· · · · · · ·

Xelloss was supposed to have split from the devil armies as soon as they were inside and henceforth inform everyone on team Existence Is Awesome of things. That having failed, Ragrairyos solved the issue of all these confused people by taking the nearest monk aside, asking for a soul window, and telepathically dumped a concise explanation in their head.

Meanwhile, Filia stumbled through a similar explanation in words, her audience an outwardly apathetic Zelas. Inwardly, Zelas seemed to discover self hatred under the weight of the humiliation she had more or less inflicted on herself. Though, she was at least sound of mind enough to feed on Filia's toxic mix of panic and rage. When she at least mentioned she had sent Luna Inverse to kill Xelloss, she did so with fair poise, especially considering the profanities Filia threw at her.

Rangort succinctly informed Ragrairyos that if this plan went wrong for more reasons than just Zelas, she would be on the block with the other two gods, as far as Rangort was concerned. Ragrairyos worried about that, less for what Lina might do and more for the idea of Rangort getting twitchy about the future too. Zelas having taking a speed course in existential angst was bad enough on its own.

Valwin took the revelation of the convoluted plan in fairer weather and seemed mostly disturbed by Orun having led him around the yard. Hir was a tad too scared because it suddenly hit that being a good could be vulnerable, which Ragrairyos could sympathize with with. Unfortunately.

In the middle of this, she didn't notice that Milgazia in human form had walked right below her, Memphis at his side. A cloud of apprehension surrounded them, so thick she couldn't tell whether it was both of them or just one.

"Aqualord, now a child controls two pieces of Shabranigdu? Why did you not teleport him here, as you brought yourself, rather than let him return to the north and bring a demon army here?"

Milgazia initiating contact, life was weird lately.

"Valgarv still has a remnant of Luna's power, which allows him to teleport if he sees a need. Our original plan was to teleport him here in a contained area to ensure he didn't go anywhere we didn't want, but alas, we couldn't get onto Elmegiddo. Not only did we lack that, we had every reason to assume the other gods would attack us. The last thing we need is me losing control of a barrier and Val having to invoke Shabranigdu's power to defend himself. So better give him an army of cannon fodder. It's better than risk Valgarv taking over; he is entirely the kind of person to set loose devil kings when he runs out of other options. Facts : he has a demonsblood talisman and two pieces of Shabranigdu. Also facts : I alone cannot handle two pieces of Shabranigdu, and I cannot coordinate well with the other gods."

"You also said the child is not in perfect control." Milgazia's tone was rushed, more urgent and accompanied by specks of hopelessness. "Your plan seems ill founded, when it went wrong so early.

"I built the doll you saw around the mental system of Lyos, I did not account for it taking orders from Luna. Otherwise, our plan went fine," Ragrairyos said.

"I disagree," Valwin said though Orun, whom just stepped onto the platform. One of Rangort's remaining angels and all hir monks nodded vigorously somewhere in the background.

"Why did you not wait until Sailoon's next rendez-vous date?" Milgazia asked.

"We learned that Zelas was losing her mind, then Xelloss confirmed that she might be, so we took the risk," Ragrairyos said. "It's true that she was unbalanced while we were gone, was she not?"

"Ah. So these were not merely tantrums, she was on the verge of ending the world. We should have seen."

"Oh heaven, I didn't realize it was that bad. Can she do that without talismans or denying her power?" Memphis asked.

"The talismans are not needed. Using a tool to end the world could be a problem, but she has a whole court of chimeras who can use tools without problem," Valwin said.

"I did not end the world despite everything," Zelas growled from aside. "And I certainly will not now."

"I do not think we're going to take that chance," Rangort said. "Valwin, take Orun and see whether you can communicate with Vrabazard. Write language in the sky if needed. We need him to back off Shabranigdu and do something about Dalphin and Dynast and their armies."

Valwin unprojected to teleported hirself and Orun away.

Zelas sauntered up the platform, almost careless as she faced Ragrairyos. "From what I understand, the intent of the child steers Valgarv. So when Valgarv arrives here, he will appear to act as himself yet summon Lina? How are we to know who steers him when he operates the machine?"

Filia teleported before her again. "I will know. You keep out of this, you don't know anything about spiritual matters anyway."

"Truly, I should keep out of this? Fusion magic would be very useful. If miss Luna were to kill Xelloss, or he does not arrive for another reason, I may be your only source of dark magic."

One sniff of their emotions and Ragrairyos knew they weren't going to get any usable fusion from these two.

