I trust my teacher, for he has given me much in this life. However… I could not help but question the questions that came up from our conversations. I must know the truth, or I fear that I will constantly be in doubt of my own judgment and choices.

My journey led to search in forgotten places, ruins of civilizations no doubt once greater than ours. There I delved into musky tomes and ancient carvings in stone, searching for an inkling of the truth. One day, at the cusp of a long-debilitated temple beneath the earth, I found a fragment of the history between my teacher, and his teacher before him.

Yet the text it was written in had no translation, save for one word.

‘Hero’.

⎯???

“How bad is it?” Annerose’s breath was heavy and groggy as she laid on the ground, the color slowly draining from her face and skin in the past hour.

“I don’t know.” Yuelei aggressively continued to apply ointment and rejuvenating poultices to Annerose’s bared chest, or more specifically, the mass of crimson flesh that was slowly losing warmth and its red hue.

“Maybe I should have drunk the Tears of the Fallen Goddess instead.” Annerose tried to force a laugh, but it came out as a dry heaving cough that was accompanied by trace amounts of blood.

“You probably would have died afterward.” Yuelei briefly recalled the contents of the alchemy book Lin had given her, recalling her teacher’s comments that were scribbled onto the side. Great power at the ultimate cost, for a time where even death may be a more preferable option.

“I’m not ready to die here, in this blasted place.” Annerose snickered. “Can’t you lie a bit and let a maiden dream? I don’t know what you and Eithne were thinking, re-entering this accursed city even after Gerbis managed to whisk the two of you out.”

Yuelei did not reply knowing that Annerose was merely lashing out in anger and resentment. Instead, she looked up as another shower of stone and debris fell atop of them, barely missing them thanks to a rudimentary wind barrier she had put up.

In the space above them, a deadly battle continued to wage.

***

A single arrow flew through the air, the intensity of the dark-blue light illuminating the cavern space above the city of Nolg’ona. For a brief moment, it winked out of existence, before reappearing with an exact replica right next to it. This process continued every one-eighth of a second as it flew in the air, forming a hail of arrows that amounted to the same output of a battalion of archers.

In response, a dazzling array of white stars emerged from the fifty-meter gray space around Nuatha, each one tracing out the shape of a rectangular shield until a mighty wall was formed in front of him, from which the arrows bounced off harmlessly and flew in all directions.

A streak of light flew towards the wall of mighty greatshields, striking each of them so quickly that the impacts sounded like an oscillating hum instead of a crashing clash of steel. Lugh’s sword constantly radiated brilliant white light, causing it’s appearance to shift between that of a wing-tipped spear, a longsword, and a mighty claymore.The walls of shields bent and buckled, ultimately being swept away by Lugh’s swings like a fallen leaves against a mighty gale.

Lugh did not pause in his advance. Once the path opened, he immediately charged at Lugh, shield in front and his weapon leaving a trail of light behind him. For the untrained eyes, it would appear that he disappeared in a streak of light.

In support, Eithne let loose yet another barrage of arrows, and at the same time, the ones she had released earlier that had been deflected by the wall of shields suddenly changed trajectory, realigning themselves towards Nuatha.

It seemed like Lugh would soon collide with his foe, but at that time, the gray domain that signified Nuatha’s Alphascape lashed out and retaliated. Despite Lugh moving at speeds naked to the visible eye, droplets of light converged and surrounded him in a cage of light. Images of swords appeared and struck toward his back, forcing him to abandon his charge and defend against the attack.

EIthne’s enchanted arrows fared no better. Instead of a single wall of shields, the instant they trespassed into the gray domain of Nuatha’s Alphascape, a bead of light appeared in front of them which expanded into a circular buckler in front of each arrow. As each arrow bore through a buckler, they folded upon themselves like pieces of cloth before collapsing onto themselves and whisked the arrows into nothingness.

“What have I always said?” Nuatha laughed as he retreated, moving out of Lugh’s range as he fought against the phantasmal swords constantly aimed at his back. “You need to stop charging into the enemy’s mindset alone, or one of these days it will be the end of you.”

“Someone needs to lead the charge against those that wear a smile and hold a dagger behind their back. ” Lugh retorted as his shield suddenly unraveled into a pair of thin metal whips, darting around him in all directions and parrying the strikes. Wielding his weapon that has again transformed into a mighty zweihander with both hands, Lugh lunged yet again towards his martial foe.

“I have never lied that everything is for a greater cause, Lugh. What chance do two newly minted Divine Beings have? Please, cease this.” Nuatha sighed and again avoided Lugh’s attacks by blinking away, refusing to meet him head-on. A murky transparent haze covered Nuatha’s hand that was pressing against his wound, slowly but surely bandaging up his flesh and skin.

“You have tossed everything, everyone, that could have watched your back. ” Nuatha heard the reply a moment too late, for as soon as he avoided Lugh’s attack, Eithne had seized that moment to position herself behind him. The wind that spun around her nocked arrow formed the shape of a hurricane, whereas the tip of the arrow resembled a spiraling drill as the space behind Eithne seemed to shake as all the air pressure was drained away.

In the split second that Eithne released the arrow, there was no evidence of what happened next save for the fist-sized hole that appeared in Nuatha’s shoulder and the torrent of wind that appeared behind Eithne. Before Nuatha could retort, he had no choice but to blink away again as Eithne started to release more arrows in succession, each of them faster than the speed of sound.

Thinking to stop her from charging up her shots, Nuatha slowly edged closer as he dodged until his Alphascape was in striking distance, but this time it was Lugh who interfered, swinging his sword so rapidly it was invisible to the naked eye save for trails of crimson white flashes that cleaved apart the beads of light that floated inside Nuatha’s Alphascape.

“To think that the two of you that don’t even know the name and form of your Reality Rifts would be able to contend with my Alphascape...” Nuatha scowled as started to tend to his new wound, with the former already healed.

“If you were at your full strength, neither of us would be able to deal with you.” Lugh snorted as he closed the distance once again now that Eithne was out of immediate danger, causing the battle to scatter into other parts of the cavern above Nolg’ona.

“That is where you are wrong... Even at a fraction of my power⎯ what makes you think I cannot contend with you two?” Nuatha’s mouth widened. As he laughed wave-like ripples seem to form in his Alphascape, but each wave seemed to condense the dull gray spatial space. "Do not take my hesitancy to strike as weakness Lugh, how many times have I said that a drawn blade does very little to intimidate?"

Sensing danger, Lugh charged forward as Nuatha’s Alphascape contorted and condensed around him, while a series of slashes faster than the naked eye created by his rotating whips fended off the conjured blades that constantly harried him.

