Chapter 28: Flood of Recollection

Though he knew he was still standing within the massive aerie of the late Niv-Mizzet, Jace had lost complete track of his surroundings. Somehow, his brain felt simultaneously empty and fit to burst. Despite the rapid sound of blood rushing through his ears, it felt like everything in Jace's chest had ground to a halt. As his hands hung limply in midair, the illusory magic he had summoned to his fingertips slowly fading, he could feel the sweat starting to accumulate within his gloves.

He had spent so much time preparing, knowing that this moment would happen sooner or later. It seemed, however, that no matter how much he thought about it, no matter how many mental simulations he ran, he could never be fully prepared to see Vraska again.

Why is she here? Jace pondered, trying to make sense of the situation. Why now? What has she been doing since…?

Before he could articulate anything past the single utterance of her name from a moment ago, he noticed a sudden, intensifying noise filling the air. He glanced to his side, and while his own spell had deflated at seeing Vraska, Ral did not appear to share this inclination. His hand, primed with rapidly condensing electricity, was still pointed in the gorgon's direction, jaw rigidly set and eyes crackling with fulminous anger.

"Ral, wait!"

For the first time in gods know how long, Jace's body reacted faster than his mind. Leaping forward, he swatted Ral's outstretched arm as hard as he could. He caught the gauntlet with his palm, hitting it hard enough to knock Ral's hand down just as an enormous bolt of lightning shot forward. Most of it hit into the floor, scorching the polished stone, but some streaked up through Jace's hand. His muscles painfully seized, but it fortunately only lasted a moment before the excess electricity found its way to the ground below his feet.

As Jace coughed and shuddered, trying to shake out any lingering sparks, Ral's head snapped to face him. "What the krokt are you doing, Beleren!? You could've fried yourself."

"What am I… doing?" Jace retorted in between sputters. "What the… hell are… you doing?"

"Something I meant to do a while ago. In case you didn't know, that woman is a traitor, a murderer, and the reason we're in this shit in the first place, so I intend to serve due justice."

The storm-mage leveled an accusatory finger at Vraska as he spoke, and the whirring sounds of his dynamo charging up for another attack filled the air. Dispelling the last of the initial shock, Jace put himself between Ral and Vraska, hands out in what he hoped would be construed as a nonthreatening gesture.

"'Serve due justice?' Listen to yourself, you sound like one of those sanctimonious Boros soldiers. You can't just go around electrocuting potential allies!"

Jace winced at his words, from which he had tried his best to cover the truer emotions bubbling beneath the surface. It did not seem to matter, though, as Ral refused to lower his arm.

"Step aside," he glowered, "or I'll arc the next bolt through your chest if I have to."

Jace swallowed hard, but he did not step down. "Turn off that ridiculous contraption, and let's get back to the task at hand."

The two planeswalkers stared each other down, neither relenting from their position. It was a battle of silent perseverance, and though Ral's determination exuded a crushing pressure on him, Jace had no intention of backing down. They most likely could have spent minutes locked in this mental joust, but a timely interruption severed their concentration.

"Ral, Jace," called Vivien, "what's going on?" Her bowstring was still drawn and trained on Vraska, but she had yet to summon an arrow. "Should I bring this one down?"

"Yes!"

"No!"

Ral and Jace responded at the same time, each drowning out their competitor's words while never breaking eye contact.

Vivien remained in her position, unsure who to listen to. "Make up your minds soon," she huffed. "We have a mission to complete and a limited amount of time to complete it!"

Then, much to the room's surprise, Vraska spoke up. "Yes, I'm sure you do," she hissed. "So, may I offer an explanation?"

"No!"

"Yes!"

Once again, Ral and Jace answered simultaneously, rendering the words incomprehensible. Out of the corner of his eye, Jace saw Vraska visibly rolls her eyes.

"What's wrong with hearing her out?" Jace pointedly asked Ral.

Ral forced a breath out of his nostrils. "I don't care about what she has to say. She's a servant of Bolas. She's either here to steal Niv-Mizzet's plans, kill us, or both. So, move aside and I can stop her, for good this time."

"Ral, I believe you're mistaken. I mean, look around. Vraska got here before us, but nothing's destroyed. Plus, even with two of you ready to attack, she hasn't drawn a single weapon. Hell, her eyes have been looking at the ground this whole time!" Besides, I know Vraska, and that's not the kind of thing she would do!

Jace caught himself before adding this last thought, but he knew the sentiment had crept into his words. He hoped that his words would prompt some consideration, and after a moment, to his surprise, Ral broke his gaze to look over Jace's shoulder and carefully inspect Vraska.

