Shadows of Alrest

by kiben007

It had taken unthinkable sacrifice, but with Malos dead and a new Elysium to call home, it seemed like the world had been given a second chance. But old habits die hard, and not everyone is willing to see the world change for the better. Even with the Aegis gone, the work of her companions is far from over. Sequel to my previous work, "Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Atonement"

43. Elysian Garden, Part 19

As the ether storm settled in around them, Zeke found himself caught between two courses of action. Go after Atasaiah or defend the Gardens. Both needed doing, but they didn't have the time. If they went to fight Atasaiah, the Gardens would be left defenseless, and if they stayed to fight off the Coalition, then the Titans would be wiped out.

The obvious solution was to split up. Have Nia take one and him the other. But he knew instantly how that would end. He'd charge off alone to do something idiotic, get in over his head, and take too many risks. And he had a horrible feeling that if he went down that road now, his luck would finally run out. Even if it was the smart thing to do, in the grand scheme of things, he'd promised Nia and Pandoria he wouldn't keep risking himself unnecessarily. Which left them with a horrible choice to make.

"I had hoped we would have more time," Nia said.

"Eh." Zeke shrugged. "This was about what I was expecting. Only question is, what do we do about it?"

Nia stared out at the Coalition soldiers gathering below them. An army preparing to burn down their home. The place she'd built for them with her own two hands.

"We stop Atasaiah," she said. "He's the biggest threat."

"What about everyone else?" Kora asked. "We can't just abandon them."

"There's still plenty of strong people defending the Gardens," Nia said. "We'll just have to trust them to do their jobs."

"I don't think we'll be doing either at this rate," Azurda said, straining against the ether that bound him in place. "I can hardly move, and I'm not sure how much good any of you are going to be in this storm."

"I can fix that," Obrona said. Then she put her hands together and seized control of all the ether in their vicinity. A small bubble of calm expanded out from her, and as it passed over him, Zeke could feel his connection to the ether return.

"I can keep us in fighting shape," Obrona said. "Should be able to keep Azurda free, too, but that's about the limit of what I can do against a storm this size."

"It'll work," Nia said. "Let's get moving. Who's coming with?"

"I go where Zeke goes," Obrona said.

"I suppose that makes my decision for me, then," Zeke said. "How about you, Pandy?"

"Are you kidding me?" she asked. "You think I'm going to let you charge off on your own again? No sir, not this time. You're stuck with me on this one."

"One last job, huh?" Zeke asked. "Works for me."

"Someone needs to get Nim to a healer," Kora said, motioning back at Nim's unconscious body. She'd fainted after Atasaiah took control of the Titans. "And honestly… I feel like the Gardens need us more, at the moment."

"Be safe," Pandoria said, wrapping Kora in a quick hug. "We'll be back before you know it."

"You'd better," Kora muttered. "And Zeke?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"You make sure to keep her safe, you hear? If you get my girlfriend killed, I am going to end you."

"Don't you worry," Zeke said. "I don't plan on letting anyone die today. We'll go kick the Titan Eater's ass and be back in time for dinner."

"I'm holding you to that," Kora said.

"Technically we already had dinner," Nia said. "But all this fighting has worked up quite the appetite. So I don't know about you, but I could certainly go for seconds."

"Absolutely," Zeke said. "Make sure to reserve us seats with a good view, yeah?"

"What is that even supposed to mean?" Obrona asked.

"Just go with it," Pandoria said. She leaned over to give Kora one last kiss on the cheek before vaulting up onto Azurda's back. The rest of them did the same, and Kora gave them a salute as she hefted up Nim's body.

But before they could take off, a voice called out to them.

"Got room for three more?" Mòrag asked, approaching with Brighid and Aegaeon in tow.

"Mòrag?" Nia asked. "I thought you'd be back at the Gardens."

"I left my team to guard the gate," she said, climbing up Azurda's shell with the help of her Blades. "But I figured you'd be going after the real threat. And I've a score to settle with this so-called 'Titan Eater'."

"The more the merrier," Zeke said. "Now we're just missing Rex and Tora."

"As much as I'd love to get the whole band back together, I don't think we have the time for that," Azurda said. "I'd rather not sit by and watch my people be slaughtered."

"We're not going to let that happen," Nia said. "Let's go kick Atasaiah's ass."

That was all Azurda needed to hear. Now that everyone was onboard and secured, he took to the air, flying straight for Sthenos's head.

As they approached, Zeke could see Atasaiah standing atop the Titan's head, his hands working ether into the machine Professor Soosoo had built. But as they approached, he stopped his work just long enough to rip up a series of spears from his surroundings. With a flick of his wrist, they fired toward Azurda, and he had to duck to avoid them.

As more spears pursued them, Pandoria drew the handle of her sword and began firing bolts of lightning, striking them down from the sky. Aegaeon, Brighid, and Dromarch all did the same. But the more defenses they put up, the more spears Atasaiah raised, and the two sides quickly found themselves in a stalemate. Azurda couldn't land, and Atasaiah couldn't continue his work.

"Azurda," Zeke said. "How quickly do you think you could get down to him?"

"If someone could deal with these infernal spears, we'd already be there."

"Alright then," Zeke said. "Obrona, can I borrow your swords?"

"Take 'em," she said. "But I'm not going to be able to give you much ether. Keeping the storm at bay is taking up basically all my attention."

"I just need the weapons," Zeke said, taking them from her. "I can supply my own ether."

With the swords in hand, he marched to the edge of Azurda's shell and took stock of the situation. Shooting down the spears wouldn't do them any good. The others had that covered. Instead, he was going to stop them at the source.

While everyone else kept up the defense, he charged the swords with as much electricity as he could manage. They weren't his native weapons, so it was a little difficult, but luckily, Obrona's element was the same as Pandy's, so it worked out well enough. Then, once they were chocked full of electric potential, he hurled the first one straight for the machine. Electricity arced from one sword to the next, and as it flew, it threatened to unleash all that energy in one massive burst.

Rather than risk damage to his equipment, Atasaiah erected a series of walls around himself, insulating the machine from damage. But while he did that, he couldn't keep up his assault, and the moment the spears abated, Azurda made a beeline for Atasaiah.

"Never thought of using them like that," Obrona muttered.

"You hang around enough electric Blades, and you tend to pick up a few tricks," Zeke said. "If you want, I could see about inducting you into the Order of Chaos, too. We're always looking for new members."

"Less chatter," Mòrag said, drawing her swords. "We're nearly there. The moment we land, put the pressure on and don't stop until he's down for good. Don't give him the chance to—"

Before she could finish, a blast of light soared past them, nearly striking Azurda in the head. Zeke looked down to see Kalarau standing atop the wall Atasaiah had erected, unleashing arrows of light from his bow. Azurda ducked to avoid them, and Zeke stepped forward to unleash a blast of electricity from his remaining sword, but before he could, Kalarau fired again.

The arrow sailed overhead, but it was too high. Kalarau's aim wasn't the best, but it wasn't bad enough that he'd miss like that. Immediately, Zeke erected a shield plate above them, but it didn't matter. The arrow detonated, and a wave of raw ether washed over everything. It was so potent that it even overwhelmed Obrona, and she lost control of her bubble.

Immediately, Azurda crashed into Sthenos's head, carving a long track before stopping at the end of the Titan's nose. Thankfully, Aegaeon anchored everyone using his ice just before impact, so nobody was flung off to an unsightly demise. But Azurda was teetering perilously close to the edge, and as everyone recovered, Zeke felt him start to slip beneath their feet.

"Everybody off!" he shouted, breaking the ice around his feet using the hilt of his sword. Since Aegaeon had burned all his residual ether on that last move, he didn't have any left to free them with. But they were all seasoned fighters, so it only took them all a moment to get free and jump clear of Azurda. Everyone except Obrona, anyway.

"Just go!" she shouted, clasping her hands together to generate another bubble. This close to the source of the storm, however, it was slow going, and Azurda was almost over the edge. "I'll be back in a second!"

With that, Azurda tipped over the side, taking Obrona with him. Zeke glanced over, almost expecting to see them hit the ground in a grisly display, but to her credit, Obrona got another bubble up, giving Azurda control of his body back. Just before he hit the ground, he spread his wings and took to the air again.

She'd likely just saved his life. Zeke should've been proud of her for that. But at the moment, he was mostly concerned with the fact that she'd just left them all stranded with no weapons in the heart of enemy territory.

"Move!" Mòrag shouted, sprinting forward as best she could, given her wounds. Zeke and Nia followed quickly behind, and not a moment too soon either. As they got moving, Kalarau made his way to their side of the wall and began firing blasts of ether into their formation. Frantically, they all scattered to find cover.

"Zeke!" Pandoria shouted. "I'm going to try something! I might need you to carry me until Obrona gets back!"

"Whatever it is, do it fast!" Zeke shouted back. Quickly, he hoisted her up onto his shoulders, and she got to work rearranging her weapon. There was still some residual ether left in the sword, and combined with some reserve ether from her core, she was able to muster enough energy to fire the blade directly at Kalarau.

She fired just as he did, and he wasn't able to nock another arrow before the blade was upon him. He managed to put up a shield to block the strike, but that was exactly what Pandoria had in mind. As the shield went up around him, the ether in the blade detonated, unleashing a second shield. It only lasted for a moment or two, but that was all the rest of them needed. They all sprinted forward, reaching the wall before Kalarau could figure out what had happened, and took shelter between two of the layers. Dangerous, given the fact that Atasaiah could use their surroundings against him, but for the moment at least, they were safe from Kalarau's attacks.

Unfortunately, Pandoria had gone limp in the process. She was still conscious, but she couldn't muster enough ether to control her body anymore.

"You alright?" Zeke asked.

"Doing just fine," she said. "But Obrona had better get back soon, because I do not want to spend the rest of the fight as dead weight."

"Take some of mine," Zeke said, pressing his hand against Pandoria's core and transferring her a portion of what little ether he still had left. It was enough to get her back on her feet, at least.

"Zeke," Nia said, frowning at him. "I don't want you putting yourself out of commission, too."

"Hey, I need this thing less than the rest of you," he said, tapping his core. "Worst case scenario, I go down to one lung instead of two. I'll still be able to fight, mostly."

"And I don't want you pulling something like that again, either," Nia said, turning to frown at Pandoria. "I swear you're just as bad as him, sometimes. What am I supposed to tell Kora if you burn too much ether and end up returning to your core?"

"I…" Pandoria paused, then sighed. "You're right. It won't happen again."

"Like Driver, like Blade," Mòrag said. "Now if you all are done messing around, we have a fight to finish."

"Not until Obrona gets back," Zeke said. "None of us are really in any shape to fight without her."

"She won't be getting back unless we can distract Kalarau," Brighid said. "So like it or not, we need to go up there."

"Fine," Zeke muttered. "Lead the way."

Brighid drew her knives from her belt and dug them into the wall, using them to haul herself up. The rest of them climbed up after her, using the cuts she left behind as handholds. As they reached the top, they found that Atasaiah had converted the nearest wall into a dome, sealing himself off from the outside world. There was a small gap where the ether could enter and exit, but they weren't in any position to take advantage of that at the moment.

