PtM 18 - Chapter 42: The Great Severing

Black and white sand swept across Huxian’s meditating figure at the center of the Ba Desert Sea. It was a tug of war between yin and yang as both sought to devour him and regain the authority he’d taken from them.

Beside him were his eight friends. Each of them occupied their own platforms, specially built to withstand the potent eight-directions energy that poured in as they took over the oversized but admittedly low-energy territory known as Mendin.

This had been going on for quite some time, and only now was the process finally drawing to a close. Huxian had gained the most out of the experience, as his cultivation had soared to reach the second level of sainthood. His friends, on the other hand, were stuck at the first level of sainthood due to the pollution in their bloodlines.

Yet their expressions were resolute as they formed hand seal after hand seal and prepared to execute a dangerous technique handed to them by none other than Patriarch Heartforge.

“This is it,” Huxian said to them. “I know it’s been hard on you all, but I’ll make it up to you in the immortal dimension.”

Silverwing cracked an eye open. “It’s fine. It was… fun. I never imagined we’d be capable of bullying the plane to this extent.”

“It wasn’t much of a challenge,” said Lei Jiang. “The plane ran away scared. Boring.”

“It was scared, but not because of anything we did,” said Miyue.

“The fortune of this realm is in flux,” Bifang agreed. “I think it’s far more likely that the will of the world didn’t have the luxury of interfering with our actions.”

Huxian’s gaze swept over the eight of them. Many emotions, complicated and otherwise, filled him. He’d had a rough start with some of them, especially Lei Jiang and Silverwing, who’d been with him since the beginning.

“Gua? Nothing from you?” said Huxian.

“I just don’t want to ruin my makeup,” said Gua with a light sniffle. “Mr. Mountain, say something. Anything.”

“I have many regrets,” said Mr. Mountain. “I wanted to take M&T Tailors to the next level. I wanted to make a giant mountain that could never be torn down. Mount Skypiercer is tall, but how much taller would it have been if given another century?”

“I had fun,” said Wu.

“So did I,” said Jadefall. “My only regret is not cutting that turtle’s head off.” They all broke out in soft laughter. The tension that had been accumulating over their group dissipated in an instant.

“All right, enough dawdling,” Huxian said. “According to my pet Ba Serpent, the fight’s reaching a critical stage. Let’s hit her where it hurts. Lightning! Wind!” Lei Jiang and Silverwing transformed into balls of light that shot into Huxian’s tails. “Mountain! Swamp!” Mr. Mountain and Gua followed in Lei Jiang’s and Silverwing’s footsteps.

“Will you miss me?” asked Miyue.

“Of course,” said Huxian.

“What about me?” asked Bifang.

“I’ll miss all of you,” said Huxian. “Water! Fire!” The two shot him a coy smile as they flew into his tails. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” said Wu.

“Born ready,” said Jadefall.

“Heaven! Earth!” shouted Huxian. Jadefall and Wu shot into Huxian’s tails, leaving the fox alone at the center of the roiling yin-yang sea. “Now for the hard part. Fusion… Transformation!” His body expanded and quickly surpassed his previous peak, reaching 5,000 kilometers from head to tail in a single second. His eight glowing tails filled the sky like massive heavenly chains of order that imposed his will over everything.

Huxian’s senses underwent a transformation as he unleashed his full strength. They filled the entire sacred desert in an instant and rapidly expanded to all the territories they’d “claimed.” They’d managed to obtain about 90% of Mendin with the assistance of the dungeon cores. And now, Huxian was quickly gobbling up the remaining 10%.

“Fusion is fusion, and ownership is ownership,” said Huxian. “This land might be one with our flesh and blood, but its roots are with the Inkwell Ancestor. So the only way to truly ascend is to cut away that bond. Space! Time! Yin! Yang!”

Ripples of space-time energy shot out from his position at the center of the eight sacred deserts, the center of all of Mendin. They covered every inch of the continent and its protective shell in the void. They then proceeded to shatter the anchor points that connected the realm to the Central Inkwell Sea and the Inkwell Plane’s Dao origins.

“There’s no need for this land to exist under the tyranny of Melody the Deranged,” Huxian said. “I claim this land as my own. Mendin… is mine!”

