Isiah still needed Emrick's help to walk through the thick trees and blankets of snow, even though it had been hours since they'd escaped from Huton. If he tried hard enough, he could probably walk on his own, but he didn't want to. He liked having someone there to support him, even if it was just with walking.

Every part of his body ached. The snow aggravated his exposed flesh where his nails had once been and the chill wind made his many cuts stings. But he had the stones again, he wasn't cold anymore. Emrick and Rina were alive and Nerin... He didn't know where Nerin was, but he could trust that he wasn't dead.

They should have gone back for him, but Emrick had been right when he said it would only result in their deaths. All they could do was trust that Harudan would keep his little brother safe. At the end of it all, Isiah would make sure that Nerin wasn't injured and forgiven by King Ouron and the other Askari. That would be a part of his job as the Beast.

They were headed for the Sanctum of Nyat, according to Emrick. With every minute that passed, Isiah became more and more surprised that the three of them were still alive, especially Emrick. The last time he had seen him, he'd been a bloody lump in the snow, unmoving. Isiah had thought him dead.

And yet, he was the one holding him up. He was in pain, if the way he cradled his arm to his chest was anything to go by and Isiah wanted to be able to walk on his own, but he also wanted Emrick's arm around him, reassuring him that he was there. It made him feel safe, not that he would actually tell the man that.

Jonin's attempts at getting him to speak had taken everything out of him. He hurt in more places than he could count and had passed out multiple times during the long days the guard captain was with him. But he never said a word. Harudan couldn't know the truth, not if he was going to escape and do the job he needed to. He never doubted that he would find a way to escape or someone would rescue him.

He had just never expected it to be Emrick. He had convinced himself that the man was dead, had been grieving him for the last week and a half, down in his cell with the dark and the silence. All he could think about was his trial, his fear of death and how much Isiah wanted to go back in time and change it.

Then he had awoken to a familiar set of corn-yellow eyes and nothing had made sense. He'd run on instinct, doing the first thing that came to mind. He was so happy that Emrick was there, alive, rescuing him, that he had just acted on the first thing his body wanted to do. He shouldn't have done it, but there was no taking it back.

He shook his head, not wanting to think about it. There were other things he had to focus on, like getting to the Sanctum and getting the strength stone. The movement caused Emrick to stop and look down at him, a frown on his face and worry in his eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Do you need to stop for a bit?"

"No," he replied in a raspy voice. "How far away are we?"

"Not far," he said as Rina stopped ahead of them, looking over her shoulder in concern.

She waited for them to catch up before she spoke, patient as they hobbled over the uneven snow. "Have you been staying at the Sanctum?" she asked.

"Aye," Emrick said with a nod. "All the stuff we have left is there. Some clothes, food, my bag mostly held the medical supplies, thank the Gods."

"Don't-" Isiah said, then cut himself off with another shake of his head. There wasn't much point in correcting him anymore, he'd just say it anyway.

He gave the ground a little smile when Emrick chuckled above him. "Old habits die hard, huh?" he said and squeezed Isiah a little tighter. It hurt, but he didn't say anything.

"How?" Rina asked, bringing him back to the actual conversation at hand. "We all thought you were dead."

Emrick huffed, the sound almost like a laugh. "I have no idea. I thought I was going to die too. There was so many of them. I thought... I was sure they would kill me," he said and Isiah winced, his hand clenching at Emrick's side. The armour he wore was cool to the touch, but that didn't stop him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help," he whispered, a lump in his throat.

"What? Isiah, no, this isn't your fault. It's mine. I was the idiot who antagonised them," Emrick replied, his mouth agape.

Rina hmphed. "That's for sure," she said and sighed. "But I'm glad you're alright. Thank you for saving us."

"Of course. I couldn't just leave you there," Emrick said. Something soft and warm pressed against Isiah's forehead then and it took him a moment to realise that it was Emrick's lips. They were gone before he could do anything and heat bloomed in his cheeks. His earlier mistake in Huton was already coming back to haunt him. When he got a chance, he would have to talk about it with him.

