The Beast rumbled down the mountain road with all the grace of a landslide and twice the noise. Hank Williams crooned from speakers that had survived forty five years of abuse, singing about lonesome nights and whiskey rivers, the kind of country that predated rhinestones and wanna be rappers
Elmore sang along, one hand on the wheel, the other tapping the window frame in time with the steel guitar. His voice was rough and unpolished, perfectly suited to the old songs his own father had played on scratchy vinyl records in a home that no longer existed after the fire.
In the passenger seat, Edward sat with his arms crossed, looking out at the passing pines with the carefully neutral expression of a teenager who was being a good sport about something he definitely hadn't wanted to do.
The boy, "young man", Elmore corrected himself, had grown into his frame over the past year. At seventeen, Edward stood six-foot-four and carried maybe two hundred and thirty pounds of lean muscle across shoulders broad enough to make doorways a consideration. His beard, which he'd started growing at fifteen with adolescent determination, had filled in thick and golden-brown, the kind of full coverage that men twice his age struggled to achieve. With his blue eyes and the way his hair caught the morning light, he looked like he'd stepped off a longship rather than out of an Appalachian high school.
Where Elmore, now showing grey streaks through his nearly black beard and hair, looked every inch the stereotypical 1970s hillbilly, blue overalls over a red flannel shirt, steel-toed work boots with mithril reinforcement, beard hanging two feet down his chest like some kind of mountain prophet, Edward looked like something out of Norse mythology.
The dichotomy wasn't lost on Elmore. His son looked like a hero from the old stories. He looked like someone who'd built something that might last.
A tremendous "BANG " rang out from the truck bed, making the entire vehicle shudder.
"Ditzy!" Elmore called over his shoulder. "Easy on the tail, girl! This truck's got feelings!"
A huffing sound that might have been canine laughter answered him.
Edward glanced back through the rear window at the dog, if "dog" was still an accurate term for what Ditzy had become. She sat in the truck bed like some kind of prehistoric guardian, nearly the size of a polar bear but with proportions that belonged to no natural animal. Her head was massive, easily three feet across, with floppy ears that hung down two feet and whipped behind her in the wind like furry banners. Her body stretched long and low, legs shorter than her bulk suggested they should be, and her tail, Jesus Christ, her tail, was as thick as a grown man's thigh and currently slamming against the truck bed with enough force to dent steel.
Luckily The Beast's bed was mithril. Without it, Ditzy's enthusiasm would have reduced the entire rear end to scrap metal within five minutes.
She was, without question, the largest, most powerful pet on Earth. Also the happiest. Her tongue lolled out in the wind, pink and approximately the size of a beach towel, and her eyes were half-closed in the kind of bliss that only comes from riding in a truck bed at sixty miles per hour with your family.
To anyone who didn't know her, Ditzy looked like a nightmare. To Edward and Elmore, she was family.
"You know," Edward said, not looking at his father, "when you promised to spend the day with me, I was thinking maybe we'd, I don't know, work on my cube, I've only got one side to work and stay stable but the others just keep changing. Or you could show me some of those administration skills you've been using, I'm going to need them one day. I don't want to rely on hydra, we saw how that turned out. Maybe talk about what I should specialize in when I get my skills next spring. I know we can't know what I'm going to get but I would like some directions beforehand, the school and books are nice but I know you know more.”Elmore turned the music down a notch. "That what you were hoping for?"
"Yeah." Edward's tone was carefully even. "That's what I was hoping for."
"And instead you're going hunting with your old man."
"Instead I'm going hunting with my old man," Edward confirmed.
Elmore nodded slowly, letting the silence stretch for a moment. The Beast's engine filled the gap, a deep rumble that vibrated up through the seats.
"You know why we do this?" he asked. "The supervised hunts?"
Edward sighed. "Yeah, Dad. I know. First-hand experience before we get skills so we don't get cocky and die like idiots the first time we step into the dungeon."
"Close," Elmore said. "But not quite right."
That got Edward's attention. He turned to look at his father, curiosity breaking through teenage frustration.
"The supervised hunts," Elmore continued, "are about learning what you "are " before you become what you "can be ". Skills change people, son. Change how they think, how they see themselves, what they believe they're capable of. You get a combat skill, "any " combat skill, and suddenly the world looks different. Smaller. More manageable. You start thinking you can handle things you got no business handling."
He gestured out at the forest, at the wilderness that pressed in on both sides of the road. "Out here, you're just a man. Strong man, smart man, but still just a man. You learn what that means, really learn it, in your bones, and when you get your skills, you'll remember. You'll know the difference between "you " and "what your skills can do "."
Edward was quiet for a long moment, he said finally. "I forgot the difference."
Elmore's hands tightened on the wheel. "Tim and Frank were good men. Experienced men. And they had that experience, but it ain't the same as invincibility." He glanced at his son. "I don't want you forgetting that lesson. Not ever."
Another "BANG " from the truck bed. Ditzy had shifted position and her tail had celebrated the maneuver by turning the wheel well into a drum.
"Besides," Elmore added, his tone lightening, "Ditzy was real clear about coming along. You want to tell her she can't join us?"
Edward glanced back again at the enormous dog-bear-monster currently enjoying the wind in her face with single-minded joy. "I don't know, Dad. I think I could take her."
Elmore barked out a laugh. "Oh yeah? You and what army?"
"Just me and my stunning good looks." Edward grinned, his beard making him look simultaneously ancient and boyish. "She'd be so distracted by my majestic facial hair that I'd have the upper hand immediately."
"Majestic facial hair," Elmore repeated, stroking his own beard with exaggerated pride. "Boy, I was growing beards like that on my balls when you were still a twinkle in your mother's eye. Your beard is "cute ". Mine is a "statement "."
"Your beard is a fire hazard."
"Your beard looks like you glued squirrel nuts to your face."
"Your beard looks like you lost a bet with Mother Nature."
They continued trading insults about their respective facial hair for another five minutes, each jab more ridiculous than the last, until both of them were laughing hard enough that Elmore had to slow down to keep the Beast from drifting into the oncoming lane.
