Shut the fuck up!” I scream back at nothing.

At the same instant the attack – proper Celestial Artillery this time, a hundred thousand beams of holy energy blasted forward with little regard for anything but the abject destruction of the target – meets my freshly conjured barrier. Where it stops dead in its tracks. Caught by my huge semi-transparent dome – inlaid with nor, or “shield” Runes of green glowing fire.

There is a certain beauty and a certain satisfaction. Watching the light as it meets the barrier. There is no splash, no loss of cohesion, the beams just continue ever-forward attempting – futilely – to drill through the barrier. For a moment I am but a silhouette against a huge wall of light, all of the people of Shadfer behind me free to bask in my radiant form, but the moment passes all too soon. Here and there pinpricks of darkness appear in the wall, as the beams exhaust themselves entirely and fizzle into nothing with no more power to sustain them.

As I've mentioned I am …familiar with Celestial Artillery. It is an old and powerful magic – but I am older and more powerful still. In a pure contest of strength – even with a city of Celestial worms at her back – there is no way that whelp could possibly match me. That was my assumption at any rate – and it seems to be a correct one, which is good because right now there are bigger fish to fry.

I have to SAVE HER.

The voice in my head speaks again but I steadfastly ignore it, be it the resurgence of my long atrophied conscience or whatever else, I shouldn't have responded to it at all – time is extremely tight right now. The realization that dawned on me – as I prepared to simply absorb another massive Celestial attack – was that I am currently attempting to redress an imbalance in the world's mana. The imbalance could be described as: “There are not enough demons and consequently there is too much demonic energy.”

BUT.

It could ALSO be described as: “There are too many Celestials and consequently not enough holy energy.”

So, letting the idiot doves waste huge quantities of their magic on me is not only a useless endeavor for all parties involved, it's also actively detrimental to my goals. And having felt first hand the kind of power the Celestials are willing to use against me – the barrage continuing even now, though the unbroken wall of light that for a moment covered the horizon is mere memory at this point – I can say that there is probably more holy energy being used right now than has been used in the last three hundred years combined. All in the space of minutes.

That a terrible mistake has been made is all but a certainty. And the creeping feeling sweeping over my body even now – before the Celestial attack is even spent – is just one more unwanted confirmation. The barrage is stuttering, it's power mostly expended, only the very core of the Celestial Rune Formation's still emitting the beam attacks. Then the Celestial bombardment ends. Unceremoniously. Only my dome of force hovers there in the air for a moment longer, before it too disappears.

I look around rapidly – now that my view isn't obstructed – ready to unleash a torrent of death on anything corrupted. Nearest to me, the dove in gold armor stares back at me – a sort of fatal resolution in her eyes as she feels the wave of magical pressure I'm currently emitting – as my mana circulates and gathers with reckless abandon.

Below me the three humans and one elf have regrouped. They stand in loose formation, just looking up at me. Scattered across the horizon I can see individual doves, the farthest flying towards me – or maybe towards their leader – but the closer ones have stalled their advance, perhaps also feeling an uncomfortable weight as they approach my gathering magic.

The most annoying insect – the dove garbed in blue – has also reappeared. She's somehow reattached her lost wing – or maybe regrown it. I spot her first in the peripheral of my vision – at an extreme distance. Perhaps as expected though, she closes the gap rapidly. By the time I've finished my sweep of the immediate surroundings she's arrived at the side of the gold dove – unintimidated by my aura.

“Do not lose heart Aurora. Heroes.” Her voice is soft a melodious.

As I scan the horizon once more, paying special attention to Shadfer this time – really focusing my mana sense to the extreme – I note that this is the first time since this ridiculous little contest of strength began that all parties are in earshot of each other. Well. That's if you don't include Pink in your tally – who is still quite preoccupied with dying.

“You needn't tell me that Blademaster.” The Celestial in the golden scale armor – Aurora apparently – retorts with a bit of venom in a voice that is slightly hoarse and raw, likely the result of chanting too many annoying incantations aloud.

“Still… this power is well outside what we prepared for…” She continues with a note of despair. Then to me. “Do you mean to intimidate with your little display – Demon God?”

