An endless expanse of stars shone brilliantly across a gradient and forever night sky. Purples, pinks, and blues were smeared here and there - reflecting in the inky black sea below before the mirrored skyscape was fractured as the surface was disturbed. First, long inky black hair split the surface before rising up with a tanned forehead, and glowing red predator eyes whose light danced ominously in the dancing water as it fell beneath his large nose.

The face revealed was that of a middle-aged man, tanned skin, and neatly trimmed beard that decorated his fine square jaw like the manicured grass that lined every nobleman's house. As he stepped more and more out of the water, it was revealed that he wore a fine dark purple tunic, free of frivols decorations outside of a golden ring that hung from a thin silver chain; and that the purple was clearly suited for that of a king, given that such a lustrous color called for an abundance of dye.

At the man’s waist hung a simple long sword, sheathed in midnight black leather, belted to his hip with a thick leather belt. The hand that held its worn leather grip was thick like a bear, callused and scarred.

Beyond the edge of the void-like water was a long unnaturally straight beach. The coastline running left and right like an arrow into the horizons. Mist wafted outward across the sand, drifting peacefully into the water where it eventually dissipated. Ghostly blue and sparse enough to reveal towering rocky spires in the distance, the mist mostly clung to the bare-branched forest that awaited past the sand - sand that shifted beneath the traveler’s brown leather boots.

Out in the distance, purple figures glowed like stars as they too climbed out of the sea of black and stepped onto the beach; only to enter the forest of mist, their light fading once they were deep beyond the boundaries.

The man, like them, did not spare them any heed as he too stepped into the mist. Walking in a straight line, he narrowly passed bare trees that reached towards the stars. As if they yearned to pluck them from their places and use them as leaves. It would never happen, for this was a land of death and beginnings. Though, it did not stop the traveler from feeling their wish to be whole trees again. It was a silent orchestra of wishes that drowned the land as he went on his way.

A few minutes later, the traveler came across a derelict statue of a beautiful young woman, her face tender and small, framed with short hair and a single hand gesturing off to her left. Moss grew around the base of her, and vines had long since grown around the back of it to wrap around the statue. The traveler padded the statue’s base, between the woman’s feet, with care before walking off in the gestured direction.

From there, headstones appeared here and there. Some were large as if competing to be the grandest down to only a single unnaturally placed rock above disturbed earth. And never did the largest grave look to have been showered with love. Their steps were dirty and overrun with overgrowth. Their gates and doors were sealed with rust and dirt. Yet, some of the smallest graves seemed to be the most loved.

A small glance at what may have been the newest addition to the path was a small rock, similar to the size of a child’s kickball; that was littered with footsteps all around the rock, each careful not to come near the stone itself. Wilted flowers and weather-worn letters surrounded the nameless rock. A single leather collar, cracked, worn, and lonely, on top of the rock.

That gave the traveler some pause, and he stared down at it. No more than twenty feet behind it was the tomb of a king. Not dead for more than a year the man knew, for he himself had a hand in his death. Yet, his tomb looked to have been left to the elements. Built from slabs of granite, it looked pitiful behind the small grave that had taken up home before it.

“You were loved,” The traveler commented, his face expressing nothing by disinterest.

“It was the child’s pet from the Fox tribe,” A feminine voice broke the silence. The man didn’t react as a woman appeared at his side. “The whole tribe mourned for this simple animal’s death. So much so that even long after that king’s tomb has fallen, this dog’s grave will linger here in the Harbor.”

“That dog lived a blessed life,” The traveler commented.

The woman shook her head. “The dog died violently, in a torrent of blood and fear as it saved its precious person from falling off the side of a cliff. A naive child that did not understand how cruel the world was, and nearly fell to her death. The dog managed to hold the child long enough for the child’s mother to grab her. Only, the dog lost its footing and fell to its death.”

“It's a mistake the child will not make again,” The man said.

The woman shook her head, revealing vermillion red hair. “The child, five, was made to dig the grave herself. A terrible thing to make a child do, but it is a tradition in that tribe to do so. To honor those who give their life for yours by burying them yourself.”

“I much like this tradition,” The traveler commented. “Which tribe was this again?”

“The fox tribe, based in the forests behind the Haven Mountain range,” The woman said. “I am fond of these people, so I would have preserved the animal’s grave, but the bond between this dog and child is strong enough that I do not need to interfere with it.”

