The cacophony of screams reached them long before they even entered the room. Loud and persistent, it was the same in every chamber and corridor they flashed past - a chaotic montage of panicked dibias, awosans, and jarumi desperately fighting off equally terrified soul beasts and Aberrations while the Tower crumbled around them.

  Ije and Jidenna raced through the disintegrating structure, their feet barely touching the ground as they navigated the maze of collapsing passageways. The air was thick with dust and the acrid scent of fear, making each breath a struggle.

  In one room, they glimpsed a plantain plantation, its lush greenery incongruous amidst the destruction. Crab-monkeys with shells gleaming like polished amber swung frantically from tree to tree, their ululations a high-pitched counterpoint to the rumble of the Tower as they fled a rapidly widening gash in the floor. The chasm yawned wider with each passing second, swallowing up rich, dark soil and roots alike.

  They darted past another chamber where a mixed group of dibias and three leading Waykeeper awosans huddled together. The awosans' bright, glowing horns and hands were the only points of light in the dark emptiness surrounding them, casting eerie shadows that danced and twisted with each tremor of the Tower.

  Ije knew that there was no time to stay and help, the urgency of their own mission a constant pressure at the back of her mind. Even though he did a great job hiding it, she could see the way Jidenna's eyes grew darker, his jaw clenching as they had to keep moving and abandon the screaming masses to their fate. The weight of each life they couldn't save seemed to settle on his shoulders, yet it didn't stop him from paying razor-sharp attention to their surroundings.

  A chunk of the ornately carved ceiling broke away with a sudden, heart-stopping crack and plunged towards them, trailing dust and fragments of ancient spellwork. Before Ije could even react, a swirl of inky shadow erupted from the ground at Jidenna's command. The darkness coalesced into a massive hand, grasping the falling stone and holding it aloft until they were safely past.

  "We can't keep this up much longer," Jidenna said, his voice strained with effort. He answered Ije's grateful gesture with a terse nod of his own. "We need to find the others and get out fast."

  "How?" Ije asked, ducking out of the way of a parade of loudly honking oyster-ducks. Their pearlescent shells gleamed in the flickering light as they waddled past in a panic. "What are the odds of us randomly stumbling upon them in this chaos?"

  Jidenna's eyes narrowed in concentration, a spark of an idea visible in their depths. "You told me the Tower was sentient, right? Maybe it can help us." He focused on a bland, flaking section of the wall, its surface marred by cracks and faded glyphs. "We are looking for friends," he addressed the Tower directly, his voice clear and commanding despite the mayhem around them. "Kainene, Olisa, and Somadina. Could you lead us to them?"

  Ije sighed and opened her mouth, intending to tell him that he was being foolish, when a lower rumble echoed through the chambers. The sound was different from the ongoing destruction, more purposeful. To her amazement, the wall before them split open with a grinding of stone on stone. A staircase materialised, leading upwards and disappearing into the gloom above.

  "Mother's mercy," she breathed, staring at it with wide eyes. The steps seemed to shimmer slightly, as if not quite solid. "What was that?"

  "You never know until you try," Jidenna replied, sounding very pleased with himself. He brushed off dust from his clothes, the motion dislodging a small cascade of debris. Carefully adjusting his grip on Izu, who clung to him with wide, frightened eyes, he started up the staircase. "Coming?"

  Ije stared after him for a beat, then shook her head in disbelief. The Tower's response added a new layer of complexity to their already precarious situation. As she followed Jidenna up the mystically conjured stairs, she couldn't help but voice her concerns. "I just hope they are not in trouble," she said, almost in a whisper.

  The thought she didn't dare speak aloud hung heavy in the air between them: And if they are, that we're not too late.

  ***

  An idiok was waiting for Somadina when he came flying out of the cave, its silver fur gleaming in the strange, fluctuating light of the Tower. Unlike the one that had originally led him to Omaliko, this creature was built far sleeker, its movements fluid and purposeful. However, despite its different appearance, it was no less impatient with him.

  "This way," it called out irritably as it took a sharp turn, veering away from the familiar path Somadina had followed before and into a narrow side road. Ancient stones, worn smooth by countless feet over millennia, lined the way. "You'll run into him much faster through here."

