The cold wind blew through me, feathers, shroud, and all. The marks on my shoulders and upper arms itched. Partly from the healing process. Partly from the emotional response to what I saw above me.
A grey sky. A world devoid of color.
I threw my head back and cried out. A raven’s call echoed around and below me. Before I had lowered my head, I was answered. Dozens of Boneburners surrounded me. Many of them were armed. Some looked up to the grey cloudless sky and cursed viciously.
I looked over the assembled host and spoke plainly. “I’m going to start shit. Who’s in?”
Nearly all raised a hand and offered themselves. Some were grinning, some were stoic.
“Be my anchor in this place, I go to see who else shall join our conspiracy.” As I knelt, several hands reached and gripped me by my shoulders, intentionally holding on to scarred flesh.
I needed to get to the other side of that barrier. Obviously the direct way wasn’t going to work. But there are many paths through the realms. It’s all a matter of knowing where to turn and where to barge on in.
I split my awareness, leaving half of me in the grip of my unkind fellows on that spiritual plane. The other half appeared at the entrance of my lair. Snake was waiting for me by the fire. He stood and regarded me coolly.
“Who are you trying to reach?”
“K*.”
He came to me and sniffed me. “Another sealed area? I smell ash and something… off… on you.”
“Yes. And not a buried spirit to be had. Makes me wonder if the scramble for the dead was a red herring.”
“I can’t talk you into leaving a shard here, can I?”
“Nope. My plan depends on the desire of my splits to rejoin. If I leave a shard here, I’ll risk unifying myself in the wrong place. Can you get me to the terrace the hard way? As long as I’m in the presence of that barrier, I can’t jump directly there.”
The four-armed Naga Lord picked me up gently. “If by hard you mean ‘not under your power’, then I can see why you said this is a hard thing for me to do. I can get you to the base of the mountain. You’ll have to find a way up yourself.”
Before I could reply, he dropped us quite unceremoniously between worlds to the Nagalands. As he raced past a very familiar boulder, I waved a fleeting greeting to the entity that I was sure was watching our movements. “Yes. Good idea.”, muttered Snake as he came to a stop and held me high over his head.
A sudden gust of wind, fierce and physical, lifted me from Snake’s equally suddenly released grip. A large and loose robe of white cloth decorated with red and orange leaves embraced me and served as a sail that the wind used to direct my passage.
Snake, as Naga Lord, was only able to bring me to the base of the sharp cliffs of the mountain. The Nagalands entity, manifesting as wind, blew me up the side of those cliffs. My ears popped from the sudden altitude. I felt the wind begin to falter. We were far above the Nagalands and on the very edge of the entity’s reach. I thanked the entity for helping me and dropped the white robe. The cloth dissolved into a multitude of red and orange leaves below me. On dropping the robe, I deployed my own black raven feather wings. I felt something from the entity and made a reminder to myself to return to the entity with wings deployed.
Higher and higher up beside the sheer cliff I flew. Dense fog coalesced around me such that I was actually expecting to emerge in the bottom of a lake. I stopped trying to breathe. I concentrated on ascending, on reaching the terrace, on seeing K*.
The fog twisted around me as a vortex barreled down over me. I lost the lift under the wings and along with it, control over my flight. The vortex tumbled me and threw me down with a sharp motion. I collided with pebbled dirt and jumped immediately to my feet.
A multitude of glowing blades were pointed at me from all directions. I dropped to one knee and held my hands out to show I bore no weapons. The ground had the scent of the terrace, clean and pure. But the residents were glowing too brightly for me to verify by sight. I was an intruder.
“I am Weaver Far-Traveled, Storyteller, and a pain in the ass to [K*]. I would like to give kir a chance to see me get my ass kicked. If you don’t mind, of course.”
They all spoke as one. A grand chorus of varied timbres. “The one you claim to be does not arrive in the manner you have. Prove yourself or be destroyed.”
Far away, I could feel the grip of the Boneburners. “A little more.”, I whispered to them. One of the hands patted my shoulder.
