You insolent little scavenger, Mikaboh growled. Even with that weapon, do you really think you can defeat us? The Grand Spirits and High Spirits of Lumea combined could not keep us contained.
"You were always a bit off," Amah sighed. "But before you delved into the Old One’s magic, you were at least lawful by the order."
The evil spirit began a low chuckle, quickly erupting into a loud cackle. Delved? Delved? You speak as if we were corrupted, he laughed. Amah, my dearie, we already knew the magics of the old ones because we are one.
Lola and Amah looked to one another in confusion. "You’re not a Spirit?" the Sun Spirit inquired.
No. We are something much more ancient. Much more horrible, Mikaboh explained. Born from the void, this world is unnatural to us. We must see it done away with so we can return to the one true existence: nothingness. We have tried for millennia to achieve this. The Dire Wars, before you took our original name, were escalated by us. We did not realize relinquishing our name would strip us of such power.
A realization washed over Lola. "That’s why you won’t fight us. You can’t."
Mikaboh scowled. We can, but our power is limited. We once erased the entire Gaean family of spirits from existence in one fell swoop, but once our original name was surrendered, such power began to take weeks or years to accumulate. We had to make other plans, he elaborated.
The Buhund charged toward him again, the Chakram glowing wildly. As she drove toward him, the evil spirit raised a hand and repelled her with an unseen force. We never stopped trying to see this world undone by its denizen’s own hands, Mikaboh continued. Even after the Spirit Order sealed us in the core of this miserable planet, we whispered to the Chieftains of the Da’i Kii through their nightmares and fueled the War of the Five Tribes. Such a horrible war between such powerful magic users should have sealed this world’s fate, yet it survived yet again. The tenacity of this world both impresses and disgusts us.
"For every one thousand lives lost, one thousand five hundred will be brought into existence," Amah remarked. "That is the truth of this world: life always finds a way!"
Lola could see the Sun Spirit’s grip tighten around the Grass-Cutter sword, her hand trembling with anger. "You’ve wreaked so much carnage, so much suffering, yet you feel no remorse? You’ve learned nothing as well?" she seethed. "The Dire War was horrific—so many unnecessary deaths happened, and so many Spirits were erased in that butchery—yet you saw for yourself how Lumea’s population boomed in the aftermath. The War of the Five Tribes was yet another fine example; even with the loss of the Da’i Kii people and culture, magic and life in the areas the war took place resurged. Life cannot be destroyed; it simply takes on other forms!"
Mikaboh shook his head, chuckling to himself. You’re blinded by your bleeding-heart passion for this miserable rock and the wretched creatures living on it. So blind that you could never see how easily you’ve fallen into our plans, even from the beginning, he replied. You fought to keep your precious Spitz from reincarnating; falling into the cycle of life that repeats and repeats, its participants never learning anything: the same cycle you waste your breath defending. Life is simply a pesky little flame begging to be extinguished.
Lola looked back to see her friends desperately trying to hold back the onslaught of Mikaboh’s minions. Alessa had occupied both Venice and Jakea in hand-to-hand combat, swiftly dodging arrows and swings of the Kudzuthorn Flail. Wesley and Doug defended Aurora, Ruark, and Sam from Reanja’s attack. Carter and Rook desperately fought back the new swarm of Bogwraiths using a gust of heavy wind produced by the rooster. "You misled her," the Chakram called to Mikaboh.
Lola stood up, perplexed by what the weapon was saying.
"You convinced her to make me immortal, then manipulated the other Spirits into discovering what she had done when she concealed it from them," it continued. "You watched as they sealed my memories and forced me to die. Neither of us ever did anything to you to deserve such cruelty."
Amah turned to Lola, wide-eyed as she looked at the Chakram. "Spitz?"
The evil spirit growled. The only thing you ever did was serve your parts as pawns in our plan to undo this unsightly realm. Since our first attempt to do away with you didn’t take– He extended his hand skyward.
