The World Ends With You (Hathor, Kyan, and Echo)

[Echo Silversun]

"You shouldn't be up."

"I can't sleep."

Those three words should've told Echo and Alloy something was wrong. Aspen only ever stayed up this late when there was something wrong with the forest. When it was in danger even in the faintest of ways. There was no way of knowing what it could be. Sometimes it was a simple as a plant dying. Sometimes it was the coming of war. 

Aspen couldn't tell you. 

No one could know. 

With a huff  "Alright." Echo rose from his bed. He wasn't on the night shift tonight. Taking his sister to find out what could possibly be wrong. Maybe show her everything was okay. He wrapped his arm over her shoulder and shook her lightly with a smile. Trying to get her to unclench and relax but he was nervous too. Of all the nights for Aspen to sense something was wrong it had to be the night the king had left the forest. There was a lot of pressure on the Silversun family to protect Thistlemoon and its people. Echo and Aspen walked in silence for some time hoping that as she passed by she would pick on the problem but so far she didn't sense anything. 

"Oh don't look now but our all mighty leader is here. Should we bow or?" 

Alloy rolled her eyes at her brother."The only leader is Kyan. Mighty... Well, he's not let us down yet." She smirked but that faded quickly when she looked to Aspen. "Still nothing?" With a twisted mouth, Aspen shook her head no. "Then let's keep at it." They walked around the entire forest for hours and nothing eventually Echo and Alloy had to make a call on what to do both of them deciding that Aspen was just nervous and that if they calmed those down she'd drift to sleep. 

Their laughter filled the air of an empty meadow. Reminiscing about the time King Graystone bought the Prince to their home getting up to trouble in a matter of seconds when they were all mischievous in their ways. "You always took the blame for Kyan, why?" Both sisters looked to Echo who just chuckled as he kept his gaze on the stars. "I pretended I didn't know he was the prince but I did... So taking the trouble just felt like the right thing to do." He shrugged. And their laughter started back up again until Aspens began to slowly fade.

At first, they thought she had calmed down. That she was falling asleep but she blew herself to her feet and glowered into the dark of the forest. 

Something was actually wrong. 

There was no pause. Or a moment of silence. "Light the brazer!"

Alloy took no time taking charge and Echo followed suit. He used the air to launch himself into the sky and hurled a fireball across the night. He scanned Thistle below him as his fire illuminated it while it flew to its destination. Spotting the shine of Templar's armor as the light hit it. The brazer lit as he descended. A chain reaction firing off as the other brazers lit and thistle was alerted to the threat. 

Ready for war.

When he was with his sisters again they all glamored and lept into the trees. They followed the branches. Echo in the front. Alloy at the rear. Aspen safely between them. They were soon joined by Aunts. Uncles. Cousins. Their whole family giving them their weapons and armor. As they waited high up above for Alloy's signal to go. 

She waited until she knew everyone was in position. The animals around telling her it was so. 

So her signal was given. 

Echo jumped to the ground. Aspen staying at his back. He used the nearby water to create fog and coat the area. The plan was to stay quiet. To use guerrilla warfare to take them out. But the Templars had another, plan and soon all that could be heard was screaming. 

[Hathor]

"Kill the king."

"Kill the king!"

"Kill the Raven King!"

That clattered around the tight sarcophagus they trapped her in. Bouncing from wall to wall. Echoing in her mind. Jabbing down her back. 

"Why?"

She clocks her head from side to side with a weird tick and everyone shivers, shudders and freezes at the sound of her sinister voice. There's only a hole big enough to see her eyes when she felt like looking out or someone dared look in. Her hellish gaze casts out at them and joins her wicked voice for the first time since she's been resurrected. The templars are resting tonight and along with that they have given her her freedom for the moment though she's trapped within this enchanted prison of a sepulture. She finds both things odd. Giving her her freedom and taking a moment to rest because during her unfortunate time with them they've done neither before. 