As she speaks I can feel it, more clearly than ever. A horrid sensation that covers me from head to toe, almost pain. A physical discomfort, a fundamental feeling of revulsion, like a sickness in my bones. From where? My eyes dart around erratically, between the doves, the humans, the city, the distant forest, the fields of farmland, the river that meanders near the city… From where?

“...the Chorus will not falter. We will see you dead – we will see your evil eradicated from our world, if it takes a hundred generations! We are not afraid!” Meanwhile Aurora is getting worked up by herself. Working herself into a frenzy until she actually begins to brandish her blade. “I will personally give everything I have – the Goddess Seriah will guide my blade! You will die today!”

The surroundings tense. Some of the Celestials have managed to overcome their fear and have moved back into range, that handsome human has his jaw set – ready to follow her lead – but the hope has left his flinty eyes, and the blue dove is expressionless as always. But the way her hand rests on the hilt of her sword, almost casually, betrays her intent. Would that these wretches could just properly recognize foes they have no hope to defeat.

“Prepare you-”

“Be SILENT fool.” A huge wave of mana is infused in my voice – enough to kill some of the fools I met in Shadfer I'm sure – and it elicits a range of wincing faces. “An incalculably bad situation has just been made unfathomably worse – I no longer have time to play with you.” I spit the words.

Rage building in me alongside that feeling of wrongness. I am Alexandria. I do not cower helplessly before uncomfortable feelings, just as soon as a target presents itself… The Rune Formation still hovering beside me flashes ominously and begins to glow a bit brighter as I channel my frustration into strengthening the spell not yet cast.

“Wha-?” Aurora gets half of her confused exclamation out when my target finally presents itself.

One of the doves – cowed by my aura – has kept a significant distance. It happens so fast and he's so far away, I might have missed it, if not for my hyper-vigilance in these past few moments. One moment the idiot dove is flying around on his fluffy white wings without a care in the world – the next the forest below him explodes into motion, dozens of vines, branches, and brambles launching impossibly high into the air and snaring the Celestial warrior. Visible purple energy trails behind the explosive growth.

A chilly smile surfaces on my lips and my wings flare out to their full span. The forest is perhaps a mile distant – close enough. I extend an arm in the direction of the distant treeline and loose my spell. A single thin beam of green light appearing in my palm and lancing forward into the trees. As it connects, a dozen more beams are emitted, each one cutting through any errant greenery and targeting a specific point on the ground – until the thirteen points of green light draw a huge circle with a large swath of trees contained within. Painting a massive target.

Around me the humans and Celestials flinch – pathetic defensive magics erected in response – before noticing that they are not the target of my ire. Aurora turns and sees her captured dove.

“Herkuel!” She shouts.

The dove in question is struggling valiantly – a golden orb of energy appearing around him, burning the encroaching vegetation, while he swings his shining sword – but it is not enough. Already one of his limbs is completely immobilized and both of his wings are entangled – beating helplessly – a fly in the spider's web. At this range it's impossible to tell exactly what is happening to him – but it can't be pleasant, I'm feeling uncomfortable at the density of corruption from a mile away, to be physically ensnared by it…

Not that it matters. The dove is within the bounds of my spell – if he had managed to fly up and outside the circle of green light he might have survived – but it's too late now. The spell is beginning in earnest, a massive cone of green fire erupting from my outstretched hand – guided between the thin beams of demonic energy – focusing the power into the targeted area. The dove disappears, swallowed by green fire. The forest as well – burns. Consumed by the huge, raging explosion of flame that roars forward – devouring everything in it's path.

The cone of green fire stretches over a mile – barely constrained by the guiding beams of light. But there is nothing for me to see. No way to judge if my objective is being accomplished. The spell does not give me any sort of feedback as it eats its way to the forest floor. And I can still feel the sickening corruption, so I maintain the spell – ratcheting up the intensity until the Rune Formations constraining my power begin to tremble under its weight.

I've already established that the crystal hearts of corrupted monsters cannot be easily destroyed with the method I'm currently employing but I'm hopeful. Maybe the last time I tried I simply didn't apply a sufficient amount of force. Maybe the freshly corrupted creatures will not have defenses quite so impregnable. A thousand maybes, questioning the validity of this approach, bounce around in my head. But I am Alexandria. It has been millenia since I met a problem that could not simply be crushed with my might.

