Oh boy, what happened. It feels like nonstop work brought about by my professors cramming everything into the last few weeks of the semester, plus a surprisingly active and rather wild winter break has caused this chapter to be released a month and a half passed when I hoped to be done with it.
Yeah, sorry its been such a long time guys. I meant to have this out during late November or early December, but life gets in the way. In any case, this chapter will finally have the merge of Britain and Avalon happen, basically capping off the 1st half of the story. Thank you all for your patience, and I hope you enjoy :)
One of the fae hiding in the woods stared up at the sky… they were here, the battle had come at last. He examines his newfound claw arms and looks to Silica, "Is everything alright?" The nervous redhead panicked as she turned to her comrade, "You seemed unease, have no fear. We shall win this!"
She nodded quickly, "Of course!" Silica managed with a smile. As he went to go link up with the rest of their comrades, she stared down at the ground. There had only been so much time for her to forge the new replicants for her master… and not enough. She hoped they wouldn't burn out too soon.
…
…
Aurora and her replicants glared up at her former rulers and former second-in-command hovering above her. Queen Titania seethed at the traitor, while Oberon maintained a colder demeanor now. He spoke with a commanding and regal voice, "Aurora, you are guilty of treachery against your own people, corruption of the people who followed you, and attempted usurpation. The only mercy possible for you is one through absolute surrender of yourself and all your followers so that you may face your sins."
Aurora was unperturbed, "I have committed no treachery against my people. My only wish is for us to reclaim that which is rightfully ours, and to not abide by the rules of those beneath us or do not share our concerns. My wish is the benefit of my race."
Titania scoffed, "That is noble Aurora, what was not was attempting to galvanize our subjects to join your attempt at a coup and murder our son. I fail to see how that could have possibly been for the benefit of our people."
Aurora rolled her eyes, "That has always been your problem, my lady. You have always held such a fondness for humans, despite their growing forgetfulness of their magical roots and the powers that rule them. They grow weak on the island that was once ours, and toy with our ancestral relics. Yet you merely choose to indulge your pet rather than restore your people to their proper respect. I cannot so easily turn a blind eye, and I offer no apology."
"And we accept none." Titania replied while Oberon gave Aurora a ruthless smirk. The Queen of the fae raised a hand up as she shouted, "Warriors of Avalea, bring these traitors to their knees! Attack!" She shouted as she flourished her hand downwards, the crow-like creatures and fae alike descending, ready to fight.
The Auroras grinned and raised their hands up, "Rise my loyal followers. Today begins the restoration of our pride!" From the trees sprung hundred of Auroras followers, matching the King and Queen's in shear numerical quantity, a hideous mix of fae, elf, dwarf, or gnome with insect-like appendages. Smiling at one another, the Auroras flew up to meet their former ruler head on. However, the main version stopped as she dodged an ethereal blade.
She looked down to see Morgan glaring at her, her breath falling under control as a thin dark aura surrounded her body, "I believe we still have a battle to finish." She grinned as she twirled Erosion in one hand while igniting blue flames in her other, "What, are you afraid to end this?" Aurora growled, turning to face her, and so their battle recommenced.
…
…
The battle was a cacophony of claws, weapons, magic, screaming, and blood. The rebellious dwarves and gnomes under Aurora's command struck with their newfound stronger bodies, using their stinger-like appendages and stronger jaws to crush their foes. The rogue fae, on the other hand, fought their former comrades with their newfound abilities granted by their leader, unleashing hallucinogenic pheromones and chaotic screeches to confuse their enemies, while flying much faster thanks to their empowered wings. As for the mutated elves, they split themselves into smaller, bug-like versions of themselves to harass their opponents like flies and slowly poison them with small cuts and hits.
However, those loyal to the King and Queen fought back just as fiercely. Controlling the swarm of red-eyed magical killers, Mertimo unleashed the Vyarnyan Crows upon the mutated dwarves and gnomes, the avian creatures letting at twisted shrieks and black fire as they did battle with the transfigured creatures. His brother, Lodur, was unleashing torrents of brutal flames upon his foes, scorching through elves with blue fire pouring from his hands. Sigurd fought like a demon, impaling foe after foe on his spear, now crackling with electricity, his right-hand lieutenant, Leoria, covering him with volleys of arrows empowered by wind and ice.
Telaria shrieked like a banshee as she ripped through the opposition, her eyes hungry as they settled on her target, one of them anyway. Whether or not it was the original or a replicant, it would suffice. Letting out a vicious battle cry, Telaria's lances glowed gold as she charged forward at Aurora, only to find herself flying into the lake as she was attacked from her upper right some distance away. As she shot out of the lake and spat out water that had gotten into her mouth, another Aurora now hovered before her.
"There was a time when I trusted you to always be at my side for the betterment of our kind, and now your betrayal outstrips them all." She said disappointment and anger, "Tell me Telaria, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Telaria scoffed, "What is there to say? You were an adequate leader of the Wind Clan Aurora, but nothing more. My loyalty was always to King Oberon and Queen Titania. The fact that you believed I would join your coup makes you more egotistical than Narcissus." She then brought a lance forward, "Now, I believe it is time for this to end."
Aurora smirked, "For once, on this day, you are correct."
Though that wasn't the only Aurora in the middle of combat, however. The King and Queen were currently contending with a few replicants of the rogue fae themselves. Though they had fought together of the last few millenia more than once, they weren't able to press that advantage. These replicants all had the same thought process, understanding one another so well that they were instantly able to make up for another's weaknesses and guard their blind spots. Both Titania and Oberon were facing 3 Auroras each, being deliberately kept apart as they were forced to contend with their treacherous former ally.
If Aurora had been weak, then it would have been far easier. However, the fact was that Aurora was in fact the 3rd strongest of the fae, ranking only just behind Titania and Oberon, and even then, she'd have put up quite a fight. During her coup attempt, she had killed those of their inner circle who could rival her power to keep them from standing against her, which made fighting multiple versions of her now difficult. Had Precia, Norn, or Despia still been alive, they'd have been more assured about handling Aurora. As of now though, they needed to stop her before she got even worse.
One of the replicants grinned as she blasted Titania back with a barrage of light magic, keeping the Queen on the defensive. She then looked to her other selves, and they nodded, surrounding Titania as a circle of light connected them all, "Elchria vor Senia, Shantia Voitra!" With that, each Aurora shot out chains of light that ensnared Titania, binding her in place while they laughed.
"How sad, my beloved Queen. I remember when I once feared you and your mighty temper." Titania said nothing as she kept her eyes closed, "What no words for an old-" The replicant stopped speaking as Titania vanished into the air. Ending their spell, the 3 replicants looked around before they spotted her particles reforming in the wind above them. "Well, it seems like you still have some old spirit left after all."
Growling at her treacherous friend, Titania's body glowed as light began to emanate from her, mist swirling around her as lightning began to crackle in the air. Winds circled around her as the clouds above covered the sun and darkened the skies. As thunder roared overhead, Titania shouted, "Vierdar Nierm, Eltium, Illiuma, THUNDAGA!" With that, lightning shot down at the 3 Auroras at a monumental scale, causing them to form a united barrier to defend against the attack, all 3 of them gritting their teeth as they were pushed back by their Queen's might.
Elemental attacks had always been a favorite of Titania, most specifically lightning. Even as a young girl, she had been known to fly and dance in even the mightiest of storms, calling out to the wrathful sky to show her its absolute might, one she had learned to tame as she grew older. It was with good reason that Titania was known by her race as Faerie of the Storms, for nothing else accurately described her power, or her temper. She was as gentle and brutal as the forces of the Earth, nature itself personified. Perhaps that was the reason she had caught the heart of Oberon.
As for the King of the Fae, he had his own hands full handling the 3 Auroras that surrounded him. The King surrounded himself a blue fire as he swung Galliante widely and wildly. Galliante had been forged before even Excalibur. With the blessing of Cernunnos, they had taken the oldest metal from the Earth and infused it with the spark of a dying blue star, enabling its blade to maintain a fire hotter than the Earth's sun. Excalibur Galatine was in fact partially modelled off Galliante as it was forged beside Excalibur. The tradeoff between them was that while Galliante was in fact more powerful than either Excalibur and Galatine, it was also more fragile, and releasing its full power ran the risk of destroying the blade, along with the wielder should they lose control. Not even Oberon had dared to use its full power, choosing only to do so unless necessary, and even then, it wouldn't help him against this foe.
Aurora was in fact versed in manipulating fire and heat, and while against only one of her, the Sword of the Blue Sun would likely do enough, 3 of them united allowed them to work together to reduce the impact of its magic, leaving him at an impasse against them as the 3 counterparts slowly pushed him back. Fortunately, he also had another solution to face her.
After finally getting a feel of his opponents, Oberon smiled as he chanted and incantation and flicked his fingers, a new sword forming in his right hand as he sheathed Galliante with his left. The 3 Auroras eyed the new blade warily, and with good reason. Gauthroc was known by many names, the Shifting Sword, the Sword of a Thousand Arms, mainly because of its ability to transform into any weapon known to the fae. However, its true purpose was something even greater.
Oberon flourished the sword as he muttered, "Gauthroc obrun, vijun Oberon." In a flash, the sword took many different forms, a whip, a bow, a lance, a mace, etc. Each new weapon split off from the blade, retaining their own individual forms. And along with them, a copy of Oberon also split off from the original, until there were now 12 Oberons in total. The original grinned as he admired his other selves, "Well, I believe we've about evened up our number, I suppose."
A replicant of him with an axe nodded, "Indeed, now may the battle commence." With that, he charged at the 3 Auroras, alternated of himself wielding sword, lance, and hammer joining him. The one with a bow pulled the drawstring back as an arrow of light took shape, aiming it carefully before releasing a flurry of arrows at the 3 Auroras facing his wife. Titania turned her head and grinned as 4 other versions of her husband came to aid her, driving the 3 Auroras she'd been fighting to the defensive. However, that did not mean that they could afford to get careless, for the 5 Auroras that had previously been supporting and empowering their soldiers now flew up to join their fellow replicants against the King and Queen.
As for the last and true Aurora, much like before, she was in a fever pitched battle with the Witch of the Pendragons, and it was a vicious fight. Morgan was striking with newfound wrath and intensity after almost being stabbed by the dagger given to her by her parents, and was now truly out for blood, far more than before. Her clothing was now ragged and singed, torn in places that revealed more skin which was covered in soot or grime, with what was left hanging loosely as the fight went on, though most would say she was still beautiful. Aurora tried to retain a more dignified manner befitting her eager, but even her composure was fading to reveal the angry and ruthless face beneath the dazzling and sweet façade. Her white clothing was stained and torn in some places, her usually neat hair now an uneven and somewhat singed mess due to Morgan's ethereal swords. For one who prided themselves on embodying perfection, such unkempt looks would frighten her.
Morgan fought with spells and dagger, sending ethereal blades at Aurora from a distance while keeping a dozen or so around her for protection, then using them to draw the faerie in so that Morgan could slash at her with Erosion. Aurora in turn used webs and chains of magic, usually crackling with 5 or lightning as she tried to ensnare more and kill her quickly, but Morgan's magical blades cut them down. Several mutated soldiers attempted to help their master, but Morgan tore them to pieces in seconds, her blades cutting through the like grass, while she stabbed a mosquito-like elf with her knife while her eyes were still set on Aurora, who was forming a ball of golden energy in her hands, glaring at Morgan as her blonde hair went wild.
…
…
This battle was truly something else, the ground was tearing apart, and nearly 800 meters of the trees surrounding the lake had been smashed or uprooted. Even with his cloak, he had to be extra careful not to inadvertently reveal his location to any of their enemies, and he'd already had a few near misses. If he was found and captured, it would be all over, and that was something he couldn't allow.
His eyes scanned the area as they tried to find her, but to no avail. She must have been on the other side of the lake then, that was his best guess. He needed to capture her; she was the lynchpin of that traitor's plans. It was what his parents were counting on him for, and it was what he had to succeed in.
…
…
Telaria cursed as she was sent hurtling back, her wings just barely able to stop her from crashing into the ground as she now carefully hovered above it. Taking a deep breath, she glared at the replicant of her former leader, who still stared at her with a cross expression. "Still so straight forward, Telaria. It seems no matter how I try you will always lack elegance."
