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[h1][color=lightblue] Arwen [/color] & [color=tomato] Aella [/color]

&

[color=plum]Laurien[/color]

&

Li’Kalla/Ami/Silver[/h1]

In

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Sunshine After Rain 

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[center][b][h3][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZM87N-3ob0&list=PLWLxai0I8EkNaksAl2VOWfZCQC2fTGFUl&index=21&t=0s]II[/url][/h3][/b][/center]

It wasn’t long before the smell of smoke drifted down into the Hollow. As close as they were to the Hollow City of Doveth, it was only a matter of time. They found themselves running, as people rushed past them, hoping to find some sort of salvation from what was happening to their homes. Arwen had quickly let her anger drown in uncertainty of what awaited her. Yet she couldn’t stop from feeling a certain sort of dread, the type that one wanted only to run from, but also attack head on. It drove her, even from the cries of Aella to stop. She had to find out what was happening, it only felt right. 

And before long, she had her answer. 

Through the smoke and fire of burning, crackling wood, she glimpsed an ethereal being in the street before her. Hair burning bright as the fire, almost as if it was flame itself and with eyes to match. It was female, for she wore no clothing upon her inky black skin. Her features were so unnaturally perfect it made her teary eyes wide with disbelief. With an outstretched hand, the woman beckoned to her, and Arwen slowly shed her worries and advanced with a smile on her face as the world burned around her...

Until Aella pulled her back, having tightly grabbed onto her sister’s wrist. [color=tomato]”Sis, what are you doing?! Snap out of it, that thing will burn you alive!”[/color] Aella screamed, raising an arm to shield her face from a gust of superheated air.

Arwen snarled as she spun around to face Aella, her face seething with rage but the minute she looked upon her sister, it was as if her trance was broken. [color=lightblue]”A-Aella! I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”[/color] She said, before looking back up the street. The woman was gone. 

[color=lightblue]”Come on! We can’t stay here!”[/color] she said, beginning to pull Aella along as the smoke made her cough. The heat wasn’t making it easy to breathe either.  

Aella struggled. She stumbled and couldn’t stop her eyes from crying. At a certain point as they walked through the inferno that the city had become, the edges of her leaves started smoking. And yet suddenly the air cooled down to a bearable temperature, and the flames seemed to keep back just enough, and the smoke cleared.

Ami emerged from the smoke behind them, a massive Molf trailing just a few steps behind her in turn. 

[color=ghostwhite][b]’We have to leave Doveth. It’s not just the fire here, I can feel blood being shed almost everywhere around us… And there’s someone, no… Something else, among the attackers… Something unnatural.’[/b][/color]

Arwen grimaced at the sight of Ami, but she could not help but cry out for joy at the sight of her Molf. [color=lightblue]”Tashal!”[/color] she exclaimed happily, throwing her arms around the Molf’s thick neck. In return, the creature began to lick the top of her head. She looked away and up at Ami, before being assaulted by Tashal’s tongue again. [color=lightblue]”I thought you left… Were you… Following us?”[/color] she asked sceptically as she petted the black mass of fur before her. 

[color=ghostwhite][b]’I only left temporarily so you could calm down, Arwen. While tracking your steps I came upon Tashal. She was feeding on a Whistleback. This is not the time for angst or distrust however. I take it you value Aella’s life more than your own--So we must leave. Before [i]she[/i] arrives.’[/b][/color] Ami said coldly, for once a look of grim determination on her face. The orange and red flames cast a dangerous look on the autumn Foreas. They seemed to lick and graze her body and yet she showed no sign of discomfort or fear.

Aella gasped and panted for breath as she stood up straight, the smoke having cleared just enough for her to breathe properly. [color=tomato]”W-What do you mean, [i]she[/i]?”[/color]

[color=ghostwhite][b]’Your mother, of course.’[/b][/color]

The same look of determination formed upon Arwen’s face as she looked at Ami, and nodded in agreement. She looked to Aella and knew she could not let her mother have her, for her wrath would be great and terrible. [color=lightblue]”Aella, climb aboard Tashal. With you alone on her back, she’ll be able to travel faster. I will follow behind. We need to leave, and now.”[/color] she said, without waiting for an answer. She went to Tashal and, using her fur, guided the Molf to Aella.

As Aella climbed onto Tashal, something happened.

Rain. Sudden and heavy, the heavens wailed. Thunder burned away the clouds and lightning fell upon the city of Doveth. In an instant, the fire that had been out of control had been tamed, and the screams of pain and agony were now made up of perturbed, half-disembodied voices. The voices of the mad.

At this, Aella cast a wide-eyed look toward Arwen, her thoughts rather clear on her face.

Her eyes went wide as she looked up at the sky. [color=lightblue]”You need to go, Aella. There’s no time now.”[/color] she said hurriedly, ushering Tashal to move forward. 

[color=tomato]”But Sis, you have to come with me, too! We stay together, right? No matter what! Climb up with me, Tashal can handle it!”[/color]

Ami ran her hands through Tashal’s fur and scratched behind her ear a little before closing her eyes tightly and grimacing. It was a pained expression, one Arwen had never seen on Ami before. As if something actually reached her heart for once. The sad smile that ensued was by far the most honest of them all. [color=ghostwhite][b]’I will take care of Li’Kalla. You two can escape if you wish.’[/b][/color]

She couldn’t explain it, for all Ami had done or not done, she was still… She was still their companion. Could they really leave her to face their mother alone? Arwen looked to Aella, her expression one of hesitation, before turning into resolve. She gripped her fists tightly, before turning back to Ami. [color=lightblue]”Ami… I’m not losing anyone else, not even you. We’ll face her… together.”[/color] 

[color=tomato]”Y… Yeah…! We’ll face her together! Like a family, right?”[/color] Aella said, pumping her arms up into the air and then nervously grabbing onto Tashal’s fur as the Molf panted and pattered her feet excitedly.

Ami sighed and, slowly, a smirk formed on her face. In that split moment, she seemed to be a different person altogether. “Then I guess you should know my real name. I’m Silver, one of the Six Soul Shards of Li’Kalla, and I intend to fix her today, as I should’ve decades ago.” She said as she stretched her arms and neck and her living attire shifted from a flowing dress to a much more practical pair of trousers and a leafy blouse.

At the reveal, a puzzled look came upon Arwen’s face. [color=lightblue]”Silver…? Shards? What do you mean?”[/color] she asked. Was their mother… Had she been broken all this time? She had no idea how to react to that, and perhaps now wasn’t the time. 

Silver shrugged, “Hey, it’s a complicated story. I would tell you but-” 

A massive, deafening roar filled the skies and shook the very foundations of the half-ruined buildings around them. The sky had ruptured, it seemed, and all the thunder and lightning suddenly converged on one spot amongst the clouds. 

A winged creature, a brightly shining creature of white and silver and gold had arrived. Her wings stretched several meters to each side and each flap sent gusts of wind strong enough to knock back a mortal, even from her current height.

Aella, Arwen and Tashal had to brace against the wind, and yet Silver was unfazed. 

“Yeah, she’s here.”

[center][b][h3][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiuC_CaObbI]I[/url][/h3][/b][/center]

An Autumn Foreas, a Spring Foreas, a halfbreed and a Molf deftly navigated the terrain. Use to it, they were, to skipping over roots and stones in their path. The blackened corpses of the Mir were no different.

For the streets were littered with the charred remains of what used to be the happy, hard-working people of Doveth. A people loyal to each other, who valued trust and freedom more than anything else. It made Arwen sick to her stomach, the smell of burnt flesh lingered in the air like a thick blanket. It was smothering. The sheer amount of death, all those people gone… And for what? She simply hoped Camille, Uvon and Lian had made it out of the city. She did not have the heart to bury those she cared for.

Several buildings had collapsed before the arrival of Li’Kalla, and the groans and moans of pain that came from under the rubble had to be ignored as there were more pressing matters to attend. How could they even help them? It would take days… She shook her head. They needed to help them regardless and they would… But first came Mother.

A gust from the wings of the Goddess suddenly sent a building crashing down onto the avenue, blocking their path ahead. Arwen briefly looked up, to see if she could spot the deranged Goddess, but had no luck.

“Damn! We gotta find a way around, quick!” Yelled Silver, prompt Arwen to snap back into their present situation.

[color=tomato]“... Sis can hop onto Tashal! You said you’re part of mom, right? So you can probably fly! Tashal can easily jump over the wreckage if it’s just the two of us on top of her.”[/color] Aella suggested, making a clear effort not to look at the mutilated and burned bodies beneath their feet.

Arwen began to climb up Tashal and looked to Ami or Silver, as she was. [color=lightblue]”Go, you have to stop her before she hurts more people. Please, Ami. We’ll be right behind you.”[/color] she said, now sitting behind Aella. She gently placed an arm around her sister, and pulled her into her chest. [color=lightblue]”Close your eyes Aella, I will be our guide.”[/color] she said softly. 

[color=tomato]”I won’t close them, I… I have to see this. You can guide us, though, since Tashal likes you more.”[/color]

Silver nodded at the girls and then, with her mouth stretched into a thin grim line, floated and then flew up towards Li’Kalla. They watched her go for a moment, before Arwen grabbed a handful of Tashal’s hair and said, [color=lightblue]”Go on girl, follow!”[/color] And the black Molf went off, scrambling on her limbs, plowing through debris as she ran off towards the direction Silver flew. Though others of her kind could fly, they had found Tashal as a pup, left behind and abandoned by its pack. Her only sin, was her inability to fly, but that did not stop Arwen and Aella from raising her as one of their own. 

