Lidia found herself in another void, this one blindingly white. Amuana's hand still clung to hers. Almost immediately, she began experiencing the world outside, but this time through a kind of tunnel vision, filtered through the young prophet's emotions. It was a strange feeling, to say the least; Lidia started her own line of thought as sensations began again, reflexively working to keep her mind distinct from that of her guest.
Lidia's body lay still as Amuana's spirit nestled inside of it. The child didn't speak, but her soul radiated pure joy: she was alive again and finally grown up, at least for a little while.
Just be careful with it, Lidia said to her. I need it back eventually.
But that plea was unnecessary. Amuana's hold upon her was gentle, as though she were handling a precious keepsake. Lidia realized that she could forcibly take back control anytime she wished, even by accident, and so she limited herself to waiting and watching.
The two of them returned to the waking world at the same moment they had left it. The Shade Lord paused and gave a quizzical look, as though troubled by the sense that something wasn't quite right.
In the next moment, a single burst of white-gold light filled the room. With a thin howl, the shade wolves holding Lidia and Mazzy captive lifelessly slumped to the ground.
Another burst erupted. Half of the shadow-creatures present cowered in fear and fled to the nearest patch of darkness they could find; the other half wailed, strained, stretched against the light until they were disintegrated.
Within Amuana's soul arose an alarm. Possessing a body and channeling her god's power was more than she could bear; she could not do both at once. Almost as soon as it had formed, their fragile bond threatened to come undone.
Lidia offered to relieve some of the strain, trading an idea with the child at the speed of thought. In a moment, her arms and legs awakened to her again in a nauseating, dizzying half-embodiment. Nevertheless, even with the strange tunnel vision she had to use, she managed to pilot herself towards the Shade Lord as Amuana continued to work, scattering the light of Amaunator until it filled the entire room.
The Shade Lord stumbled back, a spell dying in his hand as the light stretched over him. He gazed at them, as though he was using a kind of vision different from Merella's eyes, and gave that cruel, raspy laugh again.
"Ah, child, child," the Shade Lord said, with a shake of the head. "Do you understand me better now? Tell me, how much did your host struggle before you took her?"
Lidia's voice shouted words that Amuana directed:
"Amaunator, Sun aglow,
Time-father, Light of Law,
In your name I strike a blow.
Fell being of night, get thee gone!"
The entire room was bathed in one more explosion of brilliant white light streaming from Lidia's right hand, and from her left Azuredge glowed like a miniature sun.
The Shade Lord screamed, throwing up two hands to shield his host's face. A thick shadow pried itself loose and fell behind Merella's body, squirming around her and reaching out to touch Lidia.
Azuredge came down in Lidia's hand, burying itself in the shadow's vaguely formed head.
With a howl like a banshee and another piercing scream, the shadow writhed, its clawed hands fumbling for Azuredge's handle.
The axe descended again, its light glowing an intense blue as it lodged in the Shade Lord's chest. The blue light grew around Azuredge, swelling inside the Shade Lord until he was rendered nothing more than a thin skin of shadow containing its light.
One more agonizing shriek, and the blue light cracked him open, scattering and dissipating the shadow-stuff that made the Shade Lord's body. The blue light crackled and swallowed the pieces, as the edge of flame might consume a piece of paper. Within moments, every trace of him was had been swallowed up.
All were silent, until the echoes of the Shade Lord's death cry faded from their ears.
I can do no more, Amuana said. Her touch slackened, then receded, then disappeared.
Lidia's soul rushed back into its rightful place, fully inhabiting herself as she slumped to her knees. The little ghost slid out from within her chest.
Amuana was barely visible now, her voice and form and very presence weaker. She drifted aimlessly forward, falling to the ground as gently as a down feather would, and lay still.
But a portion of Amaunator's power, still unused, coursed through Lidia's veins and nerves. Every wound in her body and mind had been banished, leaving in its wake overwhelming well-being and clarity.
But it was careening out of control. Amuana's soul had acted as a kind of barrier and filter, and now that she was gone, Lidia had only a few moments to act before the power destroyed her from the inside. Already, bursts of pain were erupting beneath her skin, wounds too small to be seen that were immediately closed and then opened again.
She turned her thought towards the other members of her party. All but Mazzy were still upon the ground. They were pale and still, bearing the invisible injuries that the shadows had dealt.
Lidia recalled when she was in a similar state as they were now. She focused upon the memory of the restoring light starting inside of her, combined that memory with the desire to help her friends, and directed that power towards bringing that desire to life.
She couldn't pause, not even to see if her efforts had done what she wanted. Even after this, she still contained still some divine energy. She raised her hand and imagined herself pushing against the darkness with everything she had—
The last of Amaunator's power vented itself, destroying the bodies of the wolves and the shadow dragon, destroying the traces of the shadow-stuff that had erupted from their corpses, destroying the shadows that still cowered in the corners. It rushed outwards from the temple to the forest and sky above, bursting through the unnatural darkness. Slants of sunlight pierced the room from above, illuminating what was left of the forgotten sanctum.
Her work done and her body emptied, Lidia collapsed near where Amuana and Merella also lay.
Valygar was the first to recover, getting to his feet as the others slowly sat up. Mazzy, too, had to stay down, dazzled by the light; she was rapidly blinking long after Amaunator's light had expended itself.
Valygar rushed over and knelt next to Merella, feeling for a pulse. He called to the others, "She's still alive!"
He slipped an arm under her head, her white hair streaming over his sleeve. "Gods…Merella, are you here?"
Merella's eyes searched, then rested on Valygar's face. A spark of recognition lit inside them.
"It's Valygar. The Shade Lord is gone, but you…I'm sorry."
Her parched, wrinkled lips gave a faint smile and moved to speak, but the words died on her lips as her life left her.
Amuana lay on the ground nearby. The sunlight passed through the tall windows of the sanctuary, down through her. The Company was helpless to comfort her, but she stared upwards, serene and halfway towards a dream, much like a child finally ready to fall asleep. She spoke one last time:
"Once again…my Lord shines glorious.
May…the Light…be ever…victorious."
Then the little ghost was gone.
Meanwhile, Lidia could find no outer wounds on herself, but she felt hollowed out and seared all at once. She tried moving her limbs, but to no avail. She tried again, this time managing to flip herself onto her stomach, her arms shaking before they gave way.
Her mind was fogged with a sudden burst of bloodlust and irrational anger. But as she briefly turned to the sun, that feeling slowly ebbed. She lay her head on one side, her limbs limp, her cheek chilling against the stone.
Everything around her was still. There were no howls anymore, no crawling shadows, no suffocating night. For a moment, she shut her eyes and was content to join the quiet, her only motion the breath in and out of her chest; all she noticed was the red glow behind her eyelids and the ray of sun warming her back.
She heard her companions' voices and tried to rise to her feet. She got as far as her elbows before she fell one last time, nearly senseless.