· · · · · · ·

A few days of waiting should not try Zelas's patience. As an astral creature, she should be above the cognitive distortions of the passage of time altogether, but she was not as unearthed as she liked. The seconds counted and she had only one other thing to think about.

In light of Xelloss's report on Val's alleged behavior and Lyos losing his link with Claire, she got the impression her coverage of Val was incomplete. She'd chalked up his hollow to being a parting gift from his former allies and thought nothing more of it. Now, she wanted to beeline for Zoana and find out more. Not being able to do that, since Dolphin had left her as supervisor — no word on earth could justify leaving Dynast in charge — she could only drive away time by going over the many ways she could have phrased her orders to Xelloss in a different way. To do ... what?

It didn't matter, it would change nothing anymore, but it was better to fret on that than do something more boring, like watch the dragons feed. That just involved standing still or circling the mountain as they absorbed light and wind energy. Every so now and then a devil bothered them, all from Dynast. Zelas had forbidden her devils to mess with their dragon (only for as long as they were allies, of course).

The overt excuse for this was that alliances were to be respected and they had no idea which of the dragons did anything vital, but she had another reason. The Sage of Siephied had joined the fray, whose curse Zelas wanted as far away from her pack as possible. Considering the Sage came out of the underground every day, that required constant distance.

Xelloss had reported she called herself Leyunso nowadays, which wasn't the only chance she had undergone. The Sage she saw today wasn't the whimpering, ragged person Zelas had met thousands of years ago. While still a black woman, she now dressed in bright orange and green. Confidence shone in her every step, even as she remained cautious.

More often than not, the Sage looked right at her and when Zelas looked back, it felt like standing under the eyes of the eldest in the universe.

In between Shabranigdu with the ability to override her volition and Leyunso affecting perception, there lay why she needed this world to change.

Was she Siephied itself, whose ability to see did not stem from power being used, but being an intricate part of the world itself? The Sage had claimed as much, but Zelas didn't believe it. By now she'd found plenty of reasons not to believe it, but it had begun with the way the Sage had said it. Zelas knew that any claim she made would be disbelieved by those who heard it, yet she also knew the Sage lied with the kind of fervent, obsessive belief that she as a brainless mind shouldn't possess. The worst was the doubt : how did sarcasm interact with the Sage's curse? Zelas couldn't tell whether she disbelieved the Sage's claim to be Siephied because she'd detected genuine sarcasm, or because the power had made it seem like sarcasm.

Xelloss believed himself to be immune to her power, but that could be achieved with a statement as simple as, You're not immune to my power followed by I told you something about how my power works on you. Maybe she had done similar already with Zelas herself. She had no clue on how her curse worked on astral beings, who did not fabricate memories the way organics did, yet were far more susceptible to cognitive damage.

Leyunso had tried to ally with Lei, and Zelas couldn't even tell whether the failure was the better option to success. Once Leyunso had been her ally too, but now? No idea where she stood, other than the opposing slope.

"Lord Beastmaster?" Xelloss appeared at her side, projecting in standing form. He normally would have taken a knee, but she preferred the lizards not get upset at her presence, so during daylight report they feigned a different scene.

Zelas herself manifested as a typical wolf, only its colors a link to her true form. "You may approach."

Hesitant, he did sat next to her. She leaned her head on his knee. "Scratch."

Their new routine didn't sit well with his strict adherence to their protocol, but Zelas found it rather easy to get into. In particular, having an itch scratched was so good, it was worth projecting an itchy ear to begin.

"I'm afraid that Lei Magnus is as silent as the prior days about this mysterious agent who contacted him. However, I also have good news. Mister Lyos thinks his contact with miss Claire is restoring. The distance and their broken flow make it difficult, but once he has gained full control of Ragradia's power they should be able to communicate again. He's expressed the idea of putting Lei Magnus back in the seal and being its keeper."

"That might be our best option, though I shall have a hard time explaining to Deep Sea Dolphin where he would gain the knowledge to do this. Anything else?"

"Actually, yes. Miss Milina insists we tell miss Filia and mister Lyos. I am inclined to agree. Who knows what stupid things they might do out of ignorant heroic impulses?"