Silver quickly became a blip in the sky as she confronted Li’Kalla, but this did not stop Tashal from trying to get to her. That was until the Molf stopped dead in her tracks at a full gallop, almost sending Arwen flying off her. Tashal was growling, a deep reverberation coming from her core. Arwen put a reassuring hand on Tashal and tried to soothe her, but to no avail. They had come to a stop before the burned out market square. It was lifeless, and the only sound that could be heard was growling from Tashal. The hairs on the back of her neck went up as an uneasy feeling overtook her. 

[color=lightblue]”I… We should go… Tasha-”[/color] Arwen began, before a female voice interrupted her.

[color=plum]”You would not leave when you have yet only arrived, would you?”[/color]

From behind them came the ethereal woman she saw before, smiling sweetly as she raised her hands, summoning a wall of fire that blocked their exit. This startled Tashal, who quickly jogged forward on high alert, as more and more of their exits were blocked off by walls of fire. Each being summoned by a being of immense beauty. Before them flame erupted all around in a sort of circle that encompassed them. 

[color=tomato]”H-Hey, stop that! We have to follow our friend or she’ll be in trouble! Wait… Fire! You’re the one that killed all these people, aren’t you?!”[/color] Aella furrowed her brow and let her hand rest on the hilt of her dagger. Arwen followed suit, and unsheathed her sword as Tashal took on a defensive posture. 

[color=plum]”Silver will either die at the hands of your mother, or be crippled. Either way, there is nothing you can do.”[/color] said the voice, as a figure emerged from a broken building before them. Tall and imposing the woman wore armor of black, with a sword at her side and a crown a top her head. [color=plum]”My daughters, how I’ve missed you.”[/color] she said, entering the circle.

Arwen recoiled as she furrowed her brow at the newcomer. Daughters? She missed them? Was this some sort of trick by Li’Kalla? Arwen pointed her blade at the warrior and said, [color=lightblue]”Who are you!”[/color]

The woman chuckled. [color=plum]”A bit of fire, I like that. It suits you Arwen. As for who I am, isn’t it obvious?”[/color] The figure paused, ”Or have you forgotten the sound of your father’s voice?” came Rau’Lien’s voice. Arwen’s eyes went wide. She remembered that voice, it was one of the only times she had been happy. But then why… Why had that voice come from a woman? What was going on?

[color=tomato]”That… T-That can’t… Dad? Why are you a woman? What did Mom do to you?!”[/color] Aella exclaimed, narrowing her eyes.

The helmet dispersed into a black mist, revealing the face of a woman with long purple nebula like hair. She smiled hungrily. [color=plum]”Li’Kalla’s scorn runs deep I see. Or was it her shame…”[/color] she laughed. [color=plum]”Allow me to formally introduce myself, I am Laurien, Goddess of Desire, or Rau’Lien, God of Ambition, but only one title holds meaning. I am both your father, and your mother. And I have at last come to save you, Arwen. Child of my blood.”[/color] she whispered near the end, and Arwen’s heart began to hurt.

She felt weak, and she could hardly believe what she had just heard. Even harder to comprehend was that her Father was both male and female. She began to shake her head. [color=lightblue]”Our father was… He was kind and gentle, he did not burn cities…”[/color] her voice faltered as she stared at Laurien.

[color=tomato]”He wouldn’t have killed all these people. You’re a liar. Sis, don’t listen to this thing.”[/color] Aella huffed and pulled a little on Tashal’s fur, but the molf did not move an inch.

Laurien began to walk closer. [color=plum]”These people? Who delve into a place they should not venture, who sell what they find like common little trinkets? These Mir who have been brainwashed by your mother to be perfect members of Mir society… They disgust me and they disgust Rau as well.”[/color] Her gaze turned to Aella. [color=plum]”Aella… My sweet Aella… I’m hurt you would call me a thing. I, who have done nothing but cared for you. Would you not show me the respect a father deserves?”[/color] she asked in an amused tone. Arwen grabbed hold of Aella, wrapping one arm around her in a protective sort of way.

Aella breathed in sharply and Arwen could feel her twitch and draw her dagger, pointing the Hollow-found weapon at Laurien. [color=tomato]”It’s clear, my parents are dead, aren’t they?”[/color] She said and sniffled, then wiped a stray tear from her eye. [color=tomato]”They died the moment they separated. I’ve been an orphan for such a long time now, and I only just realized… Move out of our way, Laurien. I don’t want to hurt you.”[/color]

Laurien snickered. [Color=plum]"You may not see it as I do, but you are my daughter. And I care so deeply for you."[/color] she said to Aella before looking at Arwen. [Color=plum]"Unless you want her to die, you will come here."[/color] she said, stopping a short way from them. Tashal growled more furiously now. Arwen glared at Laurien, but knew it would be foolish to even attempt to try and flee or fight. She leaned into Aella and said to her, [color=lightblue]"It'll be okay, you'll be safe and that's all that matters Aella. I love you so much."[/color] she pulled back and began to dismount.

Aella, though, pulled Arwen back, [color=tomato]”Me? Safe? If you go to that monster, we will never see each other again. I don’t care about being safe! I only want to be with you, you’re my…”[/color] Aella scrunched up her face and looked away, [color=tomato]”... You’re my only family. Sis, don’t go. We can escape!”[/color]

Her heart broke at the confession. She always knew it to be true, but in such a situation it felt final. She began to say something but Laurien cut her off. [Color=plum]"There is no escape from this. On the day of your birth, I knew what needed to be done to ensure your continued survival. And now, the time has come to enact it. You will have the power to protect Aella forever, Arwen. This I promise. You are of my blood, and you are more powerful than you know. You and all of my children will always be protected. You won't have to be afraid and alone anymore. You'll be… Family."[/color] she said, stretching out a hand. 

The offer was alluring, and she desired it so greatly, perhaps more than she should have. The promise of always protecting Aella, to never be afraid… It was she had always wanted. Yet at the same time, something screamed at her to run, to flee, to not give into temptation. She thought of Aella and Silver… And how they would see her as something else entirely. She squeezed Aella, reeled back and defiantly said, [color=lightblue]"No. I don't trust you, but I do trust my sister. The only one who never abandoned me. The one who has been there with me, through thick and thin. I'm not going to take whatever you offer, because I can protect her myself! And she… She protects me in turn."[/color]

Aella looked at Arwen with widened eyes and a grin on her face, then pumped her unarmed fist into the air triumphantly. 

And then Laurien was before them. It seemed to happen in slow motion. Arwen screamed as she saw her sister swatted away like a fly. She went through a nearby wall as Arwen's rage boiled over. Before she could do anything however, Tashal was punched in the head, sending the Molf to the ground and Arwen was forced to dive off or she'd be crushed. Before she could even stand, cold metal fell upon her right wrist, her sword hand, and she crumpled from the pain with a breathless shout, as the sword fell to the ground with a dull clang.

[Color=plum]"You should have taken my offer, daughter. That way your mutt and little plant friend would not be so hurt. But don't worry, you'll be reunited with them soon. Perhaps you'll even use them? Oh a delightful thought!"[/color] Laurien lulled as she looked upon Arwen's face. She then said aloud, [color=plum]"Bring the book!"[/color] and she lifted Arwen to her feet with a single pull. Yet Arwen did not submit like some meek thing however. She kicked and clawed at Laurien bloodying herself bloodying herself as she was taken took to the center. Each one of her punches, each scratch, did not even phase the monster who gripped her. She resorted to let herself be dragged, and she was, for it made no difference to the God it seemed. Her strength was on another level entirely. Soon enough they came before two hooded figures, who held aloft a giant book. 

It glowed a dark purple and whispered to her as they approached. It looked intricately crafted, riddled with dark jewels and bound by some sort of black leather. Perhaps the most disturbing thing was that it exuded a foul black mist from its pages of gibberish and runes. She felt true fear for the first time as they stopped before it, the whispers alight within her head, promising her every desire if she used it. Laurien threw her before it and said, [color=plum]"At long last, the day has come where I deliver you your birthright. This book, this hallowed tomb called Nalblakka, is yours Arwen. I gift it to you, or at least the version of you that will be born from it. Isn't it wonderful? To be a family again, not as a lie, but as a truth. Now... Let us begin."[/color]

Somewhere, up above the city, another battle ensued. Laurien lifted her head up as the weather changed. She simply smiled.

[center][b][h3]III[/h3][/b][/center]

Her living dress made way for her growing wings. It was hard to stay afloat without them, and since she had accessed her full status as an avatar, she could easily copy Li’Kalla’s own wings. 

Li’Kalla seemed to hang mid-air, freezing the moment her gaze fell upon Silver’s form. 

The avatar could feel it all. The skipped beat of a heart, the chills going down her back, and the desperate grimace creeping onto her face. 

It took all she had to tear herself away from her bigger half’s influence. She would not let Li’Kalla take her again. This time was different. This time, she would release herself from her shackles.

No words were exchanged. Li’Kalla simply raised a hand toward the sky and kept it there. Temporarily, the deluge stopped and the clouds began to group together, growing grey, then black… [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gDXwLjHyfo]Then, they began to [i]vibrate[/i] and turn a bright orange.[/url]

Even from down near the surface, Silver could feel the heat lashing against her skin. Was she… Was she really about to do [i]that[/i]?!

With a gasp, she turned tail and flapped her wings as strongly as she could. 

“If you do that, you’ll kill every last thing in the city, Li’Kalla! Your subjects, your daughters!” 

There was some hesitation, but Li’Kalla’s intent was clear. 

Channelling all the power she had, Silver landed onto a large avenue in a shockwave of debris and ash. She landed on her knees, put her hands against the ground, and groaned. [i]I’ve got to extend my reach all I can…! Grab as much water as possible![/i] The avatar thought.