She studies them all. Committing their faces, idiosyncrasies and demeanors so she can find them and kill them slowly later. "He's the one that killed you." Her eyes snap to the man who'd spoken. The dark mage who'd bought her back to life and had been controlling her ever since. "Lies." Her words his and if they were lethal they'd have wrapped around him and strangled him painfully and slowly as possible. Her steady gaze stays on the mage, laying in wait for the next lie to slinker out of his mouth. Instead, he smirks knowing he'd been caught and her face twitches in annoyance. 

She turns away. "Kill the Raven king!" His mouth never moved but his voice could be heard. It ricochets back and forth past her head as she holds it trying to ignore him. "Oh, you can't ignore me. I'm in your head!" His awful laugh fills her brain as she manages to look back out at him. He just stands there with a cocky smirk at the corner of his lips. Calmly watching her as he wasn't doing anything. Her eyes scan the others around them confirming she's the only one that can hear him. She's the only one her driving insane and considering who she was it made sense why. She launched forward with a growl. Rattling her sarcophagus in an attempt on the mages life who simply chuckles. 

"KILL THE RAVEN KING!"

Hours have passed and the moon is now high in the night sky. Everything has rested and had some sort of peace. Everyone but Hathor, who heard nothing but the one command. Over and over on end as her freedom slowly began to slip and the control over her was completely taken. Her sarcophagus rattled and shook now for a whole new reason and as the door, at last, was flung open by a few Templars she shot out without haste landing on all fours. She rose as she breathed slow and hard looking all the men over but then was off into the dark of night that surrounds the forest. Her target wasn't here. 

 The Templars weren't far behind and eventually surpassed her as they took their positions. She was much quieter than them which worked to their advantage being that she was their secret weapon. She listened. She could hear the creatures of Thistle but when she looked saw nothing. The Fae being as elusive as they were even she knew very little of them and their abilities and if we're being honest she knew not why the Templars were here. Why they wanted to take Thistle so badly and most of all why they wanted the king dead. 

She stood and waited as the Templars and Fae began their war. Protecting the dark mage until she could sense the king. Her stillness telling the mage he wasn't here and soon all the templars knew. From within herself, she tried to fight and break free but they knew how to control her. Much like her father Ra had changed her from Sekhmet to Hathor that blood red potion was the bane of her existence. Suddenly, she sniffed the air and found herself zooming through the forest. Was it the King? Magic wasn't always precise, this dark mage had somehow managed to get the Kings scent off a human he'd been with. Using his magic to imprint it into Hathor mind and have it invade her senses until it was all she knew but it wasn't a very strong source. 

 It was muddled. Mixed with the woman he'd been with and the scents of others he had interacted with throughout the day. She had no way of telling which scent was truly his despite the identifying spell the mage had cast. So she followed this scent blindly but the deeper into the warzone she went the more she found she had to fight her way through. Now, this was interesting. Being a goddess of war among other things fighting came easy to her. Never finding the people the Templars had her fight in the past a challenge until they teamed up.

Of course, she'd never give them to chance to, but these fae were far different. They moved differently. Their art of war was different and hell each of them all seemed to be able to do something different within their abilities. She still managed to kill them but it wasn't easy. The scent moved. It split even which frustrated her and again caused her to fight herself for freedom even if it was just a little. Yet when she found herself tracking one of the split scents she knew she had lost the war within.

Someone needed to kill the mage to set her free. 

[Kyan Raventhorn - Council]

Kyan's fingers drummed in annoyance on the large oak table as he looked around the room in disgust. Seated around him were the men in power of the surrounding large cities of this area, bickering about their allegiances to the one true God and condemning all others who believed in the 'old ways'. Fools. They were all so incredibly confident in their blind faith that he so wanted to leap onto the table and set one of them ablaze just to rock their beliefs. Would they believe him to be a god then? Maybe one of those devilishly misunderstood fallen angels of theirs that plummeted to the underworld. God King Kyan. Oh, he liked that very much. He scoffed and let out an exasperated sigh that was loud enough to halt the meeting. Every pair of eyes landed on him expectantly. This would be the perfect time to carry out his little daydream... but no. He knew his purpose here today was just to see how these humans were carrying on in the world without fae in it. His parents still believed there was a chance at co-existence, but they hadn't ventured from the wood in countless years. They didn't see the ignorance that plagued the minds of humans. This would be the last time he went out in search of hope among them.