"Knowing might also cause them to choose a stupid course," Zelas said.

"Or maybe I'll do something smart and then you don't get to feel oh so superior, you slimy hairball!"

Zelas and Xelloss jerked up. Being surprised by dragon presence just didn't happen, yet Filia just stood behind them.

Smiling without meaning it, the Sage of Siephied stood at her side. Oh great, see who advanced the art of masking energy signatures and dissolving miasma.

Zelas shook her fur and raised her head. "Slimy hairball, you said?"

Xelloss shifted to Filia's side and clamped a hand over her mouth, a nervous smile on his face. "Please forgive her, lord Beastmaster. She may have very unrealistic expectations about respect for devils due to me."

Zelas tilted her head a little back, giving the impression of staring down at the dragon despite sitting lower. Filia paid her no heed as she tried to pull Xelloss's hand away. Even as Xelloss feared Zelas would lash out, amusement crept into his emotions.

Filia's one admirable trait was her drive to get what she wanted, but otherwise she was a glorified pet. Zelas did not share her taste in companionship with her priest, but differences were no sin. Xelloss had a distaste for smoking and was no better or worse for it. Now if he'd argued in her favor, this would have indicated the little dragon had sway over him, but no.

"She may speak," she said, who released her.

Filia elbowed him away and snapped, "You can't just treat us as pawns!"

"I can and I am, not that either would have changed much on our situation. In fact, is it not convenient you are here now to help us contain Lei Magnus?"

"That's besides the point! Useful coincidences don't make up for the fact you're refusing to tell us anything. The gods are blinded, why won't you tell us anything?"

"You know the reason."

"Mister Lyos and miss Claire will soon have all their power at their disposal. Whatever I and miss Luna would have to keep a secret will be safe once they help us, but you won't tell because it would give us power. I bet that miss Luna can do something terrifying with that talisman. I bet together we can figure it out now that we know ... what was it called again? Tel al-Metaliom?"

She answered in the single most obnoxious way she could think of.

"No."

"How about you explain the curse? Lyos doesn't need my help right now."

Zelas hated with a passion what those words did to her thoughts.

Lyos doesn't need my help at all. Lyos does need my help but not right now.

Zelas was old enough and had learned enough languages for her mind to become stuck between the two possible and contrary interpretations. The curse compelled opposite belief, not opposite interpretation. Giving the timing and the preceding sentence, Leyunso probably meant to indicate Lyos needed help. Zelas dithered on thinking too hard, because the subtle push stood on the edge to tip whatever she accepted into disbelief.

As a devil, as long as she didn't deny herself, she should be safe from having her mind altered. This woman could just make some sounds and alter her.

"No," she said, but this time it was no taunt.

"What curse?" Filia asked.

"It's a secret right now," Xelloss said.

Zelas considered. If Lyos knew who she was, he could let her into his mind. The Sage's abilities would surely help him, but did Zelas want someone to have so much influence over him? How did Leyunso's curse even work within a mind?

Lyos didn't come outside, but Zelas could guess what happened to him right now. Astral anatomy did not line up with mortal anatomy, but rough correspondence could be made. Lyos's original power corresponded roughly to heart and internal organs; when attached to him it had become more visceral in part due to the way organics thought about their corresponding parts. The proverbial skeleton had been what had kept Lei Shabranigdu sealed, now it rejoined its internals through the astral scars of the pillar's summon. Lyos's tiny human brain was not equipped to deal with such an excess of sensation, this was exactly what Hylaker had exploited before. Only the mentally weakened could be possessed by devils.

Others must have noticed something wrong too, because Filia hunched down before Zelas. Staring right in her eyes, she demanded, "What are you planning to do with miss Luna and mister Lyos?"

Baring her fangs more than she needed to speak, she said, "You need not worry for miss Luna. Her role ends with the angelsblood talisman. I shall have Xelloss tell you if you need extra confirmation."

Filia just frowned. "I am certain he does not lie of his own accord, but I know he cannot disobey his creator. That means nothing. Also, you're leaving mister Lyos out of that. Why do you and Claire need him? I think I should know. Mister Lyos isn't well and I bet that has to do with Ragradia's power. I have to help him."

