“We named our strongest ‘Gravity’ because all things bow—even light, even time. But Iroh’s magnets still hum his childhood hymns.”

  - Ostacean field engineer’s diary, recovered from a dead star system

  A vermillion-haired man stood in a cellar, staring at the wooden doors that protected him and his crew. His eyes flickered with an unnatural sheen—a faint, ghostly glow that pulsed as he glimpsed the future he’d narrowly escaped.

  Upon meeting with Eight, the teen suggested building a hut out of the Cryo’s Tide. However, Claudius’ Contract-evolved Stigmata knew better. He squinted, both feeling and smelling the spilling of blood. Structures made of Tides did nothing to prevent them from breaking in.

  With Eight, the group could handle several of the creatures together. Furthermore, the knowledge of their terror prevented a sneak attack from killing anyone instantly. But survival was a fragile thing here. Kill one Roseman and two more slithered from the shadows.

  Claudius’ true eyes peered between the cracks of the wooden hatch. There, he met the waiting old man. He could see the unnatural smile hidden on the other side. As usual, it sent chills down his spine.

  Each time he ran through his Veileye, his stamina drained significantly. A lone use left him gasping with blurred vision, tell-tale signs of overtaxing his mind as well.

  He wagered that he could only afford to use the ability once in a fight. Any more than that, and he would no longer be doing the fighting. As he peered beyond the slit, he considered exchanging for that sight again, no matter how much it left his eyes watering.

  “You really should restrain those things, Claud,” said the boyish voice beside the Judge. Claudius, hating the nickname given to him, faced the Anomaly, who lounged on a crate.

  The older man’s gaze bore into the younger’s eyes, yet Eight continued eating his rations. While smacking his lips, he continued, “Never expected you to actually make a Lightless Pact. Those old fogeys who thought your Seer half-Designation wouldn’t amount to anything would spill tears seeing you now. Anywho, be careful with those eyes.”

  Instead of arguing with the annoying runt, Claudius nodded. While Eight possessed a unique charm for antagonizing others, he was a genuine expert in such matters.

  The matters of Anomalies.

  For that was what Claudius had become the instant he dotted the pact with his soul. All that he missed was the numerical Designation.

  Why? It was simple. Seers couldn’t grow. Not normally, anyhow. Their abilities were decided by their birth. Psions had potential equal to the moons, but their counterparts must resign themselves to their fates.

  Seers couldn’t grow. Lightless Pacts couldn’t give that which was impossible. Nevertheless, the deal worked. Some of Claudius knew it would when he made it, but it still shocked him.

  Anomalies were those with abilities that held endless potential for good or evil. The Judge now fit inside that narrow slice, not that he’d ever reveal it.

  Eight’s dominion over space proved his Designation, not just allowing him to dive in and out of the Lightsea but to reopen rifts to other dimensions. It held a boundless future, should the boy live long enough to see it.

  Claudius was the same. He may only peer a few seconds into the future currently, but with the Lightless Pact, such a time would grow. He had sacrificed his potential for eyes that could see truth. More accurately, he made the trade to speed up their development and awaken that understanding of what always lay beneath.

  All power bore a price. And his would not simply be his future.

  I can feel the strain even now. Distant objects are a little blurred. It’s a little hard to focus both eyes. He’s right. This could be an issue. I need to use it more carefully.

  “Talander? Could you craft me an eyepatch? I need a way to not overdraft both eyes,” Claudius turned his head to the seated swordsman, sharpening his blades. The scaled Irgen nodded and got to work without complaint.

  While the swordsman worked on the floor, the two women in chairs upon the only table in the cellar looked to Claudius. Rosa spoke first, motioning to the outdoors, “Are we going to fight any of them?”

  A nod met her question. Claudius glanced back at the slightly blurred hatch. He bit his own teeth in frustration at the loss of sight. All he could do was hope that it would return.

  “Yeah. The second we hear them dispersing. Eight. You’re gonna teleport up there. Grab one and bring them down here,” ordered the Judge as he shifted his attention directly toward his strongest Cryo.

  The grin on Eight’s face broadened into what would only remain on a villain’s maw. With a short laugh, he patted his clothes for any remnant crumbs. Then, he hopped off the crate, “Why wait? I can do it now. And I don’t think we have to be so worried about that wall of fire. It’s just a few hundred feet or so, after all.”

  Their leader furrowed his brows, entering deep thought. Once more, he considered peeking into the realm beyond with his eyes. But he ignored the notion.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  He couldn’t rely on it too much.

