The test I was given was to obtain a certain artifact rumored to be once owned by beings that intruded into our world, the winged-folk from Valru. However, from the records in the dusty libraries that I had wandered, it was said that the relic had been long lost. I spent over a year searching for it — hoping to obtain my grand teacher’s approval so I may confront the feelings that I held.

In the end, I had to approach my teacher for help. Yet, when he asked for my reasons for doing so, I hid the truth, unwilling to wrestle with my own thoughts and emotions. But it was through this one white lie that I discovered the blackest truth.

My teacher’s mentor was a ‘he’, not a ‘she’ … and that he was a monster that you must never listen to.

-???

“That sounds like Grouse. He used to be quite good with a bow,” Eithne said quietly. Yuelei, the only one with sight, looked away from the remnants of the corpse. The entire chest area had been blown away, with the internal organs burnt to black.

“That’s the last one,” Yuelei said quietly, turning her eyes away from the body. She was the one that had to describe the corpse, as well as the other three next to it, to Eithne. Normally Yuelei wasn’t squeamish about the dead, but even so, these were people that she had been acquainted with.

At least, that was what she thought to herself. In reality, the ‘numbness’ that was granted to her through her bond with Liur no longer stifled the voices in her head.

“...Ugh,” The coppery smell of blood permeated the air, causing Yuelei’s stomach to turn. Normally, such smells would not have penetrated her Winter’s Mist, and even when she killed with frost magic, the supercooled spells would freeze blood into a solid with no scents lingering..

“What’s wrong, Alia?” Eithne’s eyes could not see, but her sharp ears could pick up Yuelei’s comment.

“Nothing.” Yuelei stood up and tried to take stock of the surroundings. They were at the edge of the forgotten city and when they enter, danger can be lurking at every corner. It had a name, ‘Nol’gona, the Forgotten City on the Reservior’, but that meant nothing to Yuelei.

“Alia, now is not the time to put up a front.” Eithne sighed. “Speak your mind.”

“It’s the smell and the sight…” Yuelei relented and admitted where her uneasiness stemmed from.

“Perhaps it was a grim stroke of luck that I lost my eyes,” Eithne chuckled darkly.“I have seen many bodies in my time, and the sight of them always serves to unease, especially when they are those are someone you knew.”

“It’s a reminder that we are all mortal, and that could be us on the ground.” Yuelei moved next to Eithne and put an arm around hers. “The bodies are cold and there are no trails.”

“We don’t have time to bury them.” Yuelei was slightly surprised at Eithne’s coldness towards her former compatriots, and as if sensing her thoughts through the slight stutter in Yuelei’s step, Eithne continued. “This is a battlefield. If we survive this, we’ll come back for their tags.”

“Why not take them now?” Yuelei asked.

“If we take them now, and we don’t survive, then those that come afterward would think they have already been brought back,” Eithne said quietly. “Some adventurers may think to take the tags as they come across them because there is a reward attached to their return… but mercenaries know better.”

“Closure is one of the hardest things to obtain,” Yuelei said quietly. Eithne’s words made her thoughts stray, and wander to unbidden thoughts.

What if I don’t make it out of here? What if my body rots here, never to be retrieved?

Without the effect of the Snow Butterfly’s Crest engraved on her heart, several deep-buried emotions in Yuelei started to stir.

Would Airen ever even find me down here? What would Lumnieve do?

And next to her, Eithne shared similar thoughts.

…

“These marks, they’re the same as those tattoos that the Followers of Uthgrak have.” Yuelei informed Eithne. The city ruins that were all that remained of Nolg’ona on their first visit had vanished, being replaced by intact, but quite empty, buildings.

“Our intel told us that this was the place where they had found their ‘religion’. Eithne said quietly as she trailed behind Yuelei. With a bit of ingenuity, she had created three thin rings of stone that extended one meter from her body at the same level as her neck, waist, and ankles. With it, she was at least able to move on her own while accompanied by Yuelei’s voice.

“Or rather, somewhere in this cursed city, their religion found them.” EIthne continued as she stood guard at the doorway. “The Guild autopsied a few of the inhabitants you know. The tattoos aren’t just on their skin, but engraved onto their brains as well. Some of them don’t even recognize their former-”

“Eithne… we have something strange here…” Yuelei interrupted. There were piles of gray ash that littered the place, mixed with the thatched clothing that the Followers wore. This building was unlike the others, without a layer of dust on the stone furniture. It was as if for a time, someone or something had called this place home.

“The original inhabitants were reduced… to this?” Eithne knelt down with Yuelei’s help, and touched her fingers against the coarse white and gray particles. “This isn’t ash, Yuelei. It’s bone shards and bone meal.”

“Who’s there?!” Yuelei was about to reply when she felt the sensation of being watched. Reaching into her alchemical pouch, she hurled a few Crystalflare Bombs in the direction of the darkness.

“Say the words and I’ll fire!” Eithne had already her bow at the ready, with three arrows nocked in the direction she heard the flames. “Alia!?”

However, Yuelei was too shocked to reply. She had caught a glimpse of the horrendous figure on the ground from the brief flares of flame. Following a brief moment of hesitation whilst fighting against her fear, she reached into her Palian Satchel and pulled out another vial.

After giving a brief shake to agitate the mixture and cause it to emit light, she slowly knelt and placed the vial on the ground. Seconds seemed to transform into minutes as the vial clinked as it rolled towards the darkness-obscured figure.

If bone could calcify flesh and skin until there was nothing but pale bone, that was what the humanoid monstrosity looked like. Pupils that were nothing but spheres of pale ivory seated in a skull looked back into Yuelei’s eyes as the crawling figure reached out a hand to Yuelei, chips bone flaking off like scales.

“On the ground! Kill it!” Terror overtook courage and Yuelei screamed at Eithne to take action. At the same time, she conjured up a Wind Blade and shot it towards the monstrosity.

Eithne’s arrows arrived first, tearing three holes through the thing and piercing through it like smoke. Then Yuelei’s fear-induced Wind Blade arrived, also cutting cleanly through the brittle-boned abomination’s chest like cutting through fog. Neither of their attacks seemed to have any impact, instead, dispersing the monster where it stood like wind blowing upon ash.

The thing looked at Yuelei for the briefest moments, and Yulei could see the fear in its eyes. Too late, Yuelei realized that the thing that had struck such horror into her was a former human.

And then⎯ it toppled to the ground, disintegrating into a pile of tattered clothing and disintegrated bone.

