The rift he entered was black, covered in stars, and somewhere in the air was a light that I’zhar couldn’t follow. Gravity stopped him, the invisible floor under his feet guiding him to a path that his eye couldn’t. Without being in the next dimension, I’zhar couldn’t see a possibility for a timeline closest to where they could go. Instead, it was out of reach, something he couldn’t blink into. 

He had a familiar way of playing their game, just like this. It was training to prove I’zhar independent from his sight, one of the most important things being that he musn’t rely on just predictions, distractions. To live in the present. The lessons A’dhabake imposed on him were about understanding guidance as it were also instinct. To balance his sight of time with the sight of the present. 

Even with the blackness of their space, light seemed to pour down on them just like it was on Earth. It’s how he spotted Nevica, head tipped upwards as he had an arm around his torso. His eyes rolled to I’zhar’s direction. 

“Any idea on how to make it to the top?” Nevica asked. 

“Even if I did, we would be in the wrong dimension until they both interfere.”

“What do you mean?”

“The darker of the two. I did not receive the name, but the man is able to change probabilities in timelines.”

“So he can shift time?”

I’zhar nodded. “Seresa is able to access other Earths from different origins.”

Nevica looked at him fully now. “What does that mean?”

“The timelines are vastly different from what ours is. If we follow the dimension’s timeline for too long then we will be trapped.” 

“So what can we do?”

I’zhar stayed quiet. Nevica took that response and sighed with his nose, and they both looked back up to the opening above their heads. 

“You’re a time god. You’re supposed to do your job.” Nevica muttered. 

“I suppose you intend to take the life of these gods as it is your responsibility as well, god of death.” 

“I’m the god of life— and I’m not gonna kill them!” Nevica glared back at him.

I’zhar stared back at him.

“And I cannot see for as long as we are here.”

A beat of silence. Then I’zhar decided to say, “Who is Seresa to you?”

“… I know him. But I don’t know that kid with him. Must be an employee or something, he’s got a uniform on.”

“He is a god.”

“I know.” 

“He calls him ‘tita’.”

“… Does he now?”

 
“What does that mean?”

“Aunt. Should be ‘tito.’”

“He also stated that Seresa had a son. His best friend. They have been shifting the trajectory of our reality in order for him to ‘come back.’”

Nevica’s shoulders tensed at that, head knocking back to place. “… What?”

“He—“

“I heard you. I’m just trying… I’m just trying to process your words.” Nevica’s eyebrows furrowed. 

Just as their eyes met, I’zhar took his vision again. 

Pink was the first thing he’d seen as he moved into Nevica’s past timeline. Seresa stood under one of them, and Nevica approached him until they were standing next to each other, staring up at the branches, the bright pink, under the sun. 

“Balayong trees.” Nevica said. “The Philippines’ Sakura.” 

“My dad tried to grow those actually.” Seresa turned his head to him, arms folded together. 

“Oh yeah?”

“Died a few years later. It was just this little plant, but the climate here wasn’t good for it.”

“Is that where you got your name from? Seresa?”

Seresa nodded. “Dad loved cherry trees. Named me after it when the plant sprouted when I was born.”

“No wonder.” 

Seresa picked up a fallen flower in his fingers. He turned to Nevica, moving closer.

“He didn’t know I wasn’t his kid.” The flower traveled under and over his fingers, letting it rest on his palm when his thumb pressed over it.

“He still loved you anyway.”

“Couldn’t say the same for Ramon.”

Nevica looked down. Seresa’s hand drifted down, holding under his stomach. 

“They’ll still take his name for legality’s sake. But they won’t be normal, will they?”

Nevica shook his head. “No. Too early to tell what they’d look like.”

“Right. Not even alive.”

“You got a name ready?”

Seresa hummed. “Rosalyn if it’s a girl. Jose if it’s a boy.”

Nevica’s cheeks twitched. “Why?”

“I’m not good with names!” Seresa said, lightly hitting his shoulder. I’zhar noticed that he was not wearing his armor.

It was the last thing he realized just as he felt something dig underneath his eye. Reflexively, he grabbed Nevica’s wrist and twisted his arm against his back.

“Took you—“ Nevica shivered, wriggling out of I’zhar’s vice grip, “long enough.”

“I was attempting to find a solution.” I’zhar said, letting him go. 

​

“By what? Staring?”

​

“It is not—“ I’zhar snapped, then kept to himself at the stop. He saw Nevica’s wrist unsheathe the blades of his bones, so he drew out Etreeni.

​

“Your eyes glow whenever you’re doing that, you know,” Nevica said as he got up behind I’zhar, “and my eyes feel like they’re somewhere else whenever that happens.”

