Chapter Text

Buck could hardly breathe through the soot that clogged his nostrils. His legs ached, his arms were sore, his eyes burned, but he kept moving forward. He could hear the faint breathing of the girl in his arms. Her left arm was soaked in blood and she was hardly conscious, but her breathing confirmed that she was alive. Her coat was soaked in dirt and soot and her pink hair was stained in blood.

“Just a little farther.” He spoke to her softly. She shifted slightly in his grasp.

Buck could see the Paladins just up ahead. They had finally finished gathering every living survivor that they could find from the debris of the destroyed monastery. Healers were moving quickly back and forth over the bedrolls of injured monks and Paladins.

Buck placed the girl onto a bedroll. Her eyes opened slightly, revealing deep blue irises and slit, Tigron pupils.

An Ent healer moved to her and placed his large wooden hand on her body. Buck moved away to give the two space.

He walked through the lot, surprised to see such a diversity of Humans, Elves, Ska’Drin, Stagalla, and other races. The Paladins had truly gathered a remarkable group of freedom fighters in the Realm, simple people who wanted a better life for themselves and their families.

He spotted a familiar man sitting on a log nearby, speaking to a Flame. The man had dark hair and emerald eyes that were accentuated by his crimson scarf.

“Sha Lin?” he asked, approaching the man.

The man looked up at him and smiled, “Hi! I… don’t recall your name, but we’ve met!”

“Buck ‘The Unyielding’.” The monk responded, placing a hand to his chest.

“‘The Desert Wind’.” Sha Lin added, before motioning to the Flame, “This is Cassie, ‘The Hunter’s Daughter’.”

Buck moved to sit on the log beside the duo, before staring out over the Paladins lot, “So, this is what you’ve been up to? Did he sell you, or-”

“Betrayal.” Sha Lin responded, “There’s a bounty on my head, and I’m not ashamed of it. I’m a bit of a travelling hero, though. I’ve made a name for myself.”

“Hey, good for you!” Buck smiled, before his expression dropped, “I’m really happy you- all of you- came out here just in time. The Paladins have saved so many lives, and I just cannot thank you all enough.”

Sha Lin followed Buck’s gaze for a moment before sighing, “But what about the Ascended? The Ruby Kingdom came all this way to take him, and we couldn’t even stop them! What are we going to do without him? What are they going to do with him?”

Cassie stood, gave a quick bow to the duo, and left, seemingly to offer them privacy to discuss the matter.

Buck shook his head, “He’s a god, I can’t imagine they can hurt him. I-I think he’ll be okay it’s just… With him gone, the monks might lose hope. We’ve literally been waiting for centuries for his return, and a few months after he descends he is kidnapped from us!”

Sha Lin placed a hand on Buck’s shoulder and spoke gently, “I think it will be okay. We’ll get him back, or he will escape and we will find him again.”

Buck smiled and stood up. He began to move away from his old companion, calling over his shoulder, “Thank you, Sha. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some thinking to do.







The massive monk warrior moved through the group of Paladins once more. It seemed a group of monks were turning the food remnants they had managed to save into a stew to feed the group, and Buck considered aiding them. Not yet, though; for the time being, Buck had a very important task that he must carry out.

Buck walked away from the Paladins camp and through the dark forest. He came to a cliff overlooking a massive field that had been trampled by hundreds of soldiers from the south. The ruined monastery stood on the mountains at the other side of the field.

The sun was beginning to rise over the field, illuminating broken stone and ashes in the golden morning light.

Buck lowered to the ground and folded his legs into a lotus position. He closed his eyes and took a deep, soft breath of the soot-filled air.

He could feel the pain of his fellow monks, he could hear the cries from the horrible night before, he could smell the ashes and burning bodies. He could sense the reach of the Cosmos high above, and he felt the words filling his mind Jenos, please hear me! Please help us! .

A new scent filled his nostrils, he expected it to be the sweet honey of Jenos’ breath, but instead he smelled the scent of a strong wine.

He opened his eyes and found himself staring into a pair of unseeing lavender irises.

“Hey Seris.” Buck muttered.

Seris leaned back, copying his position. Her hood was down and the warm morning sunlight shone on her pale skin.

“On what do you think, Mortal?” Seris asked, cocking her head slightly.

“Where’s Jenos? I know you know.” Buck responded.

Seris giggled slightly, “You’ve tricked me, haven’t you? You wanted to meditate to Jenos, and you knew I’d interrupt you to be silly. Why have you tricked me?”

“Because I know Jenos,” Buck replied, “We’ve been waiting for him for centuries, and it took him so long to answer us. You get bored really easily, you’re quicker to find.”

Seris smiled, showing her teeth only slightly, “Oh, you flatter me, Buck.”

“Now then, where is Jenos?” Buck asked, shifting slightly in his position.