The Ba Desert Sea began to contract toward him and pour into his tail. It was quickly followed by the eight sacred deserts that his friends had painstakingly terraformed.

Next came the many republics of Mendin, including their capitals, their churches, and their many rankers. The land, the people, and the power, and the artifacts—everything flowed toward Huxian and merged with his flesh and blood.

Some of the more powerful cultivators that still remained weren’t happy about this development. They were given a choice—flee into the void or obey his rules from now on. Some left, but most were happy to avoid the calamity that was Melody. Huxian would teach them a lesson for being so cowardly, but for now, he was content with not fighting with them.

The least pleased about Huxian’s actions was naturally Melody. He could feel her anger, but also her helplessness at his actions. She was tied in place and could not divide her attention, for her essence and her future were at stake.

“There. I fulfilled my promise, Cha Ming,” Huxian said. “You doomed Mendin, and now, I’m saving it.” The lone fox began flying through the void as he purged whatever remained of Melody’s will from his dominion. His destination? The Central Inkwell Sea.

***

Cha Ming was naturally unaware of what was transpiring in Mendin, but his actions were not unlike Huxian’s. As he gained increasing amounts of authority, he became aware of pockets of land and water scattered across the Central Inkwell Sea.

There were many more islands on the Central Inkwell Sea than he’d expected, as well as underwater forests and towering mountains beneath the ocean waves. It wasn’t just a world of water, but a world of the five elements using water as a base.

“We’re reaching a critical point in the core formation process,” Scriptorium reported to Cha Ming. “The planar core is almost completely stable. What the demiplane lacks now are suitable foundational materials.”

“What about the materials I gathered?” Cha Ming asked.

“Frankly, they are greatly lacking in quantity,” said Scriptorium. “And it isn’t just me. My four other coworkers all require materials. And we cannot advance unless we do so together.”

“Then what’s your suggestion?” Cha Ming asked him.

“Since you’ve gained authority over pieces of the realm, why don’t you just take these pieces?” suggested Scriptorium.

Cha Ming was dumbfounded. “What? You want me to take over a plane with living creatures on it? Are you insane?”

“Is there a problem?” asked Scriptorium.

“What do you mean, is there a problem?” asked Cha Ming. “I’d be taking them away from their homes!”

“But you can agree that life here is preferable to death out there,” said Scriptorium. “And you can probably also see that regardless of how this plays out, many people will be in danger. By collecting islands and other areas with high-population density, not only will you obtain high-level materials, you will also be saving countless innocent beings. What enormous karmic merit!”

Evidently, Scriptorium had put a lot of thought into this argument, as Cha Ming couldn’t find any holes in it.

“Can we do this without hurting anyone?” asked Cha Ming.

“This is your world,” said Scriptorium. “Set aside an area for them and provide them food, shelter, and energy. Meanwhile, we’ll reassemble the components you bring in and expand the five demiplanes, thereby making them suitable for habitation by both humans and demons.”

This was quite a bit for Cha Ming to take in. His original intentions had been to chase away the will of the world and facilitate the Five-Point Monarchs and their battle, not to pillage the plane he called home for parts.

“And what do the Five-Point Monarchs think?” asked Cha Ming.

“Them?” said Scriptorium. “They’ve naturally been doing the same thing this entire time.”

“What?” shouted Cha Ming.

“The bodies of your five friends practice demonic cultivation, and this naturally involves fusion with a land mass,” Scriptorium explained. “As they’ve been gaining influence, they’ve been absorbing bits and pieces of the Inkwell Plane and rescuing them from disaster. It’s really the smartest thing to do. Low effort and beneficial for everyone involved—except Melody, obviously. To her, it would be like slowly losing tiny pieces of her body.”

Cha Ming came to a decision. “Fine. We’ll do it. Prioritize high-population areas and make arrangements with the other four. I don’t want anyone hurt or excluded. I want everything explained. I also want it made clear that if anyone wants to leave in the future, I’ll make it happen.”

Scriptorium smiled. “I knew you would be reasonable, so I took the liberty of printing a set of procedures. It’s highly detailed and covers many areas you might have overlooked, like education and child welfare. And hospitals. You can’t not have those.”

