SUNLOFT VILLAGE, MEWNI:
681 Years from now
Vartek sat at a small wooden table, sticky from years of spilled drinks, and worn well past its sheen. The bar he had chosen to meet in was inconspicuous enough, and provided the necessary lowlife crowd to hide among. There were several other patrons dotted amongst the dozens of other tables just like his, and his robes did well to conceal his armor. The air was musky, and sweet with the smell of alcohol, as small tendrils of smoke danced through the air on invisible drafts.
He sat in a silence that betrayed the fact that he was a living being, now avoided by the staff after a prior demand to be left alone. His patience was wearing thin, but he knew that this was well worth the cost of time. Meeting his informant was something he was anxious to be done with, albeit this time, he found that the demand for results warranted an extension of his patience.
A moment went by before a smaller, heavier man dressed in rags sat down across from him. His skin was copper, and soft, clearly giving away that he was of noble blood. He wore dirty clothes in an attempt to blend in, though his neatly cut hair betrayed him if only a little.
"Leagan, it's good to see you, old friend. How is the farm?" Vartek prompted, leaning forward to get a better look at the new patron. 'Leagan' sat upright and spoke calmly, in a nearly rehearsed voice. "Farm's rather dull, 'Bardein'. Perhaps you'd like some crops?"
"No thank you. I prefer 'Fresh meat.'"
Leagan sat back a little, his taught demeanor shifting to one of relief. He leaned forward, giving Vartek a small grin. "You know this is treason against my country right? If I'm found-" Vartek dropped a sack of coins in front of the man, piquing his interest immensely. "It will be nothing compared to what they'd do to me. You have them?" he prompted, glancing at the small parcel tucked into Leagans' breast pocket.
"But of course, old friend. I wouldn't dare show up empty handed to a deal. With this much gold, I can move far away from this damned dimension. Everythings so pointlessly medieval here." Vartek gave him a curt nod and held his hand out, quietly accepting the small leather parcel, and stashing it among his robes. "I quite enjoy it," Vartek stated, giving his informant a bemused shrug. "But I concur. After tonight, it may be time I left as well. One final act of vengeance against my enemy, and a chance for peace among my kind."
Leagan regarded that statement with gentle apathy, hoping to put it out of his mind what Vartek was going to do. "I'm sorry for what happened. I can't imagine having to go through that," he began, lowering his voice and giving Vartek a genuine expression of sorrow. "The Butterfly line was once one of benevolent change and prosperity for all beings. Queen Eclipsa had it right. But I suppose time wears down all familiarity."
"I suppose it does. Thank you, Leagan. Truly. I wish I could pay you more, but we cannot return home until this is done." Vartek stood slowly, giving the nobleman a quick nod. Leagan only smiled and shook Varteks hand, clearly intent on staying and enjoying a stiff drink. "Think nothing of it, old friend. Maybe this...I dont know. Maybe this will set Mewni on a better course, and I may someday return home as well."
With that, Vartek departed the seedy bar, stepping quietly into a dark alley and cutting a crimson portal through the air. It hummed for only a moment before it snapped shut behind him. The cool night air returned to normal without the septarian warrior to enjoy it. The night was young, and there was so much to do.
O - O - O - O - O - O
BUTTERFLY KINGDOM, MEWNI:
681 YEARS FROM NOW
Merina, for all that she had prepared with, was understandably nervous. Wearing a set of dark brown robes, she sat perched on a small outcrop hidden among the trees adjacent to the lively kingdom. She could see the lights of small houses and smoke rising from scattered chimneys as the twilight slowly set in. There wasn't much to do now but wait for her husband, and hope that they could finally move against the Butterflies. She had gotten enough rest, and had sharpened her claymore to perfection since she arrived, and now found that waiting was almost as nerve-racking as the anticipation.
Not having to wait much longer however, she heard the sound of a portal being ripped open behind her. The faint red glow cast over the rocks gave away the user, and she turned sharply to face her husband. "Var. You have it?" she asked hurriedly, eying him over to find the tool they required.
"Yes. It wasn't cheap, but we have it," he answered, letting his expression soften. "Are you... sure this is a good idea, Merina? I will follow you anywhere, but this...this cannot end well. For anyone."
The plan to assassinate Queen Nebula was surely going to get someone killed, but it was only a fleeting hope it wouldn't be them. And even if they did succeed, they only faced the fear that Mewni would take out their aggression moreso against the Monster people. Vartek had had plenty of time to think this through and, despite being a greater piece in the planning phase, was now having doubts.
Merina scowled in his direction, but it wasn't at him. It was at the idea he presented. "Var. People...will get hurt. I wish it didn't have to be that way, but it does. She started a war, killed hundreds of our soldiers, and chased us through hell until it was just us left alive." Merina took a breath, regaining her composure as she turned to gesture at the castle. "And now, she sits in her ivory palace, content and happy with what she's done. Vartek, someone like that shouldn't exist in this world, let alone rule it. Our sacrifice, Mewnis sacrifice, our people's sacrifice, will not be in vain. What we give today to take her down, will end the butterfly line, once and for all."
She took a tentative step closer to him, softening her look of contempt to one of guilt and sadness. Her soft hand reached up and cupped Varteks cheek as he stood, listening completely. "Vartek, this isn't a world our children can live in. You know that. And I can't let her tear apart any more families. I know this is suicide, and it will hurt Mewni for years to come, but you have to trust me. Can you do that?"
