The light on the Somniel almost felt blinding. Or perhaps Jack simply found himself looking up to the sky too often.
There were no proper medical facilities on the Somniel. Which made sense; it wasn't supposed to be the home base for an army - it was a place of worship, dedicated to a sleeping dragon. Even Alear's bedroom felt more like a pedestal than an actual bedroom when Jack saw it. Still, there were few places that were as pleasant as the Somniel that were always close at hand. It just meant that anything the army truly needed outside of a smithy and the surrounding shops had to be made as if it was out in the field.
Which was where Jack, Alear, and Timerra were at, on the eastern side of the Somniel in a small clearing that was near the fishing pond. They stood in front of a tent that had been quickly repurposed as a medical area, complete with a special noise-canceling enchantment that meant they didn't have to hear Fogado's anguished cries as Jean did his work.
There was nothing within Serenissima that would be able to help Fogado; there was too much destruction and most of the citizenry was outside of the city. Healing magic had little, if any effect in slowing down the crystallization of his leg. The only person who could help shouldn't have even been outside of Elementary School.
But, then again, Jack felt he shouldn't be too judgmental just because he was in a bad mood. Especially with Timerra and Alear pacing the way they were. Jack contented himself with looking out over the clouds beneath, and further down below at the landscape of Lythos.
After what finally felt like an eternity, there was a rustling of canvas nearby and Alear and Timerra stopped their pacing. Jack looked and winced at how Jean looked. His eyes had bags underneath them, and his gloves - not latex or nitrile, but some sort of smooth leather. And they were covered in blood and the remnants of the same damnable clear crystal that had been poking out of Fogado's calf.
"I'm…" Jean began, before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but there's no medicine on the Somniel that can stop the spread. It doesn't even act like a normal infection - it is more like a venom, which I suppose makes sense."
Timerra's hand clenched into fists. "So… there's nothing that can be done?"
Jean held his hands behind his back and looked down grimly. "There is only one thing I haven't tried yet. Amputation."
Jack rubbed his jaw as he turned to look back out from his vantage point. The rolling landscape below helped him center himself.
"Amputation?" Alear echoed, "but, how much would you have to cut off?"
"Below the knee, at least. And I would need to do so quickly, lest it spread further," Jean said, "I-I wish my father was here. Perhaps he could have found a way to save his leg, but the tissue - it is being destroyed as we speak. It is as if the crystals are devouring his flesh."
"I-!" Timerra gasped out, and Jack could hear her take a step back and begin pacing around again. "Divine One… No, there has to be…"
Alear was silent as Jean continued, looking up.
"Prince Fogado has expressed that he's willing to go through with it. I just thought that I'd… make you aware of the situation," Jean finished. "If you don't want me to go through with this, Princess Timerra, then I won't. You have my word."
There was a moment of silence, and Jack could imagine Alear and Timerra exchanging a look between themselves. After a few more seconds, Timerra spoke.
"Mother won't like this. She's already on pins and needles, but knowing this… there's really no other way, is there?"
Another moment, and Jack imagined Jean shook his head. Timerra let out a sigh.
"Then, do it. But, please… he won't suffer, will he? I know we've got sound-proofing on this tent but sometimes I feel like I can still hear him."
"If there is one thing we have ample supply of, it is anesthetic," Jean replied, "It will be a while, so… if there is anything you want to do here while you wait, you can do it. I need to have help, but you shouldn't have to worry about that. I'll… I'll just go back inside and tell him."
A little rustling of canvas later, and Jean was gone. Jack pushed himself away from the edge of the Somniel.
"Fuck," Jack whispered.
"I was wondering why you were here," Timerra asked.
Jack shrugged. "Probably because I feel - I dunno - a little responsible for all of this. If I hadn't tried to talk to Brianna when she had her back turned to us, maybe-"
Timerra heaved a great, terrible sigh. "He's still blaming himself for it, Divine One. Could you talk some sense into him? I'm really tired all of a sudden."