Sometimes it pays to be observant, Jace thought with a sigh. Nothing he had said was a lie, and the shifting features on Ral's scrutinous face told him that he was figuring that out as well. Vraska's hands were visible and open, her blades still scabbarded at her hip, and her piercing yellow eyes seemed trained on the three planeswalkers' feet instead of their eyes. She's an assassin. If she wanted to kill us, she wouldn't have just walked into the open.

It was not until several heavy seconds passed that Ral's stern look fell with a deep resignation. The whine of the Accumulator slowed, almost in time with the relieved sagging of Jace's own shoulders. He did not have time to relax, however, before Ral shot him another forceful look.

"You'd better be right about this, Jace," he tersely remarked.

Despite the fluttering in his chest, Jace managed to keep his cool. "I haven't been wrong yet, have I?"

Ral cast a dubious look at him, but once it passed, Ral's focus shifted to Vraska. He addressed her roughly, his words carrying both anger and hurt. "I guess you can't escape like last time, Vraska, so go ahead and try to explain why I shouldn't blast you away right here and now. I hesitated before, but this time, if you try absolutely anything, you can be sure I won't."

While Ral's tone was not the most reassuring, Jace knew it was the most he could ask for at this juncture. As such, he stepped out from between the stormmage and the gorgon, allowing them to properly face one another and Jace to finally get a sincerely overdue look at Vraska.

It had been so long, certainly too long, since he last saw her anywhere but his memories, and, to him, it was as if nothing had changed. Despite being back on her home plane, she still wore the leather and bronze regalia of an Ixalan pirate captain. Though she averted her gaze, her eyes were as sharp as ever, rivalling the cutlasses strapped around her waist. The coiling tendrils of her hair were not raised in their usual ire, but gracefully fell down the back and sides of her head., perfectly framing her carved features…

Cut it out, Jace scolded himself. Now's not the time. Besides, this isn't the same Vraska you knew on Ixalan. Those memories are still blocked. Right? I mean, if that's true, why is she here, now, with no weapons drawn or anything? Something doesn't feel right.

Spurred by this doubt, Jace cleaved through the tense silence before anyone else could start. "Ral, wait just a second. There's something I can do that might help."

His cryptic message drew quizzical looks, not just from Ral, but from everyone in the room. Ral kept his head and hand pointed straight in front of him, charged finger still leveled at Vraska's chest, but his peripherals shifted to Jace. "What are you talking about?"

Jace's lips pursed as he sifted through his recent memories for the relevant information, only to realize just how complex a web these last few months had been. "Look, it's a long story, and I will explain it all when we have the time to waste, but now's not really that time. Suffice it to say, there's a reason Vraska has acted the way she did, and I can help remedy it. I have the spell all ready, I just need to apply it directly to her mind and…"

"Oh no, no way," Ral quickly rebuffed, his head shaking for emphasis. "You're not going anywhere near her. Just because she hasn't attacked yet doesn't mean she isn't waiting for one of us to slip up. Besides, what the hell can you do to her mind that would be of any help? No, I think she can explain herself just fine, alone, from over there."

"You just have to trust me," he implored, biting back the extent of information he wanted to share. "She's not our enemy, she's our ally, and I can prove it. All I need to do is give her back…"

Jace saw Ral's eyes widen as he started this sentence, the slow revelation seemingly amplifying the confluence of doubt and confusion in his brain. He did not want to say it, to risk alienating Vraska and himself from the others, but he felt he now had no choice. This is why, when another voice interrupted him, it came as a shock to all of them.

"Jace, while I appreciate the sentiment, and your discretion, at this point, it is quite unnecessary. My memories are already back."

These words, thrown from Vraska's mouth with icy precision, pierced through Jace's heart with no resistance. He could not tell if it was the content of her declaration or the steeled tone of its delivery, but it all hurt just the same. Turning his attention to her, he saw that, for the first time, their eyes met. She glared with an intensity that he could feel in the back of his skull, but he had no desire to break away from it.

"You… your memories," Jace stuttered, words catching and coalescing into a lump in his throat, "they're already back. But how…? When…?"

While Jace struggled to speak clearly, Ral arched his neck and leveled a befuddled look at him. "Jace, what the hell is this? What memories?"

"It will be easier if I explain, Ral," proclaimed Vraska, breaking her eye contact with Jace so suddenly that he could practically feel the whiplash along his spine. "Do you want to lower your hand, or…"

"Not a chance."

She shrugged, eyes rolling to the top of her brows before settling back on Ral's feet. "Very well. I only worry that you may act prematurely. I want to be honest with you, but not if that means you'll shoot me before I can finish."

"That's not something you should concern yourself with," Ral spat back. "Just start explaining. I can make my decision after."

"If you insist. Some time ago, what feels like eons before all of this, I did enter into an arrangement with Bolas."