Vartek was silent for a moment, shifting his gaze over to the twinkling lights of families around the castle. Hundreds of citizens living in simulated peace under Nebulas rule. His mind fell to the torn and broken families of his fellow soldiers, and his struggling kingdom. Turning to face Merina, he spoke softly, but with conviction. "I can."
She smiled and pulled him into a deep kiss, taking him by surprise that slowly gave way to satisfaction. His tail uncurled from being wrapped tightly around his waist, now set free with his preoccupied attention. The two stayed like this for a moment longer, enjoying what could be their last kiss under the stars, and the full moon.
As they separated, Vartek pulled the parcel out of his robes, handing it to Merina and taking them off to reveal his heavier, pure black set of armor. His scimitars were strapped diligently to his sides, and he gently placed a black helmet atop his head. A lonely, purely decorative skull was perched watchfully on top.
Merina carefully opened the parcel to reveal a sheet of parchment covered in frantic scribbles, and a single, blue rock. She read the notes carefully and set them aside to read, holding the blue rock out in front of her in an open palm. "Are you ready Var? Once the magic barrier is down, she's gonna come right for us. And even with the Raksuran stone, I'm going to be drained a bit."
Vartek readied his blades, holding them side by side as he swung them over and around his head in circles. He gave Merina a nod, and the process of drawing out the queen began. The blue stone hummed softly, getting louder and illuminating as the seconds ticked by. Merina was concentrating hard, the effort clearly taxing her strength. After a moment of strained silence, she spoke only three words: "Black Barrier Break."
The stone went silent immediately, the only sound around coming from Varteks now shuddering red blades. Even the wind stopped, creating an eerie and almost cacophonic stillness. Then without warning, a purple beam of light blazed out from the stone, shooting across the field and punching against the invisible wall of force that protected the capital of Mewni. The barrier hissed and bulged against the strike, but it didn't break, not yet. The stone needed one more push to crack such a powerful spell.
Vartek swung his blades high, leaving a trail of red light behind them before jerking forward, bringing them down hard in a downward slash. A rolling arch of rumbling energy shot forward, blaring deep red and carving a trench of sizzling rock in its wake. The sound of it slamming into the barrier was almost deafening, the light pulsing from it just as blinding.
There was a heartbeat of silence before a ripple of force reverberated out in every direction, flattening trees that were too close, and tearing dirt from the ground. The barrier began to crumble and dissipate into nothing as the firey mix of purple and red spread over the field, charring the ground and leaving a massive cloud of dust.
Vartek inhaled sharply, nearly stumbling to the ground as his body quickly regained its stamina. Merina was lucky enough to keep much of her strength, and stood beside him cautiously. "She's gonna be furious Var, be ready."
"I am," he breathed, standing tall next to his bondmate as she tore away her robe. Her armor was as black as night itself, plated with heavy enchanted steel. It made her slower, but the bonus of being nearly indestructible was well worth the handicap. Vartek gripped his blades as the twinkling lights from homes in the distance seemed to slowly wave to darkness. 'They think we're here for them,' he thought, almost amused. 'No, you poor misguided souls. We're after your blood-hungry Queen.'
The stillness of the night seemed to mock them, given how much the world had sacrificed thus far. An end to the bitter war that raged against their people was now in sight, and the world seemed disinterested, bored even. But that was about to change. Vartek spied an orange light glowing in the distance, getting brighter as his heart rung against his eardrums.
Merina stepped closer to Vartek and drew her claymore, now tinged with red along its sharpened edge. The two stood in silence, ready for the first blow, or the first words, to be sent their way.
But nothing came. The light grew brighter and brighter, as the slowly rising sound of rushing wind crept towards them. Vartek made to say something, but he was suddenly silenced by the shockwave of a sonic boom hitting his eardrums, mixed with the wave of force emanating from the impact of the Queen of Mewni.
She struck down in the clearing before them, a good thirty yards down the slope, but crouched menacingly quiet as the sound of force dissipated into the still night air. She stood slowly, wearing a simple light green dress that bloomed at the waist, both warriors figuring she must have been in the middle of some party when they struck. Nebula stared them down from a distance with icy calmness, giving away no emotion at all.
Both warriors stood ready for a surprise strike, knowing well that the queen's rage couldn't be contained, but once again no attack befell them. She simply started walking further up the embankment, stepping over boulders and around sizzling cracks in the ground. As she moved, Nebula spoke in a voice so calm, it was more unsettling than her unbridled rage.
"I suspected an attack would come at some point, but... that. That was special. Did you really do all that just for me?" she scoffed.
Merina gripped her blade and responded with demanding resolve. "Queen Nebula of Mewni, you will pay for what you've done to our people! I will personally see to it that you are torn limb from limb for your crimes!"
"Well, that's just poor manners," Nebula began, twirling her hair with her wand-braced right hand. "I do believe I asked you vermin a question."
Vartek glared at the queen as she approached, every step taken towards him being another step towards death. He shouted down to her, though his voice was stringent. "Surrender yourself to us now, or you will be destroyed! We don't want any more lives to be cut short by your hand!"
Nebula stopped just shy of ten yards away, smiling at them as if she hadn't a care in the world. "Let's agree to disagree, lizard. I myself believe that at least two more lives are in need of shortening."
Without so much as a warning, she darted forward, dispelling a ring of air around her as the space between them was reduced to nothing. Vartek brought up his blade at the last second, catching a heavy right hook against the flat side, sending sparks of red magic out. The strike was blocked, but the force against him was channeled straight into his body.
The boom of the pressure wave sent him flying back towards the forest, splintering trees against his back as he sailed through the air and out of sight. Merina took the opening and jutted her palm towards Nebula, pulsing a wave of red energy out against the queen's chest.