The flow broke as Valgarv's chimera approached the island, closer and closer. They could hope that Xelloss popped up in the meantime, but hope alone wouldn't fix anything. They needed to do something.

Ragrairyos pulled the angelsblood talisman from her subspace container and dropped it in Filia's hands. "See whether you can contact Luna."

Filia folded the talisman in her hands and closed her eyes to focus, but to no avail. Energy grasped around in all directions too long, and even it found a hold, it was too weak to speak.

"What's wrong with her? I've done it before, even when she was half poisoned," Filia asked.

"I'd call her wholly poisoned now. She has an illegitimate pact with Zelas," Rangort's main monk said. "It goes deeper than a mere poisoning."

"What? How did that even happen?"

"The same way as she leaked into your dreams, I presume," Rangort's monk said. "I would not know because the Earthlord cannot see anything, let alone her."

So no odds of contacting Luna and request she bring Xelloss here rather than murder him, and increased odds of Filia not making fusion with Zelas work.

Milgazia had backed away from Zelas, but wasn't entirely off the platform. His focus was still on Ragrairyos, expectant. What she said next wasn't what he'd wanted to hear, but there were bigger things to worry about.

"Milgazia, gather everyone mortal to the southern caves, save Filia and Orun."

"Wait, we can help!" Memphis said. "Me and Sylphy could fuse magic, just give us a whole lot of vessels!"

They would do for the purpose of protective shields, probably. Not for the amount Lina would need for splitting deity souls, but that was a worry for later. "Alright, but go into a side room and stay close to the door in case you must flee."

"As you command, Aqualord!" Memphis said proudly. She pulled Jillas along, Sylphiel followed her, and Milgazia still stood here. He seemed to want to say something, but changed his mind. When he, Azonge and the monks took off to organize, Ragrairyos had a few moments to assess think.

Outside, Vrabazard had driven off Dalphin and Dynast, whom she was sure had tried to bait the god away from the devil chimera king. Now he had spotted his main target, only to run into Valwin. She could imagine Vrabazard concluding Valwin was being dense, because he picked a fight to get past.

There was no telling whether Val was truly in charge or not, not even by contacting the nereids. They told her the thing didn't give orders to the devil armies since passing the barrier, but that was it for information.

On the topic of things that Ragrairyos couldn't tell, what about Filia's immortality pledge? Filia was fairly safe when shielded by fusion or covered by an immortality pledge, but they might have neither within seconds. The obvious was that Claire would fuse magic with Val. Between herself and a piece of Shabranigdu, Lina might not have enough fusion energy for the whole thing, but it was better than Valgarv getting a chance to kill their only living channel of Siephied.

Now, that left one issue : right now she was a god whose trust and concord was entirely methodical while Val was a child who operated on an emotional level of loyalty and goals. Crap. She's have to be more human and look who just came stepped into the hall. Leyunso had a few signs of shackles and burn marks, but nevertheless smirked like the day couldn't be better. She waved at Claire.

This better not be like the previous time Leyunso had done ... whatever that had been ... to her.

· · · · · · ·

Valgarv's mind leaked into Val, small yet at the same time like having boiling oil poured over him. Whether that was the fault of Shabranigdu's evil or the hatred of Valgarv — almost every memory from either was suffering and violence. Only a few were not of inflicting this, but receiving. Those were of Valgarv's childhood, when the world was bigger and his body felt small like Val's own. Those were the most real, threatening to tear him down more than any other. He had no nation to lose, not like Valgarv did, yet they were his people. It wasn't as distant as the idea of himself hurting others, because he yet had loved ones to lose.

Holed up within the soul, he could let Valgarv do the fighting as long as he held the chains. Mental limitations blended with fusion magic, but it was his own strength that had to pull. He could let Valgarv fight Vrabazard, just not kill him. He could not tell him wipe out the golden dragons they met on the way, because Val's mother wouldn't like that. Val had a harder time pulling the reigns on that. He only remembered them as frightening, chasing him, hurting Molly, hurting his nest siblings, killing his people ... Valgarv's people, his own ...

He snapped himself out of the toxic trail of thinking. The machine wasn't much further, now surrounded by an intricate tower. Navigating that would take too long, so he let Valgarv play out the command to go to Elmegiddo by smashing through the walls.

Valgarv has used Shabranigdu's power to appear as a red plate covered ancient dragon, but sleeker for speed. This form was tall enough that he had to bow all the way and still wasn't at eye level with the platform. In vain, he tried to make Valgarv take a smaller form. Now that Valgarv had carried out the programming, he went in a mental circle on what he wanted next. Pulling himself up by the chains, Val surfaced to seize control of the form. He couldn't do this for long, so he had to be quick.