  "Run into who?" Somadina asked, his breath coming in short gasps as he struggled to keep up with the agile creature. But, as he had come to expect from these enigmatic beings, it ignored his question. Instead, it took to the trees, speedily swinging through gnarled branches that seemed to twist and reach out as they passed.

  Rai almost immediately cast herself into the air in a flurry of feathers, her amber and obsidian eyes gleaming with recognition, as if she knew where they were heading. Trusting his companion and the unsociable not-Firstborn to keep him safe, Somadina followed, pushing his legs to move faster.

  This new path they were following was eerily calm compared to the chaos they had left behind. Great trees arched overhead, their canopy a tapestry of shimmering leaves that seemed to ward off the worst of the Tower's failing. Yet signs of decay still lingered in places – cracks spider-webbing across stone walls, patches of vegetation withering and crumbling to dust before their eyes.

  It wasn't entirely surprising when the forest behind them folded in on itself and imploded, mere minutes after they had cleared it. The sound was deafening, a cacophony of splintering wood and crumbling stone that sent shivers down Somadina's spine.

  But there wasn't enough time to stand around and gawk at the destruction. The idiok drove a relentless pace, and before long they were past the collapsing area and deep inside the corridors of the Tower proper. They blew past doors showing scenes of chaos and destruction – rooms where gravity seemed to have reversed, chambers filled with swirling, multicoloured mists, hallways where time itself appeared to be unravelling.

  Somadina tried not to look at them too hard, his mind reeling from the impossible sights. Instead, he focused on keeping up with the baboon-like creature, who had abruptly turned up a flight of stairs. The rest of the hallway they had been following promptly burst into ethereal, blue-tinged flames a few moments later, the heat palpable even from a distance.

  "You will find him here," said the idiok, coming to an abrupt halt at the top of the stairs. Before Somadina could muster up his thanks, the creature bounded away, disappearing into the labyrinthine corridors of the Tower.

  Shaking his head in a mixture of confusion and gratitude, Somadina gave Rai a light scratch between her ears. The owlcat nuzzled against his hand, a low purr rumbling in her chest and drawing comfort from her presence, he started moving deeper into this new section of the Tower.

  This area was quieter, thankfully, and much more stable. The only visible sign of the ongoing implosion outside was a series of slowly spreading cracks on the vaulted ceiling. Somadina watched them carefully, trying to decide if they were accelerating and close to bringing down the entire area upon them. The faint sound of stone grinding against stone set his nerves on edge.

  Lost in his observations, Somadina almost missed the rapid footsteps approaching. He turned a corner and found Olisa running towards him, eyes wide with a mixture of panic and relief. Somadina came to a halt, memories of their last encounter flooding back – the harsh words, the misunderstandings, the pain of thinking he had lost both Olisa and Kainene.

  Taking a deep breath, Somadina started to speak, words tumbling out in a rush as he tried to explain how he hadn't meant any of it, how he had no intention of coming between them and how they could all just remain friends. Then, all of his carefully prepared apologies evaporated when Olisa ignored his fumbling attempts at speech and engulfed him in a bone-crushing hug.

  "Father who made me, you're okay," Olisa gasped, his voice thick with emotion. Somadina's confusion deepened, his brain struggling to reconcile this warm reception with the anger he had expected. A confusion that only grew when Olisa pulled away slightly, then pressed their lips together in a desperate, relieved kiss.

  Rai loudly protested her sudden displacement, irritably fluttering and flapping her wings. But her annoyance was quite secondary to the roaring flame that had come alive in Somadina's chest. His eyes widened, his brain scrambling to comprehend.

  "What... what was that?" he managed to ask, the first and easiest of his many questions slipping out before he could stop it. His lips tingled, the warmth of Olisa's kiss lingering.

  "Something I should have done a long time ago," Olisa replied with a soft smile. He reached out, gently wiping away a streak of dust from Somadina's cheek with his thumb. Then, with a tenderness that made Somadina's heart skip a beat, Olisa pulled him into another, gentler kiss.

  This time, Somadina's eyes fluttered shut, his hands automatically moving to cradle Olisa's neck. He let himself feel, truly feel, how much he cared for this boy – for both Olisa and Kainene. The realisation was both terrifying and exhilarating, a warmth spreading through his chest that had nothing to do with anwansi.

