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“I’ve never seen it in person,” Bastion replied as they stood before one of the many bridges connecting Terra to Paragon. “This...this is my first time going to Terra since the Great Collision. Since...I can’t believe we’re going back to Delilah. I thought I would never see that place again.”
“We need you there,” James said, looking over the bridge.
It was made of pure energy. The railings. The walkway. Even the four ropes that held up the bridge on each end. Many had tried cutting through all of it—to try disconnecting the worlds and put things back to how it used to be. But it was all in vain. Whatever had occurred due to Bastion’s involvement, it appeared permanent. The bridge never moved. It never wavered.
“It’s something,” Lily said, placing the tip of one finger on the railing. The bridge vibrated at her touch, and instead of a clear, diamond-like appearance, the entire construct turned into a teal color. She touched it again, and it became pink.
“It responds to the minds of those that are crossing,” James said. “The bridges change color, but they can also widen to fit large groups. It’s only a few miles in length, but it can widen all around Paragon if need be.”
“That’s comforting,” Bastion said, looking under the bridge and seeing the bottomless pit below. “Are the bridges the only things keeping Paragon and Terra connected?”
“That’s it,” James said.
“Has anyone jumped down to see what’s there?”
“No one that’s returned.”
“Hmm,” he mused.
“Can we go now?” Kyran muttered. Lily giggled as James shook his head.
“Just give us a couple minutes,” James said.
“There’s an assassin after our heads, in case you forgot.”
“I didn’t.”
“Oh okay,” he said flatly. “Just figured I would remind you. Please continue playing with the colors of the bridge.”
“We will,” James huffed as he turned back to Lily and Bastion. “If I had to bet, I would say the Sorcerers are down there.”
“Not that anyone smart would go down there to find out,” Bastion muttered. “It’s not worth it.”
“What are we doing about them?” Lily asked.
“Nothing,” James said. “Not until things die down. As far as I’m concerned, the Seven Sorcerers might as well be Zen-Echelon.”
“In other words,” Bastion spoke up. “There’s no way we’re going to find out more about them until they’re ready to reveal themselves.”
“Exactly,” James said. “Besides, they don’t sound like our enemy. They are a neutral presence that has asked to be left alone. There’s no need to put our more pressing matters aside to investigate.”
“Yes,” Kyran replied. “Like seeing if we can make the bridge green with our thoughts.”
“Why don’t you touch it?” James asked him. He stared at him like he was stupid until James grunted and turned his attention elsewhere.
“What happens when we all cross?” Bastion asked. “Sorry for all the questions. This is so new to me, and it’s not like Paragon has literature on the subject.”
“I forgot you loved to read,” James said as Lily looked at Bastion in shock.
“You like to read?” she gasped.
“Uh, yes.”
“How did I miss that?” she mumbled to herself, clutching the sides of her head. “I’ve never seen you read before.”
“I usually do it in private, and besides, Paragon has very few books. It’s usually literature on how to best serve the King and little else. Which is annoying because—OH! Could we bring back some books while we’re here? PLEASE!” Bastion grabbed James shirt and pulled at it until James pressed the palm of his hand on Bastion’s face and pushed him away.
“Stop that. You’re going to stretch it.”
“PLEASE!” Bastion pleaded. “I’m dying over here. We wouldn’t have to bring much.”
“We don’t have anything to carry them in,” Kyran said.
“I’ll do whatever I have to. Please! Please!”
“Goodness,” Lily giggled. “All this over some books.”
“Sure,” James said. “We’ll see if the Delilah has a bookstore or something. You can go wild.”
“Oh, thank you!” Bastion practically wept. He then jumped over to Lily and hugged her tight from the side. “We’ve got to read together! I’m telling you, there’s so much you can learn. It’s better than just having information dumped into your head. You literally go into brand new worlds. It’s—” He trailed off as Lily just let him speak. She turned and hugged him back—happy that he was so excited to share something with her.
“So what happens when many people cross the bridge?” Kyran muttered.
James smiled. “I’m sorry...what was that?”
“You heard me,” Kyran mumbled.
“You want to know what happens when multiple people cross?”
“I don’t care anymore.”
