"That wasn't particularly difficult," Delph said, brushing the dust off his cloak with a frown. "These creatures threaten the Mortal Plane?"
"That was a very weak one," Damien said. "And you and Dredd are both professors. I think there will be a whole lot more Corruption than there will be professors."
"Is there a way to cut it off at the source?" Dredd asked. "They must be coming from somewhere. You spoke of Corruption Seeds. Two of them have died, one of which is within Sylph. If we destroy the other four, will the Corruption's advance be stopped?"
"Not so much stopped as severely inconvenienced," Damien said after briefly consulting Henry. "But they're probably going to try to hide. It will be difficult to find them amongst all the other Corruption that will start popping up in the near future."
Dredd frowned, leaning on his staff and peering down at the pile of rubble before them. "Problematic indeed. This isn't something we can risk handling ourselves, Delph. I will seek outside help while protecting the identity of your charges."
"Just make sure we don't get dragged into anything else because of this," Damien said, crossing his arms. "If I end up on the run because you and Delph let a Void creature out, I swear I'm going to curse you with my dying breath."
"We'll make sure nobody knows the truth about you," Dredd said. He cocked his head to the side. "Although you're going to have to do some work there yourself. You'll be expected to manifest your companion in the beginning of Year Two. I certainly hope the Void within you has a way of not looking like a terrifying monster."
"I'll figure something out," Damien said. "Thanks for the warning."
"We can aid," Dredd said. "I'll ensure your Major is one that Delph and I can directly oversee, so you'll have much more free rein than an average student."
The orb of green light at the top of Dredd's staff flickered. The man's eyes narrowed. Both he and Delph dropped into fighting stances.
"More Corruption is approaching," Dredd said. "Ready yourselves. It's coming from the sky."
Blades sprouted from Sylph's arms, and she flickered, fading into the background. All of them watched the sky warily. Seconds ticked by. As far as Damien could tell, the pale blue swathe was completely empty.
They were so high up in the air that even the clouds were beneath them, so there wasn't anything to obstruct their view.
"Are you sure something is coming?" Damien asked.
"Yes," Dredd said. "It is cloaking itself somehow. If your Void companion can defend you, now is the time. Anything strong enough to conceal its presence from me after I was aware of it will not be a simple threat."
Henry? I don't suppose you feel anything?
"I might as well step forward," Henry said, taking over Damien's body.
"Something feels wrong. Even with my limited ability to detect the Corruption, something feels off."
A chill ran down Damien's spine. Henry had him spin along with everyone else as a small pocket of air at the far side of the plateau warped.
Green motes of light rose into the air as a man appeared within the energy.
He wore a long coat with a collar that rose up around his face, obscuring it from view. His grayed hair was jagged and stuck out in every direction, and it almost seemed to glimmer.
"Who are you?" Delph asked, gray energy forming around his hands.
"Dredd, is this who you detected, or was there another?"
"This is him," Dredd confirmed. "Damien, are humanoid figures typical for the Corruption? Or is this another Void creature?"
"It's not Void," Henry said, his myriad of voices slipping out from Damien's mouth.
"I am not," the man agreed in a voice that was equal parts raspy and melodic like a violent gale. "It's been some time, Damien Vale."
"Who are you?" Delph asked again, the energy growing brighter.
"You're running out of time to speak before I start swinging my fists."
"You wound me so, but I suppose you can't be blamed," the man said, letting out a sigh and completely ignoring Delph. "We've met every single cycle, but only one of us gets to keep those memories. I suppose that's partially my fault."
"The Corruption has never gotten so far as it has this cycle," Henry said.
"It's impossible for you to have met Damien. What are you playing at?"
The snow to the side shifted as Sylph slowly made her way toward the man. If he noticed, he made no indication of it.
"The Corruption has made it farther than you could have ever imagined, Voidling," the man said, distain staining his tone. "You are nothing but a soldier with their eyes and heart gouged out. The only person who I care to speak with is Damien Vale. Leave us."
Damien thrust his hand forward at Henry's bidding. A lance of dark Ether tore out of his palm, spiraling through the air and slamming into the man. He disintegrated, transforming into a cloud of green ash and rematerializing several feet to the side.
With a roar, Dredd slammed the butt of his staff into the ground. Five brilliant red bolts shot out from the weapon, darting toward the cloaked man. His cloak rippled as a mass of rock dripping with acid exploded out of his shirt sleeve, forming a shield and blocking Dredd's attack.
