Irwin looked at Boohm, not sure what to say.

"He's looking at me, isn't he?" Boohm said, his voice as loud as ever, his dull eyes narrowing as he looked roughly in Irwin's direction. "Don't you dare think this is your fault, Captain! Instead, you should be angry. I failed to protect your children. That's unforgivable!"

"I'm not angry with you," Irwin said, getting annoyed at the conversation.

He hugged a grumbling Zan, Mia, and Flux, who had refused to get off his lap ever since he'd returned. Glow was nestled on one shoulder and Soot on the other, while Ti sat next to him, on Scintilla's lap.

"You were outnumbered and outmatched by someone more powerful than you and fought almost to the death," Irwin said. As he did, he wondered how he'd have felt if Boohm had failed, and his children would have been taken, or worse, killed.

A flash of anger flickered deep inside of him, showing that the embers of fury still had not fully died down.

We came way too close this time, he thought. He knew they had been improbably lucky that the Ignitzians' search for a place to hold their Embers ran into the Deadpact Mercenaries. If that hadn't happened, things would likely have gone far worse for them.

"I failed!" Boohm snapped, leaving Irwin's otherself to mull over what had happened while he focused on the Onyxian.

Boohm pushed himself up, his face warped with anger, and what Irwin feared was self-loathing. He was about to speak up when someone beat him to it.

"No!" Mia snapped, freeing herself from Irwin's hug and storming toward Boohm. "If you hadn't killed those normal mercenaries and nearly killed that Niox, he'd have taken us all!"

Boohm's mouth opened in response, but Mia jumped against his chest, pushing him back onto the wooden bench while wrapping her arms around his neck.

"We are not going to be mad at you!" she shouted. "You did great, and what we need to do is fix your eyes!"

Irwin let out a slow sigh, glancing at Scintilla, who was staring at their daughter with a proud smile.

"Mia is correct," Irwin said. "I think, instead of worrying about what could have been, for now, you should head outside. There are a few Blademaidens who want to talk to you."

Boohm seemed ready to argue, but before he could, Mia headbutted him.

"Go talk with your girlfriends!" she snapped.

Irwin grimaced while Scintilla began laughing. Boohm's mouth opened and closed for a while, then his chest expanded, and he let out a deep breath.

"Fine," he said. "If you all think-"

"We do!" Irwin's children shouted, almost in unison.

"We do," Irwin agreed.

"Fine, fine," Boohm said as he pushed himself up.

Mia grabbed his arm and guided him through the battle-damaged living room. As the door opened, Mouzin stood ready to grab Boohm's hand. She frowned at him before smiling at Mia.

"Thank you, Miamore," she said. "I'll make sure he doesn't run into buildings."

"Oh no, she's going to be insufferable now," Soot whispered, resting his bandaged and splinted arm on Irwin's head. Flux grinned softly while Zan glowered up at Soot.

"Don't bully her!"

Mia didn't seem to hear them as she beamed, standing up slightly straighter and closing the door after Boohm. Then, she almost skipped back to Irwin.

"Alright, let's go and put you all to bed," Irwin said as he rose from the cracked stone bench.

A round of complaints came from his children, but Irwin just snorted.

"You've had a very exciting day, and starting tomorrow, you and everyone here are going to be starting some extra training," he said, carrying them along.

"But we want to hear what happened when you saved Glow," Flux shouted, Soot quickly adding his agreement.

"I'm sure Glow can share that with you," Irwin said before quickly adding: "But not now! Now it's time for sleep!"

There was a lot of complaining, but eventually, the kids stayed in bed. Zan slept with Ti, as she didn't want to sleep alone, and Irwin and Scintilla left the doors slightly ajar.

"Tell me when they are asleep, please," Irwin asked Ambraz.

The Ganvil grunted in annoyance, leaving his search through the cards and popping out into the real world.

Irwin and Scintilla began picking up the debris, removing all the broken things and hurling them to the side. When they finally sat in their living room, the broken furniture piled in the corner, Irwin was so weary he pondered going to bed right away. It wasn't a physical weariness, but a mental one- and he knew he couldn't sleep. Not yet.

