walls are all blank... carving symbols or covering them with another material may not transform your strength, but it enhances the power of the central material. At least s-"

"The blood isn't enough?" Nauda had known exactly what she was asking for and still had to choke down irritation. "That comes from a sublime beast, and it was so potent it would have eaten through my walls before!"

He actually stopped, an uncharacteristic look in his eyes as he examined her walls. "That's actually not bad, but it's not sufficient. You don't have any furnishings or other supportive materials... this chamber is in no shape for ascension."

"And you have room to talk? You ascended to Archcrafter with some of your chambers empty. Have you been resenting us the entire time for the lost strength?"

"It's always more complicated than that." Theo drifted closer to one of the walls, running his hand over it. "You made the right choice putting up the blood as soon as possible. You could find something for your other rooms, say a sublime paint. It's common enough in Fithe. If you coat every room perfectly and then ascend, those materials will become stronger. But if you ascend and then use those coatings, it simply won't compare. With your new cantae, you might be able to find a stronger material for the walls, but the adequate ones would be much rarer, and they might not match your blueprint. The more shortcuts you take, the more rigid your possible future designs become."

For the first time, all his optimization talk made a bit more sense to her, all her irritation vanishing. "Is that how people hit their limits? Their ways of soulcrafting become more and more limited until their soulhome isn't strong enough to ascend again?"

"That's one of the ways, yes."

"But you didn't answer my question. And I did want an answer."

"About my ascension?" Theo was silent for a time, and if he had smiled at her, she wouldn't have believed it. When he spoke, his spirit stared out past her soul. "I don't think it will hurt me in the end, but I'm not sure. I should be able to make up some of the loss at Ruler. From my earlier experience, the one that you can't ever make up is the ascension to Authority."

"Because it's more difficult than the others? I thought that Stronghold was even harder."

"It is, but it's not the same. Reaching Authority is a... phase shift, you could say. The strength it grants your soulhome can't be replaced, even if you search out incredibly rare sublime materials. A botched ascension to Ruler, you might be able to fix with ten years of remodeling. But Authority... well, you've seen how many people reach that tier and get stuck."

She had assumed it was something like that, but Nauda actually found the explanation a bit reassuring. She might have stumbled her way this far, but she would have a second chance. Reaching Ruler would let her fully use all her resources and stay alive. That would be enough to finally get her blueprint in order, then she could ascend to Authority and be able to start her real work.

Though she already had her conclusion, Nauda didn't find herself wanting to shoo Theo away. Instead she made her way down one of the open gaps... she really needed to work on ladders at some point. When she reached her feasting table, she gestured over it.

"What about the Nine Worlds Feast? Does that need to be absolutely perfect before then?"

"Soulcrafting is never that simple," Theo said as he examined the food. "Hard materials like stones, you want to settle early. But food that's perishable in real life... never changing your feasting chamber can actually lead to stagnation. It all follows a realistic logic... plants, for example, need resources to continue growing but can catch up to you over time."

"Huh." Nauda glanced over the surgestalk vines, briefly second-guessing her decision. "Does that mean that a soulhome constructed entirely of plants would be ideal?"

"That wouldn't be a very durable structure, and not all sublime plants are created equal. Never mind that... have you been supplementing what the Authorities give us? I don't recognize some of these foods."

"I've been busy. The feast is supposed to match us, right? I've bought a few new things at the markets, and paid a soulcrafter chef to prepare some of the food more to my taste. I may not know the finer points of high tier soulcrafting, but I'm pretty confident in sublime food."

"Yeah, this is well done." Theo glanced up with an odd smile, difficult to read on his wispy spirit. "I could nitpick that your table is a bit basic and the room contains too many different objects, but it's a solid feast. That explains your physical strength."

"That's only the beginning, if the ascension goes the way I want." Nauda smiled at him, but it suddenly wasn't enough. She released her technique and they returned to the real world, where she squeezed his knee and smiled for real. "Thank you, Theo. I want to be ready to take on the Chasm with you."

He chuckled. "If we manage that, we'll be set f-"

"Give Senka yummies now! Now, now, now!" Though she should have been entirely pinned in place, Senka flailed wildly and seemed to be getting closer to them by sheer orneriness. Theo sighed and got to his feet slowly.

"I'm guessing you're going to try it soon. Do you want company? Non-Senka company?"

"Why say Senka's name? Why? Why?"

Doing her best to block out the nonsense, Nauda tried to think about what she truly wanted. The idea of having Fiyu there alongside her appealed, but given all the thoughts swirling through her mind... "Thank you, Theo, but no. I guess I'll just ask for last second advice about the ascension itself."

"Hmm." Theo put a hand over Senka's mouth, and though she seemed to be trying to bite it, he managed to keep her silent. "I saw that you'd put petals from our Aathal trip all over the top. To defend against the pressure?"

"Not just that. I'm told that Tatian ascensions involve some sort of intense rain, so the petals should help shed it."

"Good thought. Then I probably only have one word of advice: make an umbrella."

While he departed, thankfully taking Senka with him, Nauda considered his advice. It was obvious, now that she thought about it. She had been most worried about the spiritual rain beating down over her soulhome, but it would be striking her as well. Rain might seem trivial, but given the difficulty of ascending, it never hurt to be careful.

So, as she checked over her entire blueprint one last time, Nauda assembled a few materials. Not just random objects, but sublime materials that meant something to her. She fashioned a stick out of hearthtree wood from Tatian, reinforced it with Fithan stone, and managed to bind several layers of petals into the canopy. It wasn't an elegant umbrella, but it resonated with her soul.

That accomplished, Nauda took a moment to rest, letting her spirit relax and her soulhome fill. When she finally returned to her roof, the time felt right.

When she began climbing up the side of the surgestalk, she was surprised how easy it was. With the thick vines firm in both hands, the pressure from above didn't feel nearly so oppressive. She carried her umbrella stuck in her belt, slightly awkward but not getting in the way given the ease of climbing.

Once she climbed a full body length above her soulhome, the sky began to push back harder. Each time she reached up it was a struggle and her cantae began to drain as she tried to break through. Yet this still wasn't overly challenging... she'd already endured one ascension, she could grit her teeth and force her way through this one.

Nauda raised a hand and pushed her will skyward, piercing the barrier... and that was when the rain struck her like a hammer.

The drops plunged out of the empty sky overhead, skipping from a drizzle to a wall. Nauda was drenched in an instant, the raindrops growing larger and battering at her spirit. She lost her grip from the impact and slid down nearly a pace before catching herself.

Her instincts to reach for her staff to defend herself made Nauda grab the umbrella instead. It didn't rise smoothly, but she managed to get the canopy between herself and the brutal rain. As soon as she earned a moment of relief, she realized that her head was ringing and her spirit felt bruised. The Aathali petals seemed to be repelling the rain, but the drops continued to buffet it.

Unable to help herself, Nauda looked back down over her soulhome. She was surprised to see that the rain was tearing through the surgestalk vines, drops impacting in tiny explosions. If the vines hadn't been so thick, the drops would have been pummeling her roof instead. Fortunately, all of the petals endured much more effectively, preventing the water from causing damage inside.

If Nauda had needed to claw her way up through the stinging rain, it would have been a miserable ordeal. Given a moment's respite by Theo's umbrella, she was able to catch her breath and brace herself. When the umbrella started to tear apart, Nauda cast it aside and clawed her way up with all her strength.

The rain still smashed into her, but Nauda snarled and kept climbing hand over hand. The pressure increased, and by the time she reached the limits of the sky, she was roaring so loud it overwhelmed the downpour, but she threw everything she had against the barrier.

When it finally broke, Nauda was shocked at the rush of relief. Not just cantae flowing through her like air, it was as if she'd taken a drink of the most refreshing water in all the worlds. The cantae flooded from the sky more intensely than before, more like liquid than air. It filled her soul, sinking deep into everything that she had built and everything that she was, filling her with new strength.

Eventually the flow of strength lowered her to the grass outside her soulhome. Though the remnants of the surgestalk lay in ragged pieces, her soulhome was surprisingly untouched. Instead of having endured a brutal storm, everything glistened like dew in the morning.

Nauda laughed out loud and rushed to the pile of bricks she'd been preparing for her third floor. Yes, they had been suffused by the rush of cantae as well, stronger than they had been before. But when she tried to pick one up to begin work, her head spun and she dropped it as she realized just how exhausted her spirit was.

Receding to the real world, Nauda flopped onto her back and just lay there for a while. Her body surged with new strength, her mind just hadn't caught up. Eager as she was to begin work on her third floor, she wouldn't advance further by just throwing herself into the problem. No, she needed to work smarter.

Fortunately, soulcrafting wasn't the only path she had ahead of her. Nauda hopped to her feet and went to collect all of the Arbaian gemstones she had been storing. It was time to commission her first Ruler armament.

Chapter 13

Despite the impending deadline, Fiyu found herself often pleased with her work. As she carried bricks from her central workstations to her barrier wall, she often did so with a skip in her step. Actually quite immoderate, if it hadn't been within her soul. There might be threats in the future, but she believed that she would be as prepared as she could be.

Her barrier wall now extended all the way around her soulhome, and she had been able to spend significant time polishing it. The enemy Ruler who had been able to pierce her stealth before would now have a more difficult time, or so she hoped. Originally she had been planning to add a ridge to the top of the wall, but Friend Nauda pushing to ascend and succeeding had led Fiyu to change her priorities. She would not waste time on a capping ridge that would need to be removed later, not when she had more productive if more unorthodox soulcrafting to complete.

If she had kept to her original design, she would have already completed the wall, but instead she built a much larger gatehouse just opposite her soulhome's door. Friend Theo had assisted her with the initial blueprint and then she had modified it to be a better match. At times she felt that others believed she simply followed her relative's instructions like an obedient child, but she had been taught the principles of soulcrafting. Relative Guchiro would be proud of her.

The gatehouse was actually formed of two towers three times the thickness of the rest of her wall, straining the limits of her soul at the edges while also pushing higher. Though the section in between them was also heavily reinforced, the towers were the essential part: she had carved each one to the same shape as her Soulsilver Bracers.

Fiyu carefully lifted the bricks in one arm as she made her way up her ladder to the top of the bridge between the towers. It was the only section that still required fundamental work, and she hoped to finish soon. Of course, the towers needed considerably more polish and carving, both in general and because she intended to carve the same intricate patterns as covered her bracers.

The carving had been a somewhat new experience for her, as her spiritual skills had focused more on polishing and glass-blowing. Friend Theo had been very helpful in offering suggestions, though he was not able to assist directly until that day because Friend Nauda had required assistance.

When she needed a moment to relax her spirit, Fiyu receded from her soulhome to confirm that Friend Theo still sat beside her. She had been fully aware of his presence, of course, it was simply good to confirm. Even in the midst of soulcrafting, his hazy body managed to glance at her, but she only smiled at him and returned.

Currently, the door in the center of the gatehouse was a weakness, preventing the barrier wall from attaining its true potential. The ideal door would have been another arch of the extremely rare sublime material that her relative had given her, but Fiyu was unable to find more of that. Instead she was working on carving a door from Aathali wood, which would at least allow for smooth control of cantae.

As she set herself to the simple work of laying the final bricks, Fiyu allowed her mind to wander to Friend Theo's work. She had been assisting him with the fine-tuning of his sensory chamber. He had built upon an extremely appropriate sublime material and designed the rest of his chamber around it. Truly, Friend Theo was doing quite well, already as competent as Ichili children. The powerful cantae flow of his blueprint gave him immense range and potential, it was just a matter of his mind and soul adjusting to the new sense as he fine-tuned the chamber.

Usually they spent long periods soulcrafting quietly, interspersed by brief conversation. Before the next of them, they were interrupted by a new presence appearing. Fiyu brought all her cantae to bear, even though she recognized one of the Blacksilver Authorities.

"Let's not waste time." Associate Karchibol frowned down at them. "If you want that Ichil trip of yours, it has to be now. Dhan and Janne need the weirkey nearly as much as I do."

Though Fiyu was glad that her request had been answered, she would have preferred one of the other Authorities. Associate Janne had fought alongside her, and Associate Dhan was at least a familiar face. Neither meant they could be fully trusted, but they were preferable to the man who acted like an elder relative when he was still nearly a stranger.

"You're going deep into Ichil?" Friend Theo asked. "Depending on the location, I might want to go along."

Associate Karchibol waved a hand. "It makes no difference to me, so long as you don't waste time. We need to go now."

"I'll require a short time to assemble resources and-"

"Not good enough. I'll do what Blacksilver has agreed upon, but I still don't like taking Archcrafters to their deaths in the Chasm."

The tension in Friend Theo's neck made it obvious that he was irritated, no doubt that a "mere Authority" was insulting him. Fiyu hastened to speak before she would need to interrupt them. "Excuse me, but I have a solution." She reached into her cloak and revealed her prepared sack. "I have exchanged some of my money for craftgems, as well as universally useful Ichili materials. I have a sufficient quantity for my ally as well, so we may depart now."

Anger breaking, Karchibol turned toward her with a frown. "You're just carrying that with you?"

"It is important to be prepared." This was really no more than basic precautions, though those seemed less common on Fithe. In any case, Karchibol was appeased and gestured for them to move close for the transfer. The black Ichili weirkey already glinted in his hand.

When they both came to stand beside him, Karchibol reached to grip them both. Fiyu suffered his touch, but reached back to grip Friend Theo's coat. Her sense of touch had been twisting lately, the presence of allies both comforting and discomforting... and then all other thoughts were washed away as the terrible light between worlds consumed them.

It faded to reveal a blessed darkness, not absolute but still comforting. When she turned toward the only source of light, she soon found the walls of Bleaklight City. She was taller than she had been when Relative Guchiro first took her there, but it appeared exactly the same to her purest senses: the thick outer wall, the intricate spiraling plazas arching overhead, the tangled streets in the heart. Unlike some cities, both walls and streets were lit with gas lanterns. They had been shockingly bright when she first saw them and she now realized they were likely dim and unstable to others.

"They don't know much about other worlds here," Associate Karchibol said, "so you'll have to get him in. I have my own business to take care of elsewhere. You have until the dust has passed through, then return here. Do not keep me waiting."

His ambiguous statement was explained when he thrust an object toward her, though Friend Theo intercepted it for her sake. It appeared to be a glass sphere filled with a storm, and as Associate Karchibol rose into the sky and vanished, Fiyu examined what he had left behind.

Clever glasswork divided the sphere into two halves, one of which contained a miniature dust storm and the other nearly empty except for a few grains. Though Friend Theo puzzled over it a moment, presumably with his sense of gravity, Fiyu understood immediately. The empty half of the sphere was a vacuum, and there was a slight flaw in the glass between them, so the dust would slowly be drawn from one side to the other until the pressure equalized.

"It looks like this will run for several hours," Friend Theo said, "but that's an estimate. I'm not sure whether or not we can afford to split up, or whether we can afford not to."

"We should begin." Fiyu began walking toward the gates and spoke quietly as they approached. "This place is called Bleaklight City, and I know it from my childhood. I wish that I could have shown you and Nauda everything, but I fear our associate will not grant us enough time."

"Are the gates going to be a problem?"

"No, a city of this size is accustomed to strangers. We will be permitted entrance."

Though they were, the guards examined Theo with their senses for much longer than Fiyu had anticipated. After her journey through so many shocking worlds and living in Norro Yorthin, her shock at other worlds had dulled. A great many Ichili were only dimly aware that other worlds existed and might never have met an outsider. Only the fact that the locals were accustomed to mistrusting many other Ichili allowed for them to be eventually permitted inside.

Both were given pins that bound to their clothes and emitted an unpleasantly intense light. They could not be easily removed and would prevent them from hiding in the shadows, likely to discourage antisocial behavior. Each pin also contained anti-cantae properties, and even a month ago the light would have pierced through her stealth technique. Fiyu was somewhat confident she could now overcome it, though she hoped that she would not be required to test this.

Inside, they stood on the wide central street of Bleaklight City. When she had arrived as a child, it had seemed an impossibly vast space crowded with people, as dangerous as any other landscape. Now, she understood that the city was nowhere near the size of a place like Norro Yorthin, even considering the volume of its many floors, and the population density - though more reasonable - was quite low.

More than that, she felt a deep sense of melancholy that she had returned to it like this. What she wanted was to guide Friend Theo and Friend Nauda through the city carefully, showing them its delights and rediscovering its strengths. Yet now one of her friends was missing and there was no time to explore, no time even to stand and reflect as she was.

"Do you have a plan?" Friend Theo asked. He tapped at the glass sphere and frowned. "At the rate the mass is changing, I would guess a little over two hours. I'm not sure how dangerous this city is or how much we need to do."

"Though not as safe as a true community, for someone like yourself who will not offend Ichili, you may travel freely." Fiyu examined the sphere and set her own sense of time. "I am afraid that we must likely split up, but you have not told me what you needed to do here."

"I wanted to buy some equipment that will prepare us for the Chasm. Not proper armaments, but the sort of thing you don't find on many other worlds. What about you?"

"I have decided to purchase some additional sublime materials for my Corporeal Floor. Though I am not prepared to begin full soulcrafting there, I have... recognized that I am fragile compared to you and Nauda. Acquiring some of the materials should help reinforce my body and soul."

"That sounds like a wise decision. Assuming you're counting time internally, let's try to accomplish everything we can in an hour, then meet back here to check."

"There is a spark fountain in the central square. That would be an easier location to meet."

Friend Theo accepted her expertise quite reasonably and then departed. Then, quite abruptly, Fiyu was alone in a sense she had not been in some time. Despite her melancholy at her rushed visit to the city, Fiyu found herself smiling as she set about her work.

Though she had told Friend Theo the truth, she had omitted other errands. First she traveled to the nearest Biolumin Relay, hosted within the city. Unfortunately, there was no message from Relative Guchiro waiting for her, or indeed any messages at all. After confirming that the message she had left was still unread, Fiyu headed out to seek other relatives.

The branch of relatives in Bleaklight City was not close, but she had memorized their locations in the case of emergencies. If she had been separated from her guiding relative by a less shocking method than falling into another world, she would have made her way to them and been incorporated into their social network. When she arrived, however, she discovered that many of her contacts had departed, and the messages they left for relatives did not offer any particular wisdom.

But neither of those had been truly necessary, because Fiyu had other resources now and could support herself. She might still be vulnerable in an unknown region like the Greater Dark, but she had been taught the environment of Bleaklight City thoroughly. Having completed filial duties, she set about conducting her soulcrafting business.

First she made her way to the deep markets, blissfully free from gas lanterns, and adapted to the minor changes since her last visit. They contained many valuable sublime materials, though during her previous visit she had not been competent enough to do anything but rely on Relative Guchiro and learn from his teachings.

She might not be confident in her ability to construct her Corporeal Floor, but her relative had thoroughly taught her both theory and practical steps. Her second floor needed to represent her body in the deepest sense, so it could only be filled with sublime materials from Ichil.

Her most valuable find was cloudspider silk, a dark material that almost perfectly matched her hair. Though voidspider silk was more commonly used as a construction material, cloudspiders produced a more powerful sublime material. She also purchased a number of bloodembers to represent her body heat and astralcorpuscles for her flesh.

Regrettably, she was unable to purchase any of the truly rare materials that would represent her heart, lungs, or other essential organs. Not only could she not locate any, the other purchases had exhausted almost everything she had saved. These might be her last purchases before the Chasm, even presuming that Friend Theo paid her back for the funds she had loaned him.

Still, she thought it was reasonable to hope that the new materials would assist her. Instead of merely storing cantae, her second floor chambers would begin to resonate along with her body. That might make her more resistant to techniques such as the one that Enemy Homez had used to disable her. She might also be able to refine them to some degree, such as braiding the cloudspider silk in the same fashion as her own hair. Even if Relative Guchiro required changes later, that work would do no harm.

Since she still had funds remaining, Fiyu searched for sublime foods that she thought her companions would enjoy. She felt a sense of regret that she couldn't guide them all through the city so they could eat together, but there was not enough time. Perhaps she could work toward that day by assisting them with their feast chambers.

All her shopping exhausted her allotted time, so Fiyu returned to the chosen place. The spark fountain was not currently functioning because it was an hour of sleep, and she was disappointed, wondering if the fountain would have seemed so shocking after all her otherworldly experiences. Friend Theo sat nearby, carrying a large sack over his shoulder.

"Did you find everything you sought?" she asked. Friend Theo grumbled something about having to carry around everything, but it was his pleased grumbling.

"Look at this: silencemoss makes the perfect earplugs, so we can use it to protect ourselves from the sounds in the Chasm. I also got these animabladders... can you check them for me to be sure that the merchant didn't cheat me?"

Though Fiyu dutifully checked over the animabladders, she believed that Friend Theo had negotiated a good deal. The core of each was the bladder of a creature that could easily float through poisonous environments, but these had been modified with a metal pipe that fit into the mouth. She knew that some Ichili used these to store air and breathe in dangerous environments, and presumed that Friend Theo had spent some time with them in his previous life.

"I believe that these are sound," she concluded, "but I do not know if they can filter the necessary threats. Are there poisonous gases in the Chasm of Lamentations?"

"I'm not sure they're really gases, but there are regions where breathing becomes lethal. These should cover all three of us, though I want to modify the straps. Oh, and I have these two masks: I assumed yours will protect you entirely, so they're just for Nauda and me."

Seeing all of Friend Theo's preparations eased Fiyu's mind more than she had expected. She knew that he was knowledgeable, but also that he could be impetuous by reasonable standards. But these preparations would not have shamed an Ichili, and it seemed clear that he truly knew the dangers that they were about to face and had carefully planned their journey.

She corrected herself: Friend Theo knew the environmental dangers. None of them could fully predict the threats from rival Houses, the Asplundat Movement, and other enemies.

"We made good time, and I didn't need to spend as much money as I expected." Theo handed her the money sack with a smile, and oddly Fiyu almost decided to brush his hand when taking it. Troubling. "Since we still have time until Karchibol returns, is there anything else you think we should do? Anything you've been missing from Bleaklight City?"

"Oh... that is a kind offer, but..." Fiyu found her answers within her hesitation and smiled. "I would prefer to enjoy it alongside you and Nauda. We can explore the city when we return with our own weirkeys."

"That sounds like a good plan to me. Finding more sublime materials, then?"

"Your offer is kind, but I have already located every one of the materials that my relative mentioned. Others will require more effort and journeying."

"What about alternative materials?" Friend Theo must have sensed her dismay at the idea, because he immediately raised his hands. "Hear me out. I'm not asking you to soulcraft your Corporeal Floor with replacements. But if we find materials that are deeply appropriate to your blueprint, they can reinforce your body in the short term. Even if your relative says they're not appropriate for your Corporeal Floor, you could use them elsewhere, right?"

It was a surprisingly prudent plan, so Fiyu smiled back at Friend Theo before catching his sleeve to draw him into the city. "Yes, let us begin."

Chapter 14

With their time before the Chasm winding down, Theo set about restricting their activities to final preparations. There was no sense in skipping to other worlds, potentially getting embroiled in other conflicts, even if there hadn't been increasing threats from the Asplundat Movement. They had all the equipment and sublime materials that would be available, the question was refining them.

One of his objectives was completed, technically: they each had a Nine Worlds Feast within their soulhomes. Their sublime foods for the local worlds were all excellent, though Arbai was little represented due to the lack of edible materials. They didn't have quite the same intensity from Deuxan, but they had considerably more than anyone else in the city. House Blacksilver connections had provided better food from Siata than he'd expected, though not enough. Only their meals from Slest and Noven were barely nominal, limited by lack of weirkeys.

Still, they would be better than most of their opponents, certainly better than the monotonous sublime foods in the Asplundat Movement blueprints. They could improve them... and Theo found himself wondering just how much improvement was possible. Their Tatian meal might be excellent, but it had no representation of the blackened half of the world. Could the feast be taken beyond even the limits he'd known?

When Dhan had told them that the Authorities could no longer continue assisting, Theo had made one last request: blasting his allies' soulhomes with an Authority's cantae. At the moment they both winced on their knees, struggling against the overpowering force scouring their souls. Nauda fared a little better, but no Ruler could stand up to an Authority.

Simply watching his friends suffering felt wrong, so Theo turned to Dhan to question him while he couldn't wriggle away so easily. "How does House Blacksilver think it will fare in the competition?"

"Norro Yorthin is expected to be a major competitor." Dhan didn't look at him as he answered, still pouring out cantae. "But the majority of the rewards will be seized by the top competitors. House Crimson has proved especially aggressive. The House of the Lost is bringing in outside soulcrafters. Some are arguing with the House of Coin about whether or not they should participate at all, since it isn't a mercantile concern. Their Invitations could be distributed via other methods."

"That means we have competition near and far, but it doesn't actually answer my question."

Dhan's eyes finally flickered to him, then he grunted. "We don't know how well we can perform, but with increasing pressure, harvesting many materials will be essential. I worry that we Authorities will be neutralized by others, so your group may be more important than you know, if you live."

"You're not confident in your ability to win?" Theo asked, hoping the question wouldn't come off as too presumptuous.

"I've strengthened myself, but I can't equal the top soulcrafters from House Crimson or the Asplundat Movement. Karchibol is past his prime and Janne has never found the perfect sublime materials her blueprint requires. The results may come down to luck and alliances."

"If we're successful at the Chasm, could you ascend to Stronghold?"

That got a moment of amusement edging along contempt, and Theo realized he'd misjudged the conversation. "House Blacksilver does not intend to join the great houses of Norro Yorthin. But they grow increasingly hungry, so our hope is that we become too large to be eaten."

Again, Theo was reminded about the differences between his ambition and most others. It was true that Authority was a broad tier, spanning a great distance from those who barely survived ascension to those with four precisely crafted floors. But for the vast majority of soulcrafters, including Dhan, none of the next steps included ascension.

Instead of scorning him, Theo tried to remember that he couldn't afford to lose that angle. Soulcrafters who had remained at a tier and perfectly polished their blueprint could be quite formidable. Even when Theo reached Ruler, for all his designs he wouldn't be able to ignore someone like Nanjuma, who had progressed at Ruler for decades.

"Are we done yet?" Nauda grimaced and pulled one knee off the ground. "You're going to tear up all the grass in my foundation."

"I suppose that is enough." Dhan stopped expelling cantae oddly, as if he had forgotten it. "You both endured well."

"If this was just a test, I will be somewhat less than fully grateful."

"It wasn't a test," Theo said. "Enduring such a high volume of more intense cantae will better prepare you for the Chasm of Lamentations. I needed the same thing, I just got it prior to the duel with Esaire."

Nauda grimaced as she looked internally. "I'm not sure it was worth it. We're still not going to be able to stand up to an Authority's cantae."

"No, but we'll be considerably less likely to get pinned down by them. We need to be able to slip through and do our own work."

Fiyu bobbed her head in agreement, but before they could say anything else, Dhan waved his hand over the entire group. "I've helped you because of your efforts in acquiring the dewfossil, but I will be pushed to my limits when we enter the Chasm. I won't let your lives be taken if I can act, but you should not count on my help."

"We understand." Theo might have said more, but the Authority vanished a moment later, his weirkey taking him off to his own preparations. Just as well, as they had more to do themselves.

Less than a month remaining.

~ ~ ~

After an alliance between House Crimson and the House of Burning Leaves, the House of Coin agreed that they would surrender their Chasm Invitations for the good of the city. The claiming of them was sacrosanct, however, so the exact method of distribution was to be determined by the House itself. Rumors swirled that they intended to profit from their distribution as much as possible and many other organizations began gathering money to purchase the few remaining Invitations.

To the far west of the Norron continent, in a wasteland claimed by no one, soulcrafters first recorded increasing cantae flow that marked an incursion.

~ ~ ~

When Ally Navim had followed them to Norro Yorthin, Fiyu had presumed that he would join House Blacksilver and live alongside them. Instead, after some temporary lodging, he moved into the Arbaian quarter of the city. Though Fiyu did not like traveling through the crowds to the strange domes, she respected that they could provide better accommodations for him. Most relatives did not live in the same location, after all, and it would be unfair to require him to help shield her from other crowds.

For that reason, she had met with him less frequently than she had hoped, mostly either when he visited House Blacksilver or when they met at the State of Rest. This time, however, she walked fully into the Arbaian quarter to meet with him, because he had sent word that her mask was finished.

Fortunately, outside of high security areas, the Arbaians were quite respectful and did not accost her. Fiyu slipped through crowds of multiple species, though she recognized only Mundhin like Ally Navim. In theory it might be useful to learn more of them in time, but she was interested only in her ally.

"Navim?" She leaned into the room he rented with a smile, hoping to find her mask prepared. Instead, his rocky body sat at his table with several instruments set up. The density of his body was unchanging, so it was difficult to read his mood, but the air between his limbs did shift in pressure, currently quite dense.

"Fiyu. Please step inside and close the door behind you. There is work to do."

"Work?" As she closed the rolling stone door, she looked back for more information. "You told me that the mask was complete."

"More precisely, I told you that I had completed my work. There is a final step that requires your assistance."

Nodding her understanding, Fiyu went to sit in the stone chair he had formed specifically for her. She had been momentarily surprised that what he had told her was incorrect, but it made sense that Ally Navim had been scrupulous about his meanings. Indeed, he had stated the end of his work and she had presumed that meant the completion of the mask.