He disintegrated as Delph's fists passed through him, then shot past Sylph as she appeared beside him and thrust her blades toward the man's chest. The cloaked man slammed to a stop directly before Damien.
Rancid breath washed over him, making his eyes water even as Henry threw up a barrier of Ether between them. A wave of force tore across the ground, throwing everyone back. The man's hand extended, passing clean through the barrier of Ether and grabbing Damien by the arm.
"Begone. I am trying to speak."
Power surged through the air. Damien doubled over as a powerful blow slammed into his chest and he felt Henry's influence vanish. The falling snow froze in place as a faint green hue washed over the world.
Damien scrambled back, drawing Ether desperately as he put distance between himself and the cloaked figure who seemed content to simply watch him retreat. Waves of force continually washed over him, threatening to force the boy down to his knees.
"What did you do?" Damien asked, panting. "Who are you?"
"A basic application of time magic," the man replied. "I have temporarily taken us out of the flow so we can converse without any external influence. Your companions were overeager to attack me. As for my name—I don't bother with one anymore. You may refer to me as Second."
"Second as the position, or second as the unit of time?"
"You may decide yourself," the man said in a tone that made Damien think he was probably smirking. "Worry not. I have no desire to harm you.
Your actions are misguided, but we will work together eventually."
"Not if you're the Corruption," Damien said, his brows furrowing.
"You're trying to destroy the Mortal Plane, and I think you should be able to tell why I might take issue with that. Also, you definitely just implied that you'd killed previous versions of me."
Second let out an irritated breath. "Do you have any idea how many times I've had this conversation with you? Much of it changes, and it isn't every Cycle, but still it happens. Can you imagine how frustrating that is?
You'd kill the old versions of you, too."
"No," Damien replied honestly. "But if I was the same person in the last cycle, you should already know what my response will be. You can't try to tell me that I actually thought there was a good reason to support you."
"You aren't the same person. Same Soul, but your experiences are different. There's always a chance you could see reason," Second said. "But you've always been attached to this world."
"I'm still failing to see what the point of destroying the Mortal Plane is," Damien said, watching the man warily. "The Void does it to keep you guys out. So what's your reason? Did someone spill some primordial water in your lap or something?"
"The Planes are a perversion," Second replied. "They should not exist separately. In truth, they are parts of a whole that deserves to be reconnected. However, the Mortal Plane has grown bloated with time. The inessential parts must be torn away so that the other planes can be returned to their proper position."
"That is possibly the dumbest argument I've ever heard," Damien said.
"How does that even matter? Who cares if the planes are separate?"
"You do," Second said, shaking his head. "Or rather, you will. Tell me something, Damien Vale. Where do mortal souls go when their bodies expire?"
"The Plane of the Dead."
"And is that plane infinite?"
Damien blinked. "Well, no. I suppose not. Nothing is."
"Exactly," Second breathed, his dry voice crackling. "So what happens to those surplus mortal souls when they try to find home on the Plane of the Dead but there is no space to give?"
The man paused, waiting for Damien to respond. The moment he opened his mouth, Second pressed on, cutting him off before he could even start.
"They are cast out," Second spat. "There is no room for them, so they are thrown out into the Void, condemned to suffer eternally. Do you know what witnessing the Void does to a mortal soul, Damien Vale?"
"Yes, actually," Damien said, trying to process Second's words as the man started to speak faster and faster. "I've had it happen."
"Then imagine it endlessly, for thousands of years. Your eyes cannot close. Your ears cannot be covered. The screams, the visions. They burn into you, Vale. And as those discarded human souls float through nothingness, their connection to the Ether is warped. All that remains is our pain and suffering and the desire to make it stop."
"Wait," Damien said, goose bumps prickling across his arms and back.
"Are you saying that the Corruption are actually humans that didn't fit on the Plane of the Dead?"
"Not just one," Second said. "Millions. More than any could count, all mashed together into a tiny little package of rage and fury. The Voidlings like the one within you are our jailers, condemning mortals to an endless Cycle of suffering."
"And they know of this?" Damien asked.
"No. Not the mere soldiers," Second said. "But there is a leader. The one who commands them. It goes by many names, but we know it as the Faceless. It is the one that witnesses our plight but forges onward anyways."
"Why?" Damien asked. "Let's say I believe you about the Corruption being tortured souls wanting revenge. What does the Void get out of keeping the Cycle like this? And how would merging the Planes even fix anything?"
