Jackal Among Snakes

Chapter 708: Forever

When Argrave and Anneliese walked out of their tent, the first thing they noticed was that underfoot.

“Grass?” Anneliese questioned. “How long have we been asleep? A week, or…?”

The reason for the lack of sound became clear—a ward surrounded their tent, blocking all noise from entering. Even had it not been there, things probably would’ve been quiet. It was the dead of night. The red moon shone brightly overhead, illuminating the place well. Hundreds and hundreds of tents alike their own had been set up. Fires rose elsewhere, where figures could vaguely be seen crowded around them.

Anneliese held her hand to the ward. Her A-rank ascension sapped the magic within it, and after a few moments, if faded away. Sounds rushed back to them—the dim call of the wind, the distant murmurs from tents and campfire, the sound of industry, of horses neighing… this place was a veritable city of tents.

Rapid movement alerted the both of them, and Argrave whipped his head to see what came. There, Raven—now fully human—stood with his obsidian staff. He watched them in total stillness as others came to join him—Lorena, Orion, Elenore. Their stunned surprise was self-evident.

Argrave gave a wave. “Hey.”

Both of Argrave’s siblings began to stampede over, while Raven and Lorena began a steady walk forward. Argrave and Anneliese were far too weak to resist the proceeding embrace, but they never would’ve anyway. Elenore and Orion both blubbered affectionately just as Anneliese and Argrave had been moments ago.

“I can’t really make sense of you,” Argrave told Elenore, stroking the back of her head. “I told you it’d be fine, didn’t I?”

Elenore struck him with love (somehow), while Orion squished the four of them together in a family embrace. As they were assaulted, Raven and Lorena walked up to speak a little clearer than the siblings.

“Permit them some surprise. I’ve been preparing them for the worst. After all, you’ve been entirely braindead the past ten days.” His gray eyes looked between them both. “Both of you. After what Sophia did, Argrave’s flesh reappeared, but both of your minds vanished.”

“What Sophia did?” Argrave repeated. “What do you mean? What’s happened? I mean… magic is here, and our connection persists.”

The pair went silent. Lorena touched Raven’s shoulder, saying, “I’ll get the others.”

“Is Sophia alright?” Anneliese asked. “Please, catch us up to speed.”

Raven planted his staff down into the ground, leaning against it. “Sophia wove Anneliese’s Spark of Eternity into our realm. She used it to rebirth magic just as it was. Beyond that, everything else a part of the cycle of judgment has seemingly faded. Divinity, spirits, shamanic magic, the Shadowlanders—all gone.”

“But is Sophia alright?” Argrave pressed.

“I’m unsure.” Raven looked away.

“Is she or isn’t she?” Argrave asked, voice stern and hard.

Elenore explained, voice hoarse from the crying. “But she won’t

power of creation, too, has vanished,” Raven

happened to you?” Elenore gripped Argrave’s collar, looking between him and Anneliese. “Gerechtigkeit… the Heralds… what

primordial force of destruction.”

save him,” Anneliese added pointedly. “But it was fine. I’m well

annoyed, relieved, and infinitely fatigued all in one.

new grass growing, the world was gray and lonesome without you two,” Orion said, voice still trembling. “But I held on to hope. And

to the cycle of judgment. A deluge of emotion overwhelmed them all—smiles, tears, anger, grief, all of which were overshadowed by one very consistent fact

of judgment had

use. Gods that survived, such as Hause or Law, had returned to the mortal form they inhabited before they assumed divinity. All divine blessings had faded,

would forever be the masters of

again by the Spark of Eternity. Sophia’s creation had woven that single spark into an everlasting magic, expending both primordial forces in the process. Beings that depended on

lifted without the

own soul remained there, despite his expectations. The Heralds could never again exert their influence upon this world. Unsavory

Gilderwatchers survived. Humans, elves of the Bloodwoods, Veidimen, southron elves, dwarves—all survived, and given time, all could thrive. Losses were significant, certainly

and they had prevailed. And that

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what it tasted like at all. It had been sitting here for five hours, and now dusk had fallen. Everyone around had been doing their best to make sure that she got nothing other than the

the fabric of the world around her to rebirth magic. She had experienced the full breadth of her own power, the beauty that was creation. She had been so sure that what she

curse persisted.

Raven claimed that

creation gone, she would never see them

thoughts, until only the guilt and failure persisted. When, finally, she’d gained the strength of will to step forward all on her own,

anything to take their place. Why did everyone have to suffer for her? Her brother, every person that had tried to help her in Sandelabara, and now the couple who would take a filthy thing like herself as their own child. She was at

she could

sat across from

encountered an error and was

his gaze flitting between her bowl of food and helping the woman he was helping to sit down. “Good ol’ meat soup.” He reached across with

to do as Argrave and Anneliese sat across

meat soup, Anneliese?” Argrave asked her. “Should she be eating that? I mean, what if she gets food poisoning? How long has

fine,” Anneliese

the table they all sat at, then looked at Sophia with a smile. “What’s wrong? A couple days away, and you forgot