Telaria growled, "That won't matter when your impaled on my weapon!" She then muttered quietly as her 2 lances combined to form a greater one, "Vecna muir Vhrithra!" The faerie shouted as she charged at the replicant, spinning her lance like a drill as it spewed out light. However, Aurora merely manifested a golden aura around her hands and caught it by the tip, stopping her former lieutenant in her tracks. When Telaria detached her lances and tried skewering the replicant, she merely twisted her body out of the way before using Telaria's own momentum to send her flying.
Before Telaria could catch herself, she found herself bound by Aurora's magical chains, her old leader giggling, "So very predictable, my old friend." She sighed, "However, such brute strength won't allow you to win against every opponent." The replicant smirked as she tightened the chains around Telaria, who gasped from the pain as she felt them sear into her skin. "And most certainly not with me."
Fortunately for Telaria, a few dozen magical arrows rained down at Aurora, breaking the fae's concentration and allowing the ensnared one to break loose, as well as finding herself caught in some very familiar arms that gently settled her onto the ground to give Telaria a moment to heal. Liaria helped her to her feet while Liario guarded them from the front. "I hope you weren't foolish enough to actually fight her alone." He joked. Telaria scowling at him while his twin suppressed a laugh. "We literally discussed that her copies could possibly be as powerful as her before departing."
Telaria scowled, "Well then, consider me testing to see how powerful this one was." She hefted her lances up, "I can't tell if she's the original or a copy. Either way, it will feel good to mount them on these." She turned her head as Liaria placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Patience, we need to work together to bring her down." She pointed at Meerthruid Vendru, Lucrecia, and several other faeries now fighting the replicant of Aurora, "Together, we'll create a distraction. When you find an opening, take it."
Telaria sighed before nodding, "Alright, sounds good, but I'm not sitting still." She then smiled and kissed Liaria's forehead, "You'll need me to keep her from killing you all." The fae chuckled at her lover's smile.
Liario sighed, "Flirting and fucking can wait for later. Right now, we have a battle to win." His sister and Telaria nodded as the 3 rose into the sky to aid their comrades.
The battle raged on, and they were in a deadlock. While Oberon and his duplicates outnumbered the number of Auroras he and his wife were facing, there was in fact a limit to how far he could fight thanks to Gauthroc. While Gauthroc did enable him to create duplicates wielding different weapons the sword to transform into, the tradeoff was that it costed the blade more energy to use them in protracted engagements, and the power of each clone's weapon came from the blade itself. Meanwhile, each individual Aurora possessed the same amount of power to one another, allowing them to pace themselves however they felt like while working in tandem with one another.
Oberon found himself wielding Galliante in tandem with Gauthroc to compensate, forcing the replicants back to allow his duplicates to manage themselves in the fight better. It was also for this reason that Titania had chosen to separate one of the replicants from the pack to fight personally one-on-one, given that would be more manageable for herself and her husband. Oberon's bow-wielding duplicate aided from a distance, firing arrows of light at the replicants of Aurora that distracted them while his fellow duplicates, Titania, and his original fought them head on.
Telaria and her companions were managing to hold off the 1st of the last 2, while Morgan continued her duel with the original. The only thing that seemed to give Aurora an edge were her mutated henchmen, all of whom still retained their heavy numbers while the Vyarnyan Crows slowly dwindled, and despite the effort of Mertimo, Lodur, Sigurd, and the rest of the royal forces. If they were going to avoid getting overwhelmed, they needed to put a stop to this never-ending herd.
…
…
"Listen to me!" The insect-like elf hissed, "You must continue our duplication! Advancing our numbers further will give us all we need to overwhelm them all! They can hardly continue as they stand!" A few dozen of his companions cried out in agreement, but Silica shook her head.
"An infinite number of twisted slaves such as you are worth nothing if Lady Aurora falls." She insulted them as she concentrated on the image in her mind, the golden locks of hair in her hand shining as she gripped them. Silica looked to the twisted elves and dwarves, "Well don't just stand there. Stay on guard in case any of them find us!" They all grumbled at her but kept their posts.
Too many of them, he couldn't sneak through them, but from here, if he could get a few of them away… he unsheathed a few throwing daggers from his side. Taking a few steps to the right, he took a deep breath and threw them in rapid succession. Gifts from the blacksmith, the daggers were charmed to unleash a different element upon impact. One of them impaled a fallen tree and set it on fire, another ruptured the ground on which it landed on, and the 3rd sent a blast of lightning that even hit an elf or 2.
Alerted to a presence, a few of the transfigured elves and dwarves went to check on who may be around, thinning out the guard circle, and leaving him an opening. Thanks to the cloak his parents had given him, his foes could neither see nor hear him, nor sense him through any other means, and he had no shadow as well. This allowed him to slip past them the rest undetected, so long as he didn't outright touch them. In mere moments, he found himself standing right behind his target while she was kneeling, deep into her chants. His eyes narrowed as he unsheathed his sword. This traitor couldn't survive, her powers made her too dangerous. Fortunately, one slice at the neck would suffice…
Unfortunately, he wound up missing out of sheer bad luck. Just as he brought the blade down, Silica lowered her head to her fists in frustration, her exhaustion after making the earlier replicants causing her to focus much more intensely this time, and she was struggling hard. Sadly, that meant that he had ended up missing her neck in favor of accidentally shaving off the back of her neck. Having felt the heat of her blade on her head, Silica shrieked, "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
With the rest of the guard alerted, Walbert moved swiftly, stabbing Silica quickly before ripping his blade out and facing the guards whom, while not able to see him, knew his location. He cut them down one after another, weaving through them seamlessly as they quivered before their unseen opponent, all the while chasing after Silica. She staggered away, using her magic to heal her wounds before attempting to fly, but Walbert grabbed her right leg before she could escape his reach. Placing his foot on her chest, he thought for a moment before knocking her unconscious with the blunt end of his sword. He then took the clumps of hair that rested in her hands and pocketed them, Aurora's no doubt. Likely in the process of creating a new replicant, if not for him of course. Turning to stare at the rest of the guards eyeing him fearfully, Walbert grinned and removed his hood, causing them to growl and screech at him.
"HUMAN!" One of the mutated dwarves bellowed in a twisted mix of a deep voice with an insect buzzing, others joining in their hatred of him.
Walbert chuckled, "Indeed. Which begs the question." He pointed his sword, Falladia, at them, and smirked, "How many of you does it take to kill one." With that, they all charged at him, his smile never fading.
…
…
Walbert's success marked the beginning of the tide turning against Aurora, as his adoptive mother would be the one to discover her greatest weakness. As Titania and the replicant matched each other blow for blow in spells, zipping through the in a twisting and chaotic dance, her eyes widened as she noticed something new about her foe. The cheek of the replicant she was fighting… it was cracking. Not because of any spell Titania had cast, it was on its own.
As if it were aging rapidly, the skin on her cheek had hardened and begun to crack. Such things happened to humans due to allergic reactions or cold weather, but for faeries, that was next to impossible. Aging and drying skin in that regard only happened in a significantly weakened state or when they were dying, yet here was Aurora's replicant, created from the mold of a faerie in her prime…
While she didn't know that Silica had to prepare this one and most of the others extremely quickly thanks to Morgan's battle with Aurora, she quickly came to the right conclusion. They weren't finished, that was the assessment Titania came to, they had been made by Silica too quickly. While they were mostly perfect, they were likely rushed on some level, creating an imperfection within the replicants that was causing them to deteriorate after expending large quantities of magic over an extended period, such as with fighting one or more equals. And because these replicants had been fighting the likes of herself and Oberon, the odds were that they were all feeling it to some degree.
Titania smiled; she knew what to do now…
Closing her eyes for a split second, she murmured a small chant and uttered her husband's name, Oberon sensing what she was doing and accepted. With their minds mow linked, she shared with him what she had learned, and he smiled, nodding in agreement. He disengaged from the Aurora he was fighting a flew towards his wife, his duplicates following his lead. While the opposing replicants followed to confront them, they were taken aback by what they saw.
Titania and Oberon had joined their hands while his duplicates held the line, the 2 chanting together as energy flowed through them, forming a greenish-yellow aura around them. "Adjios shao vina, mimran vakhur avior, Deyvan tor evako. Mintran sayos Moronoe, tekyvan soren Tyronoe…" They chanted as the replicants realized with horror what they were doing.
The replicants went wild, unleashing their full power against Oberon's duplicates, who were now striking at full power as well, Oberon no longer limiting Gauthroc at all to conserve its power. By the time the 10 replicants of Aurora had overcome the 11 duplicates of Oberon, a column of blue fire erupted in their path, courtesy of Galliante, keeping them from reaching the rulers of the fae. But just as the replicants tore through the wall of fire, Titania and Oberon were wrapping up their incantation.
"ASHIOK VAR MORONOE! SEKVAR SOREN TYRONOE! AVYEN DEKVAR! ASTUR TROYON! MEMVREN SKAZRON! ABSOL VAKA!"
They shouted as they unleashed a united beam of magic at the replicants. Even Morgan took a moment to stop, as did the Aurora she was fighting, looking up as she stared with disbelief. 'Absol Vaka,' also known as the Declaration of Decimation, the Hex of Razing, the Null of the Soul. A magical curse that didn't just kill a target, it erased their very soul, their very essence from the universe, and erases their very memory from all who knew them. No afterlife, no memory left behind all impact on the world forgotten. The Dagger of Erosion she carried had been enchanted with that spell engraved into it (although it didn't erase the memories of those who knew its victims, merely claiming the souls of said victims). For a narcissist of Aurora's caliber, that was a fate worse than death, and for her replicants, they shared that very fear.
Concentrating a barrier together, the replicants all did their best as they guarded against the wrath of the King and Queen, whose powers had joined together and amplified considerably. Aurora tried to help them, but Morgan kept her occupied with her ethereal swords, "Remember who your foe here is, fae!" Meanwhile, the replicant fighting Telaria, Vendru, and their comrades also tried to break away and help, but was stopped as Sigurd and his lieutenant, Leoria, intercepted here, keeping the replicant boxed in against multiple fae. With their attention divided by the plight of their master, many of Aurora's mutated henchmen were blindsided when Mertimo, Lodur, and most of the royal forces continued their assault, and this time, there were no from Silica coming to rebuild their numbers.
As the Auroras put their full united force in blocking the spell, their bodies strained under the effort. Their skin continued to crack and scab, blood leaking out from newfound cuts and gashes. They felt their limbs and joints begin to seize up, shake, and they struggled to maintain control of their wings. Their just newly made bodies were suffering under the amount of power they possessed, and the output they were unleashing, and now they were consciously becoming aware of the effects. With one final cry, they strengthened their barrier fully and negated the spell, the opposing lights of magic fading as they tried to gather themselves, one needing to catch another as she stopped flying and began to fall. To the horror of her followers and the joy of her allies, those 10 replicants were falling apart, and struggling to regain themselves. Slowly, they all closed their eyes as their bodies glowed a white light, energy circling around them as they began a chant.
The last replicant looked at her arms as she feared the degeneration was affecting her as well, then, dodging a strike from Telaria and Sigurd, attempted to group with her fellow counterparts. Aurora herself did the same, breaking off from Morgan to reach her duplicates. Morgan followed them, snarling as she used her magic to chase the faerie in the sky, Telaria and several other faeries doing the same as they sought to halt the treacherous rebel.
However, Aurora's forces were not out yet, and before Oberon and Titania could kill off the weakened replicants, dozens of mutated elves, dwarves, and fae intercepted them, giving their lives to be their leader time. The rest did the same to guard the remaining 2 against Morgan and the other faeries. How ironic was it that despite their leader being a narcissistic traitor blinded by delusions of heroism and entitlement, her own forces were laying down their lives for her in such a showing of loyalty.
As the weakened replicants finished chanting, their bodies merged into a single vessel, with the last replicant chanting as well as her body transformed into white light as well, the original Aurora that Morgan had been fighting protecting her as she fused with the other vessels, before a perfect Aurora, just like the original, finally took form and substance, all her radiance and splendor having returned to her. With the last of their followers cut down and captured before them, the 2 Auroras joined hand and stared at their former King and Queen, their fellow fae, and of course, Morgan Le Fay.
