Chapter 185 – Heating Up

Snow had melted, turning the entirety of Kilo Village damp and humid. The sun's blazing heat left Pokémon seeking shelter. Even the Fire Pokémon commented on the incredible brightness of the winter.

The blast had been felt worldwide as a heave of the earth so great that it pinned all residents to the ground for a few seconds. Even after it passed, they remarked that standing and flying felt strangely more difficult. This news and more filtered into the war room that had become Anam's Heart HQ office.

Many of the Circle's participants left to recover on their own time and in their own homes. Phol insisted on checking on each of them first.

On the way into Anam's office, Aster set Owen and Zena's temporary flower pot home on the shelf of Anam's room. He happily explained the situation to anyone who sensed that the potted plant had an aura signature.

Among them was Sera, who eyed the plant suspiciously, and then sighed and asked, "Okay, so, uh, before we get into anything—"

"Wait, is everyone here?" Anam asked. "Seems like, um…" It was just Sera, Anam, Aster, Owen and Zena technically, Mhynt, and a bucket of crystals that was supposedly Necrozma.

"Room's too small for everyone," Sera said, "And, uh, I think they're recovering at home and stuff. Or avoiding what I'm about to talk about: what's with the weather? Why is it ultra-summer suddenly?! Feels like the world's on fire!"

Anam and the others looked at Sera skeptically. Sera shrank back; why was everyone so nonchalant?

"Khhh… Is that what's happening?" Necrozma, held in a large basket of crystals, hissed out. "That is… a problem." The crystals rattled a little. "Ow."

"Didja rustle yourself and pull a… muscle?" Sera asked.

"You speak as if I'm an old man."

"Aren't you, like, literally the oldest person in this reality?"

"Is that common knowledge now?"

"In this room it is."

"I have a long report when I return to the Overseers."

"Let's focus." Mhynt leaned forward, elbows on the main meeting table. "Necrozma. The weather is suddenly summertime in the middle of winter, and it appears to be getting worse. Do you know what is happening?"

"Speak with Nate. I am sure… he will know without my theorizing."

After a few uneasy looks, Anam nodded and took the initiative. He marched out and searched for one of Nate's spirits, and while he did that, Sera cleared her throat.

"So, anyway, I'm trying to get more information out of Ano, but he's totally out of it."

"Ano, who is that again?" Mhynt asked.

"Ghrelle's leader spirit, or something. No idea where the other spirits went. Seems like Ano managed to escape Ghrelle's clutches."

"Sounds… familiar," Mhynt hummed. "Ano and Ghrelle aren't the same soul, yes?"

"No, I checked with Xerneas on that already," Sera said. "He's whole." After a pause, she added, "And so am I! So that's a relief."

"Didn't you check before?" Mhynt questioned.

"I had to double-check."

Just then, Celebi, Leph, and Cresselia entered. Aster Teleported inside just before Cresselia closed the door behind her.

"Speaking of whole…" Sera glanced at Leph, then at Celebi and Cresselia. "How's Emily doing?"

"Emily is recovering and needs rest," Cresselia said. "I believe she is also trying to process being 'Tanneth' as well."

"Right… yeah. I get that. Definitely give her at least a day or two," Sera advised.

Mhynt glanced at Sera, saying nothing.

"Also," Leph added, "we recovered one of the remaining Poké Balls and used one to capture her once she was calm," She stood near the window. Sera had no idea how she could handle direct sunlight when it was as hot as it was. "We doubt they will be useful for much more anyway, but we were also able to recover two more that we have in reserve.

"That's good. I mean, good to have extra tools, I mean," Sera replied. "Still… uh, I know things are a little uncertain, but… congrats, everyone!" Sera said. "Did we do a congrats yet? We took down two Dark Fragments! That's, like, half!"

"The easy ones," Mhynt muttered.

"Okay, no," Sera said. "Don't devalue this! We took down an Overseer and an invincible storm demon! Alexander's tough, but he's not so tough that they'd be the easy ones. And Ghrelle… I mean, what did she even do? Sing a little?"