The immediate problem was Kalarau. He was firing a barrage of arrows to keep Azurda at bay. So long as there was a risk of another detonation taking out Obrona's bubble again, he had to stay far back enough that they couldn't reach him, and every time he even thought about getting closer, Kalarau unleashed another blast to force him back again.

"You don't have to do this!" Zeke called out, trying to grab Kalarau's attention long enough to give Azurda time to land. "We can still stop him before it's too late!"

Kalarau didn't even dignify him with a reply. Instead, he started running, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and them. But as fast as he moved, Brighid was faster. She closed the distance almost instantly, knives at the ready. Even without her ether, she was still a top-class fighter, and he was forced to take his attention off Azurda in order to block her strikes. After several exchanges, she swung down at him from above, and he blocked with his bow, angling it to aim directly at her face.

Immediately, he summoned another arrow, drawing the string back to fire it through her head. But before he could, Aegaeon reached him, swinging his sword to catch Kalarau in the side. Even if there was no ether in it, it was still a bladed weapon, and Kalarau was still technically human. There wasn't much he could do about a sword to the stomach.

He had to summon a shield plate to block the strike, and that small distraction was enough to give Brighid an opening. She dropped one of her knives and grabbed the arrow with her bare hand. There was so much energy bound up in it that it began to burn her away, and she didn't have the ether to regenerate herself. But that didn't stop her. And as she grabbed it, she pulled it forward slightly, taking the tension out of the string and placing the tip against her Core Crystal.

Through sheer force of will, she began sapping ether from the arrow, and an explosion of flame spread out from her. All the damage she'd suffered reversed in an instant, and before Kalarau could react, she unleashed a torrent of flames from her hands, blasting him off the wall.

That managed to hold him off long enough to give Azurda time to land, perching atop the dome. A moment later, Obrona's bubble expanded over the ground, and Zeke's Core Crystal revved to life once again.

"I'm going to try containing this!" Obrona shouted, scrambling down from Azurda and running around to the opening Atasaiah had left. "If I can cut this thing off at the source, then—"

The dome exploded before she could finish, throwing everyone back. Azurda landed some ways away, but the rest of them managed to recover fairly quickly. Thankfully, Obrona managed to take to the air just in time, and she maintained control of her bubble. But it didn't look like she'd be able to keep that control for long.

She'd managed to completely encase Atasaiah's machine inside her zone of control. Which meant that all the ether radiating off it was trapped, building up pressure inside a roiling pocket at the center of her bubble. For the moment, Atasaiah's plans were stalled. But that didn't seem to bother him nearly as much as it should have.

"Kalarau!" he called out, stepping forward and summoning more spears. "It appears we have visitors!"

Slowly, Kalarau pulled himself up and trudged over to stand next to Atasaiah. For a moment, the two sides just stared at each other.

"You hesitate," Atasaiah noted. "Have you changed your mind, Caretaker Nia? Are you here to take me up on my offer?"

"Hardly," she said. "I just needed a moment to build up some ether."

With that, she unleashed a wave of water across the battlefield. But it wasn't an attack. She spread it out all around them, providing a base for Aegaeon to work with. And he understood her plan immediately, spreading his hands and casting ice across the surface of the water. It all froze, and after a moment, they had a platform they could fight on without the risk that Atasaiah would pull them into the Titan's depths.

With Pandoria's sword in one hand, and Obrona's in the other, Zeke immediately shot forward, pushing himself as fast as he could manage. With everyone else drawing the enemy's attention, now was the perfect time to take aim at their real target. But the storm of ether around the machine was too intense. He managed to get within an arm's length of it, but before he could try anything, the winds tossed him away.

He flew back toward Atasaiah, who immediately erected a wall of rock in his way, but he was moving with enough speed that he just cleaved straight through it. Then, with Obrona's sword, he tried to take Atasaiah's head, but the man simply raised his hand and blocked the strike with the back of his wrist.

With a clench of his fist, a dozen spears tore themselves from the ground, whirling around him in a circle. They nearly tore through Zeke as well, but he managed to put Pandoria's sword between himself and the whirling mass. The spears scraped against the flat of the blade, pushing him back, but after a moment, he was able to angle the sword downward, aiming it for Atasaiah's legs. Then, with a leap to get himself clear, he fired the blade out, hoping to shake the Titan Eater's footing.

But the moment he did, spikes erupted beneath him, piercing through the layer of protective ice. And not just in his vicinity either. Spikes erupted all across the battlefield as Atasaiah fully engaged his defenses.

The spears shot forward, slicing through Nia's water swords just as she sent them out toward him. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the spikes began elongating, forming tendrils of stone that pursued Zeke as he retreated. More tendrils emerged across the battlefield as well, tearing up Aegaeon's ice wherever they could to limit the group's movement. But the bulk of them targeted Nia almost exclusively, forming a whirling storm of rock and stone that just about managed to keep her from moving any closer.

Mòrag fared slightly better, but only because her primary focus at the moment was Kalarau. With full access to the ether again, she unleashed wave after wave of fire, scorching large swathes of Sthenos's head as she pursued him. But he managed to keep just out of reach, unleashing arrows of light at her at every opportunity. Not that Mòrag paid them any mind. Aegaeon stood next to her, unleashing blasts of ice to intercept the arrows and free her up to devote all her focus to crushing Kalarau.

However, as the tendrils closed in on him, Zeke quickly ran out of opportunities to observe the wider battle. He ran back, swinging the baton to unleash blasts of lightning, but eventually he was forced to move beyond the region of safe, ice-covered ground. The moment he did, the ground opened up beneath him, and he just barely had time to push himself off the edge of the ice and into the air. Which only bought him a few more seconds until he was swallowed whole.

As he fell, he recalled the blade of Pandoria's sword, which arrested his backward momentum, and then dug Obrona's into the ice. That didn't stop him from falling into the maw beneath him, but it did let him pull himself back out before it could snap shut around him. But that left him with an entirely different problem. In the process of recovering, he'd let the spiked tendrils get close, and just as he reemerged from the hole, one whipped around to strike him in the face.

Just before it struck him, he generated a shield plate on his arm, letting it knock him harmlessly to the side. As he flew past her, he tossed Pandoria her sword, and immediately she took off running, leaping up and swinging it down on Atasaiah's head. He erected a wall of stone to block her, but it had a slight curve, and she managed to springboard off that into a roll, sailing over his head and swinging the sword around behind her.

The edge of the weapon caught Atasaiah in the side of the head, and for a moment, his concentration faltered. The tendrils keeping Nia at bay lost their coordination, and with one swing of her sword, she cleaved through all of them at once, unleashing a wave of pressurized water that shot forward to slice Atasaiah in half. He managed to sidestep the attack, and it broke behind him, scattering against the wall of compressed ether surrounding the machine. Zeke had hoped it would be enough to cut through, but alas.

So long as Obrona was keeping the ether contained, then they wouldn't be able to destroy the machine. Once he was sure of that, he almost told her to stop, but ultimately decided against it. For the moment, she was containing the problem and freeing up the rest of them to focus on taking Atasaiah down. He preferred to be able to fight without the impending countdown to Titan genocide, rather than trying to dismantle the machine while dealing with Atasaiah's interference.

As Nia charged toward him, Atasaiah recalled all the destroyed pieces of the tendrils into a storm of broken rock. He tried to knock Nia back with it, but she used a jet of water to propel herself through regardless, swinging her rings for his head. Just before she could strike him, however, the ground around her lurched up, catching her like the jaws of a shark breaking the surface of the Cloud Sea.

Before they could crush her, however, she encased herself in a shield, and a moment later, Dromarch leapt through after her. Just as he reached her, she dropped the shield and fell into place on his back, riding him out the other side of the stone jaws just before they snapped shut behind her.

With a roar, Dromarch forced Atasaiah back, and Nia leapt from his back again, swinging her rings for him a second time. This time, he managed to catch her strike with his bare hands, arresting her momentum for just long enough to create a spike of earth at his feet. It struck Nia in the stomach, launching her back, but she managed to unleash a blast of water at him in turn, carving a scar across his shoulder. He fell to one knee, and Dromarch leapt at him with another roar, intent on clamping his jaws around the man's neck.

Atasaiah raised an arm just in time to catch Dromarch, who sunk his teeth into the man's forearm instead. Then, with a roar, he began sending sonic waves through the Titan Eater's body. It clearly had some kind of effect on him, given the face he made, and immediately he slammed Dromarch's body into the ground. But that wasn't enough to get him to let go, and he lifted him up to slam him back down again. Leaving his chest exposed for but a moment.

Fortunately, a moment was all Zeke needed. He'd managed to close the distance by then, and he'd recovered Obrona's other sword from a nearby pile of rubble to boot. With two weapons in hand, he shot forward at speed and slammed them into the man's chest, slicing open a long scar that had only recently healed over. Judging from how the plate armor of Atasaiah's flesh warped around it, it must've been one that Mòrag had given him in Leftheria. A weak point he could exploit.

As his swords broke through the Titan Eater's armor, he unleashed as much electricity as he could manage, trying to paralyze the man from the inside out. But as an earth Blade, he was uniquely resistant to electricity. Levels that would have rendered anyone else a jabbering mess didn't serve to do more than irritate him.

Tendrils of stone emerged from the ground, wrapping around Dromarch and pulling him off Atasaiah before he could do any more damage. Then the man brought his arms in, trying to crush Zeke's head between his palms. He ducked and brought his swords back, catching one palm with each. For a moment, the two of them stared each other down, each attempting to overpower the other with brute strength.

Before either of them could win out, Pandoria stepped up behind Atasaiah and drove her sword into his back. His other leg gave out under the pressure, and a moment later, Nia arrived, leaping over Zeke and swinging her rings down for Atasaiah's head.

Just before she could strike him, however, his armor exploded, throwing them all back. What Zeke had assumed was a part of his body was actually genuine Titan hide that he'd partially imbedded in his skin. Shedding it left him exposed, but it had thrown them all off their feet for a moment, and he didn't hesitate to capitalize on that.

Without his armor, he moved much faster, closing the distance to Zeke and grabbing his head with one hand. He squeezed, trying to crush Zeke in his grip, but before that could happen, Zeke brought his swords up through the man's arm. Without any armor, the swords cut through him with relative ease, and he reflexively dropped Zeke as the pain coursed through him.

Before Zeke could get in a follow-up attack, however, the Titan Eater plunged a hand into the ground and ripped it up entirely, like he was pulling the sheet off a bed. Stone came up in waves, forming a storm of debris that launched Zeke into the air. But doing so had left him exposed once again, and Pandoria instantly closed the gap and swung for his Core Crystal. He leapt away, barely avoiding her attack, but she didn't give him time to recover. She closed the distance and swung again, beating him back with her superior speed.

