Alouette

Basal 93rd, 1042

Alouette walked through the hallways of the Fern Helion castle in Dewmore. That was strange to them. Every other time they’d been here, they’d been chased out, swore at, wanted for a good purging. And they’d been flying. Aspen had kindly asked them not to now, so they wouldn’t scare the staff. Because the wings wouldn’t? Well…in any case, being deferred to so respectfully by people was a nice change of pace. Oh yes, the castle staff had been very accommodating since Aspen had spoken with his father.

Seiche was right; Alouette had no interest in human politics at all, honestly, but they had been really glad to have been in the room when Aspen explained everything to his father.

Well. More liked he lied about every single thing he possibly could. Still, it had been amusing, which was refreshing in the midst of so much misery lately.

…

Basal 92nd, 1042

“You’ve returned early from River’s,” King Alder had said. The five of them stood before his throne, having been granted an audience. Two guards stood on either side of the king, but aside from that, they were alone with him in the large counsel chamber. “I must say I was surprised to hear of your arrival. What reason is there for this early return? And with…Alouette, no less. You’ve captured them?”

Alouette wanted so badly to roll their eyes. Did they look captured? There were no cuffs or anything on them…

“Ah, forgive me for not explaining that sooner, but they’re under my care. They had a rather…nasty accident with undiluted gold Thauma, as speculated, and I was requested to purge them best I could. As you can see there are still some side effects,” River said, looking to their wings and eyes. “But they are entirely reformed, I assure you. Unless you’ve lost faith in me?”

Alouette did their best to offer a sweet smile, making sure not to show their pointed fangs in the process.

“No. Your teaching methods may be…unconventional, but you know I have nothing but the utmost respect for you. If you say they’re better, I will take your word for it,” King Alder said, and Alouette swore they could hear the shake of nerves in his voice at River’s very presence here. She’d told him he was a former student of hers, an ‘uncooperative’ one. Her old stories of him were half the reason Alouette believed this entire royal family to be kind of a joke and struggled to defer to them as ‘Highness’ anything.

“There were unforeseen circumstances; I originally took my students to Lacus Mare for educational purposes, but…well, Your Highness?” River asked Aspen, who stepped forward with a nod.

“I went through with the Quasar ceremony in Lacus Mare. Finding the other Quasar was a surprise…I’m sure Saros told you how I left in such a hurry. They were under the impression they could run from me, damn the universe…As we suspected, they were a coward, but it’s truly no fault of Lacus Mare or the Lunar God. Despite this cowardice, when cornered they were truly a dangerous foe, but I, of course, bested them. ”

“As expected,” King Alder said. But Alouette saw an unmistakable gleam of pride in his eyes, an eagerness. “I’d ask to hear more, so that it can be shared with the entire kingdom.”

“Yes, as it turns out one of the guards you assigned to me is a proficient writer and documented it in great detail,” Aspen said. Kuiper had rushed several pages filled with their little bullshit story that they had taken turns adding parts onto until it sounded sufficiently fantastical for Fern Helion’s typical propaganda. They’d made up a phony Quasar to keep Clover safe, and Alouette thought this plan was much more fun than the one Azaleon had proposed– just beheading the king and forcibly putting Aspen on the throne early would’ve been kind of a downer.

“If I’m being honest, I do prefer these guards to ones of the past; did you know how high their scores were on their exams? –What a ridiculous question, forgive me, that must have been why you assigned them to me; of course you know Kuiper got the highest on the scholastic portion, and the highest score on the combat portion went to Antonio, and they were both indispensable in capturing the Lacus Marian Quasar,” Aspen said, with the sort of confidence only he could. Azaleon’s face didn’t so much as twitch with a reaction.

“Azaleon,” River corrected him.

“Bless you,” Aspen responded without missing a beat. “Furthermore, they work so well together, why, I forget they’re there most of the time! Nothing more irritating than guards who chat your ear off about inane nonsense,” he said as if he had no self-awareness. But Alouette saw the king’s eyes flicker between the guards, as if he was considering their compatibility, and Alouette grinned behind their hand.

Aspen was a goddamned evil genius. Alouette wasn’t sure if they were terrified or elated.

“Your Highness, the king would probably like to hear about the aftermath of the ceremony,” River suggested. “I thought it would be best to take a trip to the Sol God’s temple, have His Highness thank them for his victory and the chance to bring glory to the kingdom under the sun.”

The king tilted his chin up, silently gesturing for Aspen to go ahead. Aspen took a breath, putting his hand on his chest as if he needed a moment to gather himself.

“Everyone here as my witness, the Sol God spoke to me audibly through a great flame in their temple. They told me not only have I succeeded at the ceremony, but that enough sacrifices have been made that the universe is no longer at risk; it is once again whole, and this was to be the final Quasar ceremony.” Aspen bowed his head, as if the gravity of all of this was too overwhelming for him.

King Alder looked thrilled. And why shouldn’t he? This little narrative would make his son look like the best and biggest deal there was, and it wasn’t as if it was something anyone could disprove. And in a hundred years when a new set of Quasars weren’t picked, history books would assume this was the truth rather than simply propaganda.

“You’ve made me very proud,” King Alder said with a nod, no doubt already thinking of how best to announce all of this. “Though the head of the guard informs me that you’ve brought someone to be placed in the holding cells?”

“They were the ones responsible for Alouette’s accident; somewhat of an eccentric person, using Thauma in highly dangerous and illegal ways. Even now, they’re a great risk, Father. I’d like the castle evacuated until River can deal with them; their power is so terrible that I fear our subjects and staff to be in danger otherwise. Our Thauma labs are the most advanced in the kingdom, and our security the best, so I took a bit of initiative to bring them here.”

“His Highness has dealt with a great many trials and made many executive decisions on his own,” River added. “If you’d rather move them to an amelioration center, I would understand. But His Highness spoke so highly of the facilities here, and they are truly dangerous. I believe I can take care of them within the week. I even brought my other student to assist, and she’s with them in the holding cells now, interrogating them.”

