She holds the staff before her. The power of Creation, in the palm of her hands. If she'd been any less of a woman, she could have become a god. Become like the Raven Queen, or Istus or even Pan. But controlling life and death, birth and rebirth, had never been her life's goal.
From the moment she watched her mother wither to nothing, Lucretia knew what she needed to do. Watching the Hunger consume world after world, watching her family fall before gods and demons alike had only strengthened her resolve. She would do what others would not. She would save those who could not be saved. She, alone, would keep this world from falling to the Hunger.
"Enough."
Her voice echoes around the room, and all gathered fall silent. Even Taako, even Barry, pull from her barrier. There's something in their eyes, something she's only seen once or twice. Fear
She holds the staff before her, letting its warmth wash over her. The voices of the relics cumulate in her mind, flowing from her lips as she murmurs,
"We will right the wrongs we have made." The light grows from her staff, turning her barrier a gentle blue. Lucretia's blue. "We will never allow another world to fall to him. Our light will not be smothered. Never again."
"Lucretia?" Her eyes turn to the speaker; Magnus, with eyes too big for his face. It doesn't take more than a second glance to his shield for her to realize her eyes are no longer brown, but a milky white. Every color at once, and yet none at all. "Lucy, what are you—"
"We will right our wrongs," repeats the voices, all at once. Her head turns from him, eyes glancing over every member of her family. Those living, and those not. Those she'd betrayed. Those she'd loved so dearly. "Seven little birds, broken. Our light, shattered into seven."
She steps forward, but doesn't so much walk as glide. The bubble forms beneath her, allowing her to climb higher, towards the darkness that threatens their home. Their family. Her family.
The light within her staff spreads. Not in the same manner as her barrier; not soft and round and safe. The light that comes from Lucretia is sharp and powerful, and soon surrounds the moon base. Destroying the tendrils where they struck, leaving her agents safe. Leaving their little birds unharmed.
Destroy it.
Protect them.
Keep it at bay.
Undo your mistakes.
Voices, overlapping and constant. Voices she'd heard before, and voices she hadn't. One was her staff. Another, the Gaia Sash. Temporal Challice. Seven voices. Seven birds. Seven shattered pieces desperate to find themselves once more.
She lifts a hand, and fire spreads from her fingertips. Lup's voice echoes in the back of her head. No, not in her head. From behind her, calling her name.
"Do not fear, little one." The voices come from her lips once more, "No harm will come to her."
"Lucretia, stop!"
Destroy it.
"You don't understand!"
Make it suffer, as you have.
"Lucy, please."
It stole everything from you.
"You don't have to do this."
Kill it.
"Lucretia!" Lup's voice broke through the overlapping demands, the cries of her birds and the relics. The lich floated before her, filling her vision. "Lucretia, listen to me. You don't have to do this."
"It has taken everything from us, little one. We will make it suffer."
"You don't have to do this," repeats the lich. Her hands push through the bubble, reaching for her lover's. Though she cannot touch her, the warmth of her presence is enough. Lucretia pulls back, as if burnt. "Listen to me. There's another away, Lucretia. You don't have to hurt it. You don't have to hurt yourself. We can trap it. We can…"
"We will make it suf- "
Her words are cut off as tendrils, black and long and thick, wrap around her bubble, pulling her from the sky. They encircle her barrier, blocking out the light, the sight of the Hunger. Blue fingers soon join it, and Lucretia finds herself plunged into darkness. A scream of anger, of rage, of betrayal escapes as the barrier collides with the ground. From deep within her, a light grows. The voices scream.
"Enough!" she roars as the light returns, both the mage hand and tendrils effectively destroyed. Whirling on her attackers, Lucretia freezes as she sees- she sees-
Six birds, all standing before her. Five weapons raised. Angus beside them, his wand up as well. Tears prick his eyes, but don't fall. Not yet. She can't say the same for Davenport, for Merle, both of whom are looking at her with a mix of fear and determination. Only Magnus stands there, weapon still at his side, gaze wide and confused. Scared, but not of her. Of something else.
"Lucy…"
He takes a step forward, breaking from the line of his family, and Lucretia matches him. One step forward, one back. Fear grips her heart, chokes her. The voices in her head soften, but do not quiet. Magnus Burnsides, the Protector. Child of the Bear. Julia's husband, Master Carpenter. Lucretia's big brother.
"Lucretia, this isn't you. You don't want to hurt anyone. You've never wanted-" He takes another step forward, and she matches it once more. She sees him swallow, sees the others watching him. They don't move forward. But he does, hands raised, palms open. "I'm not going to hurt you, Lucretia. It's me. It's Magnus."
"I know who you are, little bird."
He shakes his head. "No. No, see, that's not you, Lucretia. It's me . It's Magnus. You don't have to do this. You don't have to take this on by yourself. You've never had to. We can all do this, together. There's another way, Lucretia."