"They are sleeping," Ambraz said, instantly vanishing back into Irwin's soulscape.

Irwin and Scintilla were quiet for a bit, just enjoying each other's company.

"Nisziz told me you have asked the Blademaidens to accept cards to become Heartcarded," Scintilla finally said softly. She was looking at the back of her hand.

"If they had been more powerful, things would have been different."

"I know…" Scintilla said, glaring at the wall and tapping the table with a finger. "The thing is that back home, our first three, sometimes four cards are pre-determined by either our family's Blademother or the Matriarch. The final two or three cards are the only thing we get to decide, and even those need to be within certain lines. Asking them to pick something that isn't what they wanted means their entire future will be decided by someone else."

Irwin didn't respond, as Nisziz had given him the same speech. They weren't wrong either, as the card typings would severely limit anything they could choose after their first soulcard was finished.

He could see the conflicting feelings on Scintilla's face and knew she wasn't done.

"Still…" she muttered, putting her hands to her head and growling softly. "If the worst had happened…"

The internal struggle was visible on her face, and Irwin decided to leave the point for now. It wasn't the most important thing they had to talk about anyway.

"That runic device they have to locate me," he said softly. "The chances of this happening again are high. Even if they can't get another portal from that shardworld, they will just use it again."

"I know!" Scintilla grunted, staring at her hands before locking eyes with him.

Irwin knew she had likely come to the same conclusion as he, and from the hidden anger and sadness in her eyes, he knew she didn't like it one bit.

"They know where we are hiding," Irwin said. "Blocking the portal bought us some time, but if they opened one, they can open another. Even if all Blademaidens get their heartcard, it wouldn't be enough if they send in a larger force."

"So, what do you want to do?" she said. "Get back to The Concerto and search for a new moon?"

"You know what we have to do," Irwin said softly. "You just hate it as much as I."

"I warned you before, Pretty Eyes, I'm not letting you go alone."

Irwin saw the stubborn steel in her gaze and sighed.

"I need to find that machine and destroy it and that Guidar along with it," he said, raising a finger before adding more as he made his points. "I can't take the children along because there's no saying what I'll encounter. It's just too dangerous. They can't stay here because even with the time dilation, it's only a matter of time before more Deadpact Mercenaries show up. There's no way we are going to become strong enough to stop the Deadpact Mercenaries if they come in force. Until now, they have greatly underestimated me… that, or they are too busy with other things. That won't last."

With each point, Irwin saw Scintilla's resolve shrink a little, and when he finished, she looked dangerously fragile. It was a side he'd not seen of Scintilla, and he hated that they were pushed to this part.

"So…" she said softly. "What then? You set out, and the rest of us head back if we can? How would that even work without you powering the shield?"

Irwin rubbed his chin. He'd had a short moment to discuss this with Ambraz and Greldo, and they had a plan that would work and, at a minimum, give them more time.

"We have our own small sloop and the one from the Deadpact Mercenaries," Irwin said. "I'm going to create a platform between them and then put the entire thing in my soulscape. Then, Greldo is going to bring me and Dahlia as close to the gas giant as we can get- to a point where the time-dilation is strong enough for us to spend as much time as we need. The Chaos Whales go there already, and I am going to try and teach Dahlia how to reforge with them so she can fill her soullake and get another heartcard. If we do that, it should allow her to do what I do and help power the barrier."

Scintilla looked at him, then shook her head. "You think she will just let Greldo set out and bring us back?"

Irwin grimaced. "Greldo is talking with her now, and I suspect she won't like the plan. There's just little else we can do."

"What about Gelwin's warning?" Scintilla asked. "Didn't he tell you not to head back?"

"He did," Irwin said. "And Greldo and I won't…"

"You think it's because you are Galadin that they can find you?" Scintilla asked.

Irwin nodded. "And because the children have none of my blood, only my resonance, they should be safe."

Scintilla stared at the table for a while.

"You could be wrong," she finally said.

"I could be," Irwin agreed sadly.

"A few of the Blademaidens are carrying Embers."

"Another reason to bring them to safety," Irwin said.

"If we do this, I might not see you for a very long time," Scintilla said, looking up at him. "I don't like that idea."

