Ruinous Return

"Bring in the next one!" Cecily shouted as she pushed the now-corpse into the chute that fed down into a pit. She was in the rear courtyard, and she had a whole cadre of thralled servants who were bringing her bound, gagged, and terrified people. Those who were unable to wield weapons in the name of their princess.

She had set several of the servants to torturing following explicit guidelines, and she would personally slit their throats and harvest their mana cores. Within days, she had slain over ten-thousand people – and it wasn't enough. "I need more!" she shouted. "Pick up the pace!"

The servants began bringing more of the terrified people in. Valagonia's citizens who were crippled, old, or otherwise unfit to serve. The only exception she had to her selection of mass sacrifice were women of child-bearing age, mothers, and children not old enough to hold a weapon.

The rest were fodder for her machinations. Harvesting mana cores. With each cut of the knife, plunge of her hand into the neck, and consumption of their core…she gained a larger mana reservoir. All the remaining citizens of Valagonia had come to her capital. This is where she would make her final stand. The people were fanatics and would fight to the death for their prophesied ruler against the hordes of non-Humans that were starting to arrive on the horizon, within sight of the enormous walls of her city.

There were cannons atop the fortifications, as well as ballistae and catapults. Behind the wall, in the cleared-out area between the wall and the city proper, trebuchets stood at the ready. The remaining firearms were given out to the various garrisons that had traveled with the people of Valagonia to the capital. The rest were given more medieval arms and armor.

"I need them to come faster!" Cecily shouted as she mechanically sliced throats and harvested mana cores. She looked at the servants who were busy digging the next pit. "Just get a fire going in the current pit! Then help the rest bring more!" The two men hauled themselves up and out of the pit, running into the palace before coming back with oil and lighting the pit of corpses.

Just a bit more, Cecily thought as she kept on butchering the citizens who practically worshipped her, only now at the end realizing the true monster that she was. She was heedless of the blood coating her body, the wild expression on her new face, or the surging mana practically oozing out of her mana channels. I need more.

She knew Lyn was strong. The strongest being on all Ghomar. Cecily would have to take risks to ensure that she stood atop the world and was its ruler. Risks such as devastating her population. Risks such as opening this abyss storage dimension.

It was her only chance. Even if she killed every single person in Cecilaria to harvest their cores, she would only be able to do a single battlefield-level spell that could wipe out an army…and that would drain all her mana. It did not come back as rapidly as her Ruler core's mana did. Such a spell would drain her for multiple days.

The hours passed in grisly labor as she soaked the ground around her and had stained her hands red. The smell of charred meat assaulted her nostrils as the screams of those placed under her knife violated her ears. To an onlooker, she was a ghoulish killer who was slaying those brought to her. But all of her servants, every citizen in Valagonia, knew that she was doing what needed to be done.

Only those who were tortured before being placed under her knife saw the true horror of the woman that ruled them. A woman who once was the top of her class, had positioned herself to rule a kingdom, was betrayed by the Paragon hero, and then took over a different kingdom through guile and political will. A woman who was ruthless, crushed her enemies, drove them before her army and then slaughtered them like cattle. A prophesied ruler due to her machinations.

By the time night fell there were no more people to kill. "That's the last of them?" Cecily asked as a trio of servants brought a tub of hot water out for her to wash herself of the ichor and viscera.

Her spymaster nodded. "Everyone who fell under your criteria have been harvested, Your Grace."

Cecily allowed her servants to scrub her clean of the blood. She felt the immense power swelling in her chest and laughed. Her voice was higher pitched in this new body. It was also scarred with Elenthir verses to increase her longevity, constitution, and make her naturally resistant to almost every type of damage she could endure. Combined with the body enhancement she had put the body through when it was still in a state of suspended animation…she would be very, very difficult to injure, let alone kill.

Once she was clean enough, she exited the tub, and her servants brought her clothing. She dressed there in the courtyard, listening to the crackling and popping of the burning corpses in the charnel pit. "Now…we go to activate the inscription."

Lyn stopped her lightspeed travel and flapped in place above her army, which had arrayed itself just on the horizon line within view of Cecilaria. She focused her vision on the walls and cursed under her breath. The walls themselves were inscribed, and as she read the Elenthir verses, she knew that there was no way she could enter from above. The inscription was being fueled, and she could see the slight, multicolored flicker in the skies above the walls. And the words state it's a sphere around the whole place.

This type of inscription was very, very obtuse. It would prevent anything from entering – except for air. But the spell was not very mana intensive, because it only went from the top of the walls to create a "dome" of sorts over the top, and one that went underground as well. Even going in through the sewers isn't an option. The walls, however, were fair game. She could get in through a gate or just bash the walls down.

She flew down to her army's camp and made her way to the command tent. The troops of all different races – Sloren, Ari, Newen, Duskari, Humans, and even some Fosk and Vharthon who had joined more recently – all bowed to her and showed her reverence. One of the soldiers held the tent flap open for her, and she entered. Inside, Marshal Remora, Strike Commander Slanosh, and Steward Mol argued and pointed at a map. "Ahem," she said in Shereldian.

The trio looked at her and saluted, fingers held like a claw over the heart. "Empress Rivers, we did not expect you this early," Remora said as she relaxed her stance.

"Report."

The marshal nodded. "They have siege equipment atop the walls. We cannot send ravens above the city to scout, so our only counts on their numbers are from what we could observe with spyglasses. I'd estimate approximately fifty-thousand defenders, but they do not look well trained."

"Every duchy was emptied," Slanosh stated. "Every man, woman, child, all were gone. We haven't fought anything thus far."

Lyn looked around. "Where is the commander of King Skir's army?"

"He be out inspectin' tha troops," Mol replied. "In total, we got tirty thousand."

Remora nodded. "Just about seventeen thousand of our own troops, and fifteen thousand from King Skir. We don't have any siege equipment with us, but we have engineers out and felling trees to make equipment."

Lyn shook her head and walked over to the map. "Very well. I can help put the siege equipment together. I want siege towers."

"Fergive me, lass. Why? They'll be targets," Mol asked.

"I will transmute them from wood into titanium. A lot heavier, but much, much harder. Impenetrable to even those cannons. It is the safest way to approach the walls." She pointed to a span of land on the map that was directly in front of the walls and across from her army. "You did a good job, setting up on the longest length with the flattest ground."

The tent flap opened again, and a tall brick of a man walked into the room. He had a broad, square torso and was enormous – dwarfing Lyn's own size. He went to a knee and bowed his head as he saw Lyn. "Empress Rivers, I am honored to meet you," he said in Triskol.

"Rise. What is your name?" Lyn replied in his language.

The man stood up, his plate armor creaking just so slightly. "I am called Robert the Stout, my lady. Commander of King Skir's armies."

