It was finally time. Daniel stood stiffly in the center of the Divine Pavilion as he had for the appearance of every god save Hammer and, apparently, Cloak. While the distant throne stood empty, the feeling in the air made it clear that Hourglass would be the last one to arrive. Hammer looked uneasy which was only a fraction of what was inside Daniel.

  He’d come so far, and his recent revelation opened up an entire world for him to explore with enchanting. He still had to bring Hunter back and find his friends. It couldn’t all end here. Yet, he’d seen so many die for less. The ones Rorshawd had killed. The toll the lightning dragon and the lake monster had taken. Even those thieves he’d killed himself. Their lives had ended far more abruptly. Daniel’s Spoke did make him special, though not invulnerable, and it was because he had it that he was waiting for his death.

  “Brother. You have manifested before arriving here?” Hammer asked as someone appeared in front of them with what sounded to be mock affront. Daniel was looking down, not pretending to be unaffected by what was to come. Hourglass was one of the old guard and he had no reason to believe he would be different from the others.

  “Hammer. I-“ Another ripple in reality, similar to Hammer’s last manifestation against Scythe, hit Daniel as his head shot up. Standing in front of him was a man equal to Hammer in height, which he’d learned by now was a sign of the god’s relative age. Like the majority of those here, Hourglass wore a form of robes. These were white and gray, the colors mostly split vertically although some of the gray bled over to the white in a thin space in the center as a visual kind of hourglass. This shift was currently paused, as was Daniel’s breathing as he saw the god’s face.

  “Dad?” It took him a few seconds to realize he’d said that out loud and looked in fear at Hammer, but the god didn’t notice. In fact, he was frozen. Time was frozen.

  Garret Brant walked toward his son, shrinking to his old height as his clothes shifted to the polo shirt and cargo shorts Daniel had last seen him wearing. He took Daniel in a fierce, but quick hug and spoke rapidly as they parted. “I can’t sustain this for too long. Listen carefully.”

  “Wait, how?” Garret seized both of Daniel’s shoulders and shook them, bringing Daniel’s eyes to his.

  “No time. Trust me, I would know. Say nothing. Act like you don’t know me. If Hammer finds out he will get apocalyptically angry. Do nothing until after the vote. This is important, Daniel. Do. Nothing.”

  “How is any of this-“

  “Here.” Garret reached out with an open hand and the air above his palm shifted. Fragments flew together until they formed Daniel’s necklace, and when it was in his hands Daniel felt his Totem Warrior powers come back online. “I’ve made it so that you can’t lose it again. Hmm. I wish I could have done that back on Earth.”

  That shut Daniel up for exactly one relative second as Garret stood and started becoming Hourglass once more. “Does Earth-Daniel know what you are here?” he asked out of the million questions he could have.

  Hourglass paused for a moment as he absorbed that fact before he shook his head while hurrying back to his spot. Daniel got the impression time was about to resume and shoved the necklace in his bag of holding before Hammer would notice. “-felt I shouldn’t waste time with those pleasantries,” Hourglass continued as if he hadn’t interrupted himself by pausing time.

  Hammer grinned at this. “If anyone would have the time to waste, brother, it would be you.”

  That’s an inside joke, Daniel realized. How does Dad have an inside joke with a guy thousands of years old? What the fuck is going on? He desperately tried to keep his hands, or any part of him, from shaking.

  “Yes, well, I understand we have much to discuss.” Hourglass nodded to Daniel without any familiarity and Hammer nodded solemnly.

  “Yes.” He clapped his hands and Daniel was suddenly sitting below and to the front of Hammer’s throne with the same vertigo getting not-teleported by the god of transmutation always gave him. Hammer then stood, every other god on their respective thrones. Even Cloak, who just appeared as a tall human silhouette of dark fog. “Brothers and sisters, we meet once more at the end of a cycle. A Spoke has been lost and one of our old foes is rising. Is there any here that would say we can recover from this point?”