Cha Ming frowned. “You’re making it sound like this is going to take a lot of time.”

“You need to realize that we’re not just upgrading demiplanes, Clear Sky,” said Scriptorium. “We’re completing demiplanes and transforming them into real planes. By the end of all this, you’re going to have a total of five fully functional transcendent worlds inside your body.”

Cha Ming put his hand to his brow. “No pressure. No pressure at all.”

“I sense sarcasm in your tone,” said Scriptorium. “That’s good. Humor is a very good coping mechanism. In the meantime, I believe you’ll want to address certain high-profile requests. I kept them from you during our conversation, but they probably require immediate attention.”

Cha Ming accepted five sheets of paper. Each one contained a request for reinforcements. Apparently, the forces outside were no longer capable of isolating the planar core from Melody’s influence. She was rapidly taking back authority that hadn’t yet been absorbed inside his five companions’ bodies and had begun absorbing territories of her own.

“Ah, here’s the latest one,” said Scriptorium. “You can just reply directly.”

“Clear Sky, she’s gotten too strong, and we can’t hold on!” came the Clockwork Ancestor’s voice. “If you don’t come help us now, we’re finished!”

“I’ll be right there,” Cha Ming replied. “Carnage? Ninesky?”

“Master?” said Luther. “Coral and Disaster decided to take a rest. Will you be needing us to join together again?”

“We’ll need you to do more than just that,” said Cha Ming. “Take the two of them. Become Carnage. Then assemble our painted armies, because we’re going to need them.”

A blur of blood and a blur of wind shot into Luther, who transformed into the massive three-headed and nine-tailed cat once more. “Is it… war, then?”

“Yes, it’s war,” said Cha Ming. “Pull out all the stops. I want every painting we have, every troop under our command. Only the five planar wills can’t be spared, since they’ll be busy.”

“What about me?” asked Ninesky. “What’s my job?”

“Your job is the most important job of all,” Cha Ming said to the sprite. “I want you to fly north with haste and find Melody. I want you to taunt her. I want you to prank her. I want you to scare her.”

Ninesky grinned. “I can definitely do that.”

“I have the utmost confidence in you,” said Cha Ming. “Now go!” He watched as she zipped off merrily into the distance.

“Thank the heavens she’s gone,” said Carnage. “It’s so difficult organizing troops with her around.”

“I know,” said Cha Ming. “Which is why I sent her off.”

“It wasn’t to annoy the opposition?” asked Carnage, surprised.

“It’s called strategic thinking,” said Cha Ming. “There’s no reason why we can’t do both. Now, what are you standing around for? We need to ride out, and fast.”

“Give me three… no, two minutes,” said Carnage. With that, he vanished into the Clear Sky World and began issuing orders.

***

Elder Ling had been around for many thousands of years, yet never had he seen such wanton slaughter. In such a battle, first-level saints barely qualified as cannon fodder. Every minute or so, one of them died to buy their leaders a precious opening.

“How long do you think you can keep this up?” Melody said. She impaled a ranker from Mendin with her brush much like one would casually skewer a piece of meat. “It hasn’t been too long, and already, half of you are dead!”

“We’ll keep it up as long as we can,” said the Crystal Emperor. “Meet my sword!” He swung his crystalline blade toward her while channeling the Nine God Swords of Slovana. Nine sword phantoms were superimposed over his own sword, summoning forth enough power that Melody had to block. “Are you going to just stand around, or are you going to actually do something, Crimson?”

“It was just waiting for an opportunity,” said the Crimson Lotus Emperor. “Nine Daos: Return to Origin! Nine Laws: Converge!” The patterns on the Dao Fuse Cauldron lit up and collected power from every immortal on the battlefield, combining them all into a single attack.

The five elements, wind and lightning, and light and darkness formed a dazzling crimson lotus. The lotus had nine leaves, one for each elemental color, along with nine golden stamen representing imperial authority.

The heavens shook as concentrated law energy overwrote Melody’s own authority, and the Nine God Swords and the Crystal Emperor broke through them by virtue of their own divinity. The combination completely broke Melody’s defenses, opening her up to attacks from the various saints still standing.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Elder Ling said to Daoist South Sea.