"Acknowledged," Mhynt said with a sigh, "but… the fact that we managed it with no Shadow casualties is a plus." Mhynt nodded. "And as far as deaths are concerned, nothing Xerneas can't handle. This was well-coordinated."

"Especially since Owen was taken out after Necrozma," Sera said. "I dunno how Zena pulled that off, but…"

"According to his notes, Owen had many contingency plans for that one," Cresselia spoke up. "If Zena fell, it would have been up to me or Celebi. If we fell, then to Madeline or Anam. It would have been a bother to reconfigure the Circle, since some of us were part of it, but… I was confident we would pull it off eventually. It was a matter of how much we'd sacrifice in the process."

"Then a big win," Sera persisted. "He really thought it all through…" She eyed the potted plant. She had no idea if they were listening.

Anam peeked into the office again. "The sun's falling."

Once again, the statement was given silence for a response.

"So, um… yeah…"

"Sorry, I think I misheard you," Mhynt said. "The sun is falling?"

"Well, um, more like we're falling into the sun, I think?"

"I thought as much. Does Nate know what to do?"

"He said he needs you, or um, or another god, to fix the planet's orbit, or something. And that the divine blast messed up the power that was keeping it stable." Anam poked his grabbers together. "Is that possible? I was super nervous, but, um… Nate seemed calm! So that's fine, right?"

"Hold on, I still need to get over the part where the sun is falling," Sera stated, pushing herself off the table. "Or the planet is falling into the sun. I suppose that's easier since the planet is smaller—how much time do we have?"

Anam checked outside. "I… I'm starting to see heat lines," he said.

"We have a day or two before things enter the uninhabitable range, but the damage is already being done. We cannot delay… I need Nate to… work with Barky and Star… and realign the planet. I don't have the strength…"

"Alright." Sera slammed her hands on the table. "Forget the meeting. Where's Barky? In Destiny Tower? We can't have a debrief if the world's ending again… What can I do?"

They all glanced at one another. "Um—" Anam raised a hand. "Can you go around and make sure nobody in town is overheating? I think we need the gods to step in for this one…"

"Right, okay." Sera deflated a little. Not a single thing she could do? She supposed when it was something like this… "Sit tight, Owen, Zena!" Sera called. "We've got a few things to work out!"

She dashed past the door and down the hall, making her way into a very bright outdoors. The moment she stepped outside, the sun's heat bombarded her like it was a solid object.

"AAAGH!"

Her ectoplasm boiled. Every inch of her exposed to the light felt like acid had been injected into her skin. She shrank back and hid under the first shady spot indoors, panting.

"Th-that… that one hurt. It's getting worse," she whimpered.

"Yeah, it's really bad…" Anam shook his head. "B-but Nate has it… right…?"

"How is it that bad?!" Sera complained. "You guys should be freaking out!"

"It's only a little bright," Aster said, sticking his hand out the building. "See?"

Sera cringed and averted her eyes, waiting for him to cry out.

Silence…

"…Sera, are you okay?" Mhynt said, tentatively placing a hand on the ghostly Zoroark's shin.

"I…"

"The sun isn't that close," Anam said. "But we do need to hurry before that happens. Oh, I know! I'll send a prayer over to Barky and Star! That still works, right?"

"We keep forgetting we can do that," Cresselia hummed. "I suppose it's so unorthodox that I never considered it…"

"Actually, I think it's very orthodox," Mhynt said.

"What?"

"Oh, don't mind me." Mhynt nodded. "You handle that. I'll stay with Sera."

"I can Teleport! I'll make sure everyone's not overheating in town," Aster said.

"Hmm. I will, too. Sera, will you be alright?"

Sera nodded wordlessly. She still couldn't look outside. Maybe… this was because she was part Void Shadow. If the sun was from Necrozma, then that stuff was pure Radiance… Maybe the darkness in her was more prominent than she'd thought.

"It's okay."