As Zeke fell, Dromarch emerged from behind, with Nia riding on his back. She caught him as he fell, and the three of them charged after Atasaiah again, who was busy fending off Pandoria's repeated strikes with a pair of spears.

Behind him, Zeke could see Mòrag and Kalarau also trading blows. He'd abandoned his bow, and what little of his body that wasn't burned was covered in ice, but despite all the punishment she dealt him, he kept going, striking her with fistfuls of raw ether in turn. If she wasn't injured, she would have made short work of him, but as things stood, Zeke couldn't tell which one of them would go down first. Which meant they needed to wrap things up with Atasaiah immediately, before they ran the risk of a second opponent entering the fight.

"Pincer maneuver!" Zeke called out as Dromarch made his landing. Nia leapt from his back to take over directly engaging Atasaiah, and Pandoria pulled back to fire the blade of her sword at Zeke. He had to drop one of Obrona's swords to catch it, but once he had it, he circled around behind Atasaiah, forcing as much electricity as he could into it.

Before he could complete the maneuver, however, the ground at his feet began tearing itself up, forming tendrils that threatened to carve him to pieces. He leapt back, prepared to cut them down, but before he got the chance, Aegaeon entered the fight, freezing the tendrils in place. Now that Mòrag and Kalarau were engaged in close-quarters combat, there wasn't much for him to contribute there. Instead, he turned his attention to Atasaiah, freezing the man's feet in place and giving Zeke the opening he needed.

He ran around behind the Titan Eater, and Pandoria stood in front of him. Then, with her baton held out, she recalled the sword blade, pulling Zeke directly toward the man. As he let go of it, he kicked it to send it on its way, imparting as much ether as possible into it. Then it struck Atasaiah in the back. But rather than discharge the ether then, Pandoria let go of the baton and let it fly forward, pulled in by the force it was exerting on the blade.

The baton, charged with electricity of its own, struck him in the chest, and the two halves of the weapon detonated simultaneously. Even if he was an earth Blade, largely immune to the effects of their electricity, the same couldn't be said for his Core Crystal. And as the electricity passed through him, from one half of the weapon to the other, the electrical current scrambled his core.

He collapsed to his knees again, having lost control of his ether, and immediately Nia closed the distance. She drove her rings into his chest, just below his core, and a moment later, her swords followed behind her, slicing through his shoulders from above. She had four weapons poised to crack his Core Crystal at a moment's notice, and without access to his ether, he couldn't defend himself. It was over.

"Obrona!" Zeke called out. "He's down! We need to—"

Before he could finish, there was a deafening, blinding explosion, and a shockwave threw everyone off their feet. The ether bound up around the machine had continued to build pressure, until eventually it ruptured violently. Obrona had managed to divert most of the material upward before it could reach them, so they weren't greatly harmed, but the detonation had thrown off an immense amount of energy. And now, guided by the path of the outgoing ether, a column of light began to form around the machine. Ether and energy rushed in to fill the void, and the winds of the storm began to grow louder and louder around them.

Beneath them, Sthenos let out a great wail, and Zeke could see its flesh begin to break apart into ether. All the color went out of it, and the Core Crystal on its back flashed one last burst of brilliant blue light. Then, all at once, the light faded. The Titan went quiet. The subtle sway of its breathing ceased beneath their feet.

It was beginning. Sthenos was dead. Soon, the machine would convert the entire mass of its body into ether. And then, once that ran out, the other Titans would be next.

"Finally!" Atasaiah shouted, pulling himself to his feet. His Core Crystal still wasn't functional, but at this point, he didn't seem to care. "Salvation is at hand!"

He threw his hands out to the side, and a moment later, the column of light coalesced into the region just above the machine. The energy bound itself tighter and tighter, until finally, a shape began to emerge. The flickering form of the Zohar. The cross of golden light that had destroyed the old Elysium.

Still, it hadn't fully arrived. Its form was transparent, and the light it cast did not possess the fullness it had shown during the Architect's visions. It was, for a lack of a better word, incomplete. Only one Titan had been absorbed by the machine so far, and if Atasaiah had gone to such lengths to gather this many, then it would need a whole lot more. There was little time to act before the process became irreversible, but there was still time.

With the impenetrable wall of wind around the machine gone, Zeke rushed forward again, picking up Pandoria's sword and attempting to cleave through the machine's bulk. But just before he reached it, Kalarau rushed forward and caught the edge of the sword with his hand.

"This is madness!" Zeke screamed, forcing as much electricity through the weapon as possible to try to force Kalarau to retreat. But he held his ground, taking the shock without even flinching. "Are you really willing to let him kill every Titan just to get a shot at revenge?"

"I don't have anything else left!" Kalarau screamed back. "I'll pay any price necessary if it means getting justice!"

"There is no justice in this!" Zeke shouted, almost pleading with Kalarau to see reason. "This is just slaughter!"

Kalarau tried to respond, but before he could, one of Mòrag's whips wrapped around his leg, and she pulled him back. She was crouched on one knee and bleeding profusely from a wound to her head, but she didn't give up.

Unfortunately, neither did Kalarau. As she pulled him back, he manifested a shield around the machine, stopping Zeke's sword just above its surface. Then he dug one hand into the ground to stop Mòrag from dragging him back and pointed the other directly at her. He unleashed a blast of pure light directly at her, trying to burn her away, but that only seemed to strengthen her resolve. She held her ground and unleashed a column of flame at him in turn, immolating his entire body. But like her, he refused to give up, so the two of them continued to blast away at each other, neither side willing to back down.

And despite all the punishment he was enduring, Kalarau managed to keep his shield up, and Zeke couldn't force his way through. He shifted himself into the highest gear possible, but all the added strength he could muster couldn't break through Kalarau's defenses.

Then, just as he was about to exhaust himself, Nia appeared next to him, wielding her own sword. With a scream, she slammed hers into his, and Kalarau's shield shattered beneath their combined strength. And together, the two of them surged forward, carving through the machine and sending its pieces scattering across the Titan's head.

As the machine exploded, the ether stream began to destabilize, and the form of the Zohar grew unstable with it. Tendrils coiled around it, carving long furrows into the nearby ground as the storm raged out of control. For a moment, Zeke feared that whatever process the machine had started was irreversible, and that the storm would continue to grow until it exhausted all the Titans in the area.

But then, a flash of green light pierced through the storm, and the Aegis Core lifted itself off the ground. Light poured out of it, and immediately, the behavior of the storm changed once again. Rather than raging uncontrollably, all the ether in the vicinity surged directly into the Aegis Core, almost as if it was resonating again.

Which, Zeke realized, it was. With a flash of light, Pyra and Mythra's true form coalesced into being around the core. Passively, as she began to take shape, the storm quieted around her. And then, with a wave of her hands, the reaction ceased entirely. The storm abated, the Titan flesh around them stopped breaking down, and the golden cross that hovered overhead flickered out of existence once more.

Everything went quiet as she looked over the battlefield. Zeke almost ran over to her, ecstatic to see her again and bewildered at what had just happened. But something in her eyes made him stop. This wasn't Pyra or Mythra. This woman's expression was cold and calculating. Emotionless and devoid of personality. This was not the Aegis of legend, or the friend Zeke had come to know. This was Pneuma, the inscrutable and unfeeling Elysian machine.

Slowly, she lifted herself into the air on small jets of ether. Then, without warning, she took to the skies and perched herself far above the battlefield. Waiting, with sword in hand, though Zeke couldn't say what for.

Before he could figure anything else out, however, Atasaiah let out a scream. A raw, incoherent, primal scream.

He had planned this moment for hundreds of years. Accounted for every possible variable. Maneuvered all the right pieces so that he could grasp the Zohar, and immortality with it. He had done everything perfectly and brought them right up until this moment. And now, with his goal right in front of his eyes, his entire plan had been brought crashing down. He had failed. He was doomed to die like the rest of them.

And as the Titan Eater realized the magnitude of what had just happened, he completely lost control, and all hell broke loose around them.

---

Nia had very little time to process what had just happened. Pyra and Mythra had returned, somehow. Or at least the Aegis had. The look in her eyes didn't seem like anything Nia had ever seen from either Pyra or Mythra, but still, she held out hope. But if they were back, what had become of Rex? She couldn't believe that he could've been taken out so easily, but—

She didn't have time to contemplate. The Aegis's flight snapped Atasaiah back to reality, and as what had happened sunk in, he screamed. His ether poured all over the Titan, and now that it was dead, there were no considerations he had to make. No worry that if he used too much material or became too drastic with his control, he might harm the Titan or risk retaliation from it in some way. Now, he could unleash as much of his power as he wanted.

Though that seemed to be a coincidence, because the look on his face suggested he wasn't thinking that far ahead.

With a roar, Sthenos's corpse split open beneath them, shattering into a hail of debris. Immediately, Atasaiah seized everything in reach, gathering it all into a vortex around himself as they all plummeted through the air. Rock and stone bombarded them from all sides as the vortex expanded, and despite every Blade present throwing up shields to keep the worst of it at bay, the onslaught was unrelenting. Not to mention the fact that they only had a few seconds before they all hit the ground.

Thankfully, Azurda swooped in at the last moment, scooping the whole group onto his back. Even Kalarau, who seemed to have lost consciousness after they'd broken his shield. With all his might, he flew them away from the growing storm of debris, but the pull of Atasaiah's ether seemed to hold him back. The most he could do was orbit the vortex and maintain his distance.

Still, at least for the moment, they were clear of the immediate danger, so Nia took a moment to patch up the worst of Mòrag and Kalarau's burns. Even if he was their enemy now, she didn't believe that he deserved to die.

"We need to stop him somehow," Zeke said. "At the rate this storm is growing, I don't think he's going to need the machine's help to wipe out the Titans anymore."

"This is too much power for one Blade to possess," Brighid noted. "Where does he draw it from?"

"No idea," Zeke said. "How about we save the speculation for after we kick his ass, huh?"

"His namesake isn't just for show," Azurda said. "It's also the source of his power. Titan cores are designed to manipulate the sheer masses of rock necessary to form continents. And with a Titan's core fused to his own, he's become capable of commanding that sort of reach. It isn't strong enough to control a whole living Titan, but a dead one? I can't imagine he's facing any resistance from Sthenos anymore."

"Are you kidding me?" Zeke asked. "That black stuff on his core is an actual Titan core?"

"I believe so, yes. And if my suspicions are correct, I know exactly which Titan it came from. Morent, an old battle companion of Atasaiah's, and a dear friend of mine. He died during the fall of the militia after something destroyed his core. I had assumed it had been artillery fire, but… My suspicion now is that Atasaiah ate Morent's core in a poor attempt to recreate the Flesh Eater phenomenon."

"And now it's given him command over a whole continent's worth of material," Zeke said, finishing Azurda's thought. "Not really sure how knowing that does us any good, though."

"It tells us everything we need to know," Nia said, standing up now that she was finished with the healing. "To stop this, all we need to do is destroy his Core Crystal."

"That'll kill him," Zeke noted.

"Yeah, well…" Nia sighed. "It isn't as if we're strangers to that, exactly. We killed Amalthus and Malos to stop the Cataclysm, didn't we?"