  They might have stayed like that for much longer if not for Rai's warning snarl and the ever-increasing shaking of the Tower around them. Reality came crashing back, reminding them of the danger they were in.

  "Are you guys alright?" Somadina asked, still a bit breathless. His mind raced, concern for their friends overtaking his momentary bliss. "What about Kainene? Ije and Jidenna?"

  Olisa's eyes lost some of their sparkle, worry clouding his features. "I don't know. We got separated, just like you. As for Kainene..." He sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "She's trapped. We accidentally set off one of the Tower's defences."

  "But she's alright?" Somadina demanded, his voice sharp with concern.

  "As far as I know, yes. But it's a pit that goes deep underground, and with all this chaos..." Olisa's voice trailed.

  Somadina didn't need him to finish to get a clear picture of the danger Kainene was in. His mind raced, trying to formulate a plan. "What are we waiting for then? We need to go get her now."

  "Hold on," Olisa said, snatching Somadina's arm as he made to move. "I want to rescue her just as much as you, but we'll be doing her a lot more harm if we charge back there without a plan. We need to find Ije."

  "They'll catch up with us eventually," Somadina replied, a newfound confidence in his voice. "The Tower will make sure of it. What isn't certain is if she can make it that long."

  "Yeah, but she'll need to be lifted out, and none of us can fly," Olisa pointed out, his brow furrowed in concentration.

  "No. But Rai can." Somadina patted the owlcat on the head as she made an affirmative noise, her feathers ruffling with pride. "And in case you're forgetting, she can change sizes."

  Olisa blinked, surprise and hope dawning on his face. "I actually did forget about that." Then he smiled, a mixture of relief and admiration in his eyes, and planted another quick kiss on Somadina before grabbing his hand. "You sounded certain about the Tower. I assume you spoke to Omaliko."

  Somadina nodded as they started moving, Rai taking the lead with her keen senses. "Yeah. The baboons in charge will make sure of it."

  Olisa blinked again, slower this time. "I'm guessing there's a story behind that statement."

  "A long one," Somadina replied, a wry smile tugging at his lips despite the gravity of their situation. "I'll explain later."

  Olisa nodded and with Rai leading the way, her form shifting and growing larger as they ran, they charged off to save the woman they both loved.

  As they raced through the crumbling corridors, dodging falling debris and leaping over suddenly appearing chasms, Somadina's mind whirled with everything that had happened. The revelations from Omaliko, the unexpected kiss from Olisa, the looming danger to Kainene – it was almost too much to process. But he pushed it all aside, focusing on the task at hand. There would be time to sort through his feelings later, assuming they all survived this.

  For now, all that mattered was finding Kainene and getting everyone out of this collapsing Tower alive. With each step, Somadina could feel his anwansi responding to his determination, a comforting warmth spreading through his body. Whatever challenges lay ahead, he was ready to face them – not alone, but with Olisa by his side and Rai leading the way.

  The Tower of Plenty might be falling, but in its death throes, it had given Somadina something precious: a chance to fight for those he loved, and the realisation that his heart was big enough to hold them both.

  ***

  Like a shooting star, the Sage streaks over the canyon, paying very little attention to the chunks of rock hurtling down towards her. Below, the panicked mass of people cry out and raise their arms in supplication and she hesitates, considering.

  Tucked away safely in the tiny satchel of holding attached to her waist is the Heart of the Tower; a spinning, spherical mass of magic and metal roughly the size of a human head. Even through the satchel she can feel its slowly pulsing power and remembers what it felt like to look upon it for the first time. How it made her dizzy if her gaze lingered for too long.

  She had been nearing the room that housed it—a small, ethereal garden of blue-white flowers—when the Tower’s shaking had first worsened, then halted, stabilised by the power of the Thrones. She had wasted no time in snagging the Heart and pouring on speed when she felt their influence fade and the situation return with a vengeance, aggravated by the Heart’s theft.

  But such thoughts are not her main concern at the moment. Oma weighs the artefact she must deliver against the lives of the pleading low rankers, none of whom are members of her clan, their Vassals or in any way affiliated to her, and finds the decision easy to make.

