Vitani stood at the edge of the Pridelands, looking out towards the equally barren, lifeless husk of her former home. The Outlands. The dry, crackled husk of land beneath her paws chilled her fur as a harrowing, chilling breath of darkness brushed through the air.

The land was dead. Not a single spec of life. No herds, no flora. The only creatures that existed were the enslaved hyenas and their lioness overlords. The only thing that was keeping them alive was Scar. She didn't understand why, or how. But he was able to provide enough meat to feed them all.

A single, deep sigh passed through her muzzle as she sat there. Her mind was filled with worry, filled with heartbreak. Her blue, striking eyes scanned the horizon, hoping, just hoping for any sign of life.

"Kovu?" She called out, placing one paw forward. "Kovu!" Still nothing. She sighed deeper, flopping to the ground as she rested her head on the cold, dead soil. She thought about the past month, with how everything had gone. She had missed her brother dearly. It just wasn't the same without him here.

But that wasn't the only thing on her mind. A certain, handsome male still flooded her mind, but in a different way. Ever since she had fought him, Vitani's view on Kopa had changed. She could feel his hatred, his desire to protect his mate and cubs. He didn't love her... He couldn't love her.

And he would pay for it.

As she lay there, contemplating her place in everything. A large, booming shadow started to spread across the land. The ground froze over, frosting as the fiery, crackling figure slowly strolled towards her. The distant, booming reverberations of thunder roared across the sky as the demonic figure of her stepfather reached her side.

She turned sharply, looking up at the demonic, green-flamed spirit before her. He smirked down at her, sending a bolt of fear through every inch of her body. "Enjoying the view?" He sat beside her, causing the ground beneath him to burn with a sickly greenish hue.

"Not really." She kept her eyes locked forward, refusing to look him in the eye. She felt the subtle change in the breeze as he moved slightly closer. His cold, rocky body softly caressing her rough, unkempt fur. Her tail swayed side to side, agitated as she felt his tail try to catch hers, swaying to and fro, battling for dominance.

"Now now, come on." Scar chuckled softly. He looked forward too, with one eye occasionally peeking at the young adolescent lioness. "I can sense your heart yearning for him." Rapidly turning, scar shot his paws onto Vitani's, locking her in place as he stared her down. His fiery, green-lit eyes staring into hers.

"NO!" Vitani striked, swiping her adopted father across the face. He stepped back, letting the lioness' hatred bubble within. She stood tall and firm before him, staring him down with a devilishly, almost heartbroken contempt. Vitani shuddered slightly, feeling the emptiness fill her soul. A darkness only held back by one light, on a small, barely visible droplet of salty water-dipped onto the floor before her, the only moisture in sight, coming from the corner of her eye.

She thought of him. Her sweet, caring; if scared and scarred brother. What must be going through his mind right now? All alone, on the run. Her heartbeat intensified as her eyes flickered between the ground and Scar's demonic, soul staring eyes.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about him, my dear." The demonic lion raised his paw, swiping it around his stepdaughter's shoulder. He moved her head closer to his chest, nearly choking her in the pungent, choking smoke and soot billowing from his flaming body. "He'll return when he sees the truth." A sly chuckle couldn't help but escape the sadistic lion's lips. He raised a paw once more, clenching it as his fiery, molten claws curled around, clenching with pure, unhinged rage. "Return to me." Vitani watched on, the worry flooding her body even more. He noticed this, calming in unladen urge for carnage as he held her again. "Ah, but don't worry about that my little princess. "

Vitani couldn't help but grunt uncomfortably. She turned her head away from the devilish grin of Scar, rejecting her stepfather's attempts to comfort her. Her pale blue eyes scanned the dead land around them as her mind thought deeply of her lost, lonesome brother.

"Why?" Scar's molten eyebrow raised at this response, watching steadily, calculably as she turned back to him, the shallow shade of uncertain fear covering her face a darkened cloud rolled overhead. Her eyes locked on his, sloping softly down to the molten lion god's paws. "Why would he return to a cursed land like this?"

A fire burned in the young lioness' heart. Shooting towards Scar, she could only feel it burn brighter, her heart pounding against her rib cage as she stared down the scarred entity. "All I want is for my pride." She thought for a split second. "Our pride, to thrive."