"Technically, Rex did that."

"Yeah, but if it had been down to us, I think we would have made the same choice. At the end of the day, there are some people you just can't reason with. And if he's this hell-bent on destroying everything, then we don't have any other choice."

The look on Zeke face was grim, but he didn't argue with her further. She almost wanted him to, but they both knew the truth. Either they killed him, or everybody in Temperantia and Sthenos would die. No matter how much they wished otherwise, sometimes there was no other way around it. And as much as Nia didn't want to be the one responsible, there was nobody else here to shoulder that burden this time. They would have to do it themselves.

"It's simple, then," Mòrag said, pushing herself up with one of her swords. "We get in close and strike his core, swift and accurate, before he can respond. The sooner the better."

"I don't think you're in any shape to be fighting anymore," Nia said. "You're lucky to be alive after that last exchange."

"None of us have the luxury of sitting out this battle. If you all are continuing the fight, then it is my duty to stand beside you. I would never allow myself to do less, no matter my condition."

Nia wanted to protest, but at this point, they didn't have time to argue. With every second, Atasaiah gathered more debris into his vortex, and he didn't show any signs of slowing down. So she suppressed her instinct to safeguard her patient and nodded instead.

"Azurda," she said. "How close do you think you can get us?"

"Right to the center, if I can," he said. "I'm not so old that I'm about to let some upstart like the Titan Eater get the best of me."

"Not so long as I'm here, anyway," Obrona said. She put up another bubble around them, keeping Atasaiah's ether at bay. And now that he was shielded from Atasaiah's power, Azurda dove back into the fray, sailing straight into the heart of the vortex.

As they closed in, Atasaiah tore more chunks from Sthenos's corpse. Heaps of rock easily twice the size of Azurda, or even larger, hurled toward them at high speed. But the Titan Eater seemed to have sacrificed control for raw power, because Azurda was able to avoid them with ease. And with so much momentum behind them, the projectiles weren't able to change course so easily.

The bigger problem, ironically, was the smaller debris. Even with several shields active around them, they still needed to breathe, and letting any amount of airflow through carried with it a storm of small rocks and dust. This close to Atasaiah, even just trying to breathe was painful.

As they approached him, however, he seemed to regain a semblance of his reason. Instead of aimlessly hurling rock their way, he condensed the surrounding storm into hundreds of spears. Thousands, perhaps. Nia lost track. And as they began to fire, Azurda was forced to duck low, sailing beneath Atasaiah. But the spears followed him, forming an inescapable web ready to skewer him through no matter where he went.

Aegaeon kept them in the air with selective explosions of ice, clearing a path through the rain of jagged spikes hanging all around them. But the closer they got, the denser the spears became, to the point where they couldn't get close enough to attack Atasaiah directly.

"I can't approach!" Azurda shouted.

"Then don't!" Zeke replied. "I have an idea! Get us over there!"

He scrambled up onto Azurda's head and pointed off toward one of the large chunks of Sthenos's head, floating in a slow orbit around the edge of the vortex. After a moment, Nia realized what he was going for.

Sitting atop that chunk of dead Titan were the remains of the machine. Most of it was now inoperable, but it did have one crucial component they could still make use of. The Eye of Genbu. And with a dead Titan's corpse beneath their feet, there was more than enough Cloud Sea around them to even the odds a little.

Azurda seemed to understand as well, instantly changing course and spearing for the island as quickly as he could. But Atasaiah wasn't about to let them retreat so easily. More material tore itself up from Sthenos's corpse, firing at them in bursts of jagged, fist-sized projectiles. But after a moment, the Titan Eater realized that was a fool's errand. Their defense was too strong, at least for the moment. So instead, he turned his efforts to their destination.

The floating island broke into a hundred pieces before they could reach it, scattering every which way. But they were at least close enough that Nia could see which of them the machine was on. And Zeke could as well, because the moment he realized what was happening, he leapt from Azurda's back.

Nia's first thought was to panic. Once again, in the face of overwhelming odds, he was doing something idiotic. But after a moment's consideration, she changed her mind. He'd made her a promise that he wouldn't risk his life unnecessarily again. So if he was doing something like this, then the best thing she could do was back him up. She leapt after him, clinging to his shoulder, and once she was secured, he used his speed to zip between different fragments of the storm until he landed next to their target.

"Cover me!" he shouted, crouching down over the machine. But that was a tall order, with the entirety of Atasaiah's focus directed at them. Everything in their vicinity shot toward them, the debris reconfiguring itself into a rain of stone daggers just before impact. But Atasaiah wasn't the only one who could command vast quantities of ether.

With a wave of her hands, water erupted all around Nia. Atmospheric moisture, groundwater trapped within Sthenos's corpse, fragments of melted ice that Aegaeon had cast out earlier in the fight, and even her own internal ether stores. She unleashed everything she could get her hands on, meeting the wave of rock with an even larger wave of water. The debris all did its best to stay on course, but she didn't let it, twisting the water into a vortex of her own, centered on herself and Zeke. The incoming storm of debris was scattered outward in every direction, and before Atasaiah could send another their way, she went on the offensive.

Her swords manifested behind her, and she cast them out, spearing straight for the heart of Atasaiah's vortex. He swatted them aside with a shield of stone, but by the time he did, she had already formed more. Sword after sword shot forward, an unrelenting stream of power, and soon he had to devote most of his attention to just keeping her onslaught at bay. Azurda took up the remainder, swooping in close again to give Agaegon, Brighid, and Pandoria the opportunity to unleash their own ether, pelting his defenses from every angle they could.

Together, they just about managed to draw his attention long enough for Zeke to finish. With a burst of electricity, he pulled the Eye of Genbu free of the rest of the mangled construction, and the moment he had it back in place, it whirred to life. A bright light shone over the whole battlefield, and all around them, the residual Cloud Sea in Sthenos's veins stirred to life in response.

Tendrils of it shot out from every appreciable chunk of rock in the vortex, and below them, a massive pool of the stuff began to gather and churn. Then, with a flick of Zeke's wrist, it all shot forward, aiming to skewer Atasaiah's core. He still had enough material to counter with, but it immediately saturated his defenses, and he stopped being able to effectively counter what Azurda and the others were doing.

Fire and ice and electricity raked across his body, but he ignored it all, focusing his efforts on countering Zeke and Nia. In response, they wrapped one arm each around each other and lifted into the air, propelled by a jet of water and Cloud Sea. Their attacks merged, and together, they unleashed a blast that threatened to swallow the Titan Eater whole.

He met them with a blast of his own. With a scream, he began to funnel the entire vortex into a single stream. A cascade of high-velocity rock that met their assault head-on and threatened to spear straight through it. But they didn't back down. They couldn't afford to. So instead, they intensified their assault, and Nia could see Zeke's Eye begin to crack under the strain. This would only last a few more seconds.

But a few seconds was all they needed. With Atasaiah's focus squarely on them, he didn't notice as the others halted their assault. Then Obrona shot forward, ether spiraling in a tornado around her. She struck Atasaiah in the back, and all the ether in their surroundings rushed forward with her, flooding him and drowning out his core.

He lost control of the storm around him, and the moment he did, Zeke and Nia's combined blast surged forward. Just before it struck him, Obrona shot up, getting clear just in time for the blast to strike him square in the chest. Instantly, he was struck from the air and driven into the ground.

As Azurda flew around to catch them, Nia almost allowed herself to believe it was over. But her relief was short-lived, because the moment Atasaiah struck the ground, it began to ripple around him, and quickly, he started drawing it up into a large mass around himself. Not a storm this time, however. Now, he formed a massive, jagged copy of himself, complete with spears the length of a Titan battleship.

Slowly, the giant rose to its feet, and he attempted to hurl one of the spears toward them. Nia's first instinct was to block it, because even if they managed to avoid it, it would certainly do serious, perhaps fatal damage to Temperantia behind them. But even if she couldn't get to it fast enough, someone else could. Like a bolt of lightning, Poppi shot forward from the battle still raging at the Gardens, slamming into the side of the spear. It was too fast and heavy to stop, but she did manage to divert it to the side, landing it harmlessly in the ocean.

Then she shot forward, followed quickly by Esrafil, and the two of them began attempting to carve the giant to pieces. Tora clung to Poppi's back, unleashing blasts of his own from one of her gauntlets, but none of them managed to make much of a dent.

Still, it drew Atasaiah's attention for the moment, which gave them some room to breathe and figure out a new plan of attack. And it didn't seem like they'd be able to rely on the Eye of Genbu to bail them out a second time, because as they stopped to catch their breath, Zeke put his hand up to it and came away with chunks of blue crystal.

"Seems like the Eye of Shining Justice is all burned out," he noted. "Anybody else got any bright ideas?"

"We don't need to rely on gimmicks," Mòrag said, drawing up to her feet. "Azurda, take us in close!"

He obliged, flying off toward the giant, but as he did, Atasaiah unleashed two more of his spears. Poppi and Esra attempted to intercept them, but just before they could, both spears exploded into a rain of debris.

Frantically, everyone in the vicinity threw out all the ether they could muster. Barrages of water and fire and ice and lightning, trying to stop as much of the attack as possible before it reached the Gardens. But any single chunk was moving fast enough to flatten a building, and more than a few slipped through the cracks.

Before they struck their target, however, a barrage of lasers rained down, destroying the remaining debris. It was the Watchers. Most of them were tied up in the fight against the Coalition forces, but some found the opportunity to break away, joining Poppi and Esra in needling Atasaiah's giant with laser fire.

In response, the giant stuck its hands into the ground, and Nia could see the whole of Temperantia beginning to shift around beneath them. It was subtle, at first, but as the effect cascaded out from him, it grew more and more substantial. Waves in the rock, threatening to tear the Gardens apart.

As they passed over the battlefield, however, the people of the Gardens unleashed ether of their own. Strix stood in the middle of the gate, using crutches of stone to prop himself up. Agate, Nim, and the rest of the Gardens' earth Blades all stood beside him, and together, they stabilized the ground around the Gardens, preventing the wave from reaching them.

For the moment, Atasaiah was locked in place, and as they closed in, Aegaeon unleashed several blasts of ice to pin his limbs further. Then, with a scream, Mòrag leapt from Azurda's back and swung her swords at the giant. One of Brighid's in her left hand, and Aegaeon's in her right. Fire and ice swirled all around her, and she brought them together as she crashed into Atasaiah, unleashing an explosion of steam and ether.

The strike prompted Atasaiah to abandon his efforts to destroy the Gardens, at least temporarily, and focus on their group. The giant tore itself up from its bindings and grabbed one of its spears, attempting to swat them from the sky. But Azurda took evasive action, and as the spear passed by them, they all leapt from his back, save for Obrona, who stayed behind to ensure Atasaiah couldn't use his ether to take control of him.