  No one spoke up and Hammer nodded. “Very well. We collapse once more to the Hub. Before we reflect on what changes we may make to the Octyrrum, I wish to formally bring a special matter to the attention of the pantheon. Daniel, my child, an Incarnate unlike any we have seen in any cycle.” Daniel found the seat of his chair rising to make him stand and he didn’t resist, completely overwhelmed and just following what his real father had told him to do. “I understand there are concerns over what they are, and the effects they have on the Octyrrum. I know there are those here who think it best they are destroyed now.” His eyes found Torch two thrones over. “Let us discuss this issue.”

  Daniel appeared in the center of the Pavilion and wished Hammer had just left him there if he was going to teleport him back less than a minute later. Torch stood and Hammer reluctantly sat back down. “I have discussed this issue at length with Hammer. No accord will be reached between us. This Incarnate is a threat to our world and the Balance we seek to maintain. Hammer, are you aware a mortal awakened the Vanguard class in one of the nearby regions?”

  Cloak stood and spoke, though only their words reached Daniel without any hint of what the voice sounded like. It was as if the god had sent subtitles his way to read. “I can confirm this. I have noted the awakening of several powers either restricted by us, or completely unknown to me, by those in proximity to this Incarnate. In addition, I witnessed one of the new races escape the bounds of the Octyrrum altogether with the Incarnate’s aid.”

  Hammer paled at this, the stone of his armrests cracking as he gripped it. Even though this was the god of illusion, no one else in the Pavilion doubted their words. Hand stood up as Cloak sat back down. “I don’t understand. We all agreed those with the Vanguard class died more on average than was acceptable. It should have been fully phased out thirty years ago!”

  “That is the threat posed by this one,” Torch said, eyeing Hammer. “One of them. They also possess a power linked to the heart of the Octyrrum and my domain, siphoning knowledge that I must tirelessly restrict lest our greatest secrets be made publicly known. I attempted to have someone remove this only for it to still exist despite honest assurances the task was done.”

  Hammer exploded onto his feet, though only after Torch had finished speaking. “You did what!? How? Which of my Clerics would have…” He drew in his breath sharply. “The Illustrious. You dealt with them and call my child a threat to the Octyrrum!?” His voice thundered across the Pavilion but no lightning, or anything else, followed. The god seemed to be tamping down on whatever caused the random manifestations even if he was angrier than Daniel had ever seen.

  “It had to be done,” Torch defended herself, while Hand and Scythe joined the skeptical glances being thrown her way. “I couldn’t run my Realm and deal with that insidious power at the same time. I can number the deaths you caused by distracting me in the thousands.” She directed this at Daniel.

  Hammer didn’t shout this time, but his words seemed to cut the air between him and Torch, destroying some of the empty religious buildings in the way. “Do not address my child. This matter is between us.”

  “It is as I keep saying, Hammer. Your judgment is compromised. I sympathize with your desire for an offspring that will last the ages with you, but this is not the answer.” Torch redirected her gaze. “There is yet someone else who can attest to how this Incarnate affects power awakening near them. Star, you have kept company with them for several days. What is your impression?”

  Star stood up a bit uncomfortably and sighed, his words more formal and without any sign of bro talk. “Daniel has a few powers outside of the Artificer class. I can also say I have never heard of the Beast Friend power, or one like it with those effects. Outright forming bonds without involving Karma… Either way, I have made careful examination of his known arcane formulae. I would agree there is a strong possibility his Spoke is enabling the creation of novel factors into the Octyrrum.”

  He… he was spying on me, Daniel realized. My powers, my wings, that was gathering evidence.

  Daniel’s thoughts didn’t escape Star, who shot an apologetic look at Daniel. That seemed to be all Torch was expecting, but Star didn’t yield the floor, instead nodding slightly at Daniel before continuing with a determined look. “I don’t think we should destroy him. He’s a mortal and a Spoke. I mean, come on, I saw him start to sweat when a bunch of unleveled miners looked at him funny. He was able to learn at least the basics of True Enchanting, and I swear on my domain I didn’t help him any more than we would for another new god. Look, I’m just putting this out there as a possible solution, but what if we induct him as a replacement for Grav-“

  “Do not speak that name,” Torch quickly interrupted, the first time any god had spoken over another. She wasn’t chastised, and Star stumbled backward from the force of her words.

