Lavinia stood hunched over a large table set up within one of the deeper chambers of the Azorius Senate's headquarters. Sounds of the battle outside were audible, but at least the tremors couldn't be felt. At least this way she could concentrate, even if it was only a slight bit. The war room was constantly being moved, usually at her behest. There had originally been a lot of paperwork to go through in order to move it from wing to wing, but now a-days Lavinia usually had forgone it, saying she'd fill it all out another day. Now a-days, there was hardly time to follow protocol.
Upon the massive table was a projection of the city proper that glowed in the dim light of the room. So much territory had fallen to the wicked elderdragon, Nicol Bolas, as of late. When Jace had called upon the beings from other planes, there had been a glimmer of hope, and the evil creatures forces had been pushed back. However, now things were slowly going back to being in Bolas' favor, and the people they had hoped would win them the war had grown just as tired and weary as the rest of Ravnica's citizens.
Lavinia chewed at one of her nails, surveying the map. Some of Bolas' forces were making their way towards one of their many civilian camps. Those who couldn't fight had been sent to stay within the more heavily guarded parts of the city, and thus far, two had already fallen and countless, innocent people had lost their lives. So there was no time to second guess whether or not they could keep the dragon's forces from destroying another camp- it was either she be proactive or suffer the consequences and have their own army lose even more moral. Children had been in those camps, family, loved ones- there had been enough mourning those past few months for hundreds of years worth of war.
On instinct, she looked to her side, the beginnings of a sentence escaping her lips before she sucked breath back in. Jace, who before usually had helped with strategy, had long since started going out to take care of his own business. The Living Guildpact had slowly begun to become lax in his duties, not that Lavinia could blame him. Keeping order in those times was a lot different than keeping order before- when it was just a string of meetings and paperwork and visits to the other guilds. Jace, albeit a little clumsily, had been suited for such a life: keeping order in a time of general peace. But this was war. The guild system had almost been completely dissolved, remaining only in names and introductions. There was no place for papers and diplomacy here- not with Nicol Bolas. And it had taken a toll on Jace from day one.
She heaved a sigh and turned back to the map. There was no time to wait for Jace to approve of her plans like before. Now... there was no time to depend on Jace- not any longer. What use was the Guildpact when the guilds weren't even the problem anymore? He'd done his part- brought Ravnica much needed aid at the cost of losing a bit of their trust in revealing a secret not just him, but many Ravnicans had been keeping for years, been the face of their potential triumph until their forces began to crumble before Nicol Bolas' might once again- and now, his title was nothing more than the rest of them desperately gripping at whatever would tether them back to the reality they once knew. Jace Beleren, the Living Guildpact, could no longer be relied upon.
Clearing her throat, she turned to the commanding officers who had been overseeing the brief meeting, awaiting orders. One of them was Tajic, a member of the Boros Legion who had always made a point to attend every meeting Lavinia and Jace had called. The war had certainly taken it's toll on him physically, obvious signs of battle worn across his face and body, but there was a fire of determination still in his eyes that still burned as if it were still the first day of battle. At the very least, it was something Lavinia could appreciate.
Before anyone could share any words, however, someone came crashing through the doors to the chamber, breathing heavily and stumbling across the marble floor. All of them turned to find Ral Zarek, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
"Guildmage Zarek...?" Lavinia greeted him properly, although she was unable to withhold how confused she was at his sudden appearance. "What seems to be the problem?" Ral only shook his head at first, wheezing and swallowing mouthfuls of air. Upon closer inspection, Lavinia couldn't help but notice the guildmage's legs buckling slightly and his hands shaking the tiniest bit. "Guildmade Zarek!"
"The Conclave..." He managed to gasp through panting as he wiped his brow. "The Conclave... everyone..."
"What?" Lavinia gasped, turning to the map and turning her gaze towards where the the Selesnya Conclave's area of the city. As far as the map could show, anyway, Bolas' forces were still being kept from that area of the city just as handily as before. It had been the designated place for the wounded, and a large number of their healers had been stationed their- to the point where, if the Conclave were to fall, they would be put at a sickening disadvantage. But, if the map was anything to go by, there was nothing to worry about. Looking back at Ral, however...
"Everything seems fine..." Lavnina told him, sounding unsure on top of being suspicious. "If this is a prank, this is definitely not the time."
"Of course it wouldn't show up... on your stupid map..." Ral Zarek muttered wearily.