"Humanity would be reduced," Second said. "There are too many humans living, dying. Merging the planes would simultaneously reduce humanity's numbers and increase the space in which their souls could reside. Furthermore, the dead souls would be able to reincarnate into mortal bodies instead of being trapped within the void."
"Wouldn't there eventually be too many people again? It sounds like you're just suggesting a patch rather than a fix," Damien said, swallowing.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Delph's hand twitch.
"No. Or at least, not for so many millennia that the problem is almost insignificant. Understand this, boy. When you die and this Cycle restarts, if you are not one of those chosen to be immediately reborn, you'll be cast into the void. Warped. Tortured. For thousands of years, fragments of your soul will be torn away until you become one of the Corruption. And even then, the pain will not stop. It will only dull," Second said, spitting the words out like they disgusted him. "Are you ready for such a fate? If humanity's numbers were reduced and the Planes merged, the suffering would end for an immeasurable amount of time."
"You make it sound simple," Damien said, frowning. Delph's hand tightened into a fist. "And you didn't say why the Void does this."
"Because the Void is sadistic. It is evil," Second hissed, anger seeping into his tone. He strode toward Damien, grabbing his shoulders with heavily bandaged hands. "It cares not for our pain. It simply watches, learning from our suffering and finding enjoyment through our agony."
"You aren't much better," Damien said, grimacing as Second's rancid breath washed over him and seeped into his skin. It smelled like the man was the physical incarnation of a rotting corpse. "The Corruption indiscriminately attacks people. Isn't that just condemning them to the same fate?"
"No," Second said. "Souls slain by the Corruption do not remain within the cycle. They are removed—gone forever. This is why the merging of the planes would not flood the universe with new mortal souls."
"So your solution is slaughtering countless people," Damien said, narrowing his eyes. "You're just as evil as the Void."
Second's grip tightened on Damien's shoulders. He hardened his mage armor, but the man's grip seemed to ignore it completely. Pain shot through his body, but his muscles refused to cooperate, and he felt himself start to go limp.
"You are deluded, Damien Vale. You will make a good addition to our cause, but make no mistake. There will not be another cycle. The suffering ends here. No more second chances. Join us, or die for the sake of the future."
A thrum tore through the air. Gray energy slammed into Second, hurling the man through the air like a ragdoll.
"Get away from my student," Delph snarled, his cloak rippling in invisible wind. Energy gathered around him again, and he grabbed the air before him, yanking on it. Space bent and Second flew toward Delph. "I'm the only one that gets to kick his ass."
The professor grabbed Second by the face and sent a pulse of energy into the man's head. His body exploded, disintegrating and reforming several feet away from Delph.
"How? It should have been impossible for you to enter the domain of my spell," Second said.
"I got pissed off," Delph said. "Havel, get out here. I need to kill someone again."
Delph's cloak shifted, lengthening until it touched the ground behind him. Second raised a hand and sent a beam of green energy burning through the air toward the professor.
The air before Delph warped. With a loud zing, Second's attack shot into the twisted space and launched off at an angle, disappearing into the sky above them. Delph took a step forward, slamming his foot into the ground and making a grasping motion.
A series of massive explosions tore through the mountain as a line of destruction tore out from Delph and slammed into Second, obliterating everything in its path. The bandaged man flew out from the destruction, wisps of white smoke rising up from his cloak as he landed on his hands and flipped himself out of the way.
Delph twisted into a mote and vanished, reappearing behind Second and driving his foot into the other man's back. Second shot off like he'd been launched from a catapult. He tumbled through the air, disintegrating before he could fall off the side of the mountain.
Second reformed across from them. His cloak had been knocked back, but it did little to reveal his appearance. The man's face was completely bandaged. The only thing Damien could make out was his eyes, which burned like two green coals.
"Who are you?" Second asked. "You were not in the previous cycles."
Delph snapped his fingers. A translucent bubble of gray energy formed around Damien. Lines of energy shot out of Delph's hands like hundreds of snakes. They zigzagged through the air toward Second.
He disintegrated before the attack could reach him, pulling himself back together on the other side of the plateau beside Delph. The lines of energy snapped back, completely reversing their direction to dart after Second.
The bandaged man teleported once more, appearing just in front of Damien. The lines of energy suddenly accelerated, closing the distance in an instant. They punched into Second's body, pinning it against the bubble.
"Amusing," Second said, completely unfazed by the situation. "You have some skill, but it will get you nowhere."
