Yes, I am aware of the new Professor Onyx card for Strixhaven. While I haven't read any of the Strixhaven stories yet, I have at least seen some cliff notes versions of the stories from people online. That's just one of the challenges of writing for a living fandom. You always roll the dice that some new canon information might conflict with your fic's plans. However, it is also thrilling when you end up with a situation where the canon ends up confirming something you were working on. Thankfully, this story falls into the latter case. While I was not predicting Liliana to make an appearance on Strixhaven, the notion of her as a professor there actually fits nicely with some of the concepts I was working on for this story, especially in her interactions with Nissa. It, therefore, makes for a reasonable and logical leap that Liliana would go to Strixhaven after an adventure like this.
Theros had given Nissa many surprises when it came to trying to understand it. It had been a long while since a plane had given her this kind of challenge. The functionality of the gods was already something she had not expected. However, it was how the leylines were connected that made her have to reorient herself.
The leylines of Theros were divided between the land itself, which was more familiar to Nissa, and the starry expanse that served as the realm of the gods: Nyx. And it was Nyx which Theros wanted to show her the most. It felt strange to be part of the land while not actually being on the land, but at the same time, it piqued her curiosity. It was similar to how she connected to the aether streams on Kaladesh, but not exactly. It was also like how she could see the leylines in the gods of Amonkhet, but also not the same. It made Nissa wonder just how unique each world could be.
Yet, Nissa had very little time to admire this aspect of Theros as the tension between the gods drew her attention elsewhere. Like her previous attempts at making a connection, she was able to see and hear the gods arguing with each other. There were far too many voices, most of them shouting, for her to really make out any useful conversation. In what little time she had been able to gain information, she had learned a few names for these gods. Helios seemed to be a leader among them, though he also seemed to be the one who most of the aggression was directed at.
While Theros did not have a clear voice of its own, she could still sense feelings from the plane. They were faint, but they were enough to help her make sense of things. Helios may have looked grand and powerful. He walked and spoke with the air of a great leader. In many ways, he reminded her of Gideon. He was careful, strategic, and spoke with a voice that could inspire. However, Theros felt apprehensive about him, almost threatened. Perhaps Helios was less of a leader and more of a tyrant. In a way, it gave her the same shiver down her spine when she heard Numa, the chief of her Joraga tribe, banishing her and her mother from yet another home.
This time, the fighting and the noise was starting to make her head hurt. The arguments among the gods had gotten worse since she left to find Liliana.
In the corner of her eye, she noticed Kruphix, the god of the horizon, looking directly at her. He was one of the few gods who paid her no mind, and perhaps even welcomed her presence. He sat quietly, away from all the fighting, watching intently. Two of his four starry arms were crossed in his lap, as if this were merely a friendly debate. With one of his other hands, he motioned for her to stay silent and to listen.
"You would destroy all of our temples, level cities, and kill our worshippers all for your own power. When is it enough?" Nissa had still not learned the names of all of the gods. This one who spoke with such fury waved his hammer in front of Heliod's face with every statement.
"Have you forgotten that all of us are needed for the people?" This goddess was part snake, which made Nissa feel uneasy. She slithered as close as she dared to Heliod, trying to read his expression.
He remained cold and impassive to all of them. He silenced them all by pounding his spear on the ground. "I don't think you realize what kind of a situation we're up against. A mere mortal ascended to godhood and barely lifted a finger to do so."
This confused Nissa. Were not all of the gods once mortals who had been chosen by Theros to represent the ideas the people worshipped? Perhaps, after so long, they just forgot? It was so hard to tell how the gods worked from her current distance. If she could only get closer, she could explore the leylines they were made of, possibly even tug at the right ones to change things, just like she had done on Amonkhet. But there was no way she would be able to do that with all of them this close together.
"And this was no ordinary mortal," Heliod continued. "There are mortals who walk among us who can travel beyond our world to worlds we cannot even imagine."
A planeswalker had become a god? That certainly was an unsettling thought. Yet it seemed that this planeswalker was no longer a god, so what had happened to them?
"These beings are far more powerful than us. Imagine what chaos they could reign upon this world if they held a place among our ranks."
"Is that why you killed your own champion?" This was Karametra, the goddess of the harvest, who spoke. "Was she one of these world-walkers?"
Though he sighed as though it were some great weight on his shoulders, Nissa could tell he seemed to revel in that achievement. There was a faint smile on his lips.
"I had no choice," he said. "Yes, I needed her to dispatch the usurper, but when I saw what kind of power she could wield, with or without my assistance, I knew that such beings were a danger to us all."