“You and I both,” said Daoist South Sea. “But we’re too badly wounded to do anything. There’s only one last thing we can do to help, and I’m not about to waste it.”

“Keep up the pressure!” commanded the Crystal Monarch. “Don’t let her focus! Don’t let her rest!”

The Crimson Lotus Emperor was frowning, however. “I’m with you, but don’t you think something strange is going on?”

“What’s so strange about an opponent falling onto their back foot?” asked the Crystal Monarch. “Unless…”

An explosion of inky energy shot out from Melody’s location and slammed into the weaker cultivators present. In a split second, every single first-level saint perished, and the second-level saints were badly wounded.

“Pain is such a wonderful force,” said Melody as she emerged from the carnage. “By accepting it and taking it as your own, it can allow you to erupt with much more power than normally possible.”

“You did that on purpose,” the Crystal Monarch accused. “All of it, including the gap in your defenses.”

“Of course,” said Melody. “If I couldn’t think that far ahead, how could I possibly hope to retake this world and regenerate my body? Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Let’s take care of the dregs first, shall we?”

She struck out with her brush, and all the second-level saintly demigods from Slovana ceased to exist.

She struck out again, and all second-level saintly Daoists perished.

She struck out a third time, and all second-level saintly demons were buried, along with the final two rankers from Mendin, Pope Rowe and Pope Rice.

“It’s about time I tied up some loose ends,” said Meldoy. She struck out toward Elder Ling more quickly than he could react. But Mr. Mao Mao was faster than he was and intercepted the stream of sharp ink. It tore through what was left of his armor and ripped open his shoulder.

“You think you can just ignore us?” said the Crystal Monarch.

“Do you think we’re here as decorations?” asked the old tiger from the Demon Lands.

“Take another attack from me if you’re so free,” said Daoist Crimson Lotus.

“You think you’re worthy?” said Melody. “Perhaps if it was a few minutes ago, it would be a different story. Unfortunately, I’ve reached a critical point in my authority. You can’t do anything to me.”

A ripple of black ink shot out from her and sent them flying. “Let’s see how you survive this.” Melody pulled her brush back and struck out at Elder Ling, only to jerk and pull back at the last second. “Impossible! How? He shouldn’t have been able to… Is that the Candle Dragon and the Void Phoenix’s inheritance?”

“Press the attack!” shouted the Crystal Emperor. The other two regional leaders joined him, and this time, it was Melody who was on the back foot.

“I’m not as perceptive as you are,” said Daoist South Sea. “What exactly happened?”

“Only one thing could cause a demon of her level to suffer so,” said Elder Ling. “A massive and irretrievable loss of territory! Judging by the spatial fluctuations and the general direction, I’m guessing that something happened in Mendin.”

Unfortunately, her disadvantaged position only lasted for so long before she forced the two emperors and the old tiger back. “Nothing good ever comes of sparing the weak, and a lion should always use their full strength while hunting rabbits,” said Melody. “West Sea, prepare to meet your maker. Oh wait, that’s me, isn’t it?”

Her brush came down once again, and Elder Ling prepared himself to pass on to the next life. But to his surprise, he defied the odds. Nine chains of divine order shot out from the void and caught Melody’s brush and locked it firmly into place.

“Hey there, everyone,” said a cheerful youngster as he strode through a crack in the void. “Happening times. Sorry I’m late. I hope I didn’t miss anything important.”

“You couldn’t have come at a better time,” said the old tiger from the Demon Lands. “I take it you succeeded?”

“Yep,” said Huxian. “I’ve got all of Mendin tucked up in here.” He patted his tummy for effect.

“All of Mendin?” said Elder Ling. “No wonder.”

“So you’re the wretched thief,” said Melody. “You dare take what’s mine with that little strength of yours, and even think to constrain me?” She pulled, and the divine chains shattered.

“I may have been exaggerating slightly,” said Huxian. “So… the plan. I hope the plan is going well?”

“The plan is the plan,” said Elder Ling. “We have no influence on it and can only hope that it all works out.”

“What are you all babbling about?” said Melody. “You know what? I don’t care. I’m killing you all, here and now.” Yet her eyes widened just as the words left her mouth. “What? He dares?”