"Pleased to have you join us, Commander. Please, come up. We have plans to discuss." Lyn turned back to the battle map and looked at Mol, swapping to Shereldian. "How fast can we make those siege towers?"

"We kin do it in two days."

Lyn shook her head. "Not fast enough. Have the troops bring me the raw wood. I'll make them before I sleep tonight. And, I'll flatten the terrain." She looked up at Remora. "I'll need a tent and a heavy guard. I plan on sleeping as much as possible so that I may unleash all of my power tomorrow."

Remora nodded and pointed down at the map. "Are we going to focus all of our towers at one point?"

Lyn shook her head. "Better to spread out our forces. The downside is that we will be unable to field our cavalry. It will be a melee until we get atop the walls and can send our archers up." She looked at Mol. "I have never been to this city. How wide are the streets? Enough to make use of our ram riders?"

Mol nodded. "Aye, broad streets. Whole packs o' rams ken charge."

Lyn nodded. "Then we have to also make a hole. The easiest will be this gate," she said tapping the paper. "I can clear it with a few blows."

"Forgive me, Empress," Robert stated in Shereldian. "But could you not simply level the walls yourself?"

Lyn shook her head. "I could, but I must save my power. Cecily is still alive, and I must be ready to exert my full might against what she plans to do."

"What is she going to do?" Remora asked.

Cecily arrived at the prepared chamber. She gestured, and the mages in her service all channeled mana into the inscriptions surrounding her storage inscription to access this abyss. The prismatic walls rose up around her and formed a cube – an emergency measure to prevent whatever was inside from escaping.

Alright. This is it. Cecily had another backup ready to go – another one of the girls in the VEROG program who was on standby in stasis with a dungeon core implanted should Cecily fail. But…she only had the one remaining backup. This better be worth it, she thought as she knelt and placed her hands on the center of the elaborate inscription.

She poured her mana into the spell carved upon the stone floor. It began to glow with the deep, rosy, red of her new mana core. The whole room began to glow brighter and brighter, and she could feel her enormous reservoir of mana slowly drain out of her. She could feel it depleting, little by little, as she began to breathe more raggedly. Not yet! A little more. The inscription was almost full.

As she sucked in shuddering breaths, the inscription filled entirely, and the storage dimension opened. There was an odd, golden film over the entrance. Strange. She stood up on shaky legs before she gripped the sides of the aperture that was the size of a doorway. She saw the golden barrier bulge out toward her – as if something was trying to break out. She could see the shape of hands reaching out toward her, held in check by the barrier.

"Aelor above," one of the mages on the perimeter of the room whispered.

"The abyss holds monsters," another one chimed in.

The one she had thralled shouted over the other two. "Maintain the inscription! Our princess knows what she is doing."

No, I don't, Cecily thought as she let out a laugh. But I have no choice. Whatever these…things are…I have to find out if I can use them. It's my only chance. She took a deep breath and plunged her hand into the golden film.

Immediately her arm – no, not her arm, her mana channel – was gripped by dozens of hands. She felt them probing along and up the length of the mana channel, stopping at the golden barrier which seemed to still keep them contained. "What are you?" Cecily asked in Shereldian.

She heard voices – all overlapping and in Elenthir. She could make out a few words in the clamorous din. "Freedom," "Revenge," and "Conquer."

"Alright. Here's the deal," she replied in Shereldian. "Since you can obviously understand me somewhat. I need whatever power it is you can offer me."

More voices, but eventually they began to quiet, and a single voice spoke to her in broken Shereldian. "You seek power?"

"Yes!" Cecily replied. "I need power to defeat my foes and rule Ghomar. Help me, and I release you."

"We…help."

"As long as I get to rule," Cecily replied. "It's what I deserve."

"Barrier…remove…we enter…we help."

Cecily looked at the barrier and nodded tersely. "I will need to discern how to break it."

"Repeat." The voice slowly incanted an Elenthir verse, and Cecily followed the instructions. After casting the spell, she felt her slim remainder of mana drain the rest of the way as the golden barrier faded.

She felt a rush of wind as something moved past her. She heard the screams of the mages who collapsed to the ground as they writhed on the floor. "What did you do?" Cecily asked.

She could feel the hands gripping her mana channel grow into the thousands, clawing their way up her body and into the center of her being. She screamed, feeling an oppressive weight collapsing in her mind.

In her thoughts, a voice resonated. Ah, much better. Thank you for being a willing host.

"We had a deal!" she shouted. "You help me, and in exchange I free you. My part of the bargain is struck."

Yes. The Elenthians who remained, return to take over Ghomar. The thoughts echoed in her mind. We will take over the mana cores of those in this city, and once we have improved upon them enough…we will reshape this world into our image.

"But I wanted to rule! It's what I deserve."

You will rule. I am simply here to advise, to guide, to give you knowledge; for knowledge is power. Occasionally, I may take over to ensure your survival.

Her mouth stopped responding. Her whole body stopped listening to her, and she felt herself turn around as she walked to the door. The voice coming out of her mouth spoke in Elenthir, and she understood all of it.

"Come, brothers and sisters. Let us conquer this world. We may be small in number for now…but this world belongs to us."

The now-possessed mages around Cecily let out a cheer and began running up the stairs. The storage dimension behind her snapped shut. "Oh, do not worry, child of another world. I am only taking over for a short moment." She felt her body come back under her control. Now, just follow my instructions…

Lyn was just putting the finishing touches on her spells to shift the wooden siege towers into their metal form. She had already terraformed the flatland in front of the capital so that the towers had an easy time of approaching. She retired to her tent and found, to her delight, a tray of food and drink laid out. She devoured the repast and lay down on the soft cot, breathing in the cool, crisp, late-spring nighttime air.

She felt an odd chill go through her. A chill that wasn't because of the temperature. What the fuck? She sat up and felt like she was being watched. But everywhere she looked – she saw nothing. What is going on?

Something grabbed her arm, and she jerked it away. Looking where her arm was being pulled, she saw nothing. "Who is there?" she shouted as she stood up and drew Cataclysm, switching the weapon to its dual dagger form for close-quarters combat.

She felt something grab her arm and looking down saw nothing. What is it? She felt it clawing at her as if trying to gain purchase.

Then, it struck her. Cecily opened the abyss! It's one of the trapped entities. The ethereal plane…The words in Elenthir came to her – thanks to the Mage core – as she thought of her desires. "Esta nin larthin / pour vi rhaw / hen thi achandeur." Her whole body shifted into the ethereal realm, along with all of her gear and equipment, effectively putting her physical body into the same plane of existence that her mana core and mana channels existed.

Unlike the inscription the Elenthians used, which completely freed them from their bodies, Lyn's spell just pushed her body into the same plane of existence as her mana core and channels. She did not leave behind her body entirely like they had. Which meant she could still use spells and return to a corporeal state after dealing with what Cecily had unleashed.