Again the snake-like goddess spoke. "Yet, you have killed your champion. The usurper is no more. You have done away with the world-walkers. Why continue the fight? You have nothing left to gain from it? Why fight us?"
Heliod looked at each of the gods, as if debating how much he would tell them. His jaw stiffened and he refused to actually meet their eyes when he looked at them. For only the briefest of seconds, his eyes looked directly at Nissa's, recognizing her intrusion. He said nothing to her or to the others about her. He did not need to. One look from any of the gods was enough for her to know they knew of her presence.
It was the swift kick to her ribs that sent Nissa sprawling out of her sleep and back onto the hard ground of the world before her. She blinked several times, trying to reorient herself. Just as fuzzy details started to come back to her, she noticed Liliana looking at her, slowly backing away from the entrance of the cave.
"Well, you weren't wrong," the necromancer said. "They did send a small army to come stop us. I can't take control of them, and your little hill trick isn't stopping them either. At least, it won't for much longer. They're going to find the entrance here soon. I hope you had a backup plan in mind."
Still piecing back together reality, Nissa stood up shakily. "They can only find me when I'm in connection with Theros. Now that I'm not doing that, it'll make it harder for them to actually 'see' me. If we can just put a little distance between them and us, we will be fine."
Liliana backed into the cave further. "And you intend to do that how exactly? They have us cornered right now. Too many of them at the entrance."
She responded by pulling her sword from her staff. For the first time that she could recall, it seemed that Liliana actually looked surprised. "Ah, well, you came armed," Liliana said, eyeing the sword uneasily.
"And you aren't," Nissa responded stiffly. "Stay close to me, and you'll be fine."
"Just watch where you point that thing."
Two grey hands began to emerge through the vines at the entrance of the cave. All conversation ceased then. Instinct took over at that point. Nissa's ears pinned back and her muscles tightened. They were backed into a corner and had no other choice. They had to fight.
Liliana had seen her fair share of swordsmanship. Her own father and brother had trained in front of her when she was younger. She had seen the flourishing movements of vampire fencers on Innistrad. Nissa was something else entirely. There was no artistry to her movements, only short, swift slashes. And from the look in her eyes, Liliana could see that something primal had awakened in her, a gaze that was nothing but pure survival instinct. It was a look she had seen in the ferocious werewolves of Kessig when they were completely outnumbered by hunters, and that never ended pretty for the hunters.
The grey, undead creatures were not exactly inept either. That did not surprise Liliana. Theros prided its heroes who died in battle. Many of them came armed as well. They were not as deft as Nissa, but they still fought back when she struck. Their faces, hidden behind the impassive golden masks of the underworld made the whole scene a bit surreal. Nissa would slice at them from shoulder to side, and they hardly moved, only lifting their own weapons to her. She stayed out of their range, dodging the slowly moving arms of the undead army.
It was only when she plunged the sword deep into the stomach of an undead satyr that the creature reacted. It sunk to its knees, a hole forming where she had stabbed, and its ashen skin crumbling around it. Nissa did not have time to take in just what was happening, having to dodge more blows from the creatures.
But Liliana could see. She watched as the creature slowly dissolved to a pile of ash, its golden mask being the only remnant of its existence. Reflexively, Liliana called out, "Stab them! That seems to be the only thing that affects them."
Nissa only glanced at the pile of ash and dust on the ground, eyes widening in realization. She whipped around, thrusting her sword into the ribs of another. Indeed, Liliana's theory was right. The undead soldiers began to turn to dust before them, finally giving them the opening they needed.
"We need to run, now!" Nissa commanded, after finally clearing a path for them to leave.
It took Liliana a second to process that, and Nissa grabbed her arm, not willing to give the undead a chance to close the gap once more.
They ran for what seemed like hours, Liliana following farther behind, clearly not ready to have gone sprinting through the woods. She was honestly surprised she had not tripped over a root in her impractical boots. At long last, Nissa came to a stop at a riverbed, bent down, clasping her knees and taking in air.
"That was...that was worse than the last time I dealt with them," she said, catching her breath between words. "There were more of them. Some of those were even bigger creatures."
As Liliana caught up to her, she noticed it first. "And it looks like they came well prepared. You have an arrow in your shoulder."
Nissa turned her head slightly to see that it was true. She attempted to reach around to touch it, but flinched at the pain, the realization that she was hurt setting in.
"Here, let me look at it," Liliana offered.
Nissa started to back away from her touch. "No, I…"
"You can't very well do it yourself. I studied healing. In fact, that was how I got into necromancy. Let me help."
Her eyes darted around, as if trying to find another alternative, but finding none, she nodded her consent. Liliana gave her a gentle push to sit on the ground by the edge of the river and proceeded to examine the wound. She took a deep breath, knowing what would have to be done. She proceeded to look through the items in her satchel.