On the terrace, I announced I would be calling my weapon, to display it and prove myself. K* had held on to it for me while I stumbled about not knowing myself. Ke forced me to earn it back, and no one can wield it but Weaver. No one answered me. I held my hands forward and called the feathersword in the form that K* had released it to me. A grand double-edged sword in the shape of a black feather. I held it by the calamus stiffly before me.
The glowing swords withdrew along with their wielders. The terrace darkened into night. I remained kneeling. “May I be granted access to [K*]?”
A black hand rested on mine. A white hand rested on my shoulder. “Yes. You may, my friend. Put away your toy before you hurt yourself.” K* stood over me, smiling.
I put away the sword and stood quickly. “Forgive my abruptness, but I’m in the middle of some shit.”
Ke started to laugh, but saw I had no mirth. “You are not all here. Why? And why did you have to climb up the mountain?”
I quickly told kir about the Grey Sky and its effects which prevented me quick access to the terrace. I then told kir about my plan. “I need your help, [K*]. I’m going to try and split the sky but I need someone on the top side to take advantage of it. I’m going to draw all the wrong kinds of attention with my attempt.”
“I’ll be there and I won’t be alone. All I’ll need is a crack. Wide enough for a prayer of hope to seep through. The forces that shall be assembled with me will turn that crack into a gorge.”
“Muster your forces my friend. And I shall muster mine. Already there are other Boneburners waiting on me.”
“You…” Ke gripped me shoulders, kir thumbs tracing scars hidden under clothing. “This piece of you, shall lead the way. Don’t wait. I and my brethren shall come with you. You thought the sight of the [Angel] Lord was impressive? Have you ever seen the hosts of heaven in glory? All the heavens affected by this… obscenity… will be there.”
Under the Grey Sky, I stood. “My unkind fellows, I aim to split the sky. There will be hosts waiting on the other side of the barrier. All I need to do is crack it, and they shall be able to pour in. I don’t expect those that erected the barrier to sit idly and allow me to do this. I will be assaulted. If you accompany me, you shall be attacked as well. I do not command you. Let each one decide for themselves. But I’m going to go start some shit. And it’s gonna be some good shit.”
A Boneburner, one of those that had gripped me, stepped forward. “Can you crack this barrier? Are you sure?”
“I have a sword that has split the earth, that has cut the ocean from the shore, that has cleaved a shadow from its maker. I do not know for sure if this will work. I do know if my attempt means the forces behind this are delayed, then that is a positive for our side. Besides, what if it works!”
“And if it doesn’t? How many souls would have been wrongfully taken?”
“What souls? Look around, Boneburner. There are no souls here but us.”
I called my wings, my sword, and my shield. “Let each one obey their conscience. I go!” Without waiting for a response, I leapt into the sky. To my surprise, I heard a thundering of wings behind me. I wasn’t the only winged Boneburner it seems. Only by great force of will did I not burst into caws and laughter.
“Lead on, Raven! Your duty beckons! None shall keep you from it! Our duty shall see to that!”
That force of will was absent on the terrace. I did a little stomping dance of pure joy. “Your forces have begun their movement under the barrier.”, surmised K*. I nodded. Kir face came close to mine. Ke spoke with heavy seriousness. “You will not be able to proceed without a glory on you. I know your pain. Can you suffer my glory?”
“I can, [K*], and I will. If this can be done, it must!”
“Weaver BrokenSoul, do you trust me?” Ke cupped my face and studied my face for unspoken responses.
I knew then what ke meant to do. I allowed myself a mortal’s whimper. “I trust you, [K*], angel. And I willfully yield to you, your glory, and your possession.”
Ke smiled and nodded. “Call your sword. It might not obey your call after I indwell you.” The sword came easy. I formed it into the wide blade I would need later. Ke tightened kir grip on my face. “I do not take all of you, only that which is in my grasp. Understand?” I nodded.
