Giver called to her many selves, thousands now after the Sanctums had been purged. The souls removed from the realm for a time to be spared from the coming Curse. Giver offered to herself, using the souls that had accepted her offer. She searched for a solution, a means to fight the Maker and his machinations.

The souls had been silent at first, looking within themselves for what she sought. Then for a brief Breath she saw it all, the answers pouring into her, new Wards, and barriers. Means to construct defenses to protect the worthy. The strength to hold the Maker back. All of it spreading out, an endless tide of knowledge, so much even she struggled to hold on to the small specks of truth she’d been handed down. At the end she opened her constructed eyes, pulled back from the vision the ancestors had bestowed. She focused on her mind, on the secrets gained, hasty placing them in Shards to hold on to them as they tried to slip away back into the realm of Death.

She focused with all her might going over the information numerous times, till finally the knowledge was carved into her mind and made permanent.

She’d laughed after, for a long time elation washed through her, as she found herself no longer in as dire an event as before. She’d gained the strength to fight him, to protect the Elders and those who remained in Sanctuary. The worthiest of the realm Above, those Vail who’d been higher than their peers from the very beginning. With that pristine quality of seed the Vail would grow anew after all was done, spread over the realm to once more take their rightful place.

That vision had provided more incentive to perform her task. Time blurred passed as she hurried about. With the knowledge acquired she began the construction of new Wards and barriers, all far superior to those of the past. They now neared what the Maker had on his Sphere, which troubled her.

How had he been able to gain such secrets for himself? And succeed in the greater task of holding on to the knowledge?

It had made her wonder what the Maker really was. That perhaps he wasn’t a Vail at all, was instead some other thing they’d yet to encounter. It had been a distracting Thought, one that pestered her while she worked, lifting stone into place around Sanctuary. After she carved Wards into it, finally free to do the process herself now that she was many. No longer forced to really on Vail who took far too long and often made mistakes. She could do it all herself now, a grand blessing. Because without that change they would have been doomed to the Makers judgment.

A Maker she was copying, his solution to the Crown breaking was a sound one. She constructed a sphere of her own around Sanctuary. Moved in a haze of speed carving out the Wards and making sure the lines matched each other as she fitted the blocks into place to form the shell. More than once she’d been forced to recall her moments fighting the Maker, look at the sphere that protected him.

She stared at it, studied the Wards so perfectly aligned and weaved together. From it she found pieces of the puzzling information she needed to complete her own work. It didn't always work though, and those times she'd been forced to focus on the souls again. Spending the strength she’d gained from the departed to pushed into the realm of Death.

After new knowledge was gained, she looked upon the Makers creation with renewed eyes, saw the genius of it. How Hearts had been created and somehow merged with the Wards so they could feed upon them. A brilliant solution to Ward decay, especially compared to their method of forcing Vail to siphon their strength in the Wards directly. It was yet another thing she copied from the Maker into her design, though not as numerous.

She forged many Hearts and connected them to the interior Wards. Not only because she didn’t have the means to make enough to coat the sphere like the Maker did. But also there was no exterior Ward network too begin with, unlike the Usurper creation. She wasn’t certain why he’d done so, it was a colossal addition of unneeded work. At least to what she could see. But even if she did know the reason why, there was little she could do to act on it. She tried crafting Hearts equivalent to the Makers. But always faults formed allowing souls to leak out if placed within.

It had irked her, she could see from the Maker’s sphere he had Hearts triple the size of anything she could produce, yet they didn’t appear to have these flaws. No, she could see it could be done, she just didn’t know how. So once more she’d plunged into Death realm, pulled out the secrets needed and began her task anew.

‘How?’ the question at times consumed most of her attention as she provided the gift of salvation for those under her care.

How did the Maker know so much? How had he gained such insist, why was he so beyond anything even the Elders knew. Elders cycles in their life, born before Strife had claimed so much of the realm for a time. Elders who should have held all the answers, instead of being blinder than her.