It felt good. Normal. Like they were still just a father and son headed out for a day in the woods, rather than the chief of Lakevail and his heir apparent.
The paved road gave way to gravel, then to dirt, and finally to little more than twin ruts through the underbrush. The Beast handled it all without complaint, its massive tires eating up terrain that would have stopped civilian vehicles cold.
They were well past the settlement border now, deep into what people called "the wilds", the places where animals had grown strong and strange on ambient Aither, where the rules got fuzzy and survival stopped being guaranteed.
Elmore pulled the Beast into a small clearing and killed the engine.
The silence that followed was profound, broken only by the sound of the engine spooling down and the rustle of wind through pine branches. Then Ditzy vaulted out of the truck bed with surprising grace for something her size, landing with a "thud " that made the ground shake.
She immediately started sniffing around the perimeter of the clearing, her massive head swinging back and forth with her large ears up and swiveling like furry radar dish’s.
Edward climbed out, stretched, and went to the truck bed to retrieve his gear. He'd packed light, a hunting knife, a canteen, a small first-aid kit, and a mithril spear that Elmore had commissioned specifically for this purpose. The weapon was simple but effective: seven feet of mushroom-wood shaft with a foot-long mithril blade at the tip, balanced for throwing, thrusting, and slashing.
Elmore had his one hand axe, along with his shotgun for emergencies. If something showed up that Edward couldn't handle, Elmore wasn't planning on letting his son be killed.
"Rules," Elmore said, his tone shifting from casual to serious. "Same as always."
Edward nodded. "Stay within sight. Don't engage anything I'm not sure I can kill. If you tell me to run, I run."
"And?"
"And don't do anything stupid to impress you because you've seen every stupid thing there is to see and you or pawpaw invented half of them."
Elmore grinned. "That's my boy." He checked his gun, made sure his knife was secure, and glanced at Ditzy. "You're on guard duty, girl. Anything comes at us that Edward can't handle, you let me know."
Ditzy's tail wagged once, a massive sweeping arc that cleared a patch of underbrush like a weed whacker.
They moved into the forest with practiced quiet, Edward taking point with Elmore trailing ten feet behind. Ditzy ranged out ahead, her enormous bulk somehow moving through the trees with surprising stealth when she wanted to.
The forest was beautiful in the way that dangerous things often are. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in golden shafts, illuminating patches of moss and fern that glowed almost luminescent in the shadows. The air smelled of pine sap and damp earth, with an undertone of something fresh like the smell of new things growing in preparation for winter where new life flourished where summer plants died off.
Edward moved well. He'd been training in some form since he was old enough to join 5th grade, and it showed in how he placed his feet, how he held his spear, how his eyes constantly scanned the terrain for threats or opportunities.
Elmore felt a surge of pride watching him. The boy, "young man ", knew what he was doing.
They'd been walking for maybe twenty minutes when Ditzy froze, one massive paw lifted, her entire body going still in a way that said "prey ".
Edward saw it too. He lowered into a crouch, spear held ready, and glanced back at Elmore with a questioning look.
Elmore nodded and used hand signs. "Your call. "
Edward crept forward, moving from tree to tree with impressive patience. Elmore followed, keeping his distance, his hand resting casually on his axe but not drawing it.
Through a gap in the trees, Elmore spotted what Ditzy had scented: a buck, easily eight feet tall at the shoulder, with a rack of antlers that branched out like crystallized lightning. Its coat shimmered with a faint blue-green iridescence, and when it moved, small sparks of static electricity jumped between the tines of its antlers.
Probably very dangerous if cornered, but upon seeing no carnivores teeth he concluded it not immediately hostile. Probably
Edward assessed the animal with careful eyes. He was maybe thirty yards out, too far for a guaranteed kill with a thrown spear, close enough that a charge would be on him in seconds, maybe faster if its lightning skills give it speed.
Elmore watched his son think it through. Saw him weigh the risk, consider the angles, evaluate whether this was a smart engagement or a good way to get gored.
After a long moment, Edward carefully backed away, retracing his path until he was beside Elmore again.
"Not worth it," he whispered. "Too big, too fast, and I don't know if the spear would kill it fast enough before I got shocked to death."
Elmore clapped him on the shoulder. "Good call. Live animals ain't worth dying over."
They continued on, Ditzy leading them deeper into the wilds.
As they walked, Edward spoke up again, his voice quiet but carrying an edge of frustration. "Dad, I appreciate this. I do. But I'm not a kid anymore. I've got a 95% average. I'm captain of the wrestling team and football team. I've been studying dungeon theory and administration for two years. When are you going to let me be part of the real work?"
Elmore was quiet for a few steps. "You think you're not part of the real work?"
"I think I'm being kept in a bubble," Edward said. "I know you and Mom are trying to protect me, but I'm seventeen. I'm getting my skills in six months. I need to know what I'm actually going to be doing with them."
"What do you want to do with them?"
Edward hesitated, then spoke with the kind of careful honesty that only comes from thinking about something for a long time. "I want to help. Really help. Not just be the chief's son who gets easy assignments and everyone pretends is useful. I want to matter."
Elmore stopped walking. Turned to face his son fully.
"You think you don't matter?"
"I think I could matter more," Edward said. "You and Mom changed everything. You gave everyone food, healing, education, hope. You made Lakevail into something that works. And I... I'm just the kid who shows up to things and waves."
"You're seventeen," Elmore said flatly. "You ain't supposed to be running the world yet."
"But I could be learning how."
Elmore studied his son, this young man who looked like a Viking warrior and talked like someone who'd already figured out that power meant responsibility. Who'd apparently spent the last few years watching his parents work themselves half to death and decided he wanted in on that particular grind.
"Alright," Elmore said finally. "You want real work? You want to learn how things actually run? Starting Sunday, you're shadowing me. All day, every day, until you get your skills. Council meetings, budget reviews, infrastructure planning, dispute resolution, the whole boring-ass circus. And when you're not with me, you're shadowing your mother. Learning how she keeps people informed and calm."