His mother flew up and stopped in mid air before him, held by holy magic. On her back was a tiny point of blue power, the Aqualord in the form of Claire. Or was it just Claire? She smiled and waved at him, so it was easier to ignore Valgarv's insistence to see her as a deity only.

"Val, are you there?"

"Yes, mom," he said, carefully moving his snout closer to her. "Sorry, I lost Xelloss. Valgarv came out and attacked him. He got away, but I couldn't help him more than that."

"It's okay, you did well," Filia said as she laid her own nose against his for a moment. "Did you see miss Luna on the way?"

Val tried shaking his head, but only managed a twitch to either side. "Sorry, nowhere. I bet I would've seen her if she was killing any devils and taken her along, but I don't think she's in my direction."

"Alright," Claire said. "Xelloss didn't make it, so we need another way to get a lot of dark energy once miss Lina arrives. Do you think you can help us with that?"

"I don't think I fit on the platform like this," he said.

Claire climbed over Filia's neck to lay a tiny hand on Val's snout. Her power was so sharp and dense, she had to be pulled herself together with all might. This focus let her push holy magic at him through a tiny point, small enough to measure by. Val didn't have a clue how, but somehow it helped draw on the reflex of transformation. Within a flash he turned into a humanoid form.

His mother startled. When he unfolded his wings to stay in air, he felt the different. Rather than the child he should be, he'd only withdrawn into Valgarv's half devil form, or something akin. His horn was there, but his hair long like Valteyra.

"I'm still me!" he blurted. To cement that, he backed off and let himself drop to the ground, trying to appear smaller.

His mother transformed into a human and landed before him. Fearless as he knew her, she stepped closer with a smile.

"So that's what your eyes would have been. They're a beautiful."

The eyes Valgarv had never quite gotten right in dragon form, or even human form, because they had been fixed, Valgarv and Volphied had to see through them.

"I wish I could've shown you somewhere better, mom," he said.

Claire adjusted her form to match him and held out her hand. "It may yet happen, if miss Lina returns soon enough. She could save you."

"She better," he said with a grin. "I have a whole lot of catching up to do."

When he took her hand, Shabranigdu recoiled at her holiness and Valgarv hissed in the back of his mind. All the memories of genocide poured in, a voice calling for justice from the neglectful gods. Nevertheless, Val took a step closer to Claire. "Wanna bet we can do better than mom and Xelloss? It shouldn't be hard to one-up evil wizard cone person thingy."

Claire actually laughed at that. "I'll bet you we can do better, Val."

His mother nodded, albeit tense. "There'll be three of us, we will do."

Claire teleported him to the control panel for the deciding moment. Forcing his arm first into that of a dragon, the scales turned crystalline. He rammed this into the machine, where the crystals mingled with the fiber network.

First he shut down Volphied's access route, so she wouldn't knew the gateway had been activated. Next he terminated the dove access system so Valgarv couldn't circumvent him.

The code to let Lina Inverse return to the universe was a complicated three segments. First to open the three gates all the way to the White World, then to disable the protocol that prevented her from crossing them more than once, and then to prevent the mechanism that would trap her between worlds if she bypassed the first two.

Claire wrapped her fingers around his free hand, the brush of holy magic ready for fusion.

In the Black World, the five weapons charged up a gate that Sirius would (think he would) control, which provided the energy for the gates both ways. How long it would take for Lina to arrive was up in the air, but they couldn't rush.

Ragnarok cracked all around them, only visible through the power Valgarv had stolen from Luna. The actual breaking point was high above the atmosphere to minimize further destabilization of the area, while the point of entry congregated all energy only a few hundred meters above the platform. The liminal space didn't have form.

There had to be a lot of cool ways to use that for every day teleportation, right?

A split second too late he understood that that tiny distraction was had cost him. Valgarv tore back to consciousness not on Shabanigdu's energy, but made a soul gate within by using Luna's energy. A blur of regret poured through Val's mind. Should have not looked, not been curious, sorry, what now, help ...

His body barely flinched, and the excitement of Val was replaced with Valgarv's sharper glee. The codes went through, but static followed them. The panels of the gate opened too fast to handle the surge of power from the other side.

Where was he again?

· · · · · · ·

Claire had precisely two reasons for holding hands : one, being approachable was handy when dealing with kids. Two, if he did anything suspicious she could electrocute him. Now that his emotions did a sudden shift, she did exactly that.

Valgarv slumped down, his arm still stuck in the control panel.