Under the Grey Sky, the Boneburner shard of me ignored what the other half was doing. I had a singular purpose. Split the sky.
K* pulled my face forward and kissed me. I forced myself to relax and yield. Ke pulled the air from my lungs. Kir sudden glory blinded me. Kir hands seared my face. I gripped the sword tighter but still willfully yielded. Ke blew into my lungs, filling them with hot air. When my lungs were filled, ke continued to pour kirself into me, filling every portion of me with kir angelic glory.
I was burning from within. But not from fire. I knew the difference now. Ke possessed the shard that came to the terrace and filled me with kir glory and presence. My wings shuddered. My body began to glow. I somehow kept my grasp of the sword even though the hilt was squirming in my grip.
I fell to my knees. I could not see. I was blinded by the light beaming from my own eyes. I heard someone crying out. Then silence. My vision returned. I stood. My body was glowing with a yellow hued light. The feathers of my wings were white and black in no obvious pattern. The sword in my hand stopped squirming to try and escape my grip.
But my thoughts, and my words, were not my own.
“You! Youth! Go at once to the [Burning Ones], those of the south, and tell them [K*] of [TRW] calls for warriors and avengers. If they ask for what, tell them to avenge the stolen dead.” The angelus ke commanded saluted kir/me and flew away at once. “You! Go to the armies under [a name that can not be understood by this human mind] and tell them the barrier that has frustrated their gatherers is about to fall. Tell them, there will be other armies called as well but under no banner, and if they want to show themselves superior, this is the time.” That angelus left as well.
Ke directed a few more messengers to various pantheons and powers. “I shall give you the leeway you require shortly, Weaver. But first, allow me to explain. This ‘Grey Sky’ that you speak of, we know it. All that are above your realm know it. And it has been frustrating. If you are successful in breaking the barrier, the knowledge of how must be shared. Even if you are not, that you are above the barrier and below the barrier at the same time must be exploited. You will feel like a tool in my hands. Forgive me. But you understand this is not about any glory or honor towards you. There is something greater to be done here.”
I understood. I knew the risk. And I agree. Ke felt my understanding. “Then proceed, [Paradox].” I felt the motions of my body returned to my will. But the light did not diminish. I knew K* still was overwhelming every aspect of this shard. I was effectively the mask that ke wore. But it had to be this way. No one could wield the feathersword but me, and no one would know where my Boneburner shard would be assaulting the barrier but me. I was divided in spirit, and it would be the desire for union that would lead both sets of forces to the right spot at the right time. But without kir indwelling, I would not be able to navigate the heavenly realms.
That indwelling allowed me to see avenues and pathways from the terrace I had never seen before. I knew which way to the earthly realms, and which way to the other half of my spirit. I did not ask if any would come with me. I took to flight and began my path to union.
Under the Grey Sky, I shuddered and almost fell. Those beside me called in askance. I felt a part of me suddenly sealed away. The grip of an angel. A forced indwelling. While I was conscious of who was indwelling my other shard, the angel’s touch still angered me. My original drive was to split the sky and frustrate those that erected the barrier. Now, it was to unify myself and wrench myself free from the angel’s possession. And I knew which part of the Grey Sky would be thinnest.
“There will be forces assembled on the other side of the break. If I am successful, it’s going to get very crowded, very chaotic, and very fucked up in here!”
“I love a good dance! Speaking of which, I see no other dance partners.” The Boneburner flies close enough to be heard, but not so close our wingtips risk touching.
“So far, they think us scouting for spirits to recover. When we start getting closer to the barrier, they’ll come out to play. They won’t be able to take the risk that we are actually up to some shit.”
“Hey. Is there anyone else of our number that can use that sword?”
“No.”
“Then I’m taking the lead. And you tell me when to turn. If they decide to dance after all, they’re going to target whoever is in lead for a first shot.” He didn’t wait for me to agree, but moved into position before me. I did agree, and moved into a secondary position behind him.” I looked behind us and counted at least thirty-three Boneburners in flight. I looked below us, and saw shadows following our course. But there is no sun to cast shadows with.