"Uh—sorry, I'll—"

"No, no, it's okay!" It was Anam, who had taken a seat next to her near the entrance. Not many people were going in and out of HQ, leaving Sera alone with the Goodra. Everyone else had left to organize the town. Even Necrozma's bucket was missing, though Owen and Zena's flower pot remained.

"Oh." Sera looked down. "I… I guess I'm the last one here. I mean, aside from Owen—uh, Dad, or… those two."

"I think I'd dry out too fast out there," Anam said. Sera wasn't sure if he was only saying that to comfort her or not. "The others can handle this."

"It's just…" Sera sighed. "Everyone was acting so calm and meanwhile I thought the sun was about to blast the world in a matter of seconds! I was trying to play along, but the moment I stepped outside, I thought the world was gonna end! Or… something. I don't know. I wasn't thinking…"

"It's okay." Anam gently placed a hand on her back. His touch was cool like the dead. It didn't feel like normal slime. In fact…

"You're the Ghost Guardian. Right."

Anam smiled faintly. "Yeah. I thought it might help. You seem part Ghost."

"Mhm. Never saw a Zoroark like me before…"

"I'm sure they're out there somewhere," Anam said. "I read about Zoroark that were even better at hiding than their Dark counterparts. Maybe that's what you are and that's what you turned into, somehow!"

"Yeah… I mean, I guess I can turn into anything, but this is how I emerged when… we all got together. You know, me, myself, and I, and all that."

"Right. Your past names…" Anam used all four of his digits to count them out. "Spice, Enet, Remi, and Amelia, right? That's how you came up with your new name!"

"Yeah. I couldn't decide," Sera admitted. "They're… all me."

She smiled faintly, but then the reality of that slowly crept into the back of her mind.

"But I haven't been able to address it with any of my past friends and family. What am I supposed to say? Sorry, but three fourths of me can't relate the same way anymore?"

"Does any part of you want to talk to them?" Anam asked.

"I mean…" Sera sighed. "There's way more important stuff. How about I…" She glanced outside but couldn't bear to see it. "I'll just wait it out. You can do more important stuff than deal with me."

Anam tilted his head. "I think this is pretty important."

"Yes, but—but like, you're the Heart of Hearts. You should be rallying people, giving them hope, showing that there's still hope, even when the sky's literally falling! Not wasting your time with one person."

"Hmm…" Anam sighed.

"Ohhh, no," Sera straightened, sitting up. "You're not going 'hmm' and then giving me a pep talk. I'm just shaken up from all the light, okay? Like if you scared Owen with a watering can or something. Wait, he's Grass now, that'd…"

"Part of being a leader is making sure everyone's okay. If I see someone in front of me who's hurting… I don't just move on. Nobody else is here, Sera. It's my turn to help."

Sera rolled her eyes, curling her knees to her chest. She leaned against the wall. Anam sat there, getting comfortable, watching Nate fly over the caldera. He seemed to be heading southwest, his great shadow giving a brief respite to Kilo Village.

"What's with you, anyway?" Sera asked.

"Huh?"

"You've been more serious lately. No silly nicknames or cutesy voices. I thought you'd have to get sillier with Diyem out of your head."

Anam blinked. "Have I?" he asked. "I dunno! I'm just… being myself!" Though when he smiled, Sera felt like there was a darkness behind his eyes.

"Still," Sera pressed.

The smile felt less genuine. He slouched by a few inches. "I… I guess I was… compensating," Anam admitted, no longer making eye contact. "With someone like Diyem whispering to me all the time… I think my only defense was to be cheerful to even it out. Became second nature. Centuries of that, y'know? Even with being a Mystic to shield me from going crazy, it, um, it became a habit…"

"One that you broke… just like that?" Sera asked. "I wonder…"

"What?"

"Do you think Nevren had anything to do with it?"

Sera regretted mentioning him. Anam's mood instantly soured—and it was surreal to see the happy Goodra's face contort into something that resembled anger. But it was only there for a flash. Soon, he was back to looking pensive.

"Sorry," Sera murmured.

"It's okay."