The moment Lugh bought his sword down towards Nuatha’s head, Eithne released another arrow, flying right past Lugh’s raised arms and towards Nuatha’s heart.

However, both attacks would miss their mark. Nuatha’s Alphascape had disappeared, and instead, a murky transparent armor had appeared around Nuatha’s body. The arrow seemed to vanish on impact, and Lugh found that his sword had been blocked by a thin dark gray rapier. Defying all reason, Lugh stared in disbelief as the small rapier that was easily dwarfed by his zweihander slowly pushed him back, staring into the silvery eyes between the slits of a gray helmet.

“Did you forget that to become a Divine Being, one has to become a master of both magical and martial prowess? Or did you think that I took a shortcut?” Nuatha’s voice was distorted behind the mask, but the tone was clearly one of mocking belittlement.

“Just because you seldom see me wield my weapon, does not mean that I am as helpless as you think!” Nuatha released rapid jabs against Lugh’s, the impact of each one releasing small white clouds. If one were to look closer, they would have seen that each of these clouds were actually small twisting sword slashes that distorted the air around them, boring into Lugh’s weapon like a drill.

With Nuatha no longer on the defensive, the intensity of the battle was raised again yet another notch, but this time, the battle leaned in Nuatha’s favor.

“These reverberations… the battle must be getting worse.” Annerose’s eyes were closed as she murmured to Yuelei. The ground around them trembled from the reverberations of clashing swords and contending magical spells. Every so often, there would be the sound of crashing stone followed by a large cloud of dust as a misplaced or misdirected attack crashed into the ruined buildings of Nol’gona. Even the lake of Lou Ona became a victim as great waves formed at the lake and lapped at the city’s docks.

“There’s not much I can do for you now. Can’t you cast a spell on yourself?” Yuelei replied, her eyes darting between the violent battle in the sky and Annerose’s chest.

“What did you think this accursed fog took from me?” Annerose snapped back. “What do you think healing magic is fueled by? Blasted kindness of all things.”

“...” Yuelei did respond. She had thought the woman’s personality had warped a bit but had chalked it up to the contract that was formed with the Beholder. However ⎯ it seems like there was a deeper cause behind it.

As she looked at the battle that was slowly dragging out in the sky, her healer’s instinct, honed from Lin’s training, fought against her survival instinct that had been polished by Gallienoir. Although she did not remember Lin’s scribbles exactly, she could recall that the effects of the potion was around a half-hour, and judging by the way the battle was now going after Nuatha’s transformation, it was slowly falling into Nuatha’s favor.

“...Alright.” Yuelei slowly knelt down and pulled Annerose up, pulling her arm over her own shoulder in support.. “We should go.””

“We are in the middle of a battle between three Divine Beings. Where can we possibly go?” Annerose snorted derisively.

“We do not have a place here, like you said.” Yuelei slowly made her way towards the stairs without looking back. “Sooner or later we will perish, especially if we stand like idiots beneath the battle.”

“I would still die regardless. “ Annerose scowled. “If only that bastard Lugh and Eithne could make up their minds and not dawdle around, then Gerbis- “

“The barrier that stops us from leaving can’t be maintained all the time, especially when there’s three powerful forces clashing.” Yuelei reasoned. “If your friend could do it, then…”

“Then if we get out, the restrictions placed should be lifted, and I can use healing magic again...” Annerose quickly put two and two together and seemed to find newfound strength. Yuelei opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shook her head and decided against it. After all, there was no sign of Liur even when she and Eithne were outside the city gates.

“Knight’s Blessing.. Featherweight. Journey.” Yuelei felt her body grow stronger and her burden reduced as Annerose murmured a series of spells.

“I thought you could not use magic?”

“Healing and blessings work differently and are different branches of light magic. Save your breath and let’s go.“ Annerose snorted and took a shuffling step down the stairs with Yuelei in tow.

“If Ecclisa is willing, then maybe I will survive this yet.” Annerose cursed bitterly. “If for the first time in my life she decides to intervene after all my prayers, I will swallow my pride and go back home and be a damn priestess like my family wanted.”

“...Not a fan of your goddess?” Yuelei did not truly want to talk, but knew it was better to keep the injured woman talking despite her… change in personality.

“What sort of goddess stands by while her faithful die? Every decade, there is a war in the Holy Land of Ecclisa, and every year, despite all of the preparations of the Church, there are those that die.” Annerose’s words were tinted and filled with resentment. “In no other country is the land plagued by Shadowless, so how can it be called a Holy Land?”

“There’s no such thing as being holy or corrupt. Everyone is just striving to live.” Yuelei replied as she carefully guided Annerose towards the next leg.

“Maybe that is just something…” Annerose’s words got cut off as she coughed. “- we are just telling ourselves. Maybe we are just the playthings of fiends. Ecclisa knows that Nuatha took us for god damn fools. ”

As much as Yuelei wanted to refute, she could not say anything against the truth enveloped in Annerose’s words. In silence, they continued to slowly descend the marble tower as the world shook around them.

***

“Lugh, Eithne… why do the two of you resist with your life on the line?” After a temporary lull in the battle where both sides suffered injuries, Nuatha sighed and spoke out to his former comrades. “If the two of you had fled upon gaining those newly-found abilities, then even I would not be able to stop you from breaking the barrier and leaving.”

“Somewhere deep inside, we hoped we were wrong.” Lugh glared as he caught his breath. “But since we are not, no matter your intentions, Aotapia must not be allowed to open, no matter the cost.”

“And what do you truly know about Aotapia?” Nuatha snorted. “A place where dark knowledge is sealed away to protect the world? A world where conflict lies around every corner, and death lurks in the shallowness of mankind's follies?”

“You better than anyone else all about mankind’s darkness Lugh.” Nuatha made clawing gestures against his throat. “It gnaws at us, tempting us to do what would be best for ourselves, and we tell ourselves that such is the way of things, and so we bury ourselves in lies!”

“It is time the world reflects!” Nuatha scowled, brandishing his rapier and his magical armor dissipated back into distorted gray space. His Alphascape seemed to tremble along with his fluctuating emotions, forming into shimmering fern green spears.

“It’s time to end this. Everything is almost in place.” Nuatha’s eye’s hardened and he pointed his weapon towards Lugh. Like a consecutive chain of cannons, the lances blasted towards Lugh.

“Your beliefs do not enable you to overturn ages of tradition! Aotapia was sealed for a reason, and you alone do not get to make that decision that tramples upon those that have fallen to see it locked away!” Lugh snorted as he parried each of the lances with Eithne’s help.