"And it will." As elegant as always, scar manoeuvred around Vitani, sleeking beneath the lioness' chin before turning sharply to face her once more. With a sharpish grin, he softly nuzzled up to her side, using his paw to lift her head up away from the ground. "You will have anything that your heart desires." His grin widened as he raised his head, striking his eyes down to the lioness from the side. "Even Kopa's heart."

The lioness tutted, rolling her eyes as she slowly began to walk away. After just a few steps, she turned her head, watching her spectral, demonic stepfather from the corner of her eye. "I'm done with him." She began to wander off once more, leaving a rather confused Scar behind. "All I care about now is the pride."

She continued to slowly stroll, wandering towards the once-proud, majestic monument that stood in the midst of this dead land. A large, foreboding gravestone to the Pridelands. A shallow, whispering chill rushed past her body, causing a sigh of panic to escape the young lioness' muzzle. Within a blink of her eye, she watched as scar's body slowly arose from the dry, cracked land, a crescendo of fire and soot, surprisingly cold, lifeless and dead, just like the land that forged it.

"The pride WILL be safe." A smouldering growl escaped his muzzle as his green, envious stared into Vitani's soul. He raised a paw out to her, smirking widely. "Together... we can do this.." Vitani looked out at the dead land around them. It reminded her of the stories from his reign as king. Everything seemed wrong, and yet... She knew all too well that he was in charge. He had kept the pride safe and fed. Something that her mother had struggled to do for years.

"But what about the land?" she couldn't help but ask, nervously looking up at her grinning stepfather. Scar chuckled, slowly sitting beside Vitani as he stared outwards at the dead land before him.

"We will save this land." He couldn't help but smile, his ever-hungry appetite for dominance and manipulation. He locked eyes with Vitani once more, instantly sculpting a cloak of uncertainty, even worry across his muzzle. Hiding the true evil within. "We will crush those who caused it." He clenched his claws as he talked. Vitani stared onwards, surprisingly intrigued by what he had to say. "The so-called 'gods'."

Scar sighed, turning away from his stepdaughter. Vitani, feeling the sorrow in his heart, softly nuzzled up to him, not minding the cold, lifeless soul that held the spectral lion together. "I will arise and bring peace."

"I know you will." Vitani whimpered. How could she have not seen it? She could feel every inch of his despair, the amount of betrayal that had stained his heart for so many years. She now understood. "I'm...sorry for doubting you."

"It's ok." He slowly turned to her, a small, magma drip softly caressing his cheek. "You're like your mother... in so many ways." Vitani was taken back by this. Whilst true, she had seen some similarities between herself and her mother, she didn't fully agree with her mother's insane, emotionally-driven actions. She was undisciplined, insecure. Vitani knew better.

"You're both strong, capable lionesses." Scar continued placing his paw on Vitani's shoulder. "And great leaders." Letting go, Scar turned back around, slowly strolling off, leaving a contemplating Vitani alone, sitting on the cold, lifeless soil of the Pridelands, filled with a fire in her heart. A fire of pride.

He turned as he walked, staring at her from the corner of his eye. "Prepare for war, my beautiful daughter." He turned back as the skies covered in clouds once more, the distant sounds of thunder bellowing across the land. "Our victory is certain."

Now alone, Vitani started to breathe heavily. Her kind contested as to how she felt. She was scared yet secure, peaceful yet aggressive. Looking back at the Outlands, the thought of Kovu brushed her mind. What would he do?

No! She was different from him. She was a lioness, a soldier. The pride needed her. Her sisters needed their leader, to lead them into the brewing battle. A flash of lightning nearby sent a bolt of panic through her body. She knew what she had to do. She turned to where scar had walked off to, quickly picking up speed as she sprinted back to pride rock. Her mind focussed now on the pride.

The Scarred war was brewing, and she would play her part...

Far away, at the base of the outland's volcano, Kovu galloped through the dry, desolate landscape. He could barely breathe, panting wildly as she galloped. He struggled through the tight crevices and canyons, squeezing his body through the incredibly tight spaces to escape.

"Kovu..." A shallow, whispering voice hummed across the land. The young lion turned; face stunned with utter terror as he struggled on. He clambered up a large boulder, arising up to an overhang at the end of the canyon.