"And why is that?" Lavinia narrowed her eyes.
"Because..." Ral paused, a look of honest terror in his eyes.
"Out with it, Ral Zarek!" Lavinia shouted. She was pressed for time as it was, there was no time to sit there and wait for Ral to explain himself.
"The Conclave has fallen to Jace!" Ral shouted back before going back to hunching over with his hands on his knees, obviously using air he hardly had in order to roar back at her.
"To... Jace...?" Lavinia asked, a worried murmur drifting through the room. "What do you mean 'to Jace'?"
"He's turned on us, Lavinia... He... he killed all of them." He stammered. "It's a miracle I was healed enough to escape..."
"You've got to be kidding!" Lavinia gasped. "Jace- mean... the Living Guildpact would never do such a thing!"
"He has... Your precious 'Living Guildpact' has turned on all of us..." Ral Zarek swayed from side to side before losing his footing completely. Lavinia was narrowly able to catch him, feeling something warm and wet as she gripped him on one of his sides. Easing him onto the ground, she pulled her hand away to find it was died a dark crimson.
"You're hurt!"
"I said 'healed enough' not 'healed completely', didn't I?" Ral mumbled.
"You stay here." Lavinia commanded before turning to the lot that were still waiting for her to give orders. She bit her lip, torn between her original plans and the new development with Jace.
"Commanding Officer Tajic!" She called out to him. He straightened up as she spoke his name. "You will accompany me to see to this matter concerning the Living Guildpact. The rest of you, the civillian encampment near the east district is in danger of falling to Bolas' forces. Send whatever troops you find necessary to defend it!"
And with that, she took her leave, speed-walking down the hall before breaking out into a run once she and Tajic were a fare distance away from the chamber.
"What do you plan on doing?" Tajic asked, easily meeting her stride. "If what Guildmage Zarek is true, and Jace Beleren really has attacked the Conclave... what do you plan on doing?"
"What we can." Lavinia responded simply. "We're going to get to the bottom of this- Beleren wouldn't turn on us without reason.
"If I remember correctly, he wouldn't turn on us at all." Tajic added, sounding stern. "This doesn't seem right..."
"I'm aware." Lavinia sighed as they reached the exit. The air outside smelled of smoke and iron and the sky had taken on a more red hue from the smoke and ash hanging overhead- the sun now a crimson orb through the thick haze. "Our best bet is to head in the direction of the Conclave. If a half-injured Ral Zarek was able to get here without any trouble, we should be fine."
"I don't think you need to worry about getting there..." Tajic informed her, extending a single finger towards the foot of the steps leading up to the Senate headquarters. "It seems Guildmage Zarek was followed."
Lavinia gasped as she looked down, coming to find Jace standing below them, statuesque as his cloak billowed in the stiflingly-warm wind. He stared up at them coldly, every bit of warmth drained from his expression. A chill ran up Lavinia's spine as she gulped. She could tell something wasn't right.
"G-Guildpact!" Lavinia addressed him, attempting to swallow down her fear. "We have gotten word from Ral Zarek that you have turned against our forces. He's told us that Conclave has fallen, and you were the cause of it! We need to know if these accusations are true."
"... And what if they are?" Jace asked icily. "What do you plan on doing? Will you try and stop me, just like all of those other fools at the Conclave tried to stop me?"
"This is no time for jokes, Jace!" Lavinia snapped, hand on her sword. "Did you or did you not attack the Conclave!?"
"...It seemed like the most logical place to strike. A horrible case of putting all of your eggs in one basket- having all of your healers in one place. It always stuck out to me as... a strategic flaw..." Jace mused. "I guess I was right."
"You bastard!" Tajic roared as he drew his blade and charged Jace.
"Tajic, don't!" Lavinia cried out, but before the proud Boros guild member had made it halfway down the stairs, his body suddenly went slack and he tumbled down the rest of the way. Lavinia gasped as she took a step backward. His body lay limp at Jace's feet, motionless and quiet. Jace regarded the body for a short while before stepping over him and beginning his ascent up the steps.
"The mind is such an easy thing to break..." He sighed. "Such a shame..."
"Stay back!" Lavinia snarled as she drew her own blade, but held her ground despite her legs shaking. "I'm not afraid to strike down the Living Guildpact! Your time as Ravnica's law has long since ended, and your crimes will justify my actions! Take one more step and I swear-!"