Clover had refused to leave Inferno alone, more like. Alouette really didn’t like the idea of her down there with them, but there were castle guards down there, and the cell seemed to actually be able to hold them, so…

In the end, Alder had agreed; he put the situation in Aspen’s hands to deal with, since he was so obviously ‘favored’ by the Sol God.

…Who in reality was currently sitting in the holding cells. The irony wasn’t at all lost on Alouette.

…

Basal 93rd, 1042

They smiled at the memory before they rounded the corner and paused. The floor of this corridor was filled with the bodies of castle guards. Some were groaning; so they were probably all alive…Alouette hoped. They stepped over them carefully.

Azaleon was sitting on the floor at the end of the hall as if he’d just gotten too tired to go literally anywhere else without bodies littering the floor, fumbling with a lighter, holding what was definitely one of River’s cigars. He seemed to be having trouble lighting it on account of the blood all over his hands.

“That’s a nasty habit,” Alouette chided. “Glacier again?”

“Third time today– er tonight. Kuiper and River caught them in the kitchens earlier; they’re really persistent…” The castle was on lockdown, the majority of the staff sent home after the first time Glacier Silverbell had possessed a swath of staff after they had dragged Inferno here on Aspen’s orders. Even the king had taken his wife and left, under the guise of wanting to comfort her after she was distressed from all of this. To Alouette, it just sounded like Alder was a bit of a coward. But it gave them all a little room to drop the acts they had been putting on in his presence.

“At least you’ve got Seiche,” Alouette pointed out. It was hard for Alouette, who had never wanted to fight anyone; they were good at running away, at least.

“Uh, no, I took care of it this time. I didn’t want to keep asking him, it feels rude and unnecessary when I can handle it myself…”

‘Aw, seriously, you’d fight your fellow guards? That’s cold. Aren’t these guys your buddies?” Alouette nudged one with their foot.

“They chose to stay when they heard the castle was on lockdown, they knew the risks, it’s their job,” Azaleon shrugged. Alouette kind of doubted that.

“They probably didn’t expect ‘getting possessed’ when you told them there’d be ‘risks’ and ‘danger’, uh…or to have to fight you. They’re not…dead, right?”

“What? Of course not, don’t be ridiculous; why would I kill the entire guard squad? They’re fine, we’ve sparred plenty of times. Right, Captain?” He asked the last part a bit louder. A man at the other end of the hall groaned. “See? Fine. I’m afraid if we ask Clover to heal them too soon, that Glacier will just re-possess them, though…”

“...Yeah. Y’know, I think…it might be better to just give them Inferno, if they keep possessing people en-masse like this trying to get to them.”

“But Clover, she…she’s convinced if she uses enough amber Thauma, that she’ll fix him. That Juniper’s not already…” Azaleon trailed off. Guilt weighed heavy on Alouette’s heart; but it wasn’t as if they could resurrect the dead, and they hadn’t known putting the Sol God into Juniper would have killed him. They had tried apologizing to Clover. Several times; but she hadn’t wanted to hear it, as deep in denial as she was. “I don’t want to be the one to tell her to let them go. For that matter, I don’t think we should.”

“So what, we keep the Sol God in the holding cells forever? Sure they’re fireproofed up now and sure, we theoretically could with enough ingenuity, but it’s not any different from what I did to the other Gods. It’s not right. And I’ve been wracking my brain– and I’m sure there’s a real solution to the refusal problem.”

“Yeah, Fillip’s been busy with trying to find one; me and Kuiper’ve barely seen each other, she’s holed him up with River. She asked me to send you that way if I saw you. So. Go find them,” he made a shooing motion.

They rolled their eyes. They could take a hint.

“Well, you better clean this mess up, Aspen’ll flip his lid,” Alouette suggested before going off to find River and Kuiper. The castle was large, but Alouette at least had a halfway decent mental map from their years of visits to Aspen.

When they found them, they were in the library. Naturally they would be.

Papers were spread all over the tables, all over the floors, and tacked to the walls. Alouette understood exactly none of Fillip’s various diagrams and haphazard scribblings, but they knew there was a method to her madness, some kind of order in her chaos… This was just how she worked.

“Alo!” Fillip waved them over, not even looking up. “Good, you’re finally here! Can I use your husk?”

“...My what?” Alouette asked, stopping entirely for a moment.

“You made this,” she tapped on their nose playfully, “Your permanent body, right? So you have a husk body left behind in the Upper Realm. I want to use it!”

“I mean, I’m not using it, so I don’t see why not. But what for?” they asked, going to scoot some papers off the table so they could hop up and sit on it. River sat at one of the chairs nearby, spiked tea in one hand and a notebook in her lap.

“Fillip has an idea about the re-fusing problem. Thinks that she can use your old body to fix it, by making it into something like an artificial God.”

“An…artificial God?” they looked to Fillip for a more thorough explanation that they knew she’d provide. And sure enough, she started rambling excitedly.

“Yes! Okay, so, from what Inferno said, the universe almost sounded like a mattress you’ve laid on too long. There’s a certain impression left that nothing besides the Original Two can quite fill, and even if all of us lay on that metaphorical mattress, we just slide and roll towards those indentions because of the curve of things, because we’re smaller than those Gods were, right,” she made a ‘wooshing’ sound and gestured downwards with Kuiper’s arm. “But! What if we fill those Two’s spots with something? We’ll have your husk, try and run some experiments, trick the universe into believing it’s one of those Two; they’re a sum of all of our parts, they were divided into four respectively. So we fill one husk with four of our Thauma hues and see what happens, then four in the other and–”

“One husk…you need two,” Alouette interrupted. “Um, you’re going to use Inferno’s Upper Realm body for the other?”