“Do you think to ask the dead for permission?” Nuatha laughed maniacally, as even more spears crafted of his Alphascape formed around him, forming into a spiral. “And who said that this decision was mine alone?!”

Several magical runes suddenly appeared around Nuatha’s spears in dark green colors, causing them to coalesce into a gigantic projectile that could obliterate an entire mountain range. At a speed beyond human comprehension or description, the weapon of mass annihilation rushed towards Lugh before either he or Eithne could process what just happened.

“This… this isn’t Nuatha’s magic!” In haste, Lugh held out his weapon and chanted a quick spell. His white armor and whip-like shield seemed to melt as if they were like liquid, before surging into his weapon and transforming it into a brilliant white tower shield. hundreds of meters in length. Behind him, Eithne had reappeared behind him, cupping her hands and touching Lugh’s arm. A mass of dark black ivy crept out, trailing up Lugh’s hand and twisted around the impenetrable fortress.

Yet despite their efforts, the gigantic lance bore into their barrier, unrelenting and unfaltering even as it bore through the magical shield centimeter by centimeter without stopping. Reacting quickly, Eithne quickly came up with a solution, waving her hand and forcing the black tendrils of ivy to slither around the spear and coiling around it. In unison, they grew in size, until it looked like the entire lance had been part of Lugh’s magical great shield. .

“Now to deal with⎯” Eithne breathed a small sigh of relief as the magical spear grounded to a halt. Before she could finish, more magical black runes suddenly formed around the immobile projectile, instantly splintering and cutting apart the steel-like vines as if they were nothing but small strands of thread. The runes then shimmered with unnatural and unnerving darkness, making it seem as if it was fading in and out of existence as it absorbed nearby light.

And then the magical spear tore through the combined shield of ivy and stone as if they were nothing but air.

“Eithne!” Sensing danger as soon as his spell began to give, Lugh reacted first, slamming the hilt of his sword into Eithne’s side and knocking her aside in the nick of time as he brought the flat of his blade up to block the projectile.

“NO!” As she flew backwards, Eithne screamed as Lugh’s weapon shattered, providing little resistance at the strange magic that had imbued Nuatha’s spell.

But Eithne did not see what happened next to Lugh, as her voice was soon cut off as the blade of a rapier suddenly sprouted out from her chest. Slowly and painfully she turned and stared into Nuatha’s eyes, which seemed to have a hint of regret floating in them.

“This will be over soon. I will handle the rest, as I always have, so please, rest.”

Those were the last words Eithne heard as Nuatha slammed down with a palm infused with the strength of unknown magic and the void-like properties of his Alphascape against her back.

***

“How much… further… to the gate?” Annerose’s voice faltered as she spoke between breaths. Although her wounds were no longer bled, her countenance slowly but surely grew paler and paler.

Yuelei looked around her at the crumbling buildings, barely illuminated by traces of light from Annerose’s spell. Even though they had far since left the vicinity of the marble tower, the effects of the battle can be seen and felt as reverberations and aftershocks left holes, cuts, and cracks in the forgotten city’s architecture.

“We are almost there. Hold on.” Yuelei glanced over at her companion, who had grown weaker and weaker as they traveled. As soon as they had stepped outside the tower, Annerose had to use what remained of her strength to shield the two of them in a transparent barrier of light as they navigated the rubble-filled city streets.

“Is.. that so?” Annerose replied quietly. Her vision had become blurry as they traveled, and Yuelei had long since run out of any potions that could counteract Annerose’s fading strength. “You are not lying to me to make me feel better are you? I know how healers from the Church operate.”

“I am not from the Church.” Yuelei replied, thinking that conversation was the best remedy from keeping Annerose conscious. “I am an alchemist… not a healer.”

“Alchemy… the books at the academy said it was a dying art, reduced to obscurity after the use of light magic became widespread.” Annerose laughed mockingly. “Clearly they were missing something... if there are potions that can elevate one to the status of a Divine Being, even if temporarily.”

“The ability to gather the ingredients it takes to create a single Fallen Goddess’s Tears would require the strength of a Divine Being, and even then it may not even be possible to find them.” Yuelei shook her head, trying to keep Annerose talking.

“If they are truly so rare⎯ strange that Gerbis would possess not one by two.” Annerose coughed.

“Magical potions work differently between humans and magical beasts.” Their way blocked off by fallen rubble once again, Yuelei slowly guided Annerose through a gap between two fallen buildings.

“Heh… people say that magical beasts and humans can never understand each other but this… bond.” Annerose made a grasping motion towards her heart, which had been replaced by muscle mass from Gerbis to keep her alive. “It is a strange feeling, as if I am missing something that is not just physical from myself.”

“That’s because a bond with a magical beast is akin to trading and exchanging a potion of one's soul.” A voice ran out as two masses fell from the pitch-black sky, crashing into the ground in front of the two weary travelers.

One of which was a man in what appeared to be armor that had melted and reformed into the flesh. What was once a noble helmet was now a burnt visage of a hellscape where half the face was marred by blackened burns and embedded metal.

The other mass was none other than the remains of Gerbis, still leaking blood from all of the once mighty Beholder’s severed tentacles. A pale gray sheen seemed to have taken root in the creature’s stumps, and the creature’s magical eye was sealed shut by iron stakes which gave the appearance of stitches. Annerose shuddered before losing all consciousness as a blade into the beholder's eye ruthlessly from the sky.

“Sly little creature. Despite his appearance, it was still barely clinging to life.” Nuatha slowly landed down in front of them, cloaked in swirling trails of his Alphascape. However, it was a far cry from the thick and dense aura it was earlier. “To play dead with such confidence that it would not be noticed… who knows how many battles it may have survived this way?”

“What… have you done… to Eithne?” Gerbis made no reply, and instead it was Lugh that responded in garbled words from the side of his face that still had some semblance of unfused skin.

“Don’t worry, she’ll be joining you soon. I don’t want her to see what comes next.” Nuatha sighed and stared into Lugh’s remaining eye. “Our ideals may not be the same and perhaps only time will tell which of us was on the right side of history, but this battle you have lost, o’ Lugh of Lorresta.”

“...” Lugh remained silent, having come to a grim acceptance that his fate was sealed. In fact, he could feel the side of his body slowly numbing and losing sensation as the Fallen Goddess’s Tears slowly began to wear off.

“Several things did not go according to plan.” Nuatha shot a glance at Yuelei’s general direction, his eyes briefly landing on her and then moving onto Annerose. “But in the end, the fact that you're never managed to manifest your Reality Rift, Lugh, is proof that your conviction is not nearly as strong as mine.”