Extending their free arm each, a wave of magical light rippled out from them, their combined force crashing against their foes like a tsunami wave. Countless fae were sent flying back as the ground rumbled, Telaria just barely able to hold onto Liaria and Liario as she was sent hurtling through the air. The Vyarnyan Crows were sent flying as Mertimo, Lodur, and Vendru barely managed to hang onto the air, their forces scattering before the show of power, Sigurd just barely catching Leoria and flying them away from the blasts of power. Only Morgan, Titania, and Oberon were able to hold their ground, their barriers just holding steady before the onslaught.
Morgan shared a look with the King and Queen, and they nodded. If Aurora fused with her last replicant, it would be over, she would be too powerful for them to handle after fighting for so long. This battle had to end now, there could be no more holding back.
Titania and Oberon took the offensive, facing the Aurora duo head on, streaks of light, lightning, and fire being shot around wildly each other blow for blow. Combining their powers, a golden sigil formed behind the King and Queen and shook with power, a deep golden ball of energy forming before them as they glared at their former subject. Aurora and her replicant showed no fear, uniting their powers as an equally powerful rainbow orb formed to match their foes. Both duos gazed at the other with cold fury before they shouted at the top of their lungs.
"VALERION VOR AKAZ!" Roared the King and Queen.
"ABSOL DIVAL THORFA!" Howled Aurora and her replicant.
The 2 blasts collided with one another; the energy intense enough that it seemed to shake the very sky…
…
Dredging up all the power she possessed within her, even as her muscles burned and her brain ached from exhaustion, she tapped within her innermost self, the darkness that she had struggled with for so long… and she finally let go…
She had 1st awakened it after the traumatic murder of her daughter, when she could no longer avert her eyes to the man her husband was. The anger and hatred she felt at him, and even more so at herself, led it to awaken, and her advancement in her abilities increased tenfold, swallowing every one of Merlin's lessons, advancing her destructive and intensive powers as she steeled herself for revenge. That wish grew when she learned of 'King Arthur' and even greater when she learned of Artoria's true nature. Tossed away by the parents she adored and married to a man who would never love her, she would kill both him and Artoria and take her rightful place on the throne, her children to be princes and princess of Britain itself. If not for Artoria reaching out to her just when Morgan attempted to kill her, she'd have been swallowed by the darkness completely, but thanks to her sister, sanity and self-reflection returned.
She tried to atone by holding back Vortigern, and even tried to find some way in her heart to, if not forgive, then to at least let her husband live. Unfortunately, her own weaknesses got the better of her, and she was banished, and killed him. Then there was Malphas, well, at least he was in a better place than her, she at least didn't screw up too badly there. And now this nonsense…
Morgan Le Fay, Morgan Pendragon, what difference did it make. Her whole life had been controlled and directed by the insane worries, fears, and rules of the powers that be to control her bloodline, a game of mystic weapons, the dark powers of Britain, ancient heritage, dragons, and Merlin's manipulations. All this idiotic nonsense had ever done was screw with her life and rob her of any normalcy, let alone joy. And now here she was, caught in an idiotic scuffle between faeries over weapons that they likely didn't even need! She was through with it, no longer would she be tossed around and forced to play to the whims of others. Morgan was going to crush this narcissistic fool, and any others who would try to control her life.
The dark aura exploded around her, then shot up into the sky, the clouds dissipating as the darkness blacked out the sky. Slowly, Morgan began a chant, her golden eyes gleaming like a hungry wolf as energy coursed through her veins, her hair going wild before it stood up, like pointed tendrils belonging to a monster.
"Atorvia, ma vea. Vaker fyar gia. Venen xor baye, Aroyos var exanya…" As Morgan chanted, Aurora and her replicant tried to look for some way to break off from the King and Queen and escape. However, Telaria, Sigurd, Vendru, and several other loyal servants of Titania and Oberon were waiting, their weapons pointed at the traitor who had led the coup. Mertimo grinned as he still had a few dozen Vyarnyan Crows holding strong as the witch made her spell…
"Takren vi Brittania. Exion zor Morgan Le Fay, Morgan Pendragon. Tar dios mentran var Pendragon, isch ven Morgan no 9. Ekvaren chror Vicantya!" Morgan growled as a purple light shimmered overhead, a dazzling ethereal blade shimmering in the sky as a vortex seemed to form around them all. Red marks lit up her front glowing gold as she shouted, "Aeterna dias, del Avalon! Inviernana! ZANTANVORIANA!"
The sword shot down towards Aurora and her replicant, lighting up the sky with its massive glare as it streaked downward, prime for the kill. Most of the fae felt how powerful it was and scattered, not wanting to be anywhere near it. Oberon and Titania waited until the blade was too close for Aurora or the replicant to dodge before breaking off and flying to find Walbert, assuming that he was alright. With no other choice, Aurora and her replicant pulled all their power to form a magical barrier to block the massive attack, or at least dampen the impact, but Morgan had a smirk on her face.
The blade crashed against the quickly made barrier, the identical faeries doing all they could to block it. As the 2 were lost in focusing on blocking the attack above, Morgan twisted her arms and flicked her wrist, and suddenly, the massive ethereal blade broke into thousands of smaller ones that circled around the duo. Not giving them a chance to defend, Morgan let out a triumphant shout and launched them at the duo, each one moving too fast for the eyes to see.
Aurora's eyes widened with shock as she felt herself skewered with sword after sword, her body getting stabbed in the limbs stomach, and the chest. With her last bit of strength, she turned her head to look at her last replicant and witnessed the horrible sight of her own mangled form, as her clone suffered just as she did. Realizing that she was truly about to die, Aurora's mind froze as she felt true terror paralyze her very being. As the ethereal blades exploded, the last 2 versions of Aurora disintegrated, leaving behind not a single trace of the dazzling and radiant faerie. The battle was over, Aurora had lost.
As the smoke cleared and the sky returned to normal, Morgan took a deep breath as exhaustion took her body, and she descended into the lake below, Morgan using her remaining power to slow her fall, so she did not die on the impact. Oberon, Titania, and the rest of the fae looked down at the lake, waiting for over a minute for Morgan to rise back up. Just when some wondered if she were dead, an arm broke out of the water and gripped solid earth, followed by another as Morgan hoisted herself out of the water and climbed back to dry land, gasping for breath as she did so. In her right arm, there was something brown and wet Her clothing was in shambles, though no to the displeasure of most of the male faeries, as well as some of the female ones. Morgan groaned as she sat up, casting a heating spell as she air-dried her cloak, she had guessed that Aurora had done something with it when she had been kidnapped, but she hadn't expected to find it at the bottom of the lake, along with her crown and veil. Once her cloak was dry, Morgan quickly put in on then took a moment to sit down, needing a quick breath.
"Well, I must say student of Merlin, that was highly impressive." Morgan looked to see Oberon and Titania descend to speak to her, "I'd say that you're soon to surpass your teacher with that sort of power." The King noted.
Morgan laughed, "Thank you, just glad this is finally over." She looked at the forest, "A shame that the trees suffered." From the corner of her eye, Morgan saw a clutter of fallen tree stumps shudder before a young man broke out of there, carrying something over his shoulder.
Titania cried in relief as she embraced her son, "Oh thank Tyronoe, I was so worried." She then saw who Walbert was carrying, "Oh, and you found Silica as well."
Walbert sighed, "Capturing her and defeating her guards was easy enough, the hard part was trying not to die once you all chose to stop holding back." He looked around at the battlefield and saw the captured hybrid creatures that had followed Aurora, "So, I assume we won."
Oberon laughed, "As if there were any doubt."
Later in the day came the punishment, Silica being forced to stand side-by-side with the dozen other remaining followers of Aurora. The clump of her leader's hair had been confiscated by Walbert, and so, Oberon hovered before them, Galliante in hand, Titania beside him.
"You are all here to face judgement for aiding the traitorous Aurora, for turning your back on your rightful King and Queen and choosing to follow the delusional fool and her capricious wishes. And now, you shall pay the consequences." Oberon declared.
The hybrids were brought forward, Silica being the only one not among them. As Titania examined them all, she spoke coldly, "You have allowed your fanatical devotion to Aurora to turn yourselves into monstrous creatures that insult our kind. To serve as her insects and worms, but if that is what you desired, so be it." Her eyes glowed as light emanated from her hands, the prisoners gasping and crying out as they were transformed further, "Faerie, dwarf, it matters not. From this moment onward, you will live as the insects you so chose to be, unable to wield magic and live as you once did. And you shall live without wings, limbs, or stingers. That will be only a memory for you to carry to death, a memory that you will never live again." As she finished transforming them, Oberon hacked off their libs and wings with Galliante, as well as the stingers of those that had them. "May you scrounge miserably to the end of your days."
Now attention turned to Silica, who shivered with terror before the King and Queen. "Now comes you Silica, last traitor to us, and what a shame as well." Titania said disappointedly. "You had so much promise and potential, a wondrous gift, and all you did was waste it on her mad ambition… it is wasted on you." Stripped of her clothing, Silica was forced down on the ground as Oberon stood atop her, his sword ready.
With a burning hiss, Galliante cut off her wings and seared her backside, the heat so intense it cauterized the wound before too much blood was shed. Not stopping at removing her wings though, Oberon carved a symbol on her back while the rest of the fae stared with awestruck faces, joy, and a bit of fear. Tears streamed down Silica's face as he did so, it was pain unlike anything she had ever felt before. Complete and total helplessness, powerless, and this punishment burned that into her very soul.
When he was done, Oberon forced Silica to stand up, the broken and bare faerie staring at Titania with quivering legs, the Queen taking the prisoner's face in her hands with a sadistic smirk. Casting a quiet chant, Titania chuckled as Silica shivered, sensing the spell imbed itself into her scarred back, "With this curse, if you were to ever use your magic again, the burns on your back would burn hotter and hotter, and eventually consume you." She let go of Silica, "You will never be allowed back with your people, and you will never be able to revive that which you betrayed us for again. Until the day you end, you shall live alone, and discarded. Now leave our sight at once!"
The rest of the fae cheered as Silica painfully struggle to leave, wobbling and limping away as she disappeared into the woods, the now fully transfigured insects doing the same, dejectedly going on their separate ways. Only Walbert did not cheer at their punishment, averting his eyes as he noticed someone else leaving as well. Running after her, he called out to the witch, "Wait, Lady Morgan!" She turned to look at him, her face once again covered by her veil, her crown adorning her head. "Do you not wish to stay with us to celebrate, you have done much to aid us in this time of need."
Morgan shrugged, "I only helped to protect my family, what goes on with the fae is beyond my care otherwise. I have no reason to stay here. Unlike you, my place is not with them, that much I am certain." She turned forward, "My journey will take me elsewhere. I must find my own way."
Walbert sighed, "Well then, very well, but if the time were to come when you may need our aid, know that we will answer." He smiled, "Safe journey, Morgan Le Fay, and may the 9 Sisters smile upon you." She stared at him for a moment, and he could swear she was smiling, before nodding and departing into the sunset, her time with the fae over… for now…
…
…
Days passed, and Silica could no longer bear it anymore. She didn't care if it killed her, she needed her lady back. Shivering, she opened her mouth and pulled out a bit of hair, a piece she'd accidentally swallowed when those trees fell on her and Walbert, the last bit of Aurora she had left. Placing them in her hands, she muttered quietly as a light emanated from them. The scars on her back began to burn, but she ignored it as she continued, calling to all her power, every memory of Aurora in all her radiance and splendor, the absolute perfection given physical form. As she spread out her hands, the white light rose and took form and shape, all the while the burning increased a thousand fold, her naked and dirty form falling from the pain. Pain, grief, longing, and lust filled her soul as her mind broke, the only remaining thought being the one she served, tears streaming down her face as her consciousness crumbled, lowly falling into darkness as her body stilled…
…
…
Her eyes slowly opened as she felt herself in someone's arms… the pain… it was no longer there, and the curse, she could feel that it was gone. As she slowly dragged her sore body up to sit, she felt someone hold her gently, "Hang on my dear, you still haven't recovered."
Silica's eyes widened as she turned her head, her vision returning as that illustrious splendor filled her sight. "MY LADY!" She cried, as she collapsed into Aurora's embrace, or rather, the newly made replicant. Tears streamed her eyes as she kissed her master passionately, "I-I have done… You have r-returned to me!" She managed to choke out amidst the tears and sobs, Aurora tenderly holding her as she calmed down.