“Did we get it? What was that?” Eithne loosened her taut bow but kept her hand on the bowstring. After a few moments, Yuelei shuddered and started to explain in detail what sort of abomination that they had encountered and put down

“I’ve never heard of such a magical affliction.” Eithne’s face was hard to read beneath the cloth covering her ruined eyes. “It’s like a curse if anything, something like the Ne⎯”

“Get down!”

Yuelei quickly crouched as soon as Eithne shouted, and not a second sooner, a beam of light crashed through the wall and lit up the room. And as suddenly as it arrived, it vanished like a shooting star and submerging the area in darkness once more. However, in the next moment, two more beams of pale yellow light blast through the ceiling in succession, blinding Yuelei.

“Alia. It should be over now, I don’t feel anything else.” Eithne quietly gave Yuelei the go-ahead, and the two of them stood from their prone position. “I don’t think those spells were aimed at us, it would have been impossible for us to dodge.”

“That thing’s ashes are gone.” Yuelei was the first to spot the blackened hole in the ground. “All the piles of ashes are gone.”

“I don’t understand. Why the hell would someone aim at something like that?” EIthne grumbled as she used the wall as support to stand up. “What in the name of all the blasted gods, real and unreal, is happening here?”

“We’ve always been on the edge of madness.” Yuelei joked darkly as she forced herself up, trying to calm her shaking arms. “This is just seeing a small glimpse beyond that veil.”

“Your jokes are bad, Alia, and they don’t even sound like you.” Eithne tilted her head in an ironic gesture that represented rolling of the eyes. But she seemed to have keen senses and quickly moved towards Yuelei to reassure her.

“Let’s keep our heads low as we keep moving. Fortunately or unfortunately, I am sensitive to light magic.” Eithne gestured for Yuelei to come closer, and linked her arm with hers.

The gesture both one of companionship and also one of reliance.

“Snorti, Parstim, Doluug.” Eithne quietly listed out the names as Yuelei gave a brief description of the mutilated bodies in front of her. “They were one of our best when it came to being the vanguard. They could get themselves out of any situation.”

“There should be one more,” Eithne added. “We had two pairs of scouts, and they always work as a team.”

“You’re right.” Yuelei narrowed her eyes and tried to peer through the darkness using whatever light she could from her alchemical torch, spotting a sitting figure with his back to the wall in one of the alleys “I found him.”

“Dead, I’m guessing.” Eithne took Yuelei’s tone as grim acceptance, and shook her head. “He was the youngest of the four, but he acted like he was the oldest. Poor Airen.”

The sudden name of Yuelei’s lost brother caused her to stiffen, and Eithne clearly sensed the change.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Sometimes we would laugh that his name was stolen from that Machian Prince.” Eithne laughed sadly. “It’s not uncommon for people to name their kids after someone important, but we joked it was the reverse since he was always so full of himself.”

“Airen…” The sound that came out of Yuelei’s mouth sounded almost foreign. How long has it been since she said his name? Was he still alive, or had he at some point ended up in dire situations like she was in right now?

“There will be time to mourn. We’ll get out of this alive.” Eithne took Yuelei’s comment as a sign of weakness and tried to reassure her. “Death and destruction is nothing new, but this is more like walking among the dead.”

“I only hope some of the others made it out…” Eithne trailed off, but she knew how futile her small hopes were.

Eithne and Yuelei slowly traversed the lost city looking for clues, occasionally taking shelter as blasts of white light flew over their heads. They never seemed to be aimed at them, but it was easy to see from the giant holes on the side of buildings what would happen if they were hit by one.

As they traveled, Eithne slowly grew more somber and withdrawn. Every time they had come across more corpses, Yuelei would point out a few key features and Eithen would quietly name them. Every time, her voice dropped lower and lower and before long, she was muttering curses to herself.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. What the hell is this?” Eithne muttered to herself as they found yet another series of corpses. “Everyone was at least a Rank A adventurer, and even if they can’t win in a fight, they would still be able to escape. Some of them look like they were killed effortlessly, without even getting a chance to draw their weapons.”

...Which means our information was all wrong. We’re up against someone or something that is on the level of the Divine. It’s the only explanation. Eithne thought to herself, not revealing her thoughts to Yuelei.

“I’m sorry Alia. I did not think things would end up like this.” Eithne said quietly. “Had I known⎯”

“There is no point thinking that way now. It is neither of our faults,” Yuelei cut her off. Perhaps it was due to the sight of the bodies, or perhaps it was because some time had passed, but she had calmed down somewhat and accepted their situation. Her abilities may be gone, but not her demeanor once she had switched into survival mode, and if anything, Yuelei was a capable survivalist.

“...” Eithne’s silence had a minute air of respect. “Let’s keep⎯ “

She was interrupted by the sound of yet another blast of light emanating from the tallest tower, except this time where there was usually the sound of a crashing impact, it was followed by the sound of humming metal.

“It’s Lugh! I would know that sound anywhere.” Eithne raised her head. “That madman, is he actually trying to deflect a blast like that?”

“Come on, since that big idiot decided to make himself known, we may as well take advantage and try to get to him before anything else does.” No sooner did Eithne speak did the humming sound transform into a reverberating ring, and the initial blast of magic from the tower was returned to its owner.

However, no sooner did the streak of light approach the tower did a series of magical runes spring up, and Yuelei’s hair stood on end as magic saturated the air. The enormous pressure was suffocating, and Yuelei could only watch as a gigantic beam of light, hundreds upon hundreds of times larger than than the one prior, roared in the direction of the one who dared to strike back.

Eithne did not say another word, but Yuelei could see the worry beneath her bandages. Without another word, she pulled on Yuelei’s hand while they rushed towards the direction of where the blast of light had left a steaming crater.

...

“Oh… it’s good to see you two.” Yuelei and Eithne had found nothing, save for a trail of blood at the epicenter of the blast which led them into a nearby building.

“Lugh… how is he?” Eithne started, and then hesitated before approaching.

“Not good.” Yuelei eyed Lugh cautiously. The strong and robust individual was gone, and instead in its place was a frail-looking old man seated in a corner and leaning against the wall for support..Lugh’s hair had turned white, and the breastplate that he usually wore with no problem looked as if it was dragging him down with its weight.

“I see that I’m not the only one that lost something.” Lugh tried to speak, but his voice came out in a dry rasp. “They took your eyes I see.”

“And what did they take from you? Your voice?” Eithne scowled back, but Lugh did not respond, instead breaking out in heaving coughs.

“Something much worse. I’ve never seen anything like this.” Yuelei knelt down in front of Lugh, maintaining eye contact for a moment before scanning the rest of his body. Part of his dominant arm had entirely disappeared, leaving a bloody stump that was poorly bandaged by dirty cloth. Yuelei noiselessly passed Lugh a Rejuvenation Potion before shaking her head slowly so only Lugh would see.