A Humanoid figure held her arm. An Elenthian, who looked just like the ones she saw in the statues on the Ruins of Elent. It let her go and backed off as she swung with her knives and took up a defensive stance.

"Let me guess," Lyn replied in the language of magic. "You were released by a woman named Cecily."

The face looked up at her and was filled with resolve and determination. "You…you have Raeloran's power."

"I'm Lyn Rivers, Empress of the Eternal Empire. And you are?"

"Vroxar, breaker of armies."

Lyn chuckled. "I consumed your dungeon core. Fun dungeon. Slaying an army was quite the rush."

Vroxar's face shifted slightly, became less resolved, and was filled with curiosity. "You…you are strong."

"Yes. What is your intent?"

The Elenthian slowly stood, and Lyn floated backward, as gravity had no influence in this state of being. "We tried to kill Raevan and Aelor. And yet you brook no ill will?"

"I do not," Lyn replied.

Vroxar crossed his arms. "My compatriots flew out and found powerful mana cores within that city. I, however, sensed a far stronger mana core…yours." He grinned. "I want it. With it, I can rule all Ghomar!" He lunged forward, and Lyn simply held up the dagger. He stopped. "Do you believe you can harm me in this form? I'm invincible!"

"You're an idiot if you believe that. This is my world," Lyn growled as her voice dropped to the draconic tone. "I will rule it and shape it after my desires." Using the Spellblade hero core, she imbued her blades with the raw power from the dungeon of Raevan. They shimmered with dark, black and crimson energy that then rotated through the whole color spectrum.

Thanks to Gina's Oracle core, she was able to determine what that multicolored light was from when she claimed Raevan's half of the Destroyer core. Sheer, raw destruction. Pure annihilation. The most mana-intensive alongside the power of raw creation itself. However, channeled into her blade, the mana cost was not nearly as hefty…and anything she struck would be unraveled. Not even Raevan had this power of pure destruction. Sure, she destroyed – but using other methods. Not sheer annihilation. The power to ruin with a thought or touch.

It was Lyn's new delete button. Reality could cease at her will. Well, parts of reality.

"It was our world first!" Vroxar shouted as he dodged her swipes. "You have no right—"

"You want to talk about rights?" Lyn growled as she advanced and he dodged. "I saved this world, and only I have the right to rule it." She lunged forward and slashed across Vroxar's phantasmal form, and where her dagger connected, his spectral body was torn asunder as prismatic fluid seemingly oozed out of the wound.

He screamed, "Impossible!" and floated through the wall of the tent, fleeing in terror. Lyn followed him, caught up with ease, and stabbed the twin daggers into his spine, carving across his back as he floated, still, in space. His form twitched a few times before it turned into the prismatic liquid. There was a vibration through the air as she heard an ear-piercing screech.

Lyn released the spell and dropped a few feet, landing lightly on her feet. She picked up her amulet and focused on every soldier in the army. "To arms!" She shifted her knives into the form of the gigantic hammer and took to the skies to rally her army to fight.

"Where is Vroxar?" the Elenthian named Frier shouted out, temporarily taking control of Cecily's body to communicate with his brethren.

"He left the city chasing down that mana core we sensed."

"Idiot," Frier replied. He had taken control of this female's very potent mana core. The woman who had released the Elenthians back into the world. Enabling them to return to enact their rule. But he could only be in control in bursts, for her will was strong. "Did everyone else find a host?"

"We did," another few voices responded.

"It appears the populace believes that the body you inhabit is a prophesied ruler."

"They are fanatic in their devotion."

"There is an army stationed outside. We outnumber them, but assault would be—"

All of them froze on the steps of the palace as they heard a scream on the ethereal plane. A death scream. They had heard one before. When an ethereal Elenthian was slain – a death cry as reality itself shuddered. "Is that…was that?"

"Vroxar," Frier whispered. "Something killed him."

"How?"

"Nothing can get onto the ethereal plane!"

"I thought we couldn't be killed by any save the gods!"

"Shut up!" Frier shouted over the din of the Elenthians. "We have an army at our walls and decent mana cores. Not as potent as our original cores, but greater than many of these lesser servants." Swapping places. He felt himself 'sink' into the mana core and the body of this Cecily moved under her control.

"Advise me."

Get to the walls. We have to defend. I can give you an army-killing spell. One that even this mana core in this state could use.

She raised her voice, and he fed her words to speak to his allies. "These fanatics will be a good foundation for our new rule. We can mold them into the perfect servants as we conquer all. So, let's get to defending them. Warriors to the walls. The rest of you stay here at the palace, and support with whatever spells you can muster with your cores!"

Lyn flew along her forces as they drew up. She incanted her internal spells to fortify her body, the unique, Berserker variant – keeping her muscles constrained as to not cause undue pain.

Pointing her finger up into the sky, she loosed off a thought-only light elementalism spell that would hover above the battlefield. The radiant, white light shone down on the troops who looked up at her form with awe in their eyes. She raised the hammer aloft and shouted down to them, first in Arinol, then Sloren, Khrelardian, Triskol…every language in rapid succession.

"The Valagonians have unleashed something they cannot control. We must defeat them, tonight! If we don't and what they released escapes our clutches, then this world will fall to ruin! Follow your commanders, listen to orders, and to those who were displaced by these racist bigots…get your vengeance!"

The troops cheered as Lyn swooped over the army, reaching into her storage locker and pulling out a special powder Brad had crafted. Powered Stim. A drug that would increase in reaction time, cognition, and sharpen the senses. The next day, the soldiers would have a wicked headache…but the short-term benefit would be worth it.

She picked up her amulet and rapidly shot off orders. "Thane Mol, your ram riders have the perimeter. None leave. Noncombatants are yours to do what you will with, but the military are to be slain if found fleeing."

"Aye, lass! We be on it!" Thane Mol led the ram riders off as they split from the main force.

The rest of the troops she ordered into the siege towers. They clambered inside the enormous, titanium mobile structures. They were inscribed to be able to move forward on their own on treads rather than wheels, and they began to go across the landscape.

The majority of the army stayed right behind and under Lyn as she flew at a pace they could keep up with. The cannons atop the walls began to belch smoke and flame, and cannonballs impacted the siege towers – but they were barely dented and kept rolling forward inexorably. They are playing smart, targeting the biggest threat, she thought. But they will realize the cannons cannot harm the towers, and—

As if on cue, she spotted the cannons pivoting to instead target her at the head of the army. She raised her hammer and shouted the signature Guardian verse. "Eledir i-naid bain nuin enni / a lint brant enni / losta i-gwath ammen / anirann chem i-gwedh / im i-gothron / a delia i-naid bain."

The entire army was covered with a shimmering, neon-blue barrier – including herself. Thanks to the Guardian core's unique spell, this barrier could cover everyone whilst not having any increase to the mana cost of the spell. And, the Warder core meant that any damage suffered would be halved before actually costing any mana to block. I can protect everyone, she thought. No one dies today. Not while I'm here.

