Miles away from the chaos that had occurred at the citadel, Permeus returned to his castle first. With vengeance on his mind, but family at this time was paramount.

  His thoughts along the way had been heavy knowing that the impossible had happened, titans had died and neither an Origin nor Germaine had been the hand that caused it, rather a fowl he had found believing it to be anything but alive only to shockingly realize the opposite was truth.

  He strode purposefully through the corridors on landing, ignoring the concerned looks from the servants he passed. He reached his wife’s room and entered without knocking.

  Imara looked up from the book she had been reading to their daughters, her expression changing from joy to concern as she took in his grave demeanor.

  “Girls, go to your room for a moment,” she whispered.

  “Why, mama?” Amara asked.

  “Yes, the story was just getting good,” Kara argued

  “Your papa and I need to talk,” Imara answered

  The twins looked reluctantly at their parents but obeyed, closing the door behind them.

  “What happened?” Imara asked, rising to her feet.

  Permeus didn’t answer. Instead, he walked into their closet and began pulling out armor. He dressed methodically, securing bracers to his forearms, greaves to his shins.

  Imara stepped in front of him, placing her hands on his chest.

  “Permeus, I will not ask again,” she assured him. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  Permeus’ eyes finally met hers, and the fury within them made her step back.

  “The raven escaped Ima,” he said, his voice low and controlled. “It killed my soldiers.”

  “Permeus, that is impossible,” Imara argued.

  “Your soldiers are titans,” she reminded him as if he didn’t already know

  Permeus simply looked at her, his face unchanging.

  “Oh,” she exhaled once realization dawned in her eyes

  “Are you sure?” she asked, trapped in disbelief

  “They’re dead, Ima. Not wounded. Not recovering. Dead,” Permeus assured her.

  The word hung between them, impossible and terrifying.

  “That can’t be,” she whispered. “Nothing can kill a titan except...”

  “Except me, Germaine or another Origin,” he finished. “I know. But they’re dead whether or not we can explain it.”

  “Do we know what killed them?” Imara asked curiously

  “The Raven Ima” Permeus answered “Keep up”

  He secured a sword to his hip; the blade glowing faintly with the power of his immortal flame.

  “A raven?” Imara asked, somehow believing this story less and less.

  “I will illuminate on it when I come back,” he promised her

  “Right now I’m going to find the monster that did this,” he continued, “and I’m going to erase it from existence in a magnificent torrent of fire like I should have days ago.”

  “Let me come with you,” Imara said, her hand moving to the drawer where she kept her own weapons. “If this thing can kill titans...”

  “No,” Permeus cut her off sharply. “You stay with the little ones. Keep them safe. I’ve already ordered the castle guards doubled.”

  There was a knock at the door, and Germaine entered without waiting for an invitation. He wore battle armor similar to Permeus’ and his face showed grim determination.

  “The horses are ready, Your Majesty” he said simply.

  “Nice to see you up, Old friend,” Permeus replied

  “ I am the High Steward, anything that threatens the realm is as much my duty as Your Majesty’s, my lord,” Germaine reminded him

  “What of Greta?” Imara asked

  “Greta is helping me with evacuation in the city My Queen, just in case this thing goes there,” Germaine answered

  “I told her I would handle while it would be best for her to come here and hide out with the rest of you, but you know my wife,” Germaine elaborated

  “You sure she can get everyone out just in case?” Permeus asked.

  “I am sure she will die trying, Your Majesty” Germaine assured him

  “Let us hope it does not come to that,” Permeus replied

  “Indeed,” Germaine concluded

  Permeus nodded and then turned back to Imara. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

  “I will return,” he promised. “And when I do, whatever threatened our realm will be nothing but ash.”

  She held onto his wrists, reluctant to let go.

  “Be careful,” she whispered.

  Permeus smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes.

  “I’m an Origin Ima,” he said. “What could harm me?”

  “If my fears are correct,” Imara replied, “this can. "

  Regardless of Imara’s ominous comment, Permeus and Germaine emerged from the castle gates intending to hunt the beast in the woods but encountered a scene of nightmarish chaos.