She paused, and though her face was immovably stony, Jace could see the faint hints of apprehension that emerged, too small for anyone to notice unless they were truly familiar with the gorgon's features. Silence fell over the room, but it was swiftly dissipated by Ral's stern voice.

"That's not exactly new information. Keep talking."

Jace watched the deep-seated concern instantly withdraw from Vraska's face. It was replaced, to his surprise, by a very slight, but still clearly visible, smirk. "Well, I admire your restraint, Ral."

"Don't test me. You certainly haven't said anything yet that'll change my mind."

"Of course. Well, Bolas and I struck a bargain. I was to help him retrieve The Immortal Sun from the plane of Ixalan, and in return, Bolas would show me where Jarad was hiding so I could take my rightful spot as the Golgari guildleader."

"Well, since you did become guildleader and we all know Bolas has The Immortal Sun, I'd say your mission was a success, wasn't it?"

Vraska sighed, and in a reticent gesture, she swept a hand in a wide arc before her, pointed nails languidly slicing through the air. "You'll forgive the cliché, Ral, but it was a bit more complicated than that. Yes, I went to Ixalan, fully intent on following Bolas' orders. I most likely would have done so, too, were it not for Jace's intervention."

Jace reflexively straightened his posture as his name fell from between Vraska's lips, though it smelt of far more ire than he had hoped, but far less than he expected. Ral cautioned another look to his side, only for a moment before returning to Vraska. "Wait a second. Jace, you knew about all this? You… you helped Vraska do all this?"

Jace threw up his own hands, palms flat towards Ral, fearful of the stormmage's hairpin temper.

"Ral, hold on. I know what you're thinking, and it's not like that!"

"He's right," interjected Vraska. She took a tentative step forward, and in an instant, Ral's full attention was ripped from Jace and onto her. A shower of sparks popped from Ral's fingers, not enough to deal any damage, but a surefire deterrent for any continued movement.

"Hold it right fucking there. No one said you could move."

Jace looked at Vraska, concern clouding over his brow. That was a stupid move. She could've been killed if Ral wanted. What was she thinking? Wait… Did she do that… for my sake?

Vraska did not take another step, instead freezing in place and bowing her head low enough to fully obscure her line of sight. "I found Jace after establishing a crew of my own on Ixalan. His memories were gone at the time, a side effect of his last confrontation with Bolas. I took him on as a deckhand, and he ended up helping me far more than I expected. Were it not for him, I would not have seen the error of my ways."

"Seen the error of your ways, huh?" Ral scoffed. He held up his free hand and gestured wildly around. "Then how do you explain all this shit? Why the fuck should I believe you when I've seen what you've done with my own eyes?"

"Because it is what I needed to do."

Her voice retreated somewhat, and Jace needed to strain his ears to hear it. This was the first time her words did not carry any swashbuckling bravado or sneering animosity, and it left a creeping sense of dread in his mind.

"Jace and I went after The Immortal Sun," she continued, "not for Bolas' mission, but so we could escape and he could figure out a way to thwart that blasted dragon. Unfortunately, I had pledged myself to Bolas, and if anything even remotely tipped him off to Jace's plan, then there would be no hope to defeat him. So, I had Jace lock my memories of Ixalan away. That way, I could return to Ravnica, ascend to guildleader, and Bolas would be none the wiser."

"And so, then what?" asked Ral with a facetious shrug of his shoulders. His eyes darted between Vraska and Jace, clearly unsure who he should address. "Was that the whole plan? Just be a servant of Bolas until… something happened?"

Jace sucked in a tentative breath through his teeth. "Not exactly, no. The plan was for her to become the guildleader, and then I would come back to restore her memories so she could use that influence to help you all secure Ravnica."

"But you never came back," Vraska snarled, lips curling with outward disdain. "You abandoned the plan and let me live under Bolas' thumb for weeks."

Though her words were drenched in venom, Jace could not help but pick up on a subtle, almost imperceptible sadness within them. He had no way of knowing if it was truly there or simply a byproduct of his own wishful thinking, but for now, there was only one thing he knew he needed to say.

"Vraska, I'm sorry. I intended to come back, you know I did, but gathering the rest of the Gatewatch took more time than I thought. I didn't abandon our plan, but I needed to make sure everything was ready before I came back."

As he spoke, Jace held his hands out before him, as if he were offering his apology as a sacrifice to the Golgari queen. He could feel his voice starting to crack, but he managed to keep any excessive emotion from seeping out. When he finished, he stared at Vraska entreatingly, hoping against hope that his words would be enough. There was a pause, and then Vraska broke the uneasy silence with a rueful chuckle.

