Waiting nervously to see the red sun through his True Resonance, the sun seemed to creep into view slower than ever before.

  // It’s not. //

  I know, I know. This is this world’s equivalent to staring at a clock, though. It’s frustrating.

  The steady wind hadn’t died down, of course, not even a little. It rarely did in this world, but if anything, it seemed to have picked up a fresh fury. Even the perfect little streamers of sand pouring off the tops of the dunes were affected; something Oskar had never seen before.

  High as they were, a gritty layer of wind-carried sand still coated him and Touwon.

  A gross, sweaty layer for me, although I guess having it in your fur isn’t much better.

  There was gusting, which was also unusual, and the random little dots of needles peppering his hands and the side of his face were an irritating distraction from watching the sunrise.

  The light of the lantern was harder to pick out as the morning grew brighter, and without the pub pointing it out, Oskar might have lost its location. Spitting sand out of his mouth, Oskar pulled his scarf up around his face and looked back up to the sky. The faint green glow of the Sora illuminating the swirling chaos around them was fading as well. Across the mesa, Touwon shifted slightly, his purple fur whipping in the wind. The steady Kobold’s too-calm presence was a comfort against Oskar’s nervousness.

  If Erik was up here, he’d be giving me increasingly dramatic, disappointed looks until I laughed, and then he’d tell me to stop being a daisy.

  // I was gonna make a joke here, but the idea of flowers seems wild. Just… pretty things growing everywhere? I never could have imagined anything like it. //

  Not trying to be mean, but I didn’t know you were big into imagining stuff.

  The PUB didn’t reply, and Oskar didn’t push the issue. Besides, he had a sun to stare at. He appreciated the distracting conversation and the images of fields of flowers that popped into his head, but all it did was remind him of what was at stake. If there was even a chance to grow life on this planet, he was gonna have to start chopping a few heads off the old Curiosity Hydra. Starting with the growing red orb out in the distance.

  With maddening slowness, the red sun continued its ascent into the sky. What part of the sun remained below the sand seemed to fight to stay below the horizon like a tiny pinprick of defiance. Oskar knew he was just in his head about it, but that didn’t make it any easier. It hadn’t changed, hadn’t grown larger, hadn’t slowed to a halt just before fully rising. It had done nothing but burn.

  “Here we go,” Oskar said to himself as it finally broke free of the sand that was blocking it from view. He prepared to use his True Resonance again; praying the red sun had no secrets and was just as it appeared.

  Touwon, perched beside him, gave a noncommittal grunt, his gaze fixed on the distant glow. The fur on his face flattened as he turned his head to Oskar and gave him a small nod.

  What am I waiting for?

  Letting out a huff, he called Sora and Talau to himself and prepared to balance it with Rakiyu when Erik climbed up behind them, mismatched eyes blinking wearily as he stood a second in the wind to catch his balance, eyes wide at the wind’s intensity.

  “What the hell?”

  “No idea, man. Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping still?”

  “Yeah. Aren’t you supposed to be on watch instead of giving me the stink eye?”

  “Yeah,” Oskar answered with a grin.

  Even wrapped in his robe, his thin frame seemed impossibly fragile against the harsh landscape. He pointed, a tiny motion, more gesture than actual point.

  “You about to take a look at the red sun?”

  A slight pause this time.

  “Yeah, man.”

  Erik nodded.

  “Give Fox a minute, then. She’s on her way up. Figure it would be better for you if you only had to explain it once.”

  It wasn’t long at all before the Kobold made her way on top of the mesa, her reaction to the winds mirroring Erik’s own.

  “Bastet’s mangey tail.” She looked a little embarrassed at the curse and muttered, “That feels worse to say after meeting her.”

  “I think she’d forgive you.”

  “And somehow that makes it worse.”

  This pulled a chuckle out of Touwon, and Oskar’s tensions eased.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Fox settled down into a sitting position, shifting to get comfortable, and Oskar used the delay as an excuse to get a feel for Penny and Sara so there hopefully wouldn’t be any other distractions. Sara was still sleeping in the small alcove, and Penny was murdering bugs nearby. He politely asked her to come back their direction for a few minutes since he had a feeling this was going to be pretty overwhelming. Oskar didn’t think this was something he wanted to repeat anytime soon. She reluctantly agreed and was climbing the base of the mesa within a few minutes.

  With everyone settled, Oskar looked around at his small Collective. Everyone gave him a nod, and, out of excuses, he turned to face the giant red sun, now half a finger’s width above the distant horizon.

  I don’t even know what to expect. No idea why I’m so nervous about this. Time to Kobold up and get it done, though.

  Finally, he pulled his spirit magic into the mix of Talau and Sora, fighting to perfectly balance them. It was much easier than before, and a few seconds later, True Resonance took over.

  A violent wash of blue and purple light slammed into him as the red sky all but disappeared.

  Violence. Fire. Consumption.

  The red of the giant sun sputtered, fighting a losing battle with what could only be the small blue sun, still hidden behind the distant dune. Flashing up through the red was a volatile streak of sapphire flame as thick as the blue sun itself. The red wasn’t going down without a fight, but almost half the massive sun was now shifting hues of blues and purples.