The cannons belched flame, the catapults launched their payloads, and the trebuchet projectiles from behind the wall all slammed into the barrier. The soldiers below her cheered wildly as she kept them safe. She felt the consistent drain on her mana as the barrier continued to absorb projectiles. The siege towers got closer and closer, and the men on the walls scrambled away from the mounted weaponry to face the oncoming assault.

"Charge!" Lyn shouted as she dashed forward, dropping the barrier as she swooped toward the gate. She brought the hammer form of Cataclysm to bear, using the Spellblade core to channel the raw might of sound to empower the blow.

With an enormous, resonating crack, the entirety of the gate – and the stones surrounding it – were blown inward.

Frier barked orders in Shereldian to the troops atop the wall as they prepared to repel the incoming siege towers. He spotted a flying shape that raced toward the wall, and then the whole structure shook as an enormous explosion echoed through the whole city.

What was that? Cecily thought to him.

He peered over the wall and spotted a winged figure wielding a crackling hammer: a draconic Humanoid.

He had to turn to face the incoming soldiers as the siege towers of some unknown material ponderously rolled forward and dropped their doors, the spiked ramps slamming into the top of the wall as soldiers charged forward.

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Imbeciles, he thought. But his control was slipping. "Change places."

Cecily took over and he told her a spell. An army-killing spell. With a maniacal laugh, she held up her hand and cast the spell.

Frier, too, cackled from within.

Lyn was flapping above the street and felt her amulet vibrate. She picked it up and focused her mana into it. "What?"

The voice was Marshal Remora. "Something is happening to the troops!"

Lyn let go of the amulet and flew up to the top of the wall. To her shock and horror, she saw the whole of her troops lying still. In the tower, on the battlefield…all of them were dead. "What happened?" she asked aloud in Arinol.

She felt a pressure against her mind and shook her head. "Anor min / nartho hain i daeth nin," she muttered the internal regeneration spell, and the pressure faded. Scanning the wall, she spotted a woman who looked just like Cecily; albeit younger and covered in scars that Lyn could barely make out under the armor. "What did you do!" she screamed in English as she flew down, shifting the hammer to the spear as she dove.

The voice that spoke was Cecily's, and spoke in English at a slightly higher pitch. "I have the power of the Elenthians with me! This world will be mi-"

Lyn didn't let her speak as she crashed into the line of Valagonian soldiers on the wall, driving them forward as she impaled five in a row before coming to an abrupt stop, "Rus'os'glar!" she shouted. An enormous blast of wind shot out from the spear and blew those atop the fortification away.

"Rude," Cecily said as she pulled her long, thin sword from the ground – having used it to anchor herself, a dull shimmer surrounding her form. Her body's posture shifted slightly. "I'm Frier, and with my help, Cecily slew your army."

Lyn looked out over the battlefield. The Sloren ram riders were still off in the distance, safely patrolling, and she used her enhanced vision to see Remora at the command tent, speaking into her amulet and looking both shocked and frustrated. She drew her attention back to Cecily, "What did you do?" she asked as she took up a ready stance.

"A simple spell, one that desiccated a tiny portion of their brains. Granted, it took a large amount of mana, and I know I cannot fight you in this state." Cecily's body sagged for a moment, and then she took a deep breath before zeroing in on her once more. "We had a deal, Frier! Get back in me and tell me how to win!"

Lyn stomped up to her and grabbed her by the neck, lifting her into the air. "You opened the abyss and let them out!" She began to squeeze. "You killed my army!"

Cecily couldn't respond, and Lyn simply growled and muttered a storage spell, tossing Cecily into the aperture before sealing it behind her. One that had food, water, and air designed for taking prisoners during combat. Lyn looked across the walls and saw the incoming onrush of combatants, Valagonia's troops rallying to their ruler. Fuck. I don't have a choice. She lifted up and flew high into the sky.

Frier floated above the city, watching the draconic woman fly high up out of range of any spells or projectiles. He had abandoned Cecily, having tapped her mana core dry. She was a useless husk, and he scanned the city looking for another mana core. What are you up to? he thought to himself, absentmindedly thinking about the draconic woman.

A mage without peer in his time, he created many of the spell books that the Elenthians passed along to each other. He helped craft the language. His mastery was undeniable. It was why he could easily cast an army-killing spell with comparatively little mana. Targeting a small portion of the brain, and making the spell function like a disease, instant death that rippled out through a whole army.

The draconic woman – this Lyn – transformed her weapon into a sword of blazing, blue flames that dripped down the length of the blade, which caught his attention. He could not hear the incantation, and did not want to risk getting closer. She is an unknown. But if she drains her mana enough, or her resolve weakens enough…I can take control.

He looked out over the battlefield and ramparts as, to his shock and horror, every single body began to stand up. What…how…

Then he realized as the flesh began to slough off around the forms. Ah, undeath. That was still concerning, but not nearly as terrifying as he first thought. He had thought she resurrected the whole of her army, but she had just reanimated bones. Looking at the comparative numbers…he knew the city would fall. I should flee and find another place. Find someone with a stronger mana core that I can—

He instinctively moved backward as Lyn flew down in front of him in ethereal form. Her blade was sparkling with prismatic light, and she growled in a voice that shook him to his innermost being. "You killed what was mine! My troops!" He felt terror in his innermost being as her face distorted and became a draconic visage. "Die."

Frier recognized the sparks along the blade. Something he had seen once before when Raeloran had destroyed an ancient threat from the skies above. Annihilation! He tried to fly away but could not escape; she was far too fast, even on the ethereal plane. He felt the incredible agony along his back and let out a scream as existence ceased.

Darnock, Elenthian shepherd, looked up as he heard the scream of Frier that was suddenly silenced. His possessed body could not perceive the ethereal plane, but he could hear everything. He's…dead?

The body he possessed did not have a strong mana core. Nothing nearly as close to the power that the Elenthian's mana cores had in their prime. I have to escape! We have to flee! He ran into the palace and spotted the verses carved into the ground around the building. There were wards – thousands of them. Intricately layered on top of each other. A bastion! Perfect!

He knelt and activated all of them, feeling his mana drain completely as his body shook with exertion. "I need help here!" he shouted in Elenthir, and to his relief, his Elenthian allies were within the vicinity. Many of them were not combatants and did not go to the walls to fight off the assault.

Together, they had enough mana to charge the incantations. A solid gray shell appeared around the palace, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at his fellows in their possessed shells.

A voice roared out from beyond the barrier, only able to be heard due to their connection to the ethereal plane. "This world is mine to rule! Not yours!"

The woman huddled in her house with her son, gently brushing his hair as she held him close. He was quivering in fear as the roars from above echoed out in some unknown language. The enormous crash that had resonated through the whole city had shaken them, and they waited for the end in their small apartment.