"The slate has been precisely constructed, but it will not retain such an elaborate formation alone." Ally Navim gestured to his work table, but unfortunately her mask was hidden underneath a large mass of crystal that her senses could not penetrate. "It requires a coating to preserve it, and regrettably most methods of coating would reduce the efficacy of the armament."

"And my presence can circumvent this difficulty?"

"I require you to apply both your cantae and your senses to this block of stone. I will melt it down in the process and produce a coating perfectly suited to you."

Ordinarily Fiyu would have preferred to discuss the process in much greater detail, but she knew that Ally Navim was exacting in his work and would have given her more information if she could potentially damage the result. He placed a cube of nearly transparent stone atop the crystal plate and gestured to her, so she complied with his instructions.

At first it seemed that nothing happened, then the crystal began to melt. Not merely using Ally Navim's ability as a stoneshaper, but as if her cantae poured into it. Fiyu gave a small gasp at first, then watched the process carefully. She couldn't see the result, but the stone dripped down through the crystal to her mask.

Merely watching would have been sufficient, but Ally Navim spoke up after several drops. "The process no longer requires my complete attention. I had hoped to ask you a question regarding your future intentions."

"Of course."

"While you follow Nauda and Theo, your skills increasingly turn toward combat. Your blueprint has other potential functions, but the same could be said of it. Is this what you believe to be your purpose in life? Is it what you and your relative intended?"

"That is... a difficult question." Fiyu's senses rolled over Ally Navim, wishing she could determine more about him. "I do not think of it that way. I am young and I have yet to choose a path in life. Before one can make such decisions, it is necessary to acquire the strength to support them."

"And so strength is synonymous with combat potential?"

"Well... perhaps not in a philosophical sense, but it is what I meant. If I travel, I will need to defend myself. If I join a community, I would need to support myself by hunting or exterminating demons. If I raise children, my own or others, I would need to protect them and teach them to live their own lives. I am building a foundation on which to make other decisions."

"I see. A reasonable enough answer." Ally Navim was silent for a long time, one of his smaller limbs working underneath the crystal. She could just barely feel a mask-shaped object moving, carefully catching the drops of stone, but determine no more. Unable to bear the anticipation, she decided to return the question.

"Is it not the same for you? I thought scholars took many years to find their field of scholarship."

"That is true, but we are constantly reminded that every step we take brings us closer to some outcomes and further from others." Ally Navim sighed in her mind, though she did not think it held sorrow. "In our time apart, I did test myself with our guardians at times, but did not find combat to my taste. They claimed that I am simply reticent due to my grave injury."

Fiyu frowned at the implication. "And do you believe them?"

"I am unsure, because self-knowledge is highly prone to deceit. I find that my passions lie more in stoneshaping... and yet not entirely away from soulcrafting. There are stones that cannot be shaped without cantae, not to mention stone from other worlds. This time in Fithe has been fascinating."

"I think I understand, Navim. If it would help you, I promise that when I am able to use weirkeys, I will bring you to different types of stone."

His response was a chuckle that she didn't entirely understand, but it seemed to be benevolent. "I thank you for that, Fiyu. I think that I want to be able to travel on my own as well... as much as I respect many of the scholars at my school, there is a difference between those who focus solely on Arbai and those who temper their philosophies with the experience of many worlds."

All she could do was nod, since she had already made her offer. Though she enjoyed spending time with Ally Navim, Fiyu knew that they could not connect in every way. Before she could find anything to say or he could ask another question, Ally Navim abruptly placed a hand atop the crystal. Cantae surged, something glowed white hot underneath, and then the flow of cantae ended.

"Your armament is complete." Finally Ally Navim withdrew his smallest limb from underneath the table, presenting Fiyu with her finished mask.

She gasped as she accepted it with both hands. Her senses rolled off the finely crafted coating, which was nearly invisible to her eyes. When she pushed through, she felt the deeply beautiful crystalline structures woven from the darklattice. Metal formed the edges, smooth enough to lie comfortably against her face, and it was sealed to the crystal without flaw. Using her eyes, the mask appeared a river of lights, largely purple with many other hints within.

Fiyu gingerly removed her old mask, blinking in even the low light. The wind on her face was pleasantly cool, yet also made her feel naked. She lifted the new mask to her eyes and immediately sighed in relief. From within, the world was barely discolored at all, instead rendered with a precision far beyond her normal eyes. It should remain the same, no matter how many terrible lights were flashed at her.

"Thank you, Navim. This is a gift I cannot truly repay." She very nearly called him "Ally Navim" out loud, which would have been a breach of decorum. He had certainly proved worthy of the title she gave him.

"I am more than happy to do it, Fiyu. All I ask is that you return from these dangers so we can speak again."

Though she had thought her good mood was unassailable, Fiyu found herself frowning at the reminder. Their time on Fithe was growing short indeed.

~ ~ ~

When the House of Coin finally announced their plans regarding the Chasm Invitations, they began not an auction but several competitions, again supposedly so that Norro Yorthin would send only its best. Those who gave it no thought simply hoped to win the competitions, those who thought a little wondered why they would sacrifice the opportunity to sell off artifacts so valuable, and those who finished thinking realized that the sales of tickets and goods from such widely-attended events would dwarf the profits from simple sales.

In the western wastes, blue stone began to spread through the Fithan red. Before the barrier could be penetrated by soulcrafters, demons began to crawl through, only to be instantly slain. The extermination crew included representatives from the Ruling Cities and the Asplundat Movement in equal numbers.

~ ~ ~

"It's indirect warfare," Antha said. "The Asplundat Movement isn't doing any harm except stealing Chasm Invitations, and in fact they seemed to learn their lesson after fighting all of you."

"Is that good?" Nauda asked. "Or are they more effective if they're not coming in force?"

Given the amount of work she needed to do, she hadn't been able to meet with Antha very often, but they shared a glass of wine in the offices sometimes. Nauda had taken the time to learn about the Blacksilver official's husband and children, but that day, everything was all business. With the Chasm coming closer and closer, no longer even slightly a secret, it was impossible to avoid the topic.

"Honestly, I could see it either way." Antha took a slow sip from her glass. "If they had continued fighting aggressively, they might have eliminated more Ruling Cities from the competition. But fighting subtly, they prevent alliances against them. I assume they intend to leave the Chasm with enough sublime materials for their Movement to expand even more."

"Do you think the other Ruling Cities will see that? Would any aggression mean war?"

"Hard to say. Inter-city politics can become absurdly complex, so I prefer to keep my head down and organize Blacksilver as well as I can." Antha finished off her glass and smiled at her. "Speaking of which, I need to get back to work. And my first act in my official capacity should be to tell you that your order is complete."

"Really?" Nauda stood up, forgetting her wine. "That's wonderful, Antha. Is it here, or should I pick it up?"

"Oh, those two like to deliver things themselves. Feel free to stop by when you can."

Despite the growing tension on the city streets, Nauda decided that she had time right then. Not many would challenge a Ruler-tier soulcrafter aligned with a House, even under the present circumstances. She rushed to take their sleigh from its place and venture into the city. Given how often they'd been traveling by weirkey, they hadn't used the old Deuxan sleigh very often, and a part of her missed it.

While she headed to her location, however, she paid more attention to her soulhome. Since ascending, she had struggled with the newly dense bricks and only been able to build two new rooms on her third floor. But one contained the second part of her staff chamber and the other was prepared for this armament, so that was enough.

When she reached the house of Hessika and Oland, they were clearly eager to show her their work, but Nauda was too excited to focus on the couple. She hadn't needed them for the primary work of the armament, but if she was going to be wearing these gemstones, they needed to be carefully crafted.

Eventually she stared at herself in the mirror, admiring the chain around her waist, winking with the Arbaian emeralds. The full rainbow burned within her soulhome, while the normally colored emeralds sat in metal casings around her waist.

She'd known it would be powerful, and her armament chamber was fully capable of supporting its strength. What surprised her more was that the cold metal and gemstone piece managed to be comfortable, sitting easily on her hips even when she moved. That was actually important, since it meant that she could easily wear the defensive armament at all times.

Though she should have given the tailor couple more thanks than mere money, Nauda still ended up rushing back to the Blacksilver complex. Along the way, she reveled in how the belt combined with the cantae she naturally used to reinforce her body.

"Fiyu!" Nauda caught the other woman on her way between rooms, and thankfully she didn't flinch. "They finished my belt!" She spun around to show it off.

Strangely, Fiyu only stared at her without expression, her eyes almost invisible behind her new mask. After only a moment, however, she smiled. "It feels... lovely, Nauda. And you've told us how you chose first for its strength."

"Oh, it should be plenty effective. I actually wanted to test that with you. Try one of your lightstorms on me."

"Here?" Fiyu craned her head around the courtyard, but eventually smiled. "Okay, please be ready..."

Her first hail of bolts was clearly holding back, and it rolled over Nauda's body. They would have torn through ordinary flesh easily, but she felt no more pressure than a light rain. Laughing, she gestured upward in Fiyu's direction. "More!"

The next time Fiyu unleashed a more intense stream of cantae bolts, and Nauda felt them slapping against her, but there was no real pain. She thought that Fiyu could push a little harder, and certainly wouldn't want to try her defenses against Fiyu's concentrated blade, but it was still a relief. Most Archcrafters who used cantae bolts were weaker than Fiyu, so she would be able to wade through the attacks of lesser opponents.

"You can do what the other Rulers do." Remarkably, Fiyu seemed not at all upset at her attack being shrugged off, instead smiling more broadly. "Congratulations, Nauda."

"There's so much more work to do, but I'm starting to feel ready. If we have to face Rulers, I should be able to fight them one on one."

"Though we may face worse."

And, just like that, Nauda's happiness faded. There was little time remaining now, and the Chasm of Lamentations loomed ever larger...

~ ~ ~

Nearly all of the Chasm Invitations had been claimed. Several murders were attempted to steal the others, most unsuccessful. The House of Coin announced one final competition for the last available Invitation on the continent, to a fever pitch of attention.

As the Chasm of Lamentations yawned wider, soulcrafters on all sides remained ready to prevent anyone else from making the first move.

~ ~ ~

Eventually they all met in one of the Blacksilver courtyards, partially because they no longer had the money to visit the State of Rest and partially because it seemed that all other options had been exhausted. Theo, at least, knew that he had no more merits, craftgems, or Fithan Discs left. When Nauda sat down heavily, she gave a wry smile that suggested she thought along similar lines.

"This time we're all broke, aren't we? I've spent my last Discs on basic materials to keep my Ruler tier together."

"I also have nothing left," Fiyu agreed. She seemed to have just completed a long session of soulcrafting, sinking to the ground not far from them.

Though he dropped to sit opposite them, Theo took a more positive tone. "Think about it this way: if we're successful in the Chasm, then we won't be poor for long."

"And if we are not?"

"Then we'll likely be dead, and poverty won't be our problem either."

Nauda chuckled darkly. "We can always count on your sunny disposition and uplifting spirit, Theo."

She flopped back to lie on the ground, apparently eager for a rest, but Fiyu was frowning to herself. Theo wondered if his sarcasm had translated poorly, or been taken in the wrong sense, until she spoke quietly. "What else can we do to prepare ourselves? It is always dangerous to enter unfamiliar territory, and in this case we will be surrounded by enemies and unable to leave."

"There are a few options left." Theo hadn't wanted to pester them, but since it had been solicited... "Most importantly, make sure that your chambers designed to hold powerful sublime materials are ready. We're likely to find materials that would shatter our soulhomes if we tried to incorporate them now, so we all need containers, and well-crafted ones."

"I think mine will be fine," Nauda said. "I held Ruler-tier sublime materials in that as a first tier soulcrafter. But I suppose I should check it again, repair some of the damage, that sort of thing. I'll give it some time."

"That may be a deficiency of mine." Fiyu briefly faded as she peered into her soulhome. "I have focused on materials that match my soulhome, so I have less experience with this. I do know the theory, so I will attempt to construct something sound."

Theo needed to do some similar work himself, since he had largely been using the crude chest he'd soulcrafted in class all the way back in Myufuru. But he just nodded at their responses and moved on. "We should also practice with the defensive gear that I purchased for us. The earplugs and masks are obvious enough, but breathing through an animabladder is tricky."

"Ugh." Nauda shook her head from her position. "I recognize that it's important, but not now. Do you have any preparatory plans that involve sleeping a lot?"

"We should enter the Chasm rested, but we have a little more time yet."

It hadn't been a serious question, so they lapsed into silence. Sometimes soulcrafting, but more often just relaxing in one another's presence. They would likely have more than enough time for that in the Chasm, yet he still found himself welcoming it.

There were a few other concerns, though not ones he needed to share with them. He'd made another abortive attempt to train Senka, then simply focused on trying to convince her not to join them. She seemed to be even worse than usual, acting like a brat at all times and never stealing anything for them. This time, success or failure wouldn't be determined by a bit of money, but it still irked him.

He'd done his best to research their opposition, though the task was too broad to be effective. There were so many different cities sending groups, representing vastly different blueprints and sublime materials. For the Asplundat Movement, at least, he'd carefully researched the strengths and weaknesses of their default blueprints for the first three tiers. Though they presented a uniform face, they actually did have greater variety for specialists.

Even though it didn't help his chances of success in any way, he also ended up doing a little research on the origins of the Movement, just to find out what they actually wanted. As far as he could tell, they simply believed their methods of soulcrafting were the best and intended to share them with everyone, the word "share" doing a great deal of work. It was an empire, lacking any deeper motives that he might be able to exploit.

"You know, I heard about the House of Coin setting up a big contest for one of the last unclaimed Chasm Invitations." Nauda sat back up, apparently rejuvenated. "It just so happens to be a contest between teams of three, and since they're limited to Rulers, we might have a chance."

"Do we have a reason to enter?" Fiyu asked.

"I suppose we don't."

Despite everything, Theo found himself chuckling. "You know, if we had been one Invitation short, this contest at the last second would have been extremely convenient. But since we acquired all three of ours months ago... I think we should just ignore it."

"I brought it up, but no complaints from me." Nauda answered his chuckle with one of her own, almost as if she fully understood what he meant. Fiyu smiled between the two of them, though he was less sure in her case. She might merely be pleased that they had made a decision she agreed with.

This wasn't the time for desperate last attempts, and gimmicks wouldn't save them in the Chasm of Lamentations. They'd done everything they could, and they'd soon find out whether or not it was enough. Very soon.

Chapter 15

It was said that only the novices actually stared into the Chasm of Lamentations. The veterans all knew what it contained and saw no reason to watch the boundary that had yet to be breached, instead spending their time sizing up the competition or making final preparations. All of them viewed the environmental challenge as secondary to the competition with their peers.

Theo wasn't technically among the novices, yet he couldn't take his eyes away. Not far from where House Blacksilver had placed its defenses, he could see the Chasm itself, after so many years. The air above the boundary wavered an ethereal blue, and beyond he could see the bleakly exotic landscape. There were no differences that he could see, and yet...

According to the official rules, all the different parties entered in a specific order determined by their standing. They began with several Strongholds representing the Ruling Cities and the Asplundat Movement, to prevent ambushes or other bloody tactics. This did nothing to calm the Blacksilver Authorities who shifted beside them.

"The first moments can often be chaotic." Dhan finally broke off his meditation to address the three of them. "The Asplundat Movement can't possibly overcome the other Strongholds quickly, but they may be pursuing a strategy of collateral damage. We'll start with a defensive shell, but after that, stealth should be your primary goal. Fiyu?"

"I have made the modifications you advised," she said, bowing to the Authorities. "I hope they will be sufficient."

"It was already hard for me to see through your technique before, so it should be enough. The most important thing is that you avoid any initial wide scale attacks."

He didn't say much more, primarily focused on discussing tactics with the other Authorities. They disagreed on more than a few details, Janne favoring speed and Karchibol a concentrated defense. Given the scale of the conflict they could potentially be walking into, Theo wasn't surprised by their discomfort. In the long run, though, the Chasm itself would threaten all of them alike.

Ahead of them, another group from the Asplundat Movement raised their Chasm Invitations and passed through the hazy barrier. It became difficult to see them on the other side, but it didn't seem like there were any immediate attacks. They waited for several minutes before House Crimson's group entered... all of them Authorities, including Tythes. The next groups were from other Ruling Cities, these including many more Rulers.

Not so many groups remained. The only sigils that Theo could identify from Norro Yorthin represented the House of Burning Leaves... were they looking in his direction? Since they had sponsored Esaire's duel, it was possible that they still held some kind of grudge against him. In any case, they only brought one Authority, a Fithan man with a scar that looked as if half his face had been torn off.

Then it was their turn. Dhan gave them all a final stern glance, they moved forward raising the white slabs of their Invitations, and they passed through the boundary. After a brief disorientation, Theo walked into the Chasm of Lamentations... and into silence.

No violence around them, the groups instead spreading out. All the Blacksilver Authorities looked surprised, and they began preparing when a group from the Asplundat Movement approached, but none of the gray-armored soulcrafters appeared to be gathering cantae.

"In the past, this has been a reckless and violent contest," one of the Asplundat Authorities said, the words rolling off her tongue as if they'd been worn smooth by repetition. "This has led to needless waste of lives and sublime materials. This time, we intend to enforce several ground rules."

"Who are you to set rules?" Karchibol demanded, but Dhan cut him off with a hand and answered himself.

"What are your terms?"

"Because the western plain falls into the Chasm before reaching the end," the Asplundat soulcrafter made a broad gesture in that direction as she spoke, "it will be a nonviolent zone. Those beneath Authority may gather materials there freely. Nothing will be enforced for the eastern plain or the chasm itself. There will also be no fighting outside the Chasm domain itself, and we have placed soulcrafters to enforce this. Anything won within is won freely."

"Then you'll have no objection to our younger soulcrafters traveling to the west," Dhan said. The other Authority immediately shook her head.

"Of course not. The Asplundat Movement welcomes all to seek the truth of their soulcrafting. We will prove the value of our ideals."

That was clearly a dismissal from their own side, so Theo headed with the others away from the starting point. Fiyu tugged at his sleeve, but he shook his head for her not to use her stealth technique. Best to keep one of their stronger trump cards hidden if they didn't need to use it here. Theo wasn't sure if this supposed truce would hold, but it didn't ultimately matter to his plan.

Ahead, he could see the eerie blue plains split in half by the raging white current. The water was just as unnaturally white as he remembered, chewing into the stone. Even from his position, he could see the vast chasm that gave the space its name, rapidly driving deep into the earth, the walls on either side glinting like knives.

"We're going right down the center?" Nauda asked, even though they'd been over the plan. "That seems obvious... surely everyone will be thinking of that."

"You'll see why not soon enough." Since the landscape looked unchanged, Theo spent more time monitoring the nearest soulcrafters. The Chasm of Lamentations was large enough for them to spread out, but until then, everyone would be too densely packed for his liking.

Though the Asplundat Movement's rules were meant to appear benevolent, it was clear they expected to gain an advantage. The rules made no mention of the vault at the far end of the river or the Scepter of Separation. They must have judged that reducing the contest to brute force would work in their favor and allow them to seize control of everything they needed. Even with his knowledge of the region, Theo had to admit that the odds were slimmer than he'd like.

Most of the soulcrafters stayed far away from the water, but Theo led their group directly alongside it. He'd already told them about searching for the kaleidoscopic flowers, so they began winding their way alongside the banks at a safe distance.

A thrum of cantae distracted him, and he looked back to see a Fithan soulcrafter flying forward on a large chariot. It streaked directly over the river, as if intending to beat everyone else to the end. Theo yelled for them to stop, but if they heard, they had no intention of listening.

Before it got far into the chasm, the chariot struck a hazy wisp floating in the air. Immediately its sublime materials shuddered and it dropped lower, scraping against one of the rocky sides. The soulcrafter driving it, a powerful Ruler, immediately flooded the chariot with cantae... and yet it continued drifting down. He and his allies began crying out in panic, then as the water lapped up to reach them they screamed, and then the white river simply wiped them from existence.

"That water is really so lethal?" Nauda asked, trying to hide how unnerved she was. "I believed what you said about chariots not working, but I didn't expect it to be so fast. Can Authorities fly here?"

"Probably some, but even they can be threatened when mists roll in from overhead. It's safer to stay on the ground the entire time, and you can't rely on some cantae effects because this place disrupts them." On that subject, he decided to test out his limits, attempting to cast a gravitational field under himself, Nauda, and various rocks.

When he had previously visited the Chasm of Lamentations, it had stripped him of almost all his abilities except his physical enhancements and the cantae flowing within him. He'd have been helpless if not for the Artifact of Elghiera. His improved blueprint could still function, but he needed to strain to lift objects. Nauda gave him a nervous glance and he shook his head.

"We won't be able to levitate as a method of transportation. I'm going to save my strength in case anyone falls in, but we shouldn't rely on it. You might be the most mobile here, if you jump with your full strength."

"But I'm guessing I should avoid those hazy sections?"

"Whenever possible. They can actually be lethal, but there's a way of slipping past them. Those are the basics I mentioned, so we need to find..." He trailed off as he saw Fiyu rising from the ground beside the river.

"Are these the flowers you meant?" she asked. Thankfully she had avoided touching them, as she had indeed found some of the kaleidoscopic flowers, their colors and petals shifting unnaturally.

Theo joined her and showed them how to harvest the flowers, scooping out the blue dirt in order to get the roots so that they wouldn't explode. That had been a trick that Khaluu taught him, many years ago. It still worked, letting them weaken the flowers just enough to draw them into their soulhomes. To be cautious, Theo took the first set, then joined them in searching for others.

A few nearby soulcrafters from unfamiliar Houses saw what they did and tried to copy the technique with flowers on the other bank. Theo didn't really care, since they didn't know what to do with them. While Fiyu hid them in a bubble of stealth, Nauda used her telescope and he demonstrated how to pull the twisting petals apart and forge them into a chain. Hung over the door of a soulhome, the flowers provided significant protection from the wavering distortions... and the likelihood of triggering retaliation from the Chasm itself.

While he searched with the others, he kept an eye on the opposite bank of the river. Most of the Ruler tier soulcrafters seemed solely interested in finding regions of sublime stone, then hammering out as much ore as they could, though it resisted cantae.

It seemed that just like before, the most obvious material was still one of the most valued: formed into bricks, stone from the Chasm was excellent for building Archcrafters up to Rulers. By his judgment, it was essentially just an easy trick for the weak, only relevant in a broader military sense. As soon as they had finished their initial preparations, they would strike out into the chasm for the more valuable prizes.

"Are these yummies for Senka?"

All of them flinched as she popped up from behind a rock. Theo had been certain that she had been left in the Blacksilver complex, especially during the weirkey transfer. How could she have made her way here independently? When Nauda shooed her away from a flower, she instead began shoving rocks in her mouth. Not even sublime stone, just blue-tinted gravel.

"How did you get here, Senka?" he asked.

"Walked," she mumbled around a mouth full of rocks.

He took a deep breath, looking back to the entrance and considering his options. It wasn't easy to pass through the boundary to return to Fithe, so he couldn't just throw her back. Without knowing how she had arrived, there was a chance she would just come back. In that case... "Senka, I hope you remember what we said about stopping. This place is very dangerous."

"Fumpet," Senka said, scooping up another fistful of rocks.

It barely alleviated her annoyance, but at least his companions finished their soulcrafting rather quickly. With all of them defended against the distortions and bearing equipment, he thought they were better prepared than almost anyone else in the Chasm. Now the only question was navigating the physical chasm without falling into the fatal water.

"Can we really navigate the sides?" Nauda asked. She stepped onto a small rise, shielding her eyes from the glowing haze to peer over the river. "They look pretty sharp to me."

"It's not advisable to climb them directly, especially since someone could easily knock you into the river. But when you get further along, the bottom opens out and there's space to walk. Our first goal is to find a safe path, then one of the deepest pits."

"Is that why people don't just race along the sides?"

"Some of them will definitely try, and if anyone wins the battle on the plain, they'll be able to jump into the chasm closer to the end. But the last portion is entirely underground, a whole space hollowed out by the river. No matter what path they take, everyone will end up there."

"Umm..." Fiyu stepped up beside them, head shifting nervously. "My senses are still adjusting to this place... can either of you locate the child?"

Theo swung his head around to find Senka, afraid that she'd antagonize another group of soulcrafters... only to find her standing atop a cluster of rocks just beside the river. Before he could do more than raise a hand in her direction, she plunged over the edge directly into the water.

He ran, even though he knew that the most he could do was catch a glimpse of her body dissolving. And yet when he reached the side... "Swimmies, swimmies!" Despite her words, Senka appeared completely incapable of swimming, instead thrashing aimlessly. It looked almost as if she would drown even if she was immune to the water, so Theo cast a gravitational field to pull her out.

It was more difficult than he'd hoped, but he was able to make her fall from the water, then redirect to the shore. He placed her some distance away from them, which was fortunate because Senka promptly shook herself like a dog, water scattering in all directions and eating into the ground. Instead of shrieking anything at him, she just scowled.

"Why would she be immune?" Nauda closed her eyes, briefly stepping into her soulhome to use her telescope, and then shook her head. "Her soulhome is still a solid mass of broken materials. It feels like the water actually got inside, because it's messier than before."

"Huh." Theo looked between them and the river, resisting the urge to sound too confident. "I didn't think the water was a sublime material at all, closer to the opposite the way it destroys souls. But since she seems to eat anything... maybe her twisted soulhome absorbed the water instead of being consumed, somehow? That's my best guess."

"Well, I think we'd better keep her out of the river, just in case she can only resist temporarily."

Perhaps it had some effect after all, because Senka plopped down on the ground and showed no signs of throwing herself into danger again. When Fiyu gently nudged her, she followed along obediently enough as they walked alongside the river.

As it plunged into the earth, the sides became increasingly jagged, in places forming large spikes that arced away from the river. They needed to find a good entrance point, and the Chasm of Lamentations wasn't so unchanged that Theo could follow his memories exactly. Still, he knew that the craggy sides of the chasm would eventually give way to a smoother section, which would be what they needed.

Since the others knew what to look for, he spared a moment to look toward the plain when he felt cantae surging there. Several Authorities skimmed just above the earth, striking at one another. They were obviously still adjusting to the suppressive field, many slamming into the ground unexpectedly. He spotted the House Crimson group violently fighting back Asplundat soulcrafters, aiming to push their way toward the end of the river.

Then a Stronghold entered the battlefield. The gray-clad figure struck the ground, and the stone that had resisted previous cantae began to tear apart. A line erupted in either direction, like an earthquake perfectly controlled, sending rocks and soulcrafters tumbling in both directions.

Immediately a Stronghold from another one of the Ruling Cities entered the fight. The two powerful soulcrafters struck at one another, their cantae resounding like buildings slamming together as they clashed. It seemed clear that, on such an open plain, it would be easy for battles to turn into stalemates. So early in the event, neither side seemed eager to risk everything they had, especially when it could damage the sublime materials found on the plain.

When Theo noticed the sky darkening, he froze for a moment, afraid that the Chasm had new dangers he'd never seen before. Yet as he saw the darkness grow from the far east, he realized that it was a cantae effect and tracked down the source.

A well-defended group of cloaked soulcrafters were engaged in a complex technique that warped the space around them, spreading shadows across the battlefield. That was strange enough, but what truly seized his attention was the fact that he didn't think any of them were Fithan. Not any other species he recognized, either, something alien to the Nine Worlds that intentionally obscured themselves.

Before the shadows hid them entirely, Theo realized that he did recognize one thing: their cloaks carried the symbol of the House of the Lost.

The encroaching darkness began to falter as it drew close to the river, though it still dimmed the light from the floating wisps. It was certainly more than sufficient to stop the battle on the plain, as soulcrafters on all sides retreated to analyze what was being done and prepare countermeasures. Theo hadn't been eager to get closer to the river, but given his knowledge, it might be safer than being anywhere near the battlefield.

"What about this?" Fiyu asked. Nauda had been distracted by the battle as well, but Fiyu now pointed over the side of the chasm.

Though obscured by the spikes, there was a space in the chasm wall that was large enough to walk. It stretched along the side as if some force had made a jagged cut directly through the stone. He could feel that it extended some distance to the north, perhaps far enough for them to find another path. Given the escalating battle, he was willing to risk it.

They made their way over the side carefully, Theo alert to retrieve someone with a gravitational field. But his companions were careful and Senka didn't cause any problems, so they managed to crawl past the spikes until they had firm footing along the side of the chasm.

As they descended from ground level, the roar of the river grew again... and this time, it was joined by a hollow moan. Theo had expected it, but he saw Nauda stiffen and Fiyu desperately search for a source. The sound curled all around them, emanating from the stone itself as the water of oblivion tore through it. Even as they listened, the moan shifted from miserable sobbing to an inhuman wail.

"Is that... a natural sound?" Nauda asked. Theo nodded and began walking down the path.

"Welcome to the Chasm of Lamentations."

Chapter 16

For a time they had needed to work their way along the chasm extremely cautiously, afraid that a malicious opponent would start attacking them from above, or that collateral damage would spill into the chasm. Such a threat only emerged once: a Ruler went pitching over the side of the canyon, desperately scrabbling at the rocky fragments until she plunged into the river and was gone. They saw others with decreasing frequency as the chasm loomed higher above them.