An orb of translucent energy began solidifying in the palm of his hand. Travesties of Darkness and Light be undone. What you once were, now you become none. To nothingness succumb!
The orb was now roughly the same height as Mikaboh, streams of black and grey smoke encircling it. We’ll erase you from existence for good! Bogwraiths, restrain them!
A pair of the monsters broke away from Carter and Rook and swooped down to take hold of both Amah and Lola. The Chakram rattled furiously in her jaws as the creature held her down. "What kind of descendant are you? Get back up!" it demanded.
The Buhund struggled against the monster’s weight. "I can’t move!" she cried.
She kicked her feet desperately at her unnatural running speed, yet was still unable to get free herself from the monster’s grip. It’s no use. This little charade of yours will be over soon, dearie. Mikaboh chided. With you gone we’ll drive the Broodrail into a heart of Prithvi, fuse it with the Marsh of Sorrow, and watch as the resulting discord and chaos cleaves through reality itself – destroying this eyesore of a dimension! Everything will finally end!
He twisted his arm and hurled the sphere of emptiness toward Lola and Amah, his tawdry cackle filling the air as it reared at them. Harsh reality sinking in, the Buhund couldn’t help but wince.
A split second before the orb reached them a wall of silver light erupted in front of them, causing the two Bogwraiths restraining them to flee. Inside of it, Lola caught a brief glimpse of Tsu in his full spirit form—a human man with silver skin and black hair. He turned to them with a weary, desperate expression. "No matter what happens, you must stop him," the Moon Spirit uttered.
The sphere of nothingness atomized him as it impacted, leaving no trace of him as it dissipated save for a few specks of silver light. Everyone stood silent, in shock at what had just occurred. Amah stuttered loudly before furiously bursting into tears. She dove toward Mikaboh, her sword pointed directly at his heart. "You scoundrel!"
Amah and the Grass-Cutter sword passed through his body, as she fell to the floor. Mikaboh smirked. Not what we intended, but we’ll take it, he snickered. The outcome is the same. You have lost.
Lola looked to Amah, Mikaboh now between the two of them. "What does he mean?" she begged.
Amah struggled to her feet, tears streaming down her face. "Both the Sun and the Moon were linked to Tsu. With him erased, the two would be lost with him."
Lola looked up to see the moon still shining brightly in the sky. "The moon’s still there, though!" she pointed out.
The moonlight intensified, as the shape of a woman in a long, silver gown materialized in the sky above them. Her long, white hair flowed through the wind, framing the tan skin of her face. "Fear not, for the Moon and the Sun live through me!" she announced. "I, Selena, Arch Spirit of the Moon have inherited both through my master Tsu, as well as his post. You have not lost! Fight on, Sunmark!"
As quickly as she appeared, the figure vanished in a flash of silver light. Lola turned back toward Mikaboh. "We both know you don’t have another one of those in you," she dictated.
Perhaps not, but we are not alone, he replied. Children! Rise up and devour them!
The remaining Bogwraiths turned their attention from the rest of the group toward Lola. Their shrieks filled the night air as they surged toward her.
"Hey, jerks!" Aurora’s voice called. "I’m going to teach you a nice, collective lesson for interrupting my song!"
The musician could be heard strumming her guitar, working back up toward the melody she was playing earlier. Once again, Lola felt strength from the music coursing through her body.
You’ve been knocked down
Facedown on the ground
So, dust yourself off
Now’s not the time to stand down
So, steel your heart
And still your mind
You can’t fall apart
With everything we’ve got on the line
Breath after breath, she felt the intensely warm energy of the music cascading through her being. The Chakram’s glow had grown so bright that the remnants of the entire passenger car were now dyed a vivid violet.
Lola launched herself into the air at the approaching swarm of Bogwraiths. She kicked off the air behind her as she and the weapon spiraled forward, stirring up a cyclone of Genesis energy.