The strike hit true, sending Nebula reeling as Merina charged again with her claymore, swiping it in a wide arc against the air before her. A swell of red force cut through the air, but an open orange palm pushed through it like a rock through waves. The arc sailed around Nebulas hand, cutting through dozens of trees before blasting a line of earth to sizzling chunks. Merina held up her blade, now on the defensive, as Nebula spoke with unwavering calm.
"Come now, you poor creature. You didn't really think it would be that easy, did you?"
Merina scoffed, grinning at the force before her. "Not at all. Just wanted to keep your eyes on me, ya crazy bitch." Nebula hesitated for a moment and made to turn toward the woods when a blur of red slammed into her side. She barely caught the blade of a scimitar against her bracer as she was blasted back towards the field in a concussive shockwave of blazing crimson. She hit the ground hard, digging a deep rut through the dirt before slamming her fists into the rocks to stop.
Vartek landed gracefully next to Merina and held up his blades, shaking off the wood splinters around his shoulders. "Merina, misdirection slash. Go."
She nodded and shot a ball of red energy at Nebula, who threw a right hook of her own to blow it apart. The energy made her stagger a bit but as she raised her bracer for another strike, a portal sounded behind her. She only had time to turn halfway before Vartek brought both blades down hard, forcing torrents of energy into the ground.
Nebulas eyes went wide as she gasped at the ground. "Why you little-!"
Her words were cut short as the ground was ripped apart under her, blasting her towards Merina. The Red Huntress, jumping high into the air, jutted both hands down at the queen, forcing her into the rock in a vortex of red force. The massive stones cracked under the impact, sending chunks in every direction as the dust rose.
Vartek eyed the impact site with caution, staring with heady anticipation. Merinas hands hummed with power as she inched closer to the cloud of dust, listening carefully for any sign of life.
She looked to Vartek and tilted her head towards the cloud, "Vartek, you don't think-"
"Hush," he answered, cutting her off to listen. "Do you hear that?"
Merina craned her neck to hear, but there was nothing. Only the sound of tumbling stones, and her own hands. And...flapping? Her eyes went wide as she started stepping towards her husband as quietly as possible. "Var, we need to move," she whispered.
He made no sound, only holding his battle stance and breathing quick, tight breaths. The flapping sound grew louder as the two warriors stared, watching the dust begin to clear in the wake of a new breeze. Somewhere in the dissipating cloud, Nebula spoke, "So that's how you worms wish to play. Oh my stars, very well. I'm happy to OBLIGE!" On her last word, Nebula shot from the outcropping in her butterfly form.
Her eyes remained normal but the rest of her body had changed. Her wings, now ten feet tall, fluttered behind her in a blur of orange and yellow intricacy. Her dress was replaced with a set of gleaming silver armor lined with sunstone jewels and amber root-shaped designs, while her six arms each had a bracer that hummed loudly against the beat of her wings.
She zoomed forward with blinding speed towards Vartek and punched him hard in the stomach. He made a loud gasping, gurgling noise and spit purple blood as his body was sent tumbling into the air. But Nebula was there waiting for him. She brought up all six fists and grinned madly at him before bringing them all down at once into his chest. Loud cracks sounded against the force of the strike as Vartek was sent shooting into the dirt.
Merina grit her teeth and dove for the orange butterfly, thrusting her blade upward at it as she lept off the stone. "Flying Joust!" she roared as a missile of red magic blazed for the queen.
Nebula smiled at it and held up four hands, yelling above the crackle of energy. "And where did you learn to cast wandless magic?! After this is over, I may have to study your corpse! Blazing Comet!" Her four hands glowed with orange light as a ball formed between them. It shined like the sun itself and with a light grunt, Nebula shot it forth like a bullet. It screamed through the air with painful heat, blasting apart the joust without so much as slowing down.
Merina stared at the hurtling fireball amd dove out of the way just as the ball touched down, annihilating the space she just occupied. The force of the blast sent her tumbling towards the trees like a ragdoll as Nebula cackled above them.
"This is the power of the Red Warriors? You mock the Blood Moon bond with your weakness! The last pair could move the sky and earth with their strength! Change the course of fat itself! But you?? You are mere wretches to the Butterfly Kingdoms name!"
Merina stood slowly, wiping the blood from her chin as Nebula descended. Keeping her eyes on the queen, she gripped her claymore, pouring magic into its blade. "You Butterflies are all monsters that prey on the weak because of your gifted power, and kill because you can. Your name doesn't mean shit to me!" She lunged forward, swiping her blade at Nebula, but two glowing bracers caught the charged strike with a clang of metal.
Merina caught herself and turned about, driving her blade forward and shooting a wave of red fury at the queen's midsection. The energy blasted against Nebulas stomach and she was blown back against the trees, the force of her landing uprooting everything in a thirty-foot radius. Shooting from the cloud of dirt and rock, Nebula flapped her wings and charged upward, raising her fists above her head with a deep growl.
"Firey Killwave!" she roared, holding out all six hands and blasting a monstrous wave of fire straight for Merina. The huntress had seconds to react, touching the ground at her feet with forced grace.
"Shield of life!"
At her touch, a protective dome of blue light webbed with strings of magic grew around her like a bubble just as the inferno reached her. The shield buckled under the heat and force but held true as Merinas vision was nothing but orange and red. The sound was deafening, like a scream mixed with a roar as the area around her was nearly vaporized.