But he couldn't ignore the voice in the back of his mind that told him it felt nice. It had, but he didn't want to focus on that. There were more important things, like the stones and the Beast and the war. There was no time for whatever he and Emrick had, but he couldn't just ignore that it was there. His mind ran through all the conversations they had had over the last few weeks, the stares, the touches, and his blush only got worse.

In a desperate attempt to push the thoughts away, he tried speaking again, even though it hurt. "How did you get to the Sanctum, back to Huton, any of it?" he asked. He wanted to know the answers almost as much as he wanted to distract himself.

"I protected my face and arms with my bag, so some of the stuff is a little damaged, but usable," Emrick answered and let out a soft sigh. "When I woke up, I took what was left over. Someone's bag, I think Rina's, and the stones were all I could find, then I followed the map to the Sanctum. I knew it would be a safe place to treat myself and figure out what to do next. I was going to rescue you from the start, but I wasn't strong enough. Gods, you don't know how worried I was that I wouldn't make it in time.

"There's no one there though, just empty buildings, but near the door are hot springs, so you two can get cleaned up. I stayed there for a few days, treated my wounds, rested and tried to come up with a plan to get you two out. When I eventually made it back to Huton, I learned that Harudan was there and found that other exit to the dungeons.

"I had to kill a guard to get this armour." Emrick shuffled uncomfortably as he spoke, as if he were ashamed. "I saw him get sent down to the dungeons and quickly took him out when I had a chance. After that, I waited until I got a chance to do what was needed. The plan was to get Nerin too, but..."

Isiah frowned down at the snow. "We don't blame you," he said, even though guilt made his stomach ache. "I'm glad you're alive. I was... I was worried. I thought you were dead."

"I'm right here," Emrick whispered back, barely loud enough for him to hear.

"Nerin," Rina said as the three of them stumbled through the trees in the pitch black. "Do you think he'll be alright?"

Emrick hummed thoughtfully. "I hope so," he replied. He had to be, it wasn't as though Harudan would hurt his own brother. But Isiah didn't know the man and doubt felt like a rock in his stomach.

Isiah said nothing and soon the three of them fell into a tense silence. It wasn't that long ago that they had walked the same path, heading for the same place, but hopefully it would end better for them the second time around, even if they were missing someone. He needed the next stone and after that, there were only two more.

But they would have no idea where to go without Nerin and the book. They would be heading into Minisia completely blind and trapped behind enemy forces. If he was going to save Vishera, he had to be ahead of them, or maybe he only needed to be near Harudan, the controller of it all.

After what Jonin had done to him, there was a rage within him, one he had only felt a handful of times and one he didn't want to think about. It was the same rage that had led him to killing the guard in Ishmar, to nearly killing people in order to save Emrick. It was small, hidden in the back of his mind, but it was still there. The urge to run back with his stones and burn Jonin to ash for what he had done was constant.

He wouldn't. He never would. It didn't matter what had been done to him, he would never kill again. Vishera would be saved by peaceful means or not at all. What good would it do to save the realm using violence? He would only be seen as a bad influence, not the saviour he was supposed to be.

The monk they had summoned to confirm who he was, he wished he'd been able to tell her the truth, that he was the Beast that was Promised, but Harudan could never know. Instead, he'd attempted to tell her about the Sanctum, but she hadn't believed him. She believed he was a murderer and that was the truth. But his Gods would forgive him, they already had, and he hated it. Murder should not be forgiven.

But that did mean he shouldn't forgive Rina and Emrick and Nerin for what they had done? They killed in order to save themselves, because if they hadn't, all of them would die. So did that mean that murder in self defence was alright? He didn't want to think about it, he hurt too much. All he wanted was to get the stone and rest. He was so exhausted.

He almost cried when familiar ruins filled his vision. They looked the same as both Ishin's and Askarune's Sanctum's, grey stone that crumbled and fell, but there was more to it than the other two. There were homes, buildings, dotted in such a way that there was no real pattern to it. Most of them had fallen years ago, but there was enough there to tell him that it had once been a small town.

