Sera’s harp dropped us in the woods just outside the Manor. The place was holding up fairly well, despite the chaos. I could see Lilith, fully transformed in all her Dark Goddess glory, flying up above the mess, channeling magic into a barrier, protecting the building from giant monstrosities. Her skin was a pale blue with curved horns, like a ram, on either side of her head. Two pairs of bat-like wings sprouted from her back. The mother of all succubi, she had shed her mortal disguise to save her home. Other succubi around had stopped fighting, kneeling in reverence to their matron, funneling her full of their own magical energies in twisting streams of blue and black magic. It was quite extraordinary.

  Sera’s sword ignited into flame in my peripheral vision. I turned to look at her beautiful face, painted with vengeance. She looked back at me, and her eyes spoke all the words necessary. They screamed for me to be safe, but this was her home and she had things she needs to do; people she needed to protect. She spread her own gorgeous wings and took flight, driving into the nearest manticore she could find.

  I reached inside myself and called upon my bond to my weapons. My Pendragon blood boiled and I felt Excalibur answer the call with a metallic screech. But I needed more. With another burst of magical energy, I called upon all my Artifacts, lighting up the sky in a brilliant burst, drawing the attention of anything close by.

  The surge was exhilarating. I floated just above the ground, bathed in brilliance, an ensemble of weapons bathed in light hovering behind me. I could feel my cloak and crown manifest in white fire. I rushed over to the nearest group of Non-Humans protecting their home from some weird wolf-fish thing. It turned around to look at me with fear in its weird eyes. They made the opening I needed, and I dashed in skewering the creature with Excalibur, tearing clean through it. They residents of the Manor stood in awe, as I swept by.

  “Guard the doors, protect the children. Let nothing through.” My voice had an echo of commanding magic, and they moved quickly.

  I looked up as Sera zipped passed overhead in a blaze of glory, cutting a swath between hordes of creatures, and I decided to assist. Her command of aerial combat dazzled me, as she used every angle to get in and around manticore defenses, lopping off wings and tails. I lowered myself between a large group of creatures pursuing children, standing, arms outstretched to give them the time they need to get inside. The chimeric beasts fell all over me, teeth gnashing, claws racking.

  In a bellow of defiance, I sent out all of my weapons, which flew through the air, striking at everything nearby, devastating the enemy. Their blood and gore sizzled off of me, leaving my radiant glowing armor pristine. Probably the best perk, in my opinion.

  A blast of unholy darkness drew my eyes to the sky. Lilith was pressed on three sides by gargantuan beasts, fleshy mounds of eyes and tentacles, as she maintained her protective field. Sera was by her side faster than I could imagine her moving, so I floated myself up there too, the three of us back to back to back.

  “Oh great, you brought the giant nightlight.” Lilith hissed between fanged teeth.

  “Hello to you too. You’re looking particularly more menacing than usual. Almost mistook you for one of them.” I shouted back, gesturing to the grotesque blobs.

  “Not the time!” Sera shouted over us both. Strangely, we both humbled, although both Lilith and I grumbled under our breath.

  The three of us obliterated swathes of the creatures pursuing children, until they managed to get everyone inside safely, barricading the doors. Some of the better trained Non-Human children lobbed fireballs and other various attacks out of windows and off of balconies, taking care of straggling flying beasts. All that remained now, aside from stragglers, were the trio of behemoths, pressing in on Lilith’s barrier.

  “Drop the shield.” I said, surging with energy, my weapons twirling in the air behind me. Lilith and Sera both looked at me skeptically.

  “Um, how about no?” Lilith shot back.

  “There’s three of us and three of them. I have no doubts in my mind that we could take one of these apiece. Sera is probably the most powerful thing I’ve ever met and as much as I’ll regret saying it, Lilith, you’re in a position right now where you are being channeled more magic energy then you probably will ever receive again. You could probably obliterate one of these things with a thought.”

  “You’re right, I could. Finally, the first intelligent thing I’ve ever heard you say.” She shined me a toothy smirk.

  I contemplated the consequences of destroying her right here. But Sera smiled at me, trying to be disarming. I don’t know how many talks we'd had about Lilith’s attitude towards me. I don’t know how many talks I’d had with the Progenitors, weighing her usefulness. Back in the day, the Order of Vigilance had been dedicated to destroying forces just like her, but these were different times. Monsters, or Non-Humans had rights now. They were a recognized people. And Lilith, as awful as she was to me, seemed to be a competent protector; a tolerated force of nature.

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  Perseus, the first Progenitor, had warned me, “The moment she over steps or out lives her usefulness we’ll take care of her. This isn’t your fight Mr. Pendragon. No matter how…personal you’ve made things. Lilith is not, and never will be your concern. And you will act accordingly, or face the wrath of the Council.”

  All my powers aside, I had no interest in tangling with a Demi-God, centuries old, who was remembered as one of the greatest heroes of all time.

