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    FORTY-SEVEN


    <h2 style="text-transform: uppercase">SARIEN</h2>


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    The three of them hurtled through the air as Wyndemir’s giant hand snatched at them. As the Prime’s fingers brushed against Sarien, the overpowering whiteness of this realm turned to darkness. The sense of falling ended abruptly as they were whisked away.


    “What?” Tomford asked.


    The white returned as Kax’s void sloughed away.


    “Took you long enough,” he said, groaning. The bits of darkness slithered toward Kax like thick, dark slugs. Resigned, he let them.


    “We’re not all such excellent climbers as you, dear friend,” Goslin said.


    In the distance, Wyndemir turned to regard them through his corrupted eyes. Sarien sagged with dread under his intense gaze.


    Immense power radiated from the enormous, pale, and corpse-like body. Sarien expected to find intelligence behind his eyes, or at least some sort of self-awareness, but there was none. It was like everyone kept telling him: Chaos was a force made into flesh, formed from peoples’ preconceived notions of what a god of Chaos should look like. From the wideness of his eyes and mouth, it was the rhinn’s expectations. Either that, or perhaps the Wayfarers.


    Sarien wrangled with the thought that a force of the universe could be tamed. It possessed no will, thus a purpose was forced on it by Qieza and his priests. But, why? What would the corrupted priest gain from destroying all worlds?


    As if Sarien conjured him, Qieza stepped into the empty, white realm. He wore a white mask and cloak, hiding his face. Still, there was no mistaking the man.


    “The boy failed again, then,” Qieza said.


    “Using a child to do your bidding is despicable!” Goslin shouted, drawing his sword.


    “Put that blade away. It is useless here.” Qieza faced the three of them, standing between the group and the towering Wyndemir in the distance. When the priest lifted an arm, Wyndemir mimicked the motion.


    He tilted his head, an eerie movement behind that white mask. When Wyndemir did the same, a shudder went through Sarien.


    “Do you truly intend to stand up against Chaos?” Qieza asked.


    “Why are you doing this?” Sarien said. “You know that everything will come to an end if the Prime steps into our realm.”


    “Do you know the purpose of a Spawn?” Qieza asked, removing his mask and revealing his rotting face. Unlike those corrupted by the rhinn priests, Qieza didn’t look monstrous, just sickly and on the verge of death.


    “What?” Sarien asked, wary.


    Wyndemir approached with a ponderous step.


    “We are the true rulers of the universe. You don’t understand what it means to live thousands of years. You who can barely pass for more than a babe. All this waiting, just to take over after someone, something, that cannot die.”


    “Take over?”


    Wyndemir took another step, each giant stride closing the distance quickly. In the far distance, the gateway into Maydian hung open. Sarien reached for his gray flame and found it responsive. Nothing blocked his powers here.


    Qieza snorted when he saw the gray flame in the palm of Sarien’s hand. “Order is no match for Chaos, whelp. I have waited long enough. All my pieces are in places, including the three of you, Cornerstones.”


    “What is he talking about?” Tomford asked.


    Qieza narrowed his eyes. “And who might you be? No matter. I have no use for a Maydian Vatner.” The Spawn held out his hand before him, the gesture mimicked by Wyndemir, then closed it.


    Tomford’s body fractured. His arms and legs bent the wrong way, bones snapping to pierce his flesh before Qieza tossed him aside.


    “Tom!” Goslin shouted as the healer soared through the air.


    Kax was upon Qieza before Tomford landed in a heap, but his unnatural swords did not piece the priest’s skin. Kax shredded Qieza’s robes, which fell away revealing a dried-up husk like Wyndemir’s. The likeness was uncanny.


    Qieza swiped his hand, and Wyndemir followed. An unseen force struck Kax, who withstood the blow. He grunted. From the look of him, Kax was more focused on the struggle inside him.


    Goslin followed Kax’s attack, rushing forward with his shield. Qieza swiped again, then adopted a look of complete surprise when nothing happened. The shield slammed into the priest’s chest, forcing him back several steps.


    Sarien was there with his spear, thrusting, hoping the weapon carrying the power of Anea would be enough to injure the priest. Gray flame burst from both of Sarien’s arms as he thrust forward. Dull gray metal grazed the priest’s exposed arm, cutting into it.


    The attack drew no blood, but the look of shock on Qieza’s face was deliciously satisfying.