"It could have been much worse," she said, trying to sound as if this were merely routine. "It's not lodged in your chest or anywhere vital, but it is in a place with a lot of muscle tissue."
"Meaning?"
She sighed. "Meaning...it's going to hurt quite a bit when it comes out. I'm going to have to cut open the wound more to remove it without tearing too much." She pulled a small knife out of her bag. "It's a good thing I took some time to gather a few things for such situations."
Though Nissa had her back to her, she could tell her expression had to be something like pained acceptance. "Alright, I'm ready."
"Really? No fighting me on this one?"
"I've been wounded before. It's necessary. Just...just be quick."
Liliana leaned forward, ready to make the first cut. It had been a very long time since she had done anything with the healing arts. It was not that she lacked the confidence in her abilities, but rather that it brought back the memory of trying to save her brother. He had sworn she would endure eternal suffering for what she had done to him. Would she always be doomed to make things worse?
As the blade touched the skin, Liliana knew she was going to have to go fairly deep to get to the head of the arrow. She pressed, making a quick and deep cut. Nissa let out a muffled moan, leaning forward.
Liliana had to keep Nissa talking so that she could focus on something other than the pain. With all the movement so far, there was no way she was going to be able to do this right. She gently pulled Nissa closer to her so she could work. "At least you aren't one of those overly dramatic types to scream at the slightest bit of pain," she remarked, realizing that small talk was not one of her strong suits.
"You wouldn't want to do that out here," she said, her voice sounding like she was sprinting just to get out a few words. "It would attract who knows what to us."
By now, Liliana should not have been surprised. Nissa was, of course, the one to know how to survive in these sorts of situations. She had grown up surrounded by land that was literally alive. Still, she knew that a lot of those survival instincts came from a way of life that could have been avoided.
She treaded carefully. "It must've been difficult, having to live without your tribe."
"We got used to it. It really never felt like we belonged with them anyway. The Joraga could be a little...oppressive sometimes."
Liliana dreaded this. "Alright, pulling the arrow out...now!"
Nissa buried her face in her knees, trying to stifle the noise she was about to make. Liliana began pulling out a needle and thread from her bag. She took a rag, dipped it into the stream and began to clean the wound. She stayed quiet, debating if she should voice her next thought. However, she still needed Nissa to stay calm and to talk through the pain.
"I've been to a lot of planes where there are elves, and I've noticed something peculiar. No matter where you go, elves seem to have this particular attachment to the bonds of family and friends, more so than humans."
"Kinship," Nissa answered. "It's one of the main tenets of our culture."
"Right, well, I've also noticed that when elves wish to punish one of their own, they tend to favor a form of shunning and making outcasts of their own. If kinship is so valuable, then such a punishment seems awfully cruel."
"It is especially cruel," Nissa said quietly.
"So, why do it? What purpose does that serve? Does it make you more likely to come apologizing to them?"
"It's not about forgiveness. There is no potential for that. When your people turn you away, it's because you hurt them. You betrayed their trust, and they want you to feel that same pain."
Liliana shook her head. "That makes no sense. What did you do then to deserve it?"
Nissa was watching as the river flowed past them. "It is not what I did. It is what the animists did, what they thought they did."
"So, you were just born into it. That was your crime."
Nissa sighed. "Liliana…"
"Nevermind. Forget I said anything."
They were both quiet then. Liliana worked diligently, Nissa no longer feeling the extreme pain. Eventually, Liliana broke their silence.
"There, done. Try not to exert it too much, and the stitches won't break. Knowing your strength and stamina, you'll recover just fine."
Nissa tentatively moved her arm in small circles, feeling how much range she had with her arm to not strain it. She turned to face Liliana. "Thank you," she said with a nod. She then gave Liliana a quizzical look. "I'm...surprised. You studied healing?"
She could not help but revel a little in a moment of vanity. "Yes, and at one time, I was rather skilled with it. I thought if I could master death, I could be the greatest healer ever. Nothing would have stopped me."
"You found necromancy because you feared death," Nissa said.
"I never said that," Liliana answered harshly.
"But it's what you meant."
Liliana began to look around their new surroundings, dismissing the subject. "So, what's the plan now? I assume part of it is finding a new place to hide."
"I'm not sure what we can do. This didn't work at all like I had thought. If you can't take control of the undead beings, then we really do not have much of a chance at learning anything."
"Well, I haven't given up hope just yet. There are still things we can try."
Nissa seemed surprised by that answer, as if expecting her to want to leave immediately. "If you still plan to stay, then we can try. There are places around here where we can hide. I assume you're going to want to rest before we try anything else. For now, I can find us something to eat."