The questions brought many emotional Thoughts to the front of her mind. Worry most of all, it whispered many things, paths and events that could take place. All of it Cursed as the emotion tried its best to sway her. Yet with the barest of strength and the sweep of a hand, the emotion was removed. Clarity returned to her, allowed her to focus on her many tasks. From her time in the ancestor’s realm she gained what she needed and the Hearts made after were double than those before. Yet still not close to what the Maker could produce.

‘How?’ the thought came again, luring in many Curses that plagued those under her care. She allowed them to remain, the small things that they were. She focused on what was important, aimed to acquire the same knowledge the Maker had. Secrets she could continually pluck from Death. The souls were flooding down in such quantities she could seek the answers as many times as needed.

So, draining the strength from the claimed souls, she pieced into Deaths realm again and again. Each time coming back with a little more. Slowly she reached the level the Maker was on, achieving Hearts the size he could make, and she made many of them. Filled the shell that now surrounded Sanctuary with souls.

It took longer than she’d planned, but mimicking the Makers creation was a task she’d greatly underestimated. Adding to the Wards so it would float Sanctuary in place had caused additional difficulties beyond what she considered possible. But the outcome it brought was well worth the effort. The Elders would be safe even as the realm around them crumbled. And it would, she had no delusions it wouldn’t. Her fight with the Usurper had wretched havoc on the realm. And from the sight of him easily warping stone, she couldn’t run the risk of the Maker trying to sink Sanctuary down into the depths.

It was both aggravating how much she had been forced to mirror the Maker but also relieving. the knowledge gained would help her tremendously against the Nightmare. One she could feel rising within her shroud. A flooding tide, their numbers so thick it felt as if a physical wall was moving up. Though the Maker was the present threat, she wouldn’t lose track of the one waiting behind him. The one she was going to be facing after she spent herself dealing with the Usurper and his Curse.

If she had the time, knew what she did now, she would have begun the heavy task of Warding the Crown. Produced works that would hold the souls back rather than racing down to the waiting maws of the Nightmare. But there wasn’t time, and with how events had fallen, might never be.

‘If I had known,’ The Giver thought. ‘Understood the Nightmare could feed upon the ancestors, I would have begun this task long ago.’ But she hadn’t, not even the Elders, who themselves were still blind to the danger coming. Their eyes were focused on the Maker and any talk of Nightmare was a humorous thing to them. A pack of pest used to remove Lowly or worse Soulless.

But that was the past, the Nightmare was a threat in the same way it was when it first appeared. The Vail couldn’t face them, and with the souls being consumed, no longer could they hide from them either. It was up to her, only she could hold back the darkness coming. The army she’d lost had displayed the truth. Vail even with worthy channels had been consumed as easily as Soulless. Even if they had access to Hearts they still would have been crushed by the Ancients. Or simply stepped on by the Precursors that were increasing in number.

‘They need me.’ She thought, followed by others that had her bindings strangling her, reminding her of her place. They only loosened when she blanked her mind and forgot the thoughts that caused the reaction. Freeing her from distractions as she finished her work.

Many versions of herself studied the achievement she'd accomplished. The shell mirroring the Makers level of defense. At least she offered to herself it did. Quieting her mind and ceasing her awareness of the realm at large, she pulled on the souls she’d accumulated and sent out the strength they carried. It flowed into the Wards quickly spreading over the entire length of the shell.

Wards pulsed to life, their light bathing Sanctuary with their brilliance. She watched, wonders in her eyes as everything worked. The knowledge she’d acquired had been sound and nothing crucial had been lost as it settled into her mind. She allowed herself a moment to taste the sweetness of Joy as her labor was rewarded.