Nia spread out a column of water beneath each of them, and Aegaeon froze the tops into platforms, giving them all something to stand on as she raised everyone up to chest level with the Giant. Eye-to-eye with Atasaiah, she was finally able to get a good look at what he'd done to himself. Or, she'd hoped to anyway. But there didn't seem to be much of Atasaiah left, at this point. She could make out his face and his Core Crystal in the middle of the giant's chest, but the rest of his body seemed to have merged with the surrounding rock. As she locked eyes with him, however, he let out an incoherent scream, pulling his body out of the giant slightly as he tried to claw his way toward her.

At the same time, the giant swung down at them from above, trying to crush them to paste beneath a spear the size of one of Temperantia's spines. Nia scattered everyone, moving them in circles around the Giant's body, and they all unleashed blasts of ether at it. But it was obvious that wouldn't do much. So after a few seconds, Zeke leapt from his platform and swung his sword directly for Atasaiah's real body.

Before he could make contact, a tendril of rock erupted from another spot on the giant's body, arcing out to block the strike. Immediately, Zeke pushed up against the tendril, launching himself toward the giant's head. As he flew, he threw out Obrona's swords, but another tendril of rock surged up to catch them. They did, however, manage to pierce through to the other side of the tendril, immediately unleashing a blast of lighting at Atasaiah.

It struck his core, and for a moment, he was disoriented. The giant's motion slowed, and immediately Poppi and her siblings gathered above it, charging their ether into one big, unified blast. It struck the giant's head and began eating into it, but before they could make enough progress, Atasaiah regained his composure and swung his spear up. As it neared the Watchers, it shattered into pieces again, forcing them to scatter and even knocking several to the ground.

While Atasaiah was preoccupied, however, Nia began gathering more water to herself, forming another barrage of swords. She sent them forward a few at a time, trying to saturate his defenses while Zeke and Pandoria took turns going after his Core Crystal. Mòrag, for her part, continued to unleash wave after wave of ether at him, rapidly heating and cooling the giant's body.

Atasaiah manifested more numerous, smaller weapons to try to fight back, but the Watchers immediately switched to running interference, shooting down his projectiles before they could do damage. Then he started using tendrils of rock, too, but Nia managed to keep their platforms moving fast enough to avoid the worst of them. And whenever one got too close to a platform, Dromarch unleashed a roar to knock it off course.

After a minute or so of sustained pressure, cracks began to form all across the giant, which Atasaiah immediately filled by tearing up more material from the ground below. But despite everything he did to shore it up, the overall structure was weakening. They were beginning to grind him down. And he seemed to realize that, because after another several seconds, he abruptly changed tactics once again.

Massive stone walls curled up all around them, forming an airtight dome around them and the giant. The Watchers were trapped outside, and without them to run interference, Atasaiah unleashed another storm of spears. Nia stopped attacking and took over defensive efforts, using her swords to cut his spears from the sky, but it was a lot to keep track of, and it left the others exposed. For a moment, tendrils of stone shot out and managed to drive Zeke and Mòrag back, nearly pinning them against the walls of the dome.

But they both managed to avoid being trapped, and in response, Aegaeon began filling the dome with ice, ensnaring the tendrils in pillars that shot up from the ground. Once he'd trapped enough of them, Atasaiah gave up on using them altogether, and instead elected to crush everyone by shrinking the walls in.

As the walls of the dome rushed in around them, Nia brought everyone's platforms together, and they all erected shields to keep the rock at bay. Except Zeke, who began channeling ether into his sword. Then, as the walls met them, he thrust it forward, rotating the blade around the handle at high speed and boring straight through the oncoming rock.

It practically tore his sword to pieces, but he did manage to open a hole that Nia was able to slip the group through. But Atasaiah must've anticipated they would escape, because the moment the rock all reached the giant, it exploded back outward in a shower of debris. Their shields blocked the worst of it, but it managed to shatter their platform, and they all fell.

Just before they hit the ground, however, the Watchers swooped down, one for each of them, and plucked them from the air. They took over the duty of keeping everyone out of the giant's reach while Nia resumed her onslaught of swords, doing all the damage she could while he was distracted.

Then, as Mòrag too resumed her assault, the giant's arms fractured, splitting themselves into half a dozen tendrils each. They began whipping around at incredible speeds, striking Watchers from the air, but after a moment, Nia realized that they weren't actually hitting anything. The number of Watchers in the vicinity had increased tenfold, and each was holding a copy of one of them. She saw half a dozen copies of herself fly by at odd angles, and it took her a moment to pin down what exactly was going on.

Nal had arrived with reinforcements. She was perched on a nearby ridge, using her ether to generate endless copies of Atasaiah's opponents, while Electra led a handful of Gardens Blades and Mòrag's people in a charge on the giant's legs. Corvin and Herald approached from above as well, unleashing their own ether blasts to add to the punishment Poppi and Esra were already dealing.

With so many opponents around him, Atasaiah began tearing up the ground and launching chunks of it into the sky, trying to attack both the ground and air groups simultaneously. But the moment he took his focus off Nia's attacks, she made him regret it. She swept out a blast of pressurized water, slicing through several of his tendrils and destroying his eyes.

Blinded, he swung all his tendrils for where her attack had come from, trying to overwhelm her with sheer numbers. But she met his stone with her water, tendril for tendril, and for a moment, the two of them were locked in stalemate. Until something crashed into the giant from behind, and Azurda's horn burst through its chest just above his head.

Azurda clung to the giant's back, and two other Titans shot forward to ensnare the tendrils. Tenax and Huanglong, who used their serpentine bodies to bind the tendrils vaguely back into the shape of arms. Then they each flew in opposite directions, pulling the giant's limbs out to either side. Before Atasaiah could retaliate, Obrona leapt from Azurda's back and slammed her hands against the giant. Her ether rushed in all around her, binding the giant in place and cutting off Atasaiah's access to everything he couldn't immediately touch.

Sensing the opportunity, they all leapt from the Watchers' grasp, swords drawn, and descended on Atasaiah at once. Tora joined them as well, brandishing Poppi's saber. Atasaiah tried to use the small amount of rock in his immediate vicinity to strike them down, but Nal's illusions followed their lead, and he couldn't make out which of them were real amidst the storm of bodies.

As the four of them struck him simultaneously, he erected a shield around himself, layering both rock and ether plating together to keep them out. But it was all he could do to keep them at bay. He tried unleashing blades of rock from the shield, but they all held their ground, using their own ether to keep his attacks at bay.

The two sides pushed against each other, neither managing to gain ground, until finally a blast of light tore the sky open. Pure energy struck the top of the giant, splitting it in two, and in the wake of the blast, Rex descended, holding what looked like one half of the Aegis sword in each hand. One for Pyra, and one for Mythra. They each held onto one of his shoulders, and as he descended, he swung his swords in unison, carving down through the giant and slamming into Atasaiah's shield.

With the five of them all working in unison, they finally managed to slice through his defenses, and all at once, their weapons struck home. Half a dozen swords carved through Atasaiah, and with a violent explosion, his Core Crystal finally detonated.

With that, the giant began to crumble, and they all fell to the ground, exhausted but alive. Nia could hear that ringing in her ears that usually accompanied too much ether usage, Zeke was bleeding from his Eyesocket, and neither Mòrag nor Rex could manage to stand. Tora was about the only one of them who still looked like he was ready to go, and Nia was glad for it, because despite the fact that the Titan Eater was defeated, the fight was far from over.

"How?" Atasaiah asked, his body momentarily stirring from the pile of rubble. He stared at Nia, a look of utter confusion on his face. "I did everything right. How could… How could I have failed?"

"The future's never set in stone," Nia said. "You had to work to create the future the Zohar showed you. It wouldn't have happened by itself. But you aren't the only one trying to change the future. Everyone is fighting for that. And despite all the planning you did, you're just one man, blindly stringing others along. Compared to all this?"

Nia motioned out at everyone around them. The Watchers, Mòrag's crew, the Gardens volunteers, and even the Titans. All her friends and comrades, old and new, fighting here together for the sake of the future.

"You didn't stand a chance."

That didn't seem to register with Atasaiah, though. He just shook his head and leaned back.

"You're doomed," he muttered. "You can't fight what's coming. The Zohar was our only means of escape, and you took that from us. From me."

"Maybe." Nia shrugged. "But beating you was supposed to be impossible, too, and we managed that just fine. So whatever happens next, I'm sure we can make it work."

"Arrogant." He shook his head. "But what else should I expect, from one such as you? I wish at least… I could have lived to see you fail…"

With that, the last of the life drained out of him, and he went still.

"Joke's on him," Zeke said, walking up next to Nia. "Staying alive until we finally lost would've been a much easier path to being immortal."

"We're constantly making mistakes," Nia noted.

"Yeah, but we're still here, aren't we?"

"I suppose I can't argue with that."

She shrugged, and for a moment, the two of them embraced each other, enjoying the brief respite from all the fighting.

"This is a hell of a thing to wake up to," Mythra noted, motioning at the two of them as she approached. Pyra was over by Rex, helping him get to his feet. "The world-threatening crisis seemed par for the course, but… Really?" She frowned at Nia. "You hooked up with Zeke, of all people?"

"She sure knows how to pick 'em, huh?" Zeke asked, leaning on Nia's shoulder. "I'll admit that my roguish charm might seem a little intimidating at first, but—"

"Roguish charm?" Nia asked, staring up at Zeke. "You, the man who has individual names for all his special moves and calls himself the 'Sword of Elysium', have roguish charm? Did you get knocked on your head during that last exchange or what?"

"Oh come on!" Zeke protested. "You have to admit it's part of the appeal! You're the one who wanted to travel the world together as a dynamic duo. That idea's practically dripping in roguishness!"

"I don't think you really know what that word means, Shellhead."

"This is much more how I remember things," Mythra said, looking pleased with herself. "Good to know you two haven't lost your touch."

"The nerve," Zeke muttered. "You're not even back five minutes, and already you're all ganging up on me again. What does a man have to do to get a little respect around here, huh?"

"If you wanted respect, Zeke, you really should have stuck with us," a voice said from behind them.

Nia turned to see Robalt and General Reez, Blades in tow, approaching them with what looked like a battalion of soldiers. They had the whole group surrounded with weapons drawn, and most of their fighters were still recovering. Nia watched as Nal disappeared into thin air nearby, and she hoped that it wouldn't take her too long to launch whatever distraction she was planning, because she didn't think the Grand Marshal planned on dragging this out.

"You really think this is a fight you can win?" Nia asked. "We just took out your biggest gun, and you don't have any artillery to threaten us with either."

"We can deal with the Titans later," Robalt said. "For now, your strongest fighters can barely stand, and most of your Blades have pushed themselves to their ether limits. You don't have the numbers to sustain this for much longer. Once we break your defenses at the gate, it'll be over. Surrender now, and we can end this with minimal bloodshed."

"And then what?" Nia asked. "What's even the point of all this?"

"Restoring order," he said. "I have nothing personal against you or the Gardens, but you're too unpredictable. Your maneuver at Leftheria cost us a great deal, and in order to broker peace, this was the price we were asked to pay."