Liliana knew this was a bad idea, but after the day they had, she had to say something. "But what about you? Are you okay to stay here? You couldn't have been asleep for more than a couple of hours, according to Ravnica time."
"I…" Nissa paused, as if unsure how to respond to Liliana actually being concerned about her wellbeing. "I'm fine. Tired, yes, but I can tolerate it for a few more days."
She did not feel so sure of that. She had seen what had happened to Nissa on Kaladesh and later on Amonkhet. She would put a lot of pressure on herself and wear herself down. This could not end well if they kept up like this.
Nissa gave a sigh of contentment as she felt the silt and sand from the riverbed against her feet. It was the closest thing she was going to get to feeling connected to Theros. She felt so lost not being able to connect to the land in the way she was accustomed to. To feel some flow of nature, the rhythm of a world's heartbeat, even in this small of a way was a small blessing to her.
She stood still as she watched the fish swim around her legs, sword at the ready. Her shoulder was still very sore from where Liliana had removed the arrow, but thankfully, it was her left shoulder. She could still fight if she needed to. She waited patiently for the right moment to strike.
Still, it felt so strange to be this disconnected from a world. In a way, it almost felt like being...normal for once. It had been a long time since she had ever thought of it that way. For over a century, she had always known her animist abilities as "normal." Yet, she could remember a time when she had wanted nothing more than to not have her powers to actually just be ordinary. She did not know what to do with this feeling now.
A fish hesitated right beside her, and that was all she needed. Her sword plunged into the water, skewering the fish with it. It struggled against her as she pulled it up. She winced. While Nissa had been used to having to hunt for as long as she could remember, it did not change the fact that she still felt a sense of guilt having to kill another creature. She laid it on the bank of the river, far enough so that it could not get away, pulled it off the sword and landed a final slice to remove the head, ending its misery.
She had to do this once more before coming back to where Liliana was sitting and waiting. Even stranger than everything that had happened here on Theros was the necromancer. Nissa was still unsure what to make of her interaction with her so far. Sure, she was glad that she had agreed to help, but at the same time, everything about being here with her felt strange.
She had expected to still hate Liliana. She had used them all to deal with her own problems, problems that she had gotten herself into all in a bid for power. She carelessly toyed with the very forces of life and death only for her own ambitious purposes. She had betrayed them all by joining Bolas in his attack on Ravnica. And yet, Nissa surprised herself by not feeling that rage that should have been directed toward her, but she could not understand why.
Perhaps it was because she was starting to see something more in Liliana. From hearing how she had freed herself of the Chain Veil and seeing how she had turned the tides of war in their favor on Ravnica, perhaps there was more to the story. She could not be completely evil, but merely having gone down a wrong path.
Maybe it was the knowledge that Gideon had saved her. He had given up his own life to save her. Surely, that meant something. He had to have had a reason, and Nissa had to believe that reason was worth giving her a chance.
She sat down beside Liliana and looked at the small pile of branches in front of her. "So, did you find anything?" she asked.
Liliana looked a little embarrassed by her efforts. "I found what I could. I hope that's enough to start a fire."
It was really only a small bit of brush, if Nissa was being honest. "It's fine," she lied. "Thank you."
They had at least made the fire last long enough for them to eat, and Nissa was thankful for that. However, a new problem made itself apparent.
"Thunder," she said. "Still pretty far away, but a storm will be here soon." She stood and pulled Liliana to her feet. "We need to find shelter."
"Where exactly? I didn't see any 'homey' little caves like our last one."
She was already looking for signs of a good place to stay. "Doesn't have to be the same kind of thing. I'm sure there are plenty of dead trees around here."
"You can't be serious? These little trees couldn't possibly -"
The thunder was starting to sound closer, probably close enough for Liliana to hear by now. "This forest has been untouched by humans for hundreds, maybe thousands of years...well, mostly untouched. There are bound to be some older trees that are much bigger. We just have to go deeper into the woods."
At first, Nissa was confident she could lead them in their survival, but the further they went, the more she realized that this forest was unfamiliar to her. It was not like the jungles of Zendikar. The trees looked entirely different. On Zendikar, trees and vines wound together in perfect harmony, forming a safe and protective canopy. She could identify the different types of trees easily there. She knew how to spot the twisting branches of a Jaddi, the perfect place for the elves to make their homes. Thick bloodbriars were sturdy and just right to hold a person's weight as they climbed to the top.
But here, none of it was the same. These trees were thinner and windier. They made for good cover when growing close to each other, but for what they needed, there was not much. The forest was much more spread out too. While there were trees to be found everywhere, they did not grow close enough together to really provide any kind of cover. Too much tall grass grew between them.