“Sorry⎯ sorry. I can’t...” The sound of shattering glass ran out as Lugh dropped it in the process of uncorking it, his feeble and only hand unable to withstand the pressure of trapped air escaping.

“Lugh… what have they done to you?”

“Let’s say I nearly broke my back swinging a sword.” Lugh said gloomily before accepting Yuelei’s second potion, this time already uncorked and ready to drink. “This is not how I had imagined growing old would be, not with those old monsters I’ve met in Lorresta”

“Did you find anyone else? Those we ran into did not make it.” Eithne slowly sat down next to Lugh and started reciting names.

“There was one person that made it... Andry.” Lugh said quietly. “I found him too late. His skin was midway through the process of transforming to bone.”

“That impact was you trying to protect him.” Eithne put two and two together. “And you f⎯”

“Failed, and also lost my good arm.” Lugh said quietly, his sagging face revealing mixed emotions as Yuelei quietly conducted first aid. “We have never been in more dire straits then we are now. What have we gotten ourselves in?”

“We need to find Annerose and Nuadha. They’re the only ones that can help us.” Eithne tried to grip Lugh’s shoulder firmly, but she was shocked by how small and brittle his bones were. It was as if she could simply squeeze and he would crumble.

“We lost everyone. Eithne. Everyone.” Lugh slumped over, and it was clear how disheartened he was. “We are deep in enemy territory, and both you and I have been crippled. Even if Miss Alia here ⎯ wait, what did she lose?”

He peered at Yuelei in suspicion, and Yuelei was taken aback by the darkness in his eyes. How did Yuelei look fine despite each of them losing something so vital?

“She lost her contracted being, and her Divine Element.” Eithne sensed danger and stepped in.

“So she is one of us now, no longer with special abilities” Lugh’s words were unintentionally scathing, and Yuelei felt stung by the bluntness of the words.

“Lugh, mind the way that you speak!” Eithne was also troubled, chiding her companion.

“You’re right. I apologize, Alia.” Lugh sighed and bowed his head. “I am just… I failed and left him to die. I just… don’t know.”

“You did what you could, Lugh. Don’t blame yourself. Andry would not harbor any strong feelings for you either…”

“I have fought dragons, mythical beings, and dark denizens from the abyss.” Lugh shook his head. “Yet to think I was helpless today… how can the gap between me and a Divine Being or Beast be so far apart?”

“Lugh, now is not the time to be pondering over what ‘ifs’ and ‘hows’.” Eithne punched Lugh lightly on the shoulder. Unfortunately in her blindness was the same one where Yuelei was slowly wrapping in Snakeskin Bandages. “Did you see Annerose among the dead? She may the only one-”

“What if she lost her healing abilities? What then?” Lugh rudely interjected as his face twisted up in pain. “They took from us our greatest strengths. What makes you think that Annerose was capable of using light magic anymore?”

“Then we will have to have to depend on Alia here.” Eithne was taken aback as she clearly had not considered Lugh’s line of reasoning. “Something to dull the pain and get us on our feet is enough.”

“...I suppose we did luck out.” Eithne sighed and nodded appreciatively at Yuelei. “From what you said Eth… the only ones that are alive are us three, and possibly Annerose and Nuatha.”

“Eithne… there’s something you should know.” Lugh interrupted and looked up quietly. “When I reflected that blast of light, there was a familiar presence in the magic, and I’d know that presence anywhere.”

“What?”

“I am sure without a hint of doubt, Eithne. That presence… was Annerose.”

“As death walks among us, woeful is the soul that walks upon the corpses of both friend and foe seeking salvation.” Lugh murmured as they made their way towards the tallest tower in the city. He had abandoned much of his armor save for his gauntlets since now it only dragged him down. Every so often, streaks of yellow light would blast out from the top of the tower, crashing into the buildings beneath it.

“You know Lugh, I can’t figure out a worse time for you to recite your damn sayings.” Eithne scowled. “We’re about to encounter an enemy of unknown strength and origin, and the way you sound makes it sound like we’re walking to our doom.”

“It’s the voice. Makes me sound like I’m at death’s door.” Lugh voice came out in a dry rasp. “You don’t have any more water do you?”

“No guarantees.” Eithne tried to use a bit of magic to conjure up a bit of water, but misjudged her aim and ended up splattering Lugh’s clothes. “...Alia, can you?”

“Here.” Yuelei murmured a quick spell one of her empty vials filled up with life-nourishing water. It was the best container possible in lieu of a cup, and Lugh did not seem to care either as he tossed it back. He grimly stared at the tower and something seemed to click in his head.

“Eth, remember when we were near your hometown?” Lugh spoke rapidly, his breathing heavy, as if he had come across a sudden revelation and he was grasping to try to fit the pieces together.

“There was a cursed place that you mentioned ⎯ Wasn’t there a legend about a trial that hinders one’s abilities?”

“Aotapia?” Sudden realization also hit Eithne and her voice was laced with shock. “But, that’s halfway across the continent from here!”

Yuelei herself had never heard that name, but the sound of it caused something to stir deep within her, as if there was a monstrosity reaching out from a deep-seated abyss.

“Clue us in, Eithne. From the way you sound, we’re almost on the same wavelength.”

“There are various rumors about the place,” Eithne said quietly. “The most prevalent one is.. If you are willing to sacrifice everything and survive through a life or death trial, then you may be granted anything you seek.”

“That doesn’t add up.” Lugh thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head. “Nuatha was the more logical one, but if you bend the interpretation, we have been ‘sacrificed’ of our greatest strengths so we are on an even playing field in this ‘trial’. “

“I don’t think so.” Yuelei suddenly interjected. “There is no such thing as an even playing field. Even if one loses their greatest strength, that means nothing if they have branched out into other specialties.”As if to make her point. Yuelei conjured up a high-pressure sphere of water that was a mock imitation of her Winter Moon.

“Alia speaks sense. Plus, that portal has never been opened. How is it possible that we are suddenly in Aotapia?” Ethne agreed. “Even if I lost my sight, I can still put an arrow through something that makes noise and there would be no change in the damage done.”

“Fine. We can argue semantics over later.” Lugh acknowledged and backed off. “There’s just something off about this that is ringing a bell, except that bell is deep underwater and makes no sound. I’ll figure it out sooner or later.”

“You think this situation itself isn’t strange?” Eithne sighed. “If anything, it’s more likely that we had entered a miniature dimension, much like the ‘Alphascape’ that Nuatha Reality Rift conjures.”

