In the present day, Maeve and Benny stood before the towering Vampire Tree, its immense form casting a haunting shadow over their huddled group. Taharqa, Menelik, Idris, Sukki, and Oiwa encircled a flickering campfire, a makeshift canopy overhead providing shelter crafted from Sukki's resourcefulness. The silence enveloped them, the anguished whispers of those assimilated into the tree having long dissipated, leaving a scene of desolation, the tree crumbling in scattered patches like shifting sand.
"Whatever its purpose, it is on its last legs," Beeny remarked.
"That's the problem," Maeve replied. "Can't you sense it within?"
Benny shook his head. "I cannot. What is in there?"
"It’s Nix... my mother," Maeve confessed.
Benny's head whipped toward Maeve, a heavy silence falling between them. His gaze returned to the decaying tree, its once-massive structure now revealing the carnage from which it was wrought. Hundreds of thousands of bodies had been fused together, decimating Sidra's population to an extent that recovery seemed an insurmountable task. The responsibility of rebuilding the north fell to the Lycans who hadn't succumbed, yet even their efforts might prove inadequate. The fate of the Forest Elves remained uncertain; while the castle still harbored many, would it suffice to reconstruct the island? And then there was his mother's inexplicable actions. Despite their absurdity, dwelling on them seemed futile in the present moment. Benny's focus shifted to the pressing need to restore the island. Who would aid him? Historically, the Elves had assisted humans in rebuilding, but who would assist in restoring the Elves?
"Benny," Maeve said, snapping him to focus.
"Yes?"
"I know the Uthol Elves get their memories from the forest trees, does that include combat?"
Benny turned, intrigued by her question, but then the air filled with the sound of cracking wood as the tree began to disintegrate, collapsing like a sand dune against an oncoming wave. It rapidly crumbled into ash, shrouding the area, stirring the rest from their campfire.
"The hell y’all doing over there?" Menelik exclaimed, rising to survey the collapsing tree. Roots and all gave in, engulfing the surroundings in a dense cloud of ash, obscuring their view.
"I can’t see shit," Idris stated.
Oiwa unleashed her magical arms, bright orange hues flooding the area. They extended from her back, taking form. She flexed them for a moment before rapidly punching the air, dispersing the ashen smoke, revealing the enormous cocoon forming within.
"That doesn’t look good," Taharqa said. "Should we… Should we do something about it?"
The black cocoon exuded a dense wall of dark magic, pulsating like a heartbeat. The rhythm intensified until the dark magic ruptured, cracks fissuring across the cocoon.
"I think it’s going to take care of itself," Sukki observed.
"No," Maeve exclaimed, her eyes holding a fear-adjacent intensity. She looked at the group, assessing their options. Time seemed to elongate as Nix emerged, her voice reverberating through the air.
"Good evening, daughter, how is everything?" Nix inquired, stepping out of the cocoon. Her bone-black features bore a third eye in the middle of her forehead and a tiny eye just below her mouth. Her appearance, both unsettling and regal, transformed before their eyes.
"Let me ask you something, darlings?" Nix's dark magic blasted, sending everyone, including Maeve, reeling back. She advanced, her pale feet withering the grass with each step. "Where is Xayddryrth? I would like to have a word with him. I owe him something from the last time we met. I don’t sense him anywhere on the island. Where is my little puppet?"
The expected shock and awe were absent from the group's faces. "Ah, so you all know?" Her eyes darkened, even the one on her forehead. "Which means he knows."
With startling speed, Nix seized Oiwa, her bloodlust palpable. The group sprang into action, Maeve unleashing her cloak's blades of darkness. The crescent blades severed Nix's bone arm, freeing Oiwa. Nix effortlessly reattached the limb that fell to the ground. She then dismissed everyone but Maeve from the area with a snap of her fingers, a smile on her face as she approached Maeve.
"Now that we are alone, let’s have a chat, shall we?" Nix suggested, directing Maeve forcibly back to their former campsite. She gazed at the smoldering ashes, extending a finger from which black flames emerged, illuminating the area with an eerily warm aura.
Forcing Maeve to the ground, Nix took a seat beside her, both fixating on the fire. "Tell me, daughter, how long has my binding spell not worked on you?"