"Jack," Alear began softly, his arms crossed. "Brianna was important to you, and you tried to get her to see the error of her ways. And she rejected it. There was no shame in trying again. What's happening right now is bad, I won't deny that, but trying to connect that back to you doesn't make the situation any better or any easier to stomach."
Jack scratched his scalp. "When'd you get so wise with the ways of the world, Alear?"
Alear shrugged, a small smile on his face. "I've had plenty of great teachers over this last year."
"Has it already been a year since you awoke?" Timerra asked. "Well, I guess we Solmic aren't as pious as we liked to believe if we didn't go to visit you first, huh?"
"You had your own issues to deal with. Besides, er, I'd actually prefer it if we keep the god talk to a minimum," Alear admitted.
"He doesn't like it," Jack pointed out helpfully.
Timerra rolled her eyes. "Really? I didn't notice."
Jack snorted. "We could keep going like this all day, couldn't we?"
"Probably. But what I'm more concerned about is where we go from here," Timerra said, turning to Alear.
Alear shook his head. "I think we all know what is going to happen next, but I won't discuss it here. Not until everyone is gathered. And, Jack… don't you have someone you need to be taking care of?"
Something about the way Alear said that seemed… accusative, to Jack. He brushed it off, though, for the moment.
Jack's lips thinned as he looked away. "Queen Lumera… took him off my hands for a minute."
Alear tilted his head. "What?"
Jack held his hands up, as if in surrender. "I don't know, Alear. I told her my situation and she just… offered to make a place for him on Lythos. Just like that. Even offered to ferry me from there to here whenever I felt like it, so long as she was around. I-I don't have any experience with a kid, Alear, so I thought 'Why not' and yes, I do feel very guilty about leaving my son with a complete stranger but-"
"I wasn't judging you, to be clear. I am just… surprised," Alear said. "Although, considering who mother is…"
"I'd say the Divine Dragon Monarch is probably one of the best people to leave your kid with," Timerra supplied hands on her hips. "I mean, just a hunch, but she waited for him to wake up for a thousand years. There's probably more caretakers in that castle than servants. Well, they're kinda the same thing, but you get what I mean!"
Jack let out a sigh, looking up to the sky for the thousandth time that day. "It doesn't sit entirely well with me. But, maybe one of them could teach me how to care for him? Given enough time. And I'm not just gonna abandon you all before the end. Can't do that. Put too much into this to just say 'fuck it' and go somewhere else. I love Connor, but I doubt he and I are gonna leave this world and I wanna make it safe for him."
"I can't say I understand your position, since I'm not a father," Alear said, hand on his chin. "But I think that's a righteous attitude to have, if a bit dangerous. I won't turn away your help."
"Such as it is, now," Jack commented.
"You are a valued friend and I would be very, very saddened by your untimely death," Alear said suddenly. "Yes, you are my friend. So, please, do not die."
Jack held up his hands in surrender again. "Sorry! Sorry. Force of habit."
Alear sighed. "Fair enough. You should really have more faith in yourself. I believe you're a good person."
"Are you gonna propose to him next? I think Princess Ivy would get outta the way for you, Divine One," Timerra teased, a shit-eating grin on her face.
"W-What are you talking about? I-I mean, maybe at one point I-" Alear said.
"He's too busy with Prince Alfred to bother with some commoner like me, Princess Timerra," Jack said, bowing his head. "Only a royal could satiate his draconic appetite."
"You're making it sound like I'm some kind of predator," Alear groused.
Timerra hummed. "Yeah, you know what? That makes sense. I believe it."
Jack shrugged. "Should probably stop talking about it, though. He's turning a nice shade of red. Kinda like a tomato."
"I am not a tomato!" Alear professed, as if his very identity was on the line if he didn't put his whole heart into his speech.
Jack took a step back, laughing. "Easy! Easy. We were just teasing."
"I wasn't," Timerra said nonchalantly.
Alear groaned. "With friends like these, who needs enemies?"
"Ones who want to win a war," Jack replied.
Still, even as they spoke, and drifted away from the tent that Fogado was in, Jack couldn't help but feel terrible. He knew, in some corner of his mind, that it wasn't his fault. That he had no way to predict what would occur. That he had to try one last time for Brianna, for what they had together, if only briefly.