"Enough talk, don't you hear that?" Lugh shushed, and Yuelei pricked her ears. It was very faint, but there was the sound of combat nearby, the sound of colliding magical spells and the faintest of magical chants coming far, far above them, likely at the apex of the blue-crested tower. Not a second afterward, there was the crash of thunder and sudden rain from above.

"It's Nuatha. We should hurry!" Eithne quickly realized the origins of the sounds and quickened her pace.

…

"What the hell is this tower?" Eithne grumbled as they climbed yet another set of marble stairs. The interior of the tallest tower emblazoned with a blue crest was nothing like what they expected. Compared to the dark and aged exterior, the inside was beautifully hand-carved marble of the palest white.

However, what was truly strange was the arrangement of the floors and stairs. It was a continuous loop of circularly-winding series of stairs followed by a large room.

"Where are the sleeping quarters? Where are the toilets? How can someone possibly even live here in the first place? And really, it's all made out of marble?" Eithne scowled as they made their way through another one of the giant chambers.

"These chambers look like they were made to withstand battle, which makes even less sense." Lugh pointed out the signs of battle on the walls. Scorch marks, jagged crevices, miniature craters, and thin cuts, all dotted the entire room. Whether they were recently made or were the scars of an ancient battle, it was impossible to tell.

Yuelei did not comment, instead focusing on the sounds coming far above them that reverberated downwards. There was a sense of foreboding that she could not shake off, but also a morbid curiosity that still seemed to draw her in.

"It could be that Nuatha had fought his way up the tower ⎯ even more reason that we should hurry and go help him!" Eithne's explanation seemed to make sense, but it was apparent to the other two that she was merely grasping at straws. However, Lugh wordlessly continued to trudge up the stairs. Yuelei had less trouble than him, but that was due to her use of wind magic to make her lighter on her feet.

"Eth, we can't keep up at this pace." Lugh forced out after another twenty flights of stairs. "If we arrive at the top exhausted, we will just be a detriment to Nuatha instead. Neither Alia or I are as good as you are on your feet."

"I can keep going." Yuelei replied after taking stock of her own reserves. Much to her surprise, her capacity for wind magic was much greater than she had known. Even without her sword-bracelet or the magical markings on her ankles, she had no trouble keeping up just depending on magic alone.

"But, we are close to the to ⎯ okay, let us take a quick rest before we continue." Eithne was about to protest, but then she remembered his condition. Yuelei glanced over to see that his tunic was soaked entirely in sweat, and every step he took was done with great exertion.

"If I ever get out of this alive, I am not going to pick up another sword until I manage to master magic." Lugh's body creaked as he sat down. To support himself climbing the stairs, he had been using earth magic that shaped the marble to help prop himself up.

"You are one to talk," Eithne grumbled as she dispersed her rings of gravel. She tried to sit down next to Lugh, but missed her step and slid down two steps before Lugh reached out and grabbed her by the arm.

"Let me check both your injuries." Yuelei wasn't too worn out by her use of wind magic, and crouched down next to Eithne's face. Lugh looked on with minor interest, but quickly turned away with a grimace as the remains of Eithne's eyes surfaced from the bloodied brown bandage.

"So what do you think? Think I'll ever get my eyes back?" Eithne tried to joke, but the feeling of stagnant air against her scabs made her wince. "Do you have anything for the itchiness?"

"This is just first aid, I'm not a healer, so I can't tell you if you'll get your eyesight back" Yuelei shook her head, but soon realized that Eithne wouldn't be able to see it so she spoke up instead. "Bear with the itchiness. We can't risk an infection."

"Lugh, what do you think is happening up there?" After Yuelei moved onto Lugh's arm, Eithne asked. "Do you really think it was Annerose firing those blasts at us? That girl who couldn't even hurt a mouse?"

"I don't know. It makes no sense either." Lugh winced as Yuelei applied a poultice onto the end of his arm. "But we are in a place and situation that borders on senseless. Alia loses her divine element, you lose your eyesight, and I became an old man that looks like death."

"What's your status? I am at relatively full strength, but I will be useless in a melee fight." Eithne decided to change the topic and assess their strategy and plan when they reach the top.

"I can manage with my sword, but don't expect me to overpower anything." Lugh grunted. "I lost my dominant hand, and I'll probably break a bone somewhere if I use any weapon arts."

"I can provide some support with magic, but it's going to be only elementary spells." Yuelei provided her input as she re-wrapped Lugh's arm.

"So a blind archer, an old man with a sword, and a beginner mage to go up against whatever Divine Being is up there." Eithne laughed. "Not good odds, but maybe just enough to tip the favor when we have Nuatha on our side."

"Hmm." Lugh seemed to be deep in thought, and Eithne's words seem to go through one ear and out the other. He kept glancing all around him although there was nothing but white marble, and rubbing his head ⎯ as if there was something on the edge of his thoughts that he could not place into words.

"What's the matter?" Yuelei seemed to pick up on his actions, and asked.

"It's probably nothing." Lugh shook his head. "The strangeness of the place is just getting to me, that's all."

"Alright, let's take a few minutes for ourselves and our own preparations. Then we will move out." Eithne announced as she started to double-check the strings on her bow and arrows by feeling them with her hands. Lugh soon followed suit after giving Yuelei a thankful pat on the shoulder by pulling out his sword and slowly sharpening the edge, each movement moving as if it was with great effort.

Left to her own devices, Yuelei started to experiment with water and wind magic.

When was I really this proficient with wind and water? Yuelei could bend the two elements to her will with ease. As if hit with a flash of inspiration, she conjured up a Water Orb and slowly started forming Windblades within it. After a few seconds of doing so, she hurled it against the wall where the high-pressured water and wind left the shape of a circle in the wall, with the center covered in thousands of smaller cuts.

It was a mock imitation of her Winter Moon, and much weaker, but the ease in how Yuelei was able to imitate it gave her a morbid sensation that there was something wrong, as if something that was hidden to her had finally revealed itself.

“Are you two ready? Let’s go!”

“That doesn’t look like any normal beholder,” Lugh whispered quietly after peeking out from the corner. They were on the final set of stairs, and after ages of repetitive climbing, the next area opened up to the rooftop area of the marble tower.

The sight they were met with was an immense battle between a bloodied Nuatha, and what resembled a beholder⎯ except this one had even more tentacles than normal, which were wrapped around its body like a sort of impenetrable mass of flesh.

The battle was best described as a spell-hurling contest. The Beholder would fire a continuous chain of spells from eyes at the end of its tentacles, occasionally followed by a much more powerful beam of multicolored light occasionally from the eyes, the most common being yellow.