Fifty yards away, Vartek rose slowly from the rubble he was cast into, forcing his shoulder back into place as his body healed. He could see a fountain of fire pouring from the orange butterfly, turning everything in front of her into ash. 'Merina can hold her ground for now,' he thought to himself, gripping his blades, 'so I need to take advantage of this moment.'
He cut a portal before him and jumped through, deposited a good forty yards behind Nebulas cackling form. He drew a deep breath and formed an X with his blades, concentrating on the small flow of magic he could possess. "Godess of the Blood Moon, lend me the strength to defeat the queen of death, so I may live long with my soulmate, free of fear and pain."
He waited for the flow of energy to fill his body, but nothing happened. Words that could once win him a battle now rang hollow in his own ears, unanswered. Looking to the sky, his fears were confirmed by the grim sight above him.
Where there had always been several moons in the night sky, now only one remained, a soft pale glow radiating from its surface, and full against the stars. He grimaced at the sight, letting the shock overcome his struggling determination. 'It's...watching us. And she isn't helping us...'
He turned back to face the raging queen, watching as the fires of her attack began to die down. The odds were grim, but in retrospect, Vartek knew that from the start. It was time to cut loose, and toss caution to the wind. If he and Merina really were alone, they'd either win, or die trying.
He charged forward, letting his blades trail at his sides as he jumped through the air. Nebula must have heard him, because her firey attack died down abruptly as she turned sharply to face him. The ground around Merinas glitching shield was now glowing with heat and giving way to puddles of slag.
Vartek threw his left blade straight for Nebulas chest, and dove once more off the ground towards her. She blocked the charged blade with her top two bracers, and flew straight for him. He saw her advancement and twisted his waist, filling his blade with magic as he slashed hard. Metal met metal and for a moment, the clang of contact was deafening. But with an explosion of red-orange energy, they were both pushed back.
Vartek, shooting through the air, threw his other blade at her like a spear and through the smoke, it sailed just by her face, grazing off two of her bracers. The reddened edge of the scimitar cut a gash across her cheek before turning through the wind and returning to Varteks hand, mimicked his other blade.
The two stopped for a moment as Nebula eyed him with disdain, and...boredom?
"Vartek. The great crimson warrior himself. Neat trick of the blade, half-blood. But you know you're going to die, right?"
Vartek held a scowl as he gripped his blades, both held at the ready for a strike. "We all will someday, Nebula. But you don't have to die today. You started this all, you can end it."
She scoffed at him, letting her calm demeanor deteriorate as she eyed him with hate evident across her face. "I started this?? Was it by my hand that this conflict began?" Her voice grew with each word she spoke, her bracers glowing as she fluttered slowly closer. "Tell me, Red Knight: by whose blade did my husband die?! Was it nature? Mewman? Time itself?!" she seethed, slowing to stare at him with rage adorning her face. "No. My husband was killed by one of your monsters. And I will eradicate your impudent race, if it's the last thing I do!"
She suddenly jolted forward, holding all six hands out wide as they charged with magic. She fired six arcs of electricity at him, grinning with rage as she circled him. Vartek struggled and held his blades high, letting the energy arc through his body. It seared his skin, but he grit through the pain as he jumped for her.
He swung both blades wide, letting two torrents of red energy roll in a wave of destruction. Nebula ceased her attack and held up a magic shield, breaking through the force with a grunt. "Grievous ball!" she shouted, sending a glittering orb of blue magic sailing straight for him.
Vartek grimaced and leaned back, barely avoiding the ball as his blade cut it in half. It screamed over him and sailed apart before blasting chunks of rock apart like a missile. He leaped forward and thrust his blade for her wing, but it was easily blocked by a glowing blade of pure magic.
Nebula kicked him hard in the chest, sending him back twenty feet before he dug his blades into the rock to stop. He looked up just in time to see an orange edge come sailing for his face, and jutted his scimitars up to catch it. The impact blew a circle of dust around them both as he struggled to fight Nebula back. With a pained expression, he spoke with cold determination to the power-mad queen. "You give yourself too much credit, Nebula."
She grinned wickedly at him and pressed further, using all six of her hands for leverage. "And here I thought I was justified in my confidence. Yet you- Grrah! -You believe I oversell myself?!"
Varteks balance was fleeting, his stance shifting to his knees as he knelt to carry the weight above him. "Grrrrruughh! Absolutely! One should never forget when they have two opponents!"
Nebula had no time to react as a rolling disk of white light screamed from her left, burning the air with charged magic as it cut straight through the base of her wings. They immediately dissipated into magic as the disk sailed beyond her, disappearing into the woods.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH" Nebula screamed as she fell to her knees, dropping her blade and blasting the ground before her into heated dust. Vartek was blown back against a smoldering wall of a crater and struck with such force, the ground cracked.
"MY WINGS! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?!?" She screamed, blasting the ground around her in a mad attempt to neutralize her second assailant to no avail.
Merina dove out from behind a rock and shot a wave of red energy at Merinas back, knocking her further against the charred woods as she stepped closer to Vartek. "We clipped a butterflies wings! And you will die, BY MY HAND!"
She shot an orb of red magic at Nebula, who easily knocked it aside as a portal sounded behind her. Without even looking, she grit her teeth and threw two braced arms back to catch the strike and blast Vartek away. He cut a portal and sailed through, straight in front of her, catching her with a vicious kick to the stomach. Nebula was hurled back into a tree, splintering it to bits before she knocked aside a flying scimitar charged with power. "You...WORMS! YOU ARE BENEATH ME! BENEATH THE BUTTERFLY LINE!