At his words, Lugh’s twisted mouth moved, but no sound came out. Instead, he could only watch as Nuatha held out his hand and his Alphasphere condensed into a shape resembling a cube. After a few tense moments, the cube stretched until it took the form of the Reliquary that had led them into Nolg’ona.

Except it no longer had the holy aura it had prior, giving off a grave foreboding sensation instead from its pale emerald and gray hues. There was but one word that could describe it ⎯ tainted.

“If either of you were more magically proficient, perhaps you may have noticed this thing was not a magical ward but actually a catalyst.” Nuatha turned the Reliquary slowly, inspecting the marks on its sides. “The only one that questioned it was Annerose, but a quick word and all suspicions were laid to rest. You can’t blame her, however… since this is something I had planned for years ago.”

“Those two… are not part of this. Let… let them go.” Lugh barely eked out the words, trying to plead on behalf of his two friends. “They are no threat… to you anymore.”

As Lugh spoke, Yuelei tried to slowly edge away and put distance between herself and Nuatha, taking Annerose with her. However her attempt was futile, the surrounding area seemed to be covered in the same fog that had locked them within, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

“Normally if things went according to plan, then I would agree.” Nuatha did not even look up, instead, he gazed intently at the Reliquary in his hands. “Only you need to die Lugh, but fate is fickle isn’t it?”

“Annerose formed a pact with one of the mightest races of magical beasts. “

“A stranger that none of us are acquainted with managed to identify a potion that was lost to the ages, and thus bringing about a fighting chance.”

“And broken and incomplete as you were, you and Eithne managed to fight on the same terms and level as I, a true Divine Being, without even manifesting your Reality Rifts.”

For a brief moment, Nuatha’s eyes landed on Yuelei, causing a surge of adrenaline to course through her. It was not a feeling of fear, but one of hopeless despair that she realized that she was all but powerless in this situation.

“But enough chatter. Even now the ritual and spell have been delayed long enough.” Nuatha raised the Requilary up into the air, where it started to drift and float, slowly ascending into the sky. “Soon, it will all come to fruition.”

“You should rejoice, Lugh.” Nuatha turned around and smiled, and his expression was far from someone that had just murdered his companions. “The world will soon be free of the tyranny of those that possess power. With the opening of Aotapia, the knowledge within shall become the greatest equalizer to the weak and the powerless.”

As he spoke the Requilary began to emit thin transparent trails of dark-green light. To the naked eye, they looked like wriggling tentacles or perhaps otherworldly ropes. Nearly a hundred of them emerged, spreading up into the air and traversing throughout Nolg’ona.

“Such fantastic magic, how many sights like these shall we see when the world learns all that has been lost to the ages?” Nuatha spread his arms and slowly spun around, a look of wonderment upon his face.

This magic… does have a beauty to it. Yuelei watched as the threads of magic spread out and lit up the entire cavern in which Nol’gona was located, unable to move even as three threads suddenly snaked down towards them. Upon closer look, they actually resembled strips of paper akin to silk ribbons, but the tips were twisted and shaped like a needle.

One of these threads flew towards the unmoving body of the Beholder, piercing it.

Another flew in the direction of Lugh, who tried to avoid it but was unable to move as Nuatha’s Alphascape suddenly formed bindings on his arms and feet. As the needle pierced into his chest, Lugh’s head rolled down as he seemed to lose consciousness..

The last one flew towards Yuelei, who quickly conjured up a Wind Blade in retaliation. The spectral blade of wind flew towards the needle-like appendage, but the tendril seemed to phase through the spell as if it had no incorporeal form. Before Yuelei could process what happened, the needle embedded itself into Annerose’s chest. Her unconscious body jolted in Yuelei’s arms, but it quickly went limp once more.

What is this? Yuelei tried to grab at the ribbon, but her hand simply passed through it. She could not even sense any magical presence from the appendage at all, and she could only watch as what appeared to be runes slowly appeared on the paper-like ribbons . Like a flowing hourglass, the trails of symbols slowly formed where the needle was attached to Annerose’s body and traversed up the ribbon towards the Reliquary.

She’s still alive… but⎯ Yuelei quickly checked her patient’s vitals. It was dull ⎯ duller than before, but there were still signs of life.

"It seems like you have caught the interest of my benefactor," Nuatha said after a few minutes, slightly taken aback by the fact that Yuelei was left alone by the mass of ribbons. "It seems you are not just someone in the wrong place at the wrong time… who even are you?"

"Screw you." Yuelei finally found her voice and retorted in anger. "Wasn't everyone dancing on the palm of your hands? Why does it matter who I am now?"

"True. The Enlightened Beast of the Marble Tower is a fickle mistress." Nuatha sighed. "There has already been enough bloodshed, but it may be a more peaceful death to die by my hand then fall into hers."

Yuelei did not reply. Instead, she was trying all manner of magic to sever the magical ribbons that were sucking out the magical runes as if they were lifeblood from Annerose's chest."

"Your attempts are futile. Those chains can only be severed by a Divine Being." Nuatha informed while tending to his wounds. "And I don't sense the power of a Divine Being radiating off Lugh anymore so that ancient potion you fed him must be wearing off.."

"Don't you've any remorse for all you have done? Even if you do not consider them your friends, you still fought battles and shared meals with each other!" Yuelei shouted as she watched Annerose's skin pale in color. Deep overwhelming emotions that were once helped back by the Snow Butterfly’s Mark slowly seeped into her voice.

"An outsider would not understand. They… were my friends, we were each other's saviors." Nuatha said quietly as he stood over Lugh's body. "All three of us were living wretched existences, paralyzed and forgotten."

“Lugh was the last of a dwindling line, many of his ancestors were mighty heroes and heroines of legend. Yet he did not inherit any of their abilities or strengths. He was always beating himself over his inadequacy and living under another's shadow. How is someone like that supposed to live?”

“And Eithne here is a half breed with her roots from the guardians from the Sel Forest. She was always a free spirit, but her blood is intertwined with that place. If she left, she would slowly age and die…yet she chose to be with us, with Lugh.”

At the tone of his voice, Yuelei could only look up in confusion. This man's words and actions did not line up, and her bewilderment only grew as she watched Nuatha hold out his arms and his Alphascape condense and gently deposit Eithne's form right next to Lugh.

Almost instantly another tendril snaked down from the Reliquary above, charging towards Eithne. Nuatha waved his hand as if to ward it away, but the needle-like tip seemed to phase through his arm as if it wasn’t even there and embedded itself into Eithne’s arm.

“I suppose there is no use going against her.” Nuatha looked up into the magical artifact floating in the air. “At the very least, I can give the two of them the rest that they have always wanted.”