“We have runners trailing us on the ground.”
He said nothing, but I could feel his grin and battlelust. If I wasn’t split, I would be joining him in delight.
Above the barrier, I flew with a speed my mortal mind could not comprehend. I flew past powers and creatures that have no physical rendition. I flew through realms and kingdoms where a mere mortal could not exist. I ignored them all. I had only one desire. Union.
I passed assembled hosts. Their weapons were at the ready and they were eager for combat. When I passed them, I heard them scramble to join the increasing host behind me. Here was one of the greatest spectacles I could ever hope to see in this mortal lifetime, and I was willfully not watching.
Below the barrier, I gave the command to begin ascending. I could feel the cold barrier holding the sky in a frozen grip. “Be ready! Our shadows have lifted off the ground and rise to meet us!”
The Boneburner that assumed the lead shouted further orders. “The Sky-splitter must not fall, nor should she be engaged! Our duty is to give her space to perform hers! Keep her clear!”
With shrieks and snarls the unbelievable chimera-like beasts rose from the ground. Part dog, part bat, with primate hands that ended with avian digits, the creatures began their assault. They grabbed a straggler that was not flying tight with our constable. Before he could swing his weapon, they tore him apart in mid-flight.
“Sky-splitter!” The accepted Captain of our host addressed me. “Don’t look back. Don’t worry about us. If nothing else, we’ll meet again in the Boneyard. Fuck shit up. Split the sky.”
Above the barrier, I screamed for reasons those around me could not understand. I thought I was already flying at maximum speed. I thought wrong. I was close, so very close. The number of hosts that surrounded me, waiting for my passage, defied my understanding. There were pantheons that I knew, and pantheons that I never heard of, and groups of entities that were not connected to any pantheons at all, but had heard the call and was here to join in the fray.
A call flew ahead of me. “Let the mortal pass! Do not hinder her!” Hosts moved out of my way, trying to guess my direction and usually guessing right. Those that guessed wrong sheathed their weapons as I dived through their midst. They had to hold still while the hosts that followed me also trampled through their camp.
The barrier was just below me. It appeared as a matte grey surface. Not twenty feet away was my Boneburner shard and her constable of winged Boneburners. I glided over it as close as I possibly could without touching it. Somehow, I knew, I couldn’t touch it, not yet. If I touched it, I would give away my intention.
The barrier was just above me. I could not see through it. A matte grey surface that reminded me of lead sheets mocked me. My other shard was just beyond it. I could feel her. I could taste the angelic indwelling that was possessing her. I knew she was surrounded by a multitude of hosts and I wanted to bring all that down here. But I wasn’t at the thinnest spot. Not yet.
The mix-n-match creatures had doubled in number, we had lost five Boneburners already. They were trying to dive into our flock, but the deployed weapons kept them at bay. They hadn’t figured out we were heading with purpose to a certain spot.
“I hope your chosen spot is close! They’re waiting for us!” The Captain gestures. Right at the apex of the barrier, where the grey sky is thinnest, is a host of… things. Some other time, I would be laughing at their appearance. Rotted humanoids with wings, armed with swords and clubs. Flying zombies. But I smelled souls within the bodies. I just couldn’t tell if these were hijacked living, or repurposed dead. Either way, they would have to be moved.
“Captain! They’re camping where I need to be!”
“Brothers! Remember! The living will recover, and the dead will move on! What doesn’t break, burns! Clear the heights!” The Captain gives the order, and our force splits in half. The front half move in a wedge formation. They collide with the opposing force and manage to push the line of engagement back by several feet.
“Two more feet, Captain, and I’ll be where I need to be!”
Above the barrier, I found the apex. I could hear my brethren in battle. I could smell the putrid flesh of the enemy. But I was helpless. I could not make the first strike from above. The Boneburner would have to strike first. I flew in a tight circle above the apex. My sword was in my hand. In the sword was all of me that K* did not indwell. I wanted to plunge into the barrier. I wanted to break it. I wanted to be whole. Around me, the assembled hosts took up positions. Their infantries and their marksmen and their assaulters were waiting.