"Forgive me. I'm just troubled by the lost souls that haven't found their path." The words were stale on his lips. He reached for the full goblet of wine and drank it empty. Playing the part of one of these idiots was more than he could stand. He gave his parents their chance to prove him wrong about the humans, but he'd had enough of it. No more longing for them to become less despicable. Kyan wouldn't go out into the world again on their behalf. He imagined most of his time outside of Thistle would not be in favor of humans. He imagined there would be a lot of... pain.

A delicate hand went to his shoulder from behind him. One of the two fae he traveled with who acted as his servants leaned down to whisper in his ear and the words made him run cold. Kyan immediately stood and turned his back on the men who all looked again in shocked confusion as he left the enormous church. Once outside, the raven that was a loyal friend to his family along with generations of its own family before him, moved to rest on Kyan's arm as he presented it to perch. "My king," the bird began with a stress in its voice that could not be denied. "Thistle is under attack."

The cold that had run through Kyan was now beginning to change into a heat. "From who?"

"Templars, your majesty. They bring magic with them. A creature... They are tearing down the wood." 

The heat was now changing into a burning fire and he'd unleash the rage on every last audacious human that dared to enter his wood. Without another word, the company made their way back to a home they would not recognize.

______________

From outside of the barrier, one would never know the chaos that ensued just beyond entrance to Thistle, but as soon as you passed, the havoc was immediate. The screams of battle filled the night air. The amber colors of flames engulfed the trees as the smell of them burning reached even this far away. Animals were scurrying all around them as they attempted to flee from the fighting and destruction. How ironic that he had been away from the kingdom hoping to find peace with humans when their radical brethren were here attempting to destroy them. 

"We are with you, your majesty."

Kyan did not reply. His focus was glued to the flames that burned through the land. He knew the loyalty among the fae would not waver when it came to protecting their kind and their home. Instead, he leaped into the branches above and used the wind to guide him faster in the fray than his guards could keep up. The stone in his necklace thrummed and the Mapleshade seemed to latch onto his reappearance as he instantly felt its power strengthen his own. He would not let a single one of these Templars see a new dawn.

He landed in the middle of the fighting as a sword came down on one of his fae. With a gust of wind, Kyan sent the weapon from the Templar's hand and through the chestplate of another. He called to the earth and sent vines to wrap around the man's ankles, breaking the delicate bones beneath his armor, and making him tumble to the ground in pain. The vines continued to snake around the man's body as he screamed and writhed to be free. Kyan watched for only a moment before resuming onward while the metal of armor crunched beneath the squeezing vines until the screams finally stopped.

Easily dropping a few of the Templars that attempted to end his life, the king's eyes landed on a familiar sentry of his. "Echo!" It was obvious to him that he had been fighting for some time now as the fae was covered in blood and dirt. "Tell me what you know." It wasn't ideal to have this conversation among the fighting, but Kyan knew Echo would have at least some answers. "Are my family safe in the Mapleshade? The council members?"

[Echo Silversun]

One by one the fae began to fall like stars dropping out of the sky. 

No one could say how many hours it had been. If the sun or the moon was out with how the thick blanket of smoke from the burning trees covered the sky. And the screaming would haunt those who survived this for the rest of their life. Echo couldn't process all the death he was suddenly submerged in. He could no longer even tell if the blood on his hands were fae or man. Every one of his muscles rippled and quivered as he held his baby sisters in his arms. Her last words loaded with hope that merely broke his heart. She had made it longer than those who were trained for this. But in the end, it wasn't enough. He wasn't enough to keep her safe on his own. 

All the world fell silent for him. There was chaos all around but he didn't hear a sound. No muffled screams. Or Alloy's pleads to let her go. This is why she was the leader and he wasn't. He was far too emotional to think with a level head. He jerked himself free of his sister's grip. Hugging Aspen's body closer. "I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry." his body began to burn up in anger. So he quickly let his baby sister go as to not burn her. Hiding her body so they could bury her properly later along with EVERYONE else.  Alloy was all he had now. He couldn't fully process that. Fae weren't supposed to die. And what a way to experience that for the first time. By losing everyone in your family and friends both young and old. 

