With no sun or clocks Maria had no idea just how long she sat on the plaza, huddled up against Tetra. The only thing that gave her a reference for time was the growth of Yggdrasil.

The beast was increasing in size before her very eyes, growing incessantly. What had been the original seed now resembled a cocoon, a humanoid figure visible within the bright green glow. The sight of it made Maria's stomach churn.

Armoire eventually returned out of the dark, her clothes splattered with bright red blood. The grip around her sword was shaking as the beast returned to her master's side, who struggled to get back up at the sight of her.

"Well, what did you find, books, weapons, treasure? Are they, are they gone?" The tension in Maria's voice faded as she saw the look of discomfort on her servant's face, how she was avoiding eye contact.

"Nothing but corpses, master." Her blade disappeared in a cloud of golden dust as she dropped it. "Ten floors, each as full as the last. They burned easy enough."

With a heavy sigh Armoire looked up into the void, her hands clenched behind her back. "I don't know for certain but, I think they were smiling as they burned. Every time I looked closely I saw nothing of the sort, but whenever I try to think back it is all I can see."

Maria did not dare to follow her servant's gaze, she instead kept it on Armoire herself. "They looked at me, all of them were staring at me when I had the crown." Her hand clenched hard around the silver wreath. "How come you can look up, just like that?"

Her words pulled Armoire's attention back to her master, she shrugged. "I am not afraid of my great sister, why would I be afraid of them. And besides, they are hardly alive and barely sentient. No, they are not what I am worried about."

"And what is that, then?" Maria was struggling to stay on her feet with her ankle burning in pain. "Everything is going to plan, no? Sin is clearing out these places, Yggdrasil is growing and Menagerie is busy with making my army."

"We are pushing our enemy to the corner, and knowing my old comrades they may start employing very desperate measures to stop us." Her hands were twitching. "I could not tell the armour or chapter of any of our last assailants, they have held back their elite. And this terrain is perfect for them."

She pointed out to the streets leading into the plaza. "Even Menagerie's mightiest pets are fodder for the great chapters, and there is no way to surround them properly. If they manage to take the fight to these choke points, master, I fear they will just slowly cut their way to the heart. To you."

"Then what do you think we should do?" Maria could not banish the worry from her voice as she followed Armoire's gaze across the streets. She could already see them before her inner eye, row after row, marching against her.

"We fight outside, right?" Tetra speaking up had the two look at her in surprise. The sage pulled her hat further over her face, squirming at the sudden attention. "Well, that is just basic tactics, in the open field we could leverage our numbers better, as well as give us more time. I could also start laying traps, at the right spots they could be very effective."

With her still being the crutch of her master she only had one hand free, with which she pulled out a large map from her bag. With a flick of her wrist it unfurled in the air in front of them. It was a rather detailed, if hastily drawn map of the city and the surrounding flat lands.

In it's centre, not far from where they stood, was a wide open square, with four smaller ones connected to it in each semi cardinal direction. Between these five ran a web of roads, large and small. Tetra pulled her master in a little closer as she spoke.

"Each one of these big roads is like a choke point, especially because they are the most obvious and direct paths to the centre. I say we let them pass, should they reach the city proper, and then spring the trap as my runes blow them to kingdom come!"

With a snap of her finger the map rolled itself up and returned to her waiting hand. Her eyes were darting from Armoire to her master, her smile gradually faltering as she once more pulled her hat back down. "I, I apologise, wise master, sister, I-I merely wished to help."

"Well you sure did, sister." Armoire gave her a pat on the shoulder, making Tetra let out a surprised gasp. "Just mark everything on the map so I don't take the wrong turn and blow myself up."

Their merry bonding was interrupted by the sound of footsteps from the south, drawing nearer. Sin had returned, hands behind her back. She bowed after reaching Maria. "The towers have been emptied as you wished, my master. They held nothing but corpses, the last dregs of a bygone age. I hope this can calm you?"

Before her closed eyes Maria could still see the image of the dead gazing at her, nonetheless she nodded. "One less thing to worry about. What now?"

Sin´s gaze turned from Maria to her sisters. "Now it is first time for you two to return to your posts and prepare, I will take care of our master for now."

She took Tetra´s place as Maria´s crutch, watching them as they walked off into the street. "I would wish to speak with you in private, my master." Sin pointed to the opening leading into one of the many buildings, and with her master´s approval lead her there.