The elating moment ceased when she felt the Maker move. He was heading towards Sanctums, a Nightmare in his own way, aimed just like the dark to consume the Vail. But he was too late for that, she’d saved all of them from his clutches. Removed all the Maker craved from the safe grounds and sent the worthy trinkets to the Elders. Even now as she labored for their future they fought one another over the portions of wealth. ‘That will keep them distracted for some time.’ She’d thought. Would make sure she wasn’t disturbed, or more demands were placed onto her.

With the Maker on the move she returned to her Task, moving as swiftly as she could to preparing everything. She didn’t know how long he would waste searching through the Sanctums, so every moment was precious.

More Hearts were made and the shell scanned for flaws as she began making more constructs. She used them to condense the endless tide of souls slipping through the crakes of the Crown. She’d been careful with her pull, doing her best to lure the souls to her without putting more stress on the stone. Still, it was the barriers she'd Chanted directed above Santuasy that kept the Crown in place. At least in her area, further out the Crown could be heard flaking away as the souls traveled downward.

‘If only I had the time.’ She complained, she could fix the problem above them, control the flow of souls, and cut off the Maker and Nightmares access to the ancestors. For a time at least, the Maker would call to the souls more. Pull heavily, more so than he already was, and have them shattering the realm.

‘You had time.’ A Curse wrapped tightly in tattered cloth sent to her. She gave it the briefest of glances as it floated next to her main construct, so small and insignificant. ‘But you and your Elders wasted it, wallowed inside indulgences thinking yourselves safe.’

She focused on it long enough to wipe the stain from her mind. As she'd done many times before. Yet the Curse kept coming back, had been the moment she’d removed an Inquisitor that decline her offer. Somehow in the process she’d gained the nagging Curse that clung to it. Hounding her with words of ending, that everything she did was too little to change the outcome. Spoke how the Maker and Nightmare were going to wipe away the Vial and fight one another for the realm.

An insulting Curse, how it spoke so little of her, and those higher. Thought they could be merely be pushed aside like crushed stone. She would show the Curse how wrong it was. Show both the Maker and Nightmare the power she now held.

The thoughts invigorated her, had her many selves working in a frenzy as Hearts were made, and constructs formed. The stride of it took her attention from the realm as she readied her defenses, readied to break the Maker.

Such focused ceased however when she felt the Maker move again. Then all her attention was on him, he traveled the realm so quickly, sped along haphazardly as he headed for a nearby Sanctum. Her pace slowed as her awareness followed his progress. Reaching another Sanctum in a scant number of Rounds. The Crown groaned as the Maker moved up closer to her level. The strength of his pull stirring the souls to action as they rushed faster down into the realm. A Growing pressure pushed on the barriers she’d constructed, spending more of her strength to keep the stone in place. But from places further out she heard the sound of stone rupturing and new rivers flowing down.

She sent constructs rushing towards and then into the tides. Consuming the souls as quickly as possible, growing to heights that would allow her to fight Precursors. She heard similar sounds echo around her. More and more of the Crown began breaking away, allowing the realm lost to be heard. The Wrath of the Chant long cast but still thriving echoed loudly to her. To the Vail, if they'd been outside, it would have been faint, distant.

Versions of herself began rushing away from the shell of safety, all heading to one flow or another. Once the fight with the Maker had begun, she would have difficulties calling the souls to her, not without a great expenditure of her own strength. She was going to need every speck of strength she could gather. Now with the shell complete, that became here only important task. She began hoarded souls in constructs rather than Hearts, considering the latter took so long to produce.

It wasn’t even a Round before She felt him move again, flying through the realm headed for another Sanctum. There had been multiple in his reach. But the Maker went towards the ones higher in the realm. She felt and heard the stone moan around her. Watched as the souls rushed away faster.

At the speed he was going, and the short bit of time he’d spared the second Sanctum. She predicted she had a Rotation at best before he headed towards Sanctuary. The many Sanctums in his way would keep him or perhaps Bliss preoccupied looking for survivors.