In a anteroom, Filia lay asleep, guarded by a fusion shield from Memphis and Sylphiel. She was up and ready for dream intervention, rebooted. That Valgarv had taken this long to mess things up was quite the pleasant surprise, really. Really pleasant. Let's focus on that, little god, rather than the many varied ways that sizzling gate could implode and take the world with it.

Filia's astral projection joined up right as Claire cast a dream gate on Valgarv. Filia slipped onto the dream plane and Claire lifted along, letting one part of her consciousness reside with the humanoid soul and the other stretched out to aid within the soul.

Within Valgarv's dream, they found themselves on barren plains, with ruined cathedrals and scattered ancient bodies. A memory revived into a nightmare, where Valgarv forever lived alone. To Claire it felt both absurd and devastating at the same time; the latter had to be her more mortal side, because that's what Filia felt. Of course she'd still be moved by his plight. Leyunso would be forever wrong that feeling like this would be worth anything. No, it was just something Claire had to bite through, after Val it wouldn't be needed anymore.

Valgarv stood between Filia and a glazed over ruin, which had a dramatically appropriate collapsed eight-cross leaning on it. Lower walls were on either side, behind which lay piles of corpses. A courtyard by chance, or the suggestion of prison.

"Another trap? As if I'd fall for the same twice," Valgarv scoffed, even as he slipped into the dream.

Claire could not tell whether he played along or whether he truly forgot the beginning, but within a beat, he acted as if in the middle of an argument with Filia.

"Xelloss has killed hundreds and delivered thousands to my banquet. It was so much easier to gather miasma when we have him, thanks to you. What a fitting way to honor your legacy. Alone you cannot kill so many. I'm sure your surface aversion to killing that you call compassion matters nothing when you don't have to see anyone beg for their lives."

Filia didn't look at him, her eyes instead fixed on her own reflection in the icy walls beyond him; she had expected no less than more accusation. While Filia's reflection was her own, Claire's was Granny Aqua; the kind of accusation Claire hadn't been prepared for. Unwilling, she stood as a child next to Filia.

Valgarv ranted on. "Did you know he went further than he had to? That's why nobody really suspected anything, he really looked like he was a true devil cut loose from a flawed lord. What does that make you?"

"Just myself, with your wounds. I wouldn't have done that if you had not put the world in this position," Filia said, her voice even, yet her eyes darted over the wall. She probably saw her accusation play out. All Claire saw was Granny Aqua's unchanging smile, and none of the death.

"Then what position are you putting the world in with the Apostle of Chaos? Did you know that in payment for the white talisman, Bone Dragon Raiphied asked Lina to destroy a world? Let our Mother in, they asked, and she let Her in. As gods and devils have always been, she learned to be Lucifer's Slave."

The wall at last changed for Claire, turned to a night sky filling with gold that leaked from a pitch black hole. A tiny figure stood on the low horizon, growing as the mirage honed in on her. Lina alone in a golden temple, on the edge of the stars. On her hand lay a motionless Giga Slave, at which she stared with sorrow.

"I just do what Lina Inverse does, but I would purify this world for better reasons while she moves out of greed."

"You've lied before," Filia said.

"But it matches what you know, right? Zelas will claim Shabranigdu's power, the gods become another Phied and Lina Inverse makes this world her own game."

"If that were true, better miss Lina than you."

"You really believe that? A human you had to bribe into saving the world?" His voice kept rising, but he could provoke neither fury nor zeal from Filia. It wasn't all strength, for half of it stemmed for her exhaustion.

"Why do you think I really do this?" Then, Valgarv fell to his knees. "How can I make you listen?"

Neither Valgarv the charismatic, ruthless warrior, or Valgarv the suffering dark messiah would have bowed before her.

The one Valtera might have been, he would have. Claire knew as much from the memories she had once unearthed for Val, some carefully laid away and others safely given. Valtera had once believed in the way of his people, when he was young. The highest fall hardest.

"We both bear the sins of our names, I moreso than you. You haven't lost sight while I listened to Volphied when I should not have, but going through with this does not need to play into her cards." Valgarv or Valtera, was there a difference? This wasn't right. Narcissists would never admit fault with themselves, right?

Filia squeezed Claire's hand a little, either seeking or giving support.

"You want me to die after all? Then at least let me die into my true self," he said.

Filia had seen him once, long ago in visions. A moment before the tree of life between the pillars of creation, which she had thought his true desire. A few seconds before his death, when he embraced the death he had wished for.

