Somebody Stop Us. Chapter 15

The nine-tailed Kitsune stared at me, her silver-blue eyes flashing with something between amusement and disdain. The electrofractal halo of sparks dancing between her tails intensified, casting eerie shadows across the temple hall.

"Your soul?" She laughed, a sound like wind chimes in a thunderstorm. "And what makes you think I want such a thing, mortal? Especially one so..." her gaze swept over my deteriorating form, "...impermanent."

I remained in my bow, but raised my eyes to meet hers. "Because I know who you really are."

"Do you now?" Her tails fanned wider, electricity crackling between them. "Then speak my name, dying one."

"Vespera," I said confidently. "Vespera Simmi."

The goddess's expression froze for a moment, then returned to calm evaluation.

"That is not my name, fading mortal," she said. "I am Everbliss, Goddess of the Sacred Mountain, Keeper of Lightning and Fate." She shook her head, the fractal sphere behind her fading away. "Your presumption borders on blasphemy. I would have you slain by the hands of my sisters, but you're already one foot at death's door."

"I..." I began, but the goddess had already dismissed me with a wave of her hand, turning her attention to Cinder.

"And you, Phoenix," Everbliss said. "You offer a song as tribute? I am curious to hear what melodies a creature of fire might produce. Go on then, entertain me."

"I don't exist to entertain you," Cinder growled.

"Then why are you here?" Everbliss arched a dark silver eyebrow.

"To find answers," Cinder began to pace across the temple, trailing flashing flickers of flames behind her.

She stopped suddenly, her shoulders tensing as she turned toward the nine-tailed goddess. Defiance flickered in her golden-violet eyes. Then she began to hum.

The sound started low, almost hesitant, but grew steadily stronger. As she hummed illusive violin strings seemed to echo in the background across the temple, and I could swear my own heartbeat began adding a drum-like pulse to the emerging, surreal melody.

The kitsune attendants exchanged nervous glances as Cinder's humming transformed into full-throated song. Cinder's voice filled the temple hall, bouncing off the red wooden columns, making the paper lanterns flicker in tune to each beat.

"Through shifting sands of memories lost,
I wander, seeking what was mine,
A Phoenix born of flame and frost,
Yet drawn to something more divine.

A triangle of souls once bound,
As if some veil's torn asunder,
The pieces of myself not found,
Lost betwixt the cosmic wonder."

She sang, resuming the eerie, mind melting hum between the words. Her kimono suddenly erupted in flames, burning away in a flash to reveal he Phoenix form beneath—feathers dark as midnight with embers glowing along the edges, wings unfurled to their full magnificent span.

The kitsune attendants grabbed at their weapons, but a gesture from their mistress seemed to stray them from attacking the Phoenix.

"I am the living flame, I soar above,
Yet emptiness consumes my heart,
What is this yearning? Is it love?
A song of souls that cannot stay apart?

Electric wings and silver gothic halls,
A fox who speaks with clever tongue,
Odd fragments that my voice recalls,
Like distant bells that once were rung."

The goddess of the mountain swallowed, her tails swaying in tune with the words. 

"Are you the missing piece I seek?
Why does this knowledge make me meek?
The third point of our bond,
A connection that transcends beyond?

Electric girl with storm-cloud might,
Your lightning touch, your golden sight,
My pancake queen of wild delight,
Our souls entwined beyond one night.

Your laughter strikes like thunder's boom,
Your chaos drives away my gloom,
Together we'll escape this world-tomb,
Our triangle in perfect bloom."

"What… What did you call me?!" the Kitsune whispered. Cinder didn't reply, her voice booming across the hall.

"And in my song, I feel the bond,
Like lightning racing through the dawn,
A power ancient, fierce and strong,
That pulls us where we all belong!"

Cinder carried the last syllable, making it resonate across the temple with sharp clarity, her wings flashing with dancing fire. The Kitsune goddess closed her eyes swaying to the music as did her sisters, seemingly lost to the Charmchain music.

"Three points of light against the dark,
Our souls ignite the cosmic spark,
The universe shall bear our mark,
As we reclaim what's in our heart!"

As the song reached its final verse, Cinder approached the Kitsune girl, humming softly. In one fluid motion, she leaned down on her knee and licked Everbliss's cheek. The Kitsune seemed to lean into the fiery lick, eyelashes fluttering.

The temple hall went utterly still. The attendant kitsunes froze in shock, their tails and weapons rigid.

Everbliss's eyes shot open, her nine tails flashing with railing sparks. She touched her cheek where Cinder had licked her, an expression of confusion crossing her features.

"Did you just… lick me?" she sputtered. “Why?”

“Felt like the right thing to do,” the Phoenix shrugged, pulling back from the Kitsune.

"That song... Why does it... Why do these words feel so familiar? Why do I know your voice? Who are you?" Everbliss demanded.

"I'm Cinder," Cinder stated bluntly.

"Cinder, huh?" Everbliss repeated. "You don't sound very sure of this."

