The wind had never been this strong. It caught in Xoris' armour, shoving him back, jostling the rock under his feet. Another gust smacked him in the chest, careening him ever closer to the edge. His body froze in terror as he caught sight of the world past the mountain's edges. W-when did I get so high? In fact, he could barely remember beginning to climb at all. The hazy feeling of the Higher Beast's will was a constant presence in his mind now, making his thoughts dull and his ability to focus dwindle. Did I lose myself again? The thought unnerved him, but there was no one else on the mountain for him to hurt, Human or Stained.

It was clear he had though, with the sky nearly closed above him, having become a darker yellow after the several turns that had passed without his knowledge. He swallowed hard. Will I even be conscious if I meet the Higher Beast? The warnings crept into his mind again, of others completely losing themselves, never snapping out of it again. He shook his head in order to clear it, brown hair tossing wildly with it. He picked up one of the stands in front of his eyes. It hadn't been cut in a while; he hadn't had the time to. I'll do it once I climb back down. The thought reassured him slightly. He would be getting down from here. He would not be losing himself, and he was not going to let the Higher Beast control him anymore. Whatever decision he made, it would be of his own volition.

The circling path he had been tracing broke off suddenly, the already unsteady ground becoming nothing but loose, jumbled rocks beneath his feet. The muscles in his calf screamed in agony as he wrenched his leg up on them, diving into a low hiss as he grit the fangs it held. He glanced up at the peak again, seeming to reach up into the edges of the crack in the sky. There was still a while to go.

It felt dangerous to touch upon the Stained energy in his body, being so close to the Higher Beast, but as a cough wracked through his leg, spitting out blood, he knew he didn't have much of a choice. Closing his eyes, he imagined his steady breath forming a staircase in his mind once again. Slowly, he drew in air, forming one invisible step, climbing it as he held it in, before finally breathing out, and starting again. I wonder if this is how magik works for Humans. He doubted it, thinking of Alaina and Merkos for a moment. Anytime he had sensed it, it had felt like a quick flaring of energy, separate from their own life source. Even the rocks of the mountain pulsed with their own form of magik, but it could hardly be called alive. No, Xoris decided. This was more like the beating of his heart, the power of his own self. It wasn't a gift from any god, if they existed at all. It was simply what he was meant to do.

The hard pressure of stone beneath his feet fell away as his body lifted just slightly into the air. He wondered for a moment if he could just shoot straight up to the top, if he focused enough, but a glance over the edge quickly told him it wasn't worth the risk. His arms tensed as his eyes maintained watching the towns below, already looking so small. Behind him, he could see the Wastelands, the yellow sand littered with people and Beasts. It was hard to make out any details, so far away, but he knew it was another battle, almost definitely the one Dydra had asked him to partake in that morning, with how close it was. He watched it for a while as figures fell from both sides, the ground coated in more and more blood. As much as he expected to feel mortified, or upset, Xoris couldn't bring himself to think much of it as he focused back on climbing. I just hope she's all right. His stomach already hung heavy with guilt for going out against her wishes. If he returned with answers, and she wasn't there for him to share it with... I would miss her.

He frowned a bit as the paper with her sketch on it floated into his mind again. She'd been so kind to him, and he practically lied to her, just to get his own answers. But it's for a good cause, right? As he pushed off another rock, launching his weightless self a little higher into the air, he caught sight of the battleground again. A sense of responsibility almost seemed to fall on him as he continued to think. This was more than him simply wanting to live with his family. I want to end this. If I can find peace, why can't others? I could save them.

When he had first learned of his true nature, Kraim had called him a hero. In a time where he'd felt lost and scared, it had been comforting to think, and yet... What good have I done? The first time he'd used his power, he had massively slaughtered his own kind. He knew that now, the guilt tearing into his chest, trying to slow him down even as he sought to ignore it. After that, all he'd done was senselessly follow the instincts and urges that he could never seem to shake. Even if it's because of a Higher Beast, that doesn't justify what I've done. A frown settled on his face as he came to a singular realisation. The only time I ever saved someone was sending Will home, and I don't even know if I even did that.

He could still feel the twitching sensation of the Vilve's magik within Kraim as he'd tried to control it enough to send the man home. That's what I told him to do. He would have had to follow through, right? But he couldn't help but remember Gylsi's screams in agony as the void-like magik tore them apart. For as much as he'd called Xoris a monster, it was clear that the man had been just as Stained as Xoris was. There was no other way to describe the magik he held. He wasn't Human, simply living in his own denial, but was Xoris any better? What if I never helped anyone at all? What if I killed Will? There was no body left behind, but with that type of power, there never was. He would never know, and that alone hurt more than any sense of regret. A tightness grew in his chest, a sob threatening to drop him from the air as he wobbled, his breath unsteady.

Instantly, Xoris took hold of the stone next to him, dropping down to lean against it for a moment. It was hard to push the images and worries down once again, but he couldn't think about that now. It's already passed anyway. I did the best that I could. The only thing he could do now was try to make up for everything he'd done, and the only way he could do that was by continuing on. As he stretched his head back, he could make out the peak now. The pulse of the Stained energy was beating in his ears at this point, a throbbing matching the rate as his own heart in sets of three. It was welcoming, the way it matched so perfectly, as if he were a part of something greater, but he pushed it away, trying to ignore it. He has listened to it before, and if that was what had driven the other Stained to insanity, he refused to fall into it.