“…you killed him…” At my side Aurora is still blathering. There is no reproach in her voice though, despite her words, just a quiet awe.

As my magic continues to swell, I notice the signs of my Formations giving way, the beams of light – which started crisp and clear and laser focused – have begun to lose cohesion, being absorbed by the inferno they are meant to contain. Annoyance bubbles up in me – it hasn't even been ten minutes – but it will have to be enough. As I think that I close my hand and lower it to my side. The flames stutter and disappear, the green lines hang in the air for a moment and then they too vanish. The Runes surrounding me lose their glow, fading away into nothing. Silence returns.

The forest has been significantly reduced. A few lone stands of trees surround a massive black circle of charred land. There is no smoke – I control my flames, they vanish with my magic – but a huge cloud of ash hangs in the air, slowly scattering in the wind.

The puny forces arrayed against me seem to have lost their will to fight. If the general drooping of their shoulders and despair painted on their faces is any indication. Even the blue dove is openly showing a frown. Distantly I see a flare of mana from the massive floating city and it slowly begins to ascend once more, no longer so confident in its safety I imagine. Such laughable creatures. Maybe I shou-

YOU HAVE TO SAVE HER!

Once again I must dismiss the incongruent thought bursting into my head. Simultaneously I feel another burst of demonic energy from behind me – from Shadfer. I turn back and look into the city with curiosity – but there is nothing for me to see, most everything obscured by the large cloud of smoke. What I can sense, is not encouraging. A stinking creep of corruption is rising from the city, tiny by comparison to what I felt from the forest – but there. Were the humans keeping monsters or something?

“S-She has to be weak, after that display. We must-” Aurora starts again.

“Must you? It seems any confrontation between you and I does not end well for you. Or am I wrong?” I turn to stare down the other woman as I speak. “Maybe you should take this opportunity to reorganize your priorities my pretty little dove. Accept what's happened today as a learning experience for you with your tiny powers and brain. We both have …bigger concerns. Do we not?”

“I will not be swayed by your lying tongue, you monster! It is you who is responsible for the plague that hounds this world, and I will see you put down for it.” She retorts with sudden fire.

“I would ask you to be reasonable but you are a dove, so I know that is impossible. So instead I will tell you – stay clear of me Aurora, I've decided to spare you today due to your relative usefulness in this battle against The Encroachment – as the humans call it – but do not push me. Lest I'm forced to get creative in ensuring your usefulness.” As I speak I close the distance between us, until we are but five feet apart – that I might properly look down on her.

I hear a clink of metal on metal from my right, the blue dove has – with a flick of her thumb – bared about an inch of her blade. “Aurora…?” Her bell like voice chimes out once more questioningly. Aurora looks over at the blue dove briefly, her eyes searching for a moment until she sees some answer written in the other woman's face.

“E-Enough. We cannot continue…” Aurora's words escape her a whisper, that burst of fire withering almost as quickly as it appeared. Even if she doesn't like it – knowing when you are thoroughly outclassed is a useful trait in a leader, one too many doves tend to lack in my experience. Something has taught them some measure of prudence in the years since I've last encountered their kind it seems.

“Good, the corruption has not been dealt with here – something is loose in the city – we can little afford this squabbling.” I say turning away from the Celestial commander indifferently and redirecting my gaze into Shadfer.

Mostly because my interest has been recaptured by that sole beacon of demonic energy I've been sensing intermittently – it's getting closer. Until I'm finally able to spot it with my eyes – a distant figure is half-running and half-flying over the rooftops of Shadfer. It looks lumpy and misshapen in the distance, obscured by the haze of ash and smoke in the air. But it has two immediately obvious and notable features. One, it has a single feathered wing on the left side of its body. Two, the feathers on that wing are entirely black – and the wing itself protrudes from just above the figure's hips.