  Something hovering above the tree line caught my eye, way behind the colossal monsters. A lanky man with long, silver-blonde hair floats on a dais made of shadowy energy. He sits cross legged, as if enjoying the display of turmoil. Beside him, small bubbles of energy float in the air. Deep inside the bubbles, I can see a few children the man had managed to capture. The harder I stared, the harder he was to see, as if protected by some unseen barrier. He finally caught me staring and waved to me before vanishing, taking the trapped children with him.

  “Anders?” Sera’s voice brought me from my isolated thoughts and I turned to regard her and Lilith.

  “See, he’s not even paying attention. Typical. Why did you bring him again?” Lilith snickered. My anger, and other visible discomforts, fueled her and I struggled not to snap, my Artifacts fueling my own desire to slay monsters like her.

  “We need all the help we can get. Anders came because he cares for the children and the Manor. He didn’t need to come back with me, but he did.” Sera snapped back. I’d never actually seen her defend me to Lilith. Instead of retaliating, Lilith glared daggers at me. I’d had enough. so I float out through her barrier and into the three blob monsters and their flailing tendrils.

  “Anders wait!” Sera called, but I couldn’t hear her anymore. I was angry. Not just because of Lilith. But because of Damien, and all the other awful things that kept happening to the people I cared about. My family.

  By the blood of Arthur, I’d had enough. I would not be pushed around anymore. I would not watch innocents die because I had chosen to remain inactive, paralyzed by fear of my past. I had flashbacks of deaths and failures, all mixed up with Lilith’s taunting. My head swam with raging emotions.

  My fists started to shake, my knuckles going white around Excalibur's hilt. The light around me began to produce heat. I feel a pull, something magical and primal deep inside me. The weapons floating at my back began to multiply as I pulled from not only my own Artifacts, but directly from the Vault, a fissure of space tearing open behind me. My own white hot light became a rainbow of colors; shimmering blues and purples, blazing reds and oranges, the gripping void of darkness. Looking behind me, I felt the swell of pride as some of my team's weapons floated behind me, notably Mjolnir, sparking to life. My mind raced as it surged with magical energies not my own. I felt lightheaded, dizzy, nauseous. But I pulled on it, fueling my rage, my hatred and all of my pain.

  I am a good friend, I thought, as images of Chase, Hector, Andrea, and Serena floated through my blurring vision.

  I am a good father, I thought, as I saw Auria's smile.

  I am the Master of the Cathedral, I thought, as my wonderful team spread out in my vision, as it began to falter. I could feel a heat comparable to the sun crushing down on me, as magical energy filled me to my core.

  “I am Anders fucking Pendragon!” The words left me as primordial scream, as I erupted in a barrage of magical weapons. I felt the rush as I tore through each creature at speeds that should have shred my flesh from my body. Swords danced around me, following the slashes of Excalibur. Spears spun around, thrusting out at tentacles as they crashed around me. Daggers flew out in fanned clusters at monstrous eyes. The shrieks from the three massive foes called the remaining manticores and chimeras. I batted aside a clawed arm with so much force, it took off in the opposite direction, like a jet, off over the trees. Lilith’s barrier protected the Manor from the gigantic gory mess flying off of me as IK sawed through the monsters, falling on me, raking my body.

  I lost myself in the screaming until my throat was hoarse. I could feel the magic of the Artifacts tugging at me, trying to draw themselves back into the Vault. Each one not my own, calling for my soul to be Bonded, tearing at pieces of me. It felt like being separated by a magical blender. The magic of the Vault left me suddenly, tearing something from me that I couldn't identify. My own Artifacts started to flicker in and out of existence. I had to be quick, my body couldn't sustain whatever power was coursing through my veins. I looked at Sera, who was screaming for me to stop. Screaming for me to come back behind the barrier. Claws raked at my face, poison stingers jabbed into my limbs. I could feel fangs sinking deep into my body as parts of my armor began to fizzle from existence. My time was up and I needed something big. I wasn't going to be able to finish this without it. I dismissed all my Artifacts, sending them hurtling through space, back to the Vault. The monsters saw this as an opening, falling on me, as I descend from the sky. As I fell, I lamented that they had ruined my perfectly good pin-striped suit. i stopped feeling the pain as they shred me to pieces.

  With one final surge of energy, the last of what I could muster, I called to all the Artifacts of King Arthur at once. They slammed into my body with such concussive force, I felt organs pop. With a silent scream of defiance, I blasted apart the monsters with white hot brilliance, searing through them like I had just dropped the sun itself on them. Shrieks filled the air as flesh and bone melted away the beasts. And then I descended quickly, as my blurred vision turned to darkness.

  Maybe descending a little too quickly.

  Okay, maybe I was falling.

  Yep, definitely was falling.

  Suddenly the darkness gave way to another brilliant flash of light, and I saw Serena standing there, in a field of swaying flowers. She turned to face me, sadness painted on her features, her green eyes filled with tears, but a soft smile on her lips.

  She reached her hand out to me, and it felt like home.