Seris’ smile sank to a gentle frown, “I must say, he looks rather attractive in his current position, but I do not much like how they have him. He calls me an… intimate little creature- those were his words I believe. I cannot even hold his hand now.”

“Well, while you take me to him, you can hold my hand if you want.” Buck offered kindly.

Seris’ face contorted into a look of disgust.

Buck rose to his feet, followed by the blind oracle.

“You know you will not be able to rescue him.” She muttered.

Buck nodded, “Yeah, obviously, but I know you have a way of letting me see him. I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

Seris nodded, “Very well. Come with me.”

She stepped away, seeming to be vanishing into nothingness. Buck quickly grabbed her wrist and allowed her to pull him into the strange land in which she travelled. Just as he was pulled into the darkness, he noticed his resting, meditating body left behind on the cliffside.







The two arrived in a strange land with a dark purple sky. Creatures moved through the silver clouds, vanishing and appearing elsewhere. The duo was standing on a massive, cold bluish stone platform that stood alone on a lavender sea of strange details. The platform was lined with black bushes and small stone statues and forms.

Buck glanced to Seris, surprised to see her look of horror and anger.

“Do. Not. Touch. Me.” The creature spoke in a hiss.

Buck released her wrist, muttering a quick apology. Seris held her hand close to her body, rubbing her wrist gently.

“Stay close to me, Mortal. A soul without a body could soon find itself nothing but an Abyssal Echo in these lands.” She spoke, not facing Buck. She walked away, and the monk rushed to follow.

The two walked for a few minutes along the platform. Buck was acutely aware of creatures swimming in the strange sea. Occasional body parts -horns, eyes, limbs- would move above the surface, before lowering once more.

The pair came to a crack that floated in space, and Seris casually strolled through as if it was a simple doorway. Buck swallowed hard and followed the mysterious creature.

The two had arrived in a small encampment. A few soldiers moved back and forth sluggishly, but most of the people present were dressing wounds or sleeping off the previous day’s siege. None of the soldiers paid the oracle or the monk’s spirit mind, and Buck assumed that the two were invisible to the Mortal eye.

The two moved through the camp of Magistrate, Thousand Hands, and Ruby Knights, before they finally came to the base of a mighty cross. Bound to the cross was a limply hanging man of short stature who wore a head of silver-blue hair, and whose face was obscured by a mask.

“Jenos?” Buck gasped.

Jenos raised his head weakly, his lenses matching Buck’s gaze.

“Now, now.” The god chuckled, “You are not meant to be here. Either of you. And Seris, do be careful with Buck’s soul. He is a dear friend of mine, I would not want anything happening to him.”

“Of course.” Seris replied, “He simply wanted to see you.”

“J-Jenos, we’ll get you out of here!” Buck insisted, “We’ll find this camp, we will free you!”

Seris chuckled softly, “I would not do that if I were you.”

“You must leave me.”Jenos replied, “Take the monks of Tau Kor to somewhere that they will be safe, and be sure that they are ready for my return.”

“I’m not going to lose you again!” Buck said quickly, moving a hand to Jenos’ foot. His spirit-hand moved through the mortal body.

“I assure you, it is in the best interest of the Realm.” Jenos spoke gently, “I am meant to be here, in this place, now, in this time. The Realm needs me to be right here, and when it does not, I will not be.”

“And how do you plan to ‘not be’?” Came a deep, strong voice from behind Buck. He turned to see a massive man, easily ten feet tall. The man wore a simple scarlet tunic. The russet skin of his face was lit by several silver crystals that lay implanted around one eye, and his irises glowed magically.

Buck braced himself for the Giant’s attack, but the Giant seemed not to notice him. Again, Buck remembered that he was simply a spirit, invisible to the mortal eye.

“Worry yourself not with this.” Jenos chuckled, “Your pathetic mortal bindings cannot hold me, and they soon will not.”

“I’d like to see you try to escape.” The man growled, “I’ll catch you and put you right back on that cross.”

Jenos nodded in disinterest, “When the time comes for me to leave, I shall. Besides, I will have places to be, friends to call. I will no longer have any reason to be held hostage by your pitiful army.”

The world began to spin around Buck. He reached a hand to Seris, but she pulled away sharply, giving a slight hiss of annoyance.

“I don’t want to wake up, I want to stay with Jenos!” Buck cried out, but Seris ignored him. He could hear Jenos’ voice, calming, comforting, but he could see nothing more as the shapes around him became dancing, spinning lights.

Buck’s eyes snapped open.

He was on the cliff, there was no Jenos, no Seris, no massive Giant man.

He rose to his feet, surveying the field before him.

Jenos had been taken by the Magistrate, the monks of Tau Kor had lost their home, a darkness loomed on the horizon.

Yet through all of it, Buck had hope.