Nothing was left except the signs of battle. Lingering remnants of spiritual energy, but no force holding the position. John approached at a reckless speed, heedless of a potential ambush.

He landed on the docks, where a few vessels remained. The same ships that had been present before, as far as John could tell. The others… departed in the days he had been gone. Or perhaps sunk. There were a few of those, and he could sense spiritual energy lingering from whatever had brought them down.

No, it wasn't 'whatever'. The most prominent spiritual energy John sensed was someone he had encountered before, if only at a distance. She had extremely recognizable energy, even if it had not been for the mixture of elements. Empress Aldara.

She… shouldn't have been here. Not anywhere nearby. They were tracking her location as much as possible. Based on the timelines… John thought she should have been close enough for him to sense when he departed. Or perhaps it was just close to it.

He walked inward, wary of what he might find- or perhaps wanting to not find it at all. But he was the only one left. The Bright Trinity had been here, supporting Aldara. It was no surprise. John even sensed Roi, the first of them he had met. The man had been the best chance for diplomacy, but it appeared to have all been a ruse.

John's eyes scanned the surroundings. There was a problem. Not enough bodies. Oh, there were far more bodies than he wanted to see but not as many as he expected. It wasn't just enemies- it appeared they had taken away their own dead- but also his own allies. There had been a full complement of defenders here, sufficient to take on most forces the Empire of Elements could send. Three Ascending Soul Phase cultivators… of which John sensed the remnants of two.

The first was Samuel. His body was in pieces… shattered like ice, no doubt. That was what the lingering elements told John. The actual ice that had suffused him had long decayed.

John prayed with all of his heart to whatever gods might exist in such a world as this, but it didn't change who the other was. It could have been Jolana. It would have been a loss to their alliance, but one they could recover from. Personally, he wouldn't have been that upset. She was a decent woman, but they were never friends.

He already felt the energy before he saw her. He knew that it was already too late. Astrid was slumped against a wall, her midsection annihilated. Not by an attacker, but by her own energy. A self detonation. Around her… Aldara's energy. The missing people were likely captives. John would have gladly had Astrid give up every secret the continental alliance held if there was any chance of her survival… but that was just him.

He kneeled on the ground in front of her. Her body was barely recognizable, but the energy couldn't be mistaken. He reached out, gathering what tiny fragments remained. He accepted the light and fire into himself, a familiar feeling.

Anger could have overtaken him, but all he felt was emptiness.

Why did he go?

Everyone agreed at the time. But maybe they were wrong.

How did they miss Aldara?

Why did she appear at such a time?

Why… did it happen again?

His heart ached. Old wounds opened once more, both physical and mental.

It would have been enough to break him, once. He had broken before. But now he was stronger… if only just. John managed to stand, though he did not know how long it had been.

A million questions with answers he could never obtain were pushed aside. The past couldn't be changed. Not everything had a reason. What mattered was what happened, and what he was going to do about it.

The answer was that he was going to kill the Empress. When Matayal died, she took down her enemies with her. John had a target remaining, and Astrid was no less important to him than his first wife. Comparing them wasn't fair, but it was inevitable. Ultimately, it didn't matter. He'd loved them, and they'd been taken away by this world.

In his current state, John was just short of the recklessness of chasing after Aldara alone. It was close, but his exhaustion held him back. If he couldn't even catch up to her, what was the point? He couldn't die fighting her if he never got to her. And it really wouldn't be fair to die. They would want him to live, even if John wasn't sure if he wanted to.

He was an entire phase ahead, but emotionally he was only a little bit stronger. John almost wished he'd never met Astrid… but that was just foolishness talking. It could have been someone else he cared about… and without Astrid he would have been weaker. He wouldn't sully their time together by pretending it would be better not to have it.

He tried to stabilize his energy. John thought it should have worked, but he still felt unbalanced no matter what he did. The four core elements should have regulated themselves, so light and darkness were all he needed. A half portion of light was his limit without another totem. He tried to adjust from there, but no matter what he still felt off.

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But maybe he shouldn't be so focused on totems. If he couldn't already properly withstand light, he would never make it to the Exalted Soul Phase. He likely wouldn't anyway… but it seemed reasonable to carry a full portion of light.

His consciousness was hazy as he gathered and refined energy. Elements were converted until he achieved something akin to a balance of all six… though it was not natural. It gave him something to focus on, however.