To their surprise, she vanished and completely abandoned the planar core.

“We can only hope he succeeds in the end,” said the Crimson Lotus Emperor. He coughed up a mouthful of blood as his body involuntarily relaxed. “Let’s make the most of this opportunity and recover our strength. She’ll be back, and she won’t be happy.”

***

The Pale King had been preparing for this moment his entire life. It was a mission entrusted to him by his ancestor when the will of the world had been sealed away; it would cost him his life, he knew, but not once did he hesitate.

He had paid dearly to make sure that everything was perfect and kept secret from the enemy. Countless clansmen had perished by his own two paws to keep the matter silent. Countless more pure-blood descendants had also died to prolong his life span, which would have come to a natural end over a thousand years ago.

Did he regret it? Not at all. Kings had to make difficult decisions at times. Sometimes, it was simple things like war and famine. Other times, it was culling useless descendants to buy yourself another year so that a hundred thousand years didn’t go down the drain.

The plan was quite simple. Currently, the Pale King was floating in the void. And thanks to his bloodline, it was impossible for Melody to detect exactly what he was doing.

Most of the work over the past hundred thousand years been done in the void, where the plane’s influence was weakest. Even regaining a bit of her authority wouldn’t allow for her to sense that something was amiss.

Before the Pale King stood a simple spatial node. Four lines—no, it was three lines now, ran through this node. Once upon a time, this node had been isolated and well protected, but a series of carefully planned acts of piracy and spatial sabotage had worn away at the planar boundary until finally, the node was fully exposed.

“Is everything in place?” the Pale King asked through a jade slip.

“Everything is in position, my king,” said a voice from the other side. “Third Brother has flown out to meet Melody in battle, and Fourth and Fifth Brother have given up their lives to critically weaken the realm boundaries in Slovana and the Crimson Lotus Empire.”

“And Baleful Vision?” asked the Pale King.

“Under heavy restraints,” said the king’s seventh brother. “The seal will vanish once this little life of mine has run its course.” He was the weakest among their group and useless as anything but an assistant but was also the individual the Pale King had come to trust most.

“Then wish me luck,” said the Pale King. “When my life slip breaks, don’t hesitate to initiate the protocol. Goodbye, Seventh Brother.”

“Goodbye… Eldest Brother.”

The Pale King sighed as he crushed the jade slip and got to work. The node seemed ubiquitous, but it was an extremely stable point in space and received reinforcement from the entire plane. Hundreds of thousands of paper talismans containing the life force of a Paper Tiger clansman had been affixed to it. Half of these talismans only served to hide what they’d done, but the other half was essentially a powder keg of conflicting powers they’d harvested from various different demonic bloodlines.

“All it needs is a fuse to light it,” muttered the Pale King. He summoned the Pale Throne and began accumulating power inside both himself and the artifact using the stash of immortal crystals he’d been collecting over a thousand centuries.

“Don’t do it,” came a voice as he began the process of self-detonation. “If you stop now, I’ll spare your people. I’ll spare the entire Demon Lands. I’ll also provide guidance to Baleful Vision, your most promising descendant, before I face my tribulation and ascend.”

But the Pale King was deaf to her pleas. His core continued on the path of no return. “And why should I take such a gamble, Melody? What assurances do I have that you won’t just kill us all to achieve your final objective?”

“I’m prepared to make a demon’s oath on it,” said Melody. “And you ask why you should do this? Your life wouldn’t need to be needlessly sacrificed, for one. You’re just a thread away from being able to ascend. Perhaps with a little blood essence from yours truly, you’ll be able to call down the ascension tribulation and exceed the limits of this realm.”

The Pale King laughed, and her face fell.

“What’s so funny?”

“What’s funny is your desperation,” said the Pale King. “You’re bargaining and trying to give hope to a man like me who’s exceeded his natural life span. There’s only one place to go for someone my age. Facing the ascension tribulation has long become impossible for me. Perhaps I might have succeeded three thousand years ago, but now?” He shook his head. “I only have one regret in this life.”

“Oh? Perhaps I can help rectify this,” said Melody. “Is it one of your descendants? An enmity not avenged? I killed quite a few people recently—perhaps I’ve accidentally resolved this grudge for you.”