"So, that's it? That's why you left me here. I simply wasn't as important as the rest of your friends." Her eyes flashed to him, and the sheer bitterness in her gaze was enough to make him fall onto his back foot. "It's almost worse than if you had just forgotten."

"That's not what I…" he tried to reason, but Vraska swiftly severed their eye contact before he could finish.

"I guess it hardly matters now. Since you never came back, I took matters into my own hands. When my good friend Xeddick found your blocking spell in my mind, I had him remove it. I got all my memories back, but at that point it was too late."

Ral took a hostile step forward, the Accumulator on his back rattling as it shook. "And what point was that, huh? When did you finally come to your senses, if I can even believe that?"

All eyes fell on Vraska as she prepared to answer, and Jace saw her eyes flash to him. It was just for a moment, but in that time, he noticed something behind her shining irises that he had never seen there before: hesitance.

"It was just before the guild summit." She spoke lowly and methodically, as if she were delivering a eulogy. "When I pledged the Golgari to help Kaya in her plans against the Obzedat, my memories were already returned."

As Vraska's measured voice receded into the ambient sounds of the aerie, a heavy, suffocating pressure seemed to fill the room. Jace's eyes went wide with realization.

Before their guild summit. No, that can't be right. That would mean…

He strained his vision, searching Vraska's face for something, anything that would offer more insight, but like it had been on countless other occasions, the gorgon's immutable features offered no window beneath the surface. He wanted to press her further, to ask for an explanation, but he was too slow.

"Hold on a minute," Ral muttered. From his tone, Jace could tell that, whatever restraint he had exerted during their conversation, was gradually eroding away. "That means that, when you killed Isperia, you knew exactly what you were doing." With each word, his voice grew, starting from a withheld whisper and growing into an enraged yell. "You knew about Bolas' plans. You knew he wanted Isperia dead so he could put that blue bastard in her place. You knew all of that, and you still did it!?"

Even though Ral was shouting by the end, his words were still hard to hear, as the volume of his Accumulator rose in time with his voice. Jace could smell the ionizing air from where he stood and feel the airborne static pulling at his clothes. He looked to Vraska, who had lifted her head so her glowering eyes could meet Ral's.

"Yes, I did. I killed Isperia, knowing full well what would happen, but I will not apologize for doing so. You have no idea what that sphinx put me through, all my life. Treating the Golgari like criminals, starving and beating us because she felt threatened. What I did is still far less than she deserved. My only regret is that I could not have done it sooner. I know the timing was perhaps the worst it could have been, but that sphinx should not have been allowed to control the Azorius for a moment longer. I am sorry for when I did it, but I am not sorry for what I did."

For some reason, by the end of Vraska's powerful assertion, Jace felt a strange pressure in his face. It started in his cheeks and stretched up his face until the corner of his eyes. He fought against it with all his might, knowing that, if he relented for even a second, the tears would begin to flow.

She never told me about any of that. I had no idea. Vraska…

While Jace found himself moved by what Vraska had said, it seemed he was the only one. Ral's hand did not waver, and the sound of his charging dynamo continued to grow.

"Your selfishness ruined our plan," he growled at her. "You put us all in danger. Hekara's dead, Niv-Mizzet's dead, and Tomik… Give me one good reason not to kill you right now."

Vraska did not shrink away from Ral's aggression, her face hardening with resolve. "Because killing me won't save Ravnica. If you want to stop Bolas, you need the Golgari, which means you need me to lead them on your side."

Ral opened his mouth, then closed it almost immediately, his brow furrowing in contemplation. It was another moment before he spoke again. "You're right, we do need the Swarm behind us for this, but why should we trust you to lead it? Who's to say your zombies won't just join the others in picking us off, one by one? All this hinges on us believing that you're on our side and not Bolas'. Why should we take that risk?"

Vraska took in a deep breath, her eyes momentarily flitting away from Ral's scrutiny. "During our last confrontation, you hesitated when you attacked me. I escaped to Ixalan, but I didn't make it our unscathed."

As she talked, her hand slowly moved from her side to her shoulder. Pulling down her leather jacket, she revealed a large, unsightly scar etched into her skin just below her neck. It seemed mostly healed, but Vraska's face and motions indicated that the pain was not completely gone.

"When I landed on Ixalan, I could barely stand from the pain. I guess I'm lucky that my crew was waiting for me. While they helped me heal, I had plenty of time to think. I realized that, no matter what I did, Bolas would still come for the Golgari, for all of Ravnica. Serving him wasn't protecting anybody but myself, and the only way to stop him would be to fight back. You need my help, and I'm willing to give it. I will face my punishment, Ral, whatever it may be, but not until Bolas is dead and gone. Please, let me make amends the best way I know how."