Your blood may run cold
At the thought of what we’re facing
But you can’t fold
Even though your heart won’t stop racing
The Bogwraiths attempted to flee, only to be caught in the whirlwind of energy and reduced to dust, several Bogba’el fleeing their remains. Lola landed gracefully on the floor as the cyclone subsided, shooting a cocky glance back to Mikaboh. The evil spirit scowled sharply.
So, stand together
Stand strong and tall
Never say never
Because we could lose it all
Just stand together
Stand as one
And remember
This only ends when we’ve won
While Aurora continued playing her guitar and began humming along with the melody, Jakea extended her hand upward. "I need something with a bit more ’oomph’ if you could, please," she called to the weapon around her wrist.
The Kudzuthorn Flail overgrew into a large, spiny blossom connected to the end of a thick vine. Straining against its weight, Jakea swung it around to catch Alessa from the side. The force of the blow sent the assassin flying over the edge of the car with a dramatic scream.
She swung the flail again, sweeping low to strike Brooks, simultaneously freeing him from his bindings while also knocking him over the side of the passenger car.
As Reanja remained locked in combat with Wesley, Jakea attempted to sneak up behind her. Before she should raise the flail again, a set of translucent chains appeared and tightened around her. "Clever girl," Reanja remarked. "But not clever enough."
A second set of chains appeared and bound Wesley, the soldier cursing against his constraints. Reanja turned to face Ruark. "Now to deal with you, brat." She grinned.
Before she could even take two steps, she tripped and fell right on her face. Emma with Sants atop her back, now visible where the witch was before she tripped, let out a pleased snort. "Heavy dog do well," the cat remarked.
He jumped from Emma onto Reanja’s back, restraining her from getting back up. She let out a muffled scream as she struggled against the cat’s weight. "No, no. You have danger potential. No move," he dictated.
The chains binding Jakea and Wesley vanished while the car’s flooring cracked around Reanja as Sants increased his weight. "Is too satisfying," he commented. "Think we may have problem."
Venice dashed over to Lola, stepping beside her with his crossbow poised to strike. "Human, you stand with your dog even without hesitation? Even knowing that your weapon will have no effect on the Empty One?" the Chakram inquired.
"She’s my family," the carpenter answered. "I would follow her anywhere."
"Then I will lend my strength to you both," the weapon responded. "Take hold of me as well."
Unsure of its suggestion, Venice stowed his crossbow over his shoulder and knelt down to take hold of the Chakram as it was still clenched in Lola’s jaws.
Aurora took a deep breath as the melody she was playing started to rise. She began singing again.
You can’t keep hesitating
Now’s your chance to shine
And it’s so intimidating
Everything this moment will define
Lola and Venice shared a brief glance before they both continued staring down Mikaboh. They leaned forward, taking off in a burst and jumping into yet another swirl. "Union of darkness and light, essence of the breath of life," they both chanted. "Lend to us the strength you hold, to sunder and purge the void foretold!"
You can’t hold back
Forget the things you lack
Know this fight is worth braving
And what you love is worth saving
Holding on tightly to the Genesis Chakram, the both of them spiraled forward in a flurry of bright violet light. They spun with such speed that their appearance was reduced to a solid stream of Genesis energy.
In a sudden panic, Mikaboh turned to fly out of the energy stream’s path, only to be caught in the side by it. He let out a shrill scream as his form was disintegrated by the violet torrent of light. You. Have. Not. Won, he hissed.
Amidst his shrieks, the evil spirit’s form completely dissolved within the surge of Genesis energy, save for one tiny lock of hair that flew away into the wind.
Free of restraint, the rush of light barreled ahead, crashing past the doorway to the Broodrail’s engine room. Streams of violet luminescence could be seen pouring out of the vehicle’s inner workings before the engine exploded in a flash of Genesis magic. The machine shook violently as thousands of Bogba’el poured out of its chassis, scattering themselves into the night in a sea of squeals.