“My only regret is that I won’t be able to do anything to you personally, in the end,” said the Pale King. “But I will take out this node. You can’t stop me. You don’t have the courage. You’re a selfish little turtle and would never risk your life so easily.” He then closed his eyes and watched as his core unraveled and his bloodline burned. Every piece of demonic energy, including the territory he’d sealed away in his bones, and his flesh transformed into violent and untamed paper-based explosion. “Goodbye, Melody.”

The last thing he saw was a frightened turtle fleeing for her life. It was a wonderful final moment, much better than the Pale King had ever expected.

***

“You can’t be serious,” said Xing Tianlong as he reviewed the contents of the scroll he’d just been handed.

“I’m quite serious, and the contents are all true, I’m afraid,” said the head preceptor of the Crimson Lotus Empire. “The guardians of the empire are all gone. And soon, I will follow in their footsteps.”

“And we’re to accept this mess and do our best protect the empire?” asked Wei Longshen. “What of the fight out there? Why must we hide here instead of fighting?”

“I assure you that you’ll both play a critical role,” said the head preceptor. “To protect the empire, you must channel its destiny through your bodies. Our foundations are insufficient—only the two of you, who have accepted the Heartforge Realm’s baptism, are capable of accepting this mission.”

“I refuse,” said Xing Tianlong. “I will not shackle myself to this place. Choose someone else.”

“I cannot force you to accept it,” said the head preceptor. “What of you, Wei Longshen? Will you refuse as well?”

“I will naturally accept this mission,” said Wei Longshen. “Will one of us be enough?”

“Like I said, it is impossible to accept the destiny of an empire in only one body,” said the head preceptor. “If it’s only you, it’s possible to protect a quarter of the empire. The emperor would be most relieved that we are able to save this much.”

“When do we begin?” asked Wei Longshen.

“Now,” said the preceptor. “The timing is critical. The central node has been shattered, and the ley lines connecting us to the Central Inkwell Sea have been greatly weakened.”

“Then let us begin,” said Wei Longshen. The crimson scroll in his hand shattered and infused his body with great karma and destiny. “Xing Tianlong, will you not reconsider?”

“Like I said, I have no interest in playing savior,” said Xing Tianlong. “You know that this is going to kill you, don’t you?”

“I know,” said Wei Longshen. Then he did something that surprised the other two individuals—he grabbed and shattered Xing Tianlong’s scroll in one fluid motion.

“You idiot!” said Xing Tianlong. “You’re practically committing suicide! I wasn’t serious about refusing, you know.”

“I know you wanted to slowly refine this scroll and look for another way,” said Wei Longshen. “But we don’t have the time. Many lives would be lost.”

“Young master,” said the head preceptor. “I already told you, it’s impossible for your body to handle this much destiny.”

“My body can’t,” said Wei Longshen. “But my soul is strong. There’s no need for me to linger at death’s door for a thousand years to protect this world. If I’m going to take a half step into hell, I might as well do it fully.”

His body turned ethereal and ghostly as he completed the transformation that he’d started in the Heartforge Realm. His cultivation transformed. His Daoist comprehensions transformed into spiritual comprehensions. Wei Longshen became a spirit through and through.

Boundless merit rained down on him as another half of the Crimson Lotus Empire’s destiny poured into his spirit, and through it, activated the protective formation that had lain dormant beneath the soil of every prefecture since time immemorial.

“It’s done,” said Wei Longshen. “Preceptor, sever the last link.”

“As you command, my emperor.” The head preceptor kowtowed three times before leaving the throne room. Seconds later, they heard a massive explosion as the man self-detonated to sever the last few bonds connecting the Crimson Lotus Empire to the outside world.

“This isn’t a long-term plan, you know,” Xing Tianlong said to Wei Longshen. “The plane will degrade as it drifts in the void. A formation isn’t enough to replace a Dao origin, and neither are immortal stones a substitute for primal chaos energy from the void.”

“That’s why we have you,” said Wei Longshen.

“Me?” said Xing Tianlong. “What makes you think I’ll stick around and help you out of this mess?”

“Because you’re not as bad as you let others think you are,” said Wei Longshen. “You care about our kingdom. You’re just not willing to admit it.”