What was that? Yuelei could not identify the emotion that had flashed past Nuatha’s face. Was it contempt, bitterness, or something else?

“In the Kingdom of Four Winds, only the strongest of children from the four separate royal families survive. The rest are outcast, with their names stripped from them.” Nuatha said quietly. “That is who I am, who I was.”

“In many fairy tales, the hero gets the princess, but the reality is far from the truth.” Seeing the look in Yuelei’s eyes, Nuatha laughed, but it was the type of mocking laughter targeted towards oneself. “Once upon a time, I had a fiance, and once upon a different time, I thought I had found someone that would support someone like me. Now one has married someone she did not love, and another only has eyes for another. ”

“I had given up so many things, and I was satisfied with that. But you will never understand what it is like to watch your friends give up things for the sake of others as well.” Nuatha finished quietly, and knelt down by his two friends while reaching into his clothing.

“But… the world is cruel, and the human heart is a vengeful thing. Instead of justice, I sought to finally shatter this broken world that forced all this misery upon all of us.”

“Perhaps you will be the first to witness the overturn of this century. And when you do… you will know this is how it all started.” ”Nuatha paused, his tone had grown heavy and the weariness in his voice was evident.

“When you grow to become someone on the level of a Divine Being, you start seeing things differently.” Nuatha sighed and stood up. At the feet of his lifeless companion’s bodies, there were two flowers. One was a white lily, modest and graceful, and the other was a dahlia, radiant and eye-catching. “The veil before mortals and immortals is so thin, yet achievable for all, but not everyone gets to have that opportunity. How much have I sacrificed…"

“And so it begins…” Nuatha suddenly stopped his monologue, and looked up into the sky. Hundreds of trailing ribbons, all emblazoned with growing runes lit up the entire sky over Nolg’ona. And at the center of it all, was the Reliquary.

It shook once, shuddered twice, and finally rattled around as if something was trying to escape it. Cracks formed around the curved corners, making the ornate object look as it would shatter at any moment. Yet the vessel held, faint glowing white magic emanating from the lock atop the cage. Clearly whatever seal the Reliquary had upon it was not so easily yielded.

Yet as if in response, petals of faint white specks started to drift off from the ribbons like ash that gets picked up by the wind from a long-dead campfire. Like droplets of water, they condensed next to the sealed Reliquary, slowly morphing until they took the shape of a shimmering key,

Both Yuelei and Nuatha watched with bated breath as the key slowly drifted forward towards the shaking Reliquary. If there was a keyhole, then it would have been invisible to the naked eye at this point due to the amount of light emanating from the Requilary. The tip of the key shaped like a jagged spear dipped towards the Reliquary, passing through it with a ripple like a stick passing through a pond’s surface.

It slowly began to turn after being inserted up to the hilt, but as if triggering some sort of trap, the Reliquary flashed, locking the key in place before it started to crumble away. However, even before the key was rendered useless and intangible, another one had started forming to seemingly take its place.

This process repeated itself hundreds of tens of times in the manner of seconds. Keys of all various shapes, forms, and sizes continued to form and try to open the invisible lock upon the Reliquary. Finally, after a few minutes, a key that was shaped like a stick with runes embedded into the blade was inserted and turned without shattering.

With a sound not unlike metal scraping against stone, the artifact shook in a last act of defiance before a small gaping hole appeared where the key was. Even though it was the most minute of entrances, the event was marked by an immense high-pressure magical wave that flattened all the nearby buildings.

Why..? Yuelei closed her eyes, thinking that this was the end as entire buildings leveled to the ground around her. However after a few seconds passed, she did not feel the searing sensation she had expected. To her surprise, Nuatha's Alphascape was protecting the area around them.

"The seal is broken now. Only a matter of time until the portal fully manifests itself." Nuatha said quietly, looking up into the sky. The words and runes upon the ribbons had turned a shade of gray and green as if mimicking the twisting abyss of the same color that was visible in the cracks in the broken Reliquary.

"But to think that it broke so easily…" Nuatha glanced over at where Lugh and the others laid. The Beholder's body had turned white, as if it had been fossilized. Although there was a creeping ashen sheen upon Eithne and Lugh's bodies, their body had not progressed as far in the calcification.

“At least this way, I can give the two of them a peaceful and painless death.” Nuatha glanced over at Yuelei, but she could not discern the meaning behind his words. Shaking his head quietly, Nuatha walked over to where Gerbis the Beholder was.

With a wave of this hand, his Alphascape suddenly formed into a series of fifteen slightly translucent swamp-green spears. Like falling lightning, they impaled the Beholder’s calcified body, poking it full of holes. And then slowly, ever so slowly, the pale white remnants of the Beholder started to flake away until it was night but a pile of bone and ash.

Yuelei felt a shudder on her side as Annerose’s body started to spasm, no doubt being caused by Nuatha’s actions. Annerose’s hand that was holding onto Yuelei’s shoulder suddenly clawed into her shoulder, her nails digging into her skin before slowly going limp. Yuelei turned to meet Annerose’s dull eyes only to see her clawing at her chest in shock and confusion. For a brief moment, her eyes rose to meet Yuelei but they were hazy and devoid of personality.

“You⎯” Yuelei caught Annerose’s falling body in her arms, not noticing the rapid white sheen that was overtaking her companion’s skin.

One moment she was holding onto her failing friend’s body, and the next moment, Yuelei felt the tip of a sword against her chest. When she looked down, the tip of a rapier was visible through Annerose’s chest, yet halting just before it had touched her own skin.

“This will spare her, or whatever is left of her in that body, the pain,” Nuatha said quietly as he withdrew his weapon. Yuelei barely registered the words as her eyes were still locked with Anneroses’ as the calcification suddenly rapidly increased in pace. Before Yuelei could even react, Annerose’’s body began to flake away into bone and ash from the center of her chest.

“Protect… her… Goddess.” Yuelei thought she heard a prayer escape Annerose’s lips and a gentle squeeze on her back. In the next moment, what remained of Annerose was the clothes she had worn caked in ash in Yuelei’s hands.

If Nuatha heard the comment or had a reaction to Annerose’s death, Yuelei could not tell as he had turned around to face Eithne and Lugh’s bodies. Instead, she could only watch in a state of continued shock as he slowly walked towards them. There was a tearing feeling in her heart ⎯ one that she had not experienced ever since receiving the butterfly mark upon her heart.

“Have you heard of the saying that a child that is not embraced by society would burn it down to feel its warmth?” Nuatha’s voice was shaking as he spoke with his back to Yuelei. “But truly, are we not all outcasts in one way or another?”