By the time Theo finally spotted the sort of entrance he had been looking for, they were surrounded by nothing but the lamentations.

"Observe the other side." He carefully propped himself against the wall of the chasm, where they crawled across a razor ledge. "Fiyu, how deep does that hole go?"

"Hole?" Nauda asked, peering to the other side. "Almost covered by the spray?"

"I feel it, but..." Fiyu frowned and lowered her head, her cantae surging. "The air and the river are both troubling my senses. It goes deeper, but I do not know how deep."

"Then we'll just have to investigate the other side." Theo took a deep breath and cast a gravitational field to neutralize their gravity. "Everyone, push to the other side. Senka, you're not going to do something stupid, are you?"

"Sporp."

Since she didn't seem harmed by the river, Theo only cared if she somehow pulled one of them in. He made sure his field was firm despite the interference and then pushed across to the other side. When he hit the opposite wall, the sharp rocks bit deeper than he expected, almost drawing blood. If they hadn't been Archcrafters with feast chambers, they might have torn themselves apart. Fortunately, the other three all landed not far away, around an opening that was nearly invisible from any other angle.

"This is the reason we were traveling so close to the river," Theo said as he helped Fiyu lower herself into the hole. "The river sometimes bores down into the core, and in the wake of it particularly powerful sublime materials form. One similar to this carried me to Stronghold."

Nauda shot him a nervous glance. "If the river carved this out, what are the chances that there's still death water in there, or that more comes in? The river would only need to flood a little to come in after us..."

"That's why we have Fiyu to check the layout. You can sense the tunnels here, right?"

"Mostly." Fiyu looked up from the hole to them and frowned. "The entrance curves away from the river and then the tunnel splits in many directions. I cannot feel significant amounts of liquid, but the atmosphere changes to a thicker gas in the lower sections."

"Then we have to use the animabladders. Just like we practiced." Theo pulled his from his pack, uncomfortably fitted the pipe in his mouth, and strapped it on firmly. The others obeyed quickly and soon all three of them ventured into the tunnel.

Along the way, he confirmed that the masks had good enough airflow. Nauda lit a cantae flame between the forks of her staff, which illuminated the dark blue corridors. Due to it, they could easily see a gray mist when the tunnel curved downward. Though Nauda floated a flame closer to test if the gas was explosive, Theo remembered that it didn't react, only poisoned. He let her do the test just in case, and they entered carefully to be sure that the animabladders filtered out the poison, but these elements of the Chasm hadn't changed.

Within minutes, he was sure that they'd found what they needed. Though the walls appeared as jagged as the chasm in places, these glistened in the light with a coating of sublime moss. That itself wasn't useful, but it grew on cantae and indicated the presence of other valuable materials.

After some time, they found a larger cavern that appeared to be free of gas except for the lowest lying sections. Theo swept it for dangerous elements and then established it as a base. Careful tests revealed they could remove their masks there, though not for long, so they would mostly operate by hand signals. There were crystals all around that he thought were called blueshards - not essential for his soulhome, but the sort of thing that House Blacksilver wanted from the Chasm. They were rather durable, so Nauda began breaking them apart while the others investigated the paths traveling in other directions.

Fiyu was the first one to find something truly valuable, in a path he'd actually walked through. He saw her bend down and turned back to make sure that she hadn't been overwhelmed by the gas, only to realize that she knelt down to reach into a deep crevice. She seemed to pull out a handful of mist, then he realized that the mist flowed in a sphere. Though it didn't advertise its cantae, the mist was remarkably dense, which was likely how she had noticed it.

Between her mask and the animabladder, Fiyu's face was nearly entirely obscured, but he could still tell that she was elated. While she headed back to the central area with her prize, Theo finished exploring his current set of branching paths. He found some deposits of a very powerful sublime stone... definitely useful for soulcrafting bricks for later floors, but not blueprint-defining.

Eventually he returned to join the others in the gas-free area. Nauda had finished breaking apart all the blueshards and was absorbing them into her soulhome for later extraction. Her tower might not be the best use of soulhome volume, but it certainly made for an effective storage space. Not far from her, Fiyu shifted from foot to foot until she at last pulled down her lower mask.

"This is very like a mistheart!" She thrust the sphere of mist in Nauda's face, then his. "Though it has a different essence, its nature is almost exactly like what my relative told me to acquire."

"For your Corporeal Floor?" Theo asked. It struck him as a very risky material to integrate as an Archcrafter, but Fiyu could probably manage it if her blueprint offered support.

"Yes, actually for my heart. I will place it inside now, and perhaps in the future my path will be easier."

"I actually found something myself." Nauda tugged her mask down enough to speak and gestured for him to follow. In an upper corner of the largest cavern, there was a crystal stalactite... and not simply another blueshard. Though it was duller than the rest, something pulsed deep within. "I didn't disrupt it in case it's dangerous, but it has more cantae than anything I've found so far."

Theo wasn't sure what it was, so he cautiously placed his palm against the stone. He soon felt something throbbing through the stone, almost like a heartbeat. Though he wasn't familiar with the exact material, he had experience harvesting similar types.

"When you break the outer layer," he explained, "it's going to begin deteriorating. We need to break it very gently, without driving any crystal into the core. Then you reach straight in and absorb it."

"Are you sure that's safe?"

"I can't guarantee the core will be useful to you, but it's just a powerful sublime material. Whatever happens, don't flinch, just absorb it."

He cast a point of anti-mass at the core, trying to push all matter away from it. Though he wasn't powerful enough to push material, much less break apart the stone, he could exert some gravitational movement. When Nauda tapped the stalactite just hard enough to shatter it, the pieces dropped away in all directions, leaving the core unharmed.

Immediately she thrust her other hand in, ignoring the shards to grasp the core. It proved to be a dark mass of flesh, throbbing with green fluid. Many might have been repulsed or failed to absorb it, but Nauda clenched her fist and crushed the core directly into her soulhome.

"Eww." Nauda rubbed her hand on her dress the next moment, as if the spiritual remnants of the sublime material lingered. "That thing feels incredibly heavy, but... what is it?"

"We should take a better look." When he extended a hand in her direction, she took it and drew him directly into her soulhome.

The fleshy core pulsed on the ground, flooding cantae in all directions. Nauda tried to pick it up idly at first, then had to use both arms and brace herself to heft it up. As a spirit Theo couldn't do anything to help her stagger to her storage chamber, but he examined the object and its cantae closely.

"This is an amazing material," he had to admit. "It appears organic, but it grew in a crystal and can probably connect with inorganic materials in a soulhome. Could be part of a Corporeal Floor, a specialized room, or even a heart chamber."

"Maybe, but not for me." Nauda heaved it into her storage room, then straightened and wiped sweat from her forehead. "That thing feels... off. My whole blueprint has been natural materials, whether they're alive or just remnants. I don't think that thing was ever part of a living creature."

"You don't think it's compatible?"

"Not right now, but I suppose I might come up with something brilliant by the time I reach Authority. I definitely couldn't survive incorporating it now."

He'd expected to find plenty of valuable sublime materials they couldn't easily use, so that was no surprise. If they helped House Blacksilver come out of the Chasm in a strong position, they've have leverage to trade for more useful items. Eventually they'd need sublime materials that couldn't be bought with money alone, and unique materials were often the only currency that would suffice.

When Theo returned to his physical body, he intended to check with Fiyu and coordinate further searches. It didn't go that way because of what he immediately heard.

"Yummies, yummies." Senka didn't sound like her usual lively self, perhaps because her mouth was full of some sort of mushroom. He stared at her as he realized that she was eating what felt like a very potent sublime material.

She stared at him. He stared back. Theo took a step in her direction and she immediately sprinted into the corridor with her arms flailing over her head.

Tugging his animabladder mask back on, Theo pursued her into one of the dark corridors. She could move remarkably fast, but was slowed by the need to reach down and grab something off the ground. This time he caught up to her and snatched it out of her hand.

Another mushroom, as blue as the rock around it. Mist wafted from the cut part of the stem, extremely similar to the shimmering patterns that disrupted cantae in the Chasm sky. Not a material he knew, but definitely too valuable to let them disappear into Senka's gullet.

Unfortunately, she wormed out of his grip and slipped around his weakened gravitational field, scrambling to scoop up another mushroom. Theo groaned into his mask and pursued her into the tunnel.

She led him on a madcap chase, and though he usually managed to grab the mushrooms from her, it was always a close thing. His efforts to stop her seemed essentially futile, and it only ended when they reached a dead end and apparently all the mushrooms were gone. Senka sat on a rock, her cheeks stuffed with mushrooms. When Theo glowered at her, she swallowed, then curled up and went to sleep.

As much as she annoyed him, he grabbed her by the back of her dress and carried her as he explored the rest of the corridors they'd passed. Frustratingly, though he found more valuable sublime stones and crystals, not a single one would serve as a room centerpiece. Some durable materials that might help with an ascension, a smaller number that generated cantae, and none that were suited to his gravitational blueprint.

The others had yet to return, so he waited and examined one of the mushrooms that he hadn't absorbed. Now that he got a better look, he really wasn't sure what to think of them. If the mist they emitted was the same as that found above, eating them would be a terrible idea. They didn't particularly generate cantae, but they did have strong distortion properties, he just wasn't sure what they could be used for.

Just before he became worried, Nauda and Fiyu returned. Nauda tugged off her mask immediately to breathe freely, taking a few breaths before staring at him. "These things might save our lives, but I'm starting to hate them. Can we go get some fresh air?"

"We probably need it before long, but I'd like to clear out this place in case anyone catches up." Theo rose to his feet to face them. "I've cleared the tunnels this way, so I wanted to ask you about the directions you went."

"It's mostly more crystal and stone, but there are a few materials we thought we should handle together." Nauda paused and looked at the remaining mushrooms. "Just what are those? I never noticed them."

"Some sort of sublime fungus. I absorbed quite a few to keep Senka from eating them." He tossed one to each of the others. "I don't suggest eating it, but try to draw it into your soulhome anyway. Maybe you'll find a use for them that I couldn't."

Nauda sniffed it experimentally, then dropped the mushroom in disgust. Fiyu worked harder to absorb it, but after flickering into a haze of soulcrafting for only a moment, she returned shaking her head. "I do not like this sublime material, Theo. It is not appropriate for my soulhome, so I have burned it in my central fire."

"That's fine, there are bound to be some useless materials here. What did you find?"

"Ah, yes." Fiyu's mood visibly brightened, even from just a shadow of her eyes through her mask. "There is a strange liquid I wanted to ask you about, and also a volatile region. I believe that you can help us extract resources from them."

They led him through stripped tunnels until they reached an odd depression in a bend. A pale liquid lay in the bottom, like an ordinary puddle except for the cantae hissing from it. His eyes widened as he realized that it was related to the river above, somehow filtered through all the stone of the Chasm. Extremely potent, but also difficult to handle.

Working solely by gestures, he was able to coordinate with Fiyu to absorb it, since it seemed most appropriate for her. Touching the liquid would be inadvisable, and drinking it downright suicidal, so instead he generated a flame to begin evaporation. Fiyu managed to draw in the steam before it could harm her body, prepared on the other side to gather it into a jug she'd fashioned from sublime clay. Dealing with that liquid was going to be extremely difficult, but he had a few ideas that might prove interesting.

Finally Nauda pulled him down the last tunnel, where he discovered it ended in a glowing red crack. Fiyu gestured to the stone and the crack, and though he wasn't quite sure of her every implication, she clearly sensed that the density within was highly different. Nauda simply eyed it suspiciously, which told him enough. It was a dangerous formation, but fortunately one he knew how to work.

Theo placed his mask over his eyes and stopped up his ears with the silencemoss earplugs, waiting until the other two copied him. He mimed the bright crack exploding, so they retreated to a safer distance. When Theo attempted to pierce it with a bolt of cantae, however, even a gravitational bolt, the stone resisted him.

For all his tricks, he still had an Archcrafter's cantae. He gestured to Nauda, who nodded understanding and advanced just around the corner. She lifted her staff, braced in both hands, and then thrust the binding force directly into the crack.

The explosion sent all of them tumbling down the corridor, cantae rushing from their soulhomes to defend their bodies. Screams as if the voices outside were being tortured flooded through the tunnel, faintly audible even through the earplugs. If they hadn't been fully masked, they could easily have been blinded, and as Theo regained his feet, he realized that they still hadn't entirely escaped.

Nauda stumbled, disoriented and tugging at her mask. He quickly rushed to her side, grabbing both her arm and the mask. When she calmed at his touch, he pushed the mask back on, preventing her from pulling it away on instinct. Since it seemed like she hadn't breathed any of the poison yet, he turned to Fiyu, who huddled against herself. His glimpse of her soulhome revealed a slightly scorched barrier wall and he guessed that her senses might be entirely blinded.

There weren't any easy ways around it, so Theo approached her very gently. He started by touching her sleeve, letting her feel the slight movement. She flinched, head turning wildly in his direction, but then her arm moved closer. Theo touched her wrist gently and just held it for a moment, giving her something to focus on.

Gradually she returned to herself and gave him a slight nod before she pulled back. They'd taken a shock, but no permanent harm done. Nauda put her hands on her hips and stared at him, the "This had better be worth it" sentiment obvious in body language alone.

He raised a finger and then gestured for them to follow. The end of the corridor had been blasted apart, much of it covered in molten sublime materials. They were probably worth something to House Blacksilver, so he had Fiyu collect them while they searched through to the heart.

Near the core of the explosion, a few remnants of that power remained: solidembers, he believed they were called. Primarily useful to assist with ascensions, so he divided what they found between himself and Fiyu. Not invaluable, but if he had been able to find anything else particular to him, he wouldn't have even complained.

The real treasure lay at the core: a single seed lay in a blast crater, turning the rock molten underneath it and releasing dark steam. Theo wasn't sure about its name, but he knew that sublime plants growing in such formations were always immensely powerful.

It certainly wasn't compatible with his soulhome, and too bright for Fiyu's, so Nauda bent to absorb it. The surface clearly burned her hands, but she pushed through the pain, forcing herself to absorb the coal. When it entered he felt her cantae ripple dangerously until she managed to contain the sublime material within her storage chamber. That one would certainly serve her well, when she could survive it.

That accomplished, they'd cleared out the entire pit, even more thoroughly than he had on his first visit to the Chasm. Theo returned to pick up Senka, but met her wandering in their direction, once again returned to her muted state. All four of them retraced their steps to the original tunnel until they emerged from the hole just beside the river. Though the current still rushed past them with lethal force, he was glad to see it, and Nauda seemed even more so.

"Finally." She pulled off her mask as soon as possible and breathed deeply. "I swear the mists were starting to get into my head. We don't need to go into one of those again, do we?"

Theo shook his head. "Even if we found another pit, it would only contain similar materials."

"I believe this is enough by most standards," Fiyu said, watching him quietly. "We have rare sublime materials suitable for our blueprints as well as those valued by House Blacksilver. If we were to retreat now, no one would blame us. However..."

Nauda groaned and ran a hand through her hair. "You're not going to let us go, are you, Theo?"

He began finding another path alongside the river, grinning back at them. "If there's ever been a time for ambition, it's now."

Chapter 17

Under ordinary circumstances, Fiyu would not have been pleased to work her way along the side of a chasm over a river that meant certain death. Clearly, the fact that the Fithans avoided the central chasm meant that they felt the same, a reasonable amount of caution for once. However, as she made her way from rock to rock, Fiyu found herself surprisingly secure.

In their exploration of the deepest chasm, Friend Theo had shown himself to be familiar with this environment. Therefore it was not so different from traveling any new environment with an experienced relative, certainly safer than attempting to guide her friends through the Greater Dark without the requisite knowledge. There were risks, but they could be mitigated with preparation, which they had clearly done.

The one thing that did still trouble her was the amount of time remaining in the Chasm. If the event lasted for three days as was commonly said, then they still had plenty of time to harvest materials and retreat. Yet the fact that the exact time was variable, and the ambiguous fate of those abandoned within, left Fiyu considerably less sanguine. If it was up to her, they would have retreated, though she acknowledged that risks were necessary at times. She would have to trust in Friend Theo's knowledge.

He had assisted her many times, yet she had felt something within herself sliding ever since he and Friend Nauda had saved her life. Unlike an elder relative, she did not feel that respect and obedience was the appropriate response. Instead, he was her peer and they could travel forward together, sharing their knowledge and lives. If so...

Distracted by the unfamiliar thoughts, Fiyu failed to fully check the next rock she used as a hand-hold. It broke beneath her fingers, and the momentum sent her tipping over the side of the narrow ledge.

Before she could fall far, Friend Nauda caught her wrist. Since Fiyu had only just begun to slip over the edge, she was quickly able to right herself and obtain a secure position. There had been little danger, since Friend Theo moved ahead and had been prepared with his technique, but Fiyu still felt ashamed to have made the error.

"Sorry for grabbing you," Friend Nauda said. She had indeed released her as soon as she was stable, almost as if guilty, so Fiyu made sure to smile at her.

"It is okay, Nauda. Thank you for helping me."

As they continued crawling above the river, however, Fiyu found her thoughts surprisingly turbulent. Instead of feeling shock at the touch, the wrist where Friend Nauda had touched her glowed with a warmth that crept through the rest of her body. It was not so dissimilar from when she was grateful for her friends, but the fact that it occurred even when touched forced her to acknowledge what she was experiencing.

Her relatives had prepared her for this, of course. After a sufficient number of years of adulthood, she would begin to consider close companions as potential lifemates. Relative Guchiro had been of the opinion that it would be another decade for her, and she had thought that sounded reasonable. In a decade, she would have known herself and been well-established as a soulcrafter. Now, she found a confusing mix of sensations welling up within her...

Pausing momentarily, Fiyu took a deep breath and forced that part of her to recede. It could be explored later, while not under such dangerous conditions. Like many other impulses, it could reemerge when she was safe.

That task completed, Fiyu continued along the path with a clearer mind. Friend Theo and Friend Nauda were indeed valued companions, whatever else they might be. She would do her utmost to support them as they continued exploring the Chasm of Lamentations. So far, it had been as profitable as Friend Theo had suggested, so their findings would open up fascinating new paths for their soulcrafting.

Eventually they reached a much larger ledge that had been carved from the chasm surface, so they sat down to rest. By Fiyu's count, they had been inside the Chasm of Lamentations for nearly a full day, so even supported by cantae, they desperately needed rest. With relatively few words, they set up camp and traded watch times, which only affirmed her belief in her companions.

Fortunately, shielded as they were, no one disturbed them as they all rested deeply. When Fiyu awoke refreshed, she found that Friend Nauda was still finishing her slumber while Friend Theo sat at the edge of their camp, cantae twisting within him in a way she had come to identify with his new gravitational sense, even if she couldn't determine the details. She washed her face and went to sit beside him.

"I'm trying to push through all the interference to examine the situation on the surface," Friend Theo said. He looked upward, which Fiyu had not often done since the walls of the chasm stretching skyward were always a strong point of reference in her own senses.

Though she still primarily used her personal senses, Fiyu did look upward with her eyes. The sky was a ghostly strip of blue overhead, almost entirely swallowed by the chasm walls rising on either side. Even though the river was becoming broader, the cliffs still dominated her vision. Contortions of reality that felt deeply disturbing to her senses twisted over the center of the river in higher concentrations, no doubt proving dangerous to anyone who wished to fly overhead.

Most strikingly, to any sense, the chasm ahead of them finally left its straight path and turned to the left. Even through all the disturbances, Fiyu could easily feel the density of the earth: the river cut into the western plain, eventually driving it against the spiritual barriers that defined the Chasm. Beyond that, she thought that it straightened out again, partially shifting underground, but the terminal point dissolved in a haze of interference.

"I don't sense any fighting on the western side," Friend Theo said not long after, "but I don't trust cantae senses very far here. How does it feel to you?"

"I will try." Fiyu focused on the lack of pressure above the stone walls, seeking anything that disturbed the air. She could still feel people to the west, few moving quickly, therefore... "I believe that the truce to the west has held. There is no fighting, at least not compared to the battlefield to the east. Fewer people than I expected, perhaps because they have harvested what they can and are retreating."

"How many of them are close to the river? Someone might try to walk north along the peaceful side, then drop into the chasm and fight from there. I can't feel anyone close, but it's such an obvious strategy, someone must be trying it."

"Ah. There is... a somewhat large group further back from us, with a well-equipped camp. I cannot determine their exact activities, but Rulers there could reach the river in under an hour, easily."

"Try to keep a sensoryorgan on them when you can." Friend Theo tilted his head to look behind them and to the east. "It feels like the Strongholds have largely deadlocked one another, but I'm not sure. Do you think anyone has pressed further north than us?"

"I have already been monitoring that," Fiyu said with a slight smile, knowing that he would be pleased. "The Authorities obviously outpaced us by far at first, but when we traveled along the river beneath their fights, we moved ahead. For several hours there was no one near us, but the time we spent harvesting the cavern and resting has allowed many to catch up. The area further north remains largely clear, but likely not for long."

"Then let's look even further north. The interference is getting worse, but I think if we combine our senses, we should be able to determine some more."

Friend Theo did not truly mean what he said, since they were too weak and too unfamiliar with one another to combine their senses of the world. A much lesser version of the technique was possible, however, and they cast cantae to the north together. Brushing their souls was a strange thing, but with Fiyu's body firmly focused on the threats, she felt only determination.

Though a bit clumsy, Friend Theo's sense of gravity was quite powerful. Through his cantae, she could easily feel the sharp lines of the canyon overhead as they widened. She ignored those broad patterns and instead searched within, trying to filter out the chaos of the river to locate the oddities within. It took several minutes, but eventually she felt that she had acquired a clearer representation of the path ahead.

"There should be something ahead," Friend Theo muttered, almost to himself. "A larger space opening to the east, before the final stretch of the river. But I'm struggling to find it..."

Fiyu shook her head. "You could not find it because you are looking for something separate from the river. It feels to me as if a barrier has been eroded, and the river has partially flooded that space."

"But there's a cavern there? I thought it would still exist."

"There is a partially underground region to the east that contains a number of angular structures that I believe must be buildings. Many of these are flooded or otherwise damaged. This leads to a larger shore region alongside the river that could be safely navigated. It does not last until the widest part of the river, but there appears to be an island in the center that may have another structure."

"There it is." Friend Theo smiled thinly and stared to the north. "The first structures you felt are ruins, though they were largely picked over before. The shore is one of the safer spaces near the river, so others may arrive there as well. But it's that building on the island I'm most interested in. When I visited here before, I wasn't able to reach it, so unless someone else looted the building, that might be our next most valuable target."

"And on the journey there?"

"Keep a lookout for flowers tucked into the chasm walls, but we aren't likely to find anything until we reach the shore, and only if we get there first."

Now that they knew the path forward, Friend Theo was obviously determined to hurry again, stopped only by decency in not jolting Friend Nauda awake. As soon as she roused, they would all likely be pushing forward, to explore these ruins and the shoreline. Then the island, and beyond...

Though they had still only navigated part of the Chasm of Lamentations, Fiyu was increasingly certain that the moans surrounding all of them were growing louder. She wondered how loud they would become by the time they reached the ominous density pushing against her senses at the end of the river.

Chapter 18

Though Theo never drove them at a truly reckless pace, Nauda couldn't help but feel his impatience simmering. According to the constant monitoring from Fiyu, their path taking them along the river had helped them get ahead during the early chaos, but now they were moving slowly compared to groups above. He was clearly driven to reach the shore first and felt they were falling behind.

Personally, she enjoyed the more casual hunt for sublime materials along the chasm walls. It was almost nostalgic to walk along the edges, enjoying the flowers clinging to the rocks even while searching for those with cantae, peering into tiny crannies. They didn't find anything as powerful as the sublime materials in the pit of poison gas, but without a sense of constant danger, she enjoyed it more. Yes, she probably should have been more worried about the river, but they usually had firm footholds, so she relaxed a little.

The sublime materials she found weren't anything to ignore, either. Perhaps not the legendary materials that people hoped to find in the Chasm of Lamentations, but still valuable. Certain flowers held very dense cantae and could be used to manufacture dyes or paints. Occasionally she found sapphire-like gemstones in the rocks that would make a valuable addition to many chambers.

When the paths along the side of the river finally extended out to a broader shore, she was almost disappointed. It was rocky at first, but as it expanded to several paces of shoreline under the rocky overhang, Nauda started to understand why Theo had wanted to rush there.

Moisture dripped from the stone overhead, thankfully not harmful. Instead it nurtured a more lively environment than any she'd seen so far in the Chasm, plants growing richly between the sharp cliff face and the river. Any sublime material that managed to survive next to those violent waters clearly had potential, and they'd spent the past years regrowing. Since their group had arrived first, they would be able to find some of the most valuable before they were picked over.

"The only dangers here are the river and the sky," Theo said. "If you see either change significantly, we may need to react. But other than that, you can harvest anything that looks valuable. We're particularly looking for a bush that looks like it's made of spun glass. The bush itself isn't a strong sublime material, but the roots are worth quite a bit."

"What do we do if the river or sky change?" Nauda asked.

"Unfortunately, there are too many different outcomes to cover them all. Just pay attention and listen if I panic. If anything happens to me, use all your safety equipment and hope."

Well, that was better than the presumption he might once have demonstrated. Nauda led the three alongside the river, examining the plants carefully for any that might be worthwhile. She didn't notice any flowers equivalent to those on the chasm cliffs, but there were more than a few that would have sold for a decent amount back in Tatian.

After an hour they found a bush that gave off wispy distortions, and drawing too close produced some sort of reaction. As the light dimmed, Theo urged them all to put on their masks. Nauda felt as though some danger passed them, but since none of them were harmed, they were able to continue smoothly. Once she adjusted to the patterns, the struggle was to remain alert.

They'd found a few of the more valuable plants, and Nauda was just beginning to think that it might become a relaxed exercise in flower-gathering, when she felt the cantae surge above her.

By the time she looked up, three Ruler-tier soulcrafters were already rappelling down the side of cliff. No, not solely rappelling... each had their hands sunk into the cliff itself, sliding through the stone to control their descent. Above them, the atmospheric disturbances were going crazy, as if they'd agitated the mist by passing through. Against that blue backdrop, the gray of the Asplundat Movement armor was quite clear.

"Turn back!" Theo called up, before she'd decided how to respond. "Didn't you see the distortions? You can't just throw yourselves down here!"

The implication of his statement made Nauda check her environment apprehensively... was the river frothing up more than it normally did? But before she could fully analyze everything, one of the Asplundat Rulers turned around, revealing himself to be Homez. "Apologies, but we need to harvest the shore too. Stay there and we can negotiate something."

If they waited until the Asplundat soulcrafters reached the ground, they'd be at a disadvantage. Nauda considered whether or not to strike first, and it seemed that Theo didn't need any time. "Throw a boulder at them," he ordered as he drew cantae from his soulhome.

After only a slight pause, Nauda decided to follow his plan. She tore a large stone from the shore with both hands and then heaved it toward the three climbing Rulers. As she would have expected, one of them  released a hand from the cliff, using a stone-covered fist to deflect her projectile. Even thrown with her full strength, it could only briefly halt the group before dropping.

Then Theo's gravitational field caught the stone, sending it plummeting. She saw Theo's hand twist in a familiar movement as the stone hit the water. Whatever he did, the stone hitting the water led to an eruption of the white death.

The column of water forced the Asplundat Rulers to scatter in three different directions and caught one of them in the leg. He cried out in pain and tumbled, barely catching himself by one arm on another rock. Homez pushed off, flipping higher in the chasm, while the female soulcrafter instead leapt straight off the wall.

Toward their position.

While they were in the air, Nauda had a split second to glance back and consider strategy. Fiyu was prepared, as expected. Senka was diving behind another rock and covering her head, which would get her out of the way - she'd been much less annoying than usual lately, Nauda sometimes forgot she was there. Theo had raised his hands facing one another, as if already trying to generate one of his black holes.

She wished that they could communicate, in the last instant they had before the battle began. Had Theo been bluffing earlier, or had their arrival actually brought on some sort of danger? Was he just bloodthirsty or did he have a reason to start his most dangerous attack from the beginning?

With no time for any of those questions, Nauda's only real choice was to defend her friends.

The first threat was the female Ruler who landed on the shoreline beside them. Nauda charged at her staff-first, beginning with a binding technique. Though the Ruler's armor managed to prevent her from getting a spiritual grip, Nauda easily shifted her physical grip and struck the Ruler across the face with the forks of her staff. It didn't break through the Asplundat armor, but it did send her staggering much closer to the river.

From the opposite cliff, the third Ruler prepared to push off toward them. Fiyu unleashed a storm of light bolts, which he mostly ignored because they deflected off his armor. But he should have been paying more attention, because a swath of the bolts shattered stones above him, sending them raining down toward his grip.

He barely managed to push away in time, a desperate movement that Nauda was easily able to intercept. She swept her staff into his injured leg as he landed, then kicked him in the chest, driving him directly into the female Ruler before she could advance. Both stumbled closer to the river, unable to move freely with such a threat at their backs.

