Ozzy was thrown back to mortal level senses by the Void Being with little regard for his own comfort. Chances were there wasn't a great way to come down from that sort of height anyways. Though it still would have been nice to have a bit of a warning.

  Seeing things through human eyes again was like looking through drunk glasses. Everything moved too slow. The darkness was too, well, dark. That wasn’t even mentioning the headache.

  “Suppose you won't be wanting to do that again?” The Void Being asked, an irritating level of smugness that Ozzy could only half perceive with his now subpar human senses reaching his ears.

  “Just patch me up.” Ozzy grimaced, at the sound of his own voice.

  “No experimenting then?” The void asked.

  “Only if you’re sure it’ll work.” Ozzy said.

  Marinating in all of the fantastically human sensations of pain and discomfort made Ozzy think the Void hadn’t just switched up his senses to let Ozzy watch. Every passing moment left him with new and incredibly terrible sensations of the tear within his soul.

  His break watching the fight had been something of a mercy that Ozzy could only now recognize. Sitting with the sould damage was like sitting with a dislocated knee. While he didn't know what dislocating anything else felt like. Throughout his life he’d dislocated his knees several times.

  A dislocation wasn’t the most painful thing in the world. At least compared to breaking something, it did leave you with a deep sense of wrong however. Your limb would seize up, refusing to move, or grating against the joint like stone on stone. Your muscles would reflexively contract, further cementing their immobility. And in the end you were left with a limb that felt more shackle than flesh.

  Ozzy's soul was in a similar state. Still there, still stable. Though he knew if he were to try and use any of his powers the metaphorical joints of his soul would grind together, potentially rubbing off bits and pieces of his soul while he did. So, he sat there. Barely moving. Barely breathing. Just waiting for the moment when the Void Being would get over his smugness and help him out.

  “Well experimenting would certainly be dangerous.” The void confirmed, slowly nodding his head.

  “I don't want dangerous. I just want you to fix me.” Ozzy pleaded, gasping as a thin line of burning pain made its way from his abdomen to his spine.

  “I understand that. I also understand that you're under a fair deal of pain. Which is why I am loath to allow you to make a decision that could hinder your future, especially if you are simply making it to escape a little pain.” The Void said, looking him over as though he were no more than an interesting sample in a lab.

  “I don't care. Fix me.” Ozzy said, his words coming out through gritted teeth.

  “I apologize Ozzy. Please allow a second opinion.” The Void Being said and turned, the large form of Fauga appearing beside him in a flash.

  “Why is he still broken?” The Lord of Powder asked, an eyebrow raising in confusion.

  “He's still broken because there's more to gain from this experience. Fate willing.” The Void added, ”The Goddess placed a Divine Core within him, currently it resides in the torn space within his soul. Not directly affecting anything, but certainly causing our friend some discomfort.” The Void explained.

  “You wish to ensoul the Core?” Fauga asked, understanding what was being put down.

  “Precisely. Ozzy is currently firmly in the realm of, get it out of me. I'm just not certain that's what's best for him, I could try explaining that to him but I think it would sound better coming from you.” The Void said, taking a step back, and allowing Fauga forward.

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  Fauga acknowledged The Void's point with a sigh, nodding his head sadly before moving to kneel before Ozzy. Even outside of his divine form the god was massive. Kneeling, he still had to look down to see Ozzy, he hadn’t done it for himself however, but for Ozzy, who wasn’t currently able to lift his head much more than several degrees to look up at him.

  “It is hard to ask this.” Fauga began, offering a fatherly smile. “Soul pain is pain like no other, but it is still, pain. Pain you can beat. I will not and he will not,” Fauga jerked his head at the Void Being, “Force you to do this, but I ask you to consider. Consider it more than when I asked you to be my follower. The power we three offer, can take you far. But a divine core, I could not give you. Making one without losing half of myself would take longer than your lifetim. It is why the Goddess fought so desperately. If the Void can make it whole within you, there will be no telling what you could do.” Fauga spoke softly, like someone might with a timid animal.

  Ozzy would never be the first one to say he was a trusting person. He certainly wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, and that could lead him to trust without really realizing that he was trusting in the first place. When it came down to actual trusting relationships, however, there were only a few that he truly counted, even less in this place.

  First and foremost was Emil. They'd fought together, bled together. Shared meals, and living spaces. Emil had had every chance in the book to pull something on Ozzy. Every time however, he'd shown up as a friend.

  Ozzy's relationship with Fauga was a little bit different, more transactional you could say. It wouldn’t be entirely wrong to say that Ozzy was something of a surprise baby. Fauga felt responsible for him and since Ozzy had known next to nothing about this world, he’d thrown him a bone. Then since Ozzy was a part of the metaphorical family, he’d invited him to work with him. Not too out of the ordinary, Initially Ozzy had been incredibly suspicious but time and time again the God had proved himself to be nothing but honest and Respectful of Ozzy's own desires. The complete opposite of what the Goddess of Light have been.

  All of that to say, it wasn't hard to trust Fauga. It was certainly easier to trust him than it was the Void Being, but their relationship was slowly changing. Or at least, Ozzy was changing.

  Because he'd been so new to the world and new to power looking back Ozzy could totally say that Fauga had just been totally throwing him a bone. That wasn't really the case now though. Sure, he was still new and immature as to the way things worked with Myreluck and all of that, but he wasn’t helpless. He had a part to play in all of this now. So didn't it make sense that the beings who stood over him would want to exercise tighter control? To use him and turn him into more of the weapon that he was slowly becoming? Ozzy didn’t know.

  He stared at Fauga for a good few minutes. They all waited. You could say one thing for the gods, you could say they had all the time in the world.

  As he waited, staring into Fauga's eyes, searching for something, any hint of guilt, ambition, or otherwise, he was struck by a memory.

  ***

  “Hey kiddo, what’s with the thousand-yard frown?” Mariah, Ozzy’s mother, leaned against the sun-bleached wooden railings of the old swamp-shack of house’s front porch.

  Home had never been anything special. It had never been much of anything if Ozzy was being honest. The dirt beneath foundation was worth probably three times what the slowly sagging house was. As everyone would always tell you though, it was home. At least it had been Ozzy’s home.

  “I think Jordan’s lying to me.” Ozzy said, sitting on the worn the wooden planks with his legs sticking out through the gaps in the railing. He’d been small enough to do it back then. Maybe 14 at the time?

  “What would Jordan be lying to you about?” Mom said, frowning after she heard her accent, and inwardly Ozzy smiled. His Mom’s southern drawl had always been something of touchy subject for her. She’d never liked the way it sounded, always working to keep it tucked away until something surprised her enough or made her angry enough to let it slip up.

  “I think he took my fishing pole.” Ozzy confessed to his mother.

  “And why would he do that? I know he’s already got one.” His Mom tried reasoning with him, but there was very little reasoning you could do with an upset teenager.

  “I just think he did, I can’t trust him.” He’d said, and leaned his head against the bleached wooden rail. His mom had come over a moment later and put a hand on his head.

  “You should always trust your friends honey. People can do terrible things, but if you can’t trust your friends, you can’t trust anyone. At least not anyone besides me.” She tussled his hair with a chuckle.

  ***

  I miss you Mom. Ozzy thought, staring into the jaws of a bloody future. What I’d give to have you here with me. To be back there.

  “I’ll do it.”