Though he said nothing for a while. Sera dared to get closer to Heart HQ's exit, focusing on the little cracks in the stone stairs that hadn't been there before. Still too bright to expose any part of her to the outside, but at least she had the courage to stare at the ground.

"I guess he could've," Anam said. "He was spending all that time making… vulnerabilities in my head that Mister Matter assumed was just me being… me. All that could've had side effects…"

"Well, for what it's worth… if this is how you are normally, I don't think it's all that bad. When I was Spice, there was something I couldn't shake about you. Like there was this dark side that you wouldn't show anyone. I, uh, I guess now I know why I felt that way… but it's a relief for you, too, right?"

"Uh-huh." Anam grinned. It seemed genuine, carrying it through his relaxed slouch. "But not for me. For Mister—um, Diyem especially. I've never seen him this happy before."

"…I mean, I guess anything is an improvement from being born of the world's evil."

"Not evil," Anam said. "Pain."

"Oh. Right."

"Like Mu. She can sense it, but she doesn't feel it. Diyem did, and that was all he knew. I made it a goal to make this world as happy and free of pain as possible. I wanted to help Diyem, and… I guess, deep down, I knew it was impossible. But I also knew, as the years went on, Diyem… didn't complain as often. It was progress."

"Yeah. I mean, pain just comes with the world. No way to get rid of all of it… but that doesn't mean you can't try! That's… I guess a lot of my past selves agree with that. Maybe all of them, you know, if they were smart enough to understand that high-level thinking."

"How many feral lives did you have?" Anam asked.

"Oh, no idea. I haven't counted them individually. And a lot of them were… short."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Anam nodded solemnly. "Diyem felt those, too."

"Ugh, that sounds awful. No wonder he… uh, never mind."

"I get it." Anam smiled. "But hey. We're closer than ever to freeing him from that forever. Then he can live for once."

"I dunno." Sera squinted past the blinding lights. She saw a Charizard with a dark flame in the streets, holding what seemed to be an oversized umbrella made of giant leaves. "I think he's already pretty alive."

"You know… maybe." Anam smiled again.

Sera leaned back, sighing.

"…Yeah," she finally admitted. "I guess… all my fragments want to have some closure. And… and I don't want to say goodbye to all of them, either. Kids have multiple parents all the time, don't they? Couples splitting up, or found families, or just calling an old neighbor Auntie and Uncle. This is… just another way of doing that."

"You can transform, right?" Anam asked. "Or is that an illusion? I can't, um, tell. Your disguises are really good… Enet's side, right?"

"Oh, they're real. I still have the illusions, too, if I need 'em." Sera grinned and puffed out her chest. Her mane fluttered with a gust of humid, hot wind that whistled through the entryway and windows.

"Why not transform into your old selves when addressing them?" Anam asked. "Even if it's temporary… I think it'd help you get 'in character' for that. And it might make it easier on your friends and family, too. It's gonna be a lot harder for them to understand, um, you know, emotionally. Oh! And maybe you can get Demitri to help?"

"Ehh, feels invasive. I'd want to rely on my own heart for that one," Sera admitted. "Still… I like the idea. Of transforming, not the Demitri part. Maybe it'll help me feel like them again, too…"

Anam grinned. "Yeah! If you're really not sure, get some friends, too! All of the yous knew a few of the same people, right?"

"Yeah, kinda!" Sera perked up. "But, uh… maybe once this whole thing settles down."

She nervously looked outside.

"How come… during the meeting, everyone was so calm? Is it really not that hot?"

"No, it's hot, but it's not crazy yet. What does it feel like to you?"

"Well… Remember when that explosion went off?" Sera asked. "It feels like that. But… constantly."

"Oh… That's really bad. Even now?"

"A little…" Sera glanced away. "Ugh. So embarrassing…"

Anam scooted a little closer to Sera. "Sometimes," he said, "when I feel like the world is collapsing around me and stuff, I'd… close my eyes and focus on my breathing. Like you're trying to blow on some soup to cool it off… but not too hard, or it'll all fly out of the bowl."

