Chapter 32: Atriesīsas Salss (Vengeance's Voice)

Even death will not stay a dragon's vengeance. ~ Unknown

Rah, rah, rah , rah!

Šihzra eyed Harlothisüa as the young drake suddenly paused at the threshold of the ward. The golden chains of the ward lazily passed between them as the young drake went through several emotions, his grip on Nightfury and Breaker of Dawn rhythmically flexing. Šihzra could sympathize with Harlothisüa's hesitation. Not only was he about to cross into a runic ward which he was toldto never do but Sombra was not a foe to be taken lightly.

However, if Šihzra's plan was going to succeed he needed the young drake to rise up and fight. As it was, getting Sombra out of Twilight had taken nearly everything out of him. His mana reserves were already exhausted to the point that he was drawing from his life-force, and he could no longer use artificial induced heartsongs to boost his mana as he had already long gone past the point of diminishing returns.

He held back a sigh of relief when Harlothisüa took a shaky breath, gulped, and then finally stepped forward and through the ward. The drake paused again looking at him with the unspoken question of 'how?' on his face. Šihzra raised a claw to his lips. As much as he would like to reassure his friend, he could not let Sombra have a chance to figure out what his plan was. And while it was true that Harlothisüa's swords were not as powerful as Leafcutter, as neither had a bonded gem, they would still prove vital in keeping Sombra busy.

Harlothisüa gulped as he muttered a low. "Be their knight."

Harlothisüa took a deep breath then with a snort of flame ran forward, in his cape bellowing behind him. Šihzra followed closely behind though at a more leisurely trot. He had to be a bit more conservative as he was tiring out, but he also didn't want to get too close as limit his magic use just yet.

The drake quickly reached the mass of black smoke and stabbed and spun his swords around all of which right through Sombra's smoke form doing the expected nothing. To Šizra the drake's moves were bit more theriacal then was safe, and he would normally reprimand his friend and former protégé for the poor fighting form, but he suspected that the drake was doing it to lower Sombra defenses for the real attack. And that came as Šizra was about to use Leafcutter to block the counterattack from Sombra. But before he could make a move, a scream of agony echoed out as green flames met black smoke.

Sombra quickly reformed fully into a physical pony, bits of green flame remained in various parts until a pulse of magic snuffed them out. Good. Šizra noted. If Sombra was smart he would not use his smoke form again. Not with the form being weak to dragon flame. Never mind he needed the lich to be in a physical form for his plan to be effective. It should work even if Sombra remained in smoke form, but he was not about to test that theory.

Sparks flew as Šizra finally engaged the lich Leafcutter meeting a quickly conjured sword. With that he could feel that Sombra was far weaker than before as he was not detecting any earthen or air mana coming from the lich. It was as he surmised before, Sombra was using Twilight to access the full might of an alicorn. The why he would dwell on more later, weaker did not mean not dangerous, and needless thinking could fatally distract him.

As a second conjured sword swung around in attempt bypass Leafcutter his friend came in with his own swords only to find a third conjured sword deflecting his attack upward and away. Sombra jumped back only to bring up a shield which easily blocked and spilt the sudden green retaliatory flame.

"Athulēt." Šizra could only hold it for a second but a second was all that was needed to shatter the shield allowing them to continue to press their attack unimpeded.

Unfortunately, Sombra was quick to recover, blocking the flames with a wall of crystal before knocking Leafcutter out of Šizra's aura with a well aimed mana beam. He grunted in annoyance as his sword went flying out of sight. Normally that would have been impossible, but it had become possible with his low mana reserves and physical exhaustion.

Šizra retaliated with a mana beam which was met with one from Sombra. He gritted in concentration as their beams clashed in a shower of raw mana sparks. Hopefully his friend could use this chance to get in an attack as he would only be able to hold it for so long. But a sudden sharp pain in his side caused him to lose his concentration which allowed Sombra to win the beam war. Sombra's beam than quickly hit Šizra with enough force to send him flying back hitting and tumbling along the ground several hooves before coming to a painful stop. His vision faded in and out and he could hear laughing and shouting though it was quite muffled. He scowled in Sombra direction in a mixture of pain and defiance.