As its metal began to twist and rearrange back to its original state, the train quickly began to lose speed.
#
Familiarly bright sunlight shone overhead. Lola found herself once again looking out at the same stretch of land from her dreams, the exact same white birch homes speckling the far-off hills. Footsteps sounded behind her and she turned, expecting to see the same unfamiliar yet familiar faces, yet found Venice staring at her. "Where are we?" he asked.
The Buhund shook her head in confusion and disbelief. "How are you here? This is my dream."
A large white dog with violet markings stepped out from behind Venice, looking wearied at their confusion. "Your link through me brought all of us here," the dog explained. "You both lost consciousness after that last attack. I suppose your bodies weren’t prepared for such a strain, but I didn’t realize I’d be pulled here as well. I haven’t dreamt in thousands of years."
Both Lola and Venice gazed in surprise at the strange dog. "I guess in this form you can call me Spitz," she explained. "Don’t look so shocked."
"You’re female?" Lola asked.
The ancient dog appeared annoyed. "And what of it?"
"Sorry," Venice apologized. "Grandmother referred to you as male in the legends she recounted."
"Over thousands of years, it seems the finer details tend to be misconstrued," Spitz replied. "How could you expect the mother of all dogs to not be female?"
The Buhund and the carpenter both shrugged. "So where exactly have you brought us to?" the ancient dog inquired.
Lola looked out at the nearby village. "I have no clue," she replied. "I just come here sometimes when I sleep, and I see people and animals that have died living here happily."
"The dead go to the Fields of Beyond to await reincarnation," Spitz responded. "You shouldn’t be encountering them in a lucid dream."
The Buhund turned back, tilting her head in curiosity. "Loose-it dream?"
"Lucid dream. It means you’re aware you’re dreaming," Spitz corrected. "Which means you’re seeing through the dream world’s mist for what it really contains. This place is a part of the dream world that is unaltered by the dreamers currently in it."
"So, why is she seeing people and animals who have died?" Venice inquired.
A set of footsteps tapped softly against the road they were standing in, as a black Buhund with a white crest on her chest approached. "We’re not meant to be here," the dog spoke. "That much is clear."
Lola glanced at the dog, the memories in her head reconnecting immediately. She ran up to the black Buhund. "Mama!" she exclaimed. "I’m sorry I forgot you. I never meant to."
The black Buhund scoffed. "You forgot me? Some child you are."
Lola’s face fell.
"Sandara!" a man down the road called. "Be nice."
"I was just messing with her a bit," Sandara called back.
A man—accompanied by a woman with long, black hair, a yellow hen, and two little boys—quickly approached. Venice’s eyes went wide. "T-Turin?" he struggled.
"You got very tall, Ven," the man commented. "The facial hair is a bit, much though."
The carpenter stuttered. "H-how are y-you—" He looked to the woman next to Turin. "And who are—"
"You befriended my daughter," the woman spoke. "And this hen’s husband, as well as the father and the uncle of these two boys."
A woman with medium-length, dark brown hair could be seen running to catch up with them. "Quinn, physical constraints don’t apply here. How are you out of breath?" Sandara asked.
"Force of habit," the woman panted. "Is this the Buhund that befriended my Marion?"
"You’re Wesley’s wife, aren’t you?" Lola inquired.
She turned to the little boys. "And his children."
The Buhund lazily glanced at the other members of the group. "I already figured out who you were," she remarked. "Sitara Song, Aurora’s mother; Quinoa, Rook’s wife; and Turin Sharma, Venice’s f—"
"Lola, stop," Venice interrupted her. "How long have you been dreaming about this place? About them?"
"I have no clue who any of them are," Spitz remarked.
Lola contemplated for a moment. "Since the first night since we left Hollyton," she replied. "And not very often. It’s not like I knew who they were."