Maeve remained silent, her attention fixed on the flames.
Nix pressed on. "Answer me, darling. How long? And do you still have Nozarg and Zephr? I still have Zypr if you care to know."
Maeve stayed silent, her focus solely on the dancing flames, seemingly oblivious to her mother's presence. Nix sighed, then turned her gaze to the fire.
"Have you gone to see your father lately?" Nix inquired, prompting Maeve to glance her way briefly. "Ah, so you can hear me, now then, I..."
"No," Maeve retorted. "I want you to leave."
"But what about your friends?" Nix prodded.
"They aren’t really my friends."
"Ah, did someone have a slip-up when the binding spell activated?" Nix chuckled to herself. "Whoops."
Maeve shot her mother a fierce glare, her tone exasperated. "You knew I had broken your binding spell, didn’t you?!"
Nix nodded, her gaze fixed on the near-total eclipse. "We’re almost there."
Maeve's gaze shifted from her mother to the moon, a realization washing over her. The Vampire Gods were mere pawns; the tree had nothing to do with the eclipse spell, serving merely as a magic concentration point for her to heal. Nix observed her daughter's expression, a smirk playing on her lips as she reveled in the realization.
"What’s wrong, Maeve? Finally figuring it out?" Nix stood, extending all six of her arms, stretching back and forth with a contented smile. "Isn’t it great, dear? Soon, all of Arrithia will be consumed by the Void. I will drain every magical essence from this planet." She peered down at Maeve. "Then, with enough power, I will destroy Ebony and Ivory, and finally achieve what I've long desired…"
Nix gazed up at the moon, now just a sliver away from the eclipse's completion. "I’m going to obliterate this universe and create one solely for myself. No other Highers, no prayers or worships. All and none at once. I will be the sole existence, and then, I can finally rest, having fulfilled my purpose."
Nix’s countenance held a blend of sorrow and elation, a twisted amalgamation of despair and sheer delight. "And perhaps then, the Old Gods will finally acknowledge me." She turned towards Maeve. "But first, I’m going to turn your husband's insides into his outsides."
In the present day, Maeve and Benny stood before the towering Vampire Tree, its immense form casting a haunting shadow over their huddled group. Taharqa, Menelik, Idris, Sukki, and Oiwa encircled a flickering campfire, a makeshift canopy overhead providing shelter crafted from Sukki's resourcefulness. The silence enveloped them, the anguished whispers of those assimilated into the tree having long dissipated, leaving a scene of desolation, the tree crumbling in scattered patches like shifting sand.
"Whatever its purpose, it is on its last legs," Beeny remarked.
"That's the problem," Maeve replied. "Can't you sense it within?"
Benny shook his head. "I cannot. What is in there?"
"It’s Nix... my mother," Maeve confessed.
Benny's head whipped toward Maeve, a heavy silence falling between them. His gaze returned to the decaying tree, its once-massive structure now revealing the carnage from which it was wrought. Hundreds of thousands of bodies had been fused together, decimating Sidra's population to an extent that recovery seemed an insurmountable task. The responsibility of rebuilding the north fell to the Lycans who hadn't succumbed, yet even their efforts might prove inadequate. The fate of the Forest Elves remained uncertain; while the castle still harbored many, would it suffice to reconstruct the island? And then there was his mother's inexplicable actions. Despite their absurdity, dwelling on them seemed futile in the present moment. Benny's focus shifted to the pressing need to restore the island. Who would aid him? Historically, the Elves had assisted humans in rebuilding, but who would assist in restoring the Elves?
"Benny," Maeve said, snapping him to focus.
"Yes?"
"I know the Uthol Elves get their memories from the forest trees, does that include combat?"
Benny turned, intrigued by her question, but then the air filled with the sound of cracking wood as the tree began to disintegrate, collapsing like a sand dune against an oncoming wave. It rapidly crumbled into ash, shrouding the area, stirring the rest from their campfire.
"The hell y’all doing over there?" Menelik exclaimed, rising to survey the collapsing tree. Roots and all gave in, engulfing the surroundings in a dense cloud of ash, obscuring their view.
"I can’t see shit," Idris stated.