“Well, whoever’s thoughts are the loudest and strongest takes over. It’s so the leader of an army or group can lead the way and decide how the bridge should accommodate them.”
“Interesting,” Kyran said, narrowing his eyes. “Maybe we should all cross then.”
“I see what you’re getting at,” James laughed, taking a step forward. As soon as his foot hit the pink “wooden” planks beneath him, the entire bridge transformed into white stone, including the ropes. Bastion and Lily stepped in line behind him and nothing changed. But as soon as Kyran followed them, the bridge turned green, and the stones transformed into a bed of flowers and petals. It was like a miniature meadow had appeared underneath their feet.
James stopped in surprise and turned to face Kyran. He was blushing with embarrassment underneath his trench coat, but James didn’t say a word. He turned back around and they continued walking until their trek across the gap was over.
He wouldn’t mention what he saw. Not to anyone. He was sure the last thing Kyran wanted to reveal was how much he was dwelling on Chloe, and how her health and safety consumed him.
James was more concerned by how Kyran’s thoughts had taken over so quickly.
If James was the leader, and he couldn’t even drown out Kyran’s worries, what was really going through his head? Did he have a clear path to what he wanted? What he needed to accomplish?
Now on Terra, James noticed the difference between it and Paragon immediately. The grass was harder, and it made a loud crunching sound wherever they stepped. He didn’t know how they had once been able to be stealthy. The leaves didn’t help either. The winds were sharper and harsher, as if it was an unruly child throwing a tantrum. The trees were either too tall or too short. They weren’t at that perfect height where shade was provided, but not so much as to block out the sun’s warmth. It was noticeably colder, even though on Terra it was still spring.
There were patches of dead grass and flowers. There were broken twigs and fallen branches. They could see patches of mud and dirt all around them. The soil was lacking in nutrients, and the sun was a lot warmer than he remembered.
And yet.
Yet.
It still felt like home.
“Ah,” Kyran sighed as he unzipped his trench coat by one notch. Lily giggled at the sight.
“The air is denser,” James said. “But for some reason, I like it better.”
“How can one like air better?” Kyran said. “It’s air. It just is. Take it or leave it.”
“A way to describe Kyran if I ever heard it,” Bastion chuckled, rubbing his hand along the coarse bark of a colossal redwood.
“Take it in,” James said. “We won’t be around this long. We have to head west.”
“They’ll see us coming,” Lily stated.
“There’s no other way to get there. Manifestations don’t work anymore, remember?”
“Yeah,” Bastion muttered. “You sure this is a good idea?”
“It makes sense.”
“It could be a trap. Eizel could be working for the hunter.”
“I’m not going to make decisions based on fear.”
Bastion nodded. “Okay.”
“I’m just surprised we’re taking a more active role now,” Lily said. “We could have done something like this years ago. Why now? Is this hunter really that serious?”
“More than you know,” James said. “Or maybe it’s just because we’re rusty. All I know is that someone is trying to take out the Sages, and the King is too afraid to ask Cimmerian about it. Odds are that the war is about to begin, and if we don’t do something to prepare for it, no one will.”
“Should we care?” Lily asked and James stopped in his tracks and faced the three of them.
“Why does everyone keep saying that? Is that how everyone feels? That we should leave Paragon alone?”
Lily shrugged her shoulders. “They’ve left us. That’s obvious.”
“And where will it end? They leave us. We leave them. Then what? The selfishness has to stop somewhere.”
“And why with us? We’ve done enough for them.”
“Not exactly,” Bastion winced. “They wouldn’t even be in this predicament if it wasn’t for me...is that why we’re doing this, James? It’s okay. You can say it.”
“Part of it,” James admitted. “But I’m not blaming you for the decision you made.”
“They do.”
“The Sages are all connected. We’re family. When one of us makes a decision, we all deal with the consequences.”
“It’s only a family if all of the members agree to be one,” Kyran said. “And when you say Sages...you don’t mean everyone. You mean the core group. The inner circle we have.”
“What do you mean?”
“If Arimus died today, how would you feel?”
“I would be furious,” James replied. “And obviously I would be sorrowful.”
“And the three Sages that died under Eizel’s command? What do you feel for them?”