Vartek dove through a portal, emerging beside her and swiping for her head as he was knocked aside and into another portal. Merina saw an opening and fired a magic arrow for her chest, which was quickly shattered to dust against a bracer. Nebula dove forward for the Huntress, but was kicked down into the rock as Vartek fell from a portal above her. She hit the ground hard and turned to right herself, catching two blades against her middle bracers and firing balls of energy into Varteks chest.
He flew through the air and disappeared into another portal as Merina blasted a wave of scarlet magic at Nebulas feet. The queen was hurled back towards a crater but caught the ground, digging three hands into the dirt to slow her trajectory. She stopped only for a moment before using her bracers to block several blade attacks from her left. Clangs of metal rung out as Vartek kept up the offense. She made to fire at him, but a bubble of red magic blasted her far away, down towards the field and into a large outcropping of rocks.
Vartek fell from a portal beside Merina and the two turned to face the queen as they both pointed blade and palm at her. Speaking in unison, their hands glowed deep red and shone with the light that was almost blinding. "Blood impact pressure wave!"
Four beams of pure red magic shot out from the duo, weaving and mixing into one another before colliding hard with the butterfly target. A blast shook the world as cracks webbed out in every direction, a fireball over a hundred yards wide blooming from the center.
Vartek and Merina stood side by side, breathing hard as they stepped closer, eying the hole they had just created. Merina called out, balling her fists and seething with rage as the dust settled over Nebulas struggling form. "Crawl out of your hole! I want to see your face when you take your last breath!"
Nebula dove out of the portal, bleeding from multiple wounds as she threw several disks of orange magic at them. Vartek stepped in front of Merina and cut down with his blades, opening a wide portal right in front of them. Just when the disks were about to hit, the full, unbridled fury of the Sun itself erupted from the portal.
A stream of plasma, heat, and roaring energy spewed out as the disks dissipated among the fire. The jet from the portal to the Sun impacted the butterfly just after she conjured a shield, but it did little to protect her from the cosmic energy. A hundred yards of ground behind the target zone was instantly vaporized and blasted apart before Vartek shut the portal and dove forward at the now smoking and battered butterfly.
She staggered in place at the epicenter of a massive field of slag and magma before falling to her knees, panting through the pain. Vartek stopped as Merina jumped beside him, holding two balls of red light aloft at the ready.
Nebula looked up, seething with rage as she threw up six hands. "Your tricks...are...nothing...compared to...a Butterfly..." She croaked out the last word, flexing her arms to strike, but nothing happened. She looked at her hands, her rage wavering before she thrust them forward again, also to no avail. She made to speak, but as she drew the breath, all six bracers shattered into shards of polished steel, letting wisps of magic escape from the cracks as her wrists sat now bare against the night air.
"WHAT?! NO! MY WAND!! How?!?!"
Merina stepped forward and pointed her hands at the queen, aiming magic with the intent to kill. "You never deserved power like that. All you deserve is a painful death by my hands."
Vartek made to say something, but Merina shot a tendril of red magic out from the center of her right palm, letting it penetrate Nebulas chest without a wound. The magic flowed through the stream and curled against the queen, making her scream in rageful agony as it burned at her insides. Vartek looked nervously at Merina and found a gleefully hateful smile adorning her face.
"Merina, stop this, she's beaten. Without her magic, we can-"
She cut him off, tossing a menacing glare at him as she continued her torturous attack. "No! Let this bitch suffer! She deserves it, for what she's done to our people! To our home! Our families, Var!"
Vartek stepped forward to calm her but before he could get closer, the night sky lit up red. The stars, the clouds, all of the night blared a blood red, but none as red at the moon.
Vartek and Merina turned to look up at it and without warning, a shaft of light shot down from its center, engulfing Merina in a heated line of forceful energy. Vartek was thrown back twenty feet into a heap as Merinas magic abruptly stopped, now trapped inside the shaft of red moonlight. She thrust both hands forward, but nothing happened, her look of anger turning into one of horror as Vartek ran towards the light.
He tried to run through, but found the edge of light as solid as a wall, stopping him in his tracks as he was thrown to the ground. Once he had stopped, he sat up quickly and pointed at his wife.
"MERINAAAA! GET OUT OF THERE!" He screamed, hopeless to aid her against the light that steadily grew brighter.
"I can't move!! Vartek! Help me!!"
He pounded his fist into the rock and jumped into action, once more rushing to her side. He called both blades to his hands and made to strike, but they clanged uselessly against the shaft as he stumbled to the ground. Merina watched helplessly as she struggled to move her legs.
Her words echoed against his ears as she screamed for him, both warriors confused and desperate to escape the light. "VARTEK! PLEASE! I CAN'T GET OUT! HELP ME!!!"
"I'M TRYING! I CAN'T GET THROUGH!"
He swept both blades wide and sent two rolling arcs against the wall of light, only to watch them break against the surface into wisps of dissipating energy. Merina watched with a pained horrified expression as the tower of light began pulsing steadily, humming against the world itself. "VARTEK!!!! GET ME OUT OF-"
Before she could finish, the light shone brighter as if it were a fluid shaft of red power. Merinas words were cut short as she held a face of terror and her body began to fade. Frozen in place, she was quickly vaporized into nothing but heated air, leaving the light shaft empty.
"NOOOOOOOO!! MERINAAAAA!!!" Vartek screamed, pounding his fists against the light to no avail. He pressed his hands against the shaft and fell to his knees, watching helplessly as it slowly diminished into nothing, leaving only a circle of charred ground before him.
His hands dug into the dirt as he screamed in pain. He clutched the armor at his chest, feeling a cold blade piercing his heart and soul. "GAUGH!!! AAAAHHHHH!" His screams echoed through the air as the strength faded from his body. His red tinged blades faded slowly to cold, blank steel.