  So she turns and continues on her path to escape, letting their now panicked cries wash over her like water.

  ***

  The treasure room was almost unrecognisable when they arrived. Gone were the great heaps of coins, gold, and priceless artefacts reaching up to the sky. In their place lay rubble: great, broken slabs of rock and earth strewn carelessly about, casualties of both the Tower's impending collapse and their activation of the trap. Some of the ancient scripts were still active, pulling the ambient anwansi in the area into such chaotic configurations that Olisa had to turn off his Ordained sight to fend off the incoming headache. The air shimmered with residual magic, making the very atmosphere feel thick and oppressive.

  Luckily, those same scripts seemed to be keeping this part of the Tower stable. The shaking here was little more than a murmur, a stark contrast to the violent tremors they had experienced earlier. Yet, they couldn't be sure how long the magical safeguards would hold. With a sense of urgency, Olisa and Somadina hurried to the pit and peered down into its dark depths.

  "Kainene!" Olisa called, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. He waited, heart in his throat, for the shoe to drop—for no answer to come and part of his world to come to an end.

  "I'm here," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper and Olisa's heart started beating again. "Is Ije there with you? I think I need to get out fast. There's something down here with me, and all this shaking is waking it up."

  Somadina placed a hand on Olisa's shoulder, frowning and voiced the question on both their minds: "What is it?"

  "I don't know," Kainene answered, her usual confidence replaced by a note of unease. "I wasn't exactly about to get closer to check. But it feels... natural? Like a soul beast but not. Either way, I think I should leave before it notices me."

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  An earthborn then? Olisa wondered. He hadn’t known there was any grove of soul trees close enough to have a member old enough to become one. He didn't dwell on it though. Instead, he nodded at Rai, who glided forth from Somadina's shoulders and dove downwards, rapidly expanding before their eyes. The veil covering her came undone, and Olisa felt the owlcat's rank rise, then settle on somewhere close to but not quite Ordained. From their past experiences, Olisa knew she would roughly be the size of a half-grown horse—more than big enough to carry Kainene. Once again, it made him wonder about Rai's odd, fluctuating ranking. But concern for his girlfriend's safety swept that aside a few seconds later when Rai erupted out of the pit, Kainene draped haphazardly across her back.

  The owlcat made a gentle landing, but the Ordained still slid off like a tossed piece of cloth, her breaths coming in short, shallow gasps.

  Olisa and Somadina were by her side in an instant, then recoiled once they caught sight of her leg. The wound was angry and inflamed, with dark tendrils spreading outward from the point of injury.

  "Mother have mercy," Somadina gasped, his face paling. "Poison?"

  She nodded weakly, holding on to Olisa's hand like a vice. Her skin felt clammy and cool to the touch. "The trap we triggered... the spears on the chains had it on them." She shook her head again, wincing with the movement. "I flushed out most of it by cultivating, but some of it is still in my system, I think."

  Somadina frowned at that but did not comment. Instead, he took off his shirt and efficiently tore it into long strips. Using one to clean off the pus and infected blood weeping from the wound, he gently straightened her leg and held his hands over the injury. A smile tugged at his lips when Kainene began to relax as the indigo light of Creator's Touch began to take hold, suffusing the wound with healing energy.

  "Looks like it was a relatively weak poison," he said, his voice calm and reassuring. "Probably why you were able to resist it for so long."

  Olisa peered at the wound, curiosity overriding his concern for a moment. "You know what it is?"

  "Yeah, I think I do," Somadina replied, his brow furrowed in concentration as he finished binding Kainene's thigh with the remaining strips. "I can't be absolutely certain, but it smells like Angel Bane."

  Olisa snorted in pained amusement. The universe could be so weird at times.

  "That's twice you've saved us from death by poisoning." Kainene reached out and cupped Somadina's face, her touch gentle despite her weakened state. "Thank you."

  "It's fine," Somadina said, leaning into her touch before sinking into their grateful arms with a happy sigh. "Guess I don't need to ask if you're also okay with me being your third," he added, a note of amusement in his voice.

  Kainene and Olisa chuckled and held him even tighter, only adjusting to make room for Rai, who had spotted the group hug and demanded to be included with an insistent chirp. Olisa could have stayed like that forever, enjoying their warmth. It was a moment that, up until that fateful night when he'd been sent out to fight a battle he couldn't win, had been rare and far between.