"But you are afraid of me, aren't you?" Jace interrupted as words dried up in Lavinia's mouth and died in her throat. It was as if speech was an abstract concept she couldn't quite grasp, no matter how much she concentrated. Her mind wandered and froze all at once. She could hardly move her limbs aside from the shivering she was doing. "You can't hide anything from me, every little thought- every little well kept secret is common knowledge to me. Without even the slightest bit of effort, your mind and every thought process is mine to control."
Lavinia gasped as her body moved on it's own, holding her sword aloft and pointing it at her throat.
"...W... Why..." She was hardly able to rasp.
"-Am I doing this?" Jace finished for her. "You know, Lavinia, every detail of my life up until now has been filtered through you. All of my activities overseen by the guilds. And now, I can honestly say... it's really none of your business."
A flash of light and a ear-shattering clap erupted, forcing Jace away from Lavinia and sending her flying backward, her weapon being knocked from her hands. She groaned in pain, her voice returning to her, and the use of her limbs was relinquished back to her as she struggled to push herself up.
"What in all the world-" She muttered before she came to find Ral Zarek standing before her, one arm outstretched, ready for call down another bolt of lightening, the other grasping at his side where a deep red stain had begun to form.
"Guildmade Zarek, you need to get out of here!" Lavinia gasped. "You're in no shape to fight!"
"Oh, yeah, and you were doing such an amazing job before I got here." Ral rolled his eyes before looking back at Jace, who had been forced to retreat back to the bottom of the steps. "You need to get back there and warn everyone- evacuate everyone you can."
"And what about you!?" Lavinia asked. "There's no way you can defeat him, not in your condition!"
"Who said I came here to defeat him?" Ral Zarek asked, sounding a bit defeated. "Before I came here... I'm sorry, but I tried to planeswalk out of here. I'm not even sure where I was trying to go, I just wanted to escape... I'm sorry, it was really cowardice of me..."
"Ral..."
"But I couldn't..." He continued. "Not because I changed my mind, but because I literally couldn't. My spark is gone, Lavinia. I'm trapped here.. and I have a sinking feeling all of us are."
"I'm not just going to leave you here and let you get yourself killed!" Lavinia shouted. "I don't know how this could have happened, but that's no reason to-!"
"Just let me do this!" Ral whirled around to face her. "If this is where I die, than so be-..." Ral Zarek suddenly took an awkwardly long pause, his expression shifting from annoyed to surprised to terrified as he reached up and grasped at his throat.
"R-Ral?" Lavinia stammered before Ral fell to his knees, making desperate, choked noises as he looked from the ground to her, wordlessly begging for her to help him. "Ral! Ral what's wrong!?"
"If you don't want to leave him to die, then maybe you can sit there and watch." Jace, who had traveled up the steps and was now standing before them spoke mockingly.
Ral reached out and gripped Lavinia's shoulders, tears welling up in his eyes and his tongue lulling out of his mouth.
"Stop this- Jace, please, stop this!" Lavinia begged. "You're killing him!"
"That's the idea..." Jace shrugged. "A slow death worthy of a coward."
"You can't... you can't do this..." Lavinia sobbed. "Please... please, stop!"
"It's too late for any of that, Lavinia." Jace shook his head. "It's time you all gave up and embraced futility."
Lavinia turned from Jace back to Ral, whose lips were slowly turning blue. She couldn't bear to watch him slowly suffocate to death, so, instead, she reached for her blade she had let slip from her hands. Ral's eyes followed her closely, looking panicked.
"I'm sorry.." She cried softly as she gripped the blade in one hand and wrapped her other arm around Ral. "I'm... I'm sorry..." Simultaneously she pulled him close against her and thrust her blade through his chest. Ral's body violently shivered, one final, struggling noise escaping his lips before his body grew still. His head limply rested on her shoulder as his hands fell from his throat down to his sides. Lavinia choked back a sob as she kept Ral's body held close to her. Blood oozed down the hilt of her sword, meeting and running over her fingers.
"You monster..." She muttered before looking up at Jace with tears in her eyes. "You fucking-!"
Whatever words she had left to say were left unsaid as her body, too, went limp and rested on Ral's. Jace stared back at the two now corpses, Lavinia still embracing Ral's motionless body in death, before striding into the Azorius Senate's headquarters.