All the same, it meant he was close. As the rocks began to form a ledge in all directions, he looked around, but he was practically at the top. There were no caves, no monsters around for him to talk to. Xoris took one final step, the triangular, jagged peak able to be touched by his own hand. The whole world was spread out below him, with him being able to see every part where the light touched before it was blocked by the edge of the sky. Above him, clouds stretched out, so high up. So where are they? I know they're here. I can sense them. It was in the air, in his chest, his mind, everything around him held the sturdy, decisive feeling, and yet, everything physical seemed so far. The only thing near him was the slowly advancing, black edge of the sky and it closed for the day.

Xoris watched it, the dark expanse so close to him, before glancing at the clouds again. Why did they still seem so far? The edge of the crack in the sky was right there, next to him. That was where clouds lived, right? And yet the white, fluffy things continued to float along, until a gust of wind pushed it behind the edge, out of sight. Where do they even go? A deep, eerie sense of confusion began to fill him as the two edges sought to meet in the middle. Are there two skies? The idea seemed impossible, and yet, he was so high... The thin line of blue shrunk as it began to slowly close again. Xoris had watched it every day of his life, but something about it seemed so strange, now that he was here. What is it covering? Is there... something else out there?

Religion always claimed that Palkhiv and his Vilves closed the sky to keep whatever the Cracks were, out. That's why they sounded so booming and loud every time, because it was a fight to protect the Human and Fae races. But I talked to one. Palkhiv doesn't exist so... what is past it? What's being kept out?

He reached out, but even with the mountain's height, it was too far to grasp. Slowly, he let go of the stone, stepping closer to the ledge. Still it lay out of reach. Then, there was a cracking noise, and his body was launched forward as the rocks crumbled beneath his weight. Shouting out in panic, he fixed his breath, fully stepping out onto the air. Then, there was nothing more to hold onto, nothing under his feet for countless strides. He didn't want to look down, but the eyes along his arms kindly informed him of just how great of a fall it was. He glanced at Kaezhia Peak, still there behind him, but his curiosity pulled his focus to the sky again. Is the black... the Higher Beast?

Tentatively, he raised his foot, walking softly on the air as he drifted one step closer, then another. The edge began to slowly look less like a dark line, and he could see light hitting the top of it, for it had a top, made up of a pale red. Reaching out his hand, he grabbed at it, the mass feeling fleshy under his hold. It only took a moment for him to pull himself up, and with that, he dropped his body over the ledge, walking down in his mind to release the energy. He sighed in relief, his eyes closed as he tried to relax from the experience. Even with them closed though, he could see light beyond his lids, illuminating a pale orange filled with the webbing purple of his own veins. It looked Cracked. I just touched darkness itself. Why is it so bright out? And that was when he opened them to find the sky on fire.

"What?" It came out as a shout, but he couldn't deny the burning, massive ball, floating in the sky. It was the colour of light, and it stung at his eyes as he stared at it. Even as he teared up, blinking at it before finally looking away, he could still see it in his vision, a pink spot laying on top of whatever else he glanced at. "W-what is that?" His voice shook as his eyes darted wildly to encompass his surroundings. Where am I? He stood, the world suddenly an endless red expanse, like another mountain in of itself, but beyond that... Is that another sea? It couldn't be, because water was red, but there was something very similar about the blue liquid that stretched out endlessly past the fleshy substance he stood on. The air smelt of salt, much like rain, and he had to wonder if it was similar as the crashing sound of waves met his ears, much more violent than any he'd heard before.

Panic spiked in his chest as he continued to stare, his whole body strembling. This wasn't right. Nothing past the sky made sense. Had a Vilve pulled him from his home, much like Will? His heart sped up, blood and adrenaline surging through him as he spun wildly, trying to find his home.

Behind him, there were the edges he'd squeezed between only a few drips ago, and beyond that, the world as he knew it. It lay there, the sandy Wastelands, the castle, villages, forests, mountains, all sitting in a deep hole like an empty socket getting covered in darkness as the two pieces of red ground continued to close around it, being covered by what looked like wrinkled, burned, and melted skin. It's... like it blinked. Like an eye going to sleep. A sharp breath pulled through him as his muscles seized in shock, petrifying him in place. No... His hands clenched into fists as he fell to his knees. But... it can't be. That's not possible. This is my home, an entire world. Not... But as he turned his head to the right, he could see the red skin continuing down, forming into a hand as it floated on the blue water so far away from him. Behind him, the land rose and fell like a slow, constant breath.

"No!" It came out as a scream, and Xoris hated how it left the air in an instant. It was so weak, so small, so... insignificantly quiet compared to just the rushing of the air around him. In front of him lay everything he'd ever known, and it was just something sitting in a hole like the wound that sat on the back of his neck. His hands grabbed at his hair, his temples, anything he could claw his fingers into to drag out the knowledge and understanding that was filling him. There was no breathing fast enough to comfort the growing terror that wracked at his legs, dragging his body to the ground as he lay coated in cold sweat, eyes wide. He wanted everything to stop, but his mind racing as fast as his heart as he stared into nothingness, and yet, everything.

"It is about time we meet, traitorous Eye of mine." The voice rang out in his head, deep, and much closer this time than ever before. The ground under him shook as a hum filled the air, louder and more powerful than he could ever hope to be, but Xoris could barely register the words. His skin felt numb, his mind empty, only able to process a single thought again and again.

I've been living in the eye of the Higher Beast.

The world itself is the eye of a Beast.