  The tender moment was abruptly shattered by a thunderous roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of the Tower. They whirled around, hands instinctively going to their staffs as they slowly rose to their feet. Wide, horrified eyes fixed on the hole as a clawed hand the size of a hippo appeared over the top of the pit. It flexed for a second, then gripped and pulled, joined by a second hand as their owner hauled itself out of the chasm.

  They backed away, trembling, as the creature emerged completely and paused, as if recovering its strength. Twice as tall as Olisa, it towered over them, great and terrible. Spindly with a pronounced hunch, it seemed weighed down by its oversized arms. The creature let out a mournful cry when it took a single, shuddering step forward, the sound a haunting mixture of creaking wood and primal fury. Its body of petrified wood cracked and yawned with each movement, revealing glimpses of a glowing, amber-like substance within. Two green spots of light peered out from a plain, featureless, wooden face, giving the impression of ancient, unknowable intelligence. A thick cape of dark green leaves erupted from the back of its neck and plunged downwards to almost touch the ground, rustling with each laboured movement.

  It took another step and wobbled once again, apparently having difficulties balancing on its relatively tiny legs. Somadina stared for a moment, taking it all in, then whispered in a mixture of awe and terror: "Earthborn."

  The creature snapped its gaze to them, as if it had heard, and screamed—an odd mix between an animal's roar and the sound of snapping branches. The pressure on their souls followed the next instant, and Olisa staggered backwards, heart filled with dread.

  Ordained.

  "It's Ordained," he warned unnecessarily, his voice tight with fear. Without hesitation, he launched himself at the creature, unfurling his staff with a thought. The weapon hummed with power, ready to channel his anwansi.

  Somadina and Kainene called after him in a panic, their voices filled with desperation, but he blocked them out of his mind. There was no way he was letting them anywhere near this thing. Somadina was too weak and Kainene too injured to do more than die immediately if they tried to fight it. He just needed to distract it long enough for them to get away, and he told them so, his voice carrying a finality that brooked no argument.

  "You're crazy," Kainene said, and he could hear the frustration and fear in her voice. But she seemed to have caught on to what he was doing and was now dragging away a very reluctant Somadina. Olisa could hear his protests fading as they retreated from the fight.

  Relieved that his friends were moving to safety, Olisa turned his full attention back to the earthborn. The creature was raising a massive hand to bat him aside, its movements deceptively quick for its size. Olisa flowed under the enormous paw as it swatted at him, his body moving with the fluid grace of long practice and slashed upwards with his staff, channelling his anwansi into a powerful strike.

  The sphere of displaced air detonated in a satisfying display of turquoise light, and the earthborn was hurled away like a rag doll. It landed hard, the impact cracking parts of its wooden body. The creature let out another thunderous roar, this one tinged with pain and rage. But Olisa didn't let up. He kept blasting the earthborn with repeated strikes, each one a brilliant flash of turquoise energy, trying to keep it disoriented and confused.

  The earthborn, however, quickly grew wise to Olisa's tactics. It waited, patient as the ancient trees it came from, until he launched another attack. Weathering the technique with its broad, gnarled arms, it retaliated with sudden ferocity. A storm of dark green leaves, each edge glinting with malice, erupted from its body and bore down on Olisa like a tidal wave of verdant destruction.

  Olisa raised his staff, its surface humming with stored anwansi, and pushed outwards. A pulse of sound, visible as ripples in the air, collided with the oncoming leaves. But it wasn't enough. The leaf storm overwhelmed his defence, and Olisa felt the sting of a hundred cuts as gashes and slashes appeared on his arms and face where the leaves had passed through.

  Gritting his teeth against the pain, Olisa answered with Wall of Sound. A turquoise-coloured barrier of pure sonic energy exploded outwards, charging towards the earthborn. Again, the Awakened soul tree bore the attack, its massive arms forming an impenetrable shield of living wood. Then, with a groan that seemed to shake the very foundations of the Tower, it slammed down on the ground. Another leaf storm, even more ferocious than the last, erupted towards Olisa. He barely dodged, feeling the wind of their passing ruffle his hair.