"You'd sell out your allies just for some peace of mind?" Zeke asked.

"So long as it keeps Mor Ardain safe, I'll do whatever it takes."

"Even if it means going up against the Aegis?" Mythra asked, manifesting her sword. That gave Robalt a moment of pause, but only a moment. He glanced back at Rex, who was barely able to stand, and that seemed to give him some measure of confidence.

"Even so," he said, nodding. "Are you going to surrender? Or are you going to make this painful?"

"You already know the answer," Nia said, brandishing her sword at him. "Let's just get this over with."

Robalt nodded, and Nia was expecting Nal to emerge at that moment. But she didn't. Instead, something struck the ground behind Robalt, throwing up a plume of dust. Before anyone could react, KOS-MOS shot out from the plume and pressed her cannons against Robalt and General Reez.

A moment later, more Titans flew overhead. The bulk were converted Ardainian Titans, bearing the insignia of Duthract's People's Liberation Army, but a few among the crowd were Tantalese and Gormotti. Slowly, the Titans landed all around the battlefield, and troops emerged, raising their weapons and taking aim at the Coalition soldiers. After a moment, Rosa Luxien emerged from the closest one, and Nal manifested next to her, holstering her guns with a smug grin.

"Sorry I'm late," Rosa said, giving Nia a small salute. "I thought I'd take a moment to gather up some allies."

"What is this?" Robalt asked, turning around to glare at Rosa.

"An intervention, Councilor," she said. "The other members of your Coalition dislike how you've abused your authority, and they've appealed to me for aid. So I'm calling a summit, right here, right now, to end this farce."

"You think you can just drag us back to the capital and hash this all out with words?" Robalt asked.

"No, I don't. We're beyond words, now. But you don't have the troops to fight me, not when you've already exhausted yourself against the Gardens. So you're going to get Queen Raqura and that snake who's put himself in charge of Spessia on the line, and you are going to get them to come down here themselves."

Chancellor Diarkis and the president of Gormott emerged from the Titan behind Rosa, accompanied by their council representatives.

"And once they're here, we're going to tell you how this is going to go," Rosa continued. "This war is over. And you people are going to pay for all the suffering you've inflicted."

Robalt looked between Rosa and the other Coalition members, then sighed.

"Very well," he muttered. "If it will ensure peace, then I will do what I can. I cannot guarantee they will take the news well."

"That is our concern, now," Rosa said. Then she looked to Nia and gave her a small nod. After a moment, Nia returned the gesture, and with it, a strange feeling rose in her chest.

She'd expected to fight until the bitter end. To clash against the Coalition until one of them finally broke. But now, there was a small chance they would be able to resolve this without bloodshed. Even more, with Tantal and Gormott on their side, they might even be able to wrest power from Raqura and her sympathizers and reestablish a lasting peace.

It almost didn't feel real, but after all the things they'd been through to get here, Nia took the risk anyway. She let herself believe that the worst of it was behind them.

That they'd finally managed to win.

---

Zeke was glad the fighting was over, at least for now, but as they waited for the Coalition's delegates to arrive, he couldn't help but feel like this was a bad idea. Rosa was calling it a summit, and she seemed to be attempting to invoke the image of the summit Niall had called all those months ago. The adults in the room finally sitting everyone down to talk business and let cooler heads prevail. But even ignoring how much of a mess that summit had been, that wasn't what this reminded him of.

This all put him in mind of the last summit the Praetorium had called. Uraya and Mor Ardain at each other's throats over that mess with the Titan weapon. The whole world on the brink of war. And then the Praetorium stepping in to "ease tensions". But really, they were dictating terms. Telling the other nations what the result would be and giving them little say in the matter. He couldn't help but feel like that sort of power was the actual goal. Whoever came out on top here would be the one dictating terms for the for the foreseeable future, and Rosa Luxien clearly wanted to hold that spot for herself.

He couldn't even blame her, really. She was trying to keep her people safe and free from the likes of Mor Ardain. But he didn't think this was the way to go about it. Even if the goal was laudable, on some level, it still felt like she was perpetuating the system that had caused all these problems in the first place. The system Nia had been taking a stand against when she'd founded the Gardens.

Still, if nothing else, it gave them time to regroup. The Coalition military presence meant they couldn't evacuate the refugees, but they were all able to get a few hours of rest and a hot meal. And it gave them an opportunity to honor their fallen.

The number was more than Zeke cared to count. Refugees who'd taken up arms to fight alongside them. Watchers who'd been damaged beyond any hope of repair. Titans drained of life by Atasaiah's senseless plan. Drivers from Mòrag's team who'd laid down their lives in defense of people they didn't even know.

Two of the deaths hit especially hard, though. Mikhail and Cole. The fighting had barely been over before they received the news. Mikhail gave up his life to bring Pyra and Mythra back. And Cole's body had given out on him while he'd been leading the defense of the gate. Their deaths were an immense loss. The last of Addam's companions, and the last survivors from old Torna, finally taken to the grave.

They both deserved better than this. At the very least, they deserved to live long enough to see everything they'd worked toward come true. But they'd chosen this. They had both known full well what would happen, and they'd done it anyway. So the least Zeke could do was honor that. It was the least he could do for all their fallen, in fact. He had to ensure that the future they'd all worked so hard for, the future they'd given their lives for, finally came to pass.

"I feel like we should do more," Nia muttered, looking out at the field of bodies they'd arrayed in the courtyard. "Something grand, something… Something worthy of who they were."

"When this is all over, we'll have a proper service," Zeke said. "But right now… I think the best thing we can do for them is to see this through."

"Yeah…" Nia sighed.

Zeke spared a glance at Iona, who was holding it together remarkably well, considering the circumstances. Vess seemed to have taken over the job of looking after her, at least until they figured out what to do next. It would probably be best if she returned to Uraya. Maybe the Garfont Mercenaries could take her in. But that was hardly his area of expertise, so he trusted Vess to arrive at the right decision.

"I would like to say a few words, if it's alright," Mythra said, stepping forward to address the crowd who'd gathered. The reality of the Aegis's return hadn't quite set in with everyone yet, so there were a lot of blank stares in the crowd. But no one stepped up to stop her, so she kept going.

"Cole and Mikhail were both dear friends of mine," she said, staring down at them. "They relied on me a great deal during the Aegis War, and in my own way, I relied on them in return. And maybe I don't have the right to say this, after I abandoned them, but…"

She looked out at the rest of the bodies.

"They believed in this place. They believed in what you all are trying to build here. They believed enough that they were willing to lay down their lives to protect it. Everyone here did. And we owe it to them, as the ones still in this fight, to see things through to the end. I promise you all, I am going to do everything in my power to ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain.

"But I don't want to forget who they were as people, either. All of our fallen deserve to be remembered as more than just martyrs. So if anyone has any stories they'd like to share about the deceased, then…"

She spread her arms out at the crowd, handing the reins over to them. Iona was the first to step forward.

"Grandpa took me in when I didn't have anyone else," she said. "But as much as he took care of me, he never took good care of himself. He'd work late into the night whenever we had a busy show, even when the stagehands insisted he get his rest. That was always the kind of person he was. He was always putting everyone else first. And I loved that about him, but…"

She paused. She looked like she had something else to say, but she couldn't bring herself to say it, and after a moment, Vess stepped forward and dragged her into a hug.

"Benjamin was an ass at the best of times," one of Mòrag's men said, stepping forward to stand over the body of one of his teammates. "He drank too much, he was a lousy cheat at poker, and he was always looking for excuses to knock off work. Back when we first met, he was a criminal, even. But he saved my life during the Cataclysm, when he could've just cut and run. And he stuck around after, despite knowing the risks. Despite everything, he was trying to be better. Though I don't imagine he would've ever admitted it out loud."

Others came forward to offer their stories. Windows into who these people had been in life. Something that their loved ones could hold onto, now that they were gone. And that went for everyone. Human, Blade, Titan, and Watcher alike. Here, now, in the face of the inevitability of death, Zeke felt for the first time that those distinctions truly were meaningless.

But as much as he would've liked to stick around and see the whole memorial service through, a voice came crackling over his earpiece, reminding him that they still had one more fight to finish.

"The rest of the Coalition delegates are here," Strix said. "Armed to the teeth and with a good chunk of reinforcements to boot."

"We're coming," Zeke muttered. Then, with a nod to the others, they all peeled away from the memorial and headed back for the gate. Rex and Pyra had been remarkably quiet throughout the service, but after everything they'd been through, he couldn't exactly blame them.

The standoff they'd left outside the gates was still in full swing. KOS-MOS was no longer holding Robalt and General Reez hostage, but she was keeping watch with the rest of the forces who'd arrived from the other nations. Tantal and Gormott didn't boast militaries nearly so impressive as Uraya or Mor Ardain, but they still had soldiers they could field. And Duthract had brought a veritable army, which was what really made up the difference between them and the Coalition. They'd spent years with a laser focus on re-industrializing and rebuilding their armies, and they sat on the world's largest supply of Core Chips. Even with scarcely any Blades or Drivers among their number, they still posed more than enough of a threat to keep the Coalition from resuming the assault.

Off in the distance, Zeke could see most of the Titans gathering to converse with their fellows from the Coalition military. Huanglong and Nim's appeal had been enough to convince them to back off from the initial assault, but they still had to follow through. Zeke was hopeful, though, even with Nim still too hurt to assist them. Even getting them to shake off their human handlers had been a feat in and of itself, so if they were willing to go this far, then Zeke believed the other Titans would come around to their side.

Still, not every Titan had heard the initial pitch, and he was kidding himself if he thought every single Titan would go along with it. Case in point, the Titans that brought the remainder of the Coalition's delegation showed no interest in joining their siblings in conversation. So even in the best-case scenario, there was still a lot of work ahead of them.

Predictably, Raqura led the delegation as they disembarked their Titan. Bael was close behind her, but it seemed like the events of the last few days had all but beaten the fire out of him. And as much as Zeke would have enjoyed putting on a show with Nia to rile him up, he didn't feel very up to it either.

Niranira and Pupunin came out next, here to represent the Nopon Guilds. But they were a known quantity. Everything they did was to protect their bottom line, and that was a predictable impulse. There wasn't much point in worrying about them, especially compared to the next man to come off the Titan.

Navaris Coreial, acting president of Spessia. One of the men who'd been the most instrumental in all the pain and suffering the Gardens had gone through. Zeke had half a mind to march over there and sock him one, damn the consequences. But none of them could afford to be reckless here, so he did his best to remain dispassionate as the delegates all took their seats in the makeshift chairs Strix had made for everyone.

"Navaris!" someone called out, flailing their arms around from within a group of Duthrish soldiers. After a moment, Saur poked his head up and grinned at everyone. "You made it! I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up!"

Zeke sighed. He had no idea why Rosa had decided to drag him along. They didn't have much need for prisoners during a treaty negotiation, and Zeke very much doubted that he mattered enough to the Spessians to use him as some sort of bargaining chip. But still, Rosa seemed to have something specific in mind for him, even if she wouldn't say what it was.