"Who-" Right. Right, she was Lucretia. The voices were softer, murmured. She could find her own among them, now. "I don't-"
The barrier flickers, and there's a moment where they all tense. But then it rights itself, and it begins to… to change? The translucent barrier begins to crack. No, not crack; frost over. Growing stronger with the influence of the Gaia Sash. She hears Merle curse under his breath.
"Lucretia-"
"Stay away from me." There's a waver in her voice, and she lifts the staff. A second barrier, weaker than the first, surrounds her family and Angus. Only Magnus remained outside, saved by a quick leap forward. "We won't let this happen. We won't let them- It won't hurt anyone again."
He moves forward, faster now. Still calm, but there's something behind his eyes; something she hasn't seen in a decade. Not since- Not since that day . Not since she lost him.
Behind him, the other birds beat their wings, struggling against their cage. Why don't they understand? Why don't they get it? She is trying to protect them. They could do this. They could finally destroy the Hunger and save their planet. It is all on their shoulders, just as it always had been.
Back into the cage, Lucy.
"Lucretia, listen to me. Focus on me. You know me. You know me . I'm not going to hurt you; you know I would never. Focus on me, and drop the barrier, Lucretia. It's going to be okay."
He wants us for himself.
He wants to be the hero.
Magnus rushes in, remember?
"I can't." Her voice breaks, and they curse themselves. Magnus lifts his head, and she sees a glint in his eyes. He heard it, too. "We can't."
"There you are." His voice is soft. This time, when he steps forward, she doesn't back away. "Lucretia, I know you're in there. It's going to be alright. You're going to be alright. We can stop this, together."
"No." Shaking her head, she pulls away. Another barrier, but she's gotten sloppy. It's slow to rise, and Magnus sidesteps it with ease. Within her, the voices roar. "No, I can't. We can't! Haven't you seen what it's done? We can stop it. We can- We can protect you. Our family. We've lost so much. We can stop it!"
"We can't lose you." Magnus Burnsides, Head of Security, stops rushing. He stops moving. Instead, he lifts a hand, places it gently against the edge of her barrier. She can see the skin darken, already protesting against the cold, but still he doesn't move. His eyes find theirs- hers . "You said it yourself. We've already lost so much, Luce. This will kill you."
Tears well in her eyes.
"Then let me die." Her eyes shift from him to the birds beyond. Battling, fighting for freedom; freedom from her, and freedom from their mistakes. "If I die, they'll be free. You all will. And the past decade-"
"No!" His voice rings through the space. He sounds angry, but... but that's not right. "No, Lucretia. I won't let you." He puts his other hand on the barrier. To their surprise, the sound of ice cracking echoes through the hanger. "I won't lose you. Not when I've just gotten you back."
What does it matter?
They can't fix things.
They can't fix this.
They can't fix you.
"Magnus-"
"We love you, Lucretia. You're- You're my sister. I can't lose you!" Pulling back his hands, he clenches them into fists, slams them into her barrier once, twice. "I love you, Luce. I can't. I can't!"
Each word accompanied by another slam, another crack in the ice. With one final proclamation, the barrier breaks away, and Lucretia isn't sure. She doesn't know. Was it him, or was it her? The voices in her head didn't seem to know, either. They screamed with rage, a rage that built from within her chest, threatened to escape.
"Lucretia!"
Behind Magnus, the two barriers had also fallen. Her birds- her family - rush forward. Even Angus, tears streaking his face, trots behind them, though Taako stays between him and her. Protecting the boy they both loved.
"Don't- don't- dav- don't do this, Lucretia." From behind Magnus, Davenport moves into view. His weapon put away, hands open and bare. A breeze lifts from the night sky, and as it hits her face, Lucretia realizes her tears have frozen. "You're not, you're not-"
"A monster."
Lup lands behind her, and Lucretia whirls. Staff out, aimed, but the light within it is weaker. Her limbs feel so unbearably heavy. A hand rests gently on her shoulder.
"It's okay." Magnus once more, so close, so unbearably close. One hand on her shoulder, the other on her staff. "It's going to be okay."
Stop him.
"No!"
He's going to kill you. He's going to kill us.
"No, I can't. I can't-"
He wants us for himself. He's going to let them hurt you. Save the world. Kill you. Save yourself.
"I have to fix this. I have to fix what we've done. Save the world. Save-"
Save yourself!
"Save-"
Through all her stumbling, Magnus gives a gentle tug on the staff. Despite the screams in her head, her hands are weak. The white oak, her only constant companion, her only friend, her only comfort, finally wrenched from her grasp. It leaves her sight, but suddenly it doesn't matter anymore. Everything is too much. Too strong, too bright, too cold. Too much. Too much. Too-
The world grows dark. She's only aware enough to register hands beneath her before, finally, the director surrenders to exhaustion.