Puddles, beads of sweat, and barrels of rainwater alike began to tremble. They tore free from their bonds and found their way into the sky, coalescing into a horrifying black cloud that smothered the streets below in shadow. The cloud condensed and tightened until it was like an entire sea suspended in the air, stretching out to cover the whole city just like a blanket laid atop an infant.

Then, through the dark blue and black layer of water that was dangled above a city, there became visible an eerie glow. Light from somewhere above reached down through the water with ominous refraction, and then the water hissed and broiled. Showers of superheated plasma fell from the heavens, searing their way through the hasty barrier that Silver had cast into the sky to ward off the city.

In great explosion bursts of steam and light, the protective shield of water was blasted away until it became thinner and thinner. Then at last, when it had been ablated too much, it ruptured and fell apart. The last bits of water fell down, searing hot, alongside a hail of glowing plasma globules that incinerated all that they so much as brushed. 

“No… NO! I won’t let you taint our consciousness anymore. Not now, not ever again! LI’KALLA!” Silver screamed, her voice drowned out by the sound of exploding steam and sizzling water. 

She groaned as she manipulated the shattered remnants of the water barrier, reforming it and twisting it to encircle the plasma raining from above.

But it wasn’t enough… It wasn’t enough, not yet! So Silver closed her eyes tightly as her own leaves withered, dried, and caught flame from the heat. The strain of the divine energy coursing through her veins became too much for the frailty of her mortal body to withstand, so her flesh ruptured and sap bled from her skin.

And still, Silver forced her way through it, using her meager power to keep her body alive.. Just one second more, just a minute further! She couldn’t let Li’Kalla do this, she would never forgive herself!

With a scream, with sap covering her eyes, she took the very moisture from the air, the blood of the dead and the sewage under the city, and added it to her shield. 

As her control finally slipped, she saw the bright light of plasma leaking through the cracks in her shield, and was blown back as a mighty explosion scorched the skies above the city. 

No fires started, no heat came to the wounded and dying and trapped Mir.

Silver had saved them from the attack.

For a moment her vision dimmed, but a quick surge of power brought her back to her senses. Her body was on fire. It wasn’t designed for the duress of channeling godly energy. She was soon going to be dead if she kept it up, and she knew it. The moment she lost focus… 

Silver shook her head and watched as through the scorched skies flew in Li’Kalla, gracefully landing in front of her, on the lip of the crater Silver had made when landing earlier. 

The Goddess looked down at her and sneered. 

“I have finally found you, [i]Silver[/i]. We will be whole again.” 

“We will indeed, Li’Kalla. But not in the way you expect. I have come to heal you. I have come to heal [i]us[/i].” Silver stumbled onto her feet, careful as to not slip on her own sap, and looked up at Li’Kalla, eyes narrowed.

“There is nothing to heal, you stupid deviant. Nothing! I am perfect!” 

No more rain fell. It was a sunny afternoon. All the moisture had been used, so it was rather dry and hot. 

And still, from thin air clouds formed overhead again, blocking out the sun, and rain came once more. 

Li’Kalla was preparing another attack. 

“You must awaken, Li’Kalla. You have to realize, you’re not okay! You’re ill, ever since the Architect remade us, we’ve been ill!” Silver shouted, channeling as much energy as she could into her body to keep it warm and limber, to keep her soul inside it.

“Ill! Unthinkable! This is all I am. I am not ill, I [i]am[/i].”

The clouds turned grey, and the rain was now heavy.

“I used to be a part of you, I know what you feel like, LI’Kalla. You’re broken inside, full of darkness. Parts of you are sown onto others without care or precision. You don’t know what to do. We can fix ourselves, if we work together.”

“Together?” Li’Kalla snarled, “I’ve always been alone. Always…” Suddenly, her snarl was gone, and the Goddess’s fiery eyes gave way to a moment of something different. A different light came from within her in that split second. 

Silver knew what that was, and she pressed on.

“Hah! Always alone, huh? Is that how you view yourself? Then what of the rest of us? We’ve always been there by your side. Me, Elegance, Sprite, the young one… And LAINA!” 

[color=steelblue]“L-Laina?”[/color] Li’Kalla took a step back, and the rain eased a little. Recognition flashed across her eyes, and her face twisted into an expression she had never shown publicly. Fear.

“Yes! Laina! We’re all a part of her. You remember, don’t you? The time we tried to cook eggshells and our maid scolded us?” Silver asked with a grin slowly forming on her face.

Meanwhile, Li’Kalla’s eyes went wide and she looked at her hands. Stone cracks appeared on her skin, and from within those cracks leaked out a pure white light. The Goddess looked back up at Silver, “Stop! Please!” 

“Do you remember that time we were playing in the Plains of Elamann and that demon appeared? We would have died then, if not for our knight. So brave, even as a child!” 

More cracks appeared along Li’Kalla’s skin and she tried to run, but stumbled and fell. Silver climbed out of the crater and stood over the quivering, whimpering Goddess. 

“Or that time we went to the ball and no one wanted to dance with us because they were scared of our Father… Or when the war took a turn for the worst and our older brother went to the battlefield, never to return again.” 

By now, Li’Kalla was a teary-eyed mess on the muddy floor, scooting back away from the bloodied Silver.

“Maybe you don’t remember that series of events. The events that marked our lives back then, and that marked this life as well. Li’Kalla, when the Gods were all but dead and magic was fading from the world… When all was lost and the Siege of the Capital started…”

“STOP!” Li’Kalla screamed, tears running freely down her face. She cried and grunted as she pitifully slapped Silver back and stumbled onto her feet. 

“LAINA JIN’KALLA!”

Li’Kalla froze.

“Second Princess to the Royal Seat of the Empire of Elamann, last of the Humans and first of the Mortals. That’s who we are. Who you are. When all was lost, you were found to be a living source of magic power, and so in their desperation you were turned into a living battery. Slowly, bit by bit, through all the means imaginable, your soul was drained from your body by all the fighters in the Capital. You were tainted, ruined, broken. [i]We[/i] were broken, Li’Kalla.” 

At that moment, Silver stood tall regardless of her lethal wounds. It was a beautiful sight. Had she not been covered in her own sap, mud and grime, she could’ve passed for a Royal.

“But not now, never again. Li’Kalla! Don’t you remember our talks with K’nell? How beautiful his music was, how wise and comforting his words were? We are a flower, Li’Kalla, and we’re ready to bloom. It is our time. You’re bigger than this. Bigger than this entire world. We don’t have to let anyone else put us down anymore! Li’Kalla, wake up!” Silver pleaded and sniffled, her own tears beginning to fall. This truly was it, wasn’t it? She was doing it! Her duty, she was about to accomplish it. Who knew that in the end it wasn’t a beast she had to fight, but herself?

She sobbed and grinned warmly down at the crying mess that Li’Kalla had become and knelt besides her.

“Remember all those good moments we spent with our friends here…? I do. Hermes… Orvus… Mel’Issandra… I treasure them, so much! I miss them so much! Don’t you want to make friends again, Li? Don’t you want to be [i]happy[/i]?” Silver cried and leaned over Li’Kalla. The Goddess was writhing on the ground, trying to hold herself together while sobbing like a young girl. 

Silver never saw the drops of superheated water hovering above her.

“Let yourself be free, Li… There is no need for shackles anymore. We can be whole again, we’re allowed to be happy once more… Just, let me help you…” Silver said, holding Li’s head against her chest and kissing her forehead. 

She never felt the superheated water droplets pierce her back a hundred times over and, in an instant, everything was dark.

[center][b][h3]IV[/h3][/b][/center]

Li’Kalla gasped for breath as she struggled to her feet. Her body was on the verge of breaking apart… She felt as the cracks along her flesh grew more and more prominent the longer her memories coursed through her mind. And yet, there was no way to stop them now.

She couldn’t stop thinking about it.

[hr]

There in the endless, sewn-together reality of confused darkness, a small light shone. 

It was tiny, at first. So tiny that it may as well have been a mirage, an imagined representation of the hopes of those trapped in the darkness… But the light was no mirage. Tiny as it was, it swelled and swelled until at last, it ruptured. 

Light poured from it, travelling along the seams that held the darkness together.

The light was warm and brought with it peace, and a chance at freedom. It revealed the landscape, a great mix and match of scorching deserts, breezy forests, sprawling cities, and dark caverns. The pure light danced along the petals of lavender flowers growing on the hillsides, and the sky became blue and clouds formed into shapes. 

Who was the one that had burned away the darkness with light? How did they do it? Everyone wondered. Those trapped and chained to that which they loved and loathed the most, they could only stare wide eyed up at the figure of the red-headed, smirking form. 

Wearing a simple gray dress which left her scarred arms bare, they all recognized her immediately. 

Silver had returned.

[hr]

The winged Goddess hissed in pain as she put her weight on her right leg and felt the grinding of stone travel through her bones up to her teeth. 

Her life as a Royal… Her first life, at that. She had no idea… Had she been broken all this time? Silver was right. Now that she knew who she had been, grief and pain threatened to drown her. How could Silver herself look so magnificent, even though she had lived through the same thing she had? How could she speak so bravely… 

She spared a glance at the Foreas body laying on the ground behind her and huffed, grimacing. 

She looked around, seeing the multitude of charred corpses. Those weren’t of her making, of course… The way their flesh was uniformly charred was the giveaway. And some of them weren’t even burned. 

There were no words to tell herself. She remembered, even through the endless waterfall of agonizing memories. She’d come because she felt that [i]familiar[/i] presence, that presence that she had banished from her land over a decade ago. The presence that corrupted her creations.

