The Conclave Spires flashed with ethera, and a second later, Sadie felt the familiar but cloying embrace of death-attuned energy. She wanted nothing more than to lash out, to carve her way to the source and excise it from existence.

But she knew that wasn’t possible. It came from the nearby Primal Realm, which meant that she lacked the power to destroy it. If such a thing was even possible. Still, the atmosphere put her in an extremely irritable mood.

Though that could probably be traced back to the bad memories that the death-attuned ethera brought to the forefront of her mind. It had been a while since Dat’s death, but time didn’t really soften the loss. What’s more, she hadn’t parted on great terms, leaving a bad taste in her mouth that had never really faded.

Even so, Hong Kong was her home. And her family was still her family, no matter how backwards they often were. Sadie felt a need – deep and undeniable – to mend the connections she’d broken. Maybe that was why she had chosen to return. Even if it was only meant as a visit, she hoped that her grandfather and brother could see sense. What form that might take, she had no idea, but sometimes, hope wasn’t truly rational.

This was one of those cases.

Her grandfather was, if nothing else, entrenched in his personality. Inflexibility was one of his key traits, largely because it had served him well in the pre-apocalyptic world of business. That really wasn’t true anymore. Nuance had become a requirement, and one he simply could not satisfy.

But Sadie was determined to give her familial relationships every chance to recover. She would not abandon them until she’d exhausted all possibilities. She desperately wanted to mend those bonds, but she couldn’t do it alone. Not in any way she could accept, at least.

With that in mind, she stepped free of the Spires and took note of her surroundings. She’d arrived nearly twenty miles from the city itself, but the death-attuned ethera still hung heavy in the air. The skyline looked familiar enough, though she did note that a couple of the buildings on the outskirts of the city had already fallen.

Not surprising. Much of the city had been abandoned, and with the power of some of the monsters in the area, many of the structures had taken quite a beating. In some cases, they looked like a strong breeze would tip them over.

After giving the local space mage a nod, she strode through the Conclave compound surrounding the Spires, leaving through the east gate. Soon enough, she’d found her way to a newly paved road that, after a couple of miles, merged with a much wider thoroughfare.

Much of the traffic was pedestrian, though there were still a few vehicles around. Some were powered by new technology that harnessed ethera to provide power, but there were rickshaws and wagons pulled by sturdy oxen as well. When Sadie joined the flow of traffic, the others gave her a wide berth.

Not surprising, given that she’d chosen to wear her armor. One look at that, and most people would go the other way, if only because it marked her as someone powerful. Most people wanted to avoid confrontations with such figures.

Regrettable, considering that Sadie preferred not to be singled out or put on a pedestal, but she considered it unavoidable. That was the price of power, and one she’d accepted well before the world’s transformation. Even back then, she’d always known that she would be apart from the majority of people.

In this case, it worked out in her favor, because she didn’t need to regulate her speed. So, even without straining herself, she quickly covered the distance to the city, only to find that things had changed much more than she could have expected.

For one, the route into the city was walled off and patrolled by groups of fighters. Only a quick inspection told her that each group was composed of two Warriors, a Healer, a Ranger, and a Sorcerer. A perfect spread of archetypes to combat anything that came their way.

The walls in question glistened with ethera, guarding the thoroughfare from the undead roaming the other side. She stopped one of the patrols and asked if the whole city was like that.

“No,” the leader answered, looking disgusted at having to speak to Sadie. “Heaven’s Bastion has banished the undead from great swaths of the city, and much of Hong Kong Island is entirely free of their blight.”

“I see,” she said. “Thank you.”

The woman didn’t bother responding. Instead, she continued her patrol. As it turned out, she got a glimpse of why those patrols were necessary only a few minutes later when a hulking abomination of rotting flesh climbed over the wall and attacked a group of passersby. The nearest group of guards snapped into action only a second later, slaughtering the thing in moments.

Sadie never even had a chance to respond, largely because she was more than a hundred yards away from the incident. However, she was very impressed with the speed of their defenses. Still, it wasn’t fast enough to avoid three casualties among the pedestrians. One died, while two were gravely wounded. By the time Sadie reached them – intending to heal the injured – the group’s Healer had already taken care of things.

“Please move along,” said the lead Warrior. He was much more polite than the last patrol leader, though it was obvious that he would brook no argument.

Sadie knew none of them were powerful enough to stop her from doing whatever she wanted, but at the moment, she had no interest in causing a problem. So, she complied, moving on as soon as she’d established that the victims would be healed. Over the next few minutes, she saw a few more attacks, but none of the others were fatal. The responses were well-measured and rapid, speaking to the degree of organization.

It seemed that Heaven’s Bastion had begun to get its feet under it.

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A good thing, considering that Sadie had often worried for the people she had abandoned. She’d had her reasons – and good ones, as far as she was concerned – but the rank and file members of the settlement wouldn’t care about that if a horde of undead stormed their homes.

And that had been a very real concern, though one that she’d desperately tried to ignore. Staying had never been an option, and for a variety of reasons. So, thinking of the consequences of her choices wasn’t really productive. Instead, she’d focused on the things she could control, which was one of the reasons she’d so eagerly thrown herself into a Primal Realm.

But now that she was standing amidst the very people whose plight she had ignored, she couldn’t divorce herself from those thoughts. Her stomach twisted as she followed the route through the city, then finally crossed the bridge to Hong Kong Island. That was when things opened up.

Many of the familiar buildings had been demolished, and in their place were vertical farms that clearly utilized the same technology that kept Seattle fed. The buildings that hadn’t been destroyed had been renovated to accommodate an obviously growing population.