"Pray tell, why would he need your help? Would you care to tell me what you and miss Luna have done inside your little head?" she purred.

"You slimy hairball, it's not like I'm going to be able to do anything wrong when I don't know the details! For goodness sake, there is a hole in his soul gate. If you don't want gods getting in, it needs to be closed."

Zelas shook her fur and faced Xelloss. "Soul gates? She can close them?"

"This is what I attempted to craft with mister Laust," he said. "I did not succeed, though I believe I have a grasp of the concept."

"What?" Filia asked. "Devils shouldn't be able to do that just like ... unless ..."

The light flickered on; Lyos most have told her some time about Dolphin's plot a few years ago.

"Where is mister Laust?"

"Nowhere," Xelloss said with extra cheer.

Filia's face fell, as did her mood. Delicious.

"You two really are devils. I played with the idea that maybe you tried to revive Siephied, but I really hope that's not it. It can't be for anything good," Filia said.

Before Zelas could respond, Xelloss gave the most peculiar little laugh. "No. We couldn't if we wanted to, assuming Siephied even was willing."

He cast a funny look at Leyunso, which put Zelas's fur on edge. She really had him believe she was Siephied. Leyunso had already messed with him and he could not do anything about it, nor could Zelas.

Shaking out, she said, "Xelloss, remove these people. It would be suspicious if they have a lot to talk about with the mere guard wolf I am feigning to be."

"As you command." Using his staff, he nudged the two down the path they'd come. Leyunso marched away immediately, but Filia looked back.

"Oh, and purring wolves sound ridiculous," Filia threw over her shoulder, prompting Xelloss to nervously drag her away.

Zelas would have been offended by the lizard if she wasn't so spooked by the sage.

· · · · · · ·

By evening, Xelloss reported that the thickening of Ragradia's power around Lyos now blinded those using the astral sight spell. Aside of causing a religious breakdown here and there — how could holy magic distort, oh my! — it meant Zelas could enter the sanctuary without causing a panic. Still feigning to be a wolf, she followed Xelloss around and got a good fill of negative emotions.

Dragons from across the globe had gathered here, several of whom she recognized. This gave her some idea of the myriad of reasons to bring them here on top of their emotions. This one felt enough pride to push down the fear (adding spoilage), that one was terrified of both the enemy (crisp fear) and social failure that would follow defecting (oily fear). Some were here because compassion drove them, like Filia. She divided her time between healing newly injured and helping Lyos balance his power.

Lyos had secluded himself in one of the empty rooms in the uppermost level. To approach him, she projected as a cat and sat in the corner of the room.

"Greeted, mister Lyos. How are you doing?"

"Well, Claire's trying to contact me, but with all this astral noise her flow is so distorted. How long is this going to take?" he asked lightly, though it took him effort to sound so.

"I do not know," Zelas said. "Surely you understand I have no experience with this scenario."

"Dammit, you're the one who came up with this plan," he said, still straining himself down.

"I and miss Lina Inverse. She has been in charge of the holier aspects of the construction. Speaking of such, I have an important request."

"What is it?"

"Can you choose to eat certain emotions?"

"I probably can. Why?"

This wasn't said easily. It should never have been said at all.

"I am worried about Xelloss and he is worried about me to a degree that should not exist for devils," Zelas said. "Should an incriminating situation occur where those of the devil clan could sample our state, I would be much obliged if you dispersed or consumed the emotions."

"Sure. I guess you'd want me to munch on all the fun he's having with Filia too?"

"Is it that bad?"

"It's that good," Lyos said with a smirk. "I'd call it happy if he wasn't so sour about her rezast use, that kinda spoils the taste. Not that astral's emotions are that palpable to begin with."

"Hmm? You speak of astral beings as a whole?"

"Gods don't experience happiness or love. At best they are content," Lyos said. "Didn't you know?"

"Earthlord Rangort and I never discussed such matters, though I can easily imagine the others like e is."

"Will the new Ragradia be like them too, even if Claire's more human now?"

"Ha! Claire is more versatile, but not more human. Honestly, you should know better than to use human when you mean compassionate and changing. Perhaps you ought to worry your kind of mind does not affect her greater logic and reasoning," Zelas sneered.

