[h2]Sunset upon the Set Stage II[/h2]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/2ORI17s.png[/img]

The dust had cleared, the clothing had been mended and an eyepatch made to cover her newfound scar, soldiers stood in solemn silence among the whimpers of those fated to die. 

The Eclipse reigned the sky, tainted by red.

"This battle is over." the goddess commanded with an imperative voice. "Dusklanders, accept all who wish to surrender as brothers, and let those who wish to flee go away, their faith is broken and not worthy of spilling blood anymore," she added. "Legionaries, surrender now if your belief is to build a better world for all, if not, you are free to flee and leave this lost battle, if you wish to still fight today, however, then you are a fool, for this battle is lost and you will give away your life for nothing."

Although not perfect, the speech did mark the end of the battle, feel truly had the will to continue battling after the god fell, and without their fate magic the lines of the legion had broken apart like shattered porcelain.

[hr]

"The time is coming, the fate of this world is to be decided. How cruel, to all of us, that this would come so soon." the goddess confessed to her two generals.

"Well, on a good note, our landing on Node 15 was successful, the armies secured the harbour, and I imagine they will have an easy time moving to clear the path. Benea has also moved on Node 17 and 16, as the captured legionaries will tell you." said the ever-optimist Daga.

Tsunya rubbed her chin. "Huh. So it seems. I had a keen interest in that crown of crystals from that distant land, perhaps I too should look into it, when the chance presents itself."

"As for the conquest of node 14, milady?" Hatzur questioned an inquisitive eye fixed upon Tsunya.

"Let's press forward, I will go ahead and claim such nodes before the others arrive, it seems their faith magic is weakened after Anak fell, so there is little that can stand in the way of the banners upon those lands. Remember, our focus is to integrate the verdant landers into our nation, into the system, personal pride and vengeance are not what we desire."

Hatzur hummed, observing the many Legionaire relics she had acquired. "I wonder if their faith magic will work for those who change to our side."

"Perhaps it will, perhaps it will not. There is still much they can offer, we should work to integrate as many legionnaires as we can, we will talk with Theodoro once we re-assemble in Node 15.

Hatzur nodded, leaving just the goddess and her sister-in-law in the room.

"I thought you'd be happier, the North is secured, we have won. Dusklander hegemony is now real, in land and sea. Did that wound to the eye really hurt that much? Or was it the loss of shadow petal?" Daga questioned.

"I am just thinking of my children. Seems awfully unfair, for new life to face the end of the world at their youth."

Daga nodded. "Hey there Tsu... It is fine, there will a new, better world for them to inhabit, one where you can stay by their side as their mother all time, instead of leaving for war and conquest."

The goddess bitterly smiled. "That blasted knight really set up a horrible world for us to exist in, but we will fix it, will we not, Daga?"

[hr]

The conquest of the Verdant was not easy, but somewhat uneventful. The goddess claimed two more nodes, 14 and 15, and soon had one last meeting with her generals on the core of 15.

"It has been a while, my goddess," Theodoro said, smiling. "Never would I think, that we would have freed all of these lands."

"I heard you have been hard at work."

"Indeed, we are giving names to all the peoples under Anak'Thas, one by one, I will also be training all of the converted legionnaires into fighting as a group without letting go of their individuality," he said, with a certain pride. "My people are slowly being unblinded from that profane light."

He would continue, in a less hopeful tone. "So... the sky."

"Yes, the final battles draw near, it seems. I took a beating in that battle of mine, I need to recover, but I also feel ready to face the enemies to come... But... The end itself? Hmm. I do not feel like simply accepting the rules imposed upon us."

"I would expect you to not do it. But, what is there for us to do?"

"To subvert our path, rules are never perfect, trust me when I say that, for I have set up a controlled market across half of the world. There are always gaps that can be exploited, making the whole thing unravel." the dusk goddess confessed. "From what I hear, that is what broke Garravar and Benea apart, yet it's not wholly wrong, we cannot simply be satisfied with playing with the system."

"So you think we should break it?"

"If I knew how, I would, but I am not one to take leaps of faith. But, for a start, we must make sure people will never be corrupted by the sun again, that spirit alone is the cause of so much trouble. The best way to do that, outside of going at the source, is to change the one thing that is a constant in this world, the one thing that remains even as the skies, the ground and the seas are changed."

"That being?" Theodoro asked, feeling a bit intimidated as the goddess grew distant.

"You, you are that being, the humans."

[hr]

Actions however would need to wait, first, she wanted reports from the south, having conquered the sea the goddess now could learn much more about the other gods and their status, plans were already being draw of an invasion of the volcanic shores, as the Dusklanders had plenty of materials capable of dealing with the local conditions, perhaps outmatching what the south had.

Then, there was the question of Anna, the Daman had no more use as a wild card, and while she did not desire harm upon the mostly peaceful people of the land, to leave it as a rogue node was also not the path forward, it was also necessary to know what Benea and Xavior would do about the murderer of Monica.

Meanwhile, her people worked hard reverse-engineering and accommodating all they had conquered in war, while also studying the mysteries of the psychic and faith-based powers of the locals, as the goddess expected it, and the Daman mutations, to be necessary for her final plan to set the fate of the Crucible long after this crucible was over.

All of this however spoke only one thing to her, it was necessary to arrange a meeting among the Trinity of the North, Dzallitsunya, Benea and Xavio.