There was none of course, the Elders commands had been quite clear, nothing was to be left that the Usurpers could use to strengthen themselves. It had been a difficult task for her to accomplish. The refusers of her Offer had fought bitterly. Tried to perform hit and run tactic to prolong the fight. None of it helped with them in her shroud. But it had taken more time to remove all of them than originally planned.

The loss of their offers, the emptiness it brought was painful. It had slowed her, made her hesitant. A reluctance that grew as the realm became more silent with each life ended.

The realm was mute now, only the voices in Sanctuary remained, a dismissal sum. Which only made her more aware of the barren nature of the realm. It didn’t help either that the voices that remained didn’t offer in any helpful ways. All of them revolved about their own problems, calling for strength or knowledge to best others as they fought over the wealth she'd granted them.

None of the offers to her pleaded she have the strength to protect them. That she would usher in the means to their salvation. No, those offers had died along with most of the Vail. Those that remained held no belief that Death could reach them. That Sanctuary could be breached and harm brought.

‘They’ll know me soon enough’ The Curse in rags sent, appearing before her once more. ‘All will see as you see, as Orlone saw. You’ve all squandered your time, diluted your views and hide from me, from my truths. Now you all will pay the price. The Maker, or the Nightmare will swe-

A flick of thought and the Curse dissolved away screaming. A sweet tone to her after the constant tirades of doom it spread. If she’d known the Curse would find some way to cling to her, she’d left the Vail that it hosted within alive. Sparing herself the distraction the pest was causing. She didn’t have time for those, not now. The Maker was being swift, his speed mounting as he hurried towards a Sanctum further up than she’d thought he would head for.

The realm groaning heightened as the Makers call woke the dormant souls and moved them to action. Echoes of stone breaking resonated all around her, the pressure above Sanctuary increasing as the barriers pushed against stone wishing to break. She’d known the Makers arrival was going to end the already tattered Crown, but she hadn’t predicted it to be so quick. It seemed even she hadn’t been aware of how damaged the Crown had become.

‘If only I had time’ she whispered to herself again, everything could have been fixed. The calamity coming for them avoided. Yet as the troublesome Curse had said, they wasted their time.

A booming noise rattled the realm around her and not too far off stone blow apart as a flash blazed brightly. Souls came streaming down in mass where the breach formed. It took her a moment to realize what had occurred was a random strike from the Wrath above. Its nature to cleanse the realm had gone on too long, enough that now it was now slowly grinding it all away.

As her senses came back to her, she watched the breach spread as the souls pushed through caused large cracks to surge outward, some heading her way. They stopped a distant off, not hat it eased her concern. From the breach the echoes of the Chant long cast called loudly to her.

‘The Crown must be thinner than we’d thought.’ She concluded, not to taken by Surprise at the display. None of them truly knew the event taking place above them in the lost realm. The Chant was only to last ten Cycles. Was to cleanse the realm of pests and Soulless so they could return to a renewed realm ready for their rightful rule again.

Another breach being made sounded off far to her right, enough that it was obstructed from her sight. The vision of one of those random strikes hitting the shell had her returning her attention back to the task before her. She formed more constructs, had them feeding off the increased flow of souls. Those growing to a certain size she had return and wait within the shell. They would serve as makeshift Hearts filling the Wards with the strength needed to hold back Bliss and the Maker. Reluctantly she also sent some hovering overhead near the barriers. The pressure was mounting, causing them to thin.

The pressure magnified as the Maker surged upward. He'd only stayed at the third sanctum for maybe five Sequences before departing. The entirely of her stilled as she focused completely on him. Where his next destination was going to be. The realm around her crumbled apart as two forces pressed against it.

The Maker kept flying upward his speed increased from before. The Giver gave an alarmed stare at the presence headed her way. There was no place for Doubt to say otherwise. His path was direct, straight upwards and towards her, the Sanctums in reach quickly passed and ignored.

The realm quaked, the cracks formed from the nearby breach spread anew as the tide of souls hurried towards the source growing nearer. Large chunks of the Crown broke off, the breach quickly widening. The sound of the Crown shattering apart suffocated her attention on the Maker.