“You trapped them in Juniper’s body! They’re not using it, and if they really care at all anymore about the mortals like they claim to– they’d want me to,” she said defensively. So she hadn’t asked them. Alouette didn’t feel all too bad. Inferno hadn’t asked Juniper to use his body either.

“Well, if it doesn’t work, there’s other things I’m prepared to try. We can definitely trick the universe into thinking Chronos and Materia are still around, or reshape the ‘mattress’ or–”

“That’s great!” Alouette cheered. “Between you two– er, three, I knew you’d come up with something. But…and not to rush! But–”

“The Inferno problem,” River said, practically reading their mind. “Yes, we’ve been discussing that, too. Have you noticed anything about Glacier’s timing?”

“It’s…really annoying?” River gave Alouette dry look. They threw their hands up. “How am I supposed to know? It’s always when I wanna go take a nap! Is that what you’re saying?”

Fillip nodded. “Yes! We only have two days worth of data, but so far, it’s always at the darkest hours, like now! And they were able to do it in the Twilight Strip, so, reasonably…it can’t be entirely daylight for them to do it. And River told me something interesting, she’s got a little theory of her own. Go to the window.”

Alouette sighed, walking over to the window. It was still dark out; it didn’t stay dark too long in Fern Helion, if that’s what they were getting at, but it’d make it easier to predict at least. “Okay, I’m over here!” They waved their hands a little bit. “What now?”

“I want you to pull up the sun,” River said calmly. Far too calmly. Alouette blinked.

“I–what?”

“You can do it,” River insisted. “I believe you’ve done it before. In Lacus Mare. You didn’t realize it, but you pulled up the sun, somehow.”

“I can’t do that– that’s– only Glacier and Inferno can control the cosmos! In the first place, the sun is Inferno’s! I…” they looked out the window, out into the dark sky.

They put their hand to the colorful glass that caught solar rays for energy, a wonderful human innovation that was beautiful as it was useful.

The humans, they transformed the glass into something that suited their needs for energy and aesthetics, and transformed the sunlight into energy…

They painted the glass like the sky was painted with a rainbow at dawn…

Alouette blinked.

They had been focusing so hard on the pretty glass, on wanting to see it sparkle in the light and perhaps pluck a piece of it out of the window for their collection of shiny things, that the sun had started rising without them realizing it.

An hour and a half early.

“Ahah! I knew it!” Fillip said, clapping Kuiper’s hands together. “...Of course, we don’t know why that is, or how it could be useful aside from keeping it light enough to ward off Glacier, but…I knew River wouldn’t have lied, at least!”

“The humans convert sunlight into energy!” Alouette said, smacking a hand on the window.

“So do plants?” Fillip said. “I’d love to have a little science lesson with you, but I’m trying very hard to stay focused right now. Later…later we can talk all you want about energy conversion! I promise, we’ll get all into that later, as in depth as you can understand, but for now, let’s try to focus on–”

“Alouette,” River said, a knowing look in her eye.

“Where is Clover? Still down there with Inferno? What about Aspen? Is he in the gardens?” Their heart was racing, their Thauma hot in their veins.

“What-? Well, I don’t know– goodness, Alouette, what’s got you so excited?” Fillip asked. For how smart she was, she had also forgotten. They had all forgotten. The Sol and Lunar Gods had convinced them all the cosmos were theirs alone.

“I didn’t bring up the sun entirely, it’s not daytime. That’s not my domain, I couldn’t. I transform. I can bring about transitions. That’s dawn. Dawn is my domain!”

Fillip’s eyes grew wide, and for once, she was speechless.

“I’ll leave it up to you to do what you have to in the Upper Realm; you’ve got my permission to do whatever you have to to my former body. I won’t need it. I’m not going there again.”

“Oh, I see,” Fillip offered them a sad little smile. They returned it.

“You’ll visit me down here, and I’ll look forward to it,” Alouette said.

“Whatever is it you’re about to do, Birdie, leave it up to them; give them a choice,” River added softly. “I’ll expect you back in time for dinner.”

“I–I will be,” they nodded to River before taking off, ‘no flying in the halls’ rule be damned.

…

They found Aspen first.

He was in the garden; the castle’s sprawling garden was huge and lush, with every plant Alouette had ever seen and many they hadn’t, but Aspen’s little corner of the greenhouse was a bit…pitiful, if Alouette was being honest. Small. Still, his fond little smile he was wearing before Alouette reached him said everything Alouette needed to know, so they didn’t comment on the state of things.

They skirted to a stop in front of him, and he put his trowel down, looking expectant.

“Did Clover need something?”

“No, she’s still-”

“So you must have figured out a solution to some problem; I cannot imagine you’d be flying around after I asked you not to inside otherwise,” Aspen sighed.

“Forget that for a minute! Energy transferral is something I can do. I’ve done it every time I’ve put a God in one of you. It’s a method of Transformation. Just like how your solar panel glass does it.”

Aspen stared, brow creasing. “Yes. Obviously. And?”

“We can’t kill Inferno and Glacier, can’t destroy them no matter what they do, not without the universe crumpling in on itself like a used tissue–”

“Ew? You’re just restating things we already know. Get on with it.”

“I think I can take their energy out of them. Take the ‘Sol God’ out of ‘Inferno’, take the ‘Lunar God’ out of Glacier, transform that energy, and transfer it into– into someone else. And the universe won’t crumple, probably.”

“Probably,” Aspen repeated. “So you don’t even really know. That sounds absurd.”

“So you’ll turn it down? You’re the Lunar God’s favored mortal, I thought if anyone should get it, it should be you. They’re a lot like your old man, they’re too stuck in their ways now; but if you replace them, then–”

“And what exactly does being a ‘God’ entail? Can we reach into the After Realm, let Clover properly speak with her brother?” Aspen asked sharply.