"There!" Liliana exclaimed.
Sure enough, in the distance, a dark, wide tree that looked like it had been struck by lightning was just to the right of them. It was dead, the bark rotted after many years. If they were lucky, it was just hollow enough for the two of them to fit inside.
Nissa ran ahead, running her hands along the tree, trying to find a sign that this would be their salvation. She knocked against the bark, listening for a distinct sound. Satisfied with what she heard, she began to pull at a weak piece of the bark just at the base of the tree, planting her feet firmly to the ground to get as much leverage as possible.
"Nissa, no! Your shoulder. If you pull too hard... Oh, for goodness sake, let me help."
In the side of her peripherals, she saw Liliana kneel down to help her. The two pulled, hearing the wood creak. It eventually cracked, and they pulled back. It was not a large enough piece for them to fit through, but with some progress made, they went at it again, pulling dead bark away bit by bit until they had a small entrance. Fat rain drops began to pelt down on them as Nissa urged Liliana in the tree first.
Liliana was sitting there, looking at her torn nails and sighed. "Well, I must say, you know how to make quite an adventure out of this."
Nissa curled her knees to her chest, trying to make herself smaller and give her and Liliana a little space between them. "It'll do for now. You can rest through the night, and we can try and think of something then."
"I suppose starting a new fire is out of the question."
She shook her head. "Wouldn't do us any good. Any wood we'd find would be too wet to start anything, and there's nowhere for the smoke to vent out of the top of the tree. We'd just suffocate." She removed her cloak and handed it over to Liliana. "Here, this can be pretty warm."
She hesitated before taking it, and Nissa was unsure how to interpret it. There was no look of disgust or any other sign that Liliana saw the cloak as unpleasant. It was an entirely different look altogether, one that Nissa really had no context to understand. Was it that she was so unused to a simple kindness?
"Thank you," she muttered.
Nissa was content with the quiet as Liliana slept. It gave her time to think, perhaps to even come up with a better plan. At least, that is what she hoped she could do. Thus far, all her efforts had yielded no results. Rather, all of her plans had fallen apart within the first few minutes. Strategizing was clearly not her strong suit.
If Gideon were here, he would have found a way to use everyone's strengths to ensure their best chances. He had always had a knack for knowing exactly where everyone belonged in one of their plans. Of course, Nissa could not even gather everyone to help. Not that she had really tried. It was less that she felt their help was unnecessary, and more that she was too afraid to ask them. But Gideon would have been able to talk to them. He would have, no matter the cost.
Jace would have been better at coming up with an actual plan, rather than just trying and failing. He could have figured out a better way for them to stay hidden, to avoid the gods and their armies. Besides, even if all they could do was a method of trial and error, he would have done it better. He would have known exactly what to test for before throwing them into danger.
And Chandra… Nissa was still not ready to think about her. The point was, everyone would have done a better job at this than she could. All she could do was be a walking disaster, a force of power to be best used in small bursts.
Nissa was starting to not like so much quiet around her. It was one thing if she were trying to meditate and commune with the plane, but that was out of the question. Here and now, in her own thoughts, it was starting to feel constricting. Instead, she tried to focus on keeping watch. She listened to the sounds outside. Other than the rain, she could hear a few roars in the distance from creatures far away from them. She did not know what they were, but they were too concerned with bigger prey to be of any harm to them.
It had been a very long time since Nissa had gone on like this: without the familiar touch of another world right there beside her. When she was young and just starting to experience the visions, she had tried desperately to avoid them. The fearful dreams of dark knots of energy trying to tear her apart were enough to make anyone terrified, and she was barely older than a child still having to endure them.
For a while, she thought she could avoid the visions by just not sleeping, which was a horrible idea now that she thought of it. But with few options, that was the best she could do, and it would work for a few days. By the second or third day like that, though, her mother would notice she was not herself.
"Have you been sleeping?" she would ask, already seeming to know the answer.
"Yes...I-" Nissa would already be trying to think of a reasonable lie, but feeling too tired, her mind could come up with none. Not that she was good at lying anyway.
Her mother sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Save the excuses. You're trying to avoid the visions again." Nissa would not answer by now. She had already tried several times to explain them to her mother, but neither of them could interpret their meaning. "I know they're frightening, Nissa, and I wish there were some way I could make them better. But you cannot keep avoiding them like this. It isn't good for you."
"I know," she said, "but what can I do? They always come back, and I think they've been getting worse."
"Then all the more reason to listen to those visions. That is Zendikar trying to tell you something important."