It could almost have ended then, but at that moment Homez flipped overhead. While upside-down he released two bolts of gray cantae. Nauda knocked the nearest aside, more concerned about Fiyu... and then realized her mistake.

Fiyu had dodged back, but the cantae bolts had been a distraction from the beginning. Homez landed beside Theo, both fists thrusting toward him. Theo managed to leap away, but the spherical stones struck his cantae and dissipated it before it could form a black hole.

Before Nauda could assist him, the other two Rulers struck her simultaneously. She began a spinning defensive pattern with her staff, keeping them at bay briefly before one of them managed to grab it in one rocky claw. The other Ruler formed a sledgehammer around their hand and struck. Nauda was barely able to raise an arm and intercept the blow.

It shot pain through her arm, and the two soon began to overpower her. She was strong, but not strong enough to overpower two competent Rulers simultaneously. Worse, with her staff gripped...

A torsion bolt hit the arm grabbing her staff, sending stone fragments shattering in both directions. The momentary delay gave Nauda time to pull it free and strike each of them a blow to the chest. Just enough to crack their armor a little and knock them back, earn herself some space.

Unfortunately, over her shoulder she saw that the battle wasn't going well. When Theo had assisted her, it had cost him, because Homez nearly had him pinned against the cliff, striking repeated blows he could barely dodge. Nauda realized that Homez had seen the power of his black hole technique and would never give him enough space to complete it. Worse, she wasn't confident in her ability to overpower him, even before the other two Rulers were considered.

Fiyu appeared from the side, unleashing a narrowly focused wave of bolts that slammed into Homez. It barely seemed to slow him and he spun on her, too quickly. Nauda realized that he must have left himself open hoping to lure her out, but it was too late to say anything.

Homez whirled, both fists smashing together and unleashing a spherical shockwave. Theo only winced, but Fiyu wavered on her feet, starting to drop. The Asplundat Ruler immediately moved in, stone sphere flying at her...

Fiyu stopped pretending to fall and her hand swept up, surrounded by dark cantae.

It sliced through Homez's shoulder armor and even drew a little blood. He stepped back, eyes wide within his helm. Though she only caught a glimpse of his eyes... Nauda almost thought that he was smiling. Fiyu's trap had been very well placed, after all.

Unfortunately, it might not matter. Nauda's hesitation had allowed the other two Rulers to move further from the river, which was surging and splashing onto the shore so dangerously that it threatened all of them. In that environment, the three of them would be at even more of a disadvantage.

Before Nauda could decide how to act, Theo leapt between her and Fiyu and cast another of his gravity spells. All three of them began to fall into the air, though not as quickly as usual. Perhaps he saw the odds and intended to flee? As she rose into the air, Nauda realized that the moaning in the chasm around them had increased, as if an entire chorus screamed in the distance... and then she saw the water surging toward them.

The Asplundat Rulers leapt for them, but Nauda threw her binding against them and Theo cast another of his fields, making their jump fall far short. Two of them appeared simply angry, but Homez saw the onrushing flood and began to move.

A wall of pale water deluged the shore, hitting the side of the chasm violently and sending a cascade over the entire gap. Theo's spell only barely lifted them above it, weakening as they rose higher. He managed to move them all to the ground atop the chasm, but as soon as they landed he dropped to his knees, panting for breath.

Had the flood coursing down the river killed all their opponents? Nauda dared to look back, peering into the chasm... and saw a rope wrapped around a nearby rock. Dangling at the end, Homez desperately pulled himself higher, his stone armor burned away in countless places. There was no sign of the others, but he was crawling his way up.

"Cut the rope." Theo still gasped for breath, but he gestured Fiyu toward the tied point. She generated a cantae blade, but hesitated as she reached the edge, watching Homez stare up at them.

"Wait." Nauda almost reached out to stop Fiyu and forced herself to do no more than speak. "Do we really need to kill him? He's weakened and without his allies."

"And our enemy."

"Not necessarily, unless you always kill their soulcrafters without mercy. Do you want to see what an empire like the Asplundat Movement will do if it drops the nice act?"

"They won't know if he dies."

Nauda stared into Theo's eyes, again seeing the darkness there. He was no longer the man who had planned to rob Myufuru blind, but she had lost sight of the ruthlessness that still lurked within him. If a conflict emerged between them, a true conflict, she wondered exactly what he would do.

After looking between them several times, Fiyu released the cantae around her hand. That seemed to settle the matter, despite Theo's obvious displeasure, so Nauda bent down to help pull Homez up the rope. He intentionally kept his soulhome inert, taking no action that could be viewed as aggressive.

"Thank you," he said as she pulled him the rest of the way up. "I w-"

"There's no time." Theo was staring down toward the source of the river grimly. "It's about to end. Put in your earplugs... and you, just reinforce yourself as much as you can."

Despite her thoughts, Nauda complied immediately, stuffing the silencemoss plugs deep into her ears. The screams of the chasm immediately faded... only to increase even through the thick moss. As the flood of water passed, it was followed by a scream more intense than any that had come before it, the sounds themselves scraping the walls of the chasm.

For a moment, Nauda was overwhelmed by a sound of pure sorrow ringing deep inside her skull. Then it receded and she took a long, shuddering breath.

Beside her, Theo appeared unharmed, while Fiyu frowned with her hands over her ears. Homez had built a thick stone helmet around his head, but as she watched, it crumbled away. A line of blood trickled from one ear, and he slowly reached up to touch it. Though it didn't seem as though the scream had disabled him, when he spoke, his voice was much quieter.

"We had no intention of fighting you, actually." He stared down over the edge, where the river slowly subsided to its normal raging. "Two lives lost, for nothing..."

"It's easy to preach peace when you have military superiority." Theo stepped up to the Asplundat soulcrafter, thankfully no longer looking murderous. "And you brought that on yourselves, dropping straight into the chasm. I would have expected your Movement to have figured out that those distortions always lead to backlash."

"It would have worked, if we hadn't stumbled across you." Homez sighed heavily and allowed his armor to slough away. "You saved my life when you would have been justified leaving me. I cannot truly thank you, but I'll retreat instead of pursuing this further."

"And how many other soulcrafters is the Asplundat Movement going to send on the west side?" Nauda asked. "That was the plan, wasn't it? Send Rulers pretending to gather materials passively until they could seize control of the central river area?"

"Yes. That was never against the rules we set. Now the process will be delayed, but there are still others coming, and I am not the commander of this operation. I would suggest you hurry."

"Excuse me." Fiyu had slipped up nearby and spoke with absurd politeness. "Can you explain what your Movement wants? Please do not pretend you are not at war with the Ruling Cities."

Homez sighed and ran a hand over his eyes, the lines in his face weighing down his expression. "The three of you are visitors to this world, so I think you don't understand what it's like to live outside the cities. They're nothing but the strongest of barbarian clans, leeching off the land around them. In the Asplundat Movement, all are equal. No Houses, no principalities, no forgotten ghettos in between cities. I don't believe that we should conquer the continent, as some do, but I do believe that Fithe would be a better world if the Asplundat Movement spread across all of it."

"That has less to do with us than you think." Theo waved him toward the other side of the chasm. "I guess you'd better hurry. You only have about a day to gather materials."

"Oh, it will be more than that. Haven't you seen the darkness?" Homez gestured behind them toward the plain, where an entirely different battle still raged. "Our highest commanders knew that the House of the Lost was going to call on its allies. They've established a technique that enmeshed itself in the boundary, preventing it from dissolving. It also prevents anyone from getting out."

"You knew the event would be extended... and you planned for it. What else do you have in store?"

"Even if I would tell you all our plans, my part in this has ended." Homez leapt backward with surprising speed for such a tired man, though he didn't try to jump all the way across the chasm. "Perhaps later we can meet under less violent circumstances. Please think about what I said and look around you."

He turned away and began finding a path south. Though Theo continued to watch him skeptically, Nauda instead turned her gaze toward the battlefield. The unnatural darkness still extended over much of the plain, and now that she was looking for it, she saw how the distortions of the barrier had turned completely black. Even the shimmering blue waves on the other sides of the Chasm had become much darker than they had been before.

"Theo?" Fiyu spoke up very quietly. "What exactly does that mean?"

"It's a technique that keeps the Chasm of Lamentations open for longer, like I said might happen." He frowned as he finally looked back, examining the same darkness. "But this one is stronger than what I saw before, much stronger. Apparently it keeps anyone from getting out, and even after it fades, there will probably be several days to escape."

"Does that mean...?"

"Yes. We're going to be here for a while."

Chapter 19

Though the attack cost them time, requiring their group to retrace their steps to find a safe path back into the chasm, the true cost was peace of mind. Theo had hoped, despite the odds, that they had stayed ahead of similar efforts to reach the vault. Perhaps if he'd sprinted directly down the river...

Once again, he reminded himself that a trap from Vistgil might be waiting at the end. Gathering rare sublime materials was more important than arriving first.

When they finally located a path down that didn't risk disturbing the Chasm in some way, he hesitated by the edge to look back toward the battle one more time. It had essentially entrenched itself around the most powerful soulcrafters, with at least three Strongholds creating fortifications that couldn't be broken by anyone other than their peers. Considering that they weren't willing to risk themselves for the rewards of the Chasm, that produced a deadlock.

None of them were attempting to push further north yet, presumably because they knew that the House of the Lost had bound them all inside for longer. Instead they primarily fought over the sublime materials located on the broad plain, and he thought he saw signs of quarrying in each base. Some of the resources there were powerful, but he'd already given up those sublime materials for lost. No amount of knowledge or trickery would let him enter a battle of that intensity.

Yet the end of the river and the Scepter of Separation... if the stories were true, that artifact could allow any soulcrafter to harm a Dominion, even if it only worked once. He refused to believe that every force entrenched on the plain didn't also have a strategy to try to seize it, if not the entire vault. The Asplundat movement had sent Homez and probably others to sneak into the river, and there were presumably more attempts that he hadn't encountered.

"Theo?" Nauda stood beside the path down, staring back at him. "Is something wrong?"

"Just distracted." He turned back and joined them, creeping down the slope before they shifted to climbing. Though he knew that he could stop their fall with gravitational fields if necessary, it had taken a lot out of him the previous time, so he wasn't eager to test himself again.

"I was actually wondering about this new barrier." Nauda spoke casually as they climbed, moving more easily over the rock than either of them. "What happens if the House of the Lost stops their technique? Could they evacuate their soulcrafters, halt it, and trap everyone else here abruptly?"

"Oh dear." Fiyu glanced up at them from below. "I hope that is not possible."

"It's not," Theo said quickly. "They're freezing the boundaries of the Chasm, increasing the amount of time they'll stay open. When they release their technique, the rest will take a while to fade. The most they could do is set off a panic as everyone would have about one day to escape."

"Huh." Nauda frowned skyward at the uneven line where the darkness met the original sky. "You could probably get to a boundary in a day even if you were in the very center, if you hurried. But do you suppose they could use that to try to prevent anyone from reaching the vault? Let the boundary begin collapsing so that everyone needs to rush out, I mean."

"That wouldn't make sense if they want to acquire it themselves, but I suppose it could be a last ditch effort if they feel things aren't going their way." He actually hadn't considered that, given the slow nature of such boundaries. Though not an overwhelmingly powerful maneuver, they could certainly alter the entire state of the battlefield.

Their trio reached the rocky shore without any accidents or attacks, indeed without running into a single other person. Until they met Senka, sitting on a rock and quietly chewing on what appeared to be a strand of seaweed. She said nothing for once and simply fell in behind them.

Unfortunately, the flooding river had destroyed many of the sublime materials that had been growing on the bank, in addition to carving large sections from the stone. He noted that there weren't any puddles left behind, as if the river had withdrawn back to its territory. The losses might benefit them slightly, but he wished that they had been able to harvest more plants before so many were lost.

As they carefully made their way down the river, Theo found himself increasingly annoyed at the Asplundat Movement. The cavern and ruins he remembered still existed, but many of their contents had been destroyed or washed away. Then again, they might have been looted in the century since the previous time he had visited, since the ruins were one of the most obvious places to search.

If any truly valuable artifacts remained, they would no doubt be in the locked ruins toward the end of the river. Based on the rumors about the Scepter of Separation, the final area was still not thoroughly explored, but soulcrafters had reached it. The vaults would contain the most valuable rewards, yet given the rumors of the opened one, they could easily be a trap...

"What's our exit strategy?" Nauda finally asked as they left another mostly empty building. "Let's not be coy: you'd take this scepter armament if you could, right?"

"If possible, but that really depends on what awaits us at the end." Theo couldn't help but stare northward, even though he could see nothing but the chasm walls as they twisted. "If the Strongholds finish their battle and make it to the last ruins, they'll lock them down. But the scepter supposedly fell in the battle closer to the exits than the vault, so it might be more hidden than guarded."

"Say we happen to run into it, then. Do we take it and run for the boundary?"

"That depends on how many people we encounter. If we can slip away, of course we do. If others realize that we have it, then we'd have a major target on our backs. I think if we play it safe, we can survive long enough to leave. Once we're out of the Chasm of Lamentations, it will be in House Blacksilver's interest to protect us, and in turn Norro Yorthin and the Ruling Cities. They might pressure us, but I don't think they'd entirely turn on us for it."

Nauda frowned like she wasn't so confident, but Fiyu increased her pace to walk beside them and spoke before she could. "Do you still believe this could be a trap laid by your great enemy?"

"I... I'm not sure, but I can't get the idea out of my head. Just think of it as another way we should be cautious." Their path had been relatively easy so far, so he couldn't help but imagine the rumored vault containing nothing but another world-consuming trap. Vistgil's work had been quite effective, because it sowed both traps for his foes and doubts about any action that might benefit them.

"Then we continue moving forward. What is the next location that might help us? Would it be the island with the locked building?"

"With the ruins mostly empty... yeah, the island should probably be our next goal."

Though Theo considered spending more time scavenging the ruins for anything remaining, he suspected they had been picked clean. Their group made better time moving forward, passing the soulcrafters that Fiyu could sense trying to fight their way alongside the eastern side of the chasm. Unfortunately, as the bank of the river thinned, they needed to return to climbing, which slowed them down as they rounded the large turn.

Once they finally reached the next straight section, however, his objective was in sight. The white river had become truly wide at this point, rushing with terrible force, yet a dark island sat in the center of it. That island, more than anything else he remembered, appeared utterly unchanged. Whatever sublime material the dark rock was, it split the water without showing the slightest sign of damage.

Most importantly, the triangular building still sat atop it, unchanged by time. He saw a few scorch marks on one side, but it didn't seem that anyone had succeeded in breaking through. The entire Chasm was resistant to weaker cantae, but the construction materials for that building had been able to shrug off even an Authority's cantae.

Whatever lay inside likely still remained. Unfortunately, the lock was one mystery that Theo had no easy answer for. He wasn't sure if they would be able to determine any solution, but they couldn't afford to ignore the possibility.

There was no path leading to the island, and it was too far from either cliff to drop onto it, so they had no choice but to jump. Their current path was too lined by rocky protrusions, so they searched for a better angle. As they did so, Theo felt a small hand tug on his pant leg.

"Senka doesn't want to go." She had been nearly invisible for most of the trip, but now stared up at him somberly. For a moment, she seemed so unlike her ordinary self that he wasn't sure what to say.

"Why not? Do you know something about it? Can you smell something?"

"Senka... just doesn't think it's safe." Her frown looked decidedly different from her usual pout and he considered taking it seriously, but...

"What alternative are you proposing, then? We can't just give up and leave."

"This place... Senka doesn't want!" Without warning, she hurled herself over the edge, falling into the river, where she promptly began thrashing wildly. "Senka is drowning! Blub blub blub!"

"Did she just say 'blub blub blub'?" Nauda asked. Theo sighed and turned away as soon as it was clear Senka wasn't going to drown.

"If she wants to play in the water, she can. Let's be extra cautious on our approach, but I don't see what else we can do. We couldn't even retreat safely, having come this far. Fiyu, can you feel anything within the building?"

She knelt on one knee for a long time, then slowly shook her head. "It was built to resist powerful cantae, even more than the island stone. I cannot feel anything within, and the island itself is quite hazy to me."

None of that left them exactly optimistic, but the cliff walls became even more sheer around the island, so even if they wanted to pass, they really only had one choice. Nauda went first, since she was the best defended, a clean jump landing her safely on the island. When she indicated for them to follow, they both leapt somewhat more carefully.

The front tip of the island was showered by dangerous spray from the river, but the rest was somewhat shielded from it, perhaps the safest place this deep in the chasm. In the exact center of the island, the triangular white building sat quietly. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the moaning voices of the Chasm seemed quieter on the island, and silent when he walked closer.

Just as he remembered, a large stone door was embedded in the side facing the center of the island, covered in inscriptions but without any mechanism that could be manipulated. Unfortunately, even with more experience than his first visit, none of the inscriptions meant anything to him. Theo walked closer to see if he could determine anything else about the entrance.

"Well, it looks like I got lucky." The voice came from above the doorway, and though Theo leapt back instinctively, he realized that it wouldn't matter. If the Authority had wanted to kill them, he could have done so.

Worse, it was the Authority he had seen representing the House of Burning Leaves, half his face nothing but scar tissue. He wore dark green armor with the sigil of his house inlaid in crimson, no doubt an old and powerful armament. Even if he wasn't the most powerful Authority in the Chasm, their situation had just become far worse.

"You see, this door is very cleverly made, impossible for Authorities to open." The man extended a leg over the side, tapping the building with one heel. "Now, I'm going to need you to open it for me. Based on how well you cooperate, I'll consider leaving some of you alive. But the boy... he definitely needs to die for humiliating the House of Burning Leaves."

"Your name is Mattan, right?" Nauda stepped forward as if to speak to him, but Theo noted that she and Fiyu both stayed at his back. "We all represent Houses of Norro Yorthin. Surely any quarrels we have can be settled within our city."

"You're not House members. You're leeches on Fithe itself. If you won't cooperate, I can kill all of you and find allies to open the door. But if y-"

At that moment, Fiyu's stealth technique rippled out past him and Nauda tapped his side. If he hadn't been so familiar with both of them, Theo might have hesitated, but instead he intuited what they wanted. The instant the stealth covered them, he leapt in the direction Nauda had pushed him.

Even taken off guard, Mattan had an Authority's reflexes. Raw cantae slammed down on the space where they had stood a moment earlier, their jump having just barely cleared it. Fiyu poked them both from behind, and though Theo wasn't entirely sure about her reasoning, he timed his next jump along with both of them, moving around the right side of the building before creeping further.

"That is really quite a remarkable technique." Mattan began stalking around the roof, examining the entire island. His eyes passed directly over them, but didn't pause any more than normal. "Hmph, you're lucky that this place helps hide you. But do you really think you can run?"

His first attempt was to drop his power over the entire island. Ordinary soulcrafters might have been flattened, but given their treatment by Authorities and their careful soulcrafting, they could still move. The air felt more like liquid, but they could make their way out. If their opponent had been a weaker Authority, it might have worked.

Walls of green cantae lit up around the island, then Mattan gestured toward one end. A column of light slammed down over it, vanishing just before another flashed a pace further inland. More and more of the columns began battering the island, as if he planned to find them by brute force.

Given their opponent, they didn't dare speak, but their thoughts were clear enough. Fiyu focused solely on keeping them hidden while Nauda glanced skyward. Theo wasn't sure if the barrier had a ceiling, or if he could lift them without being noticed. He eyed the advancing columns of light, wondering if they could dodge through the search, but he was still just an Archcrafter and the columns were moving remarkably fast.

"Hey, pay attention!" Out of nowhere, a fish slapped Mattan in the face. He was so stunned that he stopped his light columns and spun to look for the source.

Theo had half-expected Senka to be trying to rescue them, though it would have been a suicidal effort even for her. Yet the voice had been male... and to his surprise, Theo saw Tythes standing on the other side of the island, rooting around in the pockets of his long jacket.

"There it is!" He pulled out another fish and hurled it at Mattan, who snatched it out of the air.

"What is this? This... this fish isn't even a sublime beast! How could it survive in this river?"

"Oh, it's not. I heard this river didn't have any fish, so I brought some from home. But I ate the third one, so you really should have had the decency to let the second hit you in the face too. I put real effort into this, and you're ruining it. Can you just slap yourself for me?"

"You..." Mattan stared at him in shock, then let out a cry of rage and unleashed a lance of cantae. This one wasn't aiming to bind anyone in place, but a full-fledged attack designed to kill an equal.

Tythes dodged by falling over onto his side. From that position he tipped backward and struck the ground hard, sending him flipping into the air at unnatural speed, his body a whistling blur. Mattan hurled another lance of cantae at him, but the spin somehow deflected it and a moment later he drove his head directly into the other Authority's stomach.

As they struggled atop the building, Theo realized part of what was wrong with Tythes's soulhome. Though he had a flawless barrier wall that suggested his blueprint was strong, he fought like someone who hadn't soulcrafted a single chamber. Nothing but spending lots of cantae reinforcing his body and moving himself around. Such techniques were only used by incompetent soulcrafters... or those who wanted to avoid letting anyone see their techniques.

Whichever one of them won the fight, Theo didn't like their odds. Despite the risk, he began generating a singularity between his hands. It wouldn't be lethal to an Authority, but if it could draw in enough of their cantae, it might be their only chance at harming either of them.

Unfortunately, the fight ended as Tythes flipped backward, his feet connecting with the other Authority's jaw. The man hurtled upward, bashing against one of the chasm walls before flying out of sight. Tythes ended the maneuver standing on his head on the edge of the building... and then slowly rotated to look at them.

"I wish you wouldn't do that." Tythes extended his cantae, much more subtly than Mattan had, and snuffed out Theo's cantae before it could form a singularity. "I just saved your lives, after all. And please drop that stealth technique. I promise you that I won't search so stupidly, and that will just waste all our time."

After a long pause, Fiyu let the bubble fade around them. Nauda moved to the head of their trio, raising her staff for all the good it would do. "And just why are you here?"

"To altruistically help my fellow citizens, of course." Tythes tipped over the edge and flipped once to land on his feet, grinning at them. "Now, out of sheer gratitude, all of you are going to work for me."

Chapter 20

"As it happens, I consider myself a master negotiator." Tythes sat atop a rock and stroked his chin self-indulgently. "The previous Authority to approach you offered to torture and kill most of you. I believe that I can beat that offer."

Even though he was unquestionably more powerful than them, Nauda scowled at Tythes while he rambled. After confirming that Mattan wasn't coming back any time soon, they had all moved to one side of the triangular building, hiding themselves from anyone looking from above. Technically anyone else could come down, but Nauda had noticed an increasing number of distortions overhead.

"The good news is, I think we can work together. My father will not stop harassing me about acquiring some sort of Scepter of Sparkling, or something like that. The problem is, getting it would be way too much of a pain. If I make you do all the work getting into this building that no one has ever been able to enter before, then I should be able to get him off my back. You can have the excess sublime materials, I'll drop you off somewhere safe, everybody ends up happy."

"You expect us to trust you?" Nauda didn't bother to keep the contempt out of her voice. She wasn't going to offend such an unstable Authority, but she wouldn't let him walk over them, either. "The last time we met, you insisted that we duel and swore that you'd tear me apart."

"No, that doesn't sound like me." Tythes glanced at her briefly, almost as if he didn't even remember her. "Believe me, I'll be good for it. Soulcrafting is far too much work after Authority, so I figure that you can take away the extra sublime materials and save me the trouble. I consider myself a very reasonable man, so I think this is more than fair."

Though she seethed at her memories of him, Nauda went silent. If he was going to play this game, her interference wasn't likely to make anything better. Fortunately, Theo was already moving on to another approach. "If you made your way here so easily, why can't you reach the end of the river and get the scepter? Surely finding it would be easier than doing something that's never been done before."

"Oh, but you see, there's a deadlock further north. All the Strongholds are ready to gang up on anyone who tries to reach the final position. My father in particular tried to push north, only to run against a Stronghold from the Asplundat Movement. On top of that, the House of the Lost is being truly strange about all this. Not taking it seriously at all! But simultaneously taking it much too seriously, if you know what I mean."

"I do not understand," Fiyu said. Nauda expected Tythes to mock her, but he just shrugged and continued.

"They used their huge technique to keep everyone inside - which is absurd, because it means more work - and then began searching the Chasm. But not for the scepter or the vault, for a person. We have no idea who, but they're acting downright murderous. Really, they seem to be off in their own little world, but whatever they're doing is getting in the way of everyone else."

Tythes glanced between them, but when they didn't volunteer any more questions, he shrugged and moved on. "Anyway, I consider myself an extraordinarily handsome man, so I decided to try to win a victory while everyone else is distracted."

Fiyu frowned. "I do not understand how those statements are related."

"What are you talking about? Shouldn't you be helping me open that door?" Since they didn't really have a choice, they went to join him at the door. Tythes slouched up to it and rapped on the intricate designs with one hand. "Somebody dead put much, much too much work into this. You see, it requires cantae of a precise intensity and quantity. Anyone who has ascended past Ruler will burn straight through it, defeated by their own strength."

"You can't modulate your cantae down?" Theo asked.

"Whoever built the door was thinking of that, and it's extremely sensitive to high intensities. Anyway, did I say I wanted your help? Shut up and help me." Crouching down beside the door, Tythes ran a hand over the inscriptions, briefly not looking so foolish. "But the lock is nothing that can be easily opened by lower tier soulcrafters, either. Ten years ago, my father brought a number of first tier soulcrafters to unlock it, hoping that their weak cantae would do the trick. They all turned to ash. But I'm sure that won't happen again, so now I need you to come over here and touch the Instant Death Door."

Nauda edged closer, wishing that she saw any other option. Despite his nonchalance, Tythes had clearly studied the door, pointing out several spirals where they were meant to place their hands. It was an unusual sort of lock, nothing like what Nauda had seen before. The technique itself involved gently pouring her cantae through the inner workings, but it was like trying to push water through stone.

After over a minute, perhaps a fifth of the door glowed with cantae, but they could push no further. Tythes sighed and tapped the door, his cantae immediately overpowering theirs. The metal reacted instantly, power flashing across it like lightning through water. In an instant all of them were thrown back, though when Nauda checked the others, none of them had been harmed.

"Oh, this is obviously going to be a such a pain." Tythes slapped himself across the face twice. "But the three of you did better than most others who've tried. Did I mention that everyone adding cantae needs to be able to work together well? That's also a requirement. Did I mention that you have to wear special hats? You don't have to, so it would be silly if I'd said that."

Gripping her staff to contain her irritation, Nauda forced her tone to remain civil, if not polite. "Then just what are you going to force us to do?"

"We're going to stay here until you can open the door for me. One of you is already a Ruler, and the other two are close, so it just requires some practice and a little more power. I'll force feed you some sublime materials, make you ascend, then we can open it. Come on, buck up, this will be fun! If you try to run away from the fun I'll kill you, of course."

When Nauda looked to her companions, she could already see the expected reactions on their faces. Fiyu disliked the situation strongly, but intended to keep her head down and accept it. Theo kept his face neutral, but she could tell that he was planning to turn the situation to his advantage. Though Tythes wasn't truly their ally, if he intended to make them ascend, he would both defend and assist them.

"Alright, do you understand?" This time, Tythes seemed to be actually expecting a response, so Nauda decided to speak for the group.

"Thank you for your immense generosity, Lord Tythes."

"It really is immense, isn't it? I'm so glad we can help each other."

The ease with which he accepted the false praise irritated her, so Nauda broadened her smile. "We've never seen such magnanimity from a more powerful soulcrafter. We thought we'd entered the Chasm of Lamentations to find sublime materials, but we should have been searching for you."

"Good." Tythes examined his fingernails with an air of self-satisfaction. "I'm glad that you seem like reasonable people who can cooperate."

"Truly, tales of your kindness today will be told for millennia."

"Well, I wouldn't go quite that far myself, but I do seem to inspire depthless awe in everyone I encounter." Tythes smiled back at her, an exact mirror of her own false expression, and Nauda gave up. There was absolutely no getting through him that way.

And, given the gap in strength, they had no way of escaping him. Their only way out might be through the impossible door that sat darkly before them.

~ ~ ~

For almost the entirety of their third day in the Chasm of Lamentations, Theo had no choice but to assist with the door. If they had been limited to the original three days, he would have been furious. Instead, it was a rather more ambiguous imprisonment, like an invisible countdown to an explosion, only an ominous ticking sound every moment.

The door itself was the most obvious challenge, requiring a difficult mix of strength and skill. After several attempts, Theo was willing to admit that it couldn't be done with skill alone. He still possessed most of a Stronghold's facility with complex cantae work, yet his best efforts only brought the door to half lit. Most likely the only viable option would be to find more cantae, either by another soulcrafter or ascension, either of which would take time.

But the more difficult enigma was Tythes himself. Observing his behavior in a concentrated stretch, Theo was almost completely convinced that the Authority used apathy to hide a darker purpose. Exactly how malicious it was, he couldn't be sure, yet he felt certain that Tythes lied continually and methodically.