As he arose, his eyes caught sight of it. The steep, almighty slopes of the volcano. He hoped he'd never find himself here ever again, but here he was. The whispers intensified as he gained his step. Looking back, he noticed the skies darkening, the twisted clouds consuming all light from the sun. Deep in the canyons below, shadows flickered, seemingly chasing after him. He couldn't quite make out who or what they were, but a good idea as to their origin etched his mind.

Seeing no other choice, he continued to run. His lungs tightened, begging for more and more oxygen as he started to ascend the poisonous, toxic inclines of the volcano. It was rather flat at first, lifeless and crumbling under his paws, but he quickly found himself ascending.

"Come back Kovu..." The whispers turned to a deep, growling voice. The demonic tenderness scarred the young lion's fur as he tried to focus, tried not to look back. The sun returned, gleaming back onto his fur. But... It was cold, freezing. The only warmth came from his heart, pulsing rapidly as he tried to climb the rough, rocky incline. As he clambered up to a ledge, he looked down. Beneath him, a few hundred figures looked up at him, slowly walking up the volcano's incline as if it were nothing. Their bodies were nothing but darkness, shadows. A strange, ethereal hue engulfed their bodies as their unified growls bellowed across the land.

Kovu sat there for a moment, watching as the spirits quickly clambered the volcano. He closed his eyes, feeling the overwhelming outburst of tears staining his fur. This was it. He couldn't run anymore. His heart started to fade, the fire diminishing."

"Kovu!" From out of nowhere, a beautiful, almost angelic voice hummed across his mind. He saw her, standing before her. Those beautiful, loving brown orbs staring into his, the lush, succulent fur that drove him insane whenever he thought about it.

A cackling, enraged laughter broke him out of his dreams. It sent a burst of shivering, soul-wrenching fear through his body as he heard the laughter subside.

"You cannot save her, Kovu." The young lion tried to find the source of the voice, looking around manically for any sight of the demonic, spiritual lion who had cursed him for life. Slowly but surely, a humming, sharp pain numbed his mind, as if a claw was dragging along his eye. "She will only use you, enslave you."

The pain became too much. Limping backwards, Kovu tripped back into a small, dimly lit cave. The darkness outside seeping in softly as the shadows consumed his surroundings, surrounding him with howling laughter and screams. Opening his right eye, he saw a faint, dim light, softly illuminating his only uncovered retina.

The voice seemed to dissipate as the light grew. The sound of the laughter seemed to howl into nothingness, as if whoever or whatever it was had been slain. A bright, hungry shade of green burst into the cave, near binding the young Kovu as he struggled forward. The pain across his eye subsided, allowing him to walk properly once more with both front paws dragging the dry, rocky earth with each step.

As he reached the entrance of the cave, he felt it. The immense cold. Not just physically, but in his soul too. His entire body shuddered as he looked out at the land before him, his mouth wide, agape at the shocking truth before him.

The land was gone. Or at least the land he knew. The once cloudy sky had been replaced with thunderous, greenish hued emptiness. Not a spec of starlight managed to pierce the vid hanging far above him.

The land itself was cragged, broken. Nothing but a sea of small, floating islands, seemingly floating in a sea of nothingness. A deep choking green fog coated the area beneath him, but he could feel the emptiness beneath it.

Nothing lived here. Not a spec of life. He was alone, afraid. The only moisture formed across his cheek as he took it all in. His once proud, strong, confident body had broken, becoming nothing more than a weak, trembling mess.

He tried to step forward towards the edge of the island he was on. Approaching the edge, the land beneath his paws gave way, sending an irregular, uneven crack across the ground. Leaping to the larger side, we watched as the very spot he had stood just mere seconds earlier separated, softly falling into the void coated clouds beneath him.

The manic, demonic laughter returned, spreading across the land like a thunderous roar of domination. Kovu looked up at the sky, watching as a spark of greenish light flashed across it. His heart stopped; body froze. He couldn't do anything, not now. He could only watch as the flash ignited in fire, moulding and exploding into the form of a lion. A lion he knew all too well.

Scar.

The demonic god-like being uproared as he materialised. Looking down at his step-son, he couldn't help but grin. His plan was finally coming to fruition, as it should be. He felt Kovu's fear, tasted it on his tongue. It was delicious. The fog above cleared, revealing a single, rippled line etched across the sky. A scar in the very fabric of reality.

"Welcome home... My son…"