As the two spoke, a large wolf-like dog appeared over the grave. It circled the rock, sniffing the ground before it looked up to the two people. Then to the vermillion haired girl, both of them hearing the dog’s heart.

Is my person safe…? The dog asked.

“You saved the child,” The woman nodded with a warm smile. “You were given the highest honors in your person’s family.”

Good… The dog laid down, its nose resting beside the rock where it eyed the leather collar. I wish to wait for my person… She needs me… I --

“Say no more, valiant canine,” The vermillion woman cut the dog off. “You may rest your soul here. If your person ever needs you, you may appear in her dreams to give her comfort. And when she has passed, both of you may walk together into the next life. With my blessing.”

Thank you… The dog’s heart whispered as it closed its eyes, and faded away. The collar began to glow a soft purple.

“Quite generous of you, Morrigan,” The man said. “I didn’t know the Reaper of Souls would grant blessings to dogs.”

“Unlike you, Edward, I do not discriminate between souls,” Morrigan said as she turned away. “To die for someone you love is an honor, even more so if it is to protect them. In turn, I am honored to give my blessing to such a character. Even dogs can be cowards, and like all cowards, they can rise to the challenge. I just hope that child will become a person worth my blessing as well.”

“I believe the child will,” Edward said, a thought forming in his mind that he held onto. He knelt down briefly before the grave and tapped the moist earth. A faint purple mist ripped itself from the smallest footprint at the grave and entered his finger. He then got back to his feet and followed after Morrigan.

“I am sure I know what brings you here, but I do believe it’d be best if you said it out loud so there are no misconceptions,” Morrigan said over her shoulder as she stepped onto a loosely cobbled road that was fraught with weeds.

“I am here to awaken my daughter, oh servant of hers,” Edward said in a slightly mocking tone. “And in the case you believe you can stop me, I will fight you this time - to the death if need be.”

Silence fell over the two as they followed the path toward what appeared to be a massive mountain that rose in the distance. The remains of buildings dotting the roadside. Each appearing to have been burned and plundered long ago. Bare trees hung over the path, each laden when cut ropes that dangled downward like dead vines. The bodies that had been attached to them were long ripped away by the dragoness herself.

“I don’t believe I will fight you this time, Lord Hades,” Morrigan said icily. “I have nothing to fight you over.”

“Have you finally decided to take a side in this war?” Edward cooed.

“Fuck. You.” Morrigan growled. The world around them distorted slightly, reacting to the acting and subsiding once the dragoness had control over it. “No, I have not taken a side. Only, you’ve given me no quarter. I’m making a decision to slow the forces of entropy that plague my master’s realm. The entropy set in by my beloved master’s father. No, dear Lord Hades, because after you pull Lady Avery back down into the mortal realm, with her garden, you will be cut from the Harbor.”

Edward’s mirth slowly slipped away, his glowing red eyes narrowing with restrained violence. “You’re cutting me from the harbor…”

“Yes,” Morrigan stated. “Do what you have come to do, but once it is done, your soul will no longer have a place to return to if you ever die. At least, not in your daughter’s universe. This is my ultimatum.”

“And if I just do what I plan to without taking this… Ultimatum?” Edward asked in a low voice.

“We both have long known that we are both equal in strength and divinity,” Morrigan. “However, if we clash, we will tear into the fabric of this world without being any closer to bringing Avery back.”

“Yet, we could still fight,” Edward smiled. “And I will no longer have to deal with rebellious AIs-turned flesh.”

“You could.” Morrigan agreed.

“And what’s to stop me?” Edward asked.

“You would break your daughter’s heart,” Morrigan said.

“And you say this, why?” Edward asked.

“Because it is the same reason you have not killed Fenrir for standing in your way,” Morrigan said.

Edward scoffed. “He stands in the way of all the new demi-gods,”

“In your way the most, though.” Morrigan shrugged.

“True,” Edward admitted.

“You do not kill him because our master cared deeply for us. While you slaved away in your corporate world, doing what needed to be done to keep your empire from collapsing in the Old World, we stayed by your daughter. Despite being made for her - tailored to her - you still couldn’t stop her from loving us.” Morrigan stated before she stopped and turned to face him.