"Finally," Rina gasped and stretched her arms high.

Emrick walked him over to a mound of grey stones and helped him sit. "Do you want to rest first or get the stone?" he asked and sat next to him.

"The stone, but I think I can walk on my own," Isiah answered and leaned his hands against his knees. Two of his nails were missing on each hand and it was gruesome to look at. It could have been so much worse, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Everything ached, but at least he hadn't spilled his secrets.

"Are you sure?" Emrick asked. "I can help you." But even as he spoke, he hissed in a pained breath and grabbed at his side.

Isiah nodded. "I shouldn't have relied on you so much, you're injured too."

"I don't mind. You needed it."

"Hey, lovebirds, what are we doing?" Rina called from a nearby house, peeking into the gap the fallen door left behind.

Ignoring the heat in his cheeks, Isiah replied, "Getting the stone."

"Where's the door then?" Rina asked as she walked towards them.

Slowly, Emrick rose from the rubble and stretched, his face scrunching in pain. "There's something like a church nearby, the door is in there, but there are stairs," he said and held out a hand for Isiah. With a shaking hand and a blush that spread to his ears, he took Emrick's hand and stood.

The walk to the church was hard on his own, but he didn't dare ask for Emrick's help again, not when he'd been so sure he could do it on his own. It was so dark and the path was so old that climbing the stairs that wound around the small hill took more effort than it was worth. It wasn't a far walk, but it still made his limbs ache.

The church atop the hill was the only building there, as decrepit as the rest of them. The single spire had caved in on itself, the tip of it in the long grass next to the church, but there was enough building there to house them for however long they needed to stay. With a sigh of relief, he started towards the worn wooden doors.

The pews that had once run the length of the long room were destroyed and spread about the ground haphazardly, but that wasn't what caught his attention. The door at the opposite end, sitting behind a small altar, was the same as the others he'd seen before, but also completely different. On the walls leading up to it were the tapestries, worn and faded, but he was sure they depicted the same images he had seen at both Sanctums, while the door itself showed a figure with wings, standing with their arms outstretched.

All the doors he had seen showed a different version of the Beast. Perhaps no one knew what the Beast was supposed to look like, so they all took their best guess. A man with wings, a horned dog, it was all different. He wouldn't find out until he gathered all the stones and came into his power, whenever that happened.

"One of those doors leads to a bunch of bedrooms, the other to the hot springs," Emrick said and pointed at two small doors at either side of the main one. A bed and a bath, that was something he desperately wanted, but he wouldn't do it until the strength stone was in his hands. He'd waited long enough, he wasn't going to give anyone another chance to stop him.

Wincing at the feeling of fabric against his exposed nail beds, Isiah pulled out the two stones and strode forward. That was all he needed to open them, if Askrune's Sanctum was anything to go by. The eyes of his companions bore into his back as he walked and he took a moment to stop and smile at them over his shoulder.

Even though the figure had no eyes, it still felt like it was watching him as he stopped in front of it. Nyat was supposed to be there to give him a trial, but she was dead, according to Askarune. Emrick hadn't said anything about her being there and so far, she hadn't made an appearance, so the God had to be telling the truth.

Part of him grieved for the deity he'd devoted his life to, but part of him was a little glad. In the state he was in, he wouldn't have been able to handle a trial of strength. With a deep breath, he held the stones out in front of him, waiting for the familiar rumble of the door opening.

But it never came. The seconds passed slowly, but the door never opened. With furrowed brows and his bottom lip between his teeth, Isiah turned towards the other two. They both had mixed expressions of confusion on their face and the moment he looked at them, they came jogging over.

"What's going on?" Rina asked and crossed her arms over her chest. "Should it have opened?"

"It should have, but..." Isiah stared back at the door and resisted the urge to tap his fingers against the stones. "Do you think maybe I have the wrong stones?"