Alloy spoke. Echo still heard nothing. He didn't even see her as she stood right in front of him. Pleading with him to calm down because she feared his emotions would get the best of him and as a result, he'd end up dead. But he was seeing very clearly. And all he could see in fact were the templars. He drove his sword into the man running up behind his sister. Grabbing his neck and using the heat from his hands to melt the armour around the man's neck into his skin. He couldn't even hear his screams. He heard nothing but his own raging heart pounding in his ears. Using all his emotions to push him forward and through this tiring endless battle. 

Finally, there was a small break. And small thump suddenly broke the sombre silence between the siblings. They called to the earth and built a wall to keep the templar army back until reinforcements came. Echo kept his touch on it so flames would burn on the opposite side to keep the army back due to the violent heat. While Alloy took care of stragglers on their side. Another thump joined their audible pants. It was Echo's head bumping against the wall they built. Alloy's hands touched the wall again to reinforce it. They said nothing. Just breathed. Cherished the literal second before a wild sound was heard at their backsides. 

Alloy glanced. While Echo just focused on this wall and the fire on the opposite side. And so a sudden dry laugh broke through their shared silence. "Well isn't that some shit?" her scoff draws Echo's attention. Giving her a questioning look as he tried to follow her gaze. Truth be told he couldn't see what she could. Or had, maybe it wasn't there anymore and she was looking off in the direction it had gone. He brought his gaze back to his sister. Who wouldn't look at him now. He called her name. She didn't break her gaze. Had the tables turned? Was she the one who couldn't hear him now? 

And then her arms were around him "it's time we end this." that was the first thing he was hearing clearly. He was desperate to hug her back but he couldn't take his hands off this wall. Not yet. Because from the moment Alloy took to look at the sky and close her eyes. To this moment as she held him he knew she was going off without him. Which meant he had to hold this line for as long as he could before the king returned. Before this was finally over. She didn't even have to ask. He just knew. Her next words were a whisper. Hard to hear at first and by the time he processed them it was too late. She was gone.

He held that wall for as long as possible. He still couldn't see if the sun or moon was up when he dropped it. But he didn't have to bless his sword with the power of light. He could hear them coming. The backup and it's the only reason he dropped the wall when he did. He just prayed to Gaia it gave Alloy enough time to do what she set off to do. 

"They're all safe. Save a few council members unaccounted for." he was short with the king. He and Aspen had been the ones to secure the Mapleshade. So obviously he didn't want to say much about it. But he knew he had to report in. He flung his sword behind the King to lodge it deeply into the man's skull running up behind Kyan. Using the air to call the weapon back to his hands. "It's just me and Alloy left. She ran off before you got here..." he swung around to slice through the men swarming around them. "... I think she saw something that would give us the winning hand. At least that's what she indicated."

[Hathor]

Raven!

King!

Raven!

King!

Raven!

King!

The insistent chant would. Not. Stop! And it muddled out all the background noise around her. The screams of pain. The shrills of death. The sounds of war. All the chaos. And all Hathor could hear was "Raven! King!" Her crazed gaze was a tunnel vision for him alone. Tearing through everyone even her own. If that is what you could call these Templars. When they got in her path. Blood drenched her skin causing her hair to stick to her face as she barreled ever forward. But none of it was hers. She couldn't be stopped though the Fae did try. 

There was one moment a group had dogpiled on top of her. Burying her beneath them as they used vines to begin to hogtie her. But alas their efforts were foiled as iron chains flew at them and dragged them away. The Templars were far too prepared. And at the heart of it that bothered Hathor. They knew too much. Like how to bind and control her for one. And how to fight the Fae for two. Both things shouldn't be possible. It was far too much knowledge and power for just one group. Soon she snapped free of the vines merging her with the earth. And off again she went. Like a missile with a tracking beacon. 

