Dinner progressed without much event, actually seeming to be artificially rushed for some reason. Riyxia and her father finished their meal quickly in silence before quickly disappearing again for some sort of father and daughter moment.

Sryine and Vwyx worked together with Riyxia’s mother to get everything cleaned up after dinner, knowing better than to get in the way. In both of their cases, Riyxia had given them room to work out the things they needed with their other families, so it would only be fair that they returned that same sense of privacy for Riyxia. However, after Riyxia’s departure seemed to be prolonged and extended, the two girls couldn’t help but wonder if everything was alright. Riyxia’s mother had explained again for them just how much Riyxia’s father had suffered, leaving the two girls worried at how much suffering Riyxia was adopting as a matter of process. Vwyx went to check on the laboratory, just to make sure Riyxia was alright.. only to find the place without occupants. Sryine went to the library in order to find some relaxation, though none of the books really appealed to her at the moment. Vwyx eventually gave up on the search and met up with Sryine in the library, absolutely uncertain what to do about the situation. The strangest part was that she couldn’t even pinpoint Riyxia’s shimmer, a feeling that left her extra alarmed. At that moment however, Riyxia burst through the back door of the mansion, her proud face brimming with ambition. She headed directly for the library, feeling eager to proceed.

“Great, it looks like you two are ready too, so we had better get going. The day has started to run late, the sun has started to set, so how about we go check up on what Liyuzhe has been up to?” “Riyxia, there you are! Where have you been, I’ve been looking all over for you?” “Oh, sorry, I had my hands full working on something with my father. I got all of that worked out though, everything is going great. Sorry about worrying you both though, it was just something I needed to take care of on my own.” It seemed Riyxia hadn’t wanted her friends to have found her, so Vwyx didn’t have a chance of success in her search. She mostly didn’t want to involve them yet in such a thing, it just wasn’t the right time for it. However, it seemed now was the time Riyxia believed was the best opportunity to advance on the observatory. Sryine was keenly aware that this was actually the exact same time of day they had originally advanced on the observatory, a keen sense of deja-vou passing over her. It was like the past was repeating itself, that this whole thing had already happened before. This time though, they were far more prepared, far wiser about what they were working with. They had to stop Liyuzhe, and they were going to do just that.

The three girls quickly bid their farewells and left the mansion in the direction of the observatory. Vwyx however slowed a bit behind the others, having an uncanny feeling that they were being followed. Catching back up to the others, she brushed past Riyxia’s backpack, feeling a faint rush of heat deprivation from it. Wait, was something wrong with the backpack? Riyxia however seemed completely fine, not even a shiver in the cold night. Riyxia though seemed very focused, a stern fury having settled over her. Wait, was she augmented right now? Actually, that made sense, facing Liyuzhe was often dangerous, they shouldn’t at all be letting their guard down. Sryine technically would be augmented right now too, the oversaturation of her flame wouldn’t have it any other way. In that way, it was Vwyx herself that was being foolish, the only one not currently augmented. The chill reminded her too, she had a strong responsibility ahead, to demonstrate that they could really depend on the frost to come to their aid, it was something else she would have to be prepared for. She thus brought her augmentation into play and put on one of the comsets they had handy. That sparked inspiration from the others, realizing that they should also take from Vwyx’s example and be prepared with comsets of their own. Riyxia’s however quickly malfunctioned, so she passed it back to Vwyx for safekeeping. This too was strange, leaving Vwyx to perplex over the issue while she tried to quickly repair the instrument.

Sryine noticed the faint flicker of light from the top window of the observatory, the same window still shattered when someone had been thrown from it. Someone really was here, Riyxia hadn’t been wrong to worry about it. A small familiar pulse in the distance established her concerns further, it was a rift shift from a phase gate, Ieqyisa. Sryine pondered for a moment tapping into her acceleration, though she wasn’t sure yet to what end that would be good for. Her opponent had already exposed signature signs of her own presence, Sryine felt it might be wiser to wait a moment more before revealing herself. She grasped her contained arm with the other, another surprise being contained for the right moment. Soon, it would be time for her to make use of her fears, to bring water to her command to deal with any possible threats.