"I must say, I am impressed you managed to revive me with that curse placed on you. You were in death's embrace; I was only just able to free you." Aurora noted before groaning as Silica snuggled up to her, a dreamy and foolish smile on her face.
Looking up, she stared at 'Aurora,' "Thank you for saving me, my Queen." When she explained the results of the battle, and her punishment at the hands of the King and Queen, she lowered her head, "It was a regrettable loss for all of us, I know not where the others are, they are mere bugs, no longer of use for us." Her head then rose, "But you still have me my Queen! Together, we can surely take back all for the fae!"
Aurora stared at her for a moment and sighed, "I wonder about that." When Silica looked at her nervously, Aurora continued, "I have already trusted you with much Silica, and I'm afraid, rather foolishly."
Silica started to shudder, "W-What do you mean?!" She cried as Aurora removed her from her embrace. "M-My lady!"
"Before, you told me that the other versions of myself would be stable, that they could handle my powers. Or I suppose, the powers of the original me." She stared at her hands, "10 or more of myself should have been enough to overcome them, and if even more versions of myself that you created could not defeat them or the fraudulent Morgan, then there must be a great flaw laced within me."
Silica couldn't believe her eyes and shook her head, denying those words coming from her Queen's mouth, "My lady Aurora, you are perfection incarnate!" She grasped the arms of 'Aurora' and implored to her, "T-There is no flaw in you, there has never been! There could never be any flaw in you, such words are sheer madness."
'Aurora' stared at Silica and lowered her head, sighing, "You are right, there is no flaw… in the true Aurora." She then gazed at Silica with eyes of scorn and shoved her away, Silica falling to the ground as she looked to her master with a hurt face, "But I am not Aurora. I am merely a bastardized recreation of her, made by a foolish servant, who overestimated her abilities, and her worth." With a flap of her wings, she rose into the air, "I will perfect myself on my own. Do not try to follow me, my 'creator.' You will not manage to even if you tried."
As the last Aurora flew into the night sky, Silica opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Wordlessly, she leapt up, but her wings had been burned off, and she fell to the ground. Tears staining her eyes, she ran after Aurora, madness overtaking her as she cried out to her Queen, her Goddess, to not leave her, to not abandon her, that she was only safe when she was with her…
With her master gone, Silica fell to her knees and let out a broken cry, her mind breaking under the utter rejection, her face one of utter misery, loneliness, and heartbreak. So was Silica, the faerie with the potential to remake anything, from weapons, to people, to possibly other realities, abandoned to a life of loneliness and solitude.
Chapter 47: The Merge Commences (Part 2: The Birth of Avalon Britannia)
"Bring out your dead! Bring out your dead!" The lord wheeling a wooden cart through the street called out to the peasants as he, Mordred, and a few other knights made their way from street to street in Camelot's eastern district to collect and remove any dead bodies found, each of them also carrying a cart. The overpopulated streets had led to fights breaking out, which combined with the mischief of some of the fae, had left more than a few bodies in the aftermath. While not something Mordred enjoyed doing, she knew that the people didn't like seeing the bodies of their loved one who'd been run over, beaten, stabbed, set on fire, or turned into an animal before suffering one of the previously mentioned fates.
It wouldn't be long before riots truly broke out, it was taking all their men to keep order amongst the people. All the remaining Knights of the Round had to shift from day to dusk, even her father had to leave the Seyfert to keep order in the streets at times, especially for those who'd just recently returned from Lahia, given they were still angry about her killing their King. It was a frustrating business for them all, but what could they do? They just had to wait until the true merge commenced, then they could move on to what came next.
"Don't be shy, bring out your dead!" Though it seemed Constantine of Dumnonia was unfazed, which she found herself confused by, or perhaps she was unsettled? She wasn't sure. It was hard to tell with the Lord of Dumnonia, a man who seemed to only find peace with his blade in hand and an army of foes to fight. Mordred could relate to finding joy in combat, having competed with him in jousts and sparring after her initial arrival at Camelot, even striking a mutual friendship with him. Still, she'd heard from Agravaine about his fewer savory aspects, and that wasn't just his womanizing. Apparently, he'd tried to become part of the Round Table in the past but had been rejected due to his bloodlust on the battlefield. Mordred also recalled how, when guiding the people of Dumnonia to Camelot, he'd been more concerned about fighting monsters than his peoples' safety.
Still, his skill with the blade was equal with Bedivere, and he was dependable when given a job, so she couldn't complain too much. Besides, he was one of the few outside the Round Table and Father who had see her beneath her helmet for a reason. She knew she could trust him.
"There, that's it!" Constantine beckoned for the peasants to come closer as they piled the bodies of their elders and battered corpses of family into the carts. "Make sure you come to the center square later! The king's prepared a nice execution for Lord Dura!" At the mention of that, many who heard them raised their heads, "Yes, I know, apparently, he's infamous to you all. Well, don't be afraid to show up!" They struggled with managing all the bodies as they continued through the street, the other knights struggling to steer them over and across the roots jutting through the ground, slowly collecting more as time went on. Fortunately, they found their job finished, a few of the knights needing to sit down to clear their heads of the smell of dead bodies.
Constantine wiped the sweat from his brow before looking up, and shouted, "Hey, are you faerie cunts going to do your part or what?!" He waved at the 2 fae hovering above them. "Come on now, you were ordered by your own Queen!"
Lodur and Mertimo descended, the latter grumbling, "I can't believe we've been reduced to this meager labor."
Lodur sighed, "Calm down brother, I am the one doing the work." He snapped his fingers and the corpses lit on, flames erupting from them as they were slowly reduced to ashes. Once he was done, he motioned for his brother, "Well, now your part, go and spread the ashes out over the open grass and soil."
Mertimo grit his teeth, "And you're incapable because?"
"We compromised remember. I burn them down; you get rid of the ashes." Lodur grinned, "Well?" After a bit of grumbling, Mertimo used magic to lift the carts of ash, taking to the air, as he carried them with him to outside of Camelot. He chuckled, "He can be so petty at times."
"We have noticed." Mordred stated while Constantine and the other knights nodded. "In any case, that should be the last of the eastern district. I would say we should return to Castle now."
…
…
Later in the day, Mordred stood by her fellow members of the Round Table in the castle bailey as the execution was about to commence. An assortment of nobles also took part to watch, with a great deal of shouting coming from outside the castle gates. Perhaps the citizens had in fact taken Constantine's words to heart. However, a stampede of the commoners could cause them to hurt each other, so they couldn't be allowed in. It was fortunate that Constantine had gotten the location for the execution wrong, as it gave them time to close the castle walls before the mob got in. Either that, or he'd intentionally gotten it wrong just to mess with them, Mordred wouldn't be surprised either way.
Dura was brought to the center of the bailey, stripped of everything save his pants as he was forced to his knees with his hands tied around his back. Galehaut carried his massive blade in one hand as he approached the former King of Orkney. Artoria watched atop her steed while covered head to toe in armor, her face covered by her helmet's visor as usual. The only one not present was Queen Guinevere, and that was only because she was feeling faint and had to rest. A priest held a paper in his hands as he noted commandments to God, the duty of a King to its people, and the need to obey said King.
"As such, for the crime of disobeying the King's orders to protect the citizens and enforcing your own order upon them without any permission from the King, leading to the deaths of many, Dura shall henceforth be executed upon this ground, with only God's forgiveness and mercy granting him any chance at heaven."
With that, Galehaut hefted his blade up and Dura hung his head, having not spoken a single word. But just as 'King Arthur' was about to give the command to execute the former ruler of Orkney, a flashing light now stopped right above them, a familiar proud and haughty voice speaking.
"King of Knights and fellow warriors of the Round! Rejoice! For I have returned your comrades and refugees safe and sound!" He declared in a booming voice as he waved towards the patch of land that was now hovering right above the bailey. The spectators looked up quietly while Dura seemed to grow annoyed that his own execution had been interrupted, opening his mouth to tell Galehaut to get it over with, but then another familiar voice called out from the patch of land.
"Is that really what you were spending this entire trip coming up with!?" Gaheris shouted as pulled his spear out of the dirt, staggering for a moment as he did so. Oberon then grew annoyed and snapped his finger, causing the patch of land to break apart and fall into the bailey. The knights and refugees screaming as they fell to the ground, the nobles and knights in the bailey scattering as they came falling, even Dura leaping out of the way. Fortunately, Artoria drew Excalibur and twisted it in a wide arc, creating a mini tornado to slow down their fall so that none of the refugees were badly hurt.
Moving her head to Dura for a moment, she motioned for 2 guards to throw him back into the dungeons for the time being, the execution would have to wait for the time being. Dura gave no resistance at 1st, but as he turned his head to look at the now surviving refugees, his eyes widened and his mouth opened, but no words came out, as though he had just seen a ghost, the guards having no choice but to haul the man back to the dungeons.
Queen Titania also arrived as the returning knights greeted their companions, glad to be reunited safe and sound. They then went to work cleaning out all the dirt from the bailey, ensuring the refugees had a place to stay for now. It would take a few days for Artoria to figure out where the survivors of Glasgow could stay, so for now, she asked them to stay in the bailey for the time being, instructing a few servants and guards to watch over them and take care of any concerns now. With all her knights having returned to Camelot, Artoria no longer had any reason to waste any more time.
At long last, the true ascension would begin.
…
…
Blaidd Gulkar… that was the name of the giant creature with a wolf's body and batlike wings. She'd heard of them from her master when she'd been a little girl, but that was neither hear nor there. What mattered was killing it, but 1st she had to divert its attention away from its fallen prey.
Sending shocks of blue, enchanted lightning at the creature, the blasts startled and angered the creature, causing it to howl with rang as it soared it the sky and flew around in circles, its eyes remaining ever fixed on the sorceress. Having succeeded in getting the beast to move away from the fallen horse and its rider, Vivian kept herself composed as the creature gave her its undivided attention, giving her lover a chance to go check on the bodies, and see if either were still alive. She sent extra blasts of lightning at the beast to further keep its attention, and it didn't even dodge this time, instead opening its mouth to swallow the bolts whole.
To Vivian's surprise, the creature's eyes went white as its jaws erupted with electricity, the lightning now coursing through its fangs. With a mighty howl, the creature descended towards the Lady of the Lake, ready to crush and sizzle her with a single bite. In response, she crossed her arms and spun her body, the wind forming around her to form a tornado as she chanted, a sigil appearing on the ground beneath her. Finding itself now bombarded by the wind, the creature reversed course and flew above the tornado. Once it found itself above the top of it, the hybrid monster descended through the eye of the storm to repeat its attack once again, its fangs gleaming with lightning as it saw its prey in the center of the eye. She could not escape it.
What the creature didn't realize was that, conversely, it could no longer escape her either.
Eyes her eyes glowed electric blue, lightning sparked throughout her body and condensed into her palms, the Lady of the Lake gritting her teeth before unleashing the blast at the creature. Unable to absorb to new bolt while its fangs were already filled with absorbed magical energy, the avian wolf cried out as electricity sizzled its fur, so potent that its skeleton showed through its body for a few seconds. This caused it to lose control of the lightning it had absorbed, and its head exploded from the overload.
As its body fell, Vivian dropped the tornado and sprinted out of range of its descent, her knight grabbing her and leaping away as it collapsed onto the ground, dirt pluming around the corpse. The 2 rolled for a few moments before Vivian found herself lying atop her knight, who sat up and checked her for injuries. "Are you hurt?" He asked worriedly.
She smiled, "No, I am fine." Vivian allowed her knight to help her up, enjoying his care and tenderness. "That knight?" She asked, pointing to the one lying on the ground, along with his dismembered horse.
"Dead." He told her, before showing her something in his right hand, "Though he was carrying this on his person." As Vivian read the note, her eyebrows furrowed, and she glared at the paper. "He was attempting to deliver it to the King." He stared off into the distance, where he saw a light shooting into the sky not too far away. "A shame that had his luck been a bit better, he would have arrived without delay."
She nodded, "We shall finish his voyage now for him." And so finished the voyage to Camelot they did.
Upon arriving at the gates of Camelot, the guards recognized Pelleas, and opened the gates for them to cross. Using her magic to manipulate the minds of the peasants filling the streets, Vivian managed to make a path for the 2 of them to travel through, their horse leaping over the uneven roads filled with roots as it galloped to the castle as fast as they could. Faeries took notice from above, flying over to see the new sorceress and knight, but Vivian coldly unleashed lightning at them, she had no need for distractions.