Edward's eyes lit up. "Seriously?"
"Seriously. But you don't get to complain when it turns out that running a settlement is ninety percent paperwork and listening to people whine about petty shit." Elmore poked his son in the chest. "And you don't get to half-ass it. You're in or you're out. Which is it?"
"In," Edward said immediately. "Absolutely in."
"Then we got a deal." Elmore stuck out his hand.
Edward shook it, his grip strong and sure.
Ditzy chose that moment to let out a deep, rumbling growl that Elmore felt in his bones before he heard it.
Both men turned toward the sound, spears coming up.
Through the trees, something moved. Something big.
"Dad?" Edward's voice was steady, but Elmore heard the edge of tension.
"I see it." Elmore's hand went to his rifle. "Stay behind me."
"The rules, "
" Stay behind me "
The creature that emerged from the underbrush was unlike anything Elmore had seen in the wilds before. It stood maybe nine feet tall on four legs, with a body that seemed to be part bear, part boar, and part something that evolution had never intended. Its hide was covered in overlapping plates of what looked like hardened bark, and its eyes glowed with a dull red luminescence.
GUARDIAN OF THE SHIMMERING GROVE
Ditzy positioned herself between the creature and her humans, every hair on her massive body standing on end. Her lips pulled back from teeth the size of hunting knives.
The creature assessed them with alien intelligence. Then it huffed once, turned, and lumbered back into the forest.
Elmore didn't relax until the sound of its passage faded completely.
"What the hell was that?" Edward breathed.
"Something new," Elmore said. "Something we're going to need to report to investigate, it had a name over its head. That was a boss how the fuck do we have a boss this close we are only a few hours into the woods."
Edward was staring at where the creature had vanished. "That's what's out here? Things like that are what I've got to fight soon?"
"That," Elmore said, "is why we do supervised hunts. So when you get your skills and think you're invincible, you remember that fucking thing. And you remember that you, even with skills, are still just one person made of meat and bone." He put his hand on Edward's shoulder. "Skills make you strong, son. They don't make you immortal."
"Unlike me ", Elmore didn't say. "Who gets to watch everyone I love die and come back to do it again. " His heart burned like a hot knife at the thought looking as his baby boy.
The weight of Ash's refusal sat heavy on him suddenly. The knowledge that she'd chosen to stay mortal, to watch over their children from whatever came after, while he stayed behind in the world of the living.
He looked at Edward, strong, smart, determined to matter, and felt the keen edge of future loss. This boy would grow into a man, would have his own children, would age and die while Elmore stayed. Would never forget him, even Elmore's reincarnation wouldn't strip him of this memory when it will inevitably cut like glass.
"But for now ", he thought, "for this moment, he's here. And he's mine. "
"Come on," Elmore said, forcing cheer into his voice. "Let's find you something you can kill before Ditzy decides to eat our lunch."
They hunted for another three hours, during which Edward successfully brought down a turkey that had grown aggressive and territorial, and nearly five feet tall with knife blades for spurs, and Elmore told increasingly embarrassing stories about his own teenage hunting mishaps.
By the time they loaded back into the Beast, Edward was smiling, the earlier frustration replaced with pride.
Ditzy tried to claim the turkey as her share but Elmore told her to wait for later, receiving a giant puppy dog stare in return that he pointedly ignored.
As they drove back to lake veil Elmore asked his son what else he wanted to do. They had hours left in the day and it was his turn to pick something.
And Edward smiled “have you ever heard of Nexumon?”
Elmore glanced at his son, noting the shift in tone. "Can't say I have. What are they?"
"They're these creatures, real living animals, that this Japanese company started breeding a few years back. They're like, you know that old show Pokétmon? From when you were a kid?"
"I remember it," Elmore said carefully.
"Well, Nexumon are basically that, but real. They bred them to be collectible, trainable, some of them can even battle. Each one's got different traits, different temperaments." Edward was talking faster now, hands gesturing as he got into it. "Me and a bunch of kids at school, we pooled our money together, like, the whole grade chipped in, and we bought a starter collection. Seven of them."
"Seven creatures you all own together?" Elmore asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Yeah! That's the thing, right? None of us could afford one on our own, they're like two thousand Dollars each, but if we all go in together, we can have a whole group. And we set up a care schedule so everyone takes turns feeding them, cleaning up after them, training them. It's been working great."
"Where are you keeping seven exotic animals?"
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"That's the best part," Edward said, grinning. "The Davis family let us use their backyard. They've got that huge tower near the river, tons of space, and they built us a shed and everything. Mr. Davis even helped us set up a habitat area."
Elmore filed that information away. The Davis family, George Davis and his extended clan. Good people. Been in Lakevail since the early days, back when it was still just a few dozen families trying not to freeze to death.
"So what do these Nexumon do?" Elmore asked. "Besides exist and cost money?"
Edward launched into an explanation that lasted the rest of the drive out of the forest, describing the different types, their behaviors, the training methods, the care requirements, and the growing Nexumon community culture that was apparently spreading through schools across the region. Elmore listened, nodding in the right places, asking questions that kept his son talking.
It was good to hear Edward excited about something that wasn't responsibility or combat training instead something normal for a teenager.
The forest gave way to the massive new wall that crossed the New River Gorge, one of the major infrastructure projects in the works, a fifty-foot barrier of cut granite and mithril that marked the boundary of Lakevail's territory.
The checkpoint gate came into view, a fortified structure with guard towers and vehicle barriers. Edward's Nexumon explanation tapered off as they approached, his attention shifting to the guards.
The Beast's distinctive silhouette was apparently enough identification on its own. Before Elmore even slowed down, the massive gate began rolling open.
Elmore pulled up to the guard house and leaned out the window. A guard was already jogging over, a young man whose name Elmore pulled instantly from memory, Marcus Webb, twenty-three, former football player, two years on the wall guard, engaged to a girl named Sarah who worked at a hospital, he was in group 10 in the Charleston war.
"Hey man," Elmore called out. "Don't wanna take your time, but keep people going out informed, don't go east past two miles."