“You know, I’m not even surprised. I mean, it’s not like you had left any signs of your approach.. except maybe hitting up a restaurant that Fhyernx knew very well.. but it really was never a question of if you would be coming.. only when. Hells, it would have been nicer for you to have at least waited until morning, this ungodly hour of the night is almost as bad as Ieqyisa. Wait, I’m guessing that was the point, wasn’t it? Smart, smart. Alright then, but I insist that you really can’t go any further. I really hate that it’s come to this, but it seems I’m going to have to get you out of the way if I have any plans to finish things up around here.” “Oh, more threats then, huh? Like back at the mountain? Did you even look at the results of your stupid little test yet to see just how much of a problem you’re actually getting your hands into?” “Oh, actually yes, the results were very impressive. I especially loved the black glass scattered across the sands. Anti-matter, such a thing transcends legends, with only faint rumors of it being spoken about from the dawn of the instrumentation era. Sand however made for such a horrible candidate in the process, totally the wrong composition.. too hard to purify, left far too many stone elements behind.” Liyuzhe was clearly being open to sharing about her findings with Riyxia not out of some cliche exposition, but as a matter of verbal brainstorming. Liyuzhe needed more information, and knew they had plenty, she just needed to provoke them enough to provide what information she still needed. There were also concerns for her about the conditions of this confrontation, the environment didn’t lend well for conflict, which made her hesitant in beginning any open hostilities.

“Fascinating, really, but nothing about what I was talking about. Did you notice nothing about the state of your beasts, once exposed to the flame?” “That they were far more powerful? Oh yes, it was very impressive. I can see the grounds for your worries though, containing the flame can be difficult in the best of times, and failure could be dangerous. Did you know though that the flame is itself designed to be self-containing then? It tries to destroy things, but once left inside a cage of its own destruction, it has nowhere to go. The very desolation it creates then works to contain it, we just need to harvest higher and higher qualities of anti-matter, creating cages to trap higher and higher strengths of the flame. It’s very obvious what potential we’re working with as well. Such beasts were so mighty and powerful.. and yet were obliterated when faced by the might of a brighter flame. I really can’t believe I was a step behind you all that time, I was going to tap into a faint trickle of the flame, you carried out a giant vessel of its might. But that just led me to understand, I just need to find better options, right? The vent here can offer such a powerful and contained flow, giving us even more to work with.. but it is also with the complexity of that potential that there is room for even greater. The source, I believe Khyzae called it, the very thing she had personally tapped into. If the vent here is so perfect for containing a flow of the flame, why simply limit my options to the lesser, right? Why not tap into the purest of options and get the best results possible.. nothing would be more efficient.” Riyxia’s scowl at Liyuzhe’s statement sharpened as things proceeded. This was exactly what she feared Liyuzhe would be up to, the temptation of the source to provide the best possible power source would be too much for Liyuzhe to bear.

“How exactly are you planning to use the foundations of a world to overpower something capable of destroying worlds? How could you honestly expect anything Celesi could stand up to the source and not be overwhelmed?” “Oh, that one is easy, because of you. You stood up to the source, you stand here in control of its might, you’re living proof that the whole thing is possible.” “I’m not living proof, by the divine! I’m the walking dead!” “Yes, because Khyzae had expected the stars, not the flame, she didn’t have handy what would be needed to deal with such a thing. Had Khyzae not been left with limited resources, had I not left her to do everything on her own, there would have been no way she could have failed. So I’m sorry I’m late to the whole party, but this time I’ve come with the resources needed to make things right again.” Riyxia paused, drawing a connection to Liyuzhe’s proclamation. This was the same sort of descent into madness that her father had faced too, Liyuzhe was just in the same way blaming herself for the whole ordeal, not willing to back down at all. However, unlike her father, Liyuzhe was fully convinced she had the solution before her, that Khyzae had simply left everything for her to finish what was started. Riyxia silently cursed the stubborn preparedness of that side of her, that subtle ability to shift events completely towards her will. It was a side of her that was haunting her own progress.. even if it also remained a factor that also helped her now. In a way, Khyzae was both a friend and an enemy to their cause, shifting events well beyond the grave. The only way Riyxia could succeed would be to make use of the same ability to shift things further to her own advantage.

