Cold wind shook Gavin awake, and his eyes snapped open, expecting to find the dark confines of Eska's house once again. Instead, he was greeted by an endless landscape of blue fog, with nothing beneath him to make up a floor, and seemingly nothing beyond him for miles. Only an empty aching in his chest, and the sound of chimes behind him.

"Soih," he cursed, immediately pushing himself to standing. "Not again."

It was that damn air god. It had to be. This place was the same as that dream in the boat off Malin, so long ago. He whirled around, teeth grit. "Show yourself!"

"We've been here," a calm, steady voice answered, and it was then that Gavin's eyes landed on not one, but two figures standing within the mist.

The first Gavin instantly recognized: the same, pale man, flesh hanging in tapers to wind around a form more smoke than skin. It filled his sockets as a shifting grey that watched cooly from under a hooded, grey cowl, all tucked behind white, feathery ears. Eór, but he wasn't alone. Now there was a woman beside him, dressed in long, beige robes hemmed in green and embroidered with gold knots. Long, light brown hair trailed down her back, the two braids within it reaching down to her bare feet, but by far, the most notable thing about her was her faces. One sat flush with her body, a young woman with blue eyes, but others orbited her head in a ring of yellow light: one wizened with wrinkles, another, a child with blank, motionless eyes and black, rotted flesh, and Gavin eye's darted away from it, focusing back on the main face. The face of the All-Mother. "Akasha?"

She nodded, giving him a warm, inviting smile as she picked up her skirts to slowly walk towards him. "Yes," she answered softly, dipping her regal head in a nod. "We've been trying to reach you."

"What?" he asked, giving her a bewildered look. He stepped back, looking her up and down, and it was hard to tell how close she was. How close anything was anymore. "Why?"

"Because you made a promise to me," Akasha explained, but as sweet as her voice was, a shiver ran down Gavin's back as she took a seat on the bottom of the foggy realm, crossing her legs. "And that promise hasn't been fulfilled yet."

"Promise?" Gavin echoed, and his eyes glanced up at Eór, standing with a placid look on his face, off to the side, waiting. Or perhaps it was less placid and more the same level of discomfort as a servant forced to stand by a door and wait for their master to retire before they could carry out the simple job of closing it behind them. "You mean..."

"You need to kill her."

Horror shot through him, and Gavin rapidly shook his head. "No. No I can't. I'm not killing Aoife. That wasn't a promise. That was..." He scrambled for the right words, catching the bright blue eyes of the goddess once more. "That was a mistake."

He returned to shaking his head, and he tried to put more confidence into it as he took one step back, then another. "I'm sorry, I can't help you. I would never—" He cut himself off, and suddenly flashes were running across his mind: a spear careening towards his ribs, the sound of screams, Aoife falling to the ground, unable to get up. His back straightened. "She doesn't deserve to die."

"Oh." The Goddess blinked at him, almost looking confused as her head tipped ever so slightly. "Is that not why you were collecting my Relics?"

Gavin's hand instinctively went to reach for his satchel, where he knew there would be both the handle and the hilt of a sword, embezzled with purple gems to form the symbol of a bird. "No? We were collecting them for our freedom." It was easier to say now, now that the words rang true, and something about it made him feel more confident, his gaze on Akasha unwavering. "A freedom that you gods never allowed for us."

A hurt expression crossed the Goddess' face, and she sat there, looking crestfallen. "Is- is that what my children think of me? That this was my fault? That I abandoned them to such a fate?"

Gavin's brows drew together. "Isn't that exactly what you did? You created the Cearte, and once they killed the Dragons, they went after us. Halfbreeds, Dávolns, Shar Drak'na... anything that wasn't to your liking, you ordered to be killed!" His hands clenched, nails digging into his palms. He didn't want to be here. He was supposed to be sleeping, shutting everything out, not have his subconscious mind torn away to be controlled by someone else once again. "I was held in their prisons for years, with them carving off my skin, watching it heal, carving it again..." His heart began to pound. "I'd never felt more abandoned in my entire life!"

"No, you misunderstand! I never wanted that." She flung a hand across her ample chest. "I did my best to stop this from happening, to protect my children throughout all these years."

Gavin's toes curled within his boots, and he fixed her a glare. "Then why didn't you? What was stopping you all that time?"

It was then that the Goddess winced, long bangs falling across her darkening face until she was staring entirely at the ground, eyes unable to be seen as she spoke just two words.

"Your Demon."

Shock coursed through his veins, fast and nerve-wracking. The words hardly made sense– What could Eldrazi possibly have done to a goddess?– but perhaps it was the lack of sense that froze him in place. "What?"

"Your Demon, it's all their fault. I'm sorry," she whispered, and her eyes shone with tears as her head wrenched up. "I did everything I could, but now it's beyond me. It's why I need your help, even after everything you've gone through. I'm sorry."

