It turns out, when you ignore the warnings of a soul god, you just might end up with severe soul damage. Frankly, according to Teddy's parents and Eraztis, it was a miracle that I was only down for two days. After I succeeded in bringing Teddy and Arturous back to life, I was out for the count.

When I did wake up it was with a scream and a flailing of limbs that required Walter to hold me down until I steadied.

Two days. Two days was a lot of time for things to progress. After Khrem managed to give me a hesitant approval for standing up, I found out just how true that statement was.

Rubbing my eyes, I tried to dispel my confusion but that resulted in solidifying that what I saw was reality.

I reached and placed my palm against the glowing crystal cocoon, feeling warmth radiate from within.

Turning to face the others I pointed at Teddy who rested inside. "What the hell happened?"

Sereza scratched the back of her head and looked pensively at the cocoon. "The first hour or so everything was normal. But then the crystals started to sprout from Teddy's chest. It's safe, they can breathe somehow, and Eraztis said this was unexpected but not outside what's possible."

"Okay," I said, slowly processing the information before turning to Teddy's parents. "So they're stuck in there? For how long?"

Anastasia frowned and let out a deep sigh. "According to Lord Eraztis, anywhere from a few days to several decades. We won't know for certain but he's recovering in there. The crystal is supposedly the remnants of the Legacy mark protecting their souls."

I clenched my fist and slowly sank into the nearby chair. Dropping my head low, I traced the faint pulsing from within, finding the crystal eerily similar to a heartbeat.

"I failed."

It was Nathan who stepped up and grabbed my shoulders. "No, son. You didn't. Our boys are alive thanks to you. You risked your life and more, know that even if we have to wait a century for them to recover, we are thankful. Because of you, they will live, and have a chance to enjoy life once again."

What followed was a hug that nearly broke my back. Anastasia followed soon after and I thought she'd go easy but her grip was just as deadly. They helped Walter prepare dinner, and I found myself sitting awkwardly while Sereza and Khrem sat in their chairs.

Now that I had a chance to calm down and look at them correctly, I noticed the bags under both their eyes. Khrem especially looked tired and pale, even with his shark anatomy being so different from most humanoids.

"Are you two okay? I saw the battles thanks to the asshole. Have you guys managed to get some sleep in as well?" I asked.

Sereza groaned but it was Khrem who answered first.

"I consumed some Sleeper's Debt. I suspect I will be as dead as you were a night ago."

"Sleeper's Debt? Wait, the gross purrple stuff that tastes like rotten eggs? Why are you taking that?"

Sereza lifted her head and rubbed at her eyes. Not that it did much to smooth away the eyebags. "There's been a lot of wounded. Khrem's been working with the apothecary guild and healer's guild to help at the medical camps. Same for me. Apparently one of the great monsters that rampaged through the city used poison. I've been doing what I can to help extract it from victims and work with the alchemists to create diluted cures. It doesn't completely fight off the toxins, but it slows it down long enough for the healers with purification skills to work on them."

"Miss Sereza is more talented in alchemy than she gives herself credit for. Her help in extracting the poison has sped up the research needed for creating antidotes," Khrem cut in.

Sereza gave a tired smirk. "Khrem, none of that. Unless you want me to start calling you Mr. Apothecary. But yeah, it's been rough but people are coming together. Thankfully we don't have any food shortages, and even those whose homes have been destroyed are being provided shelter thanks to the crown."

It was good to hear. Out of everything, I completely forgot about the devastation the city had faced.

"Any news regarding the king's children? Did they manage to get to safety? I knew Zagreus was fighting with you on the streets, but other than that, I didn't see what happened to the royals. Oh and what about shiny boy, and Zog," I said.

"Vincent is being paraded as a hero by his house. Last I saw, the crown was offering him rewards thanks to Teddy's parents. Their testimony helped explain things to the court. Honestly, he was a big help in fighting off Lolthis," Sereza said.