Marcus stopped mid-jog, his expression shifting immediately to alertness. "Something out there, Chief?"
"Something new," Elmore said. "A new area Boss so we're going to deal with it later but until we do I want a two-mile limit in that direction."
Marcus nodded sharply. "I'll spread the word chief"
"Good" Elmore confirmed. "No exceptions until further notice."
"Understood." Marcus stepped back, waving them through.
Elmore drove on, the gate closing behind them with the heavy clang of metal on metal.
The road curved along the cliff side now, running parallel to the gorge bellow. To their right, the New River, carved through sandstone in a spectacular display of geological creation. The water is clear and fast, running fifty feet below the road in a gorge that dropped away at angles that made tourists nervous.
"What are you gonna do about the boss?" Edward asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Who do you think i am boy ima Fight it," Elmore said simply.
"I know that but when?"
"Not today." Elmore glanced at his son. "Maybe bring your mother along. She's been itching for some action that isn't administrative meetings."
Edward smiled at that. "Mom does like hitting things."
"Your mother," Elmore said with exaggerated dignity, "is a refined and cultured woman who happens to enjoy the occasional application of extreme violence to worthy targets."
"She likes hitting things," Edward repeated.
"She likes hitting things," Elmore agreed.
"So you think it'll stay in one place? The boss?"
"Name said 'Guardian of the Shimmering Grove.' That sounds like an area boss but larger area maybe so it shouldn't wander to far." Elmore kept his eyes on the road, which was getting wider as it wound through the satellite towns being constructed at this far end of the valley. "We'll scope it out, see if it's actually a threat or just marking boundaries. If it's hostile, we'll take it down immediately . If not..." He shrugged. "Maybe we leave it alone but i have a feeling beatin one more boss should get me a good reward, it got me a throne once and a dungeon the second time so I'm lookin to loot."
Edward nodded slowly, processing that. Then his attention shifted again as familiar landmarks came into view.
"Okay, so you're gonna want to take the next left," Edward said, unnecessarily. "Then two blocks down, right at the gas station. Then straight for like half a mile and the Davis tower is on the right. You can't miss it, they like to grow a bunch of different colored grapes from their balconies so that should help tell it apart from the rest."
"I know where the Davis place is." Elmore said mildly.
"Right. Yeah. Of course you do." Edward had the grace to look slightly embarrassed.
The Davis family tower rose up ahead, exactly as Edward had described . Seven stories of turquoise mithril plating riveted onto what had been massive stone blocks sitting inside the structural frame, each plate catching the afternoon sun and throwing off iridescent reflections between the vines and shimmering off of the hundreds of other towers still growing even taller. No windows, just large balconies on each floor, open to the air, where grapevines with said grapes of every imaginable color cascaded down the sides like living waterfalls. Purple, green, red, gold, the vines turned the entire structure into a vertical garden just like every other tower just unique in what they grow.
Sitting inside his growing chiefdom he admitted to himself It was beautiful in a way that only post-Aither architecture could be. Practical, defensible, and utterly unlike anything that had existed before the awakening, and to outsiders a middle finger at their struggle no matter how much Elmore did..
Edward pointed toward a side gate. "We can just go around back, "
Elmore pulled up to the driveway and killed the engine.
"Dad, we can just, "
"Front door, son," Elmore said, climbing out. "We're guests, I'm not a kid who just comes and goes from his friends house, I'm a leader and I have to act it."
He walked up to the massive turquoise metal door and pressed the doorbell mounted beside it.
A few moments passed. Then the door swung inward, revealing an older man in his sixties, gray hair, strong build going soft around the middle, wearing house clothes and an expression of absolute shock.
George Davis stared at Elmore like he'd seen a ghost.
"Hey, George!" Elmore said warmly, extending his hand. "My buddy! Long time no see. Haven't seen you at town hall in a few years, I thought age was getting to you, but I hope you still know how to make those ribs, my guy."
George's mouth opened and closed twice before he managed to speak. "Elmore. Chief. I, you remember, " He took Elmore's hand automatically, shaking it like a man in a dream.
"Remember?" Elmore laughed. "George, we got drunk together in my back yard back when we were just starting out that first Sunday and you said you couldn't teach me your dry-rub recipe. I had to come to you for more. You think I'd forget that? Best ribs I've ever had. I still talk about those ribs when I cook for the family."
George's expression cycled through shock, pleasure, embarrassment, and finally landed on a kind of delighted disbelief. "You want a rack? I can make you a rack right now. Come in, come in!" He stepped aside, gesturing them into the tower. "Edward, good to see you, son. Let me grab you both something to drink."
He disappeared briefly and returned with two beers, handing one to them both. "So what brings you over? Not that you need a reason, of course, just, "
He didn't get to finish the sentence.
The sound of footsteps, many footsteps, echoed from the stairwell, and suddenly the entryway was filling with people. Davis family members emerged from every direction: aunts, uncles, cousins, teenagers, children, elderly grandparents. Four generations living under one roof, all of them converging with expressions ranging from curiosity to excitement to reverence.
"Is that Chief Elmore?"
"Holy shit, it is!"
"Language, Michael!"
"Edward! Your friends are upstairs!"
Edward was immediately absorbed into a cluster of teenagers his age, being pulled toward the stairs with enthusiastic greetings. Elmore found himself surrounded by adults, shaking hands, accepting warm welcomes, answering questions about settlement business and making small talk that felt genuinely pleasant rather than obligatory.
George stayed close, beaming with pride at hosting such an important guest, and Elmore made a mental note to show up here more often. These were good people. The kind who'd been here from the start, who'd built something worth having.
After several minutes of mingling, Elmore steered the conversation toward his actual reason for visiting. "George, Edward tells me you folks have been letting him and his friends keep some Nexumon out back?"
"Oh! Yes, yes, the kids' project." George's face lit up. "They're good kids, very responsible. They built a whole setup in the shed, keep it cleaner than some of my relatives keep their rooms." This earned him some indignant protests from said relatives. "Come on, I'll show you."
