Forged Legacy

The Colosseum was deathly quiet as nobody knew what to do next. Legions of angels had just watched their Commander assassinate one of the Faithful and clip a Captain’s wings, only for that same Captain to help the Faithful’s sons cut Brutus down. Most of the angels didn’t know Harvey, but they knew what he’d done for Heaven. Brutus tried to suppress the fact that it was a handful of Earthlings who managed to turn the tides of their war, but the angels fighting on the front lines knew the truth. They’d gotten battered and beaten day after day, not knowing how in the world they were meant to outlast a demon army that could bleed them out without lifting a finger. Then, in the middle of the night before a fresh week of slaughter, they’d all gotten a notification saying one of Hell’s lieutenants had died. Every Captain and Lieutenant knew exactly where Brutus had been when that happened. Asleep, just like them.

Celeste and Cash looked around nervously, their eyes darting towards Harvey as the adrenaline slowly wore off. Righteous fury might help them kill one angel, but it wouldn’t save them from the masses if they decided to avenge Brutus. Harvey was too overwhelmed to care, quietly sobbing with Tyler as they held Steve’s body between them.

“What do we do?” Celeste asked.

Before anyone could answer, radiant light began to seep out of Harvey, Brutus, and Hell’s Commander’s hands. Tattoos lifted off their bodies one by one, gathering above Harvey’s hand and merging into one. He’d seen this before, back when the Marks granted to each Veilstrider who claimed an Outpost merged to form his Guardian of the Gilded Return Imprint. Back then, it had been his third and arguably least important Legacy upgrade. His Architect of the Veils End Imprint was a better fit to his budding path while Tempered Heart was proof he had overcome the worst mistake he’d ever made. Now, whatever this trio of nobility Imprints merged into would become the deepest aspect of his Legacy, the part of him the System recognized above all the rest.

“No. I don’t want it,” Harvey sobbed. “I don’t want it.”

The System didn’t care, the dense orb of radiant essence searing back into his hand to reveal his very first Brand. Like Guardian of the Gilded Return, this aspect of his Legacy had more to do with his nobility in the System’s eyes than his personal path of acquiring it. He felt the power surging through his body as the tattoo integrated with his weave, but all he could think to do was try to push it out.

His first step down the path of nobility came because nobody else was left alive to claim it. Julian’s death at the hands of a Necrolord priest left Harvey to finish the job and reap the rewards. If anyone was meant to be the Guardian of the Gilded Return, it was Julian, but the System had settled on the next best thing. It made Harvey feel like he was getting rewarded for watching his friends die, and now the System was trying to do the same thing with his father.

[You can’t think like that. I may not be Julian, but I have his memories. I know he’d be happy to know the System gave you his Mark, just like I know your Dad is happy right now.]

He’d still be alive if I’d just paid more attention. I never should’ve taken my eyes off Brutus.

[You’d just won a war for him. How could you have known Brutus would reward you with a stab in the back?]

Because he’s an arrogant little toddler, and I should’ve known not to expect any more from him!

Harvey poured all the mental energy he had left into his Tempered Heart Imprint, desperately trying to rip the brand free with his aura. It felt like he was trying to rip off his own hand. Even if he could do it, his instincts wouldn’t let him. Still, he fought until a second burst of light exploded out of his chest. He hadn’t actually injured himself, but a second Legacy aspect was forming whether he wanted it to or not. Unlike the invigorating power of his Brand, this one hurt, and he relished the sensation of pain spreading through his body.

I will not let your death be my reward.

“Harvey,” Celeste urged, running over to kneel beside him as he convulsed. “You just got a Brand, right? Can you control the portal? You can control the portal, right?”

Without answering, he instructed the System to send every angel an update to their quest prompt.

Quest - Crusade of Dusk and Dawn - Integration Trial

Message from Trial Champion: Both Heaven and Hell have fallen. Your Crusade has ended with both Commanders lying dead at Harvey Thorne’s feet, yet he has graciously provided a means of escape despite Heaven’s treachery. A portal back to Caelorum has opened in the heart of Elysium and will remain open for three hours. Any angel who remains in the trial after that time will be killed on sight. Run.

Celeste laughed hysterically as the Colosseum exploded into motion, with angels clambering over one another to cram their way through one of the narrow tunnels leading outside. Anyone stumbling got turned into steps for their brothers and sisters to climb over as they ran like someone told them a bomb was seconds from detonating. A handful jumped into the arena, apparently thinking that killing Harvey might let them take control of the trial for themselves, but they backed off after Celeste cut the first pair into chunks.

“I’ll kill all of you!” she shouted, laughing once again as the rest struggled to climb back up the arena walls.

“That kill-on-sight thing doesn’t apply to us, right?” Cash asked somberly. “I know it’s not a good time, but we should probably start running too if you’re going to leave us stranded here.”

“No. You’re free to go home if you want, but I was hoping you guys might come to Earth with us,” Harvey replied.

“That’s not my home anymore,” Celeste seethed. “They made sure of that.”

Both angels walked towards their discarded wings, covered in blood and sand. Cash looked at them forlornly, while Celeste couldn’t decide whether she wanted to burn them or wrap them around her like blankets. Harvey wished he could comfort them, but he just didn’t have it in him. There was no way he could’ve killed Brutus without their help, but part of him wished they’d just let him die.

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Nobody spoke for a long time, just sitting together while they mourned all they had lost. Eventually, Tyler prodded Harvey’s chest and asked, “What happened there? I got the first tattoo, but what was the other one?”

Rather than pull up his Legacy screen, Harvey arduously removed his armor. All the dents and scratches made it hard to peel off, but he managed. Pulling his undershirt up over his head, he exposed his bare chest for everyone to see. Channeling essence and mental energy into the tattoo, it appeared. Sticking out of his Tempered Heart Imprint was a ghostly spear that was a perfect match for the one lying in a pool of Brutus's blood, but instead of looking real and tangible like the kintsugi steel heart, it was only a shadow. A sign of what might’ve been if Steve hadn’t sacrificed himself to save Harvey’s life. His father’s actions might have saved his body, but it hadn’t saved his soul.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Tyler whispered.

“It doesn’t matter,” Harvey growled. “It should’ve been me.”

Cash put a comforting hand on Harvey’s shoulder. “And as long as you believe that, the Scar will remain. Our legacies are built on what we believe about ourselves. About the world we live in and how we think it should be. I know that telling you not to blame yourself won’t help, but I hope you’re able to let go of this pain someday.”

Finally opening the System screen, they all read the description.