“We got married and had my daughter after that, not the most exciting story I guess,” Rex states.

  “No, it’s fine, I like to hear about a little romance sometimes, it’s refreshing to see someone else’s love story, anyway, the dawn is rising and we should get to Harmony Grove as soon as possible,” Mateo says standing.

  Rex waves him off and he heads to his tent by one of the wagons to sleep.

  After hunting for the night, a familiar young mare notices a small tent by her carriage. Could this be the tent that the void lord dwells in? The night is cold and surely this thin fabric surrounding the lord of the void can’t possibly be keeping him warm.

  Julia presses her snout into the tent her long fangs recreating a scene from an old dinosaur movie for Mateo. He’s only stunned for a moment before he smells the pleasant scent of Julia.

  “Julia, don’t tear up the tent, I’ll come lay in the hey pile with you,” Mateo says grabbing up his sleeping apparatus as he pats her snout.

  She Winnie’s and heads over to a small pile of simulated hay. It’s a spell the wagon gives off as it is linked to the Hoaram that draw it. Bolt is already asleep in his own pile of simulated hay when Mateo lays out a magical sleeping bag to lie beside Julia.

  The prince of darkness, the salvation of void creatures. Could this man be him? Why does she feel so strange when he is near, like she desires to be ridden. Not by some mere mortal, but by her lord. A lord of the void. Could he love her? Could he save her broken soul from being this, this nightmare of a creature?

  Julia feels it, the hesitance when she approaches. She’s hideous. A monster, no worse, a nightmare. Why would anyone ever love such a hideous, frightening beast? Yet he accepts her, rests by her side when she is in longing for companionship. Does he know? Does he know that she is more than just some steed to be ridden? That their souls can enter twine and they can be together forever?

  Julia farts loudly in her sleep causing Mateo to wake from his slumber coughing and waving at the air around him.

  Mateo isn’t angered when he wakes though, despite the stench. He finds a joy in watching the strange hoaram sleep.

  Unable to return to his slumber Mateo pulls the brush Rex gave him and begins to brush Julia’s mane. She shutters in her sleep but doesn’t wake. Mateo continues to brush her mane for near half an hour before he is finally calm enough to return to sleep.

  The dawn of a new day breaks marking the last bit of daylight before they need to be at Harmony Grove. The weather and the marsh have been kind to them though, and they arrive several hours before moonfall.

  Rex approaches Mateo seeming like he has an urgent matter to discuss. He grips Mateo’s bicep pulling him aside from the group.

  “Don’t lie to me, I need an honest answer from you, do you understand?” Rex says raising his claw.

  “Sure, what’s the problem?” Mateo asks.

  “Are you a beast tamer? I mean, I thought that the Hoaram finding you enticing was odd, but that little snake that was on your neck was a dragon, a soul bound dragon, you’ve no dragon scales to your name, and only one tiger claw, who are you Mateo Ryusane?” Rex asks.

  “I’m a void lord,” Mateo replies.

  “I see, be careful of the void, it often requires sacrifice to gain power,” Rex replies.

  “Is that answer good enough for you, it’s time to head into Harmony grove.”

  Bare dirt and Jack shit else. The Harmony grove is a giant crater devoid of foliage with a circular structure built of large stones.

  “Can’t say this is an enchanting place for a battle, perhaps stone henge over there is more than meets the eye?” Mateo questions.

  “Have your support group ready, my ronin will be the first line of defense, when they begin to faulter they will fall back, we will begin our assault and they will be our support,” Za’Rexkla says waving his men over.

  “There isn’t anyone here though,” Mateo protests.

  “You don’t see anyone here, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t here, in an hour or so another dimension will set upon this one joining it, this once imperceptible dimension will become perceptible and then its inhabitants will join us in the three dimensions, you have a void step and shadow step ability so this shouldn’t be to difficult for you to understand,” Rex explains.

  “Shit, you mean they could have an entire contingent of soldiers right on top of us and we won’t be able to perceive them until they enter this space?”

  “Precisely,” Okami states.

  “Okami, why is Chrissima with you, won’t she be in danger?” Mateo asks.

  “No, what you see is only a projection of her, an avatar that can channel her powers into me, if it is destroyed then she will remain unharmed.”

  “Terror ready to smash, where are Terror’s smashable friends?”

  “They’ll be here shortly,” Mateo says noticing Jade is readying herself for battle as well.

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  “Jade, can you draw some entrenchments?”

  “What are those?” She asks.

  “Obstacles for our enemies, then you can draw soldiers for them to fight,” Mateo replies.

  “I got it,” she answers scribbling into her tablet.

  Yetsu approaches Mateo wielding an instrument that resembles an electric guitar.

  “I’m not sure how to start the set for this one, we’ll obviously need heavy buffs and a faster paced melody, is there anything from your world that I might know?” Yetsu asks.

  “Do you know Mechanicals by Rage Of Light?”

  “Azul will have to lead that one, but we have the materials, I’ll share them with her, and we will join you after a short rehearsal,” Yetsu says with a bow.

  Mateo returns his gaze to the stone structure as the sun falls, and the moons align causing it to glow an unsettling crimson.

  “It’s not long now,” Rex says summoning his twin Onigoroshi blades.

  “What can we expect?” Stitches asks.

  “Chaos and death,” Rex replies.

  Sensing eminent danger Rayo slithers off Mateo’s neck changing to his full form.

  “That’s a hell of a dragon,” Rex proclaims.

  Rayo gives off a violent roar slamming his fore claws against the ground with murderous intent. The earth trembles at his wake and the ruksha ronin draw their blades.

  “His name is Rayo, he’s my dragon, and my friend,” Mateo replies.