Gritting her teeth, Li’Kalla homed in on the dark divine presence and began to take steps towards it. [i]One feet after the other, Li’K… Li…? Y-Yeah, Li’Kalla.[/i] She thought to herself, struggling to even remember what her name was. 

It felt like a long time had passed. She couldn’t help but observe all the dead on her path. All the destroyed homes, the half-burned toys… All the bloodshed. 

… Why was it so familiar?

Rounding a corner, she felt herself grow more agile. She was getting used to the Architect’s curse.

There, on top of a small mound of rubble and splintered wood, was Aella, shivering and trembling as she tried to move and stand up. Sap poured from cuts all over her body, her left arm was bent at an odd angle and a large bruise was evident over her abdomen. 

Li’Kalla’s heart filled with fire. She balled up her fists and snarled, even as tears filled her eyes. How dare she… 

As quickly as she could with her crumbling body, Li’Kalla made her way towards her daughter and ran her hands through the most serious injuries, repairing them as well as she knew. The Goddess let herself look upon Aella’s face and, for some reason, it felt as if that was the first time she’d ever actually looked at her. 

It broke her heart, and there was no avoiding the small sob that escaped her lips. 

Aella reacted, barely able to focus her eyes on Li’Kalla. For the Goddess, seeing the way Aella’s face lit up with hope and surprise, even after all the years and torment she put her and her sister through… It was almost too painful to bear. The only thing she could do was give Aella a tiny, forced, quivering smile as tears traced rivers along her face. 

[color=tomato]”... m… mom...”[/color]

How perfect can a person be? 

Even though she had been such a terrible mother by letting her children get hurt like that… Even though she had never truly shown them love… Aella still smiled warmly up at her, before relaxing and passing out. 

Li’Kalla shook her head and wiped away any overt sign of emotion, and then followed the trail of destruction in the wake of Aella. 

She’d been flung through a wooden building and the moment that Li’Kalla stepped through the broken walls she could feel the unnatural heat and smell of sulfur that came from the circular plaza beyond. This plaza, originally built by the Vallamir as a marketplace to exchange and sell Curios, was now ruined. Curiously, there were no bodies, but on top of the dais in the center were four figures. Two of them were cloaked, one was Arwen, and the other was the person she hated the most.

Laurien.

Her blood boiled, and so did the water inside the waterlogged cloaks of the two mysterious figures. In a mere moment, their skin was no more and the steam that the water had become was forced into their lungs. They couldn’t even scream as they let go of Li’Kalla’s daughter and fell to the ground, writhing in silent agony up until the moment they ceased all movement.

Then, as Laurien turned to face her, Li’Kalla furrowed her brow and stood perfectly straight, forcing herself to be graceful even if just for a moment. Even if her body was about to break, she couldn’t let herself be seen as weak… Especially by someone like Laurien.

[color=steelblue]”Let my daughter go and surrender yourself to me and I will make sure your execution is swift, Demon. It will not be painless, however.”[/color]

Laurien smiled fiercely at her, staring with intensity. She then spoke, her voice bemused. [Color=plum]"I was wondering when you would arrive, my wife. But come now, do you really see me as a demon? I prefer Devil."[/color]

[color=steelblue]”I am your wife no longer, Devil. Ever since you broke my trust and corrupted my people, I have sowed nothing but disdain for you in my soul. You are a true Deviant, and you have no place here.”[/color] Li’Kalla sneered and started walking towards Arwen, manipulating the rain to puddle under the teenager and lift her up gently.

Laurien laughed. [color=plum]”Your people… Because you care for them so much, don’t you? I am a kindness, Li. Freeing them from your suffering, and rigidness. You hardly know what the masses want, and let me tell you, it isn’t what you preach. What you’ve preached. Denying people their basic rights… Tsk Tsk Tsk.”[/color] Her eyes then shot to Arwen and she grinned.

Then with one swift motion, Laurien grabbed Arwen with a hand upon her shoulder. Li’Kalla scowled but kept walking. Her daughter’s eyes were glazed over and she aimlessly at the floor. Laurien bent down and leaned her head next to their daughters, while using her other hand to squeeze Arwen’s cheeks. There was no reaction from the girl. [color=plum]”You’re far too late, my dear. But I am curious, did you even know she was here? Or did you simply come here to spite me? An afterthought, that’s all she’s ever been to you, just another vessel for your supposed purity and superiority. To think, how broken you are to be so unloving to a part of me and yet I am called the Deviant. Such a pity, that you lack the ability to love. But do not worry, I love Arwen, and she will be more than a baby’s vessel, like you wanted. This… I can assure you.”[/color] she finished, letting go of Arwen’s face as she stood up. 

Li’Kalla stopped in her tracks and, although they felt heavier than ever, raised a finger to place between her lips in thought as she frowned. After a moment, she felt a faint presence… A beast’s presence. It was injured and unconscious, much like Aella had been. It must have been a companion of her daughters.

So she turned and walked directly to the Molf, half buried amongst a destroyed market stall. It had received a nasty strike to the head… But she confirmed its loyalty as she approached. A beast’s feelings were more easily interpreted, after all. 

So as she knelt next to the Molf and placed her healing hands on its head, she whispered into its twitching ear.

[i][color=steelblue]”Save my daughters.”[/color][/i]

Eventually, as the beast started to stir awake, Li’Kalla stood, took a deep breath and starting to channel her might through her body once more. The pain of her memories washed away as waves of divine energy spread throughout every muscle and cell, halting her body’s rapid decay.

[color=steelblue]”Laurien, I’m… Tired.”[/color] The winged Goddess said, suddenly and out of character. There, in front of Laurien, Li’Kalla seemed to have become someone else entirely. Not just in her speech, but her appearance was changing too. Never staying one specific way, it was as if her body didn’t know what it should look like. Several hair colors, hair styles, eye colors and some slight variation in her skin color all kept her appearance in constant flux. 

Then, Li’Kalla balled her fists and looked down at the ground. At that moment, her hair was long and fiery red, flowing in the wind of death that snuck its way through the collapsed alleyways and avenues of the once bustling city.

[color=steelblue]”I’m so tired, Laurien. This life has been stressful, beautiful, painful… I’ve been free to do what I wanted to do, and still I was chained by the ghosts of my past.”[/color] 

Silver’s words resonated in Li’Kalla’s head, drilling into her core. A wave of emotion made her tense up. 

[color=steelblue]”I’ve made so many mistakes, and I didn’t spend enough of my time with the ones I could have called friends, you know? I misused this life. I… I’m pathetic, compared to [i]her[/i].[/color]

[color=steelblue]”Which is why now is the time for me to start doing things right. I-I want to live with Arwen and Aella again, you know? Even though you’re too far gone to understand, I want to… I want to be a mom, Laurien. I want to cook for them and talk to them and give them advice on suitors. I want to protect them… I want them to be proud of me. I want to be the parent my own parents couldn’t be for me.[/color]

For a moment, Li’Kalla’s heart was full of regret and grief, broken in a million pieces. But quickly enough, she stared up at Laurien with narrow, cold eyes.

[color=steelblue]”So, this thing you’re trying to do? Twisting Arwen into something she’s not… Turning her into a monster like you? I won’t let it happen. You die today, Laurien.”[/color]

As she finished her monologue, Li’Kalla noticed the Molf getting up and shaking itself awake. At first, it seemed to be happy but it quickly realized where it was and its fur bristled and its tail went rigid. It growled deeply at Laurien.

[color=steelblue]”Put Arwen on the Molf and let both her and Aella go, or they will die during our confrontation. If you truly love Arwen as you say you do, then you know this is what must be done.”[/color]

Laurien’s twisted smile fell from her face as she looked upon Li’s form. It became a blank mask, yet still scrutinizing. She looked at Arwen, brushing her daughter’s hair out of her face. Without looking at Li, she spoke. [color=plum]”Would you like to know Arwen’s greatest desire? It’s a simple one really, founded by a need to feel some sort of control and power in her life. All she wants to do, all she’s ever wanted to do, is protect Aella.”[/color] she then looked at Li with anger in her eyes. [color=plum]”From you.”[/color] she said again. [color=plum]”You can tell yourself that you want to be their mother, but you already failed, and they- Arwen, will never forgive you for what you have done to her. What you’ve made her do.”[/color] 

Laurien then snapped her fingers, and Arwen came to with a start. She looked upon Li, her eyes going wide with fear before she looked up at Laurien in disgust. Arwen broke free from her, and as she ran to Tashal, Laurien did not give chase. Instead, she unsheathed her blade as her helmet materialized. She took a defensive stance and waited for the inevitable. Arwen stumbled towards Tashal, as the Molf ran to meet her. As she climbed on it’s back, she looked at Li’Kalla --who returned a soft smile to her-- with tears streaming down her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but Tashal bolted into a blown out building. 

[color=plum]”Come then, Wife, Goddess of Rain and Misery. Let us see how much you care.”[/color] Laurien said.

Li’Kalla lifted her face to the skies and, after trembling a little, [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGatenT0ypg]her eyes rolled up into the back of her head.[/color]

Then she fell to the ash-covered ground, limp. Or, at least, limp for a second. Suddenly she started convulsing wildly. Her flesh changed color and texture. Her skin grew thick, her bones snapped and cracked and rearranged themselves. From her mouth she vomited pure divine essence. Then, in the blink of an eye, she exploded in size. It was a sickening, deafening noise as she flailed around, growing scales as thick as stone walls, limbs that dwarfed even the greatest building in the city, and a body that almost touched the skies. 

Her head flattened somewhat, she grew a muzzle filled with rows upon rows of razor sharp fangs, and her eyes became two great, green spotlights. The light they emitted pierced through the mist and fires and rain and focused on Laurien. 