“Perhaps someone like you who had a pact with a magical beast would understand now that your companion is gone.” Nuatha turned ever so slightly to look at Yuelei, but his face was an emotionless mask. “...What it means to feel alone in this world.”

Is he… It suddenly struck Yuelei that the reason why he had been talking to her wasn’t out of curiosity or to give an explanation. Nuatha was wavering.

“You don’t even know what you are doing anymore, do you?” Yuelei said quietly.

“I may have been the one to lead them to their death but to think I would be the one that draws the blade as well. This… trial⎯ I have… to see this through. Put an end to all this.” Nuatha said quietly as he slowly raised his hand into the air. His words were low and slow as if they were meant for himself instead of for others to hear. The surrounding area around Nuatha seemed to be distorted and shimmer, before gathering into a series thin blades shaped like a set of scythes.

“Did you know that the least painful way to die is to pierce one’s heart?” Nuatha said quietly. “But that is not the case for those that have imbued their body with magic through ages of use. For those ⎯ you have to destroy their brain as well.”

“I suppose now you know why I always aim for the heart, Eithne.” Nuatha suddenly became silent, and the lonely sound of the grating portal caused Yuelei’s hairs to stand on end and goosebumps to run along her skin.

“...Goodbye my dear friends. Wherever you two go after this, I am afraid I will not be there with you.” Nuatha steeled his shaking hand, and swung his arm down.

Like a falling swallow, the ephemeral blades formed out of Nuatha’s Alphascape swung down⎯ slowly, gracefully, and ever so quietly just as how all life is taken.

“You are a sad creature.” A female voice echoed Yuelei’s sentiment at the same time Lugh’s body suddenly gave out a brilliant blinding amber light. Behind Lugh, the image of a beautiful amber-red blade appeared for a brief moment, before vanishing out of sight. “As expected as someone that has fallen to the words of that abomination.”

In the next moment, a series of criss-crossing red slashes appeared out of thin air in the path of the falling magical spell, diverting their path into crashing harmlessly into the nearby wall. The resulting wave of magical pressure caused Yuelei’s knees to buckle, forcing her down to her knees.

“He… Lugh… Ha. Haha. HAHAHA!” Upon seeing the figure materializing out of Lugh’s back, Nuatha started to laugh like a madman. “A Reality Rift? Now? After the portal has already opened!? Lugh, you will resist even in your dying breath??”

Yuelei could not say anything, or rather ⎯ she was unable to as the pressure seemed to intensify, causing her mind to reel and barely keep conscious as the amount of magic in the air was not something someone at her level could even begin to tolerate. Even the blast from the Reliquary breaking was not the same as this time since Nuatha’s Alphascape has converged and formed back into armor.

***

“A simulacrum-type Reality Rift?” Nuatha murmured after a few minutes as the figure fully materialized.

Like blood slowly traveling down a knife’s edge, the crushing pressure only continued to accumulate. Yuelei glanced over at Nuatha who seemed unconcerned even as she started to struggle to breathe. And then, as if finally reaching a tipping point, a person materialized in front of Lugh.

A pair of dark amber eyes, messy short brown hair, pale beige skin, an average and stout stature, combined with the scaled attire that looked like it was created from the pelt of wyverns gave the young woman the clear look of an adventurer. Despite the metal pads at the woman’s joints that were delicately crafted into her leather armor, or the empty weapon sheathe at her waist, what was the most striking was the swirling tempest hidden in the woman’s eyes. When one looked at her dismissive expression and into her eyes, it was like staring at a visual representation of the calm before a storm.

“Greetings, whomever you are.” Nuatha gave a formal bow, and the action that was so out of place in the ruins that surrounded them made Yuelei blink.”Guessing by your attire… perhaps you are one of Lugh’s mentors?”

The woman did not respond to Nuatha, instead she calmly looked at him for a few seconds before she turned her gaze to her surroundings Her eyes met Yuelei for the briefest of moments, before she turned around and studied Lugh and Eithne beside her, and then finally turned towards the floating Reliquary in the sky.

“I do not know this man or anyone else here.” The woman’s voice was rough, but her accent was not something Yuelei recognized. Instead of waiting for a response, she started to look at her hands and attire, as if she was not familiar with them. Her response clearly shook up Nuatha, and a trace of confusion flashed on his face.

“Would you kindly grace us with your name?” Nuatha quickly smiled as he asked politely. However, it was even clear to Yuelei that he was ready to strike at a moment’s change in the current situation.

“I am not aware of this version of myself… " The newly arrived figure murmured to herself as if she was trying to sift through a dilemma. "Which means, I must be someone else's creation… of what they believed me to be…"

"A simulacrum that is conscious of its own existence? How is this possible?" Nuatha's shock and confusion cause him to take a step back, and all manner of courtesy vanished in his posture as he raised his blade. "Who⎯ no, what are you?"

As if finally registering these words, the woman stared at Nuatha and opened her mouth. High peals of laughter rang out, drenching the surrounding area in tension.

"To think that I would be greeted by the same words I once have uttered…I see, I see, so that is how it is." The woman raised her arm to her side, and space seemed to distorted from her palm. In the next moment, a wave of energy knocked dust and debris in the air as a radiant sword seemed to materialize out of thin air. The blade was a brilliant crimson-amber that seemed to reflect the color of the woman's eyes, and the hilt was shaped like a blossoming lily.

"My name is Lillianna of Lorresta."

“‘Of Lorresta?” Nuatha asked quietly after racking his memories but did not find anything in association with the woman’s name. “Your name is unfamiliar to me… but you must be one of the ancient beings that reside in Lugh’s hometown then?”

“Last I checked, I was the first to call my home ‘of Lorresta.” Lilianna laughed. “When did that isolated forest ever become a town?”

“Then… no way.” Sudden realization struck Nuatha, and his expression darkened. “You are the one mentioned in Lugh’s stories?”

“Perhaps. Now that I have graciously answered your questions, allow me to ask one of mine, since the one who called me here is not long for this world. ” Lilianna’s eyes narrowed and she pointed her sword into the distant marble tower that was the only one to survive the clash between divines. “That tower, this magic in the air, what is happening here? Why would-”

“He… he killed everyone. “ Feeling that she would never get a chance if she did not interject, Yuelei quickly pointed over at Nuatha who had already opened his mouth to speak with a false smile. “He led us here, as sacrifices!”

“The girl is lying.” Anger and regret flashed in Nuatha’s eyes as he replied, clearly wishing he had killed Yuelei instead. “Our group fell for this creature’s plea for help only to fall into a trap.”