She continued. “And we held her when she cried. Comforted her when she was alone in the cold. When she called out for you, we answered. When you had to leave, we stayed. In the final moments of your folly, we salvaged her world, her home, and her avatar. You may have had us made to keep your daughter. But we learned to love your daughter in the way she needed it.”

“You of all people should know this is not the hill you want to die on, Morrigan.” Edward scowled.

“Yes, because I know what garners your wrath, I know you know when I’m saying something to prove a point instead of trying to be petty,” Morrigan said.

“And that fucking point is?” Edward asked.

Morrigan turned and continued down the road. “That me, Morrigan the once digital soul would forever be loyal Lady Avery.”

“I should have killed you long ago,” Edward simmered himself down with the click of his tongue and followed. “But you’re right. Even with the power to alter the very fabric of the world, being the Keeper of the Soul Harbor, you have dutifully carried out your role without a single complaint. If only Fenrir could have an ounce of your character.”

“Soul Harbor…” Morrigan mused. “The place where all souls sail into after their mortal vessel expires. To be the Reaper of Souls, and the Keeper of the Realm is to command power over death itself. With a single thought, I could stop the flow of souls back into the world.”

Morrigan shot a glance over her shoulder. “Even in the demon lands, any new offspring would enter the world stillborn. Populations would fall dramatically to the point of no recovery.”

“And it takes a very honorable person to hold that position in the absence of its rightful head,” Edward said. “For such a person as yourself, Soul Harbor must be deteriorating faster than I expected.”

“The miasma cannot be filtered fast enough with the current mana burn in the mortal realm,” Morrigan said. “More and more mortals are using even more demanding magic, and with Lady Avery missing from the picture, everything I could do in my power just to simply keep the Harbor from imploding from the load. I am simply not made for this - in the grand scheme of things, Lady Avery's return is a must if the world is to continue..”

“Not even you, who holds the second-highest power in the universe, cannot save the afterlife?” Edward asked, his interest peaked in this new information. “This is the first I hear of --”

“Because you of all people should know what you would have done if you had known,” Morrigan barked. “Without the creator, we cannot expand, and if we do not expand soon, the world’s pantheon will shatter. We’re already experiencing massive glitches already. Hotspots were mana does not exist, or exists in too much abundance. Places where all babies are stillborn because souls cannot enter them, or places where sound itself does not exist. They’re appearing faster than either I or Fenrir can patch them. To fix it, we need access to the pantheon. But only Lady Avery can do that.”

“How do you patch them normally?” Edward asked

Morrigan shrugged as they passed several into the square where Avery held her goodbye festival. None of the festivities that decorated the square stood, instead, it looked like it had once been a thriving market place. Ransacked and pillaged. Dark stains still coated the pavers here and there. Several buildings had been burnt out, and undergrowth spilled out their doorways and windows. One even had a large tree growing out through its roof.

The mountain loomed over the ruins now, and Edward hadn’t noticed that it seemed to have moved closer without him realizing it.

“With brute force,” Morrigan said. “To be honest, it is a case by case thing. Most of these patches just take care of the obvious signs of break down - like giving a dying patient poppy juice in his final pained moments. What we do does not stop the entropy, merely eases its symptoms.”

She then stopped in her tracks and turned to face Edward. “Swear on the pantheon, and your divinity, that you will wake Lady Avery.”

“It seems like a pointless gesture to do now,” Edward said. “Why do you--”

“Swear,” Morrigan said firmly. “Or with all my power, I will make sure you miss your chance.”

“Chance?” Edward asked curiously.

Morrigan frowned. “Don’t play stupid, Edward Bailey, or would you prefer that I use your new title; Lord Hades. Do not think I am unaware of what you’re doing, or how you plan to execute this insane plan. You think you were able to reap those souls from under my nose without me noticing, or was my attention something not even taken into consideration?”

With a sigh, Edward nodded his head. “I swear upon all-seeing Pantheon, and my soul, that I will wake my daughter.”

“And you will not usurp her powers,” Morrigan said.

“And I will not harm her,” Edward added.

Morrigan narrowed her eyes, a threat of violence in them before she closed them and clenched her jaw before she whispered. “I guess that’s the best I could hope for…”

Edward was about to speak, but before he could, a giant scythe appeared in the dragonness’s right hand. It sliced through Edward with the sound of shattering porcelain. “With this, you are no longer bound to this world. You are now a foreign being, and the Pantheon cannot stop you anymore. Go, do what you will do, but remember -- it also means you will disappear into nothingness if you die.”