  “S-sorry. All I’m saying is that if he joins us, that process could solve your issues with him, right? Domain restriction would remove his influence over Enchantment and Knowledge, probably allowing him to control what’s going on. We need to choose a new one before the next cycle anyway or else we’d just have another with the Astral restricted. He’d even be responsible for the domain that contains Resurrection, so he could bring his friend back himself. Everybody wins.”

  “A Spoke has never joined the pantheon,” Torch replied less fiercely. Though she seemed to initially hate the idea, she was giving it thought.

  Star gazed back at her with confidence. “He has a soul. He could do it.”

  He was setting this up? Daniel thought, appreciation for the god somehow rising after his initial betrayal. He’s not a traitor, he’s a double agent. Sure, joining the pantheon wasn’t anything like what he’d expected to happen, and losing all of his class powers in exchange for whatever domain he’d be taking up would suck. But, it’d mean both he and Hunter would survive, and as a god Daniel could tell Hammer to back off without risking being unmade.

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  Unfortunately, there was a voice that strongly dissented. Hourglass stood and Star quickly sat back down as he did. “No.” His father sat back down without a further word and that seemed to completely kill the idea, to Star’s clear dismay and Daniel’s utter confusion.

  “Brother, surely you at least agree ending him here is premature?” Hourglass tilted his head noncommittally at Hammer’s words and didn’t say anything else.

  Torch, ever the doomsayer, objected. “We cannot tolerate this Incarnate’s presence during the next Collapse as things stand. My efforts will be severely impacted, though the effects of the corrupted Spoke will harm everyone. To say nothing of the work we must do in identifying and restricting what they have introduced. Surely you have all realized through your Fates that predictive powers have suffered as of late?” There was general nodding, even from the dark fog that was Cloak. “The presence of these variables cannot be accounted for by the Octyrrum until fully integrated or restricted. The more aberrant powers it grants, the more it will be thrown off, and this issue will fester the longer the Incarnate is allowed to live.”

  “Well, I’ve heard enough. Let’s kill him.” Scythe stood, raising her hand. “I mean, I know he’s important to Hammer, but if he fucks with the Collapse we all die.”

  Hammer gritted his teeth and stood. “We have more to discuss. It is too soon for a vote!”

  The light from Torch’s eyes softened slightly. “Hammer, I have been with you since the beginning. I know your pain. Let me assure you, this is not the way. It is too great a risk.”

  “No.” A black rod appeared in Hammer’s hand as he threw it down, shattering part of his side of the Pavilion. “No! If we can determine how my child’s Spoke has suffered we can correct it, or at least contain the effects.”

  “Oh.” Hand covered her mouth and stood as she’d inadvertently spoken with that sigh, though she added what she’d realized. “I thought it was just my Proxy. Hammer, you don’t know what his Spoke does, do you?”

  “He doesn’t. Neither do I,” Torch admitted. “It has been corrupted somehow. The Illustrious were in the area. They haven’t interfered with us before, and I saw nothing to justify risking their retaliation across the world by doing anything other than offering my deal. In the end, they matter little when the issue stands before us. Most were here when it pulled out that monster’s body and called it a friend.”

  “I, I can fix them!” Hammer collapsed into his throne, though he still spoke. “I’ve never had this chance before.”

  Hourglass stood, opposite of the empty throne. “Hammer, I don’t want there to be any bad blood between us. I do not call a vote, but is there any other of us that wish to preserve this Incarnate knowing the risks they pose?” Star’s mouth opened, and then closed as he looked to Daniel and then away. “He is an Incarnate, brother. The effects he has on the Octyrrum end with him, but his vessel does not need to be destroyed. Let us remake it into something that can follow you for a time while we release the soul to the Astral.”

  What the hell is he doing? Daniel wondered but didn’t dare interrupt. Six of the seven had just signed his death warrant and they only needed four signatures to get the job done. Maybe this was a trick his father was pulling? Like, he would pause time again and replace Daniel with a wooden statue while spiriting him away.

  Hammer covered his face with his hands and sat for a few minutes, no one else speaking while he thought. When he stood this time it was with all the age he casually wore. “I have had trouble containing my domain these past few days. I thought joy was something I’d sacrificed forever when we formed this pantheon. When I rediscovered it, I admit, I was beside myself. A true child once again.” He hung his head. “I call a vote to… to do as my brother suggests.”