On the other hand, despite the multitude of attacks, Nuatha was easily countering and returning strikes of his own. A black void seemed to surround twenty meters of him, and whenever a projectile entered, beams of light would draw out a 3D image of a cube that would contract into a single point and extinguish the spell. Every so often, Nuatha would raise a hand and shoot out a spell of his own, but it would be promptly deflected by one of the Beholder’s many spells.

It was quite obviously a destructive stalemate, with both sides sporting grievous injuries. One of Nuatha’s hands was covering his side, from which blood slowly dripped down his clothing and onto the ground. The Beholder fared little better, with several bloody gashes that cut through several of its tentacles surrounding its one eye.

“Nuatha restrained his Alphascape for combat. He doesn’t know we’re here.” Lugh whispered. “The battle seems even, but Nuatha is slowly bleeding out. We must play our cards right so we secure an opening for him.”

“Where’s Annie? Did you see her?” Eithne whispered back.

“No I didn’t. I don’t think she was around anywhere.” Lugh quickly shot back. “Right now that thing is protecting its main eye, so it doesn’t seem to have noticed us yet.”

“So let’s launch a sneak attack.” Eithne quickly formulated a plan. “If we use magic, it will notice us instantly, and I doubt any spell the three of us are capable of using would even hurt it.”

“Fine, I’ll be the vanguard, Alia will be with me to direct my shots since magic will be ineffective. You do what you do best.”

“Making an old man like me run across a field swinging a sword. What a slave driver, never able to get a rest in these old bones.” Lugh grumbled but there was a slight smile in his eyes.

“You know I love you.” Eithne chuckled but soon got quiet as she took her bow off her shoulder. “Let’s finish this up, once and for all.”

“Blasted thing. How long are you going to endure?” Nuatha snarled as he used his Alphascape to extinguish three more of the projectiles from the Beholder. “I know who and what you are. If not me, then it would be someone else!”

The Beholder shook, as if in mocking laughter, but it suddenly stopped as one of its eyes caught a flash of movement on the fringe of its peripheral vision. In the next moment, it felt a stinging pain at its side.

“Hit!” Yuelei had helped guide the arrow with a bit of wind magic, causing the arrow to land in a gap between the tentacles.

“HAAAAAAAA!” Lugh had started charging as soon as Eithne released the first arrow. However his speed was a fraction of what it was when he was in its prime, and two of the Beholder’s eyes turned towards his direction.

“No you don’t!” Two blasts of flame smashed into the tentacles, disrupting whatever spell they were going to cast. At this point another arrow met its mark, and although it did not do much against the steel-like flesh, it was akin to being rudely poked.

Right as Lugh’s sword was about to come crashing down, the Beholder’s tentacles suddenly contracted, before lashing out in an explosion of energy. Nuatha seemed to have anticipated this, and the black starry void surrounding him suddenly shot forward, surrounding Lugh. Thin white dots came together, forming lines and drawing out the image of a phalanx of shields. Another dot flew in the air, before falling and merging with Lugh’s sword unnoticed.

“Push for it! You won’t get another chance like this!” Nuadha shouted urgently. Biting down on the immense force pushing him back, Lugh gritted what remained of his teeth and channeled what little strength he had into his desperate thrust.

The blade seemed to approach the mass of jumbled flesh in slow motion, both due to the immense magical pressure released by the Beholder, and also due to the various barriers that the creature had set up. Even if Lugh was in peak performance, his blade would have been unable to pierce the Beholder’s defenses if not for Nuadha’s assistance.

The tip of Nuadha’s blade broke through the mutated beast’s coils, but barely penetrated through. It was nothing more than a graze, but in the next moment a bead of light sprang up, splitting into a tiny web that trickled down the flat of Lugh’s blade, before consolidating into a single point. A faint pulse in space occurred, as if for the briefest moment, a few seconds of time suddenly vanished in the area around them.

And unknowingly to all of the viewers except for Nuadha and Lugh, his weapon shook uncontrollably and from the point of the blade emanated a destructive wave of light in the shape of tiny white beads that left thin trails of light.

The resulting effect was all too apparent as the ripples of force blasted apart the Beholder’s iron-like coils of tentacles, leaving a spray of black-red blood mist in the air as the beads of light imploded from within.

Magic was a volatile thing, and especially dangerous if one suddenly lost control of it. And within Nuatha’s Alphascape, he had an influence on the rules of magic to bend them slightly.

“Good, good!” Nuatha was the one who let out a triumph shout first as the mist cleared up. The blast had penetrated deep, deep enough to affect the monster’s weak point, and the giant eye was covered in a deep shade of red from the blood. “With this, everything is read⎯”

Before Nuatha could finish, the Beholder’s many eyes darted down to Lugh, Eithne and Yuelei and it unfurled the coils of tentacles surrounding its body. To the horror of many, where there should have been a mouth was an endless series of stitches, and pressed against the side of its body was Annerose.

As if seeing the shock of Lugh and Yuelei face’ss, three small eyes at the end of the monster’s tentacles suddenly blinked, and lit up in quick succession, each of them releasing a thin beam of light at their foreheads, as well as Yuelei’s.

“This again? No you don’t!” Nuatha’s Alphascape suddenly contracted, and the void of black space distorted for a brief second before disappearing and reappearing into the shape of a claw that knocked aside the beams of light, swiping them out of existence.

“It’s good that you three are here, that thing has taken Annerose captive and has been draining her of magic.” Nuatha had magically appeared next to companions, he started to relay information. “That thing seems to have an ability that lets it cancel the recon abilities of my Alphascape, so I have very little to work with here.”

“Good to see you too.” Lugh grumbled, as he picked himself up. The magical shockwave was strong enough to lift him off his feet and blow him backward, and his remaining arm hung loosely against his side, dislocated at the shoulder.

As they conversed, the Beholder’s stitched up mouth seemed to tremble, making out the motions as if it was roaring but without sound. For the tiniest of moments, Yuelei felt as if she was hearing whispers, but they were quickly silenced as Nuatha’s Alphascape covered her.

“Whatever that thing is, it’s responsible for what is happening here. With that injury, the tides have now shifted.” Nuatha grinned behind Lugh while putting his hand on his shoulder and squeezing. “I knew that I would be able to count on you two.”

“What now?” Following the sound of their talk, Eithne had approached from the entrance to the roof with Yuelei in tow. “As you can see, I am blind, and Lugh’s a cripple. Alia’s magic would be useless against a beholder, so that was your only chance for a surprise.”

“It was all I needed.” Yuelei was the only one with line of sight on Nuatha, and his smile at those words made her uneasy. “Fear not, EIthne, I will take care of the rest. You guys created the opportunity I needed to finish this.”