She looked up to see tears running down the carpenter’s cheeks as his gaze was fixed upon Turin. A wave of guilt washed over her.
"I’ve spent the last fifteen years regretting that night … hating myself because of what happened to you," Venice choked. "How are you the same age as me?"
"I chose to age at the same rate as you, in case I ever saw you again, so that we could see eye to eye," Turin replied. "Talking to a thirteen-year-old would be a touch awkward, wouldn’t it?"
"Your time here is short, so let us get to the point," Sitara interjected. "All of us are no longer of the world of the living, and while we are not suffering in this realm we do not belong here. Balance must be restored. You must find a way to free us from this dream."
"You must make the Spirit Order aware," Quinn added. "They may know of a way, some way, to release us."
Venice wiped his eyes with his wrist. "And what if they don’t?"
"Then you’ll have to figure something out yourselves," Sandara remarked.
The two little boys eagerly crept up behind Sandara. "Harrison and Davis, can I help you?" the black Buhund asked.
They gazed over to Lola and Venice. "Can you do something for us when you wake up?" the oldest of the two children asked.
The scenery around them pulsed and began to blur. "You’d better make your request quick," Lola remarked. "It seems our time here is almost up."
"We can watch what goes on in our loved one’s lives through their dreams," the youngest of the two explained. "Can you please tell Dad and Uncle Robert that what happened to us wasn’t their fault?"
Lola and Venice shared a brief glance before turning back to the children. "We will," Venice answered.
"Sunmark?" Sandara uttered.
Everything around them began to fade to darkness, bit by bit. "Yes, mama?" Lola asked.
Only a faint outline of the black Buhund could be seen. "I’m so proud of you."
#
"Wake up!" Aurora demanded. "Both of you wake up!"
Lola’s eyes fluttered open to the sensation of Rook pecking her forehead. She cried out in pain. "Ow. I’m awake! Stop it!"
The dim light of the rising sun had painted the landscape a deep pink. They found themselves in a grassy field, pieces of the Broadtail’s machinery littered all around them. Venice was sitting up less than a few meters from Lola, the Genesis Chakram faintly glowing on the grass between them. The ruined shell of Mikaboh’s machine could be seen not too far from where they had landed.
Aurora locked her arms around both of them in a tight embrace. "Oh, thank goodness!" she exclaimed.
Rook fluttered up to the musician’s shoulder, striking Venice and Lola each with a firm peck. "Don’t scare us like that," he demanded.
"Is everyone else all right?" Lola asked.
Aurora drew back, her eyes wet and hesitant to speak. Rook let out a forlorn sigh. "Sam’s not recovering," he explained. "Ruark and Amah have tried every spell they can muster and none of them are healing him."
Lola grabbed the Genesis Chakram off the grass and fastened it back into the set of clips on the side of her harness with a loud click. She jumped to her feet, looking ahead to see the smoking shell of a machine that was once the Broodrail motionless in the field ahead of her. The rest of the group was gathered directly aside from the vehicle’s remains. Ruark, Amah, and Doug were visibly kneeling over an injured Sam, attempting to tend to the Parkahund’s injuries.
Venice struggled to his feet, following behind the Buhund as she dashed over to the others, Aurora and Rook trailing behind him. "Don’t quit on me now, you stubborn, pig-headed excuse of a cur!" Doug bellowed.
Sam whined loudly as Ruark attempted yet another healing spell. "This is one of the most powerful healing spells a Da’i Kii can learn and I’ve cast it five times in a row. Why isn’t it working?" the Spellsword begged.
Amah shook her head, her face tired and worn with grief and desperation. "I think perhaps this injury can’t be healed."
Doug threw himself down onto the Parkahund, sobbing loudly. "Fight, you dolt! Fight! I know you hate me and I don’t blame you, but for the love of everything that’s holy, please fight!" the elder Sage pleaded. "I’m sorry for everything! I know I should have done more! Just please live!"