He gritted his teeth — he had fangs now — and looked away, trying to distract himself from the urge to attack her. "Look, I just ... I don't want to die for nothing. Making this choice was already hard enough. Do you have to just rub it in my face about how much better you astral are?"

Filia poked her head into the room and froze when she spotted Zelas.

"What are you doing here?" Filia asked.

"I am observing the welfare of my investment," Zelas said.

"Hmmmph," was Filia's oh so eloquent response. She stepped in, her arms filled with magic-embedded rocks.

"What are those for?" Lyos asked.

"Help. I spoke to the Sage of Siephied, for as much as that's possible. She never tells me anything straight. It's obvious she's sarcastic, but if she doesn't tell me what she means I still have to guess. Is that her curse, that she can't say things directly?"

Zelas didn't dignify that with a reply.

Filia placed six rocks around Lyos and drew a magical line between them, forcing the holy flow to focus on six points — dam for Lyos's power fluctuations.

Lyos sat up, closed his eyes and opened the gate of his soul. With the motion of her fingers and no spell, Filia helped smaller chunks flow in.

Zelas shuddered. Even if Filia only affected the most outer, simplistic layer of astral anatomy, it was still an external change. Lyos has given her permission as if it was nothing to worry about, yet that someone like Filia had this potential horrified Zelas.

Rather than being enraptured with a cognitive ideal, for Filia it was driven by a scarring compassion. She was hardly unique in this, but the way she combined this with pride and fire, you would think it was a religious lifestyle to her. Compassion nagged at minds to alleviate it. If Filia's mercy was the kind that would justify tampering with a devil's mind ...

"Will you stop hanging around? You disturb the flow," Filia snapped at her. Too busy to feel fear.

"Filia. Don't make her dislike you even more," Lyos said.

That should have made her cautious, but Filia's contempt quietly piled up instead, as did her determination to help Lyos.

Zelas couldn't help but ask, "Why is this personal to you? You hardly know this man."

"You wouldn't understand," Filia said, not looking at Zelas.

"I understand you are possessed by a psychological function meant to ensure the survival of the species, combined with a personal, arrogant ideal that has you thinking you know how to do that best. Let me warn you : the world is not formed by the goodness you value."

"Heh, as if yours is going to be better," Lyos sneered. He didn't look at her either and Zelas oddly felt locked out despite both being her pawns.

"Honestly, I find it hard to believe miss Lina would agree to the plans of someone like her," Filia said.

"She must know what she's doing, that's what I'm gambling on," Lyos said, chuckling.

"Maybe her being gone is exactly what Zelas's personal version of the plan needed," Filia said.

Deceitful as Zelas was, she preferred not to be seen as stupid, so she had to correct, "I would not play with forces greater than mine without proper aid. Call me no fool, I did not ensure my one ally is missing. Miss Lina Inverse bets on her power to subvert me in the crucial moments, but until then we are in one line."

Let her brew a little on the implication that her best friend gambled the world. Would she remember Lina had done so before? The Giga Slave to save the fate of one mere man.

Judging by her doubt, Filia did.

"If you don't leave," she said stiffly, "I'll tell the dragons who you are."

"What would that matter?" she asked, but she had to heed it. It mattered because the devils outside shouldn't know she was sneaking around in here.

· · · · · · ·

When Zelas returned to her usual slope, she told a curious Dynast that she'd fed and no, her victim hadn't survived the torture, he could go back to his station now.

Three hours later, Xelloss approached her.

"Lord Beastmaster," he whispered. "We have a problem."

"Speak," she said, just knowing the next unexpected thing was about to hit.

"According to miss Milina, Lei is negotiating with the Zenaffa armors. Some of the armors will betray their masters if this goes on."

"How could he possibly persuade them?"

She didn't expect an answer. As devils, Xelloss and her could never investigate a Zenaffa armor.

"Well, I suppose I could ask ..."

Sometimes Xelloss didn't take a hint very well.

"Never mind. Tell miss Milina that if we replace the treacherous armors it should be manageable. We can contain him like before but will need better Zenaffa masters."

