There was a certain allure to the darkness, Solana always admitted. From the darkness of Abyss to the new hell she waltzed into, Solana knew deep down it would consume her one day. The location where she arrived was all… wrong. It smelled of smog, her eyesight saw barely any light, and metal decorated the city she seemed to be in like a science-fiction novel. She could feel the flames of Inferno burning within, courage to keep moving forward.

This place was off-putting, to say the least. Such a place should not exist in the realms of reality. Though within the confines of an ever expanding universe, the likelihood that such a horrid place existed only made sense. It didn't take long for her to slink down into the shadows, keeping away from the prying eyes of what seemed like endless soldiers. She had seen them before, within the prying eyes of the darkness. Where would she even go? Silently, she kicked herself for grabbing the Inferno and not the Abyss. If she could peer into the future, she may be able to orient herself into a place where she could find what she needed.

And with that remark out of her head, Solana continued to explore the soldier-filled dilapidated metal kingdom. From what she could tell, anyone and everyone here was conscripted into some form of military called the Horde, from what she could overhear from certain soldiers on standby. Though outside of that information, she lacked any concrete context. For her, however, it did not take much to know these people were bad news.

Dodging within the shadows was easy enough, the soldiers not seeming to think anyone would actually be trudging to break in somewhere. It made Solana feel like a delinquent. Her eyes continued to scan for anyone who looked out of the ordinary. For just a moment, she saw something from a random window of what seemed to be the center of the city. A woman. For just a moment, she saw a tall grey masked woman with long black hair. She was the first person who was not dressed like she was ready to shoot on sight.

With such a thought already processed in her head, Solana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Trudging forward, there seemed to be far more soldiers here than outside. This place must have held many important things, possibly including the cursed Book of Ruin. While the tome itself held the body and soul of an immortal madman, as well as the sword that granted him his longevity, she would only need the book for now. When the time came, she could figure out how to kill an immortal.

Solana zoned out deeply as she turned onto autopilot. Her body moved of its own accord, sticking to the darkness and keeping an eagle eye on anyone who might spot her. The witch was easy to follow, on the accord that her hair moved unnaturally like someone was constantly blow drying it upward. Her mind was empty, with only a goal in mind. And such a goal was always achievable when one put their mind to it. The witch entered a room, before quickly exiting it. The interim Head Librarian skulked forward and slid into the door, hopefully undetected.

The room she was in was small. Not too small, but less of a library and more of one's personal office or study. Bookshelves aligned most of the walls, with a good amount of books adorning the wood. It was a pleasant change of pace from how everything else seemed to be constructed entirely out of cold metal. She stepped toward one of the shelves, her eyes gliding back and forth in an attempt to locate her book. It came to a dazzling halt, however, when the sound of the door opening and closing again occurred. With a turn of her head, it was unfortunately who she thought it was. The witch. Had she known she was being followed and lured Solana here?

"I could end you where you stand, child." The mysterious witch said to her, though curiosity flowed through her tone of voice. For now, Solana was not going to have to fight. And it's not like she wasn't used to fraternizing with bad people who harmed others, as she thought about her working relationship with Storious. "Though, of all the places one might go in the Fright Zone, you came here. Not to somewhere where we keep our weapons or our intelligence… But to a place filled with nothing but dusty old books that only old women like me are interested in. Most are not interested in their contents."

"Perhaps you're right." Solana turned around, her face flat as she looked at the older masked woman. "I am indeed here to procure a book I know is within this study."

"And you think you could just walk in and take it?" The woman flowed forward, almost gliding across the ground toward the red-head. "Why might you think that?"

"Such a tome is useless to anyone other than me." Solana replied, her voice remaining neutral. "A thick tome, chained shut with a cursed lock that cannot be broken through normal means."

"My, my, my I have yet to meet anyone in the last decade who would know of that." Again, she flowed toward a bookshelf. Her grey-skinned tipped fingers scanned the bindings of many hard-covers before she stopped on one that had no writing. She pulled it out slowly, the leather bound book caked in dust. "And why, might I ask, can I not use it?"

