The Beginning of the End, Again

Scarlett and Sagacious had only a few moments to discuss a plan, which thankfully, Sagacious already had the beginnings of. As he explained it to her, Scarlett experienced a few feelings, beginning with terror, shifting to hope and eventually settling somewhere around dread. But, she knew he was right; it was the only way. Now, the only thing to do was wait.

As it turned out, they did not have to wait long at all. Maybe an hour after the two of them gathered again in the shrine, sounds of metal clashing and screams began to fill the air. A dull roar had begun in Scarlett's head almost as if the wind that had begun to wail about the temple was also assaulting her very soul. Ancient oak and iron bound doors began to blacken and wither, aging centuries before their eyes.

With a resounding crash, the remains of the door easily splintered inward beneath the massive tree trunk carried by Darruk. The Queensguard formed up around the perimeter of the room and drew long, curved blades taking a defensive stance. In the middle of the room stood Scarlett, Sagacious, Queen Thia and Prince Tuara. Ciara entered moments after Darruk had smashed the doors wide, the ground withering and dying beneath her feet.

The smell was nauseating, she'd decayed much further than the last time they'd seen her, all of her skin was rotted and the muscles and tendons beneath were all clearly visible. Silence fell as she strode into the shrine and locked eyes with Scarlett.

"My eternal one, I have found you at last." The voice that emerged from her decaying throat was hollow and raspy, Ciara's vocal chords were decayed badly and produced a gurgling effect. Scarlett stood resolutely and stared back, her white eyes beginning to be tinged with deep emerald.

"You have, Brother. Or is that you, Father?" Scarlett's own voice resonated and carried the song of birds and running water.

Ciara's jaw distended open, and a roar of rage and hatred engulfed the room. Scarlett opened her palms and concentrated, a thin dome of green energy meeting the cloud of inky blackness that roiled forth from Ciara. One of the guards lost his nerve and faltered, stepping outside of Scarlett's protective circle. He began to scream and shake violently, and as the others watched him, his flesh liquified and sloughed from his frame, leaving only a puddle of brackish black on the floor of the shrine.

Sagacious was staring at Darruk intently and a sparkle of royal blue could be seen in his eyes as he stared. Sweat poured from his forehead in rivulets and his teeth were clenched with effort. "Hold, Scarlett, just a minute more." He hissed at his companion through obvious effort. Scarlett said nothing, nodding tersely at him. Queen Thia laid a hand on her Son's arm and stepped into the center of Scarlett's protection, addressing Ciara in a clear, strong voice.

"Welcome home, Annie. You might not believe me, but I missed you."

Ciara's mouth closed and bared its blackened and rotting teeth at the Elven Queen. "No home of mine, Petal. Not anymore." She snarled in that gurgling and otherworldly voice.

Queen Thia just smiled serenely at her. "It will always be your home, dear one, even if you've lost your way here."

"You! You cast me out! Left me alone!" Ciara's frame shook with magical might and rage, the walls of the shrine nearly bursting instantly as the building exploded outwards, simply erased by the rage of the power that Ciara wielded.

Tears began to streak Thia's face as she stood before Ciara, Tuara barring her further movement with a gentle hand on her arm. "We did. You had gone too far, my first love. It was exile or death, we made the only choice any of us could live with. I am so sorry, Annie. You needed forgiveness and healing, but your madness was too great."

"You! Chose! Wrong!!!!" Scarlett's protective shield weakened and moved backward for just a moment in the onslaught of Ciara's power, the outer edge of her dark power claiming all of the Queensguard who had made up the outer perimeter. Scarlett's voice cut through the screams of death, was calm and steady.

"We are the children of hate and love, cycle of life and death given form. We are born of Gods and Goddesses, brother. You are not simply the product of our Father's hate. We are so much more. Look what you have wrought. In your pain you destroy without thought. You must be stopped, Mother was right to hide us. Now, Sagacious." 

At that signal, her angelkin companion released the spell he'd been weaving the whole time. Tendrils of silver magic began to force their way into Darruk's mind, finding the parts of him the Ciara had restored. His memories, his emotions, specifically the love he'd had for his Mistress. Empowered by his Celestial patroness, Sagacious began to channel his healing magic into the brute's large form, suffusing it with life once more and healing the wounds that had once killed him.

Scarlett had enraged Ciara to the point that they were locked in a contest which absorbed her attention utterly. Scarlett deftly moved the outer perimeter of her power out to encompass the large frame of Darruk which was now breathing raggedly and stumbling to all fours, black ichor being vomited from his mouth in great retching heaves.

He looked around confused, a massive hand touching his chest where the massive hole had once been. He stared at Sagacious who was wobbling with having spent the entirety of his magics bringing Darruk back. He stood shakily and moved to stand beside Scarlett, speaking softly to Darruk as he moved. "Welcome back, big fella. You know why you were brought back, you know what you need to do?"

Darruk's hand suddenly grabbed the onyx gemstone in his right eye. With a growl of determination and pain, he wrenched it free, blood beginning to pour from the wound. He smashed the gem in his massive fist before answering Sagacious with his rumbling baritone. 

"No more, dark god! No more! No more night mares!" He began to growl at Ciara. "Not Shee-ara! You betrayed Darruk! Darruk loved you! Betrayer!" He roared towards Ciara as he rushed at her, tree trunk club leading the way.

The wood decayed and splintered as it neared Ciara's form, but it still managed to impact her spine very hard. She slammed into the ground with a howl of rage, and before she could react Darruk's massive arms had wrapped her in a restraining hug. He began to howl in pain as the power of death and decay began to ravage his once more mortal frame.

Queen Thia stepped forward and laid a gentle hand on Darruk's back and the pain seemed to lessen for a moment, as the black veins of power were countered by the Queen's stoic power. "Hold her, my gentle but large friend." Darruk growled softly and nodded at the little Queen, who continued in her serene voice. "Everon. Now."

Scarlett moved towards Darruk and reached out to grasp the flailing arms of Ciara which were clawing mercilessly at the massive frame of Darruk. Queen Thia suddenly gave a gasp of pain, Scarlett collapsed to the floor and a massive burst of magic energy obliterated the area, Sagacious's wings shielding himself and Prince Tuara as best as possible from the damage.

Silence filled the temple, all four bodies lay motionless of the destroyed ground. Sagacious and Tuara moved first, Tuara rushing to his Mother's unconscious form. "Mother!" He called with tears in his eyes. She still breathed, very faintly. Scarlett was in a similar catatonic state, Darruk was clearly dead once more, Caira's awful rage carrying too much power, Sagacious prayed that Scarlett could bring him back if she succeeded. For this was only the beginning of his plan, and the rest was now up to Scarlett, for she had gone to the Gods themselves for judgement. He and Tuara could do nothing but wait fearfully.