When they reached the gate to the castle bailey, the guards there stopped them. "Halt!" One of them barked, "King Arthur has decreed that none be permitted to enter the castle until further notice, unless specifically ordered by him."
Pelleas was undeterred, "I am Sir Pelleas, former Knight of the Round Table and now Knight of the Lady of the Lake, the mother of Sir Lancelot and giver of Excalibur. We have come to provide vital information to the King for the good of Camelot and its people. You will let us pass!" He commanded.
The guards looked to her, sitting behind Pelleas as they waited, before speaking to one another. None of them had ever met her, so while they may have heard of her, they had no way of knowing if she was truly Merlin's protégé. It appears they recognized the former member of the Round Table, however. Though somewhat apprehensive, the guards ultimately relented and opened the gates for them to pass through. There were a few dozen people within the bailey, possibly refugees, along with more than a few knights as well. Fortunately, Pelleas managed to notice an old comrade from his past and approached him, with Vivian in tow, "Friend Segwarides!" He shouted as the knight turned and recognized him, "We must speak to the King!"
…
Elsewhere, further in the castle, a few of the other knights were waiting to receive the King's orders, since they had all finally returned. Though some were a tad more bitter than others…
"So, no punishment, not at all?" Agravaine asked as he glared at Lancelot, as if hoping that by itself would kill him. If he hadn't known that the Knight of the Lake would crush him in a direct fight, he'd have already unsheathed his blade to dispense justice himself, but then again, even with Lancelot's head low with shame, Galehaut was standing guard.
"I'm sorry brother, I tried, I really did." Mordred said glumly, to which Agravaine ruffled her hair softly, reassuring his little 'brother' that she wasn't to blame. Gaheris and Bors were similarly cross, while Gawain, Gareth, Palomides, and Percival were staying out of it.
"Oh, will you both stop being so petty about this?" Galehaut retorted, "The king has far more important concerns than something so utterly minor. Would you rather she loses her mind and try to kill a pregnant woman?" He asked, the knowledge of whom the child belonged to not lost on any of them… except for Percival, who was prevented from asking by Gawain, quietly whispering the facts into his ear.
"No, just bitter that the Queen has decided to be both a hypocrite and a whore." Gaheris snarked, which led to Lancelot to lift his head up and glare at him. The King's greatest knight was willing to accept these attacks on his honor, but not hers. Gaheris was unaffected, however, "Sorry Lancelot, just can't help but recall that Guinevere specifically had our mother sent away from Camelot to face judgement from King Lot for such crimes, and now she goes and performs them for even less valid cause."
Bors nodded, "Indeed, the Queen has well fallen from her oaths and is the worst of sinners for such actions."
Gaheris's left eye twitched, "Should I be concerned that Bors agrees with me?"
"Should I be concerned that you take issue with me being correct?" Bors shot back.
"Considering what you said to that couple 2 years ago, you're usually wrong most of the time." The rest looked to each other and shrugged. No matter what, those 2 always found a new avenue to argue.
As Gaheris saw no one backing him up, he cursed under his breath, turning around as he twirled his spear, "Well that's just…" He stopped spinning his weapon, letting it fall to the ground as he saw who was approaching them from the other side of the hall, "Is that Sir Pelleas?!"
The rest turned and followed his gaze to see their old comrade approaching, Gawain nervously taking a step back while Mordred just looked at them all with confusion, having no idea who they were talking about. Lancelot noticed someone else with them, and his eyes widened, "Mother!" He ran forward to meet her halfway, Vivian happily hugging her son with a wide smile, which he reciprocated, "W-Where have you been?! I have not seen you at all since before the Seyfert's near destruction! What has happened, are you alright?!"
Vivian smiled, "I will tell you all before the King, whom we must speak to right now! Where is she?!" She shouted as the other knights caught up, and she looked to them all, "I've discovered what Morgan Le Fay and Merlin have been plotting, and we must act now before it is too late!"
Not wasting another 2nd, the Round Table guided The Lady of the Lake and their former comrade to the field where Artoria and Kay were, the former raising a hand towards Rhongomyniad as it shot light upward from the stump of the Seyfert. Kay noticed them and turned around, before bowing with surprise. "Lady Vivian, friend Pelleas, a long time it has been since we've seen either of you. What brings you here?"
Vivian cut to the chase, "We have all been led astray, marching forward towards the past my treacherous mentor dangled before us as if we were mindless hounds, and we've played right into his and Morgan's hands, and given them exactly whom they've been searching for."
At that point, Artoria herself turned around and approached the Lady of the Lake, just as she had done twice before, except this time, she possessed neither the nervous hope she'd had when she had come for Excalibur, nor the regretful shame the 2nd time when she had handed the sorceress Clarent to keep until someone worthy came (something she was unable to do, thanks to that vile witch). Her whole body was covered in armor, with her helmet and visor covering her face and head, and she commanded with shear authority, "Speak now."
…
…
"So, that was the real reason, wasn't it? Why you came to Lahia? Not just for help, or for safety, but for me. You came to get me the whole time, didn't you?" Queen Julia watched silently as her adopted son asked the witch, Gwenhwyfach and Sadoine standing beside her as the entire army finally took stop to rest. The rest of the party had also prepared to sleep, their new 'friend,' Vortimer Pendragon, watching his cousin and nephew with interest as he sat by a rock, seemingly ready to sleep there.
Morgan lowered her head, "Yes." She said softly, though they could all hear her. The witch took a deep breath, "It was Merlin's plan, after my initial attempt to destroy the Seyfert failed and I was forced to flee, Merlin spoke to me in my dreams. He told me that the best course of action was to seek you out, and I knew why. Your connection with Britain, the dark power within you… there is likely even more potential in you than there is in mine. All that power, you were the best candidate for us to have replace Albion as the embodiment of Britain. I was supposed to train you, teach you how to harness your powers, then guide you to Dinas Emrys, where the dragon awaited below." She rose her head, and looked not only at the youth, but the other 3 onlookers as well. "That was the reason I came to Lahia."
They had to say something, they had to intervene. Tell her son the truth… somehow force her to tell him the truth, but if so, what then? How exactly would they barter with the witch when she was already stronger than most of them? Maybe it will at least keep her boys from being pawns in Morgan's games… maybe? She wasn't sure.
Just when she was about to open her mouth and say… well, anything really… Malphas said something that even made them all pause.
"So why haven't you?" He asked Morgan, a confused and frustrated look on his face, "I learn now from someone else what the whole purpose of finding me has been, what you confirmed was the reason you came for me. Yet all you've done is the exact opposite of your expressed goal." They all stared at him with confusion, "From the moment I 1st awoke these powers, you have done nothing but encourage me not to use them. Aside from finding Emperor Tiberius to receive his aide, and helping my uncle, you haven't done anything in that regard. The only one who has been encouraging me to use these powers is the emperor himself, and even that you take issue with!" He glared at her, "So tell me, if my potential is so great that it's why you came to Lahia in the 1st place, why haven't you done anything to teach me? We have had plenty of time since the day you came and saved us, until now, yet not once have you volunteered in that regard."
She stayed quiet for a few moments, before mumbling something under her breath which none of them could hear, save Malphas who only became more confused as he exclaimed, "Because I didn't have to?!" He shook his head before asking again, "What do you mean by that?"
She stared forward, not looking at anyone, or perhaps looking at all of them, and said, "You were under no obligation to go along with my plans. Back in Lahia, you and your family would not have lost anything by just going with Artoria back to Camelot. It would have been better if you had." Morgan stayed quiet for a moment before continuing, "Y-You… you were kind to me… even if you were naïve about it." Queen Julia realized the witch was also speaking to her as well as Malphas, and perhaps the now sleeping John as well as her deceased husband. "Caring for me, trusting me with Lahia's protection…" She quivered for a moment, "T-Telling me that I could perhaps make peace with Artoria… foolish as those words were… I appreciated them…" She lowered her head, "I suppose, part of me thought that I would just die then, when she arrived… I always knew she'd find me…"
Malphas however, remained unmoved, "My father gave me the letter from King Arthur's messengers that had left before you ever arrived, they knew who I was. More than that, Artoria travelled all the way to Lahia to find you. That couldn't have just been because of your affair with my father." He stared at her, "Did they know about all of this… about me? Is that why they came?" What was left unsaid hung in the air, but watchers knew what he meant.
Morgan paused before shaking her head, "No, that would be impossible. I never mentioned you to them at all. Even with your uncle learning of your existence by accident and relaying the information to Camelot, no one knew of your powers. That… that was not the reason they came…" She lowered her head.
However, by contrast, Malphas was not satisfied, in fact, he only grew more frustrated, "I disobeyed my father's orders and lied to my own family just to plead for your safety to her, I showed myself to her with hope, and she responded by trying to kill me! By having Lancelot murder my father in front of me!" He growled, "I am tired of you seemingly covering for her or trying to downplay what she has done. Now tell me, why exactly did she try to kill me?!"
Before Morgan could speak however, Sadoine found his voice, "Its obvious boy." He glared at the witch, "My liege didn't know about any of your special powers, but one offspring trained assassin is enough to make anyone suspicious, especially when the witch turned out to have another son that no one ever knew about." His eyes narrowed, "And since the tool she raised as Mordred failed then-"
"Don't you dare speak of Mordred!" Morgan glared at Sadoine angrily, "Insult me however you wish, fallen King of Cameliard, but if you refer to any of my children as tools, I swear I shall-"
"I only speak the words you said to Mordred in front of all of us when you came to aid us to build the Seyfert." Sadoine rebutted, to which Malphas's eyes widened as he looked to his birth mother, Queen Julia, Gwenhwyfach, and Vortimer listening as well. "You called Mordred a failure for not gaining the courage to kill my liege earlier, and that now after the Seyfert was taken care of, you would need to find a new weapon to kill your own sister." He glared at the witch, "You said all of this before the rest of your children, and our liege herself, all with a smile on your face."
Malphas shook his head, "But, that doesn't make any sense, Lady Morgan said she never trained Mordred to kill her sister." He looked to Morgan, "I do not lie, you said those words yourself, my uncle himself witnessed it."
She blinked for a moment before twitching for a moment, "I-I didn't…"
"Oh, enough lying Le Fay, especially when you are doing such a poor job at it! Had the Seyfert not been planted, the flow of time would have pointed to my liege's end at Camlann by Mordred's hand!" Sadoine shook his head as Morgan froze up, "Where do you think Mordred gained the conviction to betray her king from?"
"Do not speak of Camlann…" Morgan said, only this time, she spoke in a fragile manner, as though she were about to crack, "I-I… I never wanted… I never wanted that at all…"
"Then how would you prefer, slicing off her head in the throne room? Or perhaps stabbing her while she lay in bed?" Malphas was about to tell his uncle to stop as he noticed Morgan jerk away at the mention of 2nd scenario, as though it called back memories. He could see a quivering in her eyes that felt oddly familiar… and distressing.
"Uncle, please no more. It is late, and we are all tired, let us rest now and speak of this in the morning." He implored his uncle as he stepped in front of Morgan, causing Sadoine to momentarily hesitate. This was his own fault; he should have back off the questions earlier. Okay, Artoria didn't know of his powers, that still didn't answer why he killed her, but those answers could wait until morning. Right now, the last thing they needed was Lady Morgan having another magical freakout that nearly kills them all. Best to end things now before they spiral out of hand. "P-Please, I'm sure that after some rest we can-" His voice stopped as he heard Morgan mutter something unconsciously, and he turned his head to her, "W-Wait, what do you mean by that?" They stared at him, perplexed as he turned to face Morgan, who now stared at him as though just remembering he was there. His senses had been heightened greatly, and that included his hearing, though unintentional, he had heard what Morgan had muttered absentmindedly. "What do you mean, it was supposed to be you? You were supposed to be what?"
Morgan stared at him for a moment… then another… before a quiet laugh forced its way out of her mouth, a hollow, soulless laugh. "I-I… I was supposed to die…" She admitted, much to Malphas's shock, as well as the rest listening, "No one else, just me. It was supposed to be me." The sorceress lifted her hands and gripped her cheeks, her body shaking as it seemed to be literally fighting to keep itself from exploding. "Good is meant to prevail after all, right?" Her cheeks bled as she croaked, "Y-Yet, despite all I do… despite what they deserve… nothing works… nothing at all… it's all just a farce." Her breath was shaky as tears began to run down her face. As Julia and Gwenhwyfach came to Malphas side to try and pull him away from her, Vortimer watched with a trace of pity in his eyes. Not even Sadoine could keep himself from feeling a bit of sadness for the woman as her inner pain and turmoil showed itself.