Khrem pulled out a small metal tin and unscrewed the top, exposing a yellowish paste. He swabbed a thumb through and grabbed a chunk using his claws before smearing it around his chest.

He continued speaking without a care as he essentially rubbed oil across his scales. "Regarding the royal heirs. They were taken in by Syrreisha and guarded by several guardsmen inside the guild. Where they are now, I have no clue. Regarding Zogrul. He came to find us shortly after you passed out, according to Anastasia. He entered a temple not long after and hasn't been seen since."

I clicked my fangs and braced myself for the next question. "Isaac?"

Khrem paused his lotioning and shared an apprehensive look with Sereza. My fists started to clench but Sereza sighed first.

"He's… As far as I know, he's visiting his family. Apparently his father ended up saving him during a critical moment so he went over to check on his status. Beyond that? He's staying away from the house, or at least from the rest of us. Maybe if you ask Walter he might know where he is."

"I see," I muttered.

There wasn't much to talk about after and eventually Walter came out with Teddy's parents bearing platters of food. Nathan and Anastasia helped break some of the tension and we enjoyed the meal, but even that came to an end.

Nathan finished his glass and thanked Walter before nodding towards his wife.

Anastasia cleared her throat. "I know it doesn't concern you much, regarding the state of the city but it's helpful to know." She waited for a round of head nods before continuing. "The remaining heirs are being safeguarded under Tyrrion's protection along with a few other loyal tier threes. As for the nobles, it's unfortunate news. Many sons and daughters including heads of houses along with some of the more accomplished merchants in the city were wiped out during the attack."

Nathan tapped the table angrily and conjured several plains of water while Anastasia used a skill to display headshots of people. "Among the houses, more than a few traitors were discovered. Most have been executed on the spot as they attempted to sow further destruction, but the ones subdued and shackled are listed in the dozens. Including a few well known faces."

I scanned through the panels and spotted four I recognized.

"That's the head of Ajestella. And that's… the announcer? They were traitors?" I asked while pointing them out.

"Indeed," Nathan said. "Besides the head, and his two sons, the rest of house Ajestella is missing. They had already fled from the city a week prior. If we have any guesses, they are moving toward Luneterra. It also shouldn't be a surprise but more than half of the houses involved in the fiasco that was the tournament and the mindreaper, were also found guilty. Among harboring what look to be cultists and fanatics to the demon, some houses have abandoned ship. How extensively the rot has set in will be discovered once the city recovers. I suspect there'll be more executions to follow in the next few years."

The other two faces I recognized were faces Sereza was more familiar with. Two of the felkins whose names I couldn't remember were also discovered as being traitors to the city. The snobby one in particular was found sabotaging enchantments along the castle grounds before being caught and cut down.

The news was sobering, and dinner ended shortly after. When Serezaa stood up she stretched and yawned while her shoulders sagged.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

I knew I asked her the same question before, but something about her posture spoke of an exhaustion deeper than physical.

She combed her hair with her fingers and stared at the window, along with the pink moonlight that filtered through.

"Honestly?" she said in a whisper. "I'm tired. And I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. But I promised to be there, and they could use a shoulder to cry on."

"Uh, who's they?"

She inhaled and released. "Lezka's family. They'll be holding his funeral tomorrow. They have to since the city is mandating that all corpses are to be burned before plague and other things show up. They don't have time to grieve, they just got their son back and it's his corpse but I'll be there anyway. I owe the idiot at least that much."

I don't know what to say.

I saw the boy die, hoped he hadn't but the extent of Arz'odral's depravity didn't spare him. Not that I knew how to feel about Lezka. He was after-all another puppet that was used to hurt and separate my friends.

Come to think of it, nobody mentioned the others. It's like they don't want to talk about Broken Tower…

In the end I gave Sereza a hug and let her sleep. Khrem also went to bed, leaving me alone and awake. Two days of a coma was more than enough rest. Plus, I didn't want to be around Teddy and Arturous. The sight of them brought back emotions I could barely handle.