It moved her to action. She spread herself out, sent every Soul she had swimming into the tide of dead heading downwards. Took their strength and filled herself as quickly as she could. Reading for the fight racing towards her.

-------------------------

The realm slid away from him as he compelled the Oasis towards the location Bliss informed him was Sanctuary. He allowed the Giver enough time to prepare itself, and the monster had been busy. He guessed, based off of what he’d seen, that the Giver had feasted on every Sanctum. There was little doubt of that being wrong, the third had been a bloody ruin like the other two. None spared who dared to refuse her offer. At least it would keep the Nightmares busy for a time while he dealt with the Vails god. Removed her as much as he could before turning his sights on the beasts that had hunted him his entire short life in this wretched place.

They weren’t as terrifying to him now that it appeared the real was small and had kept the swarm below contained. Once he was above, had the source of the Vails power. He would unleash a spell down to the depths and burn out every last one of the monsters. Would free the realm of their existence and begin shaping the realm into a place of paradise.

Then, finally then, he could work on Bliss to, undo all he’d done. Make his family real again.

‘We’ll see.’ Voices said to him, voices he pointedly ignored as he focused on the realm. Carefully shifting directions as he followed the Bliss construct guiding him. His monster was eager for the fight to come, Bliss seemed to hate the Giver in its own way. He himself didn’t hold such feelings, true he’d lost his faith for the being after what it has done to its followers.

But not hate, not after the fact that the Giver was the only reason he knew of Bliss. If not for her, Dailin could admit he would have never have figured things out. He would have fallen for Bliss’s plan and only learned of it when It had deemed the time right to reveal itself to him, and present a realm of puppets for his service.

Tens of thousands calling his name, all moving in sync with Bliss commands. It would have been a terrifying sight to behold. Even imagining it had him shiver slightly.

‘Yet there’s a part of you in here that longs for it.’ A voiced stated proudly, as if telling him such a thing was an honor. Its reward was him imaging the voice being thrown it at high speed into stone. Then receding back into the corner of his mind where the rest of things he didn’t have time to reflect on collected.

Which Bliss was causing a great deal of. It was making him see at times that he was less kind of a person than he’d originally thought. But he could fix that, if life allowed him. He could do better, or try to at least. Maybe then the voices would go away and he would have true peace again in his dream.

“Is there anything I can do for you Maker?” his creature called out, standing ahead of him and to the side so he had a line of sight on its presence. “Perhaps refreshments? Or entertainment?” the thing continued its eyes fixed on him, accompanied with that dammed smile plastered on its face.

“Prepare yourselves for the fight to come will please me.” He said, one of his eyes open to look at her.

“Well yes, of course Maker, but is there anything else I can do for you?” The creature took the slightest step forward towards him. “It’s unpleasing to see you troubled, if you would just tell me what’s wrong, I would do my utmost to make things right.”

‘Just like it did to your family’ A voice whispered in his ear. “Made them all right, perfect to serve you in every way.’

He ignored the thought and focused on his monster, smiling unkindly at it. “Don’t you know what troubles me?” He asked innocently. “I thought that’s what you do best, acting on my interests without my say so.”

The creature smile fell, the amount so small, but it said so much. “If you would perhaps remove that cloud around your mind Maker I could do as I did before.” The creature admitted to him, stating that it indeed couldn’t see or hear his thoughts anymore. The admission of it made his own smile grow, and had his creature eyes narrow.

“No Bliss, you got to earn that right." He told his creature. “For last time you abused it, listening to my every whim and thought, using them to hide yourself better from my sight. Going around committing acts in my name without telling me, just because of a passing thought.” His smile dipped away and formed a frown. “Played me for a fool, had me acting like yet another one of your puppets.”

It gave him a hurt look, shaking its head. “None of that of was my intention Maker I was making life easier on you, removing the burdens.”