"I hate the idea," Irwin said, feeling his chest clench. The last year had been one of the most joyous of his life, and he wished it could have gone on for a long time more. "If it were up to me, we would go back together and live there without having to worry about chaos storms, Smith abductions, and Guidar. There are lots of worlds to explore, and I want to focus on making cards out of ambient soulforce. But…"

Scintilla's eyes glittered as he spoke, but he died down at the final word.

"But," she said, sighing sadly. "It's not up to us."

"Not yet," Irwin said, putting his hand on the table, feeling a desire for something grow in him. It had been there for a while, but the recent events had pulled it to the front of his mind. A desire for power and strength. Strength to determine for himself his future instead of constantly being pushed around by the whims of others. Power to protect those he loved from anything and everything.

"What we need is strength. Both individually and as a group," he said slowly. "When I become a high-diamond-rank smith and complete my soulcards and when we build up what we have back home to create a massive empire that rivals anything our enemies have… then it will be up to us."

Although he said it as if it was an inevitability, he knew that the chance of getting to that point would be small and be a long way from now.

Scintilla looked at him for a while, then nodded.

"Alright, tell me your plan."

Irwin collected his thoughts, then slowly laid out what he'd come up with.

"After Dahlia gets to the point that she can power the barrier on her own, you will head back on The Concerto. Earila and Zender will be able to find their way back. Before that, I will get as many Blademaidens as possible their heartcard. Then, Greldo and I will head to Dimarintsia."

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"Just the two of you?" Scintilla said, her eyebrows lowering in a scowl. "That's stupid."

Irwin sighed. "No. I'll be bringing Hind and probably one of the Blademaidens."

"Who?" Scintilla asked curiously.

"Klatzi," Irwin said, recalling the young Ignizian who'd taken care of Glow. She'd shown an interest in getting another card and still had three card slots free. He had an idea of how she could help if she were willing.

"Good. She's reliable and great under pressure," Scintilla said. "You should also bring Nisziz."

"I can't bring more," Irwin said. "The stronger they are, the less time I can have them in my soulscape, especially if they aren't able to hibernate like the Ganvils."

Scintilla was quiet, then shivered. "I hate this. Hate that it is needed and hate that I can't figure out a plan that keeps us together."

"I know," Irwin said, pushing himself up. "Let's go and sleep. It's going to get busy from tomorrow."

--

Irwin sang softly, keeping his control over the resonance tight to prevent it from rippling out. Ever since Zan had helped him realize that louder wasn't always better, he'd been experimenting with the volume. He'd come to an interesting conclusion. Louder made it easier to force a card far off the beaten path while sideways reforging it, while weaker resonance gave more control. The problem was that to actually get anything done while resonating that softly required far more soulforce and pressure, which drained him rapidly.

Striking the card with the final strike, he felt a wave of joy as his otherself watched the soulforce pour into his almost filled soullake.

Almost there, he thought, as he looked around.

Greldo and Dahlia were resting in the small mercenary sloop, huddled together within the tiny barrier. It was attached to the other one by a massive sheet of stone, reinforced by wooden beams to create what Earila had said was the ugliest catamaran she'd ever seen. Ambraz stood in the center of the sheet while the dense layer of gas swirled below them, and the distant moon hung high above.

They had been here for months now, working tirelessly and with barely any breaks. If it hadn't been for Irwin's soulscape, where they could relax, eat, and unwind, they would have probably gone crazy.

A soft, happy hum thrummed through the ship and his bones, and Irwin looked up at the two Chaos Whales.

"You two be sure to return tomorrow," Irwin said, forcing a sense of intent in his words.

There was a slightly reluctant agreement, and Irwin gritted his teeth as the two Chaos Whale babies dropped down to the gaseous layers swirling below them. A moment later, they vanished.

"They aren't going to be returning much longer," he said, staring at Greldo.

His friend opened his eyes and sighed.

"We could go and search for more of them," he said, not sounding very hopeful.

"How far are you?" Dahlia asked, pushing herself up and untangling herself from Greldo.

"Tomorrow," Irwin said, unable to keep his grin from spreading.