It is dashing across rooftops – leaping between them, occasionally flapping that single wing to bridge especially distant gaps. I don't let anything show on my face, still wearing my practiced half smile, trying to mask my inner confusion. Because, wings like that are not something that exists in this world – my clan is long extinct. Unless it is some new, and completely unrelated race, who happens to share the distinct physical characteristics I thought were unique to my species. Or maybe just and especially powerful glamour.

...save her...

Those odd stray thoughts are weakening and I ignore that one with ease – my attention fixated on the odd creature that is approaching. As it grows closer I can see it is actually two creatures, the winged one carrying another – smaller – creature, giving it its misshapen silhouette.

“What in the hells is that…?” That rough human voice exclaims, pulling me from my examination.

“What indeed human…” I murmur, glancing down at him. Only to see he is facing in completely the opposite direction – back toward the forest I recently leveled. Curious I idly follow his gaze.

And freeze.

A huge wave of that corrupted energy washing over me, causing me to flinch – almost losing my flight. Around me the Celestials have all turned to gawk as well – eyes filled with confusion and fear. Because there – in the spot I just so thoroughly burned – a huge …tree has sprouted. It is a tree, but not a tree. It is more massive than any tree should be already over a hundred feet high and still growing, and as I watch wild overgrowth is sprouting and covering every inch of its trunk. A thick wall of vines and brambles atop a massive and solid wooden core – the whole thing pulsing and glowing with that sickly purple light.

A corrupted treant maybe? But it's large – larger than any treant should be…

On the ground below, everything is dying. Every beast and monster that has evaded destruction in the little battle between me and the Celestial Chorus is currently being eliminated by the corrupted treant. Roots exploding out of the ground, impaling beasts and monsters, draining them dry in an instant, to feed the things growth. It's like a rippling wave in the dirt – spreading out with the corrupted treant in the center. We all just gawk for a moment before being made to realize the threat when that wave passes beneath one of the Celestial warriors flying some distance away – the roots bursting up and trying to claim his life the same as the rabbits in the field.

He is a warrior though – and expertly cuts through the outstretched roots with his sword, cleanly evading the treant. The slashed roots freeze in midair for a moment – before rapidly disappearing back underground, at the same moment the obvious ripples in the dirt disappear. The dove flies higher, his sword at the ready, looking around wildly – fearing for his life.

“What? How can that be? That thing has to be beyond King Class – at the very least. How did it spring up so quickly? Here? So deep in managed territory?” Aurora's eyes are wide – looking over at the corrupted treant. “For such a powerful Unbound to rise …did you…?” She looks up at me, voice trailing away questioningly.

I merely snort, not dignifying her question with a response. After all, if either one of us could be said to be responsible – well let's just say it isn't me.

“I'm starting to be glad you pulled us from The Frontline Aurora, if something like that was going to spring up.” Mattis says, looking over at it – strangely calm. “Can we destroy it?” He asks, his eyes looking between Aurora and I – lingering on me for a long moment, as if unsure of my intentions – before returning to the dove.

“What?” Aurora licks her lips nervously. Looking around like she wishes there was someone else to field the question. She shoots me a suspicious glare before continuing. “No, of course we can't Mattis – you should know …our magic is spent. Challenging a King Class in this state…”

She looks around at her fellow Celestial warriors, all showing various signs of fatigue. Except the blue dove – she looks largely unruffled – hovering next to us with her expressionless face.

“If we don't deal with it now, it will only get stronger. And there is no other force within the Imperium capable of handling something like that.” Mattis is eyeing the thing appraisingly, his face drawn. “It seems to be the type the absorbs and grows stronger – you remember The Fringe don't you? – catastrophic loss of life to an absorbing type. And that was out on The Frontline, here it will find food much more plentiful.” He eyes Shadfer meaningfully at that.

“How many Imperial citizens will die – if we do not fight now?” He asks, his eyes grim and resolved.

“I did not say we won't fight Mattis – just that currently we are unable to do so. Much of the Chorus is still dispersed along The Frontline, at the insistence of your Emperor if you'll recall. We've only the High Chorus at hand. With a week to recuperate…”

“A week will see every human in fifty miles dead. You might want to reconsider.” I surprise everyone – including myself – by speaking up. “Not that the decision of this little council matters in the slightest. I don't think that thing intends any of us to leave.” I state it flatly, keeping my eyes on the suddenly formed massive tree. Under that horrible feeling of wrongness of discordance I also sense something else. Something like hunger. Like hatred.