He led Elmore through the tower, past the dining room that could seat a lot of people, through a kitchen that smelled like bread and herbs, and out into a backyard that was larger than most would have expected. Maybe half an acre of space, with gardens, a chicken coop, and at the far end, a well-constructed shed with screened ventilation panels.
Edward and several of his friends were already there, clustered around the shed door with the kind of nervous excitement that suggested they desperately wanted to impress but were trying to play it cool.
George opened the shed door, and Elmore stepped inside.
The interior was surprisingly sophisticated. Climate control panels hummed softly, maintaining temperature and humidity. The floor was divided into sectioned habitats, some with sand, some with wood chips, some with grass mats. Food and water dispensers lined one wall, meticulously organized and labeled.
And in those habitats were the Nexumon.
Seven colorful animals, each one immediately recognizable in form but strange in execution.
A red chicken, its plumage the color of fresh blood, with tail feathers that looked like flame. It turned to look at Elmore with eyes as docile and empty as any other chicken.
A yellow iguana, electric blue stripes running down its spine, perched on a rock under a heat lamp.
A blue puppy with floppy ears and a tail that wagged enthusiastically at the new visitor.
A green cat, sleek and serpentine, watching from a high perch with contempt in its eyes.
A purple snake, coiled in a sandy corner, tongue flicking out to taste the air.
A golden weasel, darting between hiding spots with manic energy.
A white baby deer, delicate and healthy, lying in a pile of straw.
Elmore leaned down, resting his hands on his knees as he took in the collection of strange little creatures. They were bright and clean, the kind of animals you could tell had been fussed over by kids who actually cared. Their eyes followed him, curious but not fearful. He felt their energy when they used their minor skills naturally, faint threads of Aither running along their body like external veins on the skin.
Edward’s grin spread slowly. “You wanna battle?”
Elmore straightened. “They gonna get hurt?”
“Nah, Not in any real way,” Edward said quickly. “You’ll see.”
He stepped toward the yellow iguana, the one with the blue stripes, and held out his hand like someone greeting an old friend. The air shifted. Elmore felt it before he saw it, the faint ripple in the field, the tug of invisible current as Aither moved. A hair-thin line of light flickered between Edward’s palm and the creature’s forehead, barely there for a heartbeat before fading.
“That’s it?” Elmore asked.
Edward nodded. “Yeah. Just hold out your hand, think about linking. It’s called a temporary recruitment, basically you’re asking it to fight alongside you.”
Elmore shrugged. “Alright then.”
He crossed the shed, his boots thudding on the wood floor, and crouched beside the straw pile where the golden weasel hid. The little thing’s eyes gleamed like coins as it peeked out at him. He extended his hand, thinking about what Edward said. The moment his thoughts turned to the idea of connection, he felt the pulse, like a static pop against his skin, and the weasel’s form shimmered faintly.
A web of purple-gold lightning arced across his vision. The familiar HUD flared to life in transparent layers of text only he could see.
RECRUIT NEXUMON:
OSCAR THE RADIANT WEASEL
Duration options:
One Battle
One Hour
One Day
Permanent
The interface’s design reminded him of the companion token, wondering how close it would be to this if he gave it to ditzy.
He thought one battle, and the HUD blinked out.
The weasel chirped, then shot up his arm like a spark, wrapping itself around his neck before settling on his shoulder. Its fur was impossibly soft. It squeaked at him, proud and smug.
Elmore chuckled. “Guess that’s a yes.”
Outside, Edward had already stepped into the yard, into a crude ring of stones pressed into the dirt. His iguana crouched inside, tail twitching. Elmore walked over, ducking under a hanging grapevine, and set his own little partner down opposite.
The moment he did, the HUD shifted again, a new message unfurling across his sight.
DUEL REQUEST: Edward Eugene Elmore IV challenges you. Accept?
Edward blinked, clearly seeing the same thing. “Wait, why does yours just say Elmore? Mine only shows our last name, no first name or anything.”
Elmore rolled his shoulders. “Ain’t got one, never have boy don't you know” he said while chuckling. “Don’t worry about it.”
Edward hesitated mulling over that discongruous information, then nodded. “Alright I guess… i thought you where kidding but apparently not.”
They both accepted.
A pulse ran through the ring of stones between them, and Elmore felt his mind brush against the new temporary pet and His HUD fed him the skills it held.
[Basic Light Affinity] , small scale manipulation of visible light.
[Nexumon] , allows bond, shared commands, and combat interface with trainer, allows battle with other Nexumon in safe controlled battles, and in real battle with other enemies.
Simple abilities, nothing fancy. He should’ve guessed from the gold coloration; color is probably tied to element. Light type, small, fast, good for distractions.
The weasel twitched its whiskers and glanced at him expectantly, waiting for a command.
Elmore smirked. “Alright, little man. Let’s see what you can do against the might of my radiant weasel."
Smiling back Edward say's “ yeah right dad you have no chance against my skills or my ionized iguana”
The moment they finished speaking, both of them sent the thought. The Aither field around their Nexumon rippled like heat above asphalt.
The radiant weasel moved first. Its fur flashed with a quick burst of light before it shot forward, faster than Elmore expected, and a thin beam of gold light cracked across the air, striking the ionized iguana right in the eyes.
The iguana hissed, shaking its head, eyes rolling in different directions as it tried to realign its sight. Sparks popped along its tail and down its sides, faint and blue. The weasel darted left, avoiding a jolt that arced from the ground back into the iguana’s claws.
Elmore grinned. “Quick little bastard.”
The weasel pressed the advantage, low to the ground, claws scraping dirt as it went for the flank. The iguana tensed and a crackling shell of electricity formed over its body, crawling up its scales. The weasel’s teeth sank in anyway, drawing a hiss from the reptile and a sharp yelp from the weasel as the shock hit.
It rolled away, twitching and half-paralyzed, every muscle jerking. The iguana stumbled too, bleeding from two punctures along its ribs. Blue stripes rippled across its yellow skin like waves through sand.
The iguana’s eyes swiveled. Its tongue snapped out, striking dirt where the weasel had been a heartbeat before rolling away, the tip leaving a tiny scorched patch. The weasel bounced side to side, its movements jerky from aftershocks, but still staying mobile.