She was instructed to follow his scent. The one problem was more than one Fae bore his aroma. Either because they worked closely with him or... Had laid with him. They died regardless if they came face to face with Sekhmet. And she moved on to the next person who had his fragrance in the hopes it would be him. 

"You smell like him. But I doubt you are." Sekhmet's wicked voice curdled out of her lips as she came to a complete halt in a small clearing. His scent was strong here but she couldn't see anything so she assumed this being had glamored themselves like a few others she had encountered on the way here. Her inability to see her current target meant she was unsure of who she faced. The Raven King? Or just another wearing his scent? She waited. This Fae whoever they were was quiet. 

But not enough as Sekhmet heard her encroach. Yet still, she couldn't see her. Until at the last second, the light before her seemed to split open. Introducing her to the mysterious Fae. This wasn't like the glamor the others had used as she seemed to be able to control the light around her to cloak herself entirely. Entirely too well as the sword she had lunged at Sekhmet's neck nearly hit its target. Sekhmet moved at the last second but only by grabbing the blade. Which quickly burned her hand as it suddenly became endowed with the power of sunlight. 

She snarled as she hastily released the blade. Revealing she wasn't invulnerable. Could be hurt. And could be bested. Alloy scurried off to find better ground to fight. Hoping the foreign goddess would follow. And she did. 

Until they reached a field of reeds. 

Down tumbled the wicked eternal. Like all the strings controlling her had snapped. Hathor gasped as if she had just been drowning. Unable to push up from her hands and knees. Her confused gaze studied all around her. These weren't reeds at all but some sort of unique flowers. This had to be a place another Eternal had blessed before the war but who? She had never learned of Gaia nor was she told the history of Thistle. She didn't even know the Raven King's name. 

"You're just their puppet!" Alloy was taken by surprise at how Hathor's demeanour and even appearance had drastically changed. "Kill me. Set me free before the ties fix." Pitying her when she realised the truth behind this unfamiliar god. Without hesitation, Alloy struck but it was too late. The Templar's spell took hold of Hathor once more and once again she grabbed Alloy's blade. So once again she made her sword burn with the sun before switching to hide in the light. Taking off to hunt down the Templar mage controlling Hathor. 

And Sekhmet now chased her because she knew that's what she was likely doing. 

[Kyan Raventhorn - Council]

the world ends with you

w/ Echo silversun and Hathor

• "Pray to your God." •

Kyan released the concern he had for his family once he knew they were safe. For now. Reinforcements were hopefully holding up the guard at the Mapleshade because if their sacred tree were to fall... 

Rage. It was all the king was feeling then. It shook him. The consuming emotion of vengeance filled him completely until he was nothing but a conduit of power. There was no room for mercy. Not that he was known for giving any. Especially when it came to filthy humans. The power building up inside him caused the earth below to tremble, the air beginning to pulse as he drew in the magic of the Mapleshade. The stone around his neck cut brightly in the darkness as the Tree latched onto Kyan's presence and fed him with its lifeforce. The vine tattooing that circled his body began to glow, starting from his bare feet and swirling upwards, illuminating the visage of the Mapleshade along his back and down his arms.

The templars had stayed their advance once the earthen wall had fallen, hesitant to press forward as they stared at the fae king. "On your knees, mortals, and pray to your God," he spat with contempt. "He is the only one who will weep for you now." An eerie silence fell over the forest for a breath before an explosive force erupted from Kyan. The blast knocked over the dozens of armored men as the ground below began to crack, opening into an abyss. The men were swallowed into the darkness, their screams echoing back to the king's satisfaction. Kyan's hands lifted into fists before slamming his arms together which sealed the opening in the ground. To silence. 

Kyan's eyes lifted as more of the knights appeared in the treeline, though it seemed some of the sentry had come to meet them. At least they would not be outnumbered and he did not doubt the skills of his kin. The king turned to Echo then. "Your sister. Wh-" His thought was suddenly interrupted. The Mapleshade flashed a vision through his mind of a being defiling Thistlemoon with each step it took. This same entity was after Alloy. "Come." 

