Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"Well, alright then..."

 

Ihra throws up a barrier.
"Ihra get out of here!" Xephyr yells.

"Ah, if it isn't the turncoat. Any last words?"
They turn on Xephyr.
"Yeah.

Don't forsake mistress Xlentia."

Her tome opens, and the darkness collapses back to normalcy. The four other fragments are gone, but not before...

Both beings are hit directly with a meteor each. Explosions ring out across the remains.

The dust doesn't seem to settle.

"You asked, I answered. Did you want something else?"

 

The eye fades from the sky, and I reappear in my giant form, only to dissipate back to normal. I lie on the ground, my magic almost completely drained, unconscious. The sun hisses away at my essence.

Artemis' transformation is inturrupted, the darkness taking a heavy blow for her, but not protecting her fully. Her leaf shirt is stained red with copius amounts of blood. She too is unconscious.

 

The sword I had thrown into the ground is still somehow undamaged, even after so much bloodshed. In fact, it almost seems brighter than before. Oddly bright... and getting brighter! Suddenly, a blinding flash erupts around the sword, and when the dark spots clear from everyone's vision...
I'm holding the sword through Aj. I've just stabbed him through the chest.

"Never do that again," I say through gritted teeth.
"I don't care how it is where you're from, but here? Here, that kind of darkness pulls everything further towards madness; it fractures this fragile world, weakening the souls of the light and breaking the chains on evil."

I pull the sword out from Aj's body, solemnly.

 

Artemis had regained consciousness, and had patched up her wound when she saw these events unfold.

Tears flow down her face, "No! Aj!" She cries, running over, "You traitor, you dishonourable traitor!" She screams.

My body dissipates, forming a black crystal. A small wooden hand quickly grabs it and drags it underground before anyone else.

OOC: R.I.P.(?) ;n;

 

Ihra throws her staff at Luphyx.
"And they could have destroyed this world anyway if he didn't stop them!" She scowls.

Then smiles.
"How against necromancy are you...


...when you're both the result of it?"
AJ reforms in front of Ihra, crystal glowing dark.

 

Artemis stares at the reformed Aj, then cries even more.

"That's not Aj!" She sobs, "You can't just recreate Shadows like that!"

Artemis holds up a black crystal "This! This is the real Aj!" She says through tears.

The black crystal pulses gently. The reformed Aj stands their braindead, before falling apart and dissipating.

Artemis draws her bow and nocks three Arrows, pulling them back. The green crystals at either end of each limb of her bow glow intensely. "I'll avenge you Aj," she says seriously, "They won't recognise the body, just like you would." A few tears run down her face, yet she doesn't let it cloud her vision.

Artemis aims the three arrows at Luphyx, they glow green in time with the crystals.

 

"I can't let you do that. He's not dead.
But you... You are."
Ihra steps in front of Artemis.

 

Artemis refuses to let down her bow.

"I know I'm not dead, like Aj, we each have our own failsafes." She says.

I'm not a tool of your imagination.

 

"How sure are you? Or is this green crystal another one of your people's? It was laying where Rineth told me to go to retrieve you. And believe me, it's nothing of my world nor this world."

 

"Forest Guardians aren't Shadows, we don't turn into crystals like that. It was left as a message, and it's telling me to do this."

Two wooden hands emerge from the ground and take Artemis' Bow, aiming it for her. The hands turn, and aim the bow back at Artemis.

She places my Shadow Crystal on the ground, the only real one here.

The wooden hands fire fake Artemis' bow back at her, killing her with an arrow through her head, throat and chest. Her body melts away, as does the bow and hands.

My Shadow Crystal pulses on the ground, emitting a dark Aura. The ground vibrates lightly.

 

"Oh, crap."
"Ihra, look what you did! That's a Void Crystal!"
"Uh..."

 

The ground begins to shake, more and more.

A large tree bursts out of the ground, it's leaves blowing in the updraft of it's arrival.

A large flower descends from the tree, it bulges and green liquid drips from it. The flower pulses, then shrinks a little. It blooms, and lets down a figure covered in mysterious green liquid. Artemis. The real Artemis.

Artemis calmly walks over to the Shadow Crystal and picks it up, placing it to her head and closing her eyes. Her hand glows green, as does her head.

After a moment, she lowers her hand, and opens her eyes. She glares at Luphyx.

"I see my distrust with you was not misplaced. I guess I could always expect a light user to backstab Aj. Ignorant bast[Censored]." Artemis says with spite.

Artemis turns to Ihra,

"I appreciate your concern for Aj and I's saftey, and I'm sure you thought you were simply reviving us when you brought back my, and later Aj's, copy. It's not that simple, however; we're not that easily replaced. Creating one of us with your imaginative powers is simply that, a creation of imagination. Please let us deal with our own revivals, as clones of ourselves are destined for oblivion." Artemis explains calmly.

"I'll hold on to Aj's crystal for now." Artemis says in a more serious tone.

 

"Ah, shit."

"That's... probably for the best."
I say, intimidated.

 

"Sorry..." Ihra looks depressed.
"Just don't dabble with magic you don't understand. Neither is truly dead."
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do..."
"Travel, mend wounds, stay closer to your mother..."
"She told me I'd be okay."
"You will be."
"Ihra, don't be down. You can protect yourself, just be more careful when using more powerful spells." Riihs tries to comfort her, but it's obvious they don't have as close as a relationship as she does with Rineth. She nods, coming to tears.

 

"It's not your fault," Artemis says in a soothing voice, "You were only doing what you thought was right, you're not at fault for simply not knowing."

Artemis' voice is oddly calming, her words silken.

 

"A... fight?!"

 

Ihra still looks shaken.
"But I... you..."
Rineth picks her up and puts her on his back (again).
"You've been forgiven... All is well. Come, we'll go somewhere. I think you just need some space."
Riihs nods.
"Pardon them, my daughter's still figuring out her life. She just needs time."

Rineth takes off and flies away from the coast.

Xephyr looks wiped.
"Uh... Am I intruding on something? I didn't mean to... Can I make it up to you? I don't want to keep master Eras waiting."

"You can use them defensively."
Vei thrusts one of her palms forward. A melee-ranged blast of energy comes out of the brace.
"Or offensively, but not nearly as well."

 

Lazarus instinctively flies up...
Right into the roof.
"I did it?"

 

"Erm... usually you point it away from the ground. That's how you jump, though..."