"Breathing exercises?" Sera asked.

"It could work."

"Neither of us need to breathe."

"Oh. Um… right… I mean, I think I do now…" Anam seemed to be holding his breath to experiment.

"But I get what you mean," Sera went on, staring at the blinding town outside. "Shut off the thing that's freaking me out and try to listen to what everyone else is saying, right? But I don't know if this is as easy as mind over matter. It does actually burn."

"Yeah, that's okay," Anam said after finally breathing. It didn't seem to be a strain. "Even if it hurts, you're in shelter now, right? And it's not as bad as it seems?"

"That's true…"

Diyem was approaching them, climbing up the stairs. Sera tried Anam's suggestion, focusing on her breathing. Even though she could still feel the sun when her eyes closed, it was more like a summer afternoon.

"Hey, Diyem," Sera greeted. "Doing alright under the sun?"

"No." Once Diyem entered the building, he lowered the great woven leaves he'd been holding as a comically large umbrella.

"Wow, where'd you get that?" Anam asked.

"I threw a bag of coins at a stall in the commercial district for one," Diyem said.

"…You have money?" Sera asked.

"Yes. Anam gave me a small fund for things I'd want or need. And I needed to stop being on fire."

"You, too, huh?" Sera asked.

"Mm. I suspected you or Mu would feel similarly. But it turns out Mu was fine. Here." Diyem shifted his shoulder, revealing that he had a second one in a bag slung over his back.

It was surprisingly lightweight, or perhaps Sera didn't know her own strength. She lifted it into the air and stepped outside. The ground was warm, but the air didn't burn. "Whoa… All I needed was a leaf?"

"The leaf was made from a Grass Pokémon's power, and so it is infused with a faint amount of aura. Just as these buildings are insulated with a Protect-like enchantment, protecting you from the sunlight's divine aspect, so too will this leaf."

"Wait…"

Sera Dropped the leaf and held up her hands, conjuring a Protect.

"What are you—"

"Hey, it works!" Sera said with a big grin. "Protects work to block the divine part, too! Just not the sun part… but that's warm! You should try it!"

Diyem grumbled. "What if it didn't work? You would have exploded."

"It wasn't that bad," Sera replied, earning a skeptical look from Diyem and Anam alike. "Anyway, what's going on with Nate? Should we go?"

"Nate is busy with some of Necrozma's instructions. I don't want to go there." Diyem shook his head.

"…Well, I want to see!" Sera said.

"By all means. If you can endure the sun, then go ahead. I'm going to assist Anam with some coordination that had been neglected. We still need to check on the scouts that went missing and hope for a signal."

"Oh!" Anam suddenly looked guilty. "Right, I… I'll do that right now!"

"I doubt we'll get a new signal," Diyem said. "It only works when they're on our side of reality."

Sera's ears twitched. "Our side?" she asked.

Diyem nodded. "Try as we might, with so many parts of the world sealed from the Voidlands again, communication has become difficult. While nearly everyone was evacuated from the Voidlands when Alexander came to the Fae Fae Woods—"

"Forest."

"…When they were evacuated, we'd sent scouts in through one of the few connections remaining, after Owen closed nearly all other Dungeons. Unfortunately…"

"Hmm…" Sera crossed her arms. "I think you should try again anyway. Just use a communicator."

"Eh? Really?" Anam frowned. "…Ohh!"

"Yeah, exactly."

Anam waddled off to his office.

"What?" Diyem squinted. "…Oh. The Swamp. It had Voidland properties, yes?"

"The realms are leaking. And while that's really bad, maybe communication can work now!"

Diyem let out another irritated sigh. "Another silver lining in the darkest incoming clouds."

"You talk like that's a bad thing," Sera chided. "Break that habit."

"It's not a habit, it's my instinct. But… acknowledged," he conceded.

"Hello? Hello?" Anam called into a communicator, exiting his office again. The silvery badge was covered in Anam's slime. Sera quietly stepped behind Diyem so she had no chance of picking it up.