He could feel it. Her pain, her fear, her anger, and then he felt nothing. No feelings at all as the bond that held their souls together was cut. A few moments of gasping went by before he could manage to stand on his own two feet, wobbling slightly as he braced himself against a rock, stepping haphazardly closer to the Queen of death herself.
"You..." he breathed, his voice hoarse and dry. "Where...is...Merina?"
Nebula said nothing, instead focusing on clutching her own chest as she continued wheezing in pain. Her body was covered in scars and spots of burned flesh, her hair now dishelved and matted with blood. A moment of pained breathing went by from both parties before Nebula spoke.
"Looks like your- GHAK! Ugh...haaah...- like your bitch is gone for good." She turned to face him slowly, doing her best to keep from blacking out so she could enjoy one last moment of high ground. Vartek stared at her with a rage-filled glare as he continued to inch closer, clutching his chest.
"Where. Is. Merina?!" he yelled, finally reaching the queen and pointing a cold scimitar straight for her heart. Nebula only smiled and shook her head, glaring right back at the red warrior who dared to oppose her.
"Like I said, gone for good? Remember that, you worthless insect?"
"How?" he snarled, pressing the tip against her throat.
"Looks like your moon didn't take kindly to your actions. A shame she didn't kill both of you."
Vartek grimaced and made to thrust his blade through her heart, but the sky lit up bright red once more, and where there was only cold in his chest, now there was burning heat. He couldn't move, only continue to glare at the queen as time itself stood still.
"Vartek." a voice called, seeming to come from within his own mind. "Your bondmate has been erased from existence, down to her very soul, due to her actions against the land of Mewni."
Vartek tried to retaliate, tried to say something, anything to justify their actions of protecting monster kind. But his body wouldn't respond. His lungs wouldn't even draw breath as his mind raged against the voice.
"Lest you find yourself in a similar position, I would advise you lay down your weapon, and step. Away. From the queen."
There were no words, in or outside his mind for the unbridled fury he felt. Merina was gone, Nebula was alive, and he was under trial by some-
"Do not try to offer explanation. Your crimes are just barely forgivable, but she was too far gone for any reconciliation. Go now and spend the rest of your days remembering what happened when you tested the sacred bond of the Blood Moon!"
'The blood moon...he grimaced silently, feeling his chest seemingly burn hotter against what he could only assume was the full gaze of the Blood Moon Goddess. 'You...You stole Merina from me!' his thoughts raged.
The sky suddenly ceased its crimson glow, returning instead to a starry, dark void with six moons sharing similar stages. His blade remained pointed at Nebulas chest, but he slowly pulled it back, sheathing them both at his sides as he stood crooked before her. "You," he stated dryly, his own voice returning. "If you ever, make a move against the monster kingdom again, I will carry you into the aether with me when my soul is ripped apart by a goddess. Don't make me come back here."
Nebula made to say something, but Vartek flashed a pair of piercing red eyes at her, forcing a pressure wave of power against her. "Do not," he stated angrily, turning to make his way towards the woods.
Nebula simply hunched over the broken rocks and continued wheezing, trying to assemble the broken pieces of her wand to no avail. Vartek could hear her muttering pained curses, but for now, he would ignore it. He had something far more personal to deal with than a broken, powerless queen. And if there was any hope of bringing Merina back, he needed to move.
Butterfly Kingdom, Mewni
Present day
Vartek knelt silently in the shadows of an oak tree that was hundreds of years old. Its branches reached for the heavens and the fauna around it kept the dangerous half-breed well-concealed from his target: a simple rat scurrying along beside a cornfield. It moved with haste but every now and again it would stop to eat corn, taking random breaks. It infuriated him to no end.
Hours went by as the day dragged on. The rat would go about some business, be it theft, something that seemed like reconnaissance, or eating. It walked by rows of corn in a field now, snatching food every now and again, and stopping. Vartek silently seethed in anger and rubbed his face, doing his best to not kill the pest. This definitely wasn't what he figured he would be doing to get to Ludo.
Looking up once more, he was taken completely by surprise at finding the rat gone. There was no trace of it, even in the dirt it trecked over. 'NO!' he screamed to himself, 'Where'd it go?! It was just-'
He stopped, stepping out from hiding and closer to the cornfield as he eyed a small, barely noticeable, and badly camouflaged hole in the ground. There were clear rat tracks in the dirt around it, all of them leading straight to it. He used his boot to kick away some fallen corn husks and peered down.
There was nothing notable about it, just a hole maybe two feet wide, sitting between two rows. But it was clear this was where the rat had gone, so no time like the present. Vartek tucked his sheathed weapons closer to his body and jumped, falling straight through the small opening which was barely wide enough for him to fit. He fell for about four seconds before landing hard in a dimly lit cave.
'So, this is where he's been hiding?' Vartek mused as he walked down a seemingly endless dark hallway. 'I have to say, after I kill him I might stay. Right under the Butterflies noses. I wonder if this was still here when... No. Focus. Mission.'
He walked on, keeping an eye out for any rats. Dotted skylights used as entrances lighted the hallway, barely, as he searched for any sign of Ludo. Sufficed to say, there was nothing. The smell of rat and fresh prints on the ground eluded to the presence he searched for, but he was left wandering aimlessly.
Vartek had done his homework before he left, of course. But the pop-up books were grossly undetailed. He only got lucky in finding the bounce lounge as his destination, but other than that, details about Toffee, Ludo, Queen Moon, Eclipsa, Globgor, Meteora and even Glossaryk were sparse.