  Daniel watched as, one by one, each of the gods raised a hand. Hourglass was last, watching his counterparts closely to make sure. Daniel braced for time to freeze, though something else happened. “Excellent, unanimous approval.” Hourglass stood, and the look in his eyes gave Daniel both pause and relief. There was a strange triumph there. “I suggest we fully lock down the Divine Pavilion.”

  “What?” Hand asked, still seated, while the other gods reacted in various states of surprise or alarm. Daniel saw each of the exits of the central space close and felt the mana flow within him cease as he was hit with strong magical suppression. At the same time, he felt another metaphysical shift, like the air was moving forward.

  “What are you doing, brother?” Hammer asked.

  “Torch, I must correct you. Some are still able to use Foresight with accuracy. It helps if it is within your domain.” Hourglass’ face was the same as his father’s, but Daniel didn’t recognize the gloating maniacal genius currently using it. “Hammer, you spoke your line word for word.”

  “You aren’t here in a Proxy,” Hammer realized. “What are you doing!?” He froze and clutched a hand to his chest above his heart. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY CHILD!?”

  “Draining it. This region has such a helpful Spoke, providing all this ambient mana.”

  Star paled on his throne. “Hourglass, they built the city off of that mana field. Spoke aside, draining that will cause it to collapse!”

  Hourglass gave him a brief, inconsequential look. “And?”

  “You betray us now? What could you possibly hope to gain?” Torch asked, though before Hourglass could answer Hammer tore an entire third of his section up and tossed it as a spear at Hourglass as if he’d used a giga-charged Construct Projectile. It flew normally, screaming over Daniel’s head as he fell to the ground, until it got halfway across Hourglass’. The tip stopped moving as it hit a field of stopped time, the entire mass compressed into the size of a car. When Hourglass released the effect the compressed stone exploded, throwing Daniel a few meters from the force.

  “He’s advancing local time using that mana!” Star cried out from where he was cowering on his throne. The poor god that had done so much with level 1 power was an ant before the real bodies of his fellows. “Hourglass, why? Trapping us here leaves our bodies vulnerable!”

  “I don’t expect you to understand,” Hourglass said dismissively, watching as Hammer charged across the Pavilion towards him while absorbing material as he went. “Some of you here have only lived but a fraction of the grand game. All I will say is that I have grown tired of it. It’s time I went home.” He looked to Daniel with that.

  “Home? You know that’s impossible. Unless…” The light in Torch’s eyes went out. “Hourglass, that is insanity! You would repeat the same mistake that brought us this fate, not escape it!”

  “It is time. This world is too broken, despite our efforts. This conflict of systems will never be resolved. It is past time to move on, and yet I know none of you will make that choice. It is better this way.”

  With a scream that turned into a shower of physical swords, Hammer reached Hourglass’ throne and converted the massed stone in his arm to a translucent blade, cutting the head off the god of time. A few seconds later, the damage reverted itself as Hourglass moved hundreds of meters in a few seconds while looking like he was just walking. “You all have been so busy with your Realms, and only one of you is truly here. I have gathered mana and souls within me during the entirety of this cycle. None of you can stop this, so do not try.”

  “You wanted to be isolated in the hub,” Torch said shakily, her hostile confidence shattered as she continued to unravel Hourglass’ conspiracy. “You killed your counterpart, the best of us, just so you wouldn’t have to run a full Realm!?”

  “Not personally, and if there had been any other way I would have avoided his death,” Hourglass admitted, a single scrap of remorse escaping him before he mastered himself. “This plan has been long in the making. Though, you were never meant to see this,” he said to Daniel. “I am sorry. I promise, you will understand when-“

  “He… he…” Hammer’s shaky voice carried once more across the Pavilion as the god came to a complete stop, shedding the stone that had climbed over his body. “Hourglass, tell me you did not.”

  Concern entered Hourglass’ eyes for the first time since he’d stabbed the other gods in the back. “Hammer, whatever you are thinking-“

  His words were drowned out, not by noise but by the sudden creation of a vacuum that also swept Daniel up. Somehow Hammer’s words were still audible. “That is not my child. You usurped my godseed! Destroyed it and replaced it with your own. This, all of this, is you! You made me think I, I-” He breathed heavily for a second and Daniel, gasping for air that would not come, saw even Hourglass be too late to stop what would happen next.