Growing bored after several attempts, the Authority left the rest of them and wandered to the other side of the island with vague threats. Though Theo couldn't parse his exact intentions, he was sure that the arbitrary contradictions and cruelty were themselves the message: a reminder that his strength put him beyond any sense of reason. It was annoying enough that Theo sometimes hoped that Mattan would return to fight him again, but when they weren't interrupted, he decided to commit to the problem itself.

Tythes had left them with a chamber blueprint that Theo judged was useless for anything except unlocking the door and thus immediately discarded. Their second decision wasn't so easy. The solution that had struck him as most obvious, both of his companions crafting a vestibule to increase their cantae efficiency, had been disregarded.

For whatever reason, Nauda didn't feel that it matched her soulhome, while Fiyu felt that her present environment was not right for making permanent blueprint changes. He managed to convince her to craft a temporary room that would serve the same purpose, so she set about her work.

When he turned back to Nauda, she glanced toward Tythes, then drew Theo into her soulhome. Even though they were alone there, she lowered her voice. "Alright, I understand that the room he gave us wouldn't offer any advantage. But would cantae alone help?"

"Possibly." Theo glanced toward her home, eyeing the third floor with only a few chambers fashioned. "Are you thinking of expanding?"

"That's right. I have the bricks stored for it, and if necessary we have plenty of sublime stone. By the time I finish my third floor, I'll be able to store quite a bit more cantae, and in the process I'll be able to show him progress. The benefit is obvious, but do you think I can get away with it?"

"Very hard to tell. He's opaque by design."

They both peered out of her soulhome enough to examine Tythes, who currently sat on the side of the island, throwing rocks into the water. Possibly in an extremely inept effort to skip them across the surface. When he ran out of rocks, he fell over onto his side to scrabble for more, refusing to actually stand up even when it meant crawling.

"I say you focus on your third floor," Theo said as they pulled back. "I think he's more serious about this than he looks, but that he won't harm us, especially if we seem to be making progress. Given the room you have to grow, you should be able to focus fully on your Ruler tier."

With that, they left her soulhome and set to work. Theo wished that he could float within his own soulhome as he did in others, but within himself his spiritual body existed in a deeply concrete sense. Currently, all he had to move between floors were the ladders set in his heart column. Briefly he considered setting up something more permanent, to make his soulcrafting easier, but he was almost completely certain that once he'd ascended enough, he would be able to set up gravity transportation within his soulhome. That would be just a little more efficiency, so he could deal for the time being.

As for ascension itself, there was no question in his mind that he eventually could, the true concern was if it would cost him anything. The early Archcrafter ascension hadn't bothered him, but now he found himself thinking back to Nauda's question from before the Chasm. It would have been better to find more potent low tier materials to fill his early floors, particularly the enhancement chambers.

Still, he could admit to himself that the core of his work was complete. He had two floors of solid architecture as well as a finished barrier wall. The singularity at his core was better than he had planned, continually absorbing power and keeping up with his growth. All eight of his technique chambers had powerful and appropriate sublime materials within, even if he hadn't fully developed all of those skills. Most likely he could pretend to struggle with ascending to Ruler, giving him time to gather a few more materials to fill the emptier rooms.

That essentially sealed his conclusion: he'd make actual progress toward ascension to keep Tythes happy, but put it off in case another Authority defeated him or the situation otherwise changed. It wouldn't be difficult to find sublime materials in the Chasm, the tricky part might actually be finding materials weak enough that he didn't need to lock them away.

At first he had presumed an interruption was more likely, but no one else appeared above the chasm and the atmospheric disturbances appeared to be increasing. There was no day or night in the Chasm of Lamentations, but eventually Tythes gave a loud yawn and proclaimed, "Night time!" He reached into his soul and pulled out an entire tent before dropping it onto the island.

"Is that...?" Nauda blinked in surprise, which unfortunately got his attention.

"Didn't you know that you can store non-sublime objects in your soul once you reach Ruler?" Tythes asked. "There's no point having extra space in your soul if you can't use it to travel in style."

Nauda frowned, obviously having known that, but didn't argue that she had been on too tight a schedule to fully develop such secondary capacities. Theo might have pushed her to do so, if the Chasm wasn't composed so overwhelmingly of sublime materials they could absorb and extract later. They only needed to carry food, water, and a few other supplies.

They had only taken one tent, currently rolled up in Fiyu's pack. Previously, they had used it individually, and Theo wasn't entirely sure if Tythes changed that equation. As she set up the tent, Fiyu continually looked in his direction, saying nothing while her posture screamed discomfort. Eventually Theo left his soulhome to go speak with her.

"You're uncomfortable?" he asked. Fiyu immediately nodded.

"Perhaps Tythes needs us alive, but I do not believe he can be trusted. I know that the tent provides no protection against him, but..."

"After traveling together for so long," Nauda said, "do we really mind sharing? One person can keep watch and the other two can each take half."

Fiyu hesitated, then smiled at both of them. An odd smile, but not forced. "You are both trusted companions. I would be more comfortable if we rested in this way."

Theo had been anticipating some awkwardness, but that plan worked out better than he expected. He and Nauda were entirely business-like about it, while Fiyu appeared a little apprehensive but went to sleep once she'd thoroughly wrapped herself in her sheets. It wasn't uncomfortable physically or socially, and that was all that mattered to him. Nothing to distract them from their soulcrafting.

On the fourth day, the darkness in the sky showed no signs of abating. Tythes said that there was a major clash between Strongholds further north, though he seemed entirely distracted. Other than hectoring them to work harder, all he did was pull random objects out of his soulhome and toss them into the water, chuckling to himself as they dissolved or disappeared into the waves.

Regardless of his demands, all three of them worked as hard as they could. It wasn't much compared to Authorities, but it was the only thing they could do to take any control over their situation. Nauda made excellent progress on her chambers, Fiyu was well on her way to completing her vestibule, and Theo spent most of his time carving the walls of the rooms he'd left incomplete. Simple carvings didn't have the greatest impact on his strength, but he wanted them finished so that they would be continually reinforced by all future ascensions.

They did have an interruption on the fifth day, but it ended swiftly and brutally. A group of Asplundat Rulers tried to sneak into the chasm and attack them, to be killed by Tythes almost immediately. He began trying to use their bodies as boats, shouting at the corpses to try harder when they kept dissolving into the water. Theo decided not to ask him any questions that day and just kept his distance.

By the sixth, he decided to risk asking Tythes to help them acquire sublime materials. Though he complained the entire time, he actually didn't put up much opposition, carrying them individually to different parts of the chasm to search. In the process they discovered a few sublime materials he hadn't counted on finding, giving them a slight additional edge.

On the seventh day, Tythes abruptly demanded that they give up on the door and try tunneling under the back side of the building. When the rock proved nearly immune to cantae and they only dug a few feet down, he abandoned the idea just as abruptly and then pouted all through the eighth day.

With help from an Authority and everyone else deadlocked before the end, Theo was starting to think that their situation was actually to their advantage. So, of course, on the ninth day life had to get in his way yet again.

Chapter 21

Though Fiyu was too well-trained to allow anything short of an emergency to hinder her soulcrafting, no spirit was capable of constant focus. She found herself attempting to spend every waking hour in her soulhome, hiding from her thoughts within discipline.

She had essentially completed work on her temporary vestibule and only made slight alterations to its efficacy in order to appease Warden Tythes. Though she disliked the modification to Relative Guchiro's blueprint, its function was intriguing. Perhaps, under better conditions and his guidance, she might adapt a permanent feature along similar lines in the future.

That complete, she had been able to spend the majority of her soulcrafting time on work that she had uncomfortably skipped while preparing for the Chasm. The most fruitful was improving her gatehouse, which made her Soulsilver Bracers feel more comfortable on her wrists by the day. Once she had even left with Warden Tythes and located some silvery stone in the ruins, which matched the bracers enough to strengthen the gatehouse.

Less successful had been her attempts to tap some of the cantae within the mistheart. The sublime material was extremely powerful, and perhaps even appropriate for her blueprint, yet as an Archcrafter her soul struggled to contain it. She had attempted to build an enclosure with a single opening, but it only emitted a stream of pressurized cantae and risked damage to her soulhome.

Whenever she was exhausted, or particularly needed to escape other thoughts, she focused on polishing the interior of her barrier wall. Though she had refined the exterior to a dark sheen, in order to improve her stealth technique, the interior remained rather rough. It troubled her whenever she saw it, and in turn she believed that it slightly inhibited the flow of her cantae as it left her soulhome. Still, she was pleased that she had been able to escape the gaze of an Authority, even if it couldn't help them with Warden Tythes.

Recognizing that she could do no more work effectively, Fiyu left her soulhome and looked over the island. It had become quite familiar over the past days, so there were few places for her eyes to rest. She settled on the door, still impenetrable. Warden Tythes forced them to attempt it again daily, and they had recently made their way past two thirds of the lock, but it would likely require Friend Theo's ascension to open.

That thought drew her eyes back to the tent, and everything else.

Desperately she looked aside, searching for Warden Tythes as the greatest threat. He had pulled what she first feared was a spear from his chest, but it had been a harmless sublime metal. At the moment he appeared to be attacking the ground, which was slightly disturbing. The stone resisted, as it had almost all other attempts, but Warden Tythes eventually managed to stab the metal pole in deep, which was quite impressive.

Then he revealed a second pole, jammed it in a short distance away, and hung a hammock between the two. He lay down it it and sighed dramatically, only to grow uncomfortable a moment later and get back out to reposition the poles to suit his liking.

Unfortunately, his strange behavior couldn't hold her attention forever. Eventually Fiyu had no choice but to look back to the tent and her companions. Once more, the strange emotions swelled from deep within her.

Neither of them appeared to be troubled by their circumstances, not realizing how she felt to be alone in the tent with a valued companion and a trusted ally standing guard outside. Of course Friend Nauda was unaffected, since Tatians practically slept in piles. Friend Theo appeared completely oblivious, almost as asexual as an Ichili except without any discomfort with proximity or touch.

At first, Fiyu had attempted to ignore the feelings, since their environment remained dangerous. Yet the emotions were so strange... she felt such deep friendship with both of them, and a deep desire for something else, yet she was uncertain who to approach. Her relatives had told her that it was distantly possible that she would feel more than one potential connection at once, which generally led to heartbreak, but it was improbable in Ichili society.

The terrifying thing was that she didn't know how either of them felt, her senses completely incapable of determining their deeper emotions. From their musculature she was certain that both Friend Theo and Friend Nauda cared for and trusted her, but those were emotions that would be appropriate for a relative and did not require being lifemates. It was possible that they both intended to remain alone, or join with someone from their own world.

Among Ichili, the next step would be to discuss the matter calmly. There could be deep sadness when desires did not align, but none of the insanity she had seen in other worlds. Fiyu realized that she was fidgeting in her seat, unable to decide. She was unsure how to approach either of them, and even more unsure which one she wanted to approach.

In the end, she decided that Friend Theo had always been the most understanding. She could inquire about lifemate customs with him and he would inform her if she was committing errors. The idea of him reciprocating her feelings sent a tingle through her, but Fiyu suppressed the feeling until that night, when Warden Tythes had gone to sleep and Friend Nauda was on watch outside.

"Theo..." She waited until he looked at her, deeply shadowed by the tent, and forced herself to continue. "I would like to speak with you regarding lifemate customs between worlds."

All the muscles through his back and neck immediately tensed, showing such intense discomfort that Fiyu nearly fled. But she was held captive by the tent, and when he turned to her the muscles of his smile were stiff but not angry, so she forced herself to remain. "Can you be more specific? I know Ichili customs, but I... don't know what you're asking."

"Ordinarily, I would not experience these desires until I was older. My journey with the two of you may have forced me to develop more quickly." She suspected that it had been triggered by the wholly benign touch when they had saved her life, but felt that it would be unwise to state that for reasons she couldn't identify to herself. Fiyu realized that she had not truly answered his question and pushed on. "Regrettably, my relative is not here to guide me. I know that these matters are very different in other cultures and worlds, but I hoped to find clarity."

"I don't think it's easy for anyone, Fiyu. Emotions are a mess no matter who you are."

The way he said her name so gently sent a strange heat through her that Fiyu struggled to ignore. "I believe that it can be less so if you communicate clearly. Is it not appropriate to approach others to ask them about those emotions?"

Another smile, but the muscles around his eyes struck her as sad. "That's usually how it works, but you haven't really asked yet."

"I... I care for you very much, Theo. I would like for us to travel together, and perhaps one day we will be relatives. But I do not know if it would also be possible for us to be lifemates. Do you... how do you feel?" Those hadn't been quite the words she'd intended to say, but they had spilled out of her and they couldn't be taken back. Unknown Theo took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Fiyu... I want to keep traveling with you, and I'm glad I met you. But no, I don't think we should be lifemates."

"Why?" She sensed no anger in his posture, yet she still felt a growing pain of rejection that she struggled to contain. "Please explain."

"I was married once, back on Earth. That's our legal institution for 'lifemates', if it didn't translate well. But it didn't work out, and..." Unknown Theo paused and sat back, staring up through the tent, muscles in his shoulders tense as they usually were when he talked about his home world. "Her name was Mary. I didn't expect to have any relationships there, because I was so focused on getting back to the Nine Worlds, but she... got my attention. And we were happy together, for a few years, but... well, I think you can guess."

"I am not sure that I can. You believe you were at fault?"

"I actually told her about the Nine Worlds, indirectly. I don't think she fully believed me, but it says something about the kind of person she was that she didn't mock me. But in the end... I was more obsessed than I thought, or maybe it's that the obsession took over too much of my life. So the relationship became increasingly bitter and we separated."

Frowning as she tried to accept that concept, Fiyu pressed on. "But if you cared for one another, how could you harm one another?"

"Funny question, actually. I've thought about that myself." He was silent for a long time, muscles in his jaw working. "I think that we just gradually fell into unhealthy patterns. Small annoyances became arguments. We started digging into positions instead of reconciling. Eventually we decided we'd be happier apart, and... well, I think she was. We talked a few times after and it was honestly easier to get along when we didn't live together."

The ideas that Unknown Theo expressed were deeply troubling, and Fiyu did not want to place Ichili expectations on what was clearly a strange society. Yet he seemed so reasonable... she held all her emotions stable and asked one more time. "And this is the reason for your refusal."

"I'm old, Fiyu, much older than you. I thought I'd know who I was when I returned to the Nine and started a new life, but it's really the same life." Friend Theo extended a hand in her direction, a peaceful greeting gesture. "So I want to remain friends, Fiyu, and I'd be honored if one day you called me relative. But anything else would be unfair to you, because I'm not sure anyone deserves to be stuck with me."

Though she felt a moment of sorrow as a potential future slipped away, Fiyu found that she was smiling. She had been terrified that Friend Theo would respond in a confusing way, but he had been as gentle and understanding as always. Even if his world seemed strange to her, he had explained his reasoning. Some Ichili who lost a lifemate never found another, and she could understand this as similar. Above all, she was pleased that he cared about her enough to display so much consideration.

"You are unfair to yourself, Theo." She reached out and touched his hand, solely as a companion. "I am also very glad that I met you and hope that we can travel together for a long time to come."

When Friend Theo smiled, it moved more authentic muscles in his face, but she also observed a weariness sagging in him. "Then I'm glad we're agreed on that, but this sort of thing is exhausting to me. I'm going to try to sleep."

"That is fine, Theo. Rest well."

As she watched him settle in, Fiyu sat on her side of the tent, still overflowing with emotions. She could not imagine a kinder way for Friend Theo to decline her question, far from all her fears of incomprehensible emotional reasoning. This way, she could prune that potential future from her mind and focus on deepening the relationship they had.

It also immediately simplified the emotions within her... Fiyu crawled from the tent to sit beside Unknown Nauda.

"You just went and asked him, huh?" Unknown Nauda glanced at her, muscles oddly tense.

"Is that not appropriate on Tatian?" Fiyu asked. She found her gaze retreating from Unknown Nauda as all her conflicting feelings began surging in one direction. "I am... uncertain if you have lifemates there. So many things about your world are confusing, like... like sexmerchants and other strange things."

"Of course we have committed relationships. They don't sound quite as serious as the ones on Ichil, but most people want to find one person to love and stick with them."

"Oh. This is good."

"Are relationships on Ichil really that permanent?" As Unknown Nauda smiled, her muscles held both a wry weariness and a slight sadness. "You don't have people who decide they don't belong together, or just end up going in separate directions?"

"I have heard stories of such things, but have no experiences with them. Ordinarily, companions who wish to become lifemates spend several years traveling together before a final decision is made, to make sure that there are no mistakes. How are such things done on Tatian?"

"I'm... not sure you want to know."

"No, please tell me." Fiyu shifted closer to Unknown Nauda, closer than would be customary between companions. "I care for you very much, Nauda. Even though our worlds are so different, I am glad that I fell into Tatian so that I could meet you. Despite those differences... do you think that it would be possible for us to become lifemates?"

"You're really going to ask just after I listened to your first choice reject you?" Unknown Nauda's face contorted into controlled anger and Fiyu realized that she had made a terrible mistake. Even if she didn't fully understand, her insides twisted into a knot and all of the positive emotions became a horrible flood of confusion and distress.

"Nauda... please do not misunderstand me. I have never asked these questions before. I do not know how. I care for both of you deeply, so I was very confused. I only wanted to be sure I did not make a mistake and-"

"I think it's clear enough." Unknown Nauda rubbed her forehead, her entire body tense, and the negative emotions within her pierced Fiyu's heart. "I care about you too, Fiyu, but don't do this to me. Maybe I don't understand the Ichili way of thinking after all."

"Then... then you decline?"

"It obviously wouldn't work."

This refusal made Fiyu's entire heart ache, but more than that, it made her fear for her companion. "But... we are still friends?"

"We're still friends, Fiyu, but please just leave me alone for now."

Fiyu sat helplessly, drowning in the mix of her own terrible emotions and Friend Nauda's troubling response. This was the sort of confusing reaction that had so terrified her that she almost didn't speak. She believed that Friend Nauda was offended to be asked second, and though it had not occurred to her before, now it seemed obvious that something like that would offend a Tatian.

Causing Friend Nauda pain hurt Fiyu as well, especially because it had been so needless. Perhaps that was her answer. Even with the best of intentions, she could end up causing the woman she wanted as a lifemate great pain. If so, then perhaps she was unsuited for such a relationship, as she might only cause it to crumble as Friend Theo had described.

Just when Fiyu thought she could not be more miserable and humiliated, a voice spoke up from the other side of the island. "No, no, please continue." Warden Tythes sat up in his hammock, sweeping them all with a caustic glare. "We're in the middle of a dying world, floating on a death river, surrounded on all sides by enemies, with time running out along multiple axes. This is definitely the time for a lot of relationship drama."

A soft cry escaped Fiyu's lips and she retreated to the tent. Though Friend Theo looked toward her, offering support, she turned away from him and burrowed into her bed roll. At the moment, she needed no one else, or perhaps could tolerate no one else.

If her new emotions had only caused so much distress, she would cease to feel them. Fiyu stilled her mind and then shoved that part of herself deep within until she could sleep.

Chapter 22

Theo had expected to be angrier about the whole mess, but mostly he just felt bad for Fiyu. He could easily see how her mind had approached what she saw as a simple dilemma, only to fall directly into a social abyss. Ever since that night, she seemed to have suppressed all hint of attraction, and though he wasn't sure how Ichili worked hormonally, he thought that they could do so far more effectively than anyone on Earth.

His emotions quickly morphed into anger at himself for not having seen any of it coming. Now that he thought about it critically, it seemed obvious that a young Ichili woman traveling with people her own age might have entered this stage in life. In some way, he'd expected those matters to simply never come up, Fiyu and Nauda operating purely as soulcrafting allies. That was how it had gone during his first life, flirtation and awkwardness if anything. At least, until the end.

Within his soulhome, Theo froze at the uncomfortable thought. For the first time, when he thought about Brigana's final confession before her death, it struck him as immature instead of nostalgic.

If they'd survived, or if he'd returned in time to find her again, what would have happened? He forced himself to think through the idea that he might have ruined that relationship too. Though it might not have been the Nine Worlds, as it had been with Mary, he could easily have destroyed their bond with some other obsession. Maybe his ex was right after all.

Refusing had been a simple decision, for the reasons he'd given, but it surprised him how easy it had been. Again, he wondered just what his body was. He'd thought of it as returning to a young body, but he'd yet to experience any of the hormonal swings he remembered from Earth. Given that Ichili bodies worked so differently and his current body had been created when he arrived... perhaps it was wrong to make assumptions about what he actually was.

Not that it was relevant, with Nauda aggressively training in one direction and Fiyu quietly soulcrafting in the other.

Since he doubted that Fiyu would react positively to further engagement, he considered Nauda instead. Any attempt at explanation would likely go even worse with her, and it wasn't really his place to get involved. Still, as he watched Nauda... he had been oblivious to physical realities for so long, he'd almost missed a detail. The roots of her hair were coming in darker than her usual white blond. It might mean nothing, but given recent affairs, he tucked the observation away.

Part of him wished that he had some way of smoothing over the disturbance, while another part of him insisted that it was all irrelevant. Cold as it seemed, what really mattered for the time being was their ability to work as a team. Regardless of the argument, he believed that Fiyu and Nauda had the emotional maturity to work things out, given time.

Just as Theo was about ready to push the whole matter out of his mind, he saw Tythes walking across the island with his hammock over his head. He slammed the posts into the rock just behind Fiyu, then hopped up to perch behind her. Theo groaned and headed to intercept the conversation.

"So, you're experiencing your first little tingles of love." Tythes dropped his head into his cupped hands and sighed theatrically. "And such a heartbreaking way to begin! Shot down twice in a row... truly, your luck is even worse than mine."

"I cannot make you leave," Fiyu said evenly, "but I wish that you would."

"Oh, but I was coming to help you! Believe me, I am quite experienced in these matters. I may not be a worthy lifemate, but if you would like to practice on me, I-"

"Go away. I am not attracted to you and never will be."

"Cut to the quick!" Tythes placed a hand on his chest in feigned shock. "My confidence in my stunning good looks is utterly unshakable, but I'm offended that you didn't at least look me over first."

Though Fiyu had been uncomfortable with the entire conversation, now she stared at him in honest confusion. "I do not see how that is relevant. I do not know you well. You appear to be an unkind person. There are no grounds for any attraction to develop. Please go away."

To Theo's surprise, that actually worked, Tythes pulling up his hammock posts with minimal fuss and departing. Theo had been prepared to do what he could to shield Fiyu socially, but her cold exterior appeared to have been defense enough. She noted his presence and nodded with a slight smile, though he could see that her mood remained muted.

Understanding that she wanted to be alone, Theo instead followed Tythes. "Did you really think that teasing an Ichili was going to work?"

"Yeah, I actually did." Tythes stopped at the other end of the island to set up his hammock, then hopped into it with his hands behind his head. "The local Ichili are actually pretty easy to fluster if you bring up any sort of sexual subject. But I guess she's not from the Greater Dark. A pity, because I had a lot of lines planned to make this situation deeply, revoltingly awkward for everyone. It would have been wonderful."

Not having expected such a frank reply, Theo stared at Tythes longer than he'd intended. The Authority clearly delighted in causing chaos, but none of this interaction felt truly malicious. It was impossible to believe that he was truly as apathetic as he pretended to be, which suggested that he knew something important about the contents of the triangular building.

"My, you're certainly staring at me a long time." Tythes wiggled his eyebrows at him. "I'm much older than the Ichili girl, so maybe you're more interested?"

"Fine, I'll get back to soulcrafting." Theo turned away with a roll of his eyes, but the entire movement was forced. He hadn't realized that Tythes had been able to hear the entire conversation, even piercing the walls of Fiyu's tent.

Quickly going back over their conversation, Theo tried to calculate how much of a problem that could be. He hadn't mentioned Earth by name, but he'd identified himself as being from outside the Nine Worlds. His comment about his age might be inexplicable, unless Tythes knew more about that than he was letting on. In fact, the ostensible joke might well have been a threat.

Then again, the implication of being an outsider already hung over him thanks to Esaire's accusations. He wasn't sure if that could potentially be fatal, especially if someone like Tythes might contact organizations manipulated by Vistgil. But it hadn't been a problem yet, and the House of the Lost was supposedly formed entirely by people from outside the Nine Worlds. He didn't want to leave Norro Yorthin while it could still be useful to him, but if the risk increased...

Theo decided that this was all his own distraction. None of it mattered unless they escaped the Chasm of Lamentations alive.

~ ~ ~

Numerous different thoughts clamored to be the most irritating thing in Nauda's mind. The fact that they were trapped in the chasm and making little progress, of course. The incident with Fiyu. Tythes in general.

But the one she hadn't expected was the way that Theo and Fiyu seemed to simply leave the problems behind them. Theo arguably had justification, since he'd done nothing wrong and came out in roughly the same position. But Fiyu... it was downright strange how she simply seemed to revert to who she had been before, polite but cool. As if none of the confessions had ever happened.

Nauda's emotions had never been that tidy. It had been torture to listen to Fiyu expressing her feelings, then she'd been irrationally angry at Theo for his infuriatingly patient response, even if it was for the best. Overall, she had managed to convince herself that she could set aside her conflicted feelings... and then Fiyu had walked right out and asked her.

With time to think, Nauda thought she could understand it from Fiyu's perspective, it just didn't take away any of the sting. As if Fiyu had just wanted a fungible companion and intended to keep asking until she found someone willing to agree. Nauda knew better, trying to summon up memories of how long it had taken Fiyu to warm up to them, but the thought still ached.

The worst of it was that her own feelings crystallized just in time to cause her pain and do no one any good. If that night had gone a little differently, maybe she would have agreed. When she saw Fiyu brushing out her silky hair in the mornings, sitting so calmly and peacefully...

And Nauda had ruined that. Perhaps it was even for the best. The most basic expectations for relationships were so different between Tatian and Ichil that a relationship might have been doomed from the start. Even if they both had the best of intentions, they'd just end up constantly stumbling over the other's expectations. Given how utterly seriously Ichili seemed to take relationships, Nauda might not be able to live up to those standards and just end up causing Fiyu pain.

So she did her best not to think about it, futile as it was. Nauda stared down at the bricks in her hands, suddenly realizing that she had been mindlessly soulcrafting for some time. Thankfully, she was just lining a wall and her ingrained habits had served her well.

Her progress was a small comfort. Throwing herself into furious soulcrafting for so long, she'd nearly completed her third floor. Though Tythes taunted her endlessly when they went anywhere, he'd actually helped her find a number of useful materials. In particular a sublime rock he called lifestone, which emanated a warm strength that suited her soulhome well. There had been no time to integrate them deeply, but they filled her Ruler tier with more than generic cantae.

"Alright, once more!" Tythes called from outside her soul and Nauda left her work behind. He was gesturing for them all to approach the door again, which had become a familiar routine. "Get through it this time!"

Despite all her conflicted feelings, Nauda was able to step alongside Theo and Fiyu to attempt to open the door. The inscriptions lit up more quickly as they grew increasingly familiar with the door, but she felt their progress slow and knew that they'd fail. Yet again, a large portion of the pattern remained unlit. They'd never finished the remaining portion unless Theo stopped messing around and just ascended to Ruler.

That irrational anger again. Nauda did her best to swallow it and refocus.

"Ugh, why does this involve so much work?" Tythes dropped down to his knees, then slammed his forehead down into the ground with alarming force. The island itself actually shook and she'd have sworn that she heard something crack. When he rose up, only mildly irritated, it didn't seem to have been his skull.

"Your head looks pretty hard," Nauda said before she could stop herself. "Why don't you just break down the door with it?"

"That's a great idea!" Tythes ran head-first into the door, which gave a great metallic ring, and then fell back clutching his head. "No, it was a terrible idea! Curse your tricks, vile harridan!"

While he stormed off, angrily moving his hammock to the opposite end of the island, the three of them lingered. At first Nauda had wondered if Theo would find some trick to get around the entrance, but he'd said that it was a perfectly built lock. A large enough organization could open it easily, but in a dangerous space that only appeared once a decade, it was near impenetrable.

Fiyu walked away from the two of them to return to her soulcrafting. That hurt to think about, so Nauda focused on Theo instead. "I can't believe that the situation outside the chasm has held this long. It has to end soon, doesn't it?"

"That depends what the House of the Lost is trying to do." He stared upward, his eyes unfocusing as they tended to do when he used his new sense. "The darkness has been creeping north, and I don't think they had more strength to spare, so they're probably moving too. There are also more Strongholds making attempts, so they're getting impatient. They must have harvested all the sublime materials on the plain."

"Then our window to move forward with any kind of advantage is disappearing quickly, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I don't think we can escape Tythes, but... well, you can guess." Ever since the Authority had eavesdropped on them, Theo had been more circumspect, even inside their soulhomes. But she understood: Tythes could well turn on them as soon as he had what he wanted, so pushing forward might not benefit them.

As they returned to their work, Nauda glanced back at Theo again. The story he'd told Fiyu about his former wife sounded authentic, and it certainly made sense. Yet even then, when he'd sounded so much older than normal, she thought he was several people competing over one body. Most Tatians would have said he needed someone warm and caring to take care of him, but Nauda wondered if his match wouldn't be someone just as contorted as himself.