... what if Val's influence was working in reverse? Hadn't there once been a form of Val, grown up yet protective of his family, back in Kataart? Claire couldn't even tell anymore whose thought that was, because the full force of Filia's mind took over the dream. All her guilt and heritage got dragged into this, her hope worst of all.

Every beat of her heart could be for saving him if she took but one step further. Valgarv the dark messiah had been shattered, but Valtera was a idol yet untouched.

"Who are you?" Filia asked, already knowing what she wanted him to be.

"I don't know," he said. "I think ... the last time I was here, everyone around me was dead."

The walls, the prison, crumbled around them safe for the one right behind him. Snow began falling on the carcasses, all young ancient dragons. All but the prodigy at transformation had died, him alone spared because his trick let him hide so much easier.

It was no child before them, though, it was the young dragon who survived the cradle massacre and became one of the few warriors. Valtera, the last, now returned from the weight of devil nature.

"I know what I am to do and why, but ... ," he stammered. "Filia ... I know you, but how? I know ... oh gods, what have I done?"

He fell forward, head slamming into the ground as he screamed. "Why did I do this? Damn you all, Volphied, Siephied, Dark Star! ... damn me."

Filia let go of Claire and took two steps closer, but she froze when he sat up. Clouded eyes met her clear blue.

"Forgive me." Valtera sat up on one knee, close enough for her to take the hand he offered. Desperate, he said, "Help me and we can still make this right."

Filia, or perhaps Claire herself, took in his emotions. To their holiness, it was the poison of fear and sorrow, thrown together to prove himself. It was regret.

"How would you do it differently?" Filia asked. "Valgarv said what he did was right too."

"I don't know what's right, but you? We could fuse the power ourselves. You would have the holiness, I would add to my darkness. Together, we can undermine the astral plane first, destroy all evil and then lead the living down the right path. Your can find ways do reinvent nature."

Filia laid her hand in his, savoring what might be the first time Valgarv or Valtera touched her with care. He pulled a little, but she did not take another step.

"In our world, the doves don't need to die to feed the cats. We could heal and remake any life to fit together without suffering. You understood the world before I did, so you also understand how it can be better. Lead me the way."

With these words on his voice, he seemed more beautiful to Filia than ever before. Claire had never imagined that an idol would be like this to a mortal. With her own clan, she had been but a leader of people, yet where Filia hailed from, sanctity was a chain on the mind woven with her hopes and her benevolence.

Filia knew this much, the sole reason she did not say yes.

If she took a step back from her heart, the facts were that Jillas and Gravos never really felt sorry for what they'd done. Their allegiance had simply changed to someone who gave them less criminal orders. Luna and Xelloss? She'd had to verbally fight both of them, Luna for weeks, Xelloss for years. Neither had been willing to stop treating people like pawns until dire circumstances made it necessary for them. Once need ran out, they might not remain so considerate.

Right now, it was necessary for Valgarv that he survive. Unlike Jillas, Gravos, Luna and Xelloss at this point, Valgarv was an immediate threat and had every reason to try fooling his captors. That's all that Fillia could allow to matter, her mind's chorus of sin and salvation be damned.

She let go of his hand. The way his expression broke didn't quite remind her of Val. No, it was so much worse. Val had never looked this forsaken, only the way someone who saw too much blood can do.

"How can I trust you not to betray me? After all, I don't know any Valtera. He might be long dead."

"No, Filia, I'm ... what can I do to prove you I'm real?"

Filia's doubt jarred Claire out of the eerie blend of their minds, brought her back to herself. Maybe he was real, Claire put forth, but only insofar the former Val had been.

"You can make sense of yourself. If you are truly repentant, why do you need me for you to stop your scourge on the world?" Filia said.

"I've made too much mistakes," he said, now turning his head down. "I'll make them again, but you won't."

"No, Valgarv," Filia said. "I take back what I said before. I owe you but one thing : my anger of all the pain you will cause. Me leading you down a path you alone chose is not repentance. Valtera, if you are real, I am sorry, but I cannot risk the whole world over you."

For Filia, who only ever felt anger as a flare and a burst over more trivial matters of life, this was a stranger's words, but she needed them. That she would be tempted by the promise of salvation for another, how much more could the world mock her? If Lucifer watched and laughed, Filia understood why.

As Filia let her idle dream die, Claire found herself and her reason in the fragments of facts. He admitted mistakes, yet did not care for Filia's forgiveness as much as he needed her mercy and trust. He did not beg for his life, but access to Elmegiddo. He hadn't even remembered that he had to add an apology. All of that she wanted to spit out at him, but she just stood by as Filia braced her arms.