In the end, however - and he didn't know if it was truly selfishness of self-deprecation or even both - he still felt some amount of responsibility.
Jack stood over Connor's crib, his hands trembling on the edges as if he was scared he would break it accidentally.
Connor looked so peaceful in the middle of the crib, and honestly, Queen Lumera had done an excellent job with the room. There wasn't a lot to it yet, but the walls had been painted a lovely shade of light blue, and while it didn't have the amenities of a regular child's room from his world, there was still a box of toys, ready to be played with nearby.
A part of Jack felt like he didn't deserve such kindness, that he was somehow taking advantage of Lumera. But then he reminded himself that Queen Lumera approached him first, and that she was perhaps thousands of years old. How could he possibly take advantage of someone like that?
Or maybe it was that Jack felt unworthy of such niceties. A part of him probably felt as if he didn't deserve to have the brunt of Connor's existence forced off of him, or that he shouldn't have taken it. Such a sick, sadistic voice in his head made Jack feel as if he didn't deserve Connor at all, that he would have been better off somewhere else, away from such a screw-up of a father that would refer to having him as a burden, even if only in his head.
"Are you alright, Jack?"
That wasn't Lumera. Jack had half-expected the Divine Dragon Monarch to simply find him like everyone always seemed to, but not that time. Vander stood at the doorway, garbed in an immaculate black suit. He bowed his head.
"My apologies. I did not mean to frighten you," he said.
Jack waved a hand. "Don't worry. I guess I'm just a bit more jumpy is all."
"Understandable, considering your circumstances," Vander said, walking up next to Jack and looking down into the crib. "Incredible. Just a scant few hours ago he was bawling his eyes out, and now I am almost concerned that he has… well."
Jack pointed into the crib. "His chest is still falling up and down, so he's not dead, if that's what you were thinking."
"It was an idle thought, nothing more," Vander replied.
Jack scratched his head, turning away to look at the light blue paint on the wall. He hoped it wasn't leaded. "I really can't thank Queen Lumera enough for this. A place for him to stay, comfortable, looked after - can I be honest with you, Vander? I know we haven't talked a lot but maybe that's why I feel like I can be."
Vander nodded. "You may. I will listen."
"I don't feel like I - we - deserve this," Jack confessed, rubbing his forehead as he began pacing around. "I mean, all of this? I practically live on the Somniel, and my son, who I haven't even known existed for more than a week, is getting the best care and attention in the known world. It just doesn't- it just doesn't seem real."
"It is likely because Queen Lumera feels as if she owes you," Vander supplied, looking at Jack. "I realize you have a difficult time understanding it, but I do not think you quite know the gravity of what you have done for her, if what you have said of the timeline you have seen is correct."
Jack tilted his head. "How do you figure?"
Vander hummed, his hands behind his back. "Queen Lumera died in your world, through the… magic that your people used. She died unfulfilled, never truly getting to know her child, never allowed to see what would become of the world she loved so much, or the people she raised. It would have been a tragedy. A tragedy, however you did it, you prevented through your actions."
Rubbing the back of his neck, Jack said, "Well, when you put it like that…"
"There is no other way for me to put it, Jack," Vander said, "Queen Lumera, the Divine Dragon Monarch and the figurehead of the religion that guides most of the known world - she is alive because of you. I was not surprised that she offered to help you in return."
Jack wiped his forehead, looking back at Connor. "Maybe you're right. Sometimes you just need someone else to put it in perspective, you know? It's still so weird, though, having a kid - I almost feel like I should be exhausted and tired, but right now I just feel energized. Is that normal?"
"I would not know. I have never had a child of my own, and I doubt I ever will," Vander said, bowing his head. "However, I do believe you are taking it better than most would in this situation. From what I have heard, the situation beneath the Solmic capital was less than ideal."
"You choose your words carefully, Vander. I appreciate that," Jack chuckled to himself, before letting out a sigh. "It was nice talking to you. I had wondered where you'd gone after we started marching across the continent."