"Learned it today, thanks to him and his weird duplicate book." The Phoenix waved a dark-taloned hand at me. "When I sing... I pull the lyrics from the Astral Abyss. They’re almost like… memories dancing at the edges of my thoughts, ideas I can’t fully chew on to understand them in their entirety."

“Great musicating as always, Ci,” I smiled. “Think you're finally getting there. Let's see how long it takes our Thunder-loaf to remember stuff too.”

“Thunder-loaf?” The goddess of the mountain sputtered, looking like I offered to install a disco ball in her fancy mountain temple.

"Just trying to remind both of you who you truly are, Vee," I said.

"Vee, hum?" The mountain goddess tilted her head.

"Yes. A Prima-born Thunderbird with a talent for modding human souls, creating absurd crystal artifacts, appreciation for pancakes and throwing us into dying dimensions? Ring any bells?"

The goddess's white, fluffy ears twitched. For just a moment, her eyes flashed with uncertainty.

"My Lady," one of the kitsune attendants with two tails whispered urgently. "Do not listen to this madman. He clearly seeks to confuse you with bizarre food-based trickery!"

"Silence, Tiss," Everbliss commanded without taking her eyes off me. "Let him continue his... interesting delusion. It amuses me."

I reached for the book Jyndar had duplicated for me, now much more worn and battered as it was decaying away. "Duplicate," I said, focusing on what little mana I had left. A copy of the beat up book materialized in my other hand.

"A gift," I said, offering the copy to the goddess. "See for yourself who you are. Just say 'Align soul to Lightning' and the book will show you the truth."

"Why would I take orders from a dying duplicate?" she scoffed.

"Because you're curious," I replied. "And I suspect if there's one thing that defines you across all dimensions, it's your insatiable curiosity."

Her blue eyes narrowed, but she snatched the book from my hand. "Very well. I shall humor your madness." She examined the book with clever fingers, turning it over as if inspecting for traps. "Align soul to... Lightning."

The effect was immediate. Silver light flashed in her eyes, and she gasped, staggering back a step. Her tails went rigid with shock, the electricity between them intensifying until the air hummed with power.

"Hum. I see..." she whispered, staring at the damaged grimoire. “Vespera Simmi... Martin Kilborne, Cassiopeia Cinder Nova. Blood Contract Pact: Martin Kilborne, Prima-Sword." Her voice grew stronger as she continued. "What is this... Prima? Resonance? Electrofractal Sight?"

"That," I said, "is you, Vee. The real you. A Thunderbird soul incepted into this doomed dimension."

Vespera looked up from the book, her expression a storm of confusion, disbelief, and gradually dawning recognition. "This can't be real. I am—I have ruled this mountain for centuries!" she insisted, though her voice wavered slightly. "The mortal villagers below worship me. I grant wishes and bring thunder."

"How long have you been here exactly?" I asked.

The goddess opened her mouth to answer, then froze. Her brow furrowed. "I... I have always been here."

"Always?" I pressed gently. "What's your earliest memory?"

"I..." Her tails drooped slightly. "I emerged from the heart of the mountain after the Great Storm. I have ruled it ever since."

"And before that?"

"There was no before!” She insisted.

“Uh-huh,” I nodded. “But, have you ever dreamed of flying? Of a crystalline tower? Of a green-eyed kobold? Of a place called Omnithornia and Cradlefall? Of a dragon girl with rainbow wings? Of walking sharks who solve mysteries with their Scrutiosmia powers?”

Her eyes widened. "How could you possibly know about my—" She cut herself off, realizing her mistake too late.

"Because I know you," I said. "Better than you know yourself right now."

Cinder stepped forward, her patience visibly wearing thin. "Look, we don't have time for the gentle memory retrieval approach. Martin's literally falling apart." She gestured at my flaking form. "You're soul-bonded to this human and, unfortunately, to me as well."

"Wow, Ci, you make it sound so appealing," I muttered.

"These outsiders speak blasphemy!" One of the foxes in the back declared. “They desire to bind you!”

“I said-Shush!” Vespera barked at her fox-mooks.

“Question–why do these foxes look exactly like you?” I asked. “Have you been meddling with duplication, perhaps?”

Vespera-fox huffed. “Fine. I have. A man came to me long ago, claiming that he escaped from the Citadel of duplicators. He stayed with me until he crumbled apart into ashes. He taught me duplication magic as his gift. Alas, I only figured out how to slow his decay, and could not grant him eternal life as he wished.”

She sighed.

“After he was gone… I decided to make companions for myself."

"Ah, so they’re just like the duplicates at Duskfall,” I nodded. 

"Better," Vespera said. "They last longer."

One of the attendant kitsunes stepped forward, her expression alarmed. "My Lady, these strangers seek to take you from us! To steal our goddess!"

"Urgh," Cinder growled, flames flicking along her wings. "We're trying to have a moment of recognition here."

"Vespera," I said, taking a step closer to the nine-tailed fox goddess, ignoring the hissing displeasure of her duplicates. "Look at us. Really look. The three of us form a triangle, a connection across dimensions. You made this connection possible with a magical artifact. You sent us here to create a backup, a phylactery for our souls."