Morgan gripped her head, "All… so utterly… useless…" A dark aura began forming around her, the hair on Malphas's neck standing up as he realized what was about to happen.
"Lady Morgan, no! Do not lose control!" He begged as he reached for her, Gwenhwyfach, Vortimer, Sadoine, and Olved on guard as she let loose a growl."
"I have plenty of control… I simply need you all… TO QUIET!" Her eyes glowed gold as she blasted him back with a wave of dark energy, knocking him unconscious. Before anyone could react, her eyes emitted a purple color that struck at the minds of all but Vortimer, who was spared, "There's been more than enough questions for one night, why don't we all go to sleep and forget all of this. Don't worry, I'll give you all a satisfying answer when you awake."
As she stripped them of their memories of this conversation, she then had them all fall to sleep, Malphas sleeping with his brother and mother while Sadoine, Olved, and Christan sitting up as they slept, as if on guard. The one who struggled the most was Gwenhwyfach, who gave Morgan a defiant glare before quietly asking, "J-Just, why… why are you doing this?"
As Gwenhwyfach finally succumbed and fell asleep, Morgan moved her fellow witch's body to be more comfortable before quietly muttering, "Because no one gets what they deserve… not in this world… not in any." Vortimer stood beside her and inspected her handiwork, "Relax, they aren't wounded, they'll simply think that they decided to ask me questions regarding what you told them when day comes, by then, I'll have a satisfactory enough response."
Vortimer sighed, "Just so you know, if your goal is what I assume it to be, we will eventually have to be enemies ourselves. I had hoped we'd be friends, but…"
"Oh, don't try to take the moral high ground. You wish only to complete your father's mad dreams. Nothing more." Morgan snapped.
Vortimer chuckled, "At least there will still be something left in this world." He sheathed his sword, "Relax, I'll hold my tongue about this moment. Let us stay allies for as long as our interests align. We will need each other going forward, or else neither of us will succeed."
She nodded, "My teacher did tell me that aid would find my way. I just did not expect it to be you."
He shrugged, "Well then, good night cousin. Sleep well." As he went back to the rock to sleep besides, the dark aura around the witch began to fade. Slowly, her eyes turned to their normal color as a tear slipped down her right cheek.
…
…
Oberon and Titania had chosen to place a few more magical incantations on the stump to ensure that it would be ready, leaving them to wait through the night. None of them could sleep after what they had learned, least of all Lancelot. How could he when he now knew that he had followed their enemies' wishes even worst than he had imagined. Knowing that they had planned to trick them into hunting for Malphas and killing King Guiomar, all the while converting the boy to their cause. The boy was being groomed to forsake his humanity, not knowing that he was being led to destroy the entire world all while thinking he would save it. Knowing he'd struck the blow that lit the fire, he'd been quiet all night.
Still, there was work to be done, Camelot could not afford to be chaotic once the time had finally arrived. The streets were to be as orderly as they could be, all people with houses were forced inside, and all those without homes were either forcibly shoved into other houses until they could fit no more, or they were forced to order themselves in the town square or stay on the sides of the roads. All else was held off for the time being, and as the new day arrived, so did the merge. The faeries gathered all around the beam of light shooting into the sky, circling around it as Oberon and Titania hovered at the base of the stump, Artoria standing there as well, her knights at her side while the Lady of the Lake and the Queen also watching.
"Vrentro Vaktul, elektyru dartkaryen…" The King and Queen of the fae chanted as they placed their hands forward, Rhongomyniad bursting with gold light, vibrating as though it were about to explode.
Just when it looked as though it was about to snap, Artoria walked forward towards her weapon and reached forward with both arms. A searing hiss filled the air as her arms breached through the golden light and her hand gripped the holy lance, steadying it as the faeries chanted. If the King of Knight felt any pain, no one knew, for not a single peep came from beneath the helmet she wore. As she held it, her whole body glowed in a golden light, her allies staring at her in awe and fear as the energy seemed to crackle and surge through her without nary a struggle.
While she held the lance firm, Oberon and Titania continued, "Aknoe Vrakyu, Vrentro Vaktuk, elektyru dartkaryen, adrenkyu gharyen." They opened their eyes, revealing their pupils to be gone, their eyes filled with a misty green light as they joined and chanted louder.
"VRAKORYO VANTAKLUNO! ADRANTERYO BHANDAREN! ADAKARYO FENDRENADORA! AZEKVEN AVALORAN!" The light enveloped the entirety of the stump as they finished.
"AVANTARON DEL FAVORKER MANA DHO! KHOR VIAR KHREL AVALON!"
…
…
Malphas sighed as they travelled atop their steeds with the rest of the army again. After waking up, they had all asked Morgan why she hadn't told them of the plan to reach the White Dragon if that had been her intention for coming to Lahia for him. She had said that she'd felt guilty for dragging them into this and had been trying to come up with a different way, but none had been found. While Malphas had not been satisfied with that, there was little he could do when Morgan was summoned to ride in the front with the emperor, leaving them to have to wait to talk again later. For now, he'd have to be satisfied speaking to his newly met uncle, but Vortimer seemed to want to talk of training once Morgan had returned. All he had said was that Malphas was the key to saving them all, but the way how would only be revealed through the eyes of the dragon, or at least that's what Vortimer said his mother had told him.
Malphas didn't know how he was meant to feel about this, after all, becoming a dragon had been Vortigern's ambition, and despite the clear fond tone Vortimer had for his father, Lady Morgan and Artoria had been right to stop him. On the other hand, they really didn't have anything else to go off, so he wasn't sure how to say no. Well, at least John was getting along with the older man as the 2 brothers rode beside the Saxon raised Britannian. Their mother simply kept a watchful eye, as did the rest of the party, not knowing how to feel about their new companion.
"And then Catigern and I screamed like women when the boar came after us. I was almost going to use him to slow the boar down until father showed up and killed it." He smirked, "We carried it back with us to where mother and Ardora were waiting, then father told her that we had gone hunting without permission." He then gulped, "Then we had to run from her."
As John laughed and even Malphas grinned, Queen Julia chimed in, "A worthless effort, I'm sure."
As John and Malphas quieted in the face of their mother's frighteningly sweet smile, Vortimer nodded, "Very much so." He sighed, "I suppose, no matter where one is from, most parents are quite-" He suddenly stopped talking as his eyes widened.
John felt Malphas tense up, his fists clenching, and turned around and looked at his now horrified half-sibling, "Big brother, what's wrong?"
His eyes twitched as his heightened senses starting flaring, alertness rushing through his veins, "The ground… something's coming out of the ground!" As he realized a second later, it was a lot of somethings. A few more seconds later, the horses grew uneasy as the ground beneath them began to shake, "Everyone move!"
The rest of the party felt it too late as roots shot out of the ground, twisting, and weaving in and out of the soil like tendrils or snakes. They glistened a sickly gold like that of rotting honey, with its glow emitting a nauseating aura. Before he had felt something unnerving about them, but with his heightened senses awakened, he realized the roots were the farthest from ordinary plant appendages. Recalling his previous conversation with Lena and Olved about whether those roots could absorb energy from them, just as it did so from the land, only now he realized how right he was. If anyone touched them for too long, he realized, their life energy would be absorbed by the wooden tendrils. He could feel it now, with his newfound heightened abilities, although they were not leeching anything from him as of now, Malphas could hear them calling out to him, to everyone, hungering for strength, for life.
As their mother's horse panicked and she almost fell onto a root, Malphas reached out, grabbed her, and pulled the Queen of Lahia onto Ceren, his steed huffing as she dealt with the extra weight. Queen Julia wrapped her arms around her adopted son and leaned forward as she sat behind him. Malphas unsheathed his blade as he eyed to roots warily. Olved, Christan, Arawn, and Varyn were all scrambling atop their steeds, trying to calm down the horses while also keeping away from the roots, Lena and Gwenhwyfach riding with Sirs Varyn and Arawn respectively. Gwenhwyfach's eyes were glowing violet as she shot waves of flame at any nearby roots that got close to them while Sadoine and Vortimer tried to hack them down with their swords, the latter more successful than the former.
The insignia on Malphas's hand flared up, and in a flash, Lady Morgan was back with them, blasting a root or 2 to smithereens as she looked around at them, "And to think we were just discussing this… well, glad none of you are hurt." She looked at Ceren and the 3 of them, "Room for one more?"
Malphas shook his head, "Ceren can't handle the weight." He didn't need anyone to tell him that the sorceress was glaring at him from behind her veil, Queen Julia tapping his shoulder.
"Are you calling me fat?" She asked.
"No, just that the 4 of us weigh more than Sir Ruthius and his sword and will Ceren down." He replied. Fortunately, Sir Olved lent her a hand and she got on her steed, meanwhile Vortimer jumped atop Sir Christan's steed and forced the knight to ride behind him, much to both Christan's and the horse's consternation.
"What in hell is going on?!" Arawn shouted, voicing all their thoughts.
"It's the Seyfert!" Morgan shouted back, confirming their wort fears. "Artoria must be about to commence the merge with Avalon and is entering the 2nd phase. All the roots of the Foreign God's tree are expanding as far as they can, and if my guess is close, then more than a few will end up traveling from Britain to reach the rest of the world!"
"So, she's to drag the rest of the world into Avalon, but normal humans can't survive there!" Malphas barked, anger flaring at the callousness of the act, his inner growling.
"There's nothing she can do about the Seyfert's roots! The tree itself exists to spread everywhere, not just in Britain, that was simply where the seeds were planted! Regardless of whether the merge with Avalon happened or not, its roots would have encompassed the entire world soon enough. The transport to Avalon is merely the consequence." Morgan explained.
Vortimer cursed, "Doesn't change the fact that Denmark, Norway, and the rest of my people are going to suffer! I doubt my dear little cousin cares for anyone outside of Camelot!" He barked as he cut through a root, the magical wood hissing as it writhed around before stilling on the ground, steam leaving it.
Morgan ignored the urge to point out that Vortimer himself cared little about those that weren't useful to him, instead calling for everyone to get close to her. Taking a moment to settle her thoughts amid the chaos, she beckoned for Gwenhwyfach to stand beside her as she saw that the mages, mystics, and witches forming the out circle of the Roman militia as well as those riding the avian beasts were trying to get into formation.
"This will be a risk, so just follow my lead, alright?!" She told the other witch, who nodded. Taking a deep breath, she looked to the skies and saw the void closer than ever before, ready to swallow Britain whole. Morgan wondered how many of them would still be standing in a few minutes.
Meanwhile, at the front, Tiberius was cutting through root after root with Florent, shouting to his men to keep formation and to not break down to some simple plant life. Rosa was telepathically speaking to the other sorceresses and mystics, ensuring that they were all taking the necessary formation discussed regarding this eventuality. Giants took their places surrounding all their forces, the witches guiding them ready. Those riding atop the stygian demon-wings also closed in while hovering above, ensuring their protection circle did not take more than enough space required, meaning less risk of magical burnout. Stepping in front of her Emperor, Rosa clasped her hands together as her eyes glowed green, whispering a quiet prayer in Latin, some of the words Tiberius.
As he watched the roots run wild all around them and his men gather themselves, he gripped his sword with both hands and quietly muttered, "By your grace, Flora, we shall succeed."
…
…
The ground shook as the roots grew larger and expansive with the rest of the tree, the beam of light connecting Britain to the sky transforming into many tendrils as a deluge of light poured from above right towards the Seyfert. A hollow echo cried out as the void grew larger than the British Isles itself, finally ready to become one with the land of humans. Faeries chanted and danced around the tree madly as Oberon and Titania wordlessly bellowed as their eyes glowed green and their bodies were enveloped by a green aura. Wind twisted and whirled around them with hurricane-like fervor as golden bursts of energy crackled everywhere. The Knights of the Round dug their blades into the ground to not be blown away, even Sir Galehaut struggling to remain standing. Lancelot dug Arondight deep into the soil as he stood guard over his lover and adoptive mother, the Lady of the Lake chanting quietly while Guinevere watched with horror and wonder at the now bulbous stump that seemed to be about to burst.