Damien narrowed his eyes. Whether Second's words were true or not, the man was still trying to destroy the Mortal Plane. Killing most of humanity's population wasn't all that much better than killing them all.
He formed his net of mental energy and cast it out. As he opened his eyes, Damien drew in a sharp breath and nearly lost concentration. Second was lit up like the sun. Nearly every single line of Ether in view was connected directly to the man.
With a grunt, Damien refocused himself. He stuck out with a lance of mental energy, trying to gain purchase on the Ether surrounding the man and rip it free. The blow sank into Second and vanished. The man didn't even glance back at him. It was like trying to strike ocean with a droplet of water.
"I presume you would take offense if I killed this one?" Second asked, his head twisting to look back at Damien like an owl.
"Pay attention to me when we're fighting," Delph growled. "Havel, restrain him."
Delph's cloak leaped off his shoulders. It flitted through the air and wrapped around Second's body like a cocoon. The man's eyes widened just enough for Damien to notice as his head spun back to look at Delph.
"What is this creature? A companion?" Second asked, struggling against the professor's cloak. It didn't budge. "How is it restraining my magic?"
"Like I'd tell you," Delph said, raking his hand through the air. His fingers left trails of gray energy behind them. He grabbed one of the lines and pulled it to the side, tearing open a portal and reaching inside it.
Delph drew a large book out from within it. He flipped the book open while Second struggled, then pressed his hand against the page.
"Let's see you ignore this, you squirmy asshole," Delph snarled. He barked several words out in a language that felt like slimy water rushing over Damien's ears. Silence washed over the mountaintop.
Delph said something else, but no sound emerged from his mouth. The book in the professor's hands shimmered as he drew a huge war axe out from within it. The weapon was made from ugly, warped metal and had little beauty. It was as plain as a weapon could get. Delph tossed the book back into the portal and strode forward until he was directly before Second.
He reared back, then brought the axe down toward Second's neck. His cloak rippled out of the way at the last second, avoiding the strike. Second managed to twist his body, taking the strike on his shoulder instead of his neck.
Sound rushed back with an ear-rending screech. Malevolent energy poured out of Delph's axe with enough force to rip the breath out of Damien's chest even from behind the barrier. Second's arm fell to the ground in a puddle of sizzling acid.
Second drew in a rattling breath. A wave of force erupted out from him, knocking Delph's cloak back just long enough for him to dematerialize and dart across to the other side of the clearing to stand beside Dredd and Sylph, who were still standing frozen.
He held his hand to Dredd's neck, his chest rising and falling heavily.
"One move and I kill this one," Second rasped. "Sheathe that artifact, or we'll see just how fast you can move. Your cloak will not work a second time. Drawing the Ether into it in the reverse of the patterns I use is clever, but it will not work a second time."
"You kill him, I kill you right after," Delph said. "Even if you can teleport, you've seen what this axe does. All I need is one good hit, and I'm faster than you are."
"Then it seems we are at an impasse," Second said. The acid leaking out of his wound started to slow, but his arm showed no signs of reforming.
The side of Dredd's mouth quirked upward. The man's grip tightened on his staff, and a blade of red energy shot out from it. Second disintegrated, reforming several steps away and narrowly avoiding Dredd's attack.
"Damn," Dredd said, rolling his shoulders. "I thought I had you convinced."
"Impossible," Second spat. "Another unnamed one. You multiply like rats. Is the girl also capable of breaking into my domain?"
They all glanced at Sylph, half expecting her to start moving as well.
However, she remained frozen in time. Second clicked his tongue.
"Good. I would have gotten seriously annoyed I had miscalculated that badly," Second said, cracking his neck. "I would normally engage you all, but such action would be inadvisable on this day. Enjoy your stay of life.
And, Damien Vale, come to a conclusion quickly. If you are not on my side, you support the Void. And the Void will fall this cycle. Will you fall with it?"
A wave of rancid air tore across the damaged mountaintop as Second exploded into a pillar of green particles. His arm disintegrated as well, flying up to join the cloud as it slowly faded away.
Delph and Dredd watched the sky for a few moments, but Second showed no signs of returning. The bubble around Damien vanished, and Delph's cloak shot back onto his shoulders of its own accord.
"What," Damien asked, his eyes wide and his breath ragged, "was that?"
"The Corruption, I suppose," Delph said, wiping his axe off in the snow with a bored expression. "Possibly its leader."