As the delegates found their seats, the Garfont Mercenaries unloaded from a nearby Titan, taking up positions behind the Coalition leaders. Zuo gave their side a wave and a half-hearted smile as he did.

"Really?" Rex asked, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at them.

"We're just here as bodyguards," Zuo insisted. "We've got no intention of taking any sort of offensive action."

"Cole is dead," Zeke said, cutting Rex off before he could say something else.

That information hit the Garfont Mercenaries like a ton of bricks, and after a moment, they all left their posts, walking off toward the Gardens. Their expressions were stone-cold, but Zeke could feel a quiet rage radiating from Zuo.

"Where do you think you're going?" Raqura asked, standing up as her bodyguards deserted her. "Get back here!"

"Say one more word," Yew said, turning to glare at Raqura, "And you are going to have much bigger problems than some measly summit."

For a moment, the Coalition soldiers tensed up, ready to defend the queen. But the act of defiance against her caught her entirely by surprise, so she just stood there stunned. And that seemed to be all the answer Garfont needed. Without another word, they turned and walked away.

Zeke felt a little bad about employing an underhanded tactic like that. But their enemy had hardly shied away from fighting dirty, so at this point, it he was well within his rights.

"I hope you're pleased with yourself, Ozychlyrus," Raqura muttered, taking her seat again.

"People are dead," Zeke said. "I would appreciate it if you'd treat that fact with the respect it's due."

"People die." Raqura shrugged. "It is one of life's only constants. I see little value in dwelling on it."

"You won't even mourn your own soldiers?" Zeke asked.

"Given what I've heard, there hardly seems to be a need. Even when faced with all-out war, you people have remained persistently committed to your notions of pacifism. Enough to almost earn my respect, even."

"I would tread carefully, Queen Raqura," Mythra said. "Two of my friends died today, so I don't think you want to be on my bad side."

"Your empty threats don't scare me," Raqura spat. "You're a coward. Hiding yourself away after the Cataclysm, refusing to intervene as the world has spun out of control. Why should I bother myself with a failure like you, Aegis?"

"Perhaps we can avoid this back and forth?" Navaris asked. Sitting across from Zeke, he didn't seem to have the same self-assured air that he usually did. "My country is in chaos, and I'd like to get back to handling that as quickly as possible, so I would prefer we just skip to the meat of the discussion. What is it you want?"

"An end to hostilities would be a nice start," Nia said.

"And yet you threaten us with soldiers of your own," Raqura said.

"This is our home, in case you haven't noticed. We're well within our rights to defend ourselves."

"What will happen if hostilities don't cease?" Robalt asked. "Will Tantal and Gormott leave the Coalition? Declare war on their allies?"

"If it comes to that," Chairwoman Moui said. "But if that happens, we'll be doing so with Duthract's support. That isn't a fight you're going to win. Especially with how things are going in Spessia."

"What do you mean?" Zeke asked.

"They miscalculated," Moui continued. "The people haven't accepted the new regime as smoothly as they'd hoped. There's rioting in most of the major cities, and already the Spessian military has begun to fracture and turn on itself. They'll have a civil war on their hands before long, if things continue in this direction."

"Indeed," Navaris said, sighing. "An end to hostilities would be preferable on our end as well, to give us time to focus on our domestic affairs."

"That's it?" Robalt asked, turning to look at the man. "This assault was your idea in the first place, and now you're the first to call it quits?"

"Indeed, it appears that way." Navaris shrugged. "The situation has changed."

"I hardly see how," Raqura said. "Regardless of how we arrived here, the Gardens are now a military threat to the Coalition. We must deal with that somehow."

"They are only a threat so long as we continue to make them one," Chancellor Diarkis said. "If we end hostilities, we still have the chance to renegotiate our way back to peace."

"Whose side are you on, Chancellor?" Raqura asked. "You talk like you still have loyalty to the Coalition, but if you're here to defend the Gardens, then clearly that isn't the case."

"We've opposed this action from the beginning. And until we are expelled from the council, Tantal is still a Coalition nation. We have a right to make our voice heard."

"Besides, the only reason this happened in the first place was to appease the Spessians," Moui said. "If they're not on board anymore, then what's the point in continuing?"

"It does beg the question of why the Spessian Federation would back this plan in the first place," Rosa said. The look in her eyes said that she already knew the answer, though.

"I had assumed it was some ploy to grab power," Zeke said, shrugging. "Navaris Coreial seizing his moment to set himself at the top of Spessian society."

"Perhaps. But why attack the Gardens?"

"You've clearly already decided on the answer," Navaris said. "So why not tell us and save everyone the trouble?"

"You did so at the behest of your master," Rosa said. "The Titan Eater. The one whose intervention today destroyed Sthenos and nearly exterminated the world's remaining Titans."

There was a heavy silence in the air after that. Nobody on the Coalition side had been asking very many questions about where Atasaiah had come from. His intervention had given them their second wind, so they were hard-pressed to see him as anything other than an ally. But they couldn't exactly deny the facts either, and the fact was, his arrival had nearly heralded a genocide.

"I have no idea what you think I have to do with that man," Navaris said, expression neutral.

"He led the Spessian attack on the Children of Humility," Rex said.

"Rogue dissidents. They had no affiliation with us."

"Do you really think that will work?"

"Legally speaking?" he asked. "Yes, yes I do. You have no proof of Spessia's involvement. Or of my involvement."

"I hardly think we need to rely on the Coalition's legal system to see justice done," Rosa said.

"Careful there, Secretary General," Robalt said. "That's starting to sound like a threat."

"It's an observation. This man has overextended his grasp. His regime in Spessia won't last, and he knew that would be the case going in. Everything he did was to buy time for their real objective. The Titan Eater promised him immortality, and now that he's failed to deliver on that promise, our dear Navaris Coreial is scrambling to keep his head above water."

"Rather outlandish claims," Raqura noted. But she made no effort to deny them. As she glanced over at Navaris, Zeke got the sense that she already knew the broad strokes, if not the specifics. And she'd cooperated anyway because it had given her a good excuse to attack the Gardens.

"You don't even know the half of it, lady," Saur said, piping up from behind the Duthrish delegation. He muscled his way through the guard around him and pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket, taking a moment to light one up. "Staging a coup was on the tame end of the shit we got up to with Atasaiah."

"You worked for Navaris, then?" Moui asked. Zeke couldn't tell if she was just putting on an act, or if Rosa had kept the other heads of state in the dark about this too.

"I worked with him, not for him," Saur said. "There's a big difference. We were partners. His job was to keep the Coalition fractured and occupied. My job was to recruit allies and solve problems on the ground. So yeah, everything the Spartan said is true. If you pansies want to take this to a court or something, I'd be more than happy to testify, but I think we all know that'd be a moot point."

He stared pointedly at Navaris, and the man sighed.

"So this is how it ends?" he asked.

"Seems that way." Saur shrugged. "Sorry, Navaris, but you didn't hold up your end of the bargain, and I gotta look after myself first."

"I'm not sure what the point of this all is," Robalt said. "This business with a so-called 'Titan Eater' has little bearing on the question at hand."

"I just thought it would be best to get everything out in the open," Rosa said. "Just so we know where we all stand. So that you know defending this man and his paper regime in Spessia is pointless. By the end of the month, I imagine he'll be in prison, in hiding, or dead, and coming to his aid won't do you any favors with whoever takes his place."

"That's not how I see it," Raqura said. "With Uraya's support, holding onto control of Spessia will be a simple matter. So long as you're willing to return the favor, Navaris."

"I'll do my best," he said, shrugging. "But at this point, I'm not sure what I can offer you."

"The one thing you're still good for," Raqura said. "Your vote. I move that we remove Tantal and Gormott from the Coalition, effective immediately."

"I suppose I second the motion, then," Navaris said.

Raqura looked over at Robalt and Niranira rather expectantly, but neither of them came to her aid. After a moment, Niranira shook his head.

"War bad for business," he said. "Cannot afford to lose more customers."

"I agree with the Nopon," Robalt said. "We agreed that this would only last so long as this arrangement was mutually beneficial, and I can't see how making more enemies will benefit Mor Ardain in any way."

"You cowards!" Raqura shouted. "We are Alrest's greatest military powers! All we need do is sweep these pretenders aside, and nothing will stand in our way!"

"We're not on Alrest anymore," Nia said. "This is Elysium. And it looks like you don't have quite the same power here that you used to."

Raqura glared at her, unable to contain her anger but lacking any proper outlet with which to vent it. After a moment, she simply slammed her fist on the table and sat back down.

"You want to know what we want?" Moui asked. "We want to reinstate the Gardens as a Coalition member state, effective immediately, and place sanctions on the members who violated the Elysian Treaty to orchestrate this attack. We want to provide support to all the refugees we've displaced with all this pointless, idiotic fighting. And most of all, we want to fast-track the creation of the Coalition Parliament and draft a new constitution to ensure nothing like this can happen again."

"These would be military sanctions, I presume?" Navaris asked.

"In large part, yes."

"The Nopon Trade Guilds won't be facing any consequences, in that case. They lack a standing military."

"Guilds happy to accept whatever sanctions deemed appropriate," Niranira said. "Better than losing access to Coalition markets."

"Don't talk like we're accepting this," Raqura hissed. "I will not accept this. Uraya will never accept this tyranny."

"I can join you in protest all you like," Navaris said. "But I don't think it'll change much. We don't have the votes."

He motioned out at Niranira, who stood from his seat and walked around to their side of the table. He beckoned Pupunin to follow him, and the two of them shook Moui's hand.

"Will be glad to restore order and security to Coalition," Niranira said. As if he wasn't partially responsible for this mess in the first place. But Zeke didn't really expect any different. He was a creature of circumstance, after all. He would side with whoever guaranteed the Guilds' profits.

"Not quite," Robalt said. "I'm not in favor of continuing hostilities, but I can't accept such a blanket proposal so readily. I'd be willing to allow the Gardens back in, I'd be willing to work with the rest of the council on a new constitution, and I'd even be willing to push for the conspirators behind this mess to face some consequences."

"Hey!" Saur protested. "I agree to play nice, and this is the thanks I get?"

"But I will not allow Mor Ardain to be reduced any further," Robalt said, ignoring the outburst. "I won't agree to any sanctions. My country will always come first."

"It didn't seem that way earlier," Nia noted. "You were rather casual about condemning all of us to die."

"Circumstances change." Robalt shrugged. "I don't know what you expect me to say. I—"

Suddenly, something on his belt beeped, and he took out a beacon. A long-range communicator, like the one Mòrag possessed. He raised it to his ear, and after a moment, all the color drained from his face.

"Your Majesty!" he protested. "You can't be serious! I… Yes. I understand."

Then he set the beacon on the table and pressed a button on the side. An apparatus on the top flickered to life, projecting the image of Niall above the summit.

"I apologize for the interruption," Niall said. "But when word reached me of the recent developments, I knew I could not afford to stay idle any longer."