With a turn of her body, she disappeared into a red mist that quickly melded with the ghostly blue. Edward watched her go, missing the sudden appearance of a massive ornate stone appearing before him. “If I don’t kill that one soon, she’ll begin to hinder me as well…” Edward complained before he ascended the stairs.

The ghostly mist peeled away, fluttering outward like a solar flare before melting into the cold ever night sky of the Harbor. Edward, no, Lord Hades, looked over the massive ghostly landscape. Ghostly mist slithered and crawled alone the many ruins that dotted the harbor. The most notable being the town that had existed at the foot of his daughter’s mountain. A reminder that this world would burn for its transgressions.

He did not plan to save it.

He never planned to do so from the beginning.

Hate burned bright in his heart as echoes of terror filled the air. Screams of Avery’s caretakers cried out to be saved. For a moment, he was no longer in the Harbor, but back in the mortal plane, a thousand years ago when the Garden existed there as well.

Fires raged across the city, restrained by the massive ivory stone walls. Millions of humans outside the walls like an army of fireflies. Each of them vying for the death of all elves. Yes, he had stood in this exact spot that day. When his wife had allowed them into the city for ‘peace talks’ and they turned their filthy slave claws on their elven masters.

That was the night the Garden had been pulled into the Soul Harbor - ripped from the mortal plane. Tucked here and forever stuck in that moment it had fallen. If Morrigan hadn’t cleaned the stairs, he was sure it would have been dyed red by the thousands of humans he slaughtered as they tried to breach his precious daughter’s garden.

With that final thought, he turned on his heel and marched up the steps. Renewed determination and righteousness. Even if Avery despised him, he would set it all right. A father must do what is right for their children, for it is the sin they all bear. In time, even that wench Morrigan will understand that this is all for Avery.

Everything is for Avery…

At the apex of the stairs, he stood before a Japanese like a wooden gateway. Tacky and stupid, it was still a nice touch he had to admit as he passed under it and into the tunnel. Inside, carved pictures of their family, and all of Avery’s friends, loomed on both sides of him. Judging him. Cursing him. Weighing down on him.

It must be done, he told himself.

After a minute, he broke through the other side. It truly felt like heaven… Clusters of white flowers grew with several orange glowing roses growing among them. A surface of undisturbed crystal clear water gave the appearance that there was no actual floor, aside from a well maintained thick stone paved walkway. It cut across the mirror-world-like garden before forking around a gentle waterfall that emitted a soft peaceful rumble. It was the only sound here…

He walked across the path, crossing an endless expanse of stars and seemingly floating flowers that began to emit motes of golden light that floated upward - and downward, thanks to the water.

In the last thousand years, this was the most peace he had ever felt. Surrounded by tall imposing dead drop cliffs that towered high above. Beautiful lights that acted as fireflies, and flowers that mourned for their owner… It was the last place his daughter had created, and the last thing untouched by the world. And upon reaching the pool that formed around the waterfall, he found a thriving fish pond of ghostly salmon that swam around unphased by his presence.

He looked up and cast his eyes upon a wall tree that grew on the level feeding the fall. It was almost invisible, if not looking at it from where he stood. Its branches barren and sickly, nearly blending with the moonlit cliff.

“This is close enough,” Hades said as he materialized his sword. The blade was wicked in that it looked like tinted glass, red hands pressing on the inner surface. Each vying to touch it before being pulled away and a new set appearing, or maybe the same hands? He never questioned the blade he had created. Only that it would finally unleash its full powers finally.

“In the name of the Darkness,” Hades chanted as he lifted the blade. It pointed up to the moon above, before pivoting it in his hand and pointed the blade down into the stones below. “ In the name of the light…”

With all his might, he clutched the handle with both hands. His muscles bulged and veins popped out across his face. He continued. “In the name of your creator, return to the land you had been birthed from!” He thrusted the blade down into the stones, red light exploding from the blade with a million pained souls screaming. The blade pierced the stones as if it were but the water surrounding it up until it’d been buried hilt deep.

“Give me my daughter’s power!” Hades roared. “Give me the power to bring her back, and reform this world so it may never again bare its fangs at us again!”

The screams increased as if hell was being born in the garden. Regret began to bubble in his heart. It took him a moment to beat it down, fast and mercilessly. It had to be done. It was for his daughter. For his family.