“Ah, well the After Realm is a tricky subject, very…complicated…”

“And on top of that, would I be immortal? Or would this body simply be enhanced with Godly abilities until I die? Will I age? Will I be able to reproduce? Will–”

“Why is any of that stuff to worry about?! I’m saying we can solve this problem with Inferno and Glacier right now–”

“Alouette, I know you’re impulsive, so I will break this down for you and go slowly. I have an entire kingdom to worry about. ‘A ruler who doesn’t age or die’ is a bit of a concern.” Alouette nodded along with Aspen’s words, pretending they understood why that was a problem. Aspen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’re not going to understand no matter how much I dumb it down, are you? I have perhaps ten years before I am to take the throne, when my father will feel confident enough to retire, or perhaps pass away–”

“Ten years is being a little generous to Alder…” Alouette murmured. Aspen raised his brows high and his eyes went wide. “What?! F-From natural causes, obviously! He’s getting up there in age!”

“Regardless. Let’s say I have ten or so years, let’s be generous,” Aspen dared Alouette to argue with a glare, and Alouette kept their lips pressed into a line, “When that happens, I will have a solid forty five to fifty years of ruling where I’ll be expected to produce a heir. …Quite frankly that whole business is going to be a headache as I’m going to need a surrogate, if I’m not even able to have children– well, Father was discussing having my eggs cryopreserved when I come of age anyway, so maybe that could be a solution, but the idea of having children in the first place makes me want to throw u–...okay, that’s not a relevant conversation, it’s an obligation of mine… if I’m well into my forties and still look like an eighteen year old, if there comes a point where my child looks older than me…” they watched Aspen pace around, muttering to himself.

“If you don’t like the system, just change it?” Alouette suggested. “What’s the point of being in charge if you can’t? Soon as your dad kicks the bucket, if I were you, I’d be rewriting all that stuff I didn’t like. What’s your job as ‘king’, anyway? Just a glorified manager for all the little mayors in Fern Helion, and someone who decides what resources go where? Why can’t you just pick someone random to take over when you wanna retire? Or have Azlaeon and Kuiper give you an heir or something when it’s time, let ‘em help, since Azaleon wants to be involved so bad…”

“You’re suggesting I rewrite laws and practices that have been in place for decades–granted…a lot of them are a bit outdated and could use revisions, but I’d have to be very audacious to just disrespect my predecessors like that,” Aspen huffed, and Alouette laughed so hard it almost hurt.

“You just lied to your father! You’re the most audacious person I know! And I mean that as a compliment!”

“He needed to be lied to! He’s old and stuck in his ways, and saying ‘oh yes, we just made an enemy of both Cosmos Gods and we’re still working out the kinks on how to solve that issue, and I’m not going through with the Quasar ceremony at all’, that doesn’t exactly fit the narrative we need! I need him to believe I’m going to be a competent ruler, not that I’m having some sort of teenaged fit of rebellion!”

“Seriously, okay, hear me out: if everyone already thinks you’re the victorious Quasar, and the one who saved the universe from dying, I think they’ll be kissing your ass no matter how wild the changes you want to make are! They’ll probably praise them, because I know they’ll be good changes! And if you don’t want to be some kind of God-King forever, we’ll fake your death or something!” Alouette waved their hand. “We’ll deal with it as it comes up, so stop worrying so much.”

“‘Stop worrying’... you’re so right! what was I thinking, it’s only a decision that will affect thousands of people and that you know literally nothing about the consequences of!” Aspen threw his hands up.

“Okay, okay, so it’s a no! You could’ve just said so,” Alouette sulked. “Just stop yelling at me already!”

“Oh, no, it’s absolutely not a no; I can’t just let you hand that much power and responsibility to someone random, are you out of your mind? No, I think all of the Gods are a mess and need someone with some sense.”

Aspen stared at Alouette expectantly, and it took about ten full seconds before Alouette processed his words. Their mouth was hanging open, but they couldn’t will their jaw to move it closed, couldn’t will words to come out, either. Aspen tensed, crossing his arms and trying to look nonchalant about it.

“Well…whenever you catch the bastard, or if you need me to do something, you’ll know where to find me…” Aspen rolled a wrist, gesturing to the castle. Alouette let out a happy noise and gathered Aspen into their arms, squeezing him into a tight hug.

“Hey!” Aspen squirmed around like an angry little cat.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou–!”

“You’re going to ask Clover, too, aren’t you?” Aspen asked, pushing away from Alouette and fixing his clothes, smoothing down his shirt with a huff. “...Perhaps I just don’t want her to be lonesome. Or stuck alone with you forever.”

“Psh, she might not even say yes…” Of course, Alouette wanted her to agree, but…it was a possibility they had to consider. Aspen fixed them with a hard stare, like he knew something they didn’t, before rolling his eyes and walking away. Evidently he was done with this conversation.

It was time to go to Clover in the lower levels, then.

…

By the time they got to the lower levels, they stopped halfway around the corner, the wind beneath their feathers slowing to a stop.

They were scared to face Clover. When Inferno had told them Juniper was dead, it had felt as if their entire world had stopped.

Alouette had thought meeting Inferno’s demands to slot them into a vessel would be fine, since they expected to be able to pull the God out at any time.

They supposed it explained why the humans seemed to come so close to death when they’d put the Gods in all of them: they could barely hold them.

Juniper hadn’t been able to.

And his blood was on Alouette’s hands. Clover hadn’t believed it, not when she heard it, and she hadn’t even cried, not on the ride to the castle, not in the meadow; she’d just worn a wide eyed expression, her eyes glazed over and staring out the slidebuggy window, barely present despite everyone’s best attempts to talk to her.

But Alouette did weep; they knew the instant Inferno said it that it was true. Juniper hadn’t surfaced once while they had been waiting for everyone else to show up, and hadn't fought Inferno at all.

Alouette had collapsed in the dirt, an ugly sobbing mess, begging for Clover’s forgiveness. They kept hurting their favorite people, Gods and humans alike. Even when they were trying to be good. They had wanted to fly all the way to their temple, turn it into a pile of rubble. They didn’t deserve praise.