'That pathetic old man was the best lead I've gotten since Toffee, but I wouldn't fall for that again. What do you think?'
His blades pulsed green for a moment, humming slightly as he walked. Vartek frowned and shook his head before quickening his pace. 'No, Merina. I'm not torturing him. If I can help it, I just want to get the wand and leave this cursed timeline. The Butterfly though... ho ho hoo yes. Different story.'
Vartek was shaken from his thoughts as he came to a small opening in the wall to his right. It seemed like a doorway, and there was a voice beyond it. As well as quick, frantic squeaking. He knelt down to peer through it, but there wasn't a good vantage. He could only hear the voice beyond getting more agitated.
"NO! You pathetic little rat vermin! Get me more corn! I don't even know where you got a tire from! We don't have cars!"
Frantic squeaking*
"Ugh! Star Butterfly has a wand just like mine. And I won't stand for that! I must become stronger, and destroy her!"
Squeaking?*
"By taking her spellbook. She must be using it to somehow beat me even when I have this! So if I'm in control of the spellbook, I can finally win!"
Annoyed squeaking*
"What?! Where? Last I checked we don't have any new monster slaves. Who could possibly-"
Vartek had heard enough. Being pretty sure that his cover was blown, he dove out from under the small opening and rolled into a fighting stance at the center of a large antechamber. In the middle was some sort of turning wheel being pushed by monsters, and that odd frog creature Ludo had befriended when Toffee took over.
And speaking of Ludo, the small avian headache was standing next to the wheel looking frantically around the room for signs of trouble. When his eyes fell on Vartek, Ludos face contorted into one of rage.
"You!!" he screamed, pointing his wand right at Vartek. "You're that troublesome warrior that destroyed my castle!!!"
Vartek said nothing, only pointing his blades at ludo and slowly stepping closer.
"Not talking hmm? Very well then! I'll just destroy you and take your silence as an apology!" Ludo shot a green stream of toxic magic straight at Vartek, who simply stood up straight and leaned into it.
The force was great, but he held firm, letting the magic wash over him in waves before it finally died down. Once it was over, Ludos smiling, frenzied expression shifted to one of shock and worry. He gripped his wand and aimed again to fire, but its glow frizzled out and went cold.
"WHAT?! What have you done to my wand?! What did you do?! Fix it!!!"
Vartek grinned, something he seemed to be doing a lot today, and stepped closer to Ludo, swiping his blades through any rodent who dared to step too close. Today certainly was a good day for revenge. He reached the potato crisps wearing menace, picked him up by the throat, careful not to choke his piece of Intel, and spoke with confident grandeur.
"Ludo, what's it been, little man? Like three months? Six?" Ludo struggled against the death grip around his neck and said nothing, frantically pointing his wand at Vartek, who continued.
"See, I forgot how long it's been, what with being sent to the land of the passing and all. Time works weird there so you forget how stuff flies by. Oh, and don't flatter yourself with corrupted magic. I run on the same fucked up energy after an unfortunate incident with my soul."
Ludo grit his teeth and struggled more, clawing at Varteks armor desperately before letting his hands simply grip Varteks wrist. He glared at him and answered with a struggling tone. "Serves you right, you traitorous jerk! You and Toffee took everything from me!"
Vartek smiled again and chuckled to himself. "Oh? I know how that feels, trust me. One minute you're loving life, the next, you're fighting for it. Been one crazy journey, so I'll just cut to the chase." Vartek dropped Ludo and kicked him hard in the stomach before slicing three rats in half.
"I need that wand, but I also need Stars wand. So, let's make a little deal: I don't kill you, and instead let you run around Mewni doing gods know what, and you point me to what I want. Sound good?"
Ludo gasped for air and struggled to find footing as he curled around his midsection and wheezed. A moment went by before he opened his eyes and glared at Vartek. "I earned this wand...y-you can't t-take it from-"
Vartek grabbed Ludo and threw him over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground, now cutting off his air supply in his deadly grip. "Lemme stop you there, because I know what you're gonna say. Now, counterpoint: I can kill you now, you can help me, or Toffee can kill you later. He's inside that wand, Ludo, and I'm your friend. I just want to protect you. Unless you continue to be an obstacle."
Ludo gagged for air, clawing at the bracers on Varteks armor, desperate for even a breath of air as Vartek went on. "I need both wands, Ludo. So you're going to help me. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
He tightened his grip as Ludo began coughing and wheezing for air. Between ragged breaths, he managed "C-crystal!"
Vartek nodded and released his grip, stepping back to look around. "I noticed you have some sweet digs here, so I'm going to be taking them. We work from here, but we will send some vermin to scout for a new location. Somewhere, more monstrous."
Ludo stood up and beckoned for his two companions, a two-foot-tall spider, and a six-foot-tall eagle. They clambered next to him and the three stood behind Vartek nervously.
The green warrior eyed the wheel, now missing an occupant, and smiled. "Run along little frog, deliver a warning to my favorite people in the world."
Ludo approached and looked down at his wand with disdain. Toffee, his greatest enemy, was inside his wand. And now he wanted nothing more than to blast that lizard to dust. Vartek turned about and knelt before ludo, putting them at eye level.
"Don't worry about the wand. Toffee will get what he deserves soon enough. For now, I believe you need some training, so you're going to get me the spellbook. And remember:"
Vartek swung his blade wide, creating an arc of green magic that decimated the wheel, as well as everyone pushing it. "-Double cross me, and you're next."