Or maybe all of them should forget about relationships, since they were obviously terrible at them. When their group was attacked the following day, Nauda was almost relieved.

Chapter 23

Theo was just contemplating whether it was time to ascend when he felt the surge of cantae. Not Rulers this time, and not soulcrafters waging war far in the distance: it was an Authority burning in the chasm. To their south, but not for long at their speed.

By the time he opened his eyes back in the real world, he saw Mattan bounding toward them. His armor from the House of Burning Leaves had been dented, but he didn't look injured, and he'd been careful enough not to bring down any more chaos on them. Though the river would have harmed him, he didn't seem concerned, leaping from wall to wall as he rapidly approached the island.

All at once, he was overhead, hurling a javelin of solid cantae. Tythes moved faster than he had in days, vaulting out of his hammock and using the posts to knock the javelin out of the air. The cantae hissed into the river with only a mild spray, but it was enough for the enemy Authority to land on the island.

Mattan rolled his shoulders and neck, more cantae crackling in his hands. This time, he definitely wasn't running, but he didn't strike quite yet. "Tythes! Your father can't protect you any longer."

"This is kind of a bad time for me," Tythes said, flipping up the hammock posts as if he intended to use them like swords. "Can you come back? In, say, two or three days?"

As soon as they had noticed the invader, Nauda and Fiyu had wisely converged on Theo's position. Nauda took point with her staff, Fiyu was prepared to use her stealth technique, and Theo was ready with a gravitational field. None of that was particularly comforting when Mattan turned to look at them.

"Do you realize just how pathetic your protector really is?" Mattan sneered broadly enough to encompass the entire island. "You used to be the scion of House Crimson, but you've lived up to all the worst rumors. You're washed up, if your soulhome is even stable. You'd already have died if your father wasn't the leader of your House. There's nothing left of your promise but a pitiful cautionary tale."

"Hey!" Tythes thrust a post in his direction. "I resent the implication that I have a father!"

Mattan hurled another javelin, and though Tythes deflected it, he didn't look as confident as before. Though Theo hadn't heard those rumors, he immediately credited them as more than insults. There was something strange about the way Tythes fought, and certainly with his behavior. A severely damaged soulhome could explain that as well as hidden strength.

"I'm going to kill him, then I'm tearing the three of you apart." Mattan lifted his arm to shoulder height, a brighter javelin forming. "Just sit there and watch a real Authority fight."

"Nah." Tythes waved a hand in their direction and a wall of cantae swept them aside.

Theo felt a surge of panic as they flew out over the river, but they hadn't been knocked in. Instead they struck the chasm wall near a narrow ledge, large enough for them to land on. In midair, Fiyu wrapped them all in her cantae, so he helped redirect them to a different landing point, just in case Mattan targeted them after all. But neither Authority was looking away, instead facing off on the island.

At the first javelin of cantae, Tythes ducked underneath it and slammed both hammock posts down into the ground. They pierced deep... and this time he lunged forward, stepping onto them. The stone foundation of the entire island broke with a terrible crack and an instant later Tythes unleashed a burst of raw cantae into his opponent's face.

Mattan weathered the blast with a defensive shield, but it didn't matter. The entire upper half of the island, weakened by all of Tythes's behavior, went hurtling backward into the river. Tythes gripped the entire chunk, stone and building alike, in a fist of his cantae and let it sail merrily down the river.

As he went, he waved cheerfully to Mattan, then hopped up onto the building for the ride.

The other Authority was astonished for a moment, giving Tythes a significant head start. Theo was puzzled by how he managed to use his cantae to propel heavy stone in the midst of the Chasm, but he'd had plenty of time to experiment. Mattan howled and set off after him, jumping from wall to wall, but Tythes only needed to hurl lazy bolts of cantae backward to inhibit his progress.

Soon the two had vanished further down the river, the gap between them widening. Theo remained standing on the narrow ledge for a while, not entirely sure what to make of it.

"Do we need to move?" Nauda asked. "In case he comes back?"

"There's no way to go except forward, but not yet. We might catch up to the fight." Theo gestured toward the remains of the island, now a crater with water occasionally lapping over the sides. "I want to investigate what's left first. Fiyu, please keep your technique up at all times from now on. The fighting will probably get denser from here."

"Is there likely to be anything left? I don't like how close the river is now. A few big waves..."

"That's why now is our only chance to check." Since Fiyu nodded her agreement, Theo decided to jump back, and Nauda came with them in the end.

The crater that remained of the island was pure rock, stripped of the top layer that had formed. When he examined the edges, he found several familiar post shapes, the surfaces between them breaking like some kind of stress fracture. It had definitely been planned for some time, then, the question was if Tythes had ever been serious about the three of them opening the door or if this was just a contingency plan.

With anyone else, he would have assumed that riding an island down the river was a near suicidal play. Given the evidence, he assumed there was more behind it. Even though it was no longer their problem, he had to admire the audacity.

"This rock is itself a sublime material," Fiyu said quietly, kneeling to place one palm on the ground. "Very dense, with durable cantae. But it would only be good for bricks, and I am not sure how you would extract it."

"If we had an Authority," Theo said, "we might be able to pull the whole thing out."

"I am not sure. Even Tythes struggled to lift the stone, I believe. It is difficult to fly here."

The two of them began to examine the remnants of the island more carefully. Theo had been hoping that the building had a basement level, or that part of the bottom had torn off and scattered the contents within. There was no sign of the building, however, only a right angled indentation that must have been the space where part of the foundation had been torn away.

"How much longer are we staying here?" Nauda stood near the front end of the island, eyeing the river rushing around them. "I can't hold the water for more than a second, so if any more of it comes over, we'll be in trouble."

"Just a little longer." Theo felt something at the edge of his awareness, a point of intense mass. If it wasn't a remnant of the building...

He found the approximate center of the island and stared down, feeling the imperceptible tug of something beneath them. Perhaps near the very core of the stone that had fallen into the river. When he gestured at Fiyu, she tilted her head briefly, then nodded confirmation.

She knelt down and used her cantae knife to cut out a cubic section of the stone. It strained her to extend her cantae underneath, and Theo struggled to generate an effective gravitational field, but they managed to lift it out. Since the block appeared to have the same density all the way through, she hopped down into the hole to cut deeper.

"I really don't like this..." Nauda's voice had gotten lower, and Theo didn't think she would fearmonger, but she didn't sound panicked yet. He focused on assisting Fiyu with the next block downward.

This one definitely had something odd at the core, so they began working to shave off the edges. Just when Theo thought he could see something within the dark stone, Nauda gave a cry and hit them from the side. They sailed through the air and he saw a white wave break over the side, washing through the crater.

Though the remains of the island didn't surrender to the river yet, when they landed back on the ledge, it was threatened by another wave. They might have been able to risk further work, but they didn't have much time. Before Theo could watch for long, he was startled as Fiyu dropped to the ground, the stone thunking from her hands.

"It is... very heavy." She pulled back a finger, sucking a place that had been pinched. When Theo examined the irregular chunk that remained, he was surprised about how heavy it felt compared to the entire block, as if it had been a large fraction of the total weight.

"Was this worth it?" Nauda kicked at the rock idly, then winced. "Wow, that is heavy."

"It's dense," Theo said, bending down to examine it more carefully. "Denser than most sublime materials by far. I think it's related to the rest of the island, and I can imagine uses for it, but there's not much time for that now."

He tried to draw it into his soulhome, but only hurt his hands trying to crush the stone. With years of soulcrafting experience from his past visit, and mostly renewed spiritual skills, Theo hadn't experienced difficulty like that in some time. Even his best efforts to absorb the material, even after Fiyu helped shave off the additional stone, failed to absorb it.

"Something else to deal with later, then." Nauda reached down to grab the rock, and though she had to shift her stance to pick it up with her legs, her Ruler's strength was sufficient. "We've waited long enough not to run into them. Do we keep moving forward?"

"I think that's the only option." Theo stared back at the dying island one more time, then they continued walking down the river.

Though they made their way along the cliff cautiously, it was obvious that their time in the Chasm of Lamentations was nearing its end. The further they went north, the more frequently they saw signs of damage to the chasm walls. Not merely surface impacts from Rulers, huge gouges that must have been caused by Strongholds. Though the sky remained dark overhead, something must have shifted that led them to fully commit.

When the western cliff broadened into another shore, they actually saw a few bodies along with signs of battle. Not long dead, but no sign of other soulcrafters. He considered examining the battlefield more closely, but as they walked along the opposite chasm, Nauda confirmed that everything had been picked clean.

In a conflict like this, retrieving sublime materials was clearly more important than retrieving bodies.

Even though they didn't sense a single opponent in range, they remained within Fiyu's bubble. Fortunately, with two fully crafted floors and a vestibule, she was able to maintain her stealth technique for extremely long periods. So long as they stayed away from the battles that involved vast swaths of destruction, Theo thought they were actually safer than most... albeit walking directly into danger.

At last they reached the end of the great pale river, where it broke apart into a small delta around the final ruins. The cliffs closed overhead, leaving them in a cavern so vast that atmospheric disturbances floated near the top. As soon as the ruins came into sight, the pressure from the cantae being used hit them like a wall. They could push further in, but there was a psychological toll just to taking in the sight before them.

Already familiar with the landscape, Theo had it easier than his companions. The chasm, previously so linear, split into three branches within the vast cavern. The western path fell off sharply, water tumbling over various falls before leaving the cavern and then the dimension entirely: he could see a vague red glow of Fithe beyond. To the east lay a particularly jagged chasm, many of the spikes bearing corpses. It seemed that the various powers fighting on the plain had fought their way down that one.

Of course, the greatest prize lay in the center cavern, a fragmentary city of pale blue buildings. Some of them were lost in the branching river, but the city had once been built on hills, so many still survived. That terminal point was the most dangerous part of the Chasm of Lamentations, even before considering all of the Strongholds and other powers who fought over it.

"Well, we're not walking into that." Nauda stared out over the chaos with her hands on her hips. "Even if Fiyu's technique is perfect, we'd get evaporated by accident."

"I confess, I'm not sure which way we should go next." Theo accepted that they couldn't just wade into a battle so far above them, but refused to believe there wasn't some useful action they could take.

They stared out for a while longer before Fiyu abruptly spoke up. "Oh, it is House Blacksilver!"

She pointed to the east, where a shoreline existed under a large cliff overhang. Not truly part of any of the three branches of the river, it appeared to be a relatively peaceful zone. He spotted defensive wards or camps from several groups, all of them apparently Houses from among the Ruling Cities. No representatives of the Asplundat Movement at all, since their primary forces were entrenched in the lowest part of the cities.

Just as Fiyu had noted, one of the defensive rings held the three Blacksilver Authorities. Since no one else was likely to give them any information about the battle, he accepted that they might be the only way of finding an angle. Nauda led the group in that direction, picking out a path over the branching river. Some parts of it had been dammed by falling chunks of stone, so the water splashed dangerously as it was redirected, but they were able to find a path more easily than before.

As they drew closer, he got a better look at the three Authorities. Dhan's robes were soaked in blood around one arm, but he stood as if uninjured. Janne was wrapped up in more robes than usual, not even her face visible. Karchibol sat behind them, holding a chest injury... and Senka sat not far away from him, chewing on a rock. Theo wasn't sure how he felt about that.

The entire group was surrounded by a ring of metal that he suspected put off some sort of reactionary barrier. Often more powerful than a constant barrier, but weak to a sustained assault or extremely swift attack. Probably a reasonable decision for their environment, though he was more concerned about its effect on their stealth technique.

He didn't have to choose, because Nauda stepped from out of their bubble and tapped her staff on the ground. All three Authorities flinched or whirled on them, drawing cantae from their soulhomes, but they calmed a moment later. Janne bent beside the circle to allow them entrance, restoring it as soon as they stepped inside.

"How are you still alive?" Karchibol asked. "When the Asplundat Movement made their largest push, we thought you had surely perished..."

"We made it, one way or another." Nauda frowned toward the battle. "Did Tythes of House Crimson come flying out of the main chasm to hit the battle? He would have been followed by an Authority from the House of Burning Leaves."

"Tythes?" Dhan spoke up with a frown. "No, there's been no sign of him. I did see Mattan arrive, but he only met up with the other soulcrafters from the House of Burning Leaves. I'm not sure where they went."

"In that case... what are you trying to do here, and how can we help?"

The Blacksilver Authorities exchanged glances, then Karchibol spoke slowly. "I'm afraid even we cannot tip the scales of this battle, so the three of you should give thanks that you are still alive and retreat as soon as it is possible."

"Why isn't it possible?" Fiyu asked.

"Because anyone who attempts to travel to the waterfalls is immediately targeted by a Stronghold, or the House of the Lost, or that... awful being by the vault. We are waiting for the battle to break, then we'll escape with all of our sublime materials. This has been risk enough."

Theo was most curious about the "awful being" referenced, but Dhan spoke up before he could ask, pointing to the west. "House Blacksilver representatives are waiting at several points around the Chasm, but the most practical is in that direction, past the waterfalls. But as Karchibol said, it isn't safe for anyone to travel that way."

"Where's the Scepter of Separation?" Nauda asked. "I assume if anyone found it again, it would have shifted the battle. Do we know where it fell?"

"Again, supposedly in the waterfall region. It was lost ten years ago while one House was using that retreat path in much the same way. That's why that direction is so closely guarded."

Then perhaps it wasn't so difficult after all. Theo glanced at Fiyu, and when she nodded, he turned to address all three Authorities. "What if the three of us sneak there and try to acquire the scepter?"

"Preposterous!" Karchibol's eyes attempted to leap from his skull. "If the three of us cannot make it, how can mere children survive?"

"Perhaps..." Janne spoke up for the first time, staring over them. "These three were able to sneak up on us despite all our defenses, after all. I don't think any other House brought Archcrafters, so their cantae might slip past. It could work."

Dhan sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I have a feeling that we'd need to use force to stop you from going. Just be as cautious as you can, alright? And if by some miracle you find the scepter, take it out of the Chasm as soon as possible. Trying to use it in the battle could get you killed, or break the armament itself. Remember, it might work against higher tiers, but each usage will degrade the artifact."

"We understand." Theo glanced at his companions to check, but he didn't see any hesitation in their eyes. They were used to confronting opponents much stronger than themselves, and it might actually be safer for them to retreat than to linger around the edge of such a vicious battlefield.

"Senka too!" The imp promptly latched herself to his leg with almost painful force. Janne frowned as she looked down at her.

"Your... creature appeared at some point and refused to leave. If she has survived this far, the decision is up to you."

"Senka too!" She promptly clamped her teeth into his pants leg as well. He saw nothing but stubbornness in her eyes and decided he didn't have the energy to fight her.

"Let us escort you part of the way," Dhan suggested. "Fiyu, can you extend your technique to hide all of us?"

Fiyu paused for a moment, then shook her head. "That would be very difficult, especially here."

"Then just hide the three of you. We'll move our barrier further west so that you at least have a more direct path to the waterfalls."

Since the plan seemed entirely reasonable, Theo didn't object. Janne knelt to manipulate the metal ring, which began to float along the shore. The representatives of other Houses glanced at them briefly, but they all seemed fixed on the battle, which was unquestionably the higher priority.

Before they reached the end of the shore, an explosion far larger than the rest rocked the center of the city. Theo strained his eyes to get a better look, trying to sort through all the cantae flooding around the blue buildings. A Stronghold-tier soulcrafter had just gone flying back, struggling to regain her balance in the air, and her expulsion had clearly tipped the balance. Yet the source of the explosion had been deeper, a large building armored like a vault... and a figure standing in front of it.

"Who is that?" Theo asked, numbness beginning to creep through his body.

"Him again." Dhan frowned and peered out over the ruins. "I thought that he didn't get involved directly unless someone attacked the door. Karchibol, can you show us closer?"

Though Karchibol grumbled, he began a farseeing technique far more powerful than any they possessed. It swept over the entire group and Theo's mind floated over the chaos. Past the soulcrafters staggering from the impact, between warriors still engaged in bloody battle, to the large vault doors.

Where Vistgil stood waiting.

Chapter 24

For just a moment, Theo doubted himself. It had been an entire lifetime since he'd seen the man who had pretended to be his ally before slaughtering all of his friends. The cloak he wore covered him completely and couldn't be unique. And yet he was absolutely sure that the man was Vistgil.

Second, he finally realized something: the darkness over the Chasm of Lamentations had always been focused on a particular point. Perhaps they had also intended to grant everyone more time, but as he saw the shadows gathering around Vistgil, Theo was certain that he had always been their true target. Though he couldn't feel cantae directly through the vision, it burned so intensely that he still felt it from across the battlefield.

Most strikingly, Vistgil appeared to be in some pain, bound in place. Theo wondered, for a very strange moment, if he would meet his oldest enemy only to watch him die in a conflict that he knew nothing about.

A man in a gray robe descended to the floor in front of him, actually managing to fly despite the pressure. Theo could instantly tell that he was a Stronghold-tier soulcrafter from the Asplundat Movement, apparently breaking from their model of stone armor. He raised a hand and ropes of cantae began to leap from the ground, snaking around Vistgil's limbs and quickly wrapping him up entirely in a shapeless mass. The blob spun to the side and the Stronghold stepped forward, toward the vault door.

Before he could arrive, a figure half again the height of most humans stepped up beside him. It was also covered by a robe, but unlike Vistgil, could not possibly be mistaken for human. Instead the robe contorted as if something twisted underneath, and purple tentacles emerged from the sleeves and base. The face itself was impossible to see, but Theo was certain it must be a soulcrafter from a world outside the Nine, one that was considerably less humanoid.

"Stand back, Outsider!" The Asplundat Stronghold's voice boomed out, reaching everyone nearby. "We have bested the guardian and now the vault is the property of the Asplundat Movement."

Instead of answering, the tentacled figure flicked one sleeve in the Stronghold's direction. A gash tore through the air and released a scream that drowned out even all the sounds of the Chasm. Shadowy purple tentacles exploded from it the next moment, attempting to grasp the Stronghold. He immediately countered with his gray ropes, failing to realize that the attack had always been intended as a distraction.

As soon as he was fully committed, the strange figure gestured toward the vault with one flipping tentacle. The doors creaked open, and an instant later, a spark of cantae flew inside. That actually puzzled Theo, since the spark didn't feel particularly powerful. It was intense, yes, beyond any cantae he'd felt, but not even formed into a bolt. Cantae like that couldn't be an attack, couldn't be any kind of technique, so he didn't-

Then the entire Chasm of Lamentations screamed as the ruins folded in on themselves. A vortex of twisting reality, like the sun compared to the shadows of the distortions of the Chasm, expanded over the city. For a brief moment, the surfaces of the ruin turned in impossible directions, a tesseract that spread in every direction.

And then nothing. Where the highest hills of the ruins had once stood, only smooth blue stone remained.

"Are you mad?" The Asplundat Stronghold was overwhelming the remaining tentacles, fighting his way free, his face contorted in rage. "How many invaluable artifacts have you destroyed?"

The figure didn't respond in any way, instead looking to the side... where Vistgil emerged from the mass of gray ropes.

He didn't explode his bonds or cut through them, he simply walked out as if they didn't exist. The darkness that had before seemed to bind him so tightly no longer had any apparent effect. As he emerged, he brushed one of the ropes off his sleeve, the entire arc of cantae dissolving immediately.

"Years of planning, foiled." Despite his words, Vistgil chuckled as if mildly amused. He didn't once glance toward the Asplundat Stronghold, fixing all his attention on the shifting hood. "I should have known you were too clever for that, but it was still a close thing."

"A draw." The unknown figure finally spoke, a strange crackling voice that seemed to echo from a great distance. "Your games have gone on long enough. They end."

"Perhaps, perhaps not."

For a moment, it seemed as though the two of them might strike one another, and Theo felt certain that it would be the most powerful duel between soulcrafters that he'd ever witnessed. All around the ruins, the fighting had stopped, even those too stupid to realize the import having noticed when half the battlefield folded out of existence. Even the voices of the Chasm seemed to hold their breath.

Vistgil raised a hand in invitation... and the tentacled figure retreated. Theo thought he caught a glimpse of three eyes glowing within the shadows, ringed by tentacles, but it was moving away. With a theatrical sigh, Vistgil turned away and began walking into the air, not flying but as if taking invisible steps.

"No!" The Asplundat Stronghold hurled a bolt of cantae, so intense and perfectly formed that it could have torn through a hundred of Theo.

It struck Vistgil in the back and one of his shoulders twitched slightly. When he looked over his shoulder, his smile was so cold that Theo flinched even from a battlefield away.

"That wasn't particularly wise." Vistgil brushed at his shoulder as he turned around in midair. "Is this even worth the time? Fithe is doing perfectly fine, aside from that one annoyance."

"You will not leave before you answer to the Asplundat Movement!" The Stronghold let out a cry and unleashed a huge torrent of gray flames that lit up a third of the sky.

And yet, when they met Vistgil, they stopped. It wasn't that he weathered the fire: when they touched him they ceased to exist. The eruption of flame split in two directions, searing into the cavern and causing a partial collapse, yet an empty swath of stone stood untouched behind him.

When Vistgil stepped down, he didn't seem to overpower the cantae, he simply annulled it. Though Theo couldn't sense exactly what had been done, he didn't think he was looking at a special technique, just a gap in power that he didn't know existed. A long time ago, he had been a Stronghold, and Vistgil had killed him easily. This time, he wasn't surprised or in shock, so he watched every moment.

Not understanding, the Stronghold continued releasing wave after wave of cantae, joining gray ropes to his flames. Vistgil walked through the assault and struck him on the forehead, a blinding white line piercing his body and the city beyond.

Unlike the gray flames, the brilliant beam disappeared an instant later. The Stronghold-tier soulcrafter dropped instantly.

Though his allies in the Asplundat Movement roared in anger, they were too stunned to attack immediately. Vistgil spread his arms wide and turned in a circle, as if inviting further attacks. When none came, he turned away and disappeared into the ruins.

All at once, Theo stood back on the shoreline. The body that he'd nearly forgotten was clammy and gasping for breath. Around him, House Blacksilver stared in shock, Karchibol most of all. Only Fiyu and Nauda looked toward him instead of the devastated ruins, perhaps putting together his stories. Senka had her face buried in his pant leg, releasing a constant low moan.

"Just... what was that?" Dhan asked. Karchibol merely sat shivering, while Janne answered quietly.

"A Dominion-tier soulcrafter. One who has passed beyond even the champion of Dris Kolonb."

Theo doubted it, and he realized that he would accomplish nothing more with this group. He made sure not to look too confident as he turned to Dhan and got his attention. "As far as I'm concerned, that's just another reason that we should retreat. All the Strongholds will be distracted, so this is the best time for us to reach the waterfalls."

"Right... the scepter." Dhan shook himself and regained a bit of his old confidence. "It clearly isn't safe here, either. Go. If anyone fires on you, we'll try to intercept them, but once you enter the other branch of the chasm, we won't be able to help you."

Simply nodding acceptance, Theo urged the others to continue. He didn't even bother struggling with Senka, since there was no time to waste, and she followed silently for once. Fiyu had maintained her sphere around them the entire time, despite the events, and now she renewed her efforts.

Though they crossed the ruin-studded river carefully, they weren't in any danger. Most of the strongest soulcrafters were looking toward the central ruins or trying to gain an advantage in the new balance, and any who looked in their direction would see nothing. Because the river itself was a threat, they concentrated on their work over the fastest-running part.

The impact of the Stronghold's blast caused stones to continue falling from the ceiling, though the cavern was in no danger of collapse. By far the greater threat was the mist rolling in from the damaged areas, causing soulcrafters to retreat or die. Theo signaled for their group to put on their masks, actually reducing the danger as they moved further away from the battleground.

But as they neared the first waterfall, they reached the end of both silence and safety.

"That man..." Nauda shook her head slowly. "You're going to tell me that he was the Vistgil you talked about, aren't you?"

"Completely unchanged, even after a hundred years." Theo glanced back over his shoulder at them, but there was no time to stand and talk, so he pressed forward. "He must have set up another vault as a trap, and tried to coax his opponents into opening it and dying in the reality fold."

"Who were those opponents?" Fiyu asked. "One of them was a Lost One, and I recognized it from the House of the Lost. Do they all take that form? Underneath the robes, its body was composed of many tentacles, and a core that... I cannot describe, because I am not sure I understood it."

"One thing we can agree on," Nauda said wryly, "we can be glad that Theo isn't that kind of Lost One."

Though Theo had been considering that angle, he hadn't come to any conclusions yet. Since they still hadn't reached the waterfall, he shared his thoughts aloud. "I think Vistgil must be exploiting connections to worlds outside the Nine. With Earth, he manipulates people to come and kills them. With this race that leads the House of the Lost, they're his enemies. It isn't a war, he's trying to control something..."

"Why?" To his surprise, the interruption was actually Senka. Though she trotted after him with a childish gait, her eyes bored into his. "Why why why?"

"I wish I had any idea." Theo wished he could stop and rub his eyes, but he needed to pay attention to the river. "There will be time to discuss all that later. We need to get over the waterfalls and search out this scepter."

"Are you sure?" Nauda asked. "You just got clear proof that he was setting up a trap in the vault. What are the chances that the scepter's location is trapped as well?"

"It's possible, but I think that was just bait. Vistgil seemed to lose interest as soon as his opponent left, so I think his interest in this is done. Our greatest strength is that he doesn't even know we exist, so this is still a chance to gain an advantage against him."

They agreed silently, and had the decency not to say that a few sublime materials wouldn't make any difference against that kind of power.

Chapter 25

Though their group reached the waterfalls easily enough, as they looked over the first cascade, Theo realized that of course it couldn't be that easy. Getting across the battlefield to the lower region might have been difficult for most, but it wasn't impossible. A cluster of Asplundat soulcrafters moved about on a central island between two layers of waterfalls, collecting sublime materials.

No, not just materials, but debris and broken armaments from a battle. This group must have slipped around the others in order to reach the waterfall region first. Exactly how, he wasn't sure, but now they were methodically searching for the fallen Scepter of Separation.

"Him again." Nauda pointed toward one of the sides, where Homez coordinated several others. Theo resisted the urge to say anything about it being better to have killed him earlier.

By his count, there were four Rulers and seven Archcrafters scattered over the central island. Though it was slightly odd that there were no Authorities, the Asplundat Movement might have used the same strategy of sneaking in lower tier soulcrafters during the battle. Unfortunately, the three of them couldn't fight numbers like that, at least not under normal circumstances.

"Do we need to fight at all?" Fiyu asked. When they glanced at her, she gestured over the waterfalls. "The destructive water has prevented them from setting up elaborate wards, and they are unlikely to be able to pierce my technique. Perhaps we could simply move ahead of them and find the scepter first?"

"It's worth trying." Theo looked over the group, noting how they searched aggressively and mostly threw objects they found into metal boxes. "I think if they had found it, they would have immediately called their allies, but we can't be sure. Investigate what they've found, then the regions they haven't arrived at yet."

Fiyu tilted her head to the side. "Not all of us?"

"I think we should stay back to assist you in case they have backup, or notice you somehow. Besides, you can slip in better alone."

"Senka too." The imp left his leg and hid under Fiyu's cloak, though she didn't attach herself in the same way. Since she appeared calm at the moment, Theo just waved the issue away. Maybe she could smell out the scepter, or more realistically valuable sublime materials the Asplundat soulcrafters had already located.

After Theo and Nauda positioned themselves behind cover, Fiyu and Senka slipped away, vanishing from his sight as he left the sphere. Even exerting his full gravitational senses, he had only a faint awareness of their position as they moved further away, then he completely lost track of them.

It was worth an attempt, but Theo didn't believe they could find the scepter first. More likely, Fiyu would be scouting the location in preparation for the inevitable fight. Theo sat down and entered his soulhome, considering the only option that he thought could give them an edge against such numbers.

This deep into the Chasm of Lamentations, his gravitational fields were too weak to dominate a battlefield. They would be slightly better as a Ruler, but even more so in the immediate rush of energy that followed an ascension. He'd already made many preparations while Tythes had imprisoned them on the island, so he was essentially ready. A Ruler ascension would probably be lost in the chaos of the battle, so it wouldn't attract attention, then they could sweep through, grab the scepter, and escape.

The real question was whether or not an ordinary ascension would be sufficient... Theo had only climbed up to his roof when he felt a touch in real life and Nauda's spirit emerged in his soulhome.

"You're ascending?" she asked as she floated after him.

"I think it's the safest way." While traveling through the Chasm, Theo had gathered many different kinds of sublime stone, and though many weren't appropriate for his soulhome, they were more than durable enough to help ascend.

"Safest assuming that we need to fight, but a fight here is dangerous. With flight so suppressed and the river everywhere... it'd be easy for anyone to fall in."

"Which is why I want to strike them all at once, before they have time to retaliate."

"I'm not telling you to stop, just..." Nauda's spirit folded her arms and frowned in his direction. "I think you need to take two possibilities seriously. First, we might be able to negotiate with them. Second, they might have more soulcrafters lying in wait."

"So you're proposing...?" He kept positioning the rough bricks regardless.

"Let me go out and talk to them. If it works, we get through without unnecessary risk. But if they do refuse to negotiate, it will draw out others and group them together."

