[b]Astarte, Goddess of Magic (Souls)
39 MP, 7 FP[/b]

[hider=Summary]
Astarte is forced out of her little cave of desperation by Brown and is instructed to go sign the pact. She does so, but in the process realizes she's probably going to die one day as well and falls into true depression for the first time in her life.[/hider]

[i]'Go,'[/i] The voice was soft, subdued. It wasn't the abrasive voice she'd always known. Something had happened. Something serious. [i]'to the Solitary Mount, and sign the pact in our name.'[/i]

Yet there was no verbal response to the voice, only the tiniest of signals was sent through the open telepathic channel.

[i]'You will go, and you will do as I say-'[/i]

[i]'No, I can't risk Big's safety like that.'[/i] Astarte responded. The darkness of the cave she was inside of comforted her, knowing no one could see her disheveled state.

[i]'Astarte, honey, you must do this, it's what you want-'[/i] The voice stopped for a moment, [i]'… What[/i] we [i]want."[/i]

Astarte whimpered. It was a sound that carried over to the voice, a sound that described everything she felt.

[i]'This is what I want you to do. First, you'll stand up, then you'll go to the lake and wash yourself. You'll make sure you're presentable again, and you'll show up at the specified place in less than ten minutes.'[/i]

[i]'I'm not a child, you can't tell me what to d-'[/i]

[i]'I, your Avatar, who was recently created by the way, is more mature than you by leagues. You act like a child, so I treat you like a child, Astarte.'[/i] There was a huff and an incredible wave of annoyance coming from Brown at that moment. So Astarte sniffled, licked her lips and stood up. Brown could be really hurtful when she got mad.

[i]'… You don't have to be so mean, though.'[/i]

No response, followed by the channel closing.

***********

Jvan's essence coated the entire region and the peak of the Solitary Mount was pretty much gone. To Astarte, there was no way of knowing what had happened. She had known for a while now that Vowzra and Jvan weren't exactly friends, but she never expected something like this to happen. She'd have to talk to Jvan and ask for an explanation at a later date, but for now, other things awaited.

As she walked up to the foot of the Mount and looked up toward the top, a little spark within her was snuffed out. She wouldn't teleport up there and she wouldn't enjoy the flight up either. Why would she enjoy such a simple thing when there were bigger problems to face?

Vulamera was dead. Vowzra was dead. Big had been kidnapped…

It wouldn't be long until Astarte herself was dead. 

That thought wormed its way into her mind and bravely fought off all of her subconscious attempts at chucking it out. 

Oh, the beautiful Astarte. The Goddess of Souls, who had the soul of a child herself. Pure, and innocent. 

Her face was devoid of smile, smirk and grin. Her eyes had lost their twinkle, her ever-flowing hair had been betrayed by the unseen currents of wind and had fallen straight down to cover her back and shoulders and to obscure her tired expression.

Her body had stopped emitting its soft light, and she instead seemed to draw away the happiness, the contentedness, the excitement and the motivation from whatever surrounded her.

As she ascended, a blooming lavender flower decided that today was not the day it would bloom. It shriveled and lost three of its petals. Astarte noticed this and looked at a few strands of her hair. Even plants told her of her eventual fate, she thought and carried on.

She didn't see the plant heal and stand proud once more.

It was only a short while before she'd reached what was left of the peak and found the Monument.

"Is it even a Monument…? Maybe it's more fitting to call it a Memorial. At least once everyone signs it and it's left to face the ages on its own." Astarte shrugged and placed her hands  on the Gravestone Contract. There was no flash of light or wave of grief. If anything, it would've been a disappointment to any witness how the Goddess of Magic, once so cheery and lively, merely left a little bit of her essence on the pillar and retracted her hands.

There was no physical signature, and no simple mortal would ever be able to figure out she had signed the pact.

But within Astarte, a fight was going on. A fight that not even she was aware of. A part of her mind had chosen to imbue the essence she left with a tiny amount of desperation and helplessness. It was a cry for help, for aid, so that one of her brothers or sisters would go to her and push back her tormentor, herself.

The grief surrounding the Gravestone Contract didn't affect Astarte too much, but the stillness of the place brought her the smallest amount of peace. Instead of choosing to visit her two brothers nearby, she flew over to a small pile of dirt and sat down, being careful enough not to get her dress too dirty. She didn't want Brown to be mad at her.