The others were the ones who captured Inferno. They hadn’t been able to help at all, too distraught. Clover had gotten on her knees and cupped their face, had asked them what they were so upset over, insistent Juniper was okay, he was right there–

Alouette wanted to forget. It would certainly be easier. Living with all of this was so hard.

“Alo?” Clover called softly. “I felt the wind…”

“Clover,” they said, rounding the corner and offering her a smile. “Hi.”

“I didn’t want to leave him alone,” she murmured, glancing towards the door into the holding cells. They had all been alternating bringing her food, but she’d barely eaten it.

They sat beside her against the wall, wrapping their right wing around her and pulling her close. She wrapped her arms around theirs, pressing her face on their shirt. They stayed like that for a while, just holding each other.

“Clover, he’s…”

“I know,” she whispered. “Please don’t say it, though.”

“I’m sorry. You’re all..you’re supposed to be helped by us. Protected by us. And I failed you.”

“I forgive you.” She didn’t even hesitate to say it.

“I wish you wouldn’t. I wish you were mad at me. I wish all of you and the Gods were. I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be making this about me. But I..I’d understand. Because of me, Juniper is–”

“I’m..I’m tired of feeling mad. I’m tired of feeling in general,” she admitted, her voice hollow. “We could go around and around about ‘faults’ and stuff. I could get mad at past-you for inventing the Cachets, could get mad at the Sol God for marking me a Quasar, could get mad at Juniper for leaving. But honestly, I just..I want to know..how was he? Was the Sol God right, about what state he was in? I didn’t want to cry in front of them, I couldn’t give the bastard the satisfaction,” she said quietly. “I…I just want to hear it from you.”

“He looked relieved when he saw me.”

And didn’t that just ache? They had been the one to spur Juniper on his little runaway mission, to take him from Clover based on some half-remembered truths and a desperate wish to save the other Gods. And Juniper, after years of not seeing them, believed every word they had to say; when they told them they knew he wasn’t the Quasar, but that they could end this, when they had told him they needed to put Inferno into him, the very God they told him was responsible for marking his sister twelve years prior, Juniper had trusted them. Had offered his hands, had said that he knew Alouette was doing it for a reason, that he’d trust them to keep Clover safe.

Maybe he’d known before Alouette had that he wouldn’t live through it. It seemed like an impossibility, and yet.

He had looked relieved.

He had looked tired.

“He told me he traveled to many places. That he wrote about all of them for you, in those letters in his bag. That he saw the royal libraries, even, he–he really emphasized that, like it was the greatest thing in the world. And I did it quickly. I-I held him. I’m sure that–” their voice caught in their throat, and they forced it out, for Clover’s sake. “That it was warm, and comforting, and it didn’t hurt at all.”

Clover nodded, sniffling against their sleeve.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “I’m glad he got to leave home. I wish…I wish he’d taken me with him. Those letters he wrote me…maybe reading them will be like…like I’m traveling with him. I’d like to visit all the places he did.”

“You haven’t read them?”

“Not yet. I’m not ready yet.” She said that, yet she had Juniper’s bag slung around her, close to her heart. It was a small travel bag, but it was bulging from the volume of things crammed inside.

“That’s okay. You’ll have plenty of time.”

“I found this,” she said, holding up a small pocket knife, a star engraved on the side. “Isn’t it pretty? I don’t know what he would’ve been using it for. I think…it reminds me of the little knick knacks in Dad’s old study,” she ran a thumb across it, and it seemed to glow. She slipped it back into the bag. “What’d you come down here to tell me, Alo?”

They shut their eyes. They didn’t want to burden her anymore; they’d asked so much of these humans already.

“I just..wanted to check on you,” they murmured. “Is that okay? O-oh, and um, Fillip’s got an insane idea about how to fix the re-fusing problem. Hah, all of her ideas are so out there, I love hearing her talk…well, anyway, she wants to use the body I left behind in the Upper Realm, along with the one that Inferno left to build two…artificial Gods? Like..rebuild the Original Two or something, try and trick the universe so it stops trying to shove us together, isn’t that wild? Even if it doesn’t work…well, gotta admire her gift of thinking outside the box…if it doesn’t work, she’ll probably have a million other ideas ready to try…’Course we gotta figure out what to do about Inferno first–”

“You’re really nervous, aren’t you? You’re rambling,” Clover sat up, resting her hand on their leg and staring them in the eye. They squirmed under her gaze, looking to the window.

“...The suns up early! Did you notice? I did that,” Alouette pointed out.

“Cool,” she said, her gaze still steady, not even sounding that impressed; that was a little rude, in Alouette’s opinion... “Am I gonna have to get up and go ask River what you really came down here for?”

“Nooo, ugh,” they flopped back against the wall, and Clover didn’t quite laugh, but her lips twitched for a moment, and their heart did a little victory backflip in their chest. “How’d you know– am I really so obvious?”

“You said we still gotta ‘figure out what to do about Inferno’ right after you just said Fillip was already planning to use the body they left in the Upper Realm…so…you’ve got something in mind. Right? Look I– I know they’re in Juniper’s body, but I’m not..I’m not stupid, I know we have to do something. If…you’re trying not to hurt my feelings, that’s sweet. But you promised Juniper you’d take care of this. He’s counting on you.”

“I–I do have something in mind. It’s a little crazy. And you…obviously, it’s a big deal, you don’t have to say yes– it might not even work, it could hurt you! And honestly, you’re really not even in a state of mind to be making big decisions right now–”

“If we don't hurry, the Lunar God might do something more severe. Alouette, if there’s some kind of solution, I want to hear it!”

“IthinkIcouldtransformyouintoaGod–” Alouette blurted out, staring at her with wide eyes, scanning for a reaction, waiting for her to ask what they meant. Instead they were met with a blank stare.

