The Legend of William Oh

Granesh found an idyllic pond in his divine realm, where a beautiful crimson fish of massive size swam back and forth from bank to bank. When none of his hooks were big enough, he cut the head off a magnificent ox with horns as sharp as blades. The god attached the head to a rope, carved barbs into the horns and threw it into the pond, eager to catch this enormous crimson fish.

But it was no pond, that divine pool led to the sky of the third floor, where the crimson sun circles the world.

One day Granesh succeeded, and the sun of the third floor simply stopped.

William Oh flew up to investigate, to find that the burning circle had been snagged by a massive hook made of horn. Even as he watched, the crimson ball of fire consumed the ox’s head, growing ever hotter as it did.

William Oh wrenched the sun away from the razor-sharp horns that the gods had callously carved barbs into, his left arm turning to char and his wings bursting into flames.

Having saved the sun, he fell from the sky and where he landed, the charwood nymphs of the ashlands gathered around, nursing their savior back to health.

Without William Oh, the sun would loom forever overhead, growing hotter and hotter until there was no life left on the third Floor.

No life at all.

• Jason Salazar

“Ah, this is the life,” Steve Holland said, relaxing in his bed, eating some Ashvine grapes, specially grown in the ash-covered vineyards that surrounded Coleton. Growing them was a major pain in the ass, but the flavor…

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