When Filia clenched her fists, the chains around his wings became visible. They'd never left, but they had been unattended while Val let go to activate the summoning of Lina.

Valtera, or Valgarv, resigned and regretted, let it happen. Whether it was real or not did not matter, more than likely it was just another construct like Val had been. Maybe Filia had figured that out all along, and Claire had been the one to fall for it. What might've happened if he'd paid attention to her? Not being good enough hurt her, even if she couldn't fall apart like a typical astral being.

To pull herself together, she told Valgarv, "Thank you for your self distraction again."

Whether the smug look she tried to give worked out was up in the air. The mirror behind him still reflected her as Granny Aqua, a dim outline over a world dying in gold. That could be this world, if either her or Filia had been a little weaker, a little more gullible.

In the black beyond Claire's reflection, Lina stood up and turned to them. Black turned bone white.

"Hey, Valgarv. Did you make that AI just now or was that another one from Volphied?"

Like a scythe cutting down the grass, the persona before them crumbled. Valgarv strained against the chains now, barely able to turn around. "Lina Inverse? How are you here?"

· · · · · · ·

Lina was at peak smugness when she said, "Remember that nice talisman you're using to control Shabranigdu? Zelas made that to be handled by Xelloss and guess which nice people are familiar enough with the prick to figure out his astral residue on it and thus his code magic? Me and Val."

Cue on this, Val peeked from behind Lina's legs and held up a red rock. He stuck out his tongue at Valgarv.

"Well, mostly me, he's a kid without experience with magical tracking, let alone coding. But he gave me all the access to your soul that I need for a stable line."

"Hey! You wouldn't be anywhere without me!" Val pouted. "If I do little, then all you're doing is putting the data in the port over there."

Lina looked a tad embarrassed at that.

"Fine, fine, credit's due where it's due," Lina said, leaned down to ruffle his hair. "We both did a lot."

Valgarv swore they would pay for this.

In a distant planet in another universe, Volphied whispered her disappointment to him. He should not have fallen for the same trick twice, she said, but how was he supposed to know? The chains had been so tight, when they fell loose he had been sure the child's inherent weakness was to blame.

Filia threw one of the chains to Val, who broke through the wall. Lina winked and said, "See you all in a minute!" before shattering.

Val was left standing, one hand holding the chain and the other glowing with holy power. Together with Filia, he kept Valgarv in place while Ragradia faded out.

This was the third time someone caught him in a dream, Volphied pointed out far away. Enough. Wake up.

Valgarv struggled to open his eyes, only to look right at Filia's astral projection.

He lay on his back, his arm broken and the crystals only in a thin line with the machine. Filia hovered over him, her hands on a seal above his solar plexus.

"Well played, little lady," he said.

She only looked away as she faded out.

He tried to grab her, but something held him back.

Ice crystals pinned him down, cold despite the divine power. Somewhere here Claire had to be, but he didn't see her. Filia faded out too. He couldn't even tell what Val did within his own soul.

Far above, the gateway opened.

With all his power, he jerked at his arms and wings. It might be too late to stop the codes from running, but he could still destroy the gateway. It would at least buy him a world without Lina Inverse.

He kept the talisman in a small pocket dimension, safe from being shattered by easily accessible. The distance served for controlling the hosts, but for something more drastic, he had to bring it out. Pulling it in the open, he clasped it in his free hand. By pushing Shabranigdu's energy through it, he focused it all in his claws.

Just a little more, and then he was free.

When the ice broke, Ragradia manifested between him and the gate, looming massive over him. Her power already gathered to rebind him. He wouldn't let her. Gathering energy within the talisman, he threw it at the floor. It took the control panel along and set him free. Ragradia shot at him, but he was faster.

Off the control area, he jumped onto the glowing green platform. He told Shabranigdu he would end his enemy this way, and that got him energy more easily than usual.

That Ragradia nor Rangort made a move should've warned him.

The portal opened. Volphied's sound was louder to him than ever, but so was the golden rush on the astral plane.

Falling out of the light were three tiny human figures, Lina Inverse at the lead. Hers was the gold.

Valgarv spread his wings, filling the space around him with bloody darkness. He formed a red sphere between draconic hands and his wings.

Lina twisted around in the air as she ignited a Ragna Blade. Valgarv raised his free claw to fire, but he was too late. The full forse of the Ragna Blade cut through his attack first, then cleaved his right wing and arm off.

Valgarv screamed, but didn't slow down. Lina just barely shot out of range of his slash.