Once she finished, a tentative silence fell over the aerie. Jace's eyes never left Vraska's face, fixated on the churning maelstrom of emotions that swept across it with every word. He felt frozen in place, his body pulling in every different direction, wanting to act on every impulse but unable to decide on one. Fortunately, he did not have to make the decision, as Ral shattered the silence after a few seconds.

"Jace, what do you think?"

Breaking away from Vraska, Jace turned to Ral, whose face seemed torn. Jace could practically see the two sides of the stormmage's mind clashing behind his eyes. Though he would never admit it, behind all his bellicose posturing with Vraska, Jace could tell he was desperately searching for a reason to believe in her.

Jace took a deep breath into his nose and let it out, trying to expunge the extraneous emotions from his mind. "I think she's telling the truth. Like I said, she didn't have to reveal herself, or come out unarmed, or explain any of this. We do need the Golgari's support, and I'd say we let her help. There's always time for people to change."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jace thought he saw Vraska perk up when he said this, her hair momentarily standing at attention, but she returned to normal before he could get a proper look. Regardless of whether he imagined it or not, he had to stifle the smile that was strongarming its way onto his face.

Ral's eyes shifted to his other side. "Vivien, any thoughts?"

The archer had not moved throughout the interaction, her lithe body remaining poised to attack Vraska at a moment's notice. "I don't fully understand what you all have been going on about, and I detest the idea of working with someone who served Bolas, no matter the excuse. However, it seems we don't have much of a choice. As far as I can tell, we do need her assistance."

"That's what I figured you'd say." Ral heaved a reluctant sigh, and the ambient buzz of the Accumulator slowly until the only sound in the aerie were the scrape of claws against the siding.

As Ral's hand finally fell to his side, Vivien followed suit, uncoiling her stance and returning her bow to its holster. An inaudible sigh of relief escaped from Jace's lips, but it evaporated instantly as Ral leveled a severe glare at Vraska.

"I'd better not regret this."

"I'll keep my eyes on her," Vivien offered as she rose to her feet. "If she tries anything, if even a slight movement seems off, I'll put her down. No servant of Bolas will escape me."

Vraska's head slid up and down, sizing up the animalistic planeswalker. Jace could tell from the arch in her eyebrow that she was not intimidated by Vivien's threats. "You're quite the charmer, aren't you? Vivien, was it? I admire your determination. I'm guessing Bolas took something from you as well?"

Vivien's fists clenched, bulging her arm muscles in a display of raw power. "More than you could ever know. After Bolas is stopped, pray that I am not the one charged to conduct your punishment."

"I'll be sure to do that," Vraska responded coolly. Now that she did not have weapons trained on her, Jace could see the change in her demeanor. This was closer to the Vraska he knew, fiercely independent and unflappable.

"Ok, that's all well and good," Ral intervened, taking a few steps to place himself between the two women, "but I still have a few questions. Since it looks like you haven't touched anything in here, I want to know what you're doing here, of all places?"

With her recaptured nonchalance, Vraska casually picked at her razor-honed nails as she spoke. "The answer to those questions is much more straightforward. I was planning to return to Ravnica once my strength had fully returned. That Beacon of yours seemed to have other ideas, though. I was sucked right off my ship and dropped right outside the Izzet district. I seemed to recall Niv-Mizzet mentioning a plan, so I came here to see what he might have left behind."

"How did you even get in here?" Ral asked.

"Based on how you all smell," Vraska said as she wrinkled her nose, "I suspect the same way you did. I found a sewer grate I could remove and simply snuck my way inside. Izzet engineering had come a long way. Those grates would probably keep most Golgari out, but I guess they didn't plan on a planeswalker's power."

Ral's lips pursed at Vraska's toying. "I'll be sure to send the chief metallurgist a note."

"You should probably also notify whoever runs the security in here. Getting up here undetected was far too easy. I could have probably taken out the entire guild before someone noticed. Well, besides those odd creatures from the lab I came in through."

"Is this some kind of game to you?"

At this, Vraska ceased her idle movements, and her sharp eyes snapped up to meet Ral's. "Of course not. I assume we came here for the same reason. If Niv died by Bolas' hands, then it must have been part of his plan. That dragon may have been arrogant, but he wasn't stupid. So, up until you three barged in, I'd been combing over this place, looking for anything he might have left behind. Do not doubt my dedication to seeing Bolas fall."

This seemed sufficient to keep Ral quiet momentarily, allowing Jace to cut through the tension and get to the more pressing matter at hand. "So, did you find anything that might help?"

"I haven't looked through the entire space, but I did find something… interesting."

"Interesting how?" he asked with a cock of his head.