"A phylactery?" Vespera repeated, her tails perking up with interest. "That's... clever." Her voice changed slightly, some of her Valley Girl cadence returning.

"All of this was your idea," I smiled. "You're our clever birb.”

“Birb,” Vespera repeated. She grabbed her head with her pale hands, lightning rushing from her white nails and tails towards her temples. The rings within her eyes flickered from within with gold and silver flares.

When she opened her eyes and stared at me, a wide, sly smile slid onto her face.

“You… you did it!” She let out. "Great job, Lexxy!"

She lifted her hand up to her face, turning it left and right as if seeing it for the first time. “Heh. I’m a fox. An unexpected twist.”

Then she looked at Cinder. “Heeeey. How come Ci got wings and I didn’t? Life is unfair!”

The temple hall was filled with growing tension as the attendant kitsunes circled around us, their movements becoming increasingly aggressive, magisteel blades still out.

"My Lady," the eldest among them with seven tails spoke, her voice trembling with emotion. "These outsiders clearly seek to corrupt you with lies!"

“Argh,” Vespera rubbed her fox-girl face. “Well, this is awkward. Right then.”

She turned to her attendants. “Little sisters, I urge you to be calm. These two are… Simply… My divine companions from heaven, gods like me from beyond the stars of our world. I haven’t told you about them since I did not expect their arrival to occur within your life-time.”

“Divine companions?” The seven tails repeated skeptically. “That man smells like a dying mortal afflicted with entropy.”

“Appearances can be deceiving,” Vespera said. “The gods love to play in mortal flesh. In truth, the three of us are keeping this entire universe running. So, you are to obey them as you obey me. The Phoenix and the man are my guests and you are to treat them with respect and reverence. Is that understood?”

The duplicate kitsunes glanced between each other.

“Now, grant us privacy,” Vespera ordered. “I’m safe with these two, don’t worry.”

The foxes looked at her and then sheathed their weapons rapidly departing from the temple, vanishing in the side doors.

“He he he,” Vespera stood up and paced around Cinder. “You’re on fire. That’s kinda metal.”

The Phoenix squinted at the Kitsune.

Vespera twirled, turning to me, her tails swishing behind her. "How's my divine aesthetic? Scale of one to ten?"

"Eleven," I said with a smile.

"Minus three," Cinder countered simultaneously.

"Harsh ratery, Ci," Vespera smiled at Cinder then froze mid-twirl, her expression sobering as she examined my crumbling form. "Lexxy, my darling, you look terrible. You're literally falling apart!"

"Yeah, turns out being a duplicate of a duplicate times seventy-something isn't great for longevity," I shrugged, trying to sound casual despite the alarming flakes of myself drifting to the temple floor. "The bath helped slow the decay, but..."

Vespera grabbed onto my body with her pale hands, lightning dancing up and down my figure, silver light flickered in her eyes. "Oh no, your body integrity is absolutely effed! We need to complete the triangle now so that I can remember more things and try to slow the decay rate!”

"How do we do that?" Cinder asked.

"We need to claim each other," Vespera explained. "Just like we did when I created the Key back at Skyfall. A mutual recognition of our bond. Sit, sit!"

She sat down and extended her hands. I sat on her right and took one, Cinder reluctantly sat on Vee’s left and took the other, and I completed the circle by grasping Cinder's taloned hand.

The moment our circle closed, the air around us began to shimmer with familiar violet stars—tiny points of light that appeared at the edges of my vision, growing in number until they formed constellations and galaxies. The temple hall seemed to fade slightly, reality becoming more permeable.

"Great! It's already working," Vespera breathed. "The Key is responding to our connection as I designed it to."

"Who wants to start the claiming ritual?" I asked.

"Me!" Vespera volunteered instantly. "Ahem. I, Vespera Simmi, also locally known as the totally badass fox goddess Everbliss, hereby claim Martin Kilborne as my adorkable, precious, totally-worth-saving human! And I also claim Cassiopeia Cinder Nova as my grumpy but secretly sweet dragon queen bae slash local Phoenix!"

Cinder winced. "Do we have to be so... enthusiastic about it?"

"Yes," Vespera and I said in unison.

"Fine," Cinder sighed. "I, Cassiopeia Cinder Nova, claim Martin Kilborne and Vespera Simmi… Everbliss as my... bonded partners. There. Happy?"

"Could have put a little more positive vibes into it," Vespera prompted.

"I'm not doing this twice," Cinder growled, but her grip on our hands tightened affectionately. “You already got a song out of me and I’m starving as it is.”

"My turn then," I smiled at our grumpy Phoenix. "I, Martin Kilborne, claim Vespera Simmi and Cassiopeia Cinder Nova as my thunder and my rainbow, my sword and my shield, my local thunder-fox deity and my fiery immortal Phoenix knight."

The violet stars intensified, swirling around us in a cosmic dance. The triangle between us became visible—a shimmering construct of magical energy connecting our hearts.

"Now what?" Cinder asked.

"Now we seal it!" Vespera said. "With affection!"