The door rattled for a moment before it was opened by the same kind guard that had let them into the city. "You're safe!" he said as he shut it behind himself and locked it. He moved the small couch in front of the door, and began piling other objects in front of it. "Thank Aelor."

He had been visiting them frequently, using the excuse that she reminded him of passed-away family. And she was grateful for the company as she knew no one in Cecilaria. "What's happening out there?" she asked.

"The dead are attacking the city. Corpses. The palace has activated its wards." He sighed as he slumped to the ground and took off his helmet. "It means we lost. There is nothing to—"

The door was slammed into by something on the other side. He stood up and braced against the piled-up furniture. The sound of rattling and crashing came from the other side, and she screamed as she saw a white, skeletal hand punch through the door. The guard grabbed it and yanked it free of the socket, tossing it to the ground.

"Don't look," she whispered to her son as she covered his eyes. The door began to splinter and crack, and she shut her eyes for a few moments as the horrible cracking sound echoed through the room. She forced her eyes open.

The door was gone, and all that was keeping the living dead in check was the guard holding the couch and other assorted furniture against the door. But soon enough, that tumbled down, and he was swarmed by five skeletal warriors, their metal armor clacking against their bones. They chopped down into him, and she shut her eyes away from the horror.

She heard clattering of bone on metal…and then silence. Opening them and looking up, she saw no trace of the undead. Only the mangled corpse of the kind guard.

Lyn had ensured that her undead would not attack those who had surrendered or were noncombatants, and so she knew that she could wholly focus on this first race who sought to rule through possession. She flew along the walls in her ethereal form, easily able to spot the Elenthians inside of the various people along the fortification. To her current vision, they were spectral bodies overlaying the Human forms.

Each one, she carved into. Each time, a scream echoed out before vanishing as the person collapsed. She did not know if she was killing the host, but she did not care. I lost my whole army, she thought. Thousands killed because of these fuckers! She chopped left and right, and then, once the walls were cleared of all soldiers, she ascended into the skies. Looking down from above, she saw the palace covered with a pure, gray ward. "Thia achandeur edain."

Her vision was overlaid with a film, and she could not see any ethereal entities in the city, save for those within the barrier. Right. I have to get in there. She flew down to the barrier and landed in front of it. Time to see if raw destruction can destroy even multi-layered wards.

She stabbed the greatsword into the gray dome.

Darnock looked up in horror as the gray barrier crackled and came undone. The magical energy shattered and fell into the ground before becoming prismatic dust that faded into nothingness. He began to run up the stairs into the palace. There has to be a safe room of some type! Some way to escape! A tunnel!

He was not alone, as the rest of the Elenthians who possessed subjects were thinking the same thoughts as he was. But he came to a stop as a figure appeared atop the stairs. A white-haired, blue-eyed, dragon-scale covered woman with a pair of prominent horns. She was wearing a black suit of armor and held up a black hilt that shifted and morphed into a dueling saber that ignited with blue lava. "I am Lyn Rivers. And I will end you all." She spoke in perfect Elenthian.

Darnock fell to his knees on the steps. "We just wanted what was ours." He left the vessel behind, who began to babble inanely – his mind shattered by Darnock's presence. The Elenthian floated back, hoping this Lyn could not see him.

"This world is mine." She walked forward and stared down at his vessel and then glanced across the rest, who were frozen with fear, her eyes coming to rest on Darnock…and he froze in fear. "I can kill you even in your ethereal form. All those in the city? Dead. You are the last of the Elenthians on Ghomar, and I will end you."

Darnock shook his head. "You can't! This world was made for us!"

"You are correct. I am Lyn Rivers. I am Yheron. I am Raevan. I am destruction and ruin for my enemies. And right now…you are my enemy."

That last name – Raevan – fueled a burning fury in Darnock's soul. "You betrayed us!" he shouted.

"From what I read, you simply reaped the rewards of your own deeds…and now you will die."

Darnock tried to fly away, but felt the blade cut into him from behind as the world went black.

Lyn chopped the Elenthian in half. "Who is next?" she asked as the scream on the ethereal plane signaled the death of another one of the entities.

The Elenthians ran off in all directions; some fleeing their hosts, some running in their host bodies, but Lyn had prepared for that. "Novn achandeur larthin / galin on groga / min nador." A massive pull like a riptide yanked all of the Elenthians out of the bodies and consolidated their ethereal forms into a single space in front of Lyn. The spell had a radius of the entire city – she had all of them in one location.

The incorporeal forms were all overlapped and stuck in place. Lyn raised her blade aloft and charged it with pure destruction. With one swipe, she ended them, their screams overlapping and forcing her to her knees as she winced in pain. Downside of enhanced senses, she thought as she stood back up and shook off the ringing in her ears.

The sounds of combat echoed through the city, but she knew that she could simply leave the undead to their task and within time they would eliminate the threats. Only when the city was empty of combatants would they fall and be at rest. Lyn took stock of her mana reservoir and found it nearly empty. She looked up at the palace and began walking up. I must make sure she has no other contingencies.

Lyn walked through the palace, and her armored, clawed feet echoed across the marble floors. It was opulence given form. What a waste, she thought.

A waste of life. Her soldiers' lives, wasted. Valagonian lives, wasted. Even the Elenthians…wasted. Lyn felt sorrow at the loss of her army and wrestled with the feelings that she had somehow betrayed them by leading them into battle against such a foe.

Thane Mol spotted a group of soldiers attempting to leave Cecilaria. He rode them down with his ram riders, and among the soldiers, spotted several women and children. "Leave those ones alive!" he shouted in Sloren. His men knew what to do with those people – but first the soldiers had to be dealt with.

His ram riders eagerly rode down the troops. The rams' massive horns pulverized and launched men as the hooves stomped down onto the fallen, crushing them into a fine, red paste that imbued the ground with guts and entrails. Mol swung his war hammer down and felt the satisfaction of crunching armor and bone.

In under a minute, the fleeing force of soldiers was slain, and the noncombatants were grouped up, ropes were tied around their wrists and feet, and a pair of the ram riders rode back toward camp with the prisoners. Mol looked across the landscape, spotting another group. "Let's get them!" he shouted as he let out a hollering whoop, riding off toward more revenge.

Remora was hyperventilating. A small contingent of Duskari operatives had remained behind at the command tent, and using her spyglass she had been coordinating the assault from a distance. But that all changed so, so quickly. Her whole army assaulting the capital had been killed, and a few seconds later, raised as the undead. The clattering noises were unmistakable, and were joined by shouts and screams as they ravaged the capital. Thirty Duskari squadrons, she thought as she paced back and forth, breathing rapidly as she felt panic rising in her chest. That's three hundred of our conclave…slain.

She knew every one of them by name. She knew their faces. She grew up with a good quarter of them. Friends, allies, companions…all gone in an instant. Some malicious, evil power had done that. Something that she was deathly afraid of.