The severed wing and arm fell into the water. Valgarv hesitated between going after Lina or the lost limbs, then opted for the latter. He ignored the arm, just burned the hole shot. The host was more important.

Shabranigdu twisted with his half released power through the wing, boiling the water. Out of his palm, Valgarv grew the organic wires Volphied had taught him to reconnect with the nervous system and through that, the soul.

Energy peeled off one of his wings, flowing up ... to Ragradia. Lina and her lapdogs gathered below the Aqualord emerging in full dragon form, whose godly light merged with the treacherous darkness.

His wing wasn't grown back yet, but Lina already got herself a hefty dose of fusion magic. His power wouldn't matter if she could just neutralize it. She would either hit him, or entrap him. Either way it would be his death on her terms again. He couldn't let that happen.

Think, Volphied said. You have ways yet.

Gourry handed Lina his sword to use as channel. Time's up.

This time he took no risks with them, and all risk with himself : he swallowed the demonsblood talisman. At once, his remaining wing solidied with power. Using Shabranigdu's soul to patch the hole, he cut off the part of his mind that contain Val and thrust it into the severed wing.

Lina shouted for him to stop, but it wasn't important. Coherence burned away, a primitive demon crawling in deeper. No matter. He could hold out long enough. He just had to get out of here.

Using the talisman, he cut his connection with the host in the severed wing, and all exchange of power between the two pieces of Shabranigdu. One piece he kept himself, the other he pushed at the soul of Val. At the cost of one piece, he rid himself of the pest.

He threw away severed wing, which began mutating the second it was loose. Shabranigdu versus a child, even without a broken soul, the demon would win.

"Little lady, here's what you wanted!" he called to her. She wouldn't look at him, but she couldn't avoid hearing. "The last ancient dragon bleeding out!"

Hmm, he could have said something better, but too late.

Lina hesitated a second too long. Valgarv burned away the ground below him, straight into the earth.

· · · · · · ·

He could do that? She hadn't seen either the severance nor the tunnel coming. Was Volphied giving him ideas?

"Miss Lina, do something!" Zelas roared.

"Claire, which is the bigger threat?" Lina asked.

Valgarv appeared to move away from the island. "It's the host that Val's holding back right now."

"Val's doing that? Like Lezo and Pokota once did?"

The wing itself was just a pulsating, growing blob of flesh and black feathers while the fetus grew more humanoid, but Claire recognized dragon residue. It wasn't unlike what a dragon cursed with Raugnut Rushavna. "I'm sure, miss Lina. Chaos magic aside, can you now cast multiple spells at once by any chance?"

"I wish," Lina said. "I can fly cause of a resident magic trick, but everything else I've yet to invent tricks for. I can cheat with Ragna Blade and that's it. So, how much of this place can we afford to wreck while sealing old Shabby here?"

"Depends on how much of Val's alive in there," Claire said.

"I see," Lina said. "Filia, you can astrally project now, right? Val could use any backup."

"You don't even need to ask," Filia said.

Once more Filia left her body behind and ghosted along on Claire's flow. While Claire surrounded the — thing, not Val anymore — Lina brought out another Ragna blade, flanked by Gourry with his sword ready and Naga in position.

"I want Rangort in place as a shield for the machine," Lina said. "Gourry and I are about do a lot of getting and it's not gonna be pretty."

· · · · · · ·

Sometimes he caught a glimpse of Lina's work. Rangort held down Shabranigdu's leaking, but it was her who prepared a seal to contain the host. The trouble being, she had to invent a lasting fusion barrier on the spot, one that would persist even if she didn't control it. Claire's incorporeal presence stayed with him, a whisper in his mind clouded by the red devil. She drifted further and further away the more Val lost himself to the devil king.

The way Valgarv controlled the hosts involved neurological interface, an organic way to control how much the hosts felt, with the talisman to control the eb and tide of Shabranigdu's power. Without a talisman, Val's soul alone stood between the complete awakening and the safety of everyone around him. He had to both throw all his will against the king of devils and concentrate on leeching off energy to give Claire. Trying to pull something in while trying to push it back in was no easy balance to strike, he could barely tell what was too much.

Shabranigdu was both better than Valgarv's personal venom and so much worse in how little he was like any living being. Simple, burning hatred for existence, devoid of nuance and motivation. Val used the nerves in his wings to attach to the host now, but through this Shabranigdu's power seeped into his own soul. If there was a way to stop it, it had gone with the talisman.

Val crumbled along with every bar restored on the host's soul, but he would not let go. Shabranigdu gnawed at his soul every second, Claire tried to claw Val's soul apart from him, but Val felt the end. Some doors can only be closed from the inside, souls were like that.