Šizra blinked as his friend roared in rage before rushing Sombra. The drake grasped Sombra's horn before nimbly jumping up onto stunned lich's back. While Šizra had taught the drake about the vulnerability of a unicorn's (or alicorn's) horn while spell casting he would have never suggested a move like that. Yet as he watched Sombra attempt to buck off the drake the more he became confused. The ease that the drake was riding the bucking lich... It was as if... He stole a glance over at the unconscious body of Twilight and a single word slipped from his lips. "Spike..."

Šizra tried to rise up but fell back as a sharp pain again blossom along his side and his legs gave out on him. He looked over at his side and saw that Sombra had managed to stab him with a crystal shard through a gap in his loose-fitting armor. He shattered the shard before heating his claws, quickly cauterizing the wound to stop the bleeding. Pulling the discarded swords Nightfury and Breaker of Dawn into his aura he managed to push himself up onto his hooves. Sombra was eventually going to succeed in getting his friend off his back, and if he was going to use this opportunity to its fullest, he needed to get back into the fight while Sombra was distracted. Calling forth as much mana that he could safely call he poured it all into the swords until raw mana crackled like lightning along the blades. Now all he needed to do was get the swords to contact Sombra, but if he managed to slash the swords though the lich's body all the better. The only issue... He looked at his friend upon Sombra back. This attack would hurt his friend at the same time... They locked eyes and the drake gave a single sharp nod.

With a shove of his aura the swords shot towards Sombra like bolts. Breaker of Dawn barely missed Sombra by a hairsbreadth, Nightfury, however managed to slash right across Sombra's barrel just forward his groin. Two screams of pure pain echoed out upon the Frozen North as raw mana ripped through both of them. To Šizra's surprise, his firend, through all the pain that was raw mana coursing through his body managed to hold onto Sombra and his horn tightly. As Sombra fell backward onto his back the drake somehow twisted away using a paw on the side of the lich's head as leverage which wrenched to the side with an audible crack.

Šizra rushed to them as he did, he summoned Leafcutter raising it up high, its blade facing straight down. Without saying a word, his friend reached up and gripped the sword with him and as one they stabbed Sombra right through the chest and back pinning the pony lich into the ground.

"You think this will stop me?" Sombra laughed as he coughed up a black oily substance. "No mere sword can... can stop me. I will return and when I do, I will destroy everything you love. And then he heh... Only then will I end you."

"Nooo... Look harrrrderrrr..." Šizra leaned down and whispered as he released the charm that he had placed upon the sword as he summoned it, the sounds of the tortured dragon spirit that created SoulSunder became audible once again. He could feel his friend shiver, but the young drake managed to maintain his hold on the sword. From the look that he was receiving he knew he had a lot to answer for later.

Šizra held back the urge to grin as Sombra's eyes widened into fear, his mouth opening in a silent screaming no. They both knew that he, of all beings, knew exactly what fate was coming. But as the lich thrashed, futilely trying to flee his fate he scrunched his noise in disgust. Coward. To think that the once mighty, powerful, and proudful alicorn would face oblivion like a foal.

"No crown. No throne. Not even a soul will be left for judgment. Begone, Sombra. May the last whisper of your legacy fade... and be forgotten." With that Šizra pulled up, forcing SoulSunder out of Sombra's body which immediately crumbled into ash and disappeared in a light breeze.

I will find a way to release you... Šihzra once again promised as he waved SoulSunder back into its vault. The sounds of the tortured spirit quickly fading away. At least now justice has been merited on the one that created you.

As he turned away from where Sombra fell and was about to take a step a pain like lightning flashed through his body. A flood of blood spewed out of his mouth as he nearly fell. The only reason he didn't fully collapsed to the ground was the quick response of Harlothisüa who put an arm out under his foreleg, lifting him up onto his paws.

"I'll be fine." Šihzra weakly panted out.

"Uh huh." Harlothisüa grumbled. "Four times, Šihzra four times."

Šihzra blinked at him in confusion. "Four...?"

"'This wasn't the first time that I nearly killed myself through extreme mana exhaustion, far from it. This actually makes it the third time in less than a decade...'" Harlothisüa smirk turned extremely smug as he repeated Šihzra's words from before when he had left the Empire with King Thorax. "As I said, four times..."

"Using my own words against me?" Šihzra chuckled letting a small smile form as he let himself be helped by Harlothisüa sending out a silent command to desummon his armor as he did. At this stage it was more of a hindrance than a help. "Very dangerous."

"Ooh, sounds like a Tuesday." Šihzra nearly jumped as Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola appeared in a flash to his other side.