Oiwa unleashed her magical arms, bright orange hues flooding the area. They extended from her back, taking form. She flexed them for a moment before rapidly punching the air, dispersing the ashen smoke, revealing the enormous cocoon forming within.
"That doesn’t look good," Taharqa said. "Should we… Should we do something about it?"
The black cocoon exuded a dense wall of dark magic, pulsating like a heartbeat. The rhythm intensified until the dark magic ruptured, cracks fissuring across the cocoon.
"I think it’s going to take care of itself," Sukki observed.
"No," Maeve exclaimed, her eyes holding a fear-adjacent intensity. She looked at the group, assessing their options. Time seemed to elongate as Nix emerged, her voice reverberating through the air.
"Good evening, daughter, how is everything?" Nix inquired, stepping out of the cocoon. Her bone-black features bore a third eye in the middle of her forehead and a tiny eye just below her mouth. Her appearance, both unsettling and regal, transformed before their eyes.
"Let me ask you something, darlings?" Nix's dark magic blasted, sending everyone, including Maeve, reeling back. She advanced, her pale feet withering the grass with each step. "Where is Xayddryrth? I would like to have a word with him. I owe him something from the last time we met. I don’t sense him anywhere on the island. Where is my little puppet?"
The expected shock and awe were absent from the group's faces. "Ah, so you all know?" Her eyes darkened, even the one on her forehead. "Which means he knows."
With startling speed, Nix seized Oiwa, her bloodlust palpable. The group sprang into action, Maeve unleashing her cloak's blades of darkness. The crescent blades severed Nix's bone arm, freeing Oiwa. Nix effortlessly reattached the limb that fell to the ground. She then dismissed everyone but Maeve from the area with a snap of her fingers, a smile on her face as she approached Maeve.
"Now that we are alone, let’s have a chat, shall we?" Nix suggested, directing Maeve forcibly back to their former campsite. She gazed at the smoldering ashes, extending a finger from which black flames emerged, illuminating the area with an eerily warm aura.
Forcing Maeve to the ground, Nix took a seat beside her, both fixating on the fire. "Tell me, daughter, how long has my binding spell not worked on you?"
Maeve remained silent, her attention fixed on the flames.
Nix pressed on. "Answer me, darling. How long? And do you still have Nozarg and Zephr? I still have Zypr if you care to know."
Maeve stayed silent, her focus solely on the dancing flames, seemingly oblivious to her mother's presence. Nix sighed, then turned her gaze to the fire.
"Have you gone to see your father lately?" Nix inquired, prompting Maeve to glance her way briefly. "Ah, so you can hear me, now then, I..."
"No," Maeve retorted. "I want you to leave."
"But what about your friends?" Nix prodded.
"They aren’t really my friends."
"Ah, did someone have a slip-up when the binding spell activated?" Nix chuckled to herself. "Whoops."
Maeve shot her mother a fierce glare, her tone exasperated. "You knew I had broken your binding spell, didn’t you?!"
Nix nodded, her gaze fixed on the near-total eclipse. "We’re almost there."
Maeve's gaze shifted from her mother to the moon, a realization washing over her. The Vampire Gods were mere pawns; the tree had nothing to do with the eclipse spell, serving merely as a magic concentration point for her to heal. Nix observed her daughter's expression, a smirk playing on her lips as she reveled in the realization.
"What’s wrong, Maeve? Finally figuring it out?" Nix stood, extending all six of her arms, stretching back and forth with a contented smile. "Isn’t it great, dear? Soon, all of Arrithia will be consumed by the Void. I will drain every magical essence from this planet." She peered down at Maeve. "Then, with enough power, I will destroy Ebony and Ivory, and finally achieve what I've long desired…"
Nix gazed up at the moon, now just a sliver away from the eclipse's completion. "I’m going to obliterate this universe and create one solely for myself. No other Highers, no prayers or worships. All and none at once. I will be the sole existence, and then, I can finally rest, having fulfilled my purpose."
Nix’s countenance held a blend of sorrow and elation, a twisted amalgamation of despair and sheer delight. "And perhaps then, the Old Gods will finally acknowledge me." She turned towards Maeve. "But first, I’m going to turn your husband's insides into his outsides."