Theo turned from his construction long enough to grin at her. "I can agree with that logic. Getting the timing exactly right might be difficult, but I think I can manage it." He returned to his work, now building small walls around the foundation. "Are you just doing this because Homez is there? I'm not convinced he's as reasonable as he acts."

"I'd like to at least avoid more acts of war against an empire as large as all the Ruling Cities combined. Would you be able to send them out of the Chasm instead of into the water? That would get rid of them just as effectively, for our purposes."

"I'll try, but that's assuming that both you and Fiyu fail."

Since that was the most likely outcome, Nauda sighed and left his soul. In her absence, Theo continued to rapidly build the structure atop his soulhome. He was willing to consider all options, but he fully intended to have the power to back them up.

Though it resembled a new room, his construction had no ceiling and pushed into the limits of his soul far too intensely to function as a chamber. If he'd been planning on an ordinary ascension, a normal pyramid would have been more durable. But he didn't anticipate that breaking through the pressure would be beyond his abilities, so he planned something more difficult, an advanced technique that he previously hadn't used until Authority.

Instead of a path upward, he was building a crucible. In the moments when he attempted to pierce the sky, sublime materials that his soulhome could normally never support could be temporarily incorporated. It would make the ascension immensely more difficult, but if successful, he would forge a bond that would last as a Ruler. And fortunately, he'd just spent a great deal of time in the Chasm assembling such materials.

The most valuable was clearly the dense stone from the center of the island, previously too difficult for him to even draw into his soul. He might be able to manage it during the ascension process, but it would set another time limit and nasty consequences for failure. Before he made the attempt, Theo started to add other materials he'd assembled into the crucible, though the walls shook with the cantae of the materials, threatening to explode his work.

Outside, Fiyu had yet to return, so he took a step back and fashioned plating out of the blueshards they'd collected earlier. He'd never imagined they would be worth anything but money to him, but the durable crystal reinforced his crucible well enough. That established, he could put together all of the other materials, though he still needed a covering to prevent them from threatening the integrity of his soulhome while he waited.

For the actual ascension, he intended to use the solidembers, which would help the crucible at the same time. While he waited, Theo took a bit more time to reinforce the walls, build some simple stair steps, and increase the height a little more.

Just about the time his spirit required a break, Fiyu's stealth cantae passed over him. He reemerged to find Fiyu and Senka, carrying a few materials but frowning.

"They are guarding the unsearched area carefully," she said. "They seem to believe that the scepter will be found on the western end, but are afraid that one of their own might take it and behave selfishly."

"So there's no way to steal it?" Nauda asked. Fiyu shook her head slowly.

"We took some of their sublime materials, but even that risked attracting attention. Not many were valuable, but perhaps this..." Fiyu handed Nauda an armament in the form of a glove, which appeared reasonably powerful. Though Theo intended to examine it, he was soon distracted.

"Senka found this." She thrust both hands up, revealing a glowing white sphere. Theo glanced in annoyance at first, then looked again, taking it out of her hands.

White fire burned deep within the orb, roiling and surging in patterns that reminded him of the surface of the sun. It was unquestionably a Ruler-tier material, and quite suited to his soulhome. He glanced at Senka, wondering if she had retrieved it specially for him, but she plopped down and stuck her head between her legs. While he considered the new sublime material, Nauda stepped to the edge of the bubble to look over the enemy soulcrafters.

"It doesn't seem likely, but I think we should try to talk to them." Nauda turned back to make eye contact with everyone. "Theo, we'll have to plan the timing carefully. Fiyu, take an ambush position to support me. Senka, I suppose you should just stay out of sight."

They agreed on the basic details, then the others carefully made their way down the rocks beside the first waterfall. Theo barely kept track of them through his doorway and returned to his soulhome, beginning all the final steps.

The most essential question was exactly how close he should cut it. If he didn't attempt to use the crucible at all, he could easily ascend to Ruler. Piling in every possible material would test the limits of his spirit and result in a disastrous failure. It would be more sensible not to take a great risk, but this ascension would be the last easy one, and thus his last chance to use the crucible technique without deeper risks to himself.

In the end, he placed the miniature sun inside the crucible and then forced the island stone into his soul. It made his hands bleed before it managed to pull it inside, and the sky immediately began to rumble ominously. He had to drag it up to his roof a little at a time, the weight threatening to collapse his soulhome, but he managed to drop it into the crucible without damage. That done, there was nothing left to do but trust his own judgment and begin climbing the side.

Building up into the sky had already tested the limits of his soul, and as he climbed up a second time, he felt it push back against him. Pressure began flooding down over his soulhome, but he'd designed the roof well and it all rolled off. Only the hastily constructed crucible began to shake, and he was confident that it would hold.

When he reached the top, he threw his will upward, piercing as deep into the sky as he could. Immediately the air rushed down more intensely, and a vicious acid rain joined it, burning his skin. Before it could deal any damage, Theo kicked the lid off the crucible, grabbed two fistfuls of solidembers, and hurled them inside.

They finally exploded within his soul, blossoming into fire as thick as stone. The flames roared within the crucible and rushed upward along with the blasting cantae, burning his spirit horribly. But the intense heat evaporated much of the acidic rain and blazed a column into the sky.

Though the flames and the acid made his body into a single mass of pain, inside his soul Theo could push on with willpower alone. He let the column of flame carry him skyward, slamming against the limits of his soul. Instead of piercing through, he lingered in the flames, letting the pressure build further below. The crucible screamed and released white hot steam as the overwhelming cantae stretched him to a breaking point.

Was Nauda done with her negotiations? He had pushed himself a little too hard and could barely feel outside his soul. When his soulhome threatened to fall apart, he waited until the last possible moment and then pierced the sky.

As the new cantae flooded down, his scorched lungs took a new breath.

~ ~ ~

When Fiyu slipped away, rendering Nauda visible to everyone, there was no more time to waste. She planted her staff firmly and cleared her throat. "Excuse me."

The soulcrafters of the Asplundat Movement all reacted instantly, whirling on her position. Though they didn't attack, they did begin gathering, absurdly afraid of her despite the fact that she appeared to be a lone soulcrafter approaching their entire group. Only Homez looked suspicious, his eyes sweeping over the waterfalls around them.

"You've felt the battle change, haven't you?" She did her best to make eye contact with as many of them as possible. "This is about to get worse, much worse. I propose a truce: we forget about the Scepter of Separation and retreat to a safe location. There won't be time to find it, so you'd be risking your lives unnecessarily."

"What kind of city trick is this?" One of the Rulers raised a fist, a sledge of stone growing around it. "That scepter belongs to the Asplundat Movement, so the tyrants of the cities cannot use it to exploit anyone further."

"Then you agree that it shouldn't be used?" Nauda made sure to look at Homez then, since he was the most likely to be reasonable. "So do we. The chaos we've seen here would be nothing compared to what will happen if any of the leaders obtains such a powerful artifact. Let it remain lost. Take back your materials and your lives."

"What happened in the ruins?" Homez asked quietly. "It felt like a dimensional void."

"That's... complicated." While Nauda tried to consider what to tell them, something emerged from the stone behind her and attacked.

She realized that it was a stone-armored Ruler, cantae bolts and his fist flying toward her, but he'd attacked slightly too early. Nauda spun, letting the bolts scatter off her body, and the strength of her gemstone belt held. Deflecting his stony fist with one arm, she used the other to tap her staff against his body and flip him overhead, sending him skidding toward the others.

"I could have thrown him into the river." She wasn't actually sure about that, since his armor could partially resist her binding, but she tried to project confidence to the group. "I didn't, because we're sincere about forming an agreement. Forget the scepter. Better yet, let the water destroy it."

For a time there was silence... but she saw Homez shaking his head sadly. He didn't intend to attack her, but in his gaze she saw that they would never agree. It had always been a low chance, but she had still hoped. Nauda sighed and set her feet for battle.

"Surrender and you will not be harmed," one of the other Rulers said as she began to circle. "The Asplundat Movement is generous with prisoners."

Before Nauda could respond, Fiyu flickered from out of her technique, her cantae blade slicing deep into the other woman's back. Even heavily armored, she let out a cry of pain and staggered forward. All of the other soulcrafters immediately abandoned restraint, power flooding from their soulhomes as they rushed on the two of them.

And then a new source of cantae exploded from atop the waterfall. Theo descended from the side, his coat fluttering wildly in his new rush of power. Flush with cantae from his ascension, he barely needed to extend a finger and one of his fields slammed down over the Asplundat soulcrafters.

Some Archcrafters crumpled, but many of the Rulers endured, and as they began to adjust, they sneered. Exactly the same reaction as so many others, and with the same result: when Theo reversed his field, the entire group fell into the air. As he landed, Theo cast a sideways field, and though it wasn't as powerful as before, it still sent the majority of the group sailing into the air, over the second waterfall.

Though it had become a battle, and Nauda wouldn't weep long for soulcrafters who had been about to attack her, she was glad to see that their trajectory took them beyond the final stretch of the river. Instead they collided with the misty boundary and slipped from the Chasm of Lamentations.

Though Theo's surprise assault had sent the majority of the group hurtling away, four of them remained, including Homez. One was an Archcrafter with a different armor blueprint that had apparently bound him to the ground, while the other three were Rulers. Not weak ones, either, so they were in for a tough fight.

Several boulders grew from raw cantae and flew in their direction, only to fall short due to Theo's field. When he withdrew it the next moment, Nauda launched herself at the group and saw Fiyu run with her. The other woman slipped behind the Archcrafter, cutting deep into the armor and distracting him, leaving three for her.

Nauda hit them with her staff forming a whirlwind around her, colliding with their armor in crunch after stone-shattering crunch. She couldn't easily penetrate the armor, but she'd noticed that when she damaged it, the soulcrafters usually flinched and took time to repair the damage. Thus, she could maintain the initiative with a full assault and batter them backward.

It couldn't last forever, and one of the Rulers managed to endure her staff strike and slam one fist down at her head. Nauda raised her left arm and absorbed the blow. Her belt burned around her waist, but she blocked the attack without breaking her arm.

The Ruler stared in shock, clearly having expected a dodge instead of a static block. Nauda didn't hesitate at all, thrusting the forks of her staff into a damaged portion of his armor. It didn't strike him hard, but she managed to bind him firmly. As soon as she had a grip on him, she hurled him sideways so he collided with one of the other Rulers, sending both of them over the edge of the waterfall. Hopefully out of the Chasm instead of to their deaths, but Nauda looked aside and locked eyes with Homez instead.

After meeting her gaze for several heartbeats, he shook his head and leapt to the side. At first Nauda feared that he was attacking Fiyu, but he only lifted the fallen Archcrafter into a carrying position over his shoulders. With one final glance, he leapt over the side, leaving only a ripple of blue mist where he passed through the boundary.

Suddenly lacking opponents, Nauda took a moment to catch her breath. She stared out through the veil to the red wasteland beyond, wondering if any of the dark flecks were actually the Asplundat soulcrafters. They weren't supposed to be able to pierce their way inside again, so in theory she'd gained complete control of the island between the waterfalls.

"Well done, Nauda." Fiyu passed her with a smile and Nauda smiled back, almost forgetting about what had happened between them before. "But we must hurry to try to find the scepter, or at least take their remaining materials."

Pushing aside emotions, Nauda walked to the pile of supplies that the Asplundat forces had collected. Fiyu and Theo were better suited to analyzing the battlefield that hadn't been searched, so Nauda focused on shoving as many of the sublime materials into her soul as possible. None of them were exceptionally valuable, or as interesting as the glove Fiyu had found for her. The resources piled up outside her soulhome, but that didn't matter since she'd finished what might have been their last fight in the Chasm. The only question now was whether or not they left with the scepter in hand.

It might still be better to just destroy it, though she doubted that she could convince Theo. Now that he was a Ruler-tier soulcrafter... no, better not to think that way. If they did find the scepter, she would need to reach out to him with reason alone.

When she looked up again, her companions had traveled close to the edge of the island. They appeared to be searching methodically, while Senka was nowhere to be seen. No doubt she'd wandered off and would reemerge with a sublime material in her mouth. What mattered was that the other two didn't seem pleased by their findings... at least not until that moment.

"Is that it?" Fiyu straightened oddly and she changed course. "There, lying against the rock by the fall..."

Nauda looked in the same direction, toward a rocky cliff beside one of the larger waterfalls. A few broken pieces of armaments lay nearby, but there was a thin white rod... could that be the Scepter of Separation? It didn't look like much, not enough to inspire a near war, but it was difficult to determine the value of armaments at a glance. She hurried to join the others, gathering her arguments...

And an Authority's cantae slammed down over them, sending the group stumbling back. Nauda forced her neck up and saw Mattan land on the island not far away. He wasn't strong enough to fly here, but he still burned with more cantae than they could possibly fight.

"Touch that and you die!" he roared as he rushed between them, toward the scepter. "It belongs to the House of Burning Leaves!"

Fiyu retreated, which was sensible, but Nauda was a Ruler and couldn't let herself give in so easily. Not when it would mean standing by while another Authority acquired the means to become a tyrant. She glanced toward Theo and she saw that they had the same thought: their only chance was to get the armament first.

When Mattan lunged to grasp the scepter, it suddenly slipped away from his hands, tumbling to the side just along the edge of the fall. He immediately whirled on them, growling with rage... and then an onslaught of gray cantae struck him from the side.

Another Authority slammed to the ground nearby, covered in full Asplundat stone. Though they'd more fallen than landed, their attack knocked Mattan further from the scepter. The two Authorities turned on one another and then attacked, emptying their soulhomes as quickly as they could to try to end the battle quickly.

It grew into a maelstrom of stone and flame, a shockwave sweeping over all of them. Theo grimaced as he was pushed back, clearly trying to reach the scepter with his gravity but unable to penetrate. The storm forced Fiyu down to one knee, making her whimper and shrink inside her cloak.

Nauda took a step forward... and then something in her soul buckled. Too late, she realized that the raw cantae exploding from the Authorities had penetrated her defenses and rushed into her soulhome. If she hadn't already experienced it, she might have been overwhelmed, but she pushed through... only to realize that fragments of their attacks were entering her soulhome. This wasn't just pure cantae, it was filled with destructive intent.

She watched in dismay as a line of flame streaked across her soul, incinerating some of her vines. A gray boulder materialized in the sky and collided with her wall... and a large chunk of it fell. Each attack that entered only weakened her defenses further, and though Nauda let out a scream and tried to throw her willpower against the assault, it swept over her like an avalanche.

Her body remained mostly unharmed by the battle, yet Nauda was barely aware of it. She desperately rushed to one of her walls, trying to hold it up as her soulhome fell apart around her...

Chapter 26

Only a year ago, the onslaught of cantae from soulcrafters two tiers above her would have torn Fiyu apart. She desperately focused on her barrier wall, fearing that the gatehouse would betray her, but even the door held firm. Intense as the cantae was, it slipped away from the polished boundaries of her soul without harm, and she felt a flicker of pride as she realized that she could weather the storm.

That pride turned to ashes as she heard Friend Nauda give a low moan and collapse. Fiyu first looked for an injury, then realized in horror that it was her soulhome that had been struck. Even from a distance, she saw terrible damage within and her heart ached for her companion.

Yet she could do nothing to help her, and the battle could yet prove lethal to all of them. Fiyu desperately looked to Friend Theo, who had abandoned the idea of reaching the scepter first. He saw her look, then Friend Nauda's injury, and frowned.

She pointed toward the barrier, hoping that he could find some way to throw them out of the Chasm. Friend Theo glanced at it briefly, but with the intense cantae flooding all around, they had few opportunities to make any difference.

Friend Nauda's nullification technique would have been the perfect choice, if only she had been healthy.  She took a deep breath and attempted to draw up similar cantae, even though it would be a pale imitation... she could only hope that here in the Chasm they might be weakened enough for it to work. She waited until they collided, the cantae of their attacks dissolving against one another, and then unleashed her wave of nullification.

It did no harm to them at all, only briefly making Enemy Mattan stumble. In that moment, the Asplundat Ruler attempted to tackle him... and Friend Theo cast one of his gravitational fields.

The two Authorities arced upward, flying directly toward one of the waterfalls. Fiyu briefly hoped that they would collide with it and die, but their cantae was much too powerful. Both unleashed techniques downward, pushing themselves up so that they hurtled over the top. Yet this very recovery took them further away, and as they fought one another in midair, the distance only increased. Every time one attempted to move closer, he was warded away, until they could no longer be seen from the waterfall region.

Which meant the two of them had a chance. Fiyu quickly turned to where the scepter lay... only to see someone else emerging from the stone. Another Asplundat Ruler, either newly arrived or having hidden himself away. He was much closer to the scepter than either of them, reaching down to grasp it...

Friend Theo made the scepter fall up out of his hands, but the enemy Ruler reached up too quickly, snatching it with his other hand. Fiyu reached him the next moment, her blade slicing at his arm. She couldn't fully penetrate his armor, but he grunted and flinched. A moment later, Friend Theo struck the same arm with a torsion bolt. Stone flew in every direction and the scepter tumbled from his hands.

The three of them struggled by the edge of the cliff, the waterfall groaning beside them, the deadly pool churning below. Together with Friend Theo, Fiyu was sure that they could eventually gain the upper hand and acquire the scepter. Once they had it, they might even be able to stand against the enemy Authorities when they returned. It was only a question of-

Then the stone crumbled beneath them. Fiyu realized too late that the enemy soulcrafter had struck the ground, risking all of their lives. It seemed foolish to her, because he began to slide over the cliff's edge as well, then she realized that it was a suicidal attack. He intended for all three of them to die in the pool so that his allies in the Asplundat Movement could retrieve the scepter safely.

He had not counted on Friend Theo, who used his full strength to arrest his fall and hover above the collapsing cliff. Fiyu stared up at him, so close to the scepter, as the rocks broke away and she began to fall.

~ ~ ~

In the end, it wasn't even a decision, Theo's body moved on its own. Or so he told himself. He had enough strength to move himself to the scepter or to save Fiyu, and he ended up splitting his gravitational fields to prevent her from falling.

The two of them still tumbled down the collapsing side of the cliff, but he managed to grab hold of a solid outcropping. He reached to grasp Fiyu's outstretched hand, just missing her fingers... it took his full strength to reverse her momentum and pull her up. She grasped hold of his wrist immediately, leaving him exhausted and both of them dangling from a stone just beside the falls.

Once their momentum was arrested, he needed a second to recover enough to cast another gravitational field. In that pause, he examined the field carefully. The Asplundat Ruler had fallen as well, but not as far as they had, instead sinking his hands into the rock of the cliff near the top. He could have attacked them in that moment and possibly killed them, but instead began struggling back up, eyes fixed on the scepter.

It seemed hopeless, but Theo still did what he could. With an assist from a gravitational field, he managed to swing Fiyu up beside him. She got her own grip and clung to the side, recovering. Nauda might have saved them, except she lay boneless from her soulhome collapse. Theo struggled upward, the waterfall screaming in his ears, but he saw that their enemy was almost to the top of the cliff.

The scepter glistened there, teetering on the edge... where a small hand picked it up.

"What this?" Senka peered at the scepter, bit it experimentally, then made a face.

"Put that down, child!" The Asplundat soulcrafter struggled to climb the rest of the way up, but he was clearly testing the limits of his strength.

"Senka, no!" Theo struggled up faster, but he knew it wouldn't be enough. Their survival was really coming down to the whims of an insane little imp. "We need that."

"Listen to me, child. If you hand the scepter to me, you'll be given as many sweets and candy as you want!"

"Senka, you need to throw it down to me! If you wait until he climbs up, he'll steal it from you."

She stared between them with wide eyes, as if there wasn't a single thought in her head. At first Senka took a step toward him, then she looked back toward the Asplundat Ruler. He threw one arm to the top of the cliff and levered himself up, now dangerously close as Senka still gazed at them in confusion.

"Senka, throw it to me!"

Instead, she extended the scepter toward the Ruler. The sky dimmed and the man screamed, collapsing to his knees. A line of light, brilliant beyond all color, formed between them, and though Senka merely glowed, the Ruler's soulhome came apart at the seams. Senka immediately lunged forward, her head colliding with his chest and knocking him over the edge, tumbling down into the water below.

"Well done, Senka!" Fiyu called encouragement, but from her position, she could only see Senka's side. Dangling just beneath her, Theo had a clear view of her face.

Senka smiled with a malice he'd never seen before.

"I would like for you to remember this moment, Theo." Senka walked to the edge of the cliff, her shoes very near his fingers, the scepter hanging casually from one hand. "If I wanted to kill you, I'd do it now. If I wanted to manipulate you, I'd never reveal myself like this."

"Right, like this is instilling a lot of trust." Theo heaved his body up as quickly as he could, imagining that scepter turning to aim at him before he even tried to think about what was happening. Yet Senka simply stood at the edge over him, making no move to attack. "What are you doing?"

"Let's just say that you'll be given some good reasons not to trust me. I wanted to preempt them." She met his gaze for one long moment, then eased down onto the broken part of the cliff and extended her hand.

Though she was no stronger than before, she helped tug him up to the clifftop in his exhausted state. Theo briefly considered trying to take the scepter from her, but her second move was to help Fiyu. Between the two of them, they managed to lift her up to solid ground, though the broken rocks no longer felt quite so safe. As soon as she had recovered, Fiyu went to help Nauda, who struggled to rise to her knees. She was physically uninjured, but there was no telling how much damage had been done internally.

When Theo turned back to Senka, she skipped to the top of a pile of rocks, her former scrambling taking on a much more sinister grace. It wasn't that her capacities had changed, she was still less than a soulcrafter, it was just that she was actually using her abilities.

"Unfortunately, the Authorities are coming back soon, so our time is limited." Senka gestured above the falls, though he could see nothing. "I can predict when they'll finish their fight, but my estimate may be wrong. My mind is getting fuzzier with every second, so I need to communicate everything quickly. Please don't sporp this up."

Hearing the nonsense word in her new voice made Theo frown, but Nauda stayed focused on what mattered more. "Who exactly are you and why have you been lying to us?"

"You're a bit of a mess, aren't you?" Instead of answering the question, Senka raised the scepter at Nauda and a line formed between them. Though Fiyu immediately stepped to retaliate, it wasn't an attack. Instead, the wreckage of Nauda's soulhome was being pulled apart in the glow. "This thing should be able to undo some of the damage, but it can't rebuild for you."

"Don't ignore... the question..." Nauda grimaced and clutched her heart, focused despite what was being done in her soul. When the line of brilliance faded, Senka turned back to them with a cool gaze.

"The answer wouldn't do you any good, even if I knew. I'm... a broken jumble of whoever I once was. That's not important." Her eyes swept across them. "In the beginning I was just going to use you to get where I needed to go, but... plans change. I've only now reached the point where we can be useful to each other."

"We would have helped you if you asked," Fiyu said quietly. "Why did you betray us?"

Senka groaned, for a moment a shadow of her old self. "Ichili and their betrayal... look, I had no idea whether or not you were being used by the enemy, or if you'd turn on me. You expect someone in my position to tr-"

"You let me believe you were a child. You deceived me."

Theo didn't have time to talk Fiyu down, and he still wasn't convinced Senka wouldn't turn on them, so he just spoke calmly. "If we're really running out of time, arguments are wasting it. Who's the enemy you're talking about? What's so important that you broke your silence?"

"Right, let's focus." Senka folded her arms and tapped the scepter against her side. "I remember Vistgil. Just fragmentary memories, from centuries ago, but when I saw him in the ruins I remembered. I can't... can't recall where or why. I was on the verge of finding out something when... something happened and it left me broken. But Vistgil and his allies are trying something sinister, a vast conspiracy toward ends that can't be accomplished by strength alone."

"That's all you can give us?"

"Senka Senka!" Abruptly her serious expression broke into a huge smile and Senka began spinning wildly, letting out a stream of gibberish. Just when Theo was about to take the scepter away from her, the nonsense cut off and Senka was left gasping and clutching her head. "It hurts... I'm already fading, but..."

"Are you alright?" Theo stepped closer, surprised to feel any concern for her. Senka didn't point the scepter at him, just gave a bitter smile.

"Not remotely, but I forced myself a little deeper. Vistgil and his allies want to do something to the Nine Worlds. Probably control them, because that's what you do. But the core of it is the other worlds, the ones outside the Nine. They need to use these fragmentary worlds as part of their plan, because there's still power there. It's the same power I'm using to restore myself: this river is only one of five that support the Nine Worlds. I need to find the others."

"So you promise answers in return for our help." Nauda limped up beside him, supported by Fiyu, and frowned down at Senka. "You think your stunt earlier is enough for us to trust you?"

"Shut up and listen. Earth doesn't contain any of the rivers, but it's useful to them in some way. I'm not sure how, but Vistgil is bringing through more people like Theo. Controlling their paths, leading them to do... something." Senka winced and rubbed her forehead. "Sporp, I wish my mind was clearer. Look: most people from Earth are under his control. There are a few from other worlds who managed to survive his traps and are his enemies. The House of the Lost, or rather the entities behind it, are his newest foes. But you, Theo... I don't think he knows about you. You might be a wrench in the works."

"What about the other humans who survived Vistgil?" Theo asked.

"I don't have enough - Senka Senka skoobydoop! - I don't know enough. There's a group of four from Earth who are truly powerful, called the Siblings, but I suggest you stay away from them. The House of the Lost might be able to help, but... forget about that. Keep doing what you're doing, gain strength without attracting too much attention. Don't trust the inter-world organizations... Vistgil has had years to twist their beliefs against threats to him."

Just having someone else believing in the same conspiracy was a surprising relief. Though Theo was still skeptical of being manipulated, he believed that Senka was suffering to offer them information while she was clear-headed. "How do we gain enough strength to face someone like Vistgil? What tier were you, and do you have soulcrafting advice for us?"

Senka only waved away the question. "You wouldn't want my advice while my thought process is this blooky. You're basically on the right track."

"Why do you keep using those words?" Nauda asked. Senka scowled at her, then suddenly threw herself to the ground and flailed for a while. When she finally pulled herself upright, black liquid was oozing from her eyes and mouth.

"I want to give you all orders, but I suppose that wouldn't generate much trust, and I don't have any good answers while I'm like this." Senka pulled herself back onto the rock and wiped off her mouth. "It looks like we still have a few minutes. Do you really want to spend them asking that?"

"I've never heard anyone whose words were immune to soul translation. Is it related to your condition? Are you trying to give us valuable information and it's preventing you?"

"Whatever broke my soul... it was designed to torment me. Everything I eat tastes like ash. Beauty is painful. It reacts against almost every positive sensation. I can't believe they'd be so petty, but maybe they wanted to prevent me from cursing. So no, it's not important. If I say 'Go sporp yourself in the fumpet' can't you fill in the gaps?"

"It mostly sounds like static to me." Nauda frowned and looked to Fiyu, who was still glowering at Senka, but she shook her head in mutual incomprehension. Theo wasn't sure why it sounded different to him, but now that she'd framed it that way, he could guess what she meant. Not so innocent after all.

Since Nauda appeared uncertain and Fiyu was already deep into her vendetta, Theo decided to take control of the conversation. "You can't remember anything else about yourself? Your home world, or what organization you were a part of?"

"So much is so fragmented... I have memories, but without context..."

"Do you have a real name?"

Senka gave him a bitter smile. "I think it was actually Senka, and they've turned it into a mockery. That doesn't matter. Here's the thing... the organization I remember... I don't think it exists anymore. I have no proof, but I suspect Vistgil destroyed it. His main goal is outside the Nine Worlds, but he might want to weaken the Nine too. Before my curse, the average soulcrafter was more powerful."

"Just how powerful?" Nauda asked. "Can't you even tell us that? Is Dominion really the highest tier of soulcrafting?"

"The highest is the Senka tier! Because Senka is the biggest gurfoop of all the gurfoop loops!" She giggled and began prancing, though she kept a firm grip on the scepter. This fit lasted much longer than the others, and Nauda started to look concerned. Now that they knew there was an intelligent person being tortured inside the manic antics, her behavior carried a different tone.

But it didn't change the reality. Theo grabbed Senka by the shoulders and shook her violently. "Snap out of it! We need you to focus."

"Heheh." The low chuckle had nothing in common with her giggle, and Senka looked at him through eyes shot with dark blood. "I always liked how you wouldn't put up with my blook. Honestly, sometimes I've faked it just to sporp with you, because it's fun. Soulcrafting tiers... no, Dominion isn't the peak. It's all fractal, you're smart enough to figure it out for yourselves."

"Close enough." Theo had theories, but pushed on to another detail that could prove critical. "What about the Artifacts of Elighiera? Do you know anything about them?"

"They were... not common in my time, but not as rare as they are now. I think... Vistgil is controlling them as part of his plan. It might be good to take them back, but... I wouldn't wear them." Senka coughed up more dark blood and Theo lowered her to the ground. This wasn't the time for compassion, not when her conscious moments were running out.

"Is there anything we can do to help you?"

"We won't be together for much longer... I'll come back eventually, and I might be worse. You need to help me find the other four rivers...."

"What about a white realm with a black sun? Vistgil killed me there, do you know anything about it?"