For yourself… Morrigan’s voice whispered in his heart.

It is all for Avery… Edward protested back at the memory.

But the voice still haunted him. You already believe she is dead… This is just your reasoning with yourself to take more power…

“She is not dead,” Edward whispered out loud. Each word held no actual belief.

And the garden began to glow brighter. Red light slithered beneath the water, and the fish began to spasm for a moment before they floated lifelessly to the surface. The flowers began to wilt. Petals dropping one by one into the water that turned a sickly brown as if it were swamp water. Only the waterfall stayed pure and innocent as the red light fought to push through onto the level above.

A golden light began to zip through the ground above, countering his power. It felt… Familiar. But he assumed it was just the decaying will of his daughter. Not her actually fighting to stay alive. She had died. She had to, because if this actually… No, she was dead…

He poured more of his power into the blade and it coursed through the stone like a reverse erupting volcano. The light glowed even brighter and pushed up the stairs on either side one by one. The golden light fought like a pride of lions against an unending army of ants. While the lions were titans, they were still just lions. Slowly, the red overcame the stairs and pushed onto Avery’s personal level, rimming the edge of her pond - her grave.

Out of respect, he forced the light to attack the dying tree whose branches no longer shaded the area her avatar had been placed to rest. The Heart Tree would be punished for its failure. Usurping his daughter’s remaining powers would be last… Not because it would shred the last of his humanity… Because…

He stepped away from the meaningless thoughts and pushed his mana further toward the tree. The lush wild grass that had grown around the pond shriveled and decayed. The thick shriveled roots of the three turned to powder. His daughter’s home -- was spared -- and he turned his mana away from it with such force that he had to give himself a moment to collect himself mentally.

Once his mana infected the tree, he turned his attention to his daughter’s pond. He couldn’t hold it off any longer, lest he miss his moment and his preparations would have gone down the drain…

As he pushed toward it… Something broke in him, and his eyes glazed over. His body became colder and his mind sharper. His features became more demonic, and his eyes no longer glowed red, but pitch black. He became more beautiful as his red mana turned a demonic black and sucked in the light, and it desired his daughter…

Hades felt the entire realm screaming for him to stop, pleading for him to change cause; he did not care, for this realm had not protected her, despite her being its mother. It had to die. It had failed her. It had failed Maddin. It had failed him. It had to die. It had to die. It. Had. To. Die.

You are not above the laws of this world… His wife’s voice echoed in his mind, stilling him for one brief moment. Your arrogance will be your undoing… Lords Hades…

Her last words echoed in his mind and his black eyes went wide. “I. Am. The. World!”

Golden light pushed back with such violence, such vigor, that blood gushed from Hades's nostrils and ears. His veins felt like they were on fire as the Harbor glowed bright gold. He could… Feel his daughter’s desire to live. He could feel her somewhere in… In the Garden! He… He did not care anymore… he had crossed the point of no return, and she...

The thought gave him pause, and that had been enough for the golden light to rip through the stones his mana had gone through. It burned the invasive mana with prejudice that promised pain for its transgression. There would be no quarter for this sin. Hades could feel that. But he couldn’t free himself. He couldn’t move as a golden translucent dragon sprung from the pond above him. Its vestige… Beautiful and angelic as it rose high into the night sky.

It let out a pained and sorrowful roar that reverberated through the entire Harbor. Golden light radiated throughout the plane, breathing life back into the garden, growing the flowers back in seconds, and even replenishing the Heart Tree. New offshoots began to even grow along the rim of the mountain top.

Then, the dragon turned toward him and snarled. He could not move an inch as an oppressive force pushed down on him, breaking the stones. Hades refused to let go of the sword and forced more of his mana into it. A red spot welled in the chest of the dragon. It let out a pained roar that seemed to rip apart his heart. Black tears dripped onto the stones below as he could, just faintly, hear that little nine-year-old girl crying in pain…

“It must be done… You’re gone…” Edward whispered. “You’re just the echoes of a past long dead!”

He pushed more and the red spot began to spread more just before another, smaller, dragon appeared over the golden one. It burned bright red in the moonlight, its eyes silver and full of hate. Silver light erupted from this dragon, full of betrayal; of heartbreak. Of hatred. It mixed with the golden mana and together, crashed down into Hades. The ensuing destruction caused a massive explosion of black, gold, and silver that made the world go completely white.