All that was needed was a crack.
As thin as the track of a pleading tear.
As substantial as a fervent prayer.
Come on, Boneburner. Don’t get distracted by battle! Split the sky!
Below the barrier, our numbers were now in the low twenties. Enemy reinforcements were in the distance and approaching fast. The Captain looked at me and grinned, but I could see in his eyes that he felt our time was already gone. I was not going to get the two feet I require. It would be here, or never. I nodded.
I fell to gather momentum and turned upward. The other Boneburners knew what I was doing, and worked hard to keep the corridor of approach clear. I poured all I had into the force of assault. I buried the five foot length of blade into the barrier. The sound of the forced intrusion clapped our ears like thunder, stunning assaulter and defender alike. The barrier closed up around the blade, leaving only the hilt in my grasp.
Above the barrier, there was a horrible sound. It reminded me of all the recordings I had seen of massive explosions. The assembled hosts looked around for any sign of failure. Two feet away from the apex of the barrier, almost invisible from the glare of the assembled hosts, was something like the tip of a broken leaf. It stuck up from the barrier not even a full inch. But I saw it.
And I knew it for what it was.
“Clear the way!”, I cried as I rose up amidst the assembled hosts. I held my sword at the ready and began a peregrine dive. Screaming as I descended, I aimed for a glare’s width next to the tip of the Boneburner’s upturned sword.
Under the barrier, we were overcome by the enemy. For many, we were beset five enemy to each boneburner. There would be more, but there was not enough space for all the enemy that wished to crush us. The survivors were in a tight knot around me, trying to keep me clear from the enemy that finally understood who to target. I had my hands on the hilt of the sword, refusing to let go, even to defend myself with. I would not lose the sword to the barrier. But I needed my other half’s power to twist the sword and split the sky. I did not know if the sword was long enough to pierce the barrier completely. I felt fear and despair nibbling at the edges of my mind.
I felt the vibration before I heard it. Something was sliding along the length of the sword, something that fit the sword just right. A tip of something black and glowing appeared next to the hilt. Through the contact of the swords, I was able to make contact with my other shard. I could feel K* indwelling her.
Then the sound hit, and once more attacker and defender was stunned into inaction.
Above the barrier I put all my effort into the strike. I knew the sword could not cleave itself, so I intentionally aimed my strike so that my sword would slide against the Boneburner’s sword. The two swords slipped against each other with the sensual satisfaction of union. Sword knew sword. Shard knew shard. I could feel the Boneburner’s elation of contact, and her fear for her brethren.
“They are under assault and are falling away! Mighty hosts of all the heavens! Prepare for battle! Take the day!” I felt K* withdraw from me as much as possible without abandoning me. Ke could not leave my shard completely just yet. Kir presence was all that was keeping me capable of thought and movement in the presence of the mighty assembled hosts.
I gripped the hilt tightly as the assembled hosts primed themselves for movement. I gripped the hilt as one side of my defenders fell completely away and the enemy scrambled to grab at me.
A quote struck us both at the same time. “I am divided for love’s sake, for the chance of union.” But this was not the time to dwell on what it meant.
I wedged my feet against the barrier and tilted the hilt towards me, knowing my other shard was in the same position, but oriented opposite of me.
My wing threw off one attacker as I planted my feet against the barrier. Another attacker grabbed the other wing and tried to pull me away. The Captain cut the enemy in two. “Do it! Quickly!” I tilted the hilt towards me.
~KRA-KOW~
Above the barrier, I was thrown away by the force of the barrier cracking. The sword came free when the barrier failed and I held on to it tightly, but the sound and the released power had stunned me. I tumbled into one of the legions, but they saw me and was able to catch me safely. I looked up in time to see the crack. It was an inch wide at the most, and two feet long. A strange grey mist was rising up from it.
It was enough.