“So there really is nothing I could say that would convince you, instead there is nothing left but to protect you from yourself. I really wished that there might have been a better way, but it seems your stubbornness only leaves room for the hard way. Look, I understand you’re craving the discovery of a great source of power, something to revolutionarily progress the world forward, but you’re not going to find it like this, you’re only going to find death.” “So that’s it, huh? Hells… You know, you really picked the worst of occasions.” “You’re not comfortable fighting here either, are you? That makes sense, this place has an importance for both of us. If it’s okay with you, I would recommend we both withdraw to another location, somewhere putting enough distance from this place so that it stays safe. I hear there is a lake nearby, maybe that would prove a better environment for us to work everything out.” “Oh my, you really have done your research then, haven’t you? So I’m guessing you expect Ieqyisa to open up a gate to such a location, and we all just start fighting on the other side?” “No, that might not be so fair. You three can go to that location, get stuff together, and we shall surprise you with an arrival of our choosing, much as we’ve done here. I surmise such terms would be agreeable to you?” “Ah, not bad, though I must insist on some added stipulations. At no time before our confrontation are you to enter the observatory, the lake, or above the trees. Having us back away from what we’re protecting just wouldn’t make sense otherwise, terms I’m sure you would agree with. Additionally, if you feel so attached to the lake side, I would then recommend going to the clearing on the far opposite side of the lake, such would give us both the most room to work with. Do be ready once you arrive, I wouldn’t want you to regret it.” Riyxia nodded her agreement to Liyuzhe’s terms, accepting the stage of battle before them. Liyuzhe returned the nod, organizing her two companions through a gate so that they could begin preparations of their own. Sryine and Vwyx were rather stunned at how formal everything had just turned out.

“You know, if I were to just slip into the observatory with my acceleration, there was no way anyone would notice. Even if the place has traps, they wouldn’t even have a way to know I was there in the first place.” “Maybe, but I would still feel better if we stick to the agreement for now instead. Such terms even provide us with clear indications of where we need to direct our attention once we take care of things across the lake, so we can look into it right afterwards, no time wasted. Liyuzhe had provided us with plenty of information, and managed to get very little from us in the process, so I think putting a stop to what they are doing would be far more important than poking our noses into what had already been done.” Sryine was surprised at the subtle feeling of respect Riyxia was displaying for the people who still were their enemies. However, she also recalled Riyxia’s proclamation earlier, about her coming to terms with the Khyzae side of herself too. To Khyzae, Liyuzhe was a close friend, so maybe this was just how Riyxia chose to respect that friendship. Thinking that way, she really felt she had to simply respect Riyxia’s decision.

“If that’s the way things are going to be, then what are we waiting around for? Sryine can just rush us right over there, we can show up and catch them all by surprise.” “I’m actually certain that is exactly what Ieqyisa is predicting right now, it’s not going to surprise anyone. What would be a far better surprise would be for us to go far slower, simply going for a walk around the lake taking our own sweet time. The three of us are rested, meanwhile they aren’t, delaying will actually work to our advantage. Sure, someone like Fhyernx is going to start worrying that we broke the deal in the process, but Liyuzhe will understand. You are still correct, if we’re going to go for a walk, then we might as well get started.” Vwyx paused in surprise at this sudden shift, Riyxia coming up with such strong and specific predictions. Riyxia had been presenting a series of plans that came with delays, stuff they had simply shut down, and the plan had shifted. This time though, Riyxia’s delays were very well thought out, the nature of the whole structure feeling very different. Thinking about it too, the earlier delays were always because she was worried about how Sryine or Vwyx were fairing.. this time that wasn’t a concern that troubled her.

