“Fracturing your soul before reaching Tier 5 is a surefire way to die. Even then, all you have to do is look at to see it’s a terrible idea.”
“Yet Priam did it,” the fairy said, pointing to the clone. “He's watching us right now through a spiritual connection.”
Through the clone, Priam locked eyes with the Fallen.
“Hello, Sumstreh,” he said. “Feels good to say your na out loud. Until now, we've been calling you Bastard, but that's an insult to bastards.”
Even through the clone's eyes, Priam could feel the Fallen's fury. A rage just as powerful flared up inside him, but he refused to let it take control. The masks were coming off, but the real ga was still ahead. Could the brilliance of his plan outsmart the brute strength of his adversary? There was only one way to find out.
Clenching his fist tight enough to shatter the dice into glass dust, Priam signaled the tribes to attack.
Crack.
His hearts froze as Sumstreh destroyed the clone's subsystem and the fragnt of the soul hidden inside it. The dreaded pain didn’t co, and anxiety took its place. Now, Priam was blind to what was happening in the Fallen’s lair.
“Our plan is flawless,” Esmée reassured him, squeezing his hand.
“You know what they say about plans eting battlefields…”
Before Priam’s pessimism could jinx him, a rift opened before them. Sphinx and a sort of fairy leapt onto the grass as, in the background, Sumstreh raged against the mythical shield.
Seeing the protection begin to crumble, Priam summoned Prosse. Every attack from the Fallen was terrifying, but he refused to die a coward. He hadn't done all this just to run away now.
The shield shattered, the enemies' eyes t, and the ground quaked. In the distance, columns of light descended from the heavens. The Tier 4s unleashed their power, attacking the Divine Kingdom through dozens of ters of earth.
For a mont, Priam thought the end had co. But then the Fallen turned his attention to the attackers; their pride ant less than their survival.
The portal closed. Priam stood still, locking eyes with his friend, unsure of how to act. Sphinx had spent almost three weeks trapped with a monster, and there was a chance her ntal state...
“PRIAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!”
Priam barely had ti to toss Moonie to Esmée as his friend launched herself into his arms like a cannonball. The impact knocked the wind out of him. Sphinx might have been the size of a cat, but she was heavy!
“Welco ho, Sphinx,” Priam smiled, stroking her head.
“You ca for !”
“Did you ever doubt it?”
“Not for a second!”
The child buried her face against his chest, her tail wagging, before looking up. She looked like a winged cat with a nearly human face, and anticipation shone in her eyes.
“Are we gonna kill them?”
“Soon. You wanna co?”
“Of course! I’ve whipped up a surprise…” A feline rarely forgot a wrong done to it, and sphinxes even less so. “Where's Blueberry?!”
“In Valaryth, why?”
“Because I'm hungry!”
Priam burst out laughing.
“I'll go fetch him. anwhile, you'll stay with Esmée.”
Sphinx studied the princess, eyes wide, then whispered in Priam’s ear. “She's even more beautiful than Helen of Troy!”
“Isn't she? And she asked to marry her,” Priam whispered back.
Sphinx's eyes widened while Esmée blushed. With her sharp perception, she caught every word.
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