  Daniel’s entire body turned to fire. He would have screamed but he lacked both the lungs and air. Space warped around him as Hourglass contested the effect with his domain, reversing time to restore Daniel as he had healed the wound to his neck. Daniel was left raggedly breathing, still remembering every moment of the torture.

  Hammer threw another massive spear at Hourglass, and re-established his control over Daniel’s body while his father was occupied. “Stop!” Hourglass cried out as it became clear Hammer had discovered a weak point.

  “No,” Hammer growled, lifting another stone spear. Every time his body was converted, the sheer pain tore at Daniel’s psyche. It felt like his mind and soul were breaking as his thoughts were left more and more ragged. Being trapped in the ice sphere was nothing compared to this. Whatever Hammer was doing went further than just physical.

  “Wait!” Torch called out from across the room. “Hammer, we can force him to stop this.”

  Hourglass looked between Daniel and Hammer as he understood what the god of knowledge was suggesting. He grimaced and shook his head. “I cannot stop this even if I want to.”

  “Then I will break this one’s soul. The fundament of soul’s immutability does not touch this land, Hourglass. You know this.” Hammer menaced, throwing another spear. Daniel prepared for more burning but it didn’t come. He clutched at his chest in surprise and saw that Hammer was having trouble finding him for some reason. “Cloak.”

  The humanoid dark fog nodded from across the room. “I thought I’d played the clever trick. Went through all the effort of moving a good Proxy close to fake everyone out.”

  “Why are you helping him?” Torch shouted from the opposite side of the Pavilion.

  Cloak ignored her, looking at Hourglass. “I’m here physically. Let me possess a Proxy. If I understand your plan, you want the rest of us either dead or off the board by the time the pavilion comes back. My true body will still be here. You want that Incarnate to survive, I’ll hide him and let you get him out.”

  Hourglass considered this and frowned. “What else do you want?”

  “You swear on our bond to return to and not leave the Hub when this effect ends. Issue no orders to your church that would compromise our defense. It’s not like you have a strong presence in our Realms anyway.” Cloak looked around at the rest of the gods. “It’s a gamble, but it gives us a chance. The Collapse is going to start, but the mortals could get to our bodies and save them without him interfering. Hourglass can’t push this space out too far into the future. We can recover from this.”

  “I would agree to restrict myself for a century,” Hourglass offered hesitantly.

  “Not until the work of the Octyrrum is done.” Cloak’s formless body managed to stare down Hourglass, who looked at Daniel and sighed.

  “Agreed.”

  “No!” Hammer shouted, still trying to find Daniel but being misled by whatever Cloak was doing with his domain.

  “I will temporarily reverse your body to a point in time before the lockdown, but after the vote. I give you only just enough time to leave. You will accomplish nothing else by trying to warn them.”

  “I understand.” The static of the illusion god’s face twisted in some kind of magic eye picture way to smile. “The pact is made. Quickly, everyone, tell me where your true bodies are!”

  Hourglass’ eyes burned as the gods began to list regions, but couldn’t stop them. The fact that Hammer briefly saw Daniel suggested Cloak had shifted who he was affecting, blocking Hourglass from hearing the list as well. Daniel heard them all but only faintly recognized Teskalia, in the Hand’s Realm. He was barely holding on to enough sanity to make the connection.

  Hourglass ran over to him as Cloak began focusing on Hammer once more. Daniel was hurt, even though physically he was fine. The echoes of the pain were fracturing his mind. He might not have survived one more of those transformations. “Son,” Hourglass whispered softly, seeing this. “I am sorry. I am so sorry. The best I can do is bring you back to where you were before Hammer found you. Find me. Go to the center of this world and I will explain all of this. We can go home.”

  Daniel tried to choke out words but couldn’t find the strength. Just before he was going to depart, Torch raised an arm. “I am adding an addendum. That one knows too much.”

  Both Hourglass and Cloak’s heads turned at that, the illusion god crying out to stop her. It was too late. As Daniel was pulled through time, he felt parts of his memory begin to disappear, rolling from the present and into the past. His last sight of the Pavilion was his father’s wide eyes.