  Instead, he nodded. It was soft, just enough for Eight’s smile to reach its zenith before he spoke, “Fine. Let us prepare.”

  ************************

  The forest screamed as Hana and Melody crashed through it. Hana’s body blurred—half-water, half-woman—her Tide-fueled jets shredding frost-laden ferns. Orbiting her, liquid bullets spat from azure spheres, punching craters in ancient pines.

  Melody’s hums warped the air. Every third note cracked the earth, toppling trunks like dominos. But the Rosemen kept pace. Always there. Always grinning. Yet even her enhanced strength and speed, Tide twisting her body into something beyond human, wasn’t enough to grant a reprieve.

  The monsters stalked them still.

  A pack of humanoid figures, their twisted bodies half-shrouded in darkness, loomed in the periphery of the chase. They lingered just out of sight. One second, there was nothing. The next...

  Their faces stretched into unnatural grins behind branches, mouths tearing wider with every step. Despite their slow, deliberate movements, they never lagged, never fell behind. Instead, they murmured dissonant, chilling phrases that had no bearing on the situation.

  “Do you think the stars are cold?” one rasped.

  “Is this how you sing for your lives?” a second crooned.

  “How do animals survive in the wilds?” another echoed.

  They didn’t run. They didn’t even lunge. If struck down by Hana or Melody, one would retreat, melting into the shadows to mend itself while another seamlessly replaced it. They were patient, calculating, and unrelenting, as though they knew their victory was inevitable.

  Hana managed to kill just a few throughout the half-night. Even with her firepower, slaying one in a single blow from so far was challenging.

  Furthermore, after countless miles and countless attacks, Hana’s breath began to falter. Though forged in many battles for endurance, her body screamed for reprieve. Between gulps of frigid air, she turned her head slightly toward Melody.

  “Domain Collapse?” she bellowed with awful inhales, her voice raw.

  Melody, slick with sweat and her own enhancing Tide, didn’t falter in her stride. Her hums shifted briefly, breaking their cadence as her voice answered, sharp and resolute, “No. Then we won’t have it for Dante or Claudius when they catch up.”

  Hana growled in frustration, her teeth bared as her mind scrambled for alternatives. She could feel her Tide depleting, the reservoir within her ebbing like an outgoing tide. Melody, too, was slowing, her hums losing the sharp edge they carried at the start of their flight.

  She couldn’t help but curse their bad luck. They hadn’t found any more buildings. Perhaps they should have run back to the town. Yet, the chance that the others were advancing as well prevented them from doing so.

  And then, as Hana contemplated their decision, cutting through the howls and murmurs of the pursuing monsters, a voice emerged.

  Deep, smooth, and wholly unexpected.

  “Hmm? Fancy seeing you here, Hana.”

  Both women skidded to a stop, their momentum sending sprays of snow into the air. Their Tides bristled in response, prepared for yet another threat. Hana’s floating weapons of water swirled defensively, and Melody’s hums sharpened while her palms raised, vibrating the snow beneath their feet.

  From the shadows ahead stepped a man, his figure cloaked in black, his face obscured by a low hood. Despite the encroaching monsters, he seemed entirely at ease, his voice carrying an almost mocking warmth.

  Hana’s eyes narrowed, her body tensing, “You...”

  The man chuckled softly, raising a gloved hand as though to wave away her aggression, “No need for that tone. I came here in peace. The shelters have already been taken by the two other groups. That leaves us alone out here. With them.”

  As if on cue, one of the monsters emerged from the darkness behind him, its warped, bestial face twisted into a manic grin. The man didn’t flinch. Instead, with a flick of his wrist, a jagged cleaver erupted from his palm, bisecting the creature mid-stride. The monster’s body crashed to the floor before detonating with a muted explosion.

  “Now, we really must be moving,” he said, lowering his hand and turning his sharp gaze to the two women. “We still have to figure out how to get past the Second Trial.”

  “Second Trial?” Hana and Melody asked in unison, their voices melding together. Shadows crept on the edges, primed to strike, but the three communicated a bit further.

  Friday nodded and explained, “Yes. The First Trial was the illusory field to the entrance. The Second is the monsters and the wall of fire. As for the Third... I can only guess,” while talking, the man pushed through a bush and waved for the other two to follow. “This Inferose is based on these three concepts, fire, evolution, and flora. The illusions were a kind of heatwave, and these creatures... well... you’ve seen how resilient they are. Just like a weed.”