“...You want to try that again where I can understand it, like, ten miles slower?”

“I think…” they said slowly. “That…”

“A litttttle faster, please,” Clover nudged them.

“I want to try– I think I could take…take Inferno and Glacier’s energy…not…exactly their souls, not exactly their Thauma, but the energy that makes them a God, the Gods of their respective domains…” Alouette chewed on their lip, reluctant to tell her. She quite literally was backing them into a corner, though. “And. Once we get Remedy back in the Upper Realm, I could. Um. Make you the new Sol God.”

“...Huh,” Clover said, bringing a hand to her mouth and resting it there. She stared at the floor.

“I mean– obviously I’d help you– goodness knows we all would, and River is simply the best teacher, if she helped me she could help two more fledgling little Gods out, and we’d all sorta figure it out along the way–”

“Why me?” Clover asked.

“Sorry? What do you mean?”

“Uh, what qualifies me at all for that? I can see Aspen being a perfect choice, Gods, he’s got the best education and he’s all diplomatic and stuff when he’s not being so fussy, and despite what he wants everyone to think he obviously cares. But me, why would you…I mean, there’s gotta be a dozen, no, a hundred other people in the capital alone who’d be better for this. Most people would be jumping at this, so why offer it to me? River! River would be–”

“Most people would be jumping at this chance, she says, trying to talk me out of it. And you still wonder why I’d want you?” Alouette laughed. “It’s because you were already the human Inferno chose. Because they saw the same spark in you I do; you don’t want it, so you’ll always be working to be worthy of it. I don’t think you’ll slip down the same slope they did, you won’t burn yourself out. You’re kind, you’re brave, you light up the room with your humor and warmth and I– It’s selfish of me, but if it must be done, I’d personally want the two of you, my best friends. Tell me that you don’t want it, and I’ll never ask again. Like you said, there’s other people that might also work. I won’t hold it against you. …We..also still have to figure a way to get Glacier with us before we can send Remedy back to the Upper Realm, and if ‘Cier’s being as unreasonable as Inferno, do the same to thing to them, ah, Aspen is willing, but anyway, you’d have time to think–”

“Nah, I don’t really need time to think about it. The answer is no.”

Clover’s words hung in the air, her expression serious; maybe more serious than they’d ever seen her.

They nodded, dejected. It had been a lot to expect. Still, her bluntness hurt a bit.

“Okay. Well. Thank you for at least hearing me out! We have to find someone, and it would be appreciated if you’d be apart of the group of us to vet them, but if you’re still mourning, like I said, we’ll have time–”

“I’m just messing with you! C’mon, that sounds great! Who would turn that down? I just wanted to be sure you were sure about it being me,” Clover punched them on the shoulder lightly, and they yelped.

“Clover, that’s so awful! I was dreading finding some–erugh, random person who isn’t you! Not– not that I play favorites, of course,” they clarified. “So…Aspen had a lot of questions, and I assume you do, too, but honestly, there’s a lot I can’t answer. This is new for all of us.”

“...Oh, yeah, questions. Like what?”

“...Were you just going to agree without…asking anything…?”

“Uh. No…?” she winced, finally offering a small grin. Alouette laughed. “Well, maybe I do have one question. Uh, about Glacier? Dunno if it’s a dumb question or not, but, like…is there a reason you couldn’t just grab them while they’re possessing their little hoard and trap them in one single body? Or–no, that person would die, right…and we don’t exactly have a spare person laying around we don’t really care about…yeah, stupid question, forget I asked. My brains all foggy right now–” she tried to backpedal.

Alouette grabbed her wrist, eyes wide.

“Clover, you’re a genius. We need to get the others, we can send the Gods back.”

“Now?” she asked. “What– really?”

“Really. I’m gonna fix two problems in one go.”

…

It seemed fitting, the library would be the place to do this. It was cozy and pleasant and smelled like old books, and it seemed like a comfort spot for Clover.

They had heard Alouette out, all of them, and approved their insane little idea. They hadn’t ran to do it without making sure everyone else approved; they were pretty proud of themself for that.

Fillip was up first.

Fillip smiled. “There’s nothing left for me to do here; I think it’s left to you to take care of Inferno and Glacier. My work is in the Upper Realm for now, since you gave me your blessing to test a bit on your former body. I’ll visit; I might come asking for Thauma, or other such things…I do wish you could come with us,” she said, pulling them into a hug. “Thank you, ‘Ette. And thank you, Kuiper, for allowing me to stay with you for a short while; I give you all my blessings and wish you a life full of learning and wonder.”

They gently untangled her soul from Kuiper’s while they were hugging, and they felt the moment she faded, pulled back upwards like a rubber band popping.

“Thanks. …Can’t say that the whole experience was entirely pleasant,” Kuiper admitted. “But you kept your word to stop the cycle, and to get them all freed and then out of us, and I appreciate that.”

“I was just cleaning up after myself in the end…” they trailed off.

“And most people don’t even do that much. Take the compliment.”

“Okay! You’re very welcome then!” Alouette said to Kuiper, and Kuiper shook his head. Aspen stepped forward next.

“Even if it was last-minute to decide to help…I don’t believe a king should sit idly by while his subjects put themselves on the line, and Frond, although our time was very brief, you were a polite guest, entirely unobstructive… and I ask that you continue to bless all of Fern Helion with prosperous crops and livestock,” Aspen said, using the ‘I’m a royal seeing a guest off’ voice. “If you’d like to say something to Alouette, please do so now. But…don’t go hugging them like Fillip did, please.”

The change in demeanor was immediately noticeable. Where Aspen held himself tall (which was impressive, given his short stature…) Frond was more reserved, soft-spoken. Assuredly the most gentle of the Gods, in Alouette’s opinion.