“I suppose you would know, having summoned the horrible thing here!” Aurora shouts, glad for a target to blame. “Do not think you have deceived us – Demon God – this is a most convenient development for you is it not?”

Before I can respond to her ridiculousness the treant moves again, roots shooting explosively out of the ground toward the dove who had cut them back earlier – simultaneously launching brambles and vines from its main body with incredible speed. The dove has been watching for something like this jumpily the whole time – so his reaction is near instantaneous – beating his wings and propelling himself backwards, away from the treant and towards us with great speed. As he comes that same golden globe of magic I saw the other dove using wraps around him.

A huge vine impacts his barrier and drives him down into the waiting grasp of the roots below – a flawless pincer motion cutting off his escape. Like a fly in a jar he is for a moment surrounded on all sides by roots and brambles – held at bay by his barrier – but after a few seconds of contact they begin to sink into the shield. Not destroying the magic, just …corrupting it. Subverting its intended purpose. He tries to flee but is caught, one of his arms pierced through by a root from the ground.

Then a blast of holy energy explodes against all the vegetation on one side of his barrier – white flames flickering over the lengths of vines and branches, leaving them mostly intact. That is followed however, by another blast and another, until a hail of holy fire has burned entirely through one side of the entangling vines.

His desperate flight has brought him close enough to the other Celestials that they might help him. In the brief interim though, the Celestial has been thoroughly captured, his body pierced in multiple places by grasping roots and gripped by vines and thorns. Aurora leads the other Celestials in a charge blasting holy magic into the thicket and slowly cutting into the center of the entangling roots, trying to get him free. I see the blue dove appear by his side, her sword weaving in with expert and blinding speed, slicing and slashing a dozen times in the blink of an eye – cutting him free of his ensnarement.

Having freed their brother the doves all immediately back off and into the sky. Having seen the general ineffectiveness of their magic and weapons I'm not surprised by their desire to retreat. But they just hover there – in a group high over my head and the heads of their human allies – seemingly wracked with indecision.

As for me I allow myself to drift down to the ground, landing next to Pink actually, she's still somehow clinging to life – despite the holy energy coursing through her entire body. A shame, but I don't have the time to fix it right now – even if I had the inclination – the situation is …bad. The general resistance of that creature to conventional magic is a problem, the lack of any powerful pawns to send against it is also a problem, the near certainty that my near-future is filled with work of the more difficult variety is tiresome.

That's when the treant moves again – and the decision the doves were agonizing over is made for them. Thorny roots, vines, brambles, and branches explode out from the treant once more but this time there are three tree trunk sized branches mixed in with the smaller vegetation. As I watch the huge mass of plant matter splits, some of it targeting the doves in the sky, some of it targeting me, and most of it – including those three trunk-like branches – is thrown high into the sky with tremendous speed – latching onto the floating city high in the air above us all.

I see the doves are raising more magical barriers to protect themselves. I see the humans – faces twisted into almost comical expressions of surprise – running toward me. I see that odd lumpy and misshapen figure that had been nearly driven entirely from my mind leap over Shadfer's exterior wall towards me. And then I see no more – because protecting myself has become a higher priority than gawking.

With a flap of my wings, a thought, and a bit of magic – I dislodge a dozen feathers and launch them into the ground in a circle surrounding me. I snap my fingers and they explosively increase in size, bowing together and forming a huge black dome over my head. Inside the makeshift barrier I can hear the thorns and brambles scrabbling against the exterior – through the interlocking barbules of the feathers I can see the corrupted vegetation growing thick and heavy around my dome.

I don't know how dangerous the corrupting properties of that creature are, but it was clearly eating through purely magical barriers with ease – so I opted to make something a bit more solid. The feather barrier should be more or less impregnable with any luck. Though only to the things outside of the barrier.