The hosts were pulling at it, widening it. I heard screams from the other side as the glory of the assembled hosts was streaming through. I did not know who was screaming. I recovered my wits and scrambled forward. I had to reach my other shard.
Below the barrier, I was thrown free by the force of the barrier cracking. The sword came free as well, but it was cleaved to my stunned hand. The enemy was waiting to catch me. I looked up to see a bright and golden light in a crack the width of my thumb and the length of my arm. I was afraid it wasn’t enough.
A shaft of light swept through the crack, burning all the enemy forces that it touched but leaving the Boneburners unharmed. The light solidified into armed forces bearing golden armor and weapons of fire. The hosts immediately assaulted the enemy, pulling wounded Boneburners free of enemy grip.
The sky is split, but I am still divided. A sharp pain on my wing brings me back to the fray. Something was biting into my wing. Something else was biting into my leg. I heard a cry above me. An angel, with black and white mottled wings, was in an attack dive and coming straight for me. She glowed with glory and wielded a sword not unlike mine. She was terrifying and beautiful. It wasn’t until I saw one white eye, and one black eye, that I knew who she was.
Above the barrier, I was one of the first solid hosts through the now large hole. Immediately below me, I spied my Boneburner shard. She was in freefall, stunned by the energy released when the crack was made. I began to fly towards her when I saw two creatures grab her in mid-air. Looking like an unholy fusing of rotting human corpse, dog, and pterodactyl, they bit her wing and leg. A holy and righteous rage filled me. “Release her!”, I commanded. I flew in an attack dive to free her.
The angel struck one attacker so fiercely, it disintegrated. She pulled me into her arms. The Boneburner Captain cut away the other attacker. His face was horribly ripped and mangled, but his smile could not be contained. “Angel! A pleasure to meet you.” The angel turned to see him. His face fell in confusion. He looked between the angel and me. “But… What? Are you the… Oh… Wow.”
“Captain. Look. The hosts…” I pointed past the angel towards the crack in the sky. Multitudes of hosts were pouring into the large hole. They were chasing after the enemy forces, and seeking other forces of those that erected the barrier. I knew they would not cease until the barrier itself was completely undone.
“I see that Sky-Splitter.”
“Go home, Captain. Our work is done.”
He looked at the angel holding me. “Keep an eye on this one. She starts a lot of shit, you know.” He laughed and left.
I looked at the Boneburner’s broken wing. “I need to get you transport. Hold on.” She laughed and said that was all she could do. I saw a winged chariot coming directly towards us. The charioteer came up to us and helped me get the Boneburner on board. Once she was seated on the floor of the chariot, I felt K* stirring within me. Be divided no more. And with that, he left me, throwing my awareness into unknowing.
A strong hand was on my shoulder. “Stand down, warrior! You have quit yourself with honor. No longer is this the time for battle. Let others continue the lead you have carved from your enemies.” I gripped the hand and noted the talons on the fingers. I opened my eyes and saw the charioteer standing above me.
I was confused. I had been in two separate awarenesses at the same place at the same time. I struggled to remember why I was in the chariot. My right wing was shattered and broken. It hung painfully over the front of my shoulder. The charioteer gestured at it. “My sister will be able to help you with this. I will take you to her.” I looked closely at the charioteer. He was a tall humanoid, with skin as glossy and black like polished obsidian. His talons, toenails, and eyes were like polished gold. He had a golden waistcloth tied around him that fell in perfect pleats. I had no clue who he could be until I looked at his head. What I had mistaken for an elaborate headdress was the anthropomorphic head of a peregrine falcon. He looked at me with a stern commander’s gaze. “Excellent form on the striking dive, by the way. Not many know to pull the wings in once you have the desired trajectory.”
From the back of the open chariot, I was able to see the landscape. Color was flooding it from the gorge of the broken barrier. The assembled forces were reclaiming the world from those that tried to seal it away. I still have no idea what the Grey Sky is about. I only know I am living up to my name, just like Snake said I would.