There was a moment of silence before Emrick made a noise in the back of his throat. "No," he said and reached to grab Isiah's wrist but at the last minute he shifted and his hand clasped around the fear stone. "Let me try something."

He didn't even try to argue and let the fear stone slip from his grasp. Emrick's grip on it was tight, as if it were something dangerous that he couldn't afford to let go of. With his free hand, he took Isiah's and moved him to stand in front of the door once again. Isiah stared at him, unsure of what he was trying to do, but anything was worth a shot.

When the door opened with a loud groan of rock, he jumped backwards, his eyes wide with shock. It should have been possible but there was the dark void beyond the door. "How?" he asked and shot a wary look at Emrick.

"I don't know, but I can feel it. Like a stream, right? And you can control how it flows?" he asked and fidgeted with the small stone.

"Some- Something like that," Isiah replied. That was what the power of the flame stone felt like to him, a force that flowed around him that he could grab a hold of, but the fear stone should have been the same.

A hand grabbed his shoulder and turned him away from the open door. Rina's frowning face filled his vision and he tried to give her a weak smile. She ignored it and whirled towards Emrick. "You can control the fear stone?" she asked.

"Aye, I think so. It's been calling to me since I found it in the snow, but I thought that was because I was the one who originally got it for Isiah, but that might not be the case anymore," he explained and gave Isiah a sheepish smile.

"But how? That makes no sense! Only the Beast should be able to use them," Rina said, gesturing wildly at Isiah, who couldn't force any words out. Rina was right, it didn't make sense. Emrick shouldn't be able to use the stone at all, but he wasn't going to complain. The door was open and the strength stone was nearby.

He took a step away from them. It was too much to wrap his head around rigt then and there. "We can figure it out later," he said. "I should get the stone."

"Go, we'll wait for you here," Emrick told him. He spared them another glance over his shoulder, the blue glow of the fear stone catching his eye. He should have been the one to be able to use it, but instead it was Emrick. It made no sense, but there wasn't time to discuss it, he needed the next stone before anything else happened. He'd been delayed enough as it was.

The doors closed behind him as soon as he walked through, but there was no darkness. Instead, a bright yellow glow illuminated the smooth stone walls. There was nothing else in the little cavern, just the glow in the distance. It was nothing like the thin tunnels in Ishin's Sanctum or his fears at Askarune's, but if Nyat had been there, something would have waited for him beyond the door.

With a sigh of relief, he rushed towards the yellow light, his legs aching. As he had seen at both Ishin's and Askarune's Sanctum, the stone sat on a small pedestal. It felt too easy, sitting there like that, ready for the taking. But Ishin's had too, hadn't it? All he needed to do was reach out and take it.

It was heavy, Nyat's stone, despite how small it was. He struggled to move it from the pedestal and had to push it with one hand until it fell into his outstretched palm. He grunted with the effort of holding it but after a few seconds, the weight lessened until it was nothing more than a pebble. After so much struggle, after being tortured and having to run from his torturer, the strength stone was his.

It shouldn't have been possible. It was far too easy, but there it was. He couldn't deny that it was there and as he turned back towards the closed door, he waited for whatever would come next to jump out at him. But the seconds passed as usual and he let out an incredulous laugh. It would all be fine, he had the next stone and in a few days, he would be on his way to get the next one.

The door slowly opened and he sighed. For the first time in hours, his pain was gone, as if the strength stone had taken it from him. He felt strong, powerful, as if he could do anything he set his mind to. Emrick and Rina waved at him as he walked out, sighing in relief when he held up the stone.

"You did it," Emrick said as he met them, grinning at him, bright and happy. Isiah could have hugged him, but he resisted the urge.

"That was fast," Rina told him, relief in her eyes.

He hummed in response and adjusted his grip on the new stone. "I feel good," he said and frowned as something ill settled in his stomach. The pain slowly came back, the strength seeping from his bones. He wobbled and held out an arm to steady himself, but there was nothing to grab a hold of. The last thing he heard before he fell to the ground was the sound of Emrick and Rina crying out, then the darkness took him.