A stench clung to Ravensboro, a reeking testament to the horrors that had unfolded before. The rot of rodent corpses filled the air, a perfume that brought tears to his eyes. He sat on a stump of wood just outside the gym's walls, gnawed wood the only thing left of the trees close by.

  David watched Vanessa give meticulous orders, her face etched with fatigue. She commanded, not asking her group of survivors and kin to clear the gym. It was a wasted measure, he was sure of it. But he also saw the monumental effort the group was putting in—slow and deliberate. Every action exacted an immense price. David felt it, too, the bone-deep weariness that threatened to swallow him whole.

  There were survivors—the group of 30 individuals had shrunk to 20—but survivors of what? A plague of nightmare-made flesh, with its brown and black fur that would haunt them in their sleep.

  " What is left? " he asked, his voice dry and raspy as the wind carried it along.

  " The spirits have shown us mercy. Two days of food, and we'll have to fetch new water from the river. The rats fouled everything else." Vanessa replied. Her icy blue eyes had turned somber.

  Rats. David felt an icy chill running down his spine. The pulsing and writhing mass that had assaulted Vanessa's group of survivors. David glanced at the gym; the tide had only left behind ruin and despair. No warning, no reason. Just a wave of claw and teeth that promised disease. Against such numbers, David had been helpless. Only with the support of Vanessa's Aiodos had he been able to prevent the rats from taking him apart.

  " You all need to move on. " He said, eyes wide, staring into space. Staying here only meant death; that much was clear to David. If disease wouldn't take them, the return of the rats would do them in.

  Vanessa sighed, the sound laced with exhaustion. He felt the same; using his seier had left him empty. Not to mention the bone-deep twang of his muscles

  " Where to? I've prayed at the Steele for guidance, but the ancestors' spirits remain silent. But the rats are everywhere—they'll find us again, " she mentioned.

  Her words were an icy touch upon his heart. David knew this was the truth he had desperately tried to push aside, too ashamed to admit. Reports from Gaia, thrums of power, painted a grim picture. All of Ravensboro was infected by this plague. It swept across the town, leaving nothing but chewed-on bits and pieces throughout.

  " There has to be a safe place. " David insisted, clinging on to hope. " Somewhere has to be untouched. "

  Vanessa pointed to the sky, where remnants of red crystal shards floated—a reminder of what David had destroyed in his earlier passing.

  " By the spirits, are you dumb? Yes. Here. Here used to be the sanctuary for all survivors. " She began, crossing her arms.

  David flinched back at the words as if the girl had struck him a physical blow. He had shattered the barrier. The very thing that had created an untouched haven for survivors.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  " Is there any way to repair it?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper. His shoulders rolled inwards as he rubbed them with his hands.

  She narrowed her eyes and grunted. David could tell that she was suspicious of him. Maybe even afraid. She seemed to weigh her words carefully before replying.

  " There is... Isabel needs to wake up. With her, Unity would be restored. Communication with the Ancestors would mend. The barrier would repair itself. " Her mouth sounded, but David could not understand how this was connected.

  " You've been saying Ancestors and Spirits a lot. What does it mean? " David asked her for answers.

  One of her brows shot up as her eyes widened. David felt stupid at the gesture. He was missing vital information. A short silence enveloped them both before both of her hands pointed at him.

  " You only had claws before. Now you're all gray and two feet taller. You've met your own Ancestors. Are you trying to make me believe you do not know what I mean? "

  Ancestors, claws? At first, David could not make heads and tails of her claims. But akin to a bolt of lightning, a shock entered him. Right, his adventure in the caves. Had Brahan mentioned something about Ancestors to him, he questioned his memory.

  " How is Isabel now? " He asked, voice still small.

  " Unresponsive. I don't know if she's still affected by the rat's plague or if she's back at the Ancestral halls. But without her, I shouldn't invoke Unity. " Vanessa responded as she rubbed her forehead.

  David frowned. A flicker of annoyance played across his face. A concept revered, even Brahan had told him it was a solution, often whispered of in times of crisis. A kind of magical resonance created by two individuals. It could bring forth grand rituals. This was most likely the origin of the barrier he had shattered before.

  The silence was heavy, punctuated only by the mournful moans of suffering individuals in the gym. David's mind raced, his reserves were at 60%, and they would stay there until he achieved Unity with someone. Or he could meditate and take weeks to recover his stores, surrounded by Gaia's love.

  A war raged in his mind. He could try to heal the mother again and use up more of his dwindling power. At first, this idea appeared promising, but what about the next battles? What if David had to restore his body once more during a fight for life and death, and he could not perform the healing song on himself?

  His hand was tight, and white appeared on his knuckles under the strain. But he had already caused the survivors enough suffering. With Isabel awake, David knew the townspeople would be protected, but worry still gnawed at him.

  His head lifted into the sky. Watching the slow glow of the crescent moon, he was hypnotized by how small he felt. His mind was heavy, and nobody could make the decision for him.

  Vanessa watched him struggle, a glint in her eye. Her eyes darkened before words came out of her mouth.

  " But you don't need another to form Unity, do you? You can summon powers without it. " She said.

  He flinched, the words hitting him like a physical blow. He avoided Vanessa's gaze, looking at ruined houses in the distance. It was true; he had noticed differences between his own usage and the Nárenvinyant?.

  During the battle, Gaia revealed to him a line connecting all the dagger-eared folk. This was their Unity. Only through this were they able to throw fire and conjure might.

  Brahan had warned him. He could produce a field of resonance on his own, unaware that he should not be able to.

  " But the question burning me and the Ancestors, what of your soul? Why are you not being corrupted? How can you withstand the Song's power alone? " She appeared to order him to talk, fist clenched and shaking.

  Silence engulfed the two, Vanessa's face reddened by the second. She stomped her foot as her eyebrows lowered. David knew not how to answer this.

  " It's not the same." he mumbled, his voice barely audible. " It's weaker, less stable. "

  " But it is something. All of us have to partner up to protect ourselves. Someone that we have to share power with, someone to lessen the burden on ourselves. " She shouted.

  David knew what she was doing. Sadly, it was working. His shame heightened. He could survive alone, but they could not.

  " Heal her. " A simple command.

  A cascading burst of fire erupted from David's stomach, like a mountain erupting, covering everything in lava and smog. The bulwark of his mind had become cracked. His body was hot, and his brain was clouded by the ashy clouds.

  " Kill her for shaming us." The eerie voice, taking its chance, reared its ugly head.

  The tapping rhythm of David's claw on metal echoed around. Long ago, he had pulled his sword, relying on the connection they held to remain cool-headed.

  " I will. " He said.

  The voice in his head was fought back down. His decision was made. He would heal Isabel and deal with the consequences later.