Ludo swallowed hard and nodded eagerly, too petrified to move. Vartek jerked his head to the side as a warning to leave his presence and made to examine the stolen documents his new ally had been working on. Ludo stiffly ran away, trailed by his entourage of rats and minions, leaving Vartek in peace at last.
"This next part should be easy enough. He did it the first time after all," he mused, sitting down to get to work. As he pawed through the scrolls, his blades hummed green for a moment. Vartek sighed and patted them gingerly as he spoke, just barely above a whisper.
"Give me some time, we're almost there. We just have to be careful to not mess up again. Remember, you're the magic and I'm the brains."
His blades hummed again, making him stop for a moment. Vartek shook his head and leaned back, eying the skylight above him. "We do this my way. Slow and steady, and I'll have you back as soon as I can, my love."
UNKNOWN LOCATION, MEWNI:
682 Years from now
Vartek crouched before a stone altar, bathed in blue light and deep within the belly of the underworld. He had killed, lied, and trecked over all of Mewni to get this far, and now, it was time to pay his efforts forward. Crouching down, he gently placed a crystal about a foot long and half as wide down on the ground. It was colored grey, empty, and shined to perfection.
Next, he placed down a single, forest green hair beside it. The only thing he could find on the battlefield.
And lastly, a book. It was aged so much, the leather bindings were cracking to dust, and the pages were nearly solid with a yellowed tint. Vartek stood and stepped back, eying the books page. "This, is probably going to hurt, isn't it?" he asked cautiously. The two robed figures behind him exchanged a glance and nodded, though it went unnoticed.
"Very well. I suppose I'll just begin, and hope that I do not perish."
Vartek took a deep breath and turned the long mineral sideways. It did nothing as he looked to the hair, placing it on top of the crystal with careful precision. Vartek looked nervously at the book, and spoke with a wavering but calm voice.
"Severing stone, I come to you;
to ask you tear my soul in two.
I've lost a love that can never be found; to this crystal, her soul will be bound.
Take half of mine and mold it inside, using what I have in my mind.
My body may wither and my soul may be broken, but for the love of my life, this is a small token!"
As he finished the Soulbound spell, Vartek looked around nervously, waiting for something to happen. The cavern was silent, save for a slurping sound behind him, but before he could turn and ask for silence, the Severing stone lit up yellow, red, orange, then green. Vartek eyed it, unsure of its meaning.
"Is...that supposed to-" He was cut off by a sharp, icy pain in his chest. He looked down and gripped at his armor as he saw an orb of white light pass through it. It stopped just in front of him and hovered there for a moment before splitting neatly in twine. One half returned to his body, filling him with a small amount of warmth, while the other floated slowly down to the crystal.
Upon contact, the hemisphere of light zapped wildly and shrunk down into it, filling it with a green hue to resemble an emerald. Vartek fell to his knees and stared at it, too mesmerized by its success to notice the throbbing, empty pain in his chest. Or that the color of his eyes shifted to a shining green. The Severing Stone chined three more times before reverting to a dormant state, leaving the half-breed warrior with his long awaited prize.
Vartek reached out carefully, touching the end of the crystal with his intex finger. As soon as he made contact, the crystal flashed and Vartek cought his breath. Green fluid magic seemed to gush from it and wrap around his body, seeping into his armor and bathing him in deep green light. He made to scream in pain but no sound came out. His body was quickly engulfed by the energy, before it sank through his skin and filled his head with blank silence. A voice faded into his mind like radio static being tuned down as he fought to keep conciousness.
'-Tek?- -Va- -can yo- -me?'
"Merina?" He asked, looking around before turning his attention back to the soul crystal. "Are you... in there? Are you alright?"
'I died?'
Vartek paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. Though no ammount of care could keep him from speaking in an entirely different manor. "Well yeah, thought you'd remember that. It took me like, a year to bind your soul to this rock. I had to use half of my own, and my memory of you to get it to work."
'You did well, my husband. But what shall we do now? If I am gone, that means Nebula-'
"Nope," he interjected, "last I heard, Mewni had to 'adopt' a new, magicless queen because theirs was broken. Wars over, hun."
'Then what can we do? I don't want to be stuck in here forever.'
Vartek smiled cooly, despite the fact that it was to himself. He picked up the crystal and unsheathed a blade, filling it with green, currupted magic. He cut a sparking, emerald green portal and stepped through, being deposited in the middle of a large chamber.
The walls were high, atleast sixty feet sraight up, and the ground was littered with massive crystal shards. "You won't be, Merina. I found something you're gonna like. I just need you to drive this temple for a while and send me back in time. I have something I gotta get, and then you're out of there!"
'Back in time? Var, be serious. What's the plan?"
"That is the plan."
'How are you even-'
"Ep ep, I'll tell you all about it when I get there. Long mission short, you're gonna like this one." Vartek kicked a crystal, letting it clatter aimlessly across the marble floor as he stepped closer to the center. There, a massive sculpture of a heart capped in scissors, made entirely of bone and crystal, sat dormant, and dark.
"Took forever to build this thing, but it should work. Let's get started, my love."
To be continued in: Study session
AUTHORS NOTE
How's it goin peeps! Lmao soo, this wraps up the two chapters of original content! Next chapter we focus on Star learning more about her wand, inside and out, and a new chapter in the book of spells! I hope you guys enjoyed my chapter, even if its not in the book of spells. I wanted to make sure to provide alot, but not too much in terms of dead give aways. Anyways, enjoy your day, leave a review for questions, comments or ideas, and I'll see ya'll in the next chapter! BUH BYYYEEE!!
~Mr. Ronald Reagan