  “Good to hear, the dimensional membrane is rupturing, our new playmates will be joining us soon, I wish you the best of luck in battle,” Rex states.

  For a moment silence falls over the realm. Even the wind doesn’t stir the air. The sky darkens and the light of the moons is blocked out by an eclipse of darkness. Pitch black rays of anti-light reign down from the sky as the dimension shifts revealing a large army of hellbent. At their forefront stands one man. An avatar of the Immortal Father. He raises his hand his index finger pointed skyward before lowering it in their direction.

  “Disciples of the father, annihilate the blasphemers!” He yells.

  The hellbent army charges. Jade’s obstacles slow them, but there is no stopping a force this large at her level. Za’Rexkla moves in with his ronin letting blood and gore upon the land.

  The Harmony casters have cast, Mechanicals by Rage Of Light.

  Heavy symphonic metal echoes across the battlefield buffing the Ruksha ronin as they tear through the hellbent soldiers. Terror and Okami clash with the hellephants impeding their charge and forcing their occupants to dismount and join the battle.

  Mateo summons his familiars using three fourths of his mana and extends Drako’s razor to a short sword. He cuts through the hellbent, but it isn’t enough. Their foe is innumerable, and they are losing ronin at an alarming rate. Before too long Rex will be the only remaining ruksha.

  “Rex call back your ronin!” Mateo yells.

  “The are holding the line!” Rex yells.

  “No, they are in the way,” Mateo replies.

  Rex calls back the dozen or so of his ronin that remain and Rayo slams his claws down on the battlefield digging up dirt. He lets out a loud roar before opening his maw to release a large beam of void lightning that near decimates the hellbent forces. The avatar of the father appears before him holding up a hand that blocks his attack absorbing it. Mateo notices and void steps toward Rayo.

  Do you think you can save him? You’re too weak. Give into me, and I will save him. It is the only way.

  Mateo slams his body into the dragon, but it doesn’t budge.

  “Rayo, retreat, he’s stronger than us!” Mateo yells.

  No, he’s stronger than you, but we could stop him. You keep pushing me away, you’re afraid. I am not afraid. Give into me, and we can fell this weak projection of the father. Give into me, Ryusane.

  The sky breaks giving into divine power and a billion swords fill the air shrowded in an inextinguishable flame.

  “Who are you?” Mateo asks.

  That night when Dexter died, you were weak, but I made you strong. Release me.

  Mateo releases his inner demons and the realm quakes. Rayo steps aside avoiding an attack from the avatar of the father as Mateo takes the full brunt of it. Mateo’s expedition disengages to observe him.

  “What is he doing? What’s going on?” Okami asks.

  “I don’t know,” Rex replies.

  “He’s embracing the void,” Stitches states.

  “Is that safe?” Jade questions.

  “No, but it will hold off the enemy until one of the gods arrives,” Stitches replies.

  “What do we do?” Yetsu asks.

  Stitches steps up to him nervously. She doesn’t know a lot of realm walker songs, but she does know one that hits hard and buffs harder. It was something she read in one of Yetsu’s journals.

  “We can do it, are you sure it will help?” Yetsu asks.

  “Yes, and I’ll join him.”

  The Harmony Casters have cast Get Inside by Stone Sour.

  A melody of rage fills the air as Stitches joins Mateo’s side. She unfolds her staff into a scythe ready to unleash carnage.

  “Voidlord Ryusane, I am at your side,” Stitches states.

  “Good to have you here, now watch me destroy this vile piece of shit,” Mateo says in an unfamiliar voice.

  The avatar of the father is an abomination against the natural order. A being that exists, but is also nonexistent. The vessel it inhabits projects an empty personality that only obeys the father. Its movements are animatronic giving off a chilling display of a human figure that has lost all will.

  “You think you can defeat me?” The avatar of the father asks.

  “No, I know I can fuck up your day though, and if that’s all I accomplish, then that’s better than letting you have a good day,” Mateo replies.

  Mateo moves in his eyes now two void filled spheres as he draws Deadringer. His familiars join him at his side.

  “It won’t be enough, the immortal father is far more powerful than you could ever imagine, than you could even comprehend,” the avatar states.

  “But you aren’t,” Mateo says with an unsettling grimace.

  “Do your worst, Void Lord!” the avatar yells.

  Mateo moves in on his intended target his familiars slaughtering their way through the hellbent to reach him. Harmony’s grove turns to harmony’s grave as it is filled with shattered corpses. Mateo emerges from the void behind the avatar of the father but is stopped by his hand. He grips at the avatar’s wrist as he is lifted into the air by the throat.

  “You thought you were so strong because you gave into the void, a lack of control is not strength, you are weak.”

  The sky shatters as if made of glass and fractured fragments of reality rain down upon Mateo’s party.

  “What the hell is this?” Okami yells.

  “The father is flexing his power, Mateo knows this will draw the ire of the gods, hold fast and stand strong,” Rex yells.

  Beatrice steps into the fray the shattered sky raining down over her like broken pieces of glass. Rick joins her holding out his hand.

  “Shall we sow chaos, my sister?” Rick asks.

  “We shall,” Beatrice replies.

  Beatrice extends her arms summoning a large ballista bolt. Rick pulls his club bashing his way through hellbent.

  “I’m sorry Mateo, I can’t let you die, we need you,” Beatrice whispers.

  A large ballista bolt slams into Mateo a moment before the full force of the father is brought to bear on him. Rick slaughters his way through the hellbent urging Rex to retreat as he retrieves an unconscious Mateo. The sky returns to a whole and near everyone falls to their knees affected by the fractured reality. Before the avatar of the father stands a scaled figure. Drako.