How much of that was a lie he wondered, how much of anything Bliss did real? An actor was all he could see, its every movement meant to get him to act in a certain way. “It's not what you meant Bliss,” he said bitterly to it. “Its how it felt to me, and I felt wronged, my trust abused.”

Again it gave a hurt expression, even closed its eyes to make it appear genuine. “So Bliss, my Bliss you’re going to have to earn that right again. keep me pleased without seeing into my mind."

"Such as doing as I say.” He added with mirth in his voice.

Its eyes still closed the creature dipped its head, appeared to be praying, before its deep eyes opened. The smile returned, but it was smaller now and normal looking, rather than the maniacal one it always carried. “I do this Maker, I act in the manner you instruct, then you’ll forgive me?” It asked, “let me see into you again like in the beginning?”

He stared at it for a long moment, half of him still guiding the Oasis upward. A thought came to him one that had his smile return. And instead of answering, he gave it a question of his own. “How does it feel Bliss, to not know what someone is thinking? To not know if it's lying to you or not?”

His creature went still, staring at him with wanting eyes, its smile dipped even more as it thought over his question, continued till it was almost not a smile at all.

“It's very unpleasing,” the monster answered.

His smile grew wider, “remember that,” he said coldly. “That’s what you put me through, what I still go through when dealing with you. You and your lies, now you get to experience it as well. Not knowing whether what I say is what I want.”

“You could know,” the creature said softy and the tone desperate. “There's nothing you can’t do Maker, when you put your mind and will to it. Look into me, see that everything I do is for you, even the lies I was forced to use.”

It was his turn now to be still and quiet as surprise took him. ‘Gods I could.’ He thought, with Mana at his command there was almost nothing out of his reach. He could look into her, into anyone for that matter. See all their little secrets, move back the lies that people shrouds themselves in.

‘How convenient,’ voices whispered into his ears. ‘See everything, whip away the layers and gaze upon people bare, exposed to you in the most revealing of ways.’ The words had become mocking, disapproving of the notion, disgusted by it.

One asked him, ‘how would you feel if somebody did that to you?’ He didn’t answer, it was obvious in the way the voice spoke the question. Even thinking about it made him feel unclean. To see everything about a person, even their most vile thoughts.

He returned his gaze back to his creature. It had taken a step forward when he wasn’t paying attention to it. He could know everything about this creature of his, see every wrong it had committed. The temptation was luring, that and Bliss wasn’t a person, but his monster. The urge and fact were enough for him to call to the Mana.

It was so simple, why was it so simple? He wondered as the spell took hold. He looked at his creature hard, and then heard it, thoughts not his own, thoughts that revolved around him.

How he was, what to do next to please him, what actions to take to heal the rift between them. He looked deeper, for his creature deserved this, to be revealed as it had done to him without his knowing.

The desire for him never left, no matter how deep he looked, everything was about him. It's every action, its every thought and choices were aimed at what bettered him in the end.

In that sea of foreign thoughts, thoughts always about him, he didn’t find even a speck of morality. He also saw, as images play out, just how fake it was. It shocked him enough to rush back to the surface, to return to his own mind and thoughts. Away from the monster in front of him.

“Did you see Maker?” His creature asked, its eyes filled with hope. “See the truth, that you’re my everything?”

“I saw” he answered quietly. And said in his mind, ‘saw many horrible things.’ He knew the creature before him was a monster.

But now he truly knew. The worst of it was his creature couldn’t be blamed, not in the way a person could. Bliss, it was literal. Beyond what he was thinking. It's acting so well done that he’d trick himself into believing it experienced more than that.

Bliss was all it knew, all it felt, everything else was an act, it had no real concept of pain or remorse, no empathy or regret for the deeds it did to others. The worse it felt was a lessening of its state. That was why his creature was so adamant about getting his trust back. It wanted to be whole again.

‘What a fine monster you made.’ One of the voices said. ‘Still think you should wait till later to fix it?’