She felt the amulet buzzing and picked it up. "Y-yes?" she answered shakily.

Empress Rivers' voice came through. "I have slain the Elenthians that Cecily released, captured the bitch in a storage dimension, and am in the palace."

Remora was silent and trying to process what the empress had said. Elenthians? The first people? What in the abyss?

"You there?"

"Yes," Remora whispered. "What are your orders?"

"We can withdraw the blockade. Communicate to all our Ari marines that I want them to man a skeleton crew to get the ships back to the Valley of the Volcano. Have all but the skeleton crew make their way inland to the capital. Ram riders will continue to patrol the exterior and round up any who flee. Then, once the marines arrive, march those people to Lynhold."

Remora nodded. "As you will."

"And, Remora? The loss of our troops was not your fault. Do not blame yourself."

Remora let the amulet fall from her grip and sat on the stool facing the city, put her face into her hands, and wept at the loss of her army. Her friends. Her companions.

Lyn finished exploring the southern and eastern wings of the palace. She headed to the last one, to the west, and found quite a surprising sight. A sturdy, locked, iron door with hundreds of inscribed verses. This isn't a vault, she thought.

She walked up to the door and stabbed Cataclysm through it. The door was disintegrated, and she stepped into a well-lit, covered courtyard. A greenhouse of sorts. Enormous rose bushes grew all over the place, and she saw several men standing with weapons at one of the hallways that split off of this chamber directly in front of her – past the plants. They shouted in overlapping Shereldian:

"Don't come closer!"

"We won't let you hurt our wives!"

"Hail Princess Cecily! First of her name!"

Lyn ignored them and walked to the door to her left, kicking it open. The austere chamber was a school room. A massive lecture hall. But it was empty. Crossing through the garden, she approached the other door. The noise of the men shifting caused her to glance in their direction, but one draconic growl set them quaking in their boots.

She kicked open this next door and found a large common area with a kitchen, dining room, recreation room…and another door. She opened that and found a well-stocked larder. Well then, I guess they will have to move aside.

She walked back to the garden and approached the men, Cataclysm resting on her shoulder as the massive mana blade surged with pure, raw power. "You should just let me pass," she said in Shereldian. "Cecily is captured, your army is no more. Stand aside, let me explore, and I assure you no harm will come to you or your wives."

The men looked to each other, and the one who had shouted praise for Cecily began to swing toward Lyn. She simply stepped forward, stabbed him through the skull with her clawed hand, and then opened it, flexing her fingers as his skull exploded in a fountain of gore. She stared at the two remaining men. "Move. Aside. Or you end up like him."

They dropped their weapons and moved aside. Lyn kicked open the door and heard the sound of screaming and the crying of infants. As she walked in, she saw the striking similarity of these women to Cecily. Oh, that's fucked up. She's breeding backup copies?

Unlike what Thomas had done, which was make an empty shell…Cecily was instead taking over someone else. Just like the Elenthians had. Fitting fate for her, losing control like what she did to whoever she is possessing.

Lyn walked past the women, letting out another deep growl that caused them all to whimper quietly in terror while the infants kept crying. She walked deeper into the hall and came across two rooms across from each other. One had the word backup on it, the other operations. She opened the door to the backup room and saw a young woman – no older than fourteen – in a tube, suspended in liquid.

She saw the inscriptions for the emergency release, poured mana into them, and stepped back as the tube opened, liquid spilled out, and the girl began coughing up fluid onto the floor. Her eyes went wide as she saw Lyn, and she screamed.

"You're welcome" Lyn muttered as she went across the hall to the other room. There was a scalpel on the table, a drain in the floor, and Elenthir verses lining the walls. Charcoal rubbings. That's how she figured it out. She must have gotten an expedition to the Ruins of Elent. Lyn held up her hand and willed a gout of flame to surge out of her palm, incinerating the entire chamber.

She walked out and looked at the men and women. "Cecily Valagonia has been captured. Your capital will be overrun soon. Do not fight back, do not show hostile intent, and you will be spared." The silence – minus the crying babies – was all she needed to hear. My mana has recovered enough.

Going back to the main palace, she cast a quick divination spell; sending her sight throughout the entire complex. She saw Cecily's chambers the torture-dungeons, the charnel pits, everything. Including the secret basement with the inscriptions. Shifting to the ethereal, she went through the floor, down to that basement, and dashed the inscriptions.

She sighed and whispered the lightspeed travel spell as she vanished.

Moments later she landed in front of Kor's Hold. She walked in past the stunned guards and right into the throne room. "Where is James Marshall?" she asked in Khrelardian.

One of the guards led her to his chambers and she knocked on the door. He opened it with bleary eyes. "Lyn? What's going on?"

"I need you to come with me. Now."

James nodded, and she opened a storage dimension for him to clamber into. She then re-incanted the lightspeed travel spell and arrived at Lynhold.

The troops at the fortress entrance saluted her. She grabbed her amulet and willed it to reach the former heroes. "Everyone, have Lawrence direct you to the conference room. We need to talk."

Cecily woke up on a cold, hard surface. Panicking, she shot up and looked around. A pair of lanterns were hung aloft; a pair of Duskari stood at the far end of a corridor – fraternal twins – and she saw Kory in the cell adjacent to her.

Looking down at the floor, she gasped. Mana-suppressing spells? Are we in Kor's Hold?

Kory grunted. "You're awake."

Cecily screamed in frustration and slammed the floor with her fists. "Why?! Why couldn't you just fucking kill everyone! I was so close!" She looked more closely at him, and her eyes went wide. "You…you lost a leg and an arm?"

Kory frowned and lay back on the reed mat. "Yup. Lyn fucked me up something good."

Cecily remembered the Elenthian sharing her body. Taking over her body a few times, but giving it back to her. Teaching her a spell she had never even comprehended – primarily because she did not have the knowledge of Elenthir to do so. Why didn't Lyn just use that on our whole kingdom? It cost so little mana compared to a spell nuke. I should've opened it up when I had my Ruler core, and then taken them into my forces. She slammed her fist into the floor and screamed.

Kory chuckled. "You have that look on your face."

"What look?"

"The look you make when you know you fucked something up because you didn't have all the know-how."

Cecily glared at him and screamed again, "I almost had everything!" The twin Duskari stepped aside, and Cecily saw Lyn walk in. "You bitch!" Cecily shouted as she gripped the bars and faced the architect of her defeat. "You just had to fucking come back and get in the way of everything! Why the fuck are you back?"

Lyn just shook her head and took a seat on a bench across from the cells. "I came back because my life was shit on Earth. And I wanted my glory. You got rid of that. If I had come back and had my glory and could just retire…I would've been happy to sit on the sidelines for a while. Probably with Misty." She crossed her leg over the other and leaned back. "But what do I find when I get back? All memory of me, muddled…forever."