"Ilcktulsivitātes Hzathtola!" He growled lightly though there was no real venom behind it.

"You should see what he's like on a Monday." Harlothisüa added.

Šihzra sighed unable to face palm to rub his fake building headache. Doubled teamed by two snarkers. Why did every one of his friends have to be snarkers!? But then again, he wouldn't have it any other way... it helped keep him stable. And right now, even though he was tired and aching all the way to his spirit, he could not help but be content.

That contentment was challenged though as Lord Spinster suddenly stepped in front of him ordering, "You. Sit."

Šizra frowned as he inwardly grumbled at his friends' chuckling amusement but otherwise kept his annoyance to himself as he let Lord Spinster look him over. He was well aware of his mana exhaustion and outside of the cauterized wound to his side there was not much the changeling, or anyone really, could do for his other physical injuries. Time was the best healer at this point. He hoped this was the last potential world ending disaster that only he had a chance of stopping for a long time as all the progress from his the last brush with death and then some was gone. And with Vorac now gone he wasn't sure, yet, how well he was going to recover or if he would ever fully recover.

"Keep an eye on that wound Stormcrow." The changeling grumbled turning away and skittering off into the throng of changelings and crystal ponies.

Šizra blinked as he looked around and realized that there were far more ponies than there was before. Nearly all of them busy triaging or moving the injured on stretchers. This was good as the ponies with assistance from Spinster's changelings would be able to deal with their own. Now he just needed to find the Windigo and the injured letuscktüis he had seen earlier when he had step out of the portal to confront Sombra.

"Help me find the Windigo..."

As his friends helped him navigate around Šizra caught several low mutters of 'Guardian and 'Guardian Dragon' along with various epithets tacked on that were just way too cumbersome and flowery to not be ridiculous. Interesting...

It was not long before Šizra caught sight of Luna. He stopped to check on the younger alicorn sister who was awake and sitting. Judging by the slight shiver every time she breathed, she had to have had, at least, several broken ribs. There was nothing to do about it but to make sure she rested and stayed away from any strenuous movements until they healed. Next to her was Celestia, unconscious, a changeling busily sewing up a wound. From how calm the medic changeling was going about it looked like Celestia would live, though given the extensiveness of her injuries she would probably be marred by quite a few scars.

He quickly moved on only to find the Windigo kneeling over a prone black and white male letuscktüis. He recognized the drake as one of the dragons that accompanying the Windigo when he had summoned her with the Crystal Heart. Though the changeling medics had at one point stopped the bleeding (given the wad of changeling resin covering his chest and stomach) it was very clear that his injuries were just too extensive. A quick medical spell scan let him know that most of the drake's organs had already shut down.

He sighed deeply as he closed his eyes, working to rein in his emotions. There was nothing he or anyone could do or say... Maybe if Lady Araneae healing pod was still viable... Alas the young dragon would, at best, live long to see one last sunrise.

Lay down...

Šizra softly began to sing after humming a few bars. He could feel everyone's eyes, minus the dying dragon, slowly locked onto him. He could see there was so much pain, fear, and dread shining through the eyes of the drake. It was clear that the dragon knew he was dying and was afraid. To see that in one far too young nearly choked Šizra and he had to fight to keep his expression neutral. He hated dealing with death especially when it came to the young.

Upon your gems and gold

The day is dawning

You have come to journey's end

With that line the drake finally locked eyes onto him.

Sleep now

And be with the ones who came before

He is calling

From across a distant plane

The sounds of sniffing drew Šizra's attention and he turned slightly to see a gathering of crystal ponies around them. Once again, he found himself taken aback by what he was witnessing from the crystal ponies. He wondered what could have happened in the short time he was gone that they would have such a reaction to a dying stranger much less a letuscktüis. This is not the Crystal Empire of old...

Why do you weep?

Šizra gaze fell back down, a small smile creeping up his face as he watched the drake used what little strength he had to reach up and wiped the tears that were now falling down the Windigo's face.

What are those tears upon your face?

Šizra sang to the Windigo even though he knew she could not see his gaze.

'Why are you crying like a pony?'

Soon you will hear

All of your fears will soon leave

Safe in the Voice

You will be sleeping

With those words the drake relaxed as a calm acceptance blossomed in his gaze that rose to the stars above.

Who can you hear?

A whispering sound

Why do the dragons roar?