  Hana rushed to stay behind Friday with Melody on her tail. The three hurried as the Hydro thought aloud, “So that’s why people appeared in groups of three? Three concepts? Are you sure there will only be three total trials?”

  Against her questioning, Friday shook his hood. He possessed no definite answer and made it clear by stating, “No. There could be more. That’s just my best guess. This is the third MD I’ve entered and by far the strongest. Stay with me, and you should be fine. But remember, do not touch a petal.”

  Neither Hana nor Melody asked what the petal was. They knew deep down. It was the dimension’s inheritance, its power. However, her suspicions grew as Hana listened to the mysterious man speak more and more.

  Church Of Flesh. Why is he telling us so much? He could just refuse the information, even if it is helpful. Unless... he is planning on inviting us to join? No... he gives me a different feeling.

  Hana’s eyes narrowed as she came to a cruel realization.

  He doesn’t think we’ll make it out of here alive.

  The strongest Anathema reigned in her words, not mentioning a single word as they ran through the forest. After a full hour, the three stood before a towering wall of crimson fire.

  It held the color of a fresh drop of blood yet didn’t burn the snow around it. While standing before the flame’s light, Friday lowered his hood and spoke with misty breath, “We need a way through the fire. Hmm... This cold is quite bothersome. Okay. We’ll hold our ground here for the night. Perhaps a way forward will emerge with enough slain monsters.”

  Hana met Melody with a worried glance, but they both kept quiet. Short nods ended with them falling into combative stances. Creeping figures lumbered toward them with odd voices and even more bizarre words.

  Still, the three met them without any remorse. A cleaver severed limbs, detonating the remains to prevent any regeneration. Countless rounds of ammunition erupted from floating firearms, downing dozens of creatures. Notes resounded into the night sky, with each third shaking the distant trees.

  Slowly, gradually, the burning figure reignited, and the day returned. Hana and Melody gasped for air with their hands on the invading snow beneath them. The battle had wrung them dry.

  Even the unknown Friday wasn’t without his own fatigue. Sweat dripped from his hood, concealing his face. Still, he cursed the Inferose as no clues emerged on how to breach the flaming wall.

  ************************

  “Dante. Dante. Dante. The Heart-Seeking Root!” Joan shouted into the human’s ear, waking him up just as light reemerged from under the hut’s door.

  With a hand pushing the woman back, the captain groaned out in annoyance, “What...?”

  The doctor shoved a tray into Dante’s face with pure elation, “Look! It’s practically immune to high temperatures! I performed an exothermic reaction with some of my spare chems, and it was unharmed by temperatures reaching a thousand degrees!”

  Slumbering eyes blinked themselves awake, all whipping around to face Joan’s crazed manner. Even Dante had to wipe the sleep from his eyes first, but once he did, his heart pounded.

  Joan didn’t say it aloud, but he understood what she alluded to.

  “The Rosemen. They are the key, just as we thought,” Dante set a hand on his doctor’s shoulder. They had been through much in the past, and once more, he felt reassured that he chose her. For all her eccentricities, none could compare to her passion. “Amazing work, Joan. How could we use that to pass through the wall of fire? Would covering ourselves in their guts work?”

  Snarled noses met Dante’s propositions, though they now saw the idea. However, Joan tilted her head in confusion.

  “No. No. That’s not what I meant. If they can resist such temperatures, then it likely goes both ways. This is an incredible breakthrough. If I can figure out how their cells manage the heat and cold, then I can create ways for us to do the same! Maybe... even control the temperatures one day!” Joan’s sky-high ambitions shined through even the Inferose.

  She wasn’t thinking about solving this puzzle. That, in her mind, was left to Dante. The doctor pondered futures that had yet to be. Her madness stood unrivaled under the heavens, perhaps only matched by someone like Rejo.

  Nevertheless, Dante didn’t knock her down. Even as Lucius laughed off the proclamation and Sonna snickered under her breath, the human merely nodded.

  “That is... impressive. But for now. Please focus on this. How could we get past that wall?” Dante redirected Joan’s focus with his plea, hoping that it would work.

  Thankfully, the scientist shifted her attention from the future to the present. She glanced toward the door as if recalling the fire during the night.

  Then, she laughed with a merry joy that the others rarely saw.

  “Isn’t it obvious? Since their cells regulate the temperatures, we must wear only their flesh and walk through them. Or... intake their cells and assimilate them.”