John didn't miraculously advance to the next phase, nor was he so reckless as to try. He knew he was missing something. Maybe it was Astrid. Possibly, some insight he would never spot. Either way, he found at least a day had passed on the battlefield, the former outpost.

-----

John gathered together the remains around the island. It was a morbid task, but everyone deserved the dignity. The bodies were preserved, all biological processes ended by John's spiritual energy. No further decay.

They each were placed in a single remaining vessel, which John oriented towards an inner location, away from the front lines. Somewhere they could be properly cared for.

Beneath him, the Molten Sea flowed. Perhaps John had bad luck with seas, or maybe he was a curse for those around him. But despite such depressing thoughts, he knew it was really just that the world was not a kind one. Earth hadn't been either. Death would have come for all those he knew and also himself some time before, even if it hadn't been through violence. John should have been glad for his extended lifespan, but of course in the moment he had no appreciation for such things.

The prow of the vessel split apart lava, its viscosity lessened as John pulled it around the vessel. From behind, he pushed it forward. It wasn't a perfect Molten Sea technique, but it was good enough. He needed the extra days to think, regardless.

When he grew tired, he meditated on his six elements. Stability was still difficult to achieve. Perhaps he would recover in a few weeks… or he might never again find his spiritual energy rested cleanly inside of him. There was no way to know how well he would recover.

-----

Those from the Molten Sea were sent off on a ship, one that would eventually become part of the sea itself. It was a beautiful ceremony that John couldn't fully appreciate. There wasn't time to let people recover, and he certainly wasn't the one most impacted by those deaths.

He accompanied Astrid back to the continent. As much as he fully intended to hunt down and kill the Empress, he couldn't do so alone. Certainly not in his current condition. He knew he was bad… and he very much needed the opinions of others to guide him lest he cause two tragedies.

John still had family and friends. This time, at least, he was doing his best to remember that. He didn't wish to cause grief to them just to try to rid himself of his own. It seemed… selfish.

-----

He didn't return to the Six Elements Crossroads. It wouldn't be good for his sect to see him as he was, and nobody he needed was there. Instead, he visited the Sunfields. There, he first went to the Golden Tomb Guardians. They were closer than the Summer Sun Sect.

Deirdre provided what words of comfort she could. John appreciated them, even if he barely even heard them. He needed them regardless of whether he could repeat them at a later time.

Cuah'arn was surprisingly more in tune with John's particular desires at the moment. "Were I a great phoenix, I would fly with you to the Molten Sea and burn your foes to ashes. Perhaps I shall come with you regardless."

"We might need everyone we can get," John admitted.

"You carry with you a full portion of light. Have you perfected your insights?"

John shook his head. "Far from it, still."

"Good. If you thought yourself perfect, perhaps you would do something foolish. You won't, will you?"

"Empress Aldara is not an Exalted Soul Phase cultivator. I don't need that to kill her. I just need to reach her."

"And you shall. This war cannot continue as we are, or our foundations will be shaken."

John nodded. Surely the Molten Sea would think the same upon the loss of another sect head. They had to take the fight directly to Aldara, forcing an engagement no matter what. But not just yet.

John had another stop in the Sunfields. Nicolas, who had been trained by Astrid to replace him as sect head, was distraught. Not in precisely the same way as John, but he wasn't going to say the pain of a disciple was any less real than a husband. Just… different.

"I wish to join you."

"You may," John said. "But it is also important to protect the legacy she helped grow." Astrid hadn't founded the sect, but she had been the first to reach the Ascending Soul Phase. She had shared all of her most important insights with Nicolas, and he certainly hadn't had the time to raise a viable successor, not just yet. Even if he had, losing him as well would set the sect back more than a generation. "I plan to return within two months at the latest. Have you answer then."

Astrid's body was burned upon a pyre of the local grass, flames lit by the light of the sun. John watched until long after the stars were out.

-----

Steve didn't say anything. That was probably the best reaction he could have given. They shared a hug, the sort they both might have been ashamed of when they were young for no good reason. But of course, they had many decades of maturity now. Even if Steve often appeared to have the recklessness of youth, he truly knew what he was doing.

Yustina and Steve had been cycled away from the frontlines. They should have had another few months of time off at least, but both pledged to come with him. John didn't even ask- it wasn't even necessarily his intention. But he wouldn't refuse. He would need all the help he could get- including those individuals that were trying to hold the positions of his staunchest allies.

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