Nissa groaned, putting her head in her hands. If it was so important, why could Zendikar not just say what it was? Why did it have to keep sending her these cryptic messages that she had no means to decipher?
Her mother continued, sensing her frustration. "I know you don't think so, but your visions are a gift, Nissa, the gift of our people."
"You always say that."
"Because it's true. Your ancestors have been the speakers of Zendikar for thousands of years. The animists were a powerful people, and you are the one who can carry on that tradition."
None of these words helped. They felt empty to Nissa, who had never known any of her animist people. "If they were so powerful, why are they all gone?" Nissa snapped. "They angered Zendikar and paid the price for it. I never asked to be born like this."
She could still remember the warmth and love that came from her mother's touch as she sat beside her and held her close. "It's hard to understand, and it's not always fair, but fate does have a strange way of putting us exactly where we need to be, even if it isn't where we wanted to be.
"I never wanted to be the last of my people, having to watch our culture die out. I certainly didn't want to have to stand by and watch as the Joraga left our people to the elements and the Roil. I watched as they let my family and friends be crushed by the sheer power of Zendikar."
She had heard this story many times by now. It had always been the answer to her biggest questions. Why did they have to leave yet another tribe? Why were they hated? What had happened to her father? And it was hard hearing these explanations every time, but it was also comforting as well. It helped her understand. At least, it helped her understand what had happened, not necessarily why. She leaned into her mother's hug, breathing in her familiar scent and feeling comforted by it.
"I hated seeing it happen," she continued, "and I was given the choice to either die with the rest of my people or stay among the Joraga."
Nissa looked up at her, surprised. She had never been told this part of the story. "You did?" She was afraid to say more, knowing how she would have reacted to that kind of choice, but she dared to voice that thought. "But why would you stay? You lost everything, and they allowed it, practically forced it upon the animists. Why would you stay with people who had treated you like that?"
Meroe met her eyes then, a gleam in them slightly wet with tears as she smiled. "Because, by then, I knew you were going to be born."
Her face fell. "Because...because of me?" she stammered.
"Don't ever think that was a bad thing, Nissa. Choosing to stay because of you was not an obligation. It was a reason to hope. Because of you, I knew I did not have to standby and watch our people die out. Fate had shown me that there were things bigger than us, things worth living and fighting for. Most importantly, it made me realize I didn't have to be alone, and neither did you.
"Nissa, I believe that your visions are important, and that they will do good someday. It will just take time, and that's hard, given how frightening they are right now. But we will figure it out together. I promise. For now, though, you need rest. I will be right here when the visions return."
Nissa shivered as the chill of the dawn started to settle in, the dampness in the air making it even cooler on her skin. She had been watching the sky as it started to become light out from the little entrance they had made in the tree. She looked behind her to see that Liliana was still sleeping.
Fate had indeed given Nissa more than she had bargained for. In many ways, it was still new and scary. She could travel to worlds far beyond her imagination, only to be bombarded with the thoughts and feelings of that world when she arrived. It was fascinating and terrifying all at the same time. Yet, it was important that she listened to what these worlds had to say to her. It seemed that her travels with the Gatewatch had always taken her to worlds that needed her to be their voice the most. But it was only after she had been with the Gatewatch...her friends, that she had started to realize there was an empty feeling inside of her, a loneliness she had buried so deep, she did not know it existed.
When Liliana awoke, she had expected to discover that it had all been some strange fever dream. There was no way she ever would have agreed to coming to Theros, having to rough it out in the woods, and especially not with Nissa of all people. Yet, here she was hiding in a hollow tree, like some sort of urchin while the elf sat opposite her, just watching the sun rise. How far the mighty had fallen, she thought to herself as she reflected on her current situation.
It was a tight fit for the two of them in the tree, so she had to almost crawl over to where Nissa was sitting, and she returned her green outer cloak to her. "Thank you," she muttered. "I...it was warm, and I appreciate the gesture."
Nissa seemed very far away in that moment, her gaze indicating that her mind was somewhere far away from here. Her face seemed somber as well, and Liliana knew she needed her focused if they were going to survive here. "So, I take it you've come up with no other ideas on what we should do in all that time?" she said.
"No," Nissa said with a sigh. "Finding you was the best plan I had, and now that it's failed…"
"Well, you're certainly staying optimistic about it. I do have one possible plan, but we can't keep running away like this. We keep doing that, and the gods really will start to be on edge, watching for you at every turn."
This seemed to take the elf by surprise. She scoffed. "And just what would you have me do about that? I can't very well help when-"
Now that the rain had stopped, Liliana had stepped outside, trying to get the stiffness out of her limbs. "Surely there must be a way to turn off your animist visions."