Lavinia cried out in terror as she awoke, sitting up and clutching at her bed sheets. Her heart that she could practically hear pounding was enough to assure her she was, in fact, still alive, but even so she had her doubts for a few seconds that seemed to drag on forever. Sweat traveled from her brow down her face, stinging her eyes- or maybe that was tears? In the darkness of her bedroom, still in panic mode, it was impossible to tell.
"Nng..." She moaned as she released her sheets and wrapped her arms around herself. Avacyn had explained that nightmares would happen- that they were , somehow, a regular thing when people were told about their past lives. Chandra, Gideon and Liliana had all attested to that, all looking largely uncomfortable. She had thought they had been overreacting- what were a couple of bad dreams every now and then? But that... what Lavinia had seen wasn't a dream. It hadn't just been some ridiculous scenario that her subconscious had cooked up where she'd find herself naked at school or something that could be easily shaken off. What Lavinia had experienced had been a vivid memory
"...Is everything alright?" A voice quietly asked from Lavinia's floor. She jumped, a half-second later remembering she had invited Avacyn to spend the night at her apartment. It wasn't that the two of them were already close friends- in fact, before this, they had hardly spoke to one another aside from school or guild matters that were hardly interpersonal. It had been right before Lavinia- being the last person to remain in the library the night before, even after Ral Zarek, the bookworm, left- had retired for the night when she somehow managed to coax out of the dean's daughter that she had been sleeping in the library. She hadn't wanted to press the issue at the time, but she could tell by the look on her normally stoic face that she wasn't just doing it because she liked sleeping in the cold, dimly-lit chamber beneath the school.
So, Lavinia had invited Avacyn to stay with her, and the entire evening had been dedicated to subtly trying to have Avacyn admit why she hadn't been returning home. But the angel had been very tight lipped about the matter, keeping her explanations to things like, "it's a personal matter" and "it's of little concern right now"- and Lavinia's personal favorite, silence and half-hearted hand and body gestures (Avacyn had a very bad habit of responding like she were a mime just phoning it in, and it bothered Lavinia greatly).
"I-I'm fine..." Lavinia attempted to assure her guest. "I just..." mid-sentence, she was forced to choke back a sob, and at that point there was no real point in defending whether or not she was "fine".
"A nightmare?" Avacyn guessed. Lavinia sighed uneasily and nodded.
"I-I'll be okay, I just need something to calm my nerves." She assured her as she unsteadily slipped out of her bed and walked out into the living room of her apartment, followed close behind by Avacyn whose footsteps Lavinia could hear patting half a step behind hers.
Lavinia was lucky enough to come from a family that had sent her to the academy willing- her mother and father both mages who wanted her to get an education while still being taught about and being in a community of people her age that positively embraced magic. So it came as no surprise that, once she entered her final years at the academy, her parents were more than happy to put her up in the better apartments near campus that were popular with the more well-off senior students who were no longer required to stay in the dorms. Lavinia liked the privacy, so it felt odd being followed around the apartment at some ungodly hour of the morning.
The apartment had an open concept living room and kitchen, the wall at the far end of the room being nothing but a sheet of glass that let in the maximum amount of light during the morning. The walls, floor and furniture that had come with the apartment were all a pristine eggshell white. It was allowed for students to change the look of their living spaces, but Lavinia had left most things as they were, her only modifications being switching out odds and ends that weren't white for things that were. Her only complaint was that it made it so she had to clean more often, but even that was remedied with a spell or two. A person could drop a mug of coffee onto the floor and have it shatter and the room would piece the broken glass back together and lap up every drop of liquid, leaving zero trace. It was an advanced spell Lavinia had painstakingly perfected the first year she lived alone, after realizing she wasn't the most graceful when it came to handling china.
"Thank gods I still have some tea around here..." Lavinia muttered to herself as she entered the kitchen area and opened up what appeared to be a very organized pantry, everything arranged by type of food and then by size with labels of expiration dates stuck to everything. "I mean, I'd normally take a sleeping pill but... well, you've seen what eventually happened to me when I took those. I guess I'm going to have to stick to more traditional home-remedy type things until this whole issue is resolved."
"If you want someone to talk to, I'm here." Avacyn offered up.
"What do you mean? I told you I was fine..." Lavinia unconvincingly attempted to reassure her.
"Experiencing your own death can be a terrifying thing. I've seen even the most strongest of people weep after having the nightmares. And most people don't find it very reassuring that we have no idea how to stop them, or for how long they'll even last." Avacyn explained. "It's understandable for you to be shaken. Your facade wouldn't convince even the most unobservant people."