Sadie didn’t hesitate to make her way toward the building that had once been known as the International Commerce Centre. Now, it was her grandfather’s seat of power, and when she’d left, it had housed the bulk of Heaven’s Bastion’s forces.

The building itself looked mostly unchanged, but in the nearly two years since she’d last visited, there had been clear alterations beneath the surface. It practically vibrated with ethera, evidence that the city’s crafters had been hard at work. In addition, the men standing guard at the entrance were obviously much stronger than she might have expected.

Still weak, at least compared to her, but she’d long known that her situation was abnormal. They were likely stronger than the global average, which was an impressive turn of events, considering the state she’d left them in.

She approached.

“Sadie Song. Here to see my grandfather and brother,” she announced. “May I pass?”

“You may,” said the guard. “Surrender your weapon, and you may pass. Song Tianwei is expecting you.”

Sadie hadn’t expected to give up her sword, but in retrospect, she probably should have. She was an outsider now, and there was no way they’d let a stranger approach the patriarch of the clan while armed. It was just not secure.

Either way, she knew she didn’t need her sword to defend herself. If she so desired, she could have torn the building down. So, she gave the weapon up, saying, “I expect it to be returned without blemish.”

The guard assured her that it would be, and she proceeded inside. The interior, at least, was mostly familiar, though many of the faces were not. Most of the residents looked at her with a note of suspicion and an undercurrent of anger. Again, she should have expected hostility. After all, she had abandoned them. Doubtless, they didn’t know the full story.

Even if they had, could she blame them for their resentment? She hadn’t been there for them.

Sadie ignored their accusatory glances, finding her way to the elevator, where she encountered another pair of guards. These were even more powerful than those stationed at the building’s entrance. Perhaps in the one-thirties, which was impressive. Still not a threat to her, though.

They allowed her to enter the elevator, and she was soon on her way to her grandfather’s office. She arrived after only a few moments and stepped out to find it largely unchanged. She cringed inwardly at the dragon-themed decorations. If Elijah saw those, he likely would have done more than cringe a little.

Still, she ignored those and stepped out of the elevator. It wasn’t long before she ended up in her grandfather’s office and face-to-face with the man himself. He looked younger than he had when she’d left, though there was fatigue in his eyes.

Sadie bowed slightly. “Grandfather.”

“Granddaughter,” he acknowledged with a nod. “What brings you here?”

“I…I don’t know,” she admitted. “Many things. I wanted to ensure that Heaven’s Bastion was…thriving. And I also need to determine your response to the Primal Realms. Three have been conquered. More remain.”

“You have been busy. Your actions are a source of pride for our clan.”

Obviously, he knew of her participation in the Eternal War. Word traveled fast, it seemed.

“I didn’t do it for you,” she said.

“And yet your actions reflect positively on us. Does that displease you, granddaughter?”

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

“Very well. Come. Tea?” he asked.

She nodded, following him through the foyer and into the office itself. It was similarly decorated – tasteful but still nodding to their Chinese heritage. After only a moment, a woman entered, setting a cup before her. It was precisely how she liked it – evidence that her grandfather had remembered her tastes. He’d always gotten those details right. Probably because he knew it affected her opinion of him.

Over the next few minutes, they exchanged pleasantries. Tianwei explained the changes in the city, most of which were due to running through the Primal Realm. The initial conquering had drained it of much of its power, but the first few runs had been difficult, claiming many lives. However, they had persisted, eventually establishing their methods. Now, it was a constant source of experience, much like towers.

More dangerous, Tianwei acknowledged, but that came with the territory.

“The Primal Realms are the future,” he stated. “Those who control them will grow stronger than all others. We are currently negotiating a deal with the guilds in New York so that we will not be left behind.”

“I see,” Sadie said. It made sense. The guilds in question were quickly establishing themselves as one of the preeminent powers on Earth. That was why Elijah had gone to meet with them. Hopefully, it would be a fruitful endeavor and not the disaster she suspected it might become. The second they started making demands of him was when he would react negatively. But that wasn’t the primary reason she’d come to Hong Kong. So, she asked, “What about Nico?”

“Ah. Your brother is a constant source of consternation. He is not the man I hoped he would be,” Tianwei explained. “Distractable, unreliable, flighty, and short-tempered. Those are not the traits of a leader.”

“Where is he?”

Tianwei gestured dismissively. “In the city. He met a young woman of ill repute. He believes I know nothing of their little rendezvous. More proof that he is ill-suited to lead. Any man who can make such a grievously bad judgement does not deserve to lead,” Tianwei stated.

“What makes her unreputable?”

“The usual. But I do not wish to speak of my failures as a patriarch,” Tianwei said, leaning forward. “We need you to return. You belong here. Not as some wandering vagabond selling your sword to foreigners. With you by my side, we can take our place as the preeminent force on this planet. It is practically foretold.”

“How so?”

“We have allies. Even they underestimate our might, but they will be valuable when we confront our enemies. Your power will ensure our ascension.”

Sadie sighed. It was the same as ever. Her grandfather might have been a brilliant businessman, but those same instincts continuously led him astray in the new world. Instead of looking to solve the problem facing Earth as a whole, he spent his time in political maneuvering.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I need to go,” she said, pushing herself to her feet. “It was good seeing you, grandfather. Thank you for the tea. I will give your words due consideration, but I must go. I have responsibilities elsewhere.”

His brow furrowed, but he said, “Very well. Remember who you are. This is your home. We look forward to your return.”

With that, Sadie bowed her head in respect, then left the office behind. Hong Kong might have changed quite a lot, but from what she could tell, it was still a nest of vipers. Perhaps that would remain the case so long as Song Tianwei was in charge.