Nissa had followed her out. "My abilities are not like some torch to be lit and unlit at a whim. I can't just 'turn them off.'"
"That's impossible. You can't possibly expect to constantly be having to listen to a world at all times like that. It would drive any person mad. Surely the other animists weren't always engaging in this trance state all the time."
If that were true, that Nissa was always listening to a world, then when did she ever have time for her own thoughts? Liliana could not possibly imagine a world where she could not have some form of personal time to herself. Something like that had to be incredibly taxing.
Nissa also seemed to be struggling with this idea. She shook her head. "You don't understand. Even if there were a way for me to not go into a trance in sleep, I don't know how to do it."
"But, your people must've…"
"I'm the last of the animists on Zendikar. By the time I was born, there were no others. I had no one to teach me how to use my gifts. Zendikar has always shown me what I needed to know."
That was something Liliana was not expecting. She had seen firsthand some of the things Nissa could do. The world moved to her command. When she called for it, the world would even become a living creature under her control. And while she had only seen a small portion of it on Innistrad, Jace had explained some of what Nissa could do to the leylines of a world, at least, as far as he understood it. All the while, Nissa had simply been able to do these things with no guidance? That was both impressive and scary.
"You're entirely self-taught," she said, not realizing she was voicing that thought aloud.
Nissa raised an eyebrow. "Yes...and you weren't?"
"You really never explored the multiverse much, did you?" Liliana said with a hint of a smile. "Then again, I suppose our mutual friends weren't exactly typical in that sense. People like Jace, Chandra, Gideon, and yourself were born with your abilities. It never surprised you to always wield them because they were always there. But a lot of the planeswalkers I knew obtained their power from learning their skills from other sources."
It had been a long time since she had thought of her earlier years as a planeswalker. Often she tried to forget them. Back then, she had been much weaker, naive, and not as careful.
"I picked up necromancy as a way to conquer death in my attempts to be a better healer, but even after that, I knew I had only the fundamentals at my disposal. When the multiverse opened up to me, I saw the opportunity to learn more than I could ever dream about. I had a great many teachers in that time, most of whom I killed so that they could never reveal their secrets to others, but they were gifted in their time."
Nissa shook her head, a look of disgust on her face at the mention of murder. "This won't help us now," she said, likely avoiding what was really on her mind. "The point is, I can't just stop an unconscious connection to a world."
"I tend to disagree. I think you can. The problem is that you've never tried. If there was one thing I learned from my many mentors, it is that magic is mostly driven by effort. You attempt to achieve what it is you desire, and more than likely, you can succeed with enough effort. Zendikar may have given you the nudge in the right direction you needed, but ultimately, you had to attempt for yourself to make things happen, right?"
She seemed to think it over, as if debating whether what Liliana said were even possible. "And just how would I go about doing that?" she asked.
This was where things tended to get tricky. Every mage had different ways of working their powers, different patterns, different ticks, different ways of thinking altogether. How was Liliana supposed to know what would work with something like this? More importantly, she had never really been much of a teacher herself when it came to these things. How was she supposed to even explain it?
Eventually, she answered with what she assumed would be the best course of action: simplicity. One of the most important lessons she had learned when she first began researching necromancy was that simplicity was best. To over-complicate a spell was to waste extra energy for a low payoff. Perhaps the same concept could work here.
"You simply need to direct all your focus and energy into not wanting to make a connection with Theros. Focus solely on entering your own subconscious and not the consciousness of the world. In other words, stay in your own head."
"And if that doesn't work?"
"Then we may need to leave Theros altogether and go somewhere else until we have a better plan. I suppose that is an option now if you really think this isn't possible."
Nissa gazed at her intently, as if searching for an answer that was just out of her reach, one Liliana could not provide. At last, she said, "It's worth trying."
Liliana stayed close as Nissa attempted to simply sleep and nothing more. After all, if it did not work, they would be faced with yet another undead army. But it seemed that her plan may have worked, at least, she assumed it did. Nissa had been asleep for longer than she had the previous day, and Liliana took that as a cue that something had worked. Now it was time to start putting her own plan into motion.
She still made sure not to go too far away, but if she intended to make something work, she was going to have to find what she needed. She began walking through the forest, finding the terrain extremely uncomfortable under her shoes. Of all the places the elf had to pick to save a world, she thought.
It was not the worst choice, though. Given where they were, she was likely to find what she needed, provided she was not disturbed. She could already sense his presence behind her.
"I get the feeling that you do these things just to spite me," the Raven Man said. "Is that what this is really about? Do you just hate me that much?"
"That would imply that I actually care anything about what you have to say to me," Liliana said, knowing that ignoring him was pointless.