He leaped into the branches of the trees and used the air to carry him swiftly through his burning home. The ache in his heart and he knew in the hearts of his kind collectively shattered while the earth wept. It only made him more intent on destroying them all, including whatever vile creature the Templars had brought with them. Or was it this thing that had led the knights? 

The king could feel the presence of the being as it was at odds with the forest itself. In the clearing, he saw the scorched earth of where its footfalls walked across the sacred grounds that were blessed by Gaia herself. But they were closer now. The air carried him faster and that was when he saw it darting in pursuit. Kyan pressed further to get ahead before dropping in front of the creature a small distance away. 

His head tilted slightly while he observed the being. It took a passing moment to know this was an eternal. But how? They had been trapped in the darkness for centuries and what would she possibly want with their kind if she had gotten free? Another thought dawned on him then. One more likely. The templars had found a way to bring this eternal from the depths and were using her as a pawn. That or in payment, she agreed to lay waste to Thistlemoon. Either way, Kyan simply saw her as a challenge he had yet to face in his long life. Someone possibly worthy of the full retribution the forest and he would bury her with. There were no other options. He would save his home and people.

"Astounding how these humans call on the Gods of old when they fail in their righteous crusades." The air around him wavered as he drew in the power of the Mapleshade's connection. An amused smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, his eyes burning brighter as the force within grew. This goddess was as terrifying as beautiful to behold. "And what shall I call you?" 

[Echo Silversun]

Useless.  Hopeless. Undeserving. These thoughts and emotions tried to break through and win him over. But his adrenaline was pumping and nothing was processing clearing. Nothing made sense. And the only thing he knew he had to do was keep fighting. But the image of his dead and mutilated family and friends. The feeling of his little sister going cold in his hands would forever haunt him. There was no healing for that. And he was slowly realizing his new truth. The rage that intensified within him seemed unholy to the Templars. Good. He could use that to his advantage. The earth shook beneath his feet and his gaze found Kyan opening the Earth. He shielded his eyes from the powerful blast which emanated from the King. Quickly using that brightness to his advantage for the Templars on the outskirts of where they were. 

Fire and metal were a perfect mix.

As he intensified the fire all around them. Making their amour buckle and then melt into their skin. And soon their skin betrayed them too. Blistering. Melting. Turning to ash. Echo's lip twitched in disgust at the thought that some of their ashes would always remain as part of the forest when it healed. When Kyan closed the earth Echo put all the fires in the vicinity out. Calling it into himself and saving it for later. "Wh..." he heard the king. But again, nothing was really processing. So he did as he was told. Keeping up with Kyan until this thing leading the enemy's charge came into view. He fell back to watch the king's back while he confronted this thing. But panic was working it'd way in at the absence of Alloy. He scanned for her. Desperate to find her. Cursing himself for letting her go alone. 

She was alive. He could feel it.

But where was she? The power of the Mapleshade thrummed. And it brought his attention back to his king. He observed for only a second when he sensed something wrong. A warning from the tree that it was in grave danger. And so suddenly he knew where to find Alloy.

He had to go.

To protect the Mapleshade.

To protect his sister. 

The king had the other sentries watching after him. He was also more than capable of handling this... Eternal. But Alloy was alone. He gave a silent word he was leaving to the others watching the king. Keeping himself glamored and staying in the treetops. Echo wasted no time with making it to the Mapleshade.  But Alloy was nowhere to be found. "Where's Captain Silversun?" No one seemed to know. He growled. It wasn't like her to be alone for so long. By now she'd have usually found a squadron and split them up. Taking some with her and sending the others to the Mapleshade with a message of what she'd be doing. But no one had seen her. And most seemed to be surprised that any of the Silversun's survived. He had the find her. Before something else did!

[Hathor]

A goddess of the sand in the forest. 

