383. Of wishes, wrath and a little favour

Cassandra Pendragon

"Proposals I don't mind, but…" She huffed indignantly to cut me off.

"Cassy, do you really think I can't deal with someone who's overly affectionate or handsy?"

"Who…"

"Not telling. It's not worth it and I don't want you to start a fight as soon as you arrive. Still… unless you're willing to alter your appearance I'd suggest getting used to wide cloaks and a face mask pretty soon. You'll probably run into even more trouble than me." When she felt my surprise she quickly added: "I'm spending almost all of my time with Zara who's believed to be a royal. Which sort of puts me out of bounds. Stammering I don't mind and everything else could be seen as an affront against the crown. You, on the other hand…"

"I get it. Don't tell me… it'll be even worse with the fey and dragons."

"Most likely. Like I said, better get used to concealing yourself."

"Marvellous. Fine, I'll worry when it becomes necessary." She hummed in disbelief but before I could even muster a defence she asked with a hint of coquettishness:

"Aside from stroking your vanity is there an actual reason why you've subdued her?"

"Sure…I think. She hasn't shown me a thing when it comes to her husband or his race. She didn't even share her wedding, if there even was one. Also… the sect she was taken to, those weren't mages. That's the same form of magic practiced on Kana's old world. What was it called again? Cultivation? I'm curious. Usually the traditions on a single world are pretty similar. I can recount the number of times I've visited a planet with no dominant magic school on one hand. Usually the strongest eradicates the rest. We need to know if there are enough of them to cause a headache later on. Even though… if one had crossed the threshold and started developing actual power we would have found out by now. Mephisto would have known. Since he didn't say anything I don't expect much." That being said I focused back on the sluggishly moving stream of consciousness in front of me. 

Unfortunately reading someone wasn't quite the same as googling a name and digesting the corresponding Wikipedia entry in half a minute. On the other hand the difference wasn't as pronounced as I had feared, at least to me. Gentle prodding was more than enough to tease her mind in the desired direction and after a few rather clumsy efforts, I was much too concerned I might accidentally hurt her to assert any form of strength, I managed to coax the desired imagines from the kaleidoscopic stream. 

Respecting her wish I didn't search for her wedding or even her interactions with the goddamned worm but rather focused on her very few encounters with Indigorath's family. Which were pretty similar to a horror survival game. Much running, much cursing, a lot of blood and quite a few severed limbs. I'm well aware that this isn't much of a description but the memories themselves were coated in fear and desperation, the contents distorted by her emotions. In retrospect I probably should have spend a few more minutes to go through every scene with a fine tooth comb but being smart in hindsight isn't difficult. Anyways, back on track. This time around I had no one to guide me, which meant that I couldn't comfortably watch an unfolding scene but had to live through every moment, just like Aglaia had. 

The first time she had met one of Indigorath's brothers they both had nearly died but somehow she still seemed to have a strange attachment to the moment. From where I was standing that was quite unusual and I decided to take a closer look. The two of them had made camp on their way back from Caerulea, somewhere within the eternal glaciers, covering the towering mountain islands far to the north. With her mana strengthened body, her power smoothly flowing in and out of her core, she wasn't hurting and for chubby Jabba to catch a cold it would have taken much more than a measly forty degrees below freezing. I didn't pay much attention to their conversation but the intimate, almost tender tone I couldn't quite ignore. They really were a couple. 

Unsure when something interesting would happen I watched the northern lights dance beneath the stars, the crisp smell of falling snow tickling my nostrils in the velvety silence, broken only by the whispers of the couple and the song of a merrily burning fire. Even though my senses were muted, reduced to what Aglaia had been able to smell and hear, I could still appreciate the untamed beauty of the night and the heartfelt companionship the two of them had shared.

The tranquil moment lasted for a while and I was already wondering if I had made a mistake and simply stumbled upon a memory that was broadly related to the Purple Worm's race but didn't show another member of his species, accidentally intruding on a romantic evening, when I felt a slight tremor running through the cave we were in. I leaned against the wall, my tails firmly pressed against the mixture of ice and basalt, otherwise I wouldn't have felt the change. Expectantly I focused on my host but she hadn't yet realised that something was wrong. Neither had her husband. No wonder they had almost kicked the bucket.