"If Queen Lumera requires my presence to get our troops into line, then I have no room to argue," Vander said. "Although, I do admit, it was stressful being away from the Divine One for so long. Though I am wary of the battles that are to come, I am looking forward to being by his side once again."
Jack nodded, his mind drifting from the war council that would be held in a few short hours, to his infant son sleeping soundly in the crib. Everything was coming to head - soon, they would be taking the fight to Sombron himself.
"I feel I should remind you, however," Vander said, gesturing to the crib. "Do not mistake this kindness for 'taking the weight off of your shoulders', as it were. You are this child's father, and to leave him simply to the castle staff would be a… disservice to him."
Jack felt as if Vander had struck him with a back hand. He opened his mouth to rebuke Vander, to do anything, but he couldn't do it.
My son…
He was reminded of Brianna, and how… little he felt when she finally died. He was reminded of the first soldier he killed at Firene Castle, how little he felt plunging his spear into her and ending her life. Why did he feel that way? He looked at his son, and he knew he felt something, but was it love? Was it really? Was it just nervousness? Fear?
Was he invested enough?
"I won't," Jack said, swearing it mostly to himself rather than to Vander, who looked at him with a brow raised. "He's gonna know who his father is. I promise."
"I sincerely hope you stand by that statement, Jack," Vander said, "This child depends on you, now. His mother…"
Jack held up a hand, wiping at his eyes. "Thank you, Vander. I get it. I really do. You've… really helped me realize something."
The Ring Chamber of the Somniel felt particularly cold that day, Jack reflected. He didn't know if it had anything to do with the general mood of the meeting, or if it was simply his own mind playing tricks on him. Considering where they would be going once their ships were ready and the troops were mobilized, it was oddly appropriate.
Around the room, the Ring Pedestals glowed an array of colors, except for a scant few that still had none on them. There were two Bracelets Pedestals, then, and in the corner laid Veyle's Staff. Jack walked around them, counting them in his head as the others waited for his word. The fact they felt the need to do so was so strange - they always seemed to wait for him to start before they began, as if he always had something that the council hinged on. Before long, he stood in front of them.
Alear, Veyle, Alfred, Céline, Diamant, Ivy, and Timerra, all lined up before him, with the addition of Lumera and Queen Seforia, as well. The room was packed.
"At this point, it'd take less time to count how many Rings and Bracelets the enemy does have," Jack remarked. "So, I'll do that instead. They still have the Ring of the Sage Lord, the Ring of the Princess Exalt, the Ring of the Azure Twins, and the Ring of the Instructor. As for Bracelets, they still have the Bracelet of the Ancestor, Bracelet of the Brash General, Bracelet of the Strategist, Bracelet of the Doting Sister, and the Bracelet of the Lonely Heir. Still a pretty formidable force, but we have the advantage. And there's also my sister as a double agent in their ranks."
Jack gestured to the staff in the corner.
"And, of course, we have an Emblem I've never seen before."
"Seems like now would be the best time to begin our attack, then, would it not?" Queen Seforia asked. "All of Solm is ready to go to war, Divine One."
"Most of Elusia's citizenry were evacuated to Lythos and other nations. They would not hesitate to take up arms to retake their home if I ordered it. Though, I must admit, I wish I would not have to do such a thing," Ivy admitted.
"Brodia still has most of its manpower. The courts have apparently been doing a decent job preparing and ruling ever since my father's death," Diamant reported, his hands behind his back. "It would take a while to either travel there myself to lead them, or to send a message by pegasi, griffon, or wyvern to send troops to the east. Nonetheless, I am prepared to do either."
"I'd need to send a message to mother about all of this, but whatever troops Firene has left are yours," Alfred said.
"We have not received a letter that details Corrupted burning down the countryside anymore, so I suspect there will be plenty of troops," Céline stated. "It is strange, however - Queen Seforia, Princess Timerra, have there been any more attacks by Corrupted since the end of… er, the conflict beneath the capital?"
Jack clenched his fists.
"None. No excursions from the north, as far as I know," Timerra said, wiping her forehead. "Trust me, I had someone go look."