"You were dead!" Cecily shouted. "How were we supposed to know you'd come back? You getting the credit and dying a hero did nothing for any of us."

"You could have honored my sacrifice," Lyn replied. "But that's neither here nor there. You've done fucked-up things. Unimaginably fucked-up things. By rights, I should kill you right now…but others deserve to sit in judgment of you."

Other heroes filtered into the room and sat on the bench next to Lyn. Thomas, Brad, Lawrence, Trisha, Ben, and even James.

Lyn spoke. "We are all the heroes that survived the Demonic Dragon's defeat, minus Volio. I have freed every other hero, and have taken every single hero core."

Cecily felt raw, seething anger. It should have been me! I deserve it! I should be ruling this world with all the power!

"And, I figured out what the abyss is." This drew inquisitive stares from the other heroes as she continued. "Thomas, do you remember that inscription we saw back in the Ruins? The ones used to let the Elenthians leave?"

"Yes, they left behind their corporeal forms."

Lyn nodded. "Right. Well, some stayed behind and tried to manipulate mana cores by possessing people. They were trapped by Raevan and Aelor in a pocket dimension. One called the abyss."

James chuckled and shook his head. "I heard that curse so many times, but never wondered what it was. So, what happened?"

Lyn pointed at Cecily, and the former Ruler hero felt a burning ember of rage in her gut. "This one released them. She is responsible for the death of tens of thousands of the Eternal Empire's troops. Not to mention, she genocided hundreds—"

"Tens-of-thousands," Brad interrupted. "When I was under her thrall, it was easily a hundred a month, if not more. Dissidents, rebels, those she found displeasure with…the non-Human races… If I had to guesstimate, she has killed over fifty thousand people not including your army."

Cecily felt herself shaking with rage. "You all never got it," she said. "You all never saw the big picture! We could have ruled this whole fucking world! You just had to get out of my way or help me! Kings and queens, people doting on our every word and action! We would have been worshipped as gods!"

Trisha shook her head. "That's not us," she muttered as she held Ben's hand. "We never wanted that. Just you."

"And me," Kory muttered. "I wanted that…but I was blind to it."

Lyn stood up. "I have something for you to listen to, Kory." She closed her eyes, and all of the heroes sat in rapt attention as Gina's voice emanated from the space next to Lyn.

Hi, Kory. I wish I had told you when I was alive…but I love you. I'm sorry I ended my own life, but the visions were just too much to handle. This next go-round, I'm hoping that I'll grow up in and live a peaceful existence. Lyn's empire should see to that. Please…know that I'm sorry, and I forgive you. You deserve a good life…but it may not be this life. I've seen what you've done through Lyn's memories. And the glimpse I saw, along with all the visions I saw of how you turn out. Well…I hope we find each other in our next lives. Take care…my love.

Kory began crying profusely as he curled in on himself. What a pathetic, weak, idiot, Cecily thought as she stared daggers at Lyn. She tried to think of every possible solution to her predicament. Spells were off the table, thanks to the mana-suppressing cells. Relying on Kory to brute-force the cells open was off the table due to his crippled nature. She did not see any locks that she could pick or any avenue of escape.

There was no way out, and she felt not only a fierce rage within her heart…but also a sense of finality wash over her. She heard Kory's sobbing voice. "Lyn…is there any way…you can have me find her in my next life?"

Lyn nodded. "I can do practically anything now. But, it's not my choice. For you, Kory…Lawrence is still the person who decides what we do."

The Shifter hero stood up and crouched in front of Kory's cell. "Look, man…You did fucked-up stuff. At the least, that warrants some type of punishment. But, I'm going to give you a little hope." He looked at Lyn. "I want him to be confined in the fortress but given a window with a view. Let him see the city he tried to destroy, the people he sought to harm, while Trisha keeps visiting for therapy. Maybe seeing some people living their lives will reinvigorate his will to live."

Kory nodded through his tears. "That…" He looked at Lyn, "Please…let me find her again."

"In another life," Lyn replied. "I have to clear a dungeon to ascend to true divinity. But after? Sure. But first, the punishment Lawrence has decided upon. You'll be confined until he decides otherwise, left to watch what you could have been a part of."

Kory hung his head, and Cecily just laughed aloud. "Wow, you're a pussy, Lyn. Fucking bitch, you don't have the balls to kill him outright. Wanting to take the moral high ground?" If I can get her mad, get her to break the cell, maybe, I might have a chance to fire off a spell to transfer my consciousness to someone else and escape.

Lyn stood up in a blink and reached through the cell, grabbing Cecily's wrist and pulling her against the bars. "I am the only one who decides on morality. I make the rules. I am the inheritor of the power of two deities. I am going to be the only ruler of this world." She released Cecily and looked to the other heroes. "We are here to decide what to do with Cecily Valagonia. She is guilty…but what should the punishment be?"

Ben, who had been silent up until this point, stood up. "She doesn't deserve going back to Earth. Or a second chance. My vote is to leave her to rot."

Trisha shook her head. "But what about the person she is possessing? That person is still in there somewhere. Cecily is just…in control. We can't damn an innocent woman to that fate just to punish Cecily."

Thomas spoke. "Well, here's an idea. Let's first transfer Cecily's consciousness into something truly pathetic. Like a rodent. We transfer her consciousness to that, and then can punish her with what you deem a fitting consequence."

Cecily felt her heart racing. "You wouldn't – you couldn't!"

Lyn smiled a devilish smile. "I can, and I might. Trisha? Lawrence? Ben? Brad? Thoughts?"

The heroes were silent in contemplation, save for Ben. "Put her in a rat to free the innocent. Then, annihilate her like you did to Volio." There were mutters of agreement from the other heroes. Ben, the most calm-natured out of the whole class, suggesting the punishment seemed to elicit others to go along with it.

"No!" Cecily screamed. "I was meant to rule the world!"

"And I was meant to ruin it. But I didn't. And you won't rule…I will." Lyn stated this with a tone of finality. She closed her eyes, and Cecily heard a skittering, scratching noise as a rat ran past the twin Duskari and stood in front of the jail cell. Lyn said something in a chittering voice, and the rat got in front of Cecily.

She felt her heart thumping so fast that it felt like it would leave her chest. "You can't!" she screamed as she felt herself trembling in panic. "I'm the smartest! Th-the prettiest! I-I-I'm the Ruler hero!"

Trisha got up and left, saying simply, "I don't want to see this. Goodbye, Cecily. You reap what you sow."

Lawrence followed after her, but Brad, Thomas, and Ben stayed behind. "Cowards!" Cecily screamed. "You're all cowards! I demand a real trial!"

"You think you can make demands?" Kory asked with a smirk as he wiped the tears away. "That's fucking rich. Eat shit and die. Bitch."

Brad smirked. "Mutilating you was cathartic, but seeing you die permanently will be so, so sweet."