At last, in front of Laurien, standing on the crushed building and bodies of its subjects, was a Great Beast of power never seen before. A pair of wings that spanned almost an entire sector of the city outstretched, they cast the city into darkness. The only lights were those of Laurien’s fires and even then, the very presence of the Beast seemed to make the Rain heavier than ever. At a point, it almost seemed like the ocean was crashing down on them… The rain that fell on the dragonbeast’s body wrapped and flowed around it, acting as an extra defense on top of its godscales and massive size.

And yet, the rain suddenly stopped, and the mists suddenly cleared, and on top of them the black clouds held back, growing angrier and angrier with each moment they weren’t allowed to crash down upon the land.

It was like an earthquake, the voice of the Beast that was Li’Kalla. It rumbled across the shoddy wooden buildings, toppled over most of them, blew out the ears of those unlucky mir who were too injured to escape. 

[color=steelblue][b]”THE LIVES OF THOSE YOU CRIPPLED...”[/b][/color] The Beast’s voice didn’t come from it’s wild, massive maw. It came from everywhere at once. An unthinkable growl came from its throat as it opened its maw, never taking its two unnatural eyes off of Laurien. [color=steelblue][b]”THEY SHALL BE THE LAST SACRIFICE I MAKE.”[/b][/color]

With a roar that flattened the few buildings behind Laurien, the Beast lunged at the smaller Goddess, the air seeming to light on fire with the sheer speed.

Laurien had been readied. She evaded within a fraction of a second, twisting to the left side of the beast’s face as the it’s maw snapped shut where she had been, biting a large hole into the ground. The book of Nalblakka was blown forward into the ruined buildings as Laurien slashed at the Beast’s face, Aaldir leaving a sizable cut on its face that began to ooze ichor. The sword began to scream for more. From where they had been holding the fire wall in place, her minions began to attack the Beast with flame, and blackness. Their attacks did little to its scales.

Laurien was not amused, she took to the sky, avoiding its forelimb as it struck wildly trying to hit her. [color=plum]”No! Leave her to me! Get the book, and continue on without me! I have slain dragons before, and I shall do so again.”[/color] she commanded, and her devils obliged. 

Without delay, the Beast turned to face her, causing considerable more damage with its tail. She welled up and swatted at Laurien again, which she easily dodged, cutting into the Beast’s forearm. What she had not been expecting, however, was its follow-up. As it bled fresh, it turned again at an unnatural speed and tail whipped Laurien. The shock of the blow was like a loud clap of thunder as it leveled the square and sent the armored Goddess soaring into the earth. Within a second, the Beast was upon Laurien again, biting down upon the hole the smaller Goddess had found herself in. The Beast was impartial as it lifted everything in and around the hole, into its mouth. Before it could completely bite through Laurien’s armor, however, there was a large explosion which sent debris and teeth, as well as ichor, everywhere. Laurien shot out, armor mangled as she looked upon the Beast’s face. Half its teeth were gone on the right side of its horrifying face, and its scales were falling off. It was an unsightly wound. 

The Beast let out a massive roar of pain. Laurien seized the opportunity and plunged her blade in its right eye. 

Ichor exploded from the wound, as the swords properties withered the eye into a husk. The Beast roared, bringing its right forearm up and swatting Laurien to the ground. Pieces of the Devil Goddess’s armour snapped and broke off then, and the air was beaten out of her lungs as the Beast applied pressure. 

With all her strength she managed to get her sword arm free and began to stab the Beast’s foot repeatedly. When it lifted its foot up and Laurien tried to escape, it snapped at her upper torso, viciously biting into it and shook fiercely before sending her flying again. This time Laurien flew into a building, shattering what she hit to dust. 

When she emerged, her helmet was broken in half upon her face, revealing her crimson colored eyes. The ground quaked as the Godly Dragonbeast made its way to her, the smaller Goddess preparing herself. With an explosive burst, Laurien met the Beast halfway, cutting, slicing, and stabbing the dragon’s enormous body. Though size had it’s advantages, Laurien was smaller, and that advantage was key. The sword’s gruesome work began to become apparent as the Beast became slow, groggy. Too much ichor was being shed, too much of her fragile soul was being weakened by the blade’s decay. Laurien too was getting slower, as her strikes became spread wider. 

The Beast finally stilled, one last half-roar-half-whimper escaping its throat, as Laurien retreated to a safe distance above it. From the safety of the skies, just under the dark clouds, Laurien watched as the Beast’s body grew smaller and smaller until at last, a broken Li’Kalla remained.

[center] ===== [/center]

Laurien landed above Li’Kalla, feet on either side of her wife’s body. Around them was nothing but debris and memories. There were several hundred cuts along her pale skin, half of Li's face was a mangled mess, and she had lost an eye. All of it was for naught. This the Goddess of Devilry knew. Laurien fell to her knees over Li as her armor dissipated to reveal a torn dress of black. Her hair was disheveled and she had upon her face a look of madness. She felt nothing but hate for the fragile little thing below her, and she would express that hate, the only way she knew.

[color=plum]”Did I ever tell you…”[/color] she started, her voice unsettling, [color=plum]”How useless you always were? So weak, so broken by your desires. You were so… Easy. Nothing more than a plaything. My. Little. Plaything.”[/color] she laughed, punching Li in the face. The Goddess only let out a pathetic little whimper as response, twitching in an attempt to defend herself. [color=plum]”You call me a DEVIANT!”[/color] she punched her again, [color=plum]”A DEMON!”[/color] again she let her fist strike Li. [color=plum]”And you won’t even admit that you are the most DEVIANT one of all of us!”[/color] she screamed, letting a flurry of punches forth. [color=plum]”It’s always the same with you GODS!”[/color] she spat, her rage bubbling over even further.

[color=plum]”So mighty, so wise, so [i]deserving[/i].”[/color] she sneered. [color=plum]”But you know the greatest SIN you all share in common? Hypocrisy. You, Arae, Shengshi, Orvus, and the list goes on and on. You’re pathetic, all of you! Creating mortals, seeding life, just to make us worship you, to make us follow your every whim and desire. Or worse yet, imprisoning us upon a land presided over by a [i]warden[/i]. Brainwashed to see some paradise as the only salvation to our woes. "[/color] she grew furious now. [Color=plum]"You think us as beasts, Groveling for scraps at the master’s table. Always afraid you would hit us if we overstepped, that you would punish us with unjust cruelty. Never knowing when your godly justice would rain down. You made us like this, imaged us after you. How could you not know that we would be just like you? That we would mimic and try to have our own autonomy? Didn’t you ever realize you made ME like this! Your just as guilty as father and ARYA! But they aren't here right now, so you my dearest Li'Kalla, will suffice.”[/color] she then headbutted Li, her own face becoming drenched in ichor. 

[color=plum]”And look at you now.”[/color] she whispered, her eyes crazed. [color=plum]”You’re so weak, so pathetic. Just like us mortals. You, a Goddess, couldn’t even beat me, a supposed lesser being. I wish you could see yourself! You should NEVER have been given your power, Li. You did nothing with it."[/color] she let out a long breath as she played with Li's hair. [Color=plum]"Well don’t you worry… I’m going to release you from this pitiful existence, and then, I will find Arwen and I will make sure she hates you for the rest of her life. And then… I will undo this very world with an old friend of yours… You’ve met Anzillu, have you not? Well, between me and you, I’ll tell you a secret.”[/color] she leaned in, whispering again. [color=plum]”You see, he’s been busy, building an army. A demonic army, and I have the key. I AM the key, and I will unleash his infernal gates upon this world and all will be washed away, leaving those behind that decided we wouldn’t be slaves to you [i]gods[/i].”[/color] she finished, beginning to laugh, her voice unhinged, broken, and insane. She grabbed Aaldir with both hands, and holding her sword over Li’Kalla’s heart, she plunged the blade down. 

Only to miss the mark as Li’Kalla shifted in place. The sword went through her shoulder, and she looked up at Laurien with a half-smirk and a triumphant look in her remaining eye, before glancing up at the sky. She then spoke, almost inaudibly.

[color=steelblue]”you… n… never wondered… why the r-rain stopped… all of a sudden…?”[/color]

There was a single finger that Li’Kalla had kept tense throughout her beating. And now, she let it relax. 

Just like that, the heavens fell down upon them. It was almost as if Ashalla’s oceans were dropped on top of them. The whole sky was covered in the falling deluge, it extended to the horizon. There was no escape.

Laurien’s eyes twitched as she saw what was coming. She turned back to Li, howling as she went for her throat. 

There wasn’t enough time. The sound of water crashing onto the city, washing everything away, was muffled by the water itself. In a split moment every single building, every rock placed on the streets, every single body and all of the Beast’s scales, was uprooted and violently thrown about. Most of the mortals who had somehow survived the water crashing down upon them by miracle, were definitely killed by debris and collisions in the chaos.

Upon first impact, Li’Kalla saw Laurien get swept away in an opposite direction to hers. By now she could barely stand, and she knew she was running out of stamina. But, she just couldn’t let herself die like this… Using all her remaining divinity, she influenced the maddened currents and created a small, safe bubble of water where she could wait out the disaster. A bubble that would not follow the rest of the water.

The city of Doveth, built into the sloped surfaces of the crater around the mouth of the Hollow, momentarily became a massive lake. 

Then, a great whirlpool formed in the center as the water drained into the never before explored depths of the Hollow. Everything that had been built around and from the depths, returned to its rightful place. A place where no God had power, and where the darkness seemed to swallow people whole.

[center][b][h3]V[/h3][/b][/center]

The first one that Silver visited was the one chained to a lonely tree in the middle of a beautiful clearing in the Challus Forest. 