"It would be easier for you to see for yourself. It's just over there." Vraska gestured with her head to the workbenches towards the back of the room, nestled beneath Niv-Mizzet's roost. None of the others made any move to join her, prompting a beleaguered sigh. "Fine, I'll lead the way."

Turning on her heel, Vraska retreated to the secluded corner of the aerie. The other three followed, their collective footsteps echoing off the marbling. Jace could see that, despite their acceptance of Vraska's help, neither Ral nor Vivien had dropped their guard. They maintained a cautious distance, and their eyes intently scanned the area they were approaching, searching every shadow for hidden threats.

Just a waste of time on their part, Jace silently grumbled. I guess I can't blame them for not immediately trusting her, but they'll come around. After all, I know Vraska. I guess, now, she knows me as well.

This last thought brought a bitter taste to Jace's mouth, one that nearly puckered his lips with its acidity. He tried to swallow it, but it would not go down that easily. I should have come back sooner. I shouldn't have just left her like that. Not after everything we went through. I know she's the one who killed Isperia, but how much of that is because of me? The Azorius, Bolas… Jace's fists clenched, and his face went rigid. I'll come up with a plan to stop this, no matter what.

As this thought sent streaks of determination coursing through his body, Jace noticed that Vraska had stopped walking. She was now turned to them expectantly, leaning against a wall that was lined with complex machinery that had been obscured from view until now. Before her was an isolated workbench, messily covered in papers and blueprints, but Jace hardly noticed. Instead, his focus was drawn to the immense, golden replica of Niv-Mizzet's face that stared at him from its mounted position on the wall.

"Holy shit," he whispered.

He was not the only one taken aback by the sight, as he heard Ral also mutter something unintelligible under his breath. The three planeswalkers picked up the pace and quickly closed the distance. Upon reaching the odd statue, Jace felt an odd chill run down his spine. Ugh, if he built this, why'd he leave the sockets empty? It's like they're following me…

"So," Vivien piped up, "I take it this is Niv-Mizzet, this dragon you all keep talking about?"

Ral's words were subdued, as if his mind were elsewhere. "That's him all right. I don't remember him mentioning anything like this."

Vraska pushed herself off the wall and stood across from Ral, arms crossed over her chest. "So, I was right. I knew there was something odd about this thing. That dragon was always so vain, but this somehow felt different."

Ral shot a glare at Vraska, but only for a second before turning back to the enigmatic machine before them. He drew close to it, running his hands over the gilded mask of the former guildleader. "It looks like it's made from Niv's proprietary alloy. Copper, gold, mizzium… the perfect conductor for all kinds of energy." He craned his neck all around, inspecting the curious assortment of tubes and chrome surrounding it. "The head is hooked up to all this stuff. These vessels on top are feeding in a constant slow drip of liquified mizzium, and it looks like its drawing a steady current from Nivix's core."

"And what does that mean?" Jace inquired, still fixated on its lifeless eyes. "Is this the thing we're looking for?"

"I… I'm not sure." Ral's brow furrowed, and he ran a hand through his silver-streaked hair. "This thing was clearly built by Niv, but it also doesn't look like his usual craftsmanship. It feels off, but I also feel like I've seen this kind of work before. Gods only know where. I do agree, it's weird."

"Well," Vraska hissed, "perhaps those papers could offer some insight." She pointed to the workbench sitting before the machine. "I tried looking through them when I first got here, but this is a bit out of my depth."

Ral immediately turned to the table and began flipping through the scattered notes that littered its surface. The others circled around him, looking over his shoulder with differing levels of anticipation. As he stirred through the various scraps and figures, Jace watched his face grow more mystified, and more frustrated, with each passing paper. After several minutes hunched over the workbench, Ral slammed the papers back onto the varnished surface and let out an annoyed grunt.

"Ugh, that stupid dragon. If this is truly a part of his plan, then he did everything in his power to make sure I wouldn't find out."

"What do you mean?" asked Vraska, the usual edge in her voice dulling somewhat in the confusion. "I thought you knew all about this technology stuff. Don't tell me Niv's design is too complicated for you."

"Watch yourself," he spat back at her, head twisting to shoot her a furious look. When she refused to react, he simply turned back around. "It's not that it's too complicated. I can follow along with these schematics, no problem. It looks like he ended up calling it the Firemind's Vessel, and from what I can tell, my initial evaluation of it was correct."

"Ok, then what's the problem?"

"Well, that's the only information I can actually read off here. The other papers look like they're written in some kind of code. I've never seen anything like it. It might say what this thing is supposed to do or how to activate it, but I can't make heads or tails of it. Maybe there's a journal or reference book hidden around here that can translate it…"

As Ral moved to get up from the desk, Jace peered over at the papers that were vexing him. Strange symbols ran along the sides of intricately traced diagrams and complex mathematical equations, practically tracing around the parchment's full perimeter. He turned his head, trying to get a better view, and suddenly, realization struck.