"That tome is the Book of Ruin. It tells the tale of a man who lost everything in his life. He lived a happy life alongside two close friends. Betrayed by one of them, he fell to despair and gained the power of immortality. With his Book of Ruin and his Sacred Sword, he chose to end all of reality by returning all matter to the void." Solana began to say, slowly walking next to the witch and looking at the book. That was it. The cover was all she needed to see to confirm her suspicions of its origin.

"Such an interesting tale, child. But tell me… how does it end?"

"The immortal swordsman, driven insane by his rage, cut down his traitorous friend. He sought to continue his rampage, hoping his second friend would understand his wishes." Solana's eyes closed, envisioning shadow puppets arguing and fighting with one another. "But his friend would not see it his way. His friend begged him to reconsider his plight, but the immortal swordsman would not listen to reason. Not wishing to see his friend harm anyone else, the man used the powers of light and dark to seal him away within his own tome. Forever trapped in the single moment he chose to believe his friend was also betraying him."

"And what would you say the moral of that story is?"

"In order to do the thing you believe is right, you must make sacrifices. Even ones that concern the lives of others. There is no good done without an equal evil. Lives were undoubtedly saved by the friend sealing away the immortal swordsman. But at the same time he cursed a victim of circumstance, someone who had yet to process tragedy, within a prison for the rest of time."

The witch looked to Solana, whose face continued to be resting. Her eyes narrowed behind the mask, attempting to scan any form of emotion from the librarian's face. But none came. Living alone for such a long time meant that emotions did not come to Solana well. Thus, it made it easier for the woman to hide any semblance of happiness, joy, sadness, fear, or any other emotion.

"My name is Shadow Weaver. And you… have piqued my interest. Such a lack of morals, someone who seems driven solely by a single goal without consequence." Shadow Weaver extended her hands out to Solana, the book in her hands. "I can see a spark within you. I've felt it several times before. Those who will go onto greatness. And I am never wrong."

Solana removed the book from the grey hands of Shadow Weaver, her hands grazing against the witch's. All she felt was a horrid chill.

"I am Solana. I exist for a singular purpose, and I will achieve my goals by any means necessary." Her palm dusted away the dirt and dust of the past on the book. She held it tight within her grasp, another inch closer to have all the swords she would need. "I often make decisions I am not proud of, agreements with those who I would never agree with. However, such actions must be taken to assure the final conclusion."

With that the woman chuckled evilly at Solana. She seemed truly amused, when the moment was broken by the sudden outburst of gunfire out in the hallways. Such a ruckus caused Solana to move instantaneously. Spinning around, she found herself depositing the book within the pockets of the heavy coat she wore. Shadow Weaver didn't seem to follow, the sound of chuckling slowly fading as she headed toward the sound of open fire.

Much to her surprise, she saw several armed guards attempting to stop a large humanoid spider-like monster.

"A Megid? Not one of my designs, but definitely the story of a living creature. How could Zooous…" Solana shook her head, and focused on the Spider Megid. The disgusting creature was outfitted with a heavy exoskeleton, with webbing weaved over it for extra protection. One arm was grotesquely longer than the other, which was normal. The former arm grew down to its knee, with bone-like claws scraping against the floor. Within a moment, it took its attention away from throwing an odd humanoid lizard to the wall and to Solana.

"It seems Master Zooous was correct! The Head Librarian is on Etheria!" The Spider Megid's voice was awful. It was like the embodiment of sharp nails on a chalkboard. It seemed pretty damned pleased with itself from the sound of it. "And now I'll do away with you and take your Sacred Sword!"

This elicited a laugh from Solana, who found the proposition funny. Zooous always bit off more than he could chew, didn't he?

"You know, Mr. Spider Megid, if you're trying to perform a hit on someone… Maybe try being less discreet than throwing around what looks like some poor cadets." Solana mocked. It was one tactic she had learned from her books. By detaching herself from the situation emotionally, and taking ground as such, she could take control of the situation. "Zooous has always been dumb, but do his Megid get perpetually dumber?"