"As you command," Xelloss said before vanishing.

· · · · · · ·

Another two hours after that, Fibrizo style hell broke loose on the other mountain.

First the dragons, elves and humans swarmed out.

Next a shockwave of Ragradia's power rolled inward, colliding into Lyos. At least, she hoped it was that and not his death.

Trying to be patient during utter chaos (modern day style) was worse than during silence. What had happened? Lei and Lyos might have come to clash, but everything else was a variable. If Lei had Zenaffa armors, that would give him some cover, or would it? Would the fragile fusion magic of Xelloss and Filia do anything? Could Milina and that weak gem handle another round?

She better not have any expectations.

Clouds gathered over the mountains, fog thickened until even her wolf eyes saw nothing. Rushing water drowned out all other sounds and ice covered the slopes only to melt again without rhyme. Screams and roars came from the torrents, Zelas recognized none. Was one of them Lyos, losing control at last?

When a sharp wind cut through the clouds, she spotted a faraway red point shoot around a cluster of glowing water. The next gust stole sight again, but brought Xelloss along.

His form frayed from exposure to the holy power. Zelas unfolded her wings so Xelloss could take shelter below them.

"Lord Beastmaster, do you know what is happening?" Xelloss asked.

"If you do not know, I know less. Did Lei and mister Lyos fight?"

"Miss Milina was knocked out first. Lyos tried to restrain him until the Zenaffa masters could speak to their armors, but none listened. Lei said something very strange as he passed me : that he did not know how, but someone controlled Shabranigdu. I would have asked about it, but mister Lyos attacked him."

"I see." Zelas bore her claws in the ground, drawing on the animal instincts she had painstakingly installed her projection. A vanity a long time ago, a source of knowledge now : the earth spirit responded.

"Brace yourself, Xelloss. Lyos is about to take in the remainder of Ragradia's power."

Barely had she said it, did the mist and ice pull together into a howling hurricane. Out of the rushing waters, a tiny red figure broke free, flying with the wings of Zenaffa armor.

That was it. While Lyos's messy integration of power claimed all attention, Lei Magnus made himself scarce. Just ... gone. Flown away. Another wild card for her collapsing scheme.

A tremor ran through the mountain range, shaking loose the snow and rocks at all peaks. The elves in the air turned their Zenaffa into giants and the dragons tried to ascend.

Wind rushed out as the tides rose into the valley and around the mountains, freezing and unfreezing. How much of this was mere side effect or Lyos losing his mind, Zelas could not tell.

"Ehm, lord Beastmaster, I think I should check whether miss Filia's alright. I can see better again, I'm sure I can avoid Ragradia's power now."

"You may go," Zelas said numbly. Xelloss lingered for a second, one worried eye open at her, but then he left.

What now?

Just ... what now?

Whatever could happen, she didn't have much left to play.

On a wholly different note, this was an awful time to be playing.

Xelloss shifted into view near a cliff, Filia in his arms. This lasted for a breath before Filia pulled herself up so she sat on his left arm, braced one arm around his head and the other grabbed his cloak. Her tail hooked around his back and across his shoulder.

"Eh ... what ..." Xelloss managed to get out.

"You're not dropping me this time," she declared, her face determined and sour.

Xelloss, who could have done a thousand horrible things to make her more respectful, responded with nought but whining. Did not even open his eyes as he said, "Miss Filia, you are vastly exaggerating my tendency for good humored jokes. I am well aware of this being a serious situation."

No, really, you're not.

"I must be remembering the first time you dropped me all wrong."

"That was a completely different situation," he sputtered.

Xelloss drifted down to the nearest cliff, slightly electrocuted her and now she fell. Surely he'd intended her to land on her back, but she planted her tail below herself, pushed straight and landed on her feet. With haughty grace and a condescending, "Hmmph," she stood tall.

"See, different situation," he said, but Filia just rolled her eyes. She turned around, looking for the others of her side. Their dwindled numbers turned her mood sour, and Zelas hoped Xelloss would now stop being so publicly interested in that dragon. The water still surged above the valley, but the other devils would soon come closer — they better not see Xelloss hanging around her.