"And if the messengers from Brodia are not lying to me, then Brodia has not been attacked in the interim either," Diamant said. "It is… disquieting, to say the least. Something must be happening. I doubt Sombron or his Hounds would be quiet for this long without something going on behind the scenes."
Ivy spoke next. "Sombron and his Hounds have proven themselves to be… less than able strategists, to put it mildly."
Veyle nodded her head. "Papa, he… he would rather break his way through resistance rather than through subterfuge or tactics. It's… I think it's the reason he had us all in the first place."
Alear let out a sigh, turning to Jack. "Let everyone know to be prepared. In the coming days, we will begin our offensive in Elusia."
Jack's brow twitched, but he bowed his head nonetheless. "It will be done."
Lionel knew something was coming. Knew, yes, but no one else seemed to care, least of all Jack. Jack walked around like he knew what he was doing, like he knew what was going on, but he didn't. He'd never known what was happening around him. He would keep running until the day he died unless someone stepped in. Someone like Ivy, maybe, but Ivy was Elyosian, and Elyosians weren't real.
"I am… at a loss. I truly am," Seadall stated. "Has nothing been done to research his condition? Nothing at all? Not even in this holy land?"
The cleric at the desk, bookcases lining the walls, looked at Seadall with a mixture of pity and wariness. "I am afraid not. I have been a custodian of this archive since I could barely grow a few chin hairs, and I have never seen references to this 'schizophrenia' your friend has. There are references to demons - Corrupted in spiritual form, that Sombron would send out from his grave to attack certain people, and it is similar to what he is experiencing."
"They want to exorcize me," Lionel stated blatantly. "Seadall, they want to exorcize me. These Lythosians want to exorcize me."
"No one is going to exorcize you," Seadall said, placing a hand on Lionel's shoulder. "No one. Jack was quite clear that this is a medical condition, not a spiritual one. Which means it can be healed."
Healed? Healing. Healing was such a strange thing. Bone and flesh and blood mending itself, criss-crossing into scar patterns. Jack had one across his face, bent into the shape of a smile, but he was never really smiling-
"I'm starting to think there is nothing," Lionel said, "nothing at all. Maybe an exorcism would actually help."
"I doubt it, my friend," the cleric stated. "One hasn't been performed in hundreds of years, due to them being so ineffectual. It was by decree of Queen Lumera herself."
"Queen Lumera doesn't care. She's never cared and she's not real. And neither are you," Lionel said, before turning around quickly. "I don't like this place, Seadall. I need to go. I'll find it myself if I have to."
The cleric took a step back, offended. "Y-you dare say such blasphemous things-!"
"He is not in his right mind, sir, but I will fix it, I promise," Seadall stated. "Thank you for your time, and I apologize in his absence."
Seadall quickly followed Lionel out of the archive, and before long, they stood amongst the building of the Lythos Castle Town. Seadall watched as Lionel turned to look at every passerby, his eyes squinting at them as if trying to distinguish who was who.
"All of them, they don't care, Seadall. They think I'm the one who isn't real. I'm invisible. But it's not true," Lionel said, pointing at the crowd, "They are the ones who aren't real. It's bullshit, Seadall. Bullshit."
"Queen Lumera will help us, Lionel, I promise. I just thought we should try and find some information while we waited," Seadall said, placing a hand on Lionel's shoulder, only for him to quickly shake it off.
"No, she doesn't care. In fact, she probably wants me gone. Me, Jack, Brianna, Natalie - we're all inconvenient. We're an eyesore. I can see it in the way she looks at us."
Lionel hated feeling this way, but who was he to deny reality? But then again, what was reality anyway? He couldn't tell. Sometimes he would wake up and it felt like the world was melting like wax, but then the next minute it would be fine. Completely solid. Sometimes he would hear something from someone, somewhere. Sometimes it was his mom. Sometimes it was his dad. Sometimes it was Jack, and he was talking about how good of a game Fire Emblem is, and Lionel would tell him that was bullshit, Reddit said so.