Was it selfish to ask whether he could see his mother now? Would Claire think she wasn't enough?

"I know I'm not enough," Claire said. "Don't worry, she's already coming."

Claire opened a soul gate for them, hoping to help the curse be managed by blending her mind with Val's.

"Hi again, mom!" Val cracked a weak smile, which Filia met alike. Neither lasted long.

"Val, I'm here."

Filia took the chains from Val, drawing on the Aqualord's power to hold them. Within this, who truly fused magic blurred away. Gently, Filia wrapped her arms around Val, giving over all her holy power.

Little by little, Val disintegrated. First his feet down to the bones, and the tips of his wings. It hurt not in the way cutting flesh did, but rather a projection that withered with its astral body.

Val laid his head against his mother's shoulder. "You and everyone else is gonna be safe now that Lina's back, right?"

"We will be," she said. "Right, miss Claire?"

"She's what we hoped she would be and she always fixes things," Claire said quietly. Val could tell it wasn't what she'd really wanted to say. "We'll see it through the end."

"Then it's okay. Can you stay, mom? It's really hard to keep Ruby Eye here. He's too much cat."

Despite everything, his mother smiled at this. "Yes, he really is, isn't he?"

"Don't cry too long for me, mom," Val said, holding her hands. "It's better if you get happy again soon. Okay?"

She choked her her words before she could say, "I'll try."

Gently, she kissed the top of his head.

"You were worth loving, Val."

It was the last Val was ever aware of.

· · · · · · ·

As the last of Val bled out of her hands, Filia clasped them together. A prayer was on the tip of her tongue, but she did not speak it. A cry of pain also begged to be let out. Just an old reflex that she sought to bury, accepting the silence. Filia was keenly aware of the beating of her heart, a hollow sound within herself to match the loss. Every second after the loss became heavier, but she lived with. Claire clung to that, because she herself could not bear it.

She should be a god and not mourn. It didn't really count that she felt anything, did it? She'd been fake for too long, it shouldn't matter. Careful, she took her own thoughts and feelings, and folded them back into a hidden box in her soul. The rush of humanity wouldn't serve her, it had to stay contained or she would break when it only did damage. It would be there, and she could always ask Leyunso to open it again. Not that she thought she ever would want to. Being a god was full time work, she had to fit it.

This done, she severed her spiritual link with Filia.

When Filia returned to her body and woke up, she took several seconds to sit even move.

Jillas came running from further down the hall, where he'd been taking shelter. He dropped at her side, helping her sit up.

"What happened, gunmoll? Where's Val?"

Filia just stared ahead, too drained to put words together.

Staying disembodied, Ragrairyos said, "It could have gone better." On more than one count. Be it nearly falling for a refined act or losing Val, this wasn't the victory she'd hoped for.

"Val's gone again," Filia whispered. Jillas broke down in tears, and Filia embraced him; only for his sake. Her own was sake was far to be sought.

In the main hall, Zelas took her warrior wolf form before Lina.

"Any idea where he would go?" Zelas said.

"If he's anything like before, Valgarv isn't going to care about his survival. He wants revenge," Lina said. "Anyone know what he's most angry about?"

"He killed Val like that to get to us," Ragrairyos said "When it comes to miss Filia, there's more loved ones he can take. Xelloss and Luna are still out there."

"Luna? " Lina asked, incredulous. "Why is Luna in that category? What did she do to Filia?"

"We could be asking that about Xelloss too, but that's not important right now. We have a monsters to catch," Ragrairyos said. "So, Apostle of Chaos, what will we do next?"

Lina's plans were quick and concise : chase Valgarv while Rangort and Valwin contained the host. If they found Xelloss and he was in any shape to be fusing magic, they would make a fusion barrier. Otherwise, Lina would experiment with water cradles.

Quietly, Filia joined the group, a still sobbing Jillas at her side. Neither said a word, even as Lina told Filia she did well, that she didn't have to come. Filia declined the offer to stay with just a shake of the head.

"Did you lock up something too?" Ragrairyos asked her while the others prepared to take off.

"No, I'm just tired of loss," Filia said. "Let's go. I can still teleport."

Filia moved along with her sorrow and regret, which tore at her no matter how much of it dispersed with a holy rezast spell. The source remained, the soul not as settled in its body as it should, and the spell did not remove the source. So Filia had one more scar from Valgarv. She's gotten so good at continuing to walk without showing it. Claire could only do the same.

· · · · · · ·