Sera considered the possibilities. What would be worse? No answer? Or an answer, and the realms were truly dissolving together? And to think, Necrozma had already nearly done that by force, but now it was happening as an inevitable process…

And then…

"Heart of Hearts Anam! Oh, thank goodness, you're there!"

Diyem's scaly brows rose. "…This is bad," he murmured.

"You're doing it again," Sera growled, though she silently agreed. The fabric that kept the realms separated was coming undone… without the work of Dungeons. Why was this happening?

"Hey, hey! Sorry it took so long to contact you!"

"Are you in the Voidlands near another connection? We're close to Alexander's last spotted location near Fae Fae Forest."

"Yeah, umm, be careful, okay?" Anam said. "We're getting ready for attacking him next, so all we need is for you to give us a status on how… awake he is, and how strong Darkrai's Dark Void is still."

"Of course. We'll do all we can!" said the scout leader.

Well, that was good.

"Have you seen anything abnormal since then?" Anam asked.

"No, we haven't—"

Silence.

Diyem took a slow breath. He didn't need to say anything for Sera to know what he was thinking. 'Here is where it goes wrong.'

"Hello?" Anam asked, giving a reflexive, nervous smile to Sera and Diyem. "Are you—"

"Heart of Hearts Anam! Oh, thank goodness, you're there!"

Diyem blinked and glanced at Sera. Then at Anam, who was too confused to answer.

"Heart of Hearts?"

"Do… do you remember what just happened?" Anam asked.

"What do you mean? We haven't heard from anyone in a while. Are you in the Voidlands near another connection? We're close to Alexander's last spotted location near Fae Fae Forest."

"Okay," Sera murmured to Diyem. "Now you can say this is bad. What in the world…"

In the silence, the scout leader called, "Are you still there? Is the connection stable?"

"Um, we… yeah, it's just fine, connection's fine," Anam said. "Sorry, I'm a little—occupied right now. But be careful, okay?"

No reply. Sera's imaginary heart beat a little faster and for a moment she was conscious of the tar ichor that ran through her body in place of blood.

"Hello?"

"Anam, don't—"

"Heart of Hearts Anam! Oh, thank goodness, you're there!"

Sera stepped back. "This is freaking me out," she said flatly.

"Nev…" Anam narrowed his eyes.

"Huh? Nev?"

"Dialga… mentioned that Nevren had something of his," Anam said. "And that he's been messing with… the flow of time. Dialga doesn't remember specifically how, but…"

Diyem matched Anam's pensive expression. "Anam. You go ahead and observe Nate's ritual. I think it will be worth the trip." He reached for the communicator, which Anam handed over. "I have some tests to run. I think I'll be able to deduce the nature of Nevren's power… and perhaps explain a lot of his activity before his betrayal at the same time."

"Hang on, flow of time?" Sera asked, tapping into her various memories. "…Eon. Didn't Eon have something like that?"

"Yes. Eon had a blessing from Dialga as well—a similar charm, but for him, it was to pause time… until he touches something. The wider the radius, the shorter the time he can be paused. I don't think he knows how to use it effectively. Also, it irritates Dialga, so he hasn't been using it much…"

"Nevren absolutely would, though," Sera said, ears twitching. "And this repetition… Is he—"

"Likely. But I'm going to get specifics with some interaction with our… accidental test subjects." Diyem walked into Anam's office. "Go on. Nate isn't going to delay for you."

"Oh, uh, right." Sera adjusted her leaf umbrella. "Wanna go, Anam?"

"…I'm…"

"It's okay, Anam," Diyem said. "I won't go anywhere. I… understand you have an investment with Nevren."

"…Okay. Let's go, Sera."

Unnerved at how serious Anam looked, the ghostly Zoroark followed the Goodra out of the HQ. Everything was happening so fast, even in this moment of respite. Once the sun was stable, she predicted a tumultuous horizon beyond that blinding light…

"Ninety seconds. No more, no less," Diyem murmured, running a black flame from his claw into a notebook. The print was… surprisingly clean. "And not only that, but it seems it can't go beyond that time. Anything more than ninety seconds is cemented forever into the past—etched in stone. Not even Nevren can delve deeper. I suppose we should be counting our blessings."