Šizra's eyes looked upon the horizon to the southeast. The lightness of dawn already appearing. The sun was awaiting its guidance to climb.

Across the sky

A bright sun rises

As Šizra raised his voice he also raised his foreleg gently lifting the sun up above the horizon.

The Voice has come to carry you home...

Šizra's singing fell to a near whisper his focus turning back the dying drake.

And all will hear

The dragon's roar

A flame onto coals

As soul... ignites...

As Šizra song ended the drake's hand limply fell out of the Windigo's hand and he breathed out his last. The Windigo's trembling hand reached out for a second before her head snapped to the sky as she let out a loud roar filled with grief and pain, guilt and regret.

'Do you know why dragons roar?'

Sire...

Šihzra would have snapped back with a sharp 'No' but he was too emotionally exhausted. Of all the times that They of the Glittering Isles would pick for a cryptic 'lesson' they had to pick now?! His home, his people, his... sire... all gone...

Mother...

'Dragons have the most passionate of natures and thus the strongest of emotions.'

Father...

'Which wouldn't be a problem, expect that draconian magic, contrary over every other type, is born from emotions, not will.'

Now Guardian joined the Windigo with his own roar that was an echo of the same emotions.

Lāckta...

'So whenever emotions become too much, they pour their emotions, their everything into a roar. One. Single. Roar. Pushing it out with such power, such force that the sky darkens and the earth trembles.'

Vorac...

The emotions from the memories of those he lost become too much and Šizra could no longer hold back and joined in with a roar of his own though his had far more notes of grief and pain with some hopelessness and despair added in.

"Windigo of the Frozen North." Šizra hesitantly spoke, breaking the silence that had fallen. What he needed to ask was probably going to bring up painful memories for her, but it needed to be asked. "Have you started an Endless Rising Light before?"

The Windigo trembled as she pulled the Amulet of the Winds off of her neck and held it out towards him. Šihra eyed Guardian as he put a comforting paw on the Windigo's shoulder their tails subtly curling into each other. Interesting... He had noticed the light mingling of their scents earlier, but he was too focused to put any thought into it, until now.

Šizra shook his head as he reined back his thoughts. First Dragon Lord Ember and now the Windigo. He understood why both had tried to give them their artifacts. But neither were failures, unworthy, and even if the scepter or amulet had repudiated them, he could not take up either role. The dragon 'artifacts of leadership' were hard coded by his parents to not accept him as a wielder. The most he could do was hold the artifacts until a new wielder was chosen.

"You misunderstand me young Vithtizo." Šizra whispered using the Ancient Draconic version of the title as he gently closed the Windigo's hand around the amulet. "I merely wish to guide you with one of its functions if needed..."

"Besides... if anyone has failed... it is I."

"Šihzra..." Guardian growled warning was cut off by Šizra's sharp look and a raised paw.

"Hold out the Amulet of the Winds... Remember the words of my lament... Let the Amulet feel the grief... and the hope... Breath out fire... Reach out and grasp our fire... Then let the whispers guide you..."

As Šizra backed up it became clear the Windigo knew, at least in part, how to call forth the powers and wisdom within the amulet given how fast the amulet glowed then levitated out of her hands. It was not too big of a surprise for him, as the amulet was glowing when he first saw her. He let a small smile grace his face as the Windigo let out a small wisp of flame and he caught a touch of green within the sky-blue flame. It was so slight that unless you were looking for it you would not notice.

The Windigo reached out her flame following her hands as Guardian added his green flame with touch a slight sky blue. Šizra waited a moment then blew a bit of his dark blue flame. The three different flames danced in the air guided by the Windigo's fingertips for several minutes. She is a natural... then again... Šizra bit down on his lips enough to bleed in an attempt to squash his rising fury. For one, so young, to be dealt so much tragedy as to be a natural in funeral rites... Suddenly she stopped and backed away her hands. The flames then slowly floated down. Šizra shuddered out a breath as the flames hit the young drake's body and erupted into pale white flames. The Windigo had succeeded.

He watched as the flames began to quickly consume the body. The process, at least visually, was ironically very similar to the curse upon SoulSunder. But instead of dark ash, sky-blue, dark blue, and green sparks of light rose up endlessly spiraling into the sky and out of sight. The sparks continued until a few moments later when the last embers of the funeral pyre rose up and faded away. As soon as that last spark faded from sight, as one, the Windigo, Guardian, and Šizra roared.