[center][h2][color=CCCCFF]December[/color][/h2][/center] [hr] The confusion settled quickly as December stared idly at Lexus. All of her senses told her it was real. No matter how much she might have liked to reject this reality, writing it off as some kind of mass hallucination, but with her senses being persistently assaulted in every possible way, she couldn't refute it. [color=CCCCFF][i]This is real isn't it?[/i][/color] As she watched the surreal events unfolding around her, she briefly wondered if her old life was a dream all along. That the family she thought she had was as fictional as she believed YGGDRASIL to be. The thought alone made her expression grim and distant. Even as the beholder was dispatched and her newfound friends fled for safety, she sat quietly. She looked up, her gaze was trained on the ceiling, and watched as jagged lines snaked their way through several columns and archways, all of which trembled dangerously as the hall fell to pieces. Rubble and debris hailed down from above while exquisitely carved reliefs and statues crumbled. She moved not an inch as massive chunks of marble and stone burst against her tough hide like clumps of loose dirt. In that moment, she half-wished the building would collapse and kill her. She knew she would survive, but it seemed somehow easier to be spared the trouble of dealing with this new reality. However, some part of her still ached to makes things right and return home--the same part that was determined to see her son again. It filled her with unwavering resolve and a singular focus. She knew exactly what she had to do. The only question now was how to do it? [color=CCCCFF]"It wasn't supposed to happen this way."[/color] She turned to face Lexus. Her voice was sullen, but resolute. [color=CCCCFF]"This isn't the apocalypse I wanted."[/color] The supports finally collapsed and the vaulted ceiling began to cave in. With a few powerful beats of her peregrine wings, she soared upwards, and unleashed a pulverizing sonic roar at the falling debris. Destructive waves of sound blasted a hole in the stone allowing her to escape into the sky above. [hr] [@Stern Algorithm]