Instead of finding a corner to rest in, I searched for Walter and found him staring at the moon atop the roof of the manor.

"You okay, Walter?" I called out.

Walter turned and gave a slight bow. "Sir, Cyrus."

I joined him and took in the beautiful moon, enjoying the majesty above as the stars twinked around it. "You didn't answer my question."

When I glanced over, Walter was showing a surprising amount of emotions. His fists were clenched tight around his waist, and his shoulders were stiffer than stone.

"I failed to protect the young masters. I failed to protect the Lightcrest house. And I failed to protect you and the others. My… Apologies."

I glanced at Walter and then returned to gazing at the stars.

All around me people were dealing with their own inner turmoil. I wasn't surprised that Walter's skill was blocked. Whatever the bastard did, was strong enough to contain multiple tier threes among other things.

I didn't know what to say to Walter but I patted his shoulder and smiled. "Do you mind helping me with a favor?"

Walter cleared his throat and nodded. "Of course, sir."

I quickly described what I wanted and he disappeared long enough to return with Nathan in tow.

"You didn't need to grab him, Walter," I protested.

"Oh no, young man. You are still in recovery. Usually I'd trust Syrreisha to say no to your request, but we both know your skill is too valuable to be put aside right now. Just consider me as your bodyguard while you're out. Let me look all scary and menacing, alright?"

I sighed and accented. If I didn't I had a feeling, Nathan was fully willing to knock me out. Walter stayed behind, and I put him out of my thoughts for now as Nathan summoned a windsurfer out of his storage device.

I hopped on without protest and we soared into the sky as he carried us forward on an endless wave of water. Above the city I was allowed to see how extensive the damage was and found my gut growing heavy.

Nathan nudged me with a smirk and released a howl as he took us closer to the healer's guild. "I'll never get tired of this! Isn't it pretty!"

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I gave in and howled as well, drawing many eyes as we landed next to the guild. A gold-clad guard bearing the crown's colors attempted to demand our names but Syrreisha appeared in a flash, cutting him off.

Her gaze looked past Nathan entirely as she settled on me with grim desperation. Sigils in her eyes flashed and I felt the probe of her mana attempting to scan my body. Giving in, I caught her wince that she quickly stowed away as she approached.

"You are injured. Extensively so that I should be putting you in a cot and several arrays," she stated flatly. Before I could protest she tightened her fists and lowered her head. "I'm sorry to ask this of you, but can you help?"

I summoned the healer's guild badge she gave me. The brief use of mana and pulling from somewhere within sent a sharp jolt directly through my chest but I swallowed the pain and fixed the badge to my collar.

"I can't activate my transformation but I can at least summon Áine. Where do you need me?"

Syrreisha's face lit up as if I was her favorite person in the whole world. Immediately, she summoned a full squad of people wearing the healer's guild support staff robes.

"Listen up! Markus, Venia, you two will be Cyrus's support. I want people with the worst wounds filtered through. In an out, once they are out of critical, bring them to orange zone triage."

"Yes, mam!" Markus said as he snapped a salute.

Venia nodded solemnly while scrutinizing me. She must have had some sort of diagnostic skill as she scanned my body and winced.

Physically I'm fine. Jeez.

"Rufus, Lilly, and Nala. You three coordinate with the other healers. Direct patients from the orange triage their way if need be, or free them of their patients if they are in red critical. I don't care if they complain, send them my way if they fuss too much," Syrreisha continued. After the three gave their affirmatives, she turned to the last two, a male cat-like beastkin and a female elf with pink hair. "Scren, you handle supplies. Whatever Cyrus needs, you get it for him. Give as many mana potions he needs."

"But mam–"

"You heard me. Allow up to the second-tier versions. But they go to him as a priority."

"Yes, mam!" Scren replied after receiving a harsh glare from Syrreisha.

"Good. Fyl. Use your skill on Cyrus. Keep it running until you need potions, and then have Scren hand them over."

"Yes, Head healer," Fyl answered.