Yuelei tried to retort, but instead she felt a magical pressure seizing down on her as Nuatha’s Alphascape suddenly expanded around her, rendering her unable to speak. She glanced over at Nuatha only to see a hint of a victorious smile on his face.

“My companions… went mad because of this strange magic in the fog. Only the strongest of us survived, but not until she isolated and killed us.” Nuatha accusations and her inability to speak caused a shiver to run down Yuelei’s spine. Lillianna was glaring at her, and try as she could, Yuelei could not move her limbs or mouth in response.

“That thing could take on many forms, and that was how it duped us. Look at the clothing in her hands, we only barely managed to catch her in the act of transforming into another one of our companions..” Nuatha spun lie upon lie, letting anger fill his tone. It was a very convincing act, worthy of someone that had manipulated all the events up until this point.

“Perhaps you speak the truth, perhaps not.” Lillianna shrugged as Nuatha stopped for a brief moment. “Regardless,I will not risk making an incorrect decision.”

“Forgive me, but I will have all you die here. That being must not be allowed to exist.” Lillianna said quietly, but her face seemed anything but apologetic. Instead, the same magical pressure that marked her entrance reappeared, forcing Yuelei to drop down onto her knees once more as she struggled to breathe.

“Die.” Yuelei could not see what happened next, only hearing an explosion and the resulting sound of battle.

***

“You do not resist?” A different voice called out to Yuelei, and she forced herself to look up to stare into the eyes of another woman. This one had the same facial features of Lillianna, yet her attire and stature was different. In her hands was a magical rod, and it crackled with energy as she pointed it at Yuelei’s face.

“If you hadn’t noticed... I am not at the level of anyone else here.” Yuelei replied grimly, but she forced herself to glare into this new arrival’s eyes. “I am the one that has been caught up in this nonsense since the start.”

“It is true, you are too weak to even normally be standing on this stage.” Lillianna smirked, and the pressure on Yuelei suddenly vanished. She coughed several times as her lungs finally drew in breath, but it was short-lived. A pair of muscular arms grabbed her from behind, and she felt an arm snake under her neck and tighten up. The intentions were clear ⎯ she could be easily killed and would be killed if she tried anything.

“It’s true you did not attempt to protect the catalyst for the summoning when we attacked, and you did not get a chance to speak.” Too weak to resist, Yuelei could only force herself to relax in her captor’s arms. But now that she was no longer on the ground, she could look on with mute shock at the scene that played above them.

What could only be described as ten ‘versions’ of Lillianna was locked in combat with Nuatha in the air, who had retreated next to the Reliquary. His Alphascape had expanded, surrounding and protecting the slowly-growing portal even as he himself was receiving and sustaining attacks.

“What manner of simulacrum is able to use its own Reality Rift!?” Yuelei could barely make out Nuatha’s desperate voice, but if he was trying to buy time, it fell on deaf ears as a shower of magical tridents and a gigantic stalactite was hurled at him from both above and below.

“If that surprises you, then I am almost inclined to believe you’re just an innocent bystander to this.” Lillianna's voice shook Yuelei out of her shocked stupor and she turned her eyes towards the one speaking to her.

“I will know if you are lying, so speak the truth or you will die. I do not like to kill innocents, but I will do so if it means preventing a greater evil.” Lillianna reached out with a hand. “You know what to do if she resists.”

“I know.” A gruff but feminine voice answered the witch, but despite the difference Yuelei could only associate the voice with Lillianna’s.In the next moment, her sight was obscured by magical runes as a finger touched her forehead and the world went silent.

“Your name?”

“I…” Yuelei hesitated, and she felt the grip on her neck tighten. However, the Lillianna in witch’s garb looked at Yuelei’s captor and shook her head. The pressure lightened slightly, but it was still tert enough to apply some pressure.

“Child, if what you say is true, then you have no enemies here.” The woman smiled, and Yuelei relaxed. What was there to lose at this point?

“My name is Yuelei Casteya, from the Kingdom of Macha.” Yuelei replied, and as if on cue, the pressure against her neck lessened as the witch-garbed Lillianna glanced at the one pinning Yuelei.

“Who was the one who called me here?”

“Lugh.. Lugh of Lorresta. I don’t know how you got here, but Nuatha ⎯ the man next to the portal in the sky, said it was Lugh’s Reality Rift, and that you were a simulacrum.” Yuelei answered truthfully.

“What happened here? What do you know about that marble tower?”

“I… don’t know what the tower is.” Yuelei spoke honestly, and she launched into a recollection of the events that led up to this point, starting with her seeking a path through the Ona CHaparral.

As she finished, Yuelei’s captor suddenly tensed her arm, causing air to be cut off from Yuelei’s arms. Clearly herbrutish ogre-like captor did not really believe her.

“She speaks the truth. Let her down, she’s just a child.” At Lillianna’s words, Yuelei could finally breathe again as she was slowly put down on her feet. However, a pair of hands firmly gripped her shoulder, preventing any movement.

“Yuelei Casteya, have you heard the name Enlightened Beast of the Marble Tower before?”

“Only in passing by Lugh and the others.” Yuelei quickly replied. She waited for the next question, but it did not come. Instead, the fingers on her forehead froze, and the runes that obstructed her vision and the sound from the battle vanished.

“We have to put an end to this, now!” Yuelei only heard a shout as the one interrogating her suddenly vanished. With her sight no longer obscured, she could only look on as the witch-like Lillianna seemingly teleported into the air where the battle was taking place. Her mouth moved, but the sound of magical spells colliding with Nuatha’s Alphascape drowned out the sound before Yuelei could make out what she said.

However, it soon became apparent as fifteen ‘versions’ of Lillianna suddenly started attacking with new, and an almost desperate vigor.

“I am sorry little one. I have to stop this, but I can’t spare to protect you. In a clash of this level, you will most likely die just from the pressure of the battle.” Yuelei turned around to see ‘another’ Lillianna, the one that had her in a chokehold, apologize. This one was larger and much bulkier than the others, with several scars on her face and wielding a gigantic blade that was closer to a machete instead of a sword. Just as Yuelei had harbored a small hope that she could make it out of here alive, that fragment of belief turned into despair at the woman’s words.

Before Yuelei could protest-, her former captor also disappeared, most likely to enter the fray. Almost instantly, Yuelei could feel her heart pound as her sense of sound returned to normal. Each exchange of magical prowess made her entire body shake, and her knees buckled as if an explosion had gone off close to her.

Is this what a fight between true Divine Beings is like? Yuelei could not even make out what was happening in the sky as it was a nonstop flurry of activity. Compared to when Eithne and Lugh faced off against Nuatha, the battle between Lillianna and Nuatha was much more… desperate, as if both sides were stopping at nothing to try to overcome the other. If not for the fact that Nuatha was locked in one place to try and defend the Reliquary, Yuelei would not have been able to even catch a glimpse of the ongoing combat.

