Red's spilled blood had shifted and formed into countless doppelgangers. Their dark forms blended with the surrounding darkness, and Merin could barely spot them. She would have missed them entirely without the subtle pulses of magic and Aphra's words. Aphra didn't seem phased by the unexpected skill, but Merin was. She glanced at Red, who was dogminded in concentrating on his blood and the two Gods before them. The evergrowing hunger was in full bloom in his mismatched eyes. His sharp teeth was pulled back into a snarl. The complicated show of emotions demonstrated hunger, blood lust, and glee.

  Merin gulped as she settled her resolve to back him up. She didn't want to fight, and it wasn't just because the odds could never be on their side. Their combined lifespan and mortality made actual consequences nonexistent now. This fight could last and span decades, if not centuries. A God could indeed die, but Red seemed sure he cracked the code on how. And according to him, it couldn't happen on a whim or even by another God without specific steps. That meant this drawn-out battle would be painful and just for the hell of it.

  Although she believed in him and his logic, part of her was still concerned. If that was true, how did Aphra manage to kill her mother, the Goddess of Destiny? Merin had read about her ancestor's desire for power. She could twist and contort life and reality to her merest whims with her abilities. So how had Aphra taken her revenge and killed her mother, who was a primordial Goddess? Better yet, could Aphra repeat her reality-breaking abilities and somehow take Red away from Merin?

  Merin could feel her shoulder sag under the weight of her thoughts. Her mourning predicted exhaustion ahead of time wasn't doing her any favors. Her eyes darted over to where Aphra and Acuzio stood, grinning madly. Their eyes held a matching desire for blood. This was just a warm-up to all of them, and they seemed intent on making this battle last for centuries. Maybe worrying about Red's death was pointless. This battle proved that Aphra knew what he wanted best, and that alone could lead Red away from her.

  Merin's fingers tightened into fists as her brain raced for a way to stop everyone. She didn't have their brute strength and couldn't fathom their blood lust. Could she prevent the fight when she couldn't appreciate their needs? Why must they fight like this endlessly?

  Merin wanted to stop them, but she was out of the league. She desired someone to ask for help, but like Aphra said, she was more moon than flame. She had no one here to turn to. Caelestis was the only one who would understand her. But her ancestral aunt was long dead and at rest from this world.

  A bright light drew her away from her morose thoughts. Merin squinted and spotted the mirror she had dropped at some point in the battle. It was buried in rubble and barely visible. Wait, had she even brought it with her? Her eyes shook as an unfamiliar face appeared inside the mirror.

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  "I don't like how distracted you've become," Aphra whispered into her ear, but before Merin could tense, Red had the other Goddess by the throat.

  "And I don't like you going after her when I'm here waiting to end you." Red's hoarse voice held anticipation.

  Merin looked to where she last saw Aphra and saw that Acuzio was also missing from his spot.

  'How is it that they have not changed?' A voice as lyrical as a bird and as unsettling as a bell rang in Merin's head. She looked around but couldn't see anyone new in the array. No one else seemed to have noticed or cared, she realized.

  "Pay attention and stop daydreaming." Acuzio's deep growl was the only predictor for his assault.

  Her body moved on instinct, but her reflexes were not up to par. The Dragon God grabbed her arms and twisted them behind her back. Her neck was in a chokehold, but her breathing was unimpaired. A small part of her brain was grateful she no longer needed to breathe.

  "It's not like you can kill me, Uncle." Merin's mouth said before her brain could stop it. A lack of stakes in this fight led to this lapse in judgment. But as she tilted her head up and back to meet his abyss-deep eyes, she found regret was not something her brain felt.

  Acuzio's sharp grin deepened, and she knew her answer pleased him. "I can't, but I'll make life very difficult." He barely flexed his arms, and she could feel the bones in the neck and arms fracture into dust. The desire to scream grew in her chest, but she stopped it just in time. The last thing she would do was give him the satisfaction of that kind of reaction. Though knowing her uncle, he might be more disappointed than pleased at a sign of weakness.

  'I never expected my heir to be so weak of heart.' That lyrical voice rang loud in her head and helped Merin battle the pain. Her eyes intuitively looked at the mirror. It was glowing now and sticking further out of the ruins. 'The best way to get through to those numbskulls is by being rough.'

  Merin's mouth fell open as the mirror, now floating, started to throw off a kaleidoscope of colors. A strange feeling settled over her shoulders as her lungs expanded. Something was filling her up with...someone.

  A crude laugh broke through the fog in her mind. She turned to see Aphra swinging an arm she got from somewhere like a hammer.

  "Say uncle, you little shit!" Aphra cackled as she smacked Red.

  In retaliation, Red spit blood at Aphra. It might as well have been acid for how it settled over Aphra's flesh.

  'See? The best way to handle these idiots is by force. I'll show you how to handle your power properly.'

  Merin flinched, but it was pointless to brace herself. She couldn't defend what happened next.