“I didn’t know them.”
“But they were Sages too, weren’t they? Did they not at one time fight for Allay? This is the difference between you and Catherine, and why you shouldn’t try to be something you’re not. She genuinely felt for every single person as if they were her loved ones. That’s why so many loved her and followed her. You’re stuck in this leadership position for now, and you’re talking about unity and love and family, but that’s not what you truly believe in.”
“I didn’t know he could talk that much,” Lily said in awe.
“Figure out what you believe in,” Kyran said. “And act accordingly.”
James knew when he had been defeated. “Okay,” he said sheepishly. “I’ll think about it.”
“I wouldn’t make any major decisions until then.”
“Yeah,” James winced. Bastion scratched his head and tried not to make contact with anyone’s eyes.
“I felt that,” Bastion said. Lily giggled and threw her arm around him.
“Hey, we’ll figure this all out. When the battle arrives, we’ll know where we stand.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” James said. “That it’s going to take war for us to realize where our desires lie.”
***
THE BRIDGE TO DELILAH stretched out over the ocean, and if it wasn’t for the dread looming over them, they might have enjoyed the atmosphere. As the sun slowly set in the distance, the water flowed a few feet beneath them. As they walked along the energy bridge, the lapping of the water tried to calm James’ nerves, but anxiety had a hold over him.
The sky was a bright orange and red, and the color scheme caused him discomfort. The proximity of the bridge to the ocean surface was so close that he feared a wave might come crashing their way. There were no land masses around for them to latch onto, and if an enemy like the hunter came, they would have nowhere to hide.
And then there was the Delilah. Their landmass towered ominously in the distance. A shining city on top of a jagged mountain. James had never been there, but he had heard plenty of stories from Lily and Bastion. He had asked them to tell the story of the Great Collision many, many times.
“I don’t think they’ll attack outright,” Bastion said as they continued walking. “They will want to ambush us, so they’ll get into position first. I don’t know what technology they might have up their sleeves either. For all I know, they might try to put me back into a machine to restore things back to how they were.”
“Is that possible?” Kyran asked.
“Don’t even think about it,” James said, but Kyran threw his hands up in the air as if he didn’t know what James was talking about.
“Do you think...” Lily’s voice trailed off.
Bastion shook his head vehemently. “No. We’re not going to fuse again. You’re not a stone anymore. You’re a person.”
“But we haven’t even tried since my...since my death. It might be better for both of us if we combined—”
“No,” he said adamantly.
“But why? Is it because someone might be able to use me for themselves?”
“No, it’s because I don’t want you in my head again.”
“But I like learning about you.”
“Then you can do it the old fashioned way. By talking to me. Anytime I bring up an old memory or I’m trying to tell you a story, you cut me off and finish it for me. You even tell me things I don’t remember.”
“This is why Chloe and I don’t talk much,” Kyran said. “So when it is time to talk, things are fresh.”
“Don’t listen to him,” James said, rolling his eyes.
“I mean, I don’t even know if I can still do it,” Lily replied. “But...I promise not to rummage around in your head.”
“Yeah, right. I know you. You can’t help yourself.”
“I said I promise.”
“Like you promised to stop—”
“—cutting you off?” she said, then she clasped her hands over her mouth.
“SEE?”
“Okay, you two,” James said, bending his head low. “Let’s keep it down. You see that?” They all followed his pointing index finger in the distance to see a tiny silhouette in the sky, approaching them fast. “Kyran, go invisible. We don’t want them to know there’s only three of us.”
“Done,” he said as he vanished from view.
“What is that?” Lily asked as the silhouette got closer and details began to emerge. It was a person. And whoever it was, they were flying in the air.
“Manifestation?” Bastion asked, but James shook his head.
“No. I don’t think so. Mechanical.”
“Let’s get off this bridge,” Bastion said, sprinting forward. James and Lily followed suit as Kyran was still nowhere to be found, but they were sure he was close behind. The person flying in the air indeed had something attached to his back. Some kind of backpack that emitted invisible gusts of wind from the bottom. Though he couldn’t maneuver or turn well, he was still able to hover.
James and the group ran past him and he slowly turned around, following them but maintaining his distance.