    “Enough!” he screamed, voice shrill with exasperation. His eyes turned a dull purple and power blasted from him with enough strength to send both Sarien and Kax sprawling. Only Goslin remained standing.


    “You dare? Enough, I said.”


    The palm of his hand came down into the air and Sarien felt himself being crushed into oblivion. Goslin positioned himself between Sarien and his attacker.


    Sarien coughed up blood, his head spinning. The blood disappeared into the white nothingness below them. He stood, swaying, and lifted his arms. Only they would not move. He peered down. Both of his arms were crushed. Snapped like twigs. The pain hit him and he screamed, falling forward.


    Goslin turned and caught him. “Don’t worry, Sarien, you’ll be fine.”


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    “I’m dead,” Sarien wanted to say, but his throat could not form the words. He struggled to breathe.


    Dimly, he realized Kax was attacking again, trying to keep Qieza occupied. Darkness crept in from the corners of Sarien’s eyes. Trying to stay conscious, he called for his gray flame, but it kept slipping through his fingers.


    He thought he saw Kax soaring through the air, again swatted like a buzzing insect. Then something else attacked Qieza from out of nowhere. A familiar hulking beast. His mind tried to grasp onto the memory, but failed, until he heard Goslin breathe a single word: “Kozimuz.”


    A terrible chill ran through his body. Darkness took him for an instant, but consciousness returned, and he clambered to hold on to Goslin.


    “There you go,” Tomford said.


    “Tom?” Sarien asked, his own voice sounding strange to his ears, like his throat hadn’t fully healed.


    “It would take more than that to get rid of me.”


    “What is that thing doing here? I killed it!” Goslin shouted, pointing his blade to the ferocious beast dodging invisible blows and striking out at the priest. It blinked, like a Halvgud, and changed its size and form from one moment to the next in its attempts to harm the Spawn.


    Sarien shook his still dazed head. “That’s not the kozimuz. It’s Daisy.”


    Goslin’s mouth fell open. “The dog?”


    “I’ll explain later,” Sarien said, transfixed by Daisy’s quick movements.


    Unfortunately, she didn’t last long. Purple flashed in Qieza’s eyes and Daisy immediately shifted, turning into a bubbling puddle of flesh and gore. It hissed like a scream. Then she assumed the shape of the dog, wheezing and whining, before returning to her form as a young woman. The screaming didn’t stop.


    “Stop hurting her!” Sarien yelled. Without thinking, he blinked himself to Qieza’s back, before realizing he’d dropped his spear when Qieza broke his arms. Quickly, he drove the gray flame of Order into the Spawn of Chaos.


    For the briefest moment, everything in Sarien’s vision turned gray. An incredible forced shoved them both apart. Sarien found himself uninjured but with a large chunk of his power drained.


    Qieza got to his feet with little issue, seemingly unhurt, but at least Daisy wasn’t screaming anymore.


    “Little sister,” Qieza said, taking a step closer to her.


    She backed away on all fours, then awkwardly stood. “I can’t hurt him, sorry brother.”


    “Of course. You share a bond of blood through that Wayfarer woman. How nice for you both,” Qieza said. He was about to say something further when a gateway opened near Sarien.


    Ein and Anja entered the white realm together, hand in hand, and Heradion followed. The man barely gave Wyndemir, who took another step in their direction, a glance.


    “Sarien,” Ein said, limping along while clutching his side, his free arm over Anja’s shoulder. “I’m here to help.”


    “We’re here to help,” Sarien’s mother corrected.


    “You two are in no condition to help. Look at you, corruption pumps through your veins!” Qieza barked. “You are both under my control as assuredly as the Prime!”


    “Shut up,” Heradion said, his tone conversational. The old man turned to Tomford and waved for him to follow. “We’ll need your help, young healer.”


    Tomford gave Sarien and Goslin a questioning look, then followed after the three.


    “Thank you,” Sarien said.


    Daisy hurried to Sarien. “He wants to take over. I think father will destroy himself if he passes through to your realm. The worlds will collapse because of father’s destruction, not from him setting foot on Maydian in and of itself. Do you understand?”


    “Qieza wants to take Wyndemir’s place,” Sarien said.


    She nodded excitedly. “He plans on assuming the role when Wyndemir is eliminated. But he won’t be a benign force. I think he intends to keep a portion of himself awake. We have to stop him.”