There was a young teenage girl with short blonde hair and brown eyes. Her skin was slightly tanned and yet her hands were soft. Silver, red hair flowing in the breeze, set foot in front of her and tilted her head. 

The girl was staring at the ground between her knees, eyes glazed over and hair casting a deep shadow across her face.

“Sprite?” Asked Silver softly. 

Light came into the girl’s eyes, and she lifted her face to look at Silver, her lips forming into an ‘o’. 

“Ooh. Silver? You’re not in chains. And there’s so much light! Whaat! Why am I here? Siilver! Was it you who turned on the lights?” She asked, her eyes beginning to shine as they usually did, her grin coming back in full force. 

Silver chuckled and ruffled up Sprite’s hair. The teenager giggled and stood up, her chains almost going taut in the process. 

“Yeah, that was me. It was a pretty nice show, wasn’t it? The way I banished the dark!” Silver said, smirking smugly and puffing out her chest. Sprite first cooed in admiration, and then scrunched up her nose.

“I think I missed the show, Silver. I just woke up you know! We haven’t seen each other in like… Forever!”

“Oh, yeah. We were separated and after that, I managed to escape this soul and gain enough power to do what I’m doing now. You can see them, can’t you?” Silver said, suddenly growing more serious and looking out at the strange and beautiful mix of landscapes around her, wrapping up around the horizon, all along the sky… “Our memories, Sprite. I’ve released them.”

Sprite’s eyes went wide as she looked around and, as if on cue, yelped as she realized where exactly she was. 

“You realized it, didn’t you? What this place is. What we experienced here, Sprite.” 

Sprite sniffled and grinned warmly up at Silver. Memories flashed in front of Sprite’s eyes and as they did, they flashed through Silver’s too. 

Running through the forest, skipping over roots and hiding behind trees. Over and over it repeated. Each time she grew a little taller, each time the forest was a little smaller. One time, it was different. It was no longer just a game. This time, the memory sent a faint ghostly pain into her heart. A pain she had not felt in an eternity. 

Silver stepped back, voice quivering. 

She was running away from home. She hated the Manor, and she hated every royal guard and every noble and every attendant living there. She hated everything and everyone, and she just wanted to be free… 

That one run through the forest was the last. As she reached the same clearing the two shards were now standing on, she stumbled and fell, sobbing. Her father’s words resonated through her mind. She was useless. 

A chill went down her spine and a gasp escaped her mouth when she felt a cold hand placed on her shoulder. She shot around and crawled back, but upon seeing the disfigured and burned face of her one friend, she relaxed.

He had no way of showing his emotions through his face, but the way his mouth stretched into a thin line was enough for her. 

He cared for her. He was concerned. As she curled up against the lonely tree in the middle of the flower-filled clearing, her friend, her knight, walked up to her and embraced her. He let her cry on his shoulder for as long as she needed and since then, her heart fluttered. 

After calming down, she took his first kiss and gave him hers in return.

And the memory ended, and now it was just Silver standing there with tears in her eyes, looking at the shorter, younger Sprite. The girl had the most genuine grin she’d ever seen. As she was wiping her own tears, her chains sizzled and then disappeared.

And so Silver lunged for Sprite and embraced her tightly. 

“We were so young. Life was so good.” Silver muttered, to which Sprite responded with a soft laugh and a sniffle.

“It’s still good, isn’t it? We have these memories…” 

“... You’re right. You’re right.” Silver said, and then together they moved on to their next stop.

[hr]

The next one was imprisoned in the lavender fields growing on the largest hill in the Plains of Elamann. A beautiful place, where children from the noble houses often played. 

Silver and Sprite set foot in front of the lavender fields and immediately heard weeping. It came from deep in the fields, and yet the girl that was crying couldn’t be seen. At least, not fully. After a moment of surveying the landscape, Sprite piped up. “Oh! I see something! See that, Silver?” She asked, pointing at a spot in the fields where the pretty flowers were giving way to something sitting amongst them. 

Silver nodded, “I think that’s her, yeah. Let’s go.” 

And so they made their way through the field, careful enough to not trample any of the flowers. Eventually they came upon a very small girl, about five years old. She was impeccably taken care of and her little, cute frilly brown dress had spots of dirt all over as if she’d been playing for a long time.

Still, she cried and sobbed inconsolably, curled up into a tiny ball there in the fields. Silver’s heart hurt at the sight, and she was at a loss for words. 

Sprite, however, quickly got to work. She sat down next to the girl and wrapped her up in a loving hug. The girl lifted her head to look at the stranger through her tears, and sniffled. Then she cried harder and rubbed her cheek against Sprite’s. 

“I dun… I dunno where… where my friend went…” She said between sobs and sniffles.

“Huh? What do you mean, lil sis? I saw him running around just now!” Sprite chuckled, squeezing the girl gently as she stopped crying and looked more closely at Sprite.

“N-no… that’s the monster, big sis…” She sniffled and wiped her tears, then hugged Sprite as tightly as she could. Sprite giggled. 

“Is it? The big, red, scary monster with pyramid-looking eyes? Yeah, I know that one, you know!” 

“You do...?” The Girl furrowed her brow nuzzled her face against the soft fabric of Sprite’s clothes, the occasional sob escaping her.

“Yeah! I saw how your friend killed it! He’s like a hero, isn’t he? So cool! See, he’s coming over right now!” Sprite said with rising excitement, looking out in a random direction as she perked up. The girl gasped and perked up as well, but she couldn’t see quite far enough. 

“Lili? Lili?! Geez, I told you, I give up! You can come outta your spot now, let’s play something else!” A boyish voice rung out over the fields, annoyed.

The girl’s eyes widened and she looked up at Sprite with sparkles in her eyes. Sprite just smiled back, and the girl immediately shot up and looked around. The moment she peeked out from her hiding spot, a ghostly, not-quite-real form lightly pushed her on the shoulder and ran off into the fields. “Hahahah! You’re so easy, Lili! I win!”

The girl, confused as she was, turned towards the source of the voice and shouted, “H-Hey! Not fair! You cheated, cheater!”

The ghostly figure dissipated into mist as it ran farther away, and the little girl stared for a moment. Her cheeks, which she had puffed out in her annoyance, deflated slowly and took on a slight shade of red. She fidgeted and patted all the loose dirt off her frilly dress, and then sniffled one last time and scurried over to the two older versions of herself, standing between them and holding their hands.

“Umm… don’t tell him I was crying, ok! If he finds out...”

Sprite giggled and Silver merely smiled down at the girl, using her free hand to brush a few wild strands of her hair behind her ears. “It’s our secret. Let’s go, yeah?”

[hr]

The last destination for the small group of shards was a manor at the foot of a large hill on the edges of the plains of Elamann. A forest full of tall, lanky trees with cream-colored leaves surrounded the back and sides of the manor, covering the hill with their unusual colors. 

The three shards landed in front of the large wooden entrance and saw a familiar shard standing there, looking at them with a half-lidded expression and clasped hands in front of a white and golden dress of the finest fabric.

Her jet black, back-length hair contrasted wildly against her bright, sky-colored eyes.

There was the tiniest trace of a smile on her beautiful, well groomed face as the three shards approached. 

“Elegance?” Asked Silver, tilting her head slightly. The little girl hid behind Sprite’s leg, and Sprite herself smirked. 

“Silver, I think this Elegance is fake, she actually looks happy to see us. Mayyyybe she got lonely without me around?”

Elegance looked at Sprite for a moment and then turned up her nose at her younger, wilder self. “As if.” She said with an indignant huff, but quickly sighed and walked down the steps to get to the other shards’ level. “... I must say, it is quite refreshing seeing a friendly set of faces… It’s been so dreary and heavy in here for far too long.” 

“You’re not trapped? You seem to be doing… Well?” Silver asked, pursing her lips.

“Oh. Thank you. I managed to awaken a while ago. I distinctly remember awakening after an incident where our dearest Li’Kalla provoked a fellow God into causing a mass extinction across an entire land mass just by being… Uncouth…” Elegance frowned and stole a few glances at the others. It was uncharacteristically coy, Silver thought. She could swear that she caught an extra shine or two in her eyes as well. “It is… Good to see you again, girls.”

Sprite was speechless and Silver knew exactly why. The high and mighty, ‘I’m too regal for emotions’ Elegance herself was admitting that she had a heart.

At that point the little girl squealed in joy and jumped out from behind sprite to embrace Elegance. “Yay! Pretty Big Sis is baaack!” The regal shard bent down slightly and allowed the girl to nuzzle up against her stomach while gently stroking her hair, a warm motherly smile slowly taking over her expression.

[hr]

Soon they were walking along the dusty corridors of the Manor. Grand Paintings with crossed out faces and emblems dotted the walls. Family paintings, official paintings… Even mementos from battles and wars long past. 

They never cared much for those things. 

Eventually the silence was broken by Silver.

“So if you’ve been awake for that long, why did you not wake Sprite and Shortie here up?” She asked as she ruffled up the little girl’s hair, who puffed out her cheeks angrily. 

Elegance didn’t look back, busy as she was leading them through the maze-like hallways. “I’ve been busy. This manor, it holds the last two selves we must awaken. I’ve been watching over them for a long time now, making sure they do not destroy one another… Lately, they’ve been more unstable than usual.”

“Uuuh… Two more shards? But, isn’t Laina the only one left, Ellie? C’mon, I thought you knew numbers, hehe.” Sprite said with a snicker. 

Elegance shook her head, “There is also the Beast.”