  The elegant spires of Titania, once gleaming silver in the moonlight, now burned with the white-hot intensity of immortal flame. Beasts of darkness such as wolves, ravens, and shapeless horrors tore through the screaming populace in the battlegrounds where celebrating titans had filled the streets just hours before

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  “How is this possible?” Permeus whispered, his heart pounding in his chest as he and Germaine rode towards the city.

  The view inside it, though, was even worse. All around them, titans fought desperately against both the shadow creatures and their own kind. Some titans, clearly infected with the same affliction as the guards from the citadel, attacked their brethren with mindless ferocity, their eyes glowing with that sickly red glow.

  Germaine gripped his sword tighter, his face a mask of grim determination.

  “Questions later, Your Majesty,” he declared. “We fight now.”

  With that, they plunged into the fray. Permeus summoned his

  immortal flame, a brilliant white conflagration that burned hotter than any other in creation. With sweeping gestures, he sent waves of fire at the advancing shadow beasts, incinerating them on contact.

  But for every one he destroyed, two more seemed to materialize from the darkness.

  Germaine fought with the precision of a master warrior, his silver blade flashing in the firelight as he cut down feral titans and shadow beasts alike. His movements were fluid and economical, each stroke calculated to inflict maximum damage.

  “We need to reach the central square Your Majesty!” Germaine called over the cacophony of battle. “Greta and whatever remains of the civilians should gather there for protection!”

  Permeus nodded, clearing a path with a focused burst of flame that vaporized three charging shadow wolves. Together, they fought their way through the burning streets, saving what titans they could and destroying any threat that came near.

  A distant scream caught their attention, a woman’s voice, high and terrified. Germaine froze mid-strike, his face draining of color.

  “Greta,” he whispered, then louder, “GRETA!”

  Permeus glanced around wildly, trying to locate the source of the scream. Down a side street, he spotted a group of titans — civilians, not warriors surrounded by a growing circle of feral titans. Among them, he recognized Germaine’s wife, her blue hair unmistakable even at a distance.

  “There!” Permeus pointed. “I’ll go for them! You hold this position!”

  Germaine hesitated, clearly torn between his duty to protect the city and his desperate need to save his wife. But more shadow beasts were converging on their position, and someone needed to hold them back.

  “Go!” Germaine shouted, already engaging the nearest beast with a flurry of strikes.

  “Save her, Your Majesty! please!” he continued, almost sounding like he was begging

  With a nod, Permeus sprinted down the side street, gathering his power as he ran. The feral titans had nearly closed their circle around

  the civilians, their twisted mouths open in hungry snarls, the black venom dripping from their fangs.

  “Get away from them!” Permeus roared, releasing a wave of white flame that engulfed the nearest ones.

  They shrieked as they burned, their flesh crackling and turning to ash. But the others turned toward him, their attention drawn by this new threat.

  Good, Permeus thought, that’s right. Focus on me.

  One lunged straight for him. He sidestepped it, cutting it through the torso and stabbing it through the back. Another jumped straight at him, causing him to stab it through the chest.

  As he was retracting the sword coated in his flame, he was tackled to his side by another titan that left both of them sprawling on the floor. Permeus could push the titan away. He then rotated the other side and summoned twin daggers of flame. The feral titan did the same.

  They both began stabbing each other. That was when Permeus realized that the zombified titans had not only become feral but faster and stronger. The flame had even scraped his cheek. He ended up stabbing it in the kidney.

  While he was fighting the feral titan, another one tried to cut him from behind, and he had buried his other dagger in it, but he stabbed it in the liver. He then unburied his other dagger to bury that one in its heart. He then pulled both out, letting them fall to the ground.

  Another one came running straight at him, but he sidestepped and broke its heel by stomping on it. He then buried his dagger in the back and decapitated it.

  It was when a distant caw caught his attention, a sound that made his blood run cold. Looking up, he saw a giant raven circling above, its wings spanning at least twenty feet. It was larger than the one they had found in the woods, but there was no mistaking its nature — a beast of shadow, just like the one that he was sure had killed his guards and was now orchestrating all of this. It had a similar aura.

  Rage filled him, hot and clarifying. With a shout, he gathered his power into a concentrated ball of white flame and hurled it at the raven. The projectile struck true, and the creature erupted into brilliant white fire before dissolving into ash that rained down on the city.