All of a sudden, Lionel felt burnt out. He slammed his back into the wall of the archive, and fell to the ground in a heap. He expected Seadall to run away. To do anything. And yet, the dancer stayed. In fact, he sat down beside Lionel.
"I hate this, Seadall," Lionel said. "I hate this. I hate it so much. I wish I'd brought my pills. My fucking pills! I still remember the day I got the diagnosis. It made so much sense, and I wasn't hating anymore. But I'm hating again and I hate, hate, hate it."
"I cannot say I understand," Seadall whispered. "But we will find a way. I ask you, no, beg you, to have faith in Queen Lumera. She has reigned over this land for over a thousand years."
"And that doesn't seem the least bit suspicious to you- fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, I'm doing it again. I can't-" Lionel hit himself in the face. Hard. "Hate it! Hate being this way! Stupid, stupid, fucking stupid!"
Lionel's hands were stopped by Seadall, who looked at him with tears in his eyes.
"Please! Please," Seadall pleaded. "Stop. Don't hurt yourself like that!"
Slowly, but surely, Lionel lowered his hands, and had to resist the urge to merely curl up and die. He wanted to do it, but with Seadall there, he couldn't. It had gotten worse. So, so much worse. And he didn't know how much worse it could get.
"I'm sorry," Lionel said. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"
"It's not your fault," Seadall said, "If you can't have faith in them, then I will have enough faith for both of us."
"You shouldn't have to. You shouldn't have to…" Lionel gasped out. "You shouldn't have to be…"
"I know, but I will be, until we get through this. Together," Seadall said.
Lionel nodded, letting Seadall's arms wrap around him.
Natalie felt like she could barely see sometimes. Her mind was always fogged and her heart always felt like it was about to explode into a million pieces. There was a pain she couldn't identify, that refused to go away no matter how much she tried to ignore it.
It didn't stop her from being next to Marni, though. The little spitfire had boundless energy, even if she acted several years younger than she supposedly was.
"Are you okay?" Marni asked, on the eve of their preparations The Somniel was in the sky, and it contained all the Emblem Rings that Sombron would need.
"I am fine," Natalie replied. "Just a lil'... under the weather, but I'm still good to fight. Do you… remember the plan, Marni?"
Marni's lips thinned. "Yeah, I do or whatever. I… I really don't like this, you know? I wouldn't do this for just anyone."
Natalie reached out her hand and pat Marni's head, with the girl letting out something between a squeak and a cat's trill. Honestly, adorable. Natalie wished she had a sister like Marni. Maybe Jack would have been less insufferable, then.
But, of course, he ended up on the right side of the war, and Natalie would always be on the wrong side.
There was a pang in Natalie's heart, and she didn't know where it came from.
"It'll be over before you know it, kid," Natalie said, coughing into her fist. "We'll be free from all this crap, once and for all. You'll see."
Marni let out a shuddering sigh. "I hope so, Nat. I really hope so. If the Divine Dragon is as good as you say, and your brother is on the other side, then…"
"It's gotta be better than what we're doing," Natalie supplied, "and besides, I'm always right, aren't I?"
Marni giggled. "I guess you are! Hehe."
"That's right! Now, we gotta get back with," Natalie made sure to add extra bile to the way she said his name, "Griss, before he suspects something. Don't worry about height, either. I'm pretty sure Veronica will take care of that."
Marni nodded, and followed Natalie. Over the edge of the hill they had been beneath, they saw it. An array of floating islands in the sky, the same place they retrieved Emblem Veronica from. They were outlined against the morning sky, and Natalie was reminded of the optical illusions of floating cities in her world. These were real, though, and soon, they would be used to invade the Somniel.
Despite the pain in her heart, one thought went through Natalie's mind as she and Marni rendezvoused with Griss.
Your spell failed, Zephia. I remember.
And we're back, ladies, gentlemen, and nonbinary friends. Act 3 of Augur has begun.
And this, really, is where the fuckin' story gets really rolling, as some people who have been DM'd by me can attest!
Here's a link to our Discord server: discord. gg/u89gs745fn
See you guys next time!