Edward gave a small grin, confidence showing. The iguana began pacing, tail scraping, electricity popping against in the ground around its feet. The weasel darted in again, but the iguana struck first this time. Its tongue lashed out like a whip, caught the weasel by the side, and reeled it in.
The air popped with small sparks as the iguana used its front toes to pin the weasel, tiny arcs dancing between them. The weasel screeched and clawed back, catching the iguana across one eyelid and down the side of its jaw. The iguana flinched, releasing its grip, and the weasel rolled away again, gasping.
Elmore sent the thought and they saw the moment something changed. The air shimmered faintly around the weasel. Four, then five faint copies of it flickered into being, rolling across the dirt, perfect illusions of motion.
Edward’s eyes widened. “What…”
The iguana started whipping its tongue at the mirages, each one unfazed when struck the tongue passing through without resistance. The real weasel moved low, camouflage to Edward and his iguana, the air bending around its shape and when it got within range It leapt high teeth bearded.
They collided in a tangle of fur, scales, claws, and light. Little bursts of gold and blue flashed in the dirt as they rolled, snapping and scratching. When they broke apart again, both creatures were shaking, skin scorched, blood spotting their sides.
They circled. One step. Another. The iguana’s breathing came heavy, crackles still crawling up its legs. The weasel flickered, its shape blurring between real and false.
Then it lunged again.
The iguana struck too, jaws open, light and sparks meeting in a brief flash that lit the yard white. When the light faded, the weasel hit the dirt first, limp.
Both HUDs blinked alive.
DUEL RESULT: Edward Eugene Elmore IV - VICTORY
The iguana slumped, exhausted but alive. The weasel twitched once, then went still. Elmore’s heart jumped before both creatures glowed faintly. The burns closed. The punctures sealed. In seconds they were both upright again, pacing in lazy circles as text scrolled across their HUD.
Battle Complete. Connection released. Nexumon restored.
Edward pumped a fist. “Ha! Told you!”
A girl’s voice rang from the side. “Nice work, Edward!”
Elmore turned. Carilon stood near the fence line, clapping. She wore a sleeveless denim jacket and boots covered in mud. Her grin was wide enough to catch sunlight.
Edward froze, then turned pink. “Oh, hey, uh… thanks, Carilon.”
Elmore gave him a firm pat on the back. “Good work, son you had some Smart control and You kept your head even when things got unexpected I'm proud of you.”
Edward rubbed his neck, still red-faced. “Thanks, Dad.”
Carilon hopped the short fence, jogging over. “That was awesome, You really had him for a second, Mr. Elmore.”
Elmore chuckled. “For a second, yeah but he earned that win in the end.”
They laughed, and the tension broke. The two Nexumon were already sniffing each other, tails and tongues moving like they hadn’t just tried to kill one another.
“So,” Elmore said, hands on his hips. “How many of these things are there anyway?”
Edward looked almost proud. “There’s fifty kinds so far, but Jentendo keeps breeding new ones every six months.”
“Fifty?” Elmore said, eyebrows raised. “That's a good but, but hopefully they get to one hundred fifty one.” Elmore laughs at his own joke that is ignored or not noticed by the kids.
“Pretty much every kid in town’s into them,” Edward said. “Like I said earlier, everyone in my grade takes turns caring for them. The whole school wants involved.”
George, who’d been standing on the porch watching the whole thing, spoke up. “It ain’t just them kids Chief, from what I heard in the bar Plenty of adults are itching to get some too, especially with most growing up on pokétmon, but they’re waiting. Folks don’t wanna draw from the community trust until we all agree it’s worth the investment, and no one wants to be the one to look like a child asking for this stuff at the townhall”
Elmore was quiet for a long moment, looking from George to his son. Then he nodded. “Sounds like you just found your first piece of politics, boy. We’ll work out a proposal tonight, get the details straight, then present it at the next town hall.”
Edward blinked, then his face split into a wide grin. “Seriously? You mean it?”
“Course I do.”
Carilon let out a cheer. “You’re gonna do great! I can help, if you want.”
Edward went crimson again. “yeah, I’d love that… I-i mean That I'd really appreciate the help, I'll call you about it later.”
They spent another hour at the Davis home, the smell of ribs filling the air as George worked his grill. Elmore ate until his stomach hurt, talking shop with the adults while Edward sat beside Carilon, either not having the courage to notice or being completely too dense to notice when she leaned closer than needed to whisper something.
When they finally left, George handed Elmore a wrapped rack of ribs for the road.
Back in the Beast, the sun was dipping low over the ridge.
Elmore took the turn toward home and said, “Alright, boy. Time we take a look at that wooden cube of yours.”
Edward blinked. “Now? I thought we where doing politics.”
“yes now because that thing’s been doing strange shit since I carved it for you when you were a toddler, and since you can interact with it now and have finally asked for my help, so we need to see what it actually does and I can get it out of my fucking head, and since you have Carilon to help you it will be good practice when you two rule this valley.”
Edward locked up” when we rule? What no dad. It's not like that yet or yeah we are just friends, but I'd i don't know “ rambling like a confused kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
After that they rode in silence for a while before Elmore spoke again. “Strange thing though. You and your friends don’t even have a Nexus yet. How are you using Nexumon at all?”
Edward frowned. “I don’t know. None of us do. The first time it happened, it just… worked. The battles showed up like we had interfaces already. Guess you don’t need a Nexus to have a Nexumon.”
Elmore’s fingers drummed the steering wheel. “That’s new. Real new.”
They didn’t talk much after that. When they reached home, they went straight into Elmore’s study.
The study was half of the bedroom he shared with Ash, more workbench than office. His desktop sat in the corner, the tower’s fans humming softly beside a pile of tools, notebooks, and an ashtray full of screws and cigarette butts.
They each pulled up a chair. Edward set the cube on the desk between them.