“That’s good to hear.” Eithne let out a deep breath, as if all of her concerns were about to come to an eventual end. “Alia, let us retreat back a few steps.”

As they made conversation, the Beholder seemed to eye the new arrivals with its bloody eye. Nobody would have been able to tell what was going through its mind, as it was in essence, the last of its kind.

But this one had stayed.

“It’s an intelligent creature, but any means to communicate have failed.” Nuatha eyed the creature from the other side. “When it absorbed Annerose, that was when I took it to be hostile.”

“But now, let us finish this. Your time has come, monster.” Nuatha made a gesture as if he was welcoming someone, and the blackness around him swirled and expanded. Beads of light sprang out from his figure, drawing into the shapes of swords in the air.

The Beholder seemed to laugh at the absurdity of its situation. It had clearly understood their conversation, for like Nuatha said, it was an intelligent creature, and no doubt much more intelligent than anyone else in the area. Each of its eyes at the end of its tentacles flickered, and a magic circle appeared in front of each one, forming over fifty magical runes that floated in the air and revolving around the creature’s injured body.

Yuelei,Lugh and Eithne retreated back as the battle picked up once more in a series of magical confrontations, with the Beholder keeping one of its eyes on them at all times. It seemed to realize that three of them posed little threat, and focused a majority of its strength on Nuatha.

This was a battle on the level of the Divine, and only death and destruction would await those that came too close.

The conflict that ensued was best described as a bloody brawl where the Beholder tried to overwhelm Nuatha’s defenses before it succumbed to its wounds. Both Divine Beast and Divine Being favored the use of magic over masterful displays of physical strengths.

Nuatha’s strength laid in his Alphascape, from which beads of light drew out all manner of forged weapons created by men. The distorted place also posed great defensive abilities, dispersing minor spells as if they were mere smoke against the wind.

On the contrary, the Beholder was adept at Parallel Casting. The main eye was the one that was capable of casting spells at the highest level and strength of that of a Divine Being, but each one of its eyes was at least a rank seventh or higher spellcaster as well. It was safe to say that this Beholder had the strength to wage war against Divine Beings, and even ones with an army backing them.

Against the Beholder’s various spells, Nuatha manipulated his Alphascape as if it were shaping clay. Although the beads of light never left that hazy-blackness, Nuatha could strip tiny pieces of it off to manipulate. He would split them up in all manner of intricate formations for offense and defense as if commanding troops on a battlefield.

Whether it was fate or fortune, the three non-combatants were not caught up in the battle, retreating behind the stairs that had led them to the rooftop. A marble wall stood between them and the conflict, and none of them dared to peek over lest they get caught by a stray spell.

“I don’t know what material this is, but this marble has taken plenty of spells for us…” Eithne shuddered as the sound of another blast of magic rang out from behind them.”How does it look, Lugh?”

“You’re asking my old eyes to tell you how things are?” Lugh grumbled, but he was currently the only one that could ‘observe’ the battle while having the instinct to duck in time.

“Would you prefer a blind woman do it instead?” Eithne and Lugh quibbled, but in the end, Lugh just sighed and did as she bid. Eithne had reseated his shoulder, but Lugh still felt throbbing aches of pain whenever he moved.

“It’s vicious out there, but from what I can tell. Nuatha’s trying to put an end to it, but the Beholder keeps managing to avoid him. I can’t see Annerose anywhere.” Lugh grunted as he squinted his eyes to try and keep a line of sight in the evolving situation.

“Damn thing is probably using her as a shield so Nuatha can’t use any overly dangerous attacks.” EIthne scowled. “Nuatha just needs an opportunity, can we do anything?”

“No, the thing is still looking over here.” Lugh glared at the creature’s one eye that was trained in his direction. “Makes me wonder why it doesn’t put an end to us. It certainly is more than capable of doing so.”

“It’s probably looking for a chance to take us hostage too, even though I have never heard of a Beholder being able to absorb another living being’s magic.” EIthne snorted. “Then again, the abilities of Divine Beasts are unthinkable.”

“This entire situation is unthinkable.” Lugh grumbled as he sat back down. “Our entire corp gets annihilated in the blink of an eye, all of us losing our greatest strengths, and now we’re sitting on top of an invincible marble tower while someone fights a Divine Beas- “

“While?” Eithne echoed, but she did not see the look on Lugh’s face that Yuelei did. It was look of sudden enlightenment, followed by shock, then denial.

“It can’t be, no. It was just a story! This can’t be possible!” Lugh murmured rapidly to himself as if in a trance. “Lilianna is⎯’

At that moment, a loud blast above them drowned out Lugh’s voice. The three them looked up to see that the two combatants had changed locations, and were high in the air above them. The Beholder had seemed to have abandoned the idea of ranged combat, and its tentacles were covered in a thin glowing magical film that seemed to lash out against Nuatha’s black, hazy Alphascape.

However, it seemed to have miscalculated. Although each tentacle had enough strength, both physically and magically imbued, to crush through the strongest of minerals, it made little impact against the transparent black fog that protected Nuatha.

“I have you where I want you now. What final tricks do you have up your sleeve?” Nuatha smirked at his opponent. “My Alphascape’s strengths all strike at your greatest weaknesses, and its defenses turn away your spells.”

Nuatha’s tone was as if he was talking to himself, but at the end of each gloating remark, the Beholder would seem to shake with unknown emotions. As Nuatha’s Alphascape slowly cornered it, the one eye that was trained at Lugh’s position suddenly blinked, as it had recognized something in Lugh’s words.

And then without a hint of hesitation, all of the Beholder’s tentacles suddenly burst out with movement, smashing against Nuatha’s Alphascape with renewed vigor. They expanded to insane lengths before coming together once more, forming a net that covered the entirety of Nuatha’s Alphascape. However, this was a risky move, and the counterattack removed two of the Beholder’s tentacles, the ones with the eyes which granted them the ability to cast spells. In many ways, they were extensions of the Beholder’s main body ⎯ and one such part landed right next to Lugh.

“Blasted thing⎯” Lugh watched as the detached tentacle still twitched, and then quickly quieted as an eye wriggled out at the tip. “It’s still alive!”

As fast as an aged man could move, Lugh moved to bring his weapon down on the monstrosity, but at the same time as the sword made contact on the writhing tentacle, the eye seemed to glaze over. If one were to look closer, they might have noticed that the iris was actually a magical rune, but this small detail was lost to the many.

Yuelei quickly threw up a thin veil of water as magic filled the air, but the magical blast that was anticipated did not come. Instead, the eyeball seemed to have split off and unraveled, expanding into a great magical rune.