Sitting down at the table in what appeared to be a form of living room didn't put Maria at ease, it only increased her worry. Everything was cut out of the same material without any signs of use. She could not help but shake the feeling that it never had been intended to be used.

Her servant did not sit down, she staid at her side instead. "My master." She continued to hide her squirming hands behind her back, unable to meet her gaze. "Your power, your authority, it has grown. Far beyond what I thought possible."

Maria looked back at her and rose her eyebrows. "I mean that is all I am good for, isn't it? If all I can do is give orders then I better be able to do it well, or I could hardly even stand looking at myself."

"No, my master, you truly undersell your capacity." Sin laid a hand on her shoulder. "Your authority is forcing your will upon your servants, my master. Such assertion is rare, and you do it without even thinking. But I did not imagine that it could be so absolute as to have my body act on it´s own. My master."

The silence between them was deafening as Sin walked to the opening in the wall resembling a window. "The coming battle means everything. The dream of your family, my dream, finally in reach. We, I, cannot fail."

Sin leaned forward as her fingers dug into the stone frame, cracking under her grip. "If we should be put into danger of failure, we should wake the old one in the sea. If there is a being since the times of the Ancients that could control it, it would be you. It could turn the tide no matter what they bring to bear upon us and."

Her mouth fell shut as Maria got up to her feet, Sin could not look back as her master slowly approached her. She closed her eyes and prepared for the worst, only to feel Maria´s arm wrapping around her waist.

"Why are you talking as if you are going to die." Maria was resting her head on her back, clinging tightly to Sin.

Sin could not see her masters face, only hear the pain in her voice. "I am merely trying to think, my master. They found a way to kill my sisters, they are losing control, not to consider the option would be madness."

"I promised Eli that I would not let them wake, and I am not going to entertain the thought of you leaving me either." Maria´s arm was trembling under the strain of trying to hug Sin. "So long as I live, you will too. One shan't leave without the other, right?"

Sin slowly turned around and wrapped her arms around Maria and ran a hand through her master´s hair. "I will let nothing on this world or another keep me from your side, my master. I apologise for causing you grief, I merely wished to voice the option. It is a much weaker being than those laying out there in the dark, perhaps we could turn it into something useful after your victory."

"My victory." Maria eyed up to Sin´s face and managed to form a smile. "I'll finally have my coronation. Mom would be so proud of me."

From the outside came a loud screeching sound that echoed through the city, enough to make Maria´s ears ring.

Sin closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "I suppose that is my most beloved sister making her presence known. At least least she is kind enough to notify us."

Outside they found the cocoon having burst, splattering the tree and it´s roots with black blood. Where it had once been now was the upper body of Yggdrasil, as scarred and blind as ever, though her lips were curled to a smile of bliss.

"Ah my master, and dear sister." Her vines had begun to spread across the streets at a breakneck pace, their many eyes pinned on them. "I must have finally awoken your humanity, to plant me in a place like this. No hunger, endless growth." Even as she spoke here human body was maturing, already having the appearance of a young adult.

"Who knew that all it took for you to know your place was to be fed." Sin shrugged and snapped her fingers. "Do you already know what your task is or do you need to be told?"

Yggdrasil crossed her arms in front of her chest, answering her sister with a pout. "Oh don't be that way, can you not speak to the blood of your blood without an insult? I am well aware. This is the place of our birth, no? We aer on the other side of the great seal, which can only mean that I was put here to shatter it once and for all."

Maria took a step forward, causing all of her servant´s eyes to stare at her. "Yes, but you are not to interfere with it yet. We still need to prepare for the reaction of our enemy, we cannot startle them too soon."

"Why of course,my master." With a coo Yggdrasil ran her hand across her trunk. "I will continue to feed and grow, until my roots have spread to every inch of this world, until they've wrapped themselves around that pesky seal, ready to crush it at your wish."

Sin was tapping the ground with her foot, unable to hide her fangs. "For now though you are to send me and the master back, we still have business to take care of elsewhere."

"Yes yes, as you command, dear great sister." Yggdrasil clapped her hands, causing the same green circle of vines to start forming around Sin and Maria.

The young master held onto Sin, looking at her as the vines began to glow. "So, what is it exactly we need to do back home?"

"Well, my master." As the light grew blinding Sin´s words rang all the louder in her ears.

"We need to coordinate with your wife, of course. But more importantly, you need to rest."