Sam let out a huff, with a weak nod to Ruark. "He wants me to relay his last words to you," the Da’i Kii explained.
Lola gritted her teeth. "You idiot," she agonized.
The Parkahund groaned rhythmically. "Doug, I don’t hate you. I blamed you for a long time for what happened to those children in Currantshore at the hands of a Bogda’el," Ruark translated. "It did seem as if you didn’t care, but over time I realized how heavily their deaths weighed on your mind. Your inability to admit you cared always annoyed me. However, I suppose as I’m about to pass into the next life, it’s best to offer you my forgiveness and understanding."
Sam gave a loud bark as Ruark continued to translate. "You’re still an absolute jackamule, but you’re not a bad person, Doug."
Doug sniveled while he knelt over the dog. As the world around them began to turn grey, the elder Sage’s eyes went wide.
A tall figure materialized from thin air behind them; a humanoid skeleton in a long, black robe holding a long scythe in its hand. Its glowing purple eyes focused in on Sam as it loomed over the group. "No. You can’t take him yet!" Doug protested.
The figure shook its head. "The cycle of life must come to an end for all material beings eventually," Grim spoke. "Hartstein Sam is an old dog. The strain of enduring an injury of the magnitude Colonel Brooks inflicted was simply too much for him. His entire body is failing. There is no magic in existence that can save him; it is time for him to come with me."
Lola stepped in front of the skeleton and looked up at him. "There has to be a way around this," she argued. "Can’t you link him to someone else’s lifeline like Amah did with me and Venice?"
The reaper raised his scythe and slammed the blunt end of its handle into the ground in vexation. "What you request is unnatural. Do you forget the unbalance caused by your resurrection? The laws of nature are not meant to be tampered with in such a way."
"He’s the Worldly Sage of Earth ... we need eight Sages, one for each element to protect this planet, don’t we?" Venice pointed out. "Would you dare to doom all of existence?"
Grim raised his scythe over Sam, bypassing Lola and Venice with little concern. "The worlds chose him, and they will choose a replacement in his absence."
Ruark emitted an exasperated sigh and stood up. "Do not forget the deal you made with my people, Reaper," he dictated.
His purple eyes flickering in surprise, Grim drew back his scythe. "A Da’i Kii? I thought your kind were extinct."
The reaper huffed in resignation. "Do you wish to make an exchange?"
Ruark approached the skeleton and extended his flesh and blood hand. "Half," he offered. "Half of my remaining time."
"That may be less time than you think," Grim advised. "Are you certain you wish to proceed?"
The Da’i Kii nodded. At his urging, Grim reached out and took hold of his hand. "Then he lives. For now."
Color suddenly returned to the world around them as the reaper vanished into thin air. Sam rose to his feet and coughed loudly before erupting into a boisterous and effervescent bark.
"Why did you do that?" Amah asked.
Lola sputtered. "What did he do?"
"My people have an outstanding deal with the High Spirits of Life and Death—to mitigate the decree made by Athena that declared our souls be sealed in the Stagnant Garden upon death—which allows us to donate our remaining time to other living beings," Ruark explained.
He turned to face the Sun Spirit. "As to why, he is the spitting image of my Na’Kama, Maple. Would you be so cruel as to force someone to watch their loved one die twice?"
"But that’s half of your remaining life," Amah questioned. "And regardless of the resemblance, they’re not the same dog."
Ruark scoffed. "You do remember that a Da’i Kii’s average lifespan is one to three thousand years?"
"Even still, to freely give it to a dog you barely know?" Venice interjected.
Sam waddled up to the Spellsword, letting out a low warble. Ruark rolled his eye and shrugged.
A cluster of lights descended from the sky above, consolidating into a resounding silver flash. The form of a woman materialized as the glow faded. Her long, silver gown and long, white hair flowed gracefully behind her. "You cannot rest easy just yet," she advised.