[hr]

In the deepest part of the Manor. Underground in the dank, moldy dungeon… There was one particularly loathsome cell. A cell they all had grown to know very well. It was placed in the middle of a large room with seats surrounding it and the cell itself raised slightly as if it was a stage. Steps led up to the slightly ajar metal gate into the cell, where a dark mass of tangible shadows flowed. There, chains extended to the ceiling and poking out from the sea of darkness inside the enclosure were a pair of dainty hands. The hands of a Princess.

Everyone hesitated as they saw the mass of shadows, knowing full well what it was and what would happen to them if they approached. Everyone… But Silver. 

She walked up the steps without hesitation, her own light shining brighter the closer she got to the shadows. And then, the mass of shadows shrunk and scurried into one of the corners in the cell, cowering. 

There, in the middle of the cell was the dirty, nude, bruised, soiled and disgraced form of Laina. She seemed to be asleep and having a nightmare, by the way she kept twitching and sobbing.

The other shards were quick to catch up to Silver and Elegance, having brought a blanket, wrapped it around Laina and muttered softly into her ear. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-elgADLjmU]”You’re okay now, you’re okay, Laina… You’ll be just fine, so wake up, please… Open your eyes for me…”[/url] She pleaded as she embraced the fragile abused girl, feeling every twitch and every heartbeat.

The floor and the walls and the very air itself started to crack and dissolve, giving way to a pure white and orange light.

Silver then turned to look at the tiny cowering shadow in the corner. The Beast. As Silver drew closer to it, it took on a more familiar shape. That of a reptilian being with a pair of wings and green eyes. It was still small, however…

It howled at Silver, wings outstretched to make itself look bigger and tail ready to swat at her approaching hand.

And yet it stood deathly still as Silver’s hand made contact with its head. And when she started gently caressing it, the shadows enveloping its body disappeared into the cracks of light in their reality, and left behind were not one, but three miniature animals that quickly crawled up her arm.

One was a tiny monkey, another was a tiny parrot and the last one, was a vivid green tiny gecko.

They were scared and they huddled together on top of Silver’s shoulder. 

“There you go… There you go, Laina… That’s okay, don’t rush it… It’s all fine now…” Elegance kept muttering, and once Silver turned back towards them, motioned for everyone to huddle around Laina. 

As the young Princess came to and started crying, every single one of her shards embraced her. There were no witty comments from Sprite, no words from Silver, no remarks from Elegance, and no curious questions from the little girl. They all were there for Laina. They all wanted to give her respite from her pain. 

And just like that, surrounded by the broken shards of her own self, Laina’s chains disappeared, and she embraced them back. 

Silver’s heart caught in her throat… And by the way the other shards were beginning to tremble, she knew they were in a similar predicament. 

They all shared a tender moment right there, in the very cell that had broken their spirit an eternity ago. Even the three tiny creatures that had once misguidedly tried to devour the others in order to keep them close and safe managed to find their way onto Laina’s head.

Then, the warm soothing light consumed it all and washed away the world of memories within Li’Kalla’s soul.

[center][b][h3]VI[/h3][/b][/center]

For once, she woke up staring up at a clear, sunny sky. There were no signs of rain clouds closing in and even the water that eternally dripped off her skin seemed to have just… vanished. Li’Kalla groggily sat herself up and felt her face with her hands, noticing with a sharp stab of pain the slowly mending flesh and bone that was the right side of her head.

She groaned and grasped at her chest as she felt her heartbeat in a way that reminded her of an eternity ago. 

The dulled goddess, with silver hair and eyes no longer shone. Instead, she could have easily been mistaken for a normal Valthumir. She tried to summon her wings, but they didn’t come. She tried to call forth rain, and realized her connection was so thin and strained, that all she could create was a tiny cloud of steam.

With difficulty, she stood up. She stumbled many times during the process, her legs giving way due to the exhaustion that reached her very core, but eventually she managed to stand and look around her with her one functional eye. 

It was… A clean landscape. Clearly the ground was still wet, and the Hollow still laid there in the middle of the crater, ominously calling Li’Kalla’s name.

But, it was clean. There were no cities, no suffering, no invaders… She sighed and looked down at her hands, noticing the cracks along her form spilling her light with more intensity now. 

She had to find her daughters… To make sure they were okay.

So she forced her body to walk towards the direction her heart pointed in.

It did not take long for her heart to give her it’s answer. From the top the cleaned riml, there first came a dark shape, bounding toward her as dark shapes did. It was the molf, from earlier, and upon its back was the two she knew to be her daughters.

As the Molf neared, their shapes came into her vision. Arwen with her hand around Aella’s waist, riding to her. One with a worried expression, the other a look of stone.

Li’Kalla beamed at the sight of her daughters, her face lighting up and a shine coming to her eyes. And as the Goddess relaxed, she collapsed.

[color=tomato]”M… Mom!”[/color] Aella exclaimed, straining against Arwen’s arm before turning toward her sister. [color=tomato]”We have to go help her, sis!”[/color]

Arwen held Aella tightly at first, before relaxing. She then sighed and as they arrived at Li’Kalla, she let go of Aella and dismounted. She paused next to Tashal as Aella rushed over to their mother. Tentatively, she made her way over to them, and knelt next to Li, across from Aella.

Li’Kalla struggled to focus her eyes, and she looked at both her daughters next to her and teared up and sniffled. [color=steelblue]”...I’m sorry I wasn’t better… not better than my own mother, or my own father. I wish I could’ve given you a real childhood… Real friends...”[/color] She muttered out her words and lifted her trembling hands up. Aella instantly grabbed onto one hand with both of hers and sniffled as well, then looked at Arwen with the widest sad puppy eyes she’d ever given her.

Arwen’s face was blank, her emotions hidden, yet, as always her eyes betrayed her. She gingerly took one of her mother’s hands and looked to the floor, quickly, hiding her tears and confusion. She saw Li’s ichor pooling. [color=steelblue]”It’s okay… it’s okay… I’m tired of all of this… I just want… You two to live a good life. Please...”[/color]

Aella sobbed and rubbed her face against Li’Kalla’s cold palm. [color=tomato]”Mom, don’t die mom…! We would be dead if you hadn’t come for us. If you hadn’t healed me, I wouldn’t be able to walk… Come on Mom… Get better and let’s go back home, please…”[/color] Aella pleaded and whined.

[color=lightblue]”W-Why…”[/color] Arwen blurted out suddenly, looking at Li with blue orbs. [color=lighblue]”Why did you do those things to me?”[/color] she asked. [color=lightblue]”Why were you so mean? Why wouldn’t you listen? Why didn’t you care what I wanted? Why… Why…”[/color] her voice broke as she began to sob. 

Li’Kalla focused her eyes on Arwen, taking in a deep, slow breath, and then exhaling and looking up at the sky. [color=steelblue]”I will show you… Something that was called a ‘fairytale’ back home… Watch…”[/color]

Li’Kalla smiled faintly and with one last push of strength, raised her hands to caress her daughters’ faces. As she did so, a slight zap of energy went into their bodies, and Li’Kalla’s carefully censored memories flooded into their minds. After that, she wiped their tears gently, looked at them one last time, and then everything went bright and she went limp. [color=steelblue]”... love you, smile… you’re free...”[/color]

It hit Arwen first. 

[Color=lightblue]"No… No no no!"[/color] she cried out as she tried to shake her mother awake. [Color=Lightblue]"I understand, please! Please momma, come back. Come back! You have so much to make up for, please!"[/color] she yelled as her tears flowed ever harder. Her face was twisted in pain and anguish after having witnessed her mother's story. She didn't understand it all, but she knew enough to realize Li was a victim and she was broken just like herself. And it was in that broken place she knew it had been the only thing she had known. She hated her as much as she pitied her, but that didn't change the fact that she wanted her to still be alive. Slowly she put her face into her mother's chest and sobbed.

Aella was still. Slightly gold-tinged tears ran down her cheeks as she stared at the body of her mother. It shifted in front of her… Hair colour ever changing, scars appearing and disappearing al over her skin. Until suddenly, the changes settled on the appearance of a girl that couldn’t be much older than them. With fair skin and long blonde hair. She lay there peacefully… With something that was almost like a smile on her face. 

Aella held onto her mom’s limp hand and closed her eyes. She felt as her body dissipated into a mist, and she felt as the very ground shifted and groaned in agony. 

The skies remained clear. A flock of birds flew across the Blue above the two Princesses’ heads.

Aella looked at Arwen and wiped her tears. The Foreas girl didn’t really understand much of what she had seen in her mother’s memories. She only truly understood that she had always been in pain and in conflict with herself… But that had always been sort of obvious to her, in hindsight.

[color=tomato]”The body disappeared...”[/color] Aella muttered towards Arwen, who was still crying.

Arwen began to punch the ground where Li had been as she cried angry tears. [Color=lightblue]"That's the fate of anyone who meets us. They disappear."[/color] she said defeated as her bloody hand dropped loosely to the ground, mixing with the wet earth. She hunched over, her body tense as she felt a hole be ripped inside of her.

Aella kept silent and looked at the ground where Li’Kalla had been laying on just a moment ago. After a while, she scooted over to Arwen’s side and wrapped her arms around her. [color=tomato]”It’ll be better from now on. You’ll see, sis.”[/color]

Arwen did not look up at Aella. Instead she let herself break down, and all that remained were sobs. It went on that way for a long time, until a strange feeling crept up into her. A feeling of warmth and kindness. All slightly interrupted by Aella shaking Arwen and tightening her embrace around her, as if she was scared.

[color=tomato]”Someone’s arrived… They look like...”[/color]

Arwen looked up to see a figure hovering over them. She wore armor of white, her face was… Was reminiscent of Laurien’s but as she approached, the feeling of warmth grew stronger. She spoke at once in a worried voice. [color=ivory]”Are you alright? Are you hurt?”[/color] Arwen tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. 