"Thank Yilda," Dahlia said. "I don't think I can stand being here for much longer."

"You could have gone back already," Greldo said, nudging her and grinning.

"What? And leave you here to forget about me?" Dahlia snapped. "It's bad enough that you are going to be away soon. I need to make sure you remember to come back."

"Why, you almost sound like you are going to miss me," Greldo said, remaining splayed out across the small ship's benches.

"Bah, don't let your head get too big," Dahlia snapped. "If you stay away too long, I might find someone else!"

Irwin ignored their bantering, having heard it many times over the months. Instead, he climbed into the other small barge and focused his full attention on his other self, back in his soulscape. Ambraz jumped in a moment later, appearing within the house. Irwin sat down at the massive table, which was filled with cards grouped together, some atop papers with notes scribbled on them.

A small stack of gray-bordered cards lay to the side. Those were the only ones he had left to do with as he pleased, mostly for attempting a sideways reforge that might leave the card useless or shattered. The larger stack to the side held cards he'd already reforged sideways, and that could not be increased beyond their current rank.

"We will be almost out of cards after this," he said, letting his gaze drift across the table.

The largest groups were to the left: twenty-seven for the Blademaidens, thirty-six for his kids, seven for Scintilla, Zender, and Earila, and nine for Scintilla to use when needed- either to give to others or as bartering in case of an emergency.

Then, to the side lay six cards meant for him, even though he still wasn't sure exactly which ones to take. Besides, he had two cards hidden deep in the ground below the house: the two partial heartcards he'd found from the Earth Titan and the Chaos Whale, respectively.

"It's fine," Ambraz said. "Be happy we had so many useful cards to start with, or we would have had to go to Dimarintsia and get more."

"We still might," Irwin said, staring below his feet at where he sensed the two heartcards. He could reforge both into something else, but only one would be possibly useful to him. "If we fail in reforging that Chaos Whale card in such a way that it can still grow…"

"We won't fail," Ambraz said. "It might become a headache when we combine them into a heartcard, but we will be able to make it into what we need."

Irwin didn't say anything, hoping Ambraz wasn't being too optimistic. The Chaos Whale card had only one type that he could use and a mere handful of paths through the forest of possible outcomes, and none of them would be easy to reach.

Not that the Earth Titan card isn't worse, he thought as he recalled what Ambraz had found out about it.

It was a card that dealt almost exclusively with pressure and stone control, similar to the way his flame card dealt with heat, but in a more brute-force fashion. The only thing it had that was useful was a smidgen of a type that was too small to be detected by most card reading skills—size manipulation.

It was the thing that Irwin and Ambraz were pinning their hopes on.

Luckily, the Chaos Whale had it too, and a bit more at that, though still too little to be detectable by anything but Ambraz's enhanced senses.

The Ganvil's weeks of research seemed to indicate that the cards of massive beings all had something within them that caused their eventual soulskills to increase their size. Something that made sense, seeing as they seemed to grow stronger as they grew bigger, not unlike the Ganvils.

As he pondered the future after tomorrow, Irwin focused on the third card, hidden deep within his soulscape. It thrummed with a more chaotic power than the other two, though no less so.

"Still no luck on that Oculithar card?" he asked.

Ambraz made a sound somewhere between a snort and a cough.

"That thing is the most stubborn, annoying card I've ever come across," Ambraz grumbled. "I think we should just begin on it in a few days and see what comes of it."

Irwin hummed for a bit, then made a decision.

"Fine. Let's go with the Chaos Whale card first. If that fails, we will do the Oculithar one, and if that fails, we will do the Earth Titan."

"Wha… why the Oculithar before the Earth Titan?" Ambraz muttered.

"Because if we succeed with the Chaos Whale card, we should give Mouzin the one from the Earth Titan. It can be the cornerstone of her heartcard and will elevate her ability immensely."

Ambraz hummed before sighing. "You are right. If we focus on the earth manipulation, that card would be a beast, and that means better protection for the kids."

"Exactly," Irwin said. "Now, let's go over the cards for tomorrow."