Even though I was in someone else's memory, effectively less alive than a ghost or a spectre, I still held my breath, counting the seconds while the tremors grew stronger, finally dislodging a shower of snow that carried a surprising amount of pebbles and rubble with it and directly crashed into Indigorath's impressively squishy coils. He hissed in discomfort, his eyes shining purple, while a myriad of hidden runes began to glow along his body. Unfortunately he didn't have the time to show me exactly what he was capable of since all hell broke loose the very next second.

A crackling, purple bonfire roared to life in the cave's entrance, the flames quickly collapsing into a set of maliciously glowing eyes. Purple eyes. A heartbeat later a rasping, sickly voice that made my fur stand on edge hissed menacingly: "brother, it has been too long. No need to get up. I'll just invite myself in." I would have sent a trickle of power towards my eyes immediately but unfortunately that'd have done jack shit for me in an imaginary world. I'd just have seen Aglaia's stream of thoughts again. As to why… if someone bothers chatting you up when the outcome is already clear they're either a moronic movie villain, stalling for time or trying to distract you. I'd have put my money on the latter. Quite astutely, as it turned out.

An eerie but enticing whisper, like the breath of death singing among gravestones, rustled through the night, drowning out the sighs of the dancing snowflakes. Aglaia froze on the spot, her body rigid, her spirit immediately subdued by the otherworldly assault. Indigorath fared much better and with a defiant hiss he changed. Purple streams of energy erupted from his eyes while the patterns on his body began to flow and merge, forming runes and sigils that were gone much too fast for me to recognise. From one second to the next his power, mana, life force and the surprisingly immaculate energies of his soul, surged, calling forth his avatar.

I gasped, my gaze shackled to the writhing mass of energy he had turned into. An avatar form was one of the highest achievements every mage strove for, provided they actually knew it existed. It was a representation of one's true self, brought to life by a complex amalgamation of knowledge, willpower and the prefect balancing of mana, life and soul forces. To put it into perspective: we immortals had one as well. Even though it was less magic for us and more similar to an actual transformation. Mine I had only found recently and it had allowed me to challenge Amazeroth successfully.

I felt my heart speed up, the pressure, the sheer vastness of the forces at play enough to make me forget that I wasn't really here, that I couldn't become involved. Reflexively I lowered my centre of gravity, my tails fanned out and my wings whispered to life, their clear, ancient song a direct challenge to the rising threat. Even my spear appeared in my hand, the weapon thrumming with excitement to finally be free again. Ozone and something much darker, like the lingering stench of blood and death, drowned out every other smell while the formless heap of power and determination quivered and collapsed, revealing Indigorath's true nature.

A purple snake, much too large to fit in the small cave, obscured my vision, its endless coils slithering around me like the waves of a stormy sea. Aglaia was kept safe in the eye of the storm but the massive walls of the cave, supported by a towering mounting as old as Gaya herself, groaned and crumbled, the cacophonous sound and the avalanches of tortured rock confusing my sense for a few heartbeats. With a thought I realigned my position, focusing on the thread that connected me to Aglaia and vanished into a shower of silvery sparks. 

The next moment I opened my eyes on an untouched field of ice, the mountain behind me trembling like a wounded animal. Dust and snow rained down in thick swaths while the death twitches of the peak thundered against my ears like the ocean tide. Unwittingly I rose into the air, battling the elements gone mad, my wings spread wide, my spear an angry tongue of silver and blue at my side. Below me, the end was approaching inexorably, the impressive, inhuman feat Indigorath had display nothing but a short delay and time was up. Sharp, deadly claws pinned the unfortunate snake to the ground, tearing bleeding gashes into its hide with every movement. The smell of blood welled up, a crimson surge that slowly turned the innocent white into tortured red.

The mountainous eagle, its eyes and plumage displaying six different shades of purple, opened its beak, letting out a bone wrenching cry of victory while he slowly lowered its head towards the defeated snake, gently prying its coils apart to reveal the delectable, helpless girl. Indigorath struggled, the sight of his beloved defencelessly staring at the cruel monster gave him the strength to hold on a single moment longer but with a resounding crack, like a hawser snapping, the falling snowflakes and debris were blown away as his muscles tore. A despicable shout of jubilation erupted and the eagle spoke, its voice a dreadful amalgamation of six different beings:

"You're strong, Indigorath, but you can't stand against the six of us. The reckoning is nigh."