Without any trace of fear, Artoria held Rhongomyniad firm with both hands as the magical light crashed down from above, an unholy searing noise emanating from the lance as it nearly overloaded. With rigid control she channeled the energy through the lance into the roots, letting them expand farther and farther as they amassed the entirety of Britain and them reached the shores of the rest of Europe. It wouldn't be long until they surpassed the entire continent and took the rest of the world.
The void above grew closer and closer as the British Isles rose ever higher. Oberon and Titania called to their subjects in their native tongue, and in a flash, the fae dispersed, taking positions around the kingdom as they all rose their arms in unison, the green aura surrounding them all now doing so around all of Camelot. They all chanted the same ancient togue as the light becoming that of pure white and struck the heart of the Seyfert, Rhongomyniad howling as Artoria held strong. The energy was so intense that it caused her helmet to shatter, leaving her long golden mane untangling out of its neat bun and now flowing freely with the wind. Artoria roared like a lion as the light covered her along with the Seyfert. Her men reached out for her, but the brilliant light was so intense, it blinded them all as the void above finally met the British Isles, causing the energy to spiral and cocoon around Rhomgomyniad, gathering at where the Seyfert had been destroyed as well as saved.
"The World is the Kingdom, the Kingdom the World." Artoria declared, "For this world we bid farewell to the mortal plane where all hopes and dreams fade with the age of time and rise to a land of limitless future!" Her body crackled with power as she bared her teeth, "Thus this kingdom shall rise to eternity, and all foes who would see it destroyed… shall be reduced to dust forevermore!"
With a vicious growl, Artoria focused the energy into the point where she was holding the holy lance with her 2 fists before condensing it smaller and smaller, reducing it to a mere ion, or perhaps less so. Then, she released the most unholy scream anyone had ever heard from her as she released the might of Avalon in one massive burst, shooting outward in a massive repulse of intense mana that went on to cover all of Britain and beyond.
…
…
They all beheld the bright light consume the land, monster, legionnaire, sorceress, emperor, and survivors. It was the wrath of gods and the howl of the demons, and it was about to swallow them all. Rosa mentally linked with all the sorceresses and mystics as they chanted Latin, standing with uncompromising resolve as their emperor stood at the front, the sword of Flora pointed forward as he called for his men to stand firm in the name of Rome. They all felt the air radiate with heat and life, as though supercharged and about to combust. The giants roared and bellowed as the sensed what was coming while the Stygian demon-wings screeched and nearly fled, only kept in line by the mages controlling them.
Malphas gasped as his body shook, a dark aura slowly forming around him as his eyes slowly took a golden tint. Fear, panic, alarm, horror, the beast within him could sense the tidal wave of magic so intimately he felt his veins were about to burst. Vortimer grit his teeth as a dark aura formed around him, as it also did around Morgan, the eldest Pendragon placing her hands forward as Gwenhwyfach stood beside her, the less experienced sorceress petrified with terror, as was the rest of the party.
As he took a deep breath, he felt a hand reach for one of his own, and he turned to see that it was his adoptive mother, Queen Julia's face pale as she tried to keep her composure, John hugging her leg. King Sadoine stood guard over them over his family, ready to brave the wave of disaster. Not knowing what would come next, Malphas hugged his mother and brother tightly as the flood of light came right on top of them all.
The force of white light grew closer and closer, devouring all that stood between it and the army until…
…
…
With the ascending of Britain to Avalon, the souls of many humans, animals, and other lifeforms passed on into the afterlife, just as the Grim Reaper had foreseen. At one point, it had been a mortal man that lived during a wretched plague far after this time. Then death came for him and thrusted its task upon his shoulders. His past name, his life, all was forgotten, and it was christened as the new Grim Reaper. Like all those chosen before him to bear the responsibility of Ankou, its job was to deliver the souls of the dead to the afterlife. However, eventually it too passed down that role to a new soul, and its existence ended.
Or at least, that's what it had thought, before it found itself again in the plane of the living, with a master who seemed closer with the dead. Having no purpose, it followed orders without hesitation. 1st random strangers to test out its powers, then the old king, and then that knight came next. Eventually. its master had received the order to have the Divine Tree destroyed, something the witch helped them with. Of course, then came the consequences…
…
As its master's body was blasted apart by the lance of the Britannian King, its eyes glowed red and its cloak extended, wrapping around the pieces of its master, stitching the body together as it held his soul in place. Good man or not, the Reaper was duty bound to the one that summoned it, and as such, had to serve to the best of its ability. Whether that was an aspect it'd possessed back when it was still human, it didn't know. Not that it mattered, just as quickly as its master had been reduced to fragments, he was now alive and well, much to his own surprise, along with the King of Knights. While her underlings faced the witch, she chased after them with bloody intent.
"Well, time to get the hell out of here." Beryl quipped as they both attempted to flee, "With the Seyfert in ruins, this land's going to vanish entirely, no point in staying around when the job's done."
"These souls will not vanish just yet, they will not depart now, I see it." It replied.
Beryl snarked, "Well duh, they won't have existed to begin with!"
"You misunderstand, the Seyfert will not vanish just yet." It explained, "Eventually it will, but it will take a great force to do so. Its time is not now. This, I can sense."
Before Beryl could reply, he growled in annoyance as a golden crest mark formed on his body, one that looked like the lance the king carried. A lock on spell, likely a new addition ever since the fae upgraded the weapon. No place in Britain for him to hide, only chance was in another world…
"I shall stay behind, leave now." It hissed at its master, "Through my eyes, you will see what happens here. Return when you are ready." Beryl didn't argue at all as he ran off while the creature of death stayed to face the King. Not that it was much of a fight, this variant of 'King Arthur' was too powerful for even its true Noble Phantasm. Then again, the Reaper cared not for winning, all it needed to do was buy a few precious seconds for its master before making its own escape, teleporting itself to the corpse of one of its victims and away from the Knights of the Round. It soon sensed its master escape, for it would know if he were to be killed again.
Sighing, it watched from the shadows as a light shot from the distance into the heavens above, and it knew the beginning of the merge had come about. All it had left to do now was wait in solitude and patience, until all players had arrived for the next phase of this land.
…
As the roots once drained the magic from the land of Britain, they now filled the soils with the massive outpour from Avalon. They mutated and transformed the land into a larger, greater, more transcendent version of what it had been. Or perhaps, it had regained the magic it had once lost. The air was now filled with mana, so dense most humans and mages would suffocate from it. Even the Reaper bristled within the new atmosphere. Like a powder keg, it felt as though the land could ignite at any moment. Grass was now regrown and large, every piece now vibrant with life and sharp to the touch. The temperature was now rising immensely with the time of day and would likely turn to cold once day became night.
Despite this, as the Reaper's gaze was filled with the sights and sensations of all around it, so too was that of the one who glimpsed into Britain through his servant's eyes…
Beryl chuckled to himself before breaking out into laughter, falling to one knee as he did so. Goddamn, he had just made up all that 'hellish wonderland' bullshit to Kadoc and Pepperoncio on a whim just to pass the time. He hadn't expected it to happen! Oh, but he was certainly pleased with it.
Now it was time for him to destroy the tree he and say goodbye to his old 'friend,' while the man was busy with the Chaldeans. He grinned as the fire spread and went on to engulf the Trre of Emptiness.
Who knew how much fun it would be…
As Sherlock Holmes took note, he shouted, "Mashu, Ritsuka, get back! It's not safe!" He removed his bubble pipe, "The branches stretching across the sky are setting fire to the Tree of Emptiness!" As both Chaldea and Kirschtaria heard him, Beryl sneaked about, getting ready to strike.
The brown haired Ritsuka paled as he witnessed it, pulling the pink haired girl to his side as he jumped back before exclaiming, "You mean the Tree of Emptiness is burning?!"
Kirschtaria was horrified, "How is this happening?! Nothing should be able to burn a fully grown Tree of Emptiness from the outside!"
Beryl chuckled as he stalked elusively, "I know. That's why I burned it from the inside." As he saw his old ally pause at hearing his voice, he closed in, "I burned down another Tree of Emptiness right from its roots and used its branches to spread our wildfire to your tree." He grinned, "You said the trees' branches formed a network, right? So I used them to deliver a little… viral payload."
At the last second however, Ritsuka saw the serial killer right behind his old leader and shouted, "Kirschtaria, behind you!" Quick as a flash, Wodime parried Beryl's knife with the blade he kept at his side, forcing Beryl to jump back and hiss.
"Goddamn it!" He growled, "Do you have eyes in the back of your head Wodime?!"
Ritsuka and Mashu stared at him with shock while Kirschtaria sighed, "I could say the same for you, old friend. I didn't expect you to double cross me now of all times. After all, even with me gone, you'd still have to face the Chaldeans, so I don't see how you expect to get out of here without a servant."
Beryl chuckled, "Well damn, Mr. Cool and Collected here figured me out! Surprised you didn't see this coming."
As Kirschtaria looked to the Tree of Emptiness, he sighed again, "I just didn't expect you to target the Tree of Emptiness 1st, artistic though you like to be."
"Why's it shocking, I already have experience in cutting trees down. You would know, you gave me the order to do it before." He stared as his friend, and smirked. "You know, I always wondered, why is it that out of all these alternate times and different roads we've made, you only chose for mine to be erased? I mean, compared to the other ones, it didn't seem all that bad."
Kirschtaria lowered his eyes with guilt before continuing, "The Foreign God had more powers than you know. She can feel it, throughout each timeline we were growing, when a life form powerful enough to oppose her is going to awaken. Though I always intended to stop her eventually, she gave me the option of ensuring that whatever life form it was, along with the rest of its timeline, was destroyed, or else we all would be." He sighed, "I didn't have any other way. I'd like to say that it's better than the orders they gave you to deal with us."
Beryl stared at him, momentarily shocked, "You knew?"
"Give me some credit old friend. I know that Marisbury would hire a mage killer to join our ranks for one reason only." Kirschtaria stared at him as Beryl lowered the knife. Not too far away, Ritsuka and Mashu watched them, along with the other servants.
"Anyone else?" Beryl asked before chuckling, Kirschtaria smirking in return.
"Daybit." They both busted out laughing, both wondering what their enigmatic, yet brilliant ally was up to.
"Figures, nothing really gets past him." Beryl calmed down, "But I didn't expect you to figure me out. When exactly did I give myself away?" He sent the pink haired girl a leering grin as he licked his lips, "Or did you always know I was bad news?"
"You told me yourself, or I guess, that simulation of you told me." Kirschtaria said, to which even Beryl looked at him, confused, "Let's just say that you and the others have stuck by my side through a lot more than you can even imagine. There's barely anything about any of you I don't know, that's why I bartered with the Foreign God to get all of you back."
Beryl just stared at him, "If you knew what I am, if you knew what I was, then why the hell would you want me back? Why trust me?"
"Because you're my friend." Kirschtaria said plainly, as though that was all that needed to be saved, "I couldn't imagine anyone else but you all by my side when we saved humanity." As he extended a hand to Beryl, the other mage stared at it before lowering his hand, "Come on now, enough of this. We've lost Ophelia, but Pepe, Daybit, and Kadoc are still around. It's time for us to pull ourselves out of the fire and save the day, just like we always do."
Beryl said nothing, and as Chaldea watched, they wondered if the man was contemplating laying down violence at the behest of someone who truly considered him a cherished companion. However, the ruthless killer smirked as he began to laugh, "Hehehe… AH HA HA HA HA HA!" He gasped as he tried to regain his breath, "S-Sorry, I just can't help it!" After a few minutes passed, with Kirschtaria sighing as he dealt with his friend's oddness, Beryl finally calmed down, "It just really is a shame, though. With it being all for nothing, I mean."
"Huh, what is it?" Kirschtaria questioned, now just a tad confused. "What's wrong?"
Beryl smirked, "Just that, for all your power and intelligence, Kirschtaria, neither you nor any of the rest of our group ever decided to do anything about this lock on spell that I have on me." He cackled as his leader's eyes widened while Chaldea grew concerned. "It was something the Lostbelt King of my timeline attached onto me right before I escaped, after tricking her into destroying the Seyfert, as per your orders of course." His grin grew far more malicious as he finished, "All I need to say is 'Here I am' and-"
He was stopped abruptly as a massive glyph appeared on his chest, and in that instant, the sky rumbled and split apart as a symbol appeared in the sky, one that a few members of Chaldea were able to recognize.