The rest of the day went by rapidly, and after a somewhat restless night, Irwin was back on the massive slab of stone, hanging above the seemingly endless surface of swirling gas and soulforce. He was singing loudly, as he had been for over fifteen minutes, and there still wasn't any sign of the Chaos Whales.

Greldo and Dahlia were watching, both not enjoying being in his soulscape when he was reforging due to the massive forces at play.

"I hope they will come," Greldo muttered. "I'm starting to wonder what they are doing down there."

A plume of gas rippled away from the rest as a large shape shot out from its depths, tendrils dragging behind it. It let out a happy rumbling hum and began circling them.

"It grew again," Dahlia said, arms crossed. "I have no idea how large the time-dilation is down there, but I have the feeling they shouldn't be growing this fast."

Irwin didn't react but continued singing.

Minutes ticked by, and finally, as he neared what he guessed was an hour, he stopped.

"Just one," he muttered, turning to Greldo. "I think we need to remain here after we finish my soulcard… if we don't, they might never show up again when we return."

"As much as I'm done with being here, I fear you are right," his friend muttered, groaning in annoyance. "I wish I could move through the shadows down there…"

Irwin nodded, then turned his attention to the Chaos Whale. He hummed a soft song, the start of what he was going to use on the next few cards, and got a happy reaction. The power behind it had grown again compared to the day before, and although there was just one, it wouldn't slow him down too much.

"Let's start," he said as he put the first card on Ambraz and slammed his card down.

As the simple Quartz card's soulforce resonance vibrated under the forces, he softly sang the song, his words accompanied by the deep hum of the Chaos Whale.

The days of being here are going to be over soon, he thought, as he felt a sadness when he realized that.

It wasn't just the rapid growth of his soullake, filling at a speed that he knew was unheard of. It was also the soothing calmness of working with the Chaos Whales. He was going to miss it after he had to leave.

I hope the ones at Eluathar are still there, he thought.

Time flowed, and cards passed his hands and Ambraz's surface, going from Quartz to Amethyst to Topaz to Emerald and, in some cases, up to Ruby. Some were cracked as they were forced beyond their desired path, forever limited in their future growth by their new state- others he managed to somehow keep smooth, the soulforce resonance a strong and beautiful whole.

Finally, many hours later, Irwin's other self watched with a wide smile as the heartcard began condensing. The last time this had started, he'd not been here, but now he felt his entire soulscape pulsate. The soulforce began spinning around, slow at first, but as thunder seemed to crackle all around, he could see the first signs of what would be another massive soulforce storm.

"I'm going in," Irwin shouted as he slammed his hammer down on the card before picking it up and flinging it in Ambraz's mouth. He couldn't finish it now, and leaving it half unfinished would cause it to explode. A waste, but a calculated one. As he moved, a roaring filled his ears, though he knew he was the only one who could hear it.

"Remember! Stay away from the borders, and keep calm!" Ambraz shouted.

Irwin jumped into the other ship, shouted that he was leaving, and then stepped into his soulscape. This time, he knew exactly what he was getting into, as his other self was already being buffeted and flung around by the roiling soulforce. A deep, beautiful sound rang out from the center of his soulscape, where a blinding light hung.

As he willed himself forward, Irwin sensed his connection to his otherself suddenly disappearing. One moment, he was fighting the increasingly powerful soulstorm from two points, and then there was just him.

Ambraz was right, he thought.

His otherself was an integral part of his heartcard, and now it was becoming a soulcard. It was changing. It made sense that during the change, it wouldn't be there.

Still, having only a single self contribute to his memories and experiences made him realize just how limited one was.

Well, it should be back soon enough, he thought as he watched the yellowish clouds in his soulscape start swirling around the center. Streams of toxic fumes from his volcano were ripped up to join them, and the sounds began to deafen.

He remembered the first time he'd gained a soulcard and the intense storm that had been, so as he began to lose his ability to remain hanging where he was, he wasn't surprised. Instead, he felt a growing excitement. Soon, he would have a second soulcard, another Ammolite, and could slot a new set of cards! Better yet, he was younger than most two soulcarded at Topaz rank!