Xing Tianlong grunted. “I’m not staying for free.”

“Of course not,” said Wei Longshen. “So I’ve naturally thought of an appropriate renumeration.” He pulled a blob of golden energy from his spirit body. “See this? It’s pure destiny. Protect this place until we’ve found a long-term home for our people, and I’ll give it to you.”

Xing Tianlong’s face fell. “You know that’s the only thing keeping your soul in this dimension, don’t you?”

“I won’t have need of it once our people are safe and settled,” said Wei Longshen. “Moreover, you’ll have more than enough time to improve your cultivation to the point that you can accept the destiny. Unless… you can’t bear to accept it and watch me pass on?”

“I don’t care one whit about you,” said Xing Tianlong. “But if you need a hired goon to go around robbing energy from people and settling residents? Fine. I’ll do it. Just don’t forget your promise once all this is over.”

“Wonderful!” said Wei Longshen. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a very difficult conversation coming up. My wife and children are on their way, and they aren’t looking very happy about something.”

Xing Tianlong coughed lightly. “I believe I left a cauldron of pills simmering that need some attention. I’ll see you later.”

“Wei! Long! Shen!” An angry woman kicked down the door just as Xing Tianlong was leaving.

***

“Congratulations, Empress Gabriella.” These were the first words Gabriella heard when she woke from her comatose state. “The procedure was a success. Your innate light and glass body was able to completely absorb the destiny in the Godsfall Coffin. The shield is erect, and I’ll be leaving soon. Your Majesty? Are you awake?”

Empress Gabriella rose from her bed. He heard hurt, and not just from having an entire empire’s destiny shoved into her body, but from the amazing reach of her divine senses. But she was able to quickly restrain these things and focus her attention on the aging prime minister. “You said the procedure was a success? Then where is my royal father? Why isn’t he here to greet me? Where are my brothers? What is going on?”

“Calm yourself, Your Majesty,” said the prime minister. “Your father left a note to explain.”

“A note?” said Empress Gabriella. “A note? Does he think a note is enough to explain this?”

“There was no time, and he was afraid you would not take kindly to the news,” said the prime minister. “More to the point, he has never been able to refuse any of your requests.”

“My father?” asked Gabriella.

“He’s out fighting,” said the prime minister.

“My brothers?” she asked.

“Dead,” said the prime minister.

“And why are you not out there helping?” said Gabriella. She stood from her bed, only to collapse on the floor.

“I’m afraid you won’t be going anywhere in your weak condition,” said the prime minister. “But worry not. The guards have been informed that you will be entering seclusion for the next month. As for me… well, it doesn’t matter.”

“What aren’t you telling me?” asked Gabriella. “Just what is going on?”

The prime minister sighed. “Your father didn’t have the heart to tell you, but I believe that you should know. The plane is not in good shape. The other continents are currently severing their connection with the Central Inkwell Sea, and we will be doing so shortly.”

Gabriella couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. It was too much to take in. “You’re going too,” she suddenly realized. “Those clothes. They’re ancient. After you leave, you’re not coming back. Just like my father won’t be going back. Just like my brothers won’t be.”

The prime minister smiled. “We’re all willing to lay our lives down for the good of our people. But someone must bear the burden of living on, and unfortunately, fate has decided that it must be you.”

“No,” said Gabriella. “Don’t leave me. I… I need your help. I can’t do this alone!”

“I’m afraid the time has come,” said the prime minister. “Good luck, Your Majesty. I hope to have the good fortune of meeting you again in my next life.”

With that, the prime minister vanished, and seconds later, Gabriella felt a jolt as the connection between Slovana and the Central Inkwell Sea was forcefully severed, and her empire began to drift off in space.

Fortunately, the land mass called Slovana was not without support. Hundreds of thousands of glowing spots of light appeared in her sensory range, providing a slow trickle of energy to the continent. As for local laws, Gabriella’s body was unique and served as a natural mediating agent to maintain the demiplane’s functions.

“Those specks of light…” Gabriella mumbled. Tears filled her eyes as she realized what they were. They were the flesh and blood of hundreds of thousands of deities who had given up their everything since Slovana had come into existence.