“You are fully healed up, you are free to head back to the Alsyr whenever you are ready.”
“Uh, thanks…”
Psiksi looked up at Retvik, who had just removed the bandages on his hand and incinerated everything. He felt uneasy. As if he was both at home and away from home at the same time.
“Is something wrong? You do not seem right.”
Despite never having telepathy, Retvik was always very good at telling if someone was happy or not. Psiksi glanced up at Retvik, inspecting him for a moment, before sighing.
“Yeah. There’s a lot wrong. I spent ages thinking I was the only Threanic being around, among a bunch of draconic assholes. Then I spent ages just killing Corruption and Voidborns. Sure, I worked my way up the Alsyr ranks, but I’ve been an outsider for so damn long, that being here, with people I know, it feels… surreal…”
Retvik shrugged, then sat down next to Psiksi. “That is understandable. Things have been strange, there have been a lot of ups and downs, for a long time.”
“I guess. But I have so many unanswered questions. And I don’t want to seem like an annoying prick and asking everyone. There’s buried pasts all around here. Like… like, just starting with you, so much is different and strange and confusing. Why the fuck are you 3m tall now, how comes you have fire powers, and what the fuck happened to your arm plating?”
“To be blunt, I picked up fire powers and lost my arm plating before the universe exploded the first time…” Retvik grunted. “As to why I am so tall now, I am not sure. I have just been growing constantly for the last half a decade. Happened to all us Rethans, and to Elksia as well. I think it may also apply to you Skyans, but you grow far more slowly than I do.”
Psiksi seemed to accept that answer but he was still frustrated and confused. “Still… I have more questions. Like… who the fuck is Litvir? Where the fuck did he come from and why does he have a non-binary twin sibling who is dating a younger version of literally you? I don’t get any of this!”
“Well, it has been an absolutely awful mess around here, to be fair. There are many times where I do not understand things as well. Recently, we had a ship crash here, and everything on it was dead apart from a single baby Beh’evok. One that had come from the nest thingy that Itaviir came from.”
Psiksi blinked. “Fucking what?”
“This place is insane. Strange things happen constantly, but I find myself just trying to go with the flow rather than trying to understand everything. It hurts less.”
“Alright, yeah, fair enough, but I still don’t know where you found Litvir and Kuta. You picked up TWO vampiric Rethans.”
“Ugh… That is a long story I do not like thinking about.”
“He’s your new boyfriend though. Alongside the fucking Thantophor. You’re literally in a relationship with the old god of death.”
“You are aware that Gath and I were forcibly divorced, and Gath went on to live his own life, yes? For a long time, after the universe exploded the first time, I was in the same position as you, I thought I was the only Rethan around. Miraculously, I ran into Litvir, and we kept each other sane while we did Decayling things. There were a LOT of beings like you, Psiksi, who were briefly given divinity. Most of them had their memories altered and were sent back home. Litvir was chosen same way I was.”
Psiksi paused, then took a deep breath. “That makes some sense, I guess. Elksia told me that the stupid Whenvern adopted her for a bit, and Tenuk told me all about Kinisis’s “twelve guardians” bullshit. But… Are you really in a relationship with Arkay?”
Retvik nodded.
“Why? He always seemed… troubled by relationships.”
“When Arkay became a Decayling, he got to experience genuine freedom. He grew as a person.”
“But he… was a death god in the new strange universe thing too.”
“Unfortunately. But Arkay is free now.”
Psiksi sighed some more. “The multiverse moved on without me, right?”
“It moved on for everyone. We were all, to put it politely, fucked over by Kinisis and Epani.”
“That… was not polite.”
Retvik tutted. “There is no nice way of putting these things. A lot of people were hurt or separated or rewritten or even killed. But Litvir and I are trying to keep things together, and we are also trying to do some good in this damn pentacluster.”
“That… is fair enough…” Psiksi hesitated then glanced around. “I… I do have some other questions though.”
“That is not a problem. I will do my best to try and answer them.”
“I appreciate it. I appreciate all of this. From the way my fellow Alsyr Decay Lords act, they seem to think that the Thantir are a terrifyingly powerful sect. You’re all behind a lot of… righteous murder around here. Voidborns and Corruption. But now I’m here and I’m just finding out that you kinda only do purifications. Is that all you really do?”
Retvik thought for a moment. “Well, currently, yes, we mostly just help people who are afflicted by Voidborn or Corruption influences, and occasionally the odd bit of Life Goddess mind control. But at some point, once the Decaylings are all Decay Lords, Litvir and I are considering getting into Corruption purging as well.”
“Fucking really?” Psiksi’s mood immediately lightened up. “You’re gonna get into righteous murder?”
“That is the plan, yes. But we will not start until our newest Decaylings have settled down. Phovoula in particular, because she is a Voidborn and she has a lot to adjust to.”
Psiksi snickered. “A lot of piss must have happened because I had no idea that Phovos, the old mayor of Palaestra, is both a Life Goddess and a lesbian.”
“Um…” Retvik stuttered a little, then decided not to bring up bad memories for himself. “I think Phovos is bisexual, she does have some interest in males.”
“I’m not bothered, just surprised. Whatever floats your boat, right? But, like, are you serious about the corruption purging stuff?”
Retvik nodded and smiled. All of a sudden, he had worked out why Psiksi was asking. “Are you considering leaving the Alsyr?”
“Yeah, of course! It fucking sucks, being the only Skyavok in the entire sect and having everyone call me a Beh’ena all the fucking time!” Psiksi exclaimed. “I do a good job, I’ve totally risen up the ranks, most other Alsyr respect me, but there are definitely folks who hate me just because I’m different. Also, well, I’m fucking lonely…” Psiksi let out a very long, tired sigh. “Thing is, I don’t know if I can leave or not. The Black Storm don’t like it when people leave.”
Retvik smiled some more, and put an arm around Psiksi. This made Psiksi both feel slightly better and feel incredibly small.
“I do not think you will have problems leaving. Kaytee used to be a member of the Phantai, and they were very strict about leaving, but Litvir and I convinced the Great Blades to let Kaytee join us. I have met the Black Storm, I am pretty sure we can convince them to let you go. They seem somewhat reasonable. And if they are not reasonable… well, Litvir, Arkay and I do have more authority than most, what with us being a Hidden Named Trio.”
“You’d do that for me?” Psiksi asked.
“Of course. After all, we ought to get the team back together, yes?”
“Yeah…” Psiksi trailed off yet again. “Alright, one last question, then I promise I’ll stop and get on with calling my bosses and letting them know what’s going on.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“Is Kayel single?”
Retvik shrugged. “You find him attractive?”
“Yeah, totally… Back when we were all mortal, I know I had a thing with Kass, but if I’d been single, I was totally considering asking Arkay out. But Arkay’s dating you and Litvir now, and Kayel looks a bit like the old Thantophor and has the exact sort of look that I find attractive.”
“Well, I cannot answer that question, but you can just go and ask Kayel yourself. It would not be a problem.”
Psiksi grinned, then stood up. “Thanks, Retvik. For both helping me and putting up with me.”
Retvik patted Psiksi on the shoulder then got up too. “It is the least I can do. However, admittedly, I do need to get back to work.”
“No worries. I’m… gonna make some phone calls… I have… plans to make…”