Gavin narrowed his gaze, caught in wondering if he should try to wake himself out of this place, or staying to listen. It seemed wrong to fully trust Akasha, especially considering everything Tachir' claimed she'd asked of her, and yet...

What else did Eldrazi do?

The very question made his neck feel cold, sweat dripping down. Akasha was a goddess, the Goddess. This wasn't like asking Eldrazi to defend himself, or Tachir' to explain why she wanted him dead. She was the Goddess of Balance. If anyone was going to give him answers, true, accurate ones that looked at both sides, and offered advice of her own... it would be her.

He sat down on the airy nothingness that made up this strange place, giving her a tight frown. "Why? What did Eldrazi do that stopped you, and why would I be the one to fix it?" The scowl deepened as another point crossed his mind. "He's attached to me, you know. I'm sure there are better people to ask."

It was strange, watching as Akasha sat up straighter, her eyes closing as the yellow light orbiting her head grew brighter. A thin line began to wrap around the sides of her face until it was slowly removed like a mask, revealing a head filled with flowers, bright, vibrant, and full of life. Like a meadow that stretched on forever, each petal, each blade of grass within that vision all bent in perfect harmony. To the left of the field, the meadow seemed burnt, distraught, a place of brimstone and ash, but the rest— The rest was true balance.

It seemed perfect to Gavin, a world of no Dust, of bright blue skies, clear, crystalline streams running through... He sat there, enraptured, unable to tear her gaze away until the Goddess' faces shifted once more, and it was covered by the countenance of an aged woman, her wrinkled eyes crinkling into a soft, sad smile.

"Long ago, back before the Dust, back even before the creation of Astren, your Demon was very... bored. They always stuck their hands into everything, consumed everything, never stopped talking, and was generally just a troublemaker for us to have to handle and fix whatever problems they wanted to cause."

A sharp sigh escaped her, and while Gavin noticed that the only thing that had changed about the Goddess was her age, it seemed time sharpened her a bit too, her words more pointed and ever so slightly less patient. "Despite the other gods and I doing everything to please them, nothing we ever did was good enough." She gave a harsh laugh. "Imagine that. An entire planet, and somehow they needed more. They needed to live, they needed to die, they wanted an entire cycle catered just to them so they could feel what being mortal was like, and so they created Aoife, and with her, all of the Dusts of Astren."

"Wait, no." Gavin shook his head. That didn't make sense. "Aoife is Human, and Eldrazi is a Demon. Even if he did have a kid, it couldn't have been her. And besides that, the Dust, or Astren? Which one?" The Goddess was talking like it all went together, and they were very different things. "I don't understand."

"Aoife is not their child!" Akasha clarified, blue eyes glowing in fury that forced Gavin to scoot back, his heart racing once again. The magik around them thickened as she glared not at him, but through him, warm fog growing uncomfortably hot, scraping against his mind like a pounding headache. In the distance, the air god stiffened slightly, but only continued to look out and away, letting them be.

Then Akasha dropped the magik, the air returning to a lucid state, and her shoulders dropping. "No. Aoife was my child, but your Demon changed her, twisted her into something she was never supposed to be. It's why she is the only Human with magik, and they did it because they knew she would bring about the end of the world."

Gavin's mouth fell open, moving to ask a question, but of what, he wasn't sure. So much didn't make sense, so much he wanted to understand, but the Goddess' faces were already shifting once again, the face of the Crone replaced by that of the All-Mother, and suddenly she was up, running towards him to clasp his hands in her own soft ones. "You saw what happens when she dies. She is the Cursed Child of Fire. She never fully reaches Astren, only pulls the ashes from there to coat the skies and return to life. That's what your Demon is after. Eternal reincarnation." All six of Akasha's eyes met his, boring into Gavin with such intensity that he couldn't move. "They created Dávolns, halfbreeds, casting aside life after life, taking advantage of my children all to learn her secrets. To watch her die again and again until they can harvest her secrets and truly escape Astren. Permanently."

No. The word echoed through Gavin's mind, and he wanted to say it. He wanted to tell the Goddess no, that this was a mistake, and Eldrazi, the one who was always there, laughing, joking, comforting, could never. That there was no chance that the very Demon who raised him was sick enough to watch Aoife die over and over just to live forever, but... how could he be sure? Every time Astren was mentioned, he'd seen the dark look cross Eldrazi's face, how quiet and terse he got. Pure horror curled through Gavin's chest, the urge to vomit returning, and he barely managed to keep it down as his throat clenched. He couldn't say no. He couldn't argue for Eldrazi's sake. It sounded exactly like something he'd do, at least... all but one thing.

"But Eldrazi said he met a god, Uldyŋ. He told me that they were asking us to kill Aoife, and he- he said no."