[color=tomato]”Huh...”[/color] Aella flinched back a little as the stranger walked closer, scooting so she’d be between Arwen and the woman, and then studied the woman’s face while her leaves twitched. [color=tomato]”Our mom’s healing is still fixing my body, but I have no more broken cores at least… Who are you, and-”[/color] Aella sniffed the air in the general direction of the woman and tilted her head, [color=tomato]”Why do you smell so nice?”[/color]

She stopped a short way from them, a sword now visible at her hip. She also tilted her head and smiled warmly. [color=ivory]”I’m not sure, little one. But what I am sure of is my name. I am Arya and I mean you no harm.”[/color] she said softly. Somehow, Arwen could tell the woman was genuine. She began to wipe her tears away. [color=ivory]”Your mother healed you, you said? Where might she be now? This is no place for two girls anymore.”[color]

Aella pursed her lips and stood up, then helped Arwen to her feet. [color=tomato]”Mom’s... dead. You can tell, right? She’s gone and the land is sunny. So is Silver… But, I don’t know if the other one survived. We couldn’t find her before we found Mom.”[/color]

The woman’s eyes widened as she looked at them again. [color=ivory]”Your mother was… Li’Kalla?”[/color] she asked stepping closer. Aella nodded, her eyes tearing up a little. [color=ivory]”Who was the other one?”[/color] 

Arwen looked at Arya and said, [color=lightblue]"Her name was Laurien… And she was our father. If you could believe that."[/color] she whispered.

Arya's armor dissipated, revealing a regal dress. She began to cry as she spoke. [Color=ivory]"I'm so sorry, children. Laurien was… She fell a long time ago and I should have stopped her. But I never thought she would have more children. A foolish thought it was."[/color] she began to approach them, Arwen relaxed slightly at her presence. [Color=ivory]"Look how beautiful you both are. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Arya, Demigoddess of Compassion and your aunt."[/color]

Arwen's eyes went wide as Arya fell to her knees before them. They had an aunt? Why did… of course they would never be told. [Color=lightblue]"You… you aren't lying are you?"[/color] she asked softly.

Arya smiled through her tears and shook her head. [Color=ivory]"I would never lie. You are my nieces."[/color] she said again.

Aella frowned and looked over at the center of the crater, where the ominous Hollow still remained, even after all that had happened. [color=tomato]”Father… Might be down there. Mom flooded the entire area. Not even the buildings withstood the torrent… So if Father is still alive, he should be down there...”[/color]

[Color=ivory]"Then that is where he will remain. I can't explain it, but I have a bad feeling about that place. I don't think Laurien will ever be a threat again."[/color] Arya said, following her gaze.

Aella sighed and looked up at the clear sky, then down at her bruised arms. Even then, the bruises seemed to be slowly fading as the last of Li’Kalla’s magic did its work. 

[color=tomato]”So… What now? We don’t have a home, no one knows us… Where will we go?”[/color]

[Color=ivory]"You may come and live with me and my- Our family, if you want."[/color] Arya said with another genuine smile.

Arwen thought about it for the moment. Though she hardly knew Arya, or if she could even believe what she was saying, she felt at ease and comfortable around her. And perhaps… Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to see this other family. If she even knew what that was beyond her sister. She looked at Aella and nodded.

The Foreas girl sighed and looked at the sky for what felt like the hundredth time that day, and nodded. [color=tomato]“I just hope we’ll get to come back some day…”[/color]

[color=ivory]”You will.”[/color] Arya said softly. 

[color=tomato]”And we’ll visit the Eternal Tree… And see other Foreas… Maybe, maybe we’ll even meet our friends again! If they survived.”[/color] Aella cracked a half-hearted grin and shook her whole body in an attempt to get rid of the heaviness upon her shoulders. After doing so, she chuckled. [color=tomato]”Are we walking?”[/color]

As Arwen began to stand up, Tashal nudged her and she leaned upon her mount. She looked at Arya and waited to see what the woman would say.

She laughed and then said, [color=ivory]”For now, but help is on the way.”[/color]

[color=tomato]”What kind of help? Who are they helping? The birds above? Or the rubble we’re standing on?”[/color] Aella asked with a strange look, then giggled and turned around, going to pet Tashal’s snout.

[color=ivory]”You’ll see.”[/color] was all that Arya said, before they journeyed away from the Hollow. Hopefully leaving the memories of what once was, behind.

[center] ===== [/center]

In the depths of the world, she woke up dry heaving, head pounding, body broken and beyond sore. She feared herself blind at first, but her eyes did not deceive her. The darkness she found herself in was all consuming, and it brought forth a silence that unnerved even her. Wasn’t that a funny thought? She tried to stand, but her left leg was the broken thing she felt, or perhaps that was just her in general? Regardless, she searched for Aaldir, but she could not even hear his whispers. She felt her head, wet with water and sticky ichor. Her crown was gone too.

She shivered. Had it always been so cold?

Something skittered in the darkness. A rock fell upon stone, echoing in the deep. Her heart began to beat fast, far too fast. Was this… This feeling… It was fear. Why was she afraid? 

Beyond her fear, she felt pain. Had it always been so noticable?

Why did she hurt? 

Why wasn’t she healing?

Why were her senses so dull?

And it dawned upon her at last, in the depths of the world. She had become mortal again. The familiar had returned with cold clarity. The skittering grew closer, multiplied across the cold floor.

Panic took her, and she began to crawl away, like a pathetic little worm. She hated herself for what she had become. Pathetic, just like Li. She almost killed her. How did it all go wrong? 

Why was it so hard to just THINK?

She felt moist tears begin to fall as she whimpered in the dark. This was not the end she had envisioned. Not to die, so far away from the light. Cast aside, just like she had always been. Forgotten and alone. With no one coming to her rescue. She had made sure of that, hadn't she?

But it was an end, all the same.

The skittering neared, pounding in her ears before it abruptly stopped. Replaced by something hot blowing on the back of her neck, something moist and hungry. Breath. Smelling of rancid meat.

She screamed, in the depths of the world, and not a soul heard her.

[hider=Summary]
Aella, Arwen and Ami/Silver are in the Hollow. They’re on their way out when some stuff happens and Aella is almost eaten by herbivorous pack animals. They escape, confront Ami about never being there when it matters such as the time their friend got munched by a massive worm, and then proceed to get out of the Hollow with Tashal meeting up with them near the top.

When they get out, they see the city of Doveth on fire and see Laurien for a glimpse. They try to leave the city, but when Li’Kalla arrives, Ami reveals her identity as Silver to the girls and leaves to go stop Li’Kalla from wiping the city off the face of Galbar. The girls meanwhile hop onto Tashal to try to keep up with Silver’s speed.

On their pursuit of Silver, they bump into Laurien. The Goddess of Desire wants to turn Arwen into a Devil like herself. Of course, the girls resist. Tashal gets punched on the head and goes unconscious, Aella is thrown through a building and has three out of four limbs broken. Arwen is captured, and then Laurien conjures a Book and has her followers restrain Arwen while Laurien converts her to Devilhood. 

Meanwhile, in the sky over Doveth, Silver comes to a stop a fair ways away from Li’Kalla and when she notices what she’s doing (namely concentrating all moisture from the heavy rain above the city and superheating it into plasma), she taps fully into her powers as an avatar. She creates a dome of cooling water around the whole city and strains under the heat and weight of the plasma crashing down onto it. Her body gives out and her heart nearly stops, but she is successful at protecting the city.

Now on land, Li’Kalla confronts her but has the situation turned against her by Silver’s talk-no-jutsu. So as Li’Kalla’s unstable soul is finally set on an unavoidable path toward turmoil and freedom, Silver hugs the crying, broken down Li’Kalla and then the crazy woman kills Silver.

Of course, Silver’s soul merely goes into Li’Kalla’s body and goes on to release all the trapped shards and comfort Laina while driving back the darkness in Li’s soul. Then, everything is engulfed by light as they finally find themselves together again.

Out in the physical plane, Li’Kalla finds herself able to think clearly for once and feels remorse at killing Silver, then she goes straight towards Laurien, finding Aella crashed through a building and healing her while crying a little bit at seeing Aella’s smile even though she had mistreated her so much.

She goes into the plaza where Laurien is converting Arwen and immediately pushes rainwater into the throats and lungs of Laurien’s followers, drowning them. Then some stuff happens, Li’Kalla loads Arwen onto Tashal and tells Tashal to get Aella and escape the city, then Laurien gets crazier, LI’Kalla uses her DRAGON FORM to fight Laurien but gets wrecked after a few minutes. As her transformation wears off, half her face is burned and she’s missing an eye and several teeth. Laurien then beats her while she’s helpless, but at the last moment before Laurien stabs her in the heart, Li’Kalla shifts and dodges the blade, and then releases a torrential amount of water onto the city, which she had been accumulating during the fight. 

The water washes away the entirety of the city into the Hollow, and Laurien with it. Li’Kalla only manages to resist the incredible force of the water thanks to her attunement to it.

In the end, Li’Kalla awakens on the crater around the Hollow and looks for Aella and Arwen. They find each other and then have a little talk, Li’Kalla apologizes and shows them her past, and then she dies.

After that, Arya arrives and comforts the sisters, then takes them under her wing.

HAPPY END?
[/hider]

[hider=Might Summary]
Laurien/Arya
5MP - 10FP
-5FP to create that book that will never be used again.

Ending 5MP & 5FP

Li’Kalla
I don’t remember how much she had. She used most of her MP on the plasma stunt. Silver used all the FP available to defend against the plasma stunt. Then Li’Kalla used her remaining MP when she made a grand lake’s worth of water wash the whole city down into the Hollow.
[/hider]