A number of creatures have managed to crawl inside of it with me strangely enough. The humans, Mattis, and his party have collapsed on the ground nearby – breathing heavily after their recent brush with death. And that odd creature that looks a bit like me slipped inside as well – giving me my first good look at it.

It – probably started its life – as a human. What it is now is debatable. Its naked, giving me an unobstructed view of its peculiar body. “Heavily damaged” are the first words that come to mind, its skin is cracked and bleeding in multiple places, its feet red and raw. And a strange black substance is encroaching on its flesh – it's thickest around its left arm, which is nearly entirely blackened by the stuff – but it's slowly moving over the whole body, radiating from that point.

The black substance has completely consumed the left arm, it's about down to the knee on the left leg, it's wrapping up around the back of its neck and covering the left side of its face, and its made its way about halfway across both its chest and back. Consuming, not covering. In the places where the black substance meets pink human flesh there are angry red lines of blood, the substance disappearing underneath the flesh and letting it bleed – ripping the creatures body apart from the inside and remodeling it. The wing protruding above its left hip is the most obvious result of this remodeling process, an angry bleeding hole left in the pink flesh where the wing emerged – strings of that black substance connecting the wing and the wound.

An ugly creature. And a dying creature. Cradled in its arms is a second creature, bundled in rough cloth – this one merely human. Not a whole human though, it is missing two of its legs and much of its exposed flesh is blackened and burnt. The dying creature shuffles towards me and proffers the second creature – extending its arms as if to hand it to me.

“You must …save her.”

You must …save her.

Ah. I look at it with sudden realization, noticing for the first time the magical connection linking me and this creature. Looking down at it – the half of its remaining face does stir a faint memory. That human boy …Marco or something? I gave him one of my feathers! To think this would be the result. Talking in my head and making demands is a terrible crime – but he's already in the process of dying a horrible death so…

What could have possessed him to use the feather in such a way? How did he even do it? It's said that there is magic in intent, so he could have possibly realized some sort of effect even without knowing any Words or Runes, but for it to turn out like this…

“...Puleash …Alexandria…” He speaks again through a mouthful of blood.

I look down at him, ready to dismiss him out of hand – I'm sort of in the middle of a crisis right now – when an idea occurs to me. I look at him, at the other human, and over at Pink – three servants ninety percent of the way to death. I hide my budding smile.

“I will need something in exchange human.” I declare it imperiously, looking down into the dying boy's eye.

He looks back up at me dully for a moment, before hope alights in that one good eye.

“A-anyshing…”

“Everything.” I make my offer.

He flinches a little, staring up at me. Sensing something in that word perhaps. Something unkind. But the desperate make the best business partners – and after only a moment's hesitation he nods.

“What are you doing?” I hear Mattis distantly, my mind already spinning up – envisioning the perfect result to this debacle.

“Nothing that concerns you human, do not interfere – if you value your life.” So saying I turn and walk over to where Pink still lies, gesturing for the dying human to follow.

Has magic like this ever been preformed? Probably. I can remember old rituals for converting humans into demons, the relic Pink is chasing has a similar effect – so what I'm about to do isn't particularly unique. But it's never something I've attempted – which makes it novel and worth doing – that it should result in more servants in a moment where I find myself needing some cannon fodder is just a bonus.

Three Rune circles appear on the ground, made from lines of burning green fire, one around Pink the other two empty.

“Get in. You in one, her the other.” I command absently – still structuring the spell in my mind.

He nods again, and reverently lays the little bundle in one of the circles before climbing into the other himself. Then he sort of slumps and turns to watch the other human anxiously, oblivious to the world around him. I wonder if he's even noticed Pink the ungrateful little whelp – she's an integral competent to this process you know?

That's because – what is killing …Markus or whatever… is his bodies complete inability to handle even the sliver of power I gave him. Actually that he can handle it as much as he had, running all the way here, is surprising – he must be a somewhat exceptional human. So to save him that power must be reduced, channeled elsewhere – into the other human for instance. Doing that properly should result in the other human physically recovering – having my power is a gift after all, it only seems so negative in Mack because the vessel is being overwhelmed. Of course two humans haven't any hope of handling that sort of power – which is where Pink comes in.