"I'm a bit wounded by that," he answered. "Have I ever steered you wrong before?"
She clenched her teeth, wondering why he had not driven her mad years ago. All the incessant talking, conniving, and lying to her. It was wearing on anyone. "Need I mention the Chain Veil?" she snapped.
"Oh, that. Well, I can see why you would be mad about that, but of course, you know that the only reason I give you these gentle nudges in the right direction is for your own self-preservation. Did it not grant you limitless power? Did it not protect you from some of the most powerful forces out there? Remember Emrakul? You would not have been able to even look at the eldrazi were it not for that. So, I'd say I did you a favor there."
At last, she found what she was looking for, and she kneeled down to examine her find. It was big enough, definitely a lot of muscle tissue still intact, limbs looked sturdy enough for what she wanted. It would do just fine. She only half-listened to the Raven Man's ramblings. When she stood, she answered him.
"My self-preservation? Just what exactly is it that you want to use me for? That seems to be the question that you never want to answer. What purpose did you have for me?"
Again, he brushed her question off. "All in due time, my dear."
"Over two-hundred years wasn't enough time?"
"I promise, you will find out when the time is right."
Liliana sighed. "So, why do you continue to bother me before then? We're clearly at an impasse. I won't listen to you, nor do I care to. So, why bother wasting your breath?"
By now, they had come back to the tree. Nissa was still asleep inside, which was a good sign, she reasoned. Nothing had come after them yet.
The Raven Man's eyes narrowed. "Because you insist on putting yourself in situations that require my help and advice. You are determined to bring about your own end."
"Because of Nissa? I think we already crossed that bridge when I defied Bolas. What makes you so certain that I don't want to bring about my own end?"
"Because I know you better than that. Your little moment with Bolas was a fluke, something I wasn't expecting. But now that it has passed, you have had a little clarity now, at least, I hoped you had. You continue on with the animist, and you will take yourself down with her."
"Why? Because you tell me she's such a danger? I'm pretty sure if you were to ask my own enemies, they would consider me the danger."
The Raven Man entered the tree, crossing over to where Nissa lay. He kneeled down, close enough to touch her. She did not notice his presence, her body still and calm.
"I say so because you have no idea what she is capable of, nor do I think she does herself. She can twist and bend the leylines of a world, changing the very fabric of reality if she chose. You saw what Emrakul could do to Innistrad, but the eldrazi could only do that to the living on the world. The animist could do that to everything."
It was a terrifying idea on the surface, Liliana thought. Even worse, after what she heard today, Nissa was a prodigy when it came to learning her craft almost entirely on her own. With enough trial and error, the future the Raven Man suggested would not be far off.
He continued. "It is impressive how much power the animists can wield, and yet, it comes with one caveat. In a trance state, they are at their most vulnerable. Their mind so deeply connected to a world, they leave their physical body completely exposed to whatever awaits them."
Liliana stood her ground and raised her voice. "Touch one hair on her head, and I'll…"
He stood up, quickly backing away from Nissa. "Oh, I'm not going to do anything. That's not how I work. But if you're smart, you will know what to do. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were fond of her."
Liliana was shaking. Why was she shaking, she wondered? This was not her, but in that instant, she knew she was ready to throttle him if she needed to. The Raven Man chuckled.
"No, I get it now. You see a little of yourself in her. You think you might even become a mentor to her. How quaint. Stupid, but I admire your foolish optimism. She doesn't even trust you."
"Leave!" Liliana said, punctuating that statement with a growl.
"As you wish," he said, disappearing in a flurry of feathers.
Nissa bolted up, eyes wide and her forehead covered in sweat. Had she heard the conversation? No, that was impossible. The Raven Man could only be seen by her. No one knew of him. He was her problem.
"Well, it seems you were actually able to sleep well," Liliana said, unsure what to say, and trying not to sound like she had just had an argument with an invisible force. "I take it, my advice helped."
Nissa seemed so distant, her mind working on a different level altogether. "There was...I saw...it was awful. Flames everywhere. I couldn't…"
"Relax, it was only a nightmare. It's probably been so long since you've actually been in your own dreams to recognize…" Liliana began, attempting at her best soothing voice. She clearly never honed this skill.
"No, I know what a nightmare is!" she shouted. "This wasn't...I don't know what it was, but I wasn't in control. It wasn't something I did."
She started to stand up, her body still quivering, and started to leave.
"Where are you going?" Liliana started, trying to grab her arm. "Let's talk about this. Nissa, please."
"I need time away," Nissa said quickly, slipping out of her grasp.
She hustled away, leaving Liliana even more confused. "I'm so glad I left the comfort of Fiora for this," she muttered, starting to follow after her.