The hilt grew hot in Saul’s grip. He released it from his physical grip, remembering his training for this moment from years before. A fragment of aleph, once activated, would act at the will of any nearby makers who had contributed from their sparks to trigger the reaction. He applied his will to move the hilt away from Rokar as it formed. The faster this new world moved, the less likely the makers would find out about the hidden city. The hilt drifted into the air between him and Irene.

  Their gazes met. Her eyes were wet, but not with sorrowful tears. As waves of heat poured from the hilt, his eyes began to water too. The spark he had invested fueled the reaction. A new world was about to be born from the initial push and the aleph splinter.

  “You activated the seed.” Luther glared at him. “Why are you pushing it away?”

  “You won’t have your war.” Saul grunted. “Not while I’m around.”

  Luther’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve given me what I wanted. And you still want to fight me?”

  William lurched past Irene to grab at the hilt with his good hand. Saul channeled his spark to control the hilt’s creative rage. The activated shard repulsed even his mystically empowered grip. He staggered backward but kept his feet. Something must have rattled him, though, because his new light blades faded away. He glared at the hilt, but his eyes were tired.

  Saul rose to his full height. The hilt ascended, rotating slowly. He kept his eyes on the world seed. Go. Go far from here. Luther grunted and marched forward. He shoved Irene to one side. Saul leapt forward and caught her in his arms. All around, the crew of the ship began to retreat, among shouts of warning. Behind him, Olivia got to her feet with a groan.

  Irene looked up at him, anger and confusion evident on her face. “We triggered the seed. It’s too close to Rokar for Hidria not to notice, and you knew it, Saul.”

  “I ran out of options.” He glared at Luther who was stretched upward to reach for the hilt as it floated higher and higher. “Besides, you were about to do the same thing.”

  “I admit it. I didn’t want you to die.” She pushed away from him and got to her feet.

  He straightened. “Help me move the new world away from here.”

  She nodded. “Finally, a compromise you and I can agree on.”

  William whirled toward them. “How dare you betray us, maker bitch.”

  Irene gingerly touched her side where Luther had pushed her. She looked evenly at him and William. “The feeling is mutual, bitch.”

  Luther ignored Irene. He leapt and snatched the hilt with one hand. His fingers wrapped around the double grip and held tight. His feet dangled off the deck. Irene paced around

  William, giving him a wide berth. He glowered at her, turning to follow her movement.

  The presence of the nascent universe in Luther’s grip hummed. He laughed. Tears ran down his face. Bright light poured from the hilt and melded with the ripples from the root universe all around them. Saul stared at the hilt, still willing the new creation to accelerate away. Luther’s hand resonated with its own mystic power, the same way it had when he had transformed the exile man into a world gate back on Earth. Saul felt Luther’s presence approach. Their powers grappled for dominance deep within the seed.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Saul had training and knowledge.

  Luther had a raw temper and surprising power.

  Saul glanced at Irene. She picked up her sword, eyes locked on William the whole time. Small flames kindled along the blade.

  William’s lips drew back in a bloody smirk. “I never liked working with makers. Good thing we don’t need you anymore.” His red face ran with flickers of white light, and his wounds dripped dark blood.

  “Can you handle him?”

  At first, Irene seemed to ignore Saul’s words. She circled William. “Stop Luther, but don’t finish the world without me.”

  His pulse quickened. He grinned despite the pain that jabbed him from every cut and burn. “Understood.”

  “She’s on our side now?” Olivia stepped past Saul and fired a taser shot at Luther where he hung from the hilt. The tines connected with his collar bone, but the electric discharge did not appear to faze him. His laughter echoed over the ship as the light and heat from the hilt grew.

  He turned to Olivia. “Pick at good fortune later. We have to get Luther away from the hilt.”

  “What’s he doing with it?”

  “I don’t know how, but his presence is melding with the new world.”

  Irene shot a harried look at Saul and Olivia. “His power lets him connect to worlds. He might also be able to shape the new reality.”

  “How do we stop him?” Olivia asked.

  Saul grimaced. The only plan in his head seemed terrible. “We have to disrupt his attention and take control for ourselves.”

  “Can we stop a new world from forming?”

  He swallowed and shook his head. “Too late for that. It’s already happening.”

  Off the bow of the flagship, lightning crackled from billowing dark clouds. Shapes and forms flickered in the chaos. The ripples of the root universe’s light fragmented in places.

  The smell of burning ozone filled Saul’s nostrils, mingling with the stench of gern and burnt flesh. Fiery red light poured from the hilt and bathed Luther in a hellish glow. Disrupt his control.

  He ran and jumped to grab at Luther’s legs as the man approached the top of the tarp. The exile man kicked at Saul. One leg connected with his chest. Saul’s arms stretched out as the wind left his lungs. Breathless, he seized Luther by the collar and held on.

  Luther’s free fist slammed into Saul’s jaw. He winced but did not let go. The jagged edge of the hilt tore through the tarp above. The yellow material blackened and burned where it touched. The fire spread along them and the tarp began to collapse. Luther drew back his fist to strike again.

  Olivia vaulted off the deck, using her cattle prod as a pole. She dropped the weapon and hit Luther from behind. The impact startled Luther, but he held tight to the hilt. The three of them ascended over the burning tarp.

  Saul grabbed at Luther’s face. Luther screamed in pain and rage. Olivia wrapped her arms around his throat from behind.

  The hilt carried them upward, past the forward tower of the flagship. Luther shook, trying to throw them off. The presence in the hilt mingled with Luther’s mystic touch. The three of them left the flagship behind and sailed into the open air and shifting storm clouds.

  Water vapor drenched them. The red light from the hilt burned like a flare. Saul scrambled for its grip with his free hand. Luther’s head swung forward and bashed into Saul’s temple, but the blow was weak thanks to Olivia’s grip on the man’s neck. In his daze, Saul’s fingers found the worn wrapping of the hilt’s grip.

  The hilt burned with warmth in his grip. He reached inside and found the aleph splinter. The power began to diffuse from the remains of within the sword into the air around them.

  He gave it as much of a push as he dared and felt the air around them begin to move. Everything within the seed shifted in that moment. Saul shouted at his success. He couldn’t be sure the new world would move away from Rokar fast enough, but he knew it would move.

  Luther swung his head back, trying to shake off Olivia. She yelped as she ducked to avoid the blow. Luther gave a strangled scream and forced his remaining power into the hilt, trying to push the new world closer to Rokar. Saul fought back with all his spark and will.

  The aleph splinter, already spreading its power outward, shattered within the hilt. The hot red glow vanished. The hilt lost its buoyancy though threads of presence remained. Multicolored light filled Saul’s vision as they fell.