The torrents calmed down only slowly, spiraling down to earth until Lyos alone was in the sky. A few dragons and all the Zenaffa had broken free from the waters, but most dragons were still submerged. Pear shaped clumsy things as they were, they were not prepared to deal with regular water, less so magical water that shifted to ice at random. They sank like rocks.

Lyos seemed ... sane. At least he was still more or less in his kid form, albeit unresponsive and without his sword. Great. Organic wielders of astral powers fared better with an anchor — Dolphin had gotten him his sword exactly for that reason. Zelas hoped he wouldn't try something stupid like control all that raw power.

Dynast appeared at her side, scratching his helmet. "Is he like the new water god now?"

The groan in Zelas's throat wouldn't be contained. "No, he is still the Knight of Ragradia. Lei must have provoked him somehow, knowing that if all that power merged within him short order, the Knight would not function well enough to restrain him."

"So he's not going to kill us?"

"That depends on how quickly he learns to control all that power," Zelas said, right on the tail of a new idea. "Fortunately for us, his sword appears to be missing. He will have a hard time controlling anything without it. Rashat!"

At his name, the general appeared. "You and Grau must go find Banisher before the boy does."

"Hey, I give orders to my priest! Grau, go find Banisher. Not that it makes a big difference, but we want this to be over quickly."

"Do we?" Zelas asked dryly, watching the priest and general shift away (and trying hard not to look at anything on the cliff, lest Dynast look there).

"I am going to do a better job at taking over that human's mind than Dolphin did."

A small blessing came in the form of Dynast's massive ego, because his focus on Lyos kept him from noticing the embarrassing scene with her beast priest. He and Filia talked about things not acceptable for devils : ever the hero, Filia wanted the drowning dragons saved. Xelloss was her most immediate option.

"Are you certain you want to take such a risk, lord Dynast?" Zelas asked, knowing he wouldn't take the suggestion of incompetence well.

"Of course I can do this!" he hollered. "Just watch me!"

Zelas waved him off idly, but what little satisfaction she had at baiting the fool turned bitter when a few hundred meters away, Xelloss took similar bait.

Filia Ul Copt played dirty : "I'll stop calling you garbage if you do this."

"Hmmmm ... I'll do it if you stop calling me anything unsavory. Cockroach, sewer priest —"

Yes, there it was.

"Deal."

Zelas almost hollered for him to quit this nonsense, but that would get Dynast's attention. Play it cool. Pretend to be frustrated about something else.

With as little as a shrug, Xelloss shifted into the waters and voila, project dragon saving was on the way. He couldn't warp space here, so a few died on the way out. Dead or alive, he deposited them on the surrounding slopes with a flick of his hands.

If this got to anyone with more of a mind than Dynast, how could she explain this? What if this went wrong because Xelloss acted like a hero? False as that was, he did it.

Hundreds of lesser devils all around the mountains, she could not kill them all before they spoke. If she moved, there were a dozen reasons for Dolphin to ask questions.

If it came down to it, Zelas' only way out of a reveal would be to blame Xelloss's defective nature turning him rogue. His loyalty that should ultimately belong to Shabranigdu was hers alone. She could blame Lina Inverse for his corruption. Whatever happened, he would die for her and take their secret with him.

The chink in that was her own response. She'd hate to see him destroyed, could she play that as hating him?

She couldn't afford to lose fusion magic and didn't want to lose her priest, but that logic was not as connected to this as much as it should. As her priest, she had not raised him and he would never leave her service on his own accord, humans had no words for this kind of connection. She'd lose the only other in her pack.

Maybe she should just grab him and flee. Dolphin was not here, Dynast was occupied. Nobody could stop her.

No. What would happen after that?

Chaos be, why was she in a situation where she needed an excuse for her dragon slayer doing the opposite he was created for?

Grau and Rashat appeared to her left. They had found Banisher and made a valiant effort to carry it, if one could call it that. Its holy power scorched like ice at the slightest touch, so they transported it by tossing it from one to another, taking the time between throws to unfreeze their hands and complain.

They stopped as they passed Xelloss fishing around.

"What the abyss were you doing?" Rashat asked Xelloss, forgetting to catch the sword. It nearly fell into the water, but Grau caught it in time.