  A shiver ran up Oskar’s spine, and fear and tension rolled up after it, settling like a weight in his shoulders. The blue fire was exploding with power. It seemed impossible Oskar could feel it from here, but watching the sheer violence of what was happening in the sky, it seemed more impossible that he couldn’t feel it.

  // World Gambit Updated: The Magics Above, Below, and Within - Updated

  You have seen the truth… what once held this world together is destroying itself. The balance of life and death is in decline.

  Restore the Wayspring magic before Desiccation burns it away.

  Phase one: A Place of Power

  With the fall of the Great Trees, Wayspring magic- the magic of life- has no home. Grow in power and plant the seed. You have everything you need.

  Reward: Prolonged survival of this world and a chance to restore balance.

  Consequences: The Death of a Planet //

  I have everything I need? Is it talking about you or the Wayspring magic?

  // You’ll need those things, but that’s not all you have. //

  Oskar stared blankly, too distracted by the swirling colors fighting for dominance in the sky to think. Beside him, a flash of orange swept down his spear, followed by flickering lightning, and Oskar read the title of his spear for the second time.

  Divine Weapon- Branch of the Omnitree

  The weapon was incredible. Seemingly indestructible, which made it perfect for his aerial fighting style- like the Dragoons Kain Highwind or Arenea in the Final Fantasy games.

  Except I can also do it with a mace.

  // Oh yeah! That’s cool and all, but that’s not what I’m talking about. //

  Seeing through True Resonance, Oskar focused on the spear in his hand. He could feel his friends waiting patiently for answers he didn’t have, but their presence was a welcome comfort.

  There was clearly more potential in the weapon than he’d accessed. It was more than just a shape shifting weapon- it was part of, perhaps the final surviving part- of a Great Tree.

  The Soul Forge within him reacted to the weapon, and a slow heat grew in Oskar’s chest. Watching closer, seeking out the source of the reaction, he focused on the textured section near the head of the weapon.

  There!

  The tiniest shimmer of purple was mixed in with what he now knew was Wayspring magic. It was a perfect balance of magics he knew and some he couldn’t even identify- beyond his current capability.

  A seed. This is a seed of the Great Tree, hidden by something like what hid Bluebottle’s Oasis from me, but much more powerful. Bastet?

  A flash of green around the edge of his vision as the PUB agreed.

  // I wasn’t completely sure, but that’s exactly what it seems like. //

  I can’t believe I’ve been carrying around a seed to a Great Tree this whole time.

  The Seed Forge inside him told him there was something missing still, but Oskar could only guess at what else was needed. Oskar’s best guess was it needed to be somewhere other than on top of solid rock.

  And trees need water. I’m guessing it would require more than a Wayspring.

  Which meant he needed to find an Oasis and have enough Wayspring magic to use the Seed Forge. He briefly considered Bluebottle’s Oasis, but it was on rock, too small, and even without the Gambit’s warning, he instinctually knew he wasn’t quite strong enough to use the amount of power it was gonna take to use the Seed Forge to Grow something as powerful as a Great Tree.

  Finally, he let go of his True Resonance, and some of the tension left his body. The weight of everything that needed to be done was still there, but muted. Whatever, or whoever, was hiding the truth of this world’s decline must be incredibly strong. Until he’d gained the ability to see through it, he never even suspected how close this world was to its precipice.

  And now that he’d let go of his True Resonance, the power that hid this from everyone was finally evident.

  He felt worry from Penny and Sara spike as he sunk to his knees, more in relief than anything. Fox leapt forward to help him, but Oskar threw up a hand as she reached him.

  “I’m okay,” be both said aloud and sent through the bond.

  Oskar opened his eyes and took a long breath.

  “We have a problem. And by we, I mean literally everyone.”

  Looking past Erik’s confused face at the massive red sun behind him, he marveled at how well-hidden the chaos he’d seen was.

  So much power fighting for balance, and so much power hiding it for some reason.

  “What do you mean?” Fox whispered, the sound almost lost in the wind.

  Blinking, Oskar tore his gaze from the red sun, and looked her in her emerald, earnest eyes.

  “Almost the entire sky is a veil. Something called… Desiccation is destroying the Wayspring magic.”

  Touwon’s eyebrows climbed higher than Oskar had ever seen them, and Fox hid her surprise and confusion just as poorly.

  “Desiccation is a cub’s tale.”

  “What kind of cubs tale?”

  “Nonsense. A tale to warn cubs of the dangers of dark spiritual magic. To keep those with the affinity from turning into Shaman like Valla. The Rot Within, it is called. A great undead dragon of dark magic destined to eat the entire world, or the sun, or sometimes its own tail. It is nonsense, human,” the final phrase came out sputtering and frustrated.

  “The stories are all made up. Such a thing could not exist, know it a truth,” she said, dismissively.

  “Look, I won’t argue with you, but I will say that Desiccation is capitalized in the Gambit I received, and that’s gotta count for something, right?”

  Fox was not in the mood, and the impact of her dark stare was only lessened by Erik calling him a dumbass and chuckling.