Troubling though was cresting over the hill of the observatory and witnessing the expanse beyond it. When Riyxia was told about a lake, she had imagined something much smaller than this.. instead, she was faced with a short stretch of trees before an almost endless expanse that crested beyond her vision. Could a lake really be this huge? This was far more of a hike than she had originally estimated, but that just implied that they wouldn’t have the opportunity to take it all at a casual stroll. That was fine, there was plenty of augmentation to go around, even running the distance wouldn’t be exhausting for anyone. Leading the pack in demonstration of her own resolution, Riyxia picked up the pace and briskly made her way to the lake, beginning her progress around it while still within the cover of the trees. The scenery was something to behold too, even if the large body of water remained reasonably foreboding. Sryine personally was really reflecting upon just how scary the lake could be, even though this wasn’t her first experience here. There was nothing actually changed about it, but it really felt so different, from calm to hostile. No, the lake might not have changed, it was instead her that had changed. Even so, this was perfect, she would have very easy access to such a premium supply of water, all ready to bend to her command. A sharp night wind bristled through the air, lending the impression that the wind was ready to work with her to such ends.

The wind however brought Vwyx a very different message, as she started to shiver in the night’s breeze. It was actually getting really cold, and the presence of the lake was only making that feeling get worse. Still, even with such threats presented by the sky, she was confident she could reverse such problems to her own advantage, to invoke the cold to the advantage of her own flame, even against other flames. In that consideration, she made use of her comset to get a review of the surroundings from another perspective. One of the most glaring things that stood out at this point was that there was actually a blanket of the flame everywhere, which generally rendered itself ineffective against the natural aptitude of the environment, but visibly having a specific origin.. the bottom of the lake itself, around the middle of it. No wonder Liyuzhe had asked them not to enter the lake, that’s where the vent was found. This also made it really easy to put a few other pieces together, that they had some stuff of importance in the observatory.. the easiest thing to predict. Also, their flying fortress was probably hovering around somewhere nearby, which is why they were asked to not take to the sky. Two locations that in fact really sucked, now that she thought about it. Actually, maybe that’s why the influence of the flame was so weak, all flames simply felt this sort of environment really sucked.

“I’m thinking Liyuzhe is planning to use the environment against us.” “What gives you that idea?” “Because if she’s studied the flame’s vent around here, she is fully aware of how much the flame suffers within it. The cold, the humidity, it’s suffocating. Meanwhile, none of that is going to affect any of her super-powered instruments. Her plan is to then shift the balance in her favour, putting us at such an excessive disadvantage.” “Wait, you found the vent?” “Yup, under the lake, of all places.” Vwyx gave a sigh at Riyxia’s expression, realization of circumstances crossing over Riyxia’s face at last. Sryine simply went pale, even the thought of going for a swim so deep underwater seemed too crazy for her. Oh, worse, what if the fighting actually then moved from the shore into the water, and they were forced to fight an aquatic battle? She recalled the one time they had tried that before, where specifically Riyxia had been forced to do all of the hard work. Oh right, Riyxia had also been really good at holding her breath for irrationally long periods of time too, just how much of a disadvantage would this really be? Hells, if required, she could even give herself a wind shell which would not just protect her from the water.. it could even allow her to pass through it as rapidly as air. Right, the flame was weak to such things, but with her own personal potential.. she could turn all of that around. If each factor of herself worked together, everything would be in her advantage.

Though the night, the three girls raced forward to their destination, the thousands of eyes of the woods following their movement. At no point were they ever actually alone, the unnoticed eyes holding vigilant in their pursuit.