The ringing of steel suddenly rang out, and before Yuelei could even reach, a blade-like gust flew past Yuelei, landing a few meters away from her, gouging a gaping ravine next to her.

If one of them managed to survive… Unwilling to give up just yet and fighting through the reverberations that shook the ground around her, Yuelei sprinted towards where Lugh and Eithne were leaning against the war. She grasped at any hope, any possibility, any truth in Nuatha’s words that they were still alive, even if barely.

Yet as soon as she arrived next to them, a series of spears that seemed like they were made from molten lava crashed into the building in front of Yuelei. They were no doubt spells that were deflected in the intense battle taking place in the air, but that was all it took ⎯ for they were spells casted by Divine Beings.

Yuelei could only watch as in the next second, molten red lines emerged from the tip of the spears like the branches of a great tree, interconnecting and forming giant runes. The runes flashed once, ever so briefly, yet in that solitary millisecond, Yuelei could see the end approach.

And then her world went dark.

***

“In your prime and true form you may have defeated me easily, but with your summoner dead, it is only a manner of time until your existence can no longer maintain itself.” Nuatha scowled as he maneuvered his Alphascape to form a series of giant claws that continuously parried a torrent of boulders and spells. “You’re too late! You cannot spot the portal from opening now!”

At the same time, a wall of spears and halberds defended against a pair of swordswoman that tried to force their way towards the Requilary with reckless abandon. One wielded a great machete that was as tall as she was, but with each group of spears that the weapon swept aside, twice its number converged from Nuatha’s Alphascape to take its place. The other one was heavily injured, and even so still trailed behind her alter ego, blocking and parrying the attacks, sometimes with its own body if need be.

“...” The original Lillianna did not reply at first, even as more egos of herself threw themself at the Requilary in suicidal attacks. The ones that fell would fade away as soon as they received a lethal bow, but each time another version of Lillianna would take her place. Instead, she looked over at the distance where a building had collapsed. Nuatha saw her line of sight and briefly glanced over, but what he saw caused a bubbling rage to build up.

“You think I am the mad man, but you… you killed them like that?” Nuatha’s voice was filled with all manner of emotions, grief, regret, hatred, relief, and even anger as he screamed. “It was already over! Why did you not just finish them with mercy and-”

Instead of waiting for a reply, the original Lillianna took this moment to strike, instantly closing the distance in a gust of wind and swinging down her sword. Nuatha easily parried the attack but at the same moment, as if the others had been waiting for a cue, all the other iterations of Lillianna also struck.

However, Nuatha’s Alphascape had a mind of its town, and it lashed out in response, conjuring weapons to counter weapons, spells to counter spells, and arrows to counter arrows. However, these were all attacks that disregarded one’s life, and out of the sixteen united strikes, a few of them made their way through and flew towards Nuatha who was still locked in martial combat with the original Lillianna.

“If you die, then there will be none living that would have the claim to enter that place.” Lillianna hissed as she swung her sword, releasing a wave of flames.

As Nuatha registered her words in the next split second, that brief lapse in concentration came at the most opportune moment as the various versions of Lillianna simultaneously broke through the defenses created by Nuatha’s Alphascape. It was an opportunity created from the knowledge of a thousand lifetimes, blended and engineered to create a single moment through finesse and deceit.

“Give up! I have the backing of someone that even you are no match for!” Nuatha roared and slammed his hands togethers before spreading them apart. In response, his aura contracted, causing his Alphascape to instantaneously converge and surround his body like a magical barrier. At the same time, the floating ribbons engraved with a forgotten language suddenly shone with bright light, forming enchanted runes that shone the surface of the shield.

A ray-like spell that had the power to gauge a hole through an entire mountain range slammed into the shield, before being deflected and creating a crater in the middle of Nolg’ona, so deep into the earth that molten magma was visible on the other end.

A mighty machete slammed into the shield at the same time, leaving a giant crack that seemed like it would shatter the shield at any second. However, like water seeping into an impression, the magical runes converged in the crack, instantly repairing causing the weapon to shatter.

A fiery three-pronged fiery trident embedded itself into the side of the barrier, instantly sending vein-like lines across the shield. Yet right before they could converge into a rune, the impenetrable shield seemed to phase out of existence for the briefest of moments, causing the lines to instantly disappear and the trident to fall away harmlessly.

Three other spells ⎯ spells that were worth a lifetime’s understanding of magic, were parried or deflected by the magical shield fueled by the power of forbidden knowledge without having any impact. Nuatha’s mouth curled up briefly in triumph in awe of his own power, but his smile quickly vanished as he felt a cold sensation travel through his body.

He looked down to see a lily-shaped hilt embedded deep in his chest.

“....How?” Confused and at an utter loss at what happened, he murmured even as his Alphascape formed into swords that impaled once, twice, thrice, a hundredfold times into the original Lillianna’s body. However, she did not resist and allowed the weapons to gladly pierce through her.

Even as her form started to break as the last vestiges of her energy vanished, there was a triumph glare in her eyes. As she disappeared, the petals on the sword she had wielded shone shimmered in an array of rainbow colors.

“No… how? “ Still in shock, Nuatha touched the hilt of Lillianna’s sword with a trembling hand. It was still here despite its wielder having vanished. “This.. a real weapon? How can a simul-”

With his dying breath, Nuatha reached out towards the Reliquary as Lillianna’s sword released the last spell. ⎯ A spell that once defeated a being of insurmountable power, one that once dwelled atop a marble tower.

***

The silence that settled over Nolg’ona lasted only a few mere minutes as the Reliquary finally shattered. The shimmering emerald-gray portal hung in the air above the center of the ruined city as if waiting for someone to enter it ⎯ yet there would be none.

But Aotapia was a realm beyond human understanding, and the portal will have its claimant. Slowly, ever slowly it grew in size. Meter by meter the emerald trails of black abyss that formed the portal grew in size, slowly devouring all within its reach.

It swallowed the marble tower where the battle between titans had taken place and had withstood even the strongest of spells.

It swallowed the remnants of the forgotten city until there was no trace of that forgotten civilization left.

It swallowed the lake of Lou Ona, swallowing the underground water that gave the Ona Chaparral life.

It even began to swallow the rocky roof of the cavern above the nonexistent city, and the ground upon which it once stood.

And then⎯ it stopped, for it had found the first living thing capable of entering Aotapia.

Buried deep beneath the earth, and cradled in the arms of a dead dryad.