Without hesitation the beautiful but savage beak rose and fell again, ready to tear Aglaia apart in front of her lover's desperate eyes. Time slowed down as my mind was filled to the brim with power, the scene in front of me too paradox to understand. They couldn't perish here, I had met them in the future, but if nothing changed Aglaia would die in less than a second and the worm would follow, probably after another hour of torment and anguish. Also… the six of us? Indigorath had told us that there were six Purple Worms left. If I hadn't forgotten how to add and subtract, there'd be seven of them right now. Which meant that this one had to die, probably right here and now, otherwise the future would be different. But how? There was no one around. We were in the middle of nowhere, the snow and the cold the only witnesses to the one sided struggle. Except:

"Kill him," Ahri whispered, her voice even colder than the ice field below me. And I knew why. I hadn't been able to push the thought away either. What would I have done if it had been us down there? 

"And if I can't return," I asked, the tip of my spear trembling, the leather bands creaking as I tightened my grip. I already knew the answer. 

"Then I'll wait. However long it takes. Don't hesitate. This… nobody deserves this. Make it right."

"As you wish." I had made my decision, maybe she had made it for me, and now it was time to act, the consequences be damned. The infinite roar of power from ages past within me changed and the frozen moment came back to life as my perception shifted. 

Helplessly Aglaia searched for Indigorath's gaze. Their eyes met. One pair filed with fear and desperation, the other calm and accepting, while the thunderous tumult around them seemed to fade away. A sad smiled tugged on the corners of her mouth as she exposed her slender neck, waiting composedly for the end to come. But it wouldn't, not if I had any say in the matter and, by all the gods, not even the rules of creation could stop a determined immortal, never mind myself. Even if this was a mere memory, it had happened, it was real, and there was a way to get there.

I clenched my teeth, the maelstrom of strength within me reached a new height and when I extended my spear its tip was coated in crackling flames, silver and blue seemingly entwined in an endless battle but united by my desires. I struck, the membrane between what was and what could have been crumbled and a fissure opened, its edges held by the very same, scintillating flames I felt burning in my core. Without another thought I closed my eyes and stepped through, leaving the world of mists and memories to take my first breath in a time long gone.

The cold filled my lungs as the darkness yielded, fleeting sparks of silver and blue illuminating the night. Silence fell, absolute and heavy, as a proud kitsune, a desperate Purple Worm and a corpse raised their heads to the sky. The moon appeared above the trembling mountain behind me, my silhouette turned into a shadow of power and will while I opened my eyes, their glow rivalling the distant, starry light. The fissure was still there, like an otherworldly corona surrounding my body, and with a small movement I fanned out my tails and dropped to the ground, directly in between the wide eyed girl and the murderous monster.

My feet made a crunchy sound when they touched the hardened snow and the noise seemed to have lifted a spell. With a defiant screech the eagle bore down on me, its glittering beak descending in a graceful arch, promising death. But death and I… we were already acquainted and she wouldn't come near me again. Not without a bunch of immortals holding her hand.

Lazily I raised my weapon, its dancing flames alive and eager. "There's always a bigger fish in the sea," I thought as I focused and allowed the pent up tides within me to burst forth. It wasn't spectacular, at first that was. A streak of silvery blue fire, as thin as a hair, shot from the tip of my spear. Without a sound, without any reaction, it pierced through the eagle's head and continued into the sky, vanishing from view. A heartbeat later the explosions followed. First the monster became engulfed in eagerly dancing flames, its body crumbling to ash in the blink of an eye. Next the sky lit up as my power hit a distant, uninhabited star, passing through Amazeroth's wards without so much as causing a ripple. My vision was consumed by silver and blue, the night turned to day and in the glaring light the flakes of ash my foe had turned into fell to the ground silently, covering the immaculate snow with a blanket of grey, greasy, still smouldering soot. 

As quickly as it had appeared the light petered out, leaving behind a black spot in the sky where a sparkling star should have been. With a decisive twist of my wrist I put out the hissing flames, still running rampant along Aiglos' shaft. I changed my grip and allowed the weapon to come to rest against my shoulder, turning around curiously. There was no telling how the two of them would react but since the fissure was still open I could always run away. There wasn't much I needed from them anymore. I now knew why the worm had been so forthcoming and why Aglaia had acted like she already knew us, or me at least. It might have been the first time I had met her, but it wasn't the same the other way around. My questions had been answered and now I had to get back. But, as soon as I met their eyes, I knew I wouldn't be able to escape immediately.