“There’s an entrance into Delilah up the mountain,” Bastion shouted. “But the topography could have changed drastically since I was last here.”
James was about to say something when he nearly stumbled over his own feet. The bridge beneath them was beginning to expand, and at an alarming rate. It turned into black rock as it continued stretching out as far as they could see.
“Not good,” Lily said as she pointed forward. James sucked his teeth once he saw the relative army running toward them from the shore. There had to be a hundred of them, all outfitted in dense armor and carrying various weapons—some that James couldn’t even identify. The flying man behind them still kept a watchful eye on them.
“No one attack without an order,” James said, slowing down to a halt. “And that goes for you too, Kyran, wherever the heck you are.”
“They’re probably going to take us captive,” Bastion replied. “But we can’t let that happen. You know they’ll kill me.”
“I won’t let it happen,” James said as they got closer. He allowed his white Sage robe to envelope him, covering his body from head to toe. Bastion did the same for his black robe as James rubbed the tips of his fingers across one of his sleeves. He was certainly weaker on Terra. In a sense, he was still dead after all.
The army approached, but they stopped about a quarter of a mile away. At that point, only three proceeded. They had no weapons in their hands, but their bodies were armored from the neck down. The two women and one man walked briskly toward them until they were but a few yards away from each other.
“Do you know who you have traveling with you?” One woman asked boldly. Her long black hair rode the wind as her cold blue eyes waited for an answer. James glanced from her to the other woman, who was short and stocky, but still had the same cold glare. The man was no different. His brown eyes were full of contempt and based on the way his fists were clenched, he wasn’t too friendly.
“I’m aware,” James said. “Who might I be speaking with?”
“My name is Winona,” the first woman said. “The two at my side—you do not need to know their names. They are simply here for protection.”
“We mean no harm.”
“Yes, we know. It is the Sage’s mantra, but not their doctrine. How different our lives would be if our ancestors had not gotten involved with you.”
“You’re talking about the Yama?”
“The world before you is different from how you remember, Sage. And it is one of danger for the likes of you and your kind. Every Kingdom and people on Terra has been touched by your hand, and not for the better.”
“We’ve been hearing that. And now we’re trying to make things right.”
“Our ancestors underestimated you. They believed that finding a replacement for the Emissary would be easy, and as a result, they forced your hand. Sending the Yama to insight fear and prepare Bastion for his destiny was not carefully thought out. In that sense, we are also to blame. We should have looked into alternative ways to sustain the bridges between worlds.”
“I think that if we sat down and talked, we would have much to learn from each other.”
“Oh?” she asked. “And what could you tell me that I don’t already know?”
“If we sit and talk, you would find out.”
“I’m sorry, Sage, but—”
“—James. My name is James.”
“James?” she said, raising an eyebrow. “The Deja?”
“Deja?” he asked. “Oh, right. The name you give to those who died before the Great Collision.”
“Yes. You were the husband of Catherine.”
“Still am.”
“Hmm,” she said. “Well, James. I am not sure talking’s a good idea. People still have not forgotten what happened. It was the first attack that ever happened there, after all. And of course, you bring Bastion—the perpetrator of it all.”
“He can stay back if that’s what you want, but I think he should come along. He can prove to the people that he didn’t mean any harm. He was acting out of self-preservation.”
“That is what all you Sages do. Self-preserve. As you do now. You’ve come for our aid, haven’t you? You’re not here to warn us or anything. You need help.”
“Paragon does.”
“You speak on behalf of Paragon?”
“We do.”
“Then why did they take so long to invoke conversation?”
“They are a proud and private people. So we’re here to do the dirty work, you could say.”
“I see,” she said, looking back at the army behind her. “They want his head, you know.”
“I realize that.”
“Come then. We will have a conversation. But I promise that if it ends poorly, you will not be able to escape. We’ve upgraded our defenses significantly, and you will realize for yourself why we aren’t afraid of what Cimmerian can do.”
“They haven’t contacted you yet?”
“No. Because they probably think we aren’t needed, and yet, we are probably the most powerful society between all three worlds.”
“I guess we’ll see.”
“Yes. Come and see. Come and see what we were forced to do. Come and see what your Bastion did to us.”