“Teleportation? But such a thing has been lost⎯” Lugh started to shout as he recognized the spell, but it was far too late. The border of the spell suddenly lit up, sending thin pillars of light in the air, and a thin humanoid figure started to take shape.

And then ⎯ out stepped a familiar figure.

“Annerose?! What the-” Lugh shouted at their companion as Yuelei quickly scanned the battle above. The person that they had thought to had been taken hostage was no longer stuck inside the Beholder but instead, freed and seemingly unharmed.

“Annie?” Eithne, who had a faint guess at what just transpired up to the point of the teleportation spell could not help but voice her confusion.

“Damn it, Lugh. Do you know what you have done?!” Annerose ignored everyone and angrily pulled Lugh up by his collar, her eyes seething with anger.

“What are you talking about, Annie, you were⎯”

“I went willingly!” Annerose retorted. “I was the first to arrive atop this tower, and the Beholder told me the truth of what is happening! Nuatha is the enemy!”

“You are going to take the word a monster over our friend?” Lugh interjected as he glanced at the battle above them. “Last thing I checked, that thing’s mouth was bound.”

“It doesn’t communicate with its mouth. It telepathically communicates with you once it forms a connection.” Annerose released Lugh and looked in the same direction he looked. “Gerbis tried to form one with the three of you, but Nuadha deflected it!”

“Gods. You even know its name?!” Eithne grumbled. “Lugh and Yuelei all saw it! You were stuck to that thing’s side and unconscious!”

“It didn’t look or feel pretty, but it was what needed to be done. Nuatha didn’t anticipate me combining my strength with Gerbis, and that was how we managed to land that injury on him.” Annerose quickly explained before looking over at Yuelei.

“As for how I know his name, it is because in desperation, we had to make a pact. Nuatha almost killed me, and I think Alia here can attest to the benefits of forming a pact.” Annerose pulled aside her shirt, and where her heart would have been was a deep hole where one could see the other side. There was a pulsating red organic matter that seemed to be acting in the place of a heart. “You should know as well as I do that Nuatha often goes for the heart.”

“You’re insane. Or you're being controlled or you’re just another illusion. Nuatha wouldn’t do something like this.” Eithne urged Lugh to stop listening to her words.

“Shut up, Eithne.” Annerose hissed, and her eyes had a slight tinge of spite. “Gardis managed to use his strength to send you and Alia out, before this place was sealed off, yet the two of you decided to venture back in like fools! He should have sent me out instead of you! Just because the two of you have beast blood in you-”

“Eth, let her finish.” Lugh forced himself up and placed his wrinkly hand on Annerose. Lugh had always sensed something was unnatural about the place, and now he wondered if there was some truth in those words. At the prompt, Annerose closed her eyes as if she was focusing on a distant sound.

“This is what Gardis told me to tell you, and also why we are taking such a dangerous risk – both me coming here and him expanding his strength to keep Nuatha in the dark for the briefest of minutes.” Annerose turned away from Eithne and returned to pleading with Lugh.

“Lugh of Lorresta. Your ancestor should know this place more than any other, as well as the great enemy she once fought atop this tower.” Annerose started, and Yuelei could see the color drain from Lugh’s face and the knuckles on his hand pale from gripping too hard. “Nuatha is seeking to return that being back into this world, through a portal of forbidden magic. All living beings, save for us, have been sacrificed to fuel his mad ambitions.”

“You should know exactly the place I am talking about, seeing as you once resided near it, and I think you were the one that told Nuatha about it.” Annerose half glared, half seethed at Eithne. “I told Gerbis about how Nuatha had said he found an ‘opportunity’ and suddenly became a Divine Being.”

“Enlightened Beast of the Marble Tower…” Lugh whispered, and the power of that name seemed to resonate around the ground, as if the entire tower was trembling.

“Let us humor you for a moment, Annie.” Eithne still couldn’t bring herself to believe that Nuatha was the mastermind behind their predicament. “What can we even do in our state?”

“Gerbis and I don’t have much left, and this opportunity to speak with you two has cost the both of us immensely.” Annerose sighed as she knelt down by Eithne and held a hand over her eyes. “I would attempt a surprise attack, but I doubt Nuatha would give you guys a chance. I was never the best coming up with plans, so I’ll just heal your injuries for now.”

Eithne seemed to hesitate, but as soon as the soothing yellow glow covered her eyes, she realized that it was truly just healing magic and relaxed. Lugh on the other hand, kept staring at the giant sphere in the air, where the Beholder, Gerbis, had temporarily trapped Nuatha.

“I know. It sounds unbelievable.” Annerose saw the look on his face and shook her head. “I always thought that Nuatha was the best of us, at least until he put one of his spears through my heart while I tried to reason with him.”

“Anne, I don’t think I can fight against Nuatha. At least not without talking to him first.” Eithne said quietly. “We’ve been together for far too long and this... This isn’t like him.”

“The most tender of hearts hold the greatest darkness.” Lugh quoted in response to Eithne’s comments. “Then let us try to talk to him first. We owe him that much as his friend.”

At his words, the group fell silent, each left with their own thoughts.

And with what little time they had, they came up with a plan while struggling with her emotions ⎯ save for Yuelei.

She could not help that everyone had a reason for being here, save for her.

Was she truly just an innocent and unfortunate bystander?

The lull in the battle suddenly ended as four spheres of light burst out from the sphere of flesh in the shape of a cross, eliciting a painful shattering sound as various of Gerbis’s magical defenses were broken through.

And then like a top, they spun, severing all of the Beholder’s tentacles that had knotted themselves together to create the cage of flesh.

“That was quite the trick you had, creating a barrier of void space around my Alphascape.” As Nuatha emerged, the splattering of blood was held in place against his hazy black aura, dying it in the color of crimson red instead of black.

“Gerbis…” Annerose whispered quietly as the Beholder fell from the air and into the ground with a resounding crash. Only Lugh and Eithne remained on the roof, with Yuelei and Annerose taking shelter beneath the stairs leading to the roof.

It was a pitiful sight, each of the Beholder’s tentacles were severed in half, and it had no eyes left, save for its main one which had turned a dull red like dried blood and leaked pale yellow pus. It was a risky move to use one’s weak spot as part of holding the sphere together, and you could see great tear marks at the base of every tentacle. It continued to writhe and glare at his nemesis, but it was clear that there was no more fight left in it, and merely clinging to life.