I whistled and tried to ignore the desperate and hungry stares directed my way. Syrreisha had drawn the attention of the entire crowd, and now those clutching onto poorly bandaged wounds and others were laser-locked in.

"Cyrus, she has a very mild form of slow, soul healing. It's rare and I don't expect it to even begin helping fix whatever you have going on. But it's more than nothing. Besides that, she can also help with mana recovery as well as soothing your mana channels from oveeruse. If you ever need a break, please stay within her range as she requires touch to activate her skills."

"Understood, boss," I said with an honestly crappy salute.

Syrreisha shook her head and allowed herself a brief smile. "Thank you. I'm glad you're alive, Cyrus. Come find me when you need to leave, or if there are any problems. Alright?"

I nodded and was swept along by the herd of worker bees. Nathan followed as my bodyguard, easily pushing aside anybody that got a little too close, whether it was by accident or on purpose.

Once I was sitting on a very comfy cushion, I summoned Áine and fought through the rippling of lightning bolts inside my mana channels.

Fyl leaned forward and placed her palms on my back, as her skills activated. I tasted mint and seasalt, but the pain subsided shortly after.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Of course, sir Cyrus. Please rely on me while you are helping out, sir."

Áine floated over and gave the elf woman a boop of approval. It was cute, but the trickle of people started to flow through my small tent. The first patient was a boy no older than nine, ruddy-faced and covered in cuts as he was carried onto a cot.

I stared at the missing fingers and the savaged legs with clenched teeth.

"Alright Áine, let's save some lives."

***

Two days later I pulled away from the pulsating crystal and zombie walked into the garden. Near the edge, the sun was a few hours from setting, painting the sky in dimmer colors.

Two days spent mostly at the Healer's guild, was exhausting even if I was only a battery source. Poor Áine was so tired she practically passed out in my arms when we finally called it quits. By the time we left the second day, the looks of respect and awe were finally starting to feel normal.

Apparently being able to near endlessly heal dozens upon dozens of critical patients and bring them back from the brink of death was impressive. Luckily for the guild and the alchemists, I barely even needed mana potions as Áine never used more than needed to secure the wounded. It rankled the little fairy, but she understood the importance of triage better than I.

My expanded mana pool is frankly insane. I wonder what Celenae would say about that now?

My gaze darkened and I pulled out the beanbag before plopping into the soft embrace of the chair. Even the brief jolt of pain wasn't enough to disturb the peace surrounding my limbs.

Wherever you are Celenae, I'll find you. You and the others. Then you can interrogate me all you want about my cheat skills and ridiculous status sheet.

I chuckled to myself and leaned back, but a mana signature appeared in the corner just out of view.

"What are you laughing about?" came Isaac's voice.

It was cold, and heavy, rough as if he hadn't spoken in days.

I sat up and gazed into the spot of shadows far darker than it should be. "Thinking that I want nothing more than for Celenae to be here right now and interrogate me for hours on end as she writes in her journals."

Isaac stepped out of the shadows, his mask was up leaving only his cold eyes. He stopped next to me, looking down. Parts of his skin were grey, a patch showing even through the carefully placed mask. I grabbed his wrist and splayed and lifted his sleeve with my tail, revealing more of the discolored skin.

Isaac pulled free and growled. "Overusage of my skills. Too much time spent in the shadows. It'll heal on its own if I stay in the sunlight."

I frowned and sat up further. "Anastasia could help with that. Use her skills to flush some of the shadow mana out. I can summon Áine too she can–"

"Don't touch me!" Isaac snarled.

I stood up and reached for Isaac but backed off as he reached for his belt. "Listen asshole. I get it, you have problems. So does everyone. But even you shouldn't be stubborn enough to let pain linger for some emo reason as embracing the pain. You're always the first to call me out on my stupidity."

Isaac's fingers flexed but he pulled away from his sheathed daggers and leveled me with a stare. Black abysses churned inside his eyes, actively swallowing light around them as he distorted the air.