"Then you go first, if you're so about being open with one another!" Lavinia snapped despite herself, practically throwing the box of tea bags onto the counter and turning to face Avacyn. "As a member of the student council and the guildleader of Azorius, the business of the student body is my business. And your refusal to return home isn't something I should turn a blind eye to, given my position."
"Is it really so important to you?" Avacyn asked, retreating a bit.
"If we're going to be working together from here on out, it's only logical that we be more open with one another." Lavinia sighed. "If something if keeping you from returning home, I need to know what it is, both as a member of the student council... and as your friend and ally."
Much to Lavinia's surprise, Avacyn turned away, the beginnings of what looked like a frown tugging at the edges of her lips.
"I live in the shadow of my namesake." She uttered. "The original Avacyn was... probably is still perfect in every way. An entire plane turned to her for guidance. She lifted curses and roused people to fight in her name. She's perfect... and it seems I live in complete juxtaposition of her. I have tried, time and again, to do things as she did. But each time I fall short, farther and farther. It's my fault that Jace fell under the control of Nicol Bolas- I couldn't stop it from happening. And the look my father gave me when he found out..." She noticeably shivered.
"He looks at me and sees her, and sees everything I'm not- I know he does. I saw it..." Avacyn paused, taking in a long, quiet breath and held it as she looked down at the floor. There was so much more she wanted to say- Lavinia could tell by the look in her eyes- but she had no idea how to word herself. "...He wants me to live a normal life, but how can I, knowing I'm... a lesser copy of someone much, much greater than me?"
"Avacyn, I-" Lavinia began to say before Avacyn shook her head, forcing her to cut herself off.
"It's the years finally wearing down on me, I'm sure. I've watched this plane fall and rise again, all without my help. This plane doesn't need a guardian angel." She muttered.
"You're wrong!" Lavinia suddenly exclaimed, looking instantly like she was embarrassed for even speaking. Her cheeks reddened a bit as she cleared her throat. "I mean, maybe you're not meant to be a guardian at such a grandiose scale, but you've brought all of us together to save Ravnica. You're our rock, Avacyn- our guardian angel. And... if it means anything to you, I will gladly fight in your name."
A silence fell over the two of them as they stared back at one another. Lavinia, face turning a very vivid shade of red, turned around and began to fumble about with the tea bags.
"Goodness, that... sounded like a confession or something, didn't it? ...Not that I meant it that way, my intentions were pure, I assure you, I-" She sighed in defeat, her shoulders slumping. "...do you want any tea?"
"I... I'm fine." Avacyn shook her head. Another length of silence came upon them as Lavinia went about grabbing a mug and a teakettle. "...But, getting back on track, your nightmare-"
"Oh, right, that..." Lavinia jumped a bit. She rubbed the back of her head as she began to fill the teakettle with water. Laughing nervously to herself she looked back at Avacyn with a shy smile on her face. "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel a lot better."
"My apologies, if I diverted the conversation too much." Avacyn began to excuse.
"No, it's alright. Maybe I just needed someone to talk with, that's all." Lavinia smiled. "Thanks."
"... No problem." Avacyn spoke quietly, allowing Lavinia to go back to work making her tea. A warm feeling swelled in Avacyn's chest- something familiar but at the same time all too different. She couldn't quite give what she felt a name, but at the very least it caused the quiet angel to smile to herself.
Ral pushed through the lunchtime crowds that slowly moved through the hallway, arms full of freshly photocopied papers that still felt warm to the touch. He had called a guild meeting- the first official meeting he himself had arranged since becoming the Izzet guildleader- in a possible attempt to rouse the entire guild to aid them in their cause to fight against Nicol Bolas. He knew it was risky- he wasn't sure just how far Bolas' influence reached- but at the same time he knew the tiny little resistance Avacyn had gathered up wouldn't be enough to stop an elderdragon who could probably squish them like bugs with one of his clawed fingers. What they needed was brains, and who else was there to provide that sort of kind of resource besides the Izzet?
Finally arriving at the guild's meeting room he paused, thinking over just how to address the members. It was especially difficult to come up with a convincing argument as to why they- a bunch of high school-aged students who saw more battle on online MMOs than in real life- should stand against a creature who could probably flick them away like flies. He'd been up most of the night preparing after nightmares had refused to let him have even the slightest hope of having a fitful night's sleep, and even now he was still revising what he would say. Part of him even considered just ripping it off like a bandaid and not sugarcoating anything- just discarding his entire prepared speech and just shouting whatever came to mind ("You either help us, or we're all going to probably die- even though you might die helping us" for example).