"Niall!" Raqura shouted. "You coward! You're hardly even the emperor anymore! What right do you have to speak here!?"

"Indeed," Niall said. "My grasp on authority has been somewhat tenuous, of late. But until the Coalition chooses to take formal action against me, I am still the ruler of Mor Ardain. And I have come to realize something very important. When the Cataclysm passed, I realized that we had an opportunity for real change. I thought that my position as emperor would afford me the power to guide that change and ensure a more prosperous outcome, both for Mor Ardain, but also for the world at large.

"But I am only one man, and in seeking to fix the world on my own, I was forced to work within the confines of a system that abhors change. A system run by people like Queen Raqura and Chairman Niranira and our Spessian friends, who only seek to further their own interests. And no matter how hard I fought, that system would not yield to my efforts. Instead, I found myself changing. I compromised some of my most firmly-held ideals and told myself that the coming changes would make things worth it.

"I think I understand now how people like my mother came to hold power. Anyone with authority who does not abide by this system's rules will eventually find themselves driven out by it. And any attempt to avoid such a fate only brings one closer in alignment to the thing they are trying to fight against. This shortsighted thinking has driven centuries of conflict and oppression. Crimes that I have been party to as Emperor of Mor Ardain. But I refuse to accept that reality any longer. I refuse to continue compromising myself for a system that is unwilling to compromise in turn.

"Therefore, I am issuing my final decree as emperor. Effective immediately, the imperial line of succession is dissolved. Mor Ardain will no longer be led by the whims of a single man, no matter how virtuous. But it will not be led by the whims of a few, callous vultures either. Alongside the imperial institution, I declare the dissolution of the imperial senate. A new constitution shall be drafted, one which places the power firmly in the hands of the populace, and it shall only be approved by a referendum of the citizenry. And to guide the process in the interim, while a new government is established, I hereby appoint Special Inquisitor Mòrag Ladair as the provisional head of government.

"With this final decree, I hereby abdicate my position as emperor. From now on, the future of Mor Ardain lies only in the hands of its citizens."

The image of Niall gave them all a small bow, and with that, the projection cut off.

Slowly, everyone looked over at Mòrag. She had been quiet the whole summit, but now she stood in stunned silence, staring at the place where the image of her brother had been only moments before.

"Well, Mòrag Ladair?" Moui asked. "You are now Mor Ardain's highest authority. What is your decision regarding our proposal?"

"I never wanted this," Mòrag muttered.

"And yet, here you are."

"Indeed." Mòrag looked across the table at Robalt. "We are agreeing to Chairwoman Moui's proposal. The Coalition needs new a new system of government if we are to prevent a tragedy such as this from occurring again."

"I…" Robalt stared at her, unable to process what was happening, but she held her gaze, and after a moment, he lowered his head.

"Yes ma'am," he said. "It is so."

"I won't agree to this!" Raqura shouted. "If you all insist on imposing these sanctions, on looking down on your betters, then I will have no choice but to withdraw from the Coalition."

"Will you?" Zeke asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "Because that's not the way I see it."

"And what would you know of it, Ozychlyrus!?"

"More than you, obviously. How long do you think you'll last without the Coalition? You couldn't take us with all their armies at your back. Do you honestly think you're going to win alone?"

"You wouldn't dare threaten Uraya," Raqura spat. "You're all cowards. Too soft to make the real decisions."

"You mistake restraint for cowardice," Zeke said. "We've held back time and again because we want to believe a better future is possible. But if you insist on getting in our way?"

Zeke shrugged.

"We aren't under any obligation to keep extending you that courtesy indefinitely. If you don't believe me, just ask Praetor Amalthus. Or the Titan Eater."

Raqura stared at him, processing the threat he'd just made. And for a moment, he could see the fear behind her eyes. As she looked out across the group arrayed against her, she found the same cold, emotionless stares looking back at her.

"It's over," Nia said. "The world doesn't need another warmonger."

"And neither does Uraya," Bael said. He shook his head and stood from the table. "I cannot abide by this decision, Your Majesty. We are bound by our word to remain in the Coalition. If we forsake that, then what right do we have to call ourselves rulers?"

That caught Zeke by surprise. Bael had never stood up to his mom before. But it seemed that even if Raqura was too stubborn to admit defeat, the prince had at least realized the gravity of the situation.

And as she stared up at her defiant son, Zeke saw just about the last thing he expected. Queen Raqura smiled.

"Finally grown a spine, have you?" she asked, shaking her head. "To think even my own flesh and blood would forsake me."

"I have not forsaken you, mother," Bael said. "I am trying to defend you from your own shortsightedness."

Raqura slammed her fist on the table and glared up at Bael, but he held his gaze firm, despite how clearly she terrified him. Then, with a sigh, she stood from the table and walked away.

"Do as you please," she muttered, waving him off. "I'm tired of this farce."

With that, she loaded back up on the Titan she'd arrived in. Bael, for his part, sat in her seat and took a moment to compose himself.

"We will agree to your terms," he said. "But we expect to be included in all negotiations moving forward."

"Naturally," Moui said. "Uraya is still a member of the Coalition. You have a right to decide what shape the future will take. And seeing as there are no objections, I suppose that brings this whole mess to a close, doesn't it?"

"Not quite," Nia said. "As much as I appreciate the offer, I don't think the Gardens will be rejoining the Coalition."

"You're rejecting our offer?"

"No. But it's not up to me. It's up to the citizens, and after the attacks we just suffered…" Nia shrugged. "I'm not optimistic about the outcome."

"I understand." Moui nodded. "Still, even if you won't rejoin our ranks, I would hope to establish proper relations. Material guarantees, to ensure your people that this will not happen again."

"We already have that," Rosa said. "Duthract will honor its agreement to defend the Gardens. As will our other allies, I imagine."

"I take it you won't be joining the Coalition either, then?"

"No. But we will be willing to agree to peaceful terms. Even without joining your government, it should still be possible for our people to find a way to coexist."

"I see that even Rosa the Spartan is capable of reason, then," Robalt said. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"I have been fighting my whole life, Grand Marshall," Rosa said. "For the first time, we have a chance to establish real, lasting peace. To see victory. I will not squander that. So you have my word that we will do everything in our power to keep the peace. So long as you do the same."

"We'll have to draw up a more formal treaty," Chancellor Diarkis said. "But I agree. We need to cooperate better. It's time we all stopped focusing on the past and start thinking about the future."

That was a sentiment Zeke could get behind. And it seemed like most of the rest of the people around the table agreed.

"What about the Sthenosi?" Rex asked.

"Seeking retribution, Aegis Driver?" Rosa asked.

"Hardly. Their Titan is dead, and their homes have been destroyed. Someone needs to take responsibility for that. Help them get back on their feet."

"As it happens, we've already extended a hand to them," Rosa said. "But I think very few will be willing to take us up on that offer."

"Well…" Rex thought for a moment. "Then you can at least tell the ones who turn you down that they're welcome to find refuge in Leftheria. We don't turn down anyone who needs help."

There was a fire behind the man's eyes that Zeke hadn't seen in a long time. Ever since the Cataclysm, he'd been more subdued. More reserved. Less willing to lend a hand. But with Pyra and Mythra back, all of that seemed to melt away, and the man who'd climbed the World Tree and defeated Malos was finally back among them.

"Indeed," Moui said. "With the Aegis among us once again, we've all a higher standard to live up to. I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors. And if the Gardens ever decide to return to the Coalition, know that our offer will always remain open."

"I appreciate it," Nia said. With that, everyone stood and parted ways. The delegates returned to their Titans, both sides withdrew their forces, and after a moment, they began the process of returning home.

"Getting our troops home without Titans is going to be a pain in my ass," Robalt muttered.

"You'll have to get used to it," Mòrag said. "We're no longer relying on Titans for military support."

"If I may, ma'am… How do you expect that to work? The other nations aren't going to give up their Titans so readily."

"It's not a matter of whether or not they give them up," Mòrag said. "The Titans are free to associate with whomever they choose, and if today is any indication, I think they've all had their fill of war. Everyone is going to need to learn to do without."

"I suppose…" Robalt sighed. "It still doesn't make this job any easier."

"I have full confidence in your abilities," Mòrag said. "We'll see this through."

"So you're really in charge of Mor Ardain now?" Zeke asked.

"With any luck, I won't be for much longer. The moment we return to the capital, I'll be personally overseeing the effort to draft a new government. The sooner I can step out of this role and return to my actual duties, the better."

"And what duties would those be, exactly? Isn't the Restoration Department gone?"

"That's no reason for me to quit, now is it? Someone needs to continue looking after the Coalition, to ensure they don't go back on their word. Even if they don't want me around, I'm not going to let that stop me from keeping them in check."

"Fantastic," Robalt muttered.

"What was that, Grand Marshall? I didn't quite hear you."

"It was nothing, ma'am." He gave her a small salute and walked off to busy himself with the withdrawal efforts.

"I thought as much." She turned to Aegaeon. "Tell the men we're leaving."

"So soon?" Brighid asked.

"Unfortunately, we have duties we're to attend to. Cruiser Squad are to remain behind to look after our wounded and bury the fallen. The rest are accompanying the Coalition forces back to the capital. I won't stand idly by and give Queen Raqura or anyone else the chance to take advantage of the chaos to overturn the decision we've made here today."

"Good luck, then," Zeke said. He gave her a salute, but she just shook her head.

"None of that," she said, reaching out to lower his hand. "We're leaving such things in the past."

"All the same. We'll be counting on you."

"And I you. Make sure to keep your dream alive. In the coming days, I think we'll need its example more than ever."

With that, she left, walking off to join Robalt in barking orders at the withdrawing troops.

"Hell of a first day back," Mythra muttered.

"I don't know," Pyra said. "I think it feels appropriate. And I'm happy that things have turned out so well in our absence."

"Yeah, well, glad to hear it," Zeke said. "Because there's still a hell of a lot of work left to do."

"I think we've all earned a rest, though," Nia said. "The worst of it seems to be behind us. We can deal with the refugees and the Watchers and the Titans and everything else tomorrow."

"I suppose," Zeke said, sighing. Together, the five of them made their way back to the Gardens, where the memorial service was just winding down. It was time to give the people the good news. And figure out what they were going to do next.

Because even if Nia claimed that the hard part was behind them, from Zeke's perspective, the hard part was just beginning. The crisis with Spessia had passed, so now it was time for them to follow through on their deal with the community. Time for the Caretakers to step down. And he was still a little anxious about how things were going to go once that happened.

Would the Gardens be able to survive without them? Would people carry the torch, or would things devolve into the same old habits?

As Zeke stepped through the gate, however, all of those doubts and anxieties seemed to disappear into thin air. While they'd been away fighting Atasaiah, the Gardens had banded together to survive this crisis, and even after it had passed, they were still holding together. One big, unified community, keeping each other safe and doing everything in their power to meet each other's needs.

The Gardens would survive without them. He was sure of that. This thing they had made would keep growing and improving under its own power. It was going to do all the things none of them could do alone. It was going to change the world.