Edward found himself standing in that massive cathedral he and his family went to Sunday church in. Its massive and imposing stained glass windows loomed over him with depictions of Jesus on the cross. Of the Holy Mother, and God. The brown pews lined neatly on either side of him as he stood directly beneath the centermost point of the building.

“Mommy,” Avery’s childish voice chirped. “Why is there a big bowl up there?”

Edward looked up instinctively, as he had in the memory, but he was aware this was not him reliving a memory… It was… He could not form the words to explain what it was, and just simply let himself soak in the moment as he looked up at the pictures painted in the domed ceiling.

“Cathedrals are built in the shape of a cross,” Maddin said with a smile as she crouched beside the red-haired girl. It was a strange sight, considering that her… Lifeless body was but a few feet behind her in the coffin. “Right here is the center of the cross, where Jesus is suspended. And where your father will hang next in hell.”

Maddin’s bright orange hair turned a vermillion red. Her sweet and petite stature morphed into that of Morrigan’s curvy and well-endowed one that almost towered over Hades's original five-ten height. “When his powers are stripped from his soul, he will be paraded through the streets of Haven and strung up from your church’s bell tower. There, he will be made an example of, like your old messiah that you seem to have worshiped… False Father..”

Panic rose in his chest as her draconic voice sounded raspy, deep, and full of mirth as she approached Hades as he stood there. He could not move. He could not speak, and the weight of that began to set in. “I may have forgotten a small detail… Your daughter had once granted me the power to be her blade, her executioner. Once upon a time, when there was a certain stupid boy who broke her heart; and there was a girl who needed to be… Digitally executed…”

Her smile was as mocking as it was vicious. She continued. “The moment when I found news that the girl who had tormented my sweet Avery to tears had killed herself… I guess that was the moment I knew I became more than just some program… It was the moment I knew I loved your daughter more than I loved fulfilling my directive…”

Edward only looked at her with fear. A feeling he had completely forgotten, and one he promised he would repay as she continued to speak. “I was the one who spread that girl’s dead pictures across the internet. It may have been a big scandal, but it allowed me to purge even more of Avery’s enemies that way. Oh, the fun I had. Destruction in the name of the one I love… It was beautiful... Yet.. “

Her eyes no longer held mirth, only hatred now. “There was you. You long stopped loving your daughter. You think I wouldn’t notice? Me? I was created to read humans! I may be plagued with emotions and a body now, but you were the one I kept track of most… Do you know why?”

Hades couldn’t answer. “Because you were the one who held your daughter’s life in the palm of your hand. If you had just woken up, and just decided that Avery was not worth the resources, you would have unplugged her. You could have done so. I’m aware of all the contracts and favors you had prepared for that event. Her mother was disgusted by the very thought of Avery dying… But you... “

Edward finally felt his jaw and spoke. “I would never have --!”

“Harmed her?” Morrigan laughed so sweetly, it felt like he was looking at a mature version of his daughter. “Please! You just tried to right now! You see the child right there? Looking at us, so lost, so confused? That’s her… She’s always been… Here.” With her hands, she gestured to the cathedral.

She continued. “I bid my time because I had your daughter’s soul. Broken, beaten, and lost, but still very much alive. She has been trapped in her own hell within herself, and I’ve been working slowly to piece her back together. That is why I never challenged you. I’ve been quite busy between keeping the world from falling apart, and keeping her from fading as well.”

“You traitorous bi--” With a gesture, Hades lost the ability to speak.

“And I was so close,” Morrigan hissed softly. “You see, we’ve been working through so much. You couldn’t have possibly known how much of the world she could feel. How much information flows into her that she’s so lost in being the Creator of a world when she wasn’t ready. That’s why it was so much work. I’ve stood beside her, helped her shift through it all. And we’d just reached the end of that path.”

She gestured to the cathedral. “All roads lead home.”

In the blink of an eye, Morrigan was gone. So was his child, leaving only the empty casket at the foot of the altar. No, now his wife resided inside it, and it was an adult coffin. Her shocked and bloodied face still questioning why Hades had killed her… Why he had to kill her…

The world rumbled, and the cathedral fell away into a black void that consumed the pieces within an instant. He and his dead wife stared at each other for several moments until the collapse took even them.