So far away from the climate and agriculture she was used to. She was fast but she was still losing Alloy. Unfamiliar with how to move amongst the thicket of bushes and trees. Sekhmet's aggravation just fueled her rampage forward. Shredding through anyone or anything that came in her path. No man, beast, or Fae made her falter in her chase after Alloy. But one quick turn is all it took to make Sekhmet lose her trail. She skidded to a harsh stop as she spun in search of her. A violent snarl ripped past her throat at the thought and frustration of the forest all looking the same to her. No tree stood out amongst its crowd. And all burning bodies looked alike. 

She didn't know the difference between the mirror lake to any other. Mixed signals began to spiral down through the connection she had to the mage. When they unleashed her, her only goal was to find the Raven King and kill him. But now in some desperate attempt, she was being redirected. Save the Mage. It whispered through her mind. Insidiously repeating like a hypnotic incantation being quietly chanted under a full moon. The mixed messages gave her pause. Her eyes snap to the figure in the distance. And if it hadn't been for the mage using some wicked invocation to highlight the king, Sekhmet wouldn't have known this being before her from another. He had her attention. For now. Her head tilts as his does. And soon a vial smile possesses her face. There was a chaos behind this king. One that as he absorbed the power of the forest came out and caressed her skin.

Save. The. Mage!

The command shot through her mind. Bringing her back to that feeling of being in the middle of a bell as it violently rang. A wild exclaim gurgles out of her throat as she tosses her head back and an invisible burst of mayhem she couldn't contain anymore ruptured out of every one of her pores. Washing through the air and covering over everything in a ten mile radius. Her body snaps back to its normal state. But the way she ticks and moves says there's nothing normal about her. There is no answer to his question. Just vitriol laughter as the animals and weaker beings around the king begin to fall under the chaos she released. The animals turn on everyone they see. Each other. Templars. Fae. And that was just the beginning. As The Templars were next. Humans weren't strong. They couldn't fight the crash of her power insidiously warping their minds and making them go berserk. Any Fae weak enough was next.

The violence filled the air. Drowned out the already chaotic sounds of war. Drowning out Sekhmet's continuous acrimonious laughter. The sounds that filled the air also fed one of her many affinities. She took off. Reveling in the orgasmic power seeping back into her pores. Aloof little Alloy was getting too close to this Eternals marionettist. And he was desperate to be saved by the goddess.

Funny he called for her and not the god they claimed to conquer land for.

Sekhmet had no clue where Alloy was But she knew where she was going. Because she was magically tied to the man Alloy was after. Somehow she got there before the little Fae. Perhaps because she knew where her puppet master was while Alloy had to search. Her eyes scan the surrounding area. The mage was hiding. Smart. Sekhmet snorted imagining the image of the Templar magic man scurrying into the nearest bush. Like the sniveling, cowering, worm. “We… End… This…Now!” Sekhmet’s unearthly gaze held Alloy's. Giving her attention and an honor she hadn't given anyone else. An attention she grabbed because she refused to be ignored by boldly seeking out the mage controlling Sekhmet. And a privilege of an honorable death. For some odd reason, Sekhmet deemed her worthy of it.

She stands and watches as Alloy draws her sword and blesses it with light. Tilting her head at the curious and fascinating ability. It wouldn't make a difference in the end. But she entertained the attempt. She watches as the Fae takes a deep breath and with a determined resolve takes her stance. Tilting her head once again as she hears Alloy apologize… but to who?

The forest?

The king?

Her brother?

Sekhmet herself?

Sekhmet spared at least a second to think of it before charging forward. But what she wasn't expecting was for Alloy to launch her sword past the goddess grazing her cheek so faintly she knew this was a sacrifice. Sekhmet's fingers puncture Alloy's abdomen and suddenly a sharp snap pops deep in her and both collapse into the grass. Clarity quickly cleanses her mind and the heaviness of freedom and realization crashes down onto Hathor. 

Sekhmet was gone. For this second once again leaving Hathor with the very grim reality of the moment. Her eyes widen as the warmth of Alloy's blood pools out onto her hands. “I… I can fix this. I can help!” Her desperation to make this right immediately bleeds forth as she tries to gently remove her hands so she can properly stifle the blood. She'd never healed a Fae before or a non Egyptian being or person but it had to be possible right? But she was stopped by Alloy. “The King. My brother. They're close.” She gripped Hathor's arms with all the strength she had. “Fix this by stopping this. Thank me by killing those humans!” Hathor hated that request but they wouldn't get anywhere if she stayed. The Raven King already wanted her head. There would be no talking or explaining. 