Time flowed by, and soon, he couldn't think anymore, his entire focus on preventing himself from being slammed into the barrier around his soulscape. He'd expected that his grown soulscape size would have made things far easier, but as the power of the storm continued to increase, he found it increasingly harder.

It's way more powerful than the first one, he thought as he willed himself back to the swirling mass of soulforce.

As excitement began to make way for worry, Irwin was shoved backward to within touching distance of the barrier. Only due to a changing of the forces that flung him sideways did he not touch the barrier.

"This is insane!"

His shout of annoyance was inaudible, drowned out by the raging storm.

Time continued to pass until finally, feeling dangerously drained, Irwin heard the sound gradually die down. It was replaced by a beautiful, soft resonance and sound while a rippling pulse of soulforce expanded outward.

"Finally," Irwin muttered as he moved closer to his soullake.

A thick crust of soulforce had wrapped around his heartcard- something he recalled from the previous time, and with a dull thrum, the previous swirling and expanding mass of soulforce turned into a vortex. With a speed that boggled his mind, the soulforce was sucked into the heartcard. Slowly, he felt the connection he had to his heartcard begin to blur.

The first time this had happened, it had felt as if he couldn't sense the border between it and his own soul, but this time, be it due to the power of his soulscape or his sensitivity, Irwin felt the card slowly nestle itself within his soul- becoming a part of the thing that was also his soulscape.

And now, to see years of hard work vanish in the blink of an eye, Irwin thought as he watched the soulforce in the soullake begin to bulge up from the center.

Under his watchful eye, it began a swirling cyclone of liquid soulforce, the tip touching the heartcard. Then, as if being drained by a giant, the soulforce began flowing away into the card. The storm had fully died down by now, and Irwin slowly lowered himself to the side of his soullake, watching somewhat sadly as the beautiful shimmering surface lowered itself.

"Going to have to get used to it being dry like a desert again," Irwin muttered.

It took far longer for the liquid to drain, and to his surprise, the funnel dropped back when there was still a layer of the soulforce remaining- at least a fifth! Suddenly worried, Irwin looked up at his card, flying toward it. Had something gone wrong? The soulforce should all be absorbed, right?

He stared at the heartcard, watching lines appear on it. As it shattered, he worried almost as much as the first time he'd seen it, even though he'd expected this.

Then, a sense of warmth flooded him. He recognized it from his first heartcard, and as he felt his presence in his soulscape strengthen and become more real, he felt a bit of relief. Sensing the new part of him appear, just like his first soulcard, he pulled on it, bringing it closer.

The tiny translucent card that appeared was as much a part of him as his fingers and his hands.

With a flash, his first soulcard appeared, and the two began slowly rotating around him. Curious, Irwin focused on his new one, bringing it closer. As soon as it hovered before him, a text appeared on it, as it had with his first soulcard.

Card: Ethereal Nascent Soul Clone

Type: Soulcard, Ammolite, Sound, Soulforce, Forged by Irwin Roddington

Compatibility type-restrictions: Sound-waves, Soulforce-senses, Soulforce-expansion, Soulclone [singular], Utility Summons [multiple], Physical Improvements [Soulforce resistance, Sound-based resistance, Soulforce senses]

Owner: Irwin Roddington

A unique soulcard that causes your soul to split into a tiny fragment that grows independently. It will increase the power and regeneration of your soulforce and the size of your soulscape. This soul has both its own mind and thoughts while still being the same as the wielder's. If one of the souls is destroyed but the other remains, your other soul will eventually reform.

Passive: Gains a secondary nascent soul

Passive: Gains the ability to see and hear soulforce concentrations, resonances, and fluctuations

Passive: Greatly increased resistance to sound-based attacks

Passive: Greatly increased ability to sense and manipulate soulforce

Active: Summon a unique soulstrum guitar with strings that can be formed from soulforce. Lasts until dismissed or destroyed. [Soulforce]

Active: Summon a booklet that can record resonances in soulforce and sound, recording them in music sheet form [Soulforce]

Active: Teleport across soundwaves up to a thousand feet

[Soulcard passive]: Immunity to soulscape infections and infiltrations

"Soulscape infiltration…?" Irwin said, feeling his mind go cold.

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