"Wait," he called out, putting a firm hand on Ral's shoulder before he ventured too far, "I recognize this code."

Ral stopped in his tracks and turned around, casting a perplexed look Jace's way. "Wait, are you sure?"

Jace nodded vehemently. "I'm certain of it. It looks like he's applied some sort of orthogonal cipher, but I've definitely seen these symbols before. It was a long time ago. I was trying to crack a code, and I only found the answer after touching Niv's mind."

Ral put a hand over his mouth, stroking his chin as his brain stormed behind his eyes. "Does that mean that Niv left these documents for you to find?"

"It's quite possible," Jace shrugged, unconvinced. "I doubt there's anyone else on Ravnica who could decipher this."

Did that dragon remember that encounter, after all this time? What could he have been planning? Jace shook his head, knowing he could worry about that later.

Ral moved aside, allowing Jace to sit at the workbench. Pushing through the pile of documents before him, he eventually pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper that was mostly clean, save for a few idle scribblings. Taking the writing utensil firmly in his hand, Jace transported his mind back to that day, when he reached into the Firemind and found the meaning behind the odd markings. It took a bit to find it, but once he did, Jace set about decoding the dragon's plans.

The aerie evaporated around him as he worked, retreating into his mind to ensure proper focus. He worked diligently, keeping his head down and his shoulders up, but even all that was not enough to keep him from noticing Vraska's presence by his side. He assumed all three of them were watching him work, but only Vraska registered in his brain's periphery. Her strong aura radiated over him, filling him with familiar, welcoming warmth.

Focus, he chastised himself, trying his best to wave away the distracting sensations. There will be time to talk to her later. Now is the time to work.

Doubling down, the pencil began flying across the page, filling it with the hasty translations. It was several minutes before Jace finished, placing the pencil on the desk and leaning back with a triumphant glow. "There," he said with a contented sigh, "that should be everything."

Shunted back to the aerie, Jace could feel the looming shadows of his allies behind him. Turning his head, he first noticed Ral's eyes half-roll, the Izzet mage clearly torn between Jace's accomplishment and his self-satisfaction. "Great. So, what does it say?"

Jace opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it and turned back to the desk. He had been so focused on decoding the individual symbols that he had not bothered to look at them as a complete message.

"Oh yeah, it says…um…" Jace began his sentence with brimming confidence, only for it to trail off in dismay. He was well-versed in all the common multiversal languages and proficient in several of the more obscure, but as he stared at the page before him, the letters formed nothing but a jumbled, incomprehensible mess.

What in the nine hells is this? Jace focused all his attention on the paper, trying to make any sense from the hodgepodge of discordant consonants. I don't understand. I translated everything in the order Niv wrote it. This must have been a code for me, but why didn't it come out properly. Was that dragon seriously this paranoid…?

"Everything OK there?" Ral asked, nudging at the back of his chair to get his attention. Jace's back straightened in response, then slunk back into the desk with an annoyed posture.

"No, at least not yet. I deciphered the message, but it looks like Niv might've put a second code within that one, because right now, this doesn't make any sense."

"Here, let me take a look." Ral leaned over, elbowing Jace to the side so he could properly see his work. As Ral scanned the paper, Jace watched his brow gradually wrinkle.

"Are you sure you translated it correctly?" Ral asked.

Biting back the sarcastic comment that immediately jumped into his mouth, Jace simply nodded. "I'm absolutely certain. If there's one thing I can rely on, it's my memory. I have this entire symbology in my head, and I translated it precisely."

Ral's lips pursed in consternation. "Ugh, Niv… Leave it to that dragon to leave an incomprehensible message behind a secret code. Alright, maybe there really is a reference book somewhere around here that can help make sense of this."

"Or you could just let me translate it."

Both Ral and Jace turned to Vraska, who had been leering over their shoulders for some time. Ral, mouth slightly agape, pointed a finger at the gorgon. "You… you know what this is?"

A condescending smirk flashed over her emerald lips. "Indeed, I do. That message is in the language of the kraul. They forgo most enunciation, leaving mostly clicks and chirps. It's quite a beautiful language, really, once you can understand its subtleties."

Vraska sidled up to the table, stopping just shy of where Jace precariously sat. Snatching the paper from the desk before anyone could object, she held it up to her face and began reading. Faint noises occasionally slipped from her mouth as she perused the document, sounding like crickets on a summer eve. Jace watched as she diligently worked, and he felt a disquieting mix of emotions overtake him.

Why did Niv leave a message only I could translate in a language I didn't understand? Did he know that Vraska would be with me when I translated it? Did he know about us…?

