Aki flew, the immense Child God's heat radiating through his wings, searing the skin of his chest. His massive light wings, once a symbol of Lyra's final sacrifice, beat frantically against the heavy, humid air of the Guardian's pocket dimension. Below, Kael, though purified, was barely steady on his feet, using what little strength he had to telekinetically pull up shimmering shields of black, smoking iron the remnants of the Architect's shadow chains to deflect any potential counter-attacks or detection from Acheron.
Axiom, the Sassy Sentinel, was a blur of elemental speed, leading them through a tangled gorge of glowing quartz and petrified lightning.
"Hurry, Incarnation!" Axiom shrieked, her voice frantic, no longer mocking. "The fever is destabilizing the surrounding area! You're boiling my air!"
They burst through a final curtain of crystalline vines and into a vast, underground cavern. The source of the dimension's strange calm lay before them: the Lac of Unmaking.
The Lac was not a gentle pond; it was a swirling, abyssal pool of liquid silence. The water was a terrifying, mesmerizing black that seemed to absorb all light and sound, yet it shimmered at the edges with veins of pure, emerald green. It was utterly still, ancient, and unnervingly perfect."Drop him! Now!" Axiom commanded.
Aki descended rapidly, landing at the edge of the smooth, obsidian bank. He felt the intense magnetic draw of the water, a pull promising both rest and annihilation. The heat radiating from the Child God was now so intense that the air around them shimmered violently, and the moss beneath Aki's feet instantly combusted into ash.
He lowered the unconscious, sweat-drenched body toward the black surface. But Axiom stopped him with a sharp, elementally charged gesture."Wait! The robes!" she hissed, her red eyes wide with urgency. "That ceremonial silk has absorbed a colossal amount of the Architect's malice and the child's fever. If you put that soiled fabric into the Lac, it will destabilize the waters. The Lac will try to unmake the corruption, but it might just turn the whole pool into a highly corrosive weapon! You must undress him first!"
The command was technically simple, but emotionally catastrophic. Aki stared at the tiny, innocent figure draped in the vast, oversized golden garments. To strip away the last vestige of the Serene God's identity, to expose this vulnerable, precious child, felt like another unforgivable violation.
Axiom, devoid of human shame or modesty, immediately stepped forward. "Move aside, then. I'll do it quickly. I have no patience for mortal modesty this is a life or death scenario, and he is a divine entity, not a fragile human male!" Her nimble hands reached for the sodden silk.
Aki's protective fury snapped. The sight of the ruthless Guardian approaching the whimpering, feverish child was too much. He lashed out, not with a weapon, but with his body, slamming his massive light wing between Axiom and the child."GET BACK!" Aki roared, the sheer force of his voice throwing Axiom a step back in surprise. "He's not a specimen! I'll do it! You keep watch!"
Axiom stared at him, genuinely perplexed by his adherence to human decency. "You bleeding idiot. Fine! But hurry! Your sentimentality is going to destroy my natural thermal bath!"
Ignoring the renewed, searing pain of the Child God's fever on his hands, Aki began to carefully peel away the heavy, ceremonial silk. The fabric felt scalding hot and smelled faintly of burnt ozone and corruption. As he gently lifted the robes away, he exposed the small, perfect body of the Child God, now only clad in a few strips of simple, sweat-soaked cloth.
He reached down, his intention focused entirely on the saving of this life. As his blistered, aching hands dipped below the surface of the Lac of Unmaking, a miraculous, intense cold hit his skin. The terrifying, black water was a pure, living balm. Instantly, the angry burns and blisters from the fever and his wounds from the escape vanished. The agonizing rips in his back where the light wings had emerged began to seal themselves, leaving behind glowing, pain-free scars. The power of the Lac was absolute restoration.
Aki lowered the child god gently into the dark, silent water. The effect was immediate.
The whimpering ceased. The dangerous, aggressive heat instantly dissipated with a soft, hissing sound, leaving a trail of steam that vanished immediately into the cavern ceiling. The water shimmered with a deep, happy emerald glow around the boy.
And then, the most thrilling event yet occurred. As the pure water saturated the Child God's essence, his limp form began to subtly change. He didn't regain his full size, but his tiny limbs thickened, his shoulders broadened, and his height gained perhaps six inches. He was no longer a frail toddler, but the slightly larger, defined body of a seven or eight-year-old child. His chest began to rise and fall with the slow, deep rhythm of natural, untainted sleep.
His long, golden hair lifted slightly on the water, revealing his face. His features were beautiful, ethereal, and utterly serene.
Then, his eyes opened.They were not the terrified, pained eyes of a victim, nor the blank eyes of an unconscious shell. They were the clear, ancient golden eyes of a pure deity, still fuzzy with the remnants of his captivity, but filled with immense, focused power. The Serene God was awake, trapped in the body of a boy.Aki gasped, a breath of awe catching in his throat.In a swift, powerful motion that belied his small stature, the newly awakened Child God reached out a small, perfect hand and grabbed Aki's wrist.
Before Aki could utter a sound, the Child God pulled. With a startling burst of divine strength, he yanked the wounded Incarnation off the bank and dragged him completely into the terrifying, restorative black water of the Lac.
Aki sputtered, finding his footing in the buoyant, warm liquid. He stared into the ancient, golden eyes staring up at him, a silent, knowing intensity that was overwhelming. The Child God held him, his small hands surprisingly strong, his body now radiating a subtle, clean warmth."You smell of her," the Child God whispered, his voice a melodic echo, deep and ancient despite his small lips. He pressed his head against Aki's chest, right where Lyra's essence pulsed. "You smell like the Echo. You saved me, champion."
The intense, possessive grip, the deep golden stare, and the small body pressing against him in the silent, hidden pool triggered an involuntary, deep flush across Aki's neck and face. He, the Divine Incarnation with the colossal light wings, felt a profound, awkward wave of mortal blush."Y-yeah, well, you know. That's... that's what friends do," Aki stammered, pulling back slightly, the absurdity of the situation making him defensively awkward. "I'm straight, by the way. Just, you know, for the record. This is strictly a professional, world saving rescue situation. But I'm glad you're awake, man."
The Child God looked at him, a flicker of pure divine confusion crossing his beautiful features, before a tiny, knowing smile touched his lips. He let go of Aki.
Axiom, standing on the bank, rolled her red eyes with maximum sarcastic effect. "Oh, for the love of the void. You idiots have complicated this rescue far past its shelf life. Now, Incarnation, that little emotional detour cost me vital seconds. You owe me information on how to defeat your boss's angry brother."