Kirschtaria shrieked to the 2 brown haired twins, "Macarios! Adele!"
Beryl laughed, "Well, right on time!"
…
…
The Seyfert had been full repaired, beyond her wildest dreams. The branches were all long, thick, and many, spreading far outward and pointing north, east, south, and west. They were now so massive that they would have completely eclipsed Camelot, fortunately, the merge extended the distance between the Seyfert and the rest of the kingdom, granting enough space so that the nearest branch on just reached the edge of her walls. She smiled as she saw that all that branches separated from a single point on her divine tree, right where her lance lay.
Touching the lance, she noticed the whole tree glow with it. Hmm, an unexpected change, but one that she could make do with, she could tell that the drawbacks came with some benefits as well, and at the very least, at least it meant that the tree would never remain unguarded. However, she then felt a tremor from Rhongomyniad as it suddenly became engulfed in a feverish light, as did the rest of the Seyfert, and the sky rippled above as she glimpsed a land different to her own, which confused her at 1st, but the moment she glimpsed that man her eyes narrowed, and she couldn't help but smile. So that fool had activated the target enchantment Rhongomyniad had placed on him. Well, then he would die for it along with his comrades.
As her lance was bathed in golden light, Artoria glared at the distortion with feral eyes as she yelled, "DIE, BERYL!"
And with that, a vicious beam of golden light, unlike any she had unleashed before, shot from Rhongomyniad and into the alternate Lostbelt.
…
…
Kirschtaria looked to them all, "GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Ritsuka and Mashu both grabbed Macarios and Adele and carried them away with Sherlock Holmes, who could see all too well they were doomed. Even teleporting to Mount Olympus would not be enough, since the beam of light would pierce anything in its path!
The blond-haired mage grits his teeth, "Not yet!" Pull all the power of the stars that he could muster, he erected a massive barrier shield to block the assault, the shield groaning as it bared down the beam of righteous hatred. "I won't let this happen! I won't let their journey end now…!"
Beryl smirked, "How noble of you. Too bad you left yourself wide open." Chaldea watched with horror as knife tore through white clothing, and making it red.
"Kh…Gh…" Kirschtaria choked as blood began to rise to his mouth, pain shooting through his ribs.
"Want to know why you lost, Wodime. Because you're just too engulfed by your mission." He grinned, "You never would have left me unaccounted for if you had taken even a second to see what my Lostbelt's become and known just how I would act." Beryl chuckled as he plunged the knife deeper into his former ally, "Seriously, all that crap about everyone becoming Gods unto themselves. You should have known already I'd get nothing from that. A world without death, without murder? What's the point of living if I don't get to kill anything?! Why would I want to become some enlightened version of myself, when I'm just fine staying a piece of shit." His glasses flashed as he stared above, "Death is who I am, its my nature. My very being. It's all I need-"
"Because its all you had left." Kirschtaria croaked as he coughed up blood. "A-After Hessoni…" Beryl's gloating ended as he stared at Kirschtaria with wide eyes.
"H-How?" He asked.
"I-I told you. There's barely anything about you… that I don't know." Kirschtaria tried to swallow, "B-Because…" He then croaked as Beryl pulled out the knife only to stab it into him again, before them throttling him into the ground and stabbing at him in the front, Chaldea watching with horror.
"What a shame, Kirschtaria. Wanted man to take the place of God, yet dies from a simple knife attack, like some random human at the hands of a mugger." Ripping the knife out of him, Beryl kicked him in the head before wiping his blade clean of the blood with his shirt, "Can't have this old buddy of mine getting stale." Turning his head to Chaldea, he grinned as he brandished the blade at them, "Wait your turn Ritsuka, I'll kill you and that toy later." He said, pointing the knife at Mashu while they glared at him.
However, before anything could come of it, Beryl had to leap out of the way as a golden trident came down at him, jumping into a catlike crouch as he stared at the white-haired servant, who glared at him. She wore revealing golden armor and had a golden shield, which served to make her brown skin stand out all the more.
Beryl chuckled, "Ah Caenis, you know, if you don't want to die, I've got a proposition for you." He extended a hand, "I may need some help in clearing out a few, enemies of mine back in the English Lostbelt. Help me out, and I'm willing to make sure you get a place of your own there."
Caenis glared at him, "My loyalty is to Master Wodime, not an animal like you! Filthy scum!" She shouted as she attempted to kill him once more, only for Beryl to again surprisingly dodge the attack before elbowing her in the back of the head, unbalancing her while he put distance between them.
"No, then farewell. Hey foxy!" He shouted, and the pink haired beast-kin fatale servant left the spot she was watching from and approached him, "You ready to go?!"
"You remember our deal, correct?" She asked him, and he nodded.
"One no strings attached travel back to my Lostbelt in turn for one old dragon Albion, no problem!" He grinned, giving her a thumbs up.
Just as they were about to leave, Rasputin, in the body of a mage named Kirei, questioned him, "Beryl, do you stand for the Foreign God, or have you become an agent against her?"
Beryl grinned, "For, against, what does it matter? I'm on the side that lets me have a world of death, and death alone." He sheathed his knife, "That answer enough?"
Rasputin glared at him, "So you are against the Foreign God."
"Eh, hell if I care. On that note, good bye everyone, its been real, and I'll miss you all… oh who am I kidding? ROT IN HELL YOU FUCKS!" He gave one last blasphemous shout as Tamamo Vitch teleported them away, vanishing in a purplish light.
With him gone, that still left them all in a land just about to die. Beryl had been right, Kirschtaria thought, it had been his own fault. He had been too ensnared by memories only he remembered, along with his ideals, he failed to take note of what was happening around him. But it was too late to dwell on that now, he needed to at least try to give the Chaldeans a chance to save the Proper Human History.
With the last of his strength, he used Sirius Light to push the Foreign God and the Tree of Fantasy out of the Lostbelt, it was dead anyway, Rhongomyniad's beam was about to cause his barrier to shatter. He turned his head to the Chaldeans and saw them stare at him with tear stricken eyes before they vanished back to their home base. Funny how they'd been fighting him not too long ago and were weeping for him, and one of his teammates had both literally and metaphorically stabbed him in the back. Well, he really should have seen it coming, but what could he do?
After all it wasn't as though that before he'd brought back his team, he hadn't requested for the Foreign God's abilities to glimpse what could have happened if Team A could have faced Goetia instead of Ritsuka Fujimaru. True, Beryl would have only gotten as far as Ophelia, and been behind Daybit, himself, and Kadoc, but those results weren't what Kirschtaria had cared for. What had entranced him were the smaller parts. Those moment to moment conversations they'd had with each other… those moments…
…
"Death is the only thing that really lasts. In our world, in any." Beryl noted as they all stared at the skies overlooking Babylon. "It's all we have that never changes, and it's all I need to know." He twirled, "No moment lasts forever, no matter how much you want it to. It all fades away. And it's probably best that it does."
"Wow, never took you for the philosophical kind." Kadoc snarked, "They teach that to you in assassin training?" The others laughed while Beryl noogied Kadoc, the youngest of them all growling as he tried and failed to pry off the older mage.
As he laughed, Kirschtaria noticed Ophelia skirt next to him and lower her head to be right in front of his shoulder, "You alright Ophelia?"
Daybit watched and grinned, "Something tells me that Ophelia's looking for a bit of affection too!" Pepe, Beryl, and Kadoc all grinned, leading Ophelia to stammer in embarrassment."
Sighing, Kirschtaria gently patted her head, "Calm down, no need to rile each other up." Unfortunately, that just led to her growing even redder while Beryl and Daybit both broke out into laughter. "Well, that didn't work."
Suddenly, the ground shook violently as the twisted shrieks of Tiamat's offspring echoed through the land. Instantly, they all got on alert and stood up, ready to go into action.
"Okay, break was fun, but the job never stops. Daybit, you and Kadoc head back to Gilgamesh and see how his defenses are doing. Pepe, Ophelia, and I will try to forge a barrier to slow them down, and Beryl!"
The assassin grinned, "You want them fried or on a stick? Or are you more in the mood for stew?"
"I don't think they're edible Beryl." Pepe noted, to which Beryl shrugged.
"Just do what gets the job done quickly, and try not to die." Wodime stated.
Beryl grinned as he fixed his glasses, "Easy enough then. See you all in the castle!" He shouted as he ran off towards the stampede.
Ophelia watched him and noted, "He does know he was supposed to stay with us and then leave, right?"
"Well, you know how it is for that gangster. Never one to fall in line." Kadoc replied, "Good luck, guys." He then left with Daybit to report to the King.
Kirschtaria chuckled, life threatening situations, same old team. Life was good.
…
No moment lasts forever, that was true, but he didn't want them to last forever, just to make as much of them as he could. All the talks they'd had, the laughs, the arguments. Sure, they were among the best of the best, but at the same time, they were just a ragtag bunch of misfits, not too different from those he saw in those human movies he'd watched once a few years back. What was it, 'Stellar Wars' or something. Ah, who knows?
Kirschtaria closed his eyes as his barrier shattered, the light above closing on him. He'd like one more moment, just one more moment…
One more moment of Team A saving the world…
…
…
Heavy… he felt so heavy… and his eyes were so blurry, what had… he couldn't… oh wait… that right… mother and brother, the blast had nearly sent them both… good thing he had grabbed John when he had and thrusted him into Lena's arms but then… what about mother… yes, he had reached out for her, grabbed her hand… and then… what had happened to them?
He moved some part of himself to his right until it was facing his eyes, yet his vision was so blurry that he couldn't even tell what it was, or if it was even his. He tried to stand but was shaking even when on his knees despite feeling no pain… or perhaps he was feeling so much pain that his mind had been overloaded to the point he could not feel at all?
"MALPHAS!"
…
"PRINCE MALPHAS!"
Someone was calling for him… someone he knew… It was an older voice… male…
"PRINCE MALPHAS! QUEEN JULIA!"
This time younger, and female.
"MAMA! MALLY!"
His brother, and just him. He heard all their voices, all of them crying out for him and his mother, he could hear them all. He knew where they were, the question was, where was she?
He looked to his left, then his right, before straining his head forward and pushing his eyes to the point he felt they were about to pop out, but he saw her, lying on the grass not too far away from him. Crawling forward on all fours, he pushed through the maelstrom of power that seemed to be surrounding and penetrating them all before he reached her. Gently picking her up with both hands, he hissed as he stood up with both legs, his mother in his arms as relief filled him.
"Don't worry mother. I have you."
He muttered quietly as he turned around, taking her with him as they returned to the rest of the party. He didn't know how he knew where they were, for he felt as if he could no longer see, yet he knew where they were all the same. One step after another, he persevered despite his legs feeling as if they were about to fall to pieces, he continued forward.
Eventually, he felt the great intensity pulsating around him diminish extremely and he fell to his knees, knowing they'd finally gotten back safely. He heard many voices yet was too tired and worn out to know what they meant, his only concern being his mother as he yelled at them to quiet down to not cause them a headache, only for the voices nearest to him to go quiet.
He couldn't know why… they'd gotten back safely after all…
"Ugh… Mother… are you alright?" He asked her.
"Mother? Mother, can you hear me?"
…
A mournful whinny came from his side…
"Yes, you're probably just unconscious from landing on the ground, right?" He smiled, or at least he thought he did. "Lady Morgan can take care of that. I know she can."
…
…
"Malphas… I…"
…
"What do you… why won't she…"
…
…
…
…
"RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Well that wraps up what's essentially the 1st half of the story, or really 2/3 of it, now that I think about it. Anyway, the next chapter will have a bit of a time skip as well as have Chaldea arrive in the Lostbelt, as well as meet up with Morgan, Malphas, and the rest of the party. Feel free to speculate which servants will be joining them. Hint hint, a few well known servants from previous Fate series as well as a few personal favorites of my own.
Thank you all for reading, and until next time, this has been the Venomous Blade, and I'll see you guys later ;)
...
P.S. In case anyone's wandering why Beryl was just about to betray Kirschtaria at the end of the last chapter, yet a whole day sort of pass in Britain before he did so, the Lostbelts run on different temporal flows in my story, so a few minutes or an hour in one world can be a whole day or even a week in another. Basically like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in Dragon Ball.