​

“What are you inferring?” I’zhar said, stepping to his side so they were back to back. 

“That it must be something you’re doing.” Nevica said, then called a blade from the dark. Unlike the rest of the space they were in— the between, this one showed a darkness that couldn’t expose them like this one was. The blade was dripping in red blood and the familiar sound of agony echoed. It was the man again, limping out of it.

I’zhar stayed quiet once more. He was about to kick his weapon to him until Nevica stopped his hand.

“I won’t do that again if you take us to Seresa.” Nevica told him.

“What do you want with tita?” The man glared back at him.

“It’s tito, kid. I know him.” His patience was beginning to thin. “I just want to talk.”

“He’ll try to kill me.” The man said, pointing at I’zhar.

“He won’t unless you’re asking for it.” Nevica said, then looked back at Jacus. 

Jacus drew back his weapon. Nevica did too. The man stopped his stance and swallowed. His skin stitched itself together as he turned his back, then gestured for them to follow. The rift opened up to their original dimension.

“Your name?” Nevica asked.

“… Khalil.” He said.

“And you’re his pamangkin?” 

“No. I’m just Jose’s friend.”

 
“And you’re a god too.” 

“I’m a god too.” Khalil echoed. He finally found the opening of the next rift, and as Nevica and Jacus stepped into it they both had to step carefully over the cracks that were strewn about in the atmosphere. 

Everything was a web of broken glass, its shattered pieces hanging and clinging about desperately to keep the dimension stable. Nevica’s torso stung horribly, puncturing and twisting inside, but he kept his fists tightly wound and the focus on where Seresa stood— right in front of them.

“Why are you here?” Seresa asked. 

“Pain’s been acting up,” Nevica said. He opened his mouth, thinking of Adam, then decided against it. “What are you doing?”

“You’re not answering my question.”

“Neither are you.” Nevica sighed. 

“You left me. You left your son. I’m just trying to take him back.” Seresa said, taking a shard of the shattered reality into his hands. Jacus’s eyes went wide. Seresa tilted his head towards the entrance of the rift. Nevica’s eyebrows knitted together.

“… What are you talking about? What happened— where’s Jose?”

Then Seresa’s breath hitched.

“Gone.” 

“What?”

“I don’t know what happened.” Seresa said, mouth twitching, eyes creasing. He shook his head, “But you didn’t even come back for him, so he wasn’t dead, but I— I know he could be here from the other dimensions if I tried hard enough.”

Nevica’s eyes went wide. “I can’t let you do that.”

“WHY NOT?!” Seresa’s snapped. “Why not…?”

“You will damage the structure of time and space itself further than you already have.” Jacus said from behind. He moved forward, just next to Nevica. “This will not yield favorable results— I can only vaguely see them due to your interferences.”

“This is for the better.” Seresa said. His eyes were vacant. His voice went soft.

“It’s not.” Nevica said, then pursed his lips at the pain, tilting his head to the side. He shut his eyes for a second, then looked at Seresa. “Just… talk to me about him. We don’t have to do this.”

“I don’t want to talk.” Seresa gritted his teeth. “I want our son back and you’re not going to stop me.”

Jacus’s eyes went wide again. His jaw worked itself, and Nevica noticed the rod slowly shifting out of his wrist. He put his hand on Jacus’s shoulder.

“I am guiding you to the better timeline.” Jacus said, without turning his head or facing Nevica.

“I want a timeline where he isn’t fucking dead.” Nevica hissed.

Jacus growled. He still kept the trident’s rod. He stared back at Seresa, waiting for his next move. 

“And yet you’d still leave me behind.” Seresa said.

Jacus tensed at that, then. Nevica’s hand slipped off his shoulder, watching as Seresa walked off. Nevica tried to follow, only for the floor’s dimension to crack open once more and leave a gap between them. 

Seresa turned around, the wormhole twisting in his core. Jacus threw out his trident and jumped over the gap, calling it back to pierce in through Seresa’s core. Seresa immediately deflected it with a crack to the air, sending it to the neighboring dimension. Jacus pulled it back, Seresa’s rings sliding down his arms and opening new rifts to close Jacus into one space. Jacus saw better, drawing him out and moving out the way just to stab Seresa in the throat.

Or he could have, if Jacus didn’t hear the “NO!” Nevica cried out with. 

He used his second set of arms to hold Nevica back from doing anything, keeping his stance straight when Nevica tried to kick behind his knees. Seresa cracked open the air between them and shattered it with his fist, the rift breaking open to their direction and pulling them inwards. 

Seresa didn’t watch them fall in. Nevica simply saw him leave.