    “They will deal with the priest. We’ll have to contend with him,” Sarien said, pointing to the Prime of Chaos. Just as he did, Wyndemir started running.


    Daisy fell to the floor screaming, hands covering her ears.


    In an instant, the Prime of Chaos was upon them. Kax rushed in and struck Wyndemir’s shin. The act of touching Chaos itself made his arm fracture into a hundred flowers and branches, all perfectly black. Kax screamed as his arm changed from garden to graveyard, turning ashen and withering away into stumps.


    It quickly regrew and Kax struck again. Light exploded from the rhinn God’s flesh, filling Kax’s darkness until it could hold no more. A kick sent Kax skittering across the floor. Fire, ice, water, and earth covered his body all at once. The elements ruined what was left of him. Kax’s flesh reformed instantly, but he remained on hands and knees, coughing violently.


    He got out few strangled words. “No. I don’t want any more from you!”


    Then Kax opened his mouth unnaturally wide, his jaw cracking. The void spilled out of his throat, staining everything it touched and turning the white void into darkness.


    “Kax!” Goslin shouted, hurrying forth until Wyndemir stomped a foot down between them, almost crushing him in the process. He raised his sword as if to strike but then pulled back, the image of what happened to Kax more than likely fresh in his mind.


    The Prime of Chaos got down on one knee and reached for Sarien, who just stood there, dumbfounded. Daisy appeared, standing in front of him with her arms stretched out to both sides, making herself a barrier between Sarien and her own father.


    Behind the Prime, Kax continued to spew darkness. It moved across the surface like syrup in all directions. Goslin stepped away, careful not to touch it.


    In the distance, his parents and Heradion talked to Qieza, who reached a hand toward them, fingers curled like claws. The three of them were buying time for Sarien to accomplish his goal while Tomford stood back behind them, his eyes closed in apparent concentration.


    This was it. The moment.


    The hand closed around Daisy.


    “Sarien,” she screamed, real terror in her voice.


    Sarien called upon his gray flame, called on Order to stand against Chaos. All the power he wielded was but breath on the wind against Wyndemir’s might. Still, he called it forth and set it against the hand wrapped around Daisy.


    Her limbs stuck out from between the fingers at odd angles, and her screams threatened to break his focus. Sarien fell deeper into himself and his connection to the wayfaring as his flames touched Wyndemir’s pale skin. The tranquil surface of the Prime’s physical form hid the chaos surging beneath.


    In the heat of battle at their last clash, Sarien had been too preoccupied with his newfound powers and the masses of monsters all around him to fully comprehend what he was fighting against. He was swept along in the chaos, carried by a vessel fashioned from his own power. He clung desperately to the wayfaring.


    <i>Focus.</i>


    Daisy’s screams silenced as Sarien fell in the space between chaos and the wayfaring.


    <i>Focus.</i>


    In the silence, he saw his parents. Their battle against Qieza, a Spawn of Chaos, was well underway. He sensed his father’s pain. It wasn’t from a wound. His body was poisoned by corruption.


    His father struggled, bracing himself against Anja for support as they fought in unison. Fire, water, wind, and earth struck out for the Spawn while Heradion spun strange magics in beautiful and horrific displays.


    Sarien watched as Tomford kept the corruption at bay in both of his parents, preventing it from fully consuming them.


    Qieza tried to reach for Tomford but found himself stymied by Heradion. The old man. Juoko the Jester. The legendary hero of old. Three of them stood together now, the three who remained, facing a threat greater than that of the Halvgudar they’d defeated so many years ago.


    Anja leaned her head in close to Ein and whispered something before looking back to Sarien. Not to his physical form in the distance, but to his consciousness drifting on a wave of Chaos and Order. She smiled at him, eyes glittering, as a bright light formed in the palm of her free hand. Sarien’s father nodded to her and a darkness equal to her brightness manifested in front of him.


    Their powers pulled closer as they took a step toward Qieza. Sarien knew his parents understood the devastation that would occur when their powers touched, but they kept pressing forward.


    Heradion turned to Sarien. “You should not be watching this. That power of yours is waning. What are you doing? Why do you think I brought all those Halvgudar?” The old man reached out and made a shooing motion, as if waving Sarien away. Suddenly, he felt himself being yanked back.


    “Watch out!” Goslin screamed.