“Ash– or, I’ve heard people callin’ you Alouette?” Frond asked. “I…you definitely locked me up to start with,” Alouette opened their mouth to try and apologize, but Frond held a hand up, “I know, I know, the Phoenix cycle. You were cruel back then. I’m glad you’re not now. It’d be good if you could keep up this good streak, ‘cause being stuck under the dirt was unpleasant, as you can imagine…” It was a glorified sensory deprivation chamber. Alouette snorted, and Frond looked entirely annoyed by that, a much more Aspen-like expression. “Is somethin’ funny?”

“Just– hearing Aspen’s voice speaking with that far eastern Helion slow drawl is so–” Alouette giggled, putting a hand over their mouth. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry–”

“I’m leaving,” Frond sighed. Alouette was still shaking with laughter when they reached out and unbound him from Aspen.

“You’re such an asshole,” Aspen grumbled. They shook their head, trying to calm down.

“Okay, who’s next?” Alouette asked, taking a breath to compose themself. River stepped forward.

“I wish there was more I could’ve done for you, Refuge,” River said softly. “I hope you’re able to rest and find peace in the Upper Realm, whatever that will mean for you. We humans will be just fine, so focus on yourself, dearest protector.” And that was a beautiful sentiment, Alouette thought. River always had the perfect thing to say.

“Remedy says they’ll all support her however they can,” Clover added.

“Yeah-! That’s good,” Alouette nodded. “...Refuge, I’m…there’s not enough apologies in the world to express how bad I messed you up, but…but I hope one day you can find peace, like River said.”

Refuge looked at Alouette through River, her gaze sharp and red as human’s blood was; it made Alouette nervous. She didn’t offer any niceties, instead, she simply held her hand out, and Alouette released her into the Upper Realm without a word.

River squeezed their hand, her eyes crinkling up when she smiled. They offered a small smile in return.

It’d be okay if Refuge never forgave them, sad as it made them. That was her right. She had other people to support her, and so did Alouette. She at least trusted them enough to leave them with the humans, and wasn’t that more than they could’ve ever imagined or hoped for?

“Seiche, Rem, it’s just you two now,” Alouette gestured for them to come over. Remedy sighed, walking forward.

“Actually, it’s probably just me.”

“Pardon?” Alouette looked at Azaleon, squinting. “Did Seiche already leave somehow? Without saying goodbye?”

But– no, Azaleon’s eyes still had that blue glow to them. Azaleon sighed, giving Alouette an exasperated look.

“He said he’s ‘not leaving’.”

“But– he just– Seiche, you can’t just– is this about your weird little crush on Kuiper? He’s taken! It’s just Azaleon’s feelings rubbing off on you! You can’t just stay!” Alouette waved a hand.

Kuiper blinked slowly, as if this was a surprise to him.

“He says he doesn’t know what you mean, and that he just wants to stick around to see how things play out since there’s bound to be… ‘political turmoil’ pretty soon…” Azaleon grimaced at Alouette. “Can’t you just… yank him out?”

“I could heal him up if Seiche decides to pop a few organs on his way out; because that will surely piss him off,” Remedy noted. “Look, he’s not even coming out to speak for himself, he’s like a scared turtle hiding in its shell.”

“Why don’t you mind your own business, Remedy?” Seiche snarled.

“Ahah, I knew that would work,” Remedy said with a small self-satisfied smirk. “That being said, I don’t think it’s a terrible idea; if this plan of all of yours is a success, it’ll be like an amnesiac teaching two new baby Gods, which isn’t really ideal. Having someone who actually knows what they’re doing around just in case would be beneficial. But at the end of the day, if your mortal wants you gone, you have to leave. Don’t be a child about it.” She crossed her arms, and Seiche glowered at her.

“If Alouette gets to stay, I–”

“Can you blame Azaleon? Everytime you get mad at him you try to boil him alive and make him feel sea-sick, and I’d rather him not feel bad constantly,” Kuiper murmured.

“I…could try to abstain from doing that,” Seiche sounded reluctant, “I never even intended to, but I suppose, If you would convince him–”

“It’s not up to me. It’s ‘Leon’s choice.”

“What do you mean it’s my choice, Kuiper? Goodness knows you must be tired of him,” Azaleon said, lowering his voice. “...Right? I assumed he must have been bothersome to you…”

“Not really. I didn’t mind.”

“What? But–” Azaleon lowered his voice even more, and Alouette sighed. They’d leave it up to them to discuss right now.

“Rem…” Alouette sighed. “Are you at least ready?” She nodded.

“Let me say something to Clover, first. Clover…your kindness will never be forgotten; but don’t you dare feel obligated to delicate yourself entirely to my amber Thauma or the path of a healer. You can do anything you want, and you have plenty of time to figure it out yourself. It’s your decision alone. The hardest part is over– you’ve gotten yourself out of that place, so now you can start healing. Whatever path you choose from here, just know that I’m incredibly proud of you for that.”

Tears slipped down her face as she spoke, and Alouette suspected they were Clover’s. Clover nodded, squeezing her eyes shut and offering her hands to Alouette.

“And Alouette, if you hurt her in any way, you’ll wake up in a bed of snakes,” Remedy promised before she left. River walked over to Clover, squeezing her shoulder.

“Well, are we done or not?” Aspen asked impatiently, looking over at Kuiper and Azaleon who were still talking amongst themselves.

“...I promised to make him some food he loves before he leaves, and he keeps pointing out that I haven't made anything ‘groundbreaking’ yet. Let’s call it postponed, if he can behave,” Azaleon finally sighed.

“Whatever! Do what you want I guess, I can send him back whenever if you change your mind,” Alouette shrugged. “Aspen, Clover, are you ready?”

Clover wiped her tears, and Aspen nodded solemnly, and they all three started on their way down to the holding cell where Inferno was.

…

The moment the three of them entered the holding cell room, Inferno started speaking, quickly and angrily, as if they’d been waiting on all of them to show up. Alouette kept Clover and Aspen behind them.