“Nuatha!” Lugh shouted as loudly as he could to get Nuatha’s attention. His voice was still harsh and as if his throat was full of dust, but nevertheless, it was enough to grab Nuatha’s eyes on him. “You did it, so lets the hell out of here. We've pulled Anneerose out from the corpse and she’s still alive! If we move fast enough we can still save her!”

“She’s… alive?” Nuatha glanced over at the Beholder’s unmoving mass, uncertain if it was alive or not despite all its wounds, and then turning to look down at Lugh. “Did she say anything?”

“No, she couldn’t talk. It’s like she was in pain and kept pulling at her chest. I’ve asked Alia to take a look at it.” Lugh quickly explained as he watched Nuatha’s face for any changes. “Fortunately, she is a skilled alchemist, so I’m sure she would be able to figure out what’s wrong.”

“Where are they? It’s possible the Beholder did something to Annerose.” Lugh’s heart dropped as he read between the lines in Nuatha’s reply. “It might be dangerous⎯ “

“Nuatha. This place has me thinking. “ Lugh interrupted. “Do you know about the legend I mentioned about my ancestor who fought against a being atop of a marble tower?”

“Sure, you’ve talked about it hundreds of times, why does that matter?” Nuatha started to reply, but after looking at Lugh’s resolute eyes, he started to laugh. “... You’ve always been a bad liar, Lugh.”

“And you were always a good liar. Why are you doing this?” Lugh shouted at the figure above him. “There are some things that must not be allowed to exist in this world!”

“Lugh, my dear, old friend.” Nuatha chuckled. “You know that I am a bastard prince. I am something that wasn’t allowed to exist either, so why do your stories and myths and legends get to judge others?”

“In my time of need and weakness, my benefactor reached out a hand to me, and offered me a chance for greatness.” Nuatha’s eyes were blazing with an unknown emotion. “Me! Who was just a bookworm who could only hide behind you and Eithne and put on a mask to deal with our ‘clients’!”

“And now look at this.” Nuatha waved a sleeve in the Alphascape behind him, and beads of light sprang into life, drawing out a dazzling display of all manner of weapons and armor. “They gave me the ability to bring my Reality Rift to life.”

“You are being blinded by your desires, Nuatha.” Lugh shook his head. “If you do this, then the entire world will be thrown into turmoil sooner or later.”

“The world is already in turmoil. Petty squabbles for power, probing the borders of men, and ceaseless and unending destruction.” Nuatha shrugged. “Not everywhere is as peaceful as your home, Lugh. You and I have seen what people do to each other.”

“You can join me, you know, Lugh.” Nuatha suddenly changed the topic. “Everything is in place, and we only need the Requilary that the Beholder sealed in its mouth. Together, we can make use of all that forbidden knowledge to make this world a better place.”

“You are not the first to think that, Nuatha, nor will you be the last.” Lugh retorted. “Tell me this, Nuatha, were you the only one that knew what that Reliquary was? What is it?”

“You are better off not knowing. It was something of a necessary sacrifice.” Nuatha did not meet Lugh’s eyes.

“If you still consider yourself my friend, tell me!”

“There are things that one should be ignorant about,” Nuatha replied quietly. “And if I do tell you, then there will be no way you would listen to me.”

“You…” Lugh stammered out. “You… what did you do?”

“Something necessary that few dared to do.” Nuatha smiled, and there was a hint of madness in his eyes. He then raised his hand, and beads of light started to converge around him.

“But I will tell you this, Lugh of Lorresta. One of the requirements was that a descendant of the one who defeated the Enlightened Being deliver it to this place, and you have done so… splendidly.”

And then the beads of light painted out an array of swords that flew towards Lugh.

“Renascence!” Before the attack could land on Lugh’s withered form, a circle of light sprang to life beneath Lugh’s feet. And right before Yuelei’s eyes, his ragged skin and gray hair slowly transformed as his youth was returned back to him.

At the same time, the sound of a single bow rang out, and a single arrow flew into the air in front of Lugh. It seemed to phase in and out of existence, remerging multiple times until there were hundreds of it, and it clashed against the array of falling swords.

“That is...” Nuatha hissed as Eithne stepped out from the stairs and instantly flitted next to Lugh, handing him a crystal-blue bottle in which he downed in one gulp. At that action, the light from the magical circle beneath him seemed to bend and merge together, cladding Lugh in brilliant white armor along with a radiant white sword and formidable-looking shield.

A true protector of the weak.

“How is this possible?” Nuatha was too dumbstruck by Eithne’s appearance to notice Lugh’s transformation. Her entire figure had transformed, giving her a fey-like appearance akin to a dryad. Thin trails of lace that was actually condensed wind trailed from her fairy-like bodysuit. And at her side was a bow that seemed to be carved out from a pitch blackness, the edges constantly shifting in an incorporeal form.

“That is the Tears of the Fallen Goddess. One of the very last few in existence, and bestowed upon us by Gerbis.” Annerose was the next to come out of the stairs, but her face was pale, and her body shook. Yuelei was the one supporting her, but even she could see her slowly fading away. With the Beholder slowly dying, what magic it used to keep Annerose alive was also starting to dwindle. “It was Alia who verified what they were. It was a desperate measure, but now Lugh and Eithne have the strength of Divine Beings…”

“The girl?” Nuatha’s eyes suddenly trained on Yuelei, and she trembled under the insurmountable pressure. “So that was why…”

“Enough! Your battle is with us!” Lugh suddenly interrupted, and he suddenly appeared in front of Yuelei, blocking her off from his sight.

“By all the gods and spirits, Nuatha. What is going through your mind?!” Eithne shouted at her former companion. “Are you so warped in your sense of self-righteousness that you even entered Aotapia?!”

“I made it back. And that only proves that my conviction is more just than most.” Nuatha snarled. “Don’t pretend you are in the right here, Eithne. I knew who lies in your heart, and I knew how our little ‘mercenary band’ story was going to end! You never even tried to understand, and just assumed that I would accept everything!”

“You!” Nuatha’s words seem to infuriate Eithne, but before she could make a move, Lugh stopped her with a hand and pointed his sword against Nuatha.

“I still consider us friends, Nuatha.” Lugh’s words were soft and contained a profound gentleness that would make one shiver. “Which is why, as your friend, I will be the one to put a sword through your madness.”

At his words, Nuatha could only roll his head back and laugh, laughter that resounded with an amalgamation of bitterness, anger, and resentment. He knew that as soon as he stopped, the battle of three Divine Beings would take place atop this marble tower.

And in another dimension, another place, a figure seated atop a throne looked on at the scene through an emerald-black rift with bemusement and a tinge of contempt.

Her pastel eyes darted between the participants with interest, but her eyes lingered the longest on Yuelei.

“My dearest sister…”