  I can't keep this up, he thought as he set the air ringing with his power. The ground rumbled in response, as if agreeing with his assessment. The wave of destruction sweeping through the rest of the Tower was yet to touch this area, but Olisa could feel it approaching, an inexorable tide of chaos drawing ever closer.

  A little way ahead, he sensed rather than saw Kainene and Somadina. They were carefully navigating the thin edge of the massive cavern, their progress slowed by the treacherous drop that awaited a misstep and Kainene's still-healing injuries. Occasionally, they paused to shoot him worried looks, their faces etched with concern and fear.

  Olisa knew they weren't safe yet, not with them still this close to the fight and an Ordained-ranking earthborn at play. The thought of his loved ones in danger sent a surge of determination through him. It wasn't the first time he'd fought an opponent he knew was stronger than him. I need to fight smart.

  With that thought, he channelled his anwansi, increasing the ringing in the air. The earthborn hesitated, its wooden features twisting in an expression that might have been wariness. But the moment passed quickly, and it launched another volley of leaves, charging forward with the clear intention of ending this battle once and for all.

  Dimly, Olisa heard Kainene and Somadina scream his name, their voices thick with terror. But he tuned them out, focusing instead on the complex symphony he was weaving through the air. As the leaves passed an invisible threshold, the Seal triggered.

  Enforcements had never been Olisa's strong suit; he much preferred Invocations. Sound, for him, had never lent itself to enhancing his body, and after many failures, he had abandoned such techniques, much to the dismay of his tutors. But he had eventually returned to trying to learn one, especially once he'd heard he had been matched against Kainene in the intra-court games. Even his mother, the erstwhile stifling and overbearing Matriarch of the Ekwueme clan, had merely demanded he put up a good fight.

  That had rubbed him the wrong way and ignited a fire of determination within him. So he'd persevered, spending long nights bent over their clan's Firstborn scroll in intense study. Finally, two days before the games were due to begin, it had snapped into focus, and he mastered it. He still found it amusing, remembering the shocked expressions on his parents' and tutors' faces when he cast the technique and ultimately used it to beat the undefeated Kainene.

  Back then, he had been more concerned with winning glory and proving his parents wrong. It seemed apt, he supposed, that he would use its proper form now to save the ones he loved.

  Leaping backwards with a grace born of countless hours of training, Olisa placed the closed staff to his lips. As he began to play, the air rang with his power, a visible distortion spreading outwards like ripples in a pond. At once, the wave of razor-sharp leaves froze, then went into orbit around him, their speed increasing as his tune grew in complexity.

  The earthborn ceased its charge and leaned back, its mouth open in an alarmed trill that shook loose a shower of leaves and bark. But there was no escaping once the Seal had its hold.

  Ballad of the Song God. An Ordained-level technique.

  The staff-cum-flute still held in place, Olisa took a step forward. And the soul tree mimicked him, its limbs creaking in protest as it tried to fight his hold. Then he took another step, and another, slipping into the dance as smooth as butter. The air came alive with his music, a haunting melody that seemed to resonate with the very stones of the Tower.

  The earthborn creaked and groaned, but followed his lead. More and more of the previously discarded leaves lifted themselves into the air, joining the swirling vortex around Olisa as he played on, weaving the projectiles into a tight, rapidly spinning cyclone of green. The song came in short, frenetic bursts now, then abruptly lengthened into a loud, sustained note that echoed through the cavern.

  At his command, the leaves swarmed the earthborn. Olisa was only barely aware of his body, vaguely cognizant of the fact that it had gone translucent, alive with an inner, turquoise light as it transformed into a second, living instrument. His entire being was focused on the music, on moving the earthborn to the tune, on maintaining the continuous barrage on its wooden body.

  The soul tree let out an outraged scream that shook loose stalactites from the cavern ceiling. It tried to wrest back control of its leaves, its limbs flailing as it attempted to pummel Olisa to the ground. But Olisa's will was absolute, his determination fueled by love and the need to protect. Slowly, surely, the earthborn began to weaken. Cracks appeared in its bark-like skin, weeping a amber-like sap.

  Despite it all, he was winning.