"I have problems? That's rich, coming from you."

"Is that the best insult you got? If not, then let it all out. Go ahead, scream at me all you want."

His hand tightened around my collar and he pressed his face close to mine. "You are why the others are fucking gone. You are the reason why Teddy and Arturous are dead! It's all your fault and your cursed existence! A fucking Reborn bringing calamity everywhere you go! Is that what you wanted to hear from me? Huh?"

Mana started to spark in my chest but I contained it in, focusing the rage into controlling my tone.

"You want to blame me for their disappearance? Fine, I'll accept being a calamity. I'm the reason that demon is alive anyways. I'll even accept Teddy and Arturous. But the others? The only reason they are gone and so far away I can't even begin to track them, is because of you! I wasn't the idiot who acted without thinking and stopped me from devouring the asshole's soul! That was you. Not me!"

Crack!

Isaac pulled back his fist as I toppled onto the beanbag. He stepped in for another hit, but the tip of my tail pressed into his throat, giving me time to stand up and wipe the blood from my nose. Beyond the increased agitation, his breathing was ragged, and every muscle in his body was tensed.

I'm going to fuck you up, you little assw-

The first tear slipped down Isaac's cheek while more pooled in the corners of his eyes. For a brief moment, gone was the jerk who cracked me in the face. But instead, a vulnerable, shaking human man.

"They're gone… They were sent into the void. I messed up their teleportation, I… I-I…"

I grabbed Isaac's waist and pulled him closer. He tried to buck me off but I wrapped my arms around his back and forced his head down. My shirt grew wet as he stilled, freezing like a statue.

"Not a single person blames you. Not me, not Teddy's parents, and neither does the rest of Broken Tower. They're strong enough, and we know they are alive. Whatever it takes, we'll find them."

Isaac clutched my shirt and released a sob. I started to rub his back but the bastard smashed his thick skull into my chin and grabbed my collar again.

"No. There's no fucking we. I'm done traveling with you. I'm done being cursed by you! For months you've assaulted my mind with your endless slew of fucking problems! I'm done." Isaac pushed me away and jumped back before I could grab him. His feet slammed into the shadows, sinking partially through as he raised his chin. "I don't care what you do, but stay the fuck away from Teddy. You saved him, but if you stick around he's going to die again. Him and Arturous."

I clutched my nose and glared. "Where the fuck are you going then?"

Isaac sank further, leaving only his neck and above as he blinked away the tears. Cold, hollow eyes looked back, black as the void itself. "I'm going to find them. I'm going to save them without you dragging us down. Don't bother looking for me."

"Are you serious?" I growled. My carefully collected fury broke through, and parts of my vision dimmed as color leeched away. "All that, and that's it? No plan, nothing?"

Isaac sank below the shadows, but his voice echoed out before the ground solidified once more. "I despise you, Cyrus. May I never see you again. I'm going to do what you can't. I'm going to save them and keep them away from your madness… I'm going to…" his voice trailed but a faint, angry snort slipped out before he was gone entirely. "Don't you dare die, or I'll kill you myself."

I slammed my foot against the spot where Isaac had been but found solid stone. My fingers twitched and my tail smashed into one of the potted plants in agitation. I wanted to scream, tot yell at the idiot, but as quick as it came, the fury fled.

Left behind was a numbness that hollowed me out, leaving me cold even in the warm rays of the sun.

Slowly I moved back to where my beanbag was and dropped, letting the seat swallow me. I clutched my arms close to my chest and watched the clouds above.

Mood-swinging, tsundere bastard... Don't you dare die either, asshole.

I closed my eyes and let my thoughts settle. Raising my hand I stared at the bloody nails, and sighed.

"I'm going to save them, and you. Even if your too much of an ass to understand that. Just you fucking wait."

No sky-shattering, earth rumbling, divine sign responded to me, but I didn't let the thought slip away.

Whatever came next, I was going to keep my promise.

No matter who or what got in my way.

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