Before Jace could fall further into this mental rabbit hole, Vraska brought the paper down and turned to the others. "I must say, I'm impressed with Niv's grasp of the language. I grew up with the kraul, and even I sometimes slip up in conversation."

An annoyed tsk flung from between Ral's teeth. "Well, could you translate it or not, then?"

"Yes, I think I've got it, though it doesn't make much sense to me. It seems to be instructions for the device. It says to run two alternating currents through the eye sockets. The left eye should 'spark like a lightning bug,' while the right eye must 'shine like a beacon.' That's about it, nothing about what this thing actually does. Does any of that make any sense?"

Before Vraska finished speaking, Ral forcefully stood up from the desk, sending several pieces of paper to the ground. "Are you absolutely sure about that translation?" Vraska nodded, clearly done with Ral's persistent dubiousness. Accepting this answer, he crossed the small space between the workbench and the mysterious machine. "I worked with Niv on a few projects. We called one of them Project Lightning Bug, and it required a very specific current frequency to run. We also had the Interplanar Beacon, which had its own, distinct operating frequency. If I understand correctly, that's what he wants me to do." He stopped just before the golden visage, staring it down ruefully. "Two alternating currents from the same source, both of which were never broadly circulated to the guild. You never make it easy, do you?"

As Ral began adjusting the dials on his gauntlet, he continued muttering inaudibly to himself, with only the general tone of incredulity carrying to Jace's ears. The mind mage got up from the table and strode over to where Vraska was watching Ral work. Trying his best to keep his demeanor casual, Jace stopped beside her, leaving a few considerate centimeters between them.

"Thanks for the help," he murmured to her, keeping his eyes trained on the draconic bust. "Whatever's about to happen, we couldn't have done it without you."

Vraska mirrored Jace's stance, talking from the side of her mouth while she stared ahead. "You know I'm not much for teamwork, but whatever gets us closer to beating Bolas."

Her dismissive tone cut Jace to the quick, but he was not surprised by it. Mostly, he was glad that she responded at all. He opened his mouth to say something further, but his words were instantly drowned out by the overwhelming sound of Ral's Accumulator firing up. Whatever he had to say, it could wait.

The growing static filled the air with an uncomfortable energy as Ral raised both hands, positioning them directly before the hollow eyes of the golden dragon. Then, a sharp CRACK echoed through the aerie as Ral unleashed two massive bolts of lightning into the awaiting machine.

Jace took a reflexive step back, and his arm flew in front of his face, blocking the sudden, bright light and the wayward electricity that wafted over them with the fluctuating air flow. Peering from over his sleeve, which fluttered in the newly churning breeze, Jace beheld Niv-Mizzet's odd device slowly starting to life. Behind the metallic visage, red and purple lights flicked on, casting ominous shadows along the deceased dragon's features. The tubes of mizzium atop the machine lit up from a listless grey to a vibrant blue. As they methodically filled with energy, errant bolts of sapphire electricity flew from the mask's golden surface, whipping up the winds and sending the papers on the workbench flying in all directions. Jace peered to his side for a moment, where Vraska was still staring straight ahead, arms folded and a subdued look of curiosity on her face.

It only took a few seconds, but the instant the fuel cells were filled, the machine's activities ceased. Ral's electricity snapped off, no longer accepted into the dragon's sockets. The air was still, allowing for the blue and red lights to bathe over the planeswalkers unobscured. Silence fell, only broken up by the faint fluttering of displaced scraps of paper finally hitting the floor.

Everyone held their breath, waiting anxiously for something to happen, no one daring to move a muscle. Then, the silence was utterly shattered as the Firemind Vessel let loose a deep, bellowing roar. Jace pulled into a defensive stance, prepared for whatever the machine might do, and he saw from his peripherals that the others had the same idea. As the monstrous noise continued, he watched the empty eyeholes suddenly alight, filling with an ethereal flicker that danced between ghostly white and deep cerulean.

After a moment, the roar stopped. The four planeswalkers deepened their stances, no one knowing what to expect. Energy teeme around Jace's chest as he readied himself for an attack, malfunction, or any other possible malady. One thing he did not foresee, however, was that the sonorous roar would be followed by a rumbling, familiar voice.

"Ah, that is much better. I can finally understand why lesser creatures are so preoccupied with thoughts of death."

Jace stared at the illuminated figurehead, muscles unwinding and eyes practically bugging from his skull. Though he could not find his voice, his mouth still hung open. Luckily, Ral found his voice almost immediately.
"Niv… is that you?"

An acknowledging huff sounded from the unmoving face of the Firemind Vessel. "Astute as ever. Ral, Jace, Vraska, you're all here, just as I anticipated. Now, if we're going to save Ravnica, we have much to discuss."