The Rune Formations are nearly complete, filling the space around me, while I try to tweak the ratios into something survivable for all parties involved. A part of me wonders if this is the best use of my time and power – considering the dire circumstances outside. But it is peaceful under my dome – and having a few servants at hand when I face down that corrupted monstrosity outside can only be a good thing. Besides having servants is important I've reflected – they're invaluable for dealing with all sorts of daily hassles – and the loyalty you earn from wretches whose lives you save is something that can't be bought.

So I complete the spell, I make it perfect – well, close enough to perfect that the difference can be smoothed over with application of brute force. The runes glow and flash all around me, activating in a complex sequence – approaching the problem in waves. First separating the overflowing power from the vessel, that a powerful Blessing might be applied to both of the damaged vessels fortifying both their ability to hold my power and expanding their capacity for mana, then carefully redistributing it. Then the magic begins to physically replenish all three vessels, smoothly repairing broken flesh, merging and melding incongruant body parts, regrowing limbs, and causing extra bits to appear here and there.

It takes only minutes before it's done. Looking down at my handiwork I can't hide my smile.

In one circle is Pink – whole and healthy again. Looking exactly as she did when we set out this morning. But when she sits up and looks around in evident surprise I spot a change – her eyes are blue – despite my efforts to keep the physical restructuring aspects of my magic from touching her, I must have messed it up somehow. Oh well. We're a little bit related now I guess.

In another circle there is the boy – no longer human, not quite a demon. His eyes are blue and two nubs of horns protrude from his temples, almost hidden by his messy black hair. His flesh is pale but unbroken, unblemished – his frame lean and muscular. A single black wing extends on his left side. I regard him with narrowed eyes – he looks much like one of my clan, yet obviously not of the clan. It elicits some strange feelings.

The third circle contains something slightly unexpected. A tall and pretty girl has sprouted out of that bloody and burned lump of flesh, her modesty barely preserved by the sack cloth she was wrapped in. Her body is in the prime of its life, shapely and beautiful – though inferior to Pink if you ask me – and atop her head are two tiny horns and two triangular furry ears amidst her shoulder length blonde hair. Sprouting behind her is a thin furry yellow tail and a black wing – on the right side this time. Her brilliant yellow eyes are slit in the same way as many demons. A former member of one of the beastkin tribes apparently.

“Martin?” She calls out – in a soft and feminine voice, overflowing with emotion.

“…Emily? Is that you? You can walk?” The boy responds – his voice choked with joy.

The girl with the catlike features takes an uncertain step. And then does a little twirl of happiness. It reminds me of my cat, back in the Duke's mansion. I hope its ok – that damn Duke better have protected it in my absence…

“Yes. I can… How? This is amazing…”

“Are you done then? That was quite a miracle you preformed – but we have more pressing issues right now don't we?” A third voice – gravelly and hoarse cuts into their little emotional scene. Mattis deciding that he doesn't have to worry about "interfering" anymore and rejoining the conversation.

“Indeed. We are somewhat pressed for time.” I look up at the black dome above us as I speak. Its gotten very dark in here, despite the daylight outside, due to the encroaching corrupted plant life. “Pink.”

She stiffens at my call. Her dazed and confused expression she's been wearing since waking up clearing away – replaced by that adorable face of iron determination she's prone to making. She must be so confused – I doubt having your heart carved out of your chest is liable to leave you with a clear recollection of events – but she gives no sign, just awaiting my words. It's why I'm so fond of her. Carefully I saunter over to her.

“The ranks have been expanded slightly while you slept, make use of them as you will – I have doubts about their usefulness right now but with a bit of instruction... At any rate, we are currently under siege by some manner of foul corrupted plant, the doves are about somewhere as well – but they've hopefully learned their lesson and shouldn't trouble us overmuch. This constant exposure to the corruption is terrible, it makes me ill, so I need you to go out and burn it all away for me – alright?” I smile at her as I finish, gently resting my hands on her shoulders.

Her gaze doesn't even flicker – she just nods strongly. “Yes mistress.”

I lean forward, pulling on her shoulders and forcing her to stoop a bit, and delicately kiss her forehead.

“And be safe, Pink.” I murmur.