In fact, the only one who had said yes was me.

He bit his lip, guilt pressing down before he cast it off. No. That was one lie against Eldrazi's hundreds, and besides that, he didn't plan to kill Aoife. If anything, it was Eór he'd lied to, not Eldrazi. He wasn't in the wrong here. Gavin continued, "If he truly wanted to learn from Aoife's death, wouldn't he have wanted to have me kill her?"

Akasha shook her head, the long braids laying across her chest waving with the motion like snakes. "You misunderstand. Perhaps kill wasn't the right word. We never wanted you to end her life. The Relics form a sword, and once that sword is plunged through her chest, she'll return her to her true form: the Phoenix."

Despite never having heard the word before, an image ran across Gavin's mind, from none too long ago. "The bird of fire?"

She nodded. "Your Demon can't have that happen. If it does, they'll never learn her secrets. That's why they've spent so many lives 'protecting her'. It's not for her safety. It's so she falls to old age and rises again from the ashes, but I can't allow it to go on any longer." Her voice grew blank, sullen. "The Dust is too thick, Astren drifting far too close to Esternia. If she dies one more time, the sun will be blotted from the sky. Astren will become one with Esternia, all will die, and your Demon will laugh as it falls apart, because they can never truly be killed."

"But—" Gavin stopped, his tongue immediately failing him. But Eldrazi had never been one for killing, or death. It all sounded so wrong, and yet... it made sense, much more sense than when he had lie awake the night before, staring at the ceiling in hopes that answers would come. Maybe that too, was simply another one of the Demon's lies, pretending to care or acting sad when their knife left a Cearte's chest, or when a body toppled to the floor.

He can't actually care. If he did, he would've told me. He wouldn't have taken away my emotions so I couldn't feel how wrong it was. He would've let me mourn Talus. He wouldn't have let Cynwrig die. He would have—

His breathing was escaping him, eyes watering once again, and he tried to get both under control. There was a goddess in front of him, and she was trusting him, explaining everything Eldrazi had kept from him. He needed to be strong for once. This was important, and he needed to be sure of something, for once in his life. He met her gaze, straightening his back and settling his resolve. "And you're sure this won't kill Aoife? I can't do that to her, not after everything she's done for me."

She placed a hand across her heart, eyes pleading, but face hopeful. "Gods cannot lie, only make promises, and I promise you that Aoife will survive. Once you use the Relics as they were made to be, the world will be set to rights. The Dust will return to Astren where it belongs, your Demon will be unable to carry out their plan, and once they are stopped..." Her smile grew. "I promise you that I'll set things right. That the wars will end and I'll return balance to Esternia, for all races." Then she stopped, head tilting at him as her expression turned coy. "Did you see it, Gavin? The world behind my faces?"

"I—" His gaze darted to the ground. Had he not been meant to look? Panic flitted through his chest, and his sleeve pulled in front of his mouth to be chewed as he tried his best to answer. "I did, yes. I'm sorry. It was..."

Words failed him after that. How could he explain he'd never seen greens so bright, or blues so clear? Perhaps he had, many, many reincarnations ago, but he couldn't remember them, and now– now everything was grey, black, eaten away to acidic rains with only Dust left behind to kill whatever remained.

"It was beautiful?" she filled in.

It took him a bit to answer. "Yes. It was."

She gave him a knowing look. "That was Esternia once, when the world was in balance, and once Aoife is returned to her true form, that is what it will become once again. A place of life. All I need is for the Demon to be stopped before it is too late. Can you do that for your Goddess? For the fate of your realm?"

The words sat in the air, fading into the bluish fog that continued to swirl around them. Gavin watched it, stance deflating. It seemed wrong to promise such a thing. Eldrazi... had always been there, a second breath of life to always remind him of how beautiful such a thing could be. He was the reason the Cearte hadn't caught them yet, and he was the reason Gavin had been able to stop himself before his own knife was sent into his wrist, all those years ago. Without him, he'd be dead.

But it wasn't because he cared. He just wants to live forever.

He took a deep breath, drawing his shoulders back. When he met Akasha's eyes, the hesitation in them had been killed, and when he gave her a nod, it was done with surety. "Yes. I promise you that."

A sigh of relief left the Goddess, her hand back against her chest as she rose, and, much to Gavin's panic, bowed. "Thank you, child. You cannot fathom how many will be saved from your actions."

"T-there's no need to bow! Really!" he sputtered, taking a step back. "I'm just a Human, a mortal."

"No Gavin, you're more than that." The Goddess drew closer, and with it, her aura of warmth, like a beam of sun not yet clouded over by the Dust. Her hands clasped his once more, and her grasp was tight. "You're our saviour. We're counting on you."