She ignored the request for as long as she could. Wrapping Alloy who frustratedly tried to fight and push her away. Until it reached the point that she had to go before they saw her and caught her. And before Sekhmet made her return, which was coming faster than she wanted. “One day I'll make this right.” she at last took off. Regrettably. Leaving Alloy and that part of the forest with a blessing. Giving into the fight for Sekhmet to take over once more. Finding the mage pinned to a tree with Alloy's sword the moment she spun to leave.

He was dead. She was free. And the Templars would pay.

[Kyan Raventhorn - Council]

the world ends with you

w/ Echo silversun and Hathor

• Death would not be an end for someone like him. •

Silence. The being before him didn't deign to answer his request of a name. Something else seemed to be pulling her attention away. Something the king could not see. The creature's eyes appeared distant as if she was listening to something only she could hear. Something that beckoned for her attention. And obedience.

The sudden laughter that came from her made Kyan's blood freeze as it skittered across his burning skin. Every instinct told him this god would destroy everything and everyone and waiting another moment could prove fatal to them all. The surging power within him began to focus as he rose his hands, but it was too late. As the goddess's head fell back, an unnatural power burst across the forest, knocking him a step and wheeling him around. Kyan spun back to unleash the full force of the Mapleshade's strength when a shadow came barreling at him from the treeline.

The king was thrown to the charred grass as a massive troll tackled him from the side. The air from his lungs whooshed out and he dodged the blow of the club it held as the wood cracked from the impact of hitting the ground, just inches from where his head had been. The lesser fae's eyes looked vacant, a cloudy white color filling the orbs. Kyan roared in frustration as he glanced around the troll's shoulder to see the goddess jerking and twitching before disappearing into the night again. 

Bringing his attention back to the mammoth being currently on top of him, Kyan threw his outstretched palm against the ground and lifted upward, causing the earth to slam into the troll on top of him. Kyan rolled to his feet and quickly buried the fae up to his neck to keep him down as killing the normally gentle creature was not something he exactly took pleasure in even as more lesser fae and animals emerged from the trees. Each of them with that same vacant and ghostly look while they stared at him. A centaur lowered her head before charging towards him in a full gallop, raising the broadaxe she wielded to strike. He didn't have time for this.  

Kyan leaped, drawing the air from around him to lift him away from the field and above the canopy. The fires that had ravaged the wood had lessened, pillars of thick smoke now rising into the sky. The sounds of battle rose up to meet the king, but his attention was that on the Tree as he flew on the wind to where it beckoned him to find the eternal.

The Mapleshade guided onward until a hooded figure which was impaled against the base of his home caught his attention, not seeing Alloy who lay motionless in the shadows feet away. Kyan landed and saw the sword protruding from the human's chest. Not a knight, but someone he recognized. Someone he had once trusted and brought into the forest. Prospero. 

Kyan stepped towards the powerful mystic who looked to be dead, that was, until a gurgling noise broke from the other's mouth. Blood trickled down his lips as he tried and failed to take in breaths. The fae gripped the man's throat and forced his eyes open to look at him. A twisted smile formed on Prospero's face as he met the king's murderous stare. "Can you blame me?" he choked out on death's whisper. "You never.. did.. sh- share the secrets.. of your... kind."

"And it cost you your life," Kyan spat to the mage, squeezing his throat with increasing pressure. All of this just to gain more power. He had always been an insatiable bastard.

A pathetic sound came from Prospero's mouth. Perhaps an attempt at an empty laugh. "You think.. this is my end? Y- You know me.. better than that... your.. Majesty."

The king sneered before stepping back and with only a thought, the bottom of the mystic's robes caught fire, but those final words repeated ominously in Kyan's mind. Knowing that there was truth in it. Prospero was likely the most powerful magic wielder in the world. Death would not be an end for someone like him.