It was a rough-cut thing, maybe two inches on a side, old locust wood dense and stubborn as iron. Once it had been plain Elmore’s handiwork, carved years ago when Edward was still small enough need to use both hands and couldn't speak. Each face had a set of runes from the elder futhark, simple sigils he’d carved by firelight when the world lost power.
Now only one face looked normal. The rest shifted in slow, liquid motion, Aither crawling like molten threads beneath and across the surface, turning the rest of the cube into an almost alive patchwork of flickering symbols.
Edward slid it closer. “It’s been doing that for years. Only this side stayed solid after it ate my sword.”
Elmore leaned in. The fixed face wasn’t his carving anymore. The lines were different, joined in a tree-like lattice: Fehu, Gebō, Perthro, Othala, Eihwaz, and Mannaz, all braided together. Perthro formed the root, Gebō the trunk branching into the arms, the others woven upward into a crown of interlocking marks.
He stared for a while before speaking. “Rough translation, and I mean rough, would be something like… ‘something locked away can be exchanged, connecting man to tree, bringing wealth from generations past.’”
Edward blinked. “That’s… intense.”
“It’s a blatant stretch because there is no way to get a clean translation at all it's like trying to turn poetry, imagery, history, and symbolism into one sentence your never going to get its entirety across without just knowing and studying each.”
Elmore turned to the computer, opened the digital Edda, and pulled up rune tables. For the next two hours, he talked and Edward listened. He showed him each symbol, their phonetic sounds, their earliest meanings in the proto-Norse tongue, the associations. Edward asked smart questions, memorizing and but trying to understand the shape of the logic beneath each letter.
When the conversation reached a natural lull the young man's curiosity finally started turning back toward the cube, he lifted it and elmore asked him to show him its transformations again.
Edward pressed it between his palms and the cube began to stretch and twist, the Aither shimmer running through it like muscle under skin. In moments it reformed into a small round shield. Another thought, and it folded back into the cube. Then an axe, club, fishing spear, the curved frame of a bow without string. Each weapon or tool he’d ever carved from wood and left near the cube appeared.
Elmore whistled low. “Ok im not seeing anything new even with my current intelligence.”
Edward handed it over. “You try.”
Elmore rolled it in his hands, feeling its weight shift when He thought of the axe, and it became one changing weight. Thought of the shield, and it changed again. The surface flexed like bark under tension, solidifying into the forms instantly.
He tried to picture a wooden pistol, just to see if it would change and nothing happened. The cube stayed still.
“Guess it needs to absorb a tool first,” he said.
He shifted it back into a shield and set it on the desk. With his mithril axe, he shaved a small piece from the rim and even for him the cut took a lot of effort. When the blade eventually bit through but while it did so it felt like carving stone with a butter knife.
He flipped it back into cube form. The sliver he’d carved off just vanished, taking note of that he turned it back into a shield to find it showed no mark at all. Showing to them it had Perfect restoration most likely.
Elmore grunted. “Well that's useful."
“My guess was it doesn’t like losing pieces,” Edward said, grinning.
Elmore stroked his beard. “You try adding anything to it yet? Crystal socket? Mithril?”
“I haven't tried crystals no, but I did learn that Mithril parts dont work. Neither does mushroom wood, the thing just ignores it.”
Elmore scratched his beard. “Hold on.”
He went to the Beast and pulled Edward’s mithril-tipped spear from the bed of the truck, before rummaging through a drawer and came back with a small red Aither crystal.
“Alright i have a hunch here, let me test it a bit.”
In five minutes they carved a groove into the spear’s haft, embedding the crystal and binding it with pressure in the hole. When it was in there solid, Elmore pushed his own Aither through the weapon, feeling the faint thrum of resonance, then handed it to Edward.
“Try this, it might work.”
Edward pressed the cube against the spear. His jaw tightened, face showing strain. The spear shimmered once, then vanished.
He laughed out loud. “It worked!”
A moment later, the cube unfolded into the spear again. The haft no longer looked like mushroom wood though the grain had shifted, denser, streaked like locust. Everything else stayed the same even the color and texture.
Elmore nodded slowly. “So it converts anything it sees as wood back into locust while it keeps the pattern. We can replace every wooden tool of yours the best we can make ill get a request in but this is far more useful than i can express, it makes me wonder if it can be repeated with our false awakening tech ill have to work on that.”
Edward’s grin couldn’t be hidden. “Yeah, this is huge.”
They tested a few more changes, switching forms back and forth until their excitement dulled from repetition. Finally, Elmore picked it up again, eyes on the constantly moving sigil on the opposite side of the currently solid side.
“Let’s see what i can do with all this noise.”
He focused and the runes slowed. The constant drift froze piece by piece until the surface locked into a solid image and that being Othala at its center, its outer edges bound with Thurisaz runes, a Perthro inside the hollow. The bottom arms of Othala twisted into paired Algiz, the top stretching into Tiwaz like a spear point.
Elmore drew in a deep breath, gathering every thread of Aither he could. He poured it into the cube until the air in the room hummed, pulling in ambient energy from the walls, from the lights, from the faint hum of the valley itself. The cube flared white, then went still.
He sagged back in the chair and tossed it to his son. “Be safe.”
Edward caught it, eyes wide. The new symbol glowed faintly. “Dad, how’d you do that? What does it even mean?”
Elmore wiped his forehead. “Wait till your eighteenth to use that one. It might be too much for you without a Nexus. Closest meaning I can get is something like… ‘inheritance from a father holding power and secrets, wielding protection and law.’ Even I don’t know what it’ll do. Never seen anything like it.”
Edward turned it over reverently. “So how do I make one?”
“You’d need an intelligence over fifty, a fight with the Shadow Guardian under your belt, your Aither stat unlocked, and probably a damn good understanding of the old runes. But that’s just me guessing.”
Edward nodded, still staring at the cube. “Guess I’ve got work to do.”
Elmore pushed away from the desk and stretched. “Yeah. But for now, let’s eat. I can smell your mother’s cooking.”
They made their way into the kitchen, chairs creaking under them as they sat. It was warm comfortable, red walls and the same old brass fixtures, the smell of cornbread and venison stew filling the air. Ash was already there, apron tied crookedly around her thick waist, stirring the last of the pot.