"Completing my end of a trade. I save some lizards and my favorite toy won't call me foul names again."

"What a ridiculous bargain! Dragon lives for that? Are you mad?"

"Hmmm ... a few decades of not being insulted at the risk that one day, I might have to lift my finger. I suppose for you such a decision might pose quite the dilemma," he said, theatrically putting his finger on his chin.

Grau threw the sword in Xelloss's face, where it froze on. With incoherent muttering, he tore it off. "Oh my, that stings."

Zelas joined them. "As far as I am concerned, you are all ridiculous. Grau, Rashat, bring that sword to lord Dynast Grauscherrer. Maybe that will help him get through."

Not really. Dynast's weak attempts to invade Lyos's soul were batted away with relative ease. In the wake of his new power, Dynast hardly posed a threat. In fact, the weather had returned to normal and he kept up a steady cocoon of power, while his astral body slowly drew into a healthier form. Claire must be helping him. Going out of Val's hollow posed a risk, but right now it helped.

Grau sighed, but took it on himself to deliver the sword. It took about a minute for Dynast to fail to use it properly, resulting in Lyos reclaiming it. Dynast was chased off so quickly, he gave Lei a run for his money.

This looked better than Zelas had hoped. If Lyos got Ragradia's power under control, she could rearrange her plan. Ragradia's resurrection could take place first, perhaps she could even clean up Rangort in the process.

Xelloss finished fishing up dragons. Zelas allowed him to make another futile attempt to rile up Filia before calling him back. They left Kataart while she scolded him, but her mind was with reconfiguring her plot.

· · · · · · ·

At the northern beach beyond the mountains, devils had made a physical home to keep victims for torture. Zelas moved in to feed, wait and fret. It wasn't much, just a simple underground hall full of cages and painful spells, applied to elves and dragons. Most of the victims had been around for centuries and gave off solid misery. It didn't offer diverse flavor, but got her and Xelloss a good fill.

Xelloss was to go to Zoana after recovering. On top of the injuries sustained in hell, he had to cope with exposure to Ragradia's power and battling Lei Magnus, so she could probably explain his departure. Especially if she suggested Xelloss saved dragons just to have something to feed on. Hell knew the injured gave better miasma than the dead.

When Dynast arrived, he could not project lest freezing over. He and his priest said nothing, but Rashat prattled on about their utter failure. Zelas threw in a few comments to add sting to it. Periodically, Dynast would insist he'd put up a good fight, but said little more.

Just as her mood improved, a flurry of sky blue burst into the torture hall. Dolphin's unusual amount of happiness made all devils gag.

"Oh my, I heard you all fled when Lyos gained control of Ragradia's power. I suppose they were right," she said as she clapped her hands together. "Fortunately, I have some excellent news to make up for our double loss."

"Lord Dolphin, why are you here?" Zelas snapped. "Lei Magnus has escaped, you should be guarding the hosts!"

"Zelas, dear, I have a wonderful surprise about exactly that!"

Dolphin stepped aside far enough that her astral body didn't block the person behind her anymore : the most dreadful surprise Zelas had ever received.

She'd never met Valgaav, but had gotten a description : had single horn and black wings, and was a contender for most nonsensical hairstyle on the planet. The one who stepped through the gate fit that to a t, with the addition of malformed fetuses glowing with Shabranigdu's power stuck in his wings.

That was how Lei had negotiated with the Zenaffa. All he had needed to do was show them who walked the world again.

The next puzzle piece to fall in place was Val Ul Copt, even if she didn't know much about the how.

"I don't get it," Dynast said. "A dragon?"

"I am Dark Star Dugradigdu. This form is only one I took because without my powers, I need DNA and an astral body to exist in this world," Valgaav said.

Zelas could spot a liar a mile away, but this was a mere few meters. He didn't speak with Dark Star's voice, it was his own with a layer of Ruby Eye.

"What did you do?" Zelas hissed at Dolphin. It was an irrational assumption to make, but Zelas needed an excuse to feel this way, so better appear irrational.