Senka chuckled, but the sound dissolved to burbling as more dark blood escaped her lips. "Know it? That plain is nothing, we used it as a training ground. But beyond it... that's where things get... it all gets ugly... it's all more connected than you think..."

Before Theo could pull any more information from her, cantae flattened them all to the ground. Mattan floated down beside them, injured from his battle but still with more than enough cantae to overwhelm them. Nauda groaned in pain and Theo wondered if they were doomed, but Senka went scampering in Mattan's direction.

"Who's this big fumpet? Do you have yummies?"

"Foolish imp." In a flash, Mattan dangled Senka from one arm and took the scepter from her, before tossing her aside. He took a deep breath and then smiled as his fingers curled around the scepter. "Such power... with this, we can rule Norro Yorthin. I could kill all of you easily... but we might as well test the armament."

Mattan's grin widened as he lifted the scepter toward them. Theo desperately strained to gather enough cantae, but he doubted that they could have won even if they had been at full strength. Unless they had another ally, it looked hopeless...

"That's not yummy at all! You're blooky!" Senka hurled herself in their direction, apparently randomly, though Theo noticed that she imposed her body between them and the scepter. "You took Senka's yummy stick! That's mean! Give it to Senka!"

She scrambled forward, much faster than she should have been able to move, and began tugging on Mattan's leg. Just when Theo started to think she might have some hidden strength, the Authority easily stomped her into the ground. But an instant later she popped up, still screeching nonsense.

"Very well, your soulhome can be the first test of the scepter." Mattan aimed it down at her and sneered as Senka struggled back to her feet.

"You can't hurt Senka! Your nose is too stupid!"

"Enough of this. Perish." Mattan squeezed the scepter and the sky dimmed as a line of light linked the two of them. It burned so intensely that Theo momentarily feared that Senka would be torn apart, body and soul.

Instead he saw that malevolent grin again. "Imbecile."

The two began to float closer to one another, the light between them intensifying. Mattan grunted and tried to pull the scepter away, but he trembled in the grip of a power greater than himself. At first Theo thought that Senka had prepared some sort of trap, then he realized the truth:

The Scepter of Separation was doing exactly what it was designed to do. But Mattan was using it against a soulcrafter significantly more powerful than himself.

Though the light was ripping Senka's soulhome to shreds, it had been a compact sphere from the beginning. As her soul separated, Theo saw not garbage but the remnants of immense soulcrafting. This had been her plan all along, luring a powerful enough soulcrafter to use the scepter on her in order to undo some of what had been done to her soul.

When the scepter exploded violently, Mattan staggered backward, his own soulhome shuddering as the light tore through part of his barrier wall. Before he could recover, Senka tackled him over the edge of the cliff and they both plunged below, directly into the falls. Nauda gasped and stumbled to the edge, looking below, but no Authority burst from the water to attack them. Only ripples that were soon lost in the rushing waters.

"She's not coming up this time. Did she...?" Nauda left the question unfinished.

Theo shook his head. Just before they'd gone over the cliff, he was sure that Senka had looked back at him, her true self reemerging for a single instant.

What he wanted to do, more than anything, was just collapse and think about everything for a while. But if other soulcrafters were beginning to penetrate through to the waterfall region, then more would likely be coming. Some of the sublime materials the Asplundat Movement had collected remained... nothing important. What mattered was getting out alive before a Stronghold showed up.

"No..." Fiyu breathed the word quietly, yet it cut through his thoughts. Before he could realize what she meant, she grabbed him, pulled them closer to Nauda, and then covered them all in a small sphere of her cantae.

Nauda looked at her in surprise and started to open her mouth, but Fiyu put a finger to her lips, eyes still fixed overhead. Theo didn't sense anything, simply trusted her judgment and kept quiet. Her stealth technique had served them well, so anything that made her so nervous was...

All thought stilled as Vistgil floated over the highest waterfall.

He stood in the air above the entire region, slowly turning to examine it. Though Theo didn't sense any cantae, it seemed clear that a technique was being used: either to locate the scepter or to find them. The fragments of the scepter still lay where it had exploded, and it seemed to draw Vistgil's gaze.

Though he took several steps down through the air, he didn't investigate it directly. Instead his eyes roamed on, drawing closer to their location. Fiyu shivered slightly behind them, focusing her entire being on maintaining their stealth, yet it didn't seem like it could be enough...

"You pretended to leave." A distorted voice warbled from over the waterfall, and the tentacled figure from the House of the Lost appeared overhead. It floated ominously, burning with immense cantae, tentacles slithering from out of the shadows, but Vistgil reacted with only mild interest.

"So did you. I just wanted to check on something missing, why are you here? Planning to take revenge on me after all?"

"Our world wanted nothing to do with this hellscape. You brought us here."

"And you promptly destroyed everything yourselves. I actually liked your world, but you know how it goes. There's only one way this can all end."

"Your traps are failing. You are limited and we will exterminate your minions. No matter what you are doing, it will unravel." Otherworldly as the voice was, the deep rage was undeniable.

"It's true that you've done a good job hiding your kind away. But do you think I'm limited to these tools? Perhaps it's time for war to sweep across all of Fithe... continents will be cast into the sea and empires upended. I can set it all into motion so much easier than you understand, alien as you are. Soon you'll see just how little you've accomplished."

When the figure struck, it abandoned all semblance of a human form. The cloak burned away and an abomination of tentacles and teeth streaked out toward Vistgil. And, for the first time that Theo had seen, Vistgil actually dodged. He slipped through the air, evading the tentacles and striking back with a golden sword that formed from his hand. Though he managed to cut apart the tentacles, they collided with actual force. Much of his cloak was torn away, revealing an angular face with a wry grin.

If the fight had taken place closer to Theo, or continued in the air, he might have died as collateral damage. But the leader of the House of the Lost managed to grasp hold of Vistgil and hurl him upward, then streaked after. Even from so great a distance that they were invisible, the earth shook as they struck one another.

"We need to go." Though the weakest among them, Nauda was the only one not entranced, so she pulled them away. Theo knew she was right, but he still stared, burning the memory into his mind.

First he remembered the cantae that had flowed within the being fighting Vistgil. It had been unusual, but still comprehensible to him. The only way he could understand it... if a first tier soulcrafter's cantae moved like gas, and an Authority's flowed like water, this cantae had been utterly solid. That power might stand high above him, but he understood it. He'd seen someone actually fight Vistgil, so he knew the heights he needed to aim for.

Second, he had seen Vistgil's face clearly. Apparently ordinary, human but not exactly from any world, bright golden eyes. Theo repeated every detail until the face was seared into his memories.

Only once he was certain he remembered did he let the others pull him away. The battle still raged overhead, but he had a feeling that it would not end easily. Other soulcrafters were beginning to leave the Chasm of Lamentations, either competing with one another or simply fleeing. This was their only chance to reach safety ahead of the retreat.

Theo barely thought about any of that and simply stared skyward until they fell through the distorted mists.

Chapter 27

When they staggered out of the Chasm of Lamentations onto Fithan soil, Fiyu had been afraid that they would be unable to survive further attacks, or even a dust storm. But they didn't need to stumble far before House Blacksilver soulcrafters arrived on chariots to take them to safety.

Even though she had been the weakest of them, Fiyu had somehow emerged the most intact. Friend Nauda's soulhome had been dealt terrible damage, and Fiyu grieved with her without being able to express herself fully. Friend Theo had not been injured, yet the battle at the end had seemed to capture him in a way that scoured his mind clean. Perhaps his relatives had never guided him on how to protect himself near overpowering opponents, or perhaps he was simply consumed by thoughts of revenge.

She wished that she could have spoken with her companions about their experiences in the Chasm. So many events had occurred, she felt as though she struggled to contain them all in her mind, and speaking would have helped. Yet they remained mostly silent, only relating the events to their allies with quiet words.

The chariots took them to a secured location, and it was less than an hour before the Authorities emerged. Though Associate Dhan was carrying Associate Karchibol's unconscious body, all three appeared to have survived intact. As soon as they arrived, they traveled back to Norro Yorthin by weirkey, finally escaping all the terrible forces within the Chasm.

This time, returning to the city was even more of a relief than before. Fiyu wished that she could take her friends back to her room, turn out the lights, and simply rest. Unfortunately, they were brought into one of the main halls along with the Authorities to speak to the leadership of the House. All of it passed her by in a haze that she struggled to keep up with, but at least none of them tried to touch her.

As a whole, it seemed that House Blacksilver was pleased with how it had performed in the Chasm. Many other Houses had lost members there, and the Asplundat Movement was largely seen as chastened by the loss of a Stronghold. When Fiyu and her allies revealed just how many sublime materials they had collected, the others were even more enthusiastic. Fiyu felt as though her soul had already been scraped raw, but allowed the Authorities to extract all the unnecessary materials from within her.

While they counted up the value, Fiyu ignored the numbers. She would gladly have given up all of it for Friend Nauda to be uninjured. If only she had another chance, she could have spoken differently with them, suppressed her impulses fully, and then protected them from the chaos. They could have all emerged alive and happy.

"You must realize that the three of you are now among the most valuable young members of House Blacksilver." One of the non-soulcrafter leaders, practically a stranger to her, spoke loudly to get their attention. "Your monthly salaries will be increased, and we will expect great things from you. In addition to your share of the profits, we want to offer each of you an additional boon from the House."

"Can anything be done about the damage?" Friend Nauda spoke up in a ragged voice. All her muscles were so slack, so lifeless... they seemed to strain just to raise her head and look around her. "Parts of my soulhome collapsed entirely... so much of the rest is shattered. Does House Blacksilver have anything that can repair it?"

"Well... you sustained your injury in service to the House, so of course we will do what we can. Perhaps your boon can be a restorative material, though the Authorities will need to research what. And if things don't work out, please rest assured that the House will care for you."

It was the worst thing he could have said, and even those who couldn't feel Friend Nauda's hands clench realized it was a mistake. Fiyu considered putting a hand on her back to try to comfort her, but wasn't sure if that would only make things worse. The official hurried onward, as if he could outrun his mistake.

"What about the two of you? Surely there's something you've had your eye on?"

"You have something called an Esoteric Chisel," Friend Theo answered. "I want it."

"My... the value of that is a bit high, but given what you've accomplished... yes, we'll give it to you, free of merits."

For a moment, Fiyu experienced a surge of anger. It felt wrong that he could simply ask for something he needed when Friend Nauda was in such dire straits. Yet she noticed the tension all throughout his body and knew that there was more to it than that. Friend Theo had fought alongside them at every turn, had even abandoned the scepter in order to save her. He understood that he was fighting a war against a terrible opponent, one that she had now seen with her own eyes.

Some time later, Fiyu realized that they were trying to get her attention. She blinked in confusion, knowing that they must be asking her about a boon but unable to pull her thoughts together. To her surprise, it was Associate Dhan who saved her.

"Perhaps her boon can be one of the sublime materials we won from the plain," he said, withdrawing what appeared to be a jagged piece of metal from his soul. "This is subliminalsteel, powerful enough to have a place in even my soulhome. But given her techniques, perhaps it would be even better utilized in hers."

Everyone except Fiyu agreed that this was a very good decision and she took the metal quietly. It did feel powerful, but she didn't want to think about it now, much less try to absorb anything into her creaking soulhome. Instead she held it on her lap to ward off anyone who tried to talk to her too much. Unfortunately, no one gave them permission to leave before the others started to discuss the future.

Most of it appeared to be local politics, conflicts between Houses. Fiyu only listened to the parts about the House of Burning Leaves, wondering if they would begin a vendetta, but the Fithans did not seem to think it was such a betrayal. She had almost forgotten the conversation entirely when Friend Theo spoke up.

"What did you say about Tymetron?"

They didn't answer his question immediately, shifting uncomfortably, but they couldn't ignore it after praising him so much. Eventually one of the officials spoke up. "Some of the other continents sent representatives, including Tymetron. One of their soulcrafters was apparently assassinated after leaving the Chasm, and they have vowed revenge. It's said that they have a truly terrible soulcrafter against whom no one can stand, who-"

"Myths and legends." Associate Karchibol sat limply and looked pale, but he was strong enough to let out a snort. "They tell stories about castles made of gold on other continents. Whatever House exists there, it will not cross entire continents and seas to deal with this matter."

"Maybe not," a different official said quietly. "But the House of the Lost and the Asplundat Movement are both roused and they might take action. House Crimson is actively expressing willingness to part with Norro Yorthin. If someone did push in from outside..."

"That is a matter for the far future." Associate Dhan brought a fist down onto the table. "It would take years for any outside pressure to work through local conflicts, and we have wars with the mud Fithans to deal with. Norro Yorthin must be concerned for itself first."

Some nodded in response, and Fiyu agreed with a much more restricted version of his statement. Whatever wars or foes the future brought them, all that mattered was her and her companions.

Epilogue

The bodies of the titans cooled slowly as the shadows stole their heat. It would be days until the remains became indistinguishable from the rest of the environment, particularly in such an unnecessarily lit landscape. All the demon flesh lay stretched across the path, skin glistening in the very light that had helped draw them.

Guchiro walked across the torso of one of the titans and extended his hand toward what had been its chest. When his fingers curled, great spears of darkness flowed from him, penetrating deep into the unnatural skin. A single twist cored the demon, allowing for smaller tendrils of darkness to extract the dark mass that served for a heart. He examined it carefully with all his senses, confirming what he had expected: it was not a useful sublime material for himself or his ward, but it would be worth trading.

Of course, fighting the titans had never been anything but a tertiary objective. As soon as he had retrieved the second heart, Guchiro slipped both into his soulhome and turned back toward the city. He considered berating those in charge for allowing titans to form, but they would not accept such words from a stranger.

The guards stood in the light of the torches clutching their spears, as if either could protect them. They were not, however, responsible for the policy that had allowed such a breach of demonic standards, so Guchiro floated to them without expression.

"Thank you for your assistance, traveler." One of the guards, an Archcrafter with a meager soulhome, bowed to him. "How can we repay you?"

"I will accept monetary compensation from the leaders of the city," Guchiro said.

"Yes, of course." The guards immediately relaxed, presumably having feared that he would claim it was altruism and thus obligate them to treat him familialy.

Instead of imposing on them further, Guchiro floated over the wall of the city. This was little more than a waypoint, since it was exceedingly improbable that his ward could be in the location. He had only ventured into the Shadowpale because it was said to contain a gate to another realm, and he could not allow his search to be limited to the worlds he could most easily search.

There was one other advantage in the city: a distant relative of relatives named Hanemo. Her home was marked with several heat sigils familiar to him, so he easily tracked them to their source. Though the inhabitants would be obligated to assist him, he had no intention of remaining for long.

When Distantkin Hanemo opened the door, she was revealed to be a middle-aged woman with pale eyes. "Authority Guchiro. Do you require the assistance of relatives?"

"Only indirectly. I require direction toward the gate rumored to be in this region."

"It exists, but I do not know it. I have a relative who could give you the precise location, but he is currently working outside the city." Distantkin Hanemo examined him closely with a conventional heat sense. "You have not yet found your ward?"

"This is the reason I seek the gate."

"If she was lost in unfamiliar territory, then surely her survival is unlikely. I know that we would all prefer to believe that our relatives are in good health, but given the circum-"

Guchiro frowned. "It has not even been three years. I will continue to search, with your relative's assistance."

"Of course." Yet Distantkin Hanemo regarded him without fear, which was unusual for a first tier soulcrafter who knew him. "I understand that you have never lost a ward. Given your age and the improbability of the loss, no one would condemn you for the tragedy. There are other children among our relatives who require a-"

"No. I will return at a later hour to converse with your relative."

As Guchiro rose into the city, he attempted to leave behind the words of Distantkin Hanemo, only partially successfully. He reminded himself that he was not being remotely stubborn, since a three year search was standard even under ordinary circumstances. It certainly had nothing to do with his "record" of raising children and everything to do with how deeply he valued his newest ward. Of all the young soulcrafters he had guided, she had formed the deepest connections.

All that despite the short years they had spent together. Far too few. He had only been half-way through his intended program of study that would have made her capable of traveling any environment on Ichil. That priority had seemed unimpeachably sound, and would have been if not for the unusual circumstances.

Theory meant nothing, however, and the fact was that he had never even guided her to a brighter world. As much as he believed in his ward's resourcefulness, the sudden light would have been crippling, even if she emerged in a less dangerous environment. His travels had left him almost completely certain that she had not been cast elsewhere in Ichil, so all conventional methods of contacting him would be ineffective. That was another argument in favor of further searching, since his ward would also need to travel to survive.

Except that all of that logic was predicated on the idea that she had not been lost between worlds. Given the extensiveness of the disruption, the outcome was not improbable.

Three years. Guchiro could never allow himself to stop until he had searched at least that long.

Floating over the city, he considered his alternative paths. He could consult with the city leaders regarding compensation for his work, trade for more corporeal materials, or analyze activity outside to find Distantkin Hanemo's relative. Only the last appealed, and after so long, he did not realistically believe that it would bring him closer to his ward.

Noticing the glow of a Biolumin Relay, Guchiro decided to visit it instead. Though his ward would be unable to leave a message, his encounter with distant kin reminded him that he did have obligations to other relatives. Some of them quite treasured, if not in his care like his ward. One of them could potentially have sent a request or even provided information. Few had over the past years, but he was required to check on the possibility.

When he landed beside the Relay station, he saw that there was a small line. Though he prepared to wait his turn, a Ruler-tier soulcrafter emerged from the second floor and gestured to him. Preferential treatment of that sort was unusual, but it was possible that they separated their services between locals and travelers. No one seemed disturbed, so Guchiro floated to the second floor.

It was austere except for the core pulsing relay and a small desk. The soulcrafter had the decency not to ask unnecessary questions. "Sending or receiving?"

"Receiving. Here is my biolumin signature." Guchiro handed over the identification plate and waited, fortunately not for long.

"One message. It will emerge."

A message sphere popped from the lumin current, intended to drop into a receptacle on the table, but Guchiro intercepted it. He relaxed his defenses enough to receive the message contained within, replacing his biolumin signature in his robes with his other hand... which froze as he recognized the voice.

"Relative Guchiro. I am well. I have been taken to the city of Norro Yorthin, on Fithe. It may be found by traveling to the gate near the source of this message. I am held by an organization called House Blacksilver, and controlled by outsider traveling companions. I will not be able to speak honestly in person."

Ward Fiyu. Her voice was distorted in places, as if the message had been damaged, but it was unmistakable. The construction of several of her sentences was not exactly characteristic, suggesting that her ability to send him a message was limited, perhaps by the false companions who were controlling her. If she had sent her voice indirectly, that would explain the distortions in the message.

Slipping the message sphere into his robes for safe-keeping, Guchiro paid the official as quickly as possible and stepped from the Biolumin Relay. He remained in the air for a short time, considering the message again. This city of Norro Yorthin was unfamiliar to him, but his ward's instructions had been clear. Technically he had obligations to distant relatives in the city, but Guchiro dismissed them as irrelevant.

Instead he drew his weirkey and went to find his ward.

-

The story will continue in Bondsfungi, which is currently being posted on Patreon. If you enjoyed this book and want to support the series, please leave a review!

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Acknowledgments

Thank you to all my alpha and beta readers for their feedback.

Thanks to Cultivation Novels, Western Cultivation, and GameLit Society for the community.

Appendix: Soulhome Architecture 101

(This appendix was originally posted on my subreddit, with character expressions and soulhome diagrams. These don't play well with many ebook formats, so they can't be included here, but I'm including the raw script due to reader requests. Here's the link to the full version:

https://old.reddit.com/r/TheBrightestShadow/comments/k6vxt8/soulhome_architecture_101_with_theo_nauda_and_fiyu/)

Soulhome Architecture 101
with Theo, Nauda, and Fiyu

Nauda smiling: Hello everyone!

Theo smiling: We're going to be explaining the art of soulcrafting from The Weirkey Chronicles.

Fiyu neutral: Are we self-aware now? Is this another meta-fictional story?

Theo neutral: This isn't canon; just go with it.

F smiling: That is better, but I do not understand why we are represented by heads.

T frowning: They're chibis, and I, for one, am personally insulted to be portrayed this way.

N grinning: It isn't canon; just go with it.

F neutral: Before we look at some soulhome designs, we will introduce the basics...

Basics

N smiling: The first part won't surprise you. Cantae is a form of energy that living beings can only use if they open up a space inside their soul, called a soulhome.

T neutral: You can use it to make yourself a little stronger, or shoot it as a bolt, but these things are child's play compared to building within your soulhome.

F neutral: Such people are called soulcrafters.

T frowning: You can't use just anything: only materials with spiritual properties - called sublime materials - can be pulled into your soul and used in construction.

N smiling: But inside, soulhomes follow simple logic. Bigger rooms can store more cantae. Physically sturdy rooms make you spiritually sturdy. Fancy rooms with valuable sublime materials crafted into patterns are more powerful than just throwing a magic rock inside your soul.

F neutral: Not everything is architecture. Usually you begin by creating a "heart chamber" that has sublime materials to generate cantae, which flows through the other rooms.

T neutral: The process rapidly gets more complicated, but we'll focus on the basics today.

F smiling: Let us look at some simple blueprints. I think that will make it easy to understand.

[Unplanned Farmguard Soulhome]

N neutral: We'll start with a humble village soulcrafter. They probably built one room at a time without too much planning.

T neutral: It's actually not terrible... squares are balanced shapes, and the internal doors will allow for strong cantae flow.

F question: Why do they have so many doors to the outside, though? Won't cantae leak out?

N smiling: That isn't obvious to everyone, Fiyu. They may have opened more to make soulcrafting easier.

T frowning: It's an inefficiency, but that's trivial compared to the fact that their design is lopsided. Feast rooms generate cantae, just not as much as heart chambers, so it should have been switched with the technique chamber.

N neutral: They were clearly doing the best they could with what they had.

F smiling: I don't think it's so bad. They have some cantae, a chamber to strengthen themselves, and room for a technique.

T neutral: I rate it 30/100. Thoroughly mediocre.

[Terrible Soulhome]

N disgust: Just... just what is this mess?

T disgust: This is what I meant when I said the previous one wasn't terrible.

N 06: I cannot imagine anyone in the Nine Worlds soulcrafting so haphazardly.

T neutral: They might have been from an outside world, just treating it like a game.

F neutral: ...I think I understand. They started with a plan to the west, then changed their blueprint as they kept building.

T smiling: Yeah, I think you're right. They began with a heart chamber, but after they built their first technique, they found some really valuable sublime material and built the circular chamber to take advantage of it.

N neutral: Young soulcrafters, take heed: valuable materials are better held for the proper time instead of thrown in at random.

F sad: Unfortunately, the cantae flow between the chambers doesn't make much sense. I think they would need to remodel to make this work.

N 09 minus the question mark: Looks like they just kept tacking on new techniques and a strength chamber as they needed them.

F smiling: The northern technique chamber is not so bad. It might be an upgraded technique, merging the flow from the heart and technique chambers. They are trying.

T disgust: 5/100, irredeemable garbage.

[Generic Farmguard Soulhome]

F 02: Oh! These were the blueprints they gave out at Myufuru!

N smiling: Yes, this is a common soulhome design for Farmguards. Note the extra large heart chamber evenly distributing cantae to every chamber.

F neutral: But this would be a soulcrafter at the peak of the first tier. Most of them have only finished some of the chambers and are thus weaker.

T neutral: The thing about common designs is that many generations have looked over them, so they're usually not bad, definitely better than the average hotshot with a random plan.

N neutral: I'm guessing you have some criticisms, oh wise one?

T frowning: Lining up the enhancing rooms and the technique rooms looks good on paper, but it's better to intersperse them. Strengthening rooms generate some cantae too, and that should flow into appropriate techniques.

N neutral: That's true. There's also no internal cantae flow within the soulhome, so the heart chamber has to keep up with every other room. But that's why it's larger than average.

F question: I am wondering... why is there an extra door to the west? There are already three technique doors.

T neutral: They probably built that room first and never closed up the door. If they did that... 50/100, serviceable.

F smiling: But they might reverse their blueprint on the second floor and send cantae upwards. That would improve efficiency.

N smiling: Archcrafter design techniques are too much for now, Fiyu. Let's move on to a more unique design....

[Generic Healer Soulhome]

T smiling: Good, we get to see a circular design. Circles are architecturally strong, so they can make soulhomes much more durable.

N 07: In my opinion, if someone can damage your soulhome, you've already lost.

F question: I have not seen a healer's blueprint before. Why are there so many chambers to generate cantae?

N neutral: Healing is complicated and extremely resource-intensive, so they need multiple sources.

T neutral: Yeah, you actually see designs similar to this everywhere in the Nine Worlds. It's a reliable blueprint.

F neutral: Hmm... I think they mix together different sources of cantae for different purposes? One pair for closing wounds, another for curing illnesses?

N 04: That's right, and each door is built as a sub-chamber so they can apply the cantae via specialized techniques!

T smiling: Healers are limited before they soulcraft multiple floors, but this is a solid 80 for a start.

Spoilers Ahead

F neutral: What is a spoiler?

T frowning: The next image contains minor details about how we soulcraft in the first book.

N smiling: You can skip the next part if you absolutely want to avoid all spoilers.

[Theo's Soulhome]

T smiling: My soulhome is a work in progress, but you can see the basic design.

N neutral: That vestibule to modulate cantae is seriously advanced stuff. Too technical to get into now, I think.

T neutral: Doesn't make a huge difference at early tiers, anyway.

F smiling: I like how the design is very orderly. All of the rooms are balanced and the connections are symmetrical.

N smiling: This is a good time to point out the subjective element. This would be a bad design for someone like a healer who wants fluid concepts, but it's effective because Theo wants many distinctly themed rooms.

F neutral: It is similar for me: I am better able to use light as a weapon because it is dangerous on my home world.

N neutral: It's worth saying that the sheer number of doors would be a weakness, if the heart chamber wasn't designed to set the cantae orbiting.

F neutral: That is true. It also loses some cantae space to the thick walls and pillars, but I believe our companion did this to support future tiers.

T smiling: You thought I was going to give myself a 100/100? No, the true strength of my design will barely be hinted before Archcrafter tier.

N 10: Your false humility is useless, when you've soulcrafted all this in just a matter of months.

F smiling: Can we see your soulhome next, Nauda?

[Nauda's Soulhome]

N neutral: I'm afraid my soulhome is rather modest, and my plans have been altered as I experienced a few difficulties in life.

F smiling: I like your heart chamber! Are the proportions based on the golden ratio?

N 04: Oh, good eye. Yes, I have powerful sublime materials in my heart chamber, so distributing their cantae effectively is important.

T neutral: The construction is solid, and you know I respect the craft on that telescope. But you're making poor use of the size of your soul, and it might not be easy to expand.

N neutral: I know, I know, you think I should build a tower.

T smiling: Separated soulhomes are rare, but there are legitimate reasons to design them that way.

F neutral: All of your chambers are mergers of cantae-generation, techniques, and strengthening. It is not how I was taught, but it is a consistent design.

N smiling: It's a more common model on Tatian than the previous Farmguard blueprint, honestly.

T neutral: Of course, the obvious thing Nauda has over either of us is that partially-constructed pyramid. When built high enough, it will make her an Archcrafter and unlock an entire second floor.

N neutral: I think ascension is probably beyond the scope of this introduction.

T neutral: Considering just the first floor... reasonably effective design, but with flaws. I'd say 65/100.

T neutral: Reasonably effective design, but with flaws. I'd say 65/100.

N 07: I'm humbled by your magnanimity, oh esteemable sage.

F smiling: I think that you are a 100, Nauda.

[Fiyu's Soulhome]

F 03: Umm... normally strangers shouldn't see this, but if this is non-canon, they can't tell anyone, right?

N smiling: I think you're safe, Fiyu.

T neutral: What's interesting about Fiyu's design is that it uses three different building materials, which would normally clash, but fuses them into several planned synergies.

F smiling: Yes. My relative said this blueprint was very difficult, but that it would be best for me.

N neutral: Which of the three materials is that entrance?

F neutral: ...

T neutral: Even though this breaks some standard rules, like having the walls and pillars not line up perfectly with the materials, in this case it's clearly done for a reason. You have to know when to break beginner rules.

N 04: I'm glad to see the window we helped you add to your sensory chamber!

F smiling: Yes, it is very helpful in these hellishly bright worlds.

T neutral: This is also a completely circular design, which makes good use of soul space and is highly durable.

N smiling: Honestly, the purity of the design doesn't do you justice, Fiyu. You have some powerful techniques in there.

F smiling: ...

T smiling: I'd say this is 90+, and only that because I don't know how well the blueprint flows into higher floors to justify the curve. It's clearly a design that's been refined over generations.

Conclusion

N 05: There you have it! A basic introduction to soulcrafting.

F neutral: Please follow precautions and obey your elder relatives when working on your soulhome.

T smiling: These principles would serve you well on every floor, but they're just scratching the surface of soulcrafting's complexity.

F smiling: But I think that is for future books.

N smiling: We'll see you in The Weirkey Chronicles!

(Again, if you'd like to see this conversation with full images, you can find it here: https://old.reddit.com/r/TheBrightestShadow/comments/k6vxt8/soulhome_architecture_101_with_theo_nauda_and_fiyu/)