“Dinner’s almost done,” she said, smiling without turning.
“Thank you,” both of them said in near unison.
Elmore reached into his shirt pocket, pulled a cigarette, and leaned toward the open window. The lighter clicked. He took a long drag and exhaled into the cold valley air.
He’d been looking out this same window for forty years. The same angle, same wind, same pull of gravity in his shoulders. He felt every year of it tonight. Smoke curled into the dark as he studied what lay beyond his home.
Half a kilometer of untouched mountainside rolled out beneath him in his own circle of wilderness. Beyond that, the valley bloomed like an old memory of the world before Aither. The town had grown constantly, towers spreading out in patchwork rows, built from the same dark stone and turquoise metal that glinted whenever lightning cut across the clouds. From here, it was starting to look like the old cities but more human in execution.
Down the slope, his yard gave way to the bone throne, as menacing as ever. after all these years it had only gown more dark to see. an elephant-sized hog skeleton with a throne in he face, the ribcage filled with thousands of human skeletons woven into its frame. Behind it stretched the orchard, the pawpaw trees swaying slow in the breeze. It being the species he’d brought back from the edge, the one only Lakevail still grew.
Farther still, at the base of the valley, stood the Hall of Beginnings. Once no bigger than a warehouse, now the size of Rome’s coliseum, roofed over in stone metal still being reinforced. Around it rose hundreds of towers each one breathing light, each with its own patch of soil and garden. The people moved between them in slow rhythm, walking mostly, and the rare old model car rebuilt with that same metal most foregoing paint all together.
He looked toward the New River Gorge and couldn’t even see the end of what was his anymore. The city creeping down toward the river every day. Fifteen square miles of land under the sun he controlled, easy. Maybe twenty if he counted the hollows underground.
He wondered how the hell he still managed all this. The answer came as quick as it always did with the obvious hard work, delegation, and a town full of people with intelligence scores above ten. A city of geniuses, each one built to solve their own problems.
He took another drag, smoke curling from his nose.
Edward leaned over his shoulder, looking out through the same window. “You should be proud, Dad. No matter what Aunt Weewee says, we all grew up happy. I just hope I can do good enough for you to be proud of me like I am of you.”
Elmore looked at his son for a long moment, then nodded. “Thank you, boy. Now sit down. We got something important to talk about while we eat.”
Ash set the plates down and took her seat, raising an eyebrow. “What’s so serious all of a sudden?”
Elmore let the cigarette burn low in the tray. “First off, I promised Edward that from now on he studies under me and you when he’s not at school. It’s time he learns what it takes to rule.”
Ash’s face lit up. “You mean he wants to come on my field interviews? Maybe even sit in during the broadcast?”
Edward smiled. “Yeah. I’m excited to actually talk to people, see what it’s like.”
Elmore snuffed the cigarette, grabbed his cup of juice, took a long drink, and let a few drops run into his beard. He wiped his mouth, set the cup down, and gave Edward a look the young man had never seen before. It silenced the room.
“Your mom already knows this,” he said quietly. “Nobody else does. And you need to understand how heavy this is before I tell you.”
Edward swallowed hard and nodded.
“I’m functionally immortal,” Elmore said. “As long as our bloodline don’t break, as long as the family keeps having sons and my name, I’ll keep coming back.”
Edward blinked, confused. “What do you mean… keep coming back?”
Elmore took a slow breath. “It’s my skill. [Progenitor]. Exact wording says I’m reborn into my direct male lineage every time I die. My soul passes down the line. No end, far as I can tell.”
Edward stared at him, then slowly pieced it together. “So… if I’m understanding this right, my son, or grandson, could end up being my own father?”
Elmore nodded. “That’s the gist.”
Edward’s face went pale. “Then what happens to… to my kid or grand kids soul? When you take the body where do we go?”
“I don’t know,” Elmore admitted. “This is my first life.”
That quieted everything. Even the house seemed to still.
Edward’s fork tapped once against the plate. Then he said softly, “Thank you for telling me. I’ll need some time.”
They ate after that in silence. Ash’s cooking was as good as ever, their favorite panbread, venison stew, and beans cooked with bacon. When the dishes were cleared, they moved to the couch in the living room.
Elmore booted the old desktop again and loaded an emulator. “Reaching for the Halo,” Edward read.
“Fourth one,” Elmore said. “Last good one before greed ruined gaming.”
The screen flickered to life. They played in orbit, hopping from ship to ship as the planet burned below. Elmore grinned when he saw another level that hadn’t existed when he played as a kid. Aither at work again it seamed that every game he played on his PC now had endless stories to tell and from what Elmore can tell it never broke the lore and he did really enjoy it knowing he didn't have to pay for another game again.
Hours passed. The only sound was gunfire, explosions, and the hum of the fans. The tension in the room thickened until Elmore finally said, “You holding up okay, boy?”
“I’m fine,” Edward muttered. “Just frustrated.”
Elmore leaned back. “Hard thing to come to terms with, I know.”
Edward’s jaw tightened. “You don’t get it. It’s not just about my kids, it’s about my legacy. Everything you give me, everything I build it’ll all just circle back to you. Over and over. Through history, you’ll always take it back. Everyone else, me, my sons, anyone we’re just placeholders. Only you ever matter. I will be forgotten”
Elmore gave a tired smile. “ill never forget you And how do you know I’ll always want to be in charge? Maybe one day I’ll decide not to come back. Maybe I’ll just farm, or be a cop, or hell, not even tell anyone who I am.” He chuckled softly. “You’re assuming I like paperwork that much.”
Edward didn’t laugh. He stood, face tight, hands balled into fists, and stormed off toward his room.
Elmore started to rise, but Ash’s hand landed on his arm. “Not now,” she said quietly. “Let him cool off. That’s a lot to drop on a kid.”
Elmore sighed and sank back into the couch. “Yeah. Guess it is.”
He reached for the remote, turned off the game, and sat there for a long while before finally heading to bed. Satisfied with the day, but heavy with how it ended.