  Then it happened. His flute-staff played its last tune as his core drained down to the dregs, and the Ballad came to an end, setting the soul tree free. It hesitated for a moment, watching as Olisa collapsed to the ground, as though unsure that it wasn't a trick. Then, with a sound like a forest being torn apart, it let out an earsplitting roar.

  Olisa raised his staff, despite the delicious pain wracking his body from his empty core, and tried to cast another Seal. But the earthborn had no intention of letting him. It snarled, a sound like branches snapping in a gale, and exploded in a torrent of green light that nearly blinded him. The force struck like a hammer, knocking his breath away.

  But the soul tree wasn't done. Everywhere the light touched, plant life erupted; green grass and flowers sprang from bare stone, and great, twisting vines festooned with an array of nasty-looking thorns burst into being. Olisa looked at them and sighed, relaxing into acceptance. He had done it. Somadina and Kainene were small blurs in the distance, having safely made it across. And while his sharp hearing could make out their screams, he simply smiled and gestured with his hand.

  It's okay, he told them in his mind. I love you.

  The earthborn roared again, and the vines lunged forward. Olisa lay down, hoping that someday, they would be able to forgive him.

  The expected pain never came. In its place was a sound that he never thought he would hear again and a flash of light that he saw even through his closed eyelids.

  "Spectacular Thunder Hammer," barked a familiar voice, and the lightning that followed was louder, brighter as it hurled itself into the screaming soul tree. Ije descended from above, a blur of motion and crackling energy. She swept out with her staff, and the vines vanished, sliced apart by arcs of razor-edged blade anwansi that glinted in the cavern's dim light.

  "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice tight with concern as she seized his arm and cast herself back into Razor Glide, her Friction anwansi curling around them both effortlessly.

  I am now, he thought, managing a weak nod. Ije glanced at him, her eyes searching his face, before nodding back and spiriting him away from the still reeling earthborn. Even though their landing was gentle, his knees wobbled as he stood, and it was with a grateful sigh that he sank into Kainene and Somadina's equally shaking arms.

  "It's okay," he said, and this time, surrounded by the warmth of their embrace and the knowledge that they were safe, he believed it.

  ***

  Somadina wasn't sure if he had ever felt so useless. It wasn't new, this feeling of inadequacy. Enough things had happened to him over the years to solidify it, make it as familiar as an old friend. But that moment, standing there with his arm around Kainene, watching Olisa fight an Ordained earthborn, was uniquely painful. It had a distinctive flavour of helplessness that didn't dissipate completely, even when Rai returned, leading Ije and Jidenna.

  "Smart of you to send out your owlcat to find us," Jidenna was saying, his usually carefree tone tinged with urgency. "We were already on the way, but it might have taken much longer. You did well."

  Somadina nodded dumbly, his attention primarily focused on sweeping Olisa for injuries. But remarkably, his Ordained was unhurt, save for his near-empty core. Even that wasn't immediately life-threatening; the noble man still had enough anwansi left that it wasn't going to kill him. Somadina allowed himself to relax a little and turn a bit of his attention back to the fight happening across the chasm.

  Ije was attacking, unleashing arcs of blade and lightning that shook the ground, the air thick with the scent of ozone and the sharp crack of thunder. But the earthborn wasn't fighting back. Ije's intervention, it seemed, was the last straw. Mewling pitifully, it turned and fled, loping towards the door. Satisfied, she let out a victory cry and blurred back to them, looking very pleased with herself.

  "What?" she asked when nobody thanked her, her brow furrowing in confusion.

  "We have a problem," Jidenna replied calmly, his eyes fixed on the trembling walls around them.

  Somadina noticed it then. The shaking hadn't stopped at all. It was, in fact, getting worse. Fast. They stood there for a moment, watching in fascinated horror as the doors the earthborn had disappeared through shuddered and collapsed, revealing a blank, empty void beyond. The sight sent a chill down Somadina's spine, and he felt the faint stirring of the Omaliko’s soul chains within him, responding to his growing anxiety.

  He was already raising Olisa before Kainene's cry of 'Move!' split the air. Rai, in sync with him, exploded in size until she hit his threshold, the point where the pressure of the bond was strong but bearable. The sudden growth was accompanied by a surge of energy that Somadina felt through their connection, a warmth that spread from his core to his fingertips.