"He is the only one who can control our lord's power in the remaining hosts," she said coldly. "Now that Lei Magnus is loose, the risk was worth it. Besides, did we not offer Valgaav a place in our clan years ago? Why reject lord Dark Star?"

"We agreed not to let someone else destroy the world," Zelas snarled.

"Don't worry, I'll let you destroy this world. I only want back to mine," Valgaav said lazily. He sauntered to the nearest prisoners and dug his claws through their arm and ate the resulting pain.

"I still don't get it," Dynast said.

Valgaav took that as a cue to rant, at length, about world destruction. Zelas lulled herself into a haze as she listened.

It just barely passed for a devil rant, and it betrayed a lot about his game. He attributed the building of the machine to Lina Inverse with two allies, and Rangort. Zelas, fusion magic and Claire were not mentioned.

He had to know of her plan if he came from Val, didn't he? There was no way Filia would not have talked of it with her family. Maybe he had another reason to hide it, or he didn't have enough control or power. Boasting about his ability while being aware he had limitations, Valgaav had a precedent for that.

That, or he just wanted an audience.

Narcissists needed mirrors. If she played along, she'd live longer. There were themes to their interaction with the rest of the world, if his interaction with Lina and Filia were any indication. Death had to be thematic. It made him no less of a murderer, but it was the kind of murder that gave the victim a better chance of escaping.

Dolphin turned to Zelas, implicit on having sampled her miasma. "Why still so gloomy? What can be done to ensure you believe this truly is our lord's will?"

"I will believe it when I see the world end at our own hands," Zelas said. "Until then, I will know him as the one who rebelled against the Lord of Nightmares."

"Come now, I'm sure that was merely that accursed dragon," Dolphin said, though she didn't sound entirely convinced.

"Did he prove it?"

Valgaav looked her straight in the eye for the first time since he'd arrived. His cocky smirk spoke bookparts : he held more cards than her and sought to play them. All he needed now was an excuse to demolish her. If not by revealing Claire existed, then something else. How good a manipulator was he? Was it really him, or did someone else run the game?

His eyes flicked to Xelloss, who boiled with rage next to her. A threat? A joke? Valgaav was still too much of a stranger to her to read.

"I'll prove myself like this." When Valgaav spoke again, his voice carried Shabranigdu's echo. "Dynast Grauscherrer, Zelas Metaliom, Deep Sea Dolphin, order your priests and generals to take a legion and destroy the remaining dragons and elves in the Kataart mountains. Kill everyone on sight."

It didn't matter anymore what Zelas wanted and what motivation sprang from that. Whatever volition Shabranigdu's voice supplanted overpowered all this, though did not negate it. Her once free will clawed as a mangy pup against a cage, any hope to put a dent in it was madness.

Desire or need caused motivation, which in turn became action. Shabranigdu's voice rendered all volition a moot point and substituted it with another thing altogether. Something not of her self.

She stood up, and the volition worked into her actions. In her own voice, she told Xelloss.

"We will do as you command," Dolphin said with glee.

Xelloss cast Zelas an open eyed look, quietly asking for an answer. She had none.

"Xelloss, take my legion, go back into the mountains and kill all you find."

"As you command, but if I may ask one question to lord Dark Star?"

"Yes," she said, because speaking had not been forbidden to her. Yet.

Xelloss took a knee before Valgaav. "I have a bone to pick with a dragon named Filia, lord Dark Star. May I have her alive?"

"You may," he said, never ceasing to smirk. Like he expected it.

He either permitted it due to arrogance or because he had plans of his own, or maybe had hadn't expected her to even be there. Maybe he needed her alive, thought she'd been gone already, took an opportunity to let her live. Did that mean he wanted to use fusion magic for something? Did he believe Xelloss's words? Did Valgaav come from Val in a way that left the child still in there? What did he know?

"Oh, and if you see a woman with dark skin and red hair, do not approach, do not let her speak," Valgaav said. "She is a very dangerous ally of Lina Inverse."

Leyunso an ally of Lina ...

It could be a lie. Please, be a lie. He lied at the drop of a hat, didn't he?

Zelas couldn't move by her free will. No matter how she wanted to find out more, she couldn't.

That left her with one thought : she should have fled when she had the chance.

· · · · · · ·