"Ugh, how does Avacyn do it?" He muttered to himself. "Even I still don't know how she managed to convince me to do this..."
Fumbling his way through the door- using his elbows and body to open the door instead of his hands- he backed into the room and took a long deep breath before turning around...
Only to find there was not a single person there. At first he figured maybe he was early, but he remembered whenever Niv Mizzet called meetings people had made sure to arrive regardless of schedule conflicts- or maybe that was simply because Niv Mizzet was a dragon who could fry their brains if he wanted. But still- not even a single person was waiting for him.
"Of all the disrespectful things..." He muttered, turning to place the stack of papers on the counter nearest the door- coming to find there had been at least one other person in the room, lurking in his blind spot. He would have been relieved if not for who it actually was.
"Ah! Miss... Revane, was it?" He asked the elf who was currently eyeing him coldly. She had been the head of the team that lead the investigation of Niv Mizzet's death, and it was no secret even beforehand that she wasn't the biggest fan of humans. And even if Ral had never heard about that detail, the glare she it him with was enough to convey that much. "...U-um, what are you doing here?"
"I sent all those little followers of yours away." She explained in a chilling voice as she drew near, and now that she was closer, Ral could now see that she had very noticeable bags under her eyes. "I don't want anyone interrupting..."
"I-interrupting what exactly?" Ral questioned, feeling immediately uneasy. She answered him not with words, but with actions as she swiftly raised her hand and Ral felt the cool chill of something pressed against his forehead. Adjusting his gaze, he came to find she had raised a gun and had it pressed to his forehead. Gasping, he dropped the papers to the floor, resisting the urge to jump backward when he noticed her finger was on the trigger.
"Ho-holy shit!" He exclaimed.
"Be quiet!" Nissa growled, centering the barrel of the gun so that it was pointed right between Ral Zarek's eyes. "Make any more noise and I swear to the gods I will blow your filthy brains out!"
"O-okay, okay, I-I-I-" Ral stammered, raising his hands in surrender.
"Shut up!" She snapped. "Where is it!?"
"..." Ral remained tight lipped, feeling his heart race.
"Well!?"
"What!? W-Where is what!?" Ral gasped, flinching.
"You freed yourself from Nicol Bolas' mind control, didn't you!?" Nissa questioned. "Surely your own magic probably didn't do you much good, so you must have used some outside source! Where is it!?"
"Wh... why do you need it?" Ral dared to ask. "I mean, what could you possibly-?"
"Did I ask for questions, human!?" Nissa questioned, squeezing the trigger a little harder.
"Fuck! Shit! No, I- I mean-" Ral cried out. "I-It's something Niv Mizzet developed! We're keeping it under lock and key!"
"Take me to it, then!" Nissa snarled.
"B-but, we only have one left! And we're saving it to use on-"
"Did I even ask!?" She interrupted. "Take me to it, or I take you out. And trust me, I'll have no qualms doing it. I have nothing much else left to lose at this point, and with Nicol Bolas pretty much guarantied to get what he came here I figured I'd take my chances."
"Gh... Fine!" Ral agreed, sounding absolutely forced. "J-just put the gun away, alright!" Nissa glared back at him angrily but at the very least she lowered her weapon. Ral heaved a sigh of relief and relaxed.
"If you dare try and run, or try and get people to help, I won't hesitate to shoot you, do you understand?" Nissa snarled.
Ral tensed up once again.
"I-I get it, I get it. No funny business... But..." He muttered. "Just tell me why you're doing this! What we have could possibly save everyone! Why are you-?"
"Tell me, human, have you ever been in love?" Nissa asked cryptically.
"W-What!? What does that have to do with anything?"
"I thought so." Nissa spat. "Nicol Bolas is way to powerful for a bunch of kids like you to take down, and I'm not going to put my fate and the fate of everyone I care about in your hands. I'd rather fend for myself and correct my own mistakes..."
"Your own mistakes...?"
"Forget it, I've already said too much! That thing you created? It's going to go to waste. You'll most certainly die before you can even get to use it. I'm going to put it to better use before you fools ruin everything." Nissa frowned sharply. "Now... lead the way."