  Quickly, he and Jidenna lifted Olisa and Kainene onto Rai's back, ignoring their protests. Then they were moving, charging through the doors and down the staircase. The walls blurred around them, ancient glyphs and symbols pulsing with an eerie light as they passed.

  "Show us the way out!" Somadina screamed, his voice hoarse with desperation. The Tower groaned in response, a deep, reverberating sound that seemed to come from its very foundations. But the stairs still shifted beneath their feet, and passages opened and closed behind them as they flashed past. Ije was ahead, of course, her staff dancing as she cut down any beast foolish enough to attack and bar their way.

  But even as they raced through the ever-changing labyrinth, Somadina knew they were out of time. It was an odd sense he'd developed over his life – the ability to know when things were about to go horribly wrong. So it didn't come as a surprise when their next steps found them falling, the walls and floor and ceiling flickering like an illusion.

  A blink, and they were falling past a sea of floating mountains, their jagged peaks wreathed in mist. Another blink, and it was a jungle rushing up to wrap them in its green embrace, the scent of rich earth and exotic flowers filling the air. Then another, and it was vast, empty sky stretching endlessly in all directions.

  Rai tried to fly, Ije to arrest their fall, but an immutable, unyielding force wanted them down and flat against the rapidly approaching ground. Their attempts never succeeded for more than a few seconds before they were plummeting again. The others screamed and made frantic efforts to save themselves, but through it all, Somadina remained eerily calm.

  There's no helping it, he thought, a strange serenity settling over him. We are going to die. He looked around, spending a few moments staring at the people and soul beasts falling with him. His friends, his newfound family. Somadina took a deep breath, his fingers brushing against his mother's necklace.

  We are going to die. But I am going to save them.

  It was deceptively easy to summon Omaliko's staff, the ancient artefact materialising in his hands with a flash of indigo and purple light. The roar of power that slammed into him was almost overwhelming, running rampant through his body just from grabbing it. But there was no time to think about it, no time to hesitate.

  Cradling the staff in his hands, Somadina closed his eyes, focusing on the Seal he wanted. He could feel the Binding Vows stirring within him, the soul chains that marked him as the heir of the Prophet-In-Chains beginning to glow, visible beneath his skin like rivers of molten silver.

  Then, Somadina whispered two simple words: "Weaver's Domain."

  The endless sky vanished, replaced by a vast, purple landscape that roiled and shook as he rocketed past it. Colours swirled and merged, forming impossible shapes and patterns. He saw the Taleweaver loom over him, a being of incomprehensible size and majesty. Its titanic tail feathers spread open as it considered the mortal before it.

  "Oh, Somadina," the Firstborn said, and there was sorrow in his voice, deep and resonant. "What have you done?"

  Then the Taleweaver was gone, and Somadina was back in the falling world, the technique still active. The connections were in place, his influence spread over his companions like a protective web. For a moment, he saw them as they truly were: Olisa as a pillar of resonating sound, Kainene as earth and fire given form, Ije as lightning and blade incarnate, Jidenna and Izu as two twisting shadows of force, and Rai and himself as an ever-changing dream.

  The soul chains pulsed, drawing on the power from all directions; from the staff, from the failing realm around them, even from Somadina himself. He felt his very being expanding, reaching out along the Vows that everyone. And then, with a thought infused with the strength of those ancient bonds, he slipped them all away.

  They reappeared only a heartbeat later, in Sinikat, solid ground beneath their feet. After picking themselves up, they alternated between staring at Somadina and the disintegrating Tower in the distance. The once-mighty structure was crumbling, great chunks of stone and magic falling away into nothingness.

  "Somadina," Olisa said, gaping in disbelief. "What did you do?"

  "Kept you safe," came the equally soft reply, a tired smile playing on his lips.

  He was still smiling when the pain hit, a backlash of power that coursed through his body like liquid fire. The soul chains flared brightly, straining against the immense energies he had channelled and Somadina felt the world tilting, his vision blurring at the edges.

  As darkness claimed him, Somadina's last conscious thought was of relief. They were safe. He had protected them. And for now, that was enough.

  Fun Fact:

  What if baboon-like beings taught it instead?

  still used in Nigeria and elsewhere today!