Aspen had donned his full royal regalia, headpiece and all, and Clover in one of Saros’ old gowns. This was a ceremony, in its own right, as much as the Quasar ceremony would’ve been. It deserved to be carried out with a bit of respect and decorum.

In her closed fist, Clover held Juniper’s golden engraved pocket knife.

She had told them she would do it. She hadn’t let either of them argue.

Juniper was her brother, she’d said. It was her place, and she wanted to, for his sake.

“Glacier has to control several mortals to fit, but I wonder if those people have to be close to each other. Perhaps I’ll give them an idea. They could possess your family members. Your siblings, your parents, your friends. Let’s see how willing you are to purge them after that.”

“Listen to yourself, ‘Fern, you’re…you’re letting your own fire consume you. It’s supposed to be warm. Life-giving. Not…not this. You’re unfit for your title, and it’s tearing me up,” Alouette said. Inferno stared at them, hot rage simmering at being here, being caught and trapped. “But! Y’know, it’s a good thing it’s just you in here! Scary to imagine both you and ‘Cier together. Don’t think this cell would hold if that were the case…but they can’t possess a single mortal, can they? Not without my help, and they’re laughably clumsy about the masses they do take. It’s been a breeze purging them so far.”

They knew how much of a rambling, borderline erratic blabbermouth the other Gods thought they were. It was in their nature, right? Transformation in general was hardly ever smooth, and the last time Inferno had spoken to them, they’d been on the verge of a breakdown over discovering the fact they sealed the Gods. Swinging between sadness and gloating shouldn’t have been unexpected.

They also knew how desperate Glacier must be to get Inferno out– that they must be listening, too. For a moment, though, when Inferno said nothing, they thought this might not work, that Inferno and Glacier wouldn’t fall for it.

“So what will you do, little lark? What can you possibly do? You can’t kill me. Is the conflict becoming too much for you? Will you catch fire again, yourself?”

“No, the only way I’m restarting that cycle again is if you force it with your fire.” They were willing to. It would benefit them to, to have an Ash that would be cultivated into what they wanted, convinced to reseal the Gods with no human empathy leaking into them. “Too bad we’re going to leave you in here forever. I’m going to seal you here, like I sealed the others, and you’ll never see your sun again.”

It was a cruel thing to say. But it drew Glacier Silverbell down like lightning, so fast and sharply that Alouette stumbled back.

Yes– yes, they’d been right! Inferno was willing to invite Glacier into this worldly body of theirs if it meant escaping, Glacier was willing to do anything for Inferno, and because the body was transformed by Alouette in a permanent one, a Godly one, they could both fit despite how forceful Glacier was, and now–

Now they were both here, one eye pure white, one eye pure black.

“Oh, you both look mad! You’re so mad you’re willing to risk re-fusing?”

“You’re not giving us much of a choice,” Alouette had no idea who was speaking. Their voices warbled together and made Alouette’s ears ring and their head ache. They practically melted away the impenetrable glass on the holdinging cell, stepping closer with each word they spoke.

“You’ve gotten bolder, telling us you’ll destroy our titles, and that you will try to hold us after you were as much responsible as us; why should we be the ones punished for you lowering yourself to a mortal set of morals–the six of you needed to be held down, or you’d all unravel like this, pitiful little–”

“No,” they felt their lips curve up into a sad smile. “You’re unfit for your title, but I won’t destroy them. I will pass them onto someone new. Don’t worry, it will be the ones you both hand-chose.”

“You can’t do that.” They sounded unsure, their pace slowed to a stop even though they were still blazing with energy.

“Can’t I? It’s not a bluff. I know now. It wasn’t just your names we all forgot; you wanted us to forget something else. You wanted all of us to forget what I am.”

Glacier tried to flee, still unbound to the body. Alouette wouldn’t let them. They didn’t think they even needed to touch them to do it, not really.

They flexed their wings, letting the full light of the dawn ripple through their feathers and through the cell, painting the gray walls bright pinks and golds.

“I am the oldest God, I am the youngest God, and I have been all ages in between throughout my cycles. I am the God of Altercation, Revision, Metamorphosis, Evolution, and all phases between life and death. I am the blurring line between all binaries. I am every stepping stone of change. I am the very thing that allowed the Void Gods to explode and become the universe. I am both the dipping twilight, and the rising dawn. I am the Phoenix God of Transformation, Ash Rossingol. I am Alouette of Fawn Creek.”

They stepped backwards, letting Aspen and Clover step forward.

They wrapped their hands around both of theirs, standing behind them with their wings still outstretched to brace them for the energy that would pour out.

“You can’t kill us no matter what you are! Your powers, your Thauma, we Gods cannot harm each other in any way that matters!”

“No, I cannot,” Alouette tilted their head, and for the first time, they saw real fear in both God's eyes. Perhaps a part of them was still cruel, then, because they enjoyed that look.

“Goodbye, Juniper,” Clover whispered, her brother’s pocket knife driven through Juniper’s heart, the core of the Gods.

They were caught in the supernova explosion that burst out of the Gods, and they redirected it, pulling it into Clover, into Aspen, separating black and white wisps of energy. Their fingers tightly clasped on both of their hands, pushing the Quasar’s hands to their own core, their own gold energy flowing into them, too, to make sure the energy would be absorbed and transform them both rather than atomize them entirely.

Light filled the room, pouring out of Clover and Aspen’s eyes and mouths. They were all levitating, and it had nothing to do with Alouette’s wings.

Their Cachets burned off, leaving a tan scar atop their hands, faint and faded.

When they both touched the ground again, when the light dimmed and faded, when they all came down from the intense energy high, the two of them looked up at Alouette.

Aspen’s pupils weren’t just black as night, but filled with countless stars and faint blue and purple galaxies, half crescent moons faintly visible. Clover’s pupils were bright white starbursts, warm as the sun.

Alouette collapsed with relief, both of them in their arms and cradled by their wings.