He was speaking to a potted plant. Two flowers bloomed from either side of a spiraling sapling, one orange, another white. The center of each flower was black like a pupil and pointed directly at the paper. Occasionally, they moved and stared at Diyem instead.

The Shadow Charizard continued, "But the number of times he can rewind is… unlimited. This explains… a disturbing amount of his activities, and speaks ever more to his patience and persistence."

"What does this all mean?" Owen said. "Nevren has had this power all this time, and we never knew?"

"How could we know?" Diyem hummed to himself.

"…I… had a feeling. There were abnormalities in the spirit that my—that, uh, that Owen as a Heart sometimes experienced, especially leading right up to when I became the Grass Guardian. It was at the top of Eternal Whistler Cave, that northern mountain where the wind blows extremely coldly. When I was meditating… I had a dream that he attacked me, but then it all went to normal."

"You dreamed that? This rewind… appears to be perfect. It isn't simply… hopping a timeline, or something like that. It seems to… play the world in reverse, rapidly, and then resume ninety seconds prior. I suppose the spirit, unbound by that, could remember it… but the brain won't, and without a suspicion of this happening, perhaps only Dialga would have realized a difference…"

Zena's flower spoke up next. "But we aren't entirely physical anymore."

"Yes. Maybe… Dialga's divine power can trick even the aura. And the spirit, even deeper within the aura, will remember everything. Despite this, we cannot tap into it very easily. Not even us."

"Hmm…" Owen's flower curled a vine beneath its petals. "But what could—"

"Do you need to be a flower."

"What?"

"Your body. It's… Why?"

"Oh. I think I can shift back? But that's a lot of energy, and… are we needed anywhere right now?"

Zena's stem coiled around Owen's. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"How are you even in there? You're the Water guardian."

"We did some gardening?" Owen said like it was a question.

"…You're a bad influence on Zena," Diyem stated flatly, looking at the communicator again. With a defeated sigh, he stood up. "Recover well. The last battle was won, but the war is far from over. Our most dangerous foe and our greatest unknown are still out there. And with Nevren doing… whatever this is, I can only assume he's also going to be trouble."

"He's… bad, but he's not trying to kill us, right?" Owen asked.

"No," Diyem said. "But I think that's what makes him even more dangerous. Not only because I cannot read him, since he's divorced from the full link of Kilo… but because even in close proximity, I hadn't realized a thing about him until it was too late. Do you know what that means?"

"That… he's a good guy after all?" Owen said nervously. "I don't think that's true…"

"It means that despite the evil he's done to Anam, with spearheading all mutant research, and of course, what he's likely scheming as we speak… he sees himself as a force of good. He does this all with a clear conscience. I do not detect negativity from him. I never did for these acts of betrayal.

"To him, this is all correct." Diyem looked like he was suppressing a snarl. "I should have been more cautious…"

The ground rumbled, vibrating Owen and Zena's flower pot a few inches closer to the shelf's edge.

"What was that?" Zena asked.

"Hm." Diyem nodded. "Nate has likely returned to the Chasm to reestablish the Tree of Life's roots. Would you like to see this? …As a fellow sapling, I suppose."

"Oh. Well, I think I should. It's going to be the mark of a new era, won't it?"

"Yes. In several ways, I imagine," Diyem said, picking the flower pot with one hand while holding his umbrella with another. "To think, something I once wanted to destroy…"

"I think you can say that for a lot of things," Owen said.

"Mrm." That was all Diyem replied as he marched out of the office and into the burning light outside. The sun was closer and brighter than ever, and yet even as Nate worked to resolve this aftershock of one divine battle, one thought lingered.

If this was the aftereffect of only part of that dark power, what did that mean when they faced Alexander and his new powers? Or the other piece that Ghrelle had? Could the world of Kilo handle a clash against the opposite side of the Hands?

Or would the very act of clashing put the whole world in jeopardy?