The Spider Megid did not enjoy such a joke at the expense of his master, and quickly began to lumber over toward the human. Raising its longer arm, it swung at Solana who dodged out of the way toward the lizard man.

"You okay?" Solana asked, only getting a grunt in response as the lizard man got up and backed away as the Spider came for a second attack. "Eeep!" She rolled once more toward the wall, managing to regain her stance. "Yeah, use my concern for someone else against me. That's what I get for caring."

From the dark hall, Shadow Weaver watched in interest. All she had ever known was Etheria, but the two before her reeked of a different scent. Perhaps she could learn something new, something she could drill into Adora to learn.

"I will end your life for the sake of Master Zooous!"

"I don't think so." Solana stood to her upright position, removing the Sacred Swordriver from her coat. "You see, just because I help create the Megid… Doesn't mean I won't finish you in the end. And I'll write the ending of your story… with this pen."

She attached the Swordriver to her waist, a red belt shooting out to attach the sheathe to the red-headed woman. Solana could only thank herself for wearing comfortable torn black jeans today. Anything else might cause her problems when it comes to fighting. Within her hands, she slowly opened the Brave Dragon Wonder Ride Book, a sound of majesty occurring when she did.

There once was a mythical creature with the ability to obliterate anything in its path.

The moment the book finished reading itself, she closed it and placed it onto the rightmost slot of the Swordriver. The moment she did, flames began to surround her burning nothing but her. She could feel the heat blazing onto her every being. Such a flame would empower her and lighten her way towards the truth of her mentor's disappearance. For the truth was her rock, and it would level her anywhere she went. She would stick to her own form of justice, doing good by the end of it all.

And with that, she pulled the Sword of Flames from its sheath. The reds and oranges of the fire danced to life, following the blade as she moved it in front of herself.

Unsheathe the Flame!

"Transform!" She yelled, fluidly moving the sword in front of herself, in an X formation. The fires formed the letter, shooting forward at the Megid, while the dragon on the cover of the book spiraled around the young woman collapsing in on her to form a protective armor. The fiery X slammed back onto Solana's helmet

Oh! Oh! Woahhhhhhhh! Brave Dragon! Inferno: Volume One. When the dragon of courage and Inferno, the Sword of Flames, unite, the crimson blade shall vanquish all evil!

Inferno, The Sword of Flames!

Before the Spider Megid stood the same woman, armored to fight. A blade rested in her hand, fire dancing around the steel. The armor was red, white, and black with the dragon of the book on her shoulder like a mantle. Her helmet's visor was visible as the fire that formed it. Finally, a blade extended from the helmet that rode down to her torso armor.

"The Sword of Flames…? Saber..."

"Now then… let's see if a spider is stronger than a sharpened blade of steel, shall we?" Saber said coldly, running forward at the Spider Megid.

With her hand tightly grasping the blade's handle, she made a clean vertical slash on the creature's armor-like exoskeleton before spinning and cutting in a horizontal motion. On the second attack, a mix of sparks and black looking coagulated goop flew out of the wound. The Megid made a noise that seemed like it was in pain, falling backwards a bit.

Upon regaining its own composure, the Spider Megid cracked its neck a bit and leaped forward. From its mouth, it spit out a thick line of web in an attempt to bind Saber within its grasp. It made a victorious sound when the webbing wrapped around Saber's arm. The fire swordswoman's head slowly tilted toward the side, before she pulled the small trigger on the blade causing a small spiral of flames to surround the steel. Her head tilted the other way, as she lit the webbing on fire, the heated flames quickly dancing all the way to the Spider Megid's mouth, which had yet to sever link to the webbing.

With another roar of pain, the Spider Megid fell to the floor, writhing in pain, as the flames began to circle around the exposed soft parts of its body.

"You know, I think thanks to you I'm finally able to get over my fear of spiders." Saber mocked, placing her hand onto her hip. The Spider Megid remained on the ground, twitching as the flames quickly subsided. She kicked the monster while it remained on the ground, before rolling her neck until it cracked.