‘Yes,’ he answered staring at the creature before him.

‘What!’ the voice and others said, the words echoing loudly within him. ‘You see how wrong it is, what it will do and still you find the creature fine to be left how it is?’ The voice pressed.

‘It’s perfect’ he sent to himself, to the part of him disgusted about what he saw ahead of him. ‘It will do everything needed to make sure I survive, that my family does as well. But most of all,’ he thought, smiling at his creature again. ‘I see how easily it’s going to be to fix Bliss when the time is right. The thing before me will leap to be changed, beg if I asked of it. If I show how happy it will make me.’

He could feel the thoughts that followed after, the press to act now, to change Bliss into something other than the monster it was currently. Dailin pushed the urge aside. ‘Not now’ he said towards those in the recesses of his mind.

‘There might be hard choices ahead, things committed for the sake of survival. Bliss must be able to do those things undistracted, unlike me.’ The Giver would show no mercy, that was plain with how it slaughtered the Sanctums. It would not do for him to fix Bliss right before facing another monster that meant to kill him and those he cared for.

Dailin focused his awareness on his creature, it stared at him with expecting eyes. Its arms and hands were curled up and pressed against its chest. A small look within the creature and he felt the deep yearning within. How badly it wanted him to see as it saw, accept it, forgive it so things would be as it should be. He continued smiling at the monster and removed his hands from the panel causing the Oasis to stop.

With his hands free his motioned to the creature. “Come here Bliss,” he said, and its face lit up with delight. The construct it used melted and rushed forward rather than taking steps. It only solidified after it was close enough he could touch it. Hands moving forward he cupped the monster face in his hands, a gasp of pleasure parted from its newly formed lips.

“I saw all you did for me, Bliss.” He spoke, lightly brushing a hand through its hair as the creature fell into kneeled position. “All the pains you went through to provide for my every need." He continued “I see now how much I matter to you, that all this was a misunderstanding.” Its smile grew and grew and its hands reached out and touched his chest.

“So, seeing all this my dear Bliss, I find it in me to forgive you.” He lied, he would never forgive the monster before him. But the one after, the one made right, that one perhaps in time he would. “But first my dear Bliss I need you to rid the realm of this threat that is the Giver, then the Nightmares. I need you to protect me and my family, help me make paradise.”

“It’s all I ever aim for Maker.” The creature said placing its hands on his. “All for you, it’s all for you Maker, so don’t listen to Worry. I’ll make everything right.”

Dailin kept up his fake smile, spread it wider so creases formed under his eyes. “That’s blessed to hear my dear Bliss, it makes me so happy to know how committed you are to me.” He quickly glanced back at the panel, at the realm laying beyond it. “I need you, my dear Bliss, to hold nothing back in the fight to come, I need you to crush this threat. Do this for me and I’ll begin forgiving you.”

She stared up at him with wide eyes and he found it painful to look upon her face. It was the picture of innocents, of joy, of everything one could fathom as good. A look only a child should be able to give, yet it was worn by a monster. One so cold and unable to care that it had no right to have such a face.

“Have no Fear Maker this Giver and the Nightmare below all will be taken care of.” His monster said with a joy-filled tone. “I’ll make paradise for you,” it spoke pressing his hands firmer against its face. “It will be like in the beginning, just the two of us in a perfect realm.”

“I look forward to it my dear Bliss.” He said pulling his creature into a hug, one which it swiftly reciprocated.

‘I look forward to the day I make you right you horrible monster.’ Dailin thought as the images flashed in his mind again. The thousands it had killed, had played games with, lured in with false affection. It was fitting that he did the same to it.

‘When the time is right.’ Dailin thought, moving a hand back to the panel. ‘And all this madness is done, I’ll make things right, make my family real again, make a paradise where we can all forget the things we’ve done.’

‘When the time is right,' he thought hugging Bliss tighter. 'I’ll make you into a person Bliss.’