  But in his moment of distraction, disaster struck. The feral titans were slaughtering the civilians he was supposed to be guarding. One of the feral titans in fact had broken through the defensive circle the civilians had formed and lunged at Greta.

  Permeus turned just in time to see the titan sink its teeth into her shoulder, the black venom immediately spreading through her veins like ink in water seeming to paralyze her.

  “NO!” Permeus screamed, dispatching the remaining feral titans with a desperate burst of power but it was already too late, all of them had been killed and Great for one of them looked to be out.

  He rushed to the blue haired titan’s side as she collapsed, catching her before she hit the ground.

  Her skin was already turning gray, the silver luster fading as the venom worked its way through her system. Her beautiful blue eyes were clouding over, becoming dull and lifeless.

  “Hold on, Greta,” Permeus whispered, pressing his hand to her wound and trying to use his power to purge the venom. But it resisted his efforts, continuing its deadly progress through her body.

  “Please, hold on.” He continued to beg

  Greta’s lips moved, but no sound came out. She reached up with a trembling hand to touch his face, her fingers leaving a smear of black venom on his cheek.

  “Tell... Germaine...” she gasped, her voice barely audible. “Tell him... I loved him.”

  And then she was gone, her hand falling limply to her side, her eyes staring unseeing at the burning sky above. Permeus gently closed her eyes, a sob catching in his throat. He had failed. For all his power, for all his divinity, he had failed to save her.

  “Your Majesty!”

  He looked up to see Germaine running toward him, his armor splattered with the black ichor of shadow beasts. The expression on Permeus’ face must have told him everything he needed to know, for Germaine’s steps faltered, then quickened to a desperate sprint.

  “No,” Germaine whispered as he reached them, falling to his knees beside his wife’s body. “No, no, no...”

  He gathered Greta into his arms, cradling her against his chest as if his embrace could somehow bring her back. Tears streamed down his face, cutting through the grime and soot of battle.

  “I’m sorry, old friend” Permeus said, his voice breaking. “I tried”

  “You tried?” Germaine’s head snapped up, his grief transforming into rage in an instant. “You TRIED?”

  With a roar, he gently laid Greta’s body down and lunged at Permeus, tackling him to the ground. Permeus didn’t resist, letting Germaine pin him.

  “Everything I’ve done, EVERYTHING has been for you!” Germaine shouted, his face inches from Permeus’.

  “I run your kingdom! I protect your people! I solve your problems! The ONE thing I ever asked of you was to protect my wife, and you couldn’t even do that!”

  Each accusation was punctuated by a blow to Permeus’ chest, but the Origin barely felt them. The guilt was a far heavier burden.

  “Old....”

  “Don’t dare call me old friend, you’re a bad friend!” Germaine continued, his voice breaking with emotion. “A bad friend, a bad king! a bad husband and a bad father!”

  That last accusation struck deeper than any physical blow could have. Permeus’ eyes hardened, and with a sudden movement, he threw Germaine off him. The titan landed hard several feet away, momentarily stunned.

  Permeus rose to his feet, his face a storm of emotions.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Germaine. You have no idea what it means to be an Origin, to bear the responsibility I do.”

  “Responsibility” Germaine laughed bitterly, rising to his feet.

  “You don’t even know the meaning of the word! You don’t deserve to speak it”

  He charged at Permeus again, but this time the Origin was ready. Permeus sidestepped the attack and delivered a powerful blow to Germaine’s midsection that sent him staggering back, gasping for breath.

  But before either of them could continue their fight, a new presence made itself known. A tall figure stepped out from the shadows, moving with unnatural grace. Permeus turned to face this new threat, only to freeze in shock.

  The newcomer was humanoid but clearly not a titan or an Origin at least, not one that Permeus recognized. He had straggly black hair that seemed to absorb the light around it, and eyes that glowed with a malevolent red light. His skin was pale to the point of translucence, revealing dark veins beneath.

  Before Permeus could react, the figure moved with blinding speed, appearing behind Germaine in a blur of motion. A blade of pure darkness materialized in his hand, and with a single fluid movement, he drove it through Germaine’s back and out through his chest.