"How could this… be? Master Zooous…"

"Seems like he sent you on a fruitless mission." Saber replied, bending over to grab the Spider Megid just before pulling him up and pushing him down the hall a bit. "And you know, I'm sure he'll reuse your book real soon."

"Do you really believe… so…?"

"Nope. Not really." Saber said, her voice still detached and cold. Opposite of her voice, she slid the sword back into the belt, before pulling the trigger on the sword and ripping it back out.

FINAL PAGE

Unsheathe the Inferno!

DRAGON!

One Volume Strike!

FIRE!

"Flaming Cross Slash." Saber said in a flat tone, her sword burning a hotter degree than prior. With blazing quick speed, she flew forward throwing a single diagonal strike at the Spider Megid. It made a horrifying low groan of pain, only to be silenced by Saber turning around and slashing diagonally in the other direction. The Spider Megid made no more sounds after the second attack, only bleeding out the aforementioned black goop and slowly petrifying into a grey and brown stone that quickly fell apart.

Crouching down, she looked at the pile of dust and sighed in a breath of relief. That was a terrifying experience, fighting a Megid for real. Her look of relief was unseen because of her helmet, but as she placed the Inferno back into its sheath and closed the Wonder Ride Book, her face returned to stoicism.

Another deep breath, before the silence of the aftermath was broken.

"Go to the woods…" The voice called out to her, seemingly from everywhere. She couldn't place the owner of the voice, sounding less like a person and more like a cold abstract concept. It drew her mind toward something.

"The… woods?" She shook her head a bit, unsure of what to make of it. Her body had felt overheated since she transformed, but now the heat was gone. It wasn't cold… it simply felt like an absence of heat. "I need to go to the woods."

Almost as if her mind was failing to construe any form of meaningful thoughts, the woman headed back the way she came out of the building. This time, failing to hide as well as notice that Shadow Weaver had watched the entire thing. The witch could only chuckle in evil delight as she watched her leave. She could only wonder what might unfold next in this tale.

She had fallen hard, and assuredly hit her head pretty badly too. The girl felt disoriented, running her hand through her blonde hair to hold the place that took the brunt of the hit. Why did she let Catra take control like that?

Looking around herself, Adora knew she was lost in the Whispering Woods, no doubt. Her head was killing her, but the newly anointed Force Captain managed to get back up on her feet as she took in her surroundings. Despite her usually misplaced confidence, Adora felt shaken by her sudden isolation in a forest that supposedly caused anyone within it to vanish without a trace.

"Catra?" She looked a bit more and saw it sitting there in a small clearing. A sword, stuck right into the ground with the moonlight shining upon it. "Whoa…" With a few tentative steps, Adora made her way toward it. The blade was shining in the moonlight, as bright as platinum. The handle was a golden color, with a light blue emblem on the handle with what looked to be some sort of tiara emblazoned on it. "Cool."

She reached down to grab hold of the sword, her finger touching the top of the handle. Then everything was overtaken by light.

There was once a weapon fashioned in the fires of creation to vanquish the enemy.

FORGED VALKYRIE

"Oi! Storious!" Zooous yelled, slamming his hands on the table in front of his comrade. "That damned swordswoman destroyed my Megid! Why did you tell me to send it in the first place?!"

"Your face is palpable with anger, Zooous." Storious responded, looking extremely pleased with himself. A smile danced on his face as he simply looked at the more ferocious looking man. "Do not worry, everything is going according to my plans." He looked down at the table, his eyes fixated on a large looking blank Wonder Ride Book. The dark energy of the Spider Megid flowed through the Alter Ride Book in Zooous's hand into the book sitting in front.

"That's a Wonder Ride Book, Storious." Legiel sounded intrigued from his spot in the corner of the room, raising his hand to his chin in thought. "What are you thinking?"

"Let's just say…" Storious picked up the book and stared at it. "Her delicious negative emotions will make her a delightful pawn in the long run." The white book suddenly began to ink into a dark black color, causing Storious to laugh a bit. "Just four more times… and we'll have a tyrant of our own."