Wind began to pick up around them, and in the distance, Gavin could see Eór hovering closer on feet made of nothing but smoke. It was only a second, but when he turned back, Akasha's form was quickly fading in front of him.

Frantically, Gavin moved to grab her hands again, but his own simply passed through like a ghost, leaving him with nothing. "Wait!" he shouted, scrambling to keep her there, although by that point, there was hardly anything but the lingering blue glow of her eyes. "Can't you stay? I have more questions! I want to know how Eldrazi met Aoife, or how long he's lived, or—"

"I'm sorry, child," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sounds of Eór's furling winds. "I must return to Dhia. You've nearly awoken, and my time is up, but I trust you to do the right thing. Good luck, my messenger."

The blue of the light flickered on her last word, and then, like a breath upon a room holding but one candle, the world plunged into darkness.

Gavin shot awake, and he was back in a dark room, leaned up against a rounded wall, coated in a cold sweat. His heart pounded in his chest, anxiety coursing through his veins, and it only worsened as a second movement began to run alongside it, a small, lazy push within him like a morning stretch.

"G' mornin' Gav. Sleep well?"

And already, his muscles were tensing, the very tone of Eldrazi's voice enough to make him want to dig his nails into his palms. Or maybe his arms, or legs. Whatever would drive the grating sound out of his head: the light, nonchalant sound that wanted to act like everything was fine, like he always did. After all, it wasn't as though he ever did stick around for consequences, or even take them into consideration. It was all played off until someone else forgot to be upset for him. That was the closest Eldrazi ever got.

It was honestly a wonder Gavin hadn't noticed it sooner. The selfishness, the inability to ever answer for himself. Why did it take a visit from the Goddess herself to prove something he should've seen all along? How could he have been so... blind?

"Sheesh. I'll take that as a no then. But! There's no Cearte on our 'eels, and just one Relic left to go, am I right?"

Perhaps he should've answered, but anytime Gavin went to think of one, the only thing he could feel was rage. It stole his thoughts from him, only sending the same, demanding urge to his fingers again and again until he could busy them with something else. So instead he felt for the side of his face, at the bandages wrapped there. After all, it was something to do.

They didn't feel too bloodied, actually, nor did it hurt all that much, now that he was gingerly running a finger around the sunken dip of a socket. Granted, it was still coated in bandages, but as his hands worked to unwrap them, each strip of linen falling away, it seemed the swelling was mostly faded, the aching almost gone.

"Well that's a good sign, innit? Maybe our luck's finally turnin' around."

Again, Gavin ignored him, only able to stare at the pile of cloth placed over his fingers. Around him, the others were beginning to stir, Aoife sitting up to gently shake Selatan awake beside her, and Gavin knew that soon, they'd have to go. Soon, Eska would wake, and she'd lead them to their final location: the deserts of Tercia. It'd been years since Gavin had been there, but he could still remember the endless sand and Dust getting into his boots, his hair, really just everything. It certainly wouldn't bode well with an empty socket.

He stood there, watching the bandages for a while longer, when an idea struck him. Not in a sense of shock, but an almost pained apathy. Slowly, his hand fell to the satchel at his belt, fingers reaching in until they hit fabric.

The world seemed to fall away as he pulled it out, raising it up until he could see the black cloth lie lifelessly on his palm. His throat tightened, and his hand raised until the eyepatch was pressed against his lips, where he could feel exactly how soft it was. His shoulders trembled, his grasp on it tightening, until he finally forced himself to pull it away.

His hands reached back to tie the eyepatch around his head, knotting it until it sat smoothly over his hair. Then they dropped to his side, leaving him to blankly stare ahead into nothing.

"What are you up to?"

Instantly, Gavin snapped to attention, whirling around, but it was only Aoife looking exhausted behind him. Her expression quickly changed at the sight of him though, and sparks flicked around her hand until she was holding up the smallest of flames to make out his face. Or rather, what was on it.

"Oh," she said quietly, although she didn't sound hurt because he was wearing it. Just... hurt in general.

"Sorry. I just thought that—"

"No, it's fine. It... it suits you, really." Aoife nodded, although whether it was more to assure Gavin or herself, he didn't know. "It's a good idea. You should have it."

He only answered her with a small hum, and then his head dipped to the floor. It was hard, talking to her now. It was also strange, because he hadn't really considered themselves all that close before, but now...

"And you're sure this won't kill Aoife? I can't do that to her, not after everything she's done for me."

"I promise you that Aoife will survive. "

He wasn't killing her. That was what he had to remind himself as they gathered their things, preparing for Eska to lead them to the cave's exit. He was returning her to her true form, and saving her from Eldrazi. No one deserved to be led along by his games, or forced to die again and again because they were nothing more than a stepping stone to eternal reincarnation. She deserved more than that, and he was going to get it for her.

They just needed one more Relic.