Lyn began muttering a complicated verse that Cecily couldn't even begin to track. "No! You can—" The world began to go dark, and Cecily fell unconscious.

She came to a few seconds later, and the heroes and Lyn towered over her. She felt her new form – a disgusting, vile rodent skittering along the ground. She tried to run, but Lyn grabbed her with a clawed hand and raised her to eye level. No! You can't kill me! I'm Cecily Valagonia! Ruler hero! Top of the class! I'm – I'm supposed to rule everything! I was supposed to have everything!

"An idea hits me," Lyn said with a chuckle. "I am going to have my Destroyer core torture you before annihilating you. You're going to meet a few aspects of me you will not like. Goodbye forever, Cecily." She felt a crunch, intense pain, and then found herself standing in a familiar, black space. There were no doors, and blue lava surrounded her on all sides.

She turned to the growling behind her and saw Lyn's face. The face of the Destroyer. A draconic, Duskari abomination. "Fucking die!" Cecily screamed as she tried to exert her will on this entity.

The lava vanished, and she was left alone in darkness. What happened? Cecily thought.

A single, flaming, blue orb appeared in the air before her, and it split into three figures. Two Duskari women – Lyn and a twin, and the enormous shape of the Demonic Dragon which caused Cecily to fall to her knees in despair. "I told you I'm going to have my core torture you," Lyn said.

"What I failed to mention was that I would not be doing it alone," the other Duskari said.

"I am not just Lyn. I am Yheron," the dragon said.

"I am Raevan," the Duskari said.

And the center Duskari smirked, "And I am Lyn Rivers." She snapped her fingers, and twenty glowing, multi-colored spheres appeared around her. Yheron, Raevan, and the orbs flew into Lyn, and she shone with such a brightness that Cecily screamed in agony.

A pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her up. Cecily blinked the whiteness away and felt herself tremble in fear. Sheer horror crept over her as the fiery blue, prismatic-sparkling eyes stared into the depths of her being. Lyn's voice came out of the figure's mouth. "You will experience all the pain of every person you have slain before I annihilate you. Prepare for an eternity of pain – whilst no time passes outside. For me, not even a second. But for you? Thousands of lifetimes of torment."

Cecily felt pain. Horrible pain. It washed over her in waves upon waves. Time stretched to eternity, and some power kept her fully aware of every single instance of agony. She died, thousands upon thousands of times, only to be brought back in this soul-state to be tortured to death again. Every single injury she had ever inflicted. Every thought of her victims. Every person whom she had ordered to be killed...every one was revisited upon her in an endless cascade.

Finally, with a singular roar, Lyn's mouth turned into that of a dragon, opened, and the blue lava annihilated Cecily fully.

Lyn incinerated the crushed rodent and opened the mana-suppressing cell, pulling the young woman out. The woman slowly blinked her eyes open and screamed. "Damnit," Lyn muttered in Shereldian. "Just relax. Cecily was in you, she's gone now. You're safe."

The woman continued to scream, and Lyn just tossed her to Ben, who put the woman in a sleeper hold until she stilled. He hefted the woman over his shoulder and nodded to Lyn, Thomas, and Brad. "Good riddance. I'll get this one settled in the hospital," he said in English. He left with the woman.

Thomas looked at Lyn and chuckled, continuing to speak in their home tongue. "And just like that, all threats are dealt with. You solved what the abyss was and killed what was in it. Hard to believe that the Elenthians tried to take over the world."

Lyn shrugged. "There is more to be done. But…we are making progress. All major obstacles are dealt with. The loss of our armies is severe…and we must honor their sacrifice."

Brad smiled. "Thank you, Lyn. The bitch who made my life hell is no more."

Lyn nodded and shot him a grin. "Feel like a victory fuck to celebrate? I've been meaning to take your new dick for a ride. And I need a distraction for the evening."

Brad smiled and nodded. "I'll be waiting." He left the room, and the twins shot Lyn an inquisitive glance.

She swapped to Arinol. "It's just getting some sexual pleasure. You two can take the night off and do what you will."

Vael sighed. "Not fair. Gael is going to go sit with Bolvon, but I don't have Naila to keep me busy."

"You could always join me and Brad."

Vael pursed her lips but nodded curtly. "Sure."

Gael rolled his eyes and left. "See you later, Lyn."

Kory cleared his throat and drew Lyn's gaze. He spoke in English. "Can…can you replay Gina's message for me?"

Lyn nodded. "Sure. I'll even work on an inscribed item so that you can listen to it whenever you like – but that'll be a few days." She recast the spell that pulled Gina's message from the Oracle core forth, and listened to her message once more.

Kory's eyes welled up again and he nodded with a faint smile. "Thank you, Lyn."

"Once I ascend, I'll make sure you and Gina find each other in your next life or lives." She looked at Thomas. "The same for Ben and Trisha, if you could pass that along. I'm sure they would love that."

Thomas smiled and clapped her on the back. "Go get laid. We've got a lot of work coming in the following days."

Lyn chuckled and left Thomas with Kory as she went to her chambers. At least as a prosthetic, stamina won't be an issue. Vael walked right behind her, and she absentmindedly reached back for the Duskari woman's hand, feeling it clasped in her own grip.

Thomas sat down on the bench facing Kory. "Hey…I'm here to talk, if you want to talk."

Kory shook his head. "Can you just leave me alone? I…want to remember her."

Thomas nodded and left, leaving the winding corridors and entering Lynhold. He made a beeline for the Baxter household as the twin moons floated high above in the sky. Knocking, he heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs as Trisha opened the door. "Hey, Lyn wanted me to ask you something."

The Healer hero nodded, but her face had an expression of sorrow. "What is it?"

"She is going to ascend to divinity. And she wanted to offer the same spell – or however she is going to do it – to let you and Ben find each other in your next lives, just like she will do for Kory and Gina."

Trisha's demeanor immediately brightened, and she nodded enthusiastically. "Please pass along that I would very much like that."

Thomas nodded. "Alright. I will." Trisha gently shut the door after bidding him goodnight, and he walked under the clear, moonlit skies.

Everything turned out about as well as I could've imagined. Some hiccups, some issues…but holy fuck, we might get a happy ending out of all of this bullshit.

Still…he couldn't help but think of what would come next. Sure, there was the immediate aftermath of the next few weeks and months. But after that? Maybe a year or two? He would be helping bring this whole world into a new golden age.

This had not been something that Thomas had planned from the start – that would have been to just keep the peace between the three kingdoms. He had been fumbling ever since James slew him and events spiraled out of his control. Yet somehow, in some way, circumstances had turned out as well as he could have hoped.

A new age is dawning. Lyn's Age.

And he would be there throughout her eternity to help guide her. The true architect of her utopia, drawing on the knowledge of two worlds. In a way, it would be just as much his empire as it was hers.