"That's not what I meant and you know it. How did you fight against Second like that?" Damien demanded. "How strong are you, Delph? How can you surprise something like him?"
"I'm your professor," Delph said. "And that guy wasn't that strong.
Even his name has him in second place, so it shouldn't be that much of a surprise."
Damien opened his mouth, then let out a defeated sigh and shook his head. Delph wasn't going to give him anything else, and he was still trying to process what had just happened.
The strange hue that had covered the world faded, and Sylph staggered forward, her head darting back and forth as she tried to figure out what had happened. At the same time, Damien felt Henry's presence rush back into him.
"Where's the Corruption?" she asked, dropping into a fighting stance and scanning the area.
"Ran away," Delph said, tearing a portal open and tossing his axe into it. "He used time magic, so I'm afraid you missed the fight."
Sylph frowned, lowering her arms. After receiving a nod from Damien, the blades retracted. "What happened?"
"He seemed to have something to say to Damien," Dredd said, leaning on his staff. "Do you happen to know anything about this Second character, Damien?"
"I don't," Damien said, shaking his head. "Henry, do you? Delph and Dredd already know about you, so there's probably no reason to hide anymore."
His shadow lengthened, stretching upward as Henry commandeered it to form himself a body.
"That was the Corruption," Henry said. "A very old form of it. Maybe as old as I am. Maybe older. I don't know, and I've never interacted with it before. It must have started acting in the four thousand years it took me to arrive on the Mortal Plane. That magic he used was specifically geared to keep me out, so I was unable to witness your fight. However, I've already analyzed his magic. It won't work a second time now that I have countermeasures."
"That's good, I suppose," Delph said, crossing his arms. "But this is very much out of our pay grade now. That thing took a direct hit from a very powerful weapon and survived with almost minimal injuries. We're going to need more firepower."
"What was that axe anyways?" Damien asked. "It sounded like it was screaming when you hit Second."
"Classified," Delph said. "Trust me, you don't want to know. Just suffice to say it shouldn't exist, but someone foolishly assigned its destruction to me and I liberated it for more appropriate purposes. Don't tell anyone you saw it."
"You're going to keep secrets from us?" Sylph asked, raising an eyebrow. "Even given the situation?"
"If you're confident you want to know, I can tell you," Delph replied, frowning. "But trust me, it'll be more problematic than anything and won't bring you any benefits. It's just another secret you have to keep."
"I think we're fine," Damien said. "If you don't think it's relevant, then it doesn't matter."
"What did Second want to talk to you about, anyway?" Sylph asked.
Damien's lips pressed thin. "He was telling me that the Corruption are apparently human souls that didn't enter the Cycle and got, well, tortured into what they are now. I think he wanted me to join him, and he implied that I've lived a bunch of times before this, and somehow occasionally gotten involved with his plans."
"Whelp, now the cat's out of the bag," Henry muttered. "Someone's going to be really pissed about that."
"The Faceless?"
Henry clapped his hands over Damien's mouth. "Shut. Up. Seriously.
Don't say that name again. Don't even think about it. We do not address it, understood? Trust me on this. We do not need that thing's attention."
Damien had never heard Henry more serious than he was now. He swallowed, a chill running down his spine, and nodded. "Okay. I'll drop it."
"Second sounds a lunatic," Sylph said after a short bout of uncomfortable silence. "That's all he wanted?"
"Yeah. That makes me even more worried. What if he's right?"
"That isn't something we can afford to consider," Delph said after a long pause, his face unreadable. "Both the Void and the Corruption are forces working against us. We can't allow either of them to win. I'll look into this and see if I can find any more information."
"So you don't know anything about it?" Sylph asked.
Delph shook his head. "I— Look. I'm not going to answer that question.
I do know something, but I don't think the information is fully correct or unbiased. It could do a lot more harm than good in sharing it right now.
Wrong information is worse than no information, so just focus on finding out what you can yourselves. If Second approached Damien once, he might try again. Next time, try to get more info out of him if he isn't trying to kill you."
"I'll try," Damien said with a sigh. "I'm just happy with not getting killed, but we still need to figure out the location of the Void creature you released as well as seek out as much Corruption as possible before school starts again. Add in trying to research Second… That's a little overwhelming."
"Then it looks like we've got a lot of work cut out for us," Dredd said.
"There don't appear to be any more Corrupted creatures in the area, so we can relax here for a little bit before continuing. We've got a lot of ground to cover this summer."